Conference: 1980
Table of Contents
Gathered to the Lord
Address—A.C. Hayhoe
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Every time we hear the word of God together, it also speaks to our heart, or to our conscience, or both. Because, you know, if we read and meditate upon the word of God and find something that simply ministers to our.
Interest. Our curiosity, our intellect is really not-for-profit. In fact, it could be dangerous. And so I hope tonight again, as we open the word of God, we'll climb. They will speak by the power of the Spirit to our heart and to our conscience. We do need our hearts warmed up with the wonder of His love. And we need our conscience of reach too, that we might live day by day.
To please the one who loved us and gave himself for us.
In looking to the Lord about it, I felt it might be his mind that we tried to continue on with that which we were sharing together. Last evening we began, you remember with that call of did I say love in the heart of the Lord in the garden of Eden, long ago, when he said, Adam, where art thou? And it was remarked that.
Undoubtedly.
The Lord felt a break in that fellowship that he had enjoyed, because I'm sure you and I know that he created man and put him into this world in order that his own heart might find the light and satisfaction in the fellowship.
Those whom he had put here, what do you stop them thinking? I want a delightful fellowship. And what a wonderful picture it must have been to the heart and eye of the Lord Jesus. It's a bit remarkable as it's not that when we see that which is created.
Everything that's free was created, complete with its mate, its partner, everything right down the line. Everything was created male and female. Male dog created man.
Now why did he create man all alone, no partner, no one to love, no one to break that awful loneliness? And God looked down upon that lonely man Adam. And it was God who said it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him and help me for him and he says.
In pictures, Adam is going to cost you something.
That is laid into a deep sleep, and from his side there is brought forth that which is formed into a bride for that lonely man. He rises up from that sleep, and there before his eyes is the bride that God had prepared. He could look upon her and say, This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. His loneliness is ended. His love is satisfied.
And at last the picture is complete. And she in turn could look upon him and say, And I owe all my joy and happiness to this man with the wounded side. Can't we see why God did it that way? God had a purpose, May I say it with all reverence. God was in a hurry to display that purpose. And there I see it in Adam with his wounded side and his bride to.
Fill the yearning love of his heart.
And what name did God give to that bride that he presented to heaven? Now usually the answer is, why Eve, of course. But you know, if we read the word of God carefully, we'll find the Scripture says in Genesis 5, God called their name Adam in the day that he created them. He called them both by the same name. Adam called his wife. He But God called her by the same name as her husband didn't that wonderfully. When you stop and picture it, there is Adam. There is his bride. Oh, how God must have delighted to see this beautiful picture of his beloved Son, the Lord Viva and his bride.
Wilkins, Light and all and both sharing the same name. All instead of privilege to be known in this day of discord, but a precious, wonderful, worthy name of the Lord Jesus Christ in that the light and godly light in it too. And you know, when I think of that story, and then I think of God coming down to look upon that happiness and to share that fellowship.
00:05:16
The cries of Adam Where art thou? That was remarked last night as we traced it through the Scriptures. God found a way whereby they yearning and loving desire of his heart could be realized. We went on to Exodus, to seated desire expressed, Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. And we see God accompanying his people through their years of wandering in the wilderness. We see them established in the land in Solomon's glorious temple with the name of the Lord and the presence of the Lord there, and the glory of the Lord shining us from that place.
But you and I know very well.
That anything that would honor the Lord Jesus is going to be.
The object of the enemy's attack, and you know that's true. The devil will get behind that, which would discredit the name of the Lord and cause it to prosper. But the devil will continually attack that which would honor the person and name of our Lord. And so, although we didn't go into it last night, I'm sure you remember and do not take time to turn to it tonight. But you remember that not long after Solomon.
And back in the days of his own son, real born, there are roads that sad his score and terrible in anger turned his back and said in his heart this is something to remember. He didn't say one word of it out loud. He said in his heart. You like an open to Second Chronicles chapter, no?
First Kings chapter 10 and read there what?
Jeroboam said in his heart, what did he say? He said if his people go up to keep the Passover at the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, he knew where the House of the Lord was and knew that he was turning his back on it. But he did so just the same. And he set up two centers, you remember, one at Dan and one at Bethel. And what happened? Israel was divided. 10 tribes meet now at Dan and Bethel.
Drive me back Jerusalem. Now, if you were an Israelite and wanted to please the Lord, what would you do? Would you say, Well, I guess I can suit myself. A good many of my special friends are Yonder as bad. They'll have quite a few over there at Dan. And so that Dan is back out number those here at Jerusalem 5 to 110 drive there, to drive here. So I think I'll make my own choice according to my own craft room.
If you had been in Israel, right? What would you have done? I'm sure you would have realized that God chose the place of the book. His name, the House of the Lord is there at Jerusalem there. I wish to be found to keep that Passover to honor my Lord. If you know later on. Second Chronicles 30. King Hezekiah and I want to emphasize this, perhaps we should take a look at it. Second Chronicles Chapter 30.
Because it seems to be introduced what I have in mind tonight from the new test.
Second Chronicles chapter is 30. King Hezekiah is sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. The temple is there. The name of the Lord. The presence of the Lord are there and two tribes are there. The king Hezekiah say, oh this is wonderful. I'm at Jerusalem. Here's the House of the Lord. 2 tribes are here. Doesn't matter to me about those who are Yonder in Dan and Bethel.
Oh, when I read this story, I pray, Lord, give me Lord, give me a Lord and loving and yearning heart for all the people of God, all of people of God. Every brother I meet and every sister I meet is a member of a body crisis, a living stone in the Church of God. And I often have a yearning feeling of love for every one of them. Hezekiah did. And as he sat there in Jerusalem, he thought of them and he yearned about them, and he wrote letters. This is what he says.
00:10:00
Group One and Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to eat Freeman Manasseh, that they should come to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover under the Lord's audience. Real faithful words. Wednesday no mincing of matters. It was true you and I know it was true. That was the House of the Lord. That's where the Lord had invited all Israel to be gathered together to celebrate the Passover.
And he really loved those fellow Israelites who were enjoying that. So he sends a letter of invitation.
You know, we might think, well, why didn't he go to Dan one Sabbath day to Bethel the next Sabbath day, back to Jerusalem the third Sabbath day. And surely this would encourage folks, here's a broad minded man. Let's come up to Jerusalem. No, beloved, he was faithful to that which the Lord God of Israel had established. And I believe it was pleasing to the Lord that he took the stand He did.
In verse 10, what happened?
Though the post passed from city to city through the country of East Freedom and Manasseh even underneath but they lost them to scorn and mock them. Now mark you, isn't this true? They didn't think when they read that letter and laughed at the letter and mocked the messengers. The dog was going to write it down and he would like to read about it in Spokane, WA in 1980.
Let's remember this, that every decision used, I make it seem written down up there. And I have had people. So have you laughed when you present to them at all for the grace of God, they don't realize that it's being written down. And I believe more than likely you've had people laugh too when you speak to them, another wonderful and happy and precious privilege of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they laugh and they mop.
I'm sure as we read this account we say thank God, but the faithfulness and the large and loving heart of King Hezekiah, but therefore just for a little word of encouragement. Nevertheless divers of Asher in working Lavin and a mass out of Zebulun humble themselves and came to Jerusalem. Why do I read that? What do you remember? When the Lord Jesus was born, there was a dear old widow by the name of Anna.
Of the tribe of action in Jerusalem to welcome the Lord and to rejoice over him. What was she doing in Jerusalem? The tribe of Asher had been carried away into captivity centuries before. There were only two tribes in Jerusalem when the Lord was born.
During the advancement, the tribe of Asher was gone. How did she happen to be there? I believe this is the answer right here, long, long before someone of her forefathers and humble themselves come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover. That I quite expect. When they got there, they said this is where we belong, This is the temple of the Lord. This is where he put his name. This is where we are encouraged to keep the Passover.
Let's say here, let's not go back to Dan or Bethel, from which we came. You know, when I read this account, I think it's strange to think that they would humble themselves to come to Jerusalem. Wouldn't you think that it's naturally would be that greatest delight and joy of any Israelite to leave his home and spark towards Jerusalem Solomon's glorious temple, the glorious God shining from that place, and to tell his neighbors I'm going to Jerusalem?
To keep the Passover all wonderful privilege I wish I could go through. Is that what happened? No. They humble themselves. I believe that means when they started up in their home in Bethel to head toward Jerusalem, the neighbor said, where are you going? I'm going to Jerusalem. You mean you got that silly invitation from King Hezekiah? Yes, he did. But after all, this is where your father and this is where your grandfather met. And now you're walking out and going back to Jerusalem.
That's where the Lord has asked us to be found, gathered together. They love it. I see this in the Old Testament. I see the pleasure of the Lord and those whose values that's which he had established, those who valued where he had placed his name. And last evening we traced his life through to the very minor prophet, where the Lord looks down on the little remnant company that is gathered there. And what does he say? All is quoted again. He says, I am with you, saith the Lord, according to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt.
00:15:08
Spirit remaineth among you very not. And then he pointed on ahead to remember, and he said, ah, there's a glory that lies ahead that's far greater than any glorious any of you have ever seen. 4/30 magnets greater than the splendor of Solomon's Temple of years ago yet.
And isn't it wonderfully true that on a brothers and sisters in Christ that this wonderful precious book, the Word of God has given to us today in 1980, the crashes privilege of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Honor and honoring and exalting his name and looking, looking what direction, looking back to something that is perhaps much more glowing.
Than what we see today. No, no looking ahead to that wonderful day when all the redeemed, all this is a joy to my soul from every kindred and tongue and people and nation will be gathered whole in the presence of the Lord His name in every forehead of this. Now we can turn with me, please to Matthew Matthew chapter 16.
All three old sessions. His off repeated desire was by lots of company of my people, but that company was according to.
Faithful interruption of the word of God. And if they were disobedient to that instruction, they missed the joy of His company. But more serious skills, He missed the joy of their company. I think we forget that, Godfather. He wants your company. Isn't that a wonderful thing to say? Or have we heard it so often that we have failed? Perhaps to see the wonder of it? He wants your help.
And as we said perhaps two or three times last evening, each of us has as much of Christ in our life as we want.
And our lives show how much we want it. There are those who have much of the company of the Lord Jesus, and you can just see it when you're with them. You can enjoy it when you visit them. They just close forth from them.
We've got some dear old folks back home where I live, and I mean old folks. I was visiting with one of them just before I left. He'll be 103 on her next birthday, just rejoicing in the Lord. Nothing she wants more when you go into season of the read the scriptures to her, saying his praises and all her dear old faces lights up with joy. She's got all her faculty, the sharpest convenience, so happy in the Lord.
I'm Fred visited her. I went to visit her younger sister. He's only 93, and she was just the same stuff overflowing with the joy of the Lord. I want to tell you it's a digression, but something that happened to that family long ago. There were eight in that family and I knew every one of them.
Not as old as they are, but I knew them well and their dear father and mother took them all to the meeting when they were children. But when they were young people, one day you'll understand it. The dear father came home from meeting quite upset. They said we're not going back to meeting ever again.
There is nothing there in that meeting that has so upset me that we are not going back.
And this one of the daughters. Her name was Phoebe.
He's with the Lord now, he said, you know Albert Next Lord says dad and mother didn't go to meetings, so of course we didn't go either. Next Lord say they didn't go, Next Lord say they didn't go. But she said after three Lords, they staying home. Dad was out in the field plowing one day and we saw him stop, take off his hat, bow his head.
And slowly turn around and come back in the house.
He said. We're going back to leave.
He said. The Lord gave me a verse while I was plowing in the field, and the verse was.
This man hath done nothing amidst it's for him we're gathered. He's the one whom we meet and we're going back against. And they did. There were eight I say in the family. And every one of them was gathered to the Lords name. There are only those two left now. The rest of them all is to be a tremendous age and now they're too less. Lizzie and Pecky 103 to 9th Street. But you know, I couldn't help but think as I heard that story.
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Oh, how thankful we should be that we are directed to have our eyes upon the One who has done nothing of it. Do we say and do things that sometimes trouble and offend our brethren? I know we do. I know I do. And perhaps if I wanted to take offense, if I could think of things that people have said and done to me. But what has the Lord ever done to disappoint me or to offend me? He's done nothing of it. And when I open this precious book and see the desire of his heart.
And what a costly desire it was for the company of his people.
Who am I to say I can't grant that desire to him because of something that was said or done?
Matthew Chapter 16.
Verse 13 When Jesus came into the coast of Cicero Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man AM? And they said, Some say that thou art on the Baptist, some elieth, and others Jeremiah for one of the prophets.
He's passed on to them. But who say he that I am? And finally Peter answered And saith thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God?
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bargona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee. But my Father, which is in heaven, I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Oh, I'm sure that thrilled your heart to read such words of thee here is.
A promise?
A desire expressed in the form of a promise I will build.
My church isn't that wonderful. I was visiting some time back with a dear minister in the town where we live. I delighted to call him Brother Ward, for he indeed is my brother in Christ.
The titled pastor of one of the large churches in town. I went into his office to visit with him one day and he always told me brother with an eager love and we were sitting there one day and he said to me it was a little hard for him to get it out. But he said brother April.
Uh, what hurt is that that you belong to over there on George St.
And I said, Brother Ward, I belong to the same church you do.
He looked quite taken aback. I said, Do you know what I mean? Oh, I think I do. I said, What do I mean? He said. You mean that church that is spoken of in the Bible?
I said, yes, that's true. Is there any other? You know, when you and I stop and think of it. If we did not add one verse, one chapter, one page to the word of God, where would we who know the Lord be directed? Ah, we would find in this precious book a wonderful verse like this, the promise of the Lord Jesus. I will build my church. And I tell you, if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you're a living soul in that truth. You didn't join it.
You became part of it, so maybe you didn't know. I know I didn't know it. The day I accepted the Lord Jesus as my savior, well over 50 years ago in Ottawa, all I knew was, oh, my sins are gone. The blood of Christ has cleansed them all away. I'm not going to heaven with to hell, which I dreaded and feared.
I'm going to be with my Savior in heaven. But I have discovered, and so have you as I read this precious book, that the very day I accepted the Lord Jesus, I became a living stone in the church for which He gave himself that which He speaks out here with an eager delight. I will build my church. You know, I I can't help but feel that it's rather a serious thing for me to look at this wonderful book.
And to read such a wonderful book about the first of others later on and say, you know, I see that I understand it, but.
Folks don't understand it, so I have to belong to something else too and be able to identify by name so that people will understand me. I say what a joy. What did he like to say? I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ can gather to his precious name alone.
00:25:12
I recognize as my brother, my sister, everyone who knows the Lord Jesus as Saviors. I recognize as a living stone in the church, of which I also am a living stone, everyone redeemed but a precious but a precious lot of Christ. Let's turn over for a moment, shall we, to 1St Corinthians chapter 3.
First Corinthians chapter 3.
Bird and the pour into the grace of God, which is given to me Paul. For the wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
Or other foundation can no man lay, And that is laid, which is Jesus Christ, Always from that wonderful you and I know very well, and we pick up this book, that there is one Savior, there is one foundation, there is one church. Now you know, as we remarked a while ago, that the enemy has his eye upon everything that would honor and exalt the person and name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he doesn't like to hear you say, I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
He doesn't mind if you say I belong to and to use some of the other honored names in Christendom.
He doesn't like to hear you said gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and I'm a living stone in the church for which he gave himself that's honoring to the Lord Jesus. But he doesn't mind at all if you say, well, I'm a member of this or that congregation that bears a name that's respected and honored in this land. Oh what a privilege here and now in the world that passed him out, that nailed his name above the cross, the only accusation they could find against him.
Through that name is still despised. But I know this night that I look into the faces of those who consider it to be that joy, a privilege and honor to say I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not a popular confession, and I've gathered to his alone precious name not a popular statement to make sense.
I was asked some time ago.
To go to the home of one of the highest church dignitaries in Ottawa. His wife was an invalid and she couldn't come to the office. He was having a problem with her eyes and when I please come do what I could Now he was a polished stem children, as you would expect from someone in such an office.
At a very, very honored cycle, and I remember when I came to the home, he met me at the door and he was just so gracious and so cold.
Because it was so kind of me to come. So when I have done what I could for his wife. And he seemed very pleased with that too. Oh, he was a so gracious and so polite and I thought, I really shouldn't believe this place. Let's say something for my Lord. I looked around for what might be just a little point of contact because I didn't want to offend in any way. So I fight a Bible and I pointed to it and I said serve.
I love that book.
Right away he looked at me with suspicion and he said, and what church do you belong to?
How should I answer that? What would you recommend I give as an answer if I don't go beyond the pages of this phone? Well, I tell you what I said to him. I said, Sir, I don't suppose I belong to what you would call a church, but I do belong to the Lord Jesus, and I'm gathered to his precious name. You know what he said in their words? He just walked straight to the front door, nailed the door open like that.
And I walked out, and that door was firmly closed behind me. I stood on the porch saying to myself, what did I do? What did I say to change that man from a polite and polished gentleman to one who would close the door on me like that? I have no regrets for what I said. I said, Sir, I belong to the Lord Jesus, and I'm gathered to his preciousness. You think the Lord would flee Christmas? I believe he was. It is a despised danger. Well, that I know that.
00:30:04
He wants your company. He wants mine, you know, Forgive me, but years ago there was a young lady lived in Des Moines and I wanted her company and I corresponded with her for almost 7 years. All I could afford was postage stamps in those days. But letters didn't satisfy me. So I took the long journey to Des Moines and asked her if she would be my wife, and she gladly said she would. And I brought her home with me. And you know what she did?
She changed her name. I'm not a strange thing to do. No, I don't think it was.
He changed her name. Now she wears a ring, and by that ring everybody knows that she's a married lady. But they don't know to whom she's married until they ask her what is your name. But she say well.
He was such a funny name. I don't like that name. So I'm going to choose something that's just a little more calm now. That would make me feel rather sad. No, I really feel quite thankful that for 38 years and more she has happily said my name is Missus Albert Hazel. I'm glad, Steve together in recognition and expression of that wonderful and precious truth.
Let's turn over to 1St Corinthians 10.
1St Corinthians 10 and verse 16.
The cup of blessing which we bless it is not the communion of the blood of Christ. The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, being many, are one bread and one body we are we are all partakers of that one bread.
Behold, Israel, after the flesh or not, they would eat of the sacrifices, partakers of the pulters. I believe there's a very wonderful lesson here. I believe what we have presented to listen, 1St Corinthians 10 is the Lords table.
Now, it's a rather remarkable thing that there are three things that I believe are very precious to you.
They mean a lot to you. The Lord's Day, the Lord's Table, and the Lord's Supper. How often are they mentioned in the word of God? Just what He wants and no more. The Sabbath day, How often was that mentioned? I've never counted, but many, many, many times because Israel was under the law and had to be reminded as a matter of obedience. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, But you know when you love someone.
Every request has a power of a command. Isn't that true when you love someone every request?
Has a power of a command.
And so when I see the Lord say mentioned one, the Lord's table mentioned one, the Lord's Supper mentioned one. He's not saying it doesn't matter, you know He's saying, I know you love me so much that these things will have a real claim over your heart.
What does he have to say about the Lord's table when it is introduced? I find the cup is mentioned first. That's not the way you celebrate the Lord's Supper. Why is the cup mentioned 1St? I believe it would tell us that our title to be there rest upon the value of the Precious Blood of Christ. When I was a young fellow in Ottawa, I used to go to the meeting and sit and watch those who partook of that loaf of that cup and I sat back and didn't partake.
Because I felt, oh, I am so unworthy, I have no right to partake of those emblems. And so I sat Lord Day after Lord's day and watched those emblems go round and didn't partake. Then I suddenly began to think.
Am I going to reach the point someday when I say now at last I feel worthy? Oh, I knew that that moment would never come. When I would say now I feel better, I feel more holy, I feel more worthy. I thought no. And furthermore, if I ask those people who are partaking, do you feel worthy? I suddenly realize that all of them would say the same thing. All the worthiness to be here rest upon the fact that the Lord Jesus died for me and I am him. His blood was shed to cleanse me from my sins, and I am a member of His body.
00:35:00
A living stone in the church for which he gave himself.
And the 11 See that from that day onward I have shared in a wonderful the precious privilege of expressing the very truth that we have been Speaking of. For by this beloved you and I express this truth.
No.
Somewhere in our home we have a marriage certificate. I'm sure my wife, knowing her as I do, knows right where it is. She could go and pick it up and say there it is, but don't ask me where it is. I just remember that I signed it one day, a long, long time ago, and there are several signatures on that marriage certificate. But here it is in our home. What would I think of my wife if she said, well, I know, I know we signed it, but you know, it's only a document. It's only a theory. It's.
Needn't have any effect upon our life. I would be heartbroken and aren't. Aren't there many who read this book and recognize, yes, they do. They recognize that there is in this book that statement that we have read. I will build my church. Christ also loves the church and gave himself for it. But you know, it's only a theory. It's only a theory. Every believer is a member of that mystical church that's spoken on in Scripture but says, you know.
Being only a theory where quite entitled to make whatever arrangements we choose so that we might serve or worship the Lord as we think that. Oh no, beloved, I'm sure you don't see it that way. I assure you. And I know that this book, written so long ago, contains all the light and wisdom that we need.
Grant the desire of the heart of the Lord Jesus for the fellowship, the company of his people. And here you and I find the privilege of being gathered through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The privilege of partaking of the Lord's Supper rests upon what? The value of the blood of Christ. Are you cleansed by the blood of Christ? Yes. You say I am then, and you do this long ago. You're a member of the body of Christ.
Do you express that or you say? What do you mean express that? That's what it says right here.
We, being many, are one bread, one look. And on the table, as we gather around the person of the Lord Jesus to remember him, there is one loaf. And you and I know very well that that one loaf represents not the company that might meet together in that particular place, but every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a joy. Every believer in the Lord Jesus seen in that glow.
That the thrills of my soul I have been on occasions where there are only.
Three or four. But there is a loaf on the table, thus it represents a three or four. No it doesn't. With the eye of faith we see every believer. But to know, to be there, to share in that wonderful privilege, is an expression according to the word of God, that I recognize the honor, the joy, the privilege of being a member of the body of Christ. If my wife were to say I don't want to wear that ring, and I don't want to be known as Mrs. Hagel, I would be very, very sad if he said I'm still your wife.
And I still love you, but I don't want to wear the ring, and I don't want to bear your name. I would say well in two ways in which she expresses that relationship before others.
He doesn't want, and it would be a very sad thing to my heart. I stay again from the very beginning and has been the desire of the heart of God for the company, the fellowship of his people. And he came into this world in a person of his beloved Son, that he might enjoy their company, but they spit in his face. They said away with this man, they cast him up, they crucified him. And what has he done? He has said, well, if they don't want me here.
About take them up there, because I'm going to have the joy of their company and you know he can. The whole reading family will be there. But as with Israel in the wilderness, I believe he looks down today and says I want the joy of your company while you're still here in the wilderness.
And so this is the provision that he has made, he says. I quote from Matthew 18 and 20, and you know it well. Square two or three are gathered together in my name. There am I in the midst of them all, how he delights to enjoy the company of his people.
00:40:11
You have to be very careful though, don't we, That we bow to the word of God and that we don't just make our own arrangements and our own choices.
Will you let me use the British illustration? Suppose that in Canada, where I live, we decide to have a special celebration in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her birthday if you wish. And so we notify Her Majesty the Queen that we intend to have this very special celebration in honor of Her Majesty in Ottawa Capital. And we go ahead frantically and we make all kinds of arrangements. We appoint to so and so to be our.
Chairman and all the.
Are very, very exciting to think of, and Her Majesty notifies us that she's going to send over a member of the Royal household to be present and to regulate the procedure and to make known to us her wishes in connection with this celebration.
So the member of the royal household will say Prince Charles, he comes over, he presents himself and we stop him at the door and say, but we don't need to, we have all these arrangements already established. So and so in our chairman in charge and really we don't need you, we've got all our arrangements already settled, settled.
How would you think they love us? And let us remember this, that God's precious Word has made known to us so abundantly the desire of the heart of the Lord for the company of His people. And let us remember this, too, that although this world cast him out and rejected him, he left careful instructions as to how we might be found, gathered together to honor him, to remember Him, and has.
A member of the word.
Member of the God had been sent down in order that all might be according to the mind of God and pleading to the Lord Jesus. Yes, yes. And I think it to be a very, very serious thing that we should say well, but we have all the arrangements already established. We don't need the leading of the Holy Spirit of God. That would be a most serious thing. Once again I repeat, He desires our company. And here is this verse which we have read we see.
That our fitness to be found together at the table of the Lord to enjoy His company rest of our values of the blood of Christ. But it used to puzzle me a great deal that in chapter 10 and verse 16 I see the cups and below in Chapter 11 and verse 23 long word I see the Lord suffer and it is the loaf and the cup. And I I recognize that in chapter 10 we see the Lord's table.
In Chapter 11 we see the Lord's Supper being celebrated.
According to the order that he had given to us, why are they separated like this? With rather remarkable instruction coming between the two and you've been a little surprised that between the two there comes instructions that.
Well, to say the least, they're a little bit surprising, aren't they? Coming where they do, I believe it would tell us that, although the Precious Blood of Christ has fitted me to be there at the Lord's table.
Yes, there is that submission, subduction, obedience that is presented to us in the end of chapter 10 on the first part of Chapter 11 That I believe we do well to remember is suited to vote and proper to vote Who would come into the presence of the Lord to remember Him in death. You know that in Israel, every Israelite.
Was entitled to celebrate the Passover complex.
Unless in some ways, he was unclean.
How good it is unclean. Many, many ways are listed in the Old Testament, some which I think surprise us quite a bit. For instance, if an Israelite touched a grave, he was unclean. There was a process of cleansing available, but he couldn't touch that grave and then go keep the Passover. He might say to the priest, but I'm an Israelite, I have every right to participate. That priest would have to say that according to the law of Jehovah.
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You are defiled and you must go through the process of cleansing now even more.
The Path of Blessing
Address—C.E. Lunden
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Return to the 26th chapter of Genesis.
Genesis 26.
And there was a famine in the land.
Beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.
And Isaac went unto Abimelech, king of the Philistines, unto Gerard, And the Lord appeared unto him, and said.
Not down into Egypt, dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee and will bless thee. Run to thee and unto thy seed. I will give all these countries.
And I will perform the oath which I swear unto Abraham thy father, and I'll make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven.
Will give unto thy seed all these countries, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
And Isaac dwelt in Gerard.
And the men of the place asked him of his wife, and he said she is my sister.
For he feared to say she is my wife. Blessed said he, the man in the place, should kill me for Rebecca, because she was fair to look upon.
It came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out at a window.
And so and behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebecca's wife, and Abimelech called Isaac and said behold of a surety.
She is thy wife. How? Since thou she is my sister. And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, lest I die for her. And Abimelech said, What is this?
That thou hast done, and it was one of the people might likely have lined with thy wife, and thou should have brought guilt in this upon us. And Bill Lake charged all his people, saying he that touches this man or his wife should surely be put to death.
Then Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year.
And hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him.
And the man waxed great.
And went forward, grew until he became very great.
Where he had possession of flocks.
And possession of herds and great store of servants and the philistines envied him.
Or all the whales which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham, his father. The Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth.
And Abimelech is said unto Isaac, Go from us, for thou art much mighter than we.
And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerard, and dwelt there.
And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham's father.
For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham, and he called her names after the names by which his father had called them.
And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerard did strive with Isaac's herdman, saying, The water is ours. And he called the name of the well, he said, because they strove with him.
And they digged another well and strove for that also, and they called the name of it said.
Tension and bitterness. And he removed from dance and dig another well, and for that they strove not. And he called the name of it Rehoboth. And he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
And he went up and danced to Beersheba.
And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham, thy father.
If you're not, for I'm with thee, will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham sake. And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants digged a well.
The Annabelle Bimelech went to him from Gerar.
And Ahuzah, one of his friends.
And if I call the chief captain of his army?
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And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing you hate me, sent me away from you. They said, We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee. He said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt.
As we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee, nothing.
But good and have sent thee away in peace and art now the blessed.
Of the Lord. And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink, and they rose up at times in the morning, and swear one to another, and Isaac sent them away.
When they departed from him in peace.
And it came to pass the same day.
That Isaac's servants came and told him concerning the well which they digged, and said unto him, We have found water, And he called it Sheba.
Therefore the name of the city is called Beersheba, or the Well of the old unto this day.
We have a brief history of Isaac in Scripture.
If we were to read the history of Abraham, we'd find it covered many, many pages and chapters.
Same with Jacob, but not Isaac.
Isaac is a picture to us of the heavenly man.
But down here in this world.
Now at times he didn't appear much like a heavenly man, and so this of course gives us to see that he's much like ourselves because we are a heavenly people.
And some of the experiences that he goes through are very much like the ones that we pass through.
We should have a general picture first of all of what's before us.
Now in the valley that Isaac was to follow.
Is a very special valley.
And it's the valley where the grapes of Esco grew.
Is the brook is called the Brook Beesor or Glad tidings?
And so it's just a little picture of the gospel of the grace of God, but all the way it starts at the Mediterranean and it ends at the headwaters in the place called Hebron, or.
General territory was called mammary. Hebron means communion, and mammary means fatness.
Now this stream or river Bizarre.
At different branches.
Gerard was on one branch, but it was a dead end.
And sometimes we wonder why God does not allow us to go ahead in the path we've taken.
Oftentimes it's a dead end path.
And so the Lord made it difficult, allowed it to be difficult.
Even in the midst of prosperity.
That seems strange, doesn't it?
Now we can answer that in this way. In Psalm 3 it says, Thy blessing is upon thy people. It can't be otherwise.
God's blessing is upon His people.
And all those blessings are found in Christ.
But we find that there's famine in the land.
And Isaac is going to do exactly what his father did. He's going to head for Egypt.
That God stops it.
You know, it's, it's something we should consider as parents.
That.
When we do something.
Our children are liable to follow in our footsteps.
The story is told of a man who was habitually attending.
A saloon. And he had to even because of the habit, he had to go even in the snow. And he was.
He was a big man and he he had big boots and as he walked through the snow onto this place where he was to get his liquor he heard a noise and looked back and his little boy was jumping from 1 footstep to the other.
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Turned around and he said never again.
All that many apparent would do the same thing, turn around.
Unless your son follow in your footsteps.
Now this may be in little things.
Or it might be in things that seem little at the moment, but they turn out to be something very vital at times.
Abraham went down into Egypt and he got nothing but trouble when he went to Egypt, and that trouble lasted most of his life that he received from Egypt.
God, in his grace he hinders Isaac from going to Egypt. He says you dwell in the land.
I've given you the land, now dwell there.
And that's good advice for us tonight, isn't it? God has given us the good land. Let's dwell there.
Let's not go to the right hand or the left.
Let's not follow new ideas, even if they come from our brethren.
Let's stay right in the land, in the place where God has put us. We still have lessons to learn. In the land we have to learn. There are different paths we might take, but the certain paths will bring us sorrow.
And it was just so with Isaac, he went up that stream and it was quite a long pathway, quite a long stream up, and it did go in the general direction of Hebron.
But it came to a dead end.
And of course, when we do that, we have to retrace our steps because God has a purpose for His people, and that purpose is to bring them into the full enjoyment.
Of the things of Christ, that's Hebrew, that's up at the headwaters. And if we take these side paths, we're not going to reach it as quickly because we have to retrace everyone of them.
Therefore we can take the proper path.
And you'll find to that in the path that we choose ourselves, oftentimes without asking God, that all it may seem that is a path of blessing, we find out that it really is a path of sorrow in this end.
Now the real path that that God had intended for Isaac to follow.
It was a path that led by that place called Esco, where they despise later found that large bunch of grapes. Remember the two men to carry and grapes speak of the joys.
Of the believers pathway of life.
The joys of the Kingdom are whatever it happens to be.
And so that's what is in store for those who follow in the pathway that God has appointed. There are those joys that begin here and never have any end. As we sing in that little hymn, Esco's Grapes, the story tells of where thy path to fleet.
So we find that in this valley or the city of Girard first.
He finds himself among enemies in the land.
Now we might speak of them as professing Christians who have come into the land.
They had no right to it, but they came into the land.
And they were settled there.
And Isaac finds himself now in the midst of Girar and.
We find also that.
One of the first things we do when we get into a wrong path.
Is to tell lies.
Tell lies.
And, you know, surprising isn't it, that even a man like Abraham, who was the father of faith, had to resort to telling lies to cover up what he was doing?
Now, this is rather a common thing, isn't it? And I'm sure there isn't a person here, but what in some way or other has told what they might call as a white lie? There's no such thing, you know.
All of that. Sometimes it's deceitfulness and misrepresentation is what it is.
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He said that his wife was his sister.
Now, it could have been true, you know, in a sense.
But really not in the sense he intended.
To answer, or should have answered at least he should have said she's my wife.
But you know, it is lack of faith in his part because.
The God who had called him had promised him, as we read in the beginning of the chapter.
Don't sit carefully. Third verse. Sojourn in this land and I will be within. Will bless thee. Is that not enough for faith?
I will be with thee, and I will bless thee.
What does he need to be afraid of?
You know there's no place for fear on the part of the Christian. I will be with thee and bless thee.
I suppose the first time this occurred was when.
That is the full saying that we have quoted in Hebrews. I will never leave thee, inner forsake thee. We get in the case of Jacob in the 28th chapter of Genesis, 2 Chapters further.
I will never leave thee, nor for safely, but here simply I will be with thee.
And I will bless thee now. This is the reason, for unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all these countries.
And I will perform the oath which I swear to Abraham thy father, and so on.
Now you notice what God says to him in the fifth verse.
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice.
Word obeyed is the secret of a happy Christian life Obeyed.
Dependence and obedience form the Christian pathway.
Dependence upon God, not man. Abraham lived a life of independence of man.
We lived a life of obedience to the Word of God.
God called Abraham and he says get out.
Like hindrance?
Thy father's house.
Chill on the land that I was filter and he got out. He obeyed the word of God.
But a different history would have been written about Abraham if he hadn't obeyed. And now Isaac, his son, is walking the same path up the very same valley of Beesar.
So it's a question here. I want you to know that Abraham obeyed my voice, he said.
It is true that Abraham failed.
But God is looking at Abraham's life as the whole life.
Not simply some particular act.
Because Solomon tells us there's no man on earth.
That hasn't sinned.
So we find that God is looking at the heart and not simply at all the acts that we do. It's true that if we, if we sin, there is an accounting for it. There's a government of God. But he looks at his people as to their heart. Where is your heart and where is my heart tonight as to God? Are we walking in the path of obedience and dependence?
Now we find that Isaac not only had gone to Girar, but in the sixth verse it says he dwelt in Gerar.
Was he not in the land? Yes, he was in the land.
But you see, he wasn't in that part of the land where he should be.
He was not in the part of the land where he should be.
He knew very well.
Where he should be.
Because he knew where his father Abraham had dwelt.
Beersheba.
But he wasn't there.
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Now it was his own experience. And you know, we cannot, we can't live on someone else's faith.
Each believer has to pass through the path alone in the presence of God.
He has to whose faith follow. That's true, and we get the benefit of others who've gone before but still at stake. We don't follow the mistakes, I trust, but we follow their faith.
Isaac followed both at first.
He followed the mistakes of his father.
He almost followed the first mistake which was go to Egypt and God kept him from that, but he did follow in the second mistake. However, in his life he did follow the path of Abraham as a whole.
Even though he did make mistakes.
And now they ask him of his wife, and so he goes about.
To lie about his wife.
Is God true? Yes. God's justice true. Even though he does what he does, that doesn't change God's attitude one bit.
And so God rebukes Abimelech.
I will be with thee, God says, and he's with it, even though he has failed.
Isn't that encouraging for us tonight? Now he doesn't support us in what we do.
In the sense of doing evil.
But he his purposes for his people will never change.
We may have to suffer because of what we do, but the original intention for each individual person for the part of God will never change, never change.
How much sorrow we cause ourselves in the path of faith.
That the believer is still in the path.
And he told Jacob and his life, and Noah's often spoken of as a crooked path.
He told him, You know I'll not leave thee nor forsake thee till I brought you right back to this place again.
And he did bring him back, because God never fails in his purpose.
We failed in carrying out a responsibility, but God never fails in His purpose for each individual soul.
Regardless of how stubborn we may be, how wavered we may be, God will not fail in His purpose.
Now we have.
We might turn to a verse.
And the 105th song.
The 14th verse.
Talking about the children of Israel. But it's still the path of faith. He suffered no man to do them wrong.
Yeah, he reproved kings for their sakes, saying that's not mine. Anointed do my prophets no harm.
That's God's side.
He's going to see two do it that no one's going to interfere.
The purpose he has in view?
And he's going to be with his own.
It's a wonderful comfort for our hearts.
Now the 12Th verse.
You're still in the land, but something's taking place.
And it seems like it's going to be real well for this man, Isaac.
Then Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year in a hundredfold.
And it says, And the Lord blessed him.
I notice again and the man waxed great.
It went forward and grew until he became very great.
For he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and great store of servants, I noticed, and the Phyllis Dines envied him.
Do you think it's proper for a Christian, a heavenly citizen, to have the world envy him?
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Go to see. Abraham had to pass through this. Isaac had to pass through this lesson.
You'll see practically what it meant to him.
He was now in a position he's a heavenly man down here and the world is envying him.
Now if he had.
In a in a general way, is in the place.
A blessing.
But there is such a thing as being where God wants us to be in the midst of that.
Outward testimony of Christ here on the earth.
He has placed set a place where his name is.
And he wants his people to that place.
And so we find a great deal of blessing and you know, sometimes we think when we're blessed in natural things that.
We have God's approval of what we're doing, but it might be the farthest thing.
God will bless us.
He granted them their desire, but He sent leanness to their souls.
Don't ever think, because you are blessed in natural things, that you have the mind of God in what you're doing. Don't think that for a moment.
That's walking by sight, not by faith.
It looks it looks great, doesn't it?
For all the whales which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham, his father, the Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth.
Abraham's servants had digged wells. Wells speak of refreshments.
The refreshment that's needed as we pass through this world and those religious people.
If they can, they're going to fill them with Earth. Earth.
Refreshment of a heavenly man filled with earth.
And we don't have to explain that, I'm sure, but the Earth suggests.
It suggests everything that the natural man loves down here.
Now just thought, how far tonight am I? How far are you taking up with Earth?
As an option. Is that enough that we have here before?
Earth so that the waters of refreshment for the heavenly man cannot flow forth.
Can't have two things in the vessel at the same time.
Either one or the other.
It's either the heavenly things or earth.
No, I'm not referring to the fact that you and I have our responsibilities here.
But the question is.
Where the treasure is, there is the heart also, or there will be the heart also. So where's the treasure? That's the point.
That's the 12Th chapter of Luke.
And immediately after that verse, you find three ways in which the Lord's coming is put before the believer.
That is the believer waiting.
In the mean time for his coming.
Watching for his coming and doing.
And a special reward in each case.
When he comes for those who are waiting, those who are watching and those who are doing. But you see with the Philistines have filled up these.
Wells then they had to go back and re dig these wells again.
Get back to the water.
Philistines have stopped them and filled them with Earth.
Now I've been like said unto Isaac, Go from us, for thou art much mightier than we.
It's one thing to leave the world, and it's another thing for the world to drive us out.
When we leave the world, we can come back again. The religious world, you know, that's what we have here.
But when they drive us out, then.
They're through us, and that's a good place for a Christian to be, you know?
To be outside and driven out.
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And that's what we have here.
Now he departs, but he doesn't go very far.
I suppose he's been thinking about that long trek back to the place where he left the right path.
It's a long way back.
And it takes a lot of spiritual courage, you know, following that path.
Backward steps, steps that you've already taken, thinking you were on the right Rd. when you really should have been in communion with the Lord about it. Now you have to go back that long way. So he just goes over in the valley now out of the city. Separation to a certain point.
And now I ask myself tonight, and I ask you at the same time, how far have we gone in separation outside of the city into the valley? We left the place altogether.
If they've driven us out, have we taken it from the Lord? We left the whole thing.
They got what we have here.
Would take more yet to get him out.
He still has a tent, though. He's a Pilgrim.
But he goes into this valley and says he dwelt there, he dwelt there. He didn't act like a Pilgrim, you know?
Although he had a tent, I don't read anything about an altar.
Should have had an Alder.
And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham, I noticed, And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
Turn with me to the 22nd of Proverbs.
And the 28th verse.
Remove not the ancient landmark.
Which thy fathers have set.
That's very plain, isn't it?
Well, you know, the principles all through Scripture are for us.
We can't escape them.
The principle, I say.
In those days, there were certain landmarks that would make the boundary of the field that belonged to each individual person.
In other words, it was their own inheritance that was given a bound.
The word in the margin says bound, which means the boundary.
Of their own possession of their inheritance.
Your own inheritance that you have in Christ and all that. It means don't remove the ancient landmarks.
Don't change the landmarks.
There was a tendency today to change the landmarks.
To change everything if possible.
A young man. He was young then, younger at least said to me.
Riding on the train with him some time ago and he said.
I think we ought to see if we can't get a Bible together that will be more practical for the young people.
A man who didn't know Greek was not a scholar in Scripture, and yet he proposed such a thing.
When God has set up men who knew Greek and knew the truth well, because it takes two things you know to translate, it takes a knowledge of the original language.
As well as to know the mind of God as to the Scripture.
Don't ever trifle with this.
God has set men, raised men, up for these things.
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And also the pattern of the Christian life that we have.
Carried down from generation to generation. This is repeated in the book of Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul, and also in Corinthians. He says keep the traditions. What does he mean?
The original word is instruction. Keep the instruction.
That's what we need.
You know the changes come from the natural mind, not from scripture.
Remove not the ancient landmarks.
Which thy father's have set.
Do you think for a moment that the age in which we are living is far more spiritual than those who lived formerly?
Would you know of anyone today?
They could sit down and write a hymn like the ones who are singing in our little hymn book.
Which would indicate someone spirituality.
Among those who were given.
Gifts not only to write the hymns, but also to translate.
In the way in which we now have them in our hands.
I'm not speaking only of Mr. Darby's translation. I'm Speaking of this King James translation. Spiritual man. Yes, they did fail in a few words that they didn't translate, perhaps clearly, but in general, you'll never find a better translation.
For you to leave.
God raised these men up to provide this thing for us.
Well, he he gave these wells by the original names. He didn't change anything.
We're told in scriptures, beware of those that are given to change.
Change.
Though it says here.
And Isaac's servants digged in the valley and found there a well of springing water.
Not only do they dig again the wells that their father his father Abraham.
But he takes some more wells.
You know, it's a wonderful thing not only to accept and enjoy what's been handed down to us, but also to be diligent with scriptures ourselves.
You know.
Even with the best, there's plenty left to enjoy because Scripture was given us to enjoy.
And everything that's found in scripture never has not been written by those who've written. There are many things that we can enjoy personally as we read the scriptures. And they found the well of springing water that was living water for the very moment which they were there asking through this valley.
Build the wrong place.
But he has the water.
But now what's happened? Now what happens?
God is not going to leave him alone.
Because he wants them to get out of the place.
He wants complete separation from the religious world.
In the land.
And so we find, first of all, contention.
They say the water is ours. They call the name of the well Essex or Contention.
And then it says.
And they dig another well.
And strove for that also.
Is that the way you like to offend your Christian life?
And striving hatred.
That's a great loss. Was he in the land? Yes, he's in the land. Was he where he's supposed to be? No, he wasn't.
As long as he was there, he's going to have nothing but contention, striving hatred.
We're part of the enemy and envy too, because God was blessing us.
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That's what we find.
We mingle in with this poor world.
Religious world through which were passive.
Now he comes, and he finds a well.
It's called room. Now he has room and they're not striving anymore.
Was it the whales that brought contention?
That awakened Isaac. The ones that caused hatred, were they the ones that awakened him? No.
It's the well where he found room.
Because it's the goodness of God that leads it repentance.
He may bring severity in our lives to awaken us.
But repentance comes with the realization of His goodness.
You get that in Romans, the 1St chapter.
For perhaps a second, knowest thou not, O man, that is the goodness of God.
At least.
When it comes to the place where he has room.
Rehoboth.
He said for now the Lord has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land, in the land.
What does he do now? He gets out entirely.
He goes to their semen.
Abersheba is the well of the oath, and is the well where Abraham made an oath.
Made a covenant with the Philistines and that was the border.
And got out completely. And until you and I get out completely, we'll still have contention and striving and all this.
But notice now in the 24th verse.
He's come now to Beersheba, the well of the old. He's come to the border of the land where he belongs.
And the Lord appeared unto him the same night. Isn't that nice?
Very same night when he moved. You know, the Lord is so anxious to bless us and we're just holding back that blessing ourselves.
The very same night that he made that move, God made the move to.
And the Lord hadn't appeared to him in the land of the Philistines, had he? We hear of him appearing at the very start of the chapter to warn him about Egypt, that that was all.
Tell him all about the goodness that he promised.
But now, once he makes that move.
Complete separation for the religious world.
Then God appears to him that night, very same night, and even late till the morning.
He said I am the God of Abraham, thy father.
Hear not, for I am with thee and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
It's nice to be refreshed again by the precious truth of God when we have gone astray.
Because it's only that that will refresh our souls.
It's the Word of God applied by the Spirit that brings joy and peace as we believe it, nothing else.
All the bounty of the that he received in the land of the Philistines will never take the place of this moment when God appears to him.
God appeared to Abraham seven times.
At least sometimes we know.
And each time he appeared to him, it was a step forward in blessing.
Some of the occasions were very close together.
Some occasions were a long time apart. I think it was 13 years between.
Because Abraham didn't act on what he should have, and God wasn't going to come and appear to him until he acted on the truth he knew.
If you and I don't act on truth, we know, don't expect.
A fresh revelation from God.
We can read the scriptures over and over again, so I can't understand this. You never will.
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Act on the truth that you know.
Act on the truth you know that God has given you, then you'll give you more light.
Now we have an altar.
Now he's a worshiper.
And where is the altar? Right there where God appeared to him.
The very place of his presence.
Remember when the Lord walks on the water, the disciples were in the boat on the sea, and the sea was the boat was being tossed by the waves.
And the Lord appears, walking in the water.
He said to them three things.
Be of good cheer. That's the Lord's coming. It is I. That's the gathering point.
He not afraid.
Those are the three messages for you and me in the last days, the Church's history.
Be a good cheer. That's the Lord's coming. It is I.
Be not afraid.
So it is here. It's in the very place where God says I am the building altar. It says he builded an altar there, there.
Were reveals himself personally.
Oh, how precious this truth is, if it's ever reached into our hearts. Or is it just a doctrine that we've embraced?
Doctors teaching, you know, or has it reached right into our hearts?
We say that whatever you may think for me, the Lord has gathered me to His precious name.
Did you say that?
Build an order there and call upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there.
Pitched his tent there, not in Girar.
We've gone all the way back down to where the river branched off.
And now he's come up to Beersheba.
There, Isaac's servants digged a well.
Now we have an interruption in the story, and we find that Abimelech comes. And who is Abimelech? Why, he's the one in whose country he had been and told him to get out.
Good to know, dear ones, when the scripture tells us that when a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with me. So if you don't have peace in your life, there might be something wrong.
In our ways, not pleasing the Lord.
And it's a wonderful thing to be walking in a path that's pleasing to the Lord, and to have an altar at the right place.
And also to have a tent in the right place.
The Pilgrim character is a tent and an altar.
Notice that word there in each case.
And then the third case, it's there that Isaac's servants digged a well.
That is, not only is he a worshiper, but he lives at that altar.
The place where the Lord has said His name, and that's where the well of refreshment is found.
There's where the Spirit of God is free to take of the things of Christ and open them to our souls.
Isaac said unto them, 27 First, what do you come to me, seeing you hate me?
Sent me away from you.
We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee. We got a nice testimony. The enemy sees this. The religious enemy sees it.
And we said, let there be now an oath between betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, so on.
Next to my face.
And now they depart from him in peace.
What do we have next?
Came to pass the same day that Isaac's servants came and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him.
00:50:03
We have found water or refreshment and he called it that is the same as his father called it. He didn't give it a new name. He called it Sheba. That's the oath because it was the well of the oath.
Now there's a verse or two in the later chapter I'd like to read in closing.
The time came when.
Jacob and.
Esau.
Came to their father Isaac.
Where did they find?
Found him in Heathrow.
That's the end of the world.
God had brought him to the very place that he said he would bring him.
Abram means Communion.
He sent mammary the place of happiness and all the experiences of life we didn't get. The rest of his life here is not recorded.
A few things, yes, but not very much.
But this particular experience that we've had tonight of the life of Isaac.
The the path of faith has given us in the history of Abraham, but this is not given by this way.
Place a complete separation from the religious enemies in the land we have here in this chapter tonight. But then he jumps over to the end of the story.
And his sons find him.
Well, here once tonight.
Where are your children going to find you?
Have you ever thought of that?
Your children are watching you.
Where are they going to find you? Are they going to find you in the place of God's appointment? Or are you going to wander off in a path of your own choosing, not having the mind of God led by perhaps natural affection?
Or something else away from the path of blessing and you walk, in your experience end up in Hebrew.
The place of fatness, communion. You won't end your life here in that way. If you take a path of your own choosing, there's only one path, and that's the path of faith, and that's a river Besar, the river of glad tidings.
It carries with it that.
Large bunch of escoles, grapes.
The joys that belong to the Christian pathway down here.
The Lord enable us then to walk.
Map app.
The glory of God down here let our pathway, whatever the experiences along the way are, will end in keeping.
That was Damry's Valley.
Colossians 4:2
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I could turn first of all the Colossians chapter 4, Colossians chapter 4 and verse two, continue in prayer and watch in the same with Thanksgiving.
It's on my heart this afternoon to speak a little bit about prayer, and particularly as we see it brought before us in the life of the Lord Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord Jesus is presented to us seven times in prayer, and in each one of these times, I believe there's a different particular context.
And in applying it to ourselves, I believe there can be some needed lessons for each one of us.
Or how important prayer is in our lives because it's so easy for us just to go on our own way, then when we get into a difficulty, to turn to the Lord and want His answers. But I believe it ought to be to have habitual saying in our lives. But I want to say first of all that there are some things, if I can use the expression, that we should not pray about.
Or you say, just what do you mean by saying that?
Well, when God speaks in his words, we don't ask him whether we should do the thing or not. If his words speak, the path is clear. We should be obedient. For instance, supposing there is a young person here, perhaps you have found a boy or a girl friend who's not saved, and you say, well, I'm praying about it. Well, you better stop praying because the word of God says.
Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
And I can remember when I was a boy that those who were walking to meeting my father said one time he said that there are things that I don't pray about. He said I didn't ask the Lord this morning whether I should remember him in his death. He said I have his word which clearly says this do in remembrance of me. I should be exercised about where he would have me to be gathered, whether it's according to the.
His word. But as to whether he would have me remember him, I have his word that speaks simply.
And so I want to say, before I start to speak about this, that prayer is never.
Thought of omitting the authority of God's precious words. God's precious word is the direction for our pathways.
But there are many things in life now that perhaps we don't have a direct word from the Lord, decisions that we have to make and so on. And so you can't turn to an actual chapter and verse that says you better go to the conference at Des Moines. No, you'll have to look to the Lord about something like that. And so there are many things in our lives just like that where we have to turn to the Lord. And I believe those two things are to characterize.
Christian life, reading of a word and prayer, and in God's word speak to us. Thy word is a lamp unto my face, and a light unto my path. And then when we have decisions, and when we find something, perhaps even the word, that we don't fully understand, then we can turn to the Lord and ask Him by His Spirit to help us to understand as our brother read to us this morning.
If any man will do his will.
He shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. Another comment that was made by Mr. Darby has been a help to me, and that is that prayer is based on the privilege of having common interests with God. No, I think that's a very blessed thing. And I say to you, dear young people, isn't a very blessed thing that you can have common interests with God?
Is he interested in your life and mine? Does he care about those decisions and how they affect our lives? Why, of course, he does.
He has planned his terrace for you, and so he brings our souls into fellowship with himself. It tells us your Father knows what things you have need of before He asked him let you say, if that is so, why should I ask? Well, I've used a little illustration like this, supposing that you wanted to give a gift to someone.
And you decide on a certain thing that you would like to give to that friend, and then one day before you have given the gift.
Your friend says, you know, there's something I really like very much and that names of everything that you had already planned to give.
All you say is just exactly what I wanted to give them. Isn't there a common mutual joy? Well, you know, in prayer we have the privilege of that common mutual joy. God bringing our souls into communion with himself to look to him for those very things that He knows are for our good and for our blessing. And so it's a very wonderful privilege that we have to be brought into this fellowship with God.
00:05:24
In prayer.
I might also mention too that her is brought before us in the Scripture in three particular ways, and these three ways also ought to characterize our Christian life. And we mentioned briefly yesterday about one, and that was the case of Nehemiah. And Nehemiah was the King's cup bearer, standing in the presence of the king, and the king asked him a question, and before he.
3rd It says So I prayed to the God of heaven, and I said unto the king.
In other words, Nehemiah's soul was in the attitude of prayer, and I believe that's the force of that verse in First Thessalonians 5.
That says.
Pray without ceasing. That is, we should, we should always be in the attitude of prayer.
So that any Norman, when any given situation arises, we don't feel that there's something between US and the Lord, but that we can just turn to Him and talk to Him as our dearest friend. That's praying without ceasing. And I believe that's a very important aspect of our lives.
Keep short accounts with God, though there's nothing between your soul and God, so that at any moment you can just turn and talk to Him and make known your request to Him.
And then there is also private prayer. Remember how the Lord Jesus said in Matthew to go into your room and shut your door and talk to your Father who is in secret? Well, we ought to have such times. We find that with Daniel it was three times in a day he went to his room. I don't by any means suppose that there weren't many times that Daniel talked to the Lord when situation arose.
Any his work and he asked the Lord about certain matters. I'm sure that was true of him. But there was also this time that he went to his room and prayed. And so you know here young people, I speak especially to you. You have the privilege of doing this and I hope you value it. I hope that there is a little time set apart in your life when you get with the Lord away from the family away from.
Just to talk to the Lord. And I think this is a very blessed privilege that we have that we can do just like Daniel. He wouldn't allow anything to rob him of that privilege. Three times in the day. In his case, he went to his room. And then the next instance is assembly prayer. We find that in the close of Acts tells us about the Saints and how when Peter was in prison.
It says they were gathered together and praying for all through Peter's release.
And so this represents what I believe is a very important thing. We have it brought before us in the second of that. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking the bread and prayers. I believe that is assembly prayer.
And so we shouldn't allow our private prayer to ever interfere with the fact that we desire to be present at the assembly prayer meeting. Let's just say the assembly prayer meeting, that their long pauses and sometimes I wonder how much space there was. Well, isn't it interesting that the instance that God brings before us in the 12Th chapter of the act where the assembly was gathered together for prayer.
There wasn't much faith there either because when Peter got released they wouldn't believe it and when he actually knocked on the door.
They denied that he was really there, they said it's the Spirit and he had to continue knocking until finally they let him in. So if the assembly prayer meeting isn't all that you feel it should be, and perhaps we could be exercised about our own part in this too. If it isn't, still, this brings out another thing that I wanted to speak of before I look at the passages in loop, and that is.
A wonderful fact.
That God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.
00:10:05
This to me is very, very encouraging in connection with prayer. I might say that confidence is in prayer is the result of obedience and communion. But God answers prayer according to His own heart. And how many of us have proved this? We prayed for something and we had to confess what a lack of faith there was in our prayers. And yet God was greater than our poor doubting heart, and he came.
Answered, he's greater than our heart. We missed something by not having confidence, but we didn't miss the answer because he answered according to his own heart. And I think this is a great encouragement for us. If you find, and I often have to say I find a lack of confidence in my heart. I'm encouraged by the fact that God is greater than my heart and knoweth all things. Now just one other thing and that is there is.
Fact of allowing anything in our heart, that is anything in our lives that is unjudged, this is a positive hindrance. And so it does say, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And it's the same thing to allow something in our hearts that we should be judging, while at the same time asking the Lord for something while we're not desirous to conform our ways into.
Pleasing to him. And so I just mentioned briefly these few thoughts in connection with prayer.
I say it is a wonderful privilege that God has given is a lovely verse. I believe it's in the Psalms that says.
All thou that heareth prayer unto thee shall all flesh come.
What a marvelous thing God does to your prayer, and this ought to encourage us.
Now to turn to some of these passages in connection with the Lord, the Gospel of Luke, and the third chapter.
Luke's Gospel, Chapter 3.
And verse 21.
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also.
Being baptized.
And praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him. And a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art, my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.
How I think this is brought before us. This is the first instance in the Gospel of Luke where we find the Lord Jesus praying, and I believe it's in connection with the commencement of his pathway of service, tells us in the book of the Acts that he was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power and went about doing good. And now I think this is something that we can apply to ourselves.
In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord Jesus is brought before us as the dependent man.
I think each of us know that the Gospels have different characters, and so the Gospel of Luke has a character all of its own. It presents the Lord Jesus to us as a dependent man here in this world. Hello. He was and is Lord of all. Elohim is in control of everything. He took his place here among men. He became a perfect pattern for us. He could have accomplished that work upon the cross of.
And gone straight back to heaven. That was what was necessary to put away our sins. Why those 33 1/2 years of his blessed pathway, all he was marking out a pass for us. He's an example for us. And more than that, He said it now as it tells us to be a merciful and faithful high priest, so that in every circumstance that we meet in our life, the Lord has trodden.
Before us, he was a child, He was a young person, He was an adult, and he walked through this world then apart. He marked out the pathway for us. And so here, this very first time that we have prayer, it's in connection with the Lord at the commencement of his pathway of service. Was it an easy path? All you know as well as I do, it was not.
An easy task. It was a difficult path.
It was a past that was so trying to him. He said reproach have broken my heart. I am full of heaviness. I look for some to take pity, and there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. Not yet. And we find the Lord Jesus here at the commencement of his pathway in prayer, and I believe as you turn with me to a verse in Galatians.
00:15:20
Galatians chapter 6. Galatians chapter 6.
And.
Fourth Verse. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another, For every man shall bear his own burden.
I believe that this these verses have a reference to what took place when the Levites were taken and given to Aaron for service in the House of the Lord. It tells us that the tribe of Levi was presented to Aaron and his son and each one was appointed to a service and a burden in the House of the Lord.
If you ask any Levite, what is your service for the Lord?
He could tell you because he could say Aaron told me that this was the service that I was to perform. And what is your burden? Well, he appointed me to this burden. He couldn't so to speak to do somebody elses work that was given to him. Well we haven't got some human that we can go to and say now can you please tell me what my life work is to be?
Now we have to go to the Lord. He is the Lord of the harvest.
But dear young people, I think especially to you because you're starting out in life.
I believe that the Lord has something for each one of you to do and I believe that you're going to miss something in your life if you spend your life without finding out what it is. I believe that the service that He has for you to do, if you can do better than any other person, because if the Lord has called you to it, He has certainly fitted you for it and He will enable you to do that little service and.
He often.
Protests us, but if he calls us to work, I sometimes said to my wife, when we try to undertake something to the Lord, I said, we don't need to ask ourselves, can we do this?
All I need to ask is, does the Lord want us to do it? Because if he wants us to do it, then we become his charge. It says no man goes to work, to warfare at his own charger. When a man joins the army, he becomes the charge of the government. They look after his clothes, they look after his health, they give him the ammunition needed or whatever he is. He's their charge. And isn't it a lovely thing? The Lord has a place for you to fulfill.
This is in the body of Christ. Each member has a part to fill and the hand doesn't try to do what the foot is supposed to do unless it's an emergency. Each member has a particular place to fulfill and then each one if those Levi's had a burden to bear or have your young people have you. And I want to know what the Lord wants us to do.
Here we find the Lord Jesus at the commencement of His.
A pathway in prayer. Have you really asked the Lord to show you what he has for you to do I believe that he can and that he will make it known to you. It tells us I quote again that verse any man will do his will. He shall know and I believe he will show you he may also give you a burden and maybe you may feel that it's an unusual one because.
Some of the Levites must have had to carry the boards of the Tabernacle, and some of them seem to have it a lot easier, caring perhaps the pins and other lighter things. Some seem to be occupying a very prominent and important place and carrying the ark on their shoulders, and others may have felt, well, why can't we have the honors that that person is having their right out in the front? Everybody notices them, but the important thing was not.
Whether the service puts them in the public eye and these that could be dangerous. But the important thing was had they received that little work to do, have they been appointed to that burden? Every man according to his service and according to his burden. And it tells us that this service was from 25 or 30 years old up to 50. I believe it's simply the fact that it's a good thing for us to.
00:20:04
Before our best years are gone, before our best years and say, oh, I wasted my life. I like to start now. Oh, how much better to start in the time of in the time of King David. It speaks to both and even being in service in the temple at 20 years of age. And I think it shows us that if we're willing, the Lord then will show us. So isn't this a little pattern, the Lord Jesus.
Had been baptized, he comes up out of the water and he is praying. He is praying Now I just suggest that in baptism the name of Christ is placed upon us. There's a position in this world of bearing the name of Christ. And So what a what a responsibility. You see a man with a name on his on his shoulder, then you expect to see that he is.
Worthy of that name that he bears.
And so it's a responsibility to bear the name of Christ in this world. So here we find the Lord Jesus in prayer at the commencement of his pathway of service. And again, I just want to impress upon each one and upon myself that you can discover this. And then isn't this lovely? And then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another, You say that sounds a little.
Selfish. No, it just means that. It just means this, that instead of saying, oh, I wish I was doing what that other brother or sister is doing, you say, oh, I'm, I'm happy because I feel that I'm fulfilling the little service the Lord gave me to do. That's what counts. That's what counts. And you can really be happy in it all. You say it's kind of difficult when you see somebody else have it a lot easier.
Oh, but it's the Master whom we serve the town. It's the Master who is the Lord of the harvest.
Who died for us? Who has those nail prints in His hands to remind us of what it cost him to make us his very own? And you are not your own. You are bought with a price. Have you prayed about it? Have you asked the Lord to really show you what He has for you? And if you said, Lord, help me to accept the burden, even if it seems to be a heavy one. Even if someone else seems to have better health and better surroundings and a better meeting to serve in.
Lord to be a light for these just where you place me. I believe that's what the Lord would have us to do. Now let's turn to the next one. I believe it's in the 5th chapter of Luke and the 15th verse. Bought so much the more went there a fame abroad of him and great multitude came together to hear and to be healed by him of their.
And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed.
Well, here's another instance that we find the Lord Jesus in prayer here it tells us in the verse before a fame had spread abroad of him, great multitude came out. Oh, you said that was a fine opportunity. Why did the Lord withdraw himself?
Oh, I think this is very lovely. The Lord Jesus never never thought popularity.
All that he sought to do was his father's will. Sometimes when people pat us on the back and make a great deal out of us, we can sort of go ahead sort of on the Crest of all the public acclaim and all the people say to flatter us or encourage us or something. And you know, we can go along like that. There is no more dangerous time in our Christian life.
Than after the Lord has used us in some way.
You know, when the children of Israel had one of the most market remarkable victories that Jerry call and they saw the walls of the city fall down flat. They went up and took the city and they didn't lose a single man. They just got a little bit ****** **. They just thought, oh, that shows that we can handle any other place. Let's go down to the city of AI. It's only a little place and we don't need.
Go there because it's going to be easy. Has that ever happened in your life? The Lord is yours, and you've done something for him. And all I can do the next thing. All right, Because I did that. Oh, be careful. They were to get back to Gilgal. And what was Gilgal? Well, Gilgal was the place where the knife was lifted on self. It was the place where it wasn't using a sword on the inhabitant of the land it was taking.
00:25:12
Sword on themselves and it hurt too. And self judgment is very important. And let me say that if the Lord has ever used you and made you a blessing to somebody else, don't forget to pray. Don't forget to get down before the Lord and say Lord, I'm nothing. I couldn't have done this alone. And I can't hear the next thing unless I get help from above and.
Turn this lovely when the Lord Jesus.
There was a frame of him spread abroad and great multitudes came out. He was draws into the wilderness and there prayed. He's the perfect man. He's the example for us. In the Gospel of Luke we have a somewhat similar situation. And they came to the Lord that he said, all men seek for thee. Oh, you say I'm pretty popular. Everybody's after me.
What did the Lord say? He said.
Let us go into the next towns also, for therefore am I sent. He didn't seek public acclaim, says in Philippians chapter two. He made himself of no reputation. Oh, it's dangerous for us to seek a reputation of any kind when the Lord of glory in this world, the only one who had a right to a reputation, took the law's place and made himself of no reputation.
So I believe we could say that in this second instance in the Lord's life, we see an example for us set before us, that the Lord Jesus as the dependent man here in this world, he didn't seek the acclaim of the world. He sought his Father's approval. That's what counted. And so he goes into his Father's presence, we know, with the Lord Jesus.
His communion with his father was always perfect. It was absolute with us. It's not always so.
But I say this is a pattern for us and I believe a very needful pattern. So if there's anything that has taken place in your life where you feel the Lord has used you, are perhaps giving you a measure of popularity and people are beginning to pat you on the back, be sure to get on your knees. You need it. If the Lord is going to continue to use you and bless you, be dependent upon Him. The Lord Jesus said without me.
He can do nothing.
And so we have another case now if we turn on in the 6th chapter of Luke. The 6th chapter of Luke and the 12Th verse passed in those days that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples, and of them he chose 12.
Whom also he named apostles.
Well, we know that this was at the time when the Lord Jesus chose the 12 apostles who were to accompany him and his pathway of service. And we find those 12 apostles with the Lord all through right up to the very night of his betrayal, those 12 apostles were with him. And now I'd like to apply this in a practical way to ourselves.
Here, young people, there's no more important decision in your life than who is going to be your partner, who is going to be?
The one who is going to share a life with you, that is the most important thing.
Don't treat it lightly, don't allow yourself just to get carried away.
With some observation that you've made that you haven't been before the Lord about it. Isn't it remarkable that in this instance we find the Lord Jesus all night in prayer to God, All night in prayer to God? And if you only realize that the partner whom you have in your life is going to make you or break you in every way.
Naturally and spiritually, you will never really have Fulfill as you should what the Lord would have you to fulfill.
Unless you have the right partner in life and the Lord Jesus here before he chose those 12 disciples, or you say that the Lord knew everything. Why did he do that? To be an example for us, to show us what an important thing a decision like this is in our lives. And then perhaps I could apply it in another way.
00:30:06
Too. Perhaps you're going to do something in the Lord's service.
And there's someone who you'd like to have to be a helper with you. Perhaps some of the ones who have tried to do something for the Lord can follow what I'm saying. You ask somebody to help you, but you didn't pray enough about it. And that person wasn't really a helper at all. That person actually hindered you, wasn't really A1 mind with you in what you wanted to do for the Lord.
Oh, how very important it is.
Those who are our associates in life. The psalmist felt something of this. And in the 119th Psalm, I think it's the 63rd verse, he says, I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. And so I wish to say to you that it's the matter of a partner.
Be sure to pray a lot about it, look into God's Word and be sure that this one whom you would like to have to share life with you.
Is one who fears the Lord who wants to please him that you have common interests in life. Oh, it's so important and here as I say we find the Lord Jesus spending the whole night in prayer to God. So I want to just impress upon you in those momentous decisions of your life to be much before the Lord and to be sure that you have sought his mind because.
It surely is so important and the Bible says to you know.
A prudent wife is from the Lord. It isn't just that you had the wisdom to choose yourself.
Or the girl had the wisdom the brother read to us this morning that Rebecca was asked wilt thou go and she answered, I will go. So whether it's the boy and making the chores of the girl responding to the choice all be much before the Lord that you would have the one whom the Lord would have you to do and if have for a partner and then too, if it's a service to the Lord pretty much about who should help you.
You will find that whatever you undertake for the Lord, it's going to be so much happier if you have the right one with you.
You remember how Paul had Barnabas with him and Barnabas wasn't of one mind. And so there was a little bit of bad feeling when that kind of broke up. And Barnabas went back and took his, took his nephew Mark, and they went off and sailed to Cyprus. And there was a little bit of bad feeling that came from that. And then the next time it tells us that when Paul chose Silas, he was.
Amended by the brethren commanded. In other words, others recognized that he had made a happy choice. We don't read in one single clash between between Paul and Silas. Lovely to see. Lord can help you even in those kind of decisions in your Christian life. And now let's turn to another one in the ninth chapter of Luke.
The 18th verse and it came to pass as he was alone praying.
His disciples were with him, and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
The answering said John the Baptist, and some Elias and others say that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering, said the Christ of God. And he strictly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing, saying, The Son of man must suffer many things.
And be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes.
And be slain and be raised the third day. Well, here we find the Lord Jesus with the shadow of the cross before him. He knew just exactly what he was going to have to bear in the rejection of the nation. He was in the pathway that his Father had marked out for him. Because it tells us that he said, I do always those things that please him, but were there.
In the path, yes, and there will be in yours too if you decide to follow the Lord. There is no promise that it's going to be an easy path. In fact it tells us in the world ye shall have tribulation. Another verse says all they that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution and perhaps there are times when.
00:35:19
In following the Lord, the difficulties and trials could be totally overwhelmed.
Some have got so overwhelmed by the difficulties that they've thrown up their hands and say, well, I did want to follow the Lord, but oh, it's just too hard a path. And we have seen many dear young people who've started out well, and we don't question their zeal and we don't question their desire. But the difficulties were insurmountable and they are to me. They are to you too, if you're trying to follow the Lord.
How did the Lord Jesus meet all this rejection and shame?
Now that he bore along his pathway and finally to be taken and crucified, the very people that he had come to bless, shouting away with him, crucify him, and handing him over to the Gentiles to be nailed to that cross, how could the Lord Jesus endure all this? It says he was alone praying. He was alone praying. And you know, I want to say this too, perhaps.
You have sought to do what we've just been talking about. You said I I've tried to do the little service the Lord has for me. I'm trying to walk in the path that He has marked out for me and with the partner that He has for me. But all the problems and difficulties are just overwhelming. Are you praying? Are you praying? The Lord knows all about those problems. He knows.
He knows every one of them, and as we sing in a little hymn sometimes, the young people.
The Savior can solve every problem. There is nothing too hard for Jesus. There's nothing that he cannot do. There's no problem, there's no difficulty That is so great that the Lord would have to say you just that's too much. You better turn back. Oh no, he is able. And so if you are facing and I as I look into faces here, I know that there are young people who just said, oh.
These two or three days, but when I go back, when I go back, I can just see mountains. I can just see all kinds of things turning up. Isn't this lovely? The Lord Jesus was alone praying. It's grand to be in company. You really get a boost for your Christian life when you're with other Christians and they sort of help you along. But you do have to meet some difficulties alone.
Every man shall bear his own burden, and some things you just have to meet alone.
And you just have to get before the Lord as our perfect example, the Lord Jesus did.
He's alone, praying, and then he tells the disciples this is the kind of a pathway it is. It's not an easy one. Paul was careful to tell the early believers about this, too. He didn't paint out an easy, pleasant pathway for them.
He didn't say it's all fun. No, he said we must through much tribulation, enter into the Kingdom of God. And so isn't this very beautiful to see the Lord Jesus alone praying, then talking to his disciples and saying, I know how difficult the pathway is. I know just exactly what's ahead. We don't always know what's ahead.
What the Lord does, the Lord does.
Maybe it's good for us at times that we don't know what's ahead. We just would cringe before some of the things that might come. But he knows and the Lord knew it all, but he pressed on. Nothing would turn him back. Now in this same chapter we have it again in the 28th verse of this 9th of the Luke says here.
28 Verse. And it came to pass, about an 8 days after these sayings, he took Peter and John, and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistening. And Beholder appeared with him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory.
And spake of his deceased, which he should accomplish.
At Jerusalem. Well, here we have again. The Lord Jesus went up into a mountain to pray.
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And I believe the reason this comes in here is what is it that will sustain us?
When we have to meet these difficulties, the Lord had just acquainted the disciples with the fact that He was going to be rejected.
If I had read the intervening verses, you would see that he was telling them.
That they were going to have to take up their cross and follow Him. And the 26th verse. Maybe I could read it. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words of Him, shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and in the holy angels. He had acquainted them with the fact that it was difficult, but He warned them not to be ashamed.
It says, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
Near of me his minister. Will you say what will sustain you at a time like that? Well, here we find the Lord Jesus went up into the mountain to pray.
What will sustain you when it seems that the difficulties of the way are overwhelming? Well, we can pray and ask the Lord for grace, but God does more than that. What happened here? Oh, there was a whole Vista of the coming glory that was opened up, and the Lord Jesus, the fashion of his countenance was changed. Doesn't it remind you something about?
Steven there he was before the council and they were all against him.
What made his face like the face of an Angel? He said. I see the glory of God.
And Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And so instead of just looking at the difficulties, they're real. We can't meet them in our own strength. Oh, what's ahead of us, brethren? What's ahead of us? Well, here was a little preview. And Peter speaks of this in his epistle when he's talking about what the Christians had to go through in his epistle, he said.
He said. And this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him.
In the excellent glory, in other words, Paul, Peter never lost sight of that vision. It remained in his soul. And as he found difficulties, he was in prison, as we said, and the Lord released him. Many difficulties came in his life. But he said I've never lost sight of that. What I saw on the Mount of Transfiguration, he said, that just still shines before me and it sustains me and.
According to history, he was crucified upside down. What was it that sustained him?
All that glory is shining before Him, and I wish to say that this is the only thing that will stay sustained us.
In our difficulties do we pray and say, Lord?
Help me to have my eyes upon Thee. Help me to be looking, so that I can say in the words a little hymn.
The glory shines before me. I cannot linger here, though clouds may darken. Or me.
My Father's house is near. So here we find the Lord Jesus in prayer just after announcing all these difficulties and hardships to the disciples. But he's there on that mountain, and he's transfigured. His face shines as the sun, his Raymond his white and glistening.
And what were they talking about? They spoke of his deceased that he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
Or we can always, shall I say we can always see God's love revealed at the cross. We may not always see his love in our circumstances, but we can always see his love revealed at Calvary. Sometimes there may be somebody here and you're going through deep waters and the devil whispers, does God love you that he lets all this happen?
Oh, your answer is I know he loves me. He sent his son to die for me.
He settled the question of my sins so that I could be an eternal glory. It's like casting the tree into the bitter waters. It makes them sweet. And so here in this occasion where we find the Lord praying not so much in facing the difficulties, but rather that which lifts us above the difficulties. And we need to ask the Lord. Perhaps you have. I've asked the Lord. Oh, help me to have.
Before me, the reality of all its mind in Christ.
Danger. It helps you to go through some of the things that if you just look at them, they almost seem overwhelming. Well, may that view of coming glory be before us, says in Proverbs.
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Where where no vision is, the people perish. You lose sight of that. Why? You just can't. You can't stand all the difficulties and problems that come by. Now let's turn over to the next chapter, the 11Th chapter. Well, that was the 9th. It's the 11Th chapter.
And the first verse.
And it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done. As in earth, so in heaven give us day by day Our Daily Bread.
And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Oh, you say, I didn't know the Christians prayed the Lord's Prayer?
Well, I'll tell you why I read it. The Lord was praying here, and the disciples asked him to pray.
Did you ever feel you needed the Lord to teach you how to pray? Well, it says, you know, we know not what we should pray for as we ought. Now we don't pray in these actual words, brethren, but I would suggest that this lays before us a pattern. And while we're not praying for the bringing in of the Kingdom, but rather looking for the Lord's coming, I believe if I just look at a few points, you can see here.
That there is really a pattern prayer set before us, and I think sometimes we don't know how to pray.
Because we haven't laid hold of this pattern that the Lord brought before the disciples.
I say again, I'm not suggesting you use these actual words because that was a special need at that time that the disciples were praying about. You have different needs. We're living in the dispensation of grace. But it is a model Now. Just notice a few things about it. I believe there are seven points in this prayer that are very instructive. Our Father, which art in heaven.
He realized that God's your father. No, I'm not flying it now on a practical way.
When you come and talk, how are you talking to God as if he's at a great distance from you and you have no feeling of nearness? It was brought out in the morning, in the meeting this morning. How wonderful. God is my Father. I can talk to one who knows and cares about me. He has a Father's heart for me. When you start to pray, do you talk to God in the consciousness that He loves you more than your human father and that He is the one who?
Son to die for you, our Father, which art in heaven, then here the next one, hallowed be thy name. Always pray reverently. Always pray reverently. Never be flippant in your prayers. Talk to the Lord with reverence, because we need to remember the greatness of the person to whom we're talking. We're living in an age of irreverence, we find.
Sometimes even prayers are characterized by a lack of reverence.
The Lord was teaching reverence here. Hallowed be thy name. Always talk reverently to the Lord.
And then thy Kingdom come. Do you see everything messed up in this world? Don't you have a longing for the time when it's going to be set right? Don't you? Yes, of course. I'm sure every Christian longs for the time when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Now I know that our hope is the Lord's coming, and he's going to take us out before this happens. But do you expect the president of the United States or do I expect the Prime Minister?
Canada to set things right. No, I don't, I don't, but I do expect that there is one who's going to and that gives me peace amidst all the unrest and confusion. So when I talk to God in prayer, if the things that are going on bother me, I can say, well, it's all going to be set right another day when my Savior has his rightful place and then the next one.
Thy will be done. As in heaven, so in earth. Is this a real desire of our hearts? When we pray, do we really want His will?
Or do we want him to change things and make them according to our will? Or do we really want His will? And so I think this is a very important thing in our prayers that we wouldn't want to ask the Lord to give us anything that wasn't according to his will. And so thy will be done. Oh, you know, it's done in heaven, but what about on earth? Do we desire it?
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Dear young people, do we really want the Lord's will if that boyfriend is not the one for you?
And that girlfriend's not the right one for you. Do you really want them? You couldn't really in your bottom of your heart want them unless it was among the Lord wanted for you. And so in our decisions, let's remember this little model. Thy will be done. And then give us day by day Our Daily Bread. Well, there's a lot of daily needs. Maybe Brad, maybe a job.
Maybe where you're going to live, Maybe a house.
There's a lot of daily needs, but this is a pattern. Do we try to solve all our daily needs ourselves or do we turn to the Lord? Do we turn to him to solve? They had asked the Lord to teach them how to pray. So he's teaching them here. He's showing them. And we don't perhaps ask the Lord for the daily bread. Perhaps in our plenty we think, well, I think we have enough in our in our kitchen, but we do have a lot of daily needs.
If it's not Brad, and it might be bread someday too. It was for our brother Willis when he was in the camp in China. We never know when it's going to be that way, but we have daily needs. Let's ask the Lord about them. And then to forgive us our sins, as we for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. Well, we know the Lord has forgiven our sins, but I think we can search our own hearts and ask ourselves when we pray.
Do we have any bad feeling toward anybody?
In the whole world, do we have any bad feeling? Is there somebody that we haven't forgiven all? You said they did such a mean thing. Have we forgiven them? Have we forgiven them? If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And so here's something that we need to remember. Never, never make intercession against the people of God.
That's the only failure of an Old Testament St. recorded in the New Testament.
It says Elijah made intercession against Israel, make intercession for the Saints. Did somebody do something mean? Pray for them, don't pray against him, pray for him, pray for him, and maybe the Lord will come in in a remarkable way. So I believe there's a little thought here. And then last of all, lead us not into temptation, in other words.
Are we able to meet the situations of life and our own strength?
Can we say, well, that's one situation I can handle. I can go out with friends. I know how far to go with them. I wouldn't. I wouldn't do the questionable things. I'll be careful. Be careful. Lead us not into temptation. Peter thought he was strong enough. Maybe all of us at times have thought we were strong enough. But this is a wholesome prayer. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Only the Lord can keep us. We don't know what we do.
When we're placed in situations, if the Lord didn't help us, isn't it a beautiful model for us?
I'm not suggesting that we start repeating the Lords prayer, but I am saying we have a little model for us and may the Lord grant that we'll bear this in mind. The Lord was praying and now he taught them how to pray. Now there's just one more just before we close in the 22nd chapter.
22nd chapter and the 44th verse.
41St verse Pardon me. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying.
Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him, and being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly. And his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the crown. Well, this is the last instance where we have the Lord in prayer.
We're all well acquainted with this very, very solemn occasion.
The shadow of the cross. What it would cost the Lord Jesus to bear our sins.
What it would cost him to be forsaken of God. All this and all its horror and reality was before him.
But we find the Lord Jesus saying not my will but thine be done. And there are times when.
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We'll never, never, never have to face what the Lord Jesus faced. We'll never have to bear sin if we're believers. He bore that for us. But I do believe, dear friends, that there are times in our lives when there is some very, very difficult situation that faces us, something that, shall I say, we actually sweat about. We really.
Say, oh, this is just overwhelming. This is just too much for me. And here we find the precious Savior three times in the agony of prayer, but he ever sought his Father's will. He said he wanted to do his Father's will. He said, not my will, but thine be done. Oh, I think it's beautiful. Perhaps we could characterize this one by.
Perfect submission, perfect submission, submission in love because.
He was going to do the Father's will for our blessing. Oh, May God grant that pattern of the pathway of the blessed Lord Jesus may be an encouragement to us. And I'm just going to add one thing that's not found here in the Gospel of Luke, but I have enjoyed it very much that in one of the other gospels, I've forgotten which one. I think maybe it's Mark, but I'm not sure when it speaks of this.
Event in the Lord's life in the Garden of Gethsemane. He says he went away again.
And prayed, saying the same words. You know, that's been a comfort to me.
Because sometimes you think, oh, the Lord heard me say that there's no use repeating it. Isn't it wonderful? Our perfect example when he prayed. And there are times when situations just overwhelming. And I guess you've done it too. You've said the same words, You've said the same words and the Lord understood it was proper, it was right. Our perfect example did that. But the Lord knows the burdens that come into our hearts. But isn't it lovely?
That he's walked the whole pathway before us, President. He knows every situation and we find him as a dependent man in every situation of his blessed precious pathway in prayer seven times, meeting all the things that you and I have to meet. Does he understand? Yes. He's a merciful and faithful high priest. Let's not forget the pray.
Leviticus 10
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Identical Chapter 10. I'm native and a bar here the sons of Aaron took either of them his senses, and put fire away in, and put incense there on, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not, and we went up out fire from the Lord and devoured them.
Died before the Lord, when Moses sat on the air. And this is it that the Lord states, saying, I will be sanctified in them, that come 90 and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Michelle and Al Jason, the sons of uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your dragon from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
Father went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. And Moses said unto em, and on the air razor, and unto Isamar his sons. And coming out your heads neither render coals, lest you die, and lest last come upon all the people, and let your grave in the whole House of Israel. Beware of the burning which the Lord had symbols. You shall not fall from the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, lest he died for.
The Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. And the Lord spake on the end, saying, Do not drink wine, or strong drink thine of thy Son, to agree when you go into the Tabernacle of the congregation, lest he die.
Saudi Arabia throughout their generations, and that you may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and they and that they may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
Moses spoke unto Aaron, and unto Eliza, and unto Isamar. His sons that were lost. Take the offering that remaineth of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.
Leave it without letting beside the algorithm, for it is most holy, and you shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy view and thy son do of the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire. For so. For so I am commanded, and the wave blast into his shoulder. Shall we eat in a clean place thou and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee, For they be thy view and thy son do which are given.
Prices of peace offerings of the children of Israel, and the way blessed shall they bring with the offerings made by far at the top to ways that for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be gone, and thy son with thee by a statute forever, as the Lord had commanded. And Moses diligently sought the God of the sin offering, and behold, it was burnt. And he was angry with Eliezer and Ethamar, the sons of Aaron, that were which were.
Saying, Wherefore have you not eaten the Sinner offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy? And God has given us you the ability iniquity of the congregation to make attendance for them before the Lord. Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place. You should indeed have eaten it in the holy place as I commanded. And the one said unto Moses, before this day, have they offered their sin offering and their bond offering before the Lord?
And such things have before made. And if I had eaten the sin offering today, should it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord? And when Moses heard that he was content, wasn't there something very instructive for us in this chapter? And we see the failure of native and a Bihar.
Later on the failure areas or an HMR, but he found that there were two things that abide in spite of this and that is we find that there was given a portion for them to eat, wave grass and the huge shelters. And we also find in the end of the chapter the intercession of Adam.
Not very precious for us to have them to know, in spite of all the breaks down and failure of everything committed to man that we have, that it sustains us so that we can go on. We have that which we can feed upon for ourselves and know how precious this is. I trust in some major we've been enjoying this and we also have an intercession of Christ. They would never be able to get through if it went out for that constant intercession that He was tearing on on our behalf.
That's why it says in Peter that the righteous with difficulty be saying well for the ungodly in the Sinner appear that as if it went out for a priestly work that is turning on and one of us would get through so informed here the furious, but we also found a result in the time of failure.
Then you're asking too to see a connection in which this chapter comes in because previous to this we have all the different offerings that God ordered for the children of Israel we find overseas turned off and the meat often the peace offering, the sin offering and the trespass offering, all the land before us, the various aspects of the work of Christ and how good it is that that blessed work accomplished by the Lord Jesus.
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So fully fulfills all these types of shadows. You see in the bond offerings what the work of Christ is to the heart of God.
With you in the meat offerings, the perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus, the one who could say a body, hast thou prepared me. He found in the peace offerings not by which we can have communion now with God, because the peace often could be called the communion offering. The question of sin having been settled, God having been glorified, now there can be fellowship with God. God has given us a life that we can have fellowship with Him.
We see life eternal that they might know these the only true God and Jesus Christ and our sins.
Offering to see the whole question of books settled and questioned the actions, the trespass, offering the question of all that we were in our nature will have blessed brethren, all has been holy men through the work of Christ upon the cross. And so we have these all dropped before us. Then we see to in the chapter before a little future picture that brings before us the blessing that will come to Israel.
Founded upon all that has been accomplished through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The 9th chapter dreams up before us, and the last verse of the 9th chapter. Notice. And they went out of fire, Tina and their team of fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the bond offerings.
And the fact which when all the people saw they Shelton found their faces in the 23rd groups. We found mogul scenario and blessing the congregation. And then we see in the last verse that it was all because of what Price has accomplished, which knows I said that God shows us his purpose. His purpose was to blast through her place of God and nothing can hinder that blessing.
All there's going to be a new creation scene of glory where nothing is seeing all its results will enter. So glorious is that your that all is going to be accomplished according to the mind and purposes of God.
But as soon as something is committed to man, it immediately begins to breakdown. And it's good for us to be conscious of this, but also to be conscious of the provision that God has made in spite of all that we are, the senators realized, the provision of God is made, but he must also realize that he has nothing to offer in himself. And more than our science is the same.
Are you and I enjoying all the provision that has been made and yet they receive?
When I saw individually and also collectively a breakdown of everything committed to man for ensure that if we are legal before God, we do hang our heads and acknowledge how everything committed collectively, individually while man is a failure.
And so here we found as soon as the police begin the service, now they go, and they offer strange fire before the Lord. What was this strange fire? What God had said? That the fires of the year for the incense to make that cloud of incense a sun. And that incense is a picture to us of what the work of Christ is to the heart of God.
Well vanilla were to get the fire for this incense. It was to come from off the audio of good offerings offering and so that when that incense was.
Live with the fire when the cloud ascended and perhaps going along the line of reason as my brother was saying they might have said well him sensible smell exactly the same. It doesn't really matter where the fire comes from and so they took strange fire once finals and off the altar of burned offering that fire of their own manufacturer or whatever they did get it. It wasn't from the blaze mortgage and.
They went in, but it wasn't the same to God. And then isn't there something for us? And all this too. You might be able to sing the hymns. You might even be signed and got them that you know.
To God is that which speaks of Christ and his finished work. It isn't. It isn't how well we can sing, it isn't how carrying on the Oakland sounds of Christianity, but what is true worship.
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Recipes worship the Father in spirit and in truth. And what is it that produces truly worship in our hearts? Is it because we learn the set of doctrines? Or I say, because we can sing well? Oh no, that's the hard touch. By His grace, knowing what was accomplished for epic applause of the class, I had to respond.
I had taken up with a person. And then there's true worship ascends to God.
And well, how he delights to have us present to him. And that which speaks of the person and the work of Christ, that's what true worship is. I say that in doing before God, that person and the work of Christ is that which glorified him, is that which met our need. It's all founded upon what Christ has done. And every true believer here, he has the Lord Jesus that gives a whole Savior.
Has been, so to speak, to the blazing Arthur. You have seen that work accomplished. Believe maybe the stranger can't come down. You listen to what's being said. You jamming the singing. You say I was part of it on the altered lady. Unless you have clearly received trust. And so a great deal of what is going on in Christendom is carrying on something awkwardly, without the heart being touched.
And as the Lord had to say of the Jewish worship, he said this people drive minds. And he was there no, and I'm with me with their lips caught their hearts.
Is far from me truly In vain do they worship me, teaching productions the commandments of men.
While God made his mind home. And nothing outed is ever going to satisfy the heart of God unless it comes from a heart that has been touched by his grace. And that's why I'm not grace. In the fourth of John, it doesn't say that Dad is looking for worship, but he's looking for worshippers. Between worshippers worship the Father and Spirit. And in truth have often said if he wanted worship, he could make all of them empty chairs. Sing for the greater.
Of all voices you can have the storm fly out if it was just to hear something sad. But what does he want? Or he wants the worship of redeeming hearts helps. Would have been touched by His love and by his grace, and just on the floor and prayed in Thanksgiving to him and saw the true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. That's the whole difference between.
Jewish worship and Christian worship in the Jewish order of things, and satisfied only in mates and drunks and divers watching and praying on them. Until the time of Reformation, it was something that was carried on externally.
The Lord taught that, dear women, in the 4th chapter of John, We've been glad to know Him as the Messiah, the Christ. He taught her what true worship is. He taught her. She was the one that learned that. And there it is. I say again, you know, come in and say, well, I'm calling. It lasted in this different kind of arrangement than I have seen in many other places. But I ask you, has your heart been touched by His grace?
Have you found yourself a Sinner and seen the work of Calvary glorifying God and meeting your need and then your heart responds then and not kill them? Is there any truth worship from your heart to God?
One tells us that because they offered this strange fire, it says fire that opened the Lord. How is it that we're going to escape the fire? Only because the fire judgment that we deserve fell upon our substitutes, the fire that should have found upon us because we were guilty, but it fell upon our substitutes and the Lord Jesus for us. But here were those who didn't acknowledge that.
And so even though they came and approached God to hear people say sometimes, oh, we all believe in the same God, we just approaching in different ways.
Oh, quite a difference, isn't it? Who is here believed in the same God? They came to the same place of worship too. But what a difference. A fire telephone and they were consumed and all its asylum warning. It's not a house just to believe in the true gods. The devils also believe in tremble, the fire that should have been there from the sacrifice.
That concerned them, and they died before the Lord. How Simon this was?
And it says here that the Lord said, I will be sanctified in them and come down with and before all the people. I will be glorified. God is going to be glorified. He has been glorified in the work of his Son, but he's going to be glorified in judgment too, because his honor, His rights, His Majesty must be upheld. And He is just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.
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God can never, never overlook his holy characters.
Sin must be punished, either upon the substitute or upon ourselves. And so here these men are new and dead, and carry outside, and it's cold here that.
The fourth of the sixth verse ladder. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Elias's, unto eager, and unto Isamar his sons. And covenant your heads neither one he plays lest you die. And then in the seventh verse, and you shall not go out from the door of the congregation, the Tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die. Who is this brought him?
If we just looked around and see how.
Everything is broken down in the hands of man. We might get very discouraged and we might say, well, I just give up. I see everything going to pieces and I see the breakdown of everything. I'm just going to give up. Oh no, the Lord says an SMR, you must not give up. And you know, in spite of everything that we see going to pieces, everything committed to man.
Willing how important it is that and it's not a time for us to give up.
As we have in our chapter this morning, let us run with endurance the race that is set before. Is there someone here and you say, well, I just see so much failure everywhere and break down to myself and around while I just think I might as well give up. Oh no, I say here's a little word for them and Isamar who were left. Don't give up uniting all is upon you and brought him the Lord would have us to occupy.
You would have to remember him to economist. You would have it to be whole fast until he comes. He would have us to be patient until he comes. You need these exhortations and that will encourage to continue even though failure had come into the camp and so soon.
And then when we come to the nine, first we found the Lord said, Do not drink one, or strong drink one, or thy son with thee, when we go into the Tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die. It shall be accepted for every later generation. And that He makes the difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.
I believe here when it's mentioned wine and strong drink, it means that they were not to introduce that which would excite nature.
Because you know, sometimes when we see the weakness, while we can decide the other thing, we say we've got to do things to keep everything going and we need introduce a lot of things that would sort of keep us together by all kinds of entertainment and things like that. I believe that's what we have seen and present them all kinds of memes and drawing cards are used to keep things together as they see them going down.
No, that isn't the answer at all. That wasn't God's answer. He had something else not wearing this and that kind of thing that keeps us together. Dependency, let me listen them is to stay together at the expense of truth. At the expense of truth, I say and He said that if you make that the prime thing.
That the warm and strong drink, that which really appears here and excites nature. And then they would cease to put the difference between holy and unholy, and between queen and unclean. But I believe that's a very solemn word for us, because there is a great departure from truth in these various and people say all that we can all get together, we can all work together.
Never at the expense of truth, Never at the expense of holiness.
God no would help us to ground the path that he has marketed for us that it says cease to be evil, learn to do well tell this horns become thy testimonies are very sure calling us become a fine house all altogether. So the reason was about the important thing was teaching that which was the truth of God and oh brethren may be value the truth of God never.
Not for any reason, only say that they're nice Christians. That's not the point. The point is it tells us that we are to hold fast the faithful word. We have to renew right to make any compromise in the truth of God. It's not ours. We're just holding something for another. God has given, as it was said to Timothy, all Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust and God has committed.
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To the church and that is to hold any positive truth and we have no right to make compromises. You can make a compromise with your neighbor about some piece of property or something. That's only a material thing, but when a stand of God you have no right to make any compromises. It's not always to compromise. It's the truth of God and so they were always to put difference between.
Between clean, unclean, clean, and more than what they were to teach the children of Israel. One of the brothers mentioned in his prayer how it was important that there should be something for the young. And here we find that because they did these things, then they could teach the children of Israel God, statues and judgments. How many of them? All of them? All of them.
And I say to the dear young people here, what a privilege it is to sit under the sound of God's Word, to give out what part of the truth, but all the truth, all the truth of God.
So this was the responsibility of the ones who were left, and I find the provision that God made for their own souls in a time of failure to tell us here in the 12Th verse, Moses take unto em, and unto allegation unto Ichamar his sons that were lost, hastening often that the remaineth of the offerings of the Lord made by made by power, and eat it without loving beside the altars.
For it is most holy, and you shall eat it in the earth. It's in a very place, because it is widely and by some views of the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire. For so I am commanded.
We offering them before I say perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus and we've been talking a bit about that in the meeting this morning. The Lord Jesus in his blessed pathway. An example for us. Has God got any lower standard than the pathway of the Lord Jesus tells us that what precious Savior did his Father's will even unto death.
He wouldn't turn aside. He was a true knee offering and you and I are to have him as our example. Always so better soon. So get it. He's a godly person.
All that we have one perfect example and that's the Lord Jesus. And so he is to ever be the pattern. My father used to say to us, don't make any other brother your pattern, make the Lord Jesus your pattern. And so we have the Lord Jesus as the one who is the pattern for us. And they would eat it without leaven, without loving. What is there to be no mixture. Evil lovin is a picture of evil, Bible says.
11 of mass and wickedness. Is that to be allowed now? So we have a perfect pattern. We can imitate the faith of ours, and we should, but there's just one pattern for us, and that is the Lord Jesus. The matter is something there too. And notice this 14th verse and the lay blast, and he shoulders shall eat in a clean place.
Thou and thy son to my daughters will be, for they do thy drew and thy sons, you, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace, offerings of the children of Israel.
Isn't this lovely? Or they could easily get discouraged and give up their service because of the value that had come in. They could easily turn into other things. As the world says, he's got to have excitement they could have turned aside to excitement. They could have allowed a little lower standard in their lives, like 11, which is a picture of the scripture size of mouse and wickedness. But what did they have for their souls?
What has God-given us problem. All I say is see failure and breakdown. I give up. I need to say oh we have to turn aside to other things. All to just lower the standard a little bit. Now we have a portion and what is it? Why isn't it beautiful?
Away breath. Oh, I think this is lovely. Are you and I, Bremen enjoying the love of trust? What's the way of death? John leaned on Jesus freedom at a time he did it. The nation had rejected the law supporting cycles that failed their lives. What did John do? Healing on Jesus Christ. And he called himself to disciple whom Jesus loved. He learned to appreciate that unchanging heart of love.
And algorithm, it's all ideally in this lovely. It's not just something that we can do, it's it's by view. It's something that's given to us. Given to us by who?
00:25:08
Precious Savior, have we lost the enjoyment of the love of Christ? We've lost the concerning force in the whole life that he has. He's lost that which alone can really feel a heart. And so it's so the way grass and what is that he shoulders? I believe this shoulder speaks of strength. The world carries his own upon his soul and his strength and upon his heart of love.
The sheep that was picked up was placed upon the shoulders of the shepherd. And how is it that sustains the believers in a day like this? All I say again.
Well, I just feel sorry. We could tell you. Sometimes I just wonder if I can keep going as I see everything. I see the breakdown and I find so much weakness goes wrong. Or is this beautiful? The little breast and the huge shoulder. And then it has beautiful. It brings in the Suns and the daughters, the sons and the daughters. It's true that the public place of service will give them to William and his sons.
That the brothers could enjoy.
Away dressed and the heavy shoulders have already spoke about dentists and whoever said us and I want to say to your sisters here, you know, Sir, you don't have a very public place, but I say you have a tremendous influence, a tremendous influence and her sister awaits a friend enjoying Christ had an influence in the Church of God. What a blessing it is. So here is what was given.
All the same thing everywhere, most early in Hinduism. He's the same enough to do him today and forever. You get the screws, you say it's too difficult.
Aren't it's lovely the word blasting that he's shoulders shall he eat in a clean face? God preserving as he realized believe in his faithfulness, not ours. The whole four sons all broke down as we received that God prepares a God preserves in his faithfulness and it says baby die dearly and thy son dear. The sacrifices of the peace offering I mentioned before the peace offering is the communion offering we don't need.
Allow weakness and failure that we see to hinder communion in our own soul. We are privileged to walk in communion. The precious Savior felt all the things that were around him far more than any of us ever do, but He walked in perfect communion with His Father always. His whole pathway was one of communion with His Father, just in those hours of darkness when He was forsaken to our sins, but His pathway was characterized by.
And perfect communion with his father. And then it says, and he shoulder. And the way blessed shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fact to wave the flow wave offering before the Lord. And it shall be thine, and thy sons will be but I by accepted forever as the Lord had commanded. That is a weight offering.
This is somebody who questions your right to something in your way that something that says look here, look here.
You've got something that you've got to present, and so isn't this lovely? This is a question. Where is that something to raise? What is it? We waive it before the Lord. Not something in ourselves that we have a place of acceptance and favor to. That price is accomplished. He bears our names upon His shoulders and upon his heart, and you and I enjoy Him. Are we enjoying Him?
I'm saying things are going to get worse instead of better. Are you enjoying it? I'm saying I'm saying things are going to get worse instead of better.
Even covers the future, doesn't it? A portion Forever. Forever. Is he going to turn because things get weaker and because everything finally breaks down in the hands of man? No, he's not going to change. He loves him going to the end. He's a passion of our salvation, bringing many sons to glory. Is he going to bring them home? And good He is everyone, and He's going to present us there.
With exceeding joy. Oh what an encouragement to us as we press on in these last days of the churches history.
A statute forever, as the Lord commanded. Is it what the Brandon command? No, the Lord commanded this. So there the Lord commanded the blessing even right forevermore. How beautiful it is to see from this very chapter, where everything seems to speak of failure, to see that there is that which sustains our hearts in a time of failure.
When we come to the failure of the other two sons itself, and there's diligently sought to go to the sin offering and behold, it was burnt.
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And he was only with Eliezer and his Amar, the sons of Aaron, which were left alive then don't let you not eaten us in often in the holy place, seeing it is most holy. And God has given His view to bear the iniquity of its congregation, to make attunement for them before the Lord. Now we noticed that.
That made having a body were smitten dead, because that was a reflection upon the work of Christ.
And you know, we have to be faithful when attacks are made on the person or work of Christ. There's nothing else but to be faithful. And God cannot go on with that which attacks the very foundations of the faith. But I believe there's another kind of failure, a failure, not an attack upon the foundations of the faith, but a failure to enter into and associate ourselves, if I can use that expression with the weakness and failure.
Days of the Church of God clearly find what was the failure of our Asianism are they didn't eat the sin offering in the holy place and we found that same thing happened in Israel God and his wonders, good and faithfulness goodness and faithfulness in Jerusalem and what happened they got party they said where are the people they got party of these holy mountains. They looked down upon others and.
The Lord was not pleased. He said there was a smoke in his eyes.
And so are we going to say, well, we're the faithful one far in spite of all a breakdown fairly. What should you and I be doing if God in his goodness, brethren, has restored the truth to us and given us the privilege of seeking to gather according to his Word, seeking to maintain his truth?
What should we be doing? We should be on our faces. We should be like these two. They have to have been feeding the sin offering in the holy place. But that is when they were among the people, they identified themselves with it and served this new part of it, real part of it. And so I believe you and I need to bear this in mind in these days. There's nothing for us to lift up our heads. You think there's somebody that we can count on God's faith and.
Rejoice in His faithfulness. He can't seek to walk in the path that He is not there for us. But let us do it with all you know. If He doesn't, let us do it with all humility. I say because these two, Eleazar and Intamar, ought to have eaten the sin offering in the holy place. The only reason for the next verse coming in is because on the day of attainment, when?
The this interacting was slain and the blood was brought into the Holy of Holies by the high priest once a year. Then it wasn't a question of eating the sin offering.
That pictures to us what Christ did, and they're not worth. He's alone. I think again in that work.
The day of the permanent figures, the Lord Jesus was alone. As we often sing along. He bared a cross, alone is free, sustained. His was a shame and loss, and He the victory game did not work. I repeat, He was all along.
But when it's a question of underwriting to the failure of the Church of God, of recognizing the person which we live, I believe it's most important for us to hang our heads and just count upon the faithfulness of God to keep us and preserve us to watch. Or if we don't get discouraged, what we don't do enough, if we don't make compromises, but instead we should seek to stand for the precious truth of God and seek the ground beating upon Christ.
Not our strength as a company, but His strength that he shoulders, his strength to carry us through because it all depends upon his faithfulness upon the little point that I wanted to mention in this and that is who answered for our allegation smiles and SMRC cup and soared at this time who answered what is the.
19th verse and Aaron said in the Moses. Now it tells us in the 16th verse that he was only with Eleazar Nissima.
And answered beautiful, brazen. This is our hard piece. This is our high priest who does the iniquity of our holy things. Hey, the other gets through if it wasn't for his continual work for us there at the right hand of God and in spite of all failures we have, I say the closest portion of freedom upon the wave glass and the heaved shoulders and bearing and her husband failure to look up and say all his precious.
You have one there at the right hand of God to supply grace to help in time of need, to become our advocate when we have failed. And so Aaron answered for 48 of his tomorrow. So behold this day that they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and such things would be found made. And if I had eaten the sin acting today, should it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord? I believe this show this problem.
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God doesn't want us to just carry out things as a form. The heart ought to be in it.
When he performed spirituality that doesn't exist, God is not pleased. I believe it's quite a possibility of us pretending a spirituality that isn't there. God wants reality. He wants us to be real and as far better for us to acknowledge how we concern we are and pretend we're something we're not. It's very easy. The world has an expression and keep up appearances to keep down suspicion and it's very easy to keep.
The God of my appearances. God wants reality, He wants us to be real and when we followed after, pretend we're something we're not but to acknowledge it before him and where he had a high pleas to help us and advocate when he fails and the novice heard that he was consent.
And so how can God be content with such a poor failing thing is made for through the work of Christ. That settled the whole question of my sins of Calvary and that supplies what I need for the pathway. When I failed, I can say it upon us to restore nice all you restore my soul. I had a gracious God we have Amen. May the Lord keep us in his last and closing days. Everything fails in the hands of man individually.
When they attack, the foundations had to be knitting dead, and that tomorrow. And we, we like them, we, we fell too. And we all must, just by our heads. But all let's not forget our portion.
Let us rejoice in the One who loves us. He's going to carry us through with no provision to His continual work for affairs to carry us through, and then in the assail to restore us. He's coming soon, and you give us grace to occupy till He comes.
Gospel
Gospel—G.H. Hayhoe
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To turn with me tonight to the Gospel of John in the 4th chapter, John's Gospel chapter 4, and we'll begin at the fourth verse. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Saikar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there.
Jesus therefore being worried with his journey.
Well, and it was about the 6th hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink, for his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him. How is it that thou, being a Jew, ask a string of me which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God.
And who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink. Thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our Father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever.
Of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hit her to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go call thy husband, and come hit her. The woman answered and said, I have.
Husband, Jesus said, said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom now now hast is not thy husband. In that says thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and she say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me.
The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
He worship He know not what we know, what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seek as such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ when He has come.
Tell us all things Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He. And upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman, yet no man said, What seekest thou, or why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city, and says to the man, Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
Then they went out of the city and came unto him.
In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat, that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples, 1 To another, hath any man brought him ought to eat. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. They not either are yet four months, and then cometh harvest.
Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he had sought. And he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true. One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that were on Ye bestowed no labor, other men labored, and ye are entered into their laborers. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified. He told me all that ever I did.
So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them.
And he abode with them two days, and many more believed because of his own word, and said unto the woman, Now we believe not because of thy saying, or we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
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All is one very interesting thing, dear friends, about the Gospel of John, and that is the Lord Jesus dealing with individuals. I think it's very lovely to see in this gospel the Lord Jesus speaking to individuals. In the third chapter of John we have that wonderful discourse in which we have that gospel verse so well known to us. God so loved the world and that was just one man who came out by night to talk to the.
Jesus and then when we come to this chapter, all these verses that I read and that I've read here tonight have particularly to do with God dealing with one person. And then of course, there was further blessing because she was saved. But it shows us, dear friends, that the Lord has an individual interest in you. You may feel as you sit in the company here tonight. Oh, I'm just one of the crowd. But as the Lord looks down, He knows all about you.
He knows your whole life. All things are naked and opened under the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
He knows the everything that you've ever done, everything you've ever said, everything you've ever thought, and best of all, He cares about you. He wants to bless you. And just as we see the Lord Jesus dealing with this woman and bringing eternal blessing to her soul, He wants to bring that eternal blessing to your soul tonight. And if there's a boy here, a girl or anyone else who hasn't yet put your trust in the Lord Jesus, heaven would rejoice tonight.
If you receive Jesus as your Savior, why heaven doesn't rejoice when a new building goes up in the city? But heaven does rejoice because there's joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth. I say it does rejoice when a Sinner receives Jesus, opens their heart and receives him because God's heart delights in blessing. The very first words that God spoke when sin entered the world are these.
Adam, where art thou? Isn't that wonderful? God became a seeking God, and He's been seeking man ever since. And I'm afraid that many are doing just what Adam and Eve were doing. They're running away. But as someone has said, it doesn't take long for a seeking Savior and a seeking Sinner to meet. And God is a seeking Savior tonight, revealed in Christ, his beloved Son. And he's seeking you. Will you turn around?
Will you let him find you tonight?
He wants to and he wants to bless you. Well, in the third chapter we have twice the mention of the word must. Jesus said to Nicodemus he must be born again. In other words, there was no other way in which Nicodemus could be fitted for the presence of God unless he received a new life. The word born again. The words born again have become kind of popularized today and many people speak of them and they don't have much meaning.
But to put it very simply, if I could just say it in this way, you were born into this world with a life that is sinful and fallen, and you can't be in heaven unless you get a new life, a new life from God. And God offers to you as a free gift, eternal life. But if you don't receive that gift of eternal life, why you're not born again? You may talk about a religious experience, but that isn't enough, dear.
It's receiving a new life. He must be born again, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. And then the next thing in the third chapter is the Son of man must be lifted up. There's no other way the blessing could come to you or to me unless the Lord Jesus had been lifted up on Calvary's cross as a sacrifice for sin. Thank God he was. And so the message to.
Must be born again. But the way of blessing is through that Savior who was lifted up on Calvary's cross, that Savior who was there as a substitute for sin, that one who wants to be your Savior. And so it says, the Son of Man must be lifted up. While, dear friends, He has been lifted up. He has prided his finish. He is risen again. He was delivered for our offenses and was raised again.
For our justification, but here were reopened, we come to another must for God's messages. He must be born again. Christ has already been lifted up, but unless the Lord had sought me, I would never be blessed. I'm just like Adam. I would still be running away from him. Even though the Lord Jesus died on the cross for sinners to open up salvation to whosoever will, even though it's true that that were a redemption.
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Accomplished unless he had sought me, I would still be in my sins and tonight he's seeking you, my friend and the Lord Jesus came to Samaria seeking someone he was seeking a poor sinful woman and he's seeking sinners Tonight Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He must needs go through Samaria. It was a worrisome journey. The Lord Jesus said I believe.
Long way to come down to this place. And it wasn't any accident that he arrived here just at the time that this woman came out to draw water. And so it isn't any accident that you're in the meeting here tonight. It isn't any accident that you're under the sound of the gospel. God has planned itself because he wants to bless you. He's brought you here that you might hear the message of redeeming love. And so he went through Samaria with an express.
He stopped at that very well, and it says it was about the 6th hour and the seventh verse. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. This was exactly time. I say it wasn't an accident. And so the Lord Jesus came there just at the time when she came. Perhaps it wasn't a time when other women would not be there.
Perhaps she was ashamed to meet other people, but the Lord Jesus wanted to bless her.
And I can tell you tonight that no matter how gravely you have sinned, no matter how great your load of sin.
There is still a seeking Savior. There's still power in the blood of Jesus to cleanse from all sins. There was a little boy who was dying down in southern Quebec, and his father wasn't a believer, but the little boy had been to Sunday school and he had learned that verse. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanseth us from all sin. And you know.
He got very sick and.
The doctor told his father that he didn't expect his boy was going to recover. And a boy and a father didn't know just how to break the news to the little boy, but he felt he should. So he came in and he said, well, the doctors told us that he doesn't think you're going to recover from this sickness, But he said it'll be all right with you because you haven't got very many sins. You're just a little boy. And a little boy looked up into his father's face.
Said Daddy, I don't have any sins. And his father, of course, could call to mind that the boy hadn't always been obedient. He had done some bad things. He had been naughty sometimes. So his father graciously said, well, not very many. The boy looked up again. He said, Daddy, I don't have any sins. The blood of Jesus Christ.
His Son cleanseth us from all sin. Is that what you're trusting to?
Then you can say like that little boy, that no matter how many sins you have, if they have been taken away by the blood of Jesus, there are none left. It says as far as the east is from the West, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. And so the Lord Jesus had come there to bless this woman, sinful as she was, and He came from heaven down to Calvary's cross to save you. And there's a little.
Says his blood outweighs the utmost fought air. Thy guilt has been well. This woman came as I say, she came out for the purpose of drawing water. She didn't expect to meet the Lord. But as I mentioned, the Lord had it planned. He had come there to meet her. But you know, the Lord Jesus spoke so graciously to her. I think this is so wonderful. He didn't.
Begin at once by speaking to her about her sins. He entered. He entered into conversation with her.
In a most gracious and wonderful way, he said. Give me.
To drink, give me to drink. And I'm sure as we read on that she wondered.
Should ask her that and did you know that it's possible for you to give refreshment to the heart of the Lord Jesus tonight Did you know that well, I tell you that nothing would give him more joy than for you as a Sinner to receive him. If I can speak in these terms, you'd give him a drink tonight. You'd give refreshment to his heart because he came down from heaven in order to save you and he not only came to save us from.
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Sins but to invite us to be his companions, to share his home for all eternity. So when he said to her, Give me the drink, it says, The woman of Samaria said unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew, ask a drink of me which am aluminous Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. I want you to notice a few things about this woman. Here you can see at first there was quite a.
In her heart, you can see here the way she spoke to the Lord Jesus that she was prejudice against him. And she said the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. And you know, there's many, many people like this and they're they've never had any, any dealings with the Lord Jesus and they don't know that he wants to have a dealing with them. There's a beautiful verse in Job that says.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.
Thereby good shall come of it. Satan doesn't want you to believe the heart of God is so full of goodness. He wants you to think that God is against you, that God wants to punish you. And so in reality, you don't know the love that's in his heart. You speak to many people and you find at once there's a prejudice. They say, how is it that you're talking to me? It's a no, that's my business. And they don't want you to speak to them about the Savior. And so you can see it once.
That in this woman's heart there was that kind of prejudice that Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. And it may be, I say again, maybe you never had any dealing with the Lord Jesus and because you have never had any dealings with him, you don't know his heart, you don't know his love, you don't know his salvation, but he wants you to know it. And this woman was to have a dealing with the Lord Jesus, the one who had come of the tribe of Judah had come in grace had.
Bless, for it tells us here the Lord's answer was. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, Thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given me living water. He noticed that there were two things that she was ignorant about. She didn't know the gift of God, and she didn't know who it was.
That was speaking to her. And you know, friends, the devil is going to try and keep you in ignorance about those two things. He doesn't want you to realize who the Lord Jesus really is. Well, if you only knew who it is that's offering salvation to you, why you couldn't turn away? Why? I'm quite sure that if the new president came to your home with a gift, why you'd say I couldn't turn away when it was the president of the United States who?
Home to offer something to me. But the Lord of glory left his home on high, came down into this world and was born in a Manger. What did he come for? Why he came in order that he might offer a gift to you. Do you realize who it is? All we know There are people today who deny that Jesus is really God, but it's most important that we realize who this wonderful Savior is. His name shall.
Wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, that precious Savior is none other. As a little hymn says, this Savior is the mighty God, the Lord of heaven above revealed in grace. He shed his blood. Bless, proof of endless love. He came down. She didn't know who it was, and she didn't know the gift that he had to offer. It wasn't a small gift, dear friends.
It was a gift that cannot be priced with money. What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world?
And lose his own soul. If you had this room filled with money, why your soul is worth more than that. And yet there's one who offers to you tonight the salvation of your soul. The salvation of your soul. To know that your sins are forgiven, to know that you have peace with God. I say it's a great gift that he offers to you. It's a great gift, the gift of God.
Is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And what's more, you don't have to pay for a gift.
Sometimes in stores you buy things at bargain prices. You tell people why I only paid half of what it's worth. Well, sometimes we do get a bargain. But the gospel doesn't offer a bargain. The the the gospel offers a gift. The gospel offers something you don't have to pay for, and that is God's gift of eternal life He gave his Son.
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And so the Lord said to her, If thou knewest the gift of God, or the free giving of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink. And what did she have to do? Thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given the living water. Friends, it's yours tonight for the asking.
Ever in simplicity come as a Sinner and ask the Lord Jesus to save you all I tell you, and that he'll save you at once. When the prophet Isaiah took his place as a Sinner in the presence of God, it says one of the seraphims flew with a live coal from off the altar, and said, Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Prodigal returned in a sense of his guilt and sin, to his father.
The Father ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. There's only one thing God's in a hurry to do, and that is to bless judgment is his strange work. And I've been struck in reading in the Book of Revelation that when the time comes that those seals of judgment have to be open and God has to act in judgment upon this world. Why, it says there was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour.
I've often been struck by that, friends, because in the 5th chapter we read about the redeemed company singing. Thought worthy for thou was slain has redeemed us to God by thy blood. Out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, they're singing the praises of the Savior. But when the time comes that God has to deal in judgment, it seems to me that the singing stops. The singing stops the moment, the most solemn moment has come when God has to.
In judgment, because judgment is God's strange work. He's never in a hurry to judge. He never brings judgment without doing two things, providing a way of escape and giving a warning. Providing a way of escape and giving a warning. Well, if this woman had only known it was hers for the asking. But as I said, there was prejudice in her heart and she didn't think that she was going to have.
Dealing with this person whom she looked upon as just an ordinary Jew. And perhaps you don't realize who Jesus is, but I say again, he's the Son of God. He's the Son of God from heaven. Come down to save you. And then notice how she replies, Surah has nothing to draw with and the well is deep. See, she tries to reason it away. And that's another thing we find, you know, human nature doesn't change.
Much we see, first of all, prejudice and then reason is not the way it is. If you ever tried to talk to somebody about their soul, that's probably the what you found. First of all, you found prejudice. And then they start to reason, they start to reason, and that's what she does. How could Jesus get water out of that? Well, it was deep and he didn't have a a bucket or a chain or anything to let it down. How could he get water out of it? Or she didn't realize who it was?
And she didn't realize that what he was offering to her was not water from Jacob's well. It was a well that he would place in her own heart. It was something that would really satisfy because the well would be in her own heart. But she started to reason. Are you reasoning? While I'm sure of this, if your reasoning, you'll never find peace with God that way.
I'm a naturally reasoning person and I tried to find peace with God that way.
I reasoned and I reasoned and I just went around in circles. I never found any peace that way.
But when I simply rested upon what God had said to them, I found peace. There's no other way, dear friends. Reason will never bring peace, but simple trust in what God has said will bring peace to your soul. Oh, I hear somebody say, but I don't have very much faith. Well, I often say to your friends, the question is not how much faith you have, but is your faith in the right person?
Some people have faith in themselves. They think that by their works they can do it. I remember reading a truck and the title of it was Why do I believe in Christ? And it began with this comment. It said why is a man an infidel? And the answer was because he believes in himself. And the next statement is why is a man a Christian?
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And the answer was because he believes in Christ and none in himself. Well, friends, that's why I'm a Christian, because I don't believe in myself.
I've seen too much sin in myself, I've seen too much folly reasoning, I've seen too many changing feelings that I know I could never rest on myself, and all my righteousnesses are as filthy rags. But I believe in Christ and not in myself. And dear friends, I ask you, will you tonight look away from yourself? The little hymn says, Come as thou art in all thy sin, Come with thy hardened heart, come with thy carers.
Thy doubts, thy fears, all grace He will impart. Don't get occupied with how much faith you have, as though you could produce it. Just come, and the Lord Jesus will do the rest. He gives the faith to believe, just as He, by His mighty work at Calvary, provided what was necessary for your salvation. And so just come, come as you are. Well, she tried to reason. Was the Lord Jesus greater than Jacob? What a comparison.
And that's the way people reason. They act as if God was just like a man. The way they talk, you'd think God couldn't do anything more than a man could. Do they think God couldn't make a fish big enough to swallow one man, And yet they can make a submarine big enough to put fifty men in, but God couldn't make a fish big enough to swallow one man and keep him alive. You see the way men reason, they always reason and compare God to themselves, and they sometimes think they can do things greater than God.
But I found out that God could do things I couldn't do.
And thank God for that. He could save a Sinner like me, and he can save you, my friend. And so don't be like this woman, she compared.
The Lord Jesus with Jacob, Jacob, that character that we all know. So planning, deceiving character. And she asked the Lord if he was greater than Jacob. Oh friends, what a comparison. That's not the kind of a Savior I have. The one I have is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.
Well, the Lord Jesus still loved her soul in spite of it all. And Jesus answered in the 13th verse, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Well, if I could say at the Lord, Jesus bore with her strange reasoning, and he bore with me.
Perhaps He's born with you too. In some of our strange reasonings. He's been very patient. He's born with us. And so the Lord just just seemed to pass it over. And he said that he would give her not water from that well, but he would place the well in her heart. The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. What a savior, dear friends, He's not asking.
Something to Him, He has something to give to you. And when you receive Christ, why then He lives in your heart, Christ in you the hope of glory. He is that eternal life that was with the Father and was manifested unto us. He Himself is that spring of living water. Well, the Lord Jesus, as I say, was breaking her down. It's hard to break us down sometimes.
We have so many things.
Raisins and all kinds of things to keep us, but at last you can see this breaking down process.
At last he says in the 15th verse, Sir, give me this water and that I thirst not, neither come hit her to draw. Shall I say the Lord has produced in her heart a sense of need, and I hope you'll produce in your heart a sense of need tonight. I hope you make you feel your knee of Jesus because you do need him. You do need him.
There's no salvation without him. There's no happiness without him. That is no happiness at last. And at last this woman realizes that she does need a Savior. Well, when she comes to this point. And then the Lord must awaken her conscience. God is a holy God, and God can't have sin in His presence. He cannot have even one sin.
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In his holy presence, and he knows all about you.
And all about me. And so the Lord in the most gracious way, touches her conscience. Now he doesn't say. He could have easily said at this point, but I know all about you. Wasn't it gracious? He didn't say that. Instead of this, he probes her conscience, seeking to get her to acknowledge her guilt right in his presence.
And his father didn't have to probe him and say, now say you're sorry.
He came back saying, Father, I've sinned against heaven and before thee. No wonder he got the blessing. For this woman wanted the blessing without the same question being settled. And some people like to get to heaven without the sin question being settled too. They'd like to have the peace that a Christian has without facing up to the sin question. But here we find the Lord raises this question, and he gives her the opportunity to acknowledge that she was guilty, but she still wants to hide it.
That covereth his sin shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsake of them shall have mercy. The Lord wanted her to confess that she was guilty, so he says.
Thou hast well, she said, I have no husband. And someone has said she told the truth to hide the truth. It was true. She didn't have a husband, but she told the truth to hide the truth. And sometimes we can do that, you know?
We can try and find a way of getting out of a difficult situation, and we don't exactly tell a lie, but we really pervert things to make it look another way. And this is exactly what she did. And the Lord wouldn't let this pass. He knew all about her, and he said, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.
In that says thou truly, oh, the Lord now had reached your conscience.
He knew all about her and He knows all about you. The psalmist said, Thou hast set my secret sins in the light of thy countenance. You can't hide anything from God. He could open the page of your life, for it's all written down, my friend. He could open it tonight and read it to you. Everything is recorded and it's to me. It's just as if the Lord opened the page of her life and started to read it to her. And what did she do? Just.
Today she started to get religious and she started to argue about where was the right place to worship. Have you ever found people do that? Why, every time you speak to them about their sins, they'll tell you that they had an uncle who was a preacher, they were a member of such and such a church, or they'll have some religious element in their life somewhere that they hope they can fall back on. And that's just the way she was. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and he say that in Jerusalem is.
Men ought to worship. She would just like to have entered into a religious argument. People love religious arguments. They learned you for hours religiously. What was she doing it for? Because she didn't want to face up to the fact that she was a Sinner in the sight of God. Religion never saved anybody. Religion may be a cover up in the eyes of men, but it's not a cover up in the eyes of God.
Paul was a religious man about he was the chief of sinners. Dear friends, religion will never save you, and she was a religious person.
And so she says to the Lord, I perceive that thou art a prophet. And then she starts to talk on about which was the right place to worship in that mountain, or in that mountain. And the Lord said, woman, believe me, the hour cometh when he shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Why the Lord was not occupying her with.
A particular mountain, this mountain or that mountain?
But what she needed was to learn her need of salvation. And dear friends, I'm not going to ask you tonight, what church group do you worship with? But I say it is very, very important whether you know the Lord as your savior because you can't be a true worshipper until you do. You can't be a true worshiper. But it is something interesting the Lord says in this 22nd verse.
He says he worship he know not what we know. What we worship for salvation is of the Jews.
You might just wonder why the Lord said this, but you know, these Samaritans, they carried on a mixed worship. They worship partly idols and partly the Lord. You could read about it in the Old Testament in kings, how they carried on a mixed worship. And sometimes people say, well, it doesn't matter where you go. Well, you know, there are places, and I suppose there are places right here in Gresham.
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Or the gospel is never preached from one end of the year to the other.
They carry on a sort of a religious service, but they never tell people or sinners and they never tell them the way of salvation. It does matter where you go. It does matter. Now, there are many, many Jews that went to the God appointed place at Jerusalem and that was a wonderful thing. It was a great privilege, but unless they personally put their trust in Christ, they were still lost. And I know that I'm talking tonight to a good many people.
And you can't say, well, Mr. Wakefield used to tell us, I never heard the gospel in my life till I was 25 years of age. He went to a place of worship, but he never heard the gospel. That isn't the way it is with most of you here tonight. You've heard it many times. Be thankful for it. It's a great privilege. But remember, unless you've received Christ, being in a place where the gospel is preached doesn't mean that you're saved. You must receive the Lord as your Savior.
Being in a garage where there is a good mechanic doesn't mean your car is fixed unless the mechanic works on it. And friends, you can be in a place where there is the finest mechanic and your car will be just as bad when you drive it out as when you drove it in. Unless the mechanic works in your car. And you can be in this place and hear the gospel over and over again. But unless you know the work of Christ for your salvation, you're still lost. You're still in your sins. You need Jesus and you need his work for.
So I say the Jews had a privilege, but it was important that they should learn that the only way of salvation was through Christ. She needed to learn it, the Jews needed to learn it, and everyone who is saved must learn what the Lord Jesus has done so that they might be saved. Well then he goes on to tell in his 23rd verse. But the hour cometh, and now is when the true.
Shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Sometimes when we're approaching a town, we've seen a sign and there will be come and worship with us, and then there'll be a list of quite a number of different church groups down below and people are just invited to come and worship with them. But the Lord said that the true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. That means, first of all, you must be saved before you can be a true worshipper. And if you are saved.
Remember that you'll find the truth about the proper way of Christian worship in this book.
Is not important for us, dear friends. Yes, it's important that we should first of all learn to know the Lord as our Savior. We cannot be worshippers unless we know Him, a Savior. But after we are saved, let's be like the disciples. When the Lord told him about the Passover, they said where wilt thou that we prepare? The true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth, and it says the Father.
Such to worship Him. Notice it doesn't say God is seeking worship. He's seeking worshippers. Worshippers. What's the difference? Well, God could make and every one of these empty chairs sing his praise better than any of our voices if that was all He wanted. Just a lot of sound. But what does He want? He wants the worship of redeemed hearts. He wants worshippers, those whose hearts have been won by His.
Those whose hearts have been touched by His love and have been cleansed in the blood of Christ, then, but not till then, can you be a true worshipper.
God is a spirit, and may that worship Him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiahs cometh, which is called Christ. When he has come, He will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he all to me this is most beautiful. The Lord was bringing this woman to the point where she would recognize that what she.
Was Christ, that was the point that he was bringing her to right from the very start. But he had a great many things to break down before she came to that point. And you know, it's strange, we're so self willed, we're so proud, we're so occupied with ourselves and perhaps with religion and all kinds of things. It takes us a long while to get broken down. It's something like those stones in Solomon's temple. They were great stones. They were huge. They were costly because.
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Lot of work had to be done in the quarries cutting out those stones to make them fit in a place in the temple, the place of worship. And so the Lord was cutting a stone out of the quarry. He was cutting a hard heart out of the glory of sin to prepare her to be a living stone in God's building. And at last he says, I see it now, it's Christ that I need. It's Christ that I need, she says when Messiah comes, which is called.
Christ, He'll tell us all things, and when she came to that point, isn't it beautiful, she found herself right in the presence of the Christ of God. And dear friends, when you come to the point where you realize you're a Sinner and that it's Christ you need, why, He's right there to bless you. Yes, it says, seek ye the Lord, while he may be found, call thee upon him.
While he is near, he's right near to you now and he wants you to call out from your heart and say.
I see I need Christ, and there is no salvation apart from Him, neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Oh, what a moment this was for her soul. I believe we can say to your friends that at this moment she passed from death unto life. At this moment she passed from death unto life, because at this moment she left her water pot. And I like to.
Reason she left her water pot was because she had the well inside. Now, yes, the well was inside. And also I'd like to thank the Lord didn't say, now you better leave that water pot because I've given you something better. He didn't say that why? Well, it's not hard to give up things when we have something better. And you know, I'm not here to say you've got to give up this and got to give up that before you get saved. The Lord will give you something so much better.
That if you'll just allow him, he'll fill your heart and you'll be able to say, like Paul, what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. His whole sense of values was changed when he got saved. And that's what makes the difference with us. There is a new sense of values in your life when you're saved. Christ becomes the most important one. And so it was with her. She left her water pot and it says she.
To the man, there were no doubt some pretty bad men there in in that city and they knew about this woman. They knew that she was one who shared the pathway of sin with them and she goes back to them and she said it comes see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
Her very companions in sin, and now she goes right to them, and she says.
Here is a person who knows all about me. It must be the Christ. She thought her life was covered up, but she stood in the presence of one who found out and who knew all about her, and she realized that He loved her. I've often said, and there is no one on earth that knows all that I've said and done and thought, but there's one in heaven that does. And He's the person whose presence I most want to be in, because although He knows.
Me, he loves me just the same. He died for me. His blood has washed me clean. He's my best friend. And sometimes our best friends even don't know all about us. But this friend does know all about us. And nothing that he'll ever find out about us will change his thoughts toward us. Because knowing it all, he loves us just the same. Oh, what a wonderful thing that he could go to these men and say this and I think that when.
Heard her speaking. They wanted to come out and meet him too, because it says then the people came out to see him. And I believe it was because they could see the difference in her life because, you know, after we're saved, the world can see where we're new creatures in Christ Jesus. And I believe that it wasn't just what she said. I like to think it was the way she said it. And I think I can hear them say to one another, something's happened to that woman.
Why? Let's go and see what has made this change in her life.
And so it's lovely here to see that they come out to see this wonderful person. Then they went out of the city and came unto him. Well, in the meantime, the disciples came back. Isn't this lovely too? The Lord had seen to it that the disciples just walked away at the beginning of the conversation and came back at the end.
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The Lord had planned this whole thing, that He might have an individual.
Dealing with this woman, it's a personal thing to be saved. People don't get saved in crowds. They get saved as individuals. They get saved. As we often say, it's Christ, your personal Savior. It's a personal thing. It's not a family thing. It's an individual thing. Your brother may be saved, your mother may be saved, but it's a personal thing to be saved and she had a personal dealing with the Lord Jesus.
But now the Lord tells the disciples to lift up their eyes.
And look on the fields, for they were white already to harvest. Sometimes we don't realize that there are opportunities near to us. We often miss them, don't we? The Lord said, don't say, well, in four months it'll be harvest time. He said, lift up your eyes. The fields are white already to harvest. And I speak now to those who told the Savior, I'm afraid we do this Sometimes we say, well, I intend to do something for the Lord someday, but.
I don't think that this is the time just yet. And so this is what they were saying.
Yes, in four months it will be harvest, but not just now. The Lord said it's already.
Right now the fields are white to harvest. And wasn't he gracious? And he said, he said, he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto eternal life. Isn't it a marvelous thing, dear friends, that God offers salvation as a gift, and then says, If you serve me, I'll pay you wages. He gives you salvation as a gift. And then he said, you will never do anything for me.
That I won't reward you.
More than you could ever get from any earthly employer. Yes, gather us fruit unto eternal life. And I say to the Christians in this room, now let's realize what a privilege it is to serve the Savior. And the fields are white to harvest. The Lorde coming is near. We haven't got much longer to serve him. And he says, Son, go to work today in my vineyard.
Son, go work today in my vineyard. There's something for us to do.
Today.
Well then, tells us here at the end of the chapter. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed.
On him for the saying of the woman which testified. He told me all whatever I did. Yes, there was results from the testimony of this woman, but then it tells us too that the Lord Jesus came to this city, this city of Samaria and a bullet there two days and many more believe. Many more believed not because of what she said, but I like this 42nd verse.
And said unto the woman, Now we believe.
Not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Well, she was used to bring many out, but I think it's nice what it says here that they believed, not because of what she said, but it says they heard the Lord Jesus Himself.
And now I have tried, in my simple way, to present the gospel to you tonight.
But nothing would make me happier. And then that you should hear the Lord Jesus himself.
There's a brother in the Lord that I knew he's with the Lord now. But he said I came to the gospel meeting many times and he said I heard a certain brother speak and I sat there and listened to him and to me it was just that brother talking. But he said one time I came to the meeting and he said I just felt as if the Lord was talking to me.
Through the whole meeting and he said I got saved that day. I got saved. Well dear friends, and you have heard me talking, but I hope that you'll hear the voice of the Savior. I can't save you. I can't put away your sins, but if you'll only hear the Lord Jesus yourself, if you'll only take some verse out of God's word for your very own. I like sometimes to hear people say, well, that's my verse and I know that what they mean.
Is that they've heard the Lord Jesus for themselves. They've taken some verse. They rest upon that verse and that verse means salvation to them. Remember we gave a girl on time Romans 10 and nine printed on a text and she said that's my verse, that's my verse. I love to hear that expression, my verse. She knew she was saved because she had believed that verse. If thou shalt confess.
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With thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved, and I hope if you know him as your Savior, you will confess him. You're missing a great deal of the joy of salvation if you've never confessed him. And more than that, more than that, you know it's a sad thing when a person is taken away and the parents or the friends have to say we hope he was saved, but we never really heard him.
Confess the Lord Jesus.
Now I know that God looks on the heart, dear friends, but isn't there a joy in confessing Him? I know how lovely it is. There was a boy died in our Sunday school some years back and we always wondered whether he was saved because he never confessed the Lord. He was regular at Sunday school. He repeated his verses and I like to think that he was saved, but I'm not sure. He never told us. Well, if you have received the Lord, why not confess him? It'll give joy.
Heart of the Lord, and give joy to your heart, and then we'll know that you have confessed Him.
As your Lord and your Savior, well may the Lord grant that tonight you will receive Him if you have never done it before.
Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Or do you receive him tonight because tomorrow might be too late?
The Golden Chain
I.H. Klassen
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There's a few expressions have come to my mind.
There's one in Romans 8 that says, what shall we say to these things?
Well, sometimes it comes over us when we get a little glimpse of what the Lord has done for us and how He loves us.
Now he wants our affection and wants our companionship.
We, just as it were, burst forth with what has, as it says here. What shall we say to these things? And you know there's a similar thing in Balaam's prophecy. It says, What hath God wrought?
Justin exclamation, as it were. What hath God wrought? So I'd just like to read a few verses here and then maybe turn back.
To the Old Testament.
It says in verse 28 of Romans 8 we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are called according to his purpose. Now who would ever give us to know that the Lord himself and to know that not just say well the Bible says that, but to to have an exercise to know that all things work together for good.
That love God and so he adds this wonderful golden chain here.
A fine links that could never be separated.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son.
That He might be the first born among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called then healed, then He also.
Glorified.
And whom he, I mean justified, And whom he justified them He also glorified. What shall we say to these things? If God before us, who can be against us?
Now we think of this chain of five golden links, and two of them forged in eternity, whom he did for no.
Than they also did predestinate. We had nothing to do with that. That was took place before time began. But since then those that were called that's first we were called called in time.
Unjustified and glorified.
The whole thing is finished from eternity to eternity.
There is the chain. We can look at it, we're part of it, we're in it. What shall we say to these things?
So with this, let's turn to the 33rd chapter of Numbers for just a bit. And I want to lead up to the to developing on that a little bit.
But the 43rd chapter of Numbers speaks of the different times the children of Israel kept in the wilderness.
From the time they came out of Egypt until they entered into the land of Canaan, I think I'm right in saying they kept 40 times.
And if you'll notice how this begins, we can't read it all, but it says these are the journeys of the children of Israel which went forth out of Egypt.
With their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.
And all through these.
Encampments. There wasn't one failure mentioned.
It just looks, as you view it, that you were at Camp encampment #1 until you had learned that lesson, and then you went to #2 and when you learned that lesson.
You want the number three? Well, this is true in our personal lives, I'm sure.
That God takes us where all things working together for good.
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Well, it takes us to to an encampment. We'll use that word and until we've learned the lesson of that encampment, we don't go to the next one.
And I think Mr. Darby made the comment that most Christians that he met didn't get any further than rehab off, that is, under the blood, but not out of Egypt.
Well said to be so, because it's such a wonderful privilege to to take in the things of the Lord and to grow now.
There's some ambassador a little older here and we might be down the road always to an encampment down there, 3030 or 30, two or three, whatever.
And there are some younger ones that may be our only to the 10th encampment or maybe the 5th. So we have to be real patient with the young. Now you're smiling, brother. But it's true, don't we? We have to be patient with the young because they are not as far along as others in their experience and so forth.
And on the other hand, they have to be patient with us too.
Because.
They may see some things that disturb them and so.
A member of Sister in Walla Walla. She's gathered now, but I knew her before she was gathered and she had taken these 40 encampments and looked up all the names and places and everything, and she had written a little bit of the meaning of the names. And when it all fits together, it shows very nicely how the Lord leads from place to place.
And like I say, failure isn't mentioned. Now there was plenty failure, but it says here in the first verse under the hand of Moses and Aaron. Now Moses and Aaron are often a type of Christ. Both of them are Moses more like the leader and Aaron as the priest, but both speak.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ and Moses and Moses and Aaron.
Were the ones that led the people, and so our blessed Savior in both these characters of leader and also of of priesthood leads us alone.
And so in these encampments we also see something else. I believe that if we were to be able to look through God's eyes a bit, we would see the history of the church in these encampments.
All the church you know, nearly 2000 years in this world.
I don't say 2000 years old because the church was in the in the consent of God before the world was ever made, but the the experience and all of the church has been for nearly 2000 years now. And so I believe these encampments have a little picture there.
We can kind of see it in Revelation 2 and three where the there was the progress or the the various things that come out in the seven churches.
But we have 4 little pictures of the death of Christ here. Now it's remarkable how they come in. And verse three. And they departed from Rameses in the first month on the 15th day of the first month on the Morrow after the Passover. So here we have the Passover. You know the Passover.
It's really the blood of Christ.
That takes care of our sins. So what's wonderful that the first thing to come in here is the Passover, the death of Christ and the shedding his precious blood. And when I see the blood, I will pass over. You know what we might say? What, what can we say to these things? The Lord?
Is undertaking everything as it were, and he comes in with the substitute, he comes in with the sacrifice.
And I'll notice something here. I think that's helpful. And that's the end of verse 3.
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That the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. Now I believe that's important, isn't it? If I prefer to know the Lord well, I need to go out, as it were, and the the Egyptians or the people of this world should realize, should see in me that I have gone out.
In principle, I've gone out of this world. We're not of the world which faded the way, but they went out in the sight of all the Egyptians. So we don't want to hide our colors. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Well, we need to go out as it were, and.
And not hide the fact from the world. Now in verse eight you have the Red Sea.
And the wonderful truth comes out in connection with the Reds.
You know the IT speaks of the death of Christ and the blood of Christ.
Put my sins away, the death of Christ put me away, and then the cross of Christ separates me from the world. So the truth that we come to in verse eight is beyond the truth of the Passover. It doesn't in a way. You don't mean to set aside the Passover. No, that was the first encampment, as it were. But now?
As we go along, we learn something of the death of Christ in relation to the Red Sea, that our enemies are dead on the seashore and they have no more power over us.
And then you have and verse at 9:00 and they removed from Mira and came to Elam. Well, you know at Mira the water was better and they were told to take a tree and put it in the water. And then the water became sweet.
Well, we know that that tree or that piece of wood, I think Mr. Darby's translation says, speaks of Christ in manhood. And so if the water sometimes is bitter here, if we just think of the Lord Jesus and His pathway here and what He had to endure, well then it makes the water sweet.
When we think of him, it's sometimes said, well, it's the cross, but really?
In a way, the cross doesn't make the path sweet, but the Lord Jesus bringing him into the troubled waters. The waters become sweet and what follows then is the 12.
Wells remember on the 70 palm trees verse nine and in Elam there were 12 fountains of water and three score and.
10 palm trees. Well, when we think of the 12, we think of the 12 apostles and the ministry that we have from the 12 apostles. And then the 70 palm trees, I think remind us of those seventy that were sent out by the Lord. So it brings in the thought of ministry.
Now we're we're delivered through the blood of Christ. We have been given to see something of the death of Christ.
Way that has put the world away.
And then to see something of the water here might be bitter, yet putting the Lord Jesus Christ into the waters that become sweet. And then what follows is ministry.
Well, we could go on. Let's look, just for a moment, at verse 17.
And they departed from Hebra Ateva.
And in camp in Hazrat.
Now, there were some awful things took place at Hasra, you know, that's where Aaron and Miriam.
Born thought with Moses because he was taking too much on himself and so Miriam was stricken with leprosy and the whole camp could not journey until Miriam was brought back into the camp. So in a sense the whole assembly of Israel suffered through the failure of of Miriam.
And so they all had to go through that testing of staying there.
00:15:02
Until she was recovered. But perhaps the truth of it is that everything that Miriam did was in the hearts of all of them, and so the Lord had to, as it were, convict them. It happens that way in an assembly sometime. Maybe there's one offender and maybe he's fallen into error and we say, well, we need to get him out of the out of the road.
Well.
Then we have the idea maybe that we have taken removed the sin from the assembly, but we find out the thing breaks out again because we have not really judged the sin, the children, I mean, at Corinth.
They were all they were to put out the man all right, but they also were to eat the sin offering, or they were to.
To to humble themselves and to to judge the sin in the assembly. Well, that's some of the thought there. Now one more thought here of the death of Christ is in verse 38.
And.
We take this as the church kind of going along and beginning to near get nearer to the end of the encampments.
Why, it says Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord and died there in the 40th year of the children of Israel.
Now I'm sure they'll have some different thoughts, but but in John's gospel especially, we might say the whole work in John's gospel was between the Father and the Son and so.
The Lord says in John 10.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. This commandment have I received from the Lord.
So I thought of as we are nearing the end of the journey, how valuable John's ministry is. Now I know there's others can enter into John's ministry more than I can.
But it especially takes up the side of Lamb. It especially takes up the family side. And we might say it especially comes in after the ruin, after the ruin of the church, after Paul's ministry has been somewhat rejected. We know that that John knew he lived until he was rejected, perhaps more than we realize, but.
John perhaps wrote his gospel when he was right at 100 years old.
And further, it seems to me like it was the last bit of Scripture that was written with John's gospel. There we see, as it were, John and Peter following the Lord. And where's the Lord going? He's going out of the world. You don't get the ascension in John. So we have that side of the death of Christ. Now I like to work right on over to the last one, verse 48.
And they departed from the mountains of Abraham and pitched in the plains of Moa by Job near Jericho. Well, we know Jordan is another death of a picture of the death of Christ. And so now the children of Israel here have gotten to the Jordan.
And this is the last encampment before they step across the Jordan into the Promised Land.
And so I like to kind of think of it as the Jordan and the last encampment is where we are today.
And more than that, we are at the last end of the last encampment. Now allow me to say this, because I really believe it's true that the last encampment was when the truth of God was recovered to the church once more. Well, I was never going to repeat that. He doesn't repeat things.
Once the truth of God was recovered, there are those that rise up and say well God is going to start a new testimony, but don't believe them because God is not doing things over.
So that's where we are today. Is that the last encampment?
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Now, I'd like to point out a little in the word of what took place at this last encampment, and it begins at the 22nd chapter of Numbers. You get the very same verse that I read here. I'll turn to that.
The 22nd chapter of Numbers.
And verse one.
And the chairman of Israel set forward and pitched in the plains of Moab, on this side Jordan by Jericho.
And now if we would stop to think, it would take weeks and months to go over what they got at this last encampment.
From here on to the end of Numbers.
Took place at the last encampment. The whole book of Deuteronomy took place at that very spot, and the first three chapters of Judges took place at that spot.
And so I'm trying to say is when the truth of God has recovered, all these things were recovered to us.
And if we would take chapter by chapter and be able, by the Lord's help, to unfold the truth and the divine principles that are involved.
Why we wouldn't have time for anything else?
And our hearts have been agreeing. The Spirit of God wrought in our hearts.
Well, we wouldn't want anything else.
That's why I just assume that you're acquainted a little bit with Balaam's prophecy, because it's the beginning place. What we get in Balaam's prophecy is a good deal like we read in Romans.
What God hath wrought, What God is doing?
Now, if we're acquainted with balanced prophecy.
And I might just say a few words on that.
Was that?
Moab was the king of Moab was trying to hire or didn't hire Balaam to coerce the children of Israel.
And so.
They, they conferred together how that they might, as it were, exterminate Israel, give Israel out of the way. And so there's a real lesson in this, that you and I don't know this very night what's going on behind the scenes, what the devil is plotting that he might destroy.
The testimony that's left in this world, how he might do it, but how he does it through individuals, oftentimes by by turning individuals aside here and there and he's trying to destroy the the testimony. Well, many times, you know, problems arise and we think, well, this brother is to blame or this sister, but we don't realize what's going on behind the scenes.
Where there's a plotting going on and it reminds us a little bit of the 16th of Matthew where it says.
Upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Now it's very evident that the gates of hell are trying to prevail against it, but the Lord said they shall not, and it's most encouraging for you and for me.
To occasionally open up our book to the 21St chapter of Revelation and see the church in her finished product. Now John got that revelation long, I believe perhaps even before the fall of the of the you know, where they had left their first love. I believe John saw the church in its in its fullness.
Well, that same church we know is going to.
Come out of heaven from God and in all her glory and beauty. So now this doesn't make us careless, say, well, here's the results. No matter what I do, it's going to be that way. No, that wasn't given for that reason. It's given to encourage our hearts to go on in a day of weakness and a day of of pressure and to realize where the pressure comes from.
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And so we realize here that it comes from.
From Balan and Daylight trying to exterminate the testimony.
Well, this takes place now at the last encampment and.
Sometimes through real pressures, there are some wonderful truths brought out. I don't know, maybe it's been that way in your life. I know it's been that way in my life. Sometimes under real pressure. Why? The Lord has come in with some revelation of some kind from His word that we had never seen before. And so now with be like and be like.
Joining together to wipe out Israel. Why? There are some wonderful truths come out, and these are foundation truths. These are truths that you get in Romans. And these are truths that many a young person has skipped over and has not really got the meat out of them. So notice now in chapter 23.
And in.
And verse 9.
And this is a. This is supposed to be.
Bolen coursing them, but the Lord puts words in Balaam's mouth.
It's in the end of the verse 7 conquers me. Jacob, come, defy Israel. These are Balak's words.
And furthermore, Balaam comes on a very religious basis. There are seven runs killed and seven altars and so forth.
Becomes just as a prophet of God and so they many times those that come in that light and in that way are the real enemies. It isn't it isn't exactly Satan is a roaring lion, but it's Satan coming in as an Angel of light.
Well, now look what they learn here.
Verse 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him.
And from the hills I behold him.
All the wonderful to see God's people from the top of the rocks, to see them through God's eyes.
Wonderful when we when we realize what we have been made in Christ, the perfection that we've been brought into.
Perfection. A condition that Satan can't destroy. No, the gates of hell can't prevail against it.
And.
Know the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Well, He didn't set his love on us because we were the most, it says in Deuteronomy, but you were the purest of all people. But he said his love on us because or his favor on us because he loved us. And so we learned the wonderful truth of being in Christ.
To view God's people from the top of the rocks and to realize too that that we are a separate people and people shall dwell alone. You know, there was always a failure with Israel to want to be like the nations. And this is kind of a failure that comes in with us. We begin to want to be like.
Somebody, some others that seem to there seems to be more activity and more.
Doing more results. And so there's a tendency to to want to identify ourselves with that. But the word says that we've been called alone. Here is the calling. Sanctification is the same word as calling. God has set us apart for himself and for his own pleasure.
And all he comes out here, who can count the dust of Jacob?
And the number of the fourth part of Israel.
What does that remind us? Who can count the dust of Jacob?
And sometimes say this very buildings on a cemetery.
Think of all the souls whose dust is in the earth, awaiting the resurrection day. Fool could count the dust of Jacob the impossible with a God. When he does things, he doesn't do it in some meager little way. He does things in a in a great way. Who can count the stars? Who can count the sand of the sea?
00:30:15
He could speak to Abraham that way. And now who can count the dust of Jacob?
Or the 4th part of Israel. Now allow me just to apply it this way.
Let the dust of Jacob are the Saints that are sleeping in the earth.
Their bodies are there.
But.
The fourth part of Israel, as it says here, are those that are still alive and remain and awaiting the coming of the Lord. And what a moment that will be when the Lord comes. You know, I think that's where that burst comes in at.
Oh, death, where is thy victory, or where is thy sting? O grave, where's thy victory?
Right now the grave holds the Saints, and there they are. Nothing you could do could bring them for. But when that child comes from heaven, he'll say to the grave, where's your victory? So overwhelmed the dead come forth, and you might say to death, where's your sting? Here are those that are alive and remain, that never pass through the article of death.
Oh, death worth thy sting.
We think of death, there's a certain sting connected with it, but think at the time of the rapture, for those that are alive and remain, there'll be no staying there be no death, but we'll be caught up to be with the Lord.
So who can count? Oh, what God hath wrought, And then?
Balaam comes forth with a with an expression, Here let me die the death of the righteous.
You know, have you ever seen the righteous die?
I've seen some and I've heard of some.
Beloved sister down in the States. Just before departing, she said, oh, she's like here singing.
A peace, a perfect peace as she left this world to go to be with the Lord.
But another man who was not saved.
In his bed, dying of cancer just before departing. He was weak, he hadn't eaten, he was body was all gone, strength gone. And yet three times he rose up in his bed and he looked into the corner with horror.
He saw something there. He tried to see what he saw.
But the third time, he fell back and he was gone. Well, Dylan didn't want to die that kind of a death. He wanted to die the death of the righteous. And you and I do too.
And thank God that we can. We will. We're saved. We know the Lord is our Savior.
But he doesn't stop there. Let me die the death of the righteous.
Not my last end. Be like his.
Well, how much these false prophets knew, I don't know. But He did say that my last end be like His. And what is the last end? It's the resurrection to be with Christ in glory. That's the last end here.
Of the Saint of God.
Well, we get some very basic truth. Now, brethren, what I'm trying to say is.
This is the last encampment brings in the thought of the truth of God recovered.
And so.
As Moses begins at this encampment, he brings in the very most fundamental truths.
On the position of a Saint of God in Christ, viewed from the top of the rocks, and there are special people. My people shall dwell alone. Abraham was called alone. And then we have the death of the Saints.
We have the Rapture all brought out, now let's go to the the next one. And this, to me, fits.
00:35:10
Whom he predestinated, then he also called. That's the precious truth. Now whom he called he also justified. And this comes in in verse 21.
It's again the second time that the Balak is our Balak is getting Balaam to curse the children of Israel.
And so another wonderful truth comes out again.
And dear brother, this should give us peace before the Lord.
That all righteousness doesn't depend on ourselves at all. No, notice what it says here. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. All we might say, what was going on in the camp at that time, Well, we don't know altogether, but we can well.
Imagine that there were some very very.
Buddha, things may be going on at that time among the children of Israel. Maybe there was a lot of unfairness and lies and things, and yet he comes out when he's speaking to the enemy. He says I haven't beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither have seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord is his God, The Lord his God is with him.
And the shower of a king is among them.
You know, sometimes.
I might reprimand my children and I might find some fault with them.
But I don't want anybody else to find fault with them. It just doesn't make me very happy. And it's the same with the Lord. He may deal with his children and he may see their failures and all, and he may have a word with them, but.
We need to remember.
But every seat of God is a brother for whom Christ died, so brother that the Lord has seen enough value in that he died for him. And so if a brother, a Christ, has died for a certain person, you'd have to be a fairly careful as to.
How you how you speak of him or how you how you discolor him or something?
And so we learn this truth here again, viewing the children from God's eyes and the way they are in Christ. Now that's something foundational, isn't it? If we return to chapter 25, we would get all together a different picture. It also took place at this encampment. But there the children of Israel began to corrupt themselves.
And join with the with the Midianites and so forth. So, but here what we have as to our foundation, let's remember that God sees nothing in you but perfection.
And justification, you know, is quite different from just forgiveness.
You might forgive a person a crime, but you could never make up that he never did the crime. He might be pardoned, he might be forgiven, and so.
It's wonderful and we are pardoned and we are forgiven. But we're more than that. We're we're justified. That would be to perhaps you would apprehend a man to court and you would find he wasn't guilty at all.
And so that man could go justified.
But the man that was guilty that come there, you might forgive him and pardon him, but you couldn't justify him. But you and I are justified. Whom he called he also justified.
Now it says here.
You often get the expression Jacob and Israel, and I believe there's some meaning to those two expressions.
Israel is, we might say, that he got that name that means a Prince with God.
00:40:08
But when it comes to Jacob is how God has worked in US.
And wrought in us to bring about what he wants to bring about. So we are in God's school continually, and He's working with us, as it were, the Jacob character, to bring us to his thoughts and to as the way He wants to make us.
So it says here further, God brought them out of Egypt, as it were, the strength of a Unicorn. That is, God has the strength of a Unicorn.
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. According to this time, it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel. What hath gone wrought? Doesn't that remind us of Romans 8? What shall we say to these things?
What a God wrought.
Well, have we ever rejoiced in it, or have we taken up the truth as though?
We have to do certain things and have to comply to certain rules of the brethren and so forth. That takes all the joy out of it. But now when you we once get to see what God has wrought from His side, what a difference.
And so forth. We all, we could go further on that, but we want to go now to the last one and that is.
Whom he justified, he glorified. Now that's kind of hard to understand, hard to take in, isn't it? But faith can believe it that we're, we're glorified.
I know we're awaiting our bodies of glory, but the scripture says for me, justified. Then he also glorified.
So look at chapter 3. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. All he viewed him from the top of the rocks. That was one way, but now he views him in the wilderness. And what do we read about the children of Israel in the wilderness?
Well, we read some very, very sad things.
But here he's viewing them in the wilderness, and he took up his parable and said and so forth, and he comes to verse 5.
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel?
Think of the things that come out through Bullock wanting to curse the children of Israel.
Some of the most choice gems and scripture them all through the enemy trying to destroy and justice. The opposite comes out and I I don't see altogether that I know what these things mean, but I do think of tents.
As the the home of the believer, the Christian household and how important the Christian household is.
Because the assembly is made-up of households, and we can't be anymore in the assembly than we are in our households. If there are healthy households, we're going to have a healthy assembly. And so he begins with the tents, and then he comes in with the tabernacles, and by tabernacles, O Israel.
And let's think of the Tabernacles as perhaps.
The assemblies. The local assemblies.
How wonderful if the order is carried out like we have in the Word of God the order as we have in in Corinthians order of the assembly.
The enemy viewing this comes out with statements like that, but it's a real exercise, isn't it, on our part that it might be. So last night in in Seattle, we were having those seven nations of Canaan before us. You know, those are the spiritual wickedness in high places. Something like, we might say, Balaam and Balak working behind the scenes.
00:45:07
But we get that in Chapter 7 of Deuteronomy. But six, the 6th chapter we put on the armor of God, and it begins with what goes on in the house.
In the household, in thy gates, in the post of thy household, when thou risest in the morning, when thou walkest through the day, when thou liest down at night, it brings in all that goes on in the household. Well, that's like putting on the armor of God to meet the enemy in Chapter 7. And of course, there's many more things there.
But here we have that. And so then he views the.
Israel, and should we say he views the assembly, verse 6 as the valleys? Are they spread forth?
Well, when we raise wheat at home and the valley is the most fertile place and there we have the most, the largest heads and the best quality grain.
But that's the safety, isn't it? To be in the valley, for us to be in the valley, to be in the low place, it's it's a real safe place and there's the place where we're going to be fruitful.
As the gardens by the Riverside well how important water is, we find quite a bit of water in the next few lines.
To the IT speaks of the Spirit of God, where the Spirit of God is at liberty.
And the garden, you know, is something especially for the.
Owners enjoyment.
So it's real precious to think of the assembly being somewhat of a garden, which is where the master can come in and get some fruit and some enjoyment.
And now we come to that tree as a tree of lion alloys.
Now that's a tree in the East that's known for its fragrance.
And it sometimes said it's worth its weight in gold because of its it's not only a most fragrant tree, but it gets more fragrant with age.
Well, I think that's real touching, isn't it? And it's a real exercise to me. It would be nice if I could be, as it were, more fragrant than I was 10 years ago.
That something of the fragrance of Christ might come out from me. And it's nice though, and we think the older ones here admitted that.
That perhaps their joy is much deeper than it was 20 years ago.
Deeper than it was 10 years ago, maybe even today it's been deeper than it was yesterday. There's a certain growth and enjoyment of the Lord, and it's shown here by that tree.
Well, if we give off the fragrance of Christ.
Says which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. Now the cedar tree is known for its stateliness.
And I think one place in Song of Solomon it it compares the blessed Lord to the cedar tree.
That is, that there was a certain stateliness with the Lord. Well, it's real commendable, isn't it, if that might be with us too, that that dignity, that that stateliness.
We have the privilege of manifesting the Lord, and we will someday be in the good of all this to its fullness. But whom He justified them He also glorified, and so this is what He has brought us into.
Now verse seven, He shall pour out, He shall. He shall pour the water out of his buckets.
00:50:01
Well.
As we live beside the water, as it says here, and as we we appreciate or or feel the the refreshment of the water.
Well, we can fill our buckets. You know, buckets speak of capacity. Again, Speaking of the assembly and its order, everybody doesn't have the same capacity. Everybody doesn't have the same gift.
That we're all different, but it's nice if we can take some of this water, as it were, and pour it out, that is, refresh others with it.
What are some other plants with it?
And it would be nice to have a little bigger bucket today than we had five years ago.
Be able to dip into the refreshment, as it were, and pour it out, that others might be nourished and strengthened by it. And then it adds. And his seed shall be in many waters.
Well, that's a kind of an evangelistic note, isn't it? That there should be an exercise with us that the gospel might go out to others?
That that seed might go out to many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag.
And his Kingdom shall be exalted. Well, Agag, you know, was the king of the Amalekites.
And of course, Amalek was very contrary to Israel. It's like the flesh and the spirit. But must remember, the blessed Lord is higher than Agag.
And He's right there to help us to go on in the path of obedience.
Well, dear brethren, we think again of that golden chain.
We were foreknown, we were predestinated in the past eternity. We had nothing to do with that.
We were called somebody.
Brought us in.
We were justified for glorified. These are the basic truths of Scripture and they are the 1St to come out at that last encounter.
So when the truth of God was recovered to us, all these things were recovered, and their value is the same today as they were on the day of Pentecost. No change.
Perhaps we might even say that.
That through the Spirit of God, that we can enjoy some things more than they enjoyed at Pentecost. Everything was quite new. A lot of these things hadn't really come out, but they have come out now. And so you and I have the privilege of enjoying them and to remember the encampments.
Where we each normally have our encampment and wherever it might be.
But we're going to be there until we have learned what the Lord would have us to learn, and He'll take us on to the next one. And if it's a real exercise with us, I'm sure that we might go from one encampment a little quicker than maybe somebody else might.
Thoughts on Glory
Address—C.E. Lunden
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In return to the.
2nd Epistle.
Of Corinthians.
The third chapter.
Do we begin again to commend ourselves, or need we as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
Ye are our epistles, written in our hearts, known and read of all men.
For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God. Word not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves.
But our sufficiency is of God.
Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter killeth.
But the Spirit giveth life.
But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away.
How shall not administration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth administration of righteousness.
Exceed in glory.
Raven, that which was made glorious, had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Seeing, then, that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech.
And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end.
Of that which is abolished.
But their minds were blinded, for until this day remaineth the same veil.
Untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which Vale has done away in Christ.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
Nevertheless, when it shall return, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
Now the Lord is that spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. I'm going to read that 18th verse again a little different way, but we all with unveiled faith.
Beholding the glory of the Lord.
Are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit.
Of the Lord.
We'd like to speak a little this afternoon of the subject of glory.
Now in the first prayer meeting.
Our brother Tom read this verse, this last verse I believe.
That we have just read.
And it has had its effect upon me all during these meetings.
It was nicely connected with our chapter that we had in the readings.
And so we're going to speak a little this afternoon.
Of glory.
We will probably digress to other things for the moment, but.
That's what the subject will be.
You know there are two glories mentioned in Isaiah, one in the 60th chapter.
And that's the glory of God's grace when he's going to bring Israel back into all their blessings.
Then there's another glory spoken of in the 63rd and the 66th chapter of Isaiah and the last chapter of Habakkuk.
It's the glory, but it's connected with his judgment.
Oh, how solemn that glory is. It's still glory.
00:05:06
But then, you know, not only do we have the glory expressed in that way.
But we have a glory connected with the work of Christ.
When he brought glory to the Father.
In the 12Th of John.
Glory is mentioned also in connection with the cross, in which the Lord Jesus brings glory to Himself.
And in the.
9th chapter of Luke 3 glories are spoken of connected with Jesus as a man.
And he speaks there of those who would confess his name.
Trust. Everyone in this room has confessed the name of Jesus as their own savior.
And if so, they will be associated with him.
As the man, the man Christ Jesus in his own glory.
Oh, how wonderful that will be. Now the Lord Jesus has the glory, of course.
That we will not be associated with directly.
And that's his own personal glory in the Godhead.
But we're Speaking of that glory of the Lord Jesus as a man and all the glories that attach to his person.
So that he speaks in that way that those who have confessed his name in that day.
Will be associated with Him in His glory.
But then there's the glory that the Father has put upon him as a man.
Because He has glorified the Father.
He's going to associate us with himself, Amiss.
Then there's a glory speaks of that puts him as a man.
With the Church above the angels because.
Man was of a lower order than the angels.
But because of the work of Jesus, he is raised.
All of his people with him above angels.
Oh, how marvelous, these glories.
Now I'm going to turn to Isaiah, to Exodus.
Exodus, the 24th chapter.
We'll just read a couple of verses because of time.
Verse nine of Exodus 24.
Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and a Bayou, and 70 of the elders of Israel.
And they saw the God of Israel, and there was under his feet, as it were, a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not his hand.
Also, they saw God and did eat.
And drink.
Now we have here.
Sort of a conference between or among.
Men and angels. Strange, isn't it?
The angels aren't mentioned here, but if you'll read in Psalm 68 we won't turn to it, you'll find that the angels attended the giving of the law.
Stephen tells us in the 7th chapter of Acts that the law was given by disposition of angels.
That's all.
Here we have.
The law given.
And can you picture a pavilion of sapphire stones? Think of the glory attending, the giving of the law, the dignity attached to it. God.
Angels, Myriads of angels were told in Psalm 68.
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As well as Deuteronomy.
Giving of the Law.
And there was glory attending it.
All the leaders of Israel.
Were there 70 of the chosen leaders?
As well as Moses and so on.
And they ate and drank.
Oh, what a picture the giving of the law.
And the glory that attended it.
But now turn with me to the.
33rd chapter.
But before we read this in the 33rd chapter, I'm not going to read what I would like to read. But because of time, we can't read all of these passages.
But you know very well what happened at the giving of the law.
As Moses came down from the mountain with those tables of stone.
He heard strange sounds.
But were they?
The children of Israel had turned to idolatry. What does he do? He breaks those tables of stone. They were never given to Israel.
Never.
Now what's the path?
Because there is a path, but what is it?
Can't be the law.
The tables are broken.
So in this 33rd chapter.
It says the 13th verse.
Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee.
That I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people.
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Verse 18.
And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.
That glory.
Hadn't he shown them the glory before? Ah, but this is a different glory.
As you see, we're leading up to our chapter.
The Corinthians.
19 first and he said I will make all my love. Is that what he says no.
Oh, what a God we have.
I will make all my goodness.
My goodness.
To pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
Before thee. Why the name of the Lord? Because the Lord the name of the Lord.
Covers every blessing.
I have set him to be blessing Psalm 21 in the margin. That name, that precious name of the Lord covers everything, and that's what he's going to proclaim.
And will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy. On whom I will show mercy.
Verse 21.
And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shall stand upon a rock, and it shall come to pass while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a Cliff to the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by.
And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen.
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Has God changed his glory?
No.
He hasn't changed his glory.
But he's made a way whereby his banish be not expelled from his sight.
There is a place beside me. Oh dear. One this afternoon.
Have you found that place beside Jesus?
If you haven't, I'm sorry for you.
And that place is connected with the cleft and the rock.
The Pearson side of our blessed Savior.
Have you found that place on the rock?
Have you?
And there he hides.
Noises.
Clapped to the rock.
You know that little song that sometimes sung about?
The being hidden.
In the cleft of the rock.
Shad of a great rock and a dry and thirsty land.
Beautiful little song, that's where we're hidden. Love it.
Is this too deep a doctrine this afternoon for us?
To be hidden in the cleft of the rock.
And I'll cover thee with my hand.
Complete protection from now on.
The glory hasn't changed, not one bit.
But you see, it isn't any longer the glory that was connected with judgment upon all those who disobeyed the law.
Moses found grace in his sight.
And you know, there's something that God loves, and that's to show grace.
He loves to show grace.
To come to pass, while my glory passeth by.
That I will put thee in the Cliff to the rock, and will cover thee with my hand.
While I pass by. Oh how beautiful this is.
How precious to our souls.
They now turn across the page. Chapter 34.
Moses goes back up to the mountain again to renew those tables.
Not now to give them to the people.
About this very same table.
That is the same communication and what's going to be done with them now?
They're going to be put in the ark.
That's Jesus. He's the only one that is able for those commandments.
You're not.
That are not.
Try No, he's the only one. Oh, how precious to know that Jesus is able to meet that which is required of you and me.
As men, he can meet it, and he has met it.
And the evidence of it is that he's got at God's right hand this very moment.
The 34th verse.
But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out.
And he came out and spake unto the children of Israel. That was that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of his face shone. And Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Now this connects with our chapter in Corinthians, in Corinthians that we read.
The glory.
That attaches to the presence.
Of God himself.
Now there is a man who has gone into the glory, and as God he always lived there.
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But he's gone in there as man for us, so that you and I too.
May be able to enter that glory.
And that, I believe, is what is meant when it says that he went to prepare a place for us.
There was number place for man there before, until Jesus went there and he's gone to prepare a place for us.
Now turn with me back to Corinthians 32. Corinthians 3.
But before we read and comment on a few of these verses.
I'd like to call your attention.
To something that's gone before.
Now we have in Second Corinthians heavenly ministry.
That is not only ministry in the sense of written ministry.
But ministry that is seen in the life of the apostle.
And, you know, as we go along in our Christian life and we get older, we discover that there are many things that we face that are very delicate.
In connection with decisions.
Because of their character.
And we have much instruction in Corinthians, in First Corinthians.
There was both moral evil and doctrinal evil.
And the Spirit of God has written this for us to correct it, but not only that, so that each individual believer who is a part of the body of Christ will know how to act themselves in connection with it.
You say, what does that have to do with the glory?
Well, it has everything to do with it.
The believer has been put in a position where you and I are seated in the heavenly places. Is that not the glory?
And we've been sent down here to witness for Christ. What kind of a witness is it?
Is that the character that was displayed by the Lord Jesus? Is it the character that we've just read about in the Old Testament?
Now I know the Old Testament never rises to the truths that we have in the New, but they do give us clues of things that we may not readily notice in the New Testament, although they're there.
And now read with me the last the 10th verse of the second chapter of Second Corinthians.
To whom ye forgive anything I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it for your sakes, forgave I it in the person of Christ, lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.
What are Satan's devices?
Well, the Book of Galatians was written to correct for the Saints some of Satan's devices that were coming in.
Be sure of this, beloved.
When you and I are not walking in communion, we will resort.
To organization.
Will resort to making laws.
For ourselves, for our brethren.
Does this is this in keeping with our position as believers in this world?
Are we going to correct things by going back to the ordinances?
That we are supposed to have left.
No, really, you're going to correct things by communion and prayer. That's the only way.
Lest Satan should get advantage of us, O beloved.
In our little assemblies, don't let Satan come in and spoil what's there.
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Turn with me to Revelation, the third chapter.
I'm going to speak a little more of the glory yet, but I want to call attention to this.
First, very briefly.
It isn't only that God has placed us in this favorable position of grace.
But there is a side of the truth in which.
God speaks to our conscience. I'm going to read the first part of this third chapter.
How thou has perceived and heard.
Hold fast and repent. If, therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief.
And thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon me.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment. And I will not blot out His name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess His name before my Father and before his angels. He that hath an ear.
Let him hear what the Spirit set to the churches.
Now the air is the conscience.
And he's speaking to the churches.
You can call this Protestantism if you like, but remember, all the last four churches go on to the end.
And these verses we have read have a direct application to everyone in this room this afternoon.
Who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior?
We have at the beginning of it, the character of the one who's speaking. He's the one who has.
The seven spirits, the highest of the Church, has spoken of as one spirit.
But in government 7 spirits.
Every aspect.
Is covered, but the Spirit of God.
But the seven stars?
Not to go into detail speaks of responsibility.
Subordinate authority, but responsibility but in the assembly.
But now what is it that he has to say? I know thy works.
It's a wonderful thing to be able to say yes.
The Lord has gathered us to His precious name.
He's given us the whole volume of truth.
How wonderful this is.
But now what does it say?
I know thy works.
Am I going to take that to my own conscience this afternoon?
What else does it say about works?
The end of the second verse for I have not found.
Thy works perfect.
Before God.
Is it a question of our works perfect before our brethren, or before God?
The Sharks.
What else?
Oh, this is solemn. Sardis has a name.
To live.
Be careful, Be careful.
Dear fellow Christian or professing Christian.
Because he says notice carefully.
A name to live.
That thou livest in our death.
There's no evidence.
Shining forth of that glory that should attend the testimony.
The believer down here.
What else?
Third verse.
Remember therefore, how thou hast received.
Oh, how much you and I have received, dear fellow Christian.
How much we have received. Remember, therefore how thou hast received.
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And.
Heard and hold fast.
And repent.
Repent.
Some people think repentance is only connected with confessing Christ as Savior.
But there really isn't salvation without it.
But you know, we can speak of it sort of as a state of soul, too.
The attitude of judging oneself, it's gilgal continually in the presence of God.
Now.
It says here.
Be watchful second verse.
When you're watchful, you're looking around, aren't you?
But if you're asleep, you can't be looking around.
You feel yourself are asleep. You can't be watchful.
Oh how important this is for my heart. I don't know about yours.
And.
What strengthen?
The things that remain beloved.
Is that not in keeping with the Gospel of the Glory?
Did God say to Moses, you broke the law, you're going to be under the judgment of God? He says, Moses said.
Show me thy grace.
Thy grace. Now I know there are certain things that have to be dealt with.
But you and I should never hold a grudge.
We should never carry that which any evil thought.
Against our brethren.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which are remained that are ready to die, not criticize them.
No, strengthen them.
Strengthen them.
Now we turn back to our chapter.
2nd Corinthians.
3.
In contrast to that which was written in the stones.
Hard cold stones of the law. Notice this verse.
The second verse of the third chapter of Two Corinthians. Ye are our epistle.
Written in our hearts.
Known in red of all men. Oh, what a contrast.
The deal and I really appreciate what Christianity is.
Have you and I really laid hold of the glory that excels?
There's no question of the glory that attended the giving of the law.
You know what a little sapphire stone would cost in a jewelry store? Then you can picture a whole pavilion of sapphire.
Oh, the glory that attended the law. That was only physical characteristics.
But now.
Pistol written in our hearts.
No, and read of all men.
Who's he talking to? He's talking to some Saints that had made some very dreadful mistakes, wasn't he?
Some of them had to be disciplined.
Till he's talking to them in this way.
Is that the way you and I address the people of God? Are we going to take and rollback the gold so we can see the knots and the boards of the Tabernacle?
Is that our business?
Floors met, much as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ. Oh, how lovely. This is the believer. This is you, dear believer. Oh, you say, well, I don't measure up to this. We're not talking about measuring up. We're talking about what you are in God's sight.
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Ministered by us, written not with ink.
But with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
In other words, what we have here is for eternity.
Not a law that can be disobeyed, but that which is found in the person of Jesus. Because everything you have is put in that safe place. You only have it in Christ. Man was tested. He couldn't hold it. God says, all right, I'll put it somewhere where it'll be held. Just like he put the law, the tables of stone in the ark. Everything you have is in Christ.
You don't have anything else.
You never will except Christ.
Well, you said that will be wonderful to get to heaven and learn about more about Christ.
Yes, it will be, but let's go on here. We'll see if that's the place only to learn about it.
And then the apostle speaks of his ministry.
Heavenly ministry here.
And.
Now the seventh verse.
Notice the expression used.
But if the administration of death, death.
This beautiful exhibition of God, man and angels together.
Sapphire stone pavilion. The giving of the law. Administration of death.
Yes, administration of death.
Why? Because you and I couldn't keep it.
You couldn't keep it.
Noises says Show me now thy way.
Oh, how good to have God's way.
Man's way would be.
Yes, I can do this. All the Lord has spoken, we will do.
That's man, and you can't do one better. And when he gets through, then he comes to the place through grace. Now show me, Lord, thy way.
Die away. But the point for our consciences this afternoon is have you and I laid hold a little bit of this way for our own hearts?
Are we still clinging to the law as to the application of our Christianity?
But if the ministration of death, written and engraving in stones was glorious.
So that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away.
How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more death, the administration of righteousness.
Exceed in glory. For if that which was made glorious had no For even that which was made glorious had no glory.
In this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
Now this glory that we've been talking about.
That was given by the law, given by the disposition of angels.
Attended by God himself and the elders of Israel to be done away. It has no glory.
It has no glory.
Why doesn't it have any glory? Because there's a glory that has eclipsed it entirely.
It's gone.
It's gone.
Well then why hang on to it?
That's what Paul had to say to the Galatians Saints. Why all these ordinances? Why all these laws? Why all these traditions?
They don't belong to this.
Bet it all.
The only, the only power in our lives as Christians is communion.
Reading the word of God, prayer, that's the only power.
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There's no other. You can make all the ordinances and laws you want, but you'll never gain anything.
Seeing, then, that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech.
Not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.
No, not that.
Their minds were blinded, for until this day remained at the same veil. I'm taken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ.
Is done away in Christ.
But even under this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon.
Notice their heart. Their heart.
Oh, that's where the trouble is with the heart.
Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, that is Israel.
The veil should be taken away.
Now the Lord is that spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Under the law.
There was number liberty.
Can you picture those?
Who attended the Tabernacle? All the labor that attended the sacrifices and the setting up and taking down to the Tabernacle.
All these things that accompanied the law and the ordinances that attended it. Think of the labor.
That attended this it's a picture of man in the flesh. Religious flesh if you please.
And when Lazarus came forth from the grave, the Lord says, loose him and let him go.
Loose what? Religious flesh?
That he was wrapped in. It's a picture of it I believe.
Ah, what a difference when Jesus comes in.
Here's the answer to it all. Everything is found in the person of Christ, for you and for me.
And the exhibition of that glory down here.
Is like what you have in the chapter and the part we didn't read.
In the second chapter.
The apostle Paul had been.
At Troy's and he had an open door for the gospel, but he couldn't preach. Why?
His spirit was overwhelmed because he hadn't heard from Titus.
But he says never mind.
Never mind about that.
Now thanks be unto God, which always leads us in triumph.
Always leads us in triumph. Oh, the liberty of the child of God.
He's always LED in triumph.
And what else? Going back to that second chapter in the 15th verse?
For we are a sweet savour of Christ. Is that what it reads? No, no, no, no.
It says, For we are unto God.
Oh, how precious this truth is.
A sweet savor.
Of Christ and them that are saved.
And then them that perish.
Accompanying the flavor as he passes through this world, whether it's in the school room or the office or at home.
There's a sweet savor that attends its passing through. It's the gospel of the grace of God. It's the gospel of the glory.
And in the measure in which you and I are in communion, that's manifested here whether we know it or not.
It's manifested.
Now in this 18th verse.
But certain Christians who are more spiritual than others?
Is that the way this reads?
Certain Christians that are more spiritual that have a certain place or standing, is that the way this reads beloved?
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Couldn't read that way if there's liberty.
It couldn't read that way if everything depended on Christ. If it depended on you, yes.
Get it? Get it clear.
We all all be sure of that.
With unveiled face. No veils now they're gone.
Children of Israel couldn't look at Moses because the glory in his face.
No, you and I have been brought to God.
The right to God.
And.
It says.
The odds unveiled, face beholding the glory of the Lord.
Our change, never mind about your brother.
This is you, me.
Heart change.
And if this verse controlled our lives?
There wouldn't be so many problems.
It's when Joseph's brethren had famine that they looked to one upon another.
Who had famine in their own soul changed into the same image.
Am I reading this right? The same image?
Transformed into the same image.
Glory.
To glory how?
A little better Christian than somebody else, is that it?
Giving away some more, but more tracks, preaching more.
No, nothing to do with it.
The person of Christ before the soul. Now, in closing, I want you to turn to Ephesians.
Now we have the glory again. Ephesians 3.
And verse.
16.
That he would grant you. That's the prayer of the Apostle, the second prayer in Ephesians.
That he would grant you.
According to the riches of his glory.
Now we've come to the very riches, the very essence of itself.
What was he going to grant?
To be the strengthened with might by His spirit in the inner man.
All on the part of God.
What for?
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, not an occasional visit.
Dwell.
We know that we have Christ in our hearts, but He's speaking now about the practical aspect today, that He may dwell in your hearts by faith.
Practical application of it according to the energy of the Spirit within.
Achieve being rooted and grounded in love.
What is that?
Rooted, grounded in love, I read a little different in order that she may be fully able to apprehend with all things, what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ.
Which passive knowledge that she might be filled with all.
The fullness of God.
That's the end of the road. That's our portion.
We're actually going to be there. We're all. The fullness is in display. But now faith lays hold of it. Don't you see, beloved?
Faith lays hold of it. It's the glory.
Wherever Jesus is, there's the glory. When he was on earth, it was the moral glories of his person that were seen.
But in heaven, everything will be seen and displayed.
Glorious, glorious person.
There never was a sweeter name.
And there will be never a more beautiful sight, beloved.
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And when they see.
Hebrews
Address—A.C. 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 you to turn with me tonight, please, to the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Chapter one. I don't know just what time may permit, but I I would really like, with the Lord's help, to to go through this epistle briefly this evening and seek to find from its pages that which might be guidance and help and encouragement to our hearts.
I'm sure we've all noticed that it begins in a very remarkable way.
A way in which no other epistle begins. It begins with an exaltation of the person that the Lord Jesus Christ. We might say it begins with an open heaven, and a glimpse of our Lord Jesus Christ seated up there. And it ends with. Let us go forth, therefore unto Him without the camp bearing his reproach. It just seems to me to be an epistle in which we.
Marvelous.
Presentation of a person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the very author himself is hidden. We're not told who penned these words. I believe it's generally thought to be the apostle Paul, and I quite agree with that thought. But purposely, his name is hidden, not found, because he's introducing to us the one who is really the apostle, to whom our eyes and hearts are turned as we read it.
God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the Father's by the Prophet.
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world, Who, being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Do you feel a thrill as you hear those words? Oh, it's wonderful to me to read such words as these. It just makes me feel sad at heart as I think of those who don't know the Lord Jesus, who don't accept the wonderful truth of this precious book, but somehow or other they have to find some reason for our being here.
How do I happen to be here when I open up this book?
That I find that everything that I see around me is the handiwork of the Lord Himself. And you know, if we reject the wisdom and authority and light of the Word of God, we're left with so many questions, so many problems, But oh, how different, how wonderful, how precious to the soul to read.
By whom also he made the world.
Who being the brightness of His glory, and He expressed image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power.
You know, when you when you recognize the Lord Jesus as the Creator and sustainer of all things, it becomes just an endless delight to our hearts.
To see the power and majesty and wisdom of his handiwork, do we perhaps become so accustomed to it that we don't see as much of that power and wisdom as we ought to? Just let me give you a little example, perhaps particularly for those who are still at school and who are meeting all kinds of strange and.
Unscriptural ideas.
As to where we came from.
Years ago, I had been on a long, long journey. It took me to Japan and all the way around. And when I got home, of course, the family gathered together and they wanted to hear all about where Daddy had been and what Daddy had seen. So I knew that our son was at that stage of school when he was hearing all these strange ideas.
As to where man came from.
So I said to him, you know, Danny, when I was in Japan, I saw a very remarkable camera there, and I described to him the skillful features of that Japanese camera.
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Then I said, Danny, when I was in Germany, I saw a camera there that had these features on it, and I described to him some of these unusual features of the German camera.
Then I said to him, and you know, Danny, when I was in Switzerland, I saw an optical device there that was really much more remarkable than what I had seen in Japan or in Germany. I said, you know that device.
Could take life-size color pictures.
As many as you wanted without ever, ever changing the film.
He blinked his eyes and looked at me. I said. That's true, Danny. This device could take life-size color pictures, as many as you want, without ever changing the film. And it was perfectly automatic for focus, for shutter speed.
For aperture size.
And it even filed those pictures away, too. Oh, now, Daddy, I said that's true. And I said the whole thing only weighed a couple of Oz. Well, you know, he I. Wait, Daddy, are you describing the human eye? I suggest any. I am. I tried to fool you. I just said I saw an optical device in Switzerland just to kind of throw you off a little bit. But I'm describing the human eye. Listen.
Life-size, color pictures, am I right?
As many as you want without changing the film, am I right? Files them away too. You've got a memory of people that you used to know, and they're gone. Houses and buildings that you can recall right now. Perfectly automatic. So sensitive that if a speck of dust got gets on the optical system, it's automatically cleaned away. The Japanese made the one, the Germans made the other. And who made the third one?
Well, it just happened. Oh, isn't it wonderful, beloved? Isn't it thrilling to think?
That the one whom we wish to present to you tonight is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who's introduced to us here as the Creator and the Upholder of all things.
God introduces him to us here in a way that I believe is intended to fill our hearts with admiration and praise and worship.
Now I want to go down just a little farther in the chapter.
Notice please verse six and again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he said, and let all the angels of God worship him. All you know, when you know and love the Lord Jesus, you just find your soul thrilled to think of this. Let all the angels of God worship him. Who was he?
Well, we found many people.
And some who I guess are not very far away from this spot, who deny that the Lord Jesus was truly God.
It's truly gone. They will say that he was a very, very exalted individual, perhaps even the greatest of the angels. But you and I know very well that in this book, the Word of God, we are told that God and God only is to be worshipped. Angels absolutely have always refused the worship that was.
Unintentionally presented to them, we find that in the Book of Revelation that when John on two occasions fell down to worship an Angel.
Rebuked and reminded that God alone was to be worshipped.
Who was the Lord Jesus when he came into this world? We are told that all the angels of God.
Worship Him. Was He an exalted Angel? Was He the greatest of men? He claimed and he accepted the worship of men and angels. Beloved, he was either God manifest in flesh, or I almost tremble to say it, he was the worst imposter that ever was here on earth. Thank God you and I know who he was. He was.
God the Son presented to man for the worship of men and angels.
Now let's go down, please, to verse 10. And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thine hands. Boy, just love to pause with some of these verses because they thrill my soul so much. The heavens are the work of thy hands. Isn't that delightful?
Thy heavens are the work of thy hands. Whose hands? The hands of the Lord Jesus.
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Let me just pause for a few moments to think about this. In resurrection, you remember that the Lord Jesus was surrounded by his beloved disciples, and he said to them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Why did He do that? Well, in John 14, you remember He had said.
Peace I leave with you.
My peace I give unto you. I believe that was a two fold peace. Piece of conscience in the knowledge that our sins are forever gone, blotted out by the precious blood of Christ, and peace of heart in the knowledge that he who loved me and died for me has now risen and is seated at God's right hand in glory.
Those two viewpoints of peace he promised them in John 14, and I believe he indicates to them in John 20.
When he said.
Peace be unto you, and show them His hands and His side. Surely the side would speak of that precious blood that flowed from that wounded side by which our guilt is forever blotted out and we have peace with God. Do you have peace with God? Does everyone here know that your sins have been forever blotted out and are gone because of the cleansing power of the precious blood of Christ? I hope you do.
But I think you and I know that there are many real believers.
Who know that their sins are gone. And they would tell you, yes, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has blotted them all out forever. But there are many Christians, sad to say, who go through the years of their life with all kinds of anxieties and burdens and worries and cares. I want to ask you, was the Lord Jesus ever worried?
Oh, I'm sure immediately you'd say no, far be the thought. Was he ever anxious? No, indeed he was not. He wept, he sighed, he groaned, not because he was worried or anxious, but he wept over the sorrows and trials and difficulties that he saw all around him. And beloved, I believe that when the Lord Jesus showed his disciples those hands.
He was reminding them.
Of what they had seen those hands do during the time that they were together. The heavens are the work of thy hands. All the power, the skill, the might of those hands, beloved. But then they had seen those hands stretched out to touch a poor defiled leopard, and he's made well. Reach out to touch a poor blind man and his eyes are opened. Reach out to.
And tender love upon the heads of little children. And they were blessed, reached out to break the loaves, to feed the hungry multitude, and they were fed, reached out to rescue Peter as he began to sink beneath the waves. And he was spared from that. And you know, as they saw those hands in resurrection, how many memories must have flooded through their thoughts as they recalled what those hands had done and what was the last sight they.
Lord Jesus, with uplifted hands, there he stood and blessed them. And it came to pass, as he blessed them, he was taken up from them, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Are those hands still uplifted? Oh, isn't it wonderful to say Yes, Indeed, they are the hands of power and wisdom and love and tenderness and kindness and thoughtfulness. They're uplifted now in the glory for me.
Or how displeasing it must be to him if I carry around with me anxious, worried, burdened thoughts.
He says Peace be unto you. He shows his wounded side our sins are gone. He shows his piercing hands, and I believe he's saying they'll be uplifted for you until I have you safely home. Oh, I think it's a contradiction to see a Christian filled with anxious, worried thoughts. Is it all right to groan? Yes, To sigh, to weep? He did.
Why it was not the difficulties of his pathway, but the compassions of his heart that made him.
The Man of Sorrows, My father used to say that quite often, and you'll permit me please to repeat it again. It was not the difficulties of his pathway, but the compassions of his heart that made him the Man of Sorrows. And beloved, if you shed tears over the burdens and sorrows, including worried thoughts that so often we do carry.
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Is, I believe, a sad thing when we read the wonder of the hearken hands of the Lord Jesus?
Now notice please, in verse 11. The faith shall perish, but thou remainest. And they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Let's take notice of that little expression. Thou art the same. Oh my beloved brethren, I cling to this with gladness of heart. For all around us, things are changing. You know it. Politically, morally, economically, even physically, as we look around in this world about us, things are changing. They're getting better, aren't they?
No, indeed they're not. And you know they're not. They're getting worse in every such area.
Politically, economically, morally, religiously.
They're falling apart. And what does this do to the believer? Fill him with anxious fears? Oh, doesn't it make us turn to the one concerning whom the word of God says thou art the same? Isn't it a grand thing to have as the occupation of our heart, a person who is unchanging and in whose company we're going to spend eternity? And as we see these changes taking place all around us, what does it do?
I say again, fill us with foreboding. We were just speaking today about the clothes of the 23rd Psalm at the beginning of the 24th. No doubt you've noticed the connection. In the end of the 23rd Psalm we read, Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. Isn't that something to look forward to? But then I believe the Lord says now would you like to know what I intend to do?
In this world, after I've called you away. And he begins the 24th Psalm, the earth is the Lords, and the fullness thereof the world, and they that dweller Him. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Why does he say that? I believe he's saying I did it before, and I can do it again. What do I mean?
Well, you and I know when we turn back to Genesis one, we find God looking down upon a scene of darkness.
And chaos and disorder. And confusion.
Pardon me for asking, was that too difficult for God? Indeed not. He spoke and the darkness was annulled. He spoke and the chaos was changed to orders. And you know, beloved, after we're gone, what are we going to leave behind?
A scene of darkness and chaos and floods of confusion. And God says in that 24th Psalm, I did it before and I can and I will do it again. You know that after we're gone, the beast who will arise rises up out of the sea, does he not? A restless, confused condition of things. So when I see darkness rolling in, when I see confusion and disorder among.
Nations, when I see even physical upheaval such as you have experienced in this area, does it make me feel with fear and foreboding? Oh, I say, this is exactly what the word of God said the condition would be after we're called away. Ha, beloved, it's a triumph to my soul to look up and say Thou art the same. What does it say here? They shall perish, but thou remain us, and they all shall wax old as a garment.
Vester shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same.
I love this because it's a title found in chapter one, and it's also found in the last chapter, and I believe in this way it links this happy epistle together as one in introducing to us the Lord Jesus Christ, whose very name and title is the same. We get in the 13th chapter, the same yesterday and today.
And forever, if time permits. We have come to that before the meeting is over.
And perhaps have time to enlarge on it a little bit. Suppose we go on to Chapter 2.
And we go down to verse nine. We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the sufferings of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons under glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect.
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Through sufferings. Does that sound just a little bit surprising?
That the Lord Jesus was in some way or other made perfect.
Ah, but that's a wonderful thought. Perfect. Of course he always was. But did he up there in that eternal glory, know the meaning of weariness, loneliness, thirst, false accusation, mockery? No. And he wanted to be, he wanted to be a perfect captain for you and for me. He wanted us to be able to look up and say, ah, there's.
Glory that knows the circumstances through which I am passing. And so, as we remark the other day, he began his journey by choice as a bane in Bethlehem. Let me put it this way. I believe you will agree that he could have come right from the glory to Calvary and in three hours.
Accomplished the work of redemption and returned again to glory and all that was necessary for the putting away of my sins and yours.
Could have been accomplished by that, and we would have a savior, but we would not have a perfect captain. We would not have a sympathetic, understanding high priest.
But we have such an one he chose and he has been through this whole journey. And you know, as we see in this epistle to the Hebrews, a sort of contrast between our Lord Jesus Christ and everything that a devout and God fearing Hebrew had ever known or shared. I believe the beauty of that contrast is absolutely.
Thrilling to our souls. Did any Israelite have a priest like that?
Who understood perfectly and could act toward Him in tender understanding love and in honoring faithfulness. You have such in one, I have such in one. And I believe we find the Lord Jesus here set apart as one who is a perfect understanding high priest. Suppose we go now to chapter 3.
And we just read verses 12 and 13. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily.
Please just let me pass this on to everyone here. I'm afraid we neglect this, do we not?
We kind of look around and think, well brothers, so and so is the one to exhort the rest of us because he knows his Bible pretty well and so we should expect him to do the exhorting to the rest of us. Is that what we read here? Exhort one another daily, lest any of you be hardened through.
The deceitfulness of sin.
Let's take this to heart, old and young. Let's take it to heart, brethren. If we really love and care for one another, will there not be that watchfulness? Ah, we had a dear, dear brother in the assembly at home in Ottawa where I grew up, who had something of this sweet character about him.
Maybe this will sound rather strange to you, but when I was a young fellow there in Ottawa, I remember that it became quite the style to have a handkerchief very noticeably sticking out of your pocket. It was what all the young fellows did. So I was not the last one to have a nice white handkerchief sticking out of my pocket. And I went to meeting with this actor just at the right angle and.
Dear brother Watson.
He came up to me after meeting and it was so nice the way he did it, you know, He reached out and shook my hand. Oh, Albert, I'm so glad to see you here at meeting tonight. And he shook my hand with a royal welcome and pushed the handkerchief out of sight all in one movement. Movement. You know, he didn't say, Look, look out now, young man, that's, that's pretty worldly. He shook my hand so warmly. I'm so glad to see you. And by the time he was done, the handkerchief was back.
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Out of sight. I don't think it was really something terribly worldly, was it? But you know, dear Brother Watson, he loved us so much. I'll just go a step farther, exhort it.
This was long ago and it was most unusual for anyone for anyone to go to College in those days and most unusual underlines for any of HIV sons to think of going to college and.
I'll have to go ahead with the story. Now, I had worked for a few years and I felt directed of the Lord to study optometry. So it got around the meeting that Albert Hayhoe was going away to college.
I knew what the reaction would be. Dear brother Watson was about the first one to come to me. Albert, watch this. I hear about you.
I said, what have I done, Brother Watson? Well, is it true that you're going away to college?
And I said yes, brother.
I suppose you'll come back with some fancy letters after your name. Oh, no, no, nothing like that, Brother Watson. I just feel the Lord wants me to do this kind of work.
He said, but I hope you do come back with letters after your name. Well, from brother Watson of all people. This surprised me. I said what do you mean brother? He said Albert, I hope you come back with OM GB after your name.
I said, what's that mean? He said go home and read the book of Daniel. That's all he would tell me. So I went home and read the book of Daniel and I came to that enviable degree.
OM, GB.
All man greatly beloved.
Let us just take this to heart, dear brethren. I look up and down the rows of my dear brothers and sisters of Gresham, and I hope I can say with all my heart.
But I love you in the bonds of Christ Jesus, and I hope that everyone of us will take this to heart, that we will search the pages of his precious book, that before the Lord we may seek to walk in a way that would be to the glory of the Lord.
And a helpful example to others and not shrink from exhorting one another daily. You remember the story of Utica's who came into that third loft and sat down in a window. Now, it doesn't tell us the whole detail of the story, but I think it's all right for us to picture it. I wouldn't be surprised if there were folks there who saw Utica sit there.
And nudge the person next to them and said, look at that young man.
He's sitting in a very dangerous place. He's going to have a fall if he's not careful. But nobody moved over and said, here, Utica's come and sit by me. Nobody took the trouble to do that. Nobody exhorted that dear young man. He sat there in the window and nobody said a word. And you know, you're not wide awake one moment and sound asleep the next. And I think it's all right for me to picture Utica sitting in the window.
Dozing and nodding a little bit, the way I've seen people do in meeting.
And still nobody, nobody went over and put their arm around him and said, Utica's come and sit by me. And at last he fell right out the window. And I have sometimes said to myself, if I had been one of those who saw you, Utica, sit there and saw the danger and saw him doze and didn't say a word to him, how would I feel when I suddenly saw him go out the window? I ran down the steps and saw him lying there. Oh.
Brothers and sisters, in love to the Lord, and in love one to the other, let there be among us, by God's help, the fulfillment of this precious verse, that we may because we love one another and because we want each other to have a full reward, that we may prayerfully and lovingly try to help and to encourage one another in those paths that would be pleasing to the Lord.
Suppose we go on to chapter 4. Notice, please, how it begins. Let us therefore fear and notice, please, how it ends. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
That's quite a change, isn't it? Let us therefore fear. Let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace. And in between those two statements in the chapter, we find the provision of God, the Word of God, and a faithful high priest. And you and I have those resources, don't we? We have the Word of God. I do want to encourage you with all my heart.
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In a diligent and prayerful reading of the Word of God.
For what purpose? To be able to expound it to someone else? I hope not. I hope that you and I, beloved, will read this precious book as food for our own souls and light and wisdom for our own pathway. Then the Lord, I believe, can use us in helpful ways toward others.
Suppose we go on. I'm afraid we'll have to go on rather quickly. We'll go on, shall we? To all the way to chapter 8, chapter 10. In these intervening chapters we find our blessed Lord Jesus contrasted with those persons and those things which are godly and devout Jew would naturally.
Glory in. And there was a time when it was perfectly right.
For in Israel to glory in those things that had been entrusted to them as a nation by God Himself.
That priesthood.
Their renowned men of faith, Moses and Aaron and Bill Kissedak and the Tabernacle and the priesthood and the sacrifices God-given from beginning to end. Oh, what a privileged nation they were. And yet these things were presented, pointing forward to that which was so much better, the person.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
He just bring out one little hint of that in Chapter 9.
We find in Chapter 9 and verse four that there was in this.
Holy Place, the Golden Sensor, the Ark of the Covenant, overlaid roundabout with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna and Aaron's rather buttered, and the tables of the Covenant. Now you remember this, that in that golden ark which sat there in the most Holy Place, there were these three things within it. What were they?
Aaron's rather buttered the golden pot that had Manor and the tables of the covenant.
Those three things were very, very significant, I believe those two tables of stone which were given to Moses by the Lord on Mount Sinai.
Would speak to us now that unalterable holiness of the person of our Lord himself. And this accompanied Israel sheltered beneath that blood sprinkled mercy seat through all the years of their wandering. But there were two other items in that ark.
The golden pot that had manna. And I believe this would speak to us at a very wonderful grace of God that met their need. In spite of their failures, in spite of their murmurings, that manna never failed. Six days in the week that manna descended and Israel's needs were met, and it was the grace of God that did it. And I believe that gold and pop containing manna was a symbol of the grace of God that accompanied.
Murmuring people all through the years of their wilderness wandering, and Aaron's rod that budded. There are various things that could be taken from that little picture, but I believe that we can certainly take from it a picture of the government of God. It was given at the time of the rebellion of Cora, Dathan and Abiram, and I believe we see in this, do we not, that as Israel went through the wilderness, they had there among them.
That beautiful symbol of the presence of the Lord and of the grace of God and of the government of God that went right along with them through their journey. But when they came into the land and set that ark down in Solomons beautiful temple and drew out the staves of the ark, the scripture tells us first Kings eight, I think that there was in that temple.
Only I mean in that.
Are only the two tables of stone. The golden pot of manna was gone. Aaron's rod that budded was gone. Only the two tables of stone were in that arc. When at last it was set down in its resting place in Solomon's temple in the land, the staves were drawn out from it and sat down so that the ends of those days could be seen in the holy place.
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All beloved, to me this is most wonderful. I believe it would tell us that as long as we are on our journey homework.
We're going to find accompanying us the grace of God and the government of God. Don't you think we should be very thankful for both? Come now, come now. Would any of us like to say I would much prefer to have the government of God left out of my life? Would you dare to say that? Would I dare to say that? Not for one moment. I believe, dear brethren, we should be most thankful for those two accompaniments. But you know there's.
Coming, one will not need one or the other. We'll never need the grace of God up there. We'll never need the government of God up there. We'll have Himself His own presence. In fact, when you find the Ark of the Covenant mentioned in the Book of Revelation, you'll find that even the mercy seat is not mentioned there. That blood stained mercy seat is no longer needed there in all ablaze of His glory.
It will only reveal our perfect fitness to be there. Well, I just mentioned that in passing for I feel.
As we journey along through the wilderness, Beloved, we should thank Him every day for the faithfulness of His own presence and for the unfailing accompaniments of His grace and of His government. But now we come to chapter 10, and we find this one to point this out briefly.
Verse 9 Then said he Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, he taketh away the 1St, that he may establish the second, by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And now we get down to verse 15, whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us and believe. We find here three things with the whole Godhead involved. And what are they? The will of God We find it expressed in verse 10. And the work of our Lord Jesus Christ also expressed in verse 10. And the witness of the Holy Ghost expressed in verse 15.
And where does this wondrous work place us, beloved sanctified?
And how, let's notice what it says in verse 10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. Once for all, are you sanctified? Or you said, that's a big word. And I've heard people speak as though they were hoping, hoping, praying, struggling, that someday they might attain to this great level in which at last they would be able to say, now I am sanctified.
Ah, beloved, do you know what the Word of God does to each and every believer? It places him in a position where every blessing that the heart of God could bestow is bestowed upon him. And then we are told to remember these things and to act accordingly. Are you sanctified? God's Word says you are. Should there be a practical testimony and result in our lives? Indeed there ought to be. Let.
Try to illustrate. Perhaps you've heard this illustration before. My father used to speak like this. You know, there were seven of us at home when I was a boy in Ottawa.
And when the meal table, when the meal was over, there were a great many dishes to be washed. These dishes were all carried out into the kitchen and placed on the right hand side of the kitchen sink. I can see it yet. And then my mother got a dish pan and they didn't even have soap powder in those days. She had what she called a soap shaker, little wire mesh box in which she had chips of soap and she swished it around in there to make soap sauce. On the other side there was a rack.
With nothing in it. And she picked up a dirty dish and washed it and sanctified it, set it apart, picked up another dirty dish and washed it and sanctified it. It didn't belong anymore back here with these dirty dishes. They were washed and they were set apart. And beloved, this is what has been done for you and me. Is there a practical challenge because of it? Indeed there is. I'm not trying to.
Become sanctified. But I hope I may say I'm trying to remember and act according to that which He has done for me. Oh, what a difference. Oh, what a difference there should be in our life the practical demonstration of these wondrous things that have been made hours in Christ.
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Now we'll come on, please to Chapter 11. Can we find in verse two mention of a good report?
And we find mentioned also in verse 39 a good report.
There are young people here who are still attending school.
At your school, do you from time to time bring home from school a report? Do they still call it that?
They do. They've changed nearly everything else, and they still call that a report. Well, I'm glad they do, because when our young folks came home from school, they would bring home with them once in a while a report. When I went to school, they were percentages on it. Now, I don't know whether they use 123 or AB and C or what they use, but something to indicate whether the student is doing well or whether the student needs to sharpen up a little bit.
And I know it was pleasing to us if our children brought home from school a good report.
But if and when they did, we would quite often turn to Hebrews 11 and we would speak about these two verses at the beginning and end of the chapter. A good report, beloved. Did these men and women described in this chapter have a good report?
And an honor and a reputation in the world in which they lived.
No, many of them are considered fools, and some of them lost their lives because of their faith in Christ. But God's Word speaks of a good report. Why are Because by faith they live to please the Lord. And I want to say, dear brethren, tonight, that as the conditions in this poor world are turning more and more against that which would be honoring.
And pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's still our challenge, our opportunity, our privilege to obtain a good report by faith. And that is by trying with God's help, to live from day-to-day by faith with our eye upon that one who was presented to us in chapter one, the one who created all things, the one who came down here and became a child, a youth, a man who died, who rose, who lives, who is so infinitely better than anything.
Has already been presented to us in this epistle. The Lord Jesus Christ, the ascended and glorified Son of God, up there in the glory you and I want to live in such a way as will give us a good report. It's a walk of faith, beloved, with our eye upon that risen and ascended Christ. Here we find in the Old Testament those who knew so little.
Compared to what you and I know. Take a look at it please in verse 13.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Think of that.
Not having received the promises, they saw them a far off, and it had such an effect upon them that they embraced them. It just affected their whole life. But you don't have far off promises. You and I have possessions that cost the Lord Jesus the giving of His own life.
Oh, is it really true? Do I really stand here before you tonight, the possessor of every blessing that the heart of God could be stole, and at the cost of His own beloved Son? And He, the Son of God up there in the glory, looking down upon me, loving me, caring for me, having poured out these blessings upon me, and promises to take me now to His home in the glory. How could it ever be that I would look around and try to make?
The most?
Honors and the approval of this world that spit in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, if we want a good report, here we find those who walk the path of faith, and God records it. But now let's turn over, please, to chapter 12, and we'll find that which is better still.
Verse One. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and he sat down at the right hand.
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Of the throne of God.
Ah, how wondrous, how marvelous. Beloved, let us remember this, that the Lord never, never, never, never would put before me or you or anyone else, the most renowned and faithful and honoured brother that you can think of.
I received a letter recently from a dear brother serving the Lord.
And I was at first shocked and then thrilled by what he said. He said, Brother, please pray for me. I don't want to be a shepherd.
Now it shocked me. I thought, what is he going to tell me next? He said, Brother, I fear that if there is more than one shepherd, there will be more than one flock. I want to direct the sheep toward the one and only true shepherd. Now that's a shepherding heart. He didn't want to be one to whom his brethren would turn their eyes. He wanted so to have his own eyes directed.
Toward that Good Shepherd that gave his life for the sheep.
He wanted to direct the gaze of those among whom he was serving.
To that Good Shepherd and beloved brethren, I hope I can say the same.
And shall I say by way of caution?
For I have seen it happen, and it's sad to see it, that the eyes and ears of the Lord's beloved people sometimes get so occupied with and enchanted by this or that or the other brother, but before they realize it, their eyes.
Have been turned away from the glorious person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Whom we read about in chapter one. Their eyes have been turned, perhaps as were the eyes of Peter on the model. Transfiguration. Lord, let us make here 3 Tabernacles, one for Thee He gave the Lord first place, and one for Moses, and one for Elias, two of the most outstanding men in the Old Testament. But what happened? That would never, never do. Moses and Elias vanish from sight, and they hear a voice.
Singling out the person of the Lord Jesus Christ alone and my beloved brothers and sisters.
May God grant that your gaze and mind by faith may be toward that person who alone is worthy of our occupation, of our gaze, and that is the person of the Lord Jesus. It seems to me that that's the theme and purpose of this little epistle to the Hebrews.
Not those men whom they had seen fit to honor Moses there and Melchizedek or whoever. Not the ritual, Not what their eyes could see, or even these mighty men of faith delineated in Chapter 11, but the person of the Lord Jesus, who, as we shall find in the moment in chapter 13, was the same. Let's look at chapter 13, shall we?
Verse 8 Jesus Christ the same.
Yesterday and today and forever now. It seems a little remarkable that this title, shall I call it, is found in chapter one where he is introduced to us. It's found again in Chapter 13. After all these things that naturally would attract the admiration of men.
They're all set aside and how? Because one by one, as they are presented, the Lord Jesus is presented, shall I say, alongside of them.
When they fade away, the Lord Jesus stands supreme and alone by contrast, better than anything else brought forward in the Holy Thistle. Now we come to the end of the Epistle, and what do we find? Jesus Christ the same. Isn't that wonderful? Let's say yesterday and today and forever. You know I'm not a scholar by no stretch of the imagination.
I don't even know the Greek alphabet, but.
I like to take words sometimes from the Bible and hunt them up in a good Greek lexicon and see what the actual definition of the word is. So I looked up the Greek word for the same, looked it up in a Greek lexicon and a literal translation. Was he himself? You know, I enjoyed that. I looked at it and I thought, oh, isn't that wonderful?
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He himself, yesterday and today.
And forever. And, you know, the scriptures began to open up. He himself.
Yesterday ah, the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. The yesterday of his love if you wish. But what about today? Now Ah, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. Isn't it wonderful to have the company of the Lord Jesus?
Day by day, how much of his company did we enjoy today?
I'm going to say it again, and I hope you will remember it. Each of us has as much of Christ in our life as we want.
And our lives show how much we wanted you. Remember after they had had the company of the Lord Jesus.
On that journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, he made as though he would have gone further. He won't impose his company on you or me or anyone else. We can have as much of it as we want, but he won't impose his company. And when this meeting is over, you and I.
Can dismiss from our thoughts what we have heard and go about perhaps other things. But all beloved, He does want our company. He does delight in our company. Jesus himself drew near and went with them. We see him surrounded by his disciples. He takes a towel and girds himself, boughs down and washes his disciples feet.
He himself. Yesterday that love was displayed at Calvary.
He himself today that love is displayed in a yearning desire for as much of your company as much of my company.
As I'm willing to give to Him, and along the way, He Himself too delights to wash these feet of ours. And then what about the forever of His love? Ah, isn't it wonderful? The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. He is the same, Beloved, yesterday and today and forever. Now let us please come down to verse 12 and 13.
Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood.
Suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. We'll stop with that. But it just seems to me to be such a delightful.
Appeal to the heart, all, beloved, in this little epistle which we have skimmed over so briefly. It begins with an open heaven and an ascended Christ seated there on the right hand of the majesty on high.
And we're told in that first chapter that Allah all else around us may change, and we see evidence of it ready to be folded up as a Vester. Yet he abides forever the same. And then the glory of his person in chapter after chapter stands.
Greater and greater, as by contrast, what man would naturally boast of is set beside him and fades away as our blessed Lord Jesus stands supreme. All those worthies of Chapter 11, and then suddenly looking under Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, are you and I looking to Him, beloved, the one who is the same yesterday and today and forever.
May I again just emphasize something that came before my soul this day as I thought of that little word the same.
Sometimes I fear that our poor deceitful hearts are inclined to get a little bit weary of that which we find to be the same.
Than the time I was a little boy, I was brought up to share the privilege. But I see these dear boys have the privilege of being brought by my father and mother to many. A meeting where I didn't understand what was being said. But as I grew up, I began to understand a little more and a little more and a little more. And you know, I thank God with all my heart.
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But as I sit and listen to my dear brethren today, minister the word of God to my soul.
It has the ring of the same, don't forget it present the same.
Shall I put it this way I feel?
Uncomfortable. I feel on edge when I listen to that which has the ring of different novel.
I love the sound of that which is the same. And again and again over the years I have heard my dear brethren stand up and minister what I heard long ago. And I want to tell you with all my heart, I'm thrilled to hear it. I heard it years ago from this brother and this one and this one. And today when I hear my dear brothers of today stand up and minister that which is the same, my soul rejoices.
But if I hear that which has the ring of novelty to my ears.
I'm uncomfortable, and I think, dear brethren, when we see the One who is the same presented to us at the beginning and at the close of this most delightful epistle, that there's a lesson in it for our souls. To whom do we go? Let us go forth, therefore unto Him without the Cadbury 3 approach. Yes, there is a reproach to be identified with the One whose name was nailed above His cross because they hated Him. But it's a thrilling and wonderful privilege, beloved.
May the Lord keep us with our hearts, delighting in the one who is the same yesterday and today and forever.
True Fellowship and Its Fruit
Address—R. Thonney
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.
My brother is.
Spoke to us of the great privilege of being gathered to the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is a great privilege.
And as we're together, not only in the meeting where we express our membership as the body of Christ, as members of the body of Christ and the breaking of bread, but in times when we get together like we have tonight.
A real challenge always comes to my soul. We're enjoying fellowship together.
Is it a result?
Of maintaining intimate fellowship.
With a Father, with his Son, Jesus Christ.
It's awfully easy to get together and have a happy time together.
But rather than real fellowship even between Stersel amongst ourselves comes from first of all, enjoying individual.
Fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, he said.
Sometimes the brethren in South America are.
Not too well instructed. And sometimes they've written letters of commendation in the following fashion. We commend such a person as in fellowship with the Lord and at his table. And so we've had to instruct them that a letter of fellowship really only should state that this person is in fellowship the Lord's table.
Fellowship with the Lord Himself is an individual matter in our individual lives.
That can be lost at any moment.
And as we get together sometimes in our breaking of bread meetings, Brother Ready comes home to my soul.
Sometimes we sit there and there's not much response from these hearts of ours to the person that is there waiting for a response. From who? From that brother who's the main brother in the assembly, Yes, but just him. No brother from all our hearts. And it's evident in our meetings sometimes read.
That we come, yes, this is the customer. Come and sit down and break bread.
But is there that intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus himself every day of the week?
Are regarding that fellowship and I just like to turn to 1St John chapter one.
To show this, her brother is spoken of.
Principles.
The Word of God, basic principles that are not to be let go.
First John chapter one in this.
Chapter we have the word fellowship.
Mentioned I think about four times.
But I'd like to just notice with you tonight.
The order in which it's mentioned. First of all, it's verse 3.
That which we have seen and heard, the apostle John is speaking in the plural. He and the other apostles, that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us.
Here's the first mention of fellowship. And what is it in connection with? It's in connection with the doctrine of the apostles, the principles that they laid down, if you are walking in these principles.
And I am not. Is there true fellowship? Is there the apostles fellowship between us? No ready.
It's evident true fellowship of the apostles is based on the apostles doctrine, and if we are not following in one point or another the apostles doctrine, we can talk all we like about fellowship, brethren.
But it's not the fellowship that the Scripture speaks about.
And this comes home. I'm not talking with my finger at you. Please don't think that talking another finger here. This comes home to my soul and I think about it.
And so the apostles fellowship is mentioned 1St and then he says truly our fellowship is with a father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
This is the secret to real fellowship with the Father, with his Son Jesus Christ. Do you enjoy that?
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Oh, sometimes I have to stop and reflect the middle of the day.
Been so busy in the morning or in the afternoon?
Little things have come in and gotten mad. Somebody.
A word that was a half truth slipped out of my lips and I haven't thought about it again. And before I know that.
That fellowship is gone.
Gun.
Are regarding that fellowship breath.
Are we judging ourselves daily, hourly, so that we can keep that simple?
Heartfelt fellowship with a father, with his Son Jesus Christ. And remember, brethren, we do not set up the standards of fellowship.
Between the Lord and Himself, the centers, the standards are right here. We cannot bring God down to enjoy fellowship on our level. No, no.
God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
We're going on with something that is related to the darkness.
No fellowship? Oh, it's awfully easy to say. Yeah, I have fellowship with the Lord.
But it's another matter, brethren.
Truly have fellowship.
And that's why I really believe.
That verse four we don't understand the reality of this. These things right we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Are you really happy tonight?
Are you only about half happy?
You know, it's awfully easy to show a happy face.
But many, many happy faces in this world hide an aching heart.
And I really feel there's hearts right here in this room that are aching, maybe showing a happy face.
Why are they aching? Oh, I got this terrible complicated problem in my life. Is that the reason? No brother, the problem isn't very complicated. The problem is a small 3 letter word.
SIN. Sin has come in. I've allowed it.
No, I don't have to look at that other brother who provoked me. No, I don't have to look at those brethren that I think I misunderstood me. No, no.
Look right here.
Thank you. That's where it begins if you want to be restored to the Lord.
In happy fellowship that flow, that full joy.
Fill your heart. This is the secret.
And then we come down to verse nine or seven and we get the mention of fellowship.
The last time in this chapter. And this is where fellowship, one with another comes in. It's not first.
Sometimes we make it first, but it's not first here.
If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
You walk in the light.
I walk in the lake. The automatic result is fellowship.
Not that I'm.
Purposely seeking fellowship, exactly in that sense of the word, my brethren. First of all, no, it's that I'm cultivating that simple fellowship with the Lord, first of all.
There's another brother. He too is cultivating that simple thought automatically. There's fellowship between us both walking in the lake, and there's fellowship. This is the groundwork of true Christian fellowship that we have in the Word of God.
And then that end of the verse.
Is that part of the verse we often quote in the gospel? The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Why does it appear to hear, hear. This isn't really spoken here to unbelievers. This is spoken to Christians, to those who are members of the family of God. Why is it put here?
All comes home to my soul in this way, brother.
Sin is what breaks fellowship.
Sin is what divides from fellowship with his heart.
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And sin is what divides from fellowship one with another as well.
And God at all cost himself has provided the means that that which divides from having happy fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and with one another. God has provided the means that all that may be taken away. Now the challenge comes to my heart, brother and sister and the Lord.
Are we still allowing things in our lives to hinder?
That fellowship with his heart, first of all.
And then fellowship one with another.
We have no one to blame but ourselves if we do.
Knowing the boy, God has done all at all cost himself. The blood of his dear son was shed so that that fellowship might be renewed.
Are you enjoying that fellowship?
Oh, I just feel my own soul.
Brother, I'm a failure in this myself so much that I can't point the finger but it is evident off times in our meetings.
That we come and sit here. Why do we come oh, this is what we do on Tuesday night This is what we do on Thursday night. Come and sit here. But rather than is the fellowship we enjoy one with another spring from that fellowship that we.
Are enjoying daily, hourly with the Father with his Son Jesus Christ.
This is a challenge that comes to myself.
And now I like to just go back to Acts chapter 2.
Where we get this fellowship mentioned?
Brothers mentioned these principles about defilement.
And they're very definite principles of the Word of God that cannot be denied.
If we are going to enjoy fellowship with the Lord Jesus collectively.
Acts Chapter 2.
Read from verse 41.
It's often been mentioned that we gather on the ground of the one body.
What do we mean?
We mean simply that the Scripture simply states that there is one body, that every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, sealed by the Spirit of God, is one body, a member of that one body.
That's the ground on which we meet. We don't recognize any other membership. Person may come and say I'm a member of such and such a church. Oh, I see. Well, the Scripture doesn't speak about that.
A person comes. I'm a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, thank God for that.
You're a member of the body of Christ.
But the Scripture also speaks of another thing, and this is the important thing to distinguish the fellowship of the body of Christ.
Oh, to say we're members of the body of Christ is one thing.
But to say we are in the fellowship of the body of Christ is another, I think a very important thing to distinguish. And here we have this mentioned in verse 42. There's two two things that go together in the Scriptures.
They continued steadfastly in the apostles, doctrine and fellowship.
The Apostles doctrine and the Apostles fellowship because that word apostles refers to both of those words.
Or rather, are we reading this book? Like our brother said, I really feel a challenge for my own soul. Like he said, we don't have any trouble finding time to eat our meals.
Why do we have trouble finding time through this book?
Why is this the reason perhaps?
Why we're missing out on this fellowship that the Scripture speaks to us with plain.
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The fellowship of the apostles is based on the doctrine, the teaching of the Apostle.
Cannot be.
Divided these beginnings.
So when we come together to remember the Lord Jesus and his death, one loaf on that table represents one body, the glorious truth that there is one body.
But the Scripture also speaks of the fellowship of the body of Christ.
Yeah, a believer comes in from a denomination.
Where they allow things that are contrary to the doctrine, the teaching of the apostles.
Always a believer in the Lord Jesus, there's no doubt about that. We recognize he is a member of the body of Christ. He is represented in that law. He has a place at the table of the Lord.
But if he is not heeding.
And not walking according to the doctrine, the teaching of the apostles, that we have so plainly laid out these principles in the New Testament, and especially, especially, but also through all the word of God.
How can we say that there's fellows?
And this is the point we have to distinguish.
So brother, what I had on my heart tonight, especially what is the first point?
And again, I want to press it home to my own heart and tears as well.
Oh, it's so easy to get together in these happy times of fellowship, one with another. We're enjoying fellowship.
But brother, let's challenge our heart. Is it the fellowship?
And the apostle?
That fellowship that is fellowship truly that the Father who his Son Jesus Christ.
If it is, it's going to be more manifest in our assembly meetings as well.
The Glory to come
Address—A.C. Hayhoe
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I There's much for us to learn from the first chapter, but I just thought we might share a few thoughts which I know others have enjoyed from chapter two of the Prophet Haggai.
In the seventh month, in the one and 20th day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to the rubble, the son of Cialdio, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jonathan the high priest, and to the residue of the people saying.
Who is left among you that saw this house?
In her first glory. And how do ye see it now?
Is it not in your eyes, in comparison of it as nothing yet? Now be strong, O the rubble that the Lord, and be strong, O Joshua son of Joseph the high priest.
And be strong all the people of the land, saith the Lord.
And work.
For I am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts, according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt. Though my spirit remaineth among you, fear ye none.
What I said, the Lord of Hosts, yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come. Now we will fill this house with glory, that the Lord of Hosts, the silver is mine, and the gold is mine, said the Lord of Hosts.
The glory of this letter house shall be greater than of the former that the Lord of hosts.
And in this place will I give peace that the Lord of hope, you know, four and 20th day of the ninth month, in the second year of the riots came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet saying thus that's the Lord of hosts.
Ask now the priest concerning the law of saying if one barely flesh.
In the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt to touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, Shall it be holy? And the priest answered and said no. Then said Hanky, I hit one that is unclean.
By a dead body touch any of these shall it be unclean. And the priest answered and said it shall be.
And clean.
I believe that our tremendous lessons of encouragement and help for us in these verses.
Right near the end of Israel's Old Testament history, And it's so wonderful, is it not, to think that the eye of the Lord rested upon that people, and He not only knew their day by day circumstances, but He knew what was going on in their heart.
And there were some among them who were very discouraged.
They were really disappointed. If you wish, and you know that matters to the heart of the Lord Jesus. Isn't it interesting to think that he looked at every one of us tonight and he knows and he cares if you are happy, if you are sad, if you are encouraged, if you are discouraged, it really matters to Him.
And the occasion that is being referred to here, I'm sure you are aware.
Is that which took place at the time when a company of God's beloved people.
The Jews had returned from their long years of captivity in Babylon, had come back to the place where the Lord had set His name, and there in the days of Ezra and of Nehemiah.
The altar was set up upon his bases, the foundation of the House of the Lord was laid, and Israel was privileged to be restored again to that wonderful place where the Lord had set His name.
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They ought to have rejoiced at such a wonderful privilege, and some of them did. They were just so happy to say we are here.
Where Jeopardis set his name. What an honor, what a privilege, what a joy to be here and to see the foundations of the House of the Lord laid before our very eyes. Oh, let's praise his name. And they did, and they joined in songs of praise.
But there were some who were present who were very, very old. They had been 70 years in captivity.
And the old one could remember what they had seen in that very place before they had been carried away captive. There, in that very place had once stood Solomon's glorious temple, in all its splendors, in all its magnificence. And they could remember this, they could picture this. And now.
After 70 years in captivity, they're back there, in that place where the temple once.
It had been destroyed, and now before their eyes they see the foundation of the House of the Lord. All they knew it's been laid in a place where it ought to be, where it rightly belongs. God, in His grace and faithfulness, has brought us back from our captivity, and here we are where He wants us to be.
But look at this House of the Lord.
Compared to what we can remember, why we can remember a glory that is far greater than this little insignificant House of the Lord. And they began to leap, and they wept aloud with disappointment.
I think that's the right word to use. They were disappointed because what they could see was so small compared to what they could remember in time past.
And the Lord heard that weeping, and the Lord heard the singing.
And this is the message that he gives to his servant Haggai, he says.
And verse, who speak now to the rubble, the son of Cialtio, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Joseph Deck the high priest, and through the residue of the people.
Right away, I believe we have a lesson here.
Why are these two men singled out by name and then the rest are simply spoken of as the residue of the people?
Well, let's look down at verse four. Although we see the significance of verse 3 yet now be strong Ozer Rubble, says the Lord, and be strong, oh Joshua son of Jose, deck the high priest, and be strong, all ye people of the land. Here it is again, the same two men are singled out.
By name, with these words, Be strong, the rubble, be strong.
Joshua, and be strong, all the people of the land. Again and again I find this same pattern in the Word of God. Certain ones are singled out, and solemn, faithful words of exhortation are addressed to them, and then others are included. And I believe, my dear brother and sister.
That this should be a lesson to you and to me.
Well, you know you have an effect upon your brother's and sisters.
You either encourage them to live to please the Lord. You either encourage them by your own examples to be strong.
And walk in the fear of the Lord, and live to please the Lord.
Or else your life and testimony bad to say will be the opposite. Let me give you 2 little examples. I'm sure you're aware of them. In Song of Solomon chapter one we read these words. Draw me.
We will run after thee. Now me, that's one individual. Draw me. We will run after the the effect of one individual.
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Part of devotion to the Lord Jesus in that verse has an effect upon others. And they say we will run You like that kind of energy, don't you? We will run after these. But sad to say, we discover the opposite pattern pool.
We remember these words.
Peter said.
I go efficient. I I go a fishing.
And the next words are We also go with these.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, and it most certainly applies to my own heart, I repeat, your life and testimony, spoken and unspoken, is an encouragement to others to follow the Lord Jesus.
Or to turn aside that those things which I believe are pictured in the words of Peter.
I go efficient. We're not condemning that occupation, but Peter had been called from it to serve the Lord and he was turning back to it again. And I want to repeat, dear brothers and sisters, and I say it primarily to the meat of my own heart, that your life, do you hear these words? Your life and mine is either the one or the other.
Others are being affected by your devotedness.
For your carelessness, and I will say this, that I thank God with all my heart that when I was a young fellow in Ottawa, I looked back to my early teens in Ottawa and I can truly stand here and say that I thank God with all my heart.
For those who were a bit older than myself.
Whose testimony and whose pattern of life was a help and an encouragement and an example to me?
I thank the Lord for that and when I see these two men singled out and the residue of the people.
I don't stand here as a Zerubbabel and I don't stand here as a doctor, but I do feel the Lord would speak to each and every one of us and remind us that.
Your object in life, your affection for the Lord Jesus, your desire to please Him, to live for Him.
It's going to have an encouraging and helpful effect upon others. Or the very opposite. Speak now to Zerubbabel and to Joshua and to the residue of the people. We won't take time to turn back to it. But in the 8th chapter of Ezra, when we read of those who did go back from the land of captivity to Jerusalem, there were certain ones who were set aside. You remember? And to them.
Were entrusted.
Sleep treasures lift these words, watch thee, and keep them until you weigh them in the courts of the House of the Lord at Jerusalem. Here are treasures entrusted to you, and when you get to the end of the journey, you'll find that there will be a written record waiting there of everything that was entrusted to you.
Watch the and keep them. But you know when that group of men stood there and those treasures were put in their hands, this is what we read.
I think their names were Hashabaya and Sharabiya and ten of their brethren with them two names again, and then just the rest of them dismissed as ten of their brethren with them again. I believe we are being reminded that your testimony and mine will be a good example.
Example or a sad hinder?
We certainly don't like to point the finger at Peter because not one of us here could stand beside Peter, could be in his devotedness and his faithfulness. But there are unusual scriptures that come to mind. You remember this one, Peter and they that were with him were heavy with fleet. Did you ever think of that? Why does the Scripture say that? Why does the Scripture single out theaters again? I believe, dear brethren, that.
Watchfulness. Your wakefulness is going to be a good and godly example to others, or it's going to be a sad hindrance. Remember those words, Peter, And they that were with him were heavy with sleep.
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The Lord recorded that statement. And again I say, dear brothers and dear sisters, and Please remember, I include myself in this, that we are in the very last moments of waiting. The wonderful truth of God has been entrusted and some of us.
Some of us have had it handed down to us.
So easily and so richly. And I know tonight as I look around this meeting room.
I'm looking into the faces of those who can look back to father and grandfather who love this book and love the truth of it and love the Savior of whom it spake. And you saw it in their life, and you heard it from their lips. And now, my beloved brothers and sisters, here we are, if you wish, so near the end of our record here.
We're soon going to be in the glory.
And May God grant that everyone of us may hear these words addressed to us. No man liveth to himself, and no man dies to himself. You are having your influence upon others. So notice in verse 3, which we bypass. The Lord knew the occasion of their discouragement. He knew all that was going on in their hearts. And it's the same with you and me tonight.
It's the same with you and me tonight. If there's someone here who is sad.
Or discourage. The Lord knows the depth of it. He knows the cause of it in every last detail. And so here he refers to those who were weeping with disappointment. And notice, please, what he says to encourage their heart. He doesn't just simply say Kira. Now cheer up, sing to him, and you'll feel better.
You know, we hear a great deal about that today, that you can work up a kind of artificial excitement and enjoyment by just pretending all is well and that the problems don't exist.
What? What do we have here in verse four? I'll read this again yet now be strong, O the rubble, saith the Lord, And be strong, O Joshua son of Joseph the high priest, and be strong all the people of the land, says the Lord, and work.
For I am with you.
Saith the Lord of Hope.
Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that enough to make the heart rejoice? I am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Did he say this when the Tabernacle was set up in the wilderness? No. Did he say this when the temple was built in the land? I don't remember that he did this time. He says Tell them I am with you, says the Lord of Hope. What a triumphant title that is. Why does he tell them that here? But he didn't say that specifically in the wilderness.
In the days of Solomon and his glorious sample, you remember that when a Tabernacle was set up in the wilderness, the cloud of glory descended immediately upon that Tabernacle, A pillar of fire by day in a pillar, a pillar of cloud by day in a pillar of fire by night. And the evidence, the public evidence of the presence of the Lord was there.
For everyone to see.
The visible sign of the presence of the Lord was among them. You find that when the temple was built in the days of Solomon, in the very spot where this house was built, no sooner was it finished than the glory of the Lord again healed that temple, the visible witness of the presence of the Lord promptly.
Immediately that presence was seen there among them.
But what happened? Well, Israel became careless. Their ways became increasingly grieving to the Lord. And he reminded them.
From the lips of one servant after another. But they paid no heed. And what happened to that presence? What happened to the glory that's gone in that temple? It was removed from the temple and rested upon the threshold. Then it was removed from the threshold and rested upon the hill that overlooked the city, as though he who had been, shall I say, eager.
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To show his presence among them was loath to leave them.
The threshold and then the hill. And still they didn't mend their ways, and the glory departed and never returned.
The people came back, rebuilt the House of the Lord, but the Lord doesn't say, now I will come back, and again shall the glory of my presence among you. Beloved, I believe this, that the word of God would plainly tell us that when a testimony was established in the early days of the book of the Acts, we can see the visible sign of the presence of the Lord which was witnessed.
By everyone around it was seen and heard, and there was.
The visible sign of the presence of the Lord, but I believe as His beloved people.
Turned in heart and ways from Him, in carelessness and in disobedience.
Those signs departed slowly, and where it dawned.
And now, by the grace of God, if a prayerful search of this precious volume, the Word of God has directed the feet of some of God's people to share in a precious and wonderful privilege of being found again, gathered around a person and unto the worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alone. What should we do? Should we ask him to please bring back again?
Those visible, those outward signs that were present at the time of Pentecost, did. Those who were gathered together here in this day of restoration after departure, did they ask that these signs that were seen in the wilderness and in the land might be restored to them? Oh, how wonderful are these words.
I am with you, saith the Lord. That visible sign never did recur, nor did they even ask for it. How thankful they must have been for these words.
I am with you, saith the Lord. Take it to heart, dear brothers. Take it to heart, dear sister. He who delights to be surrounded by his own says to them, I am with you, saith the Lord. Wasn't it a privilege yesterday to come forth from our homes? What for? To look one another in the face? That was a.
I was going to say a bonus it was, but the purpose of our coming forth from our homes was surely.
To respond to the invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ to be where he delights, to be in the midst of those gathered to his precious and worthy name. So he says, I am with you, said the Lord, according to the word that I covenanted with you when he came out of Egypt. The second wonderful resource.
This precious book, the word of God, of what our resource, the gladden our hearts.
May I pause and ask you, do you read this precious book?
As faithfully as you eat your meals.
Well, sometimes I'm too busy.
Sometimes too busy. Ah, beloved, you and I ought to value, ought to thank God for this precious, precious book.
And here I believe we see two resources. I am with you, says the Lord, according to the word that I committed with you when he came out of Egypt.
If you and I realize that God, in His gracious faithfulness, has entrusted to us this precious book, then I'm going to ask you and my own soul as well. Do you and I faithfully be upon this precious book that from its pages we might find light for our footsteps and food for our souls?
Why do we go astray?
Two reasons.
Either we don't read this precious book and discover in it like for every step or else and how serious this is, we have read it and we know the next step but in self will and stubbornness we don't want it and turn from it.
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These things are solemn, beloved brethren. The first resource is the presence of the Lord, the 2nd is His precious living Word, and now the third one is.
Though my spirit remaineth among you, fear ye not.
My Spirit remaineth among you here. He not. Oh, feel love, it. Isn't this glorious? These three resources, which of them can we with thankfulness, claim to day? Are they not all true, All available, all to be enjoyed, all to encourage and challenge and strengthen our hearts? I am with you, saith the Lord.
According to the word that I counted with you, so my spirit remaineth among you.
Fear ye.
Now if we go down please to verse 9, the glory of this ladder house shall be greater than of the former, said the Lord of hosts. And in this place will I give peace that the Lord of hope.
It seems to me that he is telling them you have been looking.
In the wrong direction. You have been looking back to a glory that is now only a memory, and what you see before you is now so small, so insignificant, that you're cast down, you're discouraged, you're even weeping. But turn around, look ahead, and I, the Lord of Booths, promise you this.
A new translation reads the latter glory of this house. I believe that's the thought here.
There was a glory that was a head that would far outside the glory of Solomon's temple. Can you and I do the same? Can you and I look ahead tonight and say with absolute confidence that there is a glory which lies ahead?
That will far outside the glory of Pentecost or any day of blessing that has ever been known since the day of Pentecost. Yes, they love it. And to sit down from time to time in the presence of two or three, to share in a precious, unspeakable privilege of the presence of the Lord and the joy of remembering Him in death.
Oh, I tell you, my beloved brethren.
Long time.
In situations that are so primitive and in numbers that are so cute, you will see on the table a loaf.
And a cup.
Is that a time to be discouraged? Is that a time to weep because things are small and numbers are few and weakness is so evident? Oh beloved, it's a time to thank God with an overflowing heart.
That in his very wonderful faithfulness and love he has preserved.
In these last moments of waiting, that testimony to the proof of God, with the joy of looking ahead and knowing that there is a glory that lies ahead that will never, never fade away, all the splendor of Solomons temple was utterly wiped out.
But that which lies ahead, beloved, will shine with a splendor that will rapture our hearts and the Lord Jesus Christ himself the center of it all. Is it a time to be discouraged? Is it a time to weep? Ah, true, as we are aware of the weakness of the failure of our own heart.
Of our weakness in being a testimony for the Lord, we might well bow our head.
Before the Lord and own our weakness, but at the same time I believe we can hear him say.
That there is a glory that lies ahead that will far outshine anything that we could ever read about in this book or anything that any of us could ever remember. And it's not far away, beloved. It's not far away when from every kindred and tongue and people and nation, the redeemed of the Lord will be gathered. What I say that will be.
And the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst. And if you and I are looking toward that day.
Although conscious of our weakness, I trust we will rejoice, beloved. Yes, we will rejoice.
00:30:05
The wondrous privilege. You know, I think of dear John in Revelation chapter one. He was there in exile on the Isle of Patmos.
And you can kind of understand how he quite possibly felt. He looked across the sea and there was a land where he had served the Lord. There were the locations of the churches to which he addressed those letters inspired of the Lord.
But I quite expect John was not feeling too happy as he looked Yonder and realized that he had been exiled to spend those last days on The Lonely Island of Patna.
I've seen that lonely island, and I wouldn't wish to be in exile there. And I kind of feel for what must have passed through a heart of John as he looked around him and found himself alone, looked across the sea and saw the land of his laborers off in the distance. But what did he hear? It's remarkable, isn't it? I heard behind me.
A voice as of a trumpet speaking unto me. That's rather unusual, isn't it?
Did John hear the voice behind him? When you go to speak to someone, you don't usually walk around behind them, do you? But Don heard this voice behind him. And we read, and being turned I saw. And the whole wondrous panorama of revelation was displayed before the eyes of John when he turned around.
Oh, I meet Christians who are facing, I'm afraid, the wrong direction if you and I turn and face that which lies ahead, beloved.
Our hearts will be filled with gladness. Our hearts will be encouraged in the Lord. I don't mean by that, that we need not be continually aware of our own weakness and cry to the Lord in our need, that He might strengthen us, that He might encourage us.
You will forgive me, but just a very short time ago I went to prayer meeting.
The island of Saint Vincent.
I had gone there particularly because I heard of the devastation caused by Hurricane Alan and I felt sure my dear brothers and sisters there would be in desperate need. And I went to the prayer meeting. And when that prayer meeting was over, I thought, I am mistaken. They certainly haven't suffered any loss. If you had heard them sing, if you had seen their faces as they sang those hymns of praise, if you had heard.
Pourings of Thanksgiving to the Lord on their knees in that little meeting room. You would have said they've got no problems at all. So after the meeting, brother, what about your home? Was it damaged? Oh, yes, brother, a little bit. What do you mean a little bit? Well, good part of the roof is gone, but we can shelter in the other part. And what about your crops? Well, they're, they're all gone, brother.
And what about your crops, brother?
They're all gone where they cast down, where they discourage, where they pointing at God as though He hadn't been very kind to them all. Beloved, in the midst of those circumstances, they were singing His praises, They were thanking Him with an overflowing heart. And now, dear brethren, I know that there are those things which cause us to bow our heads, which cause the tears to flow.
And I don't say it need not be so. I believe the child of God is one who, according to the language of the word of God, can be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
Just one thing more. I didn't intend to take so much time, I'm sorry, but in the.
12Th verse.
It seems rather strange that.
The pattern of the chapter suddenly seems to change. Verse 12. Verse 11. To get the connection. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garments, and with his skirt to touch bread or pottage, or wine or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priest answered and said, no. Then said Hagia, If one that is unclean by a dead body, such any of these things.
Shall it be unclean? And the priest answered and said It shall be unclean.
Doesn't it seem unusual that this should suddenly appear after what we have just read? This is a remnant picture of a restored testimony toward the end of Israel's recorded history in the Old Testament. There they are, back in the land. There they are at the place where Jehovah had chosen to put his name.
00:35:21
There the foundation of the House of the Lord is laid before their eyes, and suddenly this basic principle is brought to their attention.
If a priest bearing holy flesh touch something else, will that other become holy? No, says the priest. Well, if one that is unclean.
By a dead body touch any of these. Shall it be unclean? The priest says yes. Now I believe, dear brethren, and here is a song and needed reminder for us.
We know from the Word of God and by matchless grace that the Lord delights to be in the midst of two or three gathered together under His worthy and precious name. We know the wonder and joy of such a privilege.
But what about those things that had been laid down as faithful principles?
A way back here, long before the days of Haggai. Have they changed a little bit?
Because so many years have passed by, because this is a day of restoration after failure and weakness, have the principles of God changed? No, beloved.
Contact with evil still is.
Filements in the sight of God. And may I say this, dear brethren, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, do we not need still to remember this?
I remember the Lord Jesus, and so do you as a member of the body of Christ. What an unspeakable privilege this is to look upon that loaf on Lords Day morning and realize that in that loaf we see represented every member of the Body of Christ Very well. A member of that body comes to the door and wishes to share in the remembrance of the Lord.
This principle, beloved, I feel still should ever be remembered.
Contact with evil is defiling, and I feel that as we look around about us today and see in the systems that men have set up and to which they have given names of their own choosing, we see that which is.
Now I say.
Unscriptural doctrine.
And we see.
Evil allowed without discipline. And so I believe beloved things of God, and I know you agree with me in this, that even though we are living in remnant days characterized by so much weakness and failure, yet encouraged by the faithful hearing words of the Lord Himself to be strong and worked with.
Ever need to remember beloved brothers and sisters?
That all the faithful and wise principles laid down in the Word of God for our guidance and instruction, as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, are still as applicable as ever they were.
There is a danger I feel because of the conditions and because of our own weakness, that perhaps we let down the bars a little bit here and there. And when I read this chapter and see the Lord sending this message of encouragement through his faithful servant Haggai, I want to take those encouraging and challenging words to my own heart.
And I hope you feel the same way.
I hope, dear brother and sister, that you will rejoice with me in claiming these three wonderful resources that God has given His presence, His words, His Spirit. And I hope that you will take the heart and that I shall do the same. A challenge of these words. Be strong and work, saith the Lord. And then I hope that we will all take the heart as we read.
00:40:05
This remarkable introduction of those principles that were laid down long ago.
That we may remember that as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, there remains the responsibility of faithfulness to the principles of truth and separation laid down in the Word of God, not because of who we are, but because of the one in whose presence and to whose name, by the grace of God, we are gathered.