Conference: 1986
Table of Contents
Lord's Supper 1 Corinthians 11
Address—Dn. Spence
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For me, oh that we never might forget what Christ has suffered. For our sake we save our souls and make us meet of all His glory to partake. For keeping this in mind, press on the glory and the Victory Scrum #224.
Thank you. To turn to.
A really well known portion of the word of God, First Corinthians 11.
I.
1St Corinthians 11 and verse 23.
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you.
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That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he break it and said, Take he, This is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me.
After the same manner also he took the cup when he had suffered, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This duty is OFT as you drink it, or remembrance of Me.
Or as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death he'll become.
Now I'm going to stop right there, but we'll come back and finish the chapter.
But.
I have it on my heart tonight to speak a little bit about the Lord's Supper.
Now, for those who were at the young marriage weekend, we talked a lot about the ground of gathering. We talked about the truth of the one body.
We talked about some of the dangers that exist within us that are threatening that truth.
We talked about the leading of the Holy Spirit within us in.
How we need to be exercised about that. We talked about a lot of other things that are so important to this ground upon which we are gathered.
But tonight I would like to take up this stain that has been taken up so many times before.
The Lord's Supper, because it never gets tiresome, it never gets out of date. It's something that is of interest to us.
I remember as a little boy, my folks did not go to meetings very often, but one Des Moines conference we went down and I was about nine years old.
And of course, the conference meetings were in the meeting room in those days, and it was about that time when the meeting room was getting too small, so they put a tent Outback.
And they announced that they would not have enough room in the meeting room for everyone for the breaking of bread. So with those who were not in fellowship, please go out to the 10th.
I was not in fellowship and I did not want to go out to the tent.
But I went and it turned out to be one of the greatest blessings of my life, because the person that spoke to us that morning little circle of boys, was Albert Hayhub. And Albert told us he went over these verses and he told us the truth is a simple, wonderful truth that he never seemed to tire of concerning the loaf of the cup.
And at nine years old, it put within my heart a burning desire to remember the Lord that eventually was.
Given to me at the age of 14 and we'll talk a little bit more about that later. But the point that I want to make here is that this meeting is going to be as simple as I can make it. Because I know that your older brethren would enjoy it if I would make it so simple that even a nine year old or a 10 year old or 11 year old would be able to understand.
This these wonderful truths.
That have been given to us concerning the Lord's Supper.
Now in First Corinthians chapter 10 we have the Lord's table.
And the thought in the table perhaps we might. There might be many different thoughts in the Lords table. One of them is certainly Fellowship.
Another one might be disciplined.
Another one might be love, or we might think of the person at the table. But when we talk about the Lord's Supper, we're looking at what is on the table, the loaf and the cup. So we'll be we'll be talking about these things tonight. I want to stir you up, those of you who are not at the Lord's table, to remember him, and I want to stir those of you who are at the Lord's table.
To value this great privilege that is soon going to vanish away.
Now notice what he says in verse 23. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you.
Now Paul received a fresh revelation.
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Why did he receive a fresh revelation? Why didn't he just say? Now remember that the Lord Jesus, on that night in which he was betrayed, took bread. He received a revelation directly from the Lord for several reasons. Perhaps #1 The state of the assembly was, or the assembly was in disorder.
For Paul had been there preaching the gospel about 20 years earlier, and he had brought these people out of idolatry, out of immorality, out of all kinds of problems, and he had gathered them to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ at his table. And now, in a short period of years, 20 short years, the Lord's Supper had degenerated from something that was very wonderful, very high into.
Almost what you would call an ordinary meal where there was drinking and everything else going on.
So the Lord was seeking to stir their hearts.
That even though there was a state of disorder in the Assembly, he did not encourage them to leave and go somewhere else.
But what he encouraged them to do, and he got a fresh revelation to do it. He inferred them to continue breaking. Great.
Now I've talked to a lot of people who have left a little meeting or a big meeting here or there, and there is one thing that they always tell me, almost with that exception, I miss the breaking of bread. There is nothing that can ever replace it.
So he did not encourage them to leave to set up a new table, but he sought to stir up their hearts to continue to remember him.
Secondly, he received a fresh revelation because the breaking of bread was to be continued.
Not just a one time thing at the Last Supper, but it was to be continued all the way until in verse 626 till he come.
And that's important because you and I are living in those days. We are in the final countdown of time before the Lord's coming. The seconds are ticking away and we're going to be in His presence momentarily. And He wanted us to continue to break bread until He came.
Now for anyone who has stopped breaking bread, they are going to have to answer to the Lord when he says Why didn't you continue till I came?
And that will be difficult to answer. There is no answer, I don't believe, for that.
But he wanted us to continue until he came.
Now, I was talking to somebody just recently and they said, well, you know, Christians have always said the Lord is.
Is coming. But here we are in 1986. He hasn't come. What is it that makes you think that he's going to come now more so than 20 years ago? Well, I always say, you know, it's because all of the players in the world are in position. If we were to go to a, let's say, a football game or something and say, and I were to say to you, is the game ready to start? As we looked out there and saw people warming up, he'd say no.
But if I were to lookout there and say, well, there's everybody out there in position, the referee has his whistle, he's ready to blow it. Would you say it's ready to start and he would say yes it is. How do you know? Because everybody is in position.
And that's how we know that the coming of the Lord is extremely there, and you have been chosen to live in this generation.
I don't know of any generation that I would rather live in. And you have been called to remember the Lord until he come. So the breaking of bread was to be continued, not just a one time thing at the Last Supper, but until he come, until he came.
Then #3 the thing that we find in this revelation. Perhaps we could read it from verse 16 of chapter 10. The the cup of blessing which we bless. Is it 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. For we are all partakers of that one bread, that is.
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Now this is something that was not fully understood before.
But now they knew that they were to remember him as bound up with him in the loaf.
That is, they were brought into an extremely close relationship with him as they broke bread and #4. Then there was a responsibility associated with the breaking of break, as we find from verse 27 on in our chapter.
So those are some of the reasons. First of all, the assembly was in disorder and so they were to continue. The breaking of bread was to be continued all the way to the Lord's coming.
And we remember him as members of his body.
And then last of all is responsibility associated with that privilege. So those are some of the reasons. Perhaps there's more why Paul received a fresh revelation.
Now notice what it says. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that is called and not only get get something from the Lord, he shared it. So he was sharing it with the Corinthians that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed.
Now why does he bring up here the fact that he was betrayed by Judas? I think that if we were to look at the Gospels, we could prove that Judas was not there when the Lord's Supper was given.
But we won't go into that. But the point that I want to make here is that he felt.
He felt the fact that he was betrayed by someone who was his close friend and his follower.
It heard by that his own familiar friend who lifted up his heel against him, and the devil had this plan and desire to infiltrate the ranks of these disciples, and he actually took over and dwelt this man called Judas. And Judas betrayed him, and the Lord felt it deeply.
Well, you might say Judas was just out. He was just out making money on that morning. He thought perhaps that he would, that that the Lord might escape, but he did not. And Judas turned out to be that man.
That man that would lift up his heel against the Lord. And when the devil left him, he was so distraught that he went out and hung himself.
So here we have that night in which he was betrayed, he took bread. And I just say that, you know, is it possible for us to betray the Lord, in a sense, today? Is it possible for us to put our priorities on other things so that, let's say, money making becomes more important than the breaking of bread? I certainly understand that there's times when we must we have to work. There may be critical times at work, or there may be a certain job that I'm fitted for that I have to work. But we need to be careful that our priorities are right.
With the Lord.
Now I just digress here a little bit and I'd like to talk a little bit about the state of the disciples. If we went over to Luke chapter 22, we might just take a look at that.
With chapter 22 and verse.
21.
I'm sorry, let's back off to verse 19. And they took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Verse 24. And there was also a strife among them. Which of them should be accounted?
The greatest.
And so on.
Don't read the rest of that. But he brings out some wonderful truth. He says if you want to be great, then you've got to be small.
But the point that I want to make is that there was very little understanding.
About what the Lord's Supper meant.
There was very little, if any, worship about, you know, as to the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was a lot of strife and pride among the brother, but there was obedience to his request. The strife and pride would be dealt with by the Lord and the worship would come and understanding would come. But, you see, when they begin to do it.
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The first time there was probably a lot of misunderstanding, and yet the Lord called him back. The point that I want to make is that there was obedience to His request, and that's what's important. Can I just say a little word to you sisters? I think that often times you come to the meetings and sometimes the children are hard to handle. Sometimes you go home from a meeting and you wonder if you should have even come.
Remember the only ask you.
To remember him, he didn't ask that there be a lot of worship or anything like that. That will come in time. The children will grow. But he does value the fact that you came to remember him, and that's what's important. I'd like you to turn back to First Corinthians Chapter 11.
And I'm going to talk about several things that make the Lord suffer what I would call it exceedingly precious.
Exceedingly precious. First of all, notice in verse 24. And when he had given thanks, he break it, and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had stopped saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye as OFT as you drink it in remembrance of me.
First of all, the thing that I want to point out is that that makes it exceedingly precious is the picture that it gives.
The picture that it gives us here is a loaf of bread, a loaf of bread that is taken from kernels of wheat that are ground fine.
And those kernels of wheat, ground fine, are taken and mixed with lemon or yeast. The dough is raised, the loaf is put into an oven, and there, under that extremely hot heat, the action of that leaven is killed.
We have a picture of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ that I don't think you can equal, I don't think you can equal. It is a picture of His death upon the cross ground fine mixed with leaven under the tremendous judgment of God that no one can understand. Like the Lord says in the Book of Lamentations, I am the man that that has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
And we picture that in the loop when it is broken, and then the cup, the cup which she says here is the New Testament in my blood.
That is, here are a bunch of graves that are squeezed in. The blood comes out in the death of that grave, and each one of us partake of that.
Cup and remembrance of the precious blood that was shed at Calvary. You know, both of these are equally important. I'd like to just tell you a little story that happened to me when I went to California from Iowa. I did not know a lot of the truth of the word of God, but when I got out to a certain assembly in California, I found that there was a brother there who said there was no atonement in the blood of Christ.
This brother was the leading brother of that assembly. And so I was over at his house one day and he shared this with me. He said, you know, the blood of Christ is not that important. I said, oh, is that right? Why do you feel that way? He said, Well, he said the only reason the blood was shed.
Was to fulfill the Scripture which said they shall look upon him when they appears. And he said, anywhere you read about the blood of Christ in Scripture, you can rightfully substitute the death of Christ, the word death. I did not feel that was right. And over a period of weeks and months I sought to talk to him and counsel with brethren like Mr. Brown and Paul Wilson and so on. He would not back down.
I want to. I just want to share this with you. What happened? Because it shows how an assembly can get away from these truths.
And all the brethren agreed that we would have a care meeting one night. And in this care meeting we we already had made the decision that I would bring it up and that my brethren would back me up and tell his brother that this was not acceptable ministry of his evil doctrine. So we had the meeting and I brought it up in, the brother said.
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You're wrong, and I'll show you an Out came the writings of Darby and Kelly as we read through 1/2 hour or so of these writings. And then.
He said to me, See, you're wrong. You're going to be put out of fellowship.
So I said to him, well, I don't understand all that you've said, but just answer me one question, one only. Is there atonement in the blood of Christ? And he said absolutely none. And I'll show you that you are the only person that believes this. And around the room we went, and every brother except myself.
Denied that there was atonement in the blood of Christ, everyone his brother had overthrown this assembly.
And the Lord had to step in and straighten this out. But this is so important that we value not only the death of Christ, but the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is the death of Christ that made Atonement Godward. It is the blood of Christ that covered our sins made Atonement. Manward is 2 aspects to that work of Atonement.
So first of all, the thing that I want to point out here is that what makes this exceedingly precious is the picture.
And if I had a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross and justice showed it to you, I think it would have an effect. I think it would have an effect. Remember I was visiting with a brother in Denver. He came out to some of the meetings and he said, why? He said, could I get together with you? And I said certainly. So we went out and we had a little visit. And he said, why did the brethren put so much emphasis on the breaking of bread?
And I said, well, it was the central theme of that early church, because they were so taken up in their first love for Christ that they wanted to be brought to the cross. They wanted to see the picture of the cross in the loaf and in the cup. I saw, I said to him, I said, Bill.
Do you know what the breaking of bread symbolizes? He said. Yes, I do. It symbolizes the work of the cross.
I said, Where did you learn that?
He said, I learned it in the meeting. I said, what about the church? He went to a fundamental church in Denver. Did you ever hear that there? He said never. Never heard it. You know, I find that many other Christians do not understand the breaking of bread. They do not understand it. I've asked a lot of Christians that question. Well, what do you do in your communion service at church? Well, I it's a time of rededication or it's.
Time of repentance and confession of my sins.
That's the first time I've ever heard from a Christian not gathered the right answer. He got it from those who were gathered. I'm not saying that nobody ever understands it out there. There probably are some, but it's generally not understood. And so I said to him, let's suppose that you and I would have the privilege of standing at the cross. Let's suppose that you and I stood at the foot of the cross and we looked up and we saw the Lord Jesus Christ suffering.
We saw him there.
Under that terrible, terrible punishment that they put him under. And then we stood there in the darkness. Darkness came over all the land, and we saw.
The darkness lift. We heard that voice. My God, my God, why? Asked thou forsaken me.
And then we saw the soldier come after he had given up his life in Pierce, his side, and we see this outpouring of blood and water. And I said, Bill, what effect would that have on you? He said.
Enormous. And I said to him, I said, well, then, what effect should the breaking of bread have on your soul? And he said, enormous.
Greater than any ministry, greater than any exhortation of any kind, greater than any challenge to stand at the cross. And that's, that's what makes it exceedingly precious, is brethren, We are brought right to the foot of the cross, right to the foot of the cross, and in many senses, although we cannot see it in a physique with the physical eye, the eye of faith looks back, and it proves, in a sense, into the depths.
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Of His suffering that those disciples who for those women and disciple who stood there, could never enter into, we can.
So I say that's the first thing that makes it exceedingly precious #2.
What makes it exceedingly precious? His presence.
Without his presence, it would be an empty form. Maybe that's why there are many Christians who feel that way about it. Without him, it would be an empty form, but with him it becomes exceedingly precious. His presence is important to us. It's important.
#3
It was his dying request.
Was his dying request the horror of Calvary's cross lay ahead.
And he gave out as his last request that we would remember him.
All along the pathways you read the gospels, you will find that Jesus desired to share with his disciples the burden of the cross. He wanted them to enter into it, but they refused.
They tried to talk him out of it in here at the table, he shared with him in a different way.
His suffering and death.
Now then, we would notice, if I think we turn to the book of Mark, that it says they all drank of it. That is, there was obedience to this request.
I want to ask you, each one in the audience, if you've thought about remembering the Lord.
I'd like to ask you what is holding you back.
I know that someday you are going to sit down in the presence of the Lord, and I too.
And one thing that motivates me is this, that there will be in his presence, perhaps a question. And he will say, why didn't you do what I told you?
And I will have to say as I look at and I will have to say as I look upon those.
Those wounded hands and wounded side, I will have to say I am sorry, Lord. There is no excuse whatsoever. It was his dying request. There's nothing, no excuse.
For ever turning him down.
I want to share with you a little bit about my past.
Because there's a couple of things that are instructive about the Lord's table.
Now when I was 9 or 10 years old.
The fires were turned on to remember the Lord.
But years went by and we didn't come to the meetings very much. There was a breaking of bread in my grandfather's home, but we didn't go.
Just a half a mile down the road.
And eventually my dad got worried about us and he decided to.
Shut the door to the world and mattered, Iowa, and open it by allowing us to go to Des Moines.
So we went down for a number of years or a number of months. We went down to Des Moines, and I sat in the Lord's presence and long through great bread. But you see there were some pretty well thought brethren there. And I knew if I ever asked, they would ask questions that I could not answer and therefore I would be turned down. So I went on and on one morning.
There was a big snowstorm on Lord's Day morning, and so we could only get the tractor out of the drive. So I called. We called Grandpa, Grandpa, Spence, Grandpa, would you like us to come to, to breaking your bread up there? He said. I would love it. So we drove the tractor up to my grandfather's home, and as my older brother stepped into the living room, notice that my grandfather pulled him off to the side.
And had a little word with him.
And then he came over and he had a little word with me. He said, would you like to break bread? And I said, grandpa, I've wanted to do that for years. He said, well, you may this morning, I couldn't believe it. I thought I was going to get asked a lot of hard questions. I thought I was going to get turned down. I thought I was going to be put under the microscope. And grandpa said you can this morning. Now I'm not recommending this procedure, but the point that I want to make is here was a grandfather who prayed.
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A grandfather who prayed earnestly that someday his.
3 grandsons would be at the Lord Lord's table. And this was the time. This was the time. And he moved in. And had he not done that, why it might have been years, because it was about five years before I broke bread at grandpa's house again.
And you know, the brethren in Des Moines were extremely understanding and kind. They could have raised an issue about it. They didn't. We were received in Des Moines without a letter.
We didn't know any better. They showed a lot of kindness.
And I thank God for that moment.
That's My grandfather stepped out in faith and asked his two grandsons to remember the Lord. And I just say for you, older brethren, remember for our beloved young people today, it's rough. The time that we're living in is difficult. Pray for them, and you may have the opportunity sometime talking to them about the Lord's table.
Now I want to proceed a little bit five years later.
19 years old, never taken part in a meeting.
Never even thought of it. And one more One week my grandfather had a heart attack. He was hovering between life and death. All the ants were there, and I knew that they would want to have a breaking of bread, but they didn't. They couldn't because Grandpa could not talk.
So I called up there and I said to one of the aunts, would you like me to come up for the day? I'd like to come up. And so that you all could remember the Lord. I felt a deep debt to my grandfather. So I went up there, and I want to tell you what happened.
On the way up, I looked in my little flock in book and memorized some hymns that I could give out. I looked at some portions of scripture that I could read.
Memorize them and seek the leading of the Lord in that meeting at all. I was scared.
But eventually we came to the point where the bread was broken and the bread was passed around and it went around from one to the other. There were a number of people there, all sisters.
And then there was.
An older sister.
Of my grandfather and I did not know whether she was saved or not, and she reached out and took the bread.
And I sat in my seat and I said.
Oh no.
I knew that I would be called on the carpet by my brother, Nindy Moines. So I decided that when the cup went around, I would take the cup as it got to her and go around this way so she would get the idea that she was not welcome at the Lord's table. But when the cup was passed, I could not get out of my seat.
And there was a thought that rang very clearly in my mind like this. This is my table, not yours.
Never forget that.
Morning really touched my heart, Frightened me a lot. But on the way out, I decided I would just get out of there. Not stay for dinner, just get out of there. I didn't want to answer any questions or anything, just get out of there as fast as I could go. And I was going through the kitchen when I heard this sister of my grandfather saying something like this. Most wonderful service I've ever been in in my life. Never have I ever been so close to the cross. I've never had my heart touched.
Like I did this morning. What an encouragement it was to me. And yet I never told anybody this story for 20 years.
Because I didn't know exactly how I felt about it, but I think the point that I want to make is this.
I don't want to.
Encourage you, younger brother to overthrow the meeting or anything like that. But I want to encourage you, as the Lord leads, to take part in the breaking of bread.
We have a situation out in California that is a concern to me. We have 50 brothers or more that can take part in the meeting, but only five ever break the bread.
That concerns me.
Did you know you do not have to reach some status before you can break the bread? I think it requires somewhat of a going on with the Lord and so on, but I want to encourage you, brothers. If the Lord leads to take part, it'll be an encouragement to your older brother. Well.
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We could go on and talk about more of this, but I think during the remainder of the time we ought to talk about the last verses of this chapter.
Let's read them from verse 27.
Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth, and drinketh damnation for judgment to himself. Not discerning the Lord's body will this cause many are weak and sickly among you in many sleeps.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. For when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Wherefore, my brother, when you come together to eat, carry one or another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that you come not together unto condemnation, and the rest will I set an order when I come.
Now here is what we call the responsibility side of the Lords Supper.
Here were these Corinthians who were eating and drinking in a manner that was unworthy in a disorderly manner.
As it says.
In that first verse that we read, 27 Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily or in an unworthy manner.
Will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Sounds solemn to me, doesn't it to you to be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord? Not sure exactly all that that means, but I think it sounds like.
A very serious thing.
To eat this bread and drink this cup unworthily. And I think if we we turn back and look in verse 21 for an eating, everyone taketh before his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken.
That is they they just turned it into an ordinary meal. The the manner in which they did it.
I think it is so important to remember that when we come into this room on Lord's Day morning, we are coming into the presence of the Lord. We are going to view the most awful suffering of this that has ever been known upon the face of the earth, and we should be careful about the manner in which we do it.
Otherwise, it's very serious. Sin sounds like it's a serious as the crucifixion itself.
Now the point that he's making trying to make in these last few verses is that in verse 28, a man let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.
Now self examination or self judgment should be on a daily basis or a moment by moment basis. I hope that you do that.
But I remember in my college days it seemed like Saturday evening rolled around awfully fast and I realized that I was going to be in the presence of the Lord on Lords Day morning. There was a special time of self judgment in those days associated with breaking the breaking of grid.
If that happens even on a week by week basis.
If that happens, you will never get into a solemn, serious sin. I look back on it now and I say the Lord kept me all the way through those years. But there is a responsibility, that of examining ourselves. And then you know that chapter Brown always used to tell that story about the man who got upset with his cow.
And kick the cow. And cursed the cow and refused to come to breaking of bread. They went up to get him and they said, look what this verse says. It says let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. So if we fall into a sin, a problem, may we lose our temper, something that is not extremely serious. He wants us to examine ourselves, judge it, and go ahead and break, break.
One of the problems that people have, I've had it for many years, is that when I fall into a sin, there's often times a depression that will stay with me for a couple of weeks. God never intended it that way. He intended upon confession to forgive that sin. So self judgment is extremely important, always associated with your statement.
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You know, people don't get into.
Deep problems overnight, they don't. They depart from the pathway of obedience and they sample it and then they come back and they observe their own reactions to see what how they're they're going to react to it. They may sample a little deeper the next time and then there's some repentance and then a little further launch into the world. And so very few people ever launch out and go into some serious sin that requires.
Discipline of the assembly. And that's why he emphasizes over and over again in these verses that we have a responsibility to examine ourselves. No one else can see the heart but you and God.
Notice what he says in verse 30 for this cause. Many are weak and sickly among you.
And many sleep.
That is, among the Corinthian assembly, there were people that were.
Brought under judgment because of this condition.
There were people that were now had been taken home because of this condition. Maybe not the people that committed the sin. God was speaking to this, this assembly.
And I realized that over the past years, the Lord has spoken loudly to the gathered Saints, hasn't he? He's spoken loudly to us, and we have a responsibility to listen, to judge ourselves, not to ignore it. What is the Lord saying to us? Because His judgment will continue till we judge ourselves.
I always remember Eric Smith telling a story about an old Indian down in Bolivia. Not an old about a middle-aged Indian. And this Indian became sick and they went over to this brother's house. He was a brother who was.
Well tied and the assembly looked up to and respected and they went over to his house.
A group of the brethren, because they wanted to pray for him that the Lord would spare his life. And when they got over there and they unfolded their hearts to this man, and they said, dear brother, we would like to pray for you.
Because we want you to be around. We want you to stay. We need you.
And this brother said, he said, I've fallen into the sin of fornication.
And he said.
I am going to be taken home. There is no amount of prayer that will ever save my life. And he did. He went home to be with the Lord. The Lord took him home.
Because of this sin, well these are important things and IA lot of my work for the Lord is to go around and get acquainted with people personally, privately. Many of the things that I encounter I can never share. But one thing I would like to share with you.
Is that we have a need to earnestly pray that there would be self judgment associated with the Lord's table because there are people at the Lord's table who are right near the edge if not having gone over. So we need to pray, Ernest, we need to be exercise ourselves. We can never, never trust ourselves, never keep ourselves.
Never. Every morning almost that I get up, I just say, Lord Jesus, keep me through one or day.
And as we take away the final moments until the Lord comes, may we be kept faithful to him. May we be kept faithful because all of the sins and all of the temptations that are out there are not worth it.
Never run into anybody who said I'm so glad that I went off the deep end. They've never said that, but there's been sorrow associated with going out into some of these serious things.
Well verse 32.
Verse 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
That is, if we judge ourselves, the assembly isn't going to have to step in and the Lord isn't going to have to step in.
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But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world. Thank God for that. Thank God for the chastening hand of the Lord.
Sometimes I say to my wife. I say, honey, I never get away with anything. Seems like the Lord gets me every every time I fall into sin. He punishes me and that's what it says. And the Lord loves. He chases and scourges every Son whom he receives. That's a mark that you belong to Christ.
So if we judge ourselves, we would we wouldn't get into these things. We would not experience the chastening hand of the Lord. Verse 33. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat cherry one for another, and if any man hunger, let him eat at home. They come not together under condemnation, and the rest will ascend in order when it comes.
Grace and Government
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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37th chapter of Genesis and the second verse. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, and the lad was with the sons of Bilha, and with the sons of Zilta, his father's wives. And Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children.
Because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many color colors. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.
The other night out at Rio Ferry, we were looking at the life of Jacob. And in that life I believe we can see the grace of God and the government of God. But I believe, brethren, we can also see the grace of God and the government of God in the life of Joseph, in the life of Jacob. In many ways there was a sad note to it, although all ended very brightly because he was restored at the end.
But in the life of Joseph, we see one who went on consistently and happily.
And so we see in his life the grace of God. I say that because I believe this, that it takes just as much of the grace of God to keep any of us from failing as to restore us after we have failed. And I believe we need to remember that because we all have to acknowledge.
That if in any measure he has kept us from those things that would have dishonored his name, do we take credit to ourselves or would we not rather say, oh, it's all his grace that has kept me and preserve me? And so I say again, it's the grace of God that.
That preserves us as well as the grace of God that restores us. Then on the other side there is the government of God. But there is the government of God in a happy way as well as in a way that often brings trial and sorrow into our lives. I believe in Jacob's case we see the grace of God that restored him after a life where he was characterized to a large extent by self will.
And then we see the government of God that followed him in his pathway.
And many sorrows came upon him in his pathway in that government of God. But it tells us in Galatians chapter 6, whatsoever a man soweth that shall, he also reap. He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, and he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. So there were two different ways of sewing. We can solder the flesh. I believe Jacob did that.
And for Jacob reaped after the flesh in so many things. But I believe in contrast, we see in the life of Joseph that he sowed to the Spirit. He sought to live his life to please the Lord. And brethren, isn't that the desire of every true child of God, that we should live our lives to His glory and praise here in this world?
So I say again, I would like to speak of the life of Joseph in this way, that we see the grace of God in preserving a young man like this, just 17 years old, when we're introduced to him here, and preserving him through his life and causing him amid his trials to find that peace and joy that comes from taking our circumstances from the Lord. And we see this brought out so nicely in his life.
We have often looked at the life of Joseph as a picture of the Lord Jesus.
Because as far as I know there is a little, if any recorded failure in the life of Joseph, and I believe it shows us what we read in Second Corinthians chapter 4. The God's desire is that the life of Jesus would be seen in our bodies.
Now that is you and I who are believers have the life of Jesus within us. Often that life is not seen. Often, instead of seeing that new life, I'm sorry to say that people see the old life in me. And perhaps you find the same in you.
They see that fallen nature with which were born. But God has put a new treasure in the earthen vessel, and He has given us that new life, and He has given us the Holy Spirit so that we might manifest the life of Jesus.
And I believe in a practical and typical way, We could see this in Joseph. He was a man of like passions, like you and I. He was a person who had temptations like you and I. But it's beautiful to see him in the different situations in which he was placed, that he manifests the life of Jesus.
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You see in his life that beautiful display of kindness and grace and love and forgiveness all through his life. And also accepting all the things that came, because all the things that came were not pleasant. And God doesn't promise us, even if we desire to please the Lord, that life is always going to be pleasant. The Lord Jesus himself in this world.
Always did the things that pleased his father.
About he had many things that he passed through as a perfect, obedient man. He was hungry, he was thirsty, he was worried. He was mistaken by his brethren, that is, they didn't understand some of the things that he said.
And he was grieved by the attitude of people toward him. All those things he felt, as well as feeling all the sorrows and difficulties of humanity. So the Lord Jesus, although he was and is perfect God as well as perfect man, He passed through all these things.
And so, as I say, I'd like to look at Joseph in a way that I hope that will stir each one of our hearts, that in the situations that we meet in life, we might display the life of Jesus, that others might take knowledge of us, that we are walking in his company.
And that the Spirit of God is leading us. Well, I say the first time were introduced to him here after his birth. He's 17 years of age. Perhaps there's somebody in the room here tonight that 17 years of age. Well, it's nice to see how when we go out to see this young man.
We see him in the enjoyment of the love of the family circle, and perhaps we could say that it was because he was an obedient person. You know, as parents, we love our children. We love the most rebellious and disobedient. But you know, there's something special and how our hearts go out to those who have a desire to be in our company and to please us. And I think this characterized Joseph.
And I think he enjoyed a lot more of the family love that he might have if he had been rebellious. You know, the Lord loves us when we're rebellious, but we don't always enjoy his love. Tells us in John chapter 14, it says there if a man loved me, he will keep my words and my father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.
You say, doesn't the Lord love all his children?
What does that verse mean? Well, brother, and I believe we all know that there is a special enjoyment of the Lord's love if we're walking in obedience and close to His side. I think Joseph becomes an example of this. And may I say to those who are teenagers here tonight, I think if you're rebelling against your parents, you don't realize how much they love you. But if you're trying to please them, you're going to find that there's a lot more love and you're in their hearts than you have.
Discovered and that they would like to do many things for you. They'd like to do you do many things that are hindered. Because when we are rebellious against the Lord, we don't enjoy many of the things He has for us. And when we're rebellious against our parents, we don't enjoy many of the things.
And that they would like to do for us. Joseph had a special, shall I say, feeling between his father and himself. And we'll see as we read on in the story, what an obedient boy he was. And he was in the enjoyment of this love. He had this coat of many colors made for him. But his brothers?
They envied him. They actually went as far as it says. They couldn't speak peaceably to him. And perhaps you say, well, if I tried to do what's right, my peers, those who are my own age, they don't understand and they dislike me because they know I'm trying to do what's right and please the Lord.
But that's where we're put to the test, brethren. That's where we're put to the test. Dear young people, who are we living to please?
I've often said it's not wrong to have the desire to be accepted. That is a natural and proper desire in the heart. But the big question is, with whom do we want to be accepted? Do we want to be accepted by those who are not seeking to please the Lord who are living for this world?
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Or is it our desire to be accepted of the Lord himself? Paul said. We labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted or it could be translated agreeable to him. Isn't that nice? Pauls life was lived with a desire that each day he might live it in a way that was agreeable to the Lord. And so we see with Joseph this.
Sweet intimacy between his father and himself.
And at 17 years of age, his father then was able to display this love toward him. But we find the beginning of things that he had to go through because he wanted to please the Lord. He was disliked by his brethren, but did he ever show any bitterness toward them?
I don't know one instance where he displayed anything but kindness to them. And the Bible says that would do good to those that hate us for to pray for them who despitefully use us and persecute us. And this we see beautifully exemplified in the life of dear Joseph.
Going on a little further in the chapter we see here.
In the 13th verse. And Isaac Israel rather Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock and check them? Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said unto him, Here am I. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks, and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the veil of Hebron, and he came to.
Shechem the 18th verse. And when his brethren saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
And 21St Verse. And Ruben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, Let us not kill him. And Ruben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him, that he may rid, that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. And it came to pass, when Joseph was coming to his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat.
Many colors that was on him, and they took him and cast him into a pit, and the pit was empty and there was no water in it.
Well I'm sure many of us are acquainted with this story, but you'll notice in this 13th verse how his father wanted him to go down and bring a message to his brother and who were in Shechem. He could have easily said well he don't like me, they don't want me and I don't want to go.
But you see this lovely obedience that was manifest in his life and in his ways. And he said, here am I, He was willing, willing to do something that was difficult. Life isn't always easy. Whether we're young or old. There's a lot of things that we were asked to do that are not easy to do.
But let us learn to have willing hearts, willing to do the will of God.
And the will of God in connection with children is children. Obey your parents for this as well pleasing unto the Lord. For those of us who are older too, it ought to be something like it was with Saul of Tarsus when he was saved. He said, What shall I do? Lord? There was a willingness, and so he comes down.
Looking for his brethren. And it tells us here that even before he came to them, they saw him and they hated him and they said we're going to get rid of him. They didn't want him. And perhaps this has been the experience of some I've tried to please the Lord, but nobody understands. And I'll really get the rebuff every time I try to please the Lord.
Oh dear young person, do you give up? Joseph didn't give up. Joseph went on in that path even though he had to suffer in the path of obedience.
Our precious Savior did he suffered in the path of obedience and only that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So he comes down to them. But there's something that I reason I read these verses out of Ruben and I think there's something that's rather sweet about, but it says here because Ruben was the one who sinned and who lost the right of the birthright.
He was the oldest son and he should have had the blessing.
Of the first born, and because of his sin he forfeited it. But isn't it nice? The spirit of picks up this man and records something that is very nice in his character. And this is good for us, brethren. There may be things that we have seen in others and we don't need to write them off just because we have seen them. We can seek grace in the Lord to see something that's good because God and His wondrous goodness picks out of your life and mine.
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That which is pleasing to him.
And even though we may have to reap in his government for our careless and willful ways, he does take notice about those things. And later on, when the brethren came down to see Josephus, we'll see, Ruben says to them again. Didn't I tell you not to do that to him?
He wanted to deliver him. There was something nice about Reuben, even low. He had to reap because of what he had done. And he never regained what he lost by his sin. And you know there are losses, brethren, in our lives that we cannot regain, but God still sees that which is the fruit of the Spirit.
And picks it out and manifests it because he values every little response in your heart and mind that is pleasing to him.
Well, he took Joseph, and they put him in the pit, and then when the merchant men came by, he was sold to these Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver, and they brought Joseph into Egypt. But we find here that there was no resentment.
At least no resentment recorded in the life of Joseph at all. I think if it had been you, or perhaps if it had been me, I'm afraid that I would have said some things that weren't very nice to my brethren who were treating me in that way. But here isn't this nice to see.
There's not one word recorded about Joseph saying anything unkind to or about his brethren, ever.
He he accepted this situation because I believe that there was a secret in Joseph's life and that was that he was accepting things from the Lord.
And absolutely nothing happens in your life and mine by chance. No one can say an unkind word even unless God loves it. Nobody can do an unkind thing unless God allows it. And it seems to me that this is the way Joseph accepted all these things. And so we find Ruben brought in again. Here. Reuben was feeling badly over what had taken place.
But the brethren take care of this code of many colors.
This sign of special favor that Joseph had in the eyes of his father. And they dip it in the blood of the animals, the kid of the goats, and take it and deceive their poor old father. We spoke about Jacob and how he was deceived. This was a sad thing for poor Jacob, but he had deceived his own father, you know, and it was coming back on him. But on the part that we're looking at here, we see that.
There's submission in the life of Joseph.
In connection with all these things, and he takes everything from the Lord. Now let's turn over to the 39th chapter and we see Joseph now down in Egypt.
The first word is Saint Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Feral, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down, hit her thither, and the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.
And he was in the House of his master, the Egyptian, and his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. Here is Joseph. He's not carrying any, as I say, of bitterness. He's not even depressed. I think that perhaps I would have been very depressed to be in a situation like that. And perhaps I would have been saying to myself, well, I was only.
Please the Lord. And why did this happen to me? But we find that Joseph submits to the hand of God and he does his work. Well. This also is a lesson to us because we're speaking about the grace of God in preserving us. And I believe that as Joseph looked to the Lord.
That he supplied the Lord, supplied that grace to accept some of these difficult situations from the Lord because as I say, he could have been very upset. But instead of this, he does his work well and the Bible tells us this is the way we should do for working for somebody.
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Tells us about the slave in Epistle to the Colossians, that even if he had a difficult master to work for, it said, Knowing that of the Lord, ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ. Maybe there's some here and you have a difficult employer.
He's hard to work for, He's overbearing, he's on understanding. While Joseph here, he did his work so well that the man that he was working for realized that he was a person of ability and he set him over the things in his household. It says here he made him.
In the fourth verse. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him, and made him overseer over his house.
And all that He had, He put into his hand. Now things seem to be turning a little brighter and better for Him. And is your life like that, you say? Well, it does seem that sometimes things turn and go along very well. But you know, the Lord never seems to allow us to go along smoothly for very long. He allows continual testings to arrive in our lives.
Perhaps at this time Joseph was.
Thinking in himself, isn't it wonderful how the Lord has come in for me? My brothers haven't been kind to me, but the Lord is undertaking for me. But now another blow falls. And you know, dear brethren, there are things sometimes that we don't understand why they happen. Had Joseph not been desiring to please the Lord? Yes, indeed he had. As I say again, as far as I know, there's little or no recorded failure in his life.
Why did God allow another situation to arise? Well, it tells us in Corinthians that whatsoever things were written, the four time were written for our learning. That we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope things are written for our learning and to know how God allows temptation to come into our lives too. And sometimes when things seem to go.
Be going along well and God allows as it were.
Pharaoh with all his hosts to come out against us, just like when Israel left Egypt, it says Pharaoh gathered together all his Chariots to go after them. He didn't want them to go and serve the Lord. And when things seem to be going well in our lives, we might think I'm over the Crest. Now I don't have to be so watchful. Things are going along pretty smoothly. But you know, the devil sees when things are going along smoothly and he knows just how to bring in a.
Subtle temptation into our lives. And a very subtle temptation came into the life of Joseph at this point. And Potiphar's wife, she set her eyes upon him to cause him to do what was morally wrong. And we see that this was now a test for Joseph. Was he going to continue to please the Lord? He could have said like some might say, Well, nobody will ever know about it.
But you know, the Lord sees everything. There's absolutely nothing that we can hide from Him.
That Bible tells us all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Let's always bear this in mind. We may deceive other people, but we can never, never deceive the Lord.
But this young man who was walking close to the Lord when this temptation came to him, what was his answer? He said, God forbid that I should do this great wickedness and sin against God. Isn't that lovely? He didn't say, well, that would be really harmful to other people. It would be harmful to Potiphar. It would have been in a certain sense harmful to this.
Woman Potiphar's wife, as well as to himself, but he looked at the very source and he said it would be a sin against God. And that's the way to look at things. You say, well, it hurts somebody else. Yes, often things we do hurt somebody else, but most of all.
Serious thing to sin against God.
Let's think of every time a temptation comes that if we yield, we don't just harm somebody else, we sin against God. And this is what Joseph realized. And so he said, God forbid that I should do this great wickedness and sin against God. And so he ran to get away from it. But you say that the Lord didn't protect him, did he?
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You know, sometimes the Lord allows false accusations to come. Perhaps sometime you've been falsely accused.
Did you have the grace to leave it with the Lord as long as you had a good conscience, as Joseph could have at this point? Were you content to leave it with the Lord and know that he knows all the facts? Everything is well known to him. When the Lord Jesus was here, it says they sought false witnesses against him. Yeah, they tried to bring things against the Lord, but how beautiful.
With the Lord Jesus when those temptations came.
He didn't he, it says he answered not a word. And we read in Peter's epistle, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him. That Judith righteously, brethren, it's a good thing in matters like this.
To commit things to the Lord. I remember my father said to me a good many years ago that he spoke to an older brother one time and something had been said against him that hurt. And he said to this older brother, what do you do when things are said that are unkind and untrue? And this brother said to him, he said, brother.
Walk with God and your brethren will change their opinion about you. There's some things we can't set right, but if we are walking with God then it won't be long till people will recognize it. And would any of us have any doubt that Joseph was walking with God? His whole life showed a man who had the fear of God before him.
But God had his hand in this. He had somebody in the prison that he wanted to bless.
And when Paul was put into prison, he was put in there unjustly. But God had some of Caesar's household that he wanted to save. He had some epistles that he wanted to be written that might Paul might have felt that it was difficult for him to write them while he was moving about so much.
So God had his plan and he allowed him to be put into prison, falsely accused. It's a good thing, brethren, to be able to commit our way to the Lord. So we see now Joseph then is put in prison. And first of all, he was disappointed in his brother. Now he's disappointed in his boss. His boss falsely accuses him on the strength of what his wife said.
And there he is, disappointed now in the prison.
And now on the 40th chapter we see here.
I just read the fifth verse and they dreamed a dream, both of them. Each man is dreaming one night, each man, according to the interpretation of his dream, dream the Butler and the Baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and behold, they were sad. And then he interprets their dream, and particularly the one about the Butler. The 13th verse. Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head.
And restore thee unto thy place, and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand after the former manner, when thou wast his Butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee. And shall kindness I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me and the feral, and bring me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away out of the hand the land of the Hebrews. And here also have I done.
Nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. The 23rd verse. Yet did not the chief Butler remember Joseph but forgot him?
Here another big disappointment comes.
I guess we all know that little poem Disappointment his appointment. Change one letter and I see that the thwarting of my purpose was his better choice for me. When you change Disappointment, you change the D to an H Then it's his appointment.
And so here is Joseph now he's in the prison. These men have a dream, and it tells us that.
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Within three days.
Pharaoh would lift up his head, and the Butler has a dream rather, and he would be restored. And then he asked a little favor from him. He asked him that he would remember him and speak well of him before Pharaoh. And here again we have.
This disappointment in his life, we find that he had been disappointed in his brethren, he had been disappointed in his employer, and now here he is in prison. Is he going to have a further disappointment? You say a person that wants to please the Lord and all these difficulties and trials come. Yes, there's no promise that because you have a desire to please the Lord, your life is going to be an easy one.
But it'll be a fruitful one. It'll be in many ways a happy one, if you and I learned to take our circumstances from the Lord and to see His hand in everything that happens. And so, you know, tells us here that that this Butler that he had shown kindness to in the prison forgot him, and he spent two full years in the prison.
Just think falsely accused, thrown into prison.
Now he has a glimmer of hope that he's going to get out when he shows this kindness to the Butler. But the Butler forgot him. But God had everything timed. God had everything timed. It was two years until we find that Pharaoh had a dream. And if Joseph got out of the prison at that point, he would probably just have been a forgotten man in Egypt. But.
When he's submissive to the ways of God.
How God is moving behind the scenes, how he's working things out.
And he had it all time, so that when Pharaoh had the dream and he didn't know what that that this Butler who had forgotten him for this long period of time now speaks up. He says, I do remember my fault this day. And may I say something just here in passing? If someone has shown a kindness to you, don't forget it. Don't forget it. The Lord has shown kindness to us and he.
To remember him, He died in our place, and he gives us the privilege of showing that in that way. A response in our hearts to remember him. And sometimes we have forgotten him too, but he values that. He says this too, in remembrance of me. Well, again going back to what we see then, the Joseph is now taken out of the prison, brought before Pharaoh, and God gives him wisdom.
And he is able to interpret these dreams that Pharaoh had and to tell Pharaoh what's going to happen and how there's going to be a famine. Well, God had his hand in all this. And after a great many series of disappointments and trials, then we see, as it were, things seem to turn to a brighter side in his life. Bible says it's good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. And I think.
Say that Joseph did bear the yoke in his youth, but now we find after he has learned some lessons in the school of God. And brethren, we are in the school of God and God is seeking to teach us. And he doesn't always teach us the easy way. Sometimes the way he teaches is the hard way.
But as Job said, who teacheth like him, There's no one that can teach us like him. And so we find here that Joseph is taken out of the prison. He makes this wonderful suggestion in connection with the famine that is coming, and it tells us in the.
In the.
41St The 40th verse of this 41St chapter. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than now.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him investors of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.
And he made him to ride in the second chariot, which he had, and they cried before him. Bow the knee.
And he made him real over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Josephs name Zafna Penia, and he gave him to wife Asanath, the daughter of Potiphar.
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And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. Well, here we find that now Joseph is advanced. He's given a wonderful position. We know our precious Lord and Savior has been exalted at the right hand of God. He's there a Prince and a Savior. He's there as the blesser. And I think it's so wonderful. After he rose from the dead, he said to the disciples and that repentance.
Remission of sins might be preached among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Isn't there something wonderful about that? The very people that had crucified him, that spit in his face and cried away with him, He says, tell them first about the pardon that I have for them, if they'll only come in repentance. How beautiful to see this. And, brethren.
If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.
This is the suffering time, but there is a reigning time coming even for believers, and it's worthwhile to go through the suffering. The Lord will give grace and glory. Grace 1St and then glory when we see something rather and touching here just in passing.
In the 45th verse it says Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zafna Penia and it has been. It has been interpreted in two different ways. It says Zafna the revealer of secrets and then he was given to wife Asanath, the daughter of Potiphar priest Yvonne.
Or perhaps we could say it's a little picture of what has come out since the death of Christ.
And that is, that the Lord Jesus is going to take a Gentile bride. A great secret came out consequent upon his glorious work. And Paul said that it was hid from ages and from generations, but now has made manifest. And what is it that out of this world, this Gentile world, God is picking out a bride for his Son? And you and Gentile united together.
Everyone who is saved is going to form part of that bride.
So we see wonderful results that happened as a result of Pharaohs of Josephs humiliation, just as the Lord Jesus went through so much and is now exalted rather than there's a coming day when you and I are going to look back on our pathway here.
Going to see God's hand in all the circumstances and those things that seem difficult, if we accepted them from him, if we manifested the Spirit of Christ in them, they will be rewarded. And I'm sure that when we see the reward that the Lord has for little things done for him, we will be surprised. Perhaps we'll say in our hearts, why didn't I do more for him?
Why did I get annoyed when that thing went wrong? It might have been the greatest blessing to me if I had taken it from the Lord.
And I believe, brethren, we're going to be surprised at the judgment seat of Christ when our lives pass into review to see how God had His hand in every circumstance, the adverse as well as the pleasant things that happened.
Joseph's now placed in charge here in the land of Egypt, and all this is gathered together. Now we come to another page in the history of Joseph, and it tells us as we go on here, I think we'll just turn over to the 45th chapter and I'll just make a few comments about the intervening chapters. This famine that God said was going to come.
And that Joseph was able to interpret.
Salmon covered this whole part of the country over all lands. That says and.
This famine struck them back there in the land of Kenan, where Joseph brethren were.
They might have thought they were through with Joseph forever.
And they might have tried to forget about the sad event that had happened, but God made them feel their need of food. And so they come down to Egypt and they don't realize that Joseph is the Lord of all Egypt. And brethren, perhaps we could apply this to ourselves. Do we realize the Lord's in control of everything you say? Why did that happen?
Why did the Lord allow it? But Joseph was the Lord of all Egypt. Everything was in his hands there.
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And before the Lord Jesus went up, he said, All power is given unto me in heaven.
And in earth. And Scripture says that he has had over all things to the Church, which is his body. And now God sees to it that Joseph's brethren are brought to feel their need of Joseph. They had despised him, they had laughed at him, but now when they feel their need of him, is he going to turn and say, Oh, serves you right, you were so mean to me, I can be mean to you.
Sometimes our natural hearts are like that, aren't they?
But the Bible says, see that no man render evil for evil to any man, but contrary, why is a blessing knowing that we're called to inherit a blessing? And I think this is a wonderful example in the life of Joseph and perhaps it speaks to your heart and mind. How do we react when the people that were unkind to us come into a difficult situation?
And perhaps we have an opportunity to help them. Do we spring to the occasion? Do we say, well, this is an opportunity to show the grace of God? Well, I think it is very lovely to see this. This is part of the grace of God in the life of Joseph. And I say, brethren, we see the grace of God in restoring Jacob. But I say it took a lot of grace on the part of Joseph to act in this way too.
But God supplies that grace. You say I couldn't do it.
Not to somebody who had been so mean to me, but God supplies the grace of His fullness of all we received, and grace upon grace. This 45th chapter. Now then, Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him. And he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, and he wept aloud, and the Egyptians.
Pharaoh heard, and Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph doth my father yet live. And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near unto me, I pray you. And they came near. He said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you sold me Heather.
Did send me before you to preserve life for these two years have the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years, and the which there shall neither be earring or nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth.
And to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hit her, but God.
And then he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and Lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Isn't this a wonderful picture that we see here? I know we can, and we often do, rightly look at this as a picture of the Lord Jesus and the wonderful grace that He has shown to us.
When we deserve nothing but his judgment. But, brethren, Joseph was a real man.
He had feelings just like you and I. He had an old nature just like I have and you have. The Lord Jesus, we know, was never, never tempted to do anything that was wrong because He was wholly harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. But He had something inside of him that could easily have reacted the wrong way. But what does he do? He invites his brethren to come near.
He weeps. He makes himself known to them.
And he says, now I know you're going to be blaming yourself, but he said, I see the hand of God in all this that has happened. Isn't this a wonderful spirit, brethren? He could have, as I said, turned on them and said, you brought all this upon yourself and I want to hear you say a great deal of how wrong you were. He true, He had brought them to repentance before and now that it has been out, so to speak, now he is showing kindness.
Them they've broken down, they said, we're verily guilty concerning our brother, and now he frankly and fully forgives them. Let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. And it says we're to act in the same way it says.
Tender hearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ has forgiven you. And so here we find that he, he comforts them and tells them that God's hand was in it. He had accepted all these circumstances as from the Lord and he tells them there are still further problems ahead. He said you've had two years of famine, but there's going to be five years more.
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And I've often thought, brethren, we may think that we have had a few problems in the past.
And some of you have had more problems, perhaps than I have had. The Lord has been wonderfully good to me. But I see some Christians have a real difficult time in their life, and the Lord understands and knows all about that too. But I believe that if the Lord leaves us here, we can't expect things to get better.
The Bible says evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse. The Bible says because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. And so we can't expect a bright picture when we look out on the future. As we await the Lorde return, things may get worse instead of better, and that's what Joseph is telling his brethren. But he said.
There is a place of shelter and he said if you come down here into Egypt, notice what he said.
In the ninth verse haste G and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down unto me, Terry not, and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all of the has.
And there will I nourish thee, for yet there are five years of famine.
Lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty. Yes, there was a place of shelter, and that was to be near to Joseph. Well, we can look at that as a picture of being nearer to the Lord Jesus, for that is our only place of safety. But isn't it true, too, that if we were showing the Spirit of Christ like we should, we'd want to be near to one another?
We'd want to be in the company of one another.
We'd see one another's needs and we would try to be a help to one another.
And so we see that Joseph, now, his brethren, have been repentant. They have acknowledged that they're wrong. And now all this kindness that's in the heart of Joseph comes out to them, and he wants them to be close to him. And for five years he looks after them. They're the best fed people in all the land of Egypt, I would expect.
And so they go back as you know the story and he told them, don't regard your stuff, Just come down here and keep close to me.
Our stuff is a big hindrance to us, isn't it? So often we're occupied with that instead of enjoying the Lord, instead of being close to Him, instead of seeking grace from Him to show that love that He would have us to show and that grace that He would have us to show. Well, it's very lovely to see all this in the end of of.
This story about Joseph the 22nd verse, it says to all of them. He gave each of them changes of Raymond.
But to Benjamin, he gave 300 pieces of silver and five changes of raiment. I just suggest this. I've rather enjoyed this. Why did Joseph get more when you say, well, he was his brother? Well, that's true, but I think there's a little more to it than that. Benjamin was probably the closest to Joseph of all the brothers. He was probably the one who was nearest to him.
And brethren, the nearer we are to the Lord, the more we're going to taste.
The goodness and the love and the grace that's in his heart. Did you ever meet a Christian who was walking in the company of the Lord Jesus that wasn't full of praise and Thanksgiving and talking about how good the Lord had been to him? And the others had one set of clothes, but he had five changes of Raymond.
Alliance was such a big change and the nearer we are to the Lord, as it says, we all with open face beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image. I think there was more of a change that took place in the life of of Moses than even Joshua who went up up at least part of the way with him. But it tells us that Moses was with the Lord for 40 days.
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And it was such a change that it says the skin of his face shine. He was in the company of the Lord. Maybe we know more of what it is to walk in the company of the Lord where we know the rest of the story and how Jacob came down. Now I'd like to turn over to the 48th chapter in the 11Th verse.
And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face, and Lord God has showed me also thy seed. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israels left hand, and Manasseh and his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim's son.
It was the younger, and his left hand upon Manassas had guiding his hands wittingly, for Manasseh was the first born. And he blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac did walk. The God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. Well, I just mentioned this because.
We don't read about Jacob blessing the sons of any of the other boys.
Just the sons of Joseph.
And I think there's a little lesson for us in this too, that if you and are walking in a way that's pleasing to the Lord, the blessing reaches out to our children too. And that is they see in us that manifestation of the life of Christ. As I look back, it wasn't only what my father said, but what he did that spoke to me. And you know, we can say a lot of things.
But you know, our children watch us. They know us better than anybody else.
And they know where our hearts are. They know whether we show the Spirit of Christ when things go wrong. They know when I saw difficulties come in the assembly, I used to watch my father's attitude about them, not just what he said, but his attitude about them. And you know, this was an attitude that I'm bringing out in the life of in the life of Joseph. The life of Jesus was coming out true. It took a lot of grace for him.
When they had treated him so badly that you see this life of Jesus coming out.
In the life of Joseph, And this blessing comes upon his two boys, and upon Joseph himself too. And now we come to the 49th chapter, and Jacob is blessing all the sons, and he has a special word about Joseph. 22nd verse. Joseph is a fruitful bow, even a fruitful bow by a whale whose branches run over the wall.
The Archers have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him.
But his avoiding strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel, even by the God of thy fathers Father, who will help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under blessings of the breast and of the womb.
The blessings of thy Father have prevailed above the blessings of My progenitors under the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be upon the head of Joseph, and on the crown of him, of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
Joseph didn't know all this was ahead when he was sold by his brothers into Egypt and hated when he was falsely accused by Potiphar wife. When he was forgotten by the Butler. He didn't know all this was ahead, but he had his eye on the Lord. He sought to accept his circumstances from the Lord and now we see he's Lord of Egypt. He's showing kindness to his brethren.
A blessing comes upon his children.
And now we see this special blessing from his father too. And if you read the blessings that came to the other boys, why he would say, well, he certainly had a a special place in the heart of his father for all that he had to pass through. He didn't he didn't know all this at the time. And you and I rather, and we can't see the future, but God does.
Let us seek to accept things as they come from Him.
Let us be more exercised about what our actions are. I've heard it said, and it's rather struck me that the prodigal had to judge wrong actions and the elder son had to judge wrong reactions. You know, there were a lot of wrong actions about that older boy, but there was a lot of wrong reactions by the older son too.
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May the Lord help us to show the right reaction.
May we know how to act in that spirit that God has given to us. But now just one thing more in the 50th chapter and the 14th verse. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he and his brethren and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will per adventure hate us, and we'll certainly record.
All the evil which we did unto him.
And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they did unto the evil. And now we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
And his brethren also went, and fell down before his face, and they said, Behold.
We be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not, for am I in the place of God, But As for me, he thought evil against me. But God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now, therefore fury not. I will nourish you and your little ones. And he comforted them, and speak kindly unto them.
Well, here's the last page that we have about Joseph's story, and you might have thought.
That when he got to this point that he might have perhaps held a little bit of bitterness down in the corner of his heart.
And his brethren even sort of expected that it might be so, perhaps.
After all the unkindness that had been shown to him down in the bottom of his heart, there might be some bitterness, but there wasn't. There wasn't any bitterness. And may I say this, let us never hold a grudge. Let us never hold a grudge. No matter what has been done, the Lord will take care of it. Every situation we saw the dealing of God with Jacob, and God had to deal with him in a very solemn way for his self will and for his deception.
All those things that he did, but as far as Joseph was concerned, he left him with the Lord and he sought to act in the spirit of Christ. And you and I are not going to have to give an account for other people's actions, but for our own. We will, every one of us will give account of himself to God. Joseph held no grudge. He just wept when he thought it. They thought he would and they thought he would.
Why? He wept and he said just be down here.
Close to me and he said I'll still nourish you. I know that you perhaps haven't even now the thoughts of love that you might toward me for they even to say a thing like that, but still it didn't change him and Chanel breath in the heart of the Lord never changes. He loves us.
Those two things follow us in our lives, His grace and His government. I say again, in the life of Jacob, we see the grace of God that promised blessing to him, restored him when he had failed, and we see him in the end.
Side by side with Joseph and rejoicing in the goodness of God restored in the end of his life. But there were a lot of sorrows that he brought into his life by his own self. Will we see in Joseph a person who learned grace in another way. He learned that there was a supply for him and if situations were difficult, instead of telling a lie, instead of trying to cover something up while we see him.
We see him acting in the spirit of Christ, but always acting uprightly and honesty and pleading all the results with God.
And what was the result in his life? He had no bitterness toward anybody. He had loved toward the people that had act badly toward him. And in the end we see him blessing Joseph and blessing his brethren and disappointed that they should even think that he had any feelings but love toward them. Well, may the Lord help us. We all have the flesh in US. We need the grace of God.
But there is. I say again in closing.
There is in all our lives the grace of God and the government of God. Wouldn't you and I like to experience the grace of God in the way that Joseph did? And if you're going through a difficulty, remember the Lord says that He has a full supply of grace out of His fullness of all we receive and grace for grace. May He help us to show that Spirit of Christ in every situation. And you'll find that the Lord will turn the tears.
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Into gladness.
Paul an Example
Address—D. Bilisoly
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Turn with me to 1St Corinthians chapter nine. First Corinthians Chapter 9.
16 So though I preached the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me. Yeah, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel, for if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward, but if against my will a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
What is my reward then? Verily, that when I preach the gospel.
I may make the gospel of Christ without charge. That I abused not my power in the gospel, and so forth.
Well, brethren, I would like to take up a line of things that I have used elsewhere, but I think it would be helpful. I trust it will be. And that is to take up the question of Paul as a pattern. Now, in considering a passage like this, we see that there was a great responsibility upon Paul. What a responsibility, and he felt it keenly.
And he had this laid upon him, and he felt the responsibility.
He had, as he says, a dispensation of the gospel committed unto him. Dispensation. That's kind of a heavy word, isn't it, for the young folks? Dispensation.
I sometimes like to illustrate it this way, that when you're riding along a freeway, you may come to a toll road and when you come up to a toll booth, a machine or dispense a ticket to you and you have a responsibility.
For that card, that ticket, until you get to the end and then things are settled.
It dispensed to you. It's the word that we still use in some measure now. But Paul had dispensed to him a great responsibility, and he speaks of it as his gospel. Not that he had any personal claim upon it above others, but it was the responsibility that he had. In a peculiar and a special way. He makes reference to it as the gospel of the glory. That's how it could read. It has to do with a risen and glorified.
At the right hand of God. What a wonderful message in that gospel.
And shall I put it this way, that dispensationally we are under Paul?
That responsibility was committed to him and now we have all the truth that we need. In fact, let's turn for a moment over to to Colossians and notice how it's worded there. Colossians chapter one.
In Colossians chapter one.
He says in verse 25.
Whereof I am made a minister.
According to the dispensation of God, there's that word again, which is given to me for you to fulfill.
The Word of God or to complete the Word of God, that's how it could be to complete. What does that mean? It means simply this, that we have no truth that goes any farther than Paul's doctrine. There's other things that were given later on, like in the Book of Revelation and what have you, but that's the fullest truth that we have. There's really no revelation beyond.
Paul's doctrine, it is complete. It was given to him to complete the word of God and we're complete in Christ. Oh, it's wonderful to consider those things. Now I emphasize that, dear ones here, because there are those that make a pretense of having new light, new truth.
Don't believe it, we have it, it's complete and we can rest upon this precious truth. Paul's doctrine. What is Paul's doctrine? We'll just stop and think about it. Pauls doctrine, you know, he brought out the truth of justification by faith that were cleared from all things, were justified freely from all things from which we could not be but the law of Moses.
And certainly Paul brought out the truth of the new creation.
That were new creatures in Christ. He brought out the precious truth as to the heavenly calling of the Saints. Paul's doctrine.
He brought out the present truth of the testimony of the Church, the truth of the one body.
That's Paul's doctrine, which we are committed to hold in practice. We meet people sometimes that say that all they believe.
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They believe the truth of the one body, but do they practice it? That's the question. And they'll say sometimes, Oh well, we're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus too, What's the difference? Well, if you examine it closely, you'll see that they function independently and you can bring that before them that in practice that they are not holding the truth of the one body. What a most important and vital truth in connection with Paul's doctrine.
It's Paul's doctrine that unfolds in detail the truth of the Rapture.
There's many dear believers that hold and enjoy that truth, and yet they won't go farther.
Impulse doctrine, they won't go farther, but yet they hold that. Thank God that they hold at least that much truth and maybe justification by faith, I really believe. But that aspect of Pauls doctrine was brought to light once again at the time of the Reformation.
You remember how the story goes when Martin Luther was walking on his knees up this tower?
And that passage in Habakkuk come before him. The just shall live by faith.
Three times over, that's quoted in the New Testament, and each time I believe the Spirit of God would lay emphasis on a certain aspect of that quotation.
But what a wonderful quotation in the Old Testament. The just shall live by faith, and the truth of it is unfolded and unfolded.
In the book of Romans. Wonderful isn't it? How we can have the righteousness of God as a gift?
And be justified freely from all things.
Well, this is Paul's doctrine. Of course, we know that it was given to Paul, as we mentioned in the reading meeting the present state.
Of the believer that if they depart this light, they're absent from the body present with the Lord.
Also, it's impulse doctrine that we learn that we'll have a body.
Like his body of glory, isn't that nice to consider that he is able to subdue all things unto himself, and so these poor bodies of humiliation, he's going to change them and fashion them like his.
Body of glory? Doesn't that give you a warm feeling? Oh, you know, as you get a little older.
Some of you, dear ones, have experienced far more of the breaking down of the body than I have, of course.
And I'm thankful I'm still able to do a few things, but I can't do what I did when I was 20 years old.
So and you notice limitations begin to come in and those of you who have really experienced.
These feelings, the breaking down of the body, you can appreciate more fully that precious truth that He's going to take these four bodies of humiliation and fashion them like unto His body of glory, whereby He is able, He's able to subdue all things unto himself. After all, He's the Creator. He's the one that made us. What is it to Him to bring those bodies back together?
Though they may be scattered off across the sea or into dust, what is to Him to take those bodies and resurrect them? The mighty power of resurrection to know Him and the power of His resurrection. Isn't it a marvelous thing to consider that at the grave of Lazarus, had the Lord Jesus not specifically said Lazarus come forth, every grave would have opened up?
It's the power. It's the voice of the Son of God.
What can resist that? So he will have it his way.
And he'll have each one just like himself. God will not be satisfied with anything less. He wants every believer just like Christ.
As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall bear the image.
Of the heavenly one, it could be it's a person. We're going to bear his image. We shall be like him, or we shall see him as he is. How is he? Oh, he's glorious. He's glorious in the presence of God. He's glorious and we don't know what he's like.
But we'll know in that day to see him, and we'll know that we'll be just like him. And when we see every believer, we'll see that they're just like Christ. Oh, we'll still have our identities. Of course we won't be. We won't be as if we're lost in the crowd. But each one, I believe, will have their identity, and each one will be perfect in Christ. Well, of course, that's the work of the Spirit of God now in a moral way, to bring us up to our standing, to the fullness of the stature.
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Of Christ so Paul's doctrine is a marvelous thing to consider well that isn't all of course you know it's in Pauls doctrine that we learn the significance of that one loaf on the table Lords day morning and did we not enjoy that and here we can view that one loaf and.
We can consider that one unbroken loaf. We can see in it a picture of all believers represented in him weeping. Many are one bread, one loaf. It could be so. Those are aspects of Paul's doctrine most important and vital truth. Dispensationally, we are under Paul. Now turn with me to First Timothy, and let's get a little scriptural license for what we're about to do.
In first Timothy chapter one here once again he talks about this glorious gospel, verse 11, or the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. How keenly he felt it, and I thank Christ Jesus our Lord.
Who hath enabled me for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.
Who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious. You ought to read Mr. Darby's translation on this.
Passage something like an insulin overbearing man was very unflattering. He tells this all on himself. What a difficult person. He must have been furious.
But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. Remember the Lord Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. There was really no provision in the Old Testament for presumptuous sins.
Keep thou thy servant from presumptuous sins. Psalm 19. I did it ignorantly and unbelief.
And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love.
Which is in Christ Jesus exceeding abundance with faith and love. Can any of us here say that it is not so with each of us? Are we not all trophies of the grace of God? Has there not been an abundance of this grace bestowed upon us? The very faith that we have was a gift all His love manifested to us, which is in Christ Jesus.
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, albeit for this cause I obtain mercy, that in me first the 1St or the Chief Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Then he gives that lovely doxology.
Here was an example of the grace of God that surpassed all that the chief was actually saved. And of course we hear these accounts sometimes of some tribal chief that was saved. And what a change it can bring, you know, when the grace of God works in that way.
So here was the chief of sinners. He was saved, and what a turn that was. So Paul speaks of himself in this respect as a pattern.
That is a pattern of all long-suffering, the whole long-suffering that could read and the other translation, that is it reaches all the way back to man's entry into this world and sin and God's patience, his forbearance with the sins that were passed as we have in Romans 3. And now finally here we have in a man such a violent opposer to the truth, such a violent opposer to the name of Jesus and the grace of.
God was manifest to him and the change came about.
So he's a pattern of all long-suffering. And Paul is so open about all of these things and he never really forgave himself. You might say God forgave him, but he says I'm the least of All Saints and not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God, never really kind of forgave himself.
And we see that all of that, no doubt, was used toward his humility. But we have, I believe, scriptural license here to consider Paul as a pattern.
Certainly He became the patterned St. and the Holy followed Christ. There's no question about it. He wholly followed Christ. And that's what we want to consider. We want to take off a pattern in that connection. One time I was in a school classroom and talking to, I think some 5th grade or 6th grade students, and I was laboring to try to explain.
00:15:20
A parable to them, or something of that sort.
And some boy held up his hand and I said, yes, he says, Sir, do you mean an allegory? I said, yeah, that's right, an an allegory. They understood better than I thought an allegory. And so I believe we have imposed life and circumstances.
An allegory. A lesson in the things that happened to him. A lesson.
So linked with his doctrine that we can't miss it. We can't miss it. And I think that's exceedingly important to follow this line of thought. All right, back up with me now to Philippians, Philippians Chapter 3.
Philippians, Chapter 3.
Verse 17.
Brethren.
The followers.
Together of me and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example.
Then you notice also that he mentions a similar.
Thing in verse in chapter 4 and verse 9, those things which ye have both learned.
And received and heard, and seen in me do. And the God of peace shall be with you.
Now certainly it isn't our thought to eulogize a person, because we'll see as we read on that really it was Christ.
His example without a question, in fact, right here in Philippians 3.
If we're following the context of his remark here, we would have to back up to these remarks here in connection with his pursuit. He pictures himself as pressing on towards the goal, and so he's pressing on in verse 14. He's pressing towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. It was Christ.
In glory, that was his object.
And his remarks in all of this third chapter present that thought to us.
He wanted to know him. What's he talking about? Did he not know him?
He says that here.
Let's see.
My eye doesn't catch it now.
Yes, thank you.
To know him? Isn't that an interesting statement of scripture? What does he mean?
He wanted to know him better.
Of course it's unlimited. It's unlimited.
But how much do we really know the Lord now? That's a good question for my heart, is it not? For each of our hearts. How much do we really know the Lord now? I suppose no one knew him like the Apostle Paul. Yet he says to know Him, he wants to know him better. It's an inexhaustible subject.
John could say, I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that should be written of the things which Jesus did. Well, what did he do? Oh, we can't take it all in because John's gospel, of course, is so mysterious. It's the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh. But I, I feel satisfied in that coming day of glory, the Lord will delight himself in unfolding these precious things.
Precious things, but Scripture puts a check on us. No man knows the Son, save the Father, and so forth. There's a check on us, and we should.
Be careful how much we delve into these things. What is revealed is for our.
Blessing our benefit, we can rejoice and we can desire to know Him better.
But you understand these thoughts, but you know Paul with this objective before him.
He just counted his former advantages as nothing.
That's what he means when he says forgetting those things that are behind verse 13. What things? All these advantages.
That he had in the flesh circumcised. Verse 5. Circumcised the 8th day.
There's covenant pride of the stock of Israel. There's racial or national pride.
Of the tribe of Benjamin there's tribal pride that's like saying that that I belong to a certain.
00:20:00
Ethnic group within a certain country, you know what I mean and Hebrew of Hebrews that's like ancestry crimes. All these things can come into the hearts of anyone of us and say well my former background was this and this and this. We went to visit a cemetery of our family connection in the east and somebody went to a great deal of trouble to put in a whole new tombstone because the old tombstone couldn't be read that to made one of the first.
Ancestor Ancestors to be a commander of a French fleet.
That's spectacular, isn't it? But what does that mean Now? See, he's been dead and gone for years and years and years, but it was important enough to somebody to make a whole new tombstone in English instead of French, so everybody could see that he was commander of a French fleet.
Ancestral pride touching the law of Pharisee. Religious pride concerning zeal, the pride of zeal persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is of the law. Blameless. Well, you see, all of these things made a person of his rank and caliber and character exceeding pride, but proud. But what does he say?
But those things which were gained to me, those I counted loss.
Verse seven for Christ.
Yeah, doubtless, and I count all things but loss.
For the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, And do count them but dung, or that should redraw. There might be a little commercial value in dung, but not dross. That I may win Christ, and be found of him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is.
Of God by faith and so forth, all those majestic terms. And so he says, forgetting those things that are behind.
Now, I kind of like to contrast this passage with the end of verse eight of chapter 4 here. In one place we're told to forget things. In another place we're told to think upon them. Remember. Well, when you consider verse 8, and I might just say this, that verse eight of chapter 4.
A brother said to us one time after Lord's Day, when some of us boys were just right after Lords day we come to this home and we all sat down and there were the the funny papers, the comic papers. We picked them up and started all pouring over them and this brother.
Laid out a little for our conscience. You know he says did you ever notice him Lippians 48 that we have kind of a divine sieve that hit the conscience a divine sieve well you can really test things by this will they get through this sieve verse 8 think on these things I've enjoyed this thought too that.
If you consider all of these virtues here.
Of verse eight you can certainly put the Lord Jesus Christ.
He qualifies in all respects.
So if we think on him, he meets all of qualifications. But there I am drifting.
Far from our portion, but Paul said in verse 17, rather than be followers together of me.
But here he also brings in others as an example. O brethren, how thankful I am for the example of my brother. How thankful I was as a young person for the steady example of older brothers. It was such a help to me and encouragement to me. I thank God for them.
And let me say this, that everyone of us, I believe, are having an influence upon others, either for good or for bad. That's something to think about, isn't it? Just what kind of a an influence are we asserting? Are we making it easier or more difficult for them to go on for Christ?
We need to weigh that in our own conscience, but I think that's lovely how Paul brings in those mark them which walk. So as you have us for an example, but it was that example.
Christ. Paul was pressing on. He had a goal before him, and that was Christ.
In glory, he says, brethren, be followers together of me. He was wholly following Christ. And here God gives us an example of one who had such grace that he could have that object before him, that pure object before him. That's lovely to see how the grace of God can work in a fellow man like ourselves.
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Now back up over here to 1St Corinthians.
First Corinthians.
Chapter 11.
First Corinthians, Chapter 11.
Verse one Here we have it again.
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now you see the way in which He brings that in its context. Again, I believe we'll have to back up.
Will have to consider his earlier remarks in this 10th chapter. And so he says in verse 31.
Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. I might just say in passing that here is a verse that will take care of all the Gray area questions people sometimes say, Show me a scripture.
Here's a scripture. This will cover all the Gray areas whatsoever. Whether therefore he eat or drink or whatsoever he do do all to the glory of God. Is it brother or is it not to the glory of God?
An older brother said to me one time several years ago, or I don't. I believe he said it in a reading. He says I believe that the criterion for the judgment seat of Christ.
Was whether it was or was not to the glory of God? Isn't that a solemn thing to consider?
How refining is this verse? Verse 32 give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God.
O brethren, isn't it easy to give offense? Let's just check up on ourselves over these things. You know we can do things. We can react even towards those of the world. We can react in such a way that we clip off their ears so we can't talk to them about the Lord. If you show a heat of feeling over some matter, if you do something that.
You know is not right and people can't irritate you.
Is that right? If they come up close and follow you too close in your car, they won't dim their headlights.
Things can irritate you so quickly and you might do something yourself, something rashly or say something in such a tight situation so that you don't have the liberty to talk to them about the Lord.
Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God, even as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own prophet, but the prophet of many, that they may be saved. Now we see in the Lord Jesus the greatest example of this. Like Peter says, who do, who did went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil?
Where he went he showed kindness and did good now, and the thought of pleasing all men is only in the sense of winning their souls. There's no thought that we could link up with the thought of men pleasers in that sense. That's a different thing. But here we see how the Apostle was really all things to all men, that he might by all means save some. He was concerned for their souls, and careful in that respect.
What an example.
And he refers to the Lord Jesus in that way as the great example. Now turn over to the 4th chapter.
You see, we're building a framework here for following call for our pattern.
Chapter 41 Corinthians.
Verse 16.
Wherefore I beseech you, be followers of me.
Again, do we back up for the context of this remark?
It's a thing that reaches the conscience surely. Verse 14. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons, I warn you. For though ye have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers?
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For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel, wherefore I beseech you be followers of me. I believe the thought of a Father is one who has care for the children. Simple enough. And what a nice, a nice element that is in the assembly, that true and genuine care for the Saints of God. It means so much towards the well-being of the assembly.
There's always ample instruction, it seems, but it's not an appreciated work always to try and help the Saints in a quiet way, in a pastoral way. But how valued of the Lord it is. And the apostle again, was an excellent example in that respect. The care of all the churches came upon him daily. He was concerned about the Saints of God. He didn't just evangelize and forget them.
Like we so often do.
But rather he followed it up and he sought them out and he was concerned and cared for them.
So now brethren, we've had some clear cut statements about following Paul and I do not believe.
We can separate it in thought from his doctrine. Turn with me now to Second Timothy, chapter 2.
These things are known to most here in the room this afternoon. But I think that we need to continuously repeat truth. Don't you think so? Because you've got new ones coming along, you've got children coming up that need to know these things. And Paul, you remember what Paul said? He said to write the same things unto you. To me is not grievous, but for you to save.
Repeating things is safe. We think people know things, but we might be very surprised at what they don't know.
You might be surprised at what, I don't know, but at any rate, we should repeat things. And Peter even says to bring things to your remembrance.
Well, as to the present truth, all right, So we need to repeat truth in Second Timothy.
Chapter One.
Here we have a lamentable remark of the Apostle. Tragic to read such a thing. Verse 15.
Of Second Timothy, Chapter one.
This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom is the jealous and homogeneous.
You know, trouble comes in pairs. Isn't it clever of the enemy to imitate God's order?
The Lord sent them out by twos, and the enemy would imitate that ample witness to. And so the enemy comes, and their their men, their men that are not.
Rough in character sometimes they may be very nice personality. That's an extra test. I believe these names here would indicate maybe lovely things.
And you have them. You notice this in Timothy, especially Hymenaeus and Fleet is Janice and Jamrie's.
The jealous and her manganese and others trouble in pairs. And so these men no doubt were leadership in this feeling against Paul. They no doubt used used the circumstance of he being a prisoner to to speak against him and to turn the Saints away from Paul. But brethren, this is a far deeper thought here than just simply people that were turning away.
Person. I don't think there's any thought that they turned away from Christ, but there was decidedly a turning away from Paul.
And the full blown effect and result is that generally, Christendom has departed from Paul. You know that. You know that's what's happened.
Now Paul here draws attention to a one person.
The Lord give mercy, verse 16 unto the House of onusiferous.
For he OFT refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.
But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me the Lord. Grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day, and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus. Thou knowest very well how interesting he cites out a person here. We're not told really whether or not he fell in with this.
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Asiatic departure from Paul? That's beside the point.
Paul draws attention to the diligence of this dear God to find him in Rome. After all, you know, they didn't care about prisoners. I doubt if they had any registry of names or anything of that sort and define Paul in a big city like Rome. Which jail? Which prison was he in? He had to search out very diligently until he found them, brother, and this is falling into place.
With the allegory, With the picture.
Here I believe it suggests to us the way of finding Paul. It takes diligence.
If there's a true and a genuine desire to know, to know Paul's doctrine, to know the truth and to be.
Truly gathered to the Lord's name. According to Paul's doctrine, a sincere soul will search and be let on of the Lord. I believe that soul. So this, this fits the picture, I believe. And the thought of diligence. Diligence. We can't just go out on the street corner and proclaim.
Doctrine can we can proclaim the gospel, but we can't proclaim it in that way. And so you have in that same allegory type picture you have the way Pauls doctrine was received. They came to him as it were in his own hired house for two years. He received all that came unto him, that is they sought him out. So I believe there's a lesson in these things and that's encouraging to our hearts. The Lord knows he knows the heart and.
A sincere desire to know his will. He that will do his will, will practice his will.
Shall know of the doctrine. And so this is a way back to Paul, as it were. A way back. Now. If we were going to follow through this line of an allegory, where would we go to consider it? I think the book of Acts gives us the fullest picture there. There must be a number of lessons in this connection with Paul. Why don't we just go to the book of Acts now while we have a few minutes and see if we can trace out a picture?
Two that would add force to this line of thought.
I believe if we lay hold of this thought in principle, it may help us to regard the privilege.
The great advantage to know Paul's doctrine and to be in fellowship with those who hold Paul's doctrine, because it is not held and generally accepted.
Well, how about the 9th of Acts? His conversion is a great lesson in itself.
You know these things mostly, but let's draw a little attention to it. Acts 9, verse one. And Saul yet breathing out, threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them down.
Unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus.
And suddenly.
There shine round about him a light.
From heaven in another place he says a great light. In another place he says the light above the brightness of the noonday sun. His thoughts keep elevating over this whole thing. Why? Because of the source of that light, God. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined into our poor dark hearts to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Precious thoughts before us this morning and so here it's all falling into place.
And he fell to the Earth. What else could he do? What power and light. We know that we're learning now, just by modern technology that there's tremendous power in light. They can do things with lasers that astound us. There's power and light.
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? A brother remarked, that that this is the most intimate expression of our union with Christ.
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Isn't that nice? Why persecute a style me to touch those poor believers, poor and maybe weak and fearful of this persecution. To touch them was to touch Christ. Oh, how very solemn are these thoughts. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? He's trembling now. He knows that he's talking to a divine being. He knows it and he's afraid.
Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus.
Whom now persecutest, and he trembling and astonished.
Said Lord, what will I'll have them to do?
Oh, Can you imagine what went through his mind? What went through his soul?
At that time when he learned for the first time that that voice.
Was Jesus the very name He despised the very name and those attached to that name whom he persecuted? It was one and the same. But what a state he was in. He was breathing out, slaughtering the word of God. You know the Spirit of God uses such descriptive language. There's nothing to equal it. The Spirit of God can put a thing in such a short and an expressive way that there's no other way that it could be.
Better. So meaningful. You've got to breathe constantly to retain life. Every breath in and out. We don't want to miss too many breaths. How long can you hold your breath? A minute. Tony Kelly off in Nassau can hold his breath for two or three minutes as he used to going down undersea. But you've got to breathe all the time. And his hatred was such towards the name of Jesus that his very breath was slaughtered. Get rid of him.
To death with him, Imprison them, Stop it. He was violently opposed to that name and there was no regard for for age, sex, person or what. And so here he is now he's extending in his violence.
But he stopped by the bright light from heaven. Oh, you can see how all the picture, how all of that was impressed on his soul. And he had to be blind for those three days to have it deeply impressed upon him, how spiritually blind he was. But I did it ignorantly, in unbelief.
So God was merciful to him, but now, now he knows and there is a complete change, a total change. And though his going and preaching into the synagogue after that was not a part of his formal ministry.
We see, however, immediately he preaches that Jesus is the Son of God. He brings that forcibly before them, and every Jew has got to come to them.
Israel in a coming day to come in to bless them. They've got to come to that. Rabbi. Thou art the Son of God, the King of Israel.
Nathaniel says. And every, every born again Jew has to come to that.
Well, anyway, Paul was trying to persecute that way, and just in passing I might say that the early believers took no name upon themselves.
They didn't take the name upon themselves. If someone says, well, what church do you go to, brethren, how do we answer them?
How do we answer them? It's difficult sometimes, is it not, to give a good, honest, faithful answer. May the Lord help us at least to say, Well, I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm gathered to his precious name.
May the Lord give us grace at least to say that they may not understand it, of course.
Because they're so used to systematized air that they don't understand they want to handle well, what's what? You must have an animal.
But you notice in the early part of the Acts, they didn't take a name. Oh, they were first called Christians at Antioch. The description fit.
But they just made reference to him of that way. Did anyone mistake what was meant when they said, oh, they're of that way? No, not at all. The testimony was so strong, so powerful that all they had to say owner of that way and it was well understood what it was.
Now turn over to the 13th chapter of Acts.
Now here we begin Paul's formal ministry. His formal ministry.
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And I might just say this, that it's really the Spirit of God that does the sending. It isn't the assembly, but they concur with it. They recognize that this is truly of the Lord. And so the thought is being let go verse nuts in a way in verse four. So they being sent forth or let go by the Holy Ghost, or rather sent forth of the Holy Ghost.
I guess verse three would be the thought of let go.
So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost.
Way in verse four, so they being sent forth or let go by the Holy Ghost, or rather sent forth of the Holy Ghost. I guess verse three would be the thought of let go.
So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto solution, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God and the synagogue unto the Jews, and they had also John to their minister. And when they had gone through the aisle unto pathos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar Jesus.
Counterfeit bar Jesus.
Which was the deputy of the country? Which was with the deputy of the country? Sergius Paulus?
A prudent man who called for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the word of God.
But Elemis the sorcerer, for so is his name by interpretation withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him and said, Oh, full of all subtlety and all mischief.
While child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind.
Not seeing the sun or a season and immediately there fell on him amidst.
And a darkness. And he went about seeking some to lead him for the hen. Now I might just say this at the outset.
That you have first of all opposition outwardly.
To Paul Paul's doctrine.
Didn't think of it that way. And then it seems that the Spirit of God would convey the thought of trouble arising within in opposition to Paul.
Well, we'll think about that, Lord willing, perhaps a little later. But if this seems to me.
To be the first real opposition to Paul. That is, it's a Jewish source.
And what are what is the attempt to hinder the Gentile from hearing the gospel? That's exactly what you have in in First Thessalonians. I'll just read it to you. You don't have to turn to it.
It says.
Verse 14 of chapter 2. For brethren, and for ye brethren became followers of the churches of God, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews.
Who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us, and they please not God, and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved to fill up their sins always, for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. We were speaking a little this afternoon in the reading over that matter, how that those who have had such opportunity and grace.
Who hardened their hearts?
Ultimately wrath comes upon them and it did upon the nation. They they resisted the gospel. They became jealous when they saw the gospel being preached to the Gentiles and that the Gentiles were receiving it. Can you imagine that they would witness that work of grace and resent it and oppose it and try to block it? And this is exactly what we have here. And so.
Paul takes action, which is very interesting because I believe that in a certain sense.
He kind of shuts the door on the nation there in the end of Acts after they had agreed not to believe. And then Paul quotes that prophecy from Isaiah as to the blindness that comes upon the people and the hardness of the heart because they refused and refused and refused the grace of God.
And so Paul takes action in that regard here and speaks about blindness, and that's the state of the nation. Now. They're in a state of blindness. They don't recognize these things or a few here and there through the grace of God. But largely those of Israel are blind to these things. Or a season. You see the grace of God in that little statement, Thou shalt be blind for a season. Well, you know, brethren, just as soon.
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As the Lord gives that shout and we're caught away to meet the Lord in the air.
Then he began to work in the hearts of Israel again. They'll begin. Their eyes will begin to open up.
And they'll begin to respond and it'll be a new work of grace, a wondrous work of grace, and it'll be a work in the heart, the the law written in the heart and so forth is it's developed. So anyway, the picture is falling into place, it seems to me now, one other passage and then we'll have to close over in chapter 14.
We have now we have some opposition from the Gentile as well as the Jew.
And here we see that Satan cleverly, when he couldn't get Paul and Barnabas to accept worship from the people, which would have corrupted the testimony. Well, then we see that he stirs all people up against them, these these Gentiles that were so enamored by this miraculous deed and who wanted to make gods out of Paul and Barnabas. And I might just.
In passing that, they called Paul Mercurious, and maybe that bothered Barnabas a little bit because he was the chief speaker.
I don't know, but here they stone Paul. See verse 19. They stoned him.
And drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Verse 20. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him or encircled him, he rose up and came into the city, brother. And that's exactly how the testimony goes on today. That's how the testimony was raised up once again of God was because of the disciples encircling Paul. You get the picture. And so by the grace of God, there are those that are encircling Paul today. Thank God.
For that.
Job 1
Address—B. Bauman
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I know the chapter divisions are not always inspired, but I do think that through the God had something to do with them.
So I would just mention that 40.
Is God's number of full testing and probation.
So we have 40 chapters of that with our dear servant of God, Job.
Court trial and court testing by God with the object in view of bringing out what is in Maya, and then God could strengthen what he has put in man's soul. That's really the testing time of Job and the purpose.
Then, once Job went through God's complete probationary test and endured, then the blessings could flow out.
That's the last two chapters.
Two testimony to the last two chapters, 41 and 42.
Really speak of the testimony to God's power and sovereignty at 41 and 42, to God's love and blessing, which is His nature.
So in chapter 42 we have the Lord's blessing upon Job. The Lord gave Job twice as much as He had before. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than His beginning.
I'm going to give a little background before we even have a hymn because, you know, let me go a little quicker, a little faster through the chapter once we have established the background.
Sometimes.
There is wonder, and we don't need wonder with the word of God, but there is of who wrote Job.
And most have concluded it was Moses.
I know in Scott's handbook of the Bible he has decided it must have been Moses.
And William Kelly and job the same. And most recently?
AC Brown.
But you know, Job was contemporary of Moses and Abraham.
1520 BC. This was written to 1520 BC. The latter years of Abraham and the former first years of Moses.
But I think God gave us just enough clue in Job to tell us who the writer, the penman was.
But not so much that we make much of dependence because God's the author of the whole word of God. The Penguin isn't that important, but I just mentioned this.
In chapter 32, we won't turn to it now, but verse 15 to 16 and also verse 10 and 32, we have the clue. You know, Job is written by dialogue, first introduction to the speaker and then dialogue. This is the only place it isn't.
It's Eli who and in that place it says this. They the three friends of Job were amazed. They answered no more. They left off speaking and now notice when I had waited for they spake not, but stood still and answered no more than I said I will answer also my part. That's the only place and what other in verse 10.
That instead of saying Eli, who waited until the three, which was the way it is all the way through.
And then Eli who said, I believe Eli who was dependent, if it makes any difference.
His name means God. Is he God? Is he?
He was there through the whole time. Now one other thing might look at Joel. Now these names have meaning because everything in the word of God has the meaning.
God cannot have an idle thought. It's impossible. As I have thought, so shall it be.
Says the Lord. Now we don't need to know the meanings of all the names to enjoy and appreciate reading the word of God. I don't mean that, but you get a fuller understanding if you have the names of the of the of the the meanings of the name. You take the name Bethany. It has two meanings and some of these names have two meanings. And don't let that bother you. You look to the Spirit of God to tell you when the meeting.
The particular meeting is applicable.
Bethany has two meanings, and it means the House of affliction, but it also means the House of response.
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I use that as an example because when the Lord first came to Bethany, things were out of order. They were not in order there. Lazarus wasn't there.
Martha was cumbered about with much serving and distressed in her soul anguish. Mary was at his feet.
But, you know, a source of jealousy.
There wasn't an order.
So the next time the Lord first sent affliction in Bethany, affliction, the House of affliction. Bethany is the type of the assembly you know today.
Lord does that the north wind, and so Lazarus is sick.
Now you find Mary and Martha of one mind together, calling for the Lord.
And so in chapter 12 of John's Gospel, you'll have Bethany the House of Respond.
Because the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead and gave him back to the sisters.
That affliction was needed and so you have now Bethany means the House of response. You know the chapter the 1St 3 verses the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Now Job it means the cry of woe. But Job also means I will exclude.
And so we're going to have over 40 chapters that much the cry of Wolf. But then at the end we're going to have I well exclaimed. That's the purpose of it. Now I just mentioned.
Why all the afflictions? Why all the trouble in trials, in job price or I could say in your life or a loved ones life? Why?
It's because God loves you too much not to have the best for and from you. That's the reason He loved Job too much not to have the best from Job, and then for him. And that's the whole purpose of the book, to tell us that story. Now the trial of Job can only be fully appreciated with four truths.
That run through the word of God in mind and love with the expensive them and they're very important, the first one.
Nothing happens to a child of God.
Unless there's a need be, that's first Peter in the first chapter, verse five and six and you can look it up. There's a need be or it won't happen. Second chastisement is always a family affair.
Chastisement. It's an act of love of God.
Toward you, his child.
It always is that I would mention Hebrews 12/6 on that whom the Lord loveth, He chastened. And that's the second principle. The third is all things work together for good to them who love God according to His purpose.
That's the Romans 828 and the 4th is something Job had to learn, and we have to learn. I know that in me that is my flesh is no good faith. Those four things must be kept in mind when we consider Job now the best the Lord could do for a child of God once he saves him.
Just take him home. That's the best. Take him home, the worst. Leave in here to his own way.
But he doesn't do either.
He sends us.
Here because that's our home, as the Father has sent me. So if I sent you where? Ambassadors of Christ right here, walking epistles known in red of all men.
Then he worked with us, as he did with Joe. By afflictions, that's true. By child, by troubles in our lives, by the North wind, if you will, sometimes. So He can bring the best out of us and have food from us while we're here. Our life in this world, all for his glory, all for His glory. These are just a few of the things.
One other thing Job was a real person.
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Today in criticism, I talked to more and more preachers and ministers who are convinced in their heart and mind that Job is a myth, merely a parable filled up by God to give an example.
I want you to know Joseph is a real person.
He really lived will see him turn to Ezekiel for this. I want to just give a scripture then we'll get on turn to Ezekiel 14. God made sure there would be no doubt about this verse 12.
Ezekiel 1412 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, Son of Man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out my hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send salmon upon it. Verse 14 Though these three men.
Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it. They should deliver what their own souls by their righteousness, said the Lord God. Another plague is noisome beef. Verse 16. Though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters. They only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate, and the sword, and after the sword the pestilence, and verse 20.
Go know know what Daniel and Job were in it. As I live, says the Lord, They shall deliver neither sons nor daughters. They shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
If they deny Job lived, then they'd have to deny Daniel lived and Noah too.
Well, that's that God makes sure of this. I just mentioned Job was noted for his patience. James five, I think it's probably verse 11. But anyway, he was noted for his patience, but it's in that very trait that Job failed miserably.
Pleasurably, Moses was noted for his weakness #23 but it was in that very trait that Moses failed.
Miserably. Solomon was noted for his wisdom, but it's in that very trait that Solomon failed miserably. There's a lesson in joke for all of us, you see.
Patience, weak and wise, wonderful attributes, but without the Lord it all failed. Without the Lord it's all failure. That's the story. Now there's a warning to each of us. I would just mention Peter.
Peter was bold in his testimony for the Lord. He was outgoing, he was courageous. But isn't isn't that very trade? He failed when he said to the Lord, though everyone forsake thee, I will never forsake thee, even under death.
As you know, the third time he cursed as he denied he knew Jesus in the presence of a little maid failed miserably. Well, the warning to all of us is like this place. Let's never forget it. We need to learn it. Jill had to learn it. Flesh is flesh. It's no good. Whether it's in a prophet, a priest, apostle, or just the same or a Sinner, flesh is the same.
Flesh is the same.
Now the last thought here, the patience of Job James 11 Says, behold, we count them happy, which endure Job endureth. And so I'll just give you the last four things that we'll say.
All chastisement, all affliction can be reacted to in four ways. First.
You can despise it. This is Hebrews 12. Job never did. Never.
Secondly, you can faint under it. This joke never did.
3rd you can endure it. Jill did this, but too long. Too long.
Force is the purpose of it all. You can be exercised by it and look to God. Finally, Joe did it at the blessings gave them. Now let's turn to a hip. That much background is needed that we could get going in the hymn 209.
Chapter one of Job verse one. Chapter one, verse one.
There was a man in the land of earth whose name was Joe. That man was perfect and upright and one that feared God. And they shoot evil, I could add. And he was righteous because that's Ezekiel 14. He was righteous as well. Think of what the Lord said or God said in that short verse, you see?
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Job is introduced by God himself because only God knew Job and all about it.
Just as only God could have introduced with one verse Nehemiah, because God knew all about him, He knows all about each one of us.
He could write what he just wrote. It's wonderful, isn't it?
So God tells us all about Job in the first verse, practically.
Except one thing about his character, one thing that God was about to take care of. And that's what this book is all about. The book of Joe.
There was a man in the land of woods.
Oz means counselor, counselor, consular consulate and that's what Job was in the land. Turn to chapter 29. Might be good to have a verse on that chapter 29 of Job.
I think it's the end of it.
29 And the last two verses are right there. Chapter 29. Well, I'll take verse 21. Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silent at my console. That's us after my words they spake not again my speech dropped upon them.
Verse 25 I chose out their way and set chief, and dwelt as a king.
In the army as one that comfort us as mourners. Yes Job the land of us first verse. He was a counselor where he was people listened to him respect.
Now I might mention he's also said he's perfect.
God uses that word in different ways and sometimes we use it in the world. Perfect for a child of God is one who is full grown, mature in things of God.
Christian is a perfect one, as we read in Timothy, if he takes in the word of God, his foregrowth, and can take strong lead, God calls that perfect. The next thing upright. Well, that's one who keeps a short account, isn't it? One who, if he sins, goes to God right away and confesses it. That's Job wonderful to see it. God fearing and one who could.
Eschew evil.
And choose the good and righteous, all these things.
Job was what was the problem. Then the first verse tells us what he was in God's sight. He could say to Satan himself, There's none like my servant Job in all the earth, and unlike him, what was the problem? There is a problem.
It's simple.
Job did not know himself. That's the problem. Do you? That's the problem.
I know that in me that is my flesh is no good thing.
This needs to be said in the morning and in the night and during the day.
I know that in me that is by flesh is no good thing. That's a lesson Job had to learn.
Job had to be broken down.
Because God only uses broken material.
And he loves to use it.
That's that's the book of Job, thou God uses who he will for this.
To breakdown Job, God went through with him a stripping process. He stripped him of everything.
And he uses who he will.
To the first one he used to face it.
God will use faithfully.
Used him twice, two times. Then he used Job's wife. That's the third vessel that he used. Then he uses Joe's three friends at six. The 7th one he used was Eli who which means God is he. I believe for us a type of the Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God, who always brings in Christ, who always introduces the Lord and the Word.
Finally, the 8th is the Lord Himself. All this was necessary.
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To break Job down, now we've had what Job was, verse one. Now we're going to look at what Job had, what Job did, what God did, what Satan did, what Satan did again, and what Job's wife did. That's all in the first chapter or so.
Then we'll take the life as built there. And so far his three friends, so-called, I have to say, so-called.
And finally, Eli, who? Then the Lord himself. Now Eli, who brings God into the matter for the first time. His name is God. Is he? He introduces God.
And then the Lord himself could speak the joke when he was stripped of everything. So now we'll go to verse one again and or chapter one. Now we'll look at the verse 2. This is what Job has.
They were born under Job, seven sons and three daughters. Is that beautiful 10 children he had?
You see, seven and three are both scripturally heavenly numbers.
Seven speaks of heavenly completeness or perfection. 3 is a divine number which often refers to resurrection life.
10 is the scriptural number for man's responsibility to God. So in that short verse we have seven sons and three daughters, 10 children. We're told Joe's children had divine life and they were going on well as well as that, and Joe was a responsible father.
That's what Job had. Now what else did he have? Verse three. His substance also was 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 chiases, and a very great household. Really that should be husbandry, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.
First of all, 7000 sheep. Sheep speak of discipleship following.
Seven is heavenly number of completeness or perfection, and I believe it tells us that Job was a follower of the Lord. His walk was such that you could tell he feared God and Christ. Isn't it 3000 camels? The camels speak of dignity.
An authority or power.
Three, of course.
Is the divine number, and I believe all the respect and the power and dignity guilt had where he was came because of his acknowledgement of God and it shows.
5500 yoke of Oxford and 500 chiases.
Five is man's #5 is man's number. Now we're getting to the problem. All the other was true, but now the problem.
The oxen speaks of work and flesh with, and the ***** of course, speak of pride, stubbornness, or willfulness.
Joel was proud of what he was doing.
There it is. He was doing a lot.
He was proud of himself for it. The problem Now notice verse four. His sons went and feasted in their houses, everyone his day. So there were seven days. They had a feast every day and it's nice they included their sisters with them.
Now what Job did verse five, It was so when the days of their feasting were gone, about that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered brutal offerings according to the number of his children. For Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.
This did job not continually day by day. It should say every day.
Just one of the things he did.
Because his sons may have sinned in their heart.
Didn't offer an offering for himself. He didn't have the thought that he could.
God knows, God knew the problem. Not sure, but he did a lot of other things too. I think it's nice to know it at the outset. And we'll go back to chapter 29 and I'll give it to you very briefly because these are things Joe did and they're all true. They're all true. Not just was he a counselor where he was, but 29 will tell us quickly here.
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Verse.
Well, I'm just going to brief it here.
12 I delivered the poor, I delivered the fatherless of him that had none to help. 13 At the end I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, it closed me. 15 I was eyes to the blind, I was feet to the lame, I was the father to the poor. We could go on.
It's all true. It's all true.
Don't get all those things.
Now let's go back. That's what Joe did. He prayed every morning, he offered to sacrifice every morning, he sanctified his children, and he did all those wonderful things. What a list.
Now what God did to verse six. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. Satan came also among them. Where? In heaven?
Sacred in heaven? Yes, he's in heaven, the trees in heaven. Not the eternal heaven where God is and dwells and dwells, but the created heaven.
The Lord said unto Satan, Whence cometh thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, to walking up and down in it. And that is still what he's doing today.
First Peter. Five. I think it's seven. The devil walketh about is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
There it is, still doing it.
The Lord said unto Satan, Hath thou considered? Now that word considered in another translation is, set thy heart upon? Think about this half thousand heart of one, my servant Joe. God is the one that raised this issue with Satan.
There's none like him in the earth. A perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and assures evil. Don't forget Ezekiel 14. He was righteous.
Joe was a true St. He had divine life.
He just did not know himself. It took 40 chapters with it. He didn't know himself.
Verse 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said just killed, feared God for nothing.
Satan is the accuser of brethren always, and don't forget it.
He is the accuser of brethren all.
Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of His hands, and his substances increased in the land. Who wouldn't be an example of sensation?
What put forth by hand now, and touch all that Joseph, and he will curse me to my face, he will curse me to thy face of Joe, said Satan. In other words, take all his possessions away, everything we read what he had.
The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he has is in my hand only upon himself. Put not forth thine hand.
God always sets a limit. Never forgive us. He is Father, He is sovereign. He's using Job as his instrument. I'm sorry, He's using Satan as his instrument here to start the shipping process that's so necessary.
But he sets a limit. You can't touch him. He belongs to me.
Isn't that lovely to remember?
So you also Satan, went twice in the presence of the Lord and couldn't wait to get started.
There was a day when Job sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine, and their eldest brother's house. Verse 14. There came a messenger under Job and said the oxen were plowing, the ***** were feeding beside them, and the Sabians fell upon them and took them away. Yeah, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword. I only am escaped alone.
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To tell thee.
Everything's gone. All the oxen, all the acids, all the serpents are dead.
Save what purposefully left so job would hear right away.
The terrible tragedy that's happened, that's why the one was left to tell thee. Now let's look at it a minute. The oxygen and the acid were taken first. Who did it? So be it.
What do you think so being to me?
He who is coming, that's what it means. He who is coming, you know, the first thing that had to be taken away from Job was work, and his pride in it when we read in chapter 29 was true, but Job was happy with himself about it all.
Cried for his work, the oxygen and his five. The oxygen had to be taken away first.
And the lesson for job, and the lesson for you and I.
If we lose sight of him who is coming, we may be a disciple, we may be a child of God, we may be assisted, we may ever walk. That looks good.
But it's all.
For no veil is flesh.
If we lose sight of him, who is coming? Sophia.
That's the first. That's what was wrong with the with the prize in the Song of Solomon. The first time she failed, it said I was asleep on my bed in the night. You see a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands.
And spiritual poverty comes on you like one. A woman in Fairfield, she was in trouble right away, away from the Lord. She lost sight.
Well, I could do one on that we won't the next thing verse 16 while he was yet speaking, there came another and said the fire of God is fallen from heaven, burned up the sheep and all the servants and consumed them. I only have escaped to tell thee all the sheep are gone burned up except one service was left so we could quickly tell jokes. The problem in the terrible calamity.
If you don't have your thoughts on the Lord Jesus Christ, He who is coming, everything you do is mere work.
Their work.
Oxygen, you're going to have pride in it. That's the option. And so you walk. It doesn't mean anything. The chiefs discipleship. That's why the fire here, everything was burned up, caved wood and stubble, nothing for the judgment seat of Christ.
While he was yet speaking, verse 17, there came also another, and said the Chaldeans made out three bands and fell upon the camel, carried them away. Yeah, slain the servants at the edge of the sword. I only am escaped, so I can tell same story. The camels are drawn, the servants are playing all but one, so they could get the best thing to build right away.
Satan doesn't work, doesn't it?
Who took the camels? The Chaldeans?
You know what Chaldeans mean? Quad Breakers.
Quad Breakers.
Camels feet of dignity and power.
In this world.
In Second Kings I think it's chapter 3.
3 kings will yell together, you know, not only alliance for warfare. There they were. They made a compass of seven days. In other words, they were lost.
They went around the circle for seven days, ran out of water, cattle dying. They were in distress.
They called then upon the man of God.
You know what the man of God told him to do.
Big ditches make this valley full of ditches. The soldiers weren't able to fight. The soldiers had to get down their hands and knees and dig up the ground all around.
This is a valley of the shadow of death, he says. I'll make it full addiction. What is that?
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Complete humiliation. Complete humiliation and admitting you're nothingness.
Then the man of God for that such cloud Breakers here.
Joel had to get down there. The Campbells had to go. The Campbells had to go.
Now verse 18, while he was yet speaking.
There came another.
And said my sons and my daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest fathers house, and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smoked the four corners of the house. It fell upon them, and they're dead. I only have escaped alone to tell thee all his children are gone.
Children's are gone all but once.
So Job was here either way, the terrible thing that's happened.
You know, children are a heritage of the Lord.
Through God's reward, happy is the man that has this river full of them. I dare say Job was happy, but now they're gone. Everything is gone. Everything is gone.
I want to mention something.
Satan didn't do this. God did this to the children.
They were here. You can't put your hands on them. Isn't that lovely? He always sets the limit. How do I know God did it?
It was a great wind, the whirlwind. It came from all four directions, at one in all corners, four corners of the house. That's a home 13, isn't it?
Has his way in the world, wind in the storm. That's it. God took them home.
That's what he did. He took them home. That lovely.
But of course, it's part of the chastisement and affliction for Joe, though now it's all gone, 1234, everything's gone just like that.
Verse 20 I'm just going to read the 1St 2 verses in the last one word, the 1St 2 words, and the last word. Then Job worship.
Get that then gold worship.
And he said, Make it seem out of my mother's womb, make it till I return. This the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
In all this job sin not going to charge God foolishly. He passed the 1St test beautifully. He endured and didn't blame God.
We know often the problem is we blame God. Why even that is blaming God? Why? Why me? That's blaming God.
If you look at the rules, I believe it's the very first chapter, Naomi.
She blatant God, she blamed God and if you look at those 3 kings and I was just talking about the king of Israel, blame God.
He says God brought us together and put us in this terrible trouble. God has to get us out. Oh no, He doesn't have to. Grace He did because of Hezekiah on his face. First they had to have complete nothing, nothing, humiliation. They had to make the valley full of pictures and dig it up.
In all this Job sin not and did not charge God. He endured and He worshipped.
Now we'll go to Chapter 2.
Chapter 2 Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. This is the created evidence. And the Lord said to Satan, From whence cometh thou? He gave him the same answer, because that's what he's still doing today.
Going through, and so upon the earth, speaking, whom he may devour.
The Lord said, The Saint, hath thou considered my servant job, and he gives all the same wonderful characteristics of Joel, but he adds, 1.
He says you've done all this to him and at the end he says still he owed it fast his integrity, although thou moved me against him to destroy him without fault. Yo Mr. Test, God says to Satan.
Verse four Satan answered the Lord skins for skin. Yeah, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thy hand now, and cut his bone and his flesh, and he'll curse thee to thy face. Don't forget he's always the accuser of faith of the of the President. The Lord said unto Satan, Behold these in thy hand but.
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You can't have his life belong to me. God always sets the limit.
He always sets the limit. I just think that's the wonderful to know.
So went Satan forth to the President, the Lord, and smoke jokes with store boils from the sole of his foot under his crown.
Now Joseph has lost everything, even all his children.
And now Can you imagine what's happened?
There is a place on his body from head to foot that there isn't a storm boil. Think of it. Now turn to Isaiah chapter one. I'll give you one verse and probably describe it better than the I can say Isaiah chapter one at the verse 6.
From the sole of the foot even to the head. No soundness in it. Wounds and bruises crissifying sores. They have not been closed either. Bound up, neither mollify the ointment. Now that is joke. Now, when Satan stuck him in his body.
Job took a pot to scratch himself with all, and he sat down in the ashes.
Now God is going to use. He's done with faith and faith leaves him. God uses another instrument.
Is the one dearest to him? Is his own wife now?
Then, Sir, his wife and the job dot S shall retain thine integrity, curse God and die.
It'd be hard to take it that moment, wouldn't it?
What Job said to her, Thou speakest is one of the foolish women, Speaketh what? Shall we receive good at the hand of God? And shall we not receive evil in all this? Did not Job sin with his lips?
You know it's wonderful, his answer.
It didn't say to his wife you are a foolish woman.
No, he knew better and he spoke better, he said. You are now speaking as one of those foolish women.
To drive a reply.
That all this did not kill sin.
So now he's going to use three other vessels.
Don't forget we're in the shipping process.
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came, everyone from his own place he life has and so dad and so far, for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. They came from distant places and not the same places. They decided to meet there, and when they lifted up, their eyes are far off.
And new Job not. They lifted up their voice, and they wept, and they wrenched everyone his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven. And they sat down with Job on the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him. They saw that his grief was very great.
Now here's these three friends who came and they sat there for a while and Justice scared out afar off.
Then they threw actions on themselves.
And then they sat opposite Job and they just stared at him for seven days and seven nights. They didn't say anything.
Now don't try this trick. Now God begins to get at it. You know, the crux of the matter now is self righteousness itself and pride with Job. And it was just too much to be gazed upon with pity by these friends. Just too much for Job. There they sat with that expression. Aha, aha, that's it.
There's a reason for this.
You know, you can weather sickness and token eye. You can weather all kinds of trials in your life, and so can I. But when your brethren turn against you, that's just hard to take, isn't it? It's just hard to take.
So Job let loose. Now chapter three, Job let loose. He fails in the one thing he was most voted for paid him.
Now Job is set upon justifying himself and so he starts out by cursing the day he was born. Chapter 3. After this open Job his mouth and cursed his day. Verse three, let the day perish wherein I was born in the night which it was said there is a man child can see. Look at verse 10. Now I can go faster because it cut not up the doors of my mother's womb. He's talking about that night.
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That night, he was born.
Up the doors of my mother's womb, Nor his sorrow for my Why did I not from the womb? Why die, die not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? Verse 16 Or as a hidden, untimely birth I had been as influence which never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.
Finally we'll go to verse 25. The thing which I greatly feared has come upon me. That which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety near the neither had I rest, neither was I quiet. Yet trouble came to Job let loose.
This is really the loss of patience here coming out. He failed in the thing that he's noted for when he spoke.
Now his three friends speak first. Do I fail? Now I want to mention.
Each one of them represents.
The children of God in one way or another, when we do not have the Lord's mind.
Life says the name means refined.
Refined.
And what characterizes the live players is he speaks from experience.
Now there's a lot like that.
A refined brethren, you know, and they've seen a lot, they've gone through a lot, they've heard a lot. They speak from experience.
And that's his position. He life has refined, but he speaks from experience.
Now though this in verse chapter 4 and verse.
I'd like to mention first look what he says in verse two. If we are saying to commune with thee, will thou be grieved? He saved this job. We'd like to speak with these, but will it grieve you? And then he says that I just can't wait to get started.
He says who can withhold himself from speaking job. I took that way to get started.
This is one of the friends now notice.
Verse seven Remember, I pray thee, whoever peries being innocent.
Or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen that the life has from experience. They that plow iniquity and so wickedness reap the same by the blast of God. They Perry by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed? You'll find throughout when he lies fast speaks. He speaks from experience. If you look at chapter five, I think it's verse 3.
I have seen the police taking root.
But suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them whose harvest the hungry heats up and taking it even out of the thorns and so on. He says, I have seen this and if you notice verse 27 of chapter 5, Lo, this we have searched it is.
So, so it is here it, and know that for thou it for thy good, in other words.
Every time you speak, he speaks of his experience, what he's seen or heard.
Now notice what he says verse seven. Remember I pray thee, Job, whoever perished hits their innocent, or where were the righteous cut off? He didn't know Job. Lord says he was right.
So he's saying.
He's saying remember.
The innocent never perished, the righteous had not cut off When Job later says miserable comforter indeed, miserable comforter indeed. What was the effect on his speaking? We look at jokes, but I think it's chapter six, Job. Job answered verse 8. All that I might have my request that God would grant me the thing that I long for.
Even that it would please God to destroy me.
That he would let loose his hand and cut me off. The only result of the live fire's words to Job was bringing in despair. That's all despair for Jervis. This type, he didn't have God's mind. Now if we look at verse 27 of chapter 6.
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Yay, he overwhelmed the fatherless. You dig a pit for your friend. Job tells the life as and verse 20. Well. 28 now. Therefore be content to look upon me for evidence unto you. If I lie, return. I pray you, let it be iniquity. Yeah, return again. My righteousness is idiot. Is there iniquity in my tongue and not my taste? Discern perverse things.
Now the problem is beginning to surface.
He says my righteousness is in it. Job is beginning to spring out his problem.
Yoke speaks on. But now to chapter 8 quickly, and the second friend Bildad speaks.
Takes his turn Bill dad means.
Contention and Bildad speaks from tradition, from their fathers of old traditions. You know, tradition always brings in contention.
I will just mention a couple verses here.
He says in verse two, How long wilt thou speak these things? How long shall the words of my mouth be like the strong wind? He says, Joke, everything you say is empty. It's like wind.
That God pervert judgment. Notice verse four. If thy children have sinned.
Against him and he have cast them away for their transgressions.
We looked at verse six. If thou were pure and upright, yo, surely now he would await for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. Verse 8. For inquire, I pray thee, of former aides, you see tradition. Prepare thyself to the search of their fathers, for we are in front of yesterday and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow. Shall not they keep thee and tell thee in other words, out of.
So he is speaking from tradition, but he didn't have the Lord's mind and he didn't know Joe verse 20. God will not castaway a perfect man, neither will he help evil doers. But God said Job was a perfect man.
God said Job was a perfect man, so we have built that here, bringing in tradition.
Much broader field than a life has with the experience.
The authority of the former days, the entire past tradition of today does this. Do you see a triggered? It doesn't bow, it doesn't move, and it brings in contention. That's what his name means, contention.
Now Job responds and let's see I'll just give a couple thoughts here to get it. Job says at the end of Chapter 9 God is not a man verse 32 That I am that I should answer him. We should come together in judgment. Neither is there any days man betricks us that might lay his hand upon us both. Job was just at the end of himself now.
The third. The third.
The third friend.
Was go far That's Chapter 11. But before I mentioned that the results of God speaking to Job was more bitterness. I'll just mention a few things. Chapter 10 verse one, Job says my soul is weary of my life. I will leave my complaint upon myself. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Now look at verse 18. Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? O that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me. I could have been as though I had not been. I should have been carried away from the womb to the grave. That's the lowest state Job is in. Now Chapter 11 is so far the third prayer.
His name means a climber. He's a legalist.
He once spoke from experience, the other was particular and now a regalist. And you know, legality always is that way. The more you knock someone down, the more you elevate yourself in your own eyes. A climber. Let's go far.
Now he says.
In verse 5.
But all that God would speak and open his lips against thee, Job, and that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom.
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That they are doubled to that which is I know therefore that God exact as of being left than that iniquity deserves. You know what he's saying to Joe Joe friend, you're not getting 1/2 of what you deserve.
Think what's happened to Job and he says you're not giving 1/2 of what you deserve. That's the legalist.
Coming in, I will look at another verse here just to get the thought.
Well, verse 7 can't stop by searching, find out God. Can't stop, find out the Almighty under perfection. None of these three had the mind of the Lord.
And so we have in chapter 12, Job's reaction to the three now no help. They just acted to open Joe's mouth wider in defense. So now Job says in chapter 12, verse three, I have understanding as well as you. I am not inferior to you.
Yeah, who knoweth not such things as you say, It's all common knowledge, says Jill. Now Joe begins self vindication.
The only effect of the three friends speaking to him, he begins self indication. And I'll notice in verse six of chapter 12, the tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure, into whose hands God bringeth abundantly. He's saying, even the worst season. Robbers prosper. What? Ask now the beast they shall teach thee. The fowls of the earth they shall tell thee speak to the earth. This shall teach.
See the pictures of the seeds shall declare unto thee, who knoweth not all these things, that the hand has wrought this, in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. What Job says to them is Everything you've said is just common knowledge.
They to yourself will tell you just what you told me. I know everything you know and more. Now in chapter 13 job goes on and he says here.
Verse two. What ye know the same, I know also I am not inferior to you.
You notice the pride coming out now and felt surely I would speak to the Almighty. I desire to reason with God.
Yo, really, would you desire to reason with God? I wouldn't.
Ye are all forgers of lies. Ye are all positions of no value. Now he Stoops the name calling.
All that he would all together hold your peace, and it should be your wisdom, he says. If you could shut up, you could be wise.
Turn to verse 13. We'll go on quickly. Hold your peace, keep quiet and let me alone that I may speak.
Verse 15 though he slay me, yet will I trust him in that beautiful joke face coming out. So God slay me, yet I will trust him, but I will maintain my own ways before him.
These two things don't mix.
I will maintain my own ways before him and then say so he say me, I'll trust him. There's our problem. And now I just mentioned quickly, we'll make Chapter 14. We'll go to 15. And I would say this is a good place to break. I just want to mention.
The three friends did not gain one point.
Not as helpers, not as comforters, certainly not as fast as they did not have the mind of God. If they had reached the point and had the mind of God, Joe could have kept silent. Even at false accusations he could have kept silent. But here he is in his own self-interest and vindication. He has to go through more shipping in God's school.
Of affliction.