Cuyahoga Falls Conference: 2018
Table of Contents
Dispensations
Reading
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It picked him up at 288.
Thou was mercies RXDR we can do a state.
That was number 288.
Where thin thy chow Gray fall.
May be progressively on my way and then I say turn off.
Yeah.
I don't wanna say.
I don't know what I'm saying.
This might sound like uh.
Uh, seal your subject to get into, but there might be some value, and I think there'd be a lot of value, actually.
And uh.
Subject that came up, it's uh.
Uh, they're in Wyoming.
At the Morningstar, yeah, that was an issue concerning prophecy, but the the concern was, or there was some concern.
Of the quote UN quote demise of, uh, the notion of dispensationalism. Now, having said that, I challenge you to find that term in scripture, but, umm.
I just wondered if even if it were just even one meeting.
That there might be some.
A clear, uh, Clarion voice on the matter of what it means and why does it make a difference to us? Like who CARES, Umm.
Umm, and maybe why we should care.
Yes.
I'm I'm not suggesting it's an easy.
Topic right off face value but.
00:05:03
There's.
Uh, value in understanding the ways of God, which every Christian should have a notion of the way God.
And, uh, so from that point of view, there just might be some value in reviewing what it is.
Umm, why it is? And maybe, uh, some sources like forget how long this meeting is supposed to go through. So, uh, 4:30 So we have a fitted time.
Uh, and someone might be quite a bit more organized on the purchase than I am, but I, I do know that it is.
Such questions have been raised and continue to be raised.
A About this topic of prosthetic dispensation.
We gotta check your horse to leave.
Well, we can start in, uh, Genesis one and give a nice review all the way to Revelation 22 That might be helpful.
And actually you're, uh, your question about what chapter you read is, is part of the issue.
And why?
Why? There are some challenges in connection with that?
The ways of God are not expressed in a certain verse, sentence, paragraph, or chapter in the Bible. Ways of God or.
Are the whole scripture actually. So that's where we'll need some help in narrowing thoughts down.
Well, first it came to my mind a couple of verses are in the first chapter of Hebrews.
Uh, just read it.
Hebrews chapter one.
Umm, maybe I'll read through verse four. God who at sundry times, in a diverse manner spake in time paths under the fathers, by the prophets.
Anthony's last days broken indoors by his son, whom he had appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world, who, being the brightness of his glory, and expressed image of his person Napoleon, all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels as he hath, I inherited, obtained a more excellent name than they.
Well, the reason I.
Little passage that, uh, tells us that God has spoken in time past in a different way than he was speaking now through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I realize that doesn't go into the various dispensations.
We could find a phrase, uh, and uh, Daniel not working too hard, I think.
About referring to the times the gentiles.
Well, that's part of the dispensational truth, but, uh.
What, uh, maybe you wanna umm.
Talk about the various dispensations that uh.
Our uh mentioned in scripture, not as such.
As they are in structure.
Might be helpful to know what the word dispensation refers to.
And I have a note here in my Bible which can perhaps say it more clearly than I could put it in my own words.
Says a dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to obedience.
To some specific revelation of the will of God.
00:10:03
Seven such dispensations are distinguished in Scripture.
And the first one, of course, is found early on in Genesis, and that has to do with.
Uh, man and innocence.
The topic is obviously a very broad and, uh, if I infer correctly from the presentation of it, the thought isn't so much to go back through and list each dispensation, when it started and when it ended and what it was about, but rather to get a sense of the importance of the overall. If I understood correctly again, the importance of the overall and a sense of why we should really care, I think was was was stated and then perhaps some of the details that helped to support it.
I just suggested in the spirit of that, a verse that doesn't directly relate to this sensation or not normally taken up that way, but in Luke 24 to capture the spirit of why these things are sometimes hard. Just a couple of the verses, they're so familiar to us in Luke 24.
And, umm.
24 and it says verse 15.
And it came to fact that while they communed together in reason, Jesus himself turned here and went with them. But their eyes were cold, and that they should not know Him. And so there was a reason they couldn't see Him personally here. And their reason is he asked them why they were sad. And they said in verse 18 in the middle, arts have only a stranger in Jerusalem, and have not known the things which have come to pass there in these days. He said unto them, What things?
Nay, said unto him concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty, and even word before God, and all the people. And they continue on. And the Lord speaks to them in verse 25, and says, Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow apart, to believe all of the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses all the prophets, he expounded unto them, and all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself.
I just suggested, sometimes when we don't understand something in Scripture, it's because we've inserted ourselves into the equation and one way that it becomes difficult. And then their difficulty that comes up and they're interpreting of the Scriptures is when we stick ourselves in there and we want everything to apply to ourselves. And the Lord here in this portion, He redirects everything and he says in verse 26, ought not Christ to suffer these things and enter into His glory. It switches everything around and He puts suffering before glory. They have put glory before suffering.
And they've inserted themselves into it. The disciples, when they were speaking with the Lord, they inserted themselves into the picture. And they, James and John, want to know where they're going to sit in the Kingdom. And the Lord brought before them the fact that that wasn't for him to give. Could they follow with him in the suffering? And So what their portion was the suffering first, and then glory. And he brings out these things in the Scriptures and the end of verse 27, the things concerning.
Himself So I would suggest that as a very basic foundational level in understanding things that are dispensational, it has to be that Christ and his glory comes first and everything revolves around him and then his purposes for all his people and all his creation. And what other verse that in the big scope of it in Ephesians chapter one.
And verse 10 very well known, but I think it's important in that, umm, maybe reading from verse nine pieces one verse 9.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself, but in the dispensation or administration of the wholeness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth even in Him. And so the ultimate purpose at the end of recorded time is, that everything in two spheres in heaven.
00:15:19
And on earth is going to be gathered together under the authority of that one person, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. There's a related thought in Colossians, one in the beginning of Colossians 2, where it speaks of wisdom and understanding being in the mystery of their heads, in which our heads are better. I'm sorry, I was trying to quote it and I can't.
Turn the cost into umm.
And.
Verse.
To full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, the Father of Christ, verse 3, Mr. Garvey translates it in which that is in the mystery, our head, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So if our cornerstone for interpreting all the Scripture is ourselves instead of Christ in glory, we're going to twist many different parts of Scripture so that they apply to ourselves in the proper right to apply them. But then we're going to put the interpretation on ourselves.
Then we're going to rapidly slide out of the purposes that God had when he, uh.
When he wrote the scriptures and we're going to begin to twist and end up with an angled mess. But in his dispensation and his ordering, ordering and in his administering, if Christ comes first, if it's the things that relate that himself.
Then the overall interpretation is going to come.
Uh, on a good solid foundation.
Maybe it's helpful for us to realize that God has set his, uh, his purposes out, umm, very, very soon, uh, we get the call of Abraham and Genesis where God, umm, falls out an earthly people for, for blessing. And I believe that we can say.
The Prophecy.
Is regarding the earthly people.
But we also have.
A fixture in the Old Testament of God calling out a Gentile bride for his son.
And we get the revelation of that fully revealed in the New Testament. It's called the church.
And there's very little, if really any, prophecy regarding the Church.
And so if we, if we're Speaking of prophecy.
That which was given to the prophets it is it has to do with some connection to his earthly people. It may be that it's revealing how God is going to chase him, his earthly people by using the Gentiles. But it all comes back to.
God having an earthly people that he, he will in the end after they're brought through.
Umm, much crime, tribulation. They're going to be brought back into flexing because that was God's design and his desire from the very beginning. But.
We have to do with that choice of God.
To allow a heavenly people, a Gentile bride for his, for his son, it's going to be interesting.
That those two are going to be brought very closely together in the Lord Jesus comes to reign.
The Bride of Christ.
Is going to have a a big role, you might say.
In in the administration. But if if we can see the purposes of God as he has revealed in the Old Testament, I believe that those are two key things for us to understand.
00:20:03
And I believe that most, if not all of the confusion regarding.
Are there dispensations or no dispensation? Is the modeling together of?
Which is metformin the earth, and that which was in that business for heaven.
Like to just take, uh, you know, Stevens remarks a little bit further in connection with.
Uh, suffering coming before, uh, glory. We're reminded in first Peter of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. We go back to Joseph in the Old Testament. It was the sufferings before.
His glory He was. He gave instructions.
Later tell my father of all my glory in Egypt. And I wanna go on a little further in, uh, Peter's epistles, the second, uh, Thistle to Peter and the first chapter.
In the 16 first it says we have not followed cunningly devised fable fables, when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty.
For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son.
And whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mouth.
Our thinking especially of these next few verses, we have also a more sure word of prophecy. Where, until you do well, that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts.
Well, that should be in effect. In effect, or uh, a consequence of, of laying hold of what we have today, star arising in our hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private or isolated interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God's faith as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
So.
We see that those profits of old that uttered those prophecies did not utter them of their own selves. They were moved of the Spirit of God, weren't they?
The, uh, truth that was mentioned a number of times already, the truth of the mystery is very, very important. And I like that verse in Colossians. It's if we don't understand the truth of the mystery, we don't really understand the New Testament. We don't really understand the word of God. It's so important. Well, what is the mystery, what Paul tells us what it is in Ephesians 3. So maybe I'll just read it, uh.
Ephesians chapter 3.
He's speaking up in verse four, the mystery of Christ. Middle of verse four, my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages has was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
That, and I was gonna tell us exactly what the history is, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. So you say here this, this truth of the mystery was hidden. It was not made known in times past. So I would agree with what Phil said. You won't find it in prophecy. You won't find it at all. It's just not there in the Old Testament.
But now it's made known by the New Testament apostles and prophets. It's been made known to us. And what is it is that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body. Phil talked about Gentiles in prophecy in the Old Testament. It says that they were going to come into blessing. That's not what this is. This is far beyond that. In in the future, Gentiles will come into blessing in the Millennium, but they're going to be blessed in subservience under Israel's rule. That's not what this is. This says fellow heirs of the same body.
00:25:17
So in other words, what the apostle Paul is bringing out here is that God had in his purpose.
To bring Jews and Gentiles into something brand new that had never existed before, and to be blessed in that new thing which is the Church.
So this truth of the church formed of Jews and Gentiles brought into something brand new, which he goes on to explain throughout this epistle of of Ephesians. For inviting the Holy Spirit and dwelling members of the body of Christ and uniting them into this church is something that was not known, but it's what God has had in his heart from the furthest point into eternity, if that even makes sense, which it doesn't, but he speaks about it as umm.
The deep things of God in First Corinthians 2.
So this truth of the mystery is the deepest secret, you might say, that God has had in his heart, and he's now come out and he's revealed it to us in the New Testament. But it was not made known before this very, very important. And if we don't understand it, the whole rest of Scripture is just a muddled mess. In fact, the apostle Peter wrote his second epistle and he speaks of quote, our beloved brother Paul.
And he says that he writes in all his letters things some things hard to be understood.
But those who don't understand it, he says they wrestle not just with the things that all roll, but with all the other scriptures. So in other words, Peter saying what the Apostle Paul's talking about is key. Learn it, understand, it'll help you with the rest description. So we need to do the same thing. So now I just want to take that one step further. If this truth of the mystery, the formation of the church, the gospel, going out to Jews and Gentiles, everyone, the whole world, and bringing so many people into the church.
To be blessed to be the bride of Christ, to be to be the closest thing possible to Christ for all eternity. If that was so great, then why did you wait 4000 years to do it?
Why did he wait 4000 years to do it?
And I I appreciate other answers to this question, but I just want to turn this over to 1St Corinthians 15 just to bring out a, a, a principle here. 1St Corinthians 15.
Verse 45. We'll start there.
And there's a lot more that's really going on in First Corinthians 15 than what I'm bringing out in these verses. But I think it's an important principle. And so it is written. The 1St man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit, that was not first, which is spiritual, but that was just natural. And afterward that was just spiritual. That's what I'm going to 0 in on.
That which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual. The 1St man is of the earth earthy. The 2nd man is the Lord for man.
Well, I think at least one thing that the apostle Paul is bringing out here is that there is a natural man and there are natural things and there is a spiritual man and there are spiritual things. Who is the 2nd man? Is the Lord from heaven? But the first man and the natural things had to come first.
So when you're doing an experiment, there are times when you'll have you're trying to demonstrate a certain phenomena, physics or chemistry or whatever it is, and you'll set aside something for for the control of that experiment to see what it would do on its own, you might say.
And what happens is at the end of the experiment, you compare it to the control and you show the difference to magnify the effects that you're really trying to study.
It's been described umm in a similar way, with the way a jeweler will set a diamond on the backdrop of black velvet. Why the black velvet? I'm borrowing this from Steve. I heard him say this two days ago.
Because it illuminates the beauties of the diamond.
Well in the same way the natural had to come first, the 1St man had to come first and that's what the dispensations are I believe that we get leading up to Christ, we get the 1St man natural.
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And placed in the best possible circumstances and he would fail. He would fail. Adam failed in the garden, Noah failed and what was given to him. Abraham failed, Israel failed. And and then God would tweak something. He would give something new. He'd give government.
For he gives a lot, or he give the priesthood, or he give kings, and he do something. And what happens is that man just fails him. And what's going on for 4000 years is this test that keeps rolling on and on. And what does it show? It shows that the 1St man, he just fails. He just does. So that when we come to the second man and the Lord Jesus Christ coming down from heaven, we see His perfection as we never could have seen before.
And what we are in is we are in this wonderful time following.
The second man has come down from heaven and everything that we have is connected with him. It is totally disassociated with all of those things that were connected with Israel. We live post, you might say, the coming of the second name.
And so I guess I don't know what's going on a while here, but to go back to what was before the 2nd man had come down and to take up with Israel, to not understand the dispensation is to totally miss the purpose of God in bringing out the glories of Christ.
If we go back to, uh, Ephesians chapter 3, there are a few verses that, uh, didn't get to, but I just like to read, uh, verses 9 through verse 11 and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ.
To the intent that now onto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God.
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus. So there was an eternal purpose, and we've been Speaking of God's ways with Israel.
God's ways with mankind and they end or point to the Lord Jesus Christ. As you said, there was that delay of some 4000 years before this was manifested. We've had hints in the Old Testament of the Gentiles being brought into a place of blessing, but we don't see the full manifestation of that, do we?
I'm thinking.
Of a verse that we have in the 49th chapter of Genesis that speaks of Joseph, speaks of him as a branch, as rather a fruit, a fruitful bow, even a fruitful bow by a well whose branches run over the wall. Well, some have felt that this would bring before us the fact that the Gentiles would be brought into a place of blessing, but as you said, we don't see that full blasting.
Uh, that's outlined for us in Ephesians chapter 3.
I just might say, you know, some of us aren't real studied in these subjects like others are. We have a brother in our meeting that that umm, has studied this quite at length and he's quite a help in our assembly when these questions come up. But I've been reading, uh, recently and Isaiah flying for some help in the ministry and back in, umm, the days of the early brethren they were.
They were dealing with umm, these, this confusion back in that day. Sometimes we think, well, this is just confusion that's come up recently. It is more widespread. The hope of the Lord soon return is not near as well known or appreciated possibly as it was back in those days. But this is not new to safety would try to introduce.
Confusion regarding God's purposes.
And really a purpose is, as we've been saying, for price.
Thinking that, thinking that if I interpret the spirit of the subject correctly, I'd like to bring out two things related to why it's so hard to understand a topic such as dispensationalism, umm, and why it's so natural to go back to other interpretations. One of them was brought up in in what Josh said just a little bit ago. Or some persons related to it anyway, in a piece of three.
00:35:25
Just wanna read from Mr. Darby's translation. Just a little piece of an expression. It's an illustration of a point, really. And verse four pieces 3, verse four, it says you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of.
So Darby translates that as the price, and that expression, the price, is often used in connection with the mystery, just as it was described. The Gentile and the Jews together in one body, with Christ all together as one entity, and God bringing us all together as a body with a head. Well.
Trying to visualize that for a minute, try to put that into your daily experience. It's pretty tough to do. I don't know how many here, and I illustrate the point from a different angle here for a moment. I don't know how many here have had a discussion with a Muslim, perhaps the fellow students, perhaps somebody in the neighborhood. Our particular neighborhood seems to have more and more mosques going up on Islamic education centers, and we run into Muslims fairly often and try to have a discussion with a Muslim on the subject of the Trinity.
And to a Muslim, it's just very simple. There's one God and what's the business of Father, Son and Holy Ghost and all being one and confusing? Here's the point that I wanted to make. There are things that God has revealed that are true, the Christ being one of them. The mystery there, the two and the Gentile in Christ all one that are incredibly wonderful. The Trinity is another incredibly wonderful.
And where have you? And there's lots of analogies for them, but the actual thing itself goes far beyond any experience that we can have. Try to explain the Trinity to a child and there's some wonderful analogies, but it goes far beyond our physical experience. And it's something that God has revealed in his word. And so this mystery, for example, it's easier to abandon it because it's a such a beautiful and.
Outside of human experience thing, but it's God's truth and it's revealed fully in the Scriptures. The second principle that I think makes these things hard to understand goes back to some of the verses that Brother Bruce read and the first Peter one, and I'm sorry.
Second Peter one. Second Peter one.
The 1St 20 and again reading it from Mr. Darby's translation.
Says no prophecy of Scripture is had from its own particular interpretation.
That is not some sandal and formed by itself.
In opposition to other scriptures, many scriptures are brought together as a as a group for the proper interpretation. Here's why this is hard. I don't know how many of you have.
Seen or heard? But there's a little, uh, spoof on Amazon's Amazon.com and their yesterday delivery.
That is, by the time you think of it, it's already there on your doorstep. And that was the ideal of the person who is doing the little spoof. That's the desire of man to have their idea delivered to them before they even thought of it. In other words, super, super simple. But this particular scripture says that to properly interpret, you need to take. And who said in this introduction? Well, we can start with Genesis 11 and go to the end of Revelation.
And bring it all together. That can't be done.
In our modern instance, mentality not a thing of the intellect, but it is a there is a natural aspect of it. When I illustrate the natural aspect this way, there was a lady, a professor, her specialty was in reading and she taught it academically at a university. She was also big into the English language, thoroughly enjoyed it, loved reading and in her college career read many of the so-called English classics and literature.
00:40:02
But she discovered about about 2-3 years ago, I don't remember exactly, she sat down on one vacation to read one of her favorite big old complicated English novels, and she couldn't do it. She literally couldn't get past the first page. So she stopped to ask herself why I used to be able to what's happening to me. And she reflected on it. And in all of her academic research, her mind was constantly skimming along the page, looking for that nugget of information and bouncing to the next one and jumping around.
And that particular skill was not at all compatible with with what you needed for the COM. I'll use the word meditation, the thoughtful reading of the book. And so she went back and took herself three or four weeks, but she retrained her mind. And now she has a steady diet. And the way she reads them both kinds, they're both valuable.
Scripture speaks of meditating in His law day and night. It speaks of I by words were found that I did eat them. It speaks about the, uh, Word of God being, umm, more important than our daily food. And unless those aspects of meditating on dwelling, on sitting, soaking in marinating, in considering the Word of God at length and comparing one scripture with another are part of our regular habit.
Then it's much, much easier to dismiss.
The oh, I thought of dispensationalism because as Bruce said in his introduction, it's not something that can be done from one verse or two verses or one chapter. It's something that involves over the throttle.
Well, it all has to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, those two.
Beside those that went to emeralds and were distressing these things.
They said that we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel. They were waiting for the redeeming of Israel.
Pavan he lost sight of possible resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
OK, the sepulchre. They couldn't find him. He wasn't there.
And then they get a handful of him.
Was 25 of.
Then he said unto them, All whose and slow apart to believe all that the Prophet had spoke.
Heart of the Christ who had suffered these things, and to end and to his glory.
They should have asked the prophets, but they had already said, because the Lord Jesus started with Moses.
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he founded unto them in all the Scriptures, and things concerning himself.
Well, we all think brother would like to have India and listen.
You really hit upon something that.
Could be pretty uh.
Uh, basic to, to the whole discussion and we thought that maybe this.
But.
There was expectations concerning what a Messiah was supposed to do.
And somehow those expectations were not met.
And the question is, well, why?
As humans, we do not really understand our own flight.
Is a challenge to really face ourselves in the mirror and to really understand what we are.
Here is a God which is triune, OK, and not, not as not, shall we say, a single entity. You've got fathers on the Spirit.
00:45:13
And we call that the Godhead. And within that Godhead has eternally flowed alone.
Which you cannot have if it's a singular thing, because. Because love is between.
Love, experiences, or whatever else you wanna put into that.
And because of that.
God steps forward and he says yes and.
This is love, but we want to love to flow out.
Beyond.
Larry, you are still at work. There's no words to fill it anyway. God is love and His nature was to reach out.
And so the method of reaching out was to create.
But anything that is separate from God is going to ultimately fall apart.
And this is certainly obviously a cosmic dilemma.
Falling apart is another word for sin.
And so things were created.
And it started to break down. There's only one entity in the universe that does not break down and that thought itself.
Even things created by law breakdown and part of that breakdown we call sin.
Because part of the breakdown is rebellion, it's disobedient is self will. And we know this story right from Adam and Eve.
God reaches out and says, but This is why I created.
For relationship.
And that is really, shall we say, the kernel.
Of proxy.
It is not going to happen overnight.
It's going to happen.
And even time is not coming but.
When's it going to happen?
And in human experience with faces.
6000 years on. A long, long time.
To God it's not.
And as humans, we've been wondering, what is God doing? What is God up to?
Well, his purpose.
Which is really probably little.
Nothing of profitable.
Is this purpose is to bring in that into the?
Fear of love that has been in the Trinity for eternity.
Is going to.
Incorporate.
Create.
And bring that right into.
That's how we say into his heart.
And that is really the end point of what we call process.
God says I have intentions. There's a reason why I create it.
And I trade it because I love.
And anything that's outside of me is going to fall apart.
But there is redemption.
And so in the Old Testament, the old problems concerning Christ.
Coming to be a Savior and the one born in Bethlehem. Read those things in Isaiah and the other places to kill us.
Mm-hmm.
So the.
The real display of what we commonly call prophecies.
00:50:02
Is really a display of God's heart to reach out and to gather to Himself.
To reach.
Outside of himself so as to break into himself. A people to be appreciated and enjoyed and loved.
And God has done that in certain steps.
They've been mentioned back in Genesis.
We know the story of in the Old Testament that the Christ was going to come. Who was this Christ and exactly what was going to be the mind that was coming?
And then it goes blank.
Sometimes call for 400 and 500 years. There's actually other pilot periods in the Bible. But anyway, that's a pretty dramatic 1.
And then a child is going to definitely.
This was prophesied child.
This was the one who is going to be the Redeemer.
This is one who is going to think bring human beings into lessons eternally, whether there where there will be no future failure because I don't know about you, but I sit around and I certainly wondered about.
The whole notion of failure in the future, I mean Gary Foster.
But God has secured all this.
And he's he's unfolding and as we actually have a physical book.
And he's definitely unfolded in this physical book, asked him to read through it. We see what's going on and why he drinks it and how he's drinking it. And the purpose for it involves the purpose of the agent.
And.
The ultimate.
Purpose of God is to bring glory to Himself and to bring a people to Himself.
Now prophecy, by definition I guess, is really things in connection with the earth.
It's not really heavenly.
Actions, but it has to do with the earth, because the earth is the platform on which God.
God is manifesting His love and that God is calling out.
And God is accomplishing it certain.
Preconceived.
He has a goal, The goal is to be reached.
Any other program?
And it it doesn't all happen in a day.
Doesn't all happen in 1000 years. It's gonna take 7000 years.
So it's all.
Is is unwrapped really.
And.
We look at prophecy often and I do it's it's very easy to get bogged out and go where let's look at this by the time can't give my brain a rest.
Umm.
And so it's it's. It's not a simple place.
But to see that there's a purposefulness, and that's a problem here with God's purpose.
To bring forward creation.
And to call I should say call out from Fall integration.
Those who were all applied will really never fail.
Out in the largest of the future now and so that go back because prophecy is building connection with the earth.
But it's on this earth, and God has played all of that out.
00:55:02
Sonic.
He hasn't got us somewhere else.
We've got it. All good.
This particular blessing, this particular.
Accomplishments.
Is being played out on this globe where you look out the window and there's grass, trees, water.
Probably tomorrow to be great. This is Ohio so.
You have this sphere.
It's not happening with angels. You read about angels and display they can be secured by the death of Christ, the thought redeemed.
There's gonna be a new heaven and a new earth, and have you ever asked? If you haven't, you should.
Why won't the new heaven and the new earth fall apart too, just like this one is?
The good question The answer is found also calories.
Because that is the security.
Of all of us.
Nothing's going to fly.
Because in the face of the death of Christ.
We refuse and we go through the Old Testament and all those things in Isaiah and and they're just astonishing. And most of them we really don't understand that that's OK They're astonishing anyway.
And how's the phone going to work out?
What's the real end point? Where is God going?
God is going.
To a secured.
Kevin Anderson, fair enough to say.
Where there will? Because ask the question, if Earth is so defiled right now, why can't it happen again later?
And it won't happen later because of the death of Price.
I mean that that could be a person but but.
This is the security we talk about external security when we think of our own souls, and we should if we were very thankful for it. There is an internal security in all other purposes of God to share everything in Christ, in Christ and to.
To the point where he will look out.
Into a vast universe.
Which will be forever.
Some places where there will be no.
Future failure at all based on that one.
So it's not making it too simple because it was not simple but.
On Calgary 2, almost 2000%.
That's what all the answers were for.
God's purpose.
I wonder if I could just tie a few, few thoughts in, umm, from the beginning of the meeting. I'm not sure exactly where the subject is gonna go, whether we're gonna take it up again, but the question of dispensationalism and.
These questions, umm, can be quite troubling to the church as a whole, or maybe, umm, to the minds of the young people. I'd like to just turn to, uh, John Chapter 3.
Because we have we have a beautiful illustration here of one you have no problem.
Accepting the fact that God was going to change his feelings of man and he was going to have a different place in God's plan than others were umm I'm Speaking of John the Baptist and and John chapter 3 says in verse 27 John answered and said a man can receive nothing except to be given.
M for Adam.
Ye yourselves bear me witness that I say, I am not the Christ, that I am sent beforehand. He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom, that the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice. This my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. I must increase, He must increase.
01:00:04
But I must decrease. Do we have a problem with dispensationalism? Do we have a problem with the fact that God will choose to deal in His purposes differently with one, uh, portion?
Of mankind and another portion of mankind.
For, for, for the first thing that we see here is just John, uh, John recognized that what he was saying was revealed to him. So it was God who showed him, we might ask, well, how does he know what he's going to be the friend of the drive? Well, it was revealed to him by the spirit. And what was his response to resist it and say, no, I need to figure out how I'm going to be connected with.
The drive, No, he said this, this, my joy is complete. And he said I must, I must decrease and he must increase. So it gets back to the thought that Steve was bringing before us that.
It's God's purpose to glorify Christ, and whatever part we have in that, we're brought into it through revelation by the teaching of the Spirit of God.
And.
We're not looking, you know, sometimes today I believe the church is having a problem with dispensations or with especially covenant theology because they want to see the church.
Very usher in the Kingdom.
Well, we see in Scripture that that's not God's plan. It's not God's plan for the church to save the world so that the Kingdom can be established because of the condition of the church. That's not God's plan at all. And so we take, we take Scripture and we, we, we, we start wrestling with it, rustling and trying, trying to make it fit something that we really have a desire to see. But.
What we need to do?
Is have God revealed to us what His plan is?
And then find our joy in that which he associates us with.
We've seen #310.
300.
Mm-hmm.
OK.
I'm on my way home or sailor and away. At the end of the day, I'm on the way.
Karma Karma Rajesh Khanna to take care of her.
01:05:02
And try on life by a day.
Every glory together.
And our God.
Is gone now.
A Relationship with God
Gospel—Phil Jennings
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We could start the gospel meeting this evening by singing number six.
Everyone knows here you're welcome. May not be anybody here that's not used to being here. So we're all welcome in God's presence, aren't we? He loves us and we're in God's presence. Tonight we have His Word and we're gonna speak about his Son. We have a wonderful message.
So let's sing #6.
God in.
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Just bow our heads and ask the Lord for His blessing on the gospel. Our God and Father, we want to thank Thee for the glory of God that shines in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to thank the Father that.
Thou hast chosen and desired for thy creatures to know thee, not to just know about thee, but to know thee as God and Father. And so this this evening, as we open thy word and as the gospel message is preached, we pray that it would be very clear.
And very simple and that each.
Soul in this room would be brought into Thy presence to consider the great cost that Thou hast paid so that we could be redeemed. We ask the Father for your help, for we feel very inadequate.
To show 4.
The God that we're going to be speaking about, we thank you that we have thy word to do that. We give thee thanks in Jesus name, Amen.
Start off by saying that.
I'm a honestly, I'm a pretty simple person. I'm, I'm not. I don't go into things real deep. I like to be simple. My desire tonight is that from the word of God, we come to know the one who has brought us into this world, each one of us individually, personally, because he wants to have a relationship with us.
And we want to know.
We want to find out from His word who He is and what He has done for us. And so I'm going to turn to a verse that I'm sure everyone has has known. You've either heard it or you've committed it to memory. It's John 316.
My desire tonight is that we come if we don't already have a personal relationship with God our Creator.
If we haven't personally received His offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, it is my prayer tonight that every soul, if there is time, if God doesn't cut this hour short by either death or the return of Christ, it is my desire and longing.
That every soul.
If you have not been brought into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and you are not saved that you will be the Spirit of God will take the word of God, bring it home to your soul, make it real, and you leave this room possibly different than you came. We know this verse.
Most of us can quote it, probably pretty close.
To forwards and backwards if we tried it is the most.
One of the most incredible verses in the Word of God. It is the most one of the most simplest expressions of God, expressing his heart, expressing himself, and expressing his plan of salvation. It's the simplest explanation and revelation of who God is that will find in the scriptures.
For God.
So loved the world.
That he gave.
His only begotten Son.
That whosoever.
Believeth in him.
Should not perish, but have.
Everlasting life.
This, very simply, is the most beautiful message that God could give.
00:10:08
To the human race of which we all are apart, it's his message of love. From his heart we would trust.
Thee to my heart.
To your heart, it is a message of love. We're not gonna speak tonight.
I trust from an intellectual standpoint, we're not going to try to present.
Of Scripture, but what we are going to do is we're going to speak about the God of this verse, it says.
For God.
For God.
Who is God?
Does God want you and me to know Him?
Is it God's desire that he be known?
By his creature.
Let's just answer that by going to Genesis chapter one.
Excuse me?
I wasn't planning to.
Turn to this verse. So I'm going to.
Take a little time to get there. Verse 26 of chapter, uh, Genesis chapter one. And he said, and God said, so this is, this is God speaking. God wants us to listen. When God speaks, he wants us to listen. God said, are we listening? Are we listening to what he said?
Let us make man in our.
Image after our likeness. This is the heart of God.
Not only did He choose to display His glory in the creation in which you and I live.
And we'll talk about that because we're gonna talk about who God is.
But we're gonna talk 1St about the fact that God is someone who says he wants man to have a relationship with him.
And without being in God's image and his likeness.
It would not be possible for you and I to know him, for you and I to walk with him. If we were going to turn to a the next couple of chapters, we would find.
That God's desire to have a relationship with man, His creature, was answered in the fact that when Adam and Eve walked in the garden in the cool of the day.
God came down to them.
And he walked with them.
Let's turn over to Proverbs chapter 8, just a couple of more verses.
To make it very clear that God has communed the communicated the fact that he wants a relationship with his creature man.
Proverbs, chapter 8.
Verse 30 and I believe we could say this is really Speaking of Christ. It's really Speaking of the Lord Jesus. It says then I was by him as one up, brought up with him. Now this is the fellowship that God has Father and Son. I was one, I was by him.
As one brought up with him.
I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the habitable, habitable part of his earth.
00:15:06
And my delights were with the sons of men.
Let's turn over to Revelation.
Revelation chapter 4.
Verse 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor. This is a scene in heaven by the way, and the Lord Jesus is, is, is there in his glory.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.
So we have received testimony, ample testimony from Scripture, that God created us for the purpose of having fellowship with His creature. If we were to turn to John's first epistle, it's a letter that is written to the family of God.
If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
You're in that family and it speaks about.
God, let's just turn to it. These are scriptures that I hadn't planned to speak on, but they speak well of God's desire to have fellowship with you and me.
Verse three says that which we have seen and heard. Declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship.
Is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
So the Word of God very, very plainly states that He created us for His own pleasure. He created us because He delighted in US, and He created us so that we would have His thoughts, so that we would be able to share His fellowship, that He would be able to help us to understand His love.
But we, we, we would be able to help. We would help be helped to understand the cost.
That it took to bring us into fellowship with himself.
And so do we have any questions? Is there any question that God has chosen to make it abundantly clear why we're here?
Well, this is the God of John 316.
For God.
How did God choose to reveal himself to us?
Is there some kind of a vague?
Umm, revelation.
That he tells us part and then we have to imagine the rest. Is that how God has revealed himself to us?
God has revealed Himself to us in three ways.
Let's turn to Psalm chapter.
I'll get there. It's in the teens.
The heavens declare the glory of God. 19 Thank you Psalm 19 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork.
Day on to day, out of speech, night unto night, showeth knowledge.
God's creation.
Is constantly revealing to us who God is? Is it a full revelation?
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No, he didn't choose to fully reveal himself in creation.
But it is a parcel revelation of Himself. It reveals to us His power. It reveals to us His wisdom. It reveals to us His might.
But you know, God didn't leave it there. He didn't say, OK, you understand how powerful I am. Now you can figure out the rest, or you can use your imagination and you can determine what kind of a God I am. You can determine whether I have a heart of love, whether I want to be near or whether I want to be at a distance. God didn't choose to reveal himself partially.
And so if we go down in that this this chapter just keeps telling us how.
Beautifully.
God has revealed himself in creation, but when we get down to verse seven, it changes and here comes another revelation of God, it says.
The law of the Lord is perfect.
I won't go any farther, but that's the second form.
In which God has chosen to reveal himself to us. He's chosen that we could actually without the scriptures, we could go outside. We can examine a flower, we can examine a bird, we can examine a butterfly, and we can see the awesome wisdom and power of God.
And you know what? If that was the only revelation you had, there would be a certain amount of responsibility for that revelation. You would be responsible to glorify him for that measure of revealed testimony of who God is. I would be if that's the only revelation I had. But that's not God's way. So God gave us his word.
And he unfolded to us.
Who he is?
He revealed himself through the Bible.
The Word of God. And so we have the written revelation.
Of who God is and we can read this book from cover to cover and we can never exhaust how God has revealed himself to us we're going to find in this book.
That God has a certain character.
It says in first John that God is light.
It also says in first John that God is.
Love, it says in John's Gospel. It says in him was life.
And the life was the light of men.
And so.
With this wonderful revelation of the Word of God.
God has said I want you to know me, I want you to know me. I don't want to leave who I am and what my character is up to your imagination and you know when, man.
When we.
Neglect the word of God. We're leaving ourselves open to think that we can fill in the blanks as to who God is and as to what His character is. And that's a very, very dangerous thing. It says in Proverbs, there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways.
Of death.
Didn't I just say?
In him was life.
When we turn our back upon the light of His revealed word.
The Rand result is death.
Tonight we don't want the wages of sin is Death.
00:25:03
And without the gift of God, there will be eternal separation from God, but with all the revelation we have.
How could we?
Tell God it's not important for me to know you.
I'll just let this revelation go by the way, and I won't value it, but there's another way that God has chosen to reveal himself.
And it's.
I believe it's it's such a beautiful way that God has chosen to reveal himself.
Let's turn to 2nd.
Corinthians chapter.
4-5.
Chapter 4.
And verse three. But if our gospel be hidden.
Is the good news of God's love and His salvation? Is it hidden to you?
Do you either not understand it?
Or is your mind and your heart and your conscience darkened?
To the good news of salvation through the Lord Jesus. If our gospel will be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine onto them. We've already talked about man being made in the image of and likeness of God, but that was in his state and innocence.
That likeness.
Took a turn very quickly in the Garden of Eden, although we still.
Have you might say body, soul and spirit? And I believe those things are.
One of the ways that were made in his image and likeness. Yet through the fall of sin man.
Became lost.
And the image of God was lost as well.
But here is a man.
Who is God?
And it says.
In whom?
And whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.
You know, dear friends, the more you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, the more you will see the reflection of God in His face. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.
In the face of Jesus.
Christ.
You know every time we get a glimpse.
Of God's Son.
We get a glimpse of the glory of God that shines unhinderedly in His face.
And so God has chosen to reveal.
Who he is?
In creation.
In the word of God.
And in the face of Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful thing it is to know this God. You know, I've read recently a little bit and I'm not one that retains a lot.
So when I read stuff I forget it really quick but I was reading about the Islam faith.
And it's nothing.
Like Christianity?
Islam's faith is not about a God who is willing.
00:30:05
To send his son to die so that he can have a relationship with his with his creature.
It's not that they have no sense of their Allah.
That they have any rapport with him at all.
You know, Satan loves to keep people in ******* but there is no ******* in Christianity. God does not work.
On the principle of *******. And we're gonna see, we're gonna see the ******* that God had to deal with.
Once and for all.
There's no *******.
In the Gospel, in the message of God's offer of salvation. But there's ******* everywhere in man's religion.
And so we'll go back to John Three. I can tell this is going to be a short 45 minutes.
John 3.
Verse 16 says for God so loved the world.
For God.
So loved the world, you know, with God.
It wasn't enough to tell us that he loved us.
That would not express his heart.
It would not express the heart of God to just tell us He loved us. He had in this verse.
He had to tell us that he so loved the world.
For the kids.
For the kids, that means that God's love is this big.
So big. That's God's heart, that's his love. He is.
Has a love that cannot be measured. The only way you can measure to just say it's so big.
So how did he prove that?
If you say you love someone.
There needs to be some evidence, doesn't there?
You know, we have a tendency in our ways of saying we love somebody because we actually want something from them. That's a very selfish love, and it's not real love at all. And we didn't learn that from the heart of God because God didn't love us for something he could get from us.
Yes, He wants our love in return, but God?
Is love and he can't help it. God can't help it that his his very nature like a dog or a like a a a pig. A pig likes to wallow in the mud.
The dog wags his tail when he's happy and it just happens right with God.
His heart loves because he is love. That's his nature.
Thought he was willing to prove it.
God was willing to prove His love, and there is not a greater measure of love. Let's turn to John chapter 15.
Verse 13.
Greater love hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends.
Greater love hath no man than this.
There can't be a greater expression of love than for me to give my life for you.
That still wouldn't express the kind of love that's in the Father's heart.
You know love gives, right? It says. For God so loved the world that he gave.
00:35:01
Love gives.
Let's turn to.
Psalm 22 real quick.
We're going to see the extent of the love of God.
Psalm 22 and verse one says My God.
My God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why are thou so far from helping me?
God is just much as much light.
Holy as he is, love he has these two.
Attributes that are perfectly joined together in perfect timing, that work in perfect harmony.
And this right here is the expression of both of them.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? God hates sin, and it was in his counsels and in His purpose to make the Lord Jesus, that Lamb of God, to die in our place as a substitute and as His plan and purpose to take our sins.
Those sins which we have committed and we could have never exhausted the the the wrath of God regarding them.
It was God's plan.
To take those sins and to deal with them.
In the only way a holy God could deal with them, and that was there was only one person.
Who could be a sin bearer? There was only one person who could stand in the place of sinners.
And we are those sinners. There was only one person in the Old Testament. It speaks, it says to the children of Israel that they were to take a lamb without blemish and without spot. And this sin bearer that was, that was needed.
To take our place could not have a blemish. There could be no spot on his person and the Scripture is very clear that he did no sin. He knew no sin and in him was no sin. He was the perfect victim.
And yet the cost to the heart of God.
Was for him to go to that cross that we just read about. My God, my God, why?
Hast thou forsaken me?
Says later on in this chapter it says I was brought up being completely and totally dependent on you from the womb. I never deviated from obedience as a man.
I never.
Crossed your will.
And as that holy judgment fell upon him at the cross, he cries out.
In his.
Abandonment.
Only one time.
That the Son of God.
Was ever separated from God?
The thought of it.
Is almost more than we can comprehend.
But God hates sin, and he's light.
But he's also love.
And his love was so great.
That God would stand back.
Shroud.
This world in darkness.
00:40:00
And pour on his Son the judgment of a sin hating God.
God so loved the world that he gave.
That's what he gave.
He gave his son to die.
To be forsaken at the cross.
We could turn to the Gospels and we could read about the three dark hours.
Where the sun refused to shine, and God laid on him every stripe of righteous judgment.
For every Sinner who would receive him as their savior. Since time is almost gone, we're going to that part of the verse.
For God so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son.
And here's another incredible and expression.
Of the fruit of the Cross of Calvary.
That whosoever.
Whosoever.
Children have been asked.
Who, what is whosoever mean? And they said, well, it's me, you and it's everyone else, right?
There is no one excluded.
From the power that God now has in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It says Paul could say in Romans, he could say, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.
To the Jew 1St, and also to the Greek.
Whosoever believeth you know what there's a requirement for salvation, I want everyone to know there's a you are required to do something. You know, religion has a lot of requirements.
None of them are so simple as this.
God isn't asking you to do something you can't do.
In the sense of it being beyond your capability as a human being.
He knew he'd have to make it so simple because if he didn't, no one would be in heaven. He wouldn't have any fellowship.
And so he designed the gospel.
With the requirement of man to take him at his word.
You might say, well, I don't know that I understand the value of the cross. I don't know if I understand how those sins got laid upon Jesus. I don't know how. I don't know if I understand how God forgave those sins. God's not asking you to understand what He already knows. He's only asking one thing.
Send came into this world.
Because of unbelief.
The Garden of Eden Eden was spoiled and God's fellowship was man with man ended.
On those terms.
Because of one thing.
Man didn't believe God. That's not going to happen again. If you and I are going to come into the fellowship which we have been speaking about, that God desires with this creature, man, He requires one thing of us.
That we glorify Him.
That we say.
The work of Calvary's cross is sufficient for my salvation.
God is glorified by your faith.
And confidence in him and mine. And God is dishonored when he is not believed.
And so the RE1 requirement of God.
Is faith.
It's not something we have to get hung up on.
We don't have to say, well, how much do I have to? Well, you know, sometimes believers, they'll come away from a gospel meeting and they'll go away and they'll be, they'll be tormented inside. Have I believed enough? Did I do it right?
00:45:12
Don't do that.
Because you're not trusting.
The work of Christ.
God just says accept it.
Accept it for yourself. Is there anyone here?
Who doesn't want to put their trust in the Lord Jesus?
Is there anything God has done to make you feel that way? Have you felt?
Not accepted by him? Have you felt he doesn't love you enough?
If you do, we would pray that God would further reveal His testimony that He's already made perfectly clear.
Are you willing?
To accept the fact that sin separates me from God.
It's necessary. We have to accept God for who he is.
He's holy.
And he has deemed us sinners.
And we accept his testimony we set to our seal. Thank God is true. Another verse in John 316 which I will end with.
He that receiveth his testimony has set to his seal that God is true. You know when I believe.
I'm actually just saying God is true.
I believe his testimony. Let's pray.
Our God and Father, we just come to thee tonight. We wanna thank Thee that the gospel message is so simple.
It could be summarized in four letters. Done.
The work of Calvary is finished, and the veil is rent, and souls can draw near. Father, we thank Thee that you have made the way of salvation.
Just.
Dependent.
On whether we would receive and believe your testimony, we would pray tonight for anyone in the room who hasn't received it, anyone that would walk out in danger of the judgment of God.
For we know that that is real, that your righteousness will deal with every unrepentant center.
In that place which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
Will become their destiny. We pray Father.
The Spirit of God would work, and it's in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Armor of Light
Children—David So
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Good morning.
I'm cheating on your time. We're about 30 seconds beforehand. Is that OK? We start early.
No.
I guess by the time we waited, we lost the 30 seconds, haven't we? Who has a him that they would like to start us with?
Number six.
Number six. Oh, I like this here. God in mercy, send his Son. Well, let's sing this first.
God in Mer.
Before we finish to him, this ham tells us so much what the Sunday school is about, it tells by.
Saying God in mercy sent his son. You know, sometimes as young people, as even children, we are told we are to do the work of an evangelist. We're to tell for the story of God's love. And often we'll say, well, where do you begin? How do you tell someone about the love of God?
Here's the story, isn't it? It always begin by saying that God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin and.
Done. This is very important to proclaim that it is God's love we send his Son. Why did he send his Son to this world?
Because this world has sinners like you and I. So the world is full of sin and it's undone. And the good news is Jesus, Jesus Christ, he's the one that came down to this world. He was crucified and he came to die for Sinner like me. That's the gospel story, isn't it?
They're listening the last verse, Christ the Lord.
Let's let's look to the Lord for help.
Blessed God and our loving Father, we give thanks this morning for our Lord Jesus Christ and truly we can sing him as such to know that God sent his Son into this world. God in mercy send his Son. And then he came. He came to suffer, He came.
Who died? He came to shed his blood. Force on the cross.
We thank Thee that this morning we can proclaim that the blood of Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, has cleansed us from all sin. So we look to Thee now. We commit this meeting into 19. We pray if there be any boy, girl, or even older ones too, who are still lost.
00:05:10
Who have not yet.
Been washed by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that that would help them.
To repent while there is still time. So we look today for help. We think of perhaps Sunday school and gospel activities in many other places going under the same hour. We pray for blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Who else has another him? Maybe I'll see someone from this side of the room this time.
We got the bigger kids here.
No one. I just see smile and when I look at you, you look down. That means you have something, but you don't want to give it, right?
You have one no.
Number one.
Number one.
Almost persuaded now. Now I think there's a few keywords here. Now let's see why it tells us. Now let's say #1.
So the hymn writer reminds us here that now is the time. Now is the time to believe, not tomorrow. Who has another him?
Number 50. That's a nice 10. Happy day. Now, before we sing this, I have a little request.
It's, it's sometimes it's funny when you're standing at the other end of the room, you hear that when we sing, it sounds different because some things they should say faster, some things they should sing slower. And up here we got all these different sound. It doesn't sound like singing in one accord and 1 melody.
So now I know some of you know physics very well, right? Sound. I can see some of the voices, how fast the sound travel.
Faster than an airplane, right? Well, some airplane. So that means by the time you hear someone from across the room, there's already a delay. So keep that in mind. Don't wait for the other side. And then we have some people call it. It's nice. That's echo of grace, right? Not quite that. Sometimes it sounds more like a discord, so let's see if we can try that especially.
We are singing something like this. Oh Happy Day. How happy are you when you don't even?
Go along with your brethren, Oh Happy Day, that fixed my choice on thee, my Savior and my God. Can we sing that from our heart? And saying, Oh Happy Day, when Jesus washed my sins away, blessing this together, Oh happy.
00:10:07
Day.
No.
How many of you learned the Sunday school 1St?
01.
Just one.
All these. I know what we'll say. You have learned it. I'm gonna read it first. Oh, I see a big boy put his finger up two. That's good. So what up 30 now? Now we're talking. I'm gonna read the verse first.
Then I'm going to sing one more hymn. Then we're going to say the verse. Would that be OK? Then to give you a chance to refresh your memory if you have to look it up. OK, The verse is, I believe is in Psalm 34, verse eight. Very well known verse. Many of us know this, so let me just read this. Verse 8. Psalm 34, verse eight, it says.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. I think if you're younger, it'd be very good even to learn the first part of the verse, right? Old taste and see the Lord is good. If you're a little older, if you think you're smarter than your friends, then you should say the rest of the verse and that says blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Now in my hand. I don't like this here.
In Canada they would call this Lollipop.
Down here I notice you put a label on it called Dum Dums.
00:15:01
So I don't know what it means. I don't know if it means if you eat this you become a dumb dumb or you lick the Dum Dums. I don't know. But.
I don't know, do you think this dumb dumb would taste good? What's the best way to find out of this dum Dum is good.
Well, I just show it to you. OK, See. Is it good? How do you know?
You forget what if this is garlic flavor dum dum.
Do you think you would still like that? Oh I know wasabi flavor. How's that? How do you know if this is good? OK, I'll tell you after you say the verse. I will give you one to taste. Do you think that's a better way to find out? Then you can taste and you can see that this is good. So let's have.
One more hymn.
You have another one, OK.
No, he does OK.
I know, can I pick one for you?
Huh. Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead.
#60 I would have trouble with this hymn sheet or you. Do you mean 16?
Which one is the point to me? Show me that one.
Is is the one whosoever?
Uh-huh. OK, so we're saying the first verse of #16.
Whosoever heareth.
So ever.
Who does it talk about?
GAIL, you even tell me, what does it mean? Whosoever.
Anyone you sure?
But what's the but but anyone?
Anyone. And if that's very good, even I try to trip you up and you didn't get tripped up. You know, I tell this story often. There's a boy. How many of you wear T-shirts with slogans on it?
No, never. Yeah, some slogan is not good. You gotta be careful. You gotta read and see what But one someone told me I didn't see it. This boy had the T-shirt on the back of the T-shirt is that I am whosoever. Isn't that nice? So. So here it's a whosoever I can say I am. I'm the one that when I hear, we can show that sound because of the blessed tidings that God is saying.
All the world around. OK, how many of you would like me to skip the verse part? Because that's a tough part and they won't want me to skip that. No, you're thinking of the dumb. Dumb, right? Do I have any volunteer to be the first? Go ahead.
Very good, now you can taste and see if you like the garlic flavor. And I'm just kidding.
Oh, now that we're done, you think I have more? You know, it's funny, I got to tell you this. One of the Sunday school, I bought a knapsack and I sat it on the front just like this. And at the end of the Sunday school, someone asked, he said what's in an OP sack?
Nothing.
But they were all looking to see what I was gonna pull out from the knapsack, So here. Well, I'll show you one thing for now. Or something. I do have more.
This is actually to the kindest I think of the brethren it as, uh, Vesco. A couple of Sunday schools years ago, I said I forgot goodies and I mentioned it to two people. They all brought me back. One brought me back, dumb dumb. Another one brought me back, smarty. So it was good.
00:20:10
We had a really good choice. Anyone else? So today we only have Dum Dums because I figure I'm coming to the US. You're more familiar with Dum Dum?
Would you do me a favor on top of this? Would you be brave enough to hold this for me and pass it out for me to the next kid? That means yes, you can take one for yourself too. Who else? Go ahead.
Very good. Go ahead.
Thank you.
Go ahead.
Good dad can help.
You know, I, I do understand it is difficult, isn't it, standing up. When I was younger, I could not figure out why people want me to stand up in front of everyone else just to say a verse. And I know you practice. You practice. You say it perfectly at home, then you stand up. That's why you notice I didn't go down the road because that was my fear When I was younger. I used to go two more than it's my turn.
And then the next person.
That that is me and that I couldn't say it, OK.
OK. I guess that was good.
And you had your hand up, right?
Anyone else or whoever started this side yet? Now if I miss somebody, make sure you wave your hand, OK? Not that I can't hear. That's a problem. I can't see too well now, so make sure I can see you.
No.
Go ahead.
Anyone else back there?
OK.
Very good.
Anyone else?
Now he's he's what we can do for those that know it but afraid to stand up. You say it to your mom and dad, and then you come tell me that you said it and we'll have that candy. I'm going to leave. No, I guess I can't. This next meeting. Just come see me after. OK. Thank you. Just for that. You can have another one.
Let's sing another hymn. Who has another hymn for us?
Yes.
#2 Can we sing just the first verse? That's a long one. OK, hymn #2.
Count is Jesus gently.
00:25:51
Got a wide range of kids, don't we?
Uh-huh. Like we sing that to him, a little child of seven or even 34, and sometimes we change it and say a little child of 70, right?
It's all little ones, but when you talk to a child of three or four, you speak differently, don't we? And I, I wrestle with that because in this room we got children of all ages. So today, I hope the parents of the little children don't mind. I'd like to speak to the older children, maybe the teenagers, because we've got things we need to wrestle with too, don't we?
So the gospel is for all ages.
And I want to talk about armor.
It sounds funny and I don't want to pick on our brethren here in the United States of America. Armor is something becoming more conscious to people's minds, right? I've heard now that you can even get bulletproof backpack to go to school with. So what are armors for? Why do we people buy armors now? I know you might think of the old days where they got this big plated chain coated armor.
What are armors for? Anyone can help you with that? Why do? Why do? Why did? Why did people wear armor?
So they don't get hurt. So in other words, for protection, isn't it? Is there any other reason for armor?
Is it a fashion show? Yeah, you can see a a model going up the displaying the armor they have well.
I'm not sure about that. Perhaps actually hold that thought, because I think he could be right, partly right.
And we're going to see what Scripture have to say about armor. Now, when we talk about armor, we often think about what?
The helmet of salvation. What's on our breastplate?
That's the face and so on. You're familiar with the armor. I'm not gonna talk about that today because I know most of you know what very well.
I'm gonna show you my armor 1St and then we're gonna read the verse. So let me take my jacket off. This is not a bulletproof jacket, so it's not an armor.
And I'm going to show you an armor.
I have to quickly produce this. How many have you seen this kind of armor? Do you think this gives you protection?
Sure would if someone should.
A spitball at you, right? Do you think this is an armor?
It's tough. I can stretch it as long as they'll stretch it too hard, huh? Do you think this will protect you?
I wanna show you that this is an armor, but not an armor that you're thinking of. So turn with me now to the book of Romans.
Let's see what kind of armor this could be.
I'm going to read a few verses to get the connection, so I'm going to start with verse 12, Romans 13, verse 12.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. You heard of that verse before, haven't you?
You know, that's The funny thing. A lot of words we hear from the word of God, but often we only know that little bit. We don't look at what's before, we don't look at what's after. We don't look at the context of why those verses are written. So sometimes it's good to look and read the verses before and after. So it tells us the night as far as fans and the day is at hand and then there's a colon there.
00:30:20
Continue on with the thought, they said. Let us therefore cast off the works of what the works of darkness.
And let us put on the armor.
What is it? The armor? I'm gonna put this on.
He said because of the work of darkness. And we're gonna put on, well, let's pretend this is what it is, this is just a safety vest, and we're gonna put on an armor of light.
It's not a funny kind of armor.
An armor of light. Well, what can you do with this? Who would like to play hide and seek tonight with this song?
And I would even give you 10 seconds head start.
But why? Why do we need, you would think an armor? Give me a bulletproof armor or lease with our brass or iron or something strong, but this just right?
Now let's read on. That's why we have to, don't we?
Verse 13 Let us walk.
Honestly.
As in the day, not in rioting.
And drunkenness not in chambering, and wantonness not in strife and envying.
So it tells us we should walk honestly.
Now let me ask your children, this younger one, older ones, how come your parents before you go, I would say, can you make sure you don't do? Why did they say that?
Because most likely your mom and dad know you're gonna do it.
Right. Some of you who are a little older drive Mom and dad said don't speed. You go OK, mom.
She's not in the car.
Right. Mom said. There's extra cookies in the cookie jar. You can have one, but no one else is in the room and the jar is full. Do we do that? We could take an extra 1. That's disobedient, right? And in this country, we said we believe in honesty, and then we find people who claim they're honest turn out to be dishonest.
But the word of God tells us that we should be honest. We walk honestly.
Whether someone know it or not. Because someone knows when we cheat, doesn't it?
So the rest, I'm not gonna get too detail on those words. It's not proper for today or this morning. And for your younger, older, young people, you should look up what those words means. A lot of immoral sins are listed here. You know, not long ago, unless I got my news mixed up, you folks down here in the state of California, anyone from California here? Do you remember the governor of California wanted to put a band in the sale of the Bible?
They've gone through whatever you call them, the surgeon initial level, and they were gonna see if they can pass it in the Senate.
Terrible. Why did he want that? He said the word of God.
The Bible condemned a lot of people in this world is prejudice against many people. He wanted a band.
The Bible here in our hand is our guide. It tells us we have to walk honestly, as in the day. That's why the previous verse of the day, the night is far spent, the night is almost gone. Why do people like night? How many of you like it in the dark?
Why do bad people do things in the dark?
Do you think a man will go rob, steal someone's break into somebody's house at night and put in a vest of light?
Unless you watch those funny movie where they have the dumbest dumbest, uh, criminal. We won't, would we? Because we are as a light to this world. So we are to walk honestly.
00:35:07
Even though this doesn't look like much of A protection, it is a protection as a Christian to walk in the way pleasing to God. Let's read one more verse on there, verse 14. Not just putting on the vest as if it were.
He said, But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Where? How do you put on Christ? Which and where Him?
But that's tough, isn't it, to think of what does it really mean. Now I don't wanna pick up girls. I know boys do that too. And maybe the girls here don't do that. You know, there, there's some movie stars, some famous people, maybe someone just got married to a Prince or something and they have a new dress. What do most women do?
They want to buy a dress just like that one, don't they? The guys, you're laughing. We do that too. Maybe not a dress.
They're putting on something so they want to look like or want people to sing this, just like that Lady who was nobody in between a Princess. Isn't that a wonderful story? But here the word of God said no, you're to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, which means the way you talk, the way you walk, the way you behave.
But that's what walk means, isn't it?
Yeah, the way you are when someone see you say you are like that man who came down named Jesus, so we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I think it's in 2nd Corinthians 6, it also talked about another armor. It was a light and you can look that up. I believe it talked about the armor of righteousness.
We don't use those words much, do they? Do we? Righteousness?
It's not my thought to go into that. You can look that up. You're old enough now. What is righteousness? What is holiness?
Those words are important word, isn't it? So here we're exalted to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's how we are to walk now.
I want to change my address a little bit to someone who is a little older.
I made a comment earlier that Sunday School is for children three or four or even 70, isn't it? Some of us are approaching that so we know what it's like. And I made a comment that versus in front of you sometimes we'll quote often, but we don't look at the whole thing. What is this chapter about?
Now I'll share with you something that's funny. As many of you know, we're from Canada and in Canada.
President Trump, you know that. And then I found out a lot of people down here don't like him neither. And then they found out a lot of people that are Christians don't like him. That's terrible.
This chapter begins by warning us as Christians.
Let me read the first verse and I won't SP spend too much time on that. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God, the powers that are ordained of God. Uh, let me read the verse, second verse to whosoever therefore resisted the power resisted the ordinance of God, and they that resist them shall receive to themselves.
Damnation.
I remember even my own father was listing all these problems he heard and I said that, did you pray for him? Oh, I can't pray for him like that.
That mistake, isn't it? The word of God tells us that. And for us, we're a little older. I learned this 3 words, the government in our place that God has put in, we're to do three things.
We have to pay. I know it sounds sad when you start making money, you know what it means. You gotta pay taxes and so on. Where to pay? To pray and to obey. That's what this chapter is about. That's why he bring out at the end of the chapter that we are to be the light. So if you're the one who cursed the president or who cheat on the income tax.
Not walking honestly are you? Doesn't matter how you feel, you can justify.
00:40:01
The action because God has put those men in place. And by the way, no rulers that were ever put in place were Mr. Nice Guy.
Was saw and elected saw. That was the first election. Was he a nice guy? God put in place Nebuchadnezzar. Do you think he was a kind person? Cyrus came to the rise. Was he a nice man? No, even though the Lord said Cyrus my servant and that Nebuchadnezzar my shepherd. So children, remember you are to be seen as if you were the Lord Jesus Christ.
You had to have the armor of light.
If anyone wanted to borrow this tonight to play hide and seek, you're happy to borrow that.
Last half, another hymn.
Anyone else?
Hymn #47 Oh, this is nice. I think this goes get goes so well what we talked about. Because while we're on this earth, we're to obey, trusting. We're sometimes saying trust and obey. We're trusting that God will provide and that all things are done according to his will. And then in the meantime, we're waiting for the Lord Jesus soon return. This is one of the blessed hope that the church as a whole.
It's forgotten and that we have the reminder often, you know.
In perhaps another half hour, an hour, we have the privilege of remembering the Lord Jesus in his death force. And sometimes we'll forget and we say we're going to meet him. What are we there for? We're there to remember him in his death. That's the sole purpose. But.
There's also something so I was thinking of that verse, it says for us often as to eat this bread and drink this cup. I said ye do a show whatever. Would you show the world? This is the light we do show the Lord's.
Death.
That's part of that light, isn't it, that we have that armor of light on the show, the world, we remember his death, but then that verse is not finished. It's a little bit more to it that for you to show the Lord's death.
Till.
Till he comes. So the Lord's coming is always an association with His death. In fact, death and resurrection in Scripture always go together because it's a reminder that Jesus came into this world. He died for our sins. After three days, God raised him from the dead.
Proving that God is satisfied with the finished work He has done. Not only so, he ascended back to heaven, seated at God's right hand on high. There's no man on this earth ever descended. No man ever done that, let alone ascended back.
So now we're waiting for his return to take us to be home with himself. Hymn number I forget now 4147.
When he come out, When he.
A little chill.
00:45:04
On our hearts, and I'm still going to talk about that.
For one dumb dumb who can tell me what did this vet represent? What did we speak on? It was a picture of the.
Just one hand. OK, What was it about?
The armor of God. That's close. I'll give you a dumb dumb who can say the word that we use the armor of.
All right, the armor of Y8. Oh, you're going to have your teeth. I hope you. I know you're gonna give it all away, right? So your mom won't blame me.
Who can tell me?
We talk about putting on the but more so than just the Armor of Light, is that something about the put on something else?
I'm gonna say that I know you know.
Keep it in the family. Put on what haha.
Your dad's gonna have a nice dentist Bill now.
Let's come in ourselves.
Blessed God and our loving Father, we give thanks for the time here. With Thy Word open before us, we thank Thee that Thou has exalted us to live honestly, righteously.
And wholly in this dark, evil world.
We know we can't do it on our own. We know we're weak, we know often get distracted and failed, but we know we can put out dependence upon these. So we pray that that would help us, that we may be a testimony for thy name's sake. So we commit each and everyone here into thine hand asking for help.
Asking for guidance, asking for blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
E-mail.
Stand Still … Go Forward
Open—Stephen Rule
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We've seen #46 in the appendix.
46 in the back.
Uh-huh.
Eleven, 2018.
My name is.
Umm.
Nsnoise.
Like to briefly pass on a very simple principle. I hope it has broad practical application for you. This is something that's been a real encouragement to me lately, and I trust it will be for you. He turns with me to Exodus chapter 14. Just read a few verses there.
Just for context, let's read from verse 10.
Exodus 14, verse 10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. And the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore Hasta dealt with us thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?
Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?
For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
00:05:23
And the Lord said unto Moses.
Wherefore cryst thou unto me, speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.
Just this very simple, extremely practical lesson.
Moses says to the children of Israel, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The Lord says to Moses, speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward, stand still, go forward. Now there's many things that could be drawn from this passage, but this is what I've enjoyed. We're all in circumstances and confident of it. Every single one of us are in circumstances that are well beyond our ability to.
Of them.
Sometimes it's really obvious, sometimes it's maybe not so obvious that everyone of us is in a set of circumstances that's completely out of our power. The children of Israel here realized it. They saw Pharaoh drawing 9, and you can just see that group of shepherds watching the most powerful military they'd ever known approaching them across the desert sand.
With the Red Sea on one side.
And Ferro on the other must have been a pretty tremendously distressing moment. Perhaps you're in a moment like that where you're trapped, unable to move and naturally speaking according to all your personal experience, there's not a way out. And they, it says it's, it's nice. It says they cried under the old Lord. The verse, the end of verse 10, they did cry unto the Lord.
They complained to Moses, but they cried unto the Lord. And perhaps we're in circumstances that are really beyond us.
And the Lord's message to our heart is stand still and see.
That is.
What's going to get you out of this set of circumstances is not your clever effort. It's not your careful planning. It's not how you're going to figure this one out. Present the plan to me and I'll ratify it. What's going to get you out of the circumstance is I will deliver you not before me. The, the, of course, all the typical teaching of the Red Sea, and it's a wonderful thing, but it's a practical lesson of faith counting on God.
That, I think is extremely important for every single one of us, no matter what that circumstance we face in our life is a couple that together with go forward.
Couple it together with go forward. That is the Lord is the only one that can take you out of or take you through the circumstance that you're in at the moment.
But he has a step for you to take in faith. Now, some of us are the nail biter types. You see something coming and you can figure out all the ways that can go bad, all the different ways that things can fall apart. And so we're sitting there fussing and worrying over all the things that could happen.
The Lord says to your heart and to mind, stand still and see.
But there's others that.
UMM might tend to take the approach that says, well, we'll have to take care of it. I'll go on about whatever I wanna do. It's in the Lord's hands. And the combination of these two things is stand still and go forward. There's a step to take in faith. Whatever the circumstance is in your life, there's a step to take in faith.
Perhaps it's with your children and there's that great burden on your heart for your children.
You'd love to see their heart turn toward the Lord. You'd love to see those signs of growth and the little leaves budding out and forget fruit beginning to be produced. And you know the principle first, uh, the blade, then the year, then the full corn in the year. And so the Lord has to bring that blessing into their lives. He has to do it.
But the Lord says fill the water pots with water. It's a feast of Cana of Galilee. There were those empty water pots. There wasn't the wine for that feast. And there's going to be that miracle of the water being turned to wine. The Lord had to do it. But there was a step to take in faith, and that step to take in faith was to fill those water pots with water.
00:10:06
There was the widow woman in Second Kings chapter 4 and she came. Maybe hold your finger here. Just turn to 2nd Kings chapter 4.
And.
There's another desperate situation, not as outwardly dramatic to the world around not as many witnesses.
But Second Games, chapter 4, verse one, this is a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets, and she came to Elijah, saying that thy servant, my husband is dead.
And the end of the verse, The creditors come to take him unto him, my two sons to be bondsman.
There's a situation where her heart needed to hear those words, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. And she goes to the right source. She goes to the man of God. She presents the problem. She's a widow lady, two sons without resources. She's about to lose everything and she finds an answer. But the answer involves a step of faith. Go borrow the vessels abroad in verse three. Of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels, borrow not a few, and you know the story.
The Lord comes along and He fills them. He fills every single one of them until the vessels ran out, not the oil, and then the oil ran out, and then the oil stayed. And so whatever the situation, whatever the circumstance in your life, it's like to pass on this very practical, very simple thing rather than sitting there and fussing over it.
As so many of us do, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
And go forward, take that next step of faith, pour a little more water into the water pot, give a little bit more of the word of God so that child of yours that you pray for every single day.
Go borrow another vessel to fill with oil, because the oil won't stop until the vessels stop. Take that next step of faith. Are you in the circumstance in your assembly where there is an impossible problem? And it may feel like you're pinned between Pharaoh and the sea? You know, the pillar of cloud went around in behind and it parked between them. And the Egyptian Lord is very merciful in these circumstances and before he opened.
See, He parked the pillar of cloud between them and the Egyptian. The Lord can steal your heart before He solves the obvious problem. He can make that heart stand still and stop fussing. But at the same time, he says go forward. There's a step to take in faith. There's something that God has given you to do in your circumstance, and I just encourage you with that simple word.
Go forward. They stepped, I presume, down to the border of the Red Sea.
And then the Lord had given Moses something to do. He does it. The sea opens in front of them.
They didn't curl up and hide in their tents. They didn't go into the fetal position and wait for the slaughter of the Egyptian or for the Lord to pick them up and carry them to the other side. He gives us a path of faith. He does send a donkey to help Carrie. If you're the, if you're the man that was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, he sends the donkey to help carry. But as a practical matter for a believer, uh.
He asked us to take that next step of faith, the next step of faith and the next step of faith without the nail biting, standing still in spirit and going forward in faith.
Running Well, or Consistency
Open—Bruce Christensen
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Just reflect for a few moments on a few of the lines of the hymn that we have saw.
We sung about.
The Lord's constancy.
What does it mean to be constant?
I believe it would bring before us the fact that there was an evenness.
In the Lord's journey.
Here those approximately 33 years while we walked upon the earth.
Our low.
Our emotions.
Ebb and flow, we go up and down like a yo-yo.
Sometimes we're happy.
Some. So sometimes we're sad.
Sometimes our walk is consistent.
Other times it's not.
We think of the meal offering and what does that picture? I believe it pictures the evenness.
The constancy of the Lord Jesus as He walked here upon earth.
I'd like to just address.
A little.
Turn to a few scriptures that refer to the believers pathway here below.
And what God's mind is for us as believers. Let's turn to the book of Galatians.
Chapter 5.
And verse 7.
It says.
Ye did run well.
Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?
The past tense is used here in this portion.
Ye did run well.
But there was something that came in.
To hinder.
To block.
That testimony.
Here it says who did hinder you? Perhaps we could also say what did hinder you. And so there are a lot of hindrances in our lives that can block communion.
With ourselves and the Lord Jesus.
So let us keep in mind this very.
Searching scripture you did run well.
Who did hinder you that you should obey?
The truth. And then let's just turn to I believe it's second Kings.
For just a brief moment.
The early chapters of Second Kings.
And the Lord Jesus desires consistency in our Christian life and pathway.
If we had time, we could look at a number of the kings of Israel that had a promising beginning.
But we see that they were hindered in some way towards the end of their life. And so it is with our Christian lives.
Let's just turn to the second chapter of Second Kings.
Beginning with verse five, and the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha.
00:05:05
And said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from my head today? And he answered, Yeah, I know it, Hold ye your peace, and allow you. Elijah said unto him, Terry, I pray thee hear, for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.
And they too went on.
I believe that we could look at various applications to Jordan, but that's not my intent this afternoon. But just look at that expression that's used at the end of verse six. And they too went on.
If we read in First Corinthians, we read about strife coming in amongst the early assembly, and it was not God's intention that this strife should come in and we think of Abraham's herdsman and lost herdsman.
Where there was strife also that had come in, but we see a lovely picture here.
Of Communion.
They too went on reading verse 7, and 50 men of the sons of the prophets went and stood afar, and they too stood by Jordan. We have this continuing here, don't we? And then in verse 8.
At the end of the verse we have the expression they too went over on dry ground. And then finally the last expression that I wanna call attention to is in verse 11 and it came to pass as they still went on.
And talked. Behold, there appeared at chariot of fire and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, And Elijah went up by a whirlwind.
Into heaven.
What I believe that this brings out is the end of a course of life we see earlier in First Kings, we see of Aisha ministering.
Uh, to, uh, Elisha and so.
We see early on.
The intimacy between Elijah and Elijah.
And viewed in this sense, there was communion between those two servants of the Lord. And we see this continue, we see that this communion.
Is going on in a consistent way and we see that it continues to the end and so the Lord would desire.
A consistent, faithful life.
Devoted to him to the end, and we don't want it to be said of each one of us. He did run well.
That's a searching term. That's a searching scripture. But what a lovely ending we have here in connection with Elijah and Elijah.
I think.
Of what is said of Abraham? Abraham at at Abraham's death.
It's mentioned that Abraham died full of years.
And I believe those last few words of years is not in the original and it gives the sense that there was a fullness.
In Abraham's death, just as there was a fullness in his life and so.
It is searching for me as well as you to end up with that con, with that acknowledgment. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
00:10:14
The Lord Jesus desires consistency in our lives, and may we desire to honor and please Him.
Confidence in the Lord
Open—Ralph Roossinck
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to add just a little bit to what our brother Steve had to say.
You know, if you read what he read, look at it.
How did how is Moses able to say what he said to the children of Israel there, what he read? But if we turn back a few chapters, I think we'll have to find out why. Let's go to chapter 6 of Exodus.
Chapter 6 of Exodus the Lord is speaking to Moses. He's telling them to tell the children of Israel this.
Exodus 6 verse 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their ******* and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm with great judgments, and it will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you.
A God, and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
And I will give it you for an heritage. I am the Lord.
And I thought about that when Steve was reading that.
Moses had gotten us directly from the Lord.
Our trustee conveyed it for the next verse is so Moses spake so unto the children of Israel, but they hearken not unto Moses for anguish his spirit and for cruel *******. Yes, they were in a really tough circumstances and they really couldn't believe what Moses told them, but Moses had confidence in the Lord that he was going to do it. He wasn't going to get them trapped between the.
Red Sea and Farrell's host.
He protected them for a little while with that cloud, perhaps a day or so.
But Moses told them stand still.
The Lord hadn't told Moses how he's gonna do it. He had confidence in the Lord that he was going to do it. He had promised him that he was going to bring them to that promised land, to the land that he promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
And that wasn't the outskirts of Egypt.
That was the land of Canaan as we know it, Palestine.
He was gonna bring them there.
And we know the story. We know it well.
Found a lot of trials along the way.
Most of it due to unbelief. Along the way we could talk about the spies.
Kind of them didn't believe that God could do it. Two of them did.
While they were discouraged.
I suppose I could say they did run well, but maybe it'd be better to say they ran fairly well.
Because even up to that point, they've done a lot of complaining. But the Lord did bring them through. He had promised to do it. He fulfilled it. So I think that's a challenge for those of us who have read the Word. We know that the Lord has promised His presence with us. He's going to take us through the difficulties.
He's gonna take us all the way through the difficulties.
How good to put confidence in the Lord.
Well, there's a we talked a little bit about Elisha.
Let's go to 2nd Kings Chapter 5.
And probably few here, if any other than my wife, have heard me refer to this as what I think of as the greatest example of faith in the Old Testament. Now, some could dispute that, and I won't argue with him. But it's a tremendous example of faith here in Second Kings 5.
Umm well just read the first few verses, Second Kings 5 verse one. Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria. He was also a mighty man in valor.
But he was a leper.
And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel, little maid. And she waited on Damon's wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God, my Lord, were with the Prophet, that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy.
00:05:16
Well, we all know the rest of the story. This is probably.
Enough that I need to read.
I imagine this slower made this little girl.
Was about the age of 1 of you girls here in this room, Maybe in the 2nd row here or the 2nd row there.
About the age of one of these children here.
You know, she could well have thought.
Sir's name and good and well to have leprosy. He's wiped out my family. He's taken us captive. I don't know where my parents are.
Which reminds me of what's going on in this country, but that's another story. Where are my parents, My dad, my mom? They're gone.
And here's this little maid waiting on the captain of the host who had just taken her family, her country, all captive.
Naturally, we think.
Serves him well. He's got what he's coming.
This might be a painful disease. I don't really know much about leprosy. Some here could probably tell me more, but my guess is that it's a rather debilitating disease and eventually might lead to death.
Serves him well.
That would be our natural uh.
Umm, thought.
That's not what she thought.
She says to her mistress.
Would God, my Lord, were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy.
Now there is confidence in the power of the Lord.
That's confidence. That's why I say she has such a great, it's such a great example of faith. Had she heard that Elijah had cured quite a few people?
And she heard anything about that?
Cousin, the Lord tell us and uh, one of the gospels that there are many lepers back in those days, but Naman was the only one healed. That was because of the confidence of this little maid.
We know the rest of the story and how it all goes, but name it was healed from his leprosy.
God rewarded the faith of this little man.
Another thing that tells me about this little maid.
She was taken seriously by her mistress.
Because she repeated it.
And it got to Naman and those around him.
They said you better go get healed. And of course we know the story, how it all got mixed up and he went to the wrong place. He went to the king and the king thought he was picking a fight.
But eventually he got to the light share.
And by obeying the word from Elisha, he was healed.
So the confidence that this little maid has her demeanor, her the way she carried herself be in that household name is household, made her words be taken seriously.
Well, let's back up a little bit of something that it really hasn't told us here.
How had she heard about Elisha?
Well, I don't suppose we really know.
But she had parents, that's a given. They must have told her something about Elisha and his power. Maybe they told her about the the woman that, uh, was mentioned, who had the pots that were filled. I suppose that story got out.
Somehow or other, she realized that Elijah was a very special person, very special prophet in Israel.
I think her parents had told her about that.
What are we as parents?
And now I guess you'd have to say I'm one generation beyond that, a grandparent.
What are we as parents or grandparents telling our children or grandchildren? Are we displaying confidence in the Lord? Are we telling them something of the Lord and His goodness to us as individuals, as couples?
00:10:06
Are we telling them the way of salvation?
What are we telling them?
This little girl heard and believed what had been told her.
And she repeated it and you want, you might say it was a difficult circumstance.
Most here were at the sink last night.
And we are challenged.
To say a word in the gospel to somebody that may not know who the Lord Jesus is, we've been challenged.
I hope we obey that challenge. The Lord wants us to do so. He has done great things with you.
I think the Lord told one, tell what great things the Lord had done for thee.
Isn't that our mission too?
To tell those around us, to tell our children, our family.
So that's what had been done for this little maid, and she's an encouragement to me.
And so that means that how old she was as only a guest.
But she was young, she knew something about the Lord and His power through Elisha.
And she told it to those who were really her enemies and.
They believe well how good it is to put confidence in what the Lord has told us. He's told us, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age.
So we can be an encouragement to one another too, just like Moses sought to encourage his people who are probably already to stone him.
There when they're in that between a rock and a hard place, as we say.
And the Lord did take care of him and deliver them.
And a song of Thanksgiving we could read in the next chapter.
Well, I think these, uh, thoughts can be a bit of an encouragement to us today.
166.
Lord, Thou has drawn us after thee. Now let us run. Never tire.
Sure.
Is.
That everybody's going to work here. No, I'm saying I'm hungry. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh my God. I can't hear you.
10-4 oh 10-4 oh. 10-4 oh, oh oh oh one oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh. 10-4 oh. 10-4 oh. 10-4 10-4 10-4 oh. 10-4 oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Microphone, microphone, microphone.
00:15:13
Uh-huh.
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Birthday.
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90590.
Oh, oh, oh oh 05.
The Law Works Death
Open—Phil Jennings
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Then together #139 #139.
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So.
00:05:46
We ask the Lord's help.
Had a portion on my heart for some time.
I didn't really expect.
Or to come out here, the exercise that's been on my heart until the last meeting when a verse was read to and referred to. It wasn't referred to in the context that I feel the Lord has laid it on my heart, but it's not an easy subject to speak about.
But it's been a subject that's been on my heart for a long time, and it's really a deep desire in my heart that the Spirit of God would be able to open it up to us. I say open it up to us because I want Him to give clarity to my own soul and that which I'm not clear about. It's a difficult subject because it has to do with conscience.
And as you know.
Our consciences vary.
And so.
One of the.
Umm fears that I have in getting up and speaking on this subject is that there might be a fence.
And that is something that I want to lay to rest in your soul. I have no motives in speaking on this subject. I have no desire to change someone's course or someone's personal faith in their walk with the Lord. But what I have on my heart is a general subject.
And I'm going to use a verse that we had brought before us in the last meeting as a springboard.
So let's go to Galatians chapter 5.
Galatians chapter 5 and verse seven. I do wanna make it clear that I haven't gotten up here on a whim. This is a subject that's been on my heart and I've been meditating on it. And it's my desire that if there's some area in which I'm not clear, even maybe the Spirit of God today as we bring these thoughts out and make it clear to my soul.
Verse seven again, you did run well.
Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? Let's go back and get a little bit of.
Uh, background into the subject that the Apostle Paul was addressing to the assembly at Galatia chapter Galatians chapter 3.
Verse 2.
This only would I learn of you. So he's asking them a question. He wants them.
To address this question in their own soul.
He says, Receive ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith.
And so the question that Paul is addressing or the exhortation that he is giving them, he's saying you started out well because you started out on the principle of faith.
But someone hindered you.
Someone hindered you. The emphasis of the exercise of the brother that spoke in the last meeting wasn't the person that hindered these people, it was what was hindering them. And he used it in a general context. But I'm using this scripture in the exercise of my heart is more directly interpreted from the text.
00:10:14
And that is who did hinder you.
Well, there was, you might say there was an enemy in their midst. I used that term not to address a person.
But I use that term to address a danger. There was danger in their midst. What was the danger that Paul recognized right away as he came into contact with what the Galatians were under the influence of? The apostle Paul knew the gospel because it had been committed to him.
And he knew.
That the basis for the blessing of God's people was founded upon the principle of grace and faith in the work of another.
He also knew that there had been at the cross, there had been death and there had been resurrection.
There had been.
Adam seeing his end at the cross of Christ, and there had been resurrection and newness of life.
And that life was the life of Christ.
And so.
The warning bells were sounding.
In Paul's conscience, in his heart, that the old principles.
Of trying to find righteousness in the first man. And I use that word. I use that word rather probably unscripturally. We we had, we had a more clear explanation of, of the the mention in First Corinthians 15 of the first man. It's not something I've completely grasped yet. I use that word in a more general way.
I use it in connection.
With fallen atom.
And Paul knew that the law was addressed to fallen Adam.
The law.
Was never brought in contact with the life.
That we have in Christ Jesus newness of life. I've used this. I've said this before and it may not be absolutely 100% correct, but after the test of man and the cross of Christ.
God has ceased.
To look for anything from the first man, that test is completely over.
And that first man has been set aside. But the law.
Addresses that man.
And so the apostle Paul was very, very concerned.
Because this assembly had been come under the influence.
Of L of Judaistic teaching, let's turn to 1St Corinthians chapter 15.
Because I want to emphasize.
No, I'm sorry, it's Second Corinthians chapter 3. I want to emphasize the character that the law has taken on now that God has set it aside.
It's it goes right along with Paul's concern.
That they had begun well.
Thought that they had been hindered.
1St Corinthians 3 and verse.
6.
Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter.
00:15:02
But of the Spirit.
And I think.
There are those who are better taught than me in this room, and I don't mind to be corrected afterwards, but I think that if we were to link that phrase of that verse and I'll read it again.
But of the Spirit.
And we were to go to verse 17. Now the Lord is that spirit.
Or where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
I believe that God has taken the focus for the believer off of the letter.
Which was addressed to the first man.
And placed it on Christ.
I sometimes try to explain it this way. The law was a standard. Let me let me back up a little bit because I want to make a point regarding what we've already read in this verse.
It says.
The letter killer.
The letter killeth.
So I take that to mean that the application of the law in the believer's life.
Living under its principles will have the result.
Of that.
Why is that?
Because.
In order to take up the principles of law.
We must go back to the one it was addressed to.
That would be man in the flesh, fallen from his first condition.
And so any time we take up that man in the in the, in the realm of spiritual things.
The end result is going to be failure.
No matter how many times we try.
So the letter killer.
The letter? Kill it.
You know, I find is.
I I guess I can be honest with you and tell you that the meditations that are coming out right now have been years in the making.
And I don't need to go into my history.
But I can say in my life, as I look back, I can see quite a strong influence of the law.
From a very actually from a very young age.
The apostle Paul said first Romans seven was written to them that know the law.
And there's some possibly here and you don't probably don't know a whole lot of what I'm talking about. You don't know the effect of the law because you weren't brought up under its under its rule.
And so you don't know the struggle.
Umm, the believer trying to live under the principles set up for Adam in the flesh. But if you have had the influence of law, which I believe, if we're all honest, the children of Israel said, all that thou sayest unto us we will do. And they said with one voice.
They said it was one voice, so our tendency is to.
Almost invite the law until we understand what God has done with it.
And he's said you're dead to it. That's that's what he's done with the law is as a principle for production of righteousness in the believers life.
But I'm going to make a point here because.
As I have come into the realization of the what the effect of the law can have in the believer's life, and I have come into the realization of the answer to deliverance from this principle, which is can be so extremely binding, can be so extremely so hard to get out from the influence of.
As these truths have have permeated my heart and and I've come to realize there's liberty and Christianity and I can't tell you how much my soul is coming to that.
00:20:11
But as I've sought to share the truth of deliverance from law, I found a resistance.
And I find that it's difficult for us to talk about the law and its effect on the believers life.
I find that when I speak of the law, there's a tendency.
For me to feel like people think that I'm attacking them, I'm not.
The cross of crisis has already taken place. The answer for deliverance from the law has already happened.
And by the grace of God, whatever light He's given is my desire to share.
I have found.
That we're slow in understanding.
What the law really applies to.
We're we're slow to understand.
How much my life might be affected by the law.
But this verse tells us that the letter kills.
The letter kills.
If I had a bottle of.
Pills in my hand.
And they were poison.
What I want to know that bottle was labeled correctly.
What I want to be able to recognize those pills outside of the bottle.
Would I be careful?
About anything.
That had the similarity to those pills that maybe I wasn't quite sure.
Are those those deadly pills or not? Is that that right? There is. If I take it, is it gonna work? Death.
And so.
I asked myself the question, do I clearly want to understand?
What law is?
Do I clearly want to be able to recognize what law is? You know what?
What I've just noticed.
As I've observed and as I've looked back in my own life when there was definitely an in a legal influence in my life.
And I've looked and I've observed there was those that fell away.
As I tried to help them, I tried to mold their consciences as to what was pleasing to the Lord or not. I used I used standards.
That I could only just connect with what I thought was Christianity.
But the result, I can say there was a time in my life when I tried the hardest and I did the most damage. I tried the hardest and I did the most damage.
And I wonder sometimes if those standards.
That we're very clear, clearly set. I felt certain that not only were they standards for me.
But they were also standards for others.
You know, the thing about standards is they don't change.
Standards don't change.
And so they're pretty good bet.
The Christian can have standards.
And you know what? That life as a Christian can become a faithless life.
It can become a life without faith.
They can become a life that has really very little contact with the immediate mind of the Lord.
Because of the law.
The laws. The law is a standard.
Standards don't change.
00:25:02
Let's turn to Romans.
Chapter 14.
As we address the subject of faith in the believers life.
The Apostle Paul was very, very careful.
As he dealt with his children, spiritual children, he was very, very careful. If we were to read on in, in Chapter 5 of Galatians, we would find that we're not to use our liberty for an occasion to the flesh.
And the apostle Paul, he understood Christian liberty. And I UN, I don't know if I'm using that term properly or not. I've been told by some there is no such thing. I just, I've experienced it in my life to some degree and I know what it is to be in ******* and I know what it is to experience a measure of liberty. So I call it Christian liberty.
But the apostle Paul was very careful. He knew that the consciences of those children that he sought the blessing of were all in a different place before God.
And so his liberty.
Was expendable to the point that he sought the blessing of other people's Christian lives. So he never used the liberty that he had found in the cross to destroy anyone.
And I trust that would be my spirit as I speak on this subject, as I speak on the danger of us setting standards.
Which if they become faithless?
They will.
Become that which kills.
I'm gonna stop here for a minute and if there's someone that has a thought that.
I'm condemning.
The convictions that one receives if they go to the Lord and they ask questions of the Lord about certain CER certain situations in their life and how they should conduct themselves.
That is not something I'm condemning.
Because that's what the Lord wants us to do. He wants us to go to His word and He wants us. He wants us to ask him, Lord, how does what? What light does your word shine upon this certain thing that I'm seeking to address because I want to reflect the glory of Christ.
And so as I speak about standards.
I suggest the thought that there might be convictions in our lives that may appear as standards to others.
And.
Because they're held in faith and in communion and fellowship with the Lord. You go right ahead. Glorify Him by doing His will.
But there's instruction here. I believe in Romans.
Chapter 14.
This whole.
This whole chapter has to do with conscience.
And conscience towards God.
And it says in verse 22, ask thou faith.
Have it to thyself before God.
Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that which he alloweth.
Hasta faith.
Have it to thyself before God. You know, under the influence of the law. That's one of the most difficult things to do. It's one of the most difficult things for us if we're if, if we're under the influence of the law, to believe that God can reveal his mind to someone else without the intervention of me addressing my conscience to them.
00:30:03
But safe.
Trust God.
And Faith says I don't need to be a part of the process of molding someone else's conscience.
Regarding matters.
That have to do really with the soul and God.
I don't have to be a part of that process.
We might ask the question are there princip principles in scripture that.
God is set forth in His Word. I believe there are.
Principals.
But we need to be careful.
With that which God has shown us to from principles of Scripture.
And automatically applying them in the circumstances of others because we don't know where that soul is in their growth with God. If you don't mind, I'm going to share a personal.
Umm.
Illustration of what I'm Speaking of.
As I was younger.
It was pretty well ingrained in me that the Christian.
If they had certain talents and abilities that might lead them, such as into sports.
Into the field of the arts, Music.
That.
It was pretty clear that that was a definite no.
Definite no.
As I look back.
On my own experience.
I see death.
As I applied that in the lives of others.
Alright, if you don't mind, I'll I'll give AI hope that I'm not getting too close to.
Two things that you may know, because it's not my desire to out anybody, but I feel that we need to clearly understand the principles of law.
Well, there was a young family that came into our assembly and I was, I was young, I was young in the Lord and I was zealous. I was reading a lot of ministry and I had read things and I was, I was ready to help others to address some of the things that would make their life closer to the Lord.
And so there was a young family that came into the assembly and the husband had been looking for the ground of gathering and he loved he'd, he'd been actually been in Bible school.
And he had asked the Lord, Lord, is there? Is there a path?
Really. According to Scripture? Well, the Lord LED them, came into our assembly and our fellowship and, umm.
They were young Christians. He had been saved for four or five years. His wife had been had been saved for about that long. And umm.
As.
We sought to be a help to them. I began to apply principles. I began to apply what I thought were principles that I had received from the word and.
And.
Umm, we, we kind of all did. And you know, we, we're, we're, we're, we, we, we speak of losing the, the grave flows and letting people go free. And so that was certainly my desire, but the end result of trying to correct something that really needed a lot of time.
It needed a lot of growth.
It needed a lot of just patience to let the truth of God.
That needed a lot of faith on the part of the individuals that.
One of them had been through university in the School of Medi in the School of Music.
And.
00:35:01
Had extreme talents and was helping to provide with those.
But in in my zeal, I wanted to encourage them.
Uh, that really wasn't.
What, what the Christians should be involved with? Well, it was a hard thing. In fact, it was so hard that the end result was very, very sad. I won't go into it. I don't want, I don't want to out the store much anymore.
The unreal result was really, really sad. In fact, I guess you could say that that was one of the most difficult lessons that I learned, that the letter kills.
The letter kills.
It was a very difficult lesson to learn.
The result of that death, spiritually you might say, was there was a young family and the children ended up living part time with their mom, part time with their dad. Now, I'm not gonna say that the influence of the law in my life was the sole reason for all of this happening. In no way am I in intimating. All I have to do is examine myself.
And what influence did I have?
That caused.
Yeah.
I was zealous.
But I didn't recognize.
I hadn't labeled the law for what it really was.
And the result.
Was very, very sad.
The grace of God has come in in a lot of ways.
But it's those kinds of hurts.
That really caused people to run from the law. Have you ever been in a meeting where you felt like there was a desire of the the brother to that was speaking to to bring blessing, but the influence?
Was instead of setting price before the soul, it was to set a standard. You know when you've seen the horrible influence of law.
That scares you.
It scared the Apostle Paul and so much that he wrote a whole letter.
6.
Six chapter letter and he said don't mess with the law.
Because the result.
His death.
Well, I think maybe the Lord is exhausted pretty much what I had on my heart. But I I say these things, brethren, because.
I'm not sure that we really.
Have a very keen sense of being able to identify.
That which kills.
I've come to the point in my mind because of the influence of law that has been in my past. I've come to the point in my mind where I have basically decided if it looks like law.
I'm not gonna apply it.
Because the law will work. Death.
And.
We have so much in life.
Names in Colossians 4
Open—David So
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I'd like to turn to the 4th chapter of Colossians.
Colossians, chapter 4.
Our brother spoke about standard.
What I had on my mind, on my heart this afternoon is reputation.
We're gonna read some verses from this chapter, but I'll preface it.
It's interesting to see that sometimes we think we can hide in the shadow and no one knows what we do and how we do things. But yet we all know the real truth, don't we? That if someone were to sit here with a report, I know our brother here said he had a little notebook. Do you wonder what he writes in his notebook? What if he stopped writing Yoni? What do you think he'll write about you?
And where I'll do that, don't we? We have an opinion about certain people, what they do, what they say, whether they're very quiet, very vocal, very active, very however you view them. There's a reputation out there, isn't there?
Even if we don't do anything.
I know someone say that if you just don't say anything, don't do anything and no one would notice.
Well, they noticed you don't say anything and don't do anything. That's your reputation, that's what you do, isn't it? So I thought with the Lord's help.
There are names mentioned. You'll find in the end most epistles.
Their names mentioned, and there's a little commendation the apostle would write about that person.
Now there are many lessons we can learn from that and here I'm just gonna take a small portion to apply to it because some would take the names at the enrollments and see the long list of names and as the chapter as the pistol go on, you see the names start to go down in numbers. That's different reason. But here just I thought at the end of Colossians is very appropriate just to take example of some of the names of how the apostle would.
Say something about that person.
Let's just read that for connections there. Colossians chapter 4.
Umm.
Perhaps we can begin with verse six. Well, we'll begin at verse five. Walk in wisdom to what them that are, without redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer Every man. All my stay shall fatigue us. Declare unto you who is.
I notice as we read through this you say the name.
And what he thinks of them. So here's the first one who is.
A beloved brother.
That's not enough. And a faithful minister.
And fellow servant in the Lord, so we know that what the apostle Paul thinks of him, verse 8, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate and comfort your heart.
With omniscience.
Uh, faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
Iris, talk to us, my fellow prisoner. Salut saluted you and Marcus, sisters son of Bonne Barnabas, touching whom you receive commandments. If you come unto, you receive him.
And G Sauce, which is called justice, who are of the circumcision, These only are my fellow workers unto the Kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Apophis, who is one of you, a servant of Christ.
Saluted you always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in order. Will of God, for I bear him record that He had a great zeal for you and them that are in Laodicea, and them in.
00:05:20
Hieropolis, Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.
So we're just gonna stop the full moment? A few more names. I really didn't have much preparation in the sense of this, so I don't know how long it will take. I trust that someone will wave their hand if I went over time there.
So we find some of these names. Now can we find it interesting So far, almost everyone. Now notice I say almost everyone, the lo uh, the apostle has a commendation.
Now I'm giving you a hint as we go through them. Not everyone he named here. He commanded with something nice. OK and see if you can find that before we get there. So we find some of them just going through quickly the key cuts how he declared that a beloved brother wouldn't it be nice if someone found.
Another notebook. A plain notebook. I know I shouldn't say blank. A notebook with the name of every one of us sitting here tonight.
For this afternoon and you look up and I know what we're doing. When we see a list of names, it's like an address book. First thing we do is we look up our name first, don't we? Just to make sure that we're listed and it's listed properly, right? I have the privilege to update the address book at home and I know people do that. And sometimes you misspell the name. You get a phone call very quickly when you misspell their name or have the wrong address or phone number.
People like to know about themselves.
So Can you imagine that perhaps another brother or sister have that book out or left out? And by the way, if you do, please don't leave it out.
And first thing is you see your name and the name and beside it it put in something like this a beloved brother.
I suppose you have a sister. You would like to see the word sister on it, but you know what it means. A beloved.
Precious to see that, but that.
Part by yourself is nice, but.
It goes on to say he is a faithful minister.
Wow, we we don't even hear the word faithful being used much today. When was the last time you even used that word about someone who is faithful? I think that's a great commendation to be known as faithful.
Do you faithfully coming out to meeting? That's nice.
Do you faithfully be at the prayer meeting? Well, maybe. Oh, that's a big issue, isn't it? Are we faithful in following what the Lord would like us to do here? No questions, just a comment.
Faithful Minister.
Faithful servant for our Lord and fellow servant. Oh, the apostle says he works with me, He's one of us. Isn't it nice to see that?
Who's the next person we see on this Onissimus? Well, he too got that na, that that description Faithful.
And beloved brother, who is one of you?
Well, we see.
Uh, we said risk talkers, we'll just skip down there because it, it talked about sister, uh, sister, son of Barnabas and his receiver. Oh, don't leave him out. I think that's important too to, you know, sometimes we see people that are new, you know, we, we've been coming to this conference now for almost 40 years.
Yeah, before you were born.
A long time, isn't it? And, you know, we feel like we know.
Everybody here. But then there are times when you come and you look at someone and say, say, I don't know them. What do we receive them? Like someone whom we know well or children. We see that we have children that used to come with it. And they will say, oh, they'll go to places and they'll say, I don't know anybody there. I I don't wanna go because they don't feel welcome.
00:10:08
But then we sometimes say that the children now be careful. You're gonna find friends.
And when you find a friend, don't just stick to the friend, not because you don't want them as a friend, because you don't want to isolate the rest of the children who are looking for friends. So we need to learn to receive others too, don't we? One of the very important attributes that the Word of God want us to have is to be given in hospitality.
It's nice to remember that so we won't go through 1 by 1 just for time sake. Nor do I say I know all these people well.
Then we find this man named Jesus.
Or justice. Paul pointed them out. He's different. He's one of the circumcisions. You know what that means? He's he's one of the Jews converted and became saved and he's no longer a Jew because the word of God said there are really only three categories of people as far as the word concern, as far as the word of God concerned, there are Jews. If you're not a Jew, then you are Gentile.
But then if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
You are a new creature, you become part of the church. So whether a Jew who is converted and believed or Gentile like us, well, we're part of the church. We're no longer a Jew or GE Gentile. We are part of Christ. So he's one of them and he specific specifically mentioned them. But here's something that's very interesting. At the end he said of that verse, he said he has been a.
Comfort unto me.
I know some of you.
Or perhaps I should say, some of us have gone through various trials.
It's difficult, isn't it, when you feel that.
Trials and difficulties before you. And often we feel we are alone, don't we? Why would the Lord allow that? Well, and then we find someone who's able to comfort us. Isn't that wonderful to think that? Especially someone who has gone through perhaps similar circumstances, similar trials?
Overcame it and now they can come and say certain things so that you're comforted.
That's a very important gift in a sense to comfort someone. You know, I, I, I was going to say we as men, Perhaps I should say I know I myself often I'm not sensitive to people's needs.
And sometimes we know that women blame men for not seeing things well. It's a great gift to see that someone's going through difficulties.
And be comforted. So his name was marked down in there, that he comfort the apostle himself. Now the next one in verse 12, Aprophus.
I really enjoyed this portion. I think we can speak on that a little bit. In fact, he's the one or his exercise is what I had on my heart, more so than the rest of the names given here. Let me just read verse 12 again. Apophis, who is one of us.
A servant of Christ salute you.
Always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Now I think this one verse is loaded with information for us to digest.
He's one of you.
Interesting.
Is the person you're looking at besides you, one of you? Or are they just a stranger? But more so, he's a servant of Christ that make us unique.
We belong to the one body. Here's another great truth. The word of God, especially the apostle Paul, brings out to us that there is one body, every believer.
00:15:01
Who accept, who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior is part of that body. We are of one body, so that one body have different members. But there is one body. And of course we know there is only one God, one Spirit, 1 Savior. And this morning we had the privilege.
Of showing a public testimony that there is one body. This morning we were here with the express purpose of remembering the Lord Jesus in his death for us. But how did we do that? We had one loaf.
One loaf, yes, we can say, the Lord said, take each. This is my body which is given in death for you. But then that one loaf too should remind us that there is one body.
So Acrophys was part of that. One of us is part of that body. But then it says a servant of Christ salute you.
Always laboring fervently for you in prayers.
Perhaps aquifers couldn't be everywhere to help.
But he pray. Did you realize He prayed and.
Sometimes we do that too when we remember our brethren, we pray for them. But he, he, he didn't just pray and and I would confess something with you.
We often say to someone after we're here, certain difficulties and we'll say we'll pray for you. And I'll confess a lot of times when I get home I forget.
I didn't really pray for them.
But here the word is fervently. Oh, he didn't just pray for them, He prayed for them fervently, always laboring that He treated that as that's his job, praying earnestly, fervently for them in prayer.
Do we pray one for another?
Do we pray?
Or do we pray when we hear someone is so sick, someone, especially someone we love is so sick that we pray and say, Lord make sure you make sure he's or she is better. Now I want to re read the latter part of the verse because it tells us how he prayed and what he prayed for. I don't think we hear the word they will say. Lord, I pray that they will be healed. I don't see that in here. Let's read that again.
What is he praying for?
Laboring fervently for you in prayers, comma.
That ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Oh, is it to make us better when we're sick? Perhaps.
But he prayed that we may be all, that we may stand perfect and complete in the will of God. So the first lesson we should take from this is when we pray, we should pray according to His will, not just our will.
You know, we have children, we raise children, and sometimes people say, well, your children are older, you don't remember what it was like. And you're right.
Especially I know our older children would remind us how we're not being fair, that they used to get punished for a lot more than the younger one, of how they get away with things. Well, now we brought some of our grandchildren with us and we find that they're not much different.
We need to pray for them too, don't we? They're not much different in that that we pray. We have to learn to pray, But according to the will of God, now what we want, we're children and we're reminded, and some of you may see that we have a little show going on in the back there with the three of them and they want something.
There's a whole bag of raisins there. They would like to have the whole bag. That's the will.
Well, do we let them?
We could, but we pay for a great price afterwards.
So God do similar things to us too, that we as children, we have our own will.
When we see that big bag of Dum Dum, we may want to eat the whole bag. This tastes good and we become a real Dum Dum after that, right?
00:20:06
So as parents we know or at least we should know what is good for them so we know when to say no. We might say after the 4th dumb dumb you should stop. Well some parents might think after one you should stop. So here God knows what is good for us and what we want should be according to the will of God. So sometimes I know someone you may not like this phrase. I know some love it. They say certain ones that pray they said these are.
Warriors, I'm not too sure if I like that phrase, but we should pray so that our brethren, every one of us may come to the full knowledge, so that our prayer would be that that ye that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
So.
I'm going to go down a little bit here. I'm just looking at time here, verse 14, Luke, well, we've got Luke in here, but different. Luke has preservatives, the beloved decision.
Doesn't say much, but he's beloved. I think that's nice.
In fact, I'll tell you a little story and I'll speak that more so to young man when I was younger in my teenage years, I I remember few brother exalted me to go to care meetings. So when you said I remember saying to him is he don't need to be there. I'm too young to say anything. He said that's not the point. You should go to care meeting to learn.
Because it's gonna come a day before you realize it. You are one of the older one.
And require to take care of the matters in the assembly.
And I remember sitting there one time and someone asked for a letter of commendation.
And my brother said, well the only wording we can put in there is that he is in fellowship with us. Period. Very short letter and I go wow. But we usually say a few nice things about the person.
Well, we don't have anything nice to say about that particular brother, so we'd rather not say anything and state the fact that he is in fellowship with us.
So now with that in mind, let's read this verse here, verse 14, Luke the beloved physicians. Now the part is this and Dimas.
Comma.
And Dimas, that's it. Greed you.
What do we know about Dimas?
How would you feel now that you got a hold of that list that somebody left and on your name there's nothing bad that is said about you?
And Dimas.
That's it.
But the rest you see beloved, faithful, and so on.
Hmm.
That should touch our heart, shouldn't it now?
You're young enough.
There's still time. As if it were.
How someone gonna write something about you really is dependent on how well you behave because.
You don't need any pistol in a sense read and known by all men. So in many ways you have our choice. Now we know the Lord knows our hearts. We don't do things so someone would say nice thing about us.
We don't buy nice dresses so someone would say we are nice looking or pretty. Now don't get me wrong and go home and tell your mom and dad that you don't want to wear any nice dresses anymore. That's not my thought neither. But your demeanor, the way you behave are known and read and and use what else is interesting. Now this is an epistle the apostle wrote to the Colossians.
To the yes to the Colossians that you would think, Oh well, so other words.
Only the Colossians know about this. No, that's not quite true. Let's just look at one more verse here, verse 16. And he said, and when this epistle is read among you.
'Cause that it be read also in the Church of Laodicea, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. You see, we're gonna read each other's letter, so you might say, wow only.
00:25:02
Collage. No. Now the Laodicean's gonna know about you.
My thought is not here to chide anyone, but to exhort that we are to walk. We are heavenly citizens. We have to be reminded. Why are we here?
You, if you have been redeemed, you are fit for heaven. Why I believe the Lord is leaving us here for just a little while to be a testimony for His namesake. This morning we talk about that armor of light. We are to be the exhibition for Him. We don't need protection.
But protection by walking in a way that is proper, being faithful.
Righteous and holy, and that often speaks louder than words. Again.
#36 in the back of the book.
36 independence we go to meet the Savior, his glorious pain to see what manner of behavior does with this overcreated. May God elimination God's heart and walk arise that so our cooperation.
Decision in size 36 to the back of the floor.
Naaman the Leper
Gospel—Don Mackewich
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
And welcome to the Gospel meeting. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for being here. Have you been enjoying your time here at the conference? Just a wonderful time to be able to get together, to be together under the sound of God's Word, enjoy some fellowship, enjoy some food. And hey, thanks for sticking around for the Gospel meeting tonight. We're glad that you're here.
We have a life changing message for you and we're excited about it. And we're gonna begin by singing a song in the Song book #35.
Begins with the words. Oh what a savior.
That He died for me, referring to Jesus from condemnation. He hath set me free. He that believeth on the Son, saith he.
Hath everlasting life. And tonight you can leave this room, you can walk out the door having eternal life. Marvelous.
On #35.
Oh, I want to savior that God.
I don't like to live in Nevada and.
I'm going to go there for a stereotype.
'S a job I'm doing.
501.
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00:05:16
Let's get out of here.
Tonight many in this room have everlasting life, and tonight you.
Can have it too. Tonight you can leave knowing your sins forgiven.
You can leave knowing Jesus as your Savior and you can walk out saying.
I too have everlasting life. Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Lord Jesus, we are so thankful tonight that we can preach the gospel. We pray that each and everyone in this room would know how much you love them, how much you care about them, how you long.
To set them free from their sins, how you long to impart eternal life to them?
We pray that the scripture is read.
Would penetrate the heart. We pray that Thy Holy Spirit would have liberty, and tonight we pray that He we would have the joy of seeing and knowing of ones who accept You as their own personal Savior. We ask for Thy help, giving thanks, and Thy worthy and precious name. Amen.
I'd like to also sing one for the children. As Mr. so mentioned this morning, Sunday school is not just for the children, but it could be for somebody who's 70 in the gospel meeting is not just for adults, it's also for children. So tonight this message for is for every single person in this room, everyone.
I was playing with, uh, my nieces one time in Columbus and they were asking me about my daughter Jewel, who was probably two or three at the time, and I mentioned that she's probably not old enough to get saved, she just doesn't understand. But I was rebuked when Rosemary asked me.
When you say come, does she know how to come? And tonight, if you understand that, you understand the invitation to come, You're old enough to get saved. So whether you're three or four or whether you're 104, this message is for you. And as we sing #40.
The wonderful song that reminds us that Jesus.
Loves you and Jesus loves me. I love singing this song. Please join me as we sing it. Let's sing the first verse.
And the second verse of #40 Let's stand for this one, please.
G.
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00:10:18
Again, before we get started, we want to welcome any who have joined us since we started. Thank you. We know that on a Sunday evening you have choices and you could choose to be somewhere else. You could choose to be at home, you could be choose to be out on the lake, you could be choose to be doing some type of activity. But thank you for choosing to be here. We appreciate you being here and so thank you for everyone who is here.
Uh, is there any of the staff here from the Carrollton, uh?
Camp just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate you letting us rent this facility and being here. It's gorgeous. We're having a wonderful time. So thank you to the staff here for those who are listening to this recording, perhaps driving down the road, running on their treadmill, whether here in North America or around the world, we, uh, thank you that you could be a part of this, uh, gospel message tonight. Thank you for taking time to listen to the message. So thank you for that.
Uh, just a couple other things in connection with your phone. If you are following along on the Bible app, we, you're welcome to do that. Just a couple of reminders, Uh, ESPN is not a Bible app. So if you are on that, please make sure that you're not on that. And also if you're on the app, that is NEWS that is also not an app that we're on. We're following on the Bible app so.
Whether you're following along in God's Word or whether you're on your phone.
We just would love it if you would open your Bible, if you would just follow along so that you can see.
That what we are presenting tonight is not something that I made-up. It's not some theory, not some idea, but it's some wonderful truth from God's precious Word. And He wants you to know it, and I want you to know it too.
So before we begin, if you have a Bible, let's open it up to the.
Psalm 119.
Psalm 119.
And we're gonna start with.
Verse 161.
The middle of verse 161.
And it's a good idea if you have a finger or a pencil or a pen or something that you can just touch the Word of God with so you can follow along.
Just so that you can enjoy, just as I enjoy the Word of God and you can see it with your eyes.
Psalm 119, verse 161. It says my heart.
Standeth in awe.
Of thy word I rejoice at thy word As one that findeth great spoil. I'm glad you're here tonight. This is a message. This is a meeting that can change your life. And I wanna begin by letting you know how thankful you should be that you're here and you're alive.
Because this past week.
Three different people that I know.
Passed away.
On Tuesday, we got a phone call that Christina, my wife Christina, her grandmother, went home to be with the Lord. She was 89 years old. On Friday, she was walking, she fell, she broke her hip and she broke her shoulder.
And due to some other medical conditions, they weren't able to perform the surgery.
And on Tuesday, she went home to be with the Lord.
On Wednesday was at the prayer meeting.
And I was mentioned, Mike, that your father went home to be with the Lord.
On Thursday, my wife and children, we were sitting in the Funeral Home of the father, whose seven daughters, over the course of about 15 years, had come to Vacation Bible School.
And we were there for his funeral.
I was expecting to go with my dad to visit him this summer, but he's with the Lord now. So three people in one week, and as far as I know, the good news is that each and every one of them, all three of them, are with the Lord.
00:15:11
But I'm reminded that life happens, that we're not guaranteed tomorrow. So I want you to listen extra carefully. Because what if the next one we heard about was?
Yours.
Where would you be?
The casket was laid out and your body was placed there. Where would you be for each one of those 3 individuals that I mentioned? For them, it is too late.
For them, they can't make a decision and say I want to be with Jesus or I want to have nothing to do with the gospel. Where they are is based on the decision they made while they were still living. So if you are still alive, which includes everyone in this room, tonight is your night. Tonight is your opportunity to accept the Lord Jesus.
As your savior, we're going to look at a story.
This evening, it's a true story. It comes from the Bible and comes from the Book of Second Kings.
And you can open up the second Kings Chapter 5, because that's where we're going to be reading from.
Mr. Rusink earlier this afternoon referenced this story, and I'd like to look at it in the connection of making it with the Gospel.
And I like this story because it presents I can present the gospel clearly from it. And I also like the story.
Because.
It has a happy ending, and don't you like stories that have happy endings? I like the story that has a happy ending. And tonight you can have a wonderful ending to this gospel meeting and a wonderful new beginning tonight.
Yeah, this is a story about a man, but I want you to put yourself in the place of this man. His man's name was Neiman.
And he was an adult. So it doesn't matter if you're a young child, it doesn't matter if you're the middle school student who's here tonight. Doesn't matter if you're that cool high school student who's here or that soon to be college student who is going to know so much more than your parents and everybody else or the adults in this room. This is a life changing story. It was a life changing event for Naiman and we can have a life changing event for you tonight.
So please follow along. We're gonna look at it in Second Kings Chapter 5.
It says in Second Kings Chapter 5 now Naaman, that's the man and he's gonna be the one that we're gonna be doing most of the looking at tonight. It says he was the captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master.
An honorable.
Because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria. He was also a mighty man in valor. We'll just stop right there. That's pretty impressive.
It's what we would say, and I'm gonna use a big word. He had some nice, what are called credentials. He had some nice things to be said about him.
And I think tonight, if we were to learn a little bit about you, we could learn some nice things about you probably, or a good student at school probably are pretty well behaved, right?
Probably do a pretty good job of getting along with your siblings most of the time, right? Probably do a pretty good job of listening to your parents most of the time, right? But you do it all the time for the adults in this room, you probably do a nice job of raising your children. Probably our conscientious worker at work.
And probably help out with other activities. So a lot of nice things that we can say about you too, right? A lot of amazing things to be said about name and.
But after the word valor here, there's what's called a comma.
And it says but.
He was a leper.
So all those nice things that we could read about this man, but there's a comma. Just go ahead and make a little comma in the air, OK? Can you make that comma? Thought he was a leper.
And tonight, all those nice things that we can say about you, we have to also put that comma there. But.
00:20:02
Unless you know Jesus as your Savior.
You were like I was at one time. You are a Sinner.
And that's the truth for every single person. God says in His Word, and He makes no mistakes. So that means it's wonderful, 100% true. It says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So regardless of what we've done or who we think we are, we have to put that comma in there. And I need you to acknowledge tonight.
But God says that unless you know him as your savior.
We're a Sinner, OK?
And I think that you know from the heart that that's true, don't you?
Have you met anybody who is perfect before?
Nobody's perfect. We all have sinned. We all are born with a nature that wants to do things that are not right. The Bible also lets us know in Isaiah it says all we like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. We all wanna do our own thing. We all wanna go our own way. And we all.
Have come up short.
I've got good news that's coming, but I need to make sure that we all understand that, OK? Because if we don't understand that and in the story of name and it's not gonna make sense in the end when the remedy is provided, is it? So I need us all to see.
And let's be honest tonight. Let's not try to pretend, because that's not gonna get us anywhere. But let's just be honest tonight in the eyes of a God who can look down through this beautiful wood ceiling and see into our hearts that we are sinners and that we can't save ourselves.
We're helpless sinners, and we need a Savior. Good news is coming, but I need to begin by presenting it this way. Neiman had a lot of nice credentials after his name, but there's the comma. Go ahead and quietly make that comma in the air. But he was a leper, and because he had that disease of leprosy, which tonight I'm gonna be making it like sin.
He was separated from others and he couldn't enjoy the relationship with others like a normal person could.
Hey, let's read and find out what happens. Verse two it says in the Syrians had gone out by companies and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little made a little girl and she waited on Naaman's wife and she said unto her mistress, would God my Lord, where with the prophet that is in Samaria.
For he would recover him of his leprosy.
What I like about verse three is she said, would God my Lord?
Has there been somebody in your life who has tried to talk to you about the Lord?
Someone who knows the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Maybe kind of somebody like your dad.
Maybe somebody like your mom?
Maybe somebody like your Sunday school teacher?
Is it starting to bring back memories of when grandpa would talk to you about the Lord Jesus? When your grandma would talk to you about the Lord Jesus? Somebody who knew the Lord Jesus as their Savior and was trying to share him with you?
You might not have always appreciate that, and you still might not appreciate that, but be thankful because they know what's at stake and they want to see you get saved. And this little girl knew.
That name is Life could be changed. And as I stand up here tonight, and as many in this room know, your life can be changed tonight. Not because of anything that we've done, but all because of someone we're gonna be talking about tonight, about what he did and how he can save you. Wonderful, isn't it?
Tonight, can you say?
God, my Lord tonight, can you say Jesus is my savior? Well, this little girl, she opened her mouth and she told her mistress. And just a quick challenge for the ones who are here tonight who are saved, you don't have to be 41 years old like myself to stand up and tell someone about the Lord Jesus.
Do you have a mouth?
00:25:01
You can tell your friends. You can tell your siblings. Do you have Twitter? Do you have Facebook? Well, I don't talk. Well, maybe you could put a Bible verse on there. Maybe you could put a bumper sticker on your car. Each and everyone in this room, you can share the good news with people that I don't know and people that others in this room don't know, but you know.
That's what she did. So I challenge you and encourage you as you go back to your homes this week to tell others about Jesus.
Would God my Lord, we're with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy. Well, what happens? Let's read verse four. And one went in and told his Lord saying thus and thus saith the Maid, that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, go to go, and I will send a letter on to the king of Israel. And he departed and took with him 10 talents of silver.
And 6000 pieces of gold, and 10 changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when the letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent name and my servant to thee.
That thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
Do you think all of those possessions and all of that money was gonna heal this man? Naman of his leprosy? Is that gonna get the job done?
It wouldn't.
Now let's make the application to our life.
Are our possessions the things that we own? Our toys?
Our cars, our money, could we use those to get our salvation?
We can't, we can't use anything that we have to get our salvation. That's not gonna satisfy God.
You know what satisfies God?
It's something that had to be shed on Calvary's cross.
And it was blood.
The Bible says in the book of Hebrews it says without shedding of blood is no remission of sin.
Blood had to be shed, and it couldn't have been blood from just an individual person like you and I. It had to come from a certain person. A person who had never sinned, who had never done anything wrong. A person who couldn't sin. Oh, help me out. Who do you think that person was?
Jesus, I I think you had the right answer but didn't want to say it out loud, and that's OK. Jesus. And Jesus shed his precious blood on Calvary's cross so that we could have our sins forgiven. Our possessions, our money, they can't save us. It can't save you, it won't. It never will.
Verse 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rents his clothes and said.
Am I God to kill and to make alive that this man's ascend unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? Wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. And it was so, when Elijah the man of God, had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes?
Let him come now to me, and he shall know.
That there is a profit in Israel.
So Naman came with his horses and with his Chariots, and stood at the door of the House of Elijah.
And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go.
Listen carefully, go and wash in the Jordan 7 times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
What I want you to know is that he was given specific instructions of what he would need to be to do to have his leprosy cleansed. And tonight, before this meeting is over, I'm gonna give you a specific instruction and what you need to do.
With name and it's gonna be crystal clear he's gonna know exactly where to go, exactly what to do, OK?
We don't work our way to heaven, but I will make it very clear to you tonight what is required of you. And I hope that tonight you will make that step and that you will accept the Lord Jesus as His Savior. But it wasn't left to chance. He didn't have to guess about it. He didn't have to. Whatever. He just needed to simply obey. That's right, He needed to obey. And tonight that's what we want you to do to it. To do is to obey.
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Well, Naiman.
He didn't like the instructions and sometimes when somebody hears the gospel that first time or several times, they don't like it. But know that God is working and God is working in your heart tonight.
But Naman was wroth and went away and said, Behold, I thought.
Don't think of anything else right now, just listen to what God has to say. He gives clear instructions and Jesus is the only way. If you think you have another way, stop.
There's no other way. It's all through Jesus. Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper. Are not Abna and far, far rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So we turned and went away in a rage.
He didn't wanna hear it. He didn't want to accept it.
Tonight, don't be like naman. Don't say I don't want to hear it. I don't want to listen to that. I I'm glad there's only 12 minutes left and then I'll be able to go outside and do something else. Don't be like naming. Don't be like that. Listen, it can change your life.
Be how thankful we can be for our name and servants and how thankful it is how wonderful it is when you can continue to tell your friends and neighbors and loved ones about Jesus. 1St 13 it says.
And as servants came near, and spake unto him, and said my father.
If the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing, would thou not have done it? How much rather than when he said to thee, wash and be clean?
Sometimes people like to think, oh, if I can just do this to get my salvation, if I can just do that, no, it's not a works, lest any man should boast. None of us are gonna get to heaven and say, you know what? I'm here in heaven because of what I did not, not because of what we did, is it? It's all because of what Jesus did on Calvary's cross.
Remember I said this story has a happy ending? Let's go down to verse 14.
Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh came again, unlike unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
He was obedient, he did what he was instructed to do, but he didn't want to do it at first, but his servants encouraged him to do it, and finally he did it.
His wife couldn't do it for him, his children couldn't do it for him. He had to do it himself.
Did you know that your daddy can't save you?
Did you know that your mommy can't save you? Did you know that your best friend can't save you? You.
Have to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior yourself.
Nobody else can do it for you. We can encourage you to do it, and we're gonna encourage you to do it tonight. We can pray for you.
You probably know that there are people right now in this room who are praying for you.
Tonight is your night. The end of verse one. The last word in verse one I believe it says is he was a leper. The last word in verse 14 it says and he was clean.
This story, and it's a true story, has a happy ending. Naman was obedient, he did what he was told, and he was clean.
So we need to start bringing this all together. We only have about 10 minutes left.
How does this story apply to you? How does this story apply to me?
Here it is.
God loves you.
And he loves you more than you ever know.
He loves you with a love that we can't even measure. You remember the song from Sunday school wide? Why does the ocean?
High as the heavens above, that's God's love for you.
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Josh and I were talking down by the water earlier today and he was mentioning about God and his incredible creation and just how He made creation. With anyone on to say, it's incredible to think that His delights were with the sons of men, the beauty that we see around us and how wonderful it is. Yet God is personally interested and personally cares.
About you and he loves you.
But you see, we have that sin that I was talking about.
Because we all have sin, and our sins have separated us from God.
God wants to have that relationship with us, but our sins have separated us from Him and the only thing that can bring us back to Him was God would send His Son the Lord Jesus into this world, which He did, and he went to Calvary's cross and there on Calvary's cross he died as a substitute.
OK, so substitute is a big word. I'm a school teacher.
And sometimes I'm not at school. And if I'm not at school, there's a what's called a substitute teacher. Somebody fills in for me, right? You guys ever had a substitute teacher in your classroom? Have you behaved yourself when there's a substitute teacher in your classroom?
We needed someone who would die for us, and Jesus came and died on Calvary's cross for us, and his precious blood was shed. The precious blood which we read in the Bible, it says the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. So his precious blood was shed. He took on the punishment for our sins. He was taken off the cross, was placed in a tomb.
But we know the rest of the story. 3 days later, he rose from the dead.
And was alive and later went back to heaven where he is tonight.
And the Bible says, be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man has preached unto you, what the forgiveness of sins. So Jesus is the one who tonight can forgive you of your sins. Jesus is the one who can set you free. Jesus is the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. There is salvation in no other, neither is salvation.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. So Jesus is the only one who can take those sins away. Jesus is the only one who can fill that void, that emptiness that is in your heart. Jesus is the only one who can deliver you, who can save you from going to hell in the lake of fire.
Where are you in this story tonight? At the beginning of the chapter, Naman was there and he was a leper by the time we got to verse 14.
He had done what he was told to do and he was clean.
Remember I told you you didn't have to go and dip in the Jordan? You don't have to do this. Here's what you need to do tonight.
Jesus is offering you eternal life.
You need to accept it. That's what you need to do. Jesus has done all the work on Calvary's cross. Tonight you need to acknowledge, Lord, I have sinned, but I believe you died for me. I accept your gift of eternal life. And if you do that, you can have eternal life. You can be clean, you can have your sins.
Forgiven.
Here's what you and I both know.
If you wait and put it off.
You're still gonna be in the same condition you are in right now, aren't you? But.
If something were to happen to you.
You would be.
Inhale.
If you don't know what Jesus as your savior.
Life happens. Don't wait, don't put it off. You and I both know that if we put it off, we might not accept the Lord Jesus tonight as our Savior. Something could happen. Maybe nothing will happen tonight, maybe, well, nothing will happen next week. But a week will go by, a month will go by. 6 months from now, it'll be January 1St, right? Don't put it off.
So I'm going to encourage you tonight to make that step to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. We have about four minutes left.
This is the most important decision you will ever make and I want you to know right now.
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We love you.
We want to see you make that decision. I'm not gonna ask you to come up out of your seat right now, but I am gonna ask you.
To not even put it, put it off till tomorrow. To settle this right now, in the next two minutes, next 3 minutes to not walk out of the doors of this building. Don't even wait till you get to your hotel room. You'll get distracted by other things. You wanna talk to your friends? You wanna look at the pretty water down there? You wanna do something else? This is your time right now. This is your time to accept Jesus as your savior. This is your.
To be clean. So here's what I want you to do. I'm gonna pray for you right now. And then I'm gonna ask that we just have some quiet time for those in this room to make that decision.
Let's just bow our heads real quick.
Lord, we just pray for those in this room, for those who are listening to this recording, who have not yet accepted Thee as their Savior. Oh, tonight we pray that they would see.
How much you love them. How you desire to set them free. We pray that tonight.
They would accept you as their own personal Savior. We ask this in your worthy and precious name, Amen. Tonight I ask you, do you believe that Jesus is able to save you?
Yes.
Do you believe that he is ready to do that right now?
Yes.
Are you ready to do that? Right now, what I want you to do is just bow your head.
And in your own words, just like you would talk to your friend, just like you would talk to your brother. Obviously not audible, but if you want to pray out loud, you can just.
Put it in your own words, Lord Jesus. I believe I am a Sinner. I believe you died for me.
I believe you shed your blood for me. I accept your gift of eternal life. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.
Amen. You just put it in your own words. But as long as it is from the heart, I'm gonna give you 30 seconds right now to make that step. I don't want you to wait. I want you to do it tonight. Both not yourself or tomorrow. Go.
Congratulations.
You've accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Tonight you are part of the family.
Your sins have been forgiven.
You're now on your way to heaven. Death and judgment are behind you. You have the Holy Spirit now in dwelling.
The ones in this room who know Jesus as your Savior, they are your brothers and sisters in the Lord. Welcome to the family. We're gonna close by singing #5.
After we.
After we sing this song, I will mention this if you still have any questions. If something that I said was unclear or needs further clarification, umm, just please meet me back there. I'll be there with my wife and children.
Reach out to somebody else too. Don't have to come to me, just reach out to someone. Just let them know that you need help.
We want to see you get saved. We'll sing the first verse.
Of #5.
Oh, happy days.
My God.
All OK, I'm free so I'm sad that's why it's all gone wrong.
00:45:11
Nsnoise.
The chance to preach the gospel tonight. May the entrance of thy words bring light. May tonight there be ones who would accept you as their own personal Savior. We ask this in the name and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Dispensations
Reading
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Reserve most graciously within thy shelter in cold. Move them from every mile away.
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We covered quite a few points. If there is interest in moving to a different subject, I would think that would be fine.
Uh, there's certainly.
Plenty more to say about this sensation, but.
For some people, it's a more laborious subject than to other people. Uh.
If we were to take up a dispensation, uh again.
Umm. I would personally recommend that we kind of consider the, uh, practical effects.
Of having that kind of thinking.
And I know that might sound a little odd, but I think a lot of people understand what I'm trying to say.
If if you if you want to continue with the subject.
Umm. I I would suggest that just kind of seeing.
How the con? How the ideas of presented in scripture about this sensation actually affect the way that I think?
About Christianity and about the world around us.
Perhaps if we were to approach the subject from that standpoint.
It would be helpful if it's helpful to me, I hope it's helpful to others to get an understanding for why foundations really matter. For example, if we were to take up, which was not the suggestion, the seven dispensations, you can go through the seven or whatever number you chose to put it, go through dispensationalism and discuss.
As this law and government and so on, we could go through the different principles and somebody might come away and say, but I, I have to go home today and I, I've got some difficulties in my home. I've got some difficulties in the neighborhood. How does that exactly apply?
And so.
Umm.
I'd like to give a little bit of a background as to why foundations matter.
And there was a, a book, I didn't read it actually. I listened to the audio version of the talk called Seven Men Who Ruled the World From the Grave. And it went through seven people who were given from a Christian perspective, but whose ideas got planted in the 1800s actually, and they have an immense effect on the world today.
I'll give one of them the person that you here have probably heard of. But just to try to illustrate this point, that sometimes of the foundation and the critical nature of it isn't observed right away. With a man named Julius Wellhausen, who was one of the German theologians of the mid 1800s. And he basically approached the word of God as though he were wiser than that word. And he could bring his own thoughts to it and work on it and find out what really came from God and what was just filler in my own words.
Museum theologian and a university, and I suppose the vast majority of people in his day never heard his name, but he planted seeds and those seeds grew. And by the late 1800s, most seminaries in the western world had been affected by them so that students that were graduating from those seminaries had a disrespect toward the Word of God as a root foundation. And you'll read a lot if you read Mr. Kelly's writings and so on. He spent a lot of that, a lot of ink and saying some of that arguments and at by the Lady 1800s.
By the time of World War One, there were chaplains that worked with people on the field. And when they did, there are a lot of there's been a lot of distance between people and God. But the Word of God was still being taught in the churches where they live. And so somebody who wanted to deal with someone on the field could bring out the story of David and Goliath, but they could also talk about someone like Mephibosheth and the person would have heard of Mephibosheth and so they could draw lessons from Mephibosheth.
Administering to them on the battlefield, but.
Those seminarians graduated students who taught from pulpit and by the time of World War 2, the chaplains, some chaplains that served more or one served in World War Two and they said by the time they came to World War Two people were no longer the average person that they were dealing with on the battlefield had never heard of Methodists. They'd never heard of and name your Bible character in Bible story. Maybe they'd heard of David and Goliath and Noah and the point is this the seed planted in the mid 1800s that the word of God is not reliable.
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Was finally bearing broad fruit in many from many pulpits where the Word of God was no longer being preached.
And so.
And that's just want to read a scripture in first Peter 2.
That gives the principal here giving it as the principal.
In verse six first Peter 2, verse 6, wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold I land Zion.
A chief cornerstone elects precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders disallow the same.
Is made the head of the corner. Peter's writing to those who had grown up, if with a Jewish background, who were now believers in Christ. They were Christians, and he's giving to them a very fundamental principle to understand.
The many of their brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts and neighbors had a view of the Lord Jesus as an impostor to.
There was a stumbling over because when he came the first time, he came to suffer. He mentioned it in the first chapter.
He didn't come to reign and they didn't understand that very fundamental aspect of the Lord.
And it threw off their whole understanding of what God was doing and.
So to come back to the the subject that Bruce introduced, why does it matter? What difference does it make? I'll give one very simple, simplistic maybe example, but.
If we understand what God teaches in his Word about us as Saints that are called out, whose hopes are heavenly, then we're not going to become involved in the politics of the world around us, in our thoughts and our hearts. Forget for a moment running for local office. Maybe none of us here would do that.
But how many of us listen to the news, read the news, find the news somewhere, and you're driving home from work and you're listening to it and just all this turmoil. What's going to happen if the president does this and what's going to happen if the local politician does that? That's one way in which our thoughts become centered on the earth and what's happening here on the earth. Well, the theology, and it's a broad tent, so it can't paint everybody with one brush. There's lots of flavors that covenant theology, for example.
But is a broad general brush. It fixed the Saints today in the earth in the place of Israel and says now you live here and you make this place better. And in a broad sense, the dispensations puts the St. in heaven and says your hopes and the person that they're all tied to is there. You live there with his interests being carried out on the 3rd. And it has a fundamental daily effect on how we think.
You hear the news and you say, I look forward to the day my Lord is going to come and I want to live with the armor of light on that we heard about yesterday. I always think, wow, that's just terrible. We got to change this. And so in a very Broadway, the foundation is vital. Finished with one little example of very personal means. I hope you can visualize it. We shop for a home for six months, and one of them looked really good to us. We went back a second time with our brother Bernie Ganders, who's an architect.
And he went around the outside of it and he, he's looking at this and he's looking at that and he starts to point out things to me. And he determined that the house had four different foundations.
And he showed me where there was a water problem along one side and then why that led to spongy floors that had been they'd taken the house and they painted the walls beautifully. They laid new carpets in the bedroom. They cleaned everything up. But somebody that could take a check out the foundation went around and said, you're gonna have terrible problems here. And look at how this floor is spongy over here, and look how they've had a problem down there. My eye wasn't practiced enough to see it, but somebody came along that knew a lot better than I did and can point out where the foundation was bad. It would lead to all kinds of problems down the road.
00:15:06
And perhaps that's something of what we need is to see from the Word of God the foundation of what makes us heavenly people, what that looks like, and why it's important that we see the place God's given to the believer today.
I believe.
I maybe.
Slightly incorrect in that in that same book I think they talk about Sigmund Freud and the influence of Karl Marx. And as young people go on to university and college they will be confronted with these ideas. Modern psychology.
Uh, an alternate economic system which.
Seems appealing.
Umm, but there are dangers in all these things that.
Uh, our brother mentioned, talked about higher criticism which came in and uh, we know that there has been a great departure from what we had 200 years ago.
Just recently I was listening again to.
A tape by a Presbyterian minister. Some perhaps have heard of his name. Alistair Bay.
And he gave one of the best me messages that I ever heard on the blood of Christ. And he made reference to a theological seminary in our area, Princeton University, which started out as a very fundamental school and one of the first.
Uh, presidents of that university would call in every prospective graduate and before.
Uh, they graduated, He would make a personal conference in his office and he would say to them, make much of the blood of Christ. Now we know that that is largely absent.
In the churches today, and that's.
Again, uh, a departure, as our brother has just mentioned.
Would anyone suggest a a, a scripture or a starting point where we could begin this topic today?
At least several verses.
1St of May Virginia's capital city near both lands.
Hope you're talking.
Corinthians, chapter 3.
That sounds like a good idea.
Cycle is.
First Corinthians, chapter 3.
Were you thinking the whole chapter or verse 9 OK?
Take the whole chapter.
What's what's the thought of Mother's Day? What's your thought as to where we should start?
Because it's connected altogether. It was the principal from even worldly wisdom. And I think that's the that's my biggest concern is we all have different reasons for justifying it.
1St Corinthians 3 verse one. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as in the spiritual, but as in the carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with me.
From hit her to you were able not, not able to bear it neither yet now are you able, for ye are yet carnal. For whereas there is among you, and being in strife and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men for a while. One saith I am appalled, and another I am of Apollos. Are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollo?
That ministers by whom ye believe, even as the Lord gave to every man.
00:20:05
I have planted or polished water, but God give it the increase, so that neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one.
And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor, For we are laborers together with God. We are God's husband, and ye are God's building according to the grace of God, which is given unto me.
As a wise Master builder, I have laid the foundation in another build it thereon that let every man take heed to how he buildeth thereon. For other foundations can no man lay, and that is laid which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work.
Of what sort it is, if any man's work abide which he had built, thereupon we shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss that he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.
No, ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man defile the temple of God.
Him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy.
Which temple ye are, let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him be a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men.
For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, in Christ is God.
They lead up to certain, uh, verse. So in this case, the verse that came to my mind was when we speak of foundation and knowing that if a foundation is destroyed, then it's easy to destroy the rest of it. So this chapter, to understand it, I, I'd like to divide it into 3 sections.
The first 2 verses really is the crux of some of.
Problems we have With all these different problems and and questions, the 1St 2 verses speaks about how the worldly wisdom could lead us away from the word of God.
So those two verses we should pay some attention to.
And then we find from verse three to verse 8 how there are various issues. We're not careful. You can cause divisions in the assembly. So we find that when worldly wisdom come into play, then often that get brought into the assembly and we exercise worldly wisdom in the assembly that cause difficulties when we ought to be exercising it from the Word of God.
And then the rest of the chapter, verse 9 to verse 17, it speaks about the foundation, but more so it speaks about how easily it is defilement can come into the House of God. Now this is First Corinthians. So we know that the House of it speaks of the House of God here and he speaks about how the foundation needs to be set right. So with that in mind.
We can look at it and and perhaps through the help, by the through the Lord's health, we can understand I I don't believe we can answer a lot of these questions with direct answers. We need to understand the principle and using the word of God when the circumstances arise.
In the 11Th Psalm, David could say verse three, If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
So it's important to have those established foundations, foundations.
00:25:05
We live very close to New York City, and I'm always amazed every time I look at the New York City skyline at the many new buildings that are springing up.
It almost seems that the next ones are higher than the ones that were there before.
But those buildings have to have a firm foundation, they have to be established.
In the bedroom.
Just a month or so ago, I went on a a river cruise. We took our 8th grade students out on the river and we went under the Brooklyn Bridge and.
Uh, there's an interesting story connected with that bridge.
They had to think the case on down deep in the river because it wasn't going to be a substantial bridge.
And the company that had the contract was the Rogue Wing Steel Works based in Trenton, NJ.
And the owner of the company and the chief engineer, Mr. Robling, decided that he would go down and check on the caissons one day and not realizing the depth, he actually contracted the bends and was permanently disabled and crippled for the rest of the project. But he had to go down deep.
In order to make that inspection, that was needed to make sure those foundations of that bridge were the way they were supposed to be, whether they met the plans that were originally laid out. And so those foundations were absolutely necessary to have correct.
I'd just like to bring out something that was connected with two comments in the last reading meeting on Saturday. There was two comments, I think, towards the end of the meeting, and I just kind of like to bring them together and apply what our brother's been bringing out about worldly wisdom being brought into the things of God. One comment was I think our brother Bruce brought out how when the Messiah came, there was a lot of folks who had disappointed hopes.
He didn't behave or do all the things they thought he was going to do. That was very hard for people to accept. And then another brother, uh, brought out at the end of the meeting about how John the Baptist as a positive example, was told something that was must have been very hard to hear, that he would decrease while the Lord would increase. A tremendous change. And in humility, he just accepted it because God said it. I think when.
We are shown something.
That doesn't exactly meet our expectations. There's a tendency in our hearts, speak for myself, to say this doesn't seem to fit. Let me bring in human wisdom to make it fit.
And I believe what was mentioned earlier in the meeting was a covenant theology, if we want to use that term, essentially takes disappointed hopes. Disappointed hopes about what? About the expectation of God's people when Christ came?
And rather than accept what God said, that the Kingdom was going to be fulfilled at a future day, that Christ must suffer, that he would go away, rather than accept that fact and believe what God said.
There is self will and human wisdom that comes in and says no, I'm gonna bring in my own wisdom and I'm gonna say the Kingdom is gonna be established at this time. It's gonna be done in a spiritual way. Umm.
Those prophecies are gonna be fulfilled in a spiritual or moral sense, not literally.
So I I I know this isn't easy to follow, but my point is simply this. When we come to the Word of God with our own thoughts and things don't seem to line up with them, the tendency of unbelief is to bring in human worldly wisdom into the things of God, to make things fit in some kind of a theological framework.
And not trying to speak, I'll of our brethren who have a covenantial viewpoint of of Scripture, but I believe that's essentially what that is. And in my reading of the ministry of our early brethren, there's something that comes out so clearly and it sounds so simple.
00:30:18
Simply believe in God when he says something. He means what he says. If he says that the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt and established by Christ on the earth.
It is going to happen, period.
You just believe that and then when you come to the New Testament and you see the church unfolded, rather than saying he didn't mean what he said there in those Old Testament prophecies and set that aside. Rather than saying that, say he said Jerusalem is going to be rebuilt and the church is going to be established and have a portion of Christ. Both things are true. And then all this truth opens up all of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Romans 11 open up to us.
And it comes down to simply believing what God said.
And so I just present that to you, we don't always understand everything. None of us do. And I believe error comes in when rather than simply believe what God has said and submit ourselves to the absolute authority of God in his Word. When we instead of that, we bring in human wisdom and worldly thinking. So I think it is very important that we remember that when I'm taking up the word of God.
First ten of our chapter speaks of a wise master builder.
I've seen evidence of things that have taken place when the original plans.
Uh, have been changed and deviated.
Last summer I was in the city of Stockholm, Sweden.
And some perhaps are familiar with.
An ancient warship, the Vasa, which was.
Uh, brought up from the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
And on its maiden voyage in the 1600s, it hard It had hardly gotten away.
Uh, from the docks where, uh, the shift works were when it went down with the loss of about 50 lives.
And in reading further about that catastrophe, it was the largest warship built at that time.
We found out that the Swedish king was unhappy with the original plans of the naval architect and he ordered that fifty more cannons were put on the upper deck and that made that ship top heavy and it hardly sailed more than a a mile from the port. Wow, that that was a deviation.
From the plans of the Master Builder. And so we have an extrication at the end of verse 10. But let every man take heed how he buildeth. Thereupon. Do we add something as our brother Josh mentioned? Do we subtract something from the word of God? Or do we just believe what God has said and accept that?
The word of God, we're given a lot of principles. It's interesting we holding our hand.
Actually two bulbs, but they're called Testament.
You read the book of Hebrews that tells you that a testament is only good if someone had died. So we have the Old Testament and the New Testament testifying from God, testifying from the from the Son of God what his words are. In the New Testament there are, I believe, 27 votes.
Among the.
Error or teachings, you'll find that many will say.
Some of the apostle Paul's doctrines are not right. There are various reasons they will say you just follow through. Whether it be whatever name you put it, you'll find that they do not follow Paul's doctrine either. He's old fashioned his. This is that which is incorrect. That is the foundation food we have in our hands. Paul was used very differently by God. He presented a lot of truth.
00:35:30
I'll put a reveal to what what God has, especially in regard to the church. Now here's what's interesting. The 27 books in the Old Testament, 13 or perhaps 14 books are written by the apostle Paul forced through the Spirit of God. So if you say Paul's teaching is not proper and you start taking his books out, how much of A foundation do you have? How much of A New Testament?
Do you have so sometimes it's important for us not just as young people, but as all of us as we deem 1 to recognize what pause did your tea adoption is. And whenever you come up against with difficulties of various kinds of doctrinal errors, you'll find that cost options is missing. So we find pause options. We have just real briefly the first one that you said that.
All we all we are all being justified. We have all been redeemed. We make that very clear to us but he also go on and give us a little bit more truth that he also the one that tell us there is one body. Do we believe in that there is one body that there is one God. He's the one that really is bound to us and gave us the authority for the remembrance of the Lord. You know sometimes when we read Luke chapter 22 on on Lord say morning.
So we read, uh, that it that is set to its own with desire. I have desire to eat this Passover with you. So that really was the Passover scene. And he was with his, with his own is 12. And then afterwards shortly after with the 11 There he institute the remembrance of the Lord. So somebody say, well, what authority do you as Gentiles have to remember the Lord?
Do we really have that? It was instituted to the Jews.
But then Paul came along in First Corinthians 11. We perhaps must turn to that. Sorry, don't miss all that we you'll find often when we read that portion, we will leave the first little bit out, uh, Corinthians chapter.
Verse 23 First Corinthian 11/23 Often we read from the middle of the verse the Lord Jesus, not the Lord Jesus as the same night. Now let me read from the beginning of the verse. He said, for I have received of the Lord that which also I Paul deliver unto you. Oh, he gave us the authority if anyone ever questioned you so he, he instead he he.
Expounded or revealed more of the church truth. He talks about the rapture. We all know that. It's not my thought to go into this in in any detail knowing that you know it well too.
And it talks about what happened to the same two have gone before. So we find it First Corinth and 1St Thessalonians 4 That is, that those who have gone before towards the dead in Christ shall rise first. That's comforting, isn't it?
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together, and then we shall be. So shall we ever be with the Lord and and He also talked about the resurrection.
You'll find that some of it is missing, especially the coming of the Lord. We find that that is not being presented or being watched out for by many Christians in this world. And when you put those in place, you can easily, uh, distinguish the truth and the false. And Scripture tells us too, that we should, really shouldn't study all these problems. We're told to be simple to those things that are evil, but we should be wise to the word of God.
00:40:03
I appreciate the way that.
I'll bring things before the Corinthians we just finished in Reno Ferry last week, but I'm processing even in the verses we're reading where it says here it says there's a wide not to be able to drive late to foundation. Another build is Veronica. Let every man take heed how we build it there upon for no foundation can it sorry for other foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Jesus Christ. You know the Corinthians there were some who kind of came in there and.
Were teaching that.
There was no resurrection, which of course is an absolute foundational truth of which the Lord himself is the example. He goes back at the beginning of chapter 15. He says here's what the Bible says about it. Here's the evidence from the apostles here and he lays it out so incredibly in that chakra. And then later in the chapter, umm, he says don't, don't listen to people who don't have the knowledge of God is Josh was saying he he he very carefully who say how, how can the body be raised up? And he then he goes on in the doctor and he says if if someone has the knowledge of God and they look at creation around, they can see resurrection.
In, in creation around us. And then, then he goes on in the copter and in chapter 15 and he gets towards the end of chapter and, and uh, what happens here? He brings in the resurrection, the umm, the Lord's coming and our bodies being changed, something that would lend itself to dispensational truth. And he, he steps through it so incredibly. And at the end of that chapter, he just breaks down into praise and says, he says, oh, guess where's your sin? Oh grave, where's your victory? But thankfully God was giving us the victory for.
You're a large need this price and that is the foundation of how the Corinthians are to live the steadfast in this truth of the resurrection.
And that the Lord is coming and that your body is going to be changed and that will result in abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as your labor is not in vain. The Lord. And then if you look at how he expands upon that in First Thessalonians of the the Lord's coming and then in the Second Thessalonians where they're enduring persecution and they think that the the Lord must have already come. They're going through the tribulation. He corrects that in touch an incredible way. I remember.
When I was in my early 20s, Chuck Hendricks coming to Smith Falls and give speaking on that chapter and I was just like, wow, that that's really neat. And then, you know, you look a tiny look at these things through the eyes of simplicity and a child. I just finished going to revelation with my studies in class and.
Try anything, how do I take a book like revelation and boil it down so that it has meaning that can be appreciated. And, uh, you know, you go through the first few chapters. John is just into he's, he's been told the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world and he never really thought he's on, he's on the Isle of Patness is a in a cave in exile. And God reveals to him this incredible truth and he's an episode simply possible the seven churches. And then they're going, well, you only see him in heaven after that.
Incredibly simple way and you know, it's easy to get confused in them and I can't say that I understand them nearly as in depth as I said, but sometimes we just try and think these through almost from the eyes of a child. They bring incredible encouragement and blessing to us if we're able to. And and you know, I, I remember when I was in my late teens trying to understand.
Dispensational truth and just going through it in my head and saying, yeah, the way God worked in the Garden of Eden was different after Adam, Sandy had.
And then the way that he worked before the flood was different than than after. And the way that things changed when God gave promises to to Abraham. And then things changed, obviously, when the law was given on Mount Sinai, it's not hard to see that God was working differently. And I, I realize that these things aren't necessarily easy and I.
Would be the last person to tell you that I could argue against you. Well, but it's nice to just be able to go through these things in simplicity and just ask yourself, what does the Bible teach?
And how does it have an impact and a bearing on my life?
00:45:02
Her brother Dave was speaking before about.
The apostle Paul and Paul's ministry and.
The value of that ministry.
Thinking of some occurrences in the Apostle Paul's life.
We know that he was set aside in a house prison in Rome.
And that enforced retirement.
Allowed him to pen some of the epistles that we know today.
I was just thinking of a versatility and of the book of Acts.
And the fact that.
He was granted a certain amount of liberty there.
In verse 30 of the last chapter of Acts.
And we see towards the end of that chapter that salvation goes out to the Gentiles.
But then in verse 30 it says, in all dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him.
That must have been a glorious time to visit the Apostle Paul there, and I'm sure he had a certain amount of leisure.
To bring out the truth that he had learned.
And what a precious privilege for those visiting him then it says, preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence. No man forbidding him. So it seems that he was granted complete liberty on this case, where perhaps in another situation he wouldn't have had it.
And so how thankful we can be for those present years of the Apostle Paul.
I'm thankful that we have mentioned made in this chapter two of the Gentiles.
About four years ago.
I was in the Macedonian region of Greece with our brother Emmanuel Daku.
And we were heading towards the coast and we got up onto a hill pop.
And there was quite a Vista before us, and we could see down below a city hugging the shore, the seashore.
And that city was mentioned in the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Acts. It was the city of Neapolis. It was the 1St place on the European continent that the Apostle Paul.
Stood.
And my thought at that time was.
I could just imagine a man getting off a ship.
And that man was the Apostle Paul.
And what a debt I have to that man.
Made an impression on me overlooking that city. I wasn't thinking about the grandeur of the buildings, but I was thinking of the one that was use of God.
To bring the truth.
To those.
On the continent of Europe and what a debt we are.
Because often we like to have answers for anyone to ask us. And sometimes it makes us feel good that it's like we're knowledgeable. We get we know better than they. I don't believe that's what the Spirit of God would like us to do. We need to have a good foundation for ourselves first. Whether we can answer someone or not to me is not a major issue. Because Are you sure of your own salvation? Are you sure of your own standing?
And that's why we see certain ones that seems to go on so nicely.
And it looks like it was such a good testimony. And then we see them faded away or drifted away. So I like to go back to our chapter just a little bit, verse 12.
00:50:06
In fact, let me read the latter part of verse 10. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. So it's warning us here. How do you build your foundation? If you have a choice to start building a house today, how would you build? We have carpenters here, We have builders here. If I say to them, I want to save money and I see I save up a lot of cardboard boxes.
Let's start with that now use my money to make sure my living room is nice. Yeah, I see Phil was laughing already. We want to make sure the foundation is good. So how do we build verse 12? But as you reverse 11 for other foundation, can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ. That's the main foundation, isn't it? Do you have the Lord Jesus Christ before you?
We spoke about putting on Christ.
This is the main thing do you have he is the foundation verse 12. Now if any man build upon this foundation.
Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubbels. Oh, here's some other materials being mentioned.
Today, I don't think we would use gold as foundation breaks. It's kind of expensive.
But here the word of God specifically mentioned something. Now this list, I'm gonna use the word, uh, good material and bad material. So we see here, I would consider good material would be the gold, the silver, the press, the, uh, precious stones, the, the bad materials would be, would.
A and double S Well, what are these?
I believe gold should let should remind us in Scripture the righteousness of God.
Are we reminded of His righteousness constantly?
This is how we can become holy, because He is holy. His righteousness must come first. So some of you may have taken studies of the Tabernacle to think of that gold is used throughout, but then the next one is silver. What does silver remind you of? And I believe Scripture often used silver as a picture of redemption. So when we recognize the righteousness of gold.
Gold from pure gold. God's own righteousness.
Redemptive work. The one who loved me, who sent his son into this world to die for me, so that I can be redeemed unto himself. So we have pictures of gold, silver. That's interesting. Brass is not mentioned here, but we'll leave that thought for you to meditate on. But then pressure stones.
Precious stones. What here is really Speaking of God's house.
He speaks of you and I, every member, every believer, isn't it? So he used that for his house as the foundation for what's wrong with wood. We use wood. I remember years ago at home, they were trying to reduce the cost of building homes. So they say you can use pressure treated wood and they would even give you a lifetime guarantee on it. And I find out that if your rock would have it at the very bottom one, they'll just give you a piece to replace. Good luck taking it out and replace it.
Well wood, wood seeks of humanity. It speaks I believe it speaks of something. The word speaks of Christ too, but often it speaks of man made things. So we we talk about human wisdom. We may say it doesn't make sense. It really should have been this way instead of matching it up to see if that thought is proper and right according to the word of God and then.
You have wood and then we have a well, hey, really not something that lasts for a long time would A and stubbels often refer to together as things that get burned away. In fact, stubbles is interesting. We won't turn to it, but if you have time, you can turn to Job chapter 21. I think in verse 17 and 18 around Malachi 4, it speaks of stubbles as something being witches.
00:55:23
So how do you want to build your foundation? As a summary with Christ as the main foundation. So if your foundation is sure, no one can do that building.
If I could just add to that, David, uh, when it comes to the, the goal, there was no place for the righteousness of God was seen in, in, in, in, in more of a full display than at the cross. And so I think that the, the Saints in, in Corinth had really not grown to the point where they could fully appreciate the cross and it's full, uh, value and.
Uh, we see that they, they umm, in the first chapter there, they were taken up with man and, and that was the result of that was divisions within the body of Christ. And the answer to Paul's answer to that difficulty was to bring in the, the value of the cross of Christ. And, and so I, I don't know where in the, in the umm, Theo theology of.
Of covenant theology, I don't know where they have.
Exalted man in the process.
Of the the creation of this theology, but I'm sure you're going to find that is somewhere there is a lack of the appreciation of what the cross of Christ has done and satisfying setting aside man in.
God's plan and his thoughts and the exaltation of Christ. You know, God has based all of his blessing and all future blessing for this world on the cross and on the value of the work of Christ and the person of Christ. And so this foundation that he has laid, which is Jesus Christ. And this was one particular area in which the Corinthians.
Had not grown in their realization of and so he says you're you know he says I've I've I can't give you spiritual things because you're you're carnal in your thoughts and you still have you haven't gotten.
Free from valuing the 1St man.
And so I just bring that out because that righteousness, there was no place where the righteousness of God was revealed and more, more.
Completeness in the Cross of Christ.
That's nice. I don't know much about geology neither but what I do.
And one of the things they said is that Israel is the church, you know, Testament, and the church is the Israel in the Old Testament. So now the church has taken over the blessings of Israel, which is false because when God may have made a covenant with Abraham, if this is reversed, that means he wouldn't have kept a promise is now given to the Gentile. No, God, that's an, uh, I'll go back on his promise.
But because of one era, and that's the problem when the foundation is not sure when you let go of one little thing that something else can come in. So they, they, if they say that the church today is same as Israel of old and that then the church should have no trouble going back to obey or observe Sabbath. So you have the 7th day Adventist. They're saying they're Christians, but they observe Sabbath. And, and if you listen to what Brother Phil just said, well, they just finished.
Denying the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you go back to Sabbath, you're saying the work is not completed, The work was not good.
So they denied the work of the Lord right through and it's just one error led to another. And then you have some Christian will say, you know, church buildings are getting expensive. You know, we've been looking for meeting room. It's expensive to find a place to meet. So they go, well, this is great, we're Christians, let's join and share space with the Seven Days Adventures. They use it on Saturday, we use it on Sunday, and now they share the building. You see that in common places.
01:00:07
On the surface, it's great we should have fellowship. We're all in one now, by the way, let's keep this here, be very distinct. Anyone who prefers to be the Lord, who believe in the finished work of the cross, they are Christians, they are part of the one body. So we have to be very careful that they are not enemies with us, but yet we can have fellowship with them because they don't take the same. They don't follow the word of God as we proceed something. So we have to be very careful. Sometimes we speak of evil workers and then sometimes we're only speaking about those we have difficulty having fellowship because truly they should be, uh, yesterday morning we remember the Lord.
We have that one loaf on there. I believe many Christians are represented because they are part of our own body.
In that first word here.
In chapter 3, the apostle in lamenting about something he says. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual.
But as unto Colonel, even as unto babes in Christ, well, how is it that he couldn't do speak to them about spiritual things? Because everything that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ is spiritual.
The Lord Jesus as a babe.
Started with the Holy Spirit.
Putting the seed in a woman, well, how can you explain that? We can't explain that that was a spiritual action, that he put the seed in a woman and.
And the Son of God.
Grew as a perfect man from a woman inside a woman.
People have tried to explain how that could be done by the Spirit. The things of the Spirit we have to accept as they are put in the Scripture. We cannot take something.
And that.
People can't put into their hands.
There was not something that somebody put put into their hands and then put it in there.
In the foundation of the world.
It started with God creating and people have tried to find out how did God create.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Well, he had to create the heavens first.
Because the heavens were gonna be the foundation.
People are constantly even to raise their higher education and all that.
That's all build. Buildings are evolution, and evolution is nothing. From nothing comes nothing. And they're trying to build and build and and get something into the hands of people.
Which is actually not there.
When we look in the skies from outside, we look up, we say that's heaven.
It then expands.
And and to that expense, things are going to be built.
But it starts with God building in a spiritual way.
Why couldn't he talk to them about spiritual things?
I've been constantly trying to figure out why is the spiritual things that coming 1St and to the spiritual thing, that's something we can put in our hands.
We can do.
Things with the Spirit, because the Spirit is, can only be handled by God, not by our thinking.
01:05:10
Bless my man is constantly hanging on to evolution. They can't think of any spiritual things.
So they have to make up something that they can put in into their hands and start building.
But not spiritual.
Only World Revised is the home.
So we got to figure out first here.
What should he have said to them first, when He spoke unto them?
And, uh, with and to spiritual.
OK in spiritual things.
They He. He.
Call Sam Carnal now, Colonel. Would be of the world, would be of the devil.
And our conversation and base.
In the most of the time, it's kind of.
We have to get used to start speaking about spiritual things because that's how God started.
It didn't.
He didn't start the universe with Earth, he started it.
With the heaven, and heaven is the expanse where he could.
Build on. He had to have something to build on and that's the expense.
It's not the oath he didn't start.
Created the earth first, He started the heavens first, and that is something that we can see.
But we can't take it in our hands.
Brother Brian, you had a comment that you wanted to make. Yeah, pardon me. I, I'm thinking of Bruce's question at the beginning of comment regarding the practical effect of understanding our proper place in the world.
Dispensational truth is what we refer to as the things that we hold, and they have very practical bearing and very fundamental bearing as we've had before us with regard to the foundation of our life. They affect every single one of us and our attitude every single day. And one of those facts, one of the facts of understanding our position in the world, is the fact that we're ambassadors for Christ.
We're citizens of heaven. We're a heavenly company. Now those.
Thought we've heard as children, as the young adults and so forth, we take for granted. And yet if we really enter into what we have as citizens from the heavenly place, it affects our attitudes, our actions, how we conduct ourselves, the things that we take up in. They have a very practical variant of things that we don't take up in one thing that was mentioned earlier and very brief way, but correct way.
Was the fact that perhaps we will not get involved in politics? Why is that? Is it because we don't care?
No, it's what we do care.
Well, we care in a much higher plane where heavenly citizens and as ambassadors through Christ, we no longer get involved in the politics of the world that we're around and that we're in. No more than a Canadian ambassador to the United States would be concerned about things here that happened in America. They care about how Canada is affected. They care about representing Canada here in the US That affects us every day. So when we go to school.
When we do our work, are we a citizen of heaven? Are we representing the Lord Jesus Christ? And this really affects us very, very practically. Are we taking up so much with heavenly things, with spiritual things, and enjoying those things that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, that when we go to our workplace or to a school place, we reflect the country from which we come?
01:10:03
Are we occupied with those things? If I work in a garlic factory, I smell like garlic when I go amongst the people that I work with and people smell God and they say that guy smells like garlic. Well, when I taken up.
With heavenly things.
I wanna spell sweet.
In the second verse he says I have fed you with milk. Now how do you do that? Did he carry around part of the milk and and give those two people?
We have to have a spiritual application for it. I have fed you with milk. Milk is the basics of life of newborns.
And the cows eat grass, and eat grass of all kinds and outcomes milk.
They haven't figured out yet how to make.
Milk out of grass.
I think they haven't done that yet and they aren't going to do it.
He thought of.
Feeding the people with meat and get out of that milk condition. Milk is good all the way through baby. Start off with milk and grow up with it. It is very important.
To do it that way, it can be done any other way.
So we gotta develop that now how he fed them with milk.
And not with me.
I want to offer you a bit of meat. I mean, we only have a few minutes left. I'm thinking about the phrase time. We often say what time is it? Is the time almost up there in Scripture, there's the word time. Sometimes it used the plural times. Turn with me. I'm just going to turn to three passages, if that might help us identify the proper phase of time. Luke, chapter 21, verse 24.
Blue chapter 21, verse 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be LED away captive into all nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down at the Gentiles until now. Notice here the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. What is the time times of the Gentiles? That's the time when God has taken away the authority in a sense from the Jewish nation.
And given it to the Gentile that began in the year 606 BC. It was given to a man named Epicanessa. So from that point on, Israel was no longer prominent in the world seed and there were four kingdoms. And you know the story. Just to save time, I won't go through that. And then let's turn to Galatians chapter 4, verse 4.
Galatians verse four but when the.
Faunas of the time was come. A little bit different, isn't it? The fullness of the time was come. Now let's read the verse in you. It would give you a better sense of what it means.
God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law. So we find here it was when men's responsibility was fully tried and God said there is no other way. So in that time he sent forth his son. So that's a different period of time and just one more in Ephesians chapter one.
We're verse 10. We often refer this to the key to the whole Bible and I hope you'll see why that in the in this case, the dispensation of the fullness of times.
He may gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him. So this is the time when all rules and authorities will be under one Christ going to reign supreme here. Perhaps sometimes we refer to that as the millennial reign of Price, 1000 years that He will be king of things. So you could put this three times into perspective.
01:15:24
I kind of kicked off the subject.
And I'd like to make a final observation based on this most fascinating reading meeting.
It appears to me I'm listening.
This morning.
That's the misunderstanding of dispensation.
Is because of a dropping of Paul's doctrine.
And I appreciate what you said, Brian.
Kind of solidify that in my mind. It's been going in my mind for about 1/2 an hour or so.
But when we lose?
The true teaching of the heavenly calling.
We will fall back on earthly things.
And we'll make Earth our center.
And we will have just blown prophecy out of the water.
Thing #132.
Yes.
Reading, Studying, Applying the Word of God
Address—Josh Stewart
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Well, welcome to the last meeting of the conference. Let's begin by singing #200 and 76276.
Guide us all that.
Umm, well, I don't need.
Anything, uh.
Bread of Heaven, feed us now and evermore. Let's pray before we begin.
Well, this afternoon let's open up this book, which is illegal in over 50 countries in the world today. I don't know quite how many, I've heard different numbers, but I think it's over 50.
To an introductory verse in Deuteronomy chapter 8.
It's illegal in over 50 countries and yet it is the best selling book in the world year over year since the invention of the printing press. So put those two things together. This is a very special book. We hold in our hands Deuteronomy chapter 8, and I'll just read part of verse 3.
The middle of the verse, that he might make thee know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord, doth man live. Let me just read that again.
Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
This is an address to young people, and I have to say, one feels very much the weight of the responsibility of standing up here and speaking to you. I I think back over my time and meetings like this when I was a little bit younger, and I think of my experience as a young person and all of the things that helped me in my life to go on for the Lord, to grow in the Lord.
00:05:22
I think first of all of the grace of God.
Where would we be? Where would any of us be apart from the grace of God? I think of those who are an encouragement to me.
And as you might imagine from the verse I just read, what I would like to speak on today is the word of God, the word of God. I've had, umm, a line of things on my heart over the past few years to do with the word of God. Umm, words like inspiration, uh, inerrancy, interpretation. Those are three I words that are very important.
I've had subjects like that on my heart over the past few years.
But that's not what I want to speak about today. I think those would be a little bit too big for what we have before us today. And it's not the burden that the Lord has placed on my heart. You know, God works through his servants using burdens. And that's a wonderful thing. He'll put something on our heart and it's like a burden. And we we'll never get that off until we discharge, until we do what he wants us to do might be to speak to that person at school, at work about the Lord. It might be to share some thoughts or.
Help some elderly or sick person with their housework, whatever it might be, until we do it, he doesn't take that burden off.
While the burden on my heart, umm, for you dear young people, this afternoon is the importance of the Word of God.
There we hold in our hands a book that is not dead. It's a living. It's amazing, this book, the Word of God does not change, and yet it's living. Put those two things together, we can't.
It's incredibly important and, uh, you know, just by way of introduction, I wanna wax, uh, abstract for a minute here and please try to stay with me, but this is very important. Man was created as a dependent being.
And I know this is going to be a little abstract, but please stay with me. Man was created and placed in the Garden of Eden, independence on God. What does that mean? That means that man could only be happy if he depended on God for everything, for guidance, for direction, for food, for everything, to be dependent on God. And that's how man was created. And it's true for us today. We are dependent creatures.
And.
You know, there's, there are things in this world that we look around us and we see everything has cause and effect. You look at pick anything you could possibly think of and you can ask why and there's a cause. Everything has cause and effect. And you can look at something and say, well, why and go back a step. And then you can ask, well, why? And that thing had a cause. And you can keep asking why, why, why as young children often do.
And eventually you're gonna get back to something where you ask why and the only explanation is God.
That thing is called an absolute. God is the absolute. There's no reason why God exists. He just is because he is. In fact, that's one of his names. I am that I am. Does anyone know the Hebrew name for God? That means I am that I am. Anyone raise your hand if you know.
I am that I am. Maybe someone of the older ones could, uh, help us. I know somebody knows Jehovah. That's right. He is the self existing one. He just is because he is. Isn't that beautiful? Well, man is dependent on God and we are dependent creatures, which means you know something. We don't really know anything.
Unless God tells it to us so we can reason, we can take in data.
And we can draw conclusions based on that data, but it's really just reason unless God has said it. And God speaks to us in a variety of ways. He speaks to us through creation. Psalm 19 tells us, Romans one tells us that we can know God's eternal power and divinity through creation. That's that's his word in a sense. So we can know things from creation. But he's also given us this book. And when we read it and we believe it, we can actually know something.
100%.
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For certain and so we're living in a day and that's why I wanted to speak about this for you young people when there is more information than there has ever been it's right in your pocket. You can read news article after news article and yet one of the most disconcerting things is.
You don't even know if you can believe it. You can actually be more sure that it's a piece of political propaganda. Then you can be sure that it's fact that you can really believe. That's why this book is so amazing. You can pick it up and you can read it and it is 100% true. Thy word is truth, Jesus said.
And so that's why I wanted to start with this verse here in Deuteronomy chapter 8. It says that man shall not live by bread only. We cannot really live apart from the Word of God. Now, there are plenty of people who live in a physical sense without this book, but they're not really living. They're dead men walking. But if you want to really live, the only way to do it is through the Word of God.
It was. The verse was already quoted this weekend. I think it was Job.
In the book of job that do we esteem his words more than our necessary food and I think we understand the importance of physical food. This book is every bit as important or more than physical food for our existence.
And, uh, as I was saying, you read, you look around in this world and there's a lot of reasoning going on and speculation, but that's all it is. And when we're standing on the word of God, it's like standing on a solid rock. The minute we step off that rock into speculation, it's like stepping into a swamp. It's just mush.
You don't know whether you can believe it. So that's why we wanna stay on this book and we'll have solid footing for our our feet. And so that's what I wanted to speak about is the word of God, the importance of the word of God. We live in a world when there's a lot of fake news, but this book, there's nothing fake about it. So I want to speak about the importance of the word of God under 3 subheadings.
The importance of reading it, the importance of studying it and the importance of applying it in our lives. Reading it, studying it and applying it.
Now, first of all, you might say, well, what's the difference between reading it and studying it? That that might be a little hard, so I'm going to explain what I mean. Umm.
A brother that I've I've been really helped by made this comment. He said. You know, there's two ways to read the Bible. You can read it as a devotional or you can study it.
And we need to do both of those things. And I agree with that statement. You know, when we read it as a devotional, we're reading it daily for our own soul. What is God saying to me? When we study it, we're seeking to understand what God means. And those are two very different things, and we need both of them. You could almost say it this way. When we read the Bible as a devotional, we let it study us.
We're reading it and we're letting the Spirit of God search us out.
David said, umm, search me, O God, to see, as he goes on to say, whether there be any wicked way in me. When we read this book as a devotional, it's really God. It's really God's Word searching us. But then we need to search it as well. We need to get an understanding of the truths that God has presented to us in His Word. So we do need to study it. So that's kind of the difference.
So turn with me to John's Gospel chapter 6, John chapter 6 for a verse.
I want to speak first about reading it as a devotional.
John chapter 6 is a long chapter, very important chapter, but let's go down to verse 48.
And that bread of life, your Father's did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I'll just stop there. There's a lot more we could read and a lot more we could say about this wonderful chapter, and important one I should say. But here we have the Lord Jesus making one of those wonderful I am statements. He says I am the bread of life.
The first thing I wanted to say about reading the Bible is a devotional as we get food for our souls.
And specifically, it's Christ. He is the food for our souls. When you are studying the Bible, you're really, it's not quite the thought of food for your soul. It's food in the sense of meat. Our brother was talking about milk and meat and the difference. It's food in that sense. But that's a little different thought than spiritual energy. But food for your soul. What do I mean by food for your soul? I mean fuel, spiritual energy.
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If we are not daily feeding on Christ, there's going to be a coldness.
And an emptiness that creeps in. And so we need to feed on him as the bread of life to really meditate on Christ himself. It gives us that food for our soul. You know, I talked about the difference between reading the Bible as a devotional and studying it. And I think there's an often an imbalance with us. Some people gravitate more towards studying it and neglect maybe reading it daily as a meditation and others might.
Readily read it every morning, every evening, whatever it might be, as a meditation, but then neglect studying it, and we all perhaps go one way or the other.
But we need to be balanced and that's why we need each other.
But we need not to neglect this. And you know, you can be studying the scriptures and going through points of doctrine and be cold and empty in your soul. I've experienced it. Umm, so we need this food for our souls. We need this. We need this book too, for guidance. The Lord speaks to us. One of the ways he speaks to us, I think a prominent way he speaks to us is through this book. You know, there's so many decisions.
To make in life, especially you young people, what to, what to study, what kind of a job to look for, who to marry, all those decisions are huge. You cannot make them on your own. You cannot. You have to have God's voice in your ear. And that happens through reading this book.
Another thing we need is to read this book for communion. What do I mean by communion? Well, communion, I've enjoyed it just simply means common thoughts, common thoughts. Well, how do we get God's thoughts? It's through his word. So do we ever sit down to read this book simply to get God's thoughts? And I, you know.
It's beautiful to just sit in the presence of the Lord and to think his thoughts, as simple as that. You know when you read this book and you understand that you're getting the thoughts of God. And I love the fact that the word Bible, even the very word Bible, is actually from the Greek to Biblia, and it's actually a plural word. We use it singular to think of this book, but it's a plural word. It really means the books. It's actually closer to the thought of a library.
Than it is the thought of a book now.
Don't get me wrong, this is 1 harmonious book, but think of it just like browsing through a library. 66 books on the shelf, every one of that you pull down is full of the thoughts of God. It's wonderful just to read it and enjoy it and to think his thoughts.
Well, I said there were three subheadings reading and the next one is studying all the importance of studying this book.
Let's let's turn to, umm, Proverbs chapter 2. This verse stuck out to me maybe, uh, six months ago. It really smoked me.
Proverbs, chapter 2.
Before we embark on studying, I just wanna say something. What I have to say this morning is very practical and I, I personally struggle when speaking on practical subjects like like this exhortation. It's not my go to thing. I don't wanna be prescriptive. I don't wanna tell you this is the one way to to do it. Umm, the Spirit of God can lead you and guide you. I just wanna give you.
Some encouragement. OK, so think of this as encouragements, not as, umm, prescriptive.
Measures for how you should live your Christian life.
Umm, so Proverbs chapter 2.
And we'll start with verse, I think 1.
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee, so that thou would climb thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding. Yeah, if thou cryest after knowledge, and lift this up thy voice for understanding, here's the verse. If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her As for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord.
And find the knowledge of God, for the Lord giveth wisdom. Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Just that verse, if thou seekest her as silver.
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And searches for her As for hid treasures. So now I want you to think about something for a minute. Let's say I were able to tell you on good authority, young people that there was $20 million in silver buried in a chest down at the beach. OK, think of pirates, treasure or something like that. And and you were to believe me, really believe me that there was 20 million in silver down at the beach. What would you do right now?
Would you stand around listening to me, or would you get out of your seat and run?
As fast as you could down to the beach and start digging. I think that's what you would do.
Would you, uh, stop to check Facebook maybe?
Or, uh, Snapchat or do some text messaging. Well, you can't hear because there's no service here, but.
I think you understand my point. The sheer value of what is buried down at the beach eclipses all of the other mundane things that you might otherwise be occupied with. And when you get a sense of the value of what is contained in this book, everything else is just Why waste my time doing that when I have something so much better?
I want to read for you.
A quotation.
From a brother C uh, Clarence Lundin. I heard this on a tape a while ago and uh, I don't know where it was, but it hit me right between the eyes and so I just wanna read it to you.
Timothy was to hold fast an outline of sound words. We're gonna talk about that in a minute. But you can't hold something fast if you don't have it. Oh, how you ponder your calculus and your chemistry. Hour after hour. It will pass away. It will all go up in the fire. It may be necessary for your job, but what about the things that are for eternity? You have to make a study of them.
I thought about that. How many of you here are in college?
Right now we're planning to go to college. Raise your hand, there's quite a few.
Does anyone know per credit hour at a reputable university? How many hours outside of class does it take to keep up on your studies and do a good job? Does anyone know per credit hour?
How many?
3:00 to 4:00 So let's take a course in mathematics, a rigorous college course. You would spend maybe 12 hours.
In that class, including class time, you had spent 12 hours to be able to stay on top of your coursework and do a a good job.
MMM, I just asked myself this question. Do I study like that in this book? How can I expect to do a good job, if you will?
If I don't apply myself, I mean, how many of us spend 12 hours a week studying this book? That's just one class, a full course, a full class load is what, four or five classes? So I, I challenge each one of you. Do we spend time studying this book well?
Let's turn over to Second Timothy, Second Timothy 2, verse 15.
Study to show thyself approved unto God.
A Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Study to show thyself approved unto God. You know I just want to say one other thing. Studying the scriptures is not an end in itself. We don't just study to study.
We don't just study to know more. God wants to make us worshippers. He wants to make us worshippers, workers and warriors. But we need to study in order to do those things. It's not an end in itself. OK, so we don't just study to be know it all, so we shouldn't anyways. So it's not an end in itself, but it's a means to be better equipped to do what God wants us to do. First of all, as I said, sitting in his presence, sitting at the feet of.
Jesus in worship we need to study well, study to show thyself approved unto God. So let's just talk about what it what it says at the end of verse 15. A Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. You know what I have in my heart in this meeting goes along with what we've had in these meetings, particularly the readings we've taken up the importance of dispensational truth, rightly dividing the word of truth. What do we mean by that?
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That means that when we read something.
We don't just lump it all together and say this is just one homogeneous thing. No, we, we rightly divide it. I think the original word means to cut it in a straight line. You know, a surgeon needs to be so precise with his scalpel to cut things neatly and cleanly. We need to have that same precision when we read this book, if every time we read it, we just think.
It's all talking about the same thing. We're really never gonna make progress. In fact, actually, that's one of Satan's greatest lies, is to lump everything together and not to make divisions and distinctions. But God is a God of order, and order comes when there are divisions. And that, that's a very general way of thinking of it. But so when we read a verse, do we understand whether it's talking about the church or Israel? Let's take a really general one.
Do we understand the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament? My Bible has a blank page.
And words that say the end of the Old Testament, which I really like.
And that's that's a help so rightly dividing, knowing whether something applies to the church, to Israel, to prophecy, what whatever it might be. And I'm not going to go into that in detail. It's so helpful to do that. We've talked about the importance of the mystery. I want to just repeat that in the first reading. If you didn't hear it, our brother read that verse in Colossians in the mystery in which our hid.
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge if if we understand that distinctive truth of Christianity, what the Church is.
And and the place that holds and the purpose of God, all of the other scriptures are going to be opened up to us. So I want to encourage you if you don't know what it is.
To go home and to study it, look it up, read it out for yourself so you can explain it in your own words. It's so, so important.
I remember when I was young, I started questioning the things I had been raised with, and that's a good thing. It's a good thing to question what we've been taught and, uh.
I was maybe 1415 years old. My parents gave me a book by WTP PTI. Don't know the initials. Woolston called the church. What is it? It sounds so simple. What is the church? Fantastic book. It established me. It helped establish me in the truth of the mystery. Very important, very very important.
Well, what hinders us from from studying?
You know, I think there are those who have this idea that I'm just not smart enough to understand that's not true.
I'm not saying that everything is easy to understand, but it's not that hard. Brother Mark mentioned how and I really believe the deepest truths of God are the simplest. They are not complicated. You don't need a massive chart to explain the deepest truths of God. I think the deepest truth of God is this. Jesus loves me. And the more you study this book, the more you realize the love of God. But even to get into dispensations, it's not that hard.
It's really not, and I appreciate the way it was brought out this weekend.
Others perhaps have a fear or have a thought that it's it's just not important. I can just get through life without it. You really can't. You really can't study to show myself approved unto God, a Workman which needeth not to be ashamed. We all need it. And then there's the distractions. And I already talked about, you know, social media, you know, when we study this book.
Umm, I have no problem with studying this book using electronic means. I do that and it's so helpful. Umm, we're gonna talk about sources for ministry in a minute. We have more available at our fingertips than ever before, but there's also more distractions. You know, studies have been done about the psychology of social media and the smartphone and how our brains just love that little notification.
That says somebody liked my photo or whatever it is. It, it, it's incredible. It's opening up a new field in psychology. We, we're so easily distracted by those things. So if you need to put your phone on airplane mode again, I'm not trying to be prescriptive, but whatever it takes to be diligent in the study of this book and maybe, maybe a paper Bible is not that bad. Umm.
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Umm.
I don't use one exclusively, but it's, uh, it's just something to think about.
Well.
Let's uh, let's read the next verse first sixteen. It talks about sorry, I lost my place.
It talks about shunning profane and vain babblings so they will increase under more ungodliness. Just to make this simple point, when you start to study the word, you're gonna find discussions, conversations about the truth of God that sometimes aren't profitable. I just encourage you don't get bogged down with that, especially online. For some reason, people, their manners just go out the window when they get online. And it's, it's, it's remarkable.
I just encourage you to avoid those things.
Get into the presence of God so just you can just avoid those things and that'll be a help to you. Well.
The next verse I want to read was in chapter one.
Chapter one and verse 13 Yeah, here it is very important. This is another help I want to encourage you in the study of God's Word. Verse 13 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus, that good thing which was committed unto the keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US.
That word in verse 13 form could be translated a number of different ways, but.
Outline ha hold fast, and outline of sound words which thou has heard of me.
What do we mean by hold fast and outline or have an outline?
Umm, let me just give you an example. Our brother Phil spoke from Galatians chapter 5. If you're studying the book of Galatians, it's a real help to get an outline of the book, to have an overall understanding of the book. First of all, well, what's it what's he writing about? Well, he's writing to deliver the Galatians from the danger of legalism. And then the first two chapters he's establishing as apostleship, and he's showing these little seeds throughout the epistle that he's going to take up.
You're in the epistle and there's chapters three and four. He starts building his doctrinal thesis. Incredible the way he does it. Chapters three and four, to show the foolishness and the huge mistake of bringing in the law, whether it's for justification or even to try to help us live a holy life for God. And then chapters five and six, he gets into the practical. He shows what it looks like in practice. Christian enjoying their liberty in Christ. What does that look like?
So you kind of see how there's three divisions in the book.
And then you can go further and you can look at subdivisions and you can see Paul developing his points. Now I understand for some minds it's easier to do that than for others. And it's interesting. He says hold fast a form of sound with an outline of sound words which that was heard of me. Paul's epistles particularly lend themselves to outlines which thou has heard of me. But, and again, I I'm not trying to say that everyone has to do it the same way.
All I'm saying is have a general idea of what?
It says in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. I'll just again just bring out a practical point here.
It says that we're to hold the truth and love and it says in Ephesians were to speak the truth in love. And if we can always have that attitude, whether we're studying or whether we're presenting the truth of God to do it in love, what a blessing that will be. I'm sure we've all heard the truth presented like a club or like a broad sword.
Umm, and it does sometimes more damage than good. So let's hold it and faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
Verse 14, that good thing which was committed on today, umm, that good deposit of truth that Paul committed to Timothy, He's committed the same thing to us. The Spirit of God has committed a deposit to us and he says keep it, hold it fast.
Umm I I really have a hard time putting this into words, but almost think of it the way. The children of Israel were responsible to possess their inheritance. God gave them a land of promise and he says you are responsible to go in and possess it. And God has given you tremendous riches in this book, but you are responsible to go in and possess it. Make a study of it.
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Do you have it? Do you possess it?
Hold it fast. God is going to hold us accountable for what He's given us. Did we hold it? Did we possess it?
And I just want to encourage you to do that.
Encourage you to lay hold of what he has given to us well.
I wanna make another brief, uh, comment about something very practical. And again, please don't take this the wrong way. I wanna speak about note taking.
Note taking Second Timothy 4. Now you notice we're referring a lot to Second Timothy. Second Timothy is a great book to encourage us in studying the scriptures. It's a book for the last days and we need it. Second Timothy 4 and verse 13.
The cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus when now comest bring with thee and the books, but especially the parchments. I've been very encouraged this week to see different ones taking notes in the meetings. I, I'm really encouraged by that. Umm, I, I want to focus on the last part of this first, the parchments, uh, the books and the parchments. So the books, I think would have, would have been finished works by the apostle Paul books he had written not.
Fairly inspired and he wanted those to be brought along, but especially the parchments. What were the parchments? Well, as I understand, they're, they're probably blank pieces of paper for, for writing. Do I think that Paul was taking notes and and doodling on the corners of his pages? Probably die this this parchment would have been extremely rare and expensive. And he said, I need it so I can write on it, probably to write epistles or, or or whatever it might be.
He valued. This is the point I want to bring. Not that Paul perhaps took notes in the same fashion that we might today, but that he valued the privilege of writing down the truth God had given him. Can I encourage you in that? Write down the truth God has given you. There's something about writing it down where it sticks in your brain. I don't know what it is. I talked to so many and they all say the same thing.
You write it down and it sticks, so I just want to encourage you to do that.
Umm, paper is not rare as it was in the day that the Apostle Paul was writing and it's, it's available to us. Umm, I'm not saying everyone has to take notes of meeting. Some find it very distracting to take notes in meeting umm, but umm, I, I guess I would ask myself this question. How do I expect to remember it if I don't write it down? It's a simple, it's a simple thought. So I just want to encourage you with that. Again, not everyone's a note taker. I'm not trying to say that some people find a wide margin Bible to be helpful.
Others find notebooks to be helpful. We have electronic means these days. We can. You can organize your notes so many different ways. Umm, it's so helpful.
I just want to encourage you with that little practical thing. The Paul valued the privilege of writing down the truth God had given him, and you can do the same.
So the next thing I wanted to take up is sources for ministry. Before I talk about sources, I want to address a thought that I think perhaps we've all perhaps had. I shouldn't speak for others. I know I've had had to be corrected. I've heard it from others as well, the thought that we don't need ministry. Uh, Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4 you could turn to other scriptures. I just want to read it from this because it's so.
Precious.
Umm, let's just read.
We'll just reverse 11.
Speaking of Christ, who who descended and then ascended back into heaven. And he that's Christ gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Until we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. And we could go on.
I just want to bring out the simple point. It says that Christ gave gifts.
To the church for their building up and they're edifying.
So has God? Has Christ given us anything that we don't need? I don't think so.
If He gave it to us, we need it. And sometimes you hear this statement, well, I don't need anything. I just need my Bible. And I understand that the Spirit of God, we know from other scriptures is given to us to bring the truth home to us. But that doesn't set aside this verse which says we need the gifts God has given. So I just want to encourage you, you're not alone, OK? And Christ has given gifts to help us.
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In our understanding of the Word of God. So I just want to encourage you in that.
Umm, to encourage you in that, that you can go to to the gifts that God has given. Now I wanna talk about sources for ministry and I hope I don't get myself into trouble and I'll try to.
I'll try to, uh, state this in a, in a, in a right way. You know what, let's let's turn to a verse because I think it's, it's best to stay with Scripture.
Back to Second Timothy in chapter 3.
Second Timothy 3.
Before I read this verse I'll just say.
One of the things that's.
Increase the burden, I should say, that the Lord has put on me is is just hearing, you know, speaking to different young people.
That that when there's questions about biblical subjects that the answer is to Google it.
You might laugh and I I don't think I even need to say that. That's probably not the best place to go. Google, Umm.
I, I'm, I'm starting with something that might seem ridiculous to, to some of you here, but it might not seem to others and people might, might be here that literally think that's acceptable. You want to fix your car, you know how to repair it. You go to Google, you want to fix, you want to do something around the house, do it yourself, whatever. You go to Wikipedia, do it how to's, whatever. Umm, when we take up the things of God, let's be careful about where we go for our ministry.
So let's just read this verse again. I don't want to be, I don't want to offend anyone, but I want to encourage you in this subject.
Umm.
Second Timothy chapter 3 and verse 14. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of. Here's the part of the verse knowing of whom thou hast learned. This is such a helpful principle. It's such a guiding principle for us. Knowing of whom thou has learned them. How do you know if you can trust the source? You really need to see how the life is lived and how the truth of God is practiced. It's really.
I believe the scriptural way to know whether we can trust a particular source of ministry. Umm, and I don't wanna be negative about this, but could you, could you really trust a source of someone who denies the truth of the rapture, the pre tribulation rapture of the church? Well, they're not. They are not living out the truth of God as you know it. I trust you. You hold that truth.
So I'm not that everything they taught would be out the window. I'm not saying that.
But I couldn't recommend that to you wholesale.
Umm, and we could go on and on. Someone who denies the sinless perfection of Christ, Could you trust that ministry? I would suggest you from this verse. You couldn't. And So what I want to encourage you, hopefully not in a negative way, is to read and take in those sources where you've seen their life, that they practice the truth of God.
In a wholesale way, you're never going to find anyone perfect I you're never going to, you're never going to. And I don't think it would ever be right to just totally write someone off or a source off, but.
Can I encourage you to read those sources and take in those sources of those who have lived and practiced the truth of God? That's what I want to encourage you to do and I want to encourage you. You were afraid I was going to say it, to read and take in the writings of those that God used to recover much of the truth of God that was lost for the past 1700 years up until the mid 1800s.
You're afraid I was going to say that, but I want to say it. There was a time when I didn't want to hear that either. But I've come to enjoy those writers. I want to tell you why.
Not all of them.
But most of them, when I read that ministry, I am left not with an impression of the greatness of the writer.
Not with an impression of, wow, that was really well put, but my soul is left on the word of God and it opens up the word of God in a way that I didn't see it before. And my feet are left standing on the, on the solid walk. And I value that. And I, I know I'm speaking to many who value that as well. So I just want to encourage you young people.
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Jay and Darby may not be the easiest read, but there are others who are easier to read who took perhaps some of the truth that was brought out by the earlier ones that made it a little simpler. I want to encourage you to pick up some of that good written ministry and read it. It's, it's like a fountain of, of, of, of good ministry that so many have profited down through the years. So I just want to encourage you in that. I don't want to be negative in the way I present this.
Umm, you know, there are, there are, there is written ministry, there's good audio ministry, there's even some video ministry that's been been helpful. Umm.
And so much of what was written in those early years is in the public domain. It's available online, Umm, and put in a plug for Bible truth library, umm, and other websites as well. Stem publishing, umm, and there's a, there's a number of other websites. It, it's right there, right there on your phone or your tablet or whatever it is, it's, it's right there. But you know what else is right there? Facebook, Snapchat, all that other stuff. But I just want to encourage.
You it's, it's rich and umm, I've profited from it and I want to encourage you to as well.
Well.
Umm, last thing I wanted to say about studying the scriptures.
It's hard work, but it is full of joy. It is so full of joy. I have had the experience since maybe 1314 years ago when I started getting serious about studying of the Spirit of God opening up to me. I don't know how to say it exactly, but widening vistas of truth. Maybe that doesn't even make sense, but it's almost like ripples on a pond where I see something.
And it's just I've never seen things that way before.
And then a couple months later and I, I see it again, but in a wider way, a clearer way. And it just, it takes your breath away. Sometimes it reduces you to tears. I remember where I was. I had just started this job that I have now. I was sitting at my desk. It was at lunchtime and I was studying the prophet Hosea. If you've never studied the prophet Hosea, I encourage you to do it.
Umm, especially the first few chapters and the Spirit of God opened up for me.
A vision of the love of Christ that I had never seen before. If you don't know the story, I'm not going to go into it. But the profit is asked by God to marry a harlot, I think so that he could sympathize with the heart of Jehovah, who was espoused in a sense to Israel, who was much like a harlot. She had gone after all of her, her false gods and he.
He says to Jose, you need to pass through some circumstances.
So that you can understand how I feel about Israel. And she leaves him, and she goes after her lovers, and he goes after her, and he takes her back, and then she leaves him again and he goes after, and he has to pay for the price of her freedom.
And read the 2nd chapter. He's pronouncing the judgments that must fall on her for her waywardness. And he just stops and he speaks about the blessing he's going to bring her into.
For no reason. No reason other than his love.
Starts with but I will allure her into the wilderness, and I will speak peaceably unto her and so on. Just read it for yourself. I remember just being reduced to tears and.
And umm, I just got one of those glimpses of the truth of God in a way I never have seen before. Well, that's not uncommon, so I just want to encourage you. It's hard work, but it's full of joy.
Well, I said 3 subheadings and I've left myself just a few minutes to speak about practicing the truth of God. Umm.
I'm going to read another quotation and then I want to turn to a verse.
The importance of practicing the truth of God. The importance of PLA, of applying what we know. This is a short quotation from a man named William Kelly. I I read this, umm, I read this a number of years ago and it was just like the other one. It hit me right between the eyes. No error more dishonors God or damages man than the divorce of theory from practice.
The divorce of theory from practice.
00:50:02
Oh, there's that danger that we might learn a lot, that we might know a lot of theory but not put it into practice in our lives, that the rubber might never quite hit the road.
Oh, I want to encourage you. It's it's a secret when we have that fear of the Lord. It says the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. God is only going to show you more truth if you practice what you already know. The Thessalonians are a beautiful example of those who fear the Lord.
And they were the ones who were given, as was mentioned earlier today, that wonderful truth of what? The rap of the Rapture and all its beauty.
And what was the secret? It was that they feared the Lord. They feared the Lord. Look at their faithfulness as the apostle Paul brings that out. They practiced a little bit. They had just three weeks they had had with the apostle Paul, and yet they were living for him and God was able to open up to them more. Oh, it's the secret to fear the Lord and to put it into practice. So let's turn to that verse.
Uh, they wanted to read. It was in Ephesians 6.
The Armor of God was mentioned. I'm not going to go through the armor of God today. It's not my burden, but.
Just to read the first piece of that armor.
Whenever you get to a list of things or a series of things, there's an order to it, and so I want to look at the first piece of the Armor of God.
Umm, let's see 1St 14 stand, therefore having your loins Gert about the truth. That's it. So I wanted to read There are six, maybe 7 depending how you want to look at it, pieces of the armor, but the first one is the girdle of truth. The girdle is like a belt in modern terminology. It uh.
And hold your pants up. It kind of keeps your clothes together. Umm, a soldier without a girdle would be a disaster on the field of battle. It's the first piece of armor. What does it speak of? It's the girdle of truth. It's to take the truth of God and tie it about us tightly. That's what it is. It's to take the truth of God and apply it to ourselves. The first piece of the armor.
And it comes first for a reason. If we do not have an attitude, we take out the scriptures.
Of applying these things to ourselves, then we are not gonna be successful in our Christian lives. It's the first piece of the armor, similar to how the parable of the sower is the first of the seven parables in Matthew 13. There was the good seed falling into the ground, all those other types of ground. It did not work out well, did it? It was the seed that fell into good ground, and it received it.
It speaks of the word of God being taken in and it reaching the cart and conscience.
If the seed never reaches the good ground, there will be no fruit for God. In the same way, if you never put on this girdle of truth, there will be no success for you in your Christian life. So I just want to encourage you when you're studying the Scriptures, try to avoid this thought of I know someone who this applies to. It applies to that person or or to just think of it in a theoretical way, but just to let the Spirit of God.
Come right in that sword, that two edged sword that pierces.
The dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And just let it come in and affect you, and then practice it. Live it out in your life. You know that. The joy of living and the will of God, but also the sorrow of living and disobedience. I want to speak to you young people.
A verse like Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers.
It's been on my heart a little bit. Still Bay, It's still bad.
It will save you untold grief and heartache if you simply submit to the Word of God.
We know those who have made that mistake of thinking they knew better and and the sadness that is coming and you can be spared all that and not just spared the sadness, but brought into so much joy by simply taking what God says, what you know, and applying it in your life. So time is almost gone if we can just remember those things. The importance of reading the scriptures as a devotional.
The importance of studying the Scriptures, the importance of putting them into practice.
In our own lives, what joy we will have in our Christian life. And there's that day that's going to come very soon.
That one whom we have not seen, whom absent we love, will see him. And uh, what a day that's gonna be. But we're left here. Let's remember these things. Let's take this book. Let's, let's hold it close. Let's realize the importance of it. Well, let's propose in prayer.
Josiah's Tender Heart
Characteristics of a Good Soldier
YP Talk—Michael Hapanowicz
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Badly in love with the woman.
She didn't return his affection.
Not only did she not love him back, she categorically refused to even speak with him, and so he resorted to the only means of communication he had left. He wrote her six times a week, Monday through Saturday. He never even knew whether she opened his letters or not, because not once did she ever return one of his letters. He decided his problem was a problem of volume, so he increased his production to three letters every 20.
Hours, with six being delivered on Monday after the Sunday holiday.
Well, amazingly, his letters had an effect because she married the mailman. Well, that actually has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. I just heard that story yesterday and thought it was too good not to pass up. So, umm, what I'm going to do? And. And if this ends up being a little bit of a hybrid between, uh, talking and singing, it's just because.
I'm not confident enough in my singing abilities, but I'm going to start a song and if you know the lyrics then you should jump in. I may never March in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery. I may never own more than I'm in the Lord's arms.
The earth. OK, well, we sang that song because, uh, today has a bit of a theme for some of the activities. And that theme, uh, has to do with being in the Lord's army.
I just wanted to look umm, and if I don't get in my own way and make this longer than it needs to be, there shouldn't be too long. I just wanted to look at a few verses to give us, umm, 33 characteristics of a good soldier in the Lord's army. And so the first verse that we're going to look at is in Second Timothy chapter 2.
Interestingly enough, this is the only reference to soldiers I could find in the epistles.
So in second Timothy chapter 2, umm, and this is starting with verse three, it says thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that wore it entangle him, entangle himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. So the three characteristics of a good soldier I wanted to look at two of them are brought out, uh, here in these verses. I don't, I don't spend too much time on it, but the first one.
Is in verse 3, enduring hardness? The ability to endure hardness is one of the characteristics of a good soldier. It must be fairly important. Paul mentions that again later in the chapter, uh, wherein he said the expression I suffer trouble that appears in verse 9. Umm, it's the same Greek, umm, expression as enduring hardness. He says we're and I suffer trouble as an evildoer even unto bonds. But the word of God is not found. And so he was treated as a criminal for the spread of the gospel.
That was a hardness that he endured and it's one of the characteristics of a good soldier. It's mentioned later again in the 4th chapter where he just repeats the exhortation to Timothy. He says endure hardness. And so that's one of the characteristics of a good soldier is the ability to do that. Umm, the life that we're called to is not an easy life. It's not a cushiony life. Uh, but it's one that involves, umm, hardness. It's one that involves even persecution. That was the hardness that Paul was facing.
The Lord said umm in the garden, umm that.
His his Kingdom was not a Kingdom of this world and so it wasn't a fiscal warfare, but it was one that was spiritual. The 2nd characteristic of a good soldier is mentioned in verse four. He says no man that warth entangle him, entangleth himself with the affairs of his life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And so the good soldier is one who is not entangled with the affairs of this life. His focus as a soldier is on being a soldier.
It's interesting, I kind of like this. If you look at the the last word for soldier in verse four, apparently that's a different Greek expression than the other ones.
And that has to be, uh, that's actually the word warrior. And so, umm, it says that we, God has chosen us to be warriors. Fighting is what we're meant to do. And so, umm, I wanna connect this with two verses. Umm, I can find them. One is in Matthew chapter 6.
Umm, let's see if I have these written down I guess. Well, hopefully I can find it.
00:05:04
Umm let's see umm verse 22. The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, my whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, my whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness? No man can serve 2 masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. And so here I believe this is part of.
Turn around the mountain. The Lord umm, applies this principle in a specific way, umm, having to do with the master of money. But the principle, the general principle is, is broader than just having to do with money. You can't serve 2 masters, you can only serve one. And so, and like I said, I just wanted to connect that to the thought of what we saw in Timothy. You don't entangle yourself with the affairs of this life because your job is to please one person.
And that person, uh, is the Lord. And so you can't have two masters, and that includes ourselves. Umm, you can't serve yourself as a master.
And the Lord is master. Maybe that thought will make a little more sense if we just turn quickly to 1St Corinthians chapter 10.
And I I want to see in First Corinthians chapter 10 what I believe the single focus of the soldier is really on.
See, I know where it is verse 31. So this is First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 31. Wherefore, therefore, whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. That is, that should be the single focus of the soldier. That's what his aim is in pleasing his Lord and pleasing his Master and pleading his Sergeant, his overseer, is to fight for the glory of God.
Not our own glory. Like I said sometimes umm the opposing master between God and.
The other master is whether we try and serve ourselves. So that's the second characteristic of a good soldier is he has a single focus on pleasing his Lord. The third one I want to look at, and this is in Chronicles, I believe it's First Chronicles chapter 12.
And the expression that interests me actually appears twice in this chapter, but I see it in verse 33, so I'll just read it from there. And it says of Zebulun such as went forth to battle expert in war with all instruments of war 50,000 which could keep ring. They were not of double heart the expression that.
Me in this verse is keep rank. The men of Zebulun had the ability to keep rank, to stay in line, stay in the formation that they were given. And a brother shared this with me. I appreciated the thought, he said. You know what every assembly needs?
Every assembly needs more men who will keep rank and I, I apologize if if, if my examples are more directed to the men as I've thought about this verse on my own. That's obviously naturally the context in which I've been thinking about it. But I think the principle is true for umm, the ladies in this room as well. The ability to keep bring. What does it mean? What does it look like for a soldier, in this case a, a Christian in their local assembly? What does it look like to keep rain? I'm just gonna list an example of a couple of the things I think of what it.
Or what it looks like to be able to keep rank. Say you're, you go to the Wednesday night reading meeting and you're very happy for those who are older and for those who are more gifted to, uh, do the teaching. But what if some night, you know, people are gone at a conference or whatever and it's just a couple of brothers?
Who never normally speak in the reading meeting. Where are you? Are you gonna spend the next hour looking at each other?
Well, the ability to keep rank is the ability to jump in and fill the hole that's there. You might not be specifically gifted as a teacher, but you have the ability to teach because you know the Word of God. And so you can feel that role. Keeping rank, UMM, is being there where you're needed, when you're needed to do what's done, whether you feel like that's really your role or not. That's what I would take from this thought of keeping.
Need more than in our assemblies and more sisters who have the ability to keep ranked. So these are really just the the three qualities of a good soldier. I wanted to mention to us umm, just to summarize and what they are the it's the ability to endure hardness. We are in a war. War conditions are not cushy. The second quality of a good soldier is they have a single focus to serve their master and to please him in the third quality of.
00:10:11
Soldier is they have the ability to keep rank, umm, a willingness to do what needs to be done where they're placed. So those are the three qualities of a good soldier. That's really all I had. Umm, uh, I think we'll be able to enjoy some of the war themed activities, uh, through the rest of the day to remind ourselves we're in the Lord's army. I think our next activity is go. And if I remember what those initials stand for, it's God only.
And so I think most of you have been at this camp before, so you'll know what it is. I forget how long the time is scheduled, but basically the burden on our heart is what ended up being something.
Essentially that Josh Stewart talked about in his meeting and that's that you would spend time alone in the word of God, uh, with the Lord. And so whether you spend that time more in meditation on the word or whether you spend that time more in study on the word, uh, we want you out there, uh, with your Bibles forever along the scheduled time is just to send it with him, not with your friends, not on your phone, which probably doesn't work here anyhow. Umm, but just to spend it with your Bible and with the Lord. You can pray, you can read. Umm, it might be a longer time than.
Used to, sometimes our muscles need to be, uh, strengthened over time. Uh, so it might be difficult to spend this much time in the word of God if you're not used to it, but it starts with a step. We're just going to kind of throw you in the deep end. Umm, so you can, umm, pray, pray war. Being a prayer warrior was one of the things that was mentioned at this conference. Just read, umm, if you find you've matched your ability to meditate on a verse, just keep reading.
And I think you'll find that's a lot of profit.
Satisfying Our Thirsts
Our Amazingly Good God Part 1
YP Talk—Stephen Rule
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
#9 in the appendix.
That's great.
Our God, our Father, we do ask that our time together, that sense that despite what things look like and despite how things sometimes feel, that we would just ask our God, that our sense of Thy deep and abiding love and care for us would be strengthened. We'd ask it. Lord Jesus, in thy name, Amen.
Is my subject my, uh, not the best easel, but I think it worked. You can all see the R unimaginably. Good God. That's the subject that the Lord laid on my heart a couple of months ago and has given me a good opportunity of living for a couple months and I hope for the rest of my life. And uh, that's really the, the subject that's on my heart. I'd like to go through 8 aspects, but there's an infinite number. I just happen to have 8 written down.
To five, if I get through 678 doesn't really matter so much because the impression I hope gets left on your heart is God is outside your imagination good.
Beyond what your brain and your heart can take in good. Our God is unimaginably good. And I'll give you a first part in a moment, But I want to give an illustration to kick things off, to show why I think this subject is important. And I need a show of hands. How many of you were born since June 1997? Raise your hand if you were born since June of 1997.
00:05:13
Well, over half the room. Great. I want you to give a little. The rest of you can fit yourself in here, alright. But, umm, I want you to give yourself a little thought experiment. Suppose you have an Uncle Louie, and Uncle Louie is kind of Yeah, you don't know him too well. Uncle Louie is the kind of out there and somebody says he's rich and. But Uncle Louie calls you up on the phone and Uncle Louie says, you know.
Back before you were born, uh, there was an IPO and I bought you 10 shares.
Thanks, Uncle Louie. That's, that's good news. But in Uncle Louie's hand, or kind of up next to him is, uh, he's got a Snickers bar and you're hungry and, uh, after all, all of you know, says it right there on the package in fake bold letters that it satisfies.
Uncle Louie's talking about the IPO and how it's performed since, and you're nodding off because in his hand is what you really want, as you kind of bug your sister said. Please. Yeah, that's gonna go away. You can just pass that one over.
And, umm, but your sister's older than you are. She's a little more sophisticated. No, I mean.
Umm might be a little more sophisticated. I think she's a little more sophisticated and so she's.
They used to have those five years ago. They never sell that kind anymore because I know that they don't take Snickers on them anymore.
Because she's more sophisticated, she knows that the good kind say out of bounds.
And who are you when you're hungry? And Uncle Louie keeps on going and he's telling you a little bit about stock performance and that he's deposited in your name and that he has a little, uh, kinda, I didn't have one, but you know, the savings books that you get when you, uh, get.
Uh, savings account and get a little savings book. I don't think they did them anymore, but we got one savings account not that long ago and they still did them.
You sit there as an older brother and he's part of the conversation, and your older brother is much more sophisticated than your sister. He's sort of the epitome, the Acme of intelligence, and he knows much better than your sister that this out of bounds stuff is just Snickers repackaged.
The lady at the store told me that, by the way, so I know that's a fact without opening it. This is this was something to make you lust after it written well.
On the cover.
But there are in your older sibling, it's very aware of it. There are.
The real stuff and Uncle Louie's still going on and on and on and he's still talking to you and he's still trying to make a point about what he has deposited in your account and, and uh, I'm a long way. He mentioned something about Amazon and you're busy looking at 4. Absurd.
Uh, peanut butter. The real thing says real, so it is real peanut butter, and that's what your brain is filled with.
And finally he finishes and he passes through the little savings account book and he says, so that's yours. And you say, but Uncle Louie, can I have the four absurd real peanut butter Snickers bars?
How many of you recognize that you've lived your life that way?
OK. My analogy is very simple and it says in roughly June of 1997, Amazon.com had their initial stock offering called an IPO initial public offering and Uncle Louie bought you 10 shares. Any idea how much is that's worth now? 10 shares?
Over $1,000,000.
What Uncleuli was saying was I, I'm giving you over $1,000,000, It's deposited in your account and it's right here. And the only thing you can think about is I know what's really important and my dumb little brother only thinks this is important and he's been handed $1,000,000. Well, it's a weak analogy, but what I wanted to convey, and I hopefully will make it so it'll be memorable for you, is that throughout our lives we're so very concerned that somebody might notice.
00:10:09
Got a little, we didn't know her foot. See, when I was at, uh, Barracl around your age and I was about 19 and, uh, somebody ran their head into my mouth and they cracked the bone up here and they drove MY2 front teeth in and they're now Gray. Some. How many of you noticed that, by the way? Yeah, exactly. But they are Gray and you're gonna notice now. But my, my point is this, the little things that we think are so vital and important.
Everybody else is looking at them are minuscule compared to our unimaginably good God. So let's go through as many of these aspects as we have time for. And I'll turn to the first one. In fact, I'll put it up just as a way of keeping track and keeping me on track. And the first two, the second one I want to spend more time on.
The first two are God and their Father and the Bridegroom. So God is our Father. First, I'd like you to flip over. We're going to read just one verse in John 20 and verse 17 since I.
Meditating on the subject a little bit, I just kind of collect all my thoughts and dump them and put them in an outline form. Most of them are just verses, and most of them are Mr. Darby's translation. So I may read to you, and if I'm reading to you and it doesn't match up with what you have in front of you, coming from my notes is probably Mr. Darby's translation. If you'd like it. Just because you want the verses and it's easier for you, you're not going to want to read every reference in there.
I have a reference in there to a former colleague by name and that basically it has his name and very little next to it. It's a reminder to me.
But all the verses, are there some nice ministry? If you'd like it, maybe I could steal a sheet from Miss Mr. Mark's, uh, pad there and give me an e-mail address. I'll just copy and paste. I'm not going to clean it up. But that way you'll get all the verses we cover and a whole lot more. So if you turn, and I haven't turned yet, so I'll just read it from what I have here. John 20 and verse 17.
Jesus says to her, This is on the resurrection morning, and in the garden there where the tomb was, Jesus said to her, Touch me not speaking to Mary Magdalene, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I have sent to my Father and your father and to my God.
And your God. But explain this in a moment. But before I do, I want to tell you a short little story to try to.
Give an idea of why I think this is very hard to deeply understand.
I've got a suggestion for you in better understanding our unimaginably good God, and I'd like to give it to you in a little bit. But first of all, I want to show to you an extreme example of why this is a very, I think, difficult subject to really, deeply appreciate. And to do that, I'm gonna give you an extreme example and maybe you can shorten it down to your own life. But we have a next door neighbor.
Whose grandfather used to beat up on his father.
His grandfather was a giant of a man, apparently about 68, big and strong. And when his, his father, our neighbor's father did something wrong here, really got some severe physical correction. And so when our next door neighbor was growing up, he was, uh, somewhat of a rebellious son. And so his parents put him in a military school.
He got kicked out, so they put him in another military school and he got kicked out.
So they put him in. He didn't tell me how many, there were multiple. So I asked military school, he got put in. His father put him in the school and got on an airplane and flew back to Florida. The school somewhere up near Washington DC dropped them off at the school. Fathers plane landed in Florida and he got a call. He got to go back and pick up your son.
He's kicked out within two hours because.
When he got to the top of the third floor landing of the school, the upperclassmen that was leading him in kind of insulted him and slapped him. It was the hazing of a younger classmate and when he slapped him, my next door neighbor turned around and punched him down. The first flight of stairs came down to the blanding at the end of the first flight of stairs. Kicked him down the second flight of stairs, got down to the lightning at the bottom. The second flight of stairs kicked him down to the lower floor.
00:15:02
When he hits the lower floor he had two broken legs and a broken arm and my next door neighbor was kicked out.
Father flew back to Washington, DC, picked them up, took him to a hotel room and.
UMM finished them off.
Beat him so badly that when the father woke up in the morning, he was gone and he never didn't see his parents again for multiple years. His father was a Navajo. He fled to the, uh, Navajo reservation. Uh, they sent the FBI and the FBI was told without a search warrant and nobody was allowed on the reservation and was governed. And so they didn't get him back.
My point is this. That's a very extreme example of a really violent problem.
But how many of you have physically known a father that's like the one we just read about?
You've known a Father who loved you absolutely, totally and completely with perfect wisdom every single man in your life.
You've got one, you've got one, but you haven't met him physically yet. And that's my point. And so I was strongly encouraged. I'm going to go through a little bit more in this verse and another section on the Father, and I wanna spend more time on the bridegroom and then a couple other aspects. But I would encourage you to take the book of John and read the book of John from John 11 all the way to the end of the book and look at the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.
How often did they talk? What did they talk about? Was there any friction? Obviously you know there wasn't, but observe that there wasn't.
Throughout the book, look at how intimate that communion was all the way along the way. Look how much the sun was in complete trust and confidence in His Father, how He brought all kinds of things to him, and so on throughout the book. It's a wonderful figure, but here's what I enjoy about this verse in John 20, verse 17. It was so important to the Lord Jesus.
That the first thing he says to a human being in resurrection. Well in this first verse where he speaks to them he says touch me not first thing.
But I actually said Mary, but one of the just within the first minute of his conversation with somebody in resurrection, he says I ascend to my father and your father. Here's what he's saying.
I'm putting you in my relationship to God. Yes, there's a sense of God the Father in the Old Testament, a father that cares for needs. But he's saying to them, I'm taking you and I'm putting you into.
That closeness of intimate relationship with my father, my father and your father.
I only get home at night after being gone for the day. My favorite kind of greeting is to open the side door and you can see the kitchen from there fairly often. Uh, Renee's in the kitchen may not come over the door or whatever, but if I get greeted with a big smile and a welcome home, that's a that's a wonderful way to arrive home. My favorite kind.
The Lord sees us when he met Mary on that resurrection morning.
He says, in essence, welcome to my home.
You are going to enter into that same nearness of relationship that I've always had with my father. And because of what I just did at the cross, I'm putting you right there.
It's hard for us to understand in a deep inside level because even if our your father was way better than Steve Ingraham's father and my next door neighbor.
Even if your father is a world better than that, your father, I will guarantee you, isn't as good as this father in John 20 and verse 7. So I strongly encourage you to come to know him well. There's another AS as father, but there's another verse. And if you turn to Hebrews chapter 12, here's another reason why maybe it's a little bit tough sometimes to fully appreciate.
Who God is, our Father is.
Hebrews 12.
And.
We'll read from verse, I'll read from verse five. I'll read from verse 5 to 12. The whole section. I'm only going to comment on just a little piece of it. And you have quite forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as the sons, my son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when approved by Him for whom the Lord loves. He chastens and scourges every son whom he receives.
00:20:04
He endure for chastening. God conducts himself towards you as towards sons, For who is the Son that the Father chasing is not?
But up here without chasing, which all of them may partakers. And are you ******** and not sons? Moreover, we have had the fathers of our flesh as chasteners, and we referenced them. Shall we not much rather be of subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? For they indeed chase them for a few days. That seemed good to them, but he for profit in order to the partaking of His Holiness.
But no chastening at the time seems to be matter of joy, but of grief. But afterwards?
You know the peaceable, peaceful fruit of righteousness to those exercised by it. Wherefore lift up the hands and hang down on the failing knees.
1St 10 Let's just focus on that for a brief moment and.
And then we'll get to the bridegroom. The 1St 10 says they indeed chastened for a few days. That seemed good to them.
Your father.
For most in the room.
Knows or new the Lord is his Savior. It's not for all but for many of you does the Lord or do the Lord is because he's now with the Lord as Savior and chastened for a few days as seemed good to them. Doesn't mean it was all that they corrected you because they were doing it for their own pleasure, although that can happen.
But that wasn't perfect wisdom in it, but it says our Father does it for profit in order to the partaking of His Holiness. There may be things in your life at the moment that don't feel like.
A father who loves.
I don't feel like how you might do it if you were in his shoes. And that's why I wanted to start with the analogy of Uncle Louie, because there are things we can see, and then there's a whole pile of stuff that we don't see and appreciate. And your father may be working in your life at the moment, and he definitely is working in my life at the moment in ways that I can't see and don't understand. But I know that his correction, his chastening is for profit. It's for a purpose down the road.
That's for good.
Now let's go to the bridegroom. There's some beautiful things in the Song of Solomon chapter 5. So if you turn there.
We'll just go through them one by one in the Song of Solomon as you turn there.
Perhaps the biggest single picture in the book is the Lord with his earthly bride, Israel.
There's a wonderful lessons that can be learned from marriage between a man and wife and life here. There's wonderful lessons there. But.
The figure or the figure we're going to read in chapter 5 is a beautiful figure. Whether you look at it as Israel with the Lord, it's still the first one we're going to look at. Here is the Lord. I want to look at what the Lord looks like.
In a moral sense, verse 10.
My beloved.
Is white and Ruddy the cheapest among 10,000?
My beloved is white and ready, the cheapest among 10,000.
And what's that word white means?
It's not really primarily referring to anything the way we use it with people. It's nothing to do with skin color as far as I know. It has to do with Dazzling.
My beloved is dazzling.
I don't know about, I'm not going to embarrass anybody here for a show of hands, but, uh, when you walk into a room somewhere where there's someone we'll just say that you're very interested in and you kind of look around and, uh, yeah, they're over there.
Wow. Hmm.
I'm not going to embarrass you, but I may embarrass my wife. I don't know.
I sometimes and I bipolar this before I just haven't told you. I called her. I sitting at the dinner table and there's people there and there's a conversation going on and I glanced across the table and and her eyes are sparkling and she's excited and in the conversation over there and I think that's my wife.
00:25:04
It didn't happen today, but it did happen on Saturday. I looked across the canoe and we were canoeing and I thought, wow, that one.
Now here's my point here.
The bride is looking the bridegroom a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, and she says that one is dazzling. I can't see anybody else in the room because he's here.
And I believe that the Lord Jesus really is that, you know, we can get so wrapped up in, I wonder if, yeah, they're here at this conference or whatever it happens to be. And that is normal and it's natural. I don't demean it.
But what I wanna say is this is better.
Because the Lord Jesus is in every room where you are, and if he is dazzling to your heart, and as you read the word of God, it's not just sort of uh-huh, OK, good. Now I can pass my Sunday school test, or I can, and I remember that fact so I can tell mom afterwards, or that's just the kind of thing you're supposed to remember.
That's not what the Word of God is. It's because God is an unimaginably good God that He communicates who He is to you and me so that we can enjoy it together.
I believe that's by the way, why the verse ends with umm, the chief. That's among 10,000 Ruddy, I think has to do with red cheeks. It has to do healthiness. I have meditate a little bit. I don't have anything special to share with you on why healthiness is important in the figure of the Lord Jesus.
Umm, so you probably have share it with me afterwards, but I have something I wanna share with the next one. His head is as the finest goal.
Remember that statue that had a gold head? Where's that in the Bible?
It's a statue with a gold head.
Daniel, that's right. The vision that Nebuchadnezzar had had a head of gold and it had chest of silver, and it had legs of brass and feet of iron and clay, right? And they were figures of four governments that were coming. It's a beautiful prophecy. But the head of gold that was gold in Scripture is a figure often of divine righteousness. It's real prominent in the temple, it's real prominent in the Tabernacle. It's used in other places.
It's a figure of divine righteousness, but this is ahead.
This is the person running everything. This is the Lord Jesus in figure, and it's saying about Him that everything that he thinks toward you, remember, it's the bride appreciating this in her bridegroom. Everything that He thinks toward you, every way that He acts is perfectly right and with absolute complete integrity.
Imagine you're a young female in the room and there's a husband the Lord has chosen for you. Who is?
Absolutely. Perfectly. Umm.
Righteous in every way that he acts. You know you have children. He's going to treat them all perfectly right, and he has integrity. You know you'll walk into the room and his phone won't vanish into his pocket. You walk in or you look at the Internet history and there's no need to see anything other than your birthday gifts that are that you're looking for.
Because there's absolute integrity, Williams. The Lord may or may not have a husband for you in the future, but I will guarantee you that he will not be perfectly.
This head of gold but whether the Lord has for you to marry or not for me to marry, there is a person who loves you with that intense love whose actions toward you are always perfectly right with absolute integrity for your total good is never going to mess up Nebuchadnezzar the head of gold. He finds out that he's the head of gold and what's the next thing you find out about Nebuchadnezzar just about we're almost immediately.
Got long fingernails like a bird and he's crawling on the ground eating grass, right?
And hopefully that head of gold husband you may marry one day, umm doesn't go through that same process, but there may be something analogous to it. There may be a moment of disappointment. Remember that. And then everything else gets restored, right?
But that doesn't happen with the Lord. We get disappointed with the Lord because we think he should be handing out this poor absurd, real peanut butter Snickers bar that we want, and he hasn't. And he should know that we want it.
00:30:14
But it's because in his perfect ordering of things as the head, he's got a better result for us. The next one, it says his locks are flowing black as the Raven.
OK. So spot somebody in the room here that's 40 or older.
You don't have to look around and and don't look at your parents.
I'm 40 year older. Are my locks black and flowing?
I didn't think I had any problem with baldness. I don't think I'm going to go bald necessarily, but, uh, someone where I work pointed out, I think your widow's beak's a little bigger than it used to be. Thank you.
But certainly you couldn't say it's black and flowing, could you? This is a figure of a person who is in their youthful figure. They haven't lost anything of what they used to be.
Beautiful vigor, just as strong as they were on the day you met, just as young, just as energetic, just as you know the Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Your friends go up and down, you know, you call them and they're excited to do something with you. You find them the next day and.
They're well, they would call us this.
They would blame it on that.
But.
It's not really that they had the flesh. Maybe they're a believer, but they've got the flesh and they go up and they go down. They go up and they go down. The Lord, when we come to Him, is that freshness of vigor, of love for you that's never changed and never will change. It's absolutely as much true this minute, whether we feel it or not, as if.
Umm this was the day we met him. Verse 12. His eyes are like doves.
By the water Brooks wash with milk fitly set.
Again, I guess I'm I'm consciously using contrast here with people we know because the Lord Jesus goes so far beyond this, but.
Umm, to try to get across the idea of this bird, how many of you saw? I I very much enjoy nature photography. I don't do very much of it anymore. I haven't for the last couple of years, nor do I pay a whole lot of attention to it. But maybe two months ago or so I was looking at a little bit of nature photography and I saw.
This, it just happened a couple of months ago. There was a video of a wildlife photographer out in the state of Washington, and it had a fox, a rabbit and a bald eagle in it. How many of you saw that photo? OK, two people from my family because I showed them the video. All right.
Basically there, there was a video of it. He took photos. The photos aren't publicly available because I suppose he's going to sell them for lots of money, but the video was and.
Basically a little fox was running in the field out in the state of Washington near the Puget Sound, and the fox spotted a rabbit. Rabbit was hopping along there, and so he was zooming in with his zoom lens. Take pictures of this rabbit getting caught by fox. Thought he'd get a good picture and the fox kind of zoomed in and I must have been on his tripod, a little video camera going so he could have some shots from that as well. Fox zooms in, gets the rabbit.
And then in the video, you see the fox kind of looking off to the side there and hesitating. They took off running and took off running. And in out of from off camera comes the bald eagle and with talons out and snatches the rabbit and goes airborne. The fox didn't let go. The fox went airborne too. That fox wanted the rabbit. And so they're both dangling airborne and they probably 4050 feet down, 20 feet up in the air. And finally the fox got shaken loose.
Loss is rapid. What's that have to do with this? Not a whole lot, except that I want. Well, it I, I I didn't tell it to entertain you, really. I wanted to you to retain an image in your mind. And that is there are days when you probably feel like your dad is the fox and your mom is the eagle and you are the rabbit. Because no matter what you do, their eyes, they're watching for you to do something wrong, and they're gonna correct it.
00:35:00
It's probably been a day like that, right? That's not the spirit of your parents. And I'm not trying to get you to think negatively toward your parents, but this, what I wanna point out is this is not an eagle eye. Those eyes are fitly set, meaning they're just right. They're not big and aimed at finding prey, and they're not old and sleepy and closed. This isn't Isaac who's blind, and this is an eagle. Isn't an eagle who's out the spot the.
Problem and pounce on it. These are dozies. And it says by the water brooks, you know, by the water brooks. Mr. Miller, Andrew Miller says it was his thought on it. And I, I thought it was beautiful. I, I think it is the thought of scripture here. He says it's as though that water brook, the idea behind it is as though there is a tear of compassion in the eye.
So what he's saying is these are doves eyes, and they're watching you with a tear of compassion in the eye because that is the way God looks at you. He's not waiting to pounce on something that's wrong, and he's not blind to what's wrong. The eyes are fitly set.
And there's a tear of compassion in the eye and they're washed with milk. That is their cure.
You're being watched at the moment by the eyes of your bridegroom, and your bridegroom's eyes on you are not there to pounce on a problem. They're aware of the problem, just like the father we read about that needs to chase and incorrect sit there. But it's a heart of love, and it's the eyes of love with the tear of compassion in the eye that set on you the next his cheeks.
Are the beds of spices raised beds of sweet plants?
You think in the scripture of where someone's cheeks are mentioned?
Here. Thank you besides this one.
Uh, possibly I, I didn't look them all up and so I, I, you may be right there. There are multiple examples.
Your dad is doing what only you and he could suffer. He's going like this.
On a quote diverse mark.
Just give us the rough Mark Kapanowitz translation.
Oh, I'm sorry, Yeah, some something like I gave my cheeks into them that plugged off the hair. Right. So prophetically Speaking of the Lord Jesus.
There are also, I believe in scripture kisses planted on the cheek, and so the cheek I I take to be figurative of a person's response to these two things, affection or hatred.
You know, there's different kinds of people out there. There's some really wonderful people that just don't know how to respond to affection. For whatever reason, they don't know how to respond, so you give them a compliment.
They're kind of maybe somewhere deep down inside they appreciated what you said, but they don't know how to receive that kindness.
And then there's people out there. I'm going to go back to my next door neighbor, umm.
A next door neighbor, the one that knocked somebody down three flights of stairs, prior owner of the house, I guess you could say we're still in in the process of selling. And the next door neighbor was son was building a porch and he was arguing with my current neighbor Steve about it. And he grabbed Steve right around the head right by the neck. And Steve recent reaction was to begin to pound them in the face with his fist.
Instant self-defense.
And uh, the police got called and I, I have my.
Steve's account of what they thought, which was very positive towards Steve. But the point is this, the moment somebody touched him, he responded like that.
With anger and self-defense.
The Lord Jesus, when he was mistreated, responded with absolute meekness.
And when he was shown affection, he returned it. John says refers to himself as the one who leaned on Jesus bosom.
He expressed affection to the Lord, and he delighted in the fact that he could call himself that. The Lord received that affection. And so no matter what you are like, maybe you're a little too uptight and not quite sure how to receive that love and kindness, although you appreciate it. Or maybe you're a little touchy, a little irritable. Somebody mistreats you, you're ready to defend yourself. The Lord was right down the middle, perfect. Whatever his cheeks were treated as, it brought out a beautiful fragrance of his character.
00:40:24
Affection. He returned it.
As a man, he responded to that horrible shame, spitting the plucking off of the hair with absolute moral, pure meekness, his lips lilies dropping liquid myrrh.
His lips Lily's dropping liquid from her.
I think it's nice that it goes in the verse. I think it fits with some of the thoughts I've just given. Mirrors often. It's kind of got a bitter flavor apparently, and there has to be cuts made in order to get the liquid out. But.
Umm, what comes out is something that's very fragrant. It smells beautiful and it says his lips Lily is dropping liquid mirror. I won't try to prove it to you, but if you add fix your e-mail address for lips, tongue and uh, lips, tongue and mouth, I'll send you a bunch of verses from Proverbs that I think support.
The following that lifts where Solomon uses them and he's their author's song and Solomon right and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. And when he writes about lips, tongue and mouth, we talked about lips. He's talking about the idea, the way, the way something is expressed. When you talk about the tongue, it's connected with the mind and the thought. When he talks about the heart, it's connected. I'm sorry. When it talks about the mouth, it's connected with heart. So what's in the heart comes out the mouth. What's in the head comes out the tongue and the way it's expressed.
Are the lips.
And so here's a person who, when he's mistreated, what comes out of his mouth, that myrrh, that mistreatment brings out fragrance.
Not going to embarrass either my wife or my son, but I will guarantee you that if I were to ask them in front of you the question, uh, will you always hear beautiful? If we say something to you in a kind of an angry or maybe not the most polite way? Well, you always respond with absolute beautiful kindness. They would have to say regretfully, no doubt. You know, I, I'm not, not all the time.
Unfortunately, probably all of us would have to respond that way about ourselves.
But his lips? Lily is dropping liquid mirrors. I am not for a moment suggesting that we should speak to the Lord in any form that's disrespectful or angry. But if you've spoken in your heart, maybe not with your lips to the Lord in an angry way, How did he receive it? He responded with lightning.
Not at all. And if you express affection and love for him.
That he kind of embarrassed and turned from it. Not at all.
The delight to his heart, with a delight to his heart to find that the other.
Other beautiful things here I'm going to skip over.
I'll I'll I'll give you just a tip that I'm 14 his hands gold rings. I'd like you to think about everything done toward you by God has been done with perfect love and his belly bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. That is all those inward hidden affections toward you are pure and heavenly. You can think about why is like pillars of marble perfect stability and we could enjoy it, but I wanna finish this section with 16 verse 16 his mouth.
Is most sweet. Yeah, he is altogether lovely. I don't know if you noticed before, but the list that comes before verse 16.
From verse 10 down to verse 15, do you notice the order of it just.
Him back over in your Bible, if you haven't noticed before. What's he doing?
Yep, working top to bottom. Michael did it with the hands, Anna told me with the words he's going down work at top to bottom, head to foot.
And then it's as though the bridegroom steps back and looks at the big picture and she says his mouth. Now the mouth comes in, right? Everything else is what you can see on the outside. The mouth expresses what's in the heart, what's on the inside. And when you see the Lord Jesus in action in your life, when you see him in the ways that he acts in these verses here and you step back and you look at it, you can say.
On the inside, his heart toward me with the mouth expresses his heart toward me.
00:45:01
Is most sweet. He's altogether. Everything about him is lovely.
We have an unimaginably good God. These things are learned in the difficult circumstances of life, but we have an unimaginably good God. I want to finish this part. I would rather do a few things thoroughly than it's all eight, 'cause all eight is just 8 out of 800 or 8000, or however many really things there are about God. And it's words that show how unimaginably good He is.
Were you aware?
That if you're feeling a little lonely, you can get. I think it's an app for the phone, but it's certainly a program, which is a friend bot.
You can text your friend bot.
Go back and forth and you know, they've tested it. Some people feel a little bit better. Uh, they have a friend bot and there are older people that are lonely and they're shut in. They don't have the same needs you do. So for them, there's a care bot.
That's right, they can interact with their care bot and the care bot will give them a certain pseudo intimacy.
And what they found about them so far.
What they found is and and there's more, right? That's just sort of the ties of all that they have. You know what they found that there's a certain temporary pleasure that people get them. There's a certain temporary benefit they get out of interacting because it feels sort of like you're talking to somebody.
And that kind of makes you feel good. But it doesn't last. And here's why they think it doesn't last.
If you're in a room with somebody talking to a real human being, there's either the metaphorical or real chance that they could kick you. But the.
Because there's a sense in which that person could have hurt me, and they didn't. They spoke kindly to me.
And it has this natural human psychology. Apart from the Lord, it has a positive emotional benefit.
Every day you're in the presence of a person who holds your breath in his hands.
I mean the person that's described the Song of Solomon. Silence.
It's the third and 4th. I don't know if we'll get to four. That's alright. Umm, holy God #3 nothing hidden. God of perfect wisdom, direction and guidance.
We'll finish with #3 we're not going to get to #4 There was a person I read about recently. Actually, it was somewhere in the.
In the last few months.
Umm, some cold case investigators figured out something about a man who died in the Cleveland area in 2002. I've been working on it for a long time, and here's why they were working on it. They were working on it because this man.
Always kept the suitcase ready so you can leave at any moment from the apartment that he was in.
Men frequently made remarks about thinking that they were closing in.
And so when that man took his life in 2002 and was found a week later, that's how many friends he had that he allowed in close a week to find him. They began an investigation that lasted for 16 years.
And several months ago, they finally got a piece of his story.
A piece of a story was that in 1964 he changed his name and they used some pretty clever techniques with DNA and so on the track down and whatever, that doesn't matter. He changed his name in 1964 to the name of a then eight-year old boy who had died and completely changed his identity. So they took the identity he had before they traced it back to 1956 when he walked out the door of his home.
From his wife, from his three children.
And he walked out and left them and his words to them. I don't know if it was in a note or something he said before he walked out, but his words to them were. You'll know someday why I did this.
Well, they absolutely believe that there was something he did that merited all that behavior. Well, I want you to think about for a moment that suitcase.
00:50:11
He always had that suitcase packed. It's already ready to leave at a moment's notice in case somebody found out a secret. Would you like to live like that?
Wouldn't that be miserable? An awful way to live? But I would suggest that many of us have maybe some little walled off area inside. It's not necessarily too. Maybe it is soon. Maybe you're hiding something in your life and it's hidden from everybody else, but you know about it.
Between you and everybody else, and you're the only one that knows about it. But it might not be that. Perhaps for most of you here, it's just a thing that hurts.
I was, we were talking about a little bit at lunch. There was a, a lady you were reading about on her way here to Ohio and from missionary in the Congo. And bottom line is she was trying to help somebody who had lost their baby said, I know how you feel. And they said, no, you don't, you've got everything. And she said, I do know. And she ran off crying because.
Many years before and by law, or multiple years before anyway, and Bible school. She'd had a child and the child was, we don't remember, maybe about 10 months old. That's how it died.
She lost that child, and she walled up all the grief and all that. She didn't understand about why the Lord would allow that here. She and her husband had left everything. They'd gone to Bible school. They're going to be missionaries. They've done all this for the Lord, and the Lord took their child. And somebody down the road who was an unwed mother would have had a child, and they took her child. And maybe you're in a circumstance where there's something that's painful. Everybody else has this.
But you don't.
And so there's that walled off section and it's hidden in the heart. Well, in her case, they all came out on that day. About a month later, the 15 year old came to her home and got in a conversation. She was able to tell the 15 year old why she could express love and sympathy. And the Lord used it for two things. One, it healed her because that suitcase got unpacked. It got brought out in the light. She realized all the pain that was walled up there. It came out. She could let it go.
The second thing was that 15 year old was saved. Lord had allowed that pain so that she could feel and act in sympathy with the other person. And that's why I say that our unimaginably good God, we can have nothing hidden in this presence and it's a good thing.
It's a good thing, because there aren't any packed suitcases waiting for a quick exit that no one discovers the secret that's inside. Let's read some verses that I think directly show that and we'll finish with them and maybe a couple brief thoughts on them. Hebrews 4. Umm, we'll read from verse.
12, I mean 12 to 16, but I just want to focus on one or two brief thoughts in here.
It says for the ver he was four verse 12, and Mr. Derry's translation. It says for the Word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. There's not a creature an apparent before him, but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes. With whom?
We have to do. Perhaps there's been a Gospel speaker. I'll keep going in a moment. Perhaps there's been a Gospel speaker. It's kind of put a period in there and brought you into the presence of a holy God with those verses. And that's a good application. It's a good use of them. That's not how this passage is being used in this section. Nothing wrong with that. The Word of God does bring us into the presence of God. Absolutely it does. It does act on the conscience, Absolutely it does. But notice the next.
14 Having therefore a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the confession. For we have not a high priest not able to sympathize and with our infirmities, but tempted in all things in like manner cinepart. Let us approach therefore with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy.
And find grace for seasonable help.
It's gonna be wonderful when that secret came out in the presence of God, maybe and chastening us to deal with it. There's this government here on the earth, but I'm talking about his heart. His heart were displayed to you and you understood better how much he loved you. This goes straight from all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes.
00:55:07
To umm for 16. Let us approach therefore.
Let us approach. Therefore, let's approach God, because He does know everything.
You might not know what that little walled off section is. The missionary you're reading about on our way here to the Congo. She didn't even know that that part of her heart was all walled off and still blue thing. The Lord knew it was there.
And when he needed to use it for blessing, for somebody else and for her, he did both miracles in one day or another. Period. A short period of time, About a month, I guess. Umm.
Butino was there, and if it's in and the Finn has to come out, then there can be that clear conscience again before God. Otherwise there's the holding on to the pain and the uh.
The pain and the shame as well. Well, just.
A lot more verses here on the subject, but I, I'm gonna throw in one that I don't because I think it's directly related to that last little bit of subject, umm, book of Joshua. There's a chapter that maybe if you've read through it in your morning Bible reading, you blasted through it and got to the end of it and thought, what was that in here for? Uh, well, I'll just give you the chapter in a moment.
I didn't have it written down ahead of time. It's Joshua.
Yeah, Joshua, Chapter 12.
There's wonderful instruction in Joshua Chapter 12. I'm just gonna give you one beautiful thing directly related to what we're just talking about, and we'll finish with that.
Uh, I believe it's verse 17.
Oh, just the second-half of the verse. That's the beautiful part. The king of Heifer 1.
Isn't that beautiful? I mean, you just enjoyed that before the king of Hebrew one, yes.
Let me tell you why.
It is that beautiful.
He firm means gas Heat, for Hefer means pit of shame.
This king was conquered by Joshua, a figure of the Lord Jesus.
When the Lord Jesus won the victory at the cross, he conquered all the enemies that are listed in this chapter. But there's one of them. It's not just that the fin was put away, it's that the King of Shame was conquered.
You know, if we sinned against the holy God and they put away the sin, and the sin is put away, and that's the end of the story and it ends right there. And you can spend your entire existence here on earth far from him, but at least not now.
It wouldn't be the story of the unimaginably good God.
But the unimaginably good God took care of far more, I can say, than the sin, but all its consequences, the nature that came along, all that stuff and the shame.
And the shame in His presence when that sin is confessed and is put away between your conscience and God. There can be between your conscience and God in this sense of personal intimacy. I don't mean there's not law for us of reward or something like that, but it's a sense of personal intimacy and the sense of that relationship. There's not sort of that shameful. I gotta flunk around for a couple weeks until it looks bad enough that maybe other person will realize that I really do feel bad about that.
And then I can start to stand up straight again. Not it at all. King of Heifer was conquered. It's a beautiful thing that we're in the presence of a holy God with nothing hidden. Let's thank him for it.
Our Amazingly Good God Part 2
YP Talk—Stephen Rule
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'm sorry if I can father we.
Will December.
Our life.
Are so.
Hard.
We will.
Nor can.
I.
Turn.
For Oscar, for all of their hands.
Are in thy hands.
Ending till we.
Come up this week every time.
And all of my glory.
Before we pray and before you close your handbook or if you get it back open real quick. Uh, the somebody said we do more lying behind the hymn book than we do just about anywhere else in life. I'm not talking about verse four. Our times are in the hands. Jesus the crucified, the hand are many sins that pierced is now our garden guide. I'm talking about verse six. Our times are in the hand. We always trust in me until we have left us weary land and all thy glory. See, but my desire is that we.
Don't look at it as as a lie saying stands like that, but as a prayer that as we feed on the Lord Jesus, as we enjoy him together, as we make it our life habit of thinking of our unimaginably good God that it would become more and more true of us. And so when we sing hymns like this, sing them with a conscious sense that may not be totally true. Verse one our times are in thy hand, Father, we wish them there.
Not always, but we can sing that as a prayer and have that as a desire that really we would and as we get to know our Father better.
It will become more and more true of us. Let's just ask for help.
00:05:01
OK.
Just wanna review that person I read at the tail end yesterday.
Really, this is my main desire. I wanna cover a bunch of details today. You notice I flip forward. I'd like to start at the very end #8 the God of joy in a moment or two. But before we get there. And I, I want to start there because it's one I wanna make sure we don't skip. We'll skip several, probably. I wanna make sure we don't skip that one. So we're gonna start with #8 in a moment or two. But before we do that verse in First Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 9.
1St Corinthians 2, verse 9.
But as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither ventured into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But really, if you get nothing else out of.
Talk yesterday evening or this morning, I hope it's this, that what God has for you and it's hard toward you is not something you could figure out by the world you observe around you, by any father that you see or mother that you see, or beloved brother or sister that you see. Whatever you see, whatever you hear, or whatever is in your mind, naturally, the natural mind of Mass isn't going to make it up to.
How good your God is, how good my God is, how good God is, period. What God has for those that love him is so much better. You're not going to get it out of what you see around you. You're only going to get it through God's Word. And so it's very important that we're taking in God's Word because it gives us the truth about our unimaginably good God.
Think about what you observe around you. I thought of it this way just to kind of get an idea.
How many of you know how Cain killed Abel?
OK, many of you know the story that can kill the table, right? But I mean the method. I'm talking about the method. How many of you know the method that Cain used to kill Legal?
The Bible pictures show that, right? You have a little Ki little kid Bible. It picks up a rock. Uh, I don't know. Does the Bible say I didn't double check, but.
Right, exactly. So I don't know the method, but to make it memorable. So I, I wanna begin with that. So what I'm about to say, what Alex just said is about what I'm going to say. But remember, that's not a physical description from the Bible. It's going to be the principle I want to bring out. Suppose that in the day of Cain killing Abel, he did use a rock like the Bible pictures, probably easy to draw, maybe use a headlock. I don't know what he did, but we'll say he used a rock.
Let's say this afternoon.
At the UH Circle K in Carrollton, some disgruntled former employee walks in with UH Glock pistol and it becomes national news because of all the damage they do in the Circle K and Carrollton. So the headline is from the Rock to the Glock, The Ascent of Man, right?
What's changed? Look at the technological progress, right? Look at how much more efficient it is today. Look at how much more you can accomplish in a minute or two.
From the rock to the Glock, it's the same story, right? It's the heart of man expressing itself in self will and rebellion against God.
But what about the heart of God? Look, you can read back in the story. It's amazing how God responded to Cain. It's amazing how many people that commit a crime like that receive the mercy of God in prison. I've spoken to one. My dad interacts with him constantly. He's a wonderful brother and the Lord now, but his history is just about as bad as what I just described. So it's the word of God that makes a difference in the heart of God that makes the difference. So let's look at the.
God of Joy 01 other One other thing I did want to mention before we turn there, Brother Brian mentioned during the conference about working in a garlic factory. I thought of a similar thing in the past and I'd like you to think of it in this way. Suppose you were busy and you're what they call a news feed zombie. You know what a news feed zombie is? It's a fairly new word, a news feed zombie.
Is one of these right?
00:10:00
Because you've got what they what they say today is you get about 3 seconds and if it's not exciting enough in three seconds, the next one, the next one, ah, there somebody defying death, a 100 foot high wave and they're surfing on it. Wow, 43 seconds. I could do that in 33.
And you're looking for the next stupid cat hanging on to the end of the fan, twirling the ceiling and running, hitting the wall. You already saw that with three geared little brother may be excited by that one, but you've already seen that one four times. That's a news feed zombie. That's the person who is looking for that next quick hit of excitement. All right, That's not the way God presents himself. But if that's what we're filled with, and maybe it's a little longer, maybe it's a long period of time reading about whatever the topic is, what we're feeding on.
Is what's going to smell on our breath so you turn to your friend and you're walking down to the car afterwards and hey, did you see that Did you know that and what comes out of our mouth is what we're feeding on right. I had a colleague an older man and every time every between every class he ran those little closet he reached in and grabbed his breath mince and he took a couple of breath mints between these class because.
What he'd been feeding on kept coming out and he wanted to hide it, and sometimes around others. We grabbed for a couple of spiritual breath mints and we talked about something nice for a few minutes. But what's on going on in our digestion isn't all that good.
But with what we take in, our ingestion is good and our digestion is good. What comes out of us is the beautiful scent of the things.
And so that's what I want to encourage is the habit of picking up God's word and pausing, dwelling on it, spending time there so that while we're taking in and what we're digesting is what's coming out of us. And it's a beautiful thing. So the God of joy, if you would turn with me, I really like this one.
For Chronicles 9, verse 33.
I say these things are intensely and immensely practical. I'll give you an example after I read the verse, but before we talk about it, First Chronicles Chapter 9 and verse 33.
And these were the singers, chief fathers of the Levites, who were in the chambers free from service.
For they were employed day and night.
Now, there are multiple reasons why there's a special, but I wanna give you just one example of why these things are intensely practical and uh, so this has a good ending.
Last night I went down and you guys were making the ice cream and you went through and then people vanished out of the room and it looked like the activities and so on were over. And, uh, so you took off and I thought, oh, that's interesting. I thought they're gonna have snacks or something. I was gonna eat a little bit of fruit and maybe try something. Oh, well, that's fine. I'll go back up and have a real, real nice conversation with close De Luis on my way back to the room. Went back to the room.
And a little while later, my wife came by with a nice bowl of fruit and some salsa and said, hey, how come you're not down there? Oh, well, I didn't realize there was anything else going on. Oh, they got root beer floats and it sounded pretty nice. And I thought, well, what should I do? And I, well, you know, I'd love to have a root beer floor.
I have. I had one the other night and.
You know what, I'm just going to apply a little bit of what Mark was talking about and ask the Lord for something special and replace it because I really think ought to sit here. The first person I opened to was this one, and I especially enjoyed it. This was my root beer float last night, and it was actually better, tastier, because it says that these singers, now this is the establishing of the temple, and it says these singers, they were employed day and night. I don't.
Post physically that a single singer saying day and night, right. I assume that it means that the singers were singing day and night. But the way it's written, I think it's supposed to teach us something and that is that the job of singing was round the clock right. We sing, I think because I'm happy. It's a one of the reasons one of the main reasons for singing unless you're into country music. Well, I guess there's other kinds too, but I think in the word of God, the concept is.
Singing relates to joy as it relates to praise, it relates to Thanksgiving, it relates to flowing out of the heart, and it is day and night.
Imagine that somebody came up to you and you are one of these, umm, chief fathers of Levites who's singing and they wish to register a complaint and you check your parchment and I'm sorry, you know it's July 4th today, but I can't fit you in until around. Looks like November 1St is the first opportunity for filing the complaint. I'm booked.
00:15:17
Praising day and night between now and then, and by the time you get there, I'm afraid you're gonna bump down the list. Imagine if it were like that in our life.
Imagine if it were like that in our life. It says. They were employed today and night.
I'm not going to pretend any attainment in this, Ernest.
Uh, smartphone yesterday somehow got this little crack all the way down the side and uh, now only the left 1/3 of the screen is functional. The right 2/3 of the screen don't work. So when you swipe that little security pattern, you get the first dot and then you can't do it, can't open the thing. So what's the first thought?
At least by face you can send. This must be good. And so you can leave my face, thank the Lord, and maybe someday rise up to the day and night, singing and praise. So it's something that we grow in.
And that's where I want you to turn next. If you turn to Leviticus 19, it kind of gives a little bit of an idea, I think that there's growth here.
So it's not meant to be.
The measuring stick for the perfect believer. So you can feel guilty and ashamed that you're not praising at every moment. But it is a privilege. It's an opportunity. But I think this next one gives a privilege and uh, sort of a, a pattern maybe, umm, like to apply it that way. Anyway, Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 23. We'll read 3 verses.
And when you shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then you shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised. Three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you. It shall not be eaten up, but the 4th year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, to praise the Lord with all. And in the fifth year shall ye eat.
Of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof, I am the Lord.
You're gone. There's a lot here.
But a lot of fruit trees in the Land of Israel, Book of Deuteronomy talks a lot about them when they got into the land and what they were going to do with the fruit trees and so on. It's very interesting, the fig trees, et cetera, that they had, and there's a lot of instruction in it, but these were to be uncircumcised to them. That is, they were to be cut off from the fruit of those trees for three years.
The 4th year.
Who got the fruit?
Got you and the 5th year who got through.
I did. Now there was a feast of first fruits. I suppose I gave God the first fruits in those years when the crops came in, but in the fifth year they could start to eat. And I think there's a principle here. And in fact, look for the pattern in the Word of God, you'll find over and over and over again. And the Word of God, it says refuse the evil and choose the good. It doesn't say choose the good and refuse the evil.
Different evening. And today I really want to focus on our unimaginably good God. But I do need to mention this part of kind of a little bit of a balance and that is that the principle in the Word of God is to refuse what's evil 1St. And you'll find that pattern repeated over and over and over again. You'll see it in the pistols in the New Testament. It's refusing evil and choose the good.
Why? Well, there's multiple reasons, but one of them here is that when they came into the land of Canaan, the Canaanites in that land had a habit of taking the fruit from the trees. And they were like, they were like, I don't know, maybe somebody who's trying to grow fruit like me and Spirit, you know, we have apple trees in our backyard. One of them is three years old, one of them is 2 years old. And you want to go out there and look at those little, teeny little things and you want to kind of.
Create a little bigger because I'd really like a Honeycrisp apple and shake the other one with the one of golden. Those are really good apples and I'd like to get bigger. Piece of hunt on the tree just doesn't work that way. Takes a while to develop and grow. But you know the Canaanites and all of us are flesh. It's just like that silly person shaking the tree and making the Honeycrisp grow. What happens is.
They decided that if they offered sacrifices to their idols like bail, et cetera.
They could get a faster crop and so in the first year they have offered all the sacrifices to bail etcetera and they tried to get that joy round one right now, instant gratification.
00:20:11
Uh, no, that doesn't apply, does it? Umm, instant gratification. I wanted it right now. Give it to me now. Give me my if we go back on to Louis from yesterday. Give me my out of bounds when I need it now.
Because, because, because I can't see it and I want it. I want it now. But right here they're being taught that you cut off what's evil. Don't sacrifice the idols. Don't have to have it immediately. You wait in faith on God and I will give you and you put me first. I get the crop in the fourth year and then you can eat abundantly of those trees.
Now I'll I'll echo something as a little bit of a balance of that.
I think Mark said yesterday, and that is illustrated by this. My favorite candy when I was young. Sorry Joe, this is worse than raisins. I think we're now in laters.
Sticky hard toffee thingy about once every two weeks. When we mom got the little, uh wagon, she took all three of us little kids and she walked down the 1 1/2 blocks to the NP to get groceries. And on the way back was a little skinny candy store and we could go. We had $0.50 for a dollar or something. We could buy one thing. And I, my sisters who weren't wise like I was, they got like an ice cream cone or something. It was gone by the time they got home, but I got now and later.
And I get a one now and later on the way home. And that was good. And another one, and another one, and another one, and another one. And my candy lasted several days.
But actually I think that name is pretty good. God often gives us things now, houses and lands and brethren and sisters and fathers he speaks of in the Gospels now and in the life to come. And there's the wonderful of what's ahead. And often in the principle in our lives. The principle is that self-discipline and waiting for God to give, giving him the 1St place and then deeply enjoying what he has for us. But often in his grace he gives.
Things along the way, some of his fruit while we're waiting for the fruit from our tree. So that's a principle in joy. The next one, I'll maybe do one or two more on joy and then I'll go to the next one. Yeah, uh, let's turn to two verses in Romans, Romans 5, verse 11.
This gives a New Testament.
Principal, I think at least it illustrates it. You can double check on that, but let's read Romans 5 and verse 11 and it says that not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the.
It says atonement here Mr. Darby has reconciliation.
According to all the reasons why but reconciliation is a better translation. So this is some people have said joy is a high point in the book of Romans, joy and God. That's as good as a gift in the book of Romans and in the very same verse. It's coupled with the fact that we have by whom we have now received the reconciliation. Hang on to that thought One more verse from Romans.
In Romans 15 and verse 13.
I want 15 and verse 13.
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that she may abound in hope for the power of the Holy Ghost. He may abound and hope to the power of the Holy Ghost in the first part fill you with all joy and peace, I believe.
Before I develop the thought of those two verses and what I think is true in a pattern across the New Testament, because if you take that word.
Transliterated chara. I'm not sure how to pronounce it. I'm not a Greek scholar. Just look it up on your strongs. And it's CHARA when they transliterate it, so I call it chara. If you look at that Greek word for joy in the New Testament, and you go through all of them, I think you're gonna see a pattern we're gonna come to in a moment.
But one of you had on a that new T-shirt slash Internet meme the other day. Keep calm and the little crown on the bottom and I forget what. Maybe it's one of not one of you, but one person that's hearing is gone. I don't know. Keep calm and pick up coffee. Keep calm and you know all of those things. Do you know where that came from?
00:25:05
Anyone know where that came from?
OK, a couple of you do. Where'd it come from? Silence.
Yep, in England during World War Two, keep calm and carry on. And there's actually a bookstore in Alnwick, northern England, where they discovered one of those old posters about 7-8 years ago or something, and they put it on their website and somebody found it, grabbed it, and it took off. But they found that was exactly what it was. And the reason I bring it in here is that keep calm and carry on is the way many of us try to do our Christianity. Keep calm and carry on. The stiff upper British lips facing the great trial. Keep calm.
And move forward, Winston Churchill, you know, we'll fight them on the beaches, we'll fight them, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, right? That's strong. We're going to meet the challenge.
There's nothing wrong with being strong and medium challenge. There's spiritual warfare, and that was wonderfully covered here last year. But that's not the only thing. In Christianity, God is a God of joy, and really the joy is now and in the future. And so here's the principle. I believe that joy in the New Testament happens when there is the power of the Spirit of God bringing us into alignment with God. You can think of reconciliation as coming into perfect alignment.
And we are reconciled to God, so he doesn't need to move, and we're brought up into alignment with him and everything is lined up properly.
And then there is joy, and that occurs at the very beginning. And the great principle of it in Romans 5, because of the work on the cross, we can be reconciled to God back back into alignment with them so that there is a free flow of joy. And I think you'll find lots of verses in the New Testament that connects joy with sin being taken care of out of the way.
And therefore the full power of the Holy Spirit to connect us to that full flow of all the God is.
So here's the image I have in my mind for it. It helps thicken my mind. Maybe it'll help thicken yours if you have the backyard. Everybody have a backyard. Nobody lives in the condo apartment with no backyard. OK, so you're gonna water your backyard. It's your job to water the daffodils. And you go back to the backyard and your your hose is stuck into the tap and it's a little bit loose. You turn it on, there's.
Spray there, but it's not too bad and you go to the other end and nothing's coming out.
Right. Nothing's coming out of the other end of the hose. It's because that thing on the end of the hose, right? You gotta squeeze the thingy on the end of the hose and adjust the stream. You got a lot of water. Squeeze the thing on the end of the hose and you just fit.
What's the problem?
Got a king of mine.
And if there's no joy coming out of your life and there's no joy coming out of my life, that's kinking the line somewhere along the way, there might not be sin, may just be something where, you know, I, I don't wanna be over simplistic. A lot of you are tired this morning. I'm not judging you or me or anybody else. If you're sagging like this and your eyes aren't bright and dancing and you're not bouncing up and down and writing as fast as you can, it's not because there is sin in your life. It's not what I'm trying to convey.
There's physical tiredness, there's a need for a little bit of.
Food when you have hypoglycemia and it's been too long between your last pack and now, etcetera. Purely hypothetical examples right there are those needs in life all right but as a general principle if there's not joy in the life it's because of the king in the line the Spirit of God doesn't have full liberty to bring out the beauty of your unimaginably good God because.
Maybe there's some hope, goal or desire and it's been frustrated and it hasn't happened yet and you're dwelling on that.
Rather than the God of power that can make something even better maybe happen.
And so if you look at it, the principle of it is there in Romans 5, and that's where the, uh, joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received now, we have now received the atonement. Look at it again there in Romans 15. And there it is in practical a prayer of the apostle that it would be true of them on a day-to-day basis. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing, and he goes on.
Roman 5 We've all got that verse for the fruit of the Spirit memorized. How does it begin? The fruit of the Spirit is.
OK so I was wrong or maybe I was right about the tired part. So for the spirit is.
Lovejoy, peace. And it goes on to the other six aspects, right starts with love, the second one's joy. And what's the the fruit of the the fruit of the spirit. What came right before that in the chapter, do you know?
00:30:07
90, I'll give you 98%, right? I'll throw this little bonus in and a little bonus and I've looked for it. Maybe you can find one. So I'll just say that I think I'm pretty confident that you'll never find the fruit of the flesh. Whenever there's fruit, it's always what God produced.
Yeah. OK, so you're, you're right. What comes before is all the works of the flesh, right? And flesh works, God produces fruit. And So what you have right before is the setting aside of those works of the flesh. And then right away comes the Spirit of God, when the Spirit of God can work because the works of the flesh have been set aside.
Then immediately you've got joy. So when that hose has been unkinked, and maybe it's a little painful, you know, sometimes they get all tangled in the Kinkos, right in the mirror. They're in the middle of the tangle and it takes a little while sometimes, right?
You gotta unwind, untangle, and then you can get to the kink and you can straighten it out, and then there's a flow. It's not always immediate and simple, but when it's unhindered flow, there's no problem in the source.
It's somewhere between the source and where it's flowing out that there's a problem. And when that's taken care of, there's the proper flow. OK, let's go to the second one, and the second one is not going backwards there again, I want to make sure that I got in the ones that were. I'd like to go to number six here, which is the God of intimate personal.
Knowledge.
We need a volunteer so that you can relax. It's not going to involve anything intimate or personal, but I do need.
You can have that intimate personal relationship with God.
Umm, but I do need a volunteer, so I'm gonna do a little task for me.
Maybe even not more than 5 minutes.
Just while I'm reading some verses, I'd like you to do something. While I read those verses for me, I'd like to make a point. Thank you.
All I'd like you to do is I went down to the volleyball courts there yesterday and I filled this apple sand.
They won't notice there are tons of sand on the volleyball card, right? There's a lot of sand on the beach and there's no sand that leaves the lake that even begins to compare with where Anna's heading, uh tomorrow, uh, to the Gulf Coast in Alabama. Sorry Anna, didn't mean to do that to you. Umm, so this is just a minuscule amount of sand and I would like you to please tweezer the mount one by one and count them.
This cup for me. Just give us a count here when I'm done reading the next set of verses. Turning your Bibles to Psalm 130.
9.
I'm 139.
There's a lot more here than we can cover, so I'm not going to read the entire chapter, but I'd like to read the beginning and then apart a little bit further on.
Umm, second.
There read from verse one to verse 10, and a little set of verse a little further on. And so the chief musician, the Psalm of David. Oh Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising. Thou understandeth my thought afar off. Thou compasseth my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways, for there is not a word in my tongue.
But lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou beset me behind and before, and lay thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me this high. I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I have stand up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. I'd like to turn down just a little bit further on.
To verse 15. I'll read a couple verses there. My substance.
Was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Lanai did see my substance yet being unperfect. And in my book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God, How great is the sum of them, if I should count them.
00:35:07
They are more in number than the fans.
When I awake, I am still with me.
I'll read it one more time so I can get a little bigger count here. If I should count them, they're more in number than the sand. Thank you very much. How did you get through?
60 Can you imagine counting the volleyball court down there today?
Alright, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Just wanna get a little tiny visceral feel for what it means, You know, we can read out the word of God and.
And we're almost like the News Feed zombie, right?
Hey wow, that always took 3 minutes to get through my chat this morning. But it's important to pause, to meditate, to digest what we're reading. And as you meditate and digest and think about it, just I'll read it one more time. If I should count them, they are more in number than the stand.
His thoughts toward me, not just his thoughts in designing this grand and wonderful universe. Not just his thoughts and keeping everything in alignment so that the coming of the Lord will become at the perfect time or whatever. His thoughts toward you. It says that's how David expresses it to get an idea. It's more than the grains of the sand.
If you wanna look at this world in this earth and you wanna come up with something that you could count.
Imagine David, and I don't know when the sum is written. The heading just says that it's David, the Psalm of David. I don't know where in his life this fell.
I'd like to think it occurred later in his life just because it comes toward the end of the thumbs, but I know they're not arranged that way. But they had an experience running in a wilderness, right? And the wilderness in Judea, yes, there's shrubs and there's rocks and so on, but there's a lot of sand as well, even was back then. And so you've got an incredible amount that, David, when you look out there, stand everywhere. Can you imagine all those greens?
And counting them. And yet when you want something to express how God was thinking about, I mean, he picks the number.
Bigger than the biggest thing you could imagine. I think he also talks about stars, right? That was the other thing that he could count that he saw, and he speaks in other songs about that.
Bob God giving them names. By the way, I did want to illustrate one other point. Thank you very much for volunteering without reward for a thankless, boring task of counting 60 grains of sand. And I know that you may have zero interest in figures, but I really don't want to eat all of it. So you want to pick one. If you don't want it, fill it to one of your brothers or.
I can get it get the joy of all right. You can get the Facebook keyboards.
Alright.
I did want to illustrate the fact that God often asked us for something in our life, asked us for obedience, and we go through it because he said to do it without any sense of reward. Very often. He's the God of now and later. And so now the rest of you volunteered for that. Thankless on on. Not the rest of you have a Snickers bar either.
And that's the way it is also in our lives. You know, God of joy doesn't prom. You know, now you can't say, oh, by the way, I'll put my hand up. I'll be happy to count the next 60 grains. And often in the way that God gives to us in our lives, he gives to us the joy of communion with him or he surprises us with a kindness we didn't expect to see coming. And we go back and see what that is. Hey, you know, yesterday I read an extra 15 minutes. I think I'll read 15 extra minutes today.
That would be like you volunteering right now. Now that you know what's going to happen and you'll volunteer and it doesn't have the same character, does it?
And so God often doesn't give in that way. But I wanna go back through this Psalm and pick out a few things here that relate to the God of intimate personal knowledge. So go back to verse two and it says, thou knowest my down sitting in my uprising. Thou understandeth my thought. How far off? Now here's a beautiful thing here. I think the whole verse holds it together.
So I don't really think that the main thought, at least in the verse, is you walked in here.
45 minutes ago roughly or a little bit less and you sat down in your chair and you did a down sitting and in 15 ish minutes you're going to do it up rising that's not.
Better not be before that.
But there's a down sitting and the uprising, right? That's not physically what he's talking about. I don't think down sitting is that settling down. And I think in in David's case, you look all the way to the bottom at the end of the chapter, how he wants to be searched and known by God. I think these things are primarily in David's mind, spiritual things in his life. And you know, long before David sinned with Bathsheba.
00:40:23
He was doing a down city, he was doing a settling down.
In his heart, and he says here to God, speaking to God, you know, if I'm settling down in my heart, I might not even know. He wants to be searched later on. So it'll know, right? But I might be sitting down in my heart or something that nobody else here could see. And maybe we can't even see it ourselves. But there may have been a stirring up. And that's what the uprising is. It's a stirring up. I wrote it down from the strong. It's to rouse up or stir up. There's a lot of the thought there.
The uprising. And so maybe over the last few days there's just been a little flame. It's turned on in your heart, maybe something you heard yesterday, the day before during the conference, some comment made by somebody else. Are you walking behind them along the way? And they're talking together and you heard a little ****** of something and it right went inside and there's been a little bit of a stirring up in your heart. God sees that.
And he's going to just most, yeah, most of you, probably all of you, virtually all of you in the room. We're out on the pontoon boat the other night for the thing, and there was a fire starting going on so you could have your smakos.
Right. The person starting the fire spent a lot of time getting those little bits and pieces going before, I suppose when you dock, if you happen to be looking that way, you could have seen a nice going fire by the time you got off. But the person who was building that fire took quite a while to carefully put it all together, get it going nightly so that the loss would burn. And that's what God is at work doing in your life, that uprising, that kindling, that giving it.
To go and getting it to burn, the Lord knows exactly all about it, but if there's a settling down, if there's sort of a damping down on the fire, the person making it needs to work at it a little bit more to get it to go further. I want to give you another thought about this God of intimate knowledge, and that is just a little bit further down. Let's see if I can.
Find it right? Yeah, the next, next verse.
That compasses my path and my lying down, which means prostate for sleep. I suppose we could apply this different way, but lying down me is just going flat for sleep.
So how many of you does that sound really good right about now?
Do you know that Lord knew that?
Knows exactly what you need.
And I, at least as I read this, because of the whole verse and are acquainted with all my ways, He does know spiritually whether or not we are lying down and going prostate. So there's that aspect. But I like to think of it, and I believe it's true as well. The Lord knows exactly how you feel at the moment. You know better than you do how tired you are. You know, sometimes you can be really tired. You get into good conversation, you bounce back. But if you're at the edge of the grave and you're getting a good conversation.
Just, you know, you're not gonna bounce back.
So if you're feeling really tired, I'm, uh, tired, maybe maybe you're just kind of tired.
And the Lord knows exactly what level of tired you're at. He knows about your prostate lying down on the inside. You know it's about it spiritually. You know it's about it physically. He's aware of it and he's taking care of it. He'll provide for you and you can turn to him. You know he knows about your lying down. There's another one, umm, the well, we'll skip over that one. I wanna hit a just the highlights and the time we have left. So let's go down to verse 9.
And look at verse 9 briefly. If I take the wings of the morning.
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea.
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
The wings of the morning, the beautiful poetic expression, The wings of the morning. There's probably a book out there with that title. It's probably it looks like the title you'd put on the on a missionary book. Maybe the wings of the morning, right? The wings mean the very edges of something. So the wings, this word used here for because it's the very edges of the bird, the thought isn't so much one of uplifting as the various edge, the wing of.
Wing, the left wing of the army, the right wing of the army, the same word gets used apparently for the very edges of the thing. And so the very edges of the morning. Now most here, it's kind of hard to see the very edges of the morning, right, because you got a hill back there that blocks it. But if you, umm, maybe Anna tomorrow. No, not tomorrow morning, Anna. Friday morning.
00:45:21
She gets up and goes down to the beach and she looks in the general direction of the rising sun, which should be easy if it's a Long Beach, even though your beach is going to face SI think.
But if you go sit there and you look off to your left sitting on the beach, you may be able to see to the wings of the morning, the very horizon. And I think the thought here is the farthest edge of where you can go. So suppose there's a center like a like a bird has a center right and way out there at the edge, far from your comfort zone, far from your friends, far from your family, if the Lord puts you in that situation.
Is he there with you? I take the wings in the morning.
If I'm way out there at the edge, far from everything else, and everybody else, is the Lord there watching over? Yeah, absolutely. And the uttermost part of let's see. Well, there's a lot of ways that could be applied.
Other most parts of the sea. But think about it in David's day.
David didn't Don scuba gear.
I don't know if you have a snorkel, you could have as normal, right? 511 tells anything about it except because it's not important.
But he didn't don't scuba gear, and he certainly didn't go down in the bath of gas or the modern equivalent to ones at the bottom of the Marianas Trench either, right?
But it could have gone out into the sea and you go out into the Mediterranean Sea and you drop something into the Mediterranean Sea and it just goes and it's gone, right?
It's gone for good if you drop it there, right and so.
The uttermost part of the sea is way down there where it just seems totally and completely lost. That's just far from everything else just gone.
Is it?
Am I just gone from everything else? You know, sometimes in our thoughts and our feelings, we just feel completely lost, completely far from everything else. But David is saying even the uttermost parts of the sea, umm, even there shall thy hand lead me first hand?
You can't get out of a place where God's hand can't reach you and lead you.
No, David didn't want to be that far away, and so he becomes joyful in the rest of this song. Let's turn to another one. I'm going to go back.
Hit a few highlights here and the rest of our time and the point is not to cover 8 perfect points. There aren't 8 perfect points, just some highlights of our unimaginably good God. Well, look at the God.
Communication.
You know that volunteer.
Thank you, Kristen. Umm.
Krishna, would you just?
Step outside that door for a brief moment. I'm not kicking you out. I'll, I'll wave you in here just a second or two. I'm gonna read a small number of verses. Well, you can wait by the door, by the door and you can hear the verses. Turn to 1St John, chapter one.
First John, chapter one.
Uh, verse one.
That which was from the beginning is that which we have heard.
We have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life.
But for the lifeless manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us, that which we have seen and heard declarely unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write me unto you, that your joy may be full.
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OK, now Christian.
Would you, umm, let me ask you to step outside the door and off that direction, in between the window and the door where I can't see you? I'm gonna yell for you here in a moment.
Thanks. That's good enough right there. Perfect on that part. You can come in the air conditioning. Appreciate it.
Go back to verse one.
That which we was from the beginning, that means the beginning of Christianity. John's describing all that, the relationship that described by the sun coming into this world, which we have heard.
You heard me, didn't you?
I hate to see the spike in your recording there, Christian Herdbings. All right? He I couldn't see him. They heard him.
You know, perhaps over the last few days you've heard something of the voice of God speaking to your heart through his word, through something sad, whether it's in a meeting or not in a meeting or wherever it was. Maybe you've heard it. And I asked Christians a step closer.
Than he did now.
Which we have seen with our eyes.
Uh, but we're all looking at Christian, right? You can see him with his eyes. He's a little closer. But you know, I can't really tell.
I can't. You know, I got a better idea now, right? But if you really wanna get to know Christian, then stop. close enough, isn't it?
So it's the next part of it says which we have looked upon. Would you come here where my ancient eyes can look on your person?
Umm, wow, lighting's a lot better now. Thank you. So I could begin to, umm, get to know Christian a little bit better. Glad you have a conversation because I can actually look into his eyes now and get to know him a little bit better. And I'm not going to go too far on this next month. I'm going to shake your hand, which our hands have handled. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. And uh, I, I will apply another verse.
Since I don't know what his thoughts were, but uh, the labor is worthy of entire. You got one on your way back. Alright, pass it on to somebody else. That's fine. Thank you.
All right, here's my point.
The apostle John is trying to communicate to the people that he's writing to about God, and he knew God so well that his head had rested on the Lord's chest at the meal.
Right now that's hands up handles, that's about as close as you can get. That's the intimate, close and personal communication that John had. Christian, can you hear my voice outside? But I thought I needed to yell as loud as I could possibly yell because a nice big stick door that's closed there. Once he steps inside, you can tell a lot more about him and that's good. And it comes closer and you can begin to, uh, get a much better idea of what Christian looks like and then you.
Our hands have handled of the Word of life and that is the opening verse to the book.
So what does John want to do? He wants to explain this life, the Lord Jesus. What is he like so that you can enjoy what he enjoys? It's not good enough to be way out there. You want the person as close as possible.
When I drive in the car with my wife, she doesn't ride in the trunk.
She sits next to me and depending on how windy the road is and whether it's raining or whatever, I fairly often will hold her hand while I'm driving. Don't worry. And the night coming in here on our way on the way. And the other night I had both hands on the wheel.
Somewhat practical, but the point is that if you want intimate personal knowledge of somebody that needs to be communicated to you what they're like, and God chose to communicate to man, to John, a witness of John through his word to you and through meditation, the power of the Spirit of God and the Word of God, you too can come to know the Lord Jesus in that same deep, intimate and personal way. And that's why.
It says on verse three, that which we have seen and heard declare unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. John wants you to enjoy the Lord Jesus as much as He did. I want you to share what I have. I want you to have in common with me what I have, a deep, personal, intimate knowledge.
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Of the Lord Jesus Christ and why because God is out to get you and withhold your Snickers barn No because you're unimaginably good God says in verse four and these things rightly unto you that's your joy may.
3-4 that your joy may be full. My joy and your joy is never going to be full until there's that unpinked hose leading straight from.
The heart of God and the reservoir of His love to where you are at any given moment in your life. And that's why He brought this whole chain of communication to you so that not so that you can have 17 restrictions that will cut you off from all possible pleasures in your life.
But so that you can have an unhindered flow of God's love to you and that joy will flow out from you. But thank you for.