Dartmouth Conference: 2012
Table of Contents
1 Peter 1:1-3
Reading
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And full rush and resides.
Jesus, our head of fullness, of eyes, to answer all needs 267.
433.
9.
4.
I don't know this year. Bye bye.
Come on.
On Wednesday and water, I haven't heard, you know, whatever you're going to do in your heart.
Oh sorry, but I don't know how to put it in about 9 $100,000 and I have no time. I don't know why I forgive you and it's not out of my opinion. Coming on the river clouds while drinking is gone and Spears.
When?
I.
Get one of them.
Together.
And when I am waiting hard 28 minutes.
It also seemed 132.
The person of the Christ encode it every grace 132.
00:05:19
I mean, I can't get anything and then I don't know what you're talking about. You're going to get.
The.
Highlighted power.
In Revelation chapter 4.
Revelation 4 and the first verse.
After this I will behold the door was opened in heaven.
First voice which I heard were of a trumpet. Talking with me would sit. Calm up, Hitler, Now we show you these things which must be here. After my thought was on the part, come up, hit her.
Our dog and our Father. First of all, we would thank for my love, My grace and my mercy shows the way.
I know that by love was proven to often a gift or my son.
And now you believe have a short time remaining before we will hear that shout to come up with it.
We pray that my last spirit that will guide us proportion we should have before us that which would be for our encouragement, direction and our pathway here for whatever time may remain to us. But we know it should be the desire of each one to hear that call come up here that leave this scene and be our God and Father and my home above with the light our Savior for all eternity. So we would just commit this time together now in July hands and ask again for my guidance and direction and we ask these things with Thanksgiving.
In the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Other than if it would be the mind of the Lord to look at first Peter chapter one.
For this reading anyway, we need to have to continue with it rather than another exercise. But thinking we've been occupied with our portion, internal portion in Christ and uh.
But we're still in the Pilgrim pathway and we need the instruction of that of feeder for our pathway down here. This be the mind of the brothers.
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Stop.
In the first chapter of uh, Peter.
Peter and Apostle of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Athenia. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you in peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy.
Has begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance.
Incorruptible and undefiled, and the fate is not away. Reserved in heaven. For you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein he greatly rejoice. Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than a golden paraphrase. So if he tried with fire might be found under praise and honor, and glory of the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Whom, having not seen any luck, in whom, though now you see Him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Avoid salvation and problems. Have inquired and searched diligently, who prophecy to the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ was in which was in them? It signified, when it testified beforehand, the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow unto whom it was revealed, but not unto themselves, but unto us they did. Minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you.
With the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into?
Wherefore we're dropped the loins of your mind. Be sober, and uh, hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust and your ignorance, but as he which has called you was holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, being holy. For I am holy. And if he call on the Father.
Who was out of respect of persons, judges, according to every man's work past the time of your soul journey here in fear, or as much as you know, as you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your body. But what the precious time comes from, as of a land without blemish and without spot? Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world?
Was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God to raise him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hopefully be in God, seeing if purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unseen love of the brethren. See that she loved one another with a pure heart fervently being born again not a corruptible sin as he, but of incorruptible.
By the Word of God, which liveth and abides forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass bittering, and the flower thereof falls away, but the Word of the Lord endureth forever.
And this is the word just by the gospel is preached unto you.
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I suppose you could say that Peter has defined the government of God in relation to uh.
The believer in the first Epistle.
The government of God in relation to the world in the second episode.
But He brings before us our heavenly calling. Uh.
Uh, here in the first chapter, but also, uh, reminding us that we are still.
Strangers and pilgrims in this world, in the scene of trial and, uh, suffering.
Perhaps it is particularly addressed to the nation of Israel, to those that were.
Connected with Israel.
Uh, by, by, uh, nationality and who had been scattered in the dispersion, uh, who were probably, uh, suffering privations and persecutions.
So, umm, suffering is prominent in this official.
And the government of God in our lives is important that we, uh, that we keep this in mind, uh, in our, in our pathway down here. Certainly we have this inheritance in corruptible, undefiled that we have been speaking about these last few days, but we're also brought down to the earth. We're, we're not, we're not in the glory yet.
We are still in a, uh, a scene of, of trial and, uh.
Uh, difficulty.
Yeah, Sorrel and the Apostle encourages us. Umm.
With these exhortation.
And, uh, it's good to be reminded of, uh, the Lord's, umm, care over us and his, his government in our lives because, uh, he is watching over us every day of our lives.
Umm, as we have brought out in this chapter.
You know, possible, it speaks up here is up here and apostle. You know what an apostle is an apostle.
Muscle is a simple.
And anyone here that has been saved is first of all chosen and secondly sent. I think we get that in John's epistle. Pardon me, John Scott, the Lord said in the 17th chapter of John, as the Father hath loved me, I'm sorry.
Please turn to John 17.
Better when we look at the birth, isn't it?
I guess I was thinking of the 1St as the Father had loved me, so have I loved you. That's John 15 verse 9. Continually in my love, but then in this verse here in John 17.
And verse 18 it says.
As thou has sent me into the world, Even so have I also sent them into the world.
First of all, we've been chosen, we've been saved, we've been loved for the Father and we belong to him. And then we are sent back into the world. When you and I were saved, we weren't taken right to heaven. We were just not and not just left here, but since here. And Peter starts his epistle here by saying.
Uh, Peter, an apostle I sent when of Jesus Christ to the strangers scattered throughout conscious relationship.
Cappadocia, Asia and Athenia. Peter's ministry was particularly to the Jews. And it's good for us to see the calling that the Lord has for each of us in our lives and to abide in the calling that the Lord has for us. But I think of it here in connection with Peter. You know, he had a deep love. This was written near the end of his life.
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Almost over 30 years after.
The Lord had gone back to heaven and Peter was nearing the end of his life. I take it a man probably in about six years. And his affection and his desire to fulfill the the uh, Commission that the Lord had given to him in John chapter 21 is evident right to the end of his life and his affection to the Saints that are scattered abroad. And brethren, we live in a day.
When we feel the dispersion of the Lord's people.
We feel the weakness and we need to encourage one another to go on in the path of faith and faithfulness to the Lord.
I think it's nice to see that in this chapter Peter writing talks about that which is passed, that which is present and that which is used. Uh, he says in verse two elect according to the foreknowledge of God. Now we know from other scriptures, for example on the 1St chapter, Ephesians, we have chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, even before the foundation of the world.
He knew us and chose us. He let and uh, of course Peter is, uh, speaking to those that are, are presently on Europe at this time and speaks about their temptations and and so on. But he also mentions in verse four an inheritance incorruptible on defile that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you, and that's looking on to the Lord.
When it comes to the word of God and uh, and the way it is written in some portions, particularly in, uh, John's Gospel, for example, a lot of things that are future is spoken of that they had already taken place.
So sure where they could be done because it was a master plan of, of credentials. Notice in our chapter how that, uh, in verse 19 and 20, it speaks of Christ.
You need a Lamb of God ordained before the foundation of the world, the whole plan of redemption in place before the world was named.
Just in disregard, uh, forward to Romans chapter 8. I always like this portion.
Roman's yesterday.
Start from verse 28 and close.
We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are to call according to His purpose, for whom He did for know. He also did predestiny to be conformed to the image of His Son, and He might be the first horn among many brothers. Moreover, boom, He did the destiny and He also called, and then He called, then He also justified, and whom he justified, and then He also glorified.
What I find very interesting here is that it's all in the past hints and yet it speaks of that which was in eternity past. If we can use that terminology. It speaks of that which is in the in the frame of time in which we live. And it speaks about that which is yet future because he foreknew us and he destined to us before the foundation of the world, but when time began and.
During our lifetime, we're called and we're justified by faith in Christ.
And then eventually we will be complete and perfect, as the scripture puts it will be glorified. And it's it's a done deal. It's already done because it's based not upon our faithfulness or anything that we can do because we'll mess it up.
00:25:08
Is based on the market size.
What is the lecture, Brother Darryl?
Uh, election and chosen I understand are pretty much the same word, so.
Will we, uh, have any Ephesians chosen in him before the foundation of the world? And pretty much the same thought I think as election, but many others might be able to help out.
With the family secret, isn't it uh.
Umm elect according to the foreknowledge of God and the Father, God had his eye upon us.
In the past eternity and as mentioned.
Umm, the work of Christ, uh, was, umm, was going to be accomplished.
Uh, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God through would accomplish that work that would, would bring us into, uh, into that place of, uh, blessing, but.
Election is not to be, not a hindrance to preaching the gospel. Uh, we shouldn't look upon it that way. Uh, Doctor Wolston puts it, you see, on the outside of the door, whosoever will may come.
And when you get, uh, when you come inside, you see the inscription, the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
So we we do not know who the elect are.
Nor do we need to we we are to preach the gospel to every creature and.
And, uh, there's, there's no hindrance there to, uh, to anyone. We, we can tell the violent offender that we meet that there is salvation and offer to him.
But it is, uh, uh, something to comfort our hearts once we, uh, have been brought to the knowledge of, uh, Christ the savior. Is that right there? Yes. I've heard the, umm, the, the capsule. Can I put it that way? That, uh, fits to me that we can easily remember.
Election is God's selection.
The election is selection.
We go back to uh.
John 17 again.
Uh, same chapter that, uh, what we were.
In verse 24 I've done 17.
Where Jesus refers.
To.
They also whom thou hast given me.
And I like to think of it this way that.
It wasn't as if.
God look forward and said well.
These people here are going to come to me and they're going to, they're going to accept what I what I'm going to offer.
So I'll choose them. I don't believe it's that at all. None of us would have accepted in our own selves. None of us would have come.
So that's that's the word, the word Jesus. God wanted to have a bride for the word Jesus forever.
To be with him and and and the father's house. So he so he chose he chose certain ones to be part of that right and by by that alone.
We are part of that process. We picked this up and chosen to save us by the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
I had nothing to do with it. I would have refused it but.
The word chose me anyway and because he wanted to have lessons, so he gave us. He wanted to have a bribe for his son.
For the Lord Jesus and he. And so we are the recipients of that amazing salvation.
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That amazing plant we're we're part of that price we've been given by the father to the sons.
You have Robert in that chapter, John 17, seven times over that expression, those whom thou hast given me so much did the Lord Jesus in that prayer before going to the cross, value the gift that God had given to him. That is you and me so much to evaluate that he was willing to go and lay down his life.
For us.
Brethren for us.
He loved you and he loved me and he prized us.
Those whom thou has given me, that thee be with me where I am forever.
All that we may enter into it more, we get so taken up with time and sense, but think of it that forever we're going to be in the presence of A1 and he's going to continue to love us forever.
And we understand it.
That's an advocate the responsibility of man, However, umm, man is a responsible creature judged on that based on and we preach the gospel, not as as mentioned, not knowing the uh.
The counsels of God in regard to those that we meet.
That we present the the message of salvation to responsible creatures, and they will be judged according to their their, their.
Uh, attitude toward Christ and toward the message that, uh, is presented to them.
So, umm, I think it's important to see that and, uh.
The Among the early brethren there was a lot of written ministry on this subject.
Especially if you read Mr. Macintosh is writing piece wrongly objected to, uh, to bringing election into the preaching of the gospel in any way for anyone to say. Now I'm not sure if I am elected or not.
This year he refuted. We do not know, uh, who the elect are again, I say. And so we preach the gospel to whosoever and that we know God's grace has met us in our deep need and we're no better than others and it comes into.
I was thinking that's the the whole meaning, isn't it? The seasons two and eight by grace are you say through faith and that does yourself if it's done. And I was thinking about comments on how there may be someone who might say to you, well, I don't know if I'm going to be elected to me. All you have to do is tell them to believe God and you're wanting to be alleged.
You can be sure.
2nd year.
Three.
Where is that what John was saying?
Second Peter 3, verse 9.
The word is not quite concerning as promises come then count classes, but as long-suffering to less work, not willing that any, but they're all just come to reciprocity.
Well that's those are sound the same but.
That we need to preach the gospel to all.
And that and that is his.
As well, and he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come through.
So umm, it's it's unto all.
I just wanted to say that this verse that we're looking at was always a bit of a puzzle to me. I didn't quite understand it, but I just want to share what I've enjoyed. You'll notice at the beginning of this verse, we have election brought out and then it says through through sanctification of the Spirit because we have been chosen because we are His.
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The Spirit of God now has set us apart, hasn't he? And uh, what's the end that's in view? I believe it's what we have in the end of the verse unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. That was always a puzzle to me as just exactly what he was saying. But if you turn back to Exodus chapter 24.
Exodus chapter 24 and verse 7. This is when the law was given.
It said he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people and they said all that the Lord had said we will do and be obedient. So they were promising here, obedient, but simply on the basis of their own, uh, energy. It wasn't in the energy of the spirit at all. And it says the next verse, Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people.
In other words, he ratified what they had said. They said we're going to be obedient. And Moses said, all right, we'll clarify that. So he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people. Well, in our chapter, I think that's what Peter is referring to. He says we've been set apart, we've been sanctified by the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. In other words, the Spirit of God.
Desires that we would go on in obedience, uh, because now we are under the shelter of the blood. We, the blood has been sprinkled. We belong to the Lord Jesus and now he desires us to walk in obedience. So I just suggest that as, uh, perhaps what Peter is trying to say in this verse.
Would you say, Stan, that, umm, when Israel said that back in the 24th of of Exodus that they really were accepting death and the penalty?
If they broke the law, they said all that the Lord our God has said we will do.
That's quite a steep and, uh, what happened whenever we put ourselves on the ground of doing something, what happened, we failed. But Peter here in this verse, he's telling us the only ground on which we really can have redemption, which was through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
He's saying basically to the Jews, you and I failed in our responsibility.
But there's one who didn't fail, and that is the only ground on which we have title to the glory of God.
Is that the? Yes, I believe that's correct.
That sanctification here, uh, it took place in our, in our history, we might say, before we actually came into the knowledge of sins forgiven. The Spirit of God began a work in our souls setting us apart even before we obeyed the gospel that we had heard and before the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Before we were, we were saved, the Spirit of God was working in our souls and, uh, sanctification means, uh, separation.
The Jew was he was set apart by the external ordinances that he went through it, that he had under the Judaistic system, that that was the means of sanctification for him. But that's not the means for us now. It is something that is the work of the Spirit of God to separate us even before we had believed the gospel.
And then, uh, our work that continues.
00:40:03
In.
US, uh, after we have believed an ongoing work, sanctification, of course, sanctification is spoken of in two ways that we probably realized it is spoken of in the absolute sense.
And it is also spoken of in the progressive sense.
Umm, which is brought out in, uh, in in other scriptures.
I really love the, uh, the third verse that, uh, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ and according to his abundant mercy that the begotten hospital again on our lot of hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from your death. I'd just like to make an initial comment here of this, uh, blood that God's father for allergies of Christ. Get that in several places and that's easy. Ephesians chapter one. It wasn't either God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who blessed us with all heavenly blessed.
Or with all the spiritual blessings and have my faces. But when you look back at the Old Testament, one of my favorite places is.
Joe in chapter 32 and.
Such a such a lovely picture of, of our of our Savior and.
Even the first verse. Well, the second verse.
No 32 and verse 2.
Because it had all these wrong spots and, uh, both the stalls, the precision and all these things and, and their self righteousness and the whole thing that goes along with the, the Lord teaches us. And uh, uh, Ben was kind of the wrath of Elijah, the son of Varico, the buzz light of the kindred of Graham against Joe was his Brad Kindle because he's justified himself rather than God.
Again, uh, also against his three friends.
And I was just thinking how the, you know, how the, they always came to the Lord and, you know, you showed them who he was and who he was, but they, they were still very angry because.
During the season saying, who is this man that calls himself God? He may accuse him of blasphemy and everything else as we know. And uh, finally they just reject him so badly. But I just love Eli, who, umm, he's an ancestor of Samuel. So you can see the election there. You know, he chose me for the foundation of the world. He comes on the scene so unexpectedly and without any fanfare or whatever.
But he was.
He was elected.
To be who he was and so he was the the son of Barracl. Now Barrichel means God has blessed and it just reminds me of those Bruce.
But anyway, Eli, who means that.
Umm, God he is and uh, that's who he is. He is God, Lord Jesus Christ, God the Psalm. And uh, I was just thinking he was, uh, he was, he was a buzz eye.
But anyway, he was a kindred of ram and ram means high elevated.
Oh, so that Ram, it's also Ramon and uh, A and uh, AH.
In the scriptures, but uh, today it's been twisted and the, uh, Islam calls it Ram Allah, but that's the same place, you know? And uh, but it's such a loving picture when you see in the past.
By looking at the Old Testament and all the local things that are there, all the grace and mercy and.
Blessed against it belongs to us because of his.
The penalty that he paid per hour as soon as we were depressed? Blood.
We have the Trinity brought in in the second verse here, all engaged on our behalf. You have the.
00:45:01
Called her father Dad.
Then the Spirit of God working in the soul, bringing us to Christ.
And now in Christianity, we have the.
A wonderful relationship, a father not knowing to the Jews in the Old Testament, they did not have the knowledge of God in that character. But as we know this scripture well, in John 20, the Lord spoke to Mary Magdalene. I ascend unto my Father and your father, and to my God and your God. This is characteristic of Christianity, knowing God in that relationship.
Of bothered umm, one that actually the same relation as Christ as man has before gone now is the is the position that we have been brought into.
Uh, in the same relationship, uh.
And so, umm, of course we don't share deity, but uh, we can address God in that character of Father that is peculiar to this dispensation in which we, we are now found. It will not be sold in the, uh, in the Millennium. It was not so in the Old Testament, but now we have that marvelous relationship of knowing God in that intimate way.
As our father, one who is interested in all the details of our pathway down here. Is that right? See so.
Says in Deuteronomy, you are the sons.
Of, uh, Speaking of Israel as a nation and turn back to that and I just put my finger on it.
Now, Israel didn't know God as Father, but uh.
To them pertain the adoption nationally and uh.
In chapter 14 of Deuteronomy.
It says, uh, to children of the Lord your God, our sons of the Lord your God, you shall not cut yourselves nor make any boldness between your eyes for the dead and so on, and the things that they should even not eat. And so the Lord Jesus Christ here is the eternal Son was here for the Father's pleasure and the Father's delight and his obedience was perfect even to death, the best of the cross.
But we're here in that relationship to God. The Father is chosen of God into obedience too.
Who's obedient? The blood and the obedience are both Christ. I believe in this verse as we have been brought into under the shelter of that blood sprinkled and blood onto his obedience, that we might have the same obedience that He had here for the Father's pleasure and the Father's delight in this world and.
As here and as the obedient one. What the life the Father had the heavens open. This is mine well, beloved Son, upon him.
All in the Old Testament, as we had, that the people were sprinkled with the blood to obedience as well. And God desired of Israel nationally that they would be a people here for Him in that same way in obedience to His will. But they failed completely because that was the test of land in the flesh and there wasn't a life in them. Not that we don't see it in individuals, but as a people there wasn't that new life.
That desire to please, it's that old nature that wanted its own way. And there was no ability to please God. They weren't involved by the Spirit of God. And so now we come to the New Testament through the work of Christ and what has been brought out, the sovereign election of God. He has chosen a people to be here.
In relation to himself, his father, and to be here in obedience, that he might look down and find pleasure and his own.
But he's accomplished it in time, chosen in the past. And just incidentally, it's not that Hefore knew what would happen. He didn't, but he foreknew who person. He foreknew us as person, not just that certain persons would have take certain actions. It's not that Hefore knew we would come to Christ. Hefore knew us and chose us.
00:50:15
But in time, he accomplished it.
Have begotten us again unto a living hope. How He's imparted to us a life, a life that wants to lose Him. And He's given to us the Spirit as the energy and power to walk in that new life. And please, whose life is it? The life of Christ.
You know, brother, that's so lovely. You know, he, he suffered, you know, and, uh, uh.
I was thinking of a verse in, uh, Ephesus chapter 5 and, umm, when I first read this verse, I took me for a loop. You know, I just, uh, uh, what? There's no reason why I have to work. What is it anyway? And, uh, the way we read it in the King James, it's, uh, it might, uh, sound a little bit difficult, but I'll, I'll read it and umm, uh.
Verse 8. Umm.
Hebrews 5 verse eight, though he were a son, yet He learned the obedience by the things which he suffered. It sounds like it's saying there that day He learned to be obedient by his suffering, but we learned to be obedient by our suffering. But he learned what it was like to suffer because he was obedient and he couldn't get anything else covered. It was impossible because he he was sinless. He was sinless.
Like no brother put it, he learned the cough of obedience.
No question as two is obedience perfection but he learned experimentally the suffering, the cost of obedience. He was in the place of obedience. He wasn't in that place in the past eternity. It was his to command, not to obey. So when he took manhood into.
The union of himself.
He was in the place of.
Dependence and obedience as a man example for us. I was thinking in our verse here, just to, uh, caution here, the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. There was no thought that that is continuing on through the life of the believer. There's some that have that wrong idea that after they fail, the, the blood has to be sprinkled again. That's not the thought.
The blood is only applied once.
To the believer, it puts us in a new position before God. It is northeast. It is not applied again. Uh.
It has the eternal efficacy and we are cleansed once and for all. This is brought out very clearly in the epistle of Hebrews, of course. And the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ is that conversion here, sprinkling. Notice it wasn't only the fact that the blood had been shed in in the basin referring to Exodus 12. It had to be sprinkled. It had to be applied. Many people believe in the death of Christ in Halifax.
But they have never taken the hyssop and uh, and sprinkled the blood had it applied to their own need as a Sinner. They have never taken hold of that hyssop in humility and self judgment. So just to note that brethren, that the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ only takes place once. Now there is the thought of, of washing the water by the Word during our pathway down here. We need that every day of our lives.
But uh, not another application of the blood.
Uh, Brother John, I made a lot of contact with the Christians earlier in my uh.
In my uh, uh, life, umm, in my new life, that umm.
When they send they would tell me what they they would say. I plead, I feed it for the blood of Christ, you know, and even back then.
That was before I was gathered towards England.
Usually something's terribly wrong with that, but I couldn't figure it out until later years. But, uh, when it was revealed to me, but they, they always say, you know, there's something wrong with you, like if you're sick or something, they say, well, believe the blood of Christ, you know, plead the blood of Christ. It just seems to be, go along with what you're saying.
00:55:06
There's a lot of thoughts out there about it now.
Wrong. Uh, wrong.
I'd like to go back to verse one, umm, because we started out with an apostle being sent. We are not apostles, but the Lord has sent us into the world and.
But before he could send us into the world, we had to be chosen. There had to be something that happened in our lives to make us fit to be sent one and back. In Ephesians chapter one we talked about election again or being chosen and what are we chosen to what are we chosen for? Ephesians one verse four says he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy.
And without blame before him in love.
And then it goes down to verse six, that we've been chosen to the praise of the glory of his grace.
We've been chosen to be holy and without blame. We've been chosen to give glory to God. How are we going to do that?
Where are we sent? Are we sent to the meeting every Sunday and then back to our job on Monday?
What? What is? What is our purpose here in this world? Our purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus. How do we do that? Well, we glorify Him when we come to the meetings like this too. But we can also glorify Him in service. The Lord didn't send us into the world for worship. We come into His presence for worship.
We go out with his presence for service and he sends us. And if you look over in First Corinthians chapter 5, Second Corinthians chapter 5.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and it talks in verse 17 of being a if any man be in Christ is a new creature and as new creatures we are sins and it says in verse 18 all things are God with reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us. That's just not one or two evangelists and this is to us to all the believers the ministry of reconciliation.
To it that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. So we have been made ambassadors for Christ. We have a responsibility to do. We've been sent into the world to preach forth the reconciliation of the ministry of reconciliation.
What is that? It's the gospel. We're reconciled to God by the death of his Son. We we preach the gospel, but before we can do that we were made holy without blame before him in love. And in in our chapter in first Peter one and verse three, it talks about being begotten again.
Verse two we talked about the Lord Jesus, His obedience.
And the sprinkling of his blood, that's the very nature of who He is. And we've been begotten with that new life, the life of Christ. It's a holy life, a spotless life. It's an obedient life. And it's a life that wants to do, wants to be obedient. And it's not obedience to the law. It's not obedience to try and keep the commandments to maintain our salvation. No, it's obedience to the will of God. We have a desire.
It's more than a want to to be obedient.
It's the very nature of that new life to be obedient. And if, if there's evidence in my life of obedience to Christ, obedience to the will of God, that's evidence of, of life. And so we have been, we have been sanctified, we've been set apart for the service of the Lord. But before that can take place, we need to have that blood sprinkled and the death of Christ.
And his life applied to our own hearts by salvation.
The enjoyment of Christ in our souls will have a powerful effect on those around.
But I think that's why we find that the most most of the epistles that are positioned in Christ is brought before us before our walk is brought before us. God would have us to to enter into.
01:00:15
What He has done and giving his Son into his humbling to think, brethren, of what He has done and raised us up to make us sit together in heavenly places, and then what He give us.
He tells us about how to walk in view of the position that we are brought into. There are many ways to preach the gospel to people around us. You can talk to people, you can give out tracks, and there are other ways as well. And that's letting your light shine where you are. When the light shines, it doesn't make any noise. And I'm not saying not to make any noise, but I am saying that the Scripture says to let your life die.
And the way I walk through this world is being observed by others around.
When you look at the at the first, uh, 5 verses of our chapter.
There is absolutely nothing there about what we have, what you and I have done.
Or supposed to do.
There's, it's, it's totally what God has done for us.
Or I shouldn't say for us first for the for his own glory and for the glory of the Lord Jesus and for our for our blessings absolutely from the first word right down of the chapter right to the end of verse 5.
Umm, even verse five, we are kept not by not by what I do, but we're kept by the power of God. And so then verse six says, wherein he greatly rejoice.
I think that bears out what David was just saying. Are we rejoicing in those in what God has done in those first five verses?
Umm, if we are.
Truly rejoicing and what God has done and what he has given us, then we will be rejoicing and we will be shining, I should say, and, and anything that we do or say or even just the way we, the way we act before our neighbors and those at work and so on.
Uh will show should show that we are enjoying what God has done.
I was thinking of the ambassadors in those verses that that Tim referred to, an ambassador represents the country that he comes from in another country. So it's, uh, I can use an example, Steve, if you don't mind, if you're as an American, if you were sent as an ambassador to the candidate, you would go to Ottawa and, uh, and represent the United States.
And Canada and it's, uh, April was sent as an ambassador to, uh, Washington.
We don't represent Canada there in the US.
You wouldn't always do a lot of talking, but but everything that everything that an ambassador does should reflect.
What he does or says, the way he acts to reflect the thoughts of his own country, policy and so on. Well, if we're to represent the word, we're to represent the word Jesus in this world, not always by talking and saving the same.
Although certainly should include that one in the word directions, but just to represent.
The Lord Jesus Christ in this world for those around us.
I'd just like to make a little, uh, illustration of what you're saying. And I'm absolutely, I'm not boasting in any way, shape or form, but I used to work in a place, uh, for 14 years and when I get done, all of them there and they knew what I was, you know, but I had the opportunity to go back. Umm, it must be what, 18 years ago now. And, umm.
I worked with these two young men, you know, and I was working with them for three days and finally I, I noticed there were curfews, swearing or they weren't, They were losing their temper and acting like all the other guys over there. And so at the break time, I said to them, I said, well, umm, I'll come and do you guys don't, you're not cursing me, but swearing or anything, isn't it? I was sick on fishing, you know, they said to me, well, what about you? I said what?
01:05:16
We're born again believers like you. And I said, well, how did you know? I was, you know, And I said, well, the guys here that he used to work with told us. I never knew they thought of him like that, you know, I said I was unaware of it. It just was a real joy to my soul to hear that, you know?
But it was nothing to do with me. It was all got to do with the Lord. I would change it.
Let your light so shine before men, they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Wasn't crazy anymore but someone thought I was religious crazy but I didn't. I didn't speak to anyone.
It works.
And the apostle breaks out here in the doxology verse three, Blessed, these are gods and father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Uh, which according to his abundant mercy, we are the recipients of mercy.
In a large measure, we, we haven't got what we deserve. It was internal banishment from God's presence and judgment. That was what we deserved, each one of us. But the mercy of God reached down to where we were abundant mercy have begotten us again unto a lively or a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the death. Well, Paul, uh, Peter uses the word living often. He was told that.
He confessed Christ as the, uh, as the living stone there and, uh.
He uses the word living often in the second chapter he speaks of living stones. Now, uh, we have that, that new light, we're, we're born again with it, divine light. We have a hope that doesn't mean that uncertainty.
But we have a living hope in contrast to what Israel, they they had a whole too, but it's, you know, it, they lost it all because of their disobedience and it faded away before them, their inheritance. They never came into it. They defiled the land when they got into it. But ours is the living hope that is we have something sure, and certainly the glory and.
Something we can look forward to.
It's all based upon the work of Christ, and his resurrection is brought in here, resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. He's now a living man in the glory, and we are associated with him now.
By the grace of God.
I think, John, that the, uh thought of living whole viruses as a question is it is it the.
Is it the alive in my life in such a way that I'm thinking of it as as a something that really could take place at any moment? Is that the thought? I I think so.
It's something that is real and.
Optimized and remarked that Hulk and scripture is a deferred certainty. It's not a it's not a we use the word Hulk in English often to as a connotation of some dealt there, but not to not so in scripture. It's it's a it's a certainty that we haven't come into the fulfillment of it yet, but it is a living hope. It is something that that should motivate us on in our pathways.
Down here.
Look at First John chapter 3 to.
See a scripture for that product.
First John, chapter 3.
Verse Two Beloved now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is drug. It's a purifying covenant. It's a not wanting to be caught doing something that displeasing to the Lord when he comes.
01:10:17
To put it soon again.
Can anything uh 200 and 56256?
1 Peter 1:3-7
Reading
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Umm.
There's time to get any of the library and everything in the 5:00.
Rain through the day. You're going alone so far you can't even sleep. I'm not sure I'm gone.
Umm, right, three, 100 and five straight from his face.
I love to raise your heart where it says I go home to hand gain some.
Kind of blood thinning again, prescribed near the gaze from the end of the day, from the end of the day, from the sun and heart.
Thank you, loving God and Father.
We thank you that we are able to joy in the day.
For thy love that was shown out to us, giving thy son tidy light.
And in him, gracious God, we are blessed, and thy present.
We're able to come together, open thy precious word, and to learn of thee.
Thank you for each one that is here today. Thank you for joining Mercy, for bringing this one here. As we open Thy precious word, we pray that Thou would continue to.
Teaches the things that Thou does have for us.
That we might be more lifetime blessed son.
We love today our gracious God and loving Father. To Thy help we open Thy precious word. But give me thanks and I worthy, and thy precious name, Lord Jesus, Amen. Amen.
I don't know if the brethren wanted to continue with first Peter one or if there was another passage that uh.
The bread and were exercised about.
I think you're nice one.
What verse would you say Brother John? Umm.
Uh, from first, uh, in connection with verse 300. OK, starting with verse four for starting with.
00:05:06
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has forgotten, has forgotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and the fate is not away reserved in heaven for you.
We were kept by the power of God through faith under salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, wherein He greatly rejoiced. So now for a season, if need be, we are in heaviness through manifold temptations. But the trial of your faith being much more precious than a gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, He lost.
In whom, though now ye see him not, He has more, uh, He rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired in search diligently, who prophesied the grace that accompany you? Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them, did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ?
And the glory that you follow, unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they administer the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore gird up the loins of your minds, be sober, and hope to the end to the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fascinating yourselves according to the former lusts and your ignorance.
But as He would have called you was holy. For no, be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without respect to persons, judges according to every man's work, pass the time of your soul journey here in fear. For as much as you know, you are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.
That uh, what was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory. That your faith in hope might be in God, seeing ye have purified your souls, and obeying the truth through the Spirit unto uncamed love of the brethren. See that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently being born again, not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
For all flesh of this grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of the grass Withers, and the flower the rough falls away. But the Word of the Lord endures forever, and this is the word by which by the gospel is preached unto you.
I think as we mentioned the the apostle is addressing.
Largely Jewish population that has been dispersed through believers. They have been looking for the establishment of the Kingdom. Their hopes were down here that was properly the Jews.
Outlook upon things they expected to the Messiah to establish the Kingdom.
And of course, he was crucified and their hopes were dashed, so to speak. We know in Luke chapter 24 that those, that pair, probably Madame and wife, really, uh, we're disappointed that, uh, their Messiah had been crucified. They were at a loss to know what, what would happen. But the apostle here, he.
Connects the hope now for the, uh, Jewish believers as a heavenly hope. He says, though the earthly expectation has not taken place, God has something for you in heaven. Your hope is there. You are only a stranger in a Pilgrim here who is not exactly the character of the Jew. When he was down here, he, he looked for a for prosperity.
00:10:16
And, uh, exaltation for the nation here on earth, which was properly their, their hope. But now the apostle says he's lifting their hearts to heaven. He said, you've got an inheritance up there that is incorruptible. It can't be defiled like the land of Israel was in your forebears, defiled and polluted the land and the whole inheritance faded away from that.
They lost it, but he says you have an inheritance that cannot be forfeited and it cannot be lost, but it's not here on earth. It's reserved in heaven for you, the inheritance reserved for you and you reserved for it. So it's a heavenly calling that the apostle brings before them here. And uh, this, you might say, characterizes this chapter here that.
Uh, he's lifting the hearts of his Jewish brethren, while it's for us as well, above this world into uh, uh.
Eternal theme where, uh, they will never lose that inheritance that has been purchased for us through the work of Christ.
I think we pretty well covered the 1St 4 verses in our in our chapter in our meeting this morning and I was thinking about this fifth verse in the expression Who are kept by the power of God.
I think if we ask the question.
Uh, does anyone remember where we have that expression? Again, the power of God in the Bible? I think that there's a lot, a lot here among our young people would know. And that's in Romans chapter one and verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Now here in this verse here, it says about the power of God or kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
I think there's a difference between the app, the application of Romans one and 16, and verse four or five here in our chapter.
And Romans one and 16 The power of God and the salvation, I think refers to our salvation and the work of Christ on the cross. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
How were you and I brought into blessing in the 1St place, brethren, it was through nothing that we could ever do. It was because of what Christ has done. It took that for us to be brought into blessing. In this verse here where it speaks of the power of God. Well, if I believe it's referring to the power of God in connection with the keeping grace of God that goes on with us day by day in our lives.
And so in Romans chapter 5, it says there, and not only so, but we shall be saved by his life. That is when the Lord, after dying on the cross to save us, He went back to the glory. And if I can put it this way, what is he doing now? We shall be saved by his life, His sister, the sustaining grace of God that goes on with us day by day through this world.
And so Peter is bringing before these Hebrew believers here that the way that they're kept for the inheritance to come was by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Peter was expecting the coming of the Lord even then, and how much more we should be now. But I think of this, you know, in connection with day by day.
Do we realize in how weak we are in ourselves and we need the sustaining grace of God day by day in our lives for all the decisions that come along in our lives, we are kept by the power of God. Well, may the Lord give us to that. That power is available to us. Do not seek to make our own direction, our own way through life, but to lean on Him and to trust Him for our power.
00:15:17
So as you say, salvation is looked at as the end of the past done in this.
Verse you, you agree with that and then maybe, uh, looking at verse nine, that's a present, the salvation of our souls. One may be the end of the path.
That we're waiting for.
One will be, uh, our bodies bodily will be redeemed and uh, caught up out of this scene, but the other is what we have presently, the salvation of our souls.
Salvation is looked upon in three ways, isn't it? It's in the past census.
9.
Salvation of our souls, We have that now. We possess it, we enjoy it as a result of the work of Christ. Umm, that was the end of our faith. We laid hold upon the work of Christ, the person of Christ. We repented and received salvation of our souls. We have that, we enjoy it. There's no progress in that.
But then there is salvation, as David has mentioned in the, uh, in the ongoing, uh, present, uh, context where the Lord is, uh, living for us at God's right hand, interceding for us, saved by his life. That has no reference to the life of Christ down here. Some people make a mistake there. It has reference to His life at the right hand of God at the present moment where He is interceding for us every hour of every day.
Seeing us through the many difficulties and trials of the wilderness, we are saved day by day as we depend upon Him, saved from from falling Him, saved from, umm, from pitfalls, as we depend upon Him. We need that, that ongoing salvation every day of our lives. But the salvation is spoken of here in our, uh, verse unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, as our brothers Steve has mentioned.
Is the consummation. It's the the end. We don't have this salvation yet because we are still connected with this groaning creation by our bodies of humiliation. We are not saved. There's things and that that are suffering in the body, many of them amongst us as we get older. As our brother Gordon used to say, not only does our hard call out for the Lord, but our flesh does do but here.
It's going to be salvation.
Of the body in the full sense of the word. I think if we turn to Roman, he said, 13. I said we have the same thoughts, A woman's 13.
And the umm.
The 11Th verse that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, where now it's our salvation nearer than when we believe. That is the, uh, the future aspect of salvation. Salvation of the body, soul and spirit. We don't have the salvation of our body yet. We're still connected with this groaning creation. We still have an old nature.
Into, uh, are well aware of, uh, there's two things we will not have in the glory. One, we won't have this whole nature that causes us so much difficulty now because we sometimes don't judge it. And we won't have this body of humiliation always humbling us because we're going to have a body of glory just like Christ in that day.
Could we connect it up with the chapter 8 of Romans or?
And the first time 22.
And not only they, but ourselves, uh well, verse 22 but we know that the whole creation growing from travelling together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first preacher of the spirit, even we ourselves thrown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to lift the exemption of the body.
00:20:05
Yeah, that's the same software, so.
First fire that says kept by the power of God. And I think for myself for a long time I quoted that verse for my own comfort and that times to others, but I didn't keep reading.
You know, we're kept by the power of God, but that's not all that it says. That tells us how we're kept by the power of God. What does God use to keep us by his power? And it says through faith, through faith, by setting our faith on its proper objects.
Were kept by the power of God. That's the means that He uses to keep us keeping our faith occupied with its proper objects, which is Christ. Our hopes in Christ, our spiritual blessings.
Our heavenly calling and so on. And so he's turning the sight of the Saints away, as was mentioned already, from earthly hopes, from earthly objects to what was theirs truly and properly, and that they're going to be kept by the power of God. It was going to be through focusing their faith in a very practical way on its proper options.
Which is done through the Word of God.
I like that verse. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And we have the Spirit of God indwelling us as we know as believers.
And one of the.
One of the things the Spirit of God does is to occupy us with with the word itself. And so as far as let's see if I can put it this way, that's the natural.
The natural, uh, thing that's the spirit of God wants to do with us in our in our new life, in that new life that you've given us to occupy us with the word Jesus. It's when we allow.
The organization, the old, uh, the, the old self to to uh.
They occupied with other things around us that the Spirit hinders. The Spirit of God occupying us with the Lord Jesus Himself in our new way.
I find these comments illuminating.
Could I ask some of your scholars the meaning of in verse 15?
Be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
What do I have to go to bed? Holy.
I think that we connected to the previous verse.
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
When you see a child with his father, what does he try to do?
Does he not try to imitate his father? It's lovely to watch, you know, you see them. Maybe a father will even be chopping wood and the, and the, and the child will try to do the same with a little toy or something like that. Is he has the he has the nature of his father and he seeks to do what is what his father does. And so here we have been brought into the family of God.
And as obedient children, why we have a Father in heaven? And what is it that, umm, that with that very nature that he has given us that we want to do with that very nature. It is the nature that responds to what we already have from him. And so be holy as I am holy. And as I look at the Lord Jesus and I and I have my eye on him and my life, I'm going to want to follow him and be holy as he is holy. That's the thought I've enjoyed in connection with these verses.
There's nothing like having our eye and the Lord in our life, is there?
We don't follow holiness in order to obtain it, but because we have a nature that is holy, we're holy and without blame before God in love. And now, uh, if that new nature, which is a holy nature, in fact, we're uh, we're addressed in the Hebrews chapter 3.
00:25:15
As the chapter 3.
Wherefore holy brethren and savers of the heavenly callings, and so on, we are addressed in that position as holy brethren.
Foley and without blame before God and love is our standing, our position now? Are we manifesting that?
Umm, are we, uh, displaying? We follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord because we have a holy nature.
But of course it's going to require obedience.
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts and your ignorance, Chapter 2 and verse 11, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lust, which war against your soul. So there's got to be an exercise to deny ourselves.
Those things that.
Emanate from the old nature which we all have, and we know what is the snare to us. It may be different in in each one of us, but that which?
Militates against holiness. We need to, uh, exercise to, umm, to put those to keep the old nature in the place of death where the cross of Christ has put it.
Mr. Lundin had an expression. He said it was a question of substitution in the vessel.
We have the old nature and we have the new nature. If any man be in Christ, he is a new Creator. But we have the old nature there too. And so the exercise, the admonition is.
To feed the new nature and not the old nature and the world is Satan has designed it in such a way.
As to attract the hearts and minds of believers as well as unbelievers and the exercise of Peter here is to bring the Saints to enjoy the presence of God and be ye holy as I am holy. How can I do it? By being occupied with Christ to feed on the word of God, to be separate from the world. Oh, it is, it is it is so vital to have these fundamental.
Things brought before us in our lives, isn't it?
Adding to that, brother, what happens when faith has its proper objects? And we're really enjoying in our souls the Lord in a real way, and we're really feeding on the Word and we're really getting fed, and we're really enjoying fellowship with our brethren and going on with the Lord. And something wicked comes in. What happens? We hate it. We hate it because it's spoiling what's good.
Don't want it to come anywhere here because it's spoiling the enjoyment of what it should. And so holiness first and foremost is the enjoyment.
And pleading to what is good and of God and a hatred of everything that would come in and spoil them. That's very good to see. We've often been reminded holiness is the abhorrence of that which is evil, but the delight and that which is good.
I, uh, quote a little verse there that's even, I think it's, uh.
And then maybe two uh, days pay holder, uh, Danny McCord, uh, 1992 just after the last break explosion, umm, coming in before the Sydney from Newland and he quoted a verse to tomorrow Morocco's umm, he was on the left side of the uh, the animal tour was right in front of me. He post his verse, two natures beat within my breast. One is cursed, the other is blessed.
One I adore, the other I hate, but the one I feed will dominate. So we can end up being not used of the Lord by the end of our lives. If we're not walking according to the light, we can never ever walk in darkness because we grew one's darkness and we're walking darkness. But now?
00:30:02
We can never walk in darkness, but we can walk not according to the light which is.
Very destructive to ourselves and to everyone around us that we have contact with.
1St that was quoted earlier is is key. I believe that faith how much by hearing hearing by the word of God.
That's how we grow, lingers.
Mean somebody believers sometimes that they just they don't grow very much in their souls and and if they're not reading and they're not getting the truth and then they can easily be blown a bug by every with a doctor or whatever might come along but we need the word of God you have to read it take time we have to rob time for something else but it's important to take time and.
Then the Lord gives us credit for our walk. If we walk well, if we walk bad, we have to take blame for it. But, uh, as we see in relations that, that who we should be given the credit to is a, is a spirit and the Lord Lord himself and, uh, in a relationship by.
In verse 16 it says then I say then walk in the spirits and shall not fulfill a lot of place. The Holy Spirit always guides us in the truth.
The word of God always your excess in the right path and and that leads to today and tell us here that the conflict that we have in the 17th verse. The flash blocks against the spirits, the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one to the other so that you cannot do the things that you would.
And so you see that the Holy Spirit keeps us reading here about being account for the power of God.
We direct our lives, let the Lord lead. Holy Spirit keeps us from things that we would that the flesh would would do. We give it the opportunity. We know that every time we give twice the opportunity to hack God in opposition to God.
And so.
We have this conflict, but we have the answer for it.
And I was just thinking too, uh, we have, uh, three enemies, uh, the world.
In judges reading, I, I believe in Chapter 9 there, umm, maybe, uh, the Malachites, umm, well, the Midianites, that's the world and that means uh, MIDI nights. I think we strike instead, umm, then you have the Malachite sets of flesh and uh, umm.
Then you have failed, unless Satan and, uh, fail them. What he did, he took the word of God and he switched it and uh, that's what he always did. And, uh, it can only go to start the audience though. So we're going to go through trials and, uh, temptations and tribulations of all different sorts and, uh, but, umm, if we keep our eye on the Lord and not just give up.
Go our own separate way. He's going to keep us.
Because we can't keep ourselves.
We're, we're so much like cheap. We just, uh.
We're so, uh, again, the flesh. That's the worst thing at all, because we don't know the flesh. Umm, it's so deceitful. It's deceitful above all things in the desperately wicked. Who can know it? Saith the Lord, and he knows.
We got a salvation mentioned at the end of that fifth verse, but it's just looking in, uh.
In Second Corinthians chapter 5, we have the expectation of that salvation.
Umm is after 5 and verse one to for we know we know that if our earthly husband is Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with him eternal into heaven.
For this we grow and earnestly desire to be focused upon. So how you think is from heaven?
If these souls are being closed before they sound naked, but we that are in this Tabernacle and grown being burdened most of that, we wouldn't be on clothes, but clothes upon that mortality might be followed up in life. This is our expectation. This is what we hope for.
00:35:10
Oh.
Maybe we should try to go on a little bit here.
6th and 7th versus wherein ye greatly rejoice. So now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptation, at the trial of your faith, being much more precious than a goal to parish it, though it be tried with fire, might be found under praise and honor and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
What do we learn from these versions?
Well, we have been very sick here. Uh, we rejoice in this great salvation, but, uh, we're still in the wilderness. Uh, we're still in a land of trial, a temptation.
Difficulties. There's testing. God never gives faith, but what he tests it. And, uh, there's a need to be for these trials that, uh, I may be passing through and needs be on my part.
But a purpose of love on God's part.
He, uh, watches over the gold, so to speak, until he sees his reflection there. And this heaviness spoken of here is not that, uh, that dull state of soul that I may be in because I'm out of communion with the Lord. That's, uh, often the case with me. But, uh, having us here is pressure that I'm, that I'm going through in the pathway of faith. We all have these, these times when we're under pressure.
And, uh, sometimes we're, we're right against the wall. We don't know which way to turn.
Umm, and uh, it's, it's a, it's a manifold of temptation here. You could, you could put the word trial in here.
Uh, it, it may not be because of any evil, but it's a testing that God allows in our lives for our good. We don't like it. If I said maybe we'd be exercised. Why the Lord has allowed that in my life.
Umm, part of the education of the believer. It's part of the, uh, the child training. We all go through it if need be. We are in heaviness with manifold temptation or trial, but uh, we're going to see that trial in a different light in that coming day. Uh, it will be found them to praise and honor and glory. The appearing of Jesus Christ that does authorize speak.
If you do have a different oh, I think that's great.
Just think of a connection with this, uh, scattered, uh, little remnant of Jewish believers that they have been. They were not only persecuted by the Gentiles, but they were persecuted by their own brethren. And they, we read in Hebrews had, uh, even taken joyfully the spoiling of their own goods. They really lost everything and.
It was not an easy, uh, path that they had.
Well, I was just thinking too, but David, the.
In Psalm 119 it's uh.
So beautiful to see, uh, how David learned, uh, most inflictions of the Lord. And that would be trials and temptations and, uh, all these things that seem to be against us at times, but we have to realize that Romans 828 will prevail.
And we know that all things work together for business to them of God. And verse 67 in Psalm 119.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept I word and uh, verse 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might run my statutes, growing the race knowledge of Lord. Verse 75 I know Lord, that digestions are right, and that thou and faithfulness has afflicted me.
And uh, verse 95 so that's by law has been my delights. I should have been I should have then have perished in my affliction. And then verse 107 I am afflicted very much quick in the old Lord, according to thy word. And then we even.
00:40:00
Group 114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield, I hope in my word.
So there's a little progression there, you know, you have to be a flicker. What else we're looking to, no.
I think if we, uh, we're honest with ourselves, I know for myself that, and when everything seems to be going well and, and right the way I'd like it to go, umm, we can very quickly forget that the word, uh, that, that we need to trust the word and that he could make everything go right for us. He has that power, but he knows that if he did that, I would forget of it.
Fact that I need to depend on and so I believe he sends these trials that John has been talking about. And like John says, sometimes you just you're at the end of end of it and you don't know which way to turn and what what to do about something and you just have to cry out to the word. And I believe that's why he sends them allows them is to is to make us cry out to be at the end of our roof, so to speak in the crier and ask for for his direction and his his will to be done in that situation.
God always knows what he requires.
You can conform us to the image of his son in every situation.
And sometimes that's a wonderful thought and occasionally we think of that in a very selfish way. But I've often thought of that need to be in the relation to those around us. How do they view us as we go through these trials? What, what, what the testimony? Are we the saving grace of God and the work of God in our lives as others watch us go through trial. Those of us who have to work with others or, or, uh, at school and things, their eyes are on us constantly. So watch us in the good and the bad.
And it's the God that we worship is the God that we say he is and how he acts and how we act towards him. And it's a wonderful witness in the testimony when we can go through these trials. And, and thankfully we have such a God who cares for us in such a way that he does all things for his glory and for his honor and his praise and for our good. And so we really don't have to worry in that sense. Umm, but we don't need to get caught up in our, ourselves in that way. Sometimes we do, but it's important to realize that others are watching us.
An older brother used to tell me, uh, in relation to this, we, we read in the scriptures many times how the word of God is, is pure as refined silver. And that term is used in Malachi, I believe also about the aspect of refining things.
But he once spoke to me. He said God only tried gold.
God only tried souls in your life and mine.
He only brings out what he himself has placed there in the first place.
And that's what sometimes these trials we go through. The Lord is trying to show us, I believe, what He has placed in US. What a wonderful heritage, what a wonderful life we have, being guided by the Spirit, being indwelt by the Spirit. And yet we always take advantage of that. Are we always conscious of it? They're knowledgeable of the wonder of God within us as we walk through this world. I know I am not always constantly aware of that. So sometimes these trials, I believe, are those that bring that out, that show us what a wonderful and marvelous God we have who is on our side in all things.
And others that watch us, the witness and testimony that we have as we go through these trials, it's amazing to see how things can change in the way that they look at us, as they see us walk in obedience, independence upon him.
That really comes back to, uh, what David was saying this morning. I bet it's letting our light shine. It's part of that.
My neighbor My neighbor sees me.
Coming out the door in the morning with a long face and and complaining about whatever I might be upset about through him. Umm, he's not gonna be very impressed with my with what I've told him before the testing award.
In Matthew 19, umm to say a couple of scriptures, both I think the same Matthew 19 and March 20, but Matthew 19.
And verse 27.
And answered Peter, and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and follow thee, what shall we have therefore? I just was thinking of that connection with these Jewish believers, and forsaken all to follow Christ and Saint Peter. What shall we have? Therefore He had those earthly hopes and expectations, and then the I like how the answer comes in Mark 10 to the same account.
00:45:17
Umm.
Verse 28 of Mark 10 Peter began to say Pimlow we have left all and followed thee in Jesus.
Answered and said, Verily, I send you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife.
Our children are lands for my sake from the Gospels that he shall receive in hundredfold now and this time houses and brothers and sisters and mother and children and lands with persecutions and in the world to come eternal life. And so we have, as believers come into a multitude of brothers and sisters, heavenly mothers and fathers and the Lord homes where we're welcome and.
We thank the Lord for that even in this time, but the Lord adds here in, in mark with persecution and little did, uh, Peter probably understand really at that time. But if you turn over to, uh, second Corinthians.
And uh.
Chapter 6, the apostle Paul speaks of the apostles portion for those 12 disciples became and they're called apostles, uh, Second Corinthians.
Chapter 6.
I have the wrong chapter.
Umm, I'm just thinking about portion where fossil says he's counted up the fossils as last.
This can be important First Corinthians 4.
Action.
No, I'm not. Well, I have to see. Yes, thank you.
But I Verse 9 For I think that God has set forth us, the apostles last, as it were, appointed to death. For we are made a spectacle under the world, and to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake. If you're wise in Christ, we are weak, but ye are strong, ye are honorable, but we are just fine even under this present hour. We both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place and labor, working with their own hands, being reviled, blessed, being persecuted, we suffer it.
Being defamed, we entreat, we are made as the filth of the world, and are the off scouring of all things under this day. Think of Peterson, Lord, we forsaken all. What shall we have? Therefore, here's what they have. Here's the portion that was there, and I'll turn over to revelation.
End of Revelation.
Scheduled for 21.
Verse 14.
And the wall of the city had 12 foundations.
And then, then the name of the 12 apostles of the land, what shall we have there in the world to come and turn light? He directs Peter and says Peter, yes, there's blessings here attended upon a Christian path even now, but your portion is in the world to come. And though they were the off scouring of the world, and that was the persecutions that they suffered in their portion here, yet in that heavenly city, its foundation.
And its foundations are engraved in names of those 12 apostles that were so cast out. It's just kind of an encouragement to me in connection with, uh, the thoughts that we have in this portion of first Peter, that the trial of our faith is more precious than gold wine because it glorifies God. It takes God in his word. It believes God glorifies him, and it shouldn't be found to praise.
Honor and glory? Whose praise? Whose honor? Whose glory?
His, his glory finds him. It's even more precious than gold, because it glorifies him. And fill those apostles went on, and they did glorify the Lord and their lives down here, and almost every one of them sealed that testimony with their own blood.
00:50:18
But we're gonna see their names engraved. Though it's symbolic, I realize that in that coming day, there's gonna be a place of honor that they have with the Lord.
Probably refers back to the time that the three Hebrew servants.
Uh, Shedrug, Meshach and Abednego were put into the fiery furnace. That was certainly a trial with fire. You know, it's sometimes been said that, uh, when we get to glory and speak with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and say, what was the most wonderful time in your experience down here? I think they're going to say the time that we were in the fiery furnace.
Why? Because there the Lord walked with us. We had that wonderful communion with the Son of God right in the midst of the fire.
So these trials that we go through, they're not easy for us to bear, but to God is the purpose of blessing in in them we need to have the shield of faith erected because in times of trial like this, Satan comes in times of weakness of body and suffering, Satan makes a special attack upon you. In times of discouragement. That's the most dangerous time for the believer discouragement. That's a weapon that.
Satan wields very successfully and we don't have our eyes on the Lord at that time and we don't have the shield of faith erected. Those doubts are going to come in doubting the goodness that is in the heart of God. All our failures springs from that doubting the goodness that is in the heart of God. And when those wiry darts gain an entrance into our souls, it's very sad. We, we become very discouraged. We're we're good for nothing, you might say.
It can't be a testimony for the Lord, but let us see the hand of the Lord in these, in these trials. It's for our blessing, for his glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Again, I say we're going to see that trial in a different light when we are at the judgment seat of Christ.
Jove Jove chapter one I don't know anyone that I know in the word of God or went through a worship child and than Joe did and if you say in trials.
The Lord is the one that gets glorified in the trials and look in the first chapter Job and.
The 20th 1St these things came the bottom it says you all the walls around your head and fell down upon the ground and worship.
They said they just came out of my mother cream to make it. I shall return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord had taken away wasn't be the name of the Lord and all of this shows and not are charged God foolishly.
So he and Joe's trial all the way through, he didn't like who was charging against God. He didn't understand some of the things he was going through, but he took it from the Lord and.
He never, he never was ever charged God in a foolish way.
Trial remember Jacobin, he wouldn't believe that Joseph was alive, you know, and he wouldn't believe until he saw the camels coming laden with the, with food and everything, you know, and provisions and, uh, I was also thinking of, uh.
Uh, Isaiah chapter 43 and it's, uh, I disconnected back with chapter here the following the faith, uh, there's so much images, uh, whole way of a believer and, uh.
And then there's, uh, in these two verses, 3 verses here. Well, the two first verses, uh, but now if I stay at the board as I created the, uh, both make it. And he that formed me, and he's shaking his in the image of his Son. O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. John 17 There all thine are mine.
00:55:13
And uh, Jacob means the planter and deceiver and, uh.
We all in our own nature through supplanters and receivers, but you have that new nature that cannot stand. And that's the that's, that's Israel. Israel means Prince. And so the Lord had called him. I have called thee by thy name. And then verse two, when thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overfloe thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kill upon thee.
Emperor 3 is so lovely, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. Jehovah the Savior is the name of Jesus. It means Jehovah the Savior, you know so.
We can't lose. You know, I've often thought, Bill, of those two verses there together and that 43rd by Isaiah. It seems to me you read them together and you say to yourself, why is it that the second verse follows the first verse? What is the connection between them? Because it's such a nice thought in the first verse where where God is saying I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, Thou art mine and would love to be occupied with that.
But why does it immediately fall? The second verse immediately follows when it says, When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee it.
Seems to me that God is saying in those verses is really necessary for you to take and have the trials in your life to keep you near me and I'm going to do it, but you can count on my presence as you go through the trial and I I really I really feel today that you know we hear we have prayer meetings in our home assemblies that I think each of us can say and we.
Different things come up from time to time.
And there are Saints of God that are passing through things like have, uh, are a surprise to us even. And sometimes ones lose their jobs. Sometimes you lose your friend. If something happens that God has allowed in your life and it and at least a question mark sometimes and you wonder, how can I ever take and rise above it? Well, here we have this verse here that tells us about the trial of your faith.
If I lost my my job, well, uh, is the Lord able?
Umm, it, it, it, it turns us back on the Lord himself, doesn't it? And so, uh, and we need to sustain each other in prayer as, uh, we go through these trials that the Lord would preserve those who are passing through these deep waters, like our brother said about not being discouraged about keep on keeping on to keep on.
I remember going to university down in London ON and there was a brother there in the meeting, Mr. Finlayder, and he used to say, David, it's a great thing to continue. And that was a word that Paul said to Timothy to keep on when we go through trial, because the Lord is there. He doesn't give up on his people. I think that's the thought in in Deuteronomy where it says Moses said at the end of his life when he surveyed 40 years after the wilderness.
He said yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in his hand.
That state that is spoken up in verse 7.
Umm, the trial of our faith. But that face is given by by to us, by God.
We we all have access to it, so we're trusting in the Lord Jesus as our Savior. We have access to it. Ephesians 2 tells us that university knows so well that your stay through faith and not not of yourselves. That is the gift of God. So we have that. We have that faith. The question is, are we, are we relying on it and using it like said rock, Meshach and Abednego.
01:00:05
They were, they had faith, they were using the basic I was given them. They, they said we, umm, our God is able and he will deliver us. And if not, we still won't, uh, bow down. They had, they were using that faith and so was Joe.
Faces is something that's available to all of us. What?
I was just thinking of Jacob again, you know, uh, at the end of his life, he said all these things are against me.
But, you know, that's the way it is with the believer, uh, that old Jacob nature, uh, uh.
Might call it we say all of these things are all against me. You know why that's happening, but we should just turn to the word of God, even in our head and say, well, this is working over blessing. I don't understand it now, but I'm just going to accept it from the Lord and take it. And then the blessing comes when we learn to take it from the Lord. It's just that's the way it is and.
You know Jacob.
You often see the Lord refers to Miss Jacob Israel, Jacob Israel, Jacob Israel.
And every time he's referred to Jacob, it's always something, something there that the Lord has to shown, you know, so, and it's exactly the same with us. And look, I want to say this with with so many young people here and children, I wouldn't want to be young in this day and age in this world that we're living in, that we're living, living just in that last few moments before the Lord comes and takes us out of this world. And we're waiting here for the Son of God to come from heaven and change our vile bodies and the likeness of his glorious bodies.
And for the young ones in school?
It must be awful the same age, but just remember the Lord is with you. He's with you and never leave you, never forsake you and all of us. We all have to get ahold of that in our souls. And these trials are for blessing and not for cursing.
We don't always see the reason for a trial down here. We don't always have that result in our souls. I'm sure there's many things in each one of our lives which we don't understand to this moment, but it will be all revealed in the glory. The Lord was too wise to err and too good to be unkind. And.
The Queen of Sheba, he had a lot of hard questions that she proposed to, uh, solve it. Remember the passage?
A lot of things that she couldn't understand.
That looks on to the resurrection.
We, uh. Solomon answered all her hard questions. She went away satisfied and, uh.
Uh, happy in her soul. Well, we are called to humble ourselves under the mighty hands of God. Here we have things to learn in these trials. And if we humble ourselves.
God can bring blessing out of what seems to be umm.
Uh, something, uh.
Disastrous or something that seems so difficult to bear. We're going to see it all at the judgment seat of Christ that God had a purpose of blessing in it. But I think that verse in our very official here is is important in chapter 5. Humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God. Verse six that he may exalt you in due time.
We don't do that. We're not going to be able to cast our care upon the Lord. First of all, it's the humbling ourselves. Self judgment is necessary in each one of our lives.
Peter had to learn that, didn't he?
It was brought low by the Lord, and then he was used to the Lord.
I think that he often refers to his fall, I think.
Perhaps not implicitly, but to, he does refer in, I think, a different, uh, packages to the fact that he had, he had not been kept. Uh, we know that, uh, he denied the Lord three times with Olson curses, but the Lord restored him. We're, we're not told, umm, what actually happened in that interview between the Lord and Peter.
01:05:15
The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared unto Peter that private.
Restoration, and I think we all need this in our own experience, we're not told what happened there.
But, uh, that whole, uh.
Situation was gone into by the Lord in perfect wisdom. And uh, we do hear about Peter's public restoration, but before there's a public restoration, if I have failed, there must be a private restoration between the Lord and my soul. That's, that's what happened in the life of Peter. And I think he often refers to it into the epistle, uh.
Umm, various passages that you could, you could say are uh, a throwback to that, uh, reference back to the time when he he did. He was not kept because of self-confidence, which is probably the cause of most of our failure.
Encourage and burst there in Revelation where it says God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Uh, Pierce, failure and denial, denial of the Lord. Uh, Sam, always weak veteran with many tears, but God in his grace uses these trials for ultimate blessing, doesn't it? Days coming when a white bulb tears shore eyes.
So those trials God allows and brings into our lives for a purpose.
And another one said, uh.
Would be a sad thing if there was no tears for him to wipe away in our life.
Call.
Even when you could sing 32 in the appendix.
32 and the appendix.
And.
When God will pray. No hope you've been here. I'm getting round where you're working with your side space.
I saw God's waking, waking man, first son together. Remember what happened.
Our father will know behind him.
Two Parentheses
Address—Steve 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.
Maybe we could start with?
Him #310 to him. We don't too often think so.
That's all of it. Not really what I have on my heart this afternoon, but perhaps a nice opportunity to send this again. 310 we.
Father ho have had so blessed of blessing where my son is transformed.
And.
On the earth when they do shallow rain.
Look to the Lord and ask His help.
Our God and our Father, we look to Thee this afternoon with thankful hearts for what Thou hast given to us from Thy precious word thus far this day. And we pray now that this hour might be a profitable time for our souls. Now loans can make it so for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we commit this time to Thee might be clearness and taking up Thy precious truth, and that it might be for our prophet and blessing. So we.
Do thank thee as we, uh, have thy word before us.
For the liberties that we enjoy in this way, we thank Thee. For the hope that is ours and the soon return of our Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for the spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus. And so we commit ourselves to Thee now and the precious and worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
We turn to second Peter.
Chapter 3.
Our purpose is to illustrate, and it will only be in a brief way, 2 parentheses in the Word of God, but two very important parentheses and two parentheses that are early brethren that the Spirit of God used to recover the truth of God lost to the Church for so many years were unfolded to them.
Mr. Darby, the time that he was laid up and I'll after being thrown from a horse.
And reading the word of God, came to that portion in Isaiah, Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and Princess shall rule in judgment. And he said, I saw there was an economy of God that this world had never yet seen.
And that was yet to come. And it was that, uh, opening of the Scripture by the Spirit of God to him that led him to see, uh, prophetic truth in the way that we enjoy and know it today.
And that coming dispensation administration is a millennial Kingdom. It's yet to come. It's literal, it's real, it's not figurative, it's not something to spiritualize away from the Word of God into the church's blessings, but it's Israel's fortune in the coming day and our Lord Jesus Christ. Portion 4. The Scripture says in First Corinthians 15, he.
00:05:18
Must.
Ring.
He must re.
Our brethren came out of a time where they felt the Scriptures that spoke of the Millennium and the Kingdom were present application to the, uh, uh, authority of Christ in our hearts. We know we do belong to the Kingdom of God in that way, but they did not see any more than that.
And what an unfolding of the Word of God came from our early brethren in this way. Well, I want to see these two parentheses to help us get a little outline of things that are being fast given up among our dear brethren in the camp, sad to say. And I'd like to start with second Peter 3, Second Peter three. There are three worlds that are given to us. And on the chart here we see the three, one on each end and one down at the bottom. And let's look at those verses.
Second Peter 3.
Verse 6, Whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. That's one world, the world before the flood. But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Then dropping down to verse 13, nevertheless we according to his promise.
Look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
There are two worlds, one that is yet to come, or two words, if we could put it that way. One that is passed off this scene, it was wiped out by a flood.
The dispensations, the great administrations of God unfold in the present world that we're in today. Sometimes we refer to, uh, Adam and Eve and innocence in the garden as a dispensation. Our man left to his own conscience as a dispensation, and we know what we're talking about. We see the distinction in those two things.
But a dispensation, very properly speaking, is an ordered dealing of God with man and this earth. And man left to himself his own conscience is hardly an order dealing of God with man on the earth.
And so the dispensation, that order dealing of God with man on the earth really began on the other side of the flood.
But conventionally speaking, we speak of innocence and conscience as a dispensation. That's fine. I think we understand what we mean when we see those distinctions.
Dispensation comes from a Greek word. 2 Greek words combined together oikos nomia, and I don't know how to pronounce it properly. I'm not a Greek scholar. One means house.
Know me at law, The laws of a house, The reordering of a household oysters. No Mia comes across an English economy.
Economy or administration?
As the ordering of a of a house and God's first order dealing with man on our chart was the institution of government in this present world, let's turn back to Genesis.
We're going to just very briefly go through.
Umm, a few of these.
Let's look at what the Lord said to Noah when he exited the ark.
I've stepped on to that new earth.
Chapter 8.
Verse 21 This is in connection with Noah's offerings. And the Lord smelled his sweet savour, and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.
God states of principle upon which He is going to take up man now in this present world, He.
Is evil pharmaceutical?
Now we come to Chapter 9.
And let's drop down to.
00:10:00
Verse 6.
USO shedeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God made ye man.
NOAA, you are responsible to restrain man because he's only evil from his youth. And I'm not going to just let him go like I did before the flood. I'm not going to allow the world to descend into violence and corruption in the way it did before the flood. And he institutes a principle based on the fact that man is evil from his youth. He says he needs to be restrained.
And Paul says of government in this world, they bear not the sword in vain.
And man's evil is restrained through that dispensation, that administration of government in this world, first given in principle to Noah.
Now we know in the chapters that follow what happens. God tells Noah to spread out in the earth and families to be fruitful and multiply. And we come to the 11Th chapter of Genesis, and in defiance of God, man says, lest we be scattered, let's build a tower. Let's make us a name, a tower to reach right up to heaven. And don't think that they were trying to reach into heaven where God is.
These are intelligent men and think they could build a stack of bricks that got so high they could step into heaven. They didn't want anything to do with God. That was the tower of their own pride, to reach as high as they could to make themselves a name. And that is where the idolatries of this world began, with that tower. And I believe that tower had significance in its steps higher and higher of ascending, trying to get back.
Through the paradise that man had lost, through the fall. It was an occult heaven that he was trying to reach into, and idolatry spread out from there. God came down and he saw what man was doing, and he divided them through their languages. Now let's just hold our place there and turn to a verse in Deuteronomy.
Because though sin was the occasion for the dividing of man.
In this world, God had a purpose.
In it.
Uh, Deuteronomy 32.
And verse 8.
When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance. When he separated the sons of Adam at the Tower of Babel.
Through language.
We separated the sons of Adam. Intonations, really.
He set the bounds of the people, those sons of Adam, that he divided according to the number of the children of Israel.
God, even though similar to the occasion purpose to divide man into nations.
With one nation particularly in mind, and that was Israel. And he set the place in this world for every one of those divided peoples.
Mr. Darby says some of those nations overran their bounds in the Canaanite families of the earth seized the jewel of the Orient land of Canaan. It belonged to Israel. Eventually they were driven out. So God had a purpose in mind when he divided into those nations. Now God had instituted families.
We know marriage is from him, and we see that he instituted nations as well, even though sin was the occasion.
And he takes up that principle given to no end government now and nations.
And nations.
I always come to Genesis 12.
Now the Lord has said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house into a land, that I will show thee, and.
I will make the great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great. Thou shalt be a blessing. A new principle is introduced.
Into this world.
00:15:00
Because those institutions of God, both family, kindred and nation.
Have become affected by idolatry and sin. And if a new principle was not introduced, man would be bound to what God had instituted. God instituted it. I'm bound to stay with, stick with my family. It's of God, even though evil has come in, but he introduces a higher principle calling and he calls Abram the 1St man who's called out of family, kindred, father's house and nation.
Because.
Without that higher principle introduced a greater claim upon his soul, he would have been bound to go on with those institutions of God that had fallen into evil. But what about you and I?
Let's look over.
At first, Peter. Excuse me. Second Peter again.
Second Peter, chapter one.
And verse three, according as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us not to, but by glory and virtue. And Stephen said, in the 7th of Acts, the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was yet in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt inherent, and said, Get thee out.
And the God of glory.
As appeared to YouTube and he's called you and he said get out, get out.
They're the higher claim on your soul and mind than the very institutions of God in this world of family.
And nation.
The call of God.
And attended upon that call are promises.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding or the best.
And precious products and promises were given to Abram to.
Promises are given to you, so a new principle is introduced, calling the call of God.
Now let's turn to a verse in Jose. We're going rapidly through these to get to where I'd like to.
Come pardon me if it seems a little quick. Hosea. Let's turn to Hosea.
Any one of these things could be so profitably dwelt upon.
Cevea 11.
First one.
When Israel was a child.
Then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt.
Now these two principles are going to be brought together, and the first one we see here is calling. Now it's not an individual, it's not Abram, nor is it his immediate family. Abraham dwelled in tents with the heirs of promise, Jacob and Isaac. But it extends to a whole nation, Israel, out of the Egypt Have I called my son? Now let's turn over to a very remarkable verse. These verses are on our chart, but First Chronicles.
Very last chapter 29.
A very remarkable.
First First Chronicles 29, verse 23.
God having established the Kingdom in David's hands, it's given to Solomon a picture of Christ in his millennial reign, and it says that Solomon here in verse 23. Then Solomon said on the throne of Jehovah or the Lord, as we agreed in King James the throne of Jehovah. And where was that thrown? It was in Jerusalem doesn't say the throne of David.
His father says the throne of the Lord.
And so combined in this called nation, in this nation, are the principle of calling.
And government and this called nation became God's center of government in this world.
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And they will be again.
In this time of the administration of the fullness of times.
What's the difference?
Here.
It was government and calling under the testing of the law.
Here it is, government and calling, headed up and taken up in Christ.
Thanks a lot.
Well, what happened to this favored nation?
Turn over to the next book, Second Chronicles, the last chapter.
Verse 14, Chapter 36. Moreover, all the chief of the priests of the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the House of the Lord, which He had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up the times and sending, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people.
Till there was no remedy. And he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with a sword in the House of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on the young man or maiden, old man or him that's due for age, and gave them all into it.
Let's turn over now to Isaiah.
And let's look at chapters at six, I believe.
As well.
Excuse me? Chapter 5.
Our time is going.
Now I will sing to my well beloved song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My beloved has the vineyard and a very fruitful hilly fenced it. He gathered out the stones thereof. He planted it with the choice of mine, built a tower in the midst of it, also made a winepress there. And he looked that it should bring forth grapes and have brought forth wild grapes.
And he says in the next verse of verse six, I will lay it waste. Verse 7, the vineyard of the Lord, of hosts of the House of Israel, and the men of Judah, His pleasant plant. He looked for judgment, but behold oppression for righteousness, but behold a cry.
This is the key that we didn't read all the verses through the Old Testament. This is the key in a song.
To understanding the ways of God in the Old Testament, He took a sample of mankind, Israel. He gave them the very best they were that vineyard. He planted them in a fruitful hill, the jewel of the Orient. He drove out their enemies. He gave them His law. He gave them a perfect worship for for the first man.
And they, as we read in the end of Chronicles, transgressed to the point where he had to cast them out of that land.
In the world that was before the flood, he said the end of all flesh has come before me. And then type there at least we get the end of the first man, and he says I will destroy man whom I have made. But here in the world it now is man is tested. And really the cross was the culmination of that test. And though they were cast out of that land, in time God brought back a remnant according to his prophetic word.
That when the promised king came.
There would be those there to receive them. A promise king. Oh yes.
Believe and Repent or Perish
Gospel—Tim Roach
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.
Leaving by scene #13.
Man of sorrows.
Reading verse 3. Guilty, vile and helplessly thought.
Thoughtless Lamb of God, was he full atonement can it be? Hallelujah. What a savior. Guilty, vile and helpless Sweet.
Man of sorrow.
Don't God let him get him everywhere over 11 and say, and they're very disturbing delivery services that were created in lanes on our way.
Is there any chance?
To get on my phone.
I guess you had a word That's the Lord's health.
Our God and Father, we give thanks for your love and your care and your grace and your mercy. To us and Father we just give thanks for going to the cross to take the punishment that we deserve because of our sin. And Father, we just give thanks for the the way of salvation. We just ask that it would be presented clearly tonight and if any are here who do not yet know the Lord is their Savior, that there might be a sin of heart tonight we just ask for the work of the Spirit. Tonight in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Want to read verse Romans chapter 10 and verse 9?
I'm going to talk tonight a little bit about guilt.
And repentance.
Guilt is a terrible thing to live with.
Whether you're a believer or you're an unbeliever.
Guilt can really wear you down.
Romans 10/9 If thou shalt, confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved.
I ask you.
Have you confessed the Lord Jesus as your savior?
This verse says Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. We're going to talk tonight about how you can be saved.
But necessary for salvation is repentance, True repentance, true repentance needs you to have a humble and a broken spirit.
I want to talk about a man named Wafilastro from Karunga, Malawi.
He he was covering up the sin of a brother in uh the assembly there who had done something very bad. And he went to this brother went well, this brother went to Lazo and and and had him cover up the sin for him and this lasted for eight or ten years, this cover up and finally one night Masculoso who had turned into a drunk because he could not bear the guilt any longer, he ran over to his brother Muntali's house.
And said mentally this was at 2:00 in the morning. I can't sleep. I have guilt. I need to confess with my sin. And so he confessed to mentally the sin of covering up the sin of another man. Thank you just drove him crazy and he couldn't deal with it any longer. I went and spoke with with mafia lasso a few days later.
And he confessed what he had done to Muntali and myself. And he he thought that he was going to be saved because he confessed his sin to Brother Munkali.
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We had to tell him. No more philosophy. I just thought how you get saved. You cannot confess your sin to a man. You must confess your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mafias. So he then started to pray, and he confessed his sin to the Lord. And he had told us that I I want to I My sin is bad enough. I I'm going to have to be punished for my own sin. I don't want to have to carry the sin of another man with me.
We said you don't have to carry your own sin. The Lord Jesus died for you and he was punished for your sin. All you need to do is confess to him and believe on the Lord Jesus or mafias. So he prayed and he confessed the Lord as his Savior. The next morning the Lord say morning mafias for the first time came to the meeting and he enjoyed that meeting.
He was free from his guilt. I want to talk to you about how you can be saved. But before you can be saved, you need to be lost. Maybe you're sitting in this room, just ignoring me, looking out the door, see who's walking in. You're just your mind is not focused on the gospel, but God is focused on you tonight. He's His spirit is here tonight, and he's working in your heart. And he wants to convict you of your sin and to make you feel the guilt of your sin so that you can be saved but before you can be saved.
You must be lost. How can you be saved if you're not lost? Well, God tells us we're lost in our sins, and so we need to be lost before we can be saved. If you are struggling in your life with the guilt of your sin, you need to see your sin the way God sees your sin, so that you can.
See your need for true repentance. That's what a verse in Romans chapter 3.
Before you, the unbeliever can be saved, you must need you need to see your own sin. And Romans chapter 3 verse 23 tells us says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Oh, let's see. That means everyone of you in this room is a Sinner, and you're on your way to a lost eternity.
Don't allow Satan to distract you tonight.
Somebody may be whispering to you. Don't allow them to distract you, because Satan doesn't want you to hear the message. He wants you to be distracted so that you are dragged down into hell, the pit of hell, with Satan himself. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell was not prepared for you, nor your friends. And so listen to the gospel tonight. Your sin blocks you from coming to God, but God cannot receive you into heaven.
Your sin, God is holy. You may try to do good works. You may try to do the good things and to to.
Pay some charities and do all those sorts of things that you think will get you to heaven. But all those good things that you do and all your bad things that you do, they're both the same to God. They're filthy, dirty and disgusting to God. Sin cannot come into his presence. You need to see your sin the way God sees your sin. I want to give it a little example of a man who did not see his sin.
In the United States.
Financial system is a little different than you have in Canada. But this man Peter in America, he bought a house for his family and he was able to get a mortgage without paying any money down and he was able to get it at a low interest but without having to be able to get them with having a no money down mortgage and a low interest. Then he was able to buy the house, otherwise he couldn't afford it. And then after a while Peter got a raise at his job and so he was able to get a loan for a car.
After that the credit card company saw that Peter was establishing credit and they started to send him advertisements for credit cards and so he applied for several and he got several credit cards and he found that this was pretty easy money and so he could not afford to furnish his house. But with the credit card it was easy, he could just go and pay for it and then he could just pay the minimum balance on his credit cards and he was able to buy nice furniture and and all sorts of things for his house.
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Peter started to get himself into trouble and then after a couple of years, umm, his adjustable rate mortgage came up for renewal and the interest rate went up four points and.
It was OK because his payment stayed the same, but the interest was more than his payment and so the principal started to get bigger and increased each month. And so Peter found himself in big trouble and then after the economic crash.
Has happened he owed more on his house than what his house was worth.
And it became very difficult for him to pay bills. But thank God he had a credit card. He and his family could still go on a vacation.
Let's go to 1St John, Chapter 2.
First John chapter 2 and verse 16.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life. You see, Peter was living a sinful life. He had succumbed to his lust. He had succumbed to his pride, which became his sin. But he did not know that it was sin he did not see.
His sin He did not know that he was covetous.
Now Peter could not afford to pay all his bills. Then the bank started foreclosure proceedings on his house.
His marriage. There's a lot of stress on his marriage.
But Peter still didn't think he was covetous because Peter did not see his sin the way God saw his sin. You need to see your sin the way God sees your sin. We get to you so used to sin and the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. We don't think of it as sin anymore. But we need to see sin the way God sees sin. Let's go to Second Samuel Chapter 11.
Second Samuel, Chapter 11.
Maybe there is something that's keeping you away from God.
What is it? What is keeping you away from God? What sin do you have hiding in your life? Do you see your sin?
Maybe your sin is covetousness, like Peter. Maybe it's anger, Maybe it's sexual perversion. Maybe it's selfishness or pride. What is your sin that keeps you away from God?
This story we're in our chapter here is gonna be about David. David is a man who saw his own sin, but he didn't see his sin at first. He stole another man's wife, committed adultery, but he did not see his sin at that time. Let's read verse 1-2 and three of Chapter 11 and it came to pass after the year was expired.
At the time when kings go forth to battle.
He sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. Here the armies of the Lord were out fighting the battles of the Lord. But David he was not where he should have been. He was back at home.
Still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an evening tide that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the King's house. And from the roof he saw a woman.
Washing herself? Oh.
And the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
And David sent and inquired after the woman.
And once said, it's not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Elium.
The life of Uriah, the Hittite.
This Bathsheba, she was the wife of Uriah, the Hittite. Uriah was a faithful man, and he loved the Lord, and he served the Lord, and he was fighting the Lord's battle, and that's where he wanted to be, to serve. That's how he could serve the Lord well.
He was. While he was out there, David did some calculating. He knew that Uriah was out fighting the battle, and so he knew he'd be out there for a few months. So he sent a messenger out to Bathsheba. To Bathsheba.
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Come and see me. So Bathsheba came to David. David took her into his bedroom and went to bed with Bathsheba.
Bathsheba went home.
After some weeks, or I don't know how long it was that she was sent a message back to David. David, I'm pregnant.
I'm carrying your child.
Oh, oh, now what was David gonna do?
Here he was the king.
Of Israel.
He had sinned against the Lord, but he had not did not see his sin as yet until he started to plan. He sent a message out to Joab, the captain of the army, and said, Joab, send me Uriah the Hittite. And so Uriah comes to David and David says, Uriah, you're going to have a vacation now go spend some time with your wife. You see he was manipulating the situation. He was trying to have Uriah go in so he could, he could say that the child.
Was from Uriah, but Uriah had more integrity than David and Uriah said I don't want to take a a vacation. I don't want to have a time of rest when the Lord's people are out fighting the Lord's battle. I want to go back to fight the Lord's battle and I will not go in to my wife. And So what could David do? So David started thinking and he gets out of pen and paper and he starts to write a message, a letter.
To Joab, the captain of the army, and he says put Uriah into the hottest battle right at the front, where he will be killed. I want Uriah the Hittite dead. And so he folds the letter up. He seals it up, gives it to Uriah, Uriah takes it to Joab. He gives the letter to Joab. This is from the king. And so Joab opens the letter and he reads it.
David wants Uriah today, and so Joab, he forms the army, he gets things ready, set up for battle, and he puts Uriah right at the front, and he puts them in a very dangerous position, tells him to go right up near the wall where The Archers will shoot down and kill people. And Uriah was right there in the front, and Uriah was killed and down. In verse 21, the message comes back to David, thy servant Uriah the Hittite.
Is dead.
Verse 26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when the morning was fast, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.
Let's go to chapter 12.
Some days later.
David here is knocked on the door.
There's Nathan the prophet, who is David's friend. Nathan the prophet comes to David and he has a story to tell, David a parable. And he says in verse one, the end of the verse.
There were two men in one city. The one was a rich man, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds, But the poor man had nothing save 1 little you land, which he had bought and nourished up. And he grew up together with him and with his children. It did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter this this little lamb came into the house, and they treated it like a pet.
They loved it, they cared for it. And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock. He didn't want to take his own sheep, his own land, or of his own herd. He did not want to take it, to address it for the wayfaring man that was come unto him. But he took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him. So he takes the poor man's land that was a pet to the man, the only thing the man had and.
He killed it, he prepared it, he prepared it for the meal and he fed it to the visitor.
When David heard this story, David's anger was greatly kindled against the man. And he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. So David heard this story. He became angry at that man who had.
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Stolen from that poor man. He did not see himself in the sin yet, but Nathan said to David in verse 7. To David you are the man.
You are the man. You are the one who stole the lamb from Uriah. You're the one who stole Uriah's luck, his wife.
At this point, David was shocked.
But then he realized.
He was the Sinner.
And verse 13 David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord, I have sinned. Can you say that? Can you say that I have sinned against the Lord? At that point David saw his sin, and David prayed to God, and we can read his prayer in Psalm 51.
It's gonna sound 51 and read David's prayer.
In verse 3.
David prays. I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. David knew that he had sinned, he says. I know my transgressions. My sin is ever before me. And when that sin was ever before him, the guilt of it was so pressing down on his soul. When David saw what he had done that it was sin in the eyes of God, and he could say, I have sinned against.
The Lord.
David verse verse 4.
David confessed his sin, he says. Against thee and thee only have I sinned.
And I have done what is evil in thy sight, he says. O Lord, I have sinned. I have sinned against you. I have done what was evil in your sight, and I just did it.
David could not hide from God and you and your sin. You cannot hide from God with your sin. You need to open yourself up and to see your sin. And when you can't open yourself up and see your sin. And if you do not hide anything from God, that is a big step for you towards forgiveness. Go to John, chapter one first John, chapter one.
After you see that you are a Sinner.
After you see your sin.
You need to admit it, and you need to confess your sin.
There is a young man who had a bad sickness.
And it troubled him very much.
And for a long time he was afraid to tell his family because he was ashamed of his sickness that he had.
But one day he saw that the sickness was killing him.
He was dying and so he went and he told his family.
About the sickness that he had. And so they took him to the hospital and there he uncovered all the details about his sickness to the doctor and the doctor was able to give him good medicine and he started to feel better and to gain strength. Well this is like confessing our sin.
We are ashamed of our sins. Our sin is killing us. Our sin is dragging us down to hell.
And the Lord Jesus is the one who has the right medicine for you. He has the right medicine to take away our sin. And in John first John 17, we find out what that medicine is. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanses us from every sin.
That's the cure. That's the cure for sin, The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You can take away your sin every sin.
Let's go to Hebrews 11.
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We talk about seeing our sin.
We talk about confessing our sin, and we talk about turning away from our sin.
But none of this is possible without believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. You must believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
You must have faith to be saved. Hebrews 11, verse 6.
But without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. When you come near to God, you must believe. That's what this verse says. He that comes near to God must believe that he is Jesus is God. Jesus is the Savior.
Jesus is Lord.
You must believe.
And if you believe in the Lord Jesus, he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. He will give you the gift of eternal life. He wants to save you. He doesn't want you to be punished in the eternal hell. He wants to save you. He loves you. That's why he came down into this world, to die for you. For God so loved the world. That's you. God loved you so much that he sent his only begotten Son into this world.
That you would not perish.
That you might believe on him that you might have everlasting life. And so you cannot come to God without faith in Jesus Christ. You must come to God through Jesus Christ.
You cannot come to God.
Through Muhammad, you cannot come to God. Through Buddha you cannot come to God. Through the Jehovah's Witness, you cannot come to God.
Through Mary.
Or the priest.
You can only come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Your own ideas mean nothing to God. You must come to God his way. We're told in Timothy that there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
Then the Lord Jesus himself, he says.
I am the way, the truth, the light. No man comes to the Father, but by me.
Do you believe that or are you trying man's ideas? Are you trying your own ideas? Are you trying to get to God some other way?
Your thief.
You're a thief because you're trying to get to God without Jesus Christ. You're trying to steal what is not yours, and you're not going to get it. You're not going to get it. You must come through Jesus Christ. He is Lord.
The Lord Jesus makes it possible for you to be saved by faith.
Salvation by faith is a gift from God. In Ephesians 2 verse eight it says by grace, are you saved through faith, saved through faith and then not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Salvation through faith is a gift of God. It's offered to you tonight salvation by faith. You're not going to get there by doing your good work. You're not going to get there by reading this or going out and doing some service.
You're only gonna be saved by faith in Christ. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 31.
Jeremiah 31.
Verse 34.
I will forgive their iniquity.
And I will remember their sin no more.
When you put your trust in the Lord Jesus.
He takes away your sin.
And God can do this because Jesus paid for your sins.
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross is the sacrifice for sins, and when we believe on the Lord Jesus, God washes our sins away by the blood.
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Of Jesus.
God Forgives us our sins.
He remembers our sin no more. I will forgive their iniquity. I will remember their sin no more.
Maybe you're worried about your sin.
That's good to worry about your scene.
But if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, you don't have to worry about your sin. Yes, you need to worry about dishonouring the Lord Jesus, but as far as your your eternal salvation.
You can never lose it. Yes, you can have a dis discordant relationship with God when you sin, but.
You can never lose your salvation.
Go to loop 13.
We've had the importance about believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
To be saved.
But the next thing I want to talk about is repentance, because repentance is an important part of the salvation experience. They go hand in hand, salvage or believing and repentance. And if you want to be saved, you must believe, you must repent. If you do not believe, we're told that you're damned already. We're told that the wrath of God abides on you if you do not believe. But if you do not repent, God says you will perish. You will perish.
So there must be repair or you will perish, the Lord tells his own sheep who have been saved. He says you will never perish.
But if you do not repent, God says, you will perish. Verse 13 I tell you, accept your repent, You shall all likewise perish.
So repentance is important, and part of repentance is shows evidence of salvation.
It's evidence that you are saved.
And if you have not turned away from your habits of sin.
Let me say that again. If you have not turned away from your habits of sin, you have no guarantee that you are saved.
Some people say yes, I am saved, I believe, but their life is a dishonor to God.
Let me ask you, is your life? Is there something hidden in your heart that is a dishonor to God? Is it a habit in your life? How can this be? If you think you're saved, it's because you have not repented.
The verse says I tell you, except you repent.
If you have not turned away from your sin.
You probably are not safe.
Whether a person is saved and has fallen into sin.
Or a person is not saved and is lost in their sin.
Repentance will follow pretty much the same pattern for either one, and so I'm going to look at some points of repentance, how to recognize repentance and what is involved in repentance. And so let's go to Psalm 51.
First of all, when there is Re, when there is true repentance, there will be an admission.
Of everything. Now, I don't say that you need to confess every sin you ever committed. That's not what God is saying.
But like David said here in verse 4, Psalm 51, verse four, he says I have done, I have sinned, I have done evil. He confessed it all. He didn't hide his sin. What a person holds back truth.
Or he tells you only part of the truth.
Or he makes exce excuses for his sin. Or he starts to find fault with other people or with other Christians.
He or she is not repenting.
But when a person is truly repentant?
I believe that they will confess the full extent of their sin. They won't commit. They won't confess just the part of the sin in which they got caught, but they'll express the full extent of the sin. Go to Proverbs 28.
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Uh, second point about true repentance.
Is when there is true repentance.
When there is true of repentance, a person desires.
To make a complete break from sin.
A person will wanna get away from the places where they did that sin. They will wanna get rid of the material that causes them to sin. They wanna make a complete break from the sin repentance.
Repentance is turning around on the basis of truth and going in the opposite direction, turning around on the basis of truth and going in the opposite direction and in Proverbs 28 verse 13.
He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them.
Shall have mercy.
Confess and forsake your sin.
Forsaking sin follows the confession of sin, but the confession of sin and the forsaking of sin show true repentance.
When you there's a desire to forsake this in, and a desire to get completely free from the sin.
It will be easily noticeable to others. Some people say. How will you know if I'm repentant or not?
It will be every day. There will be fruit. The Bible says by their fruit you will know them. By your actions it will tell a lot about you. Yes, we can hear what you say and maybe you say, yes, I believe I prayed. That's the Lord Jesus to come into my heart. But has there been repentance? Is there reality? Has there? Is there evidence that is easily noticeable to others that you have repented and that you have believed and that you are truly saved? Go back to Psalm 51.
And this brings us to the Third Point of true repentance.
Psalm 51 When there is true repentance.
A person is.
Their spirit is broken and.
Humble, broken, and humble.
And David says here in Psalm 51 verse 17.
He says the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.
A broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise.
Oh, that's.
To comfort. To know.
So when we embarrass ourselves?
And we come with and confess the shame that's in our heart and our guilt.
Can we tell him what the broken spirit?
That the Lord is there, He won't despise you.
His air is open to your cry when there is true repentance, I believe.
That the emotions will show brokenness and humbleness.
A person will show emotion. Now I know some people don't show much emotion. I have difficulty showing emotion.
But I've heard it said, oh, that brother, he he's not gonna. He's not gonna.
You're not gonna see evidence of repentance in him because that's just how he is, but I don't believe that's correct. I believe that a person will show emotion and that one time he will show grief about his sin. He will be humbled and have a contrite spirit, and then another time he'll be happy because his guilt has been taken away. He's been released from the burden of his sin. Lord Jesus says come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden.
And I will give you rest. Are you burdened with the guilt of your sin? The Lord Jesus wants to take it away. Are you? Are you willing to repent? Are you willing to admit your guilt? Are you willing to uncover all your sin? Are you willing to make a clean break from it? Are you willing to have a broken and a contrite heart with the truth, with true repentance?
A person he will not be defensive.
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He will not blame others. He will not get angry.
He won't be bitter or proud.
A person.
With a heart of shame.
And repentance. He doesn't make demands.
Of other Christians.
He doesn't expect to be treated in a certain way.
When a person is broken and humble and repentant, I believe they're happy.
And grateful just to be alive.
And they don't demand anything else.
Romans chapter 5.
Romans chapter 5.
In verse one.
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peace with God. Do you want to have peace? Do you want your guilt?
To be gone.
True.
True repentance, I believe, will enable a person to accept God's forgiveness.
And this is this can apply to a believer too, when you have guilt on your conscience.
True repentance will enable you to to accept God's forgiveness.
This gives us the ability to overcome guilt, and there are some sins that leave a person with tremendous guilt and that is very difficult to overcome.
Especially when the sin may be sexual sin.
Or a sin that's physically or emotionally hurt another person.
And so you need to claim God's forgiveness for yourself.
So that you won't suffer from the guilt. Our verse it says being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
There's another verse that says when we're saved, that we have been made the righteousness of God in him. A believer is righteous.
And so when your repentance is complete.
By faith you can claim that forgiveness for your own.
If you still suffer from guilt.
Perhaps your repentance is not complete.
Or maybe your faith is slow to claim.
God's forgiveness.
There's a verse that talks about baptism and it says when you baptize and you're taking on the name of Christ, it says that you can demand a good conscience.
When you are saved.
When you have confessed your sin, you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you've repented and you've confessed your sin, you've turned away from your sin.
You're justified by faith.
Justification isn't something you do.
You're justified by faith and justification.
Is having no guilt. God takes the guilt away. Yes, you've committed that sin at some point, but when he's you've confessed that sin and you've forsaken that sin, you will have mercy. And God takes that sin away. He takes the guilt away and He allows you to go on.
When you claim that forgiveness for yourself.
Giving a peace with God and.
And I believe you can have peace with yourself, and when you have, when you have true repentance.
God permits you to enjoy your justification. He permits you to enjoy your righteousness.
But if you're hiding sin in your life, you can't enjoy these blessings that we have from God. Go to Psalm 64.
00:45:23
One thing that Nathan the Prophet told his friend David.
He said that the Lord would uh, put away your sin and you shall not die. So David was not going to die at that time, but.
When there is sin, there are consequences for sin.
All sins are forgivable, but when they are confessed. And they are forgivable when they are confessed and forsaken. But some sins carry tremendous ramifications and and you may suffer.
Terrible consequences from your sin.
Those consequences can be very far reaching and you may suffer from those consequences from the for the rest of your life. And David suffered in this way until he died. And I'm sure he hated the day that he jumped into bed with Bathsheba, because to start with the child that he had with Bathsheba, he died very quickly.
Ezra that was the the baby that died as a result of his adultery with Bathsheba. And then his whole life was filled with war and conflicts and death. And the members of his family, I believe four members of his family died as a result of the death of Uriah. Remember David said he will that man should restore fourfold. Well David, I believe he restored 4 fold and he had coup attempts on his Kingdom.
He suffered many consequences for the life he lived and for his sin, and David suffered the consequences until the day of his death.
Some sins carry heavy consequences and you may be saved.
And you may.
Have no guilt.
But you may carry those consequences.
Through all David's consequences.
David was at peace with God, knowing that God had forgiven him.
He knew that he was righteous in the eyes of God, and he did not suffer. David did not suffer from guilt.
As we'll see in our verse here, because God had justified David, he had taken his guilt away and David could write in Psalm 64 and verse 10. He says the righteous shall be glad in the Lord.
That's David. He knew he was righteous. He was glad in the Lord. He didn't have any guilt on his conscience. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and they shall trust in him, and all the upright in heart shall glory.
David knew that the God of Israel had forgiven him.
He knew that God had blessed him. He experienced the grace of God. Nathan told him that he would not die at that time.
And David was allowed to go on living guilt free.
We talk about gluten free.
We talk about fat free.
Or sugar free. What about guilt free? Would you like to live guilt free?
How can you live guilt free?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Believe it's that simple. It's nothing that you have to do. You can't do lots of good works. You can't go to church. It's not going to save you. I asked many people in Malawi, how did you get saved? Oh, they said I decided to keep the commandments. A lot of good that does, because you don't want to keep the commandments for a minute or two before you fall by one of them. We can't keep a bunch of rules. God proved that to us.
And so he extends his grace and his mercy and his love. And he wants to give you the faith to believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. What do you believe?
00:50:01
What do you believe? How do you get safe?
You need to believe that you are a Sinner.
You need to believe that you're damned to a lost eternity.
Because of your sin.
Believe that Jesus Christ.
Loves you.
And Jesus is God, and he came down from heaven to become a man so that he could die on the cross because of your sin. Believe him.
That believe that Jesus.
Suffered for your single?
And that Jesus Christ died for your sins.
And that he shed his blood to wash away your sins.
And that they buried the Lord Jesus. And on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. Do you believe this?
Do you believe it with all your heart?
God hath raised him from the dead. The Bible says, thou shalt be saved.
Believe and the evidence will be the turning away from your sin.
Won't you come to Jesus?
Tonight let's sing hymn #12 just as I am without one flee. But that thy blood was shed for me and that's how Vince me come to the O Lamb of God, I come and I want to read.
Verse four also just as I am, thou wilt receive.
Will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve? Because I promise, I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Do you want pardon tonight, or do you want to live with your guilt? Do you want to be pardoned from your sin and go home tonight guilt free?
As we sing this hymn, you can tell the Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, I'm a sin.
I can't save myself, Lord, I believe, Lord, save me. Just tell the Lord You can do that just sitting in your chair quietly. If you want to speak after the meeting, if you want to come up and talk to me about your need of salvation, I'll be happy to talk with you. Let's sing #12.
Just as I am.
Trying to make it.
00:55:41
If you chose not to accept the Lord Jesus Christ while we're singing.
I'm sorry.
Lord still hasn't come, so there's still opportunity, perhaps while we pray.
Our God and Father.
The Horrible Pit
1 Peter 1:7-17
Reading
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.
202 What will it be as well about?
Florida glory, rain since the blessed and all.
Forward to their gloves so brightens all this very exclaimed. No heart can think, no tongue can tell what joy it will be with Christ.
What will it be?
True, I am happy that I love all the water being in the rain.
Oh, I don't have everything else in the journey. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No.
It's umm.
When I read it, Switching things I don't want to break, How to control our pain, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
If anything, anything no more. But I can't do anything about something.
That's why it's wherever you're So you're going to make anything bad blah, blah, blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
I will be in the rest of my life. The Patriots, the beginning of the whole day.
I have to go back and roll my heart and swear to God.
And fall on the kids I had to treat. I did get an antibiotic with Brexit. I I know.
Airlines.
Could we read, uh, one verse in?
In the first uh, Thessalonians chapter 4.
1St Thessalonians 4. Read verse 16.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.
With the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore.
Uh, comfort one another.
00:05:02
With these words, uh, you'll pardon me brother and if I make a few comments before we pray, but.
I have enjoyed the fact that.
That the Lord wants us to live in that joy and expectation of that hope.
Why? Because he could come even today and take us home together.
He wants us to live in the expectation and in the joy of it.
And I have enjoyed being here with you.
There's nothing better than being with those a blood pressure spades who have the same enjoyment and have the same hope.
And I thank you for inviting us to come here and to share in that privilege. It's been enjoyable. So may we live in the expectation of it. Let's pray.
Our God and our Father, how thankfully, how thankful we are for Thy well beloved Son, our Lord Jesus, and for the happy, glad hope that we can have of Thy Son's return, which could be this day.
We thank the Lord that in the meantime Thou hast given us all things.
That pertain.
I need to be Lord Jesus, we pray this uh, time may be a time of encouragement and hope toward the coming of our Lord Jesus. We pray for the young people and each one Lord, that that you admit to the hearts toward heaven that they may live in the joy and the expectation will not come in. Thank you for the president's invitation. We pray to continue to bless them and delete them on and the truth which thou hast given them.
We, uh, commit this time to the Lord and ask your blessing only in our need. Father, we give thanks in your own Son's worthy and precious holy name. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Does the brethren want to go on with the first Peter wine or, uh, some other exercise?
What version would you like to start with, Sir John? Umm.
So you read from verse 7 to the.
In the chapter level we have coconuts in of the 7 by 6, the connection 7:00 or 8:00 and.
On the way to the end.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, and having not seen the lost.
In whom, though now ye see him not yet believing, He rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently. Uh, who prophesied in the grace that should come unto you? Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow?
On to whom it was revealed, the not unto themselves, but unto us, uh, they administer the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the uh, Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore, Bert, up your the alloyance of your mind, Be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts and your ignorance, but as he which has called you is holy, Be ye holy in all manner of conversation.
Because it is written, the E holy is for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who was without respect, the persons judges according to every man's work past the time of year, so journeying here in fear. For as much as you know, you are not redeemed with corruptible things, with silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot.
00:10:12
Who, verily, was foreordained before the foundation of the world?
But was manifested, uh, manifest in these last times for years. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory? But your faith and hope might be in God, seeing ye hath purified yourself, your souls in obeying the truth of the Spirit unto unseen laws of the bread. And she that she loved one another with a pure heart, fervently being born again, not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible.
By the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever, for all fleshes as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass Withers, and the flower thereof falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.
Well, we think of that.
The, uh, the occasion when that Thomas, uh.
What's with the?
Reward and uh, have that, uh review from the ward reaches, I think or and you hold my hands and re tither thy hand and thrust it into my side, not faithless, but believing.
Comments and.
That's quite the Lord and God. And the Lord said to him, Promise, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen.
Yet have believed and that is the position that we Gentiles are in now.
Between the Lord.
In person we shall, but uh.
Our connection is by faith with the Lord. Now you see that.
And the Holy Spirit of God came.
In the sense of, uh, acts.
The House of Cornelius. It was a special.
It was a descent of the Holy Spirit there. It was part of the baptism, you might say another installment of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which you know there when it was in connection with the Gentiles, it was before baptism or laying on of hands. It was just by faith that the Gentiles were joined into the body there. It wasn't by any outward sign. And that is our position now.
Particularly.
Nation is going to believe in their Messiah when they see him. They see the wounds in his hand and decide. But with the Gentiles, and we are all Gentiles here I think.
The coming of the Holy Spirit there in Acts is not associated with either baptism, laying on of hands, or anything like that. It's simple. It's simply by faith that they were brought into that blessing and that speaks to us.
So the apostle says here. I'm having not seen the log.
Lymphoma. Now you see him not yet believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, because the person of Christ bought brought before us, but it's now by faith that he apprehend these things.
Faith is the hand that appropriates what God provides and that is the position now that we have We love the Lord that we have never seen Him. Umm.
But we uh, have joy, but sometimes our lives are not characterized by this joy unspeakable and full of glory. Afraid my life is not always characterized by that could be the fault is always with us, never with the warrant and this should characterize us more in our pathway down here is that what the apostle describes here drawing unspeakable full of glory to see that in Paul and saw this when they were in the.
In the dungeon, they certainly had joy, unspeakable and full of glory, with their backs bleeding and death.
00:15:06
Uh, there in the, uh.
Incarcerated there, but they had Christ before them there for the Lord, the Lord's, uh, testimony in the day. What joy until their hearts and was sounded out through the prison. Is that right, Steve?
Certainly do in very adverse circumstances.
The uh, appearing at the end in the end of verse 7.
I think we really mentioned that yesterday.
I remember right. Umm, and that would. Am I correct please that that would be the?
What you had on the chart yesterday, it's marked as the second coming, I believe so.
Give us a little the appearing is the time of, of manifestation of Christ to this world that is Saints living. And so it's the day of reward, the day of manifestation before the world of faithfulness of his own. And so it's, uh, looked at, at the Aaron verse seven, that it'll be the day when the preciousness of faith tribe that is honored God.
And glorified God is going to be manifest before this world.
So the praise and honor and glory.
Uh, that eventually there.
Umm, really? But it really is a. It would be the.
The result of the trial of our faith at the beginning of the verse, that it might be that that praise and honor and glory should be.
What we're ready to give him. Is that right?
I think it's going to glorify God, Yeah, in the end.
Yeah.
And anything that we any praise and honor and worry that we.
Would be able to give to the Lord Jesus unto God. Father would be the result of the faith.
That he has given us in order to for us to believe.
And so that space is, as it says in the middle of verse seven, much more precious than gold.
I have thought myself also in connection with this verse and a couple of other verses that.
The expression there, the trial of your feet, Umm.
Sometimes we hear of things that are passing through deep waters.
And for some reason I find a tendency in my heart and I think perhaps others may have feel this as well. But we.
We connect that or we correlate it perhaps with something that they've done that is wrong in their life, and then God is coming in in this government.
But this, this verse here speaks of the trial of your faith.
God tested Abraham in connection with the promise that he that he said that he was going to give him a son and make up his son a great nation.
And, and so I think it's something that when I we hear of others that are passing through difficulties, we need to be careful with that spirit that that is there to pray for them in the circumstances to us, the Lord to undertake for them and not try to, to, uh.
Examine or or or say why it is the Lord allows things.
Uh, there's a verse in the 34 Psalm that was quoted to me one time in connection with this. Many are the afflictions of the righteous.
But the more deliberate than out of them all, many are the officials of the gracious so a more gain he he allows things in our in our lives. You may want to learn from why the board allows things, but to be careful about about trying to judge as to why he's allowed.
00:20:16
Overground.
I was thinking how that, uh, the trial through which we passed, uh, reap the reward believe we have that in the book of James, even the crown of life is given to those that endure testings. And, uh, and before me, Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17.
It speaks about our life affliction.
You know, while we're passing through this world or one of our collections don't seem to be very light, but let me compare it to what's to follow. No matter how bad it is for us, it is what life afflicts. And one of the reasons given in this verse is that it's a full moment. It's only in time. So reading the whole verse.
Our light affliction is but for a moment work it for us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
You know, we're gonna be glorified. Remember in, uh, Romans chapter 8, we have that expression we're gonna be glorified. So, umm, I'm sure that's what has been commented on in our burst in the 7th honor and glory at the hearing of Jesus Christ.
UMM is really going to rebound back to him, but uh, it's glory for us as well, and it's the trials that Peter is talking about here.
It says beyond the trials is the glory is the glory. But I reminded you of Revelation chapter 4. It's interesting there in the heavenly scene that the four and 20 elders will cast their crowns at the feet of the local. In other words, I believe the picture there tells us that, you know, we're going to realize that everything that, uh, could glorify.
To us has been given to us.
And goes back again. And the words are worthy. Art thou?
Where do I stand?
The backward look uh girl will all be praised once it.
Yeah, I could judge and see what Christ everything will will be revealed.
In various aspects to look at the judge and see the Christ one is the reward.
This way reviewing.
Rewarding rejoicing.
But one of the, uh, aspects we might say, will be looking back over our pathway and seeing the wisdom of God in all his ways with us, things that we could not understand here. Uh, we will see the purpose of God and we'll, uh, praise him for all the way that he's LED us in this wilderness of Deuteronomy chapter 8, uh.
Look back and see the wisdom of the, the Lord with us. Now we may have questions, no doubt many of us do, but uh, the Lord is going to show us, uh, there when we are after adjusting the seat of Christ is perfect plan for our lives and how he was working things out for his own glory. Uh, I guess we often have heard the illustration of the.
Table map to it that has been voided and uh turned it over and uh, it looks just a massive tangled confusion they've got doesn't seem to be any order in it whatever turn it over on the other side and it's a beautiful design. Well, umm, I'm sure at the judgment seat of price, uh, we will see umm.
How God was working behind the scenes.
Perhaps keeping us from, uh, from falling in many cases, Uh.
Teaching us, uh, things that, uh, we needed to learn and, uh, it will be all to the praise and honor and glory of, of our Lord.
00:25:03
What about this expression at the start of her speech whom having not seen without?
Is it possible to love somebody you've never seen?
I believe so, Dave.
I believe that's true because we believe God's testimony of His Son.
That's why we can love him, because it is by him, of course, that we have redemption. We've been saved for destruction.
And he's not only so, but we need sons of God, and we didn't do a thing.
And So what the Lord himself says, such as in John 15, John 17, and see right coming very mouth the words of love toward us, and in first job it says we love Him to be perfect.
We we don't see her or physically.
We were unable to do that, but we do see him spiritually.
Hebrews children too. The first Niners is we see me.
He was made so old to the angels, and the suffering of death drowned with glory and honor.
That he, by the grace of God, should take death for every man this morning.
Very slowly we can see our Lord back those 2000 years on Calvary's cross, dying for our sins there.
And the Holy Spirit makes it fresh to our souls, as if it should happen.
Uh, something that we look at as being 2000 years old, it's something that it's in our hearts that's real and it'll be there for all eternity with them. We'll remember what he has done for us. But we do see him spiritually and we see him now seated at the Father's right hand. We see him there, Steven, when he was stoned, he could look up. You can see the Lord's very Lord.
Yeah, we had that today. Every polymer has this ability.
C or Jesus spiritual.
Peter could say I've seen them.
But he said to these Jews, whom having not seen ye love, they had not seen him.
But they loved him.
And I think of the verse over I it means so much to my own soul and Jo in Romans chapter 5, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us, everyone who has accepted Christ as Savior, as the indwelling of the Spirit of God, and he he.
He just, He just indwells and points to Christ constantly in our lives.
It reminds me of the story of Rebecca when she, when it was said to her, wilt thou go with this man? And all the way across the desert she was with, uh, what was his name Elijah? Was it the, uh, the, uh, steward of Abraham? And what was he telling her about, about the man that she was going to marry, marry and be with?
And, uh, and, uh, so onward we go through this life to the moment when we are going to be with them. And then it says that she went into ice expense and he loved her and.
And umm, so we go on through this life whom having not seen.
Above. Very, very special, isn't it?
The face that we need to exercise.
Uh, continually, of course, there is a saving base when we, uh, receive Christ, uh, it's by faith, by grace, by these faith, through faith and saving faith, but we need a faith, uh, that is ongoing in our, in our lives. We live by the faith of the Son of God.
00:30:21
Well, the faith has an object, and that object is quite, and in Ephesians it's spoken of as the shield of faith. And, uh, it's something that needs to be exercised continually.
Even though we may have known the Lord for many years.
There must be that faith in the Son of God that is active and exercised day by day. Umm, the end of our faith is the salvation of our souls. But uh, believing still there's that dependence and that looking to the Lord, umm.
In our daily password.
Mm-hmm. It's the same John, I think as, uh, we could, to use an example would be where Peter walked on water and, uh, the only way that he could walk on water was being obedient to the Lord and keeping his eye on the Lord because the Lord said, first of all, to come. That's obedience being brought in.
And then it tells us when he looked over and looked at the waves in regard to the exact expression there. And to me that is his eye and our eyes getting off the Lord. In order to go on in this life, the Christian needs faith to in exercise on a constant basis. And I love that verse you quoted in Ephesians 6. Above all, taking the shield of faith, there you have all of those various pieces of armor.
That are mentioned and then the the apostle Paul says above all to me, it's like this. He says all the other pieces of armor are important, but there's one armor piece that is very, very important and that is the shield of faith whereby you're able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. May the Lord give us to look to him to trust him in the circumstances that he allows in our lives.
Well, the profits here I've spoken of as, uh, inquiring and searching diligently, uh.
Uh, who prophesied with the rates of to come unto you? And he's going back into the Old Testament. There were holy men of God.
That, uh, prophesied and, uh, they did not understand, uh, what they were writing, uh.
As has been said by someone else that if they weren't inspired by the Spirit of God, they would have made complete mud of it.
My brother used to say, how would you like to write a book on astronomy?
You know, uh, nothing about the science or very little, but these men of God, they searched wonder what manner of time the spirit of Christ, a remarkable expression, the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify it was their writings were under inspiration of the Spirit of God and uh, they were revealing.
Not to them at that particular time, but they were written for us. They looked on to, uh, a future day. The sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Notice the sufferings come first and then the glory follow.
They prophesied of these of the Messiah, but they didn't really enter into it themselves.
The way we can enter into it now.
But it shows the marvelous interpretation, revelation that God had given to these prophets. But they were interested, the angels were interested. They desired to look into those things. I wonder if we have as much desire as the angels do. They desire to look into these things. But now we have the full revelation. You see, they, they learn that they administer these things which are now reported unto you.
00:35:28
By them that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, they were foretelling of the blessings that we would have.
But they, uh, they, they entered, they, they desired to know what these prophecies meant. Now we have the full revelation in the, in the word of God, in the person of Christ.
I have been helped UMM by a couple of verses, if you don't mind turning to it in Second Samuel chapter 23 in connection with this.
Second Samuel 23 and verse one.
We see the last words of David.
Now notice verse 2.
The Spirit of the Lord.
They buy me.
No one has pointed out that that's inspiration.
The Spirit of the Lord speak by me, God.
By the Holy Spirit using David as his instrument, this.
Spirit of the Lord, speak by me now verse.
Umm. There's uh.
Let's see, there's three.
Yes, verse 3.
The God of Israel.
Speak to me, God, Virgil said. The rock of Israel, speak to me. Someone has pointed out the difference between these two expressions in this way. In the second verse, the God, the Spirit of the Lord spake by me. That is the the inspiration holy men of God speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. And then in verse three, it's the word of God revealed to David.
Rather than inspiration, it's revelation. So it says in verse three the God of Israel said the rock of Israel speak to me. So David felt this in two different ways. The first was can I say it's like him saying I must write this down and because God is inspiring me to take and write it now for the revelation of what it means.
He says, the God of Israel spake to me, I think it's nice, you know, just to see these touches in the word of God that that even in that day, some things were revealed to the to the holy men of God as they spoke. But now we, as you say, John, we have the full revelation of of, of of the word of God when we open this book in our homes.
In our private lives and so on, it's good to bow down and ask the Lord to reveal his mind as to what it means, isn't it?
Not my thoughts to bring to the Word of God, but rather to learn what He would have me. Learn. That right, Brother Gordon?
Yes, I was thinking the other day that, uh, Psalm 45 was one. I think the same is what you're saying.
Go ahead.
This one is in my heart is inviting a good man. I speak of the things which I have made touching the king. My tongue is a pan of a ready writer.
Ready writer with the Spirit of God.
00:40:09
As a beautiful thought because, uh, you know, we can range through the Old Testament scriptures that.
And find Christ and revealed in all those types and shadows take the Tabernacle. It's just that sometimes we're we're put it in mundane terms we're lazy and we don't put forth the energy to understand the Old Testament types and shadows and prophecies these prophets were searching they were in earnest are we really in earnest to study the Old Testament scriptures because.
As our brother read and it was this morning, all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
And uh, recently in Regal Ferry, uh.
Near Ottawa, we, uh, our brother David Mearns had, uh, two lectures on the Tabernacle. It was most refreshing. Of course, you could only touch, uh, a few points, but uh, it really was very helpful to us as he unfolded the meaning of the articles of the Tabernacle. They all spoke of Christ and, uh, we can go back into the Old Testament Scriptures.
And we should be diligent in our study of them with, uh, perhaps some help that we might see the glories of Christ and the sufferings of Christ delineated or prophesied in the glory that you're following.
That's what the Lord Jesus did himself with the two on the way to a Luke 24. He, uh, beginning of Moses and all the prophets he founded under them. The same concerning himself.
Their heart burned within them. Yeah.
So when it speaks in this verse here about the verse 11, when it says it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ.
Uh, would you say that, uh, it, it, it, it would be difficult for you to think of the Messiah coming and going to be suffering? Is that really, uh, uh, the thought here, Why would he come and be comfortable?
He was wounded for our transgression.
They'd be wondering, am I right in that?
And the disciples, uh, couldn't understand the Lord going through sufferings, but it was all foretold is the number of scriptures that foretell some 69 that our brothers standard read this morning and many other songs are all messianic and all pointing to the sufferings of Christ and the glory. But now with the light of the New Testament shining upon those Old Testament scriptures, we can go back there and we can receive.
Much profit for our souls. We have to be diligent.
In the, in studying these, uh, these prostitutes, but it all speaks of the, uh, personal crisis this Lawrence.
I always like, uh, well, one of my favorite, uh, characters in the, uh, Old Testament is uh, in uh, Exodus chapter 31 and.
And umm, I was just thinking of umm.
Yeah, you're in church. Uh, they didn't have the, the new Pacena. They, they only had, uh, the Old Testament And uh, even today when a, when a Jew turns to Christ, the New Testament just, uh, it's opened up then in such a way that it's, uh, it's just miraculous because they see all the Old Testament, uh, like you've heard about all the, all their lives. I never even read the New Testament. And then when they.
The Old Testament.
All these types of shadows and pictures, they all come out so brilliantly, you know, But Bezalel, you know, he was the Candlestick, he was the Goldsmith and, uh.
Chapter 31 The north say I'm with most of the time. See, I have called by, uh, by name Bezale, the son of Yuri, the son of Yori of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge and all manner of workmanship to devise cunning works to work in gold and silver. There we have the divine righteousness of God. And silver is the salvation, rejection and brass. I think that would be.
00:45:23
The.
The author Umm and uh.
You know, he, he went to the altar and, uh.
We, uh, drank that, uh, bitter cup and we took the judgment of God and the cutting of stones to set them and carving of timber. Well, there's the cross there too, and to work in all manner of workmanship. And then, uh, it's, it's interesting because Bezalel named his name means, uh, under his protection, uh, and under the shade of God. And, uh, his father was always watching him and was looking after him.
And uh, until he went back off and then he still wasn't forsaken of his father, but he was forsaken of God and then he was the son of Yuri. Yuri means you can see the Trinity, Garrett as well. Urine means light of the Lord. It means my life and fiery. So we can see God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, that one name and the place that he goes from earth.
From the tribe of Judah, which means praise and.
Yes praise and uh, your, umm, it means uh, free, Immaculate and noble and uh, it just can't help thinking of the father in that situation there or that name, umm, but Bezel, you know, you know uh.
Kind of a funny name, New Thing Age, but it's such a beautiful name.
Carries so much, uh, so much with it.
And of course, the New Testament, uh.
Early thanks. They, they read this and, uh, issues are being perverted and, uh, they, they do all of those things. You know, they knew who, who was, who he was a picture of I, I believe, you know, and, uh, it's just wonderful to see in the middle test awards on every page.
Move on in our truck here it says in verse 13 that gird up the loins of your mind what an important expectation that is.
It says in Colossians here you got I think in our version etcetera heart, but it's actually set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. So the loins, you know are the place of strengthening individual in these countries that I have visited. The women often have these long fairies but.
Uh, or long gowns of some sort. And when they're going to work, they pull them up, uh.
So that they don't thread upon that well, the epochal uses the figure here gird up the lungs of your mind.
The place of strength, what we think about, what we allow our minds to be occupied with is going to affect our conduct sooner or later. Umm, man cannot live without an object, and what we think about and what we pursue after as an object to will certainly control our lives. The apostles people say they want something for their minds. Well, God gives us something here, not on the earth, but.
In in the glory.
And the word of God in silver, both to the end, to the grace of His, to be brought on to you as a revelation of Jesus Christ.
It has been said that this grace open up here would would be similar to what we have in Jude's epistle where he speaks of the mercy.
The 4th answer there looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Umm.
The grace, uh, open up here, uh, the grace that needs to be brought on to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
It has been said that, uh.
It would be the grace of God to simply come and lift us out of this scene, uh, into the glory that would be, uh, the grace of God revealed to us that if someone else have another thought on that.
00:50:16
The second what you said, it was the first part of the verse. We have an example there in the second famous war.
It's umm.
They're turning to his eye. That will send.
To a house where the the dead child was and.
And umm and sending them.
In the 29 first, then he said the Hayside gird up by going take thy staff in my hand, go right away like don't need any man salute him not.
And if any salute the answer, I'm not a game and laid my staff upon the face of the child.
And the mother of the child said of the Lord liveth and the soul of I will not leave the erosion. I'm just looking mainly at the 29th verse there where he had a.
The other commissioner run to do this indeed with the staff with this young child and he had a gird up a blame to tell us his brother pointed out it had a robe on. It's not very easy to run. The strike has been the in Des Moines. I tell you, I'm thinking of the staff here. So it's something that wasn't of his own strength. Something was given to him and.
For us and running too, and the race that we're in, we have to lean on the board string.
Is that not something that we have strengthened ourselves to do? But we need strength of the Lord to think of Jacob leading but doses two children. He leaned on the staff, something that wasn't on his own devising.
So inhaler chapter, I believe the soberness and so on, running a race here as I was in the look for the right to the left. He wasn't to be interrupted in his journey. He was to go straight on and fulfill the mission. In a way, that's what we have to do.
Percent to fulfill a mission for the board of some sort, but we know that we get distracted and we do get turned side many times.
So I think because we're not leading.
Using the staff that's the Lord and strength to help us with these people through you have the same expression that you know can be uh sex of uh evasions, uh, wherefore, umm taken through the whole armor of God and it keeps in verse 14 stand therefore having your loins girt about the truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness. Well, there's a loins again mentions the place of the.
Strength, you might say, uh, annoying Gert about with truth are those emotions?
Uh, and uh, those desires, are they brought under the, under the control of the word of God, You know, they're living in a day of license and freedom, so-called, uh, as never before. And it's going to affect our young people. It affects all of us, this whole permissiveness that is rampant, but it's contrary to the word of God. And we have to gird up the loins of our minds or they're going to travel into these areas.
You're going to be affected and defiled by them. We know that only too well. New stands are filled with it. And we need to burn gird up our, the loins of our mind with the word of God to be occupied with the scriptures, uh, to have them, as Michael mentioned further on in our third year, well, I guess it's in the next chapter, we these comments on the value of the word of God.
So much here, uh, in the second chapter on of the first feeder there, umm, newborn babe desire, the sincere note of the word. And then at the end of the first chapter, uh, the word of the Lord endures forever how he magnifies the importance of the word of God. And so that's what we need to control those, uh, emotions and so on that.
00:55:11
Perhaps especially in youth, but it's, uh, a danger at anytime that we have our minds, uh, filled with the word of God and not allow them to go hit her and thither into the, uh, the things of this world and, uh, the character of this world that we live in.
Just a thought about that grace you asked about and hope to the end for the grace that it could be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Umm, if you go back to John 17.
And verse 23.
We talked about the in our in our verse 13, we talked about the revelation of Jesus Christ and when the Lord Jesus comes in in the at the appearing and is revealed to the world and all his glory will be with him and he wants us to have a full reward. And if you look in John chapter 17 verse 23 says I and them and thou and me that they may be made perfect in one.
And as the world may know, that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. And so I think that part of it is glorification with Christ. But then if you go to the Second Epistle of Thessalonians in chapter one.
And it talks about the revelation of Jesus Christ.
And when he comes at the appearing in verse 10, he says when he shall come to be glorified in his things and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony was among you, our testimony among you was believed in that day. So he's going to be glorified in the Saints when he returns and.
Not only glorified, but can be admired by all of them that believe. And so there's an admiration there. Umm, like to think of the example of a, a, a father. He's at work. Maybe he's going to different, going around as a salesman, going to different businesses. And they, they see this man come and they enjoy him. They like this man and then they buy from him. But when he leaves, they forget about him.
He's not that important to their existence. But when the man comes home to his family, maybe he's been on a business trip for 3-4 days, he comes home and his family looks at him. They're waiting for him and they admire him and, and they, they are happy to see him. Well, when we, when the Lord comes, he's going to be admired in his Saints. And, and I think we're part of that grace that's in our chapter. And Peter is being identified with Christ when he, when he's glorified in his sins. I wonder if it might have that thought.
I'm sure that's right. There's, uh, Paul had the end in the view. The Lord had the end in view.
And in the, uh, in that example, I like that example, he escaped in connection with Gaza. He was given a sense of purpose with an end in view of that child that had died. And he was going and he girded up his blowings in view of the fact of the mission that was, uh, put before him. And so it says receiving the end here. And like you refer to here, uh, in that 13th verse, him gird up the ones your mind, be sober and hope to the end.
What's the end? What's the end for us? It's the glory of God, isn't it?
That's where we're going.
I think that's, uh, part of what the profits we're searching diligently about. Israel look forward to a temporal deliverance. They look forward to their enemies being put down and being delivered from their oppressors. But when the profits grow, they look back at the very things that they wrote, not understanding them, but they perceived there was something more here than that.
01:00:01
You think of how the Ethiopian eunuch, uh, that Philips, uh, uh, brought to Christ, he's in his chariot there and he's reading in Isaiah 53rd chapter, he says, is the prophet Speaking of himself or some other man. And from that very scripture, he preached to him Christ. And so those scriptures and those things just seemed close to even the ones who penned them. They looked at them.
And they wondered what is this speaking about and there is a salvation here that's beyond just the temporal deliverance of Israel, but at weight it it waited until the Holy Ghost was sent down. And that's what we get in these scriptures. The gospel preached by the Holy Ghost sent down. Now they're opened up. Daniel said Lord, one of these things going to be says it's sealed up till the time of the end. Well were those that Paul says upon whom the end of the age is have come.
The anger of the ages, of the testing of the first man were done at the cross. Now the Spirit of God sat down. Now all those things are unfolded. Now that salvation that they could perceive, there's something more here comes out in all its clearness. And he says to them, your hope is in a temporal deliverance anymore. You're going to suffer here.
And I sent them into our team that really is we don't have any evidence that.
That the disciples understood anything the Lord said while he was here. Why was that? We know they, uh, often had questions and doubts and made mistakes. We would have done the same. But the Spirit of God was not here as the divine person. Contrast, uh, Peter preaching the gospel there to the Jews in Acts, the early part of Acts and the power that he had in the.
Insight that he had.
To the scriptures, it was all a result of the Spirit of God who had come and who, uh, at that point was indwelling them with the power. And so we have that, uh, that divine guest and we might, uh, ask the question, how are we treating the divine guest that is, uh, that is within us because he is the one that will give us the understanding of the scriptures.
But if he's grieved as sometimes he is in our lives, he's not going to leave you. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. But if he's grieved in my life, he's not going to minister these things to me. But you'll have to speak to my conscience about my walking waves. So it's a good point that our brother Steven brought out there that the Old Testament prophets did not have the Spirit of God as we.
As we now possession.
So going on to Brother Tim's comment about that grace, and when the Lord appears and the blessing the Saints are going to be brought into, manifested before the whole world, all these that were persecuted and despised, persecuted by the Gentiles, cast out by their Jewish brethren are going to appear with the Messiah and glory. What grace? And he says you were looking for a temporal deliverance. You put your trust in Messiah, but you still have those thoughts of a temporal deliverance, no?
No, we look for something beyond the same thought. You have received the end of your faith.
You've got the salvation of your souls now.
You've got the salvation of your souls now that you already possessed, but we're looking on to another day when you're gonna appear in the revelation of Jesus Christ and that wonderful grace that is yet to have that you're going to be brought into. So it was such a hard thing to turn away from Jewish hopes and Jewish expectations for these believers. And that's really what what Peter is just so working with them and their souls and the temptation to give up.
Being being, just having lost everything and, and being persecuted by their brother and, and just to let go back into the world. You know, when we give up, we just let go and the lines of our minds, you know, they just let it down. And he says, no, gird him up. Gird him up and, and look on beyond this scene that you're passing through.
This isn't where deliverance is. It wasn't for Christ. All the sufferings of Christ came first. The glory was to fall. It's no different for you. That was Peter's own experience, wasn't it? He was looking for a temporal deliverance. Lord, we've got two swords before we're ready. Put them up, Peter. That's not for now. Not for now. The sufferings of Christ and the glory we should follow.
01:05:32
Our time is nearly over here and, uh, we're just thinking that we might make a comment on this.
17 Before we finish, if you call on the father, who without respect of person.
Judges according to every man's work past the time of your soul journey here in here.
That verse does not refer to the.
The, umm, great white throne, of course, the believer is never going to appear before the great white drawn. Only unbelievers will be there. And it doesn't refer to the judgment seat of Christ here, but it is the moral government of God that is in question here. And it's salutary for us to consider this proof here. Uh, I can remember.
Times of outnumber as our brother Stan will also cooperate. When I was young, uh, your brother Ahold, who is known to us and whose teaching remains with us to this day, he said. You get off with nothing.
Because you're a believer, it doesn't mean that God is going to Passover sin in my life. You get off with nothing. What what you sow, you reap the moral government of God does not change with dispensation and that's the thought in our verse 17 here the Father's eye is upon us every day watching what we do the way we act he he he's got a father's heart, but.
I'm not a father, but there are many fathers here. They have to takedown the rod of correction often as well as the kiss of the love. They have to take down the rod of correction. And uh, we all come under that government of God, Chastisement. We're of all our partakers. We need child training. And God's eye is upon us. We judge us according to every man's work.
Again, I say that's not the fear of eternal judgment.
We're not going to come under internal judgment, but it's the thought, I believe, of the the eye of God watching over us in his, in his moral government, in our lives. So how careful we should be.
As to our walk, we don't get off with anything and because we're believers still, that principle applies. What we sow we reap. Brother Tim mentioned last night the life of David. He had some bitter reapings in his life, very governed. The wheels of God's government grind slowly, but they grind very fine and David suffered much under because of the.
The indulgence of the flexibility and so will we. So I think, uh, that they, that is the thought here. Maybe a brother has another, another, something else to add on that. I was just going to ask the question, Umm, I don't know what it means by, uh, and if you can call him father, what does that mean if you call on my father, umm.
I always took him to scheme in prayer. Uh, maybe somebody could speak with that.
Brother Bill, could I read it in the new translation or love it? It says if he invoked as Father him who without regards a person who judges according to the work of each pass your time of sojourn and fear. Does it not mean that, umm, if we recognize God as our Father, then we come under his authority and, uh, he will chastise us as, uh, needs be. Uh, in other words, we just can't flippantly refer to him as Father without recognizing the authority he has over us as our Father.
It seems to me that's what it means.
And the fear there, as John was, uh, mentioning is not being afraid of, of some judgment in the future, but but, uh, fear of dishonouring the Lord now, in other words, having a, having a, a fully respectful.
01:10:19
Worth of thought as our Father.
It's the father's occupation with his children, isn't it? There's schooling and training or discipline and it's in love. And so he always, I think see that in the New Testament, my father is the husband and he said when it comes to pruning the vine, and we get that in Hebrews as well, that, uh, if we're without chastening from our father, then then we're illegitimate. We're not really sons. So it's always the father in connection with discipline and training.
And correction, but it's nice that it says father, not, uh, there's no distance there is there? There's, uh, the closeness of the relationship is always maintained in that and it's with love and real interest in US.
Very lovely.
#216.
Lord, now we wait for thee to come and take us to Thy Father's home. But what ecstatic choice will be to spend eternity #216?
Lord, we rejoice.
Umm, I don't know whether it's really anything. Uh, no, I'm done. What's great to say bye.
Let's go forever.
Go a little way like that, 1000.
900 And we stand to the left.
They were cleaning them to around $7000 from large accommodation.
When he said he comes to the moon.
And enjoy your beginnings during the beginning of the beginning and then we're continuing with anything.
Life of Abraham
The Family
Our Shepherd and We His Sheep
Naaman's Leprosy
Gospel—Stan Allan
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.
Thing this evening with a one of my favorite hens #4 Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the savior for me.
Long I was chained in sin's darkness. Now by his grace I am free Savior of sinners, Savior of sinners like me, shedding his blood for my ransom. This is the Savior for me #4.
Her eyes.
The Savior.
Are 23.
Shedding this blood form around some distance, but they were over me.
No, I can say I am part of everything I see. I am just implying.
And my my blood surgery, deep breath.
This is the savior for him.
And they are on the same transplant Queens where everything just was born for my grandstone. This is the same here for me.
Good travel time. 1 secrets sinking from judgment to play.
Now there is no problem. Every day comes.
And learn.
Your heart standards like today.
I thought you got the money down the line of this graveyard says there's been such day there farted.
Shame around them.
Staying there, I'm standing there just like me.
******** and plucked by my grandson. This is a savior for me.
We just ask the Lord's blessing. Our God and Father, we come before thee this evening and we thank you for this precious privilege of being here to present the gospel of the grace of God. We thank the Lord Jesus that thou has come down here into this world nearly 2000 years ago, and Lord done a score of the cross and there shed thy precious blood with lost sinners, might come to thee and obtain salvation.
All we thank thee for the gospel that has gone forth so many times in this world and still there is room and all. We would just pray if there's someone here this evening who has never realized that they are a lost guilty Sinner on their way to hell, Lord, that they might accept the as their Savior tonight. We thank you Lord Jesus for thy love. We thank Thee for thy shed blood on Calvary and we just ask thee for thy health. And so we would just commit a little time to thee and the worthy and precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. And we could sing one more hymn.
Umm, although 17. Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore the load of sin as he knocks and seeks admission, Sinner, will you let him in #17?
Have you and anyone?
Anything in the flower's thumbnail, That's all. That's a day and 1/2 and 1/2.
I have seen offensively.
And, well, you know the way.
00:05:03
Rolled on fortunes of water on the morning.
And now it's worth all day.
Swimming without my heart so our wine wiggle open.
But the other one.
Room for pleasure, room for jazz and love for Christ. That's really big love.
I don't have any time.
And the heart for a great shape by.
The jeans on the floor of glory.
At 8899 Square and all that.
Swear.
By the old man that I had to give him, and I'm terrible, all that I think I'm trying to make him.
Let me hear you right. Well, let's play.
Or Cape of Florida, And it is. And now it's Ernest.
Swimming hard to provide me all the time.
And then it's very well done with Diane.
We'd like to welcome each one of the Gospel meetings this evening.
And maybe we could turn to 1St Kings chapter 5. This is a well known story, I'm sorry. Second Kings chapter 5.
One that I've often enjoyed and one I believe that could bring it before, is the Gospel message.
The story of namely.
Second Kings chapter 5.
Now Neiman, captain of the host of the King of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable because by him the Lord has given deliverance unto Syria. He was also a mighty man of 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 a little mate.
And she waited.
On the name and state on Neiman's wife. And uh, she said unto her interest, would God, my Lord, we're with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy. And one went in and told his Lord, saying, That's a nut said to me that he is of the land of Syria, of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed and took with him 10 tons of silver.
And 6000 inches of gold, and 10 changes of ramen. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith St. Niemann, my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he read his clothes, and said, Am I God to kill and to make alive, that this man descend unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? Wherefore consider I pray you.
And see how he seeks a quarrel against me.
And it was so, when Elijah and the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he said to the king, saying, wherefore hostile, rent thy clothes, Let them come now down to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Neiman came with his horses and with his Chariots, and stood at the door of the House of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan 7 times.
00:10:06
And thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
But Neiman was rocked, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, he surely will come out to me, and stand, and call in the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leopard. Are not a bada, and far, far rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? And he went away in a ring. So he turned and went away in a rage, and his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father.
If the Prophet had bid thee do some great things.
Which thou not have done it how much rather than when he say it to the Washington and be clean. Uh, Then when he down and ****** himself seven times in the Jordans, according to the saying of the man of God, and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
And he returned to the man of God and said, uh, he and all his company and came and stood before him. And he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all his all the earth, but in Israel.
Now therefore I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. Uh, But he said, As the Lord liveth before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it, but he refused. And they even said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant? 2 mules burden of earth. For Thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offerings nor sacrifice unto other gods, but under the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardoned my servants, and that when my.
Faster goeth into the House of Lemon, to worship there any lean, and he leaneth on my hands. And I found myself in the House of Remen, When I bow down myself in the House of Remen, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little late.
Well, I'm sure that there are many of us here in this room that know this story, the story of Naman.
It says here in the very first verse that he was the captain of the host of the king of Assyria. This man is shown here to be a great man and honorable. And you know, there are many people in this world today who I suppose you could say would fit this description. We would not. We would think of somebody like umm Barack Obama or umm the new president of France or David Cameron, premier of.
Umm, England. These men would be considered by the world.
To be great men and honorable and, uh, and of course they, uh, are respected by most people in the world. But you'll notice here that it says at the end of this first verse, but he was a leopard. Now, you know, in the Bible, what does leprosy speak of? Maybe we should just notice a verse for a moment in first Corinthians chapter 5 that might give us a hint as to.
What uh uh, leprosy might speak of.
Umm, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That's eleven I Washington. I wasn't thinking, umm, leprosy. However, we should think of what leprosy is like. It's a sickness. We all know it's not something that is found, uh, in this country. At least they're not very much, uh, but it's very common in, in countries like India and Africa. And as I understand it, it's something that starts with some sort of a mark on your skin and then it eats away.
And it deforms a person's hands and deforms a person's face and so on. It's a terrible disease. And, umm, to a large extent, uh, at least in the past, it was incurable. And I have no doubt the leprosy is, umm, given to us in the Scripture as a type of sin. And so here we find, uh, Naaman, this great man, this honorable man.
But it says he was a leopard.
And you know, it doesn't matter whether it's Barack Obama or Stephen Harper or whoever we would have to say, but he is a Sinner. You know what tell us in Romans chapter 3. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And dear friend, tonight as you sit here and and your seat, if you do not know the Lord is your Savior, it's very important that you understand the way of salvation because.
00:15:09
God cannot allow one sin to enter His presence.
Uh, and uh, God hates sin And you know, I often think that the very first sin in the Bible was disobedience. Remember how God said thou shalt not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were not deed of it. I'm sorry that they were not eating the tree in the midst of the garden. Uh, maybe we should look at that.
You'll have to forgive me. I, uh.
We know the story so well, I just wanna get it accurate. Uh, Genesis chapter, Umm.
UH-2, actually.
Umm.
Verse 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. So the very first sin in the Bible, God said, Thou shalt not eat of the fruit and fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What did even Adam and Eve do? They ate of the fruit of that tree. They they committed the sin of disobedience.
And it has led to all the sins we see in the world today, murder, theft, uh, all these things just from that one sin. And so God cannot allow one sin in his presence.
In fact, we're told in first Peter that God is holy and it says be ye holy. He says be holy as I am holy. But you know, we're in our sins. We can't, we can't be holy because we are. We've sinned and we're incense and there's nothing we can do about it. This man here, Umm Naiman, he was a leper and there was nothing he could do about it. He was helpless. Well, let's go on and see what it says here.
Uh, it says the Syrians had gone out by companies and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel. A little made and she waited on Neiman's wife. So here was a little girl, I don't know how old she was. She might have been five or six.
And during one of the wars when Syria had gone down into Israel.
Uh, Neiman had taken captive this little girl, this little man, and here she was now serving in the home of Naman. One thing I like about this little maid is that even though she was considered little, she had great faith, great faith, and she knew. Well, first of all, I want to say that she loved, uh, her Master, uh, Naman.
And, you know, she was concerned for him. And I wanna say tonight, dear friend, that we love you. We want to see you saved. And just like this little maid here, she desired to see her, her, uh, master healed. And, uh, So what did she do? Well, it says here in the third verse, it says, would God, my Lord, we're with the prophet that is in Samaria for he would recover him of his leprosy. So she went in, you know, and and said, look.
All you have to do is go down and see the profit that's in Samaria. He'll, he'll, uh, heal you. He'll, uh, he'll be able to, with the Lord God's help, you'll be able to heal you of the, of the leprosy.
And tonight we wanna say that we can offer you a way to have a, not our way, but God's way. You know, there are many people in this world that, uh, offer many ways to get to heaven. They say we'll join our church. Umm, or they say, uh, do the best you can keep the 10 commandments. They have all these various things to tell you, but, uh, it's not God's way. What is the way to, uh, to heaven? What is the gospel message? Well, it's really very simple.
Umm, let's just look at a verse we know well, I won't even turn to it. Uh, Romans, uh, chapter 5, uh, Romans 6, I'm sorry, Romans 6 and 23 says the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so tonight, dear friends, the gospel is very simple. It's just simply a matter of taking the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. First of all, acknowledging.
00:20:11
That you are a Sinner. You know we had that verse last night. I believe in Romans 10:00 and 9:00. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Pretty simple, isn't it? Well, the first step I believe is to acknowledge that you're a Sinner. And dear friend tonight, have you ever gone into God's presence? Do you realize that right now as we speak?
God can see you, He can see right down into your heart, and He knows whether you have ever accepted His offer of salvation.
Well, have you ever just bowed your head and said, as the Republican God, be merciful to me, the Sinner? Have you ever done that? I can well remember the time I was listening to a gospel preacher like this and I was very concerned and I'm thankful that I got down on my knees when I went home and I got and I confessed to the Lord that I was a Sinner and took him as my Savior. You know, you don't even have to wait till you go home. You can do it right here.
All you have to do is bow your head and acknowledge that you're a Sinner and accept God and salvation.
Well, we'll say more about that in the minutes. Let's just go on here. So we find here the little maid, she gives the message, go to the prophet in Samaria. Well, what happens? The message was taken here, you'll notice to the king and uh, what's it say in the fifth verse? And the king of Syria said, go to, I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.
Now the little maintenance said go to.
The the profit in Samaria, but here the king.
Umm, he sends a letter to the king of Israel. Now what could the king of Israel do for, uh, name it, We know there's nothing that he could do. In fact, when he got the letter, notice what he says, uh, in the umm, in the seventh verse. 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 a life. That this man does send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy. Wherefore consider I pray, pray you and see how he seeks 1/4 of history. He says, why is the king of Syria sending me this letter? I can't heal. Umm Naman, is he trying to cause a quarrel and get us into a war? He was very, very concerned. And you know, there's a lot of people in the world today.
Rather than going to the Lord Jesus to bowing their heads and asking the Lord Jesus umm to tell him the way of salvation or at least to umm come to him and acknowledge that they're sinners and accept the Lord Jesus as their savior. What do they do? They sometimes go to their ministry or they go to the UMM. They say, well, you know, I'm a, a, a member of such and such a church.
And perhaps if I go to that church regularly every week and confess my sins to a priest or something, then I can get to heaven. But that's not what the Bible says.
You know the Bible says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
You know.
I've often thought.
Supposing I went in my backyard and I saw some sparrows sitting there chirping, and I wanted to communicate with them. You know, if I went out the back door and down to where those sparrows were, what do they do? They would fly away. Why? Because they're naturally frightened of them.
Well, you know, if God ever came in his power and glory and came to his creatures in this world, it would terrify them. But what did? What did God do? He sent his Son, the Lord Jesus into this world.
In fact, in fact, I should probably mention first of all that God is a triune Tri human being, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And God sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ into this world. He was born a baby.
In a Manger in Bethlehem, in the city of in the country of Israel.
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And, you know, this world didn't even have any room for it. They had to put them, uh, Mary and Joseph had to go to the, the barn, more or less. And the Lord Jesus was born there in a Manger.
But God sent His Son into this world, and He was different than any other person in this whole world. Why #1 Because he was God himself. I want to ask you tonight, dear friend, do you believe that Jesus is God? Do you believe that? Or do you just think He was a good man that was born into the world 2000 years ago?
He is God. He was God manifest in the flesh, and he grew up in this world and he never sinned. Why? Because he was God himself and he worked. He walked through this world as a human being just like we are, but he has no sense and he always did what was pleasing to his Father.
And yet he was hated.
He was passed out, he was not wanted. The people sat away with this man. We will not have this man to reign over us. And what did this world do? They Co took him and they nailed him to a cross.
I put nails through his hands and his feet. They put a crown of thorns on his head and they took a spear and pierced it into his side and forced and with came out blood and water. That's what this world has done to the only person whoever lived a sinless life. They cast them out. And yet what does God say? He says the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleans us from all sin.
And I want to say tonight, dear friends, that the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that was shed there on Calvary can put away your sins tonight.
Have you ever gone to to? Have you ever bowed your head and asked Jesus to wash your sins away in his own blood? Have you ever done that? Well, I did when I was eight years old. I know I'm going to have it. Not because I'm better than you.
I'm going to heaven because the Lord Jesus has paid the punishment for my sins. I should mention that point. During the three hours, 3 hours when Jesus was on that cross, it got pitch dark. God blanked out the sun, as it were. God pitch dark. And during those three hours, Jesus paid the penalty for my sins. The judgment that I deserved in a lost eternity forever was taken on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And now he says I can go free. His blood has put away my sins. Have you ever done that? Have you ever asked him to save you? Well, here was this king. He didn't know what to do. But fortunately the umm, the profit in Samaria. Elijah, he heard about the king. And what does he say here?
Uh, verse eight. And then we saw when Elijah, the man of God had heard that the king of Israel.
Had uh 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 prophet in Israel. So Elijah says, send them down to me, I can heal. So Naiman goes down.
And notice what it says in the ninth verse. So Naman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the House of Elijah.
So here was this great man, Naman Leopard, and he comes with his horses and Chariots, knowing the Scriptures, the horses and Chariots often speak a man's natural power and greatness. And he stood there, you know, he'd seen rolling up in his chariot with his horses, and he stood there in front of the House of Elijah. And what do you think he expected? I think he expected, you know, election to come out and bow himself down and said, glad to meet you and I'll make you better.
But you know what never happened? There was Nathan. Nathan, our Nieman standing.
In front of the door of Alicia's house and nobody came to the door.
Uh, So what does it say here?
Umm Alicia sent a messenger on to him saying go and wash in Jordan 7 times so election never even came to the door.
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And then the messenger appeared and he just simply said, naman, I have a message for you and that is go and wash and the Jordan River seven times.
Well, Nayland was curious.
You mean to say that?
This man Elijah cannot even come out of his house and speak to me, nor is what it says here in the 12Th verse, or at least, uh, the, umm, the 11Th verse. But Naman was Roth and went away and said, behold, I thought he surely, uh, would come out to me and stand and call in the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place and recover the leopard. So this is what he thought would happen.
But you know, I've sort of enjoyed in this 11Th verse, what does Damon say? He says, behold, I thought, I thought he had his own thoughts as to how we could become a conversation. And dear friend, tonight you might have your own thoughts. I might ask you and you can answer in your mind, are you going to heaven when you die?
How are? How do you know you're going to have them when you die?
Is it because you've asked Jesus, the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, who died on the cross and, and have you ever asked him to save you? Or do you have some other way that you think you can be saved? You know, you can go down the street and ask a person, are you going to heaven? And they say, well, I hope so. And you say, well, why do you hope you're going to have there? Why do you think you might be going to heaven? And they said, well, you know, I'm not such a bad person.
I know I've never murdered anybody. I've never robbed a bank. Umm, I think God will accept me. But you know, that's man's thoughts.
There is only one way to be saved, and that is God's way.
And so how important it is to to know from the scriptures how we can be saved? Well, Naman here, he said. I thought.
And he was very insulted that Elijah wouldn't even come to the door and speak to him. So what does he say here?
Uh, in the umm, uh, 12Th verse, he says, are not a banner and far par rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? May I know washing them and be clean. So we went away in a range, you know, he looked at that Jordan River and he said, why should I go down to that river? You know, I want to say that about two months ago I was standing beside the Jordan River.
In Israel and it is a very muddy river. Uh, you, you can't see the bottom at all. It just filled with mud and no doubt a life or at least a name. And when he looked at that, wherever he thought, I don't wanna get into that money river.
And Alicia wants me to dip in at 7 times. I'm not gonna do that. We have reversed back in Syria that are clean Havana and firefighter and you know.
I've liked and I'd like to, umm, liken those two rivers.
To what I call ritualism and rationalism. There are some people that are trusting their religion in order to get to hell. They think about a member of such and such a church.
And I do the best I can and I have a Bible in my house, umm, that I'm gonna get to heaven. There's a ritualists.
Uh, there are others, however, that say I don't believe in religion. I, I believe in science and, umm, how can you prove there's a God? They say, they look up in the sky and they say, where is God? I can't see. And remember Yuri Gardner Goddard, he was the first Russian to go into space. And when he went up in, uh, that little space capsule back in the early 60s, he said I didn't see God in space. Well, how foolish.
But you know, he was trusting his rationalistic mind.
In the thinking that he was safe because he couldn't see God.
And there are many people today that consider themselves atheists. They say there's no God.
What does the Bible say about that? Take a look at, umm, some UH-14.
Uh, well known verse.
Psalm 14.
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The fool has said in his heart there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works. There is none that doeth good, so it says they're The fool has said in his heart there's no God. Dear friend, are you one of those kind of people that are trusting, uh, so-called science?
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with science, but science will never lead you.
Uh, to God, never. And yet some people, they look around and they say there's no God.
But you know what other verse tells us that they are without excuse, all you have to do with without and examine, uh, creation, the intricacies of a leaf or how a Caterpillar changes from a Caterpillar into a, a butterfly and these kind of things to see that, umm, that there's a creator behind what we see in, in nature. Well, I'd like to, I'd like to, umm, compare the two rivers, Havana and Carpark to those people who are ritualists and religionists.
And those who are rationalists, well.
He was fed up. He thought he would just go home.
But you'll notice here his servants, they begin to plead with them. Notice what they say.
His servants came near and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had been thee to do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather when he says to the wash and be clean? So the servant said.
Sir, all I asked you to do was to go down and dip in that river seven times. That's nothing hard. If you ask you to do something very difficult thing, well, you might understand why you wouldn't do it. But why not go down and dip in that river seven times?
Well, you know, the wonderful thing is that Nieman.
Began to think, as you know, it says of the, uh, prodigal son in Luke 15, he came to himself and here was naman. He began to think, yes, it would be a very simple thing to go and dip in that river seven times. And so it says there on the 14, first he went down. He went down. And you know, that's the first step to salvation is to realize.
That you're a Sinner in God's presence, not trying to defend yourself, not saying that you're not as bad as your neighbor, umm or anything like that, but just simply acknowledging what God says. That you are a sin.
And so we find here that, uh, name and he went down and it says he dipped himself seven times, supposing he had gone down and he had dipped in the river five times.
Would he have been cleansed of a lepersy?
I don't think so, in fact I know some. It had to be 7 times and therefore salvation is only one way. It can't be anything less than God's way. And so let's just take a look at the gospel verse that's well known. John chapter 5. Sometimes nice to look at these verses to see them for ourselves.
John chapter 5 and this is Jesus himself speaking.
Verse 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believes on him that sent Me, has everlasting love, and shall not come into condemnation or judgment, but his past from death unto life.
Isn't that wonderful? He adheres my word. Are you? Are you ready to listen to God's Word tonight? Are you ready to realize not only that you're a Sinner, but the Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners?
Are you willing to acknowledge that?
Are you willing to realize that his blood can put away your sins forever?
Are you willing to bow your head right here in this room and say, as we said before, God be merciful to me as senator?
I accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. He's the only one that can say, well we find that uh, uh, naman here. He dipped himself in the Jordan 7 times and what was the result? It says His flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
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Notice a little child you know. Have you ever looked at the skin of a little child?
There's not a wrinkle, is there? No imperfections. It's just very, very smooth skin. This man, when he was cleansed, I'm sure he looked probably 25 years younger, maybe, maybe more. His skin was like a little child. And you know what? Tell us in God's word, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.
All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
There was a man that was here yesterday.
And he came from my town, New Glasgow, and you know, when he was about 18, he, uh, decided he would start taking drugs, took LSD and a lot of other, uh, such drugs. He left home, he hitched, uh, onto a freight train that was heading for Montreal, jumped in a box car and, uh, traveled up to Montreal And from there he went on to the British Columbia.
And umm, smoking pot and going to rock concerts and doing everything you can imagine. And umm, I won't go into all the details, but uh, that person, umm, was convicted of his sins when he was out West. I can't remember all the details, but you know, he acknowledged that he was a center, took Jesus as a savior, and there was a complete change in his life.
Complete and dear friends and I, if you're willing to take that step of acknowledging that you're a Sinner.
The Lord Jesus Christ will give you a new life, one that wants to please Him.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are becoming new. And that's what the Lord wants to do for you tonight. He wants to give you a new life, one that wants to please Him.
And so we find here, it says his flesh became as a little child and he was clean.
Verse 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him, and he said, Behold, now I know there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.
You know, I like this expression. Now I know in order, as I said before, there's a lot of people who you go to them and you say, are you saved? And they say, well, I hope so. Are you going to heaven when you die? Well, I hope so. But you know, God doesn't want you to hope. He wants you to know. Let's look at a verse in first John chapter 5.
First John, chapter 5.
And, umm.
Verse 13.
These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that she have eternal life, that he may know that you have eternal life.
Friends, do you know if you have eternal life? Do you? I do. I'm not going to have them because I'm better than you, but because my sins have been put away in the blood of Christ. That can be your salvation tonight too.
And so it says here, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.
If you accept crisis and your savers and knife, you'll know that you have eternal life.
Well, you know, if we could go on here just for a moment, I won't take too much more time, but umm, uh, he says there in the 16th verse, as the Lord liveth before whom I stand. I, I'm sorry, I'm ahead of myself. Umm, we'll read verse 15 again. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company and came and stood before him and said, Behold, now I know there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. Now, therefore I pray thee take a blessing of thy servants.
And Alicia said, as the the Lord liveth before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it, but he refused. So here's Naman who says, look, at least I can give you something for what you've done. I'm clean. My skin is just even better than it was before I had leprosy. Surely I can give you something. How about 10 changes of Raymond? So he offers Elijah all these disclose and uh, silver and gold and so on.
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And the license says I'm not gonna take a nickel up.
You know it makes me sad sometimes you hear the gospel preached on the on the radio sometimes or on TV and umm, you know at the end they say please send your money to such and such a a box number.
And it almost sounds like you have to pay for salvation, but you know, when you came in here tonight, we didn't ask you for a donation. We didn't ask you to, uh, leave some money in the box as you leave. Why? Because salvation is free. It doesn't cost a nickel for you. It costs the Lord Jesus everything. It cost him his life.
But it cost you nothing. All you have to do is accept it as a gift, the gift of God.
Is eternal life. So Elijah, he wouldn't take anything from me. Nothing.
And so tonight, God isn't asking for money. He's not asking you to turn over a new leaf. He's simply asking you to accept his gift, the gift of His only son.
The gift of eternal life. Are you willing to accept it tonight?
Well, I'm not going to take any more time, but if you've never acknowledged Jesus as Lord, if you've never admitted that, you're a Sinner.
Do it tonight before it's too late. Too late. It's 7:50 and you know.
Very soon the Lord Jesus is going to come and take his own out of this world to be with himself. If you're left behind, it's to be left behind from the judgment of God. We had this morning the story of the Titanic, and we know a lot has been said about the Titanic. You know, they said it was unthinkable.
And umm, there were a large number of people on that boat, I don't know how many. It was something like 2000 and some. And there they were crossing the Atlantic, thinking that everything was fine. Little did they realize that that boat that they said that God himself couldn't sink was going to go to the bottom.
And you know, people in this world today, they think everything is just going to continue the way it is. But one of these days God is going to bring judgments on this world for the rejection of His Son.
But you know, before that moment, those who know us know Him as Lord and Savior are gonna be caught up to be with Him forever. Are you gonna be caught up at that time, or will you be left behind for the awful judgment of God? Behold, now is the accepted time. Don't wait even till 7:50. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. I remember a story I've told many times.
When I was training for a teacher. This was back quite a while ago.
There was a young man who was the president of the student council. His name was, uh, Ernie Grant. And he was very popular, good looking and, umm, my friends, umm, I went to him one day and said, Ernie, do you know the Lord of your Savior? He said, uh, what are you talking about? And uh, Jim, uh, gave him the gospel and he listened and he said, you know, I think maybe you're right in what you say, but he said, I wanna have a good time.
And, umm.
I have lots of time. I'm young, I'm only 21 or 22, whatever it was. And he said when I'm on my deathbed, I will accept, umm, God's offer of salvation. Well, you know, it wasn't even a year after that conversation that Ernie was driving a sports car and he had a head on collision and he was ushered into attorney. He was never given a death penalty.
And you might say, well, thanks for what you say, but I'll think about it. If you wait, it might be too late. God's time is now.
And that's why we urge you to take that step now. All you have to do is bow your head, tell the Lord that you're a Sinner, believe that He died on the cross to put away your sins, and salvation will be yours. Let us pray.
Our God and Father, we thank thee for the gospel message. We thank thee most of all, blessed God, for thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank Thee for sending him into this world to save sinners.
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We thank You for each one in this room who has accepted Thy offer, the full and free salvation. But oh Lord, we fear that there are some here tonight who have never taken that step.
They've heard the gospel message but have either neglected it or rejected it. We pray for such here tonight that they might, uh, Lord Jesus, acknowledge that they are sinners, believe that Thou is coming to the world to save centers, and they might accept by offer of a full and free salvation tonight, before it is forever too late. We ask Thee for this and ask Thee for, umm, the Word of the Holy Spirit and the souls of any here who know not Thee as Savior.
We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Life of Abraham, The Family
Open—S. Stewart, S. Allan, D. Mossman
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.
Our hope, our soul and Desire, 166.
Umm.
Uh.
Umm.
Capture 21.
Verse 15.
The last three words.
Seed my lamps.
Verse 16. The last three words.
Need my sheep and just one other please over in first Peter chapter 5.
Ruth Peter 5 and verse two and just the first part of the verse.
Feed the flock of God.
Which is among you?
We pray.
The God and Father we.
Come to near the end of the series of meetings that we have been invited to.
00:05:01
And we thank the Father, the way that Thou hast given us so much ministry.
These meetings started with prayer to the Blessed God.
And we believe with all our hearts that thou hast.
Given us food for our souls.
And we thank you for it.
And our God, now we come to this meeting a little different character, open meeting that we believe.
That thou hast made provision for in thy holy Word.
We are just as dependent on the Father for this meeting as all the others.
And we humbly ask thee that by whomsoever thou wilt.
That the flock of God may be fed this afternoon, our Father, we ask thee to give courage to any brother.
That would have a word from thyself.
To give it to us this afternoon. So we look to thee, we count on Thee, and we ask that the precious name for the glory of our Lord Jesus, Amen.
We turn to Galatians.
Reverse there.
Galatians.
In chapter 4.
Verse 22 It is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond made, the other by a free woman.
That he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flood, but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory For these are the two covenants, and one, the one from Mount Sinai, which gendered the ******* which is Agar.
For this Agar is Mount Sinai and Arabian answered to Jerusalem, which now is and in ******* with their children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Well, who was the free woman?
It was Sarah Norcera, and she speaks of grace.
And not the law. And that's the relationship that we've been brought into with the Lord. It's one of sovereign grace.
I'd like to look a little bit at the life of Abraham.
1St to touch on a verse in the Book of Judges.
Or Joshua, Excuse me.
Where Joshua tells us to tells the children of Israel a little about.
Abraham.
24th chapter.
And verse 2.
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your father's dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time. That's the other side of the Euphrates River. Sometimes the river could be called a flood. They overflowed their banks. We know that Jordan did the other side of the flood.
In old time even Tara, the father of Abraham and the father of Nakor, and they served other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan. So on.
Let's go back to Genesis.
Chapter 12.
Verse One Now the Lord God has said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto a land, that I will show thee.
And I will make of the a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him, And Abram was seventy and five years old, and he departed out of Heron. And Abram took Sarai Eye his wife.
00:10:26
And Law, his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered in the souls that they had gotten inherent, and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came.
Mentioned the other day or yesterday that this is the first man who was called in this way.
Out from both family and nation. And we read in Joshua that he was an idolater and his father was an idolater and he lived in a land of idolatry. He lived in Irv, the counties. It was an idolatrous city. He was surrounded by it. That's what he was brought up in.
But God doesn't call him out of idolatry.
It's true, when he called him out, he went out of idolatry, but God doesn't call him out of that.
God calls him out of family.
And nation. Both are institutions of God and especially family.
And he calls them out of those things because they have become infected by idolatry.
And God brings in a claim upon Abram's soul that is higher than family.
Higher than any claim that nature could place upon him. And you and I have been called by God too, with a claim that is higher than any other claim that can be placed upon us on this earth. Each one of us who know Christ as Savior have been individually, personally called by God.
And it's a claim upon us that transcends every other claim, because every other claim that could be put upon us can become infected by sin.
And so God must have a principle that exercises his authority upon us, that rises above anything that sin can come into.
But it's a calling embrace.
Sovereign grace has called us. Abram was called by the grace of God, and he comes out of that place where idolatry was, into this land that God said, I will show thee, I'll make thee a great nation, make thy name great. And isn't his name great today?
The great phase of this that this world recognizes our sees in their view. Abraham's the father of all of them, Christianity, Judaism, Islam. His name is great in this world.
Make of the a great nation. While we know that happened as well in the show, all the families of the earth be blessed.
Because we know the promised season is going to come down through Abraham as well as God is going to administer blessing through Israel in coming day. In the Millennium he had been hindered. We read in Chapter 11. You know, I suppose he had said something to his father, perhaps about.
Leaving.
And perhaps, and and this is, excuse me, it's really, I don't know what took place, but somehow Tara, his father takes the lead. Perhaps it sounds like a good idea. You know, I'm inherent. I hear things are really going pretty well and prosperous. It's a growing place. Let's move on out.
And they went up there and did, but it wasn't where God had called him to. And Tara takes the lead.
Farrah represents nature. Nature can't leave us in the call of God, it has to be God himself, the Spirit of God. And they only can get as far as Heron and paradise and now nature out of the way God had said to Abraham since they did say here he has past tense. He had already received that call and now he responds how nature's time.
Can hinder the call of God.
In your soul and my.
00:15:00
And so he comes into that land, he surveys it, he passes through the land in verse 6. The Canaanite was then in the land. You know, we've been called by God and we have a land that he has for us.
In Ephesians we find that all our blessings are in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. All our blessings, all that we have in grace, are in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. But who moves in that sphere? Satan moves in that sphere. He knows what's good.
And he doesn't want you and I to have it. And so we find in the book of Ephesians the Prince and power of the air. And he would oppose us from the enjoyment of what is ours in Christ in Ephesians gives us the armor of God for the conflict that we're going to face, to take what is ours and the enjoyment of our souls. Satan would rob us of it. The Canaanites in the land. Spiritual wickedness in high places is present.
In that land.
God appears unto Abraham, unto thy seed I will give this land, and there buildeth he. And altar unto the Lord appeared unto him. What is an altar? An altar is where Abram would meet God.
Based on a sacrifice.
Because he was a Sinner, just like you and I are. If there's going to be communion with God, there needed to be an altar. There needed to be a sacrifice. But that altar also speaks of what Abraham would put on it.
And offering up in worship to God. It speaks of communion.
And then we read. He moved from then until a mountain on the east of Bethel.
And pitched his tent, having Bethel on the West, in Hai on the east. And there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. Well, he has a tent as well as an altar. And that tent is pitched right in between a place called AI and another Bethel. And Bethel means the House of God.
Hey, I mean heaps and ruins. And you know, we're in that place today as well. We're in between the heaps and ruins that we have been called out of by God and on our way home to the Father's house. And in that place in between were pilgrims and strangers in this world. And he had a tent. Do you and I have a tent and an altar?
That's what God has called us to a place of communion with him, of intimate fellowship with himself, enjoyment of himself and all that he has for us. And while we're here in this scene, he says you're just a stranger, you're just a Pilgrim, you're just passing through.
But you know, our hearts want what's here.
Our hearts want. Let's see our brother brought before us the other night, all that's in the world. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And that man who's coveted and he wanted what's here. But Abraham had a tent.
Verse 9 Abraham journeyed going still onward to the South, and there was a famine in the land.
And Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was grievous in the land.
The God had called him.
You know at the beginning of every dispensation there is a characteristic sin that marks that dispensation.
As it has been committed to man and responsibility in his failure and.
Man called by God.
And responsibility to God.
Given in principle to Abraham here, that dispensation of calling that was developed fully later on, he fails.
And he leaves that place that he had been called to.
In a time of family.
Hammond came in and it tested Abram.
And the trials come in our life.
And they test us, don't they?
They test us in connection with that calling whereby we've been called by God.
And what's the temptation? It's to leave that call. It's to leave that tent. It's to leave that altar. It's to leave that land of promise and blessing and the enjoyment of all our privileges.
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And all our blessings and heavenly places in Christ and go back to the world that we were called on us.
The famine was grievous in the land. It wasn't easy. The trials aren't easy. This wasn't something that was just oh, Abram, why couldn't you buck up and handle it?
It was grievous in the land.
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, he said unto Sarai his wife.
Behold, now I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon.
Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, this is his wife, and they will kill me.
That they will save the alive. Say, I pray thee thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and my soul shall live because of the.
Oh, he says.
This place isn't friendly.
And you're beautiful.
And, uh, I can't let him know you're my wife. I can't let him know the relationship that I have with you, Sarah. So tell him it's something else.
You know Abraham.
And carry them through.
We read in the verses.
Down further it came to pass when Abram was coming to Egypt, Egyptians beheld the woman as she was very fair. The Princess also Pharaoh saw her and commended her before Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
He entreated Abram Well, for her sake he had sheep.
And oxen, and he ***** and men, servants and maidservants, and she ***** and camels.
The Lord played barrel.
And this House of great plagues because of Sarai Abrams wife and.
Called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why this thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why, said it thou she is my sister, so that I might have taken her to meet a wife. Now therefore, behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
And Farrell command of the men concerning him, and they sent him away, and his wife and all that he had.
You and I have been called by God.
By sovereign grace, and that's our relationship to him. It's not a *******. It's not the law of sovereign Greece.
And it's a beautiful thing.
And Satan knows what's good.
He knows what's precious. He knows what's valuable. He would love to have that. But he fell from the highest place, the most exalted creature of God. He fell through self will and sin, and he has become the enemy of God and of God's people. But he knows what's fair. He knows what's beautiful.
He's the Prince and God of this world, and he said to the Lord in the wilderness, all the kingdoms of the earth have been delivered to my hand to give them to whomsoever I will. And now that God and Prince of this world and pictured and Pharaoh comes to Abram and he says he can have it all.
I'll take her.
If you can have it all.
That's the trade.
We've been called by God and grace.
And Satan's standing there, he says you can have it all. Just give me grace, Trade. I know what's really delicious. You're going to have the rest.
It's all mine to give to you.
And the trades offered.
But he was in a compromised place, out of the path. He departed from that place of calling, and he lied about his relationship to his wife. Oh, I remember, brother, Lundin said. And if you and I get out of that path, we'll lie too, as listening to him talk. And he paused. You know, our hearts are deceitful, desperately wicked, above all things, who cannot. And there was something in my heart that said I won't lie.
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And that pause of Brother Lundin's. And then he said, yes, you will.
Yes you will.
We get out of that path.
Full line.
We'll cover up our relationship to grace the Lord Jesus we got out of that path and go down into this world out of that calling. Will I will deny that we belong to Christ by our actions, by just not confessing it.
Well, why about our relationship to grace? And Satan will reward you richly. He'll give you. You've got it to give.
He'll give you what do you want.
Good. He knows what's precious.
We'll make the trade.
And Pharaoh took Sarah.
No. Think of Abram.
Here they come.
From pair of sheep, look at them all.
Beautiful feral sheep, the best.
Box.
Here servants, slaves, here they come.
What do you think, Abram thought as he saw that parade, Wave after wave, go by him, avoid Pharaoh gave him?
What do you think he was thinking?
It's the same thing I trust.
If we got into a position like that, maybe you are today, maybe you've been there.
And you know what I'm saying?
You'd be thinking, where's my serum?
What satisfaction?
Currently provided.
And oh, it was paraded in front of him.
When Sarah was not there.
When she was in Pharaoh's house.
None. What satisfaction?
Could you and I find?
To depart from the calling of God, to go back to this world that we have been called out, and to not have the enjoyment of Christ, but all that this world has to offer make up for that difference.
Wouldn't we think to like Abraham wires?
Where is my Lord Jesus?
What a lesson in the life of the man.
God delivered him out of it. He sent him packing right out of there.
There were effects later in his life though, because of him.
And Hagar, the gender of the ******* was one of them.
We don't get away without scars, you know, For God's sake.
We've been called by God.
Don't leave that path.
Because you'll deny your relationship to grace and.
And you lose the enjoyment of all that he has.
In the path of his calling, embrace.
You know, I was just thinking that, umm.
Our brother Steve had just read that verse in connection with Abraham, uh, where? He said.
I'll just read the verse again, he says. In thee shall all families.
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Of the earth in blast, you know Abraham failed, and we have to acknowledge that each one of us here fail from time to time.
And what is on my heart, particularly this afternoon, is the family.
You know, I, I remember back in Ottawa many years ago, it was said that the enemy is making a special attack on the family, He's making a special attack on the assembly. And if we look around today, we can say that he has been very successful.
And, you know, I just wanna make a few little words about encouragement in connection with the family.
And maybe we could just turn to Deuteronomy chapter 6.
Where we have the family mentioned a little bit.
I've often enjoyed these words.
In Deuteronomy 6.
I'm just gonna read some of them.
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that He might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it. The.
Now might just fear the Lord thy God to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou and thy son, and thy son son, all the days of thy life, that thy days may be prolonged Here therefore most of Israel. And observe to do it, that it may be well with thee, and the G may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers has promised thee, in the land that flows with milk and honey.
Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is 1 Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine hearts, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words shall I command thee this day, which I command thee this day shall be in my heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. And thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way.
And when thou lie us down.
And when thou risest up, thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hands, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes, and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And then verse 20. And when my son asked thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you, then thou shalt say unto thy son.
We were in, we were Pharaoh's bondsman in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hands. And the Lord showed signs and wonders great and sore upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his households before our eyes. And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in to give us the land which He swear unto our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to do all these statues, uh, to fear the Lord our God, for our good, for our good always.
And that he might preserve us alive as it is, as at this day. And also the UMM.
The 11Th chapter is really the same. Words are very similar. I just want to read one verse.
Uh, Deuteronomy 11 verse 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children in the land which the Lord swear unto your fathers to give them as the days of heaven upon the earth.
Well, these are verses that I feel speak volumes to me. And I wanna say if there's anyone that's been a failure to myself, I don't even feel confident to read these verses. But I think it's so important because we look around and we see families being torn apart. We see young people who are going off into the world and forgetting everything that they've heard from the word of God, and it's very sad.
But why is it? I believe it's because.
There hasn't been no listening to what God has said in His Word.
You know what's interesting that this book of Deuteronomy, as I understand this, is referred to in the New Testament 90 * 90 times. And you know, I believe that that's because what is found here in this book is so very, very important. You know, a couple of words that you hear all the time from this book is take heed unto thyself. Don't we need that today?
00:35:25
Dear brethren, take heed to thyself.
Well, you know in this chapter it says in the first verse. Now these are the commandments, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded to teach you.
You know, you might say, well, we're not under the law. We don't have to keep the 10 commandments.
That's very true. The keeping the 10 commandments has nothing to do with salvation whatsoever. We can't keep the 10 commandments if we're just gonna set out to keep them. But the Lord has made some things very plain in His Word. Just one, for instance, be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Is that clear?
But how often do we find Christians that know the Lord just ignoring that and going right on with those who are unsaved? It says here that these are the commandments and the statutes and the judgment of the Lord. He wants us to hear them. You don't know what it says there down in the third verse, nor the, uh, yes, it says here. Therefore, O Israel, God wants us to listen to what He has to say.
You know if you go to the 31St chapter of this book.
And it has. There's some verses there in connection with hearings. Deuteronomy 31.
And it says there.
In the 10th verse.
Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose, Thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men.
Women, children, and by stranger, that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God. And observe to do all the words of this law, and that their children, which have not known anything, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God.
What were they to do? They were to bring their children, they were to bring their families to the place where the Word of God was given and where it was read so the children may learn. You know what I find today? That the reading meetings are often ignored. Well, we've got too much to do. I gotta do this tonight and I have to do that. I don't have time to go to the reading meetings and the prayer meetings. The Lord wants us to take it, the opportunity of these to be together to read the Word of God and learn from it.
And I'm so encouraged when I look around here today and see.
Those who are young and even young children, umm, I see some here that aren't even five years old. It's good to be here where the Word of God is spoken. And I remember going to the meetings when I was young. My parents took me to every meeting. I'm so grateful because there were things that I heard that I didn't think were going in, but were going in just the same. I know that old Harry Hayhoe was.
One of the brothers in the assembly where I was and a lot of the things he said I remember to this day very clearly. And yet he died in 1962.
So it's important to hear the word of God and to listen and to learn. And uh, you'll notice here it says in the second verse that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God.
You know, we were talking about this this afternoon and the reading meeting, and I believe that the this is very important. It's not that we're afraid of the Lord, but we have reverential fear toward him. We don't want to do anything that displeases him. But you know, I believe that today there are many, many Christians and more it seems every day who do not fear the Lord. They don't really. They if you went to them, they wouldn't say, well, we don't care.
00:40:03
But their lives indicate that they don't care.
They don't fear him and in a certain sense, we should be afraid. You know what's interesting in that, uh, other chapter that I read? It says to the parents in connection with bringing up their families. It says that your, umm, days might be like heaven upon earth. Dear parents, today, do you want your days on earth to be like heaven? You know how it is. Bring up your children.
In the fear of the Lord that will bring heaven on earth to you.
But if we're careless and let the world into our homes, it's gonna be the exact opposite. And we don't wanna talk about the days of hell upon earth. We know that's not true. But oh, the Lord would desire to bring blessing into your life and mind. And that can only be if we're willing to walk in the fear of the Lord to keep his commandments. And there's another version that says here verse six. It says, and these words which I command thee, this day shall be in thy heart.
Verse 5 Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
You know, the heart that's been said is the seat of our affections. Dear young people, those of us who are older, what are we going after in this life? Is the Lord Jesus the center of our affections? You know, someone said one time, and I sort of enjoyed this, that the heart is the central operating system of the human body. The central operating system, you know, as a verse in Proverbs, it says.
Uh, Keith, Thai hearts with all diligence for out of us are the issues of life. You know, I need that verse more than anyone. What are our affections going after? As, uh, our brother Steve was saying here, Satan is offering everything that you desire naturally that your old nature desires. God has only one thing on his menu. Mr. Barry used to say there's anything you want on the devil's menu.
But you know how many things are on God's menu? One Christ. And is He the center of our affections? Do we love Him? Do we seek to honor Him? You know, if there's love in my soul for the Lord Jesus, I'll delight to keep his commandments. It's often been said about husband and wife. The husbands are to love their wives. You know, if they love their lives, their wife will desire delight to please him, the husband.
And the same thing is true with the Christian, if he's, uh, if he's, if he loves the Lord Jesus and is living to please him, then he'll delight to keep his commandments. And so there are these three things. There's keeping his commandments, there's walking in his fear and there is, umm, oh, and keeping our hearts with all diligence. You know, these are all brought together in the 10th chapter of, uh, Deuteronomy.
We'll just look at that verse for a moment to show that.
The 10th chapter and the 12Th verse.
What does the Lord thy God require me but to fear the Lord?
Thy God to walk in all his ways.
And to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. There we have all three things together, don't we? To fear the Lord, to walk in his ways and to love him and serve him. Isn't that beautiful? Well, going back to our chapter, I don't wanna take too much time, but umm, it says here in the.
Seventh verse, it says Thou shalt teach them diligently. Boy, just a moment before I go into that, I want to look at the second verse. Sorry.
I'll read it briefly. The thou minest fear the Lord thy God to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command thee, thou and thy son and thy son son, all the days of thy life. You know, the Lord doesn't just want to see the Father go on. He wants to see his son go on. He wants to see his son. Son, go on. And you know, I know that there are some here who are fathers. I know there are some here that are grandfathers.
00:45:04
And I know there are some here that someday will be fathers. And it says here that thou mayest fear the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and to be passed on from son to grandson and so on. You know what's so nice to see a family when the, the mother and father go on, the children go on, the grandchildren go on, and so on. And, uh, and so there's a responsibility, isn't there, for those of us who are fathers.
For those who are grandfathers and umm, I think this is very important. And so, uh, the Lord wants to see uh, the various groups going on, uh, father, son and grandson and so on. Well then going down to the 7th verse, thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.
I understand you could use the word impressed there. Thou shalt impress them diligently on thy children.
I am impressed. What The word of God, dear fathers, I wanna say here this afternoon. Are you impressing the word of God on your children? You know, they've got minds that take in things very quickly. You know, I've just been impressed. I've seen my own grandchildren under the age of five. They can sit there with, umm, one of these little electronic gadgets so they can just move like lightning with these things. And these things are being impressed on their minds.
But they need to have the Word of God impressed upon them. Dear fathers and mothers, are you reading the Word of God with your children?
It says here they were to do it when they lay down and when they rise, rose up. In other words, morning and evening. And I'm very thankful that I had a mother that prayed with me before I went to bed and she read to me faithfully.
And she would also read to us in the morning. I remember before we went to school, she would spend 20 minutes every morning reading from the word of God. And she also read a book that maybe some of you heard called Line upon line, precept, precept upon Precept.
And umm, it was really the story of viable children. And umm, I learned a lot from those times with my mother how much we need to impress these things on our children. They've got very impressionable minds. And it says here thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest of thine house, when thou walkest in the way. So the top would be our lips. What we talk about walking in the way would be where our feet take us.
And umm, then of course, when we lie down and when we rise up, in other words, everything should be focused on the Lord's things. Not that we have to be reading the Bible 24 hours a day. But I remember and I, I have to say I'm a failure. I've been a failure at this. But remember Albert Hale coming to our house in Stellerton some years ago and he sat down at the table and he, uh.
There were various things on the table and he said, all right, Sean, where in the Bible can you find the verse that talks about when he mentioned something on the table and then he mentioned something else? In other words, he was trying to bring the Lord's things into the conversation to the children. And so it's important, isn't it, When we're talking and, uh, when we're walking by the way, and what we do, are we interested in furthering the Lord's interests? It's so very important, isn't it?
And then, umm, it says here that thou shall bind them for a sign upon my hand. You know, the hand is what we do things with. And I think that every one of us, I'm thinking of the young people here particularly.
We should be exercised as to what we are doing. Is that for the Lord's glory and is it according to His will? I remember when I was young, it didn't didn't seem that I went to the Lord and said, Lord, what shall I do for a career? I just sort of went and did it. But you know, we need to be dependent and look to the Lord. He's interested in the daily things that we do.
Are we seeking to take advantage?
Uh, I hope John doesn't mind me mentioning, but I remember when I was young and I went, uh, down to the auto exhibition. I didn't, didn't go in, I guess, but I was walking by out of paper route in that area and I saw John here standing in front of the auto exhibition grounds handing out tracks. He wasn't very old. He was probably only about 2122, but he had a real imprint. He made a real impression on me.
00:50:05
And you know, we affect everybody, don't we? We're, we're either in Nevada or a good example. So those around us. And I remember one time a, a young brother came up to me and I was his age. Actually, I guess he's a year older than me. And we were just teenagers. And he said, you know, Sam, what you do effects what I do. And I never thought of that before. I thought it's gonna be paying attention to me. But it's true. We affect each other.
For examples, either for the Lord or or or we're not, and how important it is to be examples. And so thou shall bind them for a sign upon thy hands.
And they shall be as frontlets be between thine eyes. That's sort of an interesting expression. I I'm not quite sure what that means. I guess they actually put the word of God, at least the Pharisees did, in front of their eyes or around here. But you know, it's nice to go into a home sometimes.
And see Bible verses on the walls. Uh, it makes it plain that the ones who in that home are Christians. And so when somebody knocks on the door and you invite them into the step inside, it's nice for them to see a gospel text on the wall. And so how important it is to have the word of God as frontlets between our eyes. And then we have this 9th, 9th verse. Thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house.
And on by Gates.
Umm. And I believe this is very important too. Umm.
You know, what goes on in the house is going to affect what goes on in the assembly. And, uh, I think that's so important, umm, because the gates here probably refer to the family going out, uh, to the assembly and into the community.
And you know what a sad thing it is, Perhaps if a family is fighting, they have the windows up and the people hear what's going on in the hole, it brings dishonor on the Lord. And what we say in the in the home is going to affect the assembly. Why is it that our assembly so often they're so weak? It's because what goes on in the home is not always pleasing to the Lord. And so we need to remember that thou shall write them upon the post of thy house and on thy gates.
And you know, there's some, there's a book that I would like to recommend, uh, to you. You know, some of us here remember GC Willis, uh, he was a missionary to China and he wrote a book and I have found it very helpful. It's called to the parents of my grandchildren. Now, when you think of that book to the parents of my grandchildren, who is Mr. Willis writing to? He was writing to his own children and, and giving them advice as to.
How they should bring up their children. And what Mr. Willis does, he goes right through the Old Testament and into the New Testament. And he looks at Abraham, he looks at Noah, he looks at, umm, laws and all these parents and points out their strengths and their weaknesses. And that's a very edifying book, particularly for those who are parents. I highly recommend it to the parents of my grandchildren. And you know, I was just thinking of Noah.
He was a faithful father.
Umm, there he was building that art for 120 years. People must have thought he was an absolute crackpot. You can imagine if you went out here and started building a ship like the, like the Ark out here on the front lawn, people would say, what on earth are you doing? What? You know, it's interesting. When the time came for no one to go into that art, was it just him and his wife?
No, it was him and his wife and his sons and their wives.
In other words, those sons and their wives respected their father. They honored him. They knew that he feared the Lord. They knew that he was keeping the commandments of the Lord. They knew that his heart was for the Lord. And they went into the ark with their father and their mother, and they were preserved.
But you know, there's another man.
And so we can say that Noah was a faithful father, but you all know a lot. He was a failing father. He was a believer. That's made very plain in the, in, uh, second Peter chapter 2, it says that righteous man vexed his soul from day-to-day. Umm, so he was a, a believer, but you know, when the time came that the judgment was going to fall on Sodom.
00:55:12
What happened? He went to his sons in law and he says, get out of here, we've got to leave right now. And what does it say? He seemed as one that mocked. They didn't even give him the time of day. They said, we're not going to listen to you, You're crazy. And what happens? His sons in law were left in that city for destruction.
And you know God is bringing judgment on this world.
And do we really feel we're not close to the Lord's coming?
You know, the Lord wants us to go on for him in a little time left us. He wants us to be happy. He wants to make our lives in this world as the days of heaven upon earth. But how can that be? By simply walking to please him, to keep his commandments, to fear him and to love him with all our heart. And then there's another thing I just mentioned about the house. I look at, uh, Deuteronomy 22, uh, just for a moment, I'm sorry.
That we stopped here.
Umm I just want to read one verse. Verse 8.
We now build us a new house. Then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house. If any man falls from pants from fence. So you know, when they were building a new house, You know, back in the Middle East the houses have flat roofs and umm, they often had a stairway going up the side of the house to the roof. But they were told here that when they built their house they were to put a battlement. That means basically a railing.
Around the roof. Why? Well, you've got little children up there on the roof and with no railing around us, they would fall off and they would kill themselves or really hurt themselves. And so it was the responsibility of the parents to build that battlements, as it says there in the umm in that verse that we just read. And dear parents, I wanna say it's important to put up that battle list to protect our children from the evil influences that are in this world.
That our children might not fall and fall into sin and things that will bring dishonor on the Lord and soar into their hearts. We need to build that battleness.
Well, just one more thing and I'll stop. Uh, in the, uh, 20th verse, it says when my son asked thee to come in time to come say what mean the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you, then thou shalt say unto thy son, we were Pharaoh's bondsman in Egypt and the Lord brought us out of Egypt. In other words, the children were gonna become curious and they would say, why are you doing this, that?
Why are why are we keeping these commandments of the Lord? And you know, to those of us who are parents, our children are gonna ask us questions. Some of them are gonna be difficult to answer.
But you know, the Lord wants us to be ready to give an answer to our children. That's rather interesting. These verses are not only read in connection with the, uh, the commandments here, but if you go back to Exodus 12, umm, the same questions are asked when your children come and ask them, why are we keeping this Passover? Give them an answer. So we need to answer these questions, but it's interesting here how they were to answer.
It says in the 21St verse, and I hope I make it clear, we were Pharaoh's bondsman in Egypt and the Lord brought us out. You know, children, the reason why we're keeping the commandments of the Lord is because there was a time when we were down on Egypt and we were slaves there and we were in terrible *******. But the Lord delivers.
And what's the second reason? Uh, the, uh, the, umm, 23rd verse. And He brought us out from thence, uh, that He might bring us in to give us the land which He swear unto our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes. What He's saying here is, you know, first of all, tell the children that you love the Lord, that He has delivered you from all kinds of difficulties, and He's asked us to keep His commandments.
And so that's what it says in the 24th, 1St, the Lord commanded us to do all these statues, to fear the Lord our God for our good always.
01:00:00
You know, dear children, those who are younger here, you might not like some of the.
Umm, things that your parents asked you to do, but they do it for your good. And you know, when the Lord gives us commandments in His word, He does it for our good because He wants to bless us. And I think it's nice here that the first thing we should do as parents is to tell our children the Lord has delivered us. He has done such great things for us.
And now we want to please Him and keep what He has asked us to do for our good always. Well, like I say, I don't feel confident really to speak on this subject, but I think it's so important. I know the Lord wants us to be happy, He wants us to be faithful, and He wants our days to be like having upon earth. May He keep us walking in the past till He comes.
I know our time is short, but uh, our brother Dave read those verses concerning Peter, how the Lord said feed my sheep and it talks about the flock of God. You know, in the Scriptures, umm, people are looked at as sheep. We could generalize. I suppose we might say that all mankind are like sheep.
Isaiah 53 and six is all we like. Sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way, and I believe that that all is all inclusive.
That's everybody.
And to me, that's the definition of sin, really, because going your own way is not going God's way, it's the opposite.
But, uh, you know, I was reminded when he read those verses of how it spoke about David, how he kept the sheep, you know, and looked after the sheep and so on. And we know that David would be to us in the Old Testament, a very wonderful picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so he looked after his one place and says his Father's sheep. It's an interesting expression.
Because we've been given as Christians now, we've been given as a gift to the Son. Come, Father. And so he's keeping his Father's shape. The Lord is still keeping his, his sheep, you know, you and I. And so we don't take the time because it's almost up. But if we were to go to John 10, we would read there about the sheep.
And the Lord Jesus, in that chapter, he declares I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
And he goes on to say, My sheep hear my voice.
And I they'll follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Now wonderful position into which God brings us by grace.
It's by grace, you know, uh, we don't, we don't, uh, merit anything really. Uh, whether we are, uh, those that are still in our sins or those of us who are saved, really, you know, the Lord's grace is what we count on. It's the grace of God that saves us and it's the grace of God that keeps us.
If we were to, uh, turn then over to Hebrews, at the end of the Hebrews we would find the expression how Jesus is the great shepherd of the sheep.
Now it connects up there with our walk in this world. And so let me put it this way, in the past, if you will, the Lord Jesus was a Good Shepherd. He gave himself, and she he gave himself for us in our way of reckoning that happened in the past. But you know, he's not left us alone.
He is in heaven presently doing a wonderful work on our behalf, is interceding for us before God.
These interceding for us in the capacity of High Priestly umm aspect as well as an advocate, and we won't go into any more detail than that, but he's living for us.
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And today we've heard from those who we might think of as guides, and no doubt that's proper. According to the word of God, we might call them under shepherds.
But the Great Shepherd is there in the heavens, and he's watching over everything.
But we can thank God for those that guide us. We can thank God for those that are under score.
And then if we were to go over to Peter first, Peter chapter 5, I believe it is, it speaks there about the Chief shepherd.
The Lord Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, and it speaks about the reward that he's going to give at his coming. That's future.
You know the Lord is what's after us, right from the past through present, right to the future, and He's going to bring us safely home.
And one of the things that the Lord said in John 17.
All those that thou has given me to his father, he says I have lost none. And he will not lose it. He will not lose any.
He's going to bring us all the way home and you know, there's going to be a time when our lives will be reviewed. We had that mentioned a few times, uh, during the course of these meetings at the judgment seat of Christ. And you know, uh, we can read about it in First Corinthians 3, how that there's going to be gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stuff and it's all going to be tested by fire.
And get tested by fire. You know what's going to burn.
The wood, hay and stone.
And so when we get there now, I don't want to be irreverent anyway, but you can almost imagine a big pile and the fire is put to it.
And I dare say, in my case at least, a lot of it is going to burn up because of things I've done selfishly and so on. It was not for the Lord at all. I believe the things that were done for the Lord will gain a reward. And so I believe there's going to be a little bit left. However, it's going to be some gold, silver, and precious stones because it goes on to say every land will have praise of God.
So there will be something that God will find that he can reward us.
Well, that's wonderful, isn't it? To realize that even though everything is of grace, nothing of ourselves. And yet he gives us a reference.
Beautiful to consider. Well, that's the only thought I have before me at this point and just wanted to just kind of share that with you. And keep to mind when my brother Dave mentioned about feeding the sheep, you know, David said the Lord is my ship.
He appreciated the fact that the Lord was his shepherd. He took the place of a sheep.
You know, if we think of a shape as kind of wandering and, uh, tendency to get out of the way where it's supposed to be and so on. We don't particularly like to be compared to sheep, I suppose. But Davis said the Lord is my shepherd took the place of a sheep. He may give me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. And I trust that our little time that we've had here going to conference.
Days have been just like that.
Like lying down in some green passengers and.
Enjoying the peace of quiet that to me is like a little foretaste of heaven.
Because the world goes about its business, but uh, and they don't even know that we're here most part, but God looks down and like it says there in Malachi, those that feared the Lord spoke often one to another. And the Lord hearkened and heard a book of remembrance of victory.
We're seeing 200 and 38238.
Our Shepherd.
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'S graveyard.
And the faith of souls.
And you wake up.
All right, so.
You see anything in front of him and will play.
OK.
So.
What are you doing? How much is it? How are you?
Doing today, I don't know. I start without being.
Wednesday.
Circuit breaker No.
Well, no.
Mm-hmm.