Dartmouth Conference: 2015
Table of Contents
Romans 12:1-2
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00:05:04
I don't think that'd be very good, brother Bill.
Chapter 12.
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your body as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Whereas we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office.
Though we being made our one body in Christ and everyone members one of another.
Having them give differing according to the grace which that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith on ministries, let us wait on our ministering. Or he that teacheth on teaching, Or he that exhorteth on exhortation. He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity, neither ruleth with diligence, He that showeth mercy with cheerfulness.
Let mouse be just without dim dissimulation.
Accord that which is evil please to that which is good be kindly affection 1 To another with brotherly love and honor, preferring one another.
Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patience and tribulation, continuing instant in prayer.
Distributing to the necessity of Saints given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you less and purse not.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind, one toward another Mind not hide things, but condescend to men of low estates. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man, evil for evil, provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible, as much as life in you with peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written.
Benjamin's mind I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore thine enemy hunger feed him. If he thirsts, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt keep coals of fire on his head.
Do not overcome of evil, but overcome evil good.
Bill. Well.
First thing that came to mind is uh.
Beginning of the second verse.
Be not conformed to this world.
In other words.
Go.
Let people think we're part of the world, because we're not. We're ambassadors here.
A hole is in heaven.
The world would like us to go their way.
This is the result, you might say what the world would think if we don't conform to it.
First Peter Four and verse 4.
Where and they think it's strange that you run not with them to the same excess of wire speaking evil of them because they think there's something wrong with you. We don't go on with the things that they're going on with.
Yes, we know that this chapter begins what we might call the.
00:10:01
Practical side of the book of Romans, doesn't it?
Uh, the 1St 8 chapters are the development of the gospel because Paul, at least at this time, had never visited Rome, and yet as the apostle for the Gentiles, he felt her responsibility to them. And so he goes over the gospel right from, as we would say from A-Z in the 1St 8 chapters of Romans. And we're very thankful for the Spirit of God's having.
Preserved that to us because it's the.
Uh, exposition of the gospel right from the beginning. And, uh, it brings before us everything concerning the purposes of God in Christ, the, uh, total depravity of man, and then all the blessed results of the gospel.
Uh, forgiveness from the penalty of our sins, deliverance from the power of sin.
Right up to Romans 8 that culminates in the blessed position into which we're brought.
Then, of course, the 9th, 10th and 11Th chapters are kind of a parenthesis, taking up the whole question of Israel.
In the past, the present and the future. But now we could read this chapter if we wanted to. Following on right on from the 8th chapter. And it's the practical side of it, isn't it? In our Christian lives, based on all of the truth that has been presented in the 1St 8 chapters of Romans.
I've read where the this, uh, 12Th chapter is really uh.
Uh, believers walk as in relation to our fellow believers.
It's how we should, uh, box as a sample to and treat one another.
Uh, chapter 13 has more to do with our walk outwardly to governments and towards uh, have some management. We don't have faith. The 13th chapter, it looks like we have a lot of instructions and remote chapter as how to treat one another as believers.
Yes, that's very good, Enos. Then you're right, it's uh, the main thrust of this 12Th chapter is our relationship with one another.
And then in the 13th chapter, then we get more of our conduct in relationship to the outside world.
Very, very important.
And so the beginning of the chapter here.
Uses the word, therefore.
That is, it's based on a wonderful position into which we've been brought in the 8th chapter.
No condemnation In the 8th chapter, we've been brought into a place where there's no condemnation.
And then finally, at the end of the chapter, no separation.
And.
He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not?
With him also freely give us all things.
Well then, if God has given us all things and brought us into a position.
Then what is our privilege and responsibility?
And so, as a brother used to remind us every.
Exhortation of Scripture is based on what we all ready possess.
And that is totally different from every false religion. Every false religion says work hard, strive hard.
And maybe you'll gain a position after a long time. And of course they have weird and wonderful theories about reincarnation and so on, that if you're good enough you'll get somewhere.
But God in Christ puts us into the highest position into which we could be brought, and then says, now I want you to live.
According to the place you've been brought in, I want you to live and act in keeping.
With all that you now have in Christ.
00:15:05
I'd like to connect the uh, the whole theme of the book with uh, the window partial opens the book in the first chapter and the 16th verse. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God.
Under salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jews 1St, and also to the Greek.
Brevarian is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written to just shall live by faith.
I think that the Scripture, the book in the book of Romans particularly, has been brought out in the first eight chapters. We have the righteousness of God revealed.
And the righteousness of God to me is just in, if I can put it simply, as this God has found a way in which man could be brought back to him in all the all the perfection of his own Son.
And that was done at the Cross of Calgary.
And anyone by faith there is the righteousness of God from faith to faith.
And by taking that first step of faith.
Why we're brought into the family of God.
And so it's been brought out in the first eight chapters. We have the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.
And anyone here who has accepted Christ's Savior?
Has received that righteousness that God found when he when he put his Son to death, if I can put it that way, at the cross of Calvary for your sins and mine.
I love to think of this as a practical righteousness.
In this chapter and as we get from here to the end.
And as you said, Bill, every expectation in Scripture is based on what we possess.
God has given this to us. What do we owe to Him? We owe everything to Him and there is a way for us as believers to walk through the glory of God.
In this Christ rejecting world and it's increasing, brethren, we feel it, don't we? More and more you can feel the darkness of, of, uh, of, uh, the various spiritual effects, uh, evil effects that are happening in this world. But we need to take Curry Bill, you mentioned at the start there Bill Roche in connection with, with, uh, verse 2, be not conformed to the wo this world.
And let us go on in the verse, but be transformed. God would not have us live in a vacuum.
We have to, umm, he's given us minds and hearts to be occupied with, umm, uh, with something. We have to be the mind of a child, the mind of young people, the mind of older ones. And there is a path, there is a way that we can walk but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.
And so it's by it's by feeding on him and he gives guidance for it, doesn't it? And so we're brought into the family of God in here, particularly the thought of members of the body. And I like the way that it is put in that fifth verse, the very last of the verse.
Everyone members one of a numb another. We're not only members of the body of Christ.
In which he is the head in heaven, but we're members one of another and you know it's A to me encouraging when you hear of various ones who seek to help another member of the body of Christ. Someone is sick. Someone needs a little encouragement one way or another.
It's, it's brethren, it's, it's our privilege to be able to, to, uh, just give a phone call or just to, umm, make a meal or something like that to help one another.
Umm, in some sense, when you think about it, this chapter deals with the Lordship of Christ.
Our acceptance of the Lordship of Christ.
Many of us have been saved and we see this in some lives, how people have been saved and they accept their salvation in Christ, but they have a struggle accepting the lordship of Christ, making him the Lord of their lives. Uh, some of us, we struggle even amongst ourselves and even nowadays with making him learn to realize because maybe there's little sections of our lives, we don't want him to be lured up. We want the freedom to enjoy or, or, uh, those things. And, and as I read this, I think of that word, sacrifice, the living sacrifice.
00:20:13
Often there's been many comments as to what that means, but in a sense, umm, I would told this many years ago that if you think about it, every one of us or most of us own a home or live in a home. And in that home we have many things. Some things that we have that we bought that are useful in themselves, but some things we have that we treasure because of their memories and people have given them to us and they have a value that cannot be replaced, but they have. The host was destroyed, but in the sense of this sacrifice, the thought is that.
To turn that house and all its contents over.
To the Lord, everything that's in it, whether it's something that we bought, that is a function, it's useful and we really don't care if it gets lost, but there's something, even memories and those things that we hold near and dear to our heart, we have to turn over to the Lord. And by doing that by in that sacrifice, that's when the Lord, as they've said, comes in and takes the place of those things or replaces them with a much greater value to us as we go in to serve and learn more about him as he presents himself to us in a in a new and different way.
And that's the way that we, uh, as we read his word, he, he fills us with himself and he takes over those spots of our lives that we give to him. But once again, he's such a gracious Lord to us that he will not take over what we will not give. So you can see that in our lives as we struggle through our lives, the, the problem that we face is, are we willing to be that, make that sacrifice and give those things over to him and allow him to be the actual Lord of our lives?
I see at the end of this first verse where it speaks a reasonable service.
A true meeting there should be that our service could be something that expected of them. We're in the position we're in.
But uh, reasonable sounds like, oh, let me do it or not, but I believe it was daughter. But because of the position they were in and what was it done for us?
Followers is a minor service that we're expecting to do.
I saw years ago on a cafe.
Sign and it said.
He died for us.
Can't we live for him?
Well, as we contemplate the sacrifice that He has made on our behalf, anything that we do for the Lord is minuscule.
And it certainly is expected. It's reasonable that we should.
Offer our bodies a living sacrifice.
Now there's other sacrifices. Uh, Hebrews.
13 tells us about, uh, the sacrifice of praise.
Let us offer.
The sacrifices and praise that God continually, that is the fruit of our lives, giving thanks to His name. God appreciates that.
When we find a delight in appreciating His goodness.
And contemplating who he is and that he is indeed the Father of life, and that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father if he comes up to offer his sacrifice a praise. And that's just on Thursday morning. I believe it's that which should characterize our lives continually.
That's what David said. He said I prayed shall continually be in my mouth.
But then we go to the next.
And it said, but to do good and to communicate, forget not.
Or with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.
And I believe you were speaking about seeking to help out a brother.
Ministry health in one way or another. Maybe it's financially, but uh, maybe otherwise that's a sacrifice too, is he? And we're not for looked at, but here it's the sacrifice.
Of our bodies present your bodies of living sacrifice. Now we live in a world where I believe.
What, uh, predominates is the love of stuff.
And gratification.
Of self gratification of the body.
It's large and I'd rather feel you were referring over there to 1St, uh, Eater. And I think that's a good portion because we got reference to exactly what's going on today in the world. If I could just back up to the verse before what you read.
00:25:13
The first Peter four and verse.
12 The the first part of the whole chat is the first part of the chapter is is for as much then in verse one as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh.
Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. For He had suffered in the flesh, had ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh.
Then I could have will of God.
When the time passed, if our lives may suffice us to have brought the will of the gym house when we walked in vitiousness.
Lots excess of wine, raveling, banqueting, abominable idolatry.
Well, I believe this describes what we see about us today. Pick up the newspapers, find exactly what we have here.
And, uh, you know, John speaks about it too.
It speaks about the, uh, all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh.
Rest of the eye and the side of life. These things are of the world.
And out of the Father, and the world passes away with the lust stirrup.
But I believe.
That's it.
The word of God is that which.
And I look around this room here today.
And I know there are many and I'd like to think.
Everyone who places importance on the word.
The word of God to see what you feel, to stop, uh.
Jeremiah says he found his word, the word of God. He ate it.
He made it good in his own soul, and it becomes a delight, the joy and rejoicing of his heart so.
Word for world.
There's one letter difference between the two.
What letter is it?
L and I think that the L is referring to, not.
That's what characterizes the world. It's luck. But what do we have here?
I believe the will of God. Where do we find it in the word of God?
And it's our privilege today to be gathered here. We just let the court open and.
But it involves being in the world to know what this will be.
But as far as the sacrifice, you know, that's, uh, we call suffering.
Because we like to gratify the flesh, but we noticed in first year it says there see that suffered in the flesh, that peace from sleep.
So if we're going to cease from sin, we have to.
Decide to suffer. Suffer with a threat.
That's what the majority is, and that's what our example is.
What is the renewing of the mind?
After but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Well, I would suggest, Dave, that it is.
Uh, primarily a reference to what controls my mind.
The natural man, his mind is ultimately controlled as Wally has been saved by his lust and Satan manipulates the mind by means of the lust.
And so you get it if we, uh, turn to Ephesians one, just for a moment.
00:30:06
We see it there.
Uh, Ephesians 2. I should say Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 3.
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh.
Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we're by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
So the mind is taken captive by that old sinful self and turned to everything that is contrary to God. And that's why it tells us that the natural mind is at enmity with God.
But then when you and I are saved, what happens? We have a new life in Christ. We have new desires and being indwelt with the Spirit of God.
The mind is controlled or should be controlled in a different way and so you find for example that.
The demand that was, uh, in the tombs. The man that was demon possessed.
After the demons were cast out, he was sitting at the feet of Jesus, and he was in his right mind.
Well, it's the same thought there, as it was a mind that was now under different control, no longer under the control of statement, but under the control of the Lord Jesus.
So you and I are indwelt with the Spirit of God, and if the Spirit of God is controlling our mind, it will resort to the right things.
No, I don't want to be misunderstood. The mind can be used and ought to be used in secular things in the right way. And so if I'm studying math, for example, or if I'm studying biology, or if I'm studying.
Uh, computer technology or something. My mind is involved, that's quite in order, but what does my mind go to in moral and spiritual things?
If I am, uh, in flesh, in Adam, my mind goes to everything but God, but under the control of the Spirit of God, my mind is renewed, isn't it?
It's a nice way it's put there in Ephesians chapter 4.
And, uh, concerning.
The fact that we've been talking about the old man.
Verse 22.
A receipt at 4:00. So you sit off concerning the former.
Conversation matter of life with the old man which is corrupt.
According to the deceitful law and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Really, that's allowing the new nature that we have to take control.
And form our frame, our thoughts, so that they're in, uh, harmony with the Word of God.
The new man he likes. He likes the things of God.
If he likes to do, uh, the will of God.
He likes, uh, to please God.
And so.
Our mind could be, uh, I'll be ready.
In, in the, in the things of God to please him. And so if we exercise our minds in that way, because it's, it's mentioned here, the spirit, it's the highest part of that. And so our spirit, if it's, uh, if we allow it to, uh, follow after the old man, which has been, we're told to put in the place of death and we know we still have it until we get the glorious we, we allow the spirit to follow those things. Well, we're gonna please the flesh. We're gonna please ourselves.
We have a, we have a will that that, uh, desires to do everything that God just likes. But we also have a nature that desires and pleased by.
And it's not.
Sometimes it's thankful, you know, we're, we're asked to renew ourselves and it's, uh, fixing up the old man. It's not the old man has been dealt with, the price and the trust been put in the place of death. We're erected. Done.
It's gone, and so we have a new nature given to us by God, and that new nature is what we should be allowing to rule in our lives. It's a new nature. I believe that's why including the region here. Spirit.
00:35:13
Spirit of our mind.
It's the highest part.
It might be uh, good to remember. Also in the book of Romans the chapter 12 Comes after chapter 8.
In reality, a little place in between where it falls intercedes with his love for the his people of Israel is sort of, uh, an interjection in between these two chapters. So what this is brought up in chapter 8 becomes very clear. And then that takes us into chapter 12, which talks about the mind and the body, but only after the spirit comes out with first.
Their Ascension chapter 2 as well that.
It's not just the head knowledge of these things, but it's an actual practical experience that allows us renewing of our mind that we may improve what is good and acceptable. You know, practically speaking, when I was in school or at work and I could get a head knowledge of a theory, but until I actually applied it.
And worked it through myself. I couldn't walk in it or understand it. And I think of King David when he was going out to meet Goliath and Saul gave him his armor that David wouldn't put it on. He hadn't proved it. He hadn't lived in it and experienced what, uh, what it would do for him. I just think that we look at this verse two, we should renew our mind through the word. We can understand things with the head knowledge, but until we prove them and walk with them in a kind of a practical exercise day-to-day that we can really show what's good and acceptable to the world.
Good. I was thinking that for the young people and the children here, transforming is a big word. But I think a lot of the children here have Transformers and homeless. I know I've seen them around here around and for the older ones.
For the older ones, it's it's like taking a monster truck model and transform or changing it into an airplane or a superhero. So Transformers.
Trans is along with this word here, but I was thinking of a scientific, uh, more nature way, and that's the butterfly. The butterfly as you know.
Caterpillar. But as a Caterpillar that has a racial racist appetite to eat and eat and eat and does a lot of damage, what it feeds on it, it can damage a lot of plants. But something happens to that little Caterpillar. It's transformed through metamorphosis and it becomes a butterfly. And all of a sudden it starts. It doesn't want to eat my skin anymore and destroy them, but it wants to feed on the nectar and do good. And for children here, that's what we should do too. We shouldn't feed on the garbage of the world. We should.
Think about the good things, what God wants us to think about, and one of the important things is the word of God to feed on that, and that will help us grow. Read your Bible, pray every day, and you'll grow, grow, grow. Be like the butterfly. Don't be like the Caterpillar. That does a lot of damage and you might say repeat damage yourself too by what we feed on the world. You know what's bad, children? You know that Well, at least you should. Your parents should help you find out what's bad. But too much TV, too much Nintendo. I'm speaking to myself. There's too many games and things like that or things that you shouldn't be looking at. That's the things you should avoid.
And the good things might be studying through school, you know that. Have a test tomorrow, or you have an assignment.
Do the good things, you know what the good things are, and your parents will help you steer you in the right direction and you'll grow. And like the butterfly, you won't be damaging others and you won't be damaging yourself. You'll be helping others.
I was just thinking of umm uh, Second Corinthians in chapter 3.
And umm, you know, we all umm.
Well, every believer has that old nature and, uh.
Uh, something goes wrong or whatever.
Uh, you have a feeling? Well, I gotta get even that's that's the old, old makers and umm, it still is deceitful.
As it ever was. And, uh, but now we have a battle. Umm.
Before we were saved, we never had that bad, but we didn't did those things was natural, whether it was revenge or whatever, you know, Oh, I'll get that guy back thing, you know, but we'll think that now the spirit of God checks us and umm, and and then we turn away from those sides and just acknowledge we're already and, uh.
Say a little prayer in our hearts to, to the Lord and acknowledge that that's not the way you, you think now. But anyway, in umm, verse 17, umm, now the Lord is that spirit within and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is Liv liberty. And I was just thinking we have liberty, liberty. We enjoy all the things of the Lord, whether it be a picnic or, uh.
00:40:05
That are earthly, but umm, they could be godly things in the sense that.
Well, we give thanks to the Lord for everything.
Let's be able to go for a hike or, umm, a swim or whatever it may be, but umm, especially the word of God, umm, in those things we don't, uh, we're not transformed, umm.
In their mind according, you know, as as the Lord is, but uh, verse 18 but we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord.
Are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Or, uh.
The Lord, the Spirit. And so our whole lives are.
Sometimes you go through some mighty battles, you know, in our minds, and the flesh wants to have its own way.
And and umm, sometimes it can be a real battle.
And we might hang on to it like a bulldog for a while and then, umm, sometimes maybe even years, we might hold on to something, you know. And we're, we're not happy and, uh, we're only happy when we surrender to the Lord. And then the tears come if it's something grievous to him, you know, And uh, never more like him afterwards.
If you're turning away from it and umm.
As I say, we naturally want to do those things that do not please the Lord.
But what a what a rejoicing we have when we turn to him and talk to him and.
We love him because, uh, who he is, what he is done.
And what he's going to do? Yeah, We have a home in heaven. We're already in heaven.
Umm, spiritually.
We had these bowel bodies still in Missouri, bodies of corruption and umm.
Belong to the Lord everything.
The unsearchable riches of Christ.
Later on in the Second Corinthians, uh, the apostle speaks about the weapons of a warfare. They're not. We were talking about that word transformation. And actually just looking here at 2nd Corinthians 3 and verse 18.
Uh, the word there, uh, when it says, uh, but we all with an open face, beholding is in the glass, the glory of the Lord are changed into that same image. The word there changed apparently is the same word that we have in our chapter Romans 12.
Uh, verse 2 and it says, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So here we have, uh, almost like two ways that we can be transformed. Uh, one is, is beholding, uh, the Lord and the other here is by the renewing of our minds, uh, Romans 12 And it's kind of neat to think too that actually the 3rd place or the same word is used is in, uh, Mark Chapter 9 when it talks about.
Jesus being transfigured before. I think it was Peter, James and John.
Uh, but the difference between our, uh, our, umm, effort to be transformed into the image of Jesus, into Christ's image is that, uh, that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to be transformed into the image of Christ and that's what he's doing enough. But with Jesus, when he was transfigured, it's almost like he, he was going the other direction. He was already Christ, he was God, but he was being transformed into the image, into a servant. Basically, he took upon himself the form of the servant and.
Descended in that way, so.
It's, it's neat to see how we're being transformed to be like Christ through those two means, uh, by the renewing of her mind and by beholding him. And Jesus was transfigured or he would he be took upon himself, the, the form of the siblings that way. And, and I might say too, I was just thinking the same, uh, the same word, uh, transform.
Transfiguration, but umm, I was thinking too. Also umm.
Read the word and meditate on it and it goes from the head to the heart.
Umm.
We don't, we can't see ourselves being changed since, uh, unless we look back and uh, we uh, we can see it will remove and uh, where we transform.
00:45:14
You know, uh, goes back ten years ago and, uh, looking at himself and I hope I can see where I've grown in the, in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord and umm, but we don't.
Umm, I guess we don't surprise, I guess it just happens because we, we meditate, we're not aware of the pilots. Umm, it it's something that just happens, you know?
And that's a supernatural progress in the soul.
We do receive that new light, uh, from, from God. It does change it. And uh, I'm just looking at, uh, Romans Capital 6.
So they're in verse 20.
For when you were the service of sin, you were free from righteousness.
Where you were before or intervened in our lives, we didn't know. Righteousness, true righteousness, the word of God.
He said what fruit for work had you then, and these things were off here now, ashamed.
For into those things in depth.
Yeah, I continued on. You know that where that would have led and led to death and after death we guys went to sleep. It says what fruit had your nose saying we're not, you know, a shame at the end of those things is death, but now being made free from sin and become the service to God. You have your fruit or works on the holiness.
In the end of relaxing life, there's a transformation.
God has made the transformation He has given to its life. We were lost and undone.
You had no hope in herself. God came in and gave us life the way they say. Well, yeah, that's OK. I I know. I believe in God. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has died on the cross and Scripture tells me that I've everlasting life. I'm a Christian.
But uh, what does God want me to do? What, what would God have me to do? What should I do? I'm a Christian, where do I get my instructions what to do? Well, we know God has given to us his word to give us instruction how to live our lives, restrictions. And uh, by reading his word, we grow in grace and knowledge of Him and we know what to set aside.
And what to what is good and what it what isn't? By reading God's word, because we'll receive light from God, it tells us we're like an infant. We're just we're reborn, but we're in infancy and we're the desire to sincere help of the word that we might grow thereby.
And so we're instancing when we're we're more reborn, we need to grow and we have the food of God's word to help us grow. But then the chapter that we're in.
We have here laid out for us what God's will is for us. They say. Well, what's God's will? Of course, here it tells us plainly.
In these first few, uh, verses of our chapter, what the will of God is for us as Christians, as we walk through this name couldn't be any more clearer than he put, than he played for us. That's God. Well, for us, Miss Williams.
It's not to belabor the point, but in Colossians chapter one, verse 13, it says this and this when we're talking about transforming who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom's dear son that were translated. There is a resemblance to the word that Sean was.
Illustrating to us, but it's so interesting and what Enos just said, God has given us everything to be who we are and who he wants us to be. And there's that little word called responsibility. And that's not what I think we're dealing with in this chapter 12. It's our responsibility as the children of God to live up or to do as innocent the things that he wants us to do. Now we know what they are, but it's interesting that the word responsibility starts with the word response.
And that's the power that he gives us to do what he wants us to do. Our response? What's our response to what he's given us?
You know, why do we love because he loved us. Why do we do the things we do? Because he's done it for us. Why do we sacrifice? Why is the word sacrifice? Because he made the sacrifice for us. These are perfect examples. And in being the example that he is, he's the epitome of what we should be. And he also gives us the power and strength to do that was great. So that's what I believe we're, we're heading to in this, in this chapter is as uh, Enus brought out. It's, it's basically we can, if we had one word for it, I would say the responsibility.
00:50:13
As Christians to do, uh, to deal with this traffic. And you know, Brian, I was just thinking too, uh, as you mentioned that, umm, I was thinking before you, you mentioned the darkness, you know, and umm, my own life, umm, I, I think in my life, each one of those, especially if we, we could save them more older, umm.
We, we looked ahead and we couldn't comprehend the light. We couldn't, we, we couldn't see it. And umm, before we're saved, but after we're saved, umm.
We can't comprehend the great darkness that he has taken us over. It's just incomprehensible.
So there are really, I believe, two reasons why.
The exhortation is given in this chapter, both very important. One of them is found right in the beginning of the book of Romans, and let's just read it together because it's often missed, if I may say so.
And I speak to my own heart. Turn right back to the first chapter.
It's there in verse one.
All a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated under the Gospel of God.
And then verse 3 concerning what concerning fallen man and his need of a Savior.
That's not the first thing.
Concerning his son.
Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.
And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.
Paul always begins his gospel with the purposes of God in Christ and that.
Cover. Excuse me, that color.
Everything that Paul said.
The purposes of God in Christ and so.
As a man in a prison in the United States said to a fellow prisoner, both were believers, he said.
It's not about us.
And that is where sometimes and very often, we go wrong in our Christian lives. And if I can say it with all kindness and not pointing the finger, because we can be guilty of it too.
But in much of Christendom today, the emphasis is on the US.
Now God does do much for us, He has done much for us, but God thoughts primarily are the honor and glory of Christ.
So this exhortation is based on that, but then it's based on another thing it's based here on.
The mercy of God and if I live to please the Lord, the strongest force.
In my life will not be the fact that I ought to do it, but rather the fact that look at all that Christ has done for me. And if my heart is taken back to Calvary's cross, if I realize the sufferings of Christ and all that he went through for me, all that he is for me.
All that he has brought me into, not merely, as we might say, a fire escaped from hell, That would have been wonderful.
But were brought into that wonderful position of being heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, as we get in Romans 8.
We're in dwelt with the Spirit of God, we're brought into the highest position that you say it reverently God could have given us.
Now we don't get Ephesian truth in Romans. We're not in the heavenly places. We're still men on the earth, but nevertheless we're brought into the position of sonship with Christ, joint heirs with him.
Alpha says on that basis.
What about your lifestyle here? Whom are you going to live for? How are you going to conduct yourself?
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And on that basis, God appeals to you and me, even in these last days.
Where more and more the whole current of everything is against this.
Word that Brian said about responsibility kind of fits into there doesn't go because with the word response and I was thinking as Brian was mentioning that we can't do these things at our own strength and the Spirit of God is the power of the new life, isn't it to he's given us the desire and also the strength to do it. Amen.
And there is responsibility, yes, but as you say, it is a response to all that.
God is doing in Christ, and all that Christ is done for us. And so it is. There is a responsibility and we ought to feel it but.
What uh, the point I was making is the opt two in my soul will never keep me going.
All as we might say, I'll run out of steam after a while. If it's merely a sense of what I ought to be doing. This I'll get tired.
If my heart is right, then.
My affections will be engaged and that's what makes the difference, isn't it? Is?
Brother Hayhoe, Harry Hayhoe used to say it's not the believer that knows the most that walks the best. It's the believer that loves the most. It's not what I know.
That Anna makes my life, it's what I enjoy in my heart and soul and so I need to know it in the 1St place. But we need to walk and live in the good of it and our affections will then be drawn out to Christ.
The Lord never ever added to anything but what He gives us the ability to do it. You know, His commandments always come with this enabled and you get that in Philippians.
Where the apostle says it's God that works in you both to will and to do.
Of your pleasure.
And so if the Lord wants you to do something, He'll put in your heart and desire to do it.
But it doesn't stop it.
I think it's recognizing the Spirit of God what you're saying there.
The power.
The Holy Spirit is God.
And I'm that way rather Wally. We're never told in scripture to try to do something.
Because if we're told to try to do something, there's always the implication, Well, you may be able to do it, but you might not. But do your best try.
Now we do fail, and we know that.
But God never asks us to do something without giving us everything to enable us to do it for Him. And so we're never told to try to do something. We're told to do it. Now do we fail? I don't think there's any one of us here that would stand up and say, well, yes. And whenever I set out to do something for the Lord, it's always done, no.
There was only one who at the end of his pathway could say, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Even Paul, who perhaps was the greatest servant the Lord ever had, had to say I thought a good fight, I have finished my course and couldn't say I finished the work. And so none of us finishes the work the Lord gives us to do.
But let's not be discouraged in the pathway of faith in these last days. It's not easy. And my heart goes out to some of you young people that are facing challenges and difficulties that most of us in our generation never had to face. And you're not gonna have an easy time of it, But God will give you everything you need to be able to honor Him in your Christian facility, even in the dark days in which we live.
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You know, just take a little thing, if I may call it a little thing. Quite frankly, to me, it's a melting sometimes. Suppose you have a friend.
That you haven't spoken to about the Lord and they don't know that you're a Christmas, but you want to tell.
And you're really finding it difficult to do. I know this person's experience.
I really feel that I, I, I just find it necessary to say, Lord, please open the door for me, make it easy for me somehow to cross that line with that person. Hmm, You know, these are practical things that, that, umm, that help us in, we need the Lord's help in our Christian lives to do these little things.
Well, I was just thinking in that regard. Umm.
Romans chapter 8 and verse 16.
And, umm.
I meant to say that much in the first, uh, welcome my Christian life and, uh, also verse 26.
Here we have the Spirit of God working in us and uh, I want, uh, I want threat. When I first read it, it says that the Spirit itself.
And umm, I know the new translation says capital R itself, but umm.
I just asked her one day, what is this and, and the response I got back when, umm, the work of the spirit itself. So he's working in US and uh, and umm.
So, umm, aspirin, it's the work in the spirit to stop of it really. That way, I suppose, uh, bears witness of our spirit that we are the children of God. And then you have the verse 26 if he's working before us, uh, in heaven and so.
It's a two fold working of the Spirit of God.
I guess our time's up. 234 and 234. We're not of the world which made it away. We're not right. But children of days, 234.
Make my dream.
All I'm dreaming. Yeah, that's right.
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In the world.
183 S almost down.
Romans 12:3-9
Reading
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The Lord we have redemption, full remission and influence from the cursed. Entire exemption from the curse pronounced by God. What a savior Jesus is.
Oh, what grace, what love is Hate 62?
In the Lord.
Shall be waiting for.
From the curve and tired of them.
Very far in this chapter, but be nice to go on with it.
Would you say, Brother Bill, about verse 3? Is that about where we got to? I know we're getting very far. Thank you.
Very good, but I can start I guess. You know we didn't comment any further than about the 1St 2 verses.
Romans, chapter 12, verse 3.
For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body.
And all members have not the same office. So we being many are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another.
Having then gift differ differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith or ministry. Let us wait on our ministry, or he that teacheth on teaching, or he that extorteth on exhortation.
You that give it let him do it with simplicity.
He that ruleth with diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness.
Lo, let long speak without descendants. Dissimulation of core. That which is evil cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affection 1 to another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope.
Patient in tribulation, continue to in prayer.
Distributing to the necessity of the Saints given to hospitality.
Rest them which persecute you, bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another mind. Don't hide things, but condescend. And men are below estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man, evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath.
Where it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him, If he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt see the coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil.
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But overcome evil with good.
It is important to notice as we read this third verse that it occurs.
Right at the beginning of the chapter before.
Many of the.
Particular exhortations are brought before us.
It's most necessary because.
And I speak to my own heart. It is a sin that has pervaded the church all down through the ages and continues to.
Where members of the body of Christ have.
Sad to say, not recognize what the Lord had given them. And as it says here.
Thinking of themselves.
Or thinking that you notice that of himself is in italics.
Thinking more highly.
Than he ought to think.
We get that and we don't have time to go into it, but we get that brought out in First Corinthians 12, where.
It talks about.
Parts of the body, on the one hand complaining because they're not as they would think. The more important parts of the body are, on the other hand, the more important parts, despising those that don't seem to be so important.
But how necessary, when it comes to our interactions with one another, particularly to recognize what the Lord has given us. And so here.
Paul says through the grace given to me.
And it's especially to every man. It's not only men, sisters too, but particularly to brothers to.
The measure that God hath given to us. And so there's that which God is committed to each one of us, and we all have that which God has given us to do. But our needful, uh, to recognize that and not to go beyond it caused a lot of trouble in the Church of God.
The expression there the end of the chapter The Measure of Faith might seem to be a bit confusing, but.
Turn to Ephesians chapter 4.
And.
There we see.
Another expression that's similar, only this time it's talking about grace.
Ephesians 4 and verse 7.
But unto everyone of us is given grace.
According to the measure and it should read the gifts of the Christ.
And when it's the Christ, it not only means Christ himself, but in most cases it includes his body as well.
And there as in this verse.
I believe it refers to the measure of gift that we have been given here. It says the measure of faith because we apprehend by faith what God has given us and act according to the good of what God has has given to each one of us.
Uh, sometimes, of course God has given us or God has given a man a gift and he doesn't have the faith to use it and to act on it. And we need to do that, but at the same time, we need to recognize the measure that God has given to us.
And to use that for him. And when that happens, we will find that.
Every one of us has that special place in the body of Christ.
That no one else can fill.
Somebody can fill that role if I fail, but they can't do it as well as I can. Someone will fill that role if you don't do it, but no one can do it as well as you can. And so there is something for each one of us to do that no one else can do as well.
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Speaks in the second Peter chapter one.
Uh.
Convert 5.
Besides this, this is giving all diligence and so on. Add to your date. There's a list of things there. It's not necessarily.
Uh, adding to our faith and increasing our faith is that it's, it's those things that we need to go along with the faith that God has already given to us. These things need to be added to it.
Yes. Is that the ****? Yes, I believe so. And there. It's not so much the faith that brings us to Christ and saves us.
Uh, sometimes when we're saved we have only a little faith, but it's not so critical, is it?
Christian pathway we add to our faith, as you say.
And there is such a thing as we know from other scriptures, that there is such a thing as a gift of faith. Now I hope that none of us would turn around and say, well, I don't have the gift of faith and therefore I can't do that because our faith increases as we use it and as we add other things to it. But at the same time, God has given a measure of faith to.
Certain ones to lay hold of what he has given for them to do and to go ahead and to go forward in it. And we're not to go beyond our faith. If we go beyond our faith, then we'll find ourselves acting in human energy.
Instead of spiritual energy, and that's, sad to say, will be rather evident, won't it? So we can't really go beyond our faith, but I believe as we go on in our Christian lives that God would increase our faith as we exercise it and as we use what the Lord has given us for him.
We will find our faith increasing.
So that we won't go into it in detail, but in Scripture there's not only the giving of the gift, but there's the development of it through use. And I believe that's true of every one of us. So if we let a gift lie dormant the way the man who had the 1 LB did in loop 19, then he ends up with the 1 LB at the end and nothing to show for.
But the one who used it gained 10 lbs or 5 lbs. And I believe in that sense the Lord would increase our faith as we use what He's given to us.
I think one of the first things about gift of faith is an Ephesians chapter 2.
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that none of yourself is the gift of God.
Very faithful believers, a gift to me and then he gives us credit for it when we use it.
Mm-hmm.
There's another aspect too about not thinking more highly or than we also think in first print is chapter 4.
And verse 7, if we believe or we are aware that the Lord has given us a certain gift, we need to be reminded as well, umm, of what Paul is saying to the Corinthians, First Corinthians four and seven. For who maketh thee to differ from another?
And what has thou didst not see?
And then we need to be exercised as to he's given us a gift. We need to be exercised as to how to use it. Now thou didst receive it. Why does talk over is if thou had not received it so?
And that's why, as we were saying, on the one hand, it's wrong for us to desire a gift that God hasn't given us.
He's sovereign. He knows what we can use.
00:15:02
He prepares us for it and gives us that which we could use. Excuse me, Equally true. It's wrong if the Lord might have given.
An outstanding gift to someone for him or her to down on someone else who perhaps doesn't have that much of A gift because God hath says in another place, God hath put the members in the body as it hath pleased him. And as we read in Ephesians 4, everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. And so I say again, and this is true of young people.
Middle-aged and older people, we all have that which the Lord has given us and in that sense we have something we can do for the Lord.
No one else can do as well.
I like umm Second Corinthians chapter 10, umm.
Correct me if I'm wrong here.
And verse 12.
For we did not make ourselves, uh, of the number, or compare ourselves with some of that commend themselves, but they measure themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.
Or understand it's not the same thought there.
Yes, and I believe the problem in Corinth was exactly what we have here, that if I can put it this way, they wanted to be somebody, they wanted to display their gifts and that's what they were doing. They were misusing the sign gifts by making a public display of them because of pride and and.
As you say, comparing themselves with themselves.
And, and, uh, Paul says that's not wise. Uh, we don't, we don't thank the gift if someone gives it to us. We thank the givers. Uh, Bruce was pointing out.
And comparing ourselves with one another is not the way to do it. We're just to use what we have for the Lord and count on Him.
But the striving for physician and influence in the church is always wrong. Uh, a brother whom I never knew, but I understood him to say whether George W Heaney, he apparently said as a young man.
I wanted to be great in the world and when I got saved, I wanted to be great in the Church of God, and I had to learn that both were wrong.
OK.
We have a negative example of that as well in just reading it quickly in 3rd John where it refers to diotropy. I'll just read that verse third John verse nine I wrote under the church. But diospheres who love who love it to have the preeminence among them. That was not said as a recommendation of him wasn't he was a it was a negative comment.
Well, that leads us into the next two verses, doesn't it? Which brings before us the truth of the one body. And I think it's fair to say that in almost all of Paul's epistles that precious truth is brought in. We know that the church became one body on the day of Pentecost.
But, as has often been remarked, they didn't know it yet.
They didn't know about the truth of the one body, even though they were one body, but that was left for the apostle Paul to bring out that precious truth. And uh, so here, if we recognize that we are all one body and many, many members in it, every one of us here has a body and we can understand how that is.
And every member of the body is necessary. And of course.
As uh, uh, was it you that emphasized that?
To Brother Dave this morning, that we're not only members of his body, but members one of another.
00:20:07
And it's very, very true, isn't it, If I am connected with the head in heaven.
Then in that sense, I am connected with every other believer in this whole world at any given time. And what a precious truth that is.
Sad to say, we don't see the practical exhibition of the unity of the body, and the Church suffers sadly in consequence of it.
Nothing can change the fact that there is one body, the Lord says.
In clear tones there is one body, and all of the ruin that man is brought in can't change that precious truth. But the practical exhibition of the unity of the body and the practical working together of it is certainly not seen in the world today, and the Church suffers greatly in consequence.
But that doesn't alter the fact that there is one body and we ought to seek to act.
According to that unity that God has set up, shouldn't we?
There's a verse in Exodus 33 I always think brings out quite safe, uh, fact that all believers are one.
Exodus 33.
In verse 7.
And Moses took the Tabernacle and fixed it without the camp, far off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation.
They didn't call it Moses.
10th or errors tent or reform tent with the whole congregation, the Senate says.
OK, but uh, everyone at soccer was when I went to the Tabernacle, the congregation and was out the camp came to pass when roses when I was in Tabernacle that all the people rose up and stood every man in his own tent door.
For the whole congregation, and you took down all of it.
But it was the same. It was only a few. It doesn't tell us whether it really sought the Lord. And they owned it and they were out there and the others were in their own tent door. We know there are many of them in the world. Yeah.
So sad to say.
There are not that many today that really want to give expression to the truth of the one body. We are very thankful for many who enjoy that precious truth in their hearts. But it's meant to be practically shown out. And here, of course, it's not particularly the gathering together in that way, but the functioning together.
Uh.
Uh, appreciation of the fact that every member of the body has a particular gift and something to do.
And how important that is.
It's God's grace, isn't it, that has really preserved A testimony to the truth in the one body. It's a remnant testimony today, Hum. But it's it's, it's all God's grace and his faithfulness that has done this. We can, I think any credit for it, but it is a wonderful privilege to to be gathered in the Lord's name and give me this rightful place.
I once read a story. Perhaps many here have read the same story, I'm not sure, but umm.
Uh, old, an older brother, umm, he was really old and uh, he was really feeling umm.
The wilderness and, uh, he always would say, I don't know why the Lord is keeping me here so long. And, uh.
He, he just, he felt that way and he just wanted to go to be with the Lord. But, umm.
When he passed away, went to me with the Lord.
Umm, they found the largest, uh, prayer list that they ever saw and I think it was under his mattress or something, or under his pillow where they never ever saw it before, you know, so.
Even in that feeble state that he was.
Umm, uh, those prayers, uh, only, well, no one, uh, on that day.
Umm what? What has been done by prayer, you know and so.
00:25:01
Using that prayer, it's a, it's a real uh.
Umm, largest, uh, per list. That what you ever saw, you know.
And we all have the tendency to pray for somebody for a little while and then give it up and.
But the illustration of that, uh.
An older brother. I think it's encouraged many, many people to.
Even if they can't, couldn't do anything outwardly. Uh, but prayer is very important.
The thought of UMM of the church really generally in Christendom today is really not even understood at all I would say.
Umm.
Seeing uh uh, thought that I've heard expressed been helpful to me. Is is just this?
The church is not an organization, but an Organism.
Umm, man has been, can I say, successful in in in developing systems.
Umm, that are really organizations of men?
But, uh, uh, here, although perhaps this side of the truth is not brought out so much, nevertheless, the inferences there, it seems to me because of speaking about the Organism side of things, because we're members one of another and the effect that we have on one another. And I, I, I, uh, you know, umm, I, I find in, in speaking to other Christians that you know, you, uh, you, you, you say something about.
The very statement that I've just made.
And they, they, uh, they accept that.
But, uh, then they go on and their thoughts and, and talk about, uh, their church and your church or whatever, you know, So the whole concept is this foreign to the mind, the thinking of Christians in general today. But it's nice that it's wonderful to me that the Lord has brought us into the, the goodness of this truth and because we've been brought into the goodness of it.
Why then we're given instructions to how to act in that position. And it's not only for those who we can, I say, break bread with, but it is any member of the body of Christ, wherever we find them. Don't you find it wonderful to take and meet a Christian somewhere and right away you're drawn to them even though you've never met them before because their life responds to your life, you know, And we can be a help.
And an encouragement.
In one way or another, just by meeting other believers.
Hmm. And they to us.
And some verses in Matthew chapter 20 that did not supply that come across with discussion, uh, verse 25 and just read it quickly. So, umm, but she was called the unto him and said, he noted the Christmas of the Gentiles exercised dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you.
Let him be your minister and this one biography is perhaps thought that he was great and.
Some of the people that maybe he despised were much, much greater than.
Umm, adulation is chapter 6. There's, uh, two verses there, umm, about burden and umm.
It seems to conjure. It seems a contradiction, but umm.
Anyhow, I'll just read the first uh, verse 2 and relation 6.
Bury one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. And verse five it says.
For every man shall bear his own burden and umm.
Possibly have some thoughts from that?
Well, I believe brother Bill this brings out.
Uh, in connection with what we've been saying, the way that the body is meant to work.
Uh, that is.
Uh, let's let's take an example.
Suppose that I break my ankle.
00:30:03
And I have to have a cast on it, and the doctor says you've got to stay off that for six weeks until the bone heals. What do I do?
I get a pair of crutches and I walk with crutches and my arms do the work that.
Whatever leg is broken up to do, I can still put weight on the one leg or the one foot, but essentially I have to have something to carry me over.
To take the place of the other foot.
That can for the moment function that way.
Well, I believe that's where you want another's burden.
But it's not expected that that would be a permanent state. Now of course it could be if the injury were severe enough and that leg were incapacitated for good, but it wouldn't be a normal body, would it, if that happened and so.
Not to get technical about it, but for what it's worth, uh, in Galatians 6 there the 2 words that are used for burden.
Are not the same in the original. They're totally different words in the Greek language, and I'm not a Greek scholar, but anyone can look this up.
And the one for every man shall bear his own burden is a word that implies the normal everyday responsibilities of life.
Brother Bill over there wouldn't come to me under normal circumstances and expect me to buy his groceries. No, he's got a responsibility to look after his wife and his family and his home.
But on the other hand, if I lost my job and I was temporarily in need and some of your brethren came to my health, that would be bear you on another's burden. And so the bigger you want another's burden, the the word there for burden is that which implies a very heavy and tolerable burden that's very, very difficult to bear. And yes, then we are to help one another.
Does that, does that make sense? Yeah, it does. And I was just thinking of, uh, Matthew in Chapter 11, long verse and uh, take my hair upon you. But the last verse 30 says.
Uh, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light and so I think we all have a burden and umm.
You know, that's just like you say, everyday living. And, uh, I, I was thinking of, uh, the second one as being umm, you know, in, umm, where they're in the vineyard and they were all paid a penny a day and, uh, given the day's wages.
The ones that come in last, they complain because, umm, well, the ones that come in the last, they get the same pay as as the ones that were uh, uh.
Working all day in the hot sun and uh, they were tired and so.
To get an allergy I I just think of it as this umm they were to help help help these ones that were tired maybe to show the ones that were fresh what to do how to do it. You know where to go and do this and that and they rested and they they.
For their, uh, burden.
The same lines that you were saying I I get it now.
Maybe we could make one more remark for our own hearts and consciences, uh, to add to what Brother Dave Hayl was saying.
It is very true.
That in much of Christendom today, and we are part of Christendom, the truth of the one body is not understood.
Uh, and it's not practiced. It's not recognized because.
Many believers have had their thinking so predicated along different lines that it's very difficult to see the practical side of what Scripture says.
I say to my own heart and to the hearts of my brethren here.
If we do profess to gather on the ground of the one body, and I'm thankful we do, I believe it with all my heart. And if we have this precious proof?
Are we living it out in a way that when the world looks on, and I mean the Christian world, Christendom looks on?
00:35:08
Do they see it working in practice?
A brother back in the 1800s rode in his ministry and it's very good, he said.
As the power of the Spirit declines among believers, the clerical principle tends to take over.
And that's how it happened in the early church. That's why things developed the way they did, because individuals who ought to have been paying attention to the measure of the gift, the measure of faith that God had given them didn't do it.
And then eventually it got to the point, well, look, you've got a lot of gifts, so let's just pay you to do it full time.
And then we don't have to.
And I've told this story before, but it bears repeating. And this took place many years ago. But there was a brother who used to be gathered to the Lord's name, and he left. And sometime later, a year or two later, I met up with them and we were good friends. There was no difficulty. And I said, how are you doing? Well, I'm fine. Good. And I said, where are you going now? What do you do on Lord's Day?
And he kinda looked a little embarrassed and he said, well, I, I, I, I go to a little church.
And you said, you know, Bill, I really missed the breaking of bread. I miss the way that the Spirit of God is there to use different ones to give Thanksgiving and praise and worship.
But then, as we would say in common language, he tipped his hand a little bit. He said. But you know, Bill, it's just so comfortable to get up on Lord's Day morning, have my breakfast, get in my car, go down to the church, slide into my seat.
And someone else does all the rest.
That's how it started. And I say to each one of us.
We need to take this to heart, don't we? If the Lord by grace and Edith was bringing it out, it's only grace has given us the privilege.
In these last days to gather on that precious truth that there is one body.
To be in the place where the Spirit of God is free to act. To be where the Lord's name is honored and he has given his proper place.
Do we act this way? Does each one of us have the exercise and feel the responsibility before the Lord to say, Lord, what have you given me and am I doing it?
Or am I in danger of being like the man with the 1 LB that just wraps it up in a napkin because, well, I can't do much, I'm not up for much, and so on? Would you agree with that, Dave? There's a danger of that.
I was thinking of the example we did with Moses where he didn't want to do the work the Lord gave him to do. And the Lord said, what is that in my hand?
That are raw.
Well, like a stick wasn't very big, cast it down, go on. But that was the, that was the rod, I take it that was used to divide the Red Sea yes And uh, even though we might not feel like we have very much of A gift.
If we take it up when we use it for the Lord, He can bring blessing out of it. It's not Moses had the strength to do it. It said the Lord used the little bit that he had.
Seems as though.
Some of these gifts.
Have to do with.
Public expressions both gifts, and I'm not prepared to distinguish between these particular gifts, but I see here where it speaks to proper sign.
And then it speaks of.
Ministry and then he speaks of teaching.
And then it speaks, uh, exhorted. Well, are these not all public?
Gifts that are referred to here.
But then it says, He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity, he that ruleth his diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness.
Don't involve.
Try whatever I believe the motivation.
00:40:08
To express.
Or display one's gift. It should be love.
For the Lord, our love for his body too, for the Saints. And he speaks of that here in verse nine. Let love be without.
Dissimulation.
Mr. Davis is unfeigned love.
You know.
Comics. The reality.
Verse 10 it says be kindly affection.
One to another with further results and honest experience when another. Hmm.
So, uh, I know Paul speaks of it over there in there First Corinthians 13 and all these so I speak with the tongues of men and of angels you have not shared to your love. I am become a sounding brass or tinkling symbol.
Tell us in Ephesians chapter 4 what the gifts are for.
Visa Chapter 4.
Mentions uh some there verse 11, but it says to give us for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Do we all come in the unity of the faith, the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man?
Unto the measure of the stature, the fullness of Christ.
I guess that that the Lord gives to us. They're not really for one that hasn't. This is a for the Church.
To build up the Saints, encourage the Saints, hmm, that, uh, we might, uh, display that unity that we have in him And, uh.
This is the reason that we have as a guess. It's not not something that's obviously used for her own benefit, but they're to be used for the identifying of the church, building up the church.
I have wondered if, uh, uh, and I've read something on this about to take some other rating as an authority, but it seems to me that the that the.
The verses that are given in Ephesians 4 are more in connection with the nourishment of the body of Christ itself.
It seems, don't you think, that in this chapter here is having to do more with the practical side of the body of Christ?
The practical side of dealing with one another. How much time a week do we spend together at meeting?
234 hours maybe or something like that. How many hours are there in the week? And, uh, it's the, it's the interaction with others to encourage one another to go on together in the past that we feel the Lord has marked out in his word, that it hits me in any way that this chapter would bring forth in that way.
Yeah, right, Bill. Yes, I, I agree with that here. It's the practical interaction of Saints.
With, uh, youth, you're acting as members of the body of Christ and it includes the meetings but is not limited to it. Yeah, if you really get 3 chapters that bring verses or, I'm sorry, bring gifts for us, there's this chapter, which is just as you've been saying. And then there's First Corinthians 12 where the emphasis is on the diversity that the Spirit of God is able to produce within the body.
And the emphasis there is on the gift.
And then in Ephesians 4 the emphasis there is more on what God has retained in the church for the edifying of His body and so many of the sign gifts that are named in First Corinthians 12.
Are not there in Ephesians 4, but it's more the individual, uh, himself, the man himself that's in view there. And so it doesn't mention, for example, certain things like the gift of prophecy and the gift of tongues and the gift of healing and so on. So they're all kind of giving us a little different view, but, uh, but here it's, it's very, very practical, isn't it?
And as you say, Wally, I believe these, these gifts that are public here, they can be distinguished.
00:45:02
Prophesying or prophecy is really giving out the mind of God.
For that particular occasion, and it's a wonderful thing and God can use any brother to do that, Paul said to the Corinthians. He may all prophecy 1 by 1.
But I believe there are those who still have perhaps a special gift in that way.
Ministry is really service of various kinds.
Teaching well is teaching, making the Scriptures clear to our schools. Exhorting is the practical side of the Scripture, and some brethren have a particular gift in that way.
For those who remember him, I think our brother Harry Hayhoe perhaps has a gift of being an exhortant. He could take the scriptures and make them extremely practical.
Right down to earth for everyday life. And sometimes He repeated things over and over and over, but most of us that heard Him remember them today because He repeated them. And so there are these different ways that God gives each one of presenting the truth.
And we need it all, don't we?
I was thinking too, Brother Bill, and it says here in this seventh verse verse or ministry, let us wait on our ministry and someone has translated this way or ministry, let us occupy ourselves with ministry.
And, uh, I think that's important that the Lord has given us a, umm, a gift in service. That's what he wants us to be occupied with. I think there's a tendency sometimes for Saints to expect someone who is a teacher to be.
Someone who is good at service and someone who is an exorgerate and someone who is a, a prophet. But it's good for those things to recognize what a person's gift is and seek to encourage them in that particular line. Not try to be everything, uh, rolled up into one. Put it that way.
And of course, we have to recognize today, and I know you'd agree with this stand, that in the outwardly broken and divided state of the Church.
Uh, sad to say, we don't always have all the gifts that perhaps would be desirable, do we? And sometimes some of the best gifts are not, you might say, practically available to us the way they should be because the body is not functioning the way it should.
Well, we have to bow our heads in shame. We're part of the ruin. But that's why and we won't turn to it, but that's why it says at the end of First Corinthians 12.
Covet earnestly the best gifts.
That doesn't mean I don't believe that I should want to have the best gifts so that I can outshine somebody else, but we should want to have what will be a benefit to the Saints.
Let me use an illustration, and it's been used before, but, uh, there was a time in our married life when our two children were young and my wife was in the hospital quite I'll. And although my mother came up and helped us out, she couldn't be there 24 hours a day. And there were times when I covered it earnestly, the gift of being able to cook a little better for my children.
Now I didn't get it, but uh, the point is.
Uh, I wished I could cook a little better because I wanted to take my wife's place, not at all, but because here were two children who needed something to eat and I wished I had more ability for them. Well, it's a wonderful thing to desire to be a help to our brother. And I believe that's why. And I, I know others have had a different thought on it, but personally, I believe that when Paul says to Timothy do the work of an evangelist.
It's in Second Timothy, which is for the last days and perhaps Timothy.
He didn't perhaps, in my judgment, have exactly that gift, But Paul says do the work of an evangelist, Timothy, And sometimes maybe we have to take up that which is not exactly our gift just because, well, there's a need and we see the need to to do it.
00:50:06
But I think your, your point's well taken, Stan, to, uh, look at certain ones and expect to have them, to have every gift all rolled into one. That's a that's a big mistake.
I think what you said earlier is very important to emphasize and that is that I don't think the, the difficulty today is with those who might be diography, but umm, today there's a tendency for us to be lazy Christians, if you want to put it that way, and uh, not be reading the word of God like we should.
And not spending our time in a way that would be profitable so that when we come together we have nothing to offer. So it ends up one brother doing most of the, umm, the uh.
Teaching or whatever happens to be. So I think it's important for all of us here to be exercised as to how we spend our time.
During the day, every day, Mondays through Saturday, so that we can be more valuable. Can I say when we meet together as believers on Lord's Day, or whenever it might be, it's interesting to consider the statement that the gift that keeps on giving.
You've all probably heard that in many contexts, but when you think about that's what God has given, having gifts, He's given us gifts. What for? He keeps ourselves. I mean, I like to study the Word of God and I enjoy the names and titles of Christ.
As many other brothers study this and study that do I do it for my own encouragement? I trust not. He's given us gifts to give. That's what the gifts are for, as we say, because the weakness of our state perhaps is, is Stan said that's an instance where we tend to make one perhaps and, and over gift them on our behalf, perhaps with the gift he does not have. Umm, but I was thinking of that in the context of, if you read further on, umm, uh, where it says, uh.
Where members of one another in verse 5.
And verse 10, it says be kindly affectionate 1 to another, preferring one another. And then we go down to 16 be the same line one toward another condo sentiment of low estate. I think the Lord is like I say, given us gifts to to give. That's what we're giving the gifts for. He's given us everything once again for salvation. He's given us everything to grow. He's given us everything that we can take all the things that he's given us so we can spread it around one with another to encourage and exhort one another to grow.
I mean, the bottom line of love is love never has itself as an object. So why should gifts have the same object? Gifts they're given to be given. That's why the Lord has given it to us. And we can be thankful for those who use those gifts as as Stan brought. Also, sometimes we're lazy Christians, but sometimes we're given a gift and we don't give them.
Well, and that's being lazy.
And I say that again, I think that's a very good point. And allow me to make one more practical point, and that is this we sometimes hear today among some dear believers, and let me be very pointed about it. Some gather to the Lord's name who say, well, I'm not getting anything, or I'm not being fed or something like that. I want to go somewhere where there's more for me.
Well.
Some of us who are older, we hang our heads when we hear that because perhaps we haven't been putting food on the table the way we should be.
But at the same time.
Again quoting a brother from way back, he said Christianity is characterized not by what it finds, but by what it brings.
And the Lord himself was the supreme example, wasn't he? When he came into this world, if we could say it reverently, what encouragement did he get? None at all. He got nothing from anyone. Now, I don't mean that there weren't those who appreciated him and that there weren't those eventually who honored him, but relatively speaking.
The Lord Jesus was rejected right from the very beginning and his entire pathway down here was a pathway of giving until he gave the supreme sacrifice on Calvary's cross. And I appreciated that verse that our brother read, uh, back in Matthew's gospel where it talks about the one who was going to be the greatest is to be the servant of all. And the, the Lord Jesus pointed out that out in the world.
People looked to others and honored them because of what they did for them.
00:55:00
But he says, don't you be like that. You don't want to be the big man and, uh, take the place. You take the humble place and be a giver. And so we should all feel that.
Desire in our hearts, yes, the Lord has given to me, and now I come, not primarily to receive.
But I come primarily to say, what would the Lord have me to give? And you know what we'll find if we do that.
We'll find we get far more than we ever get, won't we? The Lord is no man's debtor, and if I come because the Lord is there and I want to honor Him, I will find that He is more than sufficient for everything that I need.
Well, I heard of her brother said someone came to him. And what you were mentioning, I don't get anything from the reading. You know what he said. Did you pray about it before you went?
I think that was a good answer. I think there are two sides too. We need to remember in connection with that and that is that, uh, the Lord said to Peter, feed my sheep, feed my lamb.
And, uh, you're going to be a good farmer. You've got to find out what your, what your cattle need, what your, what the sheep need. And we need to keep close. You need to be close to them. I think that apply, apply there should be applied in a spiritual sense as well that there are needs. And, uh, that needs to be an exercise when, uh, when, uh, even in a reading meeting like this, if we seek to minister to the.
To the Saints of God in a way that, uh, meets the need.
You know, I agree with that, Dave. That's why I said some of us that are older hang our heads when we hear those comments because.
There may not be food that is convenient. I think we have a good example of that in Hebrew because, uh, Paul was saying for at least the writer of Hebrews was saying that, umm.
Strong meat belongs to them that are full age. But uh, he recognized that they really weren't up to that.
They needed the milk, the milk said the word. And I think sometimes we come together, we don't recognize that perhaps what's needed is milk, even though the, the strong meat is good. Uh, there's a real need for the simple truth of Scripture.
Good for a balance, isn't it? Especially if we're young ones attending, you know they not, not everyone is at the same spiritual level.
Another.
Something else that too. It's not good to uh, perhaps put one up, Put a brother that maybe has a gift.
We thought it was too high up on the pedestal.
Some years ago I remember her brother sentence that, uh, he had, he had a gift, maybe more than one, but.
It seemed that every time.
Your brother would come to a conference or something that you went to a conference. He was.
You either give it an address to the young, given the gospel, and I think that brother's no longer with us. But I think you can put too much pressure on a younger brother by having them do too much.
All at once.
We should have an exercise to recognize perhaps, as I mentioned earlier, the the specific gift that the person has and you use them perhaps in that category rather than, like you had said, having all the gifts rolled into one.
So I think it's it's a good thing to remember too, not to put somewhat of a higher position and, and perhaps he he's able to bear himself.
They back in Genesis and, uh, Genesis chapter 33. There's a a little term there that I've enjoyed.
Having to do with uh, instead of speaking to the younger ones in that sense.
Genesis 33.
1St 13 It's uh, Jacob Hack and Esau. And he says, And he said unto them, My Lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me, and if men should OverDrive them one day all the flock will die.
And we can see in this, I believe, uh, that that situation where sometimes we, we speak to the young people, we speak over their heads or we speak things that are really difficult for them to understand without explaining it for them. And yes, we just leave it there and let them find out on their own without taking the time to make it a little bit more palatable for them or help them in, in their spiritual growth and understanding that. And sometimes I think it boils down to the fact that we forget that we were once young too.
01:00:12
And I know that so easily happens probably to all of us. We forget what it was like to be young and yet something happens to us as we get older and we forget that. So we carry on with the way that that perhaps we were taught. And it becomes carrying out rather than taking that time to realize that if we OverDrive them.
It's, it's uh, really puts a barrier up and you can only be over driven so long before you finally say it is the only statement. I get nothing out of it because I'm tired of listening because you're not giving me anything to to learn. You just you're just yelling at me or if you're talking at me, not talking to me.
And it's important to remember that. One more thought on that, Brian. I was just thinking of, uh, Luke chapter 17 and verse 10.
And, umm.
You know, instead of, uh, complaining, well, I'm doing it all and, uh, the other brethren or you're not doing anything, you know, and uh, so forth and so on. Umm, I think we can relative, it would do as well to remember this, uh.
To remember this principle and uh, verse 10 so likewise he when he shall have done all those things which are commanded on you say we are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our duty to do so that's what the Lord says the whole thing. And if we're complaining about, umm, brethren, not very move old or whatever.
I think Thor wants the the computerized off that brother or those brothers and to look up and see no man save Jesus.
And when we hear lovely things about the Lord.
That wants to that, that, uh, encourages us to exercise the gift that we do have.
And, uh, it exercises us to stir up, to give gifts that has been given to us. And umm, Timothy had we admonished to, umm, to encourage, to stir up the gift that was in him. And, uh, are we not all like that?
We have to be encouraged to stir up that gift.
That that is given by God. I'd like to ask a question. We've talked a lot about guests and practical guests.
And quite often the answers are rather this or rather that, but.
I don't know if this is a gift or not, but if you go through Proverbs wisdom.
Feminine. She has this, She does that. Thinking of bringing up children. Dad's away at work all day. Mom's home.
And she has more of the bringing up of the little ones and bringing the word before the women are small.
Thank you.
I believe both the most definitely sisters do have gifts and uh, as we said earlier, God I believe is clear in his word that he has committed public testimony to men. But uh, sisters certainly do have gifts. We know that Philip, for example, had four daughters that prophesied. I don't believe they did that in the public realm, but they had that gift and I believe God.
Recorded in His word to show us clearly that she did, we find the apostle Paul.
Right in this same book of Romans in the last chapter.
Uh, referring to, uh, Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church, which is at Sangria.
And the word used there for servant is the same word that is used for Deacon later on in scripture. Now I don't believe once again that she did things in a public way, but.
She certainly was a servant of the church and in that sense I believe had a gift for doing it.
Here later on in the chapter, our very chapter, it says in verse 13.
Distributing to the necessity of Saints given the hospitality.
I would suggest in most cases UH that the hospitality is 90%.
01:05:00
The sisters responsibility, the brother may be there, he may do the, he may invite the guests or something like that, but it's the sister that ends up doing the brunt of the work toward, uh, making that hospitality work. And so very definitely sisters have gifts I appreciate back home.
Sorry, I appreciate back home we have a Sunday school where we have all the kids in our, in the school are quote off the street. And I appreciate some of the sisters there that can, uh, take, uh, uh, a class full of rowdy kids and manage to, uh, manage them and so on. And they have a gift in teaching them and getting the gospel through to them and so on. So that, uh.
It is very, very definite that sisters have gifts. Sorry, Stan, go ahead. I was going to say another example would be Aquila and Priscilla. Oh, good. It's very interesting that they're mentioned six times in Scripture. Three times.
Aquila is mentioned first and three times, Priscilla is mentioned 1St. And so there's the balance there between the husband and the wife. And I think often you find that behind every brother who was useful in among the Lord's people, there's a praying wife and one who is a real encouragement. And it's interesting when you study equivalent Priscilla to see there that, uh, they invited Apollo's to their own home.
And umm, and both were used for the blessing of that brother, uh, in the assemblies. Another good example, I think too is Martha. You know, we're often very critical of Martha and say that she was cumbered about with much serving, but in John chapter 12.
You'll find there the Lord is invited into their home and Lazarus is there at the table and Martha is serving and, uh, Mary is annoying the feet of the Lord Jesus with her appointment, but each one is in their proper place, I believe. And, uh, I think it's nice to see Martha, they're serving And uh, it was for the Lord, but she was doing it. So there are many examples, I think of a sister serving and uh, yes, that sisters have.
Is that the word ministry in verse 7 is translated in Darby's translation as service.
Yes, I have a question as well. Umm, is it the individuals exercise to recognize their own gift, cultivate it and use it? Or is there any precedent for recognizing a gift in someone else and calling it?
A.
Yes, there is. Turn to One Timothy, chapter 4.
First Timothy 4 and verse 14.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, that is, by the Lord prophesying it, and with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, now the presbytery. The word Presbyterians in Greek simply means older ones, not the same word as an elder, but similar.
And so they are obviously called, exhorts Timothy to to not to neglect that gift.
And.
He said it's in thee with the laying on of the hands of the older ones. Well, it doesn't mean that they imparted the gift, but it means that they recognize, I believe the gift Timothy has and the laying on of hands was simply the expression of fellowship with it. And we find the same thing in Acts. I believe it's chapter 13, where in fact it wouldn't hurt to turn to it.
Pax 13.
And it says there in verse two as they that is certain prophets and teachers ministered to the Lord and fasted the Holy Ghost said, separate me, Barnabas and Saul for the work runaway have called them. And when they had fasted and trade and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
01:10:02
And then in another place, Paul says to Timothy that thou stir up the gift that is in thee.
So I believe that there is, uh, every reason to, uh.
Be an encouragement to someone whom we may see who has a gift and, uh, very often I believe older ones can be a big help in that and encouraging perhaps a younger person to use that gift.
Scripture is perfectly balanced, isn't it?
Time zone.
282.
Last year we would no longer be at home in bed 282.
Uh.
We would no longer.
Be alone with my way.
But I think it can be.
A rise by a joy to know.
We're getting one of the controls come over.
It's our heart gets down, but I ain't compared. And why we're having one.
Oh Lord, it's all right. And that's everything's if I'm.
Uh.
The lunar also survived, or about half of the showers of the rainbow.
Blood pressure stolen down and the day's grilled and alone.
Spirit of God 2 Kings 4:1-7
Address—Bill Prost
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.
Tell you what I'm gonna suggest.
That some other brother give out the opening hymn and I will sing it with you and quietly be before the Lord, and then we'll ask him for a message. So if some brother has a hymn on his heart, let's sing it together and then we'll see if the Lord, I'm sure he'll have a message for us 282.
Same one we sung at the end of the previous meeting.
And that's the one you gave out Date. Thank you, 282. No, Bruce David wrote it. I can't remember who David wrote. It doesn't matter anyway, 282.
Master Wayward no longer.
I'm always look on. Thou shalt give no more.
Grass dawn has deepened.
All Shore.
Let's ask the Lord's help.
Well, let's turn, please, to the Old Testament.
And what I would like to speak on is an incident in the Old Testament that isn't very long, but I have enjoyed it many times for my own soul. Second Kings chapter 4.
I think it's chapter 4.
Yes, Second Kings chapter 4.
Verse one and we're just going to read the 1St 7 verses of this chapter, Second kings four and verse one.
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elijah, saying, Thy servant, my husband is dead.
And thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord, and the creditors come to take.
Unto him my two sons to be one.
And Elijah said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house?
And she said thine hand made half not anything in the house save a pot of oil.
Then he said, Go borrow the vessels abroad of all thy neighbors. Even empty vessels borrow not a few.
And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shall pour out into all those vessels.
00:05:10
And thou shalt set aside that which is full.
So she went from him, and shut the door upon her, and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured up.
And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said under her son, Bring me out a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil state.
Then she came and told the man of God and he said go sell the oil.
And pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Well, there's the story.
And we know that in the Word of God, as Scripture tells us, the things that were written aforetime were written for our learning.
So God doesn't put a story like this in his word just for.
General interest.
And there can be different thoughts as to this story.
What I'm going to, I trust from the Lord, bring out to you this afternoon. I have to confess to you that I didn't read anywhere, but I trust it's of the Lord and I know it's been very good to my own soul.
Here we find that this was in the time of the prophet Elijah, and you will remember that he was the successor to the prophet Elijah.
And Elijah was a man who was there to return the hearts of the children of Israel to the God of their fathers.
He was a very faithful man, an outstanding man, and in some ways you'd say no man like him because he was a man whom God chose to take directly up to the glory without going through death. Wonderful.
But now here we have his successor, Elisha. And Elisha, in contrast to Elijah, is a man of grace. A man of grace. And if Elisha perhaps represents.
The return to the law.
Eli Elijah represents the return to the law. Elisha brings before us grace and all the miracles of Elijah.
And we find the grace of God brought out here in what Elijah does. And so let's look at the situation here for a moment.
We find here a woman.
Says that the wives of the sons of the prophets, and she's in a bad way.
What do the sons of the prophets speak to us about?
Well, there can be different thoughts as to it, but if I could put it this way, I believe that in those days there were those who aspired to be prophets of the Lord, and they learned under, shall we say, senior profits. And so there were what might be called schools, schools of the prophets in those days.
Now you and I, at least not I believe, according to Scripture, don't have schools today where we learn the things of the Lord. There are Bible schools in that, but I say it kindly, not critically. But I don't believe that's really God's way, although I do admit that in many cases the Lord uses them. God, though, has a school where He teaches us.
But the sons of the prophets would speak of those who are brought up in a place of privilege.
And I'm looking largely at those who have been in a place of privilege. Most of those here have heard the Word of God. Most of those have been in assemblies where the Word of God is read and explained. And we can be very thankful for that.
But sometimes things, things don't always go well, do they? Sometimes they don't go too well. And this poor woman.
00:10:06
It would seem was kind of complaining about her life.
She says in so many words to Elijah. You know.
My husband, he feared the Lord. And now look where I am. My husband is dead.
And I am in debt and now the creditor says pay up or I'm going to take your two sons to be slaves.
You know, in the land of Israel, according to the law, if you faced what we would call today personal bankruptcy, you didn't just declare bankruptcy and then that was it. No, if I could say it kindly, the law drove the point home in a rather hard way because not only were all your possessions sold, but you yourself.
Were sold too. You and your family were sold, and for a period of time, six years, you had to serve that creditor.
And then in the seventh year, you could go out free and start over again. And so it was a rather strong reminder about the seriousness of getting into death. And this woman complaints to Elisha that here are my two boys and the creditors coming. I don't have the money to pay the debt. And, and what, what, what am I going to do?
I don't mean to suggest that people here are in debt, although monetary debt, as we well know, is a big problem today and we need to be warned against it because debt is rather easy to get into today. And I say it publicly and you know it's right that it's a disgrace to a believer to do that.
Before the Lord can resent our circumstances and we can complain about them. And I have heard dear believers say, well, you know, I have been.
As it were doing my bit, I've been behaving myself. I've been trying to fear the Lord. I've been trying to do what's right, and now look at the difficulties and problems I'm in.
I had a young brother say to another young brother quite a few years ago now, referring to a difficulty in the assembly, he said, quote, the system failed me.
The system failed me.
On another occasion, I knew of a young brother who was even more explicit.
And I hesitate to repeat his words, but he said, The Lord let me down, the Lord let down.
And I have known others and I don't point the finger because.
If we're not careful, we can all think this way, but I have known others who felt in their lives and not just young people.
Who felt that they had done their best in their lives to please the Lord and then found out that things did not turn out the way they expected.
Very hard to take, sometimes very difficult, and I have no doubt that this woman was telling the truth.
Well, it's always wrong, I say to my heart, as much as to yours. I'm pointing 3 fingers back here. It's never right to feel sorry for ourselves, and if you and I are ever guilty of that luxury, let's not allow ourselves to fall into it. We never find the Lord Jesus feeling sorry for himself, nor am I ever aware that we find the Apostle Paul feeling sorry for himself.
No, it's not a luxury that we should allow ourselves to have as believers. For me is never a right attitude.
But this woman was going to, in that sense, the right source, because she was coming to Elisha, who here I believe is a type of Christ, but he could also be a type of one who with the mind of the Lord is going to be a help to someone.
What does he say?
What hast thou in the house? What have you got? What shall I do for you? What do you have?
00:15:03
And her attitude was rather typical.
In some cases, she says in verse 2, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house save a pot of oil. As if, well, yeah, I've got a pot of oil, but what good is that? That's not going to do much for me. But other than that I don't have anything.
Do we sometimes act like bankrupt believers?
Do we act as if we're bankrupt spiritually as well as bankrupt in other ways? You know, it's an awful thing to feel that way. It's an awful thing to feel as if we don't have anything. And I have heard, dear believers, at least, if they don't say it too much publicly, they have talked like that. And sometimes we feel as if, well, you can remember the case of Gideon in the Old Testament.
And when the Angel came to Gideon and said, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor, what was Gideon's response?
Do you remember what he said? Gideon said. Oh, he said the Lord has forsaken us.
Hello, where are all those miracles that our fathers spoke of? Now the Midianites are in the land and look at the mess we're in.
And sometimes, you know, there is that tendency. May I say it?
And the tendency is in my heart too, to look at the condition of things in these last days, to look at the weakness and coldness within Christendom. So look at the weakness and coldness among believers, to look at our own hearts and say this is just too difficult. We don't have anything.
It's possible to look at things like that.
Save a pot of water.
Save a pot of oil.
What does oil speak of?
I don't think we have to go too far to know what oil speaks of in Scripture. It brings before us primarily the Spirit of God. Is that not so in New Testament terms? And in the Old Testament as well, oil speaks of the Spirit of God. And one thing, if I could emphasize it, and it's been mentioned in the readings, one thing that is peculiar to the dispensation in which you and I are living.
Is the presence of the Spirit of God here on earth? Do we realize the importance of that?
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God came down and indwelt every true believer.
But it did more than that. It formed them into one body. And then from Paul's ministry later on, we know that God is forming believers. As the House of God into what is Scripture calls inhabitation of God through the Spirit, so the Spirit dwells individually in every believer.
But he also dwells collectively among believers as a whole, as the House of God.
That was never true before the day of Pentecost, and it will not be true after the Lord calls us home, because the Lord says to the disciples the Spirit of truth, and he says he will abide with you for ever.
The spirit in this world today hinders the outbreak of evil that would otherwise occur. It holds it back.
But when you and I are called home at the coming of the Lord, the Spirit of God leaves with us, and then that restraining influence will be gone, and terrible distress and problems will break loose.
Now, of course, the Spirit of God will work. It'll work in a mighty way during the Tribulation and otherwise, even in the Millennium, to bring souls to Christ who hear the gospel of the Kingdom. The Spirit of God worked mightily in the Old Testament.
Worked in souls to impart new life. Worked in the Old Testament writers of the scriptures to inspire the word of God. Worked in those who were given to prophecy and give out the word of God.
But he never indwelt anyone permanently in the Old Testament. He didn't dwell on earth among believers as the House of God. Nor will he do so after you and I are called home.
00:20:10
You and I live in a unique time.
Do we sometimes treat the Spirit of God? Oh, well, we yeah, we have this pot of oil, but that's all we've got. Do we realize the significance of that?
It's not our purpose this afternoon to go into all of the ways in which the Scripture speaks of the Spirit of God and His function during the time of God's grace.
But what we want to speak about is here that this woman thought she had nothing save a pot of oil, and Elisha takes her up on that ground, and he is going to give this woman a tremendous lesson in type which I trust you and I can observe and enjoy and take to heart this afternoon.
Not out, she was thinking, as we are sometimes apartment to do. I don't have anything.
If she, if we could put it in simple terms, this woman was saying life is not fair. Have we ever thought that as believers?
Maybe. And maybe if we haven't said it out loud, we've thought it in our hearts. Life is not fair.
Well, the man of God, he gives her a rather an A rather unusual command.
Verse three. What does he say? Go borrow the vessels abroad of where all thy neighbors.
Even at the vessels.
Borrow not a few.
You know, it brings before us, I believe in type what you and I had before us, at least in part in the last meeting.
And I emphasize that there is a tremendous danger among believers today.
To focus on ourselves and without wanting to be critical, many of the songs that are current among believers today focus on what the Lord is doing for us. I'm not being critical because the Lord does much for us.
But if we're not careful, our thoughts turn inward, turn inward, turn inward, and.
There is a danger of thinking about ourselves, what the Lord is doing for us, our experiences, even good ones. And if we're occupied with those, inevitably we become occupied with self.
And that's never right.
Someone has said.
Whether I am occupied with myself in a positive way, or whether I am occupied myself with myself in a negative way, Satan doesn't matter or doesn't care as long as I'm occupied with self in some way, shape or form. And the great thing in Scripture is not to be occupied with self either positively or negatively, but rather not to be occupied with self at all.
And if the Spirit of God occupies me with self, it's only to judge what is not according to God, and then to go on and to have my heart turned toward Christ. And when my heart is turned toward Christ, we will find in type what Elijah was saying to this woman, because immediately he turns her thoughts away from herself. And where To her neighbors. Neighbors.
She was saying Elisha I need help.
The Lord's going or not the Lord, but the creditors going to take my sons for bondsman. Help me, what am I going to do?
And the Lord immediately turns your thoughts out to her neighbors. Go and borrow vessels up. And you know what's interesting? That the Lord, through Elijah, doesn't say how many, but he just say, don't just get a few. Don't borrow just a few.
00:25:03
We're living in the last days.
And on the one hand, it is a mistake. I believe this needs to be emphasized for you and me to expect to turn the clock back to the days of Pentecost and recreate the power and blessing of the early church.
In fact, I believe it would be a mistake to try and turn the clock back even 50 or 100 years.
Some of us have almost felt like that once or twice in our lives, if I can speak of it. I remember the first time I went to Romania, right after the communist government had been overthrown, and I felt as if the clock had been turned back over 100 years. Because you could open a hall and announce a gospel meeting and have it absolutely jammed with people, and you could go down the street and hand out gospel tracks and you couldn't hand out enough.
And if people knew you had a Bible, they'd come running down the street and grab you by the arm and want one.
But that's rare, and it didn't last. It didn't last.
We thank God for that, but the point is, we're living in the last days. On the other hand, it's not a day to be discouraged. Yes, it is not a day to expect to turn back the clock. We need to remember that we're in the last days. We're in days when the church is ruined.
But at the same time, I believe with all my heart that there's no limit to the blessing God can give as long as we recognize where we are.
A brother again, many years ago, said these words. This isn't word for word, but it's close. He said in these last days, wherever there is an attempt to set up and display the power and the unity among Christians, there will always be nothing but a mess and a failure. God will not take that place with us. In order to have His strength, we must be in the place of his mind, and that is in the recognition of the failure of the Church.
But then in so many words he went on to say, But once there is a recognition of where we are, there can be no limit to the blessing that God can give.
I believe that's what the Lord was saying here. Israel was in a bad way, Elisha prophesied. Among the 10 tribes, there was departure from the Lord.
But there could still be real blessing, and there can be in your life and mine.
Borrow those vessels where from thy neighbors.
Oh, why? Because they were empty. The neighbors didn't even have the pot of oil. They had nothing but empty vessels.
Eliza says you borrow their empty vessels from them.
Do we recognize, brethren, our neighbors have empty vessels? Who is my neighbor? The Pharisees and lawyers said to the Lord Jesus in the New Testament.
A neighbor was a man who fell among thieves. The neighbor may be the man next door. The neighbor may be the person I work with. The neighbor may be someone in another country. It doesn't matter. He's an empty vessel and he needs something that we have. This woman had the pot of oil. The Lord says through Elisha, go borrow those vessels and don't think small. Don't think small.
Borrow not a few, but no number given.
Verse four And when thou art come in.
Thou shall shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shall pour out into all those vessels.
And thou shalt set aside that which is full.
I suggest a thought on this. You can decide for yourself if it commends itself.
There is a need on the one hand to reach out to others.
But equally true, there is a need to be alone in the Lord's presence.
This woman and this is a type, remember, keep that in mind. This woman in type was feeling sorry for herself. This woman was saying life isn't fair. My husband feared the Lord. Now he's dead and I'm in trouble.
00:30:06
In tape she has to get inside closed doors.
Before there can be blessing.
She had that pot of oil, but before she can fill those empty vessels that she had collected, however many she might have taken from the neighbors.
There had to be.
They're getting a loan in her home with her sons before the Lord, and that's a very necessary thing we find in the life of the Lord Jesus. During the day he was out preaching and teaching. During the night he went out to the Mount of Olives to be alone with his Father.
And there's a need to be alone with the Lord. And I say to each one here this afternoon, never neglect. And it was emphasized this morning, the reading of God's Word and personal prayer. Do it as a family. Wonderful. That's what this woman did. But do it personally too, and let the Word of God speak to you.
She had to do it behind closed doors.
And she poured out into all those vessels. What was the result? That little pot of oil that she considered to be so insignificant and not worth much. What happens? She starts pouring and pouring and pouring and the oil kept uncomfortable. Isn't that beautiful?
You know, the Lord doesn't give us a sense of all that he's going to do.
Right away.
We had this morning before us the precious truth, and also this afternoon that God has given every believer a gift, and He has also given you the Spirit of God, which is the power to use it according to the mind of the Lord.
But He doesn't tell you the whole picture right away. We like to have it all laid out for us. But in the Christian life, very often we have to do what the world sometimes says. And that's a good thing to remember in spiritual things. Do the next thing. Do the next thing. Do something that's right in front of you. Do you want to do something for the Lord? Do something that's right in front of you. It may be that as time goes on, God will enlarge your sphere.
But even if he doesn't, it doesn't matter.
God. God is a God of quality, not quantity. God loves quantity and that's why he told this woman.
Don't borrow just a few vessels.
But you remember John the Baptist.
A young man. How old was he when Herod beheaded him?
31 Maybe something like that, not very old. And yet when the Lord Jesus speaks of him, he puts him right up there with all those great men of the Old Testament who perhaps lived and served the Lord, lived for and served the Lord, in some cases for many, many years, in some cases even hundreds of years.
But he says of them that are born of women, there have not risen a greater than John the Baptist. Why?
Because he was where the Lord wanted him, and he did what the Lord wanted him to do, and they paid the highest commendation to him when they said John did. No miracle.
But all things that John spake of this man were true. Isn't that beautiful?
Every time they came to John the Baptist and questioned them about anything, what did he do?
He, as it were, took the spotlight rate off himself and shot it onto Christ and said there's the one you need to look at, There's the one you need to be occupied with. Don't look at me. Don't ask me whether I'm Elias or whether I'm this or that or the other thing, and don't start questioning me why I'm baptizing in that. That's not relevant. There's the one you wanna look at. That's the one I wanna talk about.
And he did it, and he only did it for a short time.
00:35:03
But the Lord gives him full credit.
For doing what was necessary because he did what the Lord wanted him to do. And so I believe it is with you and me in these last days. Do you start off just with a pot of oil? Never mind. As you begin to pour out of that pot of oil, you'll find that more and more and more and more will come, whether it's in a small sphere, out of sight of everyone, as it is with this woman here.
Or whether it's something in the public eye that isn't critical.
And that's the way it works in the body.
As most of you know, I practice medicine for many years and I trust I had some understanding of the human body. And there are others in this audience who are in health care and they understand too, and there are parts of the body that are very important.
And there are parts that are lesser important and there are parts that are seen publicly. I'm glad for my right arm and I use it a lot, and I would miss it terribly if I lost it, but I could live without it.
You can't see my liver and.
I'm not gonna show it to you, but if you took it away from me.
That wouldn't work, would it, Bruce? I wouldn't live very long, would I? No more essential than my arm, even though you can't see it.
What my liver does is behind the scenes, but most essential. And so it is with many things in the body of Christ.
The Spirit of God is there to give you the power to do whatever the Lord would have you do. So what happens here? Our time is going. Verse 5. So she went from him and shut the door upon her, upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her, and she poured out.
Verse 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her, Son, Bring me out a vessel.
And he said unto her, There is not a vessel morph, and the oil state.
Now here we find something that I believe on the one hand shows us how the Lord works in our lives, but it's also a lesson to us.
Turn to a verse in John 3.
John's Gospel, chapter 3.
John's Gospel, chapter 3.
1 moment here.
Sure. And verse 34, John 3 and 34.
For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God. And I'm going to read the next clause as it is in the Darby translation.
For God give us not the Spirit by measure, period.
God giveth not the Spirit by measure.
That strikes a death blow if I can say it kindly. Just as an aside to those who say that you get part of the Spirit and later on you can get more of the Spirit of God. God giveth not the Spirit by measure. He doesn't do it that way. Once I am saved, I can never have more than the more of the Spirit of God than I have at the time.
But I do trust that as we go on in our Christian lives and walk with the Lord.
That if we could put it this way, the Spirit of God has more of us. And that's what it means to be filled with the Spirit. I can't have more of the Spirit than I have when I'm, uh, I'm sealed, anointed, whatever you want to call it by the Spirit when I'm saved and dwelt with the Spirit, but the Spirit of God can have more of me.
And the work that I do for the Lord in my life is dependent upon what we had before us this morning, the measure of faith that I have now. The Lord gives faith as a gift, but our faith can be increased. How many vessels did this woman get from her neighbors? As many as she had faith to go and get.
00:40:22
And it doesn't say how many she was supposed to get. It just says not a few. And it doesn't say how many she did get. But the point is whatever she did get.
The pot of oil kept filling more and more and more. But then she says to one of her sons, bring me another one.
And the Sun says, well, there aren't any more. There are no more vessels.
In the oil state.
God giveth not the Spirit by measure. We measure it sometimes by the lack of faith in our souls, and we might say that every type falls short because.
There is always a measure to everything that we do.
Turn over to John's gospel again for a moment.
John's Gospel.
Chapter 21.
And verse 25.
Here is the result of one who was not bound by measure.
The last verse of John's Gospel. John 21, verse 25.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did the which they should be written everyone I suppose.
That even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
The power of the Spirit of God exhibited in the blessed Lord Jesus.
With no hindrance resulted in so much.
Can you imagine writing books to the extent that even the world couldn't contain those books?
I understand.
That there are some libraries in the world, such as.
For one, the library at the.
For university in England.
Tries to get a copy of every new book that is printed.
That's a job, isn't it?
Because I think in the United Kingdom itself there are probably 80,000 new books come into print every year, and maybe 50,000 in the United States.
Just to mention two countries that produce a lot of new books and if you included the whole world there would be thousands more.
But the library at one of those universities does not even begin to occupy much of the world, does it?
The work of the Spirit of God in the Lord Jesus.
Was infinite.
In your life and mine, we're bounded, bounded by what we are in ourselves. And as we said this morning, or rather this afternoon, and it bears repeating, there was only one who at the end of his life could say, I have finished the work which thou gave me to do.
None of us will be able to say that.
We can say, I hope with the Apostle Paul, I hope we could say it. I have thought it should read the good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. That's as much, I believe as any believer could say.
But when they brought her the last vessel to that woman and she asked for another one, the oil stayed. And so the Spirit of God will continue to work in this world until the work of the Lord is finished. And he'll see that it's finished. Even if you and I don't complete what He gives us to do, the Lord is able to finish His own work.
Well, no, it happens verse 7.
Then she came and told the man of God and he said go sell the oil.
And pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Sell the oil.
Here were all those containers full, but for whom was that oil? Oh, I say it again. It was for the blessing of all of those neighbors and all of those others. Oh, you say that she was going to sell it.
00:45:18
Well, we have to take that word cell in its right context.
Turn to Isaiah 55 and there we see a verse that, to me anyway, explains in type what we have here.
I say in type because this verse that we're going to read in Isaiah 55.
It really is for Israel in the coming day, although we can apply it to ourselves. It's really the call, shall we say, to the 10 tribes when they come back into blessing in the coming day. Come, there's blessing here. Come and get it. But notice the language in Isaiah 55 and one.
Oh, come everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye. It says, buy and eat. Yeah, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
So anyone here ever tried to go and buy something without any money?
Doesn't work, does it? Not in this world's commerce anyway. Now I don't mean with a piece of plastic in your hand. I'm talking about not having anything. You don't get it for nothing, do you? But the Lord says come and buy without money. I believe there are two thoughts here. On the one hand, the gifts that God gives are not in that sense able to be bought. But on the other hand, there is a cost.
To you and to me to enjoy the things of the Lord. And if we are going to enjoy the things of Christ, there is a cost. There's no cost to salvation for the unbeliever, but there is a cost in the sense that he finds himself suddenly at odds with the world in which he lives. As someone has said, salvation is free. But then the believer finds that discipleship is costly. And you and I are going to find that if we want to enjoy the things of Christ.
There's a price tag for them, not only in the opposition from the outside world, but because God rewards diligence. Diligence.
Why does a parent a wise parent? If his son comes and says, Dad, I'd like a new bike, why does he often say, OK, son, I want you to work, I want you to get a job, and if you raise half the money, I'll put up the other half. Why does he do that?
Because he knows that the boy, or the girl in some cases, will value that much more if he or she has to put a little effort into it. Isn't that true? We value more what we have had to work for, and it's true of spiritual things. God rewards diligence. And I can still remember reading about a brother whose name at least is legendary in eastern Ontario, James B Dunlop.
Buried up on the Scotch line just outside of Perth. Serve the Lord for many years, long before the time of anyone here and.
What got him going when he was a young man was that verse in Proverbs. The soul of the diligent shall be made back, he said. If I want to have the things of the Lord, God will reward diligence. And so here this woman is going to.
Sell all of that oil. She's going to sell all of that oil. There's going to be untold blessing to others. He turned that woman's eyes out.
And I say to you and to me, what we need in these last days is not to have our thoughts turned inward on ourselves, either individually or collectively. Don't, Don't let that poor ME syndrome ever take hold of yourself.
Don't start moaning and groaning.
About the assemblies getting smaller in all this, Now don't get me wrong. Shed tears over it, yes. Be burdened about it, yes. Get on your knees and cry to the Lord, yes. But having a pity party with your brethren about it, no.
00:50:17
We never find that in the Word of God. If you read the whole book of Second Timothy, which is written when things were breaking up and when Paul could have been a thoroughly defeated and discouraged man, is he burdened about the whole thing? I'm sure he is.
He has to say all they which are in Asia be turned away from me. He has to warn Timothy about things. But there is not a word of discouragement in the whole book. Not one word of discouragement. Oh no, he says, Timothy, you go on and hold on to those things.
And God will reward faithfulness in a day of ruin. Shall we say it even more than He'll reward faithfulness when things are going on well?
Because it's easy to jump on the bandwagon when everything's going well. It's easy to be part of an expanding work that's going on.
Much harder to stand alone or with a few when it's not happening.
And what happens when she sells all these vessels of oil?
Live thou and thy children of the rest. Ah, no more need for the boys to go into slavery. No more need for the poor bankrupt woman to have to say, oh, what am I going to do for my boys?
I hear parents gathered to the Lord's name worried about their children.
And in some cases, and I don't want to point the finger, I don't want to point the finger. I'm not doing that. But let's be, let's be honest about it. We hear them say I have to go somewhere where they get more fellowship. I have to go somewhere even if it's not where the word of God is fully honored, even if it's unscriptural. I have to go somewhere to have more for my children.
If you think about that, remember Samuel.
I wonder how many young people Samuel had to encourage him when he was growing up. I remember. I wonder how many children Samuel had in the temple there with Eli to encourage him not.
Too many Diddy. I don't think so, but the point is he was where the Lord had put him and the Lord blessed him because his mother had faith. Now I'm not saying everything is going to be smooth sailing and anyone that knows anything about me knows that it hasn't been smooth sailing for some of us either. But the point is let's look outward. Let's look to the Lord to be used in blessing and we'll find.
We'll find that the Lord will look after us. He'll be as good as His word. Now, I'm not saying that every time that we do that, that our children automatically are going to do everything we hope they would do. It doesn't always work that way, and that's another question that we don't have time to take up this afternoon. But there's plenty here, not only for her, but for her children to have of the rest.
And if you and I are occupied with Christ's interest in this world, we won't lack for food for our souls. We won't lack for blessing for ourselves and our families. God will see to it that He will encourage us in His way.
Let's sing another hymn in closing.
This again is a favorite hymn of mine, 312.
312.
Lead Almighty Lord, lead on to victory and.
Encouraged by thy blessed word, with joy we follow thee, 312.
00:55:05
MMM.
Bring.
Along.
In the Grove.
Blessed God.
Three Storms
Gospel—David Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Start our meeting with him #11.
So your anchor holds and storms of light.
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife. When the strong tides lift in the cable. Strange.
Well, your anchor drift or firm remains hymn #11.
Well, you're right.
Strong tide will undergo strangers to look at your eyes. You're going to look like a man, that's all. The pressure is made and then.
Whatever we get, all right? I I.
Gonna look straight inside the air, flash the crank and the roar around the reefing business living here while the disturbance is raining. It depends on the wild operations and slow shallow again freeway St. Gerard Lord.
And your life and you're like, it's not.
Oh, shall come back together on the right eye. Thank you. I can't see that. I'm not going to hear anything about it. So what are you going to provide me with your proposal and stay? As soon as you love me and go, we can get out of our neck and turn away from my children's flow of the world that I've enjoyed.
In order to help another him, him #2.
My hope, I'm sorry #3 my hope on nothing less is built.
Then Jesus and the blood he spilled. I dare not trust the sweetest brain, but wholly lean on his blessed name. On Christ the solid rock I stand all over the ground is sinking sand. Hymn #3.
My whole life and bellowed out of the end of the fire.
Not to be interested.
In the brand new.
Slight sake for all of our depression.
Making it.
00:05:43
My name is Graham.
And all the bones. I'll get away.
And the last thing you stand at the end of the day for all of our.
Thankful we heard this.
Book friends to turn to tonight.
And if we didn't have this book?
And I was given the job of standing up here.
To give a message, I wonder what I would say.
Thank God He has given a revelation from heaven.
It's not a very big book. You know, somebody was speaking about the number of books that are.
Written in this world.
Every year.
And this book, remember our brother Gordon Hagel talking about this book? He says.
In this book is all things that pertain under life and godliness.
Not too large.
In everything, the God's mind is revealed in this book.
Outside of this book.
They're philosophies of men, unless they are governed by what they found in this book.
Romans one. I want to just read a verse or so here.
Meant a lot to me. We read uh, someone quoted it today and I think.
For her, I guess it was in the prayer meeting and then I think we had it in the meeting as well. Romans one and 16.
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew 1St and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, that is a written that just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
And so on. I really have before me, particularly just that first verse.
For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.
If we turned over to Timothy, I think it is.
It says it the grace of God that bringeth salvation.
But here it is the power of God, undue salvation.
You see, the grace of God brings it down to man, and the power of God able to lift man out of that condition.
They become suited for the presence of a holy God for all eternity.
And then a little story has been told. I think it was Charles Stanley and his ratings where he said this in connection with this verse for Romans 116. He said, suppose that you were.
00:10:02
Standing on the side of the Niagara Falls and you saw there was a boat.
A row boater, whatever that was coming down the stream, the top there, and it was approaching the falls. And inside that boat there's two men. The one man is asleep and the other man is crying for help. And they're out in the middle and you're on the shore and a whole lot of other people are on the shore and he asks this question.
Which man is in the worst condition, the man who is sleeping or the man who is crying for help?
All you say, they're both.
In a helpless, hopeless condition because you can't reach them.
But you know, God has designed a way in which he can reach to the man or the woman, or the child in the worst condition and take them out. For the Word says that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
We have the most wonderful messages to present tonight. There's no better message in the whole world.
I want to briefly look tonight at 3 storms in the Bible.
Three storms.
And I'd like to turn to the first one in Jonah chapter 2.
The Book of Jonah.
Amos, Ovidia, Jonah.
What a storm.
This man.
You know this is an amazing story.
The man that wandered from God and you know what, from the presence of the Lord in this world, that's in the, that's a condition that it's in further and further away from God. But God had his eye on that man, Jonah, and he has his eye on you tonight and me.
It's the most marvelous thing to think of, friends, the grace of God that comes down to meet us in our need and the power of God that is able to take us out of our condition. Well, here you know the story of how Jonah, he didn't want to do this message that God gave him. You know, God has a purpose for your life.
He has a purpose for your life.
Are you safe? Do you know Christ is your Savior? If you don't know Christ as your Savior, you've got to get to the bottom of that problem first.
Now, I believe that in our language today, we would say that Jonah was a converted man.
Jonah but he didn't want to do God's job. God had a purpose for his life. You know what the purpose was He made. And we spoke this afternoon about God having a purpose. And God made you forever, and he wants you with himself forever.
Well, with Jonah.
The the message that God had was for him to take the gospel to the capital city.
Of a of us of Umm of the Assyrian Empire.
Nineveh and there were there were in that city probably about two million or more people.
Away from God.
And God ended with a Gentile city, and Jonah was a Jew, and God sent him to that city.
He wanted to send him, but Jonah didn't want to go.
Well, let's go on a little bit here.
You know how the God sent the storm out and that, uh, they took Jonah and he said, cast them overboard. And so on the 17th verse of the first chapter, now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed.
00:15:02
Under the Lord his God, out of the fish's belly.
And said, I cried to the Lord by reason of mine affliction.
Uh, And he heard me out of the belly of hell, cried I, and thou heardest my voice, for thou cast me into the deep in the midst of the Seas and the floods, compass me about. All thy waves, all thy bills and thy ways passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of Isaac, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compass me about, even to the soul. The depth clothes me round about. The weeds were wrapped about my head.
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth with her bars was about me forever.
Yet thou hast brought my brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.
After three days says then Jonah prayed, and then it says I cried in the reason of my affliction, and he heard me.
I think we can take time. Just hold this place here and turn with me, please, over to Matthew's Gospel chapter 12.
Matthew.
Chapter 12.
And verse.
40 and as Jonas or Jonah.
Was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, So shall the Son of Man be 3 days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it because they repented the preaching of Jonah.
We hold a greater Jonas here. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the fish's belly, in the wheel belly, so shall the Son of Man be 3 days and three nights in the heart of the earth. What is this story a picture to us of back in Jonas day? Is it just a story? Is it just a something to tickle the years of mankind? You see these little books through the children and I don't condemn them.
You know, I'd like to see them get those beautiful stories that are in the Bible. But what is it? A picture of Jonah having to go under those waters there, There he was under the God put them under the protection of that great whale. As was for three days and three nights. And as Jonah was three days and three nights in the fish's belly, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth.
All the very picture of Jonah when he went down under the waters, under God's protection, he was a picture there of the Son of God who came into the world and who was nailed to Calvary's cross.
And he took the load of my sins on himself and yours, dear friend, if you will take them as your Savior. And he bore those sins in the mighty, those under the mighty rod of God's judgment.
So that you might go free. You know Him is your Savior. You know what three days speak of? Three days speak of death and resurrection, death and resurrection. And so the word of God says he was delivered for our offenses, and he was raised again for our justification.
And God took my sins and put them on Jesus on the cross.
And he went into death for me because the Bible says the wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life. Somebody had to pay the penalty, and Jesus took the penalty of sin on the cross.
The wages of sin is death.
Have you ever seen it that way? Have you ever accepted it? Have you ever seen him as the one who died there 2000 years ago on that cross?
He was thinking of you.
When you die.
Oh, I think it's the most marvelous thing.
People make with a reasoning mind. We may question that, but I believe with all my heart, friends, that you can say that Jesus was thinking of you. Why do we say that? Because John 316 says for God so loved the world. That's the people of the world.
00:20:12
That he gave his only begotten Son, and there he was dying for you.
He hung there, the Son of God.
On the cross for you and me.
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
How much do you pay for it?
Suppose that I reached into my pocket and I pulled out a $20 bill and I put it on the table right here. And I turned my back and I said, whoever wants that $20 bill, come and take it.
I hope somebody would come and take it because I offered it free.
But if nobody took it, it wouldn't be theirs.
Remember one time doing that to a young man who was about 1516 years of age.
His name was Carlos and I said to him.
If you want this, you can have it.
He didn't know what to do.
He took it and I said Carlos, Now he reached out to take it. Before he took it, I said, Carlos, is that yours?
We didn't know what to say, I said. Not yet, because you didn't take it yet.
But when he took it.
I said, is that yours? Yes.
It's mine. Have you taken it?
Think of what it costs God. You see, there is a penalty for your sins.
The wages of sin is death and it has to be paid. You know, you go to work and you get your wages. You want your wages at the end.
And you deserve your wages.
But the Bible says that there is a wages of sin. The consequences of sin is that we die. And it's not just die for this life, it's eternity without Christ in a lost eternity.
And you know, it's, it's, it's thought of so little and so lately today.
But to leave this world without Christ? Think of it.
And thousands have sold daily, ushered into eternity without Christ.
Is he yours?
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Our Lord, well, the first storm is the judgment that He paid, and so we won't take time to turn to it. But in the 69th Psalm, you know the Psalm, most of us here know that Psalm without even turning to it.
That song is prophetically the words of Jesus when he hung on the cross.
Save me, O God, for the waters are coming to my soul. I sink in deep mire where there is no standing.
I have come into deep water where the overflow me.
Yes, they overflowed him so that they may not overflow you and me.
Have you received them?
No one loved you like Jesus loved you.
God commendeth His love towards us.
While we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. Let's turn to the second storm.
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 14.
Matthew 14.
Beautiful, beautiful story.
Verse UH-22. Straightway, Jesus constrained his disciple to get into his ship.
Go before under the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he came up. He went up into a mountain apart to pray, and when the evening was coming he was there alone.
00:25:14
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the 4th watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying it is a spirit, and they cried out for fear.
But straightway Jesus speak unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, desire, be not afraid.
And Peter answered and said unto him, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And Peter was come down out of the ship. He walked on the water to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind, boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink. He cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Jesus stretched forth his hand.
Cut them, sit under him, or their little feet, wherefore it is so dope. When they were coming to the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, of a truth, Thou art the Son of God.
Oh dear friends, this book is so full.
These pictures are so beautiful.
And God has put things in such a way in his Word to draw a great big picture.
And so at the start of where we read, we were told how Jesus said to his disciples to get into the ship. And then it says in the 23rd verse. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the evening was coming, he was there alone. Where is Jesus tonight?
Ivan, where is Jesus tonight?
You're right.
He's up there. You don't see him, but he sees you right by them.
Oh dear friends, think of Him looking down in this room tonight into each of us, our hearts. And He knows you through and through.
And he sat there alone, praying. And you know what he wants. He wants sinners to come to him.
If you want sinners, sinners.
Says him that cometh to me. I will and no wise cast out.
So there he is.
What's happening down in the world?
He sent the disciples away into his ship. And what's it say?
In verse 24 the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with ways, for the wind was contrary.
And the 4th wast of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea, you see.
There he is up there, and the grace of God and the gospel has gone out since he's gone there in the glory, and there he is, and he's watching over his friend. He's praying for you.
He's praying for you. He went off into a mountain to pray. Pray to God for you and me.
He longs for the blessing of mankind amid all the atrocities that are happening throughout the world with 7 billion people. And, and it says here the end of the midst of the sea is tossed with waves. And don't you see it? Don't you see it in this world? The wicked are like the troubled sea, the cast of the mire and dirt. Whether it's in the mind of man, whether it is in the nation's dis, the distress it is among nations. And there he is.
And he observes it all. And what's he doing? He's praying, and he's waiting for the cry of any man or woman or child.
Who will come to Christ?
What a story we have to tell.
And a fourth watch of the night. 4 watches, 1234.
4th watch of the night. That's the last one.
Says Jesus came walking on the sea.
You know what the sea speaks of and speaks of the Gentile nations.
00:30:03
All the turmoil that's in the world, Friend is above it all. He's walking on the sea. All the troubles.
Do you know him?
Is he your savior?
He is the God of the universe. Jesus is the God of the universe.
And he came under them.
He comes to our level.
He's walking on the sea.
And so.
This has a Jewish aspect, I think, but we can apply it in A to us tonight because in the coming day, in coming day, you know, God hasn't forgotten the nation of Israel.
Right now the gospel goes out to the whole world, but then there's going to be the judgments that take when the Christians are all taken out of this world to heaven, which is going to be very soon. I believe it with all my art. God is going to judge this world for seven years, and at the end of the seven years, Jesus is going to come back to his own, to the remnant, and he's going to come walking on the seat of them. They won't know him.
But they will know him. He'll come to them.
But tonight it's him that cometh to me, him that cometh to me. I will annoy cast out. So it says in the when they didn't recognize him, they didn't know in verse 26. And you know, sometimes we have problems. Let's face it, every one of us, you, unless you're different than me.
Do you have any problems in your life?
He's walking on the sea and he allows the circumstances in your life.
Everything.
Everything. And he draws near to you when he's he's above it all, but he comes near to you. He speaks to us through the things that he allows in our lives.
So he comes, and he says they think it's a spirit. In verse 26 and verse 27, straightway Jesus spake of them, saying, be of good cheer at his eye, be be not afraid. Verse 28 Peter answered and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, come.
This uh, I often have thought of this.
What went through the mind of Peter?
If it be thou, bid me come unto thee.
And the Lord Jesus said come.
Now the tables are turned back to Peter.
How is he gonna take and respond to this?
The Lord said come.
Tom Roach said this one time faith is action.
The Lord Jesus said come.
The next thing is he did he have the faith to trust him?
To go and to walk on water that he had never done before. Was he willing to take and step out inside of that boat where the others were, and to put his foot on the water to walk to Jesus?
He did.
So it says.
Verse 29 and Peter when Peter was come down out of the ship.
He walked on the water to go to Jesus.
You see?
We sometimes say only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him. Now you know the gospel, but have you acted on it? Have you repented of your sins? Have you confessed Jesus as your Lord? Have you? Have you actually gone through the transaction?
00:35:00
We sometimes sing the hymn Happy day tis done, the great transactions done. I am my Lords, and he is mine. Can you sing it in truth?
As a half and all happy day when Jesus washed my sins away. Will you trust him? Will you do it? Will you believe the gospel?
Faith demands an act, or faith demands a response.
To that question from the Lord.
We have come, so it says.
Peter said come down and went in verse 29, come walk in the water to go to Jesus. And when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink. He cried saying.
Lord, save me.
You know.
I think that every Christian goes through these things.
If you've accepted the Lord as your Savior.
You've run into some things in your life, haven't you?
Where you had to cry to the Lord and you feel like maybe you're sinking.
But you know to just turn to him and to trust him and to lean on him.
I always think of my mother in connection with this.
Remember quoting the quoting.
Was averse to SEC now.
Umm.
Look unto me all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.
And she said, David, it only takes one look to be saved, but after you're saved, it's a lifetime of looking. You see, the whole principle of life when we become a Christian is to take and to turn to him for everything in our lives. You get it all through Scripture. For example, you remember the story about the blood on the door in connection with the children of Israel in in Exodus.
So they were sheltered from the judgment by the blood, the Lamb. The blood had been shed. The Lamb had been slain. It's a picture of the cross. And then what does God do?
He takes them to the river, to the the Red Sea, and there what's he say to them? Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. You see the whole principle of life. Instead of laboring for them, they were to stand still and wait for God to intervene. Are you a Christian? You know the Lord is your Savior. The Lord would have us to take into let him clear the way.
Clear the way and did he? Well, he opened up that seed where I believe millions took and crossed. You know, I thought of it in this way. Sometimes we come to a come to a road where there's a busy highway and there's two lanes that are going this way of traffic and two lanes that are going that way. And I sometimes waited, uh, in the, in the, uh, in the, in the cross section of the road and I'm wanting to get across to the other side.
And I just pray and I say, Lord, you opened up the way for the children of Israel to take across the Red Sea. Surely you can help me get across this road. And he does.
And he does.
You know Him as your savior.
You turn to him for all the little things in your life. He's there for you.
Stand still waiting on God is the principle for the Christian, not for us to take and and to to push our way through, but to trust him and lean on him for our way. That's a principle, the Christian life. Are you saved, you know, as your Savior? Then lean on him and trust him for everything.
The end of the story here is verse 33.
Then they were in the ship, came and worshiped him, saying of the truth, Thou art the Son of God, you know.
00:40:02
Dear friends, the nation of Israel.
The nation of Israel doesn't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they're going to. They're going to.
And at the end of the tribulation, he's going to appear. They're going to turn to him. The remnant will return to him and the earth after this. Oh, it's amazing to think of that, the blessing that is going to flow out in this world.
It's going to be through that nation.
It's marvelous to think of, but before that takes place, there's a seven years of judgment. And before the seven years of judgment is when Jesus is coming to take his own out of this world. And that period that starts the judgment. Friends, I believe with all my heart is approaching. What do you think of the atrocities that are taking place, the signs of the Lord's coming, the restlessness, the problems in the world, The darkness in the world is increasing. He's coming.
Are you ready?
Are you ready? Well, let's turn to.
The last one.
It's in the books Gospel.
Umm, I think it's chapter 8.
Yes.
Luke chapter 8.
And 1St.
22.
Now it came to pass on a certain day that he went into a ship with his disciples, and he said unto them, Let us go over under the other side of the lake, And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep, and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and and were in jeopardy.
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.
LCC And there was a calm he said unto them, Where is your faith?
And they, being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this? For he commandeth even the winds in the water.
And they obey him.
In the last, uh, when we had with the Lord up in heaven.
Gone up there to pray and in this one here and this storm here is there asleep in the boat.
Dear friends, he's watching over you, and he's with you at the same time. He's omnipresent. He's everywhere, and it may appear when storms come in your life that you don't know if he's really paying any attention, but he's there. It may look like he's asleep, but he's not. He's in control.
And so in this last story here he was in this boat with them and you know, is it Yes, uh, you know what I I liked in connection with this is in the twen in the 22nd verse.
You notice that it says And he said unto them, Let us go over under the other side of the lake, and they launched forth. Now was there any, any.
Question that they would ever reach the other side.
Wilson.
I don't know why, because he said.
Let us go over under the other side of the lake. Implied in those words is that we're going to make it to the other side. And he allowed the storm to take place and he rested. Knowing that the storms were coming and that everything was safe, He rested.
And they could have rested as well. They could have trusted his words.
And he said to them, when they when they got in this perilous situation, he calmed the story, he rebuked the wind, and he calmed the storm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith?
00:45:08
Where's your faith? Are you a Christian?
The Lord wants you to trust Him.
How do you get faith?
Is faith blind?
How can you have faith in your life?
Turn over to Romans chapter 10.
I'm gonna ask one of the younger ones to read this verse for me.
Romans 10 verse 17. Who would like to read it?
Oh, he doesn't want to read it. That's OK with with one of the other young people or whatever, like to read this verse.
Romans 10, verse 17.
Shall I pick on somebody? How about Atlanta back there?
Would you like to read it in Atlanta?
And so then they come back by here and you're very badly with God. Yeah.
You wanna have faith?
You can have it just by listening.
It's right here.
Do you believe them? Here it is. Do you trust him? Can we depend on him? Feed on him? Trust him for your life?
The look of salvation, how we trust that each one in this room is saved to turn to him for this life and for the next life and who soon It's in the same chapter here in, uh, in, uh, uh, Romans chapter 10, verse 13. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Would you call on him tonight? Would you accept them into your heart?
And walk with him through this world. Let him be.
The Lord of your life.
May God bless his word. I'm going to mention before I close the consequences and O the Lord for the judgment, for my sins. And it's hard to contemplate, it's impossible to contemplate what he suffered for my sins. And dear friends, if you, if there's anyone here who doesn't accept the Lord of your Savior, you have to bear the consequences for your sins.
You have to bear the consequences.
To be lost for all eternity. There's judgment for sin, and either Jesus or your judgment or you have to bear it for all eternity, and you don't want that.
You don't want that except Him as your Lord. Surrender to Him to be your Lord and your Savior forever. Let's bow in prayer our God.
Clothes
Children—Wally Dear
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That's a good sound.
What we'd like to welcome each and everyone to the Sunday School today.
And you know, we've got all these seats up here in the front and there's nobody sitting on the seat. And this is especially for the boys and girls this meeting. And so I'm going to ask that.
Boys and girls, would you be willing to come and sit on these front row seats? It won't cost you any extra. You know. Front row seats are good seats.
You can see what's happening.
So now does anybody need a hymn book? We might have to share this morning on the hymn books.
But we don't want anybody have an excuse not to sit.
Anybody need a handbook?
All right, so we're all ready to sing, are we?
Did you boys have a good sleep last night? You did.
Did you have a good breakfast? Yeah.
Yeah, well, that's good. Do you feel sick?
No. All right, Well, let's see.
It's a good time to sing. Do you have a number you'd like to sing in this book here? Which 1/22/22? All right, let's start number #22.
#22 starts with the word come. What a beautiful word.
Come to the Savior.
In her midst he found out tenderly saying come joyable, joyful, joyful, joyful, joyful will come hidden big when I'm saying our hearts are your and tragedy.
Joyful, joyful.
Sail for our hearts and our devil, and we shall gather.
Savage our within.
Our eternal.
We're off to a good start. Anybody else have a number?
Yes, 88 number 88.
There once was a while ago He had to retire to my dream and give us my taking care about him. He said go ahead and bring him to me. And when they had brought into Jesus how quickly I'd ever may grow that grass. Was that my little donkey?
What's quiet and Long Beach and that's good.
For the year that was riding upon him, anyway. I shall somewhere that he shall.
We don't give it make so by the Son of God and she doesn't disable to make you move whatever he wants you to be living. He loves you and wants to forget you the living room and make you both happy and crazy.
Anybody else have a number?
00:05:08
Do you have another number?
But if you don't know the number, maybe you can tell us the name of the song, Yes? Which one would you like to see?
Jesus loves me. I would love to sing this song.
Sometimes I wonder how many times I sung this song in my lifetime. I never get tired of singing it. Probably thousands of times.
But it's just as beautiful today as ever. So what #52 OK, Jesus loves me this. I know how many know this time know the sign language for the chorus. OK, when we get to the chorus, we're going to sing and sigh.
OK. And uh, I think when we think come to the course the last time, instead of singing, we'll just sign. So we'll be really quiet and won't sing the chorus the last time, we'll sign.
OK.
Jesus loves me inside.
We find he is strong. Yes. He is not part of me. Yeah. You trust lost me. Yeah. He is not responding to me. Don't have probably close. I will be so Jesus loves me, he who died.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Tells me so Jesus loves me. He will say love you die me off of the way if I trust him. Should I die he won't take me over my mind. Yes.
Like it? That's nice.
You know this part here. You know why we do this?
Can somebody tell me why we do this?
For the Bible exciting the Bible, do you know Max?
What does this remind us of when we go like this? Yeah. What about you?
Exactly when he was nailed to the cross.
You know, and some people, they have the idea that he was tied to the cross.
With ropes around his wrist and I've seen pictures like that.
But the Bible tells us.
That he was nailed to the cross, because you know, the Lord said they pierced my hands.
And my feet. And so that's what they did to the Lord Jesus. Well, we have a wonderful Savior to sing about. And Jesus was willing to suffer on the cross for boys and girls like you and me. And so it's a wonderful thing seeing this wonderful little song about Jesus loved me. Well, I think we have time for one more song. Anybody else have a number?
Yeah.
Which one would you like?
55 #55.
Jesus wants me forever to shine for Him.
00:10:02
Every way to try to do it.
I'm sorry.
Maybe from the other side?
Of the young suddenly for him.
She is on his wife's name to be in love.
With you all, I said showing how person that's why I'll be in place that no one can be.
I will ask you so soon about a whole day to give my heart from standing.
To the heart of the gentleman, and the way shall I encore him?
A sunny mountain to me, that's what's made for us.
I'm saying.
Let's, uh, take me to the poster side.
Yeah, I mean, if you can just put them down on the floor for three years, legs and the seats there chairs, now we're going to talk with the Lord.
You know, somebody told me one time.
Before.
We talked to children about the Lord. We need to talk to the Lord about the children. So that's what we wanna do. So.
Let's just close our eyes and bow our heads while we pray.
Our Father loving God, we thank you this morning that we can be here to sing these wonderful songs about Lord Jesus.
Thank you, dear Father, for sending Thy Son to be the Savior, and we thank Thee that He on the cross was willing to die to suffer.
In order to open wide heaven's gate, and we thank you this morning, Lord Jesus, that our inviting boys and girls to come.
And to enjoy a full and free salvation.
Through simple faith indeed, thy precious blood that was shed there on the cross. And we wanna thank you for each boy and girl here today. We thank you for the older ones too. We pray that there would be a message that might reach into the heart of the dear children that if there's one year still in their sins.
They might realize how awful.
How terrible is their condition before deep or God, and that they might come to Jesus, and finding him that which not only can save their soul, but satisfy their hearts and become the very righteousness of God in Christ. So we ask this, not only here in darkness, but wherever thy word is being proclaimed this day.
Boys and girls are sitting onto the town of the Gospel.
Depressed, and by thy grace, thou at work.
That they might see and satisfy, we ask this thy precious worthy name, Lord Jesus, Amen, now today.
I brought my suitcase, so I got to go get that. OK, so you just wait a moment. I'll be right back.
Mr. Galbraith over there.
With the suitcase.
He said. Are you checking out today?
No, I said. I'm checking in.
And here I am today in this hall with my suitcase. And what do you usually put into a suitcase?
00:15:04
Does anybody have a thought on that as to what might be there mask?
Clothes. What do you think?
Stuff all right.
Anybody else have an idea?
Stuffed animals.
Toothbrush and toothpaste.
That's a good thing to carry in a suitcase, but.
You know what?
Max, you struck the nail on the head when you said close, because that's what I got in that suitcase.
And I'm sorry, boys, I don't have any stuffed animals. I should have a toothbrush in you. Probably toothpaste.
But you know what?
I want to talk about.
Those today.
Now, you know, the Bible talks a lot about flows, and sometimes they're referred to as garments. Garments. It's the same thing as clothes, OK. And what I find is that God, he makes clothes for men and women and for boys and girls that are so very nice.
And that suits him.
And other people, they think they can make their own clothes to suit God and it doesn't work. Those clothes are nasty and in that suitcase.
I got it. Nice clothes and nasty ones, that one. Now I wanna turn to a portion in the Bible and this is a story back in Zechariah chapter 3.
Zechariah.
Chapter 3. Now I've seen the Old Testament.
Seth and Iah Hagee I Zechariah.
Malachi So it's just second to the last four in the Old Testament.
And chapter 3.
We're gonna reach it a little bit, OK?
This is what it says and.
He showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Angel of the Lord.
And Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. So now we have a man, he's called a high priest, and he is there in the presence of the Lord.
And also there is Satan.
What's another name for Satan?
Could somebody tell me?
Devil. Devil. That's right, Devil.
And I just thought the other day, you know, there's so many bad words that start with D, you know, like.
Discouragement, Darkness, Depression.
Siemens devil starts with D and then we have EE plus evil that.
Did you know that Satan is here today?
We are in the presence of the Lord, but we are also, I believe.
Here and Devil is at work.
And he tries to, as it tells us here, resist.
What the Lord wants to do, He don't want us to.
Follow the Lord and His instruction.
He wants us to go his way.
And we know his way leads to destruction.
It leads to the Lake of Fire.
Now, since the Lord said to Satan.
Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, Even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuked these. It is not this a brand plot?
Out of the fire.
You know.
00:20:01
That there is no.
One crater than the Lord.
And the power of the Lord is greater than the power of the devil.
I remember there was a boy, his name was Billy, and we had a little gospel meeting and after the meeting he came to me and he said, you know, Mr. dear, the power of God is greater than the power of the devil. I never forgot that.
Now the devil is stronger than you and me.
But he is not stronger than the Lord, and so the Lord rebuked Satan now.
Is this?
Joshua was clothed with filthy garments.
And stood before the Angel.
Anybody tell me another word for filthy?
Tilted Does anybody here have tilty garments?
Look around, you see anybody?
You had your hands up. You're gonna tell me what's another word for filthy might be.
Somebody gave their hand up here.
Jill, do you have any idea what that means?
There is a filthy garment in this world.
In the suitcase. OK, so.
I'm going to get this out.
And you know what I say?
Away from this garment as much as I can.
There it is. There it is.
And I thought I'd bring it today because I think it helps maybe to prove a point.
If I put this on.
I would say.
I have on a filthy garment.
This is dirty.
This is not a nice suit of quotes.
And I put it on last night.
Over at the hotel to see how it would fit.
You know what my wife said?
She said. I sure hope you're not gonna wear that today.
No way.
Anyway.
Hey, listen, there's a filthy garment.
And you know.
I really don't feel comfortable wearing this in front of all these ones that have such nice clothes on.
But here it tells us that Joshua, he was standing in the presence of the Lord.
And he had on a filthy garment. Is that a good thing?
You know.
I believe.
That what we're talking about here.
Is the fact that.
God's.
Earthly people.
The Jews.
They had turned away from God.
And.
They were doing wicked.
Acts terrible sins.
And you know, there was in the Jerusalem that we're reading about here, a house. It's called the House of God. It was the temple.
And you know, in the temple they were to worship the one true God, the living God, and how wonderful he is. And he did so very much for his people. He brought them out of a place called Egypt where they had to work so very hard under cruel taskmasters that brought down whips and probably made their backs to bleed because.
00:25:06
They make them work so hard. They had no love for the people.
But you know, God saw this situation and in a miraculous way, he brings them out of Egypt through the Red Sea into the wilderness. And for 40 years he provided for his people out there in the desert, food and water, and he cared for them. And then when they get into this beautiful land, the land of Canaan, we know that the.
We're able to overcome.
Enemies. And ultimately there was this temple built.
Where the Lord would put his name.
And you know, you can read about it over in uh.
Ezekiel.
What the Lord had in mind.
You know it tells us here.
In verse 4, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there.
And so on and so forth. But the sad thing is.
We find that there were things.
That turned away from the board and.
They began to.
Do things in the temple that were really bad.
And they built.
Idols in the temple.
And it tells us here about how they.
In verse 10.
There was the form of creeping things, abominable beasts, all the idols of the House of Israel portrayed upon the wall round about.
And then if you come over here to verse 16, there's 25 men between the door of the temple or the porch and the altar of the Lord. And what are they doing? They're bowing down and worshipping the sun. The SUN.
It was a bad suit there in Jerusalem, and there was one king, his name was Manasseh, I believe, and he built an idol that had its hands out like this.
And.
I hesitate to say this, but they would actually bring.
Little children and put into the hands of this idol, it was just a piece of metal, the little one, and that one would be burned. It was like an offering to the gods of Malik. And all of this was going on in Jerusalem, which was the place.
Where God had put his name. Now, you know, God would never do anything like that. In fact, the Lord said it didn't even come into my mind to do that kind of naughtiness, but that's what happened in Jerusalem.
And so I believe that this particular people, the nation of Israel, they seemed so grievously.
And so here we have this high priest, he's flowed with his filthy garments, representative of what the people had been doing and the king. And you know, it was a sad, sad condition. However, notice what it tells us here.
It says in verse 3 Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the Angel.
Of the Lord, which I believe would be the presence of the Lord. And he answered, and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him, take them away.
I don't want those filthy garments in my presence.
And this is what the Lord says.
And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, Then I will close thee with change of raiment. Change of raiment is new clause.
00:30:10
A new suit and take away this old filthy garment. Now, I believe that you and I, we have a lesson to learn from this story. Even though it's about the Jews, you and I, we have been bad too.
Is there anybody here on this role that's never done anything bad?
Thank you for being so honest.
How about this role? Is there anybody here that's never done anything bad?
Just put up your hand. If you've never done anything there, how about the next row? Next row?
Nobody's putting up their hands.
Oh, look at that back row over there.
There's some people there, they're dressed so nice.
Anybody on the back row that's never done anything bad?
You know what the Bible says.
Fibocyst fall as standard. The Bible tells us there is none that doeth good. It tells us that the Lord he looked down from heaven on the children of men.
And we're all children of men, everybody in this room.
What for? To see if there were any that did understand and seek God. And what did God see?
They are all gone aside. They are all together, become filthy. There is nothing to do with good. No, not one. Not even one.
And so we're just like this high priest.
Clothes with the filthy garment, such as our character before God. That's how God sees us.
It's not nice.
And, you know, many people don't think about it.
And they have no concern about how they look before God. But you know, God is looking down into this world. He knows what's in your heart. And you know, as I look around this room here today.
There's nobody that's wearing the filthy garment.
Outside except me.
But what counts with God is not what we are wearing, as nice as it might be.
Whether it be addressed?
Two.
Or trousers or sweater. And it's, it's nice to dress nice outside. I, I don't mean to discredit that, but really what counts with God is what's inside now.
It tells us in the Bible that the Lord.
It looks on the heart, man. He looks on the outward appearance.
And as I look around, I see the outward appearance in the new boys and girls. Are you got your hair nice and your dress nice?
But the question I have is, is your heart filthy like this pseudocode filthy with thin thin.
Is that which 50 files and God's people, they were polluted, corrupted. But God was going to do something about this and he alone could.
And so.
It says here.
Take away the filthy garments from here.
I look forward to you with the change of rain.
So I'm going to pick this off.
You think that this could be washed?
And made nice and clean.
In the washing machine.
Some are going like this, something like this.
Maybe we should ask somebody that's been running the washing machine a long time.
You think we should ask somebody like that?
00:35:00
Who are you pointing at?
Who?
Oh, your father, he knows.
Not there's a lot of watching. She just all the washing. Yeah, watch.
Well, let's say she followed.
Uh, Mr. Kokkin, do you think that this could be washed and made clean in a washing machine?
This. This, uh, this year?
No and no. All right, how about we ask one of the mothers?
Let's see who's the mother here that's been running the washing machine a lot of years.
How about Mr. Tejor?
No, you don't think so either. All right, well, what we're going to do is set this aside and you know, the fact is there are those that have the idea that.
We can cleanse ourselves from sin by turning over a new leaf and doing what's good. But the Lord says.
Even though.
You wash yourself with nighters now that's that's a very strong cleansing agent nighters and take the much soap. Your iniquity or your sin is still marked before me.
I don't care how much.
So neither it's not gonna get that clean. We need a brand new garment and.
That's what I got today. We've got it's just a few minutes left here, so I'm gonna put this on.
This is just the opposite.
Of what we have there.
So pure and white.
And you know, when we think of pure and white, I think of what the Lord Jesus he was wearing on a mountain one time where the disciples went up through the mountains.
And it says that.
He was transfigured for his.
Changed in the presence of the disciples up on the mountain.
And it says that his his clothes they became shiny, exceeding white as snow as no Fuller or Fuller could wipe it. Now Fuller is somebody that I understand dies flow off or maybe bleach his cloth and tries to make it really nice and white.
But the Lord Jesus was wearing garments. You can read about it in Mark Chapter 9. I believe it is. And there was nobody on the face of this planet earth that could make.
Clothes as white as what he was wearing, and it tells us that his face was shining too, about the like the sun. It's a awesome sight.
But you know, the Lord Jesus is.
The Son of God, not the SUN. He is the Son, and he is.
Holy he is of two pure eyes, and the behold iniquity. He is pure, and it tells us about him and how he was in this world.
He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners because he never did a scene. Never. He never thought a scene. Not a bad thought.
Never said a bad word, never did anything bad. He was perfect in every way because he was God.
Displayed in the flesh as a man now, he was the same age as you boys at one point, but he grew up 33 years old.
Was taken out to be crucified because they said we don't want this man. You know why? Because really people, they like the dirt, they like it, they like their sin. And when you look at the news today, it's all bad. And people complain about the bad news, but really that's what they like. You got a bad nature that responds to that sort of thing.
00:40:00
But you know, the Lord Jesus is different.
And he went to the cross, and there on the cross, the Lord Jesus was willing to bear the punishment for sin. And they put those nails. They pounded through his hands and through his feet, the nails. And there he suffered on that cool cross of Calgary for you and for me.
It tells us that he, the one who knew no sin, he was made sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. And you know, that's how God sees us now when we accept his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, God puts us in Christ, and that's how he sees you and me. He don't see us.
Like this. He sees us like this. And by the way, that's something else to put on here.
Diseases so clean and white that we could not become any whiter, in fact.
It was David that said that.
Wash me.
And I shall be whiter than snow.
Is there anything wider than small?
Is it? What do you think?
Jesus, that's right, He is.
And he wants to make you and I why didn't stop. The only thing that's whiter than snow is a heart.
That's been washed in the precious blood of Jesus, and God makes us whiter than snow so that we can enjoy His holy presence for time and for eternity.
So.
My question to you how do you appear before God today?
You know, filthy garment.
Or the clean.
It's so wonderful.
To look around and know there are those in this room who have been washed in the blood of Jesus and we sing a song. Oh Happy Day when Jesus washed my sins away.
I hope, boys and girls.
There has been a happy day in your life when you asked Jesus to wash your sins away, because if you have not, you are still flowed in a filthy diamond before Him. Now there's just one more verse and as time is gone.
Isaiah 61.
And verse.
10 Isaiah 61 and verse 10.
Now here's what it says.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.
My soul shall be joyful in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation.
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.
Clothes with the garments of salvation.
Covered with a Robert Ryder.
I understand over there in Zechariah when it speaks about, uh, change agreement.
It's the costly Raymond, costly Raymond, and you know it costs the Lord Jesus.
So very much in order that you and I, we might have the garment of salvation.
That's why we're here today, because we love the Lord Jesus because of what he was willing to pay.
There's a little song, it goes something like this on the cross for me, on the cross for me, dying there in agony. Jesus paid the price himself to sacrifice on the cross for me.
Well, I see our time is going, so we're just going to pray and ask the Lord's blessing. Father, we thank Thee.
This morning that we can.
Talk with the boys and girls about the importance of salvation, and we earnestly pray that no boy or girl here this morning might appear in My presence in their sins, with the filthy garments.
We ask you that each and everyone might indeed turn to be our God to thee, Lord Jesus and.
00:45:07
Trustee for Salvation, acknowledging that.
Apart from the precious blood of Christ.
There is no remedy for sin. Father, we do thank you for this time. Together we seek Thy further help and direction throughout this day, and we just do rejoice as we give Thee our thanks for the garments of salvation. Rover of righteousness that.
Thou alone has provided. We appreciate it, giving thanks and the precious Word. Do you name our Savior, the Lord Jesus? Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Romans 12:10-on
Reading
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181.
#181.
When Satan appears.
To stop up our path and fill us with fears.
We triumph like this we cannot take from us.
Through off he has tried the heart cheering promise the Lord will provide 181.
Wednesday Tonight.
No.
You will learn, reply and explaining God's affairs.
On the.
Very 1St annual Chapter 7 and verse 12.
First Samuel 7 and verse 12.
Then Sam looked like a stone, and set it between Lisbon and Shen, and called the name of it. Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto we're up till now at the Lord helped him hitherto at the Lord help us.
OK for the last two readings were in Romans chapter 12.
What about a bill? There's still more there. Would you say quite a bit more?
How far did we get?
Minor 10 I think.
Sounds good.
Romans, chapter 12, verse 10.
The economy of sections, one to another, with brotherly love in honor. Preferring one another, not thoughtful in business. Servant and spirit serving the Lord.
Rejoicing in hope, patience and tribulation. Continuing instant in prayer, Distributing to the necessity of things given the hospitality.
Bless them which persecuted you blessed and cursed not. Rejoice with them that you rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind, one toward another.
Minds not hide things.
On your Remington seats, recompense to no man, evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men if it be possible. As much as what I've been doing. Live peaceably with all men, dearly beloved.
00:05:09
Avenged not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for his written vengeance is mine I will repay, said the Lord. Therefore, if our enemy hunger feed him, is he thirst, give him drink, for in doing so thou shalt re keep colds of fire on his head.
Do not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. I wonder if we could also read that.
Maybe just the last part of chapter 13 from verse 11.
Romans 13 verse 11 and that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake, better sleep. So now is our salvation here and when you believe.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand.
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of life. Let us walk honestly.
As in the day, not in writing and dressing, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and engineering, but put me on the Lord Jesus Christ and make our provision for the flesh to fulfill the blood.
What do you have in mind, Brother Wally, in connection with these other verses? Well, it just seems there's still the, uh.
Versus at the end of their chapter 13.
Wrap was cold because of the fact that, uh.
The 90s charge spent. We often seen that in the United States.
I believe it's an encouragement to us to realize.
That the coming of the Lord has gone on and there is a manner of life that becomes those that are waiting for His return.
And I think one probably I just recently heard that his desire is to be found in a place to work with Gabion.
When he returned. So that's good to look up and to look and expecting this big Lord's return.
But I just start fasting my feet in order just to read that portion and not take away from what we're reading here. Chapter 12. Everything should be in view of his coming, shouldn't we?
Well, most of these exhortations in chapter 12 don't need a lot of.
Explanation. Uh, they're pretty straightforward.
Uh.
I would just point out one thing between verses 9 and 10.
There is a difference between the love that's mentioned in verse nine and the brotherly love mentioned in verse 10.
Divine Love.
Always seeks the good of its object according to God's thoughts and God's glory.
And so.
Love sometimes does that which is painful, and it ought to be more painful.
Or at least as painful to the one who has to say something in faithfulness as it is to the one to whom.
The thought there is unfeigned or if we could coin a word, a word unpretending, unpretending and so that's I suggest why it follows up with.
Abhor that which is evil, plead to that which is good.
Real love between brethren.
Real divine love is always according to God's thoughts, which.
The cleaves to what is good and of course that which is evil and if we see one another involved in evil.
Real love will not.
Passover it, or, as we say, sweep it under the rug for the sake of not stirring up any trouble, but rather be faithful.
But then in the next verse, there's to be brotherly love. That's a little different thought you get the same thing.
00:10:04
You're aware? In fact, we could turn to it just for a moment, because it's much the same thought. Second Peter, chapter one.
And there we have.
Uh, in verse 7.
Where we're adding various things.
To our face and it says and this is the way it is in the DND translation. And to godliness, brotherly love.
And to brotherly love, love.
So there's a difference between the two. Brotherly love is that enjoyment of one another because of what we have in Christ and what we are in Christ. And in that sense, it doesn't have the same thought of dealing with.
That which is evil, although you can't really separate the two but.
Real love would take cognizance of what is there that may not be according to God's mind and address it. But then we are to be kind the affection 1 to another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another.
That is looking on, as it says in Philippians 2, looking on not every man on his own things, but on the things of others, and realizing the value that each one has in the body of Christ.
Is an interesting story that uh, was told to some of us by.
Our late brother Armstead Barry, who some here will remember.
He was gathered to the Lord's name all his life and had a pretty good memory. And sometimes he told stories about our older brethren that weren't in print. And he told a story which I've never read anywhere else, about, uh, Jay and Darby and JG Bella walking together to a meeting, a reading meeting. And their first names, of course, were both.
John, John Nelson Darby, and, uh, John Gifford Vela.
And Mr. Bellett turned to Mr. Darby and said, Brother John, at the reading meeting tonight, I want you to remember that the Saints have hearts as well as consciences.
Brother Darby turned to Mr. Bell. They were extremely good friends and he said, John, you remember that they have consciences as well as hearts.
Well, one's ministry tended to be more to the conscience. The other's ministry tended to be more to the heart. The votes were needed. Both were in the body of Christ, and each one was kind of in a gentle way reminding the other that don't forget about the other side of the picture. Well, in honor preferring one another, we need to recognize one another's gifts, one another's qualities, and recognize that if they're different from our own.
God can use every one of them, and they're necessary.
A lot full of John chapter one.
And the law is given by Moses. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, both Poseidon, grace and truth to men.
Do we have any patients?
Do you have any patients chapter uh?
It is chapter 4.
Go along with that. I believe it's would apply.
In verse 15 it says they're speaking the truth and love.
The weather.
It's, uh, on the Gray side.
Or the truth. Sometimes it just has to be stern. In some cases, we know that the Lord never compromised the truth for His gracefulness.
He spoke faithfully.
When he spoke, but uh, the men are rebuked. He gave it rebuked, but it was always a love.
Lord Jesus, always spoken love.
00:15:01
Only marvel your gracious words.
Get the screwed out of his mouth.
At at the same time you spoke to the authorities.
You can speak that way because he spoke the truth.
Well, verse 11 reminds us of several things, among them not to be slothful in business.
I wasn't at the reading meeting, but I remember a brother telling me about it for quite a few years ago now where he pointed out this particular brother that.
The emphasis here is on, we might say, the Lord's business.
Things for the Lord and he told me of how a fairly good businessman among the brethren spoke up in the meeting and he said, Oh brother, he said, I also think it means that the Lord really would have us to make a dollar whenever we can.
But I don't believe that's the thought here. Yes, we are to be diligent in whatever our hands find to do. And whether the Lord has given us a business to run, or whether he's given us a profession to practice, or whether He's given us manual work to do or to sit in front of a computer nowadays, or whatever it might be, we're to do it in a right way and in an upright way and to do it well. But I believe the emphasis here is on.
The Lord's work and on the Lord's interests. And if we're diligent in the Lord's interests, I believe that diligence will carry over into our natural lives. But the priorities will be ripped, won't they?
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
That's why it says fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
Somebody mentioned yesterday, maybe it was your brother's fan of a lazy Christians. No, Was it you that made the remark? And, and there is a danger of our being lazy in the work of the Lord. There is a danger of our being apathetic about things down here. And of course, if the heart is right, then if the work will follow. So it's not that the Lord wants us to rush out and dive into something when our heart is not ready for it.
And often when we're younger, the Lord puts us to a bit of a training school. But at the same time, the Lord is looking for those who have his interests before them down here. And what a privilege it is in the world where the Lord has been rejected to represent his interests. And so he has put us here for that purpose and.
We can understand.
Uh, for example, if there is an ambassador in a country.
He's generally well provided for. He generally has whatever he needs to carry out his duties well. But if he were to just lazy around and live the good life and not do very much, I believe his home country would be very disappointed in him, wouldn't they? They wouldn't. They would say, well, you're not. You're not representing our interests very well. We expect more than that from you. We didn't send you there for that reason.
Just to live it up and have a good life and then, uh, relax.
No, we are sent into this world to be living witnesses for him.
When I was speaking yesterday and pardon the reference, but.
I mentioned a brother by the name of JB Dunlop.
And uh, in connection with his diligence, but he made a remark that I read once, and this is over 100 years ago now.
But he said.
Remember, brethren, the Lord did not leave you and me here.
Simply to lead good, morally upright lives and then to go to heaven at the end.
He said we should do all that, but that is not enough. He left us here to be living witnesses to a lost world and to one another of the grace that sought and found us. I never forgot it. Not that I was back there when you said it, but I read it and uh, so I believe this is.
00:20:20
And it carries on into the 12Th verse, doesn't it? Fervid in spirit.
Serving the Lord.
Rejoicing in hope.
Yes, it's always in view of the Lord's coming.
Patient and tribulation, we're going to have that, the Lord said so.
And as a result of that continuing.
Instant in prayer.
Just for clarity, would be correct to say that verse 9 forward out of the individual gifts and now it's general expectations to Christian.
Yeah, yes, I believe so.
And we can all be involved in all of this. It's not particularly tip that is in view in these verses, is it?
The remainder of this chapter makes you think of the proverb.
And I heard of her brother. We just recently say somebody went to visit him and the man was reading the book of problems and he's man he's so he'd probably never read it before. He said we followed this. We sure keep out of a lot of trouble.
And I think of these things too. It's easy to sit in a meeting, isn't it? Yeah, that's right. That's right. But then when it comes to doing it, that's a little different story. You could have a desire to improve with the Lord has in his words. We know them things, happier you can do them.
Umm, diversity. Jeremiah 48, verse 10.
Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully.
And the margin of my biases? Negligence.
Emergency that keep the stack restored to the blood. But that's something pretty strong language to speak as one being first because it's not doing the work of the Lord in a diligent fashion. But that's some serious and uh, first week is 15. This is uh.
Let us steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.
For as much as you know, your labor is not in vain in the Lord, and it's in view of His resurrection.
If we look up and see Christ there glorified, I know that he's inserting.
For us and then, you know, establish this Kingdom.
A motivation for us to serve him.
We're living in a day of lukewarmness, aren't we? Umm, the day of Laodicea. I really, I enjoy the way it's put in the new translation here. It says going back to verse 11, diligence in as to diligent zealousness, not slothful in spirit, fervent serving the Lord as regards hope, rejoicing as regards tribulation, enduring.
As regards prayer.
Persevering, sort of enjoy the way he puts it there. That's good.
So we're to be doing all these things.
But as Brother Bill was saying, there's a character for the way we should do them. Which, uh, you might say has a meaning to it rather than simply going through the motions.
Don't you think that it's almost every one of the epistles where it it finishes with practical exhortations?
And it finishes rather than starts with them. And the reason it seems to me why?
The, uh, the.
Often does it that way is that he brings us into the dignity of the position we've been brought into. And when we are rejoicing in that, we want to take and do the things that are part of the practical admonition at the, uh, at the end of the book, hmm. You know, umm, a child wants to please its father.
00:25:08
It's a natural thing, the the the the duplicate really imitate what they're what they're and and so we are to be imitators.
Well, that's based on the nature that we have received, and then we have the power of a new life.
And, uh, it makes it easier to do, doesn't it? And, uh, you know, this is a kind of a simple thing, but tell you what happened many years ago, uh, uh, in my own life, my wife and I alone, we only had two children at the time, right? We were leaving my father's home and, and, uh, going back to our home.
And he came over to the window of the car and he said to my boys.
Wind down the window.
And he said, do you want to be happy?
Make somebody else happy. Then he walked away.
Well, I think it's really the same principle that we have here. You know, the Lord's life was a life of service to others. And we have been given the nature, the desire to, uh, umm, to function in that way.
The world is is different in that everything is for self, isn't it? But that shouldn't.
It's not the motive of the Christian life.
Now, today, the world teaches you that you are a special, unique individual that only has so much in common with others. And perhaps if you're a young person, they may even teach you that you're not well understood.
Umm, but it's interesting to me that much of this is trained in.
Uh, the thought of whether we love because the simplest definition for a brother is someone with the same father and somebody with the same father.
You will have things in common and so even another believer that you've never met, you have the same father. So there is a certain level where you will understand that and be able to love them at that.
The family connection there isn't good.
Which I believe the spiritual bonds are even greater than human bonds. You know, natural connections out there.
Wonderful.
The relationship that we do enjoy with God is Father within one another.
Tell us, disciples, we all, our brethren, brothers.
Well, I came from 2 generations back, I think Stan, you'll remember.
In Ottawa, hearing that God has no paper in his family. Oh my, how we remember that.
You know, I'm thinking of this expression here too, given the hospitality, I really think that in a practical way, if you hear of somebody who's sick in your assembly.
Knock on the door with a casserole.
In your hand to give to them.
Would you agree, Dave? We don't have to wait until they're sick.
Invite them over when they're healthy enough to come to your home, too.
Uh.
It makes a, it makes a huge difference. And I would, I would, I would say it openly because hospitality.
Uh, an old brother now with the Lord used to remind us that God places a high premium on it, but it's becoming a thing that is not as common as it used to be, mainly because we lead busy lives and it just doesn't seem to be as easy to be able to get together the way it used to be.
Well, we recognize that in the world of today, things are not the same as they were 50 years ago and we.
Can't turn back the clock but at the same time.
The exhortations of Scripture remain.
And generally speaking, in my experience and observation, if I may say so, uh, in assemblies where people are used to being in and out of each other's homes, there is much less tendency for difficulties and problems to develop. Things get nipped in the bud, things get dealt with, misunderstandings don't arise.
00:30:23
At least not as easily, anyway.
And so the Word of God would place a high premium on hospitality. And as you say, Dave, it does say distributing to the necessity of Saints. So that takes in those that are in need and those that are sick and so on. Very, very definitely. But it's nice to get together when there is no special reason for it except just to enjoy one another's company and.
It makes a huge difference to our relationships with one another, doesn't it?
We were mentioning equivalent Priscilla yesterday as being an example of some who showed hospitality. Another one in the scripture that I've enjoyed is in 3rd John in connection with Gaius.
Remember gayest with that uh, the apostle wrote to.
And he says they're, uh.
Uh, verse 5, beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and that strangers. I think that's the way it should read. In other words, Gay has not only showed hospitality to those he knew, but even to those believers that were not so familiar to them. Umm, he was hospitable and encouraging to them. He goes on and says in the sixth verse, in the middle of verse, if thou bring forward on their journey, after all, godly sorts also do well so.
When there were Saints traveling from 1 area to another, he was willing to put them up into his home, wouldn't you say?
I think it's nice to see there is, uh, love for the Saints.
And if I could just add to that stand.
Be careful that we don't restrict all this simply to those who are gathered to the Lord's name. There's an opportunity to show kindness.
To anyone.
It says, but specially then of the house or those of the household of faith. So if there's a stranger to whom we can show hospitality, even if he isn't a believer, we should take the opportunity. And if there is a fellow believer, even if he isn't gathered to the Lord's name, he's a member of the body of Christ.
Uh, we ought to be ready to do it as the Lord leads, of course. Uh, we need wisdom in these things.
But I believe we should keep our hearts as broad as that of Christ, even if we have to walk a narrow path on these last days. If you say that's what we have in Hebrews chapter 13, yes. It's uh, I think the first part of the first verse would apply to ourselves.
And I love brothers in love continue.
Entertain strangers, too.
So, uh, not be not forgetful to entertain strangers.
For there thereby some of entertain angels unawares.
Well, Brother Enos was mentioning and I appreciated the remark and I'll repeat it because somewhere in here in the first reading meeting that largely this 12Th chapter deals with the relationships between brethren. And then the next chapter deals more with relationships with the world. But it leads into it toward the end of this chapter, doesn't it? And so things like.
Persecution are brought in and further down, uh, inverse.
17.
We're to provide things honest in the sight of all men, where to seek as much as lieth in us to live peaceably with all men.
We're not to reward evil for evil, we're to reward evil with good. And so we're being LED into a relationship with those that are not of light, precious faith.
00:35:10
Are we going to encounter persecution in one form or another? Yes, we are.
Paul reminds us of it in Second Timothy 3. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
In one way or another.
Where to react in the right way, where to bless them and not to curse. And there is to be, and I know we're jumping ahead here, but there's to be a right way to react in the presence of the world in order to show a good testimony for Christ, whatever it might be, whether it's in the face of persecution, whether it's in business dealings and financial dealings with them, whether it's in.
Shall we say it having to get along with someone that's unreasonable?
It happens. We have to work sometimes and rub shoulders with and deal with people who are very difficult. And I'm not saying that we can't be difficult too. And if we're not careful, we can add to the mix. But just the same, there's a right way of dealing with the world according to what Christ has given us. And so these are very practical things that we're to pay attention to in our dealings with the world.
I believe they're in that, uh, eighteenth verse.
It's impossible. As much as live in you look peaceably involved, that doesn't mean that you hold your temper for a while and finally you let it loose. I think it means that there's going to be trouble, but the other ones stop it. Don't you have anything to do with making the trouble? There might be trouble. Don't let it be in your car.
Good easy to read here.
Use it practically. Something else is that.
I saw yesterday in the playground, uh, number of children playing on the climbing arthritis and the slides. And I noticed a little boy who wasn't, I'll say from our group, his mother was on the bench and I noticed that he was.
Spitting a bit and pushing a bit and being kind of mean, I thought by my judgment I went up to this little red headed girl who was the recipient of some of his.
Mistreatment and I said to her is that little boy being mean to you in this little redhead? 8 year old said yes. I said what are you going to do about it? She said well I think I should be kind to him and then he won't be mean to me. I thought that was a good answer. I should be kind to him so that he won't be mean to him.
She didn't want revenge.
Overcome evil with good.
8 year old, how do we practically bless someone?
Is that in reference to how we speak to them? Is it going forward, verse 20, where it talks about feeding your enemy and giving him a drink? What's the practical act that we do to bless them that first treats us?
You know what we should have together on that? I used to be blessed to.
Music Plus.
Plus, on the curve less than the first two, you've less than curve not.
Well, the word blessed and the word curse in Scripture are very frequently put in opposition to one another because they're opposites, aren't they? And to curse someone is to, uh, bring down upon them, at least with our voice, the idea of, uh, judgment. And so, for example, we know that Valax wanted Balin to curse the children of Israel.
He couldn't in that sense, physically go and do something, at least not to a whole nation, but he could curse them with the idea that ultimately the Lord would follow it up and bring down evil upon them. And so I believe the word blessing is the opposite of that, and that is.
Imploring the Lord to bring down good upon them rather than evil. That's the thought I believe. And.
What is that practically for you and for me? It's going to the Lord about them that they might be safe.
There is the avoidance as this little girl that, uh, we just heard about.
00:40:02
That Clem was telling us about. She was going to treat him kindly. That was what she could do in a direct relationship with someone. But we know, particularly today, that if.
Anything wrong is done to other people. What what happens? There's usually a stream of foul, vindictive language in the most filthy words that they can think of in order to, as it were, bring down upon you every possible piece of rock that passes through their mind. Even though they don't dare to lay hands on you because they get in trouble for it, but they will use their mouth to bring down upon you every wrong thought that passes through their minds.
Well, for the believer, he's to do the opposite. He's to go to the Lord on their behalf in order, first of all that the Lord might do good to them, and secondly that they might be saved.
And I think it's a good point, Matt, because the the whole rest of the chapter, and I know it's anticipating, but our time is going and if we want to have a minute or two to talk about the last few verses of chapter 13, we won't have much. But the whole rest of the chapter, I believe, is summed up in the last verse.
And that is?
There are two sides to the Christian character in this world.
One is negative.
Be not overcome of evil.
But that's only one side of it.
Yes, we are not to be overcome of evil. We are, to use Mr. Dunlop's words, to live good, morally upright lives.
But that's not all. Overcome evil with good. In other words, go on the offensive. Get out there and bring before the souls what you have in Christ. Now there's a right and a wrong way of doing that.
We don't go and ram it down people's throats in the wrong way. There's a right and a wrong way of doing it, and most of what we say to a world today is the way we live.
But the point is we're to overcome evil with good. So on the one hand there's not to be the falling into the evil, but on the other hand there's the the the positive.
Introduction of the good. And that's what the Lord Jesus did in this world, didn't he?
He didn't fall into the evil, He didn't become part of it, but he brought all the goodness of God in himself into this world. Now you and I might say, boy, that's a mouthful.
And I freely admit, and I think brother Bill Roach's comment is well taken, Yes all very nice to talk about it here in the quiet over reading meeting. But where the rubber hits the road is another story. But.
We need His strength to do it, don't we? We need constant dependence and looking to the Lord to do it because we aren't capable. I'm not capable of it anyway. And uh, if someone does something wrong to me, my first reaction is to fight her back. I freely admit it.
It's there, and only the grace of God can give us the positive ability to.
Overcome evil with good, and as it says here, to, uh, bless them, which Curtis is blessed and cursed not. And then not to avenge ourselves and so on, but rather to do the opposite, to turn around and do good to the enemy.
Because that way you're demonstrating, we're demonstrating.
The character and mind of Christ. I know we didn't uh, include the 10 first in the next chapter, but uh, we started with the 11Th, but it might be nice to look at the 10th 1St because it's tight and nicely with what we had at the end of the chapter, the chapter that we're in now, chapter 12.
Or uh yeah, Chapter 12.
It says a lot of work and no oil to its neighbors. One thing about showing love to her neighbor, we know that.
Umm, not much I can say if you show love to them and you're not going to be.
Bothering them too much if you if you be kind to them and show love.
So it's kind of good advice there for us to what we can do for our neighbors. I remember years ago, uh Ervin Clawson was on our house and he was talking about this 20th verse in chapter 12. And I don't know if I can explain it exactly the way he did, but he says, what does it mean when it says heat, colds of fire on his head?
00:45:25
And he used the illustration of the blacksmith. And the blacksmith, of course, when he's working with a piece of iron, he puts the iron in the fire and, uh, the fire heats up the bottom of the, uh, of the iron, but the top remains cold. And so in order to make it bendable, uh, you have to take hot coals and put them on top of the iron so that the whole thing's become flexible and then it bends easily. And so he says when.
If you're as it says here, if thine enemy hunger, feed him well if you don't.
Feed them and you refuse nothing to do with them. He becomes hardened, but by he can pull the firearm with your your showing your love towards him and it becomes bendable. You know, if I'm making it as plain as I should, but he was illustrating it in connection with the blacksmith. That's good.
To bless.
I guess the bottom line means to be made happy or to be happy. So when we are called to bless someone.
We have to make them happy. And it was mentioned the first thing we should do, of course, spray the wisdom and discernment as to what would make that person particularly happy. And then the second part is Bill put out probably the more difficult how to do it and to to work on it and to actually make that person happy. Because sometimes it might cause us to sacrifice a bit or put us in a dangerous position for ourselves or something we might feel uncomfortable with. But that's what the Lord would have us to do is to bless, not to curse.
But to make that other for what it takes to make that person happy. And the one thing I could think the only scripture version I can think of that kind of relates to that parking lot is the book of, uh, Ephesians where it talks about how the Lord gave himself for the church and husbands that do that for their wives. You know, there are times when we have to give up things and, and it's not much of A sacrifice, but in the sense it, it, it sometimes might make sense, comfortable and whatever. But that's what we have to do in order to maintain the peace sometimes is to, to give a little on our part, but it takes wisdom and discernment from the Lord in order to do that. We can't just haphazardly.
Say, all right, I know what Bill wants, so I'll do this because sometimes I, an older brother used to tell me kindness unwanted is unkindness.
And I always used to think about that. In the end, it's, it was a wide saying. When you think about kindness, unwanted is unkindness because many times we have the idea of what that person wants. And sometimes it may not be that at all. And because of that, it sort of backfires on totally need that discernment first from the Lord, But then we have to act upon what he tells us in order to properly molest someone. You may have somebody that that he just can't, you just can't deal with like, uh, David.
When he was cursed.
Going up.
Yeah, there's one who was going to go over and take care of it. And David said no, we've got the four Lords. He left it with the Lord. And sometimes there are people that are just so obstinate and difficult to get along with, there's nothing much you can do.
In that case, there we just have to commit it, uh.
They're just looking at Timothy might be Second Timothy 4 and, uh, verse 14.
It says Umm Alexander the copper Smith. It'd be much evil.
The Lord's reward him according to his works.
Well, there was a man that the Apostle Paul had a lot of difficulty with.
But he didn't, Uh.
Supposed to say here that he he took a strip out of them and where he called them names or anything, but he got nothing with the Lord, said the Lord, Deal with it. Hmm. And that sometimes that's all we can do.
I was just thinking of, uh, the Apostle Paul and uh.
When you said the I am less than the least of all the Saints, well, umm.
He couldn't have accomplished, uh, what he accomplished unless he took that position And, umm, he really felt it in the soul. It wasn't pain or it wasn't the, it wasn't pained. It was true, uh, feeling of, uh, of loneliness on his behalf. And of course, that's the way the Lord was, uh, lowly in mind and, uh, very humbling, but, umm.
00:50:02
One thing, umm, that's very helpful. Umm, you know, we realize that we have the old mates in ourselves and umm, but we have to realize too that our fellow believer, they also have the old nature on them and umm, it's a great help and I might relate it kind of a funny story.
Uh, but it puts it in perspective, uh, Don Bilasoli, I still miss him when I think of him is uh, his last for especially he is such a lovely way of laughing.
And uh, he told me a story one time of chapter Brown, other brothers around and umm.
Chapter Brown's umm, maybe you heard, many have heard the story, I don't know. But uh, his grandson come up running up to him and he had a little teddy bear and the button for the eye and uh, he said, uh, grampy, grampy.
Teddy lost his eye, what happened And the chapter brown just.
Uh, bent down and umm. He pointed to the place where the eye was missing and he said.
You see this?
Heavy uh lost his eye in a brothers meeting.
And it was really It brought it into context.
You know, it brought it into, uh, brought, brought to light. A very important lesson is that we all have the old nature. We recognize it in ourselves. We know, we know, we know. We know how bad we are, but we have to realize that, umm.
Our brother and our brothers and sisters and the Lord, they have a new nature that cannot sin the same as ourselves. And so it really helps, you know.
We're all failures.
Quality versus speak of our response to someone persecuting us directly. What if we see a brother or a sister being persecuted? What is our responsibility? Our response?
Probably the first thing it looks at the end of verse 12.
Right for me.
I believe we should stand with them in that sense. Uh, Matt, uh, uh, scripture says remember them that are in bonds as bound with them.
And so obviously, uh, that would be those who perhaps are what we would call at arm's length and a distance from us. And they are, sad to say, many dear believers in bonds in the world today.
And I trust we do in that sense remember them. And because we're members of the body of Christ, we.
Say we remember them as being bound with them, but uh, you're talking about a, an opper, an opportunity when we were right there, Matt, is that what you mean?
And and someone being persecuted by the world, I believe we it would be good if we could identify ourselves with them. Most of us in North America here don't have that opportunity very often.
But uh, if it would arise.
Uh, uh, I know, uh, uh, sometimes in years gone by, we used to have more what we called open air meetings than we have today. And once in a while some, what you might call hecklers would come along. And it was always nice if someone came and stood alongside of you and, uh, at least was with you to identify with you.
And I believe that's a wonderful thing for believers to do. I don't believe it's right for us openly to interfere in that because.
The Lord has told us in the Word, ye shall have tribulation, and I don't believe we have any pattern in Scripture for believers getting involved physically and taking up arms. That's happened all too often in the church's history and it's never gotten anywhere. The Lord Jesus said to Peter all day to take the sword shall perish with the sword.
00:55:00
And in principle, I believe that applies to that situation. But it's a wonderful thing to identify with those who are going through trouble and difficulty if the opportunity presents itself.
A lot of teacher after class who doesn't believe in evolution.
And one girl put her hand up. Pretty soon another one put her hand up too good.
I think we have an example of what you're talking about, maybe not be a little further over normally.
Just after 16.
There's three months. We'll mention this number of times.
To sell an equivalent.
Umm. It says here that, uh.
I'll read from verse one commend not to use Phoebe or sister which was a servant of the church, which is actually a Yuri Saber and the Lord is becoming Saints and that you assist her whatsoever visits she has need of you for she has been a help to of many. Now myself also reach for Priscilla and Aquila of my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have for my life laid down their own necks on to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches against ours.
And so they were willing to risk their own necks in the work for the for the, for their brother.
I think one of the things, uh, umm, you know, the Lord Lord says, uh, the world is going to hate you, so we're going to receive persecution from the world and, umm.
Another story I read about a story I read, but I'm not sure it was John White put up with one of those older, umm, ones way, way back in the 1600s or whatever. But umm, he was down there and he was praying and he said, uh oh, Lord, I'm not receiving any persecution.
And I deal with something wrong and he, uh, he didn't feel right about it. He said he felt he was getting away from the Lord because he wasn't getting any persecution. And as soon as he said the prayer of the Lord, a rock come flying through his window.
And then he said, oh, there it is. And and made him happy again, you know, so it should should make him happy.
That's the effect it should have on our souls.
Yes, it should. Uh, if you be reproached for the name of Christ, Peter reminds us. Happy, are ye?
Uh, I believe there are two sides to it if you turn back to the book of the Acts.
If I can put my finger on it here.
Uh.
Yes, Acts Chapter 9.
And verse 31.
Up until this point.
Saul of Tarsus, later the apostle Paul.
Had been causing all kinds of havoc and persecution among the believers.
But now he gets saved. What happens in verse 31 of Acts 9?
Then have the churches wrapped throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria.
And we're edified.
And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.
Were multiplied. So the Lord allows periods of persecution and he allows periods of relative rest and peace. That's the history of the world and it's the history of the Christian testimony. And so I appreciate the brother, whoever he was during the Reformation who got concerned because he wasn't feeling any persecution and the Lord had to reassure him by.
Having a rock come through his window.
But I suggest that we shouldn't go looking for persecution. The Lord says it'll come depend upon it. We shouldn't go looking for it because if we do, then the moment the Lord gives us a chance for rest and peace and up building, we're going to be thinking, well as this year man thought, well I must be out of the path of the Lord's will and somehow not walking with him, otherwise life would be rougher. Not necessarily.
There are periods of rest and, uh, a chance to be edified. And if I might mention.
01:00:02
The century from, uh, the time of the Battle of Waterloo until the outbreak of the First World War.
Was generally a century of peace and the Lord used it to raise up men who brought back to us the truth of the church. He used as a used it as a time of almost unprecedented gospel activity and spread of the truth truth in this world and generally speaking, believers were thankful for the peace that God gave.
So if persecution comes, we're told how to react to it. If God allows peace and rest, we can be thankful for it. Uh, first Peter 2, let's just say first Timothy chapter two, we find that, uh, we're exhorted to, uh.
Supplications, Prayers, Intersections.
Giving a thanks to me for all men, for thanks, for all that are an authority.
What for? They buy Prosper in their range.
Well, it says here that we may need a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honor.
The one that's praying is the one that's looking for the benefits, you know? Yeah. Of a piece that finds a piece of her life.
And that's I think too, Wally, you know, umm, they both go together, you know.
Wherever there's positive, there's negative and so forth and so on. But I was thinking I'll just read it quickly. Uh, exit chapter one verse 12. But the more they have flip book at them.
I'm just chilling with Israel. The more they multiplied and grew and they and they were grieved because of the children of Israel. So when we received persecution, it seems.
Uh, we broke.
Well, we just might comment, if we may, for a minute or two before the meeting comes to an end on the last few verses of the 13th chapter. I think they're a very good, shall we say, fitting ending to what we said before us because they bring before us, even though at this point in time things were going on relatively well in the church, but.
That all reminds us here.
In verse 11.
Knowing the time that it is high time to awake out of sleep, and then he says the night is far spent, the day is at hand.
If that were true way back when Paul penned the words that we have here, how much more it is true today?
Now of course, in one sense Paul could write that because as far as the world was concerned.
Its judgment had been pronounced at the cross, Man's trial was over, and it was only a matter of.
The day of grace, however long it might be until that judgment was carried out. But how much more? It's important for you and me today to be alive and awake to the days in which we're living, not to be sliding through it asleep. And Paul reminds us of that in a number of places. He reminds us in Thessalonians, they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that are drunk and drunken in the night and so on.
But we that are of the day and so on.
There are exhortations that would give us what is conventionally called today, a wake up call.
And sometimes we need that, don't we? We can slide along very easily, especially in these favored lands where, generally speaking, we don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from and whether we'll have a roof over our heads and one thing or another. But we need to have these.
Exhortations.
To walk in a way that is in keeping with the times in which we live.
Our salvation being nearer than when we believe, Well, I believe our salvation will be complete when our bodies have changed, and that'll take place at the Rapture.
As far as the salvation of our souls, we know that that has been accomplished through the finished work of Christ with the cross itself. It also tells us that we're being saved by his life, and that's a wonderful plot of what Jesus at the present time lives.
01:05:00
To make the intercession for you and.
And, uh, you know, the Hinrich could put it, uh, through manifold temptation or trial.
My soul falls on its course. Christ mighty intercession alone is her resource. So the Lord Jesus said desire upon us 24/7 and uh, I believe we're being saved from.
Many, uh, pitbulls. Difficult times if I did as he does.
There is some it's our great husband. The salvation I think we've spoken of is will take place at the Rapture, which is nearer than when we believe.
Well, that could be overcome by the angle in the world. Are you saying Roman curse?
It's just a an avalanche view. It seems it's taking place.
Abdominal effect, you know, going on, but uh, as it tells you here, lettuce, yeah, software let us put on diameter blood.
Despite the condition of the oldest movie.
I will handle.
Burning surprising in the night.
You have no small phone or not either mine.
This would have been particularly apropos in an epistle to believers in Rome because at this time the Roman Empire was at its height and they really lived it up in Rome, as anyone that knows history would affirm to us and.
Uh, those that were connected with, with Rome could see the affluence and everything that flowed into it.
And if you wanted to get take part in that, you could. And unfortunately it did have an effect on some people. And Paul has to write later on in Second Timothy, he has to say dimeth have have forsaken me having love, not this present evil world, but just this present world. Somehow the tug of everything that was there in the world.
Uh, made him not want to be connected with a man who followed A rejected Christ and who landed in prison as a result.
But you and I are to look beyond all that. Yes, we can thank God for what we have in these favored lands. And if I may speak for myself, when someone says in a foreign country where they don't have as much where you've got a lot in America or in Canada. I don't usually apologize for it or become defensive about it. I say yes, we are very thankful for what the Lord has given us. But on the other hand, as we get and I think it's.
The 12Th of loop we're reminded that to whom those is given much of the same shall much be required.
And so we're more responsible, aren't we? And, uh, there's a danger, on the one hand, of falling into the evil of the world. There's a danger, on the other hand, of falling into the ease of the world and just enjoying it all rather than being alive to the seriousness of the day in which we live.
168.
Oh no, it is.
For farewell.
My day is right.
But staying good run around, you hear me?
I'm well done.
I'm crowding Corrine of the world and you will be very good.
01:10:11
Gentlemen, or stop breaking behind.
Lord of your Gods and then compared.
To the last day of education, to physical authority that.
Dangerous.
God.
'S day. All right, everything.
All over the way.
I'll respond and our behavioral.
It is OK, great, so.
The.
Break it back.
For my children.
Along with the La La La La.
Oh please be strong.
Like that which is the other problem.
Because it's wherever I'll buy them.
What if we can't?
Do goodbye, they should be home.
Leaders and Followers
The Christian Home
The Just Shall Live By Faith
Gospel—Matt Roach
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One to the Gospel meeting this evening. The gospel is the good news that God loved us so much that he sent his Son down to this earth to walk as a man so he could die to pay the penalty for our sins.
And even though it's too profound maybe for our minds to grasp the depth of his love and his mercy and his grace, the gospel message itself is very, very simple to understand. God has announced us to do a lot. He's done it all for us. Before we sing our first Him, I wanna be sure that I put forth the gospel message, message and all its simplicity. So does anyone is here tonight in their sins. They can make the choice for Christ while you sit in your seat. So we can turn to Romans chapter 3.
And verse 23.
We read for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Man has a problem and it spins.
We've fallen short of God's standards.
We turn it over to Roman 623.
It says for the wages of sin is death.
So man's problem of sin has earned him death. But the verse goes on. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We don't need to turn to it. We probably all know it. John 316 tells us more about that gift. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever leaveth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
And then Romans 10/9 tells us how we can avail ourselves of that free gift. Romans 10/9 says, If that if thou shall confess, and thine mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
The gospel message is that man is a Sinner, but God loved him so much that he sent a gift, the gift of his Son, perfectly sinless, to die on that cruel Roman cross, to pay our penalty of sin so that we can stand before him someday clean.
And have eternal life. It's that simple. So tonight you're hearing your sins. Just need to reach out in faith and take a hold of that free gift. Can we send hymn #4 so we can start that for us. Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me. Long I was chained Into Darkness. Now by his grace I am free #4.
Prices as they got around 7 rockets let's say. Therefore anymore I want to train them since I'm darkness now why is the grace I am praying?
Slave the Roger.
'S like me.
So everything's fine, I can go after 7, three come around.
Stay in there for me.
Today you're all sharing my opinion.
Shall fingers walk born by ground?
Some lives in the state here for me.
Umm, let's say some of the three anniversary. I don't know how much I like how much.
And since I'm saying.
Stay away.
From your children say later on standards by community.
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Sharing is one for my friend. So long this turns out staying again before the evening.
Let's ask for God's help and word of prayer.
So, Tony, I'd like to turn to a passage in the Old Testament. I recently spoke on this in Morinville at our home assembly. So if I tread over some, uh, similar ground as before, I trust the board will give you.
A a message that's new and fresh. The book I want to turn to is the book of Habakkuk and it's in the minor profits. Start with Jonah, Mike, Obadiah.
Nam havaka.
Sometimes it's tough to pick up and read a minor profit and understand what he's saying. So I think it's important to understand the context of when this is written. So I'll give you a a brief history lesson to understand why this is written and when it was written. To go back about 3000 years, about 930 BC, the Kingdom of Israel following King Solomon's reign, divided into two parts, the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah.
They had fallen into deep wickedness, and about 720 DC the Assyrians came in and wiped out the northern Kingdom as judgment, and that was prophesied in the book of Amos.
And then Habakkuk, who lived somewhere around 610 BC.
Wrote this prophecy of judgment coming against the southern Kingdom of Judah.
And that was fulfilled in 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar was armies from Babylon. Chaldeans came in and took many captives and killed many others. So this is the prophecy of Habakkuk of judgment coming against the southern Kingdom of Israel. And although it's a book that was written for a specific time and place point in history.
It speaks to the need of jud, uh, judgment.
Sin has to be punished, but it also brings forth the gospel to us. And we'll read read that in a moment in chapter 2 where it says the just shall live by his faith.
So I'd like to use this tonight as a warning of judgment that will come upon this world someday because of the wickedness that we see. And each man will have a debt to pay, but there's hope through the Lord Jesus. So let's start reading in chapter one and verse one.
The burden which Habakkuk to profit did see. Oh Lord, how long shall I cry? And I will not hear even cry out onto the violence, and that will not save. Why don't so show me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance, for spoiling and violence are before me. And there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slack, and judgment does never go forth, for the wicked does compass about the righteous. Therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. So Ivaki is looking out on that southern Kingdom of Israel.
King of Judah, and he's crying out to the Lord. How much longer?
Will this end, this violence, this strife and contention? Go on.
He realized that God is a holy God and that this sin could not continue forever.
You read in verse four that the law was slacked in judgment that never go forth. The very institutions that were meant to uphold law and justice have become corrupt. You know, people look at this world today. It's really no different.
We see the some of the worst crimes. Punishment does not seem to fit.
Hit the crime, then go unpunished. The world is becoming callous to the violence that they see. We probably can all think of examples of this. Remember a news article from 2008 about a man named Tim McLean who is riding on a bus from Edmonton, AB to his hometown of Winnipeg? Aman sat beside my perfect stranger. His name was, uh, Vince Lee. He had never spoke on that trip. Tim McLean fell asleep leaning against the window with earphones on.
Without warning, Vince Lee pulled out a knife and severed off the man's head. A brutal act. It was broadcast around the world. Feel that today, Vince Lee walks free.
Where is the punishment for sin? He's given unsupervised day passes to visit the city of Winnipeg. Seven years ago, he killed a man in a most brutal fashion, yet it goes unpunished.
The world we live in is not unlike what Habakkuk is talking about here. The law is flat judgments that never go forth, and when it does go forth, it says that wrong judgment proceeded. The wicked surround the righteous and we see today not only is the loss locked, but the law is now protecting some of those evils that 20 years ago we would cringe at. The law protects the women's right to kill an onborn child.
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The law is increasingly protecting those that engage in homosexuality.
Doctor assisted suicide, It's a culture of death.
Wrong judgment proceeded.
Isaiah does provide us a warning in chapter 5 about this type of society. Isaiah 5 and verse 20.
Says, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. What went to them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sights, own sight? What went to them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink, which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him?
Our world today.
Rewards the wicked at the expense of the righteous.
In January of 2013, there was a couple in Portland, OR who owned a bakery. They owned a bakery. It was called Sweet Cakes by Melissa.
Two women went into that shop in 2013 and wanted a cake made for their wedding.
The couple that owned the bakery were Christians for these two women that wanted to marry each other while the owners of that bakery were sued for discrimination and they lost that case. They had to close their bakery and pay penalty to this couple. Woe unto that nation that calls good evil and evil good.
You know, we could look at that and many of us in this room are are saved. We've accepted Christ as our Savior and we look out at this world and its its wickedness and its vileness and we see in it the coming of Christ. It has to happen soon provides a sign of the end times.
And maybe someone in this room who's on save is looking out at that world as well.
And maybe they're finding solace in the fact that the world is so evil and so corrupt. Maybe you feel that you're better than folks out there. You see that even listen, you recognize it. And you think I'm a pretty good person. Sure, God will forgive me.
But the standard against which you'll be judged is not other men. You may be more good than 90% of the population, but the standard against which you will be judged is God. You read earlier in Romans 323 that all has sinned to come short of the glory of God. It's not all have sinned, and some are better than others. No, it's against God's holy standard. Man has to be punished and man will be compared to God and not to other men. So Habakkuk is crying out about the violence in in, uh, southern Kingdom.
Of Judah, and in verse five the Lord answers him.
And he says, Behold he among the heath, and in regard and marble wondrously.
For I will work a work in your days which you will not believe, though be told you. For lo, I raise up to Chaldeans that bitter and hasty nation which shall March through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful. Their judgment and their dignity shall proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and more fierce than the evening wolves. And their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from afar, and they shall fly the eagle that hasteth to eat. They shall come all for violence.
And their faces shall step up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity of the sand.
They shall scoff at the kings, and the Princess shall be a scorn onto them, and they shall deride every stronghold. They shall heap dust and take it. Then shall his mind change. He shall Passover and offend, imputing this his power onto his grave.
We see a vivid picture here of judgment.
The Chaldeans, the Babylonians that are Nebuchadnezzar, probably had the one of the strongest militaries the world has seen to that point, and here they were coming in judgment against the southern Kingdom. 7 verse five. They shall March the breadth of the land. Picture that horizon to horizon, an army thundering towards this Kingdom.
They're terrible and dreadful. They're horses, swifter than leopards, more fierce in the evening wolves. It's not a pleasant picture, I know. I live close to a train set of train tracks and when the train goes by I can feel the ground rumbling.
I can imagine with a huge cowardly charging towards this city would have been a terrifying, terrifying warning for those people, knowing that judgment was coming and knowing that they really had no way of escape. It says that these child needs are coming all for violence. They're very purposeless violence.
Coming to punish those people for their sin in a temporal way. Anyway, on this earth, you know that the final judgment will come from God, that God is using these Chaldeans that punishes His children of Israel.
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Says they will gather the captivity as the sand, nothing left untouched, killing and carrying away captive many of those from the southern Kingdom. There's a lot of the kings and the Princess and they'll derive the strongholds. No walled city would hold them back. They'll knock it down and say they'll heat up and take the next one, swarming over the walls in judgment.
Seven verse 11 That this mighty power put away all thought of God, and look at his own strength as his power.
And you know.
That we have to face the judgment someday, it says in verse 12.
Are there not member lasting? Oh Lord my God, my holy one, we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment, and Almighty God, thou hast established them for correction. That mighty Babylonian army.
As powerful and unstoppable as they seemed.
We're in God's hand as a rod of correction for His people. That powerful army was, so to speak, in the hand of God.
As terrifying as that would have been for these people, consider how terrifying it will be to stand before that one that has the power to bring that judgment against this nation, that God that created every one of us, that God that can see right into your heart, you know, everything you've thought, everything you've done, everything you've said.
And none will escape it. It says in Psalms 14 the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They're all gone aside and all together become filthy. There is none to do with good. No, not once.
Says in Hebrews 413. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open in the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Someday, if you're unrepentant in your sin, you'll stand before that creator God you can see in your very heart. You will know whether or not you've accepted the way of salvation although everything that you've done.
Says in Hebrews 1031, it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God, and it truly is. And we can read about the judgment that will come upon man. He's on repentance in his sins. Turn the Revelation chapter 20 for a moment.
Revelation chapter 20 and verse 11.
This is the apostle John writing this saw a vision from the Lord and he wrote.
These words, chapter 20, verse 11 of Revelation. And I saw a great white throne in him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there's found no place in them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged that are those things that were written in these books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which are in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which are in them. And they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire. The judgment brought against the southern Kingdom of Judah with a temporal punishment.
Was delivered here on this earth for their sin. This is a final judgment, the judgment that will determine the judgment that will have the consequence of eternal damnation in the lake of fire.
We turn back to the book of Habakkuk. We read chapter 13.
This is why God cannot have sinned in his presence. This is why it must be judged verse 13 of our chapter that were to pure eyes and to behold evil and can't not look on iniquity.
God cannot have sin in his presence. He is too holy and pure, and he is just, and he must punish that sin.
In chapter 6 of Isaiah, the prophet, Isaiah writes in the vision that he had where he saw the Lord seated on his throne. And Isaiah was a prophet of God, probably a man that we could say is more righteous than anyone in this room, a man of God. He found himself in the presence of the Lord. He didn't think for a moment that he was worthy of being there. Isaiah said what was mean, Brian undone. Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of the people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts.
God's holiness cannot tolerate sin, and it must be brought under judgment.
And if we were to read through the remainder of chapter one, we see Habakkuk speaking to the Lord and saying, Lord, you brought in the Chaldeans and they're more wicked in the Southern Kingdom and the people who are in the Southern Kingdom, and you're not going to judge them as well. If you read through the rest of chapter 2, we'd see that the Lord assures a backup that all will be judged. The Chaldeans as well. They'll be judged for their idolatry, their sexual immorality, their drunkenness, their pride, and their greed. No one will escape judgment.
00:20:19
The Chaldeans are used at a point in time by God.
To judge his people.
And you know, it says, uh, in Act 1731.
He has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. There is a judgment coming and we need to prepare for it. We need to own our sin. If you read in chapter 2, verse one.
About IK speaking, I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he shall say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readathon.
For the vision as yet for an appointed time, but at the end she'll speak and not lie. Though with Terry. Wait for it, because it will surely come. It will not Terry.
Lord tells them to write it down. Give the people warning.
That he may run, that readeth it with a message of judgment, he says in verse three. Although it's not gonna happen right away, it's going to happen.
It will surely come. No escape.
And God has appointed that day in which He will judge this world as well. The day we believe is fast approaching.
But a warning has little use if there's no escape. So there is a warning given in verse two to write it down so people can see it. I'd like to, if you'll bear with me, I'd like to do a little survey by show of hands. Who is who hears from Saint John, Put your hands up. Saint John area, Ross, that counts groups, put your hands up. You can leave them out for me. How many have seen these signs along our highways?
How many keep your hands up? How many know what these mean?
OK, a few hands went down.
St. John's industrial city. It has an oil refinery. It has a liquefied natural gas terminal. It has some chemical plants, some things that could leave a crater. In the middle of Saint John, there was an explosion or uncontrolled fire. So the city of Saint John has put together an evacuation plan. If they throw in a warning, those living in the city are to follow these lines to safety. And yet how many people has put their hands down because they see them every day and they don't know what they mean? We could get a warning.
In the city of Saint John, and there's a way of escape that nobody knows it. I had to ask about 10 people to find out these fines. Man, it was bugging me so I looked it up. It's an emergency plan to exit the city. You live in my direction. You exit toward Fredericton. I'm sure there's a passage through Ross Day that directs you, umm, inland as well.
But if Saint John throws out a warning that something is going to happen in that city, how many citizens of that city know there's a way of escape? A warning has no benefit if there's no path to safety.
But it's provided to us in verse four of our chapter.
After saying the judgment is short and that it will come, it says, Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright within him. Let's the just shall live by his faith there is promise of life.
Life through faith.
But it says here that just shall live by faith.
Share some verses tonight that say that all have sinned. So who can be just?
Is that just to live by faith? You know God is holy and all men have sinned. How can we be considered just?
While the truth is not fully revealed in the Old Testament.
But it's fully revealed to us in this day of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ came down to the scene as a just, holy man.
You walk around this earth doing good, healing the sick, raising the dead, giving the blind sight, feeding the poor and hungry.
And he was rejected, that righteous just man, and he went willingly to that Roman cross so that his punishment for us can put us on that just foundation, that foundation that will allow our sins to be erased from God's memory. I heard an illustration of the Gospel this way. There was a sort of a justification through faith this way. There was a caravan, umm, back in, I don't know what the probably the early 1800s of, of pilgrims going out West.
Heading to Oregon on the Oregon Trail, and one day they saw in the distance a raging brush fire, grass fire coming towards them. They're in the middle of the Prairie. There's no place to go.
00:25:05
Strong winds are pushing this fire towards them.
So some quick thinking men in the group organized, uh, some controlled fires, and they burned a large swath of grass all around them.
Then they moved all of their belongings and all of the people onto this burnt grass, and the fire raged towards them. And as it was about to come to them, this little girl cried out in fear that we're going to die. But a man knelt down beside her and said no, he won't. The ground we're standing on has already been burnt.
That fire can't get us. We are standing on ground that has already been judged, and that's the way it is for us today. Our sins were laid on the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one who walked the scene as a man without sin and his punishment for our sins, that we can be declared righteous.
We can follow turning to Romans, we can read some more details of the gospel, the fulfillment through the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5.
Romans 5 and verse six it says, For when we are yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly, for scarcely for a righteous man, on one die, yet per adventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ didn't die for the righteous or the good. He died for sinners.
And it says in verse 9, much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. It's only on his basis, only on the blood that he shed on that cross. And we have that redemption, that justification that declares us, umm, sinless in God's sight. Verse 10 For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the depth of his Son, much more being reconciled we shall have, we shall be saved by his life.
Not only so, but we shall joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the Atonement.
Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men.
Or that all have sinned.
Now back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were deceived by that serpent and they took of that tree that they were told not to eat from.
Because of that one sin, the curse of sin has fallen on man. We have all sinned. And there are those that have trouble with that. They don't believe we're born in sins. You know, I have a three-year old and since he was a little baby, we've tried to teach him to be obedient, to come when he's called, to share, to not get angry at mommy and daddy, but he does. We didn't teach him that. We taught him the opposite. We taught him how to listen, how to behave.
And yet we see that simple nature come out. We could say he learned from his older brother.
But where does older brother learn it? It's in eight. It's within us. We're not centered because we sin. We're centered because we're born sinful and only that shed blood of Christ can save us.
The next few verses, 13 to 17, are a parentheses, so let's go to verse 18 to pick up the thought from verse 12.
And therefore, as by the offensive one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, Even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
One man brought sin into the world, and since then all men have sinned.
But the depth of one man brought a salvation.
Salvation that allow each one that reaches out in faith to be declared righteous in God's sight.
Be declared righteous and avoid the penalty of sin.
For his one by one man's disobedience many were made sinners. So by the obedience of one shall show many he made righteous. Moreover, the law entered, that the offense might abound. But we're sin abound to grace, and much more abound that as sin have reigned onto death, Even so might grace reign to righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
As I mentioned earlier, started the meeting. The message is simple.
It's profound in its depth. We can't fully grasp it as a human with our finite minds.
But the message is so simple. It's a reach of faith to that work that's been done for us.
And you know to tell this in Romans 1.
That God has given man no excuse.
All men are aware of their sinfulness. Let's turn to Romans. Actually, Romans one. We'll read that.
00:30:04
Start in verse 16.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the June 1St, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteous righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, Just shall live by faith. It's a quote from Habakkuk. The just shall live by faith. Apostle Paul quotes it three times in the New Testament. It's the very essence of the gospel. Life through faith justification based on that paid debt.
The justification that can be obtained by a look of faith on Christ says in verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness.
Because that it may be may because that which may be known of God is manifest onto them, for God has showed it onto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
God has given man the knowledge that he exists.
And the very creation of the world, the evidence is there. Man knows. And his unrighteousness, he tries to push that away. He tries to ignore the fact that deep in man's heart he knows that he is a Sinner and needs salvation. Pardon me for a personal story, but there's a man that lives across the street from me. His name is Mike. And us, those in the room to pray for Mike, I don't believe he's saved. He's a very friendly man, very talkative.
And quite often he'll come over into my yard and, uh, talk to me. And sometimes it's very hard to end the conversation with Mike. He's very chatty. The other day he came over and we started talking and he was his usual happy, chatty self. I noticed that he took a glance at the ground and from that point on, Mike tried to end the conversation, got awkward and he walked away. And I stood there and think, that's odd. He was chatty. And suddenly, suddenly he became kind of self-conscious and walked away.
I happen to look down and on my driveway with sidewalk chalk with a large crosstrawn. My daughter is out there playing and around that cross are the words Jesus died for sinners. I looked around my driveway. It was written in 10 different places.
Jesus died for sinners, and I believe Mike looked down.
And those simple words on the pavement pricked his conscience and he looked to end the conversation. I trust that those words will stay with Mike and that he'll come to a full realization that he is a savior. But it was just simple words on pavement prick his conscience. That's the power.
Of this book, God has imprinted that knowledge of man's heart. There's no excuse. You see the evil around us.
You know, I heard someone mentioned the other day, I think it was here at the conference, maybe in one of the meetings actually, where when you look at the news, all you see in the headlines is the evil of man, Immorality, greed, lust. Is that all that happens in the world? Not really. There are some good things that happen, but there's a thing within us that wants to see that. They know that sells. Man loves his wickedness.
Yet God has imprinted that on His heart so that He is without excuse.
If you read on in this passage of Romans.
Uh, Red du verse 20, verse 21 because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
The verse in this song, the pass, the reference escapes me, but it says the fool is set in his heart. There is no God.
There's an innate knowledge within us and to deny it man has become a fool. We see that today in the world.
Man has latched on to that theory of evolution. We want to deny that there was a creator.
So they latch on to that theory of evolution, a theory that has no foundation, theory that has many holes in it takes more faith to believe that than that there's a creator.
Yet man has professed themselves to be wise, and they have become fools.
And change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, to the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the Creator, the creature more than the Creator, who was blessed forever on them. I don't know if the the thought in verse 25 has to do with environmentalism or not.
But it says that they worship the creature more than the creator.
00:35:03
How many people do you see in this world today who deny God? They put all their effort into saving the earth. Man needs a 'cause he knows there's something missing, so he fills it with vain attempts to try to improve life.
And yet.
At the base of it all, man has that realization that they need a savior.
And we don't know when that day of judgment will come. We don't know if you'll have the advantage of a deathbed where you can consider your life and make a last minute or make a decision for Christ in a comfortable time period. This meeting could be over and price could come.
Some of you may have read the news 2 weeks ago, a man named David Goldberg. David Goldberg was the founder and CEO of a Silicon Valley IT company, a multi billion dollar company. His wife is the Chief Operating officer of Facebook. He was 47 and they have two young children.
He was probably a man that many looked up to could afford the best pleasures in life.
You can afford the best medicine if he or his children got sick, can afford afford the best playthings, yachts, fancy houses, probably have security guards. Well, David Goldberg was vacationing in Mexico.
47 Who is running on a treadmill?
He fell, hit his head in eternity.
I'm sure the last thing in David Goldberg's mind was the question of life or death while he was running on that treadmill. He's probably thinking that he's improving his life through fitness.
Drop dead in eternity. I don't know the state of David Goldberg's soul.
I trust and hope that he had made a decision for Christ, but there's no warning. Sorry. There is a warning, but there's no timing. The time is now.
God has quoted that first, earlier, and Romans 17.
Roman 17 and verse 31.
So I got that reference wrong of Acts very Acts 301731, Acts 1731.
Act 17, verse 31.
Let's go back in verse 30 I said that's the time that this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he had the point of the day in the which you will judge the world in righteousness by that man we have to ordained.
Whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. That's the Lord Jesus Christ, the day appointed. We don't know when it is. Again, as we look into this world, we can sense the end is near. This world is ripening for judgment.
Just like that southern Kingdom of Judah had ripened her judgment and God sent in those those Chaldeans as punishment. God has established today when He will judge everyone who is still in their sins. No escape, no excuse, the judgment will come.
And you know, when we accept Christ as our Savior, God promises that it will remember our sins no more forgotten. We turn to Hebrews chapter 8.
Hebrew chapter 8 and verse 12.
Says for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities. Will I remember no more, not just forgiven, allotted out no record. It says in Psalm 103 as far as the east is from the West. So far have to remove our transgressions.
He's a faithful and holy God. His promise is that you reach out in faith and accept the sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ made on that cross to pay for your sins. That Christ's righteousness will be your own as you can stand before him someday, free from sin. No stain of corruption doesn't mean that we don't sin after we're saved. But the power of that blood has forgiven us, cleansed us from all unrighteousness.
And you know, tonight I focus a lot.
On the warning aspect of the Gospel, and it is a warning.
The Lord Jesus, I think, think more than anyone spoke of hell. He wanted people to know that there's a consequence for their action.
The gospel is a warning, but it's so much more.
We didn't deserve to be forgiven, but God and His love and His grace forgave us and that could be it. We could be forgiven and not subject to an eternity of punishment. But God went further. He provided us and offers us eternal life.
00:40:07
An eternal life with Him and glory. It's not only should you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior to be forgiven, but it gives you access to eternity of joy. We turn to Revelation 21. We can read about this joy.
Revelation 21, and we'll start at first one.
And I saw new heaven and a new earth for the first earth. So sorry, for the 1St heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things, or passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Right, for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end I will give on to him. That is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Not only forgiveness, but life.
That one, He was faithful and true, that His words are faithful and true. It's a promise to you tonight that by reaching out in faith, you'll be forgiven. You'll be given access to untold blessing and the glory with Him. There are many in this room.
We will be sharing eternity with because of God's grace. If anyone in this room has not accepted God's gift, please do so.
Don't wait. There's no promise of tomorrow.
Except that gift of salvation so that you can be forgiven and spend eternity in heaven with the Lord. Get your name written down on that book of life.
You know, there's nothing that we do on our own that gets us salvation. It's not works based knowing that.
And the religion of Islam, the false religion, they just have to say a phrase called the shahada and they become a Muslim. But even within their own faith, their own belief, becoming a Muslim doesn't save them. They're still an unknown. It's a balance of good works against evil works. And even then, their God, Allah.
Could be arbitrary in his judgment. No hope.
But the truth of God's Word is that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. There's no question. When you accept the gift of salvation, it is done. It is a finished work. When you accept them into your heart, there's no potential for being lost. It's not in your hands. God made the sacrifice. He completed the work on the cross, and all we have to do is reach out and accept that, and we're in God's hands, save for eternity, taken out of the scene of sorrow.
It was seen when there's no more tiers, no more death, no sorrow, no crying, neither shall there be any more pain.
I will give on to him as the thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. It's a free gift. It's a gift of life. Life through faith in God and the finished work of Christ in that cross.
I'd like to finish the meeting tonight by singing hymn #10.
There is a Savior on high in the glory, a Savior who suffered in Calvary's tree. A Savior is willing to save. Now as ever. His arm is almighty, His love great and free. Perhaps we can stand.
00:45:42
So, umm.
Give me some further grounds together.
Like me.
And reserves.
One day.
I don't know. I believe that God's strength of our land and now it is all the time. I can't run on the moon.
And the library today in the heart of God.
Thou may be gentlemen out of my heart and the gentleman's heart. Don't think it's all the brilliant little.
Call personal operating standing. Is is is making a problem on your credit card? Is there anything there are?
How to kill results that you're on. Please speak to me and then there's no man as I am living in shall be in love.
We'll come now to Jesus, that dear loving Savior, see you in this moment, and peace shall be bind.
Instantaneous piece. There's no waiting period. Simply accept it by faith. You'll be forgetting of your sins and saved from that horrible judgment that will come and prepare for an eternity. With Him is bow our heads and commend the meeting into His hands.
Our God and Father.
Open Mtg. 7
Open—E. McCavour, S. Allan
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27 Six 276.
Mm-hmm.
You need me to come back on the 1St.
Grade each other's day and your birth so we can give you anything. I'm gonna say anything to you by the time I've been in the end of the year in life. I need to do to deliver the Lord in the end of the day in life.
Uh.
Crowd here in the end.
All day, many times.
Uh-huh. I've given you Singapore and come forward and give it to our daily power.
OK.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters.
Heavily hired a little bit to talk today about.
Leaders and followers.
The structure we have.
Prominent leaders mentioned, one I believe was Moses in the Old Testament with the Lord's people under Egypt.
One I was thinking about speaking on today was is Peter.
Peter was a leader.
We know that naturally speaking, people will say, well, the leaders are.
They're uh.
They're bored, not made well. God raises up over the children. Man knows that he would put in governments and places to leave, but also in the church. He has given uh, leaders in the form of shepherds, elders that care for the flock, look after the flock. And Peter and Dave was a, a leader. He, he wanted to shepherd his, the other disciples.
00:05:22
He uh.
Even sought to shepherd the Lord a few times and uh, he, uh, cared very much for, uh, the Lord's people.
And, uh, oftentimes he got himself into a little bit of trouble when he spoke, but he still had a shepherd's heart and the Lord knew it. The Lord was nurturing Peter along. He had things, the people that we have to learn some lessons.
Lord would teach us certain things. Perhaps we can we can look at a few things with much time in Peter's life that would help us.
First one I'd like to look at is, uh, Matthew 14 and 29.
And he said he'd come, and when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked in the water to go to Jesus.
And when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and began to sanctify, saying, Lord, save me. Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, said on to him, Old Thou a little face faith, wherefore it felt doubt.
Here we have, uh, you might say, uh, dependence.
On the Lord, in spite of our present circumstances that we are in.
Here the Lord had was walking on the water. If we could picture ourselves in position that the cycles we're in stormy night, say in the Bay of Hyundai or any water.
And.
Fearing they were trembling, they thought earlier on. They thought maybe it was a spirit. They thought something coming on the water, They were afraid.
And uh.
Peter being the shepherd that he is.
He uh.
In the 26 versus the Disciples Song walking on the sea, they were troubled saying it as a spirit, they cried out for fear.
But straightway, uh, Jesus, take on to them, saying, Be a good cheer to die, be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me to come unto me onto thee on the water.
Peter wants to prove who it was. He wasn't about to have anyone come aboard that ship.
That might harm them. He was protecting them.
And, uh, when the Lord said that Peter come walk in the water, Peter put his foot down and he started. But you know, when he saw that the waves were rough.
And uh, condition of things is safe waiver that he started to think.
You know, that's like us. Sometimes we, we go through a trial and, uh.
We should remember here that the Lord never leaves us or forsakes us, and He has His eye on us all the time. He's watching us. He's watching Peter and his disciples in that ship. No harm was going to come to them. No harm is going to come to Peter because the Lord has His eye on Peter. But Peter took his eye off the Lord, and sometimes we do that.
And sometimes the circumstances that we are in, you might say, reverently speaking, we get that sinking feeling. It's like Peter, they start to think, what are they going to do? It's too much for me.
We all have circumstances where we feel like this. If you're a child and you're in school, perhaps you're faced with a common thing today is what they call bullying, where another boy or girl may may pick on a person, call names.
00:10:07
That, but if you just look to the Lord.
Look to the Lord that He sees there. He will pick you up from that circumstance. He'll give you the strength to go through it and.
Could be another somebody else that's worried about a job and they're going through school, they're graduating, they don't know what they're gonna be working at or if they can find work. And that's a trying circumstance for a young person. Or maybe it's a partner you're trying to pick out a partner for yourself that you're gonna spend the rest of your life living with. That can be a a trying circumstance, but you know.
The Lord is sufficient for every circumstance that we find ourselves in, even one like this. Where it seemed impossible for Peter, the Lord reached out to grab Peter. Peter wasn't going to sink as long as the Lord was there. Neither were you and I. But sometimes we've got to recognize that we need the Lord's help. We can't do it on our own. We don't have the strength.
In our own selves.
To rise above circumstances when they come along could be a marriage problem with some that's common today. There's all sorts of things, could be health, could be old age, have to leave your home, going into a care home or something. So people of every age, they have a circumstance that can trouble them and just don't know what to do about it.
Well, the Lord is sufficient. This was a.
Lesson, I believe that Peter learned if we, if we turn to, uh, Peter.
First, Peter.
First Peter, chapter 5.
And verse seven Peter could say.
Here I believe he learned this from his walk with the Lord and in the pathway, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you.
When the Lord reached out and grabbed Peters.
Arm Feeder saw that the Lord cared for him.
And he knew that he could cast whatever care it might be upon the Lord, and the Lord would take care of it. And so Peter has passed that good news to us along.
Cast all your care upon him, for he cares for you. So we are able to do that. We have.
We have it written here where the Lord took care of Peter and He's able to take care of us whatever circumstance may come along in our pathway.
The other thing I would like to look at is uh.
Watching. We have that in Mark's Gospel.
Mark's Gospel, chapter 14.
And verse, uh, started, uh, verse 33.
These three that mentioned here, the Lord took them aside a lot when it is.
Pathway we were all three were leaders, but Peter seemed to be the one that was took the lead among them all. There's always Peter that would sneak out first and uh, verse 33 is that he taketh with him Peter, James and John and begin to be sore amazed and to be very heavy and set on to them. My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death. Hear ye hear and watch. We'll wait forward little.
Fell on the ground and pray that we're possible.
The hour might pass from him. And he said, I have a father. All things are possible unto thee. Take away this cup from me. Nevertheless. Not what I will, but thou will be done. Cometh, findeth some sleeping, and saith on to Peter. Simon sleepless S put us now not I'll watch one hour. Watch ye and pray. Let ye enter into temptation. The Spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away and prayed.
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Make the same words we returned. He found him asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
Neither let's say what to answer him becoming the third time says onto them sleep on now take your rest is enough. The hours come the oldest son of management trade in the hands of sinners.
This little portion here, I enjoyed a thought in it.
My subscriptly true or not, but I enjoyed the thought when the Lord came on that first watch and he fell asleep and I I looked look at that asleep of complacency. You know, in the Lord Jesus appeared on the scene, the nation of Israel. They were asleep. They weren't looking or they weren't watching for the Messiah to come. They were.
Sleeping. They weren't looking and watching and waiting. There was a few preps that were, but the station itself, they weren't watching.
The second time the Lord Jesus came, He saw that they weren't watching. He told them to watch and pray.
So he told them you need prayer, not just naturally watching isn't enough. You need to be independence upon God. You need to ask God for grace to watch. We ask for the prayer. Well, you know.
When he came the second time, I believe it's a picture of the rapture.
Came three times, and when he came, when he comes in the rapture, we have the parable of the 10 virgins.
Five fiber wise and fiber foolish, five had oil in their lamps. They were real. The other, the other five were just profession only. But you know, it tells us that they all slumbered and slept all 10. And you know, if today we're living in a day where the church in general speaking is not dependent upon the Lord, you read Second Timothy, we find a condition of things today.
Is everything but dependent on the Lord. Mann is doing everything that he thinks is right in his own eyes. He's going on the way that the world in a lot of cases. And so when the Lord Jesus comes in the rapture, there will be a remnant that's going to be watching, but I believe not the whole church.
Going to be found asleep.
Because the third time.
I believe it's uh.
It's the rest of the nation he's talking about here. Sleep on and I'll take thy rest. He's already looking at the work of the cross being finished, and we know that Israel is going to enter into the rest because of that work.
And so the third time you could say.
At your rest.
But anyway, we should be found not only praying but also or not watching but also praying like a verse to look at connection with that first Peter again 4.
That's uh.
First Peter 4.
Uh, Peter Speaking of this, you know, he says here in verse 7.
But the end of all things is at hand.
He therefore sober and watched on the prayer.
And so perhaps.
Peter learned in that time there in the garden that prayer was needed. Wasn't just the watching, but the watch on the prayer. And so we need to be dependent upon the Lord as we journey through this sea. We're not going to be able to, uh, expect, uh, that we can be ready and watching using our own strength or the flesh. We need to be dependent upon the Lord. We have a nature that God has given to us as a dependent nature.
00:20:10
And, uh, wants to do things that's pleasing to the Lord.
Uh.
We got too much time. So I maybe, uh.
Yeah, helpful here and I think I'll, uh, perhaps go on to this one.
Mark 8 and 31.
Here is learning the lesson of of that the flesh in US has no profit or profit nothing that is in the pathway.
And so we have verse 31. He began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders. You know the chief priests describes and be killed and after three days rise again. We think that saying openly and Peter took him to get to rebuke him.
When he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Is he behind me Satan, for thou savers, not the things that be of God?
But the things that we have been.
And so here we have a account of Peter might say this speaking.
That, uh, he had a natural love for the Lord Peter. He, he didn't want to see any harm come through.
And uh, when uh, the Lord spoke about going to the cross suffering, uh naturally Cedars natural heart kicked in and he re really rebuked the Lord He didn't not so Lord, but our natural hearts can be the same. I've gone through attended funerals before where somebody that has passed on from the scene into eternity.
And somebody has spoken about the person that has gone.
And during their life, that person showed no evidence of ever being a Christian or having a desire and the Lord sings it all. But they would bring bring out some of the natural things that the person was noted for, perhaps some kind act that they did and because of certain amount of works, maybe that the person did that they thought were good works and they exalted them up into into heaven.
Well, that's the flesh speaking.
That's the flesh speaking. No one wants to see anybody leave the scene and go into a lost eternity.
But once a person dies, it's too late to speak to them about salvation.
I've seen that.
As a sad thing.
That a person.
Not only does it speak wrongly about the person that has died, but it gives the wrong word to everybody in that that's there for that funeral. It sends the wrong message that, well, perhaps if I do my best, I too can be accepted in heaven. There's no gospel message given. Well, that's, that's wrong. So here we have, uh.
Peter speaking naturally.
And uh.
Is the Lord rebuke not only Peter, but Satan too as well? He knew the root of it, where it was coming from.
And oftentimes when we.
Uh, Satan knows that our natural desires are, are put ahead of spiritual truth and gives an opening for the enemy to come in and use that to dishonor the Lord. And we might do that with the different things that could be, uh, uh, in a funeral like I mentioned.
It was dishonoring to the Lord. It could be somebody that's seeking to be restored or, or you want to restore someone and maybe the natural flesh in us maybe hinders that. I'm not saying that somebody that perhaps is put away from the Lord's table that we shouldn't show love. I'm not saying that we, I think we should. And perhaps, uh, something could be said.
00:25:08
To the person, uh, from the word of God, that would help restore the person's soul. But does this distinct, uh, from the flesh alone without any, uh, direction from the word of God would end up perhaps just like it did here? And, uh, and what he was trying to do really was prevent the Lord Jesus from carrying out.
The work that the father gave him to do, where would we be if that happened?
Be here, you wouldn't have salvation. So it was a serious thing what he did, but the Lord knew that. And Peter, I'm sure Peter was, uh, restored his soul and, uh, in connection with that, I'd just like to look at first Peter 4 again.
And uh.
I guess the first part of the 11Th 1St.
Says there, if any man speak, let them speak as the oracles of God.
Or oracles really is means revelation. Well, Peter learned a lesson so he gives it to us any mass state. Let him speak as the oracles of God that is to have.
God's blessing and what we say.
There was a time when when Peter Peter spoke the truth and that's recorded. Let's look at Matthew chapter 18.
A wonderful revelation that we have there.
Looking for the verse that says uh yes it's chapter 16.
On the 17th verse of chapter 16, he said unto them, As disciples, With whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered, and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed ourselves, Simon Barjona, For flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven.
What a difference.
But his blood had revealed this truth to him, but his Father that was in heaven gave him the truth and Peter and gave it out. And the Lord could say, blessed art thou Simon or Jonah? Not a rebuke like we just read about, but instead of blessing. And so it's like us sometimes we speak.
And perhaps we don't have.
God's mind and what we say, and it's just only from the flesh, the natural flesh, something that we might desire ourselves.
The other thing perhaps UMM is important that we have is in Mark chapter 14.
Mark chapter 14 and verse uh.
27.
This is perhaps a lesson of absolving ourselves to a higher level than than we are. And Peter? It's all to themselves above his brother.
Here Jesus said unto them, All Ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I shall smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said, ought to have.
All shall offend, be offended.
Yeah, well, not I. We know all the disciples for such award when he went to the cross. But because Peter took the lead, as he often did, the Lord Jesus spoke to the leader.
00:30:13
And oftentimes it's a, it's a leader that the Lord has to bring more correction to because he is in a higher place of responsibility if he's going to be a shepherd and, uh, to look after the flock. And so the Lord Jesus.
He spoke to Peter, he addressed Peter and we know what a lesson that Peter, Peter learned out of this, that, uh, the Lord told him that before the clock would crawl, he, he would deny him three times. And we know that happened. That was true. And uh, if we look at, umm, I think it's, uh.
Matthew's Gospel.
18 chapters.
20 uh, Matthew 22 or Luke 22. Sorry about that.
Move 22 I was thinking of and verse 20 verse 61, it says the Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him before the talk, Grow thou shalt deny me right here without left thoroughly.
Let's just have that one look from the Lord Jesus, a reminder of what Peter had said.
Was enough to restore Peter to the soul. He wept bitterly above that he knew he had what he had done wrong. And.
It was through this schooling that that Peter went through that the Lord could, could, uh, address Peter.
In in John chapter 21. We'll just look there for a moment.
You know that when the Lord died on the cross and he, he was, he rose again, that some of the disciples, they went back to their old ways, their old occup occupations that they had. And uh, it tells us here that uh, the second verse that they were together, Simon Peter Thomas called Didymus, Nathaniel, Kanan, Galilee and the sons of Zebedee and two other his disciples.
Here we see Peter's mentioned first.
Simon Peter said on to them, I go fishing. They say unto him, We go, We also go with thee. They went forth and are into a ship immediately. That night they caught nothing.
So here they were, they were going back really from Commission that the Lord had given them. And, uh, Lord was very gracious.
A uh, he approached them and he told them to let the net down the right side of the ship we shall find. And they did so they, they drew it in. It was a multitude of fishes. What I was more interested in was uh.
The 15th 1St When they had died, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than these? He said unto him, Gay Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He says unto him, Feed my land.
He said unto him again a second time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He said often, Yes, yeah, Lord, thou knowest that I love you. He said unto him, Feed my sheep. Said unto him Third time Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, Thou knowest I love thee. Jesus said out to him, Feed my sheep.
00:35:07
And so.
The Lord had something for Peter to do. He was a shepherd, he was a leader, and he wanted Peter to feed his lands and his sheep.
Peter who could be trusted by the Lord to do this? The Lord knew he could trust Peter and uh, Peter didn't like half of the VX or the three times. Sometimes when we we sit under the sound of God's word and we hear the same thing.
Process repeated and then somebody else repeats it again and short time after we hear the same thing. Sometimes we we get a bit annoyed because.
And we don't like to suffer the word of expectation sometimes, but here Peter suffered the word of expectation from the Lord. He heard three times. He was grieved about it, but he suffered it. And the Lord knew that Peter needed it because it wasn't the first time that Peter was called to serve. And he went back into his old ways. We find in, uh, in the book of Peter again.
Since closing, I'd like to look at.
Second Peter.
Chapter 5.
And we saw that Peter was a leader.
He, uh, he took the lead, but you know, a good leader is also needs to be a good follower.
And uh.
He learned the Lord Jesus said follow me.
It's orthopedic three times the following, you know if it's if a natural leader.
Is going to be a good leader. He has to take commands from the.
Hit. If it's in Canada, the the captain in chief, the chief commander would be Stephen Harper.
If it's in United States, the chief commander there of all the military would be Barack Obama.
And so whatever that administration might decide to do militarily, they would call in the generals, they call in their leaders, they would give them direction. And those leaders would have to go forth and carry out that destruction if they if they didn't do it, and that they carried out something different than what they were instructed to could cause.
A lot of damage.
And so they were instructed to, they would be instructed to carry out.
From their leader. So here Peter learned to listen to the chief shepherd. We have achieved shepherd the Lord Jesus and glory. He's our chief captain and.
He could say here in chapter 5, the elders which are among you, I exhort will also an elder.
To say that, yeah, I, you know, I'm a leader.
The Lord has put them into this position.
And, uh, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.
You know, they, the disciples, they didn't enter into the sufferings of Christ when he was here, this scene, they only entered into the glory part. But here Peter puts the two together.
Sufferings of Christ and also partaker of the glory that she shall be revealed. She didn't understand that he had to go. Lacrosse was a nation of Israel and for the even for their own souls to have their sins purged away. They didn't enter into that truth at all.
Until after, but uh, we could say feed the flock of God, which is among you taking oversight thereof. Not like this trade, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind either is being Lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, he shall be receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. And uh here says we're all to be subject 1 to another in the fifth verse.
00:40:12
Humility and so on. And so Peter learned these things.
And we can learn things too from Peter as believers. Another one in closing was just, uh, read a nice person first, Peter.
Uh, chapter.
Chapter 2.
Verse 21 it says for even here on to where you call because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that he should follow his steps.
You know, they tell us they're they're faithful men that whose faith follow and that we can look up to in Scripture. And certainly we can look up to certain ones that Apostle Paul, different ones of Scripture. But the only one that that's mentioned that says for us to follow his footsteps is the Lord Jesus. If we follow his footsteps, we can't have a misstep. We can't do anything wrong if we follow his steps.
And so Peter learned this and so he writes it down. The follow in his steps wasn't all the time that Peter followed in the Lord's steps that he learned to, he learned to follow the instruction.
That the Lord Jesus had given to him. And so it might be with us that we would, uh, follow and along in the, in the pathway that the Lord has marked out for us. But we will be found not only watching, but praying and, uh, have our eyes looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's coming soon. May we, we be found, uh, faithful when that show is given.
I've had on my heart.
Just recently, a subject that perhaps is, uh, a little long for this afternoon, but we could just look at a little bit of it. This weekend has been one of very practical ministry, I believe.
And, uh, I was wondering about just continuing for a few moments and that same vein, uh, I'd like to turn to, uh, John chapter 12.
Uh, we've already referred to these verses, but, uh.
I just wanna read them again. John chapter 12.
And uh, I'm worried from verse one.
Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been raised from the dead, whom he raised, from whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then Mary, uh, took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
And then those verses we read earlier too, in uh, Romans chapter 16.
Romans 16.
And we'll just read, uh, verse, uh, three again, Greek, Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus who have for my life laid down their own necks onto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the, of the Gentiles. So thinking of this first, likewise greet the church that is in their house.
Well, what I had before me particularly was the thought of the Christian whole.
You know, I believe that the Christian home has a tremendous influence on the assembly.
And, uh, what we see here in these verses I've just been reading are samples of Christian homes, uh, first that of Lazarus, Mary and Martha and that of Aquila and Priscilla. And, uh, it's very interesting to trace through the word of God, the thought of the home. And you know, it's very interesting as you go through the, umm, the old, the New Testament, uh, you find, uh, that you have homes that were devoted.
00:45:16
To the Lord Jesus and his interests. And I think that's something that should exercise each one of us. We know that here in this room, there are many homes represented. Is it our exercise to, umm, have homes that are devoted to the Lord Jesus and to his interests? Well, that was certainly true of this house in Bethany. And you know, if you look in the hacks, uh, I'm sorry, uh, Acts chapter 10.
You find the House of Cornelius and there the word of God was preached. And then when you go to Acts 16, uh, you find the home of Lydia and the home of the Philippian jailer and what characterized them. That's what we had before us earlier this afternoon, hospitality. And then, you know, if you go to, uh, first Corinthians chapter one, you find there the House of Chloe and that home was very concerned.
About the umm, the abuses that were going on in the, in the Corinthian assembly. And then, uh, further on in umm, in the, in the book of Corinthians, you come to umm, one of the last chapter, the House of Stephanus. And it tells us there that they were addicted to the umm, to the service of the Saints. And so over and over again in the Scriptures you find these various homes that were devoted to the Lord.
And here's interest and certainly that's what you find here in this 12 Chapter. And, uh, you know, I think it's wonderful to see that in the chapter before, uh, John Chapter 11, you'll see the, the conditions that existed in Israel at that time. Notice what it says just to read a couple of verses. Umm.
Just take me a moment here to find an example. Umm.
Well, verse 57, the very last verse, now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if any man knew where he was, that's Jesus, He should show it, and that he, uh, that they might take him. And then there's another verse here too. Umm, uh, verse 53. Then from that day forth, they took counsel together to put him to death. So here were the con. This was the condition of things.
At that particular time, the the people of Israel, they didn't want the Lord Jesus. They wanted to cast them out. They wanted to get rid of him. And yet how wonderful that there was a home where the Lord was honored, there was a home where he was cherished, and there was a home where he was obeyed. And you know, why are we living in a similar time right now? We know the world has passed out. The Lord, they don't want him. They don't want him in the school. They don't want him in the business place.
They don't want them in the government. They want them out. But you know, do we have a place for them in our home? I think that's so important today. And uh, you find that that here was a place in Bethany where the Lord felt welcome. You know what I think of that first two in Revelation chapter 3. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man open the door, I will come in to him and suck with him. And he was me the Lord wants.
To have fellowship with us He wants he wants our hearts. He wants a place where he can feel comfortable. And how wonderful here in this little story that the Lord felt welcome there in Bethany. And there was Lazarus, that one that had been raised from the dead. What a testimony to what the Lord had done raising that man from the dead. He could say I am the Lord says there in the chapter just before.
I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall we live. And there was Lazarus, a living example of what the Lord can do. And you know, aren't we in a certain sense like that too? There was a time, there was a time when we were dead and trespasses and in sins. But the Lord saves us and He brought us into a place of blessing, and now we can be a testimony for Him. Well, that was Lazarus.
And then there was, uh, Martha. And we were saying earlier that here in this chapter, I believe Martha is in her proper place.
She's serving the Lord. She wants to give Him the very best that she has. She was no doubt a housekeeper that enjoyed making meals and so on. And here she is serving the Lord. And then of course, there is, uh, Mary. And Mary is in her usual place. Where is it? At the Lord's feet. We know in Luke chapter 10, I think it is, uh, there she sat at the Lord's feet. Martha wasn't too happy at that particular time. She thought that her sister was wasting her time. Why wasn't she in the kitchen helping getting the meal ready?
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But you know, the Lord had to say Martha, Martha, uh, one thing is needful.
And Mary has desired that good part that shall not be taken from her. Yes, she wanted to learn more of the Lord and so she was at his feet. And, uh, but here Martha, I believe was not like that. She wasn't being, uh, resentful and uh, she was just simply serving the Lord and Mary not only at his feet, but wanting to give her, give him the treasures of her heart. And so she takes this, umm, this umm, uh, pound of ointment or spike in art, very costly.
And if she anoints his feet, so how wonderful to see if the Lord was honored, he was cherished in this house, in this home. Well, we can't take too much time. But when you go to uh, uh, uh, Romans chapter 16 in connection with Aquila and Priscilla, again, we're just sort of repeating what I said. We, we said earlier.
But here's another hope, and this is the home of Aquila and Priscilla.
And you'll notice that it says there in that, uh, fifth verse particularly likewise greet the church that is in their house. You know, it must have been just a small company. I, I wouldn't know if it was 25 or 30 or whatever, but equivalent for sale. They opened up their homes to the Saints. And I have no doubt there was the breaking of bread there and there was a reading and there was prayer.
And, uh, no doubt they were very hospitable.
Uh, and what a wonderful, uh, thing that is, uh, hospitality. I've often told the story and I hope people don't mind telling me, but, uh, me telling the story again. But my wife and I were over in England, uh, in 1969 and there was a little.
Uh, assembly there in Bow and, uh, we got to know this one couple very well and it didn't matter who was out to the breaking of bread on Lord's Day.
They invited everyone who didn't have a place to go to their home. And, you know, their home was very, very small. Uh, the, the living room couldn't have been much wider than my outstretched arm, maybe a little bit bigger. But you know, they always invited anyone that wanted to come for dinner. And sometimes there were maybe 10 or 15 that hadn't been there before, you know, that were there for dinner. But you know, they didn't worry about how much food they had.
You are welcome. And I wanna tell you that that assembly prospered because of those dear Christians. Some here in this room know exactly what we're talking about. And that's the kind of people that Aquila and Priscilla, uh, were. And, uh, so it says here, the church that was in their house. And you know, I believe that there are probably places like that today, maybe not here in North America, but I, I guarantee if you went to China today.
You would probably find believers who have opened up their home to the Saints and have them in for a Bible study and for singing the the word of God or singing hymns, I should say, and having a happy time trying to encourage the Saints. Well, that's the kind of people that Aquila and Priscilla were.
And of course, we know that in the home, the father is very important or the husband. Aquila here was the husband and no doubt he had a, a real responsibility to guide the home and, uh, to do what the Lord would have him to do. And I believe there are very important verses in the word of God as to how the husband should ask. And I don't have time to go into all these things, but if you want to Psalm 128.
I think you'll find there what should characterize the Christian husband who would be the head of the home, uh, Psalm 128.
And, uh, we'll just read, uh, one verse.
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It says there in the first verse, Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways. Verse three, thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the size of thine, thine house. In other words, I believe what characterizes the husband is the fear of the Lord. Isn't that important For each one of us here who are uh, fathers, each one of us here who are husbands, do we fear the Lord?
You know, it says in Proverbs, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And So what a responsible place we have as husbands and as fathers to fear the Lord. Do our children see that? Do they see in us a desire to open the word and to talk about it and to discuss the Lord's interests? Well, we find here that that's what characterized this man, the fear of the Lord. And of course the wife is the same. We won't take time, but if you went to Proverbs 31.
You would find there the virtuous woman. And the same thing is said of the wife. It says that, that she feared the Lord. She feared the Lord. So how wonderful it is when the husband and the wife, uh, act together. And uh, we were mentioning yesterday that Aquila is mentioned, uh, uh, three times, uh, in the scriptures and Priscilla is mentioned three times. So there was that beautiful balance between the husband and the wife.
Well.
I'm just going to take a moment to take a look at a couple of other homes, just briefly. Uh, the next one uh, I would like to look at is in, uh, in Genesis chapter 12.
Genesis chapter 12.
And I'm not thinking here of the home of Abraham.
And, uh, you'll notice what it says about Abraham here, umm, in verse 7.
The Lord appeared unto Abraham, saying, unto thy seed, will I give this land? And there builded he an altar unto the Lord, and appeared, uh, that that who appeared unto him, and umm, next verse. And he removed from fence onto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the West and Hai on the east, and so on. Two things that characterized.
Abraham, what was it?
One, the altar and secondly, the tent. And isn't it very important for us, uh, in our homes to remember that we are pilgrims? You know, we have there in first Peter where we were reading earlier in chapter 2, it says, therefore, uh, strangers and pilgrims. That's our position in this world, isn't it? We're strangers away from home and we're pilgrims on the way home. Well, Abraham here, he had that Pilgrim character, but besides that, he built this altar. You'll notice there it mentions the altar.
He builded an altar onto the Lord.
Important that is in our home too, you know, to give the Lord that first place. He wants our hearts and he wants us to give thanks to him and to worship him. You know, often in our, our prayers, we're, we're concerned about our needs and, uh, what the Lord can do for us. But you know, the Lord likes to hear, umm, songs of Thanksgiving and praise. Do we take time to just thank him, Praise him?
Sing about him. You know, I think sometimes that singing is getting to be a lost art. You know, we have so many things now, MP3 players and CD's and all that. We don't sing like we used to. I remember when I was young, uh, hearing my mother saying that she was stirring the pot, uh, of Stew or whatever it was. Uh, and it's something that seems to be lacking today, singing and making a joyful noise under the Lord. Well, Abraham here, he had his altar, the place where he could worship the Lord. Give him that first place.
Well, then you have another a home and this time in Daniel chapter six, I think you know what I'm going to say. I just sort of quizzing through this pretty quickly. But in Daniel chapter 6, we have the story of Daniel Ayrton and umm, we know that he was surrounded by those that hated him, uh, because he loved the Lord and because he desired his glory.
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And, uh, we know too that the these men.
There in Babylon, what they wanted to do was to find occasion against Daniel so that he get rid of them. But what does this say about him? Notice verse 10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime.
Isn't that wonderful?
Dave Daniel was a man of prayer. He didn't just do it because he was in trouble. It was what he had constantly done day after day. He prayed in the morning, he prayed at noon, he prayed at night. Maybe he prayed much more than that. It might have been 33 times a day. But uh, Daniel was a man of prayer. And we know what wonderful visions the Lord gave Daniel of the future, uh, because he was so much a man, that independence upon God.
And so our homes should not be one where there is worship, but there should be homes too where prayer is important. How much time do we pray? You know, I think I speak to myself. I remember, uh, my father-in-law, sometimes he would just steal upstairs and he'd be on his knees for half an hour praying for someone, perhaps in the assembly or perhaps even for his family. But, uh, how much time do we spend on our knees? You know, we're living in a day of.
Rushing and hustle and bustle. We need to spend time on our knees. Daniel was that kind of a man.
Well, let's turn now to Deuteronomy chapter 6. Again, we can't take time to dwindle all these things in Daniel six. We don't have an actual person brought before us, but we do have a home brought before us. And I'll just read these verses briefly.
Notice what it says in verse UH-5. Thou so love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way.
And when the rise is, uh, lies down, and when the rises stop, and thou shall bind them, uh, for a sign upon thine hands, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes, and thou shalt right upon the post of thy house and on thy gates. So here we have a home where the word of God was uh, honored and uh, loved. And uh, you'll notice here that it says in the seventh verse, thou shalt teach, or I think the word could be impressed. Thou shalt impress.
Upon my children diligently and shall talk to them when thou sittest in line hands. You know, we can talk about so many things, technology, cars, umm, vacations and all the rest. But you know here they were instructed to talk about the Lord's things, about the word of God when they were standing, when they were sitting, and when they were lying down. In other words, the Lord Jesus was the object of the whole.
And uh.
How much we need this, we need to read the word. I know there are young parents here. Read the word of God to your dear children. I was brought up in a home, I'm very thankful, where my mother spent 20 minutes every day before going to school reading the word with us, telling us about what the Lord Jesus said and how much we need this. And you'll find here that this is what is I am important and it was to be bound around their hands.
And it was to be as frontless between their eyes. In other words, whatever they did was to be governed by the Word of God.
Whatever they saw was to be governed by the word of God. Can we say that is what we look at? Is it governed by the word of God? I sometimes come across things, uh, in our home. I didn't know we're there, but it's the, the, the things that I saw were not what should be there. They had, they had to be gotten rid of. Well, we need to be guided. Uh, what we do with our hands, where our feet go should all be guided by the word of God. Because you'll notice here, it wasn't just.
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Uh, their hands and their eyes, but it says, uh, in verse 7, when thou walkest by the way, so it had to govern the feet too. Again, I'm rushing over this, but uh, and then you'll notice in the ninth verse, it says thou shalt write them upon the post divine house and upon thy gates. In other words, the word of God should be a testimony to those in the neighborhood. And uh, so.
The people around should see that we love the word of God and want to please the Lord and, and do what is right. So the word of God is important in the whole umm. And now just one other thing, uh, First Corinthians. I know our time has put up First Corinthians the last chapter.
Umm yes, the 15 first of the last chapter of First Corinthians.
I beseech you, brethren, ye know the House of Stephanus that it is the first fruits of IKEA and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the Saints. We had the earlier yesterday. I think that ministry is the thought of service. So here wasn't a here was a household that was addicted to the service of the Saints. How wonderful. Well, to just sum up very briefly.
We have, they had a home that was, uh, characterized by worship. We had a home that was characterized by prayer. We had a home that was, uh, characterized by the word of God and one that was, uh, characterized by the service of the Saints. What a wonderful example we have in the Scriptures of what should characterize our homes. And so I just say that I believe that our homes can be a tremendous influence on the assembly.
And, uh, if we're careless in our homes.
There's not going to be the leading of the spirit as there should be in the assembly. And So what a, uh, an important thing it is to make the Lord the object in our homes and, uh, to be a bright light and a testimony, uh, for him until he comes.
Ticket #318 Old Lamb of God, still keep us close to thy piercing side. Is only there in safety and peace we can't abide.
Our hands and breathing anything Aloha, you know, within horror and glory.
To all Wanderers of Allah.
Yeah, I don't need to be there in the world.
Of all, I could take it in the dark.