Delevan Conference: 1989
Table of Contents
John 14:1-6
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God leave all.
In my father's house there are many mansions who were not so I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also. And whether I go, you know the way you know. Thomas says unto him, Lord, we know not whether thou goeth. And how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father.
But by me.
If you saw me, you should have known my father also from henceforth you know him and have seen him.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it's the fight of us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you? And yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He could have seen me, have seen the Father, And how saith thou? Then show us the Father.
Believe us thou not, that I am in the Father, and the Father In me the words that I speak unto you. I speak not of myself. But the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the worst. Believe me, that I am in the Father.
Or else believe me for the very work sake.
Verily, verily, I said to you, He did believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also?
And greater works than these shall he do, because I go to my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father.
And he shall give me you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more.
But you see me because I live, ye shall live also.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father.
And ye and me, and I, and you, he that hath my commandments, and keepeth them.
He it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father.
And I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Judith saith unto him, not ascariot. Lord, how is it?
That thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world. Jesus answered and said unto him.
If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come in unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, but the world. The word which he ye hear is not mine, but the fathers which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name.
He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said.
Unto you peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.
Not of the world give us, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard how I said unto you, I will go away and come again unto you. If you love me, you would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I've told you before it come to pass, that when it has come to pass you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you.
For the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as a Father give me commandment, Even so I do arise. Let us go hence.
There seems to be two things that prompted this.
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Chapter given the last verse.
Previous chapter.
Peter is concerned of following the Lord.
To where he's going, so much so that he would lay down his life for him.
But also.
They knew he was going away.
And the Lord tells Peter that the clock would not crawl three times before he would have denied him.
So you see, they have sorrow and they wondered what was going to take place.
As to their destiny.
We find that in Scripture.
Those passages have been written.
For us, especially for our exercise of soul.
Came at a certain time when they were needed.
The Saints in this and Nica were concerned about their loved ones who had died, and so the apostle was sent to give them the truth of the resurrection, the rapture. And so we have here Scripture finding this place exactly where it belongs in the particular history of these apostles.
And so, he says, let not your heart be troubled. It wasn't that they they were troubled outwardly, but they didn't need to be troubled inwardly.
Let not your heart be troubled, and I'm sure as we go along in this world we will find a great deal to trouble us outwardly.
But the one who goes on in communion will go on in peace and not troubled inwardly. And that is the difficulty with many of us. Sometimes we are so taken up with things around us that we missed. This precious thing is mentioned here. Hearts, not troubled inwardly.
That can only be enjoyed in communion with the Lord. And so he seeks to lead their hearts. And this chapter does the enthusiastic communion and says that when he went away, the Comforter would come and he would lead them too, and saw how blessed it is that he has come. The Holy Spirit of God has come to lead us into all truth.
In a chapter before he washes the disciples speech, because there might be a hindrance to communion, there often is in our lives something that is allowed that has come between US and the Lord so that we can enjoy communion with Him. So He washes their feet, warns Peter of his weakness.
Because we can be very self confident like Peter and think we wouldn't do certain things.
And he warns him. But then, as their brother has just been saying by he tells them, they need not be troubled because he was the one who was going to the Father, He was going to send the Holy Spirit, and they would be able to enjoy that peace and that communion with him. And we can do it in a more blessed and full way since the coming of the Holy Spirit.
We can say then that chapter 13 is.
Preparing them for the place and chapter 14 is.
Preparing the place for them. As yet they didn't know about that place.
So he tells them about it.
And he calls it my father's house.
We find father I think 23 times in this chapter.
More than 100 times in the book of John.
That's what this book is about. The Father made known how Through the sun. That's the way we know the Father and the message given right after resurrection. The Lord's resurrection was to marry. Go tell my brethren I ascended to my father. And then he says, your father says my father's house here. But then he says.
My father and your father.
So how important for us to know God as our Father, to learn of Him as Father, and have that peace in the 17th John of John in the prayer?
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Jesus commits his own and says.
Holy Father, keep those thou hast given me. He commits them to the Father. Entrust them while he is away.
And he also sends the Comforter, as you mentioned. And now he's telling the disciples about the place. And the place was not prepared until a man went there, and no man could go there. But Jesus, there's a man in the glory.
Men today make much of getting out into space and reaching the moon and walking on the moon, and we don't belittle that.
But it's not their natural element. It's not our natural element with lives of flesh and blood.
So the Lord in bringing us when He does bring us there, He will give us.
Bodies of Glory suited to the place too, but he's already there, and that is really what has prepared the Father's house, the place for us.
In a sense, the Lord was preparing his disciple in the 13th chapter.
For the Father's house in the very practical way, here it was in view of the Father's house to come, that's true. But this very chapter is the communion of the Father's house itself.
Where he brings them into the good of what is on his heart for them, and where they're able to understand, to enter into his mind now this peculiar to Christianity. The world doesn't know this.
Only those who know the Lord Jesus can enter into His mind and hear about heavenly things, and not only heavenly things, but things to come as well that will occur in heaven. And so there will be a Father's house.
God has always desired to have children.
He's going to have his house full of children.
Remember when Abraham stood in?
Before the Lord on that starry night. And the Lord told him to look up into the heavens.
Abraham said, What will you give me?
I have no son, Lord says. Look up the heavens.
That's why does your blessing will be, and that blessing of Abraham reaches out to the furthest parts of the earth.
In the coming day.
And connects with the blessing. And so here we have the father's house. It's going to be filled with children.
I believe that God is thinking of the very same thoughts that Abraham was thinking.
About having his house filled. And so we have in this chapter.
The. The house, the father's house.
That supposed his children.
I was thinking how there were three things that probably could have troubled them. First, that the Lord Jesus said he was going away, and secondly that Judas, one of the number, was going to be the betrayer. And then last of all, Peter learning the weakness of his own heart. And I think those are the things that often trouble us too. We think, well, we don't have the feeling that the Lord is really near, but he's telling them in this chapter he's going to send the comforter.
And I think most of us know that in the second verse he says, in my father's house are many mansions or abodes. And then, after Speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, he says, in the 23rd verse, Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our mansion with him. The word abode and mansion are the same. So isn't that lovely? The Lord has gone away, but walking in communion.
We can be in the enjoyment of his presence by the Spirit and then we have disappointments. Here's someone that they.
Didn't suspect was unreal at all. Judas turned out to be a terrible disappointment. Sometimes disappointments come like this, even in people that we've had confidence in, and this can be a source of trouble to us, upsetting us. And then last of all, we have to discover our own weakness too.
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Had to realize that he wasn't what he thought he was. He said that his heart wouldn't reproach him as long as he lived, But when he got into the presence of the Lord, he said, I repent and abhor myself in dust and ashes. And so these things trouble us too. But isn't it beautiful what the Lord is saying here, that he's going to take them to be with himself, where everything will be fullness of joy, but in the meantime he is going to be with them by the Spirit?
And comfort their hearts, give them peace, and give them joy. And so as we go through a world like this, the Lord has gone away.
But we can say, Lord, I am with you always. We can say that in Him we have peace, and this is encouraging for us, brethren. We all face these disappointments that we feel. The Lord is not near us at times, but He's always near. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. Things disappoint us and we find out ourselves. But he's the same and he's sufficient for every situation. So I think it's beautiful the way he's comforting them in this chapter and the chapters that follow. And then in the 17th chapter he's praying for them.
He's our great High priest and we need that help along the way and he ever lives to make intercession for us.
Necessary to Christianity to realize there was number place in heaven for man until a man went there.
We get in the 12Th of John that except the corner we fall into the ground and die to bite us alone. But if it die, it brings forth much fruit as the sun. As man in this world the Lord Jesus Christ could have ascended without death, but he would have been there as the only man in heaven. Having chosen the to go into death, he bears much fruit.
And we as the fruit now can look up and see the men in the glory.
And know that there is a place there for us. And the Holy Spirit, having been sent according to His promise in this chapter, confirms that to our souls, and gives us the enjoyment of our place in the glory united to the glorified man. And that is the essential, one of the essential.
Doctrines that distinguishes Christianity from everything else in the world.
He couldn't go. He couldn't receive the people to himself until he went to the cross. I think where it says I go to prepare a place for you. He was going to the cross. They were looking for something immediately where he was going to leave and that's where he was going to the cross. Prepare our sins in his own body. He might be able to have fellowship with us.
You might be able to commune with us, but he couldn't commune with us. In 15th chapter he called his disciples friends, but after the cross he could cause sun for in the family of God.
There's a misconception in Christendom today that the Lord is building many mansions and glory, and I thank two brothers have brought it out and they might tie it together. Is that the Lord Jesus as a man, We're going into glory as a man having gone through the cross.
And death is a man in the glory. And we are in Colossians. We see that we're seated there, there with him as well as in Hebrews, and that's making the preparing the plate for us. That man entered into the glory for us.
I think there's a little contrast here. We read in the end of Ezekiel of the building of the millennial temple. And the disciples looked for the Lord Jesus as the Messiah to set everything right. Remember how they said to him after his resurrection, Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel? And so they were thinking, no doubt of that time when the millennial temple would be built and they would be associated with him. For if you read in Ezekiel, you'll see that there were abodes in that temple, abodes for the priests.
But now they're called upon to follow him in a path of rejection.
He's going away to leave them. He's not setting up the Kingdom at this time, but he introduces them into something more wonderful in the millennial temple. My father's house, he says. There are abodes there, too, and I like to think of it in this way, as though he were saying to them, I wouldn't have called you to walk in a path of rejection, and I wouldn't have called upon you to be identified with me in that path if I didn't have something better for you than what you had anticipated.
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And brethren, that's always true. We're going to be like the Queen of Sheba and Burgett there, we're going to say.
The half was not told me, and so if they did seem at this time disappointed that the Lord was going away.
And that the millennial temple was not to be built. The Kingdom was not to be ushered in at this time.
This is what I believe was in their mind. What's going to happen always says there's something far better. You're going to have a place in the Father's house, a nearness that Israel will never enjoy. And while I'm away, the Holy Spirit will come down to comfort you, to lead you into the enjoyment of these things. And so I believe that's why he says he believed in God. That was Jewish faith, to know God as one God and distinction from idolatry.
But now to know him revealed no God revealed in Christ, as Peter says.
Who by him do believe in God, who raised him up from the dead and gave him glory?
That your faith and hope might be in God. I think it's lovely to see how He's preparing the disciples. And in a practical sense we have a lot of disappointments and things that don't work out the way we had expected. But the Lord would have us to enjoy this communion, to commit all into His hands, and to know that He has something far better ahead for us, and also a present enjoyment even in the midst of it all, as Father and Son come and make their abode with us.
We're going to take a phone knowing how his own home, where he's always lived at the father's house.
So that we will enjoy the very same things that he enjoys.
We'd be surrounded by the very things that he has always been surrounded with.
Because there's no change in heaven, you know?
And I believe this introduces Christianity here. Not that we get Christianity yet in John, but we have the introduction of it in these pictures we have before now. The Father's house, then, is our eternal abode.
This is peculiar to the Church. The Church has this place, and not only is he preparing the place for us, but he's preparing us for the place.
And even though we may be saved, still there's a work going on.
In preparing us for the place. Now I know that salvation is the preparation in a sense for that place. But I believe these preparing us through the washing of water by the word. We get that in Ephesians so that we will be able to.
Fit right in as no strangers, just feel at home.
Be able to enter into those things that belong to heaven.
Now, brethren, why aren't we now seeking these things?
Why is Christianity to us sort of a formal thing when the Lord himself is going to have a dwelling in his own home and he he wants us to enjoy it? We learned the principles of it here in the Word of God as the washing of water by the Word. What a wonderful thing it is to know that we have a home forever and nothing can never interrupt it.
And it's because I live, You shall live also, you said.
Is because a man is in the heavens, a man Christ Jesus, and he's preparing a place for us.
It's the father's house.
But he is going there as a man to prepare it for us who has already been brought out. But still I believe there's a preparation with us for that whole.
That's important.
So we get exhortation, admiration, for instance, that verse.
One in chapter 5 of Ephesians that was read be followers of God.
As dear children and walk in love, reminding us of Enoch as a type of the church, I believe.
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Those who are alive and remain to his coming at least says he walked with God.
And was not, for God took him. That is, he walked with God down here, and where he walked right into the glory that is practically the way we should be.
Fitting ourselves practically to go right into that abode that's prepared for us.
Why has it been such a long time to get that next?
Current if I go.
And prepare a place for you. I will come again.
That's the next thing he says there. He says I'm going and he says I'm coming.
Seems to us like a long time. Is there some reason about that?
Long-suffering patients, little hymn says for our for which impatience thou has waded through the night.
While we, Thy Saints, were gathered and brought into the light, then, then the Church completed. God makes no more delay. Oh God. With shouts of triumph we pass into the day. So we're glad He waited for us. Here we are over 1900 years later, and we're rejoicing that He has waited for us and brought us into this. And we still are waiting. This blessed moment. I believe this is the first.
Real clear statement in the whole scripture.
About the Rapture, there are little innovations of it types and shadows of it, but here the Lord stating very clearly, I will come again and receive you unto myself. There were many prophecies as to His coming connection with the Kingdom, and in connection with judgment and setting things right in this world. But this the Rapture catching up of the Church and of all the Old Testament Saints who died in faith.
This is what we're waiting for. This is what the Lord speaks of. Here I will come again and receive you unto myself. Beautiful expression of affection. Not just the place, wonderful as it is, but the person, or it's the person who makes the place.
First and second Peter Jeffrey. I think the question verse 9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, and some men count slackness, but his long-suffering to us worth not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. I don't think we really understand the long-suffering of the Lord. We underestimate how long-suffering He really is.
When we get saved and we think, well now I want the Lord to come now and Take Me Home. But we don't realize the love of the Lord to those who are on their way to the lost eternity.
I'd like to ask a question.
I understood, Brother Lundeen, that your comment was that the father's house was only for the church.
Could we have a little more explanation of that?
The father's house is what?
I think, well, it might. Maybe I misunderstood your remark, but it seemed to me that you said that the father's house was only for the church. Now did you mean that?
Hearing is well enough.
Now it talks here about the father's house, yes.
Now is the Father's house for the Old Testament Saints as well As for the Church? No.
I've never heard anything like that before, and so I wanted to get that out in the open and see if it's true.
The heavenly city is the bride.
The Old Testament Saints Abraham will be in that city, but he will not be the city.
The father's house, of course, is a distinct thing.
But there are differences in.
Places that different ones have in the glory will be those who live on the earth too.
But I believe the Father's house has to do with what we have here. The Lord is going to take His church home to be with himself.
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So take it out of the world. The bride of Christ, the Old Testament Saints I I think will be there.
Be a friend to the right room with John the Baptist, who was a friend of the bridegroom, but.
That the body of Christ is a peculiar people. You need nothing like it and the whole universe.
We're one, bud. We're we're one.
We might look at.
Revelation 21.
To get language.
That apparently expresses truth as far farther than we can understand it, perhaps.
But I think it helps us in getting into God's thoughts about.
His abode and our abode. And it says in the third verse of Revelation 21 I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men.
And he will drill with them. They shall be his people.
God himself shall be with them, be their God.
There is some thought that the Tabernacle here is the church. I'll leave that for someone else to say.
But if we go back to Psalm 89 or 90, I guess it is.
And.
Yet coming thoughts. This is prophecy.
In the Psalms.
But it goes back and expresses.
A marvelous thought in Psalm 90, verse one.
And Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Evidently the suffering remnant, feeling their refuge, has always been.
The Lord Now you go to the next Psalm.
91 And verse one it says he that dwelleth in the secret.
He might read that secret of who the Most High is, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
That's a wonderful.
A lot of truth in that verse.
To give peace to any suffering remnant at any age, to know the secret.
Who the Most High is? Who is Jesus in his Millennial?
High place.
Now abide under the shadow of the Almighty, Any suffering remnant us David.
The captives in battling or the suffering Jewish remnant in the coming seven years?
Now go down to verse nine of Psalm 91 and we get future here.
Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge.
Even the most high thy habitation or thy dwelling place, What's going to be the?
Comfort.
Of that suffering remnant in the seven years.
They're looking to the Lord. They're looking to the Most High, who is Jesus?
And they might say, dwelling in him to know him.
There, verse 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling well. The language is tremendous in Psalm 90, Psalm 91 and Revelation 21 and I think they relate to these words, mansions, and abode inhabitation. Here in John it links a people up with God in the nearest of relationships, and it links him up with us.
If anybody want to comment on.
Revelation 21. I'd like to hear expression about that verse.
The Tabernacle of God is with men, if there are any thoughts.
Well, could we not look at it something like this? If you were to walk down the street where I live, you might say that's where Gordon and Pearl Hayhoe live. We're married to one another, but that doesn't mean there's no one else in that house with us. We have children. And so I believe that the.
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Heavenly Jerusalem, as is, our brother said, looked at as the home of the bride. But also there will be those who will bless the friends of the bridegroom. Would you not say so?
And so that there is that special place, and we speak of it in that way, Well, that's the home of Gordon and Pearl, but that doesn't mean there's no one else there. And I believe that all those who have the heavenly portion will occupy the place of friends, of bridegroom if they are not part of the bride. But I had thought of that next verse. The Tabernacle of God is with men as including both heaven and earth. And that is a thought because he saw a new heavens and a new earth.
He saw the whole scene where God is All in all and God came down when sin entered the world, and he came and walked in the garden in the cool of the day. But Adam and his wife hid themselves, and then they had to be expelled. But through redemption God has way found a way that he can bless man, that he can be brought into a place where God can dwell with him. To me that's the glorious answer of what was broken down.
In Genesis, when sin entered, and now through redemption is filled not only in heaven but also in earth. But the home of the bride is in the glory above, as we know, because our home is eternal in the heavens. But that's the way I had looked at it. That heavenly city has looked at as being the place where the bride dwells. But there will be those who have a heavenly portion in association with us, will they not?
And then, of course, God will dwell with men, whether in heaven or in earth. Remember when the temple was built, Solomon prayed. Will God in very deed dwell with man upon the earth? Well through redemption that has been made a possibility, and it's going to be accomplished through redemption. So I had looked at it in that way as God's answer to what had come in, because the Lord Jesus came to.
Undo the works of the devil.
A true expression within 1/3 Ephesians that bear on the entire subject of the Father's house and the heavenly portion.
One I'm reading from the new translation is the all various wisdom of God, so that the Assembly.
Demonstrate the whole various wisdom of God. And the other expression that deals with somewhat of the same line is that every family in heaven of whom of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named.
So that we have the assembly. This blade is as heavenly as heavenly city, showing in that time and that age what the assembly is the administration of God's grace and government in this world, coming from Christ through the assembly to Israel and out to the nation. So that the all various wisdom of God is there in the assembly and it applies to every family in heaven that is named in heaven and alert.
That you have the tube and the 12 foundations of the city with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel, show the communion of heaven and earth and the unity of God's counsels connected with heaven and earth being brought into communion with each other in that in that millennial scene.
Promised in verse three, I will come and receive you unto myself.
That is really what makes heaven to be where he is in that day.
There where he is but the little words where I am.
Speak to us today as well as we think of the promise in Matthew 1820.
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But going back to the 12Th chapter here.
John.
In the time that we are in now.
Just to connect these three words where I am, we read in verse 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And here's the words Where I am, there shall also my servant be any man serve me him will my father honor So there's provision today to take up these words.
Where I am while we're waiting for the absolute moment when we're caught into the place.
To be with the person who makes heaven to be where he is.
I think the and John's ministry too. It's particularly the family. And so their brother mentioned the number of times the Father is brought in. And we brought in as children. And so here we find that the Lord Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me that was a new revelation, wasn't it? God was not known to Israel his Father.
Thought the Lord Jesus came, He that has seen me has seen the Father and so he is the way to the Father. The truth about the Father, the life from the Father, and it's the Father's house. It's all very beautifully brought before us because the Lord wanted the disciples truth of the church hadn't yet been revealed. But he's opening up to them this blessed fact of a relationship of knowing God, His Father and now since the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Because ye our sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying, have a father. Something very blessedly new has been brought in in Christianity, that every believer is entitled to be in that relationship of being able to cry, have a father, and know God. His father never saw in the Old Testament was it?
It's interesting here in John.
That we get the sayings of the apostles who never wrote anything.
Notice here Thomas.
Thomas verse 5 saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest? And how can we know the way?
Now Jesus answered him, and he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
This is rather interesting.
Because.
These answers are questions that Thomas and others raised to the Lord were intelligent questions.
And we should remember that that we are in our own hearts and the good of the things that we're asking. And it seems to me that he was in the good of it as far as he knew, but he wanted to know more.
I'll turn the page you come to the 22nd verse.
Judah saith unto him, And not Iscariot the Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to unto us, and not unto the world?
She's answered and said him, If I'm unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him. We will come unto him and make our abode with him. To see how a question can bring out tremendous truth. That's a good question. And that's what these different apostles are seen to do in John. They do not write anything, but they do ask questions.
And I sometimes think if if some of our younger brothers.
Had a something on their heart, and they didn't feel free to try to explain it. They could ask a question. It might bring out a tremendous volume of truth to the rest of us.
I believe that is something that's important in the assembly and that's how the younger ones lay hold the truth so they can minister later.
To their brethren. Very important. Now, I don't mean that these other apostles were younger necessarily, but they had not written anything. But still they were apostles, and their character of their questions showed that they were intelligent in a measure. They wanted to know more.
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No, it is in connection with that.
24th verse.
23rd verse Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him.
And we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Ye are my friends.
If you do whatsoever I command you.
The Lord said he wouldn't call them anymore servants, but he'd call them friends because the servant doesn't know what his master do it.
I believe if we kept the spirit of that in John's ministry, we'll realize that we're friends.
Not just a matter of doctrine, but it's the person of Christ. And if a man loves me.
He will keep my words. He won't be the effort.
Life seems to be the sum and effort to be a Christian.
But if you love me, you'll keep my word.
Might encourage others by saying that, by doing, by keeping his words, by being known as his friend. Then he's ready to reveal prophecy to us, and not until then. And prophecy is so interesting we can't get it. If we're not obedient to the word, then he he makes it known to us.
Just think of the same thing in connection with what the Lord is saying. Here no man cometh unto the Father, but by me they wanted to know where to go to worship. In the Old Testament there were direct geographical directions, and it had to be to Jerusalem a certain place, but now it's a person Here no man cometh under the Father but by me. And I believe that's important for all of us. We may know the address of the meeting room.
But I believe it's very important to have a person before us, person first as to salvation. Christ himself is salvation. When?
When in the book of the second chapter of Luke, he took up that babe in his arms, he said, Lord, now let us thou thy servant, depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He looked down, and he saw that babe, and he says, mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
And solace to gathering, it's a person that we're gathered to. And Speaking of prophecy, it's not an event, but it's a person that we are looking for That as he is saying, the understanding of prophecy is to have a person before us. I believe that's very important. And this the Lord was teaching them because they were occupied with geographical things and situations like that. And actually the whole temple of worship was something that they could see.
But now in Christianity, we offer spiritual sacrifices. It's a person. It's a spiritual building. Living stones build up a spiritual house. So whether it's salvation or whether it's gathering or whatever, that's always remember that Christ is everything in Christianity.
Him #127.
John 14:6-12
Reading
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John 14.
Chapter verse 6.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If you had known me, you should have known my father also. And from henceforth you know him, and I've seen him.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffice with us. Jesus saith unto him.
Have I been so long time with you? And yet hast thou not known me, Philip?
He that hath seen me, have seen the Father. And how sayest thou? Then show us the Father.
Leave us thou not, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself.
But the Father that dwelleth in me he doeth the works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very work's sake.
And verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me.
The works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to my Father?
And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, Keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, and he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it see it, it seeth him not, neither knoweth him.
But ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Get a little while, and the world seeth me no more. But she see me because I live ye also you shall live also.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my father, and ye and me, and I and you. He did half my commandments, and keepeth them. He it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I shall love him.
Will manifest myself to him.
Judas saith unto him, Not a scariest Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. And the word which ye hear is not mine.
But the fathers which sent me these things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I have said unto you, peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
You have heard how, I said unto you.
I go away and come again unto you. If you love me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before come to pass, that when it has come to pass, you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you. For the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me, but that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father.
Gave me commandment. Even so I do arise, let us go hence.
Interesting that both of our hymns.
Book of the Father's house.
Also.
My father's house is mentioned in chapter 2 of John, and if we see the contrast, I think it'll help us understand.
The comfort and the teaching of the Lord for His disciples here on this occasion.
He came in chapter 2, John.
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And he found the house a House of merchandise.
And.
Rebukes speak strongly concerning that. That's the 16th verse.
Of John 2.
Just to get that expression.
My father's house.
He said, Jesus said take these things, hence make not my father's house and House of merchandise, that is. Yet Jesus was owning that temple and saying that's my father's house. Now we go back in thought to God coming down to dwell with men.
And our brother spoke of Exodus 17. I think he referred to the 15th chapter of Exodus.
Where you get a redeemed people and they say we will make him an habitation. My father's God, I will make him an habitation. That is the highest thought that man has ever had. Perhaps was to bring God down, to dwell with man. But God always has the highest thoughts. In our chapter He's beginning to tell us I'm going to take you up to dwell with me and have a father's house up there, but we follow that house on earth and we're God dwelt.
He takes them up on the 29th of Exodus. He said, Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. And they made it. And he came down the last chapter of Exodus. The glory of the Lord filled that Tabernacle. It was that Tabernacle for their passage through the wilderness when they got into the land.
In Solomon's day, they built the temple and the same thing happened. The glory of God filled that house.
And then we find that the glory of God left the house, and Ezekiel went up, and then in between the the ruin of the house came in, and the Gentiles and.
The temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's armies and a remnant.
Came back 70 years later and in Ezra's day they.
Rebuilt the temple.
You might notice in Haggai what it says about that.
And.
We'd look in Haggai.
We have a promise that is encouraging, certainly for the earthly people. God hasn't forgotten these earthly people.
We might notice verse seven of chapter 2, and knowing a little waste, Haggai 27 I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come. I believe that's the person Jesus is coming, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, and the glory of this latter house, If we would read that the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of Hosts, and in this place.
Will I give peace? Saith the Lord of hosts. Now that's a promise to the earthly house which is yet to be fulfilled.
Following on in the history we.
Find that Ezra's temple was destroyed.
Perhaps in the days of the Maccabees, I'm not sure. Not in the Bible history anyway. And Herod had built a temple.
And that's the one the Lord came to. Now I'd like to refer to verse and Malachi and.
Maybe we might get some nice thoughts about this, but Malachi chapter 3.
Behold verse one. I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. Now was that John the Baptist, or is that a coming, or is there two? Are there 2 fulfillments for this? And the Lord whom we seek, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple. I know it's future, But was it partially done when the Lord was here, even the messenger of the covenant, whom he delayed in Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
And the Lord did come. He came the first time he came to his house. He found it full of merchandise. He rebuked them. In Matthew's Gospel he departed from the house. And then he says, your house is left unto you desolate.
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So now the Lord was going to leave those disciples. All this was history then, and oh, they felt it so much.
What's He do? He points them to that house, eternal in the heavens that we sang about. And He tells us of a heavenly people. And He tells us not just of God coming down to dwell with the people on the earth, but bringing us up and situating us in the Father's house. Truly the better part, No comfort could have been like this for those disciples who had walked with him.
These years. So the Lord begins to open that up and it's all for our enjoyment. But we'll just suggest that God hasn't forgotten these earthly people and he will come. And there are probably two more temples to be built there, one for provisional worship, at least introductory in the seven years, and then the temple of Ezekiel for the millennial day. So this helps to understand the term my father's house and tells us.
Of our better part, the heavenly part.
Verse 6 There's a little illustration that I have used many times and.
That may be old to some people, but I believe it illustrates.
What we have here?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father.
But by me.
Perhaps would be helpful to the young people to use this illustration. In years gone by, there was a President in the United States by the name of Lincoln, and he had a son by the name of Tad Tad Lincoln.
And one day there was a man who stood at the gates.
Who wanted to get in to see the president?
He couldn't get in. Day after day, he stood there.
And one day, little Tad Lincoln was coming home from school, and he had a gate of his own that he came in.
And.
They looked at this man and he said, what do you want? Oh, he said, I have to see the president.
Guatemalan with me. They led him right into presence, presence, the lesson we have here.
It says, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me it's the Son.
The Son of God, the Lord Jesus, that has brought us into the presence of the Father, And now we have in the New Testament.
The Father and it's connected with the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We get that in Ephesians.
The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he'll be known from this time forward what was revealed.
It's in the past now, but I mean revealed so that from this time forward.
The only known as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that's the title he carries.
Because in the Old Testament he was not known as Father. There might have been an expression like Father of eternity or the everlasting Father, but that's not the sense in which we know him now. We know Him in a sense now in which he's come near to us through his son. So it isn't simply Father in a term we use, but it's the Father in the sense of relationship now that we should appreciate and enter into.
So that when the.
The Father son brings us to the Father. Then we are enjoying, or should be enjoying.
As we, I trust our this morning, that relationship that we have with God the Father.
And the temple was built. Solomon said that God dwelled in the thick darkness.
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God was not fully revealed. He could not come out. But when the veil was rent, then there's not only God coming out, but we ourselves can go in. And so we read of this. In 2nd Corinthians 3. There was a glory all connected with the old order of things. But now in Christianity, all the glory of God shines out in the face of Jesus Christ. And so the veil being rant, we go in, we enter into and enjoy this relationship.
A relationship that never could be known in the Old Testament. It's all, of course, consequent upon redemption, is it not?
And so in these closing chapters of John, we have Christianity anticipated.
The Lord in the 17th chapter says, And now I am no more in the world. He says. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do so He could speak of this. And isn't it wonderful that when we look at the pathway of the Lord Jesus we see God fully revealed? If we see Him weeping at the grave of Lazarus, he's revealing the Father. That's the Father's heart, if we see Him touched with the feelings of the infirmities of those about him.
Still at the cry of a blind man. That's the heart of God our Father. It's most wonderful for us to see this. We wouldn't know Him. He'd still dwell in the thick darkness if it were not that the Lord Jesus had come and not only revealed the Father, but opened the way so that we could go in and that God could come out and make all known which could not be until redemption was accomplished.
Go in in full liberty.
There is a little hymn. We sing the holiest. We enter in perfect peace with God.
That's a little different thought, because there we have the nature of God before us.
But what we're thinking of this morning is that relationship.
And it's true that?
In Perfect Liberty, we enter the holiest.
The very presence of God.
Now, why is it that so? Oftentimes we have sort of a sense of distance from God.
As though there was not that nearness that Jesus has brought us into.
But we should really have a continual, daily sense of that nearness because.
There's a verse in Ephesians that says.
The followers of God as dear children.
Well, now we have something that.
Should give us the thought that.
Were brought right into the presence of God. How could we be followers of God if we're not?
In his presence, and it's the Son who brings us into his presence.
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John's Epistle. In the first chapter we have John Speaking of the first verse, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon in our hands of handle of the word of Life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you.
That ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father.
And with his sons Jesus Christ, and these things rightly unto you that your joy might be full.
I don't think we fully appreciate what a marvelous privilege it is brethren that's sitting here. We can enter into and enjoy the very thoughts that are in the mind of God. The word fellowship or communion mean common thoughts, and here we can sit as a few of the redeemed ones and not feel God at a distance. But we can very enter into those very thoughts, those eternal councils that were in his heart, and we have fellowship in a known relationship. We know God is Father.
And with his Son Jesus Christ. And then when we come to the 7th verse.
We walk in the light. That's where we have been brought. That's not a conditional thing, brethren. It's a position that is brought before us in the seventh verse. We have been brought into the light and we have been fitted for the light through the blood. We may not be in the enjoyment of it. Someone asked Mr. Darby, what if a Christian turns his back on the light? Well, he said the light will shine on his back. But that's where we are. We may not be enjoying it, but the purpose of God is that we should enjoy it.
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And so that's really the theme of our chapter, I believe is communion that we might enter into and enjoy these things. Relationship, our joy would be full. The Father and the Son coming and making their abode with us. Oh, how wonderful. The truth of the church is not particularly developed, but the relationship of the family is particularly before us in John, isn't it? You spoke of condition or position.
Explain that just a little.
Well, every believer has an equal standing before God. That is, everyone is holy and without blame before him in love.
Everyone is clean every wet. Everyone is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. That's the position in which we are, but we may not be enjoying it. Just like a man might have a tremendous amount of wealth but not be in the enjoyment of it. Perhaps He's sick and can't enjoy it. It's his just as much. But He's not enjoying it and He would have us to be in the enjoyment of it. The Lord is speaking these things to the disciples.
To lead their souls into the enjoyment of it, and of course, assuring them of the coming of the Holy Spirit who would make these things good. John emphasizes it too in his epistle, because coldness and departure were coming in, and he desired that the Saints would be in the enjoyment of this. Their joy would then be full. Isn't that just what we have before morning?
The fact that we are in that right position through grace, but.
Most of us, I suppose, have to confess, at least in measure the.
Conditional side that we're not actually in the enjoyment and the fullness of these things.
And we shall we say it, we're taken up with so many things in this world.
That hinder us from entering into the enjoyment. And you don't have truth unless you enjoy it. You may have it in your mind, but you don't have in your heart. And you know the heart is the place where the truth rests forever. It may pass through the heart for the moment, as we have in the gospel. The truth entered the hearts, but it didn't stay there with some.
Because it has to pass through the conscience.
And I'm sure that when we're in the presence of God, because we are this morning.
That the truth.
Enters our hearts, and if there is.
The reality with us, the conscience will be awakened.
There isn't a person here, but what needs the conscience awakened? We never can get into the presence of God.
Ever. But what? The conscience is awakened because that's the way of growth in our souls will never grow without the conscience awaken, no matter how simple a subject is, the need of our hearts, whatever it is, no matter how simple.
Conscience must be awakened, otherwise we can't hold the truth.
The figure of the Bent Bale, I think, brings both of these truths before us as to communion that as soon as Jesus had expired, given up his life, that veil was rent from the top to the bottom, an act of God, almost as though he was relieved that he could come out into the light.
Before man, and show him all that grace and love had brought. Before that he was back in the darkness.
But that's God's side, and that's.
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, that's God's side, that's possession. He comes out from the light and we're in the light position. But communion is a two way thing. And that veil was rent also so that men could go in in peace right into the presence of God resting on a finished work. And that's what you and I are invited to do, particularly in Hebrews.
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In prayer.
And in worship and if we're going to have peace as to going in there.
Then condition has a little bit to do with it, but this communion, God wants it and we want it so that our behavior does enter into our side of the things as to how much we enjoy. And like you said, it's what we enjoy that really controls us and gives us happiness down here.
Uh, that's something. All of this we can enjoy now by faith, but the full thing, I believe, is the actual carrying into the Father's house.
Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me and everyone of God's children. Everyone of the household of faith is going to be brought there by Jesus. Let's look at Hebrews chapter 2 to get an expression about it.
And it carries us right to the time when we are brought in in this chapter.
And we can enjoy looking at this because it could be today.
It uses that expression chapter 2 of Hebrews, verse 10.
It became him For whom are all things? And by whom are all things? In bringing many sons under the glory, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The one who does it, it tells about him to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Well, that's a whole lot there as to his priestly service right now. But he's going to bring us in and I think we get the introduction in verse 13.
The last part of it, behold I and the children which God hath given me. Now Jesus has undertaken to bring many sons to glory, and he's going to get us all there. So I think we ought to enjoy that. We're getting very close when he finally brings us in there in the new bodies, right into the Father's house in glory.
I'm sure that.
I'm sure that Lord Jesus.
Enjoyed Phillips question in verse eight of our chapter.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father.
And it suffice us. Or he could say, Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.
And I'm sure the Lord Jesus enjoyed that question because that was his mission.
He had come for that very purpose, to show the Father, and it must have really been a precious thing for the Lord to hear this question from Philip.
And get that response that Philip said. It'll be enough for us if we just know the father.
And I think that's a precious question and a real godly desire. And I would want that desire too.
Some of you know my son Mark.
He was asked to give a little talk at one of the.
Young people's meetings not too long ago.
And someone said to us who was there? Why? They said he looks like his mother and he talks like his father.
Well, that made us both feel good.
And.
We like to think that there would be something come out of our children that would represent us.
And in the Lord Jesus we see this in its full bloom.
He was here on that mission to represent his father.
To demonstrate his father and throughout the book of John, as you all well know.
He never left the father's bosom.
In his soul he was always demonstrated as the only begotten Son who was with the Father.
Who was here to declare the father? And it just amazes me. In fact, I have just been enjoying a personal reading through the book of John.
And I've had to go slowly, because it's so bright and so full. But I see the Lord Jesus in every detail of his life of pleasing the Father. It made no difference what he did. It was always in view of doing the Father's will, and even if it was a question of receiving.
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People who came to him. Why? He says. I received them because the father sent them.
And he says, I won't cast anybody out who comes to me, because the Father sent them to me. And I wouldn't cast out anybody that the Father sends to me. Him that cometh to me I will. In no wise cast out follows the verse that he said. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. So even in receiving the Sinner, he receives them as a gift from the Father. And when it comes to giving his life, he says, I lay it down.
My Father gave me the commandment and the authority to do so. So it just thrills your heart to see the Lord Jesus in every detail of his life, acting as a display of the Father's heart and a a representative of the Father's business. Now it takes us to verse 9, where the Lord Jesus speaks back to Philip, and he says, Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you? And yet hast thou not known me, Philip.
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.
And how sayest thou then Show us the Father.
Well, I like the way the Lord Jesus answers Philip. He answers him in a gracious way and brings before us the wonderful truth that the Father is fully displayed.
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I thought I'd mention this too, that I think is profitable.
We've been talking a lot about the father's house.
Which is our ultimate destination.
And sometimes young people say to us.
Are we going to see the Father when we get to the Father's house?
Are we going to see the Holy Spirit when we get to the Father's house?
Now that's a good question.
And we have the truth of God to answer that question for us when you and I get home to the Father's house.
We are going to see the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the visible display of the Godhead.
And we're going to be very conscious of the father's presence. We're going to be very conscious.
Of the Holy Spirit's presence. But our eyes will be forever fixed upon the glorious Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we see Him, we will see the Father displayed. So we are not going to see the Trinity. We are not going to see the full display of the Godhead in the three Persons who are distinct and definite. There are three persons in the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son.
And God, the Holy Spirit, all our God, and all have the right to the title Jehovah. They are all God. They are all Jehovah. We will not see the three members. But when we look upon the Lord Jesus Christ and fix our gaze upon Him forever with joy, we will see the full display of the Godhead in him. And that's enough for us, brethren.
There are several verses that confirm what our brother has just brought before us, and I'll just mention a few in the Missile for the Colossians, that in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily in second, in first Timothy three we have that God was in Christ.
Manifest in the flesh mystery of greed is the mystery of godliness. God was in Christ manifesting the flesh justified in the Spirit scene of angels and other verses that confirm that we see in him. Hebrews chapter one the express image of his person. So we see everything of God fully displayed in a blessed man has gone on high and he is the one who has.
Manifested the Father. No man has seen God at any time.
But the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath revealed him to us. So we see all of the Godhead perfectly exhibited in that blessed man, our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Someone who's asked the question.
Or asked the question of Mr. Darby once I believe in Montreal, his visit there.
They were perplexed about this subject and they said we'll ask Mr. Darby when he comes.
Mr. Darby, But we see God in heaven.
His answer was could you think of being for a whole eternity?
In the presence of God, without being conscious of his presence.
That's sufficient.
Conscious of his presence in this expression we have here.
In the eighth verse, Philip was one who did not say much, but what he said was worthwhile.
Lord, show us the Father, and it suffice of us, does it, brethren?
As we look at Jesus the heaven, Hebrews says. But we see Jesus.
Does that suffice us or do we have to have something else? I say does it suffice or do we have to have something else?
Lord, answer that in an interesting way. He answered with a question. Have I been so long time with you? And yet thou hast. Hast thou not known me, Philip? That's a very personal and very probing question, isn't it, brethren?
If some of our young people sometimes like to get to know each other, in fact some of them got up early this morning and had a little volleyball game and I think they got to know each other a little bit through that volleyball game. But we might ask.
Ourselves, how do we get to know one another? And someone might say, well, we spend some time with them and we notice that the Lord is saying, Philip, you've spent a lot of time with me and yet you haven't got to know me. And I I think that it is possible for people to be married for a lifetime, spend time with with each other, and maybe not really know each other, because the answer is not spending time with each other as Philip had with the Lord.
But the answer is, as has been brought out earlier, in communion with one another. And so in communion we get to know each other. It is if I spend all of my time talking to my wife, I don't get to know her, but when I listen to her, then I get to know her so.
Phillip had spent all of this time, but he didn't really know the Lord. And if he had known the Lord then he would have known the Father, because they too.
Where one, and I just say, this brethren, we might ask ourselves this question. How long is it that we have been saved? How long is it have we that we have been traveling along this pathway with the Lord Jesus? And if he were to ask us this question, have I been so long time with you, Dan? And yet thou hast not known me. It's kind of a probing question, isn't it? We might consider it and.
Ask ourselves, do we really know the Lord? Or when we hear the shout and we step up there on the cloud?
For the very first time, and we see him face to face, will he seem like a stranger to us?
He and the Father were worn out, and I did a show all the time now.
John Miller is very deep.
Do you live in the pub?
Person of the Lord Jesus is an unsearchable mystery, isn't it? Someone was asking me just yesterday about or Saturday about the 28th verse, for my Father is greater than I. And here we see the Lord Jesus as the one who came down into this world in humiliation. We read in Philippians chapter 2 That it was no robbery for him to be equal with God, yet he took upon him in the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man.
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And saw having taken the place of a man who remains a man for all eternity.
And if he takes the place of a man, he fills it perfectly. In the place of a man was obedience.
And our precious Savior, who never left His place in the Godhead, came down and took that place remains a man, really. So we can see him as it says in the first chapter of John, No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.
He has declared him, And so the Lord Jesus if you turn over to.
One Corinthians 15.
I think this is very beautiful what is brought before us here.
The 24th verse then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father.
When he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power, for he must reign, till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death, for he has put all under his things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him.
That God may be All in all.
You see in the pathway of the Lord Jesus how?
He took that place of obedience. He didn't speak a word without a command from his father.
He didn't do anything unless his father told him to do it. The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works, and that blessed one who is still God, he remains in that position. What for will to have our company? That's the marvel of marvels of the scripture, like the Hebrew servant who wouldn't wouldn't go free. And so his ear is bored through with it all, and he serves forever in order to have the company of his bride.
And to please his father who wanted him to do this. And so how?
Wonderful, it says. And when this expression ends here it tells us the sun will be subject, and that is, he will remain a man in the proper place of a man with the company of redeemed man, as we had it in Revelation 21. The Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Man's sin was in submission, but the Lord Jesus fulfills the place.
Perfectly. And we'll have our company. But this expression that God may be All in all.
Is not the Father merely there? It's the whole Godhead. And that's very beautiful.
Past God created man and placed him in a position of headship over the earth, and he spoiled everything.
Was God going to be frustrated in his purposes? No. But the only way those purposes could be fulfilled was for God to become a man and the person of Christ.
And so he becomes a man and sets everything right.
As it tells us in the Psalms, then I restored that which I took not away.
And so God is All in all. God had a purpose. God's Son fulfills his purpose, and it's by the power of the Spirit it's fulfilled. And God is All in all, and in the eternal scene, by the purposes of God will be fulfilled His blessed Son. There the one who fulfills that place, God has a family of children. The Lord Jesus introduces us to the Father's house. Behold, I and the children whom God hath given me.
We stand in the new relationship in Christianity as his bride and the Spirit of God is the power by which all this is accomplished. And God is All in all in the eternal state. Well, it's very beautiful the way these things are brought out in the scripture. Those who try to understand the mission of Christ only fall into error. But when we just take it in simplicity as God has stated it, it's all very blessed, but it's beyond our minds.
No man, nor the son, but the father, that's the 10th person, believe itself.
00:45:05
To know the truth is one thing, but to believe it is another, and to believe it is where the conscience has reached the heart.
Just to know it is in the mind, it's true that all truth that you'll ever get passes through the mind.
But it's for the heart to go through the conscience.
So that it might become your own.
Believe us thou on this. Remember what the Lord said to Martha.
When in the case of Lazarus?
In the grave, he says I am the resurrection and the life. Well, that's a fact. Then he says Believe us all this.
That's what it reaches the conscience. If she believes that that had reached the conscience, be a part of her forever.
And so it says here.
Believe us thou not, that I am in the Father.
And the Father in me, the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself.
But the Father that dwelleth in me, he does the work, believe me.
Notice that word believe. Believe me that I'm in the Father, and the Father and the Father in me.
Or else, believe me, for the very work's sake.
You are saying that the Lord Jesus will restore everything.
For the Father.
It's been said, you know that if there's one created thing that's missing.
And the.
Time of the Kingdom being set up, God will not have fulfilled his purpose what he said.
We're here today about certain things that are extinct. They'll all be there when the Kingdom set up. Everything will be restored, then restored. I that which I took not away.
I was glad, Brother Aho.
That you called our attention to the 28th verse of the chapter.
Where it says my father is greater than I Now that's not the first time that the Lord Jesus said that. He said it in that familiar verse that we love so much.
In John 10 verse 29.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all.
No, that doesn't. I'm not correct on that. I thought there was another place where the Lord Jesus said the Father is greater than I I thought it was in the 10th chapter.
But I'm mistaken.
But at any rate, I'm glad you brought that thought to us, that my father is greater than I.
And I've often used that.
That illustration that.
The Lord Jesus is the Son of God.
And he's the only member of the Trinity, whichever humbled himself.
And became a man. The Father has not humbled himself and become a man. And the Holy Spirit has not humbled himself and become a man. But the Son of God has humbled himself and become a man. So in that sense the Lord Jesus can say about his Father My Father is greater than I because the Father has not taken the holy place that the Lord Jesus has. Is that not correct?
I've often used that with people that deny the Trinity and they use that verse to do so.
I tell them that the Lord Jesus is the only member of the Trinity.
Who has taken an inferior position, He did not abandon his.
Place as a member of the Trinity. In so doing he was not less.
What he was by the position that he took, but he did take a position of loneliness, which the other members of the Trinity did not take. And that's why he can say my Father is greater than I. Is that wonderful though, for the reason that the very person you're Speaking of, the man that has been brought out already this morning in him, brought us all the fullness.
00:50:11
Of the Godhead.
Bodily.
The physical body.
And him dwelt all fullness, nothing missing.
Him And get that in the Hebrews one where you see all those glories that belong to God are seen in Jesus, and yet he became a man.
We understand that very simply and natural things. If the king had a sudden and his son went out to be an example to a group of workmen and put on working clothes, he is still the son of the president, no less at all because of those clothes he has put on at that position he has taken. And so the Lord Jesus humbled himself. I say we understand it in natural things and in divine things it's beyond us because he remains God.
He could control the waves, he could raise the dead to life. He could do everything and saw he was God and man equally and one person. But the fact that a person takes a lower place doesn't mean he's left the highest place even in natural things, and so we just simply bow to it as God has told us. Another verse that causes people a problem is the beginning of the creation of God.
But there are two creations. If I can speak in that way, there is a creation that was ruined by sin.
And the first man was placed at the head of that creation. He spoiled it all.
But there's a person who came into this world who is the beginning of new creation, and in him everything that has been spoiled is going to be set right. And that blessed one, in whom all the fullness of the God had dwells, is the beginning of this new creation. We need to be very reverent and remember that we're treading on holy ground when we speak of the glory of the person of Christ. But these things are very simple where there's simple faith in the soul.
And were warned against leaving the simplicity That's in Christ, aren't we?
Because he's.
For in him all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased as well.
Yes.
A simple truth.
The reason? He could say in verse 7 or believe for the very worst state. He did works that only God could do, didn't he? And so he was God and man. He never lost anything by taking that lower place. The works testified that he was divine.
1St 10.
Depression I am in the Father, and the Father is me and.
The expanded a little in chapter 16 and verse 32.
Where it says, Behold, the hour cometh, yay, and is now come, that ye shall be scattered, and everyone to his own, and shall leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. Not has often been pointed out that the Lord Jesus, and the Father being one.
Is a wonderful truth. But we know that on the cross he cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And this has brought questions in the minds of some. And I know it's the character of God, and it's also the character of the Father. And I think it relates to the thought that we've had that the Lord Jesus, in whom all the fullness of the God had dwelt bodily, is yet man perfect man. And so perhaps we could have a few words on this thought of the 22nd first verse of the 22nd Psalm, the Lord Jesus on the cross And yet.
Being one with the Father.
So we really only understand the truth as we have it worth the scripture. And so we know that the Lord Jesus on the cross in addressing the Father Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. And but when in the hours of darkness He is forsaken of God, Scripture doesn't use the expression forsaken of the Father, yet God was His Father at that time and there was never any time in all eternity when He was more.
00:55:14
Pleasing to his Father, and glorifying his Father that in that very time.
But nevertheless, as God He is holy, He's infinite, and so he cannot look upon sin. And so the Lord Jesus speaks to him as the one who is holy. Thou art holy, Thou that inhabit us the praises of Israel. So we just leave those things as the Scripture has put them. We find those who say, well, God died because Jesus is God.
But the scripture doesn't speak in that way. And yet he was God and even.
When he died, he was upholding all things by the word of his power. He never.
Left that place, we just leave these things where God has put them. But we know that Father speaks of relationship, Jehovah, the covenant keeping God the Almighty. There are many titles of God, and so the Lord Jesus in those hours of darkness is forsaken of God who is infinite in holiness. I don't think we can go much farther than just to leave it as it tells us in First Corinthians 2 which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth.
But which? The Holy Ghost, Teacher. And so if we take these things up in the words of Scripture, they're very simple. They reveal blessed facts, but we leave them where God has put them, don't we?
Very peaceful. Realize that after having said my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He then says, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, giving us an example of absolute confidence in his God to although he would take the consequences of sin, his Father still would receive his spirit. What confidence?
1.
Who with whom he had that everlasting relationship of father and son?
Of course we understand, don't we, that that was after the hours of darkness were over, and it was only in those powers of darkness that we hear Him expressing, that being forsaken, He even right up to the beginning of the hours of darkness, all the expressions are Father, and then when they're ended, Father again. It shows the perfection of the Scripture and the holiness of God.
When the Lord Jesus took that place, he was He has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
So much knowledge today of these things and you can talk with many people who are not Christians even and they seem to know many truths.
And that's one thing. And if we gather here simply to know truth, it's one thing. But if we don't get the person before us that in these meetings, we haven't really gotten a hold of what's intended. It's the person. I'll give an illustration.
Some years ago I had the occasion to go into a certain manufacturing plant and when I went to the office, the person said.
To a man, there was sweeping, sweeping around.
Could you show this man through the plant? Yes.
So after he'd taken me through the plant and explained everything to me.
He turned to me and he said, what's your name? My name is Mr. Bush. He was the owner of the entire establishment. So you see he was taking a place of doing what he could around the place.
In sweeping up. But he was the owner of it all.
That's the person, you see. We want to get ahold of the person this morning, not just something about him.
The person.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we know the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we see the Father and the Father that's before us in this gospel, and each we're on the way to the Father's house. So I'm wonderful to know God is our Father.
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There were great works that were done in the early part of the Acts by the disciples, but I often have thought that the greatest work is what we have in 2nd Corinthians 5. We pray you in Christ stead, be reconciled to God, and now then we are ambassadors for Christ. What a tremendous privilege that this blessed one who was here in this world, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell God the Son.
He's accomplished that work of redemption that has brought us into such a place of nearness that we can in Christ stead bring a message right from the heart of God to man. What a great work that is No Old Testament St. could proclaim to somebody as it was mentioned to us, justified from all things. And here to us poor sinners say by grace, has given this immense privilege to me. It's better and more wonderful than the miracles of healing and all that that were wrought in the acts to confirm the Word.
No promise that they would continue, but the gospel goes out until.
The Lord Jesus returns again, and we have the privilege of being the messengers.
John 14:13-31
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John 14 verse 13.
Whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, Father, may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not. Neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.
He had a little while in the world seeth me no more. But you see me, because I live, you shall live also at that day He shall know that I am in my father, and ye and me, and I, and you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them. He it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Judith saith unto him, Not ascariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him.
And we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings.
And the world which is the world which he here is not mine.
But the fathers which sent me these things, have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I've said unto you, peace I live, leave with you, I give unto peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Give heard how, I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you.
If you love me, you would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I've told you before it come to pass, that when it has come to pass you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you. For the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me, but that the world may know that I love the Father. And as the Father gave me commandment, Even so I do.
Arise, let us go hence.
It helped me greatly to understand the subject of prayer, a remark that I read, Mr. Darby. He said prayer is based on the privilege of having common interests with God. And I think that's very important in connection with prayer, that God brings our souls into communion with himself so that we want the very things that are his desire and that are his mind for us.
I often say we understand that in natural things you want to give somebody a gift and you think of something they would enjoy. And then after a few days they come to you and say if you ever want to do something for me, this is what I'd like. They asked for the very thing that you had already in your mind to give to them, and you feel very, very happy. You're now in common thoughts and you have great joy. The person who asked is so pleased that that was the thing that you already had.
So that you plan to give to them. It isn't a marvelous thing, brethren, that you and I, as we've had this subject of fellowship before us, can have those common interests with God. But this is only the result of communion. So if we're out of communion, we don't ask the things that are really for his glory, his mind and will. And properly speaking, how could they be in His name if they're not according to his will? I wouldn't want somebody to use my name for something that.
Was contrary to what I would desire. And so the thought of Indiana, my name is a similar thought to be according to thy will.
00:05:08
Two minds printed out at 50 after verse seven. I think it is where if you abide in me and my word abide in you, you shall ask what you will and shall be done unto you. And there we have the Word of God forming our thoughts that have been expressed a common thought with God. And God is faithful and cannot deny himself. So we have power in prayer when we ask in communion with the mind of God, the Word of God, forming our thoughts.
Abraham had the same mind. God and God had the same kind of same.
Said I have no child.
God was thinking about the.
Time when heaven would be filled with children.
And Abraham was thinking about having a son complete all those promises that God had given him. They had kindred thought. The same time he added it to God's thoughts. And God was in that position where he fully understood what Abraham was thinking. But Abraham was the kind of a man you know, that lived alone, separate from Sodom and separate from the cities about.
He lived in the country and that's what we get in the Song of Solomon too.
That is the bridges very much out of place when she got into the city.
That's where our troubles began. But the one who lives alone with God in separation from the world. He might be in the very midst of the world, but he lives alone with God in spite of it, because he's given grace to go through it.
And that's what you're going to you'll find I suppose here in the civilization which were found that.
The righteous soul is is grieved continually is what we have about us. But we're able to walk with God because we can not only speak our mind to Him so He will answer and meet us in our need, but also He reveals His mind to us at the same time.
Now I'm sure that if there is the practice.
And I speak for young people, especially if there is the practice of.
When you get home from school, just drop your knees for a moment.
The rest of the day will be a lot brighter, and sometimes when you get home from school, you'll find there's a lot of burdens, troubles, things you don't understand that's been going on during the day will will all pass through your mind. You'll be happy and the enjoyment of the things of Christ, even though you're playing football, whatever you're doing. And so.
There's such a thing as communion, no matter what you're doing communion with the Lord.
I think it was remarked Saturday that we have a preparation for the church in John's Gospel, and I believe it's so. If we look at the 16th chapter, in the 23rd, 24th verses, we have related verses about prayer, we see how they fit to the disciples.
The Lord was talking to now they continue to fit during this whole age in which we live.
In that day shall ask me nothing.
They had been asking from the Lord as they walked with him, those 3 1/2 years of his ministry, Anything they needed, He was going away. This is a new day, and that day he shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name, ask he shall receive, that your joy may be full.
And now that fit the disciples perfectly to supply for them, giving them a resource to pray to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it fits us all through this age. It was a new thing that was just beginning. He was going up to be intercessors we heard in the address.
00:10:12
Yesterday too. So he is there now.
And the disciples could ask as soon as he went up and.
I like to add what James tells us according to his will.
Where I don't always have confidence for myself that I have the will of God, and it protects one. You think of the children of Israel. They got hungry for flesh. They loathe the manna, that bread from heaven. And they asked, and God gave it to them, but he sent leanness into their soul. They made a mistake, and I might make a mistake, but I should be in communion and know.
The will of God. But I think it's good to add the other according to thy will.
Yes, I believe it's very important.
The Lord can give us a peace in our souls that we have asked according to His will, but I believe that.
We have to be humble, and if we start telling other people, what we're really saying is we're so sure that we're in communion with the Lord that we couldn't miss His mind. That would be spiritual pride. We should never ask for anything that's contrary to his word. But when we ask for something, that we don't have specific direction in the word of God.
Then we should always say if it's thy will, he can give us a piece about it, that he's going to come in. But to tell others is a boast. And so Paul says in in First Corinthians 4.
In the fourth verse.
For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified?
But he that judgeth me is the Lord.
So that Paul sought to maintain a good conscience between himself and God.
But he didn't go around boasting to other people, because the Lord might see something in him that he didn't see himself. That was what Elihu said to Job, and I'm sure it's often true of myself. The Lord sees motives and things in our hearts that we're not fully aware of, and that's why we should ask according to his will. But I do believe, on the other hand, that he can give us a piece about these things. But that verse comes in. In that case, hast thou faith have it to thyself before God?
We should never boast of our spirituality or how near we walk to the Lord. That's a secret between the soul and the Lord. There can be peace about it.
Such a thing is praying the Lord of the harvest, that is, the missionary or the one who is giving out the gospel. He prays directly to the Lord of the harvest, Lord Himself.
Because the word the Lord's work that He's in, and it's a direct communication with the Lord as to the work He's in.
Order.
Oh, so here and then.
15th verse If you love me, keep my commandments.
So we don't do work, we don't do things in order to.
To gain anything, we do things because we love him.
It's that the new orders works by love and by if we love him, we trust him. We have faith in him.
That's Galatians says, by love serve one another too. Very important to have that motive, that heartfelt desire for others and love for God.
I would like to ask a question that has been a real burden on my own heart and a test in many ways, and probably be some others have had the same difficulty. When we have asked what we sincerely believe and even know from the word of God to be His will, and we see little response in terms of blessing for souls, possibly, how do we cope with asking what is still so evidently according to God's will and seed?
Apparently no answer for how do we handle that in our own soul.
00:15:02
You base that on.
God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Do you?
Ask for blessing for our children for instance, or for someones salvation. As we prayed this morning for Mr. Razor. How do we cope with the fact that we go on for days and days and see no apparent answer?
President Daniel speak of that one time, yet Lord Anderson immediately and another time he had to read.
21 days working on that.
Patient.
An old brother, Morris Smith. I'll mention him because his grandfather to Al and Morris here he used to tell us God has 3 answers for prayer. Yes, no and wait a while. Sometimes we don't catch on to the answer right away.
Isn't necessarily that the prayer be answered as we desire it because the person?
May be in this affliction for a very definite reason for their own soul, and for the soul of the Saints as well, and it wouldn't do for that person to be healed at that moment.
There's an interesting verse.
Zechariah, chapter 10.
I'd like to read.
Zechariah, chapter 10.
Verse one.
Zechariah 10/1.
Ask ye of the Lord.
Reign in the time of the latter reign.
So the Lord shall make bright clouds and give them showers of rain.
To everyone grass in the field.
The Lord supposes that we have some intelligence as to His ways and his purposes.
And so it says, ask your reign in the time of the latter reign. And if we were more in tune with God's purposes and plans and His precious word, then we would ask for the rain at the proper time. That Scripture applies to. Lee does not brother to the time when the two tribes will come back.
And the Lord's feet will stop monobolic, and he will restore to them again their blessings. So they're asking him something they know is coming.
They know that he had come to bring their first in the latter reign again to them, so they asked for it, but I think it's nice to see that that.
We can say, oh, the Lord is going to bring my blessing to my house because I belong to him. But no, we're to ask.
As you pointed out, we should ask.
As well, because that brings in communion.
Worn out next chapter Chapter 15 and verse 7.
Really, it's very challenging. It says, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. And so really that's the highest calling of all, isn't it, that we abide in him, and his word abides in us. Now we are intelligent as to what His will is, and so we ask according to His will.
Connection with our brother's question, I think we have to take in the whole revealed mind of God. It does say the will of all men to be saved, that's God's desire and will. But the Lord Jesus also said straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in there at so we find that as far as God's desire is.
It's for the blessing of all, as far as we could speak in this way As for the.
Blessing of His people is that we should all walk in the truth, that we should be fully yielded to the Lord. But there are also verses that show us that there are those who will not walk in that, and that's where intelligence in the mind of God comes in. And I believe in asking the Lord we cast ourselves upon His grace. If it's a question of the household, we know that God's desire is the blessing for not only every Christian household but for all mankind.
But I believe we have to cast ourselves upon God's grace because we know from the record given to us in the Word of God that there were some that didn't walk in the ways of their parents, even although their parents were devoted people. And we cast ourselves on the grace of God to come in not because we've been good parents, not because we deserved it, but we just count upon His grace to come into His according to His perfect wisdom and love.
00:20:27
So I think we need not just one scripture. We know that often scriptures such as responsibility are taken out of and taken to prove that sovereignty isn't in the word of God. But those verses that are very clear about sovereignty do not in any way change the verses that speak of responsibility. So no scripture is of any private interpretation. Does not mean that I don't have a right to a private interpretation about a verse. That's not the thought in it.
But no scripture is isolated from the rest of Scripture. It's all one harmonious and complete whole, and we need to take it all together. Well, I believe that's very important for us. There's so much error in Christendom by not rightly dividing the word of truth, taking some verse out of its context, or building on one verse and leaving out another. That has a bearing on the same subject. And I believe that that comes in in intelligence and understanding the word of God.
And then in being near the Lord, laying hold of his will, and that's why I believe, hast thou faith have it to thyself before God.
None of us want a bullish town here. We are to the Lord. But if we are near him, he does.
Make his mind and will known to us, like he did to Abraham, and not to Lot.
I know Abraham that he'll command his household after him until I hide from Abraham the thing that I purpose to do. So both were believers, both will be in heaven, but one walk nearer to the Lord than the other and entered into his mind in a much fuller way.
There was a person that was praying for their child to be saved.
And.
He complained that the Lord didn't answer the prayer.
So the wise brother said, Are you praying that it's the Lord's will, or it's because you want your child saved to maintain a reputation for the family?
And she got the point, and she asked the Lord to pray to deal with according to his will. And your child was saved.
So sometimes we're hindering our own prayers in this next verse we have.
Verse 16 The Lord is praying.
Or well played the Father, and he shall give you another comforter.
I take that to be the Holy Spirit, the Christ, the First Comforter himself, and he that he may abide with you forever.
This is one of the points of security for the Believer.
Even the spirit of truth. Now this expression, spirit of truth, occurs three times in John and John's gospel as the person.
Of the Spirit himself. It occurs once in the epistle, but as to the truth itself more than the person, so it says here.
Even the spirit of truth from the world cannot see.
Receive because it saith him not, neither knoweth him, but she know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
This is the spirit of truth. Now turn to the.
The end of the next chapter.
It says in the.
Verse 26.
But when the Comforters come, whom I will send unto you.
What did we have before?
Praise the Father that he might.
Well, now we find the Lord Jesus.
I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.
Now the 13th verse of the.
60s chapter.
00:25:02
Albeit when he the spirit of truth is come that as he comes on his own.
He will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, that is, from himself. He's always under the direction of.
God, but he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, And he will show you things to come.
He will show you things to come.
Now we have the spirit of truth mentioned in three ways here. First, the.
Father sends him because.
They'll be left as orphans the next time. The Lord himself, who is Lord over all, pardon me, he sends the Spirit.
And finally the Spirit comes on his own. We see the activity of the whole Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In connection with the blessing for the people of God. Now this is true in everything that happens for the people of God. The whole Trinity is involved. You get that largely in John's Gospel too, that the the whole Trinity is involved in the blessing.
Of the Saints of God. One of the great comforts, I think, is these words. He shall abide with you forever. You know, the first time we get the Holy Spirit is when we believe to the Ephesians who are Gentiles, it says, in whom after that he believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
And we will always have the Holy Spirit. We have him now.
He stays here until we go and he goes with us. So much so that in the end of the book, when it's the thought of the Lord's coming, it says the Spirit and the bride say, come, He is down here. He abides with us forever. When we leave he leaves. He goes with us.
We understand from the pressure in the end of 17. For he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you a distinction between the character of the Spirit as to Old Testament Saints, and the character that he takes with New Testament Saints.
Well, there's a new order of things now.
And it's applied to the future here, is it not? That's when the spirit comes.
And today we can say he's here, but at the time of this writing, the Spirit of God had not come in the sense that he speaks of it.
But that was on the day of Pentecost.
Is that your thought?
I was wondering if the spirit of God dwelling with you might have been the character.
Of coming upon Saul, as it were, so that he would be among the prophets, and then departing in a sovereign way, after a specific work had been completed, and then shall be in you, as the coming to indwell, as a result of the redemption accomplished in Christ glorified.
I was really asking if there this expression should give us.
The difference between the two operations, to me it's dwell and with you or among you is the collective sense that we have now. It's dwelling and he dwells in the house now, something that wasn't in the Old Testament. So I say this applies now in my thought and in you applies now as individual. Whereas when the Spirit of God came in the manifestations in the Old Testament, it was only a visit, it wasn't a dwelling.
He just came and visited. The 63rd of Isaiah will tell a little bit about the Spirit of God looking down and coming to visit as a beast goes down in the valley. So the Spirit of God came down.
Didn't they come get to do a specific work in the Old Testament? It seems so to me.
I hope that's right.
Of course it was true that when the Lord Jesus was with them, the Spirit of God was dwelling with them in that sense, because every action in the pathway of the blessed Lord Jesus.
Was always by the power of the Spirit of God. So I, by the Spirit of God cast out devils, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and saw that there was one with them whose every action was a perfect display of 1 led and guided in everything by the Spirit of God. Because he was the Son in this world the Father had sent him, and he was here manifesting by the Spirit.
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All that the Father is, I thought of it in connection with that they had experienced this. They had seen one who worked perfectly, did everything by the spirit of God. But the marvel was that when he went away he was going to send a comforter, that is another comforter, because while he was with them, he was their comforter. When John the Baptist was slain, why they went and told Jesus and he was there.
Meeting every need for them. But he was going to be taken away, and another comforter would come, The very one who was the life and energy of everything in his blessed pathway was now going to come, and indwell them, shall I say, like the Samaritan, he took up the man and put him on his own beast at the very power that led the Lord Jesus through. This world is now the very power that He indwells us, the Spirit of God. So it tells us in John's epistle, He that saith He abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk.
Even as he walked, God is no different standard for us as believers.
They hadn't for his own blessed Son. And in First Timothy chapter three he says the secret of godliness is the pathway of the Lord. Jesus is not the secret of God, brethren, it's the secret of godliness. Do we want to know what a path that is perfectly pleasing to God is? We see the pathway of the Lord Jesus, whose every thought, whose every action cone of his voice, everything, was always by the Spirit of God.
And how wonderful it was for these disciples to think that this one, whom they had seen and been with, now he was going away, and that he was going to send that power, the Holy Spirit of God, to be in them so that they could walk here as he walked. They would no longer be orphans in this world. He was with them. Now He was going away, but the Spirit of God would come. So they wouldn't be orphans. They would have that comfort, that support, that help for the pathway.
But in that 19 first it says.
Because I live, you shall live also.
He was going away, but he was comforting their hearts. The fact that because he lives, he was going through death, that's true, but it's because he lives.
They would live so that our life not only is Christ, but our life is in Christ and it's because he lives as a man that we live.
In verse 18.
Verse 18 the Lord Jesus said.
I will come to you.
Now, does that mean that?
He would see them again after his resurrection.
Or does that mean he would come to them by the Spirit? I'd like to have a clarification of what is meant by verse 18.
I really believe it is coming by the Spirit because of the 20th verse. At that day he shall know that I am in my Father, and ye and me and I and you. They only partially laid hold of what he was saying. He said that he had many things to tell them, that they couldn't bear them, but when the Spirit of truth was come, he would lead them into all truth, and so he would come and he has come by the Spirit of God.
Praised in you the hope of glory. But he dwells in us by the Spirit, doesn't he? And so I believe that's the what is referred to. There is, of course, what we have in the first part of the chapter is bodily coming again to receive us to the Father's house, but in that spiritual sense we can enjoy it now. We enjoy His presence in the midst by the Spirit as we gather around Him. These are all blessed things associated with Christianity, I believe.
I'd like to be diverse in Acts 2 to have a state trip.
About the Spirit of God coming because it's so definite on what we've been speaking about.
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In the second of acts.
And the 32nd verse.
This Jesus has God raised up where we are all our witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he Jesus has shed forth this which he now see and hear. So he did send the Spirit of God after he was exulted, and he came.
And he is here.
But it's the glorified price. Now it is though, that because he's glorified and received the Spirit in that way from the Father.
Those now who believe on him have the Spirit.
Spirit that is glorified Saints.
Whatever he has, whatever he is, might say.
As man belongs to the believer, he's there for us.
He became man for us and so.
He's. He's there.
And we are in a new position. There are now, not just as men that are saved, but really in God's counsels already.
Glorified.
What is meant verse 19? But ye see me.
Read the whole verse yet a little while and the world seeth me no more.
But you see me? What does he mean when he says, But ye see me?
Well, I believe it's really by faith that we see him. We speak often about seeing him in the midst.
Hebrews chapter 2 Says, But we see Jesus, who has made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
Crowned with glory and honor. And so faith sees him, sees him exalted, there, sees him in our midst, and not like the world. As far as the world was concerned, there was a man here in this world. He was the Son of God. They saw him, They crucified him. Far as they're concerned, they don't see him anymore. But we see him. We see him by faith. We see him there at the right hand of God. We see him by faith in our midst. We're very conscious of him and of his presence.
And as you go on here, I think this is confirmed by verses 21, two and three.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them he it is that loveth me, neither loveth me shall be loved my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not ascariot, Lord, how is it that thou will manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, The man love me, He will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Well, this is Christianity. This is how we can enjoy it now by the Spirit of God. And so the Lord is going away. Tremendous loss to them. They look for him as their Messiah who would at that time established the Kingdom, and he's going away. But something more wonderful was going to take place after he had accomplished that work of redemption that they would have the Holy Spirit in dwelling them who would make the very presence of.
The Father and the Son reeled to them.
So again in the nine in the last chapter of Matthew, he says, And lo, I am with you all the way, even unto the end of the world.
Judas tried to understand this. It's something that we all need to understand by faith. But I'm sure every one of us who know the Lord often have a very real sense of His presence, and we see him not in a vision, but we see him by faith. I I had had this thought.
I don't want to debate the issue, but the thought had occurred to me that.
The Lord Jesus is saying yet a little while, and the world will not see me any longer.
But you will see me, because I will rise again, and I will meet you on the way to Galilee.
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Now that's not really a wrong thought, is it that he told his disciples that they would see him again?
It's an interesting thing to me that no unbeliever ever saw the Lord Jesus after his resurrection.
No unbeliever saw the Lord Jesus after his resurrection.
Only believers saw him after he was raised again, and so that had been the thought that I had brought with me to this meeting, and I suggest it as something to think about I.
I think that the truth is there that he said. The world is not going to see me any longer.
I'm going to go into a grave and they won't see me after that, but you will.
Because I'll be raised again and you'll see me and.
I'll meet you in Galilee, and we know that he did.
Believe. That is a correct thought. But the expression goes beyond it, doesn't it? Because I It seems to me that he is Speaking of the Spirit, making him known to us in living reality and as a glorified man. You get that in the 16th chapter you shall see me because I go to my Father.
So I think they He could very well refer to himself in resurrection as being seen of Him. But the thought of the spirits coming and indwelling believers, and the Spirit taking the things of Christ and showing them to us, and teaching us all things, and bringing to remembrance that which he has spoken, would reveal him to us as a glorified man. And we would see Him as we saw in Hebrews 2. And many times reading in connection with the breaking of bread, we see Jesus.
But it's in the 24th verse that's been brought out that not only.
Will we go to see him?
That is, he's coming for us.
About in the mean time both the Father and the son.
Will come down here, that is in spirit so that we can enjoy His presence in the meantime. In other words, we're going to see him, but now he's coming down to see us, as it were, by the Spirit, so we can enjoy that communion that we're going to have forever right here and now. I believe that's what we have in the 24th verse.
A 23rd verse.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him.
And we we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
There was a time when David sat before the Lord.
And he told him about his house for a long time to come.
And that was just before David committed one of his worst sins.
When Peter was just before Peter.
Denied the Lord or was told he was going to deny the Lord.
The Lord told Peter.
I've appointed your Kingdom.
I'm telling you, he was telling him what he was going to give him.
And then he says Satan has desired to have it in may shift to his wheat. The point is that.
Let's not miss the presence of the Lord, because we'll get discouraged down here if we do of the trials and difficulties we're going to go through. Still, while we're here we're going to have trials and difficulties. That's part of the pathway. By these things man live, but remember that if we're in His presence, we'll have that encouragement beforehand, carry us through.
Well, it's wonderful that God has given us His whole revealed mind and His word, hasn't he? So He says He'll teach you all things and then bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. So it's the voice of a glorified Christ from heaven. There's what he said on earth brought back to our remembrance. But Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven and received those precious revelations. And so how wonderful that all these things here.
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Are made good in our souls by the Spirit of God. The Canon of Revelation is complete, isn't it? And the Spirit of God would lead us into all truth.
It's very beautiful to see that stating that little ham 77.
Look Up That Ye Sin Not
Address—Dn. Spence
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We're I'd like you to turn to the second book in your Bible.
The Book of Exodus, chapter 17.
This afternoon we're going to talk about an old theme that I've heard quite a bit as I've grown up.
And yet it is a theme that is ever important and essential to our Christian pathway.
We're going to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High Priest.
And as our advocate.
And since this is a meeting for young people, we're going to try to bring it down on their level so that they can also understand it and get a hold of it so that it might be a great encouragement to them too.
Exodus 17 and verse 8.
Then came Amalek.
And fought with Israel and referendum. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out, men.
And go out fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek and Moses Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him. And he sat there on.
And Aaron and her stayed up his hands, and the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomforted Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under the sun.
And Moses build an elder and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi.
For he said, because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
If we had read the book of Joshua, we would find that the children of Israel had been delivered greatly from the most powerful nation on the face of the earth in that day, the nation of Egypt.
Where they had been slaves for 400 years and they came out from that ******* and they went through the Red Sea.
And they look back and they saw their enemies that were dead on the seashore.
They had been delivered and they saw it sang a song of deliverance, and now they're out in the wilderness and they had difficulty finding food and God sent the manna. They had difficulty finding water, And Moses struck the rock. The rock gushed out with water. And now it we find in this chapter that.
They come to this place where they begin to shine and tempt the Lord.
And it is at this time what they are saying in verse 7 into verse 7 is is the Lord among us or not?
I wonder if you've ever heard a question like that today. You know, sometimes when we get into difficulties and trials and problems, people question whether the Lord is among us. Well, you might say that this is an indication, at least that the Lord is among them, because there was a battle going on.
And this battle began here in the wilderness, and it was.
Greatly emphasized, it was greatly brought to bear upon them as the children of Amalek began now to fight with them. It's bad enough to be out in the wilderness when you don't have any food and when you don't have water and you don't have a road map, that's bad enough. But if you can imagine now the the these people from Amalek coming against them and they don't have any weapons, or at least they they weren't a people that were armed.
And so their only resource is God.
Their only resource now. It's always interesting to me that God could have won this victory if he wanted to just by sending a lightning bolt down and destroying them.
But he did not do that. Instead, he chose a very interesting means here. Here is Moses and Aaron and her, and they go up to the top of this mountain or this hill. And they looked down there on the valley on the next day. And there are the children of Israel doing battle against the children of Amalek. And this battle is ceasing back and forth. And Moses is up there on the hill. And I have no doubt in my mind that he's praying. And as he's praying, I.
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I understand that he from these verses that he lifts up his hand and he's praying for those people.
Down there, his own brethren who are fighting this tremendously great battle.
And after a while his arm gets tired, so he brings it down, and he's resting for a while. And as he does so, he notices that the battle is now going against the children of Israel. So he raises his hand again in intercession for them. And now he notices that the line is moving against the children of Amalek, and he holds his hand as long as he can. And finally it gets so tired that he cannot hold it any longer.
And so Aaron and her come, And they took a stone. They put it under him. And each one of those men stand on each side of Moses, and they hold his hands up. Now notice the plural there. Both of his hands are now held up. They notice the effect of the hands being held up in intercession. And so it's like they're saying, let's hold both of them up, let's hold both of them up to win this battle for our brethren.
The children of Israel down there in the valley.
Well, today we're going to talk about the uplifted hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're going to talk about his duties as our great High Priest and we're going to look at that in a very practical way. And we're then we're going to talk about the advocacy of the Lord Jesus, how he has become, how he becomes our advocate and when he becomes our advocate. And as we look at this, this, these duties of the Lord Jesus there in the glory the this afternoon, you are going to understand how that those hands are uplifted.
On your behalf, I'm sure that many of you, in fact most of you here this afternoon, have received Christ as your Savior. I always worry in a in a group like this that there are those who have made a profession and yet are not real and are just floating along with the crowd. It's always difficult for me to see how anyone could sit through a gospel meeting like we had last night.
With the message preached so clear and so simply, how anyone could just get up and walk away from that?
And yet, I know that it's possible that we're going to be talking to those of you this afternoon who have received Christ as your Savior and who have been sheltered.
From judgment with the precious blood of Christ, who in a sense have gone through the Red Sea, which is Christ's death for us, and have been delivered from the powerful ******* of sin, and of Satan, the God of this world.
We're going to be talking to you because God has not left you alone in the wilderness.
He has a person there at his right hand who is interceding for you.
In those two ways.
Now let's turn over to the New Testament and we will look at the book of Hebrews.
And we'll look at a couple of verses in Chapter 9.
Chapter 9 and verse 11.
But Christ being come, and high priest of good things, to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having made eternal redemption for us.
Verse 24.
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands.
Which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God.
For us.
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Now let's turn back to Chapter 4.
And verse 14.
Hebrews 4 and verse 14.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens.
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not an high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
But was in all points tempted, like as we are yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Now we've seen in these verses a contrast between that which was in the Old Testament.
Where men could see the Tabernacle, they could see the sacrifice.
They could see the great, They could see the high priest who would take the blood of that animal, and he would pass on through the courtyard and into the Holy Holy, the holiest of all, and there he would disappear. And oftentimes when people saw that, they would wonder and they would worry. They would be concerned as to whether God would accept that man with that basin of blood.
Or not. And so there was probably prayer that went up for him when he got on the inside. He would take that blood and he would sprinkle it on an altar there.
That was plated with gold. It had two cherry bombs looking down on it and then after the sprinkling of blood, he would leave.
When Jesus came, Jesus was a man from heaven.
He was not a man from this earth, and so everything that he did was associated with the Heavenlies.
And Jesus, when he died, when he died on the cross in type, did that same thing. And as we we see in verse 14, we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens. I think that the thought is really through the heavens. That is, he laid down his life here on the earth, He went back to heaven, He passed through those heavens right into the presence of God Himself.
And there he is, there this afternoon. Jesus, the Son of God. God, we see this. He us, our great High Priest, has passed into the heavens. He's passed into the presence of God. And what is He doing there? He has already accomplished eternal redemption for us. He has already laid down his life. He has already.
Made that sacrifice that God has accepted.
Forever. And what is he doing now? Well, he's there as our great High Priest.
We have notice this is a double negative. We do not have a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are yet without sin or sent apart.
What kind of a person do we have as our great high priest? What kind of a person is this in the glory with one, with that hand uplifted, making intercession for us as our great high priest? He is a person who has come down here into this world as a man, and he has walked through the scene as a man, and he has experienced many of the things that you and I have experienced. It says that he was.
Tempted in all points, like as we are.
Yet sin apart, Now it's interesting to see the Lord Jesus as he grows up and he's called into.
That public service, one of the first things that happens to him is that he is tempted or he is tempted by the enemy. He goes out into the wilderness, and there in the wilderness he fasts 40 days. And during this time he's going through much prayer and speaking with God. And it is during this time that the devil comes to him and tempts him.
Now I have never fasted for 40 days, but I have read about people who have done this.
And they say that once you get through fasting for a lengthy period of time that there is sudden ravenous hunger that will oftentimes come back once the body is through that fasting period.
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Now the devil knows who he is dealing with. He knows that he is dealing with the Son of God. So he does not tempt him in the same way that he would tempt you and I.
But he comes to him, realizing that he's probably hungry. And so he comes to him and he says, see these stones command that these stones be made bread. Command that they be made bread if you're really the Son of God. And the Lord Jesus very simply says to him, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
So the devil takes him up into.
A pinnacle of the temple. And he says to him, if you're really the Son of God, cast yourself down, because you've got a promise there in the Book of the Psalms that the angels are going to take care of you. God's given his angels charge over you, lest should you should dash your foot against the stone. And the Lord Jesus says, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And so the devil takes him up into a high mountain, and he shows him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And he says, I'll give you all of these if you will fall down and worship me. And the Lord Jesus says to him, Get the hand, Satan, for thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Now from this is what I sometimes call a model of temptation. If you ever want to find out how to get through temptation, look at what the Lord Jesus did here. He was tempted or he was tested. And all three categories the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And there was absolutely no response within him.
You know, when we are tempted, we suffer from a response. The Lord Jesus suffered from an abhorrence to sin. My son Danny has a dog, and this dog's name is Sam.
Sam is a Rottweiler, if some of you are familiar with that breed. We were driving down the freeway on the way into Bloomington the other day and there was a sign, a little bumper sticker on the back of a.
A car, it said. The keys to my car are on my seat beside my Rottweiler, and I was pointing that out to Danny. It's a very, very good watchdog. Very big.
And in fact, the other day Jean called and said that ran out in the street and car ran into it at a fairly high rate of speed. And we don't know which had the most damage, the car or the dog. But this, this dog is a dog that likes garbage.
And so the garbage can outside of the door we have.
We have a lid on the garbage can because if we didn't, the dog would get into the garbage can he loves or she loves garbage.
If my wife got up some particular morning and she found me out in the garbage digging through it and she'd say, honey, what are you doing out in the garbage? Say, well, I was a little hungry for breakfast this morning. She would say, honey, that's not you don't need to be digging in the garbage. I have never dug in the garbage looking for food.
I know that there are people who have some of the homeless people of Los Angeles.
I've never done that. I have no desire to dig in the garbage. Well, the Lord Jesus was that way. He had no response in him at all to the garbage of sin that he found strewn in his pathway. And when the devil came and tempted him in all three of these categories, there was absolutely no response in him. And as he was tested in each one of these areas, he gave us a model.
A model by which we also can have the victory over temptation in our lives.
He responded to each one of those areas with a verse from the word of God.
And everyone of those verses is from the book of Deuteronomy. Now I wonder if you and I as young people had to give 3 verses out from the book of Deuteronomy whether we would be able to do it. The Lord Jesus took one book, and with one book could you say he uses three different verses or three stones to completely obliterate the power of the enemy?
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He uses the book of Deuteronomy because it is it is a record of Israel's failure.
While they were out there in the wilderness, and it brought them onto the ground of grace that that book, it describes God's grace as they failed in the wilderness.
Well, the Lord Jesus is a person who has been here, he's been in this scene.
He's been through the tests and he's there in the glory on your behalf.
And he is someone who is sympathetic not to sin, but to the weakness that is within each one of you. He's sympathetic to that. We have a high priest, Let's read it in the positive, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He's touched. I know that you beloved young people this afternoon sometimes are afraid to go talk to someone.
About a problem that you are having because you're afraid that they wouldn't be sympathetic to you in that problem.
Some of us are that way. Sometimes when parents come and they say, you know, I'm having a real problem with my.
A young person, I say, well, how old is he? And they'll tell me how old he is or she is. And I say, what were you like at that age? It's always important for parents to remember what you were like. And sometimes they'll say, oh, I I was much worse than they were. Well, here we have in the glory a person who never sinned and yet a person who is sympathetic to the weakness that is within us.
And he is there on our behalf, making intercession for us, praying for us. He's there for us this afternoon.
He has been through this life. He was a perfect child. He was a perfect young person. And yet he had imperfect parents. Some of you, all of you here this afternoon, have imperfect parents, and probably some of you have some complaints about your parents and their imperfections. The Lord Jesus had imperfect parents. They did not always make the right decisions in life. They did not always do things the right way. He understands what it's like.
To have imperfect parents, he understands what it's like to be tempted by the enemy.
He understands what it's like to be hungry. He understands what it's like to be thirsty. He understands what it's like to be in pain.
He's been through the cross. He understands what it's like to go through the intense suffering. He's been through the darkness. He understands what it's like to have people along the pathway who turn away from you.
Who scowl at you, who make nasty remarks. He understands what it's like to experience peer pressure in the pathway. He understands what it's like.
Closest friends turn aside and turn away from you to leave you alone.
At the hour of greatest need, that's the kind of high priest that we have.
Right there this afternoon, with hand uplifted in the glory on your behalf. And he wants you. He wants you to understand that he's there for you and that he is sympathetic to you and your weakness, your need. Now, some of you have just started back to school, and for some of you this year, you're going to be introduced to things for the very first time. You're going to experience strong pressure from people.
To join up with what's going on, you're going to have invitations to go.
To places you're going that you know you should not go to, you're going to have temptation to use the language of the world.
You're going to have strong pressure to conform out there to all of the things that are going on in the world.
And this afternoon I want to introduce you to the greatest resource.
Of power and of blessing that I know of and that is an intercessory person at God's right hand.
00:25:07
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Your and my great High Priest.
I want you to understand a little bit of the mechanism of sin and how it happens.
If we would just turn over to the next book in our Bible, the book of James.
And we're going to read a little bit about the mechanism of temptation.
And how it occurs?
James One and verse 12.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation.
For when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Notice the reward that is mentioned, the crown of life. Because you are going to have to go through death itself. You are going to have to see yourself as dead with Christ. You are going to have to take that place as being nailed to the cross with Christ. You're going to have to take that place in death with him if you're going to get power over temptation and he says.
On the other side of that, I have a great reward. It is the crown of life.
Notice verse 13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth thee any man. In other words, the temptation is not coming from God. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin.
And sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death do not err.
My beloved brethren.
I think that God wants us to understand how things happen. And here we see the process of temptation that eventually ends up in death. We see how it happens. It is likened to the process of birth, in which there is a cell on the inside and a cell from the outside that is introduced, and both of those cells have a strong attraction toward each other.
And when there is a mating and when that cell from the outside is brought onto the inside and there is a mating that occurs.
When that happens, there is something called conception.
And that conception results in a life. It is a it is a conception of life that God has created, that God values. And that's why that is why what is going on in this world to end life at that point is murdered. Life has occurred at that point, but eventually there is a multiplication of cells until those cells are formed into a little body.
And that body, when it becomes a certain size, then is now born into this world as a person.
Well, the Holy Spirit is using that analogy, and he's saying that there's an analogy that occurs on the inside. We have a cell that is called lust. We have an old nature that is susceptible, and that lust has strong problems with lust. When we've been born again, we have a new nature that cannot lust, but we also have an old nature and that old nature.
Has when he is in control, causes us to lust and so.
If you if you were to ask me how this happens, here's here's my opinion. I believe that the devil.
Watches us closely. Or those servants of the devil called demons, and he finds out what our weaknesses are. Some have a weakness toward, let's say, maybe toward alcohol. Some may have a weakness toward immorality. Some may have a weakness toward pride climbing things in this world. And so, So the devil knows what the weakness is. He knows what the problem is on the inside.
And so down the pathway he sets a trap called temptation. And when I am walking down the pathway and there is that temp that corresponds to a lust in my heart.
And I stop and I pause for a moment, for I must confess that there is a response within.
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If I bring that temptation inside and I allow it to mate with that lust within, there is a multiplication that eventually results in an outward act called sin gives birth to a sin. And when this course now, when this sin becomes a course in my life, when there are a number of births to outward acts of sin in this direction.
Then it results in a course that God calls death.
Course that God calls death, that is, God is going to have to judge my life.
He's going to have to bring judgment and it may result in actual death.
But it is down that pathway called death.
Now I want to talk a little bit about Christ's intercession for us here as we walk along through pathway the the pathway of life as you start back to school on Tuesday morning and there is a very special temptation that is placed there.
In the pathway. What is it that now will bring the intercession of Christ as our great High Priest into play? Let's turn back.
To Hebrews chapter 4 and we will find the answer.
Verse 16 Let us therefore come boldly before unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Yes, there is the temptation. I feel the weakness. I know that unless something happens, I am going to fall into that sin. I'm going to bring it within my mind, within my thoughts, within my soul.
And so I make a decision. I make the decision to look up in my heart.
Into the glory. And there is my great High Priest who's been praying for me.
And he's saying come boldly under the throne.
Don't come quietly in fear and meekness and trembling. Become boldly.
Just look up and say Lord Jesus.
I need help. I need help. I'm so weak I cannot resist that temptation that is there.
And what will happen when we come to this place called the Throne of Grace?
It is a place of power. It is a place of acceptance.
It is a place of supply. It is a place that finds its basis in the cross.
And I come to that place, and he pours out upon my soul his mighty intercession. He gives me the strength to walk on by that temptation. See that that's what happens. Come boldly into the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This year if the Lord leaves us Here, 1989.
Is going to be a year of temptation. It's going to be a year of trial and test for many of you young people. Last year in 1988 and the beginning of 1989, there were young people that fell by the wayside. Why did they fall? Because they made the decision not to look up to that uplifted hand, that wounded hand.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ as our mighty intercessor, They made that decision to allow that temptation to come within and to give birth to an outward act to start them down a course that was going to end up in disaster. And that's why they're not here this afternoon.
And I just want to encourage you this afternoon to make it.
A purpose of heart, as you go back to your school, you go back to your place of work, to every day begin the day looking up to your great high priest. There in the glory he will pour out a supply that will help you through the day. And when that temptation comes and you find it sitting there right in front of you, not not to allow it to come within.
But with all of your heart, just simply to look up and say, Lord Jesus, I need help, I need your mighty intercession on my behalf right now, here in this pathway.
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Now I want to talk a little bit about the other hand that is uplifted on your behalf and that is the hand of advocacy and we'll find that over in first John, Chapter 2.
First John, chapter 2 and verse one.
My little children, he's addressing the whole family, these things right? I unto you that ye sin not, And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the let's leave out the italicized words, but also for.
The whole world.
Now we're going to focus in a little bit on that word advocate, because it is the other side of the work that is going on for us. Notice that the apostle John says, I write unto you, little children, I plead with you, don't sin. Oh, I plead with you the same, my beloved brethren here this afternoon, my younger brother.
Don't, Sam.
Don't go into sin because it is a painful.
It is a painful experience in the end. Yes, there are pleasures. Yes, there's momentary enjoyment. Yes, there is. But it is a pathway that will end you up and end me up under the judgment of God. But notice it says, On the other hand, if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. Now I I enjoy looking up some of the verse, some of the words.
In my Bible, in a Greek dictionary, and sometimes it gives me a little bit of insight into what the word actually means. And if I can remember from my last study of this verse, an advocate was something like a lawyer.
Like a defense lawyer, I hope that none of you have ever had to get a defense lawyer. But if you have, you know the security that it gives you to be able to turn over all of these things into the hands of someone who knows the case, who knows the courts, who knows the law, who may know the judge, and you can turn this over into his hands.
And allow him to take over for you. It is the word Advocate is a lawyer.
But it is a defense lawyer. It is a defense lawyer. It's not a prosecution lawyer. It's a defense lawyer.
So it also has the thought of a comforter. So it's very difficult to to interpret that back into one word because it has all of those thoughts, a defense lawyer who is a comforter, someone that you would could go to and they would comfort you in the problem or processes that you're going through.
Now, before we go further in this verse, I want you to turn over to Revelation Chapter 12.
And we'll get a little bit of insight into the Court of Heaven.
And we'll call it that, the court up in heaven.
Revelation Chapter 12.
And verse 7. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not. Neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out. That old serpent called the devil. And Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice.
Saying in heaven now is come salvation and strength.
And the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. Now I want you to notice this.
It's a name of the devil, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down.
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Which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their lives unto death.
Now here we have a little look into the future. A little not a little. A great struggle that is going on in the heavenlies, and it's about the middle of the tribulation period of seven years. And God has sent Michael and his archangels to cast Satan out of heaven.
To confine him and his his demons to this earth.
And we can understand from these verses that the devil has access.
To God's presence he has access to the heavenlies, and he is called in these verses the accuser of the brethren.
Now I I have trouble putting this into thought unless I give you a little scene or scenario that I think often takes place. Here is Dan Spence, and he's walking through life and there is a temptation out there in the pathway, and it's at a moment of weakness. And I make the decision not to look up to Christ as my great High Priest. And so I I.
I take the temptation within and it results in a sin.
In my life it results in a sin.
Well.
Immediately or somewhere thereafter, the devil walks into the presence of God and he says, Now, have you noticed that Dan Spence, your servant down there on the earth, your servant so-called, has just committed a sin? How can he be your servant and do a sin like that?
Probably names the sin.
You know, I don't know how many of you parents have ever been through this, but you know the feeling a little bit of when when your children go next door and they soap the windows at someone's house and you know when the neighbor comes over and says.
Your son soaked my window. You know that feeling? The feeling? It's a desperate feeling inside. It's a hurt feeling. It's a a wounded feeling. Well, here's the devil in the presence of God.
And he's pointing out that.
Dan Spence has sinned down there on the earth. He's been unfaithful to the God of heaven. That's when the Advocate comes along. That's when the defense lawyer steps out and he steps in with his defense and he says, yes, I recognize that was a sin, but I want to point you as we had in in First John.
Chapter 2.
We might just turn back to that first John, Chapter 2, but I have, I want to point you to the atoning sacrifice. I want to point you to the propitiation that was made at Calvary's Cross. I want you to know that that sin that he just committed has been fully atoned for. It has been fully covered. It has been fully propitiated. You know, if you were to look at at my hands here this afternoon from a very close standpoint.
You would notice that my hands are have some scars on them. I got this hand caught in a plow and almost cut my thumb off one day. And I put this, this hand through a window when I was after one of my brethren, one of my brothers. And I've got a a scar on that hand. I've got scars all over my hands. You know, if I held my hands out to you, you would notice they were full of defects.
But if I took a handkerchief, a clean one, and put it over the top, you would only see the white of that handkerchief. That is what it is. Atonement is. Atonement is when when our our defects are covered and our defects our sins were covered in the death and the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so he moves in as a defense lawyer and says, Satan, that sin has been covered.
In my blood it has been a tone for it has been paid for.
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And furthermore, here is the record of heaven, and here under Dan Spence's name.
There is nothing on the record. His record is clean. That's what Ron was talking about last night, Justified.
Sid Osborne out out at Lassen this year, was telling about the Rolls Royce and someone who bought one and paid whatever it was 500,000 and he was driving it over on the continent of Europe and the car conked out on him. And so they had to send someone clear over from England to fix that car and they fixed it. And so he was able to drive it again and it worked quite well and he wrote the Rolls Royce company and he said.
I am so thankful that when my car failed, when my car failed, he sent someone to help me.
And they wrote him back a record. And they say, and they said we have no record of any Rolls Royce ever failing.
You see, because that's the kind of record I have in the glory. The devil moves in, and he says, here's the failure and the Lord Jesus opens up the books and he says they're all washed away. There's no record of failure here in the glory. He's my defense lawyer in the court of heaven. And in Revelation 12, it's just like God gets so sick and tired of hearing about all of the faults of the brethren that he tells Michael go get rid of him. I don't want to hear the accusations of the brethren anymore.
He is cast down. And what is the power by which Satan by which Michael does this?
This great act, he does it by the power of God and by the blood of Christ, and by the word of their testimony. So the devil finds his defeat in the cross, and that's why he says he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. That is, the world can come and they can have their sins blotted out there at the cross also.
Now we notice back in one John One and verse 9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That is his work as an advocate, as a defense lawyer, not only includes our defense in the presence of God, but it includes a plan by which we can be restored. We can be restored to God.
You know, I have been in court a number of times, sometimes for other people, sometimes for myself. And I have sometimes noticed that the defense lawyer and the judge will get together in a side room and they'll have a little meeting. And I believe that sometimes, could we say in picture language that happens where Jesus is our advocate, could you say interceding for us there? We'll get together in God's presence and say and say, I have a plan.
For the restoration of Dan Spence, and that plan will involve something.
That will cause me to come to 1St John, chapter one and verse 9.
To the point whereby I will confess that sin, and when I come to that point then he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, that sin, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now I find this and I'm I'm going to share this with you young people here this afternoon, because I know from talking to many of you that this is a problem, that the devil nut only gets his victory.
When he we fall into the temptation and sin, but he gets his victory in the fact that we do not believe first John one verse nine. I have talked to so many of you and I've been through it myself through the experience of falling into sin and then going through a two week or longer period of depression because I dishonored the one who died for me at Calvary.
I know that's a problem, and I believe that it's a problem because we do not believe the simple language of First John 19. If we confess our sins, not if we ask for forgiveness, but if we confess them, he is faithful and just.
Why? Because he is paid for those sins. You'll notice that Calvary not only was there a shedding of blood, but there was a shedding of water.
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And that's what we have in First John 19A cleansing power. The basis for that cleansing is in the in the shedding of the blood and water of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're at Calvary, so he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us. But you say, what if I fall into the sin the next day?
Apply first John 19 and I fall into sin the next week. Apply first John 19. You can be restored instantaneously. Yes, it may be true, if this keeps happening over and over, that God may have to deal with you in judgment. He may have to send some punishment into your life to help correct the problem. But the result of first John 19 of constantly confessing that sin is a confessing.
Or is a is a cleansing power from that sin in our lives. Here we have the two aspects of the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus that is going on right now on our behalf. Our great High priest with hand outstretched wounded hand that has been to the cross to keep us out of the ditch and that other hand outstretched in the glory wounded hand.
Outstretched as our advocate to get us out of the ditch once we fall. Going to give you a little illustration just to help you understand this in closing.
A number of years ago, my daughter, who was then 12 years of age, decided that she would want to respond to an invitation from someone who lived in Toronto, her uncle, to come up there for a couple of weeks. So we decided we'd prayed about it, decided this would be OK, and the particular day we were going to take her to the airport, we had arranged the tickets and called the airlines.
And we found that everything was set for her to come, and Uncle Art was going to come down from the Hammer Bay Area where he had a cabin to Toronto and pick her up. And it was all all set in place and everything that morning when I got up was going bad. Went to work, things were not going well. Left work, things were not going well. Picked up, my family, took them to the airport, got out to the airport. Big long line, 15 minutes to go.
And she's supposed to be on the plane in 15 minutes. That was about 1:00.
And the ticket agent says. But where is her birth certificate? Birth certificate? I said, what do you mean birth certificate? She says. Well, you can't get into Canada without a birth certificate. When did they start this? About two weeks ago. Why didn't you tell me? Well, I'm sorry, but she can't go on that plane. Well, I'm sorry, but she is going on that plane. I won't. I won't put it in quite the language that I did.
That day and finally we came to this point where I realized that she was not going.
On that plane there was number way that I could contact Uncle Art until I'm don't come. No telephone. I did not know his, I did not know anyone elses number. He would come all the way to Toronto about a 5 hour trip and back and not find Tammy there so.
I said to the lady, well, I'm going home to get it.
And she said, how far is that home? A little smile on her face. I said, it's 45 minutes one way. I'll be back in an hour and a half. She said. There's no way that you're going to make it. That plane is going to leave in 15 minutes. Now, as we go through this, I'm going to tell you here, I failed to look up to the Lord Jesus as my great High priest because had I done so, I would have been able to say that that Lady, ma'am, I have a God. I have a God who's able to hold that plane on the runway until I get back.
So excuse me while I go home and pick up the birth certificate. But I didn't say that. And I said to my wife, I said, honey, you keep the kids there on that seat and I'll be back in about an hour and a half. And she saw that look in my eye, that she knew there was no turning me back. So I went out, got in my car, ran into a wall of traffic.
And so I decided to pray. And so I said, Lord.
You're going to have to help me do this, otherwise I will never make it.
In the Lord it was like this, he said. What did you say to that Lady? And I said it wasn't very nice, was it? And he said, no, it wasn't. You were not a good testimony.
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And I said I'm sorry. And you know, the traffic cleared up and I went home and I got the birth certificate and I I was driving back and it was about 2:00. The plane was had was due to leave at 1:15. It was 2:00. And I came to realize how really unintelligent this move was. So I said to myself, I'm going to go and I'm going to apologize to my wife and my family for making them sit through this. This was really not a good move.
And here I failed to realize that.
I have a great high priest there in the glory, and that morning we had read about Joshua and how he commanded the sun and the moon to stand still.
And they stood still until the battle was over. And I said, Lord, I know that if you could command, if you could stop the sun in the middle of the heavens, that you could stop that DC-10 on the runway. And I drove into the Los Angeles International Airport, head down, ready to make this confession, and suddenly my wife comes running out of American Airlines. And if any of you know Gene, you will know, you can always tell which way things are going.
And her face vibrant, she snatches that out of my hand and she was gone. I jumped out of my car. I looked. All I could see was there was my daughter and my wife just going for all they were worth, things flying and behind them. I picked up a hat, her only hat, And when I finally got up there, they closed the door and Tammy was on.
The Lord held that on the runway his mighty intercession.
And you know, I was standing there with this hat in my hands and I was, what are we going to do with this? And we decided to pray. And along came a stewardess and we said, could you give this hat to that girl on the plane? She's sitting in first class. They put her on 1St class. Could you give this hat to that little blonde haired girl in first class? And she said, sure. And you know, it was a tremendous lesson to me that the intercession of the Lord Jesus as our great high priest.
Not only can make a DC-10 sit on the runway for two hours longer than they were supposed to, but can even get a hat onto the plane so she can have something to cover her head during the meetings. I want to encourage you young people to exercise your option during this coming year of accessing the tremendous intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ as your great High Priest. And if you fail?
To remember that he's there as your defense lawyer on your behalf and that he will help you get out of the ditch that you are in. Let's pray.
Our Sanctuary, Lord in Thee
Address—G. 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.
Exodus Chapter 15.
Verse 17 Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance.
In the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established, And then let's turn over to Exodus 25.
Exodus chapter 25, the first verse.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering, every man that giveth it willingly With his heart he shall take my offering.
And the eighth verse, and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell.
Among them, according to all that I show thee after the pattern of the Tabernacle.
And the pattern of all the instruments thereof, Even so shall ye make it.
And then in Psalm 96, I believe it is.
Psalm 96.
And the sixth verse.
Honor and honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord. O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Well, as I said, I'd like to speak a little bit about the Sanctuary. I believe in the scripture. It's something like Shiloh. Shiloh was a person, and Shiloh was also a place in Genesis. It speaks of that the Lawgiver would not depart from Judah, nor the ruler from that that tribe, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
And then when they entered the land, there was a certain city that was called Shiloh. Directions were given in the end of Joshua showing us that it was a place, a geographical place that had to be found. And so we know that there is a person, and there is a way that we can gather that according to his precious word, what a blessed thing it is for us brethren, to enjoy individually his presence.
And also to know that we can gather in a way that is pleasing and honoring to him.
I believe it's the most wonderful portion that we can have. As one is often said, to have. The enjoyment of His presence, individually and collectively is really the sweetest thing that we can have if we lose, If we lose that, we really lost everything that is worthwhile. Christian fellowship is very lovely. We read in the second chapter of Luke about when the Lord Jesus was here upon earth and was a boy.
That it was the habit of his parents to go up from year to year to Jerusalem. That was the place where the Lord had put his name. And we read of how and the Lord Jesus was 12 years of age that he tarried behind and was talking to the doctors. And it says that his father and his mother went a day's journey and found that he wasn't among the company. And sometimes when I read that, I think how easy it is for us to.
Come up, let 2 occasions like this and have a nice happy time and really enjoy.
Fellowship together and go away and take a day's journey without him.
Maybe just thinking about how nice it had been if I could picture them as they traveled home.
They talk to one another of how wonderful it was to have been up there at Jerusalem, how they had seen that temple so glorious that even the disciples showed it to the Lord. And they could have talked about all those whom they had met, the nice conversations they had had. But they took a day's journey without him. And I say we can enjoy the fellowship which many of us have enjoyed here together, and yet we can go on without him.
And so they turned back, and it took three days before they found him.
And they found him just where they had left him. There he was. He was in the temple.
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And there they found him. And so if we find that we have been going along without him, perhaps just satisfied to say, well, I'm in the meeting and I enjoy fellowship with the Lord's people, but there isn't that personal communion with the Lord. It's worth two to three days journey back to find out where the point was, where we missed him, where we got so occupied with the nice times that we could have, and the good fellowship.
That we actually lost sight of the Lord. Well, I just mentioned this because.
I hope it's in context with what we're going to speak about. It was a little mentioned about this this morning, our brother.
Brother Buchanan brought this a little bit before us about the sanctuary and so on, but I'd like to speak of it in this way and then look at some of the Psalms that have to do with this side of things too, going back to that passage that we read in Exodus chapter.
15 We know the story very well.
How the children of Israel were in slavery in the land of Egypt. There they were under the cruel taskmasters.
There they were, and they cried out to the Lord, And the Lord in his goodness provided deliverance for them. He sheltered them from the judgment by the blood that was sprinkled on the lentil and the two side posts. I hope each one here this afternoon has taken shelter under the precious blood, for nothing else will shelter from judgment. Nothing else will cleanse from sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. There's no other shelter. There's no other way of escape from judgment.
And He not only sheltered them from judgment, but He also provided A feast for them in their homes.
He gave them assurance so that they didn't have to wait till the moment the Destroyer passed through. They knew beforehand that they were safe. They could just rest in those homes and say we're safe. Because Jehovah said when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Is there a doubting Christian here? God doesn't want you to doubt. He wants you to rest upon His word. If you're if you've received them as your savior, you're safe. But He wants you also to be sure.
One should have peace, but then too, there was a peace, and there was provision how they could enjoy that feast. Brethren, he wants us to be happy Christians, Mr. Darby once said. Our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord. This world is full of misery and sorrow, and they're looking for somebody that has found happiness and found a way of getting it. And they ought to see in US that we have. They ought to see in US that we have a portion that really feels and satisfies our hearts.
A glorious person, the person that we talked about this morning, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead is pleased to dwell, is the one who is our Savior, the one who designs to fill our hearts with peace and joy. And so there was also this beast, and then there was the deliverance out of Egypt. They went through the Red Sea, and it tells us in Galatians chapter 2 That the Lord Jesus died, that he might deliver us from this present.
Evil world according to the will of God and our Father. He didn't intend to leave them back there in Egypt.
He intended that they should be outside of that, but as they.
Cross the Red Sea they could rejoice and sing. And then there was the.
Wilderness path. Before them, there were those 40 years, 40 years, as one is often said.
To learn the two great lessons of Christian life, our own.
Weakness and helplessness and the all sufficiency of Christ. That's what God told them.
As they look back upon the wilderness, they were to remember all the way the Lord had LED them to humble them.
And to prove them and to show them what was in their hearts. And also he said that they would prove that the Lord would provide, He did provide the manna how he provided the water their clothes didn't wear out, took care of them all the way.
And rather than the two things that God teaches us in our wilderness pathway, our own helplessness, we're slow to learn this, but His own all sufficiency and how blessed this is. I don't say we have learned it, but these are the lessons that He is seeking to teach us along the way.
And at the point where we read here they have just crossed the Red Sea, they look back.
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They see all their enemies dead upon the seashore and they break out in song. And surely we ought to be singing too. We have the little hymn that says this is my story, this is my song, praising my savior all the day long. He's given us every reason to praise him and thank him, And it's very interesting as we read through this, how they.
As it were passed over the whole wilderness. Notice the 13th verse.
Thou in thy mercy has led forth the people whom thou hast redeemed. Thou hast guided them in thy strength. Unto thy holy habitation, 40 years of experiences were ahead. But this is in the past tense. And the captain of our salvation is not going to let one of his own fall. By the way, he's going to bring many sons home to glory and so.
Triumphant song here in the 15th chapter of Exodus, they're singing as though the wilderness.
Were all past. A lot of experiences followed, experiences that were very humbling.
Experiences that were very wonderful too as they proved God's goodness. But now we come to this verse that we read the 17th verse.
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in.
In the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.
What is a sanctuary? Well, they have bird sanctuaries. They have animal sanctuaries in. In those sanctuaries, the birds or animals are protected. It's a place of security for them. Well, we go through a world that's full of enemies, but there is a place of security for us, and that is in the Lord Jesus. He is our strength and our song. He's become our salvation. He's everything to us.
And so he is our sanctuary, and we know that.
It speaks here of them coming into that promised land and that is what is referred to.
The place for thee to dwelling in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
Ask Canaan that it's talking about and how wonderful that for us.
We look forward to a time of eternal rest, a time when God himself shall wipe away all tears out of all faces.
When we, as it says, his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads, that's what it's going to be at the end of the journey. That's how glorious it will be when, as you notice the word, sanctuaries here in the capital. And I believe the thought is that the Lord himself wanted to bring them in and plant them there, He wanted them to enjoy his full provision for them.
We know that they place themselves under conditions that they couldn't keep, and they spoiled it. But that was his purpose for them. That's what he wanted to do for them. And in the coming day he's going to fulfill that. And his people will lie down safely, and they will all be blessed. You know how blessed for us to look on to that time, brethren, when we'll be there and when we'll enjoy those things, it's all of himself. Thou shalt bring them in and plant them which thou hast made for thee.
For thee to dwell in notice, for thee to dwell in because he wants.
The company of his people. He came down to have the company of Adam and Eve, but they hid from him.
But he has provided for us something even more glorious than arrests on earth. He's provided, as we sang in the hymn, the rest of God our rest to come, our place of liberty. Sometimes I like to think of it like this, as though God looked down when man spoiled it by sin and said you spoiled the rest, that I wanted you to enjoy the place where I could walk in the garden and commune with you. You've spoiled it by your rebellion and sin.
But I am going to invite you to a place you can't spoil, and I'm going to pay the price so you can be there over Ethan. If we just get hold of these thoughts, they'll fill our hearts. They'll make us realize what our portion really is. And so this was what the Lord desired for His people. And he wants us to live in the constant enjoyment of that glorious future that awaits us. But He also wants us to be.
00:15:06
In a present enjoyment of himself.
And of his company. So if you turn over to this 25th chapter of.
Exodus.
Here we find that the people have been redeemed. They have been brought out. In the meantime. They had asked for the law and placed themselves under it. But if they had been under pure alloy, it would have been certain judgment.
No, when Moses came down from the mount with the tables of stone in his hand.
Why the people had broken the first commandment. They were worshipping the golden calf. And so Moses broke the stones at the foot of the mound. Because if those commandments had been brought into the camp, it would have been judgment on everyone, and are not into judgment with thy servant. For in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified. So he broke them, and he went up. And he said, Peradventure, I shall make an atonement for you.
Well, the Lord told Moses he couldn't make an atonement, but he did.
Give him the whole pattern of things in the heavens, because out of the Tabernacle is spoken of as a pattern of things in the heavens. And so Moses went back, and God provided a way that he could go on with a guilty people, and he gave him the pattern for the Tabernacle. He gave them all the instructions, and said to him, See that thou make it according to the pattern which is showed thee on the mount. So when Moses came down the second time.
His face was shining. He had other tables of stone, exactly the same as the ones that had been broken.
But they were placed in the ark, and on top of the ark was the mercy seat where the blood was sprinkled. God hadn't changed. His standard was exactly the same.
God's holy law could not be changed, but grace had provided a way that he could go on with him, a picture of his provision and so Moses face could shine. And so this is the instruction given here in this 25th chapter of Exodus.
Where it tells us that.
That those who?
Those that says speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering. Every of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart he shall take my offering. He were, as I say, a redeemed people. They were brought out. God made provision now to go on with them. And now doesn't this produce something in your heart? You and I, brethren, are not under law. We're under grace.
We didn't come to these meetings because we had to, but because we wanted to be over the word to learn more about our blessed Lord and Savior. Christianity is liberty, holy liberty, and so they would offer willingly. And we often sing in that little hymn love that transcends our highest powers, demands our soul, our life, our all. Can you stop for 5 minutes and think of what the Lord has done for you?
And not feel something tugging at your heart that you want to give willingly to the Lord. Are you saying, oh, it's hard to be a Christian? It's hard to let him be Lord in your life? Not if you think of how much He loves you, not if you think of what he's done for you. Thou in thy mercy has LED forth thy people whom thou hast redeemed. Or just think of the cost. The cost we spoke of a little this morning, the forsaking, the bearing of sin, and the place of nearness that we have been brought into.
And so.
Knowing this now, it tells us here that these people were to bring an offer willingly, and then it says, and let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. He wants your company. He feels grieved when he doesn't have our company, and he it's going to be his enjoyment, tells us that in that coming day he shall joy over thee with singing. He shall rest in his love.
I like the way the little hymn puts it. He and I, in that bright glory, 1 deep joy shall share.
Mine to be forever with him. His that I am there. When we love our children, our families, those dear to us, how we just enjoy it so much to be in their company. Oh, they're coming home. They're going to have a nice time. What are they going to do? Well, I don't know, but we're just going to have a nice time because they're there. And how wonderful. That's why God, in describing heaven, gives very, very brief description about it. But rather his servant shall serve him and they shall see his face and his joy is going to exceed ours.
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That I may dwell among them, but there was a pattern.
And the pattern was to be followed exactly, says in another place that God said to Moses, See thou make it according to the pattern which I showed to thee on the mount. And I want to ask you, were you just patterning your life according to your own plan, or is the expression of your heart like with Saul of Tarsus? Lord, what will thou have me to do? I need to ask myself that when we make our plans for the day.
Even as to how we gather, because this was to be the gathering place and the Tabernacle was pitched, it says everyone that sought the Lord went out unto the Tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. And so it's the it's a person. And so they weren't to do their own planning. It was to be exactly according to God's plan. Well, you say that would make it kind of hard. You think the person that loved you enough to die for you.
Is trying to deprive you of something that's for your good.
Why? Everything that he gives is a positive apex. It's the best that heaven can give.
Even when we look at this world, how wonderful God's creation.
Get up in the morning and see the beautiful sunrise and all the wonders of God's creation. Don't you often stop sometimes and marvel how everything is so wonderful in the creation? Everything is lovely. Man has spoiled it. But as God made it, how how beautiful. And the plan that he has made for salvation, how glorious, costs us nothing. Salvation is a gift. And then to that he's made a plan.
How his people could gather, he said. How they were to pitch their tents around this Tabernacle when it was set up, Did they plan themselves? No, it was all planned of God.
You know, it's rather strange sometimes that any Christians, and I believe many of them, have a real desire to please the Lord, have never really asked the Lord how He would have them to assemble.
There's a common expression in Christendom. Go to the Church of your choice as though you followed God's plan up to the time you get saved, and then from then on you kind of.
Take over with your own ideas about how you're to serve the Lord and how you're to gather. It was your planning then. Now in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. So we find them the sanctuary after they had crossed the Red Sea. He says that he would guide them to the sanctuary, and I believe it's a picture of the blessing that God has in store for Israel.
In a coming day when he finally brings them into blessing and when they'll have to say.
We have not wrought any deliverance in the earth. That's what they'll say, and they'll just have to.
Thank the Lord that he's done it all, and so with us too. We have been redeemed. How are we making the sanctuary for the Lord?
Are we enjoying his company and walking in such a way that he can walk with us and that we can hold sweet communion with him? What a great privilege that is, and turn over to that verse that we looked at in the Psalms, the 96th Psalm again.
Psalm 96.
Honor in verse 6. Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord.
Oh ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength, Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name, bring an offering, and come into his courts, says Honor and majesty are before him strength and beauty.
Are in his sanctuary. We often feel pretty helpless in the pathway of life.
But here we have the sanctuary now, and it says honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary, and what we often find, that renewed strength. I can remember when I was employed how sometimes the pressure of work would get pretty difficult. And then I just go to the meeting and you just seem to get a lift. You seem to get a fresh supply of strength. Just perhaps it wasn't anything special, it was said.
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But you just sat there in the Lord's presence, saying, some of the hymns that give glory to him, you've got to relift, and he got strength. You got a fresh view of the Lord because he's altogether lovely. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. And then when you get that, then it says, give, give unto the Lord for you kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. God told his people Israel, None shall appear before me empty.
I've heard Christians say, well, I've come to the meeting, but I didn't get anything. Well, there are times, perhaps, when.
Perhaps there are times when we come together and there does seem little food in God's house. But we ought to come, brethren, as givers. We ought to come as givers. That's the way Mary came. There were a lot of people that had many wrong thoughts when Mary came because they found fault with her for what she did. But she wasn't occupied with all those people that were finding fault she wasn't occupied with.
Things about her. But she was thoroughly taken up with the Lord, and she broke that alabaster box appointment and poured it upon the feet of the Lord Jesus, upon his head. Oh, how wonderful, it says the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. And sometimes it just takes one person in the assembly who's really enjoying the Lord to bring a blessing to the whole assembly. And it doesn't have to be a brother because Mary didn't say a word.
Not a single word. She just did that. And I believe that there is something that each one of us can bring.
Like the Israelite who brought his basket of firstfruits and presented it before the Lord.
He reminded himself of how he was Assyrian, ready to perish, told the Lord how he had brought him out from Egypt, and his heart was just full of praise. How when you how can you and I sit in his presence and receive what we receive and not want to make some return, some return, give unto the Lord, Ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength, Mary might have said, well, it's kind of a fault finding group. You try to do something and they find fault, but she didn't say a word.
She didn't say a word. She just left it all because the Lord knew her heart. And that ought to be a joy to us. The Lord knows our hearts. We do things sometimes, and maybe they're not appreciated. Maybe sometimes we do, and I'm sure we all do make mistakes. But isn't it good that the Lord makes a right appraisal of everything and so?
They found fault with Mary, but she didn't say a word. And then the Lord spoke up and he said.
That are alone, she has wrought a good work on me. She had the Lord's approval.
Well, I believe in her soul. She was in the sanctuary, she was in the enjoyment of his presence, and so she was there as a giver, Give unto the Lord the glory, do unto His name, bring an offering, and come into His courts. Well, here we have the thought of the sanctuary, I think particularly except associated with the Lord Himself. And because, as I say, I believe the sanctuary is.
A place, and it's also a person. A place wouldn't mean anything apart from the person.
There's an empty house back in where we live. But if I went home and none of my loved ones entered there, it's just an empty house to me. But when the person whom I love is there for them, it becomes a home, becomes a place where I like to be. It's the person that makes it's true, it's a certain address, and I could tell you what the address is, but it's the person that makes the place and that's what it is.
In the scripture, it's the person who makes the place. Well, I'd like to turn to a few psalms here.
First of all, Psalm 73.
I'd like to look at 3 Psalms here.
7374 and 77 and I'd like to look at them in different ways. Three what is disturbing the psalmist is the prosperity of the wicked. In the 74th it's trouble in the sanctuary, in the assembly, and then in the 77th it's infirmity. I find many, many Christians get discouraged. Sometimes I get discouraged, and I guess we all do at times get discouraged.
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And I think sometimes these three things bring before us. We see people that seem to get away with things as we say, and that bothers us. How could that person get away with something so wrong? And that upsets us and we get discouraged. And it seems the Lord doesn't intervene. That's the 73rd. The 74th is they'd burned up the they've done wickedly in the sanctuary and they burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. In other words, there was an attack.
That spoiled the place where God's people assembled and then last of all infirmities, perhaps physical infirmities that come upon us. We get discouraged because of these things that come into our personal lives, but we find that the answer is getting into the Lord's presence, and I believe it's important that we do. And if there are some who are in situations like this.
If you would just get into the Lord's presence, I believe that you would.
Have the answer and that he would give you peace because the sanctuary, as I said, is a place of peace and rest and protection.
A bird sanctuary is where the birds are protected and where they know that the enemy can't intrude in that particular spot. And isn't it wonderful here that God has provided such a place for us? So let's read the first part of this 73rd Psalm. Truly, God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But As for me, my feet were almost gone. My steps had well nice slip.
For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. There are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm.
They are not in trouble as other men. Neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore, pride encompasses them about as a chain.
Violence covered with them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than heart what could wish. They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue locketh through the earth. Therefore his people return, hit her, and waters of a full cup are rung out to them. And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?
Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world. They increase in riches. Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning.
When I say I will speak thus, behold, I should offend against the generation of Thy children.
When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I therein.
The 22nd verse, so foolish was I, an ignorant I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless, I am continually with thee, thou hast told in me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Perhaps you felt like this sometime. Jeremiah felt like this. He tried to be faithful to the Lord. The Lord gave him a message and he tried to be faithful in delivering it. And he said, Lord Noah said it would be well with the remnant.
But everybody hates me. They just don't like the things that I'm saying. And I'm trying to speak a message from thee. And he felt very discouraged, even went as far as to say, wilt thou be unto me altogether as a liar and as waters that failed. Just think how discouraged poor Jeremiah got John the Baptist when God let the wicked triumph over him and he got into prison, even went so far as to send a message and say.
Art thou he that should come? Or do we look for another? And there may be somebody just like that, somebody that was doing what was wrong and mean and everything. They seemed to be prospering. And your feet are just about slipping because it upsets you so much and you're allowing it to spoil your joy in the Lord. You're letting it come between you and the Lord. I guess many of us have experienced things like this. We're ashamed of ourselves.
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About some of the things that come into our minds when things like this happen. But here God has put it right down in His word and let us know, in words inspired by the Holy Ghost, exactly how David felt when he looked at the prosperity of the wicked. He said my foot will not slip, he said. They don't seem to have trouble. Things seem to go well for them. But I have cleansed my hands. I've tried to do what was right.
And I've had nothing but problems and trouble. Know the enemy comes in on times like that, and he tries to get us discouraged, and we ask the reason why. But God doesn't always answer everything here. In that coming day, brethren, we shall know as also we are known. There are many, many things that happen in life that we'll never get the answer for down here.
Many times think of.
Uriah the Hittite murdered through the unkindness of David and he never understood in his whole lifetime.
Why? God would allow that? But he's mentioned among God's mighty man. And so there are things that happen that we have to wait for the answer. Where? What did the psalmist do here? Did he find the answer to it all? He says I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I therein. What is the sanctuary? Oh, just like it says in the 4th chapter of Philippians, it says.
Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. That's the answer God gives. You can't understand that he gives you a peace. Nothing has been set right. Nothing was set right for Uriah the Hittite. And sometimes things are set right, and sometimes there are. But when you go into the sanctuary of God.
Then you just leave it all to the coming day. And Paul said that he committed everything to the Lord. He said, I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Many apply that to salvation, and very blessedly it is true of salvation. I've committed my soul and my eternal destiny to the Lord. But you can commit more than that. You can commit all the things that happen in life.
Hard to understand. All those in Asia turned away from Paul. He was hurt, but he says I just committed to the Lord. My responsibility is to go on and leave matters with the Lord. And that's the conclusion that he comes to in the end I just mentioned here.
It says here in this.
15th verse Well, the 14th verse, for all day long have I been plagued and chastened Every morning if I say I will speak thus I should offend against the generation of thy children, he said. I feel that way, but I don't say it because a lot of people be offended if I said it. But that was the way he felt. He couldn't understand it and it says in the 10th verse. Therefore his people return hit her.
And waters of a full cup were run out to them. Remember the case of Jehoshaphat? He decided that he would step from a path of devotedness to his Lord and join affinity with Ahab at all. Ahab made a big feast. Oh, he said, that's grand. Come on, we'll have a great time. And so he goes along with a sad consequences came out of that. But the world will always welcome you when you step down to their level.
They'll make a big fuss over you. They'll tell you're a great person. But what about the Lord? What does he think of it? It's his approval that counts. It's what he thinks about it that counts. But now, passing on down to the 22nd verse, he says so. Foolish was I, and ignorant I was as a beast before thee, that is an animal just lives for time. And he said, when you and I don't look beyond this world, we're just living like a beast.
A beast lives for time, but he says, These words are so beautiful and touching. Nevertheless, I am continually with the Thou hast told in me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Doesn't sound like the same person who's talking in the first part of the song, does it? An entirely different tune now Why?
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He got into the sanctuary, got into the place of rest. Peace of God is flooding his soul. And now he can say Lord told him my hand, he's holding my hand. And he said I want his counsel, I want his plan. Even if I do have to suffer, I'm going to say Lord, Thy name is wonderful, counselor. And he said an afterward received me to glory said, whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. What a change the same person.
But he got into the sanctuary. Is there a discouraged person here? And somebody seems to be doing wrong and getting away with it, as you say.
You only think they're getting away with it in view of eternity. It's loss if it's not the will of God, but just to go on and made misunderstanding. Think of our precious Savior. At the end of his life, all his disciples for suck him and fled. The people that he'd healed weren't there to speak a word for him at the cross.
But he died that we might live. What an example for us, He says. There is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Oh, may I say to anyone who's discouraged like this, Don't give up the sanctuary. Go into the sanctuary of God. The Lord will meet you there. It's a place of protection. It's a place of rest. Make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. What touching words strength is in his sanctuary. Strength to meet those problems and difficulties.
That's where it is, but now in the 74th Psalm.
Oh God, why hast thou cast us off forever? Why doth thou anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed, this Mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations, even unto all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. And it says in the seventh verse, They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.
They say in their hearts, let us destroy them. Together they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs. There is no more any prophet, neither is there any among us that knoweth how long in passing on in this 16th verse. The day is thine, the night also is thine. Thou has prepared the light in the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth.
Thou hast made summer and winter.
Then the 19th verse. Oh, deliver not the soul of thy turtle dove unto the multitude of the wicked. Forget not the congregation of thy poor forever. Perhaps in a practical way I could speak of this as troubles that come into the assembly. I meet a number of people, and they are so discouraged at the problems and how busy the enemy is coming into the assembly trying to destroy it. It burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. The synagogue was the.
Assembling place for the people The temple, as we know, was the sanctuary, the place where the Lord had put His name. So we actually have the two figures here, the meeting place in the synagogue and then the sanctuary, the place where you could find rest. And I've had brethren say to me, well, I come to the meeting, but I don't seem to get rest and refreshment for my soul. Here's one that's feeling this way.
Is there any answer? Yes. God's in control. He's in control. The day is thine. The night is thine. Why is it say the night is thine? There are times when it just seems like that, but it's his. He is in control, brethren. He puts us to the test. Every one of us gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, sooner or later are going to be put to test as to why were there. Are we there because we enjoy the ministry, Because we like the people.
Well, it's awfully encouraging when you go and your soul is fed, when you can have sweet communion with the Saints. But we're put to the test as to whether we're there because the Lord is there, because it's his sanctuary and the enemy is doing his best. I believe, in these last days to destroy a testimony to the truth of God and to the precious truth of the one body, and to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. He's busy in so many places.
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And he's trying to make it so that when you come, you don't seem to get the rest and refreshment and enjoyment that he intends us to get in his presence and in the assembly where he has placed his name. But all don't get discouraged. God is faithful. And so I think it's nice how.
He speaks there, he says in the 16th verse. The day is thine. The night also is thine. Yeah, he's in control and everything sweet and lovely. We've enjoyed these meetings. Our souls have been refreshed. It's been like the day, But the night is dying too. The night is thine when darkness seems to come in, when problems beset the assembly. He's still there and he's still in control.
And so he says.
In the 19 verse, Oh, deliver not the soul of thy turtle, thou unto the multitude of the wicked the enemy would like to get us down, like to get us discouraged. He must have triumphed greatly when he got Jeremiah, that faithful prophet, to get so discouraged. He must have been triumphing when he saw his brother Lundeen brought before us yesterday, Elijah, that mighty servant of God.
Hiding down under a tree and letting his service come between him and the Lord, and blaming the people of God. Oh how he must have try them. The day is Zion, the night is thine. The Lord is in control. These things can be something used of God to draw us nearer to himself, because in the night when everything's dark, very often as a psalmist could say that we can commune with him.
Upon our bed and be still. And haven't we often found that some of the sweetest times where when we're perhaps alone in our bed, there's no distraction at all? We could have that sweet communion with the Lord. Are there trials? Lord wants to draw you nearer to himself by this. So here we have in the 73rd some person who's discouraged because he sees the prosperity of the wicked, sees people getting away with things and.
You can't understand that his feet are, well, nice. Slipping, he goes into the sanctuary of God and he says, Lord, just hold my hand. Hold my hand. Thou art my portion forever. We need that sometimes. When trouble comes in the assembly, he says, don't let the soul of thy turtle dove be turned over to the hands of the wicked. In other words, you say, well, I'm just one. But the Lord can hold your hand. He can give you peace. He can feel your heart.
Just like he filled Mary's when she came. It says everyone found fault with her, but she herself was in sweet communion with the Lord, and she didn't say a word, she just left everything with the Lord. So here we find perhaps a little picture of problems in the assembly where the enemy is trying to destroy it, trying to spoil our meeting places so that we can't come and enjoy the fellowship that we should the Lord's faithful.
There's still the Sanctuary, and still the enemy may try to intrude, but there still is the Sanctuary No 77 Some. Let's look at this.
I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord, my sore ram in the night, and ceased not my soul refused to be comfort. I remembered God, and was troubled. I complain, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Thou holdest mine eyes waking. I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old.
The years of ancient times I called her remembrance my song in the night I commune with mine own heart and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off forever? Will he be favorable no more? This is versy clean gone forever. Does his promise fail forevermore? God forgotten to be gracious Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? And I said this is my infirmity.
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But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord. Surely I will remember Thy works Thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all Thy work, and talk of Thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary.
Who is so great of God as thou art? A 19th verse, by way, is in the sea, and I path in the great waters, and I footsteps are not known. Thou leadest thy flock like thy people, like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Here he says in this.
10th verse This is my infirmity. Our brother was talking to us too about infirmities. He says this is my infirmity. In other words, he is some infirmity has come into his life. He thought calling to the Lord, the Lord would grant deliverance. But he said I remembered God and was troubled. Instead of really feeling relief, he turned to the Lord. But the Lord didn't take the problem, the trouble away.
And he says I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. He says he couldn't sleep in the fourth verse, and he looks back. He said It wasn't always like this. A sixth verse I called remembrance my song in the night. I commune with my own heart, and my spirit made diligent search, search. It's something like Job, you know. He just couldn't understand why God allowed him to lose his.
Well, his family, his self, his health and his friends, just everything seemed to be kind of wiped out. It was a real trial. And this is And then he accepts it. He says, this is my infirmity, and the Lord has allowed something. He allowed it with Paul. Paul had a thorn in the flesh. He calls it an infirmity. He asked the Lord three times to take it away, and the Lord's answer was.
My grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in weakness to me. It's as though the Lord said, Paul, You're going to have it the rest of your life. It's going to be there. But you're going to learn through this to lean on me and be a dependent person. And Paul said most gladly, I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me, he said, This infirmity has been a blessing to me. It's taught me dependence. It's taught me to lean on the Lord.
It's taught me to find my support and my help in him, his ways in the sanctuary brethren. He's leading our souls not to find rest in circumstances, in health, in what goes on about us, but in himself, in himself. Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
There are situations that won't be clear this side of the glory. There are things that may remain, but the Lord will always be a sanctuary. He'll always be there. And maybe if those things cause us to turn to him and find our sanctuary, and we may not understand them, He says Thy way is in the sea and thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are not known. We don't. There's some things we'll never understand till we get home to glory.
But we can understand that they have been made a blessing to our souls. They've brought us to the sanctuary, They've brought us into His presence. And that's where He wants us to be. And he's going to find his eternal rest in that sanctuary that awaits us. When he'll wipe away all tears, when he'll explain everything, when we shall know, even as also we are known. He doesn't want us to wait until we get to glory.
He wants to get into the sanctuary down here and I just like to close a little verse in Ezekiel.
Chapter 11.
Ezekiel, Chapter 11.
In the 16th verse, therefore say thus saith the Lord God.
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Although I have cast them far off among the heathen alloy, have scattered them among the countries, yet I will be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come, yes.
We've spoken about the sanctuary being a place, but we've also spoken of this being a person, and here things had come to the point in the history of Israel.
When they were scattered, must they say, well, there's no sanctuary now because we're scattered. We can't go to the temple. We can't go to the spot where the Lord has put His name. I will be to them a little sanctuary in all places where I have driven them. And no matter what your circumstance or mine is this afternoon, or what awaits you when you get home, because you may like those who came down from the mount.
After that glorious time on the Mount of Transfiguration, there was a man, a situation there, a man. And his child was in trouble, and the disciples couldn't handle the problem. And there may be something awaiting you that's quite beyond you. But I want to tell you this. No matter what, I will be a little sanctuary. I will be a little sanctuary. Thank God. He gives us the privilege of being in His presence collectively, but sickness problems may even hinder that.
How wonderful. He never fails. I will be a little sanctuary. Well, brethren, these difficulties do come in our lives. As we were saying, there are times when our feet well, eyes slip. There are times when we get discouraged. Things that happen in the assembly get discouraged over sicknesses and infirmities that really get us down. But he still a sanctuary. And in that coming day, as I say, when we're brought to our sanctuary in the glory above.
The servant shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their forehead. And God himself, God himself shall wipe away all tears, mouth, all faces. May he give us to enjoy more of this sanctuary now that peace, that joy that he delights, to give us, even in the midst of situations that may never change, difficulties that may not be removed, situations that can't be explained.
But he's always the same. He never fails. Jesus Christ the same yesterday.
And today and forever. So we look to him.
Waiting, Watching and Doing
Address—C. Buchanan
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.
The first scripture we will read is one verse.
In One Corinthians.
Chapter One.
And it's verse 9.
God is faithful.
By whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
We have doctrine here.
Doctrines.
Are the pillars of a discourse an address?
Illustrations.
Are the windows that let the light in.
God's word is so very wonderful.
I recommend we all read it every day and enjoy it.
Now he said doctrine.
Can anything be more succinct, more blessed than those first three words? God is faithful.
Invariable. Unchangeable.
Absolute always.
God.
Is faithful What a base rock?
For his children to rest in.
It doesn't stop there.
Goes on and says, by whom? By that faithful God.
You were called. Now if you'll notice the address.
In this epistle, it's the largest that we find in any epistle.
Everyone who makes a profession of Christ is in this little word ye.
With all that, in every place, call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. Verse two is true.
In 1989, as it was when it was written.
Now it's the faithful God who is called us.
Called you what?
Unto the fellowship of his son.
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Going back in thought.
To the way the scriptures open up the heart of God.
As to his desire to have creatures.
With whom he could commune fellowship.
Communion are the same word in the Greek. We use them interchangeably.
This is what we are called into unto to enjoy common thoughts with God.
Years ago when I was young.
Heard this statement.
I won't quote names here today. Some will know who it was that made it.
This statement that God is sufficient in himself.
For everything except objects upon which to display his love, and then.
He made us.
For that purpose.
We read in Colossians all things were created by him and.
For him.
At the end of time.
In that eternal day, all will be for him, in accord with him but God.
Does not want to wait until time is over and the day of God comes to enjoy communion fellowship with you and I. We are called unto that right now.
This is doctrine. Let's turn now to.
A few verses in John chapter 8.
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Which will point us back to the.
First illustration we want to read about in Genesis.
In John 8.
Verse 56.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it.
And was glad.
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet 50 years old, and hast thou?
Seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
Before Abraham was I am.
What an opening up, an enlightenment.
Of the Old Testament we have in the new.
That this one who is Jesus here in the Gospels?
Says before Abraham was I am.
The ever existing Jehovah.
Who met up with Abraham?
Showed His glory to Him at least seven times.
Is none less than Jesus, the Savior of the New Testament.
Now let's go back to Genesis chapter 18.
To see.
A picture of a home.
That the Lord visited in those days the.
All of us.
Come from homes.
We live in a house.
We have a dwelling place.
There are lessons for me as to my home.
Or US to your home.
As to letting the Lord come in.
And having fellowship with him in your home.
Here's Abraham in chapter 18, the first verse.
With the Lord appearing to him, saying, And the Lord appeared unto him.
In the plains of Mamrie, as he sat in the tent door.
And the heat of the day.
And he lifted up his eyes and looked and loathed three men.
Stood by him.
And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Let a little water, I pray you be fetched, and watch your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will fetch a morsel of bread and comfort ye your hearts after that.
He shall pass on, for therefore are ye come to your servant.
And they said, So do as thou hast said.
Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said.
Make ready quickly 3 measures of fine meal.
Need it, and make cakes upon the heart. And Abraham ran under the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he aged it to dress it.
And he took butter and milk in the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them.
And he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
One of the most charming scenes in all the Bible.
We have here in this first book in the Bible.
The man whom God had chosen Abraham and called out.
From Mesopotamia.
And given promises to and appeared to him five times before this.
Progressively leading him on.
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Now he comes this sixth time.
And the intelligence of Abraham.
As he looked, there he was. He sat.
In the tent door, in the heat of the day.
Three men approached.
Abraham spoke to one.
He says, my Lord.
The other two we learn about in the next chapter as being angels.
A charming scene.
Here was Abraham called. He had no.
Certain dwelling place he lived in a tent.
The promises were given to him.
They are still given to him.
They are still not accomplished. They are still not fulfilled. They shall be in His seat in the millennial day when this one who came to him at that time.
The same Jesus.
Will have set in order through judgments.
Much of the.
Outward condition of the world and brings in blessing.
Through the seed of Abraham as a company on Earth in the millennial day.
I say they will be accomplished.
But Abraham had received nothing. He was walking by faith, claiming nothing down here.
Down in the Latin countries.
El Salvador.
Guatemala, Nicaragua.
And any of those hot countries, they have a good custom.
They will have a siesta.
The stores will close up from the noon hour until 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon because of the heat of the day.
In that climate, it's very good.
But the picture here is Abraham.
There, in that heat of the day.
Waiting, and the Lord came.
And he ran to meet him.
And bowed himself to the ground. The attitude of worship.
Always becoming first, becoming to us in the presence of the Lord.
But the Lord had come to commune with him.
And.
Abraham speaks. My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee.
From thy servants. Well, he didn't pass away. He had a communion to take up.
And the end of the chapter.
When Abraham plead with him.
Six times also.
About.
The revelation that this Jehovah Jesus.
Gave to Abraham about coming events.
But here we're looking at this part of the scene and he says, let a little water, I pray you be fetched and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.
He made them comfortable after their journey.
A host that did what he should do.
And he says, I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts. After that ye shall pass on.
For therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So doest thou hast said.
Now Abraham calls his wife. Here's a home that is in order.
I trust our homes are in order.
Abraham was at the front door.
Sarah was in the back.
Tending to the duties of that simple home, the tent.
She was there at the call of her Lord. She called him Lord, and you'll find that in the book of James and.
She was ready to do what her husband bid her do.
And.
Notice that at the end of verse four it says rest yourselves under the tree.
And verse into verse eight, he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. Now in this scene we have man, a mere man, and Abraham.
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We have Jehovah Jesus, the one he called Lord, and we have angels.
Resting in communion under the tree. That's the cross.
In the type and that's the only place that God.
And man can meet in perfect peace. Are you under the tree? Are you sheltered under the cross? Is your home in order should Jesus come in?
To converse with him.
About.
The protection of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Where you can have peace and the angels standing there listening to it.
Reminds one of the Transfiguration scene.
In the Knights of Luke, you get it.
Where they speak of his deceased, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
The subject of the Cross.
Will be the subject of eternity.
It's figured here.
Where man and the Lord could meet and have common thoughts.
And the angels there.
To the.
The rest of the chapter I commend to you to see the power.
That Abraham had in his conversation with Jehovah Jesus.
That day.
It stands out very high in the life of Abraham. Now let's go to the New Testament.
To pick up a scene there.
In the.
12Th of John.
Where we have in the days when the Lord was upon earth.
Another home.
That he entered into, and where they prepared him a supper.
We noticed.
That Abraham and Sarah.
And the young men his servants worked to prepare.
Food for Jehovah that day.
Seems like it ought to be turned around, doesn't it?
The Lord prepares so much for us.
Like we anticipate in these three days to sit at His feet and hear His word, to feast in spiritual things.
And the goodness of the mercies that he gives to us.
But God's thoughts are always ahead and higher than our thoughts.
Do you remember that?
In the fourth of John.
When the woman had gone away into the city.
And the disciples came back and found Jesus there.
And they said to him, Master, eat.
He says I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
He says my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.
Jesus.
In his ministry, it seems, got a supply.
For his soul in the enjoyment of giving to others.
But here Abraham in the Old Testament was ministering and giving.
Jehovah Now what are Mary and Martha and John doing?
John 12 verse one. Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany.
Where Lazarus was, which had been dead, 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 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. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him. Why was not this ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor?
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This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag and bear that which was put therein.
Then said Jesus, let her alone.
Against the day of my burying, as she kept this for the poor. Always ye have with you.
But me have not always.
Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there.
And they came not for Jesus sake only, but that they might see Lazarus whom he had raised.
From the dead.
Like when I was in the New Testament, we have a parallel scene.
We learn from.
Luke Chapter.
Ten, I believe it is that this home belonged to Mirtha.
Back there, she was cumbered about much serving, but it's a different scene here.
And the order in the Bible is always perfect and always has a meaning.
Chapter 11 we get Lazarus.
Raised from the dead.
A type of the resurrection that is yet coming for the Saints of God, I believe.
And.
Well, we'll go on with these verses here. There is an order here. We'll get then said Jesus.
Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, that is.
The cross was yet coming.
And it was only 6 days away.
So here is a supper made and Martha served. She is in her place.
Any to take up this service that is committed to us.
I believe in these three.
In this home.
With the Lord there we have.
The three privileges that are granted.
To Saints of God today.
To serve, to commune and to worship.
Are you, am I enjoying each of those?
Possibilities for us to serve while we're down here.
Not us to wait, but to serve, and certainly to worship.
But Lazarus was one of them that sat at table with him.
What is so precious, though, is that they made.
Him a supper, and he sat down with them.
In Acts 20, we read it is more blessed to give.
Than to receive.
Who was in the more blessed place here?
According to that, it was these three and he was accepting it.
He was receiving, they were giving to him, and he was.
Receiving it.
In Luke.
Chapter 9 I think it is no Chapter 12.
Let's turn to that verse because I want to get that thought accurately. Luke chapter 12. There is a future scene put before us.
Where the Lord?
Puts us.
In the place of receiving, and he is in the place of giving.
Now remember, in relation to Acts 20, it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Thinking of it that way, Mary, Martha and Lazarus were preparing a supper for the Lord, and He was receiving and they were giving in Luke chapter 12 and a future promise to those who are watching.
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Notice verse 35. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves likened to men that wait for their Lord. Now This Is Us today.
Waiting for the Lord. But it doesn't stop there. When he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching, not just waiting. A special alertness.
What's the promise to them?
Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to come to sit down to me, and will come forth and serve them.
Now this is a promise that's coming and it's almost too grand for me to receive, but we must receive it because the Lord takes the more blessed place and serves and gives to those who are watching. Let's be watching, not just waiting. If we'd follow it on, We'll read two questions if we follow down on Luke 12, because I think they're very instructive. Peter asks in verse 41, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? Now that's the question.
The Lord answers with a question, and the Lord says, Who then is that faithful and wise steward?
We need to take, we need to take this to heart practically in the time of our stewardship down here now.
Whom is Lord shall make ruler over his household?
To give them their portion of meat in due season. Blessed it is that servant whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. So there are three things in Luke. They're waiting, there's watching, and there's doing. He's coming.
In the scene back in John 12.
So beautiful.
Here where Martha here was Martha serving and Lazarus was sitting at the table and then Mary comes out in verse 3. Then took married a pound, 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.
The greatest, the most blessed.
Here is Mary anointing him.
Before.
Is burial.
And it says the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
You and I are the ones today.
Who are to look back and to remember?
The Lord's dead, she was anticipating.
And we believe that the worship that goes forth.
In this present age.
As we remember.
The Lord's death.
Produces an ointment or a sweet saver in heaven.
Even as this house was filled with the order of the ointment.
So we have turned to Ephesians chapter 2.
And read a verse Chapter 5 and read verse.
Two Ephesians 5 to get the practical side.
We read verses one and two of Ephesians 5. Be therefore followers of God as.
Dear children.
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.
Hath given himself for us an offering.
And a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.
So that this fragrance today, we believe, ascends.
As we bring the person of Christ.
Out in praise and worship as we remember him in his death. But the thought about communion?
God is faithful.
By whom he recalled under the fellowship of his son.
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Is the privilege of us today. Abraham enjoyed it.
Back in Genesis.
Mary, Martha and Lazarus enjoyed it in John. Now coming down in the practical sense to the home you live in, to the home I live in, Is Jesus a welcome guest there?
When he comes, and he will come.
We will look at a verse in Revelation 3.
A promise there.
I think it will explain it. It will state it.
Better than I could.
And it's the last phase of the church's history as they are given to us.
Prophetically in Revelation 2 and three and we come down to Laodicea.
And there is a wonderful promise.
In verse 20.
Of Revelation 3.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If any man hear my voice.
And open the door.
I will come in to him.
And will Sup with him, and he with me.
God still remembers his thought of communing with man. It was interrupted.
Marred by sin.
At the earliest, God made a provisional remedy that there might be communion in clothing our first parents with animal skins.
Death coming in in the figure so that God could take up.
That communion which had been interrupted, marred and spoiled. You see, God had come down.
Do you visit with Adam and he was hiding behind the trees?
Men are still hiding from God.
We need to be out in the open, in the shelter of the cross.
Resting under the tree.
As God in the person of Jehovah, Jesus and the angels and Abraham.
Rested there in the heat of the pressure, and this is an age of pressure.
The days are darkening. Someone was matching that yesterday.
The world is getting to be a most horrible place.
In even a favored land like this.
The power of the enemy and dragging souls down and the darkness that's there.
But still there is a path and there is a place.
And there is a home that you can have.
Setting it up in your own responsibility to bring Jesus in every day and commune with him.
This is the promise in the days of Laodicea, at the very end of the prophetic.
Picture in these two chapters, he says I stand at the door and knock if any man.
Will hear my voice. How are you going to hear His voice? How are you and I going to commune with Him? It is in the revelation that God has given us.
For the Lord is made known in the Bible.
This book is from God. It's a revelation of God.
And the Old Testament shines brightly when we get the new.
And understand the New South that we can bring forth old store because.
Of the new This communion is precious to us, but it is what God wants.
I'm going to read another verse in John 14 to bring that down.
To us into the love of communion, and then our time is up.
In John 14, we get the promise to those who.
Go by the book who keep the word that this communion we're speaking about.
This which God has made provision for, this which he has called us unto, might be enjoyed by you and I to day. Verse 21 Says of of John 14, He that hath my commandments and keepeth them. Obedience comes in in order to enjoy communion. It can't be any other way. He is that loveth me. This is a proof of love. Obedience is a proof of love.
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And he that loveth me shall be loved to my father, and then he says I will love him.
And will manifest myself to him. Verse 23 Jesus answered and said unto him.
If a man loved me, he will keep my words.
Proof of love is obedience, then the promise my Father will love him.
And we will come unto him and make our abode with him right now.
During 1989.
Not just waiting till we're cold into the presence of the Lord.
When communion will be perfect and uninterrupted. But to give the Lord that what she wants in His heart, that fellowship that he looks for from His creature.
And a higher enjoyment can't be found down here by anyone. Let's sing in closing.
A Mighty Prophet Alone With God
Address—C. Lunden
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.
The Book of Kings, the 19th chapter.
First Kings. Thank you.
19 chapter.
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done.
And with all how He had slain all the prophets with a sword.
Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life, is the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
And when he saw that he arose and went for his life, he came to Beersheba, which belonged to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself won a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. And he requested for himself that he might die, and said, it is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I'm not better than my father's.
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an Angel touched him, and said unto him.
Arise and eat. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruise of water at his head, and did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
And the Angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went into the in the strength of that meat, 40 days and 40 nights under Horeb, the mount of God.
And he came together into a cave and lodged there.
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, And he said unto him, What doest thou hear, Elijah?
He said. I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant.
Thrown down 9 altars and slain Thy prophets for the sword, and I even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by.
In a great and strong wind rent the mountain and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind.
And after the wind and an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake of fire, that the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire was still small voice.
Or a soft, gentle voice. It should read.
And it was so when Elijah heard it. They wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entry end of The Cave. Behold, there came a voice unto him, and said.
What dost thou hear, Elijah?
And he said, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the children of Israel.
Had broken thy covenant, thrown down 9 altars, slain thy prophets with a sword.
And I even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.
And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus.
And right now, call Mr. Anoint his ail to be king over Syria.
And Jehu, the son of Nemeshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel.
And the life of the son of shepherd of Abel Mahola, thou shalt anoint be prophet in thy room.
In circumstance that him that escaped with a sword of his ail shall Jehu slave, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elijah's slave. Yet I have left me 7000 in Israel all the knees which have not bowed unto bail in every mouth of this not kissed him. So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of the Shaifa, who was flying with 12 yoke of oxen before him.
And he was the 12Th, and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him.
And you left the oxygen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me I pray thee, yes, my father and my mother, Then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again, for what have I done to thee?
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And he returned back from him, and took a yoke, or the yoke of oxen, and slew them.
And boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen gave unto the people.
And they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
We've had before us today already some principles in regard to.
Soul exercise and failure.
Now we have here one illustration.
But we have ended some very important principles.
Of the very same line of things we've had.
We have here a man, Elijah. I have no doubt he was a young man.
And John the Baptist was patterned after him.
He was a man who was wholly given up to God.
And so you see, even a man who's wholly given up to God is subject to like passions as we are, as we read in the book of James.
But we have here a man who had power.
Very few have ever expressed the power that seen in the hands of Elijah.
And so if you read and we won't turn to all these passages, but in the first verse of the 17th chapter.
He stands before the king and he says, according to my word, there will be no rain this year.
And there was number rain for 3 1/2 years. That's power.
What kind of power? Physical. No moral power.
Moral power?
And after 3 1/2 years, the Lord said, you go until Ahab that there will be rain.
In the mean time he had shown the people of God.
Who the true God was because it was famine in the land.
And.
There was number way to get water, just barely enough to drink. And yet the Apostle, or rather the prophet.
Orders 4 barrels of water to pour on the altar.
With anyone, he says. You do it three times.
Theory. It brings water then when there's no water around.
It's like the Prophet said when human cisterns all are dried. I have a fountain still.
The power of God.
Elijah was the man of power.
But it is because before the Lord God whom I stand, you see.
How important this is.
And then he takes and slays the prophets of Baal.
But now he's in trouble.
Bears of Jezebel.
But you know, it doesn't matter. As we sing in that little hymn, sometimes in every state, secure, no matter what happens, the blavor is secure.
He's secure.
You know, we get into difficulties, I'm sure that everyone here has.
And we began to wonder what's going to happen.
And well, we might. But remember, it's all in God's hands.
You can see it illustrated here in this passage we've read.
Now Jezebel heard about what Elijah had done.
In fact, it says another translation she heard in detail.
Shared everything Elijah had done instead of turning her heart to God.
She allows Satan to take over.
And so she threatens the life of this prophet.
And now the Prophet when he saw that.
He ran for his life.
How different than when he stood before.
The king and said, According to my word, there will be no rain is yours.
Now what has happened? His eye was off the Lord, that's all, when he saw that.
He wasn't seeing the Lord.
He saw Jezebel and what she was going to do.
Then he ran.
This mighty man of Elijah I know is God behind it, but.
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Now he runs from a woman.
Is that the way a prophet should act? Prophet of God? A mighty prophet of God?
He had come to bring the children of Israel back to God again, and he did so.
But in doing so, he slew the prophets of Baal, and this raised the.
The anger of this woman who was actually leading her husband Ahab.
And so she threatens to kill Elijah.
Now it says.
He went for his life and came to Beersheba, which belonged to Judah, and left his servant there.
Now why does he leave his servant there?
Because he's going to get into the presence of the Lord, and Lord is going to do it.
It isn't Elijah going into the presence of the Lord, but the Lord bringing him into his presence, and the servant has no place there.
It's one thing to be out acting in power all around.
And for the glory of God, it's quite another thing to be alone in the presence of God.
And this is what we have in this chapter.
We have a prophet, mighty prophet, but alone in the presence of God.
Now why did God allow this? We often ask the question why has this happened and why has that happened?
Oh, he has a reason.
Don't you think God always has a reason for what he does? Always.
Never mistake.
And so we find that the Prophet.
He goes to, He leaves his servant.
There's no place now for a servant.
And he goes to Beersheba.
The well of the old.
Which is flown to the Judah.
Left his servant there. Now he goes a day's journey at the wilderness.
And came and sat down under, down under a juniper or a wild broom tree.
He's going to think things over now.
But as he as he sat down under this tree.
He requested for himself that he might die.
He's in the presence of the Lord, you know.
You know, no matter what experience you pass through, you can't get away from the Lord.
That's 139th Psalm. You can't get away from the Lord.
No matter what happens, there's no way you can get away from the Lord.
He's with you all the time.
All that you say is out of communion.
You can't get away from the Lord. You just had that this afternoon.
Now.
He makes a request.
That he might die. It's enough.
It's enough.
Have you ever come to that place where you've said it's enough? I just can't go on?
So now.
Love suffereth long.
And his kind. That's the new nature. Acting.
But not here.
We find that these requests for himself that he might die.
What is he running away from a woman for because of his wife and then turning around wanting to die?
So you see how foolish we become when we're out of communion now The Lord was there, but he wasn't in communion.
How foolish we are.
One instance he's running for his life, The next instance he asked to die.
No sense to that.
Now what is the reason?
Take away my life. Why? For I'm not better than my father's.
Did he think he was better than his father in the first place?
You know, beloved, we have to learn something, and that is, there's no partiality in the things of God.
No partiality.
Is not a question of what I am or what I'm not. It's a question of what the Lord is.
He may take one person and put him up as a powerful witness like Elijah.
00:15:05
And he may take another one who is silent.
Still a witness? God is no partiality, and the one who is a servant should be content to be in the path the Lord has placed it.
Another thing.
He should be sure the Lord has placed him in the path.
All you say, well, I'm, I've got a family. I don't get into these things because they leave those to the older brothers.
You mean you don't get into the things that belong to your life?
Down here.
Oh, how important these things are. This passage we're reading is for everyone here.
Man, woman and child.
Not better than my father's.
And as he lay and slept.
Lay and slept.
Under a wild broom tree. Behold then.
An Angel touched it. It was the Lord, because we learned later that the Angel of the Lord, which is the Lord.
Touched him.
Rather a tender thing, isn't it?
Your servant is 200 miles away from his mission.
And the Lord has touched him, just touched him, that's all.
Oh, have you had these experiences with the Lord, dear brethren, have you been in such a position where you know that you were discouraged and probably a little bit angry too?
And then the Lord just touches.
That's what it does to the Prophet here.
Instead of.
Bowling, testifying, for the Lord is running from a woman.
Not a very nice picture, is it?
We hold. Then an Angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise.
8 And he looked, and behold, there was a cake, bacon on the coals now that should read hot stones, and a cruise of water at his head. Now he has a cake and a cruise of water at his head.
The Prophet says I was young and now I'm old.
I've never seen the righteous forsaken, nor the seed begging bread.
Are you afraid if you go out to witness for the Lord that he's going to?
Going to take and light a pass through time and there's nothing to eat.
No, the Lord takes care of his servants.
If he sends them, he takes care of them.
Here's a cruise of water and a cake. Bacon on the cold.
And I suppose, dear brethren, that the Lord baked them himself from the looks of things.
I wonder if you and I realize what it means to walk in communion close to the Lord.
Haven't touched you.
And then need provides something for you to eat.
And when you're thirsty to provide the water without your acting at all.
The Lord doing.
Is that not his tender law?
Oh yes, his love is expressed at Calvary's cross, but it's also expressed to the daily circumstance of life of these people.
He looked and behold.
Cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruise of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
I suppose that he just put his elbow up and enough so he could raise his head and.
Took what was given him and went back to sleep again.
Looks like his rather discouraged.
Discouraged.
I don't think discouragement is faith view.
No, it's not fake.
And yet, haven't you gotten discouraged?
And so faith is. If it isn't of faith, Scripture says it's sin.
00:20:04
Here's a man, a mighty man of God.
A man of separation from evil in every way. And yet here he is, His heart is coming out.
Heart is being manifested.
He looked and behold.
And the Angela Lord came again the second time, and touched him.
And said arise and eat.
Because.
The journey is too great for thee.
And dear ones.
With that, the Lord would touch us and teach us this truth.
Right now, the journey is too great for thee.
But it's not too great for the Lord.
And we have to learn this.
That the journey is too great for thee. And so if we venture out in our own strength, we're going to find out that the journey is too great for us.
And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat 40 days and 40 nights.
We have that in connection with others in the Old Testament.
Like Moses and so on.
40 days and 40 nights.
It speaks of a period of testing, I suppose.
Here's one who's the passing through testing, but he's sustained for 40 days and 40 nights.
But the meat that he's given at one time?
Ample to take him over these days of testing.
Yes, the Lord will supply what you need, dear brethren, to pass through that period of testing.
And I know there are those here this afternoon. Who?
Where are they?
Eyes filled with tears.
Trials.
The passing through, but remember the 40 days and the 40 nights.
A full supply.
No need.
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there.
I should have noticed the end of that previous verse unto Horeb, the mount of God. And what is that? It's Mount Sinai.
That's a terrible place to go, isn't it?
If a beast touched the mountain, he'd be put to death.
Not for one who is under grace.
Oh, what Grace has done for us, brethren, has taken us so that we are not afraid of Mount Horeb anymore.
We might make mistakes, there may be great failure with us, but we're not.
Pray to Mount Horeb anymore.
Sinai And you get that in Hebrews 12, You're not come to it.
Then it tells us what we are come to.
Hebrews 12 We Won't turn to It.
And he said, I noticed that.
I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have.
Forsake a thy covenant thrown down thine altars, and slay thy prophets with thy sword, and I even I only, and let them they seek my life to take it away.
Now we have in this verse three eyes and a mind.
Notice it's all full of eye and what I have done.
Is there any way to get into the presence of the Lord?
But you know if something is worse than that.
And that is to speak against God's people.
God will not tolerate our speaking against His people. Let's remember that that is to Him.
Don't tell the tell God about the failures of his people because he doesn't want to know it.
They're all covered with the blood of Christ.
Every knot in the Tabernacle is covered with gold.
God does not want to hear about it.
00:25:01
And so we find that testing has to go on.
And he said go forth.
And stand upon the mount before the Lord. Notice that before the Lord.
And behold, the Lord passed by.
And a great and strong wind rent the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord.
But the Lord was not in the wind.
And after the wind and earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake of fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire is still small boys.
Should read a soft, gentle porch.
In other words, Elijah, I'm going to give you just what you want. Power.
When Earthquake fire, that's what you like.
Isn't that what he's been doing?
Casting down the altars of Baal. Laying the Bale's prophets.
Calling for rain and falling that it might not be rain. Then he calls for rain. He was given the power to do it.
But dear friend, this afternoon.
Our joy is not in those things. Our joy is in the Lord.
Must remember that.
Is not in achievements.
It's not in some mission that we've carried out to the Lord. That's not where our joy is.
Our joy is in the person of the Lord Himself.
And what does that mean, Communion?
Communion.
The Lord wasn't in all these things. They had to be carried out, it's true.
But he couldn't find the Lord in them.
Because the Lord doesn't enjoy those things.
He loves to the spams brace.
And after the earthquake of fire, the Lord was not at the fire and after the fire.
A soft gentle.
Oh, how tender the Lord is.
He's working with his Prophet, but the Prophet has not learned his lesson.
And so he has to have it repeated again. This is sad.
Dear brethren, have you had to repeat lessons like this?
Go through that awful thing again that you had to go through once.
Why didn't repent?
Didn't judge it in the presence of the Lord.
You know, a brother and my sister might be found in sin and put away from the table, but unless they judge it, no matter if they're brought back, unless they judge it, they're liable to repeat their sin again.
Or is so important in receiving one to the table who has been away to be sure that there's true repentance?
Otherwise, that sin may be repeated again.
And you're doing a harm to the sister or brother. You're doing a harm to the assembly.
When there hasn't been true repentance.
Because if there hasn't been true repentance, it can't be true communion.
And so the same thing. What are you doing here, Elijah?
But you'll notice here on this thirteen first, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering of The Cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou hear, Elijah? Same thing all over again.
You're 200 miles away from your mission.
But not only that.
What are you doing here? You're speaking against the people of God.
To me.
Telling me about the faults of my people.
That's what he's doing now.
Now I want to ask you what the Lord Jesus did when he went out.
I mean the cross of Christ.
00:30:02
What did he do? Did he speak against God's people?
No, he died for them.
Mount Sinai.
Not horrible. Horrible. He died for God's people.
How different the Prophet?
He said. I've been very jealous.
Oh, we read that.
And the Lord said unto him, Go.
This is the second time he says go to him.
This is sad, isn't it?
The gospel message has come all the way through, isn't it?
But here we have a message go.
The Lord was not in the fire, He was not in the earthquake.
He was not in the wind, but he was in that soft, gentle voice.
But the Prophet hadn't learned it yet.
So now he's going to have to pass through something more solemn and serious.
Go in return, go back again.
On thy way.
To the wilderness.
To the wilderness.
Yes, we have to go on with God and His people, no matter what the conditions may be among his people.
We have to go on with his people, or well in the wilderness alone, one of the two.
And the spiritual wilderness of that.
Of Damascus.
Country of Syria enemies country.
And when thou comest anointed zeal to be king over Syria, why Azale? Because he was the one that's going to dash the.
Little children against the stones that belong to Israel.
That's power.
But what kind of power?
Pretty hard lesson for Elijah, wasn't it? Oh brethren.
Let's repent at the very beginning. Let's own our mistake before the Lord.
You won't have to pass through these deep, deep trials.
And Jehiel the son of Nemeshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel.
And Elisha, the son of Schaefer of Abram Maholo, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room?
Well, these weren't very pleasant things.
And you know what?
They were never carried out.
Never carried out. Why? Because he repented.
It doesn't say so, but if we follow the text out, we'll see.
There's pretty strong medicine.
To be the one to anoint the one who was going to dash, the children of Israel, the little ones in the rocks. That was pretty strong in medicine, wasn't it?
It never was done. That is, he didn't anoint them.
But now he has to anoint the very man that's going to be his successor.
He's going to have his mission, not his ministry, but his mission, taken away from him.
The mission that he was carrying out to restore the children of Israel to the God of their fathers, that mission is taken from him.
But not his ministry.
Because now he teaches the sons of the prophets.
As we see later.
And he's the one who will see in another picture.
Who rises into heaven in a chariot of fire?
With a chariot of fire, I should say.
A type of the Lord Jesus.
As he becomes a type of the Lord Jesus and resurrection life.
Ending the heavens.
But let's go on here.
00:35:02
He anointed Elijah the son of Schaefer.
To be.
Prophet in his room.
It doesn't carry out the other two.
Because we read in other passages.
Who anointed these different ones?
But we find that he did anoint Elisha.
Now he's told this eighteen First, a lesson we need to learn.
We may be discouraged when we see that Gospel meeting after Gospel meeting, nobody is saved.
We may think of times where we've tried to witness in our weak way for Christ. No results.
Where is the blessing coming from? I have reserved me 7000 who not bowed the knees to bail?
The work of God is going on in spite of us, dear brethren, in spite of us.
And if he's pleased to use you for it, you may never learn about the soul that was saved through your ministry.
Lord, through your speaking over the fence to your neighbor, as the sisters might do.
Yes, there's always work going on 7000 there.
And not just Elijah alone with his eye, Eye and me. No, that has to pass away.
The Lord says I have reserved.
That's Sovereign Sovereign Grace.
And have every mouth which has not kissed him.
Now it's true. We have two kinds of testimony here. We have a positive and a negative testimony.
Elijah's ministry was a positive testimony public.
He was not afraid, except when he fell out of communion. But in his testimony he was not afraid. He could stand before that king, knowing he was one to kill him, and yet he had moral power over that king.
But now we have a We come to a place where it says.
I have left me 7000 in Israel, all the needs which have not bowed unto bail, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
And he asked to learn that lesson, that it's not in power of might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.
There's where the power is for gathering souls, for Christ.
It's the operation of the Holy Spirit.
It's a wonderful thing to have a part in it.
But as he who is doing the work.
Now we have a little picture at the end of the chapter of justice this.
Speaking of.
So he departed thence, and found Elisha, the son of his shepherd, who was plying with 12 yoke of oxen before him.
Now I take it this way.
There were 12 men who were plowing and each had a yoke of oxen.
You wanted to take a furrow and the father would take another following one, would take the next furrow till you see 12 yoke of oxen going across the field with six men following.
And he were the 12.
It's the end of a dispensation.
12 yoke of oxen.
Something new is being introduced. Christianity.
This is a figure of type, you know.
And he with the 12Th and Elijah, passed by him and cast his mantle upon him.
What does ploughing mean?
Ditches. Plowing. Furrows. Pools. What do they mean? Repentance?
Oh, how precious.
How rich, When the soul is ready, learned his lesson and he becomes a blessing.
You know, brethren, if I have failed.
I want you to forgive me and I don't want you to carry it in your heart against me.
00:40:01
No.
Oh, how often we hold things against our brethren that we should not hold against them.
Other than the way the Lord treated us.
And so we have here.
He left the auction.
He ran after Elijah and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. You said unto him, Go back again, for what have I done to thee?
I want you to turn to the 9th chapter of Luke, just for a verse.
The last verse of the chapter.
We'll just read these last two verses. The subject is, The whole subject is very important.
Another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first.
Go bid them farewell, which are at home in my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back.
Is fit for the Kingdom of God.
If Elijah had not rebuked.
Elisha. He might have gone back.
Might have gone back.
But it says he went back To do what? To kiss his father and mother. No.
We have here a picture of one who is to serve the Lord, and Elisha is a picture of Christian service.
And he brings in death.
Upon the flesh.
He doesn't go back, but what does he do?
He takes the oxen with which he had been plowing.
Plowing. That's repentance.
He slays them.
And he takes the instruments of the oxen.
All that's used in connection with the work he was doing and he makes a fire and he prepares meat for the people of God.
He gives evidence of what his character is now in service.
The fairs meet for the people of God. That's the ministry of grace.
If Elijah, whose name means God, he is God.
Was going to bring the people of God back to God who tries to.
And he didn't accomplish his mission, but Christ will in the coming days.
The name of Eli Elijah is God, is my God, is Savior.
That's the Ministry of Grace.
Returned back from him and took veil of oxen.
It should read and slew them and boil their flesh.
With the instruments of the oxygen, and gave unto the people that they did eat.
Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
Go back again.
No, he wasn't going to go back. What have you decided to do, dear friend?
Have you decided to go back to the natural things of this world? Oh, what a day we're living in.
And the believers persuaded almost to take up of the world through which we are passing.
To go back again.
No, dear brethren, we are a separate people.
And this is an individual thing. It's one thing to be a Christian when you're surrounded by Christians, but it's quite another thing to be in Elijah or in Elijah.
To go on with God, regardless what the circumstances are, oh how we need this truth.
It's a question of personal, individual testimony today.
00:45:00
And the Lord is so near, His coming so near.
What a blessed thing it would be to have his people all devoted.
And in practice.
Seeking his glory down here and separating from all that's of this world, we might have a constant testimony when he comes.
Those Who Have-Those Who Have Not
Gospel—R. Reeves
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I would like to turn to the.
5th chapter of the Book of Romans Tonight.
I'm so happy to see some of you.
With Bibles.
And I think if you'll turn.
In your Bible to Romans chapter 5, you'll be very glad that you did.
Romans chapter 5.
And it won't be necessary to.
Think about turning any other pages.
Because what I would like to share with you tonight.
Will be brought before us in this wonderful chapter.
Romans chapter.
5.
Therefore being justified by faith.
We have peace.
With God.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have peace.
Now in the 11 verses that we're going to consider tonight.
We're going to.
See some things that believers have.
In fact, we're going to talk about those tonight who have.
And those that have not.
Everybody in this world belongs to that one of those two classes of people.
Those who have.
And those who have not.
Sometimes we talk about countries like that. We say this is a country which is called a.
Have not country.
The people there have no refrigerators.
Most of the people do not have cars.
Many of the people do not have any money in the bank.
And we say that this is a country called have not country.
Tonight we're here to spend a few minutes talking about.
Those who have.
And those who have not.
Before this meeting.
I drove over to.
A close by town.
Because I wanted to buy a couple of candy bars.
I'm not sure what the name of the town is. Maybe at Stanford or Sanford, it's something like that. At any rate, it's close by and I went over there.
And I found a restaurant opened and.
I walked in and.
They said they, I know they all looked at me funny because I had a white shirt and tie on.
I didn't start out that way today. I wore my sport shirt, but my wife says, honey, if you're going to preach the gospel.
Since Mr. Mauer, Dr. Mauer gave such a nice little talk about the dignity of the gospel, maybe you ought to put on your white shirt and your tie. So I did. But I walked in that restaurant and they looked at me funny and I said to the lady behind the counter, do you have any candy bars?
Yes, she said. We do.
Well, I said. Do you have any Snickers?
You see, Snicker is one of my favorite candy bars.
And she said we do.
Well, I said that I'd like 2 Snickers.
So I bought 2 Snickers.
Here they are. Put them in my pocket.
Their meat candy bar. One of the best ones I know.
They're just just the right amount of chocolate and just the right amount of peanuts and just the right amount of goo to hold it all together. I think it's just about one of the finest candy bars I I know about, and they're they're especially good right out of the freezer.
There's just nothing like a snicker bar.
Now there are two classes of people in this room about on this subject, those that have snicker bars.
And those that don't have snicker bar.
Now you either have a snicker bar or you don't have a snicker bar.
00:05:02
Which which would you rather be? Would you rather be in the class of people that have snicker bars?
Or would you rather be in the class of people that have not snicker bar this boy in the red shirt? Would you rather be that one of the halves or one of the have nots?
When you come over here, I'm going to give you a snicker bar and you'll be one of the halves.
I thought he would be glad to have a Snickers.
So there are the haves.
And there are the have nots. I prefer you not eat it during the meeting because it would make me hungry to watch you.
And I have more important business.
Right now.
Now this other snicker bar is mine.
There are the haves and there are the have nots, and these are good.
These are good.
I'll tell you more about this other snicker bar later on, Lord willing tonight, but those who have and those who have not.
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace.
With God.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, dear friend, are you a have?
Or are you a have not.
Do you have peace with God?
Do ya?
Being justified by faith we have.
Peace with God.
You know, there was a time in my life when I did not have peace with God.
Things were not settled in my heart.
Between God and me.
I did not have peace.
But I'm glad tonight to let you know that.
I have peace with God, the war is over and my soul.
All is quiet in my soul about my sins.
And I have peace.
And you know, I came here tonight because I want you to have peace too.
I wish I could have gone to the store and bought a snicker bar for everybody in this room. I really would like to have done that.
I want you to have what I have. It's so good.
It's so good to have peace with God.
Being justified by faith.
You know, when I was a boy.
I did some things that weren't right.
And I don't tell people very often a lot about my.
Boyhood.
And I seldom told my own children about my boyhood because I thought they would have enough experiences of their own and I didn't need to to tell them all of mine.
But I will share with you tonight something that happened to me when I was a boy. It didn't happen to me, but I made it happen.
We have a time of year, the end of.
October, which is called Halloween.
And when I was a boy, we used to have a special day.
When some of the kids went out and knocked on people's doors.
To try to get some good stuff to eat.
And.
When I was a boy, they didn't say trick or treat.
That's a refinement that has occurred in the last few years.
We didn't say trick or treat.
But they do that now. Don't the kids come to the house? Some of them dressed in funny clothes and stuff the end of October and they say trick or treat.
And you let them in maybe and they stand on their head or they say it's something funny and then you give them a cookie or a piece of candy and and off they go to the next house. They they do that quite often. Now, tricks or treat. But when I was a boy, we didn't have that. And we we did something that was a lot worse than that. We would go up to a house and we'd say so per each.
00:10:01
That's what I did. That's what they did.
Back in my days and I see Mr. Lawrence Macy laughing. I think he did the same thing, Soap or eats. Now what that means is if you don't give me something to eat, I'm going to soak your windows.
That was a naughty thing to do, wasn't That was a naughty thing to do. And we boys, I don't think the girls did it, but we boys would carry a bar soap in our pockets.
And we will go to a house and we say so for each.
And if they knew that if they didn't give us something to eat, we soaked it windows.
Well, I'll tell you what.
There was a lady lived real close to me and I think she was a grump.
Think he was a crown?
And.
I soaked her windows.
I saw her windows, the big one in the front. I really soaked it. I took that soap out of my pocket and I went round and round and round all over that front window. It looked awful. I did it.
Maybe somebody was with me, but.
I shouldn't have done that. I was naughty.
And you know what happened the next day.
Gee, there's always the next day.
People that do snotty things during the night should remember that there's going to be a next day and there was a next day.
And that Lady came to my house and she found out that I'd soaked her windows.
And she didn't forgive me.
She didn't say, Oh, that's all right. It's nice to lookout. Nice design, all that, you know.
It was awful. It was an awful.
Well, my parents saw to it that.
I went over to my neighbor's house.
And I don't know how. I don't know whether she gave us a razor blade or me. I don't know who it was with me, but.
Does it scrape off that soap?
Big bowl of water and a Bush rag and wash off the soap.
She didn't justify me.
You see, I had done wrong. I sinned against that neighbor. She may have been a Crump. It was wrong for me to do that.
And I had to go and take the soap off the windows and it was awful hard to get off.
I hope you never have to find out how hard it is to get soap off of a window.
It just would hardly come off. It was so much more fun to put it on than it was to take it off.
And I worked and worked and worked on that window. Finally got off the soap. That was naughty. I was ashamed of that. I shouldn't do things like that.
She didn't justify me, and I'm sure that that grumpy lady remembered that all the rest of her life. What a naughty little red headed boy lived next to her house. She come over and soap her window. I don't suppose she ever, really ever really forgave me for doing that. That was naughty.
Isn't this a wonderful verse therefore being justified?
By faith.
You know what it means to be justified.
To be justified about your sins means that God can't even find those sins on the record anymore.
They're all gone and the record is clear.
Now how can he do that? How can God put away sins in such a way?
That you can't even find them on the record.
How can you do that?
Oh, let me tell you how he did it.
God can justify sinners because on Calvary's cross.
Those awful dirty naughty sins.
Were laid on the Lord Jesus, and he took the blame for them.
And God punished him instead of us who believe.
And God won't expect payment twice for the same offense. And if he has judged the Lord Jesus for my sins, he can never judge me for them because the Lord Jesus took the blame for them and he suffered the penalty that they deserved.
And because I believed on the Lord Jesus as my Savior.
All my sins are gone, even the one of soap in the neighbors windows.
That's gone too. The Lord Jesus suffered for my sins and every believer.
In the Lord Jesus it says therefore being justified by faith, we have peace.
00:15:06
Every believer knows.
That their sins are gone. Why you can't even find them on the record.
That's what it means to be justified.
There's a little story I like to tell you because it helps me understand.
And we've come here tonight for justice a few minutes.
And I hope we all understand what we're talking about. Otherwise there's no reason why we should be here.
And so that's why I tell you these things.
I've asked God to help me make it so plain that we all understand. And this is a story that I tell sometimes, because it's such a good story that tells what it means to be justified.
Some years ago there was a train wreck in the state of Iowa where I live.
And in those days, they used to carry a lot of pigs.
In the trains, I don't think they do that so much anymore because the trains move so slowly.
That it would take a long time to get the pigs from the farm to the market. So I don't think they do that so much anymore. They use trucks.
But in those days they used to use trains and they had quite a few pigs in the box cars.
Especially animal cars.
And as that train was going through Iowa, something happened and it had a wreck and some of the railroad cars came off the track and some of the pigs got out-of-the-box cars.
And you know Iowa farmers, they always want to make money.
A lot of them do want to make money.
And some of those Iowa farmers, they said, hey, there's some pigs, let's grab them.
And some of those Iowa farmers got ahold of those pigs and they took them home. They took them home and said, hey, pigs, that's what we want, pigs. And they took them home and they put them in their barns.
But you know, there was a next day to the VAT, just like I told you. There was a next day about SOAP and windows.
There was a next day about the train wreck.
And you know, the policeman came out and investigated and they found out that some of the pigs got out-of-the-box cars.
And some of the Iowa farmers took them home.
And they got those pigs back again and they found out who the farmers were that did it. And they told those farmers, you got to come to the court and see the judge.
Well, those Iowa farmers knew they had their backs through the wall. They were caught.
And they paid back for the pigs.
Before they had their trial.
And when these farmers came to the judge and had their trial, they were sitting right before the judge and the judge read the charges to those men and he said, man, you have stolen pig.
You men are guilty. You stole pigs that belong to the railroad.
And that's wrong. That's a crime to steal pigs.
And you men are guilty of stealing pigs.
But then the judge said to these men, men I see on the record.
That you have paid back for all of the losses.
That came from You're stealing the pig I see you've paid back for all the losses, and the railroad isn't out any money at all. And the judge says that's good.
So he said because you've paid back all the money and you've given back all the pigs, I am not going to put you in jail.
But that judge stood up in front of those men and he said listen man.
I am not going to send you to jail for stealing the pigs.
But I want to tell you men something. You.
Men have established a criminal record.
And I can't blot out that record.
You boys on this front row have sinned against God.
You have established the record of sinners.
Now that judge could not justify those farmers. He could not wipe the record clean. They never were justified. They didn't have to go to jail. But they were not justified because their sin and their crime was always on the record.
00:20:15
Oh, do you know what it means to be justified? It means to be cleared from your sins in such a way that you can't even find the sins on the record.
That's what it means to be justified.
Oh, wouldn't you like to be justified? Wouldn't you like to be among the halves tonight? Those that can say, Oh yes, I've got justification, I believed on the Lord Jesus and you can't find any of my sins on the record. I'm justified because Jesus died for those sins. And folks, that's what it means to be justified that the sins are gone from the record.
And the records clear today, for he washed my sins away. That's what it means to be justified. Who has this justification? Who has this peace that comes from being justified? Those that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the ones that have are the ones that believe on the Lord Jesus.
And those that have not.
They're the ones that don't believe so. In this room tonight, there are two classes of people.
Those that have snicker bars and those that have not.
There are those in this room that have justification by faith and those that don't have it. And let me tell you, let me tell you folks.
If you don't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ tonight, you don't have the justification of your sins, and your sins are still on the record and they'll be there.
Until you accept the Lord Jesus as your savior.
But just as though I told you, I'd like to have you all have sticker bars, or I'd like to have all of you know what this piece is about. I wish you all could know that you're justified before God. I wish you could all know that you have peace with God. And that's what this meeting is about. I've come to tell you how you can know that your sins are forgiven. How can you know? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved.
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The Lord Jesus said him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.
If you shall confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believing your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved. That's how you can know that you're justified, and that's how you can know that you have peace with God. You want to be one of the halves, or I want you to be one of the halves. I don't want anybody in this room to be one of the have knowledge.
Now if we read the second version of this chapter, it says by whom we have access.
By faith.
You and I live in a time of superhighways.
When I was growing up as a child, we didn't have freeways.
And you could just turn off the road almost anytime you wanted to, and you could get back on the road the same way.
But you see, you can't do it on the Interstate.
There's only certain places where you have access to the road.
And that's the place which has been designed by the maker of the road.
Oh, those that believe on the Lord Jesus have access to the road that leads to God. Do you have access to the road that leads to God? How can you get it? By faith, By faith? By whom we have access, by faith into this grace wherein we stand or we stand? Oh, let me tell you that one of the things that a believer in the Lord Jesus has, he has a standing.
Before God.
You and I who believe on the Lord Jesus, we stand before God.
In all the acceptance of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus.
And when God looks down on a believer.
He sees Christ 1St and then the believer because the believer is in Christ.
Oh, what a wonderful thing to be in Christ.
And those who believe in Christ have a standing of God. I want you to have a standing before God.
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Into this grace, when we stand all grace. I like to talk about grace. You know what grace is? Grace is God's favor and mercy to us.
Even if we don't deserve it. He loves us even when we don't deserve his love.
It says and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. You know what a believer in Jesus has? A believer in Jesus has the hope of heaven.
Everyone in this room is going into eternity just as fast as the clock can take you.
What is your hope? Where are you going? Are you going to heaven?
Or are you going to hell? My dear friend, all you boys and girls, listen. You're on a road that leads either to heaven or to hell.
If you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
If you have neglected the salvation of God and if you are not saved yet.
You are on a road that leads down down.
Down and ends in the flames of hell forever in the dark.
Oh, I don't want you to go there. I don't want you to go there. I want you to have what I have. That's where I came tonight. I want you to have what I have.
Verse three says not only so, but we glory in tribulations. Oh, there's another thing a Christian has. He's got the victory even in his troubles.
It's the most wonderful thing in the world to be a Christian, because anything that happens to you.
God makes something good out of it. We even glory and tribulations. And that's what you got.
If you belong to Christ, you got victory even in your troubles.
Knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience, experience and experience, hope.
Hope. Believers in the Lord Jesus have hope. They know that someday they will be with Christ. And you know what the hope of the believer is? When we read about hope in the Bible, it's not just like.
Some of the kids here tonight may say. I hope Mr. Reeves gives me that other candy bar.
Now some of you will be disappointed because I only bought 2.
Just bought 2.
And I'm going to give this other snicker bar.
I'm going to give this another sticker for Snicker Bar to the first girl that comes up to me and asks me for it after this meeting.
The first girl that comes up to me after this meeting gets this other snicker bar, so.
Some people have hopes that don't work, but you know what the hope of the believer is?
All for the one that believes in Jesus, hope is delayed certainty.
And that's something hope is delayed certainty for those that know Jesus.
And if you believe in Jesus.
You're going to be in heaven you can't miss. You've already got a reserved seat there and nobody can take it but you. Your name's on it.
Oh, it's delayed. Certainty is the hope of the We rejoice in the hope.
Of the glory of God.
And verse five says hope makes not ashamed because the love of God.
Is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.
Another thing a believer has.
A believer has God's love in his heart.
I used to sing a song when I was a boy that says the old time. Religion makes me love everybody.
It's true. If you've really got Christ in your heart, you love all of God's people, and not only that, but the believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, and He is their private teacher to show them what the Word of God means and comfort their hearts all the way home to Him.
Those are the halves.
Would you want to be a have not.
I wouldn't want to be 1/2 naughty. I wouldn't want to have all of this and all. Let me tell you folks, you can have it all and even more than I'm able to tell you about tonight. You can have it all. So just receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior to as many as received him to them gave he the right to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
00:30:04
This fellow in the red shirt.
Red striped shirt. There was number problem for him to stick out his hand and get that snicker.
He just received it.
And you can receive Christ just as simply just by saying in the deep parts of your heart, Lord Jesus, I want you as my Savior.
He would never say no to a boy. He would never say no to a girl. That said, please accept the Lord Jesus. I want to be saved tonight. The Lord Jesus would never, never say no to somebody like that, he said. The one that comes to me I will never.
And no wise cast out. Well, just think of all the things a believer has. It says for when we were yet without strength in verse six. In due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Why? Listen, folks.
How could you have any strength when you weren't even born?
I remember when our last granddaughter was born.
And she just weighed a little more than 5 lbs.
And my wife and I went up to the hospital and they said to me, they said, Mr. Reeves, if you're going to hold this baby, you're going to have to put on one of these white gowns.
I don't like to put on white gowns.
But boy, I put on that white gown so I could hold that baby and we used 5 lbs. Just a little dinky thing. Did that baby have any strength? No.
And nobody had any strength when Jesus died because they're not a person in this room that we're born yet. We weren't even born. How could we do anything about God's salvation when God took up the issue of salvation with the Lord Jesus before we were ever born? What could you do about it?
Well, you say, Mr. Roos, is it? Is it like that? And I say it's just like that. It's all been worked out for you long before you were born. And God says here, this is what I've got for you. You just come and take it from me and then you'll be one that has.
I want you to be one of the halves, and you can have tonight all of this if you accept the Lord Jesus says in verse 7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure for a good man somewhat even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Oh, just think of that bad boy that soaked the windows.
Just think of those naughty farmers that stole the pigs.
And folks, I'm telling you this, they're a lot worse things than those. And yet God loves us.
Oh, He loves us. He doesn't love our sins. No, no, no. He doesn't love our sins. But he loves us. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Isn't it wonderful? Does God love us that much? Yes, He loves us that much and He loves us. He wants us to have what he has bought for us through the precious blood of his Son, the Lord Jesus. Well, folks, let me tell you, it was a tremendous, mighty transaction.
That happened at Calvary's cross when the Lord Jesus died, when all the sins of all believers of all ages were heaped upon that holy spotless head of the eternal Son of God. And it was dark then so that man couldn't see what was happening. The question of sin was gone into what Calvary's cross and settled forever. And when the Lord Jesus bowed his precious head and said it is finished.
The work was done so that you could be one of those at halves what God wants you to have.
Oh, does God love us that much that he has got this all done for us even before we were born yet?
How can anybody want to be one of the have nots?
That's the dumbest thing you can think about to be one of the have nots.
When God's got everything, so you can be one of the halves.
You can have all of this by believing in the Lord Jesus.
Verse 9 says much more than being justified by his blood. Don't forget, folks, that the price of salvation was paid in full by the precious blood of Christ.
And those that believe in the Lord Jesus, they can say the blood of Jesus Christ.
His Son cleanses me from all sin. The value of the precious blood of Christ is all God needed.
00:35:08
Salvation and that has been paid at Calvary's cross, being much more being justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath through him. Why? There's no hell for the ones that have faith in Christ. It says we shall be saved from wrath through Him. You can never be lost.
If you're saved, you can never go to hell. If you're saved, which shall be saved from wrath through him, and God will never punish you for your sammies. If you believe in Jesus, wouldn't it be a mistake? Wouldn't it be a mistake not to believe in Jesus? Wouldn't it be an awful mistake? It'd be the worst mistake that anybody could make.
Justified by his blood.
His Precious Blood has done such a good job.
As to the payment of sins, that the record for every believer is clear and you can't find those sins on the record.
Because every believer is justified, he has justification.
Verse 10 says, for if we when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Just think of it. Not only does a believer in the Lord Jesus have the salvation of his soul, the forgiveness of his sins has the joy of God, and the love of God in his heart has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. But not only that.
We have the Lord Jesus who lives in heaven, taking care of us every step of the way home. We shall be saved by His life. That means his present life in heaven. Oh, there's a man on the throne. Don't forget it folks. There's a real live man sitting on the throne of God tonight.
Or I wish I could just see him, really see him. There's a real live man.
Sitting on the throne of God tonight, a real live man. His name is Jesus.
And he's taking care of every believer every step of the way home. We shall be saved by his life.
He said. Because I live, you shall live also.
Verse 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the Atonement. I like that word Atonement.
It's an interesting word because you can you can break it into 3 words 80.
ONEMENT the at.
One mint.
The at one mint.
It used to be that I didn't want to be in God's presence. It used to be I didn't enjoy.
Being with God.
But now, since I've been saved, we've been brought into oneness together and joy and happiness, and we're made one. And everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus has received the at one mint.
Oh, he has brought us together and we're not afraid of him anymore.
We're not afraid of him. He's never been mad at us. Oh no, But those who believe have the at one meant. That is, we have been reconciled. We have been brought back into the enjoyment of God's favor because of the precious blood of Christ and his work on the cross. Now folks, I've told you some of the things that believers have.
Good, isn't it?
Some of the things that believers have.
All I want you to have these things too, and I hope there's no one in this room but be one of the have nots.
But listen, you're either a have or you're a have not.
You either have a snicker bar or you don't have a snicker bar. You either have Christ or you have not Christ.
There's no way in between.
I want you to have Christ. I want you to have all these good things I've been telling you and folks, listen, you can have them tonight.
If you'll believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
If there's someone here tonight that said, oh, Mr. Reeves sure sounds good. I wish I could be one of those that has, but I got so many doubts sometime during these meetings. Maybe tonight.
00:40:13
Let me let me share with you more.
About what it means to believe in the Lord Jesus, and if you're not sure, or if you say I came to Mr. Reeves meeting tonight.
And I was one of the have nots.
But I want to be one of the half. I'll be so glad to talk to you after this meeting and we'll find a place to pray so that instead of being one of the have nots.
You'll be one of the halves. That's what I want and that's what God wants. Now we're going to sing another song. And you girls, don't forget that the 1St girl up after this meeting and asked me for this snicker bar. She gets it. Let's sing #9. Come. Every soul by sin oppressed. There's mercy with the Lord. He will surely give you rest by trusting.
In his word.
Come every.
This Man
Gospel—E. Ensign
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Now, before this meeting began, there was a prayer meeting just across the hall, and I wonder if maybe some of the children might wonder what those men do over there in that room for 20 minutes before the meeting starts.
Well, I can tell you boys and girls and dear friends that there were about 4040 men in that room pouring out.
Their heart to the Lord.
For any in this room that still do not know the Lord Jesus as savior.
One brother prayed that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
And to those that believe that, all that's so true.
You know in the same place in the scriptures where we read that.
That tells us that the gospel is foolishness to those that perish. And you know, that's that's so true. I wonder if there is someone here in the room that perhaps you've heard the gospel many times and you haven't believed it yet. You know, it's possible for a child 10 years old, if they came to meet him with their mom and dad for all the years of their life and the years that they can remember, they may have heard the gospel hundreds of times.
And I wonder if there is any boys or girls here tonight that you may have heard the gospel many times.
And you still haven't believed.
I wonder if there's anyone here tonight that up to this time you have positively rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, that prayer in the other room was that your eyes might be opened and that you might be called from darkness into light to night.
Could we sing one of the children's hymns on the back just a little short 1 #42, a little child of seven or even 3 or 4 #42?
The 13th chapter of the Book of Angst, Acts 13.
Now, we're not going to read the whole chapter, but I'd like to read a few of the verses.
We're going to listen in.
On a gospel meeting that took place.
Almost 2000 years ago, Maybe 1900 years ago.
An interesting thing about this is, you know, it's the same.
Essentially the same gospel message that's going forth today.
This gospel meeting was held in a place called Antioch.
And if we'd run a look on our maps today.
For the place for the country where this gospel was held, we'd have to look over in Europe.
And we'd have to go to the Mediterranean Sea and we'd find the country. But today we call Turkey, and the city was right about in the middle of that country, and this gospel was preached in that in that place.
When Paul started preaching this day, he covered some of the history of the children of Israel first of all.
Told how they came out of Egypt. He told about the land that they came into. He told about.
The time of the judges and Samuel the Prophet, and then how God gave them kings.
And especially David. He gave them David the King. Now we're going to pick this up at.
Acts 13 and verse 23.
Of this man's seed. That is the seed of David. He's speaking now of one.
Who was descended in a natural way from King David. Of this man's seed hath God, according to his promise raised unto Israel, a savior, Jesus.
When John had first preached before his coming, the baptism of repentance.
To all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Who think ye that I am? I am not he. But behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose, Men And brethren, children of the stock of Abraham. And whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers because they knew him not.
Nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him, that is, in condemning Jesus. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired, they Pilate that he should be slain.
That when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree.
00:05:01
And laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead. Then he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
And we declare unto you glad tidings, all that the promise which was made unto the fathers.
God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he has raised up Jesus.
As it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee.
And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption.
He said. On this wise I will give you the sure mercies of David.
Wherefore he saith also in another Psalm. Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
For David after he had served his own generation by the will of God.
Fell on sleep, and was late in, and was laid unto his Father's, and saw corruption, for he whom God raised again saw no corruption.
He had known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken in the prophets. Behold, he despisers, and wonder, and perish, for I work a work in your days.
A work which you shall no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
Now that is, I don't know if that's word for word what Paul said or.
The essence of what? He said. But God has given it to us.
As part of his word and as an example of the New Testament preaching. And I want to kind of 0 in on verse 38 and 39.
He had known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
Now, we didn't read the verses following this Gospel address, but, you know, not everybody believed.
In fact, there were probably very few that believed. Sad to say, there were some that rejected. There were some that mocked. There was persecution broke out later on, but I'm thankful to say that there were some that believed.
And we pray that there will be some who will believe tonight.
Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Does everyone here tonight know that your sins are forgiven? That you have the forgiveness of your sins in another place? Over in First John? Don't turn to it, but it's written.
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. So I might ask each one of the children here tonight, children, are your sins forgiven? Do you know that your sins are forgiven? Have you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ?
I would like to speak about this man, this man tonight.
Turn with me if you will first of all to the 19th chapter of John John 19.
Now it mentioned in that gospel address of the Jesus stood before a man named Pilate, the Roman governor, and so we'll read in John's Gospel.
At the end of the 18th chapter.
Jesus is standing before Pilate. He has finished his.
Is a course through the world.
33 years the Lord Jesus walked this earth.
Three years in public ministry.
And the public ministry is marked by rejection, largely.
From his own people.
And now the time has come.
When all things are coming to a head and the Lord Jesus is about to.
Can I say fulfill the tremendous purpose of the ages that God had in mind for this poor world earlier in this gospel, John the Baptist saw the Lord Jesus and he said, behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and the Lord Jesus is about ready to go to the cross. And we find out in God's word that when Jesus died on the cross in a way that we can't understand or even explain.
00:10:11
The Lord Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the cross on the tree.
And so now the rulers of the Jews have taken the Lord Jesus to Pilate.
In John 18.
Verse 33 Then Pilate entered the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews?
Answered him saying.
Sayest thou this thing of thyself?
Or did others tell it thee of Maine? Pilate answered, Am IA Jew, thine own nation, and chief priests have delivered the unto me. What hast thou done?
Oh, you know, if the Lord Jesus would have answered the question, there were reasons why he he remained. He remained silent before his accusers. But all think of the wonderful things the Lord Jesus could have told that man of what he had done. We read about them, many of them in the Gospels. He healed the sick, made the blind to see, raised the dead back to life, healed the lepers. Indeed, what hast thou done?
Jesus answered, My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight?
That I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my Kingdom not from hence.
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king? Then Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I entered the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate says unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find no fault.
I find in him no fault at all.
But you have a custom that I should release unto you one at the Passover. Will ye therefore that I release unto you the king of the Jews? Then cry they all again.
Saying not this man but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Now let's stop there for a moment. This is a terrible choice that was made this day. You know, the interesting thing is that the name Barabbas means son of the father, son of the father. And here the people this day chose a man who was a murderer and a robber instead of the true son of the father. And that terrible choice, the results of it, has hungover this world.
Ever since that particular time, not this man, but Barabbas Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him. What a terrible thing to do to a man that Pilate had just said I find in him.
No fault at all. And he scourges him. And you know, sometimes these words are passed over quickly.
But scourging was a terrible, a terrible punishment, a terrible torture to give a man, let alone the Son of God.
And the soldiers planted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head. And they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, king of the Jews, and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that you may know that I find no fault in him.
Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold, the man, Behold the man.
Dear friend, if I'm speaking to any tonight that you haven't yet trusted in the Lord Jesus.
Have you ever, have you ever seen or ever thought about the fact that here is God's Son, the one who loves you so much that He came down here to die and to give himself everything that He could give for you, as He suffered for you on the cross and suffered for your sins, and took the penalty that you deserved, and then shed His precious blood to cleanse, to wash your sins away?
Here he is undergoing such terrible, terrible treatment at the hands of these that he created. Have you ever seen Jesus?
Doing all this for you. Have you ever really thought about this?
And realize that here is your savior. Here is the one who died for you and went through such terrible suffering and punishment.
For you, Pilate says. Behold the man, Behold the man.
If we read down the story, there was another exchange between the pilot and the Jewish leaders. And finally pilot consents to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, a man that he said was innocent. I find no fault in him at all. In the Lord Jesus is nailed to the cross. Have you ever seen for yourself that the Lord Jesus did this for you? Those nails were driven through his hands and through his feet, and that crowd of thorns was put on his head.
00:15:28
And he was spit on it and beaten over the head and scourged on the back. And all all that, all that took place that day. Have you ever seen that this is what the Lord Jesus did for you?
Later on in the.
19th chapter.
Verse 28 Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith I thirst.
Now here's a dying man crying out in thirst.
And what do they give him now? There was such a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on hyssop and put it to his mouth.
There again, the last act, the last request, you might say.
Instead of giving him water, he's given vinegar. Terrible. A terrible thing to think that the Lord Jesus endured this for you and me.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And dear friends, it's the same thing as if the Lord Jesus had said, paid in full, paid in full. He had completed all the work that was necessary, that God might be satisfied about the sin question. He bore my sins, and I see many of my brethren here. And your sins have been borne by the Lord Jesus there on the cross and dear one tonight, if you're not saved.
You can be in the same position by believing in the Lord Jesus, trusting in him that He suffered for you, He suffered in your place.
As your substitute.
It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost, or he dismissed his spirit, bringing out clearly where the Lord Jesus said, I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation that the body should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day.
For that Sabbath day was in high day besought Pilate, that their legs might be broken, that they might be taken away, then the soldiers, Then came the soldiers, and break the legs of the 1St and of the other, which was crucified with him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break, not his legs.
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water, And he that saw it bear record. And this is the record, And his record is true, And he knoweth that he saith true.
That you might believe.
And this is the blood we believe. We truly believe according to what God says in His word.
Redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ, the blood that washes our sins away.
Now turn with me to.
Luke 23.
In Luke 23.
We learned something else that took place while the Lord Jesus was on the cross.
There were two other men crucified with the Lord Jesus. These other men, they were, they're described as malefactors, robbers, I suppose, whatever they were.
Verse 39 Luke 23.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly.
For we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man, this man, has done nothing amiss.
You know, when you think about all that took place on this day, this terrible dark day in the world's history.
Here a dying thief.
Acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
And in a sense, can we say, can we say he cleared the character of the Lord Jesus?
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This man has done nothing amiss. How wonderful to see that God had his witness. But everything was against the Lord Jesus, the Jewish leaders, the soldiers, the governor.
A man dying there on one of the crosses says this man has done nothing amiss.
Even Pilate's wife, you know, said, Have thou nothing to do with this, just man.
Now turn with me to Lamentations 3, just for a part of a verse.
Lamentations. That's right, after Jeremiah.
The first verse.
This is no doubt prophetic of.
Of the Lord Jesus I am the man. 31 Lamentations, I am the man.
That has seen affliction by the rod of thy wrath.
We didn't read it, but.
But while the Lord Jesus was on the cross and those second three hours, darkness came. A darkness that was a very that was a miraculous thing in itself, more than an eclipse. An eclipse couldn't make the total darkness like there was in a widespread, perhaps even over the whole, world.
That are those three hours the Lord Jesus.
Suffered under the hand of God for my sins and yours. And so here prophetically, he says, I am the man.
That has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
Isaiah 53 We would read He was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted to think that the Lord Jesus stood in the place that I deserved and stood in the place that you deserve so that we might go free.
Now turn it over to first Timothy, the second chapter.
One Timothy 2.
Now.
Many years. I don't know. I don't know exactly how many years after the Lord Jesus died on the cross and and rose again. We read about that in Acts 13, how the Lord Jesus rose from the dead.
Proof that our sins are gone.
Paul writes to Timothy.
One Timothy 2. The end of verse three, God our Savior.
Who will have all men to be saved and a common to the knowledge of the truth? For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.
To be testified in due time. There are several things here I'd like to have you think about.
The first one is God. Our Savior will have all men or have all to be saved. Now that's God's will, dear friend. That's God's will for you. And you know the sad thing is.
That perhaps you've known people and I have two that have gone down to the grave unbelieving, not believing in the Lord Jesus. And to think that for a whole lifetime missing what God's will is for them, God's will for you, is that you would be saved. That you would trust in the Lord Jesus and be saved. And you know the fact is that that until until you come to that point in your life where you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and our saved.
While you're just, you're just missing the whole point that God has for your life.
And I hope there's no one here that will go on in this state, just missing everything that God has for you. God's will is that all would be saved, and not only that, but to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Then verse five says there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Who gave himself a ransom for all? The mediator is one who goes in between.
I think in the Old Testament there were like an umpire is used, but it's one who goes in between and speaking respectfully.
One who can put his hand on God, and one who can put his hand on you and me.
A mediator, one who goes between and that is what the Lord Jesus is. You know, the Lord Jesus is God himself. The scripture testifies to that time and time again that the Lord Jesus is God himself and he came down into this world as a man for those 30 some years so that we can have an idea of what God is like.
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So he's the mediator and then he gave himself a ransom. And I'm sure if I can but ask one of the children, you can tell me what a ransom is. A ransom, you know, is a tremendous, A tremendous payment. It might might be a payment of money or something else. But in this case, the payment was the very life of the Lord Jesus, his very life blood, so that we might be set free. You know, over in Galatians, it, it speaks about the Lord Jesus, how he, he gave himself for our sins.
That he might deliver us from this present evil world and deliver is a lot like we might use the word rescue.
We need rescuing. That's how serious this thing is and the Lord Jesus gave himself.
A ransom. A tremendous, tremendous payment. We can't even come close to estimating the tremendous payment that the Lord Jesus made.
So that you and I might go free, Who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time?
The man Christ Jesus.
Now turn over to Isaiah 32.
Isaiah 32 and verse 2.
And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covered from The Tempest.
As rivers of water and a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land a man.
This is none other than the one we've been speaking about. The man Christ Jesus. A man shall be a hiding place from the wind. I believe this speaks of the judgment, the judgment, time that's coming.
And you know, the only safe place is to be safe in Christ before that judgment comes on this world. And so here's a man. A man shall be a hiding place from the wind and a cover from The Tempest. Oh, are you safe?
Are you safe in Christ yet? Over in Psalm 32. Don't turn to it. But it says Thou art my hiding place. Oh, can each of us say that about the Lord Jesus? Thou art my hiding place. And you know, over in Revelation, again, don't turn to it. But it's in the 20th chapter and it speaks about the the terrible, great right thrown judgment that's coming sometime in the sometime in the future.
And it speaks there about how earth and heaven will flee away. The dead, small and great, stand before God.
And it speaks about there was number place for them. I believe words to that effect. I believe it's implied that there was no more hiding place.
At other places earlier in Revelation, when the terrible judgments begin to fall, men cry out for the rocks.
To fall on them because of the wrath of the Lamb, but now at the Great White Throne.
When time is coming to an end.
The dead, small and great. And if we trace it, who are those? It will be at the great white throne. The only ones that can be there are those are those who have died in unbelief. They've died rejecting Christ or rejecting whatever testimony God gave them.
And their only end is to hear the voice of the Son of God, saying, Depart from me.
I never knew you. No more hiding place. Now earth and heaven are gone, and there they see the face of the Lord Jesus.
The one who could have been their savior, but only to hear that the terrible consignment into the lake of fire. Dear friend, I hope there's no one that will put off this important matter.
Until it's too late.
Thou art my hiding place. Oh, be able to say that thou art my hiding place.
In Acts 17, don't turn to it again, but it speaks there, too, of judgment.
And how God has ordained that man, that man to be the executor of the of the judgment that speaks in Acts 17 and in verse 31. And there is that man, the Lord Jesus Christ, all that you would meet the Lord Jesus as your Savior so that you won't have to meet him as your judge.
Now let's turn over to Acts 412.
You know, in our reading meetings, for the one reading meeting we've had thus far, we were in the 14th chapter of John. We'll read a verse from there too.
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But we've been speaking about the man Christ Jesus. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man.
Is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you cannot be justified by the law of Moses, that is.
You can't get justified by keeping the law. And you remember what Mr. Reeves said last night, what Ron Reeves said that being justified is like there's no record at all of my sins or your sins. Remember the men that had the men that had committed the crime and they had paid their fine and paid whatever needed to be done, but the judge says you now have a criminal record.
But with you and me, if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he washes our sins away, ever justified. That is, there's no more, no more record.
Well in Acts 4 verse 12 That says neither is there salvation in any other.
For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
You know that word must seems to be a.
I call it an imperative, that is, it's one of those things that you must be saved or you'll be lost. You must be saved, God says, or you'll be lost for all eternity. There's only one name, only one name in this whole wide world, and that's the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The verse in John 14, verse six, is when Jesus spoke. He said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. And that's the that's the way to.
Happiness, blessing life, eternal sins washed away, Assurance of a home in heaven.
Is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
None other name, dear friends. The only name is that wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a track that we have that tells a story.
About a train that was making its way across Midwestern United States one winter a long time ago.
And there were a few passengers on the train. It was snowing out a Blizzard.
And there was one lady on board with a small child.
And she was concerned about when she was to get off the train. Well, there's another man on board, among others, who was a he was a traveling man. He knew the route well. He'd been on the train many times. And he told the lady. He said, well, I know, I know the route well. He says pretty soon we're going to come to a certain town. Then after we leave that town, your stop is next.
And so the train came to the first town and stopped, and some got off, some got on and the train started up again. And then the train stopped a few moments later and the man said this is your stop now. And so the lady got off the train into the cold, stormy night and started up. Had been going more than a few minutes again when the conductor came through the car calling out the name of the town.
That this woman wanted.
The gentleman who had given her the directions, he said. Hey, wait a minute, What's the matter? I thought that stopped back. There was the.
Was the staff And the conductor said, Oh no, we we had to make a quick stop for some kind of a problem on the tracks and this is this is the town. And the man told the conductor what had happened and when they went back to search for the lady why she had perished in the cold and in the snow, the the fact is that she had been misdirected. She had been misdirected. She had been listening to the wrong to the wrong voice, should have listened to the conductor, but she listened to the wrong voice.
There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through this man he has preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
And by him all the believer are justified from all things I'd like to read a.
A verse.
We want a man is the cry of the world, a man who can put things right.
For everything is wrong and we're all astray. The outlook is dark as night men of dreamed of peace and a golden age to which they thought they were bound. But their hopes are blighted, disturbance is rife, and war not peace. They have found something is wrong, they freely admit, though they boasted things better have grown. But all is awry and out of control. In weakness they sigh and they moan.
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If only someone would stand in the breach and all their hard problems solved, they would give him support. His name should be great to obey him. They all would resolve.
Their efforts are fruitless. Their schemes all have failed to remove the cause of alarm.
The masses are lawless and violent spreads and there seems to be a gathering storm.
They're hastening to ruin. Destructions ahead. They're drifting and save them. Who can? If no one is found, then they are undone. They're helpless. They want a man.
Ah, world. You've discovered at last what you need, but where in distress will you turn? You truly stand in need of a man, though the reason you cannot discern go back in your history, 2000 years, when you made that awful choice and rejected the man who had come to save. With one unanimous voice, two men were presented to you that day, Barabbas and Jesus.
God's son shall it be Barabbas or Christ was asked. Then you chose the lawless 1A thief, and a murderer, at your request, was released to you that day, and the Holy One, the Christ of God to a cross, was led away.
You rejected the man who had come to bless, who dried the widow's tears.
Who healed the sick, the deaf, the blind and calm the sinner's fears?
Whose word the devil possessed, set free, and raised to life. The dead, the dumb, the sick, the palsied, all were healed, the hungry filled with bread, who came sins, captives to release.
From cursed earth to set free to fill the world with God's great good.
And reign eternally, but outcast and rejected. He, his brow with thorns adorned upon a cross, was crucified, hated, maligned, scorned, refused. On earth, in heaven He's crowned.
And soon will come again his enemies, his footstool make when he the he in power shall reign. He is the man, the coming man, to whom each knee shall bow, Earth's rightful king and sovereign Lord.
Those scarned and hated now.
Man of the world, would you be blessed that let Christ be your trust? You need him, He alone can save.
And bow to him. You must confess him, lest his anger burn escape his wrath. None can believe on him God's glorious Son, the Exalted Coming Man.
And so in the words that Paul and Silas gave to that Philippian jailer there in that dark prison, long ago, in response to the question serves, What must I do to be saved? And Paul and Silas replied, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that thou shalt be saved.
Now, could we close our meeting by singing?
Hymn #10 Hymn #10. There is a savior on high in the glory.
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