Delevan Conference: 1990
Table of Contents
John 10:1-12
Reading
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I barely, barely I send to you he that endureth not by the door of the sheepfold that climbeth up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the Porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth him out. And when he put us forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him.
For they know his voice, and a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him.
For they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them.
But they understood not what things they were, which he spake unto them, Then said Jesus unto them again.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep, all that ever came before me.
Are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find a pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, but he that is in hireling, and not the shepherd whose own the sheep are not. See if the wolf coming, and leave us the sheep.
And flares, and the wolf catches them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he isn't hireling, and careth not to the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and have known of mine as the Father. Knoweth me Even so know I the Father.
And I lay down my life for the sheep, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice. And there shall be 1 flock and one shepherd. Therefore doth my father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received my father.
There was a division, therefore again among the Jews for these Saints, and many of them said.
He hath the devil, and is mad. Why hear ye him? Others said. These are not the words of him that hath the devil.
Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
And it was at Jerusalem, the feast of the Dedication, and it was winter.
And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly, Jesus answered them, I told you, And ye believed not the works that I do in my father's name. They bear witness of me, But she believed not, because you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life.
And they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father, which gave them me as greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one.
Find that this chapter is very personal. The Lord himself is speaking.
And that's characteristic of the Gospel of John.
The Lord is alone with souls.
He's not seen as much publicly with his disciples as he is in the other gospels.
Now we have here.
He's an entereth, not by the door in the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way. The same as a thief in the robber, but he that entered by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
So we have the subject of the shepherd here.
But it's more the Good Shepherd who giveth his life for the sheep.
He's seen in other ways, in other places, like.
As a Chief Shepherd to give rewards and so on. But here he's the he's the Good Shepherd and.
We find that.
There are those who would enter, but they don't enter by the door.
There we have the one, the Lord Jesus, who enters by the door.
00:05:04
To see, when the Lord Jesus came down here as man, he came down to do God's will. He came as a servant, the servant son of God. And so he's down here serving the Father and doing only what the Father wants him to do and what the Spirit would direct.
So here.
The Porter, the Spirit of God.
To him, the Porter opener.
And the sheep hear his voice, and he called his own sheep by name, and they did them out.
I remember a story that brother.
Elder brother, Pilkington told.
He was in one of the southern countries, South American countries.
Or island. And he said someone was accused of stealing a sheep.
And.
When it came before the judge.
The.
Real honor of the sheep is there and the man who stole it.
And so he just asked the.
Each one to call the sheep, and you know the what the result was. The sheep heard the voice of the one who was the master and immediately went in that direction. Now that's what we have here, the Lord Jesus.
Calls his own sheep, and they know him.
And it's beautiful to see how the spirit of God has brought this chapter.
And this book before us, the Gospel of John because.
It brings it down personal to us each one, and we have to decide whether or not we are one of the sheep or not. Have we heard his voice?
Wouldn't you say that?
This chapter, the part we have read is.
Teaching based upon the action of Chapter 9.
Where the Lord had gone there amongst those Jews, and he found this one man who was blamed from birth. That's the natural man blame.
And he opens his eyes.
And the result is that he is cast out, and then he finds the Lord. So the Lord here comes in by the door of the Old Testament Scriptures with the Spirit of God had written.
And presents himself as the Good Shepherd to take.
Those blind Jews in the beginning of the chapter opened their eyes.
And lead them out of the blandness of the law into the liberty of race. And then he goes on down the chapter and says, other sheep I have which are not of this fold, so that we have the Gentiles in view too in this chapter. And the picture and the teaching fit so beautifully in the age in which we find ourselves when the great house.
Christendom has run over the borders of the foundation and gone out and mixed up the old order of things, The law, ceremony, ritual, regulations, and systematize these things and souls are caught in them, and the Lord would come in grace and open eyes and lead out of ******* into the full liberty of grace today.
That chapter is sort of a pattern, the 9th chapter of how a sheep is brought in. And so he finally the Lord says, dost thou believe in the Son of God? He said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe? There we have the one sheep brought in, and the way he was brought in, directly speaking with the Lord himself in regard to who the Lord loves.
He was the shepherd.
Man was the sheep, and so this chapter follows.
When he says Lord, I believe he becomes a worshiper and that's where our worship starts.
As soon as we believe in the Lord, we've got everything to praise him for.
00:10:16
And the prophet Zephaniah.
Where?
Judgment is pronounced on.
Nation.
Prophet speaks of judging the Princess, and of judging those who leap over the threshold to bring corruption and violence into their masters houses. Zephaniah 189 So we have that contrast here of those who come in by some other way. Take their character after the enemy who is a thief and a robber, and they will certainly come under the judgment of the true shepherd, in contrast to the false shepherd or the herald.
The sheepfold is, of course, Israel.
And.
There was a proper way of entrance into the sheepfold called the door. He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, which climbeth up in other ways, the same as a thief and a robber. We read of two of them in Acts chapter 5.
I'll read from verse 34, then stood there up one in the council. A Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the Law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space.
And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
For before these days Rosa Pudis, boasting himself to be somebody to whom a number of men, about 400, joined themselves, who was slain, and all as many as obeyed him, were scattered and brought to nod. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him, he also perished, and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone for if this.
Counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naughty, but if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest happily ye be found even to fight against God. And to him they agreed. So that was good counsel from Gamaliel and these two men that he names that had come in and LED away a number of.
Jews they were.
Thieves and robbers. They were not the shepherd of the sheep.
The true shepherd had to enter through the door, that is, he had to enter according to the Scriptures of the Old Testament, Behold, a virgin shall conceive bear a son.
Micah 5 speaks of Bethlehem. Ephrata of thee shall come forth him who is to be ruler. He was to be born at Bethlehem.
They knew this. There were many, many scriptures that connected with the Lord's first coming. He had to enter by the door. He had to come in the proper way of entry into Israel as the true shepherd of the sheep. And he did that. And the Porter, the Spirit of God, opened to him. There's a beautiful touch if you'll just allow a moment in Revelation chapter 3.
Umm, the address to Philadelphia, which is so Christ, like it says in verse 7 to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right? These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth and shutteth, and no man openeth. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee, and opened it ought to read.
Not an open door. It's not that he points out to Philadelphia. There's an open door, and I'll use it, but he opens the door to the Philadelphia, just like the spirit of God opened the door to the true shepherd when he came in amongst the children of Israel. So it's the same character that you have in Philadelphia that you have here in the Lord Jesus.
Beautiful to see that says.
00:15:02
He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the Porter openeth, And though the Lord Jesus met with more opposition in his blessed pathway, just like true Philadelphia meets with opposition from the established religious systems of men, just like the Lord Jesus met with it. Invite you, the Pharisees, especially in the Sadducees, the religious leaders of the day, they opposed him.
In spite of all the system, the power of the system, that they had to oppose Him, the Porter opened, and they could not stop, that the same was true of Philadelphia. The Lord opened the door, and the truth was made known well. So it was in the blessed pathway of the Lord Jesus.
Though they could say of him, how knoweth this man letters having never learned who is he, just the carpenters son. They spoke against him, and in every way possible sought to intimidate him, sought to.
Turn him aside and to stop his ministry. The Porter opened, and the ministry enlarged. It could not be stopped by all the systems of men, by all the organized religion of men. They could not stop. When the true shepherd entered, he was going to lead his sheep out of Judaism into the liberty of Christianity. And that's what we have in these verses.
Last year at the conference there was here there was a question asked about the father's house.
It's to me remarkable that there is a mention made twice in the Gospel of John of the Father's house. The first one is in the second chapter, and I believe that if we without turning to it or making. But it is appropriate in case with the 10th chapter. Starting at the second chapter, there is where there is mention made of a father's house on earth. I believe that.
Without too much.
Imagination. Certainly. I hope none.
That we can trace the Lord's footsteps, especially starting with his healing of the man on the Sabbath day in the 5th chapter.
There is a dialogue between the Lord and the Jews, and certainly not on his part, but they're part of battle that we we see that he comes to the the 10th chapter and dealings with the Jew is over because now he leads them out. And in the fourth verse it says it really should read and when he put us forth all his own and so we've started the second chapter with an earthly house, we end up in the 14th chapter.
With the Father's house in heaven and the crucial chapter in making the distinction between.
Dealing with an earthly house and a heavenly house really is in this 10th chapter. Because now.
There shall be 1 flock and one shepherd. And so as we get to the 14th chapter, we find the Father's house. We find the people that are suited for that house, brought out and joined by the other sheep. Beautiful, beautiful.
And so the truth of what is the 14th chapter? You know, it's a lot like that verse in Peter. No scripture is of its own private interpretation. So we go back to the second chapter. We find the father's house on earth. We find the the antagonism of the Jew through these chapters, the 5th, the 6th, the 7th, the 8th, the 9th. And so it's his, his person and his work and his words are rejected. The blessing of the 9th chapter. Then the 10th chapter.
He leads all his own out.
And up to that time, it would have been inappropriate. It would have been.
Contrary to the mind of God, for one Jew to not continue with that system, but from now on this is the chapter. He leads all his own out, and there shall be 1 flock, and one shepherd, And then the development in the other chapters, and we get to the upper room. And then he introduces that one clock, if you will, though there are no Gentiles that have been brought in.
But in spirit, it's the one flock that are introduced to now. Not the Father's house that they were so familiar with in the second chapter, but now an entirely new sphere of blessing and and the outpouring of God's heart in my Father's house, or many mansions of the 14th chapter.
Sheep hear his voice the 5th chapter.
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The hour is coming. Now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that here shall live so that it is by hearing the voice of the Son of God that one becomes a sheep, and he keeps that character. And the shepherd and true shepherd comes. They recognize his voice.
It doesn't say that he pushes them out or drives them out. He leads them out. He himself had been rejected and.
Leaves that place, and now he's on the outside of Judaism.
And he leads others.
Out and it says they know his voice as yet not having seen him, but they know the voice like.
Rhoda knew the voice of that man on the other side of the door, the gate.
Without seeing him. So you and I know the voice of that Good Shepherd.
But you know, we learn him like that. Blind man we hadn't.
Yet learned who it was that had opened his eyes, and the Lord comes to him and manifests himself, says it is he that talketh with thee. He was hearing his voice and then he says, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him. So we go on down in our chapter and there's real progress in the.
14th verse He says, I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep. And then he says and am known of mine. You know, it's a much greater thing in a way to know him than to be known by him. We could illustrate it this way. I suppose every one of us here would know President Reagan. If we haven't seen him, we've seen his picture.
And we'd know the man. And if you walked into the room, how many of us would he know? I don't know. He'd know anybody. But suppose there was one here who didn't know. Reagan and I talked with him. None. He came in and said, Hello, John, Hello, Mary.
We would be astonished, wouldn't we? Here, here's the here's the president knows this person.
And that person knows the president well. Think about that in relation to the Lord.
He knows everyone of us now. Do we know him? We've heard his voice.
And we're going to learn of him, I hope, every day of our life, in his moral beauties and glories, particularly in the Gospels, but all through the book.
One day we're going to see him.
And we expect knowing him.
A little technical.
Thing, but the punctuation and the authorized vision does not tell the whole story, as in.
Verse 14 And am known of those that are mine, as the Father knows me and I know the Father.
And the counsel of God the Lord Jesus Christ is really?
Introducing us into that same intimacy of life and relationship that the Father and the Son enjoy.
We have that brought out especially in the 10th in the 20th chapter, in the resurrection, I ascended to my Father and your Father. But it isn't that same intimacy of life, divine life, that we are known. And we know Him. We do know Him throwing Grayson in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we know Him as the Father knows the Son, and as a Father the Son knows the Father. I would hardly call that a technicality, not as far as he left. The structure is concerned. Well, but I mean the truth that it brings out is is very, very significant.
Very nice.
It really we lead this into some of the teaching of John in the 17th chapter.
That thou has loved them as thou has loved me to think of it. How can it be possible, you know, if it wasn't there? If you had just quoted to me, and I was younger, and I hadn't heard that verse before, I think I would sort of say, oh, haven't you gone too far? But then and obviously it is that I wouldn't have gone far enough. But has loved them as thou hast loved me, Martin, the light that we have been given in Christ.
00:25:04
The first characteristic mentioned of the sheep in verse 4 is.
They follow him.
And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. So that's really what a Christian means, a follower of Christ. To follow him, following his steps, following his pathway, was a pathway of rejection, pathway of suffering, and to follow him will bring us into the same.
Rejection and and sufferings from the world that wouldn't have him. They won't have us either.
To walk as he walked down here will be met with the same opposition.
That they heaped upon the Blessed Lord. But it's to be in company with him. And that's worth it all, isn't it?
Carry that one step further. That pathway following him leads also to the glory.
There was a brother who had.
Bought a large number of sheep and I happened to be at his home at the time.
And.
There was a man drove up in a truck.
And there were no shape when I first came. But the moment the truck came up, why, you could see the sheep coming over the hill.
Well, I found out the man in the truck was the former owner of the sheep. They heard his voice and probably knew his car too.
They immediately came to where he was. Well, that's what we have here.
The sheep know the master's voice, and now the question is.
For us, do we know him? That is, are we learning about him?
Because we are the sheep. He is the shepherd, that is.
If we have salvation for put our trust in Him, we are the sheep.
What you are saying, brother Jacobson? I was thinking of the 11Th chapter.
What was said there by the high priest?
In the 49th verse.
And one of them named Caiaphas.
Being the high priest that same year said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man.
Should die for the people, not the whole nation carries not.
And this spake he not of himself of being a high priest. That year he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation.
And not for that nation only.
But that he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
Now I believe that's in view of Pentecost. The Lord, when he was here, was.
Gathering the children of God, beginning with Israel, beginning with the shape of Israel, so that a Pentecost, the church was formed, and you know, it was formed of all, all of Jews at the first. But there were Gentiles brought in later, as we heard this afternoon.
But the Jews here are the ones, the forests, especially in the gospel, because the gospel written to the Jews but today.
We use this expression for the gentiles because the gentiles also are sheep.
That gathering together you've referred to is so beautifully expressed in Isaiah 49. We might read a few verses there because the prophet opens up what was coming all ahead of time. Even the work of the Messiah who had come was to come at that time, and the feelings of Jesus come out in the prophecy, perhaps more.
Dramatically than they do, even in the Gospels, although they come out there too. So just.
Reading a few verses in Isaiah 49.
Melissa know Isles unto me, and hearken ye people from farm. It's a call to pay attention. The Lord hath called me from the womb. Who is that? Well, that's the man of Matthew 1 The Emmanuel Jesus from the bowels of my mother. As he made mention of my name, he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword.
00:30:16
In the shadow of his hand as he hid me, made me a polished shaft. In his quiver hath he hid me and said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I shall be glorified.
And I'm taking that as Prince with God. That is Jesus the planning and what Jacob never was quite and going out for these sheep. Now what does he say in verse 4?
Then I said, I have labored in vain. I have spent my.
Strength for not an in vain yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God. Now here is expressed the feelings of the Messiah come to the Jews, and they were not.
Gathered, he says, as he wept over Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hand gathers her chicks under him wings? And ye would not. Oh yeah, he felt it. I have labored and spent my strength in vain and for naughty. But he gets an answer from Jehovah the Lord God, verse 5 And now saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant. What for? To bring Jacob.
That old natural man.
Again to him.
He's going to bring them.
Though Israel be not gathered, they weren't gathered when they came the first time. Yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord.
And my God shall be my strength. His confidence is in the Lord God. And in a time when he's going to take up that people in power and they will be gathered. But then he says, verse six, It is a light thing that thou should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. He's going to get all 12 of them and restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a late to the Gentiles.
That thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth to America too.
It began in the land of Zebulun and Nephilim. The people that sat in darkness saw great light.
It's overspread the borders and reach to the gentile. So now.
That's in this chapter, a preparation for the Gathering of the Gentile.
It's a preparation for the Church even to call today now of the Judaistic system that Krishna has developed into.
To leave it, to follow the Lord, and to have the doors.
Of grace opened up in full liberty to us to be to His glory, now a gathered people, now expecting and knowing that Israel will be gathered in the Millennial day.
Christianity, what should we think in terms of they will not stranger, they will not hear, have not strangers that many astray. What do you think about that?
I think it ought to be an exercise for every one of us about what we do here, where they're paying attention to pure true doctrine, or whether we have the discernment, which is a state of soul, to recognize the stranger's voice and to turn away from it. It reminds us of a illustration of.
A rather elderly.
Woman for much uneducated, that got saved, brightly saved.
And a few days later, one of the Colts came to her door.
And said, oh, I've got a book that's such a nice book. It tells you about Jesus and so on.
And without knowing anything about coats or those kind of things, she listened a little bit and said no thanks and closed the door. She heard enough from that stranger to know that it wasn't a shepherd's voice. And I think if you and I are sincere and acquainted with the shepherd's voice, we're not going to have to know all the other voices that are brought in Christendom.
00:35:02
The other evening I had a conversation with a brother. His name is anonymous to us, the purposes of this story, and we were discussing certain fine points of scripture, and it was a great deal of of emotional pressure on my heart. I brought up what I had known from a previous conversation with him, that he had pulled out a doctor's thesis from some theologic school, that this man's doctor's thesis on Revelation 2 and three.
Set completely aside the consecutive history of the church and I said, brother, I must bring it up to you at this time that that I do not think that is proper teaching, he says. Well, isn't this individual a gift to the church?
A stranger will they not follow? I'm not going to be LED into the the, the tangle of deciding who is a gift to the church and who isn't. I I'm thankful for every dear St. of God who preaches the gospel and ministers the truth. But I believe that rather than him telling me is he not a gift to the church, It would have been better that he had recognized the shepherd's voice and I said to him.
And very, very simple once you you know, once you try to force a picture, a little piece of a puzzle into the wrong place, then you've got other pieces that aren't going to fit.
And so I said, well, let's take Andrew Miller's book on church history. I said the whole basis on which he predicates his his thesis is the teaching of Revelation 2 and three. And he says, I know that. So I hope in fairness to his belief that he chucks out Miller's church history. And once you start chucking that out, then you've got to Chuck out a great deal more to think of of the of the consistency that we recognize in case of that second and third chapter.
In Revelation, that is hardly the time now because we're in John. But the shepherd's voice would have kept this brother from it. And I said, I want to go one step further. If I was ever in a reading meeting with you and you brought up this teaching, I have to admit to your brother, I I would feel obliged to, to interject, to interrupt and say, brother, brother, that is not the teaching of this passage. We do not want to hear that.
We're still friends.
But I believe that we need to be sure that it's the shepherd's voice in connection with the novelty of many presentations that are about us. The gifts were given to individuals, not to the church.
Before the church. Well, he probably said a gift for the church. I just missed quoting, but I still accept your point.
Stranger will they not follow? It's amazing. My heart is just as much a tendency as his, whoever he might be. I know you don't. But each of our hearts can be so easily LED away. And you know the the truth is the truth and we can be established. I like to think of it like a tetherball. You know that that ball may go round and around and that post is secure and and by God's grace maybe we be kept.
Secure, and not by every wind of doctrine.
One of the important important truths of this passage we're looking at is what we call dispensational truth.
The Lord enters into the sheepfold as the shepherd, and then He leads his sheep out. He had to enter through the door the proper way of entry to Israel and the fulfillment of all the scriptures, and then He leads them out. He's the door of exit for leaving Judaism.
The whole epistle to the Hebrews was written with that in view in the last chapter says, Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach, for here we have no continuing city. The apostle Paul, I believe, who wrote Hebrews, he was telling these Jewish Christians, abandoned Judaism for Christianity. Christ is outside of that system, and that's what we have here. The shepherd is leading his sheep out. Leading him his sheep out of what?
Out of Judaism. Into the liberty of grace, which is Christianity. Not ******* any longer. The ******* of the law. That's Judaism. An enclosure, A confinement. That was what the sheepfold was. And when he leads them out, there's no enclosure. There's a very great mistake in verse.
00:40:17
16.
Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, and also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one.
That ought to read Flock 1 Shepherd. He leads them out of the one fold, which is Judaism, the sheepfold, and they become one flock. Jews and Gentiles made one in Christ. Now they become one flock. It's no longer a fold, but a flock. I noticed when you read that, you read it correctly, because that's not a that's not a minor mistake.
Anyway, it's important that.
That we see the dispensational teaching of this chapter. The Lord enters into Judaism, into the.
Jewish among the people of Israel through the proper door, and then as the shepherd of the sheep, he leads them out of that into the the new thing that he was about to establish, founded upon his death and resurrection. Christianity.
Differences between the black bold. You can explain that a little details there. Well, the flock is composed of the Jewish sheep and the Gentile sheep, and the sheepfold is an enclosure.
It's it's what characterized the Old Testament. Israel was to be separate from all the other nations. They weren't to intermingle. They weren't to mix with them. They were to be a testimony to the true and living God. They were inside this enclosure. You don't read of any evangelists in the Old Testament. The Jews were not told to go out and evangelize the Gentiles. That's what characterizes Christianity. Christianity is a flock out there on the pastures.
Reaching out to bring others in to be a part of the flock, not to be a part of a a a system of religion, which is what Judaism was of do's and don'ts.
The law and ******* but the liberty of grace, and it's to be identified with the flock, which is all the sheep.
Enjoying the shepherd as he leads them from pasture to pasture.
And to enjoy himself an entirely different thought than the sheepfold, which is a confinement. And that's what Hebrews is about, to lead these Jewish disciples out of Judaism, out of that confinement into the liberty of grace. The real difference, Bob, you brought out yesterday in the fold, the people are the point of reference, and in the flock the shepherd is the point of reference.
That's what I think is so important to keep it for us in the flock. It's it's a center there. We're out on the hills. There's a lot of sheep in Bolivia, and I've often seen maybe as many as 2 to 300 there, and they're moving along to where there's pasture. But it's the point of reference is the shepherd. They follow the shepherd and the sheep are all gathered around the shepherd.
Whereas Judaism, as has been stated, as an enclosure beyond which the sheep could not go. I think that's an important distinction to understand. Judaism is one thing, Christianity is completely different.
Been said that Christianity is not an improvement on Judaism.
Christianity is an entirely different thing. It is not an enclosure. It is an attraction, you might say. Well, if you don't put up some.
Walls around the sheep might wander off, but if you have attraction to the person of Christ, there is no need for walls, Brendan.
In the 7th of John, when the Lord went up to the feast and the midst of the feast, he stood up and said, if any man thirst.
Let him come unto me and drink, And in that simple statement the Lord Jesus Christ dried up every resource for man other than himself.
And so the flock of the fold of Israel has been dissolved as far as having any refreshment or benefit to the people of God. And now the shepherd has gone out. He cast his own Ford, all of his own out, and becomes the center to which they are gathered.
00:45:10
It's one thing to keep the sheep together by putting a fence around them. It's another thing to keep the sheep together by setting.
And attractive object in their midst who holds them together.
Because of the attraction that he has for the sheep.
That's Christianity, isn't it? It's we're attracted to to the shepherd. The sheep are attracted to the shepherd. That's what keeps them together. Not because they're within a confinement. That's Judaism. So the Lord had already thought in the 6th chapter.
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, which the Lord's words teaching.
It's the truth that gives us liberty into which he has brought us in this.
Age and it goes a little further than the 6th chapter and he says if the son therefore.
Shall make you free, shall be free. Indeed, there is no liberty like looking at Jesus, seeing him, the one who has broken all the bonds of the law, or any other yoke that God ever put upon man, and and remove sin. And just to look at him, to hear his words, and to see him, and to rejoice in the liberty of the age in which we live.
Even now as set free and held together by him.
As the divine center, our brother JT Armet, who began.
Christian No, I mean the messages of love and Bible truth. Publishers stated that redemption is the ground.
Christ is the center, and the Spirit of the God is the power that gathers. And when the Spirit of God gathers, he always gathers to that person. And we might say conversely, there is no ******* like bringing the law into the Christian truth. No *******.
Like that.
Point here I think is important too. In verse four it's already been mentioned. The sheep follow him, that's the shepherd, for they know his voice. They follow him because they know his voice.
Verse 5A, stranger, will they not follow for they but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers to me. There's something there that comes home practically to my own.
Apart do we cultivate hearing his voice? Brother, is it a daily matter with us that we open the scriptures to let him speak to us? It's not merely getting into study, the word like sometimes we might say it is a question of letting his voice fall on our hearts to hear His voice. That's why the sheep follow him, because they hear.
His voice. And that's why they will not follow strangers, because they know the voice of a stranger. And it's a real serious thing to consider for those of us who are parents as well as our children go to school and they hear a lot of voices in school and in other areas of their contact with this world if they hear at home the voice of the shepherd.
If this is something that is a common practice in our home life.
The voice of the Shepherd is given a place. Then as they go out, they will have a basis.
On which to discern What is the voice of the Shepherd? What is the voice of a stranger?
Bob mentioned the practical benefit of listening to the shepherds voice in Psalm 28.
Verse one.
Be not salient to me.
Lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down to the pit. If we do not hear regularly the voice of God speaking to us in the Word, we will degenerate in our souls and our life will become like those that go down to the pit. No difference. I'd like to tell a little story. It's a little bit out of school.
00:50:04
But my brother, our brother, Ron Reeves, I was in communication with him recently, and without me asking or knowing anything about it, he sent me a a the manuscript of just a few pages on an article that Gary Nielsen had asked him to write, apparently for some magazine that Gary edits. And this article was on Reading the Word of God. It was typically Ron Reeves, but it was typically very, very nice.
And I'm not sure that Ron would appreciate and mention that he wasn't sure just what Gary Nielsen would do with it. But I I felt so strongly and I didn't go ahead and do it, but I wanted to give everyone in the little meeting in Pittsburgh a copy, a Xerox copy. But if you can get a hold of it, it was very, very nice. And it said obviously it was more than what Bob just said because Bob only spoke just a a couple minutes on it. But it contained that. He says study of the scriptures is important and he went over it in connection with it and when I got through.
I had to call him. I called him on the phone and I said I want to add just my proverbial way of saying things. I said I want to add just one word to what you've said and I said I want to say Amen, Amen. It was lovely. Get a copy, young or old, and it'll do you good. You may edit it a little bit. Like you said, it's unedited, but but if you edit out any part that really reaches your heart or your conscience, you should put it right back in because it was very nice. It's wonderful for the.
Children and all to have the Word of God before them continually.
To learn the shepherd's voice. But we also have the thought here, which was expressed in the previous chapter, that the blind man.
Heard the Lord Jesus say, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
And he said, Yay, Lord, now that's personal.
That isn't the result of hearing the word over and over again, which should be.
Parents should seek that their children do hear the word of God.
But he heard it for the first time.
And.
That is, he had heard it when his eyes were healed. But I mean, when he was in the temple, the Lord found him again and he heard his voice and he believed and worshiped.
There was a meeting in Los Angeles like this conference.
Where they took up this chapter.
And a young man and his wife and children were invited to the meetings.
Had never been to any meetings like this before. Ever. He was a Mormon.
And.
After the meetings, he wrote me a letter.
He said. I've heard the shepherd's voice.
Now that can happen in this room today.
Someone who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior.
They may have been brought up even in a Christian home, but they have never heard that the shepherd's voice.
Today is the time to respond and take the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Those of us, her parents, can encourage the reading of the scriptures in the home. Sometimes that I've seen parents who seem to be discouraged from doing it because perhaps they don't know how to explain the scriptures to their children. But it's not a matter of explaining it. The word of God says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God doesn't say faith comes by understanding.
And understanding by the word of God, it's by hearing that faith comes so.
Sufficient it is to just read it, to let it be heard in our homes.
I received through the mail recently a copy of a publication that must have been translated from the Dutch on the subject of Jesus as the eternal Son of God. Well, I I hasten to assure you that that I didn't need the article. I believed it, but he was sent it to me to for my health and and cognizance of what is available. I think I'm going to write to the publisher and I'm going to and I'm not going and I'm going to be straightforward. I'm going to say I accept the teaching.
But his reasoning I think is a little bit fallacious. But when he mentioned the scriptures, I could say Amen to that. And so in case with Bob, sometimes, you know explanations. There's the famous story of the little child that said mommy, I understand it when you read it, but I don't understand it when you explain it.
00:55:18
What is the difference between the expression that we had early of the shepherd entering by the door and his changing the approach in the ninth verse to say I am the door?
Before we get to that, we should notice there's another use of the door in verse seven. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. He was the door, the proper way of exit from Judaism.
As the as entering by the door he was, the proper way, was the proper way of entrance into the sheepfold. And now he speaks of himself as the door of the sheep, by which the true sheep, the Jewish sheep, would be brought out of Judaism into the into the pastures of the word and the enjoyment of the new order of things. Then in verse nine he says, I'm the door by me if any man enter in.
He shall go. He shall be saved. He should go in and out and find pasture. In for worship, out for service. But there he's the door of entrance into Christianity. First of all he enters by the door to the sheepfold. Then he's the door of the sheep for the sheep to come out of Judaism into the new thing. And then he's the door of entrance into the new thing, the door which is. We often quote verse 9 as a gospel verse, beautiful gospel verse. I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved. But for the Jew they had to leave something first.
In order to enter in to the New South, let us go forth therefore unto him outside the camp, leave the camp.
And enter in to the blessings of Christianity.
The thief and the hireling are the same, are they not?
Certain has the same effect.
You don't like to point your finger?
There's enough in the Old Testament to do the pointing, read Exodus 34.
But we're living in a Judaized Christendom.
Where are those?
We take a job for hire and we'll move from one place to another.
Because of better wages.
How simple it is to.
Look at that and see.
And that they're not.
True shepherds are serving themselves instead of serving the flock. It's a terrible condemnation, I suppose if you look at an illustration of it is when Naaman the leper was healed and.
What was Elisha's servant's name?
He looked at that, those changes, arraignment and other things.
And.
Went after them.
And then the leprosy was put upon him.
It's not a not a day for that. Now the gospel is free.
I had a man.
I guess there's a woman called me up one day and.
Asked me how much I charged to baptize somebody. I was surprised.
And she said that I never heard of such a thing, she said. Well, I know a man that baptized me for $200.
What kind of high price, isn't it? But at any rate, that's just the principle of the thing, you know, to be a hireling, to be set yourself up as looking out for the Church of God and doing it for money. Well, that's putting it kind of crude, of course, but I think it's all in here.
Not only is it a matter of hiring stuff out there are those who.
Make merchandise or retail the word of God and they will actually appeal.
01:00:02
That you send money and you get money. They really trading in the word of God in a most uncouth, ungodly way.
We mentioned the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is especially for the Jew.
The believing Jew to bring them out of the old order that they were clinging to.
But the Epistle to the Galatians, we should mention that too in connection with this passage, because it was written to to refute the error that was being foisted on the young church that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses so they couldn't be saved. Well, that's to make a fold out of Christianity. It's to put put Christianity into an enclosure in a box, so to speak. That was Judaism.
And that was a terrible, terrible error. And it's important to see the difference between the sheepfold, which is an enclosure, A confinement to keep the sheep together, and then the pastures that the sheep are on to wander and to enjoy around the shepherd, around the shepherd, He's the attractive object. And that's Christianity. Stand fast in the liberty where with Christ has made you free and been out entangled again with a yoke of *******. This is what Paul writes in Galatians 5 verse one.
The whole epistle we just recently at home, we sat down. We read the entire epistle through at one reading. I would recommend that it's kind of hard to do that with First Corinthians. It's pretty long, but short epistles like Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. You can sit down and you can read it through with one reading. And it really impressed itself upon my soul when we just did this recently before leaving for conference. That it really brings home to your to your soul the whole tenor of the epistle.
And oftentimes we read it in such short chunks that we lose the picture and the whole teaching of the epistle. So I would recommend that for you young brothers especially that you you read the word and read it for understanding. But don't don't get hung up on a particular verse, that may be difficult. Just read it, discipline yourself to read it through and the individual verses will come later. But get the whole picture, get the overall view and.
Then you will hear the shepherd's voice.
We're talking about the hireling, it says. In the last days there should be teachers having itching ears. It's not that the congregation that they're speaking to has itching ears, It's this hireling that has itching ears and the hireling has itching ears, wanting to know what the people want. Sometimes we're disappointed in our own meetings because we don't think all our our needs are met.
But are we if we would judge our hearts somewhat like them, wanting to have a teacher with each years and not be receptive to what the spirit of God was raised up for ministry for our souls?
I believe this is as an inference to.
What will happen to the Jewish people in the coming day and perhaps has a direct reference to the Antichrist who is a violent?
He's called the Idle Shepherd, isn't he? Yeah, that's from Zachariah.
It's a it's a warning even today for for a Jew, because this is what will happen to Israel, and the word of God, you know, may fit various dispensations as to the exercise of soul.
The day is coming when the Jewish people will come back.
They are already since the year 40. They are starting back to their land, and this is a warning for them, because some of them will take up with the higher length the mass will, but there will be always a remnant. All is a remnant who will heed this warning not to follow the hireling.
M238.
John 10:11-17
Reading
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Verse 11.
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
But he that is an idoline, and not the shepherd whose own the sheep are not seeth the wolf coming, and leave it the sheep, and flee us. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattered the sheep the hireling fleet, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and known of mine as a father knoweth me Even so know I the father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Another sheep I have which are not of this, fold them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I power to lay it down by power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father. There was a division, therefore, among the Jews for these Saints, and many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad. Why hear ye him Others said, These are not the words of him that hath the devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
There was a Jerusalem at the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us the doubt? If thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not the works that I do in my father's name. They bear witness of me. And ye believe not, because you're not of my sheep.
As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Jesus answered them. Many good works have I showed you from my Father. Which of those works do you stone me? For which of those works do you stone me?
The Jews answered him, saying, For good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them. Is it not written in your law? I said, your gods, if you call them gods, unto whom the word of God came.
And the scripture cannot be broken. Say ye of him whom the Father has sanctified and sent unto the world. Thou blasphemous, because I said, I am the Son of God, If I do not, the works of my Father believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works, that you may know, and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand.
And went away again beyond Jordan, under the place where John at first baptized, and there he abode, and many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle, but all things that John spake of this man were true, and many believed on him there.
Going back a little where we had his sheep follow him.
It's we should speak a little of the fact that.
The Lord has set the pathway before us when He was here.
And so that we have a path laid out in this wilderness to which we're passing.
That we might know what we should do.
There's a verse in the epistle of John.
The first John.
And chapter 2 and verse 3.
And hereby do we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments.
Now he's not speaking about the law emojis. He's speaking about those things which he taught when he was here among men, and he left a path for us. We don't need to go elsewhere for the path.
00:05:10
And so in all of our conduct, we find.
Everything is set before us in the path of the Lord Jesus.
The way we live, where we dress, everything.
Is before us.
Already we don't need to look elsewhere.
Our decision should be made on the basis of the principles given us in the word of God.
Another thing that I want to mention before we go on and that is the last part of the 10th verse.
Of our chapter.
I am calm that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
Now in the Old Testament, there was a sense in which they had life, but not as you speak of it. In the New Testament we have the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer.
Which was not true in the Old Testament.
This is characteristic of Christianity Now the Lord here is looking forward to that.
It's only on the day of Pentecost that they receive the Spirit.
But what we have in John is looking forward to Pentecost.
It's the introduction of Christianity, you might say.
And so.
That they might have it more abundantly.
I wonder if availing ourselves of this precious truth.
That is, are we realizing in our souls that we have a more abundant life, not to live down here after the pleasures of this world, but to live in connection with heavenly things and separation from the world? That is the abundant life, and the spirit of God is continually setting these things before us.
Now I'm eleven first.
The Lord says I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Through all eternity, this will be our thing of praise.
The sufferings and the death of the Lord Jesus will be before us, and that's where we'll fill the courts of heaven with praise as we think of it.
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life, his life for the sheep. It's something for us to have continually before us the work of the Lord Jesus.
One of the sad things that we can observe about Christendom.
Christians in general is that they do not understand most. Many do not understand what this abundant life is that brother London was talking about that we have. In verse 10 the Lord came that we might have life abundantly.
The Old Testament Saints had life, but the Lord Jesus, who is that life?
He is the eternal life that was with the Father and was manifested to us, hadn't come yet. That life had not been seen, lived out in a man on earth until He came.
John says 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, have handled the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it and declare unto you that eternal life that was with the Father, and was made manifest to us.
He is the eternal life. He is the true God and eternal life, and that life has now been lived out in perfection in a man on earth. That's the life that you and I have that's been communicated to us by grace. We live it out very imperfectly, with much failure.
When we want to know what is the life really like that I have, we have to look at Christ, because he is that eternal life and he came to give it. He came to give that abundant life.
Life in the power of the Holy Spirit in John 20 as the risen Christ. Let's just look at that.
00:10:00
For a moment, John 20.
He appears to them in resurrection.
In verse 21 Then said Jesus to them again, peace be unto you, as my Father hath sent me Even so send I you.
He had already said it in verse 19. He had said, peace be unto you, that they might have it for their own souls. And now he sends them forth with the message of peace. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive you the Holy Ghost. So here now they have that abundant life, and the power of the Spirit.
Breathed into them by the resurrected Christ, and they would understand then that, and that we Christians are to understand that the life that we have is a resurrection life.
Its life and association with a risen man, a glorified man, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 82 Says it this way, The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Has set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 7. The man is in ******* under law. He says, O wretched man, that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And he finds deliverance in Christ and the Spirit. The law of the Spirit, the the fixed principle of the operation of the Spirit in the new life, delivers us from the law of sin and death. Under law man is in *******. Under grace he's in in liberty, and he set free.
And that's what the Lord came to give that abundant life. And that's Christianity. That's what we were looking at yesterday in the reading. He came to come, come into the sheepfold and to lead them out into the green pastures of liberty, Not ******* any longer, not in enclosure, not a confinement, but the liberty of grace in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the enjoyment of the risen, glorified Christ, and in the power of his risen life. That's Christianity.
It seems that what we're talking about, life and the abundant life may be pictured to us in the 5th chapter where there was this porch in the the pool of Bethesda and there was some blessing there under that old order of things, there at the center, the temple.
But.
There came the Lord.
And he in the power of the Spirit could bring.
All blessing. It's just kind of a picture of that limited blessing that was there under the law and that they did have life, but now the one who is life, the one who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and could give life and give sight to the blind and give a liberty was there.
But he didn't set that people free from the law yet. He left them under that. But he's introducing here, as has been said, the wonderful, abundant blessing that comes when the Spirit of God is given down here. Now Peter carries out a little further, I believe, in his second epistle right on to the end.
In the 11Th verse of the first chapter, Second Peter.
111.
Well, I'll read 1011. Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure that's sure unto yourself. That's those that keep His commandments. That's the verses read to us from First John.
And making sure unto yourself by keeping his commandments. For if you do these things he shall never fall. And then it says, For so in abundance shall be ministered under you abundantly.
Into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that is.
These that keep His commandments, those that make their calling an election sure unto themselves, and enjoy the liberty of grace that they already have, and the life they already have, sail right on into that region that we sang about, the realms of the blessed, that everlasting Kingdom, Isn't that what we want for ourselves? So the Lord in our chapter is presenting truth that sets free from the yoke of ******* which.
00:15:01
Let's read a verse in Acts 15 which describes that.
Where the problem had been taken from Jerusalem up to Antioch about keeping the Law of Moses and being circumcised, they couldn't be saved. There's a decision made in the power of the Spirit of God, and I like the way that it reads here in verse 8-9 and 10.
11 God, which knoweth the hearts, bear them with us, giving them.
The Holy Ghost, the Gentiles, even as he did unto us Jews, putting no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt you God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they now this brings us into the wonderful liberty of grace, where we can enjoy that abundant life.
I think I'm, I could be corrected that just like to say that I think abundant life is really the thought of eternal life is the same thing. There is the idea sometimes that perhaps some believers have been saved, that there is a kind of second blessing you get into where you enjoy the abundant life.
And I think it is important to understand that every true believer in the Lord Jesus has this life in abundance as eternal life. You might not understand it, you may not be living in the full enjoyment of it, but it is their present possession. Is the thought of we have in chapter 17 of this gospel with the Lord Jesus says this.
His life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God.
And Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent so life, eternal life and abundance, is the knowledge. It's not only a life that lasts forever, but it is the knowledge of the true God, and of Jesus Christ, whom God has sent.
Is that intimate knowledge. I enjoy the new translation in First Timothy chapter 6, where.
He's enjoining the rich in the world, and at the end of that verse he says that they might lay hold of eternal life. The new translation says that which is really life, and this is really life. It's abundant life. It's eternal life. It's all the same, I think. Is that right?
It's not a it's not a possession of a certain class of super spiritual Christians, but it's the possession of the whole family of God, isn't it?
It's Christianity contrasted with Judaism. Christianity contrasted with the old order of things. It's not a class set up in Christianity of super spiritual ones. That's false. That's not the teaching of this passage, is it? It's the difference between the new order of things, which is the possession of all God Saints today, whether they're in the enjoyment of it or not. All have abundant life if they're in Christ.
That expression that the person was read in the second Peter.
As to the Kingdom, may I just make a remark that there's a great deal of confusion as to the Kingdom.
In the coming day there will be a Kingdom on the earth spoken of as the King or the Son of Man.
That has nothing to do with what we have in that 11Th, first or second Peter.
Seeing them in Second Peter.
Is an everlasting Kingdom. The Millennial Day is not. It ends.
This is the Kingdom of God.
It's a vast moral Kingdom with Christ the Son of Man at the head of it.
And it lasts forever.
And we will be in it.
It begins, of course.
At the administration of those things in the heavens.
Probably after the Millennial day, more so than.
At that time.
So that when this Kingdom is introduced, it's there now of course, the Kingdom of God.
00:20:03
It's often spoken of in Scripture, but when the Lord Jesus reigns, forever will reign with him and we'll be with him in the heavens.
And will be ushered into this Kingdom. And the point here is.
The enjoyment of what Peter sets before us in this first chapter of the Epistle.
If we're in the enjoyment of it, it says, Pursuant entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We would like, would we not to have an abundant entrance.
That's what is before us here, an abundant entrance.
Against the Lord. Say that we have one each one individually. Brother Lundin, would it be right to connect what you just said with the verse in Romans 5? I'd like to read it. I was thinking of this in connection with what you were saying in verse 17 of Romans 5. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, that's Adam, much more they which receive abundance of grace.
And of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life.
By the one Jesus Christ. Here it talks about reigning in life and that's going to go on forever, isn't it? That will never end.
That's in contrast with the results of sin. This is what Christ has brought in. I just wondered if that there might be a connection there, entering into the abundantly, into the Everlasting Kingdom. Yes, there is. There is a connection between the two.
In fact, that's what it is.
And.
We must remember that the Kingdom on the earth.
And the Millennial day.
Is a Kingdom where there is a king ruling and his subjects are under the his authority.
In a special way because.
Because there's still a sin on the earth and the Lord reigns in that millennial day.
To maintain a righteousness throughout the earth.
But there won't be anything like that in this Kingdom that you mentioned in Romans and also in.
Second Peter, in that Kingdom there will be a life.
Of exactly like the life of the Lord Jesus, we have it now.
And there won't need to be anyone administering in the way that they do in the will do on the Kingdom of in in the earth, so that it'll be the affections drawn to Christ, those who are His subjects, and not only the church or His subjects, but all all those who are saved, wherever they may be, on the new earth or in the new heavens.
All will be subject because of affection, not because of constraint. It's the Kingdom of God in its fullest sense. I don't want to take you off the subject, but I thought it would be nice to have that clear because it's so misunderstood today.
If I could ask a question of the subject Abundant life. I agree with everything that's been said here and yet we seem to have a lot of discouragement and not entering into things. Is there an aspect of this of perhaps 3 words, our state and our growth and our communion that affects how we enter into that abundant life or not? Perhaps someone could help us with that.
I suppose today that your state and your growth and your perception.
Depend upon keeping His commandments as is. Instead the doctrine of the Lord gave is what will govern and have us in a good state so that we do grow and we perceive the truth. It comes down to that, to obedience to the sayings of Christ. And if you look in our chapter, that's what caused the division in the 19th verse. There was a division therefore among the Jews for these sayings.
It was what Jesus was teaching that caused the division in this chapter. Back in the 9th chapter, it was a division because of his works. That's the 16th verse of the 9th chapter. We'll read that.
00:25:17
Therefore, said some of the Pharisees, this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath. Others said how can a man that is a Sinner do such miracles? That was his work.
What happened? There was a division among them because of his works. Go back to the 7th chapter and you have the First Division. There are three divisions.
In John and the first one was because of himself personally, the second one was because of his works and the one in our chapter was because of his teaching what he said. So that in the 7th chapter it says in the 48th verse.
Well, there was a question about.
The Christ.
Reading from them from verse 40 to get the sense many of the people there for when they heard this saying said of a truth, this is the prophecy. They were guessing who Jesus was down here.
Others said This is the Christ. They said this is the Messiah. He's here. But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee?
They didn't understand that they hadn't read their word well enough.
As the Scripture have not the Scripture said that Christ cometh of the seed of David.
And out of the town of Bethlehem where David was. So there was a division among the people because of him personally. Now those same three things that work today when Christ is preached, whether he preaches person, his works or his words, some believe, some don't. That's very serious. But coming down to your question, our state and our growth and our understanding.
Will depend upon our reception of his teaching.
And his teaching will reveal who was in his person and what he has done, so it reverts right back to keeping his commandments. That is the word of God.
Thistle at Colossians.
Chapter One, the Apostle phrase that they might be filled with the full knowledge of God.
First epistle of John. Hereby we know that we know him.
If we keep His commandments, the knowledge, the true knowledge.
The extent of my knowledge of God is the extent of my obedience to His Word.
And then, if you love me, keep my commandments. The extent of my love for Christ is measured by my obedience to the word of God.
There's a verse back in the Gospels. I can't turn to it, just a statement of the Lord for those he was talking to. It says here and understand Bob was talking yesterday and frequently mentions that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
But there's the understanding that's what you're getting at state growth and perception or understanding, we get it by hearing.
And understanding as we receive the teaching of the Holy Spirit from the Word As to the whole of everything that is revealed. So God doesn't want to leave us ignorant. And that puts us, I suppose, in an embarrassing situation as to how much we do understand.
And what is our state? So that your question raises A researching thing. In everyone of us, I believe, and we all of us ought to pay more attention. We ought to hear the word of God, and we ought to understand it as revealed by the mind of Christ which is given to us. And it's open out in the word of God. Now to go on, I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. This would take us if we go back.
In the picture to the 22nd song here in this chapter, it's the Lord giving his life for the sheep, so it touches our hearts as we think of what he went through as the Good Shepherd, the sufferings there of the cross which begin with atonement, and the expressions of all that He went through given their in that Psalm.
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To think that he did that for me. This reaches our affections.
1St, that perhaps in connection with your question Dave, that I've enjoyed in connection with that life that we do possess but oftentimes is not evident, is not manifest in Second Corinthians chapter four. That is perhaps been a help to me and just share the thought. Second Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 10.
The Apostle Paul is speaking, he says. Always.
Bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. There's a sequence there. First it is burying in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus might be made manifest. That's the life that we have, that eternal life.
We have the very life of Christ, but why isn't it manifest in my life? More is because perhaps I am not varying about, first of all, the dying of the Lord Jesus in my body. Therefore the life of Jesus is not manifest. We have it, but it is not manifest.
Bob is preparing about in the body of the dying of Jesus, reckoning ourselves dead with him.
Is that the same?
I would understand it that way. It's He died unto sin once, and when we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we occupy that same place that he occupies, and that is the place we are dead indeed unto sin. But now we need to reckon it to be that way. And the measure that I do reckon it to be so, the life of Jesus becomes manifest in my body as well.
Go ahead with your sequence in the next verse, Bob.
For we which live are always delivered unto death, for Jesus sake that life, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
I've just enjoyed it and share it. Maybe someone else has a thought that verse 10 is what we ought to do, always bearing about in the body, but sometimes we don't do it. Brethren, in verse 11 seems to be something that God allows in our lives. We are delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
In other words, were delivered unto circumstances that are very uncomfortable. Perhaps sickness, accident, something that comes into our life. God permits it. Why? So that that life of Jesus might be made manifest. And here it does not say in our body, it says in our mortal flesh. In other words, we're subject to sickness and.
Other problems?
But thinking as we were talking about prevent life and question in his low hands, sometimes we think of one life and we're thinking about a happy Christian and an unhappy Christian.
Some of the happiest Christians I know that have met and have got to enjoy their fellowship for those who have.
Come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus in his and some of the heavenly truths that we get.
Some of the high truths of Ephesians and and Hebrews, this man Christ Jesus.
And I would like to recommend our brother's writings that would lead you into these truths, even here in the Gospel of John.
Helpful and enjoyable to my own soul was our Brother Bellix book on the Evangelist, where he he goes through these chapters and he presents to the believer.
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The man Christ Jesus, the heavenly stranger on earth and these heavenly truths are for a heavenly people which God has called us to be a heavenly people. And if we want to be happy, I think sometimes confusing it with abundant life but being happy would be.
To enjoy Christ in these ways as these heavenly truths and some of these writings of our brethren, and some of the ministry, maybe even on tape that would lead us in this direction where we're not occupied with earthly things, would be very beneficial to our souls.
Yesterday we spoke a little about the hireling and we're coming down to that verse 12.
After the meeting of Brother approached me and says maybe we ought to be a little careful about pointing out hirings. And I agree with that. We can easily do that. I think it's written for every one of us to take to heart. What kind of shepherding care am I?
Doing.
Well, may it not be as Lords over God's heritage.
Peter warns us, and may it not be for filthy lucre sake.
But in affection to care for the flung.
And to defend them from enemies and so it's a very wonderful.
Verse to take to heart here about the hireling that runs away when the enemy attacks. And then we go on into what Paul prophesied in the 20th of Acts about that flock of God. Let's turn to it, Acts 20. He tells what was going to happen in the flock there.
Which by that time was the church men included Jews and Gentiles brought in, whereas our Lord's words here referred to directly to Israel as the sheep of the fold.
But the development is here that Paul prophesied in Acts 20, beginning with verse 28. Take heed, therefore, under yourselves and to all the flock. Don't be a hiring.
Don't run away when the sheep need care over the which the Holy Ghost have made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he had purchased with his own blood.
Then he prophesized, for I know this.
Paul's words that after my departing after Paul was gone, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock also of your own selves shall mineralize speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Here we are living at the end of the age, can look back and see how the prophecy given by the spirit of God through Paul has been fulfilled over.
And over.
Again, to our shame, the Ruin introduced, but still the standard is the same.
Still, the flock remains. They are still here, and it's a wonderful thing.
To seek to take up faithful in a faithful way, this shepherding care. And we don't have to fear the enemy, even Satan himself. We're never told to fear Satan, we're told to fear God and.
He has a defeated foe as he'll just use the word of God. So to take the heart of what we have here, the Good Shepherd has given us life. He has died for us. We ought to remember that he died for us and go on for God seeking to care for the flock.
In respect to the prophecy that has been brought to our attention, it's profitable to notice the distinction between the grievous wolves and the men speaking perverse things drawing away after themselves. Disciples, we must make a distinction between those that the Apostle speaks of in First Corinthians 3, who build with wood, hay, and stubble that very well could be men speaking.
That which is not founded on the word of God and making schools of opinion and sex within the Church.
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And those of whom he speaks in that same chapter 3 who destroy the temple of God, He that destroys or corrupts the temple of God. Him will God destroy these perverse men? I mean these wicked men here? Grievous wolves, they are those who destroy the temple and then come into the judgment of God. Others who are just building with wood, hay, and stubble their work will go up and.
Ashes come down to ashes, but they themselves will be saved. And so there is that distinction, isn't there?
Let's not make the mistake that because we're gathered to the Lord's name, we only build gold, silver and precious stones. We can also build wood, hay and stubble. That is everything that we do for the Lord in service or whatever it may be. If it doesn't stand the test of scripture, it's not gold, silver and precious stones. We are just as apartment to make mistakes.
As any other Christian, because we have the flesh, we're no different. We know better. We're no superior. We just are saved by the same grace and dwelt of the same spirit, have the same life as all our brethren elsewhere. And there are many dear Saints of God in system that are serving the Lord in probably more faithfulness to the light that they have than we are. Many of us, I'm speaking myself, certainly.
But.
We have to be careful to distinguish between our state of soul that is living up to the light that has been given to us. And we have so much more light that has been given to us than most Christians. We are far more responsible to walk according to that, and we fail. Our brother was mentioning in prayer this family that.
Has been stumbled because, well, there may be things wrong in them. Maybe they tend to be legal, but they have seen things in us that have not commended the truth to them and that's sad. And we know these things exist, so we have to judge ourselves. But the I think it's important that we don't minister the truth in such a way as to exempt ourselves.
From the failure that we want to fix upon other Christians that are not with us.
That's that's a sectarian spirit and I don't believe that's approved of God.
All the Scripture that's been given to us is for our instruction and to speak to our own consciences.
What we build in the portions referred to in First Corinthians 3 is.
What we hold and teach, it is our doctrine. It's not people. It's what we hold in practice and what we teach. And that reverts right back to the commandments Christ has given us. It reverts back to this chapter, His sayings, so it comes right home to the truth of the word of God. Do I live up to it if others see in me something that.
Hinders.
I'm not building correctly.
If my doctrine is not correct, I'm not building correctly, so it comes right back to the word of God, the truth and the sayings of the Lord.
Because.
The.
Good Shepherd. In her chapter he gave his life on the sheep, and we get the highlights of the care of the sheep.
It says in One Corinthians 12 That there are.
Many gifts, diverse. Well, let's read it in connection with what Paul was just saying.
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1St Corinthians 12.
Verse 4. Now there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit. Diversities of gifts but the same spirit. And there are differences of administrations or services, probably easier to grasp what's meant there. But the same Lord. Now each one of us has a gift, and they're varied. Your gift isn't mine, mine isn't yours, your service isn't mine, and mine isn't yours. And because your service is different than mine.
I'm not to sit in judgment upon your service just because it doesn't square with what the Lord has given me to do, and vice versa. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh All in all. So there are many gifts but one Spirit, the same Spirit and many services, but one Lord. We're all serving the same Lord, and each one has His service. One in one area. One's an evangelist, one's a shepherd, one's a teacher.
Each one has his gift and his service, And let not one judge another who art thou that condemnest another man's servant.
To his own master he standeth or falleth, and God shall be make him stand.
What I was talking about before was the material that we use in building should be according to the word of God, according to the principles of the Word of God. What has been built in Christendom is largely Judaistic.
Choirs.
Big ornate buildings with stained glass windows.
A priesthood standing between the people and God. That's all patterned after Judaism. That's not Christianity. And.
That's wood, hay and stubble that's going to be burned up. That's not according to the present truth.
Of Christianity and we have to understand what Christianity is in order to conduct our service, exercise our gift in a way that is in accordance with the present truth that will meet its reward. A man is not crowned unless he strive lawfully and if he violates the rules, if he ignores the principles of Christianity, a heavenly.
Company, not a world of Christianity, has been made by Christendom to be another worldly religion, to correct the world's ills and to try to straighten out the world. It isn't that. It isn't that Christianity we're here to witness. To the world you have rejected, the Son of God. He's in glory now. We belong to him. There we have another world. But the way we're living our lives is as though this is the scene of our enjoyment.
It's the way we live our lives, most of us. I speak to my own soul here as though this is the scene for us to enjoy.
You're almost embarrassed to talk about being strangers and pilgrims in this world. We know so little about it in this country. Being strangers and pilgrims, we haven't been true to the testimony that we're to render as being identified with a rejected Christ.
And one with him in glory, passing through, not being attracted by all the attractions that are out there in this world and pursuing advancement down here, trying to make a name for ourselves down here. It comes out in our children. A children score well in school and they get a a reward and so on. And we feel so good about that. Well, it just shows where our hearts are.
If we're really true to Christ, we're going to live.
A life that will meet with the world's rejection. We don't like that. I don't like that. I don't like to see that in my children. I don't like to see them rejected. But if it's for Christ, it's worth it. Well, these are just some thoughts that.
Are we building, are we advocating in our meetings, in in, in all the activities that exist in the fellowship? Are they in accordance?
With the word of God, that's important because he's the one that's going to evaluate it all.
Chuck mentioned yesterday afternoon the reading.
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That the introduction of these Judaistic principles into Christianity was a serious error, and we visited together about it later, and it is a fatal error. The cause to bring Judaism back into the Church of God overthrows the very principles that we've had brought out here this morning. It's a fatal error. It's a destruction, an adulteration.
Of the truth. And that epistle of the Galatians stands as evidence of that, Paul had to say, I'd stand in doubt of you when they brought these legal and Judaistic principles in instead of the grace of God that he preached in which they had received.
This 15th verse is so beautiful to go ahead with. As the Father knoweth me, Even so know I, the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep.
In this gospel, the Father is mentioned many times.
118 times I have a mark at the beginning God is made known as Father in John's Gospel. So much so that in the 14th chapter.
Jesus could say to Philip he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father, and in our very chapter the 30th verse I and my father are one. Now. This is the relationship that we are to enjoy, For it says ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, and he has the sheep before him.
The Jewish sheep in verse 15 and the next verse means so much to.
Us who are sitting here now, other sheep I have which are not of this fold.
And he says them also I must bring.
Oh, how wonderful that the Lord has his thoughts upon you. And I sitting here today to bring us to God, to make us His sheep, to go on and lay down His life for the sheep, as he so often says in the end of verse 15 I.
Lay down my life for the sheep, and then the.
Verse 17 Therefore doth my father love me because I?
Lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Now.
God is revealed in His word.
And he has revealed in the three essential things that he is in himself. I think first of all, I am, I am that I am spoken to Moses in Exodus.
That is, he is the eternal, that is God in the Absolute. In addition, He is light. Children learn those verses. God is liked and God is love.
Those three things are what God is. He's the absolute, the eternal, and we can't understand it. But he was going to reveal Himself, so light has to come first.
And in John's Gospel, light comes in first and then another little space in love. In John's epistle, it's the same late in the beginning, a little space and then love.
Now the Lord says, Therefore does my Father love me because I lay down?
My life for the sheep.
You would say.
More than the Father always loved him.
Now what's he telling us here?
I think it's the revelation of love coming out.
In a very practical way and a very searching and tender way for us to consider, we have the third.
Chapter of John the 16th verse that everyone here could probably quote.
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For God so loved the world about that love, we could say that's the love of compassion as he looked down at sinners.
Lost, guilty and helpless, He had compassion. He sent his beloved Son to be our Savior. There is the beginning of the love of God revealed.
And then we can go to Hebrews 12 and learn the love of relationship.
Whom the father loveth, he correcteth. We believe, and we're saved. We come into the family, we get training, but it's always in love. I remember an old brother when I was younger. Some of you here.
Said to us, God has many children and he loves the mall alike. And I didn't understand that till I learned the love of relationship. We have five children, we love them all alike in the love of relationship and you do too.
But when your son is very obedient to you.
You have an added love for that, son.
That's the love for obedience of this verse. 17 Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again?
You see, the Father had sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Jesus came into this world with the greatest work before him that has ever been done by anybody at any time. That's redemptions work.
I'll say that again. Jesus came into this world with a commandment from the Father to do the greatest work that has ever been done.
Redemption's worth. He laid down his life.
Now he went back to the father.
And the sight of his countenance.
Made his joyful acts. 228 That was the obedient Son. Now that's the love of God expressed for obedience. Now you and I have the privilege of bringing joy and delight, and experiences experiencing the love of our Father by keeping these sayings, by keeping his commandments, by obeying the doctrine of this book. It pleases God.
And we experience a special love from God our Father. I believe in the consciousness of obedience to Him that we have really obeyed and He is pleased. There's one more love I'll speak on in the 14th chapter, and that is what we are enjoying.
Today, in these meetings and with our brethren, and it has to do with the commandments again.
The 21St verse of John 14.
He that asked my commandments and keepeth them. We've been speaking about that.
What's it approved for, he It is that loveth me.
Our proof of love to God is not what we say.
It's what we do and what we are obeying the Word. And what is the result? The rest of the verse, he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father. Notice it's a love of the Father. This is the love of communion. And it's very wonderful. He says I will love him. That's the Lord himself. The Father loves those that keep His word, keep His commandments.
And comes to us, and I will manifest myself to him.
That's not future, that's present. Now the 23rd verse develops a little more. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, do you love him? Do you love Jesus? What do you do? He will keep my words. What's the result? And my Father will love him. This is the love of God the Father. And we plural, will come unto him and make our abode with him.
This is the communion that God felt broken when sin came in. Now God wants this communion. You and I want it, and we can enjoy it. It depends upon our obedience to the word of God.
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Another very precious aspect of this love that we've been reminded of just now. Therefore doth my Father love me when the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world?
He came as has been said as son.
Father loveth the son that was always true in eternity past.
Grew up before him, Daly his delights. When the Lord Jesus Christ became a man, he became something he never had been before.
He became God Incarnate and as being here.
As a man before God.
All the love of the Son hath committed all things into his hand.
Committed all judgment unto him because he is a son of man. So here we have.
Man who?
Has become obedient to God. Was obedient to God and his entirety of his life. And because he did that, because he accomplished the redemption of the Father that the Father sent him to accomplish this great work, he opened up a spring of affection for the Father that he never had before, because the Son had never been a man before, so as an obedient man going into death, even the death of the cross.
There are new springs of affection opened up for God the Father to the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ owned his Son, and incarnation has given God a new Ave. of expression of that love for the sun. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life.
For the sheep.
We might develop a little bit.
More I guess our times up, but we might briefly turn to the 9th the 5th chapter of Hebrews just to make a few comments to go on with the thoughts. The 5th chapter of Hebrews on the 8th and 9th versus.
Hebrews 5/8 though he were a son, you see, he was always that.
He was always the son.
It says Yet learn the obedience by the things which he suffered. That's the obedience of Christ.
Obedient unto death. It's the experience of Christ.
As a man to obey even unto.
That always bearing about in the body that dying of Jesus.
He was obedient unto death, and he learned by experience what that was. Then it says, being made perfect as to learning what obedience was as a man, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. And he went right on and has brought that eternal salvation to us. That's that abundant life. That's that eternal life we've been speaking about.
Listing #9.
John 10:18-42
Reading
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And taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
Allow to lay it down. I have power to take it again this commandment, if I received my father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these Saints. And many of them said, Yet the devil is mad, Why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil.
And a devil opened the eyes of the blind. It was a Jerusalem, the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's Porch.
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt if thou might be the Christ? Tell us plainly, Jesus answered them, I told you, And you believe not the works that I do in my father's name. They bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because you're not my sheep of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Answered them many good works have I showed you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For the good work we stone thee not but but but for blasphemy, because thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them. Is it not written in your law? I said, your gods, if he called them gods, and to whom the word of God came.
And the Scripture cannot be broken. Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent unto the world.
Thou blasphemes, because I said, I am the Son of God. If I do not, the works of my Father believe me not, But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works, that you may know, and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him, but he escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan, into the place where John at first baptized.
And there he bowed, and many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle.
But all these all things that John spake of this man were true, and many believed on him there.
I like to speak on the last three verses first because they complete in a way the subject that the Lord took up at the beginning of the chapter.
Where we have noticed that he was that Good Shepherd, and he came and entered by the door into the fold of Judaism.
In order to lead out and set free from that old thing which was going to be South side.
The chapters in view again of the Church being formed here below teaching to apply during this age. And not only did he lead out, but he led through the door of salvation and into the liberty of grace.
Now at the end of the chapter we find that for such he becomes.
A gathering center.
We're not LED out of systematized error of that which is dutyistic to go on alone. We've already had that there's one flock and he is the center. And so in these last three verses, that comes before us in a kind of a shadow way, which is very lovely to see.
He goes away and he goes beyond Jordan.
Which is the river of death on the other side, its resurrection ground.
And it says, Many resorted unto him.
There he becomes the Gathering Center. It beautifully fits.
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The situation of God's people today. Who?
The Lord, in grace and goodness and mercy, would set free from all the error that has been introduced into the great House of Christendom, to bind up and to put under the law.
And lead out those souls into the liberty of grace, and then have an attracting point again. He is the reference center, and it doesn't say they all came, but many resorted unto him. May we be amongst that number that stand fast in the liberty, where with Christ has made us free, not get entangled with the yoke of *******.
The burden of the law, the rituals, the regulations, men's ideas stand in that liberty. And then?
Resort with the many who have Jesus as their center.
Respect to the 18th verse where we began then.
We read in the 8th chapter.
Of Ecclesiastes.
That no man hath power over the Spirit.
To retain the Spirit, neither hath the power in the day of death.
Solomon wrote.
Without the knowledge of the Son of God come into this scene.
And it's delightful to contemplate our blessed Lord Jesus Christ as one who indeed had power over the Spirit, to dismiss that spirit at the time of death.
When he expired, the three hours when atonement had been fully accomplished. When he finished the work that God gave him to do.
He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
And what a delightful thing that is, beloved, that he had confidence in God as his Father, after he had consciously been forsaken of God because of our sins. And so we we have this expression. I lay it down to myself. I have power to lay it down and authority to take it up. This commandment have I received of my Father that is alongside the Father.
And deep eternal counsels of grace within the Godhead.
This marvelous plan for the salvation of sinners was conceived.
And Jesus.
The man, God man here.
With authority to lay down that life, and authority to take it again, so when he had by himself.
Made purgation for sins, Hebrews 1/3 tells us He seated himself at the right hand of the majesty on high. So we do see a man having authority over his spirit, dismissing it into the hands of his Father, after having consciously suffered at the hands of God for all of your sins and mine.
End of our verse 36. Quoting Jesus, he says I am the Son of God.
That's the way John views him.
I am the Son of God, the way that Jews were speaking to him in the end of verse 33, they say.
For blaspheming we stoned thee, because thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
The reverse was true.
Men always mixed things up. He was God, and he made himself man, but he never ceased to be God. So he was that one and only one who could lay down his life and take it again.
And it is most important, beloved, that we notice that they perceived in all of his comments and his works that he was gone.
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They said he made himself that, but it was delightful that.
Making himself equal with God, they understood that he was purporting to be what he wants.
Even though they did not receive him as the Son, they perceived that his work and his word made him to be what he was, the Son of God.
Even the devils perceived that if thou be the Son, I know thee whom thou art, thou Son of God.
Once he became a man, he never acted.
Independently, he never acted of his own will. Independent from the fathers he came down from heaven. He says not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me was a beautiful verse at the end of John 14. The Lord says in verse 31, but that the world may know.
That I love the Father in that 17th verse of our chapter. Therefore doth my Father love me.
Because I lay down my life 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. And so our 18th verse ends with this commandment. Back in chapter 10, this commandment have I received of my Father, he being the Son.
Had the authority in himself to lay his life down and to take it again. But Even so, that being so, having become a man, he did it in obedience to the Father's commandment. He did it in doing the Father's will. And that's what's so beautiful that.
As God, he never obeyed, He never had to. He was the supreme commander, but as soon as he became a man.
And became a servant, and took that place that it was proper to him to obey.
And even though he were son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.
And so that 17th verse, therefore doth my father love me. The highest motive, you might say the climax.
The very fullness of His obedience was at the Cross.
During his life he accomplished the will of the Father in unclouded joy and communion with the Father. But at the cross that was the meat offering. But at the cross we have the burnt offering. There he was in the place of sin. There he was accomplishing the will of God. Not then in the joy of communion, but in the face of divine wrath against sin He cries out. My God, my God, why is thou forsaken me?
And he accomplished the will of God in perfect obedience, even when forsaken of him who was ever the stay of his soul. And that was the perfection of obedience. Therefore doth my Father love me. A fresh motive provided.
By that perfect obedience to the Father.
When even forsaken of God.
In the great events that happened.
I mean really great events, God acting. I believe we always see the Trinity in that action. We can look at one in Matthew 3 or think about it without turning to it that when Jesus entered into his ministry.
That heaven was opened.
And the Spirit of God came.
Like a dove reposing upon him. And there was a voice.
From heaven. That said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased really for the first time in all the Bible. There we see the Trinity clearly. The Trinity is in all the actions, I believe, But there it came out very clearly. That was the Father's voice speaking to the Son and the Spirit reposing upon him now as to laying down his life and taking it again.
Here we're looking at the sun having that power, but it's on the basis of the Father's commandment. And so we read in another scripture raised from the dead according to the glory of the Father, and in another scripture quickened by the Spirit. It's just beautiful to see the Trinity in these great events. So no, He didn't act independently as in perfect cohesion with the Godhead.
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Adverse in Hebrews 9 that was quoted at the conference, he by the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. There we have the Trinity, don't we?
Well, as we said this morning, the next verse we got a division.
These things are serious to think about. And again, we can say that whenever Jesus is preached, whether it be his person or his work or his words, his saying in a large group, I think you'll always find.
The division, at least it's so on the earth, Those that believe and those that don't believe to get serious. Which side am I on? Do I believe? These were hard sayings? Lots of the people didn't receive it, some did. And those that didn't receive it, he says. They're not my sheep.
Very serious To be or to pose as we had in the gospel last night as a Christian and not be one.
It's a very serious thing. The question Can a devil open the eyes of the blind to realize?
The serious thing to realize that the man of sin that is about to be revealed will come with all deceivableness lying with power, so we need to be aware.
That there is great power in the enemy to create signs to lead away souls after him. The time of power in the assembly ended in that early Apostolic day. We do not look for power now, except power of the evil one that will prove the be the man of sin in evidence.
I suppose this corresponds with Matthew 12, where they attributed his.
Works to the ills above the Prince of devils.
The unpardonable sin for the nation.
What a terrible thing was to say that Jesus was doing his works.
By devils very very serious thing.
You referred to the unpardonable sin of the nation. There is an answer in this present day of grace to that because the peculiar work of the Spirit of God is to form the body of Christ, which we have had before us as one, And so a practical denial of that one body is sectarian sectarianism. We might refer to it as the cardinal sin in this present day.
And so that which answers to a denial of the Spirit's work in the sun is in our time is a denial of the one body that was formed by the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. So though on the day of grace there is no sin which is not covered by the blood of Christ.
Where sin abounded, grace over abounded, as the cross of Christ evidently shows, there is that which answers to denying the peculiar work of the Spirit of God in his present time.
It is. It is different, though, because we can't see a spirit.
If men could see the Holy Spirit, they'd catch them, do what they did to Christ. They cannot. But Christ was here, a real man. He was allowed to be caught and taken and crucified, all in the plan of God that determined counsel and foreknowledge of God. But for the nation to reject their Messiah and say you're doing your power, your miracles by the power of the Elizabeth was the last thing for that nation. It's unforgiving for the nation, not for individuals.
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No many believed on him, resorted to him at the end of this chapter, and so under grace.
What?
Condemns everyone but hears the gospel is that they resist or reject the witness of the Holy Spirit. But there's hope as long as somebody's alive down here that they will receive the gospel. So we don't want to trouble anybody about committing the unpardonable sin. I don't think it can be done as it could when Christ was here.
Although an apostate or an apostrophe, there is no.
Yes, but we don't know apostate. And that brings you back to the question about election, One said. How do I know I'm going to be one of the elect? And the answer was simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be one of the elect. And you don't know who else is going to be elect. So ours is a positive message. Go forth with the gospel and apostasy.
Is coming.
It's apparently here. We see signs of it, but we never know who an apostate is.
Talked about skin particles and often young Christians face this thing other Christian School or at work or different places.
And that fear sometimes comes in that they could commit the unpardonable sin. Could you say something about that? Which one of the common questions come up, you go down to?
Mission field in Latin America and you'll get some rather standard questions. Who were the sons of God and?
Genesis and in Job and this one, you're raising about the unpardonable sin.
And you have to go back to the Gospels to get it. And it was something that.
Could be done and was done by the nation when Christ.
Came now. There is a witness here in the people of God through the Holy Spirit, but it is not.
Perfect witness. Jesus was a perfect witness.
He was not only man, but he was gone. Everything he did and said and was was absolute perfection. And he had come to that nation, and they knew he was coming, and they were supposed to receive him, and in the hardness of their heart and in their blindness pictured in Chapter 9.
Nationally, they turned him down and they said he's got a devil.
There is no forgiveness for that. The Messiah had come. His witness was perfect nationally. They committed the unpardonable sin and the nation was broken up. They're trying to form it again.
Under, I think the symbol of the fig tree, and it's going to come down again.
It's the unpredictable sin nationally then. God brings in grace, but he hasn't forgotten Israel. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. He doesn't change his mind about it. He's going to bring them in. Not under the law, not under the Messiah in grace, but under the Messiah. The king in power and government write the law in their hearts so that the unpardonable sin was something that Israel as a nation did when Jesus came.
And it's not ever been the same on the earth since. But the gospel goes phrase preach it to all believe on the Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved. Christ died for our sins. We can say that although we know that he didn't die, die for everybody's sins and the people that reject him, they are the lost ones and those that are saved are the elect.
Brother Clem, would you say that the word of Peter?
In Acts 2 That some in the professing church have made such an issue of is a special word to the Jews. In view of that national rejection, repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins that you might receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2.
Well, the spirit had come, yes, and it's the extra day the Lord had come to that fig tree were used as a symbol planted in the vineyard. Luke 13 the plea was cut down. The other plea was let it alone, dig about it, dung it. If it bring forth fruit this year, Well, if not then cut it down. So there was a supplementary trial of the Jews. Would they receive the testimony of the Holy Spirit?
00:25:13
And when that was over with?
I think it took 40 years before God removed every semblance of the nation.
God is so merciful and thinking of those Jews that had been brought up under the law. Gentiles never were put under the law, much less the church, and they had been brought up under a God-given religion. And so there's a supplementary year or the timing. When will you receive this one? At the time of restitution may come in those early chapters of Acts.
I suppose the culminating thing.
Is the stoning of Stephen for when they rejected the witness of Stephen?
Then the message went to heaven, referring to the parable on the 19th of Luke, where a certain noble man went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return.
But his citizens hated him. That's the Jewish nation, and sent a message after him saying we will not have this Mandarin over us.
Steven carried that up there. I suppose finally that was the ultimate rejection of the nation. But they were still living, many like soul of Tarsus, and others priests and so on, who had been brought up under the law. And God was gracious and merciful, and bore with them.
With a gradual removal from the old order of things.
And the full liberty of grace.
And goes a little farther than the book of Acts. If we go to the.
Destruction of Jerusalem, which the Lord foretold in Luke 21 well, that's kind of a resume of the nation. And finally, just to add one more point, when Saul went to Jerusalem and went into the temple, still observing parts of the law, so wasn't delivered yet from the law, and I don't want to condemn him because he had been brought up under the law.
And the temple was still there. But.
Cut Saul in the temple, and it says forthwith the doors were shut. That's very significant. I say. Little by little God remove the evidences of the old law order and brought them into the wonderful liberty of grace.
The I want to say something more about the unpardonable sin, because that's such a misunderstood thing.
It is not a particular individual single sin which once you have committed your lost. That is not the thought, it's the rejection of the testimony of the Spirit of God. When the Lord was on earth it was ascribing to the work of the Spirit of God, which he all the works of power that he did were done by the Spirit of God. And to say that that was done by Beelzebub, by the power Satan.
Was a sin which if maintained in the soul was unforgivable. Now the nation that was guilty of saying that these leaders I just you you referred to Acts too. I had my Bible open to Acts 2. It's interesting to see how that the nation.
The leaders, they said that about the Lord at the cross they cried out, crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said why? What evil has he done? Washed his hands before the multitude and said, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. They cried out his blood beyond us and on our children. And now comes the gospel. The spirit of God is given. And in Acts 2 Peter says in verse 36.
Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom he have crucified both Lord and Christ. Here was the people that was guilty of saying that he had cast out demons by bills above the Prince of the demons. He had done it by the Spirit of God. Now they're given the opportunity of recanting from that they had cried out. Crucify Him.
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And they had said, his blood be on us and on our children. Now they say, they were pricked to the heart. Verse 37 And they said unto Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Is there any hope? Have we committed a sin so serious that there's no hope for us? No, Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.
And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the promise is unto you.
And to your children and to as many as there are far off. They had said his blood be on us and on our children, He says the promises to you and to your children. God's offering you grace. He's offering you a way out. He's offering you forgiveness if you repent.
And then it says with many other words, did he testify and exhort saying, save yourselves.
From this untoward generation, that untoward generation lay under the guilt of an unforgivable sin.
And yet, here's a way out they could. They could get out from under that by repenting and taking sides with Christ. If we die in that state of soul were lost, we reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit. We're lost. But.
Let there be no one disturbed by the fact that maybe if you've committed a certain particular single sin, you can never repent of that and be saved again. I don't believe that's the teaching of Scripture. God always holds out repentance to the soul, and if you do repent and receive Christ, you're forgiven. That was offered to Israel.
That certainly is lovely to consider and to think that.
Here the way for them to correct things was to be baptized, repent, and be baptized, go into the place of death and change possessions. And that's what baptism always is. It's a change of position for the Jew then.
They change by this baptism in Acts 2 Their position from being identified with the guilty nation, which was going to and is yet going to go through the great Tribulation.
But we as Gentiles are connected with the guilty world, and the world was at the cross too. Satan proved himself to be the Prince of this world when he led.
The Jew, the Gentile, and the leaders of both companies against the Lord and his Christ.
So that baptism becomes very significant to change now through receiving and believing in the Lord Jesus, our possession from being identified with the guilty world over into the House of God by baptism as the figure of death and coming into a new position. And when you get that, you understand a little bit about what baptism is. But for the Jew it was a special thing there that they.
Were guilty and the judgment is yet going to fall upon the nation. And that makes it so interesting and so Solomon, so serious that their children are over there at the site of the crime and they're going to get caught with that judgment against that nation. They're going to go through the time of Jacob's trouble, We know that.
It's clear in Scripture, but there's one grand event that comes first.
That's the Rapture. Perhaps today, brethren, we're looking for the Lord to come.
The end of 22 verse 22.
That expression and it was winter I'm wondering about.
This expression and expressions like it for instance, in the 6th of John, where the Lord fed the multitude, he called them to sit down because there was much grass, and in the case of poor benighted Judas, he went out and it was night. What about these expressions? Like it was winter and there was much grass and it was night. Could somebody comment on that?
There's another one. I can't turn to it right away. I should, but it says.
This harvest is over, the summer is ended and we are not saved. This comes in with the time of judgment. I believe that winter was coming for that nation, the time of judgment and.
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Do the ideologies to come before winter are nearly the last words of Paul? I know that was his consideration to his fellow servant to bring those things and to come while traveling was good in the sailing days. But it speaks again in the gospel. You know the summer is here, the harvest is going on, it has not ended.
But it is going to end. So I think these little things come in this way that for the nation it was really getting very late.
There's something. We're coming to the end of the meeting.
At the end of verse 4.
It says I read verse 4. When he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them. Now notice and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice, and a stranger will they not follow? Verse 27 Again my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
A stranger they won't follow. They follow me? The brother asked me after one of the readings.
Why, then, that being so, do so many Christians follow?
That which is not right.
Why are not all the sheep following the true shepherd?
Well, I believe the answer to that is that when it says they follow me, he is giving what is characteristic of a new life they have when they become sheep.
Uh, there are a lot of scriptures like that. You have an unction from the Holy One and you know all things.
Well, that doesn't mean that the newborn babe in Christ and has written to the youngest. It's written to the babes in the family that that they've all of a sudden come to an understanding of all the truths of the Bible. But they have the potential by the new life and the spirit of God to enter into all the truth that God has. We cannot say as a no matter how young you are in the faith, I can't grasp that truth. That's too high for me. You can't say that.
Because if you have a new life and the Spirit of Truth indwelling you, he will lead you into the truth and to the understanding of it. It's not a matter of your intellect. It's not a matter of your education. It's a matter of subjection to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. And the new life taught by the Spirit of God can enter into the deep things of God.
It's not a question of how intelligent you are. Some of the simplest have entered into the most profound truths of scripture and the professors in our universities, the most intelligent men as far as the world is concerned, this books, closed book to them, they don't understand it because they don't have the Spirit. They're not born of God. They don't have a new life, they don't have a new nature, They don't have the capacity the natural man understandeth not the things of the Spirit of God.
He can't know them. They're discerned spiritually, but he that is spiritual.
That is, in dwelt of the Spirit, he understands all things and.
So the statement that my sheep follow me.
Is a statement that characterizes the sheep. What is characteristic of a sheep is that he follows the shepherd, He knows his voice, and he follows the shepherd if he gets sick, if he's not fed right. If one of the sheep in Christendom has been taught false teaching, they've gotten into a system of things where the doctrine is wrong and they've been constantly fed false doctrine. They may miss the mind of the Lord.
But this is what is given. Here is what is characteristic of a sheep knowing the voice of the shepherd, following the shepherd being letter right and taught a right. When that isn't true, then the old nature may mix itself up with the new and and there'll be a partial following. But there is not such a thing as a true sheep of Christ that doesn't follow the shepherd in some ways. And so it isn't that we were perfect in it. Every one of us is very imperfect.
00:40:20
In the way we follow the shepherd. But this gives what is characteristic of a true sheep of Christ. Maybe someone can give us some more helpful thoughts on that. I'd like to ask you a question on a very particular scripture on that very point. Why is it that when Paul by the Spirit takes up the subject of the rapture in First Thessalonians 4 that God begins it with these words? I would not have you ignorant brethren. And yet.
Many, dear brethren, are ignorant of that most blessed hope.
Why is it?
Explain that.
Well, give us your thoughts on it. I'd like to hear. They're not hearing the teacher, they're interjecting men's thoughts. It's as clear as God can make it. I think in that capture that the blessed hope is coming and they take the whole book of First Thessalonians and the whole Bible and every type and shadow and direct word will support the fact that the blessed hope comes before the tribulation.
And it's a most wonderful thing, and it's just that point.
Brother Lundeen read that wonderful verse in job who teacheth like him. If we are not learners listening to our teacher, we can have all kinds of wrong teaching that are brought in by.
Some pastors who perhaps may be hiring.
And teaching smooth things. But we have to point the finger right back at ourselves at much of our lack of understanding these things. I I like what you said about we can learn these things and God wants us to know them and have absolute peace about our position and condition before him and the coming events which are growing so near.
One of the great evils that exist in Christian circles is that they have. Christians have accepted the error that division is all right.
That is, it's all right if I'm divided from from you. You go to one church, I go to another. The scriptures, if you follow the word of God, you can't accept that teaching. That's wrong.
There is one shepherd, There is one center. There is one spirit. There is one.
Guidebook We all have it. If we all followed it perfectly, we must walk together.
We must be together. There is one body we had that truth brought before us. There is one flock.
There's one spirit He doesn't lead you. One will pull away, and me another. He does not sanction division. He died. We had that in the 11Th chapter. He died that he might gather together the people of God that were scattered abroad into 11 flock, one body, one family, and yet we're all divided. He prayed that they all may be one, as thou, father art in me and I and thee, that they also may be one in US. That the world may believe that thou hast sent me the greatest hindrance.
To evangelism is the divisions that exist amongst the Saints. That's the greatest hindrance if we were united.
And presented a united front to the world. What power there would be there, That's the way it was in the early days. With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. They were united, they were one. They were of one heart and of one soul.
Today, it's otherwise. But can we accept the false teaching that, Oh yes, he sanctions this denomination and this and this and all these divisions? That's not of God, That's not scriptural. You say, well, how do you know you're right? All you can say is follow the book and the man with a picture of water, the spirit of God, will not lead you one place in me, another. There is one place, there's one center, and that's Christ. And if we're all LED perfectly by that.
By the Spirit of God, we will walk together, won't we? Isn't that the truth of Scripture? Yes. And then?
Why is it that so many teachers can be saved and lost in the face of this next verse?
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The 28th verse. Why is it that there is so much error and false teaching on a most?
Simply most positive scripture and all the rest of scripture supports it.
It goes back to self I suppose and self liking to think that it has to do something to be saved. It also goes back to a verse and.
2 Corinthians.
Where the apostle speaks of Satan with his subtly deceiving Eve corrupting you from the simplicity that is in Christ. Nothing could be more simple than what you just read us, but Satan would corrupt us from that and deceive us.
And lead us astray if we'd let him.
They will follow shepherd. That's the characteristic of all God's people.
They will follow the shepherd, but so often times we focus in on ourselves, brethren.
And immediately division results. But it's when His voice is presented his person that our souls are attracted to Him. When we meet believers, wherever we meet them, we need to remember that they will follow the shepherd. That's a characteristic of God's sheep. And we need to present Christ to them and His Word, and if they are true, sheep of his.
They will follow.
Now.
#286.
These Three Men
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.
Noah, Daniel and Joe.
Please turn with Major Ezekiel 14 verse 14. Though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness of the Lord.
And the Lord calls our attention to these three men. There must be something special for us to notice.
Jordan made it Genesis 6 verse five. And God saw that the wakenedness of man was great in the earth. And the Lord said I will destroy man who had I have pleaded from the face of the earth that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Nor was a just man imperfect among his generations. Noel gave a testimony to each of them. Noah walked with God. Nor was it menace. 600 years old, and the flood came upon the earth.
But preserved Noah was that he walked with God.
Make me an arc of Gopher wood room. So I thought I'll make in the ark shall pitch it within and without with pitch. And so on 22nd verse.
Thus ignore according to all that God commanded him.
So.
Going to Hebrews?
The 11Th chapter.
Verse 7 By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, move the fear, but fair enough to the saving of his house. By the way, she condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
He turned back to Genesis 8.
21St And Noah builded an altar.
Unto the Lord he took of every clean beast with every clean fall.
And offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour. And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse to the ground anymore for man's sake, for the imagination of his heart is evil from his youth.
Neither will I against might anymore, everything living as I have done.
We have a man here that's gained favor with God.
And as we read these things, speak of them.
Shall we test ourselves to see that these things are true of ourselves?
That we gained favor with God.
That is.
Have we taken Christ as our Savior?
There may be some in this room this afternoon.
That do not know the Lord you know.
You know it's possible to move about among Christian people.
And yet not know the Lord.
To gain favor with God is to have the Spirit of God operative.
Bosnian doesn't realize our needs before God and to gain salvation by simple faith in the Lord Jesus trusting in that precious blood that was shed.
For the salvation of our souls.
We have a condition here on the earth that is corrupt.
And we look at it, we say it was terrible. But you know, dear friends, I believe the conditions today are far worse.
We don't realize it, and I don't believe the people there realize it's a time, the conditions.
Or the amount of answer to no I was approached the gospel to them all those.
Days What is building the arts?
Nor was a just man.
And perfect among his generations.
That is, no one has removed about among men. He was just righteous.
But it says it was perfect in his generation.
And there were many generations. In all, he lived 600 years.
At least 50.
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Generations of his own, besides their children's children's children.
And he moved around among them. Perfect.
This testimony was constant.
For the God that he loved.
And nor walk with God. That's communion.
Now, are these things true of us?
As we move about among men, is there a testimony that we yield here now?
And also.
Is there communion with us, with the Lord? You know, really, a Christian cannot walk down here.
Accepting communion to the glory of God.
There must be that constant going to his presence to be preserved in our ways down here. This man walked with God.
Now we read in Hebrews that he was moved with fear.
Any build an ark.
God told him to.
Is that exactly what God told him to?
And it's lovely to say, isn't it?
Now as Noah passes through that period.
When the rain had covered the earth, the water.
At the close of it.
We find them building an altar.
And he offers a burnt offering which was a sweet smelling savor to God.
Is that your experience? Or you say Noah lived a long time ago? That's true.
But it was the same kind of an offering, you know?
And you gather with the Saints on Thursday morning. Are you offering up?
The sacrifice of the sweet smelling savor.
All right in your own home life.
You plan on reading the word because sacrifice going up of the sweet spelling saver.
You know, it says here.
God and the Lord smelled a sweet savor.
And you said I won't again curse your.
Now you know in the 5th chapter of Ephesians and the second verse, the Lord Jesus offered himself up as a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savor.
We'll go on to Daniel now, the first chapter.
Verse 4.
Or rather through three.
And the king spake unto Ashman, as the master of the eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, of the King's seed, and of the Princess.
That word, children, should be youth, youth, in whom was number, blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, cunning, and knowledge, with understanding, science, and such as that ability them to stand in the King's palace, whom they might teach the learning in the tongue of the Chaldeans.
And the king appointed them a daily provision of the King's meat.
And of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, the end thereof, they might stand before the king.
Forsake, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the King's meaning, nor with the wine which he drank.
Therefore he requested of the Prince of the Eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
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Verse 12.
Daniel said, Prove thy servants I beseech to 10 days, and let them give us parts to eat and put water to drink.
Verse 17.
Ask for these for use. God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding and all visions and dreams.
Now at the end of the day, the king had said he should bring them in. Then the Prince of the eunuchs brought him them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
And the king communed with them, and among them all was found none like Daniel, Ananiah, Michelle Nazariah, therefore stood there before the king.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the King inquired of them.
He found them 10 times better.
Than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
The other sections here that too long to read about, we'll comment on them.
Daniel was given the ability to.
And open up dreams, and the king has a dream.
In fact, he has two dreams and Daniel interpreted them.
But in doing so, he warns the king.
Of the coming judgments.
But at the same time, Daniel, as you know, is a prophet.
And destroying these dreams he learned his prophecies.
Is that interesting?
He didn't realize this, perhaps.
But the second chapter?
Nevertheless, dream and from the 7th chapter on are all prophetic.
What she learned while there was doing this other work.
Of interpreting the dreams.
And so Daniel became a great prophet.
Now what was the basis of this?
Well, he purposed in his heart, but he would not defile himself with the King's meat.
And what was the King's meat? Well, the delicate meat, of course, and fine wines and all.
When they speak to us of something.
The maid space service of the things that this world feeds on.
The King's name.
Is that what you and I are feeding on their ones this afternoon?
Or are we feeding on the word of God now? Daniel preferred pulse.
That's beans and peas and Brentles. It's Pilgrim's Food.
She preferred that she doesn't want to eat the other. She didn't want the King's wine, but he took water instead.
And God saw to it that he was fair and Saturn flesh at the end of this period.
But one thing we would like to speak up to that Daniel was without blemish.
You know.
One may be found, Any of us may be found in sin, public scandal, or something like that. And the Lord may forgive us. Our brethren may forgive us. We may be used again of the Lord. But there will be a star. Yes, there will be a star.
Rehab was Rahab the harlot in the book of James.
She was given long before that.
The laws were in this world. There will be a scar. Remember that.
Your young people.
Let's keep ourselves pure.
Daniel did.
And look at the end of his course.
Now.
I'd like to turn to.
The Book of Job.
00:15:08
First chapter.
There was a man in the land of Oz whose name was Job.
And that man was perfect. I want you to notice this.
And upright, and one that feared God.
And a steward evil, or rather he abstained from evil.
His son, Mabel.
For the righteous man, wasn't he?
Yes.
Important to notice this because of what followed.
Now God had blessed this man with seven sons and three daughters.
He was he was the greatest of all the men of the East.
He had cattle and sheep.
And camels.
They had everything.
You might say.
A prosperous man.
We had seven sons and three daughters, and he prayed for them continually. You pray for your children.
More than that, he offered sacrifice a burnt offerings continually for them.
He wanted his children saved.
That's the fifth verse.
That may be my sons of sin.
So all of sin had come short of the glory of God.
Joe was concerned about those sins.
He was a righteous man himself and he was concerned about those sins of his children.
Now we have Satan coming into the picture.
Six votes. And now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.
First, Satan, the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? There's none like him in the earth, the perfect and upright man, one that fears God and the surest evil.
Then Satan answered the Lord and said, the child fear God for not.
Hast thou not made any hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he had?
On every side.
Thus bless the work of his hands and his substance the increasing amount.
Put forth on hand now and touch all that he has. He will curse the divine face.
The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, already have is in my hand thy power only upon himself could not forth thy hand.
So Zayton went forth in the presence of the Lord.
I.
Now what happened?
You know, Satan doesn't like a righteous man.
He doesn't like God's people.
He does everything he can to upset them.
And so he takes some causes.
Job cattle to be taken away.
His camels are stolen.
The sheep are burned up. We can't read all this.
I suppose by lightning it says from heaven.
And the sons and daughters were feasting and the elder son's home.
And the whirlwind or tornado?
Struck this home and they all were killed. Seven sons and three daughters.
Isn't that quite a blow for a righteous man?
So what does Job do? What would you do? Job Worcester?
Did you do that?
Job worship.
And this is what he said.
21St words on Chapter One.
Naked came layout of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return Thither the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.
00:20:05
Blessed be the name of the Lord and all this job Sin not no choice. God foolishly.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Can you speak in this way about all the circumstances of life?
You can, if you walk with God.
If you walk with God.
Now we have another attack by Satan.
Didn't win the first one, you know.
No, he doesn't run out with job.
The old heart was set on the Lord.
And so now he attacks him again, and he says.
You just touch his flesh.
That'll be different.
But you notice in third verse the Lord recites what he said before about how righteous.
Sure, what?
Repeats twice what he said in the first chapter.
And the Lord said unto Satan, verse 3, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there's none like him in the earth, the perfect man, and an upright man, one that bears God and assures evil, notice, and still a hold of fast his integrity. Now this was not mentioned in the other instance.
But dear friend, this is the key to the book of Job.
Integrity.
What does integrity mean?
Well, we understand his journalism, honest man.
Faithful man.
But it means also one who holds.
In self righteousness.
Self-righteous truth.
That was Joel's trouble.
It was self-righteous. Now this was something that men couldn't see very well.
About God could see it.
As far as men were concerned, Job was upright.
In all his ways, no one could point their finger at job.
My friend. And now God is going to allow this to come out and God is going to deal with Job.
Asks Satan asked that Job might be put in his hands again, but he does, and Joel breaks out with boils.
Notice from the very head or from the foot.
To the top of the head.
How would you like to go around with boils?
Tumors covering your body from your foot to your ****. *** did.
I don't know how long the 29th chapter speaks. A month. That was probably the time for several months.
But it was covered with boils.
He was self-righteous.
Now notice.
In the ninth verse, then set his wife unto him. Dost thou still retain thine integrity?
Integrity.
Self righteousness.
Or else he was a righteous man before men.
He didn't walk in sin.
But he carried that character that he himself was righteous before God will never do.
Nevertheless.
What else does she say?
Dost thou still retain thine integrity, curse God, and die? So Job says. You speak like one of the foolish women do.
He doesn't say his wife was a fool.
No, He kept his lips.
He only said that which was.
In order.
00:25:04
Thou speakest is one of the fullest women do.
And he says, What shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall not, will not receive evil?
In all this did not build sin with his lips.
As far as men were concerned, this pathway was good.
As far as God was concerned, it was different.
And, you know, sometimes God has looked into the secret of our lives.
It reminds us.
Of our sins, and as Job was debating with his three friends.
In the next few chapters, we find Job finally admits that there were sins in his life, but he didn't consider them too bad. You know he was a righteous man. You see what that does to a person?
It doesn't make a man humble, it makes him proud.
Job was proud of his righteousness.
That won't do.
Uh-huh.
Well, we won't go into the story.
You've probably read it many times. Let's go back to the 19th chapter.
Verse 25.
Now here's something that Job knows and as we read it.
I want you to save your heart. Do I know this?
For I know that my Redeemer liveth that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
And go after my skin worms destroy this body. Yet in my flesh shall I see God.
Job had a Redeemer. Do you?
You have a savior.
Something else?
Do you believe in resurrection Job did?
Rose that after the Ones destroy this body, he expected to die anytime.
Boils from head to foot.
In my flesh I shall see God in that wonderful.
Oh, what a wonderful resurrection is, dear friend.
We see God in our flesh.
Bodies of Glory. Job didn't know about that, though. But you do.
Now we turn to the.
36th chapter.
We have another person coming in on the scene besides the three friends, if she like you.
July, you gave many wonderful things in his ministry. I say ministry.
His answer?
But I want to just call attention to two of them.
The 22nd verse.
Of the 36th chapter.
Belongs God exalteth by his power who teaches like him.
Now that's just before.
The 38th chapter.
With the Lord, Jesus himself takes over.
And he deals with his servant job personally.
And before he accuses him of things.
We read a verse here.
35 slots.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?
Can't stop buying the sweet influences of Pleiades. Now what are those influences? Heavenly.
Suddenly.
Job can you bind them?
What are the sweet influences?
The play it is.
There were seven fives. No, not when it's over.
He wants it that way, but he didn't know it then.
Oh, how good God is there is no other way.
00:30:02
See, Job was self-righteous.
He didn't know that he was a Sinner from the bottom of his soul on the top of his head.
You know what Peter said when the Lord.
Filled his bowl with fishes. The parts were made because I've sinned, no.
Depart from me because I am a sinful man, O Lord.
That's what I am.
Out of my foot to the top of my head, the Southern.
What I am not what I have done.
God to murder them for what he had done.
Now he's going to discover what he is, or if we could discover this.
We'd be through making something of ourselves.
So all these chapters the Lord is speaking. He's speaking about his power.
And so if we turn now to.
After 40.
After the Lord has spoken about the sweet influence of Pleiades.
George didn't understand it then, but he did later.
Now he brings right home to the heart of job.
What he has done?
Verse eight, Will thou disallow my judgment till bad?
And his debates with his friends, he told about how God was unrighteous and what he was doing to him.
Is God unrighteous in what he is doing to his people? Nor he is doing the very best that he can according to our state and soul.
The best that he can.
Will thou condemn me that thou must be righteous or with a blow?
Oh, what a blow to children.
Now let's turn on to the 42nd chapter.
Then the Lord answered Job.
And then the job answered the Lord and said.
I knew that thou canst do everything.
That's what's before in these chapters, The power of God.
I know that God has to do everything that no fraud can be withholding from thee.
I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me.
Which I knew not.
Here I beseech thee, and I will speak, I will demand of thee declared unto me.
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear.
But now mine seal the.
Wherefore I abhor myself and repent.
And dust and asthma.
Integrity.
Ah, that was his trouble.
And now I repents of the whole thing.
Repents of the whole thing.
Jobs.
The foot of sores.
From the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.
In the sight of God, he's discovered it. Have you discovered that?
What a wonderful discovery. Because you know then God can flow out on all his grace to us.
If we discover that all the time we think of ourselves and our righteousness.
We don't have any.
If we're righteous is because God and mildest grace got his son down here to die.
So we might have the lion righteousness.
That's all we have, Not human righteousness. It's all gone.
And now what's the result? I know it's so blessed.
This last chapter of Job.
You know, when we read stories, we'd love to have them end up well.
This one ends up well.
Beautiful.
Lord says to his companions, You go and take some.
00:35:04
Sacrifices down to Job and he'll offer them up for you and he'll pray for you.
Because they had offended God as well as Job.
And you know, as soon as Joel prayed, let's read it.
Turned the captivity of Job when he played for his friends.
Notice this also the Lord gave Job twice as much.
As you had before.
Was it worthwhile to go through this?
Was it worthwhile?
That's not all, though. All how God loves to give and loves to bless.
Are we hindering that blessing because of self righteousness?
Integrity, anything that comes in between US and God.
Then came and all his brothers and his sisters there always had been of his acquaintance. Verse 11 before they wouldn't go near him when he was.
And there's trouble.
They wouldn't go near him as relative and his friends were all gone, but now they're all back again.
You see, God orders things. We don't.
Now we know there's too.
Seven sons, George, 13, and three daughters.
Are given to him.
Now you may ask the question, how is it that job had twice as much when he only has?
Seven sons when he should have had 14.
Three daughters when he should have had six.
And does have them.
Didn't he pray for his children?
Where are they up there, friends?
Is that where your children are going?
Because you're praying for them.
Does not God save thou in thy house?
So we had twice as much as before.
But in closing, I want to speak of these three daughters.
Jemima.
Means a dove purity, not nice.
Sure.
Zion.
Casa or sweetness?
And tan havoc.
Taryn Haber, The Horn of Beauty.
That's the way the story of Job ends.
Oh, how gracious God is. But he has to put Job through the test so that he'll discover what he is, a new site. So we sing together that Hymn 76 in the back of the book.
Affliction-Stress-Trouble
Address—D. 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.
Have it on my heart to speak a little bit this afternoon, dear brethren.
On affliction, stress, trouble.
It seems like we've had it before us quite a bit here since the very first meeting.
I was touched this week.
By a little little event that I heard about.
A little boy.
Was on the school bus.
He had just said goodbye to his mother.
She had gone all the way out to the school bus.
And gave him a kiss just before he got on the school bus. And this little boy.
Was going off to a new world, an unknown world. He'd never been there before.
And so, as he sat down in his seat.
Big tears started coming down his face.
And there was a senior on that school bus, too. He'd already been going to school many years.
And this senior looked over and saw this little boy.
She went and sat down beside him.
Started to talk to him.
And the little boy looked up and said.
Isn't there any way so I don't have to go to school?
Now that touched my heart.
I can respond to that.
And I think there's many here that respond to that. I don't believe those feelings were wrong.
Even our perfect example, the Lord Jesus prayed very similar words He said if it be possible, let this cup pass from me and up to that point I don't believe there's anything wrong.
Oh, God has created us with a soul. God has put feeling in our hearts. That's one of the reasons I believe he chose mankind, because we do have a soul and a feeling. And so we're talking this afternoon about affliction and stress and the natural reaction to our hearts, I believe.
Is to look how to get out of the problem.
Or.
In and that's what we would like to look at a few examples in the scriptures this afternoon.
Let's turn first of all to Hebrews Chapter 11.
In the 11Th chapter of Hebrews.
Verse 24.
By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
Esteeming the reproach of Christ Greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.
For he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
With the help of the Lord, we'd like to consider a few things about Moses, the meekest man that lived in the earth.
And as we consider the life of Moses, I think we will agree.
That his lot in life indeed was a difficult one.
And here we have God's account of Moses.
It starts out by faith, and so at the very beginning of this subject we must turn our eyes in faith.
To the Lord Jesus.
To our God, why are we living? What do we believe in?
00:05:03
Well, if it's not based on what we have here by faith Moses, we're not on the right Rd. But I trust this afternoon here, nearly all of us have that desire to live by faith. And what is that course?
Well, the very next verse says, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God.
This is what Moses chose. This is what God.
Had marked out. And so it is to this day the life of a Christian.
Is not a promised life of no problems.
No troubles.
Yeah, rather, I believe it's an invitation to have God deal with us as his children.
For if we're not children, we're not partakers of God's hand upon us. It's better to be in the God's family and a partaker of these things than to be lost and in our sins.
Abandoned to go our own way. Is there anyone here that really wants that path? Do you really want your own path?
Do you really think you can navigate through this world on your own? That's the choice.
All by the grace of God, our hearts would respond and say, Yes, Lord, be it what it may, let me walk thy way, O Lord.
And so Moses had already lived 40 years in Egypt. He had learned what that world was like.
He chose to go along with the people of God.
It's interesting. If we're going to go along with our Lord, we must also go along with his people, because he has chosen his people. He hasn't chosen us individually just to live individually. Everybody in their own cubbyhole apart, No.
That doesn't wouldn't tell out what God once told in this world.
It says, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, in that ye have love.
One for another.
And so our hearts do have that love.
And we do want to go along with one another now. I know there are many kinds of afflictions and problems and trials.
This afternoon I want to try to concentrate a little bit more, not so much on the side of discipline, but more going along with the people of God and dear ones. Let us not deceive our hearts in thinking that it's only the world that gives us hard times. Perhaps one of the hardest kinds of afflictions to take is the affliction that would come.
From the Lord's people.
We must humble our hearts too, when we think that we also.
Are the like people? None of us are perfect. Maybe we don't do it intentionally, but we do all often offend the word of God says. Now let's turn over to the book of Acts to another portion of Moses Chapter 7. I'd like to notice a couple points more there.
Before we go back to the Old Testament.
The 7th chapter of the book of Acts.
Verse 23.
Says and when he Moses was full 40 years old.
It came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.
And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him and avenged him that was oppressed and smote the Egyptian.
For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them.
But they understood not. And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, why ye are brethren? Why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday?
00:10:27
Then Moses fled at this saying.
It would seem that it was more or less.
At this time.
When what we read in Hebrews took place.
By faith, Moses forsook the land of Egypt that took place right here. And what we're reading about, and it's interesting, these circumstances here, first of all, I'd like to call attention, it says.
It came into his heart to visit his brethren.
Has it come into your heart to do something for the Lord?
Oh, I trust so.
Certainly this was wonderful to see.
And I suppose after Moses had lived his life, he could look back to that day when it came into his heart a desire to visit his brethren, a desire to help them. And it all started right here. Oh, would to God that it be so in our own hearts, a love for our brethren, a concern for our brethren.
We are here together as brethren, and when Moses spoke to those two as they were striving.
He called that to us, to their attention. He said, yeah, brethren, there was something that stirred in his own soul of love and compassion and desire to help.
And he wanted to instill that in their hearts, too.
And we're all here together, dear ones. We are, brethren. And not just those of us in this room, either.
They're not all here, many of them, and most of them are scattered in other places too. They are brethren, and I believe it's of God that we have a love and a desire to help.
And to shepherd and to guide in whatever way the Lord has given us an ability. And so it comes into his heart. And so he sets out on this course. He has this desire.
And he goes out and he sees two of them. He sees an Egyptian.
And he knew all about the tyranny of that land and how impoverished the people of Israel were.
He knew all about the injustice is it wasn't right, and that's the kind of world we're living in.
And sometimes our hearts get burdened down with these kind of things and we want to set things right and maybe we try and it looks like we fail. Oh dear ones, the desire of Moses heart I believe was right, but he had to learn a few things and that's what all the subject is about. God is not only teaching everybody else, He's teaching you and me.
And how do we learn?
We learn by these experiences, affliction, stress, problems, and when we learn it that way, sometimes we don't forget it quite so quick. Sometimes it means more to us.
And our Savior, the Lord Jesus came. He walked that path.
And we, as we had in Hebrews, he learned too in that capacity as a man, and we want to learn too. And so Moses was a learner here. And I'd like to call attention to a couple of things that seems to me that these verses bring out that he learned.
It says that he defended in verse.
UH-24 and avenged him was that was as pressed and smote the Egyptian, for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them, but they understood not.
00:15:11
If we go back to Exodus, where this account is recorded.
It says that Moses, when he saw this injustice going on, says he looked this way and he looked that way when he didn't see anybody. He smoked the Egyptian.
But what he forgot was there was another person there that did see it besides God.
And then it says he hid that person, that corpse in the sand.
He supposed that the person that he defended would understand.
And that person didn't understand dear brother and sister.
And Moses learned that the hard way. The very person that he wanted to help didn't understand what he was trying to do.
Oh, I believe God understood, and God was a patient teacher.
And sometimes our brethren aren't as patient as our God is, but God allows that too.
And God allowed those circumstances to come in the life of Moses.
And he was learning quick.
He had to flee, but before he fled, another circumstance.
Happened this time. It wasn't between an Egyptian and a Israelite. It was between two brethren.
And he desires to set them right.
You know, sometimes God may put in our soul some burden.
And we set out desire to fulfill what God.
Has put on our heart.
If we're going to carry on, brethren.
We're going to be faithful.
We must count upon the giver of that.
And not the receiver of that benefit.
We must get our source of power from our God in heaven.
We cannot get it from the people that we serve. This was a very important lesson to Moses and I believe because he learned it here early, you might say, in his path, although it wasn't so real early as we might think, because he's 40 years old already.
Pretty responsible person.
But he must learn that God was the one to sustain.
That God gave him that Commission to deliver.
Israel and he would have to depend on God alone.
To withhold and sustain him all those.
40 years that they would be there in the wilderness, well.
Besides that.
He says in verse 26, The next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Surge your brethren, why do ye wrong one another? But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who may be a ruler and a judge over us?
Seems to me another point we can learn here is.
Many times the people of God don't want our help.
They don't want our help.
And if we would look in our own hearts, I believe we could answer to that and say, yes, there's something in US. How often we'll hear it from just a little tyke. I can do it by myself.
Oh, have we all shed those clothes?
That pride of our own hearts that would like to go on for God by ourselves.
We must understand the makeup.
Not only of our brethren, it's in our own heart too. And I believe Moses must have learned something about that here.
Now let's go back to the Book of Numbers, Chapter 11.
And read a little bit of The Wilderness Experience.
00:20:02
It came into Moses heart.
To serve his people.
If we go back now to the 11Th chapter, now we don't have time to read the whole chapter.
In the first part we have the complaining of the children of Israel. They're out in the wilderness. They've been out there a little while now.
And their hearts have been tested. Things are starting to come out.
Of their hearts they're starting to manifest and this is what the wilderness experience does to us brethren. It shows out what our hearts really are and God allows that and it's needful why because he wants to teach us and we had in the beginning of this conference somewhat about how God wants to form Christ in US and.
Sometimes wilderness experience is needful for that. Stress, trouble, affliction. We need it, brethren. It's good for us when it comes from a loving God who only measures it out according to our need. And so that once again takes us right back to those first verses. By faith, dear brethren, never give up.
Faith.
In God, God is for us. How many times when we're in affliction we can't see God for all the problems?
Oh, but he's there. Never give up that. Never give up that.
Discouragement is one of the greatest tools of the enemy, just to get our eyes off the God who was leading this people.
And on anything else, whether it's self or our brethren or circumstances or anything else, it doesn't really make that much difference. If our, if our eyes of faith are not on God, brethren, something has gone to trip us up, we're going to have a problem. Well.
Here the children of Israel are complaining, and then as they speak about the manna, the food, it speaks of it even as angels food.
But no doubt they've been eating it for several days or maybe weeks and months here and they're retired of it.
Oh, we relate to that. We get tired if we have the same thing three days in a row.
That's that's what our that's what our natural man is like.
Here they were, they were complaining, they were taking the manna, and they were doing all different things to it, trying to make it more edible, trying to make it taste better. What was wrong? Oh, their heart, their eyes were on the wrong thing. They were looking at the food instead of the giver of it. And so here Moses is in this circumstance, All the people here, millions of them, perhaps they were all looking to Moses.
Give us meat. We need something different to eat.
Now let's read from verse 11.
And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?
And wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
Have I conceived all this people? Have I begotten them that thou should have say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nurse beareth nursing, Father, beareth the sucking child unto the land which thou swearest unto their fathers. Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
I am not able.
To bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee.
Out of hand.
If I have found favor in thy sight, and let me not see my wretchedness.
Now here we have Moses, as we might say today, between a rock and a hard place.
The people of God were clamoring to him for food.
For meat.
And I believe Moses perhaps was spiritual enough to discern that this wasn't the answer to the problem.
00:25:06
He saw the fallacy to a certain extent, no doubt.
In their requests. And what could he do?
Here he was, as it were, a mediator between all this people and God. And could he pray to God that God would give him all that they're asking for? Would that be a right prayer? What should he do? He's between a rock and a hard place. Well, dear brethren, many times in life, yes, maybe we get in circumstances similar to this. We don't know what the answer to the the problem is.
Well, I don't want to pass any judgment on Moses as to whether he did the right thing or not. Here I will say this, that he did go to the Lord. That was right. And who else can we go to, brethren? And these kind of circumstances? He was right in that we know assuredly.
And so he does go to the Lord. He doesn't even say that he asked the Lord to give them bread. I don't know that he could with a good conscience ask for that or not. And as it says in Romans, many times we don't know what to pray for as we ought. But there is one that does know, brethren, and that should encourage us well.
The Lord answers. The Lord comes in in this situation.
In verse 16 it says, And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me 70 men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them, and bring them unto the Tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand.
There with thee.
And so God comes in, and he calls, and he appoints, for he has Moses.
Divide up this burden with seventy others. They're chosen. They're to come up and appear before the Lord, and the Lord is going to come in and he's going to supply what is needful.
Well, it says.
Um.
In verse, notice in verse 23. Now we're going to have to pass rather quickly over this because I want to touch on a few other points. It says in verse 23, and the Lord said unto Moses, is the Lord's hand waxed short?
Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
And in verse 24 And Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the 70 men of the elders, the people, and set them around roundabouts, Tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the 70 elders.
Here we notice that God comes down to be with his people. How an encouraging this is.
We'll notice later on that the Spirit, the cloud, the presence of the Lord departs. But in this situation, God knows how to deal with His people. And really brethren, all we are is just helps in our desires to help. There is someone in control. Never forget it. He knows what to do and to me, it's so touching to see.
How the Lord comes down, especially at this time, I don't discern that everything that they did here was really proper in their faith in the right way. But God knew what to do, and He does come down and He does take of His Spirit and put it upon those seventy men of Israel.
Now let's notice.
There the 70.
God had promised to take care of them.
Now pass down a little bit farther and we'll verse 26.
Of those seventy, it says, but there remain 2.
00:30:01
Of the men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other me Dad. And the Spirit rested upon them, and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the Tabernacle. And they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Oh, Dad and me Dad, do prophecy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men.
Answered and said, My Lord Moses forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Envious, Thou for my sake would God, that all the Lord's people were prophets.
And that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them.
All right, in John three it says God giveth not his Spirit by measure.
When God does something, he does it right, He does it fully. The limiting factor, I believe, is always on our part. And we see that here, the power of God there that was present with this people.
Did God reserve of His spirit because of their unbelief?
Now this is something that we can learn by the affliction and brethren, when things get out of order in our homes or in our assemblies or in the world about us.
There's something for us to learn by it, brethren.
Moses learn by this experience and these two men, elders, they apparently were aged men, much experience, and they refused to go down to the Tabernacle where Moses had told them they should appear. That wasn't in order. It was out of order, no doubt.
We don't know why God didn't tell us why.
Many reasons it could be. We don't need to know why, but something was out of order.
And so immediately, Joshua and perhaps some of the others.
Very quick to call attention to this. Something's out of order.
You know, it's like a little bit like the case of Isaiah, Was it or Aza that when they were carrying the ark of God up and when the ox stumbled, the man put forth his hand there to steady the ark? He had a respect for what was there. That was the ark of God, God's dwelling place, and it was in danger. And your brethren, when troubles start coming in.
Or when we see things out of order, it's very easy to put forth a hand quick.
To get things straightened out right, Dear brethren, God is the only one that can set things right and God has a way to do it. And so Isaiah was it. I forgot anyway, he was smitten there at that case. But here, perhaps it's a little different, but their zealousness for the Lord and we're thank, we're thankful to God for every bit of zealousness.
I believe that's no doubt Moses could have looked back and said, well, that's a little bit what I was like way back there 40 years ago when I smoked that Egyptian. I thought I was doing right.
He had learned something here, and so he had also learned something about himself.
We it says in the New Testament we are of the concession and have no confidence.
In the flesh.
O Moses.
Had already explained to the Lord how he wasn't able to bear this people of God all alone and it was God's compassion that would call up thee 70 men to help to partake together.
With this great people of God here. And so then when God does pour out his Spirit upon them.
We see it wasn't by measure, and even those who may perhaps didn't deserve to receive it or weren't faithful in the way it was to be administered, they received of the Spirit of God. Power was upon them and they prophesied. Let us not think that it's because of our faithfulness that God uses us. Brethren, No, God uses us in spite of ourselves. And Moses, no doubt had learned a little bit about this.
00:35:12
And so there wasn't any envy, or I shouldn't say he didn't allow this envy that could have been in his heart to expose itself and to and to, as it were, set these two, two brethren aside because they hadn't responded in the right way when God was working.
And rather he says, would to God that everyone prophesied. Oh, brethren.
It's not because of us that God blesses, it's because of Christ.
It's because of God himself. And if we don't learn that, how can God ever use us?
We need to learn it, and, as we had in that yesterday, I believe in the address.
The point of reference is Christ. It's Christ, brethren, it's not us.
It's not our service, it's not our part of the service that's important. It's Christ. And if God's work gets done faithfully done, rightly done, doesn't matter who does it, providing it comes from God. Moses shows this out, he betrays this, he portrays this here, and he actually perhaps even rebukes Joshua on this occasion. Joshua was a younger man, no doubt.
Perhaps not so much younger, but.
At least there was something for Joshua to learn. And so.
Might we repeat, brethren, when troubles come in, when stress, when affliction comes, it isn't just the other person that God has in mind to teach.
We all are learners, and I believe even Moses himself perhaps here was a learner.
Now we'd like to pass on down to the next chapter, chapter 12 of Numbers.
We have another case here, just briefly to go over.
Numbers 12.
I'd like to read the first verse.
It says in Miriam and Aaron spoke.
Spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.
Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.
Well, I don't want to read the whole chapter. I think most here are familiar with it. But here we have another stressful time, another test in the life of Moses. You might say it's even closer to home, his own brother and sister.
Hath the Lord spoken only by Moses?
And they complain. They complain because of Moses wife.
Had they forgotten? Why?
Moses had an Ethiopian wife. Had they forgotten that it was because Moses had to flee and spend 40 years there?
Well, their eyes were off the Lord.
Their eyes were on the Lord's servant and brethren.
When we get our eyes on our brethren, we're going to find faults.
They're going to be there.
It wasn't. Moses wasn't an exemption from that. He had to deal with this. It's a very difficult thing to deal with.
But Moses didn't deal with it. He left it in the hands of the Lord.
And God dealt with this and even our Lord Jesus Christ when he was here.
And when there were personal insults against him, he did not answer to them. He committed his cause to him. That judges. He left it with God. And so here it was with Moses too. Perhaps an example.
A real test.
A hard test to be under.
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Because God did call Moses, God had sent Moses, and God was using Moses.
And what they were saying wasn't true.
And I believe if we compare this chapter with the previous chapter.
There's enough here to give us to discern that there was nothing here, or there wasn't something in Moses here that took upon himself this service. God gave it to him.
Now, brethren, if God gives us something to do, we don't need to defend.
Our position, God will defend us. We need to go on in whatever the Lord has given us. And many times it's very difficult, I believe, to sort out.
What comes from the Lord and what comes from other sources?
That we cannot accept.
Well, Moses.
He looks to the Lord about it, and the Lord it says in the 10th verse, it says, well, the ninth verse. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against him, and he departed, and the cloud departed off the Tabernacle. Now this is the opposite is what in the last chapter. This time the presence of the Lord leaves.
Sometimes in our families and assemblies, it seems like similar things to this happen. The Lord, as it were, withdraws His presence. What for? So we can learn what our flesh is like.
And it's a hard time to have to go through that. It's a bitter, it's a bitter experience. Why does God do it? To teach us? And he isn't. He didn't withdraw permanently. It was, as it were, a temporary thing. And so the Lord withdrew his presence here.
His outward evidence of his presence, anyway. And what happens? Miriam turns leprous.
Oh, the source of the evil began manifesting itself.
Where it came from, it doesn't even. It's interesting here that the leprosy wasn't upon both.
Aaron and Miriam. It would seem to indicate that the source of this was more Miriam than Aaron. And so God puts his hand upon her and she becomes leprous. Well.
Brethren, when we see the Lord's hand upon our brethren one another.
It is lovely to consider what Moses did here. He prayed for her.
When the right time came, he prayed for her and she was healed. Little bit like the case of Job that was referred to the Lord didn't turn the captivity of Joe until he prayed for his three friends that had been so hard on him.
Brethren, when our brethren deal with this difficulty, or when we're in hard circumstances, sometimes it's difficult to look at our brethren and love them. The Scripture says add to fraternal love, add love to brotherly love.
Add love. Well, it seems to me that that sometimes we got to get higher, we got we have to go to a higher source than just our own fraternal.
Love as family, as members of the family, same family, we have to go to the source of love itself.
When we're going to deal with our brethren, when we're going to seek their good and their blessing. Moses, the natural reaction in my own heart would have easily been, let her be where she is, let her really learn the lesson. But no, he loved his sister.
We could we could go back and imagine a lot of things here that might have gone on between those.
You can imagine Miriam saying, well look, I rocked his cradle when he was a little boy. I changed his diaper. I did all of this for him. Hasn't God used me to? She had also been one who led the people Israel in singing.
That now Moses rises above all this love. God is love. And brethren, if we find our brethren hard to love, look to God the source looked at the Lord Jesus that died on Calvary's cross for them, and we can love them no matter how unlovable they are. And Moses could pray for his sister here, and she was healed and he did.
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Affliction and a way to respond to it. Well, our time is about up. There is another case in the 16th chapter about that's more serious even yet we don't have time to go over it. I'll just mention it briefly. You have the case of Cora Nathan.
In the Byram, who also rose up against Moses. And it was, it was a very serious case.
Much more than this chapter. And God dealt in that case too. And judgment did come down, and many souls were swept, taken away because of their unbelief. And May God preserve us from ever having to to go that far down the road of the wilderness experience. But if it is necessary, God will come in amongst His people.
In this way and deal with the sons of Korah and Dathan and Byram. And certainly it takes discernment when we're in the between the rock and the hard place. And we don't know what the answer is, whether it's a case of the 16th chapter, the 12Th chapter of the 11Th chapter, but we do have a source to go to, brethren. Our Lord, He's the one that was in that cloud and that led them.
And when the cloud lifted, they went, and when the cloud came down, they abode still.
What else can we say, brethren? Look to the Lord in our afflictions.
And he'll guide us.
I like to sing.
Hymn #1.
91.
Still in the land of drought and earth, or longing spirits cry to thee, the Lord of heaven and earth are thirst to satisfy.
191.
A Time for Doing
Address—C. Buchanan
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The 11Th chapter of the Acts.
My Bible says the Acts of the Apostles.
Sometimes we call it the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
And it is the action.
Of the Holy Spirit.
Through the apostles.
That as produced this history.
And we want to speak of basic things, so we have selected.
This 11Th chapter.
In which the Gentiles?
Are brought into that wonderful place of blessing in the Church of God. Reading then Acts Chapter 11 and the apostles and eld and brethren that.
We're in Judea. Heard that the Gentiles had also noticed that word.
Also because it means the Jews to receive what they receive, the word of God. We have it here now in our hands, in its complete mess in its entirety. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him saying.
Thou understand to men uncircumcised, and did eat with them. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning and expounded it by order under them saying.
I was in the city of Joppa, praying and in a trance. I saw a vision.
A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners, and it came even to me, upon to which, when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered and saw four footed beasts of the earth.
And wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter, slay and eat. But I said, not so Lord. You see, he knew that voice was the Lord.
Not so, Lord, for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.
But the voice answered me again from heaven, what God hath cleansed that call not thou common.
And this was done three times.
And all were drawn up again into heaven, And behold, immediately there were.
Three.
Men already come under the house where I was.
Sent from Caesarea.
None to me. I can't help but notice that we have three men, that our brother spoke about these three men yesterday.
Very different setting, but here were three men.
Verse 12 and the Spirit made me go with them. Nothing.
Doubting, moreover, these six brethren accompanied me.
And we entered into the man's house. He showed us how he had seen an Angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Sinned men to Joppa, and called for Simon, whose surname is Peter.
Who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved?
This is all basic, you know shall be saved. Are you saved? And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning, just to comment.
The Holy Ghost is here this afternoon.
And if you're a believer?
You're sealed with the Holy Ghost.
Verse 16 then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. For as much then as God gave them the like gift, as he did unto us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. What was I that I could withstand God?
When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God.
Saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto light?
Verse 19.
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, traveled as far as Venice and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none, but under the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, notice that Antioch spake under the Grecians or the Gentiles, preaching the Lord.
00:05:11
Jesus and the hand of the Lord was with.
Them and a great number believed and turned.
To the Lord.
Then tidings of these things came under the ears of the Church, which was in Jerusalem.
Then they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch.
Who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad?
And exerted the mall, that with purpose of heart they should cleave.
And to the Lord.
For he was a Goodman, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.
And much people was added unto the Lord.
Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul when he had found him.
He brought him unto Antioch.
Then it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves.
With the church and taught much.
People.
When the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem, none to.
Antioch, when there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit.
That there should be a great birth throughout all the world which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Then the disciples, every man, according to his ability, determined to send relief.
Under the brethren which dwelt in Judea.
Which also they did.
And sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Already.
One day has passed and.
In our meetings and more than once it's been referred to the fact.
That there is the man.
Christ Jesus in heaven at the right hand of God.
We enjoyed that view of him even.
This morning.
A tremendous.
Saying it is.
That already there is one man in heaven.
Now I can stand here and say.
In absolute confidence, the word of God.
That just assures that man is there. This man shall be there.
And everyone of you.
That's our destiny. That's where we're headed.
That's where we're going, but we aren't there.
We are in a very bad world.
The two great things of this age are that.
Jesus.
There is a man, Christ the Lord.
Son of Man, Son of God is in heaven for us.
And the Holy Spirit is down here for us, in US, among us.
Another thing is we have the word of God.
We have every resource from the source who is gone.
Being saved, You notice the word Christian came here.
In this chapter for the first time.
And it was a name put upon Gentile believers.
In that city of Antioch.
Called Christian.
And so if you're saved, you are a Christian.
But again, you and I are left here.
In the world that cast out and rejected our Savior, crucified Him.
We're left here to represent him, and there couldn't be a nicer thing said about your eye.
00:10:08
By people out there that say he's a Christian.
He's like Christ.
Now having.
Jesus, the man in the glory there for us.
And the Holy Spirit down here for us.
And our end, that same place where Jesus as man has gone.
We're going to consider basic things in this chapter as a provision.
For you and I.
To pass through this world.
Be kept and cared for.
There is.
As a resource.
Apostles and prophets.
In their books.
Referring to Ephesians 4, when he ascended on high, he gave gifts in the man. He gave some apostles and prophets. We don't have them living, we have them in the New Testament writings.
And then he gave.
Evangelists, and we certainly have those.
And we have pastors and teachers.
And we have assemblies.
And we have practical Christianity. These things come out in this.
Chapter.
Now I'm going to divert.
Then tell you a story.
Now about a 15 year old, I'll call him a man.
But this happened to him when he was 13.
Possibly have some 13 year old boys here.
He didn't live in the United States.
His name is John.
He told me his story just Monday of this past week.
John was born brought up in Romania.
What happened to him? Two years ago he related to me.
But to go back three years ago in that land?
There are brethren there, quite a number of them.
And they have more or less met underground.
Not openly, as we have a conference in a public school here and meet in meeting rooms known to the whole of the people in our area.
They met in upstairs places that were provided. Now God provided for those.
Christians in a remarkable way, so that they could have some meetings, but.
Very secretly.
Couldn't even sing openly like we do.
Bibles were scorned, despised, confiscated.
But in the persecution.
Of that strong dictator, so says school.
Still, they're lived Christians in that land, and they met.
There was an evangelist.
Walk through that Plaza a Bucharest.
Three years ago.
Praying to God.
That he would open that place up. That the gospel could be preached.
Now you know what happened in the last several months in Romania from the news.
Two of the brethren told me this story.
I haven't forgotten John. We're coming to him.
But they said it was a miracle of God.
But all of a sudden, the people were fearless.
You know the Berean wall would come down.
Communism had lost its power and the sense of it permeated the masses in Romania.
Most of them they rose up against their dictator.
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They eliminated him.
They said the morning at that.
Began to happen that grown men and women were out in the streets rolling in joy.
And down in the Plaza.
Where this dictator had erected a palace.
Putting millions and billions of dollars 2700 men employed for.
Some years to build a thing.
And the people more or less starving.
But down in that palace.
The mob went in there and opened it up and.
A man preached inside the palace to about four or five thousand men, and out in the closet to another one was preaching to 10 or 15,000 men.
But two years ago, John was going to school.
Some of you have started school.
They were under this rigid dictator communist rule.
And John's teacher one day charged him with stealing one of her books.
John said no, I didn't. I didn't see your book. I don't know anything about it, she said. You did.
He stuck with his word. She began to beat him, to whip him.
He would not give up, he would not change his mind. He would not lie.
She called the police.
They came.
And they whipped. John tried to get him to cry. He wouldn't do it.
Charging him with.
Thieving stealing that book and then they changed their charge and said.
You're getting a whole bunch of packages from a foreign country, aren't you? What about them?
Well, he didn't say anything about those.
Said Where are the Bibles in your house? Where are you hiding them?
He wouldn't tell them. You don't hide the Bible in your houses, do you?
John would not tell them where the Bibles were.
In order to get him to cry and to lie, they took his shoes off.
And they beat him on the heels. I never heard of anything like that, but it reminded me.
Now what?
The Lord said about Satan.
In the book of Genesis, at the beginning he shall bruise.
Thy heel.
And people have been stumbling around on the Earth ever since.
They brewed John's heels. He didn't cry. He didn't lie.
Then they beat him on the head.
The back, the heels, the head. He didn't change. He didn't lie. Finally, he threatened to hang him up by the collar on the wall.
Mother Day had worn away and said we'll see something about this tomorrow.
Well, tomorrow nothing happened. Things have changed. John is living over in America now.
And comes to meeting.
You and I don't suffer those kind of things, but we're born in that kind of a world.
What's going on in the area of the setting of this chapter?
Jerusalem and Antioch. Right now you know about Jerusalem, Antioch.
I think was situated about 100 miles north of Beirut and there's been war in Beirut for 15 years.
A three-way civil war and it has not stopped.
The hatred in this world is immense and intense.
And against Christ.
And against Christianity, and even against the earthly people, the Jew.
Now you and I.
Thank God with the mercies we have here in a Christian land in this western part of the world.
I don't know that we're always going to have this.
If the Lord leaves us here much longer.
Breakdowns and turmoil and overturning can come quickly, as we have evidenced in the past year in much of Europe, Asia and Africa.
00:20:16
But we thank God for every mercy.
And.
We should thank him more and pray more that.
We might have those mercies continued to us.
But what we are looking for is the Lord to come and take us out. But the judgment of the world has been pronounced.
But God has a people down here now that he provides for.
As I look into your faces, young people.
I can truly say.
I think you have the most favorable situation of any people.
Who have ever lived on the face of the earth to this very moment?
It's wonderful to be young. Once I was young, now I'm old. That's what one of the men in the Old Testament said, David. I guess I'm older than David was.
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor received begging bread?
To be young, to know the Lord, to come to meeting, to know what?
Apostles and brethren are.
To know what a meetings are gathered the Lord's name. To know what a Christian home.
Is.
And to have the blessing.
Of evangelists, pastors and teachers. And they have a heart to care for the Saints.
Is the most wonderful situation anybody could ever be in.
Now the world has developed.
I'm not talking about the world in its wickedness. I suppose it's more corrupt than violent now than it ever has been. Think you've heard that for the second time here in these meetings.
Nevertheless, it was always that.
Over and over again, in every test that God put it through, it ended up violent and corrupt.
The magnitude is more immense than it's ever been.
There's another thing that's tremendous, and that is what research and development have brought in the way of mercy creature comforts into the world now.
Back in the pioneer days of even this country.
The average age of people was much less than it is now. I'm not a man of statistics, but I know that for a fact.
Many of them lived a life of drudgery and hardship to clear the land. I've done a little clearing of the land myself, and what a wonderful thing a bulldozer bought to come along and knock down trees and open it up instead of using the crosscut so on fire to get it opened up. And horses and dynamite.
Well, research and development have produced many things.
And I just think it's amazing.
What men have been able to do using what God has put in this world.
From its very beginning.
And to be given to men, the lordship over and to.
Find out these things. History would tell us of different cultures which have risen up high.
The Tower of Babel is one of them.
In talking to old brethren of Israel in England years ago who worked in the mines.
You find some remarkable things that you don't quite understand.
The past developments and research and what they had, he said. We have found down in those mines.
A cable like thing running for hundreds and hundreds of feet.
Through the coal bed and we don't know what it was.
I said, well, they said it looked like electric cable.
But it wasn't that.
In flying out of Lima, Peru, up over the deserts there north and I tell you it's desert for hundreds of miles.
You can look down from your airplane and see lines that run for hundreds of miles down there in the sand, and I don't know what they are. If you go up at Cusco and see what what wonderful structure they built high up in the mountains, they go over to Stonehenge in England and see what men have produced. You can go to Egypt that haven't been there, but they're pyramids and all these things.
00:25:02
Now with the research and development.
What's scaring Saddam Hussein is the technology and the power.
Of the American Army, Navy and Marines and he is scared or he would move further.
All of these things they have developed.
And in 1977 they sent away 2.
Satellites explore satellites, they call them.
To gather data from all of the.
Planets.
Outer planets. Not the inner ones toward the sun, but the outer ones from the Earth.
And those two Explorer satellites are just now getting to.
The range of the end of space as men know it, where they can't have any contact with them anymore.
And one of the scientists wrote this about what they had found out when he was asked, what are you going to do with the books that's written 25 years ago in science? He said, just throw them all away. Just throw them all away. They're no good anymore.
And then he came out with a statement that is an admission.
Admission admitting that.
They had found nowhere in the universe.
Anything, not even a smidgen of evidence of life.
Or anything to support life except where you and I live.
In this world.
Now Christ.
Has bought the world.
He purchased the field in order to get the treasure out of it.
He's got me on the way as he got you.
He's going to take you out, he's going to take every believer out before he takes possession of the field of the world.
But oh, the judgment that are going to cleanse this place before he sets up.
His Kingdom shall never be removed.
Meanwhile, you and I.
All of us began having part in the first man.
The first man is of the earth, earthy. The 2nd man is the Lord out of heaven. That's the Bible, the story of two men.
You and I are saved. That part in the second man, Oh, that's the most important. We began on the earth. We're going to end in heaven, but we're not there now. What has God-given for you? For me?
To have where we pass through.
This chapter gives it for us Gentiles.
A bit of statistic about the ratio there.
You notice I said the word also in verse one.
I read verse one.
And the apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. The other ones were the Jews.
The ratio of Jew to those who are non Jewish.
Is 1 to 3:50.
That's just an interesting fact.
And O the blessing that has come to us.
And this chapter connects with chapter 10. We didn't have time to read chapter 10.
But the way of God bringing the Gentiles into the blessing.
Of the Church and of the Holy Spirit came in chapter 10.
Through Peter to Cornelius and his household, and it troubled those Jews.
In Jerusalem when they heard about it.
And God who worked to keep his work.
1.
To make it 1 and keep it 1.
And so Peter goes up to Jerusalem.
And.
He has six brethren with him. That's verse 12.
That beat seven of them.
And he recounts in order.
What had happened?
When he down to I think Caesarea, at any rate, when he met.
Cornelius in his house and when they came together.
00:30:05
And when he had gotten that dream, which showed to Peter.
That the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness.
Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Peter was learning these things he was a Jew and in.
The Jewish thing that had been meat and drink.
But God stops that old Jewish order of things and brings in.
The Gentiles, and has with him Peter, has with him six men.
So that they could go up to the assembly at Jerusalem and recount what had happened.
So he tells that story.
And.
Verse 18.
The church up at Jerusalem listened to Peter.
And it says when they had heard these things, they.
Held their peace and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance and delight?
So now we have the basic facts that the Gentiles are put on the same ground as the Jews.
In the House of God introduced there and having the Spirit of God.
A new thing on the Earth?
So chapters 10 and 11 go back and connect with chapter.
Two in a special way. Now I'll just refer to that.
42nd verse of chapter 2. Then they heard the word.
Receive the word chapter verse 41. I guess it is.
Gladly received the word, were baptized, and they were added unto them about 3000 souls, and they continued.
Steadfastly in the Apostles, doctrine and fellowship.
And breaking of bread and prayers, now you and I have brought in on Gentile as Gentiles into the same place.
Can't improve on that basis.
That's the basis for us to stand on.
Upon this word which has come by the Apostles.
And when you and I hear the Apostles doctrine, read it, get it first out and practice it.
I say when we practice it, then we enjoy the apostles.
Fellowship Communion.
And then John says, our fellowship, truly our fellowship, is with the Father.
And with his son Jesus Christ.
Now that's for us Gentiles too, to continue in the apostles doctrine in the word of God, and then to enjoy that fellowship.
So let me go on down here.
In our chapter.
The Gentiles God has granted unto us repentance unto light.
That was the beginning. Now verse 19.
Now they, which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, traveled as far as Venice.
Cyprus and Antioch preaching the word to none, but under the Jews only.
And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, speak unto the Grecians.
Preaching the Lord Jesus.
In the hand of the Lord was with.
Them and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord. This is so beautiful. Salvation through the evangelist preaching the word.
And turning to the Lord.
This is still happening.
They're still an open door for it.
It's opened up much in Romania.
An effort is being made to go there and carry the word.
Our brethren have sent hundreds of.
Bibles to Romania in their own native language.
Oh, how we ought to appreciate the Word of God.
And those that turn to the Lord and the work of the evangelist. Now this is one thing that's a beginning for every one of us that we have as we're in this world.
There will always be evangelists here, till we all come in the unity of the faith under the perfect man.
00:35:03
Well, that's going to be wonderful to arrive there.
To that one, who is the perfect man?
So as you go to school.
Is it better to be in school Oregon? Better to have a vacation? I don't know which.
You're in the same world and you can't get out of it.
And you're not going to stay here. You're going to be taken out.
But while you're on the way, while I'm on the way, they're going to be evangelists. Thank God for them, and you can be one of them.
It's working in our assembly.
Down home, I'm not going to say anymore, but it works here.
And it works all over, from young people, children, young people and older ones.
Talking to their neighbors, those they meet in school.
Or wherever.
To get people to turn to the Lord.
So here is the work of an evangelist.
And that reached out and went clear down to Antioch.
That's that place that's up north. I don't know, I think it's just a ruined now. But it was up north of Beirut and when we think of that world over there in the absolute hatred of Christianity.
Deter. You know, 100 years ago in Beirut there were more than one assembly.
Gather the Lord's name in that city, and there were others in that land.
That's all washed away, wiped out.
What a world we're living in.
But we're here, and there are evangelists and there are opportunities.
And we need more than evangelists, and we have more than evangelists. So let's go on and read here verse 22.
Then tidings of these things came under the ears of the church.
I always have to laugh when I smile a little bit when I think of this church having ears.
Now this refutes.
Man's idea of a church.
What church to go to that and over there, that and over there. Well, there are ears on that run on this one.
Now that's that exposes the fallacy of what men have come along and taught, that there are multitudes of churches in God's Word. There's only one.
And you don't join it. You are joined when you believe, you get the Holy Spirit that dwells in the house. Again, I want the state. Our position is a living Christ in glory for us and the Holy Spirit dwelling in the house where every one of us are.
Yes, he dwells in the House of God.
I'll state again mentioning the house, what a wonderful thing you young people have who have a Christian home as a refuge to go to.
If you're going to school.
Stay in that home as long as you can.
If you have to go, stay as near to it as you can. That Christian home.
And if you don't have that very close, look up the assembly that's nearest to you and.
Be there.
Oh, what a protection, what a refuge it is for the Spirit of God dwells in.
That assembly too.
Now they needed more things. Tidings of these things came to the ears of the church, which was in Jerusalem.
They heard about what was going on down in Antioch. I get stirred when I hear about what's going on and over in.
Romania, as well as down in Peru and other places. And once the work of the Holy Spirit, it's really nice.
So what was going on? And they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch.
It's remarkable that the assembly sent this man.
He was a pastor.
We've had a work of evangelists and now we're getting the work of pastors.
I know what a wonderful thing, what a necessary thing, what a helpful thing that is to have pastors. You've got them here.
They're looking out for a whole bunch of people from different places today caring for us.
So Barnabas was sent to go as far as Antioch quite a long ways in those days.
I'll go back and notice what we missed in verse 19, that when the persecution arose.
They started traveling when the Evangelists went. Venice I believe was over on Crete.
00:40:05
An island over near to Greece and Cyprus was another island.
A little nearer to the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea.
An Antioch was about at that northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea.
Mediterranean. Yes, the Mediterranean Sea.
So I suppose that those evangelists had gotten a boat that was the best way to travel in those days.
Although they might be shipwrecked like PO, but they arrive they carry the gospel to.
Create the Cypress and the Antioch and the Spirit of God worked.
Now Barbus arrives at Antioch when he was come.
When he came, verse 23, I had seen the grace of God, was glad. You know you can't see the grace of God, but what you're going to be glad. What a wonderful thing the grace of God is to save souls and bring them into all the blessing that can be poured out upon us in a world that's going to judgment. Stay out of that which is going to be judged.
We don't even become too enraptured with what technology has developed to make life easy. I got a point right back here when I say that.
Thank God for every mercy.
When I was a young man, 1516, I worked in a thrashing crew.
We had no combines then.
Horse drawn binders and they'd bind up the wheat and you'd put it in the shock and then the big old steam engine. Oh, it's fun to watch those steam engines.
They'd puff out that black and white smoke steam, and the big old belt would turn the separator to go separate the straw from the chaff and the wheat.
But my job was to go out and pitch bundles onto the wagon.
And I tell you, that was hard work.
So I'm glad they've got combines in the north. They can go out and do more than half a day than I did all year long. Now. That's what technology is produced. And I don't want to get too enraptured in it, but be thankful for it and even thank God that they can go up and find out that there's no water on any other planet to support light. Isn't it amazing And not get too worried about men destroying this planet. God has it under his control. He'll destroy it when he pleases.
Meanwhile.
There's not one thing on this planet that hasn't come from God.
And it's all still here. The water makes a circuit, all the rivers run into the sea, and yet the sea is not full.
From the place they came, thither they returned, and so the water goes around and around.
Don't worry, when you have a drought, there's going to come a rain.
This God that we have in control of the whole creation, let's, let's respect it and be thankful for all these mercies, but not get too enraptured with the good things of life because they're not going to be here much longer either. That's what's stirring up the danger of war right now, to lose oil or to have it go way up twice as high and not be able to live as high as you do now.
Well, the heart of man produces these things meanwhile.
For the heart of the Christian God would point us to the Word of God, to the people of God, and to the resources that he has given us.
The basic Word of God, the apostles and prophets in the Old Testament, all included in the Word of God we have right here in this book. Make much of it. Do you read it every day?
Do you read it much every day? Nothing could be better for you. You can dry up in your soul if you don't get the Water of Light.
When I have a bit of a drought down home, I get a little bit concerned about those corn plants.
And they are a lesson to us, and to see them respond when the water comes is tremendous.
You and I can go to the water of the Word of God every day and get it.
So we have evangelists, pastors, and So what did Barnabas teach? He was glad at the grace of God. Verse 23 in the middle, and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they should cleave to the Lord.
Our brother mentioned Daniel yesterday and I think he read that verse.
He purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the King's meat. If you and I are going to go on in a course that's pleasing to God, we have to have a purpose, and the purpose is Christ and glory.
00:45:04
To be as much like him as we possibly can, even now.
So you're going to cleave close to the Lord.
And there will be a reflection of him. Rub all.
Like it was with Moses when he went up to get those.
Commandments the second time.
And was with the Lord.
And the grace of God.
Set them down.
The second time.
In the Ark.
And that grace of God made his face shine.
Not the law didn't, but the grace of God.
Oh, the grace of God that made Barnabas glad. He taught them to cleave to the Lord.
I hope you teach me to cleave to the Lord, and I can teach you to cleave to the Lord. That's pastoral care.
Says a remarkable thing about Barnes. He was a Goodman.
And full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. And the big result comes here.
And much people was added unto the Lord.
Has added unto the Lord.
The truth comes out Paul's doctrine.
Members of His body, that's how near we are to the Lord.
Added to the Lord.
But there was still a need.
We've had evangelist pastors as well as apostles and prophets. We have one more.
Verse 25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus. 46 Saul.
What did you get him for?
Verse 26 And when he had found them, he brought him unto Antioch. Saul was brought to Antioch.
Because he had something to do. He had a gift to use for.
The one who had smitten him down on the way to Damascus.
Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. He puts him to whatso will die me to do? Hear some of it. The Lord puts him to work. Don't go to work till the Lord puts you to work. He knows your work, He knows mine, and I don't put you to work.
I do think it's nice that the assembly supported Barnabas from sending him down there, but that wasn't the assembly putting him to work.
But they heard of a need and they said, well, perhaps you can fill it.
Now Barnabas knew about Saul, so he wants to find him, brought him to Antioch. Verse 26. Again it came to pass that a whole year they assemble themselves with the church. Here's the church at Antioch in the midst of a Gentile center. It had only been amongst the Jews, starting in Jerusalem. Now it comes to Antioch.
And he stays there a year.
I suppose this goes with the verse we quoted. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers.
Because you can't continue steadfastly in a few minutes.
It took a year to get this teaching into them.
Oh, what a teaching it must have been.
Value much young people the reading meeting.
The ministry.
From your older brothers.
The chain of getting the blessing Paul states in Second Timothy 2, verse 2, The things which thou hast heard of me, Timothy, the same commit thou to faithful man.
Thank God for faithful brothers. It's not so much a question of how much you know up here, it's your practice.
Who shall be able to teach others also that king comes down to September 1990. We can't improve on the foundation. We as Gentiles have been brought in the same place the Jews had, and it's all one.
They taught much people, and the disciples were called Christians first. In Antioch. We've already referred to this. It's so beautiful.
Or that we might be known as Christians instead of having to say I'm a Christian.
Don't be afraid to say you're a Christian, but when somebody calls you a Christian, it's a whole lot better witness to your conduct as walking in the apostles doctrine. Who told us about Christ?
00:50:02
They walked with him, they saw him, they felt him, they touched him, they handled him in the word of life, and they give it to us. Now let's continue the Apostles doctrine which directs us to the man in the glory.
Now there's one more point in this chapter. It's very lovely. It's left to the laugh because.
It's the least important, but it is important and it's beautiful when it.
Happens.
There were prophets there at that date, yet there was one.
And he named Agabus. He signified by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout all the world which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cedar.
I think God prophesied this and had a prophet there.
For an example, but to meet a need that they had then.
Because they didn't have the whole word of God.
And he was going to set an example before us in an orderly fashion as to how Christianity.
Carries on, practically. And what was it? Well, the dearth came to pass. A big drought. People were hungry.
Douglas came back and said that in the present distress in Lima, Peru.
Our brethren are hungry.
And the buses weren't running.
The inflation.
The price of gasoline multiplied.
30 times in one day when it goes up for six cents, I get disturbed about it.
Multiplied 30 times.
This is the world we're living in.
There those are in need.
What happened verse 29?
Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief under the brethren which dwelt in Judea.
Which also they did. There's a time for doing.
And sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul, a double witness to tell what they had done with the goods that were sent up to Jerusalem.
Well, we see here a similar thing to what went from Corinth.
Up to Jerusalem.
At a later date.
And it's practiced.
In Christianity Today.
We broke bread this morning.
Afterwards they took up a collection.
It was last. This is last.
In the function of the church in Antioch.
But it's important and it's a great privilege. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Well, you and I have a full supply to carry on in the world. That's going to judgment.
To the glory of God, I think we should sing 264 clothing.
Thou sitst on high, eternal word.
As Son of Man is Sovereign Lord, he's in control of everything. He's working out his purposes and counsel.
Now read the third stanza. Oh, keep us in the narrow way.
That ne'er from thee are footsteps stray sustain our weakness.
Calm our fear to thy presence. Keep us near. Let's sing #264 please.
Wake Up Hell is Real
Gospel—R. Thonney
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15.
And.
Those who were present last night.
Who the message from this same chapter, the very same verses I want to read here.
I have no apology to make.
For taking the same verses.
I really felt it laid on my heart by the Lord.
And the Word of God is living.
An operative and sharper than any two edged sword.
Penetrating to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His presence, for all things are naked and open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. You may have come in through an invitation this evening to hear a speaker speak the gospel, but our purpose here this evening, dear friend, is not merely to have you in the company of Christians.
Our desire is to bring you into the very presence of God. You have to do with God. You don't have to do with me. You do not have to do with anyone else here in this room. You have to do what your creator God. And this is extremely solemn.
And I know no better message than what we heard last night very clearly.
Sean, and my only word to add to last night's message is Amen. But I want to read these verses again because I have a real burden on my soul for those who are present who are not ready to take the journey from this world to the next.
When are you partying on your journey from this world? The next?
Can you tell me? If you cannot tell me? You need to know where you're going. You need to have the matter settled now, my friend. God's time is now. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Please, if God has told you now, don't tell him tomorrow.
You're putting your soul in danger of eternal damnation in the Lake of fire.
I plead with you to listen.
Three the first few verses of this first chapter, our First Corinthians 15, like our brother read last night. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless.
Ye have believed in vain, for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received.
How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures?
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day.
According to the scriptures.
Just that far, you're the apostle Paul is speaking to those who profess to be believers in the Lord Jesus, and I'm speaking to many here this evening.
Who profess to be believers in the Lord Jesus?
But my burden is this evening that there are some here who are going under the pretense of a false profession.
An empty profession. Yes everybody says sure he's a Christian, but down deep in your heart you know you're not real with God yet. You're just following on your parents shirt sleeves. You are just coming along under their profession and you haven't made it your eel in your own soul.
I fear that there's far, far too many. Perhaps right here.
That fit into that category.
The had it burned into my soul.
When we lived in Bolivia.
In the eastern section, the Amazon basin.
00:05:03
Area there in the Santa Cruz region.
When we lived in a little town called Montero for about 10 years.
When we first arrived there.
There was a young man.
Who helped build the house that we put up in that town?
And he was a professing believer. He had been baptized.
He was breaking bread.
And he even accompanied me when I went on visits to little groups of believers out into the jungle areas.
Didn't seem to know too much, but since many are new believers in the Lord Jesus, I didn't expect that.
But after a time when our home was built, I lost contact with him. He went off to work in some other area and it must have been about four or five years. The last complete contact with this Jaime Martinez, his name was and.
About five years later, like I say, I met him in a marketplace.
I said to him, Jaime, where have you been? I haven't seen you for so long. Oh yeah, I'm coming back. I'll be back one of these days.
And I said, how is it with you and God, Jaime? Yeah, I'll be back to the meeting sometime, don't worry.
And.
I lost contact again.
Those who have been in Montero, you know it's a town of about 40 to 50,000 people.
And they have.
Besides the regular taxi service to get you around in the town.
Motorcycles that work as taxis as well.
For a small sum, you can pay them and they'll take you to the air. You can get on the back of it and they'll take you to where you.
Want to go?
About that time these that were working in this service.
Began to appear dead.
To the country areas surrounding Montero.
And one after another they started picking them up and they couldn't track down who was the author of it until one day.
A man appeared on the road had been shot in the head. The bullet had gone around.
His skull not directly into the brain and he didn't lose his life. He was brought into the hospital there in Montero, and he told who had done it. It was Jaime Martinez.
He confessed he was taken into custody.
And under the military regime of Bolivia at that time, he confessed to having killed 12 People.
Not only to have killed them, but to have drunk their blood.
Accustomed with some of the primitive tribes in belief.
I tell you.
I felt.
My hair almost curled to think.
The fact that I had broken bread.
At what I say is the Lords table.
With that man who was a murderer of 12 People.
The city of Monterrey almost mobbed the jail.
And the Army had to be called in and he was transferred to another prison in Santa Cruz.
There was never any sign of remorse or repentance from Jaime Martinez.
And under a military regime, they do not often give.
Trials. They took him out into the country one day under the pretense.
Of investigating where he had sold one of the motorcycles he had stolen from its owner.
And he started to escape and they let him run a little bit and yelled to him and he didn't stop and they pulled out their pistols.
And Jaime Martinez went into eternity.
There's a man in hell I broke bread with.
00:10:06
I don't know.
Comes as an awful serious thing in my mind.
That plead for you?
You're sitting there under the pretense of a false profession. I ask you to in the name of God, to wake up tonight. We're standing on the very edge of the worst, period.
Of the history of this world, the Lord Jesus himself said there's never going to be a time so terrible.
As a time of great tribulation, and we're right there at the edge.
Paul speaks here.
Of those who have believed, perhaps.
In vain? Is it possible to believe in vain?
Yes, friend, it's possible to believe.
In vain. This country is supposedly a Christian country.
It's filled with people who say they're Christians.
But many of them have no living relationship with the Savior of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They're on their way to a lost eternity, and perhaps they'll not wake up until they sink into death.
Remember the story that was told of a man who.
Had a dog who had a litter of puppies.
And the puppies, they were quite a time after they were born. They never seemed to get to the point to open their eyes. And he figured, finally.
I'm afraid all these little dogs are blind. Best thing would be.
To take them out and get rid of them right now.
And so he took them, put them in an old onion sack.
You know, they're big, you can see through them pretty easily. And he put a few stones in that onion sack as well, went out into a lake and dropped the sack over and as the sack went down with those puppies in it.
Their eyes open.
Friend Satan's power to keep you in darkness.
In oblivion as to your state is in life as soon.
As death comes to take you away from this world, your eyes are going to be opened.
As to the reality of these things we're talking tonight, it's real.
Sin is real to God. Eternity is real. Heaven is real. Hell is real.
You need to wake up.
Fear that this country is full of people who are asleep as to reality.
You know if I can just.
Bring you to wake up.
And to come to the Savior tonight.
Friend, that is my desire. With all my heart I plead to God that your eyes might be open tonight.
Yes, there are those who believe in vain. What does it mean then, to believe to be saved?
Romans chapter 10 and verse 9 says If thou shalt confess.
With thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine.
Heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. The belief that saves, the faith that saves, is a faith of the heart.
You say I believe in God.
The devils believe and tremble. You're doing just as well as they are. But believing in God? Oh my friend, it takes more than that. It takes belief in the heart.
If I can give an illustration that has helped me because I know sometimes people ask how do I know that I believed in my heart?
Little illustration that I read in a pamphlet helped me.
It gives this illustration. Supposing you and I are walking down the street of your town one day and you point ahead and you say, do you see that man up there and say, yes, you tell me. That's a famous heart specialist here in town. He's a real well known doctor.
00:15:10
I believe you, but I don't have any need of any doctor at the moment. It's just a mere belief of the head.
But the moment comes.
A few weeks later when I wake up in the morning and I feel a terrible pain.
And my breast. And I know my heart's bad. And I think of what you told me. And I call for that doctor when he comes to the house, and he stands by my bedside. And I say, doctor.
I'm bad off. Help me. I put your case in my hand and I put my case in your hands.
That's hurt Millie, it's to trust the Lord Jesus to as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God to them that believe on his name. How do you receive Christ?
That verse very simply tells you how you do it. To believe on His name, to trust Him for your soul salvation.
But there are those who believe in vain. In the time of the acts there was a man who was called Simon the sorcerer. He was a great man in the city of Samaria. He was a man who did tremendous works of power. And all Samaria said This is the great power of God, but a greater power.
Then the power of sorcery came to Samaria when Philip came preaching the Gospel of God.
And many were saved, and Simon the sorcerer watched, and he was amazed at the wonderful works of power that Philip did in that city of Samaria.
He had been a great man, but now he is being replaced and so he decided to join himself.
To this great power that had arrived at Samaria, and it says?
Simon believed and was baptized. Everybody was saying, did you hear the news?
The sorcerer of the town got saved. He believed he was baptized. Everybody thought he was right.
For one day, Peter and John, two other apostles, came down to Samaria.
And he watched those two apostles, and he saw them.
Laying his hands on the believers, and by that power giving them the Holy Spirit.
And he sidles up to them and says, offering them some money. He said, will you please give me that power as well? And Peter had to say to them, him, Your heart is not right with God. Repent therefore of this, your wickedness. Simon never had a change of heart. He never repented. He was a great man as a sorcerer.
Now he wanted to be a great man as a Christian.
He wasn't saved, The Bible said he believed, but he believed.
In vain. Is there somebody like that tonight that has come to Christianity just because you want to be respected in your community, but there's never been any vital link of life between your soul and God.
Oh, that you would stand buried out before the presence of God tonight.
We want to speak to you the gospel that is mentioned here.
I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received.
How that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture?
And that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scripture. Those three mighty cardinal truths of Christianity. Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture, number one. Number two, He was buried #3 He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
00:20:23
Like to go over those again?
My friend, I make no apology.
That this was the message last night.
This is the living Word of God.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Oh what a message. Oh what a message. Christ, the Son of God, the creator of the universe, became man in the person of our Lord Jesus and went to the cross of Calvary so that he could die for our sins according to the scripture. Oh, what a message. Tremendous message.
Still remember done in Bolivia.
When time the other brother is present here was with me.
We were in a town called San Juan de Apakany.
And a brother had died.
Down there they do not have the funerals like they do up here.
We were called out there because they must bury within 24 hours in those countries.
And there was the body in the front room, laid on a table.
The little sheet pulled over it.
And we went in.
During the day we sang a few hymns.
Tried to comfort the sister.
And in the evening.
The house filled up with the neighbors and friends.
I still remember the joy it was to my soul.
Since that was a believer who had died to take this scripture, Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture. He was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Oh, the hope that rings in a Christian's heart if he really and truly has received this message. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Will you and I die?
The Lord Jesus doesn't come. Perhaps death may touch these bodies.
Of ours, but Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.
And for those who have accepted Christ and his atoning work of salvation.
Of redemption on the cross of Calvary they will not have to pay for the penalty of their sins because.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Oh what a message throws my soul to preach that message.
To those people that evening, remember in the high mountain or the mountainous area of Durango in Mexico, preaching the gospel, same gospel.
In a little town called Los Reyes.
That area of the Mexican country is filled with people who wear pistols on their hips and use them quite freely on each other.
And there was a number of men standing around on the porch.
As we.
Gave the gospel. There was one older man. I could still remember him squatting down. There were not enough seats for everybody to sit down.
And he listened intently to the gospel.
He said afterwards I thought that was a bad message that you were going to talk about, but that isn't bad, that's good.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Oh, what a wonderful message. You know the story, friend. I don't think there's anyone here who hasn't heard the story of what happened when God's beloved Son came into this world.
He spent.
33 1/2 years approximately in this world. The last 3 1/2 years of his life were spent in public service, going preaching the gospel to the poor, feeding the hungry, raising the dead, healing the lepers and all those that were afflicted of demons he delivered them.
00:25:24
Oh, my friend, and every hand he worked works of blessing. But at the end of 33 of those 3 1/2 years of public testimony.
The religious leaders could stand him no longer. They got their hands on him, and they led him away, first of all to their own Sanhedrin judgment group, and they judged him to be worthy of death, even though they couldn't find no positive testimony against him. They led him away to the civil authority in those days.
Who is Pontius Pilate? The Roman governor because the Roman Empire was in power in Judea.
In those days the Jews could not put him to death, so they had to get.
The Romans convinced to do it and finally, even though.
Pilot pronounced his innocence various times.
Pilate washed his hands before the mob that was crying out for Jesus blood.
Friends, I tell you, you cannot wash your guilt away with water. Pilate did not wash his guilt away with water when he washed his hands that day.
Pilot is going to stand before Jesus in judgment one day.
Oh, what a solemn day that's going to be.
And friend, we have to tell you in all sincerity and fairness.
You 2 will stand before God in judgment if you do not have a living relationship with the Savior of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, they condemned him to death. Pilate delivered Jesus to their will.
They took him. Those soldiers beat his back. They used their fists on his face.
His face was so mud, more than any man's. They took his beard and yanked it out.
They put a crown of thorns on his head, they beat his head with sticks, and they led him out to Calvary, I see, outside the city of Jerusalem, that religious city said we have no place for Jesus here, out, away with him. And they took him outside to the hill of Golgotha, the place of a skull, and there they laid the cross on the ground.
And they stretched the Son of God out, and they nailed his hands and his feet.
To that cross with spikes and they lifted him up and let that cross fall into a hole. They had their for him, and there they let him hang.
The Son of God.
Oh friend, what a story of love of God, you know, I often think.
If I looked out the window of my house and saw someone mistreating my boy, I couldn't take it. I'd rush out. I'd intervene.
But God saw what they were doing to His own beloved Son. They saw as they pounded those nails through His hands and His feet.
And Jesus prayed Father forgive them, they know not what they're doing. They He saw it all and God didn't intervene. Why didn't he? Because friend, there was no other way for your soul to be saved.
There was number other way.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Very hung for three hours, from 9:00 till 12 noon. The religious leaders passed in front of him shouting insults. If you're the Son of God, come down from the you say that God is your father. Let him deliver you now if you really are the Son of God.
00:30:01
There is no answer from God.
Says in Psalms that he said reproach.
Has broken my heart.
And then follow.
Of heaviness.
Now look for some to take pity. There was what, none.
And for comforters.
But I found none.
But what's more, friend?
After three hours, the worst treatment from.
Human hands.
God made everything dark on Mount Calvary outside of Jerusalem.
For three solid hours, from 12 noon to 3:00 in the afternoon.
No one saw what was happening on Calvary.
But it was in those three hours we know according to the prophet Isaiah.
That he was.
Bearing our sins.
Isaiah says he was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with His stripes we are healed all. We, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and God has laid on him Jesus, the iniquity of us all. Yes, friend, in those three awful dark, dark hours of Calvary.
God took my sins and laid them on Jesus.
And that punishment that I rightly deserve to bear.
And the awful darkness of the lake of fire forever. God, let that punishment fall in all its fury on Jesus.
God's righteousness cannot be sacrificed is God. If God is going to save, He's got to do it righteously. He cannot pass over one single sin that you and I have committed. Every sin must receive its righteous do from the hand of God, and it has received it. All those sins of mine, Jesus bore them all.
He took the punishment that I deserved.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
There he hung, and at the end of those three awful hours, he cried.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
God himself forsook Jesus.
That awful time when he was burying the load of our sin.
The end before he gave up his life and died.
He cried. It is finished.
It is finished.
In the Spanish it says.
Consumado S It is consumed, it's all gone.
That judgment that was rightly against me as a guilty Sinner.
Before God is all gone, gone forever.
The work of redemption is complete. He bows his head. He dies the blessed Son of God. See him, friend, in your mind's eye. Can you see him hanging there on Calvary?
Head down, his spirit gone, the Son of God, His face so marred more than any man that crown of thorns beat into his brow.
Dad.
Dead Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture.
As Roman soldier a little later came along.
To make sure that he was dead, he was sent up there to dispatch.
In any of the malefactors, the two malefactors that were.
On either side of Jesus, and to see if Jesus was dead, he was told to.
00:35:01
Kill them.
And so he took his spear, which is like an iron rod, and he broke the legs of the first one. And that first thief went into eternity. He broke the second thief legs, and that thief went into eternity. And he came comes to the middle cross. Jesus is dead already. No man could take his life. He gave it of himself. His own free will he gave.
Himself a sacrifice and an offering to God. That soldier took his spear and plunged it into his side, and out of his side came blood and water. Oh friend, the full payment that God has demanded has been paid.
The price of redemption is paid in full. Nothing more remains for you and I to do.
Jesus paid it all to God's own glory and to the salvation of those who will trust Him as their Savior.
Jesus has taken down from that cross. We heard about it last night.
He was buried.
The third day, he rose again, the women who saw him buried.
There came.
Hoping to anoint his body with oils they had prepared to anoint him with. And when they arrived early, very early on Sunday morning, they found the tomb opened and the tomb was empty.
And when they were standing there bewildered, 2 angels stood by and said.
He's not here. He's risen. He's gone.
Oh my friend, the tomb of Jesus is empty.
What a glorious message. God was so satisfied with the work of Jesus.
His work of redemption on the cross that he said.
I'm raising my son to life again. The price has been fully paid.
If God had not been satisfied with the work of Jesus, He would not have been able.
To resurrect him again to life. The fact that Jesus lives is a fact that the price that he paid.
Satisfied God and now the chief of sinners is already in heaven, friend, and whatever your status is on the social scale, you're a bad person.
Or if you are supposedly a good person, you know a friend you send for all has sinned and come short of God's glory. No one can meet God's righteous standard of judgment. No, you know you're not perfect. You sin, and God's judgment on the whole human race is. There is no difference.
We make differences. We say that fellow, he's a pretty good fellow. That other one back there, he isn't really fit to be living around here. I wish he'd go away. We make differences, but God, who sees not as man sees. He sees the heart. He says there is no difference.
Still remember on the street of Chicago, I've told this story. I know.
In time we were giving out gospel tracts along the street and I approached a well dressed looking gentleman and offered him a gospel tract. What's that? He said. He said it's a gospel tract.
Said, Would you given that to me or go to the part of the city where the bad people live? That's for them.
I said, Sir, don't you realize that God says there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. He got rage and mad, stamped his foot and went off down the street. He didn't want to receive God's testimony. Have you received God's testimony?
All have sinned and come short of God's glory. Oh my friend.
00:40:07
This is the message of the gospel that we present to you again this evening.
But in the few remaining moments, I feel a tremendous burden to speak to you.
We cannot force you to accept Christ.
You must do that on your own faith before God.
But it is my solemn responsibility to warn you as to the consequences of what will happen if you do not accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. This may not be popular, but the only man who never told the lie, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, is the one who warned more about the lake of fire than any other in the whole Bible.
And I want to tell you about it.
Because I'm responsible as I stand here. One day I'm going to stand to before God.
And if I do not discharge my responsibility, I am going to be.
Asked to give an account of why I didn't discharge my responsibility and warning.
Friend judgment is ahead. Then we heard that.
Word last night God commandeth.
All men everywhere to repent because.
He has appointed a day in which he will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, having given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead.
One of the most well established facts even in secular history, apart from the testimony of Holy Scripture, is the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It's an established historical fact. You can ignore the scriptures, but you still have to face man's own secular testimony in history.
Friend, Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
And according to the assurance of the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
Every single man, woman and child that has been buried in this world from the beginning of time.
Will come out of their graves wherever they are right now. Only God knows.
They're going to come out of their graves, you say. I don't believe it.
That changes nothing, my friend. It is what God's Word tells us, and it's going to happen whether you believe it or not. Remember, on the outskirts of a town on the mountains of Peru, talking to a.
School teacher one time and he was evidently.
Affected by communist doctrine.
And he said we discussed the question of death.
When we were at college or at university and we decided that the grave ends at all.
I said friend, it's too bad.
But you're not the one that is allowed to decide that question.
God has decided something else, and He says that every man, woman and child is going to rise from the dead. You cannot escape him. You will meet Jesus Christ the Lord, like it or not, believe it or not, changes nothing. You will meet Him face to face someday.
He's coming again.
He has promised to come again.
When he went back to heaven because after 40 days of having.
Been seen here in this world. He was taken back to heaven.
We can say friends with joy in our souls. There is a living.
Man of flesh and bones and the glory of God right now, Jesus.
Christ the Lord.
Powerful to save.
Those who will come in simple faith, you don't have to come up front here right where you are sitting in your seat. Open that heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's knocking tonight. He says, 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 and Sup with him and he with me.
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The latch is on the inside, friend. No one can open the door but you yourself.
Open it tonight, I plead with you. Open it tonight. Then you will know Jesus as Savior.
But if you continue to refuse the Savior.
Tonight there is a destiny. Your sins.
Must be paid for and if you refuse to accept.
God's provision for your salvation in the redemption work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You yourself will pay the penalty.
For your sins forever, let's turn to Matthews Gospel to.
Speak about the judgment of the living, because when Jesus returns to this.
Planet Earth.
There are going to be people.
On this world, who will meet him?
Let's read here what's just going to happen in the 25th of Matthew.
And the 31St verse.
When the Son of Man shall come in his glory.
And all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.
And before him shall be gathered all nations.
And he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats.
On the left, then shall the King say unto them on his right hand.
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Going down to verse 40, Excuse me, verse 41.
Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand depart.
From me, ye cursed into.
Everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Here's the judgment of the living when Jesus comes again.
He came once in humility. They hung him on a cross.
That was the last time they saw this world, saw Jesus was hanging on that cross. The next time they see him is going to be coming back in the clouds of heaven.
In power and great glory, with the angels of his power. He's going to be accompanied with 10 thousands of his Saints.
And he's going to sit on the throne of his glory, and all nations are going to be gathered before him.
And he's going to divide between them, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats.
And the sheep are going to be put on his right hand, and the goats on the left. The sheep are ones who have faith in the message of the gospel. The goats are those who have not received the message of the gospel. And what happens to those?
Is it true? Is it possible there may be somebody sitting here tonight who's going to be present at that sessional judgment of Jesus Christ the Lord in that day of the judgment of the nations? It is very possible if you go out of this room rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the door of salvation shuts.
There will be no more opportunity for you to be saved.
And the moment is going to come when Jesus comes back again, when he will sit on the throne of the glory of his glory, and you will be called.
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To stand before him, and he will know at a glance where you belong. You've refused his way of salvation. On the left with his, with the goats.
The figure of the lost.
What is it that he says to them? Oh, friend?
This is not what God wants to do.
Tonight, he's pleading. Come to me.
All you that are labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Come, he says. But in that day, if you continue to refuse his great salvation, he will have to say what is written here in verse 41.
Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
God never prepared everlasting fire for any human being.
He doesn't want anyone to go there. That's why he's blocked the road to hell with the cross of Christ. He doesn't want you to go there, friend.
He prepared that place for the devil and his angels.
But the person who refuses to accept God's way of salvation?
Is going to accompany the devil and his angels.
An everlasting fire.
This is the truth of the Word of God, not my opinion.
I ask you to solemnly consider it in the presence of God. If you're sitting here undecided, I plead with you tonight to come. Don't sit undecided any longer. How can you rest when you know that you are in danger of everlasting fire?
I just mentioned the other session of judgment. It's going to happen at the end.
Of the world, when this world passes away and out in space is going to be set a great white throne.
And the same person is sitting there, Jesus Christ the Lord, and the books are open. Yes, the record of your life, God has it written in heaven. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the books, because all the dead, when this world passes away, are going to be raised from their graves.
The dead were judged according to that what was written in the books and then it says there was another book.
The book of life in that book, according to Philippians, are written.
All those who have put their trust in Jesus, their names are written there, and at the end of that judgment session there is a soul standing there.
Resurrected in that body that he sinned.
A body, spirit, soul and body. A complete person standing there in space before God.
Naked and he's judged and it says whosoever was not found. Written in the book of life.
Was cast into the lake of fire. This is the judgment of the dead.
And so they're judged from the things written in the books. And then the final.
Proof whether that person was saved or not.
The Book of Life A search is made in the Book of Life. Is his name there? Is it not?
It's not written in the book of life.
That person is taken and cast into the lake of fire. Why does it use that word? Doesn't say he went into the lake of fire. He was cast into the lake of fire. Oh friend, it's so awful.
I can just picture the thing in my mind's eye is the soul, and he sees there's no hope. No hope before him. Those awful dungeons of the damned hell forever.
And he shrinks back, and he's cast into the lake of fire. Friend, sin is a serious thing in the sight of God. God cannot make light of that sin. If you refuse His salvation, that will be your end. With all my heart, I join with all those who are believers in this room to plead with you once again.
00:55:14
In the name of our Lord Jesus to not wait any longer.
To be reconciled to God tonight.
Spray.
Gracious Father.
He Died Was Buried Raised Up
Gospel—C. Hendricks
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.
Tonight to 1St Corinthians 15.
I've spoken numbers of times from this chapter, but it impresses itself upon my own soul. The the beauty of the fullness of the gospel. The word gospel means good news, and we're glad for each one here tonight, present. Whether you're saved or lost, we have good news.
Good news. You pick up the daily newspaper and you read much bad news. But the gospel is God's good news to the lost, to those who are so wretched and poor and unable to help themselves that God comes in and blesses the gospel. Let's read it. Chapter 15 of First Corinthians, verse one. Moreover, brethren now he's addressing these words to those who had heard the gospel.
That he had presented to them these believers at Corinth, and they had received it. We'll read that, moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.
So now he's about to.
Restate to them the gospel that he had preached, which they had received, and they stood in the faith of that gospel. And then he says in verse 2, by which also ye are saved.
I remember when I was first saved, I used to talk to a a.
I believe she was a true Christian, though she was not really too clear on the the full gospel that.
Is set forth here in this chapter. And she said to me once, she said, you know, you're always talking about being saved. We don't talk that way in the group that I'm connected with.
And then I opened the Word, and I showed her passage after passage after passage from the Scriptures.
Where it speaks about being saved. Well, here's one of those passages, verse 2 again, by which also ye are saved. What are we saved from? We're saved from the consequences of our sins when we believe this gospel. The penalty of our sins, the awful destiny of those that die in their sins, which is eternal judgment from God. This is the resurrection chapter and.
One of the.
Solemn truths of the resurrection.
It's not found here, but it's found in the book of Acts, and I'll quote it. God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, for he hath.
Appointed a day in which he will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead, one of the solemn consequences of the resurrection of that man.
The Lord Jesus Christ, who went into death on the cross for our sins, and whom God raised the third day according to the Scriptures, one of the solemn consequences of the resurrection is that he is going to be either as presented here.
In this 15th of First Corinthians, your savior or he's going to be as presented in Acts. I believe it's 17 your judge.
God does not ask you to repent. He does not plead with you to repent. He commands you to repent.
God commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
And while we're on that word, repent. It means to change your mind.
From high thoughts of yourself to God's thoughts of you to receive what God has to say about you.
God tells me that I am a lost condemned.
Sinner by nature and by practice. And that's true of you. We're not saying it of anyone in particular. It's true of the whole audience to whom I'm speaking tonight. It's true the whole world, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God by one man, Adam. Sin entered into the world in death by sin. If you weren't a Sinner, you wouldn't die. The proof, the absolute infallible proof that you're a Sinner, is that death is going to claim you someday.
00:05:08
The only exception to that will be the Saints alive when the Lord comes.
They will not go through the article of death, but it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment, the judgment, solemn words.
Verse one again. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you.
Which also you have received.
And wherein you stand, by which also ye are saved.
If you keep in memory, why does he say that?
Because there was a false doctrine that we was being preached here to the believers at Corinth, which if they accepted it, if they imbibed it, they would have surrendered the truth of the resurrection and he develops that the false doctrine is in verse 12. Let's read that Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? And then he develops very logically.
You see, there's nothing wrong with logic. There's nothing wrong with reason.
As long as it's based upon the Word of God, reason, apart from subjection to the Word of God is disastrous. But the gospel is not unreasonable. It is the most reasonable message of truth that's ever been presented to man.
But it's God's good news. But they were There was a gospel going. There was a doctrine, I should say, going about among the Saints at Corinth, that there's no resurrection of the dead. And the consequences of imbibing that error were very serious. And he develops that. But let's back up again, verse 2, by which also ye are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain, you see if.
If their faith which stood in the reception of the truth of the Gospel that he had presented to them.
If they departed from that, If they surrendered that, if they gave that up then.
They would not keep it in memory. They would not be holding it fast in the faith of their souls. You know, it was a danger of some among them that had, outwardly, it would seem, have embraced the gospel and believed it. And yet there was this doctrine that there's no resurrection of the dead. Christ was dead, There's no resurrection of the dead. Then he didn't rise. And if he didn't rise, everything is lost. He develops that very fully later on.
Unless you have believed in vain, it's important what you believe. Don't believe the lie that is being propagated today. It doesn't matter what you believe. We're all headed for the same place. That's the lie of the devil. We're not all headed for the same place. And unless your faith is in the truth of God and in the gospel of God, that he's going to describe what he had preached to them. If you leave, that, if you.
Forsake that if you give that up.
If you imbibe an error which destroys that, you're not saved.
What was the gospel that he preached? Verse 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received. The apostle Paul didn't dream this up in his own mind. This is not the product of man's thinking. This is not some philosophical conclusion arrived at after the greatest minds in the world got together. Oh no, he had received this as a revelation from God. This is God's gospel. This is God's way of salvation. It is not just a way of salvation. It is the only way of salvation. There is no other way.
The Lord Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
No other way. Only one way. And that's through Christ, I remember.
When I was a young man has a second job, I was pumping gas and I gave the gospel to one that I had filled his tank up for. And we got to talking. And he said there's many ways to heaven. It doesn't matter what you believe. What you believe is fine. I believe something else. We're all going to the same place. And he said to me at the end of the conversation, He said, by the way, I'm headed for Chicago, which way should I go? I said it doesn't matter. As long as you're sincere, just go any way you want. You'll get there.
He said, Come on, now, you know that's not true. And I said, but that's what you've been telling me about getting to heaven. As long as you're sincere, you're going to get to heaven because all the roads of sincerity lead to heaven. That's nonsense.
00:10:11
And I think he saw the point that there was a way. I said the only way you can get to Chicago is to get your map out and to follow the proper route that will get you there. And if you deviate from that, well, this is our map right here. This is the word of God. This is God's word to us. It tells us how to get to heaven. It tells us how we can be saved. We don't tell God how we're going to be saved. He tells us. And there's only one way, and that is through the death and resurrection of our Lord.
Jesus Christ.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received.
How that Christ here it is now how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.
That, of course, is referring to the Old Testament scriptures, every sacrifice that the Jew offered on their altars.
Pointed forward to the to the final sacrifice that would be made by the Lamb of God John the Baptist when he saw the Lord Jesus coming. He said behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. He was the great anti type of all the offerings of the Old Testament.
All the blood of beasts couldn't take away our sins. All the sacrifices thousands offered in the Old Testament couldn't take away our sins. But one sacrifice did it, and that was the sacrifice of Christ.
We are redeemed by the Precious Blood of Christ, which was shed on the cross in his death.
And if you are not under the value of the Blood of Christ, you're lost. Tonight, you're lost and on the broad, wide road to destruction.
There's only one way. It's a narrow way, and few there be that find it. But it's so simple. The hardest part that you'll have to get over in receiving the gospel is to accept the fact that you're lost.
You're lost. You're condemned. You're a Sinner. You're a guilty Sinner.
You're a condemned Sinner. You're a Sinner on the way to hell because one sin is so awful in the eye of God that that it will keep you out of heaven forever. One sin, and I've committed thousands, and so have you.
And God gave a sacrifice. He sent his son the great anti type of all the sacrifices of the Old Testament who died on the cross and shed his precious blood to cleanse our sins away before I ate supper tonight and went into the washroom and washed my hands to remove any defilement that would be there so that my hands would be clean as I ate. The only way that your soul could be clean before God is through the precious blood of Christ.
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth us from all sins.
Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures. He didn't die for his sins, for he had none.
Is the only altogether righteous man that was ever in this world the Holy One of God?
The one who never sinned.
He was impeccable, sinless, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.
Nothing less than that would have sufficed to be a sacrifice for us for my sins and your sins. But here was one who was sinless, who could offer that holy life as an atoning sacrifice for sin on the cross. Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. Can you say that? Can you say he died for my sins? Make it very personal until you make it personal. As long as you keep it in the distant hour. Put it off at a distance. Yes, he died for everyone's sins. But make it personal. Say oh he Thank God he died for my sins.
According to the scriptures. What are some of those scriptures? Well, Isaiah 53 is a beautiful example. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep dung before her Shearer. So he opened down his mouth. He was led so meekly to the cross.
And he willingly gave his life for you.
For your sins and mine, Are you saved tonight? Can you make it very personal and say yes, he died for my sins?
And then it says.
And that he was buried. You only buried dead people.
Now this is the gospel that they had received. This is what they had heard. And now they were in danger of imbibing the error that the dead don't rise. He was dead. He died for our sins according to the Scriptures, Paul says. And he was buried. He was put in the very place of death in testimony to the fact that he was truly dead.
00:15:20
Every Lord's Day Morning. Tomorrow morning we will celebrate the Lord's Supper.
Who will remember the Lord in his death? This is the ongoing commemoration of the very foundation truth of Christianity. Attack that, destroy that, and everything is lost. First grand truth of Christianity is Christ died and He died for our sins.
Can you say he died for my sins? Thank God. I can say that tonight and many others in this room. Is there anyone that can't say he died for my sins? Make it personal. Make it your own tonight and you'll be saved. And that he was buried. These are facts. These are facts. He's stating He's not reasoning upon the facts. Now He is stating facts, historical facts which are irrefutable, which are infallible.
Truths that God has given. Christ died on the cross and he died for our sins. Praise God. We only know that by revelation.
And he was buried, put in the very tomb.
Men appointed his grave with the wicked, but he was with the rich in his death, because he had done no.
Sin. Neither was there any violence in his mouth.
He was given a royal burial in a tomb where never man was laid, though men appointed it. Otherwise God prevented man's appointment.
He was buried, placed in death.
But he didn't stay there.
He said in Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Think of a mere man saying such a thing and say he was crazy.
He was talking about the temple of his body. The Jews thought he was talking about the temple of Herod that had been in building.
For many years, no. He was talking about the temple of his body. He went into death and he raised himself from the dead. God raised him from the dead. Here we have it. God raised him from the dead.
Verse 4 Again. And that he was buried and that he rose again the 3rd day according to the Scriptures. The Old Testament Scriptures speak of the resurrection of Christ.
Thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
That will make known to me though paths of life, in thy presence's fullness of joy at the right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Scriptures that speak of the fact that he was not left in death, that God raised him out of death. The resurrection of Christ is the proof to everyone that believes the gospel that his sins are gone, gone, forever, gone before the eye of God.
God who knew them, laid them on him. And believing thou art free, He no longer has any of our sins upon him. They're gone. They were laid upon him at the cross. He went into death. God raised him from the dead. And when he was raised from the dead, our sins were no longer upon him, because he had put them away by his death.
The resurrection is God's testimony to us that He has accepted the work of Christ and the cross for our sins, and He's put them away. He was delivered for our offenses. He was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, that's our part. Believing it, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you have that piece tonight? Peace with God? Do you know that the sin question was settled?
By the death and resurrection of Christ on the cross. And you can say, I believe that, and I have peace.
Now this is the gospel that Paul preached to these Corinthians.
It involved 3 truths. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.
He was buried.
Truly dead and he was raised again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
So the gospel is.
The death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ.
He lives and our sins are gone.
Is he your savior tonight? Now that was the gospel that they had received. That's the gospel in which they stood, by which they were saved, he says. If you keep that in memory, if they gave that up, if they imbibed some error that destroyed one of those essential truths, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, they would have given up the truth of the gospel. Very serious.
00:20:25
Now in the next verses starting at verse five, we have the witnesses that he calls upon to be a testimony as to the resurrection of Christ.
There isn't any truth of scripture that has been more attacked by the enemy.
Than the truth of the resurrection.
And so we have an abundant testimony here.
And says he was seen of Cephas. That was Peter.
He was the apostle that denied the Lord three times with oaths and curses, he said. I don't know the man.
I don't know him. I don't know him. Three times the Lord said he would do it, and then the Lord turned and he looked at Peter.
And when Peter saw the gaze of the blessed Lord who had told him that he would do it, and Peter said, no, I'd die for you, die for the Lord. I would never deny thee, but he did.
Didn't know the weakness of the flesh.
He did, and he saw that look of the Savior. He went out, and he wept bitterly, and he becomes the one who, in resurrection the Lord Jesus appeared to.
He was seen of Cephas. The Lord had a personal meeting, risen Christ now.
With Peter Cephas.
He was to be the stone. He was to be the one that was a picture of every believer, a living stone built upon Christ the Rock.
And then he was seen of the 12, the 12 apostles.
Everyone had to see the risen Christ was absolutely essential. That was the requirement.
The Church was built upon the apostles and prophets.
And of the New Testament, And everyone of them, in order to be an apostle, had to have seen Christ.
In resurrection the one who wrote this, Saul of Tarsus, was his name. Now Paul the Apostle, he saw Christ in glory on the road to Damascus. He didn't see him as a risen man on earth, but he saw him in glory, the proof that he was risen.
But every apostle had to see Christ as the risen 1.
After that he was seen of above 500 brethren, at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
500 Brethren It's possible to fool a few.
It's possible to arrange with a few to perpetrate a lie.
We have religions that exist today that are founded on that very thing. But not 500 brethren at once. No, that's virtually an impossibility. And here they are all witnessing to the glorious truth of the resurrection. They saw the risen Christ. How important. Another truth I want to mention is when the world nailed the Lord Jesus on the cross.
That's the last view that the world had of Christ His own. Took him down, loving hands, took him down, laid him in the new tomb, prepared him for burial, laid him in the tomb. And then when he rose from the dead, the only ones that saw him during his 40 days as a risen man on earth were his own. Those that had faith. The next time the world sees Christ well when he comes back will be when he comes back in judgment.
Then every eye will see him.
And those which pierced him, and they will wail on account of him.
Because he will come back as judge. For 2000 years he's been presented to the world as a savior. As a savior, you can have him tonight as a savior. But if you refuse to meet him tonight by faith, as a savior, you'll meet him in that coming day as a judge. But meet him you will. Meet him. You must, for God has decreed that every knee will bow.
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And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
You will do it. Everyone in this room will do it. Everyone in this world will do it. Thank God. Each of us who have done it already can say it is with delight. I bow my knee and confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, for he is God raised him from the dead and exalted him to his right hand, and made him Lord and Christ. And he's now judge. He's now Savior, and he will be judged.
In that coming day.
Solemn thing to think that if you reject him, you will stand before the Great White Throne one day.
And seated on that throne will be this blessed person that we're talking about.
The Lord Jesus Christ, a man in glory, a glorified man, and he'll be there as a judge.
And he will judge you for your sins.
The books will be opened, and then the book of life will be opened, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life.
Was cast into the lake of fire.
Is your name written there? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your savior? He who said I am the resurrection and the life?
Do you know that person personally? Is it personal with you, young boy, young girl here tonight? Do you? Can you say Jesus is my savior? Have you made it personal? Don't. It's not Jesus. Daddy's savior and Mommy savior. That's not good enough. Is he your savior?
And if you're not sure, be sure right now. Just lift up your heart just now in a short prayer to God and say Lord Jesus, I accept thee as my savior. You may not understand all these things. That's not important. The important thing is that vital link between your soul and the living God and the living Christ.
And the Spirit of God alone can produce that.
After that he was seen of about 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain under this present some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James. James was one of his the Lords brothers, his half brother.
Through Mary's mother and, it says in John 7. Neither did his brethren believe in him.
Did God do these things, Show thyself to the world, they said. Neither did his brethren believe in him. James did not believe until he saw.
The Risen Christ.
He saw him dead on the cross, and now he sees him in resurrection.
And he was going to do a mighty work. He's going to occupy a very prominent place in the early church. We read of him all through the book of Acts, James.
Who was very prominent there, And so he was.
Scene of James, then of all the apostles.
That's repeated. We read of the 12 and now it says all the apostles that would include.
Paul Barnabas, He's mentioned also as an apostle.
All the apostles saw the Lord Jesus in resurrection. That was essential because they were going to be called upon to suffer tremendous sufferings according to church history, which is not inspired. We're not sure of it. But the only one of the 12 That didn't suffer martyrdom was the Apostle John and he did suffer banishment. The Isle of Patmos. What? We don't know if that's accurate or not.
But we do know that they were called upon to suffer because they were going to witness to the world of a risen Christ.
The last witness.
Starting at verse eight was himself the Apostle Paul. He says. Last of all, he was seen of Maine also.
As of one born out of due time.
Now here was a man, Saul of Tarsus, that had as the common saying is, he had everything going for him.
He was educated at the feet of Gamaliel, great doctor of the law.
He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, touching the righteousness which was in the law. He was blameless.
He was like you were hearing about this afternoon.
I like to look at Saul of Tarsus and say that's the job of the that's the job of the New Testament. And Job is, of course, the job of the Old Testament.
Saul of Tarsus had to learn that all his righteousness, all his law, keeping all that in which he trusted by his own efforts, was nothing, was worthless.
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And then now he had learned that getting Christ, he had a righteousness which was divine.
Gave him a standing before God which met all of God's thoughts.
Divine righteousness.
Well, he says, last of all, he was seen of Maine also as of one born out of due time. What does that mean? I believe it means that the nation Israel, is going to be born again, as it were.
In the coming day, he was a Jew. He was a hater of the name of Jesus. There wasn't a man living that hated the name of Jesus so much as Saul of Tarsus, he says. I verily thought with myself to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus. He was the champion. He was the Goliath, you might say, of the enemy to stamp out the hated, despised new religion of Christianity.
The religion of the Nazarene.
And Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus with letters from the chief priests to bind all that called upon the name of Jesus.
To cast them into prison. To persecute them.
And he saw light from heaven.
And he heard a voice. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the ******.
Who art thou, Lord?
He knew it was the Lord, but he didn't know who that Lord was.
And then he heard I am Jesus.
Whom thou persecutest? He was persecuting the Christians, the Lord said, You're persecuting me.
For whatever anyone does to Christians, they're doing it to the Lord Jesus because they are one with him.
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Saul said, And he was 3 days and three nights.
Without sight, and a revolution took place in that man's soul.
And he who had been the very champion of the Jews to stamp out the hated new religion of Christianity.
Now becomes the avid defender of the faith.
And the very, the very kind of evil that he had handed out to those Christians now came back to him in increased intensity.
And he suffered.
As none has ever suffered.
Outside of Christ, of course.
Why did you do it?
Because he saw.
He saw Christ in glory. He heard his voice. He spoke to him. He saw him.
Impossible to believe that he would have given up everything.
Prestige, fame, wealth, honor, glory in this world. For that's what he had right at his fingertips. And when he accepted the hated, despised Jesus of Nazareth, all those doors closed for him.
He was number longer the friend, but to the Jew he was a traitor.
He was not fit to live. Those were their very words.
Away with such a man, it is not fit that he should live.
And they would have killed him there at Jerusalem, had the Romans not come down the Roman soldiers, and stopped them.
And they tried over and over again to put him to death.
But until God's time came for Saul to lay his life down.
In death, they couldn't touch him. Oh, they could. They could injure that body.
They could flog him, they could whip him, they could stone him even.
But until his time came.
They couldn't take his life.
Well, he says.
Last of all, he was seen of me also as a one born out of due time.
And it's this man who wrote 14 of the Epistles of the New Testament. It's this man who was the chosen vessel of the Lord Jesus.
The greatest opponent to Christianity becomes the greatest defender of the faith. It was to this man that the great truths of the Christian.
Faith were given the truth of the Church, the truth of the Lord's coming.
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The Rapture, The truth of justification by faith apart from works.
All the glorious truths of Christianity were given to him, and we have them in His epistles.
But he suffered for those truths.
He says in verse nine I am the least of the apostles that have not made to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain.
But I labored more abundantly than they all.
Was he boasting immediately? He says. Yet not I I get no credit for this labor, this labor of love on behalf of the Saints, but the grace of God, which was with me? He gives all the credit to the grace of God, which had picked up such an enemy of the truth and had made him a defender of the truth.
Therefore, whether it were I or they, the other apostles, so we preach.
And so ye believed.
He didn't preach a different gospel. He preached a fuller gospel than the others, but it wasn't different.
It was the gospel of the grace of God and the gospel of the glory of Christ.
The grace of God is that God has come down as a man, and as a man he has died.
Shed his blood, God has raised that man from the dead and set him in glory.
There's a man in heaven tonight. If you went to heaven, you could see a man there.
There's a man in the very glory of God tonight. That's the gospel of the glory.
The gospel of His grace is that He came down and became a man and shed His blood and put our sins away. The gospel of the glory is that man has gone to heaven. That's the pledge to you and to me, that if we recede in His Savior, that's where we're headed. We're going to follow him to that place which He has opened up for us as a man, as a man in heaven. And soon that place will be filled with the Saints of God, of Old and New Testament, those that have looked forward in faith to the coming Redeemer, and those of us who have looked back in faith upon a finished work.
And the glorious triumph from that death into which he went.
And now his present session at the right hand of God. He's coming back.
Coming back to take us who believe to be with himself.
You know Christians, There are many Christians here tonight.
The faith that we have.
Rests upon an infallible fact.
That Christ died, that he was buried, and that he rose again.
From the dead?
Destroy anyone of those truths and you've destroyed the Christian faith.
But you can't destroy them, because they're facts. They are facts that God has authenticated more thoroughly than any historical fact. You children can take history in school and any of the history that you read about events happening hundreds of thousands, even of years ago.
There's not anyone of them that even comes remotely close.
To the authentication that the Christian faith has.
For what they believe.
Not any of them that comes close. And yet none of those supposed facts of history are questioned.
But somehow or other man has attacked and attacked and attacked the facts of the Christian faith. Why?
Because man is at enmity with God.
You have a nature. I have a nature which is at enmity with God.
And so God came down to put our sins away and to give us a new nature.
A new life that we might have fellowship with himself.
And if you receive the Lord Jesus as the one who died for your sins, who was buried, and who rose again for your justification.
You will be saved.
For all eternity.
Verse 12 Now now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, I'll say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead.
Now that's the error that he was dealing with. You see, it's absolutely essential that they they be brought back to what was the original faith of their souls. They had heard the gospel that he preached. They had received it. They stood in the faith of it. They were saved by it. If they kept it in memory, and if they gave it up any part of it, then they would have removed themselves from the truth of the gospel.
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And so he says here.
If there is no resurrection of the dead, which is what was being proclaimed, then is Christ not risen?
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain? And your faith is also vain. You've believed a lie.
Christ isn't risen. You've believed a lie. Your faith is vain. It's worthless. It's.
Good for nothing.
There's not a minor point. This is a major point so serious that if it were true.
Christianity is a false religion.
Yeah, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he raised, not up. If so be that the dead rise not.
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised? If the doctrine that the dead don't rise, then Christ who was dead didn't rise. And if he didn't rise, your faith is vain, worthless.
Paul was a false witness of God, for he declared that Christ did rise and more.
Verse 17 If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain. You're yet in your sins. Your sins aren't gone.
They're not forgiven. Christ is still in the grave if this damnable heresy is true.
That the dead don't rise.
And they also, which are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished. Your loved ones that have gone into death, they've perished. There's no hope for them. There's no resurrection. If Christ isn't raised, there's no hope that they'll be raised. You see, everything hinges upon the resurrection of Christ.
If he wasn't raised from the dead, my sins are not gone. They're not forgiven.
I've believed the lie and all my loved ones who have gone on.
I'll never see them again.
Oh, how serious what we believe.
What we believe Do you know what you believe? Do you know what you believe, young boy and girl? Do you really understand the gospel?
Understand, it's so simple. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried. He was a dead man. God raised him from the dead according to the scriptures in proof that his death was everything to God and that our sins are gone.
Verse 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ.
We are, of all men, most miserable. Why does he say that? Because he had given up everything.
That was going for him as a Pharisee, as a defender of the Judaistic.
Beliefs of the day that rejected the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, their true Messiah, they rejected him. The Mass of the Nation. The 12 apostles, of course, received him and some on the day of Pentecost when Peter preached, 3000, were saved. Afterward the number swelled swelled to 5000. But by and large, the Christian Church today is composed mostly not of Jews.
But of Gentiles?
I'm a Gentile. Probably everyone in this room is a Gentile. Many Christians. There might be a Jew here that's been saved. Praise God for it, because they're not shut out. But there's a blindness over Israel.
And today it's a greater privilege to be born a Gentile than to be born a Jew.
I remember once in Chicago we used to preach on the street corner with a PA system and I pulled up on a park next to a park, which was.
Almost exclusively Jewish.
And I preach from Acts chapter 2, Peter's sermon to the Jews.
I didn't have to elaborate upon it. I simply read Peter's words. I read his words.
God hath made that same Jesus whom he have crucified, both Lord in Christ. What shall we do then? They said.
Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Then they that gladly received his Word were baptized there, added them to them about 3000 souls.
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Yes, you can read it yourself, but I never felt the power of Peter's words until I preached it.
To Jews.
They just stood there and they shook their fists at us. And you could see the hatred that was in their hearts to that wonderful message. Their hearts were hardened to it, just hardened to it.
The end of the book of Acts, Paul preaches once more to the Jews in the synagogue.
And they rejected it.
And he quotes from Isaiah, and he says God is going to send the message to the Gentiles and they will receive it.
And thank God many, many Gentiles have received the glorious gospel.
And thank God for those who are Jewish. They have received it as well. It's open to both.
It's not. None are excluded, Whosoever will may come and take the water of life freely.
Have you come?
Have you come?
Verse 20 says Now is Christ risen from the dead. That's a statement of fact.
Now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. That means that every believer that goes into death and dies, Christ is the first fruits of that harvest. Farmer goes out in the fall and he takes a shock and he brings it in, shows his wife and he says this is what our harvest is this year. This is a first, this is the first fruits, the first sheep. He brings it in and shows it to her and that gives a pretty good idea what the rest of the field looks like.
Christ is the first fruits. He is the pledge on God's part that if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
Even though you die, you will be raised even as he was raised, and those of us who are alive at his coming will be changed.
An event that will be equivalent to resurrection the change.
It will take place, if he would call it this moment, every believer in this room, The room would be emptied, almost, except for those who are still in their sins. You would be, you would be left behind in your seats, and the rest of us would be changed in an instant, in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and we would rise to meet the Lord Jesus.
In the air that's at the end of this chapter. First Corinthians 15 is a great resurrection chapter. First part is about the resurrection of Christ.
The last part is about the resurrection of those who receive him as their Lord and Savior. The one follows upon the other. He's the first fruits afterward those that are Christ at his coming. Verse 23 says that every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits. Afterward. They that are Christ at his coming, he's coming again. If he didn't rise from the dead, there is no second coming.
If he didn't rise from the dead.
There is no gospel.
There's no message. There's no good news. There's no offer of pardon. There's no offer of forgiveness. There's no offer of justification. There's no offer of salvation. There is nothing. Our faith is vain if there is no resurrection. But now is Christ raised from the dead.
Everyone of the apostles may be one, with one exception, suffered a martyr's death. Why were they made so willing to suffer so for the Lord Jesus?
Because they saw him in resurrection, they saw him dead on the cross.
They took him down, they wound his body and prepared it for burial. And they laid him in that new tomb. And he said, in three days I will rise again. The Jews wanted a sign, He said No sign will be given you but the sign of Jonas the Jonas the Prophet.
For as Jonah was 3 days and three nights in the whales valley social the son of man be 3 days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Did Jonah perish in the whales bed a belly know it spewed him out and when he came forth to picture of Christ resurrection?
That was the sign that he gave to the Jews, that he would rise from the dead. It is a historical fact that has been attacked by the enemy of our souls and cannot be destroyed. Your faith rests upon a fact that he died, that he was buried, that he rose again, and that he's coming again at his coming. He's coming back to receive his own to himself.
Well, there's much more in that chapter and that's as far as we got tonight. How wonderful the gospel of the grace of God. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried and he rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
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Let's sing that.
Open Mtg.
Open—S. Jacobsen, R. Thonney
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.
Up first, a verse in the 8th chapter of Romans.
A verse that I might say, and I say it with reverence.
Is sometimes rather glibly spoken.
And I say it may be for my own exercise as much and maybe more than for yours, but a verse or two in the eighth of Romans and then back to the Old Testament.
Romans 8 and verse 28 and we often stop there. But I'd like to read on and read what I believe that the purpose of the 28th verse is as given in the 29th verse. So it's Romans the 8th chapter and the 28th and 29th verses.
We know, if we don't know what we should pray for as we ought.
We do know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose and invariably in memory verse or in speaking to one another. We stopped at that and oftentimes I've wondered exactly what is the application of the 28th verse. It says all things work together for good.
And because I have a renewed nature, and you have a renewed nature, you accept it as the Word of God. And you know that whether you understand this application, it certainly is living. But I would take the liberty of suggesting that the 29th verse gives us that purpose to which God is working. All things in your life and mine. For whom He did for know, He also did predestinate.
To be conformed to the image of his son and he might be the first born among many brothers. And my thesis is simply this as a there's been an exercise for some time and I have to admit that I rather trembled when our brother started with Job. I thought is what I have of the Lord and I trust it is. It's a little bit different bent, but it's still in the book of Job and I would like to emphasize.
Before we go back to the 7th chapter of the book of Job that I believe that every circumstance in your life and mine.
Understood or not, is working towards the good that God wants.
In your life and mine, to have conformity to His beloved son.
And what I believe. I'll give a few illustrations before we go back.
If the tone of voice, the words that I speak to my wife when I'm frustrated.
Were on a tape what I want it to be played at this time.
Do we have little thoughts of grudges towards certain brethren? I mentioned a certain brother who's no longer with us, but at one time I mentioned to brother X.
For the sake of not saying who it was, Is he? Do you pray for him? And he says no, he's not on my prayer list.
Now, by the grace of God, I trust that I'm not one of those that because if you knew me, no, I don't bother. He's not on my prayer list. And so the the word of God has saved us and the word of God comes in and seeks to mold, you know the old story that boy meets girl and after they're married, the man or the woman says, oh, I hope you love me for just exactly what I am.
Well, God didn't love us in the beginning for what we were, and he doesn't love us now for what we are.
He loved us in the 1St place because God is love and He saved us.
And now that after we're saved, he wants us to be conformed to the image of his son.
Let's go back to the 7th chapter of the book of Job and I'm going to take the liberty of reading that portion from what we call the new translation, Mr. Darby's translation, but I'll turn to it the 7th chapter of Job and starting with.
The 17th verse and there are some expressions that are used in the new translation that I believe help to bring out the point of that portion.
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Starting with the 17th verse, what is man that thou makest much of him?
And that thou settest thy heart upon him, and that thou visitest him every morning, tryest him every moment. How long wilt thou not look away from me, nor let me alone, till I swallow down my spittle, until I die? Have I sinned? What do I unto thee, thou observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee, so that I am become a burden to myself?
And why dost thou, and why dost not thou forsake my transgression and take away mine iniquity?
For now shall I lie down in the dust, and thou shalt seek me early, and I shall not die.
I want to speak not specifically about the troubles of certain people, but I hope that from my heart I can speak of something that touches your heart. There are circumstances that each one of us go through in everyday living, in raising families and seeing those children grow up, that I can express some of those experiences with one word. Excruciating.
Painful.
And the feeling of the heart is as is expressed.
In that verse.
Let me how long will thou not look away from me, nor let me alone, till I swallow down my spittle?
There are circumstances that we long for, and that's what I say. It's like an Amen to what our brother has said. But there are circumstances in I know, even though I may not know your name, never met you before, I know that there are circumstances in your life. I know a brother here and I could mention him by name. He was recently out of work. I was out of work for two years. When I heard that that brother was out of work, there was something that went click.
In my heart because of the experience that I had had.
Did I say ho hum? I'm not going to pray for him. And you know, there's another verse.
We speak of the truth of the one body. There is an application of the truth of the one body that says in the 12Th chapter of one Corinthians that says having the same care one for another. Do we in the assembly have that same care one for another? Well, if I don't, I believe that part of the experiences that God is placing us through.
Day by day.
Is to produce that effect of having my heart conformed to the image of his son. My behavior pattern, you know, I can say, and if you don't know, I'm willing to tell you. And if you knew, you don't need to be told. But I'm a Jacobson. And so that connotes to me as an insider certain things that I wish you not to know. And if your name is such that you know because of that family trait.
That there are certain things that go with that name that you wouldn't want me to know. That's what I'm speaking about. I'm speaking that God wants each of us. Now what is it?
It's a beautiful, beautiful thought that God has put the members in the body as it has pleased him.
And yet everyone of them he wants to exhibit the graces of Christ.
And yet we are each different. And I will tell you two stories. I haven't much more, though. This is a deep and wide subject. I want to tell two stories, one about Brother X. We in the Pittsburgh Assembly had sent funds to show fellowship in Kingsworth his work of the Lord. Our brother, Scott Scott Brinkmeyer received the letter. He read it. I want to get it from him, and I want to make a Xerox copy of it and I want to keep it in my my records. And here's in essence, what the letter said. We're not telling who it was from.
But in essence, the brother said this. For years I've ministered the Word, but in recent years I have seen the importance that God is placing upon the effect of that word in my heart.
I respect that Brother's ministry and I respect what he said.
In that letter, I'm not going to tell you who it was. That's not necessary, but whatever we may have in an assembly.
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And you are going on in your daily life. You know, it's a marvelous thing to be transparent. Transparent before God, transparent before my wife, transparent before my brethren. If there's anything that I longed for that I would like to convey to you as my brethren, is the desire to be what you are.
If I'm not a gospel preacher, you know, I accept those that are. But I want to tell you something about John Kemp, which all of us would accept as being certainly an evangelist at the Halifax conference. I came in a little early to the reading meeting and he was sitting there reading a book and I figured it was his business and not mine, what book he was reading. But he called me into his, into his thoughts, and he said, I'm reading a book by William Kelly on the New Testament doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
But his next point was very embarrassing, he said. Have you read it?
And I gave some weasel words, like I've skimmed through it. And he said, you know, Brother Hayhoe once said, and then he quoted what Brother Hayhoe had said about that book. Now, John Kemp is a gospel preacher, we'd say. You'd never think that he would read a book about the the New Testament doctrine of the Holy Spirit, you know?
My esteem, my thought to that dear brother were already high, but they went up and there's a brother that though he's a gospel minded man.
He is taking in.
These things and so how important to accept from one another. But to be transparent, if I'm not a teacher, you can still add something. But you know all that transparency before God, that God wants us. That's the first thing not to fall. Now I'm going to tell you another story. I used to work for the Boeing Company in Seattle.
During the 60s, they had the supersonic transport program and in thought I want you to go with this is an actual fact that I did this. But in thought at this time I want you to go with into the developmental center along airport. Mr. Lundeen and Mrs. Lundin are familiar with that area, the developmental center, and I went to go down into an area that they've reserved for the heat treater.
Aluminum is to the present airplane and the past airplane as titanium was going to be to the supersonic transport. They needed to know a lot about its its properties and various things. So here's what they did. They would tell this man that we want you to put this particular piece of titanium into the oven. Now notice the different ways in which he could heat treat that particular piece of titanium. But he was told exactly what to do and the divine.
Heat treater knows exactly.
What you and I need to produce the effect that God wants in my life and yours. You can put it into a hot furnace.
And then raise the temperature from there. You can put it into a cold furnace and you can raise it at 100° a minute or 200° and you can see that it's going to produce a different effect. You take that and plunge it into a hot furnace. It's at 2000°. And now as you take it out, you can take it out quickly and plunge it into water. You can take it out quickly and just let it air cool. So now you have a water cool.
An air cool or you can turn the switch on the furnace and the temperature starts going down slowly controlled. See, see what I'm trying to say that you and I in the school of God, in everyday circumstances are being put through circumstances that are exactly what the heat treater, the divine heat treater knows is needed to get rid of or to produce an effect in our lives that God desires to use.
Another step because of the intensity of the furnace.
That that piece of titanium is in it needs to be grit blasted.
Pressure behind sand, if you will, and it removes the scale. Sometimes we say, Lord, how much longer is the grit going to have to be used to remove the scale? But there is one more step. Some of us that have known these things know what a tiniest Olson machine is. It's a machine that takes a metal specimen and it puts it here and it puts it there and it starts to pull.
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And it sees whether the particular tensile strength or whatever, twisting or bending, they can put it under refrigeration, they can do various things to see whether the effect that is desired in that piece of metal has been produced.
Amazing.
How long will thou not depart from me, that thou should visit him every morning and try him every morning?
All things work together for good to them that love God. Now let's turn to 1St Corinthians 13 and let's pick out of there some of the negative thoughts that are in that chapter.
As an example of what God desires to do.
In your life and mine, in producing through circumstances.
There have been circumstances in my life which in the private of my den or my bedroom.
The lights out, I've said, Lord, that circumstance only showed out what my heart is capable of, and by the grace of God I want to get rid of it.
All right, now let's start with the fourth verse. Let's change the wording a little bit.
It says love suffereth long and is kind, but the natural tendency of my heart at least is to suffer long and be unkind.
I've taken so much from that brother. He's an antagonist. He talks too long. He's got a view that's always different. Have you ever heard that type of thing? Have you ever heard it in your heart? I've heard it in mine. There are brethren that at one time in my life I knew that I did not, but would not pray for him. Shameful, just absolutely shameful. Is that conformity to Christ? In my everyday life, I knew that, that the Lord was having the victory.
In my heart and life when I prayed for my brother.
Prayed for him. So if you willingly, knowingly refuse to pray, then what you're saying is love suffers long and is unkind. Now notice the rest of the verse. Envy.
Vaunting itself, puffing itself up, behaves itself unseemly, seeks her own, is easily provoked, Thinketh evil, rejoiceeth in iniquity, doesn't rejoice in the truth, bears nothing, doesn't believe anything, hopes for nothing, has no endurance. Love. Now we come to the effect that the circumstances of life.
Are the desire of the heart of God is to produce day by day all thou observer of men, to think that God cares for his children so much that he deals with them every day of their life.
My car is a certain kind and it has what they affectionately called.
Morning sickness.
The brakes don't want to work in the morning, but after a while, then they work. And I found out to my sorrow that $250 would fix that problem. And so I had to fix it. And So what did it do? It reduced my my my bank account by $250. But what was the attitude of mind and heart that God revealed? I come home at night and a favorite place for.
Things that are going to be put into the garbage is a sack underneath the sink. And I come home and I find that some of them have spilled over. And I make some relatively curtain and unkind comment to my wife. And she has the wisdom and the grace to recognize something. And so she says this.
What is it that's really bothering you? It's not that thing. What is it that's really bothering you? I wish that Wise weren't quite as discerning as they are.
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But in all honesty and thankfulness of heart, I have a father, and you have a father that is far more discerning than a wife. And he sees the tendencies. So according to Hebrews 4, he knows the thoughts and the intents of the heart. And God wants our intent. Is there pride?
I was having a real nice time again at Halifax conference this last May and sitting across from another brother whose name we won't divulge and all of a sudden.
Here's what he said. Stan is at heart for you, as it is for me to think of others as well as you do yourself.
I didn't think people usually came out and said that kind of thing, but what was he saying? He said he was finding it hard to esteem others better than himself.
Is it hard for you? Well, by God's grace, take the circumstances of your life. It may be a brother, and it's an amazing thing. If we had the time, we could turn to the first chapter of Numbers. There's a list of the of the leaders of each of the 12 tribes. Look up the meanings of their names. One of them means a brother of good. Another one means a brother of evil. There may be a circumstance that's allowed of God to test your heart that there's a brother in your assembly.
That is a little bit of a trial. And so God is allowing the circumstance of your life to produce something of the graces of Christ. Brethren, I'm through. That's what I had in my heart.
And I can say I want you to read between the lines. I want the lines to be, you know, two inches between, you know, so that you can put in the circumstances of your life, whatever they may be. And some of them are excruciating difficult. You wonder when are they going to be over? What is it? And all we can take, what Brother Lundin said, we can take the perspective of the 7th chapter of God working all things together for good.
And the good is that he wants us to be conformed to the image of his son.
So that those graces which he delighted in in his son are the delight of his heart as seen through his children.
Like to.
Also follow a thread of thought from Brother Mundine's meeting that.
Really enjoyed and share it with you those three men that were mentioned, Noah, Daniel and Job.
There were men, of course, of faith.
And faith, dear brethren, as we know, is something that is always based on the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Faith is something as well that is intensely individual.
It's relatively easy to outwardly.
Follow the Lord when there's a lot who feel the same way as you around.
But to follow.
What scripture says when there's no one else around is the real test.
Whether there is faith that is God-given faith in our hearts?
And there really comes as a challenge to me in the days in which we live, dear brethren.
Ezekiel lived in a time when.
Judah's testimony at Jerusalem was.
At an end.
And it was shortly after I believe that.
They were carried away to Babylon.
And so we're living in a day ourselves in which.
The public testimony to the truth that there is one body.
Is in ruins, brother. It's in ruins.
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And when I'm speaking now, the testimony, I'm Speaking of the Lord's people in general, not focusing in on any particular group.
But Speaking of the public testimony of all those.
Who are members of Christ's body?
And I think it is something that really challenges each one of us.
As to what our thoughts are and I'd just like to enjoy from the book of First Corinthians.
A couple of thoughts first as to the unity of the body of Christ. First Corinthians chapter 12, our brother.
Spoke before me mentioned a couple of verses from this chapter, but it seems so intensely important to hold this not merely as a doctrine, but to hold it as a practical reality.
First Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 12.
For as the body is one.
And half many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is Christ.
For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one?
Body.
Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit.
In the first chapter, First Corinthians, we know that there was.
Division in Corinth still, even though that was the outward state of things in Corinth, Paul says here. And I think it's something that faith must lay hold of. Remember, it's individual. You and I are going to be tested individually as to whether we really, truly believe this.
For as the body is 1 Isn't that beautiful, brethren? Nothing can ever, ever change that truth. Division may have entered the public testimony, and it has.
People coming from a heathen country to this land.
And saying that it is a Christian land and looking up and down the streets of the different cities.
They will not see this testimony that the body is one.
No, the testimony is an outward ruin.
But the truth remains, brethren, the body is one.
And even in outward ruin, we have to thank God's thoughts because faith is grounded on God's thoughts. That's what marked those men in the Old Testament that were spoken of.
Noah, Daniel and Job, even though it cost them something to bring them around to that point as it costs us something.
Perhaps to be brought around to that point as well. Still, faith is accepting God's thoughts. The body is one. There is no more than one body. And as God looks down into this world and he contemplates his redeemed people, he says there is one body.
Beautiful, precious truth. Oh dear brethren, it's one of the things that characterizes this dispensation in which we live, that the Lord Jesus is a living man in the glory of God, and the Spirit of God is a person of the Godhead down here in this world, uniting all believers in one body and uniting them to the head in heaven.
For as much as I have failed in the outward testimony, for as much as we have failed in the outward testimony, the truth remains. There is one body or to lay hold of, so that it would affect us practically. Because, brethren, if we do not hold the truth practically, we do not have it.
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We may say we have it, but it has always been the case in the history of God's people.
That the practices slipped and then little by little the very doctrine or teaching of the truth slips as well. The Lord stir our hearts. This be a living reality. Every member, every believer on the face of the earth is united in one body in Christ. Not saying I see eye to eye to every member of the body of Christ. I'm not saying that at all.
But I'm Speaking of God's thoughts here, of what he says is true. There is one body, and if I meet during the course of my life, during the week, some believer on the street of the town where I live.
That should be my thought, the response of my heart.
Another member of Christ's body. My thought in love should be.
To seek his welfare in whatever way I possibly can.
That should be my practical reaction.
As I meet with believers, realizing that they too are members of Christ's body.
But I'd like to say another thing here that I think needs to be distinguished, like to turn back to that first chapter, First Corinthians.
And the.
10th verse. And Paul begins this epistle to the Corinthians.
This seems to be one of the first things that he corrects in that epistle, or in that.
Assembly at Corinth is the question of divisions, but I just want to point out something that is simple here in verse 10. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions.
Among you, but there ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind.
And in the same judgment, for it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren.
By them which are of the House of ploy, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say that every one of you saith, I am appalled, and I have Apollos and I have Cephas, and I have Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? Just like to point out in that verse 10. Notice when he speaks of divisions.
He does not say that there be no divisions in the body of Christ.
Because, brethren, the body of Christ cannot be divided.
Never has been. It is gloriously won in the eyes of God.
And that we are called to share God's thoughts as to His redeemed people in this world.
The body is one division. Has it entered? Yes, division has entered, but where?
Among you, we who are the responsible ones to carry the testimony.
The outward visible testimony to the truth that there is one body amongst us responsibly, in an outward way, division has entered.
And notice in verse the end of verse 11 Contentions.
Among you notice another verse in Chapter 11.
Of this same epistle, First Corinthians Chapter 11.
And verse.
18.
But for first of all, when you come together in the church.
I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it.
There's that same expression, divisions among you. The division has not entered into the body of Christ, brethren.
It has entered into the outward visible testimony to the truth that there is one body.
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The vision has entered there and that's why, as we say, if a heathen person comes.
From a foreign land to this country, knowing that it is a so-called.
Christian country What kind of testimony would they have as they walked down the streets and meet people who profess to be Christians?
It would not be a testimony to the truth that the body is one.
I just wanted to make this point real clear. I think it's really important, especially for those who are younger. I know for myself I didn't understand this point when people would speak of the ruin, exactly what they meant.
But first of all, the truth of God is the body.
Is 1. Nothing can ever change that truth. It was one from the day of Pentecost.
When the Spirit of God came down to indwell those about 120 believers.
And instead of being merely 120 individual believers.
They became one in Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
And then God began adding more to the church, such as should be saved.
And today the same is true. There is one body, the same truth we have in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse four. There is one body. Nothing can change that truth, brethren, that's God's word, that's God's side of the matter. But when we come to the other side, when we talk about divisions that comes in amongst us, we who are.
Responsible to carry the outward testimony to that truth, that there is one body.
Division has come in, brethren, we cannot deny it.
And what is our attitude and my desire this afternoon in the few remaining moments?
Is to take up, dear brethren, in view of the fact.
That our testimony has failed so miserably.
And I'm not Speaking of those gathered to the Lord's name only, brethren. I'm Speaking of all believers everywhere we have failed.
To show that we are one body in Christ.
What is our attitude? What is our testimony? What is our spirit?
To be in view of this.
Is it the attitude of?
Standing up and saying we've got to be faithful to God.
Yes, we ought to be faithful to God, brethren.
But what is the Spirit?
That should characterize believers in the Lord Jesus. In this age when there's so much contrary voices in those who profess to be, to belong to Christ, what is the Spirit that should characterize me? I'd like to go back to Luke's gospel for a couple of verses, few verses, Luke Chapter 9.
In verse.
49.
And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name.
And we forbade him, because he followed, not us, not with us.
And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not, for he that is not against us is for us.
And it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up.
He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before his face, and they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?
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Even as Elias did. But he turned and rebuked them and said.
Ye know not what spirit you know, not what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
Just a couple of things we want to notice here, dear brethren. First of all, I think I see in my own heart what I see in these disciples.
Here.
I cannot isolate myself, dear brother, from it. This is my heart, the true reflection of it right here.
They saw somebody casting out demons in the name of the Lord and he says he follows, not us.
What was the Lord's response to that? He says do not forbid Him. He that is not against us is for us.
Do you notice that the point of reference of the disciples was?
He follows, not us. That's why they forbade him.
Dear brethren, we need to have Christ as the.
Reference point, not us. So oftentimes, Speaking of the truth of the one body, it seems that we are the ones that are put forward. Brethren, that is not the reference point. The reference point is Christ. He is the center. He is the attraction. To be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus means to be gathered.
Where He is in the midst, it's not us, it's Him.
Just the detail that I find reflected in my own heart, brethren.
Another matter here we find as they're going towards Jerusalem.
The Lord's face was to go to Jerusalem, and he approaches one of these cities of the Samaritans.
Samaritans and the Jews didn't have too much to do with each other. There were rival factions there in Palestine at that time. The Lord lived there, and when they saw that his face was to go to Jerusalem, they wouldn't receive him. They wouldn't receive the Lord Jesus.
And James and John.
In seeming zeal for the name of the Lord, said Lord, shall we call down fire, as Elijah did, and consume them?
And the Lord Jesus turns around.
And rebukes. They were zealous for the Lord.
Yes, they were. But what did he rebuke?
He said you don't know what spirit characterizes you. O brethren, when we get on these points, the very spirit of I'm right and you're wrong, the whole spirit of The thing is wrong to begin with, then the Lord is going to have to rebuke that to begin. The Lord preserve us from that type of a spirit.
Now that is perhaps negative. I'd like to go to three scriptures in the Old Testament.
That would show the kind of spirit that should characterize us.
As belonging to the Lord Jesus.
Psalm Chapter Psalm 51 first of all.
In verse 17.
Psalm 5117.
The sacrifices of God.
Are a.
Broken Spirit.
A broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not.
Despise.
Oh how this speaks to me, dear brother.
Sacrifices of God are a broken.
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Spirit.
Does it do anything to you, brother? Does it do anything to my heart?
As I view God's redeemed people so divided, so scattered as to public testimony.
Is there any brokenness in this heart of mine?
Do I feel God's thoughts about the matter?
The body is one.
But it should not only be a doctrine, brethren, it should be a reality.
And when we see the public testimony in such ruin.
Does it create a broken spirit in US? Don't you feel that it ought to?
Isaiah chapter 57.
I.
And verse 15.
For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place.
And with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble.
And to revive the heart of the contrite once.
The Lord is speaking.
He's the one who inhabits eternity.
In that high and lofty place.
There's another place.
With him also, that is of a contrite and humble spirit.
Oh, how this speaks to me. We're right down to the end, brethren. We're looking for the Lord to come at any moment. The truth is gloriously true. Even today. There is one body.
That the public testimony. Can I stand up and say I have been faithful and they have not?
Can I make myself a reference point in all the confusion that has come in?
And continues to come in. Can I make myself a reference point?
Far be the flat brother.
The Lord is with him.
Who is a contrite and humble spirit?
Isaiah 66.
Verse one.
Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne.
And the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house that you will build unto me, and where is the place of my rest?
For all those things at mine, handmade, and all those things have been set, the Lord.
But to this man will I look even to him that is poor.
And of a chondrite spirit.
And that trembling.
At my word.
Well, these verses really speak to my own soul, dear brethren, may the Lord.
Give us that. We can go on in the simple truth of the fact.
That there is one body seeking even in failure, dear brethren.
To maintain whatever way we can.
In public testimony, the truth that there is one body, even though as a whole the testimony is in ruins, The Lord keep us not in a spirit of superiority in any way, shape or form.
In that spirit humbleness and of a contrite spirit.
And one who trembles at his Word. The Word of God has long lasting and effect in our hearts. May the Lord give us then, dear brethren, to value once again that glorious truth. The body is one. We are united to every other believer in the Lord Jesus Christ by 1 Spirit.
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To Christ the head in heaven. It's gloriously true today. Just as well it was on Pentecost.
Gloriously true. But the testimony we have failed. It's in ruins.
Now, what is the spirit that I carry as I go on through these last days of the history of the church in this world? What kind of a spirit? Is it a spirit that the Lord will have to reprove, or is it a spirit?
That is broken, humble and contrite.