Denver Conference: 1998
Table of Contents
Luke 23
Gospel—N. Whatmough
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Good evening. I'd like to welcome each one of the gospel meeting this evening. We're going to sing out of this hymn sheet. And if you happen to have picked up this one here, I'll tell you what the number is in this one because the him I've chosen is in both. It's #13 in this home shoot. And if you happen to have picked up this one by mistake.
This number six, the number 13 in the same sheet, God and mercy send his Son to a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified, was for sinners. Jesus died.
#13.
God and mercy.
Jesus Christ.
Twice for seven Jesus.
Sorry for the blood.
Jesus now?
Everything.
All praise.
Shine.
Praise the Lord will come again and.
And.
Every time.
That last fall.
Jesus Christ.
Lord.
Shine Shining.
Lasagna.
And all he said from God.
The Book of the Lord for His help.
Our blessed God and Father, we do thank thee for our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, and we thank Thee that thou has revealed thyself and the person of thy Son. And we thank you that we can sing. God is light and God is love and we just look up to thee, our blessed God and Father, as a God of light who knows the true condition of every part in this room this evening, to look up to Thee to as a God of love that desires a good and blessing of each one in this room this evening.
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Who look to be our blessed God and Father for thy help, as He would speak of thy Son and the wonderful work that He did on the cross, that men might be brought to thee in a condition that is suitable to thee.
And so we just pray for each one in the room, each one that's from the youngest, that's old enough to understand that the oldest in this room, that each might come to a settled peace with thyself this evening. Our blessed God and I know thee, our blessed God as their own Father, to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior. And so as we open my precious word, we thank thee, our blessed God and Father, that it is not the opinions of men are cunningly devised fables, but it is.
Word of God and that it can reach the heart and conscience of each one in this room this evening. And so we pray for our help as we use it this evening to touch the hearts and consciences and just pray for blessing. We pray for Thy servants wherever they stand up this evening. And we just would pray that the Lord Jesus Christ would be well spoken of here and elsewhere. So we just thank you and look to be for Thy health and our Savior's precious name, Amen.
We use words and this is called a gospel meeting and I wonder if we know what the word gospel means. It means good news.
Hiking down here on an airplane like some others.
And everywhere we were confronted with newspapers on the front of those newspapers were filled with very, very sad news and sad pictures. The last one is I picked up my baggage. Somebody left a newspaper there in the counter, and it was a big picture of the ocean filled with people's things floating on the water. They've been in a plane and it crashed. I just thought of that newspaper, that it was just filled with such sad news and such sorrow.
But we're very thankful this evening that we can give out the gospel. It's maybe an old English word, and it means good news.
What I have to pronounce tonight is not the bearer of bad news, but it's good news. And so I just trust that each one will listen and that the Lord will help me to set this forth in a way that you would desire. I want to ask you a question before we start. There's a little Kim in this book.
And it asks a question, and I'm going to read this question that this book asks.
This him asks.
Are you truly SAVED But saved? Are you truly saved?
Are you sure your saved? Are you sure you're saved? Do you know your sins forgiven? Are you on your way to heaven? Are you SAVED?
Are you saved? I want to ask that question personally because we're going to read a chapter tonight which I think really exposes.
The heart of man and the heart of God, like no other chapter in the Bible, I believe this chapter exposes the true condition of man's heart and God's heart. And that's the 23rd chapter of Luke. And we want to look at that tonight. But I want to ask you that question, Are you saved now? Perhaps you may be saved. What does that word mean? Now, when I was a young man, I was given a book for my birthday by the son of the author of this book.
And he markingly said we shouldn't use words like say people don't know what that means.
But we're going to talk about what that word save means, and we want you to know what it means. We want you to leave here not only knowing what the word means, but being able to say I'm saved. It's a wonderful word.
We're not going to read the whole chapter, but we're going to read a few verses to set the backdrop of this.
And after we read a few verses, we're going to talk about the Lord Jesus before we go on to what is on my heart in the latter part of this chapter.
Verse one of Luke chapter 23 And the whole multitude of them arose and led him to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar.
Saying that he himself is Christ a king.
We found this fellow perverting the nation.
I want you just to stop, and I want to talk about who they're speaking about here, because they were speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. We found this man. I'd like to tell you something, first of all, that they didn't find the Lord Jesus at all. The Lord Jesus found that for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. And if we look in the third chapter of John's Gospel, it says no man has ascended up into heaven at any time.
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Nobody went up to heaven to bring the Lord Jesus Christ down. He came down seeking for you.
It says in the prophet I was found of them that sought me not so they didn't find the Lord Jesus at all.
But the Lord Jesus came looking for man, and I want to start there because there's many, a lot of great deal of lack of clarity as to who the Lord Jesus Christ is. At the first of John's gospel, it says in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Now I want to turn back the clock right back to the beginning of this creation of this earth in which we're standing. And I want to take you to that scene before this earth was created. And I want to take you to a scene in space for the sons of God. Watch the angels, watch the Son of God bring this universe into into existence. He was there in the beginning was the word.
And so he brought this universe into being by the power of his word. That's the one we're going to speak about. A man didn't go looking for him, but he came looking for man because nobody could go up into the presence of God. God's roles in life that no man can approach onto.
But we read that wonderful verse. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glories of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
That the God, Creator God of this universe became a creature, a body. Thou has prepared me. That the one who called this universe into being by the power of His word became a man and came down to this earth to seek and to save you. God has revealed himself. And I think that's an essential thing that we get hold of, that the Lord Jesus was not just a good man, but He was the creator God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything.
Was made in Him was life, and the life was the light of man, but we also read the light shine in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it, or the darkness comprehended it not. Is that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world. Can you imagine? I just want you for a moment to imagine that you were there. The earth is created, the oceans are created, and He filled by the power of His Word, the oceans with the mighty, with the fish and the mighty creatures in the ocean.
And then he looked at the ground, and he filled the beast of the field by the power of his word. He filled the field with all the beasts of the field by the power of his word. This divine architect, this creator God that he passed through the heavens and he came into this world. We read in the second chapter of Luke regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, when he became he said it was said of him prophetically. A body that was prepared me.
That the angels looked down and they said, glory to God in the highest peace on earth and goodwill toward man, or goodwill in man.
In that Manger lay the one who sustained the universe. Why does the moon stay where it stays? You can talk about gravity and all of the rest of the things, but he sustains the universe by the power of His word. And this one came into the world and he became a man. God had to look over the earth, and he had to say, There is none that doeth good. No, not one. A Muslim man once asked me.
Was once offered to come in to teach me how to read the Bible in Arabic and so I've done in some kindness.
And so I asked him a question. I said, Hussein, how will God accept you? He said, if I'm a Goodman, God will accept me. I said, what is a Goodman?
What is a good man? And he kind of hung his head and I said, what is good? Six sins is good and seven sins is bad. And he hung his head and he couldn't actually shrugged his shoulders and said there are no good man.
And that's what the Word of God says. There's nothing to do with good. No, not one. And I want to ask you a question, God, which sin could God allow into heaven? We see the corruption and sorrow that has been brought into this world. Which sins have got it? Allow God allow into heaven. God is light and God is holy. That means he delights in good.
And because he delights in good, he have pours evil. He abhors evil.
Told you that I like to have a white shirt and I had a little spot of ketchup on it here. And you came up and you said, you know, you have a spot of ketchup on your shirt. And I said I love to have a white shirt. And I said, well, what are you bothering me for? What's a little spot of ketchup? He'd say, well, why doesn't he wipe it off? I want to speak reverently that God is holy and he does not want anything to mar those scenes of his presence. And so he could not allow one sin into his presence because it would not be.
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Oh, bright and blessed scenes where sin can never come, God delights in good.
But he also delights in the sons of men who desire us to bring you into blessing. That's the gospel. God loves you and God desires your good and happiness in a natural sense. I look out in those trees and I look at the mountains and I see a creator God, the delighted in man's happiness in an actual way.
You see a father playing with a child, You see a grandfather with a child on his knee. Who made those once God did. God delighted to see that man was happy. God wants you to be happy. And yet we're living in a world that is filled with sorrow. The first cause of death among young men between 30 and 49 years old in Canada is suicide.
It's been replaced by that other awful disease, but it's a terrible thing. Man is unhappy, unhappy and it's and why God desires you to be happy. Well, I read this first. The whole multitude arose and let into pilot and they began to accuse him. The Son of God came into this world and we read and they cried. Let's go down and say verse 18. And they cried all at once, saying away with this man.
And release unto us Barabbas.
Who for a certain sedition in the city and for murder was cast into prison. They did not want the Lord Jesus Christ. Now perhaps you say, well, I didn't, I wouldn't want the Lord Jesus crucified. But you said I just want to live my life in peace. I just want to live. I don't want to get all involved with religion and these things, but it's exactly the same thing. Away with this man.
Supposing and I had the kindness of people lending their heart apartments or houses.
But supposing you lent me your apartment in your house and you came to the door and I said, oh, I'm not interested in having you in right now.
Go away, I just want to have peace. And you say well I'm the owner of this apartment and I say well I'm keeping it very tidy and my I'm not doing any harm, but just go away and leave me alone. So people say I'm a good man, I keep my things tidy, I try to be good and so on. Well, you might be happy that I was keeping your apartment tidy instead of messy, but the end result is the same is that I exclude you.
And they said away with this man, and what did they want for rabbis? Now, whose picture is up on your bedroom wall? You go into your friend's bedroom walls. Your pictures are up in the hallways of the cafeterias at your school, and so on.
The pictures of those that says that do wicked things. And he says they take pleasure and then they do them. The idols of this world, the stars of this world are not moral people. And so you say, I don't want Barabbas, I just want to live my life in peace.
But May God search your heart. Have you just shut the door? Are you living in God's earth? You didn't make this earth. I didn't make it.
God made this earth. Have you just shut the door and said, well, I just want a little bit of religion. I just want a little bit of God. I want to enjoy the things of God. Yes, I'll say my prayers once in a while. I'll go to church once in a while, as people say. But really, you close the door and you said not this man. But now I want to speak about the great facts of the gospel because the heart of man is shown out and the heart of God is shown out.
And so I'd like us to go to the cross because I believe that it is that the cross.
Where our hearts are really shown out and where the heart of God is shown out. And so let's just go down now here we can't comment on the 27th to the 34th 1St. I would have liked to, but I believe that we must move on for the sake of time. But I just want to say this in connection with these verses. I should read them and just make a few little comments. There's so much here, but.
The Lord Jesus was taken out. As we know the story well, I don't think there's anybody who's taken out of Jerusalem.
To be crucified in verse 27, there followed him a great company of people and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
You know, people are touched. People are sentimental. About a year ago this time, I think we were in Mayfield, KY, and we heard the news that Princess Diana died and we're. People were touched sentimentally. They lined the streets, they made mountains of flowers and so on, and they were touching by the tragedy of this young woman's life being cut off. And here people were touched by the.
Sadness of this event in a natural way.
But you know, the Lord said to them, weep not for me.
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Believe for yourselves. The Lord doesn't want man's sentimentality. He doesn't want man's tears. In that sense, we think we'll not save me.
But the Lord hear this cruel act of rejection. He done so much good, you know, He said the 5000 he raised the dead. He made the lane to walk the blind sea to death to hear.
He raised the ruler of the synagogue's daughter to life, and who was there to stand for the Lord and to stand up for the Lord in defense of the Lord who was there?
You know what happens when criminals do dastardly things are Civil Liberties Union and all kinds of people that come to their rescue and so on. But who was there for the Lord of glory to speak up for him? They were there to weep as he passed off to the cross.
But there was nobody there to stand up for the Lord. But he said weep not for myself. He wasn't thinking about himself, he was thinking about that.
And so.
You say, well, perhaps I'll deal with this issue later, but you know, it may be as with these ones here.
That when later comes.
The people will say that the rocks follow us and hires the rock of the lab that you won't be crying out for mercy.
But that you'll be desire to hide from God just like Anna. So now is the time of salvation.
But here, I think in this story we're going to pass on here now to the 33rd verse and I'm going to read down to the end of where I'd like to go. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors.
One on the right hand and the other on the left.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And they parted his raiment and cast lots, and the people stood beholding.
And the ruler is also with them derived in saying, He saved others, let him save himself. If he be the Christ, be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar, saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greece and Latin and Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost thou not? Dost not thou fear God, seeing that thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we indeed for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing amiss.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
And it was about the 6th hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour, and the sun was darkened. In the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried, with a loud voice he said, Father, into thy hands I command my Spirit. And having said thus, he gave up the ghost. When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God.
Saying certainly this was a righteous man.
Well, you see the Lord.
Was taken to the cross, then they said away with this man, and we all not have this man to reign over us. And we've read through this story and the testimony even of the malefactor was that this man has done nothing amiss. You know, there's not a person in this room that can say that, and there's nobody in this room of whom we can say that except the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know anybody who's never done anything wrong?
I don't.
But that was the testimony concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. But He was taken with these two malefactors, and these malefactors have done wicked things.
And so they took the Lord Jesus to crucify him, and he said, Father, forgive them.
What was in the heart of God? What is the heart of God towards you tonight?
Is God a hateful God? So God desires your blessing and your good.
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God desires your good and your blessing, but you have to be with God.
And the people that stood there.
And so in the face of His grace, what did they do? They took his clothes and they parted his raiment. They spread it among themselves. They wanted the Lord's face. They wanted to take the Lord's clothes and divide them among himself. And even in spite of this kindness and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ, they just wanted to take the Lord's friends and divide them among themselves.
You know, we're talking about a creator God and maybe you'll go off to the beach and God intended you to enjoy the beach in his way out, in the way that people enjoy it. But I know God's way He intended you to enjoy. Are you going to go enjoy God's speech? You're going to go enjoy God's mountains, God's smell and shut God out. He said, well, I wouldn't have done such a cruel thing right there at the cross to strip the Lord of his clothes and part of his clothes.
But there's a testimony everywhere around. We talked about the glory of His grace, but the glory of His creation that bears testimony to your conscience that God is a creator God.
And that he's a good God and you're going to take and enjoy those things and ignore it. And that's what they were doing. They took this ring and they passed lots. It was worth having.
And so the people certainly beholding them there.
They were just looking at the Lord, looking at the Lord, and what did they see? What could they see but their conscience said it. You know, I see people and perhaps you have the same experience to see people and you remember them for the kind of things that they did to you. You associate that with the face. You look at different ones. You think of words of encouragement. They've given you things that little things they've done for you. A happy time you've enjoyed together.
Because that's not your experience when you look at somebody and they stood beholding the Lord and what could be their only recollection of the Lord. I'm sure that when people look at me, they Remember Me saying maybe something not very nice or maybe doing something sometimes. Perhaps they remember some kindness.
But you know, here they were looking at a man on the cross being cruelly punished, the most cruel punishment that could be inflicted on that, and there could be no recollection or thought under their mind except acts of kindness and good.
Could you think of those people looking and seeing those male pierced pants without thinking about what those what good those hands have done?
And yet they stood there beholding him.
And I want you to stop and consider the Lord Jesus Christ, because we do learn about the life of the Lord Jesus in the Bible.
And you really, though you are removed by 2000 years in history from this, you do have to take your place with one of these companies. You're either going to take your place with those that stood there and behold, just watch the Lord. You're going to take your place with those that set away with this man. I don't want this man, but you're going to take your place with this one who went to be with the Lord in paradise.
But you cannot remain indifferent, because God brings us to that place.
Because we're talking about a living savior.
Well.
The rulers derided him, saying He saved others. What a testimony He saved others. Imagine those rulers standing there saying He saved others. Why was he on the cross? Because those rulers had cried away with this matter, and yet their testimony was He saved others. They knew, people know that the Lord Jesus did good that he saved others. He said, What does this word save mean?
What does this word save me? You know, this has happened to me more than once and I'm going to tell you a little story. A man was young man with sandblasting a house down the road for me, and I needed some of that kind of work done.
So I went down to speak to him and he had some workers there. And so before too long he got speaking about the gospel and he said, you sound like my brother.
And I said, tell me about your brother. He said, well, he said he saved. I said, oh, that's wonderful. I'm glad to hear that. He says, what does he mean? I said, well, tell me what happened to him. He said, well, you used to be a very miserable character. He said I never used to want to be near him, so if he lives 30 miles away, he said, if I didn't see him in two years, I would be happy. He said, you know, some people, just to be in their presence, they're miserable and unhappy.
And he said and his wife was he was what, Miserable and unhappy with his wife and with his children?
And I said, well, what happened? He said he got saved. He said he's happy now. He says, I like being around them. I said, oh, thanks, interesting. What happened to him? He said, well, he was walking down the street one day and there was a man lying there on the sidewalk who'd obviously drunk too much and he wasn't shaving. And he put out his hand and he was smoking. And the man put out his hand. He says, friend, give me a cigarette. He turned out and he looked at him and he says, get a job and buy your own. And he walked by and he said, why was there such?
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In my heart and hardness in my heart, he said, my brother told me. And he said when he suffered those words, he started to think. He said, why is my heart so filled with bitterness and anger? And he said my brother started to read the Bible.
And then he said he's saved now, but he said he was happy. His kids are happy. What does he mean? I said, you know what he means, He got saved.
And that's what the Lord wants. And the people could bear testimony. We're going to talk a little bit more specifically about how God saves the soul, but you could see the evidence of it. I don't know to this day whether that young man.
Because I had a debt and that debt had to be paid. That debt had to be paid. You know, there's a brother in our meeting and he had an all terrain vehicle and one night a young man who worked in the factory and had a very good job.
It wasn't known at the time, but it was later discovered broke into his shed and he stole this out train vehicle and he drove it off and he abused it and he did a fair bit of damage to it. So he, the man was apprehended and that the all terrain vehicle was recovered and there was about $1200 damage to this. And so the brother Jim, he went to court and he had to testify that yes, this was his altering vehicle and yes, it was in his shed and no, he hadn't landed to this man.
We didn't know who he was and so the judge found the young man guilty of taking this thing.
And so he said, I asked the prosecutor for getting any other convictions, and he said no. So he said, well, I'll give him a suspended statin. So then the prosecutor said, but who's going to pay for the damage to this ATV? Who's going to pay for this damage? And the judge just sort of shrugged and he said.
Let this young man go off as he smirked. Just laugh. But I'm going to tell you that there's a godly, holy and debt. My debt had to be paid. That the world may have unrighteous judges, but God is not an unrighteous judge.
I had a student and I told this story before, but I had a student one day and he was guilty of driving under the influence. And there's very severe laws for that, thankfully in Canada now that they they are a terror, evil doer. And he told me I'm not going to be in school tomorrow because I have to go and answer to a drunk driving charge. He said it's my second one. I said, oh, I said I guess you won't be back then because it's an automatic jail sentence.
And he said no. I said this time I got a good lawyer and he'll get me off. And I said he'll get you off. He said yes. He said he knows somebody at the courthouse.
And she sends to put the papers in an envelope and sends them off to the wrong courthouse. And he certainly gets his clients off. He says he's expensive, but he said he'll get me off.
I said I believe you, but I said I want to ask you a question. I said, does he not fear to stand in the presence of God one day and give an account of how he made his living? I said do not fear to stand in the presence of God and give an account of how you got off this thing.
And his face turned about the whitest the pages of this violence. And he said I never thought about that.
And you know, maybe earthly judges are not right, but God payment must be paid for sin.
You know, even the children understand that if somebody stole your bicycle and I said to that child, oh, I forgive you, that's OK, and you're without your bike. So when you're walking to school and you see this child riding the school on your bicycle and you said, well, Neil forgave them for taking my bicycle, wasn't that time. God is not that kind of God. God is a holy God and payment must be required.
But you see, there's a little bit of a problem. If it was a matter of $1200 or paying a fine or spending some time in jail, I could do that.
But there's something that I could not do. I could not pay for my sins. I could not undo what I have done, nor can you.
And so the Lord Jesus Christ could not save himself.
And the Scripture tells us why for two reasons. Love trained too deeply flow Because Christ loved you, and if he didn't come as your Savior, he would come as your judge, and you would be separated eternally from God because God cannot have sin in his presence. And I ask you, if God was to allow sin in his presence, which sin would he allow in his presence? Lying, stealing, covetousness.
Adultery. We think of all the sorrow that has been caused in this world. Which sin could God allow in His presence? He could not allow sin in His presence.
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And so there must need to be a savior if God was not just to send us all to hell and to be banished from His presence. But He loved us too much, so he could not save himself. Love stream too deeply flowed. He loved us too much, and so he went to the cross.
And so they mocked the Lord Jesus. They recognized that he saved others and perhaps he said, well, the Lord is a Goodman. Don't think that that somehow is bears some merit in God's presence that you say the Lord Jesus is a good man because it's only an admission that you have refused a good man. It's only an admission that you recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ is a good man and you didn't want him. You wanted a malefactor like her rabbit.
And so we need to have our consciences touched by these things, and I'm speaking even to the young children.
And maybe you think that you're just going to go on and justice, neglect the Savior, but the Lord Jesus, he loves you and he desires to save you. And these issues are real. We're going to speak a little bit, a little bit later to children. But here the soldiers mocked him and coming to him, offering him vinegar. You know what vinegar is? Those of us who speak French know what it is.
Sour wire, his wine gone bad. What did the Lord do at the Canaan of marriage? The marriage of Canaan. He turned the water in the wire. He wanted the people to be happy. And what was their insolent act to the Lord is that they took that which was the joy of man, And the sour wine they gave to the Lord, they gave nothing. What does man have for God?
On Lord's Day this Sunday, what is man going to be doing? What does he have for man for God? He'll be golfing, he'll be skiing, he'll be hiking in the mountains, he'll be doing something. But he doesn't have anything for God. And if you applied to bring God before him, you get a bitter answer.
But you know, the soldiers, they mocked the Lord Jesus and they gave him vinegar. But he, this was the one who said, Father, forgive them. So they know not what they do.
Now the Jews said, if thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. Now, you know, even this wasn't honest because people say, well, you know, the Bible says this and the Bible says that, and the Bible says the other thing. And often it's because they've never read the Bible. And sometimes it's because they have read the Bible and they know better and they're not honest. You know, when the wisest men came from the East and they came to Herod and they asked the question, where is he that should be born king of the Jews? They opened up the word of God and told them exactly where.
Should be born. And the wise men went there, and they found them.
And those very same Jews, they said, if thou be the king of the Jews, say thyself, they knew from the word of God that he was the king of the Jews. They knew it. People said, well, the Bible, you know, it's hard to understand. I don't understand the Bible.
Man said that to my brother at work and said I don't understand the Bible. Said what didn't you understand?
Said well Bible says I'm a Sinner. Give this to the Bible. Confused. Quite those words. You understood the Bible.
But they knew, they said, if thou be the king of the Jews, they'd already opened up the scriptures and told Herod where he would be born. They knew that he was the king of the Jews.
Now the malefactor is one of the malefactors which were hanged rails on them. You know, it says in another gospel that they both railed on them.
But the second one he repented. I like the way our brother explained that is that it's from that French word ru Paul say it needs to rethink. And if we looked at another gospel and they both continue that way.
And perhaps you've been thoughtless for the Lord Jesus, but I just trust you'll take your place with this second malefactor and rethink what you said and thought about the Lord Jesus. But this man said, if thou be the Christ, save thyself and us.
Now why did that malefactor wanted to be saved?
He wanted to get down off the cross and live to please God.
I don't think so. You know, many people would like to be saved. They send out ship sinks and they buy SOS. I think of that Swiss airplane that crashed in the ocean and I think many people would have been glad to be saved. But how many of those people, if that plane had landed safely at Halifax, could have gotten out of there and said, I want to live to please the Lord and I want to live to please God?
You suppose if this Halifax has been taken down off the cross that he would have lived a different life.
Save ourselves. People want to be saved, they want to be kept from danger, and God occasionally does that.
00:40:08
I want to say that something in connection with that later on to the children, but he said it's saved by yourself and not so many people would like to be saved with terrible diseases, saved from death and saved from all kinds of things, and they would even pray to God for such salvation.
But it's not to live to please God, it's not to give thanks to God, but it's just to live for self. But here with this malice, the other rebuked him, saying, dust down, I fear God.
You know, here with this man right on the threshold of eternity and he was speaking against God. You say, well, I'm not on the threshold of eternity. How many people do you think God on to swift there that thought that they were on the threshold of eternity? Very few. I think I read that the money changer sold a few insurance policies. He said there's always a few. There's a few that perhaps thought that maybe they were in some danger.
He had a little hobby class at her house from time to time.
And you know, there have been three children under the age of 10 years old that are now an eternity.
I stopped reading my Bible in my room one night and not the distance from me to this motorway. Two young boys died in a fire. The houses are close together and they were ushered into eternity.
They used to go into the home on Friday night saying there's something more than gold. Oh yes, Oh yes, there's something more than gold. But those two young boys are eternity.
The young boy and his sister that came to our hobby class, he was in the broad sites not too long ago. Several weeks ago was walking home from a park in the middle of the day. A young man drunk came up and hit the boy, a girl named the Eternity. So these things I'm speaking about are real and this deep here. Here he was right on the threshold of eternity, knowing he was dying.
And careless as to the peril of his soul.
He said, well, I'm not in that kind of peril. They're careless. You know, there's a big breakwater out in Saint Thomas by the lake there, and there's a big warning. And they put warnings up from the ocean when the water is rough on Lake Erie to warn people. And there's big warnings not to vote on this pier. And some young men went out on that pier. Young man went out on that pier. He was swept into the water and he was swept into a tree.
And you know what happened just a few days later?
There were fifty young people out there again, and another one was swept into eternity.
And his friend jumped in to try to save him, and he couldn't.
I don't think the first one was even buried yet, and there were two more taken into eternity. People are careless as to their soul. And here was a man hung across a malefactor without any fear of God.
I want to warn you that God is holy and man is going to not give an account for God, but God is going to give an account of man.
It's not going to be man standing before God explaining why he did this and that, but is God going to give now his assessment at the great white throne of what man has done? And this thief came and he hit one thief. He had repented, he rethought, he had railed on the Lord, and now he rethought. He said, just thou not fear God.
If you're God, don't worry about me. Don't worry about the person sitting next to you, about your mother and your father. You have to do with a living God.
And God is righteous and God is holy, but God loves you.
And so he confessed that he said we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. Have you ever said that? Do you really believe that God you deserve to be sent to hell for your sin?
Well, I many people would say not hell, not hell, but I think which God has offered a way of salvation and you refuse it.
And so it says there was number, place was found for them. God has a place.
Where all the redeemed are going to be. And a man comes in and he says, I don't want to be redeemed. I don't want the Savior. There's no place for such a lie.
And so he's put in a place that was not made for man at all, but for the devil and his angels.
A way of as deepest than me. Are you going to take that way of escape?
No place was found for that.
For he alone that God we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing amiss.
00:45:01
There's two things that we need to realize that you're a Sinner and that Christ is whole of you, That you've done nothing wrong.
I want to tell you how to get saved.
My brother has a very ungodly neighbor and I'm going to repeat this story because her brother. You automatically collect stories about the gospel and I think that this is one of the nicest ones I ever heard.
No, there's a little meeting in his house and sometimes people have to you have to be very careful about what you leave in your car and even fellow have their tires tampered with and so on. Very own job and neighbor. And one night this neighbors son came to the door and he said you have Bible meetings in this house. Don't and said yes. He said, well I want to let you know I got saved. He said I'm your neighbor and he looked and was kind of almost confused. Which house? He said next door.
He said.
How did you get saved? How did you get saved? He had a young lady beside him there. He said he kind of looked surprised and said, oh, I took my place as a guilty tenor before God and was Steve Christ as my savior.
That's how you get saved. It's not complicated. You don't need to go to Bible school. You need to do what this these days own that you're a guilty Sinner before God and receive Christ as your savior. So a little bit of Scottish, he turned to the young lady beside him and he said to him, and how did you get faith? And she got a very surprised look on her face. She said, oh, exactly the same way.
Exactly the same way, you know, sometimes our testimonies, their house testimony to how stubborn we are, all the rigmarole that the Lord has to go through to find us. But what a wonderful thing just to be exactly in the words of that young man is to say, I take your place as a guilty Sinner before God and receive Christ as your Savior. This young man, this man on the clock couldn't do anything. His hands were nailed to the clock. He couldn't do anything.
I gave a Bible to a young man some years ago, 25 years ago, and later I learned that he died in an accident and justice. Recently I learned what happened when he lost both his hands and both of his teeth in a farm accident. He lay dying for five hours. What is it going to take for you? He couldn't do anything. He couldn't pay anything, He couldn't repay anything. He could not do anything. This thief could not do anything to save himself.
But we're going to find out what happens. And so if you think that you're going to earn your salvation by being good, this seat could do nothing except confess that he was a Sinner and that Christ was a just man.
He couldn't do anything and you know what if we could do anything to earn our salvation, we would ruin it because everything that manuscripts he is ruined everything that manis touched his ruined. But this man, the Lord Jesus Christ, he was the only man who got nothing in this. That's why the Angel said glory to God in the highest peace on earth and goodwill toward manner goodwill in man is the angels knew that this was going to be a man who was.
Who was going to do nothing amiss?
A child born into the world. And we know from the time that first cry is uttered that there's going to that they're going to be a Sinner, that they're a Sinner and that they're, if they grow up, they're going to be a they're going to practice their nature.
And then he said to Jesus, Jesus, that's his name. We each have a name. There's David's here, and there's a couple of David's here. There's.
Dawn here, different names. Here you have a name, Lord. Jesus as a man have a name. His name meant Savior. He was a savior God and people knew him as Jesus. But you know he turned to him and he called them Lord.
Than, Lord, have you ever called Jesus? Lord, we've heard about Jesus. Have you ever called him Lord?
He turned to Jesus and he said, Lord, I'm going to tell you something. And we sang that in our hand.
I'm going to guarantee you, I don't know. I trust that everybody in this room will be saved, but I can't say that for certainty. But I can tell you something of an absolute certainty about everybody in Denver, everybody in the United States, everybody in this world, that everyone in this world is going to own that Jesus Christ is Lord.
That every set of letters and everything is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord for the glory of God the Father.
There is going to come a time when everybody is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But this man, he repented, His heart was changed and his thoughts were changed towards God. He had railed on the Lord, and now he turned on Jesus, and now he turned to him and he said Lord.
00:50:01
Whoso calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He can be saved tonight. He can know that you're saved. You can know that your sins are forgiven, not because I said so, but because God said so.
And so here we see what the Lord said.
Jesus said on the him, and he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
We just want to say this, but where there's repentance, there's intelligence. We were talking a little bit about the disciples, and they said, when wilt thou restore the Kingdom to Israel? But I think this thief was more, this malefactor was more intelligent than the disciples because God had said he would overturn, overturn, overturn, tell he who's right it is coming that he would give it to him. And this thief realized that the Lord was going to come in his Kingdom.
And I just want to warn anybody here that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come. You know, the 8th anatomy prophesied the cold, He cometh with 10,000 of His Saints. And you know that the men and women of Denver are going to perhaps be in their lifetime the Lord Jesus Christ come out of heaven.
Not as a savior God, not as the meek and lowly Jesus riding on a full of an *** but to execute judgment.
He's going to come in his Kingdom, man once said to me. He said things aren't fair. I said when the Lord comes, he's going to make all things right. He said I hope he comes in a hurry. I said He's going to make all things right. He said. I hope he doesn't come too soon.
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes, He's going to make all things right. He's going to set everything right. And so that there's going to be no open wickedness or no open sin in this world. And who shall stand in the day of His appearance? I want to warn you that He's going to come in his Kingdom.
But this thief, you know, he realized that it wasn't just the Kingdom restored to Israel, but that Jesus was going to come. Not as the meek and lowly Jesus, but he was going to come.
As King of kings and Lord of Lords to reign over all the earth. Because the 1St man Adam had brought the world into ruin and confusion. But God had his man and he was going to send his man into this world and there was going to be blessing on this earth. And that even if you worry about what the 1St man has done to the environment, it's terrible what the 1St man has done to this work. He polluted it terribly. But when the Son of God comes.
It says that the creatures, they wait in hope for the Son of God to come.
They do the Young Lions look to God for their meat and it's going to be a happy day for the beast to the field when the Son of God comes to rule. But if you're a Christ rejecter, you're in terrible peril because he is going to come and rule in power. There will be no rejecting him then. But he said, Remember Me when thou comest in the into thy Kingdom.
And Jesus said, Jesus said unto him, Verily I stand to thee today. Thou shalt be with me in paradise.
You know the Lord made a wonderful revelation to this man.
He was not only going to be in happiness, but he was going to be in paradise. You know, sometimes you're in a place like this and there's a door, and maybe you've ever been in a room and there was a door and you didn't know what was on the other side of the door.
And you know, people knew, if I may put it this way, that.
That when they died, people who died in faith knew that they were going to be happy on the other side of the door, if I may put it that way, if you could call that door death, that it was going to be happiness. But this thief learned a wonderful thing that he was not only just going to be happy like Lazarus who was in Abraham puzzle, but he was going to be with the Lord. What a wonderful thing. You see that? That's why death is our servant. You can imagine yourself standing at the door and walking through the door.
So the brother that promoted the glory, you know, it's like walking through that door and walking out of this scene of trial and difficulty and walking into the very arms of Jesus. That's what that seat did, that malefactor did. He said today thou shalt be with me in paradise. The brother, Chuck Hendrick, said something this afternoon. I wish I could repeat it exactly, but you know, I want to express the thought.
That being in heaven is being with and like the Lord Jesus Christ if you're not saved.
That the last place you want to be, last place you want to be is to be with the Lord if you're not saved.
The last place that this malefactor wanted to be, he said save thyself enough. He wanted to get down off the cross and go his way and let the Lord go his. The last place you'd want to be is in heaven if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
And but this man now this loving Savior, he said, today thou shalt be with me in paradise was about the 6th hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour. And the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was ranked in the mid. When Jesus had cried with a loud voice he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
00:55:20
And so we learn in the Word of God that light and immortality are brought to life through the gospel. And so we learn what happens to a soul when they die.
To a believer, when they die, because the Lord would see he died, he took his body and related in the grave.
But the Lord Jesus was absent from the body, if I may put it this way, and present with his Father, Father in the thy hands I commend thy spirit, who is a man who brought out impossible took out an ad that was impossible verses in the paper in Saint Thomas and he came to my office and he talked about how the Lord went into hell. It goes 3 days now the Lord didn't go anywhere such place his body was laid in the grave.
And his spirit went to be with his Father, and then he said he raised himself by the power of God.
He raised himself that he took his body again, and he raised on the third day, and he rose victorious.
Because death had lost its ties, He paid the penalty of sin, and death had lost its stain. And I'm going to tell you death is extinct for you if you don't know Christ as your Savior. Because your body, soul, and spirit. And there is going to be a resurrection when you are going to be raised. And you're going to stand before the white, great white stone of God. And God is going to open the books. And it's not going to be you giving an account to God, but God giving His account of your deed.
It's not going to be you giving your little explanation the way you maybe did to your teacher at school.
For your boss at work, it's going to be God giving his account of you, and whosoever was not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be cast into hell.
Serious and a solemn thing, but for this man, this malefactor, he was not only absent from the body and present with the Lord, but there was the Lord in the foot with the Father. And so many we have known and have three families that they died, and death has been like a servant to take their spirit, to be right with the Lord. Their bodies have been laid in the grave, and they're waiting with us for the day that the Lord would come and raise those bodies and raise us up with glorified bodies.
Body, soul and spirit to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. What a wonderful thing. And so this man is deep, you know, I don't know where his body is.
But it's laid in the grave somewhere. But there's going to be a day when the Lord is going to come with a shout, and the dead in Christ shall rise 1St and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together, be forever with the Lord and ever with the Lord, and we're going to be there that these bodies going to be raised. Now he's UN quote. There's a spirit in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ, but his body is in the grave.
But the Lord, his body rose, and there's a real man in the glory, with a real body.
A glorified body and he's there in the glory and he's waiting for me.
You know the Lord Jesus Christ as your own savior. I'm not talking to you. Subscribe to a certain religion. I'm not talking to you. Learn your Sunday school versus not talking. Do you help your mom? What are you safe?
Even the young children can go home, and they can, before they even go home and justice, bow their heads like this beast, saying, We indeed justly so, we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man has done nothing amiss. Whoso shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Now people are here, time is bad and we're going to just leave it there, but just don't leave this room. I want to tell you either without knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Savior, his trust him, believe God's word. He said it that peace is there with the Lord now and just as certainly as that deep is there with the Lord and glory. You can be safe tonight and you can walk out of this room and say I know.
That the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior, That He died for me.
Well, I just trust that each one of this room would repeat the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior.
I'd like to thank and see our kind of craft, but nevertheless.
I like this thing. The first and last. First of #9 comes with Jesus gently calling. He would care and fall of threat with your guilt. However following come, and I will give you rest for your skin. If He wants to suffer on the cross. The work puts on, and the word by God now utterly to each weary stole His calm. Come for Angel host amusing, or the spiteful strangely sad.
01:00:04
May God be teaching man, refusing to be made forever glad no. We spoke about a little bit about this in the meetings today, that the angels that kept not their first estate, their chains and chains of everlasting darkness. There was no hope of redemption for a fallen Angel. And so here are these elect angels looking down on you and there's a possibility that you could be redeemed and you're saying no.
They're quite frankly puzzled by it. Well, let's think the first and last person #9.
Where?
Is.
The.
World.
So I'm.
Zechariah 1
YP Address—H. Short
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That's well the rest started getting #169. Or Lord, we can see by faith in the.
The cost, That's right. Unfailing, where God shall shine in light, divine in glory, never fading, a whole of all peace and love close to thy holy person. Thy St. shall there see glory there and shine as thy reflection.
Both how we face the chains to verse that weigh our spirits downward. And there's we flow and loves full glow.
Where parts lifetime and surrounded. And then I would like to send the last three verses of them #169 I have on my heart, especially verse five no more viewed. I chosen few in selfish choice divided by drinking teeth. The living grace that gave them hearts united the last three verses 4-5 and six.
#169 and when someone starts that please.
No more.
Have a loving God and Father. We ask thee, as we're here this afternoon, for a few minutes to open thy holy bird, and that there would be a word from the We ask for help and ministry, and we ask for help in the reception.
Of chemistry. We pay our God and Father for the glory and in the name of our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And this has been denoted a young people's address, and I would like to particularly concentrate my comments towards the younger brothers and sisters here.
We, we see an expectation to abide that emphasis. Perhaps two or three times during the reading that we've had, I would like to turn to the book of Acts to establish what's on my heart.
Acts 20 where the Apostle Paul speaks to the elders at opposite. And I know we are not speaking this afternoon with a burden on my heart for elders, but I what I would like to draw from this portion of God's word is to help us to understand.
Do you different aspects of the Assembly of God? Many aspects of the Assembly of God found in the word of God and in Ephesians we've had before. I start the eternal Council and that which will not fail and and cannot fail because it's God's word only. But here in Acts 20 another aspect of the Assembly of God is brought before us. It's the same church.
00:05:22
It's absurd. It's the same assembly, but another aspect or view.
Our way of looking at the assembly. And so in Acts 20 the apostle had called off the elders from the Church of Ephesus and he says in verse 28.
Therefore unto yourselves. And here we are alerted that there's something on the apostles heart that you don't have to take heed to the eternal counsels of God. You don't have to have a fear about those councils failing.
Work on the apostles heart. On this occasion there is a danger, and he is addressing those responsible ones in the assembly at Ephesus to take he And here is what he says to them in the end of verse 2018. Or shepherd the Church of God. I want to consider the assembly this afternoon as that which needs shepherding, that which needs care and that which may not.
Remain intact down here on earth. And so he is referring to the Church of God and he says, which he had purchased with his own blood, or the blood of his own, he might say. And even in this aspect of the Assembly of God, it's looked at as that precious thing that Christ has redeemed with his own blood, or the blood of his own Son, we might say here.
Where the hell on my heart is this? 29 For I go there, that after mighty party shall grievous worlds enter in among you, not staring the flock. Now I want to talk about the assembly as a flaw gathered to the Lord Jesus. But.
Not secure there the flock that is in danger of wolves coming in. And the Lord Jesus describes the work and character of the wolf was that it? It sees the sheep and scattered the flock, and that's what's on my heart this afternoon.
You know that aspect of the assembly as a gathering unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that is not secured to you in the eternal counsels of God. You can look at the little battery here and and then their necessity, and see that most of the flock of God is not gathered together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This aspect of the Assembly of God.
Has affected many of our lives in this room, young friends and believers. You know, we weren't always great there. And meeting meetings this afternoon and this morning, 'cause I listened to the brothers, I would like to have said the older brother. Some of them were older, some were not enough older for me to be further as older veterans, but once they were where you are now and they didn't come into the enjoyment and an understanding.
And the knowledge of the truth that they ministered to our soul by the path of ease and indifference, and without an interest in the Assembly of God. As the gathering aspect of the Assembly of God, it has changed many of our lives. When I learned about the assembly of the gathering of two or three together into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it affected my whole life, affiliated my whole life.
It changed my whole outlook on life and determined.
Decisions. The major decisions I made in my life as a young man were affected by this aspect of the Assembly. So, young friends, because you and I are here today, I would like to speak of us. I don't know if you've been gathered, but you've been associated with the Gathering. Because you're here today. It doesn't mean you will be here tomorrow if you're a member of the Body of Christ.
You'll always be part of that body, but you may not always be a part of the assembly and the aspect that the Apostle is referring to it. Here he said that some would be blown away, and then some would come under the work of wolves and would be scattered. After his departure. I would like to turn to the Old Testament and look up.
00:10:28
Look at a passage in the in the book of Zechariah toward the end of the Old Testament.
They consider and because it is designated for the younger believers. I would like to look at a few things in the first two chapters of Zechariah, because it's looked at here as something that that nation was looked at here as something that could be scattered. And why is that? My heart, beloved, you know, it causes me great joy to go from here to there and see believers.
That were there when I came into fellowship. They're still in the gathering and it. Recently I went through some old letters and broke my heart to read letters that I had written to brothers when I was a young man of 22 and 24 years old who are no longer in the assembly, looked at as in a gathering. They're still members of the body of Christ, but they left or were taken away.
From the gathering, and that's what's on my heart. I belong. The longing of my heart could never be satisfied, however long the Lord Jesus leads you here, that young men and young women have thought I could never personally be satisfied if you're going away from this assembly, because this assembly is where Christ is in the midst. And I might say there are two things about the assembly in this character.
That Christ is in the midst, and the other is that those who are gathered there have been gathered soul by the Spirit of God. It requires those two things. It requires the gathering power of the Spirit of God in the lives of two or three.
And Christ's name as the gathering center it must be.
A work of the Spirit of God, and because I believe it is a work of the Spirit of God.
That's why it's precious to me, because I thought it was just.
A group of brethren that got this thing together and we're holding it together.
It wouldn't mean anything to me, but if it is in fact the work of the Spirit of God, I honor it and it's precious to my soul. And I would like you to finish your course.
Down here in that assembly, and so here in Zechariah 1.
If the prophet, we might speak about Zachariah. He lived in the days of Ezra. Nehemiah Israel had been carried into Babylonian captivity and it says of this man in the days of Ezra that the children of Israel prospered, prospered under his prophecy. Under Haggai and Zacharias are prophesying, they prospered. I thought of that when the bedroom was speaking to us this morning about prosperity.
Then the Apollo Rd. to Timothy. He told them the secrets of prosperity that is prospering might appear to all. It wasn't his bank account the apostle was referring to, it was giving himself to the things of God. So I want to call attention first to chapter 2.
And call your attention while I justify my heart. So there's a young man in verse four, And he says to this young man it says in verse four, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited.
All I want to call you attention to is we're going to talk about young men and young women this afternoon. Recently I had about I want to talk about four a young man. When I say young man, I want to include young sisters too. So four of them, groups of four. Recently I've had been brought into the presence of two groups of four young men and on both occasions one man, one of the young men, were asking 3 young men many questions the first occasion.
That what I referred to was my wife and I went to doctors appointment in Iowa City and we were eating in a restaurant. In the booth next to us there were four young men talking.
00:15:08
And I listened to their conversation. One of them was just similar to myself. The other three were and were closed, but the other three were interviewing this young man, just like myself for employment.
Man, I pick up from their conversation. They had just established a business with getting it on their feet and I take this 30. This fourth young man would have been some kind of design engineer or something. Looking forward with this young company, this young man who was being interviewed, he was telling them what he would be willing to contribute to their young companies. He was willing to sacrifice. He was willing to.
Work hours that they would require of him.
As long as he said, I'm not afraid of work. I want to show you what I can do, but what I want to see is the result of my labor. That's what he was interested in. That was four young men. What I want you to think about that young thing this afternoon. Your life is ahead of you. Someone's interviewing you for a life occupation.
What do you want out of this interview? You want something that's going to make you rich in this world?
Prominent in this world, where are you going to give your life for?
Can you hesitate to talk about the other four young men, but I'm going to talk about them. Sometimes we talk about our young folks so negatively. This is a wonderful story that I had the privilege of watching and hearing with my own eyes.
There was young one young brother and he was talking to three young brothers who were seeking who were there. They were married young men. They have family and this young man who's also married and with a family, he said.
It's hard for me to believe that you would have this interest in me and have this interest in us that I know as young parents and as having your own houses, that you've got everything that your time demands, That he just was impressed that these three young men were sacrificing their life, their time, their energy.
For this sake.
I'll tell you why. First three young men were there because they value the Assembly of God. People gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus and it had influenced their life this evening. They had state an impact and a change in their lives, engaged in different values and different pursuits in their lives than the first four young men.
That I referred to young friends and my heart this afternoon is that you would go away from this assembly, looking at the gathering, the assembly and the aspect of the galaxies as something were adjusting your life priorities for and putting it first in those priorities. Well, here Zechariah prophesied the time Israel had been scattered.
The fathers. Those who've gone on before.
Hadn't hearkened to the Lord, and God's governmental ways came upon them. And I'd like to go down to Thursday, and it says here, And I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse. Then he stood among the Myrtle trees that were in the bottom and behind them, where their red horses speckled and white, or red speckled and white pusher.
What is the dreamy for us is that Israel that represented in the Myrtle tree. The Myrtle tree represents according guys there and Nehemiah a time of blessing for Israel. When they keep the feast of Tabernacles they will get leaves off the Myrtle tree and build their booth. And it speaks of the Sabbath that awaits on earth for the people of God. But they have so far from realizing the Sabbath of God.
00:20:03
Falling under the government of God and the Gentile powers were trotting them on their foot. The Gentile powers, the throne, had been removed from Jerusalem.
Nebuchadnezzar had been set up. He failed and God thrown on earth. Jerusalem was gone and that people came under the dominion and control of the gentile nation.
Well, it's something akin to that in the assembly today, you know, in the early church who went on the Apostle Dawson fellowship, the bacon of bread and and prayers. And they continued in those things that made them have such a separated people that no man dared join himself to them. But as time went on, the assembly failed. It has failed and it is a failure.
And all kinds of corruptions have entered in and associated itself with the Church of God.
Ruin has come in. It isn't walking in those early days of the church. How it walked in those days at 242 is not the ground of gathering. It's a state of soul that the early church briefly enjoyed. Well, here are these horses, these powers, these strengths that have dominion over the people of God.
And then there was this man, I think this Angel is fugitive of the Lord Jesus, and he's taken an interest now in the people of God and particularly Jerusalem. And it says, I said to verse nine, oh, my Lord, what are these? And the Angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these things be. I'd like you to think about that young man listening to this message to be delivered to Zechariah, the young man in the next chapter that we'll look a bit at.
He's listening to this message and he says.
In verse 11 They answered the Angel of the Lord that stirred among the Myrtle trees and said we have walked in troll through the earth and behold all your cities still in is at rest. Now here's the picture. The Gentiles would come in power and authority over the Jews. Jerusalem was in a miserable condition and the gentile nation were at ease and at rest, and they weren't concerned one bit about God's earthly center.
And that's the world that you live in, I used to think, you know, And we had Tuesday night reading the Thursday night prayer meeting. I couldn't wait for meeting night. Sometimes I have to confess, I kind of wish there hadn't been a meeting that night. I only had that wish before the meeting, never once after the meeting that I have, That wish that there wasn't a meeting that night. Because I went to those meetings and I was encouraged. And I lived with the Saints of my soul.
This company I work for was not born to encourage me in the path of faith, but that assembly. When I would go there, I might go there really wishing I could stay home and do some project that was pressing. But I went and I came away thankful that I went. But the world that you and I live in, young friends, is not going to encourage you to take one interest in the assembly of the gathering things. It's going to Marshall its forces.
Against you and oppose you and keep you from taking an interest in Jerusalem. I speak in a figure that gathering center. You know, I have two gathering centers, Shiloh and Jerusalem. I think they will merge when Christ reestablishes his throne in Jerusalem and according to Genesis 49 when Shiloh comes. I think that probably might suggest I got this from a younger brother.
The responsibility side of the Gathering and Zion, Jerusalem. God sovereign side of the Gathering. You know, we're here mostly this afternoon because of God's sight of the Gathering, even because we haven't done any better than the fathers in the beginning of this chapter. But God is sovereignly preserved, the Gathering for you and I to take an interest in. I hope you've taken an interest in it. The world is not interested in it. They're at ease.
And the Angel of the Lord answered and said in verse 12. Oh, Lord, of course, how long will thou not have mercy on Jerusalem, that on the cities of Judah again switch, Thou hath had indignation? These three score, and 10 years and 70 years.
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God has brought his government upon this city, and they were feeling that, you know.
We ought to feel the Lords hand on us in times of division. You know, explorer, my soul recently smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. I know that about the Lord Jesus, but it has been principle, and that's what Paul's encouraging those elders. He's saying these shepherds, because if the shepherd is smitten, the sheep are going to be scattered.
Come into my life in the assembly, I have to look at myself and say, has my failure been shepherding, contributed to this pattern? And I have to say, yes, Lord Jesus.
It might have been missing.
And I am different in my character as a shepherd. It's all here, we find that.
There were seven years of government upon the people. Verse 13. The Lord answered the Angel to talk with me with good words and comfortable words for comforting words. And that's what I want to talk about, at least. These uncomforting words, encouraging words in a day of room, and God's governmental hand may have been upon it. There's comforting words for us.
And here's where he says so. The Angel that communed with me, I wonder if thinking of the Angel is representing the Lord Jesus, be a commune with the Lord to me. You know, it's a wonderful thing to be personally acquainted with the Lord, you know. And they told you, I told Samuel, You say, speak, Lord, for that I serve and hear it, and Samuel wouldn't do that.
He's going to say something that wasn't cured him. He hadn't come into that relationship with the Lord that's knowing the Lord as the Lord of his life. So he said, Steve, but I save here, the family didn't stay that way. He went on to know the Lord and he went on to stand in the breach between God's sins, the sins of God's people and God. And God raised him up with a prophet to whom?
God could speak. See, you know about communion in your own life with the Lord. It's wonderful to have that and to have fellowship with. But you know, there's something in your personal life, a personal communion with the Lord Jesus. He wants it. You know, when we were raising our children, there's a delight to me to have one of my little kids just learning to walk, to reach up and take my hand. What did he know about being a father?
What did he know about being a husband? Didn't know any of that. Well, today they know what it is to be a father and a husband and a brother in the assembly, and our communion is much fuller and deeper. But I enjoy being able to reach down and take a little one. It isn't a question of knowledge, but do you have communion with the Lord? Does he have access to your heart? Does he have a new one to whom he can communicate?
For us, we're all, you know, we're all very, very simple.
In our soul. Well, he says he was displeased in verse 15. I'm very sorry. Displeased with the nations, the heathen that are at ease for all of but a little displeased, that is with Israel. And they held forward to affliction. You know, it's a serious thing to raise your hand against the people of God. God may have a controversy with them, but you better know, and these Gentile nations were more than willing to be involved in the hand of Jehovah.
Honest people. And when they fulfill that, they settle down and ease. And they did not care about God's people. All young friends, I tell you, color they they love for God's people. Well, he says in verse 16. Therefore thou saith, the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercy. My heart shall be building it, saith the Lord. And now notice this expression, saith the Lord of hosts. That's always used in connection with the remnant, And a line shall be stretched forth upon it. Now think of our young men hearing these words.
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Going to be stretched for it upon it. What's he doing, this young man? Well, I want to go on. We spoke about four men. I want to call our attention to them. We had down in verse.
18 Then lifted up my eyes, and saw, Behold, 4 horns, Here is one company of four They are men, their nations. And I said unto the Angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
There were men in the form of nation.
But now we read about four others here September 20, and the Lord showed me 4 carpenters.
Here, here are builders. These are people who understand that there are builders, but it's kind of interesting about them. In verse 21 it says things that I would tell these to do. And he stayed saying, these are the horns which scattered Judah, that is the four horns so that no man did lift up his head. And these, that is the four carpenters are come to play or to fight or to cast out the horns of the Gentiles.
There were four you might say now energies depicted in young men or young women and they said we're going to use our energy to see that the things of God remain intact, that they be gathered to the Lords name at Jerusalem. Well they have these four horns to fight against. I thought whether I wouldn't have said carpenters if I were writing the Bible but there are lots of things that the Bible says that I wouldn't have written.
I would have used.
Nights or soldiers or something like carpenters. To others the Lord Jesus was a Carpenter. How are you going to help to gather things to stay together? It's a little while we have left is by following the example of our Lord Jesus as that lonely Carpenter to this life. All the lovely young friends wouldn't be like to be one of these four carpenters who use their energy to offset the energies of these four Hornets that they will always be here.
People that these energies werewithstanding that course. And so here's the influence that this promise of blessing in Jerusalem. God renewed interest in Jerusalem had on this young person and saw this young person. I like to think that he heard this communication to Zacharias and it says in verse one. I lifted up my old eyes again and left and behold a man. We learned as a young man with the measuring line what God has said.
He's going to format the city, then he's going to build that city again and he's going to stretch out a line. There's some man said, well, if that God desire, that's my desire to have your desire for the assembly of the gathered thing. That's what I mean. It's going to change your life. If you take an interest in drills from that gathering center, you're going to get this line. But notice what this young man is told. It says, where are you going? There's a ghost town, he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what the breath there is. And what is the link there? I asked. The young friends deleted. Have you ever majored the assembly in your life?
So I don't get those all together. I'm going to disassociate myself from them in the reading meeting. And as I listen to them, I saw here again who have measured Jerusalem and they've criticized to it. And they said it's important to me, It's become an important thing in my life to look at what God says to this young man. He says, I'm going to marry you and see what part in my life this city should have in my life.
He said this to him. He says wrong, and speak to the young man first Boys getting communication from the Lord said unto him, Run and speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited in towns with all walls for the multitude of men and cattle of their and all right, saith the Lord, will be unto her wall fire roundabout, and will be.
The glory in the midst of her, he said to this young man, Young man, put up your line because you've taken the poem by yourself to measure the unmedicable and beloved. We cannot measure the preciousness, the vastness of the Assembly of God. Oh, we can look and maybe, maybe a list of gallons that no, no, this is taking us off on to the eternal day when we're going to the millennial and eternal day.
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Where Jerusalem, which is about my faith immeasurable as far as we are able to produce Amazing and God may be able to measure, but we can't. And young friends in your life I want to suggest to you to allow exercises relating to the assembly to eclipse.
Things in your life so that you don't purpose in your life to make yourself at home in this world and to build your life for this life. If you save your life in this world, you're going to lose it. So put a measurement on the assembly that is above any other neighborhood you may have waved in your life or considered in your life. Give it.
A first place.
Now I'd like to talk in closing about four other men found in the last chapter.
Of First Corinthians. And they, I'm going to call them young man. I don't know that they necessarily were all young men, but there are four men there mentioned that I would like to consider in closing and you know.
Course with an assembly that.
You might not have wanted to be in that assembly. If you have spiritual electrify, you can.
You might have thought, I think I may go over to that and build my house there, but I tell you there was an Assembly of God, and all that an Assembly of God is, is that it is an Assembly of God. You could have had a lot of assemblies of men that eclipse perhaps the spirituality of the assembly according, but this was an Assembly of God, and it wasn't in a very good condition.
So we come to the last chapter of this epistle, and you know, the apostle has written this letter. He's written it in fear and trembling. You see that beautiful mixture, the apostle the man and the apostle, the inspired writer of inspiration? He repented, though he didn't repent. He had fears because he had delivered this message, although he knew it had to be delivered so he could say the things that I write on to you are the commandments of God.
But that's the heart of a shepherd. You know, you go to help someone who may be earned. There's a very, very difficult thing to do because.
You're great. Too great to bruise and mean a cleansing smoke and flash that the powerful himself and many peers, the many concerns and many fears about the Assembly of God. So we come to this chapter and we find the fierce of the four young men, or the four men I want to talk to. I don't think one of them at least, was that particular young 1St 10. Now it's tumultuous calm.
See that he may be with you.
Before he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do, it was a young man who had associated himself with the apostle Paul. Do you know Paul says there, where we began after my departing, if you and his young folks in their life.
I believe there still is whatever that expected means and access The Call and his company, it's a little different. So then the Lord is just coming Paul and his company, since it already says it's an expression that makes everything of Paul. So I believe that things before us, the thought of the Assembly, perhaps not just any season characters, but in that character of what Paul's name means.
Little, little. He was a despised man. That he didn't end his day with all of the assembly, all of those who assume of his labor around him, ministering to him only one who had a heart for his physical welfare. Move only this with me and dependence. PF all in your heart. See young man, see young women.
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First of you, young man, tonight.
These brothers, that was interesting to us. I used to sit at home in the morning and I saw the girl and brother McMillan, brother Anderson, brother sitting up there and many other older brother and my family. And I thought there was my cold black hair and I thought.
And I've never dreamed of my soul that I would be the Whitehead person that younger ones would think with an older brother in the Divine Assembly, but in the process of time.
You'll become an older brother, but it will take more than the process of time to make you profitable to the assembly, these men that minister to us this afternoon.
You know, you may think about their older brothers. They weren't always older brothers. And when they were younger brothers, they had a pet themselves. I think whatever it means spiritually to call and they play to them. And then and Timothy did that. And consequently it says let him be without fear to say why would Timothy do if they go to court? So that's no different in those days than it is in these days. If you take a stand for what Paul represents, even in the gathering, you might find yourself.
Occasionally.
I find yourself criticized. You might find yourself called me the Timothy. Timothy Timothy fearful Tennessee direct to minister to the dear things that corn. Then there are three more men mentioned verse 17. These had come to Paul. Timothy had gone to Corinth. From Paul Steve Canes and Corinth to Paul. I am glad there's 17 that I am glad that you're coming with the bonus.
Fortunatus and the cases for that which was locking on your part. They have the part. But young men, you know you've got older brothers there, and I've enjoyed those words of David.
And he provided abundantly in his life for the House of God, but he didn't have the privilege of building that house. But he told his son Song and he said son I provided abundantly, but you can add to it.
Are you older than? Can't give you all that you need to build in the House of God. You're going to have to send your own exercises.
From your own relationship, Mr. Lord, find that to work with in the House of God. So there was something lacking for Paul and these three hands. So I don't know where did you like to have your name recorded in these two verses then one of these four men men and causing a lot of scholastic Stephanus household.
While he was away from them he left the family or a house. I don't know who composed it to verse 15. I beseech you brethren, he know the House of Stephanie said. It is of the first year of a terror and I would like to borrow from the new translation on this verse.
That is on the first piece of a chaos and that they have addicted themselves to the same.
Now the difference may be quite, but is this to give me a gift themselves to the ministry of the thing that they addicted themselves to the same minister? How your heart will pass through the desert, That's what motivated this House of Savannah. Their hearts, their hearts were bound up in a bundle of life with those Corinthian faith, good things.
No, no, I'm beloved.
I say if you want good things, you might just well look anywhere and if that's what you're looking for. But if you're looking for people of God to attach your heart to their ministry, you can find them in the Gathering. And this also in the absence of honor, they addicted themselves and attached themselves to the state.
Well, young thin, you got your life ahead of us the rest of our time. None of us know how long that's going to be. I trust that you will addict yourself to attach yourself in your heart to the things of God. That little gathering. You know, people may look at you as narrow, but.
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There is a remnant that needs to care, and it's in a certain condition, but it's worth your life labor.
In Spirit or Diva Health and videos, young brothers and sisters here this afternoon.
Who have?
Established priorities according to these in their lives, that their lives may not be wasted, cold, blessed God and Father we've made for each one of us, for we all do have the rest of our lives, whatever that might be.
That each one might be here for profit, that is to be working on. That to whatever Paul might speak to us of, we pray our God and Father in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Very briefly, another we have just a few minutes of great time and then we have another address at 4:15. I like one make one quick announcement and that is in regards to hey, come on. And that is the only thing that will be recorded will be the address if you desire a copy of it.
We'll try to get a peep effect in there. What's your name? And then.
Hebrews 4
Address—D. Bilisoly
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.
As best we can, how about #5 in the back of the book, #5 in the appendix?
Verse three says O to grace, how great a better daily I'm constrained to be. Let that grace Lord like a better buying my wandering heart to be thrown to wander Lord. I feel it thrown to leave the God I love.
Yet thou, Lord, hast stay in the ceiling with thy spirit from above.
#5 in the back of the voice Come thou found.
Great life change to my heart.
To save my grace.
Dreams of everything.
All forces.
Love songs of praise.
Give us.
Stranger.
Wonder.
Of God.
Here to rest.
Danger.
And.
Precious love.
All to grace my grace.
In love comes pray to believe.
Lord, I feel.
God I love.
Day to see you.
With my spirit.
From the ball.
Save your love.
May I?
Know.
Stranger.
As a son.
Oh, ask the Lords, help our blessed God and Father. We thank thee for these words of grace, reminding us of what thou hast done.
To the gift of Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus, that foundeth every blessing.
The one who laid down his life and death.
All to grace, how great a debtor, daily, unconstrained be.
Let that grace, Lord, like a better vine our hearts would be. We own that great tendency of our hearts to wander.
To leave the God we love. Why is it so On all we long for that day when we'll be in those courts above Lord Jesus and every hindrance will be removed. But blessed Lord, give us a strong sense of Thy grace as we press on through this scene, momentarily awaiting Thy coming. And what a deliverance it will be.
Out of a troubled scene where we see so many dark foreshadows upon the horizon of great trouble ahead. And we know from thy precious word our God and Father, that there is trouble ahead like this world has never known before.
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And yet we think of Thy grace that will maintain even a remnant through that state of things. But our portion, our hope, our objective, is to soon be with Thee, Lord Jesus.
In the Father's house. So we ask thy blessing upon thy word, that our hearts might be encouraged, and yet perhaps sobered as they ought to be, and our conscience touched, where necessary, we ask all, and give the art thanks, and the worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Turn to Hebrews.
Hebrews Chapter 4.
Verse four and verse 14.
A passage often read especially in connection with prayer meeting. But how precious.
Seeing them that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but.
Was in all points tempted life as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
I especially wanted to draw attention to that expression, the throne of grace. That's the character of that throne. Now it is a throne of grace. And you know, we've had so much in the meetings, especially in the readings.
Of our standing before God in all perfection of Christ and His precious words, His marvelous work. And how about grace itself? Well, it says we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.
And also we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, with glory and tribulation also you see there's a very interesting connection between those three thoughts. That is grace and.
Glory and tribulation.
You may have noticed too how Peter puts that together. In first Peter chapter 5 and verse 10 he says but the God of all grace.
The Source who have called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you to Him, be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
So what an access we have now into this grace wherein we stand. It is all part of our standing before God.
But again, I want to emphasize that the character of that throne now, as far as we're concerned, is grace.
There's another point, maybe I should just mention it now, and that is we have an access.
That they did not have in the old dispensation.
They absolutely did not have it. It was under careful regulation only by the Aaronic Priestly family.
And we may get into that.
But we have boldness. Boldness to enter into the holiest.
By the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. He went into death to make that possible for us to have that access. So the blood clears us of all guilt. Oh brethren, our standing is indeed in grace, and I don't want to minimize that. And I'm emphasizing that fact for, you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich.
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Yet, for your sakes, he became poor, that ye through his poverty.
Might be rich, spiritually rich, as we've heard this afternoon.
I want to emphasize that and I don't want to leave any shadow of a doubt over this question.
Because.
I have something upon my heart.
That are here we need to consider. We've had so much to encourage our hearts as to our standing in Christ.
And we had some very practical ministry yesterday as to the value and importance of the assembly, for Christ is in the midst. And then we have ministry that was very important in connection with the Lord's table and the Lord's Supper that identifies us in connection with the assembly.
And we've had some practical excitation about the value of godly parents.
And so clearly set forth in the book of Proverbs.
And so we've had things to exhort us and to encourage us.
But brethren, there is something that has been a burden to me.
And I don't know that I can adequately express it.
But you know.
Almost 50 years ago.
A young boy right here in this Denver area.
Turn about the Lord Jesus Christ.
To his brother.
And got saved and he came very raw out of the world.
And the Lord by his grace brought him to the assembly.
And he felt a misfit, you might say, because he was so fresh and raw out of the world.
But as he looked around upon the walls, he saw these very texts.
That are here now. And he looked at this one. He looked at that one. What comfort. This is what I believe. This is what I hold. And he looked around and then.
But let me say this first.
This unseasoned, unexperienced young fellow, so raw out of the world, didn't have much understanding about anything, Even his mother said. Are you dressed properly to go to this place? I said, Oh yes, it's all right, they're Christians and they'll accept me as I am.
But as I sat there and looked around the room and saw these verses.
I saw that first.
And that that purse let this person in awe.
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints, and He had in reverence of all them that are about Him, you say, Oh, that's known. Testament scripture. Yes, it is, but it applies to us today. You've got it up here in your room. And that verse was kept at 217 E 4th Ave. for years.
Now I'm humbled as I look at that verse, because how many times?
Have I failed in connection with submission to that verse? You know, that verse comes about as a result of a great deliverance that is laid out to us there in Psalm 89. A great deliverance. And so they're awed by the way God comes in and puts down the enemy and brings about a great deliverance.
Should we not be in that spirit too? Should we not consider how great was our deliverance, who delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son? Oh, beloved brethren, I say for myself.
That I fear there is a tendency in my heart to turn the grace of God.
00:15:05
Into lasciviousness.
We need to consider that verse up there. Here it is right in the front of the room.
How many of us even thought about it today, or considered it?
Well, the Lord is so gracious to us. The Lord is so gracious. And indeed we're we're encouraged, we're invited, we're exhorted to come boldly under the throne of grace, and we're encouraged to come boldly into the very holiest of all, but not with an attitude of recklessness or with coming in any state or spirit that we want to.
Oh, may the Lord exercise our hearts as to this.
I would like to focus a little more upon another throne in scripture.
It's the throne of glory. I think there is something for us.
Be exercised about Now we know. We know very clearly, for instance, in Matthew 25, that the Lord Jesus will sit upon the throne of His glory, and he'll judge the living nations there, and he's got those that are on his right hand and on his left, and it's a very solemn thing to consider.
To divide him, so to speak, of the sheep and the goats. But I believe that this throne of glory has gone on from the past. A very solemn thing to consider.
But could such a thought as that bring comfort when we look into the?
Throne of his glory. We'll see.
But it is it becomes a very solemn aspect because it has to do with his glory and anything that stands in opposition to that. How solemn to consider. But there's a verse that is beautiful in Jeremiah chapter 17.
In this connection.
Jeremiah, chapter 17.
Verse 12.
A glorious high throne. I think, Mr. Darby, words that a throne of glory from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. Imagine such a statement as that. How can this be? Well, dear Jeremiah, who was a man of faith.
And who experienced and witnessed the total decline, you might say, of the Kingdom who lived in the time of Josiah, when things outwardly seemed very fair. And you know there was never a Passover kept like the Passover that was kept by Josiah, and talk about straightening up things and cleaning up idolatry. It was most remarkable what that dear man of God accomplished when he was fully established in the Kingdom. He did it for the glory of God, but the heart of the people was not changed.
Underneath it all, over all, the heart of the people was not changed.
And so as soon as Josiah went off the scene, things just went down rapidly. And Jeremiah witnessed some very hard things, and he experienced some very hard things personally. His life was threatened, he was put down into a cesspool, I don't know what else to call it, where he was sinking down in the mire and he would have been left to starve to death. And he was smitten at times and he was criticized.
Remind you of our blessed Lord where it says, consider to him that endures his contradiction of sinners against yourself, Let's be faint and so forth. That dear man of God went through a lot, and he felt it keenly, and he felt the deceitfulness of the heart in verse 9. And he felt these things, those about him who were glorying in their riches. We had a little of that this afternoon, and that's an important exhortation.
Beloved brethren, as to our attitude in stewardship, we're all stewards. We've all been entrusted with certain responsibility. And how are we carrying it out in the fear of the Lord? But you can see what the Spirit of things was in Israel in verse 11. And all of a sudden here comes this.
00:20:17
Verse A glorious or a throne of glory from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. You know the sanctuary.
Especially in the Psalms seems to be the resting place for the soul, and sometimes that's the only way or the only place we can get rest when we see things that are out of order that just are not right.
What a comfort it is to look to him and consider that.
Never changes, and nothing can alter his purposes in connection with what I'm saying here. Just take a look at Psalm 11.
It's a short saw. Maybe, maybe we'll just read it. It is a Psalm of David. It's a personal experience, and David certainly experienced some personal difficult things. In the Lord, I put I my trust How say he to my soul. Flee as a bird to your mountain.
For lo, the wicked bend their bones. They make ready their arrow upon the string.
That they may privilege shoot at the upright in heart. You saw a bow here this morning. That our brother brought some very interesting and important principles and thoughts before us. And certainly the wicked take up things in this way. Did the Lord Jesus encounter these Bowman? Oh, yes, we certainly did. Maybe in three different characters. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians, they all bent their bows.
At him.
And it looks as though things are ready to break apart. Verse 3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Isn't that an interesting verse?
But it's like Jeremiah says, you know that this is a sanctuary to the heart. Why?
Verse 4 The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven, and I fully believe it is the throne of His glory.
The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyelids behold. Umm. His eyes behold.
His eyelids try the children of men and so forth. They're not going to alter His purposes. All his purposes will come to pass. All his promises in Christ are yeah, in Him and in Him. Amen. They will come to pass for sure. They'll be confirmed and they'll be verified. Nothing will be changed at all. We can rest upon that. Our standing is untouched.
This is a good point in itself, that no matter what happens to us in this scene, be sure of this that that which we really possess is untouchable because it's all reserved in heaven, reserved in heaven for you, as Peter said, and will bless with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. So it can't be touched that which we really possess in him can be touched, but sometimes we're a little free to use the expression of blessings.
In connection with that which is really mercies, you know, if you understand what I'm saying, If the Lord has met our needs down here and provided us with things and food to eat, which we should be so very thankful, These are really mercies. These are mercies. But our true blessings are spiritual and heavenly. They cannot be cut. The enemy hasn't has nothing to do with that, but the Lord may for some reason.
Allow our mercies to be disturbed.
As we've already had brought before us, don't let us not think for a moment that everything is secure in this land. We might be in for a great upheaval. There's lots of men of learning that are worried about the turn of the year 2000. You know, they're not all ready and set up with their computerization to meet it. And who knows what confusion could be added. But we are looking for the Lord Jesus to come. That's our hope. We can't be sure of anything down here.
And the Lord, I believe, does allow us to.
00:25:01
Realize and to see that.
There's nothing stable in this scene. He's touching man in different ways. Will they not listen? Will they not take heed, as we had the other night about that airline disaster, you know, And there have been enough of those. But here, in spite of all the current updated equipment, all the methods they have of regulating all of these things, human failure comes in somewhere, some way and spoils it all. And then sometimes.
They just can't plan or realize what can happen, like for instance, just a little quirk of nature as they say.
Up our way and here they get.
A freeze frozen rain that was so heavy on the power lines that started pulling down big power lines. How big? It pulled towers down and it messed up the the whole grid of power and some of our beloved brethren up in those areas were without power for some time and they would invite some of the other Saints to come in with them and if they had a fireplace or whatever.
They would keep the heat that way, and they would have candles or lanterns if they had them anyway. This is so encouraging to see.
Turn over to Isaiah now.
Isaiah Chapter 6.
Isaiah Chapter 6.
In the year that King Uzziah died.
Why is this vision key to the time that Uzziah died?
Oh brother, do you not realize what happened to Uzziah?
He was a godly king.
But I believe that Satan moved his heart.
To overstep and to enter into a priestly function. And what did he do?
He brought incense, he was going to offer incense, and he came into the temple.
What was his motive or intent? I believe that Satan perhaps had moved his heart to do this with the intent to corrupt perhaps the Melchizedek priesthood, you say? What are you talking about? Melchizedek is a type of the Lord Jesus and his priesthood is a royal priesthood. It is awaiting that coming day when the Lord Jesus.
Will be a royal priest, and in association with himself he has made us kings and priests, our Kingdom of priests. Or isn't that marvelous?
To show forth the glories of him that have called us out of darkness into his marvelous life.
But at this time, it was an act of pure.
Self will and presumption here he comes into the holy place, and at that time there was a godly priest for the name of Azariah, and he with 80 valiant priests confronted that king, and they they said it appartineth not to you.
To offer incense. This is a priestly function, And he got mad, and he he may have put those priests to death. He got mad, and as he was getting mad and angry, the leprosy rose up in his flesh. They looked at him, the priest looked at him, and they grabbed him and rushed him out of the sanctuary, and he hastened to go out himself. He was not in the dispensation in which we lived, having therefore boldness, brother, to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, not by any idea or self will.
Or presumption of our own, but altogether as a result of His glorious work and making us fit for His holy presence.
But this vision is key to that time, and it is a very sobering thing. And it was a very sobering thing, I'm sure unto Isaiah I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. What throne is this? I'm convinced it's the throne of His glory.
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Oh, he'll have the glory and the end result. Do we see this throne of His glory through Scripture? Yes, we do. We it takes us clear on into the Book of Revelation. There it is in Revelation chapter four, that throne of His glory. And in that viewing we see.
4 and 20 elders and what is their state and attitude?
Well, we see lightnings and thunderings issuing forth from that throne.
Because they're accepted in the blood and they're in Christ. They're made fifth for his presence. And we see them before a sea of glass. That's the labor. And that was what the priest would wash every time they would execute their service. But they don't need that cleansing. It's it's in a fixed state. They're in a fixed state of purity, and they're there without fear. But that same throne in its marvelous.
And it goes on even further. But.
Go on with what we have here.
Sitting upon a throne high.
And lift it up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the Seraphim.
Each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face, With twain he covered his feet, And with twain he did fly, even these preachers that have some connection and some attribute to the throne of his glory.
Are extremely cautious in his presence. Are extremely reverential.
And with Twain he covered his feet, and with Twain to fly verse 3.
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy.
Is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory and the post.
Of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I woe is me.
You know, dear Isaiah, dear man of God, oh, how I look forward to meeting these dear men of God in the glory, don't you? And to talk to them, to consider all that they went through, dear man of God.
Lord had instructed him and he had pronounced woe after woe. Look verse 11 and verse 20 of chapter 5 and verse 18 of chapter 5 and on and on he pronounces about 6 woes on the people for the state they were in.
But the seventh boy pronounced of itself, all beloved brethren, we must feel, we must feel these things. And if there are conditions that arise that are a woe to the Saints of God, we ought to be on our faces. Why is it happening? Why are these things coming upon us? Do we sense our state person? Do we feel as we should feel about these things? Sometimes the Lord has to use measures to get our attention.
I can remember this time that I got rather interested in the book of Job and I think I used the subject about two or three times along the way as I traveled and all of a sudden after about the 3rd or 4th.
Time I begin to have trouble with the car.
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Trouble with the car. And it was a nightmare of trouble. I had the trouble fixed, I thought, and I was going right down into New York City, into an area I was unsure of, And the trouble came again. And finally this dear brother got me to a place where they repaired it, and they made sure that the bill went as high as possible.
And I drove away from there and I don't think I got more than a couple 100 miles. And the trouble came back again. And I said, why, Lord?
Well, I believe the Lord was giving me a little taste, just a little taste of what Joe went through. My how that man honored the Lord in the stand that he took. I'm not saying the way in which his friends riled him.
It seemed to take that to break that hard shell, but he didn't. He didn't. Satan did not get a victory In that situation, Satan really went away defeated and Job was kept.
But the Saints of God are passing through so many things, and we know so little about it and justice as our brother of Dalton. This afternoon I thought of some of the letters we received from Malawi. This one brother says I've never known such hunger in my life.
They just plain ran out of food. And why? It was because of a drought and it was a hand to mouth situation. If they didn't get the crop in and didn't get a return, they had no food. That was it. And the government, they began to recognize this need. But they were very slow in doing much to help. But our beloved brethren over there experienced real hunger. How difficult it was to help them out, you know, because.
It's so difficult to get money over there without having it stolen out of the mail and all, so you have to be so careful. But anyway.
Turn to Ezekiel. Now You see, as these times and pressures come upon Israel, we see as he raises up these servants how that he he gives them something to solemnize the servant even and to realize with whom they have to do. But still for the God fearing person, that throne of glory is a sanctuary, because we know not a thing we'll get out of his control.
And so here we see that Ezekiel, in the very opening of this first chapter, he has a most remarkable vision. Don't ask me to explain it, but you know, all the description of what we have here, I believe, certainly tweaks to us of God's ways In government. It's a very complex thing, like wheels within wheels, and everything is in a very rigid control. Nothing happens indiscriminately. It may seem like that to us.
But it isn't that way. God is working out all these things and purposes, not only for our good and blessing, but to try and bring man into blessing too, and know it's not that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. What must it be to bring that about?
You know, we saw we witnessed the thing that was very hard and that is when we were coming into Michigan. It was dark and there wasn't a whole lot of traffic and we had the cruise control set on maybe about 70, I think it was 75. But it's a nice easy freeway and it was dark and all of a sudden I saw, we saw fast moving lights coming up behind us.
And here were six young fellows on racing motorcycles with their heads bowed down as they had those machines revved up. I think as high as they go, it looked to me like they were out running the reach of their headlights.
And Zing, Zing, Zing, they went. Biases. Oh, we were going backwards and all of a sudden the whole line of traffic stopped.
The whole line of traffic stopped.
And finally.
When we moved on and when we inquired from a man that was standing there.
One of those young fellows hit the back of the car and we saw and that back of that car was smashed clear in when the ambulance came with sirens.
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It left without silence.
And later on down the road, we came across the rest of these fellows. I suppose they wanted to get away from the scene of the accident. They were still hugging down.
But they were going very slow. Oh, the world is in such a rate.
So so but anyway, just notice that out of this all.
Ezekiel has a vision, Chapter One, verse 26 and above the firmament.
That was over their heads was the likeness of a throne.
Must be the throne of his glory.
As the appearance of a sapphire science stone, and upon the likeness of the throne.
Was the likeness as of the appearance of a man.
Above it. Who's that? Who's that? It's one in the same person. All judgment is committed to the Son, and even though we must stand before him and we must be reviewed, he will not judge his work. He will not judge his work because we're secure and safe in him. But we will suffer loss, as First Corinthians Chapter 3 clearly indicates. What a solemn thing to consider.
That we shall be manifest. The Saints of God who are sheltered by the blood of Christ, we will be manifest.
You know, No wonder. No wonder we see the solemnity of it. Wherefore we would persuade men. They're going to have to face him as a judge, and they'll have no blood to shelter them. What if solemn thing to consider. But here we have these likenesses of the throne of his Lord, and we see as you go through the word of God, you'll be surprised, I believe, both in the Old and the New Testament. But what an awful and a solemn thing to consider, that.
That this throne becomes then, as it were, a great white throne. That's how we last see it, and how tall that is. And you well know what all that brings before us, but dear ones here this afternoon.
Let us not forget what God has done for us, and let us not forgive what should be our conscience and our exercise of heart before him. We're not under law, we're under grace. But do we not fear? There is one verse I should read and that's in the end of Hebrews, because everything will be burnt that will not stand the test. And so on the end of Hebrews chapter 12 it says in verse 28.
Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.
Everything that is contrary to his mind and His will will be tested. Everything that is done in this world, whether it's Sinner, Sinner, will be tested. It will withstand the test of the fire. Oh brother, may the Lord exercise our heart as to what's due him and think about these things when we come into His presence. He's had all this before us and how we need to be sobered in these matters. Shall we pray?
Our blessed God and Father, we thank you.
For the throne of grace, that we have been encouraged and invited to come boldly to make our request known. And we do thank thee indeed for so many answered prayers. And we thank thee too, that we likewise have boldness and inner in the holiest of all for the blood of Jesus, not like poor Uzziah, when a foolish thing that he did, and what a consequence and a price he had to pay for this act of self will.
But, O blessed God and Father, help us not to be careless and indifferent, and indifferent. What is due unto thee?
Who are blessed Lord Jesus?
So we do thank thee as we ask all in the worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
From Disouragement to Encouragement
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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From the home of joy and love came the Lord Himself to seek us. He would have us there above. Therefore that eternal brightness, having starts flowed forth in love, He and his great love would have us ever there with Him above 93.
From the power from his life.
While my joy and life.
Came out of himself to seek us.
He would have us there are all.
Forth in love.
He and his great love.
Where there was there my mom.
Probably we had a farmer say.
Some long place where? Let me start.
From the throne of the mansion.
Already love me for.
I'm in Afghanistan.
So bright and fair.
There we were once a result.
All the one with us to share.
That was great. God blessed God and our Father. And thank you for the words of this little hymn we have been singing together.
That we can look back into our past eternity and think of thy counsels of love and purposes toward us and grace. But we think of what it cost me that those purposes might be fulfilled. We think, Lord Jesus of Thyself coming here as a man walking here in this world, going to that cross of Calvary, and they are bearing the sin guilt that we so just He deserved. That wrath of judgment. Lord Jesus, we thank Thee and all those lifted us from all this.
And thou hast made us to be partakers of the glory that shall be revealed.
So we'll be with thee in that glory to share that with South One. He praised the insanity. Now we just pray this evening as we look into Thy word that our hearts might be encouraged. You know, these are difficult days in which we live, but we thank you, Lord, that thou are faithful and the end is bright and glorious. And we ask Jesus, Thou help us step by step You have our eyes upon thee, and to run with patients to raise that before us. Thank you for Thy mercy to dear John, and we ask for you. Thou discontinue to undertake for current human investors. Bless this little one that was given to them.
So we just command all now into thy hands and praise thee for the opportunity of being together.
Ask for thy health and guidance my worthy name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
I'd like to turn to the 44 song.
I'd like to read the 44th universes here at the end of the 44th Psalm and then the 45th and 6th.
Away quiet sleep of sour Lord arise has to cut off forever purple height is thou thy face, and forget us our affliction and our oppression. They also got fouled down to the dust our belly slave the front of the earth arise for our health and the demos for thy mercy sake.
My heart is indicting a good matter. I speak of the things which I have made touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men. Grace is poured into thy lips. Therefore God hath blessed thee forever. Good thy sword upon thy thigh. Almost my ease, if I glory and thy majesty. And in my majesty lie prosperously because of truth and deepness and righteousness, And our right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
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Fine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemy, for by the people fall under the thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. The sceptile of thy Kingdom is a right chapter, our love of righteousness and heinous wickedness. Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh and mallows and ketchup out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made these glad King's daughters were among thy honorable women.
From thy right hand stand the queen, and go to bothers hearth and O daughter, and consider him inclined mine here forget all for thine own people. Thy father's house social looking, greatly desired thy beauty, For he is thy Lord, and worship thou him and the daughter of fire shall be there with a gift. Even the witch among the people shall entreat by favor. The King's daughter is all glorious within her clothing is of rock gold. She shall be brought unto the king.
You know, in the raiment of needlework the virgins are companions, that borrowers shall be brought unto thee.
With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought. They shall enter into the King's towel, until thy father shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make Princess in all the earth. I will make thine aim to be remembered in all generations. Therefore shall the people praise thee forever and ever. God is our refuge and strength, a very present health in trouble.
Therefore will not be feared or the earth be removed. And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, so the waters are a world be troubled while the mountains shake, but the swelling are out. See log There is a river that stream where else will make glad the city of God.
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her in that right early the heathen roads, the Kingdom will move where the kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice, The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord. What desolations he hath made in the earth maketh worlds to cease under the end of the earth.
He breaketh the borough, cut off the spear and sundry furnace, a chariot in the fire. He still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathens. I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of both is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
I think perhaps we all know that very often the Psalms are in kind of series, and I believe there is a series here between these three Psalms and that's why I've read them together, because we find a subject taken up and more or less continued through these three songs. And I hope that the Lord tells that there will be something in US, the songs that we can learn for ourselves will be a blessing to our souls. Perhaps to put it very briefly, I think we see in the end of the 43rd Psalm.
A very disturbed soul, very much cast down because of conditions that he sees.
In the 45th we see you on listed above that discouragement and rejoicing, because he sees the hand of God in things, and he looks on to a glorious and bright future. And then in the 46th we see that song for and we can sing in the midst of trials and difficulties that come into our lives. And it's very beautiful. 46 is a song that I'm sure many of us have in Sodom, perhaps in Word God is our refuge and strength, a very present health and trouble.
Fell out and this is meant so much to us. What is this right to look at these Psalms? I just laid and mentioned these thoughts because it gives a general thought of what is brought out. I believe in these three sums.
Well, as I say, they're in the end of the 44th Psalm. We see one who's very cast down and discouraged because he's looking around that circumstances. And I'm sure that there are many of us that if we were to look around that circumstances, see what's going on in the world, see what's going on even among the people of God, we might well be cast down. We might well be discouraged if that was what we looked at. Remember dear sister that was having a very dark page and her Christian life.
And someone asked her how she was. Well, she says my outlook never was darker, but my outlook never was brighter. Well, surely it's true that if we have that uplook, even when the days grow dark, there can be that which brightens the horizon for us. Because it is bright brethren, what a glorious future is ahead of us. And God is not only the one who is going to bring us into that glorious future, He can bring us now into the present enjoyment of it. And that's what we have, I think, unfolded in the 45th.
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There's a verse in the Proverbs that says.
Where no vision is the people perish, or Mr. Garden translates it for no vision is the people cast off restraint, that is, they say what to use. But there is use. And we don't cast off restraint if we know what is before us and if we also know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the cause according to his purpose. Well, here you can see very discouraged by what he is mentioning in the 40 in the 22nd verse of this 44th Psalm.
And then calls upon the Lord awake By sleepest thou, O Lord, arise, cast us not off forever May seem sometimes as if the Lord was asleep to what was going on, just like girls in the boat. When the storm came up, he thought, well, how could it be that the Lord was asleep In the midst of that, where we know that he was in control of everything physically, there he was as a man he was asleep, but he knew the whole situation.
That he himself raised the storm, and he himself made the calm. And so he is not asleep, brethren, does any one of us going through a special trial. At this time the Lord is not asleep. He sees everything that's going on, He knows every detail above it about it, and heals our feelings in the midst of it too. And so this is so sweetly brought out here. Wherefore high to style my face and forget us our affliction and our oppression.
He doesn't forget.
Now he knows we sometimes forget. We forget him too sometimes, but he never forgets up us. Our names are graven on the palms of his hands. He carries our names on his shoulders and our planet's heart of love, so we always count upon that. But there are times, perhaps, when we feel like this, and I'm very glad that we have these things recorded in Scripture. If God only painted the great side of things in Scripture.
We would say, well did the Saints of all ever go through those kind of things like we feel But God has faithfully recorded the feelings who went through these things and written them down. So whatsoever things were written before time were written for our learning that lead through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hoped. And then He calls upon the Lord in the 26th verse, Arise for our help and redeem us.
For thy mercy sake, there now we might have expected that the Lord would come in.
And Branch Ella runs. But the reason I read this is because in the 42nd song, it's not a record of deliverance coming in. What is brought before us in the 45th Psalm is a soul that leaves circumstances with God, that he's going to come in in his own time, and he's rejoicing in that place of blessing into which we have been brought and brought him. That's what we often need to do. We the Lord may not and often does not come in to take us out of the difficulty. It may be His mind to leave us in that situation.
And give us the strength that we might glorify him in the midst of it, that we might prove how he is sufficient for all these things. It has been said that you'll never learn to know about as the God of all comfort in heaven, because there's only difficulties up there. But it's down here that we learn those things. Will we remember them in heaven? Indeed we will. Thou shalt remember all the way the Lord thy God LED thee these 40 years in the wilderness, And there will be a remembrance.
Of all that we pass through up above and the feet from the cross won't have those experiences because he was saved in the 11Th hour. But by the grace of God, when you and I have been saved, and perhaps the Lord has left us here a few years, we can experience His grace, His love, His care. How can He be here with us in the midst of trials? Children never have any trials, never have any problems, don't know the hearts of their parents. In the same way as those who've gone through things and found other parents can enter into these things and share them.
And try to help them and encourage them in the midst of them. And so that's what we find is brought before us. And perhaps that explains why the 45th Psalm begins the way it does.
You know, normally I might have expected after reading those verses in the end of the 44th Psalm to find a story of deliverance in the 45th Psalm. But here we find the Psalm begins doesn't mention about deliverance at all. Deliverance is still in the future. But what does he say? My heart is inviting a good matter. I speak of the things which I have made touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
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And who is the occupied with? Is he occupied with his troubles? Are they gone? No, I don't think they're gone. But what has lifted him above those troubles and given him to have this note of triumph? He's occupied with the one who is altogether lovely, who has all power in heaven and in earth. We have a beautiful little scene brought before us in the last chapter of Matthew. There were the disciples.
They were gathered in the appointed place, it says. They went to that mountain where Jesus had appointed.
And the Lord came and was there. And it says that when they saw him, they worshipped him. But it said some doubted and they saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted. Wasn't the perfect company, you know? But the Lord knew what was in their hearts. And He knows what's in my heart and yours too. He knows just exactly our feelings at this very moment and all we may be passing through. And I think I won't turn to the passing, but you can read it for yourself in that 28th.
The Lord said, it says. And Jesus. Well, let's all turn to them because I'd like to get the exact words that I might not pull up in exactly as they are.
The last chapter of Matthew.
I'll just read from the 16th verse. Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them, and when they saw him, they worshipped him with that privilege yesterday. But some doubted, and the Lord knows the thoughts that went through our minds even yesterday. I don't say doubts about our salvation, but doubts about, well, where did this happen? What? Why does this problem come?
Why is our assembly a little different and all these kind of things could come into our minds?
And listen to these words. And Jesus came was the word. What does this mean? In Jesus came is already there. Well to me I think of it like this as if the word is a minute. He just came out here on the shoulder and said, Gordon, Gordon, All power is given unto me in heaven and earth. I could remove that problem if it was my will to do so. How easily I could straighten out that thing if it were my will. All power is given unto me, and have them and in earth.
How lovely this is. Well, that's what we have rather than I believe in little sense in this 45th Psalm.
The heart is indicting a good matter. He's Speaking of those things which he has made touching the king. And grace is thorough, fairer than the children of man. Grace is poured into thy lips. We all know what grace is. Grace allowed is one thing. You can love a person because they're lovable, but grace is the undeserved favor of God, Someone said. Why don't you preach more about love? That's what people need. Why do you preach praise?
Fell by them. He's grace, perhaps, we say. Might almost say we need it more than love.
Try much of it in the passages that we read together in God's Word. Because you didn't. I didn't deserve the love that's owned to us. It's praise. Praise is poured into thy lips.
Therefore God hath blessed thee forever because the Lord Jesus came down to tell us that grace that was in the heart of God, he was the full revelation of all that was in the heart of God. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
But then when we come to the 33rd verse and the third verse, rather, maybe that is the answer to what we have in the chapter before. That is, God is going to come in in his own time, In God's own time, everything is going to be straightened out.
There's a time coming when the rest places will be made smooth and the crooked place is made straight, and all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord. And so he looks on to a day when everything is going to be set right present like you tonight, that you and I'd be there.
Will have any problems up. There will be anything to be set right up there. Now he'll set everything right And as far as this world is concerned it's getting worse and worse. Problems are increasing on every hand. But isn't it good that we know the one? And it says the kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever. So from the 2nd Psalm fight of the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing.
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Men think that they can set things right because they're very well and the only one who can do it, he's going to set everything right.
Going to set everything right too for us. And so we have a little picture of this because everything is going to be satellite in a righteous way.
You know that king shall reign in righteousness, for instance, shall rule in judgment. People won't get away with things on the Millennium. Now everything is going to be set right. But we're living in man's day. This is not the day of the Lord. Yet it's man's day started allowing man to bring out and show what is in his heart, but he's also showing her what is in his heart. He's given his beloved friend his offering to man his great salvation. Pardon.
So God is not willing that ownership, courage, that all should come to repentance. That's what the gospel is, is telling us the heart of God to man, desiring his good and his blessing. But we know that there is a time when everything will be set right. And so says bring this before us. And it says in the sixth verse, Thy globe, O God, is forever and ever the scepter of thy Kingdom is a right scepter.
And a love is righteousness and haters wickedness.
Therefore thy God, thy God, have anointed thee with the oil of gladness. Above thy fellows there is going to be the after all of righteousness that is going to be established. And how much God hated sin, how much he hated iniquity, was displayed at the cross. And we think of God pouring out an awful lot of sin and guilt, and all the punishment that was due to it upon that blessed Holy One, his own beloved Son.
The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. You and I are no better, but it's because the Lord Jesus for that judgment.
Health, love, righteousness and hate your iniquity. It's someone who said he loved righteousness so much he died that it might be established that it costs him very much at the question of Sam would be taken up and settled for the glory of God that was in Calvary, and it's going to be a righteous judgment to find that in the 11Th chapter of Revelation.
Tells us that the time comes from the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ. And it says the nations are angry she didn't want God to step into their affairs. Nation wrangling in the day of Thy laws is coming. So what were the redeemed in heaven doing the rejoicing to giving them thanks, but that I was coming. The price is going to have His rightful place over there. You and I get him in his rightful place.
In our hearts and lives. Now, he has a right to that. That's what owning him as Lord really means, giving him the place of authority to sometimes say there's one person who has a right to tell me what to do from the time I wake up in the morning. So I go to bed at night.
He has a right by all him as my Lord. He seeks my good, but sometimes the faster which he leaves us in order that we might learn. This may seem difficult, but it's for his glory. And in the coming day we'll praise him. We'll thank him for all his ways of wisdom and love.
Well, he is exhausted now. He is annoyed as that the oil of gladness, the end of the seventh verse. I believe this 11Th verse and this eighth verse rather, is a little millennial picture. I think it's very beautiful, far like almonds smell of myrrh and owls and cash out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made me glad. I know this has been taken up by him later Speaking of the Lord coming from the ivory palaces, the mayor suggests that the real thought and the worst is looking on.
Time when there will be a righteous judgment, a righteous government established in this earth. If you recall, in the reign of Solomon, which is a little picture of the millennial Kingdom, he had a throne of ivory. And so when the Lord Jesus takes that rightful place which he will in the coming days, it says all thy garments, smell of myrrh and of allows and cash. I believe that means that when we see him there.
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On that throne, but everything is established. He is having his rightful place. You'll never forget the cross. He'll be there, The remarks in his hands to be a spear mark in his side sometimes said. In that coming day, there's only one person in our eternity that will have the marks of sin and it will be my precious Savior and forever he will bear it. close marks of Calvary. But it cost him so it says.
All I Garmin Smells of murder, of allergy and allergen and cashews.
We'll never forget the costs by which we will redeem. We'll never forget Calgary, and these garments were, so to speak, be the constant reminder of what he went through for us.
King's daughters or mom or among my honorable women?
Upon my right hand it stand the Queen in gold welfare. You know that Israel, or the one who will occupy the nearest place on earth, has sometimes spoken out with the bride, the earthly bride, because the thought is that the bride occupies the nearest place. The ones will occupy the nearest place. I say this because some people have said there are two brides. Scripture never speaks that way. The Church is the Bride of Christ, but the one who will occupy the nearest place to praise upon earth are those of Israel.
And they've spoken out, and they're recognizing the Lord, their bridegroom. In that sense, my right hand expand the Queen in gold local parking, old ladder, and consider an inclined 9 years. Forget all to my own people. And our father's house. Well, what it was necessary to do Abraham. When Abraham was called a fellow to Chaldees, you forgot to have to forget his own people and his father's house.
And the Lord said he would love a father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. The Lord Jesus must have first place. Lord would teach us to love our parents and girls who are near and dear. We have a certain responsibility through them. But there's one who must have first place in all things. He must have a preemptive. And we can never love father another more than the Lord Jesus. And all these decisions that we have to make in life to say, well, that's my mother, that's my brother, that's somebody who's very dear to me. But the Lord has the right to that first place hasn't been forget all for thy own people.
Paul said so Lord separated him from his mother's womb.
Called by His grace. And how often must it cost those early believers a great deal, and took their sins for the Lord? But such a was and so he says, to get also thine own people.
And social The king greatly desired thy beauty, for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him nature very dear. But even when a person is married, we know that there's someone that comes closer than father or mother to them. So the one who occupies the place of life, or perhaps they'll have some, occupies a much nearer place than any other relationship on earth. God has found its own. We have a peer brought forward, and his advice is that you and I are going to occupy the very nearest place.
To the Lord Jesus you are loved as His bride and he'll display outside. I think that's so beautiful what we have in Second Thessalonians that says when he shall count to be glorified in His Saints and to be admired all in the blue, because our testimony among you is believed in that day. But a wedding takes place and the husband introduces his bride as it was accompanied and say, this is the person.
Is going to share with me, although I have, and that's what it's going to take place. Want to be a wonderful thing, isn't it? Humbling present to think of it. The Lord is going to come out of heaven and the Lord is going to introduce and say these are the people that I chose.
That's why I think the thought of being elected is so wonderful. We're the chosen one. She's not chosen me that I have chosen you. And he was going to show that the people in Denver, maybe we just buy those who confess the name of the Lord Jesus and say who are those people that he's going to come again? And the Lord Jesus listen to those words again. He shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired and all in the belief because our testimony among you have believed in that day.
What's the most system contrast for the chapter?
Did you come in with a whole lot of burdens on your hearts? Feel what's described in the end of this.
00:30:03
44th Psalm or something. The way I feel at times rather than the Lord come in and help me. But here he finds you lifting him out of all this by occupying him by the portion that it is in the future that is ahead of him and brought him. That's what the only thing the world being used psychology and all those kind of things. But Gaurav sets before us a vision of coming, glory, the cultivars again, what a vision is.
The people, parents, were cast off their strength. You're going to say, what's the use? When everything goes wrong, you lose sight of the glory that wakes up. But this thing just brought girls. Well, when we look in, we're not all glorious within, are we?
Now Paul said in me that is in my flesh dwelleth other things. Every one of us who are truly saved and learned something of the truth of God know that when we look within we're not glorious within. But there's a day coming and this is what it's pictured here. When we can look within a little him express and I see to look within and see no strings abroad, no curse to trace. He shed no tears to feel no pain.
Some crazy place. Which place? So I think there's a lot like the King's daughter is all glorious with him and that's what's before us. And that her clothing is of rock gold. So we know girls speaks of divine righteousness and we're all well acquainted with that beautiful verse in such 2nd Corinthians 5, verse 21. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That's already true of us.
It's not a logical verse in John's epistle as he is. So are we in this world, as do our standing. We will not have a better standing when we get to glory than we have right now. We are already the righteousness of God in Christ. We have that all foul of nature within and belong to the diamond. It will be gone. But this is all going to be displayed in the coming day. The King's daughters are glorious within.
Her clothing is of rock gold.
That was a little practical thought, I believe, brought in in this 14th verse. She shall be brought under the king in raiment of needlework words, and her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee and return to Revelation, chapter 19. I think perhaps it helps to understand this portion.
Revelation Chapter 19.
07.
Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife hath made herself ready, and her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the new translation after Darby's translation is the righteousness is. It's really a plural word. If you look up in the original, it's a plural word. The righteousness is of Saints.
He said unto thee, Blessed are they which are called under the married supper of the Lamb said unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Here we see.
Sir, shall I say the results of the judgment seat of Christ in display. You and I are going to be there because of what God through His beloved Son accomplished for us, were already made the righteousness of God in him. But there's going to be a manifestation of our lives, and that will be at the judgment seat of Christ.
I'd like to say perhaps you get the thought when a girl is being married, I don't think because of anything she's going to wear on the wedding day that she's going to be his bride. He isn't even thinking of what she's going to wear. He just loves her and has Charles and her wants her for his companion. What she's looking forward to that day, she spoke to a lot of work to get a nice bridal dress ready for that day and so she puts a lot of work into it and there is the fine linen.
The firemen and is the righteousness is the practical thing today comes from here. This girl from each chosen chosen to be his bride not because of anything he's going to wear on that day, but he loved. Theresa May be the bride of his choice. But the marriage day has come. Now you and I are the espoused bride of Christ. He could have put in the practical way. Stitch by stitch, we're preparing for that bottle garment that's going to be on display in that day.
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Install the fine lemon is the righteousness of the plural word of the Saints. So he looked at her and says, Did you make that yourself, dear it myself, oh beautiful, all I wanted to do just for this day. Oh no, lovely to think that the Lord is taking note of everything that you and I do for Him. We have not one thing that we can do is going to make us more acceptable to him as far as our standing is concerned.
But everything that we do to praise Him is going to be manifested. I'd like to look at a few verses in the New Testament that speak of this. Perhaps something going to be inspired first of all.
There's there's nine worker with labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done.
Whether good or bad, So here we find.
In the verse, the eighth verse, we're confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. I say that because anything that we do has nothing to do with our fitness for that place. It's all because of what Christ was done on the cross. But there is going to be this manifestation of our lives. Impulsivity was laboring, but when his life passed into review at the judgment seat of Christ, It will have the Lord's approval, but it might be done in such a way that he would want.
To have the Lord's well done.
We read about this in the Gospels. Well done. Now good and faithful servant and so on. Melissa is brought out here. It says everyone shall receive. The thing is done in his body according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad. When we stand with the judgment seat of Christ, we're going to stand there, called in the very best, grow. We're already perfectly accepted in the below, but there is a manifestation of our lives. And you say, well, what does it say, whether it be good or bad?
Well, some of these illustrated it like this and I thought it was very nice.
Supposing I had a great death and I couldn't pay it. And a friend comes along and says, give me all of accounts and I'll look after them for you. So I hand them all to him and he goes and settles them and he hands them back to me, and they're all marked, paid in full, but I never have added them up. I never. I didn't realize. I knew I was pretty badly in debt, but I didn't know how much. Now I'm not afraid to do it because we're OK and so.
I start to have them up and I oh, I never realized I had so great a gift.
And did my friend have to pay all that debt? He may have to sell his house to pay all my bills, so I thank him once. I want to thank him 1000 times for what he did rather than you. And I will never realize how great our debt was until the judgment seated Christ.
I say that because somebody might say, well, that too. Yes. We will never, never know how much we owe to the Lord until we see in that day is marks. And we blessed His hands and feet inside. He hung there at Calvary and that's blood. That Club forest cleanses you also. It's all going to be manifested. And then after we have been saved, sometimes we might think they're pretty good Christians, but we'll find that the Lord soften things in our lives. We weren't very pleasing to Him, but He loved it, just to say.
And he crept around with us in spite of our mistakes and our failures.
He still was the same as lovely with an everlasting love. Some people say it's just all going to come out here. You'll never, never know. I'll create the debt like the Lord Jesus paid until that day. The judgment seat of Christ. And I believe it's presented in different thoughts that you just took a few minutes maybe in First Corinthians 3. Here we see it's the whole life. 1St Corinthians 3. I believe it talked about our service to the Lord.
There's 12 Corinthians 3 now any man build upon this foundation. Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, a subtle every bands works we made manifest. For the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fire shall try every man's worth of what sort it is. Then man's work abide which you have built there upon he shall receive a reward in man's work that we burn, he shall suffer loss.
00:40:06
But he himself shall be saved, yet soul is by fire.
Here we have the manifestation of our service to the Lord. If any man's work can burn. So there can be a lot done, but it's not according to the vines and will of God. There can be a lot of chat. If you remember David, he wanted to bring up the ark of the Lord and he planned the way. He copied the idea from the Philistines and he really did it with the heart of the Lord. But it wasn't according to the mind. The girl of God and the Lord stepped in and showed that he wasn't pleased with what he had done.
Did he have a good motive yet? He asked you what to do it for the Lord. But if he had only searched the word of God, he would have found that there was a way that should have been done.
He didn't do it that way. Happily, he recognized that he was wrong, and he said I should have gone to the Lord of God and found out the way that God planned that the arts should be carried, because the ark was to be carried not on a new cart, but on the shoulders of the priest. So he he became exercise, and he said, well, we must do it The way God has said first time was like all burned up. It wasn't pleasing to the Lord, but nevertheless.
You know, did it in a way that was pleasing to the Lord, and the Lord was pleased and honored with what he had done. So we may try to do something for the Lord. If you're going to do something to the Lord, search the scriptures. Be sure you're doing it in a way that's according to His word. There can be a lot of effort put in the wrong direction.
Remember when I was a young man, I was at a conference in Toronto many years ago and went to the road as a building where we were and.
I when I came to the door I was pulling door open up and the door wasn't opening and there was somebody standing by and he says it says push not pull. And he said you can put a lot of energy in the wrong direction can't you? And we can put a lot of energy and it was a lesson for me.
Put a lot of energy in the wrong direction. Well, every man's word can be made manifest. Better to do a little according to the word of God than the last that is not according to his mind. And will send another verse in First Corinthians chapter four that I'd like to notice.
Four, Chapter 4, verse four. I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified. But he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come. The wealth will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the councils of the hearts. And then shall every man listen to these words, And then shall every man have praise of God. It's not lovely. Can you hear from the most wonderful verses in the Bible?
That the Lord is going to pick out of the life of every Christian something that he can reward. Maybe we did a mess of a lot of things, but he's going to pick out those things where you say that this what is this, Missus Morris? And you know, we might have a right motive. David, in that case, had a right motive. Another case too. He wanted to build a host for the Lord. He had a good motive. But the Lord said, no, David, your motives good.
He even said this, that it was good, that it was in my heart, he said, I don't want you to do it. It's your son that's going to do it. He took notice of the model. Parents will understand this little illustration too. But sometimes when you were brought up some of your nice China or some nice dishes and one of your children volunteered to help and drop some of your nicest dishes on the floor.
Sorry. It is. You condemn the child. Perhaps you kept them and say you have to help. I know you intended to help. Isn't that one of the rest of the kind of the God we have? He's kind of a manifest, the councils of the heart. And then shall every man have praise to God of God. You see these different things that are going to know, he said. I would like them to know. I'm glad you're going to come out. Aren't you Glad. Wouldn't you want to know whether the Lord was taking some things out of your life? Would you want the things that were not according to his will to remain either to us, the will of God about it forever?
When the standard of the judgments we have, Christ, it's not to lay a charge against you. I often say in English, we use the word judgment in two ways. There's a judge in a court and he is there to impose fines or sending people to jail. He's what we might call a penal judge, but that's very nice. You might go to a craft show. That very judge was with a penal judge there and was impulsing fine and sending them to prison. And here he died in this, in this craft shelf.
00:45:13
There to punish anybody. No hope. You therefore to give rewards. He's going to get rewards And so the same man sits there and he's the judge too. But he's the judge of the character of the work that he's getting rewards for what will meet the reward. So you know, lovely the Lord never going to judge me for my sin. He bought my judgment but he's going to be the judge as to what abide for him. But just one other passage I'd like to turn to in Romans chapter.
Chapter.
14 Romans, chapter 14.
There's 10 So let us thou judge thy brother, or whitest thou said it, not thy brother? We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. There's 12. So that every one of us shall give account of himself to God. This isn't speaking here of assembly responsibilities, but these are Speaking of those things that we often form judgment of in life. You have to be pretty careful, Don't we bother him? Might be the brother that I thought was.
Not very spiritual or something. He should be standing right beside me.
How about seeing gotta get Gregory awarded me? I gotta be careful what I say. I'm not speaking as I say. Other scriptures show us the assembly has a responsibility and connection with judging sin in the Assembly of God. But here are these personal things. And so it says, Why does thou judge thy brother? Why does thou said it not thy brother? Isn't it good for us to remember that we're all going to be there? He's always going to manifest what has been for himself.
Love itself in our lives. And so everyone else shall give account of himself to God. Are you worried about what somebody else did? Well, and my dear father, he used to mention this verse to us. He said, remember, everyone shall have to give an account of himself. I would have to give an account for you. He won't have to give an account for me, but I will have to give an account for my son. Can I treat that brother rightly? Did I show him the spirit of Christ? Did I try to help him? All those things I'm going to have to give him an account for.
But the judgment is right, so I just went to me. So the whole life passed under you, our service.
Our motives and our attitude always come both but the judgment seat of faith. But then shall every man with praise of God tell me something in every believers right that the Lord will pick out that will receive a reward from Him? Well, this is very serious for us when we think of it, and I believe it comes in here, this chapter. Let's go back out of the 45th Psalm.
She shall be brought under the king and raiment of needlework. Have we looked the practical side of things that is brought before us with gladness and rejoicing? Verse 15 of the 45th Psalm shall she be brought. They shall enter into the King's pals. What a time of rejoicing. Nothing that has been of the flesh will abide, will all be burned up, but our water and blessed thing, that the Lord will take notice of those things. But I can see how practical it is.
This is the same person Bergman that was so cast out in the chapter before. He's about discouraged, he says. Why doesn't God come in?
Now the Lord has given him a view of himself. He says, everything going to be set right. Another day, and our own lives are going to be passing the review to the gladness and rejoicing shall it be brought. They shall enter into the King's house, he thought, I like to mention in this sixth verse, instead of thy father shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make Princess in all the earth.
I take a little comfort from this verse, you know, because those are bringing up children in this day. Say, my what an evil day to bring up children. And perhaps that might be the thought of the ones who are bringing up children. Even this terrible day of darkness and the tribulation period. It'll be an awful, dark day, an awful hard day for them as they see their children on the day when wickedness has reached, hate never reached before. What is the word of encouragement here?
He says. Instead of looking back to the days of your father's look on, you know, those children.
00:50:06
Who are born during the Tribulation or who are saved during the Tribulation? Perhaps they'll enter into the millennial age and they'll enter into our most wonderful time.
You know, I think it was in the practical way they apply it this way. We often say, oh, what a difficult day to bring up children. What a hard day for our children and young people. But they may be living in the most wonderful day, but every person would desire to be living in the very generation of the Lord God, the very generation of the Lord. Come her children may be greatly privileged growing up. I say in the generation, you boys and girls, you know, the Lord is your savior. You may be more favorite than your grandfather. Maybe he's already with the Lord, but.
He was waiting for the Lord's coming. But you may see the very moment from the Lord defense, instead of thy father shall be thy children. So they're going to be a Prince in all the earth. So children, from the dark days of the tribulation, they're going to be up in places of authority in the Kingdom when Christ faces rightful place. We're going to reign with strikes, but a future for us.
Dennis mentioned the importance of the Lord's family. Make thy name to be remembered in all generations.
Therefore, will the people praise thee forever and ever notice for 12. Have a few minutes here on this 46. This is a unique song. This is the only song that has this heading, says to the chief musician for the sons of Korah. A song upon element. The only song 150 that has this heading. And if you look it up, perhaps you have a little note If you look up in the cadarbies and you'll find that this was women's fingers.
Quite remarkable. There were one of the singers as we know in the temple and so these are mentioned. If you took the time to look it up, you'll see different instances of it. But I think it was very beautiful because you know, sisters can cannot be given the public place that God has given to the brother, a more responsible place, but they can have a tremendous influence, a tremendous influence. He had a bad influence and she influenced her husband.
If I gather abundance of records, that there are many women that had a wonderful influence through the scripture.
And so system songs, and may I say it to the sisters, here is this your song. When difficulties arise in the hat family, when difficulties arise in my home life, and when the assembly, What's your attitude toward them? Is this the way you talk to your husband, to your brother? God? Is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble? Therefore, will not we fear at all the earth be removed, all those mountains be carried into the midst of the sea?
So the letters are of long be troubled, so the mountains shake that the flowing around.
See my coffee. Everyone of the brothers in this room know what it means to have their wife give them a word of encouragement when they feel discouraged. What a word a sister can say. You read of a few instances of the Old Testament of feminine God used like Deborah and different ones who God used to be a help in dark days.
And so here we have this Earl sum, sung by the women singers, and to me it's just as if in the midst of all those about it been before us. In the 44 song in the 45th, just as if a forest is human, voices came back. Well, let's not be afraid, but instead of small, that the Lord is over. All the mountains may be cast into the midst of the sea, the waters may be swelling, but the Lord's the same. He's always a source of strain from health.
And so our sisters can be a marvelous help in this. And I think it's a beautiful sound. I'm sure. I'm sure all of us have enjoyed it.
Perhaps you never noticed that before you only wanted a whole 150 that we read out, which is sung by particularly women voices.
Fit Where is God is in the midst of her? She shall not be moved. God shall help her in that right early.
And then in the seventh verse, the Lord of Pulse is with us. So you say that there's only a few about the Lord of Hopes to do us. You know that they left that expression out of the new NIV. They said nobody would understand that expression. The Lord of both farming is the most wonderful expression, the Lord of both, because sometimes you do feel very much alone. But the Lord, a false, showed a great company. And so it says the Lord of folks is with us.
00:55:05
The God of Jacob, what do you say? He looked at the failures. And we've made a lot of mistakes. Yes, I have. But you have. And so the God of Jacob is our refuge. Jacob made many mistakes, but God made plentiful promise to Jacob and thinks of himself more as the God of Jacob than even the God of Abraham and Isaac. What a God we have. He never changes. He's faithful and we fail that. And then we see the the eighth verse and the back verse.
How the Lord comes in and he takes care of things and He settles things. Sometimes you just have to wait his time, he has been saying. We wait his time.
Both all about soon end in bliss. Today the time comes when he comes in very often. So I say it's just the day after our place has been exhausted, he said. Can't wait any longer, but if we just wait a little longer, he would have come in. Have you seen that? Oh, how wonderful. Israel's God is our problem and so.
Ten First he still and know that I am God, the hard thing for us, isn't it sometimes to be still.
Children of Israel came there by the Saints of the Red Sea. There was the enemy behind them, and the sea of the head of them was awfully hard to stand still. But Moses said, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Nothing stood still for a while. Then the Lord said, Now go forward. I go from delay. And he opened the way the waters were twelve of them in the right hand and the left. But that you can picture them there with that arm, here the.
Egyptians behind them and the rare sea in front of them is pretty hard to stand still, wasn't it? Well, sometimes it's like that, you know, behind it before. It seems difficult. He's still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among me. Even I will be exalted in the earth without the Lord of us. He isn't a kind of small company. When you reach heaven brought him, it's going to be a great company with no man can number. And sometimes it might be that two or three gathered to his name. But when we reach there, it's going to be a little company.
A tremendous company, the Lord false, is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge, the God of none of Abraham but the God of children.
Barely know we are isn't as fun as that. So may the Lord just give us no word of encourage that we're living in times when it may seem difficult to go on. Sometimes you might feel something like this 44 thumb but that is considered as 45th song. Let us think Hello Lord going to put in his own time. And I have a glorious future before me. And I have a glorious savior. He's altogether lovely, his garment smell of myrrh and olive and kashyap.
My tongue is the pan is our fares and the children of men. Grace is thought into thy love. What a, what a savior we have. How wonderful. Don't think the Lord granted we'll be more occupied with him and more difficulties to come. May we encourage one another in the Lord's? Just one little instance in the Bible.
For Jonathan, remember went out to fight the host of the Philistines and he went and his armor there and the host of the cell phone is up there in the Garrison and Jonathan felt very, very weak. He said doesn't matter to the Lord whether there's many or few, that he got a little bit closer and saw the difficulty that was ahead of him.
Gathered that, he turned around.
Well, it was too much for me and his servant that was with him. God hasn't even mentioned his name. I'll find out in heaven. But I don't hear you very much. But he said turn me. I'm with thee. You are. Listen my heart, Jonathan. His armor very long forward and one won a great victory. Maybe there's some time we'll use that. He got told his food, that's all. Like turning back And someone said don't get discouraged, the world is with him. He won't fail.
Let's know how to speak that little word of encouragement at the right time. Our God is the God of all, and courage and courage.
Wonder if we could sing that again, 312.
Lead on, Almighty Lord, lead on to victory. Encouraged by Thy blessed word with joy, we follow thee. 312.
Open Mtg.
Open—H. Brinkmann, E. Tonn
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Gracious, loving father.
We are grateful to be to be in the pathway of faith and service.
Translated us from the Kingdom of darkness, the Kingdom of light, your son, and made a suitable subject to be partakers of the Saints, anyway.
Here we are. You of mine owns.
Desiring to hear my voice or my precious word.
We feel very much as the household 20 years ago. Here we are in thy questions to hear words, man, it doesn't leave. So do God to reckless our Father, hear the Holy Spirit Liberty in order that we may wait upon things, in order to be instructed in Thy ways to walk according to Thy desires while we're left in the sea.
An aggressive move and the glorious appearing of our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we will just bite our time here until at home and when we hear him say your lies, my love, my fair one, and come away. So as we sit quiet in that precious Rex, I call it by the spirit and order that we may know that we are hearing that which would be beneficial to our soul. Everyone in the room may receive a portion, but we know the desired desire to bless and give you advice and ask yourself and blessing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:05:41
To the Gospel of Luke.
We read in chapter 12 verse 34.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
In the readings we have brought, have had been brought before us the truth that we are a heavenly people, that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
And we have, I believe, some wonderful instructions in the Gospel of Luke that help us to understand what is to be our proper attitude, even as the things connected with this light material thing.
And warnings are given.
And that is of special significance when we realize that in Christianity.
As we have said, we have heavenly blessings. All of our blessings that we have as Christians are outside of this world.
There are mercies that we enjoy and appreciate in connection with this life in this world.
For which we are thankful.
Be ye thankful, the Scripture says.
And that is not only to be thankful for the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ in heavenly places, but also for the mercies that he provides for us from day-to-day.
You know, we do not realize beloved Saints of God. How many of God's people have to live in other lands?
You know the luxuries and comforts that we have. It would be good if all of us would be able someday to have a short visit amongst some of the poorest of the poor in this world. We would be that much more grateful and thankful for what we have indeed favored land. But there is a danger.
And the danger is that we set out hard on the things.
And in Luke chapter 12 we have in verse 13.
That.
One of the companies said to him to the Lord Jesus, Master, speak to my brother, that he devised the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, And who made me a judge or divider over you? He said unto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, For a man's life consisted not in the abundance of the things which he possesses, and he speaks a parable unto them, saying.
The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.
That he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to be stole my fruit.
And he said, this will I do. I will pull down my barn and feel greater.
Built, Greyhound. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. I will say to you, my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods. Lay up for many years. Take down east, eat, drink, and be married. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided?
00:10:16
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself.
And not rich towards God.
You know.
The Lord refuses to settle this matter. Not that he needs to imply by this that we as Christians do not have the responsibility to try in such matters when difficulties arise among God's people. First Corinthians 6 very plainly tells us that if we refuse.
And I'm not willing to set up door to at least to settle such disputes that there isn't a spiritual one among you. But the Lord here discerned something in this man that requested this that he deals with and that is covered chess nurse.
You know, and that is a danger for all of us, that we want things for ourselves.
And the law deals with that faithfully, and he gives this parable of this man who had so much, and he was only thinking of himself.
There's nothing wrong in laying things up.
As people say for a rainy day.
Many times Saints are foolish in the way, in the way they handle things that the Lord entrusts to them. And then when they get old, they have nothing. They have it all blown, you know, and the scripture even says that the parents lay up for the children and not the children for the parents.
But the problem with this rich man was he was only thinking of himself.
And that is what the Lord deals with and wants to exercise our consciences about.
How do we look at that which the Lord entrusts to us in a material way?
All for myself.
Why that's a danger.
And the Lord removes him from this world.
It isn't true that when people are characterized by selfishness and covetousness.
They also tend to be very poor when it comes to spiritual wealth.
You know, that's what the Lord says here. So is he that layeth up, treasures, treasure for himself and is not brave towards God, my grandpa told me.
Once that the brother was visiting in my hometown, a labourer, and in those days they had a good custom that they didn't just preach and give addresses.
They would visit from house to house like the apartheid forces in Acts Chapter 20.
Visiting some house to house and this one brother local brother that accompanied the laborer to go to a house.
On the way, he said. We're coming to a house now of a rich man who is poor.
You know, get a lot of these worlds good. But he was poor spiritually. And then they came to another house and the brother said, now we're coming to a House of a poor brother, but he's rich. You see the danger is beloved, where is our heart? There's nothing wrong in having sex and it's a lot of money. That is a root of every kind of evil. And the question is, how do we look at these possessions?
Grandpa also told me that.
He told the Saints, and that was before cars were available for people. He said if the Lord wanted to, he could make us all right through town with six horses in front of our body. But he said we might also drive away from the Lord with six horses. You know, these are the dangers. Do we set our hearts on that on these material things?
00:15:03
Or do we use them in a way that would meet with the Lord approval?
And this rich man was foolish. He didn't bring God into his thoughts at all. He didn't look at what?
The Lord gave him.
In this way that he had to handle it. In view of how does the Lord look at my handling these things that I had myself, I, myself and I, again and again.
It's the thought that so often times.
Comes up and is manifest.
Even I'm afraid amongst God's people the danger is there. Our hearts are the same before we are saved or after we are saved. If the grace of God does not bring a different attitude and change in our hearts, we will manifest the same thing. Well later on in this chapter, the verses before the verse that I read where your treasure is to shall your heart be false souls.
And we are concerned that the law deals with in this chapter as to food and clothing and things like that. We don't know very much about these kinds of things in this part of the world. But you certainly see that there are problems in other places. If you go to India and you see the kids running around with raggedy clothes, we wouldn't even use them for dusting our homes.
You know, and you're frustrated.
Because you don't have the things that you would help all of these people try to help your own brothers and sisters. Not that we don't have the responsibility at times to do good unto all men, but there are so many.
In great needs that we cannot help.
But these things tend to be used by the enemy when needs arise to show Occupy our minds that we can hardly concentrate on spiritual faith. I know what it is like and what it was like after World War 2, when we had little food and little clothing. You know, my brother, oldest brother was 17, I was 15. We had outgrown everything and there was hardly anything available during the war and then shortly after the war.
You know, I know what it is like and how these things tend to occupy your mind, and the enemy brings it before your soul, and it robs you of time with the Lord, and to be over this thing of the Lord. But.
Seek ye rather the Kingdom of God.
And all these things shall be added unto you. You know, we ought not to make all our efforts to go out in that direction. Material needs to be met, and we ought to be on guard against that. See the Kingdom of God. Seek the things of God, the other gospel says in his righteousness, and these things shall be added unto you. And then the Lord uses this beautiful phrase, little flock.
I believe.
You can understand that phrase when we consider that the Lord had come to his earthly people and they as a whole really rejected him. But there were those who did accept it, and they followed the Lord Jesus. They were very few when you looked at the nation as a whole. And so the Lord says little flock, We like to think of God's people today.
As a little buck, the hymn book we're using is called Little Flock Hymn Book. Those who put their title on that hymn book must have realized. In a certain sense, we are in a similar position as the disciples of the Lord Jesus during his day when we think of the vast number in Christendom and then see how few are willing to really meet in the name of the Lord Jesus, meet around him. But don't worry.
You see the Lord Jesus.
Is the Shepherd and he takes care of us.
And even if there are difficult times that we go.
To face death even.
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With us know the story has been told that the servant of the Lord, fleeing from the east at the end of World War Two, died of starvation in a refugee camp. But the beautiful testimony that was given by those who were near him was how he was in the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus. In the midst of such a severe trial, not all God people have been.
Always delivered.
You know Daniel and his friends were delivered, but you read in Hebrew Chapter 11 and you find.
They did not all experience deliverance, but the Shepherd is with us, just like he was with those three friends in the fiery furnace, you know, And what a comfort that is.
That thou art with me. Psalm 23.
But then the Lord says.
Self that ye have.
Does it mean that you and I should sell everything that we have and don't have anything in a bank account or?
I don't think so. A brother here among us has said sell out to the Lord. I think that's the idea. Sell out to the law. Develop a proper attitude as to the things that the Lord entrusts you with, and then use it for others. Hold what you have with an open hand. That is true Christianity.
Not selfishness lay up treasures in heaven.
We had that verse quoted already where Moth and Rust cannot corrupt.
You know, how do we layout treasures in heaven? Someone has said send it up ahead. You know that which you give to those in need, you won't lose. You know the Lord will have an accounting up there of all that is done for him and even for those in need. Not only God, people, of course, especially of those of the household of faith, but you got unto all men, but especially of those of the household of faith, you have a neighbor in need.
And you're able to help him.
Don't you have the responsibility to help them?
Yes.
Lay up treasures in heaven.
So your pleasure is that your heart?
There will be. Also, don't set your heart on things and young people.
And I grew up. I hardly ever had a ride in a car before I came to America. One time I remember as a little boy, I had to ride in a car.
And so when you're growing up, then you are 16. At least in Wisconsin, you have to be 16 before you can drive. And then you might even have your own car.
I'm sure I would have been thrilled if I would have had a car at the age of 16. I never wanted a bicycle because I saw the danger.
I made a lot of lakes for people that lost their lakes on bicycles, motorcycles today.
But the danger is that you put your heart or set your heart on their heart, that it becomes an idol, you know, What about a house?
What about a girlfriend and a boyfriend? You know, the danger is that it's so occupies our minds that it interferes with being occupied with the Lord Jesus and the things we have in here.
You know, I'm afraid sometimes you might even say I want this nice big house so that I can show hospitality to the Saints.
But is it really that what prompts you to want that big house?
Well.
I trust.
The Lord will keep us from setting our heart on things.
Now turn.
To chapter 16.
We have there in the beginning of the chapter.
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The unjust? Sure.
Who was going to be removed from his stewardship, But he still was.
Was in that position at this time, knowing.
What?
What's going to happen to him?
So he called everyone of his Lords, debtors unto him, and said unto the first How much forst thou unto my Lord? And he said, 100 measures of oil. He said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write. 50 Then send he to another, And how much for it thou? And he said in 100 measures of me a week. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write 4 score.
And the Lord commanded.
The unjust to her because he had done wisely, For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of life. I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, that when it fails, it should read.
He may they may receive you into everlasting habitation. He that is faithful and that which is leaves is faithful also in much, And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in March. If, therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon, who will commit to you your trust, the true riches, and if he has not been faithful in that which is another man?
Who shall give you that which is your own so?
You might say that unjust steward did not be righteously with his master's goods in reducing the debt. The Lord uses this to bring a point across that we use that which is entrusted to us as to us.
In view of what is to come, not for selfish present advantage, that's what he is bringing across. And really you and I, everyone of us, are in the position of stewards.
And that which is entrusted to us.
In a material way is not ours.
That is not ours. That belongs to the law.
That's the proper attitude.
And we have to use that which he has entrusted to us in a way that we too will be commended by the law.
He that is faithful in that which is least.
It's faithful also in March.
You know, even in the Church, in the Assembly.
Those who are entrusted with the.
Deaconess service, to meet the material needs among the same ought to be such that have proven in their own individual life faithfulness and sound judgment, because if they don't do that in their own personal life, neither will they do it with things that pertain to the assembly and administering funds.
That come in the collection amongst the Saints.
But to be faithful in material things is faithful in belief.
And if we're faithful in that which is these, we will also prove faithful in debt.
Which is much.
And the unrighteous mammoth you know it isn't that money in itself is unrighteous, but the way that many times is used by the enemy and even the way we handle things.
You know, it's a wonderful thing to see the generosity of the Saints when Neat arrives amongst God's people, how they're willing to help.
And assist those people generally. But it begins, doesn't it, with the individual being faithful in these things. I know that we don't get ministry on this kind of a thing very often, and the Lord's servants are hesitant.
00:30:08
To even take upset the subject because they might well be.
Plot that as if they want to, if they want to help themselves, you know, and to improve their own economical situation. But beloved, every one of us is responsible how we handle things.
That are entrusted to us. And I trust the Lord will use some of these thoughts that I have expressed this afternoon to exercise us in these greater ways about faithfulness. In these things there are many needs among God to be solved, and not only in Africa, in India and South America.
Even in.
Be given to the Lord by every Jew in Christianity.
We're not under the law, we will not.
Press that we have to give 10% because there might be some who are so poor and have such little income that they would find it difficult to give 10%, but those who are able to give more, should they not give more.
As we have prospered that says we should lay aside. As we have prospered and it has been said, and it's worth repeating, it is not so much how much we give, but how much do we keep for ourselves.
You know, we can't take anything of this earth's foot along.
When we go home to be with the Lord. But like he said earlier, we can't send it out ahead and the Lord will reward faithfulness not only in the way we.
Conduct ourselves in connection with the truth of God, truth of the Church, and so on and so forth. Also how we conduct ourselves, the practical matters, and we might not have much.
But remember what the Lord took notice of that widow.
Who put the mind in there? She gave all that she had, you know, And so it's not a question of.
How much we gain? How much do we keep for ourselves? Do we have selfish motives and attitudes in our lives? Young people? You can develop these attitudes as young people, maybe you get.
An allowance from your parents? I never got any allowance. My parents didn't have enough to give me an allowance. But if you do get an allowance, wouldn't it be nice if you would be exercised even there to set some of it aside and give it to the Lord?
You know, I think that's a nice exercise, even as young people to develop proper editors. You know, we don't want to be selfish creatures thinking only of ourselves. And if the Lord has our hearts, and if we really lay hold of what we had before us in the reading meeting our spiritual wealth and that which we have in Christ, the things of earth will have little esteem.
In our eyes and we will reach out more and more for the spiritual things.
And he.
Which is which are ours will be more important to us?
3.
00:35:29
I would like to read.
3 verses from the 4th chapter of Ephesians.
Also call.
Taking up the.
Practical consequence.
Of those things that we have had before us, particularly in his first chapter in Ephesians, in which the Apostle.
Continues in the second chapter, third chapter to bring out that wonderful.
Trove of the assembly.
And then it should.
Strike a response in our hearts.
There have been times when those who have sought to be of help in establishing the truth as to what we are in Christ and what.
Wonderful privileges have been given us in the truth of.
What we sometimes call the doctrinal portions of Pauline epistles.
And we hear sometimes that you don't get any practical ministry.
I recall a few years ago that at Lawrenceville we had the first chapter of Ephesians and we heard some criticism of that sort.
And the Lord gave me this thought and the reading meeting.
If the truth.
That is given to us.
In the so-called our final portions of the epistles does not form the thoughts and affections of our heart.
To take up the practical exhortations is to bring the Saints of God under law again, and it becomes only a religious duty.
So the question as we have been reminded just now as to.
Those things that pass through our hands of the heart.
But here in.
Chapter 4. The Apostle.
Says in verse one I therefore the prisoner of the Lord.
You seek you, that you walk worthy of the vocation. Where was your call?
I brought my parallel translation here because I really believe the thing that the apostle is bringing before us as he walked worthy of the calling with which we have been called.
With all loneliness and meekness and long-suffering forebearing one another in love.
And every deep unity of spirit in the bond of peace.
The personal pronoun that the apostle uses is emphatic.
We've had mention of some of the failures of the apostle at Jerusalem.
But I believe this first statement here.
We can leave whatever personal failure might have resulted in his being in prison with the Lord.
And view his incarceration as he views it.
He is a prisoner not of the Romans, the prisoner of the Lord.
And the service of Christ.
He says.
My name on He's a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
That one who was here? Jesus. That way we think of him when the name of Jesus.
Is mentioned in the epistles particularly, and the one who now has been exalted at God's right hand, the Christ. He made him both Lord and Christ when he raised him from the dead, and so he views himself as being where he is because of the service.
Of the rejected one following objective Christ is going to result in.
Difficulties, But we can take those difficulties as He does here as a prisoner of the Lord, and He exhorts us.
00:40:04
I looked up this word one time about exhorting. Having been in the public schools for 27 years, I know a little bit about the.
Tech Rally.
We had one every week during the football season, of course, and the exhortation thought is to encourage and to spur on in the pathway of faith.
And so we have an exhortation to walk worthy of the calling we saw in Ephesians 1. Something of Our Calling. But there are several verses that came to mind as I meditate upon this, that specifically referred to Our Calling.
In Romans chapter one.
The apostle says we are called Saints. That is Saints by calling.
When we think of the people of God as Saints.
We have to consider a life of holiness.
It says in Second Corinthians Chapter 7 and verse one.
Based on the wonderful promises of two Corinthians, 617 through the end of God being a father to us, and our being his sons and daughters, and the practical enjoyment of the fatherhood and children relationship, because of obedience to His Word, therefore having purified ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness.
In the sight of God.
So when we think of Our Calling as Saints or being Saints by calling, we have to consider.
I walk upon this before God.
We had in the readings particularly the marvelous position into which we've been brought, and we also have something as to the eternal counsels of God in the future when the Lord Jesus Christ is going to reign His universal Lord.
Wonderful portion to be associated to that blessed man when he comes to take his Kingdom in this world.
So in connection with this we have wholeness.
He comes his house.
Because of what we have been made to be, and because of the information that God has given us concerning our own position and the position of things in this world, the relative position of things in this world, Peter says Knowing these things, what manner of men should be, being all manner of holy conversation that is our life as Saints of God should be a light of police. You're exhausted because our Father is holy in the God Who.
Called us as holy, we should be holy. Well, that's Saints by calling.
Also later on in the epistle here that we have been called out of darkness.
Into his marvelous light. So to walk worthy of the calling out of darkness. Into light means that we walk in the light. He that walks in darkness, the Lord says, stumbled because He knows not where they're going.
One of the most wonderful aspects of being the Lord is being in the light.
If we walk in the lake, John's official tells us as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin. This is where we walk. We are in the light.
And we are there by virtue of the cleansing of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that brings us into company with all of those who are cleansed in the precious blood of Lord Jesus Christ and who walked according to the lake. We are set to be children of lake, no longer children of darkness. We were darkness.
But now we are light in the Lord, he said. Walk as children of light.
So another aspect of The Walking, according to the calling, is we walk as children of light. Paul says to the Philippians that we are to hold forth the word of light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation holding forth the word of life shining as lights in the world.
00:45:05
One other remark made.
Of us as believers is that we are Epistles of Christ.
Known and read of all men.
Someone has said that all the only Bible some individuals read is what they read in the life of the children of God.
We don't have to decide to be epistles. We are epistles of Christ, not carved on Stony tables, but on the fleshly tables of heart.
Known in red of all men. What do you see? What do other seeds in me, what do they see in you? We have to decide not to be epistles. We have to be decide what kind of epistles we're going to be walking according to the location where we have been called. That's where we walk. And walking according to the light is how we walk in that place.
Another aspect of the calling.
It says in Hebrews chapter.
12 No chapter 3 verse one, that we are wherefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling.
Holy brethren, the takers of a heaven calling.
And this agrees with what we have had in the reading meetings concerning our being a heavenly company.
It is so vastly important.
For us to realize and in some measure make good in our own souls.
And we are heavenly company.
Holy Bremon partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest.
Of our profession, Jesus.
Again, that presents him before us as he walks down here.
I read that in Mr. Garvey's translation because the truth as it is in Jesus is what we learn as we occupy our hearts with him.
We've heard about following in his steps. That's the truth that we see demonstrated in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Warn of us cardinal principles that constitutes the Church's failure, and we work correctly reminded, I believe, that we do not have the Church and responsibility and the Epistle of Ephesians, but we certainly have a heavenly character of the Church. Set forward, we have our.
Resurrection with the Lord Jesus Christ being raised up together and seated together with him in the heavenlies. We have that aspect to one of the cardinal errors that has resulted in the Church's failure.
Our failure to walk as heavenly citizens.
To portray to this world.
Something other than?
A heavenly character, the Lord Jesus Christ said. Ye are not of this world, even as I am not of the world.
What does that tell us?
It tells us what the Apostle Paul makes good to us in the third of Philippians, that our citizenship is from heaven.
We mentioned, I think, in the readings that when they referred to the Lord Jesus before Pilate, My Kingdom is not from. Hence the source of his Kingdom is not this world. The source of our life is not from this world. Ye are not of the world even as I am not of the world. So why are we here?
As the Father has sent me into the world, Even so have I sent you. Here we are, the apostle Paul tells us.
Where in Christ Jesus we are a new creation.
Old things are passed away.
You had done with that life that we lived as Gentiles.
00:50:03
Fulfilling the desires of the flesh from the mind, doing those things that.
In the darkness of which we are ashamed.
All things are passed away. All things are.
Become new. All things are gone.
We had that in the readings that God initiated and God.
Consummated our heavenly blessing. It had its origin in the Godhead before the foundation of the world.
First chapter of Titus.
It says all the servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, that is, faith that has the Lord Jesus Christ as its object. The faith of God's elect is the faith that puts its trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We were elected according to the fore knowledge of God and separated by the Holy Spirit to the obedience and sprinklings of love, the Lord Jesus Christ. So according to this speech that we have that God has given.
And the acknowledgment of the truth which is after godliness.
In the hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began, there you have it. In him are all the promises of God gave, and Amen.
They have their origin in the Lord Jesus Christ and they have their consummation in Him.
That in everything he might have the 1St place, that is everything he might have the 1St place. Respect what our brother was mentioning.
If he is indeed, if he has indeed the first place in our life, we'll be like the Thessalonians. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us. And these matters of practical things that God is allowing to come through our hands will take care of himself and even.
So we are not only new creatures in Christ Jesus and old things passed away.
All things have become new. We are members of the new creation. Now. In resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ communicated His divine and resurrected labor. This is eternal life that is in Him, promised before the world's foundation.
Made good to us, and so we are ambassadors for Christ.
An ambassador from another country that gets himself involved in the affairs of this country.
With very quickly be recalled, we are here to represent.
Heaven, Our citizenship is there, our head is there, our hope is there. It is. Our home is there, and we are soon to be there. So here we are.
Exhorted, encouraged.
Urged along the pathway to walk, worthy of the calling with which we have been called.
And it is with Long. Well, first of all, it is lulling into meekness.
Walking as he walked, we had in one of the reading meetings, recalled He, that said he abideth in himself or the walk also as he walked.
I am making lowly in heart, take my yoke upon you and learn of me and I, meek and Louis. So we are encouraged and admonished and urged along the pathway of faith and service, to be in loneliness and meekness, and with long-suffering and forbearing one another in love. We now have the capacity to love.
Either is begotten of God, loveth him that is also begotten. We partake of the nature a divine nature by the promises of God we have received. We are partakers of the divine nature that delivers us from the corruption that is in the world through our natural hearts of lust, and gives us capacity to enjoy and love those who are also the Lord. Shall we come. We walk in love and with and we in love serve.
One another to seek your help along the way, and that results in our collective testimony, which I had no intention to go into because of the time. And that is that there is one body and we are enjoying. We are encouraged to use diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. We are urged to give expression to the one body of Christ, and we are urged to do so in the uniting bond of peace.
00:55:17
We are told and official to the Romans to pursue that which makes.
For peace. So we have a calling. We're called from heaven to heaven. We're called to an eye for holiness.
And so we are encouraged by the Spirit of God in these few short verses.
Go on and pass away.
Representing the Lord Jesus Christ who is called as unto himself in a way that is befitting to him, shall we just pray to God.
Gracious, loving father.
We are grateful to thee.
That when we were, like the prodigal, a long way off.
Thou just have compassion.
And all, what a reception we have had.
Taken into favor in that beloved 1.
And so we have now been encouraged not only in the practical.
Stewardship of that which passes through our hands, but in a small each one of our small measures to be able to give expression to the holiness, it becomes our house to the heavenly character that belongs to us as heavenly citizens.
And so we just pray to make it good in our souls. We pray for those in authority over us and thank thee for the precious privilege of liberty to come together. In this way you pray for the gospel of thy grace soon to go out in this room if we're left here. We pray for the clear message it went forth last night and some who may not be thine who heard. So we just committed to be our God. And we do. Give me thanks. Praise thee and precious and word the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next meeting will be addressed in 15 minutes.
Refreshments outside.
Back to our kids.
1 Corinthians 10-11
Address—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.
One Spirit with the Lord Jesus the glorified esteems, the church for which he bled His body, and his bride, the whole hymn 210.
One Spirit.
Will help.
I never want.
Last word.
Forever.
Let's pray.
For Jesus.
We have Hadley before us during these meetings and.
By Church, by Body, thy Bride.
It means so much to thee.
We praise. We open Thy Word again that will help us and give that ministry which is profitable and a blessing to our souls, will guide us and direct our path and keep us in the way we ask it in our precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
1St Corinthians 10. We'll start with a verse there.
1St Corinthians 10.
Verse 31.
Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God, even as I please all men and all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
And the new translation in verse 32, it reads, give no occasion of stumbling.
Either to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God.
00:05:01
We are to conduct ourselves in this world in such a way as to not stumble.
Cause to go out of the path, or hinder one from coming to the Lord, or from going on with the Lord.
From holding the word of God in high esteem and on all these things give none offense.
No occasion to stumble.
Now let's turn to the. Well, we're right here in the.
11Th chapter. So let's read from verse 23 those very well known verses.
But I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus.
The same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks.
He break it and said take heed, this is my body which is broken for you.
This do and remember himself, me after the same manner also he took the cup when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament, the new covenant in my blood. This do ye as OFT as ye drinketh in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.
Here at Corinth in this chapter.
They were going on.
In a very bad way, he says in verse. In verse 20 he says, when you come together, therefore into one place, this is not to meet the Lord's Supper. We have in this chapter the Lord's Supper and in the previous chapter, which we'll read shortly, the Lord's table. But here let's dwell a little on the Lord's Supper. They were going on in such a way.
As to stumble, a young believer, they were eating and drinking to excess, bringing their own supper to the their love feasts and so on, eating it independently of others. All a denial of the truth that we've been looking at in the word of God as the one body. And they were really not eating the Lord's Supper.
It was their own supper. In verse 21 he says in eating everyone taketh before other his own supper, and one is hungry and one another is drunken. What have you not houses to eat and to drink in, Or despise ye the Church of God, and shame them that have not. There was some poor amongst them. Most of them here at Corinth were fairly well to do. But there were some that didn't have much, and they couldn't bring much, and others who brought an abundance of their food and they ate it. We don't do that in our love feasts.
Everyone brings what he can bring, and it's all spread out for everyone to partake of and that's you bring for yourself. And I bring for myself. And another brings for himself. That's the way they were doing it at current. And he says, what have you, not houses to eat and to drink in or despise you the Church of God, and shame them that have not those that didn't have much. What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you now and then, those verses that we began with.
How that the Lord Jesus took the loaf and he break it, and then he took the cup and he gave it to them. He break the load, He gave it to them, and he took the cup and he gave it to them.
It's the only. It's the only expression that we have. It's an ongoing 1.
In the church there are only two ordinances in Christianity, 2 externals. The one is baptism, and it speaks of his death, were baptized unto his death. The name of the Lord is named upon us, and we're introduced into the Christian circle of profession by baptism.
Beyond him as the one that has done the work that can save our souls, and the only one that can do that and that's done once.
When our baptism takes place once, but it's it's his death that's brought before us and again in the Lord's Supper, which is an ongoing remembrance of himself. It's his death that is remembered, not so much his life, his birth, his life, his resurrection, ascension and all that they may come in. And the thoughts that are expressed, they're going to remember him in his death tomorrow morning, as we do every first day of the week.
00:10:09
It's a sad thing to look about us in Christian circles and see how seldom Christians celebrate the very foundation of all their blessings. The death of Christ, The death of the Lord. It's the Lord's Supper, it's the Lord's Table, it's the Lord's cup, and so on. The Lord is prominent before us in these chapters.
But so few.
Remember him very often. It says in this chapter. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come, not as seldom, but as often. The early Christians remembered him in his death every day for a while, and then it settled down into a the habit of the early church in Acts 20, verse 7 on the first day of the week.
When the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them. Now they didn't come to hear Paul preach, they came together to break bread. But then they seized upon the opportunity, Paul being there, and not being with them very long, to hear his ministry, which is fine, But ministry is not worship. And they came together to give to the Lord the praise, the adoration, the worship of their redeemed hearts.
In the remembrance of himself.
Isn't it sad, beloved, that this is done so seldom in Christian circles, sometimes once a year, sometimes twice a year, sometimes three times, sometimes four times a year?
Isn't it fitting that the Church settled down into remembering the Lord on the day?
When he rose victorious over death, and conquered Satan, he destroyed him that had the power of death and delivered them, who through fear of death for all their lifetimes subject to *******. He let captivity captive the power that had held us captive. He let it captive, and gave gifts to men. It was on that day, the first day of the week, when he rose triumphant, and was the victor over all the power of it, the enemy that they remembered.
That wonderful death that had secured their eternal redemption and salvation.
Isn't it sad as we think, how few who are the Lords do that?
Week after week after week, rather, they come together to hear a sermon.
It's the most wonderful privilege that we have.
The thought in this chapter is largely individual.
We do that for the Lord.
We each one remember him, and the common thought in the church world, of course, is. I remember him for myself, and it doesn't concern me about the one that is next to me. Well, we'll see when we look at the previous chapter, chapter 10, that it is extremely important with whom we break bread. But we do remember him individually. We think of his love, we think of all that he endured and suffered.
In order to put our sins away, bearing the judgment of a holy God, a stroke upon stroke fell upon him on that cross, and he cried out. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? We look back and we remember with tears flowing down, oftentimes very appropriate that it is so as we remember what he endured to save our souls.
This feast, it's a beast of remembrance. The Lord's Supper is a feast, and he has invited us to contain to remember him. I wonder if there's anyone here that is the Lord.
That does not answer to his desire to remember him.
In his death, he wants you to. Maybe you're maybe you're going on with something that you know is unsuitable for his presence, and so you stay back. You you're hindered by your by your life. Maybe that's it. Maybe you're just timid and afraid to ask. But he is invited you. Maybe you're waiting for the brethren to ask you, but it's not for them to ask you. It's not their table.
00:15:20
It's his table, and he's already asked you to remember him. You don't need another invitation. He's given it, He said to his own this, do Remember Me. And he instituted that on the night of his betrayal. Oh, what love in the heart of the blessed Savior. You notice the order in the 11Th chapter is bread first. This is the order in which we partake of the supper.
And then the cup comes later, and he broke the bread and he distributed it, and he took the cup and blessed it, and then he distributed it. He is the it's his table and it's his supper. As he dispensed it a turn back with me one chapter to the 10th chapter, which is what I really want to talk about.
Verse 15.
I speak against two wise men. Judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion?
Of the blood of Christ. The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the Body of Christ?
For we, being many, are one bread in one body, for we are all partakers.
Of that one grade notice in this chapter.
It's not the Lord that breaks the bread. It's not the Lord that distributes it, as you have recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke and referred to in the 11Th chapter. But it's the bread which we break.
It's a corporate collective thing.
He has a body.
And in the 11Th chapter especially.
That body was represented by that loaf on the table as representing the body that he took when he became a man. The body that was prepared him. The body in which he suffered for our sins, He bare our sins, Peter tells us in his own body on the tree.
And that most speaks of that body.
Given in death for us.
And the cup, of course, is precious blood, shedding for the remission of our sins.
But here the loaf speaks of not only his physical body in which he suffered.
But.
His body composed of all the leaders.
The church which is his body, the fullness of him who filleth All in all. Now, Paul's the only one that brings this out. He's the only one that speaks of the Lord's table. In fact, the Lord's table is only mentioned in this chapter in the New Testament.
The Lord's Table. That's the place at which the supper, the feast, is eaten. We eat the Lord's Supper at the Lord's Table, and the Lord's Table speaks of fellowship. It brings before us that we're not there just as individuals.
11Th chapter emphasizes our individual participation, but the 10th chapter emphasizes the fact that when we break bread, we do so as members of the Body of Christ.
Not just so many individuals. In many of the churches throughout Christendom, I've never been in one, but in many of them I understand they have individual biscuits or crackers or pieces of bread, but not a loaf.
That is, they do not understand.
The truth of the 10th chapter. They don't understand the truth of Paul's ministry. The mystery of Christ in the church. That one loaf on the table represents himself and his body. All believers, every believer on the face of the earth.
That knows Christ as Lord and Savior, that's been born again and sealed of the Holy Spirit and brought into that baptized body by the Spirit of God, is a member of the body of Christ and represented on that table. So when we break bread, we express, and it's the only time that we do something that expresses this truth. We express the truth there is.
00:20:11
1.
And that is something that God has established, and we can't change it. We have failed to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace, sad to say. But the unity of the Spirit was formed by the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost, uniting all believers into one body and to the head in heaven. And we express that truth.
Every Lord's Day Morning.
When we break bread, it's not simply an individual thing that we do as individuals. We don't exclude that, but it's a corporate collective thing. We do it as members of the body of Christ. And that's why when someone is received to the table.
It's not as a family they've received, but each one individually is received and owned to be a member of the Body of Christ.
He's speaking to wise men and he says judge ye. What I say this first epistle to the Corinthians is largely corrective ministry, and again in this chapter he has to correct.
A practice that they were going on with, but he says it's totally inconsistent with the truth of the Lord's table in the 11Th chapter. He had to correct the inconsistency they were going on with by eating and drinking to excess and not being able to discern when they were took of the loaf and the cup his body there.
And His precious Blood that was shed for them. Some of them were even intoxicated because of excessive drinking at their love piece. And This is why, a little bit later on in the history of the Church, the Christians never preceded the Lord's Supper. With both these they wouldn't do anything that would make them.
Not able to to realize who he is and what these the emblems signify and express.
It was so serious in the 11Th chapter that some were sick among them, and some had even died. The Lord had taken them away because they were eating to his dishonor of the Lord.
We're not to do anything to give an occasion of stumbling to the Jews or the Gentiles or the Church of God, not to do anything that would stumble our brethren. The way they were going on at Corinth is a shame. It was shameful. It was so shameful that he said you're not, you're not.
Celebrating the Lord's Supper? You're celebrating your own supper.
And it was a shame.
Now here the question was. Another one was the question of fellowship and how important this is. Now let's look at it carefully. Verse 16, the cup of blessing. Oh, why is the cup 1St and then the loaf comes second? That's not the way the Lord instituted it. That's not the way we have it in the 11Th chapter and in all the Gospels. It's the bread first. That's the chronological order. He became a man first, He took a body first, the Word became flesh first, and then he shed his blood.
On the cross, so we get the order in the.
11Th chapter. But in this chapter, the blood is first, the cup is 1St. And that's because the main theme of the chapter is fellowship. Fellowship at the table. We know what fellowship is. We have our own tables at home, and we have our friends over with us, and it's a time of fellowship, is it not? We eat together, we eat the supper that's prepared by the wife, and we have fellowship. We know what that is.
And there are there are things that the head of that table and that house have established as proper conduct. The children are not to come to the table with dirty hands. The children are not to come to the table with unclean clothing and things of that nature. There are things to be observed in order to be observed there because of the one who's the head of the table. But who's the head of the table that we'll sit at tomorrow morning? Who's ahead? The Lord Jesus.
It's his table and he's invited us.
There to remember him very precious, the couple blessing which we bless. Now the Lord isn't the one that's blessing the cup. Here in the 11Th chapter He is and in the Gospels he is, but it's the cup which we bless.
00:25:11
Is it not? We're the body, We're the bride. And now we're doing the blessing, We're doing the Thanksgiving.
Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? It shows that when we bless that cup that we have part in its value. It has cleansed us from our sins and removed all that stood against us and kept us at a distance. By His blood we have access by 1 Spirit unto the Father.
Precious Blood of Christ has brought us into this place of blessing, the bread which we break, not the Lord. Now we break it. It isn't, is it not the communion of the Body of Christ? Sometimes there's a lot of discussion and sometimes heated discussion among Christians whether Judas Iscariot ever partook of the Lord's Supper. I don't believe he did. I think John 13 shows that he did not.
But whether he did or not, and I don't believe that he did, the truth of First Corinthians 10 clearly shows that no one who is not a member of the body of Christ and not cleansed by the blood of Christ, and he has any part in taking the Lord supper and sitting at the Lords table. This is, this is a family thing. This is, this is that which belongs to those who are inside and members of the body of Christ. And we give expression to that truth, do we not? When we break bread, the bread which we break, is it not the communion?
Of the blood of Christ. For we being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. In those early days, those press dying days, the churches, history on earth, everyone that was saved and a member of the body of Christ, and in 12 of the Holy Spirit.
Took the Lord's Supper at the Lord's Table.
There weren't some that didn't.
They all protect. That's what it says. Here we are all partakers of that one bread.
Verse 18 is an example. He draws upon it to bring forth a principle, and he draws upon it from the Jews.
A peace offerings connected with their altar, he says. Behold, Israel after the flesh are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar. And I'm going to have to correct that the word partakers is not the same as the one in verse 17.
It should read, Are not they which eat of the sacrifices in communion with the altar?
Those Jews that brought their peace offerings, and some of that they the offer, had a part of it, an eighth Some of it was put on the altar, some of it was eaten by the priest. It expressed fellowship. But as that Jew brought his peace offerings, his sacrifices, to that table at Jerusalem, there was only one he was expressing fellowship with that table at which he brought his sacrifice.
And we'll just hold your place here. Turn back to Malachi Chapter One and see how that the altar is called the Lorde Table.
In Malachi chapter one and verse 7, the Lord says you offer polluted bread upon mine altar, and you say where and have we polluted thee. And that she say the table of the Lord is contemptible again in verse 12. But ye have profaned it in that she say the table of the Lord is polluted. This was the altar on which the sacrifice was given, and it was Jehovah's table.
It was spoken of as his table.
You get that also in Ezekiel. I'll just read it in Ezekiel chapter 44.
And verse 20.
Excuse me. Ezekiel 41 and verse 22. The altar of wood was 3 cubits high, and the length thereof 2 cubits, And the corners thereof is describing the altar, and the length thereof and the walls thereof were of wood. And he said unto me, This is the table that is before the Lord again in the 44th chapter.
Verse 16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, They shall come near to my table.
00:30:03
To minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. So even in the Old Testament the altars referred to as Jehovah's table. Now let's look at this principle in verse eighteen of our chapter 10 in First Corinthians. Behold, Israel after the flesh. Are not they which eat of the sacrifices in communion with the altar. Every Jew that brought his sacrifice to that altar of Jerusalem was expressing fellowship.
With the Lord's table, that was where the sacrifices were to be brought. In the prophet Hosea, the sin of Israel is mentioned as having multiplied many altars unto sin. They had many altars. The sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nibak, who made Israel to sin, was to set up two rival centers at Dan and at Bethel, and set up two altars there, denying the basic truth that the Israel is united.
And there's one altar, There's one center.
Denying that. So he skipped with that altar, expressing communion with the Jewish system of worship. He wasn't a Gentile. He was a Jew. And there's three tables in this world. There's the Jewish table, the altar of Jehovah Jerusalem. There's the idol table, table of demons that we're going to read about the Gentile table. And then there was the Lord's table.
Where God's people were and where they remembered the Lord in his death.
Verse 19 He's moving very quickly in his spots. Verse 18 he refers to Israel. Now verse 19, he refers to the Gentiles. What say I then? That the idol is anything or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols as anything. Verse 19 establishes the truth that the idol is nothing and the meat that's offered and sacrificed to idols is just me. It's nothing special.
And so the these Corinthians were were reasoning from this and they said, well, we know the idle stopping, it's just a piece of water, piece of metal, and this is just meat and we can eat it and we can sit there, we know that there's no other God but one and so on. And what Paul is telling them here is this, Yes, that's true, but there's a human behind the idol, there's an evil power that is controlling these Gentiles in their idolatrous worship.
Away from the One, and only through God, so he goes on to say.
Verse 20 But I say that the things that which the Gentiles sacrifice.
They sacrificed the devil so literally to demons and not to go. And I would not that you should have fellowship with demons.
You cannot. This is what they were doing, He's telling them you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.
You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.
The Demon's Table representing.
The Gentile kind of worship system of worship, and it was, it was hateful to God. The Jewish table, the alternate Jerusalem represented Judaism. The Lord's table, where the Christians were, represented Christianity. You can walk into a town in those early days.
And you could say, where are the Christians? And they'd say, well, they meet over there. Where are the Jews? Where they meet over there? Where do the Gentiles meet? They meet there. There were these three tables. They were.
At issue one with another.
Well, at the serious sense when we break bread.
We break bread in fellowship with the table at which we break the breath. Can you say there's no demons tables today? Not in this land where they don't find anyone worshipping idols here. There are lands that they do that.
And we don't go to the Jewish synagogue or the.
The temple, as they did back then and not Jews, saw someone going to a synagogue. You know he was a Jew. You saw another going to the idol temple. The idol peace. You know, he was a heathen, OK?
Saw someone going through the large table. We knew he was a Christian. He was expressing fellowship, fellowship of the one body.
00:35:07
Well, these these Corinthians, they were reasoning here in this chapter.
That the contract in the 11Th chapter is the Lord's Supper and their own supper, and here it's the Lord's Table and the table of Phoenix.
And so he says to them in verse 21, he cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. It doesn't mean they weren't able to do it, they were doing it, he said You can't do it with a due sense of what these two tables and these two cups represent. They are mutually exclusive, the one from the other. You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.
What we associate ourselves with does matter. It's a very serious thing. We're to give none offense to the Jews or the Gentiles of the Church of God.
What do we have today?
What has happened in that circle that we call Christianity? Kitchen does.
Well, we were looking at it in X20, and let's just turn back there for a moment.
In Acts chapter 20.
Who's 28?
Take heed therefore unto yourselves as Paul is speaking to the Ephesians elders.
And through all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost that made you overseers to feed the Shepherd, the Church of God which you have purchased with his own blood.
But I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves entering among you, not sparing the flock. That's the enemy coming from without, the enemy coming from without, and scattering the flock of Christ.
Also verse 30 Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
That has happened, beloved. There are thousands.
Of sex parties in Christendom.
Calling themselves Christian.
Many drawing away disciples after them.
Can we say that all these divided tables that are out there today?
Can we attach the name of the Lord to all of them?
Is Christ divided? Paul asks the Corinthians. No, of course not.
And so we're faced with.
Discerning. I speak as to wise men judge you what I say. We're faced with the problem of discerning where is the Lord's table today?
Does it? Does it still exist? Yes, it does. It's his table. He maintains it. It must still exist.
The next question we have to ask ourselves is the table at which I break bread, which I express fellowship with, is at the Lord's table. That's the only one I want to be at.
It's not my table, it's his table. He disposes of everything there. He's the head.
He is the director in the spirit of God, guides and directs through all the members.
That's his favorite.
This idea?
This awful, I might almost say blasphemous idea of go to the Church of your choice is to totally ignore all these divisions and these different tables at issue with one another and they doesn't matter.
That's the attitude that Israel had in Hosea. They had multiplied altars to sin and it didn't matter.
Ephraim is a Cape, not turned.
And if we go here and there and various places, we are causing to stumble young ones in the fly by an example that is in direct contrary, it's directly contrary to the truth that there is.
What? Lord Stable, just as there was one.
Alternate rooflight that represents Judaism. This represents Christianity. What is the characteristic feature?
00:40:06
To be found at the Lord's table.
It is that those who break bread there.
Confess and seek to uphold the truth. There's one body.
And we're all members one of another.
And it's his table. And the Spirit of God is there, and He is the Holy One and the truth.
So that which is not holy and true must be excluded from his favor.
I want to ask you.
Do you take the Lord's Supper at the Lord's faith?
I'm not questioning that many of our brethren in Christendom in system take the Lord's Supper bearing unto the Lord, And you say.
I don't believe they know. Most of them don't the truth of the Lord's table.
The truth that when we break bread at 8 tables, we express fellowship with that table. And if what characterizes that table is not the truth of the one body, it's not the Lords.
How can it be an expression of that truth? When we break bread tomorrow morning, may we remember we are giving expression to the truth that there is one body.
And I'm privileged to sit at his table and take his supper.
That he has given to us to faith.
What a privilege that is, and how solemn it is, and how ought to search our hearts, everyone of us. Am I there where he presides? At the table.
Does this book.
The truth of it. Characterize. That table where I break bread are those who break bread that are not imperfection. None of us is perfect, and we're not going to be while we're here. But is the desire of our hearts to honor him and to glorify him, and to give expression to the truth. There's one.
We're all together.
If someone should arise from amongst us and draw away disciples after them, and set up another table.
Is that the Lords table or is it the table of a man?
Who has set up an independent table to what was to what is the Lord's table?
Today we have the tables of men they are reaching throughout Christendom.
You have a beautiful type in Luke 22, where he said, prepare the Passover before I suffer. Where wilt thou that we prepare? Go into the city, and there you will find a man bearing a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house very soon. He's a beautiful type of the spirit of God, the man the spirit of God. The picture of water is the word of God, the Spirit of God using the word of God to lead and to guide us to the place where the Lord will sit down with his own.
And celebrate the Passover, many instituted the Suffolk.
Let me get that. Don't you want to be there where he is?
I do. I'm sure we all do the desire of our hearts. But to see that the principle of Scripture is that when we break bread at any table, we break bread at, we're expressing fellowship at that table, and all the principles upon which that table has been, has been established and set up.
Is it truly the Lord's table? Does it give expression to the truth of the one body? Does it maintain holiness and truth and righteousness?
Does it magnify and glorify him? Is there the liberty of the Spirit of God to lead and guide and direct anyone in worship and praise and adoration, and getting out of him in reading the Scripture? Is it his table? Does he preside there? And are we all there under the guidance and leadership of the Spirit of God? That's where I want to be.
I'm sure that's what we all want to do.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can't go to this idle table and take that cup and this idle table and the demons table and then go to the Lords table. These are mutually exclusive systems. The one is that which expresses the truth of God and the other is the lie of the devil. You can't mix those two.
00:45:10
And that principle applies to all the divided tables all throughout Christmas. No, I'm not saying those tables are demons tables. No, no, no, no, no.
Go downstairs.
Some of them set up with good intentions.
Well, he says in verse 22. And then we call. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? If they would continue to go on in the practice that they were practicing, the Lord would have to come in and discipline, as He did in the 11Th factor, the way they were going on connection with the supper.
Well, let's just try.
Our God and Father.
We thank you for Thy word. Thank you for the principles of Thy word.
Thank you. There is one Lord's table.
One center of gathering our Lord Jesus Christ. One gathering sent power, the Spirit of God.
And one infallible guide for all of us, thy word.
Without giving us all that is needed to know where we are and why we are there, so we pray thy blessings in each of these dear ones here afternoon, if there's any, who is a member of my body. No, Jesus, friends, by thy precious blood and not breaking bread, they just exercise them that thou is requested that they do so, and express this wonderful truth. Not only the remembrance of himself in death, but how infinitely precious that is.
But the truth that he has a body here, united to himself, on high to the expression of this wonderful truth, there is one life. So we ask that blessing now, giving thanks, and Jesus waiting for that.
Proverbs 8
YP Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Sex.
Northern can come in.
Here.
As we are.
Thy name.
I'm turning all the water before I'm far whatever.
Oh my gracious.
I have seen her father.
And Father.
Take it all the time.
Shall we pray together?
Our blessed God and our Father. We thank you for the subtle Him that we have been singing together. We thank you for each one in this company. You can say I have been drawn after the Lord with cords of love. I know him as my personal Sager, and we ask thee that if there should be any who do not get Naldi, you might be brought to put their trust in me and this the day of Thy grace. But we pray especially for those who are young, that in the decisions that are made in life they might seek the wisdom of Thy precious Word, and have thyself before them as an object.
We do pray for thy health now in this meeting. Pray that what is sad might be for thy glory and for the blessing of each one present. We thank you and praise Thee, blessed God our Father, for the love has sent the one, the dearest object of thy heart down to redeem us. That's so great a cost and now cares for us in every step of the pathway. So we just look up and command the meeting to the asking Thy help and guidance. Thy worthy name, Lord Jesus, our Savior.
Amen.
And I'd like to turn first of all the first Kings and the third chapter.
First Kings Chapter 3.
Verse 5.
00:05:04
Kennedy and the Lord appeared to Solomon, and agreed By night God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou art showed unto thy servant David my father, great mercy, according as he walked before the untruth, and in righteousness, and in that brightness apart with thee. And I was kept for him this great kindness that I was giving him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day.
And now, O Lord my God, thou spade thy servant king instead of David my father. And I am but a little child, I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou has chosen a great people, which cannot be numbered for multitude, or counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil.
Who is able to judge this thy great. So now I saw great a people. And the speech please the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Then in Isaiah Chapter 9.
The.
There's sex.
Friend was a child is born unto us, a son is given.
And the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father, the Prince of peace, of the increase of his government and peace, There shall be no end upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even forever the Zeal of the Lord of Hosts.
Will perform this.
No, there's one more I'd like to turn over to Proverbs, Chapter one.
The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity, to give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.
To understand the proverb and the interpretation.
The words of the lies and their dark sayings. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, that fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother. They shall be an ornament of grace unto thy hair and chains above thy neck. Thy son of sinners in Pisces consent thou not.
So I know this is addressed to the young people, but I was thinking of these verses that call show how when Solomon was going to come to the throne in Israel, he asked the Lord that he would give him wisdom. You know, the young people, you're growing up, you're entering a world that's full of all kinds of tangles.
Full of all kinds of questions. You have to make decisions every day, and how important it is that God hasn't left us.
To ourselves. He has left us just to say, well, I think this is the best thing to do, or I think that is the best thing to do. He's given us his word. He's given us instruction in his precious word as well. He's given us himself, himself. His name should be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
I remember reading a story about a girl and she was writing into a page in the newspaper where you can let me get your questions answered. And she was writing her question out and she got tired and she went off to bed and that's been on her desk half done. And her older sister who knew the Lord as their savior and found something of the resource she had of the Lord. She prayed, even saw this letter partly written out the question that was bothering her and how what was the best answer? What she should do under these circumstances?
And she just wrote across the letter. His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Well, I don't think the letter was ever sent, but she turned to one who more than the person who would answer her in the daily newspaper, because there was one who cared, one who cared so much for her soul, that the Lord Jesus came down in infinite love. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
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But whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God loved this world. He wants the blessing of all, and we're going to see how He desires that blessing. And he wants to be the one who will be your counselor. Dear young people who will guide you in the pathway of life. And you won't have to look back with a lot of regrets in the path where He leads, because the path where he leads it says where ways are ways of pleasantness.
And all her paths are peace. I don't mean that there won't be trials. The Lord Jesus walked in the path to please his Father, and he had trials. But well, how precious to know that in his blessed pathway he found joy in doing the Father's will. Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and set down at the right hand of the throne of God. His path was a man of sorrows. But another way it was a man of joy, because he was doing his Father's will. And so.
Thorough the sleeves that Solomon asked. That and dear young people, I want to ask you.
As you begin to face life and make a lot of decisions on your own, have you asked the Lord to guide you and direct you that your decisions might be made according to His mind and will?
We have a lot of instruction in his word. It is true. There are decisions that we don't have direct instruction in the word. We know that one time in the life of King David.
Asked the Lord about what he should do in a certain circumstance, and the Lord told him what he should do, and he did it. But there was another time that he he decided to ask the leaders of the people, the heads, and the Princess and everything, and they gave their advice. But that advice was contrary to the word of God, and he followed their advice, and he got into quite a problem too far, as when he asked the Lord, the Lord showed him and the Lord.
Blessed him when he followed the instruction that he had given him.
And so my burden for you, dear young people, is that you might find what a wonderful resource you have in the Lord and the provision that He has made for you in a tangled world like this, because things are getting more and more complicated. So then he shall run too, and knowledge run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. And there's definitely a great deal more knowledge in this world. You can press a button and find out almost anything about almost any subject, because man has.
Advanced so much as the Bible says.
That in the last day of knowledge would be increased, but it has made people any happier. Has it increased godliness? No. The world is still full violence and corruption and many broken hearts, and some of the broken hearts are in the highest positions of this world. But you know, the Lord Jesus wants to guide you. And I just like to say a little bit about these opening chapters of Proverbs, because it is very interesting that.
In our youth, God has provided our parents.
And if you'll notice carefully, Book of Proverbs is sometimes called heavenly wisdom for our earthly path.
I want you to notice this. Notice how the second chapter begins, my son.
If thou receive my words and hide my commandments from thee, from with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understand thee.
And then in the second chapter begins the same way, My son, those two words forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my statute, my commandments. The length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind them about thy neck. Right then upon the tables outline heart, then going down.
The fifth verse trust in the Lord with all thine hearts.
And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. He not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
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Who is it that's giving this instruction? Notice each chapter up until the end of Chapter 7 begins in about the same way.
Now, that is, it's the father and the mother who are giving instruction to the children.
Bible says honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee. And that's not only in the Old Testament, but that is repeated in the very epistle that we've been taking up in our Bible readings. That epistle of has to deal with heavenly truth, that it tells us that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. It's in that very, very book that it says.
The daughter, thy father and my mother, which is the first commandment with promise.
Sometimes you tell young people, I've never seen people, I've never seen boys and girls who didn't honor their parents, who really had the blessing of the Lord in their lives.
And it's very important. That's part of the wisdom of God that he's given to us in His word. And each one of these chapters you'll notice it begins with those words. My son. The 5th, 4th chapter, hear your children the instruction of a father. So father and mother seek together that God the instruction. And it's nice to see what parents says in this fifth verse. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine all understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy past. This is part of the instruction that the parents are giving to the children.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart from time to put trust in a friend. You have confidence in Him. You say that friend will never let me down. They let you down. They disappoint you, don't they? They don't fulfill all that trust that you put in them, and you feel very disappointed. But I want to tell you there's nobody loves you like your friends.
They seek your good. They seek for that you might be blessed, and that you might have the blessing of the Lord in your life. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Be not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall die right by path. He wants to direct our paths over and over again. We read through the Bible, and we see when godly kings turn to Lord in their times of trouble.
Maybe to be a great host, come against them and they felt absolutely powerless how to handle it at all. But when they turned to the Lord, how remarkably he came in, how he delivered them in a wonderful way, because God is still the same today. He's still able to do more than we could ask or think. You say to any question an older person who has sought to walk in the ways of the Lord, and he found the Lord faithful, They'll say yes.
He's been faithful often, but unfaithful have often failed. But he never has. He never has our faithful, unchangeable friend.
And then we come to the 4th chapter again. Hear ye children, The instruction of a father.
I give you a good doctrine, and forsake you not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved, in the sight of my mother taught me also on 7th of me, let by Sinai, then heart return, retain my words, keep my commandments, and live.
Then I'd like you to notice in that particular chapter in the 23rd verse, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
Keep thy heart of all diligence. Mr. Darby's translation is Keep thy heart about everything that's guarded. You know, you guard your possessions, you guard your friends, You don't want to lose them and keep your own heart. Be careful. Our brother was talking about this morning when your heart goes out to be some famous star accomplishing something that makes you great in this world, but what they're all going to amount to in the end, it's all forgotten.
One great statesman said has a path of glory, but the grave, that was all he saw that all ended at the grave. But you know if you do 1 little thing, even giving a cup of cold water And what does I think more wonderful skill that I read in Malachi that God has a book of remembrance where he keeps a record of every thought upon his name. Sometimes as we travel a boat some of our friends they have a.
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Book that we write our names in because we've enjoyed the visit in their home and we're happy to put our names down. Be thankful for their kind and loving hospitality.
But they don't know when we think about them. They no longer there, of course, but they don't know what they think about The dog knows when you think about it. And he has a book of remembrance, for he teaches in the times that you think about him. Keep thy heart with all diligence above everything, scarred of it, guarded for. Out of it are the issues of life we go after, the things that we love, no money we're going to go after. We have sport we're going to go after. We love friends we're going to go after.
Some people that have a lot of friends, you may be in a place.
How about for Isaac? She brought up in a place where he didn't have friends of his own age and he came to the marriage age and it was pretty difficult for him. But his father had made an arrangement and through the servant, the picture of the Holy Spirit of God, he went into a far country. He found a partner for him and the light of faith was preserved. God interested in your friends, your partner and flight guest. He's concerned about all those things that may not be handy right near.
Now keep thy heart with all diligence above everything that's guarded for. Out of it are the issues of life.
Then keep your models again in this 5th chapter thy son attended by wisdom, and bow down mine ear to my understanding that thou mayest regard is crashing thy lips may keep knowledge. In the 6th chapter begins very similar. My son shall be surety for thy friend, and thou hast stricken my hand with a stranger. Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth. Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
Do this, my son, and deliver thyself. When thou is come into the hand of a friend. Cohabil thyself. And make sure thy friend here's his father telling his son you make a mistake. And we all do make mistakes said, go and make it right. Don't just leave it. Go and make it right. And of course we need to make things right with the Lord if we confess our sins and faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And I say to you, if you've made a mistake, no, don't give up, the Lord still loves you.
There's a way back. It's his way. You know. Sometimes you have to humble yourself. Sometimes you have to be willing to concuss your mistake. You should. And the trespass offering the man had to. I wouldn't confess his mistake, but make amends for what he had done and also bring his offering to the Lord. We need to remember these things, fellow fathers instructing the child, giving him hell. And in the seventh verse, 7th chapter.
It's getting a little bit Boyer, boys, getting a little bit older and now he's getting friends of the opposite sex. And he has to be pretty careful, my son, keep my words and lay up thy commandments with thee. And there we have the father still instructing him and warning him pleasantness. Lonely, that God has provided this for us. And you can't be thankful enough if you have a Christian home, Father and mother who love the Lord.
Who seek your good more than anybody else on earth. They desire your happiness and your blessing, the desire that you should honor the Lord in your walking ways. Now we come to something a little different when we come to the 8th chapter. And you know, the Bible presents certain pictures to us. And I believe the picture that is presented here is the time has come that the boy or the girl is now going to leave home. Now they're not going to hear their father saying, well, that wouldn't be a very wise thing to do.
I wouldn't suggest you do that. That'll get you into a problem. Father's voice. Mother's voice is not there. But there is another voice. There is that one that we read about in Isaiah, Chapter 9. It says unto us, A child is born unto us, a son is given. His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. If I say, the little picture here changes.
The boy or the girl is leaving home now.
Without a hearing, father, say don't do that. That wouldn't be a very wise thing to do. Mother's not saying, I wouldn't suggest you do that. But does not wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of the high places, by the way, and the places of the past. She tries at the she crieth at the gates, at the entering of the city, at the coming in of the doors. I think you can easily see here this picture that's presented to us.
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This is the child leaving home. He's going now. There's a lot of doors in front of him. Which door is he going to go in? Which one is he going to enter? And he can't say. Well, Dad, what do you think? He's not there, Dad, not there. But the Lord is there. The Lord is there and he cares. He numbers the very hairs of your hair. You haven't got another friend like him. A parent's love is wonderful. And I love our dear children. Not as much as the Lord loves them.
The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. He's prepared a home for me in glory.
He's willing to order all my steps and the pathway of life. There isn't anything in life that doesn't concern him. He's concerned about everything that you do. And so here is this young person in the way, in the places of the past, little past opening up now, Which path is he going to choose? Well, there's paths as to the employment you take up.
The Apostle Paul said let every man abide in the same calling. Where in these calls with God are you taking up something where you can really honor the Lord? I will tell you you're going to be happier. Dear young person, all your life, you settle in something where you can go to your desk in the morning and feel you don't have to worry about being Some questionable things come before you. Should I do this or that? You know there are jobs where?
You find it hard to fulfill them.
And still honor the Lord. And it's very important. As you stand and you make these decisions. What am I going to be? What am I going to follow in life Where you're standing? And wisdom is trying. Wisdom is trying. Listen to me. I know all about you. Don't know where that path leads. But I can tell you I know where it leads. So it says here unto you, old man, I call And my voice is to the sons of men. How are you? Simple understand wisdom, and ye fools be of an understanding heart.
Here for I will speak of excellence.
And the opening of my lips shall be right things, for my mouth shall speak truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of thy mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing pro or perverse in them. We say they're very complicated, but listen to this ninth verse. They're all plain to him that understandeth and right to them that by knowledge cannot seem the Bible step as far as the world is concerned. Perhaps your counselors at school may want to push you into that thing, but it's something where you're going to find out later that it's going to be very hard to honor the Lord and give him a place that he should have in your life.
Isn't he worthy of first place? He died In order to win your heart of mine, he provided many mansions have ever got the glory. He's going to make us eternally happy. And so I did think of you dear young people.
The lesson to this voice of wisdom Never take a step and disobedience to the word of God, even the matter of unequal Yelp. The Bible says he not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What communion hath light with darkness? What part of Eden? Believe us with an interol. How can you make a yoke with someone who doesn't love the Lord and try to walk in the path of life together? He has no hearts of the Lord. The Jew. Do you want to please the Lord because you're his?
We say he'll change. Well, you know, he's taking a great rest. Sometimes God does in his mercy.
I know of a particular person. And she married a boy that wasn't saved, and she humbled herself and the Lord into goodness, Thank him. And he became a good father to the family too. But then the Lord took him away.
And you wouldn't perhaps hardly believe this, but she said. Well, he saved my first husband. He'll do it again for me. And she went into a second on April the oak. As far as I know, she's still alive today. Her husband, His dad. As far as I know, he died without fright. What a sorrow, What a sorrow. It's true. God is gracious. He don't come in, but don't presume on his Braves. He may let you reap the fruit your own self will. So it goes on here, and it says here.
Thy wisdom. Dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witting inventions. Put an interesting verse, find out knowledge of what he inventions. You can get books to magazines that you can look by and they'll tell you about some of the new adventures and whether they're good or not. The consumers digest them. They'll tell you whether they are all right or not, but well, maybe sometimes they're pretty helpful. But you know, the Lord knows everything beforehand. He knows whether that move is going to be for the best or not.
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He's the true consumer digest. Many, many people have gone in the path of self will and they found to their sorrow it didn't turn out the way they expected. But our God knows everything and his knowledge is unsearchable. There's nothing hid from the Lord. And so it says you find acknowledge the witty inventions. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate?
Counsel is mine and sound wisdom.
I am understanding. I like that little expression. I have strength. I have strength. Now I like to say just this Speaking of myself, I'd like to speak to my own experience. But one time Heather was something that I was asked to do where I work, and I didn't feel happy about doing it. It wasn't something that I felt that I could do honoring to the Lord and how to solve it in because I knew the one who had strength. I knew the one who was able. He controls the hearts of men.
And so King's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water, eternity, whether so ever he will. So it says, I am understanding I have strength. Somebody might tell you, oh, this is a good path, but they don't have the strength to help you out when the problem comes. But the one who asked you to walk in the path of obedience, he had strength. He's able to do more than we ask or think. Rich is an honor with the a durable riches and righteousness.
My fruit is better than golden, much than fine gold in my.
Revenues on choice I lead in the way of righteousness and in the midst of the path of judgment.
But then He calls them that. Love me to inherit substance. Then I will fulfill their treasures. Now the Lord takes the place of the Creator here for the years, the 22nd verse. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting. From the beginning, however, the earth was when there were no deaths. I was brought forth when there were no fountains abounding with water.
Before the mountains that were settled, before the hills was I brought forth, while the Yeti had not made.
The earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the earth. When He prepared the heavens, I was there. But He sat a compass on the faces of death when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep. And it's wonderful description of how this one, whose name is called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, He's the Creator. And when He made this world He was thinking of you. Isn't it a wonderful expression?
But when he made his delight through with the sons of men, his delights were with the sons of men. Now, it's often been said, could have made the world all one color couldn't pretty dull and all one color. Isn't there a tremendous variety of colors? We had different foods today.
Could have made our food taste all the same. Very often when you get drugs or anything, they taste all the same. They don't give you all a nice variety, but God gives you all these endless varieties. Why does He do this? Because he left not himself without witness that he did good, sending rain from heaven and fruitful seasons milling, killing men's hearts with food and gladness. God is good. He wants your gold thing and you're surrounded with 1000 reminders.
That he wants your blessing. He made this world which you live so beautiful and all these things that you can't enjoy richly. But man has followed by sin, and we see all the finest things in this world have been foiled by sin. But God has made it beautiful for the good of man. Are you going to refuse to listen to him? Are you going to go your own way? As in Isaiah 53? All we like, chief, have gone astray.
We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all, but bound us grapes. And he saw turned aside and do all those wrong things. Finally cut his beloved thumb in your heart and mind was no better than the crowd.
That cried away with Him, crucified Him, and yet He killed all of them. He still loves them. He's calling out the people for His name. If He has saved you, He has heavenly glory for you. But dear young people, He cares for your pathway through this world. He wants you to have a happy pathway with His blessing when you listen to the instruction that He gives you when you go by. That and the other meetings are rather have brought before us that He has shown ways that we can show our gratitude to Him.
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As in.
Alone. Chapter 12, verse one. I have since you therefore, brethren, by the verses of God, that you present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable intelligence service. Somebody does a great deal for you. And did you ever say to them, well, please, I'd like to do something for you, if you just tell me something that I could do to show my gratitude for what you've done for me. And the Lord has done great things for us, and He tells us in His where there are ways that we can show our gratitude we can in choosing.
Our friends in life and choosing the job that we're going to follow. And choosing these group of Christians with whom were identified to hear a common expression that's convinced in the meeting. Go to the Church of your choice without a God has saved you, but now you just choose the way you want to go and worship him. It's not that right. He has a chart. When the disciples were going to keep that last Passover and the Lord was about to institute the feast of remembrance.
They didn't choose to play face, that Lord put her well down that we prepared. And so the Lord gave them specific instructions they might have settled. We can hardly expect to find a man bearing a picture of water. That's not the custom around here. But they did. They followed him to the house where he entered him, and when the power was coming, stopped in the 12 apostles with him. And he told him it was his desire to keep that Passover with them, and then to institute that supper of pressure.
Does this mean anything to you? Does it touch your heart? I carry dear young people, and we were older too. Thought of an interest in your life. He has more interest than anybody else in your life. He's provided your parents to help you. You can be thankful if you have Christian parents. Even if they're not Christians. They think you're happiness. They may not seek it in the right way, but even if they're not Preston, they feel sick. You're asking happiness and he seeks it in the right way.
And he's proved he's lost here. Have you saved your soul? Do you belong to him?
Have you ever asked him what he wants you to do about that job, about that schooling, about that friendship, about the group of Christians with whom you should associate? Is it just. Oh, well, I think it's nice group of young people there And I can go there for you saying, Lord, a couple of thou have. You do. Oh, dear young people, I want to encourage you. And I want to tell you too. Again, that thought has provided your parents, and I want to encourage you to honor your parents. This is a day of disobedience to parents. This is the day when.
Young people, because we're living in such a changing generation.
The yellow parents are outdated and don't understand. Well, it's true we're sort of a little bit behind the times in many things. But if I can say that we have parents too seek the blessing of our children and we know that there are paths that are marked out in God's word, says about David, David, he served his own generation by the will of God and so recall to serve in our own generation, the fathers and mothers.
Because I live in this generation. They're trying to help you. They understand a little bit of the generation that they live in, and they're trying to help you and encourage you. But above all, I want to say again for you put the Lord Jesus first. I want you just to think of what he did for you. I want you just to stop.
In your time and just say what did you do for me? You went to Calgary, died for me with all my friends and his own body on the tree. He prepared a home for me in the glory. He's the captain of my salvation, bringing me a glory. And he told me that even if I'm unfaithful, he he remained faithful. He cannot deny himself and those who are saved are eternally secure. Why? Because of the work that Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary.
Reverse I just like to notice in the faith of Romans.
8th chapter of Romans.
Verse 38 and 39.
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I am persuaded that neither death, nor light, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. For I speak about this on his considerable story that happened to us years ago. Quite a few years ago we were preaching on the street in the city of Ottawa, where I live, and young man came up to us who used to work for the.
Army.
And he said that I will believe it. I have something very interesting to tell you. He said I was in the services and they among the chaplains I worked for the chaplain, he said. And he said when a man is taken in that's very seriously wounded and brought into the hospital, we always have to ask him what church he belongs to so we get the right pastor for him. And he said, when this man was brought in, he said, he said, I asked him what church do you belong to? And he said I'm appalled, persuasion. And he said I never heard of that. He said I asked a couple of other fellows around, did they ever hear that group that was new to me. He said call persuasion. And he said that dear man, he was just getting away.
He said. He quoted these two lovely verses. I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principle, he's nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, no height nor death, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God. It isn't in Christ Jesus our Lord. But the thing I wanted to point out here was this very precious to me, that this is a very unusual thing in English. The sentence begins in the singular I am persuaded, but in the IT ends in the plural. Separate us from the love of God.
This is very interesting, isn't it? Here's a English we're taught if we begin a sentence in a singular, we should finish it in singular. We should finish it in plural. Why this change? Well, some Christians are persuaded of eternal security and some are not. But whether they're persuaded or not, it's true.
Further persuaded their mom. It's true. I am persuaded that nothing can separate us from the love of God but within Christ Jesus our Lord, what a wonderful salvation we have. That's all in Christ. What a wonderful savior we have. What a wonderful counselor And I just like to encourage dear young people, honor your parents.
Well, don't show any disrespect to them. If they think you're good and they're blessed, you're blessing. And above all, you have the best counselor.
That can be provided. And that is the one who inhabits eternity, who made this world in knows all about you, numbers the very hairs of your head, which no friend has ever done. He knows all about you, and will you trust him? For you ask him for counsel. The Lord is pleased, because Solomon, instead of just asking for riches and Wizards, he said that he might have wisdom, and the Lord is pleased with that. So you ask him, His name is wonderful, Counselor Almighty God.
The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Wonder if we could bring that little hymn and let him look in the in the appendix.
Modern. Not sure. Try 7676 Near bandit by and Jesus by, and no more this heart of mine. They'll seek its joy apart from Thee. The world is crucified to me, and I am Thy 76 in the appendix.
I love you all day.
Long cause I've gone back to heaven.
Our blessed God and our Father, thank you for Thy word, a lamp to our faith and the light to our path. We thank you all has given it to us, giving us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, because I'll cares for us in every detail of our lives. Now we think of the many dear young people here. We all see that I'll encourage them. Help them, Lord, in their decisions. They might speak thy mind and will, and walk that path without marked out in thy precious word. You know that thou art evil to direct us.
And all I ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. So we look to thee now, and pray for the remainder of the day.
It might be for lasting blessing to each one of our hearts, encouraging us as we wait for that moment. Lord Jesus, when all that we talked about and some about, there'll be a blessed, eternal reality in the Father's house. To give thee thanks, we ask these things in my precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
We have 10 minutes until the next meeting. At 3:00 is the open meeting.
Christ our Wisdom
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Like to turn first of all the first kings and the third chapter First kings chapter 3.
Verse five. And Gideon the Lord appeared to Solomon, and agreed by night. God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou assured unto thy servant David, my father, great mercy, according as he walked before the untruth, and in righteousness, and in that brightness apart with thee, and thou except for him, this great kindness.
Thou has given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king.
Instead of David, my father and I am but a little child. I know not how to go out or come in, and thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which thou hast chosen are great people, which cannot be numbered for multitude that were counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil.
Who is able to judge this by great so I so great a people?
And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. Then in Isaiah Chapter 9, verse 6, Randall, as a child is born unto us, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called. Wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.
On the throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this notice one board I'd like you to turn over to Proverbs chapter one verse one the proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. You know wisdom and instruction to perceive the words of understanding.
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice and judgment and equity.
They give stability to the simple and to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels to understand the proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise and their dark sayings. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
That fools despise wisdom and instruction, my son. Hear the instruction of life, father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
They shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains above thy neck.
Thy son of sinners in pasty consent thou not.
Well, I know this is addressed to the young people, but I was thinking of these verses that follow show how when Solomon is going to come to the throne in Israel, he asked the Lord that he would give him wisdom. You know, the young people, you're growing up, you're entering a world that's full of all kinds of tangles, full of all kinds of questions. You have to make decisions every day and how important it is that God has left us.
To ourselves, he has left us just to say, well, I think this is the best thing to do.
Well, I think that is the best thing to do. He's given us His Word, He's given us instruction in His precious Word, and above all, He's given us Himself, Himself. His name shall be called wonderful counselor of the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
May I remember reading a story about a girl and she was writing into a page in the newspaper where you can write and get your questions answered. And she was writing her question out. And she got tired and she went off to bed and I stood on her desk half done. And her older sister, who knew the Lord as their Savior, had found something of the resource she had of the Lord.
She came and saw this letter, probably written out the question that was bothering her and how what was the best answer, what she should do under these circumstances.
And she just wrote across the letter. His name shall be called wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Well, I don't think the letter was ever sent. But she turned to one who more than the person who would answer her in the daily newspaper. Because there was one who cared, One who cared so much for her soul that the Lord Jesus came down in infinite love.
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God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God loved this world. He wants the blessing of all. And we're going to see how he desires that blessing. And he wants to be the one who will be your counselor and dear young people who will guide you in the pathway of life. And you won't have to look back with a lot of regrets in the path where he leads because the path where he leads. It says for ways are ways of.
And all her paths are peace. I don't mean that there won't be trials. The Lord Jesus walked in a path to please His Father, and he had trials. But oh, how precious to know that in His blessed pathway He found joy in doing the Father's will, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and it sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
His path was the Man of Sorrows, but another way it was the Man of Joy, because he was doing his Father's will and so.
The Lord was pleased that Solomon asked that. And dear young people, I want to ask you.
As you begin to face life and make a lot of decisions on your own, have you asked the Lord to guide you and direct you that your decisions might be made according to His mind and will? We have a lot of instruction in His Word. It is true there are decisions that we don't have direct instruction in the Word. We know that one time in the life of King David.
He asked the Lord about what he should do in a certain circumstance, and the Lord told him what he should do.
And he did it, but there was not a time that he, he decided to ask the leaders of the people, the heads and the Princess and everything, and they gave their advice, but that advice was contrary to the word of God. And he followed their advice. And he got into quite a problem too. Whereas when he asked the Lord, the Lord showed him, and the Lord blessed him when he followed.
The instruction that he had given him and so.
My burden for you, dear young people, is that you might find what a wonderful resource you have in the Lord and the provision that He has made for you in a tangled world like this, because things are getting more and more complicated. Says then he shall run too. And now he's run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. And there's definitely a great deal more knowledge in this world. You can press a button and find out.
Almost anything about almost any subject, because man has.
So much as the Bible says that in the last days knowledge would be increased, but it has made people any happier. Has it increased godliness? Now the world is still full violence and corruption and many broken hearts, and some of the broken hearts are in the highest positions of this world. But you know the Lord Jesus wants to guide you. And I just like to say a little bit about these opening chapters of Proverbs.
It is very interesting that in our youth God has provided our parents.
And if you'll notice carefully, the book of Proverbs is sometimes called Heavenly wisdom for our earthly path.
I want you to notice this. Notice how the 2nd chapter begins. My son, if thou receive my words and hide my commandments from thee, from with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to understand thee.
And then in the second chapter begins the same way. My son, those two words forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my statute, my commandments, for length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth for safety bind them about thy neck right and upon the tables.
Of thine heart, then going down the fifth verse.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. He not wise in thine own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil.
Who is it that's giving this instruction? Notice each chapter up until the end of Chapter 7 begins in about the same way. How? That is, it's the father and the mother who are giving instruction to the children.
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Bible says honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee. And that's not only in the Old Testament, but that is repeated in the very epistle that we've been taking up in our Bible readings. That epistle has to deal with heavenly truth, that it tells us that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. It's in that very, very book that it says.
The daughter, thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment with promise. Now I sometimes used to tell young people.
I've never seen people, I've never seen boys and girls who didn't honor their parents, who really had the blessing of the Lord in their lives.
It's very important. That's part of the wisdom of God that he's given to us in His word. And each one of these chapters, you'll notice it begins with those words, my son, the 5th, 4th chapter here, you children, the instruction of a father. So father and mother seek to give that God the instruction. And it's nice to see what parents says in this fifth verse.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine all understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. This is part of the instruction that the parents are giving to the children.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. From time to put trust in a friend, you have confidence in him. You say that friend will never let me down. They let you down. They disappoint you, don't they? They don't fulfill that trust that you put in them. And you feel very disappointed. But I want to tell you, there's nobody loves you like your parents. They think you're good at them. They say for that you might be blessed and that you might.
Have the blessing of the Lord in your life. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Be not unto thine own understanding In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct bypass. He wants to direct our paths over and over again. We read through the Bible and we see when God be kings turn to the Lord in their times of trouble.
Maybe to be a great host, come against them and they felt absolutely powerless out of handle us at all.
But when I turn to the Lord, how remarkably he came in, how he delivered them in a wonderful way, because God is still the same today. He's still able to do more than we can ask or think You'd say to any Christian, an older person who stopped to walk in the ways of the Lord, have you found the Lord faithful? They'll say, yes, he's been faithful. I've often been unfaithful.
And often failed. But he never has. He never has our faithful unchangeable.
Friend. And then come to the 4th chapter again. Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father.
I give you a good doctrine, and forsake you not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother taught me also and seven to be Let thy thine eye, then heart return. Retain my words, keep my commandments, and live.
Then I'd like you to notice in that particular chapter in the 23rd verse, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
Keep thy heart with all diligence, Mr. Harvey's translation is keep thy heart about everything that's guarded. You know, you guard your possessions, you guard your friends. You don't want to lose them. Keep your own heart. Be careful. Our brother was talking about this morning when your heart goes out to these unfamiliar star, accomplishing something that makes you great in this world.
But what they're all going to amount to in the end, it's all forgotten, one great statesman said.
So how does the powers of glory be? But the grave that was all he saw that all ended at the grave. But you know, if you do 1 little thing, even giving a cup of cold water. And what does I think more wonderful still that I read in Malachi. But God has a book of remembrance where He keeps a record of every thought upon his name. Sometimes as we travel a boat, some of our friends, they have a.
Book that we write our names in because we've enjoyed the visit in their home and we're happy to put our names down.
Be thankful for their kind and loving hospitality. But they don't know when we think about them. They know when we're there, of course, but they don't know when we think about them. But God knows when you think about it. And he has a vote of remembrance where he keeps even the times that you think about him. Keep thy heart with all diligence above everything, scarred of it, guarded. For out of it are the issues of life. We go after the things that we love.
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A little money we're going to go after. We don't support, we're going to go after.
Friends are going to go after it, but some people have a love of friends. You may be in a place. How about for Isaac? She brought up in a place where he didn't have friends of his own age and he came to the marriage age and it was pretty difficult for him.
But the Father had made an arrangement and through the servant, the picture of the Holy Spirit of God, he went into a far country. He found a partner for him, and the light of faith was preserved as God. Interested in your friends, your partner and life? Yes, he's concerned about all those things. I mean, I'll be handy right here.
And keep thy heart with all diligence. Above everything that started her out of it are the issues of life.
Then you'll notice again in this 5th chapter thy son attended by wisdom, And bow down mine ear to my understanding, that thou mayest regard discretion. My lips may keep knowledge. In the 6th chapter begins very similar. My son shall be surety, For thy friend itself has stricken thy hand with a stranger. Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth.
Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this my son, and deliver thyself. When thou has come into the hand of a friend, go humble thyself and make sure thy friend here's his father telling the son you make a mistake. And we all do make mistakes. Say go and make it right. Don't just leave it, go and make it right. And of course we need to make things right with the Lord. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from.
Righteousness. But I say to you, if you've made a mistake, no, don't give up. The Lord still loves you. There's a way back. It's his way. Yeah. Sometimes you have to humble yourself. Sometimes you have to be willing to confess your mistake. You should. The trespass offering. The man had to not only confess his mistake, but make amends for what he had done and also bring his offering to the Lord.
We need to remember these things. Our father's instructing the child, giving him help.
And in the seventh verse, 7th chapter.
He's getting a little bit Boyer boy, he's getting a little bit older, and now he's getting friends of the opposite sex. And he has to be pretty careful. My son, keep my words and lay up thy commandments with thee. And there we have the Father sail, instructing him and warning him. Isn't this lovely that God has provided this for us? And you can't be thankful enough if you have a Christian home.
Father and mother who love the Lord.
Who seek your good more than anybody else on earth. They desire your happiness and your blessing. They desire that you should honor the Lord in your walking ways. Now we come to something a little different when we come to the 8th chapter and did all the Bible presents certain pictures to us and I believe the picture that is presented here is time has come that the boy or the girl is now going to leave home.
Now they're not going to hear their father saying, well, that wouldn't be a very wise thing to do.
I wouldn't suggest you do that. That'll get you into a problem. Father's voice, Mother's voice is not there, but there is another voice. There is that one that we read about in Isaiah Chapter 9. It says unto us, a child is born. Unto us a son is given his name shall be called wonderful counselors, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
If I say the little picture here changes, the boy or the girl is leaving home now.
If I'm a hearing father say don't do that, that wouldn't be a very wise thing to do. Mother's not saying I wouldn't suggest you do that, but does not wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of the high places, by the way, and the places of the past. She tries at the she crieth at the gates, at the entering of the city, at the coming in of the doors.
I think you can easily see here this picture that's presented to us.
This is the child leaving home. He's going now. There's a lot of doors in front of him. Which door is he going to go in? Which one is he going to enter? And he can't say, Well, Dad, what do you think? He's not there. Dad's not there. That's the Lord's there. The Lord is there and he cares. He numbers the very hairs of your hair. You haven't got another friend like him. A parent's love is wonderful. And I love our dear children not as much as the Lord loves them.
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The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. He's prepared a home for me in glory.
He's willing to order all my steps and the pathway of life. There isn't anything in life that doesn't concern him. He's concerned about everything that you do. And so here is this young person in the way in the places of the past, a lot of past opening up now. Which path is he going to choose? Well, there's paths as to the employment you take up.
The apostle Paul said let every man abide in the same calling where he is called with God. Are you taking up something where you can really honor the Lord? I won't tell you you're going to be happier. Dear young person, all your life you settle in something where you can go to your desk in the morning and feel you don't have to worry about being.
Some questionable things come before you. Should I do this or that? You know there are jobs where you find it hard to fulfill them.
And still honor the Lord. And it's very important as you stand that you make these decisions. What am I going to be? What am I going to follow in life where you're standing? And wisdom is crying. Wisdom is crying. Listen to me. I know all about you. Don't know where that path leads, but I can tell you I know where it leads. And so it says here and to you, Oh man, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men.
How are you simple understand wisdom and he fools be of an understanding heart.
Here, for I will speak of excellent things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things, for my mouth shall speak truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing froward or perverse in them when you say they're very complicated, but listen to this ninth verse. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and write to them that find knowledge.
May not seem lies a step as far as the world is concerned.
Perhaps your counselors at school may want to push you into that thing, but it's something where you're going to find out later that it's going to be very hard to honor the Lord and give him a place that He should have in your life. Isn't He worthy of first place? He died in order to win your heart of mine. He provided many mansions. Have you got the glory? He's going to make us eternally happy.
And so I did beg of you, dear young people.
To listen to this voice of wisdom, never take a step and disobedience to the word of God, even a matter of unequal yoke. The Bible says he not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What communion hath light with darkness? What part of heathen believeth with an interol? How can you make a yoke with someone who doesn't love the Lord and try to walk in the path of life together? He has no heart for the Lord.
Did you do want to please the Lord? Because you're His?
We say you'll change. Well, now he's taking a great rest. Sometimes God does in his mercy. I know of a particular person. And she married a boy that wasn't saved, and she humbled herself. And the Lord did goodness save him, and he became a good father to the family too. But then the Lord took him away.
And you wouldn't perhaps hardly believe this, but she said, well, he saved my first husband, he'll do it again for me. And she went into a second on April Oak. As far as I know, she's still alive today, her husband and his dad, as far as I know, he died about Christ out of sorrow.
Sorrow, it's true, God is gracious, He does come in, but don't presume that he's raised. He may let you reap the fruit your own self will.
So it goes on here and it says here.
High wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witting inventions. It's quite an interesting verse. Find out knowledge of what he inventions. You can get books, magazines that you can buy and they'll tell you about some of the new adventures and whether they're good or not. The consumers digest them. They'll tell you whether they are all right or not. But well, maybe sometimes they're pretty helpful.
But you know, the Lord knows everything before him. He knows whether that move is going to be for the best or not. He's the truth. Consumer Digest. Very many people have gone in the path of self will and they found to their sorrow it didn't turn out the way they expected. But our God knows everything and His knowledge is unsearchable. There's something hid from the Lord. And so it says He finally acknowledged a witty invention.
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The fear of the Lord is the hate evil pride and arrogance fee and the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate council is mine and sound wisdom. I have understanding like that, but they don't have the strength to help you out when the problem comes, but the one who asked you to walk in the path of obedience.
Strength he's able to do more than we ask or think, which is an honor with the a durable riches of righteousness. My fruit is better than golden, much than fine gold in my revenues and choice silver I lead in the way of righteousness and in the midst of the paths of judgment. Then he calls them that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures.
Now the Lord takes the place of the Creator.
Here, but He is the 22nd verse. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before the His works of old. I was set up from everlasting from the beginning. Wherever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains abounding with water before the mountains were settled before the hills was I brought forth, while a jetty had not made.
The earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the earth.
When he prepared the heavens, I was there, but he sat a compass on the face of the death. When he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep. In this wonderful description of how this one whose name is called, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, He's the Creator. And when they made this world, He was thinking of you.
This is a wonderful expression, that when he made his delights for with the sons of men, his delights were with the sons of men. Now it's often been said.
Could have made the world all one color pretty dull and all one color. Isn't there a tremendous variety of colors? We had different foods today. We could have made our food taste all the same. Very often when you get drugs or anything, they taste all the same. They don't give you all of my variety, but God gives you all these endless varieties. Why does He do this?
Because he left not himself without witness that he did good, sending rain from heaven and fruitful seasons milling, filling men's hearts.
With food and gladness, God is good. You want your boyfriend and you're surrounded with 1000 reminders that He wants your blessing. He made this world which you live so beautiful and all these things that you can't enjoy richly. But man has spoiled it by sin. And we see all the finest things in this world have been spoiled by sin, but God has made it beautiful for the good of man.
Are you going to refuse to listen to him?
Are you going to go your own way as in Isaiah 53? All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to His own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. But boundless grace. And He saw us turn aside and do all those wrong things. Finally took His beloved Son. Your heart and mind was no better than the crowd.
That cried away with him. Crucify him.
And yet he still loves us, he still loves us. He's calling out a people for his name. If he has saved you, he has heavenly glory for you. But you do young people. He cares for your pathway through this world. He wants you to have a happy pathway with his blessing. Will you listen to the instruction that he gives you? Will you go by that any other meetings are rather have brought before us that he has shown ways that we can show our.
To him.
As in Romans chapter 12 and verse one. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable intelligence service. Somebody does a great deal for you. And did you ever say to them, well, please, I'd like to do something for you, if you'll just tell me something that I could do to show my gratitude for what you've done for me. And the Lord has done great things for us.
And he tells us in his word, there are ways that we can show our gratitude. We can in choosing our friends in life and choosing the job that we're going to follow and choosing a group of Christians with whom we're identified. We hear a common expression. It's been nice to meetings, go to the Church of your choice without a God of Savior, but now you just choose the way you want to go and worship him. It's not that right?
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We have a choice from the disciples.
We're going to keep that last Passover, and the Lord was about to institute the Feast of Remembrance.
They didn't choose the place. Face that, Lord, where wilt thou that we prepare? And so the Lord gave them specific instructions they might have said, or that we can hardly expect to find a man bearing a picture of water. That's not the custom around here. But they did, and followed him to the house where he entered them, and when the power was coming, sat down the 12 apostles working, and he told them it was his desire to keep that Passover.
And then then to institute that supper. How precious. Does this mean anything to you? Does it touch your heart? I tell you, each one of your young people, and we were older too, thought of an interest in your life. He has more interest than anybody else in your life. He's provided your parents to help you. You can be thankful if you have Christian parents, even if they're not Christians. They seek your happiness. They may not seek it in the right way, but even if they're not.
Christians, they feel that your happiness.
The broad suture happiness and he thinks it in the right way and he's proved he's loved here. Has he saved your soul? Do you belong to him? Have you ever asked him what he wants you to do about that job, about that schooling, about that friendship, about the group of Christians with whom you should associate? Is it just Oh well, I think it's nice proof. Like young people there and I can go there or he's saying, Lord, a couple of thou have you do.
People, I want to encourage you and I want to tell you to again, thought has provided your parents and I want to encourage you to honor your parents. This is the day of disobedience to parents. This is the day when young people, because we're living in such a changing generation, they feel their parents are outdated and don't understand. Well, it's true, we're sort of a little bit behind the times in many things, but as I can say that we as parents do seek the blessing of our children.
And we know that there are paths that are marked out in God's Word tells about David. And David, he served his own generation by the will of God. And so recall to serve in our own generation, fathers and mothers are living in this generation. They're trying to help you. They understand a little bit of the generation that they live in, and they're trying to help you and encourage you.
But above all, I want to say again, when you put the Lord Jesus first, I want you just to think of what He did for you. I want you just to stop.
And your time and just say, what did he do for me? He went to Calvary. He died for me before my sins in his own body on the tree. He prepared a home for me in the glory. He's the captain of my salvation, bringing me to glory. And he told me that even if I'm unfaithful, he, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. And those who are saved are eternally secure.
Why? Because of the work that Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary of little birds, I just like to notice in the eighth of Romans.
This chapter of Romans, verse 38 and 39, I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Our Lord, for I speak about this, I'm just going to tell another story that happened to us years ago, quite a few years ago, we were preaching on the street in city of Ottawa where I live, and the young man came up to us who used to work for the Army and he said that I'm a believer. I have something very interesting to tell you. He said. I was in the services and they among the chaplains, I worked for the chaplain, he said. And he said when a man is taken in that's very seriously wounded and brought into the hospital.
We always have to ask him what church he belongs to so we get the right pastor for him. And he said when this man was brought in, he said, he said, I asked him what church do you belong to? And he said, I'm appalled persuasion. And he said I never heard of that. He said, I asked a couple of other fellows around, did they ever hear that group That was new to me. He said Paul's persuasion. And he said to dear ma'am, he was just having a way. He said he quoted.
00:35:00
Lovely verses. I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But the thing I wanted to point out to you, which is very precious to me, that this is a very unusual thing. In English the sentence begins in the singular, I am persuaded, but in the IT ends in the plural.
Separate us from the love of God. This is very interesting, isn't it? Usually in English we're taught if we begin a sentence in a singular, we should finish it in singular plural, we should finish it in plural. Why this change? Well, some Christians are persuaded of eternal security and some are not. But whether they're persuaded or not, it's true. Whether they're persuaded or not, it's true. I am persuaded.
That nothing can separate us from the love of God.
What you think, Christ Jesus our Lord, what a wonderful salvation we have that's all in Christ. What a wonderful Savior we have. What a wonderful counselor. And I'd just like to encourage you to young people, honor your parents.
Don't. Don't show any disrespect to them. They think you're good and you're blessed. You're blessing. And above all, you have the best counselor that can be provided, and that is the one who inhabits eternity, who made this world, who knows all about you, numbers the very hairs of your head, which no friend has ever done.
He knows all about you, and when you trust him for you ask him for counsel. The Lord was pleased because Solomon, instead of just asking for riches and wishes, he said that he might have wisdom, and the Lord was pleased with that. So you ask him. His name is wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.