Des Moines Conference: 1983
Table of Contents
I Will Deliver Thee
Address—G. Hayhoe
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General Meetings, Des Moines, May 1983, Addressed by Gordon Hayhoe.
And we sang together and we sing together #275 #275.
Our God is light, and though we go across the trackless wild, our Jesus footsteps ever shall the path for every child 275.
Our God is life.
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I'd like to turn to Second Timothy, Second Timothy chapter one.
The seventh verse.
For God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power and of love.
And of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
Nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.
According to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with an holy calling.
Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace.
Which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Well, what I have in my heart this afternoon, especially that seventh verse, you notice there are four things that are mentioned there. God has not given us the spirit of fear. That's the first one. What God has not given us, it could be translated the spirit of cowardice. God hasn't given us that kind of a spirit for this day and age in which we live. He didn't give it in the days of the apostle when they had to suffer persecution.
We face a different set of circumstances in 1983, but we don't need to be afraid.
God has not given us the spirit of fear, but he has given us three things.
Power and love and a sound mind or the margin says rise discretion. And that's the new translation rather. And I believe that those things are so important for us, and I speak especially to those who are young, although I believe we all need it. That we need to bear in mind this gracious provision that God has given to us, these three important things that I'm sure all of us feel greatly the need of.
The world seeks after these kind of things, but they don't know the source. But you and I, who know the Lord is our Savior, we know the source of these things. At the end of World War Two, they decided that they were going to try and enjoy the four freedoms, and one of them was freedom from fear. But has it been brought about? I would say that those who are intelligent and have any idea of what's going on are more fearful now than they were at the end of World War 2.
Because man doesn't know how to have fear removed. But it's a very blessed thing that you and I can know and enjoy these things. We can be delivered from that, and then we can have power. That's what men often strive after is power. They try to get it in themselves. They try to build up something in their own personality or hopes or something that will give them the power in situations and circumstances. But they don't know the real source of power.
And that is in the Lord and in love. There's a lot of talk about love.
But you know, man being a selfish being, he doesn't know how to love the Lord with all his heart and his neighbor as himself.
He doesn't have that, but you have. If you're a child of God, you possess that.
And then last of all, a sound mind or the new translation?
Wise discretion. Oh, how much that is needed. Well, as I say, I'd like to talk about those four things. First, what we have been delivered from from fear and then what we possess that we might be in the enjoyment of it. I hope each one, and I think especially of those who are young, they feel, especially on my heart, that in facing a world like we face in 1983 and that we need these four things.
We need to be delivered from facing the future with fear. We need to be delivered so that we could walk in liberty, and then we need power. We need love, and we need wise discretion with all hard questions and problems of life. Well, in thinking of fear, I'd like to speak of it first of all, in regard to salvation, you turn over to Romans Chapter 5.
Romans chapter 5.
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Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And the tenth verse, the ninth verse, much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled.
We shall be saved by his life. Well, here we see, perhaps we could say deliverance from fear in regard to the matter of salvation.
God has told us very plainly in His word that sin must be punished.
God has told us what it is in his sight. The Lord Jesus, when he was here, said, Fear not them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear. Fear him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yeah, I say unto you, fear him, And there may be some here sitting in this very room. And if you're not saved, I say, you better fear God.
Judgment is a solemn thing. It's a reality. You may think you can escape, but there's no escape except through the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone must answer to God, and if you have to meet God in your sins, it's a dreadfully solemn thing. It's a reality. And it's not from trying to forget that there's a hell, Not from trying to deny it, not from trying to find your own way to make yourself right before God.
But God, I say, has provided a way. And these verses that we read speak about rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. Or it says in Ephesians chapter 3, it says we have access with boldness by the faith of him. Oh, what a grand thing it is to be able to look into the future and know that no matter what comes, whether it should be the Lord who would come today or whether death should summon us away.
And that everything has been provided for by that blessed and glorious work.
That the Lord Jesus accomplished. And I say again if there's anyone here.
There is no use my talking to you about deliverance from fear if you don't know the Lord is your savior. I hope you will fear. I hope you'll be awakened and realize what's ahead of you if you don't know Christ as your savior. But He's ready. He's willing. He's able to save you, and he's able to do it today. That work that he accomplished on the cross of Calvary has answered once and for all to God for every need of the Sinner, and so that when you accept him as your savior.
You can look up into the face of a sin hating God, and you have peace. You can say I didn't make my peace. He made peace by the blood of his cross. It isn't a feeling, friends. It's a person. He is our peace. Perhaps you're looking inside and saying, well, how do I feel? It isn't your feelings that count. The question is, was the debt paid for you? Have you accepted God's testimony concerning his Son?
That's the only way his perfect love can cast out your fear.
And so isn't it Blessed God has not given us the spirit of fear. Now those of us who know the Lord is our Savior can just look forward to the future. The thought of the Lords coming doesn't scare us. It's a joy to us. We're going to see the face of the Savior who died for us.
We're going to look into his face and see the marks in his hands and feet inside. When the Lord showed to the disciples his hands and his side, they were glad. And then too, if death should overtake us, what a blessed assurance that we can say we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. And so I just say at the beginning, if you would be delivered from fear.
It's only through Christ that this can take place. And then you can have boldness. You can rejoice at the thought of being in the presence of God. Sometimes when you attend a funeral and you hear people say, oh, I'm sure that it's all right. That was such a good person. And you knew that person during their lifetime and you couldn't speak a word about the Lord Jesus to them. They they didn't want to hear about it at all. How could they be happy?
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They be the most miserable person if they got into heaven. They don't have a nature suited to the place at all.
So they're not only unready to meet God as a judge, but they couldn't feel comfortable even if they did get there. But for those of us who know the Lord, our great joy is to think of looking into the face, the altogether lovely face of the Savior who died for us upon the cross of Calvary. But then there are other kinds of fear. Let's turn over to Philippians Chapter 4.
Philippians chapter 4.
And it says in the second verse, I besiccio odious and beseech Sintiki, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also true yoke fellow help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers whose names are in the book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord. Always and again I say, rejoice, Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful, for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. With Thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true.
Whatsoever things are honest, Whatsoever things are just. Whatsoever things are pure. Whatsoever things are lovely. Whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Well, I've read this passage because it seems to me that it speaks about the importance of being careful for nothing but making all our requests known unto God. How often we fear because of some situation that has come up unexpectedly in our lives, and in this case, and perhaps it's something that might be sometimes common to us. And that is, there was apparently a little bit of discord in the assembly at Philippi.
Paul had to speak about those who were doing things through strife and Vainglory.
Even here had to mention the names of two who were apparently not at very happy agreement with one another.
And, you know, that might be something that is upsetting someone here. You say, oh, it's so difficult. People say things and they're so hurtful. I've known young people and older ones too, have left the meeting because somebody said something that was kind of unkind and hurtful. And you know, I guess many of us speak unadvisedly with our lips at times. And, you know, it's not always easy to take these kind of things, but they can really get hold of us. They can get hold of us to the point.
And not only those who are older, but those who are younger too. They can get hold of us to the point where you'll hear young people say, I'm going to stop coming to the meeting. Those people, they say things and they they hurt me. And so here was a condition in Philippi, in that assembly, where they were very, very many things that were commendable. They were striving together for the faith of the gospel. And there was much that rejoiced the heart of the apostle, but there was.
Little roots of bitterness coming up.
And So what does the apostle tell these believers to do?
What is the wise thing to do when these kind of things happen? Well, I think this is lovely. First of all, he says in the fourth verse, rejoice in the Lord all the way. And if there's anybody who is in that situation and you're pretty hurt because of something that's been said or done by, I want to tell you, the Lord will never disappoint you. You may not always be able to rejoice in everything that's said and done by other people and other, and perhaps by me.
But you can always rejoice in the Lord. He never changes. He's your best friend.
He understands you perfectly, and if others misjudge he doesn't. He always makes a right appraisal and everything. When Mary broke that box of alabaster ointment at the feet of the Savior, the disciples found fault. But Mary had just done it to please the Lord, and I believe she had peace in her heart and she just left it all with the Lord. And the Lord spoke up for her and said, let her alone, She hath brought a good work on me. And so you can see that the Lord understands in every situation.
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One time, Jonathan put himself out to help the people of God in a mighty.
Victory over the Philistines. And then his father was very jealous of him. And his father tried to, shall I say, steal the shell and get all the credit for the victory himself. But you know, I often say God always has the record down properly. He never makes any mistake on his record. And so is there somebody here? And you're upset. Shall I say you're fearing because of things that have been said? Listen to this rejoice in the Lord all the way. Then what's the next?
Let your moderation be known unto all men could be translated that you're yielding us be known unto all men give way, just give way, and leave it fly well, because the Lord is at hand. The thought here in the Lord being at hand is not so much the thought of the Lorde coming, but rather the Lord is near. And the Lord sees that the Lord knows all about it. He's right there. And if somebody was standing there and saw the whole situation, you'd say, well, they understand because they were right there, and they heard it. And so the Lord is at hand. There's not a comfort to our hearts.
And then he says, and don't get under it. Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, Tell us to the Lord. I think this is very precious, that this is brought in in such a situation of this as this, because it seems to me that what was the care upon the hearts of these Saints, was not so much other kinds of care.
Like we might have sickness and so on, but rather little things that are said and done. Sometimes they hurt more than sickness.
To have little things happen. And so here we find the Apostle telling them, rejoice in the Lord be willing to yield, And then he says, may tell the Lord all about it. Let your requests be made known unto God. And when will be the result, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding? Not peace with God, that we have through the finished work of Christ, but the peace of God. And that is the very peace in which God.
Himself dwells. Do you think anything disturbs the peace of God's throne? Do you think anything that happened in the United States yesterday?
Disturbed the peace of God's throne. Oh, you say? No, He knew all about it beforehand.
He does. And so he says, you need a Garrison on your heart. I need a Garrison too, because the devil's got lots of fiery darts. And if you don't have your heart garrisoned with this piece, why they get in? And so he said in the peace of God, which passes all understanding, you can understand the person being peaceful when everything is going well, but to be peaceful when everything's going wrong, to be peaceful when things are said that are hurtful, That's the peace of God.
All how things were said about the Lord Jesus, what things were said about him.
And Jan he took it all and in love went to Calvary and died for you and me.
And then instead of thinking about those things that only depress, he tells us good things that we can think about and sometimes said, when you try to stop and think how much time you think, worrying that you spend rather worrying about things that happen. I mean, it's quite amazing. I have to confess this myself. If I really made a a kind of a record of my time, I find I spend a lot of time worrying and fussing about things that are said and done and so on.
He says. Now just take all those things that ordinarily would worry you and leave them with the Lord.
Leave them with the Lord. And then he said, His peace will Garrison your heart, but you've got to be thinking.
And he says, I'll give you good things to think about. And what are those good things? True, honest, just pure, lovely good report. Could there be any virtue? And if there be any praise, that is, we see all these things in perfection, in the Lord Jesus, but we see them in measure, in the children of God. And what he is really saying, if that person has said something, perhaps you can think of some nice things about them. Kind of remarkable that he that he says here.
If there be any virtue, you say, I don't see anything good in them. Well, he says, if there's something good there, think about that. Oh, you know, the word of God meets every situation. And so is there someone here that has fears because of all kinds of things that have been said and done? But I want to say is God hasn't given us the spirit of fear. He's given us a resource committed to the Lord. Commit it to him, and you'll be surprised the peace that will flood your heart.
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The Lord is able and another kind. Let's turn to 2nd at First Peter chapter 5.
I Peter Chapter 5.
And the.
6th verse.
Humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your tears upon him, for He cares for you. Be sober. Be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walk at the boat, seeking whom he may devour whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
Here we find another thing, perhaps in this chapter. It has to do with a more general cares.
Perhaps we could call it the different trials that come upon us.
Maybe some physical situation? Maybe your job? Maybe something about schooling.
Maybe a lot of different things that have to do with our everyday life, Perhaps not something somebody has said, but there are great many things and they are often very, very upsetting. And it's very hard for us to receive these things from the hand of the Lord. We need grace from Him to do this. And I sometimes said that we like to hang this verse on our walls, casting all your care upon him, for He careth for you.
And many times, perhaps we've had the experience. You say I've I brought it to the Lord and I told them all about it, but I don't know why. I seem to carry the care away with me. I wanted to leave it there, but I didn't. I carried it away with me, and I just can't seem to get rid of that care. Well, you know, I sometimes drawn attention to the fact that the 6th and 7th verse are actually all one sentence.
And if you read them together, I think we get the real way that we can cast our cares upon the Lord.
It says here, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. And if I can speak of my own experience, that when there's something turns up, something very difficult and hard to accept, and then it says here, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God. And sometimes I've tried to leave it with the Lord, and I find that the big problem is that I haven't really taken it from the Lord, I haven't really taken it from Him. I have really had the idea that the only way I could possibly have peace was for the problem to be removed.
But that may not be God's mind at all. And so I have sometimes had to say to myself, pardon me for relating a personal experience, but I sometimes have to say to myself like this, supposing the Lord came to me right now and said, Gordon, you don't like the way I've ordered things in your life. I'll change them around and make them just the way you'd like them to be. It's not my will for you, but I know that you think that's the best way, the way you would like it to be.
And I will change them and make them just the way you'd like them to be. It's not my will. Would I look up and say, oh Lord, please do, because that's the only answer I know to this problem or what I say, Lord, just help me to take it. Help me to submit. Help me to look up and say, Lord, I bow to thy will. Think of the precious Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. Not my will, but thine be done. And you know I've always found this, and you try it, you'll find the same.
Once you've said, Lord, I'm willing to accept it as I will, then you can cast the care upon him. But you can't do it until you do. You can't do it as long as you're saying to the Lord, there's only one solution. And that's the way that I have planned it should be. And so this is the way. God hasn't given us the spirit of fear. He has given us a resource. And you know, it's very beautiful to visit some dear Saints. And they're in deep trials, trials that I don't think I know much about.
And to hear them say, it's only the will of the Lord that I want, Have they cast their care upon the Lord? Yes. You see, a piece, a piece that is blessed is wonderful. And you can have that peace. I can have that peace as long as there's submission in our hearts. So when you think of this seventh verse, think of the verse before. Ask the Lord for grace to accept everything that happened. Maybe the most adverse thing happened yesterday or today. But ask the Lord to help you to just look up and say.
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Not my will, but thine be done, and then you'll be able to cast it upon him. But if we don't, then it says your adversary, the devil, is a roaring lion, and I believe that Satan is a roaring lion in discouragement more.
I used to think that Satan was a roaring lion in persecution, but I see in the scripture that the instance where he's called a roaring lion is in discouragement.
And I've seen persecution Christians who are in persecution, and they're happy. They have a wonderful joy. They have a peace. That's a testimony to the world. But I discourage Christian. Or did you ever feel discouraged? Well, I guess we all have. And Satan was pretty busy, wasn't he? He was bringing all kinds of questions in your mind about friends and about the meeting and about everything else. I asked. The devil's right there, and we don't cast our care.
Upon the Lord so it says, He walks about, seeking whom he may devour.
But God's given us a shield of faith, a shield of faith that quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And so God has not given us the spirit of fear. We know we're saved. We know heaven is our home. If people have said things that are hurtful and done things that are hurtful, he enables us by His grace to leave that all with him. And think about the good things, even notice the nice things, and people that say those kind of things to notice nice things about them, you know, that takes the grace of God. But it's peace, brethren. It's peace. God has not given us the spirit of fear. Don't be afraid.
Because the Lord knows all about it. And has there been some trial?
Come across your pathway. It seems unbearable. And you are saying, perhaps, why did it come upon me? Oh, may the Lord give you, And may he give me grace to just say, Lord, it's thy will I desire. And if this is Thy will, then help me to glorify thee in this situation. Well, he hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but he has given us the spirit of power. Oh, isn't that beautiful? That's what the world is seeking after today.
Is power, they say, to be able to meet certain situations, to have the power for it.
To be able to meet the problems of today by the world feels how unable they are to do it. But Speaking of power has turned over to Philippians again, Chapter 4.
Philippians chapter 4.
Verse 12 I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound.
Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry.
Both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me then in the chapter that we read this morning.
Notice the first chapter of Colossians and the 11Th verse.
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power.
Unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.
And then?
You turn over to the passage in where we were reading this morning.
In Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4.
And verse 7.
Unto everyone of us is given grace according to the measure.
Of the gift of Christ. Notice how these verses speak about power.
First of all, we see there in Philippians chapter 4, Paul said. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound.
How could he do this? By nature, he was an overbearing, insolent man.
He was a man who just felt very, very upset if anybody tried to put him down.
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Because he or himself was the overbearing kind. But God gave him grace to do this. He gave him power.
And he said, I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound.
And what was the secret of it? I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.
We can't do any of these things that we're talking about in our own strength. We need that throne of grace. We need to go to the Lord. Every time you and I think that we can meet a situation in our own strength, we go down to defeat. We need the strength that the Lord gives. And oh, how wonderful is that power. There's no limit to it. Satan has power. In fact, he has power above ours. There are two powers superior to man, the power of God and the power of Satan. And if you and I.
Try to meet things in our own strength. We can't, and the enemy is strong.
And he knows our weak points, and he comes in. But God has given us that power.
And the Apostle Paul could say I can do all things through Christ.
Which strengtheneth me. Maybe there's someone here, and you're faced with some situation, and you say, well, it's all right for a brother so and so. They seem to have more strength of character than I have. But for me it isn't a question of that at all. Does the Lord have power? Here was a man whose nature was the very opposite, a man who was naturally an overbearing man, who found it awfully hard to accept pressures that were put upon him. But.
The grace of God enabled him to overcome even that natural trait, and no matter what our natural traits may be.
We have received a new life. We have the very life of Christ. You have the same life that I have, and I have the same life as you if you've received the Lord as Savior. And so we have that power. And so Paul could say I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me, and oh, how blessed it is to get that strength. All that's come to the throne of grace and ask for it. Are you facing a situation? And you say, I just will every time I face it, but there's one who's there.
And he says, call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee.
And thou shalt glorify me all that gives him all the glory, and he wants to do it.
And then in the passage that we looked at in Colossians there it says strengthened with all might but for according to his glorious power and to all patience and long-suffering. A few moments ago we were talking about taking things and getting peace. But you know, we need a lot of power just to bear, just to bear things, just to take them. It's it's easy to say, well, I accomplished something.
And we sort of feel encouraged and thankful, but just to stand, so to speak, and bear and do it in the strength that the Lord gives, strengthened with all night. You say I just can't take that situation any longer. The Lord says, sure you can. If you turn to me, I'll give you the strength to take it. Is there some pressure that you're under? And you say, I'm just at the breaking point? I don't think I can take that. The Lord says, Oh yes, look up to me.
Strengthened with almight according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness, you say, I'll put up with it long enough. How long is long enough? We'll just wait upon the Lord. But he'll give you the strength that you need for that situation. And then in the one that we looked at in Ephesians as our brother drew our attention to this this morning. Why it has to do with anything that the Lord.
Wants us to do, and I think it's a very beautiful verse. This seventh verse onto everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. God will give you grace for what he wants you to do. When the Levites were appointed a service to do, then the Lord helped them. We read in the time of David Howe. David thought of a different idea to handle the caring of the Ark. Was rather a long journey to bring it up from down.
Where it was in the House of Obed Edom. And to bring us up to Jerusalem. And so that was a little too much of a problem to have it carried up in the usual way on the shoulders of the priest. So he had another idea. He would put it on a new cart. He followed the ideas of the Philistines. We do that too sometimes. You say, Well, I I gotta, I've got to get some other idea this. To try and do it the way the Lord says is a little too difficult. I think there's an easier way of doing this.
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He didn't look into the word. He didn't count upon the Lord. But God had appointed away that those that the ark was to be carried, it was to be carried on the shoulders of the priests. And you know when when David did learn his lesson, and finally he did follow the word of God.
Why? It tells us the Lord helped the Levite, the Lord helped the Levites that carried the Ark. Oh, to me that's very beautiful. And now I sometimes said, when situations arise of something that we feel that the Lord would have us to do, I say to my wife.
It's not a question of whether we can do it, It's a question of whether the Lord wants us to do it. If the Lord wants us to do it, then we can do it in his strength. Supposing I face something and I say, well, I think I can handle that, That sort of builds up quite a bit of ego, and I can do that. That's what the world does. I can handle that situation. And oh, how often we break down when we try to do it that way. And if we even did accomplish it, we're patting ourselves on the back. I showed them, I did it.
And you know, that's the world. That's the way the world operates. But the Lord says, I may set something before you and you'll say, well, that just seems impossible.
Well, God will never ask you to do anything that he won't give you the grace to do and the strength to do.
The question is not can I do it, but does the Lord want me to do it? Oh, brethren and young people, that's very blessed. Some of you might be a little hesitant to take up some service for the Lord. You say, brother, so and so might be able to do it, but I don't think I can. But that's not the question. The question is, did the Lord want you to do it? Did he call you to do it? As we mentioned this morning, he doesn't call us all to the same things. He doesn't intend that we should all do the same things.
Just as in the physical body, there are members in the physical body. My hand is not intended to do what my feet do. My ear is not intended to do what my eyes do. But God has fitted each member to do what he intended it to do at all. I just want to encourage you that in this connection with power, we find, first of all, we find that we can do anything with the strength that He gives.
He wants us to do it. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. And in Paul's case, there it was a question of sometimes being pushed down. Oh, you say I can't take it, I just can't take it. Somebody said to me, I just can't take it when somebody criticizes me. But we can't naturally. But we can if we take it from the Lord. If we look up and say, Lord, help me to accept this, the Lord can help you heal supply strength. And then too, is there some situation where you even been injuring for a long time? You say, I can't take it any longer. He says I'll help you. I'll give you the strength needed.
Is there some service he's given you to do? And just say not me, let somebody else do it. Poor Moses. He missed out, you know, and the Lord wanted him to do something. Why? He said, I I'm a man of a slow tongue. He said I can't do that. Well, Lord said I'll have somebody to do it. But, you know, it was a loss to Moses when that happened because, you know, the next thing we find that Aaron kind of did take the lead when Moses went up to the mound and he led the people into idolatry.
And another time, Moses joined with Miriam in opposition. You know, if the Lord wants you to do something, you'd better do it. If somebody else does it, it'll be a loss to you. Oh, may the Lord give us grace, not to count upon ourselves, but to count upon his strength. Oh, how sweet and blessed it is to know that He has given us the spirit of power, all that we need for all that He wants us to do.
Whether it's forbearance in situations, whether it's a task that he wants us to do, whether it's temporal situations when we have lost our job and all those kinds of things, He gives power to meet those situations. And you know, there's no greater testimony to the to the world for them to see that we as Christians have this power not in ourselves, but in him.
And now the next one is love, and that's in. Let's turn to 1St Epistle of John.
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First Epistle of John.
Verse seven Well, I would let us love one another, for love is of God.
And everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God, He that loveth not knoweth not God.
For God is love, and this was manifested the love of God toward us.
Because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.
Here in his love not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And then in the 19th verse we love Him because he first loved us. Here we find this lovely secret of love. Perhaps you could also turn over to John 15. Now just read a few verses there in connection with this subject. John 15 and verse 9.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you.
Continue ye in my love and the 12Th verse.
This is my commandment that she loved one another as I have loved you.
Well, how important this is. God hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love. And here we find it's not Speaking of natural love, although that comes from God too. And I say to everyone that's in the marriage relationship, even the natural love comes from God.
And when we turn to him, he can help us even in those natural things of life.
And that's important. But what I was going to speak about particularly is the way divine love acts here.
We see here that God, it says love is of God. Everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. Now God's love is a holy love. God's love is not a love that overlooks sin. God's love has taken up the question of sin. It has been settled. And so divine love doesn't act indifferent to sin. And sometimes we have to be faithful. But what I particularly have before me.
Was The Walking in the enjoyment of that love that's in the heart of God in a day of apostasy? In the book of Jude, it says there, it says, keep yourselves in the love of God. That means just keeping the sunshine of his love. And we can ask ourselves, are we enjoying that portion?
This day, walking in the sunshine of his love, think of that love that the Father has toward his son and the Lord, Jesus said.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. What a blessed thing.
If we lose the enjoyment of that, we've lost so much in our lives.
It is so easy to get occupied with problems, conditions in the assembly, conditions in the home, conditions in the Church of God.
But it's very blessed to be occupied with that love that's in the heart of God.
And as I was mentioning the other night, there was a remark of Mr. Darby that was a great help to me, and I hope still is. And his comment was this. Christianity is known by what it brings and not by what it finds. You know, natural love always must see something in the object to love, but divine love acts because of what it is in itself. Did God see anything in me to love? Absolutely nothing. I was his enemy. But why did he love me? Because he is loved. Because he is loved.
And what about those sins? All that great load of guilt his blessed son bore for me?
Because he wanted to show his love and the cost of removing that obstacle was not too great. That he wouldn't in love to me, send his son. He gave his son to be the propitiation for our sins, All you say. I find it so hard to love that person. They've done so many things and I just find it so hard to love them. Well, that verse. Perhaps most of us are aware of the 19th verse. In the new translation, the word him is omitted. It's just we love because he first loved us.
Now of course we love the Lord. We certainly love him because he first loved us. But the thought in the verse is that now that we have learned that divine love in the heart of God, we have no right to ever say, I can't love that brother. I can't love that person. I've been too mean. They've done so many things. I just can't Because God didn't love me. Because I was likable. He loved me because of what he is in himself. And all the obstacles that man ever put in the way of God's love only made it rise that much higher when man put the highest obstacle in the way of his love at the cross of Calvary.
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Love was greater than all, and where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
And all brethren, God hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love. And for us to act in our assemblies as if we all had to be nice before we could love one another, that's not divine love at all. That's the way the world acts. They love people who are likable and nice. But God has given us an entirely new principle. And the Lord Jesus said my father loved me and I have loved you. And now he says I'm just going to fill your heart to overflowing. You won't be able to contain this love, and it's going to flow out to others.
It's going to flow out. And if you and I are enjoying that love we love because he first loved us, how can our love flow out? Oh, just let that love stream into your heart and mind until it just fills it so it overflows, and then it overflows and reaches out to others and all what a blessing that would be.
What a what a healing of so many difficulties there would be if there was the exercise only to say. But that's difficult. But God has given us the spirit of love.
The spirit of love. If you notice there's an interesting.
Plot in this 13th verse.
It says here hereby know we that we dwell in Him because and he and us because He have given us of His Spirit. You notice it doesn't say He's given us His spirit, but He has given us of His Spirit, because the thought is not so much the person of the Spirit of God, but the Spirit that we shall. You say, well, let's man showed a very unkind spirit, showed a very unforgiving spirit, but God says He's given us of His Spirit, In other words, the capacity to be Christ like in every situation.
He's given us of his spirit, and so God has given us this.
Let's never say I don't have the power because he's given it to us now. Let's never say I can't love because he said he's given us love and he's given us the very capacity we love because he first loved us and now the last one. If you turn to Romans chapter 12.
Romans chapter 12. 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, or could be translated intelligent service, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
And one other verse in First Peter.
First Peter, Chapter 2.
The second verse.
As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that she may grow thereby, if you have a new translation, you'll see that it says as newborn babes desire the mantle milk of the word. I must say I was puzzled when somebody read it that way and I said I don't understand the mantle milk of the word. Whatever could that mean? And if you notice, there's a little footnote that explains that it's a rational, intelligent understanding.
And, you know, this is very lovely. You know, God didn't make man to be guided, just as animals are guided by instincts. They do things without knowing why they do them. But isn't it very blessed when God brings us into his family? He said. In the very simplest way, I've given you something that you can receive communication from me and know what I want you to do and do it out of love. Just like a parent telling a little child in a very simple way, something that.
He wants the parent, the child to do. The child understands and out of love does that, but it understands the command that has received and it responds to the command. Now God gave you and IA nature that wanted to please him and he gave us His word as instruction for us and he says, you read my word. You may be only a babe, but I've got plenty of things in the word of God that even obeyed in Christ can understand. And I want to say to even the youngest here, if you really want to please the Lord.
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There's plenty of instruction and the word of God that you can understand now. It's true we grow in grace, but we need also to be willing, as it says there, to present our bodies a living sacrifice and then God will give us an intelligent service. I really enjoy that because we don't serve as those who just follow certain instincts. But God has brought us into association with himself as his children.
He's given us the very life of Christ. He's given us his word. He put the desire in our hearts sometimes might illustrate it like this. You love somebody very much, you want to do something for them and you say I don't know what would please them and then you get a letter from that person and this person says.
You know, something I'd really like. And they named the thing that they want. Oh, you see, I got the answer now. I wanted to please them. Now I know how. And you get the very thing they asked for and you know they're going to be pleased with it. Dear young people and those of us who are older, God hasn't called us to do things. As our brother said this morning in a ritualistic way, just forms that we go through. He he calls us into his family. He removes fear. He gives us strength. He puts love into our hearts. And now he says.
I want you just to do what's pleasing to me, and I have given you all the instructions. If you're a babe, well there's mantle milk, there's that which is suited to the babe. And then as we grow in the things of God, there are wonderful things that we learn as we grow on in the things of God. But it's an intelligent service and the Christian can go on and he's given us a life, it says, and this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God.
Jesus Christ, whom thou ascent, and the thought in eternal life is that God has given us a life.
That we can talk to God as our Father, we can commune with him, we can receive instructions for him from Him rather. And so that we walk first of all we have the strength, then we have the power. Rather we have first of all I should say it says He has given us the strength, and then he has given us the responsive love. And now he has given us instruction in His word. And so I want to encourage every dear young person read the word of God. You say I want to please the Lord.
People have a lot of different opinions about how to please the Lord, but you've got the letter from the Lord himself.
And he says, you just read the word. It's milk for you. You say, I don't understand. Read the things you can't understand, and you'll grow, and you'll have an appetite for more. And if you're willing to just present yourself to the Lord, like the Levites were given to Aaron, and then Aaron told him what he wanted them to do, and you know the Lord will do that for you. If you're just willing to present yourself to the Lord, why then he'll give you an intelligent service to perform for him?
You know, it's a it's a joy to do it. And somebody says, why are you doing that? Well, I I have a verse in scripture and that's why I'm doing it. I believe it's pleasing to my Lord and he did everything for me. Well, let's remember that verse. Let each one of us committed to our own memories, so to speak. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and wise discretion. All we need, wise discretion, we need to follow him intelligently. We need discretion in all difficulties and situations today.
Young people are placed in situations that are exceedingly trying, and we need discretion about how to act. Many a young person has just followed his own wisdom and has got into a lot of trouble. Oh dear young people, follow the word of God. Shun that which is evil and displeasing to the Lord. Think of what the Lord has done for you and find the joy and the blessedness and the peace.
As it says in.
The third chapter I believe it is of.
Proverbs. It says her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
I wonder if we could just sing the first verse of 318.
Just the first verse of 318.
All of God's.
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Holy day.
I hate me.
Gracious God and our Father, we thank thee for the truth of this precious verse.
Spoken in a day of apostasy and weakness and ruin, but thy resource for us even.
Enoch, He Pleased God
Address—P. Johnson
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General Meetings, Des Moines, May 1983, Addressed by Brother Johnson.
To seeing him #43 in the appendix.
O God of grace, our Father, all praise we give to Thee, tis in thy sovereign favor, all blessedness we see.
There only is the fountain which living waters flow, which, like a glorious river, still gladden as they go. Hymn #43 in the appendix.
God of grace are to fall.
In my heart.
Today.
Oh my God.
What was God?
In my life.
This is the world.
We're all.
I'm going to read in the Hebrews 11 first.
Just two verses here.
Hebrews 11 and verses 4:00 and 5:00.
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by yet he being dead, yet speaketh.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found.
Because God had translated him.
For before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God.
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And we turn back to Genesis Chapter 4.
Genesis 4 and verse one.
And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived in bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord, and she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, But Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel.
And to his offering but unto Cain, and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wrong. And his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wrought? Why is thy countenance fallen?
Thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lies at the door, and under thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother, and he came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And verse 25.
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and called his name Seth.
For God said she hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew, and to set to him also there was born a son he called his name Enos. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord, the 5th chapter. This is the book of the generations of Adam.
In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him male and female created He then.
And bless them and call their name Adam in the day when they were created.
Adam lived in 130 years and begat a son in his own likeness after his image.
And called his name Seth.
Verse 6 and Seth lived in 105 years and begat Enos.
And verse 9. Enos lived 90 years.
90 years and begat Canaan.
Verse 12 and Canaan lived 70 years and begat Mahalaleel.
Verse 15 and my Hallelujah lived 60 and five years in baguette.
Jared.
Verse 18 and Jared lived in 160 in two years and he begat Enoch.
Verse 21 and Enoch lived 60 in five years and begat Methuselah.
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years and begat sons and daughters.
And all the days of Enoch were 360 and five years, and Enoch walked with God, and he was not.
For God took him and Methuselah lived in 180 and seven years.
And bigot Lamech.
Verse 28 Islamic lived in 180 in two years and began a son, and he called his name Noah. The same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
Well, before we take up what we have read, I want to say that.
What is upon my heart to bring before us this afternoon.
Is a word to those in the company here who are the Lords.
Who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ?
And they know they're saved. They belong to the Lord.
They have their sins forgiven.
They are indwelled with the Spirit of God.
They belong to the family of God, the people of God.
And they have some understanding of this.
And further, I'd like to say that what I really have upon my heart will apply to those who have a desire in their hearts.
To please the one who has given his life for us our Lord Jesus, and to honor and glorify the Father as we were singing, the one who has chosen us in Christ, and the one who has called us.
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And the one in whose house we're going to be throughout eternity in the Father's house.
Now, that is not to say that we are just entirely ignoring some who may be in our midst.
It would not fit into this plan.
And I would like to say in the beginning that our hearts go out in a way we might say in pity to any who might be here this afternoon with no interest in these things.
No interest, perhaps, because you do not know the Savior.
And it might be that there are those who have no interest because even though they are saved.
They have no real exercise or desire to follow the Lord and to honor the Lord.
And was there to pity. Because you know the.
It's while we're here in this world, it's the only time we have an opportunity to live for God and for Christ in an adverse world.
When the Lord Jesus comes again, he's going to change the conditions that exist in this world.
And it will no longer be a world in rebellion against God. It will no longer be a world filled with unbelief, violence, corruption.
And where Christ is rejected, it will not be a world like that. It will be a world where everything is in subjection to God and where the Lord Jesus is universally honored.
But that isn't true now.
And it wasn't true. When the Lord Jesus was here in this world, he was in the same world.
That you and I are in this very day. I know sometimes it's hard for us to realize that we like to think that for the year 1983 is very peculiar.
Well, there's a lot of changes, of course, as to the manner in which a man lives outwardly and materially. But morally, this world is the same as that through which the Lord Jesus passed when he was here. It was a world then departed from God. It was a world end that was under Satan's power. It was then a world where the claims of God were not owned.
And he walked through this world, this world in which we find ourselves.
But he was here for God, and he was a righteous man.
And that's why I read about Abel in the 11Th chapter of Hebrews.
The testimony there as to Abel was as to his righteousness. God testified that he was righteous, and I believe there we see a type. Able is a type and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ is the man who was here in this world, a righteous man, man who was here for the glory of God. We read in Genesis 4 that when Abel brought his offering, it said God had respect unto Abel.
And his offering?
Abel was for the pleasure of God. God had pleasure in Abel.
He was righteous. God had respect unto Abel and his offering.
And I like to think of him there as a type of the Lord Jesus.
When he was here in this world.
That God, as it were, had respect unto him, He was one upon whom?
The eye of God could rest with delight and pleasure. The thinking of Isaiah 53.
Remember, it says there that she will grow up before him as a tender plant.
And as a root out of a dry ground, when the Lord Jesus came into this world, why the angels proclaimed the glory to God in the highest and on earth good pleasure in man.
He was as a root in a dry ground, a barren land. There was nothing here in this world.
For God's pleasure and delight. But here was 1 Coming to the scene.
As a man, here this one come into the world as a man.
For the delight and glory of God, right from the very beginning, he could say, Lo, I am come to do thy will. O God, don't you think that if there was a man here in this world who could say that his whole purpose of being here was for the will of God, that that man would not be for the pleasure of God? Wouldn't that bring joy and delight to the heart of God? Sure it would. And it did. It did the Lord Jesus.
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Could say that lo I am come to do thy will O gone now sometimes.
I believe we lose.
The benefit?
Of contemplating.
The life of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's a wonderful thing to contemplate, you know, after we are saved and we are secure and we know that it's well with our souls and we're not disturbed about those things. It's our privilege then to go back and to be occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ and contemplate him.
As he was here in this world a man for the glory of God. But as I say, sometimes we lose the benefit of that by.
Attributing everything to his deity.
I want to make myself very clear and I believe this will be helpful to any who would desire to to meditate upon the life of the Lord Jesus.
Of course he was God over all, blessed forever, but we want to remember that he was truly a man.
He was truly a man here in this world, and as a man here in this world, he he was one who would be obedient because he was a man.
Someone say, well, the Lord Jesus did everything right because he was gone. No, he did everything right as a man.
His humanity was absolutely perfect right from the very beginning. When the pronouncement was given, the announcement was given to Mary says that holy thing that shall be born of thee, that holy thing refers to his manhood, his humanity. Yes, he is the Son of God, that's true. And but there it refers to him in manhood, that holy thing that shall be born of thee.
A man here in this world, and you remember in Luke's gospel, when the Lord is crucified, the centurion there makes the remark truly this was a righteous man. This was a righteous man. The Lord Jesus as a man was righteous because he was here for the will of God. He considered for God in everything that he did. Someone say well.
I like to look at the life of the Lord Jesus and to see the wonderful services that he performed. And that is lovely. To see how he relieved the pressures that were upon individuals, how he had compassion upon the multitude, how he went about doing good, healing those that were oppressed of the devil.
You know why he did all of that? Do you think he did it just to relieve the physical?
Ailments and to relieve the physical pressures, he did it as doing the will of God.
It was God's will that he was doing.
He would do nothing if he did not have a word of God for doing it.
He would only act as having a word from God.
And the will of God made known for him that he should do it. He didn't do those things just because there was a need there.
He did them as doing the will of God. He did always those things that pleased God. That was his exercise. That was his desire. That was the whole motive of his life, was to please God in everything that he did.
Well, back in that 53rd chapter of Isaiah, he shall grow up before him as a tender plant.
And we've been Speaking of him, I believe in that aspect as a tender plant. And there's a root out of a dry ground and a dry ground. Everything else was barren. But you know what goes on in that chapter? And he says that he was cut off out of the land of the living. Think of that. He was cut off.
That one who grew up before the Father as a tender plant. That one who was the only one fruitful for God in this barren scene.
He was cut off out of the land of the living. So you might say in one sense then there would be nothing here in this world that the eye of God could rest upon with delight and pleasure, because the one who is the object of his delight and pleasure has been cut off out of the land of the living. Well, now that brings me to what we read in Genesis in connection with Seth and those that.
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Followed in the genealogy here.
You see, Seth came in to take the place of Abel.
Abel was slain. He was cut off, as it were, out of the land of the living.
The one that God had respect to in his offering as a righteous man.
But cut off, but as we read, if you kept your place in Genesis.
And the end of the chapter 4 when Seth was born in verse 25.
It says that God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel.
In other words, the thought is that what Abel was is now continued instead.
Abel was a righteous man. Abel was one, you might say, to whom God had respect.
Not Cain. Cain represents a wholly different line, a wholly different seed.
But Seth comes in now to take the place of Abel. Now I believe, beloved, that in this way you and I as believers on the Lord Jesus, and even the youngest believer, the newest, the one who was just the most recently brought to the Lord.
You and I, as it were, can take the place of the Lord Jesus in this regard, that we would be here in this world, under his eye for his pleasure, for his his glory, that we might be here to do His will, and that he can take delight in those who seek to go on in the same way and manner in which the Lord Jesus was here as that righteous 1, seeking to carry out the will of God, and do those things that are pleasing.
In his sight.
In Isaiah 53, he said.
Said he was cut off out of the land of the living.
But a couple of verses after that he speaks about seeing his seed, He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days.
You might say, in a way, the Saints.
Are a continuation.
Of the Lord Jesus down here, he is cut off out of the land of the living. God is taking him up into the glory.
And now you and I, as believers, have the privilege.
Of being here in this same world, in this adverse scene.
And to be here in the same manner and spirit now, that is not to say that we're going to be as consistent in it as the Lord was, he said. I do always those things that are pleasing to the Father. We know that there was never at any time a motive.
That the Lord Jesus had that was not fully in accord.
With the Father, I and my Father are one everything that the Lord Jesus did ought all everything motive that he had every desire and everything was wholly in accord with the Father, never any divergence. Now I'm not going to suggest that you and I would be able to go along in that same even consistency as the Lord Jesus. He was that fine meal, fine flower. There was no.
Inconsistency there.
But you know, it's a wonderful thing to realize that we can be for the glory of God. We can be for his pleasure.
And I believe that when the marriage of the lamb comes.
And she's arrayed in that fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of the Saints. We will see then how that the Lord's people have been for his pleasure, and how that there was that in his people in which he could take delight.
And I've often thought, don't we all, in a way, want to be contributors?
To that garment in which the bride is going to be arrayed the righteousness of the Saints.
Well, if that is our exercise, I believe that we can consider.
The descendants of sin. Because in a way Seth begins the generations of Adam over again, even though Abel was before Seth. If you kept your place in chapter 5 when he says the book of the generations of Adam.
There is no mention of.
Abel. There is no mention of Cain.
But we take up in verse 4.
Or rather verse 3.
That he begat said So the generations here.
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Begin with the set because it's taking up.
That which was found in Abel. Now, in that seed that followed him, Seth comes in to take the place, just as you and I.
In this sense.
As being here in this world for God's pleasure and for God's glory and for God's will.
We take the places it were of the Lord Jesus.
I give you another verse in First Corinthians 12. It says that as the body hath many members, yet it's 11 body, so also is the Christ or so also is Christ.
His people bear the same name that's referring to the Church. The assembly down here, it's called the Christ. It's a continuation of the Lord Jesus. It's a continuation. Or what God looks for is a continuation of that life that was manifested in His beloved Son but was coho.
Was cut off when he was rejected and cast out. Now I'd just like to briefly touch upon.
The men that follow in this generation until we come to Noah.
It sort of culminates here with Noah.
And I believe that we can see in these men.
And justice about all we have about them. The only thing that's said about most of them is their names.
And we have Enoch, something you said about his character, but the others only their names.
And perhaps in the meaning of their names, there might be something for us.
In this regard, and what I had in mind was this that as we go through these names and consider.
What these names mean?
I believe we will see some of the.
Characteristics. We might use that word. Some of the characteristics, some of the features.
That God would look for in his people so that they might be, as it were, a continuation.
Of Christ here in this world, if these features are found.
Among the Lord's people if these features are characteristic of us.
I believe we can say that he would find delight and pleasure even as he found delight and pleasure in his beloved Son. As God looks down in this world, I'm sure that he sees the world.
Far more clearly than we do.
Sometimes I hear remarks by Saints saying.
All things are getting so bad in this world.
And we only see a little bit of it. We only hear about a little bit of it. Of course, we hear more in these days than than people did in days past. And it's not really for our good.
You know, it's sad really to think that the communications that man has invented.
Has only increased our knowledge of evil.
Rather than just being cognizant of what evil is going on in our immediate vicinity.
Now man is knowledgeable of the evil and wickedness, and everything and sorrow is going on.
Worldwide, but even with that.
Where no man can really see the world in all of its barrenness as God does.
As he looks down. But there is a bright spot, you might say, in this world, and that bright spot for the people of God, the children of God. If you're a believer on the Lord Jesus, you form a part of that bright spot here in this world. If you're not, you're a part of that darkness. You're part of that barrenness.
In which God can have no pleasure and no delight, but as a believer on the Lord Jesus.
Why, You're part of that bright spot that is light and God can look down upon well now as we touch upon some of these names.
As we go through them and touch upon them, we want to see something of the features and characteristics and I believe we will see that.
That they applied to to the Lord Jesus for the most part. Some of them, of course, could not.
But most of them do.
Saith brings before us, as I say, the one who takes the place of Abel.
And who is the first one born after Seth?
We read in verse six that he begat Enoch.
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Enos means in the Hebrew.
Weak marble man.
There's a more than one word.
Used for man in the Hebrew.
Adam is 1 and Enos or Enos is 1.
And that speaks of man not in his dignity, but has a.
Weak and failing creature, man in his weakness, perishing, dying. Well, what would this bring before us? I think it would, would mean that one of the first things, and I say this to young believers, that we need to get hold of and enter into if we're going to be here for the will of God. And that is what we have in Romans 7. I know that in me that is in my flesh.
There is not one thing in man in the flesh that is for God's pleasure.
And it's a wonderful thing when a young Christian gets hold of that. And when we say about the flesh, we're not just talking about the sins of the flesh.
In Colossians chapter two, we read about circumcision and there it's connected. It says it's with the putting off.
And it says in the King James the sins of the flesh.
I think if you will check Mr. Darby translations as it appears in the better manuscripts, the word the sins of are omitted. It's not the putting off of the sins of the flesh, it's the putting off of the flesh. And there's a difference.
It's perhaps easy to judge and condemn the sins of the flesh.
The things that the flesh are capable of doing that even.
Moral persons of the world might recoil it, and the flesh is capable of that.
The Lord tells us far from within, out of the heart of man, out of the heart of man, and we all have the heart of man.
We all have that heart that is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked in the flesh, the flesh in US and out of the heart of man proceed all of those evil things. Well, you know, we want to judge not only what proceeds out of the heart of man, but we need to judge the flesh itself. Because, you know, there are some things that are acceptable as far as man is concerned of the flesh.
They're religious things.
You know, sometimes I get the impression that when we read the Gospels and we read about those Pharisees and Sadducees and how the Lord Jesus exposes them and condemns them.
We are apartment to think that those men were very.
Unattractive men.
We're apartment to think that those men were despicable. Oh yes, they are. When they're exposed and by the light of Christ we see how despicable they are. But I've often thought that if one one person who had one of those Pharisees living next door to him, he might think that he was a very nice man. He might think, well he's very respectable. He doesn't carouse, he's not out in drunkenness.
He's not out committing all sorts of crimes and is a real trial to society. He may not be that kind of man at all.
But he was a religious hypocrite.
And when he's exposed by the Lord, you see how terrible it is. But that's the flesh.
The flesh is capable of putting on a religious front. The flesh is capable of enjoying religious things as long as it's not really Christ.
And the flesh can even enjoy moral things and upright things. There was that rich young ruler who came to the Lord, and I don't believe that he was that. He was a dissolute character, living in debauchery. He was a very nice person, very clean, moral, and upright. But he wasn't willing to follow the Lord, and he went away sorrowful. What am I saying? I'm saying that the flesh needs to be judged.
All of its forms. Everything, whether it's religious, moral, upright. If it isn't Christ, it's the flesh, and young believers need to get hold of that, that we are not debtors to the flesh to live after the flesh.
And they either in the flesh, cannot please God. But we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Well now Enoch would bring before us the acceptance of the fact that death has been pronounced upon us. We want to be like like Isaiah.
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When he says woe is me.
From a man of unclean lips. But then he says I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. He recognized that not only that he was unclean, but all other men were too. That's really judging the flesh, that is, we recognize that that man in the flesh is unacceptable and is not for God's pleasure. That's the first thing we need to enter into now, the next one that is born.
**** in verse 9 live 90 years and begat.
Canaan.
Well, Canaan, I believe, means in the Hebrew traitor.
A traitor?
And I thought of a traitor as one who acquires things.
He was one who acquires things well. This is what God would look for his people too. That he might have pleasure in them, that they would acquire.
Things spiritual things, the things of God, the things of Christ.
Oh, you know, we're so busy in this world acquiring material things, and we all have to confess.
That we have an interest in acquiring material things.
And we find that most of us who have been here a little while in this world that.
We have accumulated quite a few things that we have acquired.
And many of the things perhaps we have acquired that we don't really even make any use of that. We just keep them. We've acquired them.
But the Lord would have us, God would have us to be acquiring spiritual things. That's what he says in Matthew 13. He says every scribe that is instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like unto A householder who brings out of his treasure things both new and old. A householder, A householder is one who has acquired things.
And the Lord says, Now, I want you to be like a householder. I want you to acquire things so that you have a treasure.
Building up of a treasure, but of spiritual things, the understanding of the.
Of the great spiritual blessings that are ours. Oh, I would encourage young people.
To go in for acquiring.
Spiritual realities, spiritual truths, spiritual things go into acquiring what God has made available to you and me as believers. We've been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ.
And we want to acquire these things and you know, these we speak about.
That we came into the world with nothing, and it's certainly we can take nothing out.
But I believe what we acquire spiritually down here, we're going to take with us.
When we go out, we're not going to take with us all of the material things that we have acquired, but we're going to take with us what we have learned of God and of Christ.
They're going to be with us for eternity. We want to acquire them now. Now is the time to go in for them when you're young.
When you're young to go in for the acquisition of spiritual things. Now after Canaan, we see in verse 12 That he begets Mahalaleel.
Well, Mahal allele his name is.
A little difficult to really translate, but it means something like this in the Hebrew.
God is splendor.
Or the splendor of God.
That it has something to do with the thought is of the greatness of God, Oh, how great he is. And I thought of this in connection with what we had in the Colossians one growing by the knowledge of God.
Well, this is this is what God would look for too. And his people that there might be that.
Growing by the knowledge of God.
Knowing more and more of his.
Of his greatness acquiring knowledge of himself.
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Well, you know the we're not just speaking about knowledge in an intellectual sense.
We're not just saying that that one can acquire.
A lot of knowledge by listening carefully to ministry or reading good ministry.
I've had young people say to me, you know, I don't seem to be able to.
To really learn a lot, I read some of the good ministry and.
I don't seem to retain it and I I believe there is a there is a sense in which some are able to get more out of those writings than others.
And I'm not going to say that as far as knowledge is concerned, knowledge itself, that all are able to grasp and attain to the same amount of knowledge. But the knowledge of God I believe is a moral thing, the knowledge of God. And this is more than just knowing something about the dispensation and knowing about future events and the prophecy, knowing about the Church, the body of Christ, and all of these.
Wonderful subjects of scripture. It's really the knowledge of God.
In the soul.
And that's really what produces group is the knowledge of God, and I believe we should read the word of God in that light.
To learn something of God, of His purposes and counsels, which we have revealed in the New Testament.
Something of his ways and his manners that we find so much of Indiana, the Old Testament.
But the point is, is to learn about God and and we know that in whatever, whatever aspect God presents himself and whatever it is we learn of Him, we can say it's splendor, it's glorious, it's praiseworthy.
You know, for God to reveal himself is to glorify himself. That's all he has to do.
Just the opposite of what man is in the flesh when he reveals himself. It's only shame.
The more you know of man in the flesh, the uglier you see he is.
But when God reveals himself, it's to glorify himself. The more you learn of God, the more.
That the greater knowledge you have of himself, the more you glorify him.
The greater his splendor and the greater his praise.
Well, I'm sure that the, you might say the affections.
You want to use that word that flowed between the Father and the Son when the Lord Jesus was here.
Or how he he knew the Father, and how the Father was glorified in his affections and in his desires.
Well, I believe the thought here of Mahalaleel would be a God is Splendor. We learned something of the glory of God and making himself known to us. Now in verse 15, Mahalo, Leo lived 60 and five years and begat Jared.
As I say, there's nothing really said of these men that we're touching on here except their names. Jared means lowly.
I thought of clonliness. We connected, of course, with humility.
But there is nothing more lowly, and there is nothing more humble than obedience.
We read in Philippians 2 That the Lord Jesus humbled himself and became obedient.
Unto death.
He was obedient even to the point of death, and that the death of cross obedient to the Father.
There is nothing more humble, nothing more lowly than obedient.
If we want to be humble.
We have to be obedient.
And that's what God is looking for in his people, that humble, lowly obedience.
That would say not my will, but thine be done. Oh, I trust as we touch on these things that that you do not feel that these are, you might say, some standards that are far outside of us and beyond us. I don't think so. I believe God can give grace to us if there's a desire and an exercise that these features could be found in US.
As I say, I know that it's not with consistency.
But don't we want to have some of these things or these features found in US?
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In the measure in which God could take delight and pleasure.
Lowly, humble obedience. You know, sometimes I think it would be good for us to realize this.
That.
We want to be obedient. We want to do what we know God wants us to do.
Even though maybe our own wills would desire otherwise. But we're going to submit our wills, and we're going to be obedient because we know that that gives pleasure to God.
It delights his heart to see his people to take that lowly place and saying, well, this is what I really wanted to do, but I know it's not the mind of God. I know it is not pleasing to God. And so I'm going to obey what I find in Scripture. I'm going to obey the Word, and this brings delight and pleasure.
This is a continuation you might see, of that life that was here on earth, that was lived in humble, lowly obedience to the Father Jared.
And then we read in verse 18 that Jerry lived in 160 in two years and he begat Enoch.
Now, there's something said about Enoch.
More than the others, Enoch's name means.
Training.
And I suppose it would suggest the fact that.
We need training. We need to learn. That's what the Lord made in in the 11Th of Matthew when he says take my yoke upon you and learn from me. I know in the King James he says all of me, but it really should be translated from me. That is, we learn by from Him by walking in communion and fellowship with Him.
Enoch was one who walked with God.
He walked with God.
And so he was in the school of God, and he learned. And this is the way we're going to learn.
I said a few moments ago about the fact that some may not be able to to glean as much knowledge and gain as much knowledge as others. That's true. I believe it is true.
But you know, we don't want to excuse ourselves if we are unintelligent in the ways of God by saying.
Well, I never was very studious.
Or I'm just not a very intelligent person. We find that the the prerequisite you might say, to learning and divine things is not human. Intellect is not to training in school, but it's walking with God, walking in fellowship and communion with the Lord.
I believe that's the thought here of training Enoch in God's school. It's learning.
In communion and fellowship with Him, take my yoke upon you and learn from me.
Learn from me. Well, I know that we've all experienced at some time or another, we've met persons who were very deficient, so to speak, as far as official or formal training is concerned.
But they perhaps had a real depth of understanding and knowledge of God in his ways.
Because they have been walking with God for many years.
And I would encourage young people to take up the principle of learning as being in God's school, in communion and fellowship, to learn from Him. And we learn as we are exercised to be pleasing to Him.
You know that was the exercise of Enoch we read in Hebrews 11.
That he had this testimony before his translation that he pleased God.
We have in one of our little hymns. I think it's the last stanza. Then we shall be where we would be. Then we shall be what we should be. And I've often thought when that hymn is being sung, I hope we don't have this thought.
That we cannot be pleasing to the Lord down here, That it's only when we're taken up into glory that will be for his delight and pleasure. Enoch had the testimony that he pleased God before his translation. His translation, no doubt, would be a picture of our being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. But we want to have that testimony, that exercise, to please the Lord before our translation. Oh, yes.
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We know that when we are translated and that there's going to be nothing of the flesh.
To displease the Lord. Never A wish or a thought unholy then but even now like Enoch. And that's what Enoch would would teach us, that to be pleasing to the Lord now. And you know, Enoch lived in a very ungodly world.
Maybe some here this afternoon are not aware of the fact that Enoch was a prophet.
We wouldn't know about it except for the little epistle of Jude.
But you tell us, tells us that Enoch, who is the 7th from Adam because Cain is dropped out.
That he prophesied that the Lord was going to come with 10 thousands of His Saints.
To execute judgment upon this ungodly world.
You see, Enoch lived in a world of ungodly sinners. That's what he says. He prophesied that God was going to come and judge this world of ungodly sinners. There were ungodly sinners in his day, but he walked apart from the world. He walked all together apart from this scene.
He walked with God.
But in a world of ungodly sinners.
And I have thought that Enoch, you might say what really gave him the.
Exercise to walk with God is he saw He could not walk with this world.
He could not walk with this world. He turned his back on the world, he said. It's an ungodly scene.
God isn't in it. It's not of God. Well, isn't that what John tells us All that is in the world? The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life is not of the Father. No, God is not. He's working in this world, it's true by his grace and his goodness to save souls out of it. But God is not in this world. No, He has another world.
The Lord Jesus was turned out of this world, but God has taken him up into the world above, and he's.
Giving him the highest place and he's the center of that world. Well, Enoch was walking, you might say, in relation to the world outside of the world in which he was in physically.
He was physically in this world, but he wasn't walking according to it. He was walking apart from it.
He was walking in a cord, you might say, with heaven. So much so that.
That he walked right on into God's presence. He was walking out altogether. Apart from this theme. Well, I'm not suggesting.
That we take up any kind of a monkish attitude. There are those who try have tried that, you know, they've even built cities.
They go and start a community and they think by starting that community that they're going to to carry out to the Lord's desire to be separate from the world. No. As to our pursuits, we're very much in this world and God would desire it that it be so that we walk in and out among men, but we are morally separate.
That is, we don't have the same goals, the same purposes.
The same objects we have, different objects we have different goals. We have a different purpose in life.
And all of these things are associated with the world above where the Lord Jesus is, and not this world. That's what Enoch brings before us.
And that life that Enoch lived there was so pleasurable to God that he took him right up into heaven.
Because it was a life walked in separation from this ungodly world.
And in communion, that's the thought of Enoch over the training, that is.
And this is what God would find pleasure in his beloved people.
Now then we have after Enoch.
We have Methuselah.
But we know that Methuselah was the oldest man that ever lived, 969 years.
And his name. I find that some of the.
Hebrew authorities and their lexicons don't all agree.
But in my observation of it, the name means the man of the dark. Now I have seen where there are some who say have have translated that word Methuselah from the Hebrew is saying that when he dies it shall come. Well, in a way the two are similar. The man of the dart is the is 1 knot I would prefer. It really speaks of judgment.
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That is, that God is going to bring in judgment.
But.
He allows this man to live the longest of anyone.
Exhibiting the long-suffering of God.
You know, we had in our readings in Colossians chapter One how that we were to have patience.
We were to be strengthened according to the might of his glory unto all patients.
In other words, Methuselah would bring before us the fact that God is long-suffering.
Allowing this world to go on and we need to be patient too.
We want to have our hearts directed into the patience of the Christ, even as the Lord Jesus is patient.
He has not yet come.
And judgment is not yet fallen upon this world.
He's patient and so we would have that same spirit.
We would be patient. We would not get engaged in things that would try to set the world in order before the Lord, the one comes. Who's going to set it in order? The Lord Jesus is going to set everything in proper order. He's going to set to right every wrong in this world or judge it.
And we need patience. God is long-suffering. God hasn't brought it all to a close yet.
And so he looks for that enough to his people, like Methuselah, the longest lived of any of any one of these men, and then finally Lamech, the last one. Not that I'm ignoring Noah, but Noah really, you might say, culminates in Noah because Noah represents.
Finality in a way. When they come to Noah, God can rest. That's what the word Noah means. Repose or rest.
God can rest. He's brought to finality. And then Noah is brought over into a new earth.
It speaks of the fact that all of these things culminating in Noah are brought over into the new order of things when the Lord comes, because we are the first fruits of that new order. Lamech means overthrower. No, I would leave this last thought with you. Overthrower. It's really the thought of an overcomer.
Overcomer. And so we have much to overcome as the Lord's people in this world.
There's overcoming in the connection with the Christian testimony. We find that in Revelation 2 and Three.
The overcomers there are in regard to the condition of things that has come in.
To the professing Church on earth there is overcoming as far as the.
The profane and secular world is concerned overcoming the lawless spirit that prevails.
Overcoming the philosophy of man and all that man is built up.
And all that gummers, men in this world, you know, we find sometimes that it seems to be a characteristic of youth.
That they like to. They like to kick over the traces, so to speak. They like to.
To change things they like to overthrow, you might say what has been built up.
Well, in a way it might be a good spirit in a spiritual way for the people of God.
To overthrow everything that man has built up in this world in your own life. I don't mean going out and doing it in a in a literal way, but everything that man is built up morally and spiritually. Those principles that govern man in this world, overthrow them.
Young people overthrow them. The things that are taught in the schools that are not according to the mind of God overthrow them.
You can't get out of it. God's not trying to take us out of these things. He's not putting us in a corner of the world.
That's clean, you know it's a wrong fault. And if anyone has that, God is not trying to find a clean corner of this world to put his people in.
No, you're going to be in the midst, young people of evil in the school systems. Yes, it's evil, but overthrow be an overcomer. That's what God looks for. Don't be governed by the the motives and principles and pursuits that are found there, but be governed by that which is in the word of God and what you have learned at home.
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As being raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, well, I believe these men, these names, coming in as the seed of Seth, who took the place of Abel, following on in that line of righteousness. And so the people of God, you and I, have that privilege of being in some little measure for the pleasure and glory of God, as we take up these features and principles, and would be exercised by them.
Shall we pray?
Stir Up The Gift of God in You
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.
General Meetings, Des Moines, IA, May 1983, Addressed by Charles Hendricks.
26 M 226.
And art thou gracious master, gone for us? A mansion to prepare. Shall we behold thee on thy throne and sit forever with me there? Then let the world approve or blame. We'll triumph in thy glorious name, 226.
And Art of the Great Show.
Lonely.
00:05:01
Hey, Cortana.
Bring it on.
Timothy was one of a kindred spirit with the apostle.
Let's just read.
Some verses in this first chapter and as the Lord directs us.
We'll just commit that to him.
Timothy one verse, one Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.
According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.
To Timothy, my dearly beloved son.
My dearly beloved Son.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God whom I serve for my forefathers with pure conscience.
That without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.
Greatly desiring to see thee being mindful of thy tears.
That I may be filled with joy, oh, the presence of Timothy.
With Paul would have filled his heart with joy.
I believe Paul had two imprisonments.
This was his second imprisonment.
He wasn't free. Now he was in a dungeon.
He was in the most untoward circumstances, hard for us in this modern day to imagine.
The conditions under which the Apostle Paul.
Lived.
When he penned these words.
Hard for us to imagine.
And he remembers Timothy's tears.
Being mindful of thy tears.
And I would have filled him with joy, though he wrote this epistle, his last letter.
His last word before the Lord took him home to his beloved Son.
In the faith.
It's an epistle.
Which is the last recorded word from the Apostle Paul to us.
To all those who are Timothy's, if you will, to those who have a desire as Timothy did.
To go on in the truth and for the Lord, I believe there's so much instruction.
For us and so much to encourage our hearts, and that's why.
I thought it would be well in this last address of the conference, to bring something which would encourage us to go on the little while that remains. And then he goes on to say in verse 5, when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, that genuine faith that was in Timothy, which dwelt first in my grandmother Lois, and thy mother, Unisi.
And I am persuaded that in the also.
I think so many young people here.
What a privilege you've had if you've been raised in a Christian family with a godly father and mother.
And maybe a godly grandmother or Timothy.
He had a godly mother, one that feared the Lord, and a godly grandmother, and that faith which was theirs was in Timothy as well. How precious this each of us who was a father or a mother.
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We can feel, and we know what the Apostle John meant when he said I have no greater joy than to see my children walking in the truth.
Everything else dims to nothingness when we consider the importance of those who have been given to us, who have been lent to us, of the Lord going on in the truth.
How precious this.
While it was so in Timothy's case.
But Timothy was he was a timid man. A young man.
And he was living in days. Just think of what it meant to Timothy. He accompanied the apostle Paul, that giant in the scriptures, the greatest of all the apostles. Though he says he was the least of the apostles, but he was.
He was the one to whom Christ committed the wonderful truths of the Church, some of which we've been enjoying today in our readings.
The writings of the Apostle Paul.
Think of what it meant to Timothy to be faced with the the awfulness of losing Paul.
Here he was in prison, he tells us in the last chapter. The time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought the good fight. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is light up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me, and not to me only, but to all those who love His appearance.
Just think of what that meant to Timothy.
He wouldn't have the apostle to lean upon anymore. He wouldn't have the apostle to whom he could go with questions.
And with problems.
But he would. He would be missing. He would be gone.
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting out of my hands. There was no question about it. The gift communicated to Timothy was extraordinary. I don't believe there's another instance of it in the entire New Testament. It was communicated to Timothy by the laying on of the hands of the apostle. This is not the normal way of communicating gift, the normal way we have it in Ephesians 4.
The Lord when he ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men, and he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Christ, the ascended head of the Church give gifts, but here in this particular case.
There was a special prophecy uttered in connection with Timothy and he received a gift through the laying on of the apostles hands.
If you turn back to the 4th chapter of the First Epistle to Timothy.
He says in verse 12.
Let no man despise thy youth. You see, Timothy was in danger as.
Young man of being intimidated, of being discredited.
He was timid, he was not naturally forward, and the apostle felt that. I believe he was one of very delicate sensibilities.
And he says, Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example.
The way a young man conducts himself down here.
Commends the testimony which he is called upon to bear, and it must be consistent with his years.
With his years. And so he says, be thou an example of the believers in Word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity, till I come give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. And now here's the verse I wanted. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Now here we have an added truth that there was a prophetic utterance in connection with.
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Timothy.
By one of the prophets probably. We don't know, we're not told. But there was a prophetic utterance that Timothy was to be the recipient of a gift from the Lord, and there was great danger that that gift which had been communicated to him. Through the laying out of the apostle Paul's hands with, accompanied by with the laying out of the hands of the presbytery, the elders there expressed fellowship with the communication of that gift.
Through the Apostle Paul, it wasn't communicated through them, they simply expressed fellowship with it.
And I believe it was absolutely necessary that this was done and established because of Timothy fewness of years. He was a young man and his meek and rather timid character. And so he's told, don't neglect the gift which which is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, the prophecies which went before on thee. Paul says in the first chapter, first Timothy, that is, he was marked out as a special vessel.
To receive a gift from the Ascended Head. But it was through the laying on of the Apostle Pauls hands, and accompanied by the fellowship of the elders there. And so all knew that Timothy was marked out and called of the Lord for a special service in the early church. He is 1 whom we refer to as an Apostolic Delegate. But he was in danger going back to the Second Epistle. He was in danger of neglecting that gift.
He was in danger of letting it droop. We heard something in some of our earlier readings that everyone of us has a gift.
Well, here was number question about Timothy's gift. He had it through the laying on of Paul's hands. The elders expressed fellowship with it at the same time, and so there was clear evidence that he had received something from the Lord to be used in dependence upon him. But his natural character was one which could easily have been.
One which would have discouraged him, especially in view of the Apostle Paul's departure. And so he says again in Second Timothy 1/6.
I put the in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the laying on of my hands. Stir it up, Timothy. Don't let it droop. And we would encourage everyone of you, young brothers especially and sisters.
To stir up the gift of God which is in you by the laying on of it's not in you, by the laying on of Paul's hands, but it's in you, because Christ has given you a gift, but here with Timothy he could add by the laying on of my hands.
And then that verse that our brother spoke on, and I don't intend on speaking on it long, but just to touch on it again. Verse 7. For God has not given us the spirit of fear. Don't be intimidated, Timothy. Don't be afraid. We're not living in days of great power, you know, thinking about those early days of the book of Acts. It says with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
And it says that there was such power in those days, and multitudes both of men and women, were turned to the right ways of the Lord and of the rest. Durst no man join himself to them, for the fear of God had passed upon them. Well, it must be wonderful to be to be connected with the testimony, when that's what characterizes the day in which we're living days of power.
But second Timothy days are not those days.
Two Timothy days are days of reproach.
Rejection.
The testimony that we are called upon to be true to is not popular. It's not wanted even by the mass of those that call themselves Christians. It isn't just the opposition of the world that we have in Second Timothy. It's the opposition of those who are many times truly the Lord's. You know, that's the hardest thing to bear when one is seeking to go on for the truth and for the Lord, and then He meets with opposition.
From those who are real Christians.
Well.
The Apostle Paul says to Timothy, stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting out of my hands. For God has not given us the Spirit of fear.
But if power, and of love, and of a sound mind, isn't it a marvelous thing He says at the end of verse 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God, the power of God. We said a moment ago, it wasn't a day of power, and yet there is power. We have the Spirit of power. We have enough power.
00:20:22
By the Spirit of God, to always walk in obedience to the Word of God, always.
And I've been so encouraged in reading this epistle, the Epistle of Jude 2, where the days are so dark and the evil is so heavy and gross, and the departure is, you might say, almost complete. What's the use? What's the use of going on? No one wants the truth and no one cares about it anymore.
Why don't we just go our own way and pursue an individual path? Is it worth it all?
Yes, it is.
If no one else will go with us, and that'll never be the case, that'll never be the case. We have held out to us in this epistle that there'll always be those we can always follow. Righteousness they love, peace with them that call on the Lord. Out of a pure heart there'll always be others, even though it will be a few and feeble testimony. And believe me, brethren, as one goes around and visits.
The little gatherings.
There are some very feeble expressions to the truth.
But it isn't numbers. It isn't numbers.
You know, if we wanted to compromise the truth of God, we could gain numbers. But all what a loss that would be. What a loss that would be.
Just to be content with the word of God and with going on with the Lord in the truth and leaving the results with him, Timothy he says God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, but of power and the power that's always brought before us in the New Testament.
Is the power of God in resurrection?
That you might know Ephesians one, What is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward, who believe according to his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heaven? Far above all principality and authority, and power in every name named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all, what power?
The power of God that has set a man in the glory, a man above all, created intelligences.
Above all the powers of darkness, above all the rulers of this world, above all intelligences, there's a man up there, and that man was once down here. He that ascended is the same also that descended. How low did he go? He went down to the very bottom.
Where the bars closed upon him forever, it says he went down into the depths, that he might bring us into the heights, into the heights.
And so Paul says to Timothy, God has given us the spirit of power and then of love.
You know we're living in days when the love of many shall wax cold, because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
We're living in days when everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes.
We're living in days when all seek their own things and not the things of Jesus Christ.
Those are the days in which we're living.
Her living in days of individuality. Each one is going on as an individual, and if you go to visit someone nowadays, sometimes you'll be met with it's none of your business.
Why are you making that your affair?
You're really, genuinely concerned about someone's mistake that he or she might be making. You may get a rebuke.
Are we to give up?
Are we to let the spirit of the day, the spirit of coldness, the spirit of indifference to the claims of Christ, the spirit of Laodicea?
Are we to let that to get into our spirits?
God has given us the spirit of love, the Spirit of love, and all that we might have love for all the Saints.
For everyone who is dear and precious to Christ, no matter how feeble he or she may be.
And how much instruction he or she may need.
But not to set ourselves above any but to love the mall, because Christ loves them with an everlasting love.
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The spirit of love and then a sound mind, he says to Timothy. He's given us the spirit of a sound mind. Isn't it important that we know where we are and what we're about? Where are we living? We're not living in the early days of Acts. We're not living in the.
100 to 150 years ago, when the Spirit of God was exercising multitudes to come out of the systems of men, to be gathered to the precious name of Christ, and to be entering into the precious recovery of the truth.
There was pleasing to the spirit of God to recover in the last century, but we're living at the end.
We're living at the very moment when the Lord is going to come, and I think it's so sad that these last few moments of our sojourn here, there are so many.
That are getting discouraged and saying what's the use.
What's the use?
And they turn aside just before the shout.
The spirit of a sound mind to know where we are, to be able to evaluate all that's going out there, going on out there in Christendom. As we hear about the various movements, the new things that are happening and they're seeing so attractive to us young people, they seem so attractive. There's activity and there's the working of the spirit of God. Apparently so. And there seems to be such blessing and souls are getting converted. And we can thank the Lord for every soul that is converted to Christ and praise Him and rejoice.
But the gospel goes forth.
But all we need is sound mind. We need a mind governed by the word of God, our brother said to us.
About Brother Darby, that he had a mind for the universe, but he bowed to this book like a fool would to God. We all did that.
To this man will I look to him that is of a humble and a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.
Would to God we all bowed to this book.
So that it was everything and absolute authority to us, you know, that's what will keep us, that's what will keep us.
Is the Word of God and submission to Christ as the head. The Spirit of God will never, never, never lead us, contrary to the Book, to the Word of God.
And so we have the spirit of power. Power in these last days, not in the sense of outward display and grandeur of things, but power to go on in the truth and the love that is so needed, so needed in these days when the love of many is waxing cold. And then the sound mind to know where we are and to judge everything according to the light of the word of God, to bring everything to the test of Scripture I hear.
Things going on out there in Christendom. I've talked to people. I've talked to them at work.
And they tell me about some of the wonderful things that have happened in some of their meetings healings that they've seen and and that I talked to them about their doctrine and their teaching and I found that find that it's defective. Well, I can't explain and I don't think we have to, we don't have to explain all the apparent effects of the work that's going on in Christendom. But all we have to do is test it by the word of God and makes it so simple, test their teaching do they bring.
The truth of Scripture.
Well, to go on in these last days requires identification with a testimony that is very unpopular. When we were passing out tracks, Brother Vin and I in West Virginia, we stopped at a minister's house. I believe he was a saved man and we spent about an hour with him.
And spoke to him about Christ. And we had some nice fellowship, but there were things that we couldn't agree with, and we got into those things. And when we sat before him, Paul's doctrine.
The truth of Paul woman's place according to Scripture, and the order according to the.
Scriptures that should exist in the assembly. I remember he looked at me.
And he said, you know, I want to tell you something, what you believe is very, very unpopular nowadays.
Yes, we said. We know that.
And there are very few, he said, that would agree with you and what you're telling me. And we said, yes, we know that. But the important thing, young brother and young sister, when you get to glory, what's going to count is how true we've been.
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To his mind, as revealed in his work.
That's what's going to meet with his commendation. His commendation, he says in verse 8. Be not thou therefore ashamed.
Are we ashamed of the testimony of our Lord? There's a testimony that we're called upon to bear in these last days, our Lord, Nor of me His prisoner. Is Paul still in prison? Well, I believe he is. I believe his doctrine is very little known and understood and acted upon in that which calls itself Christian.
He says to Timothy. Timothy, I'm not going to be with you much longer, be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner.
Is Paul's doctrine in prison today as he was personally then? Yes, I believe so. I believe that very few know anything about it, as very few Christians wanted anything to do with Paul in those days. You say? Why do you say that? Verse 15.
Thou knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, and was be turned away from me, of whom our jealous and homogeneous. And in the last chapter he says in verse 10. For Dimas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica. Now those who are in Asia, that's where he labored, That's where he spent his time.
That's where he was persecuted. That's where he.
Suffered for the name of Christ and demas. He was a fellow servant, a fellow laborer, one that labored with the apostle Paul, one that served with him in the gospel, one that heard his ministry, who sat under it, who had the privilege of hearing the highest truths that have ever been expounded to the Year of Man. And we read at the end his last epistle.
That Dimas had forsaken him.
And all in Asia had forsaken him, and so to be identified with Paul.
In this day was not at all the popular thing.
It required great energy.
And to be identified with a rejected testimony, to be identified with the truth of God.
That the mass of Christendom will not have.
To be ashamed of that oh, what a sorrow that will be in that coming day. And so he says, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God, And then to strengthen his faith, he says, Who has saved us, and called us within holy calling? And I've noticed both in this epistle and in Jude.
In Jude, I believe it's the only time recorded in the New Testament that our faith is called Your Most.
Holy Faith. And it's the darkest epistle there is. And yet He brings before the Saints there that our faith is our most holy faith, surely living in days of decline and departure, where everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes. Surely this is not the time to be insisting upon absolute conformance to and complicity with the word of God. Surely we can lower the standard today. This is a day of departure and decline.
It's in those epistles, 2 Timothy and Jude, where he says Our Calling is a holy calling.
The truth, the standard of truth, the standard by which we are going to be.
Judged if you will.
Is the word of God, Paul could say to the Ephesian elders. I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
He was a faithful man.
He calls Our Calling here and holy calling as Jude speaks of it, as our most holy faith. Most holy faith. No, this is not the time when we can ever plead lowering the standard of holiness and truth.
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This is a time when the Remnant, those who are seeking to be true to the Lord, will adhere to it.
Like a fool.
I hope you understand the expression.
Who had saved us and called us within holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. According to his own purpose and grace he goes back to the eternal purpose of God. And He brings Timothy into the light of the fact that God had set His heart upon you. Timothy God had set his heart upon us before the world ever began His own purpose and grace.
Which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now right now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and incorruptibility. It should read to light through the gospel. Just think of it. If it wasn't for the gospel, we wouldn't know about the life for the soul and incorruptibility for the body. That's all been brought to light by the gospel, but God had us in his thoughts from all eternity.
To bring us into blessing and all the evil that's come in, he says to Timothy. Don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Stir up the gift of God which is in you. By the laying on of my hands, God hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.
And then he says in verse 12, for the which 'cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless I am not ashamed.
For I know whom I have believed. He doesn't say I know what I've believed.
What a difference that makes, he says. I know whom I have believed. He believed in a person. Christ had become the all absorbing object of his heart. It wasn't his teachings. It wasn't a system of truth. It wasn't a lot of doctrine, all precious and all needed by our souls to go on and to be fed and instructed in the right ways of the Lord. But here he says, I know who I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep.
That which I have committed unto him against that day he had committed his all to the Lord, to the Lord Jesus, whose he was and whom he served, He says. I'm not ashamed, Timothy, don't you be ashamed.
Throw in your lot with those despised few, those despised few who are going on in the truth.
Hold fast the form of sound words. Which words thou hast heard of me, that he had heard words from the apostle Paul? He was to have the form of sound words and outline, so that he knew the truth of God, as the apostle had given it to him.
You know, it's a nice exercise when you pick up a book.
To say in your mind I'm talking about a book of Scripture, say the Epistle to the Philippians.
We should know this book so well would to God that I could say I do. But we ought to so that whenever we take up a book, an epistle or whatever, we we haven't outlined in our minds of what that book contains and what its major thrust of truth is.
Have an outline of sound words which thou hast heard of Maine in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
That good thing, that good deposit which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. He hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And now he tells Timothy to keep the good deposit entrusted by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Who dwells within us?
It doesn't matter whether we're at the end of the dispensation as we are or at the beginning. The Spirit of God is not lost any of His power.
A sound mind would not look for the Spirit of God to be manifesting the power that He manifested in the early days when there were miracles and signs and powers and wonders. We don't look for that today, because instead we have something far more precious and better, and that's the word of God.
Everyone of us, I'm sure, would say Amen to this statement. If you had to choose between the word of God and miracles and powers and signs and wonders, you'd take the word of God, the word of God.
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This is his message to us. Those were all introductory and supportive of the new thing which God was establishing the Christian testimony. But now that it's been established, now that he's committed to us his precious book.
The Word of God, he holds us to it.
He holds us to it.
In every assembly.
Every assembly ought to have a reading meeting.
A meeting where the word of God is proclaimed.
Where the word of God is studied and pondered and as we've heard in these meetings.
How good that there's an exercise in the gospel, too. Well, he says, that good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia, be turned away from me, of whom are FAI jealous and homogeneous. They had turned away from the apostle, turned away from the greatest voice for God this world has ever seen, outside of the Lord Jesus.
And.
He was about to leave. Now. Just think of the tremendous impact that would have when Timothy finally learned.
Paul has gone home to be with Christ.
And he was alone. No, he wasn't alone. No, I don't mean that. We're never left alone. Our brother reminded us of that in these meetings. The Lord is with us.
And if thou goest not with us, carry us not up hence.
The Lord has promised His presence with us to support us, to sustain us, and to encourage us.
And I know, I remember once in my travels out east, I I was going to bypass a very small meeting.
And I changed my plans and went there instead.
And I was so thankful that I did.
When I was there, it didn't seem as though there was much interest either, and I was.
Getting a little discouraged and just before I left.
Brother said to me.
You don't know what an encouragement.
Your coming has been. Well, that meant that really made it worthwhile, didn't it?
That made it worthwhile.
What a mistake it would have been to have missed them and not been there was only a few days.
But just think of justice, those few going on week after week after week after week.
There's a lot of us together here.
And what a joy it is. Many of us come from small meetings, and we know what it is.
We know how easy it is to become discouraged.
And Paul was seeking to encourage his beloved son in the faith, Timothy.
Timothy, don't be discouraged. Stir up the gift of God which is in thee.
That good thing committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US.
You know, Timothy, that all in Asia turned away from me.
Then he mentions a case that filled his heart with joy. He says in verse 16 the Lord give mercy under the House of Onusiferous, For he OFT refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
We have a very difficult time imagining how realizing how hard and what trouble onospheres went through to find the Apostle Paul in that dungeon.
He identified himself with a rejected apostle.
And it's our privilege. I say it It's our privilege, in the few moments remaining in this dispensation, to be identified with the despised and hated and rejected testimony.
It's our privilege.
00:45:03
Very soon it may be air. This hour ends. We'll trade this scene for the glory, but it's our privilege now.
To spend of a little time and energy and strength, whatever it is the Lord is entrusted to us.
To put it in.
That Bank of heaven, if I can put it that way, to spend the little we have here, that will count for eternity.
And everything we spend on ourselves.
Everything we spend on ourselves.
Is going to end when this scene ends, but what we send on ahead.
Will remain.
And then he goes on to say, thou Therefore, my son, I want to touch on a few more verses.
He says be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. How can we possibly continue in a time of such departure and weakness? Discouragement, how can we possibly go on?
It's only in the sense of grace that he's picked up a poor Wretch like me.
And made me his child.
Made me his.
To think, brethren, that he can take the likes of us, not angels. Now he could have called angels to do the work of the ministry. He could have called angels to serve in the gospel.
And to proclaim the wondrous message of salvation. But he's taken us who were once slaves of Satan.
And he's delivered us from the power of darkness.
And translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love.
He's taken us from the darkness under which we were all in ******* to Satan.
And he's made us his.
And now he equips us to everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
And he sends us out, he says. Now you go out.
Empowered by me.
With the same message of the gospel that has met your soul and brought it out of darkness into my marvelous light. He doesn't send angels to do that task. He could.
But he sends us.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, the sense that we owe everything to grace.
He saved us according to His own purpose and grace, not according to our works. We could serve Him for 1000 years if we had that long to live, and our salvation wouldn't be one bit different. The basis for it wouldn't be one bit different. We wouldn't be any more secure at the end of that time than we were the moment we believed, because it depends altogether and entirely upon the work of another, the work of Christ.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, the sense of grace that has taken a Wretch like me.
And made him a child of the king.
Be strong, he says to Timothy in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Never been a day when faithful men are more needed than today. It's a day of great unfaithfulness. It's a day of great departure, a day of giving up of the truth.
A day of living for self self gratification.
You have your life before you. What are you going to do with it?
What have I done with mine? What am I doing with mine?
Every moment you spend in this precious book. Every moment you spend on your knees.
Every moment you spend talking to some soul of Christ.
Counts.
Faithful men.
Not, as we said before, not gifted men, though we all have it.
But faithfulness? How needed.
And then thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. It's not going to be an easy path.
00:50:03
There are those today that are preaching an altogether false gospel. Believe on Christ, they say, and everything will be rosy. Your business will prosper. Your health will get better.
Things will go well in your family relationships and you'll have friends and this and that and.
It's not at all what the Lord Jesus taught.
No, we're taught to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Self denial. No man that warth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life. A good soldier has learned to take orders from his captain.
And from no one else. And he doesn't get involved with the affairs of the world around. And that's the picture he presents here.
That he may please him who have chosen him to be a soldier.
Is our desire to please that one.
And then he goes on to say, No man. If a man also strives for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strives lawfully.
Remember talking to this man I referred to a while back?
And.
It was amazing.
How?
He didn't realize. He did not realize that he's going to be held by what's in the book.
And he took liberties. And how often do we do that? Not Speaking of others so much, but my own heart.
We have no right to reason upon the word of God. God has spoken, and we must bow to it.
And I believe a brother that used to reside in this very meeting used to tell you over and over again.
Again, we're never wiser than Scripture.
Never wiser than Scripture.
So if we're going to strive for the masteries, if we're going to run in a race, we won't be crowned except we strive lawfully.
Is it according to the Scriptures? And then there's a universal principle in verse 6, and I'm going to read it a little differently. The husbandman must labor before partaking of the fruits. You know that's true about laboring in the Word. Being diligent in Scripture, you must labor, you must read, you must ponder, you must prey upon.
This book in order to partake of the fruits of it.
The husband must labor before partaking of the fruits.
And then he says consider what I say.
We have very little time for that today.
Meditate, Paul says to Timothy in the first epistle. Meditate upon these things. Give thyself.
Holy unto them, that thy profiting may appear to all.
I believe the Saints in this land are tested in a way that is not true of the Saints in other parts of the world where they don't have the opportunity to have the things, the worldly things and goods that we can have so easily. I believe we're really tested and.
It's a severe test. It's so easily easy to acquire things here and to set our heart upon objects here. And I can't help but feel I don't say this is true in every case, but I believe the Lord is speaking to us in many ways to show us by things that He's bringing in, that this is not our home, this is not our resting place. Our portion is above.
And if we're getting too occupied with things here.
He will bring things in to draw out our hearts to himself. There where he is. Well, I just want to turn over to the last chapter and read a few verses before closing.
I'm going to read verse 10 of chapter 3.
Thou is fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity or love, patience, persecutions, afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. What persecutions I endured, But out of them all the Lord delivered me. Isn't it instructive that the last thing Paul wrote, he refers to the persecutions that he encountered on his first missionary journey, that is.
If you make a decision, young brother or sister, to go on for the Lord and to stand for him, and you take a stand at work or at school or at home, wherever it may be, the enemy will hurl at you everything that he can to turn you aside. At the very beginning. That's what he did to the Apostle Paul, these persecutions and afflictions which he endured at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, where when he first went out.
00:55:27
On his first journey.
And the enemy will seek to turn us aside and to discourage us.
Right away. But he persevered in the path. And then he says, yeah, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. That's what's held out to us. Not a rosy path, not a rosy path, not an easy path, but to endure hardness and not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, nor of Paul, his prisoner.
Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Things are going to get worse. And you know, that's an encouragement. As we look around and we see things are getting worse, that's exactly what the scripture said would happen. Isn't that a cheer to realize we're living in the last moments of our sojourn here? What he said would happen is happening, and for us to look around hoping things will get better is to go contrary to what scripture says, Evil men and seducers shall wax.
Worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
And what deception is going on out there today? Let's not be deceived.
Let's not be deceived.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. The resource is to continue in the things of God, and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. So he commits Timothy to the word of God. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness.
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Now just two more verses, and then I close the second. In the last chapter, verse two, he says to Timothy, Preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap unto themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables those days.
Are upon us. We're living in those days. And So what does he say? Slacken your insistence on the truth, he says. Preach the word. Be instant in season, out of season. They used to tell me at work passing out some tracks and then they say, well, keep that for Sunday, keep that for when we all go to church. This doesn't belong during this during the days of the week. This is out of season, he says to Timothy. Be instant in season, out of season. It's never the wrong time, never the wrong time to bring the word of God to bear upon a conscience.
Whether it's Monday or Tuesday or any other day of the week, be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine, for the time will come, and it has come when they will not endure sound doctrine. May God give us, and as we think of the give us grace to hold fast to these principles.
Read this epistle, especially young people, the instruction that it gives us. I didn't touch upon the second, the last half of the second chapter, where he likens the churches to a great house, vessels to honor and to dishonor, but.
Time doesn't permit to cover all these things. I trust that the Lord has enabled us to just.
Get a feeling.
For the day in which.
This epistle is cast for which it's cast and the instruction that is given to us in these last days to be identified with a rejected, despised testimony until we hear the shout and he calls us home.
If you don't mind, I would like to re sing 226.
01:00:09
226.
And are to the.
Great.
The Last Days
Address—Dn. Spence
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General Meetings, Des Moines, May 1983. Gospel by Dan Spence.
Begin the meeting tonight by singing #8.
#8
Shall we gather at His coming when the dead in Christ arise? Shall we hear the Savior summons to God's home beyond disguise? Yes, we'll gather at His coming, his glorious His glorious coming. Gather with His Saints at His coming if washed in the Savior's blood, #8.
Shall we gather?
Praise the Lord, you got home. We don't know what's going on.
Hello, Victoria. Euphoria, Euphoria.
Economy here is what is the land of the sun?
Smile our heads together in prayer.
Our blessed God and our.
First of all, I'd like to just say a little word to those of you in the audience tonight who are Christians.
00:05:04
One of the.
Most blessed times. I think that many of you miss. All of you sisters and some of you brothers miss.
It's a little time that we spend right before the Gospel Meeting on our knees in a side room for prayer for this meeting tonight.
And I would say that in all of the years that I have gone to these meetings, these prayer meetings.
For the gospel at a conference, I have never experienced prayer like I have heard the last two nights.
And I would like to ask each one of you who are Christians in the audience tonight to continue to pray for the Lord's blessing on this meeting tonight. It is our very firm conviction that even though the Gospel was preached so clearly last night, that there are still those in the audience who are not saved.
It is difficult for me to believe that anybody could walk out of this room last night.
Knowing that they were lost.
It is hard for me to understand how anyone could sleep a wink last night after hearing the Gospel Meeting that we heard.
But we feel that there are yet those in this room who are still lost. And so I want to ask for your prayers for those who are lost, that tonight they might simply yield their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the burdens of the prayer meeting tonight seemed to be at the time is exceedingly short, and that is what is on my heart tonight.
Perhaps to carry along the burden that was expressed last night in the meeting.
As well as to present Christ as the Savior of sinners. The subject that I have before me is just two words.
For three the last days I'm going to first of all talk about some scriptures that we'll read together that have those words in them, or words to that effect.
And then I'm going to talk about the last day, the last day, perhaps, of your life if you're without Christ.
And then I want to talk a little bit about the most important last day that has ever been experienced, the most important last day. And then finally, I'd just like to talk a little bit about the last day of grace, when the door for salvation will finally be shut.
So first of all, I'd like you to turn together with me to the New Testament.
To the Book of Two Timothy.
Second Timothy, chapter 3 and verse one.
This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. Four men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy without natural affection, truthbreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce despisers of those that are good traitors, heady, high minded lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.
From such turn away.
In the last days it says perilous times shall come. That means dangerous times.
Now it is the firm conviction of almost every Christian that I have ever met that we are living in the last times.
The last days, you know the last days, precede what we'll call the last day of opportunity for salvation. The day when the door will finally be shut. There will be a final day, and it is a firm conviction of those who know the word well that we are living in the last days. The moments of time are ticking away. The days are passing by.
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And there may only be a few moments, a few days.
Left We don't know.
But this verse tells us a characteristic of the last days. It says in the last days dangerous or perilous times shall come.
The present day we are living, we're living in a day of tremendous knowledge.
Man has never had knowledge like he has today, but it is knowledge without the fear of God, and it has brought men into a dangerous position.
Man has tremendous power. At his fingertips, he has power.
To erase nations from the face of the Earth at the push of a button.
He has such power at his fingertips that even men today who do not believe the Bible are talking about the end of the world.
We're living in perilous times.
You know, all across the northern part of the United States, in many states anyway, there are.
Missiles hiding in silos. Those missiles can be launched if the conditions are right. Many of them carry several bombs, each one capable of erasing a city from the face of the earth.
The nation of Russia has a bomb that is in excess of 100 megatons of TNT. They do not know exactly what effect this would have upon the world if all of this power were unleashed in a few days of time. They do not know exactly what kind of effect it would have. It's possible that it could have a chain reaction that would go around the world, they say.
That might bring an end to civilization.
Down in the state of Arizona, there's a little town called Cottonwood. Perhaps some of you have been in Cottonwood, AZ.
And if you go out on the Main Street of Cottonwood, AZ and you look to the West, up there in the mountain.
About 7 or 8000 feet you can see a ghost town. The name of that ghost town is Jerome, AZ.
Now Jerome, Arizona, was once once a flourishing town. There was a silver mine there that was run by a company called the Dodge Company.
And they mined silver out of the mountain, and they had big cases of dynamite.
Loaded away. Some of them were actually buried in the ground and when the silver vein ran out, men left. They left the city, They left the mine just as it was. Everyone forgot about the dynamite that was buried and many years later there was a steam shovel that was brought in there to excavate the pit.
In the steam shovel ran into one of these cases of dynamite and it set off a chain reaction within the mine, and the steam shovel was blown over on the city of Jerome in pieces.
That's what man is afraid of today. He's afraid of that kind of thing happening with all of the power.
That he has at his fingertip.
A destructive force that is heretofore unknown, capable of melting the elements.
And doing away with civilization. But as we read these verses, we find that the Bible has already spoken of a time that would be dangerous. And the reason that is it is dangerous. We found in those verses that we read verses 2-3 and four and five.
The reason is that men.
Has degenerated.
Morally and spiritually, he's gotten further away from God.
And as we read those verses over, perhaps those of you in the audience recognized some of those characteristics. Perhaps some of you said, oh, that sounds like the neighborhood that I live in. That sounds like the school that I go to. That sounds like the place that I work.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves.
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Sound like today?
Covetous boasters.
Proud blasphemers, Disobedient to parents. Does that sound like today?
All my friends, during the past 20 or 30 years, we've seen a tremendous degeneration until the very verses that we read tonight.
Are very apparent in the civilization that we live in today. We are living in the last days, we are living in the last moments of the last days and that is why there has been such a burden in the adjoining room.
Because we realize that the time is ticking away, that somebody is going to be left behind unless they turn to Christ. There's a burden on the part of parents for their children. There's a burden on the part of loved ones for their families, for their neighbors, for their friends.
All my friends, I used to be afraid. I used to be afraid of those who were older. I used to think that they were hard to get to know. I used to think, think that they were critical. But I have never in all of my life heard prayers like I heard tonight poured out on the behalf of you who are in the audience, lost and in your sins.
There's a love for your soul and you know, my beloved friend.
On the other side of glory, where the Lord Jesus Christ is at this very moment, He loves you with an infinite, unchanging love. He has done everything possible to keep you from going to a lost eternity. He does not want you to to reject the gospel. Tonight we're living in the last days. I'd like to. I'd like to.
Just look at some of the other characteristics of the last days. Let's turn over to the book of Genesis.
Chapter 6.
Genesis chapter 6 and verse 5.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.
And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And he repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.
Both men and beasts, and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Verse 11 The earth also was corrupt before God.
And the earth was filled with violence.
Chapter 7 and verse one.
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou in all thy house into the ark. For thee have I seen righteous before me and this generation.
Now let's turn together to the New Testament, to the Gospel of Luke, Luke, Chapter 17.
And verse 26.
Luke 17 and verse 26.
And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.
They did eat. They drank, They married wives. They were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered.
Into the Ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Now we notice some of the characteristics of Noah's day.
There were two things that were characteristic of that day. One was corruption and the other was violence. They go together.
There was evil that was going on continuously in the world of that day.
You know, it was interesting to me to read about someone who had done a study of high school students.
And they estimated that high school students, this is students who are not Christians.
Sin on the average of once every 29 seconds.
They sin on the average of once every 29 seconds.
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And any of us who are older know that college is worse.
And society is worse than that.
Man is approaching, if not there already.
Doing only evil continually.
There is no thought of God in the minds of men, the voice of Noah, the preacher of righteousness when unheard, when unheeded.
Noah continued to build. He continued to call, but no one heard his voice.
Until the day that God called him into the ark, Noah went in and the door was shut. God shut the door.
But here in the Gospel of Luke, we notice those things that don't seem so bad.
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage. Notice it says, then until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. In other words, life continued as usual until the moment that that the door was shut. There was No 5 minute buzzer. There was no earthquake that warned them.
That Noah was right. There was number shower that warned them that it could rain.
Nothing. Just the voice of a man who said.
That destruction was coming in the form of rain. And so life went on as usual, without any warnings, except from this man of God until the day the door was shut, and then it was forever too late. You know, the flood did not come, The rain did not come for seven days, and although it does not say this, I can't help but think that as the ground gushed forth.
In volumes of water.
And as the skies opened up and burst in floods of rain, I cannot help but think that there were people who went and pounded on the Ark in repentance, cried to know it, to open the door. And there was nothing, no response. The door was shut. It was too late.
Will it be that way with you, my friend? Will it be too late? Will you be left behind?
Notice in verse 28 it says likewise also as it was in the days of lot. They did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. But the same day that lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Now we're borrowing some of these verses, perhaps out of context, And yet they do have.
A meaning for us here tonight. In the day of Lot, there was unparalleled moral evil, and evil so bad that God could not stand it. Man had dropped to his lowest form of evil, a moral sickness that swept those two cities. There was no preparation for eternity. There was no thought of God before their eyes. There was no repentance.
And life went on as usual.
There was number warning of any kind. No earthquake, no lightning.
No sample flash of fire. Nothing. Life went on. It says they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. Just like today. Life is going on as usual.
And at the same time, unparalleled moral evil is sweeping this country.
An evil that was one time considered a crime and then upgraded to a mental illness.
And then to an oddity, and then to something that ought to be accepted in society.
And then something that should be sought after.
An evil that has in many cases.
Preceded the falling of judgment upon a civilization.
The evil of Sodom.
All my friends were living in the final days.
There is no doubt in anybody's mind who knows the Bible. We are living in the last days.
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And it is quite possible that tonight is the last night. It is possible that tomorrow the door will have been forever shut to heaven and you will have been left behind. You know, today's world so parallels the days of Noah and Lot. It's a combination of the two that is unparalleled moral evil that has swept.
Worldwide, you know that there are two voices that you cannot get out of your mind. One of them is your conscience and the other one is the word of God.
Your conscience tells you that you are wrong, that you are a Sinner, that you are guilty before God. The Word of God confirms it. And the Word of God points you on to a certain and dreadful judgment. A day in which you will stand before a thrice holy God can be judged for your sins. You know that's true. I was on the bus coming.
From Omaha, NE. And I felt that I hadn't been doing so well as far as giving out the gospel. And there were a lot of new people getting on the bus. And I just looked up and I said, Lord Jesus, give me an opportunity to speak to someone on this bus. And there was a young man who came in and he sat down beside me and I began to speak with him and he asked me where I was going and I said to a Bible conference.
And I said, Do you ever read the Bible?
He said no, I haven't read the Bible, but he said I know it's true.
I said, well, let's suppose that you were to die today. What would happen to you?
He said. I don't know, but he said I worry about it an awful lot. I worry about it takes a lot of my time. All my friends, his conscience spoke to him, and you have that conscience too that says don't go on any longer in your sins. You're in danger of Hellfire.
Well, these are some of the characteristics of the last days. Now I'd like to speak for a moment to you about what could be the last day of your life. Let's turn to that well known verse in the Gospel in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 9, verse 27.
And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation.
I'd like to talk to you a little bit tonight about the appointment with death if you're outside of Christ, if you're not one of the many.
In verse 28 that Christ has borne the sins of then you have an appointment with death.
A day that is coming, that will be your very last day.
Are you ready for that day notice? It says after this, the judgment we have that brought before us so much last night. Sometimes when I read this verse, I think of a little story, an incident that happened when I was in fifth grade.
We were in the 5th grade class and up in a little town called Madrid north of here.
And there was one of these storms that came up and these storms that come in so quickly.
The wind was blowing about 80 miles an hour and it was blowing cinders against the windows.
Of the school room and we were in a building that had been condemned for 13 years and the building seemed to sway and creak and we were all slightly nervous and suddenly there was a knock at the door.
Mrs. Anderson went through the door and suddenly stepped outside.
She was there what seemed like an awfully long time, and then she came back in and she said, Robert, would you come to the door? And Robert went to the door and he went out. Mrs. Anderson came back to the to her desk and she sat down and she just put her head in her hands for about 5 minutes.
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And then she looked up and she said something terrible has happened.
She said Robert's dad was out at the ballpark this morning and those big towers that they just put up with the lights on them were swaying.
In the wind and they were trying to tie them down when one of them fell and it.
Kent Roberts dad in the back of the head and she said they're taking him to the hospital in Boone.
But he's not expected to live. He's not expected to live. You know, we sat there for a moment, almost in fear. We knew Robert's dad. He had a candy store or grocery store at the back of the school. The kids visited him a lot. They knew him well. And now he was.
Happens after a person dies.
Mrs. Anderson said.
Well, she said. I don't think that you ought to be thinking about that now, she said. You're too young, you've got a lot of time before you don't worry about death, she said. It's something for older people to think about, not young people.
Many years went by, perhaps 20 years.
And I was out on the West Coast and I thought of Mrs. Anderson, and I thought, you know, she must be about 70. I wonder how she feels about that. And I wrote her a letter in which I reminded her of this story that I've just told. I said, Mrs. Anderson, you said that we were too young.
In 5th grade, to think about death and what happens after a person dies, I said. When should we begin to think about death?
You know, Mrs. Anderson, I got her address and sent it. The letter to her. Waited for a long time.
And finally I got back just a little newspaper that was rolled up and I opened it up and on the headlines of the newspaper it said local school teacher dies.
Mrs. Anderson was too late.
She was too late.
I shed some tears over that and finally I heard from her daughter who lived up in Michigan. Her daughter says, I don't know how Mrs. Anderson would have answered that question. She said I don't know what she would have said. And I wrote her back. An answer, the answer from the Scriptures after death, the judgment that has been over 10 years ago, and I've never.
Heard from her since.
You know, my friends, this is the word of God. It is appointed unto men once to die. But after this the judgment, solemn thing to think about, you know, in the schoolroom today, in the classrooms of the United States of America, there is something called death education. And the purpose of it is to desensitize a person as to death and what happens after death.
People, young people are given visits to the Mortuary. They are told that death is something very natural and that even if.
A situation gets bad enough, suicide is not such a bad way out.
Reminds me always of a young man whose name was Todd. I knew Todd well. Todd was a boy who had everything going for him. He grew up in a well to do family. He was smart. He was handsome. He was popular at school. He got good grades. In fact, in high school he never got anything less than an A straight A's all the way through.
Father was a doctor. His father was saved. And you know, somewhere along the line Todd got off course. And Todd went to school last fall. And, you know, I don't know what happened, but he got mixed up with the wrong crowd. And they were having a party last April and Todd went to that party. There was drinking, there was drugs.
And I don't really know the circumstances, but what I do know is that Todd, 19 years of age, straight A's, handsome, good looking.
Ran down the hallway as fast as he could go and went right out the window, which was seven stories up.
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I went to Todd's funeral.
And I heard his dad stand up at a podium like this.
And say I remember a day that Todd got saved. He was hanging onto a thread of hope.
You know, I sat there with many young people in the audience and I said there's a big question mark in my mind.
I'm not sure, and you know my friend and I'd like to speak especially to younger people tonight. There are many parents in the audience tonight who have a question mark in their minds.
If something were to happen to you.
They wouldn't know for sure. They would perhaps be hanging onto a thread of hope that they remembered one day when you got on your knees and accepted Christ. But there was very little fruit in your life. And there's parents that are worried. They're scared.
Because they feel that there might be some of their children that are going to spend eternity forever lost.
And I'm speaking to those of you who are younger tonight.
Are you saved? Are you on the way to heaven? Can you say Christ died for my sins?
All my friends, if you can't, you have an appointment with death and after that judgment.
Now I want to just turn for a few moments to the most important last day.
Of a man's life. Let's turn over to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22.
Now I'd like to remind you that the Jewish day began at 6:00 in the evening.
So we're going to be looking at the last 24 hours of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And as we look at these 24 hours, there is no way that anybody could have ever accomplished what has been accomplished.
In those 24 hours.
Except the Son of God, no Angel, no man.
Could have ever been accomplished.
Could have ever accomplished what He accomplished. He was the Son of God, and he came down to die upon a cross. There was no accident that the final 24 hours of his life ended up in this way. He came here because He loved you. He came to die for you. It was His whole purpose in coming to die for your lost and guilty soul.
Now we're going to be just taking a brief look at a sketch of the 24 hours. We could spend hours we could spend days on it, 25 Old Testament scriptures or more.
Were fulfilled in that 24 hours. The probability of that in man's way of thinking is over one in one million. He could not have been just a man. He was the Son of God. Now notice in verse 14 of chapter 22. And when the hour was coming, he sat down, and the 12 apostles with him. And he said unto them with desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
Here is what we might call the last Passover.
The Passover was the sacrifice of a lamb that spared the children of Israel from judgment and looked forward to a day when the true Passover lamb would come. He was there, he was there in their midst, and so he was going to die that very day, the following afternoon upon a cross, just when the Passover lamb was supposed to be killed.
He would die. The true Passover lamb was there, and so there was number need for something that looked forward to.
The Passover to the death of a lamb.
Now notice in verse 19 it says, And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave it unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Now he introduces them to the Lord's supper, a loaf of bread, a cup of wine, symbols of death.
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That would look back for hundreds.
Thousands of years, 2000 years, even to the very death of the Son of God. Now let's go on quickly in this chapter to verse.
42.
He prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.
Nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. What was, my friends, the burden of his heart, the Lord Jesus Christ, as no one else could ever do, was looking into the depths of Calvary.
And the awful suffering that would be his by choice. That would be his because he loved you.
The Lord Jesus was looking into those hours of darkness and he knew to the very minute detail the depths of suffering that he would have to go. No man could ever do that, and that's why it says he was in an agony and prayed more earnestly.
All my friends, he faced that awful judgment that I deserved. He faced it willingly, lovingly, rather than have me go to a lost eternity.
He was going to stand there in my place, and he knew what it would cost. This morning we sat around and remembered the Lord, and in a sense we sought to look back to Calvary.
To feel, if we could, to think about what he had suffered for us, and oh, if you were like me, you felt so inadequate to think about that infinite hour of darkness and suffering that he had been through.
But he knew. He knew what he was going through. And yet he did it. And to this very moment, he can look back upon that hour and remember that suffering, my friends. He can remember it just as well as when it happened.
And he loves you even tonight.
Now, as we go on in the chapter, we find toward the end of the chapter, and we'll just skip over it, that his Jewish people condemned him to death.
They condemned him to death and then he was taken to.
A Roman court.
In the Roman court, which was usually a very good court, found him innocent of the crimes with which he was charged. Notice in verse 20.
2022.
And he that his pilot said unto them, the third time, Why?
What evil hath he done? I find no cause of death in him I will release.
Him therefore.
I will therefore chastise him and let him go. And they were instant, with loud voices requiring that he might be crucified.
And the voices of them of the chief priests prevailed.
Now let's go down to verse 33.
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. Verse 39.
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself, and us.
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath 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 thou shalt be with me in paradise. And it was about the 6th hour, and there was darkness over all the earth.
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Until the 9th hour.
And the sun was darkened in the veil of the temple, was read in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father.
Into thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying Certainly this was a righteous man.
Almost 24 hours have elapsed in the reading of these passages. We started out in the evening and what was called the Jewish mourning, perhaps the beginning of the day, through the night, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in prayer. We find that he was betrayed. We find that he was denied. We find that he was taken, perhaps very early in the morning, to the Jewish court.
And then on to the Roman court and finally to the cross. My friends, at about 9:00 in the morning, Jesus was nailed to the cross. Hands. Nails were put through his hands and feet.
He was hung there between heaven and earth, and he suffered intensely as a man suffered the death of Calvary's cross. And at 12:00 noon or thereabouts there was total darkness over all the land. Now Jesus was suffering as a sacrifice for sin. He was suffering in my place. He was suffering as a sin bearer.
As the bearer, as bearing the sins of many, and from 12:00 to 3:00.
Jesus suffered suffering that no man can ever assess.
Suffering that only he can understand, the Lord Jesus at the end of that time shouted.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, And shortly thereafter?
He yielded up his life. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
As we read today, shortly thereafter, perhaps before 4:00 in the afternoon.
A soldier came along and pierced his side, and it says forthwith came there out blood and water. And then before 6:00 Jesus was placed in the grave. He was placed in that tomb. And then before 3 days went by, Jesus arose from the dead. My friends, this is the most important last day that any man has ever lived.
More has been accomplished in this 24 hour period and especially in those hours upon the cross.
Than will ever be accomplished in any other way Jesus died.
And suffer there for you. Can you spurn such love as that, if you were to stand before the Cross, and you were to see that awful agony as he suffered there, as he looked down upon these people that had nailed him there, and said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. As you saw that love come down to those who even nailed him to the Cross. My friends, could you?
Could you spurn such gracious love? Could you turn aside? I want to turn your attention now totally to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to look at him there back.
Through the ages of time, and see him dying there in love for your soul. I want you to see him there, my friends, shedding his precious blood.
That your sins might be washed away and Ohio my friend if he stood.
Right before your soul tonight. And he said, Will you?
Accept me as your personal savior. What would you say? Can you reject such gracious love? Can you turn aside? Can you walk out the door? My friends? How can you do it? How can you do it in the face of a lost eternity, as we had last night? How can you do it in the face of such infinite love that Jesus?
Has shown to you.
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You know, just a few weeks ago out in the meeting room in Buena Park, CA.
There were two rows of boys that had been brought into the meeting.
And these boys?
Were kind of new. They hadn't been out before.
They came from the apartments in the neighborhood and they didn't know how to behave and these two boys were sitting down there.
And I was speaking, and every once in a while the boys would get to talking and sometimes get out of their seat. And so I just addressed some of my remarks to the boys, but they just couldn't keep their mind on the meeting. And so we turned to that verse first, John one and verse 7.
The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
I saw it in a little measure to explain this to the boys that were sitting there, how that God kept a record of their lives and each day there was a new page, perhaps with a record of all their sins. And how now God was offering salvation and cleansing through the precious blood that was shed on Calvary's cross.
You know, still I could not seem to get the attention of these boys. And so I asked one of them. I said, would one of you boys like to come up and just repeat this verse with me?
So one of the boys put his hand up like that and I invited him up and he was quite delighted to be up front and he stood there beside me and I said, can you read this verse? And he said no, he was in maybe 3rd or 4th grade.
So I said, let me, let me repeat it to you, the blood of Jesus Christ.
His son cleanseth us from all sin.
I said, are you a Sinner? And he said no.
I said to him well.
Have you ever disobeyed your mother?
And he thought for a long time, he looked up and he said, I think I did just once. And I said that one time was a sin. That's what God calls a sin. That one time has made you a Sinner. Would you like to have that sin forgiven? He shook his head. You know, I said I want you to go back to your seat and think about this verse. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sins.
He went back to his seat, and I said to him, I said, you know, if you accept Christ as your savior, if your sins are washed away in His precious blood, then that one sin that you committed, that disobedient act toward your mother, will be forever wiped away from the record. And not only that, maybe some of all of those sins that you don't even know about, maybe there's some others.
That you've done will be wiped away too, in its precious blood, I said. You can go out of this room tonight.
And you can go home and you say, mom, remember that one time that I disobeyed you? God has forgiven that sin. All my friends, I think of that little boy. I don't know whether he's saved or not. I really don't think he's saved yet. But, you know, I feel he's like us so much of the time. I think I did just once. Maybe we don't know the extent of the record of our guilt.
We don't know how big.
The price that Jesus had to pay. We don't know how grand, how great, his love.
We don't know what's before us in heaven. Oftentimes we just have such a small view of our guilt that we don't even feel guilty before God.
My friends, one sin, one disobedient act, will take you to a lost eternity. But the blood of Jesus Christ will wipe all sin away, even the ones that you do not know about the blood of Jesus Christ, the blood that he shed on Calvary's Christ.
Has that cleansing power, and it's just as powerful tonight.
As it was last night, as it was the day it was shed, it's able to wash.
Your sins away.
Now I'd like to talk just for a few moments from First Corinthians chapter 15.
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And verse 52.
We're going to talk about the end.
Of the Day of Grace.
Sorry, First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 51.
Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. That is all believers in a moment in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption in this mortal.
Shall I put on immortality? Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
The Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead. He went back to heaven, and the angels proclaimed the message that this same Jesus would so come. In like manner as you have seen him go, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back, and when he comes, there's going to be a trumpet blast, there's going to be a shout and all believers will depart. There is no warning as we had earlier in the meeting.
There's no warning, my friends. It's going to happen suddenly and all believers are going to be gone. I had a dream just a few weeks ago and I don't put much.
Credence in dreams. But this dream scared me and I'm going to tell you what it was. I was in the Buena Park meeting room, in my dream, in the backroom, and I was fixing something that needed to be fixed and everyone else was out in the main room.
And all of the noise was going on. Children were laughing and sometimes crying and.
And I could hear adults talking, and all of a sudden it got quiet, just like that. I ran out in the room in my dream and there was nobody there. Nobody.
You know, I've had so many bad dreams in my life that I've just got a little practice of waking up like that when the when I have a bad dream. So I just woke up and I was so thankful. I was so thankful that it was just a dream. But you know, my friends, for those of you who who leave this room tonight and the meeting is almost over for those of you who leave in your sins if the Lord Jesus comes tonight.
It could be that this room will get suddenly quiet.
You'll walk out in this room, perhaps from the hall, and look, and it will be empty. And you may do like I did and try to wake up, and you can't wake up. You may rush out in the hall, down in the basement, out in the car, out to a telephone booth, and there will be nothing but silence. The day of grace will be forever over.
The door will be shut. There will be no second chance. You will be lost. The lake of fire will be before you, the Great White Throne judgment.
All my friends, Jesus loves you. He wants you to be saved. He wants you to be saved. Right now. Right now, as the meeting comes to a close. In just a moment, we're going to sing another hymn together. Before we do, I want to tell you a little story about a young lady who lived in California.
This young lady.
Was about 17 years old and she was a senior in high school and the teacher asked that everyone in the classroom would please.
Write a theme and the title of this theme was to be.
The last week of my life and how would I spend it? This young lady was a Christian and so here's how she wrote it, she said.
Day number one, I would go and visit my loved ones. Those that have really been kind to me. I'd spend the whole day with them. I valued their friendship very much. Day #2, I would go alone in the woods.
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I would spend time with my Lord and my Savior. I would sit there in the woods alone, meditating on those scriptures that have been so wonderful to me and have brought me peace in my soul.
Day #3 I would prepare my will and I would visit my mother.
She said. My mother has.
So much to me.
My mother brought me to Christ, told me about the Lord when I was very young, and I want to spend a day with my mother. Day #5, she said. I'd visit those who've been of spiritual encouragement to me. Day number six, I'd go visit all of the shut insurance and those who weren't able to get out to the meetings.
And day #7, she said I'd go to church, I'd take my Bible, and I'd spend the day in prayer, she said. I know that I'd be ready to depart at the end of that day. And she said I just want to walk out in the open and just go and depart and be with the one who died for me on Calvary's cross.
That theme was written in 1963.
March 15th.
One week later, this young lady was traveling to Palm Springs, CA with her friends and there was a car that crossed over the center line at a very high rate of speed.
And this young lady went into eternity saved.
Her parents were absolutely thrilled when they got this theme that she had written how I would spend the last week of my life.
All my friends, this may be the end of the last week of your life.
And Jesus wants to save you.
Come Now
Gospel—F. Patry
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.
General meetings, Des Moines, May 1983. Last gospel meeting.
When I was in Brazil, Mr. Keel told me a story.
About 3 electrical workers who were installing.
High tension power lines.
He said that they went to a medical course, first aid course, and they were taught the techniques of what is called CPR.
To keep a person alive when the heart and the lungs have started have quit working.
And so they learned the technique and the man, the instructor, told them that.
When a person gets electric shock, all the muscles freeze and that they should continue with this exercise till the doctor comes and don't quit.
Well, they went out into the field and started working and won.
Got shot and he fell down and there he lay as dead.
So here were the two helping, the other one massaging the heart.
Blowing air into the lungs and there was nothing. No response, nothing.
But the one who was had been shot. He was very much alive. His brain worked well, his hearing worked well, but he couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't say, keep on, I'm still alive.
No, and after a while one of them got tired and said he's finished.
It's no use. Can you imagine this man listening to one of the men saying just quit?
While he was very much alive inside, but he couldn't tell. He couldn't tell. Well, the other one said, no, this is my friend. And we were told to finish till the doctor came. And so he went on and on and on and on and on till the doctor came.
And so we're going on with one other gospel meeting more.
Maybe you're saying leave me alone?
We trust that you want to hear once more the gospel.
We trust that once more you want to hear.
Maybe this time.
Will be the last push on the heart and you'll come out.
This is for love to your soul. We want to continue preach the gospel.
So that you might be safe, so that you might live. And so let us sing together, please.
#12.
#10 I'm sorry #10.
There is a savior.
On high in the glory there is let thing #10.
There is a savior.
On.
Which is crazy.
I'm gonna get you out for hours where I'm going to be considered with the standard, with the standard.
So we ask the Lords help.
Our God and our Father.
Well, now we're the last day.
After this meeting, there will be no more meeting. After this gospel, no more gospel in this conference.
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And surely we cannot guarantee that there ever will be another gospel meeting anywhere. We cannot guarantee.
Maybe the Lord Jesus will come tonight.
The word of God says God speaketh once. Yeah, twice.
Now it's the third time.
At this conference.
It's already pure sovereign grace. Maybe God has promised to speak to us twice now. It's the third time, and we trust that we will, in opening our Bibles, find a little bit of this.
Pure sovereign grace, Let U.S. Open our Bibles.
To Romans chapter one.
Romans chapter one.
And verse one.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.
Called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. We'll stop here.
That's just all I was thinking for right now.
What we want to think about is the gospel of God.
What we are speaking about up here is not what we have thought about.
Not some cunningly devised fables of our own imagination, we trust, but that which God is giving us. Not something that we just believe, but something that God has thought of, prepared, has gone all the way.
It's all his.
For you the gospel of God concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Have you heard the Gospel before?
The gospel that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
You I remember when I for the first time heard that there was such a thing as salvation. Have you heard that before?
The Gospel of God.
Oh, and I'd like to impress you now how completely it is of God.
Did we put the idea, Did man put the idea into God's mind that maybe he should come down here to save us? No.
Have we made a master plan and gone to God and said can you do this for me? Please? No.
No, sometimes people do. They go to engineers and says I've got a problem, can you figure this out for me? I can't understand and so they figure it out for them.
But not so.
If God hadn't told me that I was the thinner, would I have known?
Would you have?
Whose idea it was, Oh, it's gone. That came down here to tell me that I was a Sinner.
Without the Bible, would I have known that I'm in trouble? No.
Who prepared the gospel? Who just thought about it? It was God, God and not man. We like to get take credit for many things, but it will never be for the gospel of God because he thought about it.
And you know to do it.
It was something so important that He was going to do it all himself. It is God that saves not ourselves. It is He that sent the Father, sent the Son to be the Savior of this world. It is God that longs that you might be saved.
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It all started in the heart of God.
And now he invites you to believe, to receive.
Has He asked you to clean up your life? No. The Lord Jesus Christ left heaven, left the glory, He who was rich became poor. Why did we invite him? No. Did we ask Him to? No. We see in Romans one all along that as far as Ben's mind was concerned.
We were just forgetting. We couldn't careless. It says about Cain that he departed from the presence of the Lord. It says about the the people in Babel at the beginning that they wanted the tower to have a name and forget about God.
Did men invite the Lord's yeast to come? No. It's all in the heart of God. And so the Lord Jesus came unto his own.
Uninvited, unwanted. Now they had him right down here in this world. Will they say, oh, how wonderful. This is what we wanted? No, Said he's got a devil. We have no use for this man. We will not have this man to reign over us. No, we put him out.
The Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
You know, when he came to save, God did not leave it into the in the hands of man. It's the gospel of God. It's all his from the very first to the very last. He hasn't left a thing to us.
He came, he suffered.
Why? He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. He suffered the just for the unjust to bring us to God. He died. You say man crucified Him. Man could never take away the life.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man could not touch the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, they could whip him.
Yes, they could drive nails through his hands. Yes, because they could spit upon him.
They could regularly kill him. They could. They could box them into the face, but they could not take his life. He laid down his life for me.
That he wanted to do himself.
God.
The Lord in the Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted to save, He wanted to not. He wanted to do everything himself so nothing could go wrong.
To think that he could have left anything to me so that I could be saved.
How wrong the thought, how hopeless the thought that I could do anything for me to be saved. No, it was so important, it is so important in the heart of God that you will be saved, that he did it all himself. He couldn't send.
The best of men to Calvary. He couldn't send Michael the Archangel. Gabriel could never die on Calvary to wash away my sins.
Even if I went onto a hill and if I would be able to drive nails onto the cross, could I put my sin upon myself and die?
No, I am a guilty Sinner. The Lord Jesus had to do it himself, and he did. He did. It's the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that cleanseth us from all sin. It couldn't be any others.
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And so the gospel that we preach tonight is not ours.
It's not anything of our doing, the speaker or anyone here, and God will never ask you to do anything.
To be saved because you can't.
And if you could, God would say, I will not give him even a chance of making a mistake. I'm going to do everything right myself. And he did.
Could you raise the Lord Jesus from the dead? Did any man raise him from the dead?
Did man want Jesus to be raised?
Is wasn't it much more? They put a seal to the tomb. They want to make sure he'll stay in there. They put a watch there.
Man is so contrary.
God is greater. God is greater than all our little thoughts.
And God raised him from the tomb. The Lord Jesus Christ tonight is alive.
He's at the right hand of God. What have I done in all this? Nothing.
But I can benefit from it.
Have you?
Neither word is Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Just come.
Like the story of the man who prepared a wedding feast.
He got everything ready, he got a big feast ready, he even got the garments ready for everybody.
And he said come, all you need to do is come. Will you come?
Will you come?
To God's gospel, To the gospel of God. Do you say I have my known?
A brother in Montreal told me that he sat in the airplane and here comes the man, young man, but the same age as he as he was, and he had a bag tied to his wrist so that the hand was inside and inside were beads. He was counting beads or he was not counting. He was praying. He had his own gospel.
Oh yes, he had been preaching this gospel in Israel and Italy and was on his way home to Memphis, TN to visit his family. The brother said you're from Tennessee, That's the Gospel Belt. Do you know the gospel of the Bible? Oh yes, he said. I know it real well. My father, my grandfather, was the missionary in Africa for 60 years.
I know the gospel. I know your gospel. There is one way.
No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. There's only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. He knew, He knew, but He hasn't. He had his own gospel.
He didn't have the gospel of God.
You know this brother asked him, If you know the Gospel so well, you have heard of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, If when Jesus comes and I go, where will you go?
He had no answer.
He had no answer.
Because his gospel wasn't taking him where he hoped he would make.
His gospel he would have to work himself.
And he could never go one inch above this earth.
But the Gospel of God will take me to the Lord Jesus.
Above the clouds for all eternity. The Gospel of God is that which God has done from the beginning to the end. It's all His doing, His thinking, planning and doing. And He offers it to you. Will you receive?
Let's go on to verse 60, Romans 1.
And verse 16.
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew 1St, and also to the Greek. I'd like to think a little bit about the power of God.
There are many and it seems that in the old folks home they are more abundant than in the Sunday school.
People who say yes.
I'm going God, I believe in the gospel of God. I'm doing the best I can.
Oh yes, I'm saying my prayers. I'm, I've been good all my life.
Where is there the power to say prayers? Is not your own energy your own?
Undertaking your own.
I got the word in Spanish.
It's worth your own endeavoring. God says he'll never say.
It must be the gospel of God unto now, the power of God unto salvation. Friend, if you're still trying, quit trying, because trying will never, never say.
If you're still trying to be good, quit trying because they'll never save. There's only one power that will save your soul, and it's the power of God.
When we were driving through Las Vegas, I said, where does the power come to put all these lights into this desert? The brother said from Hoover Dam. Wasn't that.
There was the source of energy and so they had lights.
Where is the power to save my soul?
There is nothing, absolutely nothing down here.
That will ever save your soul. It is the power of God or nothing.
Prayers. Your own reputation, your own philosophy, Activity of the mind. Will it save you? Can I think myself into heaven? Can I think myself righteous before God? Never.
Can I excuse myself? I remember it seemed as if the Lord said, what about your sins long before I heard the gospel? I said, well, I'm not so bad, I'll be all right.
The power of this little thing up here, it did not save. It clouded it over. It seemed to give an answer. Maybe you have excuses. Maybe you even think you have an answer.
Credit must be God that comes down to pick you up. The little land that was lost, who went after it, The Lord Jesus, the shepherd that the sheep jump onto the neck of the pastor.
Went picked up the sheep, put it on its shoulders, rejoicing. Whose power was it? Oh, the power of the Savior.
Friend, let's not trust in ourselves anymore.
For when we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. You say, What shall I do then?
How can I be saved then all it says here?
The power of God unto salvation.
To everyone that believes.
You know.
I trust if you were here last Saturday.
He came to the end of the rope.
I trust you felt underneath a little bit of Hellfire.
The warning So. So now what are you going to do?
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Are you going to try to climb up this rope again? No, Just let her go into the arms of the Lord Sheath.
There are arms underneath to catch for sure.
We just cannot do it ourselves. In Isaiah 46, there are those mentioned there who are caring, who are sighing under burdens. It is so heavy.
They are burdened with their religion and it gives them nothing.
And God lament you are burdened with religion, with your idolatry. When I wanted to carry you all the way, tell Gray hairs I wanted to carry you along till home. Oh, brother.
Let's not quit.
We got saved as we had in Colossians. As you have received him, so continue.
We got saved trusting in the power of God.
And we must make it to the end in the power of God believing.
And we be saved. Is that your way? It's God's way.
The power of God is present tonight so that you might be saved. If you want to believe, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You will be saved.
Verse 17.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.
What do we have here? The righteousness of God.
Now I tell them to do you have a righteousness?
Can you say to yourself, let God come with his eye and examine me?
Let his light burst me right through, and see if he can find any wicked way in me. Can you say this?
Can you say and I'll come forth as gold? He won't find a thing.
Can you say that, you know there is cutlery that is plaited and there is sterling and most of us are plated before we get to say there is no sterling, we put up a nice front. Oh, and say oh, this looks nice.
But if we look inside, it's not nice anymore.
And God looks inside and he holds you responsible. You say, well, I'm not so bad. Yes, outwardly, but he says out of the abundance of the heart, what comes out the first thing, evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. You say, how can I be responsible for evil thoughts? Everybody has them, that's true, But you are responsible.
It shows that we're sinners. It shows that we don't have any righteousness of our own. We might think we have, but we certainly don't have any before God.
Maybe we've tried real hard.
But it's not our own righteousness that God is asking for. He's not looking for human righteousness. He'll never do it, couldn't do, but God wants. Is the righteousness of God. Divine righteousness is the standard.
And we just see at once that it is impossible.
Because we're humans.
All my righteousness will ever be human, and all my good doings will always be mine. Can I say I can muster up to God's righteousness? Am I God?
Are you?
Don't we see we are in a great need? We are in need of the righteousness of God.
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You say. How do you get it?
Do you want it?
Do you want to stand righteous before God?
Maybe you say not particularly. Doesn't do me any good down here.
Have you forgotten Saturday?
Have you forgotten yesterday? Have you forgotten that after death the judgment? Have you forgotten that every one of us must give an account of himself to God?
Have you forgotten that?
We shall all Let me quote the verse please.
All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him.
With whom We have to do we have to do with God? We have to. You say, but I don't want to. But you have to.
So, but I don't like to, but you have to do with God.
About your sins.
And God wants you.
To do with him.
Right now.
He has provided a way of His own thinking, planning and doing that you can be saved, that you can obtain this righteousness that is His very own.
For free.
That is free to you.
But the price was the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's not a cheap gospel.
It's not something cheap of little value.
It's something the gospel of God is so expensive.
It cost God everything, cost him his only begotten Son.
He loved you so much.
I can just if I can speak reverently, can we see God looking adieu and me sinners?
Say, is there any other way that this Sinner can be saved?
And I can spare my son.
There was number way.
God spared, not his Son.
For you.
He did not spare His only begotten Son, so that you might be saved. Let me quote that verse just as it is in the Word of God.
He that spared, not his own son.
Delivered him up for us all.
He did it. We didn't ask him to.
But because he loved you so much.
He did deliver him up for me.
For you will you receive him? He did deliver him up for you.
So that tonight I can tell everyone of you.
Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
The righteousness of God. I ask you once more, examine yourselves whether you are in the faith.
Are you saved? I'm not asking you. Did you get saved?
Have you ever gotten saved? I'm asking you, do you know that you're saved tonight?
Are you sure? Can you say with all joy and liberty, I know the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sins. I know He does not depend on me.
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If Jesus, if the work on the cross wasn't enough, then I go to hell. But I believe and God says that it is enough and I have peace. Do you have that?
We say again, don't fool yourselves thinking that.
Oh, I've had an experience so many years ago and so it doesn't really matter how I live now.
Don't fool yourself.
Are you safe? Are you sure you are? Do you have the righteousness that God gives?
It is.
It says from faith it should be on the principle of faith to.
Faith. How does God give the righteousness of God on the principle of faith? If anyone has faith, he can have it.
Want to believe him?
He wants you to have. He wants you to. He wants me to invite you on his behalf.
To come to him.
To do with him.
To see.
That it's after death, heaven, joy, peace, singing, forgiveness.
And not judgment.
Which will it be? Its to faith.
That's all.
Now, verse 18.
The wrath of God is revealed from heaven.
Against all ungodliness.
Unrighteousness of man.
Who hold the truth in unrighteousness? You know that little passage used to scare me.
I held the truth of the gospel, but I wasn't living very nicely.
I was wondering, do I hold the truth in unrighteousness?
Do I know all about the gospel? But I don't live it?
Will the wrath of God come down on me? It says so here.
That's why we're asking you. Are you really saying don't fool yourself? Maybe you're just holding the truth.
But in unrighteousness.
You're not fooling God.
And what is promised to such a one the wrath of God?
If we read a little history, we read of many torture chambers.
And they're getting worse as time goes on.
Here and 1/2 hour ago so I was in a country.
Where people don't dare speak up.
About their government, why they're scared of torture chambers.
They're scared that maybe they're the the police will hear what they're saying.
And they would get punished for it and throw the whole atmosphere of their countries various subdued.
In South America, you watch your tongue also.
But how about the Lord?
You know.
In these countries you say things as long as you're not heard, but what can you say that God does not hear?
What can you think that God will not know and you have to give an account?
The wrath of God.
Much worse than anything.
Man ever thought of as punishment.
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It is that which comes from God Himself directly.
Do you want to take a chance on that?
Do you want to?
You know, we hear that going in the street preaching the gospel. They say, I'll gamble. I'll gamble on how far maybe it's not so bad.
Do you gamble on the wrath of God?
In these countries, they don't gamble on the wrath of their police. No, they watch their tongue.
And here we have people who don't care.
Here we have these people described ungodly, who don't care about God. Who cares my friend? You better care. I know. I'm so glad I can tell you once more.
The Lord cares.
But if you reject and reject.
And reject. Maybe now it's the third time, the third opportunity in this conference. Once more you've heard the invitation. Once more you've heard that God has prepared a way, and the Lord Jesus Christ and in him alone that you can be saved, that you can be righteous before God, that he himself will save you.
If you will believe you cannot do it yourself.
Once more.
Will you once more say.
Not yet.
Will you once more say.
Well, couldn't be that bad.
The wrath of God.
People around here think tornadoes are bad.
People on the West Coast think earthquakes are bad.
People.
In the mountains of California, Southern California know forest fires are bad.
But we're bad. The wrath of God.
Just last Monday I was up in the mountains, California.
The Ranger late wife told me that one morning she was down from the house and she looked around, there was black smoke coming up.
She ran towards the house. She couldn't run anymore. She just screamed.
Her husband sort of woke up. What's the matter anyway? Turn around, fire. He looked and then he was so fast at the radio, asking for water bomber, asking for people to come, asking for caterpillars. He was scared of the fire. It destroyed 36 acres. It wasn't much.
But they respected the fire.
They knew what he can do.
The wrath of God.
You need not taste it. Ever.
If you believe tonight on the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the last day.
It may be the last minute, the last second.
And will will be. We will be in glory, and you.
Remember a brother saying, Behold, now is the accepted time. How long is now?
How much time does God give you? He gives you.
Is that time enough for you? Yes, but not any longer than now.
Oh, my dear friend.
Believe.
On the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you shall be saved if you confess with your mouth. Jesus is Lord. Believe in his in your heart that God has raised him from the dead. He shall be saved, and you can know it right now.
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Saved.
Shall we sing?
#12.
#12.
Just as I am.
Can we ask?
Have you come?
Have you come now?
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If you haven't come.
We will sing one more hymn.
And come.
Do not delay.
Come during the singing of this last hymn.
Of this last gospel meeting, Of this last day of the conference.
Let's.
Let's say #1.
And while we sing, come.
Number one.
Almost persuade.
Him.
Colossians 1:1-4
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
So to take up Colossians chapter one.
Colossians Chapter One, if someone would read it for us.
Chapter One Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God and Timotheus our brother For the Saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at philosophy, grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.
Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have to all the Saints for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven. For have you heard before in the word of his truth, of the gospel which has come unto you as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit that does also in you. Since the day you heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth, as he also learned of the Pampers, our dear fellow servant, who is a who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.
Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit for this 'cause we also since the day we heard it.
Do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of its will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
But you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all, phasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to its glorious power, under all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints and light, who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.
And whom we have redemption through His blood.
Even the forgiveness of sins through the image of the invisible God.
The first born of every creature, for by him are all things created that are in heaven.
That are in earth visible and invisible, whether they be thrown their dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things are created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And here the head of the body, the Church, who are the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it plays the follow that in him should all fullness dwell, and have him made peace with the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him, I say, whether there be things on earth or things in heaven. And you there were sometimes alienated enemies in your mind by wicked work. Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death.
To present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His life, if you continue in the faith grounded and settled.
And be now moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, and which is preached to every preacher which is under heaven.
Where have I called and made a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and Philip? That which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is a church, whereby I made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now has made manifest to his Saints.
The woman God will make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles.
Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. For unto I also labor, striving according to his work, It is working which worketh in me mightily.
In every assembly there was some particular danger, and it seemed in the Colossians that there was a danger of not holding the head.
And turning to man's philosophy and all those things that are brought in in the wisdom of man.
Instead of following the instructions that we have here, we see Christ is the head of the body, the Church. All the blessing comes down from him. And because of this we have in this chapter a very glorious and blessed opening up, out, opening up to our souls of the glory of that person who he is. Perhaps even more than any other portion of the Scripture, we have the glory of the person of Christ brought before us.
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And when we think of this life, it touches our hearts and at birth stands out in this chapter.
That in all things he might have the preeminence, and that's so important in Christendom. Very often it's man and what man has done. But God's purpose in the church is to glorify his Son. But I just mentioned this because I think it's very precious to see the theme that the Spirit of God brings before us in each one of the Epistles, and it opens here in a special way with the glory of the person of Christ who might make a mention of a of a comparison between the.
Epistles.
To the Romans, Epistle to the Romans and Ephesians in this Colossians.
Believe we can say that Romans is a wilderness epistle. It views us as those who have been redeemed, those who have been brought to God and are still viewed as being in this world and this wilderness scene, but being here, far gone.
And Ephesians brings before us the place that we have in the heavenlies in Christ, as those who are, might say, taken out of this world entirely, and are in the heavenly places in Christ.
Colossians is a position, you might say, somewhat in between. It's not exactly a wilderness epistle, and yet we're not in the heavenlies, but we are those who have been.
Risen with Christ, and we have Christ as our life, Christ as our object. And I would like to connect it with the history of the children of Israel.
We know that when they were redeemed out of Egypt and brought through the Red Sea into the wilderness.
God could say that He bore them on eagle's wings and brought them unto himself. That's really what we have in Roman those who have been brought to God, and here for God, so the children of Israel.
Argued there in the wilderness. That's a picture and type of the believer in this.
Wilderness scene, but then.
They came to the River Jordan at the end of that wilderness journey.
And they crossed over the Jordan, but they did not yet immediately possess the land of Canaan. But they crossed over the river now in a type, I believe, that would bring us to Colossians, that is, those who are risen with Christ. We don't have the side of being seated in the heavenlies in Christ that would be typified when the people of God or the children of Israel.
Took possession of the land.
Canaan taking possession of the land, I believe would be a picture of entering into the.
Heavenly that we have in Ephesians, so we have in Colossians.
You might say we've crossed the River Jordan and that we arisen with Christ. Christ is our life, but there are obstacles in the way, if you remember when the children of Israel crossed the Jordan.
There was obstacles. One thing. There was the city of Jericho that stood right in the way.
And of their progress and I believe it, one of the ways in which we can view this vessel to the Colossians is that the Apostle Paul is, is bringing out the obstacles you might say that would be in the pathway of the believer to going on and entering into the land the obstacles that would would hinder. And so I believe as our brother said he's, he is an impetus upon Christ and his.
His headship, because that's really the key to the progress. In other words, we crossed the Jordan. But we need to make progress, go on and possess the land. And if we're going to do so, we have to.
Recognize that really holding the head, having Christ in our affection as the one who is in whom we draw all from whom we draw all of our.
Direction and all of our wisdom and all of our understanding. Everything that we need. He supplies everything. And we come to that. Of course, later on in this vessel in the first chapter is more setting forth of the personal glories of the Lord Jesus. And then later we see what He is in regard to the Saints as the head. But I believe it all has in view of our making progress. We're seeing it having crossed the Jordan now.
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Not only those redeemed out of Egypt and having crossed the Red Sea, but those who have.
Have accepted and entered into the fact that we have. We have died out of this scene with Christ, and we own our having died with Christ. And Christ on high is our life.
But I just had this for the analogy. I believe it to the very point where Joshua comes and he meets that one with the drawn sword in his hand, and he's told to take off his shoes from off his feet? He asked.
Art thou for us or for our adversaries? And the reply is made, But as captain of the Lord's post, am I now come, And I like to think of Colossians as being that very point circumcision had taken place.
And now they're about to enter into the conflict. How could they have possibly overcome in this conflict? It was only as they recognized that the captain of the Lords Host was there. It wasn't going to be by the might of their armies, as they proved when they came against AI. It wasn't going to be by any wisdom of their own how they failed when they listened to those Gibeonites. But if they had only acknowledged always that the Lord was the captain of the Host, then they would have happily possessed the land.
And that I believe is the point that we're brought to in the Epistle to the Colossians across the Jordan, as you say.
Circumcision, figuring, death and the end of the flash before God. And now are we willing to recognize this one as the captain of the Lords host? That is, the Lord Jesus himself is glorious person and brought before us Or are we going to follow our own wisdom in the things of God? You know we shouldn't follow it in natural things, but it's important for us to realize that we are not to follow human wisdom even in the things of God.
I just mentioned that I believe it's connection for the analogy that you brought up as to the children of Israel as you might say too that as we pick up this first chapter it would have the effects of putting our shoes from all of our feet. But it's not as we as we survey this the greatness of this person as you say the one who is the captain of the of the Lord's host and I believe that's a.
Very helpful. And so we want to see in it that the Lord here would be impressing.
Upon us the grace of this one, who is able to lead his own in victory.
We say that his presence among them was sufficient to guarantee their victory in any circumstance. But holding us become a thine house, O Lord, forever, there had to be that holiness of Fox.
If he was to remain in the mid.
Every time they just followed verse and Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse. One I think is going to encourage our heart in connection with these things. This is what the Apostle Paul has to say to Timothy in a time of apostasy, in a time when Ben changed the philosophy fantasy.
And law keepers and rituals. But as I say he has to do Timothy thou therefore, my son be strong in the grace that is to be found in Christ Jesus, all below the people of God. We have a sole House of a day since the person of the Lord Jesus, and we can throw and throw and all over that we needed as exhaustion. And it will keep us on all the danger that we have in the factory in connection with philosophy, ritual, and the things that men has created in connection with Christendom.
Speaking of the wisdom of this world in divine things and the philosophy.
Which is a danger at all times and it's a danger for us today.
Good to lead verse three of the second chapter, where the Apostle Paul speaks of the mystery of God, in which I hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.
We love that we don't need any more than the mystery that is now revealed.
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Since redemption accomplished and the Spirit of God has been sent down.
And God has given us all that we need in His precious word. We do not see to turn to the wisdom of this world. As a matter of fact, if we do, we will spoil the work of God, He sings, Do not work together, the Spirit of God and the wisdom of this world. I believe we find a illustration of that in the Old Testament and the Philistines.
Lock the wells by fusing Earth. You know it's very instructive in Venice 26.
And the wisdom of this world and divine things will stop the flow of last things. You know when I say he tended very much on the floor of the water in order to.
Have that which was needed for his flock and beneath the water of the word of God, and whenever we praying the wisdom of this world in divine things, that will have the same effect as what the Philistines did with the wealth, and they plucked the flow of water.
Let us beware and pretend to lean towards that, because we are all people who try to solve matters in our own way. We tend to find everything else before we really turn to the Lord, where alone through wisdom and guidance, is found.
We all lack business change .5.
J15.
Given all men liberally read it, Not that without.
For the sake of those who are younger here, we might mention that as believers, we are seen in the three different positions where our brother mentioned. When we speak of being in Egypt, it's a picture of our being here in this world. Here we are in the city of Des Moines. We're in this world, and this world is under judgment. And if it wasn't for the blood of Christ that has sheltered us, we'd be under that judgment too. And so the children of Israel were there in Egypt.
Slaves in the land of Egypt. But God provided that shelter from the judgment and also provided assurance, and he also provided the feast in their homes, the Passover lamb. They could enjoy that. And while here in this world, in a world system that is opposed to God by you and I know that it's under judgment, the Lord Jesus said, now is the judgment of this world, but we know that we are not going to come under that judgment. We've been sheltered by the blood.
And we can enjoy this and feed upon Christ in this way.
But then there's the other aspect. After they left the land of Egypt, then they went through a wilderness. And we find now, after we're saved, the world takes on a different character. It doesn't have anything here that really satisfies the new man that God has given to us. And so in the wilderness, the children of Israel discovered their own weakness. And that's why it says in Deuteronomy, to humbly to prove thee, to show thee what was in my heart.
And in the aspect of the wilderness we're going through this world, there's nothing for the Newman, there's nothing that really satisfies that divine life God has given to us. But we have to discover, and we do discover by all these trials, how weak we are in ourselves, how unable to meet all the circumstances of life. And so there was the priesthood set up, there was the Tabernacle, there was all the provision, the manna.
And the water that flowed from the stricken rock, everything was provided for their needs. And if any of us are passing through these kind of trials here and the world does seem like a wilderness to us, we have all these resources. The man who came day by day the water flowed from the stricken rock. When they were attacked by the Amalekites, Moses went up on the top of the hill and held up his hands. And when they availed themselves of that, there was victory for them.
There is abundant provision, and we can be thankful that there is that for every need. But then there's the other part. Here we sit in these meetings. We're not so much thinking of the world under judgment. We're not perhaps so much occupied with our personal weaknesses and trials.
00:20:10
But the Spirit of God here would occupy us with what our fortune is in Christ. And that is here are the children of Israel. Now they have passed through the Jordan the river of death. They see themselves in this new position. The whole land, so glorious, is before them. Oh, but there are hindrances to the enjoyment of that. Are they going to recognize the Lord as the one who could lead their souls into the enjoyment of it? And so, you know, it tells us when they entered the land of Canaan.
Samantha ceased, and they fed upon the old horn of the land. And why did the manna cease? Don't we still need that help for the wilderness? Well, here in the meeting today, the Spirit of God wouldn't so much occupy us with that side of things in this chapter, but rather lift our hearts above all those things to be occupied with what the Lord Jesus seems to us and all that we have in Him, Just like a person who is in a very, very unpleasant situation.
But just the next day, he sees it's all going to be cleared up and everything is going to be wonderful and glorious. So he lives above the circumstances that he's in because he's thinking of what's coming tomorrow. And that's where God would have us to be occupied with Christ, the one who ministers to our souls of this glorious land that is ours to enter in and enjoy and possess. Well, I just mentioned this because perhaps sometimes it's not fully understood what it means. We're in this Egypt world.
The world is a system all about us and that it has a new character and that is the wilderness.
But then there's a third phase, and that is that we can enjoy what is ours now in Christ, and speak by spiritual energy to possess to that which belongs to us, so that we go away from these meetings. The world hasn't changed. The trials may still exist, but our hearts are lifted above them in occupation with Christ. Like to add to a brother that that young person should realize that these different.
Position to mention are not necessarily the result of growth that is a young believer can be across the Jordan as well as one who has gone on with the Lord many years. Sometimes the thought and the minds of the young person are that well I'm just a young person and I I can't enter into what's on the other side Jordan and they settle down in Egypt. Well you mentioned we're in Egypt as to our bodies but.
Orally, we don't belong to it. We don't want to be like that young man that.
David met at Six Flag and he spoke of himself as being an Amalekite and a young man of Egypt. The young people don't want to be a young person to Egypt, even though we're there. But I would encourage young people to lay hold of the fact that if there is an exercise belonging to the Lord, if there is an exercise, and to make progress in the things of God.
But you can enter in by the spirit of God to what he has for his people across Jordan. You don't have to settle down into Egypt or even in the wilderness, so to speak. In one sense, you might say we're in these positions all at one time. And it's not a matter of truth. It's what I wanted to emphasize, that even a young believer can say yes as to my body, as to my physical circumstances. I am in this world and this world is a wilderness to me, but also I'm a cross story.
I have crossed Jordan Christ as being dead with Christ, praised with him. I'm across Jordan. And so if I want to make progress in that land into which I've been brought, because you see, we don't belong to this world anymore. And if we want to make progress in that, in that land in which we've been brought, where our blessings are, we need to take heed to this and be exercised. I was thinking of that in regards to the way the believers are addressed here in verse 2.
He says to the Saints and faithful brethren in Christ.
Well, I don't believe he's picking out a person down there in philosophy and calling faith Brethren. He's really referring to all of us. He views them as Saints and also as faithful brethren. That is, they were those who had an exercise. It wasn't so much. They're not like those in the corner in Corinth. There was a world in this. There was a condition there that he says, I can't open up to you the mystery. He just mentions it in First Corinthians chapter 2.
00:25:14
But he said, I'm not able to open up all of these wonderful things, by Christ, to you, because they were in such a worldly state. They needed to be corrected as to that. But I don't think that was the state in Colossians there. There was an exercise to go on in the truth. They had, they had to judge the the world and it's, I'd say the carnal world, secular world. But there was a danger of their beings seduced by.
The finer things existed in this world, philosophy, religion, and things of that nature. They were they. They had to see that these things have to be set aside as well as the faith things of the world. I remember when Saul was sent by God to to destroy the Amalekites. Do I take to be a type of a man in the flesh on the state of power? But the flesh is is under Satan, energized by Satan.
Well.
He he destroyed the base element, but he spared Aegon a gag in the best sheep and so forth. He was he spared that which appeared to be very fair. But the order was of course destroy the whole thing, and I believe in Colossi there was an exercise to go on in the truth. So he going to help them to go on as springing before them the things that might be a hindrance to.
An exercise soul that would be repulsed that the outright wickedness.
Immorality and so forth in this world that was going on in current immorality, but we don't have that side of things here. It's for the fact that they're they're hindrances on the finer side, you might say how the world and man in the flesh that they needed to be constructed by.
Talk to brother the other day and he coming.
That in our assembly here very little ministry and separation and then separation is mentioned from the world.
It is generally used as to the base things of this world, but not religion, the camp and things like that. Beloved, we have to remember that the world is religious and that Satan who is the Prince of this world.
Politically, it's also the God of this world, religiousness. And when we are saved and we are brought out of it by God's grace, as we see in the children of Israel being left out of Egypt, that is to be delivered from the world in all its aspects, not only from the penalty of sin, but also from that wicket system over which Satan is God and friends. And I'm afraid.
That there is far too much beloved leaning towards the camp and listening to ministry, the radio, even television.
Which is really trying to find, as a source for our spiritual sustenance, things that are not.
In full accordance with the word of God, I believe. Bear with me, beloved, I don't want to be told, but.
I believe that the thought would have us realize that that side of things is as dangerous for us as the base things of this world because it robbed the Lord of this place and it really interferes with the work of the Spirit of God.
It neutralizes the truth of God.
Hebrew chapter 1213 and verse 12 and 13 things. That was very simple, isn't it?
Hebrew chapter 13 and verse 12 Saying, Wherefore Jesus the precious Savior, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, tougher without the gates. And our blessed is to know every one of us. The moment that we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, He has put us through, set us apart for himself through his blood that he gave on the cross. And so the next person said, let us go for therefore unto him.
Without the camp, what can't be that? As the religious camp, isn't it? We have to go forward. But isn't it blessed that every one of those that all Jesus by giving his precious blood?
00:30:10
Not only we have been cleansed, justified, appeared with God, but He has set us apart for himself, so we belong to Him and settled apart.
Brothers.
The Colossians given to us because that side of things had come in.
I'm sure young people especially might wonder what do they mean about this word ritualism. What What does that signify?
I'd like to turn to a few verses.
In Second Corinthians Second Chronicles Chapter 9.
Oh no, the story too. So well, and I have not intend to read all of the story of the Queen of Sheba when she came to see Solomon.
I'll go down to verse 5, but first mentioning that the Queen already had got an answer to all her questions. Her curiosity was satisfied. She found that Solomon, one who had answered everything she wanted to know.
Then she saw her sitting of the sermons, the cup bears, and all those beautiful arraignment arrangements that were made there, and they no doubt had a marvelous place in the setup. But then we get down to verse 5.
And said to the king, it was through report, which I heard in my own land of thine acts and of thy wisdom.
Albeit I believe not their words, until I came in, mine eyes had seen it. Behold, the 1/2 of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me.
Now I want us to notice that one little word used the next sentence is for thou exceeded the fame that I heard. Florida has spoken to my heart. Thou bring him at first all the pastor. The former part of the chapter brings him beautiful arrangements.
Let's turn to Colossians again for a verse chapter 2.
Verse five, it says, For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joy, and beholding your order.
That's what penis keep us off first. All that order.
It should stop there and never got acquainted with the person.
Of a man that stopped, he would have stayed with what we would call Richland. I wonder if that is not a good explanation for what Richard is, because the Colossians were in danger and had perhaps gone a long way towards that in the end of the second chapter. Because we see this order, but it is not motivated by the affection of the heart towards the person.
And it goes then into all kinds of abuses of it, and we have in the end of the second chapter.
Including in things that they know not in the Angel worship and all that is for all that kind of order ends up in. And that's what Christmas for us. It's filled with up errors and settings and beautiful things and cathedrals and what have we all that goes with it. And the person that he was the center of it all when the green says.
Oh, it is the fame that I heard. So that's what we're introduced to in this first chapter, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I think that's her heart deals with the knowledge and the enjoyment in a person.
For us how much more?
Are we saying to the Lord Jesus thou exceed us all the fame that you ever have heard? This would take care of richness. The pastor could commend them for the order He failed, and there is order in the assembly in the arrangement.
Order in this room this morning. It's part of wonderful, but we can get together. But if we lose sight of the one who is the center of it all, the Lord Jesus missed it all Burden, Richard.
00:35:22
Amen to that.
We all need this exhortation, don't we, Grace, be unto you and peace.
From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, we must never lose in our souls the sense of grace. We didn't deserve anything but judgment. And ever since we have been saved, everything that has come to us is on the ground of pure grace. And I feel more and more brethren, how very important that is. I don't believe a Sinner ever gets peace with God until he comes to the realization of grace. You've got to come to the end of himself.
As long as he's looking for anything in himself at all, whether it's works or feeling or anything of that sort.
Why he'll never have peace? Because he's looking for something in the wrong direction. But when we look away from ourselves entirely.
And see that every good thing that comes to us is entirely undeserved, and comes founded upon what Christ has done upon the cross.
Then we have peace with God. Then we can say, I know I'm saved because it doesn't depend on anything in me but on what Christ has done. But this same principle, brethren, applies to everything in our whole Christian life. We're talking even about things that we do, order, and so on. If all the other things were right, if it wasn't with a sense of the grace of God in our souls, by there be nothing to it, it would only be an outward thing.
There is that which flows from the sense of this in our souls, and we didn't deserve any blessing that we have received since we are saved.
All those things come to us entirely undeserved, and I apply this even to the circumstances of life.
Many times when some adverse thing happens in our life, we can take up the world's phraseology and say.
Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? And really, as Christians, when we do that, we're off the ground of grace. Whether it's the temporal things of life, whether it's the blessing of our families, whether it's the joy in the assembly, we need to always remember that we stand before God on that round of grace. We didn't deserve anything. I say this to parents. It's a very blessed thing to realize this. Look to God for the salvation of your children.
Counted upon counting upon His sovereign grace to do it, you make it depend on yourself as a parent. He'll always be worried and never feel satisfied, certainly because none of us are perfect parents. But when we cast ourselves upon His grace and look to him to work in the hearts of our children, then we have laid the foundation, so to speak, we can say, while God delights to bless. Remember that woman who came. She claimed that she had some ground.
He said, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy upon me. She took her place as though she had a claim upon the Lord, and she didn't, because she was not of the nation of Israel. And so the Lord paid no attention. And even when he spoke to her, he said, it's not me to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs. But when she said truth, Lord, and took her true place, then the Lord said, O woman's greatest thy faith, be it under thee.
Even as thou will now, this doesn't in any way lessen our energies. It increases our energies. We're going to be bound, we're bound to get discouraged if we're thinking that have I done enough? But if we're resting upon His grace, and the heart is filled with a sense of that, then there's a freedom in what we do, whether it's in caring for the service of the Lord, helping our breaking to bring up our children. It. There will be a peace and a liberty in connection with it, in our souls.
As we count upon the Lord to do what we can do, and I believe this is so important, that's why Paul says in the Epistle to the Hebrews, it's a good thing that the heart established in grace, not with meats which have not profited them, which are occupied therein, that is, occupied with their own doings, whether it's ritual or whatever, occupied with their own doing. We're never going to have the enjoyment of that peace or there's peace with God.
Salvation and the peace of God and that we have here in Colossians chapter 3 in the 15th verse. And let the peace of God, and I believe it's properly the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to the which ye are called in one body. And be thankful that that peace rules in the heart when the Lord Jesus is given his rightful place when we're looking to him and not depend on anything in ourselves.
00:40:29
Oh, what liberty there is in the soul. Well, as it says here, God the Father is the source, the Lord Jesus Christ is the channel by which this blessing flaws. But let us never forget this. We have we tend to get like the world and look in and think, well, I did this and I tried and I think I was a good Christian and all this kind of thing. And we just get discouraged along those lines at all, and we count upon him.
His heart is full of grace, and there's blessing that falls when we count upon him.
Who's thinking to it along those lines, that period this is given to those who are Saints, isn't it? That is this exhortation. And you know when we read the word of God we read the epistles and we we have to confess that God sets before us a very high standard of living and.
There is no allowance for flesh and the thing God looks for fruit for himself and for his glory. And I'm sure that every one of us in reading the word of God in various times, it felt I could never attain to these things. I was thinking of grace along that line. It's true we can never attain to them. But God can work. God works. That's great.
The man in Romans 7 was trying to attain to them, but when he finally saw he had a right, he had a right attitude, he had a right spirit. His mind was in the right direction. He had a real exercise mind. But he didn't really have a true apprehension of grace. That anything that is ever going to be for God in you or me as a believer is a work of His grace. It's all of His grace. And can we can if we are humble and dependent and cast upon the Lord.
He can operate and work in us to produce that which is for his glory. We cannot produce it. A man in Romans 7 was trying to produce it himself. He had the right, He was on the right right lines as far as his his outlook and attitude. He had the right Spirit, but he didn't have a right apprehension of grace. When we come to chapter 8, we see that what the Law could not do, because he was weak through the flesh. God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled.
In US, not by us, but in US and I just recently in reading and.
And Revelation 19, it was impressed upon me there at the marriage of the Lamb. And the bride is arrayed in that fine linen, clean and white, and that's said to be the righteousnesses of the Saints, not our righteous standing in Christ, but the things that the Saints did, that were righteous, that were according to the mind of God. That was that was for his pleasure and for his glory. There she's arrayed in all of that.
But it was said it was given to her to be arrayed. See, it was given to her. That's grace. God worked by his grace, and God works by his grace in the hearts of his people to produce that which is for his glory. We can produce it. It's all on his part. So it's not only grace that met us in our need as lost and guilty sinners, but it's grace operating all the way through. And God can.
Work if we are submissive.
2324.
We we have the remedy here, we'll appropriate it.
1St Thessalonians 523.
And the very God of peace sanctify you holy.
And if I pray, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body.
Deep reserve, fluent unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope we say that's our big order. The 1St 24 is a solution to help. Faith is he that calleth you who also will do it. Our brother Sage Brown used to say that word do.
00:45:13
And the Greek is generated.
Sitting on the spectrum, so I'll make it for you who also will generate God is faithful, He's called us, and he can bring it to pass according to his desire and pleasure. In Philippians chapter one we have something familiar to encourage our heart. Isn't he? Philippians chapter one and verse six says, being confident of this very thing that he which had began a good waking you.
Will fill from it until the day of Jesus Christ. This is an encouragement. Well, the only thing that the Lord wants for us is to have an exercise in Christianity, In Christ we have all the blessed they belong to us. And when we have an exhortation in the Scripture as to the thing that we need to be exercised and do, it is not that we're going to find the capacity in ourselves to do it. But we have already possessed it in Christ, and the only thing we got to do is to do it from Him.
I'd like to ask a question containing diversity 3 and 4.
Would we not learn that?
View of those verses that the assembly at Colossi was not the direct result of Paul's labor, but rather it was a work of God.
By others.
That he heard about and thank God for. Is that correct President? And isn't it lovely when when one person can rejoice in the works of others?
I think that's a lovely spirit to cultivate. And we would want to take an interest in the works that God is doing with others, rather than to have to think that everything has to be hammered on our own anvil. And if we don't do it, it certainly must not be very good. But we see a lovely spirit in the in the apostle here that could thank God for the work that God had done by somebody else.
What do you think about that Chapter 2 verse One really proves that he has not labored there or that there were many who didn't know of his face.
But Epifra said labor there and he's called a not only a fellow servant, but a faithful minister or faithful servant of Christ, faithful man. And no doubt that's why the so could could recognize and he knew that this this work was a genuine work, but it was it was the the work of a man and those who were.
Are faithful and we generally find that the character of work, or you might say work, takes character from the from the person or the instrument that is used and and sometimes there might be something that is really.
Of itself a good work, but the one who has been an instrument of doing that work was not a faithful man, and you find then that.
Unfaithful elements there are then attached to that. You find that all about us in Christendom, that God uses this for that one.
But the you might say the deficiencies of the instrument is often.
You might say imparted to the work, but I believe those are here that were involved in this work were faithful men.
Who was neither one who prayed that they might stand in all the perfect and all the will of God had a real heart for them that they might be.
Might be those who would be going on with the Lord.
Chapter 4 verse 12 is better verses found.
Yes, that's the first I had in mind.
That was a very blessed kind of Labor, wasn't it? Laboring in prayer and hold how we needed to pay for one another, believe of beloved people of God.
00:50:02
We see the order in Ephesians where the gifts are given. We have the Evangelist and the Pastor and the Teacher, and if you go back to the 11Th chapter of Acts, you find that.
It's very nice to see it Acts Chapter 11.
19th verse Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, traveled as far as Venus in Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrini, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake under the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
And the hand of the Lord was upon with them, and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
And tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem.
And they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch, who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God.
Was glad and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. It came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians First in Antioch, in Ephesians chapter four we are told that.
He ascended. Christ, has given apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
Now the apostles and prophets were those who laid the foundation of Christianity.
And we're told in the end of the Second of Ephesians are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
God has given us through his word, that which gives to us the very foundation of our Christianity, and that's through the apostles and prophets of the New Testament that the foundation was laid, Paul said in First Corinthians 3. As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation but another buildeth thereupon. But now the foundation has been laid, there is an act of work carried on.
And that is, there's the proclamation of the gospel. But every gospel preacher ought to have a desire that those who are saved would be established and that they would first of all be encouraged to go on in the path of faith, and secondly taught the mind of the Lord as to the path of faith. And we find that beautifully in Acts Chapter 11 here, that these servants who went out, they were preaching the gospel. Some people got saved at Antioch.
The assembly at Jerusalem heard about this, and they knew that these souls were just flounder and be carried about with every wind of doctrine if some help wasn't given to them. And so Barnabas comes down. He's not particularly a gifted teacher, but he has a very warm heart.
And it says he was a Goodman and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. And it says he exhorted them that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. We need that kind of ministry that encourages young believers because it's very easy to get discouraged. And so the second part, Barnabas comes down. But Barnabas apparently didn't feel too capable of instructing them in the things of God. And so he goes up and gets Saul and brings him down.
And it says they assembled for a whole year and taught the people. And we have the establishment there of that large assembly in Antioch. Perhaps we could say the beginning of the Gentile work, but we see God's order because God always shows his order in the beginning of things. And I believe it's very important anyone who preaches the gospel. That may be his limitations, but he shouldn't leave the work without some help.
And so they need to be encouraged. And it may be another servant who does that. And two, when he has done that work, he may say, well, I wasn't able to instruct them as well as I would like. There are other brothers who can do that. And so Barnabas recognize this.
And so God uses those different gifts. And then of course, as Ephesians 4 shows us, it isn't limited to that. They're all with joints and bands. Everyone has a part so that we all have some part in helping and encouraging. But God has an order for his work, and Paul felt this in connection with those at Colossus.
00:55:20
The work was begun. He hadn't even seen it, but he had a burden on his heart as the apostle of the Gentiles.
That they might be established, that they might because he was a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and Verity says in another place. And he writes this epistle, of course, led by the Spirit of God. But the principle is there. He desired that the prayer of Epiphys would be answered, and that they would stand perfectly and complete in all the will of God. But how could that be, if they were never instructed from the Word? So I believe there is this is good for us to remember in connection with God's assembly.
I noticed the brethren that in verse four and five we befathered.
The three ingredients that they are so essential in our pathway, they have faith, they have love and they have hope.
Faith in verse four says, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and then love for all the Saints, and then the hope which he was laid before.
That's the three ingredient that are so essential in our Christian life. Is it not correct to say, brethren, that we all have our limitations and our deficiencies?
And if we realize that if we seek to do any work for the Lord, we realize that it is His work, and that we can cry to Him that he bring in those who can supply the deficiencies and the limitations that we realize in ourselves.
So that the law does use and I'm impressed so much that he used weak and failing instruments. And it's amazing that too is his grace.
That the Lord is in practice the truth of Scripture and allow the Spirit to bring in others who can supply what we cannot do. The work can prosper.
That's why man's wisdom sets up a one man ministry. And maybe the man might be very gifted in one particular thing, but the head of the body has given different gifts and each one has a particular function to fulfill. As you say, everyone has limitations. There's no one. It's possible one might have more than one gift, I believe, but I don't believe anyone is complete in himself. And even in the epistles we see that the lion of ministry given by Peter, the line of ministry given by John and by James are different from that given by Paul.
But all equally needed, and all under the inspiration of the Spirit of God.
The second temperature for Epistle and verse 10.
And ye are complete.
In him with the head of all power.
Dear brother in the Congo, Allah Maja Kelly, who was converted.
Even possessed witch doctor.
And he used to read this 10th person week for joy, but now he's complete in Christ. You don't have to add anything to that as it says in your complete over a precious, precious privilege. Complete in Him with the head of all principles in power. He could preach the gospel in three languages very separately. We should travel together.
Perhaps now he's been mowed down by a communist machine gun, but nevertheless he was a great blessing for the state.
While he was there in their midst.
This line of things that we're talking about I think is very wholesome.
For us to have before us this morning that.
If someone visits our assembly.
We would want to receive them.
In view of the fact that they might be able to contribute something to us in our assemblies.
That we were not able to supply ourselves.
And so that makes it a real encouraging and warm matter of receiving visitors who come to us with the word of God rather than say oh brother, so and so I I can't like lay hold of what he says or so and so he's not too deep in the scriptures and so on. We can have all kinds of negative feelings, but if we look at it from the standpoint that.
01:00:22
Has been brought before us this morning by This is a member of the body of Christ, and the Lord can use him to supply that which we lack. And brother, this is wonderful, and I think it's so wholesome for us to consider it. And I think in our reading meeting we have this morning, isn't it wonderful that there's liberty of the spirit of God to use more than one brother to speak to us this morning?
I think it would be very monotonous to come to this meeting and hear just one brother talk all the time. I think we would all get bored in in spite of the fact that he might be a very, very gifted man and all so much of the word of God. We would all get bored if one man spoke all the time. And so that's why we all appreciate a little pause now and then that the Lord might be able to use someone else.
To give us a word that he has on his heart that we all might profit.
And that has really been the exercise of the brethren here in Des Moines in relation to these general meetings, that there might be liberty of the Spirit of God.
To use various funds to minister the precious truth to us, and that none may feel afraid of speaking up when God has given them something to say, even an ordained farmer.
And you know, below the people of regarding connection with his epistle.
I think as we mentioned already, but a wonderful that is that even every time the Apostle Paul in his writing has something to correct in connection with the Saints, he always brings the preciousness of the Lord Jesus and that's what he's going to bring. To change and deliverance as we are occupying with a person of the Lord Jesus is preciousness. That's what he's going to bring delivered.
Might he make a thought? Give a thought on Second Timothy 2, verse two, connection with what we've had before us.
Second Timothy 22 And the things that thou hast heard of me, among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Now this epistle was the last that Paul wrote, and it's his last words, and it applies to the day in which we're living. We're not living in Pentecostal days of power, We're living in days of great weakness.
And departure, and turning away their ears from the truth. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and will turn away their ears from the truth what is needed today more, far, far more than gifted than his faithful men. And so Timothy was to commit what he had heard from the apostle.
To faithful men, for those that would stand for the truth. And that reminds me of that day which is soon to dawn for each of us.
When the Lord Jesus will say to us, well done, thou good and faithful servant, and how important that is to be faithful, to be true to the truth that God has committed to us, It's a day of great weakness and departure, turning away but old to be faithful to the truth that God has given us, to say no to the flesh, and to have that wisdom that only Christ can give us.
As we had him before us. And to realize that having him, we have everything. We have everything in him. As our brother was saying earlier, if we missed that, we've missed the whole point, haven't we? Because in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. But what is really needed today, more than gifted men, is faithful men.
It does add there who shall be able to teach others also, and I believe to the end God will have those who will be able to help His people. Some of us who have grown a little older have seen how God has raised up in the earlier times, those who have instructed us. And I believe God will never fail His church. It's a very blessed thing to lay hold of the truth in our souls. But I believe there are those whom God has fitted to be able to teach others also.
01:05:27
And we ought to be thankful for what provision God has made, because it all is because Christ is head of the body, loves the members, and delights in our blessing, and how we thank God for all the precious ministry that's available. But that book room just outside every one of us could not have written those wonderful truths down as some have who have gone before. So it's the head of the body who provides for the needs of the body.
When it says ye are complete in him, every believer is complete in him as to his standing before God.
And as to what we have in Christ, nothing could be added to that. But our brother was speaking about. Each one of us have something from the Lord, but we have limitations also, and I believe it's well for us to see this and so we can get help. And I've seen brothers who have neglected the written ministry, who have really lost in their souls because they ascended Christ, fitted and raised up these men. And if we don't avail ourselves.
By we're not availing ourselves of the gracious provision that he has made.
I just mentioned because I believe there's a proper balance in everything. There's no limit for any of us laying hold of the truth or being able to help our brethren about. There are those for which we thank God, especially in the past, who God has used, and I believe you'll faithfully provide for His own to the end.
So the Lord said to the disciples, pray that the Lord would raise up laborers and thrust them forth into his harvest.
We have a very precious verse in Rude chapter 2 in connection with the things that we have in connection with the written ministry. Here we find that Boaz in chapter 2 and verse 8 to say and to root it thou not my daughter could not to glean in another field.
Neither go from ends, but abide here fast by the maidens. And I believe here we have in moral sense we have that we don't need to go to the camp for ministry. We have pressures, precious ministry, leftovers from those that they have going before us among the gather Saints. And here we find that, oh, I say to rude not to go in any other place to glean, but to stay there.
To the place that he was here was clean. And then he says he had neither go from this. But I buy fast for by my baton and it's a wonderful life again, I say we have such a precious ministry written to us, left to us among the other Saints, that we don't need to go to the camp cleaning another field. We have plenty of a precious ministry among those that they have going before but the left and right and without.
Is there a precious thought in what our brothers flew in from acts there?
There's something very remarkable I hadn't thought of before, but as he was reading that Barnabas went saw and when he had powder.
Whether Saul disappeared from the scene after his first encounter with, where he was given a faithful word in Damascus.
Well, it is thought that Paul had his time in the desert, like Moses swung, until the Lord called such.
Well, the Lord didn't come to Paul, apparently, with the revelation.
All are falling, yet it's time for the rule of you to step out.
The Lord used to marvelous. Here he's mentioned that Barnabas perhaps didn't have a particular gift. He was a good man, and he was in the mind of the Lord, and he took time off for this much blessing. But he left there, and he went to seek salt.
The Saul needed a nudge. He needed an encouragement.
I feel that oneself often fail of this very point. We could be a help to another to encourage.
01:10:05
Don't want the effort to make the effort perhaps to seek out someone and be a help.
Whatever momentous moment that was when Barnabas came back with Saul Paul, then the assembled for a whole year in Antioch.
So if farmers hadn't done that, what would have happened, we may ask, you know.
Well, aren't there a lot of opportunities that we pass by pass up. We could be a help to 1 to encourage him though. It's a left. He's got a good some searching and finding them, but there are these opportunities the Lord gives.
It's impressed me too, that each member of the Body of Christ has some gift, and I think sometimes, especially younger folks in the different little assemblies around. Perhaps there's not much evidence of gift in the assembly, but let's remember that the Lord has given everyone some gift to use for each one.
Of the other fellow members of the body of Christ.
In the three places that the gifts are mentioned in the New Testament, perhaps there's others, but thinking of Romans 12, you might just notice it there what it says about it.
At the end of verse 3, Romans 12.
We'll read all verse 3. For I say, through the grace of God, through the grace given unto Me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according. As God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith, he's dealt to every man the measure of faith. And then it continues on in verses 4:00 and 5:00.
About the gifts that have been given by God in the body of Christ.
Then in First Corinthians 12.
And verse 7.
It's speaking here of the manifestation of the Spirit, that it's in connection with the body of Christ and the gifts that are given in the body. Verse 7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man, every man, to profit with all. And then in Ephesians chapter 4 has been mentioned already.
Just read the verse in verse 7.
But unto everyone of us.
Is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Dear brother, And sometimes we see some of our older brethren being called home, and we feel it. It's right that we should feel it, but we should not spend our time lamenting this. We should look freshly to the Lord.
And each one being exercised in our place, the Lord has given you something and He has given you something. If you are a believer and a member of the body of Christ, He has given you something. And that something is to be used for the good of all the other fellow members of the body of Christ. It's not just to sit and wait for others to take the lead in the assembly, it is to sit in the assembly.
Their eyes on the Lord Jesus and be exercised. The Lord wants to use this to be ready for His use.
We have a similar thought in Ephesians 4, verse 15 and 16.
But speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplier, according to the effect of working in the measure of every part.
Of the body under edifying of itself in love.
Would that give us the thought of each one has a part to perform?
01:15:10
Brothers as well as sisters.
There's a part for the sisters and a very useful and needful part. It may not be in public ministry, but a very effective part. As we can see in the Scripture, the name of Priscilla and name of Phoebe are mentioned very honorably in the Word of God.
Nice to see that in verse.
For since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which he had to all the Saints, and when there's true faith in the Lord Jesus, it will produce love to all the Saints. It isn't to just a few or just the selected company.
Or those who are in some inner circle, but it's love to all the Saints and if it's true faith in the Lord Jesus and we've come to him.
As those who were all together bankrupt and undone, guilty and vile, and been brought into blessing by sovereign grace alone, then that produces that love to all the Saints. How precious that is. And important that it isn't just those that I like and those that are in accordance with my natural inclinations, but it's love to all the Saints.
How we fail in this I speak to my own heart.
To manifest that love to all the Saints, not just those that I like, but to all the Saints. And this is what faith in the Lord Jesus produces.
Colossians 1:5-11
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Hope which is laid up for you in heaven. For have you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel We just come unto you as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day he heard of it, and knew the grace of God and truth.
As he also learned of Epipress, our dear fellow servant, who is free with faithful minister of Christ, who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit for this 'cause We also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to deserve that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will, and all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.
And increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with Almighty according to His glorious power, and all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.
Giving thanks unto the Father which made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light.
Who had delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.
In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
Who are the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature? For by him are all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrown their dominions, or principalities, or power. All things are created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. He is ahead of the body of the church, Who is the beginning.
The first born from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it please the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell, and having made peace with the blood of his cross.
By him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I stay, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven. I knew there was some time alienated in enemies in your mind by what had worked. Yet now had they reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprobable in his life. If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which he had heard.
And which is every creature which is under heaven for of I fall and made a minister.
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh.
For his body's sake, which is the Church whereof I made a minister according to the dispensation of God.
Which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations.
What has now made manifest to his Saints, to whom God would make known? What is the riches of the glory of this mystery?
Among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Who may preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom.
That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, for unto I also labor.
Thriving, according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Bear in mind the analogy that we had in the meeting this morning. We can see that what was before the children of Israel was the hope of possessing Canaan, But the hope is laid up for us in heaven, and then to it, says the which has come unto you, as it is also in all the world, that possession was given to them exclusively, and that is, they were to have it, and to enjoy it as a nation under God's special favor.
But now this blessed news of the gospel.
Is proclaimed every creature under heaven, and the blessing extends beyond the limits of Israel, and it's a heavenly blessing that is brought before us. But to me it's very blessed the way the analogy is taken out. And then it's applied to that which we have in Christianity, which is a different sphere of blessing from that which was given to Israel and much more blessed. And just as Israel were to look forward in anticipation for the enjoyment of that land that God had given to them.
So here we're to be in the enjoyment of that portion which awaits us. We're not yet there, but the hope is laid up for us in heaven. We're most early going to be there, and the the pledge and promise of it has already been given.
Perhaps I could also say, in connection with the comparison we were making this morning, that in Ephesians the thought is what the Church is to Christ, and in Colossians what Christ is the Church.
00:05:09
And so you can see that in Ephesians we have the mention of the Spirit of God.
And we have also the Christ head over all things to the Church which is His body.
Whereas in Colossians its head of the body, the Church saw that.
But think of what the Church is to Christ. Then It's all that the Church means to him what he did, how he gave himself his affection and love. His full provision for the Church is brought before us and specially emphasized, and the work of the Spirit of God is to make that good in our souls. So we find mention of the Spirit of God in the Epistle to the Ephesians, sealed with the Spirit and the earnest of our inheritance.
So on in Ephesians. But in Colossians, where it's the person of Christ who is brought before us. By then the Spirit, so to speak, is heaven, just mentioned once. That is love in the Spirit because the Spirit doesn't speak of himself but of Christ. And seeing it's not what the Church is to Christ, but rather what Christ is to the Church, then the Spirit, so to speak, hides himself in exalting and honoring Christ to make it very simple, so we all get the thought.
I like to think of it this way. It's though. A man speaks of what his wife means to him, what he would be willing to do for her because he loves her so much and how he just loves to be in her company and so on. And his joy is to make her happy. Then she turns around and starts to talk about what her husband means to her.
Now if you see that in the in Ephesians, that's his love and what he does for his church. So we have the gifts, all the provision that he has made for the church for their blessing because he loves the church. But in Colossians the Spirit of God turns our minds to the loveliness of Christ Himself and the glory of His person. While I just mentioned this because we can see how the themes are developed here only, as I say, it's a contrast between what?
The Old Testament is the Lord loved His earthly people, Israel, and sought their blessing. But it was important for them to recognize the Lord as the one who was the head. And whenever they turned strange gods, and wherever they departed from Him, it was to their loss they ought to have been honoring him. But His love on his side was an unchanging love that ever went out to his own and sought their blessing to hear the Gospel produced.
Fruit says in verse 6 This gospel had come unto them.
As it had gone out into all the world, as mentioned, now it's a world wide testimony, not confined of Israel, but it brings forth fruit that it does also in you. And today you heard of it. Well, you know the sometimes the gospel I trusted wouldn't be so presented among us.
But the gospel sometimes is presented as sort of a like a business transaction. That is that I'm a Sinner on my way to hell and God agrees to take me to heaven. Well, I I will agree to his terms of receiving Jesus Christ as my Savior. And once that is been that transaction has been carried out by then that's all settled and I can put my salvation, as it were, in the in the.
Wrong. Bob know that it's all secure, but actually the gospel produces fruit.
That is, it brings results, so that a soul has faith and they have loved the Saints and they have a hope. Now none of these things are found, and the man in his sin, those who have not the subjects of the race of God, do not have these things. That is faith and love. That is love to sink. They might have human love, they might have a human affection, even that we know is distorted.
But here this is something that is the results of believing. Now I'm not saying that to take away from any assurance. We know of course that that we it is a great thing and everyone of us who have been saved have been have rejoiced in knowing that when we receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior that we were secure in going to heaven. But I believe that we need to see as it as we have it here that.
There is actual fruit produced in the individual where there's a real work of God. Something is there that was not there before and this is what rejoices the the apostles heart is when he heard of the the fruit of that was the result of their believing the gospel. This is what we really look for. And you you expect to see the fruits when one professes to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:10:28
What will be the outcome of assembly? Doesn't have the gospel preached be no fruit?
Gospel. Gospel. Meaning. I've seen a few like that. Perhaps you have to.
That's sad commentary to me of the state of the Assembly, where there's no gospel.
Praise God for the gospel, I heard. I'm glad for the gospel my children have a chance to hear. But where they don't have it, where it is going to come from.
Use the term president.
Play.
The obligation.
Oh.
Now, unbelievably.
There's fruit spreading others around, so you might say. The truth thereby spreads. So if there is no food in our lives, my brother point that was made by our brother is that we might believe and when we do, we're safe below eternity. But how sad it would be if we put it in that strong box and share it with others. So the food is the truth goes out then each one believes.
And that is the individuals responsibility. Let me emphasize that beloved Frederick, that every believers responsibility. And let me add that is not so much the responsibility of the assembly.
The gospel is preached in the world.
Where the Lord has put you and me at school or at work, and, like Paul says to Timothy, do the work of an evangelist.
And we can, in our own small measure, be responsible each and everyone for the gospel. Now we're not against preaching the gospel in the assembly, but let's get it clear brethren, and the writings of the early brethren clearly stay that the evangelist's responsibility is outside the assembly in the world. And you and I, each one, even if we do not have the gift of an evangelist.
Can have a part in this wonderful world of spreading the gospel. We might not be able to do much talking, but we certainly can give it track to somebody and speak a word, seek to, in our own feeble way, speak a word for the Lord Jesus and pass on that joy that we possess in knowing the Lord Jesus, knowing our sins forgiven. It doesn't have to be a big sermon, it's every individual's responsibility.
I was thinking of the last part of verse 6 and I have enjoyed the thoughts in The Grace of God in connection with Hebrew Chapter 7.
And.
Hebrew Chapter 7. I have a verse, verse 19 is very blessed indeed in connection with the fruit of the gospel, the grace of God. This is here for the law made nothing perfect but to bring an end of a better thing, better hope did by the which we draw nigh unto God. And because of what the Lord Jesus, that precious Savior accomplices as a cross of Calvary all over a glory that voice of the Lord Jesus brought to the heart of the Father.
Then we have that the grace of God is the thing that wakes in us, and we bring fruit for the glory of God.
But it's very pleasant to know that first days for the law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did. And this is Christ, isn't it? And but he has committed where he had down there at the cross that has got blessed and blessed and untold, that to you and to me because of the grace of God, as it was manifested him by the work that the Lord Jesus, that precious Savior, accomplished that of the cross of country as the gospel, isn't it?
00:15:00
There is also the fruit that is spoken of in Galatians chapter six that ought to be seen in our lives. We should perhaps notice that Galatians chapter 6 and verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law of the turnover to Philippians chapter 2.
We see the two fold side of things, Philippians chapter 2 and verse 15, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
Holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. So there were actually two sides. There was the fruit produced in the lives of believers, the fruit of the Spirit. And then there is holding forth the word of life. The word consecration means both hands full, and when Gideon's army went out against the Midianites in one hand they had.
A lamb in a pitcher and a lamp in the pitcher, and the other one they had a trumpet and brought them. It's so important that those two things are consistent in our lives with the Lord Jesus, who was the perfect example of everything by, it says in Acts, chapter one of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach. So there is the testimony that we live blameless and harmless, that precious fruit of the Spirit.
And that which others can see that we are Christ like in our walk and ways, business dealings and everything else. And then on the other hand that we speak a testimony. And while it's not an assembly responsibility, it is an assembly, shall I say an assembly desire. And we read of that in first Thessalonians chapter one where he speaks of it. There he says from you sounded out the word of the Lord.
And then he also says in Philippians, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now. And I I fully agree that it's an individual responsibility to spread the word. But to me it's a great joy when the assembly as such becomes interested and desires that from them the gospel would sound out, may not be possible in every place on a, shall I say on a assembly, I mean the to be held in the assembly meeting room. It may not be possible.
But where it is possible, I think it's a very blessed privilege that there should be the announcement given forth to the world of the glad sightings. And I was just commenting to somebody. And I think that it's true that when people are saved in association with the truth by they don't have a lot of things to unlearn. Ones that are saved in association with the truth are immediately, so to speak, brought to the end, cared for, acquainted with the truth.
Not only is to salvation, but as to gathering and they grow. But when we neglect our responsibility.
Then people are often saved in places where they spend perhaps a year or two and have many things to unlearn. And brethren, it's easier to learn than unlearn. It's hard for any of us to unlearn things that we have learned in the wrong way. And I do believe that as assemblies we should have an assembly interest, even though it's an individual work. I just mentioned that side of things because I believe that it's very important that we should be concerned as an assembly about the gospel.
And desire and encourage the spread of it, whether individually or collectively.
Where there are no children in a home.
There is the joy that there is in a home where there are children. I find that where there are so saved.
In connection with the assembly agreement and testimony, that's a happy assembly. They have paved in price to nurture and to encourage the strength of things of the Lord, and there's less chance for friction.
Because they have an object.
In terms of those things in Christ.
Is it correct to see, when we look at First Corinthians 14, say that God going forth of the gospel is supposed there as coming out from the assembly?
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Because that chapter we read the.
14.
Verse 23 might start if therefore the whole assembly be come together in one place and all speak with tongues when they're coming, those that are unlearned or unbelievers. And here you have an unbeliever, one that needs the gospel.
Will they not say that you're mad? But it's all prophesied, and there come one in that believes not one unlearned. He's convinced of all, He's judged of all. Thus are the secrets of his heart may manifest.
So falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth.
Is this a man that got safe in the in the assembly because the gospel went forth there in the prophet signing which is really telling forth the truth of God error there behind the Bible and printed word. It was telling forth the mind of God which is in the gospel in case.
It's a function of the assembly to my understanding, function. Am I correct?
Well, the assembly doesn't appoint gospel preachers or say where this person is to serve the Lord, but it ought to be in fellowship, we find, even when Paul and Barnabas went out and they had the fellowship of their brethren and what they were doing. And there have been many gospel testimonies carried on here and there, perhaps in nursing homes, perhaps in public places, St. corners, sometimes in a rented hall. But it's nice when it's done in fellowship with the assembly.
But I think it's also nice if it's at all possible that there should be some kind of a testimony associated with the gathering itself. But the assembly doesn't appoint gospel preachers. They may recognize a gift that is among them, and in that way have fellowship with what God has given, what the ascended Christ has given. So it's a matter of fellowship, I believe, is the important thing in connection with the gospel.
Brother Smith has told us that in Bolivia people were staying at prayer meetings and at meetings which were strictly for the same. And I'm open for corrections, but I understood 1St Corinthians 14 to refer to an assembly meeting for the Saints, which can also by the spirit of God be used to convict the unbeliever.
I believe we might have too much the idea that only so-called gospel preaching can be used by the Spirit of God to bring in the unbeliever and to convert and save the unbeliever. The spirit of God is sovereign. I know myself of cases where people were saved at the breaking of bread, so I believe Belava, this is what we many times do not.
Count on we think that the Spirit of God has to work the way we think he should work.
Can only use a gospel preaching? No, he can use an assembly meeting, that is for the edification of the Saint to convict the Sinner and bring him to Christ.
Speaking of myself, I won't hesitate to call professor and Christian, invite him to attend the the members of the Lord, because I know that God can wait in his conscience and his soul, even when we remember the Lord Jesus below the people of God isn't his Son.
That's not the normal thing, but he can do that. I've often said there's a great similarity between the remembrance of the Lord and the Gospel meeting. And in the remembrance of the Lord we are speaking, shall I say, we're presenting to God, Christ and His work as our worship, and in the Gospel meeting we're presenting to the Sinner Christ and His work for their blessing and soul. It's certainly so that they can be saved at the break of bread, because exactly the same theme.
That we have before us only its worship. As we gather to remember the Lord, the thought of what Christ has done for us calls forth that worship and praise for our hearts. And in that worship, that's really what worship is. It's presenting Christ to God and all the loveliness of His person at work. That's exactly what we do in the Gospel meeting, only there we present it to the center.
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Speaking from experience at home.
If a Sinner comes in an unbeliever, which doesn't happen too often in our little meetings, you know if one comes in.
The effort, I believe that's by the Spirit of God too is that there is a reading leading gospel presented because the strangers come in, their need is felt that he should not go out of that door again without having been clearly shown by the Savior of sinners, so that.
Fear of God turns the meeting off into more or less of a gospel meeting.
Apart from a certain gift of a gospel preacher in that.
Day.
We have practiced that in our meeting. If we know that we have a stranger on the Lord's their money, when we remember the Lord Jesus after the meeting, her brother can get up and not only speak to edify the Saints, but also bring your weight on the gospel for the stranger. We have practiced that in our assembly.
We have the first thing that says unto the grace of God and truth. Is there any other way of the grace of God except the truth?
While we read in one place of them turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, now that is there is quite a possibility of saying, well, we're not under law, and using that as a license to become quite careless in our lives. When we learn the grace of God in truth, then it goes on to say, being filled with the knowledge of His will, and walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. If we think that the grace of God means that that gives us liberty to do our own will, because.
Were not under law, but then were not learning the grace of God. In truth we find also in Titus it says the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. Grace is not an overlooking of sin. Grace is how God took up the question of sin, settled it for his own glory.
So that we might be blessed although we deserve nothing but judgment. And so we need, I believe, to learn the grace of God in truth.
We need to see that the grace of God is not carelessness about sin. It is knowing what sin is before God, seeing it judged. Because we have learned the seriousness of sin, now there is a desire to walk onto the Lord in all pleasing.
There's an example in Romans 3. Read the verses in Romans 3 verse 7 of what you were just Speaking of, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.
37 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a Sinner, and not rather, why not? Rather, as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, let us do evil, that good may come? And then Paul's comment upon those who so reason is, whose damnation is just, that is, there are those that would use the grace of God.
As exalting God and saving us by grace. And so the more we sin, the more it magnifies His grace.
They don't know the grace of God in truth. They say in principle let us do evil, that good may come. And the apostle says, those who so speak, whose damnation is just so there are those that turn the grace of God into an excuse for sin, and this is not to know it in truth, as we have before us in Colossians 1.
The apostle prays for them and.
That his prayer.
For them is not.
In the way of some correction.
And I thought I've read this portion before.
This might be something to remind us that that even though those who are seeking to go on and seemingly are going on with the Lord are in need of prayer, that is, that they might increase and go on. He's not writing to an assembly here that's in a bad state, like Corn is not writing to those who are on the fringe, so to speak, but there are those in whom the fruits of the gospel have been manifested.
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And there was a real love, love in the Spirit, and yet he prays for them, and his desire is that they that they might.
Be filled with the knowledge of His will, and that they might walk worthy of the Lord, and increasing or growing in or by the knowledge of God, so that the thought is that they that they should go on, we find that the.
That God thought for his people is more than just that. They are saved and and secure and they know that they're going on to heaven, but there's there's something there for them to enter into. That's really the the thought, I believe, of Colossians, as we've already brought out. It's the analogy of the children of Israel crossing the Jordan. Now there's lands possessed, there's something there to enter into, and he prayed that they might do that.
This would be our exercise. If we really love the Saints, we really have love for one another. What we would desire is that each one would be, as Paul prays for them here, that there might be a a group in the understanding of the mind of God and the will of God, and an exercise to walk pleasing to the Lord, And that in other words, that they might go on.
And increase, not just stand still, as it were, which we really can't do. We either. If we seek to just stand still, we'll find ourselves going backwards.
I was noticing in verse six connection with what you were just saying in the new translation it reads and bringeth forth fruit and groweth or and growing that is that's the thought you were bringing out, isn't it that it's it's growing in these things, it's maturing and going on into full growth.
Doctor Doctor has verse 72.
Verse three and four verse 2 where?
Great.
First, Timothy chapter 2, verse three or This is good and acceptable on the sight of God our Savior.
We'll have all men to be saved at just a good beginning, all meant to be saved and to come.
And to the knowledge of the truth.
Honest spirit uses the gospel to.
Make better sin and then.
Have positioned expectation of the gospel and come to know the truth.
And we're told to buy the truth and sell it off. And we're told people.
Sunsets Free is free indeed.
And the new translation that mentions in this tenth verse it says.
Rather it's in the ninth verse, I should say to the end. She might be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so as to walk writhedly of the Lord unto all well pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing. Her brother mentioned by the true knowledge of God how often when souls are saved by immediately they think they should do something for the Lord, and without turning to the Word.
They're actually cast upon their own thoughts, even told to go to the Church of their choice.
Then they often get in some place where they never get the true knowledge of God or of his truth.
And they set to work and are doing things without following the instructions of God's word. And I believe this is a very important thing. We don't grow without the true knowledge of God. We grow by the true knowledge of God. And God's desire for his own is that there should be full growth. He doesn't want us just to stop at knowing we are saved. He desires with every one of us that we would, as Ephesians force as that we may grow up.
Unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of trace.
And I believe this is so blessed because many, many souls start out in real earnest desire, desire that puts us to shame in their devotedness to the Lord. But it's not in the full knowledge of His will. It's not in that direction that they would get if they would only turn to the word, or if they would seek a scriptural way of gathering and then their service would become an intelligent service, then their service would be. And that's what one was mentioning about.
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Sincere or the mental milk of the bird. How lovely it is to see a young believer. He found in the word of God the way of salvation. He rests upon some verse in scripture to say, I know I'm saved. And then instead of going on from that point he thinks he has to follow some circular or something that he's read as to how he's to serve the Lord. How lovely it is when you see those same ones who learn the way of salvation from God's word, start searching now. How does God want us to gather?
What is his pattern for service? How does he desire me to walk as a Christian? And when we get that from the Word, then we grow by the true knowledge of God. And this was the desire of the apostle for these Colossians, and he is showing them how that they are complete. In Him we haven't got incomplete directions. We've got complete directions, and we have power necessary to walk in them. Well, may the Lord grant that each one of us might search the Word more and desire to walk.
Well pleasing to the Lord in all things.
And it's important to realize that God has given us the 66 books of the Bible in order that we might have the true knowledge of God. You know, it's it's remarkable when you think about it, that when we have so much.
In the word, and actually, as far as telling us how we could go to heaven, why we wouldn't need all of the 66 books of the Bible.
That God could have put that in a very brief format, but in order to make Himself known not only as salvation, but in all of his ways, his thoughts, purposes, counsel, his manners, so that the people of God would be truly acquainted with him. Sometimes we I've had persons ask me, do I do you know, brother, so and so.
Well, I have to say in one sense, yes I do. I've met him, but I don't really know much about his ways or his thoughts, manners and. But it's only when you get really acquainted with that person. True knowledge of that person comes when you learn something of his thoughts, his ways and his manners. And I believe all of the word of God is calculated to furnish us with that, every bit of it. And if we read it, just as.
History.
Our nice little Bible stories to learn why we're going to miss that. I believe from Genesis all the way through Revelation, in some way God is conveying to us something of himself so that we would have the the true knowledge of God and this is really the way we grow. You know the knowledge of God is not native to man in the flesh. It's just it's just not there. And it it is only as we learn through the Word that we.
We can increase in that the true knowledge of God, and that's real growth, I believe is.
So that I would encourage young believers to read all the word of God. I can remember there was a time when I was tempted to Passover certain portions of the word in the Old Testament, genealogies and things like that, and it struck me one day that, well, it's all the word of God. And I certainly had to confess that I have read some of those portions in the Old Testament many times.
And even today, if you were to ask me what does that mean, I might have to say, well, I really haven't.
Got much out of that yet, But I'm going to continue reading the Lord willing to, because I find that there is something to learn of God in all of the books of the Bible and everything. And I would encourage one to read all the way through consecutively through the word of God so that we, we, we become familiar with the God in his ways.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word of God with all readiness of mind, and 3rd the Scripture daily. Whether those things were so, I think that we have a volume in this very precious world.
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Action with what you were saying about the genealogies, I I guess I'm the same as you that sometimes it's hard to read all those names. But one time I thought there must be a purpose in it. I'm going to read this particular chapter which came up and not just try and pronounce the name so much as see what the purpose that God has in it. And I learned something very special in that chapter. I don't remember just which chapter it was. Now I believe it was in Chronicles and that was the David named one of his sons Nathan.
And as far as I could see, it was the one who was born.
Shortly after Nathan had come and rebuked him. Well, you know, I thought that was a wonderful thing.
I thought if somebody came to talk to me like Nathan talked to David, that I wouldn't be very excited to call one of my sons after him, probably want to forget the incident. But I thought that it was very nice that David had the grace to have so learned from what that faithful man of God said to him that he actually called one of his sons Nathan. So there is something to learn. Even in the genealogies we can see the grace of God working and little points like that were we see things where that grace was displayed in the lives of God's people.
Wouldn't you say? That would be perhaps one of the reasons why we said of David that he was a man after his own heart. In other words, we see there that that's a feature. That was a feature in David that you might say endeared him to God, made him a man after God's heart. So in that we learned what what the Lord appreciates, He appreciates one who can receive a review and adjust his ways. Because David did, didn't he? Right away. He he justified God. He didn't make any excuses.
When said thou art the man, he humbled himself. Well, we can learn through that what it is that is pleasing to the Lord, and it is pleasing to the Lord. We all make mistakes. And in connection with that, just recently, as I've been reading through the book of Second Samuel, I was impressed as never before, the many mistakes that David made in his life, how many mistakes, and how often he had to say that that what he did was wrong.
But he was a man who justified God, and he he turned to God, and he humbled himself, and he adjusted matters. He didn't just try to cover them up and go on as if nothing happened. And he recognized that there were certain things that came up in his life, that it was the hand of God righteously. So Shem I cursed him, and he said, well, let him curse, because he recognized the hand of God in government. And so in these ways we see what's pleasing to the Lord.
And we can, we can use that as instruction for us to remind both well pleasing to the Lord.
Another thing that I like to suggest that it is well, when we reach somebody'd name in the Old Testament to get into the meaning of the names you know. Now let me give you one for one instance for insert in the 3030 chapter of Genesis. Now as to the meaning of name in the Old Testament, they have a meaning, don't they? Here we have and verse 27 with a 3030 second chapter of a Genesis that.
He said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel for his Prince, that thou hast probably begun, and with men, and has prevailed. Here we have the meaning of the name, don't we? And so it is true. I don't be the Old Testament. I have find out that there is a very significant meaning as to the name of these people.
I don't want to disagree with anything that's been said, and I trust what I say now will not be construed that way. I fully agree with what's been said, but I do believe that the force of verses 9 and 10 is the entering in. Let's read them again.
For this 'cause we also since the day we heard it. What is it? I believe it's referred to verse 4.
Since the since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have to all the Saints, in fact Mr. Darby renders it from the day we heard of your faith and love do not cease to pray for you. Here's the burden of the of the apostles prayer, and to desire that she might be filled with the full knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that she might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.
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Being fruitful in every good work and increasing by the true knowledge of God and then our brother read earlier.
Verse two of chapter 2. That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding.
To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, verse three in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, believe the burden of Pauls prayer is that we're committed to the Apostle Paul to bring out that he was given to complete the word of God and to fill it full. And it has to do, especially though everything that's been said is very true.
In reading all the word of God. But I believe here we have the burden of his prayers to enter in.
To those things which?
Build full the complete.
Revelation that God had to give to us, and it's our portion, that which we are to enter into now, and the power of the Spirit, the truth of the mystery, Christ and the Church, and especially Christ in you here in Colossians, the hope of glory. So it's really entering into that which contains all of God's wisdom, all of God's thoughts in the power of the Spirit. What is our portion in Christ risen and glorified?
Union with Him by the Spirit, Christ being in us as life and all these wondrous truths.
I believe that's the real burden of his prayer and it's that's where the full knowledge of his will comes in. How many today who are Christians have not entered into the thoughts of God? And we can look into our own hearts as to this and really entered into what is a Christian? Are we down here to set the world straight? Are we here to improve the world? Are we here to?
Make this a better place to live in.
He brings before us here that our hope is reserved in heaven. We are heavenly people. In the third chapter, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, for ye have died, you're dead, and your life is hid with Christ and God. I believe it's entering into these things which which are really Christianity.
The burden of his prayer and that we enter into by the power of the Spirit of God.
Let's illustrate that with the Exodus. Remember when God called Moses?
He told him that he was not known to Abraham as Jehovah, but as God Almighty.
But he made himself known in a new and more old way to Moses.
And who it is that God throughout?
The history of man has made known of himself.
Partial revelation.
And man entered into a relationship to God that was according to the revelation given.
Now we who have come to know Him in Christ Jesus.
Have come to know him as man can know God to the fullest possible extent, and this is what is, I believe, the true knowledge of God is to enter into that which has been brought down to us in Christ.
And if we were, for instance, try to know God the way Abraham knew him the way Moses knew him, that is not Christian position. Not that God has stopped to be the God Almighty, that God is no longer the Jehovah he is, but we know him much more intimately, much more fully. He has come out to the fullest possible, extend and reveal himself fully, and we have consequently been brought into a relationship.
As no St. ever knew it at any other time in the Old Testament. And now we have that position in Christ. And this is so important, beloved, because how do I know how to conduct myself properly as a Christian if I don't know the relationship that I have to God?
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All my responsibilities, flaws from that relationship into which I have been brought in. Christ.
Only then I really know what is consistent for me.
And God has revealed himself.
And we can come to know him by looking at the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, I believe that's very important that we see the difference, that God has been made known if you turn to John chapter 18 and the 36 verse.
Jesus answered, My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews but now, and the emphasis is on now. But now is my Kingdom not from hence. Now if you go over to Revelation Chapter 11, you would find there's a day coming when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. There is going to be a time when the Lord Jesus takes the kingdoms of this world.
They all rightfully belong to Him, But here, being rejected and about to go to the cross, he shows that there's a change now. His Kingdom is not of this world and what we have in our chapter, that we are a heavenly people and we'll never know properly how to conduct ourselves unless we know what is going on. Now. It isn't that the truth of the Old Testament has in any way ceased or changed and we find.
A reconciliation, so to speak, of those things. If you turn to second Peter, chapter one.
Some of these Jews thought, well, has the whole thought of the Kingdom then been set aside and given up? Oh no, says Peter. We saw a preview of the Kingdom when we were on the Mount of Transfiguration. But he says we will never rightly understand the scope of Scripture unless we see it in associate, unless we see it in association with the whole revelation of the mind of God. And that is what we get in Christianity.
But just to add 1 little thing which I think is important and that is that the moral ways of God do not change with dispensations.
And so we can learn a great deal from these Old Testament things as we learn the moral ways of God. It was just as wrong to lie in the Old Testament as it is to lie in the New Testament, all those things that have to do with the moral ways of God. God's moral character is exactly the same in Christianity, but he is dealing in a different way, and we stand in a different relationship. And so we need to understand that in order to rightly divide the word of truth.
And so I believe it's very important. But I have seen those who have set aside the Old Testament and they have lost a great deal in the understanding of the moral ways of God because it is much more about that side of things in the Old Testament than we find in the news. And those things are very important for us because just as those ways with David and the government of God and all those things that is for us whatsoever things were written before time were written for our learning.
That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. So let's take the word in its entirety.
See the scope of scripture, learn from these moral lessons, and learn how to put things together. And so it will be proper in the coming day for the godly ones to associate themselves when the Lord comes out of heaven on the White Horse. And then Israel will again follow him, and it says he'll go forth and lead them in battle against their enemies. But now we're a heavenly people. We're just ambassadors in His absence.
Well, how precious that God has made these things known to us, so that there is this understanding of his ways.
And we'll never properly understand the scope of Scripture unless we understand the truth of the Church.
Because the truth of the Church reveals to us what is our present position, and so in this our head all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Understanding this opens up the Old Testament, helps us to understand our position, helps us to see how everything is finally going to be put together. When, as Ephesians One and 10 says, for that's the, shall I say, the key verse, It says that in the dispensation of the fullness of time.
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He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him. I believe that's very important, brother, because we have that right in this chapter or a verse, I believe that goes along with that when.
He speaks in the.
In verse 25 at the end of the verse.
Speak to this dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill or to complete. Fill up the word of God, and it would be a misuse of dispensational truth.
To to set aside the moral value of the Old Testament because we have greater light in Christianity and a higher position and a greater revelation of God that the I think it's very important to see that the position we occupy.
Is as having the whole revealed mind of God and all scripture is profitable. And it says, Paul says in First Corinthians 10, upon the whom the ends of the world are come. We have all of the accumulated life that God has given to man. We have the highest in Christianity, and that's what we have here in Colossians, you might say we reach the topmost point in in Christianity and the revelation of the mystery.
But at the same time, it would be a great loss to read the Old Testament.
Only in regard to Israel and only in regard to Dispensational aspects.
And only in regard to the fact that they stand in a different relationship to God than we, if we if we do not see that God is making Himself known as to His ways. You see, the word of God is is wonderfully complete, and not only gives us the height of our standing and position, and brings us into all of the fullness of the revelation of God, now made known in Christ and His work.
But it also gives us to learn something of his manners and his ways, and I believe it's important to see that that the.
The Old Testament should be, should not be taken up strictly dispensationally as being something we might say, well, that's all passed and that had to do with Israel, and that has to do with the future. When they're restored to the Kingdom and things of that nature, all scripture is profitable.
I recently had occasion to to read a book called Which Bible And What It Is. It's it's a defense of the King James Translation. It's quite a good book. I don't agree with everything in it, but many things I certainly do. And there was a man referred to an amazing man, Robert **** Wilson, I believe his name was.
He lived in the last century, I believe.
He devoted his entire life, his entire life, to the study of the Old Testament.
And at the beginning of his life, he looked at his ancestry and he said, well, I believe I'll live to about.
7075 years old, and he divided his life into 3 equal stages, phases, so many years into thirds. And he wrote at the end of his life that the Lord allowed him to accomplish what he had set out to do. And I unfortunately I can't recall what those three things were. But he knew all of the languages of the Old Testament, He knew called Ian, and he knew all of these.
Languages that deal with the Old Testament scriptures and related countries around there. Well, one of the things that he says in his writings that convinced him of the authenticity and the accuracy of the Word of God, the Old Testament, was the genealogical accounts that we were talking about a little bit ago, that we are, many of us, inclined to pass over.
But he found that the word of God, the scriptures, with very, very few exceptions, was the only reliable historic source of the the names of the kings and the ones that lived in these various countries. Roundabout. This has been proven by archaeological finds and the what he pointed out was that the histories that are kept.
01:00:17
By just natural histories are all in error. They don't even spell the names right.
And one of the reasons I'm bringing this out is here was a man that spent his entire life in the study of the Old Testament, and at the end of it, he said. One thing I can attest to all of you is that we do have.
The reliable word of God. It would have been utterly impossible for man, and he had not been inspired of God, to have written down and kept these records.
As accurately and precisely and perfectly as we have it in the word of God. Well, I'm not able, and I imagine most of us are in the same situation, to enter into that fully. But how good it is to hear of one that has made a study spent his whole life. He knew over 38 foreign languages, and one of the things he said is if I don't know a language, I will learn it.
He set out in his path that none of his teachers could teach him, could tell him anything that he wasn't able himself to research while he was an extraordinary person, and I enjoyed reading about him and was awe at the the scholarship of the man and the the testimony that he gives us. That we have the Old Testament, which has been such an attack, which has been attacked so by the higher critics.
Daniel and Genesis, the account and how they would ridicule these Old Testament scriptures that they're not authentic. They were written at times where after the events took place and all this kind of thing. I just bring this out, the one that looked into it and that knew far more than all the higher critics and could challenge them in all their statements came out and said we have indeed the word of God.
So. And he he used as one of his strongest points of convincing himself where the genealogies that we are so prone to read over and not even read sometimes. So everything is is profitable, isn't it?
May I add to this your brother, this dear man.
In the address.
Students.
He spoke to them instead. I do commend to you and enjoy myself still. Jesus loves me. This I know for the Bible tells me so when I read that economy broke me down.
It's simple to follow that we also love.
Remember that I have enjoyed this verse 11 That is very precious indeed. We were speaking about Father and I believe to have power, but here we find strength of the Almighty according to His glorious power to appoint us, oh beloved people of God. I need this for myself and to all patient and long-suffering with joyfulness. And what an example we have in the person of the Lord Jesus.
Think of a Hebrew chapter one when he says here.
Verse nine, chapter One, Thou hast long righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, had anointed with the oil of gladness above all thy fellows, and all to the suffering of the Lord Jesus that went through his pathways. He had the oil of gladness above his fellow creature, and then of chapter 12 Days, who for the joy of the said before him endure to the cross.
Despise and the shame and sit down at the right hand of God, Oh beloved people of God, this is wonderful.
This glorious Father to give us endurance. Because we are Christian, a soldier of the Lord Jesus. We are called to go through a path of suffering, and here we have that He can strengthen us with us with glorious power, and to all patients with long-suffering and with joyfulness. I cover that for myself, beloved.
In the Old Testament, they always look for the establishment of the Kingdom and the blessing of the nation here upon earth.
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And so that was their desire. And even when the Lord was here, we know how the disciples said, Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel? But it's very important, I think, for us to realize the true meaning of this verse. We find a group called the Moral Majority, and it's not to be patient and wait until Christ has his rightful place, but rather to try and do something to set things right now.
We find John in the Isle of Patmos, for he says companions in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. In a certain sense, brethren, we are called upon the fight, what might be called a losing battle, and that is we don't expect to see things set right in the absence of the Lord. We contend and go on and telling out the truth, but the end of the dispensation will be characterized by weakness.
We will not see the Kingdom established while we're here, but what is our position? We have strength. We have power to go on in endurance, in the truth that God has given to us, and as it tells us in Second Thessalonians, First Thessalonians. Rather the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ or the patience of the Christ and what is enjoyed that thought, because that is really.
The character were not to be impatient as we see things getting worse. As we see this period sometimes called the silence of God, we see not get all things put under him. But the Lord Jesus is waiting for the time when he will have his bride. He's waiting more anxiously than we are, brethren and our place is to have this kind of patience. Things are going to get worse in this world. We have nothing to do with setting it right, and our character displayed as true Christians is to have this might to go on with endurance.
Holding to the truth.
Holding to that blessed prospect before us, living daily in the enjoyment of it, and yet content to wait God's time, we see a blessed example of it with the Lord Jesus. Say not for him. All the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, they're going to be his. He's going to have them. But he wouldn't accept it from Satan. He was content to wait the Father's time. And so we need this verse, and then, as the verses that follow shall.
How much we have to be thankful for. But we already possess our possessions, our spiritual ones. But let's remember that we have nothing to do with setting this world right. Our place is to wait for the one and the only one who can set it right. And we have the power to go on without endurance. It's very easy to get discouraged. Things are getting worse in the world and the conditions even among the Church of God and among the gatherings, we see weakness coming in.
May we have this patience as it says here, patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. We have a blessed hope for just telling the other day about a little incident that I heard happen in a certain place. They had had a number of care meetings and.
There was a matter before the assembly that was very depressing, and as they walked out one night, one of the brothers said to the other, oh, where is this all going to end? He said at the coming of the Lord.
And so it is, brethren. That's our hope. We're not going to see things set right here. We need that kind of patience. Young and old. We need it. Let's go on with joyfulness. We've got a blessed hope, but we know that the time for setting things right is later on. And our blessed Lord.
Said everything right, he'll present the church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
And he will take the kingdoms of this world. But in his father's time he waits that impatient. Let us be the same.
That what we have in Revelation one verse 9.
We find that John speaks of the same thing he says. Your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and Kingdom and patience in Jesus.
And also in chapter.
Free to the church in Philadelphia.
He seeks of.
How is the question the 10th? First, Yes, because thou has kept the word of my patient. But we have fellowship with the patient waiting of the Lord Jesus. That is the desire that he would speak to see accomplished in US.
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I have enjoyed these three hats that we have in verse 1112.
And 13 three had, That is present tense. First of all, that he had made us meet.
Are fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in life. What a wonderful thing that is. He had this like piper his papers, and he's going to do it. And so he said that he had meters to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints and light. And then he said he had done something else, delivered us from the power of darkness, and then another one, and had translated us into the Kingdom of his dear son. And then he gives us the basis of all our blessings in whom we have redemption through His blood.
That's always on the base of the precious blood of Christ, isn't he that we possess every blessing that we have. So here we have the three hand. May those be to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in the Saints in life have.
It's not something that is going to take place. Has taken place already delivered us from the power of diagonals and had translators us into the Kingdom of his dear son, Prince of Acts, Chapter 26, for a verse in connection with the message that the Apostle Paul had from the Lord Jesus himself from glory. I think that is the same, the same significance in the message that he gave to proclaim chapter 26 of the book of Acts. Let me see what it says.
As very precious indeed.
Verse 17.
The 26th chapter of the book of Acts and verse 17, saying deliberately from the people and from the Gentiles, And to whom though I send thee Well, now this is the gospel, the message that he gave them to open their eyes and to train them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan and to God, and that they might receive forgiveness of sin and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by their works. Is that what says it by faith? That isn't me.
There was a message, and I believe that was the the experience of the Apostle Paul when he was delivered from the power of Saints and translated into the glory of that blessed Savior that he saw. And he went forth with the gospel, proclaiming the forgiveness of sin and the inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith. That is in me, in the blessed person of the Lord Jesus.
I wanted that verse 11, I believe. I'm not sure, but I believe Mr. Darby gives the translation. Does he not according to the power of his glory?
Rather than the thought of his glorious power, it's the power of his glory.
So that it.
The I believe it's in connection with what's been said that the.
When we see the glory of the Lord Jesus, it's not.
It's not being carried out now, that is for his world is concerned, but it's it's that glory that we look up, even as Steven saw the glory of God in Jesus right hand of God.
Mr. Darby translated that way the might of his glory has said the might of his glory.
Bringing before us his glory, isn't it His glory on eyes as the glorified man.
And that's what if we really if that is working in our souls, then it will produce this long-suffering and this patient. It's when, no doubt, when the people of God lose sight of that glory and look and get occupied with earthly things that they began to try to set things right down here. But if you have your if the glory is before us, why the might of that glory will?
Produce this.
Condition, I believe, and also I'd like to point out, as in verse 13, who hath delivered us from the power there? The word is properly authority. It doesn't refer to might or strength, but authority. It means that we've been delivered from from the authority of darkness. We're no longer under that rule. We're no longer in that Kingdom, as it were, but now we're brought under an entirely new rule.
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Things and it's the Kingdom of the Son of his love and what characterizes the authority you might say in the Kingdom.
Of the son of his love. What characterizes it is love. In other words, it's a it's authority exercise and love, not arbitrary authority. It's not an authority that is.
You might say abstracted from the individual and just arbitrary, but it's it is a Kingdom. We've been brought into a Kingdom.
And there is authority there, but it's characterized by love, Kingdom of the Son of his love.
The children of Israel were in Egypt. They were under the authority of Pharaoh. And I sometimes thought that when they crossed the Red Sea, the parents could say now to their children and to everyone. We're no longer under the authority of Pharaoh. We're now under a new authority. That's what it means about bringing up our children and the nurture and admonition of the Lord. What a privilege to bring up our children under that authority and that authority, as you said, exercising love.
Or it's the Kingdom of the Son of his love. God our Father finds all his delight in his blessed Son. He's the Son of his love. That's the position in which we have been brought. And so it's a very blessed privilege to bring up our children as under that authority. Now, of course, God has to work in their hearts so that they would be saved, but as parents, that's what we seek to do. And so that the whole home is run under a new authority and it's running love.
That's the only proper way that we should bring up our children, and that's the position in which we stand. Only we stand in it as true children of God if we know the Lord is our Savior. I might just mention here that in the 18 in the 14 first in the new translation that leaves out through His blood, and some have found fault with the new translation because of this, but Mr. Darby sought to search out the old.
Manuscripts.
And while this is properly given in Ephesians chapter one.
It says there we have redemption through His blood here, as I said before, and I think it's blessed to see it. The emphasis is on the person who did it. Now the blood is properly brought in in the 20th verse, having made peace with the blood of His cross. There's no minimizing of the blood, but there is the person who did it, and that's very blessing those. And I had a debt I couldn't pay and someone says, well, who's going to pay the debt? And I mentioned the name of some person whose wealth is unlimited.
Always say that person is going to pay your debt. Why you are greatly favored that he would think of paying your debt. Well, that's the the blessed part to me of this. The very Son of God's love is the one in whom I have redemption now. It was through his blood. But God emphasizes the person. He says I wanted to know the heart of that person, and that person was the one who did that work for your blessing. I say this because.
Some have thought, well, why is it that it's omitted? It's no slight upon the blood. It's rather the thought that I don't believe it is properly in the original language, but rather it's in Ephesians, where it's the thought of Christ, Love to the church he gave himself, He shed his blood. But here we're looking up to the person who did that glorious work, and that very person has brought us into this wonderful place of association to be able to call God our Father.
To know that.
The word of the new translation is the sharing of the Saints in light. We're going to share all that that is the fruit of his toil and victory. We're going to be in that wonderful place of association with him and it's already ours to enjoy by faith. And now we need patience as we wait the time when there will be the open display we see. Not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor, and we're fit to enjoy this now.
Yes, no doubt in all of its fullness. But I thought of that expression of Mr. Darby's hymn many times when he speaks about there no stranger God shall meet thee stranger thou in courts above. That is, we will be in a in a new place, but it it will not be a new God. It will not We will be enjoying the things that we are unable to enjoy. Now sometimes we are inclined to think that it's only when the Lord comes it will be fit to be partake of sheriff. But even now we are, we're made fit now to be.
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Fellow partakers of the Saints and the light.
Colossians 1:12-17
Reading
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Colossians Chapter One.
Verse 12.
Giving thanks unto the Father which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light.
Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.
And when we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
What was the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature?
For by him are all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things are created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things can sit.
And he is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead.
That in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it plays the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, and have he made peace with the blood of his cross.
By him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.
And you there were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works. Yet now had they reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you wholly and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven for a while, Paul, and made a minister.
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you.
And Philip, that we just behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church. For have I made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now has made manifest to his Saints, to whom God will make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles?
Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach.
Warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. For unto I also labor striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. The one in whom we have all these blessings, the glory of his person, is brought before us his headship in creation, and his headship as to the body, the Church, this is what is brought out in these verses here.
And this expression image just to mention it, who is the image of the invisible God? He turned back to Genesis chapter one and verse 26.
And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over everything.
So God created man in his own image. In the image of God created him, male and female created he them.
The thought of image doesn't bring in the thought of physical likeness. The thought is representative. An image is a representation of a person. And man was placed at the head of God's creation to represent God. The whole creation was placed under him and He was the head. We know how sin came in and He failed. He's still ahead of creation but in a fallen state. But there was this Blessed One who came into the world.
And God begins over again. I just mentioned this because this verse has been used to teach that Christ had a beginning, the first born of every creature. But that isn't the thought at all. The thought is that the Lord Jesus, the one who is the image of the invisible God, the true representation of God, the one who could say either has seen me, has seen the Father. Why He is the one who came down.
And now He takes His place at the head of new creation. He comes into this creation, but He is not. Like you or I. We came into the creation after it had all been made. But He's the one who made it all. Now He takes his place, and it's the head of a new creation, a scene of things that can never be spoiled by sin. The first man as we saved, placed in that position. He brought in sin, and He brought in ruin.
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So God becomes a man, and the person of his Son takes his place at the head, and everything is going to be set right and according to the mind and purpose of God, but the head of it, according to God's plan, is going to be a man. But that man, God himself, one in whom all the fullness of the Godhead is pleased to dwell. It's a beautiful thing that has really opened up to us in this passage here. And I just mentioned that one point about the first born.
Or, as we have in Revelation chapter 3, the beginning of the creation of God is no thought that the Lord had a beginning, He did not. But when He became a man, He took His place here in the creation, and He's the head at the beginning of an entirely new thing.
It was all spoiled under the first man, but the second man the last Adam, the Lord from heaven.
Is going to bring about all according to the mind and character of God.
I think it's important to see that that we have here the Lord. We have the greatness of the sun, the greatness of the Lord Jesus. But he's presented here as in manhood when He came into this world, so that these expressions that follow even from verse 14, in whom we have redemption, the person is brought before us as the one of what he accomplished when He came into this world.
Things that follow and we see that this one who who came.
The greatness of this this person that he was.
Great enough that all of the fullness could dwell in Him. I was thinking of Solomon when the dedication of the temple he says and speaking to God, that the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee. How much less this house?
But here is one a man who is great enough to contain all the full In other words, the heaven and the heaven of heaven couldn't contain the fullness, but the fullness was pleased to dwell in him As a man. It's the greatness of the one. He is presented here in manhood, but it's the greatness of that person who is who is here is what is emphasized, and no doubt the object of the Spirit of God. Using Paul to write like this was to impress upon the.
Minds and hearts. Affections of those Colossians as to the greatness of this one with whom they are now linked as their head. So that as they're impressed with the greatness of this person and the great work that he's accomplished, how this would wean them away from any other source that they might be tempted to look to for direction or help. Everything is found in in this one. It's in manhood, that is, we don't have the Lord presented here.
As in the form of God before incarnation, but it's when he comes into this world. But it's the greatness of that one who has come should be not also a state brethren, that when he come as a man.
That he is really alone. There is no union with Christ apart from redemption.
Unless the kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die in, abide us alone.
I hope I'm correct here, and certainly you should correct it if it isn't. But I thought that he is the head of the new creation in resurrection when it says here that He is the first born of all creation. That shows that when he comes as a man into his own creation of necessity.
Because he is the Creator, he has to have the place of feminine, but there is no union with him, but as the one that is the first born from among the dead, he is the head of the body, the church, and 1St Corinthians 15.
Seems to refer to that new relationship and union of life that now exists with him, the one who has gone through death.
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And come forth triumphantly in resurrection. And he is a life giving spirit. We see that in John chapter 20. So what a wonderful truth that is that the first born in scripture many times. I shouldn't say many times, but we see that more than one is used for the air. It's used for the one who is in the exalted place like Salomon I'm sure is 1, isn't it?
He is the first born now David head out of son.
But the first point does not mean, in scriptural terms, the bond that is first born.
But the one that has the place of exaltation and glory, and that is the way the Lord is presented here He according to time came way after Adam, but because of all that he is in his glorious person of necessity he had to have the faith of the first born.
It's very blessed to know it as a beloved people of God, the two headship of Christ in creation and also against the first born in the middle of 18 verse from among the dead. And in that way he's the head of the new creation.
But you know, dear people of God, I have enjoyed the toad, when we think the glory of the person of the Lord Jesus, the pipeline of all creation, and you know to send to the truth that he is God, eternal, the Creator, not only that he is God, but that is eternal, the Son. Although here we have here manifested in human form, which has nothing to do with generation, but it's the fact that it is eternal of the Son with God.
Let's thank you Aquaria, just to encourage your heart in connection with those that deny the eternal sonship of Christ.
Let's go into a verse shift into verse in 17 chapter of John, and then I'll go back to the subject. Just a few minutes.
Whatever you have in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, something that is very precious indeed in connection with the eternal sonship of the Lord Jesus, the eternal sonship of the Lord Jesus in first chapter 17 and verse 5 is what it says. And no offers are glorified down me with thine own self, with the glory which I have thee before the world was. This is the eternal Son of God.
Although he became a man, a perfect man, and in the person of the Lord Jesus will of the people of God, we have united the two nature, divine and human, together for all eternity, together for all eternity. But the Word of God gives us to distinguish His Deity, His eternal sonship, and humanity. They are to be distinguished, but they are together for all eternity, but now in order to confirm.
The word of God this is special, that he is the first born of all creation and that he is not a creature based. All these precious truth that we have in verse 7/16/17 and connection that would have hectic shepherd theatre.
For by him were all things created are in heaven.
And that our inner, visible and invisible will they be throngs of dominions of principality or power, all dangerous were created by him and for him, and not to affirm yet most strong his deity in verse 17 says.
And he is before all things, and all things subsist by him.
That's that's the place that he took in the creation, as our brother said, and as our brother Johnson was speaking yesterday, when it speaks about the generation of Adam, it passes over, it passes over about Cain, and about Abel who had been put to death, and it says these are the generations it passes right to Seth.
And so we see that he was given the place of the first born. And as her brother represent and mentioned, he represented Christ. And so it's a title that is given to the Lord. Coming. There's a verse, the Psalms that says I will make him my first born higher than the kings of the earth. So the Lord coming into the creation must have that place of glory. It's true, as our brother said, that it's only in resurrection that we can become associated with Him.
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Because there must be the end of all that was associated with the first Adam and all that's our position now. And that's brought in here in the latter part of the chapter. And in the next chapter we see that it's the end of all that we were under the first buried with him by baptism into death as a figure of that. And so association with him is only in resurrection, but just another little thing in connection with image we sing in a little hymn.
Image in man's lowly guise of the invisible to mortal eyes as son of the bosom come from heaven above and so on. So the Lord Jesus was that in his blessed pathway here. And but if you turn it over to the third chapter now it's very very beautiful to see this in the 10th verse and have put on the Newman which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.
And so now man was created in the image of God. He fell. He's in that place now, but in a fallen condition, so that he's still ahead of the race. He still held responsible because of the position that he occupies. And James speaks of this.
There we use our tongue to bless God and to curse man who was made in the similitude of God. And so man is in that condition now, but in a fallen state.
But who can really represent God here in this world? The Lord Jesus did it perfectly. Oh brethren, God has given to us the very life of Christ, so that the new man is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. You and I belong to this new creation, were associated in life with Christ, and so that we possess his life. And so, as it was brought out yesterday as a result of this, now the manifestation of that life ought to be seen in us.
People ought to see the life of Christ in us, as Second Corinthians 4 says, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be a manifest in our mortal bodies. But in this position that we have here, this is unique, why we can manifest the life of Christ. We can never be what the Lord Jesus is, and we must never lose sight of this, the glory of his person. He is the Creator.
It's not true of any believer that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him. But he does possess a life in union with Christ so that he can display that character that Christ displayed here because we possess his life. But it's only because of redemption that this can be solved. But we must not lose sight of the fact that the Lord Jesus is God and we are not God, and even in all eternity.
While we will be like Him morally and physically, he will occupy a place for all eternity that we will never occupy a lower associated with Him and identified with Him bound up in the same bundle of life. I think it's helpful to distinguish these things so that we have the truth as God puts it in His word. I notice the contrast between Genesis and what we have here in this verse 15.
Adam was created in the image of God, but here the Lord Jesus is the very image like on he says in the 14th chapter E that has seen me have seen the Father.
So there's quite a contrast, isn't he? Album was created in the image of God. Here we find one that is the image of God, but a different that is what, a country.
But I think it's important too. We love it to stay that contrast between Adam and the Lord Jesus.
When Adam was created, he became the head of this earthly creation.
But when the Lord Jesus comes.
Picture says here that he is the first born of all creation, and we find in Hebrews that when he brings the first Begotten into the world, he says that all God's angels worship Him. He is the head of all authority because of who he is, a much more exalted place than Adam ever had.
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That's the place that our Lord Jesus has.
Another precious person is disconnected from Hebrew. Hebrews chapter one and verse 3.
Gabriel 1/3.
Who, being the brightest of his glory and the expressed image of his person, and opposing all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself first our sin, sat down on the right hand with the magic to come high.
The importance of his glory.
I'd like to.
Give a little more amplification.
To what our brother Hazel had said.
About the Lord Jesus being the first born.
Now he referred to a verse in the Psalms.
But he didn't tell us where it is, so I'd like to tell you where it is.
It's Psalm 89 and it's very, very important.
When we're talking about the Lord Jesus.
Being the first born, we certainly want to know what that word means.
So the Bible is its own dictionary. Somebody. Some of us are finding that out more and more that the Bible explains itself. The Bible is its own dictionary, and we can get help in one part of the Scripture to help us on another. So please notice Psalm 89 and we'll read the verse that our brother Hayhoe quoted.
Psalm 89.
And verse 27.
Also, I will make him my first born.
Higher than the kings of the earth.
Well, now, who is that speaking about?
Well.
We'll find out in that same chapter if we notice in verse.
20 of that same chapter.
I have found David my service and then if you notice in the end of the chapter, near the end.
It talks again about David.
So Psalm 89 is speaking about David and it speaks about him. It says I will make him my first born.
Well, brethren, that shows us that the title First Born does not have relation to time, but rather it is a title of dignity and position. Now we want to get that very clear.
First born in certain places of the scriptures does mean the one that's born 1St, and it is related to time in the case of the Israelites.
At the Passover experience, in that case, the first born was the one born first. But when the Lord Jesus is spoken of as the first born, it is not related to time, but it's a title of position and dignity. And that's brought out in Psalm 89 because he says about David and you and I well know.
That David was not the one first born in this world, but it says about him, I will make him my first born or give him that position of dignity and blessed position. So in our chapter in Colossians, when it speaks of the Lord Jesus as being the first born, that is a title of dignity and position and we love to give it to him. Now I would like to carry this just a little further because.
I know there are younger Christians here that are running head on into people who deny.
Of the deity of Christ. And I would like to say something, I think, where you'll find helpful.
You and I well know that first.
John 316.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only.
Begotten son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Well, now there you have another title of the Lord Jesus. He's called the only begotten Son. Well, there's another case of a title given to him that is not related to time. The Lord Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. That title only begotten refers to his dignity and his position.
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He is the eternal Son of God, and in our chapter of Colossians it tells us that we are translated into the Kingdom of the Sun that he loves. Well, the title only Begotten does not refer to time, it is related to his dignified and exalted and unspeakably glorious position. Now I would like to show that to you.
From the word of God. So please turn to Hebrews Chapter 11.
As we said before, the Bible is its own dictionary. It explains itself, and that's why we read it again and again.
Hebrews Chapter 11. We're going to see this word only begotten used in a position that proves to us that it is not always.
A title of time.
Hebrews 11.
And verse 17.
By faith, Abraham, when he was pride, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises, offered up his only begotten son.
Now, brethren, the title in this verse only begotten.
Not refer to time because Isaac was not the first Begotten of Abraham. Ishmael was the first Begotten of Abraham. But now in this chapter, Isaac is called the only Begotten. Why? Because it's a title of position and dignity. So I would like to just bring that before our dear young believers. We're talking today about the Lord Jesus, the eternal son of God.
And some of these titles used about him are not.
Related to time, he is the first born, He is the only begotten and these are titles of dignity and position is this program.
The thought and the word first, though, is always the thought of the beginning of something. Lord Jesus was indeed the only begotten, and he was not from all eternity, but he's the first begotten from the dead and.
My first born higher than the kings of the earth, brings in the thought of a beginning. And so everything was spoiled under the first man there had to be a new beginning, and the one who had no beginning, the one who is from all eternity, the one that was always in that relationship.
Is the one who came in, and he is the beginning of all. It is according to the mind and character of God and connection with the new creation. And I think it's blessed to see that too, that this glorious person that we have been talking about takes his place in the creation. Then in resurrection, he takes that place, a pet ship, and there's a beginning of something entirely new, so that this first creation has been ruined by sin, but the only begotten, the one who had no beginning, as you said, the one who is the eternal Son.
Now coming into the creation, he comes, and there's a beginning of something that is according to the mind and character of God, it's accomplished through redemption, but it's going to be brought about by this person. Well, I just mentioned this because as you say, the scripture is its own dictionary and there is a little different thought in connection with first Begotten and only Begotten. And these thoughts are clearly defined in the scripture, and it's the same glorious person who is the first Begotten from the dad who is the only Begotten.
I like to read a couple more verse in Hebrews Chapter 7, Hebrew chapter seven. I think that we have a gang brought before us in a very wonderful way. The eternal friendship of the sun is what it says here in connection with the best acidic he said verse two to whom also Abraham give a chance of all for his being by interpretation king of righteousness and after that also king of Solomon Salam which is king of peace.
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Verse is very precious indeed. With our Father, without mother, without his Son, Heaven neither beginning some days nor end of life, but may life come to the Son of God.
Abideth a priest continually, but you notice there the sense when he says without beginning of life. But may excuse me, I'd like to read again, without father, without mother, without dissent, have neither beginning of days nor end of life. What may the light come to serve God?
Bless it, isn't he?
Would you say brother, hey ho that?
One reason why the thought of first Born is brought in in Colossians is that our Lord Jesus is looked at here as the head and we don't want to lose sight of that doing. And lest we forget, as we get going in the chapter I would like to point out something for.
The benefit of other.
Believers.
The middle verse in this epistle.
Is found in chapter 2 and verse 19. I wanted to say it yesterday but I didn't get a chance.
Sometimes you find in one of the letters of the apostle Paul's.
You'll find that the middle verse in the letter is the key. Now, I learned that from our brother Casey Brown in one of these conferences, and it was one of those good things I learned at a conference that I never forgot. So Colossians 2, verse 19 is the middle verse of the book.
It talks about holding the head.
And so we're talking about the Lord Jesus. And that's what this book is about. He's the head. And we don't want to lose sight of that, do we? He's the head.
And the hero would do.
Speaking of the first, forgotten at the beginning of a new thing, Second Corinthians 5 and verse 16 and 17.
I want to make a comment on that.
I'll read them.
Therefore henceforth know we know man after the flesh, yet gay, though we have known Christ after the flesh, can now henceforth.
Know him no more. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.
Old things are passed away. Vote all things are become new.
In English spoke of.
Well, when it says, though we have known Christ after the flesh, when the Lord Jesus came into this world, he said, I am not sent, but to the lost chief of the House of Israel. If we only knew him in that way, born of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, what blessing would there be for us who are Gentiles about when the nation of Israel rejected him? By then the glory of the purpose that was in the mind of God from all eternity comes out.
And we know the Lord Jesus now in resurrection the Lord said, And I accept the corn of wheat fallen to the ground, and die and abideth alone. But if it dieth, bringeth forth much fruit. And then he said, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. And that is, he had been sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. When those Gentiles came to Philip, and said, Sir, we would see Jesus.
The Lord was really replying the only way this blessing can reach out to the Gentiles.
That he must go into death. And when he went into death then, now the whole question of sin has been settled. God is glorified. The blessing is not going to be limited to Israel, it's going to reach out to all mankind. And so the Lord could stay in resurrection, go into all the world and put the gospel to every preacher. If he only knew the Lord Jesus in regard to his pathway here, why we would have to be like that Sarah Phoenician woman outside cutting some of the crumbs, but not really brought into this wonderful place.
But we know him in a new way. We know him now in resurrection, as the head of new creation, and that's why he's the first born from the dead. And this 17th verse could be translated. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, there is a new creation That's really the proper ending it of the verse. There is a new creation. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
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And so Christianity brings in all that was in those eternal purposes of God.
That which was not declared until redemption was accomplished, And the Lord rose triumphant. And so I believe, not knowing the Lord after the flesh, has to do with his position here as man in connection with Israel. But now in resurrection, we know him in this new way, just as the Lord said to Mary, He'll tell my brethren I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God and your God. Mary would have held him here. She would have said, oh, the Messiah is risen for going to see the Kingdom.
And the Lord said, pointed her up. And as it were said, it's a new thing. Now, Mary, you'll have to learn to know me in a new way, not as the one whom you expected to bring in the Kingdom for Israel, He will in a later day, but all how blessed to know Him as we have in this chapter, The head of all creation, the head of the body, the church. What a blessed revelation is brought out in resurrection. This is the way we know Him, and we're part of that new creation.
But he, and he alone is unique in the position. In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily regard to the expressions that were were speaking about a few moments ago, the only Begotten first born.
I would suggest that the only begotten is an expression that has reference to the what the sun is to the Father. But the first barn is what he is in relation to other things. But in regard to the Father, he's the only begotten, the object of the Father's love and the Son of His love. But when that one who is the the object of the Father's love comes into this creation.
He comes into it as the first born and the reason is given and in verse versus 16 and 17. For by him were all things created. He is the creator. It's the greatness of the person when he comes.
When he when he takes the place here in this creation, not a creature, but he takes a place here as a man in this creation he would he would be the first born because he is the creator.
And I've noticed here that in Colossians, in contrast to what was read in Hebrews, where he says by whom he made the world's, here the kids, the creation is in regard to Thrones and dominions, principalities and powers. That is, the creation here is not viewed as in Hebrews, as the physical elements, but that he, he has control and he was the one.
You might say you brought into being every moral element that would be forgotten.
Everything emanates from him that is forsaken, that which was contrary to God.
But Thrones of dominions and powers so that the Colossians.
They, they, they, he's, he's building up to the fault. I believe that they have everything in Christ.
Peter chapter three. I think we have a very precious verse in connection with these created beings. The last verse say who is going into heaven and is at the right hand of God.
Angels and authorities, and power being based subject unto him.
As the man now sitting at the right hand of God, the man Christ Jesus now because he is the creator of all these living creature now he says that angels and authority and power being made subject unto him.
In verse 16 of Colossians one there are three prepositions used to describe his glory. And the first one it says for by him or in him in the power, which resides essentially in his person where all things created. That's the the word end in the Greek or in him in the power.
Which resides in his person. And then at the end of the verse all things were created by him, That means through the instrumental means. He was the one that the creation came into being through him. It came into being in the power that was in his person. And then all things were created for him. It's for his delight and for his glory so.
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It seems as though the Apostle, it draws upon every possible means that is available to him to bring out the greatness and the glory of this person. And he is before all things, and in the power of him all things consist of how these as we see it. Sometimes a translation will obscure some of these hidden glories that are there, and so it's in the power of his person.
And by means of him, and for him all things.
Have come into being how different this is from all the darkness of other religions that are in this world, The I think of the Eastern religions, how dark they are. Or here we have a Creator who is not part of the creation, but he is over the creation. He is the one in whose person the creation subsists the power that resides in Him.
That power he commanded, and it was done. He spake, and it stood fast. He uttered the words, and this creation came into being.
What a wondrous, glorious person we have in him and before him all things. He is before all things, and by him all things subsist. They exist, they are held together. He upholds all things by the word of his power.
What a person and that person each of us beloved Saints can say. That person is my savior, my savior. How wonderful. The most glorious person in the universe. And we can say he came down to pick me up and to save the likes of me and to bring me into association with himself for all eternity.
How blessed this Auntie, bring us in our faces before the Lord.
As we're We're on holy ground here, the shoes off the feet, as we're realizing we're in the presence of the glorious Son of God, who is the very expressed image of the invisible God. What a person we have before us.
Shall we read that verse and shall in Psalm 33, please?
Psalm 33 and verse 6.
Psalm 33 and verse 6.
By the Word of the Lord where the heavens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of His life.
And then at verse 9 for he speak and was done. He commanded and stood past. Now there is a man that wrote a book. Now that there was a great explosion in the beginning, and as to where the universe came unto being. But here we have the word of God. He say that he spoke. He doesn't say that there was an explosion. His focus is on verse 9 and it was done. He commanded and stood still in all these countless variants of the style that we have in the universe.
Refining in Psalm 147 that he said he knows the numbers of them of this one that we are speaking this morning below the people of God and they are countless millions of them. I understand that that we have about 30 million nebulous in the universe and you know saving every one of the neighbors contains millions and billions of a star And this wondrous person that we are speaking this morning but our people of God is saying that he knows the numbers of them.
And he names every one of them by name.
This is the Lord Jesus, the glory of his person. Isn't any wonder that he says to Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus come down. He has the star in all his multitude name by name. This is the glorious person of the Lord Jesus below the people of God, over a savior. All the preciousness of the person of the Lord Jesus. Peter says he and to you that believe he is the preciousness.
Would it help to explain that consistent we said that not only is he the Creator, but he's one that sustains all things. They have their continuing existence through him, said to Belshazzar the God in whose hands thy breath is, hast thou not glorified, and how little the man of the world today?
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Realizes that God blows his breath in his hand. He could withdraw and he'd be in eternity. There is a theory that that God created the universe in the beginning and then he sort of retired from his creation. It's like if you take your watch and you wind it up and you get it going, you energize it with potential energy, and then you retire from it and it just runs on its own.
That's not the truth of Scripture. Not only did he create the universe, but he upholds it by the word of his power. He sustains it every moment. Isn't that so? And he is not only the Creator, but he's the Upholder and the Sustainer of the universe. If he ceased to do that, his creation would.
Dissolve. I don't know what to say, but it wouldn't be held together by the power that resides in his person.
1000 And Job, if God, I'm quoting from the new translation, If God thought only of himself, and gathered unto himself his breath and his spirit, all flesh would perish together, and man would return again to the dust. So that's the thought. He not only created it, but he upholds it. The very breath that we're drawing here, and this feeding is given of God, and everything in the whole creation is sustained by this one that we're Speaking of.
What I think is so blessed it is that what is being brought before us is his relationship to us collectively. He is the head of the body, the church, or as we have an Ephesians he's had over all things to the church. So we not only can enjoy this thing individually, but oh how blessed collectively, how man has completely lost and ruined this because as we have mentioned about it's holding the head that is brought before us.
This one is head of the body. Just think of man organizing his own churches and all that kind of thing. What a denial of what we're talking about. This one not only holds our breath as individuals and is concerned about everything in our individual life, but he is the one who is calling out of this world a bride for his son and gives us the privilege of recognizing him as the head of the body, the church recognizing what it is to be gathered as members of his body around himself to remember him.
The function in the assembly as those who recognize that he's the head and that he's seeking the good of all the members, and through each one of the members he is nourishing the body for it's good. Oh, I think if we only got hold of this. So although it's true individually, the real purpose of this epistle is that these Colossians would enjoy this in a collective sense and that they would see that they were complete in him. They didn't need all man's wisdom and philosophy and those things.
They had one who had all power, the Creator, the sustainer, the one who can do anything. And as our brother said, not only in the material universe, but angels and authorities and principalities are all made subject to him. Dylan couldn't do anything to Job unless God allowed him and God. God is the one who is in control, and Christ is the head of the body, the church. And so nothing happens to us, nothing rises up in our assemblies, brethren. But what he allows it, and the very one who allows it is able to find the answer for us.
And to help us through the difficulty, give us instruction in His word to give us the wisdom.
I think we need to think of it not only the individual sense but the collective sense to he is the head of the body, the church. What a blessing provision has been made for his church.
Around a 33rd or 4th.
Thank you.
Yeah.
00:50:00
It's in 3414 and 15.
Thank you. Maybe it's. I'll just read it as it is in the new translation, Job 34 verse 14.
If he only thought of himself, and gathered unto him his spirit and his breath, all flesh would expire together, and man would return to the dust.
I like to say, President, that among the evil teaching that you find in Christendom 2 Things that are very captive, very important is that those that deny either the perfect humanity.
Or the deity of the Lord Jesus. You will find that they are wrong even in the case of his voice in the cross and those that deny the perfect work that he has done at the cross, you can reassure that they deny even the glory of his person. Again, I say whether be his deity or whether it be his humanity, I find that these two evil got together all the time. Isn't it so, brother?
I think that the it's what her brother said about the head is the important point here.
While it's we can rejoice, we we can enjoy the fact that this one who suffered for us on the cross was the is the creator and sustainer of the universe. But really the passage, the way that it's brought in here is to enhance the Lord Jesus.
And the affections of the Saints as the head. It's not so much that he died for us.
But it's the one that we can draw from at the present time, as our brother said, it has especially in view, I believe of the assembly going on together and we don't have to go outside of Christ for anything. And we're not just talking about a physical supplies. Sometimes when we think about the Lord providing, we think of the Lord providing what we need to eat and to wear and a house and all of that, well, these are wonderful mercies.
It's true, and the Lord provides that, but the?
Here with the Colossians, there was a danger on their part of still having, as it were, men's persons and admiration, having some respect for the intelligence of man and the ability of man. Because actually, when we get down to it, man is a very capable being and the mind of man is very active and a wonderful thing.
But what he's presenting to them is the the greatness of the head. Their head is Christ, and it's the how great He is so that they are not. They are not inclined to to go outside of Christ, and all that He provides for his Saints and his people has set forth in the precious words They do not. They are not inclined to go outside of that or to listen to man. I believe this is important because sometimes when things arise among the Saints and their differences of judgment.
We find that at the bottom of these differences of judgment.
Often is because some have been influenced by the writings of man. Maybe philosophical thought and the the currents of the day, that is the current thinking of the day. But if our if our thoughts are derived from the head and our.
Understanding is from him, then it'll be different, but I'd like to say this in regard to the head.
The I think the Apostle Paul is seeking to establish Christ as head not just in in the way of intelligence, but in the way of affection. That is, if there's real affection and there's a real admiration, so to speak, if you can use that word of Christ's head, then you would not look to any other. In fact, you would find any other source of moral or spiritual.
Thinking repulsive. Anything that comes from man in the moral and spiritual line of things, you would find it propulsive and you wouldn't even wouldn't even give it a second thought because you the you so desire what the heads of mind. And he's great enough we don't have to go out. There's nothing you'll never find anything, young people. And that comes out of the mind of man that will bring you into the enjoyment of Christ and of God and the knowledge of God.
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It's all going to come out of out of God himself. And we know here we have here God the Son brought before us. That's where it's going to come from. I like this first verse in the 18 verse and the first part of the verse that we just been mistaken when he says that he is the head of the body to change And beloved people of God. When I go to Italy, you can imagine what things I have to face in connection with the Mario of the headship of Christ in the assembly and this way that he has been of a tremendous help to me.
To make them to realize that the Lord Jesus never has delegated that power of being the head of the Church to 1 to none else, but he remains the head of the Church. He never delegate, nor never will delegate that power to no one else. He is the head of the body, the Church, the assembly.
Connection with what our brother was saying. I think it's very important too, that.
In moral and spiritual matters, that is indeed a very intelligent being. And when God created him, he gave him dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over everything that walked upon the earth. He actually put him in control of those 3 spheres as the head of things under under God. And it's marvelous what man and his wisdom and natural things has developed.
Perhaps I could pass on, for the sake of parents, what my father used to say to us when we went to school. He said whenever they teach you about those natural subjects, he said, they may know a great deal more about them than I do, but whenever they teach you anything about moral or spiritual things, unless the wisdom comes to the fruit of God, it will be absolute folly. Now I believe we need to distinguish this when we say that the wisdom of man is foolishness with God.
We don't mean that they don't know how to make automobiles, that they don't know how to make a great many things. God has given them that wisdom, and Satan doesn't interfere with that, because that only promotes his purposes in many instances to use that wisdom. But he is going to do everything he can to overthrow things in the moral and spiritual sphere. Now that is that we should have those standards that God has established in His word for our moral conduct.
That we should know what the Church is, what our conduct should be as those who believe in the Lord Jesus. We're not going to get that from the wisdom of pen. We're not going to be able to face the problems that arise in our assemblies and in our personal lives by the wisdom of man. And no matter how wise they may be a natural things, they need to draw their wisdom from the Word of God or there's no wisdom in them. I believe it's very important to distinguish between those two things.
And it's good instruction for our children, too, because the school system today is reaching beyond the natural. It's trying to interfere in the moral and spiritual order of things. And unless that wisdom is from the Word of God, I say again, it's folly.
Let's get our wisdom and spiritual and moral things from God's Word. When you say something is wrong, it doesn't matter if 1000 people are doing that. The thing is, what is the word of God have to say about it when you establish how we should gather. It doesn't matter if the great mass of Christians go along another way. The Word of God is sufficient for us if we are seeking to walk in the wisdom of God. And as our brother mentioned, I think it's very beautiful.
Christ is not only the one who supplies this wisdom, but He supplies it in love. Because he loves his church, He gave himself for it. He's occupying a place there in glory for the good and blessing of his church, and his heart will not be satisfied until everyone of his own is supremely blessed. And so why I turned something else beyond Him. For those things that really matter in life, all would be better halve in a practical way.
Hold the head and you give us some examples. You know it's wonderful to see that he is the head, and we have such a glorious head. And how foolish, how pathetic, for a man to put a mortal duty model in that position. But it is honour to the Lord. But how do we, in a practical way, hold the head? Well, I believe it's recognizing, for instance, my hand moved there, but it moved by direction from the head.
01:00:07
And so when we think about how we should gather, we could say, well, I think it should be this way.
We draw a much bigger crowd, and we gathered that way. But did the directions come from the head? He says. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. How we should how should we remember the Lord as we did yesterday? Are we going to say, well, we beat a lot of books and see how different groups do it? No, we have the head up there. He's the very one who, on the night of his betrayal, asked us to remember him and told us now.
And so I believe that not only in all these things but difficulties constantly arise in the assembly. And alas, we bring our own opinions into many of these things, instead of really being diligent and on our knees Before the Lord. Has the Scripture anything to say about this? Can we find some light by all? The Scripture gives us all things that pertain on the life and godliness, and whenever we bring our own thoughts into the things of God.
We say that children shouldn't be influenced by them in the schools, but sometimes we sit in our care meetings and we bring in our own thoughts instead of just saying, well, doesn't the word of God have something to say about this? I like to see you when the brothers come from the care meeting to bring their bibles, and when something comes up, the word of God's there, it's all there and the head in heaven cares because he wants the blessing of his church, wouldn't you say in the case of David.
When he wanted to bring the ark.
Backward went down to the House of the Benadryl to bring it back. You might say that's the opposite of holding the head, because he consulted with the people and the captains and all, rather than looking to God for the direction as to how to bring the ark back. Why he he consulted the wisdom of man. And the the outcome of that was that was a integrity because they were thinking to bring the art back on a list and Expedia.
Cart. But then late later when David is exercised, why he says none should carry the Arkansas device. That is, he went back to draw his wisdom and instruction from, you might say, the head. And he was holding the head first time when he brought the ark out on the the cart. The new cart is the opposite of holding the head. He consulted the wisdom of men. Then when he went back, take the instructions from God. I would say that would be an example of holding the head, wouldn't he?
And we read a verse in Stephania.
Stephania, chapter 3.
A verse that has.
Courage be much in this connection.
I believe the truth of Christ being the head. Of utmost importance, Satan is trying the very most to disconnect the head from the body so that we might die.
But here in Zephaniah 3 it says The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.
He will say, He will rejoice.
When we have trouble in the assembly, do do we believe that?
He is in the midst and He is mighty. He can change things.
I'm afraid when there is trouble in the assembly, too often the phone bills start to run high.
Is that holding the head?
Or, I said, holding brethren up more than the head. We should have our knees running a little more tender, rather than our telephone bill running higher. And when we know from the Lord what we ought to do, then we have heard from the head.
So I've talked to brother so and so, and I've talked to brother so and so.
And they think this and it doesn't charge, doesn't go together. Or we start to think, well, what's the president for this case? Where has something like this happened before? And then we hear where we've always done it this way, is that the Lord?
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No, I believe it's already tradition, David, when he got into a similar situation, he prayed again.
And the Lord came different instruction.
But oh, how encouraging. In our chapter, it shows what a marvelous head we have. We see every four years in this country. The whole country goes far. The printing presses run heavy, the smartest mind.
Go the fastest football to get right here onto the state, the one that I think will be best for me.
Oh, what a wonderful head we have. And we'll never have to vote in the new one. We never have to find a new one. We have one that is perfect, one that is superior is so much more to any other imaginable. And how indeed, we have mentioned the Lord Jesus must feel when instead of going on our knees upon a problem, we go to the telephone.
Always start writing letters. It's true, it's good. In the multitude of counselors there is wisdom. But he is our counselor above all. And when I know that I've been before the Lord, and I feel the Lord wants me to do this, then there is peace.
Oh beloved, it is of great importance. We need our laborers, but they are not our heads.
And they never will be.
The Lord Jesus is their head, and he always will be in holding on to him. We can never go astray.
The Lord does give oneness of mind in things. I I think it's important for us to recognize that we need each other in the assembly, and that the Lord has committed authority into the assembly. The word of God is our guide, but a brother who doesn't recognize the need of his brethren and listen to them is going to make many mistakes. But I do feel it's important, so I don't want to condemn the telephone altogether.
Although it's much better face to face, but it is good to listen to the counsel of others. But I I was just going to say in this Stephania here it's very interesting. This chapter the Lord in the midst is mentioned three times in this Stephania chapter 3 and I think this is very beautiful. Zephaniah 3 verse five. The just Lord is in the midst thereof. He will not do iniquity every morning. Does he bring his judgment to light? He faileth not.
At the end of knoweth no shame how often in situations that arise we don't know all the facts, but the Lord does, the Lord does, and so that brings us independence before Him. The just Lord is in the midst, and He knows the whole situation from start to finish. We need to listen probably good to all that we can hear, but already payments is upon the Lord who knows the whole case through and through. And so that's first mentioned and then in the 15th verse.
The Lord hath taken away thy judgments. He hath cast out thine enemy, the king of Israel. Even the Lord is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil anymore. Well, this is very beautiful to be. Sometimes we get in that situation we think, Well, what we want to do is to get out of this. We don't want to see trouble anymore. We want to come to the end of this thing. Well, the Lord knows this when the time is.
And He may be passing us through certain things, and not until He has made it clear are we going to see the end of the thing. We may hurry it through, but we'll make a mistake if we depend on our own wisdom. We must depend on the Lord to see the thing through and see it properly. And what is the end of it? Or the end of the Lord is blessing. The end of the Lord is for the good of His people, His own glory 1St and that is, He's the just Lord in the midst of thee. Secondly, He does want to see the end of our troubles, and He's going to bring it about when we get home to glory.
But here he may pass us through certain things, but we should never lose sight of the third one that's been mentioned, And that is his purpose, is to bless his people. I think it's nice to connect these three that are brought together here in this chapter in Zephaniah. And I think it is important though, and we recognize the headship of Christ, that we also realize that he does have those whom he uses and who point us to the word.
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And who give God counsel? Because we learn in First Corinthians chapter 12 That there are those who have those different gifts, the Word of Knowledge, the word of Wisdom, and the ones who have faith that all these things are needed in connection with the situation. Some know the Word well, some have wisdom as to how to apply it in given situations, and then some have that file confidence in God. Haven't we seen this in our care meetings? And what a blessing it is? But we need each other brethren too.
And why should we only apply the headship of Christ in time of trouble? I'm afraid we could avoid a lot of trouble if he would own his headship when it comes to ministry and filling our place in the body. Many times we have the difficulties that we have because we don't recognize his headship. They're not moving as directed by him, and then return to him. And it's certainly good at that time to turn to him and hope that he can make faith.
The mass that we have created, but many times it would be there if we would really know in a positive way how to be directed by him in ministry, not overstepping our place given in the body. And that, beloved, is that I like to bring before us that we be more exercised and every fear failed so much and really dishonour ahead if we move on our own.
Independently in self-confidence, instead of realizing if we can really do anything for God and for his glory, it is only as he directs and died and enables us to do it for His glory and the blessing of His people.
Colossians 1:18-29
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First chapter is he says, until the Colossians verse 18.
And he is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it plays the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.
And having made peace through the blood of his crown, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.
By him I say, whether they be things on earth or things in heaven.
And you there were some time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked words.
Yet now, as they reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable.
An unreprobable in his sight, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled.
And be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which he has heard, and which was praised to every creature which is under heaven.
For by Paul and made a minister who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and Philip, that we did behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is a church.
Forever I made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his Saints. The old God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man and all with them.
That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, for unto I also labor.
Driving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
So in these two verses below the people of God.
16 and 18.
On the first one we see the headship of Christ in creation.
And in verse 18 it has been already mentioned. This morning we see the health price in connection with the resurrection from among the dead and head of the Church.
In this 19th verse we noticed that the word the Father is in italics. Because I believe the thought in the verse is it was pleasing to the whole Godhead. Certainly it was pleasing to the Father, but really it's the that's why I believe in the new translation. It was the fullness of the God that was pleased to dwell in Him that is the whole Godhead.
Are in perfect accord of this Blessed One who became a man.
Takes his place now above there as head of the body, the church as the one who is given that place, as it says, the first horn of every creature, a title which is given to him. And then it speaks of what he has done in order that almighty made suited to the mind and character of God. Because the thought in this 20th verse to reconcile all things unto himself, it's really.
The Godhead is not really himself, it's itself that is the whole Godhead. So that isn't it a wonderful thing?
Think that the whole Godhead now is pleased that this one who took his place as man, should be the head, the one to whom all this was accomplished. It's a very blessed picture that is brought before us here. How the fulfillment of the minds and purpose of God and that purpose that was made, we think of how when man was made, it doesn't say, let me, but let us make man. The whole Godhead were concerned in connection with the placing of man.
Head of the creation that had been made. Now the whole Godhead is an accord that this blessed One who became a man who is now the second man and last Adam takes this glorious place. I think it's very beautiful the way it's brought in here. We're seeing two of the expressions foolish.
In the original the it's just the word is just the fool. And of course, as you say it, it refers to the to the the godhead.
But it's the fullness. And we find in Colossians that that word.
Foolish.
It's the same word that is translated sometimes, the complete and filled full and so forth. It's a common word.
00:05:07
Because the the danger that the those in Colossi face was that the there were things that were being put forward that were in an advance of Christianity.
The philosophy and this such not in case not handle not legalism, asceticism and so forth. And the showing that actually the there is a you might say Christianity is finalism.
We've we've reached the the climax. There's nothing higher, There's nothing beyond.
Because we have the full revelation of God, and we have the one who has come in all of the full into the Godhead.
There is nothing more. There's nothing beyond it. And if you so looking for something outside of what has come out now in in the Christ and His work and going on high and all that is brought out here is.
Is really taking?
It's coming down from a lower standard because Christianity takes us up to very high, and so I believe that's why he says here, to to fulfill or to complete the word of God.
This is, you might say, God's final statement, Christianity. And it's all connected with the with the coming of Christ that the Son of God and all of the fullness of the Godhead. And you can't. You couldn't. You can't get beyond that. You can't get any higher, any greater.
Than what has been brought out now in in the coming of Christ, in the establishment of Christianity.
Jesus after one.
Verse 22.
Even 122 and have put all things.
Oscar is and get him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him, and fill us All in all.
If we connect this 19th verse also with what we have in the ninth verse of the second chapter, or in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, that also was very important. The Lord Jesus, while he laid his glory by, He never left his place in the Godhead. While he was man here upon earth. He was just as truly God as he ever was in the past, or will be for all eternity. And I believe that's the thing that we need to be careful and guard about.
In this blessed man who is God as well as man, in who, although he is a perfect man, all the fullness of the Godhead is pleased to dwell in him.
As our brother said, that is now the full, the ultimate of the revelation that God has made of himself. And what a blessed thing, when you connect what is brought out in the second chapter in the ninth verse. And him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him.
We never become part of Godhead, but we are associated with him as man and so.
What more could we have than that? What a glorious place we have been brought into.
And if we can see the whole subject, is that we don't need to add anything of man's wisdom when we think of who this glorious person is, who is head of the body, the church. And that as man all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him, and that we are complete in him are then not.
That's the completion, so to speak. God has fully made himself known, and that's why he brings in, in this same chapter, the 25th verse, at the end of the verse, to fulfill or to complete the word of God. Now the count of Revelation of all that was in the heart of God has been completed. They'll never be, so to speak, a new secret. The extent of us will enter into in a fuller way, in glory, when we know even as also we are known.
But there will be no new secret in the heart of God to come out. It's been revealed and God would have us to be in the enjoyment by the spirit of all this full revelation and not take away from it or not add to it. That's really his thought for his people, isn't it? I was thinking of a verse in Ephesians 3 that I believe brings that out in Ephesians 3 and verse 19.
And to know the love of Christ, expansive knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, now there is there is no fault here that we can contain this fullness, but it means that that's what we're to be filled with, this fullness that has now come out. This is what we're to be filled with, rather than being filled with. The thoughts of man and the and everything that pertains to man in his world were to be filled with this fullness of God. And I feel that sometimes today there are those who take up Christianity as being.
00:10:27
I sort of a psychological help that is, it's just a it's a crutch.
God has given us to solve all of our little problems that we have in life, but really it's given to us that we might be filled with its fullness. Fullness of God now has come out in the coming of Christ. The fullness of the God is willing in him, and and it was in him it was pleasing that all foolish should dwell. And so as we enter into this.
As we.
Enter into these things and have them minister to us by the Spirit of God. We're filled with that fooling up that we can contain it. Why? We know that the only one that could contain the fullness of God was the person of Christ. But we can be filled with that fullness that has come out is what we have in our chapter.
I think we have a very precious word, Hebrew chapter one and verse 3.
In connection with the fullness of God is running in him that verse 3 connects 2 Things together, that they are very blessed indeed. First of all it also that he is the practice of his glory of God and the express image of a person. And then he says upholding all things by the word of his Father, and then it being sent across and lonely will they die in something on the cross.
Make an expiation for sin in nevertheless lost one item of received it was within within, even while he was tough and underground, and that on the cross and everything was sustained by the word of his father while he was down on the cross.
There is a thought that very expected to me and that I think the simplest among us can enjoy and that is the when we think of all that this world has to offer.
Could never fill and satisfy the heart.
My dead heart of ours is too small.
Take in all that.
But we can be filled with it.
Really can be filled with it. I just think of that. The whole universe, the whole world, all that it has to offer could never fill and satisfy the heart. But it purchased. It's so great you could never contain it. But we can be billed.
That's the blessed expression what our brother read there and Ephesians chapter one there it's talking about the Church, which is the fullness of him that fill us all. In all we have been speaking about a glorious person of Christ, and now of how he can fill our hearts. But how wonderful that thought in Ephesians chapter one, that the Lord's heart himself will not be satisfied until he has his pride with himself.
That he can enjoy in company with his bride all that which is his and all that he has won by that Tory of work. And so we speak of that which comes to us. But isn't that an overwhelming thought, that the Church is the fullness of him that is his heart, lungs For that time when he'll have that one on whom he speaks to the he's going to display all the full blessed love that's in his heart for all eternity. And that's why it says in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of His grace.
It'll be a never ending display. This is if a young man is going to be married. He says I'll never be satisfied until I have my bride to share all this. But he has so much that it takes him months and months to show all that he has provided for. Her presence can take all eternity for the Lord to show us what He has for us. So it's beautiful to see that word fullness. And then as we go on here, we find that the very opposite was true with us.
We were enemies. Instead of appreciating all this year we were at enmity with a very one who wanted to bless us and I put a great cost. This is all been broken down So that reconciliation here brings in, so that now there's no barrier between just as in the offerings there was a peace offering or the communion offering, so that this barrier of our wicked heart that we were enmity with God.
00:15:17
Not only have our sins been removed, but we have been reconciled. We have learned this. That's in the heart of God. We have been given the capacity to enjoy it. And that's why reconciliation, I believe, is brought in here.
I would think, and below the people of God, this verse that we have in the 17 of the gospel of a John that is very precious indeed, and this is of course, is in connection with which he has received in humanity. And so he says on verse 22 and the glory which thou giveth me, I have given them.
Thus they might be 1 even as they are one. And you know, the number of people of God, they said, oh Jesus, to be on the earth.
And it was both eyes. And that he was baptized. He came straight up from the water, and he still came in the form of dove and laid upon him. And God saying, this is my wimbledo son into my own world, please. And no, God was saying, you know, because of what my son has become a man and what he's going to do to my glory and to the blessing of others, of those, I'm going to have countless thousands of the people in heaven, that they're going to be like him.
We're going to be like in for eternity. Oh, the wonders of the grace of God, reconciliation. What helped me to understand that somewhat is that it's really bringing into proper relationships.
And we have to remember that.
It was never God was estranged from us. We were estranged from God. God never was our enemy. We were the enemies of God. We needed to be reconciled. And it has been accomplished. We have been brought into a proper relationship to God.
But that is by the death of the Lord Jesus. You know, there's a heating system that says that reconciliation was accomplished in incarnation in God and man being in one person, but that's a false doctrine that didn't fit to be very plainly state that it was by his death that we reconciled. So really what has brought about a change in me and in you that faith out of enemy?
And those who are strange God reconciled sinners as well. You can look at the cross and see what God has done for such as us.
If that does not think about a change, if that does not make out of enemies loving children of God, nothing will see what God, in spite of what we were, had done, did in the person of the Son. That alone will bring us bring us back to God. And that literally started that alienation in the Garden of Eden when we listened to the serpent when the enemy.
For the first time.
Presented doubt to the heart of man as to the perfect goodness and love of God.
And that's where the alienation began. But all of that can be solved and detained.
And a change is only to be thought about in us. But there's no change necessary in God. God can be brought about by looking at the thought, even God his Son, the person of the Son. But there's another wonderful.
Aspects to that, and that is that we do see that the problems in the world all springs from man not being in the proper relationship with God and his family.
And in the world at large, why is there all that animosity even between men? That is because man is not in a proper relationship to God. So when we are brought into a proper relationship to God.
Also establishes a proper relationship between. I believe this is a practical.
Application of that truth is now on. I'm really in a proper relationship with God.
And then that should have its reflection in my relationship.
00:20:04
At home, in the assembly, and forever, I am safe. That is really the basis for a proper relationship. Anywhere that we are in a proper relationship with God. That's correct.
Are thinking too. We need to and looking at reconciliation and broadest aspects. There is the God side in reconciliation very true. You know of course that that God was not was never alienated in his in his desires for man, But the in the thought of reconciliation I believe it's everything being brought into order before God for his pleasure, for his delight.
And we I was thinking of the particle sun.
His being brought in, and given the best robe, and the shoes, and the ring and so forth, for the the pleasure of the Father, the Son might have been content to be there in his wrath, just to be back.
That would not have satisfied the heart of the Father. He wouldn't have been at all satisfied with his Son there in the rag. But he he put him in a in a in an order and way and fashion that was for the delight of the Father. And here we see that it was pleasing to the fullness to dwell in Christ, and to reconcile, as our brother AO said, reconcile unto itself.
All things and then and not only all things, which is just future.
But then we were believers are reconciled. Now that is, he's going to bring everything.
Perfect order before himself and in relationship with himself, in which he can take delight. We know that God cannot be content, you might say, cannot be at rest in a state of disorder and rebellion or confusion or chaos. He's a God of order, and we see that in the very first chapter, I believe, of Genesis.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and then the earth became without form and void. Well then, immediately God begins to work.
Such a chaotic condition he could not abide, you might say, and leave it in such a condition. And he works until he comes to the end there, and we read that everything was good.
And when man was finally placed in that scene, it says he thought it was very good. It was for God's pleasure. And really reconciliation is for God's pleasure. And he has turned us from our alienation and our enmity and to bring us into his presence.
Bring him before before himself, without blaming, in such a way that he can take delight in it. He could not take delight in us, in our rebellion, and in our opposition, and in our willfulness, and in our sins. And he cannot take delight in this world, this creation, as it is now soiled and and painted by sin, and the effects of it, that it's all going to be brought into reconciliation before him. Do we have a thought? In First Corinthians 15.
Starting at verse 24 then cometh the end.
When he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall put down all rule, and all authority and power, for he must bring, till he has put all enemies under his feet, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Where he had put all things under his feet, but when he saith, all things are put under him.
It is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him, And what all things shall be subdued unto him, Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be All in all.
Do we have there that would we pay final reconciliation, when Christ, having all things put into his hand, brings everything again into subjection into that state in which God can take pleasure in, and he hands all basketball?
But then, the sun?
Then shall the sun all themselves be subject unto him, that for all things under him.
I have sometimes connected it with that passage in Exodus 21, the Hebrew serpent. He shall serve him forever, remaining a man, and the glory forever that we might be with him.
00:25:16
Then the eternal purposes of God, that there should be a man at the head of the creation, and there was a man placed there that was Adam, and Adam failed in that, and he went and hid behind the trees of the garden. And as our brother said that all broke down, and so sin came in and was all spoiled. And now through the Old Testament, God was seeking to get the ear and heart of man, but he refused.
At last the Lord Jesus came into this world. John the Baptist looked at him and said that behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And he looked at him and said, I see the answer to all this confusion and ruin. For that verse brethren looks right on to the eternal state that here was the One. John looked at him. He was the invisible. He was the image of the invisible come down into this world. And John recognized him as the one who was going to do this.
Now that teaching that it's through the life of Christ is perhaps from the verse in 2nd Corinthians 5 and 19. It says to wish that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. That is, God was in Christ in this world, and would man be one as they looked at that pathway of the Lord Jesus as he went about doing good?
A woman was brought to him in spin, and he said, neither do I condemn me. And he went about, and he healed and raised the dead cleanse the leopards. Would man realize this goodness that was in the heart of God, and that he desired his blessing? He refused to be reconciled by his life.
He watched that perfect life and as it tells us in John 15, they have seen and hated both me and my father. To me it's as though the world said, well, if that's what God is like, we don't want him. And so they took him and that's why. And to me it's very beautiful. It's brought in here. He made peace not by his life because man refused that life of perfect goodness and grace, not coming to condemn, but to blast so.
They did their worst acts. They said we don't want him. If that was God is like we don't want him. And they put him on a cross. But God says I'm going to turn their very worst back into that, which brings about the blessing that's in my heart. And that's why it says brethren, and that he's made peace by the blood of his cross. The world did the worst thing they could do in putting this one upon a cross. God says your very worst act is only going to bring out what's in my heart.
And so that blessed one who was nailed to the cross, He laid there the groundwork by which he could bring about this blessing, because God must settle a question of sin which has spoiled everything. And so we find in the 9th chapter of Hebrews, which again speaks of the same thing. Now once in the end of the world, has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Not sin, But then that is that cross was the groundwork and just as you see a picture of it in the Day of Atonement, where everything not only by the altar but also it tells us that the Tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry were sprinkled with blood. The only way that this could be brought about was through the death and blood shedding of the Lord Jesus. And because of that now God is going, has laid the groundwork.
Just waiting His time. And what is he doing in the meantime? Well, you have that brought out in the ninth chapter of Hebrews. It says He has appointed under man wants to die, and after this the judgment. That is, if God acted as his righteous claims, demand that he would have to bring judgment upon the whole of mankind. But not only has he or made a basis by which he can bring about this reconciliation of all things and remove sin from heaven and earth.
But he wants to have the people who are going to be brought in the blessing. And so the last verse says so. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that looked for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. God has been so perfectly glorified that now in this day of grace, he's not asking man to come and improve himself or anything, just take his place as a Sinner, just acknowledge what he is.
00:30:19
It says in Second Corinthians chapter 5 that's now committed to us the word of reconciliation. It says we pray you in Christ that he reconciled to God. We don't go to the center and say try and do something to make yourself right with God. Not only say it's all done, the works done, if you only will believe it. He has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
And so in that coming day, God is going to remove every trace of sentiments results. But if he did that according to his righteous claims, without his love, I would be the banishment of man from his presence forever. But he wanted to have a people. His own heart wouldn't be satisfied with anything less. And so there were those for whom he bore our sins. When we see him again, it's for our salvation. It's to be brought into this place of association with Him.
Now in Philippians chapter two we see three realms brought in.
It says every knee would bow. Things in heaven, things on earth and things under the earth are infernal beings, as it probably is. That is every lost soul based in all its hosts. All will have to bow the knee to Jesus, everything in heaven and earth, but all will not be reconciled.
In heaven and earth, yes, but those who were in the lost eternity are not brought in in Colossians chapter one. I say this because some people teach from this all that everything is going to be reconciled someday. Yes, in heaven and earth. But all those who have to bow to me and are cast into a lost eternity will never be reconciled. It's only things in heaven and things in earth. Well, it ought to, indeed.
Fill our hearts, and I think that expression is so precious there.
He hath reconciled, it says. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, may our worst act, man's worst act, and putting the son of his daughter on the cross, God has turned it into the way of. And now through the blood of the cross everything is going to be set right and we are going to share that place. And in that passage our brother read in First Corinthians chapter 15.
Where it says there that God may be All in all again, it says we have in this chapter, it's God Infinity. God had a purpose. He put man under trial and everything was spoiled. Saw his own son becomes a man, occupies the place that man ought to occupy, that is the place of submission. And in order to bring about this scene, he remains for all eternity, subject to the Father, always God, and always man.
Just like that Hebrew servant in order to have the company of his bride. He takes that position. But it's all because it's in the councils and purposes of God and fulfilled through what Christ has done. And I believe rather than that, that's what is brought out here, and we are now in the good of it. We look up and say, I have a father. We come into his presence with holy boldness and with peace. We enjoy all this now in our souls, but we wait the reconciliation of all things.
I would ask about the song that I say The very fears that fear decides brought forth the blood of the same that's in connection with us, isn't it?
The very fear that fills the side brought the blood to the face.
Reconciliation of all things.
Isaiah 11 at the fulfillment of that.
Or even tips in here where we find that the animosity is removed even in creation.
Now we have there the wall also shall dwell with the land, and the leopard shall lie down with the kit, and the cat, and the young lion, the family together, and a little child shall lead them.
To everything that often is a blessed effect of the work of the Lord Jesus, that even in the Millennium animosity is removed between the patriots, so the animals abound.
00:35:09
Not in the same way as with us, either. Is not is devouring one another. Perhaps. Like perhaps I could say this, and I think it's very nice to think of it in this way, that God did create all the Lord creation as well, and now the whole creation groans and travels and pain together until now. How? There's no indication that there will be that lower creation in the eternal state.
Notice there is such a thing, as far as Scripture reveals as family life because everything is in a fixed state in eternity.
So that is a very blessed thought that you brought in, that God is going to give a display on earth of what he intended for man when he placed him in the Garden of Eden. And he spoiled it all and saw there's going to be a display of animal life in such a way that the lion can lie down with the lamb. And more than that, if you turn over to Isaiah chapter 65, there's a nice thought there, Isaiah chapter 65.
Verse 21.
And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build in another inhabit, They shall not plant in another eat where the days of the tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
Notice this verse two And they shall not bring forth in vain, nor bring forth for trouble. For they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their offspring with them. So God is going to give a beautiful display of family life. But you won't have worries about children and what the children might do. There won't be even that they they won't bring forth the trouble. It'll be a marvelous scene. For if I could use the expression, the Millennium is the introduction of the eternal state. But the eternal state will not display that part of it. It will not have, I don't believe, from scripture.
Creation in our family life. So God wants to show man what he intended, that man spoiled, that he brought ruin because Cain killed his brother and all the sorrow that came in. But how wonderful it will be when God gives that display of what he had planned for man, and then introduces the eternal state where every trace of sin and its results are gone and all is in a fixed state where we can enjoy not only the peace of it all but.
The heart of God, and it's beautiful to see in the 21St of Revelation and the beginning.
The bride is still there, presented in all her beauty, marriage day, the brides and her beauty. But as years passed by, that beauty doesn't remain, but that fresh beauty that was seen at the marriage of the lamb will remain in all its freshness for all eternity. Well, brethren, what a glorious futures ahead, what it affects the result of the work of Christ. And God wants to enjoy us, to enjoy this now by faith entering an intuit in our soul.
This is why the Colossians is leading us, yes, he says that he brings that in, doesn't it, that that we are reconciled. Now I was thinking, if your remarks, that's really wonderful to see that the in the Millennium there will be a display of what God really had in his heart.
For man as life in this world, according to to his own institutions and everything, because all of the institutions of God will be fully maintained in that day. But I was thinking of this and I've heard it. I've even heard this remark made by.
Some that are saved when you speak of how lovely will be in the Millennium, and how these wonderful, this family life and everything will be according to the mind of God, in a display of what God's thoughts are for man is living in this world.
They say, well, we won't be living on the earth at that time, so we're going to miss something. I like to put it this way. I believe God's thought is that this is what we should be enjoying now. In other words, we're the first group of the coming harvest and in and then the lives of the Saints and in their homes and everything. All that is going to be in universal display in the Kingdom should be found presently among the Saints and in their homes and in their lives.
So that we enjoy it now we can enjoy. You might see these these wonderful features of the Kingdom. I don't say we enjoy it as far as the our circumstances in the world, but the moral features and so forth of the Kingdom are for the Saints to enter into and enjoy now.
00:40:14
Where the first fruits of the coming harvest, that's what God would desire. So that we can we can have everything according to the mind of God and and enjoy those of the the benefits of it. Because you know when everything is carried out according to God's mind and will and all of the institutions of God are preserved, it's really for man's blessing and for his good and his joy and his peace. And this is what we can enjoy now. We enjoy the Kingdom.
You might say morally and spiritually, before it's carried out universally in public.
In James chapter one we have what our brother Johnson was just praying before us here. I think it's good for us in a practical way. Here, James Chapter One and verse 15.
Then when lust that can be you did bring us forth sin and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not earn, my beloved brethren, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of of light.
With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning of his own will be God be us with the word of truth.
That we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. That's what our brother was speaking about. And so he's telling us here that every time we allow our lust to act, we are. There is no good thing comes to us through our lust. All the good things come from the heart of God and he's going to display this ultimately. But he said we're a kind of first fruits. We've learned this lesson ahead of time. And brethren, have we learned that? That the good things don't come because I want this.
But does God want it? Is that his will? Because it says here every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from above. That is every plan for a happy home and a happy life. Everything that's good for man even now, originates not through his lust at all, but from the heart of God. And when we learn this lesson, then we have learned how to be a kind of first fruit of that time when all will be displayed.
In the millennial day and then its finality in the eternal state.
We have the fact that the state reconciliation of things is future, but for for us it's a present reality that we already reconciled. And we are before God in such a way that he can find delight and pleasure in US. And those who are holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight they were thinking of what about verse 23? When you read these wonderful things, you come to this person and you have an if if you continue.
What you say in regard to that brother?
Well, and we don't have any ifs and Ephesians where we're seeing as seated in the heavenlies. But there was always the possibility of some having made a profession and not being real. A Christian is capable of anything but giving up Christ. And if a person gives up Christ, it proves that he isn't a Christian at all. That verse in Hebrews makes that very clear. We are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.
It doesn't say we cease to be partakers if we don't hold, but it says we're made for takers if we hold. That is. A true Christian would never, never deny Christ. He may get doubts about his salvation, may get far away from the Lord. But one thing that's true, we have been reconciled. Benny man love not our Lord Jesus Christ. Let him be an assume. A Maranatha sometimes repeated the story of a dear brother in Montreal. He went to see a sister and she had lost the joy of her salvation.
And many of the brethren who had gone to see her try their best to help her, but she all kept telling them, well, I'm just the joy of her salvation. And this old brother went in, and he had heard about all the others visiting her and how they were unable to help her. And she started to tell him she had actually broken bread and gone on in the large measure. And now the enemy had succeeded in robbing her of this joy.
00:45:07
So he said to her, oh, why don't you just give up Christ and die without him? Oh, she said I'd never do that. He said. I knew you wouldn't. Was your father. Yeah, there was another one. I I was thinking that along those same lines, because it says here if you continue in DC.
We know that faith will never be long. We're kept by the power of God through faith. So faith is is preserved in the true believer, the one who has faith, he will never lose it and but if one doesn't continue in the faith, it's evidence that he didn't have true faith.
The new day and the what March 1 is having true faith, is that he continues in the faith. I was thinking of an illustration that Mister Darby gives in regard to this, and I thought I think might be helpful, he says. A father might have his son up on up on a hill.
And they look over the precipice, he says to the boy. If you fall over this precipice, you'll be killed.
Well, and that's true, but there's there is no thought of the Father allowing him to fall over there, but it's still true. As he had fallen, he would be killed. But the Father is going to hold on to the lad so that he doesn't fall over. Well, a believer, a true believer, is preserved through the through God, keeping faith in his soul. We're kept in the power of God, not in some external way.
But because it's true faith that faith has given a God-given faith, and so the there is no possibility. The thought here is not that one might be reconciled and then.
Become, as it were, unreconciled, or get into an unreconciled state.
But if one takes the place of being a believer, and believers are those who are seen in scripture as being reconciled, and one takes the place of being a believer, but he's not a true one. And it's evident when he doesn't continue in the faith that one was never really reconciled at anytime. But he was.
In the place you might say a profession of those who are reconciled because reconciliation.
Is predicated of believers on the Lord Jesus. So you might say every professing believer at least professes to be reconciled. But the proof is if you continue.
Nice there. And the passage you referred to in first Peter, chapter one. It says to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and the fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Ready to be revealed in the last time there. We could call it. So it's a double reservation. The place is kept for us and we're kept for it. You might have a seat reserved on a plane to go home. Perhaps you can't get there to fill it. And the reservation is not much used if you can't get there. But God says I reserved a place for you, but I'm also going to keep you for that place. And so it says we're kept by the power of God. It's all on the basis of faith.
Faith is a gift of God that was imparted to us when we were saved. The enemy may try to shake our faith. Like the little boy who said I I trembled on the rock, but the rock didn't tremble. And that's true, we do. And sometimes even real Christians get doubts. They tremble on the rock. But I've often said.
The difference between the doubts of an unbeliever and a Christian is that when an unbeliever give has doubts, you give anything in the world to get rid of them. He doesn't want them, he hates them. But the man of the world comes along and he'd like to catch you and try and prove to you that your Bible is not true. He's all full of uncertainty and he'd like to catch you so that he could justify himself, that he couldn't rest on the Bible. Christians are very upset when he has these doubts. He's longing to meet somebody that can answer his problems.
Set them right. He wants to get rid of them. So a real Christian really in his heart he has that faith may be shaking on the rock though away from scripture. Do we? I think I heard someone say once that God has put the gifts in the word of God to bring exercise of soul and conscience. And I also heard it put this way, that there is no comfort in the scriptures or someone who is willingly going on in sin.
And we're not wise.
To try to comfort people in their sins and consequently, the Ifs are here.
00:50:06
They are exercising our hope. Let's not try to erase them, but let's get the good of them. One time I heard a brother preach the gospel and he referred to somebody.
Who, according to his own testimony, what's going on in sin and witnesses. And this person he was referring to was known to quite a few in the audience, but he said at least.
Still cling to his salvation.
You know, I believe we have no right.
Somebody carries on like that, speak of that person as a safe person.
He might have to be, but he has no right to do that. Do we? If there's not any question that he could be lost, but whether he was saved in the 1St place? I met a preacher one time when I was traveling and he said to me he didn't believe in the security of the believer and he found out that I did and he said, well, basically there's really no difference.
He said. You say when a question like this arises, Oh well, a person was never really saved at all.
He said I say he was saved but now he's lost again. But he says it's all the same in the end because.
You believe they go to hell and so do I. So what's the difference? And I said all There's an immense difference. You're saying that the Lord saved somebody and wasn't able to keep them and that now they're finally going to end in hell. I've presaved them. But I said the scripture says now a person could make a profession and a pretty loud one.
But if he turns his back upon Christ, it's a proof that he never was saved at all. There is no respect on price than that the truth of God always glorifies Christ. But any doctrine they may say, well, I don't make any difference, but they do make a big difference because their teaching is really reflecting on Christ and his ability to keep someone whom he has saved. We need to see the basic thing behind this for all false doctrine either attacks the 1St or the work of Christ, or both.
The 1St 24 being.
Feeling that the affections of trade and spilling up for the Lord Jesus in his lifetime here it did not reveal a truth of the Church as the body of Christ. And he suffered and said turn back to Romans chapter 15. I believe it is chapter 15 verse 8. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the Fathers.
But now in the 16th verse, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, so that the Lord Jesus suffered from Israel, who rejected him and wouldn't have him. He came unto his own, and his own received him not, but it was in his heart that the Gentiles should be blessed too. But it wasn't until he died as.
Those Greeks wanted to see him, and he said, except the corn, if we fall into the crowd, brown them die, and abide us alone.
Then he went on to say, I, if I be lifted up from the earth, shall draw oh man unto me.
Now the work is complete. The Commission was to go out and preach the gospel to every creature.
And now follow something as he announced this glorious, pleasant truth that was in the heart of God, the truth of the Church, and so the filling up that was the kind of the afflictions of Christ. The Lord Jesus, of course, by his work on the cross has brought about this blessing.
All the suffering and proclaiming it, and so the Lord Jesus suffered from the hands of Israel, rejects him and would not have him. Of course the Gentiles were brought in, but it was primarily Israel. But now Paul was suffering and bringing out this lesser than wondrous proof. And it was so precious to his heart that he's identifying himself with the Lord suffering, and bringing out the truth that was in the heart of Christ, that secret that could be revealed.
Until the end of the comments like going out to the Gentile, I was thinking we might order enrollment turn to Chapter 11 because we've been Speaking of reconciliation and one might be reading across this and wonder what is involved. But it fits in, I believe, with the thought we've just had in regards to the God thought of the gospel going out Gentile in verse 15.
00:55:09
Romans 11 For insta casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, but the receiving of them be the life of the dead. This expression reconciling of earth, it is not what we think about had earlier reconciliation thing, heaven and earth and the reconciliation person, but it's it's in connection with the the.
Going out now to Gentiles, there was a time when the when God might say God's favor was found only in the nation Israel. It was restricted to that nation. Israel was the the vineyard God was occupied with and he is a blessing profound, somewhat restrictive to that nation, but now they have rejected.
The the Lord Jesus. And they rejected the gospel. So they have fallen and they've been castaway for a little while. They're having to. They're not entirely, that is completely given up, but for the time being they're set aside. And so the world now is the Gentiles. Those who were outside of Israel are now brought into a place of divine favor. That doesn't mean that souls are saved.
But it means that they have the wonderful truth of God brought them. It's the gospel that is preached to every creature which is under heaven. You remember when Matthew Gospel and the paraphilation woman.
Spoke to the Lord. Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And he said he was not me to take the children's bread and cast the dog. But that was before the world, you might say, was brought into reconciliation, but now the world is brought into reconciliation in that.
There is deep for them, there's food for them, and that's the glad tidings that is going out, being tweaked for every creature. And not only that, but the truth of the mystery. Christ among the Gentiles, Christ hindused hope of glory. And so it's now the the world. The Gentiles are before God as the objects of his favor, Let's say. Again, that doesn't mean that the whole world is reconciled in the sense that their enmity has been moved and they're brought to God.
But it means that they stand in a favorable light before God. God is now favorable toward the world, whereas at one time is is the favor was or less fixed that nation Israel? I'd like to ask a question and ask for me brother, and I think it's a good question. In relation to our verse 1223, the hope of the dog's religion, which was free to ever give him under heaven where our life fallen, made sense. Well, this question is this Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus said to his apostles.
This resurrection go you went through all the world and preach the vastness. He said that more than once. And this brother said, why did not the apostles do it? They didn't do it, they stayed in Jerusalem. So I'd like to ask that question this afternoon. Maybe my brother can help. Why?
Is not the apostle of Lord Jesus do what he told to do, he said. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But they didn't do it Jason so and waited to know God called the Apostle Paul to get going and take the gospel to the world.
So I'd like to ask my president for an answer to that. If he's trying to give it, why did not men like Matthew Phillips, John and Martha and Peter, why did they not do for Jesus? Well, as far as I'm concerned, I would say that to me the the thought of the Lord is that worldwide testimony, it's not necessarily that the gospel is going to be pleased or is be preached or was ever meant to be preached every individual teacher.
That's a thought.
But it means that it is a worldwide testimony and we have been speaking here in regard to Israel, God to God's testimonies were found.
I don't say that God did not work sovereignly even in the Old Testament days among 10,000. No, it did. But there was not a worldwide testimony going out to all the nations. It was the testimony was established in Baker and they had the statute judgment.
01:00:10
Testimony. And even when the Lord was here on earth, that he was not sent, except the House of Israel, thrown out into the way of the Gentiles. Now in contrast to that, to all the world, and preach the gospel to every preacher, not, as I say, that every teacher would receive it, But I have no doubt in the in those early days in Acts there were those that we know that even after the Lord's resurrection they said without this time.
Restore and electric Kingdom. And no doubt it awaited the calling of Paul to have the full light and knowledge of this present age. And this present program of God is sending out the the Word to all the world and the the especially the mission to the Gentiles. These that were in Jerusalem still I believe had somewhat of the restricted notions.
Of Israel. And it really awaited the Apostle Paul.
All it was to him that this full truth was given of the nation set aside, Israel set aside. He's not going out to the Gentiles. In fact, you see that that was an issue in the 15th or that wasn't. May I suggest this that.
The command was given to the disciples, that's true. But that command was not only men.
For the disciples that was meant for all, whoever at any.
Century would be in the position of proclaiming the good news the Lord himself had told his disciples beginning at the Dia, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. So the Lord himself implied that he was aware that it would start there and then spread. And you see that's fulfilled in the book of Acts. And so we can say that.
The Lord listen knew that that would not be fully carried out, and even when the Church is gone.
The messenger of the gospel of the Kingdom still go by that command, go into all the world. They will face the gospel of the Kingdom. They're still carrying out that word and they will probably read where the gospel of the grace of God did not be, It says correctly. Is that correct to say?
Well, I think that they're starting to profane history. They many of them did go out. I I don't remember where those different ones went. But I have read in Fox's book of Martyrs, perhaps come notice that and think about where the apostles went. And John was in the aisle, which is called. I think they did carry it out to some extent, but at first they funded Jerusalem and you learned in the early part of the act it says.
At the dispersion that arose over the Sonic and Stevens.
That they were all scattered abroad, except the Apostles. And then they they were the first ones that publicly carried the message to the Gentiles People immediately used is as it were open the door of Grace and the Gentile at the beginning of the young Dollar family, and Antioch like the resolve of those.
Scattered abroad from the persecution that arose overseas them. And so I believe it was somewhat gradual thing, but I believe it was. I think it's important that that was just thought of it perhaps God is over really Providence allowed them to remain there. So that might be established between they do it. So you learn about the 10,000 leaders. There was a very great danger and I'm sure you have gone for Alaska.
Very danger of wanting to make that this reality a kind of a national thing so that they like to feel that.
National Workout and Real Trade. Peru and Bolivia, they like to see all that. They want to defend them upon any other place. But God has allowed it so that the gospel goes out and it is worthy. Association is made, and it must recognize that God is already brought in Jerusalem.
Scenario that we work in the household of Cornelius and the massively carried down the Antigone called his face and goes on farther So another day it carried out and God has written blessed England and from the United States and Canada and these countries. And now there's the exercise in Maryland my God of the morning. I knew a nationalism the messenger for all. And it also said as setting up something in the place.
01:05:24
In the United States or Canada?
And so I believe the most truth by you. So as we know, along with the wisdom, must go down in some areas before they see the Holy Spirit in the morning after those amongst themselves did not.
But.
Broken down. And then he carries the message, the house and all that. God had a way of that.
The United States of Canada.
There's one body for sure.
Is part of the Church of God, and God allows them to be carried out in that way so that the length of this is people and.
But we have something I'll try to use for the glory and the difference between that and the season.
We're seeing already. I see it in the Adelaide. So it's not a hope that's before them and that's why the Lord is coming together, because believers are already treated there. But here there was a hope before them and that is we have that hope. We already have prices in our life, but we're not yet in that glory and.
Because we haven't yet missed a pistol or not seen as being treated in heavenly and so that's what he's bringing before them. I believe in that expression that Christ in you the hope of glory. Because apparently Judy, Isaac teachers had come down and they were really robbing them of this blessed hope and the enjoyment of the fact that their home was not really here at all but in the glory. And that's really the burden of the apostle part.
Have you know how much the disciples were occupied with whether the Lord was going to set up a Kingdom at that time? Will sell at this time, Restore the Kingdom to Israel. Now all this glorious truth has come out, and the great burden on the heart of the Apostle is that what was happening was.
That they were actually Judaizing Christianity and making Christianity A moral force to improve the world. You see an awful lot of that taking place today. That is, that Christianity should be a moral majority to make a better land and to improve conditions. But he is seeking to bring before them that the hope is laid out for us in heaven and the Christ in you is the hope of glory. And what grieves his heart was that the Saints didn't lay hold of this wonderful truth.
It was a real bird on his soul, and it might well be a burden on ours to see Christians active to try and improve the world instead of seeing that what we're doing is preaching the gospel of souls would be saved and know their portion above be witnesses in this world for Christ.
As heavenly people possessing the life of Christ, but realizing that all their hopes were in heaven, that nothing is going to be set right under the first man. It's under the second man. It's the one that in whom all the fullness of the Godhead is pleased as well. And this was a great burden on the heart of the Apostle, as he saw the reasoning and wisdom of man coming in to replace his soul, the understanding of their true position.
Many dear Christians we need who think that their part is to improve this world and to bring in something better, instead of seeing the position that is ours and that we're really waiting for God's Son from heaven. But let us not lose in our energy in the gospel it's preached to every preacher which is under heaven.
The message is for all, but not as we're building a community to make a better world, but to tell them the world is under judgment. Heaven is our home. We're associated with Christ as members of His body.
Even if so present that the first man has been set aside completely when they took the Lord Jesus, and through the fighting we don't see the result yet. So that's what happened now is the judgments of this world. No, the Prince of this world will be cast out. When they took the Lord Jesus and crucified him, that was the end of the first man. No good of the first man. He tried in different dispensations, the dispensation of the conscience, and they failed and everything.
01:10:29
Wind up in this city, ruined violence and corruption, died under the law and he failed because when the Lord Jesus came to belong under the law, they reject him. They reject him. And so it made the first man as being set aside. And we're going to see the results of the millennials.
There's two sides of this mystery in Ephesians that it's our side of our being in Christ, isn't it?
In Christ before God, and taken up his seat in the heavenly in Christ.
And I suppose that we would.
Attach to that side of the history more the thought of the riches of glory. But here he speaks of it as the riches of the glory of this mystery among you, which is not you in Christ before God, with Christ in you down here. That's perhaps the side of the mystery that we do not dwell upon as much as the other side of the mystery of our association with Christ before God is not being in him, but it's.
The fact that he is in us down here, it's not only heaven is our life, but he's in our affections in our heart and that's the the open glory and it's mixed of the riches and the glory of this mysterious Christ in you. Even while we're down here, we want to enter into this side as well as our being in Christ before God if we have Christ in us while we're down here.
One of us seems to be showed up on us, brother.
What an honor. What a blessing.
It's the first matter of statement.
Yeah, there are. The 1St is rather a matter of our standing in the last of our state, Christ enough to be noticeable in the Christian.
Yes, what Christ is enough.
You know, there's one thing about one of the marks of a true believer is that Christ is, you might say, enshrined in his affection. If there is no love of Christ in the in the soul, it's false profession. That's one of the marks every true believer as Christ in his affection, in his heart.
It's not a question how much I love to use it. I'm not trying to say that, but I believe that it's an actual fight. The price is enough, Not only their life, but in our hearts.
Brother Johan out in India. He says there's plenty of gospel preaching out in India. But he said what is lacking is the understanding of what the truth of the church is and our association with him. And he said let's put a little extra energy into bringing out some of this truth so that those know the Lord might know what Christianity really is. And that's what Paul's talking about here. There is the 2 ministries, I believe there's the ministry of the gospel that goes out to every creature under heaven that he might be saved.
Also that ministry which was a burden on the heart of the apostle. Notice the 28th verse, who we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus is thought. There is not so much warning sinners of the judgment, but warning them how the emeralds of things would rob them of the enjoyment of this Christ in you, the hope of glory. It would rob them of understanding what their truth position was.
And saw that they could walk as heavenly man. The little hymn says call from above and heavenly men by birth. But Paul says, I want to put a lot of energy into bringing out this truth. I'm willing to special for it instead. Not just 10 sinners out of behaved, blessed as that is, but that they might lay hold of the truth and walk in the liberty and joy of it. Do not believe it's very blessed to understand these two ministries that were committed to the apostle Paul and I believe is gathered to the Lord's name and is knowing many of these precious things by matchless grace.
We ought to, we ought to desire to spread them, that others might enjoy them.
Death
Gospel—R. Thonney
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
So we start with #7 or him sheet.
God love the world with sinners lie and ruined by the fall salvation full at highest cost.
The offers free.
Oh, it was loved. His wonders love.
The love of God to me, it brought my savior from above to die from Calvary. Someone please start #7.
Also #31 in the hymn sheet.
I will sing of my Redeemer and His wondrous love to me.
On the cruel cross he suffered from the curse that set me free.
Sing oh sing of my Redeemer with his blood. He purchased me on the cross. He sealed my pardon, pay the debt and set me free. Someone please start #31.
I will pray.
And.
See you.
All follow me.
As I lookout over the company tonight.
I can't tell.
Who is real in their hearts with God? I can't tell those who are perhaps putting on a false front.
I'm going to address you all in the solemnity of the issues that are at stake tonight.
In the gospel, we deal with realities.
We are living in a world of unrealities.
00:10:02
And especially as touching the truth of God.
Satan tries to make it appear as unreality.
He dresses it up in one fair form or another, so that it doesn't appear like it really is. But the Gospel deals with realities of sin, of Satan, of hell.
But also positive realities of a God who loves us. I'm a Savior who in his desire to show his love.
And to save our souls died on Calvary.
Yes, friends, we live in a world of unreality, but we're going to speak about realities tonight. It is often impressed me how in the society we live here in the United States and Canada, Satan has dressed up realities so they do not appear like they really are. I'll speak of one.
That it really struck me one time as we were in the southern part of Mexico during one night where we were sleeping in a little hot outside, I noticed some people moving around about 3:00 in the morning.
And out there, as I look through the wall, the slots, and the sticks in the wall, I saw a bed laid out there in the center.
And on that bed with somebody, Elaine, I didn't know what had happened, but I found out a little later that someone had died. And down there when they die, it's the law says that they have to be buried within 24 hours. It's a very final thing, death is.
Didn't have any coffin to put her in, wrapped her up in a sheet.
Went out to the cemetery carried by three or four people and dug a hole and put that body wrapped in that cloth right down and buried her right there in the front of everybody.
Up here in the United States, what happened? Someone gets sick, they get taken to the hospital. They get drugged up so they do not feel pain. They get a TV screen, put it in front of them so they don't think of the awful reality of death, of times they don't even realize they're dying until they're dead. And then after they're dead, they put them in a beautiful casket. They put beautiful flowers around them.
They speak beautiful words over them. They put them in a beautiful cemetery. The whole reality of it is is done away. All friends. Death is a reality and the God who loves your soul knows it far better than anyone else. Here I'd like to read a verse to begin with in the book of Proverbs chapter 15.
Proverbs, chapter 15, verse 11.
Hell and destruction.
Are before the Lord.
How much more?
Than the heart of the children of men.
Hell and destruction are before the Lord.
How much more than the heart of the children of men?
Oh, as God looks down into this room and still sees those who are bound, determined to go on their road to hell and destruction.
The God who knows what it is and the awfulness of it. Ah, he longs for your soul, friend. He longs for your heart. He yearns that you might be saved and saved tonight.
It's a reality, friend. The God who never told a lie has spoken about it.
00:15:00
If he could lie, he would not be God. I speak reverently. He is God, He cannot lie. Hell and destruction are before the Lord. How much more than the hearts of the children of men?
Our God, who knows the terrible, awful reality of the end to which you are going if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Wants to turn you tonight to salvation.
Oh God, seeing the situation in which man his creature was in so short, his love, his son, his son go to a well known verse in John chapter 3 verse 16.
Others spoken of many times, but oh, there's perhaps no other verse in the whole of the Bible that shows in a more wonderful way.
The wonderful love of our God to us as lost sinners.
John, 316.
For God so loved the world that he gave.
Is only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life?
For God sent not his work sent into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
Our friend God who loves your soul. God who knows what hell and destruction is.
God, who knows what it will mean to be in the lake of fire for all eternity?
Interested in your soul here tonight, dear young person. You may not have much interest to listen to what I'm saying tonight, but I'm saying God is interested individually in your soul. He knows what hell, He knows what the lake of fire is in all its awful reality, and He does not want you to go one step further in that direction.
No, friend, He wants to save you, and He's proven his love in a measure that there could be no greater measure here. God.
So loved the world that he gave. He gave. Sometimes we profess love to a person, but it's just a profession. Just empty words is all. But God, when he professes love, shows that it's not an empty profession of love.
It's the fullest, most complete expression of love he gave.
All that he could give, He gave his only begotten.
Planning that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. What is perish? Somebody is sad pass eternally ruined into Satans hell.
God does not want you to perish. And I want to say to you tonight, friend, if you end up in the Lake of Fire forever, God did not want you to go there. And God roadblocked the road that you tried to get to the Lake of Fire forever.
He brought blocked it with the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ah, God gave so that you might not perish, but that you might have everlasting life. You do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. You do not know what living really is. Yet I invite you tonight to take the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Accept him into your heart and reality.
And I think of those who are sitting here, and I know many of you sit in your home, little meetings, hearing the gospel, perhaps in Sunday school as youngsters listening to the gospel week after week. And yet when I think back of my boyhood and those who sat on the rows of the Sunday school there.
00:20:06
In my hometown where I sat.
In the sunny school as well. And I thank the road, some of those same ones that were sitting along with me, The road they've chosen is a road to hell. To hell. They're still on that road. Maybe you're making a good false front. Maybe you've got all the brethren fools real good. But I say you're not fooling God. And if you think you're fooling the bread and you're fooling yourself.
Worse than you are fooling anybody else. Wake up tonight. I plead with you for the good of your own soul for all eternity. I plead with you, wake up. There's reality at death and hell and the lake of fire for all eternity. Oh, you say, what are you trying to do, scare us? If a fireman comes into the house where you're staying, where you live, and says get out of here.
This house is on fire. Are you going to say that? Fireman? What are you trying to do, Scare me? No, you're going to take his word seriously. You're going to take it seriously? Oh, my friend, if you're going to take the word of a fireman seriously, how about the word of a God who never could lie and never has lied? He says there's hell and there's destruction before the Sinner. How much more he is interested in your heart?
Any eternal destiny of your soul.
God so loved the world that he gave.
And all my friend, when God gives, he doesn't give in halfway majors.
He gives incomplete measures and he didn't give his son.
Into this world until a certain point and then say, well, if you're not going to take my son, I'll take him back to heaven. He didn't give in that kind of a measure. No, the measure he gave was a complete measure and the story of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have here in this book how he went through this world during 33 1/2 years of his life to show the love of God to men and women on every hand.
Raising the dead, hearing the lepers, giving sight to the blind, preaching the gospel to the poor, every hand it was dispensing blessing. What was man's response?
To take the Christ of God, to nail him for those spikes through the hands and through the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. To take a crown of thorns, to put it on his head.
And beat that crown into his head with sticks to hit him in the face.
Till it says in Isaiah prophetically, his form was more marred than any man's in his visage, more than the sons of men. That was the response of the heart of man. Oh, I tell you when I think of what a man must have meant to the heart of God, when he looked down in this world and saw men, his creature man, the most exalted form of life.
In this universe.
When he saw his creature man doing such terrible insults.
To his own beloved son and didn't respond. Oh, I marvel at his love for you and for me. How can you turn your back tonight on that love and walk out of that room? How can you, friend? How can you? How dare you?
But that's not the whole story.
The Lord Jesus hanging there on that Christ.
During three hours from 9:00 in the morning till 12 noon.
Suffered the insults of the heart of man.
Which men? Bad men? No, everyone was represented there. The religious leaders of the day were the 1St to go by in front of him, mocking him.
You know when a person is suffering, generally speaking, the public have enough respect to leave that person in quietly.
To suffer by himself, They didn't have that respect.
For the Son of God, the very religious leaders, those that profess.
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Our relationship with God were the first ones to pass in front of that one.
Hanging there on the cross to shout insults into his very faces.
But the Marvel?
The greatest Marvel friends remains from 12 noon.
The 3:00 in the afternoon, everything is dark.
And in three hours of darkness, the scripture says that God laid on Jesus.
All our sins.
Nobody saw what happened there, but in those three hours of darkness, God.
Let all the fury of his wrath that was against me and my sins, he let it pour out on the head of the Lord Jesus Christ.
During three hours he suffered it all for me.
Oh friends, at the end of those three hours, the Lord Jesus was forsaken of God, the only man who had always done the will of God perfectly, without fail. Forsaken, completely abandoned by God.
Oh, don't you see, friend? How much?
God wants to save your soul. How much he desires that you be saved from hell and destruction and the awful reality of that place.
Jesus died, he said, just before he died. It is finished. The work of salvation for lost sinners like you and me is done. There's nothing more that remains to be done. You can have it by simple faith in the Lord Jesus. Again, I challenge those who have heard the story of the Gospel for so many years.
You may know about this. You may know so well that you can tell it just like I'm telling it tonight. But I ask you, have you accepted Him as your own Savior? A mere knowledge of the gospel will never save anyone.
And I greatly fear that there's many here studied tonight.
That have a mere knowledge without the reality in the heart.
Oh, I want to challenge you, you young people who are walking carelessly.
You who think you can get away with it, do you really know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? You know the scripture says that if you're walking on the path on the road to destruction, that road leads to hell. There's a road that leads to life, that leads to the glory above. You cannot tread the road to destruction.
And all and enjoy all the sins that are on that road and at the same time beyond the road that leads to life.
There seems to be a general idea today.
Once you're saved, you're always saved and doesn't matter what you do after that.
Our friends, if that's the attitude you have according to the Word of God, we have to doubt the reality of the work of grace in your soul. Are you really saved?
I know sometimes young people, even at conferences, get into some pretty serious problems. I've heard some of those problems drinking, drugs.
Other things that I'd rather not mention tonight, but I've heard. I can't hardly believe it happened at conferences, but I've heard that it does and I heard from sources that I believe.
Are you real? Are you trying to fake it?
I say again, you're trying to fake it. You're fooling yourself worse than anybody else.
Wake up, it's no time to be fooling around hell.
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It's close. Destruction can be just a step away.
Our friend, wake up tonight, I plead with you.
The God who knows the awful reality of what hell is looks at you.
And longs for the salvation of your soul. The Lord Jesus, in his desire to save you, came all the way from heaven, came to this world, died on the cross of Calvary. After he died, the scripture tells us maybe we should read it in the same Gospel of John chapter 19.
Rape. Reverse.
30 Jesus here the Lord Jesus is on the cross, hanging there.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. He died.
The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation, the body should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was in high. They besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the 1St and the others which were crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was dead already, they break not his legs, but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forth with came their out.
Blood and water.
Oh, the precious blood of Jesus, Oh, the power there is in that precious blood to cleanse from all sin, It says in first John 17. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
There's power in that blood, power to cleanse you tonight, friend, You only accept the Lord Jesus.
As your own savior.
Last year with some others had the privilege of being down at the conference in Oaxaca, Mexico.
And some years before and one of my visits down there, I'd met a brother.
His name was called Synovial. Perhaps some of you have heard of him.
In synovial before he had gotten saved.
Been abandoned.
And a murderer and a robber.
And according to what I understand, he had killed 21 People in the South of Mexico.
So bad he was that the Mexican army was looking for him on the mountains of that part of Mexico.
One day Synovial heard the gospel.
He heard the wonderful news down there. They make the little gospel halls out of sticks stuck in the ground in the form of a rectangle, the door appropriate spot. And at night when the lamp's going inside little hall while you can see and through from the outside synovial stood out there in the dark one night listened to the gospel. He heard the wonderful news, the blood of Jesus Christ.
His son cleanses from all sins. He couldn't believe it at first.
But he got it repeated by some of the other brethren.
True, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses from all sin, accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior. It was saved. The Mexican army finally caught up with him. But when they finally caught up with him, they said this is not the band that we were looking for. This is a different man completely. And they let him go, pardoned him completely, pardoned by the state of Mexico, pardoned by God.
Himself.
You know, last year when I was down there was asking some of the brothers at the conference.
Where's Synovio? And he said, oh, didn't you hear? Senalvio went home to the glory just a few months ago.
Oh, the triumph.
And the power, the victory that there is in that precious blood of Christ.
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A murderer stain, his hand stained with so many human lives, The presence of God.
Oh, the power there isn't that precious blood, friend, to save your soul tonight. Don't wait any longer right where you're sitting. Open your heart, the Lord Jesus, accept him.
His precious blood will voice your every stint away.
But that's not the end of the story. The Lord Jesus not only died and was buried.
But after three days, he rose again from the dead. God was so.
Perfectly satisfied with the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
So completely was the question of sin answered to God's own glory, that God raised him from the dead, and didn't quit raising him until He put him over every.
Of power in the whole universe, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, there is a risen man in the glory. He's God's man. He's God's savior. He can save you tonight. And I ask you to let him too, for the good of your own soul, for eternity, if you haven't done it yet.
I'd like to turn now to.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 16.
Just to briefly.
Show you some of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was here in this world.
And of the reality of hell that he painted.
You know, you don't hear too much about.
Hell, these days it seems like awful realities are painted in a way they seem unreal. Horror films are shown, people come out, dismiss it all. It's not true. They read over the word of God, they think about it, maybe a few minutes, they dismiss. It couldn't be true.
But my friend the Lord Jesus, the same one who died on Calvary to save you, gives you an awful big red light here. Please stop, please listen. So what he says, it's a reality what we have to say tonight.
Luke 16 Beginning with verse 19, there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. There was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.
That came to pass. The beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abrahams bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments.
And see if Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus.
That he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said son, remember.
That thou thy lifetime receiveth thy good things, likewise Lazarus, evil things. But now he is comforted. Thou art tormented beside all this. Between US and you there is a great goal fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you.
Cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence then he said, I pray thee therefore, Father.
That thou would send him to my father's house, for I have 5 brethren, that he may testify to them.
Plus they also come into this place of torment. Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though 1 rose from the dead. Put a solemn picture we have here.
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Sometimes, you know, it's spoken of as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, but it really doesn't say in Scripture that it's a parable.
The Lord Jesus said there was a certain rich man. This man actually lived here in this world. There was a certain rich man and there was a beggar. The rich man lived for present advantage. And this is the whole emphasis of the society in which you and I Live Today. Live for present advantage. You don't know much of what's beyond.
So live for today.
Live it up.
There is a beggar. The other extreme of the social scale didn't have anything.
We know from other scriptures that he had faith in the Lord Jesus.
Even though he didn't have much else, he had faith.
And Lazarus died, and he's seen in Abraham's bosom a figure of heaven.
The rich man died and was buried. He must have had a tremendous funeral service. He was buried. Doesn't speak of Elizabeth burial.
But it speaks of the rich man's burial.
And it says in verse, notice in verse 23 and hell, the moment he died in hell, he lift up his eyes, doesn't say he lifted up his eyes. He lifted up his eyes being in torment present. He's still lifting up his eyes in torment.
Old friend, some people say that it's just a figure. Flames of fire. It's just a figure. If it's just a figure, then please tell me what is the figure of if it's not terrible, terrible torment.
The Lord Jesus does not want you to go there.
Hell and destruction are before the Lord, how much more the hearts of the children of men.
He is in torment, he sees he has his faculties about him.
And he calls to father Abraham to send Lazarus.
To cool his tongue by dipping in the tip of his finger in water. Sometimes people say that he asked for a drop of water. Doesn't really say that he asked for a drop of water. He just said might tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. That's all he asked for. Was his request granted? No friend, Mercy is not for that place. Mercy is here and now.
And then something more.
Verse 25.
But Abraham said, son, remember, remember for all eternity, friend, you're going to have your memory. You're going to remember the many, many times you sat in gospel meetings. You're going to remember the times when you felt the Spirit of God striving in your soul and you resisted.
You're going to remember it.
The worst, One of the worst torments of a lost eternity is that word Remember, you may forget now lots of things. You won't forget an eternity. Oh my friend, these are realities, and the Lord Jesus paints them in a picture that cannot be mistaken as to what it involves. Satan tries to obscure this.
In one way or another, but remember Satans power to deceive and blind men is only in this life. As you slip into eternity your eyes are going to be open to the terrible reality of it all.
Still remember the story I heard when I was younger.
Of a farmer who had a dog and they had baby puppies.
And for a long time, he kept those puppies around and they never opened their eyes. And he finally thought, well, it looks like these pups are not going to be worth anything. I just put them in a bag and take them out, throw them into the lake, some stones in the bag and say, put them in a bag, a bag that he could see through.
00:45:18
And put some stones in the bag with the pups, took them out to a pond nearby and.
Rode out in the middle of the pond and dropped the bag over and as he looked saw those pups going down. Just as they were going down, some of them opened their eyes too late.
Friend, your eyes are going to open to the reality of what we're speaking about tonight.
But if it doesn't have any effect on you, what we're saying tonight, I say you're blinded by Satan.
You're hardened by listening so many times to the gospel and not receiving the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
We're here tonight to plead with you once again to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior before it's too light forever.
The rich man shouldn't say is a rich man because he's no longer a rich man in hell.
But in hell, he asked to send Lazarus to his brethren so that they wouldn't come there. Sometimes they speak of having company in hell. This man didn't want any company in hell. No, you're in torment. You don't want any company around.
And the the answer from Abraham was if they do not believe Moses and the prophets, in other words, the scriptures that he had in those days.
They don't believe Moses and the prophets. They will not believe either if one rose from the dead. Can you imagine it, some relative of yours that has died a number of years ago?
Imagine all of a sudden you look over at the door and see him walking in straight over at you and saying look, Hell's a reality. Get ready. You don't believe this book, friend. You wouldn't believe if that happened tonight. You wouldn't believe. That's what the word of God says.
God's testimony is true. I ask you, have you accepted it or are you rejecting it? They're no halfway measures. You have accepted it or you have rejected it.
Now let's go to.
Mark's Gospel, Chapter 9.
In Luke's gospel, we've been Speaking of hell.
The place of the departed.
Who know not the Lord Jesus as their savior. As soon as they die, their soul is in hell. It's translated sometimes Hades. It's the place of the departed dead until that great judgment day when the dead are going to be called out of their graves and hell is going to be empty to those souls to stand before God and then those that are not found written in the book of life.
Their eternal destiny is a place called the lake of fire, an enclosure of fire. And sometimes in the Scripture the word is used, Guiana, and this is what we're going to speak about here in Mark Chapter 9, the Lord Jesus himself speaking again. Remember, it's not one of his disciples of the Lord, not one of the Lord's servants. It's the Lord Jesus himself speaking these words.
We will read from verse 42.
Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him.
That a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. If thy hand offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched again. I repeat that word. Hell in this place is not the place of the departed dead. It is Guiana, the lake of fire, the eternal destiny of souls.
Who die without receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into, enter, halt into light, then having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.
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Where their worm dieth not, and the fires not quench. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.
It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye, then having two eyes to be cast into hell.
Fire where their worm dieth not, and the fire.
Is not quenched. Oh Lord, Jesus speaks in awful reality here.
These are roadblocks that are put up in front of you so that you will not go to hell and destruction. The God who knows the awful reality of hell and destruction is looking down individually at each one of you who haven't accepted Christ yet, and He's longing to save you tonight if you get the hell in the end, if you insist on leading your own life of self will and rebellion to God.
And his claims on you and go by those roadblocks.
You will have no one else to blame in hell fire forever.
Accept yourself, oh friend. God wants to save you tonight.
Don't you want to be safe?
So the Lord Jesus speaks here of something He uses a word that we often use in our everyday life. Better.
Notice it's in verse 4345 and 47.
Better you know what that word means.
We have to make decisions always in the store we see two things, possibility of buying one or the other.
Have one here in this and one in this sand after this side which is better? And I make a decision which is better. And I buy that we make that decision all the time in our lives, our daily lives. But here's the decision you have to make as well, friend. Which is better to go?
Two hands into the lake of fire, or to cut off one hand and they go into light. Something you like to do so much you like to do it. You don't accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
The foot someplace you like to go because you like to go. That thing is a hindrance to your following the Lord Jesus, to your accepting Him as your Savior.
Your eye.
Something you like to see?
And therefore you do not accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
The scripture says better cut off that hand.
Cut off that foot.
Pull out that eye. Better than going with two hands, 2 feet or two eyes into the lake of fire.
Better.
Think about it, friend. Think about it seriously.
Can't imagine sometimes the way people think. Remember a young fellow in Bolivia?
About my own age, maybe a little younger.
Talk to him about the Lord.
Down there in Bolivia and South America, the national sport is soccer.
And it is an extremely extreme fanatical in that sport of soccer. They really love it.
And he let me know I don't accept the Lord Jesus yet because I like to play soccer.
Better if he would take an axe and chop off his foot.
So he wouldn't be able to do that, so he could come to the Lord Jesus. Now you say, That's getting kind of fanatical, aren't you?
I say friend is a fanatical to save yourself from eternal hell for heaven.
Forever. Is that fanatical?
Stole the story sometimes what happened in Bolivia and the brethren told me about it.
In the jungles there in the eastern part of the country, there is very venomous snakes and there's little coral snake whose poison effects your nerves and can kill you within a short time after it bites you. One day this man was in the jungle clearing land with a machete and he didn't notice Little snake bit him on the finger.
00:55:03
He knew that it was a question of a very short time and he'd be gone. You know what he did? Took his finger, laid it down on a log.
Pump cut it right off.
That fanatical or was it better to lose a finger than to lose his life? Which was better friend, you know, think about it reflect tonight. The Lord Jesus says better to be decisive, better to be drastic about it, but takes that.
But don't delay to come to the Savior tonight, friend. Better that than going into hell. Vienna, where their worm dieth not in the fire is not quenched. That memory of yours in the lake of fire, it's going to be like a worm eating you.
Remorse. Remorse for all eternity.
The terribleness of it all, the fire is not quenched. Whatever fire may be a figure of, if it is a figure, it's an awful, awful thing. Friend, that's where you are going. If you do not know the Savior tonight, if you're not real in your heart, wake up tonight. Don't try to fool yourself one moment more. Get right with God. Straighten the accounts.
Open your heart. Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior tonight.
Don't wait any longer. God now commands all men everywhere to repent because he has a point of the day in the which he will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. The judgment day is fixed them judges ordained. And friend, God commands you to repent. He doesn't say please repent. He commands you to repent, you know, in this country.
Where we live in a democracy, we don't understand exactly what authority means.
And South America and their military regimes, it's a little different when there's a command given by a military man under military government. You're looking down the barrel of a gun, and for your better interest, you'd better obey. It's authority that's speaking. And God who knows the terrible, awful reality of hell, commands that you repent. Tonight you go not a step further. Turn around.
Come to the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
There's a danger in waiting. Remember a man who came to the Gospel meeting in Monterey, Bolivia.
A father of one of the believers there.
He only spoke Quechua, the native Indian language. I didn't know how to talk too much of that.
I did say just two words one day to him. Hum, we crystal man come to Christ.
But he didn't. He listened to the gospel from those native brethren who spoke in Quechua.
But he said to his boy, I'm going to go back up to my home in the mountains, I'm going to straighten out everything, and I'm going to come back and accept the Lord my Savior.
He left soon after, went to the city of Santa Cruz.
Since he is a country fella, he is not used to the city and he is running across the street and watching where he's going and a Jeep was coming along at a fairly good pace.
Kill them instantly.
No chance to accept the Lord as your Savior.
So I looked at that poor body, mangled, put it down in the grave, made me think of the terrible, awful reality that faces souls that are without Christ. Tonight, again, with all our heart, we plead with you in the name of the Lord Jesus, if you haven't done it already, to not wait a moment longer to open that heart of yours to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Savior now.
Shall we pray?
What Think Ye of Christ
Children—D. Kenney
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.
General Meetings, Des Moines, May 1983. Children's Meeting.
It is wrong to go forward and I've got a brother snake La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La la.
Still lots of seats in the front row for any of the children would like to come out. Lots of seats in the front row.
OK, how about one from the girl? OK.
40 #40 Very well known song #40 Let's bring the 1St and the 3rd and the 5th verses of #40.
Jesus loves me, as I know.
I know. Help me. So we're all been here.
OK, on this verse, the children only will sing the chorus. All right, children only sing the chorus in verse #3.
Jesus loves me.
And he breakthrough made me.
Pretty good. Pretty good fifth verse.
Jesus loves me.
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Well, stay walking by me all the way.
If I cross him, should I go, he will Take Me Home.
Jesus, Jesus.
Loves me.
Yeah, she's not closely.
Who does Jesus love? Who does Jesus love in our song? What's the chorus say?
Me. How many knees are there in this room? How many knees are there in this room?
Sure, I see a few hands anymore. Hands. How many knees are there in this room?
Let's see. Any more hands?
Look, everybody is amazed. Jesus loves.
Me and we could put our own individual name right there.
Jesus loves.
Mr. Kenny, Who's that? That's me.
Jesus loves me. That's what this track says, right? He loves you.
Now I'd like to go around and I'd like to ask each one of you.
What about you? Does Jesus really love you? And do you know that?
And do you know him as your savior? All of you children? It's one thing about talking to the children.
At a conference, practically all of you children go to Sunday schools, don't you? How many of you children go to Sunday schools back when you how many? How many go to Sunday schools back where you live? I don't think there's anyone here in the front row that doesn't go to a Sunday school. And you've heard about the Lord Jesus Christ. When we talk to children at a hobby class or something like that, sometimes they don't know anything about the Lord Jesus.
But you children, as far back as you can remember. Isn't this right? As far back as you can remember?
You have heard about the Lord Jesus, but is he your savior? We know Jesus loves me. And can each one of you point to yourself and say Jesus loves me? That's the important thing. OK, we had a boy. We had a girl. How about another boy who has a song they'd like to sing? OK.
I mean, I am so glad we have that one in here.
No, there's one in the very back page You came in late. Is there one on the very Backpage that you'd like to send in the Backpage?
Anyone there?
You don't know anything. OK. How about #46? Go ahead, Heidi. OK You know that #46 will sing that, OK.
Glad TI.
And he wants to be a warrior.
Till they are here Wednesday of him and have always been going to wash the way.
OK, in here can spell.
Who can spell it? Okay baby? What's that first word mean? TID. What's that spell?
Glad tidings, okay. That's good news. We like to hear good news, don't we? That's what tidings mean, Okay. Who knows what BRING means?
00:10:07
Bring, bring. He's bringing good news to children.
That that.
Jesus.
Jesus has come to.
SAVE.
Save me and he calls and he calls all the GIRLS that spell boys. No, it spells girls and he wants all the.
Bo YS2 boys two right to trust. How do you spell trust?
TRUST. Yes, that's just Even the youngest one can spell the simple little words that are in this wonderful gospel and Sunday School song. OK, that was who gave that one out. That one was given out here. OK, so now we have a girl who? What other girl would like to have?
One girl. What other girls would like to have one? OK?
#47 OK, that's another good 1 #47 when he comes.
In the world crashing here with all the enemy.
I need to cry.
They will gather. He will gather.
Oh yeah, I'm his age of all the killer 1 qualified 1 is *** **** hell song.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh oh oh. A ring is my God. I'm lording. They shall fly.
82100 crashes, kills.
God for him.
Life.
In my heart, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's easy to come down to the end of the day. I'm going to go to the end of the day. I'm going to be able to see what I'm going to do. I'm going to be able to see what we're going to do in the world. I'm going to continue to do it right. It's jazz. I'm going to fall in the forehead.
Now I said we were only going to sing the songs from the very last page, but I'm going to maybe pick one other one, OK? And I'm going to pick it from inside the book. So let's look at #11, #11. Just turn one page 11, number 11. And we all know this one too. And let's sing the 1St and the last verse of #11.
Like to talk a little bit about the word safe and see how many of you can find the word safe.
In one of the verses that we will sing here, OK #11.
Will your anchor hold in the forms of love when the world won't go down and say yes?
00:15:58
Will your eyes be all through the morning?
Love you and no Harbour Bromley.
How many found the word safe? How many found it? Everybody found it? What verse was it in that we signed?
The last verse, That's right. Would you like to read it? Would you like to read it? You wouldn't like to read it? OK, can I read it? Says Will you anchor Safe by the heavenly shore. So after we pray, I'd like to talk a little bit about safe.
And about safety. OK, now let's close our eyes and we can ask God's blessing.
We thank thee, our loving God and Father for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank thee, blessed Lord Jesus, that Thou does love each one of these children. And many of us in this room can indeed say, Jesus loves me. And we just pray for each one of these children who have heard thy words so many times, who have memorized.
Bible verses. Who can tell the Bible stories? Oh that each one of them.
Right now might be able to say that they know the Blessed Lord Jesus as their savior. Oh, we thank thee that we have the opportunity here to tell these children of thy wondrous love, and we thank the Blessed Lord Jesus for that love that came to where we were. Oh, how much we have to be thankful for as we now commend ourselves unto these seeking help and guidance for this little time.
As we give thanks in thy name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
OK. We're going to talk a little bit about faith or about safety. What's the opposite of safety? What is the exact opposite of safe?
I'm going. I don't know everybody. I could pick out the Addison people, but they wouldn't like me if I kept doing that. So I'm going to have to point my finger a little bit at people that I don't know right? What's the.
What's the exact opposite means? Entirely different than safety?
Danger. That's the exact answer I was looking for. Danger.
Danger now the company that I worked for.
Stresses, or they really make a point of telling us to be careful as we're working. And they have a whole big book of safe ways of doing things. They have a whole big manual of things that you can.
00:20:08
And things that you cannot do and for every job or everything that we do.
There are descriptions on how we're supposed to do those so that there is no danger. Well, sometimes we have to work with things that are dangerous. How many of you have seen the sign? Hard hat area. Hard hat area? Have you ever seen a sign that says that or hard hats must be worn here? What do you think that means? What is a hard half?
I had. That's hard. That's right. I had. That's hard. It's like a helmet and maybe we'll even see a helmet or a hard hat here this morning. But it's these sorts of things that's to protect your head. Things might be dropping anybody that's building a building, these big buildings that are being built in Des Moines or Chicago. The men that women that go up in these buildings have to have hard hats on because something might drop.
And fall a long way, and if it would hit you on the head, it would kill you.
But a hard hat might protect you. OK, so there are various safety things that we are supposed to do. Now, I have some safety things in this bag here, and perhaps we can take a look at them. There are four things in this bag which we can look at, but I've got some safety things on me right now.
And perhaps some of the ones who have either lived in Addison or do live in Addison.
No, maybe. What safety things I almost always wear. Anybody know what safety things I almost always read?
Remember some of you that try to trample on my toe?
Remember Danny?
OK, Danny, you're pretty big boy. Why don't you come up here? Come on.
And you're a pretty big boy now. You can trample my tail as hard as you want. Just make sure you only hit the toe okay cap as hard as you want. I don't even feel that all now. Can I do that to you?
OK, I always wear safety shoes.
And underneath the leather on my shoes, there's a steel tip in my shoe.
Now, why would I want to wear safety shoes? It's not because Danny is always tramping on my toe. It's not because the children in Addison are always tramping on my toe. It's because that's where I work. We have to wear safety shoes and they supply the safety shoes. So that's the reason that I always wear them. Now, what does a steel tip in my shoe? What's it going to do for me?
Why is that important?
Why is that important?
It protects my toes. I could be picking up something and it might slip out of my hand and fall, and it could weigh a lot and it could hit right on my toes and it could break my toes. I think many of us know of a man right now who probably would be at this conference. He would probably be at this conference, except he now has a broken foot and he's at home because he dropped something on his foot and it broke his foot.
So what? Why is it important to protect the feet? What do we do with our feet? What do we do with our feet?
We skip with them, right? We walk, OK? It's important to know what we do with our feet, and sometimes we walk, sometimes we run, Davie says. Sometimes we skip. We do lots of things with our feet. But it's important to know where your feet are taking you. It's very important to know where your feet are taking you because we know in the Bible, it says.
Broad is the way.
That leads to where?
Destruction.
Broad is the way that leads to destruction and to go along that way. Each one of us in this room, not only just the children, but the older folks too, are going someplace. They're walking someplace. Which way are they on? Are they on the way that leads to destruction? Or are they on the way that leads to life? The mask. You need one of these children. This question you had a nice answer.
00:25:21
Able to come up with the answer to my question but for each one of you children.
On the way.
That leads to one. And you know, even though some of us are on that way, sometimes we need protection, don't we? We need protection for our feet because we can often get one way or another way and we can get into a few problems. And it reminds me of a story of a dog named Lassie, kind of a dog you think that would be named Lassie. What was a collie?
It was a collie and Lassie lived on a farm. And last he had a whole big woods to run in. And in this woods there are a lot of paths, and in these paths Lassie could run and sniff and just have a wonderful time. Well, one day Lassie didn't come back.
Last he didn't come back home. One day went past, two days went past, and Lassie didn't come back home. And they looked and they looked and finally they decided we're going to have to search the woods. Let's search the woods and see if we can find Lassie. And they looked and they looked, and finally they found Lassie. Lassie had gotten off the path and had gotten her foot caught in a trap.
In a trapper's trap. And she was trapped there for two days. Would she have been able to get out of that trap by herself, do you think? No, she would not have been able to get out of that way if that trap, if she had not been found, she would have died right there. She got off of the path and she was trapped. For those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have to be careful.
That we stay on the path. Let's not go to the one side or to the other side.
And for those of you children who if I had asked you right now, do you know the Lord is your savior? And you say, I don't know if I do or not. I don't know if I do or not. Oh, we pray that right now. You might say, I want to be on that way. I want to have my feet take me on that way. That goes right on to life. It's important, OK. I think that's all the safety equipment that I now have on.
And let's see what else we have in here. We do things with our feet, don't we? And we also do things with our hands. And sometimes in my work, I have to wear nice little gloves like this.
Now, what do you think these gloves are going to protect against? What do you think they're going to protect against?
Getting my hands burnt. That's exactly right. Sometimes I work with things that are very hot and I have to keep my hands from getting burned. Now what do we what do we use hands for? What do we use hands for?
Drying. Sure.
Picking up things.
Doing work you use the word that I want to doing. What do we use our hands?
Okay. She was going to. He was going to say that too. Eating okay, we do things with our hands. We do things with our hands. And it's so nice when you children can be of help doing things for your mother or your father or your sisters or your brothers, because our hands can either be doing good things or they can be doing things that aren't so good.
Going to ask you, none of you said anything that you do with your hands that might be bad, but I'm sure you all know of things that you can do with your hands that aren't very nice at all, and I'm sure you can all think of them. Now. We talked about the word do. You can do things with your feet, you can do things with your hands. What do you have to do to be saved?
What do you have to be do to be saved?
00:30:03
OK, does that involve that? She said. Believe on the Lord Jesus. Does that, does that involve anything with the hands or with the feet? Nothing at all. So with your hands or your feet, there's nothing that you do to be safe. Everything has already been done, and that's what the Lord Jesus Christ.
Did for me and he did for you. If you only believe in him, only accept him as your savior, then he has said it's already been done. There's nothing that you have to do. All the work I took, all the punishment, it was all put on me there on the cross. And I'm sure you children can answer that just as well as I thought. But do you really know?
Have you really accepted him as your savior? Oh, that's an important question. Really think about it. Really think about it. Have you really accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior? We do things with our feet. We do things with our hands. Sometimes our hands can get us into trouble. But we're happy to say that our hands can do so much good. They can do so many wonderful things.
To be of help to our families and to our parents and to those in Sunday school and those in meeting. So use your hands for good. And sometimes though we need the protection. Sometimes we need the protection. And isn't it wonderful that our hands sometimes can pick up this wonderful board, this wonderful book. And those of you who can read can open this book. Just think of the wonderful things that your hands can do.
With this book, the Bible.
And what else then, do you need? You're able to pick up the Bible, then what do you have to be able to do?
Read it, read it, and what do you use? What do you use to read the Bible?
Your eyes, and sometimes eyes need protection, don't they? And I have a pair of what we call safety glasses. They're glasses that are unbreakable and they've got protection on either side and you put them on. And there are sometimes the things that I do where I have to wear the safety glass. I'm not allowed to do that job unless I have the safety glasses on, and that's important.
And the eyes really don't do anything. They won't take you across the road. They won't pick up this announcement of the Sunday store, of the meetings. The eyes really don't do things like we think about it. But the eyes are very important because they guide us, don't we? In order for me to pick up this card, I can look at this card. I see it in my hand, moves right down, it can pick up this car.
So eyes are just so wonderful to have. And we know that there are people who don't have eyes or who have eyes do not work properly. And these people get along pretty good. But isn't it wonderful to have two eyes that we can use to guide our feet and to guide our hands? And with those eyes, again, those of you who can read, or those of you who are just learning to read, how wonderful it is to have your hands.
Not only open this Bible, but as much as possible to have your eyes reading God's Word, the word of God, which is in this Bible which we should be reading every every day. And isn't it wonderful to have the eyes to see and the eyes to guidance and the eyes it says in God's Word?
Look unto me and be saved. Look unto me. Look at the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. That's the look of faith. And we don't make the look of faith with our eyes, but.
We can use it as an example looking at the Lord Jesus and saying Lord Jesus, I accept you as my Savior. Now last night in the Gospel meeting.
We had some examples that we had before us, feet that weren't doing what they were supposed to be and hands that weren't doing what they were supposed to be and eyes that weren't doing what they were supposed to do. And our brother Bob said it would be better and God's Word says if they were cut off or if they were plucked out. But there are some parts of our body which we try to protect that we can't do without. We've seen people, or we've heard of people that don't have any feet or have any legs or have any hands.
00:35:32
Or arms. Or have any eyes. And although they're handicapped, they can get along.
But there are some things that we have to protect, we have to keep safe that we just can't go along without. Now here's an apron, and I'm sure for you girls, it's not an apron that you would find in your kitchen. It's an apron that sometimes and the work that I do, I have to wear this apron and this apron is.
Made of some material that will resist, will not burn, will not be burned by chemicals, or will not be burned by heat or by fire. And this protects the whole front of me. Doesn't this protects the whole front of me? In the Bible we read of the armor, We read of the breastplate, the breastplate that which protects this part of the body.
Now.
Why is it important to protect this part of the body?
What's in this part of the body that's really pretty important?
The heart. The heart. Maybe you children have heard in the last year of a man in the hospital out in Salt Lake City who got a new heart. Was it the kind of heart that we think of, which is about maybe this big made of muscle and just nicely beats along? Was it that type of a heart? What do you think? No, it really wasn't. The heart that that man got was a big piece of equipment.
We just can't make a heart as nice and as efficient and as good as God can. But this man out in, out in Salt Lake City, his old heart just wore out and they had to replace his old heart with a new wave, with a new one. And they put this new heart in and they had to have part of it sitting beside his bed because it all wouldn't fit inside of his body. And this heart worked pretty good.
For a while, but the man eventually died.
You know, I can look at your hands. I can look at your feet. I'd be able to see if your fingernails were clean. I can see lots about you, but I can't see your heart. I can't see that. If there's someone who can, there's someone right now who can look right down at every boy in this room, at every girl in this room, and they can look right on inside of you and they can say.
What is in that heart? What do they see? What do they see in that heart? Do they see a heart that, according to the Bible is deceitful? Only does those things which are bad. Is that what they're seeing? Or are they looking down, Or is this one looking down and is he seeing a new heart?
Because God's word says that He gives us a new heart, a new heart. Now that doesn't mean that he comes in and he quits a new heart inside of us. What that means is that he comes in and He cleanses us and He gives us a new person inside of us.
And this new person cannot do anything that's wrong. This new person lives actually inside of us, just like a new heart would. Oh, isn't it wonderful to have this?
But if you don't have this inside of you, if you're not saved, then the one who's looking down, and that's God, the one who's looking down, is seeing that old sinful heart in each one of you.
Oh, we pray that each one of you might have that new new heart.
00:40:02
OK. And there's another thing that I can't see and another thing that we often protect and I already mentioned it at the start of our meeting. And that's our head, That's our head and frequently.
In fact, you probably see this piece of safety equipment more than any other piece. And that's something that goes right on top of the hill, it goes right on top of the head and it protects the head. Now somebody could come up and they could hit me on the head with a hammer or they can drop something on my head.
And the only hurtfulness because my head is protected.
And what do we use to? Why is it so important to protect the head? Why is it so important?
Why is it so important?
That's right. So you won't be dead. What's inside of the head that's so important?
That's right. That's right. The brain, that's brain that's in the in the edge. If it wasn't for the brain, our hands wouldn't work right, Our feet wouldn't work right, our heart wouldn't work right. All of the functions, all of the things that our body does are controlled right here in the head. So it's extremely important that.
When we're working that, we protect the head. And oh, the head is so important too. Because that mind, that brain of ours, can do so many things, so many wonderful things. We talk about computers. Your daddy or your mommy will often talk, or maybe even talk about computers.
Well, the most wonderful computer around can't compare to the brain to the mind that God has given us. But what do we use our brain? What do we use our mind for?
We can think about lots and lots of things. I'm talking at a moderate rate, perhaps even a slow rate. Perhaps 100 words or 150 words a minute. This is all the faster I'm talking. Yet your mind, your brain is.
Working maybe almost 10 times that fast, working close to 1000 words a minute. What are you doing with your mind while I'm talking? What are you doing with your mind as you're reading God's word? Are you thinking about it? Are you thinking about it or you're only reading God's word? What do you what did you think about last night in that wonderful gospel meeting that we had here? Did you think, oh, he's not talking to me, he's talking to the people that have come in from the outside?
Oh, he was talking to you.
If you don't know, the Lord is your savior, and I can't look at your mind either, the same way that I can't look at your heart that God can. And we're at the close of the Sunday School now, and I would really like to go to each one of you children.
In private, and I would like to say, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ, your Savior, Yes or no of a simple answer, yes or no in God's word in the Bible. In Matthew we read the question that asks what think, What do you use? What do you use to think?
What do you use to think?
The brain What think ye of Christ? What think ye of the Lord Jesus Christ? That's the question that I have for you this morning at the close of the Sunday School.
What do you think of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he your savior? You don't have to shake your head yes. You don't have to shake your head no. But I want you to answer the question in your head and in your heart. What do you think of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he?
Your savior.
We're going to pray now, and I want you, as your eyes are closed, to really think about that question.
00:45:00
What do you think of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Open Mtg.
Open—G. Hayhoe, H. Brinkmann, L. Judd
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.
General Meetings, Des Moines, May 1983.
Open meeting.
300 takes away.
Exodus Chapter 33.
Exodus Chapter 33.
And verse 11.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
And he turned again to the camp, And his servant Joshua the son of nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tabernacle. And those who said unto the Lord, see thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people, and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt stand with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast found grace in my sight. Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight.
Show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not a pen. For when shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?
Is it not that our goal with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?
And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight. And I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he said, I will pass, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
And he said, Thou canst not see my face, For there shall no man see my see me and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, And thou shalt stand upon a rock, and it shall come to pass while my glory passes by, that I will put thee in a Cliff of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by, and I will take away mine hand, And thou shalt see my back part, but my face shall not be seen.
Now to turn over to Matthew, chapter 17.
First one and after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother.
And bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias, talking with with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here, If thou wilt, let us make here 3 tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, And behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying.
Television to No man until the Son of Man is written again from the dead.
And his disciples asked him, saying, By then say the scribes, that Elias must first come.
00:10:01
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias has come already, and they knew him not. But I've done unto him, whatsoever they listed likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. And when they were come to the multitude, they came to him, a certain man kneeling down to him, and saying.
Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sore vex, for oftentimes he falleth into the fire and OFT into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him Hit her to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour.
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief. Or verily I say unto you.
If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, he shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to Yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting.
I was just thinking rather than of two different experiences brought before us here in these passages that we have read.
Both very remarkable and wonderful experiences. We think of Moses here and that which took place for him. And then we also see this instance in the New Testament and we see how the end of the story was quite different. And I was thinking in connection with our coming together here, what a very, very happy experience it is to come together, be with our brethren and have such a happy time of fellowship together.
But it seems to me, if I can make a comparison between these two instances, that one ended by being occupied with the Lord and the other, it seemed that they were more occupied with a very fine experience that they had had and with those whom they had seen. And so we see in the end of the story in the Gospel of Matthew that a situation arose that they were not able to handle after they had come down from the mount. But in the case of Moses, here in the 34th chapter, 33rd chapter of Exodus, rather when this.
Event was over and he had been there with the Lord. Why, we find that many years followed in which he was able to meet all kinds of difficult and trying situations that arose among the people of God. And you know, my thought was just this, that we can be occupied with this very fine experience and think, oh, I had a lovely time. I met so many brethren, we had a very happy time of fellowship. I can handle any situation that arises. It was such a lift to me.
But we find that when that time was over in the Gospel of Matthew, they couldn't handle the situation that faced them when they came down from the mount. But in the case of Moses, he's occupied with people. He's occupied with the Lord and brother. And I believe that's so important for us. I believe that unless our being together has caused us to be occupied with the Lord, to have himself before us, we're going to meet situations tomorrow and the next day which are totally beyond our handling.
Because there are difficulties in this world that we just can't handle in our own strength, we may think that we can. When the Lord sent out the disciples, we know that He gave them power over unclean spirits, but that was the power that they could only exercise in dependence upon Him. And so, just to look at these in a little more detail, this 34th chapter of Exodus, 33rd rather, was apparently before the Tabernacle was set up.
So that it was at the beginning. I believe that when it speaks about him taking the Tabernacle and pitching it afar off, it was probably before the Tabernacle as planned by God was actually set up. But God still did have a meeting place for His people and then the Tabernacle was set up afterwards. It says that all that sought the Lord went out under the Tabernacle, but most of the people just preferred to worship in their tent door.
If we had read the verses before, but there was a young man, his name was Joshua.
00:15:04
And it says he departed not from the Tabernacle of the congregation, that is, he was the more desirous to seek the Lord, and I trust that'll be so with us. So under Joshua became so useful afterwards, when, in spite of every situation that arose, why he sought to keep close to the Lord and to that man of God, and the result was blessing in his life. But it was particularly about Moses that I wish to speak.
And it's very beautiful where we began. It says, The Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend. Oh, how beautiful this is. Makes us think, doesn't it, Of the 15th of John, where the Lord Jesus said, I haven't called you servant, I've called you friends. For all the things that I have heard of my father I've made known unto you to me. It's an overwhelming thought that the Lord would call me.
His friend. It's very easy for me to say what a friend we have in Jesus.
It's very easy to think of what we have in him, but to think that he would speak in that way about us. But he does want us to have that intimacy with himself, not the over familiarity that we see of the present day. But there is such a thing as a very blessed intimacy that we can have with the Lord, and I believe it ought to be so in our lives. I believe communion means that we can lift up our hearts and talk to the Lord.
At any time, with nothing between, we know the word communion means common thought.
And, you know, to have a friend that you can just start and talk to at any time and don't have to make any apologies or explanation, just, well, that's my friend. They understand me and I understand them. What a thing it is to have such a friend. Oh, that's the one we have in the Lord Jesus. And he has made it possible. He's given us a life by which we can have fellowship with him and commune with him, talk to him. Well, it tells us then that Moses was burdened about this.
Situation. Notice what he says in the 12Th verse. See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people.
And thou hast not let me know whom now will send with me, he says, in another place. I'm not able to bear the burden of this people alone. I remember many years ago a brother saying to me, well, Moses said that he wasn't able to bear the burden of the people alone, but he said the Lord never asked him to do it alone. Is that the way you feel about the situation, perhaps in the assembly where you are?
You say, Well, I just seem to have to stand alone. The Lord never asked you to stand alone. Why? He is the one who wants you to feel the need of his company, his presence. And I believe that is what is brought out here in this little incident that we have before us. Moses said you haven't told me who will go with me. Perhaps at that time he was thinking of some human that he could have as his helper and his friend.
But it tells us here in the 13th verse. Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight. And consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest, he said, Show me the way, just like I might ask somebody.
I'm going to leave and I say, can you tell me the way to visit so and so or to the next place? And they said, oh, I'll come with you then all my problem is over, isn't it? And so sometimes we say, well, what is the way for this difficulty, this situation, this matter that is confronting me in life? What is the way? What is the solution? Isn't the Lord's answer beautiful? Doesn't it thrill your heart when you think of how when he said show me now thy way.
The Lord's answer was my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. That is, sometimes people have given me instructions, and when I come to a certain corner, I'm not just sure. You know, I really don't have rest in my mind that I'm turning the right way or something. But if the person sitting in the car beside me, why there's no problem then at all? Isn't it precious for us? My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest.
00:20:00
And then the answer of Moses to this is he said unto him.
Thy presence go not with me. Carry us not up hands. Oh, there's two things in this verse that are so lovely. First of all, he says, Well, I know that that's exactly what I need. I need thy presence and our brethren. That's the only thing that will sustain us in life. I've often said two things. The Lord's presence individually and the Lord's presence collectively.
The Lord's presence collectively had to do with that Tabernacle. It was the Tabernacle of the congregation. It was the place where the Lord would meet with his people collectively. But then there is the individual side of life too. There are things that we have to meet, and they may not be in association with the meeting. They may be in association with our work, with our schools, other things that we have to meet in life. And so the answer of the Lord is.
My presence shall go with thee, and let me say this to you, and I say it to myself as well. If we lose that, we've lost everything we need to utter for ourselves the reply of Moses. If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hands, in other words.
Life is not worthwhile. Life is just a tangle. Life is full of endless problems if we're trying to do it on our own. And there's something added here too. I'm sure you notice the change in the pronoun. He doesn't say if thy presence go not with me, carry me not obtain, But he says carry us not up. 10 Now this is the heart of the one who loves the Lord. You know if I'm a friend of somebody.
And that that person that I am a friend of has another very dear friend who is very dear to them.
Why? If that person is going to accept me and I'm going to accept them, I better accept their friend too, you know, because how could there be a relationship and a rejection of someone who is dear to them? Well, the Lords people are dear to him. The Lords people are dear to him. Oh, he could have said. Well, these people, they won't even go to the trouble of going out to the Tabernacle of the congregation. They prefer to worship in their tent door. But he still had a love for God's people, and he changed the pronoun. If thy presence, go not with me.
Carry not not us, Carry us not up him, because the Lord had appointed Moses to be a help and a guide to his people. And I believe it's been impressed on us in these meetings that each one of us have some part in connection with the body of Christ, that we would be helpers. Every one of us in the body of Christ has some place to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Well, Moses felt this burden, and he realized that the solution.
Was in the Lord's presence and then he says two in the 16th verse.
Over in July, it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight. Is it not that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. This world doesn't want our Savior. And if we're going to want walk in the company of the Lord, we find that we're in a position where the world is not with us. Because the world will really only accept you on one condition, and that is you don't that you don't talk about your savior.
They have no love for him, they don't want him, and so separation isn't a cold formal thing.
It's the result of enjoying the Lord's presence. And so you so enjoy His presence that it's just a natural thing for you to want to speak about him. And that's what it means in Galatians chapter 6, where it says the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. That is, there's a double crucifixion When it says the world is crucified unto me, it's as though I say to the world.
Well, you don't want my savior and he's dear to me. And so how can I enjoy your company when you hate the person whom I love the most and they turn to me and say if that's the way you feel, we don't want your company either. So there's a double crucifixion. It's a two sided thing. And so we see the Lord's presence involves separation. I'm not here to talk about separation in a cold formal thing, but I'm here to say that if we're enjoying the Lord, if we go back to our homes and to our work.
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Enjoying the Lord. It won't be hard to be separated from the world because it will just be spontaneous for us to want to talk about him, and we soon find out. The world doesn't warn us when we talk about Him, when we love him, when we express our affection for Him.
Well, now we find.
Moses asked for something else in the 18th verse, and he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Perhaps it should be a little word of explanation. It says in the 11Th verse that the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, And here it tells us in the 20th verse thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live.
You know, when we speak about the Lord, there are mysteries in connection with his person.
That are beyond our understanding when it speaks about him talking to the Lord face to face. We really can enjoy in a very intimate way communion with the Lord. But I believe that when Moses said show me thy glory and then there is something in connection with the person of Christ that is beyond our minds and that you can have an intimacy with the Lord as our brother brought before us in the previous meeting.
But you must always have a reverence too, and realize that although we can be very close to the Lord, he is God and we are men. We must never forget that. And so when he asked to show me thy glory, that was a little different. That was a little more.
Nevertheless, it was important that he saw that because we can never really walk for the glory of God unless we know what is suited to His presence, unless we know his glory. Now I believe here when Moses was put in the Cliff of the rock and the Lord's hand was over him, perhaps there's a little contrast drawn here to the place of nearness that we occupy in Christianity. That is when Moses came down from the mount later on.
His face shone, and so he put a veil over his face because it says the children of Israel could not look steadfastly to the end of that which was abolished. That is, the ordinances and the things in connection with Judaism were not a full revelation of God. They were a wonderful revelation. There was that which really satisfied and encouraged the heart of Moses, But you and I are brought into a more blessed and intimate place.
And it says in the last verse of 2nd Corinthians 3, we always open or unveiled faith, beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory. That is, when the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaketh to his friend. Moses didn't know what you and I are entitled to know. The intimacy that we can call God our Father, that we're members of the body of Christ, that we stand before God in such a perfect place of acceptance He didn't know that.
And there was a partial revelation that filled and thrilled his heart. But you and I are entitled to know more, shall I say, if there was that which would sustain Moses in the wilderness, how much more to sustain us rather than, let's not excuse ourselves, if we're not willing to press on and be a help to the people of God, it's not because the provision has not been made. In fact, if you read in 2nd Corinthians 3.
It's interesting to see what it says, how they couldn't behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance. And so he put that veil over his face. Then it goes on to say, even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart, you notice that little change that is.
Moses put the veil over his face because they could not that his God was not fully revealed at that time, and so they never fully entered into all that was made known of God in connection with the Tabernacle and all those wonderful things that were given. But now if there's any veil, it's not over the face of the Savior, but we can have it on our hearts. Brethren, have you got a veil in our hearts? If you've got the world in our hearts, why we've got a veil over our hearts.
He said. I wish I could enjoy the Lord more. Where's the veil? It's not on the face of the Lord.
But it might be on my heart, and perhaps my heart is taken up with different things. Perhaps there's some measure of self will in which I want my own way. Or I say, well, I want to give the Lord a place. But there are a few things I want to reserve, a right to do, or to say or to go. Those things may be the hindrance. The veil may be upon our hearts. There's no veil upon His face. And it says that when we are looking upon His blessed, all glorious face.
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Were changed into the same image, That is, as our brother brought before us, we become Christ like that. That's the way the change takes place, occupation with the person. And now what I wanted to bring out was that when Moses had this experience, he had to come down from that Cliff to the rock. But for about 40 years after that, Moses went on and you know, it's wonderful to me. He only lost his patience once.
Just once, you know, I'm sure you say, well, there's been a lot of things that have affected me and I'm afraid I've spoken out of turn quite a few times. Moses just did it once, just once. For that he wasn't allowed to enter the land. But I just say that because he had said this, a little comment. If thy presence go not with me, carry us not a pen, he says. It's not an experience. It's not being up here and seeing all these wonderful things.
It's by presence that I need.
And all, let me say to you, brother, my dear young people, maybe you are enjoying these meetings. I hope you are. I hope you're getting something for your soul. But almost the Lords presence goes with you. There's going to be a whole lot of things that are going to try your patience when you come down. And you know it's going to take a great deal of dependence upon the Lord to go on. But it tells us that this Moses, he was the meekest man in all the earth. Where did he learn it? In the presence of Jesus.
And the presence of the Lord and you and I, we might say, Well, I'm just not naturally that way.
Well, at one time Moses was mighty in words and deeds, and learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. I don't believe he was a humble man when he was, through his education in Egypt, thought there was a big change when he had seen the Lord in his, and he reveals himself to him. He says in the 19th verse, I will make known all, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.
And will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, And will show mercy unto whom I will show mercy all. That's what it was. The Lord goodness passed before him as His goodness passed before you. Hasn't even awfully good to us. Have we realized how much grace He's shown to us? And He's showing to us of His fullness that all we received, and grace upon grace. And then it says here, And I'll be mercy. I'll show mercy to whom I?
And on whom I will show mercy now, that is, He just acts in His sovereignty. We all have to say to ourselves sometimes, Why did he choose me? Why did he choose me? I was any better than anybody else, perhaps worse. But it's only his mercy and His grace. Well, I say this is really the secret of what sustained him for 40 years. 40 years in the Bible is the period of testing. And it wasn't a wonderful experience.
It was my presence shall go with thee. Yes. And there he was in the cleft of the rock, with the Lords hand over him as we sing. Sometimes he hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, and covers me there with his hand. Now let's turn to the other one, And we see also a wonderful experience.
Here were three very favored people, Peter, James, and John. And the Lord has in the chapter before told them that they were to take up their cross and follow him, that it wasn't going to be an easy thing. Moses realized that at his time it was not going to be an easy thing to lead a million murmuring, complaining people through the wilderness. That was no easy job. That was very, very.
Trying for him.
And the Lord said, if you're going to follow me, you have to take up your cross and follow me.
And so to speak that they don't ask. But the Lord knew that the only thing that would sustain them was a sense of being in His presence and glory. But we find that when the Lord takes them up in the mound, they see something very glorious. Moses did too, so much so that when he came down from the mount, his face shone, but they saw something very glorious. But they got occupied with people. They got occupied with Moses and Elias.
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True, they didn't altogether lose sight of the Lord, but they get occupied with people. And you know, you can go away from the meetings, dear young people. And the older ones, we can go away occupied with people. Oh, I had such a nice time at a lot of brethren. We had such nice talks together. That's all. Very thrilling. It's all very pleasant, but.
Then we find Moses, at least Peter saying, Let us make 3 tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias. It's true he put the Lord first, but he should have just said the Lord himself. That Tabernacle that was built in the wilderness was that for the Lord and for Moses and Aaron? Oh no, it was for the Lord. It was the place where he was going to meet with his people. But they were going to make 3, not one.
Where the Lord and the Lord alone was going to have His place, they were going to have three different ones there, where there would be quite a bit of glory given to man. Too True, they did, as I say, put the Lord first. Well, the Father wasn't pleased with this, and the glory cloud came over.
Glory cloud covered the Tabernacle. When it was reared up and our brother mentioned to us this morning about that glory that filled the House of the Lord, the glory cloud came over.
And the voice said, It says the fifth verse, while he yet spake. Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them.
And behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore, afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, arise and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus, only seems to me here that the Lord gives them the opportunity to have.
These desires awakened in their hearts. We don't hear them saying here, Lord, we can't meet these situations of bearing our cross and following thee unless we're in the enjoyment of Thy presence. No, it seems to me that they got all occupied with this experience that they had had, and they didn't realize their own weakness. Experiences will never, never give us the power.
To meet the situation that we have to meet in life. It's His presence, brethren. It's His presence all. May we desire this, May this be the word of our hearts. Well, as I say, they were given an opportunity. They saw no man anymore save Jesus only. And then they started speak here. So they asked the Lord about Elias and so on. They wanted answer to questions. And you know, we can get an answer to some of the problems we don't understand. They didn't know what the Lord meant when he said that Elias was going to come.
And the Lord explains. Oh, he said. I've got a lot of questions answered here. There are things bothering me. And yeah, there's been help in the ministry. That's not all that we need either. It's nice to get our questions answered. The Queen of Sheba got all her hard questions answered, but but filled her heart. Wasn't just that she had the answer to her questions, but it was the glory of that person that had touched her heart and all. I say again, you can come here, you can enjoy the fellowship, you can enjoy meeting people.
You can say I gotta, I understand a lot more things. That is never enough to sustain us brethren in the pathway. And so it tells us here in the 14th verse, when they were come down to the multitude, there came a certain man kneeling down to him and saying, I might say that in another gospel. It tells us that when the disciples came down they were the first to meet this situation. Now the Lord comes down because the disciples couldn't handle it.
They couldn't cast out this evil spirit, and it may be some of us may be going home tomorrow and we're going to meet things. Just like they met this situation when they came down from the mount. Here's a man comes out and he says to the Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and Thor vex or often times he falleth into the fire and OFT into the water. And he said in another place, asking the Lord that if he could help them please have compassion on them and help them.
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Sometimes it's just exactly what we meet. Perhaps some of us recall circumstances. I can recall one circumstance in my life when I was at a meeting of a similar kind like this up in Canada. And afterwards, I met a circumstance that really was a real test to me, that I found how utterly unprepared I was to handle the situation. And it just came that very night when I was going home from the meetings. And so, you know.
They are put to the test here and they meet this lunatic, Thorvex and all those things. It's a crazy world that we live in. That's why no doubt it says a lunatic. It's under Satan's power because he's its God and he's its Prince. And so they weren't able to handle this. They weren't able to cast it out. I say again, so we see this contrast that Moses handled.
Very trying and difficult situations for 40 long years.
Because the Lord's presence went with him. But when they came down from the mount, apparently without waiting for the Lord, just so occupied with their experience, it almost makes you think of what happened in the second chapter of Luke. It tells us that they went up to the feast with the Lord, and then they started home and they took a whole day's journey with their acquaintance and friends. Yeah, acquaintance and friends. And it was until the end of the day.
That they looked around, they said Jesus isn't here, Jesus isn't here. And you know, we can be just like that. We can be so occupied with acquaintances and friends and all that we meet that we can take a day's journey without him. And they they, it took three days before they found him again. Surely that being up to the temple there with Jesus ought to have been what would sustain them, but they forgot him and thought about everybody else.
And I believe here we find the disciples come down, probably feeling quite confident.
But they couldn't cast out this evil spirit. And then it tells us.
Passing on to the 19th verse, then Jesus came to the Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, why could not we?
Cast him out, Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief. For verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, he shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence tooth Yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. That is the Lord said, There is a supply of grace and of power to meet any situation that you have to meet.
That and that is that we can look to the Lord that we can count upon him.
There may be something that you're dreading about meeting some situation. Perhaps it's a family matter. Perhaps it's some others. At business or at schools or at college. There's something you're just threatening to meet. And you say, I don't know how that I can meet it. And the Lord said, if you just trust me. If you just trust me. Oh, you see, but I have such a little trust in the Lord. Gracious. He takes a grain of mustard seed tells us in another place. It's the smallest of all seeds.
I don't find anybody in the Bible ever boasting about the amount of faith that they have. Any time there's faith spoken of, it's the Lord that talks about it all. Woman great as thy face, but she didn't say that about herself. And the one instance that might sound a little like it in the 4th chapter of it, says that Moses, at least Abraham, was strong in faith. The correct translation is he was strengthened by faith, Strengthened by faith. I'm not strong in faith, but I am sometimes strengthened by faith.
Perhaps you proved that too. You say? I've got less faith than a grain of mustard seed because there's so many mountains I can't remove it all.
But the Lord said there's no situation that is too difficult. When we count upon him with God, all things are possible. All we need to be concerned about is whether it's His will. If it's His will, then there's no situation too difficult. The Lord is able for every situation, and then He gives them something here. How be it? This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
The Lord now speaks to their consciences. Here this kind goeth not out, but by prayer.
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And what is prayer? Well, has sometimes been defined as being the expression of dependence and confidence in God. And I believe that's what it is. It's the expression of dependence because you wouldn't need to pray if you could do it all on your own. And you pray because you feel that the Lord is able to supply the help. And so it says here, this kind goeth not out, but by prayer. The Lord wants us to learn dependence upon Him.
That we can't meet the situations of life in our own strength, but that we can count upon him. And then he says, and fasting, maybe there's something in my life or your life that's a hindrance. There's something that we haven't yielded to the Lord. Something that we know in our inmost hearts that we've said that I really want to give the Lord His place. But that that one thing I'm not prepared for, if there's something like that.
Why, there's going to be difficulties that we can't meet. There's a reserve in our hearts, little hymn says, Take thou our hearts and let them be forever close to all but thee. Or there's a place that the Lord Jesus should have in our hearts that no one else should have.
He has a right to that place. He died to win it. But I just saw we don't lose this point. And I, and I'm saying it for myself as much As for anyone here, that these two instances seem to me to teach those lessons that I like to speak to my own heart about that in the things that we have to meet, whether it's in the assembly. Because in the case of Moses it was leading the people through the wilderness. And I know that as we talk to our brethren, the refined there's.
Endless problems that arise in different assemblies. And we say, how can I do it? Moses said, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not a pen. But when he said to the Lord, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And then the Lord said, I'm merciful, I'm gracious, I'm full of compassion. You may not see all that's in my heart, because I'll have to hide part of it, but it's all there and it's all on behalf of my people.
And if you'll just go to that little cleft in the rock, I'll hold you secure and I'll help you.
When he realized that, and then he went on for 40 years and the Lord helped him and all kinds of problems arose. But the Lord didn't take away his presence from him. But the other instance, and I feel it fits me sometimes you come and it's just lovely to meet your brethren, and you can put somebody on a pedestal, perhaps, and you think they're wonderful and so on. And so you think, oh, that person's been such a help to me and so on. And you go back thinking now I can meet it. I've got a lot of questions answered.
Brethren, at the end of the road, there may be a problem that's just entirely beyond us. We can't handle. But the Lord could handle it. The Lord cast the evil spirit out. And the Lord was saying to the disciples, if you depended upon me, you could have done it in my strength. I showed you that I could do it. That wasn't too hard for me. There's nothing too hard for the Lord. Well, may we learn that blessed lesson. My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
I have a few verses on my heart in Hebrews.
And what?
Has been the reason for these verses.
Is the passage in Colossians that we had which certainly spoke of growth.
And the Apostle Paul in his desire.
For the Saints in his prayer that he expressed them.
In that first chapter, he clearly shows that he desired that they would grow.
That there would be more understanding entering into that which.
Is theirs in Christ?
And in Hebrews chapter.
Five The last verses.
We have, I believe, verses that can help us in disrespect.
And my thought is especially to make us aware from these scriptures these verses what might be a hindrance to spiritual growth. I believe these verses will bring that before us very clearly.
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We read in Hebrews chapter 5.
Verse 10.
Called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull appearing. For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk.
And not of strong mean, for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he's obeyed. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil, therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ.
Let us go on and to perfection.
Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works.
And of faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptism, and of laying on of hands.
And of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment, and this.
Will we do, if God permits stop here?
I believe that we all desire, do we not to grow if we belong to the Lord Jesus.
And that his we desire to grow.
I remember a little boy.
Of a family who was very much upset.
That he felt he wasn't growing as fast as his brothers who were.
Growing quite tall while he did grow.
To be tall, just about like his brothers, but I believe this is even in the natural realm.
So that we desire to grow, we desire to see our children grow.
Wonderful to take a little child in our arms and to handle them and show them love and affection and it probably one of the most wonderful times in our life when they're little and so unspoiled from the things of the world, and not influenced by coming in contact with that which is wicked, which is of the enemy. But we do not.
Desire that they stay that way and justice like we.
In a natural realm, do not desire our children to stay little that they grow and mature.
So I believe our God, our Father, the Lord Jesus, would like to see us grow and enter into that which is ours. And we see here that the apostle interrupts.
That which he had been putting before the scene concerning the Lord Jesus.
The High Priest.
And he interrupts that and.
He gives a word of wanting, as he does more often in the Epistle to the Hebrews. You know we have interruptions in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
And words of warnings given.
And I believe what we have to understand when we come to this passage is that.
The whole epistle is written with the purpose of weaning disdain the Christian from that which all had to do with the types and shadows with Judaism ritualism.
Which at one time had been instituted of God.
And God patiently bore.
With his people.
Realizing how difficult it was for them to realize that there was number more value.
In any of these things that had to do with the type and shadow.
By the time had come that.
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God makes a real effort now of being them away from these things.
Turning their back on it, you might say, in God's dealings with his earthly people, the time had come that God says, as it were. Now it's enough. I've borne enough impatience with you now.
In faith, step forward.
Lean death, which has no more value.
And I believe this example here is really.
Something that we can learn from, and I'm sure that in our lives there might be things that God patiently bears with us.
Maybe it isn't like here something that God at one time had instituted, but we all are slow learners in the things of God, and I'm sure if we look at ourselves we have to acknowledge that if we would have really gone on with the Lord and not gone on detours.
And continued on the path of faith straight. We would have grown much more than we have grown.
But the Lord is patient with us as well. But we have to perhaps come to see that there are things in our lives that we have to leave and that we have to turn our back on.
In order that we might not be hindered in spiritual growth and development. Now, I'm not here to try to tell you what that might be.
The Lord can show you what there might be in your life that is a hindrance to spiritual growth and development.
And I believe being dull of hearing.
Could be our condition. You know, the Lord might bring certain truth of Scripture before us.
To try to help us.
And to help us to be leaned from certain things which are hindrance to spiritual growth.
And we do not open our ears.
No. How often do we have in the Word of God?
But him that has an ear here.
You know, all would be to God that we would beloved.
When the Lord brings before us any truth of Scripture.
Be willing and ready to bow.
Really accepted and as God for grace to walk in it.
You know what impressed me when I read the biography, Biography of Mr. Darby? I believe the statement that his uncle must have made about him, that in all of England he knew none more capable than John. But he bowed to this book like a fool. I believe that is one of the highest commendations that anyone could be given or could give to any Christian.
And is that perhaps why? Is that perhaps the secret why God could give him such an insight?
Into the truth of God, and that you and I are still benefiting from that which has been presented to us through His ministry in service. So may the Lord give us grace that we are not dull of hearing.
That we have an open here, that we have an open heart, and I believe has often been said, and it is true, that the Lord, if He shows us something in His word and makes it clear that this is his mind and will for us.
And if we do not?
Walk in it, do not bow to it and do not walk in it. He's not going to show us.
More.
So may the Lord help us that we do not have an ear that is dull of hearing.
And then according to the time, there should be teachers.
You know, we have perhaps many times the ministry on the gifts and we had had some of those gifts mentioned and I'm afraid many times we overemphasize gifts of public speaking.
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And.
Perhaps.
We lack even in disrespect that we do not.
Magnify those things that are of such great importance.
The service that the individual can perform to another individual on an individual basis, which is not noticed much.
By the general pipeline, but the Lord takes notice of it, and perhaps that is where more Saints are held.
And souls are blessed.
Then by public speaking and ministry. But here the teaching is not that. Somebody along the way acquires the gift of teaching.
No, but we have like for instance with the overseer that it was desirable that he was apartment to teach.
He had a measure of ability to pass on what he himself enjoyed.
But he had himself come to appreciate and to know that had been made good for his own soul, and so he could pass it on.
And.
We have this kind of thing here, I believe, and the Lord helped us to bow to His word and give us a submissive spirit.
And turn our back on that which he clearly shows us to be a hindrance to spiritual development and growth.
Then you can also.
Use us to teach others.
And pass on the things that we ourselves enjoy.
So according to the time, they were safe long enough.
That they could have taught others. You know, I've enjoyed the thought that my brother Claussen has brought before us. You know, we had had some comments made during these meetings about.
Men and the systems of men tried to push people forward into public service and do their prematurely. But you know when somebody was going to get married in the Old Testament for a whole year, he was not to.
Go to war.
What a lesson we have in that that when we are saved that it is a natural part or the part of a natural development in a spiritual sense, that we as it were stay home that we.
In quietness and communion and fellowship with the Lord and His people.
Learn and grow so that we are fit to.
Go out in things of a larger sphere of service.
While here they were safe long enough that they should be able to go forth, you might say, to be of help to others, but they had not developed.
And so they had to be taught again.
The first principles of the oracles of God.
And they needed Miller, you know, in Peter we have milk mentioned.
That as newborn babe, we should desire the sincere milk of the word. I believe we never outgrow the need for milk in the spiritual sense, as Peter presents it.
But here we have milk presented as something that is for the babe, for those who are newly saved, and meat solid food is produced for those who are full grown.
You know, full growth.
Means not that we and perfection is.
The word rendered in other scriptures for the same word that is full growth is not that we reach sinless perfection, but that we.
By the grace of God and by the help of the Spirit of God, enter into.
And understanding and appreciation of what is really true Christian position.
And that is a possibility for you and for me to attain to even now.
So that we can as it were feed on that.
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Which is for men.
For those who are full grown over here, so oftentimes the statement well.
Much of what their brother said went way about my head well.
One brother once said maybe the answer to that would be, why don't you grow a little?
Why don't you grow a little?
Nor certainly I believe that many times we do not take into consideration the needs of those who are babes in Christ. But can we cater to those who are spiritually lazy and have not used diligence in the things of God, and as it were watered down the ministry, and try to always be on the level?
Of the babes and cries.
Well, let us be careful that we do not.
Go off in extreme, but may the Lord help us that we all truly grow and help each other in growing fall. Here by the Spirit of God is laboring with the same that they might.
Lose that or give up that which is a hindrance in order that they might.
Come into the enjoyment of that which God had for them, which he would have liked to develop more.
Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. You know, I believe it's a wonderful thing to see young believers, young brothers, real desirous to get into the word of God. And many times I'm afraid.
It might be, to quite an extent an intellectual exercise and.
There are certainly justification for warning young people not to enter into these things intellectually. But I believe, Beloved, that the Lord being faithful, will bring us into circumstances that we will learn the truth. Practically, I still like to see young brothers get exercised about searching out the truth of God and making it their own and crying to the Lord for grace.
To practice what He shows them out of His word. Now what is going to happen if the Lord should tarry to the testimony, if you do not, as a young person, desire to search out the truth of God and make it your own?
When I was a young believer.
Growing up in Germany.
We sat different, you know, the arrangement in different countries is different and you just go along with whatever is the custom wherever you happen to live, because these are not.
To be made issues amongst the people of God. But the older veteran were sitting close to the table and then the middle-aged ones and the youngest ones were sitting in the back and that's where I was sitting and the brother who was a real help to me, he said to me one time And why don't we ever hear your voice in the meeting?
You seem to have an interest in the truth of God. Why don't we ever hear your voice? Oh, I said, brother, how can you expect me to say anything when all those brothers in front of me, between the table and me, hardly ever say anything? Oh, he said, Brother, Many of them has have lost the connection. I believe, dear young brothers, that when you look into the scriptures you find that God used men, generally speaking, who started out.
Being exercised in the things of God as young men.
Just think about it and search it out.
Oh, may the Lord give you.
A really desire to start things out and grow spiritually. The Lord will bring you into circumstances that you will learn it practically that you will not, as it were, only have these things intellectually. Well, the 6th chapter here, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ or the beginning of Christ is really the thought that refers to Judaism, and this is what the problem was.
01:10:03
With these believers here and the later part.
Of this chapter which we have not read the following verses.
Even showed that for those among the people of God who were not truly believers, because that was one of the problems that the early church already had, that there were those among the people of God who claimed to be Christians but were not real. But because of the danger of, because of the fact that they continued to cling to the types and shadows they were in danger of turning their back completely upon.
Christianity and go back into Judaism, apostatizing from the Christian faith.
But that's another danger that exists by.
And except for those who are not really the Lord, but for the believer.
Clinging to the tights and shadows is that which.
Slows down growth.
You know, in Christendom we have a lot of things beloved which are really nothing else but Judaism.
And if you happen to accept?
Practices.
And doctrines and teachings that are really in principle.
And I believe that's possible for us.
And you find that many times to be the case, well, that is.
Hinders growth and development.
And here they are encouraged to leave. The things that belong to Judaism go on to perfection in the early days of the Church.
They continue to go to the temple, they met in the houses remembering the Lord, but I'm sure it's correct to say when in Acts we find that many priests believe they continue to serve in the temple.
But they were to leave. That turned their back on it. Go on to perfection.
Not laying again a foundation of repentance from death. Words and these things that we're reading now, beloved, are things connected with Judaism.
Our faith towards God, you might say. Well, listen brother, don't we have to have faith in God? Certainly, but we have much more. The Lord Jesus said in John 14 he believed in God. Believe also in me.
Believe also in me. Christianity is not just having faith in God.
We have the full revelation of God who has come in the person of his Son.
Here on this earth, and that's what we have, Christianity is much more than faith in God.
We have to leave that. We have to go on to perfection.
And then laying again foundation of repentance from dead.
Work well again. Don't you see similar things in Christendom always coming as poor repenting sinners?
You know, the work of God in different lands was different in Germany. In contrast to England, where especially the truth of the assembly was brought before the Saints of God by the Spirit of God and brought them out of the system. In Germany, as was that they came to see that we are no longer sinners who always have to come and ask for forgiveness that they have.
A perfect standing in Christ by one offering he has perfected forever to sanctify.
Or unblameable, irreproachable in his side. That was the truth that came before them, and that's the opposite of what we have here. Repentance from death works, you know. It would be sin, the Scripture says. And we should come and confess our sins, certainly, but it is not the same as we have it asking over and over again to be forgiven.
We're taking sides with God against anything that might come up in our lives, and we judge it.
In his presence for what it is, I hope the Lord will give us grace to do that.
01:15:00
Whenever that is brought to our attention, but this is not what.
Is here before us repentance from dead works.
And of faith touch God.
Of the doctrine of baptism, that is washing all that was connected with the servers in the sanctuary. How many things had to be washed? The priest had to be washed. They sacrificed as part of that had to be washed. All of these things have come to an end, the laying out of hand.
Then the resurrection of the dead.
What do we have in Christianity? Mary and Martha did not understand when the Lord was trying to make them aware that He was the resurrection of the enter life, and that there is in Christianity now something far more than the resurrection of the dead. We have the resurrection from among the dead. You know we have not in the Old Testament.
A revelation of what we have in Christianity of the 1St and 2nd resurrection, the resurrection unto life and the resurrection unto judgment. You know, we see in Christendom they still speak of a general resurrection. They still don't have more understanding than Mary and Martha at the time of the death of Lazarus.
Well, they haven't gone on.
The perfection.
And of eternal judgment you know we know.
From what we have now in the New Testament, how many different judgments there are.
You know, and even now the judgment has begun that the House of God.
We know that there is more than just the general judgment at the last day.
You have the word of God giving us full information.
On all of these things. And so Paul said, and this will be if God permits this, will we do, leaving the thing connected with Judaism and going on to perfection?
We might be permitted to say this is not only what we will do.
This is what God expects us to do. This is what God expects us to do. And that is not in any way irreverent or any way sliding any part of the word of God for us to come into a better and fuller understanding of what is truly Christian.
For may the Lord help us, beloved.
To do that. But I'm sure there are other things that we could turn to in the word of God that would hinder growth and development. But these were the things that came before me, because I believe some of these thoughts already had been expressed in connection with a meditation on Colossians, Chapter One.
So really, I'm sure to state again, do we not all want to grow? Do we not all want to come to know the Lord Jesus better? You know the truth of the person of the Lord Jesus is our high priest.
My would you not want to come to understand that better what He is for us now? Not only what He will be for us in that coming day throughout eternity, but what He is for us now. You know, it's a wonderful thought to think of for all eternity. The Lord Jesus is there for us, and what a wonderful portion is going to be to.
Look on him to come to see him face to face, but how wonderful to really come to know him in the way.
As he is revealed or wants to reveal himself in our relationship, now he wants to be our great High Priest. He is our great High Priest, but he wants us to.
Come to know him, our advocate. He is at our side and he wants us to come to enjoy and appreciate himself and the things that he has won for us through his death and Calvary's cross.
Our time is just about gone. One would just like to turn to one or two scriptures, the first one in Philippians chapter 3.
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Reading from verse 13.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended.
But this one thing I do for getting those things which are behind.
And reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The apostle here is going through this scene and you and I, beloved, are going through this scene. His object was Christ in glory, but he hadn't reached the glory and so he was continuing on down here, crashing toward the goal. And that goal was to be with unlike A risen Christ in glory. Now if we just look at a verse in Second Timothy Chapter 2.
And verse 4 two Timothy 2 and verse 4.
And sorry verse 5 and if a man also strived for mastery.
Yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully?
Yes, the apostle was pressing on through this world to the goal.
And here we find the man that is running our race.
It says if a man also strives for mastery, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully, he must go according to the rules. Now I know this is nothing you belong. And yet there are many dear younger ones here and one would just say this.
Going according to the rules, is it not? Going according to the precious word of God? We have had many lovely truths that before us, much precious ministry. Now, dear ones, we have to go back presently. The Lord needs us here into the world.
But there is a goal set before us and may we seek to run that rate according.
To the precious word of God that we have been given, and one other passage in Revelation.
Chapter 3.
It seems to me that this would be encouragement for us to go on according to the word of God.
Revelation 3 and verse 8.
I know thy works.
Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can travel.
For thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hath not denied my name. The Lord's approval went to those who had kept his word, and had not denied his name. It wasn't him doing great things, but shall we say, it was striving according to the rule. It was keeping his precious word.
And in the same chapter.
And verse 11.
Behold, I come quickly.
Hold our past, which thou hast that no man.
Hate thy crown. All that we might hold fast.
We might treasure these precious things that we have and the precious word of God.
That is in our hands now. One last verse then in the book of Ruth.
Ruth chapter 2 and verse 8.
Then said Boaz, Underoath, herest thou not?
01:25:00
My daughter.
Go not to glean in another field.
Neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maiden.
All the love of His truth may sink into our hearts, Go not to glean in another field. We have so much precious truth, the much precious ministry, and we know that it has come from a safe source, all that we might feed, and the field of boys, so to speak, being there.
Go not to glean in another field. Just think, beloved, of what Ruth would have lost. We haven't time to turn to it, but boys, we find, was the one that stretched forth his hand and a pastor parts corn to feed on. He was the one that told the reapers to drop handfuls of purpose. For that he might glean them.
And all the love, what did she have in the end?
Oh, she was united to that mighty man of strength, Boaz. Yes, my love. He was not only not despised, morbid us, brought into Israel, but married into the family of Boy, the lion of the Messiah.
All the love. This is our portion.
To be fed here with those handfuls of purpose and what a union we've been brought into in resurrection.
Even with a risen Christ in glory, his body and his brides, Oh, we might seek the press on the run until we reach that crown. Let no man take thy crown.
The Priestly Garments
My Presence Will Go With Thee
Press for the Mark
What God Has and Has Not Given Us
Hindrance to Spiritual Growth