Des Moines Conference: 1988
Table of Contents
Christ-The Center of Our Life
Address—G. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn to three scriptures first of all, First Corinthians chapter 15.
First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 47.
The first man is of the earth earthy The 2nd man is the Lord from heaven.
Then in John chapter 16.
Verse 13.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, if whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come, he shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. And then in Isaiah, Chapter 9.
Isaiah Chapter 9.
And verse 6.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it to establish it with judgment and with justice.
From henceforth, even forever, the seal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.
What I'd like to especially speak on this afternoon is to bring before us the Lord Jesus as the center of all God's thoughts and the one who ought to be the one who is before us, occupying our hearts and minds, affecting our lives so that we might live for Him.
You know, it's often said that the Bible is the history of two men. The first man is of the earth, earthy. The 2nd man is the Lord from heaven. God's purpose in his Word is to give us this. If you and I had been writing it, we might like to have known a great deal more about creation and what happened before those seven days of creation when God made the earth as a dwelling place for man. But God passes over all those things very briefly.
And then brings before us the creation of this world in which man was placed, because he always had in view the 2nd man, the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so he gives us the history of the first man. It's a sad history. Someone has said. The Old Testament begins with the creation of man and ends with a curse. And surely, if we look upon man, what he is naturally.
Surely there's no power to please God. The heart is an alienation from God, and every one of us were born in sin, born with that sinful fallen nature, not only unable to please God, but with hearts and enmity with him. And God fully describes what we are. Man is put under the test in various ways in the Old Testament, and we find that all these tests, one after another, only proved that one thing.
The flesh profiteth nothing. Man of his best estate, the Bible says.
Is altogether vanity, and in order for there to be blessing, God must begin all over again.
Not with the first man, but with the 2nd man, who is the Lord from heaven.
And he has done just that. He has begun all over again. God himself became a man in the person of Christ, in order that God's heart might be told out, and that those who believe might receive the very life of Christ, and they might be able to enter into and enjoy the thoughts of God. It says This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
Eternal life is not just simply a life that is never ending. Eternal life is a life by which we can hold fellowship with God.
By which we can enter into his thoughts, his purposes, enjoy what God enjoys, and have his outlook on things here in this world. What a marvelous thing this is. I can remember when we went to school that my father said to me. He said whenever they teach you about mathematics and various subjects that are necessary to earn a living. Why? He said, listen, they probably know a great deal more than I do.
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But he said, if they tell you anything about moral and spiritual subjects, unless they get their wisdom from the Word of God.
It will be foolishness. The Bible says the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain, and what man is doing today is intruding into those things which are not his fear. If he does not accept divine revelation. He is trying to establish moral standards of his own and spiritual values of his own, the only place that we will learn the true knowledge of God and proper spiritual values.
Is from this precious book and I just want to command it to everyone here, young and old, The importance of this wonderful book, a revelation from God. It's not given to us merely as a history book. We find how often God passes over the reign of one king with just a few comments, and then takes up the reign of another king and perhaps spends chapters on it. Why does he do that? Because in the reign of that king there were some moral lessons that he wanted to teach us.
And so he takes it up in great detail, for whatsoever things were written aforetime.
Were written for our learning that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.
And I wish to say to all, both young and old, I hope you will value the precious word of God.
Breed it, memorize it. It'll become a blessing to you all along your pathway. And if I might speak, a little bit of personal experience. Many of the stories in the Bible that I read, I didn't fully understand or know how they applied. But as time has gone on in my life, I have found that there is a story in the Bible that fits every situation in which you can find yourself in life and when you face a difficult situation.
If you know those stories in the Bible, you will find there was someone who was placed in a similar situation to yourself. And God gave you his wisdom about the situation. He showed how that person acted wisely or unwisely. He showed the results of acting wisely and the foolishness of going against the wisdom of God. How can we be so foolish as to think that we are wiser than God? Canst thou, by searching, find out God?
Thou find out the Almighty to perfection. And the Scripture says, How could we ever think that we are wiser than our Creator, the one in whom we live and move and have our being? Well, then how good it is to take this word of God up, learn it, meditate upon it, value it, because it is this precious revelation from God? Well, perhaps you say, but I find it very difficult to understand. There are so many things in it that I don't understand.
I would just say first of all that the Bible says lying upon line, precept upon precept. Hear a little and there a little. When you went to school, they didn't start you in the graduating class of high school. They started you at the very bottom. And as you learn some of those lessons, perhaps in grade one and two, then time went on and you learn more. And you know, God teaches us in this way.
I've often said if God had shown me everything he wanted me to do the day he saved me, it would have been beyond what I could take in. But isn't it precious that it tells us in the 119th Psalm? It says thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That is, God just gives light for one step at a time. If you hold back and don't take that step, then don't blame God because you can't see a long way ahead.
I think I have fairly good lights on my car, but I find that they maybe go ahead a few 100 feet and if I decided to stand still I would never see more than those 300 feet. But I could travel all night and perhaps travel 4 or 500 miles and have light all the way as long as I keep going as long as I go forward in the light that God gives. And so I want to say if God is giving anyone here late for a step, if you want to have more.
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Take that one step. It's the lamp to your feet and a light to your path, and it'll light the whole way to glory. Path is the just as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. God will give you light for all the pathway. Well, I just read that in John chapter 16. Perhaps I can repeat a comment that I made yesterday, and that is that you can make a simple test of any doctrine that is presented to you.
Any spiritual doctrine by just asking one question, does this line of teaching exalt man or does it exalt Christ?
If it's the truth of God, it will exalt Christ, because in that Scripture I read to you, it says there that when the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. And then it says, He shall glorify me, for he shall receive a mine, and shall show it unto you.
Perhaps you say, well, some people bring to me some doctrines and I can't answer them because I don't know my Bible very well.
But just make that little test. First of all, when they present some doctrine to you, ask is this line of teaching something that will exalt man or does this line of teaching exalt and honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Let us take just one simple thing. Many Christians, I believe Christians, teach that the believer can be saved and then lost again. You say well, they can bring forward some scriptures that are hard to answer.
But you'll find this, that if you believe this teaching that you can be saved and lost, you have quite a bit to give honor to yourself because you're going to be able to say the Lord saved me. But the only reason I've kept saved is because I've been a good Christian, I've been faithful, and you give honor to yourself. But God says that all the honor must go to his beloved son, He that glorious, let him glory in the Lord.
Perhaps there are others who will say, well, he believes that baptism is part of the salvation of the soul. Well, that means that the work of Christ is not enough, because unless some man does something to you, you couldn't be in heaven according to that teaching. So you needed Christ, But you also needed man to do something. To you, friend, it's all Christ and his glory. That work that he accomplished upon the cross of Calvary is that work that gives glory to God.
And brings you and I into the fullest blessing. Now as time goes on, you're going to learn more from the scripture so that you will be able to answer from the scripture. But isn't it lovely that God has given, Shall I say something that would be a guard for the young believer?
I believe that's why in John's epistle, when he's addressing the babes, he says ye have an unction.
From the Holy One and ye know all things. Do you think God is not going to protect a babe in Christ? Oh, he will if he sees that Christ is everything as the Bible says He is everything. Why? He's going to be protected long before he has got a real good knowledge of the Scripture.
And then that lovely verse that we read in Isaiah Chapter 9, His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, or the Father of Eternity, The Prince of Peace. Well, how blessed those words are. His name shall be called Wonderful, and I know everyone in this room who has learned to know him as Savior will say he's a wonderful savior.
He's a wonderful savior. He met me just as I was. He forgave all my sins. He made me a new creature in Christ Jesus. Yes, he's not only a wonderful savior, he's a wonderful all the way. He's wonderful when we give him his rightful place.
The mistake that we make, brethren, is that we introduce something of ourselves, and that spoils it. Every bit of self that is introduced it only spoils it. There are two very eminent servants in the word of God, One.
John the Baptist. And I say that because the Lord Jesus said about him, among those born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist. But what did John the Baptist have to say about himself?
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Did he say I'm the top servant? I'm the best one? Oh no. When they came and said to him, Who are you, John? Are you the Christ? He said no. Are you that prophet now? Are you Elias? No. Well, tell us then who you are, He said, I'm just a voice. I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. And they came and told him that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than him.
And what did he say? He must increase. But I must decrease, he said. His shoes latched. I'm not worthy to unloose. That was the greatest servant, the one who thought the least of himself. You know, Christendom has become a place where, even in Christian circles, men are exalted and honored. But if you and I and are in harmony with the thoughts of God, we will be exalting the one whom God delights to honor.
Haman said, To whom would the king delight to do honor? More than to myself. But he was entirely mistaken that he spies and rejected man. Mordecai was the one whom the king delighted to honor. Take the apostle Paul. When he talks about himself, shall I say his opinion of himself goes down and not up. First he says he's the chief of sinners. Then he says he's the least of All Saints.
Then he goes a little step lower and he says I'm less than the least of All Saints.
Then he goes right down and he said, though I be nothing, you can't have a real acquaintance with the Lord of Glory, this one whose name is Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, without thinking less of yourself and more of him. No, that's the result of being in his presence. If I thought I was a good mathematician and I got in the presence of someone who knew far more than myself, that would make me humble, wouldn't it?
And when we exalt ourselves, it only proves that we're not in His presence. We're not in His presence. In His presence, we realize that we're really nothing but all in His presence. He is altogether lovely. He is the one who has an interest in you, and if you have come to know Him as your Savior, he's not going to be satisfied until He has you supremely blessed. He loves you so much that He died for you.
In his satisfaction is going to be you to be to see you happy in His presence, where there will be no more sickness or sorrow or crying or pain for all eternity. And that's the true path of happiness. So if you need counsel for your life, turn to him. His name is Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the mighty God. He has all power. And then it says.
He is the father of eternity. We talk to some people and you know they're very helpful, but you don't understand fully the circumstances of our lives. I often feel very, very unable to help people because I don't fully understand the circumstances that they're in. But isn't it wonderful? There is one who does. I like that 139 where it says thine eyes did behold my substance yet being unperfect.
And in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
It gives me a certain amount of consolation that there's a person who watched my body being formed, knows all my physical and emotional limitations, knows my family background, knows everything about me, and loved me enough to go to Calvary to die for me. Oh this is what we need to get hold of brethren. And so I just want to quote that verse I started with again and where it says the first man is of the earth, earthy, everyone was one of us, were born in that position.
We were born to this world, part of a sinful race with bodies of humiliation.
And then the time came when the Lord met us in grace and He made us new creatures in Christ Jesus. That's why it speaks of the Lord Jesus as the beginning of the creation of God. It isn't that he had any beginning himself.
Everything in the first creation was ruined. And God begins all over again. When his son becomes a man, he comes down and he is born there in Bethlehem. He's cradled in the Manger, He's brought up in Nazareth. He's despised and rejected, but that was the Lord from heaven. And God begins all over again with him. And I want to speak a little bit about how he's everything for your Christian life.
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And mine. Well, first of all, for salvation. If you'll turn to Luke's Gospel chapter 2.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 2.
And the.
27 Verse And he that Simeon came by the Spirit into the temple, when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law, then took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said.
Lord, now let us thou thy servant, depart in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou has prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
What I'd like to bring out from this verse is that salvation is a person when Simeon took that blessed babe up in his arms.
He said Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. You know many people think of salvation as a feeling or an experience or something, but it's a person. If you have Christ, you have salvation. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not light. If you don't have Christ as your Savior, you're not one of God's children. You're not in the family yet. But I hope that you'll do what Simeon did in faith that you'll receive Christ.
As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God.
Even to them that believe on his name, as I say, so many people get occupied with feelings about salvation. I went through quite a period myself like that, looking for feelings. But you know, it's not a question of that. It's a question of a person. And that person is the Lord Jesus. He is the Savior and if you have received him, I say again, you have salvation. People get occupied with the amount of their faith.
But you know, it's not the amount of your faith, but whether your faith is in the right person. Some people trust in their feelings, some people trust in their church, Some people trust in their works from people, even the amount of their faith. And they'll tell you they have strong faith, Man said to me the other day. You need to have faith in something. Well, how foolish that is. Opposing the man gave me a check for $100 and I say I have great faith that this is a good check.
All the faith in the world doesn't make it a good check. It depends on whether the man is good, whether he's worthy of my confidence, and maybe have another check for $100. They have all kinds of doubts about, and I present it to the teller and she gives me the $100 boy, I said I wasn't so sure. That doesn't matter. Your feelings don't enter into it. The man is worth far more than that, certainly our friends. It only takes the faith that touches the hem of his garment, as long as it's the right person.
Don't trust in anything in yourself. Don't look inside for feelings.
Measure the amount of your faith. Any of us that know anything about ourselves would say, well, I have less than a grain of mustard seed of faith because there's still some mountains I haven't moved. We have some little faith that all when it's in the Lord Jesus, he's worthy of our fullest confidence. Little hymn says evil art thou art, loved to win worthy of all our trust. So when Simeon took that blessed baby up in his arms.
He had God's salvation, one whom God sent into this world, a light to lighten the Gentiles.
And the glory of thy people, Israel. He is the light of the world. There's no hope for this world apart from him.
All the best politicians and leaders are doing their best to try and solve some of the problems that are increasing in this world. But there's only one person and it's God's man. The one, as we said, the government is upon his shoulder. He's going to carry everything. He's going to set everything right. He is the Prince of Peace. There's no peace without him. Do you know him as your salvation if you put your trust in him?
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Ceased looking in and look up and see that Blessed One who went to Calvary.
And bore the judgment of God against sin. And God accepted the work that he accomplished, and he crowned him with glory and honor at his right hand, a Prince and a savior. If your faith is in him, you're secure. If it's in anything in yourself, why it's not secure? Because the scripture says the flesh profiteth nothing. I think of that. I think of what I heard that someone came to Mr. Darby one time and said.
Mr. Darby, you have a good knowledge of the Scripture.
Will you show me how to study the Bible? He said study well 4 words.
The flesh profiteth nothing. No, we'd like to. We'd like to actually feel that we had a good knowledge of the Bible. Let it be something we could boast in. But I think that the more we learn of God's precious Word, the more we say, oh, how little we know how that blessed one whom it reveals. He's he's so altogether lovely. He's wonderful. Well, he's our salvation. And I just like to look there at first epistle of John in the first chapter. She just turned edit to it for a minute.
First John, chapter one and verse.
Well, and we'll start at the first verse, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifest unto us. I just call attention to this because it shows that the Lord Jesus is that eternal life.
That's why it says he that hath the Son hath life. It says also in Colossians 3 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. Can I put it very simply, when I was born into this world, I was born with a life, a life that was away from God who sought its own way. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We turned everyone to his own way.
That was the kind of life I received. But when I was born to the family of God, when I received the Lord Jesus as my Savior, then I received eternal life. And that life is the life of Christ sometimes said my body is like a house with two tenants.
I still have the phone. Nature. God tells me to reckon that dad, but he also tells me that I have this treasure in earthen vessels. That is, it's still the same old body that I had before. But God put a treasure in the life of Jesus, eternal life. And so Christ is that life. So I say Christ is salvation. Christ is our life. It says in Colossians chapter one, Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Do you know that if you've received the Lord Jesus as your savior?
You're not going to have a different new life when you get home to heaven. You already have the life that's suited to heaven. It's the life of Christ. And I often say when, When we get there, I believe for the first time we'll say this is home. Now I can relax. All of that new life wanted is there to fully enjoy. There's no hindrance. The world in its system, the fallen nature within, the groaning creation, these bodies of humiliation left behind.
But the same life we had it in Peter. We have the salvation of our souls, we wait, the salvation of our bodies. But what I want to say again, you already possess a life that's suited to heaven. And that's why as we sit here as believers, we enjoy heavenly things. We get a foretaste before, just like the ones who went over to Canaan and brought back the grapes of Canaan. And the people in the wilderness could enjoy that fruit that was there.
Even though they hadn't reached Canaan. And how wonderful Well for you to talk that way, but you don't know how weak I am. Let's turn to Philippians chapter 4.
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Beginning at the 11Th verse, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. 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.
Isn't this lovely? Do we have the strength? Yes, We have Christ in US. And is he strong enough? Yes. Here was the apostle Paul. He was in prison, forgotten by many of his brethren, you say? Well, I'd get depressed if things like that happened to me. Well, Paul had to learn to be content, and most of us do. We're not generally content when things go wrong in our lives and disappointments come. But Paul learned.
He learned in the school of God that he could be content because.
God had ordered the circumstances of his life. As one has sometimes said, there isn't a situation in which any believer could be found that God is not able to change it if it were his will. Are you in a situation and you say, why doesn't the Lord change it? He has the power.
And if he doesn't change it, he must see something for you in leaving you there or leaving me there.
He orders everything in our lives. He has a plan for us. He has an individual tuition for every child of God. And So what? He is passing you through and what he is passing me through. You say I haven't the strength. If I had a strong character, I'd handle it. Paul said I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me pure, a child of God. You have the same new life that Paul had. He had the life of Christ. You have the life of Christ.
And So what a wonderful thing. What is it? Is it a feeling? Is it building up character? It's a person. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory? Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. We need to draw upon the resources that we have, though sometimes we don't draw upon them.
In our cars, sometimes we just have to press a button and there's all kinds of power there right away.
The power is there, we just have to use it, and there is power given. And when you and I cast ourselves in complete dependence upon the Lord, we find that he's able to remember the King who, when the armies of the enemy came against him, he looked up to the Lord, and he said.
He said, Lord, do see us this company. We don't know what to do but our eyes.
Upon thee. And what happened? The Lord came in, and there was a mighty victory. Another man hired a great company and went out, and there was defeat. He tried to meet it in human strength. And so how wonderful to be able to say Christ is the strength of my life. So we find here in this passage this beautiful thought. I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. I say Paul had to learn those things. We all have to learn them, more or less.
In our Christian life. But he proved it, and so he could write and encourage these.
Philippian believers, have you turned back to the second chapter? I just like to read also from the fifth verse.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him.
And given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, To the glory of God the Father. Were for my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Workout your own salvation with fear and trembling, For it is God that worketh in you.
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Both to Will and to do of his good pleasure. Well, I believe in this second chapter we have the Lord Jesus as the example or pattern for us.
Tells us in Peter's epistle that he left us an example, that we should follow his steps. Now I'm quite sure that in school and all that, the ambition of getting forward, climbing, getting somewhere as our brother brought before us last night, that is constantly set before our young people to climb to be something. But here was one who was and is God himself.
He is one that was number robbery For him to be equal with God, that's exactly what he is. He is God himself, God the Son. And he came down into this world. He was the only person that could choose where he would be born. And he chose to be born in Bethlehem and laid in the Manger. If you could choose where you would be born, would you like to be born in that humility? He could choose his own place of residence.
And when Nathaniel heard about it, he said, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? He wasn't in the elite part of the country. If he couldn't speak in that way he was despised and rejected of men. He said show me a penny. And yet he made the gold and the silver and everything was his. Just think of it, the Lord of glory come down to this world to be an example for us. Babe, you or I have had some reverses and we say it's very difficult.
Was there any that ever went any lower than the Son of God himself, the one who, as it says, he was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He made the wood on which of which they formed the cross. He made the iron by which they made the nails. He made the steel for the spear that pierced his blessed side. He had everything, but he's a perfect example. Perhaps you set some brother before you as an example. You say he's a good Christian.
Or some sister and you say she's a wonderful Christian. I'd like to be like her. Well, you may be disappointed.
I think of that verse sometimes. I have seen an end of all perfection, and if you've got any model, brother or sister, you're going to be disappointed sooner or later. Certainly if you looked at me, you'd be disappointed because every human fails. But don't make anyone your example. But the Lord Jesus, that blessed one who walked through this world, who upholds all things and yet came in that lowly form, made himself of no reputation.
He became a servant. We like to be sort of boss and telling other people what to do, but he voluntarily chose to be a servant. He had the most humiliating death put up there upon a cross. He did all that. He was the perfect example. And then he is saying to these Philippian believers they were having a little bit of strife among themselves. And he said, he said that the Lord would help them to work the situation out. Because you know.
A lot of our problems that we can't workout is because we don't like to be put down. You don't like to be put down and we can't work it out because we want something about ourselves to be recognized. But here was the one who came and took the lowest place. Oh, you say that's hard. Well, he said it is. God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Oh, how wonderful. What a perfect example.
Well, the next chapter we have one who is an object for our hearts, the third chapter.
Paul said in verse 10 that I may know him the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained either, were already perfect.
But I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are before.
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. Paul compares himself here to a runner in a race. And as in those ancient games, the prize was at the end of the race, and as he was running in that race, he had an object before him, and the object was Christ in glory. Do you have an object in your life?
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Sometimes remember, one man said, before I was saved, I wanted to be a great man in the world. After I was saved, I wanted to be a great man in the Church of God. And he said I had to learn that both were wrong. Now we like to be considered great, don't we? But here we find Paul had an object before him, and he was running with that object, and there were many things that might have attracted him. If you're running in a race and you see something worthwhile.
Lying there on the side, you have to make a choice, whether that's more important to pick that up or to run on in the race. And you know Satan is constantly dangling things in front of us, saying isn't it worthwhile to turn aside for this or that will Paul had an object before him.
He saw Christ in glory at the end of the race, and He was just running, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. He pressed what was the prize, all to be in the presence of that Savior, and to hear in some measure His well done.
There's one verse that often thrills me as I think of it. I think it's so wonderful, it says in First Corinthians chapter 4. And then shall every man have praise of God? I can't understand that. I know why I should praise him. This is my story, This is my song praising my savior all the day long. But why He should find something in my life that he would praise me for it that's beyond me, but rather not yours. How he'll pick the smallest thing out of your life done for him?
And he will say, well done. There are crowns, there are rewards. And when we see how he valued a little bit of devotedness for him, a little bit of living for him, we'll say, oh, it's well worthwhile will. Paul had his eye upon the object and he pressed on. He was in prison, he was forgotten by his brethren, but he just accepted everything from the Lord and said, I have an object before me. I'm longing for that time.
Well, I'll be up there with Christ.
I'd like you to turn to Galatians chapter 3.
I don't expect to dwell on this little theme of baptism, but I just wanted to call attention to this three verses 26 and seven.
For your All the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You're not a child of God by baptism. You're a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. But you know, brethren, it's a privilege in this world to bear the name of Christ.
And if I can just make this little simple comment, I don't intend to dwell upon it. But I believe that if when a person is baptized, if we just had a little card and printed Christ on it and hung it around their neck, it would help them to understand baptism better than a great many words that we say.
Supposing that I had that around my neck, Christ and I walked into the office where I used to work the next morning and they saw that there, what would they expect from me? They would expect to see me like Christ, wouldn't they? Now that sign didn't make me a Christian. It was only an outward thing. And baptism is only a figure, as the scripture says, but it's very important. But a lot of people say I was baptized, and they mentioned the name of a church.
And they think that it's they're baptized into a church, Oregon, perhaps, they'll say.
Baptized by so and so, as if the person that did it was very important. Neither the person nor perhaps the company of Christians. That's not the important thing. The important thing is the name that is placed upon you. Let's always remember this if you've been baptized, I don't expect I don't see anybody here with that around their neck, but I believe it ought to be just as vivid in our minds as though it were there. We ought to think when we meet people in business.
Where we meet people when we have a talk with one of our brethren and here's Christ right across us, They'll make a little difference. Perhaps the way we talk sometimes. Well, brethren, baptism is having the name of Christ placed upon you. It's searching, isn't it? But it's blessed. What other? That worthy name by which you are called the Apostle, Apostle James said.
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But then I also like to look at 2nd Corinthians 5.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
That is, the apostle Paul spoke about living unto ourselves or unto him.
Living under Christ and he said the love of Christ constraineth US1. Is sometimes commented, does not say here the love of Christ should constrain. It states that as an actual fact. Perhaps you say, well, I don't find the love of Christ always constraining me. Why do you say that it says that? Well, let me put it this way, if I had a strong magnet in my hand and there were some nails sitting on the chair there.
I wouldn't say to you. Now watch this magnet should lift those nails. I would say to you, this magnet lifts nails.
Well, you might say, but nothings happening to those nails. And you've got the magnet in your hand. What? Why aren't they moving? You know why? Because they're not close enough. Why is it that the love of Christ is not constraining us more? Oh brethren, we're not living close enough to him, I'm afraid. Often we're like Peter. We follow afar off. The Lord had a tremendous love for Peter, a Peter, a love that afterwards affected Peter in his life.
But he was too far away to feel it, and he denied his Lord. We're capable of anything when we get away from him. But there's power in His love. Power. Where were those nails go when that magnet comes close? Well, I don't know. I just know one thing. They'd go wherever the magnet takes them. Then. I'm not trying to plan your life. I make a massive idea. But the Lord can do it. If you and I are willing to let his love constrain us and His word guide us, he'll order your life.
The Psalmist said, Order my steps. In thy word, he'll plan it for you. He knows far better than anybody else how to plan your life. His name is wonderful, Counselor. So we could say, Well, are we living to ourselves or living to him? Two ways to live. Who, you say? Is there a pattern that you'd like to lay out? It's a person not living unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us.
And rose again.
Well, I'd like also to turn to Matthew, Chapter 18.
Matthew Chapter 18.
In verse 20.
Forward two or three are gathered together in my name. There am I in the midst of them. Isn't that beautiful? Gathered to Christ. Not gathered to accompany but gathered to Christ. And you know, that's very, very wonderful when we think of it. What was it that made meeting precious to our hearts this morning as we gathered here to remember the Lord Jesus?
Was it because there's a great many brethren that we loved? Well, that was a very happy experience for many of us, indeed. But I don't. I hope that isn't why we were here. I hope we were here to meet the one who was in our midst, the one who visibly stood in the presence of his own after his resurrection, and showed unto them his hands and his side. And I just want to say to each one and to myself that if you and I lose sight of this, we're going to get discouraged.
There are problems that arise among us even as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, just like in the 6th of John and the Lord Jesus was here and it says that when the Lords books on faithful words it says From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him and the Lord said.
Said to them, he said, Will ye also go away? And Peter said.
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Lord, to whom shall we go?
Always think of that. If you're discouraged, somebody's hurt you and things have happened that bother you, and the enemy says, oh, it's not worthwhile, there's too many problems. Just think of that little verse. To whom shall we go? And are you there because you believe the Lord is there, and because you believe that we're gathered according to His word. If you lose sight of him, and if you lose sight of the importance of following his words, you're going to be discouraged but all.
Peter said, To whom shall we go?
Did you ever stop to think about the Lords answer to him? I've often been struck. I I thought of it quite a bit when I read it. The Lord said. When Peter said that, the Lord didn't even say a word of encouragement to him. Do you know what he said? He said Have not I chosen you? 12 And one of you is a devil. Why did he say that to Peter? Well, I believe what the Lord is really saying was Peter, if you're here because of me, don't look at the crowd.
There's another disappointment ahead. And brothers were tested constantly. Are we there because the Lord is there? Disappointments come, but he's not a disappointment. He's altogether lovely. Oh, may our eyes be upon him. I hope each one of us are truly gathered unto him. Our time is flying. I won't look at this passage, but perhaps you remember in Revelation chapter 19, it says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
And I just want to mention that because great many people are perplexed about prophecy, he'd like they'd like to fill in a lot of details that the scripture doesn't fill in. There's a lot of things that I would like to know about prophecy that God hasn't been pleased to tell us. Why does he not fill all those details in that would satisfy our curiosity? Because the purpose in prophecy is just to give a general outlay of events to show us how the Lord Jesus is going to have his rightful place.
And if you're occupied with world events, you've lost sight of the real purpose in prophecy. The real purpose in prophecy is that as you see the movements in this world, you're saying, oh, isn't it wonderful? It's all pointing to the time when my blessed Savior is going to have his rightful place.
He's going to come. When you read prophecy, think of it in that way, and if there's something you can't fill in, don't lose sight of that purpose that God has the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Then in First Thessalonians, chapter one, in the last verse, here were a group of heathen that had been saved, been brought to know the Lord as Savior. I expect if you had asked them to write a little treatise about the Lord's coming.
They there was a lot of things they didn't know They weren't. They weren't all together clear about some things. But what was? The Lords coming to them isn't what it says. They were waiting for God's Son from heaven. There may be some things that you and I aren't altogether clear about, but are we waiting for that moment? It might be. Before this meeting is over, the Lord would descend. And what would all the prophetic events mean?
What would all that's going on means just to see himself, to see himself. And they were waiting for God's Son from heaven. So, as someone has said, don't just think about the Lord's coming as a doctrine, Think of it as meeting a person. If I was away from home and my wife looked on my return as a kind of a doctrine that she was to expect me at a certain time, it would be kind of an empty thing, wouldn't it? But it's a person, and so it is. We're waiting for God's Son from heaven.
We're going to see him. We're going to be in His blessed presence. And it says in Revelation chapter 2022. It says, And his servants shall serve him and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads. Christ will be all in that day. God wants them to be all to us even now. Just want to tell a little story before I close, because it seems to me to emphasize the understanding of Scripture.
The Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus and the road to Emmaus. Rather, it says, he expounded unto them, and all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself.
Well, I read this little story and it interested me. There was a man was very busy in his study and his little girl came in and was continually bothered him talking to him, thought he'd give her something to occupy her time. And so he reached in his drawer and he had an old map that he didn't want and he took the map and cut it up in a number of pieces and.
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Handed them to the little girl and said, here dear, put this together. And so the child took the pieces and sat down to put it together. And he thought, well, I'll have some peace for a little while, but it wasn't very long. She jumped up and she said it's all done daddy.
He looked down. He didn't know what to expect when he looked down, but he got a big surprise. On the other side of the map, there was a big hand. She never paid any attention to geography. She didn't know geography, but she knew the hand, and so she put it together. If you'd been able to turn it over without breaking it up, every piece would have been in its right place. And when you and I read the scriptures, brethren, let's seek to see Christ in the scriptures. We'll get a blessing for our souls, as a brother pointed out to us.
Those two on the road to a mess, their hearts burned within them. They wanted to invite the Lord Jesus and they did. And they didn't just say stay for the night, They said, abide with us. And as Mr. Darby and his beautiful him put it, and he said, be not a passing stranger as one who tarries turns aside to tarry for the night. Abide with me, may you and I desire to abide in his company, if he abide in me, and by words abide in you.
You shall ask about it to your will, and it shall be done unto you. What a privilege we have, brethren. God has brought us to know the 2nd man, the last Adam, the one who's going to set everything right. We know him in an intimate way. We have his life. We're going to share eternity with him and all. We're going through this world as living witnesses of those who have been brought into this wonderful position. May others take knowledge of us, that we have been with Jesus. May our theme and our testimony be of Him.
The Savior, the Lord, the example, the one who is everything. So we looked at Him in prayer.
Gracious.
1 Peter 1:6-9
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This little Peter chapter one and verse 6.
Where Amy greatly rejoiced though now for a season if need be.
You are in heaviness through manifold temptations.
That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth.
Could be tried with fire, Might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Whom having not seen, he loved.
In whom though now ye see him not yet believing?
He rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you?
Searching what for what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them, did signify, when it testified beforehand, the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they'd administer the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.
Which things the angels desire to look into.
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind.
Be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conversation.
Because it is written, be he wholly, for I am holy.
And there he call on the Father, who, without respect to persons, judge it according to every man's work.
Past the time of your sojourn here in fear.
For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your Father's.
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, who barely was 4 ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God?
Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit.
Unto the unfeigned love of the Brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.
Being born again, not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
For all flesh is as grass.
And the glory of man is the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.
Wonderful that we have just come to this sixth bird in our reading this morning when these two feelings that we have in this verse are experimentally hours very much right now, referring to rejoicing and heaviness.
We feel both.
And it's wonderful to thank the Lord Jesus.
And his work, and His sufferings, and the memorial which we kept yesterday, we often sing with joy and sorrow mingling. We remember Thee. These two sentiments are mingled in the remembrance of the Lord.
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In what he went through, in the victory he gained for us, Machar, when we think of his sorrow.
And yesterday, or maybe the day before, my brother referred to a verse in the 16th of John. Your sorrow shall be turned into joy. Now. That's what's going to happen to our heaviness. We have both feelings now, but we shall not always have heaviness. It's going to be gone, and it'll be pure joy in that day.
When the children of Israel went through the wilderness, there were many trials that they had to feel along the way. But we see the different attitudes we find with Joshua and Caleb. They had the land before them. They were thinking of that wonderful time when they would enter in and possess that good land flowing with milk and honey. And so they had the grace to endure the trials of the wilderness because they had that glory before them, that entering into the land.
And so they went through it patiently.
And we're able to see God's hand in, but they had to pass through those who didn't have faith. The trials were too much for them. And they murmured and complained. And I believe these things are brought before us in our pathway here. Brethren, we must expect that there are going to be trials and difficulties. It's says in the 5th chapter, There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful. And so there are trials and difficulties that are common to man. I should say that's in First Corinthians.
But in first Peter 5, it says the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. And so our faith is put to the test. Even what we have heard this morning, our faith is put to the test. Do we have confidence in God so that we can go on in the face of all these things?
Knowing that God is for us. And so it's very precious to the heart of God when there is that confidence in him. How precious it was that out of all the ones that were going through the wilderness, there were those who had confidence in Him. And so we find that we might say with Caleb and Joshua, and what sustained them was that good land. So He brings that before us. We have an inheritance, only ours is a heavenly. But in the midst of these, God values that confidence.
Just like with our children, if we have to put them through something and we can't explain just at the time.
Why it is and they have confidence and they say, well, I know you love me and I can trust you. How sweet that is to us. Brethren, the Lord values confidence in the midst of trial. That confidence that trust Him, as the little song says, trust Him, when to simply trust Him seems the hardest thing of all. And so as we face these trials of our pathway, may we have confidence in God that He knows what He's doing.
And we share the common lot of the people of God and Caleb and Joshua could encourage the people and say our God has delayed in us. He's going to bring us into that land. Those who only looked at the troubles said, oh, it's just too much. Their their soul was discouraged because of the way.
This is just overwhelming. Well, may we have the right attitude in these trials and profit by them. See God's hand in all that He sees fit to pass us through. It's noticeable how.
God sustained Job in all that trial passed through. It's remarkable how his faith was sustained. He could say, though He slay me, yet will I trust him? And even he comes out with that statement. I know that my Redeemer liveth and so forth.
Such lovely statements. I was thinking too in 2nd Corinthians 6 how that life is made-up of a set of paradoxes, if you could use such a statement as that. And so the apostle says here in verse 8. By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report as deceivers and yet true. As unknown.
And yet well known as dying. And behold, we live as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, As for yet making many rich as having nothing, yet possessing all things marvelous, isn't it?
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What enabled Paul to say that? But it was the faith that you were speaking about in the person. And we're going to have trials, going to be trials of our faith because we do have this faith. But there's a need be. There was a tremendous need be for Joel. And it took a long time for the Lord working with Joel because he loves him and he wanted to have fruit from Joe for his glory and blessing.
For Joel, but he couldn't have it until those trials were endured and that Joe finally came to the end of Joe. But some of our trials are just because we're in this world as believers, the servants, not greater than his Lord. And some of them are just because we are identified with him. It's the trial of your faith there too. But the Lord was bringing out that he's the same and he's greater than than Satan. And I'm thinking the way he said Peter brings it out in his last chapter of this official, I think it's rather nice.
Verse 6 and I'm thinking just a few verses here, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God. Now this is some of the things that He brings in your lives so that as we've mentioned this morning, we realize we're nothing.
And we have, we have someone though who's greater than the enemy of our soul. And he says that he may exalt you in due time. But he had to humble Joel so he could exalt Job and Job could pray for his so-called friends. Then he said, casting all your care upon him, he cares for you.
And now notice, be sulphur, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same affliction.
Or trials are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world, but the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. So there is this time of trial, this place of suffering afflictions just like those in the world receive. We shouldn't expect to escape it.
But we have him through it. That's the that's the key. We shouldn't ask to be taken out of any trial, brethren. We should ask for the grace to go through it so there's a peaceable fruit of righteousness when we're exercised by the trial. This is our brother said here. I think it's nice we were reminded in the prayer meeting we ought to examine ourselves in these times of afflictions and trials. And then there's a feasible fruit of righteousness because he's with us.
And I like that greater. Is he that's in you. We just got to remember that, brethren, the the three, the the three Hebrews, the ones Chadrack, Meshach, and Abednego, they didn't get taken out of the furnace, but he was with them in the furnace. That made all the difference, didn't it?
I was thinking and Joel, there were two things. There were the trials that he passed through which he found very difficult to receive as from the Lord. He even thought that God was against him in the trials and he didn't profit until he really took the humble place until he said, as Elihu said to him, that which I see not teach thou me. Isn't it true? Often, brethren, when we go through trials, we don't see something that God is trying to correct in US.
We're very stubborn and we don't see it, and he wants to show us so that we can profit by it, but he never wants us to lose the confidence of his love in it. And that's important. But there was another side too, and perhaps even a worse side, and that is his attitude toward those friends that came. And I believe that God was not only passing him through trials and the loss of his wealth and of his family and his health and all, but he was also teaching him through those friends.
That we're saying kind of hurtful things and God wanted him to profit even by that. Indeed, I believe that.
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I've sometimes said I think we profit more by false accusation than by true ones. If someone accuses us of something and it's true, we only have to be honest to hang our heads and say I'm sorry, I have to admit that so. But when someone accuses us of something which is not true.
That discovers a lot of pride in our hearts. We say, imagine him saying a thing like that about me. I wouldn't do that. And that discovers, and that's what God was trying to correct in Job. And Job took a long time to get to the root of his problem. It was that pride, that self-confidence, that thinking that he was such a wonderful person and God had to show him his heart. And I believe that that's important. I think we see it in Moses too. Moses was wonderfully patient.
But what tried him was not the difficulties, it was the people. That's what got to him.
And he said, must we fetch you water out of this rock? He revels. And I believe rather than there's a practical lesson for all of us in this. It's amazing sometimes how we can gracefully take trials, loss of health and perhaps other things that come. But our brethren, that's what really try us.
And the Lord uses these things to discover things in us for our good and for our blessing.
And we need to have the attitude that the Lord has. He loves his people in spite of everything. The verses that tell us about God's love to his people are times when we could least expect it. Jeremiah was warning them of their departure and that they would have to be carried into captivity. And that's where that beautiful verse comes in. Yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. And so we need to have that.
Feeling toward the people of God that God may be using them to discover things in us for our good and for our blessings on His. Love to His people is always the same. There's love in the trials. There's love even in that unkind thing that somebody said about me. It's all for a purpose to draw me nearer to the Lord. And confidence in Him that His hand is in every circumstance is what finally brings the blessing. And then?
We certainly.
Ought to be reminded of Job that he didn't get the blessing until he prayed for those friends. So we shouldn't get to that point where we can pray for earnestly beseeching those who have irritated us and upset us and really bring them before the Lord with an open heart. Then I believe peace comes and we don't get victory until we get peace. We want to get the victory before we get peace, but we have to have peace.
Before we get the victory. Now these that he's writing about there are different kinds of trials, but I believe their sufferings and trials and manifold temptations were because they were Christians, these scattered Jews. And there is that trial, brethren, and it's a trial of our faith and Peter brings out in let's see in the fifth in the fourth chapter. He says verse 16. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian.
Let him not be ashamed. Let him glorify God on this behalf. And he's reminding them there are a lot of trials of birth before he says, let's don't, let's don't suffer these terrible trials because of flesh, because of our own terrible failures that you have that too, you know.
Chastisement Maybe even God will bring in, but he says in verse 12, Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened under you. But rejoice in as much as your partakers of Christ suffering, that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy, if you be reproached for the name of Christ. Happy are ye, And he goes on to explain why.
Well, this is one this is the trial. It was strange to them and some some brethren when their babes and are first saved. They don't understand this truth of they're not going to be loved by the world if they manifest Christ, they're not going to be loved. They're going to get a reproach. They're going to get a trial. Sometimes it's physical and it is a trial of faith, isn't it? We have to remember what was what our Lord received from this world.
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When he was here and we did have a band up in Montreal Lakes region of Cree who was saved and I remember when we went back with, I went back with his brother Bateman to see how he was doing. He was very sad and we couldn't understand it. It was three months since the time he had confessed Christ and in interrogating him and talking to him, we found out his sadness was because he said Father.
I told all my friends about Jesus and I've lost all my friends. He said I don't understand it. Well, he didn't realize what what they're going through. And brethren, there is that reproach. If Paul said in Philippians chapter one, I think it's 21. It's a gift. It's given to you not only to believe in Jesus Christ, but also to suffer with him, you know.
As precious brethren, this is the time we can be identified.
With the Lord of glory in His rejection. And that's, I believe really what they were going through here. There are different kinds of trials. Many of them we bring on ourselves. And so you get Hebrews 12. You get a loving Father's hand whom the Lord loves, He chastises. It's a trial too. You know, we have a lot of those. I know what I'm talking about and you know what I'm talking about. And those we bring on sometimes ourselves. Joe brought his trials on himself.
But God loved him so much he wanted him to go through this. It took 38 chapters. I agonized through Joel 38 chapters to bring him up through all this. But God is a wonderful teacher and he doesn't quit or give up on us.
And so some of these things are different, but here I believe it's because they were among those that were called them in that way in in the early part of Acts, them in that way, they lived Christ. And for that they had a real trial. May I add to that brother Bob that and I'm sure you will readily agree that our faith many times is associated with things that need to be purged out.
And we see that with Joe. There was much in Joe that was to be commendable. God could say there was none like him on the earth, yet there were things that needed to be dealt with. He had a high opinion of himself.
And so it is with us that these testings, this is really the meaning of temptation.
Has the result to purge out the draws. As the hymn writer says it's only designed is the draws to consume.
And the goal to refine. Now our blessed Lord in his path of faith experience similar things, but it was not a purifying process.
An early manifest that there was nothing but pure gold. But in our case, our faith oftentimes is associated with things that need to be perked out. And Brennan have used the beautiful picture of a refiner.
That refines gold and he puts it in a Crucible and he heeds it over the fire. That's the trial. And then the drawers comes to the top and he removes the drawers. This process continues until he sees his own image in it. And we need to recognize that, and we need these testings, every one of us, and we better be prepared.
That God is going to test our faith. If we take a stand on the truth of the assembly, He's going to test us. You know, we have made great claims many times, bold claims. The Lord is going to test us as the truth of the unity of the Spirit, the truth of the one body, and so on. Isn't this what has been tested over and over again?
Amongst us, the authority of the Lord in the midst we have stood on that principle, recognize His authority, yet it is tested over and over again. And whether it is in our individual life or collectively, the Lord sees fit to bring in these testings and to prove the reality. And how wonderful it is if there is at the end of the result.
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A manifestation.
Of reality, of faith. And we desire, do we not, that deadly perched out which is not of himself?
We sometimes would be very thankful to have the trial ended.
But that's that's a that's a secondary benefit. The thing we should look forward to is that the way of the Lord in verse 11 of James 5.
There should be the desire to see the end of the world. Verse 11 of James chapter 5. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord. That the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. Well, we'd like to have the trial ended.
But they don't seem to put much a desire to see anything of the end of the Lord in it. We just want the trial to be ended. So then over in Job chapter 42 and verse 10.
And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then the first chapter of Joe.
Verse 21.
Job.
1/21.
And don't said this said naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. If we can come to that, we've gained a great victory.
That does say here the trial of your faith and I believe is more precious than of gold that perishes if it's tried with fire. And I believe we have an emphasis here of the trial of your faith and brother. And I think it's the highest child there is. It's the most wonderful child there is. Now we've been talking about others and there is the truth of Romans 828 and that truth is so precious. All things work together for good. Don't forget that everything that happens to you, whether his brother Brinkman said, is purging like we have in the 15th chapter of John.
He's cutting your back, he's knocking you down. We need it urging because there's things here that aren't right for fruit. But whatever it is, whatever the reason for the trial, it could be punitive, it could be chastisement. But here, I think it's so beautiful. It's like that great woman.
In in Kings the Shunamite. Why was she great? Not because she was wealthy and all that.
Faith, she had that great faith. She lived in it and you know, that was a trial of her faith. She was barren, but she got a child from God and then he took that child back and that was a hard thing. And then her husband ridiculed her in her faith and awe and and she had that faith that says, if I just get back to the man of God.
All is well that wonderful. It was a trial of her faith. And Can you imagine? I can, how her faith was so exalted in herself and strengthened when the man of God gave her son back to her? And is it well with my husband? He ridiculed her and made fun of her. He wasn't even the Lords. He was a religious man. And is it well with thee? She just lost everything, her son. Is it well with my son? He was dead.
On the man that got fed. And what did she say it is? Well, that's faith. That's faith. That's the trial of your faith. And brethren, you're going to have it and I'm going to have it because God wants us to know what He is and what Christ should be to us. That's what faith does, and I believe we have it here. There's another illustration in Luke chapter 8. I'd just like for us to notice that a few verses there, a short illustration is very much to the point it asks the question.
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Where is your faith in Luke 8 reading from verse 22?
Here is a trial. Now it came to pass on a certain day that he went into a ship with his disciples, and he said to them, Let us go over under the other side of the lake, and they launched, 4 But as they sailed, he fell asleep. There came a storm of down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy.
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. And he arose and rebuked the wind, and the aching of the water, And they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Now this is the question, Where is your faith? We need to ask ourselves this too, Where is your faith? And they being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this? For he commandeth.
Even the winds and water and they obey him. So we're having about the trail of our feet in our verse here. And our own chapter answers this question very definitely, referring to our chapter and verse 21.
First Peter 121. The subject here is Christ the Lamb in verse 19. Then it says, who by him that's praised the Lamb, do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. Now when we have our faith in the right one, it works because he is there.
To do everything for us. He was there in the boat with the disciples, and they really weren't understanding who he was and His power. But here it's the Christ, the Lamb, who is arisen from the dead and going back to glory and as power over even death itself, so that we ought to look to him and trust Him.
For everything.
When I was just a babe in Christ.
They had a sorrow in our.
Whole a baby was dead at birth.
And the mother was lying in bed, and the pastor stood at the foot of the bed, and he read this verse, Psalm 30.
Verse 5. And I never forgot it, and it meant a great deal to me. Perhaps I'd be helpful also to you. Psalm 30, verse 5.
For his anger endureth but in moment.
In his favor is life. Now here's the kernel of the verse. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
And that night in the margin says in the evening.
Sorrow overtakes us, but we can cast all of our trials and cares about Him. He cares for us. Remember, weeping may endure for an evening or for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Don't forget that God is faithful.
In in you don't have to turn to him, but Mark 11, I think it's verse 22. You've got the expression have faith in God and I believe it should read have the faith of God.
Because Peter says in in the second epistle, first chapter, we have like precious faith and it is the face of God. And if we're told by the Lord himself, if you have it as a grain of mustard seed, you've got what you need. Just live in the good of it. You can move the mountain. It is the faith of God. It's not a question of quantity at all.
It's quality and so if you look at mark nine on one expression and this man had the right thought verse 24 and at the end of it, Lord, I believe he has it now. It was a gift by the way, helps thou my unbelief.
The problem when he says where is your faith? They had shelved it. They had it, but they weren't using it. That's the thought. It's unbelievable. That's the whole problem. It's the problem is with the soul or problems with the person, not with the faith. And so Peter could fail and the Lord knew that, but his faith couldn't fail.
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And the Lord do that he prayed that your faith failed. Not that's the wonderful part, isn't it? I'd like to make a comment on that, that expression. It's it's a common Greek expression. I'll quote a verse Galatians 220.
I am crucified with Christ nevertheless.
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. The faith of the Son of God or the faith of God simply means the faith which has the Son of God as its object, or the faith which has God as its object. It's called the objective genitive.
And it's not the Son of God's faith or God's faith, it's the faith which rests upon God or the Son of God as its object or Christ, whatever is mentioned there. So it's, it's a little different expression than saying faith in Christ to say the faith of Christ. It's the faith which rests upon him as the object and draws strength from that blessed object which is before us.
I think it's important that.
We understand that, and I I wanted to mention in the seventh verse of our chapter, I noticed in the new translation, it reads not that the trial of your faith, but that the proving of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth though it be tried or though it be proved by fire. God is proving the faith. He is putting the faith through the trial that it might come out and.
Be proven to be genuine and of himself.
It's the faith which is much more precious than of gold, that perishes not to trial or not the proving of it. It's the faith that's precious. It's the faith which is given of God, the faith which enables us to lay hold upon the God who's given it, and to make and to give strength to the soul that we might go on. It's the faith which gives the soul a link with the living and true God.
And enables us in the midst of all the fiery trials and persecutions and misunderstandings and injustices and all the trials that we go through to go on. And it was mentioned earlier about Joe. I was thinking of three reasons why we'll go through.
Maybe difficulties. One is our own fault. We have committed a sin and he's chasing us.
And now there is for righteousness sake or for Christ's sake, we're suffering. Now if you're out in the mission field and you're thrown into prison because you've been a witness for Christ, you can always draw strength in the fact that while you were witnessing for Him, or maybe you're out passing out tracks and you get a word of reproach. Someone may even injure you because of that witness. And you can relate while I was.
In the Lord's business. But many of us are not going through that kind of a trial. We're going through the kind of a trial that Job had, and that is he didn't do anything that was amiss. Joseph went through it too, though he was suffering for righteousness. He was suffering because he was faithful to his brothers. But he hadn't done anything. He was just living his life. And then a calamity came upon him, and that happened to Job. I remember there was a time in my life and the trial we've had.
That the only book in the Bible that really gave me comfort was the book of Job.
All scriptures given by inspiration of God and is profitable. We can't do away with one single part of Scripture. Well, I say the kind of trial that Job went through.
Misunderstandings. Notice it was his friends that came to him. It wasn't his enemies, it was his friends.
And they the ones that falsely accused Joe and that's.
That touches, as Brother Gordon was saying, that touches areas in our soul that we're not even conscious are there until they be touched. It reaches down God. There's no teacher like God, beloved, and he can, He can reach depths in our being that we're not even conscious of, and there's no teacher as he is. The greatest thing for me, for you, for each of us is to submit.
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To him in what he is seeking to show us. And there's so much in our lives that need to be laid bare in the presence of that holy, holy, holy God who sees everything, who knows our down sitting in our uprising, who understands our thoughts are far off, who knows the very motives and intents of the heart. And he knows that we don't.
We're not even aware sometimes when we're about certain things and doing certain things. We may think we're serving the Lord. We may think we're doing the right thing, and we may be altogether wrong. But He sees it and He knows it, and He is able to probe and to search and to bring out and to expose. And He does it because He loves us and He wants our blessing. He wants us to be partakers of His Holiness.
Just this last thought, the error, the theology of the three friends of Joe was wrong, dead wrong. And the Lord says in the last chapter of Job, they have not spoken of me. The thing which is right, what was wrong with their theology, their theology was look at all this calamity that came into Job's life. He must have done something wrong. God would never bring this kind of thing into Job's life if there wasn't some hidden sin there.
That was absolutely false. There was pride, as there is in every single one of our hearts that needs to be probed and searched, but he hadn't done anything wrong. As far as and who, who of us can say this? There's not one of us can say we haven't done anything wrong. We all failed.
But John was a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God and his cute evil. If God wanted to show the evil that's that lies in the heart of man, he took the very best man he could find to show it. He didn't take a Skid Row bomb. He took a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God and his shoot evil. And he showed from that man. He brought him to the point where he said I have harmed myself and ashes. It was that man that was brought to see what he was in the presence of infinite holiness.
And how little we realize this, and this is one of the great lessons of the book of Joe is to realize who he is and what we are in the presence of him. He came to the end of himself, brother. That's what happened. I was thinking of a Peters a lot of people of God gives it that way. Precious that in connection with the trial. He said that the trial is precious.
And if I were to ask me to say, Peter, why do you sufferage 7 times precious in the scripture that you are you have written for us, reason for us, you say all brother will say to me, I have proven I have failed in so many times, but all the restoring grace of the Lord Jesus. The word may say he is a preciousness. Is that correct brother? He is the preciousness.
I think there are two things that are brought together here that are very important, and that is faith and love.
It isn't a trial of faith if we can understand why, it's when we don't understand why the Lord has allowed it. That faith is put to the test. Is God perfectly wise in what he is doing? Well then that's where the love comes in. If someone is unkind to you and you don't feel that person loves you, but then it is sort of hard to take. But if you feel that person loves you, then you say well.
I don't know why He did that, but I am confident in His love. Well, isn't it wonderful that God values that? And it's interesting here that it's your face and in whom? Whom, having not seen He love, God values that response from our hearts. His love toward us is perfect. His ways with us are perfect. But He values it, brethren, when we have confidence in His love. And that's why in that beautiful verse in Romans 8, it doesn't speak about His love. But isn't it remarkable?
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It says all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now that is he counts upon that response in us to his love and when we're confident of a persons love by them, there is a response to that love. And so God values, I say that faith. There may be some right here who are going through trials. You can't understand why you don't know why God has allowed it.
But you're trusting him, you're confident in him, you're asking Him to show you just why. But as yet he has them. And there are some things that we may not understand even here in this world. I don't suppose that if you ask Joseph why God allowed all those things, that he would have understood why he had to go through them. But in the end, he saw that God was working out a purpose. It was awfully hard to be misunderstood by his brethren. Sold to the Midianites.
Falsely accused by Potter's Potiphar's wife, forgotten by the Butler. Every time he seemed to get a fresh roll of hope, it was dashed because just went down one thing after another. But it took years before he would see the hand of God in it all. But what shines out is his confidence in God. And that confidence in God enabled him to look above circumstances and people. So when his brethren came.
It's so wonderful what he would say to them. He said, don't be angry with yourselves. God sent me before you to preserve light. He looked beyond those people that had done this to him, and he saw the hand of God in it, and it became a blessing to him and to his friends as well.
So I believe it's important, brethren, we link those two things. It says the trial of your faith is precious to him. And whom having not seen ye love, and who know now ye see him not yet believing. There's the confidence of faith. You rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
You say in your soul, God knows what He's doing. I don't understand it, but I have confidence in him because I know He loves me and by grace I can say I love him. And so I'm just going to leave it. I'll find out someday. Now we may find out down here, we may not. Job, at least Joseph found out down here that God had a purpose. Although there's one thing I don't think that he has found out, but we'll find out that his life was a figure of the Lord Jesus.
Ought to be wonderful when you meet Joseph up in glory and say, Joseph, your life was a tremendous blessing to me. And he sees that all those things that he went through were a figure of the life of the Lord Jesus for the prophet of the Saints of God for years to come. Maybe he never understood that his whole lifetime. And that's why it says it'll be found under praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And so I say again, brother, let's trust him in these things when they come. There's going to be a manifestation someday and when our lives pass into review.
God is going to make manifest that which He valued. He valued that confidence. He valued that feeble love that trusted him and had confidence in him. That's all going to come out another day. And we if we have that confidence in Him, then we're content to leave it. He knows what He's doing. He has perfect wisdom and perfect love. It's nice to see the division point in Hebrews Chapter 11.
That is in the latter part of the chapter.
We see in verses 34 and 35 how that there was deliverance, but there's a turning point in the middle of verse 35. It says others, and yet this is all based on faith. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection, and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings.
Yay. Moreover, bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sought asunder, they were tempted, were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of who the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts, in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these, all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.
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God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect. In other words, these things were being proven out back in the old economy and God's dealing with his people all the way along. It isn't just Christianity that these things are being proven out. And so we have a great cloud of witnesses and we need to consider the Old Testament pictures that prove these things out. But here.
Were those that had deliverance, and it is a wonderful thing to experience that God's intervention in remarkable ways. But how about it when there is not deliverance? That's the other side. It's a dividing point there. But as far as God's dealings with us as individuals, they're perfect and excellent. I was just thinking of God's dealing with Joe there. He brings out the fact that leviathan scales were so close.
That even air couldn't pass through them. That beast couldn't be taken, so to speak, by man. God uses these creatures to help Job see the pride that was in his heart. Oh, the wisdom of God, knowing how to get right down into the recesses of our hearts, as you mentioned. And when he discovers something to us, how we need grace to really judge it before him and forsake it, that we might have grace, that it may not become a more severe trial.
The thing that helped the and others many martyrs was what our brother Hail was bringing out who we loved. You know, we love because he first loved us. And that comes with the faith. That mingles with the faith, isn't it? We love and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable. It's a joy that's beyond expression. It's the joy that there's no words to express. It's inner joy.
That goes along with the one who's living in the good of that faith in Christ. And I was thinking, you know, the epistle, the prison epistle of Paul is the epistle of joy and rejoicing. And it's because of that he loved him and he knew how much God loved him. And he had that joy in spite of everything. And so in that epistle, Paul being in prison, he could say in the first chapter he says, what happened to me?
By imprisonment.
Is for the furthest of the gospel. And so he's rejoicing and then he says some are preaching thou to add to my afflictions and bonds and some for envy and some for contentions and some for other reasons. But I rejoice and I will rejoice. Think of this. Why? Because God's sovereign, the word is being preached and that's how faith comes to sinners. And so I'm rejoicing and then he then he gets to the 4th chapter and he says.
Rejoice in the Lord, all we and again I say rejoice and rejoice just keeps coming out of his mouth and he's not delivered. He's in prison. He's in fine. This is the point. He had that sense in his soul of this is God working through it in him. He doesn't know all the results, but God is love. And that's the thought, isn't it?
It's the ninth verse, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Is brought out in connection with what we've been talking about in verses 7 and eight. That is, we don't expect final deliverance here in this world. God may come in and does come in. As our brother Don just remarked, there were those who experienced miraculous deliverances. There were those who didn't.
But there is to be that confidence. If God sees fit to work a miraculous deliverance, why He honors the faith that trusts him, but he may not. But we have, and what is the end of our faith now is the salvation of our souls. So God didn't promise me that when I got saved that that was going to free me of sickness. It's going to free me of problems. It's going to free me of persecution. It always says you have the salvation of your soul. I've given you a face to meet the circumstances of life.
I put love into your heart. Faith works by love. I've done all that for you. But don't expect everything. Here you have the salvation of your soul. The final deliverance is when the Lord comes. Then we'll have bodies of glory. Then we shall know, even as also we are known. Everything will be perfect, but that which is perfect is come. Then that which is in part shall be done away. Oh, how blessed to see what Christianity really is. This gives us to be able to go on, brethren, from day-to-day.
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Understanding the wonderful place that we are brought into, understanding that God gives us the faith to meet these difficult circumstances, but that we are not to expect the final deliverance until the Lord calls us home. Then I say again, everything will be explained.
We'll understand, and God will be glorified, and we'll rejoice too. It will be found under praise and honor and glory, the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Of these little words, if these people are another moment.
There is another kind of suffering. One is the need to be, and Peter could talk about that very heavily, but there is a kind of suffering. I've reached Saturdays mission was made of Joshua.
And Caleb, now isn't that a suffering to go alongside with our brethren who are in trouble, suffer with them? I was thinking of that this morning.
With all the sorrowful reports and things that we've heard and brought our souls before the Lord when there's difficulty in the assembly.
Doesn't sometimes the temptation come? Or what's the use?
Let's just go. Go away. Leave the meeting.
Well, Joshua and Caleb might have said.
We came two years through this wilderness already, and it was a laborious path.
Now sent back into the wilderness, we shall stay with them for 38 more years.
Was the suffering of their account or were they suffering alongside with their brother? Is that a willingness to that the Lord would have us to consider. Are we willing to shoulder the yoke with our brethren? If there's feature, if there's difficulty, it doesn't help, and if we go away, we might compound the trouble. If you're not in the right state of soul ourselves to stay there, then we need to be before the Lord in confession.
But there is this Like the Lord Jesus, she goes with us through our lifetime in faithfulness. But look what the end was about for Joshua and Caleb too.
Often honored this There are two men. Caleb was representing Judah. Joshua was representing Ephraim.
And the promise of God was to Joseph. You read that in the prophecy which Jacob gave about Joseph like to branch over the wall blessing for, for it would come. Well, how wonderful. And God used these two men and bring them into the land.
What was it all about? They were trained. Joshua could have never been a general like he was until he had 38 more years on his shoulders and then he could look as the captain of God of God for help and he was the leader. But it was going along and suffering with his brothers that enabled him to do this. So we do not always know the end of the Lord, but faith will lead us on to look, for the Lord is always our blessing.
Like to.
Emphasize the eighth verse a little bit, just by noticing the fact that verses 6 to 9 are one sentence. It's a sentence which is rather long for us. It has over 100 words in it, and so it's rather easy to lose the thread of the sentence. I'd like to read it just, you might say, reading the without some of the modifying clause.
That sort of summarized the sense here and give us something of what's been before us in verse six, it begins wherein ye greatly rejoice. Verse seven that the trial of your faith.
Though it be fried with fire, may be found unto the praise and honor and glory of Jesus Christ, whom ye love, and whom.
Believing you rejoice with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. I think it's very important to see that in trial there and the object of the faith, it's Jesus Christ and no matter what the trial is.
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We never want it to come between our souls and the enjoyment of Himself. And so it's Jesus Christ in whom believing you rejoice. I believe, brethren, that the Lord would have us to find joy in Himself even in the greatest of the trials, because He's the object of our faith. And there are times when we say, I can't understand. I may never understand until the Lord takes me home.
But when I look at him, I see a person whose love can never be questioned, whose love is beyond question. And if we have a question about his love in the trial, then we go on to what's given to us in the 11Th verse, the sufferings of Christ.
And if there is ever a doubt in our souls, and sometimes there is, then let's look on to see Himself and see the suffering through which he passed and His love for us. And it answers every question as to the measure of God's love for us and of the perfection of God's love for us. And it can give us, as we find here in these trials of faith. They found something in which they could find joy.
And that was in himself.
Subject here and these versions that we have before us, there's a great deal.
In particularly well in all the officials regarding.
Bearing reproach, as we had in the 4th chapter of this epistle. Bearing reproach for the name of the Lord.
In Hebrews 13, verse 13 says, Let us go forth therefore unto him, without the camp, bearing his reproach.
There is much.
In Christendom today that is not according to the Word of God. It is difficult, if we are raised in Christendom, to at times to see.
That is, in the denominations, it is difficult sometimes to see the outside police, but it's where the Lord Jesus Christ was himself when he was here in the world. He was in the midst of a religious system that was.
According to his mind, but had gone away from the Scripture and it was only a shell. There is much today that is going on in fundamental Christendom. In fact, that is not according to the word of God or the ways of God. God would have us.
That is his people to be outside the camp, that religious system which is predominantly Judaistic, to be faithful to His word in a ways, and be willing to bear reproach for the name of the Lord. Now when we think of suffering, it's something that I'd rather not do. I don't want to bear reproach. I do not want to suffer for the name of Christ because suffering is contrary to my nature.
The and but all of godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Evil men and solution shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Then in the 8th chapter of Romans we have a great deal about suffering for the for the Lord.
And we we are inheritors.
We will inherit with the Lord Jesus if we suffer with Him. So a great deal has to do with being outside the camp, has to do with living godly in Christ Jesus and then expect.
To bear reproach and to suffer for the Lord.
We, we have this privilege now, now in the first chapter, second chapter of First Timothy.
We are told to pray for the rulers, the powers that be, and I think perhaps the prayers of the Saints who are praying for the rulers, the powers that be, are withholding, temporarily at least.
Persecution from the government and so it it becomes us to continue to pray and uphold those who are over us politically to that we may continue to live a quiet and peaceful life and all godless and honesty.
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And because no one, no one of them, relishes the thought of bearing reproach for the name of the Lord, bearing reproach at all. In fact, it's something that's contrary to us.
Therefore, when we have Joseph as an example as the brothers but before us, but unless we can line, but when we think of the Lord Jesus, oh how precious that is, we have cast amount rejected.
And in exchange for that, he brings the greatest blessing we'll ever have, the human race. In exchange for that, now he saves the most wretched of a Sinner. The Lord Jesus is a wonderful, the perfect example, first of all.
Baby sing hymn #10 in the appendix. Hymn #10.
1 Peter 1:1
2 Peter 1:1-5
Hold Fast the Form of Sound Words
"The Crown, Separation"
Behold My Servant