Des Moines Conference: 1991
Table of Contents
The Son of God, John 1:1-7
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Well, after one.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
And the word was gone. The same was in the beginning withdrawn. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life. And the life was the light of man, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe he was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light, That was the true light, which light of every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bear witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I speak. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me.
And of his fullness have all we received.
And grace for grace for the law was given by Moses.
But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him, And this is the record of John.
When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who art thou?
And he confirmed, and denied not, but confessed I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then art thou, Elias? And he says, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered no, Then said they unto him, Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What saith thou thyself? He said. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
Make straight the way of the Lord has said, the prophet is this, And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptize 1000 if thou be not thy Christ nor Elias? Neither that prophet John answered them, saying, I baptize with water, But there stands with one among you whom you know not here It is who coming after me is preferred before me.
Whose shoes like it I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethlehem, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me.
And I knew him not, but he that should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore I might come baptizing with water, And John Bear record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and abode upon him.
And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, the saying said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him the same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God.
Again, the next day after John stood until his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he says.
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Behold the Lamb of God, and the two disciples heard him speak.
And they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and sat under them. What's the key? They said unto him, a rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted Master, where dwellesto he set unto them, Come and see. They came, and saw where he go out and abode with him that day. For it was about the 10th hour, one of the two which heard John speak, and followed him.
Andrew Simon Peters Brother. He first finds his own brother, Simon.
And sat under him we have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ.
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and find us Philip, and set unto him. Follow me. Now Philip was a Bethsaida, the city of Andrew. And Peter. Philip finest Nathaniel, and set unto him.
We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip sat under him. Come and see.
Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and says of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathaniel set unto him, Whence nor style me. Jesus answered and said unto him, Before the Philip calls me. When I was under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel answered, and says unto him, Rabbi.
Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the king of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, Believe the style, Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he says unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Here after you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God are ascending, and descending upon the Son of man.
In the first prayer in the prayer meeting this morning, we asked God to direct us to the person of Christ.
I don't think we can find a chapter in the Bible.
That more brings the person of Christ before us.
In more different ways than this one. As to the reading, I would say we ought to read the Bible more. You go back and.
Read what took place in Nehemiah 8 When the scribe stood up to read, it says all the people were very attentive to hear. Now that's what you and I have to do, and that's the way we learn by hearing.
The word of God, receiving it by faith just to point out a few of the.
Titles, names given to this blessed person. The first one is the word.
And.
Gone. And we're not going to get all of them, but.
In the 29th verse, he's the Lamb of God.
In the 34th verse, he's the son of God.
And coming on down.
He's the king of Israel.
The Son of God and the King of Israel, the 49th verse, and it ends up with the Son of Man.
Well, he's the Christ and he's Jesus of Nazareth. How wonderful just to see and learn of this person as he is revealed and as he reveals God. The first verse begins with.
The Infinity of his person.
The Eternal God is Thy refuge.
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From everlasting to everlasting as our gone.
And.
In the 57th of Isaiah we have the word eternity, the one that inhabits eternity. We get those expressions to bring before us as much as we can understand of God, He always wants.
Always is with Him and Jesus is God. There is no past, present and future.
It's a great comfort if we can try to understand that. Granted we can, but the book begins with the eternity or Infinity of his person. Now the chapter ends up with Christ, the center of everything in the coming day when God heads up everything in Christ.
And the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
But if we go on to the end of John's book, we will find the Infinity of his work. Let's turn to the last verse of John's gospel and notice our complete.
The first verse and the last verse, they might say, brings in everything.
As to God and his person, Infinity, Eternity.
And as to what he has done.
It says in that 25th verse John 21 and there are also many other things which Jesus did. I would just suggest stopping there and thinking about the chief thing that Jesus did as recorded in this gospel, as well as Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Well, that was.
Salvation, the work of the cross.
That is the greatest work that's ever been done or ever will be done, including the resurrection that we read about yesterday in the prayer meeting and.
Ephesians one. Well, there are many other things that he did. This is this seems to point to the one great thing he did as well as all he did in this gospel, the other things.
Which, if they should be written everyone. I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written now. I believe that literally.
I have a book in my hand. You have one?
You take a lot of books to fill up this room. They take a mold to do the books to fill up Iowa. They take a multitude of books to fill up the world.
It still couldn't hold everything at this blessed one who is God has done just leave it there and bow and worship. So we come back then to where we began. And the way it states it is, is the best in the beginning was.
Now I think the beginning there for me and my thought is as far back as I can go, far back as you can go.
Well, already was.
The originator.
He is the originator of everything, but he was the word. Now he takes that title.
To present to us, I believe that he was going to reveal.
We used words, and they revealed thoughts traveled through words. God had come now in his thought to reveal himself. And the first thing he has to reveal is that he is eternal. The eternal God is thy reference. I tell you, if we can get ahold of that, it's basic. We're on solid ground. And who is it? The Word was made flesh. We get no the Word in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God.
Plural when you come to that, the word with God. But then it says the word was God, One God.
But God in the plural?
And so this is a beginning here which?
Goes back further than thought can go and tells us that that one was there, that God was going to reveal himself in the Word. And as we go through this book.
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Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the light, and then he says thy word is truth.
So the word and truth.
Are the way that God was going to tell us.
Something about himself, and it just fills the mind. If you think of the writer of this book, when he got the Revelation, I say the Book of Revelation. There he saw that one as the judge viewing what takes place in those seven candlesticks, and he fell at his feet as dead. But then?
He's lifted up and resurrection truth is brought out because he had gone into death. He had conquered death. And he says in Revelation 1 to John I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore.
Now, in order to die, he came down and became the Son of Man. That's the way the chapter ends up. Well, these are a few suggestions to introduce the wonderful depth of truth that we, all of us, ought to be founded upon. That Jesus is God. Jesus is the Christ. He is the Son of God. This was attacked more than 100 years ago and Satan is reviving it. We need to be founded.
Upon God, who? He is the Son of God, and I believe that all the manifestations of God are in the sun. So He was the Word, and He begins to reveal himself as we go on. We were singing about love. I'll mention two more things.
Here in this chapter we have light if God is going to reveal himself.
He first of all reveals himself as the ever existing one. Then light and light reveals and that reveals that God is love.
I think what you say is so important to grasp with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is gone from all eternity. In the beginning he was already there.
And he was there, beloved, as the Son, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the Godhead. And there was the Son eternally with God.
When he said, Let us make man in our own image, so we must conceive of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son, as he is presented in this chapter as an object for faith, the Son of God eternally from all ages past.
So another word, if it says in the beginning was the word, it means the word had no beginning. That's the simplicity of it.
And.
The Word we find in 14 became flesh and dwelt among us, but He was the Word before He became flesh. The teaching that attacked our Blessed Lord denied that He ever was the Word, and the teaching is that He became the Word, an Incarnation, and that He became the Son in Incarnation.
And that is a vicious attack on the person of the Lord Jesus and the eternal sonship.
And the translation that is so widely accepted in Christendom today attacks that very truth when it renders this day. I have become your father in Hebrews too. He ever was the Son.
And the Father sent the Son we have in first John four and God sent the Son. Both of these statements we have in first John chapter 4.
But how important it is then people who attack the eternal sonship of the Lord Jesus do not deny that he is an eternal person, and mark this beloved. Those who talk of the Lord Jesus as an eternal person might not believe that he was the Son eternally, That is the vicious attack, and that there was not the relationship of Father and Son in the eternity past that it began with incarnation.
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But these are vicious attacks of the enemy. Young people might ask what is so important about?
This truth for which we contain and which the Scripture admonishes us to cling to, well, really?
We have to simply accept the truth of Scripture as to the person of the Lord Jesus, and this is to us to be dearer than life.
Because our salvation and everything depends on the truth concerning the person of Christ.
And he ever was the Word expressing what God is.
And by having him revealed to us in time, we have the full revelation of God, which was not revealed previously, but we have it today. But even in the Old Testament, in Proverbs the question is raised, Who is his son, if thou knowest it?
30th chapter So there is already an indication there. And in Isaiah we have that wonderful statement that a child is born, a son is given. How beautiful and precise the word of God is. He didn't become the Son when he came, he was given, but a child was born. There was a beginning in our blessed Lord as to his humanity.
But never as to him being the eternal Son of God.
On chapter 17.
Verse five, I believe would prove what you're saying. Brother wrinkles John 17, verse 5.
And now oh Father, glorified all me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
That is filled up very completely in first two. First might say that John.
To identify one of the primary teachings in his book is he reveals who Jesus wants.
Go back to.
Speak elementary way of the other three Gospels Matthew would.
We might put over $0.20 and over. Mark might put what did, and over Luke. We might put how he felt. Now these are only elementary things.
But they're they're simple to get a hold of it. Here it tells us who wants eternal Son of God? Is He left in these first bursts? Had it?
Confirmed in other scriptures.
And they all fit together now. It's amazing to me that.
This book dispenses with creation.
In one burst.
Creation is important, but Creator is more important. So the third verse tells us all things were made by him.
Now we received that.
We know more than the greatest scientists about how this world they spend millions and billions dollar in research trying to find the origin of the planet upon which they are.
We've got the poor child.
And we've got the origin of everything. This person 3 takes care of all creation and there is no other, it says. So all things were made by him and it that takes an 85. And without him was not anything made that was made.
The originator, the origin is God, he began. This universe, He said it into being.
And he had you in view when he did it. It brings before us the wonders of election. I'll say for the joy of thinking about it now, that election a family truth was.
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Described by Inca Indian years ago when they were having a meeting like this and.
He was asked to say, well, what is election, he said. Before God ever put one stone in place, he was thinking upon this poor old Indian. Now you and I were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. In him, in Christ, God heads up.
Everything in Christ, he's the one God exalts. He's the one that we are supposed to exalt.
And we ought to exalt that blessed one.
And I tell you, if you want to be humble, exalt Christ. You can't be proud in His presence when you think of who he is, who he was, who he ever shall be, so.
Creation is taken care of.
And then we'll mention what it says in Hebrews.
He that cometh to God must believe that he is.
That's where we start there and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
And through faith, we understand that the words were framed by the word of God. He's fake and it was done. The power of the voice of God has brought this universe into existence. But he had you in view. He had me in view, and his purposes for blessing to be around.
And like Christ in a coming day.
I was wondering if we could look at a person Jews. And the reason I say that is because a year ago after the conference, there was a lot of complaining about it being boring and about a lot of grumbling. And I thought how how as children of Israel went through the wilderness, they grumbled about the man and they grumbled about Moses and they grumbled about the elders. And sometimes our meeting meetings appear to be difficult for the young.
And all scripture is given by inspiration of God or profitable for doctrine. And often in our reading meetings take on the characteristic of a doctrinal meeting. And I really would. My heart goes out for the young. And those would feel, in a sense, this way. It's so important.
For us to last roles of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in our day and age. There are older Saints of God that have gone astray. On these questions, these questions have come up. God has brought this before it and I would like to think here's the reason why in June.
Chapter verse 3.
Should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered for the Saints.
And I really appeal to those young and those of us who are older, how important it is for this object that God would bring before us His Son and the physician that this Son has held through eternity the eternal Son of God. And we brought out in creation. If we would go to Colossians, we could see.
That all things were created by him. If we would go to Genesis One though, it's hidden, you could find it in the writings of Brother Darby and Kelly that in the beginning LLV created.
And that is God in the supreme sense, in the plural of Aloha.
And that is the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.
It couldn't be said, these darlings, the wrong way. If we have a person, the whole of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is and as he's revealed in the Word of God, I will quote an older brother that I never got to meet and I would have loved to. I know I will And eternity, He says take your thoughts from the word of God. Don't take your thoughts to the Word of God. When we take our thoughts to the Word of God, we want to prove our thinking, our intellectual intellect, our way, those things are wrong.
And so This is why it's very important that God has brought before us in these last days these truths that he wants to establish his hand, but he wants to establish us in a in a grasp of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is for us and as who He is. So I just appeal to all of us that though these meetings in this meeting might be appeared difficult, it's.
Have our eyes and our our our our clock focused.
On him, the Lord Jesus.
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Wherever we're going to be occupied and enraptured with the person that we're speaking about this morning. If forever, we're going to be occupied with them, brethren, if forever. We'll never get tired of being occupied with Him in His glory. Can we get tired now? And I search my heart if there's a tendency when deals with the person of Christ.
If I feel tiredness and I feel I'm bored, that there's something drastically wrong and I need to be awakened and my soul as to my relationship to this person, that we're speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ and we be stirred, brethren, we need to be in these last days, the Lord Jesus is presented to us in different aspects in the four Gospels. That's already been alluded to, Matthew.
As the.
Messiah and Mark as the Servant, and Luke as Son of Man, and now here in John's Gospel as Son of God. But how important to realize that although those three first synoptic gospels, perhaps we feel there's more of a touchstone to the reality down to earth basics of our lives.
Still, it's the same blessed person that we're dealing with that we're speaking about, that we're meditating on in this first chapter of John's Gospel.
And Matthew and Luke we have as genealogy. Given Mark doesn't give a genealogy because a servant doesn't generally have, It's not important that he have a genealogy. But in John's Gospel we get there and there's no genealogy either, because how can God have a genealogy if he is the ever existing one? If he is eternal, it's impossible that he should have and so.
John in those characteristically simple. Most of John's gospel is monosyllable words.
Extremely simple, so that we can grasp it, but so tremendously profound in the beginning was the Word. There he was from all eternity the Son of God, the eternal Son of God in the bosom of the Father.
His eternity in the first statement, the Word was with God, his distinctness as the sun in the deity and the Godhead. And the Word was God his deity, and I'd just like to say it often used to fuzzily. In verse two, it almost seems like it's a repetition of the second phrase of verse one. The same was in the beginning with God.
But I think this is a very important point that has been mentioned, that there is doctrine that denies the eternal sonship of Christ, that says he was Son in time. No, this is a reaffirmation of that second statement. When was he with God? After he came into this world? No, in the beginning he was with God.
Is the eternal Son of God.
Ever in that in the Father's bosom, from that past eternity, and those eternal councils. And I like to think of, rather than this word, the title that the Lord Jesus has here, the word of God. And as our brothers mentioned, that it is the means of communication, is we use words.
And in those eternal councils, before there was any world, before there was any universe whirling around in space, there was God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
One God, three distinct persons, But there was those eternal councils, and they involved you and me. You and me were included in those eternal councils. That's when the election took place before the foundation of the world. Then it was that the Lord Jesus and those eternal councils said.
Yeah. In the volume of the book, it is written of me, I come.
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To do thy will, O God, when those eternal counsels contemplated the fact that sin was going to come into the world, and that we were going to fall under the ruin of sin and and all the ruin that it brought in, there was the Lord Jesus and those eternal councils responding to the Father's desire to go. I come to do thy will, O God, it's beautiful to think of. He is the eternal.
Word of God, the eternal Son of God.
The stain here is also one of his title. The same was in the beginning with God.
Hebrews we read in chapter one, quoting from the 102nd Psalm. I think thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Further on in Hebrew says Jesus Christ the same He He doesn't change, he's always the same. So that in our chapter he says the only begotten Son which is in the Buffalo, in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
He was always the same. He was always the Son. Now he's declaring God in that 18th verse. No man has seen God at anytime is an absolute statement.
God revealed himself, but God has revealed himself. He now he's revealed in the sun. Go ahead. The same really indicates that the Word is a person. You know, the first verse shows us that the Word had no beginning.
And that the Word was with God and the Word was God, verse 2 indicates.
That this word is a person, and the Mr. Darby rendered this, rendered it so to help us. He was in the beginning with God that beautiful.
It's this wonderful person of whom we have been speaking the Son of God.
He was with God.
Bob was marking about one of syllables. We look at that fourth verse.
They're all Montecito.
In Matthew 15, there are three words that say, hear and understand. I say this book is not hard to understand if we hear it, if we hear what God says.
These are all single syllable words. In him was light and the light was the light of men.
Little words that a child can get ahold of is talking about this person that we're talking about. The depth of truth they can pay boggles the mind, but believe it.
He could create life, he could give life, but in him was life.
Hey there, Catherine, John, it says, As the Father has life in himself, so he hath given the Son to have life in himself, so that he quickeneth whom he will, the Son quickeneth whom He will. This not only sets the Lord Jesus Christ before us as God, who alone can give life, but it sets him before us as one on whom death has no claim.
In him was life. Death works in US. Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death is passed unto all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5 and verse 12. But in him was life tells us that this blessed Son of God, who came from God and went to God, came as a holy man. Luke chapter one And verse 25 That holy thing the Angel said to Mary which shall be born of thee, shall be called sons of God.
So he came as Son into manhood, and was a holy man. And in him the principle of death had no claim. And so when he went into death, death could not hold his prey. And so he came forth, having received from God in those eternal councils the authority to lay down his life and die as a man. He came forth in life and resurrection as that blessed Son in resurrection. And so there He is. In him was life.
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And in him is God hood.
Greed and Scripture No man knoweth the Son but the Father.
These are things that we cannot reason about, but we can believe them. God has said it, and we believe them, but we won't grasp it by reasoning.
But Brother Ewell was bringing before us in John five that it was given to him to have life in himself. We must distinguish between that statement and the statement that we have here in verse five. In verse five we do not have that It was given to him that there was life in himself. As the eternal Son, He has life in himself. But.
In.
Five. He is the Son of Man, and that is given to him to have life in himself. There is a difference, and that's so important to see here in verse five in him was life and ever was in him. But in John 5 as a man, we see that the Father gave him to have life in himself, and he uses that to give life to you and to me.
I have heard that this fourth verse can be read this way. I believe it's true.
In him was light, and the light was the life of man. Now that's interchanging the words, and to me it conveys something, but I can't explain it.
Men can't explain light.
Nor can they create life. But here's the one who was life.
The life was the light of man. Here's the one who is light, and the light was the life of men.
And then the dark.
To think that the darkness could not comprehend this light.
This is the moral darkness of the Sinner.
And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
But thank God.
Let the one who worked in the first creation.
Worked in the second creation, and God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ there's new creation.
How wonderful to have that light shine in our hearts. God says I'm going to give this light to some of them. I'm one of them. You're one of them. You believed in him. You have light now. You are light in the Lord.
What a great work was creation. What a greater work was second creation to break that moral darkness and save our souls and give us eternal life. We have eternal life by faith in Christ Jesus. We're not going to get it. We have it. We're going to get a new body, but we have that life.
God could call the whole universe into being.
By speaking the word, the word of His power.
But when I came to save you and I.
That same one had to become a man.
Came upon himself, a nature capable of dying, and come down into this scene and die for you and for me.
Such was the work of redemption.
Because the light had to do with intelligence.
Light makes manifest. We know that.
The definition we have in Ephesians 5, that which for whatsoever does make manifest, is light. So light is what makes everything manifest.
And I love to meditate on the fact that the Lord Jesus as he walked through this world.
As that light manifested, it was light. We know that the word of God is light as well. But here it is not that so much. It is that light that is the light of men. So His very presence among men manifested their state immediately. Everything's dark in this room.
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I can hear a few noises, see anything. I don't know what is here in the room with me. I don't know if it's maybe some animal or people or who it is that's in this room with me. Somebody comes in, switches on the light immediately. Everything is manifest, I can tell.
There's some men, there's some women, there's some children. What kind of clothes they're wearing? Everything is manifest in the light. When you get into the presence of the Lord Jesus, everything is manifest.
And I love to think of a story I heard a number of years ago of a young person who came in to hear the gospel. And when he came into the room he said to a brother that was there a little ahead of him. I've got a lot of questions. And so the brother said, well, sit down and listen to the gospel 1St and afterwards we'll deal with your questions and when the meeting was over.
The brother went up to the young man. Now what were your questions, young man?
He said I saw the light. I really don't have any more questions now. That's what it is. The light is that which makes everything manifest. And dear brother and I really believes that off times and difficulties that arise amongst the Lord's people, it's because we're looking at each other more than we are looking at that light that is the light of men.
And that's why we don't see things clearly. We haven't got our eyes on him. He is the centerstone of it all. If you and I are having difficulty in our lives individually, or perhaps in a collective way as well, the Lord give us diligence to seek Him, to fix their eyes on Him, to see the light. And him was life and the light was the light of men.
When you're looking at the sun, no shadow can come in between brother. No shadow and we're looking at shadows and things that are darker. It's because we're looking some other direction. The Lord help us.
The light expresses the purity of God's nature. God is life.
And love expresses the activity of God's nature, beautiful, and it's necessary that we are brought into the light.
To be manifest in the life. But if God would be not more than life, it would destroy us.
But God is love to meet us in the condition that the light reveals at meeting us in that condition is God in his love, but of necessity, both of these characters of his being.
Have to be realized, and we have to come into that light, expose ourselves to that light, and open our hearts and conscience to the influence.
So that he and his love can meet us. We want to be manifest. We want to.
See things the way he sees it, but above all, we want to see what he has for us in our need.
Connection with that, I'd like to read a verse in Proverbs Bringing love before us.
What a tremendous thing it is. We'll get that in the third chapter of John. But we're talking about it now. We sang about it, and there's a blanket statement in the 10th chapter of Proverbs on the 12Th verse.
Now it has a very practical application.
But it seems too much when we read it, but it's not.
And it says here hatred stirreth up strength, but love covereth all sins.
James talks about love covering the multitude of sins, but this verse says.
All sins. How is that present turn to Zephaniah 3?
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When you have a prophecy there, have the Lord coming in to Zion.
And getting into his rest in the 17th verse.
317 of Zephaniah.
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty now. This is the prophecy of Jesus coming into Zion.
He will save. He will rejoice over thee. With joy he gets Israel back. Now notice the next statement. He will rest in his love.
Evil joy over thee with singing in our chapter. Behold the Lamb of God.
Which taketh away the sin of the world.
It's the love of God that has found a way to put sin completely away in the end. Sin. Certainly our sins are gone. They're covered by the precious blood of Christ. So that first John 17 that we love so well.
If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
So that our sins are covered as to the guilt of them by the precious blood of Christ, but this one who is.
The Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Son of Man is going to take up judgment and put away sin in judgment as well, and remove all taint of sin from his creation. How does he do it? The love.
That's pictured when Jesus hung on the cross.
Delivered up his Spirit, he inclined his head upon his bosom. That's a picture of He will rest in his love. The love of God has found a way in the cross of Christ to cover all sin, even though it takes judgment, all judgments committed on the Son, because he is the Son of Man. But it's a blanket statement now. We should never stir up strife, should we?
That God had that had found that way before he ever created the world.
In First Peter two of First Peter one just a sentence from verse 18, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, verse 19, but with the precious Blood of Christ, as will lamb without blemish and without spot.
Who Burner Lee was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Christ chosen as the Lamb of God before this world was founded.
In connection with the condition of man described in verse 5, the light shines in darkness and the darkness.
Comprehended. If not, it's nice to link with that verse. Second Corinthians 4.
Because if that's our condition, naturally, how can we be saved? But there's a miracle taking place, and we have it in 2nd Corinthians 4, verse six. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
And that wonderful, beloved brethren.
That.
God has performed a miracle.
We were naturally incapable of receiving their life, but God has brought a miracle, just like in creation of Brother. Clem already alluded to the first creation and here we have it. That is the answer. It's all God's work and God's grace working in our hearts and consciences by His Spirit.
Don't you think that verse is true in both creations? Yeah, in that same chapter, Second Corinthians 4 in the fourth verse.
Is another verse that helps to understand that darkness that it speaks about. Verse five of our chapter says in whom the God of this world, a small G which is the is Satan, hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.
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Who is the image of God should shine unto them.
That's why the light shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not, is because man was under the power of the enemy who had blinded his eyes, and the person who is blind can go out into the light of the sun, the blazing light of the sun. He doesn't see anything, and for us to do see, we find it's a tremendously difficult to understand.
How can't you see? But you got to realize that when a person says, I don't believe God, he's blinded by Satan. There's somebody here in this room that has made a decision not to believe God. I say you're blinded by Satan and we are here today to tell you to let that light penetrate the darkness in your heart. God is God. He cannot lie. He's worthy to believe.
And if you believe him.
The light will penetrate that darkness, but it's beautiful that but Heinz brought out in the sixth verse that the light shined into that darkness. Brethren, let's let the light shine through us. We are now the light of the world.
We cannot make it penetrate, but God can give the command if our light is shining. And at His command, the light will shine and penetrate darkened hearts. It's been impressive to me that so often infidels and atheists who have been converted. You hear of the story of their conversion. It wasn't through some spectacular sermon that they were converted.
It was through the simple testimony, maybe of some sister or a word of some child, that brought the light to the soul of that person. It's because God is the one who commands, and then the light penetrates the darkness of those parts.
We see that a little bit normally Bob in in verse six. It's almost a contrast here as it as it starts out there was a man.
Sent from God, His name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men might through him might believe. He was not that light. So it seems like a tremendous contrast, as we've been introduced to the infinite person of the Lord Jesus Christ that when he came into this world he did not introduce himself. He was a humble man. He he did not go about saying I am.
The word I am the life. I am the light. I am the son of God. But there was a man who came to introduce him and this man was John. He was just a man. And I believe that, you know, when when we we think about, we've been talking about what's going on in the world around us and the world is saying, well, the God of Christianity is the same of the as the God of the Eastern religions and so on.
We we have come through these verses that very, very definitely and distinctly introduce us to a God who is only the God of Christianity. And there are other people as we we're getting into the new age movement that say, well you can become God and and that's why it says that in verse eight he was not that light. So we get a very very distinct difference here between.
The Son of God, as we have been introduced to in verses one through 5. And then here was a man who was sent to introduce him. And John was just giving the introduction to the person, the glorious person that was coming after him. That's in a sense.
That's our job today too, isn't it? But John had a very distinct job of going about the world of his day and introducing the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We have, we we kind of have that same job, don't we? John takes the the place of being a voice. Now that's that's all we are, just a voice to talk about that.
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It's just to the terrible darkness in which man was morally and spiritually that God would have to send a witness to bear witness of the light. What would happen if I go outside this building and the sun shining and I'd walk down the street and say to everybody, can't you see the sun shining, the sun's shining And say, you crazy person, everybody can see the sun is shining but one, The blessed son of God, the true light, came into this world.
Man was so blinded they had no inkling. Everybody was asleep. The religious people were totally asleep. They had the scriptures in their hands. They knew where the Christ was to be born. They knew about the time. They had no idea that he was being born in Bethlehem.
And so God had to send a witness. This is the true light.
Hello dear brethren, This is the state that you and I are in by nature, apart from the grace of God enveloped in darkness.
That is accentuated by the comments of the Lord Jesus Christ in John three That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
And it's also pointed up in the first.
Corinthians where it says that the natural man receiveth not the things that God neither can he know them. It shows how completely alienated from God the light man became when he fell under Satan's authority in the fall.
For the ministry of John, and as a brother Dan indicated, the principle is really the same with us, is to bring souls into the presence of God.
Bring soul to face the Lord Jesus.
We cannot shed light upon them or manifest souls, but when souls come face to face with the Lord Jesus, they are manifested, they are revealed, and that is really our challenge. We have to bring that wonderful person before souls and trust that the Spirit of God will indeed.
Use the word so we are really our service.
Is really just to bring souls to the right person. That's what John did. He just pointed him out and not to attract them to ourselves. John said he must increase, I must decrease. His ministry was simply whether it refers to the people of Israel or to men in general, to point out that person and in that person's presence everything will be settled.
And we sing together.
Hymn #150.
The three verses, the 1St 3 verses of him, #150 first three stanzas and may we rise and sing this precious hymn. 150 just the first three stanzas.
The Eternal Son, John 1:9-18
Reading
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He Speaking of John the Baptist, he was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which light of every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory, as of the only begotten of the Father.
Full of grace and truth, John bear witness of him, and cried, saying This was he of whom I speak. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me, and of his fullness have all we received.
And grace for grace for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him, And this is a record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who art thou?
Only confess and denied not, but confessed I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then art thou, Elias? And he says, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered no. Then said they unto him, Who art thou?
That we may give an answer to them that sent us what saith? He said. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet is this, and they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
And they asked him and said unto him, Why baptize us now then, if thou be not that Christ?
Nor Elias, neither that prophet John answered them, saying, I've baptized with water. But there standeth one among you whom you know not here it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes like it I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethlehem beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John see if Jesus coming under him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God.
Which takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me. For he was before me, and I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore I might come baptizing with water, And John bear record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dog, and it abode upon him.
And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him the same as he which baptized us with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God.
Again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples.
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and sat under them. Watsik ye? They said unto him, a rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwelleth thou? He saith unto them, Come and see.
They came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day, For it was about the 10th hour. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon Peters, brother. He first finded his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ, and he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said.
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Robert Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which by interpretation, which is by interpretation a stone.
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and find us Philip, and saith unto him. Follow me now, Philip, Elizabeth Seder the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip find it Nathaniel, and saith unto him.
We have found him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did right, Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Phillip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and Seth of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.
Nathanael sat under him. Whence knoweth thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before the Philip called me, when I was under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel answered, and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the son of God, thou art the king of Israel.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, Believe us, thou shall see greater things than these. And he says unto him, Verily, verily, I send to you.
Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
I.
Verse nine would we say that that that was the true light which lighted every man that cometh into the world, Is that not placed responsibility on each one? Christ has come.
He has made no the Father, and we're responsible then to God for what has been made known.
Yes, a man is responsible according to that he had.
And not according to that he hath not, and God hath come out into the light, and this dispensation and it certainly.
Increases our intelligence when we accept that light and it increases our responsibility, but at the same time.
Privilege, privilege and responsibility always are according to relationship. And here we're getting the fact that we're born of God. Now you and I are responsible not as children of Adam, but as children of God. What responsibility? But what privilege? We're in your family.
I like to read Mr. Darby's footnote on the earth, he says. Is life to every man not enlightened, but chats is it's light upon. In other words, the thought is more than everybody is exposed.
In that light. Not that everybody is enlightened by coming into that light, but everybody is made manifest. That's where we begin, you know. And if we submit to that which the light makes manifest, then we're ready for blessing.
English is amazing in some words, like every other language. And you take SON&SUN how similar they are, and we're all exposed to the light of the SUN. Now in this revelation, we're all exposed to the light of the.
Oh man.
You might look at John chapter 15 and verse 22 in respect to the verse we're discussing as being the true light and it lights all men.
John 1522.
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had had they had not had sinned, but now they have no cloak, or their sin.
Paul said in the 7th of Romans I was alive without the law once.
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But the law came, and sin revived, and I died.
Unconscious of his.
Sin. But when the law said, Thou shalt not covet, he felt the sting of the law and its condemnation. And so the Lord Jesus Christ here came, and had he not exposed every man they might have had claimed, not knowing of their sin, but having come them, they now have no cloak. The sun has exposed their state.
And now they have no there's no way that man can deny his responsibility to God. At the end of the meeting this morning, a brother was bringing before us about John, but he wasn't that light. But he was to bear witness of that light, reminding us that.
We.
Our privilege to bring people into the light through the word of God.
As a fact, we know we can't save anybody.
Only saved, but we have privilege and responsibility to bring into the light.
And I think that is very good to.
To apply to salvation. But it's the same course in restoration which all of us need many times. It is in Galatians 6. It says Ye which are spiritual restorers, us in one.
How can I do that knowing that it's only God that can do it? David said. He restores my soul.
Now the Lord used Nathan to bring the word to David, and that's all what you and I can do.
We can't restore souls alone. All we can do is bring them into the light of the presence of the one who is late. Then we see that failure, that sin, and we can judge it in His presence. Now that's applies in first John.
As to restoration to communion, But we use that seventh verse particularly in the gospel and works there too. That is, if if we walk in the light as he is in the light.
We have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. But then down in the next ninth verse, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, so that we can seek through the gospel to bring souls into the light and get their souls safe. And then brethren can seek to put me back in the light to get me restored.
To I think you know, I'm thinking of a verse in Philippians who.
Starting at verse 13.
For it as God would work a venue, both the will and to do his good pleasure, do all things without murmurings and disputing that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as life in the world.
Holding forth the word of life.
Well, this would bring before us as we go through this scene. Our walk and our wings should witness that we belong to Christ. We shine as lights in the world. Then, if He gives us the opportunity to speak, what we say would carry some weight. But we need to.
Watch our walking ways as we go through this seat. Would you also read and comment on it, Lloyd?
8 on what you're saying.
5/8 of Ephesian.
For ye were sometimes darkness.
Now are ye light in the world? In the Lord Walk? As children of light, we've been brought out of that darkness, the darkness that we've been Speaking of here in John One.
We've been brought out of it into the light. We've been made children of God through sovereign race. Now may we walk according to the position into which we've been brought. We don't walk to get into that position. We walk as children of light because in sovereign grief, God has brought us there as His children.
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You were commenting to Bob this morning about that darkness and.
I wonder if you'd speak a little on this.
10th verse.
That's his incarnation, isn't it?
Yes, but the world didn't know it, did they? Such darkness that they they didn't know that God was standing in their presence and even in the end of this chapter.
He failed his glory, and there comes Nathaniel.
And he was under that fig tree. Doubtless he was there praying to God. He found out God was right there.
The Son of God, thou art the king of Israel. So the light shined into his soul when Jesus walked up there, and he recognized that the glory was so veiled. That says in Isaiah when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him, that is, he look like other men. There's no proof, true picture of Jesus that's ever been made.
Must have been a.
Thing that made angels wonder as they looked down and to see their creator for the first time.
In the.
A Manger at Bethlehem in.
In the place where men are measured in their greatness.
They are a great person, they get the best place. And here was the creator of the universe.
No place for him in the end, though, he was born where the animals were eating.
And the angels appeared not to some important people the world, but to some poor shepherds who are watching out on the countryside.
Dear brother, that really speaks to my heart. How much am I alert? How much am I aware of the glory of the person of the Son of God? Here we are just about down to the very point of His second Advent into this world, His Second Coming. And are we any more alert than they were at the first advent, I really believe.
A vast majority of those who call themselves Christians.
We're asleep, brethren. We're a Slater, and God awaken us as to the glory of this person, of our Lord Jesus. How tragic he was in the world. The world was made by him, and the world didn't know him, didn't know him.
They have gone 6 verse 66.
From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus, under the 12 Will ye also go away? And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the word to eternal life.
Those that even propose to be as disciples really didn't know him. They went back and walked no more with him but.
Those that were truly his recognized and he had the word to eternal life.
In connection with that remark.
Who to whom shall we go? Peter uses the same 2 words in the first Epistle and the second chapter where it says to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, That's the one we brought to.
That living stone.
Proverbs 10 is obviously in contrast with verse 11 or 11. With verse 10, even today we can say verse 10 is true of the world at large. There are duels, the majority in the world, that do not know him.
But verse 11 describes a far sadder and more serious condition. It does not say that his own, that is, the people of Israel, did not know him. It says they did not receive him. Now what brother just said they did not know him in a personal way so as to establish a relationship of living faith in that person. But they know him, knew him.
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And we find that in Chapter 7 the Lord himself in Chapter 7 verse 28 says then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying He both know me and ye know when I am.
He's addressing his own, His own, as far as those who belonged to the earthly people Israel, and how sad that is. And there are many who know the Lord Jesus in that way. They even might subscribe to some Orthodox doctrine concerning His person, but do not know him as a personal savior. And they might also reject him as these people did. He came onto his own.
His own received him now, but as many as we received him to them gave he power to become children of God. It should read even to them that believe on his name. He is rejected in John's Gospel.
From the outset by Israel, we do not find that in Matthew. We really find in Matthew that only in the 13th chapter, after he has his own these natural ties and relationships, in the 12Th chapter, that he goes by the seashore and reaches out to all mankind the gospel, the seed is sown, but here in John's Gospel.
He is rejected from the start and the gospel presents him as the one that comes not just for an earthly people. He comes for all mankind. And I believe that is one of the reasons why that gospel has such a charm to us, who are mostly Gentiles. He came and we presented as the one that was sent and given to the world, you know, when he's presented as the Son of God of necessity.
The scope has to be larger than just an earthly people. He has come for all mankind and isn't a wonderful beloved.
That the grace of God has touched us and we were drawn to that person. And he's taught here in these verses that that is not to our credit. It was not an act of our will that we were born. It's an act of the will of God.
New birth is not man's responsibility. New birth is God's responsibility. We are not born again because we have faith in the Lord Jesus.
We are born again because God by His Spirit in a sovereign grace has moved upon our hearts and consciences with the word of God and brought us into life of His own will begat He asked by the Word of Truth. It's not the act of man thrill that brings us into life, but eternal life which is more than new birth, can only be received through personal faith in the Lord Jesus.
And in Galatians chapter 3, I believe it says that we are all the sons of God through faith in the Lord Jesus.
Very significant.
In John 6, when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to his own, to which mention has been made already, to whom shall he go?
In Galatians chapter one, he says I am chapter one of Galatians.
Who hath bewitched you?
I'm more of a verse six, chapter one of Galatians.
Ye are so soon removed from him who had called you.
And the grace of Christ. So it's very important, isn't it, that we understand and we see that it is to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that we come together in His name. And that when there is departure, when I become disgruntled with the Saints of God, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's really a departure and affection from him. And so we have to turn away from him in the midst of his own.
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In our hearts, before we'll ever leave the company of gathered Saints, to whom shall we go?
I really appreciated the last meeting that we had because our brother was speaking about giving up and we were talking a little bit after the meeting about where will that giving up end up. So if God has given us some truth, we need to hang on to it. We need to cling to it. And that's why it says by the truth and sell it not. It's like a it's like a row of dominoes, you know, that begin to fall if you give up a little bit of truth, then you fall back to another level.
And you give up a little bit more and we see kind of in this chapter what happens here is a world that did not recognize their creator and now when when the the Lord Jesus came into the world.
The world should have recognized them. He formed the world. He made the world.
And they should have recognized this is the person that made it. But they had fallen back to a level of blindness in which they could not even see that this was the creator. Now the animal Kingdom, could you say, recognize this creator? The face recognized their creator. The donkey recognized its creator. But the the world, men and women were so blinded by sin that they did not recognize their creator. And that that that is the danger. Isn't it, brethren, of giving up?
Because it can go all the way back as their brother was talking about right into apostasy so. So we need to really be careful and and the truths that have been brought out in these meetings concerning the person of Christ we need to buy them. We need to make them our own we need to to latch on to them and never give them up. And verse 11 as you're bringing out brother Heinz there's another level here here are the people that had the scriptures.
The Law and God put them in a special place of blessing. And what happened was that they had so given up and replaced it with tradition and replaced it with their own laws and so on. They they had become so blinded that when their Messiah came, they didn't recognize them. They had scriptures that pointed them to that person saying this is the Messiah, this is the Christ, but they didn't recognize them so.
God opens the door then to everybody, as many as received him to them, gave he the power or the authority.
To become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. What a, what a wonderful blessing. Man fails, but God responds in in greater grace. He opens the door even wider, so that all may come.
Find the exceeding grace of God, then in the next verse, which were born not of blood, nor the will of the flash, nor of the will of man, but of God. It was all of God. Sovereign grace sees us here this afternoon as redeemed, centered.
James says of his own will the gap us with the word of truth. All God, how thankful we should be. Then the next verse.
Tells us what he became in order to bring us there. We've had what he was and always is, eternally.
Verse 14 verse 14 tells us what he became.
He always was the eternal Son of God.
He was made flesh.
He became a man.
Someone might say I have received the Lord Jesus.
And tries to take credit for that. But what is taught here in John's Gospel chapter one if you and I have received the Lord Jesus and is a result of God giving us life so that we can see and that we can enter or receive or believe? John chapter 3 clearly teaches that that new birth gives me.
Capacity.
Receive and believe. This is what Nicodemus had to learn, that a theological discussion would not enlighten him. Before he could enter and appreciate anything he needed to have life from a bomb. So we must not misunderstand and say, well, I have believed you do not as if this is to our credit. The Lord Jesus here in His word makes clear.
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That this is because new birth came to us first, so that we had a capacity to recognize what God has for us and receive it by faith.
So that the sovereignty of God in giving us new life really begins in verse 12, isn't it? With that? But yes, that's where it starts. I was thinking in verse 11 just to go back a minute to the Jewish people who didn't receive him. There was.
A.
Will fall blindness. Maybe a verse helps out to in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse.
18.
It speaks about it having the understanding Speaking of the Gentiles here, but it's the same principle. It says having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness and the margin says the hardness of their hearts.
There is such a thing as being blind, but the saddest thing is the blindness of those that will not see. The Lord Jesus had to say to the Jewish people in his time you will not come to me that you might have life.
That was the blindness that was there. It was a willing blindness. They saw the light. They saw the miracles. They saw the testimony. They heard the voice from having the voice of the Father giving testimony. They made-up their minds not to believe, but how wonderful the sovereignty of God that comes in in that awful black picture and says, But as many as received him were some of those brethren.
Thank God for it. It's only the sovereignty of God, nothing that we can boast of in ourselves.
So we have been born into God's family by.
Receiving.
Him, that simple, that beautiful, just simple reception of the person of God's Son to them that received him. To them he gave the power, the right to be called the sons of the children of God. How do you receive Christ? Sometimes young people ask that question. Or people who are listening to the gospel. How do you do it?
Is there some act necessary? Do you have to pray? What do you do to receive Christ? The answer is right in the last line of verse 12. To them that believe on his name, that's receiving him simply to trust him to believe on his name. But now that I have believed on his name, I find out that it really wasn't.
My own decision. I wasn't born the first time by my own decision, it was somebody elses decision. I wasn't born the second time into God's family by my own decision. It was God's desire to have children and I'm the result of it.
Thank God for it. I often hear questioning God's own work in my phone. So I was going through life exercise and you want to go to hell? I want to. When I die, I want to go to hell. And I was in the I was in my hometown, a young man came up 75, was having a softball game. He started talking to soccer, talking about 14, and I believe the right hand.
Please, in the Lord Jesus of our faith, right this, he told me. You got to go home, We got to pray and have Christ in your heart, he said. Well, I don't want to do it now. I'll do it when I go home. But when I went home, when I got to bed and I realized I had that Christ in my heart, I jumped out of bed. They got on my hands and weed and I credit the dog with Kobe. I believe in the love Jesus in my station and accessible to my fingers. And I asked twice in my heart. But I realized two years now, God's work on my face, that's what he's done. I believe that's most when he told me the gospel.
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Jesus was the statement in the paper from my pen that faith in him and I know that if the Lord Jesus had become, I would like to be with him glory because of his work. I believe that means.
Going on the 14th, 1St is a parenthesis there and I'd just like to leave that out for a moment. And the word was made slash, or the word became flash and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
Think of the mighty Creator God.
Coming into this scene as a man.
Full of grief and truth, showing us that wondrous grief, that favor of God to us, I'm making manifest the truth.
No to go down just a little in the chapter verse 17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Well, the law was God's measure. It told us what we should be toward God.
But truth told us exactly what we were lost guilty sinners, far off from God. But all the grace comes in and meets it just where we are in all our needs. There's the wondrous grace of God coming in and meeting a poor lost figure in all his needs and bringing him to know Him. Know Christ of Savior God is our Father.
This is the wondrous grace of God towards us.
Breathe full of grace and truth that blessed one king, that he might meet us in all our needs.
I'd like to ask **** a question about that parenthesis. Who's the weed there in that parenthesis in that verse?
Is it not those that in sovereign grace have been brought to know him?
Let's see what **** has to say for us.
I thought it was the.
Fossil because in the Epistle of John.
We developed that thought a little more in the first chapter and then goes on to bring the Saints into fellowship with that.
And talks about the.
In the first epistle of John.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon in our hands of handles of the word of life.
Goes on to stay in verse three. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that you also may have fellowship with us. So it primarily refers, doesn't it, to the apostles. And then gone through his writing brings us into fellowship with that, and with them in that collective privilege of beholding his glory.
The glory as of an only begotten with the Father.
So you see it, Yes. So that we can say we receive indirectly what the apostles received directly, and that's the way we get it. And the apostles and prophets laid the foundation that brings us back to the importance of reading and hearing this book, that we know Jesus whom they saw and heard.
And handle of the word of life.
There are two other scriptures that go to John 17 is 1. The importance of getting ahold of Jesus in the way he's presented and the glories that are given to us to enjoy and it's our enjoyment of the person that will keep us.
The 20th verse. And then it's one of those.
Like as many as or like whosoever that we've been hearing.
Verse 20 of John 17 Neither pray I for these alone, but.
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Who for them also, which I'll believe on me through their word That is. We've got it through them. Now we can go back to Isaiah, Chapter 8. I think it is. You have a wonderful property about this. We can stir up a little desire amongst us to search the prophetic word. There is nothing that will confirm your faith.
Like.
The understanding a little bit.
The prophetic scripture.
Where is that seal up the low?
Among my castles, they have their own chapters. No, it is it's it's it's the 8th chapter and the 16th verse. This is a remarkable carrying forward to the disciples the Lord had when He was here.
Mind up the testimony. See of the law among my disciples.
Now there where we get.
Our revelation, they are the means of bringing it to us and this wonderful.
Parenthesis in the verse we're looking at fourteen of our chapter. We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, telling us of Christ eternal relationship.
God as his Father, he was eternally the only begotten Son of God. When it's the only begotten Son, it's his relationship to God eternally. If it's first begotten, I believe it's relationship to created things helps us to keep those things right. The only begotten Son, how are you going to know him? Through the witness that's come through the apostles.
Connection was received again from the apostles.
In second Peter one and verse 15.
Moreover, I will endeavor that ye may be able, after my deceit, to have these things always in remembrance.
Well, it brings before us that thought that the apostle would pass on, leave it in the written word, so that those coming after would know these things.
Like to hear some comments on.
We beheld his glory. What was it that the disciples beheld?
And Peter answered the Lord.
In the 16th of Matthew.
The question the Lord asked Who do men say that I am?
And then the Lord asked Peter, And Peter said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
The Lord said, Flesh and blood had not revealed this unto Peter.
And so I believe we see that they saw in that person.
That which only faith could see.
Man saw in him the carpenter's son, the son of Joseph.
But faith saw in him.
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
So faith could see.
But not necessarily could apprehend and fully enter into it, but could believe it that this wonderful person was God the Son. And he saw certainly proofs of that when he raised the dead, when he calmed the storm, and so on. All of these things confirmed what the Father himself had revealed to Peter, who that wonderful person was.
When the Lord uses Christ, palm was formed that resulted in fight. The full was truly Thou art the thumb of God. They precede in this man who could do this.
The Son of God.
Don't you think his moral perfection shined out to them every day in perfection, in obedience and dependence? As a man down here, moral glory, certainly every moment of his life could be seen in him. Power of doing things was there too. But that moral glory, the Kingdom of God is not righteous, is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. I think those traits always.
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Shinedown in Jesus righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
There was a time on the mount of Transfiguration, where his official glory as King and the coming Kingdom.
Was previewed, but I I'd like to suggest something further that I've enjoyed in this.
Part of verse 14 said We beheld his glory, the glory as of.
And only begotten of the Father.
I don't know exactly how to explain it that if we could suppose a father and a son relationship where there is complete.
Understanding between the two and the sun moving every act, every word.
In a sense that his father's full favor was towards him.
Maybe that is something of the thought here. And as the Lord Jesus went through this world, here was a man who was not moved by his own desires. He said, I do always those things that please the Father. I do always Here was a man that was different in that way. Oh, we have our own desires that we give place to so often. But here's a man who moved completely in the sense of the Father's full favor shining on him at all times during his life.
And as He walked through this world, the disciples saw that the glory as of an only begotten with the Father, full of grace and truth, he He was the eternal Son which is in the bosom of the Father. It says in verse 18 That was his dwelling place. Even when He was walking here in this world, meeting the needs of people in their common everyday circumstances, He was the eternal Son.
Dwelling in the bosom of the Father, he moved always with a sense the full favor of his Father's countenance towards him. And that was, I suggest, a glory that the disciples beheld as he walked through this world.
This does not mean that the Father in some time in the eternity beget him, just like children are begot by men today. I believe the important point is that this conveys the thought that he is the only Son, there is none other like him, and although we are the sons of God through faith in the Lord Jesus.
And I think, brother, you will mention in his prayer that he is bringing many sons to glory. That is you and me. We are not in that same position that is described here in this verse. He will always be the only Son. Now in Hebrews 2, then we have Thou art my son. This day I have begotten thee. That is when he comes in time.
When he comes here, the Son Incarnate and there the word begotten is not used in exactly the same way.
They had a blessed Lord and had a beginning as a man. He took humanity into union with his person, fully man, spirit, soul and body. But here when we read the only begotten of the Father, it simply means I believe He alone is in that position of Son which no one else can share. But it is this wonderful person, beloved, that came and became flesh.
He didn't stop to be the eternal Son. He is a man, and as a man he has a beginning. But as God the Son he ever was and didn't seize in that relationship when he comes. And that's why he can reveal a Father, the one that is the only begotten who is in the bosom of the Father. He has declared him full of grace and truth. That does not mean that God did not deal in grace in the Old Testament.
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Think of.
And think of others.
Who were brought in rehab. But it was not characteristic of God dealing under the law. It was not grace that was the basis for relationship, it was the law. But in Christianity this is what is characteristic of God's dealings with us. Grace, and we need to be established in grace. In Hebrews chapter 13 we have to come to realize that this is God's dealing. That is what is characteristic of God's dealings in the connection with the sending of his Son.
And truth. That doesn't mean that there is no truth in the Old Testament, but it is not the full truth. We have all the truth of God now come out in connection with the sun being here. As a man, we know all the truth of God that man can know.
Our time is up.
We can sing #10.
#10
John 1:19-36
Reading
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We could start at verse 19.
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then art thou, Elias?
And he said, I am not, Art thou that prophet? And he answered no. Then said they unto him, Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What saith thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. And they which were sent were of the priorities. And they asked him, and said unto him.
Why baptise us thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor alias? Neither that Prophet John answered them, saying, I baptized with water, but they're standeth one among you, whom you know not here it is who coming after me.
Is preferred before me whose shoes Watch it. I am not worthy to unloose.
These things were done in Basavara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John's seeth Jesus coming under him and says behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.
This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me. For he was before me, and I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come baptizing with water, And John Bear records saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him, and I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water.
The same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him the same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God again. The next day after John stood until his disciples. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God.
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, a rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, Where dwelleth thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came, and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day. For he was about the for it was about the 10th hour.
One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon Peters, brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and Seth unto him We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ, and he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone.
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and find us Philip, and set unto him. Follow me. Now Phillip was a messeda, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip pine is Nathaniel, and set unto him We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did right Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?
Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathaniel saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before the Pope called me. When I was under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel answered, and says unto him.
Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, Thou art the king of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw the under the fig tree believe a style, Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
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I wonder if a little more couldn't be said about the 16th through the 18th verses before we go on to the 19th.
One thing about the 18th verse that connects with.
We're dwelleth now we get over in the 38th verse.
Brings in.
The absolute truth that.
Jesus is God and that he is man.
They came and saw where he dwelt a place on earth, but this 18th verse tells where he dwells in heaven. Marvelous truth to see that this corroborates what we have established well, that Jesus is God and that he is man.
What is your fault? Well, I just thought perhaps we hadn't talked much about these three verses yesterday, and they're rather fundamental in the understanding of the person of the Lord Jesus. And I was particularly thinking of the hem that's so very precious that we enjoy dwells in his bosom, knoweth all that in that bosom lies and came to earth to make it known that we might share His joy.
That's a very precious expression of the truth that is in these verses. And I I just would like to make this remark about our hymn book. You know, it's one of the best treasures that you and I have in the jewel chest that the Lord has given us a ministry is the little hymn book that we enjoy in our assembly meetings and those little thoughts that.
The Spirit of God has given us in the hymn book often teach us the truth. Now it's the word that has authority. It's not the hymn book, is it? But we thank the Lord that in putting together that hymn book thoughts have been gathered up which are a.
Precious for our souls dwells in his bosom, knoweth all that in that bosom lies and came to earth to make it known.
Revealed God and it says there in that 18th verse no man hath seen God at any time. No man can see God and live.
But God has manifested Himself, and in the person of the Son he's come down and revealed God.
And open up heaven too, so that the whole character of John's gospel is of the family. God had one son, his only begotten, and he wanted more. And he gets son every as we have enjoyed so much as many as received him to them gave the right to become the children of God. So God gets sons and He's bringing us to heaven.
Meanwhile, he wants us to enjoy heaven.
This witness, John the Baptist, says in the third chapter a man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. We've got something from heaven here and it reveals God. And so the book here is of the family and heavenly in character, and for that reason it doesn't mention the ordinances. Neither baptism nor the Lord's Supper did we get in, John. They're not necessary in heaven.
That's what makes this gospel so sweet, to enjoy the family relationship.
And to enjoy heaven ahead of time, as revealed in that Son who came down and declared him.
And in John's Gospel, especially revealing God and his character, his Father's, 118 times, it is in this football. 118. Yeah. And so that was where the sun ever dwelt. This is written after it speaks of the Lord's incarnation. So even though the Lord Jesus was walking through this world.
00:10:14
And meeting all the very circumstances and needs down here still at the same time He was dwelling in the bosom of the Father, that was his dwelling place. And I love that that he referred to later on in the chapter those two disciples.
I suppose we'll get to it a little later.
Jesus and then follow Jesus after John the Baptist spoke, Behold the Lamb of God, and they say, where dwelleth thou? I like to connect that with this verse, very specially that like Brother Clem has mentioned, he dwells in the bosom of the Father, and his purpose in that whole scope of John's gospel is with this purpose in view to.
Reveal to us the bosom of the Father those divine affections they are there for us to enjoy because we now belong to the very family of God. I'd like to take this invitation. Come and see. And everyone was supplied personally this day. What did they do? He said. Come and see. They came, they saw and they dealt with him that day. That's all we have to do, just dwell with the Lord.
Every day.
It's something that is applicable to today just as much as it was then. He didn't give them an address.
A certain St. and a certain number come and see, brethren, applies to you and me today, just as much it is applied.
Those disciples, how can you come? How can I come and see? By following Jesus, reading His word and seeing Him contemplating His glory and following him in the daily circumstances of life, we are going to get to know the Father and those divine affections that the Lord Jesus ever lived in.
Different affairs, a place unknown to the world.
As to the fatherhood of God.
The wonderful truth is that only in Christianity can we address God as Father.
This was not known to any St. in any previous dispensation.
Now there are different aspects to the fatherhood of God when we for instance think of Isaiah the everlasting Father or the Father of eternity.
That is not exactly what we're having in the New Testament or when we think of Ephesians.
Where one God and Father of all.
There we have the father as the originator of everything.
But when it comes of family relationship into which we have been brought through the redemptive work of Christ.
That is only known in Christianity and the Lord Jesus.
Right after he triumphantly arose the very first person that he met.
He conveyed that message through her and a woman of all people.
The one that loved him dearly.
He says, Go on to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my God, your God, my Father, your Father. That's the new relationship.
And people speak of the universal Fatherhood of God and try to, in Christianity, say that that applies to every human being.
What we're talking about in this blessed book in John and in the New Testament elsewhere, is only the portion of those who have been redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ who can buy the Spirit, Cry ABBA, Father.
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'S a tremendous privilege, beloved. To know God in that way is the true knowledge of God.
And anybody who wants to know him in the way that he had revealed himself previously is really not in the good of Christianity, of the truth of Christianity. So what a privilege that is. I'm in the family of God. You know, the writings of John are the most profound in the New Testament.
But what is the beauty about the book is that the language is very simple.
You know you don't have many words.
Spelling out the most profound.
Truth in the word of God.
It's wonderful and that we have this as our treasure. We should enjoy that what we have in this book. And I think Mr. Darby stressed at the end of his life that we should not neglect John's writers, that which speaks of the family as brethren we have.
An understandably been occupied very much with the truth of the Church.
But family truth is such a wonderful blessed truth.
In the Word of God.
The 16 verse two is such a beautiful and precious verse to meditate on Brethren of his fullness. Have all we received and grace for grace of his fullness like to connect it with that verse we get in Colossians chapter 2 and Speaking of the person of Christ.
In verse nine it says.
Or in him that is in Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and then verse 10 And ye are complete. In him is the head of all principality and power.
Dear Brethren, we will never get into a situation, into a set of circumstances where we cannot count on his fullness while we're down here in this world. Never. And we need to have that reaffirmed to our hearts. So often we get into troubles into our lives individually, we get into troubles in our lives, in our collective testimony.
And we try to turn to one and another. And God has given gifts in His church. We do not despise that. But may we first of all know what it means to turn to Him Who in whom dwells all fullness. Never will there be a lack, There's a lack in us in appropriating that fullness for our need. But I often.
Feel in my own soul, brethren, that problems that God allows in my life become bigger and bigger and bigger because I try to use my own human wisdom. And God has declared that in Christ Christ must have the preeminent place, and that is what he is working in his people today. Whether it is in an individual way or whether it is in the collective way, Christ must have the preeminent place.
He will have in that future day, and God is working that in us now. May the Lord give us when there are troubles and there are troubles, we cannot deny it, brethren. We cannot hide our heads in the sand. But when these troubles come, not to be going to sources of human wisdom, but to be going to Him, to get into His presence, to know what it means to humble ourselves before Him, to search His Word, to be exercised in His presence.
Because in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and we are complete in Him. No human wisdom necessary there, brethren. No, He is sufficient for every circumstance. And as some brothers said, we're the pathway of faith 10,000 times more difficult than it is now.
We have sufficiency in that one in whom all fullness dwells.
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And that's efficiency. Beloved is in His grace.
Or grace you have received, and the law was given by Moses. But grace and truth came or subsist in the Lord Jesus Christ. It had its beginning here. And he is the embodiment of the grace of God, working in the midst of evil for the good of his objects of his love. So the fullness that we receive is the grace that the Lord Jesus Christ brought from the Father's bosom.
The better rendering of verse 16 at the end is grace upon grace.
We have not received grace because we have shown grace, or grace, poor grace, but grace upon grace. Mountains of grace are available for the believer in him in whom all fullness dwells.
Just like to amplify a little bit what has been said about the.
Come and see aspect of this.
It is not something that we learn academically.
And sometimes young people say, well, what's wrong with seminaries and Bible schools?
Well, let's put it in perspective. We thank God for all faithfulness in communicating the truth of God, but the that isn't the way that God has.
Has ordained that we learn truth. Truth is to be learned.
And experimented on the basis of come and see.
And there's a great danger to our souls in getting our heads ahead of our affections and our feet.
And I believe that we need to remember that because there are people who intellectually take hold of things and they don't know what it means to come and see.
And so God's invitation to us in connection with these things is to come and see. And the other side of it is so important, is that no truth in Scripture is ever separated from the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why it says the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father He has declared him. We want to know the Father. We must.
Be in touch with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who has declared it and it isn't going to be in piling up books. And and I have lots of books and I enjoy my books and I just had the pleasure of moving them from one place in the house to the other and lovingly dusting them off and and renewing my interest in one and another of them and and thinking I ought to reread that one, you know and they're all precious. I thank the Lord for them. But.
It isn't an academic pursuit that God calls us to, but to the enjoyment of the truth.
And to the actual coming into contact with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Come and see, was what the Lord Jesus said. And Philip says the same thing to Nathaniel. And come and see where the Lord Jesus is, is really what it means. And beloved, the truth of God according to God's thoughts is learned in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
And we know that that is in the assembly.
The tendency is to start seminars.
On shepherding, on teaching and evangelization.
Beware. Before long, we're going to have a Bible school.
The truth of God is to be learned in the assembly, in the presence of the Lord Jesus. When Christians started meeting simply in the name of the Lord Jesus giving him his place in the midst, that's when this book was opened up, and that's when the truth of God was brought out. That we still enjoy. And I'm not at all embarrassed to tell you that what I.
00:25:07
Am presenting to God's people today, I have learned from others.
And I'm not embarrassed because I'm really in the same position as Timothy. And I'm not saying that I don't still have to learn, but we learn in the presence of the Lord Jesus. I enjoy it very much. What Mr. Barry pointed out some time ago, I heard him pointed out more than once.
In the 21St chapter of Luke.
The first thing that was opened was the eyes of those two underweight to Emmaus?
And the scriptures were opened.
And then when he was in the midst, the understanding was over. And I think that's the way we learn, beloved, and that it all is in connection with the Lord Jesus being in the way with them. First their eyes were opened, the Scriptures were opened, their eyes were opened, and then their understanding. So beloved, let us beware. We might mean very well.
In separating the teaching of the truth from the assembly.
But we must insist that this is God's order for communicating the truth.
With Christ in the midst as the head, to be able to instruct by the Spirit through whomsoever he will.
The.
Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in the bosom of the Father.
The very instrument that God has used to give us this precious truth experience the dwelling where Jesus wants. In the 13th of John. The very identical expression is used of the one who wrote this book under the power of the Spirit of God. And if you'll check Mr. Darby's translation, you'll see.
In reference to John, who is in the bosom of Jesus now very much enjoy thinking that the same intimate relationship that God the Father enjoyed with the Son as the sun dwelling in the Father's bosom, you and I.
And intimate associates of the Lord Jesus Christ can be in his bosom. And in that case, John simply says the one who Jesus loved. And that beloved is not just an example of humility for us, although it's certainly a good example, but it's the word of God being couched in terms so that you and I, by the Spirit of God, can apply it to ourselves.
We are they who Jesus loves, and we can enjoy the intimacy of communion in the bosom of Jesus.
This morning our brother Tony Nenekovan was pointing out to me a verse. I'd like to suggest we read it now in Habakkuk.
I think it bears on the subject. Come and see.
In the second chapter of Habakkuk.
And the first verse.
I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me. Now this is the prophet, I suppose. But it should be you and I. We're in heavenly truth. We're helping the Tower. What is he saying to us? Come and see. Pay attention to the word of God. Oh, it's heavenly truth we're getting.
To learn of that person who has so many titles in this very chapter, and going on in the 19th verse, we turn now to the record that John bear when the Jews sat priests and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him Who art thou?
Now, before we go on, let's turn to the 8th chapter. We find that the Lord was asked that question. Who art thou? We need to know who the Lord is. He's revealed all through this book.
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And it bears on the first part of our chapter, the answer the Lord gives in John 8.
Verse 25.
Then said they unto him, They're asking Jesus, who art thou?
He gives an answer. Magnificent.
Goes right along with what we had on Saturday, Jesus said unto him, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning, that is, he and what he said were synonymous. The living word and the written word are the same.
The thing no one else could say that so that in the.
14th chapter He says I am the Way, the truth, and the life. The truth is that declaration. And we just had the 18th verse, the only begotten son which is in the bosom of the Father. He hath declared him so. This is where this is how we learned the truth and we'll never learn it except where the truth is unlike what the Irishman said.
You'll never find anything but where it is.
Simple axiom. And that's so with the truth.
Is Christ divided as one of the strongest questions in all the Bible?
This is what's been said Now John takes up and he says he confessed and denied not, but confessed. I am not the Christ. He had a mission to announce the Messiah, the king that had been promised to Israel.
He came, and John faithfully carried out his mission so beautifully. He just said I'm a voice, This book is so wonderful of John.
There was a forerunner, and there was a follower.
It ends up with the follower John that begins with the forerunner John. Both of them magnificently hid themselves.
John the trap to said I'm just a voice. He says in the third chapter he must increase, I must decrease John the follower. John the Apostle never mentioned himself. He just said the disciple whom Jesus loved. What examples we have in these two jobs, the forerunner and the follower.
I have a question about what you said, Heinz.
You might want to clarify that a little bit, because I have to tell you the truth, that most of what I learned about the truth I learned in the bathroom and behind a set of tires, the place that I worked and in my car and in 3:00 in the morning at night from the word of God and the books that I read, not from the assembly. And it sounds as if you're saying that if you don't get it there, you won't get it. And I have to say as well that many of the people that I know that have been gathered learned the truth in a Bible study or someplace, one-on-one in their home in the middle of the night.
And then they wanted to come and see where this was carried out. But it sounds as if you're saying that you can't learn it and you don't learn it right, unless you're there. And maybe you're not saying that, but I would like to. Well, I think it's a good thing you mentioned that because certainly.
The Lord has raised up here and there's fear of service is not just in the assembly.
You know, and those who are gifted to kids.
Have been able to be a help to those in college meetings and so on.
And but what we have to recognize is that.
The truth has been recovered.
When the Lord Jesus was given his place.
As headed and the tendency seems to be when weakness increases in the assembly. And you know, unfortunately many times there is little food in the assembly.
And we have to admit that. And the tendency is that we despise the assembly even instead of getting before the Lord, and humble ourselves. Why is there so little food in the assembly? But remember, there was a famine in the land and.
00:35:09
Naomi and her family went to Moab, but they left the place where the Lord had said his name and.
What I'm contending for is let us not, when we recognize weakness in the Assembly, substitute man's ways, and neglect, or perhaps even despise the Assembly. There is a safeguard in connection with the truth being brought out in the Assembly.
If I, as an individual, take it upon myself to teach others, there's always the danger that.
If I'm wrong and something there's no correction, but you know, in the assembly the reading readings are so valuable. If I express something that is not wrong or right, there are others there to correct, or if I say something that isn't complete, like you bring out another side, you know that's the value of a reading meeting, that somebody might express a thought, but it isn't complete.
Then others bring out other things, but I think the tendency is and you see that.
With even among brethren, there are there's a Bible school now, or several. I might not be right there.
Where they have taken away the center and try to teach outside of the assembly. That's my fear and I like to encourage us to work within the God-given institution and it does not.
Hinder an individual who is qualified to reach out to others outside of the assembly to do that, but it is always with the aim to bring them to the Assembly. And isn't it true that those of us who have been gathered?
From other circles and so on, much we have learned after we were in that place.
You know the Lord can use efforts of faithful men laboring outside of the assembly, but the assembly is.
According to God's thoughts, the place where the truth should be upheld.
And the pillar and ground of the truth is the assembly, not individuals.
That's the version height, but very important on this subject. The Church does not teach, she is taught. But the Church is there to support the truth, and there has to be this safeguard or you won't end up with the truth.
It's it's the divine way where the Spirit of God and the person of Christ in the midst is there to guard and to support the truth in that verse. It's the truth. There is a difference between truth and the truth. The truth has been given to us.
Now, can we hold it? I think what's been said is very helpful on that point. We ought to go on with John the Baptist still. And he says I'm not the Christ. He wasn't that.
He wasn't Elias. He wasn't that prophet.
Now these who he was talking to knew the Old Testament.
They knew that Christ was coming. They knew the Messiah was coming. Is that you, John? Are you that? No.
Elijah, But he was going to come back. That was prophesied.
And then Moses in the 18th of Deuteronomy, said, a prophet like unto me, shall the Lord your God raised up. These weren't ignorant people he was talking to. They had known the Old Testament. John said, no, I'm not any one of those. He was just the voice. And to get ready for the king. He's coming now. He came. John announced him, He came and he wasn't received. We've already had that.
He was refused.
But God has never defeated any purposes and plans and counsel.
The king is coming again.
I suggest that it's time to pronounce.
To preach the gospel of the Kingdom. We do preach it when we warn of judgment. Coming get ready for the King. But we preach the gospel of the grace of God. At least we preach the Kingdom, the kingdoms coming. We preach the gospel of the grace of God. But we do preach the Kingdom.
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We're getting near a time when John's preaching must come forth after we're gone After we're gone.
Verse 29.
They have gone saying, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He publicly announces who that one is, then going down to verse 36.
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God. He wasn't publicly announcing him. I believe he is meditating on who that blessed one was, the Lamb of God. And the effect was his disciples Leave John and follow that one who is the Lamb of God.
Brother Lloyd, would you allow a slate correction to that statement? And that is, it's always touched my heart that it doesn't say they left John. And I think it's important to call attention to that because when when we follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we don't leave the company of John because that's what he was doing. And a brother called that to my attention many years ago.
And I've treasured it ever since that it just says that they followed Jesus. And I believe that's in keeping with the thought and the ministry of John is that he's so magnified the person of Christ that people follow Jesus. But in doing that, did they leave John's company? I don't believe so. As a practical thing, they were no longer disciples of John formally.
They of course became attached to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we're not looking to build up a company of followers anyway, are we? If we're true hearted ministers of Christ, our desire will be to so set Christ before souls that they will follow Jesus. But in so doing, do we lose their company? No, it increases and enhances the fellowship that we have with them. I don't mean to be technical about it, Brother Lloyd, but I've just always enjoyed that point that if we.
Follow if we announce Christ in such a way that souls are attracted to him.
And follow him. We don't lose their company.
It seems to me that this wonderful statement in verse 29, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, is all comprehensive and carries us clear over to the 21St of Revelation, another book that John wrote.
When righteousness dwells, we've had.
The sun dwelling in the bosom of the Father, and He had a place on earth.
And.
Now this wonderful statement. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. There in Revelation 21 it says, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. They shall be his people, and God shall be his with them and their God tears are wiped away and they never come back. That's because sin is fully removed. Finally. Now we get our sins removed.
When we believe a gospel like we heard the last two nights and sins are gone, but the roots still there, we lose that one. He calls us out of this thing, the atom. Nature. And God's going to go ahead and test this out of nature for another thousand years. The millennium's coming. The next chapter brings us into it, typically and wonderful how God, impatience, wakes and works and seeks.
And saves and brings into blessing one after another. He gets followers and he's not done with man. When he takes us up to heaven, he's still going to work for another 1000 years.
And righteousness is going to reign, but sin is not fully removed from the earth until you get to the eternal state. So I suggest that this verse comprehend clear going over to the eternal state.
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I'd like to connect that with the hymn that says all faint of sin shall be removed, all evil done away, and we shall dwell with God's beloved through God's eternal day. That's really when that will be brought fully to pass, isn't it?
The face of this the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, but when you see him taking the book of the hand of him that sits upon the throne.
At the title deed to the earth the.
It's the Lamb that takes the book. And what is that book all about? Judgments which will purge the earth and prepare the earth for the glorious rain and.
In John's gospel, we do not have the Lord Jesus presented as the sin offering, and that is good to keep in mind even when we read this verse like the 29th verse.
It has really more than anything else, reference to that which he is doing because of the work of redemption. And we'll be doing as it has been pointed out. And but then in verse 35 we just have the simple beautiful statement. Behold the Lamb of God, God's Son, beloved, the one that has been presented in this chapter as.
Eternally being the Son from all eternity.
He is the Lamb of God.
And it took such a person to settle everything.
To the full satisfaction of God. We really have the burden offering aspect in John's gospel without dwelling too much on that, but that's the side brought out in John.
Everything settled for the glory of God by the Lamb of God.
Like to think too that this 29th verse is the answer that we get in Genesis 22 to Isaacs question.
They were going up to Mount Moriah.
Abraham to OfferUp Isaac for a burnt offering. And Isaac, says, my father, behold the fire and the wood. But where is the land for burnt off? That question runs through the whole of the Old Testament. Thousands, hundreds of thousands of animals were sacrifices.
Where is the lamb? Abraham's answer was simply God will provide himself a lamb for burnt offering. Here's the answer, John seeing Jesus says Behold, the Lamb of God taketh away the sin of the world.
I sometimes like to think of the contrast between the 29th verse and the 36th verse in how we say it. And sometimes we read, perhaps read it very similarly. But I like to illustrate it this way. I believe in the 29th verse. John said, behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, and I believe on the next day after.
Looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold, the Lamb of God, my father-in-law, many years ago received a letter from Ernie Wakefield that he treasured very much.
In which Ernie said that.
He enjoyed the fact that it was the next day after that. John was still in the enjoyment of that.
My father-in-law shared it with me and I I treasured that thought too over the years that it was the next day after. So often we have a day when we are together, such as yesterday and or even today. But what about the next day after? Are we still in the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Christ? And it was looking upon him as he walked, looking upon him as he walked.
That he said that Behold the Lamb of God, there's a similar thing I believe in Heaven opened for Steven to look up and see.
Up there in heaven, just before he went in, in the 7th of Acts, just to get it accurately, it first tells us what he saw.
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55 is about Stephen, but he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly into heaven, saw what the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And then he talks.
He says, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Not a thing about the glory. The person is the glory and the person is the glory here and the person and the work can't be separated. And when we preach the gospel, we preach salvation through the person of Christ, and we preach salvation through the work of Christ.
The one that did it's even greater than his work.
John says I knew him not. I believe it's important to see that John did not have an inside track on knowing who this was because he was a a relative of the Lord Jesus.
This has to be communicated by God, doesn't it? So he says I knew him, not.
Except.
John bear witness, and says, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and in a boat upon him. And I knew him not, but he that sent to baptize with water. The same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him the same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw.
And bear record that this is the Son of God. And I believe that you got a similar thing with Peter in the 16th of Matthew, where the Lord says to him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, after his wonderful confession he said, Flesh and blood has not revealed it to me, but my Father, which is in.
In Heaven has rebuilt duty, and that's the same thing we get here that John did not have any kind of a special inside track. It had to be by divine revelation from the Father.
Could we see in this poppy I saw this bear descending from heaven like a dog and a vote upon him?
Something of the spinless humanity of Christ. When the Spirit descended in Acts Two, it was cloven tongues of a fire. There's that enough which needs to be judged. But here it was like a dog, and it abode upon him. And the Lord Jesus received the spirit, and blood did not need to be applied.
That's another fact that shows how holy and perfect that person is. Now he is the one that baptizes with the Holy Ghost. But before he can do that, he has to go to Calvary's cross and we have to come under the sprinkling of the blood. The blood has to be applied. You know, there are two pictures in the Old Testament.
That chose the work of God typically in US, and that is when the priest was dedicated. We find that he was given a bath and that never needed to be repeated, although he had to daily wash his hands and his feet. That his new birth beloved.
We're only once born again.
And then the blood was applied, and then the spirit given, and we also find it with the cleansing of the leper.
And how beautiful these pictures are to illustrate the truth of Scripture. And that's how we are brought into blessing. But I do believe it is good to make clear that the baptism of the Spirit in the New Testament is not a continuous thing.
The baptism of the Spirit is something that takes place and has taken place on the day of Pentecost, and it is wrong to apply that to what takes place in the individual believer.
And this is important to stress, because there's obviously confusion on that issue amongst the Saints of God. And why is that important? Because the Pentecostals.
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Much of their doctrine on the misunderstanding of this very point.
And not to go into any left more lengthy, but.
The Baptism of the Spirit has formed the Church on the day of Pentecost, and when the individual receives the Spirit in the Word of God, it is spoken of as being sealed with the Spirit. We are added to that which was formed by the Baptism of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
And is in existence ever since.
When they go see it first, there's three questions presented to John about himself.
And the first one he gives A5 word answer.
I am not the Christ. The second time he's asked, he gives a three word answer. I am not.
And the third time he's asked, he simply says no. I think there's a real lesson in that for the servant of the Lord that it is not attracting to self that has any benefit in presenting the Lord Jesus. And in fact, John seems almost to have been uncomfortable with the continued questions about himself. He had nothing of himself to present or that he had interest in. He turns to another and he presents someone else, the Lord Jesus.
And then when he sees and it says, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, And he goes on to elaborate on that. And we have no record of its effect upon others. But then when he's simply in the enjoyment of his own soul, contemplating the Lord Jesus, it doesn't tell us When he says, behold the Lamb of God, that he was even speaking to anyone else, he did obviously say it out loud.
And it was the attraction of his own heart, in the view of his own soul, and the enjoyment.
Of the Lord Jesus as he contemplated him, it says about two others. They heard him, they heard him say it and they followed Jesus, and I believe that oftentimes that.
Really. The source that the Lord?
And that is.
The personal enjoyment of our own souls of the Lord Jesus speaks far more loudly than all the understanding we may have, or even all the effort that we can put forward to tell another He did speak. It was necessary, He.
But at the same time.
God is pleased to tell us the point at which others follow the Lord.
That was when they.
Saw in John that enjoyment of the Lord Jesus, and it caused them to follow him himself.
They often want their concerning John that he ever realized until he was sitting in the.
Prison. How very profound his statement was.
Ben He must.
Increase I must decrease.
Sometimes we are.
Our enthusiasm, our joy, we make statements that are.
Right like that.
We don't realize how God tests us sometimes about those things.
And it was a very severe test for him on the Lord sustained him in the death.
But it was the ultimate.
And was the ultimate of what he had said himself.
He must increase.
God and his wisdom allowed John to be taken.
Totally out of the picture.
Are we willing for that?
In order that Christ might be magnified. It's a very searching thing, isn't it?
14 The best brother Don spoken on this.
If we have in our chapter an example what Paul said in verse 19.
Yet in the church I had rather speak 5 words with my understanding that my voice might teach others also. Then 10,000 words in an unknown time. Do you think they have an example what you're saying? Dogs.
01:00:17
Like to make a comment perhaps for some of the young people here.
It was a real help to my own soul some years ago, right? Perhaps the last summer before the Lord took him home, Brother Armstead Barry was at a conference like this and he made a comment that to me was very helpful.
Brother Armstead Barry.
Had been gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus for oh, I don't remember but 80 some years at that point I think. And he had was well known for his understanding of the truth and the things of God and walking with the Lord. And when he talked about, he made some comments about studying or reading the word of God. And to me it was very remarkable looking at that man thinking well, he's going to say something about enjoying.
He's been through the Gospels many times and he understands them. And now he's gone through the epistles many times in his life, and I suppose he presently studying some aspect of the minor prophets in Havoc or Zephaniah or somewhere. But he made this comment, he said. Brethren, I have found from my own soul the need every day to read in the Gospels, every day to read in the Gospels.
And there is here in our chapter in the example of John in the expression come and see and in the enjoyment that John had, and even the writer John the Apostle who was writing the that what John describes is a record of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what John saw was the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I believe that what Brother Barry was saying was every day I, my soul, need to sit down and contemplate this person. And the way that we contemplate the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is when we sit down with our Bible in our hands, quietly in the presence of the Lord Jesus, and meditate upon himself through the record that the Spirit of God has been given to us.
And so, as yesterday afternoon, as an example, we had before us the woman that was taken in the act of adultery, and she's brought face to face with her accusers and the Lord Jesus Christ. And what do we see as we read that record and we contemplate it? We see a man full of grace and truth. We see a record of grace and truth in a way that.
Perhaps we're unable to describe it to one another. Perhaps we're not even able to teach it, and as a matter of doctrine. But when we sit in our own enjoyment and fellowship with the Lord Jesus himself, then to our hearts is a revelation of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that controls our lives. It controls our lives what we enjoy.
And what our affections are taken up with is that which is the control of our lives. And that's what the apostle John so found, that he doesn't even speak about himself and his epistle or in his gospel. And it's what we're looking at here in the person of John the Baptist, one whose own heart was so taken up with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ that, as we know, there was none greater than he of all the servants of God.
Four Anchors for the Soul
Address—D. Gorgas
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The 27th chapter of Acts.
The 27th chapter of Acts.
And I want to read verses 40.
And 41.
And having.
Cast and having taken up, they had taken up the anchors. They committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the main soil to the wind, and made towards shore.
And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground.
And the four part stuck fast and remained unmovable.
But the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
During recent.
Beloved brethren, I have meditated much on these two verses. I know that we have had ministry in writing.
I recall a very helpful little paper by our brother Gordon on the subject. That was a big help to me when I was first.
Looking into the truth concerning gathering.
I know that we have had ministry not too long ago, I think from our brother Ron Reeves, if I recall correctly on this chapter.
But I have before me not to either repeat or.
Say something particularly different.
To bring out from these two verses something that I feel is so very important.
We know the story the Apostle Paul was being taken.
To Rome as a prisoner.
Against his advice, they set out on the journey.
The hurricane came up.
And.
They were in a real bad situation.
The storm.
Was beating upon the ship for many days. They hadn't seen the light of day.
They were fearful.
They didn't know where they were headed, really.
And.
They do something very strange in verse 40.
They take up or I believe as I started to read. Having these two virgin bibles sometimes can be a disadvantage. I started to read from the other version from the J&D but it says they they.
Cast off the anchors.
And.
At the same time losing the lashes, loosening the lashings of the rudders.
And I believe, Beloved, that there is a very great danger.
In the distress of the present time.
And I don't just refer to.
Happenings among us as a company of Christians. But I'm thinking of the whole testimony of God.
There's a very great danger that we might.
Cast off the anchors.
And loosen the lashings of the rudders.
Now we don't have to be nautical people and people of the sea to.
Understand what an anchor is for. I think just about everybody knows it. We all sing very lustily. We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure, while the billows roll fast into the rock, which cannot move. Grounded, firm, and deep in the Savior's love. That's a beautiful end.
I'd like to suggest, Beloved, that there are some anchors that are being cast off around us.
And we have to be careful what are what are really anchors. And I hope in the selection of some anchors that are on my heart this afternoon that I am not raising, as we would say, red herrings. I hope they're real issues. The very first one I'd like to bring to your attention.
00:05:26
Is found in Timothy.
Might expect to find anchors in Timothy.
In chapter. I'm sorry, I should have said second Timothy.
Chapter.
3.
And verses 15 and 16.
And 17.
Perhaps I'll read verse 14, because it's hard to disconnect it from it. It really flows on. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith.
Which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect.
Thoroughly, or perhaps better, thoroughly, furnished unto all good works.
I suggest beloved.
That this is an anchor.
That we dare not cast off without the risk of awful shipwreck.
It's an anchor which has been cast off by many.
And the results are absolute confusion.
And uncertainty as to the truth of God.
This portion of the Word of God teaches.
The inspiration?
In its original manuscripts of the Word of God.
God breathed.
And distinguishes the word of God, the Bible, from any other book.
And establishes the basis.
All faiths and practice.
I think back to the time of the Reformation.
When they're.
Cry was against the superstition, tradition and.
And error that had come in and swept over the church for many years during the Dark Ages.
Sola Scriptura only the scriptures.
Are we maintaining that?
There is no other basis for our faith than the Written.
Word of God.
That we have in our hands. Oh, I think sometimes that we take it so lightly that we have in our hands the very.
Words that God by the Holy Spirit communicated through those servants over those many years.
Words which are life words which give instruction.
Words which, in the words of our portion here are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. The word of God is never separated from faith in Christ Jesus. They go together.
Sometimes we're accused of being worshippers of the Bible.
00:10:03
May we never degenerate into that, But that is a red herring itself because.
We understand that the word of God is communicated to us.
And is made good to our souls by the Holy Spirit.
But we, I trust, do not make the mistake of talking about.
The leading of the Holy Spirit.
Apart from the word of God, they go hand in hand.
Let us look at another verse in.
Peters epistles.
And verse chapter one of the first epistle.
We had at our attention called to it earlier, but I'll just read it because it's important.
Chapter One and verse 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever the living and abiding word of God. Oh, that's a wonderful expression.
How we ought to value the precious word of God.
And then it goes on to say in verse 25, the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
In the verses we read in Second Timothy.
Where it says is able to make thee wise unto salvation, I believe, Beloved, it takes us far beyond.
The simple and blessed truth of being saved from our sins by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because there is a perilous journey through which we pass on in this world.
And we need to be wise, and we need to be saved from many things that lie in our path that would trip us up. And there's one thing that's able to make us wise unto salvation. And that's the precious word of God. All that we might fill our hearts with it. I didn't say our heads. I said our hearts Thy word have I hid in my heart.
That I might not sin against thee, the scriptures are able to make us wise.
Unto Salvation Man has a lot of thoughts on how to avoid this problem and that problem.
And in sapphires, they're based on the word of God. I wouldn't in any way detract from their thoughts.
But when it comes down to the real meat of the matter, it's the word of God that makes us wise unto salvation.
And it isn't the thoughts and reasonings and philosophy of man.
And then the Blessed 16th verse. All scripture is given by inspiration of God.
Lets us know that.
This book did not come to us by the will of man.
I know these are elementary things. I'm sure they're brethren here that hold these things precious and have held them for many years. But I believe we need to state them and state them clearly that we take our stand and believe and hold fast to that anchor where that anchor holds us fast, which is the truth of the plenary. What does that mean? Plenary? That means full, complete.
Inspiration of the scriptures. If we surrender that in any way, we've cut loose one of the anchors and there's nothing but shipwreck ahead.
And it's profitable.
The word of God is profitable.
First of all, for teaching.
For doctrine, I sometimes fear when I hear people despising doctrine. Everything that we have is, as Christians, is based on doctrine.
00:15:02
It's based on Doctrine.
All the instructions in the word of God for our pathway are based on teaching.
So that's why God puts it first. I believe in this place.
For reproof, For correction. For instruction and righteousness. Perhaps our course has gone wrong. How do we get it corrected? By the word of God? How do we know it's wrong? Where does the reproof come from? From the word of God? How do we correct it? How do we know the right way to go for instruction and righteousness? It's by the blessed Word of God.
And that's the whole of Scripture, too. We cannot afford to lay aside one part of the Word of God, every part of it.
Is equally the word of God. It may not all apply to us in our present position, but it's all useful to us, every bit of it. And the Spirit of God would have us read it, meditate on it, occupy ourselves with it, saturate our minds with it.
So that the very form of our thinking is governed by the blessed Word of God.
Verse 17 says that the man of God may be perfect.
Thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
When I was a young man.
Before I, the grace of God, gathered me to the name of the Lord Jesus.
I shared with a servant of the Lord, whom I respected very highly, that I hoped that my life would account for the Lord and that I could be useful for him.
And his advice was, well, you better go and get some psychology courses, brother ****.
Because otherwise you won't be able to handle the responsibilities.
Of helping the Lord's people.
And I puzzled about that. And I went back home and I prayed about it. I got down on my knees and crossed my mind came this blessed verse that the man of God may be perfect.
Thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Needless to say, I didn't take the psychology courses.
In fact, if you read, you'll find that the Apostle Paul says you're competent to counsel. You're competent because, and he gives the conditions of it. We won't take time to look at that, but there isn't a good work that you can do for the Lord.
There is no.
There isn't one good work that the Word of God will not thoroughly furnish you, for you do not need the wisdom of man. Saul's armor will not do you any good in the battle.
You might as well take it off and not use it.
I suppose the second anchor might be referred to, at least in my own mind, as the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of Christ. And I've meditated on that expression that's found in the second epistle of John.
And it reads this way.
In verse 9, the second John in verse nine will you turn to it?
Whosoever transgress us.
And I'd like to call attention again to Mr. Darby's translation of that.
It says whosoever.
Goes forward.
And abides not in the doctrine of Christ hath.
Not God.
What is the doctrine of Christ?
Well, I've enjoyed various brothers comments on it, and I've gotten profit out of many of them, but for my own soul, the doctrine of Christ.
And especially in the context of the epistle, is all that is entailed in the truth of Christ in his person coming down and becoming a man.
And I wouldn't want to limit it to his sinlessness or his full humanity. Because as sure as we limit it to something less than what the Word of God gives us, the enemy will come along with something that will slightly pervert the doctrine of Christ. We need to maintain all of the doctrine of Christ and not go forward.
00:20:15
I think it's very interesting that an offshoot of those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Teaches progress.
In the knowledge of Divine truth and going forward beyond.
What the Spirit of God brought out.
And I think it's an awful doctrine, a terrible thing.
Where men's opinions are put up ahead of the word of God, but it's not limited.
To them, and we need to be very careful that we stay within the confines of the truth as to the person of Christ. I've been so thankful as I've sat here and listened and enjoyed what has been given out in these readings that we've had. I've been so thankful that I didn't have a moment of alarm as to what was given out so precious when we stay within.
The confines of divine revelation when it comes to the person of the Lord Jesus. I believe that's what it is entailed in taking off our shoes.
When we're on holy ground.
To be careful not to use expressions. Oh, how the Church has erred over the years. Even in their best creeds, there are expressions that the intelligent child of God can't really say. Well, that's exactly what the Word teaches. We can't say it better than God has said it. And we ought to be satisfied with the very words that God communicates concerning the person.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, He hath both the Father and the Son. What a blessed thing it is to abide in the doctrine of Christ. Let's beware, because the Church as a whole has cast off these anchors.
And sometimes it's in the name of progress too.
I was driving down from Pella Thursday.
And saw some big dark clouds and I wondered about the weather forecast was and I punched the radio in the rented car I had and.
On came a preacher. I don't know who he was, somebody from Des Moines.
But what a bold statement a man made, he said. You know, we're talking about which is the best translation, But he says that isn't the question, he said. Anything you say, anything you say.
If the Holy Spirit is with you, will be the word of God.
What an awful statement.
And that's from a so-called evangelical preacher right here in the city of Des Moines.
That's what kind of casting off. And we need to be careful that we take our stand upon the blessed truth of the Word of God when it comes to the authority, the full authority in all matters of faith and doctrine concerning the Word of God concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's turn to the first chapter of Romans.
And let me just ask this brethren in referring to these that I have chosen as anchors.
Let me ask your indulgence if you see other anchors.
I'm happy for that and I'd be glad to hear about them. And I don't press this, Don't go home and say Brother **** says these are the four anchors or he goes, I I don't have that certainty. These are, however, anchors and we must hold them. If you see more than four, perhaps more 4 is only a symbolic number, but I just thought it might be well to confine my thoughts to four this afternoon as being what the word gives us as a number that perhaps we can take in.
And the first chapter of Romans.
Of the 16th verse.
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, or, as I think it should be here in the context of Romans. I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because the gospel in Romans is not the gospel of Christ. If you look up in the first verse, you'll see it's called the Gospel of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ.
It's the gospel of God, or in this verse it's the gospel. I'm not ashamed of it, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew 1St and to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.
As it is written, the just shall live by faith, and I would say that the important anchor.
That is, being cast off is the blessed, simple truth of the gospel of the grace of God. I'm not saying that elements of the gospel are not being preached all around, and we thank God for that. We thank God that souls are being saved. That isn't the point. But there is what is referred to in Scripture as the gospel of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and that takes in so many thoughts that we really don't have time to.
To even begin to scratch the surface of it, but I'd just like to mention a few things One's mentioned here. The righteousness of God. What does that mean? There's a lot of confusion and christened him about what the righteousness of God is. The righteousness of God. I'll mention first what it's not. It's not the personal righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ as a man down here. Without that, there would not have been a gospel. But that's not what the righteousness of God is.
The righteousness of God is God acting consistently with his own nature in all that he does for the Sinner. He might put it another way, but that's always been helpful to me. God acting toward the Sinner consistent with all that he is in his own nature, and that is revealed in the gospel and if we do not set that forth clearly.
And insist upon it.
Then we are cutting loose an important anchor.
And shipwreck will be the result.
Perhaps we haven't, and I've said this to the young people in our area and I'd just like to say it to some of you too.
I speak for myself and perhaps maybe some of our other brothers.
Who have a few Gray hairs like I do, will join me in this confession. I sometimes think that we fail to clearly set forth the basis.
Of the gospel in our teaching to our young people.
Have been refreshing exceptions.
But I think of that solemn verse of the things that thou hast heard of Maine, in the presence of many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also, and as I look back upon my youth and.
The blessed years of God's grace to me being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, there are a lot of.
Dear brothers, some of them sitting right here who have communicated things that they learned.
From the word of God, from other men who had gone on before, And they faithfully communicated them to me, and I trembled to think of the responsibility, and how poorly.
We've carried it out of committing that to the generation that's coming along so that they can teach others less so if the Lord leaves us here.
That's real succession. It doesn't come out of some College of Cardinals.
It doesn't come out of theology books of schools of theology they've degenerated. Every school of theology that I've ever heard about has, over its history, degenerated in some way or another.
But if we communicate the living truth of God from one to another using the word of God.
Then we prepared another generation to carry that truth forward.
And dear young brothers and sisters who perhaps feel that you haven't gotten a good basis.
Here's one brother that would like to say I'm sorry.
And I've asked the Lord that whatever time He gives me left in this world, either till he comes or takes me, that I might be more faithful in making it so plain that you'll be able to tell others the same thing.
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And I want to say thanks to those brethren who have communicated that truth.
This brother over the years.
I thank God for it.
The righteousness of God is revealed.
From face to face, salvation is by faith.
In Christ and by faith in Christ alone.
And connected with the gospel of God is, of course the truth of the finished work of Christ.
I'm astonished as I talk to souls and deal with them, especially some that we work with in the jail. To find how many religious people, even brought up in an evangelical background, who do not know the truth of the finished work of Christ on the cross. That's an anchor. It's a blessed anchor.
It's not faith plus anything else. It's salvation by faith alone, not of works lest any man should boast and beloved, if we ever in any way depart from that will be casting off an important anchor for the Christian testimony.
The eternal security of the believer is encompassed in that.
One of the tragedies that I have noticed as I have worked with men who were Christians when they got into jail is that 99% of them.
Don't understand eternal security.
99% of them said, well, I lost my salvation by what I did. I might as well blow it. Good. I can't. I can't be saved. I've lost it.
Oh, what a blessed truth it is. You know, I think of that little pamphlet. Safety, certainty and enjoyment. I like the new version of it. Safe, sure, and happy. But.
I use hundreds and hundreds of them.
I like that blessed attraction. I want to tell you something I learned about it. Maybe you don't know that when Mr. Cutting wrote that that he and his wife prayed for a whole year before they published it.
Was it worth it? I think it was.
That tract has been presented to royalty in England.
It's been translated into.
Many, many, many languages gave it to a dear fellow in the jail a couple of weeks ago who was troubled and young, alcoholic, 20 years old. He looked at it and he said, I'll, I'll read this despair facing a big big charge in the jail and.
He said he called me up at home. He says. I read that paper. Oh, he says, what a wonderful paper it is. Give you have more, he said. I've got so many men. I have hope for the first time in my life.
And I remember when this fellow, this man right here was.
16 years old and doubting his salvation because the enemy came along, and insinuated doubts.
And I remember picking up that little tract and being so blessed with it.
Safe. Sure, and happy.
That's the gospel.
May we hold fast to those things, beloved brethren.
Now there's one more It was alluded to by our brother.
Clem this afternoon, and referring to the third of Hebrews.
I'd like to call it this the nature and destiny of the Church.
The nature and destiny of the Church.
You know, that's a distinctive line of things that has been given up.
In so many quarters.
It's almost incredible.
When I was a young man, somebody put in my hands a book called The Hopes of the Church.
I read that book and I just drank in that precious truth.
Beloved.
The Word of God teaches the heavenly calling of the Church.
And it's an anchor that we cannot cast off. We'll get into all sorts of confusion and much of our energies will be wasted with trying to better this world.
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And if we just understand that, we're called out by God as a heavenly people.
Oh, it'll just change our lives and make our lives productive for the Lord. We won't be wasting our energies with trying to change things down here, trying to campaign against this or that or the other thing. I'm against abortion. I don't. I hope there isn't a Christian that isn't against abortion, but I'm not leaving any campaign against it because I know that I'm a heavenly man.
And I'll speak out against it. I have and I will. But we've got a heavenly calling, Beloved brethren, May we not forget it. I'll never forget the pitiful sight down in the in Washington, DC, of one of the most capable preachers in New Jersey parading up and down in front of the White House.
Taking a group of his parishioners down there.
Conducting an anti communist rally and I had my children along with me. We were going to the White House that day.
And here was Carl McIntyre parading back and forth with his Bible in his hand and saying Christians ought to be opposing communism and and.
Very capable man, knew the word of God, but he had lost the heavenly calling of the Church or never had it, I don't know which.
Was a lesson to my children.
That we took the opportunity to point out all beloved.
The nature and destiny of the Church is something wonderful.
And if you haven't gotten into that, spend some time on it. That's the mystery.
And it's blessed for your souls to get ahold of. Well, now at one minute, and I just want to say this before I close the lashings of the rudders or the rudder bands, are the principles in the word of God that guide us.
And those principles have to be maintained, beloved. We cannot loosen them without danger.
There are you. You. You could tell me as well as I can what they are.
There's many of them. My mind went through a number of them and as I was thinking about this time together, but I just say this.
But there's a lot of loosening going on.
We cannot loosen.
The divine principles that are laid down in God's word. I'm not talking about tradition, and you know I'm not.
I'm not talking about form. You know. I'm not talking about form. I'm talking about divine principles that are laid down in the word of God. There are many of them. We cannot loosen them without disaster. Yes, it's true that it all got to shore. Praise God for that. There won't be a child of God that won't get safe to shore.
And the testimony is wrecked. It's ruined.
We not have thoughts of patching up the vessel at this point.
I don't mean that there isn't a corporate testimony. That truth does not work against the fact that there is a corporate testimony until the Lord comes. I believe it very definitely. But the public testimony of the Church is totally in ruins.
May we have grace, though, to keep on and not to give up personally those things that have been given to us by God.
May we stand for them. Hold them fast, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown, and we pray.
Our God and Father, we tremble as we think of Speaking of these things.
We think of the awful ruin that has come into the public testimony of Christians.
How the churches cast off 1 after another of these important things loosened the rudder bands and were in danger, our God, of being influenced by it, raising the forceful to the winds, being caught by the winds of public opinion and current vogue. But oh our God, we pray that thou will keep us faithful to thee.
We pray that we may encourage one another and Guan faithfully until we reach that shore.
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We thank you for the assurance that all will make it safely there, but we pray that we may come in with an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We ask it in His precious name. Amen.
Take Heed Brethren .. The Living God
Address—C. Buchanan
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As you're turning to John 6.
We will read a little bit.
Our quote a scripture.
Timothy.
Which says, but if I carry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. There we have the Church of the living God. In John six we're going to read a few verses, and then we're going to go to Hebrews and read a few verses.
But we're going to come back to John 6 and talk from there, first of all. But let's get a few verses out of John 6 primarily.
To find where it speaks of this living God.
Verse 66.
Of John VI.
From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the 12 will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him. Lord to whom?
Shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God. Now hold this place, and turn over to Hebrews chapter 3.
And we'll.
Speak next after we read this verse back in John again.
We'll read just one verse in Hebrews 3.
Verse 12.
Take heed, brethren.
Unless they're being any of you and evil heart.
Of unbelief in departing from the living God.
That is exceedingly solemn. We'll come back to that.
Notice that there is brethren now back in John. It's disciples back in John again.
We trace a few verses coming up to where we read, beginning with verse 47.
The Lord was there ministering.
And disciples had been gathered around him.
They were hearing what he had to say.
Now that's what we want to hear, too.
What the Lord has to say?
And that's the only way of intelligence in the things of God, to listen to what he has to say. In the 47th verse he says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. You believe that? Don't you thank God for every believer in this room.
We believe what he said.
Then what do we have? Everlasting life?
Verse 48.
I am.
Bread of Life.
Your Father's did eat man in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which came which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat there oven not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. Now that's simple. You can understand that, can't you? Jesus says I am the living Brad which came from a living God came down from heaven.
And he says, If a man, if any man, eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give him is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Let's go down now to.
Verse 57.
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As the living Father hath sent me.
And I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven, not as your Father's did eat men and are dead. He that eateth of this bread shall live forever.
Verse 59 These things, said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum, where he was brought up.
Many, therefore, of his disciples, when they heard this, said. Now notice what they say. This is an hard saying.
Who can hear it?
Stop and speak about that a bit.
What seemed like a hard thing.
It was actually a simple thing.
And it enters into our souls by believing what he says.
As we understand it.
Life comes.
Through that 46th verse.
47th verse.
Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me shall have on me hath everlasting life, that is, appropriating Christ to self is compared to eating. Taking him in by faith gives life to start with, and then later on in the 57th verse, it is sustained by the same bread of life which came down from heaven. Now Peter.
Is the one that asks that question here as we go on and take it up.
But only writes in one Peter one he says to believers being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Now that's appropriating Christ by faith and believing through the Word by the Spirit and getting the life. Then he goes on down a few verses in the second chapter and he says as newborn babes.
You desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby. So it wasn't a hard saying. Life comes through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, taking that bread which came down from heaven is given to us, and that same life is sustained by feeding upon that life, feeding upon Christ.
And they said this is a hard thing.
And going on here, Jesus says.
When Jesus knew in himself verse 61 That his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Duh, this offends you.
What and if he shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before? Now he was the bread which came down from heaven. He was going back to heaven. He says. What are you going to do if you see me go up? Is that going to be a hard thing? Are you going to believe that?
It is the spirit that quickeneth.
The flesh profiteth nothing. Now he gets down to the root of things.
We must receive that life by the Spirit we cannot in the flesh, in the comprehension of the mind and all the qualities that man is given in nature.
Understand and get life. It doesn't profit anything. We can glibly quote this verse and you have to learn it practically. We perhaps have to have patience and learn something of this every day that the flesh in me, the flesh in you doesn't promise. So he takes the occasion to say that the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. Now Peter had used that being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth.
And abideth forever. These words give life when they are believed in the soul. Then we got to go right back to this word and feed upon it.
Verse 64 But there are some of you that believe not, For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should be betray him. And he said, Therefore said, I under you, that no man can come unto me, except that were given unto him of my Father, the whole of the work of my salvation. The credit is to God.
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To God, not to me. Ever.
It's gone.
It's all of God. All things are of God.
And thank God that we have been drawn.
Now in these two scriptures we have read briefly we want to use these and John.
To attract to Christ. Now I speak to you as having believed. And when you believe, when you have believed, the Spirit of God has brought you to Christ.
The problem is to stay there.
That's the history of brethren as such.
That is, the word was written.
It was hidden for centuries in this age of 2000 years, but God kept the word and he brought it out and Bibles were printed and justification of.
The life saved by grace through faith alone was brought out and then.
And as Bibles were printed.
And as.
Saved ones were subject to the Word of God.
And were taught of the Spirit, the light of the revealed mind of Christ.
Was all brought out.
More than 100 years ago.
The problem with brethren as such, I speak to myself. I speak to those that you know about.
Was not to get anymore, but to hold what was given.
And that's what the enemy tries to take away from us.
And we get a warning about that in Hebrews.
But the thing we want now to impress is to be continually.
Attracted to the one who is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and to stay where he is.
In this same book in the 12Th chapter.
Jesus says where I am, there shall also my servant be.
Now that's absolute in the end, because he's going to bring us right into glory.
But practically, it should be so now. And I say, the Spirit of God in these two scriptures sets before us how we can be constrained to stay with Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. Let's read these verses again here.
From that time, verse 66 again, many of his disciples went back and walked no more.
With him.
How sad this is.
He had gathered. We touched on it in the first chapter this morning.
And He had brought disciples, they had been attracted to Him, and quite numbers of them had been attracted to Him.
And in the second chapter.
Just turn back to the second chapter to see what it says there.
In the 23rd verse.
We're talking about disciples now. In this book, disciples are brought into nearness, to Christ, attracted around him, and in the end of the second chapter.
Now verse 23. When he was in Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast day, many believed in His name.
Now, what kind of a belief that is, I'm not going to tell you.
God knows.
But I suggest that there are 1,000,000 today that believe in the name of Jesus, and how much farther it goes I don't know.
God does.
When they believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
Man's idea is to see and believe.
That's as far as this went.
Thomas was told lesser days are they who have not seen me and yet have believed.
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Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. That's the reason we want to read the book. Read it.
For yourself and listen to it and pay attention to what God says.
And then what happened? Verse 24? But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew only and needed not.
That any should testify a man, for he knew what was in man, that is.
I'll use a kind of a slang expression. No one could pull the wool over the eyes of the Lord.
We can't hide one thing from God, from the Lord who is God and he knows whether you're a true disciple or not.
Now, the comfort and peace that you and I need is to know in ourselves about that.
And to walk close to him. Peter is so right in these verses here.
But from that time, verse 66, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. They couldn't quite.
Take the idea, you know, feeding upon bread and getting life and then feeding upon bread and being sustained in that life. They couldn't receive that.
Why? I don't know. When God says it, we should believe it. As we were coming along Route 80 here yesterday, the driver passed up a.
Camper track. And on the back of it is this well known bumper sticker. You've seen it too.
God says that. I believe it. That saddles it. You're glad when you see somebody has that kind of bumper sticker. It's always true when God says it.
And so.
Why couldn't they believe what he said? Why was it too hard for them? I don't know. The Bible is not hard language. We had that this morning. It's just to believe and then we see.
Then these touching words of the Lord in the 67th verse.
Then said Jesus, under the 12 will ye also go away?
That touches my heartstrings.
How the Lord felt that those had been walking with Him as disciples, as following the Lord, and they departed. You can be sure that the Lord still feels it today if we turn our back on Him, turn away from Him who is in the midst.
Peter, how wonderful, he remarks. Simon Peter answered him. Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe in our sure that there weren't that Christ, the Son of the living God, here he is. It's a living God we have. It's a living God we worship.
Some two or three years ago, our daughter and son-in-law had into their home.
A Palestinian.
Born in Jerusalem.
Showing kindness to him.
And his mother and sister, I think it was three or four of them in the home.
And Joanne fed them roast lamb. They ate it like they hadn't eaten for about a week. And as we talked with them.
The student there warmed up a bit. We had given thanks for the mail.
And he said, you know.
You folks have the same God that we have.
That was too much for me. I knew he was wrong.
I said no, we have a living God, an empty tomb. You're God's death boy. I tell you that that cut the conversation off right away, but that's the truth.
The Spirit of God would bring us to the living God to attract us to Him to win our hearts.
We're going to be brought up there where he is. We can be.
Where he's promised to be now.
Can that drawing power, can the love of Christ, constrain you and I to stay there?
No matter what the opposition is, the tricks of the enemy, the weakness, turn to God. He's our strength. He wants to keep us there if we listen to His word.
00:20:14
Obey it, we'll stay there.
Well, we go over now to Hebrews take up from the first verse of Hebrews 3.
In the end of John's gospel, or at least in the 20th chapter, we have the new relationship brought in as brethren. We're going to get that in this third chapter, in the first verse.
We are also instructed in.
John's gospel at the end to stay his disciples and to keep on following him.
But now.
The new relationship is brought out. So this wonderful verse three one of Hebrews says, Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Are you one of the holy brethren?
I say if you're one of the brethren, you're one of the holy brothers because of what he has done.
That's the place he puts you in and myself in.
Now we're supposed to think when we get in that position. Turn your thinker on.
What are you going to think about?
Christ the Apostle. In this book of Hebrews, Christ is the apostle.
You don't get Paul mentioning himself at all. He's in the background. Peter tells us he wrote it. But the epistle is written to the Hebrew Christians, presenting to them that Christ is their apostle. And that first chapter is like the one we had in first John in many ways.
The scent 1.
The Father sent the Son not just to save the Hebrews, to be the Savior of the world.
Now think about him. That's the way he's presented in chapter one.
And then in chapter at the end of chapter one and chapter 2.
Well, in chapter 2 and going on in chapters 34567, we have.
The high priest.
Now Christ was an apostle on earth.
He's a high priest in heaven.
This gives us a large range of thought to consider, to think of.
That one who came down, sent to the Father, to the earth.
To make God know.
Now who has gone up and is our high priest?
There on the Father's throne.
Christ Jesus.
In chapter.
12 We're told to consider him again.
As the one.
Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. So in this epistle we can think of him as the one who was sent down, who tried the whole course of the path of faith and went up. And there is our high priest. Now that's helpful for you and I, because this is the wilderness book, and we're in the wilderness.
And God gives us something to occupy us, something to think about that will help us.
And a supreme and perfect example in Jesus, who walked this course in all perfection, and who has ended up in the glory of God, where you and I are going to end up. So think about Him. Well, what about Him? Verse 232 of Hebrews.
Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more glory than the house. I think we had it parallel thing in John one this morning, in that we had the person and then the Creator and creation dispensed within one verse and many and much precious thoughts as to the person that is here. Christ is the builder, and he's greater than the house.
But he's over it.
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Every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God.
Yes, all things, there it is again. And Moses barely was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were spoken after, but Christ as a son over his own house.
Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end? You and I are being advised here.
And that may the picture of Israel walking through the desert.
And the faithfulness of Moses in that house down there. But now we've got Christ as a son over his own house.
And we already quoted from First Timothy 3:15.
But if I tarry long that thou mightest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of God, Church of the living God. The pillar and ground of the truth were looked at it under the test as to our behavior, as to our conduct with Christ, a son over his own house, and we pressing on.
Now, are we going to stay with Christ?
Are we going to have to be warned not to leave him?
Or are we going to be 1 by seeing his beauty constrained?
By his love to stay where he is.
Are we?
No, Ahab. King Ahab made one remarkable statement that I don't forget.
He says, let not him that putteth on his army boast like Him that putteth it all. I can't boast, and while you're living you can't either. We're still got the armor on. We're still to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered for the Saints. The battle's not over. The wilderness is not passed. Heavens in view are soon going to be there. Christ has promised to be with his people down here.
He's just as much here for faith.
As he presented himself.
In the Tabernacle and in the temple, with a visible sign of glory, He is.
Faith sees them.
And it's a sight of that person, of the wonders of who he is and that alone that will keep you an eye.
For the enemy hates the position.
That shows that Christ lives, and it lives in his Saints down here, witnessed by the one loaf on the table. He battles it.
The flesh don't want that kind of reproach.
The world's against it.
God is for it, Christ is for it. Oh, let's be drawn, let's be drawn, Let's keep our eyes on that one. Let nothing turn us away from seeing Christ in the midst.
But there's warning, and it's adequate warning. Let's go on and read.
Verse 7 Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith today, if he will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
As in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness, the history of Israel. Have you read it, young people? Have you read the Old Testament? Do you know what we're talking about here? God is talking about it.
It's worthwhile.
On your father's tempted me, proved me, and saw my works 40 years.
40 years is a proving time.
I suggest.
That your proving time and my proving time is our whole lifetime in the wilderness, which this world is for the believer. That is, we don't get out of the wilderness, practically speaking, until the Lord comes and takes us out. And some of us have been here more than 40 years.
00:30:00
Some only walk the journey a few years.
Some, perhaps only a few months, but that's a proving time.
God knows how long your test will be. He knows how faithful or unfaithful you will be. But He's pulled us over to this example, He said 40 years they were tested.
Verse 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always earn their hearts, and they have not known my ways, so I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into My.
Rest.
This gets real serious, doesn't it?
Who's talking?
Who is who? Are we being pointed to? The living God?
The living God that cannot lie.
The living God that would draw you and I and keep us to Christ. Now he had warned us.
And probably this is apostasy. In this verse we read. Take heed.
But we must take it practically. Take heed What a warning it is. Beware.
Lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.
Faith, I don't believe can depart from him.
Faith believes God.
When I turn my back on the Lord, I have failed in my faith.
An aged brother, some of you will know who I'm quoting used to say this to us.
All our failure.
Springs from unbelief of the goodness that's in the heart of God toward us.
You know, our first mother.
Proved that, she thought.
That Satan had something better to offer than God.
Unbelief.
Do you believe God? Thank God you do.
So do I. I like to read the story of that father who brought his son to the Lord.
And said if thou canst do anything.
Help us, and the Lord says, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
And then he said, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.
This is a comfort to me.
Oh, what a sad thing.
To depart from the living God.
I'm afraid that those that are spoken of here turn out to be apostate.
I don't know who an apostate is. Men don't know who apostates are. We might think that some look like they are. God knows, but thank God, you gospel preachers, you can say to anybody, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved. Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners. That is why there's a life on the earth. There is a possibility of belief, but we know that some of them went on.
What a warning it is. Well, I'm going to stop just to remind you again that the Lord by the Spirit would attract us to the living God through the beauty that we see in Him.
And witness and woolest, and draw us to His blessed person, and keep us there in the witness to that. As long as we are in our wilderness journey, I thoroughly believe there shall be that witness. Will you be there? Will I be there? Or do we get our eyes on men and on failures?
And the allurements of Satan in this world and turn our backs and say Satan's got something better. You wouldn't say that, would you? Well take heed. That's to be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living God. Let's sing 256 most well known in the 4th stanza.
Would reinforce something of what's been said or it says keep us Lord.
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Oh, keep us cleaving to thyself and still believing. Faith. Faith honors God. God honors faith. Still believing.
Through our 40 years till till the end or of our receiving promise joys with thee. 256 please.
I AM, John 1:1
Gospel—R. Thonney
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John's Gospel chapter one, verse one.
In the beginning.
Was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory.
The glory as of the only begotten of the Father.
Full of grace and truth.
Dear friends, this evening our desire is to speak to you about the wonderful person of Jesus our Lord. He is called in the first verse of this chapter as we've been meditating in these meetings, the Word of God, the expression God expressing himself to us, He does it through His Word.
If I ever thought you don't know what I'm thinking until I open and through means of words express what I'm trying to tell what I'm thinking about, then you know my thoughts. God is a being who is eternal and infinite in His being.
No way that I or you as a finite being who have our beginnings, our ends in this life.
Can comprehend the infinite? No way.
But God.
Has expressed the love, the light that he is in his own person through means of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus we have a full revelation of who God is. You know, it's interesting to go through the Bible and to consider the different names.
That God uses to express himself in the Old Testament. Probably one of the names that is most common is Jehovah. Jehovah. But he has other names as well. The Almighty, the Most High. But one of the names that he has in the Old Testament that I've often enjoyed is I am.
Tremendous thing to think about. You know, when I introduced myself to somebody, I have to say I am Bob. That's my name. I have to qualify and I am and you have to too. But when God speaks, he doesn't have to qualify it. He simply says I am because He always is. He is the ever existing one.
That's the God we are speaking about tonight. People talk a lot about God today, but I sometimes fear that in people's minds, the God they're thinking about is that God that is pretty well confined to the dictates of their own minds. That's not the God we're talking about tonight. We're talking about an infinite, eternal God, and he's been revealed in the person of the Word of God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we want to speak of the Lord Jesus.
The same time that Jesus is Jehovah, Jesus is God in every sense of the Word, we read in verse 14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came into this world through the same channel that you and I have come into this world. He was born not in a natural way.
Like we are with a father, a human father and a human mother, but he was born by means of a virgin, the Virgin Mary. He came, he had no human father. The Virgin Mary conceived by the power of the Spirit of God. His Father was God, and it's through that means that he was born into this world, the blessed Son of God.
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He became flesh, the apostle John says here.
And dwelt among us. Just think, the eternal God was walking through this world like a man. The majority of those in that day had no idea who this Jesus was. Some said this is the Carpenter. Yeah, we know his father, his mother there. His brothers and sisters are with us too. We know them. They had no idea who he was.
He was the eternal God, and as I think of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Creator, the sustainer of the whole universe. At the same time that he took up little children into his arms and blessed them, he was by the word of his power, sustaining the whole universe in clock like order that it whirls around in space.
That's my God, that's the person we're announcing to you tonight. But at the same time that he is so great in his person in the Gospel of John that we want to meditate on this evening, we have him using those precious words.
I am again and again and very often.
He uses in conjunction with those two words, I am something that you and I can relate to in the very basics of life because although the Scripture, the Gospel of John especially, is profound, it is at the same time simple.
This is the word of God, friends, and when I read it and see the depth and at the same time the simplicity of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, I rejoice. It makes me glad I can understand it. No one can stand up and say I can't understand it. I haven't got a college degree to be able to understand these things. No, you can understand it. Let's go over to the 6th chapter of John to consider one of those places.
Where Jesus says I am.
John chapter 6 and verse 35.
And Jesus said unto them.
I am the bread of life, He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Oh, what a wonderful verse this is.
I am the bread of life. Can you understand that? Do you know what bread is? Is it too difficult for you to understand what we need bread for? No, I think everyone understands exactly what we need bread for. For our physical bodies. We need food to sustain us. If we don't, we're going to die in the end.
But my friend, you not only have a physical body.
You have dwelling in your body a soul and a spirit.
And that soul needs food just as much as your body does.
And that's why Jesus said I am the bread of life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Oh, I rejoice in those words. You know. I know that a lot of you all relate to what I say, but when I was younger I really enjoyed getting into playing sports and Saturday afternoons off times. That was our occupation. Go out and throw myself into the football game.
Hard as I could.
And let me tell you, I enjoyed it, but I still can remember after a time going home after the game was over. It's kind of sore, but.
Inside there was an empty feeling. Empty. That enjoyment lasted for a while, but it didn't satisfy my soul. And I see young people, and older ones too for that matter.
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Throwing themselves with all their interest into sports, into any kind of diversion and amusement.
And I know.
They're getting some enjoyment out of it for the moment, but I know, and you know too, friend, that's going to leave your heart with a void, an empty void only Jesus can satisfy. That's why he says here in words so plain, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst.
That hunger, that thirst, that throbs in your soul, if you're here and you feel it tonight, I want to tell you that the answer is in Jesus. He said I am the bread of life. And if you come to him, it's not something that you'll enjoy for a moment or two, but if you in truth open that heart of yours to accept him as your very own Savior, you.
Will never hunger. You will never thirst. I proved it, friends. You know, sometimes people say to me.
You Christians, you can't do anything. You can't go to the movies, you don't smoke, you don't drink, you don't do drugs. What do you guys have anyhow going for you? I say, friends, Christianity isn't You can't do this and you can't do that and you can't do the other thing.
No, the reality of the matter is that Jesus filled my heart. He filled it so full. I'm really not interested in those other things that are so disastrous to so many people. I'm satisfied I don't need those other things, Friends, that's the truth of the matter. I still remember, maybe I've told this story to some of you, but when I was in Lima, Peru a number of years ago.
Is thumbing through the paper.
And one picture really caught my attention. It was of a young 16 year old girl and she was standing on top of a building 13 stories high.
Getting ready to jump off and to end her life and underneath the fixture was the caption.
This girl had three things going for her. She.
She was a wealthy, she was from a wealthy family. She was a beautiful girl and she had a good education. She had most of the things any girl would like to have. But, you know, they had left an awful emptiness in her life that she could not stand a moment longer. And it said that they were standing around trying to persuade her not to jump. They couldn't persuade her. She jumped off and ended her life.
She didn't know Jesus, friend. The answer isn't difficult, Jesus said.
I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Come to Jesus, friend, prove it. You know I could have a piece of bread in my hand and I could die of hunger. I need to satisfy that hunger of mine. I need to eat the bread. I need to put it right down inside of myself.
And I greatly fear that there are many who are sitting in gospel meetings like we are tonight, who know about Jesus, but who have never put it inside, who have never accepted the Lord Jesus as their very own. When you eat something, you make it your very own. It becomes part of you. And if you haven't done that, you may know about Jesus.
That's not enough. You must receive him in your heart.
To as many as received him gave he the power to become the sons of God to them that believe on his name. And so Jesus is the bread of life. Now let's go over to the 8th chapter of this same book.
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And the 12Th verse. Here again we find Jesus.
Using those words I am, but in conjunction with something else that is extremely basic.
In life that we all know about.
Let's read this verse, John 812.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying.
I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Jesus said I am the light of the world. We've been speaking about this a little bit. What is the light?
The light is what makes you see everything, what manifests. You cannot hide in the light. You can hide in the dark, but not in the light. In the light, everything is manifest. The guy was mentioning yesterday if we'd switch off the lights in here, I might hear a few noises out there. I can start to guess what might be out there. But if I had come in in the dark and I didn't see you all before, well, I would have.
Not too good of an idea. What was what this room was filled with. Somebody comes in and switches on the light. Immediately it becomes manifest. Everything in this room where you're sitting, how you're sitting, if you're paying attention, if you're not paying attention, everything becomes manifest in the light. Everything.
Jesus is the light of the world. You know. This story in the eighth of John is an interesting story about one time when the Lord Jesus was here.
They brought a woman to Jesus, the religious leaders of that day, the scribes and the Pharisees.
They brought a poor woman who had been taking in the very act of adultery, sexual sin.
Terrible, shameful thing to be taken in the very act and to be brought.
Right into the presence of Jesus standing around so she couldn't escape any way were those religious men and they asked Jesus.
Moses told us we should stone her.
What do you say?
And at first, Jesus didn't answer. He stooped down and started writing on the ground, it says.
And they kept asking him and he stood up and he said.
Let him that is without sin among you, cast the first stone at her. You know the Scripture says here we had time to read it, that they started going out from the oldest to the youngest, until there was nobody left except Jesus and that poor trembling woman, that poor guilty woman.
What made those men go out? It was the light that shone on their consciences. They were as guilty as that poor woman. Their marriage laws allowed them to divorce their women, their wives, and a drop of a hat, and to get another one. They were just as guilty as that poor woman. And so when the light shined on that woman, it had to shine necessarily at the same time on those.
Religious.
Pharisees, those hypocrites, and it manifested their sin, and they couldn't stand the light, and instead of staying to receive pardon from the only one that could give it, they all went out. They all went out to escape, to get back to the dark.
Is there some area of your life that's shameful that you don't want anybody to know about? I want to tell you there's somebody that knows every single detail of it. You cannot hide from Jesus. You must meet Him someday. And if you try running away from him now, it's only for a time that you'll be able to run away from because you're going to meet face to face with Jesus someday.
How much better to come to him now in recognition?
Of your sin before God in confession and receive his pardon, his forgiveness, He wants to forgive you here since. And so when Jesus looked up and only saw the poor woman standing there, she said.
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Where are those men that were accusing you? No one stayed around to accuse you, she said. No, man, Lord.
And he said, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin. No more wonderful words of our Savior. He did not come to condemn the world. He came to save my friend. He's here tonight to save you. He wants to save you. Won't you let him save you tonight? But if you refuse to be saved, I say you must meet Him.
You must meet Him someday, and if you refuse to come to Him and receive His forgiveness, His salvation that He offers free and full to all now.
You will have to do about the question of your sins with Him in a future day, and without any hope of mercy or salvation. That is this plain.
Teaching of the Holy Word of God. And I ask you, my friend, to consider it solemnly.
In the presence of God, Jesus is the light of the world. How awful to be walking in darkness. If you walk down a road in the dark, thank God in this country you've got lots of lights and you don't have to walk, generally speaking, in places that are too dark. But if you walk down a dark Rd. without any light, if there's a hole up ahead in the road and you're walking along and you don't see that hole, you fall square into it. You know that's what's happening to people today.
They fall into drugs, they fall into alcohol, they fall into all sorts of problems. Why? Why does that happen? Because they are walking in darkness. They don't know where they're gone and everything topsy turvy in their lives. They don't know which way is up. Is that the way it is in your life? My friend, I want to tell you, Jesus is the light of the world. He said he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light.
Of life, come to Jesus. Oh, how wonderful to know where you're going, to see what's ahead.
Come to Jesus, you'll know where you're going. You'll be able to see what's ahead. Let's go on over to the 10th chapter now of John's Gospel.
John chapter 10 and verse 9. Here we have some more of the words of our Lord Jesus.
Very simple.
But profound.
John 10 and 9:00.
I am the door.
By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. How simple this is. You know what a door is. Everybody uses a door almost every day of their life.
When we go camping out in the Wilds, we don't use the door for a few days, but we all know what doors are. How did you get in here? You came in through the door. There's no other way to come in through this. There's not even any windows. A few small windows perhaps, but that's not the way to come in. You come in through the door, and if you want to be saved, if you want to get into salvation, you must come through the door.
Jesus said I am the door by me. If any man enter in, he shall be saved. I want to make something clear here this evening. Some people think when we stand up on a podium like this and we open the Bible that we're talking about religion.
Friend, that's far away from my thoughts tonight. We're not talking about religion, we're talking about Jesus.
The Son of God. We're talking about a person that really, truly lived down here. We're not talking about some philosophy that's difficult to comprehend. We're talking about a man who lived in this world, who walked through this world.
A man, a real man, who died.
And who rose again?
He is the door. He didn't say in any part of the scripture.
Religion is the door. Never. Religion may have its good points, may have its bad points.
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But religion is not the door to salvation. If you want to be saved, you must come to Jesus, he said in words so simple that you wouldn't mistake it. I am the door by me if any man enter in.
He shall be saved. Then go on to the 11 verse of this chapter. We get another time that Jesus says I am, I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Shepherds and sheep. I don't suppose there's too many people here who know a lot about shepherding and sheep like they do in other areas of the world. Maybe out West they know a little bit about it. I suppose there's a few sheep around.
But South America, where I had the privilege of living a number of years, there's a lot of sheep and a lot of shepherds. And I've got to know people who have worked as shepherds. It's interesting to talk to them, to ask them stories about the natural enemies that sheep have. South America, there's a number of natural enemies. They have the Condor, that bird that's 10 to 12 feet wingspan.
That will swoop down and catch a little lamb and take it away if they're not careful, if they're not watchful.
They also have foxes.
And they have the Mountain Lion in South America, remember?
Hearing the story of a young boy who was taking care of the sheep and goats at one place.
The Mountain Lion appeared. That boy went tearing down the mountain pretty fast.
But hear the Lord Jesus says.
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. You know Scripture speaks of us in that simile of sheep. We are like sheep. Isaiah 53 verse six says all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.
Isn't that true? You go out in the streets of Des Moines this evening and you're going to find everybody doing their own thing.
And they don't like it when you tell them not to do that. I've got my rights to do my own thing. That's just exactly what God has said in His Word. Oh, we, like sheep, have gone astray. We've turned everyone to His own way.
That's exactly like we are. But you know, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he's not going to turn away when the enemy comes. You and I have an enemy too, that is seeking the destruction of your soul. And I marvel at how the enemy of our souls, Satan.
Can get young people into eternal perdition so fast they don't have to grow up to die any longer. They die young.
Because we have a terrible enemy. Don't try to deny it, friend. There are powers in this world that are awful, that are awful. You know it yourself and that you cannot escape on your own. If you're not going to be caught in one side, there's going to be some other side where you will get caught. You need somebody to help you. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He gave his life for the sheep. And I want to stop here to tell you.
About this fact that he gave his life, Jesus came. He was the only man in this world who never sinned and as such he didn't have to die. Word tells us that the wages of sin is death.
Since Jesus never sinned, he didn't have to die.
The time came when he could have gone directly back to heaven, to the Father where he had come from.
But he chose to die. He chose to go meet the enemy of our souls. He chose to go destroy him. You know how he destroyed him? Satan was the one who wielded the power of death and held all men in fear because of death that he wielded as a sword.
And Jesus went to the cross. He allowed himself to be taken and nailed through his hands and his feet to the cross. He was hung up there for all to pass by, to mock and to scorn.
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He was crowned with thorns. His face was beaten.
Until it was so marred more than any man.
And for three hours, the scripture tells us in the record that he suffered from the insults of man, his creature, as he hung on that cross.
For three hours they strung out in front of him, the religious leaders too, to keep insults on him. And then at 12 noon till 3:00 in the afternoon.
The whole earth got dark, and in three dark hours God laid on Jesus.
My sin and Jesus took the punishment that I deserved to.
There in hell forever he took it, and he bore it all.
He paid my debt. He paid it in full. When he finished those three awful hours, he cried out. It is finished. The debt that I owe to God, that awful debt that would have sunk me into eternal hell.
That debt he paid in full. He died. He gave his life. After he was hanging lifeless on that cross, a soldier, a Roman soldier, brought a spear and put it into his side and out of his side full of blood and water. The testimony that his life had been given, the price was paid in full for the wages of sin is death, and Jesus died. He paid.
The price of my redemption.
Isaiah chapter 53 verse five says He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
Can you include yourself there, friend? I have included myself there. Thank God He died for me. He died for you, friend, and he wants to extend to you this forgiveness, this salvation. Jesus is the Good Shepherd that gave his life.
For the sheep, go on over to the next chapter, the 11Th chapter, and verse 25.
Jesus said unto her, He's speaking to Martha.
I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
Here we have a situation that is pretty hopeless as far as man is concerned.
There was a family that lived in a town of Bethany. It was a family of three, two brothers, two sisters and a brother. There may have been others who lived there, but at least we know that they lived there. Martha was her house and Mary her sister and Lazarus the brother. And they lived there and Lazarus got sick and when he got really sick, they called for Jesus to come. They knew if he would come.
He could heal Lazarus of his sickness and he wouldn't die, but before Jesus got there.
Lazarus died and by the time Jesus has gotten there.
He had been in the grave for four days, Four days. Anything more hopeless than a person who's died? Is there anybody in this whole world that you can call some great scientist, some great doctors that would have the power of restoring life to a dead body? Is there? Please tell me there is. You know there isn't. There wasn't any hope. But my friend, if your life is like that.
If you feel there's no hope.
Things are in such an awful mess. I want to tell you there is hope when things appear most hopeless. There is hope in Jesus, he said. I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And so Jesus with those two sisters that were weeping.
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Went to where?
Lazarus had been buried. They buried different in those days. They had kind of like a hole in the Cliff and a stone was up on the hole to close the entrance to that grave and Lazarus was inside laying there dead.
And the Lord Jesus commanded for them to take the stone away.
And they took it away. And then he said Lazarus come forth and even though he was bound, that was the way they buried people in those days. They wound them up with claws.
And Lazarus, even though he was wound up. And really it would almost seem impossible to walk even if you did have life.
That dead man came out of that tomb. Why? Because the creator of the universe had said come out and he came out. Friend, if your situation seems pretty hopeless tonight, I want to tell you that there is hope in Jesus. He said I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth on me, though he were dead yet.
Shall he live? There's hope, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Death may touch his body, but we will never die. No, the moment that death touches the body, we go straight into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Life. He died. He rose again. And because he died and rose again, when I accept him as my Savior, I know that I will rise again too.
He is the resurrection and the life.
But I must say another word here.
Jesus not only has power of resurrection.
For those who believe in him.
Jesus has power of resurrecting those who do not believe in him in chapter 5 of this gospel. I'd just like to read it. You don't have to look at it, but it says in verse 28, marvel not at this. These are the words of Jesus for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall.
Hear his voice.
And shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life.
And they that have done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation.
There are two resurrections, not just one. Like sometimes as thought, there is a resurrection of life. Those who do good in accepting the testimony of God will be included in the resurrection of life.
But my friend, as I've already said earlier on, if you do not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
If you refuse him, if you die in your sins, Jesus will raise you from the dead as well. The hour is coming when all that are in the graves shall hear His voice.
I remember standing on a.
On the Andes Mountains in southern Peru, IN a town way out beyond the end of the road and talking from the edge of this town to a teacher who taught in that town. He was graduate of a university in Peru. And there, right underneath on the hillside, was the cemetery of the town.
And he told me, he said, you know, we debated the issue when we were at school, and we came to the conclusion that that's the end of math.
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I say, I said to him, Friend, you know what?
You are not the person that can declare such matters that God that made you. The God that made me says that every single person who has died in this world is going to raise again, is going to come out of his grave. And I've walked through cemeteries at times in those high Andes mountains where the bones are all scattered around on the ground.
I don't know how they got out.
But God knows where every single person is, and come that day of judgment, there will be no way that you can escape Jesus. You must meet Him. He is unavoidable. What we're telling you now is that you can have salvation through Jesus by accepting in this day of salvation His forgiveness, His.
Full salvation. But if you do not accept him, you must meet Him in that final day of resurrection, the resurrection of condemnation.
And John, John speaks to us of it. The same writer who wrote the Gospel of John in the book of Revelations speaks of that day when the heavens and the earth are going to pass away. And the dead, since they cannot be in the earth any longer, because the earth is not going to last forever. The earth is going to be gone. Those dead bodies are going to be called out, and the dead.
Going to be raised to stand before God and he said there's a great white throne standing there in space and the dead are standing in front of that throne. No way you can escape Jesus. He's going to be sitting on that throne. It's a great white throne. God and all the purity, the holiness of his character is going to have to judge those who have steadily rejected, refused his salvation.
And it says the books are opened. God has the record of your life. Every detail of it, my friend, nothing has escaped his notice. Every word you've spoken, every act you've done, every thought you've entertained is recorded in the books above. And it says the dead were judged according to those things that were written in the books. Nothing will escape as you stand there naked before God.
Nowhere to escape, nowhere to run away. And you're judged and it's going to become evident. You heard the gospel of the grace of God, you refused it. And then in that day it says there's another book there, the Book of Life. In the Book of life are written the names of all those who trust in Jesus.
And it says those that were not found written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire. That is the end of those who do not accept Jesus as savior. You saying don't try scare tactics on me friend. Whatever you want to call it, I don't care. But I tell you this is from the.
Mouth of the only one who never told a lie. He spoke of it. Hell and eternal fire. He spoke of it more than anybody else in the whole word of God. Jesus spoke of it and I warned you in love to your soul I plead with you. God has roadblock the road to hell.
With the cross of Christ.
And if you must go to hell, you will go around the cross of Christ to get to hell.
Don't go around it. Stop.
Accept Jesus as your Savior. He is the resurrection and the life. One more verse like to comment on briefly in chapter 14.
And verse 6.
And the most beautiful?
The simplest.
Verses we find in Holy Scripture.
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Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth.
And the life no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Three things that Jesus is here, I am the way.
The truth.
The life, in other words, friends, there is no.
Other way but Jesus, there is no other truth.
But Jesus, he said, if you know Jesus, you know the truth. The truth isn't found in religion as such, it is found in the person Jesus.
You know, there's some people that say that Jesus was a Goodman, that's all.
But I submit to you, friend, that Jesus could not be a Goodman if what he said wasn't entirely true. He would have been one of the worst deceivers that could have ever lived when he said I am the way the truth we live in a day when in religious circles it's popular to say.
Yeah, there's a lot of ways. You just pick whatever one you like, and all you have to do is have a lot of faith. Have enough faith, and you'll be all right.
Friend, you won't be all right. I'm warning you right now, Jesus said. I am the way. You must accept that fact or else reject Jesus. There is no middle ground. He cannot be a good man.
If it was not true that He is the way, the truth and the light.
No man cometh to the Father but by me. You cannot accept him as a Goodman if that wasn't true.
But my friend, we're here this evening.
That fleed with you with all our hearts to don't turn away from Jesus. You may know about him, but tonight with all my heart, I want to plead with you, please open that heart of yours. Receive him as your very own Savior tonight have Jesus, you have everything. Don't have Jesus, you don't have anything.
Friend accept him tonight.
As your very own savior, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth.
The Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, now shall be saved. Let's pray.
He Alone Can Set the Captives Free
Gospel—E. Pilkington
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I rather chapter 5, Mark's Gospel, chapter 5.
We have in this chapter.
Something for little children, middle-aged.
And one something for older ones too.
We have the goodness of God manifested.
Two or three persons in this chapter, and the Lord Jesus the one who alone.
Could heal and set free the captives of sin, and so I'll read chapter 5 of Mark's Gospel.
And they came over that Jesus and his disciples under the other side of the sea into the country of the Gadarenes.
And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there made him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit, who had his rallying among the tombs. And no man could bind him, no, not with change, because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains have been plucked asunder by him, and the feathers broken in pieces, and neither could any man tame him.
And always night and day he was in the mountains and in the tombs.
Crying and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God?
I tore thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, Say, my name is legion, for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
Now there was there now under the mountains the great herd of swine feeding, and all the devils besought him sane.
Sent us into the swine, that we may enter into them, and forthwith Jesus gave them leave.
And the unclean spirit went out and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea. They were about 2000 and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled and told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind.
And they were afraid. And they that saw told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerned the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friend.
And tell them how great things the Lord had done for thee, and hath I compassion on thee? And he departed, and began to publish, and Decapolis, how great things Jesus had done for him. And all men did marvel. And when Jesus was passed over again by the ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him, and he was nigh unto the sea. And behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue.
Jarius by name. And when he saw him, he found his feet, and we saw him greatly say, My little daughter lieth at the point of death.
I pray thee, come, and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live. And she has went with him, and much people followed him, and surround him. And a certain woman which had an issue of blood 12 years, and had suffered many things of.
Many physicians and I spent all that she had and was nothing better.
But rather do worse when she had heard of Jesus came in the press behind and touched his garment.
For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall behold. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she fell in her body, that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing himself the virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seeth them all, should throng in thee, and saith thou who touched me.
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And he looked round about to see her that done this thing. But the woman, fear and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace, and be a whole of thy plate. While he had speak, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead.
Why trouble saw the master any further, As soon as he has heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the root of the synagogue deed, Not afraid, only believe.
And he suffered no man to follow him, say Peter and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh through the House of the root of the synagogue's house, and seeth the two mouth, and them that wept, and willed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado and weep?
That the amsel's not dead, but sleepeth, and they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put the mall out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel.
And them that were with him, and andereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said to her talent Sakuma, which is being interpreted damsel, I say unto thee, Arise, and straightway that Ansel rose and walk, For she was at the age of 12 years. And they were astonished with the great astonishment. And he charged them straightly, that no man should know it, and commanded that something should be given her to eat.
Well, that's a lovely chapter.
And as we think of these three in this chapter, they represent the whole human race.
And so, how lovely of the Lord Jesus. He knew all about this dear man.
Who dwelled in the terms he had these unclear and spirits within him, and you know the people, he was a wild man, they put chains on him. But you know the power of Satan was so great that those chains were burst asunder and always he went about crying there amongst the tombs. Would you like to meet a man like that?
Well, I tell you, it's just a picture of each one of us here, except for God's grace.
We could be like that.
Oh yes, sin is an awful thing, beloved. And you know, it tells us.
Your job is at 24 and 22, he says. No man is sure of life.
No, man. And there isn't anyone in this company tonight that is sure that they'll be here tomorrow, we don't know.
And so how important it is to take heed to the prophet Amos, who could say in chapter 412, prepare to meet thy God. And so, dear friends, it's so important to prepare to meet gods. You know, some of us we need we decided to come here to Des Moines. We prepared and so we wrote and told our brother that we we hope Lord willing to be here. And so they prepared lodging for us.
And we have all experienced today how they prepared for our temporal needs too, for our bodies. And I'm thankful for the spiritual food we have received too. And so this is a gospel meeting, and you know a gospel. The gospel finds a man guilty and and brings pardon in that nice it brings pardon and the gospel finds a man lost and brings salvation. And so salvation is free and it finds him helpless.
And brings a new life. And so how important it is to be born again, to have the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Well, this man here he was, He was bound with these fetters.
And you know, such was his strength Satanic, that he could break these feathers in pieces. But I want to say tonight, dear friends, you're not saved that you are holding with the chords of your sins. Proverbs chapter 5 tells us man is holding with the chords of his sins. I believe it's verse 33.
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Many years ago and talking to children in our home where we had a Sunday school every Lord's Day afternoon.
I felt led to speak on this about man being hold with the course of his sins.
And I wanted to just illustrate really what it meant. And so I took my oldest boy, who was perhaps about 10, and I took some black cotton thread and I wrapped some cores of thread around his arms and his body.
And then I said, can you break those cords? And of course, the children cheered them on, and he struggled.
Broke them, Yes. Or only just a few. But then I kept on whining those cords around him.
Line them around because you know one sin. If you commit one sin, it doesn't stop there. One sin leads to another.
And that's how Satan deceives men and women.
Or you can give up that habit, but just continue a little longer and enjoy yourself.
Well, I say there's no pleasure in sin. And so we wrapped a few more chords around my son and he struggles. He got rid in the face, but he could not break those courts. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break those chords. What did he need? He needed someone else to set him free, and we did that. We set him free just by using a pair of scissors, which was easy to cut those cords.
But my friend, if you're wholesome of the course your sins, there's only one power that can set you free. But first of all, you must be willing to be set free. And I telling those here in this company tonight who are not safe, are you willing to let the Lord Jesus set you free?
All this man here, here, he was in the tombs and you know, the Lord Jesus, he had the power to heal him as well as the love willing to heal him.
I want to illustrate. Sin isolates people and my friends. If you continue in your sins, the Lord Jesus says where I am, you cannot come.
And there is an eternity.
And if you spend eternity and a lost eternity, I want to say you're not going to enjoy company and fellowship. It won't be there. No, it's only wailing a national teeth there in that place that God has prepared for those who reject his Son. And so.
We see this man, he's always crying day and night in the tombs, crying, cut himself with stones.
But when he saw Jesus afar off, oh, what did he do? He read and worshiped him. Oh, that man realized he was in the presence of the Lord. And you know, the Lord he had already said to Satan to come out of him and.
That man was set free. But you know those those demons wanted to enter into the swine? Well, there were many, many hundreds of swine there.
And the Lord gave them permission to enter the swine, and they ran down the Cliff.
Inclined into the theme, were killed. I wonder about that. But you know, God's people were not to have swine. They were not to eat swine, No, under law.
That youth could, could not eat that with God's permission. It's an unclean animal.
Well, we're not under law today and I'm thankful because I do enjoy my bacon when I have breakfast.
We're not under the law, rather grace. Man under law failed. He failed completely. And I say if there's any here in this company trying to earn your salvation by doing the best you can and keeping the law, I want to say you can't do it. God tried man of the law and he failed utterly.
The very day they asked for the law, they broke us before Moses got back down amongst the people with the Law. Those tables of stone they were worshipping, Isles going on in wickedness. And So what did Moses do?
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Did he enter in there with the law? No, he threw them down and broke it.
If he had gone in there with those tables of stone, those people would come under the judgment of God.
And God allowed those tables of stones to be broken. And you, my friend, can break the law.
Just like the children of Israel. And you need a savior, and that's the Lord.
Jesus Christ.
Well, here in our story we find that the Lord cast out these demons.
And the heir of the swine? And they were choked in the sea. Now what about this man?
He says. And going down this chapter.
Verse 18.
So let's notice verse that people.
And verse 16. And they that sought told them who?
How it befell to them that was possessed with the devil. I also concerned the swine, and they began to pray him to depart all of their coasts.
Now isn't this awful? Here are the people who lived in that general area would danger living there with such a wild man. They would sooner have that man there and their sins than the Lord Jesus.
And they asked the Lord to depart.
Depart. Oh, I hope no one here asked the Lord to depart from them.
And so sin isolates, and this man dwell along.
And these people who asked the Lord departed, were blinded by sin. They sooner have their sins than the Lord. Now we know this in verse 18 the Lord is going to go to the other side. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devils prayed him he might be with him. Howbeit he has suffered not, but said, go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord had done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. Well, this is something, for each one in this room is not safe.
I hope that the night, if you're not saved, you'll accept the Lord and go home and tell your friends what the Lord had done for you. Oh, I want to say, there is a special joy when you confess the Lord. I'll never forget the day I got a letter from my little girl. She couldn't write, but she could print. And she was away on Hollywood with her mother and brothers. And I was back in the city working and I got this letter.
It brought joy to my heart.
Would you like me to tell you what that letter said, Dear Daddy?
Nice way to begin a letter. Dear Daddy. Today I've saved. We were told in Sunday school that the Lord may come today, and if we're not ready, we better get ready today or we'd be left behind.
And so she confessed, the Lord she saved.
Well, that made me happy.
Do you ever come to my home? You asked to see that letter and I'll show it to you. I have it hanging up. I framed it and it's there in my study.
Oh, I treasure that letter. A little girl now. She's a mother of five children growing up.
And so, how precious to confess the Lord. You'll never know the joy till you do confess. And it may be the means of somebody else getting saved. Well, we're going on our story. The Lord told this man to go home and tell how great things the Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion on thee.
Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but many years ago I was in Pella.
And as on, my way to California to get to the conference had never been to California.
And now I visited, been at Des Moines for the conference, been at Pelham, Sully, and the next morning I was to leave where California. To get there in time.
But you know, I just felt a little something uneasy about going.
And when Leo said, I'll see you in California.
I said maybe you won't. I'm a little exercise.
And unknown to me, Leah told the brethren and Sully, and they prayed for me. I might have the Lord's mind. Well, I was glad of that. Well, that night I woke up during the night.
And I had this verse come to my memory. The Lord just seemed like the Lord just saying go home to thy friends.
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And tell them what the Lord has done for you. But I want to go to California.
So I went to sleep.
The second time I woke up. And again the same verse that the Lord told this man Go home to thy friends and tell them what the Lord had done for thee. But I'd rather go to California, so I went to sleep the third time. The third time I woke up.
And the third time the same verse came forth between me. Go home.
You know what, I thought of two in scriptures testimony and three is abundant testimony. And I said, Lord, I'll go home.
Well, you know, that was one of the happiest times of my life because I went home. The Lord didn't say get home tomorrow or next week, he says go home. So instead of going West, we went east and all the little assemblies that we visited.
Brought joy to my heart.
And when I got home, then I found out why the Lord was sending me home.
Yes, you know we need to obey the Lord when He speaks to us. And if we don't obey.
We're going to suffer results.
And so when I got home, I found out the Lord was speaking to my son, Robert.
He had been home one year from Hong Kong and he was telling him to go back.
And if I had gone to California, I wouldn't have seen him for another two years.
I had a happy two weeks with my son.
Oh, God makes no mistakes. And when he sticks to us, let's take heed. Now I'm speaking to those who are saved, but all for those who are not saved. Oh, I want to tell you that the heart and love of God wants you to be saved too. He wants you as one of His children. And if you're one of his children, then you can pray and you can ask for God's blessings on your life and for guidance too. And so this man was told to go home.
And so he was obedient. In verse 20 he departed and began to publish in the capitalist how great thing Jesus had done for him. Now we go down on the story a little bit. We come to this woman.
But in verse 22 we have a man named a ruler named Jarius.
He met him and he fell at his feet. And verse 23 He begged him. He besought him greatly. My little daughter lies at the point of death. I pray thee, Come and lay thy hands on her, and she may be healed and she shall live. That's faith. Oh yes, that's faith. Come and lay your hands and she shall be healed. There was faith. And dear friends, Without faith it's impossible to please God. No. I like Romans 5 verse one. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. And you won't get it any other way than through him. And so this man, he besides the Lord to come to his house, lay his hands on her, and Jesus went with him. Now he's on his way to this man's house. But there's a woman there that has a need to. And this woman, you know, she has spent all her money on physicians and she had this disease for 12 years. And I think that was.
That the time that that little girl was born.
Yes, he had that dreadful disease all those years and she said to herself, if I can just touch.
His garment I'll be healed. That's faith. And so she bent down and touched the hem of his garments, and immediately she felt in herself that she was healed of that disease and that wonderful. And now?
You know, the Lord knew all about that woman.
And he said he turned around. Who touched me?
All the disciples said, Lord, you see all the most **** around you. You're saying who touch you. Why a lot of people are touching you, yes, but not with the hand of faith. No, not with the hand of faith. The Lord knew about that woman. She had a need, and he was the only one that could meet that need. She came to the right person. And all dear friends, if you haven't come come to Jesus, he's waiting so patiently for you to trust him.
I remember a dear old man and Newfoundland and dear old man. The Lord waited for 92 years.
00:25:06
He was 92 years old when the Lord took him.
And when he was 70, I entered that house.
And as I opened the door and walked in.
I said, can I read the Bible to you? He said yes. He invited me to sit down and I said are you safe? He said no, what I want to be.
But I'm too bad a Sinner. Oh dear friends.
There's not too bad for the Lord Jesus. I like what Paul says to Timothy. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all expectation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Yes, sinners.
Not good people, sinners.
That dear man, 92 years. I don't know how many times. Every time I went to that village, I called on that old man.
And so the years passed away.
He's 92.
And he got infection.
The amputated one leg and they told them they're going to have to take the other leg off to save his life.
And now he realized the end is near.
And right on his bed he cried out. God immersed me a Sinner except the Lord, and he was saved.
And I was told when the nurses came in the first words, nurse, I'd say when the doctor came in. Doctor, I'm saved. Everyone, that whole surrounding villages all knew that dear old man.
A reputation of a wicked old man was saved by the grace of God. Oh yes, it is a faithful saying. Beloved ones, Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners. And if you take that place, why, you'll find you have a Savior who is willing to save you, well, this woman.
She did touch the hem of his garment, and also she was healed, but the Lord says, Who touched me and now?
Why did the Lord want her to tell who touched him? I wanted to say she hadn't told him she had lost a blessing. And I say that there's one here tonight that accept the Lord your saving you don't tell anybody you're going to lose the blessing till you do confess with your lips the Lord Jesus.
Oh, the first verse I ever remember memorizing John 316 and the next verse was Romans 10 and 9. Do you know that verse? I'm sure you do.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart God has read from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Isn't that lovely? Whosoever believeth on him shall be saved, And so accept the words of the Lord Jesus. And so hear the Lord Jesus said to her.
Who touched me? And she came and told the mall the truth, Yes.
She told them all the truth. Oh, there are no doubt things in her life nobody else knew about. Perhaps. Perhaps they did. But she told the Lord Jesus, Oh, my friend, that's the one to go to. Not to your best friend, but to go to the Lords deals yourself.
And so she came trembling and fell down before him and told the mall the truth. She didn't hold anything back. She told them all the truth. And now?
She hears from his lips those precious words. Daughter, daughter, thy faith that made the whole go in peace, told the Lord the truth.
She wouldn't have peace.
You wouldn't have peace. Oh, you have to be healed that disease.
Because she had faith, but you had never heard those lovely words, daughter.
Daughter.
Go on. Peace. Behold, I plague. Well, now we wonder maybe about this ruler of the synagogue's house. Time is going by and there's his little daughter, very sick. He's dying.
And now there comes people.
From his household.
And they said your daughter is dead.
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Pretty hard news to take, isn't it?
Here's the Lord, the one that can heal, stop her from dying.
Now he delayed, and his daughter has died. What happens? Oh, the Lord encourages him. He says to him, Be not afraid. Be not afraid. I like those words. Be not afraid. Only believe, Only believe.
And he suffered no man to go in, say Peter, James and John the brother James.
And he come into the House of the ruler of the synagogue and see if the two months and then that we have, yes, there's a lot of wailing going on there in that home, a lot of whaling.
But the Lord Jesus put them all out. Yes, he put them out.
And they laughed him to scorn. They said she's dead, but he says.
She sleeps.
And so.
You know, when a Christian dies, we don't think of them dead. We just single them as asleep in Jesus, sleep in Jesus, well, this little girl was sleeping, but in the eyes of the others, he was dead. Naturally, she was dead.
And so he put them all out, and they laughed in the scoring. But notice verse 41. And this is so precious. He took the damsel by the hand and said under her talesta Kuma, which is being interpreted. Master, I send the arise.
Damn, so I say after thee arise.
Oh, do you think a little girl, Rose? Ah, yes, but he took her by the hand.
How nice to have the Lord hold your hand.
And so the dance floor arose and walked, for she was of the age of 12 years. And so there we have that dear woman.
With that uncurable disease for 12 years, she spent all her money.
But to no avail. Oh, I want to tell your friends, salvation cannot be bought.
By you and I.
Salvation is a gift.
And I want to say this. If there's one in this company that refuses God's gift, I have no guarantee that you'll have another opportunity. No guarantee. No guarantee.
I think of some boys.
In Nova Scotia.
Where Brother Norman Berry had a gospel tent, a big Gospel verses, and I was there helping them.
And there was a car went by some young men and they were laughing and mocking at the gospel text. Oh no, they weren't going to come into that. Maybe.
And so they went, tearing down the road.
I'll tell you what happened. It didn't get very far.
They hear the culverts and were killed instantly.
When the police got there, two were dead.
And the other one had seemed to have a little life.
And the place will pick him up in his arms.
Any other 3 words?
Gone God.
He was gone.
All I say is a solemn thing to mock the gospel, a solemn thing to reject the gift of God that cost him beloved friends, his own dear Son.
And as we think of Calvary's cross, my friends, if you can read that story of the Savior's love for you.
And not have your heart touched. I can only say this as you have allowed sin to harden your heart. Sin will do that. And so here.
We find that the Lord healed that little girl.
Now there's something else I like about this.
He tires them. They tell no man, but he commanded the parents to give her something to eat, something to eat. And I say this, that brings me, for some of us who are saved, a responsibility when someone confessed to the Lord to give them some food.
I don't mean the kind of food we had downstairs, but I mean the word of God. The word of God is food for your souls. And I say this, if I didn't eat my natural food, I wouldn't have strength.
00:35:12
And I say this.
If I neglect this book, I'm not going to have any spiritual strength to confess my Savior's name.
Oh, I say he's worthy, He's worthy of our all. And so this is a faithful saying, the word of all acceptation that Christ Jesus come in the world safe centers. Oh, that's a precious verse.
How about it? Are you going to accept God's gift?
I want to tell you what Romans 6 and 23 says The wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Remember, a gift is only a gift when you accept it.
And I challenge each one tonight. I asked you, Will you accept Christ as your savior? If you haven't done so, will you do it tonight? Oh, I say this. Then there's something else you can do.
The apostle says, Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Thanks be unto God.
Have you ever thanked God for the Lord Jesus?
I'll tell you this much if you love him.
That's the best way to begin a day.
Reading this words and praying and thanking God for the Lord Jesus.
But don't stop once.
You know, we eat three times a day, and I say we need this word three times a day too.
What? You can read it as much as you want. They don't neglect to read it and thank God for the Lord Jesus.
He's so precious and your soul is so precious to him. Friend, He wants you.
To be with him in the Father's house. And so will you come tonight.
That we sing the closing.
#2 on the hem sheet.
Come to Jesus, gently calling ye with care and toil, oppress.
With your Guild, however appalling, come and I will give you rest for your sin, he once has suffered.
On the cross the work was done, and the Word by God, no utter to its weary soul, is come. I love those that Word come.
And I say this is a very important word.
And if you have heard the Lord say, come, oh, I can say you better come.
You better call.
Open Mtg.
Open—L. Smith, H. Brinkmann
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First Chronicles, chapter 21.
It's been mentioned.
In these meetings, in the prayer that.
For meeting at Friday night and other times.
The trials and testings and sittings.
Among us.
My trust, there's something in this portion of our hearts.
And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David.
To number Israel.
Let's turn to Second Samuel 24.
In verse one.
And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
And he moved David against them to say.
Go number Israel and Judah.
Now we'll look back at First Chronicles 21.
David.
Joanne verse two and to the rulers of the people go number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
And Joab answered, The Lord make his people 100 times so many more as they be. But my Lord the king, are they not all my Lord servants?
Why then, doth my Lord require this thing? Why will He cause a trespass to Israel?
Now what we read of Job's life.
We see nothing but a man of the flesh.
But he can see through.
David's thought.
Because the flesh can detect the flesh in someone else.
And in that way, the flesh fears God. If there's nothing to be gained, then why do it?
David wouldn't have any more people by numbering them than he had without numbering them.
First of all, nevertheless, the King's word prevailed against Joab, Joab departed, and he went through all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
Joel gave us some of the number of the people unto David, and all they of Israel were 1000 thousand and 100,000 men that drew the sword, and Judah was 403 score and 10,000 men of Judah sword.
That Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them, for the King's word was abominable to Joab.
And God was displeased with this thing, therefore he smote Israel.
We learn in.
Two Samuel that it took about nine months to take this tally.
It's on my heart.
To speak.
I trust a little to all of us, but I was thinking particularly of leaders.
Sometimes the word for a king in Hebrew is just a leader.
And you know, most of us are leaders in some way, perhaps.
You're a leading brother in the assembly you come from.
One of the few.
In that assembly.
Perhaps your leader in the sense that you're a father in your house.
Perhaps you're a leader in the sense that you're a woman who rules her house.
Maybe your leader in the sense of being a boy or girl that affects the life of others.
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David's life was basically characterized by.
A heart for God.
And then after God's own heart.
But there were failures of plenty in his life. But the thing that characterized him when failure came in is that he turned back to the heart he could trust.
In the trials of life.
As we seek, I trust.
To be some help to the people of God.
Were made at times acutely aware of our own failure.
Sometimes it's a simple thing like failing to encourage.
The right thing that was done.
So anyway, this takes place. It's failure in David's life. There was a way to do this properly if he'd have taken the shekel of a sanctuary for each one numbered.
The silver.
The thought of redemption, that the people belong to God, not the King.
He could have done it.
Orderly.
But God is displeased with this thing, therefore he smote Israel now.
You know, when difficulties arise among the people of God, it's easy to look for a scapegoat.
And say that brother did it if so and so hadn't said so and so.
And they begin to accuse and to blame. We're just saying therefore.
You'll murmur not.
But I believe in this chapter we're going to see several aspects.
Of why God?
Allowed this thing.
The first cause of everything that happens in your life and mine.
Is God.
From this chapter.
We have read.
Satan stood up against Israel from Second Samuel. We've read that God.
Was displeased.
With Israel.
In this chapter you see the second 'cause.
Can we not look among ourselves and say.
Satan has been allowed to test.
And sift.
God allowed.
God allowed it. He's the first 'cause.
And the soul that takes it from him.
Who prosper?
Verse 8 David said unto God.
I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing.
But now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.
Cynthia Mun.
Failure in a leader.
This has some real roots in it. You'll see my trust.
Now in verse 9.
David takes this responsibility directly.
That really kind of characterizes him too.
Some years before.
He needed a sword and he went to the priest.
For some bread and a sword. And there was number sword, but a sword he'd had to hold of once before.
It was the sword of Goliath.
But while he was there, do I the Edomite was detained.
And the result.
Those two men being at the same place.
Was that 80 priests died?
And David took the responsibility and he said.
I have occasioned the death of my father's house.
Beloved brethren, do we seek grace from God?
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To admit where we have failed.
In responsibility.
As to any.
That had left the place of the Lord's name.
We can talk about principle.
And they're wonderful held in communion with the Lord.
But we need to own our responsibility.
And to Prophet in trial.
Verse 9.
Lord doesn't speak to David.
He says to Gan.
David's here.
Go tell David No, says the Lord, Ioffer thee three things, choose the one of them. Let me do it unto thee. So Geddon came to David and said unto him. Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee either three years famine.
For three months to be destroyed before thy falls, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence in the land.
And the Angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
Let's turn to Second Samuel 21.
Verse one.
Then there was a famine in the days of David, three years, year after year.
And David inquired of the Lord.
Have you felt a feminine?
You know, some say, well, there's no food in the assembly.
Is it the right thing to say?
The one who is the bread of life is full.
His fullness cannot be diminished, though you draw it continuously.
But I rather think this incident earlier in David's life had some effect on his answer.
But David inquired of the Lord.
There have been some special prayer meetings.
Regarding the state of things.
I think we can learn from this verse.
David inquired.
He didn't go for the purpose of telling his own mind about what he assessed.
But he went to find out from the living Lord.
And he's just as living today.
He is speaking to his brother.
And what he wants is our hearts.
Then look at verse 9.
Saul and his veal had put the Gibeonites to death. That was the cause of the famine, and David felt the famine in three years.
But in verse nine, and he delivered. These were Saul's offspring.
Delivered them unto the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord, and they fell all 7 together, and were put to death in the days of harvest.
In the first days in the beginning of barley harvest.
Well, later.
Rizpah, mother of two of these boys, watches and drives away all the birds of prey.
Later these bones are buried. Verse 13.
The universe, 14 says. And after that God was entreated for the land.
So, back to our chapter in First Chronicles.
I'm not surprised that David does not choose famine.
And he has plenty of experience under the sword also.
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And who could want pestilence?
So in verse 13, David said unto God, I am in a great St.
Let me fall now into the hand of the Lord, for very great are his mercies.
Beloved brethren, what a heart we have to turn to.
In our troubles.
There's no heart that loves us like his.
And that heart has allowed these trials for a reason.
Because he wants to be everything to us.
So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel.
And the fellow of Israel 70,000 men.
These men never left the land.
That they're lost to the testimony.
2 words have been before me position.
And condition.
Brethren, I believe with all my heart in the position.
Of being gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the ground of the one body.
But I also believe.
That it's easy to slip into a condition.
Where the blessed truths of the Word of God become just kind of a theory.
And you lose heart.
In the truth itself.
How can God regain that to your heart?
What keeps you?
Gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus. Lots of relatives in the meeting.
Functions of young people.
President Christ. The Center.
If I'm losing out in heart.
I need to be before the Lord.
And he has ways of doing that.
The Ephesians were losing heart.
And Smyrna was sent trial to regain the heart.
70,000 men.
And God sent an Angel into Jerusalem to destroy it. I thought these were his chosen people.
They are.
They are God has government.
As well as grace.
And it's faithfulness that's trying to regain the heart.
And God sent an Angel into Jerusalem to destroy it. There are 70,000 men dead already.
And as he was destroying, the Lord beheld and repented him of the evil.
And said unto the Angel that destroyed it, Enough, stain out thy hand. Ah, there's a heart in heaven.
It can say when it's enough.
Will we take our responsibility, brethren?
Where we have failed.
In encouraging one another in right things.
But then I know I've been too critical of my brother.
God's government is just.
But his grace comes in.
It's God's heart that stopped the destroying Angel.
Stay now, thine hand. And the Angel stood by the threshing floor, born, and the Jebusite, and David lifted up his eyes.
And so.
The Angel of the Lord stand between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem.
Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
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What does sackcloth speak of?
At least humility.
Brokenness, lowliness before God.
Where we have failed, brethren, we need to be admitting it.
Not just pressing for principle. Where's the heart?
That weeps.
Were lost sheep, I mean these sheep that are lost to the testimony.
Why aren't they locks? We'll see more, but.
Clothes in sackcloth.
And the elders are with him. And David said, And again, is it not I that commanded the people unto God?
Excuse me, See directly with God, It's not yet.
Look up and see that Angel.
The stretched out sword over your city.
The Destroying Angel.
Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed.
But As for these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand I pray thee, O Lord, my God, be on me and on my Father's house, but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
Some years before.
He was a shepherd boy.
Even fleeing from Saul.
The protected navels Sheep.
You can't take the Shepherd out of his heart.
So you find present failure in his life. It's there.
Brethren, if we failed.
Can we have failed?
In many ways, we need to take these lessons to heart, but praise the Lord for what He's placed in our hearts.
In your heart, perhaps.
There's one.
Who takes the lead in your assembly?
Or in your house.
Or with other young people.
We need to walk softly.
It is I that have sinned and uneven.
Let thine hand I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me all the responsibility he takes it.
Then the Angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Horn and the Jebusite.
David went up at the saying of God, which he spake in the name of the Lord.
And Ornan turned back.
And saw the Angel.
So here's a gentile.
A Jebusite with his sons.
And he looks up.
And he sees that mighty Angel between heaven and earth.
With his sword drawn.
I'd like to suggest there was something in David's leadership.
That allowed this man.
To not be oppressed.
You were not to oppress the stranger in the land.
We fail at that too, to let souls.
Progress as the Lord works in them.
We have a tendency to want everyone to conform to a certain standard, and it's not peculiar.
To those gathered to the Lord's name.
It's rather typical of many groups of people.
Conformity to Christ is of God.
And the heart has to be filled for that to happen.
But.
His four sons with him hid themselves. It's a fearful thing to realize.
That God is dealing with us in judgment.
Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
Notice the time.
Not a famine now.
And people hung up in barley harvest.
When there's hardly any harvest.
But a sweet harvest?
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We all know there's a harvest going on in the gospel. I'm thankful for you, dear brothers that are gifted of the Lord. As evangelists, we're all thankful.
And each one of us need to do that work too.
But sometimes troubles tend to.
Hinder that work.
And David came to Ornan.
Ornan looked and saw David.
And went out of the threshing floor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
Does your outreach.
In the gospel, or whatever work it may be.
Allow you to stop.
And recognize.
When the Lord is speaking.
In a very special way.
And does that outreach?
Recognize a leader that is of God though there be failure in his life.
How did David come to our Nan?
Verse 16.
Clothed.
Santa Claus.
Is there with us?
The humility.
The recognition of where we have failed.
That makes it a little easier.
For those who may be functioning, say, in this capacity of an evangelist.
To say I own.
The position God has given you.
Or is the sackcloth so lacking?
That her brethren have difficulty with that.
The sword of the Angel of the Lord was a fearful thing.
My, it's beautiful to see how the Lord works this all out. And David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of his threshing floor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord.
Thou shalt grant me for the full price, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
In Second Samuel 24, Ornan says, The Lord thy God accept thee.
He's been hiding with his sons, the angels. Right there between heaven and earth, the sword is drawn.
70,000 of fallen.
But the mercy of God comes in, the grace, the sovereign grace of God comes in.
Have stopped that sword.
And begins to reveal something that's not merely positional.
It brings in a new condition.
A fresh condition if I may make that application.
Verse 23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, Let my Lord the king do that which is good in his eyes. Lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering. I give it all.
What a heart.
A ready St. They were ready Saints in the Gospel.
Some of them had. One of them had a Passover room.
When I'm had a donkey tied between or two street meat.
This man has a threshing floor, some oxen, some instruments, and wheat. A ready thing.
We should all want to be ready.
To give for that which is to the health and blessing and good of God's people.
And King David said to Ornan, Nay, but I will barely buy it for the full price, for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
So David gave to Ornan the place for the place, 600 shekels of gold by weight.
And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
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And called upon the Lord.
You know, brethren, when we feel our failure.
What we need is peace.
Christ in what he means to God.
The burnt offering, everything going up in sweet, acceptable sacrifice.
I know, don't doubt a bit. David was blaming no one else.
In his heart.
Taking it all to himself.
And God came in.
In this remarkable way.
Verse 26.
And called upon the Lord, and he answered him from heaven by fire.
Upon the altar of burnt offense.
The fire.
Is what makes the offering go up.
The trial God has sent him on us.
Is really for the perfecting, the bringing out of that which is acceptable.
To go up to God.
This is a new thing.
And the Lord commanded the Angel, and he put his sword again into the sheath thereof.
At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshing floor born in the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there for the Tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering were at that season in the high place of Gibeon.
But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the Angel of the Lord.
You know, back there at Gibeon.
Stood the Tabernacle.
I believe very possibly.
A Tabernacle that no longer had the ark in it.
We'll turn to Psalm chapter 78.
Verse 55.
And he cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
Yet they tempted and provoked the Most High God and kept not His testimonies.
But turned back and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth and greatly abhorred Israel.
So that he forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh.
The tent which he placed among men, and delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hands.
I believe verse 61 is referring to the Ark.
In First Samuel.
We would know that, Israel said. Let us fetch the ark to go into battle.
What would it signify?
Properly the Lord in the midst.
But it had become an IT.
To their hearts.
And in just a short time, they find the Ark is taken captive.
And instead of a shout when it comes into the camp, there's a cry.
And the year is taken captive.
Had God forsaken.
The land that he chose for them? The position? No, but what was the condition?
Very bad.
He let his glory go into captivity.
Verse 62. He gave his people over also unto the sword.
Many fell that day in First Samuel 4.
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And was brought with his inheritance. The fire consumed their young men. Their maidens were not given to marriage. Their priests fell by the sword. There was Hothnik Phinehas.
And their widows made no lamentation, and the ark was taken captive.
Spinahasse's wife named the child as she died and she said Ichabod.
Glorious departed.
Eli hears that. He falls backward.
Neck is broken. The ark of God was taken.
Then the Lord awake, does one out of sleep like a mighty man, but shouteth by reason of wine, and he smote his enemies in the hinder parts. He put them to a perpetual reproach. Moreover he refused.
The Tabernacle of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ethereum, but chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion, which he loved.
We read in First Chronicles 21 The high place at Gibeon.
There's Shiloh. Where are these?
Eun, Joseph.
And Joseph?
That which was a position of God, while it was good to the hearts of the people.
But degeneration came in.
Through the failure of men.
And while we've looked at this chapter and we've seen Satan's attack, we have to see also God's viewpoint. This song tells us something of the state of the people, perhaps of the 70,000 that were swinging.
High places.
Provoked him to jealousy with graven images.
Now, we don't always see the whole picture as trouble begins, but the Lord does.
And out of the failure, what does he bring? He brings something totally new. Totally new.
It has some interesting origins.
Encouraging origins.
So we've read in.
First Chronicles 21. I mean, yes, First Chronicles 21.
That he couldn't go before.
The Tabernacle at Gideon, he feared.
The sword of the Angel of the Lord, then in chapter 22, David said.
This is the House of the Lord.
Right, God answered by fire.
Brennan's very trials.
I do believe.
Are to cast us upon God.
But it may not just be the mind apprehending the truth.
And letting it degenerate into something of a theory and reasoning.
These trials, this fire is that it may be real to your soul and mind, that Christ in the midst.
The truth that there is one body.
We have failed to keep it very well in local assemblies.
And even communicating with one another.
In loving one another as we are.
Being understanding.
But when the Lord has allowed this much trial.
Let us have grace like David.
Take our responsibility.
To inquire of him.
Don't know we've failed.
Or does the trial have to get heavier?
Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered?
You know we can fail in.
Leadership. Numerous ways. Some have applied this to pride in David's life.
But there are many ways I'd ask you not to limit it to that.
But let the Spirit of God speak to our hearts.
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He answered him by fire.
And what does it reveal?
It reveals the sight of Solomon's temple.
Isn't that amazing? We go back to that song.
78.
Verse 67 Moreover, he refused the Tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah and the Mount Zion, which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like high places, like the earth, which he hath established forever. He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
From following the news great with Young, he brought him to feed Jacob, his people and Israelis inheritance.
So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
You see, he has introduced something entirely neat.
In First Samuel we have a priesthood functioning not very well.
The ark is present.
There is unjudged sin in the midst.
Very serious sin.
Eli seems nearly powerless to do anything about it.
Indeed, he is powerless, but he has a heart for the Ark.
But his lack of exercising his responsibility brings in the judgment of God upon his house.
And a little later, 80 that wore the ephod are slain by Doig's sword.
But interestingly, prior to that.
There's a barren mother.
Christ to God for a son.
She is so confident of the Lord in the midst.
That the state of things there do not hinder her.
To bring her little boy.
Before the Lord.
She's not trying to protect him.
From the state of Eli's house.
Apparently in any other way than prayer.
And a new garment every year.
But God honors that mother's faith.
Because she's brought him to the right place and that very man.
Is used of God.
To anoint this very thing.
That priesthood.
Is set aside.
By the government of God.
And Abiathar evidently finally dies of old age.
Is it because he had suffered reproach with David, but he's no longer functioning as a priest at the end, set aside, But now these very failures in leadership that brought in this judgment and these very things that we find in Psalm 78 as to the state of the people that brought in the judgment.
What do they usher in?
God in his mercy.
Stops the Angel of the Lord David in humility obeys the word of God.
He goes to that threshing floor. He offers us what speaks of Christ.
It's not just position.
It is now a condition where the king has to do with God directly.
He's not just a king.
Is now functioning as a priest and.
King, a type.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, brethren, let us not be discouraged from our failure.
But let us realize that how did it?
His desire is to restore a depth of reality.
Of freshness.
The delight is hard enough.
So in chapter 22 of First Chronicles, David said this is the House of the Lord.
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And this is the altar of burn offering for Israel. And David commanded together the stranger to gather the strangers in the land of Israel. They set Masons to Hugh Rockstones to build the House of God.
Out of the very failure.
Comes the fact, as Psalm 78 tells us.
He chose the tribe of Judah and the Mount Zion, which he loved.
It's not just Israel was the proper position.
It's now a condition and a position in freshness.
That all may be real before God.
And he built his sanctuary like the high places, like the earth, which he had established forever. He does, brethren, have a place of his name.
And he's the one that maintains it. Sometimes we get to thinking we do it.
But when we see His hand upon us.
We need mercy as individuals. We need Grace doing our failure and to see His goodness.
Another thing I want to say about the harvest.
In Mark's gospel it says first the blade.
Then the ear and then the full corn in the ear.
Known when harvest comes.
We get what?
Ornan was doing his threshing. He has a threshing sledge and the oxen and the instruments.
That's just kind of a weighted boat they pull across the wheat and what does it do?
He removes the chaff.
There's a verse in the Minor Prophets that says what is the chaff to the weak?
Chaff becomes valueless, doesn't it?
I just want to say.
Dear young people.
The chaff is a protective influence in growth.
As that week matures.
It protects that kernel from the elements.
It is necessary for that stage of growth.
I'm thankful as I look back in my Christian experience of older brethren.
And some younger brethren.
That were a very helpful influence.
During my growth.
I'm thankful for my great haired brother that are here today.
I trust you're thankful.
For the ones in your assembly too.
But the best of men are but men at best.
And there comes a time in your growth when the threshing takes place.
And the Jack comes off.
And you're a grain of wheat yourself.
And by the grace of God.
Either falls into the ground and dies or abides alone.
Because you want to follow Jesus.
That threshing time can be painful.
And I would suggest that Ornan.
Threshing.
Is showing a wonderful lesson to his sons.
And I believe he was very thankful when he saw that sword go into the angel's sheep.
And very thankful.
What brought that about?
As the fire of God that descended from heaven and consumed.
Things he had just been working with.
Oh, brother.
There's anything we need above all else.
The present answer of God.
That all may be in freshness.
Possessed by individual faith.
Before him.
There's a hymn Brother gave out yesterday. I'd like to read a couple of verses.
#165.
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Verse two and three.
While in afflictions furnace and passing through the fire.
The love we praise, which tries our ways and ever brings us mire.
We lift our hearts, exalting in thine almighty favor.
The love Divine which made us thine shall keep us thine forever.
Let us conduct thy people safely through all temptation.
Nor will we fear, since thou art near the fire of tribulation, the world, that sin and Satan display their strength before us. By thee we shall breakthrough them all and join the heavenly course.
Over a day, that's going to be, you know, Nehemiah.
Chapter one, he heard about the gates being burned, city of the sepulchre of his fathers. Let's just look at one verse there. Nehemiah, chapter one.
Verse 7-8 and nine. I was thinking particularly of nine. Perhaps we should read them. We have dealt very corruptly against the.
And have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments which thou commanded, thy servant Moses.
You know.
He knew about the position at Jerusalem.
He wasn't there.
He was captive.
In a distant land.
Remember, I beseech thee, the word thou commandest thy servant Moses, saying, If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations. But if you turn unto me and keep my commandments, and do them, though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from fence, and bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
His heart was in the right position, wasn't it?
And he returned there.
How lovely. Daniel, captive in Babylon.
He wasn't in the right position.
He knew the right position. His heart was there. He opened his window towards Jerusalem and prayed three times a day.
When he recognized the word of God performed.
According to Jeremiah's prophecy, he said.
It's time.
He confesses his sin, the sin of his Father's, the sin of his people and.
Cries to the Lord to come in.
He never lost sight of the Sinner.
Marvelous man, you're going to meet himself.
Now we need grace to realize.
What is there? Another verse in the hymn #61 was given out yesterday in verse four says.
These two verses are lines.
Mid obedience and suffering to prove that we to the Lamb have been given.
These things try us.
If the circumstances between US and the Lord were going to get discouraged.
If we have a Lord before us, we're going to get an answer.
That is very restoring.
It ushers in a totally fresh thing.
King and a priest, you know, David in that instance is perhaps a failing type of Christ, but he is a type of Christ. The Lord Jesus took on himself all our sins, all the sins of the people.
And who offers himself without spot to God all the resource we have? May God bless His word.
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That we learn as we read the Book of Numbers.
Is that all fail, including Moses, Aaron, Miriam and the people?
All failed and there isn't one of God's people.
That does not have to bow his head in shame and say there's failure in my life.
I have fallen short of answering to God's purpose for me.
In my life.
I like to read.
And this has to do with the failure.
Of the people.
Rebelling against God-given leadership.
And we read in chapter 16.
But under Maharo, all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord came to pass when the congregation was gathered against Moses, against Aaron, that they looked towards the Tabernacle of the congregation, and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.
And Moses and Aaron came before the Tabernacle of the congregation, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censor, and put fire there on.
From off the altar and put on incense and go quickly onto the congregation and make an atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the Lord. The plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation. And behold, the plague was begun among the people. And he put on incense and made an atonement for the people, and he stood between.
The dead and the living and the plague was safe.
Now they that died in the plague were 14,000 and 700 beside them that died about the matter of Cora and Aaron returned unto Moses, unto the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, and the plague was state.
The danger that exists amongst God's people in view of the failure of man.
And in view of the failure of those whom God has put in the place of leadership, is that they tend to rebel as Cora, Dothan and Abiram did.
They want to take over. God's given leadership is failing and are they the only ones qualified to lead the people of God?
This sounds familiar, does it not? Because it manifests itself among God's people at any time in the church's history, and there is no difference.
Among those gathered to the name of the Lord. In a way you might say.
You can blame them too much when they say man failing in the place of leadership.
But God will not accept anything other than His order in the Word of God for leadership.
And rebellion is that which he will not tolerate.
And we find that not only did God judge these individuals, you know it's interesting I believe that what we find in those three characters that we find that Dothan and Abiram were aspiring against Moses authority while.
The other was aspiring for Aaron's place.
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That which speaks of the priesthood of Christ.
And the Lord comes in, in judgment.
He acknowledges whom he has placed in the position among God's people, not the one who appointed themselves or that the people would appoint or choose.
But the sad picture here in the verses that we have read, in spite of God coming in in judgment, that people side with those who were taken away in judgment, the remarks spread throughout.
And.
God, again, just like in the passage that Lemoyne has brought before us.
Comes in in judgment.
But the most encouraging thing, beloved, in this whole story is that we see this.
That if it wouldn't be for the service of Aaron, the very one.
Against whom Korah and his cohorts rebelled, they would have been consumed.
It would have been consumed and Moses instinctively feels this is not a time for my authority to assert itself. Authority is not going to bring the people of God through the wilderness. The priesthood of Christ is, and he sends Aaron with the sensor among the people, beautiful, beloved, and the priesthood of Christ.
How wonderful and blessed it is.
Our brother Clem has already referred to Hebrews, and referred, I believe, and touched upon that side of things. He is the apostle and high priest of our profession.
You know, amongst the gathered Saints, beloved, and I don't exclude myself from it at all. We have perhaps stressed too much authority, assembly authority, and have failed to remember that we have in Moses and in Aaron these two sides.
Authority and intercession.
Intercession and the heart of the Lord is manifested towards His people in what we find represented in errand.
As you know, we find in the 4th chapter of Hebrews.
Let's just quickly turn to it.
You know we have in the 4th chapter the rest.
Spoken of and that we should labor to enter into that rest. That's not salvation.
That is connected with our pilgrimage journey, which requires a decided effort on our part to enter into the rest, which is at the end of the journey. I believe for Israel it will be the Millennium, and for you and me it's going to be heaven. As we sing, our rest is in heaven. Our rest is not here. But we find in this passage two things that are given for us as we are on our journey through this wilderness. You know, we have been singing at the beginning of the meeting.
That.
Our home is above, our Fatherland is there, and how wonderful that is in Hebrews views us as going through the wilderness. We haven't reached that rest yet, but it is assured to us. But while we are on that journey, there are two things here given to us on a pilgrimage journey.
Verse 12.
The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and morals, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his life.
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But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Can't fool anybody. We might fool the people, we might fool our brethren, but we cannot fool God. We're open before him like an open book, and the word of God is given to us.
To reveal and manifest.
Wherever we fall short in a path through the wilderness, we love it. Do we not want ourselves to be exposed to this?
Work of the Spirit of God in connection with the Word of God. You know, beloved, we have.
Almost with a passion opposed ministry that would accomplish this very thing.
We always want to hear about something for the heart, but in order to survive in the wilderness journey, we must have the effect of the Word of God that exposes us, makes things manifest.
But again.
What we have on the other side is what we have in the following verses.
Seeing then, that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not a high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we were.
Yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We love that if it would be only for the Word of God that would be given us to expose our condition.
How awful it would be. It would lead to despair and misery. But we have this priesthood of Christ.
Who understands what we are like?
And he himself has been here as a man. He knows the trials and temptations. You know, he was here and faced disappointments in the Lord. Jesus could never be tempted with anything evil but.
He knows what saw temptation is trials and testings when we seek to labor for the Lord, and false motives are implied. The Lord Jesus has experienced.
Have we found those who seem to be helped by our ministry and went on well seemingly for a while and then turned back?
The disappointment and pain that that brings to anyone.
Well, the Lord understands that He has felt all of this, and the enemy would like to use these disappointments.
Beloved to have us throw in the towel, as it were. Give up in our own families, Beloved.
We have children entrusted to us.
We seek to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
We desire nothing greater for them that they might than that they might come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and go on for His glory. And then we see them getting tripped up. The enemy gains victories.
How painful.
Many of us know what there is, don't we?
And how often the enemy would try to tempt us to lower the standards so that we hopefully can hang on to our children that they will not go away.
But one.
Young man said to his father once after he had returned as a repentant boy. He said, I'm so glad that you didn't give in. I wanted to break you down. I'm so glad you didn't break down. Now I have something to come back to.
The enemy would like to make us compromise and give up and.
Sacrifice teachings and principles that the Word of God has taught us.
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With the idea of hanging on and keeping.
Those whom we dearly love. These temptations are real, but the Lord Jesus is a high priest.
Is at our side. He helps us, He suckers us. Physical weakness.
Unemployment, even economical pressures. Don't you think the Lord Jesus understands that? He does. And how wonderful He is a man in the glory who Himself has been here, and He fully understands what you and I go through. And he can help us. He can encourage us, He can strengthen us. On the one hand, He allows us to be exposed.
Whenever we fall short and he uses his word to do it. But on the other hand, he helps us, he supports us, and he brings us safely through to the end. You know, there's another side to the priesthood. We don't have time to develop that. And that is that he is the minister of the sanctuary.
We find that in Chapter 7 or 8.
And while we are on that wilderness journey, in spite of all the trials and difficulties that we have, He wants to lead us in our heavenly worship, in the heavenly sanctuary and assist us in there. You know, beloved, many times these trials might become so severe that we might not at all.
Fill up to drawing knife within the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
But again, the Lord Jesus.
Would seek to lead us in spite of all the difficulties of the pathway that we face on every hand. He would like to assist us as the minister of the sanctuary, the Son of God, to lead us in worship and adoration, to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Beloved, we are well taken care of.
And the Lord.
Can help us to have faith to cling with purpose of heart to the Lord Jesus and avail ourselves of.
That which he has provided us for our safe journey through this scene. You know, the word of God doesn't spare anybody.
Everyone is exposed and we all do well that we allow the Word of God to penetrate our heart, to penetrate our conscience.
And do not allow the enemy to use these failures to turn us aside.
But to continue steadfastly, and the only way we can do that is by clinging to the Lord Jesus and having our eyes fixed on Him.
And enjoying His love, His mercy, His grace.
Open Mtg.
Open—L. Judd, D. Gorgas, R. Thonney
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A few thoughts above has come to one because we have those two hymns before us.
We might turn to Joshua, chapter one.
The ring of force, that portion that is ours, I have my Parson.
But begging for oneself, one has to own how little we enter into it.
Joshua one verse one. Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord speak unto Joshua the son of none. Moses minister, saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise go over this Jordan.
All this people under the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel, every place.
That the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, from the wilderness. And this Lebanon, even under the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and under the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Dear Ones, the third verse here.
Outline, or rather, I'm sorry, the fourth verse outlines the whole of the inheritance of the children of Israel. And they never have to this day entered into that inheritance. Even the days of David and Solomon, they never entered into it. They enjoyed part of it. They enjoyed what we get in the third verse.
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, the Lord. We will enjoy these precious things that we've had before. We have a heavenly portion.
Of course. And beyond our comprehension, really.
Certainly in all its fullness.
The Lord we can only enjoy that which we practically walk in. Make it a part of our daily life.
Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Along may we value these precious things that we've had before us, and may we put them into practice in our daily lives that they may be truly our own.
Joshua, Chapter 11.
Joshua 11 and verse 23.
And it's very striking to me here that we get no mention made of the army of Israel.
So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses.
And Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel, according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested for more. Joshua took the whole land. Joshua gave it for an inheritance.
Live and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Christ has won it all. He has done it all. The love won it all for us. Given it all to us, how much do we really enjoy?
Look at Joshua chapter 13.
Now Joshua was old and stricken in years.
And the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years.
And to remain as yet very much land to be possessed.
Joshua had won it all, He had given it all to them, but they had never gone in and possessed. They had never gone in an occupied. They had never placed the sole of their foot on that line. Oh, how much Christ has won force and given to us and how slow we are to enter into these precious truths. Let's go to 1St Tennessee. I believe it is.
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First Timothy, chapter 4.
And verse 13.
Over 12.
Let no man despise, I use, but be thou an example of the believers in Word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Sheriff would speak to us of our habits, our personal life.
Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things, Give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all.
Take heed unto thyself, and under the doctrine continue in them. For doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.
A love.
Let us seek to go on in the truth of these precious things we've had before us.
The time of the Apostle John, when he wrote those epistles.
I understand there is what professed to be much new like being brought in.
What does the apostle do? He takes them right back to the beginning, that which was in the beginning. He takes them right back to Christ. And beloved, that in Christ we have had before us, No, May we not depart?
Not seek, shall we say new things, but whole path.
That which we have the Revelation Chapter 3.
In Revelation 2 and verse 25.
The end of verse 24. I will put upon you none other burden but that which you have already hold fast till I come.
Good Revelation 3 and verse 11.
Behold, I come quickly.
We don't find that with our horror. Behold, I come quickly. The laws were right down to the end just before the Lord comes that it Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man takes thy crown. The enemy is going to seek to rob us of the enjoyment of these precious things.
He cannot rob us of our blessings. No, He cannot touch them, but He can rob us of the present enjoyment of them. And he can see He's ever seeking to bring this honor in the name of Christ. He would turn us away from that blessed One that He might bring this honor on His name.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast.
That no man take thy crown. All we might indeed hold fast, Beloved, He is coming, coming soon.
It may be.
Before these meetings closed, may we never give up.
That precious truth of the immediate return of our blessed Lord and Savior, that we may see Him face to face before the present day is out.
Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Would you turn to the 23rd chapter of Joshua?
23rd chapter of Joshua.
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And the first verse.
And it came to pass a long time after, that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies roundabout, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.
And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age.
And ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you.
For the Lord your God is he that fought for you.
Go down to verse 6.
Beige, ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses, that you turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left.
That she come not among these nations, that these that remain among you, neither make mention of the name of their gods.
And are caused to swear by them. Neither serve them nor bow yourselves unto them, but cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done.
Unto this day.
Verse 11. Take good heed, therefore, unto yourselves.
That ye love the Lord your God.
Verse 14 And behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth, and ye know in all your hearts.
And in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed, of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you, all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
Therefore it shall come to pass that as all the good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you, so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until you have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you, when you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you.
And have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them. Then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.
It's not a very happy verse to end the reading with, but.
Perhaps we'll see one more verse that's a little more encouraging before we finish, but I just like to mention this, beloved that.
The last words of a person are very important.
We know that we have the last words of Jacob. We have the last words of of Moses. We have the last words of Joshua that we've just read together. We've had we have the last words of the apostle Paul. And perhaps we might classify the 13th, 14th, and 15th of John and the 16th, 17th chapters as the last words of the Lord Jesus in his life here on earth.
And those words we hang on to, I know I look back sometimes on people who've gone home and dear ones, relatives or brethren that we've loved, and we like to think of a last conversation we had with them. And there's an importance to those words because the person isn't trying to Curry favor with anyone. If he did that in his lifetime, he has no more motive to.
He's down to the end.
And he's facing reality. Of course, I'm not including the Lord Jesus in those when I make those comments. It does apply to the others we've been talking about.
And I believe there's something very peculiarly precious in these last words of Joshua to the people of Israel.
His battle was over his.
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Leadership was being brought to an end.
And yet the people of God were very much on his heart, and so he.
Has some very important counsel for them.
And I'd like to call attention, beloved, to that sixth verse. Be ye, therefore.
Very courageous.
We're living in a time when.
The storm is fierce, and it's possible that there's discouragement.
And it's possible that some of us are tempted to give up. What an encouraging thing it is to have a word like this. Be therefore very courageous to do what to keep.
And to do all that is written in the book. And of course here the only book they had of a divine revelation was the book of the Law of Moses.
But how much more we have?
And what is the need for our souls today, in the midst of a difficult time such as we're in at the moment?
It's for courage, not only to keep it.
Not only to maintain doctrine, oh, how important the doctrine is. And we've had some wonderful doctrine brought out in these meetings that we need to.
Hold fast to.
But you know Joshua tells them here to keep and to do.
And that's where I have a problem, don't you? It's the doing of the Word of God.
We've mentioned before that we have some wonderful written ministry. We have a large library of tapes that we can listen to.
We have a lot of current ministry that's being given orally in conferences, and his brothers go around from assembly to assembly and from those local brothers too, who so diligently minister the word of God.
There are efforts being made to put the truth into a form that we can take hold of it and hold on to it.
And I value everyone of those, but it won't be good unless we learn to do it, to do it. And that's what takes courage, beloved. Not only the maintaining of the doctrine, but it's the putting into practice of the Word of God.
If there's anything I feel that we need to acknowledge as Christians.
Is that we don't practice the way we should, that which we understand and enjoy and appreciate in the way of ministry.
Perhaps I should just say that for myself, because sometimes when you speak for others.
You go too far, but my problem is practicing the truth.
And so Joshua says, be therefore very courageous to keep and to do those things that we're specialists in. Is that what he says? No, all that is written in the book.
As I said before, for us it's all that is written here.
This is a world of specialization.
It's hard to find a General practitioner today.
And I remember the old days when you could, no matter what was wrong with you, you could go to a doctor. And it's become such a such a tremendous science today that I suppose no one man can properly treat a person.
But I sometimes nostalgically think of the old general practitioners. But there aren't. There is no such thing when it comes to the Christian faith as specialists in keeping the truth of God.
And we do not have the privilege of saying, well, it's this is for us to keep and the rest is not. That's for some other Christian to keep. I believe God would have us exercise that. If there's one thing in the word of God that's brought to our conscience, to our knowledge, and the truth is set forth in such a way that it's made good to our souls in a doctrinal way, we have the responsibility to carry it out.
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To practice it, to do it, all that is written that you turn, not aside therefrom.
To the right hand or to the left?
We are people who turn either to the right hand or to the left. We have trouble keeping a straight course.
And the word of God would have an exercise that we steer a course.
Directly in accordance with the word of God, without veering off this way, getting extreme in this way, or extreme in that way, but to follow the Word of God straight down the path.
It's used over and over again in Scripture that admonition, that warning to us not to turn.
To the right hand or to the left?
And then there's a practical word in verse 7.
Regarding the danger of coming among those nations that the Lord had left among them.
And not making mention of those gods that they have. And I would like to make an application, beloved brethren, with your indulgence of that.
Not to be dogmatic about it, but as I look today around, I believe there are a whole new set of gods that have been set up in place of the old idolatry.
And those gods are gods.
That easily turn our hearts aside.
Well.
Sports.
And you can name many other things. I'm not going to go on and I'm just giving you the drift of what I think are the new Gods popularity, success.
And, you know, we're easily swayed by them because all around us are these influences, all around us are these.
People who are devoted to these gods.
And we have to live in that kind of an environment. We know where we are. We're living in a place where all these influences exist.
What will keep us going on turning neither to the right hand nor to the left?
Not being.
Inclining ourselves or bowing ourselves to these.
Gods of those that live around us, the word of God.
Occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that what the Spirit of God brought before us in the readings and in the ministry that we had so preciously brought out.
Is exactly what will keep our hearts from bowing down to these other gods.
Verse 8.
But cleave unto the Lord your God now, but just stop there.
It would be fine from a standpoint of what we're to do, but I think it's so wonderful that Joshua, realizing the need for the encouragement of the people, says to them, as ye have done unto this day.
And this verse spoke to me some time ago, beloved.
Because I believe there's a tendency that we don't notice.
That the Lord has some that are cleaving to him, and it's discouraging to them if we just say to them, well, brother, you ought to be cleaving to the Lord. Didn't he notice that I was trying to do it?
And there is a discouragement that comes in, and I think it's beautiful that Joshua says to them, Cleave unto the Lord, as ye have done unto this day.
And I'd just like to say, especially to my younger brothers and sisters, you may think that your brothers and sisters don't notice when you're cleaving to the Lord. We do. We may forget to say that to you sometimes. And I hope we will tell you that I like to notice that as I see a young person. I went up to a young sister recently and in Woodbridge at the fellowship meeting, and I just put my hand on her shoulder. I said, you've been such an encouragement to me to see you take hold in the things of God. And she brightened up and she said thank you.
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Thank you. And I was wondering if she didn't think to herself. I wonder if anybody notices.
I wonder if anybody notices when I try to go on for the Lord. Well, those of us who perhaps have the privilege of exhorting one another, I think it's nice to notice too, and to say you've been doing it. Now keep on, keep on cleaving to the Lord as you have done unto this day. And that's what I would say to those of you who have.
Been going on for the Lord and perhaps no one has said to you, you know, it's been an encouragement to me to see you going on for the Lord. I'd like to say as you have done unto this day. Keep on and it's it's a blessing to see those who really have a purpose of heart for the Lord.
Now may we notice that in one another and mention it for encouragement.
Want to go down to the?
14th verse.
Or rather the 11Th verse, Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. Like to read that the way we sometimes take that. Take good heed to your brethren, that they love the Lord their God.
Keep watching on your brethren. Make sure that they go on. No, it doesn't say that.
When the apostle Paul.
Was speaking to the Ephesian elders. He used the same expression, didn't he? Those who were in a position with responsibility to watch over the flock, even those he said take heed unto yourselves and then he adds into the flock.
You see, God would have us watch our own.
Testimony. Our own lives.
To pay heed to ourselves.
And if we're going to be an encouragement to anyone else in our pathway.
Then we must take heed to ourselves first.
What is needed among the people of God is not so much.
Instructors, but fathers, patterns, models that will.
Show how a Christian should live.
May we seek to be that wherever the Lord has put us.
An encouragement, a help, an example, a model of the believers.
Notice it does not say, Take good heed unto yourselves, that you.
That you acquire a good knowledge of the word that's important.
That you.
Read the scriptures, that's very important.
Take good heed unto yourselves that you love the Lord because it's affection for the Lord.
That sustains and keeps us in the pathway.
And the first thing that we ought to be exercised about, I believe, when it comes to our own walk is.
Whether we are walking.
And the enjoyment of his love and with affection for him. And then the 14th verse.
What an encouragement that 14th verse is. You know in your heart she says, you know it. And I could say to everyone of us here we know it, that not one thing has ever failed. Of all the good words which the Lord has spoken, which the Lord spake concerning us, not one thing of what He has spoken has ever failed.
God has been good to his promises.
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I was noticing in the second chapter of Jeremiah recently that the Lord challenging the children of Israel concerning their backsliding says to them.
What have you found in me? What iniquity, what injustice have you found in me that you've turned away? It's as if God says to him, Have you ever found anything in me that would turn you away? We know the answer. It's not the Lord. He's never failed. Our failure does not come from anything.
From anything for which the Lord is responsible, it flows from our own heart.
Not one thing has failed. Of all the good things which the Lord spake concerning us, all are come to pass.
Many adds. Not one thing has failed thereof. I think that's very encouraging.
It encourages my heart. It lets me know that not one thing has failed or ever will fail of what God has given us in His precious word. But you know, there's a solemn side of that, and that's brought out in the next verse. And I don't want to dwell on the solemn side of it, but you have to say it because there it is, right along with the other.
That as not one good thing has failed, so not one of the evil things that God has promised if we turn away from Him will also fail. That is, God is faithful to Himself. He will not allow us to act with indifference with regard to His claims with regard to His Holiness. He will not allow us to go on in a careless way and then not fulfill what He said concerning it. God has a government.
And I'm thankful for that government. Sometimes I fear it, but when I stop and think about it.
I thank him for it.
Because that government.
Is is what makes him the God that he is. He's faithful. He's a faithful God.
But oh, it's a solemn word to you and to me that as not one thing has failed of all the good.
So also, if we turn away, we can expect nothing but what God's Word says will come into our life unhappiness.
Disaster spiritually.
May it be a warning to us now, I said. I wanted to finish with an encouraging verse, because that would be a sad place to stop, wouldn't it? So let's go over to the 20th of Acts.
The 20th chapter of Acts.
I'm not going to read the passage which is parallel to what we had in in Joshua, but I just want to call attention to a closing verse.
Paul says.
After he details the departure that's to come in, he says in verse 32. And now, brethren, I commend you.
To the apostles, is that what he says?
And now, brethren, I commend you to the brethren.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God.
And to the word.
Of his.
Grace, the word of His grace. That's what we need, beloved brethren, It's the word of His grace.
You know, God's word takes different characters with regard to us.
And everyone of them is beautiful. Everyone of them is precious to our souls.
But when it comes to this time that the apostle is talking about as he is about to depart from them.
What is it? What character does the Word of God take the word?
Of his grace.
Which is able.
To build you up.
And to give you an inheritance among all them.
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Which are sanctified.
First Synditis. Chapter 2.
And verse 13.
Looking for that blessed hope.
And the glorious appearing.
Of the great God and our Savior Jesus.
Christ.
I was thankful that the chapter for reading ended up.
On that last verse, that really points on to the future day, the Millennium.
The glory when our Lord Jesus is going to be manifested.
Brethren, that hope ought to burn in our souls. We're going home the glory pretty soon.
I always remember Albert Hagel has been mentioned quite a few times here today.
They always remember that. That's one thing he mentioned an awful lot.
And.
Sometimes I notice in our prayers that not much mention is made of His coming again.
And I still remember Brother Albert.
Saying when he used to call home on his long trips.
And he said if I didn't hear from my loved ones at home and especially my dear wife.
The desire for my return as soon as possible, he said. I would be worried.
And, dear brethren, shouldn't it be normal?
That we long for his return and that we express it as well.
Come Lord Jesus.
I've noticed.
Living in Bolivia during those years, about 1981 to 83.
When the economic situation of Bolivia Winslow Helter Skelter and inflation got up to 40,000% and the crops went bad.
I noticed that where was an increased increased awareness and appreciation of the fact that the Lord was coming again and looking for it. But should it be?
Natural circumstances that cause us to long for His coming again, Oh dear brethren, to be in the enjoyment of the Scriptures ought to stir in our souls.
The longing for his coming again, Is it because of the affluence?
Of the society that we live in, that we don't long for it.
Quite so much.
Your Titus is instructed as to the teaching.
And he says, Paul says at the end, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Two things. First, that blessed hope.
The coming of the Lord Jesus to rapture its home to glory.
Brethren, we have not been made for this world's day. We have been made for eternities day. And it seems so much. I have to confess, I get snared in the current of things down here, which is accommodate yourselves down here. Make life as easy as possible. It's all within reach. Do it.
I confess I get caught up in that stream of things, that way of thinking.
The Brethren.
We're not an earthly people. We've been made for heaven.
And our character should be pilgrims and strangers down here.
Simplicity in our living habits as much as possible, so that that hope burns brightly before us. I have to challenge my own heart so often. Do I really believe that at any moment I'm going to leave everything behind down here and go into the presence of the Lord Jesus? Do I really believe that?
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Do I? I say I do.
But is it a reality in my life, or is it just some doctrine that's relegated to some part of my brain that I understand?
Or is it a reality in my soul?
Brethren.
The Word of God stands as a whole or falls as a whole. If I give up any part of it in practice, in principle, I've given up the authority of it all and I need to hold it as a whole. We're going home to glory. We're going to meet that man that we have been talking about in our reading meetings. That glorious person of God's beloved Son face to face, are going to come with him at any moment now.
Ready, brethren.
Last time I was in the Dominican Republic, it was kind of interesting.
Brethren, God asking.
About Heaven.
What heaven is like. It's kind of an interesting thing to think about in the light of Scripture. Scripture does say a few things. Not a whole lot, but some things.
And I think it is proper that we should be thinking about those places we're going to go so soon.
We live in a day, in a world and in a society that is only occupied with now, here and now. Don't think much of the future.
My brethren, our hope.
Really does bring character to our Christian lives.
And so we ought to be thinking about the future. How can we learn about that?
Blessed home that's prepared above for us. We sang at at the beginning of this meeting. How can we learn about it? I really believe one of the best ways to learn about it is to walk in the company down here of the one who is the glorious sun and center of that home.
Above we have an example these meetings that's been mentioned of Enoch and Enoch was a man who lived in this world for 365 years.
Says after he begat son, he had his first son, that he walked with God.
300 years. What a statement of the word of God. 300 years. How many years can I walk with God? 10 years. 20 years But here's a man 300 years. He walked with God.
Never mentioned that I know of any spectacular thing that Enoch did. Like you have David slaying Goliath.
No, it was something that was true of him day by day by day.
Hour after hour, walking with God.
And as he was walking with God, he walked right into the glory he was not, because God took him. The testimony of Enoch.
And I don't think it was a drastic change for Enoch when he went home, when God took him, because he was walking in that new place within the same company as he did when he walked down here. And I don't think it needs to be a thing that will be a drastic change, dear brethren, for us when the Lord comes to take us home.
If we know what it means to walk with God down here, to walk with God right into the glory and that day when he comes to take us home. I really believe that is one of the greatest ways to learn the character of heaven. There are many other suggestions in Scripture. One of the things that we enjoyed a bit.
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In the Dominican this last time with some of the brethren I love.
With those bread and they've really learned a lot of the scripture by reading on their own and have some beautiful facts.
We went to the 14th chapter of John where it speaks.
The Lord Jesus tells of his coming again to his disciples.
For he says, Let not your heart be troubled. And where he speaks of his father's house. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you.
And in the meditation, we were meditating on the fact that.
The Lord Jesus didn't say in my house, He said in my Father's house. Why that?
The father may have many children.
But each child.
For as many as he may have, many has a very special place.
In the heart of the Father.
I really believe that's the sense. In my father's house are many abodes. There will be the millions of the redeemed in that coming day as we're gathered in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
But no sense of distance for anyone of them. No, everyone will occupy a place of nearness.
That is the abode in the Father's house.
You occupy a place that I cannot fill. I occupy a place that you cannot fill. Each one has that special place in the Father's House of nearness because of that coming day. It is not a question.
Of time or distance.
Time and distance are elements connected with this present creation, not with that humbug things. Little hints like that that really are beautiful to meditate on in scripture. And I really believe we can learn a lot about heaven before we get there, dear brethren, if we are exercised. And I really believe our hearts need to be stirred.
We're going to be united to the man that fills the glory forever. We're going to be united to him.
Shouldn't we want to learn all we can right now, right here and now, about him?
About that home above, I really believe we should, and we will be. But we need to have our hearts stirred, dear brother. But this person, Titus.
Not only speaks of the blessed hope, looking for that blessed hope.
But also looking for that glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ that thrills my soul.
We are going to be eyewitnesses of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of Man into this world.
In power and glory to take his position.
In this world and reign supreme.
Oh, it thrills my soul.
And it fortifies our hearts too, dear brethren, if we meditate on it.
Can you take a little bit of?
Suffering here, knowing that that's our future.
I really believe that that blessed hope that glorious appearing we're really.
Looking for it just as much as the blessed hope, I really believe.
It will encourage us on. We have so much to encourage his brother.
We have so much. I realize there's a lot to discourage if you get your eyes in the wrong places.
Do you get your eyes on me or anybody else down here?
Man in man's world there is tremendous reason to be discouraged. But I say, brethren, we have far greater reason to be encouraged. The glory is before us. It's sure. There's no doubt about it.
00:50:08
We're going home soon. We have every reason to take courage and to press on the glory.
They see the misery in this world going into Latin America. Sometimes the poverty isn't as bad, perhaps in the areas of Latin America as it is in other parts of the world.
That you see an awful lot of misery, poor little children suffering, sleeping on a piece of cardboard on the side of the road.
Have no home to go to rips my heart. It makes me long. Lord Jesus, how long? You could do a little bit maybe. And we should be doing. Dear brethren, in view of the tremendous needs around, we are responsible. God has put certain things in our hands. It's not for us just to merely sit down and enjoy them. Thank God He gives us richly all things to enjoy.
But we are responsible to use them in view that future day.
And so we need to be exercised about what we might do for the Lord.
But I say, when I see the misery in such tremendous quantities of misery.
Realize there's no way you could meet all the neat. No way.
No. What's the answer to the misery, the terrible suffering? We have hardly any concept of the misery that has happened in other parts of the world. We might see pictures of it in the newspaper and we get a little idea.
But it's so far away it doesn't seem that real to us. It isn't relegated to our lives here, but there is an awful lot of misery. And when we view it all, we need to realize there's only only one answer to it all.
The coming of our Lord Jesus back to this earth to set it all right.
That's the only answer, and we ought to long not only for the Lord's coming to take us home.
But we ought to long for the Lord's coming back to this earth to reign in power and glory in that coming day. That is part of the proper hope of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh dear brethren, when I consider here we are in 1991.
And if the Lord should come today?
Less. In less than one decade, we may be in the Millennium reigning supreme with Christ. In less than one decade we may be accompanying Jesus from heaven.
That writer on the White Horse as he comes back and the armies of the world come.
Gathering their forces to fight against him that sits on that White Horse.
And one by one, they're going to be stricken down by the sword that comes out of the mouth of our Lord Jesus.
The glory of that moment now, dear brother, and it just thrills my soul to think that I am so intimately connected with that man whose glory is going to be manifested in the earth in that coming day. That is part of our hope, dear brethren.
May the Lord stir in us then as we finish these meetings, brethren, I really do feel that God is speaking to us to seek to awaken us. Lethargy comes so easily in my heart. I admit it, I'm guilty of it.
And in view of the fact that we're right at the edge, we're right close to that moment of going home, the Lord is seeking to waken us. It speaks of that so often in Scripture. In view of His coming again, we need to be awakened. We're going home. May the Lord awaken us in His faithfulness.
00:55:00
Whatever it takes, because earth is not our Fatherland. Heaven is our home.
Hebrews 11:1
Hebrews 11:1-16
John 1:1
"The Son the Man, John 1:35-end"
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