Des Moines Conference: 1994
Table of Contents
Children of Israel Pt.1
Children of Israel Pt.2
Ephesians 4
Ephesians 4
Love and Know
Revelation
Address—G. Hayhoe
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Wonder if we could turn first of all to 2nd Kings Chapter 6.
Second Kings Chapter 6 and verse 15.
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early.
And gone forth, behold, and host compassed the city both with horses and Chariots. And his servants said unto him, Alas, my master, how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elijah prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.
And behold, the mountain was full of horses and Chariots of fire roundabout Elisha.
When could we turn to Proverbs chapter 29?
And verse 18.
Where an old vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he?
Then in Revelation chapter one.
Revelation Chapter one beginning at the first verse.
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him.
To show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass any sentence, signified it by his Angel unto his servant John, who bear record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand.
John To the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you, and peace from him which is, and which was.
And which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne.
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead?
And the Prince of the kings of the earth unto him that loved us, or loves us.
And washed us from our sins, and his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God.
And his father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Oh. He began by looking at that passage in The Second Kings, where the man of God was compassed with an army.
And everything seemed to be against him. And the man of God. Elisha asked that the Lord would open the young man's eyes that he would see. And he was told that those that were with us are more than those that are against us. And isn't it encouraging thing what the Bible says if God before us, who can be against us, that's what sustains our souls. Brethren, in times like this, here's the knowledge that God is for us.
We find in the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden that Satan's lie was to try and make Adam and Eve think that God the best, that he was withholding something from them that was really going to complete their happiness. He told them that they would just reach out their hand for that one forbidden tree. Their happiness would be complete. They would have the knowledge of good and evil. But that's the way the enemy does. He always misrepresents God.
He always makes us think that God isn't as good as we think he is, and that he is perhaps withholding something from us that is for our good. But, brethren, it's a blessed thing for us, who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, to know that God is for us. He's not withholding what is for our good.
Says no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. He seeks our blessing, Mr. Darby said. How often does one forbidden thing hide from our view? 1000 blessings.
We reach out our hands for something, that God is forbidden only to our sorrow and to our loss. But we know that God still delighted in man and sought his blessing. And I sometimes thought of it like this as oh, when sin entered and God looked down and saw what had happened, came down and walked in the garden, and called Adam. His very first words after sin entered were Adam, where art thou?
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God became a seeking God. He sought Adam. He sought him for his good and for his blessing.
And to me it was, though he said, You've spoiled this world through your sin.
But I have something better than what you have spoiled, and I love you so much that I am going to pay the price so that you can enjoy what's in my heart for you. And the price was paid at Calvary, where the Lord Jesus in his wondrous love and grace died for our sins, and has opened up a blessing far greater than that which Adam forfeited. Adam forfeited the tree in the garden and the blessing that was earthly. But, brethren, how richly we are blessed.
Blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
But we find all through with Israel God promised certain things to them, and the enemy was constantly trying to make them think that God wasn't quite as good as he said He was. But over and over again He came in in spite of all their weakness and failure, and showed His heart of love. And what is often commented that the assurances from God's heart of His love for his people are at times when they could perhaps least.
Expect that at the end of the wilderness.
Yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in my hand.
When we find that Jeremiah had to tell the people about coming judgment, it says, yeah, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn they when they came back from the captivity, we know that weakness and failure came in among that remnant. And Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament begins his message this way, The burden of the Word of the Lord by Malachi.
I have loved you, saith the Lord.
And the last message to the church is in Revelation, it says.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, oh bless him, wondrous truth. God's love is never, never changing, and all that our hearts might lay hold of this because, brethren, we are living in difficult days, we know that. It's just like this young man that I read of there, here he was and he saw God's prophet surrounded by a great host. And he said, what shall we do?
And what did the Prophet did? Was his peace disturbed? No, his peace wasn't disturbed. And why did he have as far as could be seen and the great big army to support him? No, but he had the Lord and the Lord's host. And he said, those that are for us are more than those that are against us. And he has simply asked in such a beautiful way. Lord opened the young man's eyes that he may see, and bratham this my desire that our eyes might be opened.
Even in days like we live too. But there is so much that is against us that our eyes might be opened and see that God is for us, that he desires our blessing. And more than this, the reason I have read in Revelation, and I'd like to look at a little bit in that book is where John in and it he saw the decline of the church. He lived to be over 90 years old, and he lived to see the decline of the Church as a testimony.
But how? His heart was brightened as he looked on to that time. When.
Would be around the Lord Jesus, and then even further he looked on to the Millennium, and then he looked even on to eternity.
And that's what cheered his heart. He hadn't had an easy path, but there was a vision that was before him, as this verse says, for an old vision as the people perish. But he didn't, because he had a vision of that coming glory and that sustained him. And it's my desire that in spite of everything, we see the breakdown of everything in the hands of man, even men's hearts failing them for fear as they wonder what's going to happen to.
The economy and to the world in its present condition, isn't it good to know that we who are believers?
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Have such a bright up outlook, one dear sister and much trial said. My outlook never was darker, but my outlook never was brighter, and that ought to be so, brethren, As we approach the end, because we're looking for the Lord Jesus to come at any moment, we ought to have that bright outlook, and we ought to always remember that God is for us, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all.
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
And so that's why I read that we wouldn't cast off restraint. That we wouldn't.
We wouldn't be discouraged in these days of difficulty, but rather do what John brings before us in the Book of Revelation.
And it's very prominent in the book of the Revelation, the word saw things that John saw one is often said.
Bear with me for repeating it that the Christian is the only one who has an intelligent outlook on what is going on in the world. We look out and we see what's going on. We see what's going on, even among the people of God, and we don't need to be discouraged. We have two things. We have the word of God, which lives and abides forever, perfectly suited to this very generation in which we live. And we have the power to press on against the current because the Spirit of God.
Dwells in US, he shall receive power. After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you. We have the power to go on. Let's not look at the ways and difficulties. Otherwise, like Peter, we might begin to think, But we need to have our eyes on the Lord. And as someone has said, Peter couldn't have walked any better on smooth water than rough water unless his eyes were on the Lord. We might think we can get along if things were only a little more level and smooth.
But no, friends, beloved brethren, we couldn't. We couldn't get along any better in smooth water than we can in troubled water. But it doesn't matter how troubled the waters are. If our eyes upon him, we can go on.
Well, here in Revelation, John, as we know, is in the Isle of Patmos for the testimony of Jesus Christ, and he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. I'd rather take it that he would have desired, I'm sure, if possible, to be with the beloved Saints of God, to remember the Lord Jesus in his death. But here he was isolated. I'm sure that I'm speaking to many here who are in isolated places, and you might say, well, if I was only in a nice large gathering where we could go each week and remember the Lord and.
Attend the meetings and.
Have our souls ministered to? But John was in exile, and yet here he is in the Isle of Patmos. He was in the Spirit. On the Lord's day he was occupied with the Lord Jesus. And that's the first thing that I think I could say he saw. He saw the Lord Jesus as the answer to everything. And so it tells us here in the second verse who bear record of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all.
Things that he saw. So we need the word of God. It's our sure guide rather than I say again, it's perfectly suited to 1994. It isn't out of date. It's just what we need for the present time. Let us never depart from the light and instruction of the precious word of God. Can we bore a record of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ?
That is, it's a person. This blessed book brings before us a person. And so he writes to the Assembly, 7 assemblies in Asia Minor. And he says grace be unto you and peace. And just like to say that I believe the deeper the sense of grace, the deeper there will be an appreciation of peace.
No RPS. Why do sinners not have the assurance of salvation when they come to the Lord? Sometimes they're filled with doubts. It's because they're looking in for feelings. They're looking for something in their feelings, and they're not just counting upon the sovereign grace of God.
I suppose many when they're first saved, Satan tries to fill them with goats. But I believe if we realize it's all of grace, we didn't deserve anything.
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God didn't save us because of anything that we deserve. It's all sovereign grace. And so when we have the sense of that, and then we're not looking for anything in ourselves at all, we rest totally and slowly, solely upon what Christ has done his glorious finished work. And I believe in circumstances and we say, like Job said, why has this happened to me? His peace, even in the circumstance was disturbed.
But when he took his place and said, I'm vile, I have repentant of ore myself in dust and ashes. In other words, everything that I have or everything I will have is totally undeserved. Then he had peace, then he had peace. And brethren, I feel that quite often when things happen to us, we get occupied with ourselves. We say, why did this happen to me? Haven't I tried to be a good Christian?
Haven't I tried to please the Lord? And we lose the sense of grace, every good thing that comes.
No matter who we are is totally undeserved grace to you and peace Good thing that the heart be established in grace.
And then it goes on to say.
And peace from him which is and which was and which is to come.
And then in the fifth verse and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness?
We know that John was about to view the seven churches that were in Asia.
And we know that they failed in their testimony. And has it the Church failed in its testimony here in this world. But He views then the one who is the faithful witness. His eye has turned to him. And so we need to remember this when we see the breakdown of everything that's been committed to man, to know that God is the faithful. The Lord Jesus, I should say, is the faithful witness.
When the Church has failed the first begotten from the dead, death has come in is by one man. Sin entered into the world, and death by sin. The Lord triumphed over death. He rose again. He triumphed. So he saw where the Church had failed. He saw the one who's a faithful witness saw death in this world, but he saw the one who had risen from the dead. He saw the breakdown of government in the hands of man, but he saw the Prince of the kings of the earth.
And then he said unto him that loved us or loves us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. This one not only is the one who is the one who has overcome death, is a faithful witness when the Church has failed. But he loves us, brethren, He loves us. We need to have the sense of this in our soul. I say again, He loves us. Satan could only get us doubting about the Lord's love.
But it says he loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And he's brought us into association with himself, has made us canes and priests. We're going to reign with him in the coming day. We have access into His presence. Doesn't that fill our hearts with praise unto him? Be glory and dominion forever and ever? Amen. I read this because he's about to introduce a book of.
Judgment. A book where man has failed and anything and everything that's been committed to him.
Because first a view of this one. And we need to have the sense of this in our souls. This is what he saw. And then passing on in this chapter we see him in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks in the 17th verse. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I am the 1St and the last.
I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.
Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death.
What a cheer this must have been to the heart of John. The Lord laid his hand upon him and said, Fear not, because John was about to have, as we see in this book, a vision of what is ahead, the failure of the church to see the failure of everything that's been committed to man, and how wonderful to have the Lord lay his hand on us and say, fear not, is there something you're fearing? Job said.
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The thing that I feared is greatly feared, has come upon me and sometimes we fear. Maybe you fear perhaps the loss of a job, loss of health, troubles in the assembly. Isn't it lovely to have the Lord put his hand upon you and say, fear not, fear not. I am the 1St and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. What a precious thing for John.
To have this but now in connection with these seven churches. But the first thing then he saw was the Lord, the one who had redeemed him, the one who is superior to every situation. But then it seems to me that here, where we have him writing to the seven churches, he sees the breakdown of the church as a Candlestick in the earth, and we have seven different phases of the Church's history.
Brought before us here, beginning with the loss of first love. And you know this is a word for us, brethren. The Lord has never left His first love. He loves us.
Without any change whatever, with an everlasting love. Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. But it's so easy for us to lose first love, and things may be going on as they were in that assembly at Ephesus.
Fairly smoothly. They had much that was commendable, but there wasn't that affection for the Lord Jesus.
Bible says keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. We can have everything right.
On the outside, as it were, but if the heart isn't right.
Frozen. You have a partner, and he or she does everything for you, but doesn't love you. What a loss. But that's what the Lord wants, is our heart's affections, brethren. And so the Lord had to say to those in applesauce they had left their first love. But what was the cheering thing for?
The overcomer in this particular assembly, it says in the end of the seventh verse to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. What does it say? This? Well, we know that in a Garden of Eden there were two trees, there was the tree of life, and there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was attached to Adam and Eve as to whether they would obey God. But you know in the coming day, brethren, responsibility is going to be ended. There's the tree of life. If I were to turn over to the 22nd of Revelation, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not there, just the tree of life.
Everything in responsibility fails. But isn't it blessed to look on to a coming day? And what would encourage them in Ephesus, where all this coldness had come in a vision of the coming glory and brethren we need to have before us? At that time when all the redeemed will be there and there won't be a time of testing, it'll be a time of eternally enjoying what's in the heart of God. That's what we need.
Perhaps you say, well, there's much love in the assembly where I am. Look on to the time when all would be perfect, for there won't be any time of testing anymore when everything will be perfect. That will keep us going on. And we find that in Smyrna there was persecution, as we know. And for 10 days, that is 10 successive Roman emperors persecuted the Saints of God. And isn't it beautiful the way the Lord?
Addresses himself to them, he says.
In the eighth verse these things saith, the 1St and the last, which was dead and is alive. That is, the Lord said, I went into death, I find the risen one. And he says in the end of the tenth verse, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
So there was an encouragement given, and we know that there was those terrible years of persecution. And right now, while I'm talking, there are Saints of God in some parts of the earth that are being persecuted for the name of Christ. Our brother mentioned in one of the prayers how that there is persecution? What is it that sustains them all? My precious Savior went into death and rose again. And because he rose, I shall rise too.
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Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. We had the privilege of being over in the.
In London. And we went into the tower there, and there's some martyrs were put to death, And we saw raised in the stone said, Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Many of those dear people who in the past times were faithful, what sustained them, they saw beyond this life. We need to look beyond this life. We need to look beyond tomorrow, as far as this world is concerned.
Into the glorious tomorrow with the Lord Jesus.
Then there was the Pergamos period, and in that time the Church and the world came together.
And I think we have a little encouragement in the 17th verse. He that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit saath unto the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone.
And in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it.
I like that little hymn that we sometimes sing. I think it expresses this very nicely, called by that secret name of undisclosed disclosed delight, blessed answer to reproach and shame graved on a stone of light. What was it would sustain these ones. We're living in days when I believe that we might say the spirit of Pergamos comes in the world creeps in church in the world came together.
In the time of Pergamos and here, what do we find? What was the encouragement for the What was the encouragement for those who had gone? You have to be satisfied sometimes, rather than with having the Lord's approval, just the Lord's approval. And so it says.
I will give indeed of the hidden man, who will give him a whitestone, and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it.
Well, that was the encouragement. And just to know that you have the Lord's approval. If you're walking according to his word, that'll give you peace. And then it says give to eat of the hidden manna. We know the man of pictures to us. The Lord Jesus in his pathway here was he understood, very often misunderstood. But he could say I do always those things which please the Father Brethren, we're going to go on.
And this is what John saw. And to every, in every different phase of the Church's history, there was a special encouragement that was given. Let's be dissatisfied to know that the Lord Jesus walked in this world in a pathway of rejection. The tendency is to want to be popular in the world. But, brethren, we follow a rejected Christ, a rejected Christ, and we need to be satisfied.
Just to have his approval in walking according to his precious word, valent Thyatira. We know that things were very, very dark in those days.
But there's a little word spoken in the 25th verse, but that would she have already hold fast till I come. I think that's a wonderful message that's given in Thyatira. Things were being given up on every hand, but they're encouraged to hold fast. And so as we see things being given up and things are being given up and Christendom to a large extent and we're liable to get caught in the current.
Hold fast, Hold fast.
We need to remember it's not our truth, it's God's truth. If you have something of your own, perhaps you can part with it. It's not our truth. It's not Brethren's truth. It's God's truth. It's God's truth. And Paul said to Timothy, oh, Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust. Hold fast the form of sound words. And so don't give up, you say. Well, things have been given up. They were in Thyatira.
But if things have been given up, don't give up anything more. Don't give up anything more. That was the word to Thyatira then we have in Sardis. We have the time, I believe God granted A revival. And it says here in the fourth verse of the third chapter, tell us the few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments.
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And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy he that overcometh.
The same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.
And I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
There was a lot of profession in Sardis, and there's a warning here that they should go on and it's here, I believe the thought of practical holiness in our lives, and I believe that's important for us, brethren, that we should walk in practical holiness.
Not just holding the truth outwardly, I believe we can do that. But here we find practical holiness. But then there was a blessed revival in the time of Philadelphia.
And there's a special word given to them.
In the 10th verse of the third chapter, because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, and let no man take thy crown. Can I just say, there's been a wonderful deposit of truth that that has been committed to us, brethren.
I believe God is in these last days, in His goodness and mercy, granted their recovery.
It's often been said, never in the history of the church until very recent years, was it possible for everyone, as we are this afternoon, to sit with an open Bible in front of us? As Paul preached, everybody couldn't sit there with an open Bible. The whole Bible hadn't been completed in until God used him. And I suppose there were very, very few that had copies of the Word of God in those days.
How privileged we are to think that we can sit here few 100 people with the open word of God.
Upon our lips maybe hold it fast. Maybe we hold it fast, never giving up anything. May it mean everything to us. Thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, that will settle so many questions. And we look at people, but we certainly love all the people of God. But we have to hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
And then there was the last one and I believe the thought in Philadelphia and.
Laodicea is going on an individual faithfulness. It says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice, I will open the door and will come into him, and will Sup with him and he with me.
I believe that as the end draws nearer, maybe it may be a real test, oftentimes just to go on individual faithfulness in the enjoyment of the Lorde presence. Now I don't mean to suggest that the Lord will not preserve and he will preserve a collective testimony.
He's asked us to remember him until he comes and we can be sure if he's asked us to remember him.
He will preserve a testimony, and I believe it will continue until the Lord comes.
But I believe it's very important for us to go on as individuals in the enjoyment of the Lord, and so we find the the Word here to.
To the last church was if any man open the door, I will come in and suffer with him, and he with me. Don't allow conditions that exist, perhaps even in the assembly, to spoil your enjoyment.
Personally of the Lord Jesus, sometimes we can allow things to get into our thoughts and minds so that we don't enjoy the meetings anymore. The brethren, when we come, we come to meet the Lord and He's there, and we can enjoy personal communion with Him. May the Lord grant that we will value this. Well, this is what John saw. He saw the seven churches, He saw what the church would become, and he writes this letter.
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Of their special encouragement for each condition that existed, then when we come to the 4th chapter in the 5th chapter.
The Lord has come.
The 4th chapter begins where the door opened in heaven and the voice saying come up, hit her, and that's what we're waiting for brethren. Might be before this meeting is over, we'll hear that shout saying come up, hit her and all that I've been saying about.
Enduring in difficult times and going on to the Lord that will be all past and we'll see the whole company of the redeemed. Oh, how wonderful.
Does not fill your heart with joy, It fills our hearts with joy to be here with a few 100.
Of those whom the Lord has saved in his grace and gathered to his precious name.
But Mr. Darby said, who to me? Who can to me that joy of Saint throng courts declare tell of that constant sweet employ my spirit longs to share brethren. That's what sustains us, is the daily constant hope of the Lord's coming and what it will be to me every St. of God. Do you know prayer meeting this morning and this afternoon, asking the Lord for some who are sick? There won't be any such requests in heaven. There won't be any such ones there.
There won't be any with aches and pains. There won't be any who aren't fully enjoying the Lord.
Isn't it beautiful to see this is what he saw? He had a vision of coming glory. There was John and the other pet, Moss, seeing the breakdown of the Christian testimony. And yet there he is, as he saw that redeemed company in the 10th. In the 4th chapter, I should say they're celebrating Christ's rights as Creator because he has a right to this world as Creator in the fourth. In the 5th chapter, they're celebrating his rights.
As Redeemer. So they're singing in the 5th chapter and I just like to notice a little thing in the.
5th chapter here.
In the.
14th verse and the four beasts said Amen had the four and 20 elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. In the 5th chapter we see this ever widening circle. It begins with the redeemed around the throne, and then we see the.
We see the living creatures, we see the angels. We see all creation being brought into the blessing from the Lord. Jesus takes his rightful place.
And then in the end, it says on the four living creatures said Amen. Now, brother, there's many things in God's ways that we don't understand. Now, why has the Lord allowed this? Why has the Lord allowed that the living creatures speak to us of God governmental ways? And sometimes when God's ways come upon us, whether individually or collectively, we find it hard to say Amen. That is we.
We can. We find it hard to accept some of the difficulties that come. But when Israel get into blessing in their land, it says that they will say he led them forth by the right way. And rather than lots of these things that we don't understand, why did that happen in my life? Why did this happen in our assembly? We'll understand there and you'll say Amen. God's thought was necessary. God allowed it. We won't have any questions then. We have hard questions now.
And the living creatures said Amen. And what had been redeemed, they just fell down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. And when we have a review in that coming day of all God's ways, that's what we'll do too. We'll say it was the right way. The Lord didn't make any mistakes. Everything was allowed of him, and we learned to know something of it. Now we'll be happy Christians. John saw this while he was still alive on this earth.
But it was still an exile in the Isle of Fitness. This view of things was opened up to him. So this 5th chapter is so beautiful. This is part of what John saw. Now I won't go through all the remaining chapters, but we know what comes between. I'd just like to read a verse in the.
11Th chapter.
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15th verse and the 7th Angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and you shall reign forever and ever. And the four and 20 elders which sat before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God. And then in the 19th verse and the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in.
In his Temple, the Ark of his testament.
And there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail. The Lord's going to take the kingdoms of this world. They're going to become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And I just read that last verse because I think there's a beautiful thought there.
It says in this 19th verse.
There was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.
You know on top of the ark was sprinkled. The mercy seat was the mercy seat and it was sprinkled with blood.
In other words, when God is about to act in judgment.
God opens heaven and says if I can put it in this way, I didn't want to act as a judge.
The Lord Jesus is the mercy seat for the whole world. The work of Christ is sufficient for the blessing of everyone if they would only receive it. And so the blood is on the mercy seat. And God, when he's about to act in judgment in those solemn chapters that follow after this 11Th chapter. Oh, what awful judgment when the wrath of God is poured without, without mixture. But God is saying, as it were. I didn't want to be a judge. I provided a way of blessing.
There's anybody here that's not saying God doesn't want to be your judge. He's provided a way of approach into his presence. The blood is on the mercy seat.
And when the judgment finally comes, God opens heaven and says the blood was there. The way of access was often.
But I must act as a judge because they wouldn't have my grace. But then, just going on to the end of the book, I think it's.
Very lovely to.
Come to the last couple of chapters.
And what is it that John saw here? Why he saw the heavenly city. He saw the heavenly city, saw it in its millennial position. He saw it in the eternal state. What a glorious scene this is that opened up to.
And would just like to read these few verses in the 21St chapter of Revelation first verse. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the 1St heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men.
And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there should be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. For the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me right, For these words are true and faithful. He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
And I will give unto him, that is the first of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Here John gets a view of the new heavens and the new earth, shall I say, the eternal state. What a wonderful thing this was for him. The Tabernacle of God is with men.
We know that God came down to walk in the Garden of Eden and the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves among the trees of the garden. But here God's desire is fulfilled. The Tabernacle of God is with men. Brethren, God's desire was the blessing of man. He had eternal purposes for the blessing of the church, and you and I, through grace, by receiving the gospel, have been brought.
Into that circle of blessing. And here John sees a view of this.
Coming Day Church has been there 1000 years. The marriage of the lamb has taken place 1000 years before.
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Is still a scene prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, Prime makes a lot of changes in US. No change there when we've been there 10,000 years, right? Signing as the Sun, there's no less days to sing his praise than when he first begun. Palacino opens up here. Do you feel discouraged?
For no vision is the people perish. But all that you and I would just look on you say, oh look, there's an army against us.
But those that are for us are more than no leader against us. This is all secured.
How is it secured? Through the work of Christ and why? Because He loves us and his own heart. He's not going to be satisfied until every believer in this room is supremely blessed. They won't have to make announcements about praying for those who are in sickness and trial when a future is ahead of us. John saw this Tabernacle of God is with men. I like that little expression too. It is done sometimes I thought I had in connection with the Lord saying on the cross it is finished.
He said it was finished. All it was necessary to bring in this coming scene of glory was finished in those three hours of darkness when the Lord Jesus glorified God and put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. But it isn't done yet. It isn't done yet.
We have the salvation of our souls. But here he used a different work. It is done.
Everything that's in the purposes of God has finally been brought about and here.
John is brought to have a view of this. These are some of the things he saw. He saw a lot of things that grieved his heart and sure, the failure of the church, of the Candlestick, the judgment of this world. But here he closes this beautiful book, this solemn book, that beautiful book by this scene. And this is what is before us, brethren, and says it's done and what does it cost? I will give unto him, There's a first of the fountain of the water of life, really.
Running out of years. It's not saying doesn't know the Lord Jesus.
God wants you to have part in this glorious scene once you receive the Lord, if you haven't received Him, and we who are His made us we what gives us a sense of peace and confidence in the midst of all the trials I'll give unto Him. This is the thirst of the fountain of the of the water of life freely and in the 22nd verse, 22nd chapter rather.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, receding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, the third verse. And there shall be no more curse that the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it.
And his servant shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. Here we have clearly, I believe, the church and its millennial glory, because there will be the healing of the nations. There are no nations in the eternal state. There are nations in the Millennium. The nations will bring their glory and honor up to Jerusalem. God's promises made to Israel will be fulfilled in Israel's blessed.
And Israel will be the center. And you can read about it in Malachi and Zechariah.
How they'll be a wonderful time of blessing for that earthly city of Jerusalem when the Lord has His rightful place. And so it says, for the healing of the nations. But isn't this a lovely expression? They shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads. Sometimes I thought of that like this. If you look at me, you don't always see Christ in me. But when you look at any believer in glory.
You'll see Christ. You'll see Christ. His name shall be in their foreheads. And yes, every believer will be just like Christ, morally and physically will bear His name. Father, we have the privilege of confessing His name before men. We have the privilege of being gathered to His precious name. Do we need anything more than that gathered to His precious name? And in that coming day?
They'll be the center of it all. The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
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Well, John was overcome by all this vision that he had had of this coming glory and tells us he was still here, he was still in the Isle of Patmos and he fell down to worship the Angel. Rather than let's not get occupied with man or with servants, let's get occupied with the Lord. And John the Angel said to him worship God said I'm just one that serves and so.
He and I need to have a rise upon the Lord Jesus to worship him, and it's very precious here to find It says in the 16th verse, I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root of the offspring of David and the bright and morning star and the Spirit and the bride say Come.
And that him that heareth say, Come, and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take.
The water of life. Clearly here we find the thought of all this.
Produces that desire and it says the Spirit and the bride say come Spirit of God has been sent down here to gather out a bride for Christ from this world and how he longs for that time. Just like Eliezer brought Rebecca brought Rebecca back across the desert to be the bride of Isaac. And so the Spirit of God is here, gathering of the bride leading us homeward.
He longs for that time.
The bride says, Come, but also the gospel message goes, out whosoever will may, come and take the water of life freely. And then in the 20th verse, he which testify of these things say, surely I come quickly, Even so, come Lord Jesus, isn't that very precious? He says surely.
I come quickly.
On them Even so come.
Lord Jesus, I'm sure the desire is in our hearts that he would come, but brethren, let us not forget, we're still here in this world. We're still in this scene, just as John was still there in the Isle of Patmos, but his heart was lifted above the whole situation in occupation with the Lord Jesus.
He saw what was coming upon this world, and isn't it good that God has given us prophecy so that we don't become disturbed by things that happen?
We can only expect everything committed to man to breakdown, so we're not taken by surprise.
But all brethren maybe be waiting and watching for that time when faith will be changed.
To say the young man's eyes were opened and he saw God's protection. But some caught. Very soon your eyes and mine are going to behold this very scene that we talked about. I think it's sustained us. Oh, you said you don't know the difficulties I have. God describes them fully in His word and shows us that we're in this scene with its trials, with its difficulties, with its misunderstanding. But oh, how blessed at any moment we may hear that.
Showed in our hearts.
Can say and would say Even so come Lord Jesus.
Shall we sing that little hymn?
263.
The night is now far spent, The day of drawing nigh. Soon will the morning break and radiance through the sky. Well let the thought our spirits cheer. The Lord himself will soon appear If someone started, please.
I understand.
The morning.
Break.
Amen, you answer the sky.
Oh, let's go.
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Himself.
Here the Lord himself.
Himself will.
Soon.
Appears.
Oh man. Our whole day, right?
Nor will.
The truth.
Be.
Will his word come forth?
And it will.
Never be safe.
And all that we shall.
Pass our way.
Thank you.
Warriors.
And shall see.
Our glory.
I'm not.
Sure.
Well.
Let us rejoice with.
You.
Let us say his voice.
We shall die.
Ephesians 1:1-7
Reading
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Still.
Relying on the power of your dreams of the soul.
Oh.
Just in the address.
I'd rather add and the prayer at the end of the chapter seems to.
Have our eyes of our understanding open to that young man's eyes growing?
Well.
Chapter One.
Apostle of Jesus Christ and the will of God for the Saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will.
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, wherein he hath bounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will.
According to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, but in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. Even in Him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the council of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, In whom also after that he believed you were sealed without Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of his glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Father of glory may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.
In the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding, being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us. For who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power, and might and dominion, in every name that is named.
Not only in this world, but also in that which is to come and have put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him, said Philip All in all.
There are no doubts in this chapter. It's all the purposes and counsels of God. It's absolute.
Doesn't depend on us at all. It's what God has purposed and what He has determined to fully accomplish, even to that working of His mighty power and resurrection, raising Christ from the dead. That's the greatest power that God has ever displayed in this chapter, and we're associated with Him in it.
He has determined, God has determined to set up and glorify His Son as a center now two spheres, heaven and earth.
And he's going to have a companion associated with him in that.
Place of display and it comes here as written to the Gentiles.
That magnifies the grace of God.
That he looked down at this world.
Passed the Jews.
Whom he had worked with and dealt with for years to bring in the blessing.
Under the law, they couldn't get it.
Denise.
Determined to have.
The Church and to have Gentiles.
And especially the Gentiles in them we look in the next chapter.
It says in verse seven that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. This is God's thought. This is his purpose to display.
People associated with Christ Jesus who had been so far down.
More than anyone without God and without hope in this world, bringing up bring us up to the highest place and displace there with Christ? Well, that's just a touch of what we have in this chapter one.
But these purposes were his before anything. That is, what way back into an eternity and you go back as far as you want. We were in His purposes, not only individually, but as the bride of his Son. This is probably the highest thought that we can reach of God having this you and I individually as the Bride, the body of Christ, as a gift to His Son.
Before anything was made that goes farther back, I believe, than Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8 is precious. When all these things were made that are made, he was the Lord Jesus, or I should say, the Son of God His delight through with the sons of men.
But very specially with His bride. And you know, when we realize that this is before anything was, and we were chosen in Christ before the world was made, well, that begins to put the setting for what we have before us all according to His will and His good pleasure.
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Wonderful to think isn't that that before anything was made that God had this eternal purpose and this very world in which we live, and all the planets and all the stars, everything were put in place in relationship to this eternal council and plan that was in the heart of God. That his Son would be the center of a new creation scene of glory, but that out of this universe in which we live, he would pick a people who were to occupy that place.
In association with his beloved son, well, it's just more than our little minds can take in.
But it's God Himself making Himself known in His eternal counsels and purposes.
And also showing us that it was a personal thing that he didn't own. They just choose that he should have a pride, but he chose the people who would form part of it. So that you and I, those who are here, were not only to be part of that, but that he was thinking of us individually to form us into this glorious bride for his son. It's just beyond our minds to take it in. But it was the will of God, wasn't it?
In his son, and that his son would be the one who would be the center of that whole new creation scene of glory and we to share it with him.
Second Tennessee Nine, chapter one, verse nine, who have saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
I think it's wonderful to see two in first Peter chapter one.
Just the word from verse 18 Redeemed verse 19, with the precious blood of Christ as the lamb without blemish, without spot, who verily was 14 before the foundation of the world.
Christ chosen before the foundation of the world to be the Lamb of God. The need of Calvary. Foresee the cost of Calvary.
Christ showed the Lamb of God, and then the work of creation went on.
The mystery that Paul reveals, and it's so beautiful, a mystery like this, There are several mysteries, but this is the highest. But a mystery is not something that's not solvable. A mystery is something that's hidden, a precious truth that's hidden. And we have it revealed by the Spirit of God and the New Testament. But it's hidden in the old. And I think it's beautiful when you see just types of this, the exaltation of his son, like in the Psalm 19.
And justice, the very first verses.
Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory of God. The firm of Joyce, his handiwork, day under day utter a speech, and night on the night Joe at knowledge. There is no speech nor language. Their voice is not heard, their line is gone. Out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world. Now here it begins in them. That's the mighty heavenlies and the the wonderful stars and planets and all.
He said, a Tabernacle for the Son, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chambers and rejoices as a strongman to win A to run away a race. Well, that's beautiful. We've got the picture already of the sun is a type of the Lord Jesus, the Son of righteousness, and the world, the the the moon is really a type of the pride.
No light of its own, but how beautifully it shines when there's nothing between it and the sun. And it just announces to the world that the sun in all his brightness is there. And so we have it hidden in all these beautiful places. But that's the mystery that was everything to God. And that chamber he comes forth, he comes out of is really John 11. In the beginning was the word, the word with God. The word was God.
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But that's where he was, That's where he left and came to run that race to have a pride.
It's interesting to notice in that 19 song that he is seen as the bridegroom first, as you mentioned, and then we see in verse 6.
A millennial picture, his going forth is from the end of heaven and his circuit unto the ends thereof, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. So we see that after he has his bride, then of course he will come forth in his millennial power, and nothing is hid from the heat thereof. He'll have universal dominion and control.
At the end of the.
Chapter One of the Ephesians.
Involves prayer. He prays, and it seems to me there he gives an outline of the chapter that precedes his prayer.
I'd just like to point out what he prays for.
FB is in verse 18, the eyes of your understanding, being enlightened, that ye may know. And there are three things.
He prays that they would know, and we just look at that. I think there's an outline of the chapter for us that you may know. First of all, what is the hope of his folly? That is our heavenly calling and the blessings associated with it. And you get that briefly. Perhaps you can say from verses 3 to maybe down to verse 9. Don't like to put two definite verses to it, but.
The second thing in verse 18 that he prayed that they would know is what is the richest of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints, and that you have developed in verses 10 and 11. And the third thing that he prayed that they would know in verse 19 is what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us. We're to believe according to the working of His mighty.
Which he rotting Christ when he raised him from the dead. And that's what you get in versus.
13 and 14 where it speaks to the Spirit of God, who now dwells in the believer. So you have kind of an outline of the chapter in the prayer he wants like a brother brought out. It's not that we lack, brethren.
In what God has given, God has the full provision on His part. What it's lacking is to have our eyes open, to see and to know what belongs to us as the leaders in the Lord Jesus.
His heart and his purposes and counsel, He chose a servant to reveal it. That's where our chapter begins. Pull. He wasn't one of the 12.
He was a special apostle, an apostle Jesus Christ, by the will of God.
And the ministry he got turned back to Galatians one and we'll see that he didn't get it from Christ on earth like the 12 did. He didn't get it from man.
Galatians 111 I certify you, brethren.
That the gospel which was preached on me is not after man. I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. So he got his apostleship sent from Jesus Christ by the will of God to make known the last thing that God had to make known. And that's the truth of the Church as it's been said. It wasn't hidden in the Old Testament. There were tapes of it, but in our third chapter.
3rd chapter of E Patient We find out that it was not hid in the Old Testament.
But in the ninth verse of chapter three, to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery? I suppose this is a mystery that Bob was talking about, which from the beginning of the World War have been hidden gone.
Unsearchable place to be hidden, but it was going to come out. It was God's purpose as in councils he chose Paul. He was caught up to the 3rd heaven. He saw and heard things unspeakable. But then he had this revelation to give that he had gotten that comes out so brightly, especially in this epistle.
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It's good, brother, that you pointed up to us that it's the last thing that God had to say to man in the first chapter of Colossians.
In the 20.
5th verse.
Wherefore I am made a minister that chosen vessel to reveal this mystery, according to the dispensation of God, which is given me for you to complete the word of God. The revelation, given that the Son of God should be exalted, and everything brought under submission to him in association with his pride, is the end of the revelation of God and those who.
As John points up in his third, Third, and 2nd Epistle, who go beyond and pretend to have fresh revelation, are going beyond what Paul revealed, and therefore are wicked teachers. So those who in our present time are pretending to hire revelation beyond what Paul has given us in this epistle are not true teachers of the truth of God.
This is God's last word to man, and it is the Word of God, complete as to His revelation.
Rival is unlike any other book that it is a revelation. Men write books and they are founded upon what they have discovered, perhaps by research and so on. But this blessed book that we have is a revelation, telling us things that we would never know unless God told us and he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. How wonderful that we have a revelation from God, and I think it's important when we pick up the Bible that we realize that it is a revelation.
It's not for us to reason about it. It's for us to take it because God has said it and he speaks with authority. He speaks to tell us things that we would only know because he tells us this expression too, in the end of the verse, to the faithful in Christ Jesus, I don't believe, refers to any particular class. That is some being faithful and some not. That that is, it's all believers.
Are looked upon in this verse as being faithful in Christ. That is, they have received this revelation. They have received Christ as Savior. They're they have acted in faith, a faith given of God.
In the Old Testament, we have a lot of things about the Kingdom.
And the coming glory for Israel and for mankind in general. But we don't have eternal councils. We have that only in the news, and we have it here revealed. It's also interesting to see that when it comes to the Kingdom.
Like in Matthew 25.
That that goes back to the foundation of the world.
There we find that those.
Sheep are told that they should enter into the blessing of the Kingdom, which is prepared for them from the foundation.
Of the world. But when it comes to the heavenly things that we have in Ephesians, they're the eternal counsels and purposes of God are brought in, and we as Christians are identified with that. Now we have here that the Lord Jesus is going to be the head of the earthly and the heavenly sphere, but for those who enter into the earthly blessing, it is prepared for them from the foundation of the world. But how wonderful our blessing.
Goes to.
Before anything was made, God had this in his heart for us, and he has brought us into it now to the Lord Jesus and those of us who are in Christ. I think that's so important in the first verse in Christ Jesus. That's a Christian blessing, never known and realized by any before. Now that we have accepted, the Lord Jesus and the Spirit of God dwelt within us.
This is true of us.
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And like our brother Gordon already said, it's not a question so much of being faithful to the truth, but by faith, having accepted what God has told us of the Lord Jesus, that's how we come into their blessing.
Cobb was mentioning the hope of his calling that's early referred to.
It's a very large thing, the hope of his calling.
I think we might look at three things especially.
In versus.
3-4 and five. It's God our Father.
Having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Christ Jesus, that's children.
Of God, knowing God is our Father.
At the end of the chapter.
It's the Church, the last words of verse 22, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
That's relationship to Christ. What a calling to be children of God, to be the body of Christ and the next chapter.
In the last verse.
222 In whom ye also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the spirit.
Relationship with the Spirit of God is a place where he dwells. What a what a high calling. And so I think based upon those three relationships, children of the Father God, the Body of Christ, and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
That the calling is very, very large, and it's what's referred to in chapter 4 and verse one, I believe as well. I, therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the calling, the vocation. The same for with your call. So the hope of his calling, how grand it is, The whole of the Trinity, we're in relationship to God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All the expectations, too, are founded upon what God has done in a certain position He has put us in. How would I know how to act if I didn't know I was a child in the family? How would I know how to act as a member of the body of Christ if I didn't first know that that's where God has placed me. And so I believe it's so important people make a great deal out of practice. It's very, very important. But God first lays the foundation of where He has placed us in grace.
And all the exhortations then flow from where grace has placed us and brought us. And I feel that's so important. That's why it says they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship. There's a lot made out of fellowship, but in order to know properly how fellowship is carried on, we must know where God has put us. And the apostles doctrine tells us this where children.
We're members of the body of Christ, As our brother said, We're indwelled by the Spirit of God.
We're not citizens of earth. We belong to heaven. We know our position that all the exhortations are because he has made known the position to us. And I feel that's so important, and that's the importance of what we have here. For here we are brought and introduced into this place where God by his wondrous grace has brought us. And I was thinking too, how wonderful that the instrument whom God used wasn't a man who had that kind of natural inclination.
He says. I thought with myself I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth concerning zeal, persecuting the Church. This man whom God picked up wasn't a man who had this natural inclination. God picked him up when he was a rebel on his way to Damascus. And now it shows that every operation is based upon sovereign grace, the instrument itself, and we who ourselves who are brought into this place.
It's all of grace, not one thing in which the flesh can glory, but all the riches of His grace and the glory of his grace.
But you really should be pointed out who that this question of adoption goes beyond merely being children in the father's family. In Galatians chapter four we get this expression in verse one. Now I see that the air as long as he's a child, different nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all.
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But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father.
Even so we when we were children, were in ******* under the elements of the world. And here is what we come to in our chapter in Ephesians. One when the fullness of time has come, God sent forth His Son made of a woman made under law, to redeem them that were under the law that they might receive the adoption of sun. So when we come in our verse as to adoption, it is predestined to sonship.
Which brings us more into the intelligence of what God has done and what our brother has pointed up to us. Of this, a necessity of continuing in the apostles doctrine is that God not only begot us anew as children and his family, but by the spirit of adoption has given a sonship. So we have intelligence as to what God is given. So it really goes beyond just me being children in the family. John brings us into that.
The revelation given to Paul is the highest truth of God to man.
Is that we are brought into the place of sonship to enjoy intelligently what God has given.
No, Brother told us one time. Brother, never neglect the tail end of the epistle.
What was he talking about? Exhortation. But we need the first part of the epistles before we need the exhortation. That's what our brother was saying. Where are we put? We're putting this wonderful position in grace. It brings us there. Then we have a basis.
For our conduct, our behavior. So evasion, first three chapters it primarily teaching doctrine. In the last four, the last three chapters primarily exhortation. It's in God's order.
Could we say, fortunately for us in one of our other conferences, and the criticism was made, that we spend all of our time in the doctrinal portions and we never get to the exhortation? Well, it was pointed up that if the teaching of the first part of the epistles does not form the affections of our heart to instruct us.
Then the exhortation becomes law and the entire truth of Christianity is destroyed.
Like the thought that an adopted child is a wanted child.
God has adopted us as His children. He wanted us.
To think that that one who created this scene, the whole universe, wanted us as his children.
We have children by both birth and by adoption. Both is true of us.
And this is one of the most wonderful truth in Scripture, that in Christianity we know God as Father, you know, and as children born into the family we have the very nature of our Father, and adoption and sonship speaks of position and the exalted position that we have in Christ and while.
John speaks much about God as the father and the family.
But we have it also here that God the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, is our God, is our Father, and we have that revelation given to Mary.
In John chapter 20, the risen Savior gave that message to Mary to take to the disciples. This is a wonderful truth in Christianity that we know God in the intimacy of a child.
And also.
In the dignified position as a son being a son to the father.
It's a wonderful truth that we lay hold of and like we have already had Galatians chapter 4. It goes on to say because we are sons he has given us the spirit of his Son crying ABBA Father, someone has explained he gives us the feelings of the Son. It's a wonderful truth we have God is our Father and that this Father has blessed us with all spiritual blessings.
00:35:15
He has withheld nothing. All that he has, he has given to us in Christ Jesus. Isn't that wonderful, beloved? We do not lay hold of it enough of all that we have already in Christ as those that have come to know the Lord Jesus as Savior. God the Father has blessed us with every with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
Let that be done into our souls.
Enjoy it. I really believe the reason that we do not walk as heavenly citizens. I.
Think we know the truth, but we don't let it sink into our souls and enjoy it. What a tremendous fact that is. In verse three that you mentioned. He has blessed us. I like the way Mr. Garvey puts it with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, in grace, everyone. You cannot think of any spiritual blessing that does not belong to you if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It belongs to you. It is present possession. It is not something to be laid hold of when we get home to heaven. It is what I have now as a believer because of my position in Christ. And I think there's another thing in this verse three that is so important to get a hold of. It is spiritual blessing. It's not something that you can show me physically.
You cannot put it out in your hand and say here it is.
See it? It's spiritual. And that is in contrast with the Old Testament, where Israel was blessed with material blessing as a result of their obedience to the law of God. And because it was on that ground of responsibility, they lost it all. Brethren, thank God. That is not the ground upon which we possess these spiritual blessings.
It is pure sovereign grace that brings us into the position that we now occupy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every spiritual blessing is mine. I really feel that the materialism that we're so surrounded with and so occupied with day after day brethren, blinds our minds, robs us of the enjoyment of these things.
Some of the happiest moments I spent with these this chapter open, is with some of the poorest in this world, brethren. And I must say that when the material things aren't there to occupy the soul that they enjoy, in a fuller measure the reality of these spiritual blessings, which is more real? The things that we see and touch and feel and say, this is mine, or those things that you cannot see, which is more real?
Brethren, it is those things that are spiritual and that are unseen and that you cannot touch.
As to your physical touching it, it is not that the real things are spiritual realities, things that will last forever. Everything that we see with our physical eyes and touch with our hands physically is going to pass away. In a few short moments it will be gone, but our heavenly spiritual blessing.
Is forever and its heavenly blessing, brethren, not earthly bless important that is to that we understand, because the doctrine is becoming.
Popular and Christendom That when God is pleased with the person, he gives them material blessing and people say look how I've been blessed.
The Apostle Paul lost everything.
He ended his course in the prison and according to secular history, was beheaded. If that philosophy would hold true, it would mean that Fall failed somewhere along the line. That is not a true doctrine. The blessing of the believer in this present age is spiritual, is heavenly, and it's important to keep that before us.
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And then in Christ, that's the whole thought.
And so if you look at first Peter chapter one Speaking of Jesus Christ at the end of verse 7, but I have verse 8.
First, Peter chapter one, verse 8. Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love, in whom, though now ye see him not yet believing, he rejoice with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. That's something you can't explain to anyone of this world. That is an inner spiritual joy that comes from knowing who we belong to and and who is our life.
Christ the Son of God, and it's wonderful. It's unspeakable. You can't explain it. Paul or Silas, I doubt could explain to any of those prisoners why at midnight, after being beaten soul and put in stocks, they could sing praises to God. But the prisoners realized this was something that's real. You can't see it. It's real. And really that's the testimony we have to this world and that third verse really ought to set us really on fire in our hearts.
What we realize this is ours, and it's reserved in heaven for us, and we're kept to enjoy it. And that makes it so grand. We're not just heirs of God. We're joint heirs with Christ. God has given everything to Son. That means we share eternally everything with Him. Marvelous grace.
Grayson and Joshua, Chapter 11.
Verse 23.
It's striking. There's no mention made of the Army of Israel.
11 and 23 So Joshua took the whole lamb, according to all, the Lord turned to Moses, and Joshua gave upon inheritance unto Israel, according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war, if we go to Joshua. 13 and one.
Now now Joshua was old and stricken in years. And the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and the remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. Joshua had won it all. He had given it all to them. But there wasn't the energy to go in and possess what was given to them. And beloved, we need energy.
To possess now by faith and joy by faith.
What the Lord has given to us, it's all ours, but we need energy to possess it. We get distracted with other things instead of valuing that which the Lord has given to us.
Nick of Abraham. And like this too we're talking about that some mention was made that that we these blessings are ours. We just don't have the faith to possess them. We don't make them our own. And Abraham had everything that that he needed in the in the the land where he was born. But God said get thee out of that land and go into the land which I will show thee. And so the only way that Abraham was going to get a hold of those possessions and appreciate them was to.
To do what God said. And so he left that land of his.
Birth. And he went out not knowing whether he went. We're told in Hebrews that he looked for a city that hath foundation whose builder and maker is God. And God had told Abraham that every place where he put the sole of his foot on would be his. And and is that not the same with us, brother?
If we're going to make these things good for and good to our own soul, we have to walk throughout the length and the breadth of the land that God has given us. We have to appreciate these blessings that He has told us about him in this book, and I believe the reason that we don't appreciate them is a very fact that we don't meditate upon them.
So talk through the length and the breadth of this land and God will give them to us as we walk in them and we will make them our own in that way. But brother Chad was pointing out was for Israel the blessings were in the land of Canaan, and that's only a picture of the heavenly places for us. We have here in verse three that the blessings are in heavenly places.
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And so we find that our position in Chapter 2 seated in Christ in heavenly places. Then we find in chapter six that the warfare, the conflict is in heavenly places. You see, Satan would.
Try and will try to hinder us from entering into our possession, and he might well use earthly things. You know, in Colossians this is one of the dangerous pointed out that there is such a thing as being earthly minded.
And even the duties and responsibilities that we have in connection with this earthly life might well be used of Satan to so occupy us that we have no energy and time for the spiritual things and lay hold of these things. And you know, many times you hear comments even like this amongst the Saints, somebody who is successful in his business, people say the Lord has really blessed you.
Well, I don't think that's a proper comment to make. You know, all the things connected with this earthly life are the mercies of God that he gives us. And we must distinguish between what our blessings are and what our mercies are. Good health and have a job and have a family, and all of these things are mercies for which we are thankful. But we must not forget our real blessings are in heavenly places in Christ.
And that we must not allow to be so occupied with these duties and responses, Earth, that we lose out spiritually. And let me say this for the young people. You know, sometimes we set our goals too high. In other words, let me use an example. A young man might say, I want to become a doctor.
Or some other goal, but in so doing it takes.
All of his energy and his attention to make it to medical school. I don't believe the Lord would lead anybody to become a doctor. If, while he is studying in medical school, he has no time for the things of the Lord, maybe he is setting his goals to hide. I'm just using that as an example, as a warning. I don't think there's anything wrong in desiring to be a doctor and to be a help to ailing people.
But the Lord would not lead you into that path if you, in so doing, have no time for the things of the Lord.
The Lord will enable you to, if that is really His path, for you, to also give energy and time for the things of the Lord that you increase in your spiritual well-being.
I think that's our brother was bringing before us was that all the land was actually given to the children of Israel, but in actual possession they only had as much as they walked in. And so with us, every believer, the moment he is saved is blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And that's the purpose of these readings, that we would be brought to the knowledge of this if I don't know that a piece of property is mine.
I can't defend it against any person that says, well, I don't think that belongs to you. But if I know it's mine, if I have a title deed to it, I can show it and stand there with confidence. And the reason that we compromise and give up truth, brethren, is because we don't know how richly we're blessed, we don't know really what our true Christian possession is, and we act as though it were something we could give up or whatever. But it's all ours.
Through the work of Christ we're blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. But every part that the souls of our foot tread upon is ours in actual possession. You might have a piece of property in Florida, it's yours if you have a title deed, but if you've never been there, you don't know the length and breadth of it. You don't know to enjoy it. And I feel that that is the important thing. As our president have been remarking. We need to know what is ours in Christ. We have to know what true Christian possession is.
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And then we're tested day by day as to whether we're walking in the things that God has given to us for our good and for our enjoyment. We know how important it is. And I believe even in the testings we have been going through of late. Have we? Do we really know what Christian position is? Do we know the true position of the Church? Knowing this fortifies us to stand in the days of testing, just as you when you're tested about the land, you draw out your title deed. You look at it again. That's mine. I know it's mine.
Well, may the Lord grant will be established in the truth of His word, and that's why in the whole armor of God it says, take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We we need to have the word of God before us to know the truth on which we on which we stand, and stand for it by the strength that He gives.
Very much wrong teaching. Many, many dear Saints of God have real difficulty with allowing God to choose before the world's foundation works have been so instilled in the mind of many.
That they cannot conceive of the sovereignty of God in setting his heart.
Upon the unworthy, and selecting out of that mass of unworthy beings some on whom to make his love known, in order that his heart might be made known. But it's wonderful that God because of his sovereign.
Grace and love set his heart upon us and brought us out of that mass of moral darkness in order that the glories of His person and his Son might be exhibited in the likes of us. It's God's sovereign choice before the world, before sin, so that He is the actor We are the acted upon, wonderful grace of God.
Third word that is used in first Peter one.
For knowledge. I think that helps to understand choosing our election.
Elected, Peter says, according to the poor knowledge of God, God knows everything beforehand.
You cannot limit God's foreknowledge. Some people who do not believe in this question of election, like Scripture teaches it says that God just kind of knew in kind of a general way. He didn't really know our names.
Are you going to limit God's foreknowledge in that way?
Absolutely impossible to limit his foreknowledge. He knows everything before him and according to that poor knowledge he chose us. I like to think of verse 4 On its chosen or election it's in connection with our persons and in verse 5 when it's free destination, it's to a place that we are predestinated.
That place is sonship in God's family, so we are chosen with a specific purpose in mind. The primary purpose, brethren, is not to serve God.
Precious privilege to serve God. But that's not the primary place. It's to be brought into sonship. God has millions of angels to do his bidding, but he has chosen us to bring us into sonship.
To share the full councils of His eternal purposes with us, that we would walk in fellowship in the intelligence and the knowledge of those councils, and walk in the enjoyment of it with him through this world, even here and now. What a tremendous privilege.
This expression here before him in love, God has elected the angels. They're spoken of as the elect angels. But we don't read anywhere in God's word that he loved the angels. But isn't it a blessed thing to think that he's going to have a people before him perfectly suited wholly and without blame? Holy as the character, without blame as to our our position that is.
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That's that's where God has put us. He sees us in Christ. It's says we are made the righteousness of God in Him.
But the angels, as I say, they're the holy angels, they're the elect angels, but they're not there in love. But as God looks down on every believer in this room, he finds the satisfaction of his own affections, which he didn't have in any of creation or in the angels. But he has a people picked out, and we by grace are among that number. Not that we're the only ones, there are many more, but we are. And God would have us to know this and enjoy this and walk in the sunshine of it. And this is what He is bringing before us, brethren.
Because I believe it's important, as I say again, that we understand where God has put us.
In order that our walk might be according to it. For instance, if you said to an ambassador in another country, are you going to vote in the next election, He'd probably say, well, you don't know who I am. He wouldn't. He wouldn't go into a long explanation about why he didn't vote. He'd say, you don't know who I am. I'm an ambassador from such and such a country, and that's what we need to know. We need to know where God has put us. And the exhortations become very simple.
And plain. And the power is supplied to walk in them by the Spirit. But we need to know where God has put us. But isn't it precious brethren before him in love? And that love is never going to change through all eternity.
Now go to God. You would allow us to Peter that Perth a chapter in that verse in Peter that you quoted.
According to the foreknowledge of God.
That that does not mean that God knew who would accept the gospel and accordingly he elected. No, this is a doctrine that is going around in Christendom that would eliminate really the sovereignty of God and make his choice dependent on the will of man.
That is not what that conveys. Someone has explained it this way. He said his affections upon us in the eternity past. But the position that we have been brought into now, as Peter Gordon has said, is in love before him. It's beautiful. And then young people have difficulties many times, and many argue that it isn't fair on the part of God.
That he elected some and did not elect others, you know, and Mr. Calvin and others go so far as to say that he elected for damnation. That is not what the Scripture teaches. What we have to realize is the whole mass of humanity is seen as guilty before God.
Why are they guilty before God by their own actions and by their own sinful course? So God is under no obligation to any.
And in order to make sure that some will be saved, he elects, because if he would not elect in a solemn way, none would be saved. So this is the truth of Scripture, and it's beautiful to see that he sets his affections upon us and then he does pick us out, and in time he saves us By bringing us to the Lord Jesus, He draws us himself.
To the Lord Jesus, we find that none would come except the Father would draw them. So God did not only pick us out in the eternity past, He makes it his own business to make sure that we come to the Lord Jesus in order that we be saved and come into all the blessings that were in his heart.
Before anything was made.
We have all that the Father hath given me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me. I will in no wise cast out.
We were given of the Father to the Son, but if any have any doubts as to whether they were given or not, just come him that cometh to me. I will no wise cast out, and you'll find then when you come, that you were given of the Father to the Son.
We should not bring up the sovereignty of God in the preaching of the gospel. It really is a a family secret, you might say. But there may be a time when someone would put up such a resistance that we might have to go to Romans 9, you know, it says.
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Verse 20 But nay, but, old man, who art thou that replies against God, shall a thing form say unto him that formed it. Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honor, another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels?
Of mercy which he hath afore prepared unto glory. Now here again, I believe we'd have to consider carefully the passage that this fitting of destruction was not God's part, but really was man's willful course that fitted himself for destruction.
But God exercises his sovereignty for the good and blessing of man. And who is man to reply against that?
God is sovereign. He'll do as he pleases.
Speaking of this, that before a child comes to the age of responsibility, it comes into the blessing of the Father's will, and saw a baby who dies before it's able to express its own will. The scripture says God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And so that child that doesn't come to the age of it can express its own will, will be in heaven through the Father's will because God is not willing that any should perish.
But isn't it a solemn reflection on man that he comes to the age of responsibility and he rejects the blessing that God is willing to give and does give to the one who doesn't resist his will? So in that way, as you said, he fits himself for destruction. He rejects the will that would have brought his blessing. But we must also remember in connection with election that God wouldn't be God if he didn't know everything beforehand. We might as well forget about prophecy if God doesn't know beforehand.
Because everything that we know in the prophetic scriptures is because God knows what's going to happen, and he knows what's going to happen for years to come. And so we have to accept these things and recognize that we have a God who is beyond our minds but who has been pleased to make his mind known to us in such a way as we can comprehend it, and to just rest in that. But I I want to make it very clear that what you are saying is right.
That God is so willing to bless every human of the human race that he's going to take everyone to glory who doesn't resist his will. But when they come to that age, by then they resist his will. And if God didn't act in sovereign grace, nobody would be saved.
Go to dawn at the first statement you made there that we don't preach election to the laws. I wonder if we do not need to adjust our thought on that. Because in John chapter 6, to whom does the Lord say these things? All that the Father has given me will come unto me. I don't think he says that only to his own. And then also in the 10th chapter.
The Lord Jesus makes the statement in verse 26, but he believed not.
Because you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. So he makes clear that there were sheep that from the fold would be saved, that from Israel and those who are not from the fold. But he also addresses the unbelievers here, and points out to them that they do not believe, because they are not of those whom God in His grace has chosen to be his.
Really. A rebuke to them, was it not? Yeah.
And God is sovereign, as we are saying, and God can really use any part of his.
Word to work in the heart of a person. We were enjoying that little verse in the Sunday school paper.
Prepare to meet thy God, you know. But we don't quote the whole verse as a rule in the gospel. It says Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
But I'm sure that he has used scriptures that apply strictly to the believer. I'm sure he has used them many times to work in the hearts of those that need salvation. So he is sovereign.
We don't need to worry, is what I'm saying in referring to Romans Chapter 9.
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We don't need to worry about using the sovereignty of God where the need is great, but I think I would hesitate to bring that out as a point in the gospel. But it's a good stiff warning to man who would resist the grace of God. Romans Chapter 9.
#331.
Father, thy sovereign love has sought captive descends on far from thee. The work that thine own son hath wrought has brought us back in peace and free #331.
Oh my God.
Gospel 3
Gospel—R. Bauman
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Four in the hymn sheet.
I'm sorry, we'll sing just four.
#4
Christ is the Savior of sinners. Now I can say I am pardoned just as I was He received me. This is the Savior for you. We'll sing #4 in the hymn sheet. Christ is our Savior.
Of sinners.
Christ is our Savior for me.
Now I can say I sinned from done.
As great as I am, free.
Save your of sinners.
Say you're of sinners like me.
In his blood, for my part, some This is a savior for me.
Now I can say I am.
Pardon.
Happy and justified. Free.
Saved by my boss and Redeemer.
This is a savior for me.
And savior of Sinner.
Savior of sinners like me.
Shedding his blood for my.
Ransom This is the savior for me.
Now, as I was, he received me thinking, my God, I started to dream.
Now there is no condemnation.
This is a savior for me.
Say your own sinners.
Savior of.
Worry.
Love rhythm. Change.
Thus look to God, seek his help.
Desire he would have ought to be saved, and that's the Lord Jesus hope and will too.
That not one of you perish, but all come to repentance. And that's why the Gospels preach we're going to turn to Psalm.
#14
the 14th Psalm verse one.
The fool has said in his heart, no God.
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They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. None that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand, seek God. They are all gone aside. They are altogether become filthy. There is none that doeth good. No, not one.
The fool has said in his heart, no God.
This is not an atheist. This is one that doesn't really believe in his heart and truly.
There is no God. This is one who just claims that position.
It's more like Psalm 10 verse four. God is not in all his thoughts.
And that's a fool, says God. If anyone here are still in your sins, you're going to have to do.
With the Holy God, your Creator and the Lord doesn't want to do with you as judge. He wants to do with you as savior. He wants you His for all eternity and glory. But there is no true atheist. Sometimes they think this verse speaks of that, but I do not know. I do not believe there's a true atheist in this world. God made sure of that when he created man. God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.
That makes man different from animals and two primary ways. First of all, you have a life that will go on forever, It ends with an animal at death. And secondly, your God conscious God made sure of that. No matter how bad a storm, no matter how bad a circumstance, you'll never see a cow bow down in his knees to pray. But man well, you are God conscious and that's why I say I don't believe there's an atheist truly.
In fact, the greatest atheist I believe that lived was Robert Ingersoll.
Who was a great orator and liked to mock evangelists like Dewey. I'm sorry.
It is booty. Pardon me, like Moody and others, but you know, the last words of these men are often recorded, and the last words of Ingersoll was recorded, and this is what they are. God. If there be a God, have mercy on my soul. If I have a soul.
There is a God and you have a soul and you need mercy. But that wasn't enough for him. You know what, Solomon? When they think at the last moment? In fact, the one who was the head of the English Atheistic Club was Sir Francis Newport and his last words, In fact, I have them here. So I won't misquote his last words to his colleagues on his deathbed are recorded and to his family.
And he said this. You need not tell me now. There is no God. I know there is. I am in his angry presence. And don't tell me there is no hell either. I already feel my soul slipping into its awful fire. And then he turned to his family. Cease your idol talking about their big hoped. Still no. I am lost forever. He died a bitter death. Well, that's enough for that. God looked down to see.
And, you know, it's interesting. This look was a survey, was a census that was complete and accurate of the whole world. Everyone that ever lived or well, God is able to do that. And he made this look for you and for I to know what's in the heart of man and what man is like. He looked down to sea and what did he find? Not one at all who thought him.
Man is that enmity with God. The carnal mind is that enmity with God. They will never seek him.
The Lord looked down from heaven to see is he really interested in man?
I'd like to show you just a moment from Proverbs 8 turn to Proverbs 8.
He is interested in band. He is interested in those that He created in Proverbs 8. We'll just read a couple verses here. Verse 25, Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth. That speaks of Jehovah Jesus. While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world, when He prepared the heavens, I was there, and when He set a compass upon the face of the depth when he established the clouds above.
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And when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, and what he gave to the sea, his decree.
That the water should not pass his commandment when he appointed the foundations of the earth.
Then I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, my delight with the sons of men.
Marvelous, marvelous verse. He's interested in men. He's interested in men, women, and children. He loves them. And so he's looked down here to let you know what man is like. But this was not the Lord's first look. The Lord's first look was really in Genesis 6. I'll just give you the verse in Genesis chapter 6 in verse.
Five And God saw that the wickedness of man.
Was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart.
Only evil continually. Verse 7. The Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. Verse 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
I can tell everyone here you've found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The very fact you're under the precious sound of His word, the very fact that you're here. The Lord wants you saved so that you can be in heaven for eternity, a gift of His love to His Son. You've found grace in the eyes of the Lord, just like Noah. And so we read this.
Psalm 33. I just want to read Psalm 33 because I want to show you what kind of a look this was.
Psalm 33.
Verse 13 The Lord looketh from heaven. He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
Now this was a census that was complete from Adam to the last.
You know, we have here in this country a census every 10 years, but there's never been an accurate one. There never will be.
Cities, Large cities complain almost immediately after the count is made known.
Because they say you've missed so many, but the Lord doesn't miss one.
Not one. He sees them all. The homeless, the street people, the bag ladies, the hermits, the fugitives from justice. He's got them all counted.
The 10 Lost Tribes he knows.
Loracabites all. And so when he makes a look, this is complete. This includes everyone of you.
Verse three, they are all gone aside. They are altogether become filthy. None that doeth good. No, not one. That's the result of this look.
You know Solomon gives the conclusion of it.
There is not a just man on the earth who doeth good and sinneth not.
Now let us look at the Lord's biography after he sees everything and knows everything in the heart of man, the biography of every man, woman and child. Here it's your biography, written by the Lord himself turned to Romans 3, Romans chapter 3.
Verse 10 There is none righteous, No, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone. Out of the way. They are all together, become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good. No, not one. Verse 22 at the end. For there is no difference, for all have sinned. It comes short of the glory of God.
What is required to be saved?
Repentance. Simply admit what God says about you. Sinner is true.
Simply admit that you're lost and helpless in your sins. That's all that it takes to be saved. I can tell you here, on the strength of the word of God, that all of you have all the necessary prerequisites for heaven.
You're qualified, you're sinners, and you're lost and helpless.
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The only thing is don't disqualify yourself. Some say I'm not such a bad sitter that'll never do. What is required is repentance, and repentance results in salvation if you just look to God for mercy. You know the Lord said in Luke 13 to his disciples when the Tower of Siloam fell and killed 18 instantly.
Do you think that they were sinners more than all men? Above all men, I tell you, nay.
Except you repent, you shall likewise perish. That's the Lord Jesus. Except you repent, you shall likewise perish. Acts 17 God commands everyone now to repent.
But we can say one more thing, the goodness of God leadeth 1 to repentance.
And that's why he's telling you what he sees here and what is repentance. It's really judging what you are by the word of God. It's really considering yourself in the truth of what God says about you. When he looked upon all and found none, Job said, Behold, I'm vile, I abhorred myself. I repent and dust and ashes. And God could bless Job on that basis.
You know, that's really what repentance is. Peter, when he was in the presence of the Lord and realized it's the eternal Son of God, fell at his knees and said, I depart from me, for I'm a sinful man, oh Lord, that's repentance, Paul said. I know that it is me that is my flesh is no good thing. That's all it takes. So repentance is so necessary. But what is the problem that everyone is like this as God described it? Well, it really heart trouble.
Jeremiah, I think it's chapter 17. Nine. The heart is deceitful above all things. It's desperately wicked. That's your heart apart from a new life that you can have in Christ. A new life you can have if you're saved. You have a new life and a new heart, and you have new thoughts to complete. But that's the problem. The Sinner is bad inside and outside. He's born in sin and practices sin, and that's the problem.
Absolutely no hope apart from God's grace and merciful intervention. Now we'll turn to John Chapter 6. John, Chapter 6.
We just saw the Lord look down from heaven to see. And here in verse 38 I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent to me. Verse 40 And this is the will of him that sent to me, that everyone would seeth the sun, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Verse 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you.
He that believeth on me, and hath hath everlasting life, Lord came down from heaven to save.
First, John Four. It says the Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world. The reason the Lord Jesus came into this world was because all our lost and so he could take the place of sinners and all may be saved if they simply receive him as their savior. I want you to look at Exodus chapter one, Exodus chapter one to see the condition of all sinners.
Because we have these types in the Old Testament, verse 13 of the first chapter of Exodus. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor, and they made their lives bitter with hard ******* in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service wherein they made them serve was with rigor. That's a little picture, a little picture of every Sinner in this world.
A slave of Satan and sin. You know, Egypt is really a type of this world.
And Pharaoh of Satan, and so they served with rigor, and every Sinner is serving Satan, and he's a heart master, but he'll take you right on into hell. And so that's where the children of Israel were, and that's where everyone today is. Who hasn't saved? Who hasn't got that life of Christ that comes from salvation? And so we see this.
00:20:03
They're really slaves of Satan, slaves to sin and in this world.
You know I have a plate on my van that says chosen, I'll have that as long as I live or the Lord comes Chosen. And then next to it I have John 316.
I was driving along a couple years ago and I saw the plates on a convertible with two young men in it, and it said Slaven. And I thought how strange that one is slaving. And so at the next red light I pulled up alongside, I honked and I said what are you slaving about anyway?
And they said, that's all you can do in this world is work and work and work to pay taxes and try to get enough to eat. That's all. Well, I said as the light changed. Look at my plate. So I moved ahead and then gave him a little time to see Chosen and John 316, which is enough to take him right into heaven. That's all I had with those young men as I pulled away. They honked the horn, slave it.
Sinner, if you're still in your sins, that's the description of you. Your slavery. You're a slave of Satan. You're not your own. You belong to Satan. That's all you can do here, and you'll be in torments for eternity. If you don't receive the Savior Jesus Christ before it's too late, well, that's the sad condition. Now I want to turn to Exodus chapter 2, Exodus chapter 2, and at the end, verse 23. It came to pass in the process of time.
That the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of their *******. And they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the *******. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham and Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel.
And God had respect unto them.
You know, they cried to God in their distress.
And God heard them. And you know he'll hear the cry of any Sinner who realizes the burden they're under and their sins.
You don't even have to cry out loud. He reads your hearts. It's wonderful, isn't it? He makes it so easy for a Sinner, but he hears every cry for help of every repentant Sinner. Now I want to turn to Exodus 3 and just verse 7 and part of eight. And the Lord said I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt.
And I heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters. I know their sorrows.
And I am come down to deliver them. Well that's what we have in this second.
Part The Lord came down from heaven to save sinners.
I am come down to deliver them and he did, Luke, 19, says. The Son of God has come to seek and to save the lost.
It's wonderful. You know you're not seeking him. He's seeking you. That's the grace of God.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, and it's so precious I'll give you one verse.
Is a faithful saying First Timothy 115 and worthy of all self all acceptation.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Isn't that a wonderful thing? He came into the world to save sinners. I want you to turn to Matthew Chapter 9. Matthew Chapter 9.
Verse 12.
But when Jesus heard, he said unto them, That's the Pharisees.
The religious leaders, they that behold, need not a physician, but they that are sick.
But go ye, and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy, not sacrifice.
For I am not. For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
To repentance, not the righteous, but sinners. To repentance.
And you know, this means you. Each and everyone of you who are still lost. This means you.
Jesus Christ made it clear who he came to save. There are none righteous. There are none good. There are none that seek after him. But he's come for the Sinner, and it's a wonderful thing. I plead with you Don't disqualify yourself. Admit your condition as a Sinner, unable to do one thing to get rid of one sin, one thing to get into heaven.
Don't be so foolish. You know, I read an incident of a man who was a very religious man, perhaps one of the most religious in that congregation. He was attending. But some were the Lords and had received Christ and knew he wasn't. He was just doing works, works and works.
00:25:18
But one Sunday he came and he was the different man. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things passed away. All things become new. And one of those things is joy that can't be hid. When you have peace with God about the sin question, he got saved.
One of his close friends noticed it. You can't help but see one who's had that load lifted off of them. It shows. And he asked him, why did it take you so long? He said I'm saved, he said. Why did it take you so long?
He said, well I thought I could get to heaven this way, but he said I had a dream the other night and you know, the Lord does work that way at times. And he said I was I died and I was on my way and they gave me a ticket and the ticket says admit the bear a Sinner saved by grace.
And I started toward the place to enter in the gates. And I thought, that's a little bit hard on me, I think. And so he said, I scratched off a Sinner, saved by grace, and I put a Sinner, but not so bad as many others. He said I was refused and rejected entrance. My heart grew pretty heavy and so I crossed that out and I put a Sinner who has done the best that he could still refuse and reject it.
And finally, he put another one down and he said I'm a Sinner who prayed every day and attended church regularly. Rejected.
In this day. And he went back to the original. He said in my dreams, and I put a Sinner saved by grace, and I was welcomed in the glory. He said I got up and I got to my knees and I admitted I was a Sinner and I received Christ. Well, you know, it's that simple. Yet it wasn't easy for God. It cost him all that he had his beloved Son. He had to suffer not only the death of the cross, but the punishment of a holy God for sin and for your sins if you have him.
It's that kind of a thing that God does. You know, I read about a rag man. You ever hear of a rag man? I used to love the rag man.
I grew up as a boy in a marvelous time, a marvelous time. We had the rag man and we had the junk man. They had horses and we had the milkman. We had the iceman and the huckster and the hobos and on and on.
But you know that rag man with his strange horn?
He'd blow it and every time he blew it with a clump of those horseshoes and the wagon over the cobblestone and the rough stone Rd. the boys would cover running from all over. Soon there was just a parade following that ragged man along with the horse. It was a wonderful time when the Iceman came, you know, and chipped off 2 lbs, five pounds, 10 lbs. The chips flew and the boys all around the Iceman, you know, getting that ice.
And we went with everything like that. The Jumpman likewise with his strange call. Well, the rag man, you know, this Rag man I was going to tell you about was saved by the pamphlets in a track that was in the bundle of of rags that he bought. He got saved and he wanted to know more about Jesus. He wanted to worship, but he didn't know what to do or how.
He went to the nearest place, which was right around the corner from where he roomed.
This was a very large edifice.
And he talked to the preacher there, the pastor, and he arranged an interview with four of the most.
Respected of the board of that congregation and they began to give questions to this right man.
About doctrine and liturgy, he couldn't answer any of it.
And finally, when they said, do you know anything about the remission of sins? And he says I'm sorry, I don't know nothing about that either, but I only know this. I'm only a Sinner. I'm nothing at all. But the Lord Jesus is my All in all. And from that time on, every question they asked, he gave the same answer.
So they said we'll put this under advisement. We'll call you when we decide what to do.
About admitting you.
But the Lord came in, and before they called him, the Lord directed him to a place where he could not only worship, but be taught and learn the truth from the word of God.
00:30:08
It's wonderful, isn't it? Well, this is it. All you have to do is admit what you are and receive Jesus Christ and you're on your way. You know, there was a young girl who was saved at a gospel meeting, and she wanted to be part of that group because her family was all of them. And she also was interviewed when she asked to take her place. And like others who are little, they can't answer.
She couldn't answer anything and the one Inquirer finally said. My dear young lady, I don't believe you.
Know anything about the slew of despot?
And she didn't know what to say. And she finally said, well, if you please Sir, I don't believe I came to Jesus that way.
And you don't have to come to Jesus anyway, but direct. That's it. Repent. Ask for mercy. You're there. It's just that wonderful. Well, it's it's a real wonderful thing. Jesus is seeking you, seeking you. He wants to bring you from darkness into his marvelous light. What a wonderful thing it is. The accusation made against him when he was here is that he receiveth. He receiveth sinners and eateth with them.
That's a true accusation.
He loves a sitter, but he could only eat with them. If they come to him as savior, he'll save them and he'll feed them. From then on. Turn to John, Chapter 10, John, chapter 10.
We had the Lord look down from heaven to see. And you know what he saw.
There is no difference. Everyone is the same in his sight. You need to be washed in the blood of the Lamb He came down from heaven to save.
But now we're going to read this verse 11 of John 10. I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Verse 15. As the Father knoweth me, Even so know I, the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep. In verse 17 Therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received from my Father. The Lord looked down from heaven to see.
The Lord came down from heaven to save. The Lord laid down his life for sinners.
You know Jesus gave himself for sinners. He died on the cross.
And in those three hours of darkness he consumed the judgment and punishment of a thrice holy God for sin and for the sins of anyone who will receive him. And then he shed his precious blood with that soldier. The last cruel act of man against their creator thrust that spear into his precious side forthwith came throughout blood and water. Without the shedding of blood is no remission.
But the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanse us from all sins. What a wonderful story it is. He laid down his life for sinners. And you know what he said in John 1930? It is finished. That means the debt against God or to God is paid in full.
Oh, precious. That is, If you could atone in hell agony and punishment of God for all eternity, you couldn't atone to God for one little.
Sin but the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses me from all my sins.
It's a wonderful thing that he did. He laid down his life for sinners. There's a lovely verse. I'd like to give it to you. The Son of God who loved me, gave himself for me. Have you ever, have you ever thought of what he's done? Jesus, the Son of God, came from the courts of glory, became nothing here, and obeyed God in the sense that he gave his life.
Of the cross and then took that punishment I deserved, and you can say it too.
If you receive him as savior, the only possible question is, Are you ready to be saved?
And have all your sins forgiven and be on your way to glory in heaven.
That's the only question. You know. The Lord would want you to be saved, and so would God the Father.
00:35:05
Now on this end of this, at verse 18, he said, I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it again. No one could take his life.
Because Jesus, the Son of God, is life. He's the source of all life.
You are in his hand right now, and your next breath as well. He sustains life. He gives it and he can take it. So they couldn't take his life. He laid it down himself.
But sinners did all they could at enmity to him. And God considers that they did this. They killed the Prince of Life. They murdered the just one and true, and they crucified the Lord of Glory. But they couldn't take his life. He's the source of life. It's a wonderful thing, Pilate, his judge said. Noah, thou not I have power.
To crucify thee.
What was the Lord? The Lords answer. What did Jesus say? Thou hast no power at all, except it be given thee from above. All power is in the Godhead. All power comes from above. And he came down to lay down his life. Pilot couldn't crucify him unless the Father allowed that. And how wonderful it is in first Peter 224. I wish you could say this. I love to say it over and over again.
Who? His own self. Bear my sins in his own body, on the tree, you know, take eternity for me to praise and thank him for that. There won't be enough time. But he took my place. That's what it means. He's a substitute provided by God for sinners. And so God doesn't want you to suffer for your sins. You know at the cross, the tormentors there, the religious leaders and the people said come down.
Save thyself and we will believe. Nor had he come down.
They wouldn't have believed, and I wouldn't have a savior, and I couldn't offer him to you as a savior.
He could have gone back because he's perfect and perfectly fulfilled the holy law of God.
But he didn't. The nails didn't keep him on that cross. Love kept him on that cross. Obedience to the Father who he loved kept him there and loved for you. And so he could have. But he did not go. Now turn to 1St Thessalonians, Chapter 4.
1St Thessalonians 4, verse 13.
But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them.
Which are asleep that she sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, That we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, with a trump of God.
And the dead in Christ shall rise 1St. And then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the in the air or in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
That's the 4th the Lord looked down from heaven to see.
And Sinner, it's an awful sight. A Sinner in his sins is an awful sight. Without Christ, having no hope, without God. In this world there's nothing worse except to die that way. And so he looked down to see. But the Lord came down to save, and the Lord laid down his life for sinners.
And here we have something else. The Lord shall come down again.
That may be before this hour is over. We expect him anytime. And you know, it's so marvelous that we're ready. The Lord shall come down again. That's the 4th. Now, are these words a comfort to you that he may come before 8:00?
If they're not a comfort to you, if they're a terror to your heart, you're in peril. How solemn everyone that knows they're at peace with God about the sin question.
Everybody that knows that Jesus is their savior. These words are a comfort to us for those that have gone on ahead and are asleep in Jesus. And for all of us who will go instantly, not a time element at all. And we'll be with him in the in the air, never depart, oh how wonderful it is. But if he came, I hope there wouldn't be any left in their chairs in this room. Forever. Too late. Think about it. Forever. Too late.
00:40:28
You know, it's the thing and it's wonderful, but.
What he called.
It's the great separation.
Every Christian in the graves and the cemeteries in the sea, it doesn't matter.
And everyone that is alive when he comes there will not be a Christian left in this world.
You'll be left for judgment. That's the great separation.
It's also a cuddle off. There's two cut offs for every Sinner today. One is your death. You don't know when that's going to happen either.
David said. King David said there's only a step between thee and death. That's all God knows. The step you don't. Your next breath is in the hand of the Lord. He'll close it when he will. There's young that are killed and pass away. There's old too, but they die as well. It's appointed under men. Wants to die after this. The judgment.
And so that's a cuddle up. But there's another one that's a shout. The coming of the Lord Jesus for his bride for every blood bought St. that's a cut off for all you that are still in your sins. It's a solemn thought and if it's a terror to you, you know in Matthew 25, verse one to 10 we have a beautiful parable of five who were religious but lost and five.
Who were saved and dwelt by the Spirit of God.
And you know, they look alike, They act alike, They talk alike. They all say, Lord, Lord.
But when the Lord came, when the bridegroom came, this is what you read. They that were ready went in with him.
I'm ready. I hope you're ready. You can be ready. You don't have to do anything to be ready but admit your condition before Jesus and the Son of God and God himself and ask for mercy. You have it. They that were ready went in with him. And then there's another thing that follows. The door was shut.
You know what that is? That's final, That's absolute. They'll come then and say, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Have we not done many wonderful things in thy name taught in Sunday school? Thy name did many marvel miracles in thy name? Said Lord. Lord, I never knew you.
That's a solemn thought. The bridegroom came, the door was shut, and that's final. But that's not all. The next verse, verse 11, One Word.
Afterword.
There's an afterword sitter after we're gone.
Afterward for you, because different than animals, you've got a life that's going to go on forever.
Forever. Think about it. Afterwards, I want to turn to Isaiah 33. I think a question has to be raised here, Isaiah 33.
Verse 14 I believe Isaiah 33.
I'm having a hard time.
14.
I'll start at the second line. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning?
Only you can answer that question. Only you. God knows, but only you. We're talking about hell. We're talking about the lake of fire. We're talking about a place where you have good memory. You'll remember this gospel. You'll remember every gospel you ever heard. You'll remember. Every time the Lord, in faithfulness, plead with you to be saved and come to his son. You'll remember.
But the clearest thing is the sharpest thing is the most agonizing thing you'll remember.
Is the last thing you see at the Great White Throne judgment for your cast in the Lake of fire. It's the face of my Savior, the Lamb of God, who gave his life for sinners.
00:45:02
But they'll see him as judge the wrath of the Lamb. You'll never forget it for all eternity. All eternity. Who will dwell that way. Turn to 42 Isaiah 42, Isaiah 42.
You're beating me because I'm dry. Pardon me, Verse 23. I'm sorry. Isaiah 4223. Who among you will give ear to this? You know Isaiah in 53 said, Who's believed our report? Have you believed the report? Not from me. It's from God who cannot lie.
Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear for the time to come?
That's afterward. There's an afterwards Sinner. I hope there's none here who are going to go out of here lost and spent an eternity in hell. You can be saved right now and right here. You don't have to do anything. The Lord did it all.
They that were ready went in with him. The door was shut. You know, this is so final. You know when it happens to you, you'll remember it forever. The door was shut. You'll never get into heaven. You only go to hell.
I was on a rapid transit.
In England, and those things go pretty fast. Not as fast as in Japan, but they go fast, Those sliding doors. And I got in just in time, and when I turned around I saw a man coming with his briefcase running at full speed, and just as he got there, those doors shut and I could see his hands hit them as the train started to go, and his face looked terrible, but he just missed the appointment or something. What if you missed eternity?
The door was shut. Oh, it's a solemn thing. Be ready. They that were ready went in with him.
You know.
I told this before, but I think it's important.
I was to New York with my children only once. My family and I wanted to take him to see the Statue of Liberty and the Staten Island Ferry. And so we left our our own bus or our car outside of ways and took a a transit in. There was underground bullet it was called. I think we were down there waiting for it. Didn't know anything about New York but we had all these children and one man said to me.
You better have those children ready because with that open you get in there. It closes fast and goes on. So we got our children in order and gave the older ones instructions and when that door opened we rushed in and thank God we were all in by time it closed. We started to go and finally I asked a man sitting down there how long will it take to get the Border Trade Center. He said you're going the wrong way.
It's just important to know the way you're going to heaven. Religion is the wrong way.
There's only one way we had to get off. But you can't get off if you're going the wrong way and the Lord comes. That's solemn, isn't it? There's one other thing that was in England and at the airport.
And I parked the car and had my wife go ahead with the tickets to get us on board because we were late. And the luggage, I left it and it took a while to get rid of the car, rented and ran back and when I got back there, why?
I think the plane was about ready to take off.
And I told her my wife's already checked this and had the tickets. Everything's ready. My luggage is on it, she said. Where's your passport? I left my passport in London.
For God.
I didn't go. I didn't go. My wife went without me. The passport is the true token. When I see the blood, I'll pass over you. You're going to go to glory.
Rahab said, Give me a true token. It's the blood. Isn't that wonderful? The blood is my token. I can't leave it. I've got it. The blood of Jesus Christ. I'm going. I'm not going to miss. And this is the important thing. Now I want you to remember, You know, there was a man in Luke's gospel who fared sumptuously every day of his life, but he died lost.
And he saw a beggar Lazarus.
Up there, next to Abraham's bosom, the place of contentment, glory and peace and.
00:50:02
He made a cry for mercy, but it was too late.
You know you die in your sins. You'll never have mercy. Never.
You have regrets?
Your conscience will work and never stop. It's the worm that dieth not, but you'll never repent. There's no repentance in hell. And you know what Abraham said to that man who's in torment already?
Son, remember?
Son, remember a good, clear, lasting memory in hell. Think about it. I want you to remember they that were ready went in.
Amos said. Prepare to meet thy God. You're going to meet him as savior or as judge. It's a solemn thing. I want to.
Turned to Revelation 17 for one verse. Just gave it. It's so important. Revelation 17.
I'm sorry, Revelation.
2217.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, come, and let him that is a thirst come, And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
In just one verse, the Lord says three times come.
Calm. Isn't that a wonderful thing, that Chapter 7 times come?
In the whole word of God 17 No, it's 1900 times come. The Lord wants to make sure.
That no one could say they weren't invited or wanted in glory. You all are, everyone of you. But he's coming. He's coming himself. And he says, I go to prepare a place for you, all of us, that have received them as savior. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. What a wonderful thing this is. And I.
Psalm 23 Six will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. I hope everyone here can say that I know it with a surety. I don't know when, but I know where I'm going to be with the Lord in Lord.
There isn't one here that needs to walk out of here in your sins.
They could be gone in a second if you just repent in your heart and cry out for mercy.
Republican in the temple who was burdened with his sins would not look up so much.
To heaven, but look down on the ground that he beat upon his chest in agony and disgust.
But he said 7 words and those 7 words took him right into heaven.
I'll see you. God be merciful to me, the Sinner, that was enough, Jesus said.
That ends justified.
Isn't that easy? It wasn't for God, but it is for you.
And sad to say, if anyone.
Won't admit their condition. As a helpless Sinner, you'll never be saved. That's the only way. Without repentance, there's no salvation. With repentance you can be saved. I want to sing number.
12.
Just as I am with all.
One please.
But as I blood.
Was shared for me.
Help me come to.
Be your love.
Of God.
I come.
Oh my God.
Just as I am.
00:55:05
Of the way.
They.
Are.
My soul.
Of one.
Dark blood.
To the full flood.
Oh God.
I come.
Just as I am.
Bored.
Just blind.
Side.
Just feeling.
All your mind, yeah.
That was 4 downs pertaining to the Lord himself, but there's a fifth, and it pertains to everyone who receives him as savior when He comes down to take us home.
He's going to sit us down to meet and the King of Kings, the Creator of this world, the Son of God, my Savior, is coming forth. He'll gird himself. He's going to serve us, brethren, for eternity.
Forever.
Marvelous. He'll sit us down at rest. All will be well because the Son of God's going to serve us.
Forever.
Don't miss that. Let's pray our gracious loving.
Preparation. Are You Prepared?
Children—L. Renaud
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.
OK boys and girls, who has a song?
From the back.
Yes #40 Of course Jesus loves me.
Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so. Let all ones do him belong. They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Just Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me.
Heavens gave to open.
Why He will wash away my sins.
Let a little child come in.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me though I'm bad, and he waits to make me glad.
To pull me in his heart.
Keeps me safe from every harm.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
He loves Jesus, loves me.
The Bible tells me.
So.
Jesus loves me, loves me still when I'm very weak, I'm dull from his shining poison high.
Comes to watch me where I lie.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Just Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me.
So.
Jesus loves me.
He will stay close beside me.
Holloway.
If I trust him, should I die?
He will Take Me Home on high.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
He loves Jesus, love me.
I thought tells me so.
From this side the girl.
You have a song, Yes.
Thank you, 46.
Glad tidings I bring.
That Jesus has come.
To save me.
But TIDINGSI PRING.
00:05:02
And I.
To save me. And he calls and he calls all the GIRLS. And he once saw the voi as good.
Who are you?
Resting on him.
And have all their sins now washed away.
How about a boys over here you have one.
Put you on the spot.
OK, yes #30 thank you. OK #30.
Weeping will not save me.
Working will not save me.
Waiting will not save me. Oh, aren't we glad for the fourth verse?
Faith in Christ will save me. Let's sing #30.
Weeping will not save me.
Though my face were bathed in tears that could not lay, my fears could not worship sins of you. Weeping will not save me. Jesus fled and died for me.
Jesus suffered on the tree. Jesus which do make me free.
He alone can save me.
Working well.
Not safe that I can do. Holy our thoughts and illnesses.
And not for my soul. Anew working will not save me.
Jesus bled and died for me.
Jesus suffered.
Unlucky.
Jesus wants to make me free.
Yeah, Long can save me.
Waiting will not save me.
Helpless, guilty, lost I lie in my ear is mercies cry.
If I wait, I can but die. Waiting will not say.
James has bled and died for me.
Jesus suffered.
All the dream Jesus way to make me free me along can save me.
Faith in Christ will save me.
Trust in him, the Risen 1.
Across the work that he has done.
To his arms I now may run.
Faith in Christ will save me.
Jesus glad and died for me.
Jesus suffered on the tree.
Jesus waits to make me free.
He alone can save me.
OK, let's have still one more.
OK. This side OK. Thank you 39.
Oh this is nice, isn't it? What a friend we have in Jesus #39.
What a friend we have.
In Jesus.
00:10:02
All our sins and grieves to bear.
What a privilege to.
Carry.
Everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what feeds we often.
Forfeit.
All need loss. Pain we bear.
All because we do not.
Carry.
Everything to God in prayer.
We trials and temptations.
Is there trouble anywhere?
We shall never be.
Discouraged.
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find our friend so faithful?
Will all our sorrow shame?
Jesus.
Those are every week now.
Take it to the Lord in prayer. Oh.
We can have delayed.
With a load of care.
Precious savior still.
Around you.
Take him to the Lord in prayer.
To thy friends despise for say.
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Him, his arms, he'll take and shield.
The Thou will find our soul of sin.
Thank you boys and girls for giving out those nice songs and I thought it was fun and it sounded really good to hear you sing.
Well, let's talk to the Lord Jesus now. close our eyes.
Applause.
Well, boys and girls, I I really have parts of three verses that I want to talk about with you this morning and yesterday afternoon as I was thinking of a special part of a verse to bring along why here in the reading meeting that.
Phrase for that wonderful verse was mentioned and here is a.
Very old.
Text, but I want to tell you a little bit about.
And can you tell me what that says?
Would you tell me?
Thank you. Prepare to meet thy God, Amos 412. Now, boys and girls, that's a very old text. That was on a greenery on our farm. And we took the the grain we hadn't been used for quite some time. So we took the grainery down last summer and we wanted to take that sign down. And our son Greg says, hey, dad, that's kind of neat.
You know, a lot of times, I don't know, in Iowa anyway, when a sign or a text like this is put up. Why?
It's kind of like a target and we expected maybe we would see various holes in it, but no, there isn't. There's only the four nail holes that my father had nailed the sign up to. Thank you very much. And you could still read it. Prepare to meet thy God. And our brother yesterday afternoon mentioned that and then last night too. So this is the third time we have this little.
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Special verse.
For this morning, but I would like to kind of 0.
And, you know, as I was looking out of you boys and girls, I thought, boy, you really looked pretty neat. And I like that this morning that she really looked nice. Now, how about it? Did you just, did you just get out of bed and come here? No. What'd you do?
You know what I did?
I stepped up in front of what to shave. What did I step in front? A mirror? Yeah. How many of you have mirrors at your house?
We're kind of glad to have mirrors that our houses aren't we? And I needed that mirror and it helped me out.
To shave this morning. And I know that you girls stepped in front of a mirror, didn't you? And that's good. You know, the last couple of winters I've been privileged to do a few income tax returns for H&R Block. And one of the things that they told us, they said when you come to work.
Before you can receive a client.
You've got to have your tie on.
I knew that, so I made sure that when I stepped in front of the mirror that morning that I would just have a tie on because that's what they expected of me and that was OK. So that was my preparation, right? That's the way I prepared now. So I was thinking.
It's quite important that we prepare to meet thy God now. Another word that I was kind of.
Fascinated by was this little word here?
By prepare to meet thy God. Isn't that something? What did that kind of tell me, boys and girls?
I'm responsible. I'm responsible before God. Each one of us are. In Romans it says that they may be without excuse.
Isn't that something?
That they may be without excuse. So we will. Last night we heard that the door was shut.
And some may knock.
And the answer may be depart from me, for I never knew you, But you know, we have good news today. We have good news today because the the gospel message is open. We can still prepare. We can still.
Enter in while it's still time. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
So it's very important, boys and girls, that we prepare to meet our God now while it's time. So now I want to think of another verse and what did.
What?
Did the Lord tell Nicodemus? Can somebody tell me? Yes.
Very good. You must be born again.
And you know.
Our two granddaughters, they're pretty handy with their marker and so.
Grandpa says I would like a written on a cardboard, and there it is. He must be born again, the Lord told Nicodemus. And that was a little hard for Nicodemus, wasn't it? You must be born again.
Now that's something, and I want to think about that a little bit too, how we can be born again. Nicodemus asked a lot of questions, didn't they? You know the story. Can we again return into our mother and be born again?
And another in the margin of our Bibles, it says that we are born from above.
00:20:06
Isn't that interesting?
So this new life is from above. It's like eternal life, and I can't give it to you. And Nicodemus knew he couldn't receive it, but the Lord Jesus was offering it and still is offering it. He must be born again.
And so then we had a memory verse and where was that found?
Can somebody help me out the memory verse for today? Someone back here? Yes, can you?
John 1513 OK, Did you want to say it? Who would like to say part of it or?
OK.
You did fine. Thank you. That's really good.
And so, well, this one's turned around a little bit. So that was quite a long verse.
And so we kind of.
Just use part of it. A man? What does that say?
A man lay down his life.
Now for his friends. Now that's pretty good love.
Our boys pretty good friends sometimes. Yeah. That's good. I'm glad to hear you say that. Boys are pretty good friends. How about girls? Do you have a good friend? Yeah. It's nice to have a good friend, isn't it? Yeah, but what does this verse kind of imply?
Would you be willing?
You've mentioned about the boys have good friends that maybe you would lay down your life for your friend.
Boy, that's putting it for real test, isn't it?
Scarcely.
Scarcely another verse says, For a righteous man would one dare to die.
So maybe put to test, I'd be a little bit like you, I don't know. But at best, could we say that boys and girls, maybe girls would. Would you? Would you just say I want to, I want to give my life for my friend.
How about it? You got a smile, would you?
Be a real test, wouldn't it? But really, at best?
Maybe somebody would even dare to die for their friend. But you know what, boys and girls? The Lord Jesus died for we who really were his enemies. We had gone astray.
We had all gone in our own ways.
And isn't it wonderful that the Lord Jesus?
Died for us this morning. We can say that he gave his life. So maybe for a real good friend, maybe somebody would dare to die. But the Lord Jesus died for we who.
Really were not his friends but sat away with him. That was kind of our hearts and the people that sat away with him.
That's about the way we would have said had we been there.
But you know, boys and girls, he's different than you and I, isn't he? What did the Lord Jesus say? I have power to.
What?
Lay it down and I have power to.
Take it again. Now that's something.
Isn't that neat? Had power to lay it down and he has power to take it again now. If you and I, if you died for your friend.
I'm afraid it would be the end until the resurrection, wouldn't it? But the Lord Jesus, we know he died and he says I have power to take it again. And what happened in three days?
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Anybody here?
What happened in three days? OK.
He rose again. Three days. So I brought a little. Did you see this little sack down here?
I wanted to try to describe something about.
Being born again and about.
The born from above.
So I brought. What's that? Yeah.
Corn seed, she says. What do you think, boys? I think that's some kernels of corn, yeah.
OK, I want to tell you about I read a story once about some scientists, I believe it was, who made it wasn't a corn seed, they made a grain of wheat.
And the story was that the grain of wheat looked just like.
A wheat grain that Mister Schmidt would have in Canada when he harvested it, and I was told that one of the one of the.
Scientists was a Christian, perhaps, and he says.
Shall we plant that they've made this grain of wheat.
Just like.
A real green wheat. And I think man could perhaps make a kernel of corn just like one of these kernels of corn, even the best kernel of corn maybe in Iowa or Illinois, man could maybe make one like that. And so they made this kernel of wheat and it was just like one from the bin. And this Christian says to the his fellow workers there.
Shall we plant that seed? They agreed on planting it. What do you think happened?
Nothing grew. That was a disappointment, wasn't it?
And you're right, you're right. Nothing grew. They could make that seed.
But what couldn't they do, boys?
What couldn't they do?
They couldn't make it grow, which is what?
What is that?
To make something grow, it has to have what one.
Yeah, and.
Life. I want to tell you something that we noticed pretty that was pretty interesting this year.
I sell a little bit of seed, corn and soybean seed and on the sacks this year they printed pretty big prints and it says handle with care.
Living seed, that interesting.
Handle with care living seed and you know, when I went with my truck up to get this seed, why I was impressed and I was smiled and I was happy about it because the guys that they were helping me load this truck and and the truck floor here we were standing, you know, and and I thought, well, when I get feed, you know, they just pitch it down there, you know, but these guys, they took that bag of seed and they just gently put it down there wasn't that pretty nice of them.
They were carrying out what was on that bag. Don't you think they were careful that that they weren't going to damage maybe that living seed, A sudden abrupt abuse could maybe crack the seed or kill that.
Live life in that scene.
So anyway.
At our after we get done planting corn, it's usually normal that we get out some sweet corn.
This is some sweet corn.
And we plant it and.
How long does it take and maybe you look for Brian, about how long do you take in Michigan to foresee to come up?
Would it be what?
Two weeks. It better be up. Hadn't. Yeah, I hope so. Even in Michigan. I shouldn't put it that way.
Especially in Iowa, but I know that your daddy was saying that. Well, it seems to germinate pretty fast in that sand. I don't know whether the abation of the sand. So maybe a week. You're probably looking for your sweet corn to be up, aren't you? And that's good. And it's kind of fun, isn't it, to go out and look and see if that corn is up and when you see it coming up.
00:30:23
It's kind of nice, isn't it? And so we like to see it come up. Well, this, some of this corn did come up and.
Let's see what we got here.
We went out this morning kind of early and, and took that little Pam, our daughter and I, we were out for just a little bit of a walk down to the sweet corn patch and, and Pam says, say dad, there's two, there's two stocks too close together anyway, So you know what we did? Which one do you think we took?
By looking at that one, can you guess which one?
The littler one? Well, we didn't.
We didn't take the littler one because we said, well, we wanted one about that big. And often you do take the little one, isn't it? But we didn't, we took that and thanks anyway. But we took the bigger one and there's the bigger one. And we said, well, now that little ones going to have a chance because they were just, they were only about that far apart. And in Iowa we, it's better if we plant them 6-7 inches apart.
So that kernel, the planner together and so so we took that stock and there it is. And we put a little water in it. And our son-in-law, Raj was putting the wiper blades on this morning and he says, well, he says, too bad that stock doesn't get some of this rain and always says, that's right, you did water, didn't you? So it had already gotten a little bit of a drink of water.
And the boy here said that we need water.
And it sure needs food to grow, doesn't it? And so, but, but we need that life now. What happened, if we would pull that up, what happened to this? It's a kernel of corn just like that. What happened to that kernel of corn?
Yes, it grew, but what took place in order for the stock to come?
The Colonel.
Split split.
So can you help her out?
How about a boy? What do you think happened to the Colonel?
In order that it could have a stock there, boys and girls, the Colonel did what?
It died.
It died and so, but there's a new life. There's the new life and.
It looks just pretty good, doesn't it, Mr. Buchanan?
For Iowa, that's what he did.
I'd expect a little greenery, you know, he's from Illinois and it's nice to have fun.
So that's a pretty good, it is a pretty good stock of sweet corn for Iowa.
So we got that established and it is alive. Yet it is alive, but it is a new life because that kernel of corn gave its life, it died, and now we have a stock.
And that's what I think the Lord was telling Nicodemus, Ye must be born again. And when the Lord says, I have power to lay down my life and I have power to take it again, one man in the Bible says.
It's expedient that one man should die for the people.
So the Lord must die, just like in order.
For this stock of corn to come, that kernel must die, so for you and I to have eternal life.
00:35:00
We must be born from above. We must have.
Ye must be born again. We must receive that new life.
That only the Lord Jesus can give. And he sought to tell Nicodemus that. And you know, we've said some things that were a little bit, I didn't really like to have to tell you that.
If the door is shut, we don't know when that the Lord will say.
Depart from me. I know you not. Why do we tell you those things? We warn you. Well, you know, boys and girls, it's because we love you. And we want you to know that it's important to what? To prepare, To prepare. And now is the time to prepare. This morning, after you got out of bed, that was a good time to prepare to come to Sunday school. And I'm glad you did.
So now it's a good time to prepare to meet our God in this, the day of grace. And we can have eternal life. We can be born from above. We can be a new plant risen in Him.
And it's kind of nice even this stock of corn is in Iowa.
We're going to expect something from it. What are we going to expect from that stock of corn?
We're going a little farther now.
Yeah.
Corn. OK, Yeah, you're going to get corn from it. What? How does corn come? What do we call that that's hanging on. What do we call it, boys?
Yeah, what is that that hangs out there?
There's house on it, but inside it's like this.
The other silk there too, but it's like.
You know, it's sitting out there on that stock and it's.
What am I holding here? An ear? Yeah. An ear corn O'Brien. Yeah. We want an ear corn in Iowa. And Mr. Buchanan probably said, well, we'd like at least two in Illinois. Yeah, so. But, and maybe they do. And some, even in Iowa, some stocks have two years on it. Yeah. And that's fine too. But what we're saying is.
That we like for it to bear? What?
There, what am I thinking of?
Bare corn, which is what? If it were a cherry, what would we call it?
Fruit thank you with bear fruit so those one ear are two ears would be bearing fruit and you know boys and girls that's fun time too when we go out into the cornfields and we see and it's what shooting ears we call it and that's kind of fun. We don't hear bangs I don't believe no, but anyway those stocks are just shoot their ears come.
The plant gets 06 feet tall and maybe taller, not sweet corn, maybe about 5 feet tall. And an air corn comes on it. And as our young lady said, it's fruit. That's the fruit of corn is an ear. And that's kind of special, isn't it, when we have an air corn to heat up and butter and salt and maybe a little pepper on it and it's really good.
Well, now we need to review what we've had, boys and girls.
We said we should prepare to meet and thy God, our God, he's going to hold you and I responsible because we're going to be without excuse.
Each one of us, boys and girls, I'm glad your daddy and mommy, they probably helped you in some little way to get here this morning, didn't they? Drove you here And that's kind of nice, isn't it? And but they saw to it that somebody even got up here to the front seat. I like that. Glad you would come up there and I was glad to give you a hem sheet. So we do.
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Come here. And we're encouraged by our dads and our moms. I was too, and I'm thankful for that. But.
We sometimes say that we must individually.
Right. We must individually accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. What did we sing? Jesus loves who?
Good. Say it again, will you?
Me, Jesus loves me. That's individual, isn't it? That's what we want, boys and girls, that each one of us personally tell the Lord Jesus that we are what we're sinners.
And we're not we're not even his friend. But he he would take us as a friend. He never turns anyone away. Isn't that nice? He always has time for a boy or a girl. He had time for the lady at the. Well, yeah, wasn't that interesting. The next chapter in John. Just time for one lady. So he has time for an individual.
And that's what you and I have to do. We have to individually accept the Lord Jesus Christ. We must be born again. The best that a man can do would be lay down his life for his friend.
Would dare to die, but scarcely that the Lord Jesus died that we could be have eternal life. He died, He shed his precious blood.
And he rose from the dead. And so he is that new life, and he's a risen savior today. And so we can be like this stock of corn. We can have that new life, but it's born from above. We get a new life just like himself. And then.
All that we may see it, and I especially say this to myself, that we may bear fruit.
Like the cherries, like the ear corn for the Lord Jesus Christ because he did so much right. Is it a little thing for somebody to die? No, it wasn't a little thing. It says you've been bought with a price. The the price was big boys and girls. So now we need to prepare. We need to listen to what the Lord said. He must be born again.
Today, if he will hear his voice.
Just in simple faith, we can accept the voice of the Lord Jesus. He's saying come unto me, come unto me. Behold, now is the accepted time. Let's each individually accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Thank you for your.
Attention. And now let's just close by talking to the Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus.
Open Mtg. 6
Open—D. Bilisoly, H. Brinmkann, L. Judd
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
17.
Ezekiel 17.
And verse 22.
Thus saith the Lord God, I will also take the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it. I will crop off from the top of his young twigs, a tender one.
And we'll plan it upon a high mountain and eminent.
In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it, and it shall bring forth bowels, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar, And under it shall dwell all afoul of every wing. In the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree.
Have dried up the green tree and have made the dry tree.
To flourish I the Lord.
Have spoken and have done it.
I believe that this passage, as well as so many other passages of Scripture as we've had before us, give that divine pattern of He that humbleth himself shall be exalted, and he that exalted himself shall be humbled. I really can't tell much about this passage, but the thought came before me that the the Lord Jesus indeed.
Is that tender one?
He is that eminent one. This, of course, is looking onto a coming day of his glorification.
And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree.
Oh, what an abasement there will be. And all the trees which perhaps would figure the nations.
Will recognize that God reverses things that man would bring in as exaltation, and then he'll exalt the low tree. Who else is that but our blessed Lord Jesus Christ?
And we see that the.
And have dried up the green tree. Perhaps that's a figure of Israel.
And we see that the Lord Jesus Really.
This place, Israel, he's the one who was the true green tree, just as he is the true vine and just as he is the true servant, in contrast to Israeli unfaithfulness.
And he said at the time of the crucifixion, when human sympathies were going after him.
He said, If they have done these things unto a green tree, what shall be done unto the dry? And that was the true character of Israel.
Was as a dry tree.
But here we see that God will bring about a change in that nation that was nothing, as it were, but a dry tree. I have made the dry tree to flourish.
I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it, but they must go through a tremendous abasing before there can be that exaltation and that bringing into blessing. I, the Lord, have done it. We heard the other day in Revelation 21 He says it is done. Oh, I appreciate that statement of Scripture. And here we have it spoken of in that way. God can speak of those things that be not as though they be. I have done it. He will bring it all to pass. But first of all.
That low tree, the one who humbled himself.
Must be exalted, turned to Isaiah 53.
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Isaiah 53.
Just a part of the 1St.
2 verses Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness. And when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Here we see that.
The Lord Jesus came up into this world like a tender plant.
Like a root out of dry ground.
As our brother was giving us this little illustration in horticulture in farming.
As I viewed that little.
Sprout of a corn plant this morning.
I thought of the very tender way in which the Lord Jesus made his entry into this world.
And very plainly does it say he hath no form nor comeliness, no beauty, that we should desire him.
We see these pictures of the Lord Jesus and they always portray him as a very lovely person.
Almost effeminate. It's repulsive. But he really had no.
Beauty no natural attraction to the eye of man.
What a test that became for the nation.
But what I was thinking of here in connection with this passage?
Is how that the Lord Jesus?
Will return again and he will grow up in his place. There are 4 passages that I believe would relate to the four Gospels.
How responsible that made the nation. How responsible it makes all men to consider the references to himself in the Old Testament.
Turn over to the book of Jeremiah.
And in Jeremiah 23.
And in verse 5.
Behold the days come, saith the Lord.
That I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth, and so forth and so forth. Now if we were to consider one of the Gospels.
What would we refer to? What gospel comes before our minds? Is it not the Gospel of Matthew?
Is he not the one that meets all the qualifications?
And here we see that he will indeed in that coming day.
He will take the throne of David, and he will, as it were, sprout up and grow up in that place. He has the full right and authority to that throne. Isn't it a remarkable thing, how the word of God uses these expressions? And that word branch there, I believe in all places, perhaps could indicate that one who really came up, as he did right in the beginning, he entered this world.
As a man in Bethlehem, Manger, as a root out of dry ground, here he was. He came up in this nation that was dry, and we see him as it were coming up and fully identified as to who he was.
They had all of these scriptures that they could have referred to.
And indeed he met all the qualification of these scriptures, and so he will in that day take the throne of David. And the amazing thing is, beloved brethren, that he wants to associate us with himself in that Kingdom.
And we see how that the 12 got into discussions as who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.
All we need this ministry that.
Searches out our hearts and conscience, and the Lord Jesus had to be playing with them.
Over in Luke 22, perhaps you can hold your place in this area and take a notice at Luke 22.
00:10:05
Here again we see how that.
The Lord is Speaking of His suffering. He institutes the Feast of Remembrance, that is the symbol of His death.
And he talks about his betrayal in verse 21.
And all that time.
There was a strike among them, verse 24. Who should be accounted the greatest?
And the Lord meets this whole problem in such a gentle way, the meekness and gentleness of Christ, how searching that is to our hearts. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercised lordship over them, and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so. But he that is greatest among you, let him be as a younger, and he that is chief as he.
That does serve, For whether is greater he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth is not he that sitteth at meat. But I am among you, as he that serveth, ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my father hath appointed unto me, that she may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and sit on Thrones judging the 12.
Tribes of Israel. I don't believe that would have been the way. We would have answered such ingratitude, such selfishness. But the Lord is so kind and so merciful, and he credited them with continuing with him. In his temptation. He assured them that they would sit on 12 Thrones. They would judge the 12 tribes of Israel. Oh brethren, you know, it says if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.
Sink down into our hearts. It is not the time now of reigning. It's the time when we've got to expect sufferings. We've got to expect the pressures of this scene. But God even uses that, as we were noticing in Psalm 4 that in pressure thou hast enlarged me. We need it, brother, and there's no getting away from it. We all need the pressures of this scene, and they are increasing. But we will reign with him one day.
Now turn back over to the book of Zechariah. And you know, just in this book of Zechariah, it astounds me how many references and mentions there are to the person of the Lord Jesus, so fully identified that they really had no excuse when he made his entry into this world. He met all the qualifications of these passages.
But over in Zechariah, chapter 3, here we have it again, and in verse 8 here now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men, wondered at for behold, I will bring forth my servant, the branch. Now if we were to turn to a gospel, that would portray the Lord Jesus as the servant, the perfect servant.
We, of course, would turn to Mark's gospel.
Absolutely the perfect servant. Bring forth my servant. The branch You're the one that entered this world is a root out of dry ground as a tender plant. Did they not recognize him in all his humility and all his loneliness? The low tree, as it were. And if we went back to Psalm, Chapter one, the Psalm begins, and it identifies all the Psalms. It says. Blessed is the man.
That Walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, But what does it say about him?
Well, I must read it to get it accurate.
It says and he.
Shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth his fruit in season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. He is the man of the psalms, the one that really glorified God, his Father, and he's going to bring forth his servant the branch. We've already considered that, and Isaiah has to a lot to say about that, but.
00:15:10
It is his servant, the branch and.
Beloved brethren, here again, what a marvelous thing.
That he would associate us in his service and.
If any man serve him, him will my father honor what a privilege it is in any measure while we're still here in this world to serve him?
Let's not wait time is running out.
There's many, many ways in which we can honor and serve him in this scene, and those days are coming to an end. All we must admit that after we've done all, we must say we're unprofitable servants. It doesn't change his love toward us, but we're faulty at best. But what an example we have in that man who is the perfect servant. Now over here to Zechariah 6. I don't want to take too much time, but just turn right over to Zechariah 6 and you can see how this whole thing looms out.
Before us. And they should have recognized they should have put all these scriptures together.
Because in the original, I believe it's the same thought as that sprout or that tender plant, that root out of a dry ground that we have in Isaiah 53. In fact, Isaiah 53 is so pointed that they don't like to read it in the synagogues.
But here in Zechariah chapter 6 it says.
In verse 12, behold the man whose name is the branch, the man. What gospel does that take us to The very one that we were hearing of this afternoon? Luke's gospel that presents the Lord Jesus as that perfect man here in this scene, But a real man, an old brethren, how lovely and marvelous and wondrous that we will take our humanity.
To glory that he will bring to glory many sons as the captain of our salvation. And So what about this man whose name is the branch? It's a title, the one who would spring up, and who would grow up, as it were, in his place.
He shall build the temple. It's the same one. It's the very one who came in all that loneliness and humility of Isaiah 53 and other passages. And he will bear the glory, verse 13. As a man upon his throne, doesn't that thrill our hearts to consider that Blessed One in all his exultation and all the grace to consider that He would associate us with himself?
In that Kingdom.
In verse 11 That says take silver and gold and make crowns see the plural emphasis and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josdick the high priest. Joshua was simply just a type of the Lord Jesus in that priestly.
Kingdom and make crowns and put them on his head. Well in Revelation 19 we read upon his head where many crowns oh he all the glory belongs to him. But here as we read on it says in verse 14.
And crown shall be to heal him, and to Baija, and to Judea and Hen, the sons of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of our Lord.
Well, now here are some mentioned by name, but I believe that it it's in a day. It's in a time of exultation, having suffered with him, having shared in his reproach in his rejection. Here in this scene we see that he will have associates, they will be crowned, and here they are named. And so the Lord desires to honor. He desires to recognize and reward true faithfulness.
Unto him in that day. Now one more thought, go over to Isaiah once again.
To Isaiah chapter 4.
00:20:29
Thank you very much.
Isaiah chapter 4 and verse 2.
In that day, what day are we living for? Oh beloved brethren, let's search our hearts. Let the Spirit of God and the Word of God search our hearts. What day are we living for? I trust that we're not just absorbed with man's day, as First Corinthians 4 in the margin renders it. No, no, no. Let's consider that glorious day and that day.
Shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful?
And glorious is that not John's gospel? Does that not that gospel? Does that not magnify the glories of that one whose name is the branch, the one who grows up, as it were, in his place, has full right and title to the throne, and who came by way of the Manger, and all the way through but way of the cross.
Beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel, and so forth. They will recognize him in that day but oh.
Dear brethren, we will indeed be associated with him. Let's finish out by turning over to John's Gospel.
And in chapter 14 or 15 we see very plainly, as we have enjoyed many times before, how we have a place of association, as it were. And he says very plainly here he says, I am the vine, and ye are the branches, and so forth.
And over in the 17th of John.
And verse 22. How astounding.
And the glory which thou gave us me I have given them.
That they may be one, even as we are one.
Old beloved brethren, may the Lord encourage our hearts to press on to accept.
The humility now to accept his rejection and to bear his reproach.
And to keep our vision on better things to come. And consider that one who so humbled himself, whom God has highly exalted.
Let's turn to Hebrews Chapter 2.
Verse 5 For unto the angels has he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak.
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
I made his team a little lower than the angels. Thou crownest him with glory and honor, and it set him over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For that he put all in subjection under him. He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus.
Who was made a little Lord and the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.
That he by the grace of God, should taste death for everything. For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things? In bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings, Well, the verse is that brother Don has brought before us. Speak of what we have read here in the second chapter. The day is going to come.
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When the world to come, that's an expression we find a couple of times in Hebrews, that's the Millennium is going to be put under a man and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's especially in connection with his place that he has as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Son of David who will sit on David's throne. But how wonderful that we as Christians.
Have an even more wonderful view of that Blessed One, and that is that we see him in glory.
Seated there already?
We find that again and again in the book of Hebrews.
That he is seated there. He set himself down in chapter one.
Because of who he is, he's more than a man. He's got the son, and he set himself down after he had made purgation for sin. But we also see him there because of who he is as the high priest in virtue of his office seated there, And he is seated there in virtue of the work of atonement, that he has accomplished that perfect work. Nothing needs to be added to that anymore. It is complete, and he is sitting.
There, and Ian is also sitting there as the one that has finished the.
A path of faith.
He seated there. We have that in the 12Th chapter, and that is what you and I can be occupied with now, because.
We have a place there with him.
And really, this blessed one has gone there, and what we find in Hebrews to be the most wonderful side to consider is that He is the one that has entered into the holiest of all, has opened the way for us to enter there. And that's a blessed privilege that we already have now by faith.
Isn't that a wonderful thing to realize, that we do not come to a certain spot in a building that people call the sanctuary, that we have a heavenly sanctuary to which we can come by faith, the sanctuary of His presence where we can draw now? And that is especially of such an encouragement when we realize that our feet are still in the wilderness. You know we have sung at the beginning of this meeting.
That we're pilgrims in the wilderness and it is not an easy path.
It's a path connected with difficulties.
But where are our hearts? You know, It has been pointed out more than once by brethren.
When the children of Israel were in this wilderness, there were different conditions that could be found among them, that they were with their feet in the wilderness and with their hearts in Egypt.
I hope that wouldn't be the case with any of us. That was a danger that existed for them and manifested itself among them. But then they were also, perhaps with their feet in the wilderness and with their hearts in the wilderness. That's not a desirable condition of the heart for the believer today.
But what was desirable was that with their feet they were in the wilderness, and with their hearts they were in that promised land for us.
That's not canine. That is where the Lord Jesus is now and what joy it brings to the heart in the difficulties of the pathway.
And what is there to occupy us more? And what could be a better subject for us to be occupied with than the blessed Lord Jesus? And isn't this what the Spirit of God does by the writer of this epistle to the Hebrews? What is it that he occupies them with? And what is it that he uses or tries to use to wean them from the old order of things that at one time had been instituted of God and given them?
Of God. It's the occupation with the Blessed One, the Lord Jesus, who is the fulfillment of all that they typically had in the old order of things. And what was it that at first he takes up? He contrasts, He doesn't really compare. He contrasts things that they had in the old order of things.
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With the Lord Jesus and he shows how much better he is.
And how much more wonderful it is to have him than to have these types and shadows. And at first he speaks of the Angel in chapter one and in chapter 2.
Why the angels? Well, they had a very significant place in connection with what God had communicated to Israel. Let's turn to Galatians chapter 3.
This 19 Therefore then serveth the law, is what added was added, because of transgressions, till the seat should come, to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of the mediator. And next Chapter 7.
Who have that is, the Jews have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
But they have more than that and something much more wonderful, and that is they have the Apostle and high priest of our profession. You know, the Lord Jesus is the one that now is speaking and has been speaking to them and is speaking from heaven.
And how much more wonderful it is then to have such a glorious person speaking to us, communicating the heart and mind of God, that which is in the heart of God for us. It's God the Son who is speaking, much more wonderful than any Angel could be. And in Chapter 2 again, it is not angels to whom he has.
Subjected the world to come, that is, to a man.
The Lord Jesus Christ. But then in chapter three we have.
The Apostle and High Priest of our profession.
How wonderful.
To have the Lord Jesus taking the place of Moses.
Or taking the place of Aaron.
You know we have the Lord Jesus as our High Priest. What was true of those Hebrews is true of us, although we were never in the position that they occupied at one time. But how wonderful. We too have the Lord Jesus as our high Priest and how much we need Him beloved. You know, when we looked at the book of numbers, one thing that impresses itself.
Upon our minds and we read the Book of Numbers. Is that what they needed in order to get through the wilderness and to reach the promised land? What they needed more than anything is the service of Aaron the high priest. Well, that's only a picture of what the Lord Jesus is to us now.
You know, the Lord Jesus is our high priest. He's also our advocate. And why is the wilderness needed for Israel? Why is it needed for us?
Because we find out in the wilderness what is in our own heart.
We learn to know what we are, how imperfect and failing we are, and that we do need the services of our High Priest and our Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ.
You know the Lord Jesus was here walking this path.
But every trial and difficulties, difficulty that he faced only manifested that he was pure gold. There was nothing imperfect in him, but in our case I believe.
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What we realize through these trials and difficulties that God brings into our lives, that there are things in us that need to be.
Perched out.
And that's why God allows us to go through the difficulties connected with this pathway. Hopefully we come to realize what is in our hearts and that we allow the blessed Lord to rid us of that which is not according to His heart and mind for us. You know, this process of purifying.
Or bringing us into practical conformity to the Lord Jesus.
Is an ongoing process and it has been often compared to what the refiner does when he purifies gold. You know, here he puts the gold in the Crucible and then he applies the heed and what happens? The dross comes to the top.
And this is Kim Doyle. And this process continues until the refiner sees his own image in the gold and beloved. I believe the truth is that in all of us there is that which needs to be perched out, and the Lord allows the difficulties of the pathway to make manifest what is in our hearts. And so.
We find the high priesthood of the Lord Jesus to be such a help and aid to us. But how solemn it is that we find in the 4th chapter of Hebrews we find that there are solemn warnings given.
We have.
Joshua spoken of?
As the one who didn't bring them into rest.
You know the Lord Jesus takes the place of Joshua. You know for Israel. The rest was the Promised Land.
They didn't realize it when even Joshua let them into the Promised Land. But the Lord Jesus will lead them into their blessing for us. It's not the promised land for us that is the Father's house in the meantime.
Faith is tested.
Faith is tested and it is a necessary thing for our lives that the reality of faith might become manifest.
And what is so important to get a hold of is that there is labor connected with it for us.
Verse 8.
For if Jesus it should be Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day?
There remaineth therefore arrest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also has seized from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest.
Lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joint and Morrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his side, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to Do you know this verse 11.
Implies, does it not, that we have to labor?
Not for salvation.
But labor, that we enter into the rest and unbelief, is what made those in the Old Testament perish in the wilderness. Beloved, these are solemn thoughts. It doesn't undermine eternal security. But what it does teach very plainly, is that we ourselves have to labor. We can't do it without divine help.
And the help is being offered to us, but there are things that we have to do ourselves.
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Like we have in John's epistle.
Anyone that has to hope within himself of the Lord's coming purify himself even as he is pure. 2nd Corinthians 7.
I better read it so that I don't misquote it.
Verse One having therefore these promises, dearly beloved.
Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness.
Of the flesh.
And spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
You know, I believe.
Allow me, if you have heard me make that statement before, bear with me to repeat that statement.
I came across an article that was written more than 100 years ago.
And that appeared amongst those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus on the fear of God.
And the statement was made. Now listen. That was more than 100 years ago, and if that was needed, then it certainly is needed today, the writer said. The greatest fear that existed among the gathered Saints was that the fear of God was diminishing.
I believe that's a very good statement that we should allow to.
Touch a heart and our conscience the fear of God holiness.
Is closely connected with the fear of God, and the lack of practical holiness amongst the people of God in general is alarming.
It's alarming, beloved and we have to labor that we enter into that rest.
May to God, May God preserve us, may the Lord help us, because as I said, we need divine help, and the help is being offered. We have no strength in ourselves, but the Lord will able be able to help us. And how wonderful the word of God is, that which exposes that in us, which is not according to the mind and will of God.
So may we allow the word of God to penetrate our conscience, and let us be tender in our conscience as to the word of God, when it presents itself even as to what we might classify as little things. You know, if you're not faithful in debt which is leased, how can we expect to be faithful in debt which is great? The Lord can give us that tender conscience that is necessary.
And that we submit to anything that the word of God tells us as to what is expected of us who have been saved by grace.
You know, salvation is entirely the work of the Lord Jesus and of God. Salvation is of the Lord. But those who are saved, they have a responsibility to live. We all have beloved for the Lord and to manifest in our lives that we are real, that it is not just lip service that we give, but that a life is characterized.
By practical holiness and the fear of God influences us in our lives. But the high priesthood of Christ has such a large part in the book of Hebrews, and we find that the Lord Jesus was a man, and the one that is our High priest is the one that himself was here in this scene and that he was tested. He was tried.
He faced many of the same things that you and I face. And especially when it comes to weakness, you know weakness is not sin. You know the Lord Jesus was here in weakness. He was sitting by the well weary from the journey he thirsted, and so on. And all those trials that come our way, that we classify as weaknesses and that the Scripture classifieds as weaknesses, weaknesses.
The Lord Jesus enters into those things in a sympathetic way. Although he's now in heaven, he's a man there and he hasn't forgotten what it is like to be in this world and to endure these various sufferings. He has not forgotten what it is like to be.
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Ridiculed.
To be hated and to be abused.
By sinful men.
And he has not forgotten what it is like that those who labor for the Lord Jesus might be rewarded.
Different than what you should expect instead of love, no reward, and sometimes even hatred. The Lord Jesus understands that and He's able to succor us.
And give us comfort and aid in these difficulties connected with the pathway. You know, the disappointments that he had, You know, Can you imagine the Lord Jesus labored here as faithfully as none of us can ever expect to labor.
But he says he had labored for not.
You know how many responded, really, to his perfect labor of law when he was here? Very few. There were individuals here and there, but the nation as a whole cast him out. They wouldn't have him.
You know, the Gentiles didn't know him, his own didn't receive him.
These disappointments that we experience in our efforts, our feeble efforts for the Lord and our service, are far from imperfect, and perhaps sometimes to the disappointments and failures that we realize in connecting with those we labor, whether it is because of our imperfect labor. But the Lord Jesus nevertheless knows what it is like to be disappointed sometimes feel you have wasted.
Some efforts, they seem as if they are wasted, but the Lord will take notice of all that is done for him and will in due time reward, and he can comfort and encourage us in the midst of disappointments, Mr. Darby once said.
Why is it that all his pets so bad, you know, expected great things from they showed such promise and he had really expected much of them. And then there was the disappointed disappointing they went off. Well, the Lord knows what that is like and the Lord can comfort and encourage his own and.
Lord Jesus could never be tested with sin.
We do get tested with sin. You know, the Lord Jesus was a holy human being and he was tested in everything like us, sin apart. Well, but.
Weaknesses. Sometimes, beloved brethren the enemy might use to lead us into sin. That's why it is so important that the Lord Jesus aids us and helps us when it comes to weaknesses, so that we do not dishonor Him and even if we do fail.
As we do at times, we have him at the advocate that will labor with us so that we be restored again to happy communion and fellowship.
With him.
But what is such an encouragement in the book of Hebrews is to see that the Lord Jesus is not only our High Priest in connection with our wilderness journey and the trials and difficulties of the pathway in Chapter 7. Or is it 8 He's spoken of as the minister of the sanctuary?
And.
In which way is he the minister of the sanctuary? We read in chapter 8, verse one? Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum we have such an high priest, who is said on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched. And not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices.
Therefore it is of necessity that this man have something also to offer. This man is the Lord Jesus, the minister of the sanctuary. Now what does he offer?
He doesn't bring new sacrifices. He has given himself as that one and perfect sacrifice. But beloved, that which we bring in imperfection goes through the hands of our high priest, who is the minister of the sanctuary, and he presents it perfectly to God.
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You know, young people sometimes might be afraid of participating because they might be afraid.
That they might make a statement and the breaking of Brett mating, that might not be quiet according to truth and they're afraid of it. Don't be afraid of it. Nothing will ever get there that is not according to the mind of God. And it goes through the Lord Jesus and he is at worst skins off that which is not according to God and presents that which we feebly bring perfectly to God. Let's prove this by the word of God.
Turn to Peter.
I mean prove that that which he presents is really that which we bring in our feebleness.
First Peter 2.
Verse 5.
You know, he had been Speaking of us being living stones.
In the house.
Where he's the cornerstone.
And then we have ye also verse five, as living stones are built up, the spiritual house, the holy priesthood, to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. You see, it goes through him, and he makes it acceptable to God. Now we should certainly be exercised that we grow in understanding and spiritual intelligence.
So that we can bring things accurately according to scriptural truth, and also I think we should be exercised that we increase in spiritual wealth. You know, the Jew could bring a pigeon or he could bring a bullet and the pigeon spoke to God of that perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus as well as the bullet. But if a Jew was poor and could only bring a pigeon.
That was acceptable to God because it spoke to him of the Lord, Lord Jesus of his Son and the sacrifice he would bring. But wouldn't it be desirable that an isolate could bring more? I'm sure many isolate was saddened that he couldn't bring more to Jehovah than pigeons.
Well, shouldn't we have the desire, beloved brethren, that we would grow wealthy in the things of God, so that we can bring to him more than that which would answer to a pigeon? And isn't it sad sometimes, beloved brethren, that our Lord's day mourning?
At the breaking of bread meeting there is so little participation.
And there might be quite a number of brethren.
In a local assembly, but very few participate long pauses between the participation. Do we really realize, beloved, this is one thing that we can do for the Lord Jesus and for God the Father, That we can bring worship, that we can bring to God. That which we have come to see and appreciate of the work of the Lord Jesus and bring that to God. And what a comfort it is.
That we have the Lord Jesus at our side as the minister of the sanctuary to help us in our feebleness.
Well, we have heard of the.
Priest The King Priest upon the throne in Zechariah. Melchizedek is a picture of that. In the Old Testament he was priest of the Most High God and king of Salem and King of Righteousness.
And we find that the Lord Jesus in that coming day will manifest his Melchizedek character as priest, but in that way he will not enter into the earthly sanctuary that will be set up in Jerusalem.
What we do find with Melchizedek when he comes to bless Abraham and he brings.
Wine and brings bread. It speaks of communion, of fellowship in joy in that coming day. It is not that he in any way indicates that he will function as a priest in the character of Aaron on earth, or the sons of Aaron connection with an earthly sanctuary. He cannot be a priest on earth.
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But the Lord Jesus is priest according to the order of Melchizedek. But what he presently fulfilled, beloved brethren, is not what we have in Zechariah.
What he presently fulfills is that of which errant priesthood is a type. And this is such a good thing to get a hold of. But there is another most beautiful fact brought out that.
This priest, our Lord Jesus Christ, is our without beginning, without end. Now Tessa deck is like unto the Son of God. You see, our High Priest is not just a man that has been here in this scene. He is the Son of God who has no beginning, no ending, and he will be forever our Priest, forever. No change of priesthood will ever occur.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for a Hebrew?
Who had the need of priestly service. And he comes to be helped by the high priest, and then he finds out the priest has just died.
Well, that's never the case. Never going to be the case with our priest. He ever lived to make intercession. We can always come to him. And I believe for all eternity he will be our priest. He will be at our side not to help us in weakness. We won't have any weakness up there, but he will help us in connection with the sanctuary. But then the Lord Jesus is that perfect sacrifice.
By one offering he has perfected forever.
The Sanctified. What a statement of Scripture that is. You know that the NIV translates that.
By one offering he has perfected forever them that are to be sanctified, changing the sense of a positional truth to be communicated, making it a practical sanctification, well, the work of the Lord Jesus.
Has sanctified us, given us a perfect standing before God, and in chapter two we read.
That the sanctifier and the sanctified are all of one. What does that mean, one in sanctification? I believe we can say, based on that scripture that we stand before God in perfect holiness through the work of the Lord Jesus.
Tremendous truth to get ahold of. But if that is positionally true of us, beloved, should we not be exercised that there also be practical holiness in our lives, such as what we have read in Two Corinthians 7, verse one? You know there are various scriptures that speak very definitely of practical holiness. First Thessalonians 4 is another passage now at least three or four such scriptures that speak of practical holiness. But how wonderful.
That we get a hold of what is true of us positionally and how we stand before God through the work of the Lord Jesus.
And then we have a heavenly sanctuary.
Which is not at all on earth, in a way, instead understood in Christendom. Where is that understood in Christendom? But how responsible we are when we understand that our sanctuary is a heavenly sanctuary that by faith we enter there where he already is?
You know, when we come together like this morning in the breaking of bread by faith we enter into the sanctuary of God's presence. It's a solemn thing. But how serious it would be if we come there with sin upon our conscience, unjust sin. No wonder that we have in Corinthians that many.
Have a sick and some had fallen asleep because of the disregard.
Of the Holy Presence, where they entered into the Presence of God with under sin upon their conscience.
Well, we have the New Covenant mentioned in Hebrews, which is a covenant that God is going to be establishing with both the houses of Israel. We are not in a covenant relationship, but we come under the blessings of the new covenant. The blood of the new covenant has been shared and it is an altogether different approach from what the old covenant was like the first covenant.
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Was all dependent on man's faithfulness. But the blood of the New covenant opens the way for God to bless in a sovereign way. And just like what he will do for Israel in the coming day, that he will bless them in an unconditional sovereign way. So God is blessing us now. The blood that will be the basis for the new covenant with Israel is the blood and the bases for God to deal with us.
In Sovereign Grace, how wonderful it is, but we have the pathway.
Of faith in Chapter 11. And you know we have faith presented in various aspects, and this is something that we have to realize that faith is what is to be demonstrated by us.
In our lives, you know they did not only by faith look to that coming reign of glory. Faith was also tested. They did not always.
Have the answers and deliverance in their circumstances and the Old Testament Saints that are referred to in this 11Th chapter.
Faith was manifested in various circumstances and difficulties that the Saints of God went through, and what a glory that brings to God that faith clings to him no matter what the condition and circumstances are through which God.
Makes us.
Has but one that excels all in that path of faith is the Lord Jesus. And we look to him, you know, we take great encouragement by looking at other examples that we see round about where God enables his own.
To go on faithfully for the Lord in the midst of difficult circumstances, but.
How much more wonderful it is to the Lord Jesus, because when we look at our fellow believers.
Sometimes we find imperfections, as we do see in the Old Testament Saints, although none of the imperfections are mentioned here. Only their faith is mentioned. You know, God looks at that which was of himself in their life now that they are no longer in this scene. And that's what God in Greece will do with us, you know, all our failures, you know, are going to be, as it were, forgotten and that which is for himself.
Will remain and will be acknowledged.
But then we also have the chastisement in Chapter 12.
You know that God deals with us as with children. You know, child training is that which is needed for every one of us.
You know, God sometimes has a hard time to correct us and to bring us in line with His thoughts and will. Isn't it true? We have to confess that, and that's why chastisements are necessary.
And if we wouldn't be experiencing anything like that, the writer says, then we're ********. Then we're not really children. But we don't want to be that, do we? We want to have grace from God to bow under that which, in his wisdom, he brings our way.
In order that we might be partakers of His Holiness. That's why chastisement is so much needed. And we love that. That's needed for all of us.
All of us need discipline, chastisement, child training to correct us, to bring us into line with God's thoughts. But at the end of the book of Hebrews, we.
See that after the writer had presented this wonderful person and shown them how much better he was compared to all that they had in the Old Testament, that which was only a type of this blessed one now, he says.
Leave. Leave the old order of things connected with the camp. You know the Lord Jesus was cast out by this religious system and.
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Therefore the Hebrew believers should have no longer any part with that which had tested test out the Lord Jesus, and they should go unto Him outside the camp bearing His reproach.
You know, I was told that one of the Lords servants went to a meeting in the Northwest. That is no longer.
With us that went off and he was told one thing that he couldn't speak about was the camp.
There was another point that he wasn't permitted to speak about, but the camp, and I don't remember that now, but the camp was one of the points.
Well, why is it important that we understand what the camp is? Because Christendom has really taken up the principles of the camp, that which was characteristic of the Jewish system. Clergy is one of the.
Very evident.
Things that all systems have taken up the clergy system, not all systems have all the principles of the camp, but.
The principles of the camp are in all systems.
And so.
That's why the book of Hebrews is such a help for us.
We have to turn our back to anything that has been introduced into the Christian profession that has its origin in Judaism and therefore this admonition we go on to him outside. He is not there. He's not in the system that man has set up copying the Jewish system. He's not there.
It's not a judgmental statement. It's a statement that scripture makes that the Lord Jesus is cast out.
What is the most serious sin in the clergy system is that the Lord Jesus doesn't have his place as head, and the Spirit of God is not sovereign to guide and to use whomsoever he will. So we go unto him outside of this He is not there, so why should we be there? We go unto him outside the camp, and let me suggest that we have an altar of which they have no right to eat, that serves the Tabernacle.
Is a position that is made clear here in the book of Hebrews. That was not the position. Before the book of Hebrews was written, there were obviously those who still connected themselves with the Temple. Think of Paul when he came to Jerusalem and he was advised to take these.
And I think it's in the 21St chapter, isn't it, That take these men that needed to be cleansed had a vow, and he was encouraged that he would join them and that he would go through the cleansing procedures with them, which involved sacrifices the Lord didn't allow him.
To go that far he stopped his servant, but he and now we have the statement that they had served the Tabernacle have no right to eat of the altar of which we partake. I believe that should be a principle for us that would help us as to who has arrived to be at the Lord's table.
You know the test is will we draw withdraw from iniquity? No, even if he in First Corinthians 10.
There you have two tables. You have the table of demons, and you have the Lord's table. Now while we do not ever speak of table set up by men like our fellow believers who have left us.
We do not speak of them as the demons table, but I believe what the principle taught in First Corinthians 10 is you cannot be at 2 opposing tables at the same time.
You know if you are at a table that opposes the truth of the Lords table.
Then your conscience should be exercised to leave that before you come to partake at the Lord's table well, a wonderful that we go on to him.
Outside the camp. And here we have another verse that shows what he is presenting as the minister of the sanctuary in verse 15. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.
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But to do good and to communicate, forget not, for without sacrifices God is well pleased. So we have that brought together, which has to do with bringing things to God and then also at the same time communicating things that will help others in need. So that's one of the scriptures that justifies our remembering the Lord and having a collection.
At the same time, so that the needs of the servants of the Lord, the needs of the work of the Lord, and also of the needy ones among God's people be met. But I believe this would even go further than just meeting the needs of God's people. You know, I believe if a neighbor next door to the meeting hall would have a calamity in the family, there would be nothing wrong for the assembly to communicate.
And meet a need there as well as us as individuals. But how wonderful. We have these instructions in this epistle. And the Lord Jesus, if we enter into the truth of this epistle, becomes everything. He is everything, and we don't need anything other than him. When you look at that which God's people had in the past, we don't need that anymore. We have everything that we need.
In that wonderful person.
The Lord Jesus Christ, beloved, we need to be attached to him. We need to be drawn to him. I hope there's none in this room. That is where he is because of brethren, because you deserve to be disappointed. And you will be disappointed if you are there because of brethren, but if you are where you are because of him.
You will not be disappointed. He will never disappoint you, you know.
Cease for man whose breath is in his nostrils.
Attachment to him gives stability to the Christian pathway. You know, we have to follow him. And even if Paul tells us that we should follow him, he says as he followed Christ. You know, so may the Lord help us that we are drawn closer to him, that he might become more precious to us, that he might become our all.
I'd like to turn to the song of Solemn and just for a moment.
Thomas Solomon, Chapter 2.
And verse 14.
Oh, my God, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs. Let me see thy countenance. Let me hear thy voice.
For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Now I might turn to Luke chapter 22.
Verse 14.
And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the 12 apostles with him. And he said unto them with desire.
I have desired, or the margin says, I have heartily desired, to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will not anymore eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God shall come.
When he took the, took Brian, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying this cup.
01:15:15
Is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you?
In the Song of Solomon.
We have a thought brought before us.
The lights, the heart of our Savior to see us here.
Particularly when we come together to remember the Lord and His death, it's a delight of His heart to see us there and to hear our voice.
And as was mentioned there in the end of Hebrew, surely we could all lift our voices in praise and Thanksgiving.
And you said this, do in remembrance of me.
He heartily desired.
To eat this Passover with His disciples. And it's here that He gives us that remembrance of Himself.
Just a verse I trust I don't miss Apply it in First Corinthians Chapter 7.
Verse 33.
But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There's a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit, but she that is married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
So much the thought of the things of the world, but the wife would care how she might please her husband.
Love that we're the bride of Christ. Shouldn't we seek to do that which would bring?
Joy to his heart, he said. This do in remembrance of me.
This new and remembrance of me, it brings joy to his heart to see us here to and for him to hear our voice. No one other thought too suggested by what our brother just been saying, might turn back to Exodus.
Let's turn first to Deuteronomy chapter 26.
You haven't got time to read it.
But.
Uh.
Verse 3 And thou shalt go under the priest, It shall be in those days.
And verse four. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready comparison with my father.
Verse 10.
Now the first line. And he has brought us into this place and have given us this line, even the line, the flowers with milk and honey.
And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which thou Lord has given me, and thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God. What did they bring?
About simply that with which God had blessed them through the preceding time, and surely the Lord would have us to bring that with which he is blessed.
Through the preceding week.
All we might bring joy to his heart and one more verse in Exodus.
28.
Our brother mentioned.
Being hesitant about speaking.
01:20:02
And I would just say to if one reads this.
We got a perfect balance in Scripture, and if we want the balance, we can turn to 1St Corinthians 14.
There's an order there and a balance we need to follow and each one can turn to it for themselves, but next to this?
28.
And verse 36.
Now shall make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signal holiness to the Lord. And thou shall put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the miter. On the forefront of the miter it shall be, and it shall be upon Aaron's forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hollow in all their holy gifts.
And this shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
All the loves, our blessed Lord and Savior, our great High Priest.
He is the one, He is our Aaron. And just think, Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy thing which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts. It shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
In the book of Judges we find an offering was brought to the Lord.
Angel came, I believe Mr. Manoa, Samson's father, and he brought out this offering.
And he brought it out, the flesh unleavened cakes, I think it was.
And he had the broth in a pot.
And the Angel said, Pour out the broth, lay the flesh and the cakes on this rock he touched the flesh and the cakes, and fire rose up and consumed them. Well, that which was not acceptable was ******. And the Lord accepted that which was acceptable in his sight. Well, I just mentioned this particularly for you, dear younger ones. Oh, Lord, Delight, we bring joy to his heart.
For us to be here.
Be gathered by the Spirit of God around the purse of Christ to remember him and his death.
Each time we do it, we bring joy to His heart. He desires to see our countenance. He desires to hear our voice.
Thy voice is sweet. Thy countenance is lovely. So may we seek dear ones as we come together to bring joy to his heart. We're immeasurably blessed ourselves. God will be no man's daughter. We'll go away.
Much the gainer, but at the same time let us bring joy to his heart, the one who has so loved us and given himself for us.
62.
Gospel 7
Gospel—R. Thonney
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Oh Christ, in thee my soul has found and found in the alone the peace, the joy I sought so long, the bliss till now, and none now none but Christ can satisfy none other name for me. There's love and life and lasting joy. Lord Jesus found in the number 19.
O Christ, and thee my.
So ever.
And found in me alone.
The peace, the joy I saw.
A lovely.
Still now unknown.
No, no, I'm not Christ Cancer.
Here's my.
Another name for me.
There's love and life and.
Last injured.
Lord Jesus found.
They sight forest and happiness.
Are you for them? Nothing.
But.
While I pass my savior by Islam.
Played all on me.
No, none. But grace Cancer is why.
None other name for me.
There's love and life and.
Last danger.
Lord Jesus.
Found in the.
I tried the broken.
Sisters, Lord.
But.
The water is filled.
In as I stood to drink their flesh.
And.
No, no, but Christ can satisfy.
None of.
Their name for me?
There's love and life and lusting.
Lord, Lord Jesus.
Found in the.
The.
Play.
Would be.
Gone.
Let's pray, Blessed.
00:05:11
Let's sing another hymn #23 and the hymn sheet.
Behold, behold the Lamb of God on the cross.
On the cross for us, he shed his precious blood.
May hold behold the Lamb of God.
On the cross.
On the cross.
Forestation is precious.
On the cross.
Holy the old farewell, me crying Eli Lama.
I'd like to turn to a verse in the book of the Acts and the 20th chapter to begin with.
This evening.
Acts chapter 20 and verse 21.
The apostle Paul is speaking here and he says.
Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks.
Repentance toward God and faith.
Toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
When he used this as my text this evening in speaking out the gospel.
00:10:05
Two things that are necessary for salvation.
Paul preached them. We want to preach them this evening as well #1 Repentance toward God #2.
Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Both things are extremely important if you are going to know what it means to be saved.
Repentance. You cannot be saved without it. We heard about it last evening. We heard about the prodigal son this afternoon, how he was minded to get all he could from his father and to go as far away from his father as he could get.
That was his mind, that was his thought, and he put it into action.
And he went down further and further away.
Deeper and deeper into misery until the scripture says.
He came to himself.
There was a change in his thinking. He repented.
Repentance means that a change in your way of thinking.
His thoughts were no longer after that moment of going farther away from his father.
No, his thoughts were changed, he said.
I will arise and go to my father.
That's repentance, my friend. Without repentance, there is no salvation.
But repentance in itself does not save the soul. What saves is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Scripture clearly states.
In Ephesians chapter 2, For by grace are ye saved.
Through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
It's faith that is the living touch that reaches out to say.
That savior is my savior, and that's the way you can be saved.
Remember those two things? We're going to speak about it in several examples that the Scripture speaks of to us this evening. Repentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Both things extremely important if you are going to know what it means to be saved.
Without repentance you cannot be saved. But again I repeat, repentance in itself does not save. What saves is faith in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But before I enter into that.
I want to speak objectively.
About the person of the Savior, the Lord Jesus.
God tells us in John's Gospel chapter one and verse 3.
That by him all things were made, and without him nothing that is made was made.
He is the creator of all things.
The blessed Son of God, He made you and therefore you are ultimately responsible to Him. We're not going to enter into arguments and debates about origins here this evening. Our purpose is simply to present the Scriptures. We have no right to make any apologies.
For what God has to tell us and like it or not.
Believe it or not, this is what God says. Since you are a creature of God, you are going to give an account to Him ultimately.
00:15:00
God made all things, and he knew exactly how things were going to go.
God is a God of love, and God wanted to show his love.
And God permitted that man fall into sin.
And that man would go.
Into.
Distance from himself.
And God became a seeker and went right after his creature.
When Adam sinned and hid himself amongst the trees of the garden, God came after him and said, Adam, where art thou?
Where are you tonight, friend? What is your relationship to God? I'm not asking you. What do the brethren think about you not asking you that? I'm asking you, what is your relationship to the God to whom you must give an account one day? To the God before whom all things are open and naked? To the God before whom you cannot hide one thing. What is your relationship to Him?
In the Lord Jesus in the process of time.
Became the Savior of the world. He came to be the Savior of the world. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Think about my friend. God Himself became a man in the person of the Lord Jesus, and came to seek the last ones.
He not only came to seek them, he came to save them, but to save them. There was an extremely.
Awful price that had to be paid.
There was blood necessary for the forgiveness of sins. Blood must be shed. If God was going to save. His righteous demands against the Sinner must be fully met. God cannot Passover 1 little white lie. It's serious in His eyes.
And therefore, when Jesus came to seek and to save, he paid the price in full by going to that cross himself.
On Golgotha heel outside of Jerusalem, they led him out there. They nailed their creator to a cross and lifted that cross up and mocked him.
Very hung for three hours the object of the ridicule of his creature man. Think of it, friend, think of it.
When he was suffering, when they were pounding those nails through his hands and his feet.
The only response was Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.
After those three hours when men did their worst to him.
This heavens got dark.
And darkness covered the earth.
And in three hours of darkness, when no human eye could see what was transpiring on that hill of Golgotha, God laid the iniquity of us all on Jesus.
And God punished him.
For me.
Friend, that's how much God loves. That's the kind of God we have to tell you about tonight.
God is a loving God. He does not want you to go.
To eternal damnation and as we have said many times before.
God has roadblocked.
The road to hell with the cross of Christ.
If you will go to hell, you will go by the loving, tender entries of a Savior God who died, that you might have eternal salvation. How dare you wait any longer when He pleads for you tonight?
00:20:23
To come to him.
Jesus died.
His side was pierced, the blood flowed from His side, and Scripture tells us clearly, as we heard last night as well, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Thank God, cleanses us from all sin. Jesus was buried.
He rose again the third day, and Jesus is a living.
Risen, powerful Savior at God's right hand, we present Him to you tonight.
Powerful to save nothing on your part necessary but repentance and faith in Him.
But I want to probe tonight.
Please could I have your attention?
On a probe.
I feel very.
How serious?
A meeting like this is.
In the Gospel of Matthew we have.
A parable, a likeness of the Kingdom of Heaven.
And in that parable that the Lord Jesus Christ told, he told about.
5.
Foolish virgins and five wise.
There were 10 in all. Because we are responsible before God.
But of that number, 10, half were not real. And this is serious, extremely serious.
Are you real tonight with God?
There's been too many that have said in meetings like this without being real before God.
You put on a front.
And our desire is to awaken you before it's too late and you find yourself on the outside of that closed door, knocking.
Down in Bolivia, maybe I've told this story to some of you.
Two years ago at a conference in Montero in the eastern.
Side of the Andes Mountains.
After the conference, a young man came up, and I've known him since he was a young boy. He grew up coming to the meeting. He made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus. He was baptized. He broke bread.
And then after a time, because of economic conditions in Bolivia, he went down into Argentina, strayed.
And got into all sorts of things.
But he was back at this conference. He had married and they had a little boy, I think. But he came up to me and he said I'd like to talk to you in my house after the meeting tonight.
And I went over there that evening and he said, I want you to know I broke bread. I was baptized, but I wasn't saved tonight. I want to get saved. I want to get it straightened out. You know, I think there's far, far too many even here present this evening that are in that class. I don't know who you are. You know who you are. God knows who you are.
And may you be singled out in the presence of God tonight.
Please, we're saying it for your own eternal welfare. Wake up. Don't tread a step further under the banner of a false profession. You may have all the brethren fooled.
You don't fool God.
He knows just where you stand tonight.
There have been those.
00:25:01
Who have actually occupied the pulpits at some of our conferences.
Who? Today I have to say, I don't know if they were ever a Christian.
They preached, but that means nothing.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, and I say friend, that's why I think it's so important.
That you let me probe your soul tonight. Two things are necessary if you're going to know what it means to be saved in the truth of the Word. Saved, gloriously saved, repentance toward God. There needs to be a change in your way of thinking.
A lot of us.
Thank God for the Christian homes we've been brought up in. I had that. That was my privilege.
But I must say, as I grew up.
I didn't think I was that bad.
I've never gotten out into the real messy stuff of the world.
I thought I was all right, sure I knew the Bible what it said.
Yeah, I knew, it said. In my flesh. I know that in my flesh dwells no good thing.
But really, way down in the depths of my heart.
I wasn't convinced of that. There had not been repentance yet.
Until God dealt with my soul to show me what I really was.
Oh friend, have you repented tonight?
God doesn't ask you merely to repent, the Scripture says.
God now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge this world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, giving assurance unto all men, and having raised him from the dead.
He commands you to repent.
What are your thoughts about yourself? We've been hearing a lot about self esteem.
And the world is full of it.
If that's your thought.
I want to ask you to repent to change your thoughts about yourself tonight.
To see yourself as God sees you. A lost, guilty, hell deserving Sinner. That's the picture God paints. It's not a very pleasant picture, but I'm not permitted to change the picture that God dates.
And then not going to apologize for it.
This is the reality you must face if you're going to be saved.
And this is a pretty bitter pill to swallow.
I'm talking to you who say you're Christians. I'm.
Talking to you who are baptized. I'm talking to you who may even break bread.
I'm talking to you. Don't think you're looking over your shoulder at somebody else. It applies to them and talking to you.
Search your soul in the presence of God. There was one of the Lord's own disciples, the number of the 12, who was a traitor who was false, and nobody seemed to know it when the Lord said, One of you shall betray me.
They all looked around. Who could it be?
And maybe nobody guesses that you're not real with God yet.
Friend, now is the moment to get serious with God.
To repent in truth, I want to talk about 3 persons in scripture.
Briefly, the first one it says he repented himself.
But it was not a true repentance, and neither was their faith in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The second one scripture actually says he believed and was baptized.
But there was number repentance.
00:30:00
Upon believing. And that man, as far as we know, is in a lost eternity.
And the third case I want to look at is one who repented, evidently according to the record that we have of him, and he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and was saved. Let's go to Matthew's Gospel chapter 27 for the first case. We're talking about Judas Iscariot. I'm sure many of you have already guessed who the first individual is.
One who had.
Accompanied 3 1/2 years. The Lord Jesus in His earthly ministry had heard those gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth.
But Judas.
As happens with many.
Had a love of money.
The scripture tells us in John chapter 12 That he was the one who carried the bag, He was the treasurer, you would call him, of the 12 disciples, and he carried the money that they were given, evidently, and needed to buy bread or something.
And he was a thief because he took what was in that bag for his own pocket. Judas loved money.
Before the Lord Jesus went to the cross one day, they were at Bethany.
Where they made him a supper, and all seemed so wonderfully in order, Mary comes with an alabaster of very costly ointment, and breaks that alabaster box, and anoints the feet of Jesus.
Beautiful act of Mary, Judas starts complaining. He says that was a waste.
Why did you waste that? And all the other disciples kind of joined in with Judas complaining and they made it hard on Mary until the Lord Jesus defended her and said let her alone. She's worked a good work upon me. The poor have you always with you, but me have not always.
Judas couldn't stand that.
He was a thief and he loved money.
And he had a mug planned, contrived in his mind. He had evidently seen the Lord Jesus.
When many times they came to take him and the Lord Jesus had calmly walked because his hour had not yet come, he walked out of the trap and walked away from his enemies that come to take him. And Judas probably thought, we don't know for sure, but he probably thought I'll sell him. I'll make an agreement with those chief priests that want to get him, and then I'll have the money in my pocket and he'll walk out of that situation and.
I'll have the money and no one will ever know it.
You know.
If there's a secret sin in your life, I don't know what it is. It may be the love of money.
It may be other things. There's so much looseness and promiscuity in today's world, and sometimes we take up with it without thinking of the seriousness of what sin is in the sight of God. Even young people at conferences sometimes are pretty loose in their habits. I don't know. I have no reason to say that I know that about anyone here. But if that is the case, remember.
If you allow some secret sin in your life, Satan is the one who can come and take control of you and lead you with that secret sin where you don't think to go.
Just as our horse is led by a bridle in its mouth where it doesn't want to go, so you will be led by Satan through means of that secret sin in your life.
And that's why we're calling you to repentance toward God. Change your thoughts about that love of money.
It didn't work. Judah's plan, Judas plan didn't work. He sold Jesus.
00:35:02
And when he came?
Jesus came out to meet them in the calmness.
That was always his during his lifetime.
And he says whom seek ye? And Judas was standing with those armed men that had come to take him.
And they said Jesus of Nazareth, he says I am. They go backward and fall to the ground. You would think Judas would wake up as to who he is betrayed, but no, he's determined. He's bent because Satan had indwelt him and entered into him to make sure that he didn't cop out on his plan to sell Jesus. He goes up to Jesus.
Hail, master, he says. He kisses him. They come and take him.
Judas probably faded into the background, waiting for Jesus to get away again, as he had often done.
It didn't happen. It didn't happen.
In Judas it says repented himself verse three of chapter 27. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he Jesus was condemned, repented himself and brought again the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned and that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See thou to that.
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed and went and hanged himself. Awful, awful end for one of the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Awful end.
That money, when his plan didn't workout like he thought, was only something that tormented his conscience. And Judas, it says, repented himself. It wasn't true God-given repentance. For if it had been true God-given repentance, he would have returned to the Lord Jesus and the Lord Jesus would have forgiven him. But it wasn't true God-given repentance. He just felt bad because it didn't work out.
And sometimes, friend, your plans won't workout for you.
And you may be filled with remorse as well, like Judas was.
But unless you truly repent and come to Jesus since faith in Him, you will not be saved. Poor Judas is in hell tonight. He's been there as far as we calculate from our vantage point.
Almost 2000 years in hell.
One who company with the Lord Jesus.
Is there somebody like that tonight here who has some secrets in who nobody has detected that they're not real, but because of that secret sin in your life that you are hiding, Satan has control over your life.
I don't know what it is.
I've seen sometimes in South America young men who show interest and make profession of faith in the Lord Jesus because they want to marry some girl that's their present.
I don't know if that's the case with anybody here tonight. If it is, I want to ask you, in the name of the Lord Jesus to repent.
Get serious with God.
Your sin, your hidden sin, will take you to eternal perdition and God who loves you and doesn't want you to go that route.
Has permitted for you to be here tonight to listen to his entreaties in the gospel. Repent, believe tonight in the Lord Jesus.
Poor Judas. There he is tonight. Is that going to be your end friend?
Let's turn over to the book of the Acts chapter 8 to see the next case that I spoke about.
00:40:00
Acts Chapter 8.
This man was called Simon. He was a sorcerer. Philip had come down to the city of Samaria to preach Christ. Many were saved.
Let's read in chapter eight of the Acts and verse from verse nine there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in that same city used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria.
Giving out that he that himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest.
Saying this man is the great power of God, and to him they had regard because.
That of a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries, but when they believed Philip preaching the key things concerning the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, and were baptized, they were baptized both men and women. When then Simon himself believed also, and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and wondered beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God.
They sent unto them Peter and John, who when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost, for as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then lay they their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying.
Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Now hast neither part nor lot in this manner, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Verse 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God.
If perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee, for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
Here's another sad situation of a man.
Who was a sorcerer in the city of Samaria, and he had been a great one. He had wielded.
Power in that city. They looked upon him and said, this is the great power of God.
But a greater power came to Samaria, the power of God and the gospel of Christ.
For the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.
And when Simon saw that there was a greater power, he saw that he, in his position was eclipsed by this greater power. So he joins the movement.
He believes Scripture says it. Look at verse 13. Simon himself believed and was when he was baptized. He continued with Philip. He believed and was baptized. You can imagine what they might have said.
Have you heard the news Simon the Sorcerer believed he saved?
What's he saying?
He wasn't saved.
Doesn't believe in bring salvation.
It brings salvation when there is repentance toward God, yes.
Simon had never repented.
He was a great one as a sorcerer. Now he wanted to be a great one in the Church of God.
Is there anybody here that wants to be a great one in the Church of God?
There's one word we have for you tonight. Repent.
Repent.
What a solemn thing.
00:45:00
Simon comes up to Peter and John. Philip doesn't seem to discern about Simon.
But when Peter and John come down from Jerusalem.
Here comes Simon the sorcerer. He sees this tremendous power that's displayed by the apostles, and he goes up and offers some money, says here, give me that power too, so that I can do the same things you're doing.
Peter turns and rebukes him directly. He doesn't make it easy for Simon the sorcerer, he says.
Thy money perish with me.
For thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
Simon never repented.
Have you repented? So Peter tells them very directly in verse.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Those were hard words for Simon the sorcerer.
But we have no record that Simon the Sorcerer repented.
We have no record that he was saved.
For as much as we know from the record of scripture here.
Simon is in a lost eternity.
As well, he believed he was baptized. He's in a lost eternity.
You see, friend, why say you cannot play around with God about sin, that sin in your life there must be repentance. You must see things as God sees them. And when God says you are a lost, guilty Sinner and that sin will bind you.
You must accept God's testimony. There is no alternative if you want to be saved.
That's repentance.
Which way are you going now?
You dear children of Christian parents.
Allow me to probe into your heart.
Have you repented of your sins? Those things you know God is not pleased with?
Those things that you kind of excuse because they are not that serious according to your way of thinking.
Repent.
Tonight I ask you in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way.
For you to be saved.
Go over to the 16th chapter of Acts.
For the last case.
I.
Here we have a well known story, but I'm going to briefly.
Tell the circumstances that lead up to it.
The Apostles.
And Silas.
Are called to Philippi, one of the chief cities of Macedonia in the upper part of Greece, to preach the gospel. They go for a time. There seems to be not too much activity.
There is following them to where they go to pray.
A girl who has a spirit of divination.
And she calls after them. These are the the servants of the Most High God, which shown to us the way of salvation.
Paul, discerning it to be an unclean spirit, turns out and rebuke turns around and rebukes the unclean spirit.
And that girl is freed from that spirit of divination.
But the people of the city rise up against them.
They catch Paul and they beat them severely and they take him to the prison and notice the prisoner or the jailer.
00:50:02
It says in verse 24 who the jailer, who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks, Romans were not known for.
Humaneness to prisoners.
They were known for cruelty.
And after they had beaten the apostles.
They're committed to this jailer and you can imagine how he shoved them into the inner prison.
And jammed their feet into the stocks.
And there they are.
It's poor bosses suffering.
Until at midnight.
They pray.
And sing praises to God.
The impossible situation that they seem to be in.
God intervenes. Let's read it here, verse 26.
Of Acts 16. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bands were loosed, and the keeper of the prison awakening out of his sleep.
Seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house.
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was baptized he, and all his straight way. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. Here we have the record of the Philippian jailer.
He had treated those poor apostles.
In their sorry state, roughly. But when God gets ahold of a person, things change. And God shook that prison. All the doors sprung open. All the bands that were holding the prisoners there were loose. They were all loose. The prisoners the jailer recognized immediately.
The peril there was to his own life because.
According to the Roman law, it was if any prisoner escaped, it was the life of the jailer for that prisoner.
He knew that his life was at its end, and to avoid the embarrassing situation of having allowed prisoners to escape, he pulls out his sword, going to end it all for himself.
Before he has to stand trial for letting those prisoners go.
And Paul in time says to thyself, no harm, for we are all here.
And he calls for a light, and comes in trembling.
He had repented. What a change in that man. There was a change. There was repentance. He was not thinking of making those men suffer anymore. Now it was a complete about face with that jailer. And he says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? He had no interest in salvation before that had happened, but now he wants to be saved. Now he realizes that he might have to appear before God if his life is taken away.
My friend, you may have to appear before God yourself.
And sooner than you realize.
Your life may be snuffed out. You have no guarantee of your life.
I plead with you.
To consider seriously the consequences of putting off the matter of your salvation.
Repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. And I say, and there are many here tonight that join with me to say it as well to each one of you who haven't settled the matter yet.
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Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Repent. Believe.
For a close, I want to think I've told this story to.
Do a number here, but I must say that it was something that shook me to the very core of my being.
When we lived in Bolivia when we first moved there.
We build a house in the city of Montero.
We contracted a man to build it for us, and he subcontracted the.
A man who was a professing believer.
He was baptized, he was breaking bread, even went along with me on some of my visits with other brethren to outline.
Little meetings out in the jungle areas.
I didn't doubt the sincerity of his faith. Many of those believers are very simple in their faith.
But after the job in our house was completed.
He went off into a different place and I lost track of him completely.
His name was Jaime Martinez.
After about three or four years, I met him in a marketplace and I said where have you been?
He says I'll be back, I'll be back to the meetings.
But of course I didn't see him in the meetings.
But in the city of Montero, where we lived, they have.
Little motorcycles that they use as taxis to take people around.
And we began to hear that these.
Motorcycle taxiists.
We're appearing dead here and there. Nobody seemed to know who was doing it.
Until one day they found a man with a bullet through his head outside of the city.
But it hadn't killed him. The bullet had gone around the skull.
And he was picked up and brought into the hospital and recovered and told who it was.
It was Jaime Martinez.
And he confessed to having killed.
12 People.
He was taken into custody.
So greatly was the people of Montero incensed against him that they mobbed the jail and they had to call in the Army unit and hold them off and they took them off to a different prison.
Since at that time there was a military regime in power in Bolivia, they don't feel it necessary many times to give persons like that a trial.
And under pretense of doing an investigation, they took Jaime out into the jungle to where he had said he had sold one of the stolen motorcycles.
And they kind of.
Let him loose and he started escaping and they called to him and he didn't stop and they pulled out their pistols.
And Jaime Martinez went into hell.
I tell you, my friends.
I don't know what to think, but I remember somebody said they heard him speaking over the radio.
And he only vowed to do that much more again if he got loose. No repentance, never had been.
And it really just stirred my soul to the very depths to think I broke bread with a man who's in hell tonight.
You're breaking bread. You think you're all right, but have you repented? Are you serious with God? Or are you taking? Are you trying to hide some sin in your life? With all my heart.
With all our hearts, we who are truly the Lords plead as ambassadors in the name of Christ tonight.
Repent, be reconciled to God, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
01:00:00
Spray.
Gracious God, her Father.
The Grand Purpose of God
Address—D. Rule
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.
Our heads Prayer.
Turn with me first to a verse in Acts chapter one.
I.
Acts chapter one.
And verse 9.
The Lord Jesus is here speaking to his disciples, and he says to them, or it says concerning him. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up.
And a cloud received him out of their sight and then over in the 7th chapter.
Chapter 7. Here we have Steven at the end of his discourse before the Scribes and the Pharisees.
And.
Verse 55 it says.
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven.
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And saw the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing.
On the right hand of God.
And he said, Behold, I see the heavens opened.
And the Son of man, standing on the right hand of God.
I'd like to comment a little bit on what perhaps is too sacred.
For us to more than feel.
But.
Can you feel in your soul a little bit?
What it must have been.
What must have been taking place?
When those disciples.
Had the Lord Jesus before them, and He speaks to them there for the last time, face to face.
And then he goes up and it says the cloud received him.
Out of their sight.
What must have taken place?
On the other side of that cloud.
Can you thank dear brother and sister?
The reception of that blessed man.
As he was received home.
To the glory.
From where she came.
You know it says in Luke 15.
About the prodigal son.
That when he returns to his father.
The father runs, falls on his neck and kisses.
That was the love of the father for a prodigal son.
But I believe perhaps it's too sacred a scene to be revealed.
To us.
And yet I believe our hearts can be touched by it.
To just contemplate for a moment in our souls, in our hearts affections.
What it must have been for the father who sent the son.
To be the savior of the world. And the Son accomplishes that work that the Father had given him to do.
And now he's received.
Back.
Open arms, undoubtedly.
With the kiss, undoubtedly.
We see in Acts Chapter 7.
Stephen.
And now the heavens are opened, that moment of return has taken place.
And the sun is there at his proper place now as a man.
At the right hand of God.
One who has entered into His glory.
As he said to those two on the way of to Emmaus, ought not Christ to have suffered these things and entered into his glory? And so he enters there into his glory. He is given that greatest of all places.
At the right hand of God.
And the heavens are open.
And Steven looks up.
And beholds the glory of God.
And Jesus standing at his right hand.
That is your privilege and mine, and in measure that is something that we have been doing during these meetings, having our hearts occupied with that man in the glory and the place that God has given to him.
We've had that much before us and in the little time we have left, we're going to continue to meditate on that. So I'd like to turn over to Ephesians chapter one again.
And continue a little with the theme that the Lord has been bringing before us in our time together.
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Toward the end of the chapter, we have a prayer.
Of the Apostle Paul for the Ephesians Saints.
And surely it is a prayer that we can have for ourselves as well.
And so in this prayer.
He says verse 15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom.
And revelation in the knowledge of him.
That the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, or it's been translated, the eyes of your heart.
Being enlightened that she may know.
I'd like to read in the words of another.
That express far more succinctly and clearly and accurately than I can.
What's on my heart for you and myself?
The Bible in its object is a whole.
Which presents to us.
God coming forth from his essential fullness.
To manifest all that he is.
The Bible presents to us God coming forth.
From his essential fullness.
To manifest, to make known, to display.
All that he is.
And to bring back into the enjoyment of this fullness.
With himself.
Those who having been made partakers of his nature.
Have become capable of comprehending and loving himself and his counsels.
Going to read it again.
The Bible presents to us God coming forth.
From his essential fullness.
To manifest all that he is.
And to bring back into the enjoyment of this fullness with himself.
Those who have been made partakers of his nature.
Having become capable of comprehending.
And loving his counsels and himself.
God has been pleased.
To make himself known to us.
We see it in creation, and that's wonderful, and that's the beginning. And that's a testimony of himself that all men have always had in the earth.
But God has come forth.
To make himself known in the person.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It tells us in First Timothy chapter 3.
God was manifest.
In flesh.
God has made himself known to us.
In the person of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The word was made flesh.
And dwelt among us.
And so God has come forth.
From his essential fullness.
And in Paul's prayer in the third chapter, he says that she may be filled with the fullness of God. This is the purpose.
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The grand purpose of God.
That he might come forth, make himself known to us, and then bring us.
To himself.
Giving us a nature.
This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
God has so purposed that he might bring us to himself.
Giving us that life and nature that we may comprehend.
That we may enter in.
To his counsels.
And himself.
In love. In love if you leave the love out.
Everything is falsified, everything is wrong. We can occupy ourselves with all the grand truths of the Word of God.
But God is love as well as light, and it is essential.
For us, it is according to the heart and purpose of God for us that we may be brought into that enjoyment.
Loving himself.
And his counsels. And so in this prayer that we have in the first chapter here.
It says that the eyes of your heart be enlightened.
God desires that our affections be touched.
That we would respond to himself.
And that we would find our delight, our pleasure, our enjoyment in that in which he himself finds his delight, his pleasure, his enjoyment.
And we know what that is, don't we? It's Christ.
It's Christ, it's the Son. And so when the Lord Jesus was here on earth at the time of his baptism.
God opens heaven.
That he might declare this is my son.
And whom I have found my delight.
And now for us, as we await the moment when we shall see Him face to face and be brought into His blessed presence.
God opens heaven to our gaze.
That we may behold him.
At the right hand of God.
That our hearts affections might be drawn out to himself.
This chapter that we've enjoyed together.
Tells us tremendous blessing for us and we're we're to enjoy that.
But I hope our hearts go beyond that.
That we don't stop, as it were, simply in the enjoyment of what's for us and the blessing.
But what is it going to be when He is comes forth in the display of His glory?
When His Excellencies are put on display for all the world to see, and the world looks and they see us.
It's going to display himself in his glory.
As it were, they can say, oh.
God take such objects as that and display his love in such creatures.
As that and bring them into such association with himself.
And man is going to honor and praise him.
As they see us in association with Himself and the display of His glory.
His glory.
And that's the heart of God for you and for me, that desire that we too.
Might be brought into the enjoyment.
Of himself.
His counsels, his love.
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His purposes?
And so we have it here in this chapter.
What does it say in this prayer that we might have for ourselves?
It says the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, verse 18 that you may know.
What is the hope of his calling?
Oh, he says. I want you. I want you to enjoy what you've been called to.
God has received him to himself.
And what do you wait for? And what do I wait for?
That same reception.
That is, we wait for that moment when Christ will come to receive us.
To himself.
That he too might have us with himself.
For eternity.
That's our hope, isn't it? That's what we look forward to.
Desire that it might be this afternoon.
And so it says that you might know what is the hope of his calling.
And the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints. It's wonderful.
It won't be time to do it this afternoon, but for your own meditation, notice the places in Ephesians where riches are mentioned.
The riches of His glory.
The riches or God is rich in mercy. Here it's the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints.
God is rich.
And he doesn't talk about his riches as owning this creation.
But oh, the riches of his grace.
The riches of His glory.
The exceeding riches.
Of his grace.
It says in the Justice, looking down a little ahead in the second chapter.
We see what man is.
Says he's dead.
And trespasses and sins.
And then God comes in in verse four and it says but but God.
Who is rich in mercy?
And what does a God rich in mercy and full of love do for his great love wherewith he has loved us?
Even when we were dead in sins.
We're the objects in Ephesians one and two, we don't take any active part in what's take place here exactly, but rather where the objects of God's councils were the objects of his heart's affections, his love. And so it's God working and but God who is rich in mercy and for his great love. We're with heath loved us even when we were dead in sins.
God hath quickened us together with Christ.
Raised us up together, seated us in the heavenly places in Christ.
And then that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace.
In his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
All when that display takes place.
It'll be a display of his kindness toward us.
In Christ Jesus.
In Ephesians it's it's what we are in Christ.
And.
In Colossians it turns it around and it's Christ in US.
The mystery Christ in you, the hope of glory. And so we have Christ in us. We have had imparted to us life in Christ.
Our hope of glory and here in this chapter.
We have in this first chapter in this prayer, it says in verse 20 or verse 19, what is the exceeding riches of His power, of the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe?
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How great.
Is the power of God working for you to accomplish His purpose of bringing you into this place of eternal enjoyment of Himself and His counsels?
Well, it's wonderful, isn't it? You say. Is that how great is the power?
It's the power, verse 20, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. It's the power of resurrection. It's that same power that raised Christ from the dead. That's the power that is at work this afternoon.
For you.
That's the power that is going to accomplish for you.
And for me the purpose.
Of Our Calling in Christ Jesus.
That power which has raised him.
Christ and now seated him at God's right hand in glory. It's his power for us in chapter 3. It's the working of that power in us that there might be that realization in our souls of that for which we have been called. Let's let's go over to chapter three. Look at it for a few moments.
The Lord prays here in chapter 3.
In verse 14 for this, 'cause I bow my knees unto the Father.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
That He would grant you according to the riches of His glory.
To be strengthened with might.
By his spirit in the inner man.
This is something that is a prayer for our present benefit.
That this might be true of us, dear brethren, as we leave this place shortly.
May this be our prayer for one another.
That we might be granted according to the riches of God's glory.
To be strengthened with might.
By his spirit in the inner man.
That Christ may dwell.
In our hearts.
By faith.
Oh, it's so important. May dwell in our hearts.
By faith, nothing less than that will satisfy the heart of God.
My son give me.
Thine heart.
He wants the response.
Of the heart. And he's going to have it. He's going to have it.
Perhaps very imperfectly now, but in the end he's going to have it.
But this is a desire for the present, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
That ye being rooted.
And grounded in knowledge, in understanding, No.
That ye being rooted and grounded in love.
May be able to comprehend with all the Saints.
What is the breadth and length and depth and height? All he would have us enter into those things and all their fullness.
All that he purposes, all that is of himself.
And then verse 19 and beside that to know the love of Christ.
Which facet knowledge?
That she might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Truth enters by way of our consciences, but it needs to find its lodging.
In our hearts.
And our hearts need to be opened.
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Because our lives are.
Controlled in many ways.
By the heart.
And it's the.
Affections.
That are drawn out.
And it isn't that we try to know and love the Lord more than we do.
It's not the way it's presented to us.
But it is the responsive love, and so it is the occupation with himself.
That draws forth the heart.
Remember the two on the way to Emmaus?
There were two discouraged believers.
And they were leaving a place.
Without the instruction of the Lord to do so.
But they were discouraged and they were going.
Back to the little village of Emmaus.
And the Lord Jesus.
Attaches himself to them.
He's the Good Shepherd, the great shepherd.
There were 90 and nine in Jerusalem perhaps.
But he leaves them temporarily to go and restore these two.
And he goes after them.
And.
They're full of their burden, and he listens to it.
But then he starts to reach.
He said, Oh, fools and slow of heart to believe, ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
But.
What did they say?
After the Lord makes himself known to them and they recount it, it says, Did not our hearts burn within us?
Oh, may our hearts burn within us.
It isn't that our minds be filled. It isn't that our knowledge.
Although important, in its place increase.
But the understanding of our hearts.
The response to himself.
And that's what it called them back, isn't it?
That's what the burning of their hearts is, what drew them back to Jerusalem. And so here he says that she might know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.
That she might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Well, there's encouragement for us to go forth, isn't there? Here in verse 20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
According to the power that worketh.
In.
US unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ.
Throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen.
This is tremendous.
Encouragement for the soul to look up.
And have that certainty that this tremendous love is at work for us.
Toward us in chapter 5. Christ also loved the church.
And gave himself for it. And now Christ is nurturing it and bringing it to himself.
That it might be glorious.
And without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
The Brethren.
I believe it's also important for us to have our conscience is stirred.
And I want to.
Can I say look at our responsibility side of it for just a moment?
In Ephesians chapter 5.
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And verse one it says.
Be ye therefore followers of God.
As dear children and walk in love.
As Christ also loved us.
And hath given himself for us.
Be therefore followers or imitators of God.
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.
And given himself for us.
I'll turn over to Revelation.
Chapter 2.
Revelation chapter 2.
Addressing the same Saints at Ephesus, verse one unto the Angel of the church at Ephesus, right?
And verse 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left.
Thy first love.
The Church has a responsibility in the world.
And we as members.
Of the body of Christ as part of the Church.
Have an individual and a collective responsibility.
To manifest.
To this world.
The heart of God.
You and I have been the recipients.
Of all that we've meditated on.
All that we have enjoyed of our blessings in Christ.
And the responsibility that the Church has.
Is to manifest.
To this world, the heart of God.
We have been made children.
In the family of God we have been told that we are sons.
And we are, and that is to bring us into the intelligence of our Father's heart.
And ways and councils and purposes.
And now the responsibility is to display his heart.
To our fellow man.
Be imitators of God, His dear children, and walk in love.
As Christ also hath loved us and given himself for us.
The Lord.
In Revelation.
And his addresses to the seven churches.
Is an evaluator.
He has worked in grace.
He has displayed himself to them.
And as it's presented to us.
He properly looks for the response to the workings of His grace.
And that's the way He is in your life and mine. He works in tremendous grace in our lives and shows His favor and kindness to us. And he rightfully expects a response.
In Ephesians.
Where the sovereignty of God is at work.
Then the heart of Christ he nurtures and it's all His work and will have His perfect result. But as to their responsibility and emphasis, it was what was the response to such love?
He looked at them.
And he said.
Thou hast left.
Thy first love.
He saw that they were not displaying his heart to the world.
00:40:04
They came short.
And nothing less than the proper display of the heart of God is sufficient.
And so he had to call them to repentance.
Lest their Candlestick be removed. And it's never changed, brethren, it's never changed.
It's true today as it was then.
I leave that with you.
Because I believe that we should go forth with hope and confidence in the love of the Lord Jesus.
But we should have very, very humble hearts.
In his presence.
I take comfort in my own soul.
Recently.
I've always enjoyed Peters.
Coming before the Lord Jesus and bowing before him and saying to the Lord, depart from me, for I'm a sinful man, oh Lord.
I received in my own soul fresh comfort noticing in Lukes gospel it would appear that when he said that to the Lord Jesus, they were both in a boat.
Apart from the shore.
Think of it. Here's Peter and the Lord Jesus and they're together in a little fishing boat.
And Peter says to the Lord, depart.
From me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
While Peter saw on himself failure, he also saw the heart of Christ, and he found comfort in that.
For his soul.
Could we close by standing and singing together #195?
Tell me.
A Christ.
No, no, no.
So.
I.
00:45:02
Ignore.
We pray.