Des Moines Conference: 1996
Table of Contents
Two Walking Together
Address—N. Berry
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I like to commence our meeting this afternoon with.
Few verses of 225 two 2/5.
It seems of confusion.
And creature complaints.
How sweet to the soul.
Is communion with Saints defined at the banquet of mercy? There's room to feel in communion A foretaste alone, sweet bonds that unite all the children of peace and Christ blessed Savior.
There was a lot of cannabis seats though off the mid trials and dangers we were with thine We're United and Hastings doors for the same verse 3.
Oh.
You never sing. Sing.
Sing.
We.
Bless the Lord.
You.
It is to try.
To save glory.
Save your.
Prayer.
But you turn first of all with me to a little book in the Old Testament and.
00:05:01
Daniel Ozil, Joel Hence.
Chapter 3.
Verse 3.
Amos 3/3.
Can two walk together?
Accept they be agrees.
Very plain work. The context in the number of questions that they answer is no.
And that everyone sits on my heart. I trust I have it from the Lord to see.
About walking.
With and in Christ together.
And we look at a few scriptures from the New Testament, first of all to get the proper.
Christian teaching on this, then by God's grace we will look, as I am very fond of doing, into the Old Testament and draw those sublime pictures that illustrate so fully and so satisfactorily those deep truths that are revealed in the New Testament.
So we're going to be speaking about.
Two walking together and the absolute need, the sensuality I'd say, of being in agreement to have one object before US1 object, and that is the Blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Whether it is in a family life, husband and wife, there can be no walking together unless there is agreement.
Than any doesn't say can any can two walk together except they be agreed?
1St Corinthians 110 says Below, I I beseech you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that have been all divisions amongst you, but that you be perfectly united together in the same judgment and the same opinion. Beloved ones, we are in difficult days, and I stand years and older brothers, a father who might say, and I tremble as I just think possibly if the Lord's delay for a little while longer until the last one is, is saved.
Of the difficulties and the confusion that you younger brothers and sisters are going to face, and you fathers and mothers too, in bringing up your children, to be feeding them on that through which will unite them to you and trust.
But I'd like to lay the foundation on when two walk together. Well, there has to be a grief one and the other. So let's look at the first one now, the one with whom you and I desire to walk. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 6.
And verse 16616. Second Fernandez. Now here is the one side. Beautiful, sublime words. I'm going to have to go rapidly over this and I would just ask that you bear with me if I sometimes just quote a verse, give you a reference or otherwise the readings. Now here. It's a very important part.
The Lord side of this two walking together in the middle of verse 16 as God hath said. Now this is these are the words of God. I will dwell in them and walk in.
This is God's side. This is beloved ones who are living their face. I don't want to be giving. I want to be talking strange to us. To each one of us. Fear, harmony to your conscience.
This is a promised Beloved Ones. We're living in dark, dark days. And here the Lord says I will walk in you. Some of the old Ones will remember Captain Dunlop, long since with the Lord. He made one remark that time. Well, remember, that is the thing that keeps me in communion from day-to-day, is the consciousness of the Lord's head, and is on my head.
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There is an example of blocking.
In the consciousness that the Lord is walking in with us here side by side. But hints how do you hence one side? Now what about your side? What about my side? Colossians, chapter 2.
And verse 6.
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord.
So walk ye.
In and soul walk to me.
The state to use dear young ones here this afternoon. You're walking in Christ.
I'm not going to be talking about the circumstances that you may be in. You might say they're very difficult. They're very difficult. We realize that the dangerous days that which Paul warned are here, they're on us and they're not getting any better. My son was saying it's not only getting worse, but it's getting worse faster. And beloved ones, we need to be scraping in ourselves in Christ.
Walking with a good conscience with and in the consciousness that the Lord is walking in thee, and I in Christ.
Now we'll look at.
Beautiful illustration to me of two men who walked.
Ones name is Joshua and that's the Hebrew word. That same word in the New Testament is Jesus.
The other one was Caleb his.
Name means a dog that some of us recall and we heard a little bit this morning of what that is a picture of that unclean animal. This is what you and I are by nature. I don't be thinking about that from which we've been dig. Yes it's necessary be conscious of it. But all beloved ones what are we in Krutz We stand in all his perfection in the sight of God. Hebrews 10/14 says for by one offering.
At the perfected forever, then that aren't sanctified.
Look into your faces, beloved ones, and realize that if you are one of those of belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ, you stand in all the perfection of Christ. And if we are occupied, I can put it this way, If we're occupied with our state of soul, it tends to depress us, or we listen to those about us there is liable to be discouraged.
But oh, if you and I each day just remind ourselves of that perfect standing that we have in Christ, what will be the result of it? Beloved ones, my state will come up. This is what I want to do to you with God's grace this afternoon, to draw your hearts affections more and more to that one with whom we walk in this hostile world that hasn't got a thought for God.
And getting worse and worse. Oh, may we learn a lesson from these two men of the turnover now in Numbers, Chapter 13, and look briefly into this story.
Numbers 30.
The corner of Egypt.
We built the Tabernacle and they've gone up to go into Israel, southern end of it. Moses the leader. Jesus, one man from each tribe mentioned there that early part of the chapter. The names of each 15012 names.
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Your name may not be very prominent, you would say. Well, here they were just 12 men. But look at two of them. Look at two verse.
8th of the tribe of Ephraim.
Or Joshua.
Verse.
Six of the tribe of Judah.
These men.
Are scarring you now.
With a Commission. And that is to go and search the land that's so poor that should be used rather than spy the land. Search the land. It was a little indication of lacking in faith, because in Exodus 6 God made seven promises. I will take you out of the land of Egypt and so on. Not a word about the wilderness, but I will lead you into the land. Those were the promises.
That no doubt were in some of the minds of these ones, Caleb included. And so these 12 men go off and they make a very interesting circle of the whole of the land of Israel. What does the land of Israel mean to you and to me? It's a picture of our present day enjoyment in possession of the truth that is ours forever. Ephesians One and Three, God's blessed us with every blessing we're ever going to have in the heavenlies. You dear, young.
Boys and girls, I just trust that it grasps your soul that you are one of those chosen ones. These were just 12 men to search out the land. We're going to be searching out the land a little bit. I want to occupy with us with our heavenly portion. Our heavenly portion. Not later. Now Ephesians one they call praise and his prayer. I sometimes call it a then prayer. He speaks in that first prayer.
Of the glories that will be, and that we might be in that enjoyment of it. But the third chapter he speaks of the inner another prayer longer. And this prayer I call the now prayer. And it is so profitable for us to look into those things and to see that was longer and both so filled with blessing. Dear young people, are you reading? Are you feeding on this book for yourself?
It has your errors. I think it was or our berserk sees the heathen king in the days of Ezra. He said to Ezra one day he said that which you have in your hand is the wisdom of God. As for 7/25, I think it is.
The wisdom of God, all beloved ones. Do we realize that we have in our hands the Wiz of almighty God and the love and the grace that He has imparted. To you and to me, Dear young ones, I urge you read the precious words. Look into the Old Testament stories. My father brought me up on his knee telling me those Old Testament stories. I never forgot them. He was taken when I was just.
A young lad. But I never lost that love for these beautiful stories. So here are these 12 men.
Expectant and they weren't disappointed. They saw a land that flowed with milk and honey.
Been in that land and it surely is that way even now today. And unbelievable land was flowing with milk and honey. And not only did they come back with the words telling of this wonderful land, but they brought the evidence of it in the grapes that they gathered there and.
Say this to you and say it to myself. It's my life, giving it evidence of the fruit of the of heaven.
They brought back the evidence and they said it gave the words notice a few of the words.
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OK, verse 17.
In the middle of verse 17, that's numbers 1317. Get you up this.
Way shelter didn't go up into the mountain and notice this. See the land, see it. Oh, are you seeing what you possess in Christ now Or you're just saying, oh it's such a heart right there, But oh, it's going to be wonderful when I get up there. Relax, You know, beloved ones, he wants you and me to be filled with that joy.
In the present.
See it? Yes. See it. I want to lead you on, if I can, to views of your heavenly fortune with and in Christ. And so he said. And see the land go down to the 22nd verse.
And they ascended by the South, and came unto.
Percent word.
Hebrew.
When Caleb walked by, that land is.
Heartless. Captivated by Hebrew? Does Hebron mean it means communion? So we were seeing communion with Saints. He never forgot.
It remained with him.
When he came back and all the 12 men said it's all happened, it really is so nevertheless.
She's not sad, nevertheless.
Verse 28 nevertheless.
That's unbelief.
That's what you and I are surrounded with compromise. So we're having there in Colossians and then having in Philippians to compromise.
It's the end thing today to compromise here was.
Situation that now is going to separate these two men, Joshua and Caleb.
From the other 10.
Are you prepared to stand against the tide these days when even the truth has been compromised and we've seen it to our sorrow? In the last 3 1/2 years, many have gone off. Where have they gone to? I just say one word. Confusion. It can't be otherwise beloved ones. I'm not saying criticism. My heart bleeds, my artists filled with sorrow for those that are gone away.
But oh, at once are you and I strengthening ourselves for the dark days, if, well, today, or the darker days that may yet be ahead of us before the Lord comes. Nevertheless, 10 men said we're not able. Don't you hear that these days? Too hard in the path, too narrow, too narrow, and it broader paths.
Compromise 2 men Two men stood firmly, but look at one of them. Look at verse 30. How beautiful Caleb still.
Of people I'd like to be a killer.
I like to stay. Stay to.
Steal the Lorde people. I don't want to be a troubler, I want to.
Encourage each one this afternoon.
To go on to be a skiller amongst the gravity, not the compromised 1 oz, but to stand firmly and to be an encouragement to others. They're young ones. They're watching you in the assembly where you're standing firm. Are you a Stiller?
So here, he's still the people.
For Moses and he said in the end of 30 verse 30. For we are well able to overcome.
That confusion, that was confidence. Beloved ones, it's either confusion or confidence. And confidence comes from a single eye on Christ. And that's what Caleb saw. He was captivated by what he saw, and there he saw that.
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Police call Hebrews a beautiful place of being there, a very fruitful area he never forgot. But what was there?
That was a place where the Giants were the very same place.
What does that mean? That means that when you and I are going to be enjoying our ignorance.
Satan just wants to try to get at you, but don't forget this according to the fifth chapter of First Epistle of John.
Says he that is begotten of God, keeps himself, keeps himself.
First, Peter 15 says kept by the power of God, that's the sovereignty side, but the responsibility said says.
Cheats himself. Are you keeping yourself? Do I need to ask? You got to keep me. It says there in the 5th chapter of First Epistle of John keeps himself and what happens and that wicked one touches him. Not meant.
It's not in the student. They attacks by Satan. No beloved ones. If you and I want to go on with a single eye on Christ, there's the guarantee that Satan is not going to be able to get at us. The 14th chapter of John's gospel. The Lord said the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in need, was nothing in the Lord that Satan could see.
What do I combine?
Suits himself, and we're getting one.
Let's go on now.
Well.
They describe at great length all but difficulties. Everybody would have done it. You hear that these days. Yes, all the problems. Too big. They weren't all giants. That wasn't true at all. Where the blessings were, or what the giants said.
The sons of Ana and the walls were so high they were up to heaven.
In their imagination, difficulties become mountains when we get our eyes off the Lord Jesus and so go down to the next chapter and verse 6.
Notice how the two men are now together, verse 6 and Joshua the son of none and Caleb the son of appearing, which were of them that searched the land.
Rent their clothes and they stake onto all the companies, the children of Israel. They smoke right out there boldly.
They just didn't whisper it to Moses. They spoke a testimony. What kind of a testimony do you have? What kind of a testimony do I have? My life shows how much I really and truly believe the truth of God. Your life does too. And so here was this man.
These two men standing firm together and saying in the seventh verse, the end of it, the land which we passed through to search. It is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us wasn't a question, it's something like Colossians too, if he be risen with Christ, it's not as if, and it's not the question if the Lord delights they He has the confidence and so will you, dear young ones have been over too.
You'll have the courage to stand against the odds that are rising up these days, even the compromise of the truth in the amongst the Lord's peoples. If the Lord delighted us, he.
We're talking about the circumstances, No, All the difficulties. No, he's talking with the Lord.
And he says he will bring us into this land.
And give it us.
The stand in 1996.
For the Lord.
I see young men in our assembly come from.
Such degradation, drugs and so on. Oh, they've been captivated by Christ. They're going on a lovely example of Caleb and Joshua stealing the people and showing the confidence that they have not in themselves. They realize they have very little.
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But it grows.
What about us we worked in, brought up in the truth, or are we living a pillow at once? One thing to know it, but it's another thing as the 11Th chapter of Joshua, which will turn to Jordan. The 11Th chapter, the end of the chapter, says the the land after all that great conquest all the way through the land, the land rusted from war.
The 13th chapter in the first verse the Lord spoke to Joshua, and he said they were all well stricken in years, and there remaineth very much land to be possessed, possessed.
What's the difference? One saying there was no more war, and then the Lord saying much land beat. What's it? Beloved? Once nobody used this as an illustration, you and I, many of us have been brought up in the arms of the assembly, and we have heard precious truths since we were children.
We're living it.
Ready.
The Lord is able.
What about our choke?
Are we an example to our children? Are they following us?
What's following Joshua Joshua picture of Christ?
Are we following the Lord, our children falling in the path? They will. They will if they. If they do, there's zero credit to us, no credit to us. But if they're not I I have to take the blame. Oh beloved ones, I just say this an encouragement to us that to each one of us here, he said. We're well able of confidence.
And then the Lord said.
But then they said we'll go up and take that full of self-confidence. The whole of all the congregation, they said we'll go. They went in their own strength and immediately they were beaten and back they come and God called them together. And he said to them, because you have refused to go into that land to possess it. Possessing the truth is one thing at least having the truth, but possessing it is far is more.
May you and I desire to assess it.
He said everyone that is over 20 years of age.
We're gone. You're going to wander around for those 38 years till everyone was dead.
Caleb and Joshua heard that wasn't very good news, but.
I wasn't going to get into that land that he was thinking, but not. He had to wander around and around. Let's go over to Joshua, Chapter 14.
40 years is over.
They're in the land.
Everyone of those people over 20 is dead, 604,000 men alone.
604,000 deaths in the wilderness, God's governmental judgment. Now let me say this.
Is Israel for you and for me is a picture of a redeemed people? If we look at those Old Testament stories and see Israel as a redeemed people, we learn the lessons from them. And so you and I need to realize this 11 ones. They were all sheltered under the blood.
Of that land that came out of Egypt. They all went through the Red Sea and they were all baptized. But now God's judgment, because they didn't work, They didn't walk. They didn't walk in the tree.
Are we?
But here, the journey is all over. They're in the land.
There wasn't.
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One day of that blistering sun on Caleb and Joshua that turned them aside from their occupation, Caleb, particularly with that land of Hebron. On he went. What about what about all the difficulties that they had? I don't take time to look at it. You turn yourself to Acts Chapter 7 around the middle of around 25 or so.
There it says, the Lord said. Did he offer to me sacrifices?
In the space of those 40 years in the wilderness, No, no. He worshipped the stars and the moon like the garden that was what was surrounding Joshua and Caleb. I say this beloved ones, to encourage you and me to press on. It may be difficult. Granted the Lord is testing us now as we've never been tested before.
Are we going to stand firm from Christ? Caleb and Joshua continued on. And they got into that land now. I don't have much time left. Just look now at 14.
And.
Verse 6.
Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jeopardy.
The Keenan's I said unto him, said to Joshua. There they are, the two of them.
Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses, the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadish Barnea. Now just quickly to explain what this is.
Caleb never forgot the word of God that was given through Moses to them. You grasping the word of God, is it taking hold of your soul? Is it affecting your life day by day?
Forgive him. And so he says there in verse 714 years ago.
And 40 years I was 40 years old when I with Moses the servant of the Lord, sent me.
Verse 8 Nevertheless, my brethren that went up with me, made me my heart, made the heart of the people melt. But I.
Fully follow the Lord my God six times, beloved ones. This expression appears in the Scripture. God said it, Moses said it.
The word of God just said it, and.
Caleb himself was that pride. No, it wasn't. It was confidence. Like if also could say the followers of me as I am, it was confidence. And here now Caleb is reminding Joshua of a promise made long, long before to give him.
Hebrew.
He laid hold of the promises Are you?
Come on, laying over those promises, those blessings every one of us has, all the blessings we're ever going to have in the glory. Ephesians 1 fours it. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly sin. Christ, they're ours. They're ours, he said. The promise was made to me that I would get that as an inheritance.
Very interesting thing just in closing that these two men Joshua and Caleb as far as I can see in the scriptures for the only two people that received a personal inheritance of land in the scriptures in in the scripture.
He now receives blood that which was before him all through those tortuous years.
Joe and Caleb going on with the same beginning, the same faith, the same courage, the same path and the same destiny.
You remind Joshua, and they say according to the word of God, you haven't.
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Six times. Why doesn't say 7 times? Oh beloved ones? There is because the blessed Lord Jesus is the one who from the beginning of his life to the end totally did the will of the fox. But here we have a man sickness that's a picture of man 6 times and you stand before the Lord. Jesus may be very similar and the books are opened up your life and the Lord reviews your life.
Will he say to you? Well done, you followed me.
To cover that myself, I want to help you, dear young ones, to keep your eye on the price. What about you might say. Well, yes, but then those are those two men. They got pieces there. If you turn to the 19th chapter, will turn to the.
Joshua gets his portion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, if you turn to it in the 16th Psalm around verse 5, the Lord could say.
The lines are fallen into me in goodly places. Yeah, I have the goodly inheritance. I'm not Courtney. Exactly right. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to have his inheritance in the glory, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, pleased to dwell in the body of that blessed man who went so low to bring you and me into the riches of the glories of Christ.
We're walking in.
What do we have? What does, what does the Lord have? He's got an inheritance. He's going to have this this world. And then Ezekiel, 41 or 40, it says the whole world is going to light up with his glory in the day to come. It's coming, dear young people. And I say to you, fathers and mothers, don't feed your children on the trash of this world. Don't read to them. Fairy story, fairy tale. They're fantasies.
Don't be taken up with Disneyland.
You'll never lead your children to a closer walk with Christ if you do. I just say that in passing. Oh, may we have our eye on the future, But what are the Joshua? What are the what about your and my Inheritance versus Peter, Chapter One?
Tells us that. Let's close with that first Peter chapter one.
Our inherent inference, we're going to collect it.
We're not trying to be faithful for the sake of the inheritance.
But what does it say there? First Peter chapter one, verse?
4.
To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that faded not away, reserved in heaven for you. This day is coming, beloved ones, and the Lord Jesus is going to be satisfied, You shall see, of the travel of his soul, and shall be satisfied two things One is he's going to have be able to know that he lived and died for the glory of God.
And as a reward, he's going to have those who have been redeemed by his blood. That's his heavenly Americans. But what about yours and mine? Oh, it's prepared. It's prepared. We're just in the hush of the new Billy before the Savior Come your loved one. May we walk with purpose apart, with a single eye on Christ, in separation from everything, doctrinal evil and moral evil. And one of these moments we're going to hear that shout of joy.
The Savior is coming. May we be faithful until that moment for His glory, let's start.
Open Mtg. 3
Open—B. Brimlow, J. Hyland
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Come, O Lord, I waiting people cheering 325.
Lord.
Of the rings.
The Lord Jesus, when he was here, he told stories that gave pictures. We need the pictures to get ahold of the truth we're not. And how simple a picture when we tell a story to the little ones, you know, to the children. And many of us had that happy privilege to bring up a family and tell stories for our children. You know, they don't forget the stories and they don't forget the point of the story. But this story is about judgment.
You know, speak about the love of God and the grace of God, and how wonderful it is for God so loved the world that he gave us only begotten Son. And this reaches to my heart, and I hope it's reached to every heart here in this room that God so loved you that he gave his own to God the Son.
That you believe in him should not perish. What have everlasting life? Oh, what a thing that everlasting life is about. It's about the life that's eternal and the glory with the and the Father's house and the Lord. Jesus could say, let not your heart be troubled in the 14th of John. You know why your heart is trolled. If you're still outside of Christ, your conscience says that you're a Sinner.
Your conscience, you have to live with it every day. And you know the way the world says. Don't let your conscience bother you. It says don't think.
Ah, muse, you know what that word means. Don't muse, amuse, Don't think. The world says have amusement and we hear them going down the road where I live with the boom box going in the car and goes boom, booty, boom, boom. And it feels the ears and the mind to grind ground out. What?
The guilt of twice 10,000 sins, he said. Brother Mike is thinking about the gospel. Thank God we can praise the Lord for the gospel. Let's always have the gospel close. But you know the gospel warns of judgment. Should not.
Perish once done something about. That's what I'm going to read you a little bit. I'm going to make not the teaching this afternoon because I'm not a teacher, but I'm going to make an application in the 24th chapter of Matthew. Look at it with me, please.
This chapter opens a very, very dark future. You want to know about the future? Let's read about it. But remember, I'm going to make an application for the present from this future picture. That is sure, and it's coming to pass very shortly.
Matthew 24.
And let's see, we want to dip in about verse.
Let's go to verse.
Six verse 6 And he shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors, rumors of war. See that you've been out of trouble.
You know, there's a lot of rumors about more you say that's right. Now that's true. It's going to be getting worse after the church is gone to the floor. They're going to be terrified by the news. Now they're scared by the news and they're upset. And the 2nd Psalm says why did they hit the rage. Yes, they rage the Morales.
And you and I are living in the days that are just preceding the 2nd Psalm on what are they going to do? They're going to rebel openly against the God of heaven. And what about your heart and mind? Have you and I submitted to the God of heaven who came down and lonely grace the Lord Jesus could say he that have seen me, have seen the Father. Remember the disciples that followed the Lord Jesus? They said, show us the quality that suffice of us. And you know what the gospel tells you and me. It brings us right into association with God as our Father. And you know what we say in response when we get saved?
00:10:07
One of the sure signs is our Father. Have you said our Father yet? But this one that said his beloved Son down from the glory, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He evolved to him, he said. Come, you know that's the first call of the gospel. The 11Th of Matthews is called common to me. Only the labor and a heavy laden I'll give you something. Rest. No more abuse mules on the cross. That's the Christians opportunity and privilege now is to be used in the college.
Of the Lord and glory, while our hearts can worship all there. We read through the wondrous story of 1 Ross.
You have to be reminded all the time. Well, I pray, that God has given you to enjoy the fact in your soul that the cross has separated you not only from the world, but that precious blood that separated you from your sins and your guilt. And so the hit writer, he puts it so eloquent.
10,000 since 1:00 moment takes away, but let's go on and look into the future here.
This future I'm not teaching, I'm applying a principle.
Verse seven, nations shall arise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom. And there should be families and pestilence and earthquakes in diverse places. You see, that's already coming to pass. They're having a family. You know, they might even have a family very shortly in the United States of America. With some of the things that we're we're wondering about. The weather, the weather, the weather. You know, the weather is going to turn into some pretty big hailstones when this comes to pass. I didn't read about it in this particular chapter. That's not what I'm interested in this afternoon.
But, you know, somebody says to me, what unusual weather, what unusual weather, the clouds, they cover everything, You know, I know the weather man. And if you know prices, you say to you know, the weather man and you know he's got something in mind. He's conditioning. He's conditioning this world and adjustment.
But you know, it's as there is therefore now no judgment in Christ. Dear young person, I hope that you get a grip on where we are in this world is just before the time of the judgment and the coming events. They tell their shadows. They forecast the shadows by the present. And where do we see the shadows? Right in the Holy Place. That's what this chapter is about. It's something about the holy place. Let's read on.
Man shall be offended first time.
And verse 11. Many false prophets should rise and shall deceive many. This is happening all around us in the Christian world. What used to be orthodox, how they crawl out from the word of God. They think that the censor, they clip out the first portion of the 1St 10 chapters of Genesis. They said that it's not by we live in a new time and that's old fashioned. I even had a brother that was in the Lord's table Tell me First Corinthians 5 doesn't apply in any way, shape or form.
Men rising up among yourselves, what all the problems?
And I on the bottom, I'm going to see after one of the men who's the chairman of the Reading meeting.
I thought the Holy Spirit was the chairman of the Reading meeting this man.
Didn't believe in sugar. We followed. I had a ton of brother and he was a brother that I loved.
But what happened? He got squirming away from the truth. Don't swerve away from the truth. You know what he didn't know about. I thought he knew about the old landmarks. Don't prove the old landmarks which thy fathers have said. And then he says that verse is by 2000 years ago, doesn't occur now because he was trying to cover up sin in the midst of the people of God. Sin that were near the holy place where the Lord Jesus had gathered together his people to instruct them to bless them.
Gather to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you know what? They couldn't show up anymore. I wouldn't have known what the Third missile job is about if I hadn't seen this. And I looked and it was just like the Third Epistle, John. He wouldn't allow this. He wouldn't allow that. And my brother came to minister, and he would tell him to be quiet.
You know, we have to Do we still have the diaphragm fees once in a while. Anyway, We learn, We learn. Do we learn? What do we do about it? Well, let's read on here because this is a little picture here.
00:15:00
It says that verse 13 No 12 Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall get cold.
Is your love for Christ getting cold? Is my heart getting cold? Lord, help me.
The hymn writers is saying you're keeping it across. They're the precious fountain, free to all the healing stream flows from where Calvary's mountain. There's only one Calvary mountain and that's where my savior was lifted up between heaven and earth. And they sent away with them, crucifying with my heart. Since Lord Jesus, thou hast died for me.
Can you say that every morning, Lord Jesus, thou hast died? You know that's going to keep your heart warm.
The sense of his love is nothing like love to warm the heart. You might tell me about all the prophecies in the world, you might tell me about all of the knowledge and the truth, but you know the 13th chapter first readings and said. Though I speak with the talk of many nations, you know some men can speak with the people like angels, and you sit there in their charms.
I've been there too, you know.
With what's underneath it all, with your love for Christ. And so we've got a picture here that's very solemn and I hope that I can just make a few remarks and I'll pick them up.
But he that shall endure.
You know, our brother brought before us so lovely and it's such a lovely word before this last.
He was telling us about those who had a purpose. What is my purpose? You know the big questions we tell in the gospel, where you came from, What you here for? Where you going?
And I tell people I say no. They never told me in the high school about where I came from, what I'm here for, where I'm going.
And I told some of the fellows in the high school, you know.
Sometimes I go into the high school and do stuff and initially the woodshop, one of my favorite little ways to get in there, show them how to carve a little wooden boat. Some of you know about the wooden boat business, you know, Uncle Bob Boat Shop will leave that. But I asked him the question, where did you help him? Oh, what are you here for? You know, the typical teenage in high school? I don't know. I asked one thought, what are you doing?
Look, that's what he's supposed to do.
I said, would you like to carve a wooden boat? And I showed him the wooden boat. And right away he was the one on the team, you know, and he was a big shot on the football team. But in the classroom he had a problem. He said, well, I didn't do the paperwork, so the teacher said I couldn't do a project. And so the teacher said, Bob, do anything you can with these guys and get them going. So I said, hey, everything was Francisco. I said, OK, Francisco, come on, I'll show you how. So we go over to the band. So we cut out the pattern for the boat.
And pretty soon a couple of other fellows come up with what you doing? And good to make a little boat like this. Hey, me too. Well, pretty soon I have to be at work. You know, we had a great time when I got close to them. You know, sometimes we need to get down to where we're close to people on the natural. And then we start telling them. We ask the question, you know, where do you come from? Oh, I came from. I didn't mean that. Where originally did you? Are you connected?
You and I were brought into this world by our first parents that sinned. Adam and Eve, we get to be original. We get to the basis, you know, they say well, well, what's the basis in the beginning going, that's where the basics.
And then he put man on the earth, and so far as they go through the little outline of the fact that our first parents, they sinned, they sinned against God, you and I are a member of the family of sins.
Another question is one of my airport.
You know, I like to put it simply. I'm here to learn about God. And God has given you only His word. He's given us this book to learn about Him and what's in his heart. You know, He can show me how how his skill and the handiwork. He can show me the heavens and the stars and the universe that I can only see a little bit. And then I look at the creation all around me back. I remember chosen heavyweight.
But then we get down to the real question where we're going. One of my hair for I'm here to learn about John. I'm here to glorify God. That's his desire. The Lord Jesus came down and he says I don't didn't come to do my own will. The will of people simply. And the Lord Jesus wants you and me to follow him. So we get the three calls there and you left the Matthew come, take, learn.
00:20:02
Come into the audience in labor and I heard you later I'll I'll give you rest the conscience. He puts the conscience at rest conscience. Now I'm a more condensed for what?
Is almost precious blood, once for all, has washed and cleanses cleanses in the eye of God. Do you know something? He said. I want you to be with me, to see my door. And so Christ loved the Church and gave himself for, He gave himself for, and he might sanctify it and cleanse it from the washing of water of water.
He might present it to himself.
A glorious first, not having squat or wrinkle. That's where we're going to love it. Are you in the in the good of it? There's a lot of people aren't in the good of it. Wouldn't it be nice to tell them about it?
I want to tell about the glory. God wants you to be his companion now and forever in the Father's house. And he says in the 17th of charge that they made me hold one my glory.
Is beyond our minds beloved. But what a thrill to think that he's going to have us there. Let's go back now. We're going to talk about this other matter.
Talks about the gospel of the Kingdom. That's after the church. He's gone. The king is coming, but in the meantime, the Lord is coming for his bride. We need to make the difference. We were singing about the Lord's appearing in our little hymn and it thrilled my heart that they said we would sing that that song because that's really where we're going.
Then it speaks from the end of the 14th verse and this gospel. The Kingdom should be preached in all nations for a witness unto the nation. And shall the end from there's an end coming in this world. Are you ready? For where is your end? And you know, I love to always bring in that thought. What about your heart? Is it right through God?
Common to be onions of Labor and are heavy laden. I'll give you rest, then the next thing the Lord Jesus, he says. These loving words take my oath, take my yoke upon you and learn.
You know when you're in New York with like, you know, the ox and the donkey, they're walking together and the donkey, he's slow, he's barking, but the ox just keeps on standing steady hex. You know, they will not use that in this country anymore. We've got these nice, big, strong practice. But you know that that that's follows the picture because you don't get into yoga with a tractor. You know, you sit in the seat and you steer the thing and you know they're all about you. Just think of being, if you like, with the ox.
And you applaud the Lord Jesus is the office, and you and I are the poor.
Unclean, unclean donkey.
And the Lord says, come on, come on, I want you to flow with me, said Lord. I'm not worthy. I know you're not worth it, but I'm worthy because I love you and I give everything I have for you. You know, the Lord Jesus wants your heart. He wants it wound up tight with a sense of his love. And then you will have to come and do this, do that. And the other thing my heart will say yes, Lord, You know what he says In that 32nd psalms I will guide thee with mine eyes.
You know how mother dies you with the eye sometimes the dad too, you know, Mom says and she looks over the sink with the dishes are and you know what you're looking at. You know I'll guide you with mine. I but sometimes we're looking at the the the back door of the kitchen. How I can get out quick, you know I don't want to.
Do I have to? I always. You know, I don't know if you ever played that tune, but I sang it lots of times myself.
I will guide you with my life at work and sleep afterwards. Receive the interval. That's what I want about the guide during me through the Swarth of the glory, the father's house. Let's go on.
And shall the end come as an income? But now he's going to tell us about some of the end. I'm making an application of the principles of the logic the teaching hears about the future though the future. Justice is coming in this world, and you and I have seen the beginnings.
Of it in the assembly where there's things that happen, that 5040, thirty, 20 years ago, we never saw those things happen. I could point to some of my own program. You can see them nodding their head. They said we never expected them to see while we're here in this world, departure from God, departure from the sense of the responsibility, departure from the holiness of the presence of the Lord and truly come down.
Verse 15.
When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by none of the Prophet, the name of the holy Place.
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What about the Lord's faith?
I started to tell it, but the brother told us just a few minutes ago.
Mickey Mouse at the Lord's table.
That's what I saw on the shirt.
That's an abomination, beloved. That's the abomination that I saw. You'll pardon me if I'm being so explicit. You say, brother, you're being legal.
Thank God I have a Savior that was legal about my sins. He went to the cross and he bore every one of them away. And I'm going to be very, very legal and explicit about that because Jesus paid it all.
Then he invites me to come to his favor.
Says there are my goodness with them.
They're mine, the midst of them I don't want to be. Lord, help us that we have a conscience when we come into the presence from the Lord Jesus.
That it would be appropriate the way we appeared. Solomon had that which could be admired by the Queen of Sheba.
She said. Thy servants, they're dressed departments, they're arrayed their apparel, the way they came up into the presence of the king. What about our king? More than a king, The Lord of the Lord, the Lord of glory crucified. And he invites you and me to come down to where he is in the midst, never mind the midst of them.
You have respect for that or not? I ask you. I ask myself, do I have respect for the presence of the Lord? There it is. There's a future time coming. It's going to be a holy place there. It's going to be in Jerusalem.
And Daniel spoke about it. It was something that was going to come in to corrupt, to do violence, to dishonor that holy place. But then it said something at the end of this 15th verse. Whoso Readeth, let him understand. You know, we read it. I've been making the application, remember?
Let him understand. You know what that means. The obedient heart. Do I have an obedient heart this afternoon to hear his voice?
The sweetness of that voice that says I love you. You know, I think my brother reported that verse over there in one of the province. He showed joy over there with singing. He shall rest in his love. What a day are you looking forward to that time and the glory. What are we going to be around the Lord Jesus?
The obedient heart, says Lord Jesus. We worship and bow at thy feet.
Is that true in my heart? Do I have that kind of a heart that wants to respond to his love? Let's go down, then Let them, which are in the Judeo, flee to the mountains. You know you and I have a mountain.
It's a mountain of God's holy presence, and we go there at every moment of every time of our need, and especially when we come to worship him, the mountain.
Verse 17 led him, which is in the house, stop not come down to take anything out of his house.
Judgments and view. Is there anything in this house that I have that's going to keep me from what I do on top of the house? You know what Peter did on the top of the house in the 10th chapter of Acts? It's a nice I think Mr. Bellock refers to it.
He said he was praying.
He was praying. What should you and I be doing on top of the house when we're crying? Oh, how precious that we would have the sense of the Lord's presence and we would pray. You know what the Apostle Paul says elsewhere? Pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. How can you do that? You don't have to go to some kind of a building, or even on the housetop. You can do it anywhere, at any time.
Nehemiah, you know he was on the spot where the king, the king said. Why is your face unhappy?
His wife shouldn't have been that. The city of my father's is in Ruth.
You know what would happen with another king? He would cut his head off right away. Nobody comes into the King's presence unhappy and so nearby. And all he did the case is what the summit request and the Nehemiah says. I prayed to the God of heaven and I answered the king. You and I can do the same thing. We can pray to the God of heaven, and we can meet the circumstances in the office, in the shop, in the school.
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The question was asked the little girl recently at the school.
How come you don't, you don't go on with this idea that the the woman should be equal with the man And she said because God made it that way.
And the whole classroom, they were having this discussion, you know, and the teacher, I want to get your opinion in all things, everybody's opinion nowadays. But she just said God made it that day and he said that the man, the woman should be, that helped me to command the the counterparts.
That the mammals, their heads and God made them and you know, it shocked the classroom. They all came to her one by one later and said what do you believe?
Subtly that God is true and that his word is true. She was a girl, I think 13 years old. I wonder how many girls we got here. 13 years old. They would have the right answer. When the test comes, you know it's so hard. If the hearts were right, the Lord is going to make it work.
Let him which is in the house cop to come down and not take anything out of his house. You and I have nothing to take when we leave this world except Christ in the heart. And the Lord says I'm going to sanctify her. My church with a washing of water by the word of God. Are you and I washed by the word of God each day, may it be so, may be more so in the speaker's heart as well. I know better. I'm just one of the sheep. God doesn't have any sheep, sheep, But that's what the subject is down a little further this chapter would touch on.
Either let him watch his in the field, return back to take his clothes.
What do you think about when you're in the field? You know, I want to tell you about a man that was thinking about something in the field. You know what his name was? It was Isaac. It says he was meditating in the field that he beloved brother who were in the even tide. This is just before the night comes on this world and just before the even tide. What comes to bride? Are you and I in that attitude of soul that you're waiting?
And the bright and anticipation of this man, Who is this man, this meditating in the field, she says to the servant, You know, that's what the Eliezer said. You know, we don't get his name in the story there about the holy aces going after because he's a picture of the spirit of God and he wants to occupy you and me with our Isaac. Our Isaac. You know what Isaac means. It means laugh. You know what you get connected with laughter is joy.
No. We've been sitting in this lovely book of Philippians, praises, praises, praises every chapter. And the apostle Paul, Why is he so much in the praise? And because he's got to die on the man and the glory. And he wants to tell you on me about his humiliation. He wants to tell you with me about his life, the life that we receive from Christ. And he wants to tell you and me about this friend and about the pattern that we should live in this world, we should follow him. But let's get on with this little portion that I had before me.
We come to verse 19.
Don't let anything interfere with your community, with the Lord. That's the message of verse 18 and verse 16.
The house comes, verse 17, meditation with the Lord Jesus. That's what's going to carry you safely with. The enemy comes in like a flood because we get a picture of the enemy coming in like a flood and devastating the land industry. Neither land, which is at the field, returned back to take his clothes. You know, wear clothes with the righteousness of God in Christ. We don't need the clothes that are back in the House of this world. We're ready to leave any moment.
But the one's hard clothing the righteousness of God. Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has that new garment.
That God should be a God. And with it comes not only our claim, unconscious, devoid of offense, but it's also a government praise and worse than Thanksgiving. We should be giving songs whether it's night or day. Ask one brother. I said no. What happened in the middle of the night. And the song survived all the time. He said brother means when I wake up and watch the song, you know, when you get up in the morning, ask the Lord for a song. You know, we got that little part here book. It's got a bunch of songs in it that are so wonderful.
And I say to the Lord, you know, I wake up in the morning sometimes, the songs when you're there, I start singing. And you know, sometimes in my life, my dear wife, when she was alive, she used to say, you woke me up. I said, yeah, she says, well, I want to sleep a little more. While I said, you know, I had such a happy song that I wanted to sing it, but that's all right before I do it, back to sleep.
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But songs now that I don't have my dear wife. Maybe the Lord wanted me to be marked with my. And maybe how I could be out. Believe that with the Lord. The Lord knows what he's doing better tonight. But he gives songs in the night. You know, when you lose a loved one. The Lord said to look. I'll be right next to you. I'll never leave you for safety and all. What comfort this gives to my soul, to my heart. And then I think all the Lord come today. Maybe you'll come today.
He sits in this occupied light up and you know, it's wonderful. Some of the jobs, I guess some people, I don't know how you can do that job. I can. That's all right.
Gives everyone of us, you and me, there's a like the little song. Can we sing The sunny school Jesus business What?
You and your school wanted. You have a small corner. You have a big corner. It don't make any difference. You know, my grandfather used to preach in the street quarters in New York City and one of the fellows that he worked with, he said, yeah, I saw you out there on the street corner. What are you trying to do, convert the world? He said. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Thinking is a fool of yourself. And my grandfather is just saying, you know. You know what? I know what? I shot her through the housetops in every corner.
He said I have a man that likes to impossible. I want to tell everybody about. And I'm not ashamed of him. I'm ashamed of me, but not him. Oh, wonderful things the believer has, you know, shine for him. You and your smoke 109 mine. I tell that you know you gotta go corner to shine into the Lord. Those little girls at school As a girl at school. She had a corner to shine for the Lord. You have a corner to shine for the Lord. Of course you do Ask the Lord. Say, Lord work I shine for you a little more bright.
Well, let's get on and see what's going to happen.
Verse 19 and woke to them that are with child. Don't be childish. That's the message that I'm drawing the application. Don't be childish about your faith in Christ.
A little child of seven.
Or even 3 or 4 get attention. You don't have to. You can be a child when it comes to believing the Lord Jesus, but when you get a knowledge and make sure don't be childish, the next one is don't be obeyed.
Some people did one and they claimed it all and you know, they don't basically trial at the time, you don't know what's the matter. And some brothers and sisters, they wanted the crowd upon you and automatically.
Well, I just thinking an application, you know, you and I have everything to be ashamed of. Of ourselves, but not him.
He is worthy that heaven's theme song and all art worthy that was created all things Revelation 4 around the throne there at that glorious man the Lamb. Preciously the 5th chapter it says that was redeemed this by their blood out of every kindred and tongue and implantation of tongue. That's what our colored sister of the airplane. She smiles. You know this guy is OK. He's not the discriminating because of other people.
I'm not that with a large comment, I said If the Lord is a contact this afternoon, would you love? She said. I sure would.
And then I said, how do you know? She said because of what you did for me in the cross words. We had a lovely time visiting. You know it's wonderful to meet people and able to talk to him about going up. These could be a little song that we sang. I don't know if you know it. I shouldn't take time to sing it anyway. I'm going up, up, up, up. I'm going up. When she's as it comes I'm going up. Praise the Lord, I'm going up that it's his word. I'm going up, up, up, up. I'm going up. When Jesus comes I'm going up.
See, that's a deposit of song. We need positive songs. And if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, you don't have any doubts and say, oh, so I mean a lot of people that say, oh, so I said, you're talking to a man that knows, would you like to know? So and so we have that word. It appears my word and believes on him. That sent me half. You've had everlasting life getting down to the end of the chapter I wanted to finish.
Pray that your flights be not in the winter.
How can you control the winter?
I know the other hand, he says. It's Four Seasons. Where's the winter here. How do you apply? I'm making an application here. I'm giving you a principle. You know what the winter is right here? It's a cold heart. It's a cold heart. Has God made provision for you to get your heart warmed?
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Every first day of the week I come there. The Lord had to tell the impatient Saints that was left by first love. How are we going to give it back?
False. And more Jesus could say as often as Jesus. Reverend, we discussed you. Be sure the Lord's death will become.
That's where we get my heart from warm. Or I can go into the presence of the Lord wherever I am and say Lord Jesus warm my heart. Let me think of thy love. You know one of my favorites is John the 15th and verse nine that says as the Father hath and love to me.
All I love you continue. Ye and my love. That's the warm heart. What's the next one? Neither of the Sabbath day. You know what the Sabbath day reminds us of? The law. The law. Are you going to back go back to the law? You know, we got a lot of people that want to tell you the law. They want to give you a religious heart. And I have a religious heart naturally. And that's the danger. God says don't have a religious part. I want you there because you love me, not because it's somebody else told me to do it.
Let's go on.
It says but then shall be great trouble, tribulation. You know, you and I live in a time of trouble, the 16th chapter of John. I think the Lord Jesus said with the disciples in the world you will have tribulation.
Some people think they should have a bed of soft flowers. You notice I didn't mention earlier soft flowers that don't have any flowers. That's what some people think that Christian life is about. If you turn to Christ, one man, Tony, you know, since I've been saved, I've had more trouble than all of the years before.
Praise the Lord brother. What do you mean? Or it says if you get follow him. He says in the world you love tribulation, you like Trump. But then he said the company more to be a butcher over from the world.
Those days be short. There should be no such thing, you know. You and I are living in the last days, brother. They're going to be shortened very shortly. You know how.
The Lord himself shall descend from from heavenly Child, and we should be changed. But let's go on verse 22. If any man say it to you, all hears Christ or.
There it is reflection, religious pleasure, and it can be right in the median room.
And some of us have to bar ahead and say maybe I've acted, that I'm Christ, that I'm going to tell you how to do it.
And if you don't know it's my way, I'm going to strike. I'm not going to be in fellowship with you and all that sort of stuff. Intimidation, we call it. And you know what it comes from. I'll be Christ. I'm Christ. There's nothing in this world like envy. And the man might have envy in his heart, and he wants to tell you how it really is. Watch out.
And I'm capable of that myself. You and I are here to be followers.
Of Christ not to act like we're Christ. Look what it says literally then. If any man sends you a Lord, here is Christ or there. Oh, have you heard this, brother? He has got the answer. And this over here, he's got the answer. You know, we get our answers direct from the Lord Jesus. We don't get from. We don't follow men. A man might have a gift that is wonderful gift, you know, but gift is not godliness. And gift is not saying I'm Christ. Do what I'm making an application, brother.
Because we have meant the 20th of Acts. The Apostle Paul's. I didn't stop warning you for three years, night and day, with tears.
Man shall rise up from among yourselves to throw away disciples after them.
And then little coming in to scout his sheep. And you know what he said. The loving words.
Committed to go out of the word of His Grace, which is able to build you up and give you one an inheritance among all them that are sanctified. You and I have been set aside for His Loring, and He wants you to be in the enjoyment of what we are in Christ and not what we are following against. Don't follow man.
Our Christmas. I can remember Brother Beck of Brooklyn years ago, just three months before he passed away, he said. Well, I got a little word on that.
One little word, brother. Be faithful to Christ. Be faithful to Christ.
Here's the answer and the Apostle Paul and the ministry that our money gave us to receive meaningless Hussein along that line that you and I should take courage and take strength from the Lord to follow as Caleb and Joshua of old boy exception.
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Then we come to this other one. There shall arise verse 24 of Christ false prophets, and they shall show signs and wonders, and so forth, permission to see the very.
This is the whole episode before, wherefore they said to behold it to the desk before that.
Well, those are the words of the only one that is worthy of so far.
Last expression that our brother Bob mentioned. Perhaps we could turn to Daniel chapter one.
Daniel chapter one and verse one. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehovah king, king of Judah into his hand with part of the vessels of the House of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the House of his God. And he brought the vessels into the treasure House of his God.
Just passed down to verse 8. But then you purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the Prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
And then just notice an expression in the last verse of this chapter. And Daniel continued.
Well, I was thinking of this portion in connection with Daniel this afternoon. It's been brought before us already in these meetings the importance of going on in the strength of the Lord and brother. And I don't believe they'll ever be a day so dark and so difficult that we have to say we can't go on in the day in which we live. It's true. These are dark, difficult days.
It's true. The enemy is busy, perhaps busy like never before to undermine.
Everything that God has set up and established but brethren, we can in the strength of the Lord, go on for his glory if there ever comes a day so dark that we can't live for God's glory in this world.
All things that pertain unto life and godliness. And I was encouraged this afternoon with the life of Caleb, because I've been impressed to notice how God, particularly in the Old Testament, gives us examples of men and women and young people who lived for God's glory even in difficult times. Even when everything seemed against them, they went on in the strength of the Lord. Because I suppose it's never been easy to live for the lawyer.
I say the enemy has always been busy to discourage and weary and confuse the people of God. He's always been opposed to everything that God has set up and established. It's been often pointed out that God set up and established 2 great institutions. The first one was the family, the second was the assembly. And I say again, has there ever been a day when the enemy has been as busy as the day in which we live to tear down and destroy?
Those two great institutions. But God gives us these examples. Rather to encourage our hearts, I would just encourage those who are a little younger here to read these Old Testament stories to see how these men and women and young people sought to live for God's glory, how they sought to be obedient to the word of God, to not compromise, even when perhaps it would have been the path of least resistance.
You know, the world uses that expression take the path of least resistance. But we find the blessing of those who sought to stand for the Lord even when everything was against them. And how the Lord took care of them, how he undertook for them. Because it says them that honor me, I will honor. Well, one of these beautiful examples is the life of Daniel. We don't have time to go into his life, but I like to look at just a few portions in the book of Daniel.
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To encourage us, brethren, to go on availing ourselves of the resource that we have.
We find here that it was a difficult day. The enemy had come in. God, in his governmental ways with his people, had allowed them to be carried captive into Babylon. And Daniel might have said, well, you know, it's a different day now. It's different from when we were home in Judea. It's everybody's giving up, everybody's compromising and going along with the crowd. He could have said that, but all Daniel, he had a real desire.
A real purpose of heart to follow and honor the Lord. It's interesting that not only were they carried into the land of Babylon.
But it's referred to here as the land of Shinar, because Shinar means wholly cast off. Isn't that the day in which we live? I don't have to enumerate this, because you see this on every hand. When the young people and children go to school, they're encouraged to fulfill the lusts of the flesh and of the mind. They're told that nobody's to tell you that you can't do these things. And man features this world as a playground in which to indulge himself.
He says there's only one life and live it to the full. Isn't that what you hear at school? Isn't that what you hear at work? Isn't that what you hear in the world today? This was the day in which Daniel found himself, a day when every man was doing that which was right in his own eyes. But it's so beautiful to see here that Daniel purposed in his heart. You know, it's wonderful to be under the sound of the word of God in the assembly. It's wonderful to read the truth of God for for ourselves.
But we have to get these things down into our hearts, because I don't believe there'll be a practical moral effect in our lives until the truth of God reaches our hearts again. With Caleb. When he came to Joshua at the end of the wilderness journey and reminded him of God's promise so long ago that he would get into the take his inheritance, get into the good of the land, what did he say? He said that he had brought word again, as it was in his heart. In other words, the inheritance had got down into Caleb's heart.
That's what preserved Caleb during the wilderness journey. He had that before his soul. He'd seen the grapes of Eshkol. He'd seen that good land, and he had so affected his heart that he went on quietly and faithfully for the Lord all through the wilderness. And then he came and reminded Joshua of that promise. Oh, brother, we need to let the inheritance get down into our hearts. We need to let the truth of God affect our souls. And I believe when it does, then there's a practical moral effect in your life and mind.
He purposed in his heart. You know, sometimes I heard folks say about a person.
You know, that person has a nice desire, and I'm glad when I hear people speak of so and so having a nice desire. But, you know, I think of what David said in the 27th Psalm. He said one thing have I desired of the Lord that was good, That was a good beginning. But he didn't stop there. He said that will I seek after, but then it's more than just having a good desire. It says in the proverbs I believe that the slugger desireth and hath nothing.
But brother, we need purpose of heart to stand. In days like this Barnabas went down and exhorted the early brethren, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. Now I realize it's only the grace of God that keeps any one of us. If there's any desire in your heart and mind this afternoon to follow the Lord in any measure, it's God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. But nevertheless, rather than there needs to be that exercise and energy of faith.
We're told in Revelation chapter 3, Behold, I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. It takes energy to hold fast. You think of somebody holding fast, somebody gripping something. It takes energy. And so there needs to be that exercise and energy of faith like Daniel. You know it was a real day of compromise with the Daniel found himself in. I don't know how many of these men were brought in before the king and to be tested and then to be presented to the king.
But I suspect there were more than just four. And of all those men that were brought in, all but four compromised, shall I say, what they knew to be the truth in their day. They all compromised. It was a day of giving up. You know, I've sometimes said that compromise is letting the barrier down slowly. If you have a brick wall and you take a row of bricks off the top of that wall, maybe it's only 8 or 10 inches gone from that wall.
00:55:26
And nobody misses that row of bricks as it's taken off. And so every once in a while you come along and you take off another row of bricks. Pretty soon the barrier is removed. And maybe when the barrier is removed, it was removed so slowly that no one notices that the barrier is gone. Brethren, let's not compromise. Let's be careful to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the Saints. I believe we need these exhortations like never before.
The enemy is busy to introduce those little things, to just give up here and there, to say, well, everybody's going along with it. It's a different day from our fathers and grandfathers. Brethren, it's true. It is a different day from our fathers and grandfathers. But the Lord hasn't changed. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. His word hasn't changed forever. Oh, Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. And I say again, we have everything that we need so that we can go on.
In the enjoyment of the truth, both as individuals and as families, to.
And collectively, as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. Well then I read this expression at the end of the chapter.
And I trust I speak carefully because here was a commendation given to Daniel, and Daniel continued. Now I realized, brethren, that none of us here have finished our course. And I realized, as I said earlier, that only the grace of God keeps us. But let's covet this commendation given to Daniel. We're going to look at some scriptures in connection with his life later on, and we're going to see that in the strength of the Lord and availing himself of the resource that he had in his God in his day, he was preserved.
For the Lord's glory may we covet this. How often we have examples in Scripture of those who made a good start, but they made shipwreck at the end? I often think of poor Demas. Dimas was listed with the fellow laborers of the apostle Paul. He was a real help in the work, But Paul had to say at the end. Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present age. Well, let's go over then, first of all to the second chapter.
Daniel chapter 2 and verse 17.
Well, we'll read verse 16 then Daniel went and desired of the king that he would give him time, that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known unto Hananiah Michel and Azariah, his companions, that they would desire mercies of the God of Heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Well, you know, as we trace through the word of God, we find, I believe, that those who had power in their lives, those who had fruit and testimony for God, were men and women who were characterized by prayer. I know it's been often said, but I believe that prayer is the powerhouse of our lives individually. It's the powerhouse of our lives as families, and it's the powerhouse of our lives collectively as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I believe this was the great secret of Daniel's life. He was indeed a man of prayer. But I'd like to apply this little portion in connection with collective prayer. There was a real difficulty here, and it was a difficulty that not only faced Daniel, but it faced his three friends as well. Those men who had stood faithful with Daniel in the first chapter, those who had been encouraged by Daniel's purpose of heart and Daniel's faithfulness.
And now we find as they're faced with this difficulty, they knew where to turn and the difficulty. And Daniel gathers his three friends together and they have a prayer meeting. And if we were to go to the 12Th chapter of Acts, we would find a similar scene where a difficulty again faced the people of God. Collectively it was in connection with Peter, seemed that Peter was even going to lose his life. But the Brethren came together. It says prayer was made of the church for him.
01:00:06
Without ceasing, I just picture the assembly there, coming together night after night after night, to bring this matter before the Lord. Here Daniel and his three friends, they meet and they bring this matter before the Lord. It was really a tremendous request to think that not only with the interpretation of the dream be given, but the dream revealed to Daniel as well. But you know, God honored the exercise of these men.
And brethren, why is it that sometimes, and I'm going to speak very plainly for a few moments, if you'll allow me. Why is it that sometimes, brethren, when we come to the assembly prayer meeting, it's the most poorly attended? Why is it that when Wednesday night prayer meeting rolls around, sometimes there's just a handful of brethren at the prayer meeting? Well, brother, and I suggest perhaps two things. One, perhaps we really don't understand that the Lord is there on Wednesday night.
Just as he is on Lord's Day Morning, Because if I really understood that the Lord was there collectively in the midst of his own, I'm permitting night, wouldn't I want to be where the Lord is in the midst of his own brethren? Do we have hearts so attracted to the person of Christ?
That we desire to be in His presence in that way. And I suppose the other reason is we don't really understand the power there is in assembly prayer. If we really understood the power of collective prayer, would we not want to avail ourselves of that resource, especially brethren, in a day when again, the enemy is so busy there's an assembly going through real trials and difficulties?
Things that perhaps we have to say, we've not passed this way heretofore. And why is it that sometimes when those situations arise in the Assembly, there isn't light to deal with those situations? Or why is it that sometimes, even if there's light, there seems to be no power to act?
Lord's glory in the assembly. I suggest again that perhaps it's because we're not availing ourselves of collective prayer in the way that God has instituted. And I believe it's significant here that when Daniel came in before the king, he asked that time would be given. Why did he want time given? So that they could join in the exercise of collective prayer. You know, sometimes when situations arise in the assembly, perhaps the initial reaction is, well, we've got to do something to straighten out this problem.
Well, true brethren, we need to act for God's glory when He gives us light from His word. But, brethren, we need to, to take time to bring this matter to the assembly prayer meeting, to be on our faces as the people of God, to seek mercies of the God of heaven like Daniel and his three friends. And I believe when we do that then the Lord can come in in a wonderful way and give light and power to act for his glory in the assembly. Did God honor the exercise of these four men? Indeed he did.
Did God honor the exercise of the brethren in Acts 12? Indeed he did. But I just want to, before we pass on, say a little encouragement for the sisters that I've often mentioned in connection with the prayer meeting in Acts 12. Because there was Rhode Island at the assembly prayer meeting. And I've often thought, you know, Rhoda might have said, well, why do I need to be at the assembly prayer meeting? I can't pray out loud, and I'll pray for Peter's deliverance at home. Well, you know, she could have prayed for Peter's deliverance at home.
But she would have missed seeing the power of God to answer prayer in the assembly. You want to see the power of God to answer prayer in the assembly. You must be at the assembly prayer meeting. And I believe the Lord gave Rhoda a special blessing that night. And even allowing that she was the one who went to the door and saw first hand the power of God to answer assembly prayer. I wonder if Rhoda missed very many prayer meetings after that. She knew the value of the prayer meeting and when we come together, brother.
Bring before the Lord those specific needs and requests that affect the people of God as a whole. That's what they did here, that's what they did in Acts 12. And I really believe if we were more specific in our collective prayers, we would see more answers to those prayers. Well, let's go on then to reverse in the third chapter.
Chapter 3 and verse 25.
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And he answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt. And the form of the force is like the Son of God.
Well, we didn't read the context here. We know the story well. It's in connection with those three men that have stood faithful with Daniel in the first chapter, Shagrat, Meshach and Abednego. And it's interesting in this chapter that we don't read of Daniel. Daniel for a time was removed from the scene because, you know, brethren, it's wonderful to have those who have been an encouragement to us. I thank God that as I look around this room, there's many in this room who have been a tremendous blessing and encouragement.
Soul who have encouraged me in the path of faith. But you know, brethren, that's not enough. The time comes when we're tested as individuals. And here was a time when these three men were tested and they couldn't stand in the shadow of Daniel like they did in the first chapter. They had to answer for themselves. Because, brethren, while the gospel is free, and we're thankful it is, we must buy the truth, it says by the truth and sell it not.
I'm thankful, as I say, for brethren who have encouraged me through the years. I'm thankful for a godly father who brought us the word of God before us in the home and brought us to the assembly. I'm glad for a mother who had that exercise as well. But the time came when I had to be was tested as to whether I was just following along in something that my parents had brought before me, or whether I had made these things good to my own soul. The tests come for each one of us, I believe not only are we tested as individuals.
But I believe every generation brought up in the truth is tested as to whether we have made these things good to our own souls.
Well, here we find these three men, and it was a difficult test for them. As I say, they couldn't stand in the shadow of Daniel and have him speak for them, but their faith had been strengthened and they had been encouraged by being in the company of Daniel. I just want to say this to the children and young people here this afternoon. Your friends are either having a positive effect on your life or they're they're hindering you from following the Lord.
In fact, if I can just say this to each one of us, my own heart particularly, I believe it's a searching thing to realize that every one of us are having an effect on someone else. At this moment, it says no man liveth to himself, no man dies to himself. Our lives of this very moment are either a help and blessing to the people of God or a discouragement and a hindrance. We had brought before us those 12 spies who went in to spy the land.
And two of those spies encouraged their brethren, Caleb sought to steal the people.
But you know, there's a solemn comment made about those other 10 spies in Deuteronomy Chapter one.
It says they discouraged the hearts of their brethren. Isn't that a solemn comment? As they came back and as they brought up that evil report, and as they stirred up the people of God, little did they realize that God was going to record in his eternal record, that they discourage the hearts of their brethren. I believe Daniel was a real encouragement to his friends, and I believe that they were able to stand here.
Because their faith had been encouraged through the their association with Daniel. Let's be careful those that we associate with. I know we have to go to school. I know you have to work alongside unbelievers, but let's be like those in the acts it says. And being let go they went to their own company. David said I am a companion of all them that fear thee and that keep thy precess. I sometimes wondered with Peter as he sat down.
At that fire, if he had, if it was really that association that caused him to deny his Lord three times with Olsen curses. There he sat down with those who had no love for his blessed Lord, and that association defiled. As I was going off to school as a child, often my mother would quote me that verse as I was going out the door. Remember Jim? Evil communications. Corrupt. Good manners.
Well, we need to be exercised about these things. And here the test came for these men and they were able to stand firm. It's true that they couldn't lean on Daniel, but they had been encouraged to lean on the Lord. They'd seen Daniels purpose of fire. They've seen how the Lord had honored Daniels faith, and now they had that same confidence and that same trust in their Lord. And what was the result? Well, do we find their cast into the burning, fiery furnace?
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It was one of the very nice things that because they were faithful in this way, they were going to suffer and perhaps even lose their lives. Well, we find that God took care of them. Now, brother, I realized that God doesn't act in this dispensation or at the end of this dispensation, in perhaps the same way He did back in the Old Testament or even at the beginning of this dispensation. But rather, the Lord still has His eye on his own if you seek to be faithful.
The Lord is going to undertake for you. We find in the 11Th chapter of Hebrews there were those who lived by faith, and they experienced the power of the Lord and deliverance in all kinds of wonderful ways. But then at the end of the chapter it says and others, And what about them? Why they didn't accept deliverance? They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins. They were strong asunder, they suffered trial of cruel mockings, they were killed and so on.
Was it because they had less faith? Oh no. God honored that the faith of those men, although he didn't deliver them in the same way. And so these men, they knew that it would, if they were faithful, that it meant they would be cast into the fiery furnace. But they trusted in their God.
And God came in in a very wonderful way. And just think of the joy of their hearts as they walked in the midst of the fiery furnace with a sense of the Lord's presence with them. They look wonderful when we go through trials and difficulties to have a sense of the Lord's presence with us. It was mentioned this morning in connection with Paul and Silas in prison. It was a difficulty. In fact, I sometimes wondered how I would have reacted. No, I have had the privilege and opportunity of visiting prisons in the Third World.
Prisons that I suppose, were very much like the prison in which Paul and Silas found themselves. Not prisons like they have in North America, but the lowest circumstances possible. And there they were. But you know, they had a joy of which it says, no man take it from you. Why did they? Could they rejoice at midnight? Why could they sing, praises and pray? All because their joy was in the Lord. It didn't depend on being in a prison or a palace.
It didn't depend on having liberty and freedom. It depended on what was in their hearts. And they were so in the enjoyment of the person of Christ that they could pray those circumstances. They felt them, I'm sure, and we feel the things that we pass through, that they found their joy in the Lord. And so, you know, here we find these three men and they had a real sense of the Lord's presence. Would they have missed the experience? How many times? Perhaps you've gone through some real trial and at the time you felt cast down, you said, I don't know why the Lord allowed this. I don't know if I can go on.
But then he got into the presence of the Lord and when you looked back he said I wouldn't have missed that trial for anything. How often we've enjoyed this special sense of the Lord's presence with us in a trial and a difficulty. And so we find here they enjoyed a sense of the Lords presence with them. Rather we don't have to ask the Lord to be with us. Sometimes we pray and ask the Lord to be with us, but I don't believe we need to pray that prayer as much as we need to pray.
And ask that we would be walking.
In a way that we would have a conscious sense of his presence with us. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. But brethren, we need to be exercised that we would walk so that we can enjoy his company. And I believe when we walk in his company, it can make the roughest Rd. seem sweet. No, I've had the privilege of having my family with me as I've traveled a little bit this winter and I've traveled over many roads that I've traveled over previously alone.
And some of those roads that I've traveled over alone, even though they may be the best Interstate in the United States, they've seen like long roads. But they didn't seem so long when I had my family with me because I wasn't the enjoyment of the company of those that I love. And we can go through life in the enjoyment of the company of the Lord Jesus. Well then, let's notice the Mercedes in the 5th chapter.
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Chapter 5 and verse 17. Then Daniel said before the king answered them, and said before the king, let thy gifts be to thyself and give thy reverse to another. Yet I will read the writing out of the king and make known to him the interpretation. Well here we find Daniel standing before Belshazzar.
I suppose the greatest king of the day and those chaser says to Daniel, if you can read the writing on the wall, I'll give you 3 things. I'll give you a gold chain, I'll give you a scarlet robe, and I'll make your third ruler in the Kingdom. But we've read Daniel's answer from the word of God, and I've often wondered, why did Daniel answer in this way? Those were tremendous gifts that were offered to Daniel to think that he would be honored in that way.
Even to be made third ruler in the greatest Kingdom of the day. But you know those gifts meant nothing to Daniel. Why did those gifts mean nothing to Daniel? Well, Daniel knew from the writing on the wall that the Kingdom was already under judgment. He knew that that Kingdom was about to pass away.
Secular history tells us that while Daniel stood before this king, the enemy was already besieging the city. And the word of God tells us at the end of this chapter that that very night was the king slain and his Kingdom given to another. And why would Daniel want to be third ruler in the Kingdom that was already under judgment? Why would he want to be honored for the for the moment he knew that the Kingdom was about to pass away, and brethren thought we don't despise the mercies that God has given us.
And in the land of Canada and the United States, he's given us many mercies, and we enjoy those mercies. But, brethren, we need to realize that they're only for a time. They're just like the Kingdom of Babylon. They're about to pass away. It says in Peter seeing them, that all these things shall be dissolved. What manner of persons are ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? I believe in the measure in which we are in the enjoyment of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus.
In that measure, it will place a proper value on the temporal mercies that God has given us.
For this life to realize that these things are not our own, that they're about to pass away.
The poet put it this way. He said only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. May we have that proper sense of those things that God has given us in a temporal way here in this world again you find in the 25th of Leviticus.
Connection with the Year of Jubilee. What was it that replaced the proper value on the things that the children of Israel bought and sold? What placed the proper value on their temporal possessions? Why, it was the nearness of the Year of Jubilee Because when the Jubilee came, everything had to be returned to its original owner. In other words, if a man bought a piece of property, say, in the 49th year, well, they obviously didn't pay very much for it because in one year it had to be returned.
Brethren, our jubilee is about to take place. All those things that we built for down here, all those things that perhaps, and I say it to my own heart, we've set our affections on down here. Those things are going to pass away. The things that are seen are temporal. The things that are not seen are eternal. But may we take a lesson from this in connection with Daniel. He refused those gifts, even though he told the king that he would read the writing and saw.
I believe that we're just moments away.
From that time when the Lord Jesus is going to come, we're going to leave these things behind. And what are they going to matter in that day, Brother? What are the things that we had down here going to matter when we see His blessed face? Why, They're going to mean nothing. They're going to mean nothing because we're going to be occupied with himself. And there we're going to go over the unsearchable riches of Christ for all eternity. Our hearts will be occupied with himself and those things concerning himself.
Well, I say again, we're thankful for that which God provides for us. And as fathers, we need to labor and work with our hands and provide things honest in the sight of all men and so on. We need to get through this world, but let's.
Respective brethren, these things are just for time, and so I encourage our hearts to look up and to set our minds on things above, not on things of this world. We'll then look at a verse in the 6th chapter.
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Chapter 6 and verse 10.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being opened, and in his chamber toward Jerusalem. He kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did a four time.
Well, we spoke a prayer earlier on in connection with collective prayer, as Daniel and his three friends gathered together and had a prayer meeting concerning the situation that faced them. But here I'd like to apply this in connection with private prayer, that which the Lord Jesus spoke of in Matthew 6, when he said, But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, traded thy Father, which is in secret, and my Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Let me repeat a statement I made earlier because I think it's vital, rather than if we're going to have power and fruit and testimony in our Christian lives down here, we must be men and women and young people characterized by prayer. There's no other way, I say again. It's the powerhouse of our lives. Individually, it was the secret of Daniel's life. Here we find Daniel now, an old man, not a young person like he was in the first chapter. But here we find he was. He's an old man.
And he's still going on faithfully with that purpose of heart for the Lord. But I believe it was because he was a man characterized by prayer. But, you know, I'd like to say this in connection with prayer, because if I can put it very simply, prayer is coming and speaking to the Lord. And we all can think of prayer in connection with making requests, in connection with coming when there's some difficulty or trial in our lives. And that's true. Rather, we can come with every trial and difficulty.
Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me. But I believe prayer, Prayer is more than just making requests. We find that in First Timothy chapter 4. I believe it's the fifth verse. If you notice Mr. Darbys translation, he translates the word prayer as freely addressing God. Isn't it a wonderful thing that we can comment freely, address God? That we can speak to him as a man speaketh to his friend?
Significant statement in this verse that we read because Daniel came and it's true there was a real difficulty at this time, but he prayed three times a day as he did a four time. Because I believe it was not just the habit of Daniels life to pray when he got into trouble, it was the habit of his life even when things went well. The reason I say that is because if you notice at the beginning of the chapter, David Daniel was promoted under the new king.
He was doing very well, I can put it this way. In his business, things were going along very smoothly for Daniel for some time, but it was still the habit of Daniels life to commune with his God three times a day and sometimes picture him there on his knees. Maybe he had no special request that times.
But he went at those times, set aside for prayer, and he just talked to the Lord.
Because you know, if you have a friend and you only go to that friend when you're in trouble, pretty soon that friend gets tired. They say, Why do you only come when you have a problem? Why can't we just enjoy happy times of fellowship? But by the same token, if you have a friend and you go that friend in difficulty in those happy times, and you enjoy those happy times of fellowship, then when the trouble comes, you know where to turn. You say, I can go to that friend because they understand me.
We've entered into one another's thoughts on one another's heart and you don't mind going to a friend that you've enjoyed happy times of fellowship with. That was the experience of Daniels life. He enjoyed happy fellowship with his God on a daily basis. And then he when the trial came, he knew where to turn. He wasn't. He wasn't overwhelmed by the difficulty because he had found a friend and a resource in his God. Well, very quickly. I just want to read one more expression. It's in the 9th chapter.
Chapter 9 and verse two. In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books. Well, we've spoken of how we can speak to the Lord in prayer, and that's a wonderful resource. But here's something else now. And I'd like to just make this little application because we speak to the Lord in prayer, but then he speaks to us through His Word and brother. And I trust we value this book that we have in our hands, young people, I trust you read it each day.
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There was a time in my life, sad to say, when I didn't read the word of God on a daily basis. And as I look back, I realized there was a loss, something that will never be recovered in my life. Oh, I I challenge you and encourage you to read God's Word. Open it each day, and familiarize yourself with these stories in the Old Testament and with the truth of God and the truth of Christianity in the in the New Testament.
But then I want to just encourage you too, because it says I Daniel understood by books. Now, brethren, there's no substitute for reading the word of God. That's true. That's foremost and most important. But I believe too that God has raised up men who have been calls to write things that encourage us in our Christian pathway. They've written good Christ, exalting ministry. And I just challenge you again to go to the bookshelf.
Maybe you have a father at home and he's got some of those good books on his shelf, that good press Christ exalting ministry that men of a past, a past generations have written although and avail yourself of that ministry there helps to you. They'll help you in your reading and understanding of the word of God. It's true, the spirit of God is the is the perfect teacher. But I said again, I believe there are those things written that will be an encouragement to you and when you open and read a book.
Look at the preface. Often it will tell you if that book is good Christ exalting ministry, or whether it's just going to occupy you with yourself. I'll read those good things. There's no shortage rather than a foot Christ exalting ministry available to us. Perhaps when I say to my own soul, perhaps there's a lack of diligence and energy to read those writings, but they're available to us. Well, may the life of Daniel, like the life of many others in the Scripture, encourage our hearts to go on rather than things are not going to get better in this world.
In fact, Scripture tells us they're going to get worse and worse before the Lord Jesus comes. But you and I can go on, not in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord. We can go on for his glory as individuals, as families, and collectively as gathered to the Lords. Name. May the sincere and earnest prayer and desire of your heart and mind being Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. Amen.
God's Holiness
Gospel—K. Harman
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.
Hello. Hello.
Is that good enough?
Is there any water?
Want to welcome everyone to the Gospel meeting tonight?
And I'd like you to open your song sheets to number.
6 front page #6.
God and mercy sent his Son to a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified.
It was for sinners Jesus died. Oh, the glory of the grace shining in the Savior's face, telling sinners.
From above, God is light and God is love.
Number six.
God in mercy sent his Son.
To the world by.
Sin undone, Jesus Christ was crucified.
Twas for sinners Jesus died.
All the glory.
Of the grace.
Shining in the Savior.
Telling sinners from.
A bomb.
God is life and God is love.
Love, sin, and death no more shall reign.
Jesus died and lives.
Again.
In.
The glory.
See him God's supreme delight.
Oh, the glory.
All the great shining.
In the Savior.
Face.
Knowing sinners from.
God is life and God is.
Oh heaven, his name.
Everlasting life.
Receive.
Lord.
Of all is Jesus.
Now.
Everything to him.
Must fall.
Over the glory.
Of the.
Great Shining.
In the Saviour's face.
Stolen Sinners.
God is life and God is.
Love.
Christ the Lord will come.
Again.
He heard suffered once will reign.
00:05:03
Every tongue at last.
Well, alone.
Jesus Christ.
Is Lord.
Alone.
All the glory of the grace.
Shining in the Savior.
Face telling sinners from.
Above.
God.
Is light and God is love.
We bow our heads and ask God's help.
We just came out of a prayer meeting.
And if there's anyone in this room?
Thank you.
There's anyone in this room tonight?
That is still lost.
I wish you were a family on the wall in that room tonight.
And just here.
The concerns of everyone in that room for your salvation.
The word of God tells us if our gospel be hid is hid to those that are lost.
You've heard the gospel before, many, many times. I don't believe there's anyone in this room there's never heard the gospel, is there?
But I can't say that everyone in this room is saved. I don't know your heart.
God looks down into this audience tonight and He sees right down into your heart.
That right, Bob?
Every heart here is all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
We sung in this hymn here in this song all who in his name believe everlasting life, receive Lord of all as Jesus. Now every knee to Him must bow, and if you don't bow the knee to not be before him in this scene.
You will bow your knee in that scene, that coming day, my friend, where there will be all things will be exposed.
Him you will stand there without that wedding garment on, as it were, and you will. You will have nothing to say.
You know, there was, before we get into what I had on my heart, I'd just like to read a verse or two in the book of Acts chapter 24.
And we read there of how Paul was preaching to Felix.
And it says in verse.
25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled.
And he answered, Go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
And then over in the 26th chapter, Paul was speaking to Agrippa.
And Agrippa called him mad. Paul Lowart beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad, Festus said with a loud voice in verse 25. And the king knoweth all. For the king knoweth of these things before whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believeth thou the prophets?
I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, almost Thou persuadest me to be a Christian. There is none in this room. I believe I said it before, and I'll say it again, that has not heard the gospel, and if there is someone in this room has heard that gospel and has rejected it.
It's just like what we have read here. I know that thou believers, I know.
And as you sit here under the sound of God's word, again, not my word, but under the sound of God's word, I would that you would be like Felix who trembled.
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My friend, these are eternal issues and you have been brought here tonight.
By God.
To hear his word once again, the.
The day is past coming to a close when it will go out.
I trust your heart will be solemnized when you think.
Of the fact that when you leave this world, where will you be? Where will I spend? Where will you spend eternity? These are solemn issues, my friend, and I want you to consider them in the light of the Word of God. You have rejected it, perhaps neglected it. God's offer of mercy.
But you can't go on doing that forever, because the day will come.
When it will be no more, there no no more opportunity. You know there was a time when God gave Pharaoh 10 opportunities.
To to obey his word and he didn't. And finally God hardened his heart. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to those that are lost. Is that your condition tonight, my friend? Lost without hope, without God in this world?
You know God loves you.
And he loves each one in this room. He loves you so much.
But he spared nothing, He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all.
Of showing up with them also freely give us all thing. God wants to give you my friend, all that he has.
All that he has.
If you knew the gift of God and who it is that speaketh unto thee, the Lord Jesus could say to the woman at the well.
He would give you water that you would never thirst again.
Is there anyone in this room thirsting for the?
For something.
You don't know what you're thirsting for. Perhaps you.
You are trying this thing and that thing and you're going from 1:00 well of water to another well of water.
And you're never getting your thirst satisfied. Am I speaking to someone who has that situation in your life right at this moment, You young people?
How often have you rejected the word of God?
Do you ever scoff at the Word of God when you are sitting in your own little assembly?
And the word of God is proclaimed. Are you listening?
You know those brothers there that are trying to bring that word before you? They may be doing it stumblingly.
But they are reading the word of God, and they want, they are anxious for your soul.
They want you to be saved.
Perhaps your parents are here tonight. They're praying for you.
There was many prayers going up in that prayer meeting tonight and I value those prayers.
For this meeting.
But you know, there's it was mentioned over and over again about those young people, children perhaps that have spurned the gospel, that have not, that are not saved.
And they're anxious for your soul, my friend.
You know.
It wasn't always so that we could that God was as accessible as he is.
It's a wonderful thing, isn't it, to know that God is accessible?
But you can. You can reach Him, but He can reach you. That we can talk to Him. Do you talk to God? Have you ever talked to him? Have you ever told God that you're a Sinner, that you want to be saved?
Have you ever told him your condition, your longings, the.
There are many in this room. I'm sure everyone in this room has remembers the times when they've gone. Those longings were there.
And they cried to God.
To give them salvation, to give them something for their souls.
But they might have a purpose in this life.
You know, there's so many, they're going through this world, no purpose. A brother was bringing this out.
Today.
Where are you coming from, why are you here and where are you going? Many people are concerned about their about their roots.
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But are you concerned about your where you're going, my friend? That's far more important than where you came from.
But how thankful we are that God is accessible now because of the cross of Calvary.
I would like to begin by going back to the book of Exodus, chapter 33.
We'll begin reading.
From verse 17.
The Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also, that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee.
By name. And he said, I beseech thee, Show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy, unto whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see my face. See me and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock, and it shall come to pass.
While my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover thee with my hand while I pass by, and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen. There was a time, I say, when God was inaccessible except by.
To a a class of people.
Priests who could come into his presence by a sacrifice, but the.
Commonly speaking, we could not come into his presence alone.
There was a veil in between. There was something hindering us to come into the very presence of God, because you see God as holy.
God is holy and he cannot look upon sin.
And we read in the book of Job, I believe it is that of one who is saying who will give a ransom?
For him and he said deliver him from going down into the pit, I have found a ransom, a ransom.
Oh, you say if someone could find a ransom for me and pay the price.
To set me free. How wonderful that would be.
Yes.
But here is God who says to Moses, Moses, you can't look upon my face.
Moses says, show me thy glory. Have you ever asked the Lord?
To show to show himself to you. Is there anyone here in this room that desires to see the glory of the Lord that hasn't seen him already? Oh, I'm speaking to so many in this room that no, that have seen the glory of the Lord that have that know him as their Savior and they know what it means to be sheltered by the blood of Christ. But there are those who are fearful, perhaps. And yet you say, show me thy glory. Have you ever done that?
Well, Moses could say, show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord. And you know, my friend, God has done that. Yes he has. God has proclaimed all his goodness to us.
And we'll go on.
We'll go into John's Gospel.
John, Chapter one.
I'd like to read from verse one. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him. Without Him was not. Anything made that was made in Him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
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Verse 9. Verse eight. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world.
The world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own.
And his own received him not, but as many as received him to them gave he the power to become the sons of God.
Even to them that believe on His name, which were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of gone.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, verse 16. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace. For grace, for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.
He hath declared him.
Turn to John's to a little further in John chapter 5.
Verse 36. But I have greater witness than that of John for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do.
Bear witness of Me that the Father hath sent Me, and the Father Himself which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
Chapter 6 and verse 46.
Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God.
He hath seen the Father.
You see, no man could see God and live. No man has seen God at any time. No man could look upon his glory. His glory was, was, was hidden from man. And Moses, you know, we see there how Moses was on that mountain and God and, and God said, he hit him in a Cliff to the rock and he put his hand upon him.
As he passed by.
And he saw his back and not his face.
Could not look in the face of God and live. That's how holy God is. And you say you are going to take your chances and stand before a holy God.
In your sins, I had a man tell me that once you know.
Man is gone now in the very presence of God.
Trying to stand in his own works, in his own, with his sins upon him. My friend, your sins have hidden between you and your God. You have to get rid of those sins.
Or they're going to take you right down to a lost eternity.
Moses, the servant of God, could not look upon his face.
And so he hid him in the cleft of the rock as he passed by. You know how wonderful it is to have a hiding place in this world. My daughter and her husband were living out, are living out on the West Coast, and they weren't too familiar with the powers of the waves.
And they were walking along the shores as the as the tide came in, and this one big breaker came rolling in. And my daughter saw it just in time. And she leaped up upon the rock and spread Eagles on the rock while the waves went away. Could have just pulled her right out to sea, but she was saved by holding on to the rock.
And you know, we have a rock, we have a hiding place, as Moses had a hiding place here in the cleft of the rock, while the holiness of God passed by. Well, my friend, you know God does not change His thoughts concerning sin.
As the years go by, this society in which we live, they change their thoughts about the morality, you know, and so things today don't seem quite as bad as they did 50 years ago or even 25 years ago.
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And so because society thinks that they can live with it, then God can live with it. But you know, God is just as holy now as he ever was, and he's going to require.
Those sins, and if those sins, if you die in your sins, you will perish.
Forever in your sins.
You need a hiding place. Yes you do.
And so we get here that.
This man, the Lord Jesus Christ, God's answer to the rock. He is our rock, Rock of Ages, cleft for sin. Can you sing that? Oh, how often we sing. I love that song.
I can't quote it all, you know, but I love it. There's many here that can quote it, but I'm not good at remembering all these, all the lines. But how wonderful it is to sing about the Rock of Ages cleft for me.
And to know that we are hidden in that rock that is higher than I.
And so it says here the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glories of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, If we turn over to the First Epistle of John.
'S.
Chapter 1. The apostle here could say that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father.
And with his Son Jesus Christ and these things right we unto you, that your joy may be full. Now I know that's spoken to Christians and the the beginning here is really the beginning of the Lorde pathway here on earth. But nevertheless, here was the one because God was inaccessible as it were, because he he could not be reached because there was a veil in between. God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin undone.
Jesus Christ was crucified for mice and and for for me he died. For sinners, he died. Jesus Christ was crucified to us for sinners. Jesus died. And so here is what who God sent into this world in order that you and I might have a hiding place, that you and I might be sheltered from that, from the storm, that we might have a refuge for our souls.
That we might have our sins washed away in His precious blood. God had to do the work, my friend.
And so God looked down upon you and me. God looked down upon this earth, and what did he see? There's none that doeth good. No, not one. They've all turned aside. They've all gone, gone astray.
And there's No Fear of God before their eyes. What a condition was your, your condition and mine without God and without hope in this world. You know they're told. The Ephesians were told to remember.
Remember what they were in times past, Gentiles after the flesh, strangers from the covenant promised without hope, without God in this world. That was a condition of the Gentile. That was a condition of those who were apart from the people of God, the nation of Israel, who were the only ones that had a testimony for God in the world at that time. The poor Gentile, he was without hope. He was a law unto himself, and he was left, as it were, to go into a lost eternity.
God had turned aside from God, but oh God in mercy many times picked up one here and picked up one there. But generally speaking, the Gentile had no hope.
In order to bring hope, we read that there was a night came in this world when the angels came down and God moved the whole creation.
He put a star in the sky, he put a sign in the sky and he moved the whole the whole.
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Shall we say He moved mountains in order to bring the Lord Jesus down as a babe in the Manger. He placed him in this world.
And he grew up in this world, the Savior of sinners, as he was a babe in the Manger. He held the whole world in his hands, manifest in the flesh. That's what we've been reading and all I love to think of this, that God loved you and me so much.
That he could give up the darling of his bosom.
What a savior we have. Do you know him as your savior? You know him as your Lord? Are you spurning him?
You've heard it over and over again.
The Lord Jesus right now.
Is standing on high with his arms open, saying, Come unto me, all you that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He died on the cross, and there upon the cross he could say, he could look down. He say, Is it nothing to you?
All ye that pass by, behold, and see if there be any sorrow like under my sorrow. Do you hear Him? Do you see Him there upon the cross, as he looks down upon you? And he says, I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
Do you? Do you know that Jesus died for you, my friend? Do you know, you young boys and girls, that Jesus loves you?
And he gave his life for you.
Oh, if you only knew how much he loved you. If I only knew how much he loved me, I would never, I would never dishonor him.
My friend, if you knew how much God loved you, if you knew how much it cost him to send His beloved Son into this world in order to redeem you and me back to Himself.
Your sins and mine. What a price he paid.
And you dare sit there, my friend?
Heedless. Are there any here in this room tonight?
Sitting in these seats with the eye of God upon you.
And you don't take heed to it. You don't see him hanging upon the tree, hanging upon that cross of Calvary.
And saying again, I say, Is it nothing to you, or you that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.
Oh, if you would get a vision of that, my friend, if you would get a glimpse of that man of Calvary.
And you know that he died for you.
You would be like Felix, and you would tremble my sins.
My sins and you would want to get rid of them.
Oh, there's a hiding place. There's a place where God, a rock, a Cliff in the rock where God will hide you as the storm passes by.
There's a storm coming on this scene, my friend, a storm of judgment. And that's why we have the gospel meeting tonight. That's why it has gone forth all these years is to warn, warn you about the coming judgment. As he reasoned about judgment, about temperance, about temperance and judgment to come. Felix tremble.
You know, it's possible. We've seen it right here. It's possible for you to sit in your seat tonight and tremble at the very thought of the coming judgment of God. I used to do that myself. I used to tremble at the thought of God's judgment coming, coming upon this world, and I would be still unsaved, still lost.
And.
I used to think of the clouds, you know, We read about he. Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him.
I used to look at those clouds as a young as a boy, remember lying on my back on the grass looking at those clouds. You see the formations of those clouds and some of them just look like coming judgment.
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Awesome.
And they would make me tremble, but I couldn't have told you whether I was saved.
Because sometimes it passes.
But all, my friend, don't let it pass by, because you see.
Be left here. We had that in the meetings today sometime. What if the Lord Jesus should come at this, at these meetings?
And everyone in this room was was taken, disappeared, and you were left here, left here all alone.
Used to scare me.
It used to be petrified that the thought of this, how many of us have gone through that?
Where we didn't want to. We hadn't come to the Lord Jesus yet. We hadn't yielded our lives to Him.
And we are afraid that we were lost. It was so good to go downstairs and find our mother and father still there.
Those are real things for boys and girls, are they not? Yes, they are. I experienced them.
But but God has provided a refuge in the person of the Lord Jesus. How many times have you heard the verse? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. That's how much God loved you. That's how much he loved me for God.
So loved.
I wasn't you.
We're in the presence of God by yourself. I've said this many times.
That if you could get a sense in your soul, my friend, of the awfulness of your sins.
And that you found yourself sitting under the eye of God with his eye upon you, and the storm of judgment coming, when every knee shall bow and every tongue is going to confess, that's what will happen. If you were left here behind for judgment, that would be your portion.
Your knee had not bowed now, but it will bow in that coming day.
Let's turn to.
To 2nd Corinthians.
Chapter 4.
We'll read that verse that has been quoted already in verse three. But if our gospel be hid.
It is hid to them that are lost. In whom? The God of this world.
Hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.
Is that so with you, my friend?
Is it the God of this world that has gotten a hold of you and will not let you go?
Your eyes are blinded that you cannot see.
Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for Jesus sake. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Moses did not know that. Again, there's Moses who could not look upon the face of God, and all he saw was his back parts. You know, I enjoyed a thought that was.
Shared with me a little while ago about this.
That we don't always understand God's doings. Sometimes we only see his back parts. We don't see his face. We don't always know what God is doing.
But in this sense, here that is in one sense, now in this sense, you're.
God was hidden.
And as I said before, he was inaccessible.
But now he has. Now the Lord Jesus has been here in this world. And now how do we see God? How do we know him? We look in the face of Jesus Christ.
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He that hath seen me has seen the Father.
How wonderful this is to know you say, how do I know what God is like? Behold the Lamb of God, behold him. John could look upon him and they say behold a Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He saw in this blessed man God's answer to sin. The whole world is going to be delivered from its from its corruption and from the effects of sin because.
Of this blessed One who came into this world, manifested God in every way, did always those things that please God.
And that as they could look upon him, they could say, Behold the Lamb of God.
Pilot could look upon him and say.
I find no fault in this man.
And others could look upon him and say they could marvel at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. And the thief on the cross could, could say, My Lord, he could call him Lord. Lord.
He could. He could speak to him and see.
We'll have to read it. I lost my thought. It's in Luke's gospel.
Verse 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me.
When thou comest into thy Kingdom, Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today.
Shalt thou be with me in paradise? What a what a, an immediate thing this was for the for the thief on the cross. And you know, there is no miracle in this world. We see the power of God in creation. I was thinking of those, those waves that came in and just about took my daughter out to sea. The power of those waves, the power in the wind we see.
What does?
When God makes bear his arm, who can his power withstand? God just shakes the earth a little bit.
And man trembles. He can't, he has no power. But is there any power, my friend, like that which can change a soul?
That can change his soul, turn him from darkness into light. God said, let there be light and there was light. But all when he says to this dark soul of yours, let there be light. What a wonderful change he can make in your soul. Just think of the soul of Tarsus again. I marvel at that, at that picture that we get in the word of God, that man who was breathing out blasphemies and cursings against the people of God in a moment just like that.
Lord who want to help me to do changed in a moment the power of God. I'm not ashamed of the of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe us.
He could say to Festus, Believe us, thou the prophets, I know that thou believers. Do you believe the word of God tonight, my friend? Do you believe that the word of God is true?
You believe that when He, when he says that verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son for you?
That gives you believe that my friend, and it's the power of God will come forth on your behalf and he will change your dark hearts just like it says, like it said here in in Second Corinthians.
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. You look in the face of Jesus Christ, He looks down at you and you see the glory of God shining forth there. You know that God is love, You know that God loves you, and you know that God wants to give His very best for you. Do you know what is waiting for you and me? We don't know the half of it.
I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered in the hearts of men the things that God has prepared for them that love him.
But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit, and He's waiting my friend, to give them to you. He wants to share the His glories with you. He doesn't want it just to save you from your sins and take you to heaven. That's wonderful in itself.
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But all the glories, the glory of Christ.
The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Moses said, Show me thy glory.
He hasn't seen, and Moses didn't see the glory then like you and I can see him now.
We see later on that Moses was there on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saw the glory of Christ.
He entered into it. He was a part of it, wasn't he?
But you know, we would never know God.
If we didn't know Christ, we would never know Him in the capacity.
That he is that God is love, God is light. So many in this world are saying that God is an austere man. He wants to bring in judgment. You get all those, those religions of the of, of the Pagan world and what do they what do they depict judgment? God is going to, we have to fear this God that is going to if we do the wrong thing, he's going to bring in judgment and he's going to slay us. That is not the God that we know.
The God that I know.
So love the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son? How wonderful is that? Were I told this story before? I believe.
At some place.
How that?
Deut El Moody was preaching when he was first preaching. He was preaching judgment, judgment, judgment.
There was a young man that called him the boy evangelist. Maybe some have heard about him, The boy evangelist.
And Dwight O Moody did not really want to go and hear him, but he did.
And he sat under the preaching of this boy evangelist, and he preached on John 316.
And he preached the whole sermon on that. God so loved the world.
And it was just the gospel of love.
Next night.
Preached again. DL Moody was there.
He preached on John 316.
And he preached the love of God.
Next night he preached seven nights in a row. He preached on John 316 every night.
By the end of that, Dwight L Moody had changed his preaching.
It was number longer just the judgment of God, but it was the love of God.
The love of God, that's what we want to hear about. The love of God. Well, we have to hear about the judgment too. Yes, we do, because there's consequences if we turn away from the gospel, if we turn away from the love of God.
God beseech beseeches you. We sing sometimes. God beseeching, man refusing.
To be made forever glad.
Oh, the gospel has come down to you and me in the person of Christ.
And now we can see his face.
Now we can see God who he is. We can see him in his wonderful character of love.
And of grace and of mercy.
He doesn't want to bring judgment. Judgment is God's strange work.
But the Lord Jesus has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
And now there's another verse in the third chapter of Two Corinthians.
You see, the Lord Jesus died to take us to Himself.
Not just to go to heaven when we die, but to take him to himself. And he wants to share his glories with him with he wants to share them with us.
He wants to take us into the father's house. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, but I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you if I come again.
And receive, I will receive you unto myself, he says. That's what he wants unto himself.
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You know many people who would like to say just give me one, just give me a corner in heaven and I'll be satisfied as long as I know I'm there. But all he wants so much more than that. Yes, it says in verse 18 of chapter 3. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory.
Even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
I believe in a nutshell, what that means is that the more we learn of the Lord Jesus, the more we are changed to be like Him.
Is that so?
Do you want to be like Christ, or do you want to go on in your sins and suffer the consequences of rejection of such love as this?
What foolishness that would be to do this.
In the face of this love, In the face of such grace.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.
That we, through his poverty, might be rich. That's what he offers to you tonight, my friend. Are you a Sinner here tonight?
Are you in your sins? Are you lost? Are you amongst those that we are Speaking of? That if our gospel be hid, it is hid to those that are.
Lost. What an awful word that is lost. Not just unsaved lost. Isn't that an awful?
An awful thing to think about.
Maybe it doesn't frighten you enough.
But think of it in the light of being left here at the coming of Christ. Think of it in that light. Think of it as being your portion forever and ever and ever and ever.
To be lost. There's no hope.
Ever again.
Of hearing the gospel.
And of saying, Lord Jesus, I want to be saved. You can say it all you want at that time and it's too late.
But at the same time, he's offering to you this.
His glory.
He wants you to behold His glory. He wants you to be a partaker of His glory.
And then there's another verse in First Timothy.
Chapter 6.
The last part of verse 14, Our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times He shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, the Lord of Lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, unto whom no man hath seen, nor can see, to whom be honour and power, and everlasting. Amen.
That's the one who came down to reveal himself to you, to me.
Now we can see Him. Now we can see God. He reveals himself to you.
Tonight, he's offering himself to you.
Come unto me, he says, and I will give you rest. Are you burdened?
Are you burdened about your sins? Is there anyone here in this room tonight who hasn't yet yielded to the Lord Jesus?
Perhaps you've been struggling for a while. Perhaps you've been wrestling with this matter. Perhaps you come from a Christian home. Perhaps there's a young person here.
Who is wrestling with this question? His parents. Your parents are praying for you tonight.
What are you going to do about it?
We'd like you to think about this now because the Lord Jesus says now.
The accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation. God says prepare to meet thy God. How do you prepare? God has given you the very thing to close in on to get a hold of by faith. And it's by grace that you're saved through faith, not not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works. Doesn't matter how many works you try to do to make yourself fit for God, it's not It works lest any man should boast.
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But it's by grace, the grace of God, He's done it all for you and for me, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son.
Cleanseth us from all sin.
You want to get rid of your sins? Do they burden you? Are they bothering you tonight?
The blood of Jesus Christ, I say, will wash the sins away, every one of them.
Oh, the Lord Jesus says, Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be a scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as well.
If there's anyone here that would like to.
To talk to someone tonight, there's any amount of brothers here, there's any amount of people here that would love to talk to you about your soul. Don't be afraid because now is the accepted time. It may be too late tomorrow.
And so come now.
Come tis Jesus gently calling ye with care and toil, oppressed with your guilt, however appalling. Come, and I will give you rest.
For your sin he once has suffered on the cross. The work was done, and the Word by God now uttered to each weary soul is come.
Come, the father's house stands open with its love and light and song. In returning to that father, All to you may now belong. From sins distant land of famine toiling the midday sun, To a father's House of plenty and a father's welcome come.
The last two verses of #2.
Come for Night is gathering quickly.
Or the world's lost queen Hindi.
If you.
Linger till the darkness.
You will surely miss your.
And still waiting.
Sadly waiting.
Till.
The day it's course has run.
With his patience.
On the Bay.
For you come.
Come for Angel hosts our music.
Or the sight so strangely.
Sad God be seeking man.
Refusing to be made.
Forever.
Glen.
From the world and.
It's delusion.
Now our voice is rise as one.
While we shout God's invitation.
Heaven, it's all come.
Jesus Had to Die So That We Might Live
Children—E. Munck Jr.
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.
Good morning. How are you? Who has a song that they like to start with this morning?
#14.
#14 Have you been to?
Quite a question.
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
We're going to talk a little bit later about the blood of some Lambs.
And it's important to know boys and girls.
That we've been washed in the blood of the lamb. You know we are.
Are have been born into this world and I see everybody here. They have freshly scrubbed faces. I wonder if if your mom.
Did to you what my mom used to do to me just before, just before we walked out the door, she'd look at our faces and, and you know, if there was, if we had a smudge on our face, maybe a little bit of jam in the corner of our mouth, she'd take a Kleenex and wet it and, and just scrub that little spot, get make sure our faces were nice and scrubbed and bright.
And.
You know, once in a while.
Once in a while there was number water around, so she'd moisten the tissue with her tongue and then scrub her faces. We didn't like that too well, but she wanted us to look.
She wanted us to look freshly scrubbed and clean.
But, you know, and that's nice. We like to see boys and girls with clean faces.
But God is looking a little bit deeper. He's looking down into our hearts.
And he wants to see a clean heart. And we'll we'll look at a verse a little bit later that that has to do with.
A clean heart. Anybody else have a song that they like to sing? OK.
Josh #7 Josh wants to sing #7.
00:05:09
God loved the world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall.
Salvation.
Full at highest cost he offers free to all.
Oh, it was love was wondrous love.
The love of God.
To me, it brought my Savior from above.
To die on Calvary.
Love brings the glorious fullness in and to the lost makes known.
Salvation from the power of sin through faith in Christ alone.
What was loved was wondrous love.
The love of God to me.
It brought.
My Savior from above.
To die on Calvary.
Ye now by faith I claim him mine, the risen Son of God.
God redemption by his death I find, and cleansing through the blood.
Oh, twas love, Twas wondrous love.
The love of God to me.
It brought my Savior from above.
To die on Calvary.
Well, there we have again.
In the third verse it talks about and cleansing through the blood. You know, that must be a kind of an important theme in Scripture talks about the cleansing by the blood, you know, if you read through the Old Testament.
The Israelites when they were going through the big wilderness.
And anytime that they sin, they had to bring a blood.
A sacrifice to God and that animal that they brought, its blood had to be shed, the Bible talks about.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. There's no way to get rid of those sins unless blood is shed.
And what happens when an animal's blood is shed? What happens to the animal?
What happens to the animal?
It will die. Why?
Why does Why does it? Why does an animal die when its blood is shed?
As blood as its life. You know that's exactly right. There's a verse in in in the Bible that says the life of the flesh is in the blood.
And God says, I have given it to you upon the altar for the shedding of your of for the for the remission of sins. God every time that somebody sinned in in the Bible.
There had to be bloodshed and every time that we sin.
There had to be a sacrifice, blood had to be shed and so.
That's something to think about. You know, there's consequences for everything that we do.
Every time we sin, we should think about that.
Blood has to be shed, you know. Back in the Garden of Eden, we talk about our first.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, they were in the Garden of Eden and what happened there?
00:10:07
What happened in the Garden of Eden?
Yeah.
Exactly. They sinned. They ate from the tree of which the Lord told them not to.
You know, every time we do something that's our own will, that's sin.
It says in scripture the plowing of the wicked is sin.
And I know there are farmers in this room that when they go out in the morning and they fire up their tractor and they drive out to the field, they're just doing their job. They're just doing what they need to to.
To live in this world, you know we're supposed to work with our hands and provide things honest.
In the sight of all men were supposed to work.
But you know, God says that the plowing of the wicked is sin because.
He doesn't think about God and he doesn't. He's not doing it. He's not plowing those fields for.
For the glory of God, He's doing it for himself and in his self will. And so every time that we do something.
Apart from God, we're sinning.
Something to think about.
We have we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's the point, boys and girls.
Where our hearts are black with sin.
Who has another song you'd like to sing 47?
When he cometh, when he cometh to make up his jewels, all his jewels, precious jewels, his loved and his own, like the stars of the morning, his bright crown adorning.
Facial shining.
His beauty bright gems for his crown.
He will gather. He will gather.
The gems for his Kingdom, all the pure ones, all the bright ones, his loved and his.
His own, like the stars of my morning, his bright crown.
Adorning face shall shine in his beauty.
Bright gems for his crown.
Little children, little children.
Who love the Redeemer are the jewels, precious jewels.
His loved and his own.
Like the stars of the morning.
His bright crown adorning there shall shine in his beauty bright gems for his crown.
Another point that's important here is that the Lord Jesus is coming.
Says when he cometh. When he cometh to make up his jewels.
All his jewels, all his jewels, precious jewels, is loved and his own. So the Lord Jesus is coming again.
And.
You know, this relates back to what we were talking about a little bit earlier.
About.
Being ready to go.
Being qualified to go to heaven.
00:15:01
We sing a song that goes like this. How many children say I'd like to go to heaven?
Yet never think that they must have their sins forgiven before they can. And glory be, or Jesus Christ in glory, see. And so we need our sins forgiven.
Before were one of his jewels. Because we can't stand, we can't be in the presence of God with sin on us.
There is no way that we can be in the presence of God with sin on us.
All I'd like to read just a quick verse and.
And that's found in.
Psalms, the Book of the Psalms.
Psalms, chapter 24.
And verse three, it goes like this, Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who shall stand in His holy place?
How many children say that they'd like to go to heaven? You know where God is, That's where heaven is. And where God is. That's a holy place.
You know God hates sin.
God hates sin.
And each one of us.
Have sinned. Each one of us have the stain of sin.
On our hearts.
Well, here's the answer.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart? Oh my, that shuts me out.
That shuts me out. You know my hand. I washed my hands this morning.
But that's not what it's talking about.
He that hath clean hands, Have you ever done anything wrong with your hands?
Have you ever sinned with your hands?
If you have then.
You don't have clean hands.
How about a pure heart? Have you ever thought of anything?
In your heart.
That's wrong.
Those are searching questions.
What are we going to do about that?
Somebody else have a song they'd like to sing.
Over here.
That was 46, OK.
That's good.
Glad TIDINGSIB R ING.
Matches.
Has come to a savvy me.
And he calls and he calls all the GIRLS and he wants all the BOY S2.
Two, TRUST in him.
And have all their sins now washed away.
Oh, here we find that.
Even though we have sinned, we have the stain of sin on our hearts and God says.
And it says in the Bible, Who shall stand in God's holy place, he that hath clean hands and a pure heart.
And that disqualifies all of us in this room.
Yet we sing that there are good, good tidings, glad tidings, because Jesus has come and he wants to save me. He wants to save me from my life of sin. He wants to save me from.
00:20:12
The the sins that I'm guilty of.
And he wants all the he's calling all the girls, and he wants all the boys to.
That means that everyone of us in this room is included. We're either a girl or a boy in this room, and so we're all included.
And He wants us to trust in Him and have all our sins washed away.
Wow, that's.
That's that's something you know.
We need our sins washed away before we can stand. That's the answer to the question.
We need our sins washed away before we can stand in God's holy place.
Well, let's just look to the Lord Jesus this morning and ask His blessing on the meeting and ask for His help.
Just turn back to that verse in Psalms 24 verse three. Who shall ascend into into the hell of the Lord, or who shall stand in His holy place?
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, you know.
We children, we have all sinned. I think that's pretty clear.
The.
And the penalty for sin is condemnation, you know.
Several years ago.
When I was in school, in college, we.
We went on a trip together, a group of students and a professor and and we were going to study the effects of some parasites on sheep.
And.
It was. It was part of an experiment.
And what what the professor had done was to take?
Some parasite eggs and give them to sheep.
Cheap and now a parasite is a worm and worms in in some in some areas worms live in.
In animals they need.
Their.
Detrimental to the health of the animal. That means they, they affect the health of the animal and make they can make it sick. And So what we were, what we were going to do was look at.
The effects of these worms on these animals and.
So.
We went to a slaughterhouse. Now who knows what a slaughterhouse is?
OK, what's the slaughterhouse?
That's where they kill lots of animals. That's right. Why? Why would they kill animals in a slaughterhouse?
Well either for food or or else they might spread a disease right. For food its main primarily what I was thinking of you know those.
That chicken that we ate yesterday?
At one time was was a fluffy little yellow chick, and that fluffy little yellow chick grew up.
And it had to die.
And the hamburgers that we eat at one time were little calves that lived on a farm somewhere, and those calves grew up and they had to die.
And if you've eaten ever eaten lamb?
That little lamb that you ate at one time was was a little gambling lamb that that lived on a farm somewhere.
That's that's quite a picture in itself, isn't it?
We eat animals that at one time live. We don't just go to to the grocery store to Safeway or or some grocery store like that and get our our food. That food has to come from an animal that has to die.
00:25:23
You know.
That's really something.
While we're living on this earth, there's a lot of things that have to die for us.
Animals have to die so that we might eat.
And the Lord Jesus had to die so that we might live. The Lord Jesus had to die.
So that we might have our sins washed away. Anyway, back to the story. We went to the slaughterhouse.
And.
These sheep came in that had been infected with the parasite and they came onto the slaughterhouse floor. Brother Ken Amsler back there, I think he used to work in a slaughterhouse, so he knows, he knows what I'm talking about. And those sheep, they died.
On that slaughterhouse floor.
And when they died, then they were cut open and their blood was shed on the floor.
And that was quite a sight.
And then those sheep were cut up in there and what we were interested in was their liver, because that's where this particular parasite.
Spends its life in the animal.
And so.
There was a man.
That that stood there and he was dressed all in white.
And it was quite an impressive sight. He was an older man. He had white hair and he was dressed in white. And as those, the, the sheep entrails came by him, the heart came by him on, on the, on a table, on a moving table and the intestine and the lungs.
And then the liver came by, and he looked at all those.
Those parts of the sheep as they came by him on that, on that, on a moving table.
He inspected those parts and when the liver came by, he saw right away that those animals had been infected and it was it was obvious to him and so he took out a stamp.
And he dipped the stamp in ink, and then he stamped all over those livers.
Words that I'll never forget.
And the words were USDA inspected and condemned, United that stood for United States Department of Agriculture, inspected and condemned. And you know, boys and girls, I thought about that when I saw that.
We have stood before God.
And he has inspected us.
And were condemned.
Condemned.
What happens to people who are condemned? Can we stand in God's holy place?
There's no way that we can stand before God.
Condemned.
What's the the the livers that were condemned, they went into a tank and they were going to be discarded of what happens to.
Boys and girls and men and women that have been condemned.
They go to hell.
That's not a pretty picture, is it?
I'd like to. I'd like you to ask yourself.
Do I have sins on my heart? In my heart?
Have I? Do I have a pure heart? Do I have clean hands?
Or have I sinned?
00:30:06
Have I told a lie?
You know, let's let's read about.
Some people.
Whose sin?
Let's go over to numbers.
Numbers, Chapter 21.
Numbers 21 and verse four, and this is talking about the children of Israel as they're traveling through the wilderness.
And it says and they journeyed from Mount Horror by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
And the people spake against God and against Moses. Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt?
Now that doesn't seem like such a bad thing. The soul of the people was discouraged. Have you ever been discouraged? You know, I, I'd kind of like to know. You don't have to raise your hands, but just think. And it'd be interesting to know how many children in this room, as they were coming to this meeting, said to their dad and mom, how much further is it before we get there?
How much further is it before we get there?
How much longer? You know that was said a few times in our car on the way down. How much longer? 3 hours. Oh, that's what you said just a little bit ago. Well, that's what that's how much longer. See, the people were discouraged because of the way.
And and we don't think of those things as sin, really.
Because it's not real bad. At least we don't think so.
So the people spake against God and against Moses. Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. But there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul loatheth this light bread.
They were complaining. How many of you have complained? Don't need to raise your hands, but just think in your heart. Have I ever complained about anything?
You know that's a sin.
All these things just serve to condemn us children.
I've sinned, I've told a lie, I've complained.
I've sinned.
And if what I read in the Bible is right, then I don't I can't be in God's presence.
And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses and said we have sinned. They realized what they had done.
For we have spoken against the Lord and against thee, praying to the Lord that he.
Take away the serpents from us, and Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live. You know God always provides a way of escape. That's the nature of our God. God loves us and He has provided a way of escape for us.
And so these people had sinned against God. They had complained.
And God to make them realize that they had.
Send he sends, He sent fiery serpents among the people, and those serpents bit the people and they were starting to die. And they said Moses prayed to God for us. You know there are people who pray for you, children, your parents pray for you.
00:35:10
And we would like to see you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. And there is a way of escape from our sins.
We were saying earlier about the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, how his blood was shed.
And so.
God told Moses. He said now you take.
Some brass and you make a fiery serpent, and you put it on a pole, and you put it up so that anybody who looks at that pole, at that serpent, they'll live.
Now.
Just think about those boys and girls back then. Perhaps perhaps one of those boys had gotten bitten, or one of those girls had gotten bitten by a fiery serpent. And the reason they were called fiery serpents is if you've ever been stung by a bee, you know that that that feels that sting feels fiery, doesn't it? It hurts.
And.
Those boys and girls that had been bitten that that felt like fire, had gotten a hold of them.
Suppose that Moses had made the fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and those boys and girls hadn't looked. What would happen to them?
What would happen?
They would die now the provision was there.
If God had told Moses, Now if you take and make that fiery serpent, so the the fiery serpent on a pole was provided for them.
The provision was there so that if they looked.
They would live. God always makes it simple for us, always makes it simple for us all. He, he, He goes the extra mile as we say. He always makes it simple for us. All we have to do is look.
And so the provision is there.
What? Whose fault would it be?
If that boy or that girl didn't look, whose fault would it be? If they If they didn't look and they died, whose fault would it be?
There's exactly right. The provision is there. God made that serpent or or God provided that serpent for them.
So that they could look and live.
And so if they didn't look and live, the fault was theirs.
And God has provided his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood on Calvary's cross.
And that blood is available to Washington, your sins away, and to wash my sins away.
And so if we don't, if we go to hell, whose fault is it?
Things fall ours. It's our fault. Exactly. The provision has been made.
And everything is ready for us.
If we want to, if we want to stand, be in that holy place where God is.
We need a clean, We need clean hands and a pure heart.
The provision has been made and So what did those people have to do? All they had to do was look at the serpent. What do we have to do?
All we have to do is ask the Lord Jesus to wash our sins away.
God makes it simple.
Very, very simple. Just to look to the savior saves. You know, the thief that was on the cross, That's what he did.
He was dying there, and it was because of his own sin he had.
Committed murder in an insurrection. An insurrection means a rebellion.
He had committed murder. He was a bat pretty bad Sinner by our standards.
00:40:00
You know, some of some of the children here aren't very bad sinners by by our standards.
But that man was a bad Sinner.
But regardless.
We all need our sins washed away, whether we're little children and we haven't. We don't have a a long record of sins or whether we have committed.
Committed murder in the rebellion against the government. There's no difference, for all has sinned and come short of the glory of God.
And so we need, we need a remedy and for.
That thief on the cross? The remedy was to look to the Lord Jesus Christ that was crucified right next to him. And what did he say?
What did he say to the Lord Jesus?
He said, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom. He had a change of heart, didn't he?
And he asked the Lord Jesus to wash his sins away. And the Lord Jesus.
Said This day shalt thou be with me in paradise. And so that that that man that committed murder, he's with the Lord Jesus Christ right now. He's in the holy place.
And that is where we can go to if we ask the Lord Jesus Christ to wash our sins away. He's standing ready and willing and able, and He wants you to come to Him. He loves you. God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
Shouldn't be condemned to go to hell.
God has inspected you and condemned you, unless you're under the shelter of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A pure heart. Do you have a pure heart? There's no way you have a pure heart unless that heart of yours has been washed.
In the blood of the lamb.
Have you taken that blood? It's available for you.
You know we can't see physical blood. The blood was shed 2000 years ago.
But it's available for us.
We have to.
All we have to do is just ask the Lord Jesus to save us from our sins.
You know, there was a man, there's a man that lived in lives in Saint Mary's, Idaho. And he told me one time this man is, his name is Mr. Phillip Roche. And Mr. Phillip Roche loves to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ to anybody who will listen.
And.
In the area of Idaho that he lives, he's called the preacher. And Mr. Phillip Roche said, you know, you just need to ask people if they'd like to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, because sometimes they, they hear the gospel and they think, they think about it and they think about it, but they don't make a decision.
They don't make a decision to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, to wash their sins away. And so he said, why don't you, why don't you ask people if they would like to be saved, if they would like to go to heaven? And so this morning, children and older ones, I'm asking you, would you like to be saved? Would you like to have clean hands and a pure heart? Would you like to go to heaven with the rest of us, you know?
The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is drawing very near.
Just about time for him to come and take all the saved ones back to heaven.
Would you like to go with us?
So this morning I'm asking you, would you like to go?
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior this morning? Would you like to?
Just ask Him into your heart right now, in your seat, you can bow your head and say, Lord Jesus, I'd like to go to heaven. I'd like to have my sins washed away. Please save me. And He'll do it. He stands ready and waiting.
00:45:04
At the heart store, the Saviors knocking at the heart's door, locked in sin.
Open the door and let him in.
Let's just pray.
Lord Jesus.
In the Beginning, The Lord's Coming
Open—H. Brinkmann, R. Thonney
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
00:05:18
In view of many young people and children here.
At the conference to go into a subject that we have not taken up at any conference for a long time, and that is the subject of the creation.
I am not a scientist, I have very little training in that area and maybe that is not a loss.
Because it makes it easier for me, I believe, to accept the plain statements of Scripture. Because we do not turn to science.
To understand where things came from, science can never.
Tell us.
Where things came from and the purpose for us being here, where we came from or why we are here and where we are going, we need divine revelation.
To have answers to these questions, and we have that in the word of God. Now, I'm aware of some of the things that young people are exposed to in the schools of men and even teachings that are circulated by professed Christians.
Which do not jive with the word of God.
And to begin with, we'll read a verse in Hebrews.
Hebrews, Chapter 11.
Verse one. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the world refrained by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Now that's quite a statement, isn't it?
By faith.
We understand.
You know we need faith.
To accept any part of the revelation of God that He has given to us in His word, and we know from Romans chapter one we should turn to that.
That creation.
Is one form of the revelation of God that He has given to man.
Verse 19 of Romans one because that which.
May be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Now this revelation of God everybody has on the face of the earth.
People have asked the question, what about those poor hidden that have never heard of Jehovah or have never heard of Jesus?
They do have God's revelation in creation.
They are without excuse and they are held accountable to accept the revelation that they have of God and that is creation.
Because one of the philosophers has made this statement that the starry skies above and the conscience within convicts him that there is a God.
And we might not have to know much about creation, but when we look in our limited way, even at creation, we see God's power. We don't see a God of loving grace as we have him revealed in Jesus Christ.
00:10:00
Neither do we see God the way that you knew Him in creation, as a holy sin hating God, sin being made manifest, or convicting men of sin through the law that God gave by Moses.
But how wonderful. We have more than God revealed in creation. We have the full revelation of God in the person of the Lord Jesus. We are held responsible for what God in his goodness.
Has been pleased to reveal to us, but that doesn't mean that we can no longer look at creation and see their His eternal power and Godhead.
And then just remember what we read in Hebrews.
That which God created, He didn't create from anything that previously existed.
Some people have said he created out of nothing. I believe it is better to say he created out of himself. He spoke this vast universe into existence.
He spoke, and it stood firm. Let's turn to sound.
33.
Him With Whom We Have to Do
Gospel—R. Thonney
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Begin our meeting tonight with #11 on the hymn sheet.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife, when the strong tides lift and the cables strain, will your anchor drift or firm remain? We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure, while the billows roll fastened to the rock which cannot move.
Grounded, firm, and deep in the Savior's love #11.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life? When the clouds unfold, their wings of strike, When the heart died slip and the cable string?
Will your anchor drift or Freeman?
00:05:44
Shall we pray?
Let's sing #23 as well on our hymn sheets.
Behold, behold the Lamb of God on the cross.
For us, he shed his precious blood on the cross.
Oh, here the overwhelming cry. Eli Lamas abacked, and I draw near and see the Savior die on the cross.
00:10:04
Romans, chapter 14.
For two verses to begin our meeting tonight.
Romans chapter 14 and verse 11.
For it is written as I live, saith the Lord.
Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.
Hebrews, chapter 4.
And verse 12.
For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword.
Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature.
That is not manifest in His sight.
But all things are naked and opened.
Unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Chapter 9.
Hebrews, Chapter 9.
Verse 26.
The middle of verse 26.
Now.
Once in the end of the world.
Hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself? And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once.
Offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation.
Went to focus in particular on verse 27.
Of this last portion we've read tonight, let me read it once again.
As it is appointed unto men.
Once to die, but after this the judgment.
Extremely important tonight as we begin this gospel meeting for each one that is present to realize that you have to do with God.
We live in a day where especially in this country that we live in.
It's a society that is man centered.
Humanism reigns in the schools, in people's way of thinking. You can talk about God, but God really doesn't figure practically in the minds of many people.
People think even are beginning to say.
That they are God.
And so, in conformity to that philosophy, they begin to think that they can set up the terms of judgment.
We want to settle it very clear at the beginning of this gospel meeting.
That you are not free to set up the terms of judgment.
God is the one that has set up those terms, whether you like it or not. Whether you believe it or not makes no difference. The terms have been set up, God has set forth.
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His standard in the Word of God, and again I say.
You may not like it, you may try to ignore it, but the terms are already set and you cannot escape it. Extremely important that you realize that. It is interesting to me, going back and forth between South America and North America a number of times a year, to see that people in those countries to the South where secular humanism hasn't infected the thinking of the people like it has in the United States.
In Canada.
But they still have a fear of the God in heaven. People in this country are losing that fear greatly.
And I even fear for those that professedly.
Are amongst our number.
Some who perhaps even take a place of leadership.
Because there was one of the 12 apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who was a traitor not only outwardly, but in his heart.
He was not right with God and as far as and we know from Scripture.
That he is now in hell.
Oh, how solemn it is to do with God. You may think that you set up the terms, but I say again.
My friend God is the one that sets up the turns of judgment, and I really, truly believe that people begin to think that way because.
Of the concept they have of God, we have had quite a bit spoken of today.
Of who our God is, especially in the matter of creation. The greatness of our God. How he's been revealed in the creation he has made.
Tremendous to think about it. I read a book not long ago that says that scientists now calculate upon. I don't know how they calculate, but they calculate that there is 100 billion trillion stars in the universe.
Tremendous.
The God we're talking about, friend, is the God that made the mall.
And the God that sustains him on all in the course at the area and at the present moment.
And he is the God in whose hand is the breath that you are breathing right now.
And if you would get a glimpse of him, you would not argue about God and about His righteousness.
It's because you think that God is some puny little.
Identity that you have established in your own mind. How solemn to think that it'll be far different when you come face to face with the God of the universe, with the God of the Bible. You have no liberty. People play around with justice in this world. People establish their own justice.
Living in Bolivia was interesting because it was very evident after living there for a while when an authority in the government often would tell you, no, he really wasn't saying no. He was saying, put something underneath the table and it'll be possible. And so people get the idea that when we get to the final judgment day that there will be a way to wiggle around it.
And I'll be all right, no problem.
They're going to get an awful surprise in that day. You cannot wiggle around. God, no way.
It's in Colombia not long ago and as probably you're acquainted with, Columbia has a bad drug problem.
Many parts of the country are completely under the control.
Of the guerrilla terrorists that are financed by the drug cartel.
I was told.
That there was a course of judgment against one of the.
Big shots.
That had been captured and he was about to be sentenced.
And before the sentencing took place.
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This judge received a visit.
And laid out and was told that he had two options.
Said If you condemn this man.
We will kill you and your family. Don't think you can hide from us. We'll look for you and find you anywhere you may go in this world. That's one option. The other option is.
If you.
Don't condemn this man.
$500,000 in silver or lead.
We'll bring it to your house.
You choose.
So man dictates his own judgment in the course of human government, and he thinks he can swing things as he would like. He may do it down here, but there is a day coming when he will not be able to do it. There is a standard of righteousness that God has established that you must recognize. You can't get around it.
There is no playing with God's standard.
Dear young people.
Dear older ones too, do you think you can fudge a little bit?
I feel convicted that there are those in this room passing as Christians.
That are not right with God.
And I don't know who you are, but you know who you are, and before the eye of God.
All things are naked and opened and you cannot, you will not escape.
It is appointed unto man once to die.
And after this, the judgment at another opportunity in Colombia while I was there was an interesting.
A school teacher who's an owner of a school private school invited us. She's read the scriptures herself and was.
Wonderfully converted to the Lord by reading the scriptures.
She invited us to her school to give the gospel to some of the teachers and amongst others that were there, one of her friends who was a woman lawyer was present.
And the end of the presentation of the Gospel.
They asked if they could ask some questions. It was just an informal time, so there was liberty for questions.
And the question came up.
That she actually believed in reincarnation, and there are a lot of people that do today.
And so after the question was asked, one of the native brothers there opened the scriptures and read verse 27.
As it is appointed unto men once to die.
But after this the judgment.
And he said this is the verse that shows that reincarnation is not a possibility.
Sure, you're acquainted with what reincarnation is that if you live well, you progress into another life after death, and you die in that life. And if you live well in that life, you progress further. If you don't live well in this life, you have another chance in the next life.
That is directly contradicted by the verse that we have read. It is appointed unto man once to die. Man dies once.
And after this the judgment.
Oh, friend.
You have to do with God.
I often fear that we sit down in meetings like we're sitting in right now and we look around and we see all the nice brothers around and sisters.
And we act pretty nice around them.
We fear them that we haven't learned to fear God yet.
In our lives when there are no brothers, Oregon sisters OR moms or dads looking.
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Are a little bit different.
Don't you know who God is? Haven't you realized yet that before our God all things are naked and opened, and that it's all being recorded in that book for that future day of judgment?
Oh, it's a solemn thing to have to do with God.
You know, there were people in the Bible and I'd like to speak briefly about him. Job was one who felt that God had treated him wrong. God has taken away my judgment. He complained. And Job was a good living man.
Even the Lord said there's no man like him perfect and upright in his generation.
And yet Job got to the point when God allowed trial to come into his life where he said.
God's taking away my judgment. God hasn't treated me fair.
But God didn't answer Job's questions.
And he doesn't have to answer your questions. He doesn't have to bow down to the conditions you lay out, because God is God.
And God came to Job and talked to him, and he merely talked to him about matters of creation. Where were you, Job, when I created this and this, and the different animals and the wind and the frost and the snow and the rain? Where were you, Joe?
He doesn't take up Job on the way that Job wanted to come to him. No, friend, you don't lay down terms with God. God lays down the terms.
And after.
Joel got through with that conversation. I'd like to read what he says.
In job, let's go to it and.
Towards the end of the book of Job.
Job Chapter 40.
Verse One. Moreover, the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him?
He that reproveth God, let him answer it.
Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee?
I will lay that mine hand upon my mouth once have I spoken, but I will not answer you twice, but I will proceed no further. Jobs making progress here. He's learning to shut his mouth when it comes to God. God knows better than you. God is greater than you and his wisdom in his power, in his love don't attribute.
Unrighteousness to God. If you do, you are not. You don't know God yet.
Then over the 42nd chapter.
Verse One. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholding from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Here I beseech thee, and I will speak. I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine I see at thee. Wherefore?
I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Is there somebody here that has a hard thought about God? God hasn't treated me right. I hear that so often in today's world. Even Christians voice such words. I'm astounded at the audacity that they have to question God.
I really believe that sometimes Christians don't have an idea.
Of who God is.
Job said I heard of you by the hearing of the year, but now mine seethe. I repent, I abhor myself. Repent in dust and ashes.
That was the beginning of blessing for Joe. Have you gotten that far, friend? I fear that there's people sitting here that haven't gotten that far to realize that when you come to God.
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That's the only attitude that's right.
Repentance on the part, on your part as to his dealings with you, if he is allowed, trial, if he is allowed, accidents, if he is allowed some problem in your life. God is right in what he's done in your life.
And if you have hard thoughts about him, I'd say to you tonight, repent.
Repent, change your thoughts about God. God is not a hard master.
God loves you and he may crush only to bring greater blessing. There was another person in the Old Testament who met with God in the book of Isaiah chapter.
Six, we have the story of it. It was the prophet Isaiah.
One day he saw the Lord.
Let's read a few verses. Isaiah chapter 6. In the year that King Uzil, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, and with twain heated die. He did fly.
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the pulse of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said, I, woe is me, because I am undone.
Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Here's another man, and I'm sure being a prophet in Israel, Isaiah was a man that lived probably a fairly honest life. And yet here one day he sees.
The Lord Jehovah of hosts.
And there, in the presence of the Lord, high and lifted up, are these angelic beans, seraphims that have 6 wings. Why six? They need the six of them. Only two were used to fly.
Two were used to cover his face.
All the care of what they looked at in the presence of God.
My friend, do you be? Are you careful with what you look at? Did you go back to the motel tonight?
There's an apparatus in the room. Are you careful what you look at in that room?
Are you careful? Do you realize that the eye of God is on you? Those sinless creatures, those seraphims, covered their face with two of their wings. Two of their wings, they covered their feet.
How do you walk, my friend? Are you careful how you walk, or do you go places that you realize that God isn't pleased about it?
These seraphims, these sinless creatures covered their feet with two of their wings, and they cried. 1 to the other holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory. We don't have much concept today of the holiness of God. This is the God, my friend, that you have to do with.
That I have to do with no escaping. No way are you going to get out of it. It is appointed under man once to die, but after this the judgment.
My friend has taken quite a bit of time to establish the fact that you.
Have to do with God on God's terms. I think it's extremely important.
In the day and age that we live in, because of the philosophies that are circulating in schools and have even infected the thinking of Christians to establish the fact that there's one who lays down the terms, I cannot.
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A stocking visited in one of my recent visits down to Florida with a lady who lived for many years in Bolivia. She's an American. She's the daughter of a brother who used to be in fellowship. He's with the Lord now.
She lived for many years in Bolivia. Now she's back in the United States for a couple of years. She wants to earn a little money and go back to Bolivia again.
And she's living with a man that she found down in Florida.
And I went the last time with the Bible, hoping to be able to leave it there. And I said here, I brought your Bible, she says. I'm not interested really in reading the Bible. I've read it once. That's enough. I know what it says.
One of her son in laws accepted the Bible.
That was happened to be present, but I wrote to her afterwards because she thinks she knows Jesus. I wrote to her afterwards and said it is evident to me that you don't know the Jesus that I know, not the Jesus of the Bible.
She wrote back recently.
The letter and said I know you would like to convert me to your way of thinking, but I'm happy the way I am.
And I, I want to communicate with her again. I want to tell her that I'm very thankful that she is not enchanted with my way of thinking, that my way of thinking is not the standard. It's not a matter of what you think. It's not a matter of what I think. It's a matter of what God declares in his word. That's the standard. And if you don't get that straight, nothing is going to be straight. Absolutely nothing.
God lays down the terms, friend. Now I want to tell you about God's remedy.
Because God is love, but if you don't have it straight in your soul that God is the one that's going to lay down the terms in your relationship with God, you're not going to get anything straight here tonight. And that's why I've taken the time to deal with that matter. But think of it, we've heard about it today.
That that very God who created this mighty universe.
Men can throw out.
Capsules into space that are already nerfed with the Hubble telescope and lookout into the universe and it only makes them realize how insignificant they are in the vast, vast universe.
But the one who is greater than the whole universe is the one that came into the realm of time. The Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world, and to me, it's one of the most.
Tremendous marvels to think that God became a man with a purpose of seeking out this poor rebellious worm to save him and to bring him into his glory. Oh, my friend, Jesus came into this world, was born in Bethlehem. When he was born, there were a lot of religious people around.
The Jews had the Old Testament Scriptures in their hand.
They knew the prophecies about the coming of their Messiah.
Christ, they knew where He was to be born. They knew approximately the time frame He was to come.
And yet, when he was born, absolutely no one.
Was aware of the fact that the creator had entered the realms of time. Think of it. Think of it.
Completely asleep.
Some wise men from the East came in the space of something less than two years and asked in Jerusalem, where is he that is born king of the Jews? We've seen his star in the East. We've come to worship him. They all wake up for a moment what's happened, totally unaware that the God of the universe was present in the land of Israel.
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And they get out their Bibles and they start searching. Is it possible to have their Bible in your hand, to know it too, to be able to give the answers and yet be totally unaware of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ? I really believe it's happening right here in Des Moines tonight.
Asleep as to the glory of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with us here tonight.
And so.
When he was born.
Where did he have to be born?
In a stable where the animals are.
There was number room for him in the inn.
People measure.
People by the room that they get in the hotel president of the United States come to Des Moines. I'm sure they would look at one of the best places possible to give him in one of the best hotels in the city.
The God of the universe enters this world, absolutely unaware what's happening. They relegate him to the stable. There he had to be born.
Where the animals were, the angels come. The first time they had ever seen a creator God manifest in the flesh, there he was laying in a Manger.
The Angel must have wondered what happened to these people.
Don't they realize that God has come into this world?
And they go out looking. They find a few poor shepherds out there in the field. They appear to them to give them the good news.
Oh how blind people are. Oh how blind man is. Naturally, you can have the Bible in your hand and be totally unaware of the presence of the Lord Jesus.
So the God of this universe entered the streams of time.
And I love to think of him as he grew up. He lived approximately 33 1/2 years in this world.
And the majority of those years were spent in the Carpenter shop. What a Carpenter shop? The God of the universe and the Carpenter shop, They didn't realize who he was. They said, is not this the Carpenter?
Even his disciples, when he began his public ministry, didn't seem to realize who he was.
Yes, they believed, yes, they followed him. But one day on the ship.
He's asleep in the back of the ship and the wind is come up and the waves are filling the boat and they get scared.
Can the boat sink with the creator on board?
Absolutely impossible, but they get scared.
They wake them up, they say we perish. They knew where to go anyhow. Thank God for that.
He stands up.
He says to the wind and the waves, peace be still an immediate calm. And they wondered what kind of man is this? Even his disciples didn't really understand who he was. Do you and I understand who this person is? Oh, the marble of it that our God walked through the weary pathways of life. He knew what it was to be hungry.
He knew what it was to be weary. He knew what it was to be thirsty. He knew because he passed through those parts, those areas of life just where you and I are passing through.
But I want to talk in particular of what took place at the end of his life. You know the story, but I want to go over it again. To me, it's the most wonderful story that's ever been told.
The religious leaders.
Led on by the power of Satan, take him and deliver him to Pilot the governor. And Pilot, pronouncing again and again that he's innocent, finally condemns him to the most horrible death that was possible to be put to death by the death of crucifixion.
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There, that city of Jerusalem, they take the blessed Son of God, they tie him to a post I suppose, and they scourge him. I've read in history books about the Roman scourge and it's called a living death.
Had little points of metal or bone, sharp bones in the points of the whip, and every time it passed across his back cut a furrow on his back. The prophet says they plowed upon my back, they made long their furrows. And if according to this history book I read that the victim had any tendency to.
Go unconsciously throw a bucket of water on him to wake him up again. They would be careful not to give him too much.
So that he would die, but just enough to torture him the most possible. After that he was delivered to the soldiers, and the soldiers took him and mocked him. Says they used this their fists in his face. Soldiers don't hit light.
They hit hard. In Bolivia, in the army, when soldiers are being trained, there is one discipline that they call the black alley. And the soldiers have to run down through a line of two, two lines of soldiers on either side. This one that's being punished. And all those soldiers have to hit that soldier that's running down as hard as they can. And if they hit them too light, the Sergeant comes up.
And gives them a punch that knocks them to the ground. Soldiers don't hit light. And think of it. They pounded their face. The Son of God, they took a crown of thorns. They put it on his head. In Bolivia, where we've lived, they have thorns, I suppose somewhat like the thorns they must have used to crown the Lord Jesus with. One time I took a branch of those thorns and tried to make it a crown. It was a hard job.
Without getting stuck a lot yourself. But no insult was too great for the Son of God. Think of it, the enmity in our heart naturally against God, against his Christ. They laid that on his head, and they took sticks, and they pounded that thorn, that crown of thorns into his head.
And they take him outside of Jerusalem. Can you see him in your mind's eye, leading him out of that guilty city?
To a place outside on a hill called Golgotha.
There they laid him on the cross and took nails and nailed his hands and his feet to that cross and lifted him up there to die. That's the way man is treating his Creator.
God has not forgotten what they did to Jesus.
And God still has a controversy with this world that's going to be settled. And we believe that the time is near when that controversy is going to be settled.
There Jesus hung. Can you imagine the excruciating physical agony of hanging for hour after hour on nails, through your hands, through your feet?
Awful agony physically, but I want to go further. At 12 noon, the scripture tells us.
That there was darkness for three hours.
And the human eye was not allowed to see what took place.
But we're not for the prophets, the Old Testament. Perhaps we wouldn't understand what took place there.
But Isaiah puts it so clearly. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed during those awful hours of darkness.
God took my sins, those filthy acts of rebellion.
God, that I have committed and laid them on the head.
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Of His spotless, sinless, holy Son, the Lord Jesus.
And then God, so that he would not have to banish me to a lost eternity in hell forever, took up the rod of his judgment and punished Jesus. Jesus bore the punishment in full. The end of those three hours of darkness, there was a cry.
My God, my God, why thou forsaken me, the only man that always did the will of God.
Does the will of God in the face of the wrath of God, and is forsaken of God.
Oh, what a story. That's how much your God loves you, friend. That's how much he wants to save you. That's how much he wants to block your road to eternal punishment. He loves you too much. Stop.
Repent tonight. Come back to your Maker. Come back to the One who died on that cross.
He's waiting for you.
At the end of those awful hours of darkness.
The Lord Jesus said it is finished.
The awful judgment that was against me as a lost, condemned Sinner was gone. Gone forever.
As we read in Hebrews.
Chapter 9. Verse 20.
Eight So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. It doesn't say the sins of all, because if you refuse to accept the salvation that God is offering to you tonight, you will bear your own sins and a lost eternity forever.
You cannot escape the judgment of God, God's righteousness.
Must be satisfied in connection with those sins that you have committed. No way to escape it.
Either Jesus bore them for you on that cross, or you will bear them in the lake of fire forever and ever.
The decision is yours, friend, and it depends on your attitude toward the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We plead with you with all your hearts tonight.
That if you haven't truly gotten the matter settled, that you'd do it tonight. Be sure about it, friends. The Word of God is clear.
As our brother mentioned today, sometimes people are not sure because they're looking inside themselves.
Now, I don't want to point you inside yourself tonight.
Only that you know that you are a lost, guilty Sinner. That's all. But I want to point you to the one who died on the cross of Calvary, who paid the price in full for a complete, eternal redemption.
The work is done. Jesus died.
He shed his precious blood. The soldier came up that hill of Golgotha and plunge the spear into his side, and out came blood and water. The blood of Jesus Christ. God's Son cleanses us from all sin. Oh my friend, tremendous to realize that now.
Even though I have been such a guilty Sinner, I can stand in the very presence of God, completely forgiven and even more justified in liberty. I can enter right into His presence. That's the salvation that God is offering to you tonight. Oh, my friend, won't you have the Lord Jesus? How can you say no to such a tremendous Savior?
To a God that loves you so much that He came personally into His own creation to rescue you, to seek and to save you, to die on the cross so that there would be a way for you to go right back into His presence. If you refuse such a tremendous salvation, I say, my friend, God is right in putting you into the lake of fire forever.
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Don't let that be your end, friend. Judgment is coming. We're getting very close to the day when God is going to judge in righteousness this world by that man whom He has ordained. The same one that died on that cross is the one that will sit on the throne of judgment in a future day.
To judge those who have not obeyed the gospel of God.
Is that going to include you? I pray God that that will not be the case.
With all our hearts, I speak not only for myself, but for many who are sitting here. I plead with anybody who is still without Christ in this room. Don't leave the room until you have settled the matter. I'll stay up here in the front of this room for a while after the meeting. If anyone has questions or doubts, please let's get it settled out straight. While you're here, don't let any more time go on.
Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Let's just pray.
Grace.
Philippians 3:7
Reading
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Also gravely ill to be.
They can't ask me to read the chapter for him.
Where should we start?
Or 7 Philippians 3:00 and 7:00.
But what things were getting to me? Those I counted Loss for Christ, Yay, doubtless. And I count all things from lost for the Excellency.
Of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law. For that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God my faith, that I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained either. We're already perfect, But I follow after, if that I'm if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the cries of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.
And if in anything we'd be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, where to we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us mind the same thing rather, and be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example for many walk, of whom I have pulled you off, And then I'll tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
For our conversation is in heaven from well, whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto Himself?
Just a word for the younger ones. Just notice this brother was reading that there are words, there are envies that are very suited for us all today, that we hear it constantly in the world in verse seven, game loss.
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Power.
Win a chain.
This is what the world is filling the heart of your dear young ones.
But these are the true winnings and games and power and joy and peace only to be found in Christ.
I'd like to ask a question, brother.
To skip down to that verse.
It says that I may win Christ in the verse 8.
Could we say that we have one Christ when we are saved? Or is this something that is developing in the in the in the soul that while I'm still here?
How, how would you put that from learn? The Lord Jesus could say learn of me is that along that thought that we are learning of him, we are winning more?
Of the treasure that we have already, well, I believe there are two sides to that. Just like sanctification, that one one way we have it totally through the work of Christ. That's the sovereignty of God and that is that the two lines like a railroad track that runs through scriptures. But on the other side is the responsibility.
You know these things out there if you do them.
We have all the power.
God gives before he expects.
And he has given all these things to us.
Joshua one and three, Every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon that have I given you. They had to put their foot down on it. But when they did, and when we do, then he says, I've already gave it to you. So there are the 2 running parallel, I believe, side by side what we have, and then our responsibility to walk in it, to make our own.
There's actually a contrast here, and that is that in which men places a great deal.
Of value and price, The Apostle has just announced by the Spirit that there were many things that were his that were prized possession of a natural Jew.
But he says these things when I saw them, glorified man paled into insignificance. Now I want Christ as my price. And so, giving these things up, we have the prize of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There's a little footnoted in Mr. Darby's translation. Have Christ for my game. In other words, it's what we place value upon, as you were saying.
What do we want? Are we seeking gain in this world, or is our gains know him? Or, as we might say, to know him better and to make him the all absorbing object for our hearts? That was the desire of the Apostle, I believe.
No, we get here too, in person. 7:00 and 8:00 we get past and present. You know, Paul could look back and say in verse 7 for what gay things were gained to me. I counted law. I counted loss for Christ. He did that. And many times we as we look back and we see some little thing that we've given up for the Lord. But there's a pathway before us.
And so do we continue with that same spirit.
Same attitude. Notice that in verse eight I believe that is the is a brain before. It's a present thing, doesn't it? First he looks back and he says.
Those things that were gained to me, I counted loss for Christ. Now in verse eight he says he ate Douglas, and I count all things for the loss of the Excellency and knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them, But done that I may wing Christ. So it's good for us to remember that if we begin the many times we see those who begin very lovely in a in the path of faith.
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And because of trial or difficulty or something comes along and we find them fading out.
Well, I believe I see in this Paul's thought here that he not only counted them in the past as he of nothing, but he still counted them as nothing along the pathway too. And we have to remember that, don't we? Because we're waiting for the Lord to come. Sometimes we we wait very impatiently.
It's hard to become engaged with a person having that he had the prize in view, which was Christ. And I say this because I may try to give up certain things.
But unless my heart is engaged, it's going to be a very difficult thing. I may give up something and I may really miss that thing that I have given up. But Paul didn't miss those things that he had in that sense given up because he found something better in the person of Christ.
I often think of the Thessalonians 2. It says they turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Now if I've been writing that, I probably would have reversed the order and said they turned from idols to God. But that's not what it says. They found something better and then those idols that they had. Why they didn't want those things anymore because they found something better in having turned to God. They turned to God first and then the idols didn't have.
The attraction that they once had, Well, Paul found his heart attracted to the person of Christ, and then those things that once he counted here, and he did count them dear. He There was a time in his life when these things that in the preceding verses were very important to the apostle Paul. But those things didn't matter anymore. And so for those of us who are younger again, if our hearts are attracted to the person of Christ, then the things that the world places importance on.
And they do place importance on many temporal things. But if our hearts are attracted to Christ, then those things that the world places importance upon and that the world dangles in front of us all, the glitter and tinsel of this world. It's not that we're going to give them up and feel like we've lost something. Those things aren't going to have the appeal when they're offered. And so let's have hearts attracted to Christ. Let's have the prize in view, as Paul said, that I may know him.
Not just about him. Once, before I married my wife, I knew a lot about her, or I thought I knew a lot about her. But as we've gone on together in our married life now I've come to know her not just about her brother. And we need not to know. Not just about Christ. Wonderful to have the truth before us and to know more about him. But as we walk in communion with himself, then we can know the person of Christ himself.
Christianity is objective primarily, rather than I think it's extremely important. This chapter really brings Christ our object before us, and it is looking at a goal to be attained. He's running towards it. He says later on, Not that I have attained, but that I pursue this goal. It's knowing Christ. We could have said, Paul, don't you know Christ? Yes.
He knew him, but his earnest pursuit in his life was in that direction. To know him more and more, and that is Christianity. It's not the negative first. It's putting an object of supreme value before our souls, and our souls are drawn after that. And the, as I said, the things of this world that before attracted our hearts so much.
Are just pale into insignificance if you see me occupied with things of this world unduly.
You'll say that brother needs his heart occupied with Christ. Sometimes we attack outward things that are not in order and younger brother and sometimes an older brethren too, when perhaps what they need is a fresh glimpse of the Lord Jesus so that they can run after the hymn. And when their hearts get occupied with him, there will be the progression that there was in the apostle Paul too, like brother Little brought out verse 7.
He counted it all but lost. But there's a progression in verse eight. He not only counts it lie, but he counts it dumb. Anything that would get in the way of knowing Christ better was something that was put on the level of dumb. Oh brethren, is there that progression in my heart in connection with the person of the Lord Jesus?
00:15:16
There ought to be.
I'd like to have a word.
In Second Corinthians chapter four, I think it is we have mentioned, I think in one of the readings the other day that if we knew Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth no, we have no more.
The Lord Jesus marvelously and miraculously came into our circumstances as God, manifest in the flesh, and there we see a pattern of every desirable human trait perfectly exhibited, And it's wonderful for our hearts to be occupied with Him in that way.
But the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ that we are seeking now to bring before our hearts is in the power of His resurrection. He is no longer in the circumstances in which He was as a man in this world. He's a man exalted to the right hand and thought.
Wherefore God has highly exalted Him, and there is where we know Him. We know Him in the power of His resurrection, because we have His resurrection life communicated to us in the new creation. And so it is in that way that we know Him as a man exalted at God's right hand. And there is the object that raises us above this poor creation that offers all this pencil to take our hearts away from Him. We know Him in the power of His resurrection.
If we look back.
On his life, we learn humility.
There are only 7 words that the Lord Jesus spoke as a autobiographical sketch of himself. 7 words I am meek and lowly in the heart. So when we look back we are taught humility to walk as he walked. But when we look forward, as we have in the third chapter in the 18th verse of Corinthians, when we look forward and up, we see Him in the glory and this fills our hearts with.
That present position that he has, and this gives us the energy to press on.
The value of seeing him there is that it shows us the end of faith. We read of him in Hebrews that he is the author and finisher of faith. He came into this scene and and was the author of faith. But the end of it is the glory and that's the value of being occupied with him at God's right hand. Like the contrast Paul with Solomon in the Old Testament in the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon.
Had every single thing that his heart could desire. He did not deny any desire that he had. If he wanted it, he got it. He had everything you could possibly want. But that book again and again uses the words vanity, vexation of spirit.
Dear young brother and sister in the Lord Jesus.
Pursuit of the things of this world is going to leave you with emptiness.
Here's a man that says I lost everything, the loss of all things I've suffered here. He is in a prison.
We don't know how long he may have lived after this spread.
Being with all his energies a supreme prize.
Owed a contrast between the two. Where do I fit into the picture?
It's a position that he wanted to have to in the religious world, because there can be a desire to have the things of this world. There could be also a desire to have a position in the religious world. We see much of that. But isn't it beautiful to see that when he got occupied with Christ, instead of thinking of himself as a great person, even in the religious world, we might say he lost sight of himself, counted everything that he might have desired before?
To be absolute, lost and felt, Just to be occupied with that one and longing as the chapter goes on, to the time when he be fully like him, and until then Brandon with our hearts be fully satisfied. But we can each ask our own hearts whether it's in the things of the world, or whether it's in possession even among the people of God. What is our object? Is it to have Christ before us, and to exalt him, or to seek something for himself?
00:20:30
His whole desire was to be like Christ, who was meek and lowly in heart. He is the one who was in this world who could say, show me a penny, the one who could say I do always those things which please him, That was the one that filled his heart. Under the law man was put under test, and everything was given to test whether there would be anything good in the flesh, even in religious flesh. But when he met the Lord Jesus there on the road to Damascus, his whole sense of values changed.
And I believe that's important for us, because it's just as much that we might go after things of the world as we might seek a position in this among the religious, in the religious world. But just to be content, to be gathered in simplicity to the name of the Lord Jesus, to be like him in our walking ways, That's everything. That was the desire of the heart of the apostle.
I'd like to have a little bit of light on the difference between these remarks that we read here and the 21St verse of the first chapter wherein he says for me to live is Christ. Is that the summary of it all?
I believe so. I believe that's what he is saying. And he was drawing the contrast of what he had been before and what grace had made him since he had met the Lord.
The law, he answered. Here. We've spoken about the world, Brother Tahoe, before us, the religious man. But if this was from God, the law was from God until Christ. Now Christ replaces the law. And the principle of the law was that it worked with the first man. So Paul began our chapter with.
Two expressions, one was circumcision and the other concision.
Those may not mean anything to us, but it's in circumcision is very important. The thought of that is to have done with the first man in any form, as to a law keeper, or as has been brought up worldly fame, or whatever the first man God has done with him. But the expression concision may not mean anything to us.
Both of these expressions pertain to the male.
Circumcision, I'm speaking in a spiritual application, is necessary. That reproduction might be clean, there might be clean. So with Goliath he was everything that man could admire in the flesh, a giant, a champion, he is called, but today that he was an uncircumcised, this time hindering the people of God from possessing that which was their deportation.
But confusion is a destruction or a mutilation.
In making it not possible for reproduction at all. And I would like us to think of the admissible to the Philippians as given to us as believers, that Christ himself in glory might be reproduced and his children God's children here on earth. And that's the labor of Paul the Apostle. He says Christ can't be reproduced by law keeping.
It's impossible. The law was for the first man. Christ is for the Newman Christ is what I want to see reproduced in your lives as believers and so.
For Him to live was Christ, and He gave 3 examples of first four Christ himself in the prior chapter, and then He, Pappaditis and Timothy, and himself.
00:25:07
And he says in this chapter to follow those who left them, that kind of example. So when we looked and someone mentioned the young people, I think that's good because.
That's where, naturally speaking, reproduction takes place amongst the young.
And the replenishing of our ranks should normally come from the young, but we who are older have to be careful that we don't take up the young inconsistent.
That is, we discourage there in almost render and impossible for them to reproduce Christ in their lives. And so we want to minister grace Perfection in Philippians is seeing Christ in glory in that new position, and following after him as the object of our faith? Yes, but also as the life that we live. And so we don't want concision, but we do want circumcision.
Because that puts the law out of our life, and it puts that which the law attached to out of our life, the flesh.
And that's what we get in the 6th of Romans, that we are raised up just as we are planted together.
In the likeness of His death, we are raised up in the resurrection to walk and do this of life in fellowship with His sufferings.
And I mean in the power of his resurrection, of the fellowship of His suffering exhibiting the life of Christ is going to inflict upon us the same suffering that the Lord Jesus Christ went through. What he was here to live, Christ is going to be the suffer in the world that rejected Him.
Paul went so far that he actually desired. I conclude from the end of verse 10.
That he would desire to go through the experience of death like the Lord, and that he might come to.
By any means I might attain unto the resurrection from among the dead so.
I believe that it implied here, isn't it? That's how far his desire was to be like the Lord Jesus. And of course it couldn't be atoning Suffolk, you know, But go through the experience of death like Lord dated, and then be raised like the Lord was from among the dead. We're very close to that these days too, aren't we? Because we could say, well, we want to be with him. Well, some may die.
Or may the Lord may come this afternoon and fall could see him. Doesn't matter which whichever, I just want to be with him and like him.
But his death was in fellowship with sufferings with Christ, you know that is the difference we might.
As young people, older ones, 'cause our premature death by driving foolishly, you know well Paul, in connection with following the Lord Jesus and suffering with him and for him the desire that he might go through the experience.
And then also take part in the resurrection from among the dead. You know that should be the way it is here. It shouldn't be just the resurrection of the dead. In Christianity we have more than the resurrection of the dead. In the Old Testament, that's all they knew. They didn't know that there would be a resurrection. Like even Job said. In this flesh I shall see God. But in Christianity we had the resurrection from among the dead. The Lord Jesus is the first born.
And then those that are his at his coming.
Will be raised in the same way. And then those who died for the testimony of God, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, will be raised in the same way from among the dead, and then of course, the resurrection of the dead spiritually dead, at the great white throne judgment.
Is there a further thought though here in verse 10 when it mentions?
Being made conformable unto his death, that that that's the principle that is to be applied as we pursue this goal.
00:30:06
I was thinking in verse 10 it mentions His resurrection first of all, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, and then being made conformable unto His death. I agree that it it has that in view the full extent of it. But if there's going to be the power of His resurrection, if we're going to know the power of His resurrection practically in our lives.
You don't know resurrection without death being in place first takes place in death and it's so it's it's brought together here. And I think how it's brought together in Second Corinthians chapter 4, where the apostle says always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies and so.
What is desirable is to bear about in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps this is the thought in being made conformable unto his death. There's things that I naturally would like my flesh desires, but I say no, I'm dead to that. It's a denial. It's a self denial, so that the life of Jesus would be manifest. Every true believer has the life of Jesus.
As that new resurrection light, but it's not manifested, if I do not fear about in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus. First of all is that thought here. I believe that's the thought we have it in a little hymn that we sing or teach us. So the power to know of risen life with thee not we may live while here below, but Christ our life may be. And Paul's great desire was that they wouldn't see old Paul that they would see in looking at him the life of Jesus.
Shining out in his life, that would be resurrection associated with the risen Savior. And if that path of obedience, and it did for him, lead to martyrdom, then he would be just that much more like Christ, because Christ went through death and came forth in resurrection life, and he wanted to be like that in his path. And if the cost man murdered him, why, he just rejoiced. I'd be that much more like him. I thought of it, rather than in connection with those ones that rose when Christ arose.
We're not given their names, and it tells us they appeared in the holy city.
If someone met one of those people and said, well, who are you? He always could say, well, I'm alive because Christ is risen and they were seeing people who were alive living in Jerusalem in resurrection life. And now you say, well, did they die again? Well, that wasn't the point. Some of us may not die, but if we do die, we'll experience in a literal, physical way that resurrection.
But we should display it in a spiritual way, even while we're still alive.
And I say again, if that pathway of obedience and pleasing the Lord led to death, he rejoiced. He'd be just that much more like the one who was the object of his heart, Christ the Father told his oldest son in Luke 15. When he found fault with the father, killing the cat and making marriage, said it was me.
That we should make merry and be glad for this thy brother was dead.
Dead. He wasn't really physically dead, was he? But he's alive again and was lost and is found. So there you have resurrection power, and that is so important that this is to be displayed in us now.
You know, and in Romans it says live in newness of life.
You know, it all fits in and we have it, and we have the power of the resurrection displayed in us. If we really walk with the Lord, this new life can be displayed.
I think there's a real secret we can get a hold of it, especially the young of power in our Christian lives to live. If we can capture the thought here in verse 10 that death and resurrection go together, we live in a world, and especially this country Brethren, is pleasure mad. They're they're seeking pleasure seeking to please ourselves.
00:35:15
Everything. The whole advertising businesses build on it.
You owe it to yourself. It's your pleasure that is sighed, and we fall into the stream of it. We're affected by it. I have to confess I'm affected by it. But in the measure that I go along with that stream of things, the power of his resurrection is not going to be manifest in my life.
It's denying yourself, the Lord Jesus said. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me, deny yourself.
What need of denying yourself everything that are right in our hands here? Why did you not yourself? Oh brethren, dear young people especially, here's a great secret to deny yourself to say no to your own natural desires. Sometimes not bad in themselves. But to say no so that Christ would be glorified is a tremendous secret. The Lord help us.
To sacrifice ourselves. I often think of these sacrifices that are mentioned in the New Testament. Brother Bob was speaking in the open meeting on Saturday of the sacrifice of praise. Do we take time? It may be something that costs something.
Praise the Lord to take time not only to listen to nice Christian music, but to praise Him with our own lips and our own hearts. We're going to have to say no to some areas of our own pleasure to give Him the praise and their sacrifice in other ways too, to lay down our lives for our brethren. There are many that are in terrible circumstances. Do we know what it means to say no to our own natural pleasure?
For the Lord's sake that is opening up an area of what real Christian life is and oh that we could know it better. Brethren just feel that often times our life and testimony is Hanford because we live in a world that is so self-centered and self pleasing.
Brethren of the power of resurrection Light.
Is only manifested in the measure that we bear about in our body.
The dying of the Lord Jesus.
Loves his life shall lose it. You're telling us about the life that you could lose. And the Lord says he that loses his life will have it until life eternal. But I get to tell a story, you know, So you'll pardon sometimes. I'll bring it down to the story of what we do. They all want to win the lottery. They all want to win the lottery. And they say to me, you know.
Did you? Anyway, in our town there was a man that won the lottery. It was a great story. I'm not going to tell you that story, but I want to tell you another story. There was a brother, he was in the in the market there, and he was standing in line to go through the check counter. And the lady that was at the head of the line, she was. She was.
By the clerk, the clerk says. Wouldn't you like to buy a lottery ticket?
You might win. And she says, Oh yes, yes, I forgot. So she gives the dollar, you know, whatever it is, a dollar, $2.00. And here's about six people standing in line and his brother's right behind this lady. And then as she's wrapping up the stuff, she's wouldn't you like to buy another lottery ticket? Well, this takes time. And everybody's standing in the line in the grocery. You never did that. Did you stand in the line of the grocery? Of course you did.
In the meantime, somebody that's holding up the line, you get impatient. You say, what's the hold up, What's the hold up? You know, so everybody was at attention. What's this lady doing? She's buying another lottery ticket.
And then the clerk says, wouldn't you like to get another one? You know, like you she was feeding the, you know, the the interest, another one, oh, maybe you'll win the lottery. And then this brother. Anyway, Finally the line starts moving. The lady goes on with her groceries and a couple of three or four lottery tickets. And the brother right behind the lady says to him, wouldn't you like to get a lottery ticket? And the brother, he says, I won already.
00:40:08
She's. You mean you won the lottery? He said. No, I won. Christ.
And everybody in the line behind the look at the floor, yeah, But see, there was the real winner.
You know you and I should be on the winning side and here this wonderful verse he says that I may win Christ.
You know, if you and I have one Christ who want to tell other people about it, may it be so in our hearts. But that's the Newman speaking. I won Christ. The old man would say, well, maybe I should take a chance to win the lottery. I could do a lot of good with it, you know, they watch out. That's where you could lose the life, he says, the Lord said he that loves his life. Which life are you going to use for the Lord's glory?
Not only uses the word loses life that it says that any man hate his life in this world, That's a pretty strong word.
I think we can say that whatever practical measure there is an expression of conformity to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be the answer in practical expression to the life of the Lord Jesus Christ lived out.
I suppose one of the biggest snares to our young people is the fact is sports. And I've had a young person say to me, well, if the Lord has given us talents.
How are we to use them? Are we not supposed to use them? Are you giving us abilities in sports? And so they use this as an excuse to go into it headlong? Well, perhaps that's one of those things you're mentioning, Bob, that that we deny ourselves. The Lord has given us certain amount of of abilities.
But are we going to use them for that which furthers the situation, our situation in the world, or are we going to use it to pursue popularity or riches or whatever it might be? Perhaps those are some of those things that we can lay down for the Lord Jesus. You know, at the time, at this time here, sometimes the only way some of these Christians reach the arena was to lay down their lives for Christ. And so if you, if our young people would say, well.
You know, I've got these abilities. I would like to use them for the Lord. And so we find this in religious circles. You know why there's athletes for Christ and things like this. I'm not trying to knock these things because many of these people, I God, is their judge. But let us not think that these are not some of those things that we can lay down for Christ, that we may win him and have him as our object rather than things for this world. What is a big hindrance to many of the young people is the poor example that they see in after our older.
And that's a good point, brother. And the next verse would say to all of our younger brethren, there's not one of us who would say that we had a thing. You're not that I have already obtained. We are on the way with them. We may be a little farther along the pathway, but none of us would say to you, dear young people, we have arrived. I just trust that the young ones are getting these things.
And for a word to us, we who are older, we often talk about the glory and being conformed to his image there. But in the Darby translation it's very important. I believe in verse 10 it says being conformed to his death. This is what it's going to cost us. And I just trust that we who are older are displaying this.
Not talking about it, but displaying.
These things also being conformed to his death. This is how we come to know Christ better.
Take materialism. You know we have spoken of worldly things even in the religious world, but at the end of this chapter, Paul speaks of earthly mindedness minding earthly things and.
These are in themselves legitimate thing which we make our life.
You know, and isn't that the problem in our part of the world? You know we have.
So much more an opportunity to accumulate things, you know, And then we spend so much effort to get these things and we lose out spiritually. And the young people see this example.
00:45:06
And it is such a hindrance to them, you know there's nothing wrong.
In having a nice home and having a car and so on. But it will become very manifest with our hearts are attached to these things. You know, whether these things become idols to us or we use these things for the Lord, you know? Have you not heard people say, well, I've been buying this house, I want to be able to entertain the sayings, but then they are working two jobs in order to pay for the house and to have no opportunity to.
And contain the same These are the things, the snares and pitfalls that we tend to fall into. And we have to be careful, You know, are we spending so much energy to reach out for these things? And we don't have time to get to know more about the Lord Jesus, to get to know him better and to be in his company. You know, we get home so tired that we can hardly read or pray. You know, we fall asleep on our needs. That happens.
Died. But we have to have our priorities straight and have to be an example. You know, maybe we have to suffer loss in an earthly way in a world we stand in order to live our Christian life for Speeder 5 says that they Peter said to those who are older, be thou an example.
To the flock for all of us here today who are older.
But Paul in First Timothy four, I think it's 13. He is speaking to Timothy, and he says, be thou an example, all the believers, the message for both of us this afternoon.
This morning just like to say this, that every believer possesses this resurrection life. It isn't something that we have to attain for as believers we possess that life. You may have a very fine car full of gas and all tuned up sitting in the garage.
There it is. It's your car. You've got the title deeds to it, but the only time that you're going to get any good out of it is to use it. And every believer, brethren, has that new life. Christ himself is our life. We have the Holy Spirit of God within, and the purpose of these meetings, I trust, is this given object for our lives. What is the object of our life? Are we living for the things that pass away?
And there can be an occupation too, with our attainments. And there are books written called The Victorious Life. And the book usually begins by getting you to measure yourself. Are you living the victorious life rather than That is not the point. The point is to have our eyes upon that glorious Savior. Think of what He has done for us. Think of what He means to us. Think of what awaits us at the end of the journey.
And we'll always feel how very feeble is our response. We'll always feel that we're not giving their response of love and devotedness that we should. But the more we're occupied with Him, the more that will take place in our lives. Perhaps I could say unconsciously, Moses didn't know that his face was shining, but it was shining because he had spent 40 days in the presence of the Lord, learning about His grace to the failing people of God.
And he came back, and he didn't know his face was shining, but it was because it was occupied with him. And so I just want to say for the encouragement of all, especially those who are young, you have all the capability. You've got that fine car sitting in the garage with all the capabilities of everything that you could desire. You have that new life. You have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in. And I trust these meetings, and I think in measure they are occupying us with the glorious object that we have for our souls and as we are occupied with him.
And then we want to enjoy that which he has given us and display it. It may mean setting aside certain things, but we say what is really worthwhile. Why should we be fooling around with some old car that will hardly go when you've got that nice car sitting around in the garage all ready for you? And that's the point. Well, may the spirit of God occupy us with more with that one. That's what I believe Paul is seeking to bring before us.
00:50:02
The altogether lovely one, and so filled his heart and transformed his life, he said It's worthwhile no matter what. I may have to give up. I think Mr. Darby made the comment the Christian life is worth worthwhile if it were 1000 times harder than it is.
Told in Hebrews chapter 12 to lay aside every weight and the sandwich, does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking after Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. And so these weights we've been talking about, someone mentioned already about what we get in the book of Ecclesiastes and the Song, and Solomon found that these things became perhaps waste to him. They were.
They were things that vexed his spirit and dragged him down and gave him.
Satisfaction. And so how How much? How many times we we are made to feel that these things are what we need to strive after for our happiness. And when we get them, we find there are ways that drag this down. Now some some of these weights are not necessarily sin, but they're just unnecessary baggage that we care, that we take on as we go through this life, thinking that they are necessary for our happiness, but they may become a sin.
And so we are to lay aside these things and run with patience. As many we hear many times you would never find even carrying a bag of gold while we're running a race. Why, you say, I can't let go of that goal, but it's a week and it would drag us down. So these are the things that we have our eye on, on the object, who is Christ, who has run the race before us, and who despise the shame and suffered the the affliction of the cross.
Why can we not do the same thing, brother?
A runner in a race needs to have the goal distinctly before him. Extremely important. If a runner starts a race and doesn't know where the goal is, he might run our ways in a certain direction and think maybe the goal's off in another direction, run a different direction. He'll never win the race that way. Sometimes I like to ask young people, what is your objective, your overall objective?
And it's interesting the different responses. But I say for a Christian, the only objective that is worthy of a Christian is out of this world. It's Christ in glory that must be the overall objective before the Christian. There may be other.
Objectives that are lesser objectives.
But they should relate. They should all be compared with that over all objective. And I challenge the dear young people to think about their lives that are before them. What is your overall objective? Some upset love to get a good education and then get a good job and and deliver the Lord. That sounds pretty good, but I say that's not an overall objective. You need to place your sights on Christ and glory.
And then there may be.
Getting an education that may fit into the picture, but it has to relate to that overall objective. So I say let's get distinctly before our souls that over all objective that Paul had before him here, and then run the race with patience like it mentions in Hebrews 12 and relate everything to that overall objective whether Brinkman was talking about.
Priorities.
And I think it's important that we stop once in a while.
And evaluate our lives and establish priorities. Our lives get cluttered with things, things that in themselves are not wrong, but that do not help run the race properly.
Told the story of.
Man, I got to know in Bolivia.
Who used to run in the car races of Bolivia. They used to visit him. He made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus and I believe it's real, but I never said anything to him about racing in the car races. One day I was visiting him and he said what's wrong with racing? He kind of felt that I wasn't quite in agreement with him. It's a good, clean sport. I said yeah, that's probably true. What's wrong with it?
00:55:05
I said I'd like to ask you a question. If I'm running a race like they do in Bolivia between two of the cities, between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, would it be all right for me to stop beside the road and take some pictures? Oh no, no, no, you don't do that. I say. Is there something morally wrong with taking pictures? No, no, no, no, no, nothing morally wrong. But when you're in a race, you don't do that. I said There's exactly the point.
Once you start a race, you have the object before you. You're pursuing it with all your energies. There's a lot of things that in themselves are not morally wrong, but you just don't do them because it doesn't help you to get down to the goal. And I still remember Brother Willis. He used to.
Use quote that verse 14 in a little different way, in a literal way I suppose, where Paul says I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Used to quote it down to the goal. I press the figure of speeches an athlete.
All his energies, he's going toward the last stretch.
And he's putting everything he has into it to get cynical. Oh brother. And if we get a glimpse of the prize, the tremendous prize that's there at the end of the goal for us, nothing could hinder you or me. Nothing would attract if somebody might step up to us and say, here's a bag of gold. We would throw a bag of gold to one side just as soon as we throw a bag of garbage to one side, if we wanted above all to reach that price.
Brethren, let's get our eyes fixed on the tremendous prize that there is waiting for us at the end of the journey. Let's going to form our lives like to tell a little story that happened to myself. It was a real object lesson in this. In this regard, I think I've told some of the young people once and but it was a real lesson for me to see how easily we can lose our eyesight, you know, and I was killing my garden and.
On with the tractor and I was looking at the ground beside me had to see how I was going and and I had to go underneath one of my fruit trees and it caught my hat and flipped it off and and so I just saw where it landed and I thought well I'll pick that up a little later and I just kept on going and I killed for another half an hour and after a while I got up to I got off the tractor to go to the house and something was wrong and and I went like this and my glasses were gone.
I hadn't noticed it for 1/2 an hour. But you see, as long as I was looking at the earth, I didn't realize it. But when I looked up then I saw that I didn't have the right vision. And you know, that was an object lesson to me that that sometimes, you know, as we're looking at earthly things, we don't really get the gradual thing sometimes. And we don't realize that we lose our vision, we lose our eyesight, so to speak. Like Samson lost his eyesight. And it's not until we lift our eyes up that we realize that brother. And so it was a real lesson to me, that an object lesson and and.
Worthwhile considering.
But above, you were talking about going to school, getting a job.
You would agree what you're not that we can go to school and go to work for the glory of God.
So, and the idea is, what's my attitude? You know, how do I look at school? How do I look at my job? That makes all the difference with my object, Yes. And so boys and girls, you can be in school for the glory of God. You can be a good student because you're a Christian. And if you do your work in school, well, you're a testimony for the law. You don't want to excel because you want to show off with your intellect.
But you want to do your job because you're a Christian, you know, and it expected that you do the best you can. And if you don't learn to do that in school or in connection with the jobs and duties that you get at all, it will have an effect on the rest of your life. And the same with work. And the scripture says whatever you do in Word or in deed, do it all for the Lord Jesus so I can go to work and do that job for him.
And justice, like being in school. But my job is not my object. It's a means to an end. You see, that makes all the difference. And like this man was asked, he was a Shoemaker. You might have heard the story. What's your occupation? He said. I'm looking for the Lord to come, and in the meantime, I repair shoes, you see? And so we all have to.
01:00:26
Do something to provide for things honestly. And what a shameful thing that is if a man would have to be judged by that scripture, he that provides not for his own. You know he has denied the faith, but we can do these things for the Lord and what a pleasure that brings into whatever we do, you know, what about the woman that has to wash the diapers and clean the house and cook and so on.
And when she realizes.
I'm doing that for the Lord. She does it with joy.
Great deal has been said and properly comparing the Christian pathway with the race and the athlete.
The Apostle Paul uses that same figure on several occasions, but there is one word that is particularly applicable to how we run the race. He says to Timothy, if any strive for the mastery, that is, if one participates in the race. Yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully?
If we are going to pursue the expression of risen life in Christ, we have to get the rules of the race from the word of God. And striving lawfully is living the resurrection life in accordance with what we find in obedience to the word of God. So if that man is not crowned except.
Described lawfully. And this is the rule that we love, that instructs us how to run this reason, how to pursue this goal.
The word of God every day. I'd like to just back up for a moment, if you'll allow me, because Brother Ken and Brother Bob have alluded to that verse in Hebrews chapter 12, looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. And I think it's most important to see the the context of that verse, because in the chapter that goes before we find a list of men and women who live by faith for God's glory in the Old Testament. And it's a tremendous list of those who live against all kinds of odds and difficulties.
And it shows us that it's never been popular to live for the for the truth and for God. And if we're going to live for God's glory and reflect something of Christ in our lives, we're not going to be popular down here. The Lord Jesus said if they hated me, they will hate you Also. He said the servant is not greater than his Lord. And if we in the measure in which we reflect Christ in our lives, young people, we're going to suffer a reproach.
It's true, we may not suffer physical persecution in Canada and the United States, like many of our brethren, even today in other parts of the world are suffering. There's brethren even in 1996 who are going through physical suffering and persecution for the testimony of Jesus. But I believe there will be a reproach in the measure in which you and I walk in communion with himself and reflect Christ in our lives. But it says, if ye are reproached for the name of Christ.
Happy are ye but we will suffer that reproach. All they that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Not they might, but they shall suffer persecution. But my particular thought in bringing up the 11Th chapter of Hebrews is that at the end of that chapter then he immediately turns our gaze away from that great list of men and women. In other words, he says, I'm giving you this list as an encouragement.
And we're thankful, too, for those that we've known in the past that have gone on. And it does say whose face follows. But I believe the spirit of God is very careful, lest we ever think that our brethren are given to us as the object for faith. They're not. They're given to us as an encouragement, And even in our day we're encouraged by those we know that go on in the path of faith, but rather they're not the object for us. If we're looking to them, the Lord may have to teach us the lesson of Psalm 119, where it says, I've seen an end of all perfection. We're thankful for our dear brethren, but there's only one object, one perfect object.
01:05:09
And he's the author and finisher not of our faith, but it should read of faith. He's the one and the only one that hasted through this world in the path of faith and obedience, and never for a moment digress from it, even in his his greatest trial as Calvary approached.
And all that it meant to his holy soul, as he anticipated being made sin for us.
It's true, he prayed and said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. But he immediately says nevertheless not my will but thine be done. Even Christ pleased not himself. He never, I say, digressed from the path of faith and obedience, And having hastened through this world in that way, now God has set him at his own right hand as the beginner and finisher of faith and the object for you and for me, as we haste through this world in the path of faith.
And if we're going to be preserved in the path of faith and faithfulness, rather, it's only in the measure in which we have the perfect object before us. And I'd like to just say this too, for those of us who are younger, we cannot look at our brethren and use their failures to excuse failure and compromise in our lives. It's true, we may see failure in our brethren if we're looking for that, but, brethren, we cannot use that as an excuse.
And I think sometimes the tendency, and I believe this is the whole spirit of the age, to look at somebody else and blame some failure today on somebody in our past and some circumstance in our past brethren, that's not according to the word of God. If we're looking for failure in our brethren, we're going to find plenty of it, but we won't see it in the Lord Jesus. And so I just said that as a safeguard, Timothy was Paul wrote to Timothy, and Timothy saw much failure by the 2nd Epistle amongst the people of God.
Maybe even those that had been an encouragement to Timothy earlier on, they had forsaken the truth and were turned aside. But what did Paul tell Timothy? To be discouraged because of the faults of his brother, Because some were turned aside? No, he said, Continue thou in the things that thou hast learned and been assured of.
He said, Timothy, don't look at your brother. Look to the perfect one and open the word of God and continue as someone was saying. We have everything that we need in this book to go on for God's glory, even in 1996. And as long as we're left here in this world, this book is sufficient to guide us and direct us. And so, brethren, as we've had in these meetings, let's have Christ before our souls. We sometimes sing this, that little prayer in our hymn book. I trust it's the earnest prayer of your heart and mind.
Oh, fix our earnest gaze so holy Lord on thee, that with thy beauty, thy beauty occupied we elsewhere.
None may say, for our conversation is in heaven.
From what's also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change in our mild body, that it may be fashion likened to His glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to even subdue all things unto himself. This is jumping a few verses, perhaps, but the thought here in the end of the chapter, I didn't want to miss it. That time is just about gone.
But.
The fact of our citizenship being not in the world, our citizenship is there in the glory, so we should seek by all means to live as strangers in the world, pilgrims down here.
Only passing through a waste, howling wilderness, home to the glory to himself, where he sits in and waits for us, waits for the moment to come and take us to himself.
I did want to get that verse in before the hour is finished, I almost thought.
You want us to be active citizens and to have any citizenship. Is that what you're telling us?
I wanted to point out this verse, Brethren, follow us together, me and mark them which walk so as he have us for an example, you know, in connection with what Brother Jim has been saying just shortly before. They're not an object, they're an encouragement. And I believe we still have those today that aren't encouragement to others.
01:10:13
They're not an object, but they are an encouragement. And we find even in Hebrews, you know, we have to remember dual.
That have gone before those who have taught us the word of God, and that we should imitate their faith, not imitate them in what they were doing, but to imitate their faith. And so, in spite of the fact that there are many times are things that tend to discourage us, when we look around, there are still those who are an example, and we can be thankful for them, and we don't make them an object.
But we are thankful for whatever faith and faithfulness is manifested in any of God's people. Shall we sing hymn #24 in the back of the hymn book?
24 in the appendix.
Nothing but Christ and.
Long as the pride and God.
Breathing bread blessed. I wish, I wish.
2 Chronicles 14-16
Address—B. Prost
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So ask the Lord's blessing.
Would you turn with me, please, to the 14th chapter of Second Chronicles?
Second Chronicles, chapter 14.
What I have before me this afternoon is to look briefly at the life of one of the godly kings of Judah, a man by the name of ASA. We don't have the time to examine his life in detail, but I would like to look at some of the highlights of it. In meditating upon it, I believe that his life has a voice for us today.
Let's read the first verse together.
Second Chronicles 14, verse one.
So Abide just slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David, and ASA his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet 10 years.
Might be interesting to reflect who ASA was. ASA was the grandson of a man by the name of Rea Bolton, the great grandson of Solomon.
We know that it was in Rio Balms Day that that sad division had occurred in Israel.
That division that split the Kingdom you'll remember into two factions.
One the 10 tribes whom we know forsook the true God of their fathers.
Forsook the place where Jehovah had said his name, and forsook God's rightful king.
And under Jeroboam they went their way. But then Reabome, we read that the House of Judah, or the tribe of Judah clave unto him and to their king. And so we find that the Kingdom goes on from there. But sad to say, if we read how Rehoboam conducted himself, it's very, very clear that he was not in himself, in his soul, a man of God. He had, it's true, I believe.
A real heart for the place where the Lord had set his name, and He valued the fact.
That God center was there in Jerusalem, but it's recorded that the idols and much of the.
Things that many of the things that had occasioned the division were not dealt with in his own life. Well, we find his son Abijah reigned only three years. And Abijah was not characterized in one sense as being a man of God. It's true that he trusted in the Lord God of his father's, and we can be so thankful for that. And we find that he won a great victory over Jeroboam when Jeroboam came against him, but he reigned only three years.
00:05:03
But then we find here ASA comes to the throne and it's beautiful to see here in the end of verse one, in his days the land was quiet 10 years. Oh, how we like that. I love to read that in the history of the people of God that the land was quiet 10 years.
But what kind of a king was ASA? Oh, let's read the second verse. And ASA did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. For he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places, and to break down the images, and cut down the Groves, and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment also. He took away out of the cities, out of all the cities of Judah, the high places and the images.
And the Kingdom was quiet before him. Oh, how good to see that here was a man who had the energy of faith to go out.
And to do that which it seems his father and his grandfather had not done, there were evidences of idolatry even in the land of Judah. It's true that the 10 tribes had gone to excesses, as we know, and had gone from bad to worse in setting up golden calves and false worship.
But here we find right in the land of Judah there was that which was a dishonor to the Lord.
And I say to your heart, as I say to my own heart, how needful it is for us to examine our own hearts.
We had somewhat of that brought before us in these meetings. It is one thing to know the truth of God. It's one thing to have a clear understanding of it in our heads. But oh, how much more important is is it that it get down into our hearts so that it forms our walk and our character and our pathway down here? Well, here we find ASA did that which was good in the in right in the sight of the Lord. And you know, it's noteworthy that he did that during that period of time.
When there was rest for 10 years. 10 in Scripture speaks of human responsibility, but it speaks of responsibility before God. And we find further down here in the end of verse six, it says the middle of the verse, for the land had rest and he had no war in those days because the Lord had given him rest.
Oh, sad to say we find amongst the people of God in the Old Testament that.
Life was characterized by periods of rest, and then periods of war, then a period of rest, and then another period of war. Why was that? Oh, sad to say, because when God gave them rest, it seems, for any length of time, it didn't take very long before their hearts were turned away from the Lord God of their fathers, as Scripture tells us, and they turn to idolatry. They forgot the Lord, and the Lord had to allow trouble and difficulties to come in in order to recall them to Himself.
Is it not true in your life and mine?
We would love to have rest and peace throughout our lives, and I bless God for the periods of rest and peace that you and I can have individually.
And collectively. But sad to say, there's often the need to be. And I speak most of all to my own heart.
For the periods of unrest and the difficulties that the Lord allows in order to recall our hearts to Himself.
But oh, there's something else that ASA does during that time of rest.
Notice what he does here in verse 6.
And he built fenced cities in Judah, for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest.
Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about the walls and towers and gates and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.
All I would say to each one of our hearts, but I look particularly, if I may be permitted to do so, at our dear young people here and particularly the young brothers here. Oh, if there is a period of rest in your life, if there is a period of time, we'll say collectively amongst the people of God, oh, may we be exercised as ASA was, to use the time profitably. ASA could have said, well, we don't have to worry too much about things now.
There's a period of rest. Things are going on quietly. Let's just enjoy ourselves.
00:10:04
But Oh no, Isa said. We need to use the time while the land is before us.
To build those fortifications up because we never know when there will be more war.
Oh, he didn't say there is going to be more war. He didn't say there has to be more war in Paris. The thought that we should think that way.
But all how needful that we should have this precious book before us. How needful that we should be before the Lord to use the time profitably. To me, those fortifications speak of having the truth clear in our souls, of having this precious book before us.
So that we read and meditate in it and on top of that.
May we use that good ministry that God has seen fit to give us. Was talking to a dear brother just in the interim between lunch and this meeting. I don't think he'll mind my mentioning this. And we were Speaking of how needful it was to have the word of God before us. We were Speaking of how the enemy would seek to take away everything that God would seek to bring before us. How he would pick away all of what God would seek to give us.
And how needful it was to enjoy these things in our own souls. Oh, may we be found using that time profitably.
Dear brethren, the time is short, you know that, and I know that. And ASA felt the urgency. 10 years. It's not very long in order to build those cities up in case they needed fortifications and gates and bars.
But then there's something else here in verse 8. And ASA had an army of men that bare targets and Spears out of Judah 300,000 and out of Benjamin that bare Shields and drew bows, 204 score thousand. All these were mighty men of valor.
You and I might read those verses and we might say, oh.
How can there be such a thing today? Mighty men of valor with targets and Spears. You know, a target I believe in Scripture, is not what you and I would immediately think of. When I think of a target, I think of something that we set up with concentric circles at which you shoot in order to improve your aim. But I don't believe that's the thought here. A target was that, I believe, which sat on the shoulders, which sat, you might say, with a bit of a breastplate on it and back.
And it sat on the shoulders for protection.
I know I believe the target would speak of our eternal security in Christ and nothing can ever take that away.
If you read the history of Rehoboam, the grandfather of this man Isa, you find that the king of Egypt, Sheshak, came and took away the golden Shields that Solomon had made. Says he even took away all. But oh, they were targets that Solomon had made. And there's no record that the king of Egypt ever took those targets away. Why? Oh, because that was something he could not touch. He couldn't touch those targets. He could take away the Shields.
And here we find these men had targets, but they also had Spears.
If you go back in the history of Israel, you find the time of Saul and Jonathan that the Philistines had conspired in such a way.
That there was number Smith in the land of Israel, and as a result there was number spear or sword in the hands of anyone but Saul and Jonathan. Oh, the enemy would want to deprive you and me of those Spears. Thank God he can never take away the target, but he wants to take away those valiant men who have targets.
And Spears.
I say to our beloved young brothers this morning, it's possible today to have a spear as well as a target. You may say I thank God that I can have my eternal security and that nothing can take that away. But all the Spirit of God is still here. The Word of God is the same. That precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the same, as it says in Hebrews 13 yesterday and today and forever. And ASA wasn't dismayed by the fact.
Although no doubt he was burdened by it.
That the Kingdom had been split, that there had been division amongst the people of God. Oh, I'm sure it burdened his heart.
But nevertheless, he has an army here, a sizable army too, far bigger than the army that his father had had.
When he went out against Jeroboam.
And there they were, with targets and Spears. Well, it doesn't take very long for that army to be put to use, does it? It doesn't take very long for those fortifications that had been built to be put to use. Notice what happens in verse 9.
00:15:19
And there came out against them zero the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand 1300 Chariots.
And came unto Marisha. Then ASA went out against him. And they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephytha at Maresha. And ASA cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God.
Let not man prevail against thee.
I think this is so beautiful. Here comes the king of Ethiopia, I suppose, era, and he has a huge army, 1000 thousand. That's a million men, almost twice as many as ASA could muster.
Does ASA say, well, I've got a good army, we've got Spears, we have targets?
We've spent the last 10 years fortifying ourselves. We can handle it.
Oh no, Oh no. He goes directly to the Lord and he says.
Well, we read it here. It is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power.
Oh, I speak to my own heart. This is our proper spirit and attitude in the day in which we live.
We never read of a David of David going out to battle with words like this.
No, but it was a different day when ASA lived. Failure had come in. It didn't mean that he neglected the fortifications on the one hand.
It didn't mean that he neglected the mighty men of valor, or the targets and Spears on the other, but when it came down to a difficulty, all he recognized, humanly speaking, that all that he had done was no match for the enemy. And so he says those wonderful words. We rest on thee, and in thy name we go.
Oh, there's a hymn that has been written about those words. Maybe some of you know some of it.
Some of us are old. Old enough to remember when those five young men as missionaries to the Elk Indians in Ecuador Ecuador were murdered back 40 years ago.
And to him they sang. Just before they went forth was the hymn based on those words. We rest on thee, our shield and our defender. We go not forth alone against the foe. Strong in thy strength, safe in thy keeping, tender we rest on Thee.
And in thy name we go.
We rest on thee, our shield and our defender. The last verse goes, Thine is the victory. Thine shall be the praise when meeting thee up there. Inglorious splendor victors, We rest with thee through endless days.
Oh, I say to each one here this afternoon, that can be your portion in mine, but we have to take the low place. We have to take the place of saying, Lord, we rest on thee and in thy name we go. We have to be willing to say we are those that have no power or no might. And then what happens? Oh, it's wonderful here in verse 12. So the Lord smote The Ethiopians before ASA and before Judah and The Ethiopians.
Lead and notice what happens here verse 13 and they send the people that were with them pursued them unto Girard, where was Girar Girar. Girar was way down in the land of the full steins. You'll remember that that was the place to which Isaac went when he sojourned in the land of the Philistines. It didn't belong to The Ethiopians. They came from further away than that, but they pursue them to gear are and what happened? Notice verse 14.
And they smote all the cities roundabout Girar for the fear of the Lord came upon them. And they spoiled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoil in them. Oh, the Philistines, and we don't have time to dwell on us, speak of those who were right in the land of Israel. They were right within that part of the territory that God had given to His people. And I believe they speak of those who would take away from us right where we are.
00:20:02
That which is rightfully ours in Christ. And those Philistines you'll remember all through Israel's history.
Were a constant thorn to the people of God. And here we find that there was no particular quarrel at that time between the Philistines and Israel. We don't read of it at least, but in pursuing those Ethiopians we find that they come to Girar, and the Lord sees fit to deliver the inhabitants of that area into their hands. Why? Oh, it says, the fear of the Lord came upon them.
Why was that? Oh, because they didn't pretend to be anything. They didn't pretend to be something they were not. And you know, it tells us concerning ASA in another place, that his heart was perfect before God all his days.
What does that mean? Perfect. Does that mean he didn't make a mistake?
Oh, no, because we're going to read in a little while of a mistake or two that he didn't make. But I believe that word perfect. I took the trouble to look it up. It's the same word as is used back in Genesis concerning Abraham when the Lord says to him, Walk thou before me, walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I believe it brings before us the thought that Abraham understood the mind of God for the time in which he was living. He understood what God was doing.
In if we could use the expression, the dispensation in which he lived, and in that sense his heart was in tune with God's heart.
Is yours and mine, Is your heart and mine. And I say this humbly, I trust in tune with what God is doing in this time, with the fact that God in this world today is calling out of people from this world to be a heavenly people. A people that are in this world but not of it. A people whom, as we were reminded yesterday, are looking for the Lord to come. A people who belong to heaven and not to earth.
And yet whom God has been pleased to send back into this world. To do what? To be living witnesses to the grace that brought them to himself. Do we understand that? Oh, we say yes we do. We have heard that for many years. We have heard that ministered to our hearts. Those of us who have been privileged to grow up gathered to the Lords name. We have heard that for many years. But all I say, does it sink down into my heart? So that is the present living reality with me. And so that at any moment I'm looking for the Lord to come.
Well, I believe that's what it means in the context of the day in which you and I are living.
Well, our time is going. Let's go on here.
15th chapter.
And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of O Dead, and he went out to meet ASA, and said unto him.
Hear ye me, ASA, and all Judah and Benjamin, the Lord is with you while ye be with him. And if you seek him, he will be found of you. But if he forsake him, he will forsake you. Oh, isn't it blessed to see that now God is pleased to send ASA practical encouragement. Oh how we love to have someone come up to us, a brother or a sister, and be an encouragement to us. And I am so thankful for those over the years who have come to me in that capacity and spirit and who have been able to be a real encouragement.
All we thank God for that and I trust that each one here this afternoon.
Is conscious of how much we can be either an encouragement or a discouragement to others.
But notice the order here. The encouragement comes after ASA had first of all relied on the Lord himself.
Oh, I've said this before, pardon me if it sounds repetitive, but it has meant much to my own soul. May we never put any person, no matter how much help they can be to us, between ourselves and the Lord. May we never put any dear brother or sister between ourselves and the Lord, otherwise we're in danger. And here we find that ASA gets the encouragement from this prophet Oded.
Or Azariah, the son of Oded.
But when does he get the encouragement? Oh, it's after he had already won a great victory by relying on the Lord Himself. And I would encourage each one here to live directly in communion with the Lord Himself. Get out this precious book and read it for yourself and let it speak to your heart.
Get on your knees, as we were reminded previously in these meetings, and be in prayer before the Lord.
00:25:04
Not just when you're in trouble, not just when you have a need, but simply to.
Ask the Lord for His grace and help in living to please Him and at the same time to let Him speak to you.
Verse 3.
Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in. But great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries, and nation was destroyed of nation and city of city, for God did vex them with all adversity.
That's rather a sad comment. Why does the Prophet bring a remark like that in?
Oh, I suggest to you and to my own soul that these comments are a reference back.
To the times when the judges ruled, you read the book of judges. And I don't think there's a sadder book in the Old Testament than the book of Judges, where several times over it is said every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And we find there that that whole book is filled with just this description that we have here. All kinds of difficulties and problems. No peace to him that went out or him that came in.
Great vexations and so on. And more than that, the Lord allowed it. The Lord allowed it. It says God did vex them with all adversity. Why was that? Oh, because God wasn't given his rightful place. And may I say to my own soul, as I say to each one here, may we never seek to do that which is right in our own eyes. May we have this precious book before us. But if I could say this without being misunderstood.
We need not merely this precious book, but this precious book with God, with God.
A dear brother in the last century once wrote to a young man who had written to ask him some serious questions about Scripture.
Which he answered most ably in the letters that he subsequently wrote to him. But in his final letter he made a remark like this, and I'm not quoting it accurately, but this is the sense of it, he said. I fear you have been studying your Bible too much and not reading it enough.
Interesting, Mark, isn't it studying your Bible too much and not reading it enough? And he said I wouldn't in any way want to dissuade you from reading your Bible or even studying your Bible. But he said, I want you to learn to study and read it with God.
With God. Oh, to study it without the Lord is to build the fortifications.
To have the sphere and the target, and yet not to rely on the Lord himself. And I believe this prophet was giving a submittable warning here. He recalls a time previously when Israel had been in desperate straits and when there had been all kinds of problems.
And you and I know full well that the condition of things described here exists today.
Sad to say, it exists amongst your believers in the Lord Jesus Christ where there seems to be no peace to him that goes out or comes in, where there's great vexation of spirit, nation destroying nation, figuratively speaking, and city destroying city, and we recognize the Lord's hand behind it. Oh, how sad it is. But then what does it say here in verse 7? Be strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak.
For your work shall be rewarded.
O beloved brother and sister in Christ, this is an encouragement for your heart and mind today.
Do we feel weak in ourselves? ASA did. He didn't have any confidence in his own strength to meet the enemy. But after he had trusted in the Lord, the Lord comes to him and says, Be strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.
But remember, the reward may not come down here.
In Second Timothy 2IN connection with carrying on in a day of failure, we get these words, and I'm going to quote it as it is in J&D translation. Remember Jesus Christ of the seed of Abraham raised from the dead. According to my Gospel, that says to my own soul that the reward and the vindication for a life of faithfulness may have to wait for that day.
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You may have to wait for that day in the glory. The Lord Jesus Christ has never been vindicated in this world.
But up there in that coming day, he will be vindicated. And if you and I are faithful to that Blessed One, then I believe there will be vindication in that day. And so your work shall be rewarded. Do you not see much fruit for your work? Humbling, isn't it sometimes, dear brother? Harry Hayhoe used to remind us, though he'd say, Brethren, don't ever count your converts before the glory. You won't count nearly enough.
I believe that to be true, not that we should in any way be puffed up in pride know.
When we get up there in that day, any crown that the Lord will be pleased to give us, we know we will only cast at His feet.
Well, we have to go on here.
Verse nine. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers with them out of E Freeman Manasseh, and out of Simeon.
For they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
What is it that attracted those from the 10 tribes?
Steeped in idolatry.
Gone.
Things that ended up in a most horrible mixture of truth and error.
What attracted them?
I don't want to comment any further than this than to say when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
That's what's going to attract hearts to Christ and to the truth connected with that Blessed One, if they see that the Lord is with us.
May we be exercised that that would be seen.
That that would happen.
Verse 10. So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month and the 15th year of the reign of ASA, and they offered unto the Lord the same time of the spoil which they had brought.
700 oxen and 7000 sheep, and they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.
They had a covenant with God already.
But it had lapsed, it had been forgotten about, idolatry had come in and as a result there had been difficulties, many difficulties.
An ASA gathers all Judah and Benjamin together, and these others, as it were, come along and say, we're with you, we see that the Lord is with you, and they too enter into this solemn covenant. And it says with all their heart and with all their soul. We've heard that already in these meetings, haven't we?
Oh, I say to each one of us, as I say to my own soul, God wants all of my heart and all of my soul. He doesn't want half measures.
And that is what we see sometimes, if I could be permitted to speak of it amongst some of our dear brethren in what we are pleased, perhaps unwisely, to dub Third World countries. We know what we mean by that term, and I use it myself, but I confess I don't like it.
Because in spiritual things, I sometimes think that we are the third world and they are the first world.
Because as you go among some of those dear brethren, you see a heart and an energy in the soul for Christ.
That I covet for myself. You see an energy to use the little bit that they have, and it is a little bit compared to what we have totally for the Lord. Oh, I don't mean there isn't failure. I don't mean there aren't things that need to be addressed. But you see an energy and a zeal for the Lord and a joy in the Lord that I covered for my own soul. And as a result, you see a liberty and the freedom for the Spirit of God to work that's, sad to say, seems to be lacking in these favored lands.
But then there's a negative side to this too. God doesn't mince matters. Notice verse 16 and also concerning Mayaka, the mother of Ace of the King. He removed her from being queen because she had made an idol in a Grove. And ASA cut down her idol and stamped it and burnt it at the brook Kedron.
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It seems, if you read the history carefully, that Mayaka was not really his mother. The general term is sometimes used. She was really his grandmother. She was the wife of A or the mother of Abijah and the wife of Riabel. And where did she come from?
She was a daughter of Absalom, a daughter of Absalom, and it shows how far reaching the consequences sometimes of a marriage that isn't of the mind of the Lord can go and here we find that way down the line.
This daughter of Absalom.
Finds her influence in her grandsons court. But ASA was a faithful man and you can see how difficult it would have been for him to deal with the situation when it concerned a woman who was probably older, a woman who was his grandmother, a woman to whom he perhaps looked up.
And yet, what does she do? She builds an idol in a Grove, and ASA deals with the matter.
In a very decided manner. Oh, I speak to my own heart. Made personal affection and family ties.
Never stand between me and the Lord. He removes her from being queen, lest her influence toward idolatry have an adverse effect on the people of God and her idol equally. He deals with it ruthlessly, stamps that it says, burns it.
At the Brook Pedron.
We don't have time to consider it, but I suggest each one here. It's a very interesting meditation to go through the Word of God and look at the various references to the Brooke Kedron. It culminates in the New Testament with that Blessed One, the Lord Jesus going over the brook Kedron. The Brooke Kedron, you know, ran down in the Kedron Valley there on the east side of Jerusalem, and in order to get to the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane, you had to go across it.
I understand that there is no real brook there anymore, but you can still see the Kedron Valley, so-called, and I believe it brings before us on the one hand the pathway of total rejection, but on the other hand the total having done with that which is not according to the mind of God. And there were other things that happened at the Brook Pedron which we don't have time to enter into. Let us remember to be faithful.
But our time is nearly gone.
And I wish that the history ended here. I wish that the history ended here because it says in the last verse of this chapter in verse 19. And there was no more war unto the five and 30th year of the reign of ASA. Oh, how blessed to think God gave him 10 years, you might say, as a test to see how he would react under responsibility. And we find that ASA was faithful in the way that he used that time. And as a result, that victory over The Ethiopians paves the way.
For 25 more years of blessed peace.
Oh, May God grant that to us.
But the Spirit of God records as well as faithfulness, the failure of His servant, and notice what happens. We'll just deal with it very briefly in the next chapter. Verse one of chapter 16, in the 6th and 30th year of the reign of ASA, Baisha, king of Israel came up against Judah and built Raima to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to ASA, king of Judah.
Oh, the enemy never lets us alone, doesn't he? And here was a threat now from another quarter.
It wasn't from a heathen nation like The Ethiopians. It wasn't from without. Here again, once more.
It's a threat from those 10 tribes now headed by a different king. Jeroboams household had perished as God said it would, and another king sits on the throne totally unrelated to the House of Jeroboam, and he's going to do something once more to try and make trouble for Judah. You notice that he doesn't come at Judah in the same way though, as Jeroboam had done, and the enemy doesn't always come at us in the same way.
Jeroboam, if you'll remember, went out to battle with Abijah, the father of ASA, and it looked like an easy fight because Jeroboam. We read and we won't turn to it, but you can read it. Jeroboam had 800,000 men and Reabon, or rather Abijah had only 400,000. And humanly speaking, you would have said odds of two to one. There's no contest But Abijah, even though he wasn't strictly speaking a godly king in every aspect of his life.
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He relies on the Lord God of his fathers, and as a result he gets the victory.
There's a side note that I'll mention in it though that humbles me and bows my head.
And that is that the single greatest slaughter of men in battle.
By far recorded in the Old Testament.
Was the slaughter of men where Israelites fought with Israelite?
500 chosen men 500,000 chosen men, I should say, fell in that day slaughter between Israelite and Israelite. What a commentary. What a commentary.
Biasha doesn't make that mistake again. But he says I'm going to build a city here. I'm going to stop all going out and coming in from ASA. No direct threat.
And what does Isa do? Oh, Isa was a godly king. ASA loved the Lord. It tells us that his heart was perfect with the Lord his God all his days.
But then what does he do? Notice what happens?
Then ASA brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the House of the Lord and of the King's house, and sent to Ben Heydad, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father.
Behold, I have sent thee silver and gold. Go break thy league with Beasha, King of Israel, that he may depart from me.
The end of the previous chapter, ASA was characterized by bringing silver and gold into the House of the Lord.
Now he takes it away. What does he do? He goes and he says to the king of Assyria, an ungodly king, a Gentile king. He says you come and help me. You've got a league with Bayasha, but you come on my side.
He maintained.
Shall we say it?
The place that he had in the energy of the flesh, and by fleshly means.
Instead of relying on the Lord as he did with The Ethiopians, instead of looking to the Lord and saying Lord, work out this situation.
I don't know. I don't want to read into this what is not in Scripture, but perhaps ace of thought. I don't want to see another battle like that. I don't want to see Israelites fight with Israelite again. I don't want to see thousands of men slain. Our dear brethren.
Was it ever God's mind that that should happen? Of course not. Would God have worked it out so it didn't happen? I rather believe that he would have, but poor ASA resorts to fleshly means.
Well, it seemed to work, didn't it?
Notice what happened verse 5 and it came to pass when Ben Haydad heard it.
Or Biasha heard it that he left off building of Raymond, let his work cease. Then Ace of the King took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof were with Basha was building, and he built therewith Giba and Mizpah.
It might seem to have worked.
Not only did Beyasha go away, but he went away in such a hurry that he left all the building material behind. And immediately ASA and the men of Judah are able to go and get hold of it, and they build more fortifications. And no doubt they were very satisfied with what they had done.
Oh, I say this to my own heart. May we never seek to maintain what God has given us in the energy of the flesh and in the wrong way. Instead of trusting the Lord, he said, I'm going to build some more fortifications.
As if somehow that would work and I don't care how I get the material, even if I have to hire an ungodly king.
But he compromised to do it. He gave up some of the treasures of the House of the Lord in order to get that help.
And it seemed to work. But notice what God says in verse 7.
And at that time Hanini the Seer came to ASA, king of Judah, and said unto him.
Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria and do not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
Notice that. Notice that it doesn't say the host of the king of Israel.
It doesn't say the host of Beyasha escaped out of your hand. The host of the king of Syria. What does that tell us? I believe that tells us that God would have looked after Beyasha if ASA had the exercise. Lord, I don't want to see another war like that. I don't want to go to battle in that way again. Lord, here, he's coming and building a city that's going to prevent my going out and coming in. Lord, show us what to do. I believe firmly in my own soul the Lord would have come in.
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Who was the real threat? The king of Syria? Who is the real threat, beloved brethren?
It's worldliness. It's the devil.
The threat may come via.
Shall we say it those who do not value the truth, but the Spirit of God, I believe in this chapter cuts through all that and points out where the real threat is and he says, ASA, you've let not be Asha, but the king of Syria escape out of your hands. All I say to my own heart, pardon me for being explicit in this. I fear in my own soul a danger of letting the king of Syria escape out of our hands. And ASA couldn't seem to see the point.
How does he react?
I know we're leaving some of this, but let's read verse nine for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.
To show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
It tells us that Ace's heart was perfect all his days. The Lord as it were, saying, ASA, you could have called on to me. The Lord is going forth to and fro throughout the whole earth. And I say to each one here this afternoon, if you're discouraged, if you're having difficulties, this verse applies today in principle. The eyes of the Lord are running to and throw, throw throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on the behalf of him whose heart is perfect toward him.
And then what's the result? Herein Thou hast done foolishly. From henceforth thou shalt have wars.
ASA, those fortifications aren't going to keep you because you got them in a wrong way and in a wrong spirit.
And as a result what happens Oasis character is brought out. Then ASA was wroth with the seer and put him in a prison house for he was in a rage with him because of this thing and ASA oppressed some of the people the same time.
What was needed rather than hiring the Syrians? Self judgment. Self judgment. I don't believe that this happened suddenly in Aces life. You'll pardon me, brethren, I'm going a minute or two over, but let me just finish this thought.
What was the problem? I don't believe it happened in a hurry. There's nothing much said.
About those 25 years of Aces life. But I believe that gradually ASA got complacent.
Asa's heart no doubt got away from the Lord. It didn't happen all of a sudden. And when the Prophet came to him this time, not to encourage him as as Ariah had done previously, but to bring before him something that he needed to deal with, he lost his temper. And the words are pretty strong. A rage says a rage, and he oppressed some of the people at the same time. Oh, he asserted his authority, all right, He said. I'm going to bring everyone into line.
The Lord wasn't with him and as a result, poor ASA, what happens?
Says in verse 12. And ASA in the 30 and 9th year of his reign was diseased in his speech, until his disease was exceeding great, yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. And ASA slept with his fathers, and died in the one and 40th year of his reign. Why does it mention Ace's feet here?
Oh, I believe because I it speaks of our own walk and I speak, I trust most of all to my own heart.
But here was a man who was much used of the Lord, and whom the Spirit of God delights to record was faithful, and whose heart was perfect all his days. But here, at the end of his reign, we find.
That he loses his temper with one who sought to be a help to him. He loses, you might say, his control of himself, and as a result he's diseased in his feet.
I don't know whether he was a godly man or not.
But I'm reminded of a prayer that an old English sea captain in the 16th century used to pray.
Something like this, oh Lord God, when thou giveest to thy servants to endeavor any great matter.
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Give us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same until it be thoroughly finished.
That yieldeth the true glory. Well, we know that all glory belongs to that Blessed One.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, may you and I have the grace to follow Him and Him alone. May these things that the Spirit of God brings before us in His Word be examples to us for our learning, that we may follow that Blessed One. In the little while that we are going to be left here, let's just close in prayer.
Blessed God, our love.
To Every Man His Work
Creation