Des Moines Conference: 1999
Table of Contents
Philippians 3:1-4
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91.
Our Father, we thank you that it shall soon be by sight no more, by faith but the Lord to see thee face to face. And may the present time in which we live in the north wind to drive us, Lord Jesus, with a fresh sense of what are we here for and where we're going, and that this, this exercise.
This concern, Lord, for the young, oh, may it be part of our daily desire.
Before the throne of God, that the children and the young people would be brought into the conviction and the enjoyment of that hope that is so bright before our hearts, thy coming, Lord Jesus, to receive thine arm to thyself in the Father's house. And with joy Lord, we would anticipate that shout, that shout from heaven, that trumpet, that sound that it causes home to the Lord while we're here in our world.
00:05:10
In a world that has become so evil.
And that which would be of God has been so corrupted around this. Lord, help us that we might be encouraged this time together, and that thy precious word would have a place in our hearts, in our souls, in our conscience, as we anticipate perhaps a few more passing days here, Lord, but with that bright hope in our souls each day the anticipation of our return. And so we pray for thy dear people, our God, and that thou and thy grace and thy mercy with directest now into that which is appropriate for our comfort.
Our encouragement?
And our concern, Lord, and we ask these things with praise and Thanksgiving. And thy worthy precious name. Amen.
I think that's a very.
Excellent portion and I was just thinking.
As we were sitting here.
Any intelligent Christian.
Is expecting momentarily to hear the shout and be caught away to be with the Lord Jesus, let's suppose.
That's why we're sitting here today and tomorrow are Monday, that the room should be emptied.
Every true believer and.
Accept every true believer. Yes, will be caught up, but the room will not be emptied completely.
And picture yourself, young people, as one of those.
Who is still sitting here? And the room is virtually empty.
Can it be?
Can it be that you would be one of those who is left and you have heard the gospel all your life virtually, and you know that there is no more opportunity to believe the gospel and be saved because you have heard it many times and rejected it?
Take young people.
Of the doom that awaits you, and I leave you with that. Let me pick up on one first, dear brother. This verse was all that was needed for a man to be saved, and this morning by God's grace may have read any. In that case they would be able to believe it. The Lord Jesus in the 6th chapter of John's Gospel says these words, verse 27, verse 47.
Early I say unto you, he that believeth on me, that everlasting life you don't need any more than that beloved friend, and you can be saved. I was with a man in Italy that was diverse, that he believed and was saved. And now on with our chapter. You'll pardon these words, but I feel the need, the conviction of it.
Olympians Chapter 3.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord to write the same things to you, to me, and he is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, Beware of the concision, For we are the Circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof I'm he might trust in the flesh, I'm all.
Circumcised, the 8th day of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of pending, and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the wall of Pharisees concerning zeal, persecuting the Church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blames. But what things were gain to me? Those I counted lost for Christ Gay, doubtless, and I count all things but lost for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.
00:10:20
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 my own righteousness, which is of the law, but 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, were already perfect, But I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded, and if in anything be otherwise minded, God shall reveal easily this unto you. Nevertheless, whereunto where to we have already attained, Let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
Brethren, he follows together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.
For many walks of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose hand his destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. For our conversation is in heaven, from 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.
Perhaps I could just say before we comment on this chapter that it's always helpful to have an outline of proof. I believe that's why Paul, when he wrote to Timothy, said to hold fast the form of sound words. And I believe when we take up a chapter or any portion from the word of God, it's always helpful to an instructor to see the context in which we find that portion. Now wherever we read in the word of God, the subject is always Christ.
Every line brings before us some aspect of the person and work of Christ, and I would just encourage those of us who are younger to read the word of God in that way. Whether you read it in the Old Testament or the New Testament, the subject is always Christ. But I've enjoyed how in Philippians, Christ is brought before us in four different ways.
In the first chapter you just notice it in chapter one and verse 21.
He says for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. In other words, in this first chapter Christ is brought before us, shall I say as the believers life. Then in the second chapter it says in verse five let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. And then he gives us this little summary here of the pathway and work of the Lord Jesus here in this world, taking us of course right back up into the glory where the Lord Jesus is exalted at the right hand of God this morning.
And so we might say in the second chapter Christ is brought before us as the believers example. We often read these verses on Lords Day morning in connection with the remembrance of the Lord, and rightly so. But in their context here they're brought before us as the perfect example for us here in this world.
And then in the 4th chapter he says in verse 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. And so in the 4th chapter he's got brought before us as the believer's light. No man goes to warfare at his own charges, as many troubles and difficulties, and the enemy is busy to discourage and weary the people of God in this day. But we have one in whose strength we can go on for his glory even in this world.
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But then I was thinking how the third chapter in the 14th verse, he says, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So in this chapter Christ is brought before us as the believers object. So we have Him as our life. We have him as our example, we have him as our object in this chapter and then as our strength in the chapter following. And so as we have this portion together, may Christ be ministered to us by the Holy Spirit.
Minister to our heart and conscience according to the need and may we get a fresh glimpse of the prize and the prize in the Christian life is Christ, and may we have the object in view. We're not going to run with endurance the race that is set before us, unless we're looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith.
That's nice. Sometimes it's nice to see these chapters.
With a little catchy way that'll let you remember them. And I use it by AP because this is a prison epistle. And if you remember that this is his epistle pistol in prison. And so I would use it. I have seven PS in these chapters. I'll go quick. The first one is purpose, and that is to live. Christ, That's verse 21.
And the second chapter is the paddle, and that's to serve Christ, for Christ as the example how to live in this scene for him. The third chapter I use this prize or an object, but the prize is the P and that is really to win crimes, to make him everything in your life. Of course there's a price ahead, but you have it now and then the 4th chapter is power, which you mentioned.
Power that be verse 13 and four, and it's beautiful. Now you've got to have three wars for seven. And so there's three extras. And the best extra I got is chapter one and verse 29. Privilege is privilege. I'll read that verse 29 for unto you it is given. This is a gift in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his faith. That's a high privilege here.
A reproach of Christ after we are used to people. All right, then the six, which would be an extra I gave would be chapter.
Four and verse 19 I call in provision.
I better turn over read. I could say it, but I'll do it wrong. Maybe. But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. In other words, if you go on for him.
In the truth, don't worry about the means that's provided. And now we got 7, don't we have seven would be chapter 3 and verse 15. I think chapter 3 is called perfect. This year, chapter 3, we're going to be in that verse 15. Let us therefore as many as be perfect. Be thus minded, and if anything the otherwise minded God shall reveal even this.
Unto you, oh, I think what we have in perfect. You know, when a Christian is identified as perfect, it doesn't mean you won't make a mistake or it doesn't fit. What It does mean that he's mature in the things of God. He's full grown believer able to take in me. So you've got 7 and I like sevens and perhaps I won't repeat it.
Well, it's very beautiful, the way the chapter begins, as if this were the last word. Finally. Say, finally. Well, that's the close of the subject. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. We can't always, brethren, rejoice in our circumstances or our physical needs or everything here in this world is confusion and upset. But isn't it lovely that there's one who's the same?
Yesterday and today and forever. And so he begins this very beautiful chapter with those words that need to takedown each of our hearts. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. He's always the same as love, his knowledge of every situation. We can rest in that, and that gives us peace. And he follows, of course, with some warnings, because there's always a hindrance. And we all find this when we want to rejoice in the Lord.
00:20:02
There's something that's a hindrance to this, and he takes that up then those things that could be a hindrance to our rejoicing in the Lord.
Not only is it a prison official, but as our brothers mentioning, it's the epistle of joy. 16 times joy of rejoicing is found in this business because Paul wasn't suffering in that sense, he was rejoicing. You don't hear him ask in this epistle that he be that they pray for his release.
And brethren, if you're going through a trial, Paul was here.
Never ask the Lord to take you out of the trial. Ask him to give you grace to go through it, and then you'll have the blessing that Paul has right here. It's the. It's the.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, and that's false prison peace.
We might say that Paul saw more of heaven in prison than he did out of it. And sometimes we think that the only time that we can rejoice is when all our circumstances are just right now, that is, in our own minds, and that we are suffering ourselves. But Paul was Paul was suffering for the name of Christ here, but he was rejoicing in prison. And so we too can see more of heaven, perhaps in our circumstances than out of our circumstances. I remember talking to a young man.
In my where I live and not gather with it, but he, the Lord has put him through a circumstance where his wife eventually passed away and a brain tumor. And he said, you know, I wouldn't have missed that for anything.
Don't we get in this chapter 2? Also I should say the thought of energy.
Not only is it an object, but that object before us requires energy on our part. He has expended it all. He has done all the work in order that we might be brought into a place of blessing and nearness. But I see in this chapter 2 That there there's a need of putting forth an energy in that profession or confession that we have made of Christ. God has brought him before us in a very most, in a most blessed way.
I'm just just noticing here, he says finally. My brethren rejoice in the Lord, but in verse two he gives us a sounds of warning to us. We're surrounded with the adversaries. Just notice the first, the second, the first chapter concerning the faith of the gospel. I just, I'm just going to read verse 28 and in nothing terrified by your adversaries. So it takes energy on our part to go on to please the Lord.
And who gives the energy? He does. And the only way we're going to get it is to be occupied with Christ and be found rejoicing in the Lord.
Christ sent out 70 in chapter 10 of Luke, and then the 70 were given power not only in the gospel, but power over the surface and power over evil, evil spirits. Oh, it's wonderful.
And they were so happy when they returned. And they said in verse 17. And the 70 returned with joy, saying, war, even the devils are subject unto us. And you know what the Lord said. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice.
That the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your knees are written in heaven. You know he loves to set things straight, doesn't he? Rather, it isn't what we're doing have we ever ought to rejoice in. It's the privilege of doing it because we are one of his and our names are written indelibly in the last book of life. Satan can't get it out. Neither can you.
I think it's wonderful. That's why we rejoiced. We are in Christ.
One of the titles of the Lord Jesus is the same, isn't it? Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever. And so he says here to write the same things to you. To me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. I was thinking too of how when the Lord Jesus was in that agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, it tells us that he prayed. And then he went away again, and it says, and he prayed again, saying the same words. Sometimes we might think, well things are repetition. We've heard them before.
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I think all of us understand in connection with food, if there's some dish or some food that you particularly like, you don't mind having the same thing again. You say, oh, it's enjoy that, it's very nice. And brethren, God has given us a portion and it's when the children of Israel tried to change they manna and make it palatable instead of enjoying it as it was. It was as wafers made with honey and when they attempted to change it, it said it tasted like fresh oil.
I don't know how others are, but I don't like the taste of fresh oil. But wafers made with honey? That was something very precious. So isn't it blessed to write the same things to you? Indeed, does not grieve us. We need the encouragement. We need that which lifts our hearts. We also need the warnings. And so he gives both in this chapter. That is very much to lift our hearts. But there are also warnings here, because our hearts do tend to those things that would spoil the enjoyment of Christ in our lives.
We might ask what was the beginning of the relationship?
It was the.
Philippian Jailer wasn't there.
They had a St. to go into Bathinia, and the Spirit suffered them not.
But there stood at Macedonia, man of Macedonia saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. So he goes there as the mind of the Lord could go there, and he ends up beating crisp.
And then came Silas Sing at midnight.
There's the shaking of the prisons, the opening of the door.
Jailer ready to kill himself, perhaps because he's serious to lose your prisoners.
And he's asked that question. He serves What must I do to be safe?
And we leave on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house. He takes him, and washes his stripes, and feeds him the origin.
Of this epistle is to write the same things to you.
He was there.
Beaten.
Stripes wash and ministering and it said the things that he puts them in writing.
And how wonderful to to know that.
Some of the finest relationships can come out of some of the most awful difficulties.
To his own glory, make it the wrath of man to praise him.
Turns it all to his glory, that thought of the same thing that is very important today, in these last days.
The truth never changes. Principles of Old Testament never change. And so we have to be strong in the truth because he magnifies his word above all this thing. Let's never forget that. But in Peter.
The present truth of Peter is the present truth. Today it's the same. And I'd like to just look at that Second Peter, his dying declaration in Second Peter. Peter knows he's going home. He knows he's going to put off his Tabernacle, that is his body. The Lord told him and he believed it. Verse 12, chapter One, Second Peter. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things. Now notice.
Though you know them.
In the same truth and be established in the present truth. Yeah, I think it means, as long as I'm in this Tabernacle, His body, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. Knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me moral, I will endeavor that He may be able after my disease.
To have these things always in remembrance. The present truth of the 1St century Christianity is the present truth of this century.
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I think that's vital, Brother Bob, because when Jude wrote to the Saints, he wrote of appalling days of apostasy and giving up and turning aside, and he felt it necessarily necessary to write in his day and say, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me that I write unto you and exhort you that she earnestly contend for the faith. And I want you to notice this once delivered to the Saints.
When John wrote to the Brethren, he said, no new commandment, right, I unto you, but an old commandment, that which ye have received from the beginning. And I think this is a good warning for us, especially in this day, when there's a movement among many Christians to say that there's a new revelation of truth.
Christians are coming forward and saying they've got new light. We need to be careful, brethren. In fact, I believe it's a principle with God, as you trace through the history of man, that God never gave fresh light at the beginning, at the end of a dispensation. When a dispensation was established and man was tested under a certain administration, God gave light as to that administration and responsibility connected with it. Because life always brings responsibility.
But at the end of the dispensation, when man had failed in his responsibility, what did God do? Did he bring in fresh light and give new revelation? No brethren. He brought in judgment because of man's failure, and then gave fresh light at the beginning of another dispensation. Is it any different with the dispensation of the grace of God that we find ourselves in? No. The foundation has been laid. Those crews were given to the apostles and prophets, the New Testament writers, and as Brother Bob said, that I don't want to belabor this, but I think it's vital to get a hold of this in our souls.
Those principles don't change. The word of God doesn't change. If I give up the truth of God, that doesn't change the truth of God. If I miss apply the truth of God and take it out of context to justify something I want to do, that doesn't change the word of God itself. The word of God abides. Now I would just say that God often gave recovered light during a dispensation you see in the Old Testament under the law.
With those godly met kings that were exercised as to the deterioration of things in Israel, such as Hezekiah, Josiah, and then later on after the return of the captivity with Zerubbabel and Nehemiah and Ezra and those godly men, there was light there, but it wasn't fresh light, it was recovered light. Why were the revivals in Israel under those men? Because they went back to the word of God, and they were exercised about that which had been given at the beginning.
And I say that's what happened in this dispensation. In the 1800s. There were men raised up of God.
Who were reading their bibles. And by the Spirit of God they became exercised as to the what they saw around them and the exercise as to the truth of God. But it wasn't fresh light given, it was a going back to the light that had been given the truth of the word of God that had been established at the beginning. And so I just say this is a warning and all delighted to bring out these truths to the Saints of God, just like Peter who said, I'll always put you in remembrance of these things.
Paul said to write the same things to you, to me is not grievous, and for you it is safe. He had no hesitation. And I trust, brethren, that those of us who take responsibility, whether it's in the local assembly at home or whether it's on a broader sphere, that we never make apologies for the repetition of the truth of God. If you just allow me to say this too, sometimes I think we come to the local reading meeting and we feel well, there's a lot of repetition.
And I've heard people say, well, we read the chapter and we don't seem to get much out of it. Someone mentioned about the manna and you know, it displeased Jehovah very much in the wilderness when they despised the simple man that God gave them. Brethren, let's be careful that we don't despise the simple manner that God gives in the local assembly. It may be an ever so feeble away, but I believe there's a real blessing connected with being at any meeting for ministry of the word of God. The word of God hasn't changed.
The Lord hasn't changed, and if we come together as an assembly and read a portion of scripture, I believe that even in our weakness, even without much gift, the Lord can bless His word and feed our souls. Even in the local assembly I'd say Amen and with. And sometimes I wonder when we get done with the first meeting. We're only two verses in the chapter and then we get going. But I think the Spirit of God knows the foundation.
00:35:18
Most important, then, you could go on with the foundation. And I'd like to just add one thing. It's it's the word that Paul is both concerned about. He was concerned of of of a moral.
Of moral, what do you call it?
Evil but that try no evil. Now I just want to read this in Escalation, but stop trying. No evil that has to do with truth and Pauls gospel is the whole gospel. And so in Galatians one, I'll just read this. It's so it shows you how important it was to Paul. Verse 6. Galatians one. Verse six. I marvel that ye are so soon.
Removed from him that called you under the grace of Christ.
Unto another gospel, another truth, which is not another, But there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we are an Angel from heaven, preach any other God, what are you than that which we have preached unto you? Let him be a person. And as we said before, so say I now again, if any.
Preach any other gospel under you then that you have researched received. Let him be a curse. He's not just preaching about salvation, he's preaching about the gospel that they may come, that may be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth. That's Paul's gospel and notice how serious it was.
The Law could say to 17 and Second Timothy two. He could say so. Therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. And so it goes on and on. That's a progressive thing. It's not apathetic as such, but it is succession, isn't it? And so in our local assemblies, as Jim has been mentioning, we need to to remember that.
That it is there where it is passed on to those that that are younger. And it's important that those who are younger do not despise that which is has been said already. And we need those of us who do teach others also as a work. We need to remember that we are responsible to lay the truth out before those who are younger, that they might get it in its purity. And so let us not.
Get to the point sometime where we weary, perhaps, of that which we hear over and over again.
And think, well, our young people, they want to have a little change here, so we'll change it for them. But Paul says the same commit thou to faithful men who will be able to give each others also. So it's the same thing, and it's a doctrine. Over and over again, Paul. Paul speaks of the doctrine in Timothy. How is the importance of that doctrine? And that not only has to do with the gospel or with this teaching, but also our manner of life as well. The doctrine is included in that.
So how important these things are that it's the same that we have heard from the beginning. I've been coming to these conferences for 40 years and I can hear, I can still hear the same thing and I don't worry if I begin wearing of it, then there's something wrong with me, brother. And it's not the truth that that needs to be changed. And so let us, let us be glad that it's continuing and we'll continue on one of the saddest.
Verses in the Epistles.
A Pole is Second Timothy chapter one. When he told Timothy this Snow also that all day in Asia, he turned away from me.
Paul declared the the gospel the good news.
Not just for salvation, but the truth of God regarding Christianity. He was the Apostle for Christianity and declared it faithfully. Now then he sees in his last days while he was in prison. This is his last epistle, unless possibly Hebrew was.
00:40:05
That all in Asia, Ephesus, Smyrna, Tardis.
Holy B7.
Cities that we are mentioned in Revelation 2 and three, besides others, they returned away from me. Not Christ, but.
Paul saw the fruit of his labor as it were deteriorating and what a sad, sad thing he was then in 30 years later when.
John wrote. He said that they to the Ephesians he had left her first love.
And what a sad testimony it is that the truth of Christianity, pure, simple Christianity, is being given up all that we might embrace with a a full affection the truth that all cost.
In his fourteen epistles.
He says to write the same thing to you, to me is indeed is not grievous. In other words, Paul never tired of the truth, never tired of the truth. He has the sense of Jeremiah, who said, I did find thy words and I delete them, and they were to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. That's Paul in prison. So it wasn't grievous to him that he's writing the same things over and over.
And it shouldn't be grievous to us to hear them, but it's more than that, he says. But for you, not grievous, it's safe. It's the only thing that will keep us, rather it's safe, and we need that.
There is the aspect of it being fresh. It says in connection with the Passover, He shall let nothing of it remain until the morning, and that which remaineth of it until the morning he shall burn with fire. And there are foods that we like. We like them a lot better when they're fresh.
If they're served two days later, well, they don't taste nearly as nice. And someone just handed me here about Lord Cecil, how he was preaching the gospel and when he preached it. This person was not saved, but they were so impressed that he was preaching it as if he had a personal acquaintance with the Lord Jesus, and that he was talking about him in such warmth and in such reality.
That it touched the heart of this person who was not even a sane person, and saw there is that also in that peace offering, it was not to be kept over beyond the second day. And we might enjoy something here today and we might enjoy it tomorrow, but if it's just repeated as something that we're not in the fresh enjoyment of, it will not have the same effect. And so there is such a thing and very important that the Lord is always the same, yesterday and today and forever.
The truth of God remains the same, but may the Lord help us, brethren, when we speak of him.
Whether it be in the telling forth of the gospel, or in the ministry of the truth, that there should be a freshness with it, that we give it out of a full heart, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak of. Or as the Lord Jesus said, that he that believeth on me is the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Why does it say out of his belly? Well, it's been taken in, it's been made our own. It's been enjoyed.
And it comes out as something that we have made our own for ourselves and are enjoying. I just mentioned this because while we do speak the same things, we need to be exercised that there should be a freshness in the ministry that would touch the hearts of those that listen. I also would mention how it tells about a person coming into the assembly of Corinth, and it says he might be unlearned. He might even be.
An unbeliever.
But he falls on his face and confesses that God is in you of a truth. He felt the reality of the Lord's presence in the place. Whether he was a believer or not, he felt that he was in the presence of God.
Should we not also mention this? Better than that, tough times be used weakness as an excuse for our spiritual laziness? We haven't done our homework and then take the place of teaching and instructing the Saints.
00:45:04
You know, I believe Timothy was admonished that he had an outline of sound words. You know, that is the first responsibility of those who try to encourage and teach and admonish the Saints. And sometimes we haven't done our whole world, and so there is little that we can offer. And then we might complain that the Saints are not satisfied with what they're getting. Well, maybe the fault is with us.
That we have little to offer. If we had been more diligent, we had more to offer. But how important it is we have to make these things our own. Just like we have in John Chapter 6. These sandwiches that were used to feed the multitude were prepared for their boys without any thoughts that the Lord would use it to feed democracy. You know, too often we have accepted the idea that we study so that we can pass on.
To others information. Well, that is not the scriptural order. These who feed our souls, who enter into the enjoyment personally, and then the Lord at any given time can use that to feed the Saints or to feed the needs of mankind. This is beloved, what you exercise us, and I believe there is a lack of this. We are so occupied with a lot of things.
And have little time to get into the world. And then when we come to meeting, there's little that we have to offer, Let's we exercise about it in Christ the Lord itself, that we become more diligent years ago.
Older brother said to me, what is present truth? So I long stand to an explanation. And he listened carefully and he said no. So I said, you tell me then what press the truth is, He said. You, you read the scripture?
Think it better. Use the word meditate. I don't think he used that word. But think about that scripture. Get as much as you can. The Spirit teaches you.
Read the ministry on what that verse says and then live it live.
Live that truth and outrage will come over here. Most present truth. That's why it says, Meditate upon these things, give thyself wholly through them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Thou shall hold safe thyself. And then that year. That's a thought.
Now in verse two and three, with the foundation he gave us in one, Paul brings three things he warns love, and then three things that should be sort of nice, The way he laid things out, and the three things he wore in love. Beware of dogs, Beware of evil workers. Now dogs are the unbelievers, usually without us in a while making a dark moment, but usually without.
What the evil workers can be within, that's sad. And then he says beware of the concession. That's general, isn't it? That's mixing fresh the flesh with the spirit and it can't work. And so those 3 warnings are very important. Concession is a partial cutting off of the flesh, allowing some to remain in even teaching.
Through.
And then he says we are of the circumstances completely cutting off the flesh.
Like Guildhall, but now it's in the heart. It's the flesh in the heart. Not so much open physical action, but it's reality in the heart. And so we are dead. With Christ, we're risen. We should live that new life which worship God in spirit. Of course we know what he told the woman at Sidecar and truth.
The Spirit will never never teach us, but according to truth so and rejoicing Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. This is very good ministry of thought.
Would you allow the bar that the dog be towards the character? They're unclean but.
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Then evil workers is what they're doing. They're bringing in the principle of the law, you know, That is what is so oftentimes recognized that those who preach and teach legal things don't touch it themselves.
You know and then.
The concision. You see, they're trying in a legal way to deal with the flesh piece meal, you might say. And this is not the spirit of Christianity, may recognize the Christianity that the flesh is judged in the cross of Christ and we have to recognize it to be judged.
And not cutting off piece of meat like a brother. Vinegar used to drastically explain that is cutting a dogs tail off each at a time, you know, instead of recognizing that the whole thing is judged and cut off.
So we have to be careful. In our day we have both these dangers of legality.
Attending to impress amongst the same we also have worldliness and looseness, but here he deals with especially illegals element that was bringing in the law.
Well, Paul said. I know that in me that is my flesh is no good thing. That's what we need to remember, the Lord said. Yay, Paul. But without me you can do nothing anyway. So it takes both, doesn't it? We can't do anything, but it'd be wrong if it's our reflection in action. But we can't do anything anyway, unless it's Hill by the Holy Spirit, the word of God. Without me, you could do nothing anyway.
That's an interesting point. If we think we can do something, we're not going to do anything that will be pleasing to the Lord.
Dogs also.
Glory and dominance, don't they? Even in their play, they'll play. They'll get the other dog down in their jaw, up and across the other dogs, neck and games over.
Definitely true in fighting, but is that tendency something?
We can be guilty of.
Seeking to dominate.
It's quite a contrast.
Control of the Spirit.
Of the spirit of control.
I wonder, Brother Des Moines, if that isn't what's brought out in this connection in the 56th of Isaiah. In fact, we might just read it because I think it bears out what you're saying. Isaiah 56.
And verse 9 or verse 10.
His Watchmen are all blind. They are all ignorant. They are all dumb dogs. They cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yeah, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough. And they are shepherds that cannot understand. They all look to their own way, everyone for his gain from his quarter. And so here there were those who were liking taking the preeminence amongst God's people.
Trying to put themselves forward for some gain of their own. But he refers to them in this way as dogs. Because, as you say, a dog likes to have the preeminence. You take a dog, you go buy a house and there's a dog there, and he barks ferociously because he feels it's his territory and nobody's going to interfere with his territory. Well, God warned his people of all of those who rise up in that way. And perhaps this is the warning. I'd like to hear more on it, but perhaps this is the warning that we have here.
In the third of Philippians.
In in John 717, we've got the principle and it's brought out better in Timothy, but in John 717 and this is the danger.
First of all, the positive. And that's verse 17. If any man will do his will, that's merely means obedience to the work. He shall know of the Doctor.
Now 18 He that speaketh in an ordering from himself seeketh his own glory. It's one of the other. If you want to do his will and please the Lord, you'll know.
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God will make sure that. But if you speak from yourself, you seek your own glory. That's the dark in that sense. Then Timothy brings it out very beautifully. Falling Timothy? It'd be second Timothy, and this we have to be careful of. This is practically the same Paul brought out in the act in chapter 20, but this is a nice place to have it here in Timothy, chapter 4, verse 3.
Four, The time will come.
When they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own loss, till they heat to themselves teachers having itchy ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fable.
Well, there it is.
Now these verse I said the brother Jim read in Isaiah at first show what a dog should do. You know these are dumb dogs.
They were not watching, you know, they were taking their ease.
I that is certainly not what is meant in Philippines, but the 11Th verse. There you have the greediness and selfishness and self is the object that that can well fit in here.
With the description of the dog, but I do believe the primary thought in Philippians is being unclean. You know, this is repeatedly in the word of God mentioned about the dogs. The dogs are outside because they're unclean and the dead dog is what activation used for himself to describe his unworthiness to be the president of.
The King.
But we have to be on our guard about these men that exist in prison, you know, and might even find the entrance amongst the same.
And I think that's the way that that's used here. Shameless evil, because he's talking about rejoicing in the Lord. What is it that hinders our rejoicing in the Lord? Well, if we're allowing something that's a shameless evil in our life, it certainly will hinder our enjoyment of the Lord. If we're listening to evil doctrine, beware of evil workers or servants, I believe Mr. Darby translates it. That is going to hinder us too, because.
All false doctrine always detracts from the glory of Christ, instead of occupying us with him and all his loveliness.
It's something to take away from the glory of Christ. So we're to beware of that and then beware of the concision. There can be a sort of spiritual pride. I've done this, I've given up that, and I've accomplished certain things in my Christian life. There's a great deal of that among true believers, where they can tell, well, I gave up a good job for this, and I did this, and I this. That's the concision. But we are the circumcision.
What did Paul think of the things he gave up? Did he give up things that he considered were once worthwhile? Well, maybe he once were worthwhile, but when he gave them up, he counted them but dumb for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord.
And so he would never boast of giving up anything, he said. I've seen the end of the flesh, for not only was the Lord Jesus that's in there bearing our sins upon the cross, but his death was the end of all that we were as men in the flesh. Our old man is crucified with him, so we are the circumcision. So we don't introduce anything into worship that appeals to the flesh.
It's what comes from the heart. The true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
So we worship God in the Spirit. We're not rejoicing all of us. A lovely organist there and there was a grand choir and so on. We were just as it says here, we worship God in the Spirit. That's what the Lord was teaching that woman at the Well. The true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth, and then rejoice in Christ Jesus. We're there rejoicing in all that has come to us.
01:00:11
Through the work the Lord Jesus has done, the heart of God so fully revealed, redemption accomplished. Oh how blessed it is when we come together on Lords Day morning and our hearts are just overflowing and thinking not of something we've given up for allowing evil thoughts to hinder our worship, but to be just occupied with the Lord Jesus and with the Father's love and sending him so we rejoice in Christ Jesus.
And we don't need all those extra things, because in Judaism God gave all those things because man was under trial. People often wonder, why did God in Judaism give them all those things? Different instruments. When the Temple was dedicated, there were 123 astounding with trumpets beside other instruments. They were arrayed in white linen. They made one sound and phrasing and thanking the Lord.
It was a glorious scene and God showed his approval because the glory of God came down and filled the house. What God was showing was would these outward things change the heart of man?
We might say, well, when you make a test of something, make a thorough test. And so God was testing, ma'am. And what did those people who had all those wonderful things do? They rejected Christ. They gloried in the building. They gloried in the temple, and that all that went on there in the road, and so on. But they had no heart for Christ. And brethren, it isn't a grand building. It isn't now. Well, we can sing, although we could say we should sing ourselves.
But it's the melody that's in the heart that God values. So we worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. So I believe He's showing us that if we're going to rejoice in the Lord, we need to watch certain things. But we can be, and we should be happy Christians, rejoicing in the Lord and worshiping with full hearts.
Before, when did you say man was tested? That was man in the flesh. It was not necessary for one in the Old Testament to approach God to have a new life and have the Spirit dwelling within.
So it was man being tested naturally, man in the flesh, and if there was anything for God in me. And it proved.
And So what is done in Christendom by introducing those things that once God used to test their is ignoring the fact that God in Christianity has given us a new life, has given us the Spirit, and so we are a new creature in Christ. And that's where everything begins.
And so the Spirit of God is the power for worship in John 4, the powerful service in John Chapter 7. So if one is not born again, it doesn't have the Spirit of God dwelling with him. He is incapable of entering into anything. We worship for service for God, and even after we are saved to have the Spirit within our we have to go on in the Spirit.
Because we tend to.
Leave on the arm of the flesh. You know that's a danger and that's why all wars against this. And you know, it is a very emotional thing to listen to beautiful music. You know, I love good music, but I have to be careful that I will get taken to buy these things and we do not have any place in the United States for that kind of thing. We can enjoy music, good music to some extent.
In our walks and but in the assembly it has no place, because all its faith and its new life, and the activity of the Spirit and undoubted Spirit in our life, enables us to be worshippers and servants of God.
Let us call music what it really is, the enjoyment of sound. There's nothing wrong in the enjoyment of sound, but don't call it worship, because worship is what comes from the heart, and that's what we do when we come together. We don't come together to give a place to that enjoyment of sound and all that sort of thing. We come to worship in spirit and in truth, and only as we're exercised before the Lord are we able to do that.
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But everyone ought to come with a basket full of praise and worship. I think it's well understandable. There's nothing wrong to enjoy sound, but don't call it worship. Call it what it really is. The enjoyment of sound and what God wants is what comes from the heart.
In verse 4, when Paul says so, I might also have confidence in the flesh. He's speaking about religious flesh because that's the worst kind of flesh in the Lords mind and in God's mind. It's the religious flesh in action. And for what he describes where his confidence could have been, he's speaking about religion.
Talking about man being fully tested, here's.
Real example, Paul himself.
And he brings out this that was in his past, that he could have confidence in that flesh if anyone could.
Yet he could hear us a rehearsal of truth, and sit by the clothes of people that stone the man whose face shone like an Angel.
That's where religion.
Let merciful of God to stop them on the road to masters. What was he doing there?
Persecuting the church.
How awful and religious?
And yet it was something God had given to me in reflection.
That's why he could say I am the chief of Sinners the.
More the responsibility, or I should say that the more the truth, the more the responsibility. Many sinners out there are pretty filthy, but what God is most disturbed with is those that are.
Our hypocrites, I should say, really, in the truth, they're They're putting on a good act of religion. And all could say I was putting on a real good advertising. He was doing great. Really. That's a Jew. But it wasn't merely an act with him, though. He was sincere. Yeah, he was sincere, but it wasn't real for God. And he counted it all, all as dumb.
Now somebody mentioned in Calgary, Mr. Darby surrendering there is still because he said there is some use that can be made out of dumb but not out of field. So you can put the dung on the field and it helps things grow. But the rendering in Mr. Darby's is, I believe better India. They cook with us, that's a good use.
But we have to learn to count as the apostle Paul in order that we might win Christ. Why is it that some make progress in the things of the Lord and others don't? But maybe this is one of the reasons they haven't learned how to count is.
And if we don't?
Still value those things and try to attach spiritual significance to them and will stun us and hinder us in our growth and enjoyment of Christ.
Before we get too far in the chapter, I got a question regarding the word in verse one, not grievous. Mr. Garvey translates that not work. Something. Is that like what we have in that children's song? Tell it over and over again.
It was a joy, so much of joy that it was number difficulty to tell the story of the things he rejoiced in over and over again. That's the thought we have here.
Precisely. Well, he was so in the enjoyment of the truth himself that it wasn't Earths and for him to give it out, even though he'd given it out many times. And I really believe again, it's a good exercise for any who take responsibility, administering the truth to the people of God. It must come from the heart, it's been already said. And if we're in the enjoyment of it, not only will it come across in that way, but he, the water is watered also himself. I believe Paul really was encouraged when he gave out the truth himself.
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Not only watered the peep and refreshed the people of God, but he was watered and refreshed himself as he gave it out, because it was fresh to his soul and then ministered by the spirit of God. It was fresh to those that heard him. If you read the letters of Samuel Rutherford back in the 16th 1600s.
He wouldn't think he's writing from prison. He'd think he's writing from a palace. But he called where he was in prison. Christ, Prison palace. For me it's it's wonderful. He just loved the truth. But he's like Paul. He's spent most his life in prison for it.
M139 This world is a wilderness wife. We have nothing to see or to choose. We will vote in the ways to abide. We have not to regret or to lose 139.
This world is.
A real life.
Romans 12
Reading
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Through the desert lead US 241.
Why?
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you.
To think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another.
Having them gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith or ministry. Let us wait on our ministry.
Or he that teacheth on teaching. Or he did exhorteth on exhortation. He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. He that ruleeth with diligence. He that showeth mercy with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good, be kindly affectioned. 1 To another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope.
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Patient and tribulation continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of Saints given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you, Bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind, one toward another.
Mind not things, mind not high things, but condescending men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible, as much as life, and you live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger feed him, if he thirsts, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt think coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
This chapter begins the practical instructions.
In the book of Romans.
The first eight chapters had given us the main doctrinal portion of the Epistle.
Which is, how can man be just with God?
Justification by faith.
But it showed in the first five chapters.
How sins have been dealt with in the cross of Christ up to verse 11 of chapter 5.
Then chapter 5, the rest of the chapter 6-7 and eight.
Deal with sin, that which produces sins.
While sins are forgiven, the only way we can be delivered from sin is through death.
And it shows that the Lord Jesus didn't only die for us. He wasn't only the substitute for our sins, taking the beating for us. We ourselves found our end in the death of Christ.
And then the Spirit of God is shown to be the power for our Christian living. We have a new life, resurrection life, and eternal life.
And we are identified with the risen Christ, have a new head belong to that is the head of a new race. We belong to him.
The last Adam.
And we have.
Has risen with him.
A new life that we are admonished to live.
And in the power of the Spirit.
We can live.
The life that the new, the new nature desires to live, the new nature gives us desires to live pleasing to God and the Spirit of God, the power. And we find that in the 8th chapter and then chapter 9:10 and 11:00.
Takes up the question since gotten out deals with all men alike, Jew, gentiles or whatever.
How does that fit in with the promises given to Israel in the past?
Well, chapter 1011 and 12 answer that question and now.
9:10 and 11:00 answer that question and 12 gives us now practical.
Admission.
And first of all.
A practical admonition as to how we should live among our fellow believers.
You know we are members of the body of Christ, and then how about our relationship to work, the governments and so on? There are many, many practical instructions given here in the rest of the book, but it is all based upon the mercies of God.
00:10:11
That have been shown us clearly in the previous portion of the book of Romans. Because of these mercies we are admonished to present ourselves.
Our bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.
And that outline that seems to me that Chapter 8.
Is very special.
In that.
It talks about a man in Christ.
And so the 8th chapter is not exhortation.
It's good looking at the believer. It says, this is what I see in you. It's the most comforting thing to think to say that God is saying that about me, about you as a believer, because you're in praise.
So there's no condemnation and no separation, all the rest that goes in that chapter.
Another thing you've mentioned about exhortation.
If we look in Hebrews chapter 13, the last chapter.
There's an exhortation about exhortation.
Hebrews 13.
The whole of the books been written after the last few verses.
And.
Then it's written in verse 22. IBC, you brethren, supper, the word of expectation.
Allow for it.
So that in the chapter we have read.
It doesn't need much of doctrinal explanation. What it needs is belief and practice.
And to think.
As it begins.
That we can.
Present our bodies.
A living sacrifice.
Not a dead one.
Our dead bodies would be no good as a sacrifice.
Christ was the only one that could give his life and benefit anybody.
In as far as life is concerned, but having life and the life of Christ.
And the doctrine to go as a basis, then we can pick this up.
And present our bodies a living sacrifice we might notice in.
2nd Corinthians chapter 4 what it says there?
As to what we have in these bodies at this time.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 4.
And the.
Seventh verse.
But we have.
This treasure.
In earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The treasure that we have in the vessels is administration of grace, the administration of righteousness to put before the world.
And we have that in these bodies as long as we're here, we have that treasure in the earth and vessel, but it's going to take a little bit of laying down of the desires of the flesh in order to please God. As our first Ham trip, we have none to please. But once here we are, brethren, having all this.
Treasure and earth and vessels, Christ in you the hope of glory. Now he asked us to do a few things. Do we want to do what pleases Him?
You were saying that it's a life that is to be lived. Now in the 6th chapter we find that knowing not that the old man is crucified with Christ.
Just turn to it for a moment in the 6th chapter. And that's the basis of our deliverance, is it not?
6th verse Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin the the.
11 First likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead, indeed under sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so that's what we have here, alive unto God. We have a life to live now that is for the Lord.
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The body of sin has been put away, the old man has been crucified with Christ. And so we go on now in a new creation. 2nd Corinthians 5 seven I believe it is, for you are a new creation. Behold, all things are passed away. All things are become new.
Well, I say the younger ones here for the old man to be crucified.
One brother has beautifully put it.
Is the end of Adam outside the garden?
The first man having been tested under law and under promise and under conscience, in every way a man could be tested, and the end result was a total failure to produce one atom of response to the God who made him.
And so we get the end of the first man. The old man was crucified.
In the 7th chapter we get deliverance from the law man under law for 1500 years. But the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God and the sending his own Son and the likeness of flesh of sin and for a sin offering condemned sin in the flesh. So we have deliverance from sin in the death.
Of the first man in the crucifixion of the first man. And we have deliverance from the law and the death of Christ. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to them that believe. Romans 10:00 and 4:00 So we have complete deliverance. We have new life in Christ, as has been pointed up the life of Christ in resurrection. And if one does not have connection by faith with the Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection, he has no basis for this exhortation.
That we have been read. It has been read to us from chapter 12.
But having been totally.
Done away with as to the first man, and having been completely delivered from the principle of law as producing proof regard, we have been given a new life in Christ, in which, as has been mentioned, all things are passed away, all things become new, and all things are of God. This new creation into which we have been brought is connection with the Lord Jesus Christ in resurrection. And if you have not that, you have no affinity with God in this world now.
So based on that, he says, therefore, because God has set you free from the law, forgiven your sins, put an end to you as you're standing in Adam before him, now live this life.
In the power of the Spirit of God.
At the end of the.
Third verse of Romans 8 that I quoted, it says in verse four in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in US. Who won't? Not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, the Holy Spirit empowering.
And we now can render these bodies a living sacrifice, which is our only intelligent response to the enormity of grace that God has done in forgiving our sins, putting away our first man, and delivering us from the principle of law. We live now unto God in the power of the Holy Spirit. And that's what we have developed in this chapter, exhortation based on what God has done for us in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That word mercy in verse one, the mercies of God seems to reflect too on the end of verse Chapter 11 where he kind of concludes these chapters that go before if we can just read a few verses at the end of Chapter 11.
Verse 34 As ye in time past have not believed God, yet now have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, Even so the at these.
Now not believe that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy, for God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
All the depth and here's the doxology. He looks at the plan of salvation.
Our God is answered for our blessing in every aspect possible.
We've heard about sins question being met and the question of sin as well addressed.
00:20:06
God has addressed all those things perfectly for His own.
Satisfaction and glory, and for our eternal blessing. And so Paul breaks out in doxology in verse 33.
Oh, the depth of the richest both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past, finding out who could have overheard, or invented, or thought of such a plan as that one in which we are included in? For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor, or who hath first given to him? And it shall be recompensed unto him again, for of him and through him.
And to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Tremendous brethren, I think it's important for us to get a grasp of the vastness of the work of God for us in the Lord Jesus, the place of blessing we've been brought into, because it is the enjoyment of that in our souls that will give power to the exhortations that we are taking up now in verse chapter 12.
In view of those mercies, the mercies of God, he says, I beseech you.
To present your bodies a living sacrifice.
Holy, acceptable unto God. Which is your reasonable service? I like to say it. It's the only reasonable response on our part. Given that He has done what He has done, our God has given all.
For us now we're going to say to God here, you can have 50%.
That isn't reasonable.
OK, I'll increase it to 90%. That isn't reasonable either. God gave everything. If I say 90%, it's almost an insult to our God brethren. It can't be. It has to be a total rendition of heart and soul to Him that give everything for us.
And that's Christianity, and you're not going to prove, we say this to everyone here, but especially our young people. You're not going to prove the joy and the thrill of what Christian life really is until there is that complete rendition of heart and will to him. That's what it means to present your body's in sacrifice.
Doesn't mean I have any, it means that I don't have any.
Claims on my own body anymore. This belongs to Him. He bought me body, soul and spirit. I belong to Him completely. I have no longer any rights of my own at all. It scares me when I hear of Christians talking about their rights.
Because, brethren, the Lord Jesus has all the rights now.
You want to talk about your rights? Well, I guess we can talk about our rights. We did, as sinners, have rights to go to the Lake of Fire forever. Yes, we did have rights to that place. But He came and he gave everything for us on that cross. And now am I going to talk about my rights and insist on my rights and insist that my brethren give me a place that doesn't have any place in Christianity at all?
We're going to understand what is reasonable, and it's interesting. I understand that that word reasonable is the same word that our word logical comes from. In other words, you could say it's the only logical thing that you and I can do, given that God has given what has done what He has for us. It's the only logical thing.
Didn't their divine order here in what has been read from the 11Th chapter?
As well as coming into the 12 in that God's part comes first.
Worship and praise and honor to him come first service leader. So the end of Chapter 11 is so beautiful. It's based upon mercy, the mercies of God.
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And it he's concluded the moment and believed that he might have mercy upon all that he might get us poor Gentiles.
And bring us into the nearest place.
And if we're going to praise and worship?
As is our privilege and our highest privilege.
We're going to get that from thinking of the mercies of God.
Collectively and personally.
It's collective in the end of the 11Th chapter, The Jews and the Gentiles.
Paul thinking about them.
And he learned that God could put the mall in mercy, in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all. He was thinking about that nationally.
And worldwide that gave him a heart to break out in this doxology. Now look at First Timothy chapter one.
And see what a personal.
Entering into the mercy of God did for him personally if we can't get a hold of these.
Example, we're going to have a doxology of praise and worship. We're not going to be mute. We're going to have something to say to God in praise and Thanksgiving and worship personally and as we have opportunity collectively well in First Timothy 1.
Let me start with the 51St to get his subject.
This is a faithful saying.
And worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus.
Came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. He was a chief of what chief of sinners?
But Christ Jesus came into the world to save him.
Then what does he say? I'll be it for this, 'cause I obtain mercy, personal mercy for Paul.
That in me first Jesus Christ.
Might so forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them, which should hereafter believe on Him to righteousness?
Paul becomes a pattern to us in salvation and in life after salvation.
Well, he's been thinking about himself personally in the mercy. Now what does he do in one verse 17?
Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be honor and glory, forever and ever.
Personal praise and worship and honor rendered Paul well. We can have both, and God doesn't ask us to do anything, but He doesn't give the power to do so. These expectations come after there is a setting for them.
And if Christ has laid down his life for us to save us from our sins, what about the little time of service here for us? And it is a little time.
It's a great privilege, but let's don't forget worship and Thanksgiving and giving God His first place.
We were seen in two ways in our attendance before we were saved. We were seen as dead in our trespasses and sins without any capability of producing any fruit for God at all.
But we were also seen as alive in the motions of our sins, and we were using our members to please ourselves, our feet to take us where we wanted to go, our hands to do what we wanted to do. And so we were seen in two ways then, as alive in the motion of our sins. But as we've seen in the earlier chapters, it's been shown that the cross is the answer to that. So now that God has shown mercy to us, and especially as you were reading Brother Bob in the 11Th chapters, Gentiles, we were without hope and without God in the world.
And God, by the unbelief of the Jews, showed mercy to us. So what are we going to do with our members now? We're going to use these members as a reasonable or an intelligence service to show mercy to them. That's what you read there on the 11Th of Romans, that beforehand we use these members when we were lost in our sins, dead in our sins. But we use these members to actively pursue our own course, our own rights, as you were saying. But now what are they to be used for? We were without hoping, without God in the world.
So he's given us a reasonable and intelligence service to use these members as instruments of mercy to take the gospel to those and even back to the Jews, as it was shown there in the 11Th chapter in Blessing.
In Judaism, the law came looking for something, and it was not an intelligence service in that sense is that they were prescribed to do certain things. There were certain things that they had to do. There were certain things that they could eat and certain things that they couldn't eat.
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They could eat a fish with scales and fins, but they couldn't eat one that did not have those things. They didn't understand why. But in Christianity there's become a reasonable or an intelligence service because we know that these things speak of spiritual truths is that the believer has has direction and he can swim against the current, but that which just slithers along the bottom like the eel is an unclean thing.
And so that now in Christianity we understand what these things mean in the Old Testament, that they knew that they could need a pig because it had a cloven hoof. It walked in the divided pathway, but it swallowed everything that came before it. You can feed a pig anything and they'll eat it. And as a picture, it was an unclean animal. But as a believer now.
Then the other animal didn't have a clothing hook, but it chewed the cut. It considered things carefully, but it wouldn't walk in a divided pathway.
They knew that they couldn't eat either of those animals and that the clean animal had a clothing hoof that walked in the divided pathway, and they chewed the cud. It carefully considered what it was was eating before it swallowed it, if I may put it that way. Well, in Judaism they understood what they should and shouldn't eat, but there was no intelligence with it. But in Christianity now we have a reasonable or an intelligent service as to what we do with our hands and our feet and our mouths, which beforehand we use to pursue our own things in a in the motions of sin.
But now are to be, by the mercy of God, used as instruments of righteousness for the blessing of His people.
That cost portion is first.
And.
Service towards men comes in second place. We have that clearly taught in First Peter.
The holy priest took which is God were offering up spiritual sacrifices or the fruit of our lips giving praise to God.
By the Lord Jesus we present that to God, and then the royal priesthood to show forth the excellencies of Him that has called us out of darkness into His marvelous life. We have the same principle in John chapter 10 that the sheep go in and go out.
In for worship and how important that is that true worship.
A true service, I should say, flows from worship. You know, those who have been in the presence of God, occupied with him, with his grace and love and mercy, and with the person and work of the Lord Jesus, and in the enjoyment of these things, they can go out and be a source of blessing.
To others, and I was thinking two of the verses that Paul gives us in Corinthians when Bob was speaking, that we have been bought with a price, we're not at all, We belong to him and we should glorify God in our body. And these are admonitions that we tend to neglect and we belong to him.
We are not any longer our own.
And we ought to ask him as to any questions that comes up in our life. How will it affect?
Him if we enter into this occupation or if we pursue this course of studies.
Will it interfere or is there a danger that it interferes with my?
Responsibility towards God, recognizing that I belong to Him, I won't enter into anything.
Without considering his thoughts and to get to know his mind.
I'm not saying that we always successfully.
Recognize what His will for us is, but that should be nevertheless our desire and our exercise and.
We can ask him.
Even to stop us from doing something that we might think might be for Him, and if it isn't for Him, that He would interfere and stop us and direct us in a way that we can live for His glory.
His claims come first.
We've been bottled the brakes on her own. Her brother Bob was talking about how.
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It's a reasonable or intelligence service to give 100%.
To the Lord, and I've been noticing in these first two verses how we find 100%.
But this issue therefore, brethren, by the mercies or by the compassions of God, this reaches our heart, and that's what we need first. We need our hearts touched. Does He present your bodies a living sacrifice?
Our wills.
In submission to him.
Verse 2.
But be transformed. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Our heart, our will, and our mind, all for Him.
We can't have our hearts for him.
And have our will and mind for ourselves.
That's not acceptable. We can't have our mind.
For God.
And our heart elsewhere. He wants all our heart, our will, and our mind.
A beautiful tube are sitting in this verse was referred to the end of the 11Th chapter and God does not ask us to do anything.
That He hasn't already done in US and for us. We've had that before us. But just I was just called attention to verse 36 of that 11Th chapter.
In pointing out here for in for of him, that's the source. It's of him and then it says through him that's the channel. There's a source is Christ. The channel is Christ and then it says in verse.
And on in the verse and to him which is the object.
Then he, he brings out before us here that lovely expression. I beseech you. Isn't that beautiful to me? That is beautiful. He doesn't make a law. He doesn't put us under some *******. He says, I beseech you.
Therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God, which is your intelligence service. But take it when someone looks at you or me.
They see their body. They don't. They can't see what's inside.
That's not discernible, but they know they can see as you present your body and present the Lord Jesus. If the Christ is shining out there that is seen, isn't that's visible? So I think it's so beautiful that he says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, a living sacrifice. You know, someone has said, and I believe it's true, isn't it? It's easier to die for Christ than it is to live for Christ.
Well, someone says, well, how do you figure that? Well, I said, if I, if I walked up to a man and I speak about the Lord Jesus and he takes the gun out and shoot me that I'm, I'm foaming glory, that doesn't take long. But if I'm going in on for the Lord and say 30 years, 40 years, 50 years or whatever it is, how long the length of time the Lord has called me and I'm going on for him, enjoying the Lord in my soul and allowing it to be seen by others.
That's that's different because there's a lot of opposition to that.
The enemy opposes that. So it says we present our bodies in living sacrifice, showing that God lives.
Then he said, Ye see, brother?
Others around us can't see your hearts. God can't. The practical Christianity ought to come out to.
Speak to those around us as to where they are before God.
The body is presented here. It's kind of interesting.
That that seems to be the focus. And I think in many cultures the body is looked at as evil, whereas the soul and the spirit are the positive parts and the body has to be contended with. But in Christianity, isn't it interesting that our bodies also belong to God?
They are, we're redeemed spirit, soul and body entirely for him, the whole thing, not just part. And so we are to take our bodies now and to use them in view of that to present our bodies. And I think that's so important for us to realize this body I live in is not mine to use as I would like to use it. It's to be presented to him and I think.
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There needs to be thought about it, dear young people, especially those of us who are older too.
Read a verse in.
Romans 6. That was a help to me in connection with this.
Because we struggle with desires.
In our bodies and to know how to deal with them. But in Romans 6 it's already been shown to us that we are dead to sin. We're buried with him by baptism.
Unto death. And so we're to reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin in verse 11. But notice verse 13.
Neither yield ye your members. That's our body.
As instruments of unrighteousness and to sin.
But yield yourselves unto God.
That little expression yield yourselves unto God, and as we begin each day.
Get down on our knees.
In recognition of the fact, Lord Jesus, this body belongs to thee, it's all yours. Take it, use these hands, this mind, this body that you've given me for your glory. And then it says, yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members.
As instruments of righteousness unto God, so that when there is that yielding to God.
There are things that are unrighteous in this world that present themselves to us and we say, no, I'm not going in that direction. I've yielded myself to God. It's a practical thing and it has to be done day by day. We forget, brethren, so easily.
We need to renew our thinking daily in this way, but I think it's important to see that our bodies belong to the Lord Jesus. Going to 1St Corinthians chapter 6, Paul is talking about the matter of moral purity.
The question of fornication.
And we certainly live in a world where that is presented.
To the hearts and minds of young people as something that is to be practiced. But what does God say about it? Notice in verse 13.
The middle of verse 13. Now the body is not for fornication.
That sexual relations between those who are not married.
It's not for that. Sexual relations are not prohibited, but they're to be practiced within the bonds of marriage. The body is not for fornication.
But for the Lord, that's pretty clear, isn't it? And the Lord for the body. In other words, you say those temptations are pretty powerful. Remember, not only is your body for the Lord, but the Lord is for the body, and He can help you if you will simply live in the recognitions that your body belongs, not to do what you want to do with it.
One other verse that has been an encouragement, encouragement to me, and I want to give it to my younger brethren especially.
It's in Daniel chapter 3.
Where you have the story and we can't go into it in detail, but you remember the story.
Of Daniels, three friends.
Who stood before Nebuchadnezzar?
He had commanded that all peoples, nations.
Be before that idol he had set up the plains of Babylon.
Bow down to it. And these three friends of Daniel would not bow down. They were called into Nebuchadnezzar's presence. They knew.
What the consequence of not obeying that command was the fiery furnace?
They presented their bodies. They were not afraid to go into that furnace.
Because there was a command from someone higher than Nebuchadnezzar that they had to obey, which said not to bow down to any image of anything made, and so they would not bow down, and they were thrown into the furnace and.
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They came into the presence of the Lord Jesus there and were delivered from the force of the flames. And Nebuchadnezzar, in his astonishment, stands at the door of that furnace and calls them to come out. They were not rebellious. I think it's so important to see young people. Rebellion is never a right attitude for the believer in the Lord Jesus. And when he called them to come out of there, that was something they could do.
Consciously.
In obedience to that king, that did not contradict the command of God. And so they came out and noticed what Nebuchadnezzar says in verse 28 of Daniel 3. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his Angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the King's word.
And yielded their bodies.
That they might not serve nor worship any God except their own God. They yielded their bodies and that beautiful breath.
More remark about the body before we leave the subject. We have very clearly stated from Romans 6 that we are crucified with Christ in order that the body of sin might be unknown.
The only medium of expression of the desires of the flesh.
Are through the instruments of our members of our body.
Dying with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is a cessation of any medium of expression, because when we are raised with the Lord Jesus Christ.
To live in newness of life, not in the oldness of the latter.
So now as long as I though sin is still present with me to be reckoned, I can reckon it dead. And therefore the the body of sin, that body in which I could do nothing but sin, now has no medium of expression.
That is gone, and now in the energy of the Spirit of God, I yield the same members at once paid allegiance to the realms of darkness. I now yield those same members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Before those members brought death during the will of the mind and the flesh in get in Ephesians chapter 2, I was it was a body of sin. Now it's a body of life come forth and resurrection in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. And now I have the power in the Spirit of God to yield those members as instruments of righteousness unto God. And that's exactly what we're exhorting to do here in our chapter to give these bodies over.
To him and to as a living sacrifice. And notice it says holy.
We are made holy and without blame before Him in love and therefore we have the capacity now to respond to God in holiness and this is an acceptable sacrifice to God. Nothing that we ever could bring to God in the old order of things would bring US1 iota closer to Him.
But now, having been made holy, having a basis by which we can approach God and we can offer to God, we are to do so in the perfecting holiness, as it says in Second Corinthians.
Excuse me, 7 and verse two says having these great and precious promises.
Let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. And so it is in this nature of holiness.
Character of holiness, that we offer these bodies as a living sacrifice to God, and this is acceptable to Him.
On the subject that has been before us is the body.
In verse two, it's the mind. And when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive a new life. We're born from above and we receive a new nature.
But that new life and nature reside in the same body that we had before we were saved. Our bodies are redeemed, and when the Lord Jesus takes us home to heaven, the bodies will be changed.
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And the power of resurrection. But when we're saved, we still have the same mind in us that we had the moment before we were saved.
And so he tells us in verse one the responsibility with respect to the body. But he teaches us something very significant that we need to learn with respect to our minds, and that is that they need to be renewed.
It's necessary because.
We do things according to the habits that we have in our mind, and before we came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we spent a whole lifetime.
Up to that point, acting according to the thoughts that are in our minds, and many of those thoughts have been conformed to the pattern of the world's thinking. Every time you see an advertisement, it is intended to form some habit or decision in your mind to do something. Every child, every day he goes to school, is having his mind filled with certain.
Patterns of thought and those many of them are controlled by the God of this world.
Through the instrument of the teacher.
It is also true that every day you go to work you will be with people who have certain patterns of thought and you will tend, and I will tend to absorb them.
Our minds take them in, and many times it forms the very habits of thought and speech. And so, to make it practical, the day I'm safe, suppose before I spoke in a filthy way.
That is, suppose my speech patterns were full of profanity for that which is dishonouring to the Lord.
That's what's in my mind at that point and it's not going to be instantly different. It may be and I will have perhaps instantly an exercise about it.
I may have the desires formed there by God that even brought me to the point to want to be saved because of certain habits of thought and speech, but the mind is still there as it was. And so he says, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that is.
God works in us to change the patterns of thought that are in our minds, that they might be in conformity to His mind and will.
That we might live to please him. And so we need to have a change which will not take place instantly. It takes place gradually. It takes place as our minds are renewed.
By God through the word of God.
Brethren, I just want to say for you that are younger young people and all of us, we absolutely need the coming in every day into our minds of the Word of God.
That it might form in us our pattern of thought, and it's when that pattern of thought is formed in US and we are obedient to it, that we may do what is given to us in this chapter to prove the perfect and acceptable and holy will of God.
That's the whole answer to the situation, is it not the word of God?
The Word of God is so much in our hand today, and this is what we're doing today.
Renewing of our minds because we're having the Word of God brought upon us, and without the Word of God we have nothing. It's often been said that the Spirit of God will never leave contrary to the Word of God. We must have the Word of God in our thoughts and our minds and in our hearts.
That's what will renew our mind.
To what is customary in the world?
You know, we do watch the two, you know, And our desires are formed by what we see. Our desires are formed by what we read, what we talk about. It's not only the language that should change, our dress should change.
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And we should not follow.
The pattern that the world says, the passions, you know, we have broken down in these things because we have allowed our minds and ideas, ideas to be formed by what is customary in the world, Those who do not know God, who are not subject to the word of God. So I believe these are things very practical. People say the Lord doesn't look at outward appearance.
Why then does the scripture speak of modest dress? Why does it speak of?
The hair length for women and for men, if it wouldn't be important, and let me say we are not setting rules. The Word of God makes the standard or gives the standard. But I would suggest that if we have a renewed mind, we have no difficulties as to what is pleasing to God, even in outward things.
And it should flow outward. Things should flow from inward reality. Not that we try to.
Conform everybody to wear a certain dress, as some Christians do, but there would be modesty displayed, and there would also be an exercise as to specific statements given in the Word of God as to what is pleasing to Him. But we have allowed our minds to be influenced by what is customary in the world.
We have to confess that, and we have to be humble and try to ask the Lord for grace to give us a changed mind or a renewed mind to look at things the way He does and not be influenced by what is customary by those who do not know God.
As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Old brother we used to listen to, he just said to us, we are what we think about.
What do you think about? That's what it's getting to here.
You reckon yourself dead.
Under CNN alive and to God by Christ Jesus is simply to think God's thoughts.
That's why it's so important to read constantly the precious Word of God.
It is evident in the life of believers who get into the Word.
It shows maybe the person himself.
Doesn't see too much change in himself and we're never to be thinking so much about ourselves, brethren, but it shows.
Some of those brethren to the South, brethren that get into the work and are in it, somebody has said read the word.
Saturate your mind with the word.
Until you don't think your own thoughts, but you think God's thoughts about it. I think that's so important for us. They're young people and all of it. We show that we are adapting the ways of a world where humanism is rampant. We live in a country where humanism has taken over bread and it has affected us. Let's not try to deny it, brethren.
Let's get into the presence of God.
And seek to recognize the problem. It's the me, myself and I idol.
Do what you like.
You owe it to yourself. It's so prevalent in advertising and it's the way of thinking of this present world in schools. I don't think we realize how much our children have to.
Constantly meet up with a barrage of that way of thinking and we need to be aware of it as parents that our children are getting this kind of programming for their minds. Need to be careful what kind of magazines you read. Need to be careful what apparatus, electronic apparatus you watch because it takes your mind through channels that are filthy and if you're going to allow your mind to be drugged through.
Those filthy channels.
You're going to be affected not only in your mind, but in your ways.
Oh the Lord, help us brethren to be exercised.
That we are to be holy to God because that's where we are before God in Christ.
01:00:04
Mr. On Dean, a few years ago, an older sister asked and said, how? How do you know the Bible so well? And he said to her, well, sister, if you go through the woods every day, you won't get lost.
And that's what we need. The still, quiet voice. We need to listen to it.
That's really what it means in connection with our intelligence service. And I think we should do as Brother Heinz said, is pray that God would providentially preserve us from doing something that we shouldn't do. But often we don't know what to do in a situation because we're not acquainted with the Word of God. And there is a story in the Word of God that will answer to every situation that we'll need. But if we don't have it and we're not acquainted with it, then the Lord won't be able to use it to guide us. And so in the Old Testament they.
Gideon said before the Lord's fleece, and even in the choosing of the apostles, they drew lots.
Because they didn't have an intelligence, they acted on the intelligence that they had. But in Christianity it is really an intelligent service, is that we have the Word of God, all of the word of God, to guide us and to direct us in that.
This to the age of this world in which we're living, there are two things that are particularly characteristic of the last age, and that is that God's rights are not owned. And So what happened at the cross is that he redeemed us, but he bought the whole field.
And so it could be announced the Gentiles at the time of this ignorance got it winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent is that it needs to be brought before men. Not that I have rights. I don't need to be signing petitions or pleading with the government or voting to change the governments mind. But we do have to announce that God has got right. And that is the thing. It's not that we have rights as Christians, but God has rights. And the second thing that is characteristic of recent time is the doctrine of civil disobedience.
And so I grew up in that where they said you resist bad laws by disobeying. And so it's really lawlessness. That's what sin is. Sin is lawlessness. And so this idea of civil disobedience permeates everything that is brought before us is that you just resist by disobeying. But a believer is never called to disobey. Men ought to obey God rather than men. And so we see that in the book of Daniel. We see that with Peter in the book of the Acts.
But we're never called to disobey, and yet that is the principle.
Thought in which people operate today is that you just resist what is wrong by disobeying it.
The question of obedience is what we have in the last part of this second verse. I think in that little word prove that he may prove we are called into the obedience of Jesus Christ so that it is a matter of as we renew our minds and live in that way of thinking, our whole lives are transformed. Notice it doesn't say that ye may know what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It's not a matter of knowing.
It's a matter of proving. How do you prove it? By doing it. That's the way you prove that the will of God is, first of all, good. Yes, the will of God is good.
And secondly, it's acceptable.
And thirdly, it is perfect. You prove it as you renew your minds by the reading of the Word of God.
Not to be conformed to the world, but be transformed that we might prove. And I think that's so important. Prove it.
Try it out. It is good. The will of God, it is acceptable. It is perfect. It couldn't be better.
That we have, as we've talked about, the presenting of our bodies and the renewing of our minds and the proving as our brother has been speaking.
We are sitting here thinking, and we certainly ought to be This is good, I need this, I want to do this, but what's the power that gives me?
To do it. And that's in the very next phrase the Apostle Paul says, For I say through the grace that is given unto me. And so beloved young people, as you hear these things and for all of us as we hear these things and we find something stirring in our hearts saying, I want to do that. I want to walk in that path.
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Be encouraged to know that in God there is grace, full and perfect to give us what we need to actually walk and and act in these things. It's the grace of God.
And if you wonder.
Can I do it? He giveth more grace. Everything we need to act on these things is given by the grace of God, even it was as it was given to the apostle who shared these things through the grace given unto him.
Romans 12
Reading
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Given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly. According as God has dealt to every man's measure of faith, Or as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and one and everyone matters, and another one having them gifts differing according to the gracious, different to us.
Whether prophecy? Let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith.
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministry, or even teach it on teaching. Or he that exhorted on exhortation. He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. He that ruleth with diligence, He that showeth mercy with cheerfulness, Let love be without the simulation. Abhor that which is evil, Plead to that which is good. Be kindly affection to one toward another, one to another, with brotherly love and honor, preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit.
Serving the Lord.
Rejoicing and hope, patient and tribulation continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of Saints given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you. Bless them. Purse not. Rejoice with them that do. Rejoice and weep with them that we be of the same mind, one toward another. Might not things tie things that condescend to men of low estate? Be not wise in your own conceit.
Recommends to no man evil for evil provide things honest in the sight of all men.
It could be possible, as much as I think you would peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place on your wrath. For it is written, Vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger feed him, if he thirst, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt he pulls the fire on his head.
He not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
May I suggest if we try to cover a little more ground?
And avoid as much as possible repetitions. If a brother has expressed a thought, let's not try to repeat it in just a few other words, you know, I think the Lord can give us help to discipline ourselves and expound the verses and cover.
More ground.
Although these first two verses.
Most certainly very important in this chapter. I believe if they're not in the good of these two verses, we can hardly be expected to be functioning properly.
As a body, these verses are of great importance, but I think we should make an effort to cover more ground.
00:05:08
We have some nice words this morning about thoughts.
Taking And that's where we're beginning here in the third verse, I say, through the grace given unto me to every man.
That is among you, not toothpick.
More highly than he ought to think.
But to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man, the measure of faith.
A verse to compare that to is in Second Corinthians chapter 10.
And these are expectations we're getting in this chapter.
And then Second Corinthians 10.
The greatest challenge in the Bible for me.
That I know of is the fifth verse.
Where it says casting down imaginations, the margin says reasonings.
And every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity.
Every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Let's just take that verse like it is and believe it and seek to act upon it.
Control our thoughts.
Paul personally says about well, let's read in Galatians 6.
What he says.
Has an exhortation along with what we have read.
Galatians 6.
Verse 3.
If a man think himself to be something.
When he is nothing, he deceives himself.
About himself, he says he's less than the least of All Saints.
And chief of sinners, we read this morning.
So Paul kind of smashed himself.
The flesh Provident? Nothing.
May we learn these things from the scriptures and be careful about our thoughts.
But come to the victory of the last verse of our chapter.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
There are good thoughts, there are wonderful thoughts of the Lord Jesus. So if we think soberly as the end of the third verse.
We're going to be thinking of that one.
It was always sober and serious.
As a man down here, no jesting with him.
Think soberly according as God had dealt to every man the measure of faith.
It's according to faith. So these are exhortations that you don't hardly have to explain, but to seek to go on in the joy of a positive life.
Laying down our lives for the brethren is another one. I believe our brethren here in Des Moines are doing that now.
That's first, John 316. We ought to lay down our lives with our brother.
Present our bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, which is your intelligent service.
I suppose that think of himself shouldn't be there.
I don't suppose we should think of ourselves at all, should we?
Especially not in any high respect.
As you were mentioning, Clem, the apostle Paul also could say that in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. And if you could say that, how much more can we? So we're not to think of ourselves at all.
But we should think of Christ.
We have interesting.
Example of thinking soberly.
In the man that was in Luke 8 who had the demons legion of devils cast out of him.
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In the verse 35 it says when they went out to see him, they found him.
Whom the devils were departed, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed.
And in his right mind they were afraid. That expression in his right mind, I think, is the same as we have here, to think soberly, think things.
As God sees them because God sees them in the proper way.
It has helped me to to see the the connection between verse two and verse three. Sometimes the question is asked, what is worldliness? And it is really what we have in verse three. It is thinking highly.
For it could be of ourselves, it could be of anything. But to like we have had read in 2nd Corinthians 10 and verse five, it's not bringing everything into subjection to the obedience of Christ.
It's making man something that's worldliness, it's independency of God. And so being conformed to this world is having high thoughts, whatever you want to think of having high thoughts of what man is.
But it's we're to have our minds renewed, not to think in that way, to think soberly. What are we, your brother?
In comparison with the eternal God revealed in the person of the Lord Jesus, come here into this world, who are any of the best of us? We can ever use that word best because we're all the same before the Lord. But I say, who are any of us in comparison to him? Absolutely.
No idea should ever enter our minds of having any rank and file when we when we think of him.
That glorious person of our Lord Jesus.
See God's thoughts about his thinking highly, but you say it's not necessarily thinking highly of ourselves, but I believe just thinking high thoughts as Christians in this world.
I thought should go beyond it, beyond the world, and so it's wrong for us to have high thoughts for ourselves in this world. And I was thinking of what we get in Genesis Chapter 11.
Where?
They it says they they said go to let us build us a city.
And a tower whose top may reach unto heaven. And let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord answered, W He came down to see the city, and the tower which the children of men had built it. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is 1. And they have all one language. And this they begin to do. Now nothing will be restrained from them which they haven't imagined to do. And so we know what He did. He confused their language. But.
That I was thinking of the thought there let us make us a name and that is not our position in this world as as believers in the Lord Jesus. We are a heavenly people and we're told in collections that that if we are risen with Christ. Let us seek those things which are above, not things which are on earth. So this thinking high thoughts is just that I believe, is it not just?
Being occupied with things that are earthly, making a name for ourselves down here.
My turn.
In view of the thought of soberness to Acts, I think there's a practical illustration which would help us to see why it's so vital that that character of soberness characterize each of us who belong to the Lord Jesus in Acts chapter 26.
We know this passage well. All is there before Festus and Agrippa, and he's bearing testimony of Christ to them. And he says this as he's speaking.
And of the resurrection in verse 24 and as he all thus spake for himself. That's Acts 26 verse 24 and as he thus spake for himself bestest said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself much learning that make thee mad. So he was ridiculing.
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The apostle and seeking to gain say what he was saying, but notice what Paul says.
But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. The message that we have to carry into this world is not only the truth, it's a message of soberness. And if we ourselves, as the vessels who carry that message, are not going on in a sober way, it's very, very out of character with the message that we're to be delivering.
So it's vital for all of us. It doesn't mean that we're not happy, that we're not joyful, that we don't have real joy in the Lord. He says rejoice evermore. But there ought to be a dignity about each of us from the youngest and to the oldest of bearing and a dignity about the way that we walk through this world in a sober way, because the message we have to to give to this world is of truth and solvents.
In thinking soberly in the well known story of the one we call the prodigal down there in the Park Country, getting farther down and farther down.
And all of a sudden said when he was come to himself, now that's thinking sober thought before God, and what a change it made in him.
Verse 16 of our chapter itself is how we are to think, and we're not to think high thoughts.
Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.
There's something pretty positive come down rather than in our thinking.
Definitely connects this danger of having high thoughts in connection with whatever place we might have been given in the body.
But we ought to be careful that it be according.
As well as dealt to every man the measure of faith.
That is not impossible.
For any of us.
To come to see what the Lord has given us to do.
And then, in humility and dependence upon him, seek to do it.
For the blessing of others and for the glory of the Lord Jesus. We know that in First Corinthians chapter 12.
Paul by the Spirit is led to.
Classify gifts according to their spiritual importance.
That which is more needed amongst the Saints than the short gifts that they were paying so much attention to.
But here in these verses.
What Paul is emphasizing.
To be content to do what the Lord has given you to do, and don't go beyond that.
I think that is very helpful because we amongst those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
Are very clear that the one man ministry is not of God and we very faithfully point that out.
Yet I do believe we at times abuse the liberty of the Spirit and trying to do something that the Lord hasn't called us to do. And we have to be faithful pointing these things out as we are faithful in pointing out.
The system that men have set up, but it is not impossible. I already stayed for anyone to know what the Lord wants him to do. And really, if you're doing what the Lord wants you to do, you're the most happy and comfortable in doing it. The problem that we face at times is that anyone that wants to serve the Lord, we expect him to give addresses to preach the gospel and.
Do everything.
You know be chief cook and bottle washer.
You know that is not what we learned from Scripture. You know the Lord in His wisdom has put us together.
So that we can function as a body.
And nobody is sufficient in himself.
We need each other.
To complement each other so that Fe.
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Balanced way of truth presented and of the Lord's things to be carried on by different ones. So the exercise and I like to express that especially for the benefit of the young.
That it's not wrong for you to ask yourself, what does the Lord want me to do?
And how does he want me to carry on for him since I belong to him? I'm his property, I want to please him.
Well, you don't find that out by a voice from heaven telling you what to do.
But if you try to do something for the Lord, you will soon find out whether you're trying to do something that you are not qualified for.
And have the humility to admit it.
I was very much impressed when I came from Germany. There was an old brother there, very capable teacher.
And I very much appreciated being exposed to his teaching. They had a problem in that assembly and they wanted him to go and talk to the person that they had a problem with. And he said, I've tried that before and the Lord has shown me that that is not my service.
And He didn't do it. I respected that brother very much for it. So I think the Lord is patient with us when we attempt to do something that we are nearly not qualified to do. He will make it known to us. He will give us to see that this is something that He hasn't qualified us for. But there is something given to everyone. There is no such a thing if we going on spiritually with the Lord.
As a member that is dormant.
You know, or that is just inactive, you know, each one is to function as a member in the body of Christ and these verses here give us that. And that is what Paul is emphasizing. Do what he has qualified you to do. We cannot do anything anyway unless he gives us the gift or the talent and then the Spirit to use that gift, independence upon the law and then not to get occupied.
With our service, you know, or to get big headed.
You know not have I gotten but what I received to him, Writer said Grace has bestowed it since I have believed boasting excluded excluded price. I tried. I base I'm only a Sinner saved by grace. So the Lord is able to make it clear to each one of us what he wants us to do.
It's connected here with the grace of God.
He says, verse for three, for I say through the grace given unto me. And then he speaks about proper thoughts concerning service and thinking soberly, having presented ones body to the Lord is a reasonable intelligent sacrifice. Then he brings up the matter of the service that results from having done so, and so he brings out the fact that.
I say, through the grace given unto me.
And sober thoughts are going to give us, as Brother Heinz just mentioned, the right thoughts about the measure of the faith that's given and the work that one is going to do. And we see an example in the apostle Paul of what he says here about himself in First Corinthians chapter 15. Because there is a danger in failing to do the work God has given us to do, because we don't have right thoughts about it.
So he says in First Corinthians 15.
Verse 9, he's talking about those who saw the Lord Jesus and resurrection and the apostle Paul was one who had that wonderful privilege of seeing the Lord Jesus after his resurrection in a actually a very unique and special way. And so he says verse eight. And last of all, he was seen of me also as one born out of two time for I am the least of the apostles that I am not me to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God.
He speaks about this wonderful privilege he had, but immediately the truth touches his own heart and conscience and he says, but I'm the least he has right thoughts about himself with respect to it. But then he goes on in verse 10 to say, but by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain. That's the danger, brethren, God has given to you and I something to do for himself.
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But is that that work and the fittedness for that work, that grace of God that's been bestowed upon us? Is it possible that in your life it's in vain? That is, that if God has enabled you to do something by his grace, but you're not doing it?
In that sense, if Paul had been so fitted, but he didn't do what he was called of God to do, he would have made the grace of God be in vain with respect to the apostle Paul. But he says it wasn't in vain because I labored more abundantly.
Than they all he looked at himself individually, and he said, I'm the least of all the apostles. And yet that same sober understanding on his part, he could also say he labored more abundantly than every one of those apostles. If he hadn't had the sense of what he was before God, he would have been proud.
But he wasn't he thought properly about it. And so he says I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was in me. And so the honor went to God concerning the service of the apostle Paul. And now he's going in this chapter to give us a series of things that different examples of the way that God has fitted the body to work together and he would have each one have a sense that he's given them that by his grace.
And humility will be in it, as it was in the Apostle Paul, if it's a real sense in the soul that it comes.
And the source of it yet not I, but the grace of God.
These first three verses certainly give a good background to enter into the question of the truth of the one body. Things so important, the willingness to lay ourselves on the altar of sacrifice. Not thinking of our own interests, thinking of others good. How important that is in the midst of a society that we live in that is so self-centered. Thinking of their own interests first.
We need to keep that in its perspective, then to to renew our minds to think the things as God sees them in verse two, and not to have high thoughts in verse 3. Then we can operate properly in our position as members of the body of Christ. And it's so important, dear brethren, that the truth continues to remain. Isn't that tremendous in verse?
Five, it says. So we being many.
Are one body in Christ isn't that beautiful?
The public testimony is so divided and so much ruin to it, I sometimes say, because I remember I didn't understand what ruin meant as to the testimony. But if a heathen person would come from some other part of the earth to Des Moines, IA.
And ask where are the Christians in this city?
Why they would point to numerous different places in this city. Why? Because the public testimony is in ruins. But for as much as we have failed in showing that truth, the truth still remains. There is one body, and I think that's such a tremendous thing to get a hold of. The truth remains, brethren, there is one, but nothing can change that. And as God looks down in the city of Des Moines, as he looks down in this world.
All he recognizes is 1 body, but that's something that should exercise because in a physical body that performs rightly, there is no dormant member. Every member has their place and their function. And I think that's so important for each one of us to be exercised by about because doesn't mean that everyone's going to do the same thing, no.
But everyone should be exercised before the Lord to do what the Lord would have them to do.
I like the thought that a brother mentioned not too long ago.
When the Lord Jesus was at the marriage of King of Galilee, if Jesus was there.
And she said to the servants in relation to the Lord Jesus, whatsoever he says unto you, do it. And that's what should be our exercise. You're young people. I don't think it means that we should become interflexive and be thinking and analyzing what gift I may have. The Lord may in time show us, but it's not to be occupied with ourselves.
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And thinking that it's been looking to the Lord Jesus.
As heads to be active in what he would have us to do, that is important. So there is no such thing as a as an assembly without gift. Every assembly is gifted, brethren.
Every member of the body is gifted.
Look over in Timothy chapter First Timothy chapter 4.
Because Timothy was a timid.
Person, evidently.
It seems by the exhortation he gets from the Apostle Paul.
But what he tells Timothy and I think these are things that we need to.
Listen to because they're written for our learning.
Say First Timothy chapter 4 and verse 14.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the lane on of the hands of the Presbyterian.
He had a gift, Timothy did. He said don't neglect that gift, Timothy. You have the fellowship of those that were in oversight in it. Don't neglect that gift.
In Second Timothy, chapter one.
And.
Verse 6.
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hand.
The apostle Paul had given his full fellowship to Timothy, too.
In the use of that gift, but there was a danger there that Timothy would neglect it that and he needed to stir it up. The Spanish translation of that verse 6 is that they'll wake up.
The gift of God that is in thee. It was dormant, perhaps, so we need to be stirred rather now, I'm convinced.
That most of the gift that Christ is given to his body is not being used properly.
And if we would be stirred to use whatever the Lord gives us.
What tremendous things God could do.
As we're looking at these scriptures that there's only men that are being talked about, but that isn't correct.
I'd like to point out that in the fifth verse it says so we being many.
Are one body in Christ and everyone members one of another, and that means every single child of God, man or woman. And if you look from verse 6 on down to the end of 15, you'll find many things that can be carried out by women.
Hospitality, rejoicing, blessing.
Prayer.
Hope all these things. Now some of them are for men only. We know that from Scripture. But that does not exclude the women. They're part of the body and they are helpful in their sphere, in prayer and all these things I just mentioned. So let's keep in mind that when we speak of the body of Christ, we speak of all Christians.
Wanted to point out that in the first epistle of Timothy.
He says neglect not, and maybe it can be applied this way. When things are going well, like we have it in the first epistle, somebody might say, well, brother so and so and brother so and so is there. I don't have to be exercised. Well, don't neglect the gift.
But then when things are like what we have in the second epistle, when things are.
In ruin.
Discouragement might come in stir up.
Stir up the gift.
Use what the Lord has given you for the Lord, even when there is ruin and we are in that situation. And isn't that wonderful, beloved, saying that we can function as a body and use that as the principle for our coming together, although not all members of the body of Christ.
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In the community where we live, are willing to meet in that way. We still use that as the order.
For our meetings.
And function as a body.
Now I believe those of us who are older.
One of the challenges that is presented to us.
That we, with the Lord's help, can assist the younger ones to learn to fit in, not to be content to have an audience.
But to help the younger ones to develop and fit in so that they can learn to function as a member in the body of Christ.
These are all helpful, I hope Comments for our consideration, you know.
To say, for instance, that a young person cannot open the mouth in the assembly until he is 30 years old because the Lord Jesus started his ministry with 30 years.
That would be quenching the Spirit of God. Of course, it wouldn't be a commendable thing that a younger brother tries to take over, but he should not be discouraged.
From.
Exercising His gift or to fit in to function as a member of the body of Christ. When we receive somebody into practical fellowship with us, you know that we can practice.
The truth of the body of Christ. With him we are not just saying you can come and break bread with us. No, we accept you as a member of the body of Christ. You don't become a member of brethren, you become or you come.
And fit in, hopefully as a member of the body of Christ, and as such you are received. So let's encourage development of younger ones.
To participate.
And the younger one shouldn't be afraid to say something if they have an exercise, but then if it is not quite correct.
Have the humility to accept correction, you know, just because somebody says something that isn't correct.
That in itself is not the worst thing that can happen. That might well be an occasion for learning, not for that person that makes a statement that isn't correct for the rest of us. So.
We are in a school, we're all growing hopefully and maturing so that we can be more useful for the Lords interest in this scene.
In our chapter here, verse six, we're getting a little bit slow again, so we look at verse 6.
And I was thinking it says having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy will let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith or and so on in ministry. And somebody has said what is a gift?
A very simple illustration that was given to me was a gift is an expression of an impression.
How do I appreciate Christ? Is He? Is he everything to me? Do I want to share this with others?
God can use that, but I was just noticing too. Or in the book of chapter 4 of Ephesians. We get their special gifts, don't we?
Ephesians chapter 4 and we can go over those special gifts to the whole Church of God, but then notice just dropping down to verse 15.
But speaking the truth, or holding the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every gift supplier.
There's there's a gift that everyone has. There are special gifts to the assembly. That's true and God uses them and we bring he brings that out in the early part of this chapter. But also there is the gifts as it says here.
But which every joint supplier? I don't care how weak we are, how feeble we are. The figure, the little nail on your finger.
Means something to you and if you lose it, you find out. So it says here.
Where the body is fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, make it increase of the body according to the edifying of itself. In love there's the bond again, the love that brings us together. And so those gifts, I thought of this in connection with gift. There are special gifts, that's true.
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But also, every child of God is our brother has already brought out, every child of God has a gift. God has given you a gift somewhere.
Her brother makes him the other night his prayers pray that we might not overextend ourselves. And I think that that is really the subject of this sixth verse is the not the existence of the gift, but the overextension of it. And so there's faith connected with it in Ephesians chapter 4. It is the individual that is the gift to the church.
And so if you, the person themselves, he gave some not gifts of apostleship, but he gave some apostles that the Lord has given you as an evangelist to the church then, and you don't feel that function, then you're missing as an individual. And in Corinthians, it's the gift that the manifestation of the Spirit that is pointed out. But here in this chapter, we have the measure of the gift. And so we see in the growth of the exercise of gift according to the proportion of faith.
That it may begin in a small way and the exercise of that gift and then it expands and it grows. And so you see, I don't want to point out an individual particularly, but our brother has a literature work all over the world, but it started as a young Christian going out in a quiet way.
Handing out tracks door to door and the proportion of the faith grows and so that God grows that. So if I try to imitate that and go and say, well brother, so and so is going to does that, I'm going to go and do that.
I'm not acting proportion to my faith, I'm acting in proportion to his. And so we see this with Stephen in the Acts of the Apostles and Philip.
That they got their apprenticeship in serving the Saints and waiting on tables in a difficult situation, perhaps. Maybe where things were not always.
Maybe things got a little bit abrasive, as we saw there, but they exercised their gift in that sphere in a practical way. But then as faith grew, we see that other gift was manifest there. It was used in a more public way. And so in connection with youth and in connection with these things, we see that the sphere enlarges.
But it should never be as her brother pray to overextended or to go beyond what God has given us. Because a person may know how to fly a Piper Cub, it doesn't mean he's going to get into a 747 and fly one of those. I mean, we understand that in a practical way, but in the exercise of gifts, it's that way as well, spiritual gifts.
I'd like to explain, if I could, the difference.
That might be in the measure of faith, as we have it in verse three, and the proportion of faith.
The measure of faith seems to have to do with the gift communicated.
Or according to the grace given to us in verse 6.
You know the grace has given us a measure of gift, but according to the proportion of faith.
That which we minister.
In bringing prophecy processing here is not so much for telling future events, but as we have it in First Corinthians 14, first telling.
Bringing.
Previously revealed truth and apply it to whatever situation arises and situation that we confront. But what is important is that we better be in the good of what we present.
That wouldn't be according to the proportion of faith. In other words, the danger is that I or anybody can preach something that they are not in the good of it by faith.
It's a intellectual thing. I haven't really laid hold of it. I'm not living in the good of it. Then I'm not ministering or I'm not prophesying according to the proportion of faith.
So that's very important, you know, and so thrilled realize, and this man is talking beyond what he's living in the good of, you know, and it does harm to souls instead of being edified by what is presented. I hope this commends itself. If anybody has another thought, please express it. But to me, that is the way it's suggested to me. The measure of faith is what has been communicated.
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And then the proportion of faith is what I'm in the good of personally.
What the Lord was explaining in the end of.
Matthew 13 when he had put forth those seven parables.
And then he questions those who were listening.
Have you understood all these things, verse 51?
What did they say?
Yay, Lord.
Now he tells them something which I think fits what we're being taught right now. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe.
You can read and write too.
Which is instructed under the Kingdom of Heaven. That's what he'd just been telling them.
Is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things in old. We get this truth in from the Bible, and store it up, and are ready to use it when the Lord gives address, and he does supply the gift. I might say that in Romans.
We don't find the church until you get to the last chapter.
It's individual and the gifts are from God. That makes us easy to look at them without analyzing them too much.
So I think it's very profitable to get down past the fact that there is one body. They didn't have to be told they were one body at the beginning of the axe.
And they hadn't been told that, far as I know, until you get to this chapter here, then the fullest full thing is developed in the later epistles to the assemblies, where we need them very, very much. But here.
It's the gospel.
Romans is the gospel of God.
And being formed through belief, we are saved personally and we are in the church, and we find that out too. But now it's God.
These diverse gifts, and according to the proportion of faith, were to take them up and minister, give it to somebody else and to go on in teaching and so on.
Now the thing to be careful about is.
That we would take, definitely.
Maybe the three gifts that are left over there in Ephesians 4 that have been referred to.
The first two are the apostles and prophets.
We have the apostles and prophets in this book, but the other three we have evangelists, pastors and teachers, and we recognize those gifts. Not everybody has all of them. And the one who was called an evangelist?
Philip had been preaching the Gospel a long time before he was called an evangelist.
So we don't wait till we get the ability to preach the gospel and say, I'm an evangelist, I can preach. No, we we get the gift from God and we use it according to the portion of faith that he's put in us. Are we stored up?
That's something of the sense in the seventh verse where he says ministry, let us wait on our ministering. It's really a little clearer to use the expression or ministry, let us be occupied in ministering for he that teacheth lest be occupied in teaching. It's an exhortation to be occupied with that which the Lord has given for the sake of the body and the service to it. It isn't sort of sitting and waiting for something to happen. That isn't really the sense here in the it's an exhortation to do.
To be occupied in that thing which the Lord has given. That's why, as it were, Timothy was in danger of, perhaps by his timidness has already been said not fulfilling that which the grace of God had given to him. And so he gives it to us. Brethren, if the Lord is or sister, the Lord has given you a particular word for the body, be occupied in doing it. Don't be occupied in doing something that the Lord has given to somebody else.
The Lord Himself directs everyone of us, and if we're all doing what He has given us to do, then He will see that everything works out for the collective necessity of the body.
Like to say in connection with prophecy that it's a person 1St Corinthians 14. That clearly tells us what prophecy is, and I think it's helpful.
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It says in verse three, he that prophesied speaketh unto men to edification and exhortation.
And comfort, in other words, it's taking up the Scriptures and speaking according to a need that is discerned in the people. And that's the sense of prophecy, to have a sense in our souls that there's a need here for a certain kind of ministry. It may be teaching, which is edification. It may be that they know the Scriptures.
But what they need is exhortation.
Or perhaps it has come need of comfort strengthening. And so it's a, it's a sense of discerning what the need is and speaking the word of God accordingly. I remember a brother in South America that was getting involved in politics.
And I think it sincerely was that he didn't understand the position that we occupy as believers.
And so instead of just straight out exhorting him not to get into those circles.
Why a brother took up the question of our heavenly calling, that we're called to heavenly things and that we're ambassadors in the name of Christ. And then it was just a brief word at the end saying this. What is the reason why brother that we don't get involved in politics any side. It took its effect and he left that that is because the brother that spoke to him discern the need and spoke accordingly. I think that's important.
Ministry.
Is not here used the way we usually use the word ministry?
Preaching.
At a service, that's how Mr. Darby renders it, I believe, pays far too much emphasis on preaching and not enough on service. And there are many ways in which.
Saints can serve the Saints.
In a quiet way, and that is very much needed. And I believe that is what is meant in verse 7. An exhortation at times, I believe carries the thought of encouragement.
Not bawling people out, you know. This connected with the thought of encouraging the same and then ruling.
Unfortunately, in the King James, that word is used over and over again, and a better word is leading.
Those who leave, and there are those who leave and even.
The answer to local assembly.
Usually when we speak of those who lead, we think of oversight in the Local Assembly, but in.
Acts Chapter 15.
People are spoken of leading men among the brethren, and also in Hebrews 13. Remember your leaders, those who have spoken the word of God. They might have had local responsibility, but their, their.
Their their leadership is connected with.
The truth that they had brought before the Saints, and by bringing the truth before the Saints, they were leading them in the path of righteousness. I would suggest that ruling or leading here is more in that larger sense, not so much the local assembly. And we can be thankful for those who have in the past ministered the word of God among us.
And have.
Left the same to walk in the path of truth.
And they should do it diligently.
You know, not just haphazardly, diligently, and then those who show mercy.
With cheerfulness, you know, Do it happily, not crunchingly.
Teach us more.
A life less ways, the holy Lamb of God.
And six. And Ruda in my grave has always redeemed my blood.
Romans 15
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#13 in the back of the book.
We sing also #13 in the back of the book.
Child of God.
By Christ.
Joy.
Chapter 15.
We then, that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification, or even Christ please not himself, but as it is written. The reproaches of them, that reproach thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written before time were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.
Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus that she made with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us for the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made under the Fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
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As it is written for this, 'cause I will confess thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice ye Gentiles with his people, and again praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and loud him all you people. And again Isaiah saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, and him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing.
That she may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.
And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
Nevertheless, brethren, I have written them more boldly unto you of some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in these things and those things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed, through many signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, So that from Jerusalem around about the Illuricium, I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ.
Yeah, so have I strive to preach the gospel.
Not where Christ was named lesbian, lest I should build upon another man's foundation, but as it is written. To whom he was not spoken of. They shall see, and they that have not heard shall understand.
For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you, But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire that many years to come unto you, whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you, for I trust to see you in my journey.
And to be brought on my way thither word by you. At first I may be somewhat filled with your company, but now I go on to Jerusalem to minister unto the Saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and IKEA to make a certain contribution for the poor Saints which are at Jerusalem.
It has pleased them verily, and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister onto them in carnal things.
When, therefore, I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
And I am sure that when I come on to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ, say for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea.
That my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the Saints, that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and maybe and may with you be refreshed. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
An interesting observation to begin with is that Illyricum.
Which we have here.
In which verse is?
19 verse 19.
Is.
Probably the present Albanian.
To think that Paul got as far as their preaching the gospel. He hadn't been to Rome yet.
He writes to the brethren there.
It's all being wrong, brethren. I'm not an assembly, but individual. And so we have truth for the individual in this book. And of course, it begins with the Gospel of God. He talks about the gospel of God in this chapter and the gospel of Christ.
You puddle through in the early chapters of this wonderful book.
We get the love of God, the Son of God, the wisdom of God.
The judgment of God. The wrath of God.
And many, many things that are of God.
Searching the soul.
And then in this chapter we have the God.
On the God of patience.
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And the God of consolation in verse 5.
And in verse 13, the God of hope.
And the last verse that God of peace so that here.
The subject is God himself.
And these things that characterize him.
Also in chapter 5, let's turn to that.
We probably get as high.
In the truth as it's possible to get.
In Romans 5.
The verse he left.
And not only so, but we also.
Joy in North.
There's nothing beyond that to think that a man, a woman.
Saved by grace through faith so suited to God's presence that we find our joy in dawn.
Well, we've had a nice time on the 12Th. I hesitate to change and accept that.
The practical truth.
Doesn't take a lot of explanation and we come to practice and we've enjoyed that.
In the 12Th chapter.
We did remark that in the 11Th chapter we were brought to the place of praising and giving thanks to God.
In the highest place we can get as to join in God.
Is perhaps the carried out in what was referred to in Romans 11?
Then the reasonable service, it's easy to understand that and it's very practical and very necessary. But here in this 15th chapter.
We come.
The praise and.
Giving thanks.
Again in verse.
Five Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded.
One toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that now here it is, that we may with one mind.
And one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was remarked to that in this book of Romans. We don't.
Find the church mentioned until we get to the last chapter and there it's individual local churches. But we had and we enjoyed it in the 12Th chapter. Just look back at that in the 12Th chapter.
Versus.
4:00 and 5:00.
The truth brought before us the first time in the Bible. I know of that. For one, we read verses four and five again. For as we have many members in one body, there it is one body.
That wonderful truth that's developed under Paul's doctrine.
One body.
And all the members have not the same office. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one of us members one another. And what's God's purpose in this? It's what we're reading in our 15th chapter.
Verse 6.
That ye may with one.
Mind. God has given us a mind, an intellect, a wonderful thing to take in, to listen, to read the word of God, to know God.
And you have it, and I have it, and God wants us to be gather in our minds.
And if they are directed by the word, as we have been exhorted yesterday, it's the only way to work.
That we may with one mind and one mouth.
No musical instruments here.
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God touches the heart and the soul and gets the music that He wants.
Out of a united company who are saved by the gospel of the grace of God and learn that they are one company and walk together meeting in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and their glorifying.
God, that he may move one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, that's an introduction to this chapter. Perhaps a good thing to get into.
God himself.
The God of patience.
And consolation, two things that everyone of us need.
And we always have it in God. I'm so glad you said that. And I just like to tie this together with the 12Th chapter because.
And 1St in second, Peter the last verse, I the next first. We would have started in the 12Th chapter goes on in a practical way, and I just like to read it in verse nine. I think that's where we would have started.
Let love be without dissimulation, or that which is evil. Plead for that which is good. But we have here, as you pointed out in the sixth verse, a glorifying God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one mouth. But how is that possible? Just like to read a verse in second Peter chapter one in connection with love. It really brings God before us.
Second Peter, chapter one.
And verse 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness, these are things that are to be added to faith and to brotherly kindness, charity or divine love. Brotherly love has my brother as its object, and it's a very sweet and a wonderful thing. But charity has God as its object. And so if we have the same object, there's going to be no dissension among brethren. If we have our brother as our object, there may be dissension among brethren and parties formed.
But how can we glorify God with one mind and with one mouth as if we have God? God is holy, and so we abhor that which is evil. And I think we're going to see this in the beginning verses of our chapter. If we have God as our object, we're going to be united. We cannot be divided if we're have God as our object, as our brother's been bringing before us. It's very interesting in connection with this.
In the first verses of our chapter it talks about.
Bearing the infirmities of the weak.
And we see the weakness of our brethren. You see weaknesses in me, and we're to bear those. And we have a verse quoted from the Psalms, and I'd like to go back and look at that. But there is a difference between weakness and wickedness.
And I love a story that was told of our dear brother Pierre Paddle that some of us remember. Beloved servant in the Gospel. He'd sometimes take part in meetings like this, and you couldn't always understand what he was saying.
Because of his heavy accent and he says its wickedness, its wickedness.
And, you know, love covers a multitude of sins. And a brother asked him, He said, was that weakness brother wickedness? There's a big difference. The question was edifying. And there's a big difference between wickedness and weakness. Weakness were to bear, and wickedness we are to abhor.
And so we see this in our chapters, we go on in this chapter that we're not to please ourselves for to please God. And if we're pleasing God, we're not going to get into confusion, but if we please ourselves.
It's going to result in every evil work we get that that's the working of the flesh. That's what causes dissension among brethren.
Is that we're pleasing ourselves, we're pleasing man, We have man as our objects. Brotherly love is a wonderful thing, but divine lover, charity has God as its object. And so in this quotation of the Psalm, it's very interesting if we see this in connection with bearing the infirmities of one to another, because it's used two times in the New Testament. And if we turn back to the 69th Psalm in connection with this third verse.
It's the 69th Psalm and the ninth verse, and I'd like to point out the other instance in which it is used in the New Testament, Psalm 69.
And verse 9 that's quoted here in our chapter.
For the zeal of thine house has eaten me up. The reproaches of them that reproached me are fallen upon thee.
Now here's the same word and the word of God, and we know where that verse was used. He went into the temple and he saw the money changers. He had a zeal for his God and he overthrew those money changers tables and he chased them out. He had a zeal, first of all for his God. And the Word of God said, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. And so we find at the beginning of the Lord's public ministry, he overthrew the money changers tables. And at the end of his ministry he overthrew the money changers tables. His wrath, the sun did not go upon it. Down upon his wrath. His opinion of evil had not changed.
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He had God as his object, and so with that, coupled with that, there was an abhorrence of evil. We had that in the 12Th chapter in that verse. There. Let love be without dissimulation or deceit. There's a lot of deceitful love in the world today. The world is full of deceitful love, unsatisfied affections, pretense.
Supposed caring for people, you've got to love people that are in perversion and sin and so on. And it's not real love, it's the allowance of evil.
But Divine Love is to warn the Sinner and to deliver him from his sin.
And so we see that in connection with the Lord, but then if there is that energy, then there's reproach in connecting with bearing the infirmities of the weak. But the two of them have to go together. And so I think it's most blessed how this one verse in the Psalms is used in two seemingly very opposite ways. And want to move the Lord to chase the wickedness out of the house, House of God. And another, it was just to bear the infirmities of our brethren. And we need to have those things before us. But we can only do that if if we have God as our object.
The real foundation for dealing with the weaknesses of our brethren, that is.
Rather Neola love.
13 chapter First Corinthians brings out.
How love there and all things but in our first verse here.
It speaks of the weak and the strong.
And we need to understand what the Lord is Speaking of when He speaks of brothers and sisters that are weak and brothers and sisters who are strong. And in the beginning of the 14th chapter we have.
The God's own explanation of what he means when he speaks of someone who is weak.
Him that is weak in the faith. So he in our first verse, he's Speaking of those who are weak in the faith and those who are strong in the faith.
And we have an example, for instance one who is weak in the faith, heated herbs.
And he really might observe one day over another.
And that's because his faith is weak. That is, he has developed in his faith.
When you've developed in your face, you are strong in faith. When you first begin in the path of faith, there's a lot of things that you don't know and you have questions in your mind. But as you get into the Word and as you grow and think, you get strong. So what it's talking about in the first verses?
We that are format to her, we that are stronger in the faith, we are to bear in love with the weaknesses of our brethren. That one brother thinks he can only eat herbs. We're to love him and bear with him. And later on in this 14th chapter it says if, if.
We think that it's all right for us to eat meat.
Or any kind of meat or things in our lives.
That maybe a weak brothers as well. I don't think that brother ought to do that well in love. We ought to be willing to even give up what we know before the Lord is really all right. Eating meat is all right if it's going to cause some weak brother in the face to stumble in love to him. I ought to be willing to for bear and so the apostle Paul said it is good needed to eat flesh in verse 21.
In order to treat why nor anything whereby they'd rather stumble and oftentimes we hear how.
Wine Branson can be something that's almost a weaker brother.
They find out that we think it's all right on occasion to have a glass of wine.
Truly, if that's all that you have by finding out health wise and I heard it recently on the news.
That really is good for your health, to have a glass of wine every day. But the weak brother may think, well, it's all right to have a glass, so I'll have two or three and he gets inebriated.
00:30:03
So delivered it that you allowed for yourself. My weak brother comes along and instead of being a health stone spiritually, you weaken him. You're causing him to have a fall that that really is going to bother his conscience and and might interfere for a long time with him getting on with the Lord and and behaving in such a way that he really the help and encouragement to us so.
In our verse reason that are strong thought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
In talking about those who are weak in the things and those who are strong in the faith, those who are strong in the faith in love ought to have a care for our brethren that are weaker and try to help them along in the path of the Lord, and not to be an entrance in any way.
That comes out very clearly in the previous chapter that.
There were those who came from the Jews, amongst the Christians, and you know, they couldn't eat a lot of things and they were given specific directions, what was clean, what was unclean. And there were those who had not come into full Christian liberty. Weakness here is not worldliness.
I emphasize that weakness here is not worldliness. It is somebody who hasn't come into.
Full Christian liberty. And you know, when we, for instance, meet people that come from what you might call a legal group of Christians, you know, the women always have to have their head covered. They have to wear a certain kind of dress. Well, don't try to force them to give that up until they see themselves for themselves.
What the scriptures teach us. So bear with them and don't allow it to interfere in our fellowship. Allow for growth. That's the point then. But we at the other hand, like our brother has very ifly brought out, we better be careful that we don't stumble them.
And I for one, have been very careful, even when professionally I was joining with other colleagues.
And he was forced to be at a cocktail party. I never drank any alcoholic beverages. I wanted them to know that I did not take liberty in that area. And I think we better be careful in this country. Many Christians are stumbled when we make use of our Christian liberty.
In these first 7 verses of a chapter that our brother has suggested the 15th chapter.
Has to do with the 14th chapter, doesn't it? And I think the key in the 14th chapter, the key to what we've been saying is verse 17.
The Kingdom of God.
Is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. So it's not an outward thing. We're not to be occupied with the outward thing. But where do we find?
Righteousness. Peace.
And joy in the Holy Ghost, we find it in the person of Christ. Occupation with Christ will change all that. So it's beautiful that God has given us these instructions very practical in this 14th chapter, 12Th chapter, and also this 14th chapter and the 1St 7 verses of this 15th chapter. So it's good for us to bow to the word of God. And I, I believe what I see in this is our brother has already pointed out the, the, the patience of God and the, the mercy of God and the goodness of God.
Brought in there.
Why? Because the thought of God brings in holiness.
And character in our walk before him.
Interesting and helpful to look at our brother London used to teach us on this 17th verse. You can't see the Kingdom of God, but you can see the results now they're they're moral and we as someone comes to want to be in our meeting to break bread.
We can see their moral conduct.
Is there some righteousness?
Some peace, some joy in the Holy Ghost in that person.
The one added requirement is the 14th chapter in the first verse in the faith.
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Someone is in the faith, they have as much right at the Lord's Table as I do if they're going on morally.
In the righteousness and peace, and the whole joy of the Holy Ghost, and.
The purpose in our chapter.
Is that we made with one mind.
And one mouth glorify God.
Praising him in his presence.
It's very simple, very lovely, and there is time for growth to get the strength that strong meat brings so that reception at the Lord's Table is not a matter of intelligence and knowing a lot about the Word of God.
It's the state of soul is their reality. Are they in the Kingdom?
Are they saved? Are they in the faith?
The way it was in the beginning, yes.
Lord, when the Lord added to the Church daily such it should be saved.
But then that was in the days before Ruin and come in.
Many things that had to be separated from but but if you were to wait until.
Someone was perfect or spiritually mature before you received him in to bring bread at the Lord's Table.
Who? Who am I to repeat it? But we do have to be careful about what?
They're associated with and if they're associated with something is defiling or something that is wrong doctrinally.
In these days and those things that they have to be taught and those things have to be separated from before they can be received. But at a reading meeting in Bolivia.
Many years ago.
Indian brethren, who has come out of hedonism and the.
The Walking ways that are there gathered to the Lord's name were reading First Corinthians chapter 6.
And they were getting instruction by the Spirit of God from the Word of God. And so turned to 1St Corinthians 6.
It's an illustration of what has been brought up.
Well, we have to read in First Corinthians 6 what was going on in the heathen world.
Verse 9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornication, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.
Nor thieves.
Nor kevinches, nor drunkards, nor revilers.
Nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God. Now look at the change and such for some of you in the Corinthian assembly. We're it's a past thing. They come out of it such for some of you, but we are washed.
You're sanctified.
We are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Those dear brothers sat there and enjoyed that for half an hour.
That they were in this condition, after having been in that horrible condition of heathen idolatry.
So the gospel, the salvation, takes care of our past, and we're saved. Then we come, and there ought to be soon the.
Results seeing that our brother Littlest brought us to in chapter 14 and verse 17.
The Kingdom of God, what is it?
It's not meat and drink. We've had good excitation on that. What is it?
Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The fruits of the Spirit are there, such we can receive and be together.
In unity with one mind and one mouth to glorify God and even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So there therefore again he says, wherefore receive you one another, as Christ also has received us to the glory of God, those oblivion brothers that come out of heathen Indian.
00:40:02
Were received to the glory of God.
If anybody has received.
To the Lord's table as walking amongst brethren, it is to be to the glory of God because of the work of Christ that's brought us into a position for it, and He wants us there to go on morally that way and have a witness and having happiness.
I think it's an interesting thought in verse two and three of our chapter.
The question of pleasing our neighbor for his good. And then in verse 3, even Christ pleased not himself in our relations together. Because this is what these two chapters deal with in a large way.
The differences of feeling and conviction that a person may have, perhaps, like it's been said, they haven't gotten into full Christian liberty.
Yet it's a matter of growth, and growth takes time. We can't expect a child to become an adult in a few days. That doesn't happen. And in spiritual things, growth takes time as well. So you see a brother that is not up to full growth and you and you don't try to please your own self, you seek to please your neighbor for his own good. I think this is really important because we live in a country.
Where self pleasing is glorified.
And I think we have to recognize it that many times we are affected by that spirit of things.
Of pleasing ourselves for good.
But it's completely turned around here. It's not pleasing ourselves. It's giving up. It's sacrificing of ourselves, like we had in Chapter 12, to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Sacrifice is something that costs something.
But for the good of the other, I lay my own desires, my own wishes.
To one side and I seek to please my brother for his good and even Christ. Please not himself. Think of the treatment he got when he came here, brother. He wasn't thinking of his own good while he walked through this world.
He got terrible treatment. He was thinking of someone else, he was thinking of us and oh, if we could just be delivered from ourselves. I see so many young people.
Older people too.
But they're thinking of themselves. And I tell you, there is not a more miserable occupation than to be thinking about yourself. God help us to deliver us from self occupation. You're thinking about yourself or what other people think about you. It's miserable. You're thinking about yourself, what you are, it's miserable. We need deliverance, brethren.
Think about others, to think about the Lord Jesus, to think about others and their needs, and that is deliverance and it is joy.
It is, it is a real thing. Dear young people, the Lord help us to turn around. Love thinks of others, doesn't think of himself.
And it's always in scripture when love is spoken about. It's love that is costly.
For God so loved the world that he gave. How much did he give?
His only begotten Son, Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
It's always a costly thing. We like to protect ourselves. That's the society we live in. The Lord help us to be willing to open our hearts in our pocketbooks too, so that it will be real sacrifice that we love others with. To please not ourselves. To please our neighbor for his good.
Isn't it lovely that just Bob quoting this, I was thinking of the early this this first statement of this first of his third verse. How beautiful this is. God doesn't he gives us the highest standard that it is possible for a man to have and it says even Christ.
00:45:01
Pleased not himself I could stop right there.
And it would if we were exercised by what we're told there and we put it into practice.
What a happy time we would have together, wouldn't we? We wouldn't be have a legal spirit. We wouldn't have a a vindictive spirit. We would have a time of fellowship together. It's just that beautiful little part of that verse for even Christ. Who was he?
The most glorious person, the man from the glory. But did he ever seek to please himself? No, as her brother has already said, all he ever did was to please us and to give us.
Eternal life and a desire to praise Him.
That we agree in detail.
On everything as to what we can eat and things like that, but we have one mind that we want to please the Lord and bear with one another where we differ, you know, and Paul in Philippians says if you are in anything otherwise minded, the Lord will reveal this. We can still have one mind.
And that one mind is not agreement in every detail, but we want to please the Lord. Let me also try to.
Say, why does he make the statement in the fourth verse that all scriptures?
Or that whatsoever things were written a fourth time was written for our learning. Why does he bring that in?
I believe that we can even benefit from what we read in the Old Testament, what the Jew could eat and could not eat, because they're more or lessons connected with it. I remember how brother ervin Clawson would take up Leviticus 11. You know, the clean and unclean animals. I heard that in Germany of a brother when I was a 1920 year old man.
Young men bringing out spiritual essence from that. And so we benefit from whatever was written.
Of course, we better be careful that we don't let our imagination go vile.
You know, and they are principal uses of the Scriptures, which is not according to God, but we can benefit from it. You know, and don't ever accept the idea that we can never look into an Old Testament book. You know, we had a situation where somebody wouldn't come to Sunday school because we were studying an Old Testament book. Well, read this verse. We can benefit from it.
And.
Also, Timothy was told that he had known the Holy Scriptures from a child that would make him wise unto salvation. But what scriptures did he have? The Old Testament read 1St Corinthians 10. Whatever happened to them were examples to us. You know these typical teachings in the Old Testament we can benefit from even from the law, the 10 commandments.
We can benefit from love thy neighbor as thyself, God first, the Lord that God and thy neighbor as thyself can't. We still benefit from it? But we're not under the law. And where we have to guard ourselves is that we don't become fanciful and go too far in using these scriptures instead of allowing them to give us spiritual lesson that we can still benefit from today, you see?
So that's why this is brought in here I believe.
You know that we can even benefit.
From these clean and unclean animals.
That the Jew was restricted and was told what he could could not eat.
The last part of that verse, right that we through what?
Patient.
And comfort of the Scriptures might have hope present before us the qualities that God has that we have already looked at the God of patience and consolation. Verse five he takes that.
Through patients that we through patients uncomfortable scriptures might have what hope then down in verse 13 He is the God of hope brings us into the same qualities that God always has. The scriptures will bring us to that.
00:50:01
Old Testament or New Testament, patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. The God of patience and consolation grant you. The God of hope filled you with all joy and peace and believing.
A likeness to the one who has made us God in all perfection. I say a practical like the scriptures do that.
And hope there is a beautiful thing to think about too, isn't it? As one brother put it. And I'm sure we're all aware of the of the expression.
Hope is delayed certainty. That's all in the world. If you hope to get something, you may never get it. You can live off. You can live your whole life with hoping certain things and you never get them. But hope in Scripture is is only a delayed certainty. It's sure to come.
So, but we're given the assurance of it. I was just thinking of this fourth verse again.
For whatsoever things were written before time were written for what?
To show off knowledge, know to learn. If we learn these things, what we do, we put them in the practice. You know when you learn something, you have to practice that that whatever you learn, don't you? And that's probably true. It is true. So I just thought of this for whatsoever things were written, the four time were written for our learning. God is teaching us and what is it that we do? Patience.
And comfort.
And of the scriptures might have hope that assurance in our hearts that it's real.
We're only waiting to get there. God hasn't changed in different dispensations. He deals differently, but God has never changed. God is the same, and so it's the same God in the Old Testament as in the new, and his moral character never changes. Doesn't matter in what age you're talking about. And that's why it's so profitable to go back.
To the Old Testament and to read it and to learn from it, because we learn in those stories of the Old Testament of who our God is and the way he dealt with people at that time, but we now.
Often, like Hen says, meet up with people that have fanciful interpretations and it's because people are not taught to rightly divide the word of truth and I think that's what's important.
When we go back to the Old Testament, we recognize that he was dealing with an earthly people. At that time. God was the same God, but it was a God that was dealing with His people, Israel, who had earthly blessing. We know that blessing today is not earthly.
It's heavenly blessing that we have been blessed with. There's a difference and we are called to rightly divide the word of truth.
Like it says in First Corinthians chapter 10, be not not to offend.
Jew, nor Gentile, nor the Church of God. There are three different peoples that God recognizes in this world. Jewish, those his chosen people, Gentiles were the rest of the nations, and the Church of God are those he has called from both groups to form another entity. So we read the Old Testament and we recognize he wasn't writing to the church.
At that time.
And when we come to the New Testament, there we have the question of the church directly addressed. And so it's important to rightly divide the word of truth. Still God is the same. And we go back and we learn those moral characteristics that God dealt with in the Old Testament. I think it's very helpful to read it, but it needs to be done in the context of rightly dividing the word of truth.
To me, and I trust I'm quoting it correctly, the Old Testament was not written to know the eternal destiny of souls, but to know the end of the pathway of.
Life in the flesh. I don't doubt that I'm going to see David in heaven, and I'm not going to see Saul and Absalom there. But that's not really the purpose. It is written is that I, as a believer, may pursue the same court as course as Saul and wind up the same way as Saul wound up.
With a ruined life, taking my own life, it's possible that a Christian could end their life and disaster. And so these Old Testament illustrations, we can take them and profit from them and apply them to ourselves and learn from them. I'd like to turn to one because Corinthians, about four or five or six brothers have referred to Corinthians and there's an Old Testament.
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Story I believe that is helpful and illustrative of this and ties these different thoughts in Corinthians in connection with love.
What was the state of things in Corinth? It talks about one mind in our chapter. And in Corinth he had to write to them because they were divided.
But they were having love feasts and there was great profession of love there. And yet it wasn't really the love that the apostle was looking for. And that's why he brings that in in the 13th chapter.
But here was a man going on in, in sin and immorality rate in the church, in the assembly there, and they were allowing this in the name of law. They were having love feet. And yet at the same time there were poor people coming to the assembly. They thought they were being very loving by allowing this sin in the assembly. And at the very same time there were love, there were poor people coming to the assembly going hungry. The rich were eating in one place and the poor were eating in another place. And so this profession of love wasn't real.
Our chapter 12 Said let our love be without dissimulation or deceit. It wasn't real love. And so Paul lovingly to the Corinth is trying to draw this out. But we see a similar situation in connection with Eli that speaks to every one of us at every age in connection with his sons. Here Eli spoke to his sons, but he didn't restrain them and they were taking the very things of God to satisfy the flesh. And we see the tragic end of Eli and his son.
Now here Hannah comes. His sons were drunken and he didn't restrain them. And here Hannah came, a true soul, broken before God about the condition of things, and he treats her like a drum.
And wasn't that true state of things in Corinth? They didn't recognize and deal with evil when they saw it. And then when they saw true repentance, I don't mean fake repentance, but true repentance, they didn't see that either. And this needs to exercise our hearts. And so This is why we can see these illustrated things about repentance because it spoke here in the 14th chapter about the Kingdom of God. We try to, in love, try to bring this wickedness into the Kingdom of God.
And think if, you know, if we bring the the wicked near the holy, it's going to make it holy and it doesn't. We see in the word of God that that.
The unholy flesh touching the holy garment doesn't make it holy.
We have, there has to be a place to come to. There's no place for the prodigal to come back to if the father had let all the corruption that the prodigal wanted to get into into his home. And the best thing in love is to preserve the assembly as a safe haven from the and our homes from the corruption of the world so that there's a place for our children to come back to. There's a place for the Saints to come to in a place of safety. Love would do that. But I just use that illustration with Eli to see the current of things in Corinth that Paul was trying to correct, because we do get some false notions of love and it takes real patience because sometimes.
As it says here, real reproach connected with love. They say he's an unloving brother, or he doesn't understand, and there may be more understanding there than you think.
I was thinking perhaps we were going to.
Reading.
6th verse. Now these things were our example.
To the intent we should not lust after evil things.
As they also lust, in other words.
Referring to Old Testament scriptures and how that they speak to us.
All of these things were written for our learning.
It says in verse 11 Now all these things happen unto them.
Or in samples.
And they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world stop. And so that's what the Old Testament is for us today.
Examples.
And someone I think Saturday was touching on.
A matter of eating pork, fish. Fish had to have tins, scales.
And we couldn't eat the pork.
01:00:04
The pig has a fallen hook, but it didn't do it. Cut.
And today we're allowed to eat pork, but there was a lesser men that the lesson was simply, and they didn't understand it. The brother was bringing out why they were not to eat pork. I like that they brought that out, that God told them, just like he told Adam and Eve in the garden that they could eat of all the fruit of the garden except the tree in the midst of the garden. He didn't tell us why they couldn't eat of it. He just said you can't eat up.
And when the tears were taught they could be for he didn't tell them why.
He just told them that they couldn't speak, and he said that they didn't. They had to cloven up, but they didn't chew the cut and they didn't understand it. But the truth there for us, is that simply what we feed on.
Is extremely important spiritually. We aren't to feed on.
That which in the world?
Which might have a separator walk and there are some, you know, who sort of separate from evil things.
But they don't chew the gut. They don't get into the Word of God and meditate upon. God wants us to feed upon that which.
The animal that chews the cut, and has the clothes, and put the feet up, we are to feed upon that which is in the Word of God, and meditates upon it, and that which tends to separate us in our walk down here from evil.
And so that's what that features.
Was wrong in itself.
But when it's what we're feeding on, it's important. Let's have a few minutes on.
Before the time is out, get to this God of peace we have had, the God of patience and consolation, and little of the God of hope.
But the God of peace, what a wonderful thing, brethren, it is to have peace, to have the peace of God.
And Christ is our peace.
Opposed.
Wanting to get to Jerusalem.
And he asked the Saints over there, I mean, to Rome, he asked the Saints at Rome to pray for him.
Little North.
That probably as a result of the prayer of the Saints, he got a free ticket to Rome. He didn't have to pay for it. He got the support of the army of Caesar to get him through.
He went through.
The sea and a shipwreck.
And he got there, and he found a few of the Saints there.
It's the power of prayer and the need of prayer and the work of God to listen to prayer and to make progress.
God had in his heart the Gentiles, and he gradually moved the gospel N out of Judea and Samaria into Turkey and Greece.
And over further there and Paul had been as far as Illyricum.
Paul himself working northward and westward. Now he wants to go to Rome and he had it on his heart to go to Spain. Now this is the direction that God was going to move the wonderful gospel that he had given us in this chapter. Well, I just want to suggest.
How wonderful it is that we can address a God who can move armies.
And.
Control shipwrecks and get the result that God wanted through his servant Paul to get the gospel brought into Rome, out of which in another prison, the prison epistles are written of the Church of God. So it's wonderful to think of the God of peace and the power of prayer and the love of God that would move us that way. May we enjoy.
The God of peace, He is with us all.
So lovely to consider that because resist not evil, but overcome evil with good. And Paul could have resisted this, but as you said, that that his imprisonment was a free ticket to Rome. It was an answer to prayer. And often the thing that we very much resist is the very instrument of God for blessing. And it's a fearful thing. It is wrong to form a heresy or a party and to go to war and battle. And a good thing as it is in a, it is as it is in a wrong thing, perhaps worse.
01:05:28
You know, I believe that the.
The generals of the South and the Civil War were Christians, and because they were well organized, disciplined men that this war was carried on. And they, and had they not been there, I don't think perhaps the war would have gone in as long as it was. And it was to the very Romans that Paul said that we were to submit to the higher authorities. And I walked through the Roman Coliseum with my boy, and I think the Spirit of God knew what Nero was going to do to Christians and he told them to submit.
It was the very instrument of blessing. And so something comes then we're to seek not to resist evil.
But were to seek the pathway of God in this situation, how to overcome evil with good, and so that even in the circumstances they didn't listen to Paul.
The ship was broken up and what beautiful ministry we've come out of even that seemingly tragic incident in Paul's life that is a help and encouragement to us even today and so.
Scriptures, Paul said to Timothy, The servant of the Lord must not strive. There's a tendency to want to fight with evil, to overcome it. We think something's wrong, but we're to overcome evil with good, and it's in the pathway of submission and obedience. And that's how we're going to be of one mind.
Submitting to the Lord's authority. And that's why there's going to be peace. The world, the principle we had of being transferred from the world is the principle of the world is lawlessness. You don't like something, you fight against it, you disobey it. We're faced with this everywhere. And finally a man's going to come that's going to let, that's going to seem to keep the world under glued together. And he's going to be the man of sin. He's going to be the lawless one. And it's civil disobedience and lawlessness is what characterizes this age in which we're living and we need our minds transformed.
And the assembly is the place we're not gathered simply to the person of Christ. We're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ where his authority his own. And praise God, it's the one place on this earth where God's authority is owned and there's going to be peace. And it's just a safe haven for the Saints of God to come because here the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the two or three gathered to his name, his authority, his own. And if we bow to that.
We're going to have peace among the Saints.
Don't. We're just going to bring the world into the assembly of lawlessness, disobedience, rebellion, and the things that weary us. We face it at work, we face it at school, the kids face it in the playground. And what a wonderful thing to bring them into the meeting and sit down. And your son knows you've got a difficulty with your brother sitting across the seat. And he knows the assembly is a place where we can just come and submit to the Lord's authority. And there's going to be peace. And it is an end in this plate, in this world of corruption and sorrow.
And that's the peace. And God wants us to know himself. God's not frustrated by what's going on in the world. His piece isn't unsettled. And and if we get ahold of that who God is, we're going to have peace in this confused world.
Neil in Corinth.
They were really indifferent as to the evil that was there. They were not rebuked.
That they had not dealt with it, but that they were unhumbled over it. I'm afraid sometimes what we find in Christians today.
They're almost glorying in putting up with evil and allowing it in, as if this is Christian virtue. But that doesn't make for peace, you know?
And what we saw will reap. But I thought too in connection with Peace and Philippians Chapter 4.
You mentioned, Neil, that, you know, as to acknowledging the authority of the law, but there are more than one way in which the peace can be enjoyed, and we have that here in Philippians.
In our difficult circumstances to which we pass prayer.
Is so important that we bring everything before him.
Even when we face difficulties among God's people, which many times are very distressing, let's face it, even amongst the gathered things, but we can in prayer bring these things before God. And then what does he say in the 4th chapter?
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And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. But then there is also the God of peace.
Being with us, you know when we are not occupied with each other's shortcomings, but when we are occupied with that which we see of Christ in our fellow believer, you know there is in everyone that belongs to the Lord that which we can rejoice over.
And that is necessary.
We shouldn't be blind to evil that occurs among God's people, but we should.
Also especially be thankful whatever we see of God in any of God's people. And then it says.
The God of peace.
He's going to be among us and it will be realized.
By those who come in.
And So what a wonderful thing it is that we can have.
The peace of God in our hearts and that we can have the God of peace with us.
And he will sustain his own, no matter how difficult the times are going to be. You know, we can count on him.
We can be thankful for whatever our veterans can supply, but what are they compared to? The God of peace?
This word is written.
The assembly of believers in Rome.
Rome, and now the God of peace be with you all.
If we look at the Romans and they're going at each other.
And there's contention and strife. Is that peace?
Well, God is a God of peace, and if they're conditioned right as existence in the assembly, would it be of God?
God is a God of order. When there's disorder in the assembly is that of God no God, God of order. And if God is a God of peace, there shouldn't be this strife in the assemblies. We should be in our assemblies getting on together, love and peace.
Then if we look down upon such an assembly and our brethren are going on peaceably together.
Then that's of God. But if there's strife and every evil work, that's not a God.
But I read a verse in Hebrews chapter 13 or a few verses.
Hebrews, chapter 13.
Beginning at verse 20.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.
That great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant.
Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ.
To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Open Mtg.
Open—R. Mackewich, 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.
Acts chapter 10 in the middle of verse 33.
Now, therefore.
Are we all here?
Present before God.
To hear the all things.
That are commanded thee of God.
Pray.
Like to just read that little hymn 13 appendix that was saying for a certain line.
I like to speak.
For the young people.
Fix an age 21 and under.
What it says here in #13 in the appendix.
Child of God.
By Christ, salvation, rise, or sin, and fear and care, joy to find in every station something still to do or bear. How many of you really believe?
With the Lord, Jesus has something for you to do.
Like to start by creating Romans 12?
This is the first verse again.
I want each one of us.
To be honest.
Present verse one.
I beseech you therefore, brethren.
By the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is a reasonable service.
I would wonder.
And I would like everyone in this room who is 21 and under.
To raise your hand.
If you have any idea.
But these first 2 rating meetings were about.
One hand.
Two meetings about presenting our bodies.
A living sacrifice.
Not only two hands.
From those 21 and under.
Have an idea?
Of these, two radio medians were about.
These words I beseech you rather.
To me, they present a loving heart.
An earnest, seeking heart.
For the Brethren to offer themselves a living sacrifice.
I would like to ask when another question, dear young people.
What have you been doing?
During these two meetings.
Has it all been over your head?
Or perhaps.
The expectation we need is to awake now that's sleepless.
To have our ears opened to what is being presented to us.
It was brought out with regards to our body, it's the mercies of God. With regards to unwind, it's the grace of God.
But when your rights to the Saints in Corinth, he says, the love of Christ constrains us.
That we thus judge that if one died, for all they which live.
Like to start out perhaps by this expression. I beseech you therefore, brethren.
00:05:00
Those of you 21 and younger, younger.
How you really say? Do you really know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?
God wants to do something with you in your life. He's done everything for you already, it's been quoted. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. We were singing about how He's going to take these worthless names of ours and yet He wants you so He can use you to be a blessing to His people.
And the little hymn that we were singing every station of your life, There's children here.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. There's teenagers. Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right.
There are married couples, children, obey your parents in the Lord.
For this is right. No matter what age we become, there's this obedience.
And then I wonder, have we bowed so that part of love for salvation first?
Are you saved?
We really know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Time is short.
Life would best. It's very brief, we sing.
But I want to perhaps stress this first expression. I beseech you, therefore, young people.
Last year in Montreal, the conference, there was a brother in tears for the young people for the gospel because he didn't know if the young people were saved or not.
There are many in this room who have a burden for your young people. We see you come to these meetings, we see you grow physically, but we don't see much of A spark for the Lords things.
They don't see much of an effort to even want to be exercised about. Why?
You're at the meetings.
I beseech you.
I'd like to try, perhaps, if we could have the Spirit of God lovingly beseech us.
You really love the brethren. Each one members of the body of Christ has been brought before us. All could say to the Romans, I beseech you.
As if the Spirit of God would stand up here and he would beseech you to.
Do this.
Why? Because he wants to use you.
Not gracious, he wants to use you every joint and marrow heart supplies.
But you know, those in Corinth were in such a state of soul that there wasn't even one who had discernment. And it says let them that at least esteemed in the assembly.
I wonder if there's one in this room, perhaps, who feels that way. I understand what they say, I understand what they're bringing before me, but I feel like I'm a nobody or a man. I feel I'm insignificant.
I don't really feel my brother loves me. I don't feel they really care about me.
And yet God wants you to offer yourself.
A living sacrifice.
The Lord Jesus offered himself for you. He shed his precious blood.
Wash your sins away. And now he would simply say to you that you present your bodies.
The living sacrifice.
That's your brother's body. Not your sister's, but your own.
Your own.
Mention was made of worldliness. What is worldliness?
I have a poem I'd like to read. I didn't bring it just to read it today because I didn't feel I was really going to be here.
But I've had it in my Bible for over a year.
But I like to read it.
In every station.
There's something for us to do. You may have heard this poem.
But it speaks to the heart, it speaks to the reality of what we've been bringing about or speaking about this morning, this afternoon.
00:10:06
If Jesus.
Came to your house.
If Jesus came to your house.
If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two, if he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you do.
Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest, and all the food you'd serve to him would be the very best.
And you would keep assuring him you're glad to have him there, but serving him in your home is joy.
Beyond compare.
But when you saw him coming, would you meet him at the door with arms outstretched and welcomed to your heavenly visitor?
But would you have to change your clothes before you let him in, or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they've been? Would you turn off the radio and hoped he hadn't heard and wished you hadn't uttered that last loud, hasty word? Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out? Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about? And I wonder if the Savior spent a day or two with you?
But you go right on doing the things you always do. But you keep right on saying the things you always say.
Would life for you continue as it does from day-to-day? Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace? Would you sing the songs you always sing and read the books you read?
And let him know the things in which your mind and spirit feed.
Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you plan to go, or would you maybe change your plans for justice a day or so? Would you be glad to have him meet your very closest friends, or would you hope that they stay away until his visit ends? Would you be glad to have him stay forever ongoing, or would you sigh with great relief when he at last was gone? It might be interesting to know the things that you would do.
If Jesus came in person to spend.
Some time with you.
And over the First Samuel 21.
OK.
First Samuel 21.
Verse 10.
And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Akash, king of God, from the servants of Akish, said unto him, It's not this David the king of the land.
Did they not sing one to another of him and dances, saying Saul has slain his thousands? David is 10,000 David laid up these words in his heart, was so afraid of a Kish, the king of God, and he changed his behavior before them.
Feigned himself mad in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate. And let us spill fall down upon his beard, when said a kish under his servants. Lo, ye see, the man is mad. Wherefore then have you brought him to me? Have I needed Mad Men? That she have brought this fellow to play the Mad Men in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?
Aren't you graphic? Graciously glad that the Lord doesn't treat us like that.
When we change our behavior in front of the people we work at, when we be change, we change our behavior because visitors come to see us.
King said. David's not coming into my presence.
And yet we constantly do it, do we not? We change our behavior in front of our friends.
The Lord Jesus doesn't kick us out of his house. He wants us to draw near.
He wants us to be exercised about these things. He wants us to realize that the love of Christ does indeed constrain us.
We're speaking about our body.
Soul or mind? The Thessalonians. Paul writes to them, and his desire was that they would be preserved.
00:15:02
Spirit, soul and body.
What are we going to feed each one of these?
Entities that we have, what is our mind feeding on? Set your mind on things about what's above Christ. Who is our life? What are we going to set our hearts affection on?
The love of Christ.
How about our bodies?
Having it lost pure water.
When my burden this afternoon is for the young people.
I have six of them myself.
And I know the exercises that they go through, some of them at least.
I'm sure you're no different than they are.
But we need to start off with the engrafted word which is able to save your soul.
So again, we're just going to simply ask the presence of God.
Are you the Lord's?
You know if you are, you have within you.
A heavenly visitor.
The Spirit of God.
And he's going to take the things of Christ and make them good to you.
And I'm sure you've heard that many times.
And yet I wonder if you've practically take the Word of God and read it.
Read it and read it.
Two boys brought up in the same home.
One reads his Bible and the other one doesn't.
Which one is going to enter into these things?
LeBron, his ages Bible, he has a desire. Where does that desire come from? He has a life that wants to please the Lord Jesus and each one in this room has that life partakers of the divine nature. You have a life within you that needs and wants to grow up into Christ and spiritual things.
So we're going to turn to Isaiah 26.
We're going to ask ourselves a few questions.
Reference to our home.
Isaiah 26 and 9:00.
Might read verse 8. Yay. In the way of thy judgments, the Lord have we waited for thee.
Sometimes the judgments of the Lord.
Are according to his will.
And during those judgments in our lives.
It's an exercise for us to.
See if they are indeed.
Perfect.
Good. Acceptable.
Positionally before God they are. But do we ourselves when we go through the trial and we go through the difficulty?
Do I see God's will as good?
Arguably rebel against it. Why me Lord? Why me all the time?
If I've come to that realization practically that it's good.
I can accept it. I can accept it from a father who loves me and cares for me.
And then I can rest in the fact that it's perfect and he has allowed it for blasphemy.
I believe there's a positional aspect of it and also a practical aspect of it.
But sometimes going through the judgment, we have to wait. We don't see any way out, We don't see any results. And so we wait. We wait and we wait.
Scripture says you have need of patience, but as you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. It's hard to wait.
What is the next part of it say?
The desire of our soul during the trial, during the temptation, whatever it might be that's going to come into your life, to your young people.
What is your desire?
00:20:00
What is your desire at these meetings?
To learn more about the Savior. To learn more about my Savior.
To grow closer to him and to the brother. What is your desire during the trial during the difficulty?
When he says the desire of our souls to thy name.
To his name, but names that.
The name of Jesus.
When you throw another question out for you 21 and under.
You don't have to raise your hand, but exercise your heart. How many of you are at the Lord's Table?
How many are you at that place where you can respond? Truly, the desire of your soul is to His name.
We're two or three are gathered together in my name. They're mine in the midst of them. Seven divine principles found in that verse.
But are you there?
What is your desire?
Everyone of us who have children, our desire for you is the Lord's blessing.
That you would be preserved and test as you grow up.
You know, and some of the inner city big cities like Detroit, there's a joke that goes, what are you going to be if you grow up?
Not when, but if there's such fear of even children even being allowed to live in some inner cities.
What you want to be, What you want to do with your life, your young people, are you constantly? Am I constantly changing my behavior in front of others? Instead of seeking to present the steadfastness of Christ, instead of presenting the love of the Savior, we change. Why? Because of the fear of mine.
Then it says, The desire of our soul is to thy name.
And to the remembrance of the.
There's a brother here that I haven't seen.
20 years maybe.
Song joy to my heart.
When I was a young fella, he made a great spiritual impact in my life.
There was somebody who reached out to me along with his brothers, and I responded to that.
The Lord Jesus is reaching out to you, and we want you to respond to that. Reaching out. And as He reaches out, you look at His hand. You ever notice that your name is engraving in the palm of His hand the marks of love? He wants to put His arm around you.
I died for you. I was made sin for you. I shed my precious blood for you. I've raised you, seated you in heavenly places. I've done all this for you.
And he simply says, as it were, why won't you live for me?
Why won't you live for me?
You're not going to live for the Lord. Something else, it's come in to your heart. What is it?
Exercise each one of our own hearts. Why is it that we have to be besought, to be sieged to be able to do this? It should be a natural response of our heart to want to live, to please the Lord Jesus. And yet in this little poem about our homes, so much of it we have to confess is true.
Where do we live or where do we offer ourselves as this sacrifice? Simply in the meeting room or at the conference here? Do we come to the meetings here and change our behavior? And we're totally different when we go home.
There's adjusted school.
Where?
Oh, it's a 24 hour thing, isn't it? It's a 24 hour thing. And you know what? Your young people, you see right through us, don't you, as parents.
You see right through us, you see our failure, you see what we have done wrong and the mistakes we've made. And perhaps you're saying, well, that's not for me.
Don't let our failure, our mistake, hinder you.
From offering yourself.
So that the Lord Jesus can use you in a manner has been mentioned.
00:25:05
There in second Timothy for the masters use he wants to use you in a marvelous he wants to use you some of you growing up perhaps playing sports usually well when I was anyhow there was seven or eight of us in a line 121212 and if you're the last one and you don't have a counterpart, you're left out.
And sometimes there's always one or two people who are always left out because nobody wants them on their team. They're just not very good. And yet that goes down deep into that person. And he realizes these guys don't love me. These guys don't care about me.
Yet that's what God don't doesn't want you to feel. He wants you to feel that you are part of the body. He wants you to feel that you're part of the local assembly. He wants you to feel that when you walk through the meeting room door at home. Oh, there's brother so and so. I'm certain glad that he's there.
So he says here.
We have waited for Thee. The desire of our soul is to Thy name, to the remembrance of Thee.
We have 3 or mind or soul or body. There are three things we can build on. The silver, the gold and the precious stones, comparing those with the mind, the body and the soul and the body. The goal of course, is the person of Christ himself. Saturate our minds with him again, reading the Word of God.
The silver, of course, is the death of Christ.
So we have the person of Christ for the mind, the death of Christ for our heart, the love of Christ.
Touching my heart that he would die for me, shed his blood. And of course we have the precious stones, you and I.
Built up.
What amazes me. But again, I guess it shouldn't.
21 and under.
And only two of you raised your hand.
You know the rating meetings aren't simply the discourse between laboring brother.
We're to listen, we're to take in, We're to hear.
Brother made a remark that was quite striking about someone perhaps standing up who isn't qualified to do so. And sometimes we take the attitude, well, I don't have to listen to what has been said because I don't believe he's qualified. But you know, it's the word of God. It's quick and powerful, sharpening 2 edged sword.
What is your desire, young people?
After this meeting is over, are you going to change your behavior?
You go back home. Am I going to change my behavior? It's easy to do. It certainly is.
Fear of man brings the snare. How about the fear of God? Why is there not a fear of the Lord among us like there has been in the past?
Why is it as, rather than mentioning worldliness, Luke Warden is coming in among us? The way we dress, the way we talk in the Assembly, things that were not heard of 20 years ago, commonplace among us today?
Rather than weeping because of the departure from past years, Riaz, all that's come in our hearts. It's up here in her head, but it doesn't touch her heart. I believe it's true. It's the love of Christ, not our love for him, but his love is going to touch our hearts.
Really want to live and please him. But in order for that to happen, dear young people, there has to be.
In you.
The Spirit of God, you have to have that new nature. You have to have that holy one.
Why is it wrong to smoke cigarettes other than it strives your lungs? You have a heavenly guest in dwelling in our body, the Spirit of God.
Now, if you really believe that in a physical sense, we take in, he's living in our body.
And you've seen people smoke and they start coughing. What do you think he must be doing? If we can apply it in this feeble sense, we're poisoning him with all the stuff that we take in our bodies. And yet we say.
The Spirit of God dwells within.
Indeed, it's going to offer our bodies when we don't even take care of them physically.
These are exercises, are they not? Why is it, dear young people, you do not have an exercise? Why is it are you like a tumbling weed that just blows in the wind, toss through and fro with every wind of doctrine?
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Why is it that the families and young people have to go to the camp to get ministry on certain things?
Why is it that we're afraid to stand up and speak the words of truth and Verity? Why do we gloss over things?
What has happened to us?
I believe in verse eight and the way of thy judgments. The Lord have we waited. We haven't waited. We've run before the Lord. We've gotten ahead of ourselves.
We spiritualize everything instead of practically applying it to her own lives and to her own hearts. He wants to use you. He wants to use me. Not perhaps in the way that I think, but He wants to use you for the blessing of others. We are speaking about laying our lives down for our brethren.
Something we can do, would you do? It doesn't have to be a physical death.
But if a brother needs a ride to a conference and it's going to be too much of an inconvenience on you because you can't talk about things, you might want to talk yet you bring this brother with you to the conference. Are you not lying down your lives for the breath? Are you not emptying yourself and doing something for your brother so he has the privilege of being here for our sister? Do you ever go out of your way to visit somebody in the hospital?
You ever go out of your way, just say hello, How are you?
There was a sister know, many of you know, Miriam Hayhoe when I was youngster, she always made a habit of coming up to me and said, shake my hand, I'm glad you're here.
I'm glad you're here and that always impressed me to realize.
Somebody really cares that you're here.
Even now I get that feeling, my brother little, every time I see him, I just thank God for him and he has that same response. I'm so glad to see you and you know it's real. That's what I like trying to impress upon us this one more afternoon. Let's be real, brother. Let's be real with one with another. We really care about you, we really love you. We really want you to go on for the Lord. The desire of our soul is to Thy name. What is your desire?
To the remembrance of the.
The Lord carries. Tomorrow we're going to have center table, a loaf top. Are you going to be there? Are you going to partake of that which the Lord desired? Says I desire to eat this with you before I suffer?
He's going to go into death, and yet he desired to have this feast of remembrance.
So you and I can have this privilege to simply respond. Let's do in remembrance of me.
Touch my heart too, Brother Bob was saying how the dear brother in Columbia wants somebody to come down there and present the truth.
We come to our meetings and.
Half the brethren aren't even there at the rating meeting in the prayer meeting, yet these, dear brother, want somebody to come to present the truth of God.
We had our own local assemblies. We don't even bother going to the prayer meeting herself for the reading meeting.
May the Lord warm our hearts.
Now the comment was made about we can't present it to others, we haven't taken it in ourselves.
Don't want to say this in a sense to offend anybody.
With these three brethren that take part in the meeting here.
Brother Brancen Cannon, Tony, you think they are with the Ark overnight just like that?
No, it's a daily, daily, daily going on for the Lord. You sit in your chair now as a teenager, 15 or 19, when you're 60 years old.
You haven't done anything for the Lord. Don't expect to sit and start doing violas, Joshua chosen.
Why was he so faithful?
There, when they went into the lab, says he was Moses, his minister.
Are you content simply to be nothing behind the scenes going on for the Lord waiting that time?
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And yet Scripture says, by their fruits he shall know them.
Verse nine with my soul have.
I desired thee in the night. We're living in the night of this world, your young people.
Terrible darkness.
Again, the desire here was now for the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His glory, His work, this person.
What is your desire? What is mine? So Lord Jesus would come to my house.
How would I react?
He's here.
He's here this afternoon, he's here in the prayer meeting, he's here in the reading meeting.
Are we going to change our behavior?
If he was really sitting here.
With fact.
Our conversation.
I asked one person what he thought about the reading meeting. Boring. That's another one way over my head. Why is this, Dear young people, why is this?
Honest with me, please tell me. You go to school, you take calculations, you take trigonometry, you take computers, you take all kinds of classes, German, all these various things.
And here the Word of God is open before you, and all of its simplicity, given out by faithful brethren who loves you and desire that you would go on for the Lord, desire for the families that they would hold fast.
If you don't understand.
The simplicity that's in Christ.
What's happening to us, brother?
They had their call from Colombia stir us up.
Lord puts it on, somebody starts to go down there. Praise the Lord. Let's ask the Lord to stir up some brother in here.
Give us words that would indeed stir us up. If you want to learn more to go on faithfulness and obedience.
He's soon coming to take us home. We won't have any opportunity to live for him up there.
It's down here where we can do that. It's down here where we can show whom we belong to.
But again, in the way of our judgments, O Lord.
Sometimes those are quite hard, sometimes those are quite difficult. And what we we break under it, we get discouraged, we get downtaps.
You know what it is to be discouraged? Your young people.
Some of you perhaps even discouraged. Now you come to these conferences many times. Perhaps you're a girl and no brother takes an interest in you. Perhaps you're a boy and no girl is interested in you. And So what do you do instead of waiting? Waiting in the way of the judgments of the Lord?
You run ahead and somebody out in the world shows you a measure of kindness, and you find yourself in an unequal yoke because you simply wouldn't wait.
But if you're in a waiting situation right now, if it's a job, if it's a home, it's whatever it might be, wait. What are you going to do while you're waiting?
The desire of our soul is to thy name.
The person of Christ for the remembrance of thee, the death of Christ. So during these trials and difficulties that seem to throw us for loops, we can rest upon the person of Christ. It's not just a phrase, dear young people is a living man in the glory. It's a man in the glory with nail printed his hands, who wants to draw dear to you and be precious to you.
And then you have the death of Christ.
His glorious work.
Seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Well, I trust that each one of us would be exercised about these things.
The days are getting darker.
Getting darker, but as they get darker, let's wait upon the Lord. Let's have the desire of our soul be the person of Christ, the death of Christ, and having His coming ever before us.
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The Lord carries these three brethren here are going to be gone. The Lord is going to take him home.
Who's going to carry on the work? Who's going to do it well? I have confidence that the Lord will raise those up.
But how about you? You. Are you seeking to be a help in your local assembly?
In the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee? May it be true, brethren. May we not run before the Lord. May we simply wait and bring that waiting. Be occupied with the person of Christ and the death of Christ and all that we've been brought into. There was a brother, and the Lord took him home in Bermuda. His name is Mansfield Virgil.
He said, you know, it's nice to read this book rather, but it's very important that you obey it.
It's very important that you're bad. He always made one comment after he stood up to read in the meetings. Would always say, may the Lord bless the reading of his precious word.
Total time we we have remaining, I'd like to like us to turn to a few verses and.
The first one is in Ephesians chapter one.
Patience, Chapter one, verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us.
With all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. In love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, and then to Colossians.
Chapter 3.
Verse one.
If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth, for your dead and your life is hid with Christ in God, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, and shall ye also appear with Him in glory.
Turn back to Isaiah.
Chapter 40.
Verse 31.
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as Eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk in that faint.
Now try and quickly tie these verses together.
In my thoughts.
You know, we read in Ephesians that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
That's why we are not earthly brethren.
That's why we are heavenly people.
We're not just the heavenly people because we have been saved on here for heaven, that's true. But we have been chosen before the foundation of the world to be a heavenly people.
And we're only spending time down here now in view of that time when we will be with Christ.
You know, crime is only peculiar to this time that we are spending here on earth.
And time, shall we say, God has given us this time that we might be able to to.
Walk through the scene pleasing to him and be prepared for that raining time with him.
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We haven't been chosen for this world.
Were chosen.
In Christ, just to pass through this world as a kind of a, shall we say, as a detour to the Father's house, because his desire was that we might, that he might have a bride for his Son.
A companion for his son, he made the world and the world in order.
For his good pleasure, but it was not complete until he had a companion for his son.
We are the complement. The Church is the complement of Christ.
Does each one who sits here with his bride, with his wife, She is his compliment.
And so it's a wonderful thing to get a picture of.
Of where we have been formed for.
Our brothers bringing, being, bringing before us these, these the reminder of these things that we have in Christ.
And they should touch our hearts.
And you know, I believe that as we, as we look more and more from God's point of view and see what he had in mind from before the foundation of the world, it would preserve us from getting caught up in this world.
Would it not?
I'm reminded of a little story that I read recently, and maybe you've heard it before, but it's so impressed.
This thought upon me.
And that's why I read the verse in Isaiah 40. It was to do with an eagle.
And a farmer had been plowing in his field and he came across an injured eagle, and he picked this eagle up and he took it back to his farm.
And he nursed it back to health again.
And of course, it couldn't fly right away. So what did it do? It it made friends with the chicken?
And it began to to feed with the chickens, began to walk around the barnyard with them and scratch in for its food. It even began to cook like the chickens.
This beautiful bird.
And this this went on and the bird didn't seem to want to leave.
And so a friend of the farmer came over and he he saw this, he said That is a tragedy.
An absolute tragedy. That bird is not meant for the barnyard.
That bird has been formed to soar in the heavens.
And so he took this beautiful bird by this time healed and could fly, but preferred to scratch in the barnyard and clocked like the chickens.
So he took it and and he he went to a big fence post and he climbed up on this fence post with the bird and he threw it and the bird just flopped away like that and bang landed on the ground and continued to scratch with the chickens.
Well, this he thought, this is no good. So he took that bird again and he, he took it up to the top of the barn. He thought, I'll just get a little more height. So he took him up there and he heed them off to the barn, off the roof of the barn. And he flopped and flopped and flopped and flopped and banged. He landed in the hay in the straw rather. And he just lay there and looked around and started making himself comfortable in the straw, picking away at the straw.
Doesn't seem to make any difference. He had spent too much time clawing in the ground.
Feeding with the chickens.
And his big beautiful columns were all full of mud and and so forth and and it wasn't where he belonged.
And so he took, he went home and he just lost slight sleep over this and he took that the next day he went and got that bird and he said, I'm going to take it to the mountains. And he took it up to a mountain and and he got to the edge of a Cliff and he took that bird and he looked him in the face like this. And he says you belong into soar this. You don't belong in the barnyard scrabbling with the chickens.
God has made you to soar in the heavens and you know the eagle is the only bird that has a double lens in his eye and with that he can soar right into the sunshine.
00:50:11
Without being blinded. And that's why when he's when he's fleeing.
He can flee from his enemies because he can fly right into the sun and the other birds can't.
And you know, he took that bird and he got, he got on the edge of the Cliff and he, he, as he, when he finished looking at him, he said, no, go and threw him out in and the, the bird just kind of flopped his wings. And then he caught an updraft and he faced his head towards the sun. And away he went where he belonged into the heavens with his face upon the sun.
You see what I mean?
I think sometime.
I, I believe it was mentioned in the in the meetings that, that about what we are feeding upon, be careful what we fill our minds with. Be careful we're not scratching with the chickens and scrabbing around in the barnyard, feeding on the things of the earth because God formed us for the heavens.
He wants us to mount up with wings as Eagles and fly towards the sun.
Because that's where we belong.
But you know, we spend so much time.
With the things of the earth and being occupied with the things of the earth. And you know, I believe the more we realize that we that we have been formed for heaven.
The more we'll keep our eyes on the sun, SON.
And will fly towards him.
But that was a beautiful thought to me to have. Here was this beautiful bird.
Down there, where he didn't belong, you and I, as Saints of God, do we spend our time.
In the barnyard.
Is that where our mind is? Set your mind on things above, not on things.
Below.
Remember that He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
For His glory, He doesn't want to suspend our time getting occupied with earthly things and filling our minds and our lives with things that are not necessary.
I say this to my own self. It's so easy, as her brother was saying, to go back home and put on a different garment.
And maybe we do it without even realizing.
But let's remember where we came from, what we have been made for.
Remember the story about the eagle?
We're Beautiful Creatures, brother.
We've been made for heaven.
We've been made to soar towards your son.
Let's not scratch in the barnyard.
212.
Open Mtg.
Open—D. Imbeau, H. Brinkmann, C. Little
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All the peace forever flowing from God's thought.
Of his own son, or the peace of simply knowing on the cross that all was done. Number 69, the offenders.
Commend this meetings of the Lord.
Our God, our Father, we thank Thee indeed that we can sing of Thy beloved Son.
We thank thee that we know that, giving us a little bit of the Gospels, and let's look again at the first stanza of the hymn which we just sang.
All the peace forever flowing from God's thoughts of his own Son.
All I'm going to do this afternoon is give you something to think about and something you can search out for yourself.
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Because it's much more profitable searching out things for yourself than it is being told.
I don't know how many of you have perused the Gospels of our brother this afternoon was telling us.
But if you take the Gospels, all four of the Gospels, 1/3, approximately 1/3 of all the Gospels are concerned with the last week of the Lord's life here on earth. You can look it up.
I hope you do.
And in the book of John 1/3 of the book of John is taken up.
With the last day of the Lord's life here on earth.
The thoughts God sought of his own Son.
Our brother was mentioning that he chose certain ones to write the Gospels.
And that's very true.
But in the writing of the Gospels the power of the Spirit of God records the bulk 1/3 of the Gospels concerning the Lord's last week here and in John the last day, How important to God is that work of Calvary? We often sing the center of two eternities, which look with wrapped adoring eyes.
Onward and back to thee.
God's thoughts are centered in that scene of Calvary.
If we were to go to the fifth chapter of Revelation, we'd find in the sixth verse there stood a lamb.
As it had been slain, or another translation, as it had been fresh lately. If we were to go to the third chapter of the book of Lamentations, we'd find.
The agony, the sorrow, it's fresh.
God's thoughts concerning his Son.
The Lord Jesus wrapped up in that scene of Calvary. I'm just going to give you some brief comments. It's not going to be long. Whoever wants to follow.
Directed by the Spirit of God will have plenty of time. Let's turn to Matthew's Gospel and we'll get the 1St.
Portion of the trip the Lord Jesus made here on earth to the cross.
Matthew's Gospel and the 20th chapter, the first mention in the Gospels. We'll just read a few verses and comment very little. As I said earlier, you can look it up.
Dig it out for yourself. Matthew 20 verse 17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the 12 disciples apart in the way.
And said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles, to mock and to scourge, and to crucify him. And the third day he shall rise again.
In your consideration of.
This particular subject Look at what the Lord Jesus says concerning himself as to what was going to take place and what was going to happen to him at Jerusalem. Look it up the 10th chapter of Mark.
Again, almost the same.
Comments.
The last week, chapter 10, verse 32 and they were in the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them and they were amazed.
And as they followed, they were afraid, and he took them. He took again the 12 and began to tell them.
What things should happen unto him saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests.
And under the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles.
And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him.
And shall kill him.
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And the third day he shall rise again.
As you're going through this, pay attention to what he says about himself and the Gospels in which it was written. I'm not going to elucidate for you. Now let's go to the book of Luke.
And the 18th chapter.
Luke 18.
In verse 31 And he took unto him the 12 and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem.
And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished.
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked.
And spitefully entreated, and spit it on, and they shall scourge him, and put him to death.
And the third day he shall rise again.
Remember, check out those things that he says of himself now in John's Gospel.
The 12Th chapter, and actually it starts in the 11Th chapter.
And the 55th verse.
And the Jewish Passover was nigh at hand, and many went out of the country, up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
Then thought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves as they stood in the temple, What think ye?
That he will not come to the feast. Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if any man knew where he were.
He should show it that they might take him.
Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead.
Whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served, But Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of Spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment 6 days before the Passover the last week.
In this room this morning.
There were probably 500 of us, maybe more.
Gathered around the person of the Lord Jesus.
No, you couldn't see him with your eye physically, but nevertheless he was here.
We depended on his word and he was here.
And we had the privilege of doing what Mary did here.
To worship.
To bring to him.
The thanks and the praise of our heart.
Interesting that this was six days before the Passover.
Let's go to the next chapter.
Chapter 13.
From here to the 19th chapter which is 7 chapters. John has 21 Chapters.
1/3 of the book of John occupied with the last day of the Lord's life on earth.
Now, if this doesn't bring some significant thoughts to your mind in regard to what the Spirit of God had intended for us as he pens these words, I'm not going to read these chapters. You can read them.
But consider as you do So what takes place in that last day.
On the way to the cross.
Consider what God's thoughts are of his own Son.
Amazing. The 13th chapter is at the Supper.
The 13th chapter of John is, as we know, the washing of the disciples feet. If you take the 13th chapter of John and match it with the chapter in Matthew that covers the same period of time, you will find out the order in which.
The Passover was kept, and the Supper was instituted.
And from joining the two together you can see that after.
00:15:05
Judas Iscariot went out. The Lord Jesus instituted what we remembered this morning.
Yours is scary. It was not there.
I'm not going to show it to you. You can dig it out, but consider that.
From the 13th chapter to the end of the 19th chapter.
The last day of the Lord's life.
1/3 of the Book of John John is the portraits to us, the Son of God.
The eternal, glorified Son of God, the One who came, and our brother.
Most carefully delineated for us in the four Gospels.
Many things that are not in the other Gospels are in John. Many things that are in John are not in the other Gospels, and for our good reason.
Because the Gospel of John is the Son of God.
Consider that as you go through those seven chapters.
In his last days on Earth.
Let's check read a few verses in the 19th chapter.
And at your leisure, you can peruse what I've just given you 19th chapter of John and starting with the 28th verse.
And I'm not going to go through it, and many of you already know all about it.
But it's interesting that if you were to survey the seven things that the Lord Jesus said on the cross and what they pertain to and how he says them and in what order he says them.
Very interesting. Three of them were in John, three of them are in Luke.
After he had committed his mother and he doesn't call her mother, he says woman.
After she had committed her to John, then the 28, first, after this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Seth I thirst now that we set a vessel foot of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished.
And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
Marvelous amazing comment.
A final comment. No, it's not the last words that he said on the cross.
Because he followed this with.
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, but in this comment he conclusively closes.
The question of sin and opens the door to God's mercy and grace.
To go out to sinners.
We don't read about the.
Veil of the temple here. We read about it in Matthews Gospel and in Lukes Gospel.
And in particular in Luke's Gospel, if you would go to the.
10th chapter of Hebrews starting with about the 18th verse and read a portion there you would finally come to something like this.
That is through the veil.
That is to say, his flesh. And in Luke's Gospel there is a very significant comment made in regard to the veil. In Matthew's Gospel and Mark Gospel, it says that the veil was rent from the top to the bottom, but that's not what it says in Luke.
In Luke's Gospel, it says that the veil was rent in the midst.
Corresponding with Hebrews 10.
Through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.
The work of Christ on Calvary opens the door to go into God's presence, but not only show, but it opened the door for God to come out to you.
In all his grace.
In all his mercy.
He now can come out when when the Lord Jesus here says it is finished, that was a positive statement made conclusively closing the door on the scene of sin before God. He is the one in the first chapter of John that says who taketh away the sin of the world verse 29 and in verse 36 it says now that the sin of the world has been taken away says behold the Lamb of God.
00:20:23
For observation.
For worship.
For adoration.
It is finished.
And as far as John is concerned, that closes the scene on the Lord's comments.
True, a soldier came with a spear and pierced his side, and it says forthwith came out blood and water, the blood that cleanses from sin.
When that blood flowed out there on Calvary, it was a complete closing of what God had said in Leviticus 1711.
The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I've given it unto you.
Upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul, for it is the blood that makes the there was the fulfillment.
None of the blood that flowed in the Old Testament took away any sin. We learned that from the Hebrews.
Hebrews 10/4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls are goats could ever take away sin, but it was the blood of the Lord Jesus, the blood of the Old Testament covered, but it never took it away. And again in Hebrews 10 if it had of then they would have had no more conscience of sin.
Consider.
What God's thoughts are of his own Son?
1/3 of the Gospel of the last week, 1/3 of John the last day of the Lord's life.
Continuing John, Chapter 20.
Verse 11.
We have been singing now free access to the Father.
And how wonderful it is.
That this is the way we know God.
None of the Old Testament Saints ever could so address God.
But you and I can, because the Lord Jesus was here to reveal the Father.
And in John 17 he says that he has revealed him and will reveal him. And here in John 20 he makes Mary.
The messenger of this new relationship that now he could introduce his own to as a result of the work of redemption being accomplished. We'll read from verse 11 on.
But Mary stood without at the supper, weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the supper curve, and see if 2 angels in white sitting the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain, they say unto her, Woman, why weep this stuff?
She says unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know that where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou whom seekest thou? She's supposing him to be? The gardener says unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him, hens, tell me.
Where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away, Jesus says unto her, Mary.
She turned herself, and says unto him Rabuni, which is to say Master.
Jesus says unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.
00:25:03
But go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my father.
And your Father, and to my God, and your God, Mary Magdalene came, and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, that he had spoken these things unto them unto her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and says unto them.
Peace be unto you.
And when he had said so, sad.
Here showed unto them his hands and his side. Then where the disciples glared, when they saw the Lord, then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you, as my Father has sent me, Even so send I you. When he had said this, he breathed on them, and says unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins he remit, they are omitted unto them, and whosoever sins, he retain, they are retained.
But Thomas, one of the 12 called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord but he said unto them, Except I shall see his hands in his hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and trust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after 8 days.
Again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut.
And stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you, Then said he to Thomas reached, hidden thy finger, And behold, my hands, and reach, hit her thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God, Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed, Blessed are they.
That have not seen, and yet hath believed.
It's very interesting when you read the Gospels to see that the disciples, without exception, did not expect the Lord to rise from the dead, although he had told them so, as we have heard earlier.
This makes their testimony after his resurrection that much more believable. It ought to.
But we see here in Mary.
Someone.
That loved the Lord dearly.
But she did not have the intelligence.
And so it is many times in our case. I hope we do love the Lord dearly, and perhaps we do not understand things as we perhaps should.
Mary in a way could be excused because she didn't have the spirit of God at this time. If we are Christians, we do have the Spirit of God that gives U.S. intelligence to understand the Scriptures. But the Lord appreciates when there is genuine love and affection and he will not leave such an one in ignorance. And is that interesting that he comes to marry first?
And then makes her a woman, mind you, a messenger of this tremendous truth.
That there is now a relationship existing that did not exist before.
Mary thought that she could have the Lord Jesus back in the same way as she had him before he went to the cross.
That's why the Lord Jesus tells her when she recognized him. Touch me, not the Lord Jesus is as much as is saying, Mary, you can't have me back the same way as you knew me before.
00:30:01
There is now Mary, a new relationship.
You know, this truth is also brought out by Paul in Second Corinthians, and we should read.
This so that we have it correctly. 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 15, That he died. For all that they which lived should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore, henceforth, knowing no man after the flesh, yeah, though we have known Christ Jesus after the flesh.
Yet now, henceforth Norway, hymn no more.
No more in that way, therefore, if any man be in Christ.
He is a new creature or there is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
You know, it's important not only for Mary and to disciples. It's important for us to understand what our relationship to the Lord Jesus is. It is not connected with the Messiah and the one that came to earth to set up the Kingdom. We are connected with the one that has gone through death, and as a result of that death has brought us into a new relationship. We are children of God through and sons of God through faith.
In the Lord Jesus we can address God as Father.
You know, we've had a funeral a few days ago.
And a comparatively young man had a part in that funeral. He spoke of the Lord as God Almighty.
That's how Abraham and Isaac and Jacob knew him. Exodus 6 tells us that that is how God had made himself known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It doesn't mean that he isn't any longer Almighty God, but he revealed himself to Moses as Jehovah.
And he literally says, I wasn't known in that way to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He revealed himself more fully to Moses and you and I. We have partial revelations of God in the Old Testament. You and I have the full revelation of God that he has given in his son. And already when he was here he was making known the Father. But there was not yet a relationship existing with God as Father as he now.
Makes known to marry. God is our father. We met a young man on the plane coming back from Africa, Phil and I, last year and he was under way to the state.
And he had lost his father, and he was still grieving over the loss of his father. We found out that he had grown up in a Christian home.
But he had not accepted the Lord.
So we use that opportunity and said to this young man, is it possible that God wants to draw you to himself, that you will find in God a father? Well, we don't know what happened to this young man, whether the Lord allows that contact with him to be a source of blessing to him, but dear young people.
Remember, in Christianity we know God as nobody else knew him before.
And we are in a relationship more intimate than anyone has ever enjoyed before.
The death and resurrection and glorification of the Lord Jesus.
Then we see him come into the midst of his own twice in this chapter.
What a wonderful.
Fact, that is, that in both cases he came on the first day of the week.
We as Christians don't celebrate the Sabbath.
We have a new day, the Lord's day, the day of His resurrection, the day of his victory.
You know, all the commandments are mentioned in the New Testament that are mentioned in the Old Testament. Nine of them are referred to.
00:35:11
And we have had ministry years back, still have to take and enjoy it by Chapter Brown, the moral content of the law.
We are not under the law, but what was said in the law also is told us in the New Testament. But the only thing that is not mentioned is the Sabbath, because the Lord's day is not the Sabbath. Although some Christian ignorantly refer to the Lord's day as the Sabbath, but it's wonderful that on the first day of the week he comes into the midst of his own.
And Acts Chapter 20.
When they came together to break bread on the first day of the week.
The early Christians broke bread daily, but as they came along.
As they learned more truth, they came to see that the Lord's day was the day when we would come together to remember Him in His death. It's a day of victory, of triumph. Sure, we remember Him in His death, but we worship a living, glorified Savior, and so He comes into the midst of His own.
But things take place here.
That are also very significant.
He had already spoken of that new relationship that the death of the Lord would introduce us into. Now he is a messenger of peace.
Already in the 14th chapter we read that.
Verse 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.
Peace with God is Christ in glory.
You know, what gives me peace is not so much the fact that he died for my sin.
What gives me peace is that the one that was in my place in judgment is no longer in the grave.
And that assures me and you, if you accept that the law.
That you also will have a place there with him in the glory. Our sins are gone.
We accept it. We identified with the risen, glorified Savior. But here now as the risen Savior, He does breathe on His disciples. Now what is that?
Speaking of turn to 1St Corinthians 15.
What do we learn from this? I believe in First Corinthians 15.
We get an explanation.
1St Corinthians 15.
1St.
45.
Sword is written The first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
And you see this is connected with what takes place here in John chapter 20.
When Adam was created, God did breathe.
And him made him a living soul, but.
The last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ.
A quickening spirit, He associates us with him in resurrection life.
You know, he's not only, as we so often hear the head of the body as the glorified savior, he's also the head of a new creation.
And he introduces us into that new creation. He does breathe on his own.
And when he says receive the Holy Spirit, we know that the Spirit himself.
00:40:02
As a person does not come until later on the day of Pentecost.
But here it is associating his own.
With him the head of a new creation, he does breathe on them and communicate that resurrection live.
Well, how wonderful these things are. And then he makes them messengers. He sends them into the world, just like the Father had sent them.
You and I are sin.
We are not in exactly the same position as the apostles. We are not apostles.
But this is still what the Lord is expecting of us, that we answer to this, that we recognize that we too have a responsibility to spread the word.
To make God known.
As he has made himself known to us.
How wonderful.
To be honored.
To be in a position of a servant of God, but a responsibility.
We had asked a very poor servant, but I hope we have an exercise that we want to.
Do something for the Lord Jesus that we want to be obedient.
And we don't all have necessarily the same calling, the same gift.
You know, Brother John travels all over the world with the gospel. And who would question that that is his gift, you know, because he has more to offer than just the gospel. But that is certainly evidently what the Lord has entrusted him with. We do well to support it, you know, Remember, I've sometimes said, why is there a testimony in India Today?
Why is there a testimony in Malawi today? Why is there a testimony in Brazil? It's the result of literature work, yes?
I believe it's a very important aspect of Lord's work in our day and age.
Literature. We do well to feel our responsibility to support it. You know, the literature reaches souls that we as individuals could never reach. You know, we would have to have a lot of people going out with the gospel, person to person, to reach as many as we can reach with the tracks, with literature. It's a wonderful thing, but.
What a privilege to be able to serve.
The Lord and that He has sent us out we don't need.
Man's sending, man's ordination? No. The Lord will qualify, and the Lord will stand and the Lord will sustain.
Those whom he sends.
But then there is a very important fact brought out here. I believe what we see here the first time, when the Lord appears in the midst of his own, we have a picture of the assembly.
The second time when he appears, I believe in Thomas, we have more that which answers to his appearing to the Jew.
I'm not saying that we cannot make applications for ourselves in both of those cases, but you and I have never seen the Lord Jesus and Peter says, Blessed are they of whom having not seen, we love the Lord Jesus, says to Thomas.
That blessed are those who believe, although they haven't seen, you know, that's our position.
But.
He does also communicate a fact here that we do well to recognize when he comes into the midst of his own. And like I said, it is a picture of the assembly. He gives authority to them.
It might well be true that that was especially something given to the apostles, but.
I believe that continues to be two of the assembly.
00:45:01
Whosoever sinned, ye remit, they are omitted.
Whosoever since ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever since he retained, they are retained.
The Lord has given to the assembly.
The responsibility and authority to bind and to loosen.
Matthew 18 What does it mean to bind the sin upon a person?
And deal with him in discipline. And then to loosen is to forgive. Yes, the assembly can forgive.
And when the assembly binds sin upon somebody, you and I as individuals cannot ignore that, because then we are ignoring the Lord's authority in the assembly. Unfortunately, that sometimes takes place when we were first gathered, not very long. I remember how Brother Pilkington at the Chicago conference spoke unforgiveness.
Forgiveness.
And.
That impressed me very much. In one statement that he made at that time, he said there was a case of discipline in one of the assemblies and after the brother was happily restored, he asked permission to speak.
And a brother and granted him permission to speak. You know what He said. He wanted to thank the Saints, who had not shaken his hands while he was under discipline.
That had contributed to him being exercised and to be restored. It's very painful to see how Saints ignore a discipline whosoever since ye remit they are remitted. Don't set yourself up against the judgment of the assembly. You are setting yourself up against the authority of the law that he has vested.
In the assembly.
Of course there is a great responsibility connected with that, that.
We should be very much exercised that when an action takes place.
That it is indeed the Lord's mind that is carried out.
You know, it is possible that mistakes are made.
But you never correct the mistake by rebelling. Wait on the Lord to correct the mistakes.
I as a father.
Have.
Number of times not exercise my authority as a father.
Rightly, I might even have had the wrong mistaken idea as to who of the children should be.
Discipline.
But the child still had to submit to the discipline.
You know, and a police officer might arrest somebody mistakenly, but if the person resists the arrest, he gets into trouble.
You know this opportunity, given that the mistake will be corrected, but then we have.
Thomas.
Not being present at this first meeting.
Of the Lord with his own.
And here now, the second time He's there. Now the Lord here, contrary to the way he handles things with Mary, he allows him.
To touch him.
You see here it is not a question now with Thomas of relationship.
Here is a question of removing his doubt convincing him.
That this one that came into the midst of his own is indeed the Lord Jesus.
You know he still has the marks in his hand and in his sight.
The site is no longer bleeding.
00:50:04
I heard that expressed.
Do you know that song that we enjoy? Draw me nearer, Nearer, blessed Lord, to thy wounded side. Brethren have changed at him from the way it was originally expressed through that bleeding side. You know in another hymn book has it.
Even different to thyself nor glorified, I like that.
But to my wounded side expresses more closely the thought that the Riker expressed, although not intelligently.
But we want to be drawn closer to the Lord Jesus and.
Here, he says. Thomas, come on.
Am I the one or am I not the one?
And Thomas.
Ends up to acknowledge the Lord Jesus is my Lord.
And my God.
Beloved Saints of God stay still. Another thing that I think we can learn from these two appearances among his own.
We weren't gathered very long. We were gathered in Rockford, IL.
And.
We were sending out fellowship. I hardly knew anybody of those laboring among us at that time, but there was one brother that I knew and to the Brethren, said Heinz. Why don't you send him the fellowship? So I did.
And.
When the brother acknowledged the gift, he referred to these two times when the Lord Jesus appeared in the midst of his own.
And he made this use of it, he said, the first time when they were.
There, gathered behind the doors, locked doors. When you read it into German, it becomes more clear that it was locked.
It was because of the fear of the Jews.
That the door was locked.
But you don't hear that the second time because of the fear of the Jews.
But the door was still locked.
The way he made the application was that God's people.
Have to be on the guard as to keeping out that which doesn't belong in the assembly. I like that application.
You know the assembly has to responsibility to put out from among themselves the wicked person.
But the assembly certainly has the responsibility to also keep out as much as they can judge those who don't belong there.
Now we find in Jude.
That men had crept in unawares.
You know, and I'm sure that we have experienced that at times that we.
Thought to be careful as to whom we received, but we made mistakes.
And.
People came in and afterwards.
When they left or had to be disciplined, we had to ask ourselves where those people actually saved.
Hasn't it happened that?
People were received at the Lord's table and after they were at the Lord's table for a while, he got saved.
You know, so I don't think we should be too severe on ourselves when mistakes are made when brethren sincerely want to guard the Lord's name and table.
Yet might not have the discernment that perhaps could be there.
But it is far more serious when knowingly people look the other way and take people into the assembly that have no place to be there.
There are conditions possible in the life of people that disqualify them for being at the Lord's table.
00:55:01
Well, I think we can learn from these things, although I believe the second time when we read that the doors were locked. Although the fear of the Jews is not mentioned, I believe the main thought that conveys itself to me there is because it is a picture of what will come in the future. You know, when Israel is going to recognize who this blessed one is, there is no longer the need for the fear of the Jews.
But I think we can make an application, can we Not for ourselves. The door was locked in both cases. The first time they were afraid of their enemies, the Jews. But the second time the door was still locked because they didn't want people to enter there that had no business being there. That doesn't mean that we cannot allow.
Unsafe people to attend. That doesn't mean that, but I believe here it is a question of becoming part of the group of believers, the followers of the Lord Jesus.
Become identified with them.
I sometimes have heard people make this statement.
And I don't want to fault necessarily that statement, because I know what people want to convey. They say so and so had to be removed from the Lord's table.
I never read that in the scriptures.
Certainly one that comes under discipline can no longer.
Be at the Lord's table or participate in the breaking of bread. But what I do read is put out from among yourself that wicked person.
That is, in First Corinthians chapter 5, where man had his father's wife, and it was known in the community was generally known that that kind of a thing was going on among the Christians.
If they would have just said you can no longer break bread and let him come in and go as before, the world wouldn't have known that they had dealt with that man. As long as he was pursuing that sinful course, he had no business being in the assembly at Corinth.
I believe that I suggest to you the correct understanding. I'm not saying that one who had to be removed can never come and attend a meeting, but I do believe as long as he pursues A sinful force, lives in sin with an unmarried person or whatever, he has no business being there. You know what we learned from the Old Testament when the leper.
Was diagnosed at a leper. He had to be outside the camp.
Then, when he was white all over, he could return to the camp.
And go through the cleansing procedures. Now that seems like a paradox. White all over.
That was still leprosy, but it has been explained to us by others who knew the Scriptures better than us today here, that there was nothing hidden anymore. It was all out in the open. There was genuine repentance and contrition and acknowledgement of the sin.
And he could come back to the camp, but couldn't return to his tin until he had gone through the cleansing procedures. And then after seven days, a complete period of time. That doesn't mean literally for us spiritually applied today. Seven days, but a complete period of time. Then that person could be restored to all.
His privileges? How long for you and me that seven days might last?
We don't want to put any time on there but.
The priestly element.
Has to discern when the time comes that such a person can be back in, and it might not be a long time, especially when the discipline has to take place.
And the person is already genuinely repenting. You know, that's another time that people have difficulties. They say, why should we put that brother out on a sister out? They're generally repentant in current That person wasn't repentant.
01:00:16
What is not understood is that the name of the Lord Jesus and the name of the assembly has to be clear by giving a demonstration that such evil cannot go unjust.
But a person that is genuinely repentant might not have to be outside very long and while he is repentant.
Not continuing in his sinful course, he certainly can attend.
He be, you might say, inside the camp.
Well, I give you these things for your consideration. May the Lord help us. We are breaking down beloved Saints of God when it comes to discipline. There is so much talk going on in the camp in the denominations about unconditional love.
You know what they mean is that no matter how a person carries on and lives, you still put your arms around him. You still show him love. Yes, we have to show him love, but remember what thought of Pilkington told us? The brother realized that those who wouldn't shake his hand were really showing him love and it led to his restoration.
Well.
I trust the Lord will keep us near himself.
So that we can be ambassadors for him, that we can usefully occupy our time for him. He has sent us like the Father had sent him. So may the Lord help us that we be in a state of soul.
That he can use us.
You know, it was really a painful thing to have to listen to the exposure of young people not getting anything out of the readings, although we tried so hard to be simple in how we tried to present the truth. Then they say I went over my head.
Well, is there an exercise? If there is no personal exercise, I'm not surprised if you don't get anything out of it.
A brother in England went home after a meeting with a young brother and he said brother, how did you enjoy the meeting?
And.
The young brother said. Well, most of it went over my head. The brother said. Why don't you grow a little? Why don't you grow a little? Yes.
I do not expect.
Whether it is my ministry or the ministry of any brother which is given in the spirit will benefit people who are not exercised.
But I know.
Exercise souls will be helped.
And perhaps those who are not exercised hopefully will be stirred up.
To desire more understanding of what the Lord Jesus has brought us into.
And not only intellectually enter into these things, but allow these things to penetrate our hearts and consciences so that it has a forming character in our life so that we can live for the Lord. You know, we have to be careful.
Especially boys and girls who are intellectually bright that you don't just enter into these things like an intellectual exercise.
All truth enters by the conscience. Clarence Nadine would tell us that more than once. I remember the conscience has to come under exercise and the hearts have to be reached, you know, so that the inner man benefits from the word and truth of birth.
01:05:24
We have a few minutes and a few things I'd like to point out in connection with what our brother has been saying. Let's turn over to the Book of Ezra.
And this is a large subject, but I just want to point out a few things concerning the Ezra himself. And also we have another one in the New Testament which was Timothy. But it's interesting isn't it, that all the truth that has been presented during these meetings.
In order to get it, we have to ask God to make it good to us.
And also we have to search the word of God for ourselves.
You, you know the brethren that have ministered to us. Any of us can say things and present them. But in my exercise over many years, all I ever got is what God has given to me.
Something that I've gotten from him is mine. Not just what somebody told me, but somebody pointed out the scriptures to me and so it is mine. So I just like to look for a few a few verses here in Chapter 7 of of Ezra and it what's very interesting about Ezra is.
The name Ezra means help. But isn't that a desire of each one of us here to be a help? Do you want to be a helper? Do you want to be a hindrance? You know, there's so many hindrances, so many things that hinder the Saints of God and detract from the truth of God. So what he wants us to do, each one of us have some kind of a gift? We've heard that during these meetings you all have a gift. Every one of us has a gift of some time. And what God wants us to do is to use that gift to build up the Saints of God and encourage them. But just just notice, I want to read a few verses here in Ezra Chapter 7.
I got a little problem with Ice Age, so you'll forgive me, I'm sure.
Verse one now after these things in the reign of Arctic Xerxes, Kenya, Persia, Ezra the son of Shariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shalom, the son of Zadok, the son of a hiatus, the son of a minute.
Amariah the son of. Azariah the son of. Moriah, the son of.
Zero higher, the son of Azizi the son of Bukai, the son of Abishel. Abishe the son of Phineas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the chief priest.
What was Ezra's roots?
He was from the tribe of Levi, wasn't he?
But he wasn't. He didn't stand in that, you know, there are young people are brought up in the gatherings and you have a birthright. If you went back to the earlier part, you'd see they were to prove their their heritage, they were to prove their, their condition there before God. And so Ezra, this, this is spoken of as Ezra. He's doing this very thing. So the scriptures go back to the very beginning and so with each one of the young people that have been brought up in Christian homes.
You have these things ingrained in you from the from childhood.
That's Timothy. I can't. There wouldn't be time enough to talk about Timothy also. But just think about that from a child that has known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. So we have that here, don't we? But Ezra, it says that he was a he was a Ezra was born in the priesthood and you were born in in the assembly. If you're brought up in a Christian home, you have a gift you brought up as Ezra was a priest.
But was he content with that? Did he just rest on his laurels as a priest and say, well, I'm a priest so I can do what I like? No, no, no. Notice what it says.
Ezra was used of God to be a help, and this is his messenger. His mission, of course to go to Jerusalem.
But time wouldn't permit all that. But it says verse 6 and Ezra went up from Babylon.
Oh, he went up from Babylon to go up to Jerusalem.
01:10:05
And he was a ready scribe.
In the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given, and the king granted him all his requests according to the good hand of the Lord.
His God upon him, the good hand of the Lord of his God upon him in order to answer.
In answered prayer we could go through all the various points of Ezra here to show you how.
He depended upon the Lord, but here was Ezra's prayer. His prayer was answered.
By the good hand of God upon him. Sometimes God has to lay a heavy hand upon us. But here it was a good hand of the Lord that exercised Ezra to go up, leave Babylon, and go up to Jerusalem. And so we see here again. As I say, time is very, very short.
It says that and they went up.
Verse 7 And they went up some of the children of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, and the singers and the porters and the Netherlands unto Jerusalem in the seventh year of Arctic circuses. The king, I think of about five months it took them to go up to Jerusalem.
Then.
And he came to Jerusalem.
In the 5th month, Well, he started out in the earlier month and I think it was four or five months that took him to go up to Jerusalem.
Then he came in verse eight. He came to the Jerusalem in the 5th month.
Which was in the seventh year of the king for upon the first day.
Of the first month began he to go up to Jerusalem, and on the first day of the 5th month.
He came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
We see the blessed truth of this God's hand answered his prayer, and God's hand guided him to Jerusalem and dear young people, and dear each one of us here. If you have a desire to know the Lord Jesus, to know more about him, and to learn some of these precious truths that we've been hearing in these meetings, which you say may go over your head, dig into the word of God. God is able to make it good to you. We can't make it good. All we can do is.
Pronounce the truth.
And leave the results to you, so you're responsible, as I told one time at a funeral.
Spoken to those people that I knew them very well, some of them, and I said now what I'm going to do to you today.
I'm going to present to you the truth of God, and when you leave this room, you're responsible to take it with you. If you don't, you may never have another opportunity and how precious this is to know. And so you see, what I want to point out to Ezra is that he wasn't just resting on his moral murals as a priest. No, I'm a priest. I'm speaking to a man one time in Chicago on Michigan Blvd. I handed him a track and he said.
I'm a I'm a Catholic. Oh, I said. Why not here, save Catholic? So I didn't. He took the track.
So anyway, here is Ezra going up to Jerusalem. Took a few months to get up there.
And then what it says it tells us here in these following verses.
What? Ezra, did you know? It's so precious that to think that this man wasn't resting on his own laurels as a as a priest or some title or something like that which he had, but just notice now.
Verse 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart.
To seek the Lord, seek the law of the Lord. That's precious to me.
He prepared his heart for it, just as Daniel of old Daniel also did. His heart was right. Is your heart prepared to seek the Lord? Is it prepared to hear what God has been bringing out? Is it prepared to read the word of God and absorb some of its precious truth?
Oh, how lovely it is to know that.
Has been pointed out by our brother the sufferings of Christ and the sorrow that he went through. Doesn't it draw your heart out to him to search it out for yourself? Read it for yourself.
Don't expect to get it from someone else. Thank God for those who teach. But here Ezra, it says Ezra had prepared verse 10, prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it. That is very important, you know. People say. Well, a young man told me one time out he was seeking the mind of the Lord. I said then do it.
01:15:12
Do it. Don't just say you're seeking it. Follow the path. God has, a path marked out for each one.
So with Ezra, it says he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord.
We don't have to seek the law of the Lord. We have to seek the grace of God.
Now as we could turn over to Timothy, I won't have time to do that. But how he was taught of God, how he sought the Lord in the day of grace. And but here in our in our in our chapter, just to bring out the thought, Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Lord his God, the law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
You know, many times we like to Teach First.
Which is wrong. That's the wrong angle. We have to learn first before we can teach. If there are teachers here, I'm sure they're well aware of that fact that they have to learn. They have to go to college themselves. They have to learn things before they can teach others. And so with each one of us, each one of us here have the blessed privilege of being able to expound some of these things ourselves. Doesn't take deep truth to give you joy in your soul. I think of a comment that was made, dear Mr. Darby, in years.
Near as near as nearest deathbed.
To him. And they thought, well, but they're going to ask him now, what is it, Mr. Darby, that you're thinking of right now? I'm this, this is not verbatim, but I think it's similar to what the thought was. And they wondered he was going to give some great majestic exposition of the scriptures, he said. I'm thinking.
The man of Calvary's? Calvary's. The man of Sikhers. Well, that was all simple truth.
He was thinking that the man at sikers well, isn't that something precious to me? So it was Ezra. He prepared his heart to seek the Lord, the law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach.
Israel in Israel. Statutes and judgments, Statutes and judgments. Our desire, the desire of everyone here should be to encourage the Saints of God to teach them the truth of God. We know the truth is ourselves. We know it in the exercise of it. But we want to expound it. We want to let others know it, to share these things with others. The truth of God. And it's precious, isn't it? To know that.
We're not.
Proposing great majestic things. Seekest thou great things for thyself seek them not.
Just give the simple truth that God has given you, and it can encourage many, many if you come in contact with those that I've come in contact with many times and all it takes is a little word. I spoke to a young Jewish girl and I never even had a gospel track with me. I was always I'd meet her at the mall, spoke to her about the Lord over a period of time. Give her scriptures, she read them.
And when I'd see her and that for some reason didn't have a track in my pocket, never gave her a subtract. But after some time I went through there, she came over. She said. I've accepted Christ of my Savior.
How did that happen? She said. Well, I talked to my boyfriend. He had a Bible and things. You told me. We looked it up. Oh, God is a God of grace. Mercy. He can reach out. No matter where you are. He can find you. And he found this dear girl, a little short Jewish girl, Beautiful to think that here she was. You know what her name was? Delilah.
Delilah of all names. But Delilah is going to see the Lord someday anyway. I just thought of this, these things in connection with Ezra. Much more could be said, but again, I'm not going to follow.
Spoiler the time element here where Ezra prepared his heart because the hand of God was upon him, and you know that everyone was the hand of God was upon each one of us. Always, always. It's never removed.
Not only is his eye upon us, but His hand is upon us, and His hand is upon us for good. He wants us to be blessed. He wants you to be blessed. He wants me to be blessed. And He wants you to share with him, with others what God has given you at no cost. It didn't cost you anything.
Ezra. It says he prepared his heart and it's good to have that, isn't it? Because the truth of God should rest in the heart. It comes through the brain, through the mind, and it rests in the heart.
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But Ezra's the truth that Ezra got. He put it into his feet and he did it, and he then he was able to teach. So I just submit these few little feeble thoughts connected with Ezra that in connection with what our brethren have been saying already, that we need to dig into the word of God ourselves. We need to search the Word, search it, and find out. Read the scriptures, delve into them, and you'll find in them all the truth that has been presented this afternoon.
It's all right here. It's in the word of God. All we have to do is search it out. So May God use these few little comments to exercise you to search the word of God. Read it every day.
Man's Day
Gospel—D. Liening
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And let's sing #10 together please #10 Where is the?
On high in the glory as Savior who suffered on Calvary's tree, A Savior is willing to save now as ever. His arm is almighty, His love great and free. Number 10.
There is.
Save your son.
Rain and rain.
Oh.
God.
Racing down there small and.
Heavy around me. I love being around me. I've been wrong.
Shall we look to the Lord in prayer?
Blessed.
One feels the responsibility of speaking tonight.
And what I have before me is to speak about the world to come.
But before we get into that subject.
I would like to just make a few comments in connection with the epoch of time in which we are found.
I'm going to read an expression from the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 4.
First Corinthians, chapter 4.
And I'm going to read it at least one expression of it as we have it in a better translation.
And actually I believe the margin will give it and it's verse 3.
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's day.
Man's Day.
I was sitting in a reading meeting recently.
That just came forcibly before one soul.
As to what that expression means, Man's day.
Now I know we'd like to think that as we were born in this world, we have the prerogative to do what we want to do.
Our life is before us, especially those of us that are younger. We don't like to think of having to do with a God.
Who's very interested in our soul?
And I'm sure there are those who are younger here that have passed through a time of of your understanding of divine things.
Where you thought that God was making demands on you.
And that because you didn't feel that you could measure up to those demands, you kept him at a distance.
And I don't know, there might be some here tonight that are doing that very thing.
You feel that should the Lord Jesus come into your life, you're going to have to walk, as we say, the straight and narrow way.
The Lord is good.
And I want to say to you from my feeble experience.
That there's no one that can fill your heart, that can make your cup run over, except the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps you've known some pretty happy experiences in your life.
You've known what it is to have, as we say, a good time.
But it only lasts for a short period.
Now I want to say something.
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That the exercise of your own will can only bring you sadness and sorrow while you're here in man's day.
Why is it called Man's Day?
Because the Lord of life, when he came into this world to save sinners like you and like me.
They said it comes out in a parable. We will not have this man to reign over us.
Is that what's stealing its way through your heart tonight?
You know, as we've taken up the book of Romans, I'd just like to add a little something.
Because I believe that the burden of the apostle.
To show how God could righteously justify the Sinner, but not only that, but to bring him under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
And you can read it yourself. You can go from the end of chapter 4, you can go to the end of chapter 5, chapter 6, Chapter 7, chapter 8, and it all ends with Jesus our Lord, or in some combination of expressions like that.
The purpose of the gospel is to bring you under the lordship of him that can make you truly satisfied and happy.
And when the Lord Jesus was about to go to the cross of Calvary.
He said these words.
This is your hour.
And the power of darkness.
What is your power and the power of darkness?
Well, friends, there was never a day so dark as when they took the Lord Jesus, the precious Son of God.
And nailed him to the cross of Calvary.
Never a day so dark we don't have time to look at it, but in the Gospel of Luke, if we would read the account there three times, Pilot said. I find no fault in this man.
And yet what was prevailing, friends, what was prevailing, man in his day was just beginning to to commence.
When he could get rid of the perfect goodness of that was displayed in the Lord Jesus.
And the thief on the cross can say, This man hath done nothing amiss.
But he said, but we received the due reward of our deeds.
And because he looked on that precious Savior and faith.
He had a saved soul as he passed into the realms of eternity.
Our friends, our burden tonight, the burdens of the brethren as they prayed, was that we might represent solemnly, faithfully, and yet lovingly the fact that God is a Savior, God.
Again, I say I knew what it was to keep the Lord at a distance.
I saw young people in high school carry their Bibles down the halls.
But I didn't want to get near to them.
Oh, you know this little core world.
I thought at the time that to have its smiles as we sang this afternoon, to have the soils of the world, was more than than taking up with the Jesus as Lord.
I can remember a young man asking me to come to the voice of Christian youth meetings, Bible studies.
And they turned him down.
Because the suspicion was in one's heart.
That the Lord Jesus was going to Take Me Out of that which I was so fond of. And that's the praise of this world.
Do you know what tells us the Lord himself says?
That the praise of men is worth absolutely nothing.
It's really an abomination to God.
The high things, the things that are available to you and to me in this man's way, when the Lord Jesus was cast out of this world.
When the blessed Savior suffered there.
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He did a work that no one else could do.
And you know, it's a marvel to me. For the last three months I've been working probably with the most vile men.
That I have ever had occasion to work with.
When the golf goal was presented to those men.
They actually thought that they could live a life that somehow that God would accept if they died.
Their mouth is an open sepulchre and yet, resident in their heart, they think that if they could just do as best as they can, God will receive them in the end.
Do you know that the scripture said that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags?
Slippery race, You and I have no standing before God.
Except as a defiled Sinner.
That Jesus is the only way. He's the only way.
We live in a time called Man's Day.
It tells us in the last chapter of the book of Daniel.
But it will be a day when knowledge shall be increased.
And men shall run to and fro.
I've just been working for a man who owned the cellular franchise for Southeastern Washington.
He branched out and took other franchise area in the southern part of Oregon.
And now he's sold all that possessor of millions. And now he's heading into highspeed.com.
I don't even have a computer, So what I'm telling you is hearsay.
But you know.
That dear man.
Is just seeking to provide something for people where they can do things faster and better. Faster and better.
So that when the stock market comes out with a certain detail in New York, we can have it in the state of Washington in second, just second.
You know people are running to and fro, the pace of this life is going quicker and quicker, so much so that Satan is blinding the minds of them that believe not to where they don't have any time to even think about eternity.
But I'd like to quote a verse tonight and it says this.
The coming of the Lord draw nigh.
Oh, it's the most thrilling thing to speak of.
That tonight, this very night, the Lord Jesus could come.
And I want to ask you, do you know that at the moment of his coming that if you are not converted?
If you are in your sins tonight, that door will be shut for you to you forever.
Can you imagine the horror of your heart?
Should the Lord come while we are having this gospel meeting tonight and you see a host of souls gone?
And here you are, alone in this room.
Maybe there will be a handful there with you.
Maybe you'll try to console yourself that.
Somehow it's going to workout, my brother quoted the verses. We prayed tonight the master will rise up and shut to the door, and then will you come and you will say, Lord, Lord, open to us.
And then the Lord Jesus will say, Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, for I never knew you.
You know, again I say I do not know the hearts of everyone here. Having come from the state of Washington, there are many that I do not know.
But I do know this, that God looketh on the heart.
And I don't want there to be one person here tonight to leave this room carrying on with a facade.
Kind of a profession of the Lord without there being reality in your heart.
God will have truth in the inward part.
And what a solemn thing to think that you, if you are, shall I say, playing games with these eternal matters. And the Lord Jesus would come tonight. Then you would be here, lost forever.
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Oh, there's nothing so unutterably horrible than to think to be left behind and fall under the eternal judgment of God without any hope whatsoever. No hope. Let me ask you tonight, are you saved?
Are you saying?
Don't let this night pass.
Don't leave this room tonight without knowing of a surety that Jesus is your Savior. He came into this world to save you.
He does not want you to perish.
He came to give you eternal life by believing on Him.
He that believeth on the Son hath life.
And he that believeth not of the Son of God hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Yes, the wrath of God has been made known. It has been revealed since the Lord Jesus came here.
The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of them that hold the truth in unrighteousness.
Yes, we have been, shall I say, the recipients of scriptural knowledge of the Word of God, the knowledge of the Word of God that tells us what God thinks about sin in your heart.
We have to put away all the thoughts of men tonight.
You could walk the streets of Des Moines and if you would ask them how it could be that you could be just with God, how that you could have your sins put away, you'd have 101 different answers. We are shut up to this blessed book, beloved friends. But you see, the reason why there's so many answers is because it's man's day.
And it's his hour. And the power of darkness. You know one thing to me that makes up man's day.
Is this fact?
That Satan is the God and the Prince of it.
There are many experiences of Saints of God that we could recount.
Who have been on, shall I say, ground floor of huge businesses that make millions and millions and millions of dollars every year.
And I had a brother tell me last November when we were in Dorothy of a certain business back east and he knew the corruption there was infiltrating through that that company.
Oh, the deceit, the lies.
The.
The unhallowed way in which they were deceiving men.
Lying their way through this world in order to make another dollar.
Oh dear friends, Satan is the God and Prince of this world and there used to be a brother. I never met him, but I'm going to see him one day.
And many has been the time when he in the words that have been passed down to us.
That have stirred my heart no end.
And one of them was The higher you get in this world, the closer you get to the God and Prince of it.
The higher you get in the world, and that doesn't have to mean only the political world, any phase of this world you can think of, the higher you go, the closer you get to the spirit and influence and power of him that is governing, governing behind the scenes.
Now that isn't to say that God is going to be moved from his purposes. God is over all and in the in the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus, He has set him above every power in this world and authority and every name that is named and given him a name that is above every name.
But for the moment.
He is cast out and when Satan came to tempt that blessed Savior.
He said to the Lord Jesus, He took him up to a mountain.
And we showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them in a moment of time.
And he said, If you will bow down to me, I will give you all the kingdoms of the world. How could he say that He would give the kingdoms to the Lord, because he was the grand usurper of those kingdoms?
00:25:05
We know very well from the book of Daniel chapter 10.
But when Daniel set his heart to pray to the God of heaven.
That there was an Angel sent forth to go and comfort that dear man of God.
It took him three weeks to get there. How was that? He had to contend with the King of Persia before he left. You see, there's a tremendous warfare going on in the unseen world as they go to see the inhabitants of this world, making them blind to the fact that they have to do with God.
That they are going one day, if they leave this world without Christ, they're going to ban me to him.
When He comes to judge this world in righteousness.
And God has appointed the day in which He will judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained.
But Satan said to the Lord, I will give you this if you will just bow down to me. You realize, friend, what that means, that if you set your sights in this world to climb, to make a name for yourself, to be successful here, to have that security that men are looking for.
That Satan is right there to deceive you. There was a young man in a fraternity in Walla Walla.
There was a brother in the meeting who was there to do some renovation on their building.
And as they were standing there, they were talking about what they were going to do in life.
And this man said to our brother, actually he was just a young fellow, a member of the, I forgot which, Sigma Kiney.
But anyway, he said.
I intend to climb the ladder of success.
And he said I don't care who gets in the way. Whoever gets in the way, I'm going to go right over the top of them so that I can go to the top.
I'll tell you the case of another man who lives in Bellevue, WA. He too has a very successful business.
And he told a brother who used to work for him.
He said there's one thing I want in this world.
He said. And that is to make money.
I want to make money.
And he has a certain business on the side where he makes 85 grand a year, to say nothing of his other job. But you know what?
His life is so sad.
It is so empty.
The average tenure of his employees is 2 months.
Two months.
He makes light miserable for his employees because he is so fulfilled with this obsession to make money.
Money will not satisfy either.
And the poor man.
I don't know what his domestic life is, except the fact that his life, his marriage, is on the rocks.
So you know what happens when Satan gets ahold of your heart.
He gets you to the point where, at least outwardly speaking, there's no return.
But we have good news to tell tonight, and that is, as a brother once said, that God takes up Satans reject.
He does. He takes up Satan's rejects. And if you are one here tonight who has known the disappointments of life, maybe you've known the sorrows of a broken home. Maybe you've known what it is to feel unloved in this poor world. But I want to tell you, there's a God that created you that will never be satisfied until you bow your knees and receive the Lord Jesus because He wants to find pleasure in you.
And you know that Scriptures tells us that God has bought this world. There are those that tells us who are false prophets in this world, and it tells us that they have denied the only Lord God them.
You see, when the Lord Jesus died upon the cross of Calvary.
The work was done for God to say, I am going to invest the authority of this world into the hands of my beloved son, and he's going to have it for his own, and it's called the world to come. Would you be satisfied with the paltry things that Satan pulled out tonight for your soul when it's only a transitory thing?
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Have any of you ever read?
The introduction to the King James Bible.
The second paragraph is the most precious thing.
I know it by heart that I don't trust my memory, but I'm going to read it.
It's the second paragraph.
These dear men, and they have the Greek Scriptures and the Hebrew Scriptures before them, they have this task of translating them for King James.
But listen to this second paragraph. If you don't have a Bible, just listen to this.
But among all our joy, there is no one that more filled our hearts than the blessed continuance of the preaching of God's sacred Word among us.
What is that inestimable treasure which itself all the riches of the earth, because the fruit thereof extended itself not only to the time spent in this transitory world?
That directed and disposeth men, and to that eternal happiness which is above in heaven. Isn't that precious, dear friend? Yes, while they were doing this wonderful task, this service to the Lord, there was one thing that just filled their hearts, and that was the blessed continuance of God sacred word among them, which was that inestimable treasure that excel of all the riches of the world.
Oh yes, the Lord Jesus became poor.
But you do this. Poverty might be rich.
Yes, He was made sin for us. He knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him and in Him. All believe are justified from all things.
From which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Let me ask you again, dear friends, dear young person, Maybe it's just a child in this room tonight. Are you saved?
Do you have peace with God?
Are you ready? If the Lord would come tonight? Are you ready to ascend up? Will you hear his voice?
For those that love him, it's going to be the voice that says come up, hit her, come away. My love, my fair one.
Yes, he wants to have his bride with him.
If you are saved tonight, you are a part of that company.
Now the Lord Jesus is going to reign over this world.
Men cast him out in its man's day, but I would just like to look at a few scriptures.
To direct our hearts and minds to the fact that yes, the day is coming. The Apostle Paul and others of the apostles, when they preach the gospel, they preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
Which to me also entails the fact that the Lord Jesus is going to bring in a time ultimately when he will take the Kingdom from his Father and He will have it for his own for 1000 years. And then when those thousand years are over, he's going to deliver up the Kingdom to his Father, even God, that God may be All in all, all dear friends, we're talking about eternal things. You cannot find out any of this information.
In the directories of this world, no, you can only find it here in the Word of God. And I'd like to read a verse in the Ephesians chapter one.
Which we read today, although we didn't meet this particular verse in connection with the calling of God.
I want to tell you again.
That the Lord Jesus wants to identify. Yeah, he wants to take your soul and link it with heaven.
It's a man in the glory tonight. You know, there is a man I know. And he was in the service of of this country. He was Lieutenant Colonel in the Army in Vietnam. He saw active days, days in which his life could have been snuffed out. And you know, he thought of the Lord Jesus as just a historical figure.
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He thought Jesus died.
He was buried. As far as he was concerned, that's all there was to it.
And one time a friend of yours.
Said so and so. Would you like to come to a meeting tonight? The chaplain is going to have a Bible reading.
And for some reason.
He said yeah, I'll go.
And so as they sat there and read the scriptures together.
That dear man who taught the word of God that night.
There was one thing that he said.
He said Jesus.
Is alive.
And he pressed home that point.
So that that young man who was caught in the price of liquor.
When he went home that night.
His soul was shaken.
The thought that Jesus was alive.
Stirred his soul.
And you know what he said? He said from that night on, I wanted to read the word of God.
He wasn't saying yet, but something stirred his heart to question the fact that this one, who to him was only a historical figure, was a line.
He was alive, you know, one of the happiest things I know as a child of God. And I've heard other Christians say the very same thing, that as they go day by day through this world, there's nothing that's so blessed than to think in our hearts that that blessed man is looking down upon me.
And He knows what's passing through my heart, and He loves me, and He wants to conduct me over the wilderness of this world, and present me faultless before His presence, with exceeding joy. Yes, think of it daily, to have that thought that that dear man is alive and He's thinking of me and He loves me. And friends, His love for you is no different than His love for me.
Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it.
And the very expression of the love of God is found in that blessed man who is alive forevermore, and who has the keys of death and hell.
All right, Lieutenant Colonel. He couldn't rest his soul. And the day came when he received the Lord as his savior. We're going to be with him one day.
But I'd like to read this first in Ephesians chapter one and verse 10.
That in the now I'm going to read this in the new translation.
03 Verse 9. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, with which he has purposed in himself for the administration of the fullness of times.
To head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things which are upon the earth, in Him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance. Now the Lord Jesus is going to head up a millennial Kingdom.
Of which he will be reigning for 1000 years.
You know, if we had time to go into the prophetic word tonight, I believe it would be possible to stir every soul here tonight as to the imminency of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming. And that verse that we read, if I didn't read it, I meant to in James the coming of the Lord is drawn night. That's the new translation. Not has come, it is drawn. 9 And when God sends his dear Son out of the heavens to take his church.
And take them home to be with himself. There's going to be a time, seven years of tribulation on this world that it has never known before.
If we could dig up the annals of history, and to read some of the horrible times of war and famine and desolation, it tells us in the 30th of Jeremiah, that this time of Jacob's trouble is going to be a time that has never been before.
Never.
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The church.
Redeemed through the precious blood of Christ are going to be there in while those on the earth are going to undergo the judgment of God and pay the penalty of their sin.
Not only for being a Sinner, but for rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus is going to head up all things for the administration of the fullness of times.
If we would turn to, well, maybe we should do it. Let's turn to Hebrews chapter 2.
For another verse.
You know what is so blessed about the world to come?
Is because God has one thing before him since the resurrection, the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And that one thing that he has before him is to exit.
And glorify Him before this whole world, because it tells us that the knowledge of the Lord is going to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Why is that? Because when God gave his beloved Son for you and for me.
Gave him to be a sacrifice for sin.
And he left man to take him, insult him, beat him with his first spin upon him, crucify him to the cross of Calvary, and there to Pierce his blessed side.
With a spear of man's enmity.
And then to see him give up his life farther into thy hands, I commit my spirit, and for him to say it is finished.
He bowed his head and gave up the ghost. All friends, he who could say, thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased, has brought before him that he is going to bring him out of heaven, and he's going to display him before the eyes of this whole world. And when he comes out of heaven, it says the nations of this world, the kingdoms of this world are going to wail because of him, because he's not coming as a savior God.
Which he is this very night, but he's coming as the judge.
All friends, he is going to come for that time of trial that's going to come upon this world and once he sets things in order, he's going to reign for 1000 years over this world.
And God is going to display that we with him are one. That is God's purpose.
And he wants to have his house full. Yes, and that parable of the Great Supper.
He says go to the highways and byways and compare them to come in.
That my house may be filled, may be full. Oh what a God we represent tonight. I do feel the burden of being an ambassador for Him and all our weakness, but that He does want to have you. He is not to intend to see you there with any kind of a facade between you and Him. If there is a veil between your heart and his, He feels it. And maybe through His word tonight, He would touch your conscience.
To make you realize that you have to do with Him all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, and yet He still loves you.
Who wants to take you and give you a change life, change your heart of and give you a heart of flesh?
Well, in chapter 2 of Hebrews chapter 2.
It tells us in verse 5, For unto the angels have we not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man without mindful of him, or the Son of Man? That all visitors to him thou mayest him a little lower than the angels, Thou cronest him with glory and honor, and it set him over the works of thy hands, and has put all things in subjection under his feet.
All friends you realize stop to think of this.
That God is going to put all things under the feet of the blessed Savior. That's not going to be one thing that is not put under Him.
But now we do not see all things put under him. Why? Because it's man's day. Man is having his fling.
And I notice that men are so anticipating the millennial day, this millennial 2000, we're talking about their cruises, their parties. They're going to live it up.
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What tour?
To have a transitory.
Inebriants.
To have a transitory party.
But we see Jesus.
It was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.
That came by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.
And you know, it's not only every man, but when the Lord Jesus comes out of heaven, he's going to release the problem of this world, the slavery that's here, the growth of this poor creation, and he's going to hush them forever.
Because he's going to reign as a king in righteousness, and a man shall be a hiding place from the storm.
Yes, he's going to be the shadow of a mighty rock in a weary land. Just the very thing that he wants to be to you tonight.
You know, when the Lord Jesus reigns on earth, it's going to be an inflexible reign.
You know there are men tonight who are taking that precious name and blaspheming it, making fun of the things of God.
Why does God allow that? Because it's the day of His sovereign grace.
And He's not willing that you should perish in your sin tonight. He wants you to come. But today is coming, when every willful infraction of His holy nature is going to meet with immediate judgment.
And that person is going to be cut off immediately, morning by morning. Will that take place?
So flexible will be that rain.
That men will not dare to express their will against him.
They will feign obedience until the thousand years are over.
And they have seen the witness of the Church glorified in heaven, the Old Testament Saints there glorified with them.
And have seen the goodness of God, to see the lion and the Lamb lie down together, to see the desert blossom with the Rose like the Rose, to see the child's way over the whole of a wiper. They will have seen all of these wonderful, glorious transformations of a Kingdom that is headed up by Christ Himself. And then when Satan is loosed at the end of 1000 years let out of his prison, he will have had 1000 years to meditate.
On how he's going to deceive the inhabitants of this world again.
And he will do it all, friends.
Well, if I could only impress you of the reality of this written word of God. I was thinking of a verse this afternoon in Ezekiel chapter 12 and the and the verse goes like this. Well, let me turn to it.
You know, men tonight might be saying, where is the promise of his coming?
But I'd like to read this verse in Ezekiel chapter 12.
Verse 21 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, What is it that? What is that proverb that he has in the day in the land of Israel, saying, But days are prolonged, and every vision faileth. Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God, I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel, but say unto them, The days are at hand.
And the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more anything vision, nor flattering divination within the House of Israel. For I am the Lord, I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass. It shall be no more prolonged, for in your days old rebellious house will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God, in the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah.
He says to Jeremiah, Jeremiah, what do you see? He says, well, I see an almond tree.
And he says, well, I don't understand this friends completely, but the Lord says this, he said I am watchful over my word to perform it.
00:50:06
I am watchful over my words of performance.
Of every vision is at hand. We heard a little bit about Romans 9:10 and 11:00 today. God is going to take up his earthly people, Israel. Yes, He is.
But today is the day of His sovereign grace, and He is calling you to come and receive the Lord Jesus. Who could say to your soul, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Now you know there was another proverb in Israel.
And it says this.
The Fathers have eaten sour grapes.
And the children's teeth are set on edge. I think our brethren this afternoon touched on this in principle.
And I know as a father.
And I believe I can speak for every other father in this room tonight. Many have been the days when we ate sour grapes.
And maybe we convey to our children some of the discontent that we felt in our hearts in whatever spirit may have been in. But the Lord says there in Ezekiel that that proverb is going to cease.
And why? Because the children were not going to be put to death for their fathers.
The children would have an answer to God on their own responsibility.
Now you know. I know because I've had this experience in my own life. There have been times when I tried to make excuses for myself because of the weaknesses and the failures of my parents.
It doesn't go anymore. The word tells us that every man is going to die for their own sin. Now, I don't say that every parent here in this room doesn't have a responsibility to be faithful in their household. We own that.
But those of you who may be younger today?
Maybe you remember the day when you heard things like this, and now you've learned the weakness of your own heart and the raising of your children. But remember young people. Remember the children. Remember tonight. If you are hiding behind this fact that things were dropped into your heart by your parents, and so you've got a bitter spirit because of it, it's no excuse. Before God, you must answer for the sin of your own soul.
Before God tonight.
He's provided the way, He's made the way, and you can stand where the fire has been rather than to receive the judgment of God for your sins. You can stand in that place for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, for the judgment in His own body on the tree, and be free from judgment forever.
Yes, the Lord Jesus died. He tasted death for every man. He tasted death for you, and he's going to bring in this world to come where He is exalted as head over all things for the administration of the fullness of times. Look at chapter six of the same book.
And it tells about those.
Who heard the precious gospel of the grace of God? They were Jews, and he had a very difficult time.
Giving up their Jewish religion and traditions.
But the apostle here that writes this epistle tells us in verse 4 for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the word of God and the powers of the world to come. Friends, there is a world to come. The Lord Jesus is going to be over it. And if you're in the if you're in the.
Shall I say in the in the fold, in the flock of God?
In the Lord Jesus lost tonight, you're going to be in that world to come, in that heavenly place, that heavenly city. Well, we have the world to come. Let's turn to First Timothy chapter 6.
First Timothy, chapter 6.
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I.
Verse 13 Paul says to Timothy, I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things. Actually that verse should read Who preserveth all things in life.
And before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, Verse 15.
Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who only have immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, unto whom no man has seen nor can see.
To whom the honor and power everlasting. Amen. Friends, according to this verse, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is Savior God?
He is the Savior God.
He was God manifest in the flesh and if you read this verse you cannot tell.
When it slips from the person of the Lord Jesus Himself personally to when he speaks about God himself.
Yes, the day is at hand, the effect of every vision. Believe me, friends, Man's Day is shortly to come to a close.
God is calling you tonight through His beloved Son to not wait any longer. Do not trifle with your soul.
You will spend an eternity in outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. The word of God declares it, the word of God that will come to pass.
You know, I love this little story and I'm going to close with it.
In the days when the Lord Jesus had already gone back to the Father's house, He was in glory. God had exalted him.
And 70 years or some 30 years later, the Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire.
And.
Titus came with his armies to completely destroy the Jews in their little dynasty there in Palestine.
And Titus said to his soldiers.
Now, when we come to Jerusalem, there's one thing that I so beg you to do.
And that is, you don't touch the temple.
Do you know from Roman history?
The the shall I say the austerity of their laws?
That he found.
With any infraction of their laws, especially as a soldier with mean death, certain death. But now let's go back 30 years before and the Lord Jesus said to his disciples, not one stone is going to be left on this temple.
It's all going to come down all right.
All right, so we have the word of the Lord Jesus Christ saying that the temple is all going to be destroyed, and we have the word of this general over here. Soldiers don't touch that temple made it. By the time that little royal was over, that temple was raised to the ground.
Whose word came to pass? The generals and the Lord Jesus.
This word, beloved friends, is going to come to pass.
As sure as the dawn He's coming, and his coming is 9. It's here. Be ready. Don't trifle with your soul salvation. He wants to have you as his own. Won't you come to him tonight?
First shall we sing #36?
Oh, do not let the word depart.
And close thine eye against the light, for Sinner harden not thine heart. Thou wouldst be saying, Why not tonight?
Why not tonight? Why not tonight?
So we sing the last two verses and the refrain with them.
What? Somebody raised that tune, please?
01:00:07
I think I know a tune for it, but I don't know if anybody else knows it.
Our God in pink, he lingers still, and will for the fierce love requite.
Renowned. That means like sovereign will vow, as we say.
5 Things About Lot's Wife
Gospel—T. Roach
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.
Like to welcome everyone to The Gospel Meeting this evening.
Maybe we could start with #13.
Man of sorrows, what a name.
For the Son of God who came.
Sinners to reclaim Hallelujah. What a savior. Let's sing about that Savior tonight #13.
Man of sorrow.
God.
Is Deeper right in the middle of the world?
Tonight.
I'd like to read a verse before we sing this in Job chapter 36.
And verse 18.
Says, because there is wrath. Beware, lest he take thee away with his stroke.
Then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.
I have the responsibility this evening of the Gospel, the responsibility of.
Your soul, if you would tonight.
And I trust that you would listen.
Tonight.
As the destiny of your soul is in your hands.
What are you going to do with Jesus tonight?
Let's sing #9.
Someone starts it.
So sitting over on this side this afternoon or yesterday, I guess it was.
I saw three young people raise their hand when they were listening, when the question was asked whether or not they were listening and understood. So I think there are probably more hands that were missed. I'd like to give the young people the benefit of the doubt there.
But I cannot read your heart. I can see your faces and everybody here looks.
Like they're pretty honest. They look, you look like you'd make a good Christian.
But I can't read your heart. I don't know if you are saved tonight. So it's like this verse says.
That we read because there is wrath. We have the responsibility tonight to give a warning.
With what lies ahead for you if you reject the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, let's turn over to Genesis Chapter 19.
I want to talk a little bit about lots white tonight and four or five things that we can remember about lot's white.
Read the account in the one chapter here in Genesis 19.
Genesis 19 and one.
And there came two angels to Sodom at Even, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom.
And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
And he said, Behold, Now my Lords, turn in, I pray you into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early and go on your ways. But they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house. And he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread. And they did eat, but before they lay down the men of the city, even the men of Sodom compassed the house round.
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Both old and young, all the people from every quarter. And they called unto Lot, and said unto him.
Where are the men which came into thee this night? Bring them out now to us unto us, that we may know them. And lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him. And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly behold, now I have two daughters which have not known. Man, let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do you to them as is good in your eyes Only unto these men do nothing for their came. For therefore came the under the shadow of my roof.
And they said, stand back. And they said again This one fellow came into sojourn.
And he will need to be a judge now Will we deal worse with him than with the?
We see you then with them, and they press sore upon the men, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.
And they smote the men that were at the door of the House of blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou hear any slip besides sons in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters? And whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place.
For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed and great before the face.
Of the Lord. And the Lord has sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said.
Up get you out of this place, for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as no one, as one that mocked unto his sons in law. And when the morning arose, the Angel hastened, and Blot saying, Arise, take that wife and thy two daughters which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, and the Lord being merciful unto him.
And they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass when they had brought them forth abroad.
That he said, Escape for thy life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all. The plane escaped to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord, Behold, now thy servant hath found grace in thy sight.
And thou hast magnified thy mercy, and thou hast showed me unto me in saving my life. And I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die. Behold now this city.
Is near to flee unto, and it is the little. 10 Let me escape thither. Is it not a little one? And my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing, that I will not overthrow this city for.
For the which thou hast spoken has the escape thither. For I cannot do anything till thou become thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord reigned upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities in all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him.
And she became a pillar.
There's five things I want to go over, but before we do that, I want to read.
A reference to this in Luke chapter 17.
Luke, Chapter 17.
In verse 28.
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they build it. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed, and that day he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down, take it away.
And he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember lots flight. 5 things we want to remember about lots wife.
One, she had a chance.
To Lot's wife, she had a warning that was given.
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Three last wife was almost saved.
#4 Lots White rejected salvation.
And five.
For Lot's life, there was judgment.
I'd like to start with choice. She had a choice. Why don't we look over in Deuteronomy chapter 30?
Wat's wife had a choice to obey God, and you tonight have a choice.
You can choose whether or not you want to listen.
You can choose whether you want to.
What you want to do after the meeting is over?
But most importantly, you have a choice tonight between life and death. Deuteronomy chapter 30 and verse 19.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you.
Life and death, blessing and cursing.
Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
Blessing and cursing, Which would you rather have is blessing on the one hand, cursing on the other, life or death, heaven or hell?
Repentance or rejection?
Repentance or rejection. There has to be an action taken by you tonight.
Repentance.
Or rejection if you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior as yet.
Then you're rejecting him.
That's very serious, the Lord Jesus. He knows that you have that struggle between this life and death, but he tells you choose life.
John 316 says for God so loves the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. That's a life that lasts forever. It doesn't stop and start. Lot. He was carrying on in a poor way. He went down into the city of Sodom, a city of wickedness. God was going to judge that wickedness, and Lot was right in there with all that wickedness.
Yet he didn't lose his salvation. We're told that Lot was a righteous man. He was rescued out of that city. And you too can have that eternal life that God has offered you tonight. But you have to make a choice. That choice is yours. I can't make it for you. Your mom and dad can't choose it for you. They would pray for it, for you, that you would have life. But you have to choose life yourself.
#2 Remember lot's wife?
That she had a warning that was given.
The angels came in and told Lot and his wife to flee to get out of the city. God was going to judge it.
And you too, have a warning tonight, Amos, Chapter 4, verse 12 Says prepare to meet thy God. You have to be ready one day. God is coming. We don't know when the Lord Jesus is going to return. There's a lot of speculation about the year 2000. The Lord may probably come before that. Are you ready? Are you ready for the Lord? He he's ready for you tonight. But Are you ready to meet him as your maker? You don't know when you're going to die.
And we don't know when the Lord is going to come.
We can turn to.
Matthew chapter 3 There's no. I can just quote the verse. In Matthew 3 there's another verse that says.
Flee from the wrath to come. There is wrath. We read about that in in Job because there is wrath. That's why we have the Gospel meeting to warn you about the coming wrath against sin.
But in Matthew three and Seven it says please from the wrath to come. Remember when I was working in New Jersey driving a truck had to deliver some cement wall sections up to a prison up in North Jersey. And these were big wall sections, probably stood about 3540 feet high.
And weighed probably 1015 tons.
They were big, They were big pieces of concrete and I got to the job site this one day.
And usually we just stand around and tell the foreman we're there and talk with the other workers around there and until they're ready for our load. Well, this day, the foreman, he was standing over by the wall that had already been erected. So I went over there and handed my paperwork. But today he told me, OK, you will get in your truck and wait for it, and we'll call you if I turn around, walk down toward my truck.
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I hadn't gone more than 30 seconds and everybody started running around. There's a big commotion. I look back, the boom of the train is, is.
Shaking and the cable is swinging and everybody's running back and forth. So I go back over there to see what happened and here this foreman I that I was just talking to just a few moments before.
That big wall section fell off The crane landed on the walls that had already been erected and knocked about four of them down.
One man.
Who's working next to the wall? And it broke his arms, It fell on him. Another man had a ladder up against the wall and he fell and he got banged up too, and they had to rush him off to the hospital. But that foreman where I was standing just moments before, he was underneath that wall that had fallen. So I stood around to see what that man, when they raised up that wall section and that man was in a running position, just ready to run. But he didn't make it. He's too slow.
The days before that.
The men carry on. The language isn't always the best, and they were using the Lord's name in vain. We're told in in Psalm 139 that the enemies of the Lord used his name in vain. So I knew that man was not a Christian.
But I never said a word to him. I never handed him a track. I was afraid to be a fool.
For praise.
I was afraid they would laugh at me. If I had known that Wall was going to fall on him, I would have taken him and drugged him out of there. But I knew there was hell ahead for that man. But I said nothing. Tonight I have the responsibility to tell you about hell that is ahead for you if you reject the Lord Jesus, if you continue on pretending to be a Christian, faking, fooling your parents, fooling your friends.
Flee from the wrath to come.
The third thing we wanted to mention about Lot's wife.
Was that Lot's wife was almost saved?
She was out of the city. She was up the mountain. All she had to do was keep on going. She was out of harm, danger.
She was almost saved.
I know many of you here are brought up in a Christian home. You have Christian parents. You learn verses at Sunday school.
Some of you quoted them this morning.
You pray every night before you go to bed, perhaps.
You've listened to the gospel many, many times.
Perhaps you hold the gospel in high regard, but does it really mean? What does it mean to you?
You're almost saved.
If I were to ask you, are you a Christian? Probably say yeah.
I remember Mr. Barry at the gospel tent. He'd always make me nervous because I knew you'd ask me if I was saved. And he'd always said, you don't look very happy today. Are you saved? Yeah, yeah, I'm safe. And one day we had to went swimming to the to the little Creek they had there and they used to dive off the rock there. This year it was a little dry and there wasn't much water in there. And I dove off the rock and landed on a rock underneath the water.
Mr. Berry dragged me out downstream and they took me off to the hospital. And on the way to the hospital, my dad asked me, are you saved?
Yeah, but I knew down deep I wasn't.
I could fake, I could pretend, but I wasn't really saved. How about you? Do you let people know? Say, Oh yeah, I'm saying.
Are you really?
I'm not talking about just believing that there's a God. We're told that the devils believe and they tremble. Do you have sense enough to tremble before God in your sins? Because there is wrath, there is judgment. You're almost saved. Paul was speaking with King Agrippa and King Agrippa said almost persuaded me to be a Christian. We sang that song in Sunday school. Almost persuaded there's another verse to that that wasn't on the.
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Almost persuaded.
Almost as but to fail almost cannot avail. Sad, sad, that bitter whale.
Almost.
But Lost Lot's wife was almost saved.
Let's look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 13.
I want to apply this first to the gospel.
2nd Corinthians 13 and verse 5.
Examine yourselves.
Whether you be in the faith.
Prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Christ Jesus is in you, except ye be reprobates.
A reprobate, I think that would be somebody who says they're saved, they pretend they're saved.
But they're not pretenders. Fakers are reprobate. Turn over to Matthew, Chapter 12.
It's a very serious thing to pretend.
To be saved. Very serious thing.
To turn your back temporarily on the Lord.
Maybe when you're in front of your friends and your family.
And that meeting, you know how to act. You know how to conduct yourselves. You know how to look like a Christian on the outside.
But what's inside? What do you do when you're by yourself? What do you think about when you're by yourself?
What do you think about when you're at school? How do you act when you're at school? What's your conduct like when you're outside the sphere of Christianity?
Few verses here in Matthew chapter 31.
Matthew, I'm sorry, Matthew, chapter 12 and verse 31. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him.
But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, that shall not be forgiven him neither in this world.
Neither in the World to Come. Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt.
And his fruit corrupt, for the tree is known.
By his fruit.
When you're first saved.
The Holy Spirit comes into your life. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
And you have him living inside of you. You take God with you wherever you go.
And he guides and controls and directs. Do you listen to his leading?
Where do you go off and carry on just like those at school, you carry on in your.
Parties.
And you know what? You know what you can get involved with.
But when the Holy Spirit is inside of you, he gives you the power to live otherwise, to live a godly life, a life like the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
But if you carry on in your own way and you say, oh, I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me.
But I still do all this other nonsense.
It doesn't. It doesn't jive. It doesn't add up.
I will see by your life and your actions. Maybe not just here at the at a weekend of Bible meetings, but those who live around your parents, your friends. They see you. They know what you are capable of doing. They know what you do. And they we are known by our fruits, our actions, our lives. I can look at you and your life and say, oh, he's probably or, but the way you cheated and you do different things.
What you allow in your lives say? Well, maybe he's not a Christian.
I know one fellow had a friend.
Haven't seen him for a while and maybe he's not a friend anymore.
But a place where I worked, the boss knew this fellow.
And he said to me, does he go to your church?
And I said not anymore. I knew he'd carried on a lot, drinking partying, wine, women, song.
And he said, well, what about his brother? I know he doesn't go to your church.
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It's embarrassing to have to hang your head and say.
Yeah, he does.
Is that you?
How do you conduct yourselves? How do you act when you're away from your Christian environment and you say you're a Christian? As soon as you say you're a Christian, you say I have God living inside me. The Holy Spirit indwells me, leads me, directs me, and you go off and do all and carry on with this sinful life.
I question.
Whether or not you are safe.
The fruit of the Spirit were given is Lovejoy, Peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, and so on.
Same chapter gives the fruits of the flesh.
And if that's what you're producing?
It's I think you better consider seriously tonight. Whether or not you're saved. Either you're saved and your life shows it, or you're not saved and your life shows that. Look in Hebrews chapter 6.
Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 4.
For it is impossible for those who are once enlightened who have tasted of the heavenly gift.
And were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again.
Unto repentance, seeing they crucified to themselves the Son of God.
Afresh and put him to an open shame.
Is this you or you? Once enlightened, do you know that you know the gospel?
You've enjoyed Christian blessing in your home.
You know the values of Christianity. Maybe you even have some of the Christian virtues in your life that you picked up just from living in the in that atmosphere.
You're enlightened.
You know the truth. You know how to be saved.
But if you should fall away.
If you get carried away with your own self will.
Not wanting to do what God wants you to do, but what you want to do.
And you reject the Lord Jesus.
And you go off on your own life.
Doing your own thing, Doing it your own way.
It is impossible, it says.
To renew to repentance.
By God's grace.
Some.
Have been reached by the love of the Lord. Even though they've turned away, they have been reached. It's not for me to decide whose heart's going to be hardened and whose heart is not. My responsibility is to give you the gospel tonight.
But if you turn away from what you know to be right, you're hardening your heart. And the more often you say no to the gospel, How old are you tonight? And how many times have you heard the gospel and you've said no every other time? If you're not saved, your heart is getting harder and harder, just like Pharaoh who hardened his heart and eventually God hardened his heart and he could not.
Do God's will.
Is that you? Have you said no to the Lord so long?
That God will harden your heart and there will be no chance.
Crucifying.
The Son of them to themselves, the Son of God afresh.
The Lord Jesus we sang about the man of sorrows.
His precious blood that he shed, all that he gave for you and.
You turn your back on him. It's as if you're spitting in his face again, crucifying him again, putting him to an open shame.
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It's very serious.
Almost saved.
Lot's wife.
She rejected salvation.
She turned back.
And she lost her life. Another verse in Hebrews chapter 10.
Lot's wife. She didn't get a second chance. She turned back, and that was it.
Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26.
For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth.
No more sacrifice. Maybe you don't like the fact that you have to admit, yeah, I'm a Sinner and I deserve to go to hell. I deserve to be punished for my sins. Do you think you're really that bad?
Some of you younger ones, perhaps you haven't really done anything real bad, but if you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, there is no sin worse than rejecting him.
Everyone has to accept the Lord Jesus at some time and there's all ages here.
If you don't accept the Lord Jesus his way, perhaps you think you're good enough. That's not a way to get to heaven. There's only one way that's through the Lord Jesus Christ and through his shed blood that he shed for you on the cross what he suffered for you.
There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. Either you make the choice for life and blessing tonight, or you make the choice.
For judgment.
And reject him tonight.
And acts and acts. We're told that God commands.
You to repent, He commands. You to repent.
He loves you so much.
That he was willing to come down and take that punishment for you.
And he commands you to repent.
In Psalms, it says the fool has said in his heart.
No, God.
Are you going to say no to God?
Please don't reject him.
He's done so much for you. Don't reject him tonight.
Lot's wife. Remember Lot's wife? There's one more thing.
There was judgment.
And unless.
Look in Luke 13.
In verse 3.
Luke 13 and three, I tell you, Nay, but except ye repent, you shall all likewise perish.
God commands you to repent if you don't repent.
There's judgment, there's punishment.
Look at John Chapter 3.
And.
John chapter 3 and verse.
Verse 18.
He that believeth on him is not condemned.
But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in name.
Of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light.
Because their deeds were evil.
You have an opportunity tonight for pardon and forgiveness.
That's the light. Come into the light. The Lord Jesus will show you what you are.
And that there is judgment and that you need to repent from your sin.
00:40:02
Don't live in darkness.
Don't reject the light.
Man preferred the darkness, so they might continue in their sin.
Please don't Don't reject the Lord Jesus and his love. Don't reject the light. Come into the light so you might enjoy that eternal life. In verse 36 it says.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
There's the choice again.
Life.
For the wrath of God.
Live in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In a place that he's prepared for you.
Or spend eternity in hell in a place that he's prepared for the devil.
And his angels.
Hebrews chapter 2 The verses read earlier.
Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9.
But we see Jesus, who is made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
I think that's.
The most loving thing the Lord could do to display His love for you, you who are you and I who deserve to go to hell to be punished. The Lord Jesus came down and took that punishment for your sin because He loves you.
There's there's no greater love than that for the Lord Jesus than for him to come and take your judgment, take your death.
What happens if you reject that love? Let's look over in Revelation before we close.
Revelation Chapter 20.
Revelation Chapter 20.
And verse 11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it.
And from whose faith the face, the earth, and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged out of those things which are written in those books according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This.
Is the second death, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast.
Into the lake of fire.
There's going to be a day when you will be, when you will stand before God.
If you're saved.
The books are going to be opened.
There's a book with all the list of sins and account of your whole life that you've ever done.
He's going to look at the my name. He's going to see Tim.
And he's going to have the whole account of my life.
And I don't want anybody to see that.
But you know what he's going to find? The blood, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
There's going to be nothing. Then he's going to find the book of life and he's going to find all. There's my name.
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. There's going to be.
Happiness and joy and blessing forevermore. Don't you want to be there?
If you aren't saved.
And the books are opened.
The whole account of your life is going to be spread out.
And he's going to say.
There's no blood here.
Maybe you pray, Lord, Lord, when you pray.
00:45:04
Matthew, we're told that those who pray like that, Lord, Lord.
And don't mean it, They've pretended.
He'll say. Depart from me, and he'll have his attendance cast you into outer darkness.
It's very solemn.
Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. You have a choice tonight.
Confess to the Lord Jesus that you're a Sinner. Repent from your sin.
Tell him that you deserve to die and be punished for your sin.
And ask him to save you.
You have that choice tonight. Why don't you make that choice?
Choose Christ tonight.
In closing, maybe we could sing #21.
Decide for Christ today.
Maybe even while we're seeing this hymn, you can decide, make your choice, and decide for Christ.
Today.
Time for.
Today.
I saw love and my day.
How can guilty Darren Life?
That please do him.
Keeping Our Eyes on the Lord
Y.P. Sing
The Bride