Detroit Conference: 1964
Table of Contents
Similitude
Proverbs 3
Elim - Shelter and Refreshment
Rom 3:23, Matt 27:30, Rev. 20:10
Christ in Victory
Address—P. Wilson
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1St.
As introductory.
What has been before me this afternoon? I would like to go back for a few verses.
In Exodus 16.
In fact, I would like to read first the last verse.
Of the 15th chapter and they came to Elam.
Where were 12 wells of water?
And three score and 10 palm trees.
And they encamped there by the waters.
And they took their journey from Elam.
All the congregation of Israel came into the wilderness of sin.
Which is between Elam and Sinai in the 15th day of the second month.
After their departing out of the land of Egypt.
These this first verse that I read the last verse of the previous chapter here.
Was read to us.
The 1St morning of these meetings.
And it was. It's important.
The children of Israel have started out from the land of Egypt.
When they were in the land of Egypt.
They were amenable to the judgments of God that fell on that land.
For they were not better than the Egyptians.
But God made a way.
Whereby he could Save the Children of Israel when the judgments fell on the land.
It says there in Exodus 12 / 13 that you may know how that God does make a difference.
Between the Children of Israel and the Egyptians.
The difference was accomplished by means of the lamb, the Passover lamb.
That was slain at the appointed time.
It had to be a lamb without blemish. It had to be taken at a certain time.
And killed at a certain time. The blood had to be put into a basin.
And then it had to be sprinkled on the outside of the houses where they took refuge.
And they went in through the door and were sheltered on the inside by the blood on the outside.
That was the way that God made a difference, and God has made a difference between his people today and those who are not.
And the difference lies in one thing.
His own or sheltered by the precious blood of Christ, the unbeliever is not.
It isn't not that he may not be, but if he hasn't accepted Christ as his Savior, he is not young.
Now there was that difference.
Well then, after there, being sheltered by the blood of the lamb.
They were brought out of the land of Egypt by God's almighty power.
That brought them down through the Red Sea, across the sea.
And into the land of Canaan.
There, on the banks of the Red Sea, they saw their enemies dead on the seashore.
Figurative of Satan and all his power and all the hosts of darkness.
Defeated a vanquished foe on the banks of the Red Sea.
But as soon as they were across the Red Sea.
They began a journey, and that journey went from the Red Sea.
To the other side of the Jordan River.
It took the mall away from the borders of Egypt into the land of Canaan.
Into the land that God had promised to give unto his people.
And so he kept his promise. His promise was fulfilled, and they were carefully shielded and taken across the desert. It was indeed a desert. It was a wilderness. There wasn't anything in the wilderness for them.
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They didn't want to make a home there.
There wasn't water, there wasn't food.
For everything, for their sustenance as they traverse the wilderness.
From Egypt to Canaan, they had to depend on the power of God.
Now on the way as they journeyed across.
God made special provision for them, and one of the provisions was this place called Elam.
At Elam, there were 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees.
There was shelter and there was refreshment.
Something they needed very badly in the wilderness.
And they were dependent upon God for it.
So when they came to Elam, they no doubt rejoiced. She was a veritable Oasis in a wild, howling wilderness.
Now you know that the number is 12 and 70 are connected with ministry. The Lord appointed 12 apostles and 70 disciples.
So 12 and 70 are those numbers now, brethren.
We have been brought out of the world and we have been sheltered from the judgment that is hanging over the world.
He we have been delivered from the wrath to come by the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are not only brought out of the wilderness, out of Egypt, but we're brought into the wilderness. And as soon as we enter into the wilderness, we're on a journey.
We want to remember your fellow Christians that we do not belong to this world.
We are. We are merely in a journey through it.
Our destiny is heaven.
And that is where we are going.
But our way lies through a wilderness.
And God has made provision for us as we go through the wilderness and this that we have had here these last three days.
Is a veritable Elam.
Now you and I and the rest of us have very much enjoyed the fellowship, the ministry, the food, the refreshment that we've had these days. I know I've enjoyed it. It's been a needle for me.
And I and I trust that there is no one here who knows the Lord is the Savior that cannot say the same thing.
If you haven't enjoyed it, there's something wrong you.
You're probably sick in your soul.
Remember a farmer taking a friend who came to see him and they were looking over the farm.
He was looking at his sheep. There was one sheep that wasn't with the rest. He was all by himself.
The farmer said to the friend, You see that sheep off by himself suggests, well, he said he's sick.
If he weren't sick, he'd be with the flock.
So if you can't enjoy this Elam, you may be sick.
You know we can be spiritually sick in our souls too. Other things come in and equips the beauty that we see in Christ and that which we see in our fellow brother, so that it spoils the happiness of our fellowship. I trust that none of us are that.
But now the first verse of the 16th chapter.
Because most of us here have to leave this place. I don't think any of his plan to stay here and.
In Warren, MI, we have to move on. Some have already left duties. Call them and they're on their journey.
Most of us will be on our way by tomorrow, I suppose. Back to our places of a boat.
Now, when the children of Israel had been refreshed at Elam, with God's special provision for them, they began fresh on their journey. Wasn't it gracious, wasn't it wonderful that God would cause them to pause and be refreshed?
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I think it's beautiful that such a place as this has been ours.
And we thank God for the Elam.
But now what did we gain here? What have we profited by being here?
I trust that what we have gained is simply this strength and energy to proceed on the journey.
That our steps may not lag. That there may be no faltering.
And if there are any who are weak and stumbling in the way, may we seek to help them?
For as we read in Hebrews 12, we're in a race, we're on a journey.
And we find that we do not run single file. We do not like run singling. We run as a flock. And in the flock there are some who are weak, some who are feeble, some whose knees are weak, some whose hands hang down and the rest of the flock are supposed to help. So if if we're.
Know some who are weak. May we help help them, may we encourage them. And I trust that we'll all be encouraged.
To go back to our respective places of abode and to our little meetings which we came from with renewed courage, with renewed purpose, with a renewed sense in our souls that we're only pilgrims in the world, that we belong to heaven, we're redeemed from the earth, and we're passing through the world where there's nothing.
To satisfy the new nature, we're not only passing through a wilderness, but we're passing through an enemy's land.
This land is occupied by enemies.
There are wicked spirits in heavenly places, and there are wicked spirits controlling the minds of men.
And we're passing through the midst of it. Everything in this world is contrary to the mind of God.
I remember some years ago our brother Mr. Brown came to California.
And he gave an address and he said at that time he said, I have just come from Iowa.
And he says in Iowa, we have a geranium. We put it in a pot and we put it in the window.
And we water it and we move it from window to window. World get the most shape, most sunshine. We move it around for for it's good.
But he said if we get one to bloom, we think we've accomplished something.
But he said, I came out here and I see your geraniums are as high as fences. And that was no exaggeration. Now he said, why the difference? He says this is a natural habitat, this is where it naturally grows. And so he likened it to this, that this world is where Satan is a God and principle.
And everything that is sustained or backed by Satan is nervous.
It flourishes in this world, but the things of God grow in an adverse climate.
And we belong to that climate of heaven. We can't expect to find our refreshment here.
If we feel perfectly comfortable and at home and the company of the ungodly.
There is something wrong with our sights. We have forgotten whose we are.
Oh, it isn't just what we belong to, but to whom we belong. We belong to one who was cast out of the world. We're his. And the world hated him. It still hates him.
I read not long ago a statement of a noted rabbi who said that if the Lord were here today.
Any self respecting community would do to him what they did when he was here before.
Sharking, but that's the heart of man.
Wasn't wanted then, and he's not wanted now. And if you and I, as fellow Christians, are going to walk faithfully to the Lord, we will in our measure share that reproach. We'll know something of what the cross of Christ means.
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But now to go back to Exodus 16.
The second verse.
And the whole congregation of the Children of Israel murmured.
Isn't it sad to see the sunset at noonday?
They had just been delivered from the power of Pharaoh. They had been delivered from the mighty judgment of God in the land of region.
And on the banks of the Red Sea they sang lustily.
What a deliverance it was, and how they appreciated. But the song had hardly died away, and they were especially encouraged by the refreshment of Elam. Still, murmuring broke out.
Brethren, that's a sad commentary on Israel.
Isn't no less true of.
Do we get discouraged in the way and murmur a bit?
It isn't here that they murmured against God, but they murmured against his servants, against Moses.
And error.
A sad state of affairs when the dear children of God, especially those gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
Begin to murmur.
Complain.
Now let us not say that's not true.
Because I think if we search our hearts.
We'll find too often that the root of is. It is there.
They murmured. And God.
Often bore with them. Sometimes he judged them, but how often they murmured.
Brethren, when we get back to the little meeting, when we get back to the familiar faces that we see Lord's day after Lord's Day, week in and week out.
Reading meetings, prayer meetings and all we may we not give way to disgruntled feelings or murmur. These are practical things. Now remember that the children of Israel were brought to Elam for their special refreshment and nourishment, and then when they left it, they fell into murmur.
Well, the Lord has been very gracious to us here.
And I think we have much to praise God for. For these three days. We've had happy meetings. I believe the ministry has been this ministry of the Spirit of God. In most part, at least we thank him for it.
But may the spirit of murmuring not overtake us when we get back to the little.
When I want to pass on to the Gospel of John, I merely wanted to.
Connect this meeting, the last meeting for ministry, with the verses that were read in the first meeting.
About the children of Israel coming to Elam, well, we've been to Elam. It's time for us to go on. We can't stay here, but we have received, I trust, strength and encouragement to press on in the wilderness. Let us not expect to find anything but a wilderness.
Suppose you went into the wilderness and you planted a lot of flowers there. You thought you'd make a very little paradise out of the wilderness.
What would you find? You'd soon find that they were all with. We can't make a paradise out of this poor earth that casts Christ out.
I was passing through.
That desert in Southern California?
Down off the border of Arizona.
There, it's a bad desert.
I understand when people want a picture of the Sahara Desert, they only have to go there and take a picture.
It's so similar.
The shifting sands drifting across there. There was a time when they thought they couldn't even build a highway through it.
And when they did build a highway, they they nailed planks together and they invented the machine that would go out there and pick up sections of these planks and dump the sandal.
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In fact, you can find sections of that old road on the side yet, and even to this day, that road grew there while it's a modern concrete highway.
There are signs along it. Watch out for plows for they have to run plows through there at various times just like you would run snow plows.
To move the sand off the highway.
One time I was coming through there and I saw a real looking Oasis.
Look like water palm trees.
Somebody had sent it out there for a picture.
I came back through that country 60 days later.
And everything there was dead, drooping over. It was a sorry sight. They planted those things out there in the desert without any root or any way of getting refreshment for them, and down they went. It was a sorry sight when I came back by there. Well, brethren, if we're going to make this world a paradise.
We're going to have the same kind of success as those people have. We'll find it'll all whip before our eyes.
Well, we must press on now. I want to go to the end of John's Gospel.
Just that we might find a little more.
Of the enjoyment of Christ and the things of Christ, for that is what sustains us as we press on through an enemies land.
And an enemy's land that's ruined by drought.
In John's Gospel.
The 19th chapter.
Now there are some little couplets of three words in these end chapters of John's Gospel.
And I would like to emphasize some.
And in the 19th of John and the 30th verse.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said.
It is finished.
And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
3 solemn, sublime words.
It is finished.
I want to what does this refer?
This is a language, the Son of God.
This is the one who came down into this world and passed through it perfectly.
He's gone to the cross at this time.
He has endured all the indignities and hatred of the human heart.
And great it was.
And while you do not get it in John's Gospel, for John's gospel presents him as the Son of God.
And it would not be in keeping with the truth of the revelation of Him as the Son of God.
To tell of his agony in the three hours of darkness, nor hear that cry of abandonment.
Abandonment, as we read this morning in Psalm 22.
Not in John's Gospel, but that's all behind now at this point.
Hasn't been mentioned in John, but the sufferings, the forsaking of God, all that's behind.
And now the Son of God from John's gospel, when he is presented as such, he's able to look back over it all. He's able to renounce his own judgment of it, his own sentence of it. He knew all the scriptures, the prophetic scriptures that prophesied of his coming and of his rejection, and they were all fulfilled.
In detail, one after the other, he came of the Virgin.
Came as the son of the woman. He came at the appointed time, according to Daniel nine. He came into the appointed city, Bethlehem. Everything was done according to those scriptures.
And now, at the close of that life, at the close of that surrender.
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He looks out over the whole scene, nothing more to be accomplished.
And he is as a son of God, he can pass judgment on it and say it is finished.
Oh, what works, The Son of God.
Saying it is finished.
Oh, when God created the earth, he could look over the scene and say it is good or very good.
But here now, looking over the work of redemption and all connected with it, he can say it is finished.
Who can add anything to a finished work?
I remember hearing of a man that was an artist, he just completed a beautiful painting and a friend came in to see see him and he was showing him the beautiful painting.
The friend picked up a brush and put it in the paint and he started to dabbling on the finished painting.
The artist stopped him and he said you ruin it.
What could an untrained hand do with a finished picture by an artist?
And here is the Son of God reviewing it all, and he says it is spinning. And if we go to the Epistle to the Colossians, we find there that the Saints were being spoiled by philosophy and vain deceit.
They were listening to the false philosophy, philosophy of Gnosticism that sought sought to have something to the finished work of Christ. And what's the answer to it?
Ye are complete in him who can add to a completed work.
You'll never be any better than when you're complete under the shelter of the work of Christ.
Well, here it says.
It is many.
Only one thing more. Now he must needs go down into death.
And in John's gospel, he says I laid down my life that I might take it again.
This commandment have I received of my father. And then he just quietly lays down his life. He delivered up his spirit and said he had said it is finished. And everything was done. And he descended into grave, the grave, and came forth a mighty victory. Brethren, that's the Savior we have.
And everything is finished. Not only finished for our blessing, but finished for the glory of God.
To perfection. Now I want to go on to the next chapter. Then the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark unto the sepulchre, and see if the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
She came when it was yet dark.
Strange time for a woman to be out alone.
Late in the night, before the break of day, when it was yet dark.
What took that dear woman out there?
Into a cemetery at that hour.
All that was attachment of heart to Christ. That dear woman had found Him the engrossing object of her heart. She was so occupied with Him. He was her role, and when He was gone she felt bereaved. The world was a wilderness to it. The world was more than the wilderness. It was just. It just had nothing to hold her.
She was bereaved.
She went to the sepulchre early in the morning.
Maybe she didn't know much.
Mary of Bethany didn't go there.
Mary of Bethany seemed to enter into the mind of the Lord. She wasn't found there.
She didn't look for the living among the dead, but Mary Magdalene did.
Maybe her knowledge was deficient, but you couldn't say her affection was deficient nor her affection was.
Full, full blown. She was attached to him and everything else was lost.
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Well, what does she do?
Early in the morning she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved. John speaks of himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
Peter, you know, spoke of his love to the Lord. John speaks of the Lord's love to him.
And she says they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. She couldn't enter into it that he was risen. She thinks human hands had removed his body. And she's all distraught.
Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
Fourth verse. So they ran both together, and the other discipled it outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he's stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying yet when he not in.
Then Simon Peter, then comes Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulchre and see if the linen clothes lie. The napkin was that was about his head, not lying with the linen glow, but wrapped together in a space in a place by itself.
Went in also that other disciple that came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed, for as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away under their own homes.
When they look into this sepulchre, they found everything in perfect order.
The linen clothes line. It wasn't. It wasn't what you would expect to find after a thief leaves.
When the thief leaves, he leaves everything in disarray. When when the Lord was left that sepulchre, everything was in perfect order. He didn't leave there in a hurry. And this, the napkin that was wrapped about his head, was in a place by itself. I understand that in the original you can tell pretty much about the position, the shape of things I believe he left.
There in perfect order, and these disciples are impressed.
But what? How much did the impression mean? Do?
Not much.
And the disciples went away unto their own, began to their own homes.
It's one thing to be satisfied in our minds of the truth of Christianity.
Another thing to embrace them in the affections of our heart.
They could be satisfied that he was risen. They could look and see, for the stone was rolled away, not to let the Lord Jesus happen.
But the Lord the stone was rolled away to let them look in to.
Let them look in and see that he was gone and see that he had gone out as a victor.
With everything in perfect order. But then they went away to their own homes.
You know, I read a little note.
Of callousness in this a little note of lack of warmth.
Now compare that with the 11Th verse.
But read the but.
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre.
They went in, they satisfied their curiosity, they went away to their own homes, in the comfort of their homes.
But Mary continued standing there, just outside the tomb.
And what did she do? Standing there? She went. She still didn't possess him. Him, you say? Yes, him.
She doesn't even stop to explain to the one that she thought was the gardener of who she was looking for. She merely says, tell me where thou hast borne him, and I will take him away. She just refers to him as him.
You know if you go to the door to inquire about a sick person.
You don't go to the door, and probably as a friend and say, well, how is Mr. Johnson today?
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If you know the family well and they meet you at the door, you say, how is he today?
How is he today?
You don't have to say who.
The one whom you are looking for, the one whom you are seeking information about, is the one that is the object of those who live there. And so.
Here it is.
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre, weeping, and as she wept.
Here's a here's a devoted woman, a woman who found out what Christ was, and he was precious to her heart so that nothing took his place. And through those tears, those bitter tears.
She stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, looking through tears.
Into the sepulchre. And what did she see? She saw two angels in White City.
The one at the foot, the other the feet were the body of G at the head, and the other defeat where the body of Jesus had lain.
Oh, what a sight. Peter and John didn't see this sight. They were satisfied he wasn't there and went away.
No, she saw something more. She saw angels and white. Sitting there was perfect calm, perfect peace.
There wasn't peace in her own mind, but there was peace in that sepulchre. Everything was serene. 2 angels in white, not fluttering about, not trying to do something. They're sitting, it's all settled.
Well, wasn't that a wonderful sight for human eyes?
To see two angels in white, brethren, what would you have gotten?
You saw two angels sitting.
Wouldn't just stop and gaze upon them.
Not married. Even angels knowingly were angels.
They couldn't detain her.
And they say under her woman, Why weep us out?
She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they've laid him.
That's this language of devotion. She doesn't calculate on her strength, she just wants to get to him. Where did you put him?
When she had thus said, she turned herself back.
Here's a dear woman that turns her back on angels.
A sight that would glue most of us.
Riveted steadfastly to the sea, she turns her back on angels. And when she does?
She saw Jesus standing. Oh, that's the one she was looking for.
But she couldn't. She couldn't distinguish him.
She hadn't entered into the fact that he was to rise.
And looking through her tears, she doesn't deserve it.
And.
Jesus.
He breaks the news of who he was gently and with affection. Woman.
Why weep us now? He draws out what's motivating her woman. Why weep us out?
She is supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Supposing him to be the gardener. Now she speaks to him. This brings out her whole heart's affections.
Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou has laid him, and I will take him away. Oh, she doesn't calculate on her little strength, on what she could do if she could find his body. She just thinks if she could even claim his body, it would be a recompense.
Oh, you know, you take a family that has one member that's gone we say to see or on a long journey.
And they get sick.
The family is all concerned about their welfare.
How they do?
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A mother will say, oh, if I could only get the boy back. If I could just get him back.
Even if he's sick.
How they'd like to have the sick one back, just a comfort to have him there. And she thinks it would be just a comfort if she knew where his body was. But one thing she didn't know that he was risen, and she was never more to know him as a man down here. But she would soon know him in a better way.
Jesus said unto her, Mary. Oh how often she'd heard that word, Mary from his very lips.
You know, it tells us in the tent of John that the sheep know his voice.
And Mary knew His voice, she recognized, recognized the Shepherd's voice, and it beeped within her heart. Suppose that you thought that this afternoon you would hear that shout from the Lord's blessed lips, be caught up to see Him, would it's really.
How much would our hearts be thrilled to think?
We had heard his voice.
Calling is my name. He calls it old sheep by name.
And she says, Mary, she turned herself and says unto him, wrote rabona, which is to say, Master Jesus said unto her, Touch me not Now in Matthew's Gospel they do touch him. But in Matthew's Gospel you have another line of truth. For the Lord Jesus is presented to Israel in Matthew as their Messiah, and when rejected by them, he still has a contact with a remnant of faithful remnant.
Which he resumes with them in Galilee after his resurrection. You don't get that here in John's Gospel.
When here he says touch me not says to know him in a better relationship, for I'm not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren.
Now did she need a book of instruction to find?
Who his brethren were.
No, he just says, go to my brethren. We read the 22nd Psalm this morning.
And when you come to that point of the resurrection of Christ.
All at once you get Christ in resurrection.
And he says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren.
As soon as the Lord comes forth in resurrection victory, he says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. And he says to Mary, And now she is commissioned to carry a message, And the greatest message that had ever been trusted had been entrusted to human lips, to carry the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Telling a poor redeemed woman.
You go over and tell my bread I ascend. I'm going back to my father.
And your heart, before that, the Lord was down here, you know, and he told about the Father, but he didn't reveal Him as their father. He couldn't bring his disciples into relationship.
You know, in the 16th Psalm he refers to the disciples who pleased him.
As the excellent in the earth, the Saints.
In the 22nd Psalm, when He comes forth in resurrection, he refers to Him.
As brethren in the 45th Psalm, which gives him the Lord Jesus coming back to reign, he'll have associates, and in the 45th Psalm he calls them his fellows. His associates never mix the three words of those three songs.
Leave Saints in the 16th.
Fellows in the 45th but keep this blessed title in this 22nd, brother. And so this blessed message is given to Mary to carry. Now I know that people have taken this out of its connection and said that Mary was commissioned to preach.
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The Lord never commissioned a woman to preach, but He commissioned her to carry a message, a message that none of His disciples had the privilege of carrying. Blessed position, blessed place Mary had. And why did she give? Because she her heart was devoted to Christ. This world was all nothing to her.
Without him but all she's he says don't touch me.
But go to my brethren, say unto them, I ascend to my father, and your father, my God, and your.
Brethren within brought into that blessed place of relationship.
He would when he was here, he spoke of his father, but now the one that he called his father is our father. And as we had yesterday in the eighth of Romans, by the Spirit of God, we're brought into this enjoyment of this relationship, and the very words of the Lord Himself are put upon our lips.
Have a father, Father.
Father. Father, in the simplest way of expressing an ABBA.
And Father, in all the consciousness of who he is, of what he is, brethren, that's our privilege. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples, he said, my brother, where did she find him? His disciples? Well, his disciples were here this morning.
Disciples came together to break bread in this very room this morning.
And that's what we should have done. It was our blessed privilege. It may have been for the last time, for before we do it another time, we may hear His voice as the voice that spoke to Mary, but the voice that calls all the redeemed to himself.
And that may take place before we ever reach our regular places of abode.
Now.
19th Verse 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.
Notice this, that Jesus came into their midst with the doors being shut.
The Lord Jesus came forth with a resurrection body. He could go into the room with the door shut. He could leave the tomb without moving the stone.
He came forth in resurrection in the power of.
And he stood in their midst. And then what does he say?
He sent it and to bolster that to back it up.
He shows them his hands.
Sigh, brethren, think of it that there was the one that could say peace.
And show them that he was qualified to give it because he was the one that had been in death, but he was raised.
I often think of this scripture in connection with the Word in First Samuel.
You know, David went down into the valley of Elam and he overcame that mighty fog, Goliath.
David is a beautiful type of Christ there.
Goliath had challenged and defied Israel for 40 days.
Satan had defied man and God for 40 centuries when Christ came.
And David, as a stripling, went down into the valley, and he overcame him.
No sword in the hand of David, but he cuts off Goliath's head with his own sword.
Oh, the mighty Lord Jesus, he rose from the dead. Satan says if I can get him in death, I'll have gained the victory.
But the Lord Jesus broke the bands of death. He came out of death, the victory, and he goes into the midst of his assembled disciples and shows them his hands.
Brethren, I like to think of this, that it was like it was with David when he appeared before King Saul. He went before King Saul, the one who gained the victory, and he had the head of Goliath in his head. Here was evidence, here was.
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True proof of his victory. He had the head of Goliath and his head, and now the one who was down in death. For Satan had held the power of death and kept man in fear.
40 centuries this what Blessed One now comes forth.
The proof of his victory. And he shows him his hands and his son. Yes, this was the true daily with a head of Goliath in his hand. Here is the true day. That is a mighty victory. And he speaks peace to troubled souls. Oh brethren, we have peace, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where he not only discharged all that was against us by a holy God who bore the consequences in himself, but, brethren, he went down into that which Satan held the power over, and he came forth the mighty victory.
All our foes are vanquished, and is associated us with himself. We sometimes sing his be the victors name, who fought the fight alone. Triumphant Saints no honor claim his conquest was their own.
Yes, it's our own and well, can we have peace for the mighty victory.
Came forth for us in victory, and he associates us with himself in the victory.
Now we.
I wanted to look at another verse right here, the 21St verse.
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace. He can leave that.
Be out, it's an italics. Peace unto you.
As my father has sent me into the world, Even so send I you.
The Lord Jesus has been down here in this world of enmity toward God.
He'd suffered their enmity, their rejection, and now he's leaving and he has these disciples here.
And he commissions them, and he sends them forth back into the place where he was rejected.
To witness for him.
And he commissions them for that, but he says, Peace unto you.
Oh, when we find the combat, when we find the enemy arrayed against us, we do not do so at our our own charges. For the one that met him and conquered him, that conquered death and all the power of it, is the one that has commissioned us to witness for him, and the one who has said peace unto you in connection with that very mission.
I want to turn to the next chapter for just a few moments.
Now in the next chapter, we have an entirely different scene.
We find Peter.
And six of the disciples.
Seven in all.
Going out on an unauthorized fishing expedition.
Peter had been fishing, and the Lord had called him and said he would make him fishers of men.
But now the Lord is gone, and He isn't right there with them visibly.
So Peter worries and he gets a hankering for the old net and he says I go fishing and six others go with it. Now I'd mention the fact that there are 7 fishermen here.
In the Gospel net in the 5th chapter of Luke, you'll find that the net broke.
That's a figure of the gospel.
But here is the figure of the nations that will be brought in to Blessing and the Millennium.
You know God is going to have other people in another time and he's going to have fishermen.
And Peter will be the chief fisherman, and so seven other seven.
Fishermen go to work and they bring in a Great Hall of fishes.
And although there were so many, yet the fish, the net did not break. Well, there be no breakdown there. The Lord will have it all different in another day. And I might add just another thought as.
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Accompanying it when the Gentiles were brought into the Kingdom, into the church in the 10th of Acts.
Peter and six other fishermen went to see Cornelius.
The 11Th chapter of the Acts. He says. These six brethren from Joppa accompanied me.
There were seven fishermen again going on an expedition, and there the Gentiles were brought into the Church of God.
Cornelius in his house. What a what a wonderful day that was. What a wonderful hall. When the Gentiles were first introduced into the church. I just mentioned that as interesting that there were seven fishermen in the 20th of John and there are 7 fishermen in the tent of backs. They're only mentioned, of course, in the 11Th.
Now looking at this fourth verse of the 21St chapter, and when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore with the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
Then Jesus said unto them.
Now mark the delicacy, the warmth of this. The Lord says, Children, have you any meat?
Notice his warmth.
Notice a term of affection here. Children have any meat.
Oh, how warm. How blessed. How do they respond to that warmth?
What did they say?
They answered him no.
See any warmth in that?
All their hearts were cold.
He speaks with freshness. He says, children, have you any meat? They say no.
I like those touches that you get here and there.
And.
Then what happens? He says. Cast the net on the right side of the ship and you shall find.
Oh, he directs the net.
And they get this tremendous catch of fishes, and although there were so many at the net, did not break.
It's a Kingdom that.
And now we go down.
The 12Th verse Jesus saith unto them, Come and die.
And none of the disciples nurse asked him, Who art thou, knowing that it was the Lord?
Jesus then cometh and taketh bread and giveth them, and fish likewise.
Oh, he had a meal for prepared for them. They had nothing for him. He has a meal for them all prepared. But then he even takes the fish that they bring and he uses that too. Yes, it'll all be used for their blessing.
Do we know the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ? You know we'll be all eternity discovering that the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And.
Now I want to go down to just one or two points before we close the 19th verse.
This he spake, signifying by what death he should glorify God. He tells Peter, You know, Peter had boasted that he would die with the Lord rather than deny him.
But to save his life, he denied him.
Peter had been quite broken up over and.
The Will of Man or of God
Address—P.B. Geveden
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.
Time by the will of man, but holy man of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Bible was not written like any other book. Other books come in by the will of man.
Man examines.
The information that he wishes to use.
He does research work.
And he gets an accumulation of materials.
And then he uses his own will and power of thought to compose his book.
In this very epistle.
We see the will of man demonstrated in a very strong way.
So much so that the reason it says in chapter 3.
In the last days scoffers come saying verse 4. Where is the promise of his coming?
And they go on.
With their reasoning and say, since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.
And they expect that same continuance.
Lest the thought of the reasoner.
The man that discredits the Bible.
The man that refuses the authority of the Word of God.
But over.
Let us be simple.
Trustful.
And responsive to the truth of the word.
That was stated in this verse 21 of the first chapter.
The prophecy came not by the will of man.
But holy men of God speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
That's the way this book was written.
Now let's turn also to the second epistle of Timothy.
In the third chapter we read.
In the last days perilous times shall come.
Those times are here.
In these times that we are in.
Man seeks to set aside.
God's authority in His Word.
He wants to be free and unhindered.
To do his own will to the fullest extent.
But let us know this.
And read for our instruction in verse 14. But continue thou.
In the things which thou has learned and has been assured of.
Knowing of whom now as you learn them.
Paul is writing to his son in the faith, Timothy.
And exhorting him to continue.
In the things that he'd learned.
Things that he'd been assured of.
Knowing of whom now as you'll learn them.
Timothy lived close to the source of divine revelation.
For the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles received.
The precious truth.
Concerning Christ and the Church.
Those deep and wonderful truths that we enjoy in this day.
That which is the basis of Christianity.
Timothy lived right close to the source of those revelations. That is the instrument.
Through those revelations.
Came and were given to him and to others.
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In that, there's a very good principle for you young people.
We should be trustful of those.
That have paid a price for the truth of the Word of God.
Paul had suffered as no other had ever suffered.
It was indicated right at the beginning of his responsibility as a servant of the Lord that he would suffer extensively.
Intensely, deeply, because of the truth of the word that he would to be ministering.
And verse 15 he goes on writing to his son in the faith, and he says that from a child thou is known the Holy Scriptures.
From a child, as thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, and evidently that refers to the Old Testament Scriptures.
For the Bible is incomplete. At that moment, the New Testament was in the making.
From a child of ours known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.
Through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
The Word of God that opens up the future to us.
Men have wonderful instruments.
They are able to chart the course of a plane through the dense clouds or the darkness.
Of the atmosphere and see it quite well.
And certainly on a screen.
They are able to picture.
The forces of a mighty hurricane.
That travels over the sea in the land.
To gain a picture of it and to be able to.
Bring out needful information to those that would be in the path of the destructive force.
But all we have a principle.
In the Word of God, it's the principle of faith that opens up the future to us, for faith is a substance of things so far.
And the evidence of things not seen.
You get that verse in the first chapter in the 11Th chapter of Hebrews.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for. It substantiates the future.
And brings it before us.
And makes it certain and sure the evidence of things not seen.
We've seen those that are.
In much suffering.
Even on on the deathbed.
There's perfect calmness.
There's rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.
And there's no possible way to accept.
A simple believer in Christ that is happy in his or her soul.
Because the earnest of the spirit has been received, and there's already within that soul the enjoyment of what's to come.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
By faith, we see Jesus.
Faith occupies us.
With the most wonderful object in the universe.
God's beloved Son.
The.
Person, the duties of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then verse 16 all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
Not only the old.
But all scripture.
And this gives.
A statement.
Of authorities.
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As to the new, all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
Not by the will of man.
Holy men of old spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
And is profitable.
For doctrine or teaching to reprove. For correction. For instruction and righteousness.
It's all needed for these various purposes.
That the man of God may be perfect.
Thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Now these scriptures have been referred to as an introduction.
During this very week.
A couple of brothers were acquainted.
With an attack upon Matthew's Gospel.
You know there are many attacks upon the word nowadays.
Some say you know Paul was a bachelor.
He was biased when he instructed.
In the word is that the sisters were to be silent in the assembly.
They set it aside with that much ease.
And others.
Say this or that.
And even suggest.
As to the Epistle to the Galatians, that he was mad when he composed that epistle.
All he was greatly concerned about the giving up of the foundations of the gospel.
And he wrote vigorously and in dead earnest, and rightly so.
That doesn't affect the question of the inspiration of the word.
All scripture is given by inspiration of the Spirit of God.
A lady had in her hands a Christian lady, a paper.
The lessons coming up.
Whereupon the Gospel of Matthew.
And this was a very bold attack. Perhaps you could say it was subtle, but it seemed very bold.
In the paper it was suggested that Matthew was not even the author of his Gospel, that it was written by a second generation Jew.
And that Matthew labored under difficulty because he intently believed that Jesus was the Christ and he had to twist the scriptures to prove his fact.
That kind of thing is current in Christendom.
Oh, isn't it good to know that the Bible is not a catalogue of events?
That it was written by inspiration of the Spirit of God.
That it is divine in its authorship.
And oh, it brings blessing into our lives when we bow in simplicity to it.
Perhaps we could draw a lesson from Matthew's Gospel.
That would be of help to you young people here this afternoon.
Many years ago, about 30.
A brother who may be present in the audience.
Spent a couple of winters in Kentucky.
And we enjoyed together.
The Gospel of Matthew.
And particularly the similitude of the Kingdom.
We will turn to Chapter 13.
The oldest soul went forth to sow in verse 3.
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And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside.
Verse 5. Some fell upon Stony places.
Verses 7. Some fell among thorns, verse 8. But other fell into good ground, verse nine. Who hath ears to hear? Let him hear.
And the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven.
But to them it is not given.
This is the parable of the soul.
It is not one of the similitudes.
But it's necessary to have a knowledge of this particular parable to understand the other parables.
That we find in the Word that's remarked elsewhere in another gospel.
Explanation of this is made a little later on in the same chapter.
Because of this rejection, it was necessary for a new beginning.
And it became necessary for him to speak in parables.
And to give the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven to those that had ears to hear.
All let us use care.
Lest we do not have is to hear.
When we have ears, and here we are responsive to what is spoken.
There is an enemy that would take the word from you.
As he does when the gospel is preached off times.
All the seed that fell by the wayside was immediately plucked off and it had no results at all.
And there were other difficulties encountered, and even in the seed that fell into good ground, the measure fruitage was different because of the opposition.
That was against it here in this world, perhaps at least due partly to that.
But now we must move on.
To the similitudes proper.
Concerning the Kingdom of heaven, and you are in thy Kingdom right here this afternoon.
It's not heaven.
If that's the part of the earth where the rule of the heavens is acknowledged.
It is where the authority of the Lord is owned.
And it's generally that part of the earth where this book has been introduced and the gospel has been preached.
Your favorite in that way?
And it is well for you to enter into the secrets of the Kingdom.
The form that it took because of his rejection.
It could not be established in power.
All the Kingdom will be set up in power, and the Lord shall be king over all the earth.
That day is coming.
And it cannot be very far off.
But we notice here verse 24.
Another parable put he forth unto them.
The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a man which sowed good seed in this field.
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
And when the blade was sprung up.
There appeared the tares also.
And the servants come, verse 27 And they say, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed? And I for you? From whence then hath the tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.
The servant said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said nay.
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That would teach us a lesson.
There are many people you know that believe in world improvement.
They think the responsibility of God's people in this world is to make the world a better place in which to live.
Now it is a much happier place.
Where the Lord's people are.
But we were left here to represent Christ, and he is a rejected Christ.
The father sent him into the world and he was rejected.
Non living, He tells us that he sends us into the world.
John's Gospel, chapter 20.
As the Father sent me, Even so send I you.
You are not in this world by chance.
Neither here this afternoon in the same way.
You are here in this world to perform a certain service.
To discharge your responsibility according to the Major what you received.
And you've received very much more.
Than a youth of equal age in the heathen lands.
We can gain that lesson from this. It's not our purpose to improve the world.
To build the cities.
Thing, you know, started out in that direction.
We should be occupied with our city whose builder and maker is gone.
Faith links us with the future.
Sight is the contact with the present.
Just shall live by faith.
What we see also in this that a mixture of things was indicated. There was wheat.
And there would be tears.
And they were to be left together until the harvest.
We cannot straighten this world out.
The Lord will do that.
By those judgments that will be necessary at his second coming.
So it has lost energy when we think that we can improve this world.
The basis of the world and its improvements according to man's principles and plans.
Rest within the capacities of the nature that men have naturally.
And we need.
A new life.
We were reading about that in Romans.
This morning.
Well then we see in the next similitude, verse 31, the Kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took the sword in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and become of a tree.
So that the birds of the air come enlarged, and the branches thereon.
We have seen quite a development of things in this world and the Christian profession since its beginning in the early days 2000 years ago.
Small in its inception or beginning.
But oh, now it's grown into an immense order of things.
And finally, not finally, but thirdly, in verse 33.
Another parable speaking unto them, the Kingdom of heaven is likened to leaven which a woman took and hidden 3 measures of meal till the whole was leavened.
The world improvers, you know, things that they have a wonderful principle in that verse.
They tell us that it's the gospel converting the world.
And that eventually, the gospel of triumph.
That the gospel is the leaven that the woman introduces into the meal. And eventually it's all ever.
The whole world is converted.
That must be proving quite a disappointment to that school of thought now.
Because the gospel has not converted the world.
And the world is daily closing its doors against the gospel, and over half of the doors are already shut.
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And there are more heathen being born daily than they are souls converted through the gospel.
What does this mean?
Is there a lesson in this for us?
We can better understand it if we turn over to the beginning of the 16th chapter.
Now we read about the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
In verse 6, there's a warning.
Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
The reason among themselves saying, Is it because we have taken no bread?
He perceives their thoughts.
And reminds them of his ability to provide for them.
And verse 11, how is it that you do not understand that I speak it not to you concerning brand?
That you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread.
But of the doctrine of the Pharisees.
And of the Sadducees.
So Levin would bring to our attention.
The wrong teachings of these two groups.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees.
And you know, we have that which corresponds to these groups right down to our very time.
The Pharisee is the religionist.
The man of the ritual.
And ceremony. And superstition.
The Sadducees denied a future state. They didn't believe in resurrection.
Neither an Angel nor spirit.
They are the reasoners of this day.
Now the world is filled.
Where those two schools of thought?
That of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
And likely.
That of the Pharisee is the worst thought.
At least the most serious judgments seem to be pronounced upon them.
Rather than upon the Sadducees. But both are hopeless.
It's necessary to have faith.
And oh, thank God for a believing father.
A believing mother.
Thank God for faith if you have it yourself. By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves?
It is the gift of God, lest any man should boast.
While we must conclude, according to this reference that we've made to the 16th chapter, that the 11 which the woman took.
And it in the three measures of Neil would indicate the false and long and corruptive doctrines that have been introduced into the Christian profession. And it's working through.
Until their whole mass is becoming permeated with it.
So it's very difficult to find a clean place.
Where you can go on doing the will of the Lord.
But there is ample and full provision for that.
And we can thank God for it.
This is an outside view of the form that the Kingdom would take in the Lord's absence.
These three similitudes present that view.
Now let's look at a happier picture.
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Going a little farther down.
And reading from verse 44.
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to treasure hid in the field.
The which, when the man have found the idols, and for joy thereof, goeth and selleth all that he hath and buy of that field.
Of the Lord's people.
Or his portion.
And he finds in them thy treasure that is so valuable.
In this field, which is the world?
Oh, it's nice to know that God delights. Embrace.
It is wonderful to see the joy of the father's heart in receiving the prodigal home in the 15th of Luke.
All we think the gospel is wonderful, and truly it is.
But oftentimes we think of it from our own viewpoints.
And we forget about the delights of the Father's heart.
In receiving.
That one who was lost.
But was found who was dead but was alive again.
In verse 45 there is another similitude.
A merchant man was seeking good lift pearls.
There seems to be something very specific about this.
Through when he had found one Pearl of great price.
Went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Well, the treasure may measure the value of the church to the Lord.
But this Pearl of great price would bring out the unity, the oneness of the Church.
We see it here in principle.
And it is of so great price that he sells all that he had in order to buy it.
Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it.
What more could he give?
All this treasure hid in the field, this Pearl of great price.
Brings to our attention.
That brighter aspect?
Of the Kingdom.
As it goes on in its present form.
And next we read about the Kingdom like unto a net.
Was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind.
Which, when it was slowly drilled ashore and sat down, gathered the good and the vessels, and cast the bad away.
Well now, isn't that like the gospel?
The net that is cast into the sea.
That message which goes in and out among the moving masses of humanity.
And gathered of every kind.
And then the servants are occupied with getting the good into vessels.
Because they need that protection.
Now in later years, about 30 years ago, we enjoyed these similitudes.
And this outline of things has meant much to me.
These were not given haphazardly as the paper that that Lady had in her hands.
And intimated.
You know in the Matthew's Gospel chapter 8, for instance, you find things put together that didn't happen in a natural sequence.
And purposely put together in that way by the Spirit of God.
To bring out the truth that was needed on that particular point or question in hand.
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The Bible is divine. It bears the stamp of heaven.
It tells man of his responsibility to God.
Let us respect it.
All let us value the Holy Scripture.
And let us remember that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
It wasn't composed and put together by the will of man.
But those men of God ruled or spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
We can trust it, We can depend upon it. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
It will guide us a right.
Oil supply the needed.
Wisdom for every step of the journey that you will needfully take down here in this world.
Brings out that shining glory at the end of the way, a light to the path.
In later years.
A brother.
And thank God for him.
Made a historical application of these similitudes.
He says in the beginning there was the sowing of the seed, the good seed, and then right away the tares came in and it's always been true from that time right on down through and will be so under the end.
Indicates that.
And that should not discourage us. We've been for one.
And then?
There was a very small beginning, but there's been a large development of the Christian profession.
And then there was the rise of that power that assumed the place of teachership in the Middle Ages.
And the principal source of those terms deducted those and doctrines that seduce God's people.
All that's been introduced.
Into the Christian profession, and it's still working, and increasingly so.
But all then we've had.
During these difficult times, during those difficult times that the Lord's people experience in being faithful to Him, those that were faithful.
The Walden sees and the various ones.
When the mountains perhaps?
When the scriptures by heart, even to the memorization of the old Bible.
And they were faithful.
Treasure hid in the field.
And then came the time of the recovery of the truth of Christ in the church.
When the truth of that Pearl of great price was brought out again, according to the original pattern of the word.
That Pearl of great price.
And then we've had perhaps as never before.
Thy gospel net.
Then that cast into the sea, gathering in that harvest of souls.
That will fulfill God's brainery, the footage of the death of Christ.
Or accept a crown of wheat, fall into the ground, and die abideth alone.
But if it dies, she'll bring forth much fruit.
Well, these, you know, are six of the similitudes.
There's one in the 18th to another in the 20th and third one in the.
22nd if we want to classify it in that way. The final one is in the 25th chapter. Let's notice the 22nd chapter for a moment.
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Verse 2. The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.
Send forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding and they would not come.
Sad case, isn't it? It's happening.
The Lord sent out his servants, his apostles.
And there wasn't no response.
Only by a few.
They would not come.
They made excuse.
And still the Lord goes farther in His grace. God opens the door of blessing widely to them.
Verse four again he sent forth other servants saying tell them which are bidden.
The old I prepared my dinner, my auction, and my fatlings are killed.
All things are ready. Come unto the marriage. All the King is making a marriage for his son.
Everything is ready now. This would indicate the finished work of Christ.
The other servants went out after his death and resurrection. You get the history of it in the early chapters of Acts.
And finally, the rejection of our testimony also.
They made light of it. They went their ways in the second of actually made light of it.
Wonders form another to his merchandise. These 30 things were more important than responding to this invitation that the king had made concerning his son.
All they've missed.
That which they will regret forever.
And they express their opposition in verse 6.
Not only did they make light of it, not only were they occupied in other things, not only did they let the things of this life come in and hinder them from the blessing that they could have received.
But the remnant took his servants and entreated them spitefully and slew them.
So you get the history of the persecution of the Lord's service.
Stephen was martyred.
Others were persecuted.
They were slain.
Verse seven. Judgment comes upon them.
And when you reject God's word.
When you refuse his mercies. This is a principle in the word.
Then it's necessary that judgment will come, must come.
So when verse 7, when the king heard thereof, he was wrong.
And sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their cities. That happened to Jerusalem in the year 7080.
Then save thee to his servants, the wedding is ready.
But they which were bidden were not worthy.
They steal themselves against the grace of this invitation.
The wishes of this king, the holiness that became his presence, the respect and reverence that was doing, they turned all this aside.
They were against it, they refused, and the judgment came upon them as a nation.
But now we get the message going out to the Gentiles, going therefore into the highways, and many shall find bid to the marriage.
So those servants, verse 10 went out into the highways, gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Or is not wonderful.
The gospel doesn't make any demands upon us.
It can blast the bad just the same as it can bless the good.
And what is the difference between the two if both are closed with the wedding garment that has been provided by the king?
Oh, there was a young man who had lived a bad life, a life of sin.
Verse 1 spoke to him.
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Others went and finally.
One went into him with that verse.
Run New Romans, chapter 6.
The wages of sin is death.
And those wages were fast coming upon him.
As his life ebbed away from cancer of the liver.
And he standardly refused and steeled himself against the message of the gospel. Perhaps he didn't understand it.
But he was a working man. He had driven a tractor all summer long.
And the remark was made, John, when you drove that tractor.
When the week was over, you got your wages.
They were coming to you. It was right that you should get your pay.
But you know the wages of sin is death.
Sin must have its consequences.
But that is not all the verse.
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. A $50 gold watch was offered to you. Even if you couldn't use it, you could sell it, make use of it.
And just think.
The gift of God is eternal life. Can you refuse that?
Oh, he weakened in his opposition.
That same night.
They phone from the bedside at 2:00 in the morning and that young man confessed Christ.
All the gospel clothes you with the wedding garment and fit you for the King's presence.
Such as the Father's house. It's a wonderful message.
That man cast into the sea and you can tell the message to others.
But all finally we have in the 25th chapter the similitude of the Tin virgins.
Five wives and five foolish.
They all had lamps. There's a great profession in this world.
But much of it is empty. There's no oil in the vessel.
We need to be certain that there's oil in the vessel.
Well, this brings to our attention the truth of the Lord's coming.
The old bridegroom.
And so thy truth has been recovered.
And we've been in the good olives for.
Quite a number of you.
In the practical good of it.
Are we expecting the Lords coming?
It should have.
A due effect upon your life as a young Christian.
Let us be in the expectation of his return.
Let us value his precious word.
Receiving it.
As the very truth of God concerning His Son.
And for our blessing now, and not only for the best portion that's possible for anyone to have in this life.
But for in all eternity to come.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
The evidence of things not seen.
You do well to put your trust.
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
Phrase the living word.
The written word brings him to your soul's door.
Only wants to save you. He wants to keep you. He wants to give you the enjoyment that you can have in communion with him.
He would stand at the door and knock and say, if any man open underneath, I will come into him.
And Sup with him, and he with me.
Joy Unspeakable
Address—W. Blennerhassett
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to read first of all a verse in First Peter, First Peter.
The first chapter.
And the eighth verse.
Whom having not seen.
Ye love.
In whom though ye see him not?
Yet believing ye rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
The new translation puts this verse a little differently.
Ye exalt exalt.
With joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Oh well, may each child of God in this room.
Exult.
In all our portion in Christ.
Yet believing.
Ye rejoice.
Ye exalt with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
All how blessed it is.
Day by day in our Christian pathway to have this.
Exaltation.
This joy in this one who never changes.
Who never fails? Whoever lives on our behalf.
All is this my portion? Is it yours?
What a difference in our little meetings.
It makes when we see those.
That are daily finding this.
Their portion in Christ.
Yet believing ye exult with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Oh, I was thinking as we went through that chapter, that blessed chapter to which the Lord directed our hearts in Romans 8.
Of the ******* from which we have been delivered, the liberty into which we have been brought.
What portion is ours?
What rejoicing?
Adoring hearts we should have.
But all this is only possible.
As through grace.
We keep our eye on that one.
Who is the source?
Of all our joy, our strength, and our health in time of need.
Well, we have heard how he is able to sustain.
How he is able to keep?
But all sad to say with the speaker and I'm sure with each one of us.
We find that joy in believing, that joy that filled our hearts to overflowing when Christ made Himself known to us.
As our Savior and Lord.
How that has at times absent fated?
And he has come in in restoring grace.
Oh, I wonder if there are any in this room who have in their souls lost a sense.
Of all that grace has wrought.
I was struck by the remarks of our brother, Paul Wilson as to.
Satan and his power.
And today, in the world around us, around us, as our brother pointed out, it's the effort of the enemy to give us to be off our guard.
Not to be found.
Watching.
Watching.
Watch and pray, watching and praying.
And so he comes in with this subtle Wiles and his great power.
To seek to.
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Ruin our lives.
All one feels that with the young people in particular, there is a great effort of the enemy.
To lead astray, to lead aside from the precious truths.
Over which we've been pondering and rejoicing. And to lead in the paths of the destroyer. I was thinking of a verse in the 4th chapter of Deuteronomy. In this connection. Let us look at it just for a moment. Deuteronomy 4.
And verse 9.
And here we have a solemn warning.
Only.
Take heed to thyself.
And keep thy soul diligently.
Lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen.
And lest they depart from thee.
Depart from thy heart.
All the days of thy life.
Our gathering in Montreal is a fair sized gathering.
And as one looks back over the years.
We can recall a number that started out with such happy promise.
And there seemed to be this joy in believing, this exulting in that Blessed One.
Then the enemy came in with his Wiles, and removed the eye of Christ.
And you seldom saw these dear ones at the prayer meeting.
And the reading meeting.
And then they started to neglect the remembrance of the Lord.
And always we have met some of these dear ones.
On occasion.
They are like Peter, but what we find in Peter.
Some they've even forgotten that they were purged from their old sins.
Their families are in the world.
Oh, how great is their loss.
Oh dear child of God, let us keep this before us.
Walking by faith, it was faith here, whom, having not seen, ye loved.
All is a special blessing connected with them.
As we have in John 20 and 29.
Whom having not seen.
Yet believing ye, you rejoice, ye exult with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Oh, how much there has been for our hearts.
In the meetings.
As we have been privileged to attend.
Oh, may we.
Seal.
And realize our responsibility.
To walk in the truth.
And one was thinking.
As.
We read this verse.
Perhaps there are some in this room?
Whether they be young or old.
Who have never had this?
Joy of believing.
Joy in believing.
There are still in their sins.
Still on their way to a lost eternity.
They have heard the faithful solemn warnings in the Gospel meetings.
And perhaps there is still someone here.
Yet in their sins.
On their road to a lost eternity.
Under God's judgment.
Oh, you would solemnly warn you.
Not to delay.
And counsel you that you would too would have.
This joy in believing.
00:10:00
Down at the Gospel tent, sometimes in the summer when you have a large number of children, as many as 200 in our little gospel addresses to them, we like to use illustrations because in the summer weather it's not easy to keep a large number of children gain their attention and keep it unless you make it simple and interesting.
And this summer, they were told the story of this Indian.
This Indian lived in the Wilds.
And near where he where he lived, there was a Big Lake, a beautiful lake, very shallow.
And it was filled with these grasses and rices rice that the ducks love to eat.
And this morning?
The Indian came down to the edge of this lake.
And he looked over it.
And on this lake were hundreds of ducks, a great number of ducks.
The winter was approaching and as he looked over those ducks.
He thought, my I'd like to get all of them. I'd like to get all of them. And he looked at his rifle in his hand and he thought, now if I fire this gun, I may get 123 perhaps, but the rest will be gone.
And he stood there silently overlooking that lake.
Trying to figure some way to get most of those ducks.
Well, the next morning he came back.
Quite early in the morning.
And he had in his hands a large pumpkin.
And justice, like they do at Halloween. He had the eyes and the nose hollowed out.
And he took that pumpkin.
To the edge of the lake.
And he just put it in the water and gave him support.
Out into the lake.
Well, the ducks, they looked at it, and they stayed as far away from it as they could.
Far away from it as they could.
The next morning.
Early again, there he was, another pumpkin, hollowed out.
Again.
He went to the water's edge and again he pushed it out in the water.
The 3rd morning, the 4th morning, the 5th morning, the 6th morning, he did the same thing.
And here were these pumpkins floating on this lake. And by this time?
The ducks were swimming in and around them, not paying any attention to them.
Oh, Sinner, that speaks to your heart and mind, doesn't it? Of how used we become to sin?
How little we understand what sin is in God's sight and what our sins are in His sight.
Well, the next morning he came down.
And he had an even larger pumpkin.
But this one was a little different. In the bottom of it, it had a hole.
And he started out towards the water.
And as he waded out into that lake.
He trailed behind him. An enormous sack. A tremendous sized sack.
And when he got out into the water, up to his shoulders.
He took that pumpkin and put it over his head.
There he stood silently.
With the sack in one hand and Justice waiting. Just waiting.
It wasn't long before the ducks started to swim by.
Went the hand down into the sack.
Before there was even a chance of an outcry.
And the part of that poor duck?
Another few moments or minutes went by. Another duck went by. Hook went the hand down into the water. It gained into the sand.
And in that way, that clever Indian was able to.
00:15:05
Get nearly all the ducks in that lake.
And Oh dear friend, dear unsafe friend.
Do you realize your danger?
Do you realize the cleverness, the strength, the power of your enemy whose eye follows you?
Oh, don't delay.
Don't wait a minute longer, but we trust that you too with us will be able to say this afternoon whom having not seen ye love.
Though now you see him not yet believing, he rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
But all between the cross where that blessed Savior died.
And that glory seen above for the child of God.
Are the desert sands.
And the only way that you and I can tread these sands, the difficulties, the trials.
The subtlety and power of the enemy is by walking in the joy that we find here.
Or as we think of that one and as we keep our eye through, seek to keep our eye on him.
Will be sustained, but always, like poor Peter, if we take the eye off Christ immediately we're in danger.
One has in these meetings before quoted that verse in Job 15.
I'm going to quote it again. It won't take time to turn to a job 15 and 11.
Are the consolations of God.
With the.
Is there any secret thing with thee?
Oh, how we should ask ourselves.
These two questions.
Are the consolations? Are the joys the four hours when we were first saved? Have those things become insignificant to us now? Are they small to us?
Or is that precious savior and that joy?
Growing daily in Him that joy, unspeakable and full of glory.
Oh, if those things have become dim in your eyes.
Ask yourself that second question.
Is there any secret thing with thee?
What is the hindrance? What is it that hasn't been judged? What is it that is keeping you or hindering me from walking in the fullness and the completeness?
Of this joy, wonderful joy.
Well, stronger is He that is for us than he that is against us and He is able to deliver.
Oh, David could say at the end of his pathway.
Hold thou me up.
And I will be safe, and I will attend unto thy precepts.
David slew the line and the bear and met that great giant.
He did so in the power and strength of the Lord. But oh, later.
As he went on his pathway.
Subtlety of the enemy came in and turned his heart aside and brought great sorrow into his life. Oh dear child of God, may we be on our guard. May we remember we're in a holy warfare and seek.
To maintain.
All the truth that has been delivered to us.
Through his grief.
Let us look now in John the 15th chapter.
John the 15th chapter and the 10 verse.
If ye keep my commandments.
Ye shall abide in my love.
00:20:02
Even as I have kept my father's commandments.
And abide in His love.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you.
And that your joy.
Maybe.
O here we have another example of Christian joy, joy in abiding in Him. But is it our joy? No.
That my joy might remain in you.
And that your joy might be full.
Well, this joy is only possible as we abide in Him.
Oh, sometimes we meet Christians and they tell us, and we've experienced it ourselves.
The lack of that joy.
Lack of that fullness of joy.
And we know full well that there has been a departure.
From that blessed one.
I was given the definition. I wrote it down in my Bible.
Some time ago.
Of what? Abiding in Him? This is a definition of what abiding in Him means. I'll read it to you. Abiding in Him.
Continuity of heart and mind in communion.
In the pathway of obedience and dependence.
Well, I enjoyed that. I'll read it again. Continuity.
Of heart.
And mind.
In communion, in the pathway of obedience.
And dependence.
Oh, this?
Is what we need to learn the pathway of obedience?
And dependence abiding in him.
Some years ago, several years ago, our brother Dan Anderson was in Montreal.
And he told us a story.
About the natives in the Congo, I think it was.
And these natives used to catch the wild monkeys there for their Stew pot.
But catching monkeys? Any of us who've been in a zoo see the way they jump around. You'd often wonder how they catch them.
Well, the natives there had a very clever way.
Sometimes there would be a novel.
In a tree big enough to put your hand in.
And in this knot hole.
They would fill the bottom of it with peanuts.
Well, it wasn't long before the monkeys discovered those peanuts were there. And innate reach for those peanuts.
The natives would be hiding nearby.
Out would spring the natives to capture the monkey, and they usually got them.
It might say why.
How could those natives surprise those monkeys? All that monkey had his hand in there and it was full of peanuts and he wouldn't let those peanuts go. He was determined he was going to have those peanuts. If he had his hand like this, he could have easily have pulled it out of that hole in the tree.
But with it full of peanuts, he couldn't get loose and the natives caught him.
Well, isn't that the way the enemy catches we who belong to the Lord?
We know He cannot take away from us that eternal salvation.
But he can ruin our testimony down here.
And all with myself, and I'm sure others have had the same experience, it's been an unwillingness. An unwillingness to let go of something we know as Henry.
00:25:02
Are walked in our communion with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is that so with you? Is there something a definite hindrance in your pathway? You know what the Word of God teaches, and yet you won't let it go.
Oh, Satan.
Will take the captive.
You will ruin your testimony here.
Fill your life with sorrow and unhappiness.
Oh, don't be like those foolish monkeys.
That hung on. They weren't going to give up those peanuts.
And they were captured.
Oh, if there's anything hindering you and your Christian pathway, judge it.
Give it up.
Get down in your knees and tell the Lord about it and have done with it.
And then you will be given the grace to.
Go on for His praise and His glory.
That your joy might be full. Oh, it's His joy that fills our hearts.
His love and his joy can only be known.
By abiding in Him.
Oh, sometimes we feel impoverished. We meet a soul. We don't seem to have the right word.
Why is it?
There doesn't seem to be the power to meet the situation. There hasn't been that abiding in him.
Well.
He is faithful.
May we seek grace to be found.
With His love and His joy filling our hearts.
By occupation with him, and as taught by his precious Word, by the Spirit of God.
And will be found abiding in him. Oh, what a precious thing it is to abide in him. What a place of safety, of happiness.
Of joy.
That your joy might be full.
Let us look now at the next chapter, the 16th chapter.
And the 23rd verse.
In that day he shall ask me nothing.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name.
He will give it to you.
Hitherto ye have asked.
Nothing in my name.
Ask, and ye shall receive that your joy may be full.
All to these dear ones, this was something new.
Asking the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And your prayers and mine.
If walking in obedience. If walking in communion.
The whole Godhead is exercised praying in the Spirit.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ.
To the Father all to think that in our prayers.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are interested and are exercised on our behalf.
And when we realize the relationship into which we've been brought as children and sons.
This is what gives our joy. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name. Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full. Oh, when you and I get down on our knees and pray.
To God our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is there that joy and confidence in addressing him?
In coming before him, in laying everything before him, there should be.
There should be, and you and I have that privilege.
00:30:00
Joy in asking. Joy in asking and all how this honors.
That precious one who died for us.
Well, how are we failing this today?
How we fail to be a praying people.
It saddens my heart.
When I go to an assembly.
And sometimes on a Sunday morning, I have to look for a seat.
Nearly all the seats are filled in many assemblies on Sunday morning.
Prayer meeting night. You don't have to look for a seat, I'm sad to say.
Prayer meeting night.
Where am I? Where are you? Are you there?
Oh, we're gathered around that precious one, and he is there for one purpose.
To meet our need, to hear our petitions, to give help and time of need.
Oh, if there was the sense in our souls of the one to whom we're going to address our petitions by the Spirit and through Him to God the Father, that prayer meeting would be full. That prayer meeting would be full. Little things, that hindrance would be set aside. Oh, how often I've noticed.
In our meeting and other meetings that when there is something of a social character.
Something to which many are invited, if not all. How we seem to be able to set aside things that ordinarily might hinder.
And there's a big turn out.
And oh, it shows our feeble comprehension when at the assembly meetings gathered around the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are so few all but he giveth more grace and he is able to.
Help us.
To go on.
To forsake not the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but so much the more as you see the day approaching.
For now, I would like to look at the 13th chapter of John.
13th chapter of John.
There is so much in connection with these verses that one would like to speak of.
Better, but we'll just have to take the verses in part. Our time is limited. 17 verse.
If ye know these things.
Happy.
Are ye if you do them?
Mr. Hale used to used to say how often we've heard it and say it, that every exhortation in Scripture is founded on something that we possess.
Every exhortation in the Word of God is founded on something that we possess. Oh, how thankful we should be that we have not been left to our own resources.
And as has been mentioned in the Reading meeting, the very worst thing that could happen to us would be if God just left us alone. And so we have here.
The path of happiness.
The path of joy, the path of blessing, the path where we receive the needed guidance for these dark days.
If you know these things.
Happy are ye if you do.
All but this calls for purpose of heart.
And daily self judgment abiding in him.
Walking into dependence and communion.
And each one of us as we leave these meetings.
What are we going to do?
Through it, with his help. Are we going to go back?
And if there have been things that have been a hindrance, are we going to say, well, it was nice being at the Detroit meetings and then just go on to suit ourselves?
00:35:07
With many dear Christians.
It's not, perhaps evil in their lives.
Living to suit ourselves.
Just going on day by day to suit ourselves.
Oh.
How different is the pathway of an exercised heart, a redeemed heart that realizes that he is he or she is not their own? They've been bark with a price.
And here we have the remedy.
If he know these things.
Knowledge never will keep us.
But dependence and communion.
An occupation with Christ.
In prayer and being taught by the Word.
Through the Spirit of God.
Happy are ye?
If you do them, oh how blessed it would be if the result of these meetings would be.
That you and I in our meetings.
In the little gathering with which were associated, gathered to the name of a rejected Christ.
We are a real health, a real blessing and.
These things are the answer to our assembly problems.
My state of soul, your state of soul has a deep and lasting effect upon the assembly in which we're part of it. Am IA health or am I hindrance?
Well, if he know these things, happy are ye if you do them now. Acts the 5th chapter.
And verse 41.
And they departed from the presence of the Council rejoicing.
What was the cause of their rejoicing?
That they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his namesake.
Oh, how blessed this is.
These dear ones departed from the council rejoicing, rejoicing.
Because they were counted worthy to suffer for his namesake.
Well, dear child of God, if there is no suffering in my life and yours.
Can I say that I am walking to please the Lord?
I was struck by that verse in the chapter we are reading. Let us look at it. Romans 8.
Romans 8 chapter and.
The 17th verse.
The middle part of the verse.
If so, be that we suffer with Him.
If so, be that we suffer with him. Oh, what a challenge there is in these words.
All they that will live godly in Christ Jesus will.
Suffer persecution. Are you and I suffering with Him?
Well, if we are walking to please the Lord, we will.
If we're seeking to day by day, in our home, in the office, in school, wherever it may be, if we're confessing his name and suffering with him.
Will have that joy that these dear ones have.
But are we, if ye suffer with him?
Oh, each one of us can answer that question for ourselves.
What measure of faithfulness is there in your walking ways, in my walking ways to this one who has called us by his name?
If ye suffer with him.
00:40:02
Oh, if there is no suffering in your life.
I'm not speaking now necessarily of physical suffering. Many dear Christians are.
Passing through that, when our brother Jimmy Smith was in Montreal, he told us that during the visit of Mr. John Harrison, senior and himself to Bolivia, that there was a dear brother with whom they stayed in his home.
And they have received news, I think it was early this year, that that brother has been murdered, murdered because he was a child of God.
Oh, that one knew what suffering was for his name. What about you and me? We may not be called upon.
To go through that kind of suffering. But we can suffer for His name in being identified with a rejected Christ, in being faithful in our walk and abiding in Him. If ye suffer with Him. Oh, what a privilege. It brought joy to their hearts.
And you and I will experience that joy.
If we seek to walk.
Faithful faithfully in the path that he has pointed out.
I'd like to read now the closing verse in Acts, the 20th chapter.
Acts, the 20th chapter.
And the middle of the verse.
So that I might finish my course with joy.
So that I might finish my course with joy. All we have had joy brought before us in all of these verses. And here we have the child of God finishing his course with joy, with joy.
Oh.
I was much touched by a brother's Mahawah who was down to help us in the tent work.
And he told us of being with our brother Hale.
In Ottawa just before he was taken.
And with tears in his eyes, he said, Walter, he said that dear brother finished his course with joy, with joy. How are you and I going to finish our course?
When I was the age of some of these boys in the front seat, my father was in charge of the.
Steamships.
CPR steamships in the city Of Montreal. But in the winter when the port was closed there by ice, why we used to move down to Saint John.
And during that winter, those winters, there were a lot of vessels then that were under sale.
This hotel where we stayed, why you could see them coming in that stormy Bay of Fundy with its tides of 30 to 40 feet, tides and it's treacherous winds and waves and all some of those vessels would come sailing into the harbor there with full sail.
A beautiful sight. Oh, it just thrilled you to see it. Others came in just limping into harbor with their pumps going, their sails and tatters.
Just barely making the pork. Oh, doesn't this?
Speak to our hearts. Are we just going to get home?
Or is it going to be finishing our course with joy? Finishing our course with joy?
Oh, to finish. To have the privilege of finishing our course with joy.
To walking to His praise and glory, and at the end of the journey to receive the reward of faithfulness and that commendation. Well done now, good and faithful servant.
00:45:02
Oh, may we, dear child of God, may we realize that our sufficiency isn't him, that without that blessed One, we can do nothing. And may we.
Depart from these meetings with a deep sense that we have hearts, hearts that can't be trusted, and it is only as we're found abiding in Him, walking in Him.
Walking in obedience and communion that will be kept.
And we'll finish our course with joy.
Joy in the Lord
Address—R. Rule
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Like you to turn with me to the third chapter of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 3. My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments for length of days, and long life and peace shall they add to thee. Let not mercy on truth forsake thee.
Bind them about thy neck. Write them upon the table of thine heart.
So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding in all thy ways. Acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes.
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It shall be health to thy naval, and marrow to thy bones. Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall I, Barnes, be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction. For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth.
Even as the Father, the Son in whom he delighteth, happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than Ruby's, and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared with her.
Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to all to them that lay hold upon her, and happy as everyone that retaineth her. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth.
By understanding hath he established the heavens.
By His knowledge, the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew. Well, dear young people, my thought in reading this chapter this afternoon is because I believe it's of great importance to our souls to realize that God is seeking our happiness and our blessing. We know that the very first way.
That sin was introduced into the world.
Was when Satan came along with the suggestion that God had not provided for the full happiness of his creature. He had, according to what Satan told Eve, held back the very best thing in the garden from her and from Adam, and so he suggested that in order that their happiness would be complete.
They would take that which was forbidden them of God.
And we know that sin, and with its sorrow and misery came into the world, and the devil has never wearied of going on in this same idea of suggesting to young and old now that God is not really interested in our happiness.
About that, we must do a certain amount according to our own wisdom and not according to that which He has marked out for us in His Word. I believe that it's the very beginning of the souls blessing to realize that God is interested in you as an individual. God is seeking your blessing. God is seeking your happiness.
He wants to bless you.
He wants to give you far more than you have perhaps ever realized before.
Four times and for all eternity in the meetings we have been talking.
How the purposes of God and His bra have brought us into such wondrous blessing in Christ. But I believe in the book of Proverbs we see how in a natural sense, particularly that God is interested in our happiness. And I suppose that when we are young that we are concerned in quite a large measure with natural things.
00:05:03
Then how we can find happiness?
Even if we do know the Lord as our Savior, we still feel that we must.
And find a way of getting happiness as we pass through this world. Well, what I want to bring before you is that God himself is interested in your blessing and happiness, that it's going to be His eternal joy to have around him in heaven.
People that will share all that's in his heart for all eternity. But in the book of Proverbs we see how that when he made this world, he was interested in man's happiness here upon earth. It tells us in the 8th chapter of Proverbs.
That when God laid the foundations of the earth, that his delights.
With the sons of man. Yes, his delights were with the sons of men rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth. That is when He made those beautiful rivers and valleys and fruitful lands. He wasn't only thinking of making a fair scene for your eyes and mind to rest upon, but he was thinking of how we would enjoy.
Those things that his hand so richly provided for man.
Oh, how wonderful this is. I've sometimes said as we gather around our little place up at Otter Lake, that I like to think that long ago God planned that little Bay in Otter Lake because He knew there was going to be a group of young people gathered there who loved him and He was providing for our happiness. Yes, if we would only realize, dear young people.
That God is interested in us and He has proven it in the wonderful creation that He has made.
But the sad havoc that has been wrought is that man is trying.
To enjoy this creation that God has made in forgetfulness, and not only in forgetfulness, but in positive enmity against the very One who has provided it all. But we who know the Lord, we need to realize that He is seeking our blessing and the through redemption He has found a way.
So that his purposes of love would not be frustrated.
And that we would have even more blessing than that which was the portion of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Richer, fuller blessing has come because the heart of God could not be held back by all man's evil and sin. I've sometimes compared it.
To a little stream coming down the mountainside. And if you damn up the stream, what happens? Well, the water just rises a little higher and goes over the top. And the more you put in the way of that flow of water, the higher it will rise and the wider it will spread when it goes over the top. And every attempt of man to put something in the way of the goodness and grace that is in the heart of God.
Has only caused it to rise to still higher levels and when man's crowning act.
In crucifying God's beloved Son was shown there at Calvary.
Why? The grace of God triumphed over it all, and it says.
In a little hymn, the river of thy grace through righteousness supplied is flowing, Or the band place where Jesus died.
And you know, as we sang that little hymn together, I was thinking of that well known verse in Romans 8. It says, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Did you ever stop and muse over that verse? And then you brought some circumstance in your life into it and you said, I can't see how.
Going to work for good. I just can't see how there's anything good in this matter. This trouble, this disappointment. What good could there be in this? Well, you know we've got to read on. The next verse says for whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brethren for whom he.
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No, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he though whom he did for. No, he also did predestinate.
For whom he did for now. Well, I better read it because I'm not quoting it correctly. Romans chapter 8 and verse 30. I quoted the 29th verse. The 30th verse, moreover, whom he did predestinate.
Then he also called, and whom he called them he also justified.
And whom he justified them He also glorified. Do you notice that that last verse is all in the past tense?
Well.
I like to compare it like this. Did you ever pick up a little storybook? And when you came to a very dark and sad chapter in the storybook and everything looks so perplexing, you just couldn't contain yourself anymore and you dared to look to see how the story ended. And when you saw that the story ended, happily, you went back and you read that chapter.
With the fullest confidence.
Because you whispered to yourself while you read it, perhaps with tears in your eyes, you said, oh, it's going to be all right, because I know how the story ends. Well, that's just what God is telling us in the 8th chapter of Romans. He says, do you wonder how this is all going to work together for good? Well, he said, I'm going to tell you a little secret. Your life story has already been written.
And in my purposes, you're already glorified. The story is completed.
I see you not only he carries you back into a past eternity and he tells us how that He knew us before we were ever born. He carries us into our lifetime and shows how he called us and then how he justified us. And then he calls us, carries us into eternity. And He doesn't say he will glorify. He says then he also glorified.
Oh dear Christian, doesn't this fill your heart with rejoicing?
Could you doubt love like this? Could you ever doubt how the story was going to turn out when you knew how it ended? Well, God knows, and God tells us the bright ending to the life story. And He wants us to go through this life with the happy confidence that He is interested in us, that He cares for us, that He loves us, that He has done everything that love could do to show His love, to provide for our happiness.
And so going back to our chapter here, we find that.
The means that he intended to use was the father and the mother, my son, my son. What a great responsibility rests upon young fathers and young mothers in all the animal creation. They can exist without their parents after they're born.
They are not dependent upon them after they are born. In the same way an animal can get up and walk, it can get along in a much easier way than a human. But a human and needs not only to be fed, but to be cared for. Why? Well, God is showing us.
That he intended that we should realize that we are dependent creatures and now he has provided father and mother. Do we who our parents rise to our responsibility. All I know that the world would tell us that we are responsible to clothe our children, to educate our children and many other things they would tell us.
But they would perhaps neglect the most important thing of all.
And that is to tell our children that God loves them.
God is interested in them that there isn't a move in their lives that God isn't concerned about. Whether it's their education, whether it's their clothes, whether it's the partner they should choose in life, whether it's the Christians with whom they should go in fellowship, all these things and above all, the most important. I need hardly mention that.
Spend eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ in glory well, dear parents, I speak to many young parents here and perhaps some of the young people, our young parents I sort of group you together, if I may young parents and young people, what a responsibility are we telling our children that we.
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We need the wisdom and instruction of God's Word. Perhaps we tell them to read the Bible for themselves. Well, that's very lovely.
I was impressed in reading about the manna that it tells us that each were to go out and gather what they needed for the day. But then it says every man for those that are in his tents. Well that shows us that there is an individual responsibility, but there's also a responsibility for each one who is.
In responsibility in the household.
To provide for those that are in his tents.
So it says, my son, forget not my law and let thine heart keep my commandments. God wants as we have been having in the meetings, He wants heart obedience.
If somebody tells you to do something and you have a feeling that person doesn't like you very well, there's something inside that rises up and say says why should I do it? To please him? Because you may have the feeling, well, they're not interested in me. But if someone had done everything possible to show their love towards you and then they ask you to do something, I think that you would probably.
I'd be glad to do it. I just be glad to do it. Well. How lovely it is that God wants heart obedience. Dear young people, God has done so much for you and I, and He wants us, his parents, to impress this upon our children too. And he wants our children too, to yield us heart obedience. And I speak to myself as a parent as well as to each parent here.
Do we just demand obedience from our children because of our authority over them?
Or do we seek their heart obedience? Do we, do we act in such a way that we have won their hearts and saw that when we asked them to do things, that it's obedience that is the result of love in their hearts? Well, that's what we have here. And the parent is not to forget that every command that is given is to be given because he loves the child, not just to exercise his.
As such.
Then it says, For a length of days, and long life and peace shall they add unto thee. Well, of course I might say that in the book of Proverbs we do not have persecution for Christ sake brought in. Since the crucifixion of Christ there is a new element of things that is brought into the Scripture, and that is the world having proven its enmity against Christ.
It will be an enmity of against those who are associated with him.
But still, there's a principle here, and that is that God wants us to have happy lives as Christians. He wants us to have happy lives. Every Christian does not have a happy life. Every Christian has a happy ending, but not a happy life.
And the way we can have a happy life is what is brought before us in principle here, and that is to walk in the enjoyment of the heart of God and in obedience to His Word. And so we find even those who are, who are on sick beds, who have learned in an experimental way to find happiness even there. Some of the happiest people that I have visited have been the ones.
Had the least of this world's goods, but it was because they had found happiness in a person. They were enjoying what was in the heart of God. And God would have us to realize this length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee.
Bind them about thy neck. Write them upon the table of thy heart.
Why does it say let not mercy and truth forsake thee? Why is it not worded do not forsake mercy and truth? Instead it says, let not mercy and truth forsake thee? Well, this is a very solemn thing because.
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If we leave God out of our plans, then He may give us over to the plans that we have made ourselves. Dear Hezekiah.
Very godly man in many ways. In fact, he became so proud of his godliness that he actually told God that he had walked before him with a perfect heart and soul. God added 15 years to the life of Hezekiah and it says he left him that he might know what was in his heart. He didn't feel his need of God's mercies and loving kindness. He had earned them.
He had quite a confidence in himself, and so in those last years of the life of Hezekiah, God allowed him to discover what was in his own heart. All dear young people, May God grant that you and I will always walk in confident in confidence in him, independence upon him, because if we're determined to go our own way, mercy and truth may forsake us.
Mercy and truth may forsake us, I say. God may allow us to reap the fruit of our own ways and be filled with our own devices. And poor Hezekiah had to learn this in an experimental way. And alas, we have seen true children of God, and instead of enjoying what could be their portion, they have been so determined to have their own way that God has allowed them to have it.
Our dear Mr. Darby said the worst of all chastisement is that God should leave us to our own ways. Oh, may we always look up and ask him, Lord, help me to walk in thy ways.
Bind them about thy neck. Well, I think of this in connection with the fact that the neck is what turns the head. Bind them about thy neck. Which way is your is your headset? Which way are you looking? Well, we know that King David looked the wrong way. He saw a beautiful woman.
He stepped out of the path of obedience to God.
And he brought a lot of sorrow. Which way are you looking, dear young people?
Looking under Jesus.
Oh, don't look at those things.
That would lead your heart away from the Lord. The world was never so filled with things that we can look at the most attractive things that would tend to lead our hearts away from the Lord. Have you got a? Have you got these things bound about your neck?
So that if we could put it in this way, you can just look one way, says let thine eyelids look straight before thee, but if your neck turns it looks the other way. Are you looking unto Jesus?
The little hymn says.
We'll fix our earnest gaze, so, holy Lord, on thee, that with thy beauty occupied, we elsewhere none may see. Write them upon the table of thy heart.
That's connected with the verse that says.
Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. It's what we allow our affections to go after that moles and controls our whole life. And so it says, write them upon the tables of thine heart. What are you allowing your heart to go after? Are you looking around at what this world has to offer and saying, well, I'd like to have this, I'd like to have that.
Well, God is interested in your happiness. He's interested in the girl or the boy that's to be your partner in life. He's interested in the job that you're to do. He's interested in the street that he wants you to live on. All these things are are things that he delights to take in hand for us and if we would just commit these things to him and just.
Up and say, Lord, I just want to please thee. I want my heart to be holy for thee, another little hymn says.
Take Thou our hearts, and let them be forever closed to all but Thee. That is, that we only want to love the things and the people that the Lord would have us to love, and the things that He would have us choose.
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And so it says, write them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Well, this was truly exemplified in the Lord Jesus. For as he grew up, it says Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
And while the world may not like our testimony to Christ, and it certainly will not.
I am bold to say that the world will recognize a consistent Christian testimony. The world will recognize a consistent Christian testimony. And so it says. Thou shalt find favor and good understanding.
Sight of God and man and how important it is that our lives should show to others that we have a satisfying portion. Someone else has said our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord, and if the world sees that we have something they do not have.
They all want it, but they will never want it if they see that it's just cold formality to us.
So here we have good understanding in the sight of God.
And man, your life and mine is to be lived in the presence of God.
And in that way it will be such as will commend itself to the consciences, even of those that are unsaved. Now this fifth verse. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. With all thine heart.
Has He won your heart? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior?
Can you say that he has won that heart of yours will entrust in him with all your heart? Wouldn't you like to have a friend that in every difficulty you could go to him, and not only would he have wisdom to give you the right answer, but you would have the confidence that he loved you so much?
So that he always thought your happiness and if there was any place where influence was necessary.
He had influence everywhere. Well, that's the one who is our friend.
The high priest in Israel, there were three distinct characteristics as he went into the presence of God on behalf of the people, He carried their names upon his shoulders. That's the fact that he has all strength. He he is able to do anything.
If there's someone you say, well, if I had pull, I could get that job. Well, the Lord has pull everywhere. He's got pull everywhere. He, he knows it says promotion cometh not from the east or from the West or from the South. It says the Lord is the one who puts down. The Lord is the one who sets up. And so instead of saying, well, if I had pull like someone else, I'd be.
Remember, the Lord is the one who is over all. It says He doeth according to his own will, among the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say, What doest thou?
Well then, next the high priest had the names upon his heart. You know, I sometimes mentioned that on the shoulders they were on 2 Onyx stones, one on each shoulder, and they were graven there according to their birth. Because when the Lord saved you, he placed you upon his shoulders, and you're equally secure with every other believer.
But on his heart there were all different stones.
Different stones, all glittering in a different way. Why weren't they all the same?
All, you know, this touches my heart because we have three children and we have a different feeling toward each one of those children. They're not alike. Each one has different characteristics. Each one has different tendencies, and we have a special individual love for each one. I wouldn't say we love one more than the other, but it's a different love. And they have a different beauty in our eyes too, each one.
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And you are not lost in the crowd, dear young person. God doesn't just group you together with all the other young people in this company and say, well, or just a group of young people here, perhaps I might, but the Lord doesn't. He knows every circumstance of your life. He knows every natural tendency of your heart. He knows every weakness. He knows every triumph. He knows the home life. He knows.
Assembly you come from, he is perfectly interested and he's acquainted, I say, with all those things, and you have a glitter in his eyes that's different from any other Christian. There's a glitter that Sean, when that high priest went into the holiest of all, each one of those stones glittered in a different way.
Not isn't it precious to know that as an individual, you're upon the heart of Christ?
And he is interested in you, he is concerned about you. He careth for you. Oh, how intensely individual. Then underneath that breastplate, underneath it, there was a a Urim and thummim.
Well, that urlem and thumb means.
Lights and perfections.
Lights and perfections. I can't tell you what the Urim and Thummim is. I don't believe there's anyone that really knows. But I do believe that it means that God's ways are always perfect and that he always knows what he's doing. Light the fact that he doesn't miss any circumstance. I've given my judgment about things and then found out afterwards I didn't know what I was talking about.
Because I only knew half the facts. But not so with God. When you turn to Him in some circumstance, at the light of his presence shines upon everything in that circumstance, there isn't a thought, there isn't an action that He doesn't know all about it. And so they underneath those beautiful glittering stones was the fact that there was perfect knowledge.
And that there was perfect wisdom and every time the High Priest went into the holiest of all. Why those 3 characteristics? Strength, love and wisdom.
Were always there on behalf of the people of God.
Well, it says trust in the Lord with all thine heart. A dear servant of God was preaching the gospel one night many years ago, and he read that verse. They that know thy name shall put their trust in thee. And he made this comment. He said you couldn't help but trust him if you knew him.
You couldn't help but trust him.
If you knew him, all dear young people, you and I couldn't help but trust him. If we only knew him. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Oh, perhaps you say, but I know better. Can we ever think such a thing? Well, we do, We do. When the Lord wanted Ananias to go and.
Baptize all of Tarsus. He began to tell the Lord that he knew more about Saul than the Lord did.
The Lord said, you go because Saul is praying. And he said, Lord, I have heard by many of this man how much evil he has done to thy people at Jerusalem. He started to tell the Lord all about what a bad man saw was in the Lord. Know all about him, didn't he know all about him all how patiently The Lord answered, He said, go thy way.
For he is a chosen vessel under me.
My name unto the kings and Gentiles, and to the children of Israel. Oh dear young people, you and I can never tell God anything He doesn't know. We never can lean not unto thine own understanding. Well, I'm afraid if Ananias did that, that I've done the same thing when I started to pray, almost talk to the Lord, as if He didn't know some of the things that I knew.
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Well, you know he likes us to tell him.
All the things that burden them burden us, but He never wants us to ever have the feeling that He doesn't know all about them before. It says Your Father knoweth that she have need of these things before He asked him. Oh how precious. Then lean not unto thine own understanding in all thy ways.
Acknowledge him.
In all thy ways.
There's a little tendency in these days to say, well, you know, you turn to the Bible.
To get the way of salvation. And you turn to the Bible to get some instructions about how to gather. But perhaps don't think of turning to the Bible for such matters as the job that you should be working on and how you should do your job and how you should treat your next door neighbor. And about that boyfriend and girlfriend. But all I want to tell you, dear young people.
It says here in all thy ways acknowledge him.
And all thy ways, there is absolutely nothing that we ought to think that we have to take on ourselves in all thy ways. Oh, if there's anything that is concerning you, have you acknowledged the Lord in that matter? Have you turned to Him? Have you sought His mind about it?
And perhaps when you have been unable.
At once to discern his mind, just to be able to commit it to him just the same.
You know God looks upon the heart and I may have mentioned this before sometime.
But I took great comfort in this.
You know King Abimelech in Genesis, Abraham told him a lie about his wife.
He told him that Sarah was not his wife, that Sarah was his sister. And so King of Amalek took Sarah and he brought her into his house. And then the Lord spoke to Abimelech in the night and told him to be careful because Sarah was a man's wife. And he said, well, I didn't know that.
And the Lord said that was why I kept you from doing what was wrong.
That was why I kept you from doing what was wrong. Perhaps you might say all that. Sometimes you're misinformed and saw you. You can't help but when you get wrong information. Well, God kept Abimelech because He was acting in integrity of heart. I was very much struck one time in reading a little remark in Mr. Darby.
Someone asked him advice about a certain matter.
And he gave his advice in the matter, and he gave wrong advice.
And afterwards he found out his mistake and this is what he said about him.
He said well, I gave wrong advice in that matter because I had been misinformed.
But he said that doesn't excuse me because he said the Lord wasn't misinformed.
And if I had asked him, he would have kept me from giving that wrong advice.
Oh dear young people.
I want to bring this before my own heart and yours now that even if you and I are misinformed, even if we take some wrong step because we were perhaps a little bit too forward, if the Lord who looks into our hearts sees that we want to please Him, He still has His eye upon us for good. All He loves us. He loves us infinitely. He loves you.
Can you really, can you really say, well, I do want to please the Lord and I want to have his mind in my life and even when you make mistakes that you are willing that he should point out those mistakes to you all. He wants to bless you. Trust in the Lord, rather in all thy ways acknowledge him.
And he shall direct thy paths.
He shall direct thy paths all. What a gracious God we have.
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Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
We know that the reason Adam and Eve sinned is because they were wise in their own eyes. They were. They thought that by doing what they thought would be for their happiness that they would receive something worthwhile. They were wise in their own eyes and all. May I say, never take one single step in your own wisdom.
Well, perhaps someone might say, but they there are some things the word of God doesn't give you positive.
Direction. Well, that is true. There are some things that God gives us positive direction.
There are other things that God has purposely left in His Word so that we might be near Him to discern His mind. The Lord wants our company. He wants our confidence. And I'm sure if we live with a person, why we get to know the things that displease them and the things that please them just by being in their company.
And the Lord has left certain things so that we might would have to be near him.
In order to discern his mind in certain matters. Are you and I walking near enough to him to discern his mind? Well, there are many things like this in our lives, and that's why it tells us just to trust Him in in all our ways. Acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.
I think of an instance in connection with the Lord in the temptations.
Satan came to him and said, Command that these stones be made bread.
Was there any verse from Genesis up until Malachi that said not to turn stones into bread when a person was hungry? Often young people will say, well show me a verse, show me a verse. Well, there wasn't any verse that said no, it was wrong to turn stones into bread. But the Lord didn't act just because there was no verse to say not to turn stones into Brad his.
Answer to The tempter was Man shall not live by bread only.
But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, perhaps to make it simple, the point that I'm trying to make is the word of God may not actually tell us that something is wrong, but the Lord wants us, when there is an absence of a verse to condemn the thing. He wants us to come and ask Him if it's all right to do it. Isn't that love and consideration?
You know, my wife might never have told me that something displeased her.
But if I ask her, would you like me to do this? Why? I am sure that anyone would appreciate such consideration. And you know, the Lord likes to hear us come, even if there's no verse to condemn a certain thing, just to come to him and say Lord.
Do you want me to do it? Do you want me to do it? Oh, how? How tender, how loving. I'm glad that there isn't just an actual verse for everything. It would spoil us. It would spoil the precious fact that the Lord wants us to be near Him. Dear young people, it's not to make a code of laws for us. All these things are written because He's interested in us and because He wants.
Company.
Then it says in the eighth verse, It shall be health to thy naval, and marrow to thy bones. Today men are finding out more than ever before, the effect of the mind upon the body. There never, I suppose, was a time when they realized that the effect of a person's mind is so great upon his body.
Well, God has told us this in his Word, and if you and I.
Walk in quiet, simple dependence and obedience upon the Lord.
Why, I'm sure that many of the nervous disorders that we have would be eliminated because many of them come because we haven't just quietly committed our way unto Him. And I don't say this just for other people. I say this for myself.
How often we get sort of tensed up and all this. Why you say, well, I feel miserable. I think it's just my nerves. Well, that's exactly what it means here. It says it shall be health to thy naval and marrow to thy bones. God wants us to go through life in the quiet, confident enjoyment that we have, One who cares for us and is interested in us and who seeks our blessing.
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Now the tenth verse. So shall I barns be filled with plenty of thy presses shall.
Burst out with new wine. What does this mean? New wine? Well, in the second chapter of John they had a marriage feast, and there was wine provided for that marriage feast. But only the Lord Jesus could bring the new wine. And you know, there are certain natural joys in life, but only the Lord can bring the new wine.
Only the Lord can now give that which really satisfies.
At that feast, when they had well drunk, they used up all they had. It said they have no wine. Dear young people, while you have your health and while you have energy, you may drink of the old wine, but there's a time coming in your life when you're going to have to say they have no line, they have no wine, because the pleasures of this world don't last.
But the Lord Jesus.
Brings the new wine, and it says, thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Well, how is this new wine obtained? Well, it tells us that they fill the water pots with water, and Jesus turned it into wine. And I'd like to just say this little word to you, dear young people. Perhaps you say, well, when I read the Bible, I don't seem to get very much out of it.
Well, when those men that filled up those water pots with water were filling them, if you had said, well, what does it taste like? They'd say, well, it's just just water, just water. But after they had filled up those water pots and then the Lord Jesus.
Got hold of those water pots. It was more than just water. And perhaps you say, well, I read the third chapter of Philippians or I read the chapter in Ezekiel and I didn't seem to get very much out of it. Well, I, I want to tell you, fill up the water pots just the same.
Fill them up just the same, Read the Bible until you are well acquainted with it, and sometime when the old wines all spent, you'll come to that verse, perhaps that you never realized what it meant, and the Spirit of God will bring it like new wine to your soul.
Know how many of us can say that some little verse that we had read and long forgotten. It was in the water pot. We felt it was just like a water pot of stone with nothing but water in it. We felt how hard we were like the stone and we felt that it was. It was the word that it didn't seem to mean what to us what it should well fill them just the same.
And when the pleasures of this world and the natural joys are spent.
And you perhaps lie upon a sick bed or suffer some keen disappointment in your life.
The Lord Jesus will turn that water, pot of water into wine, and your personal, your presses will burst out with new wine and all. How often the Lord Jesus proves himself just wonderfully precious to us when such circumstances arise. And that's why it says not to despise the correction of the Lord.
Why did the Lord, why did the Lord allow that trial to come in your life and mine?
Perhaps He wanted to show us that He could turn the water pot full of water into wine. We never knew it before because we were well drinking of the old wine. We were enjoying the natural joys. But the Lord allowed the affliction to come so that we might enjoy what was in the water pot, the precious things of himself. And so it says.
It says here.
My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction, for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth. Well, I just want to comment here before I close. When we come down to the 19th verse, it says here.
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The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, by understanding hath he established the heavens.
By his knowledge, the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew. That is, He's telling us that we can trust the wisdom of this one who made this vast creation in which we live in May, in the one who made your body and mind with all its intricacies, with all its wonderful faculties and everything, who made the all these things.
Who made those starry heavens? Who made all the laws of nature?
Lord was the one who is interested in you, the little hymn says. And couldst thou be delighted with creatures such as we, who, when we saw these, slighted and nailed thee to a tree? Unfathomable wonder and mystery divine. The voice that speaks in Thunder says, Sinner, I am thine.
All dear young people, let me again close with that verse in all.
By ways acknowledge him, He's given us every reason to acknowledge Him. He's done all that love could do. He's purposed eternal blessing for us. And this book of Proverbs is written to give us wisdom for our pathway through this world. He doesn't only want to make us happy up there in glory, but He wants our presence to burst out with new wine, even here and now. But we'll never.
These things unless we walk in His company. May the Lord grant that those of us who know Him may value His presence, His company, above everything else.