Address—Dave Spence
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Yesterday we spoke a little bit about following Christ in the pathway here as believers.
There are no age restrictions.
For following the Lord Jesus Christ, whether you're three or four years of age here today and you have received him.
Perhaps at your parents side, if you've received Christ, you can walk with him and follow him and hear those words that we read of the other day yesterday when we had the word open.
Follow me.
It doesn't make any difference what the difficulties might be. Peter had difficulties in his life.
It doesn't matter what the distractions might be. Yes, they are hindrances.
But he wants you to hear his words to your heart. Follow me. And to continue a little bit more with that subject before us, I'd like to speak a little bit today about a threefold cord for the heart, a threefold cord for the heart of one following.
That blessed one John, Chapter 8. For just a verse or two, the first of the threefold chords or the threefold cord is the word of God.
John Chapter 8.
And verse 29.
And he that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him.
As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him.
If he continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed? And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
And Doug referred in his talk, perhaps to this verse. Let's read it verse 34.
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commit a sin, as the servant of sin.
And the servant abideth not in the house forever, but the son abideth ever.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free.
Indeed.
You know, beloved young people, it is a wonderful thing to think of a life that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As something that has set us free.
Those of you who have been saved a little while, you know the conflict of the pathway.
The spirit lusteth against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit, so that you cannot do the things that you would. It says in Galatians chapter 5.
There is a power that struggles within you against that new life that you have. But when there is complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ, and we'll talk a little bit about that today, there is liberation.
And you know, no matter how old we are, we all experience some measure of conflict.
Because the old nature would seek to bring us into ******* continually, I say us.
I speak of my own heart as that which is the new creation.
The life I possess in the Lord Jesus Christ and the enemy, of course, is one who works upon the lusts of the flesh.
But if they are crucified, were set free, it is one thing to think of the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that he has done upon the cross and it's finished. No one can add to it. He has been raised from the dead. And when the blood is applied to our life and we have life in Him, we experience a liberty and at first a first love that is so tremendous.
And sometimes it's not always this way because as we said yesterday, we all have different experiences.
It may come later in your life, but it's that first love condition that the Lord wants us to look at or look for or cultivate, may we say in our relationship with Him because it is love that will take you over. The tough times in His presence is love.
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If we can be simple.
It is the love of Christ that constraineth us. It persuades us. His love, enjoyed in the heart, produces that reciprocal response in our hearts to Him.
And an overflowing heart has no room for the pleasures of the world.
And you have spoken to, I'm sure, your peers. Or you've seen someone saved and you've seen the freshness of first love that has been so tremendous and powerful in their life. They have given up the habits, the idolatries and those things in their lives that have held them in ******* the little while or the long while that they were sinners apart from the salvation of Christ. That is what will liberate us.
By the power of the Spirit, forging our souls into a blessed relationship as we are occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ as the object for our hearts.
It is a love so wonderful, beloved young people that our poor vessels, our bodies, cannot contain it. And we have that in the Song of Solomon chapter 2, where the bride says, for I am sick of love. Now it's not how we might think of it in terms of being sick of something. In other words, she could not contain the love that she was enjoying in her heart.
That love is so wonderful. How could any of us fully enjoy it and enter into it?
Reread of it in in Ephesians Chapter 3A. Love that is incomprehensible, but any measure that it is enjoyed, we will find our spirits buoyed up and lifted above some of the problems. Because we are loved, we are embraced.
The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms, and we find those arms.
So blessed and wonderful to be loved.
No matter what we pass through, He orders all of our circumstances for us in the heart of perfect with a heart of perfect love. And then He loves us in the circumstances, draws us near himself through the server because of the circumstances, and he'll give us the difficulties in our lives many times, so that we will.
Be comforted by him, otherwise we wouldn't be. And you say why Lord this and why Lord that?
And what's Why do I have to go through things that I see my other friends in Christ? They don't have to go through those things. And I seem to have a very unique kind of problem.
Because he can only reach you through the circumstances that he has designed for your life.
And Peter found that out that day that he was tired as a young man, working all night trying to earn a living.
And not having much success as he was so busy all night toiling all the night and catching nothing. And the Lord saw to it that he didn't catch anything as we said yesterday.
But he kept him from that catch so that he could give him a catch that he would never forget.
He had changed his name some weeks or months before.
And now he changes his occupation because Peter is down at Jesus knee saying, depart from me for I'm a sinful man, O Lord.
He's occupied with the one who is so glorious.
His love is so wonderful and the power that he has demonstrated to give him.
What he wanted in his occupation and more.
He gave it up.
Because Jesus said, Now I want you to follow me.
And so Peter set off in his pathway, feeling no doubt his unworthiness. As we do.
Because of the glory of his person.
Sometimes Satan twists things in our lives and in our minds to think that now that the we belong to the Lord. And of course Satan is behind this because he hinders us. In Galatians it says, Who hath hindered you? Satan hinders us from coming into complete emancipation, from the ******* of this life and of our own hearts and the idolatries of life.
But he wants us to realize that.
The fullness of the blessing he has for us can only be had in a pathway of following Christ.
In John chapter one it says of his fullness have we all received and grace upon grace, and when the heart has received any measure of the fullness of Christ, as we said before?
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It is dissatisfied with everything else that it finds in the world to preoccupy it. Dissatisfied.
And any dissatisfied heart is that seeking to be satisfied by anything in this world will only find dissatisfaction.
And especially the heart of the believer, because the heart of the believer.
Can only be satisfied by the Lord Jesus Christ and how much time we waste. And I say we, I say me beloved young people we've wasted in going our own way. We've heard the word fall follow me, and we have sadly strayed from the path.
Not only the path of service, but the path of fullest enjoyment. Peter had a word spoken to him that day that he never forgot. And no doubt he thought, If obedience to the word of my Lord means such a fullness of blessing in my life, no matter what the cost, no matter what the circumstances might be in my life, I want to follow him because I want to be blessed.
And have the fullness of blessing that he has for me, because I've never had such such a full heart.
That day I met him.
On the ship when I had such a tremendous catch.
And so it's the word of God that he obeyed.
And it's the word of God that we need to hear. That was just the beginning for Peters life as he started off on his pathway to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. But he had learned from henceforth he was going to catch men. And I don't believe there is a believer in this room whom the Lord.
Would not want to be a testimony in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul said. I'm not ashamed of it. And in the measure that we follow him, we will want to share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Michelle Whitehouse was, I'm sorry, Michelle Kelcup was telling me, just a little while ago.
About a 7 year old little girl, seven years of age. She died of cystic fibrosis and she got in some trouble before her death at school because she was testifying to other boys and girls about the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the teacher called her on the carpet about it and gave her a little talking to and after she had given her a talking to this little 7 year old sick girl said to her.
Do you have Jesus?
Have you received Jesus yet? After being reprimanded, she wouldn't stop in her young life. How old do you have to be to become a witness for your Lord and Savior? How old do you have to be before you start catching men and women, so to speak, or boys and girls for the Lord Jesus Christ?
Seven years old.
I know of a 5 year old boy who stepped up to talk to a brother who was going to preach the gospel one night at a conference meeting.
And he confessed Christ to that brother. He said, I have been saved just a short time in my life. And he said I just wanted somebody to know that what a testimony that is. How old do you have to be? How old do you have to be to be saved? There's no particular age. How old do you have to be to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ? And Peter decides.
After no doubt setting his heart and mind on an earthly occupation that would make him somewhat prosperous.
You had a pretty good business going, no doubt. I don't know.
He decides to enter into a vocation of greater spiritual prosperity and something that would give his Lord the fullness of glory. Now we don't have to stop working in order to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We're to continue on in that vocation wherewith we have been called. Continue on in the First Corinthians Chapter 7.
And maintain honest trades. You don't have to stop working to put Christ first in your life and to follow Him in the pathway of service that he's marked out for you. But He wants you to give him that preeminent place of following Him in your life. And if you go down the mountain back to your home assemblies or back to your homes, having those two words fixed in your heart and mind, follow me.
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And obedience to the word of God in the way that Peter did that day, I want to tell you.
There is none of us that could.
Comprehend the measure of blessing that will be ours.
If we simply follow him, but it must be according to his word.
And disciples indeed were different than disciples. Here we read of those who continued in his word were disciples indeed. And there were other disciples if you if you read in John chapter 6 followers of the Lord Jesus Christ who went back and followed him no more. So you don't have to be a Christian to be a disciple. Did you know that?
Are you in the pathway of following Christ in unreality? Are you a false disciple?
Judas was.
Lot was a disciple, we might say, of the Lord who was unhappy, vexed with a filthy conversation of the wicked.
But he was not really being a testimony for his Lord.
He wasn't really following the Lord.
And here the word of God is emphasized to continue in His word. And let me ask each one of us the question Is there any area of our lives that we've departed from the word of God?
Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 100 and 1989. It's settled in heaven. But is it settled in our hearts?
Are we grounding our lives, our hearts, and the direction of our lives on the precious word of God? Oh, we're saved. We're on the rock. That's wonderful. But we learned that where from the word of God. And now we're to continue in the word of God. Continue. That's the first of the threefold chords.
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way, but by taking heed?
According to the word of God.
We need cleansing by the word.
That we might be sanctified, it says in Ephesians chapter 5. Sanctified and cleansed by the washing of water, by the word. Every day we read the word of God, it judges me, it says Dave, you've been wrong and this thing you've been allowing in your life.
It judges me and I say, Lord, you're right.
I confess that that's the way we're cleansed.
Confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us. But confession means self judgment. We need that.
Peter had to learn these things as he went along the pathway following his Blessed Lord.
And the Lord said in Islam 138 verse two, I have magnified my word above all of my name.
And what does that mean? Isn't the name of the Lord Jesus Christ supreme?
He says he's magnified his word above his name because it's the word of God that's preeminent in one sense.
Jesus is the word personified, so they're synonymous.
But it is the word that will judge in the coming day, he said. There were those that reject me.
But those that reject me will be judged by the word that they've rejected in a coming day. That's how great, that's how high, That's how powerful his word is. He's magnified it above all of his name. Should we set it aside and take a path of our own choosing, dear young people?
The word of God should have a preeminent place in our lives.
Now let's turn to Luke Chapter 9 and read verse 22. Luke 9. We were there this morning.
Hear about the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer.
In two points in that chapter.
And this is just before the area of the mount of Transfiguration that's spoken of 22.
The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and chief priests.
And scribes, and be slain.
And be raised the third day. And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake.
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The same shall save it.
Here we have beloved young people, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ before us.
When Peter obeyed those two words that day, he found himself.
Leaving his Nets and the boats and the fishes behind, as well as his partner James and John Andrew, no doubt his brother, following not a theology or a doctrine, but a person.
It is the person of Christ that is the second part of that threefold court.
The Word of God directs our attention to one blessed person.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews chapter 2 and verse eight we often read that we see Jesus.
We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he should taste death for every man. And there were those Greeks, those Gentiles that came up in John chapter 8 at the feast. And they said, sirs, we would see Jesus. The word of God points as we were singing together. It points to Jesus the Lord Jesus Christ. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And as Peter begin to follow this one he knew at the outset.
Of his discipleship, that he was following the Son of God.
Is there a greater calling that we could ever have in this life, no matter how high up?
The ladder of success one has arrived at.
If he calls you, let's say the president of the company that you work for.
Would it ever compare with following the Lord Jesus Christ? And yet we become neutralized in our Christian life, do we not?
No man can serve 2 masters, for he will either hate the one and love the other, hold of the one and despise the other.
No man can serve 2 masters and it is the devil's attempt and he is so successful so many times.
To keep us not only from following Christ, but from living on Christ.
And we can't follow him except we live on him, except our eyes are turned upon Jesus. And as the hymn we were singing in the little flock, Oh, fix our earnest gaze so holy Lord on the.
That with thy beauty occupied we elsewhere none may see, is there any kind of a comparative attractive object for our hearts like him?
None.
And when we get to glory, will we be awakened as to what we missed in this world?
As we gaze into his blessed face.
I glued a verse in my Bible many years ago and it says for me, O Lord, the world is all too small for I have seen thy face.
Were thine eternal love eclipses all within the holy place? And when you have seen the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I mean by faith in the power of the Spirit.
Your heart will be raptured to such an extent that the world.
Is too small for you. It's not enough, but he is enough. And we were singing about that Jesus, thou art enough. And Peter begin, no doubt to find that out and his love begin to to be stirred for the Lord Jesus Christ and our brother Tim. I think it was at the scene the other night talked about Peter's love and faith that caused him to step out of the ship, which might represent Judaism or any kind of a natural support that we like.
To rest on. But his only rest was in Jesus. His only support was in Christ. And he could even step down out of the ship because of his love for Christ and faith too, that took him to the presence of Jesus. And he would rather be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ than in a boat where he's he's held up by the by the. The furnishings of man. Isn't that tremendous? Oh, I know, he began to sink. It's OK. He still went to Jesus on the water. And he learned another lesson that he had to keep his eye upon him.
So every step we take and we fail in, we aren't to be discouraged because the Lord is going to show us another step to take.
And Peter said, Lord, save me. And Jesus caught him and pulled him up. And if you're sinking today because you don't think the Lord cares about you anymore, or you think that somehow he's left you in the dust, you don't qualify for his Kingdom or for the pathway of following him. Let me tell you, every member of the body of Christ is equally valuable to him, and He has something for you to do, beloved young person, that no one else can do.
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Except you do it for him, and he hasn't given you a heart that can only worship him, that no other heart can take that place.
And Jesus said, if any man will come after me, you see, it's coming after him, it's having the person of Christ.
Before us.
Let him take up his cross, deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. And it has been said, dear young folks, that he is taking us down a pathway not only to serve him, but he's taking us where?
To show us his cross.
And I know the cross represents separation from the world here. And it's our cross, it's my cross, it's your cross if you're a believer. But we're to take it up daily as something that we need to remember that we do not belong to this world. We are not our own. We are bought with a price. And the cross that we may be carrying in a spiritual sense reminds us of the cross that he suffered and bled and died on.
And I assure you, if you wake up in the morning.
And you read the word of God and something maybe concerning the sufferings of your savior.
And you get down on your knees, and you say, Lord Jesus.
I want to bear my cross in memory of what you bore for me.
It will keep your heart all of the day.
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, it says in Second Corinthians chapter 4.
Always bearing about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus taking up the cross daily. And when there is the embracing of this, of taking our cross, we remember His death. We remember how much He loved me in order to pick me up from the dregs and the pit of hell, so to speak.
He wants us to remember him and his sufferings every day.
And I know when I've been discouraged.
And I have turned to everything else to help my pain.
Or sorrow.
When I remember there was number suffering.
In this world greater than his suffering. And it was for me at such a cost.
I can only see him looking at me and saying Dave remember.
Of the cross I bore for you.
Are you willing to take his cross?
Your cross, not his, but your cross.
Paul said I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth within me.
There is something that perished when you became a Christian.
And there is something that persists.
When you became a Christian, that old man has done away. It's planted in his death, Romans chapter 6, and likewise we're planted in his resurrection.
There is something that died when you accepted Christ.
There is something that lives when you received him as your personal savior.
There is something in you now that loves to serve not only the Lord Jesus Christ, but others. And we see so many serving others in the body of Christ. It's wonderful, it's so encouraging. But that old man that died loves to be served.
And Jesus said that he came into this world not to be ministered unto, but to minister, to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. And when Peter set out on that day to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, little did he realize how full his heart would be to be able not to just serve his Lord, but others in the body of Christ later on after his ascension to the glory, after the Lord's ascension to the glory.
Could we turn now to Matthew for the last one, Chapter 11?
The third item of the threefold cord? Just something that's been precious to my own heart.
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Is.
His yoke.
Matthew Chapter 11.
Verse 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
After we found rest of conscience, we might say, in coming to Christ.
There is the second step of taking his yoke. Not our yoke, but his.
I believe Peter did that that day when he set out in the pathway to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. No, he didn't realize everything that was involved.
He couldn't see ahead to tomorrow and the next day. However the Lord did show him that he was going to take care of his household because remember Peters wifes mother became sick of a fever and so the Lord simply goes down to Peter's house to show Peter, Peter you don't have to worry about your needs being met and anyone that's serving the Lord and depending upon him.
For financial sustainment, it's the same today as it was in Peter's life's history.
And it was like when the Lord went down to Peter's house, he was showing him, I'm going to take care of all of your matters, Peter. And he healed his mother-in-law.
And she rose up, and ministered unto them.
Wonderful to see that, but Peter, I believe, stepped into a yoke with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And one of the most beautiful examples, perhaps in the Old Testament, of one taking the yoke of the Lord, is with Elijah and Elijah.
And we know that when Elijah came to where Elijah was plowing in the field.
He threw his mantle upon Elijah.
And he knew of what that mean, What that meant.
And Elijah said, follow me.
Great honor to think of him following the prophet Elijah.
He found such a tremendously attractive object in Elijah, we might say.
That he took two oxen and he slew them and.
Boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen and gave to them that were with him to eat. In other words, he got rid of everything here that would have been a hindrance, and turned it into the pathway of service.
The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, the scripture says, and the violent take it by force. Why is that? Why should that not be our case today, beloved young people, to violently deal with those things that are obstacles in our lives in following Christ?
Like Elisha did that sound. That sounds rather extreme, doesn't it?
But then we find him following Elijah so closely.
And Elijah said. Now I'm going to depart and go down from Gilgal to Bethel, and you remain here.
And he said, I will not leave thee three times over. He said I will not leave thee.
He had joined into a yoke with Elijah. He was walking with Elijah from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho, and then finally to Jordan. Through the Jordan it pop parted its its waters there because of Elijah's hand.
Simply a picture of one following Christ, making him the object, and learning the various lessons along the way. And there are lessons to be learned at Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan. Read about them. Sometimes they're so instructive.
But now, as they cross the river, Elisha says to Elijah.
Or Elijah said to Elijah. First of all, ask me what you will, and I'll give it to you.
And Elijah said, Give me a double portion of your spirit.
And he said, Thou hast asked a hard question. Nevertheless, at your word it will be so, if you shall see me when I am taken up.
In the chariot of fire.
Beloved young people, the thought is this. If Christ in the glory becomes our object, reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark. Who is the mark? It's Christ for the prize of the high galling of God in Christ Jesus. If our eye is upon him, if we're living in resurrection power, looking at Jesus as the object of our faith, of our hearts, then we will experience.
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A power, a deliverance.
Like we've never had before. And we read the story about Elisha. He did see Elijah go up.
And He was endowed with power.
He went back across the Jordan and the waters parted. That's the only way we can live in this world, is by having Christ as that object as well as the example for us. As we said earlier, He is our example who left us, this example that we should follow in His steps, who did no sin.
Neither was Nile found in his mouth. Who, when it was reviled, reviled not again, who. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him who judgeth righteously. Oh, what a spirit to have, But it can only be had by having Christ as that object and stepping into the yoke with him. A yoke is not which holds 2 animals together in check. They're joined together. We've seen the yoke. My brother had one hanging on the wall, A yoke for oxen.
That was used for two oxen plowing many years ago.
And it was used in training, oftentimes the younger.
Of the animals.
And it was like when you put a young animal in that yoke, it was taking the yoke of the older, more mature and experienced animal.
When we take his yoke, yes #1 #1.
We must have a broken will.
The yoke is to bring us into that subjection to him.
That one who is everything, The one who is the object of our hearts. The one who is the patient, spotless. One who our hearts in meekness, trained to bear thy yoke and learn of thee that we might rest, obtain. And that's exactly what happens when there is a broken will. And perhaps if there's a struggle in your life about a problem, about a relationship, about other things that trouble you in your home or in your assembly.
Or things that you see that the brethren doing you do not understand. I've been through some of those things. Dear young people, when there is a chafing against the will of God in your life because of your will or my will, there is unrest. If any man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine. John 717 But we must be willing, And Peter had a lot of lessons to learn, and many times he made a mistake. But he was willing to be adjusted. He was willing to be corrected.
And many times he would say something like this. Well, at least he said this once. Well, Lord, thou shalt not surely die when the Lord was talking about his death. And Jesus had to correct him by saying, Get thee behind me, Satan.
Satan was using Peter as a mouthpiece to speak against the necessity of his death to bring in redemption for him and for us, and the glorification of God in all this.
Peter was saying spare the flesh. The cross of Christ comes to us and says we must be crucified with him.
Reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, as our brother Doug mentioned this morning, It's only through death that there is an escape from the master of sin. And you by you saying, and by me saying, I have died with thee, Lord Jesus, to that sin, and to that idolatry in my life that has displeased thee, and to my own will, and I accept thy will.
As the only will that should instruct and guide in my life.
And we learn as we walk with Jesus how meek and lowly he is.
Meekness is showing no resentment. When you're put down, were you put down on the basketball court guys or on the?
Volleyball court at all? Is there someone that was put down?
Well, it's showing no resentment when you're put down. That's meekness.
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Loneliness is taking the low place to Jesus. Yes, he did. He was the meek and lowly one. And when you take the low place and you're on the volleyball court and somebody does put you down, doesn't hurt.
And the Lord Jesus took the lowest place. He went all the way down. Man pushed him down, but he was willing to go down. And he humbled himself unto death, even the death of the cross. And how badly did they put him down, beloved? They spit in his face. Have you ever been spit upon?
Maybe somebody's put you down or made some snide remark about you, but have they ever spit upon you? And if so, how did you feel when they did that?
Have you ever been crowned with thorns?
There are those that heroically take the cross, you know, and they may have nails pounded through their hands, and we've heard of such experiences like that.
But none of us could take his cross.
We need to take it daily and we need to take his yoke daily as well. It's not something that we do as a one time kind of an experience and I'm sure Peter found that out that he must step into the oak every morning of his life. Do you just like the little animals or the the mature animals than the younger animal that are waiting for the yoke in the morning it's put upon the little one and out to the field he goes to be trained by a mature, experienced 1.
It's going to teach him some lessons that day.
And at the start it looks like there's a lot of struggling and chafing going on and resistance to the will of the older one, and sometimes it's that way with our lives when we're young.
But if you go down to the field in a month or two, you'll find that little one beginning to walk along with the older animal, with his master, may we say, And that little animal, the younger animal, finds rest.
To its soul by just.
Obeying the will, so to speak, of the older one and the lessons that needed to be learned.
Many of you know.
Or knew John Harkins.
Dear brother was here at camp, I think several times.
And I was given a little story just yesterday and I would just like to relate it to you as a young brother who I believe.
Set out in his life to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe he had heard these words, and some of you follow me, and some of you know the testimony that was exemplified for his Lord in his life.
He is with Christ now, but he left behind a tremendously powerful testimony.
That should speak to all of our hearts as to what we should do with our lives. When we're young, we don't have to wait till we're we're old and you. Many times we said, and I've said it too, when I was young, well, when I get older, when I get older, all enter into those things.
No, it doesn't happen that way. And sometimes, as our brother Doug intimated this morning, God will have his way with us. And oftentimes when we don't step into those privileges, and I look at Christianity in following Christ much different than I used to. I look at it as a privilege.
To follow Jesus in some little way.
And to be in a little corner for him, and that's where Jim was up in Gresham.
Serving his Lord and he was employed by a master, a supervisor who was not very kind, and as a result there were many who were employed for a while and then they left because they could not stand or take the abusiveness of the supervisor.
But Jim stuck it out. He felt that the Lord wanted him there. He had given him that form of employment in that particular place. And no matter if he had a a kind boss or an unkind boss, one who received the gospel or who didn't, he wanted to stay there.
And he was praying for that man that he might be saved.
Well, we know John's death came unexpectedly.
You say. Well, why?
We don't know why.
However, there are some hints as to why maybe.
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And we should pray for these things, that the Lord will now begin to work in the supervisors life, because this dear man had a problem.
Of course he had a soul problem, but he had a physical problem, and Jim knew it.
And used to go home and tell his parents, as I understand the story about the problem. And when Jim passed away, his parents went down to speak to his supervisor.
It gave him the gospel. Perhaps he was in the field, out in the field somewhere, and they found it where he was. And they said to him, we have something for you.
And he said, well, what's what's that? Well, we know that from what Jim told us, you have a a bone problem and you need bone chips in order to take care of that problem in your life, to meet your physical needs.
I don't know all that's involved. All I know that this man who was hardened.
And of course, not very humble.
Had never been seen to cry before any employees.
Turned away with tears streaming down his face.
That someone would think of him.
To the extent that they would want to give.
In that form, after Jim had passed away, his parents wanted to bring in the face of the way he treated Jim.
Returning good for evil. That's what Jesus did. He was in the yoke with the Lord Jesus Christ, and he wanted his boss to come into the family, no matter what suffering or reproach he must take.
He wanted his boss and of course, his parents saw to it that his wish and desire was fulfilled.
I don't know any more than that.
The man was heartbroken to think that somebody would think of him like that, and he spoke of Jim. What a testimony he had.
Shall we pray for him? I think we should, but we should pray for ourselves.
We don't know how long we have here in this world, beloved friends.
If tomorrow was the last day that we would be on this earth, would we be able to say, I have followed Jesus, I have taken up the cross, I have made His word preeminent in my life. I have taken His yoke upon me.
I believe Jim.
Could have said that.
Is there anything better in this life?
Now shall we print?