Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Like to turn first of all, brethren, to Ephesians chapter one, the seventh verse, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, or any of the bounded toward us, in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will.
According to his good pleasure which he have purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him.
This last verse that I have read has often been spoken of as the key verse to the whole Bible.
Because God has two distinct purposes of blessing. He has a purpose of blessing for an earthly people, and He has a purpose of blessing for a heavenly people by grace. You and I who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior belong to the heavenly company. We are part of that church which He purchased with His own blood, and we know that God gave a testimony to Israel.
He called Abraham out, and he chose that particular nation.
He chose a city which was to be His Center for those earthly people, but the enemy was constantly at work to hinder the enjoyment of the blessing that God had purposed. Satan can never rob us of what is ours through the work that the Lord Jesus accomplished, but what He can do is rob us of the enjoyment of it, brethren, and that's His great attempt is to rob us of the enjoyment of our portion isn't a wonderful thing.
To know that God has delayed in the sons of man tells us that when the foundations were of the earth were laid, his delights were with the sons of man. Well might we sing in a little hymn. And couldst thou be delighted with creatures such as we, who, when we saw thee, took thee and nailed thee to a tree? Unfathomable wonder and mystery divine.
The voice that speaks in Thunder, says Sinner.
I am thine and I want to say to every believer in this room that God is for you.
He's not against you if God before us, who can be against us? The Sinner thinks that God is against him, but when he learns what God has done for his blessing, he finds that God is for him. Have sometimes said God looked down after sin entered and said, you've spoiled this earth that I made for your happiness and blessing. But I love you so much that I'm going to invite you to a place that you can't spoil and I'm going to pay the.
So you can be there. That's the God whom we know, the God who has been fully revealed in the person of his beloved Son. And I believe that we need to have this before us because the enemy is constantly at work to try and hinder our enjoyment. He did that with Israel, and we see that when God, by his power, he first redeemed them.
Was brought before us about the Passover lamb. The blood sprinkled on their lentil and side posts and preserved them from judgment.
But not only did God preserve them from judgment, He led them out of Egypt, and he brought them in to that land where he was going to bless them, and that land which in a coming day is to be the center of all His earthly purposes. Jerusalem is the city of the great king. No wonder things are moving in that direction today, because God has purposes in connection with His earthly people.
But the enemy was at work.
Robbed them of that which was assured to them in those eternal counsels of God and through the purposes of Christ and through the work of Christ, I should say. And so we find that he did everything he could to try and hinder Israel. After God had brought them into the land, they departed from him. God chose a Center for them to gather where they could enjoy His presence. He told them.
When they were coming to the land, they should come there with their basket of firstfruits and rejoice before the Lord their God in the good land that He had given to them. But the enemy came in first of all. He got them to depart in their hearts from the Lord. And then we see how He made a great division among them, and their 10 tribes separated from the two.
It doesn't. It didn't change God's center and God didn't preserve a remnant in Jerusalem because.
The two tribes were better than the 10. He distinctly said that he would preserve a light in Jerusalem for his servant David's sake, whom he had chosen.
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The ones who remained in Jerusalem could never boast and say, well, we were the faithful ones because it was because of the departure that had come in that God allowed this division to take place. And they were actually no better than the others. But it was the sovereign goodness and grace of God that had given them the promise of blessing.
Well, the enemy tried to even spoil that company, those two tribes that remained in Jerusalem.
And it wasn't long in the governmental ways of God that they were carried into captivity, carried into Babylon. Babylon means confusion. The two tribes were there, as well as the other ten who were scattered in Assyria. And so they were scattered from that center that God had chosen for them, the city where he had placed his name. But in his faithfulness he gathered back a remnant. And you find that.
Brought before us in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah. Also the prophesying of the prophets.
Haggai and Zechariah, they encouraged them in connection with their going back and I just like to read in Nehemiah Nehemiah chapter.
Chapter 8.
First Verse. And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the Watergate, and they spake unto Ezra the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. The fifth Verse. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
The eighth verse so they read in the book of the law of God.
Distinctly and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto them, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God. More not nor weep for all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
And he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them, for whom nothing is prepared.
For this day is holy unto our Lord, neither be sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites steel is still all the people saying, hold your peace. For the day is holy, neither be grieved.
Now in the book of the law was read to them, they realized how they hadn't responded to God's claims, and their hearts were indeed sad. And brethren, if we were to think of how we have failed, how God's people have failed as a testimony, we'd all be weeping too.
Because if it grieves us, how much more it grieves the heart of God, Lord Jesus.
Wants the blessing of His people. He desired the blessing of Israel. He brought them into that good land. He wanted them to enjoy that good land that He had given to them. But failure had come in and they mourned. But in His faithfulness, God had brought back a testimony and gathered them back into that land, back into the center. And it's very beautiful to see the order in which things took place when they came back.
The first thing they did was to build the altar, Second thing they did was to build a house, and the last thing to build a wall. No, that's very interesting. Why did they build the altar first? Oh brethren, we need to give the Lord Jesus the first place in it in our hearts. There's nothing going to be right unless he has first place that in all things He might have the preeminence. And so they built the altar. And why did they build it? It says they built it to offer.
Sacrifices, but also for fear of the people. That wasn't that a strange protection to think building the altar would be the first thing they do. Why not build a wall first? Oh brethren, the Lord is our safety, our security. If we give Him his place, we can count on Him. Well then they they built the temple, the place where they could gather according to His word and worship Him.
And surely isn't it our delight too, and His delight too, to have the response of our hearts in praise and worship? He had a Center for His people all. Her failure hadn't changed the fact that was the city that God had chosen. There's only a small part of two tribes that had come back. But it's very lovely to see that when there was two, those two tribes came back.
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You read in the 8th chapter of Ezra they offered 12 bullets for all Israel.
God, lovely.
God would always have us to see the Church of God on earth as one. There may only be a few that give testimony to it, but we must never never forget the Church of God is one. Israel were represented as one nation. God didn't choose another center. They had made another center but.
There was just one center that God had, and here He gathered this little remnant back who came back to this center that He had. Well, they could have been all cast down and depressed, only a small portion out of two tribes there. We feel like weeping sometimes too, and we see the scattering and dividing that has come in among the people of God. But why did He say, don't weep, rejoice?
Why? Because the Lord.
Found his delight in a few that responded to his desires for His people. That's the force of that expression. The joy of the Lord is your strength, the joy of the Lord. Sometimes we take that verse as meaning our joy in the Lord, but it's His joy in US. Sometimes they use a little illustration just to make that thought clear.
Supposing that your friends had asked you over to their home for the evening to enjoy a happy evening together.
And it turns out to be very bad weather and awfully stormy. And you look at one another and say, well, you think we should go. Tonight is such bad weather. And then while you're talking, the phone rings. And they're on the phone. And they say, please come. Don't let the weather, India. You don't know how much we're looking forward to you being there. We really have planned a happy evening. We'll miss you if you're not there.
That gives you a fresh spirit, doesn't it? And your goal? Because you're going to give joy to those people. They want you, brethren. The Lord wants us around himself. The Lord wants us. He wanted his people, Israel. They might well weep if they looked at the condition. And they were no better because they hadn't responded like they should either. It wasn't judging somebody else, it was themselves.
Brethren, the joy of the Lord is your strength.
How are we going to have strength to go on in an evil day as we give the Lord Jesus his rightful place and realize that he found more joy than we did, and a few of us being gathered around Him as members of His body with that one loaf that told us that there is one body. And so he found his joy, greater joy. Many of us found real joy. He found greater joy.
Oh how to What a lovely thing to see this company.
Rejoice, and we have a right to rejoice too, even in difficult times. Well, we know that Israel failed in their testimony, and they had to be as I said.
They were brought back, but oh how feebly they responded to the Lord's claims. But God into goodness preserved that testimony until the Lord Jesus was born.
His first, his first coming, shall I say, coming into this world. He came and was born in Bethlehem's Manger. And there were only a very few that we're looking for him. It's interesting to read those names, Elizabeth and Anna, Mary Simeon. And what do you think of these names that I'm sure they weren't considered very important in the land of Israel at that time?
But all they, they were looking for the Messiah and they valued his presence. They valued the center that he had established. And so that's where they came. Well, the Lord Jesus came and he, he was their joy. He was rejected. And we know that in the coming day, that precious Savior that we read about in Ephesians one and 10, he's going to gather together in one.
In heaven and in earth.
God is going to gather back his earthly people and I'd just like to read in the.
Prophet Ezekiel.
37th chapter.
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This is Speaking of a future day for Israel.
The 11Th verse Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones of the whole House of Israel, behold, they say, our bones are dried, our hope is lost, we are cut off from our parts. Therefore prophecy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves, O my people.
And brought you up out of your graves.
Then the 16th verse. Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it for Judah, for the children of Israel his companions. Then take another stick, and write upon it for Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the House of Israel his companions, And join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in thine hand.
When the children of thy people shall speak unto these, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?
Say unto them Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph.
Which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel, his companions as the 10 tribes, And I will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah as the two tribes, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in thine hand.
And the stakes were on our rightest shall be in thine hand before their eyes, and say unto them, Thus sayeth the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whether they have gone, and gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, And one king shall be king to them all, and they shall.
They shall no more the two nations, neither shall they divided.
Divided into two kingdoms anymore at all? Well, this is a lovely future to look forward.
They're just a valley of dry bones. There didn't seem to be much hope, but God is going to bring that nation back and bring them in repentance, recognizing that they rejected their Messiah and He was going to fulfill His purposes, brethren, and He's going to bless them. He's going to make them one because it was His purpose.
When the table was made in the Tabernacle, there were 12 loaves.
And they were placed upon the table, and those 12 loaves represented the whole 12 tribes.
This morning we had one, one love, because in Christianity there's one body, but God had these purposes for Israel. They failed. They broke down a little ram that was preserved in the goodness of God. But we look on to the day when that is going to be fulfilled, which God has said that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He'll gather together in one.
All things in heaven and in earth, God is going to fulfill His purpose in blessing to Israel.
But now, in connection with the church, we know that. Let's turn over to Ephesians again.
Chapter one and here we find this purpose that God has in connection not only with earth, but he gathered together in one all things in heaven and also in earth. Well, we've spoken of the earthly God is going to fulfill his promises. He had a testimony and there were those who valued that city of the great King, the place Jerusalem is going to be the center, the joy of the whole earth.
When? In the coming day. But you and I, brethren, we belong to heaven, we're partakers of the heavenly calling, We're part of that church which He purchased with his own blood. And this is brought before us in the Epistle to the Ephesians.
What a wonderful time it was on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God came down and they were all baptized by 1 Spirit into one body. Whether they were Jews or Gentiles, all were brought into that one body. How wonderful that was was formed. At first there were only those of Israel. Then we know that the door was open to the Gentiles and they were brought in too. But there is only one.
Body and God gave a testimony in connection with that and I believe first of all we should see what the church really is. The church is the body of Christ. We have this in the prayer of the apostle here. If you notice in this first chapter.
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The 15th verse.
Ephesians 115 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the Saints.
Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding, or your heart being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints.
What is the exceeding greatness of His power to us? Word, who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when He raised him from the dead?
And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
Here's a secret that was in the heart of God.
Was never revealed until it was made known to Paul who is caught up to the 3rd heaven. We've spoken of this earthly purpose, but God has a distinct purpose for blessing in the heavenlies and we who believe the gospel we are part of that heavenly company tells us in Philippians.
Our conversation or our citizenship is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When the Thessalonians were saved, they were waiting for God's Son from heaven.
It says in Hebrews that here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Israel had a city, the city of the great king, and it's going to be blessed in the coming day. Brethren, we are heavenly people. It's very important that we realize this in connection with what the church is in this world. The idea of the church has been lost in the minds of many, and they think of an organization.
But in reality, the church is not an organization. Perhaps it could be called an Organism because.
It's composed of members of the one body, and the head is in heaven. And Pauls desire in this prayer for this was his prayer for the dear Saints at Ephesus, that they might, that the eyes of their hearts might be opened, and that they would know what was the real hope of their calling.
I believe it's so important for us, I say again, to realize that we belong to heaven. We're not here to make this world a better place. The Church's business is not to improve this world. We're called from above and heavenly men by birth, who once were but the citizens of earth. Oh, may we be brought to realize this, brethren. And on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God came down.
And as I mentioned, with my one spirit, they were baptized.
Into one body that someone has illustrated it there were be like if I had about 120 beads here and then I took a string and put it through them and I hold it up to you and now you say, well you've got a necklace now well there were about 120 individual believers, but when the Spirit of God came down those 120 were.
Added were formed together. That was the formation of the Church, the body of Christ.
Upon earth, people sometimes say, what's the head of your church? Well, there's only one head, and that is the Lord Jesus is the head of the body, the church.
Now individuals are added, the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. Very often in Christendom we hear it's sad. Well after you're saved and join the Church of your choice, but it's not our choice. The Lord Jesus said you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.
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The Church is his choice. He chose us out of this world to be part of the bride of His Son.
Oh, when you think of these wonderful councils that were in the heart of God, hidden there from ages and from generations, and then revealed after the Lord Jesus had accomplished that blessed and glorious work upon the cross. So the head of the body is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the head of the body. You don't join us when you are saved. The Lord adds you to the church and you.
One Well, when the day of Pentecost came in the second chapter of Acts, it says they were all with one accord in one place, and the Spirit of God came down and they were all baptized by 1 Spirit into one body. That was how it began. I say again, and now there's the adding taking place. How lovely it was at the beginning to see that oneness displayed. No one said that what he had was.
They had all things common. There was a wonderful display of that oneness. But the enemy didn't like that. And through the book of the Acts we see how he brought in different things. He first tried to introduce evil, and then God dealt with that. And Ananias and Sapphira were smitten dead, and he tried to get them quarreling between themselves.
And so that they would.
Fiat murmuring between the Grecians and the Hebrews.
Because they felt that some were getting a little bit more than another. But God ordered that that should be settled in a way that displayed His grace. And all through the book of the Acts, when the Gentiles were saved, there was little prejudice that didn't want to receive these Gentiles into this. But God showed that he had received them. And Peter explains how he had gone down there, and the Holy Spirit came.
As on us at the beginning, there weren't to be two distinct companies, Jews and Gentiles, sad to say, and Christendom. We have what are called national churches, but there's only one church and that is that which was formed here that we have read about. And the apostles prayer in this chapter was that they might that the eyes of their hearts might be opened and that they might know the.
That they had been brought into dear young people, do we realize the position that we have been brought into does that? Does everyone here know that when you were saved, the Holy Spirit of God united you to every other believer on the face of the earth and to Christ the head in glory? That's what the church is now. The enemy doesn't want to see a practical manifestation of this oneness, and he's going to do just like he did with.
Israel, he brought in that division, the 10 tribes and the two, he led the people in heart away from the Lord until finally God had a deal. But it didn't change the fact that they were one nation before God. And it's very beautiful to see that little remnant coming back, such a small number in comparison with the vast number in the nation, the nation offering 12 bullets for all Israel.
Even Elijah when he was bringing before the people a true God.
He took an altar of 12 Stones to recognize that the nation was one.
Well, the apostles desire in this prayer was that they might know the hope of His calling. What is Our Calling while we're waiting for God's Son from heaven? Waiting for the time, brethren, when the church will be presented a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. What a blessed hope. A few of us are here today, but if the Lord should give the shout.
All those who are his indwelled by the Spirit of God.
Be caught up, and what a day it will be when the Church is presented, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And so this power has been manifested. Christ is raised. Perhaps we could say then, that this first prayer was that they might know how richly they were blessed.
But has sometimes been said, it isn't what we know that governs our lives, isn't what we know that really molds our character. It's what we enjoy. It's what we enjoy. So there's another prayer of the apostle brought before us in the end of the third chapter.
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For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, verse fourteen, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That he would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that she being rooted and grounded in love.
May be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the bread.
And length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ to which.
Pass with knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in US, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
We could say that this prayer of the apostle was that they might enjoy what was given to them.
How are you and I enjoying what we have in Christ?
Someone has said you can be as clear as an icicle and justice as cold and we can know a lot of truth, but if it doesn't touch our hearts, why it doesn't really do us any good. Brethren, God wants us to be enjoying our portion in Christ. We might indeed mourn as we see the breakdown and failure that has come in that God is calling upon us to rejoice here.
In knowing how richly and abundantly we have been blessed. And so he said, strengthened by his Spirit in the inner man, No, there's a conflict because all the array, all the powers of the enemy are arrayed against this wonderful truth that God is, is accomplishing in this world.
And as we have in the last, which we'll look at the whole armor of God.
I've been thinking quite a little bit of that verse. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, brethren. We love all those that are Christ. There's just as much members of the body of Christ as we are. We love them all. The conflict isn't that. The conflict is that the enemy doesn't want us to be walking in the practical good and blessing of this in our souls. We wrestle not. It's the power of the enemy that seeks to hinder those who are the Lords from enjoying what their portion.
Is and this was what Paul brings before them here in the 17th verse, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. This is a practical side of things. He does dwell in the hearts of all believers. Christ in you. The hope of glory we have in Colossians, but maybe that is not practical in our lives. That is, we're not.
It isn't. We're not thinking daily that he is.
Dwelling in our hearts and we're not walking in the enjoyment of it. And then it says may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height. Many dear Christians are just satisfied to know that they're saved, that their sins are forgiven and that they're going to heaven. But God is not satisfied that we shouldn't know all that he has purpose for us.
That's supposing there's a young man, he's going to be married.
He has a beautiful home that he has particularly prepared for the bride whom he loves. He wants her to see that home that is going to be her home that she can enjoy. And he brings her there and he brings her in the front door. And when she gets inside the front door, she said, I'm satisfied. I don't want to see anything more to the house. I'm just satisfied to be inside the door.
I wonder what he would say. Oh dear, I want you to enjoy all that I've prepared for you. And so he leads her from room to room. Every room is more beautiful than the one before, and she's just filled with admiration when she sees all that has been prepared. Brethren, isn't it true that very often we stop and just say, Well, we have it expressed in a little hymn, Trembling.
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Hope for mercy. Some low place within his door, but the crown, the throne, the mansion.
Already long before and in past and distant ages.
Here we were.
All He won with us to share. He had prepared all this for us in the eternal counsels of God, and He wants us to enter into how richly we are blessed. God could not have blessed us more richly than He has. A thing that He has given to us is the very best that God Himself can give when we think of this earth and how wonderful it is.
Just think of what is ahead for us who are Christians. So he said he wants us to know the length and bread. I want to encourage all you and you dear young people, don't just be satisfied that you're saved. God wants you to enjoy your portion in Christ. Have you read your whole Bible? It's all important we find there is. Read the Bible to the people.
And he gave the sense he wanted them to understand.
The reading and God wants you and I to know what is ours. How sad it is if I got a letter when I was away from my wife and I just read the first page and I enjoyed the first page so much I sat down at I don't need to read the rest. What would you think of me?
Has written to us a letter to tell us what we were and what he has in his purposes and counsels for us. He wants us to know it all but I want you to notice here the little word and that comes at the first part of this 19th verse and to know the love of Christ now sometimes I think there's a thought that it's.
It's the love of Christ, the length and breadth and depth and height of the love of Christ. But I believe it's an.
To know the love of Christ, Let me go on with my illustration a little bit and put it this way.
Supposing when this young man has shown his bride all that he has prepared in this grand home that he has built for her, and he says, I was thinking of you and your happiness when I build it. And then when she's seen it all, he says, and I want you to know it's all been prepared in love. And he puts his arm around her. Now she knows. And it was love.
Oh, friends, the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.
You and I can see the wonders of this world traveling about. Perhaps we see some wonderful things, but how long is it going to take God to show us what our portion is?
That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his race in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Now the little hymn says, Thou hast begun to show me, Lord, but what shall be the ending?
I've touched the fringe of what thou art and this is joy transcending. I'm only on the rippling shore, loves ocean depths are all before.
The enemy wants to get us down, brethren. He wants to get us depressed. He wants to get us sad. You can understand, perhaps, what Nehemiah meant when he said that they shouldn't be sad. They should be rejoicing. It isn't that we don't feel things. We do feel things. If we have the heart of Christ at all, We feel things. But, brethren, let's not allow all the difficulties that the enemy has succeeded in bringing in to rob us of our joy in the Lord.
I really believe that what the enemy is doing is getting us occupied with all these things that are going on in order to keep us from two things, from enjoying our portion in Christ and to hinder in the outreach to sinners because we're not happy, we're not telling others of His love. It's when our own hearts are overflowing with His love that we want to go and tell others of these wonderful things.
So the second prayer was that they should enjoy it.
By saying now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. We sometimes think of this in connection with answered prayer. Well, that's very lovely too. But I believe, brethren, it's a little deeper thought than that. He does more than we can ask her if they can answer to our prayers. But if God had come to any one of us sitting in this room and said, I'd like to bless you.
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Tell me.
How you, how you would like me to bless you? Well, a lot of us can think of some things that we'd ask for and things that we really would like the Lord to do for us. Would any of us ever have thought of be asking to be part of His bride, to share that place of glory with Him and to be in the enjoyment of it? In a land where there's no sickness, no sorrow, no crying or pain? Would we have asked for that? Would we have even thought about it?
He has purposed that and He's able to do it. We purpose things and we're not able to do it, but He's able to do it. So what does He do? He just breaks out in praise unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus. How can we sit here in His presence and think of this?
And not be just rejoicing in what He has done for us.
Well, brethren, the enemy is at work, we find in the 4th chapter.
Paul was in prison in the first verse. He said, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as you are called.
In one hope of your calling, here we in the 4th chapter. He begins with exhortations. There is one body, that's a fact. We have nothing to do with that. We can't change it. It's true. Every believer on the face of the earth.
When he accepts, the Lord Jesus as Savior becomes part of that one body.
He becomes part of it by receiving Christ and by the indwelling of the Spirit of God.
And now he's part of that one body. But we're to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit.
We know speaking again of Israel's history, the 10 tribes, Satan succeeded in bringing in a division and God allowed it in his governmental ways because it tells us that Rioboom would like to have brought back the ones that had left. But God said, this thing is from me. We have to submit to God's hand.
Was it because the two tribes were better? I say again, brethren, He preserved a light in Jerusalem for his servant David's sake.
The prophet, I think it was Jeremiah, told them that they hadn't responded to the Lord's claims any more than the 10 tribes. It wasn't because they were better. It was the faithfulness of God. And brethren, if there is a testimony preserved to the truth of the one body on earth, let's not lift our heads and say we're better. It's the faithfulness of God that preserves such a testimony.
What a privilege to be identified with such a testimony.
To endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The enemy is at work, but isn't it blessed to know that it isn't our faithfulness, but we can count upon God. But He has marked out a path in His Word for us. He hasn't left us to our own devices. And our brother brought before us yesterday the truth of how God has ordered things and set up authority, and so on, so that such a testimony might be maintained.
For his own glory. And I was interested in what he mentioned about the three things.
The Lord's Supper, the Lords Table and the Lords Day. I thought there was a very lovely thing to think about. What is the Lord's Supper? Well, it was our privilege this morning to partake of the Lord's Supper. It was a reminder of the cost by which we have been blessed.
We as the bread was broken and we partook of it, we look back to Calvary and we thought of our precious Savior.
It says this is my body which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me. Doesn't it move your heart? Is there a young person here that knows the Lord? And your heart hasn't been touched by the Lord's desire that we should remember what He has done for us? And that cop telling us of how he bore the judgment in order that the blessing might be ours, He shed his precious blood.
The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son.
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Carving, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. That's the Lord's Supper, the precious remembrance of what he has done for us. But the 10th chapter of First Corinthians gives us the Lord's Table, the Lord's Table.
And pardon me for saying this, but I say I believe it's the truth of God that the Lord's table is only used the once, as our brother mentioned in the New Testament to show us that we cannot call anything the Lord's table. That is not an expression of the truth of the one body. The only place in New Testament where the truth of the Lord.
Lord's Table is mentioned.
The loaf on the table is the symbol of the one body, and that's why we often say we're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
On the ground of the one body. Do you think the enemy likes to see a testimony to that? Didn't he do everything he could to spoil the fact that Israel were one nation, That God wanted to bless them as one nation, He was continually against them?
He he did all he could, and he, Satan, will always will you wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world funds against spiritual wickedness in high places. The enemy doesn't want us to enjoy this precious privilege at his table, at his table.
You say, well there are many places that could be called the Lord's Table not in Scripture.
The only thing that's called the Lord's table is where there is the expression of the one body and how few Christians there are that realize that that one loaf is a testimony to that one blessed and glorious truth, that there is one body and then it says the Lord's Day. Well, I believe that's important too. This is a very special day.
The Lord's Day, we can be thankful for the liberties that we have. John was in the Isle of Patmos. He could have said, well, they don't observe the Lord's Day here because he said I'm in exile here and every day is alike here. I'm just in exile. No, every day wasn't alike to him. He was in the spirit on the Lord's Day.
Brethren, the Lord's Day is important too. May the Lord grant that we may value this day, the day that reminds us of the mighty triumph of the Lord Jesus when he rose from the dead and was seated at the right hand of God.
Yes, that's where he is now. He's up there. And do we recognize his rights and his authority and I especially today as we think of it?
We came to partake of the Lord's Supper.
I believe we came to give expression to the truth that there is one body and we did it on his day, his day.
Well, what a great privilege, desire as well. There's one more prayer in this. I just like to say in the 6th chapter, we have the whole armor of God and we need the whole armor of God. I just mentioned briefly here. We have a few minutes and I would like to say it says in the 10th verse of the 6th chapter. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that she may be able to stand against.
Wiles of the devil. For you wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand an evil day, and having done all, to stand. Now I'd like to just point out briefly these parts of the armour, the loins.
With truth.
The lawyers speak of the desires. It says gird up the loins of your mind, be sober. And so I believe the loins speak of our desire. How? How needful that we keep our desires under control, under the control of the word of God. You say, well, I'd like this and I'd like that and I'd like the other thing, but would you like something if it wasn't according to truth?
Would the new man really desire to have anything that was not according to the?
Truth of God.
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Having on the breastplate of righteousness the affections kept under control by the claims of divine righteousness. Sometimes we want like a can. He wanted something, he really wanted something, and he let his desires go out. He loved that wedge of gold, that goodly Babylonian garment, and it robbed him of the.
Blessing of the land that God had given.
The heart that desires under control feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I believe particularly this means that the Christian is a man of peace, not peace at the expense of truth. But I believe where it says preaching peace by Jesus Christ.
We go through this world, you can't enjoy the peace of God unless we're walking according to His Word. God won't give us that peace in our souls. But isn't it nice when?
Your brother comes, and you feel that when he comes, there's peace there, and there is peace bread. And if we walk in obedience to the Word, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
It's nice to meet brethren and to feel that they're just going on in peace because they're seeking to walk in obedience to the Word of God.
Then says above all, taking the shield of faith, for with you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, Now we need that shield of faith. Satan is constantly trying to put doubts in our minds.
Perhaps some real Christians even. Doubts about salvation, doubts about their pathway, doubts about the place where the Lord would have them to be. We need the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
For my own self, I find the need of this. When adverse things happen, we need the shield of faith that is confidence in God just leaves matters. God has allowed a great shaking to take place among his people. If we count upon God, we can go on. The Lord is in control, everything's in his hands.
Our only responsibility is to walk in obedience to the word of God and leave the all the rest with him. And then it says.
For an helmet, the hope of salvation, I believe that's the Lords coming. That is referred to. What are our thoughts, you say, Well, I hope sometime this will get straightened out. Our hope is the Lords coming. It may not have sometimes told a little incident about some brethren who were coming out of a care meeting in an assembly and one they had a lot of problems and one brother said to the other.
Oh brother, when is this all going to end? The brother said. At the coming of the Lord.
There will always be conflict here, brethren, but for a helmet, the hope of salvation, everything's going to be right up there. Everything's going to be explained. All the hard questions are going to be answered. Let's lift the shield of faith and have the helmet of salvation. And in the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, that is, this is our only offensive weapon. It isn't, I think.
Or a group of us think this now the offensive weapon is the word of God.
The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. How often you and I have had some thought in our minds that a brother quoted a verse of Scripture it just caught. We saw that we were wrong. And so the sword of the spirit, that's the only offensive weapon we have.
And so this was the armor and then it says, and this was the last prayer that I wanted to mention, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints business lovely. After giving us all these things, we have the two prayers of the apostle. First, that we might know how richly were blessed. Secondly, the prayer that we might be.
Women have the blessing that we have, and then conscious of how busy the enemy is, how strong he is there, but he's not as strong as the Lord. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and in the confidence in Him. We just commit the matter to him. Oh brethren, may our daily prayer be preserved. May, O God, for indeed do I put my trust. There's not one of us here.
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Can say, well, I'm going to continue in the path. If we start boasting brethren, we may be the first. I heard it with my own ears, a brother in a meeting many, many years ago and I heard him say I haven't missed a prayer meeting for 50 years unless there was a good reason and I don't intend to. And before a couple of years he was outside the assembly.
Brethren, let's not boast if we have learned these things.
Only the Lord can keep us. Let's keep our heads down. We're not better than anybody else, but His grace has picked us up, has shown us wonderful things. May we walk in the good and blessedness of them as we await the Lord's return. He only can keep us.