Address—P.R. Gladding
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May we turn to the book of Exodus.
Exodus.
We'll read just a few verses in.
Various chapters.
Because we do not get the whole story in one chapter.
Exodus begins by telling how God came down in grace to deliver and enslave people.
An exodus closes, I believe, by telling how God came down in glory to dwell amidst a redeemed people.
This morning you and I had the blessed and happy privilege of being here with the Lord in the midst. Or how precious a thought our brother reminded us of this, and how good to be reminded and to realize that the Lord is in our midst.
And now I'd like to read just a few verses in the first chapter. Verse six. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
Verse 8.
Chapter. Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
I suppose we could say that Joseph is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ and this new King a type of Satan.
And it said, And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of his children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass that when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
Therefore, they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.
And verse 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor, and they made their lives bitter with hard ******* in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field.
And now just two verses in the.
End of the second chapter, verse 23.
And it came to pass in process of time that the king of Egypt died.
And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the ******* and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the *******. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. The 5th chapter.
And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. What a very, very solemn statement this is. Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not. The Lord is the one here this afternoon.
Who would dare to say this? I know not the Lord.
Or who is the Lord?
Well, beloved, who is the Lord?
Well, He's the eternal Son of God is enough, and He's my precious Savior.
Your Savior, everyone of us here, Can you say the Lord is my Savior? Many of us can through grace, and we can thank God for it. But what a solemn thing for Pharaoh to say. Who is the Lord?
There are 7 devices of Satan expressed by Pharaoh and we look at them in the moment and I believe this is the first one.
He says, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go. Now we know from the other Scriptures and others too, that the children of Israel were in Egypt, in a very hard and difficult place, and long to be rid of it, to get out of it. And undoubtedly it was the Lord's desire to to have them out of Egypt, but fear this wicked king was holding them there. Of course, God permitted it for a purpose.
And he did not want to let the children of Israel go. They served his purpose well.
And so he wanted to retain them there, but they wanted to go. And we find, he says, he says rather, who is the Lord, that I should weigh his voice to let Israel go. I know not the Lord.
Isn't that a solemn statement? I know not the Lord.
Well, if that's the position of anyone here, friend, I'm deeply sorry for you, because if you do not know the Lord.
You are lost and you're on the road to hell.
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So how important it is to know the Lord? Do we all know the Lord?
Well, it's good to challenge our hearts in these days of uncertainty with so many.
And so we find here then, fairer question, the Lord's authority.
It's a solemn thing isn't it, to question the Lords authority?
Who is the Lord?
It's so different what the Moses said, he said. Who am I?
This sounds better, doesn't it? Who am I?
But first, and who's the Lord?
Moses takes a very humble place there. Who am I? But Pharaoh exalts himself says, Who is the Lord? I'm not interested in the Lord. Who is he?
Well, children of Israel wanted to get out of Egypt, and they said, the God of Hebrews. Hebrews hath met with us, let us go, we pray thee. 3 days journey into the desert and sacrificed unto the Lord our God.
Why 3 days journey?
We find that Elijah.
When the day's journey into the wilderness.
But he sat him down under a juniper tree and wished in himself to die.
But here the children of Israel wanted to go 3 days journey.
Into the desert. I suppose this would speak of complete separation from Egypt.
And how important that is for today, because Egypt is a type of the world as we all know. And how important it is, beloved Saints of God, for you and me to go 3 days journey out of Egypt completely separated from this evil world.
This world has rejected my precious savior. It's stained with his blood. He's been cast out. Can I have fellowship with the world that has rejected my Lord and Savior? Well, it's a very solemn thing if I do. And so the children of Israel wanted to go 3 days journey into the desert. They wanted to be completely separated from Egypt and this cruel king.
And all the ******* of Satan.
Of which he typifies, undoubtedly.
And it says in the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works get you under your burdens? And Pharaoh said, Behold the people of the land now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.
Now we find that Pharaoh tries something else. He tries to persecute the children of Israel.
And we know what persecution has done for done for some dear children of God. It has turned them aside, sad to say. And I suppose we even never know how it would affect us until we pass through that.
You know that dear brother Jiangsu who died in a prison camp. I know him so well and work with him. A dear godly man.
He was prosecuted under death. He wouldn't give in. Thank God. No. He remained firm and steadfast at the last moment. But he died in a prison camp.
He had gone, so to speak, three days journey. He was completely separated from Egypt and he was not going to submit to the designs of these wicked people. Now he loved the Lord Jesus Christ and he intended with God's grace and help, to serve him to the end and be faithful to Him. Well, here we find that the King of Egypt now tries to persecute the children of Israel.
He says they rest from their burdens.
And then in verse seven, ye shall no more give the people straw to make Breakers. Heretofore let them go and gather straw for themselves.
This seemed an impossible thing for them to do, really. I suppose they had been provided with a store after this time, but now he says they're not to have any more stall. Let them go and get it themselves.
What a cruel thing this was.
And he says, You shall no more give the people straw to make brickers heretofore. Let them go and gather straw of themselves, and the tail of the bricks which they did make heretofore you shall lay upon them, shall not diminish aught thereof, for they be idle.
Says they rest from their burdens and they be idle.
Oh, what is?
A hard master Satan is. Indeed he is. If you and I are serving Satan, we're going to find what a hard mastery is.
And is bent on dragging us down to hell. That's all we'll get for serving Satan. So what a good thing to be delivered from him and to have a new master in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So he says they be idle. Therefore they cry, saying, let us go and sacrifice to our God.
Let them more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein, and let them not regard vain words. Keep them busy. Isn't that Satans object?
To keep us busy that we have no time for God and his things.
I remember, dear brother, and you all know him. I will not mention the name, but he wrote to us in Africa and he said, you know, brother, I am so busy, I hardly have time to pray. Well, you know, he was far too busy. If you and I haven't time to pray, beloved, we'd better give up some of the service. I'm sure that's very, very important for us all to find time in the morning to be on our knees, to see grace, wisdom and guidance and help for the day.
Something I saw in Salon on the island of Salon impressed me deeply.
I saw some very, very large elephants coming down the road. There's a man in charge and he had a long bamboo pole and a spike in the end, and he spoke to these elephants in Tamil and they just lined up along a fence along the road. He gave each one just a little poke with a spear. This spike they got down on their knees.
Now, I'm not suggesting they got down on the knees to pray, but they got down on their knees.
Before they started the day's work.
If they had not been on their knees, this man could not have possibly lifted the heavy harness and placed it upon their backs. And these elephants were used for hauling logs from the forest, huge tree trunks. And they had to have the harness on their backs in order to be able to drag those logs along the road or to lift them. And so this man had trained the elephants to get on their knees first thing in the morning, to have their burdens placed upon their backs.
Well.
After the day's work, those elephants came back again the same spot and down on their knees again.
What thought I have their burdens removed now? They had finished their day's work, and now he took the heavy harness off the backs and they went to rest.
I wish I had the picture here. I have a large picture of that. It was well worth having and it was a wonderful thing to witness because it spoke to my own heart.
I thought, well, now a lesson for me there these great big elephants, you would think, oh, they have plenty of strength they need and get on their knees.
But you know, you and I are weak and helpless and we do need to get on our knees first thing in the morning to seek grace and help from the one above who alone can give it. If we do not get on our knees, beloved, in the morning and seek grace and help, how are we going to carry the burdens of the day? It's impossible. Supposing a death comes in the family or you have an accident. So call. How are we going to meet these circumstances if we haven't been on a knees? So how important?
For us, each one to be found on our knees first thing in the morning, and then these elephants lasting a night, there on the knees again to have their burdens removed. Can we not do the same? Can we not get on our knees at the end of the day and unburden our hearts to that blessed one?
And seek his grace still further for the pathway. You remember what the psalmist said in the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. And we find that the psalmist prayed three times a day. Remember when we arrived in China? I'm getting away from the chapter, but just pardon me for a moment. When we arrived in Shanghai, dear brother Willis said, brother gladly. My father and I have been used to praying three times a day. Will you join us? Said Indeed I will. I do feel the need for that.
So we met three times a day for prayer, not only to pray for ourselves, but to pray for the Saints of God in every place, and to seek grace for ourselves, for the pathway that we might be preserved and kept and helped. So how important it is, beloved, to be on our knees first thing in the morning.
Needed grace for the day and then last thing at night to unburden our hearts. We can tell that blessed One what we couldn't tell one another. We can pour out our hearts before Him.
Well, now we find here then.
Pharaoh, He puts more work upon the children of Israel. They be idle. Give them more to do.
And that's one of Satan's object today, beloved, to put work upon us and to occupy our thoughts and our hearts with anything and everything but Christ. If Satan can keep you and me busy so that we have no time to pray or to read the Word, He's gained a victory. But let us see to it, beloved, that he does not gain that victory. The only way we can be preserved from losing that victory.
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I believe is to get on our knees and seek grace and help from the Lord that He might keep us in, preserve us.
Welfare tries this out now, he says. Keep them busy, no time for God.
And then the 8th chapter.
25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, said, Go ye sacrifice to your God in the land in Egypt.
Would this be right? Indeed not.
How can you and I sacrifice to God if we're in the world?
Now the Lord sent to the woman of Samaria. They are cometh, and now is.
When the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
They couldn't sacrifice to God in that land. Wouldn't be in order, for one thing.
And they would be submitting to Ferris Compromise. And so we see he, as Moses said, it is not meat so to do. For we will sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. Lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes? And will they not stone us?
This shows the danger I believe of.
Having one foot in the world and one in the assembly, go sacrifice to your God in the land.
That's an impossibility, isn't it?
Indeed it is.
We will go three days journey into the wilderness.
Moses stands by this. He desires to do this from his heart. Three days journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he shall command us, how important that is, as he shall command us. We find King Jeroboam sacrificing in his own way, it says, in a way which he devised of his own heart.
But here we find it's as He shall command us.
You and I can only sacrifice to God in the way he has commanded, the way that he's made plain in his word for us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, but she may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, only you shall not go very far away in treat for me.
God has no time for borderland Christianity. Now I say again, beloved Saints of God, we cannot have one foot in the world and one in the assembly. It's impossible.
Someone is going to suffer. Are we going to make the Lord suffer by compromising, having one foot in the world in one in the assembly?
Well, it certainly does not do, does it? And so we find here.
He says only shall not go very far away in treat for me.
Well, Moses stands by that desire. 3 days journey into the wilderness.
And that's what we need, complete separation from the world and all its attractions.
And to be found in the presence of the Lord.
Now Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that she may sacrifice to the Lord. Your God in the wilderness only shall not go very far away.
Now the 10th chapter.
Verse 7 And fairer servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us?
Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Nurse thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed. And Moses and Aaron went, were brought again unto Pharaoh. And he said unto them, Go, Sir of the Lord your God, But who are they that shall go? Moses said, We will go with our young, and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds, where we go, for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.
And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones look to it, for evil is before you.
Now this sounded alright, perhaps on the surface, but now he seems to change his mind. Not so. Go now, ye that are men, and serve the Lord.
Well, what would this mean? They left their wives and children behind. That would mean divided affection, would it not? And isn't that Satan's object today, to divide our affection? Yes, indeed it is.
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If they left their wives and children me high end, do you not think that their hearts would be there with them and be constantly thinking of their wives and children, wondering how they're getting along? So their affection would be divided. And that's Satan's object today, beloved, to divide our affection. But we're told to set our affection on things above where Christ sitteth.
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Not on the earth, not on the things in the world. There is a danger of doing that, is the not.
But we are exalted to do just the opposite, set our affections on things above.
And so he says, Go now ye that are men.
Well, Moses couldn't agree to that. It would mean leaving their loved ones behind, and I'm sure their hearts would be and their thoughts would be centered upon their loved ones and not upon what they were going to do. And so Satan tries that today. He wants to divide your affection mine with Christ. He doesn't mind us having a little bit of a world.
But what good will it do us? It'll rob us of the joys of Christ and happy communion with Him.
Oh beloved, how we do need to be completely separated from this world. Let us remember it's crucified our precious Savior. Cast him out as worthless.
Crucified Him, spit on his face. Can we have fellowship with a world that has done this well? It's a solemn thing if we do. And now we find in the 24th verse of the same chapter.
And Pharaoh called unto Moses and said, Go ye serve the Lord only. Let your flocks in your herds be stayed. Let your little ones also go with you.
Let your flocks and your herds be stayed, tells us in the 23rd chapter. None shall appear before the Lord. Empty. They left their flocks and herds behind. What sacrifice would they have to offer to the Lord? Not any. And Satan would do the same with us if he could. He'd have us appear before the Lord on Lord's Day morning. Empty. That is no praise, no worship in our hearts, just occupied with the things that have occupied.
Hearts during the week.
Sometimes we hear this remark, and I believe it's a solemn one too, it has been said. Well, I didn't get much out of the meeting this morning.
Well, what is our object in coming? Is that to get something or to give something? On Lord's Day morning, I believe we should come to give something.
To bring our baskets full of firstfruits from praise and worship and adoration to that precious loving Savior who now adorns the throne of His Father. Is He not worthy of all our praise and worship and adoration? Indeed He is. Well, Satan would rob us of that. He would occupy our thoughts and hearts on Lords Day morning with those things we've been thinking about during the week and looking at perhaps during the week.
And so we come into the Lord's presence with nothing.
With nothing. But that's not the way. You and I need to feed upon Him during the week and then come with our baskets full, our hearts full of praise and Thanksgiving and worship to that Blessed One.
And we need material for our worship, do we not? What is the material for our worship? Isn't it Christ himself?
The presentation of Christ and God the Father, and all the wondrous value of His person and glory. Then our hearts are occupied with Him and drawn out in praise and worship and adoration.
Well, he says, you can go and leave your flocks and herds behind. That would mean he had no sacrifice to offer.
And that's a very sad state to be in, isn't it?
But we find there is no victory or deliverance for them.
Until they were sheltered by the blood.
No, no victory or deliverance. They're not delivered yet in spite of the fact they longed to be. They were still in Egypt.
And we find that the very first thing that God did when He called the children of Israel out of Egypt was to ensure their safety from judgment by sheltering them beneath the blood of the slain Lamb. That was the very first thing, was it not?
And then they were in a perfect place of safety. Well then in the next chapter, the 13th chapter, the very first verse begins with sanctify unto me all the first born. Sanctify unto me all the first born. Whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast, it is mine. This is the Old Testament type, safety and sanctification. They go together.
The children of Israel were finally sheltered by the blood of the lamb.
And then the very next thing is to sanctify under me all the first born. The Lord says they're mine.
I suppose it means to set apart for God those whom he had sheltered by blood.
They had to be separated unto Himself and is not the case with you and me. You and I have through wondrous grace have been sheltered by the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we need to be sanctified and set apart for God from base uses to the service of God.
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And what we find in the Old Testament, we certainly find in the new. We have safety and sanctification brought before us again in the New Testament.
Two very important truths, are they not? And is found in John 17, after the Lord there had declared the safety of His own. Do you remember what He said? Those whom thou hast given me, I have lost none. And then immediately following He says, Sanctify unto me. Sanctify them through thy truth. That's it, Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.
So again, we have in the New Testament safety and sanctification.
And that seems to be a very, very important principle for today, not only to be sheltered by the blood, to be set apart for God.
Remember what the apostle could say. You're not your own, you're bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are gods.
And so how important His beloved force be, not only sheltered by the blood of the Lamb, but to be set apart for God.
And see by grace to serve him and follow him.
Now in the 14th chapter we have the children of Israel.
They have that wonderful joy of seeing their enemies dead upon the seashore. Now they're delivered from their enemies. They see their enemies dead. Complete victory over their enemies.
This morning we had before us, did we not, that great and mighty V1 at Calvary. There was a great victory won here. Their enemies were dead on the seashore. Complete victory. What about the complete victory we were occupied with this morning? The victory our blessed Lord gained at Calvary by going into Death Forest? Yes. Did he not gain a wonderful victory, and brought us into a new position altogether?
A position of eternal blessing and relationship.
Through his death at Calvary. Not only through his death, but through his resurrection and ascension to glory.
It's one thing to preach the death of Christ, but let us never separate these two wonderful truths, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
How important it is to connect them, to keep them together, because you know, we read in First Corinthians 15, if Christ be not raised, you'll get in your sins. So how important it is to be constantly reminded of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not only his resurrection, but his ascension to glory. He's gone back into the Father's presence, down his. There's our great high priest to bear us up before the Father constantly.
Day and night. How precious the thought, beloved, to know that the one who was on the cross of Calvary Frost sins is now in the glory of our great High Priest.
And is there living for us, and he's soon coming for us. Well, now in the 15th chapter, we find the first song, I suppose, mentioned in Scripture. And I suppose the first and last songs in Scripture are connected with redemption. How precious it is. This song is connected with redemption. How could they sing before their enemies were completely?
Beaten before they were dead? No, they'd be afraid to sing in case the enemies came up again.
But now their enemies are dead. Now they can sing. And did not we this morning, through grace, sing together as one voice to that blessed One because of the victory he gained at Calvary, bringing us out of darkness into light from the power of Satan unto God?
Surely we should be like the Psalms, beloved, and call upon all that is within us to bless and praise His holy name.
When we realize what His love has wrought for us and what He's done for us on the cross at such a tremendous cost, we can never estimate the cost of the Lord Jesus. Go to Calvary and we cannot estimate the cost to God the Father.
To give him up for us all, and then for God to bruise him. Their solemn words, beloved, and Isaiah 53.
It pleased Jehovah to bruise him. What solemn words they are to bruise him. And if God had not bruised his beloved Son, you and I would have been bruised for all eternity. So how it should produce praise and worship and adoration on our hearts to realize that God in his mercy to us bruised his only Son, that you and I might never be bruised all how it reminds us of that solemn verse.
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13-7 Away goes sword against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow Seth, the Lord of hosts Smite. The shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. Isn't that a solemn statement?
A Waco sword against my shepherd. Who is God's shepherd? The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is his fellow, the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet that solemn statement is smite the shepherd. What was the response from the shepherd, the Good Shepherd? I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Or how wondrous and precious it is. But how solemn? Intensely so.
The thing that God had to bruise his only his holy, well beloved Son.
In order that you and I might never be bruised for our sins and iniquities.
Well now may we turn to Leviticus Chapter 11.
Leviticus 11.
From this chapter on, we find there are 7 aspects of purity. The children of Israel are called upon to observe 7 aspects of purity.
And if they were called upon to observe these aspects of purity, surely you and I should too.
We'll just read a few verses. And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which he shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth, whatsoever part of the hoop, and his cloven footed and chewed the cards among the beasts that shall he eat.
How careful God was to select the right food for His people? Is He less careful today, beloved, to select the right food for you and me as believers? What food do we need?
Do we need the periodical? Well, we can name lots of things that there is a danger of feeding upon which will never feed our souls, beloved, or how we need a feed upon the pure Word of God, the Bread of Light, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we find here then these animals with a cloven footed, and chew the card that shall he eat? I suppose chewing the card expresses the thought of inwardly digesting that which one eats.
And the cloven footed would speak of the character of ones walk. The divided hoof sets forth the character of ones walk. And these were clean beasts that they were to eat. And God was very, very careful to order this food for them because they were, they'd been sheltered by the blood of the lamb. They were his people. They were sanctified, set apart for God. Now he's going to see to it that they have the right kind of food.
And has God seen to it that we have the right kind of food? Yes, He's provided His precious word that we can feed upon day by day.
And have our souls strengthened and sustained, and that which will preserve us from all the evil around.
Now they're in the seventh verse. It speaks of a swine here.
And in the 29th verses speaks of a mouse.
Now, these are very different animals, are they not? They have different characteristics and they're so different in every respect.
Well, the swine says he is unclean to you.
And they were told in the.
The 44th verse. Neither shall he define yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Now, you and I would never think of letting a swine in our house, our home, would we? Never. Everything that the swine came into contact with, they would defile it. We know what filthy creatures they are. And we would never think of letting a swine in our homes.
But what about the little mouse?
The mouse is an unclean animal too.
But this little mouse could creep in our homes unobserved. You know, perhaps we'd never seen a little mouse come in, but it can do a lot of damage.
Caused a lot of trouble in the home. Well, we'd keep the swine out. Definitely would wouldn't, wouldn't think of letting a swine in. But we might be helpless perhaps, about the little mouse coming in. But there'd soon be the evidence present that the mouse was there and it might be very difficult to get it out.
Well, may we liken these two things to, we'll say, the swine, to big sins, some big sin, we would say, Oh, no, I wouldn't have that in my home. I wouldn't entertain that thought for a moment. Now, I want to keep that sort of thing out of my home. But what about the little mouse, the little thing that creeps in, perhaps unobserved. It can soon cause plenty of trouble and distress in the home.
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We've had mice in the home. We had rats in our bedroom too. In China, we caught three one night in a bedroom.
And not very nice things to have in your bedroom, but when you get a little mouse in, you know it could, could cause trouble. Well, should we not be on our guard to keep it out? We wouldn't let the swine in, but the mouse might come in and it can give us plenty of trouble too. So these things, all the creeping things, this is little thing that creeps upon the earth. And we know, beloved, how easy it is for things to creep into our homes, into our habits.
Into our lives. Perhaps we do not notice it at first, but we soon realize there's something wrong. And that's like the little mouse, you know, We may not see it come in, but we'll soon realize there's something wrong in the home. Or this cookie has been eaten, chewed what? Who's done this, and so on. We soon find it causes trouble. Well, maybe some little sin.
Has entered our home.
And it records plenty of trouble. And you know, it's far better if we endeavor, by God's grace, to keep the mouse out as well as the swine.
We know that.
It's very easily done to let these little things in, but they can cause lots of trouble and bring sorrow in our own lives too.
So we need to be on our guard, do we not, as to what we allow in our homes or in our lives, in our habits. And so we have in these following chapters things which will exercise us and exercise us deeply.
And now it speaks of the ninth verse, Thee shall eat of all that are in the waters, whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, and the season the rivers them shall eat.
I suppose the fin would be the enabling power to go forward and the scales would help resist the outward influences around. And beloved, how we do need the fins and the scales, do we not? We need spiritual energy to go forward in this scene which is against us, and we need to have our hearts closed against the evil outside influences that they may not come in.
Into our homes or in our hearts or how we need to be cast upon God in these days.
To be preserved from any little bit of evil which might come in our lives, our habits, our homes, and cause distress and trouble. And not only that, it would ruin our communion with our blessed Lord and rob us of the joys of Christ. We all know how easy it is to let things come in which will rob us of the joys of Christ and the enjoyment of Himself. It's so easy. And so how we need to be on our guard about this.
Well, in the 11Th chapter then they ought to have pure food.
Now in the 12Th chapter, you can read the chapters when you have time, you'll find that these things are there.
They ought to have pure bodies. That's an important thing too, isn't it, To have pure bodies?
In Romans 12, we're to present our bodies, a living sacrifice unto God, a living sacrifice our bodies. And so how important it is for us to have pure bodies.
Not defiled by the things around and then the.
The 15th chapter.
The 14th chapter rather from verse 32. They ought to have pure homes.
Oh, I say again, how we need a guard against the impure things entering our homes, which would have a withering effect upon our souls. So they were to have pure homes mentioned, the 14th chapter, the 15th chapter. They ought to have pure habits.
This is another important thing, isn't it? In some lands the people's habits are really filthy. I've seen some of the filthy habits even in the meetings in China, where you'd hardly believe it. But we don't dwell on that now. And so they ought to have pure habits in the 15th chapter.
In the 17th chapter they ought to have pure worship.
Is this an important thing for today? Indeed it is.
You remember the case in Leviticus 10 where Nate Davina Bayou offered strange, fire spurious worship to God? What happened to them? They were cut off in a moment.
Yes, God had to judge them for it, but a solemn thing offering spurious worship. A member passing a big so-called church building in England some years ago and had a huge notice outside.
Inviting the world to come in and worship with us. It says Come in and worship with us. That proved to me that they didn't know the first thing about worship, Inviting the world to worship God.
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Well, the Lord says that we can only worship the Father in spirit and in truth. And we're told in Deuteronomy not to offer our burned offerings in every place that we see, but in the place which the Lord has chosen there to offer our burnt offerings. And so here they were to have pure worship. How much spurious worship there is today around us, indeed there is, sad to say.
Does God accept it? I'm afraid not.
It will only come under his judgment.
Well, you and I this morning had the privilege, did we not, of being in the Lord's presence, in the spirit of worship, to worship God the Father and remember our blessed Lord in His death? And what a privilege he was, Beloved, do you know it could be the last?
The privilege we had this morning, beloved Saints of God, could be the last that you and I will ever have here on earth. And it's only while we're here on earth.
During the Lord's absence that we are privileged to do this be no need for it when we get home, but we had the joy and privilege this morning. How thankful we should be that we all take advantage of this privilege. The young believers here did you take advantage of the opportunity? Did you hear that voice this do Remember Me? Many of us did and thank God we had the grace and the privilege and the joy to respond.
But it's only for a little while, may soon be over.
Well, they ought to have pure worship here.
Now in the 18th chapter, they ought to have pure morals. How important that is to pure morals.
We find plenty of impure morals around us today.
But the children of Israel were instructed to have pure morals, and so are we. Why? Because we've been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. We belong to Him.
And then in the 19th chapter, they ought to have pure customs, another important thing.
I suppose one of the customs we could look at in this chapter is in the 13th verse. If we might say so. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him. The wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
This would speak of a pure custom I believe.
Now, what's the reason for all this? Well, we find it here in the 20th chapter.
The reason for all this carefulness?
Verse 24.
But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, the land that floweth with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people.
Verse 26 And ye shall be holy unto me, for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people.
That ye should be mine.
How this reminds us again of that wonderful precious statement. You are not your own. You're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God. May the Lord Beloved give us the grace to do this for the little while we left here. Maybe this perhaps will and could be the last day that you and I will be here on earth.
Well, should we not seek by God's grace and to seek to honor him by obedience and dependence and faithfulness?
Till he come, because He's coming very soon. And in a moment we'll hear the shout and be gone. We'll leave this poorer world behind forever. Oh, how grand the prospect. How thankful we should be that we have been redeemed and that we have been set apart for God. We belong to Him. The Lord Jesus bought us with his own blood. What more could he do, beloved, than that? Nothing.
Nothing less would meet our case and nothing more is necessary.
God gave his beloved Son. Christ gave his life to redeem us to God by His precious blood.
And now we brought into this wonderful position of relationship and blessing. Now we can address God as our Father. We hear so much of that today. Our Father which art in heaven. This is said like parrot fashion by thousands of people today. And you know, strictly speaking, they have no right to call God their Father at all until they are redeemed. How could I call any brother here my Father, unless I belong to his family, unless I was a member of his?
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One of his? No, I couldn't. Well, yet people are calling God their Father, and they know nothing about him. They haven't received Christ as his Savior. They're not brought into a true relationship with him. And yet they say our Father, which art in heaven. Well, thank God you and I. Through grace and grace alone, beloved, that's all it is. We can address God as our Father. Indeed we can.
And know the Lord as our Savior and rejoice in the fact that He's coming at any minute now.
The joy, how it thrills the soul to realize that we are actually on our way home. Yes, we are. Once we're on the road to hell, but now we're homeward bound, glory bound. And so only through the wondrous grace of God. Well, may the Lord preserve us from all these compromises we've seen and the these suggestions of Satan to draw us away from Christ, to occupy our thoughts and hearts with anything and everything but Him.
Keep them busy. That's His desire, beloved, and to divide our affection. And that can be done in a very short time, can it not? The moment we take our eyes off the Lord and fix our gaze upon things here, it'll soon divide our affection. Yes, our hearts will go after those things, and our feet will soon follow on. So may the Lord preserve us the little while it's left.
Oh, we do realize, do we not, that the time is short.
Yes, any minute we may hear the shout and many of us hear a longing for it, longing to hear that voice and to see Him face to face, the One who's redeemed us, saved our souls. And that's not all. He's brought us into the family of God, and we're going to spend an eternity with Him in that glory scene above. And it's his desire to have us there. It was not our desire by nature to be near to God and be with Christ. No, we.
As far away as we could, but now he's brought us nigh through his precious blood, where his children, the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, and we are homeward bound. Well may the Lord keep us then while we are journeying on toward home. True and faithful to himself. And let his beloved seat by his grace to go. 3 days journey into the wilderness, complete separation from the things of earth.
Complete separation.
I'm sure that's the only way that you and I can be perfectly happy in the Lord's presence to be completely separated from this evil world and all its defiling influences. They're all around us. Let us not get them into our homes like that little mouse, or let us keep them out, beloved. Or how we need to set a guard against our a door of our heart that we may not let things in which would grieve the Lord and defile us as His Bloodborne children.
May He preserve us till he come.