Open—J. Grinton
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We've had quite a bit before us this weekend about the place that we were.
And the place that God the Father has brought us into through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And this hymn we sang. Father, thy sovereign love is sought us captives to sin gone far from thee.
The work that thine own Son hath wrought has brought us back in peace and free.
And now, his sons before thy face, with joyful steps the path we trade, which leads us on to that blessed place prepared for us by Christ our head.
What a pitcher. Our brother has shown us just now of what's to come, but presently we are here in this world.
And this world, most surely, is a difficult, possibly even frightening place to be.
And what came before me?
In our readings in Stellerton recently in Judges.
Was two little words.
Well, I suppose it's three. Faint but pursuing. Faint but pursuing.
And I've had that on my heart ever since we read it. And you know, we've just read a verse in Romans 6.
But I had not been thinking about but.
It says.
In verse 4.
Even so, we also should walk in newness of life.
And I was considering once again what I had been taken out of and brought into.
And we had read in Colossians.
As well, in the reading meeting we had taken that portion up.
And I noticed over in chapter 3.
And verse nine, it said.
That you have put off the old man and his deeds, verse 10 and have put on the new man.
And have put on the Newman.
Josh and I were talking just a few moments ago before this meeting. He's got a nice new Bible and it's got some special things in it that.
Make some of these words a little bit more clear and I had not noticed it before, though considered to put on the Newman is something that you do one time, you do it one time, you never take it off and you carry that your entire life as a believer in Christ. You put on the new man, you put on Christ. Look in Mark Chapter 9 just for a moment, you see.
The blind man in Mark Chapter 9.
Well, maybe it's not Mark Chapter 9. Mark chapter 10.
Mark, Chapter 10.
Verse 46 And they came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
And many charged him that he should hold his peace, but he cried the more a great deal. Thou, son of David, have mercy on me.
And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, Rise, he calleth thee.
And he, casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
I like this little story. I made a note here years ago.
I'm not very good at taking notes, but I marked here that garment.
Is equal to or is a picture of character.
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Garment is a pitcher of character.
Blind Bartimaeus took his garment, and he cast it away, that old man.
And then if you look at the end of verse 52, it says he followed Jesus in the way.
He put on a new garment, He put on the new man. He took on Christ as his character.
Probably everybody knows how much I like the verse and the end of Second Timothy by now, as I probably say it every time I get an opportunity.
So I should be able to quote it, right? Second Timothy.
Chapter 4 and verse 22 it says the Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit.
Or thy attitude, that you and I might have the character, the attitude of Christ in everything we do.
In this life, while we are here, in the way that we conduct ourselves, the way we behave ourselves, the way that we care for one another, the way that we love one another. Our brother got up and he mentioned something that has been going over and over in my head for days and I'm so thankful to my wife that she found it for me last night. But he mentioned in his comment a discordant sound.
A discordant sound, and if you look in hymn #208 in the little flock.
It says very simply.
In verse three no stain within no foes or snares around, no jarring note shall their discordant sound all pure without all pure within the breast no thorns de wound no toil to mar our rest no discordant sound. And you know many know recently that I've been.
Extremely caught up with the church.
And the one body of Christ. And I have very much enjoyed thoughts that I had of Joseph.
And his coat of many colors, and the pieces it says in the margin that were used to make up his coat.
And when I think of you and I taking on the characteristics of Christ.
Having an opportunity to have the attitude of Christ.
Being brought into something that is so immense that we almost can't bear to even understand it, It's overwhelming for me to think about.
Being an individual, a member in particular, making up something so much greater at the power and the force of God to move it, the head Christ.
And so I think of you and I.
Individuals, the responsibility we have in that to one another before God and Christ the Lord Jesus. And I wonder if it's OK to ask you how serious you are about that responsibility.
How serious are you about it? What does it mean to you? Or are you more interested in yourself?
And the individual that you are.
You know, I think of this discordant sound and we won't go to all these portions, but if you look in in Judges when Gideon was there, Chapter 7 and Chapter 8, you know, I'm going to have to turn to it. I'm sorry.
Just a small example here.
He gave instruction.
In verse 16 of Chapter 7, he divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pictures and lamps within the pictures. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that as I do so shall ye do, as I do so shall ye do. I have left an example.
That you should follow in my steps.
When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.
And you know, if you read further, you see that they followed the instruction.
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To the letter.
And you see there was great result.
Great result. There was victory.
The Lord delivered them.
And he is here today to deliver you and I from all the things in this.
In this world.
And to keep us and to help us. But we have a responsibility and we have a part as individuals that make up the greater whole, the body of Christ.
You know, I had this picture. I'm not going to go into that whole part that I enjoy so much, but I had this vivid picture in my head that goes along with the one of Joseph pulling this coat on over his head and the head coming out wherever the head went, the coat.
It goes everywhere with Joseph.
It's the same picture of you and I following after Christ, the head going exactly where he wants us to go. But I had this picture.
Of all those pieces that made-up the code.
And maybe you could think that as they were.
Interwoven knit together to make up the whole coat. Maybe you could just take a piece?
And you could grab it and you could rip it out, but that wouldn't happen. It's sewn together. And when you grab a piece of somebody's coat, more goes with it.
And here comes the discordant sound.
If any of those ones back in Judges 7.
Had gone against the instruction that was given.
If maybe possibly.
They used a different instrument.
Maybe they shouted instead of blowing the trumpet.
They would be going in a different direction than the one that was laid out for them.
You can read the story of Jericho in the Walls as it came down and what they had to do as they marched around that city. The instruction was very clear.
And as you remember, they followed it once again to AT.
They had victory.
And were delivered.
Had they not had somebody?
Or persons gone against the instruction in a different direction.
It would have been chaos.
Most likely failure.
And so I point this out because I wonder when I looked up the word discord.
And it said.
As far as music went.
You know, and something's out of harmony or possibly when one or two have a disagreement and don't get along.
Dear ones, we don't have that opportunity. There's nowhere in God's Word that there is instruction for you or me to give a discordant sound.
In the body of Christ, these dear ones that were with Gideon were faint, yet pursuing.
Our responsibility.
Is to follow the instruction that He has given in His word. Everybody here has one.
Do you dig into it? Do you find out what your course is? Or do you listen to your heart?
Do you listen to what your brain tells you and you think you've got it figured out?
Do you look at one another and discern that you have to go take care of a problem, and so you take it upon yourself to do it?
Do you look at the outside world and you see what man's systems are like?
What Satan is offering.
And you think it'd be nice to bring that in amongst those that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the body of Christ?
That is all a discordant sound, and it has no place in the direction in the instruction book that he has left for us.
What he wants for us that are faint and pursuing is to encourage each other.
He wants us to take up his word like we have been in Colossians.
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He wants us to listen in the meetings to the instruction so that when we leave here.
We don't walk out the door and somehow peel off the Newman and go about our daily lives for the next 5 days or six days until the next Lord's Day. He wants us to bear it, He wants us to keep it, and he wants us to walk in a way.
That is pleasing to him.
And we need each other.
Do that.
Sure, we came to Him as individuals. Sure, He saved us, washed our sins away. Sure.
We have responsibility before Him as individuals, but if each one of us as an individual is doing that thing with which He has given us to do, that part that we know in our heart belongs to Him, being filled up with Christ, having the attitude and the character of Him.
That body is going to move in the exact direction that he intended and wants it to.
And so I really challenge each and everyone of us. We all have mirrors.
Have a look in it, be honest with yourself.
Is there a discordant sound because of you?
Is there something?
In your life that is hindering your enjoyment of the Lord and therefore.
Affecting all those that are around you.
If you are full of Christ.
If you have the character of him.
If you have the attitude of him.
Everybody with you, you go along together, following after him.
We see that one that led here was Gideon, but I believe he is a pitcher.
We see that one in Joshua, but I believe is a pitcher.
I even feel I see it as brother Mark brought it out yesterday in First Samuel 30 which was maybe possibly something for later but.
You know when he came back.
We better back up. When he went after the Amalekites, he went to the Lord and he asked for direction and the Lord said pursue. He said pursue. And so he did and he recovered. He recovered. It says he recovered all, but he recovered and they came back and there were those there that were faint that needed to be encouraged.
I don't know how many it says those would be loyal.
But to me, it's those that were not taken up with God.
And you know, there are one or two possibly that said, oh, we're not going to share with them.
They weren't a part of the battle.
But they are a part of the battle and they were in that day and you are today and so am I. And there are ones left at home even that we can consider at this point, but maybe even here in the room that need to be shared with that maybe need an arm.
Maybe need some special care.
And David made sure of it in that day. And you and I.
Have the responsibility to make sure that everybody has that today.
We have to go along together.
Following after him sure there are certain uncertain.
There are certain things that come up that have to be dealt with at times.
But we deal with them through the love of God and through His instruction book.
We don't take it upon ourselves to make a discordant sound about it. The Lord would have us to be in harmony.
Flowing in the way that He is laid out before us. And dear ones, He has made it so clear.
I trust that we can consider that there's a couple of verses in.
First Samuel.
Chapter 13.
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Samuel was speaking to them here, but all the wickedness they had done.
Don't really want to bring that part up as much as it is here.
Going to read around it in verse 20, Samuel said unto the people, fear not.
A little further down it says, Yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.
And turn ye not aside, for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.
I think that connects well with that portion that we had in Colossians. For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great namesake, because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.
Moreover, As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you, but I will teach you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things He hath done for you.
I can only think of all that we have had before us in the Lord Jesus yesterday and today, what great things He had done for you and for me.
There's a little song I wish I could think of, the words We sang it at the kitchen table not that long ago. But something to the effect of why would he save me? Why would he love me? And if you knew everything about me and my past, you might look at me and say, yeah, why would he save you?
Why would he love you?
But you know he does, and I'm so thankful for it. It means so much to me. What does it mean to you?
Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart. Be true to yourself as well. Look in that mirror and ask yourself that question.
Am I real?
First, John.
Chapter 3.
Verse 28.
First John two and verse 28.
And now little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Just consider that verse for what it says.
He loves us so much as his little children.
He's put that banner of love over each one of us.
Sure, he's promised us a place with him.
In eternity, forever. And it will be glorious, I can assure you. I don't even grasp the whole concept of it, how great it will be. But I believe that He has given us such an opportunity here in this lifetime to abide in Him, to shine for Him, to encourage each one.
Faint, but pursuing to take another step every day.
And I just want to encourage us each one today, that whatever we do together, let us do it. To build each other up, let us do it.
To stir each other up, to go on in the way that He's laid out before us and let us comfort one another that is coming draweth nigh.
I trust that this might be something that works in the souls, the hearts of each one of us, as we see so many difficulties that seem to pop up amongst us. And I'm certain if we looked at them really, really closely and in simplicity, we could see that their discordant sounds and they're just caused by.
The simplest of things.
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That really don't add up to very much. Maybe our own hearts, our own desires.
Whatever they might be.
I just remind you that our own hearts and desires aren't written in here. This is God's instruction book for you and I and how we can walk to please Him until He comes. Let's find the answers in His Word, let's dig into it, and let's do it together.
Let's do it together so that when he moves, we move. We don't go to the left, we don't go to the right, we go in the direction that he intended all the way along.
Can we sing?