Open—H. Brinkmann, C. Little, C. Hendricks
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Let's turn to Genesis.
Genesis 26.
We have things in this chapter that I believe fit in with some of the things that came before us in the reading.
That brought this chapter to my mind.
We read from verse one. And there was a famine in the land beside the first famine, that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech, king of the Philistines, unto Giraffe. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt, dwell in the land, which I shall tell thee of sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee.
And will bless thee for unto thee, and unto thy seed I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swear unto Abraham thy father. I will make thy seat to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries, And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge.
My commandments, my statues and my laws, and Isaac dwelt in Guerra, and the men of the place asked him of his wife, and he said she is my sister, for he feared to say she is my wife.
Lest said he, The men of the place should kill me.
For Rebecca, because she was fair to look upon, came to pass when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines, looked out of the window and saw, and behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebecca his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac and said, Behold, for surety she is thy wife.
And House said Thou she is my sister.
Isaac said unto him, Because I said, lest I die for her. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto US1 Of the people might likely have lain with thy wife, and thou shouldst have brought guiltiness upon us. And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, he that touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
Then Isaac sowed in that land and received the same year.
And hundred Pole The Lord blessed him, and the man worked great, and went forward and grew until he became very great. For he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds, and great store of servants. And the Philistines envied him for all the wealth which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father.
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The Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us, for thou art much mightier than we. Isaac departed then, and pitched his tin in the valley of Gira, and dwelt there. Isaac dicked again, dwelt for water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham.
And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac's servant sticked in the valley and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Ira did strive with Isaac's herdman, saying the water is ours. He called the name of the world Isaac, because they stroke with him, and he dicked another well and stroke for that also.
And he called the name of it Sitna.
And he removed from dense, and digged another well, and for that they strove not. And he called the name of it we hope for. And he said, For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. And he went up some dense to Gershiba. And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father Fear.
Not.
For I am with thee, I will bless thee and multiply thy sea. For my servant Abraham's sake. And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there, And their Isaac servants stick a well.
And Abimelech went to him from Guerra and Ahusa, one of his friends in.
Hildegard, the chief captain of the army, Isaac, said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? And they said, We thought certainly that the Lord was with thee. And we said, let there be.
Now an oath between betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee.
That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace. Thou art now the blessed of the Lord.
We know that Isaac in.
Chapter 22 is a picture of the Lord Jesus.
Who?
Died for us.
And then we have in chapter 23 that Isaac's mother died. That's the setting aside of Israel. And in chapter 24 we have the call of the bride. Israel has to be set aside before the bride can be brought to Isaac. A beautiful picture of Christ in the church. But here in this chapter, Isaac is not a picture of the Lord Jesus.
Why he denies his.
Wife. He does the same thing that his father had done.
She's my sister.
You know, sometimes.
We fathers teach our children bad things, and perhaps they act worse than we do because Abraham did marry his half sister, but that was not the case with Isaac.
But.
We can see that Isaac is not in the best spiritual state.
And he dwelt among the Philistines.
And the Lord tells him to stay there. Don't make the mistake that your father has done when there was a famine and he went to Egypt.
Well, he stayed there.
But he was not.
Trusting the Lord, denying his wife. How sad.
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But in spite of it, the Lord blesses him.
Isn't that the way it oftentimes is in our life that we have to?
Have to confess that we are not what the Lord could expect of us, but He loves us and blesses us anyway, you know, He reaped.
A hundredfold that time.
It's a wonderful thing to experience, to goodness of the Lord that many times gives us what we do not deserve. Because He's good and he loves us, He has taken us into favor if he would always deal with us according to what we deserve.
That we wouldn't fare so well, I'm afraid.
But what is especially on my heart is the Philistine influence.
We find that they had plugged the wells.
That Abraham's servants had ducked, and they used earth to pluck it with.
What do the Philistines represent?
The Philistines had come from the same place where Abraham had come from.
But they had not gone through the Red Sea or through the Jordan.
They occupy the place of blessing, but had no claim to it. I think that's a very good thing to get ahold of.
When it comes to us, what do these Philistines represent? They represent nominal Christians who are not saved, who have not the Spirit of God.
And what do they do when they handle this book?
You know, that's what the world speaks of.
Well, in the word of God either speaks of the Word of God or the Spirit of God.
And.
Not having the spirit they plug.
The wealth of blessing.
And Isaac's servants have to predict the wealth.
I like to suggest to all of us.
Every generation has to go through that experience of re digging the wells.
Making things your own, separating the pressures from the vile.
I'm convinced.
And I've often said that, and it's worth repeating, you can sit all your life under the best of ministry. If you do not have a personal exercise to make things your own, to search things out, you make very little progress.
I take great pleasure in meeting young men, young women that have a desire for the things of God start early in life.
When I came from Europe, there was a dear brother. Harvey, Vetter's father, was a spiritual father to me.
He said to me Heinz searched the scriptures and see if it isn't true.
Those who God has used for blessing amongst God people started early in life.
Yes. You don't have to be 30 years old before you start showing interest in the word of God. You better start young.
When will we start reading the Bible for ourselves?
I was thrilled very much when one of my granddaughters not long ago, visited at our house. She's 8 years old. At that time, she says, OPA, that's Grandpa, you know, that's sweet, the Bible. And she sat down with me. She nobody had put up to that. And she read to me out of the book of Exodus. That's where she was reading every day. She was reading the Bible, 8 years old.
Wonderful thing. I like to encourage the children to get into that kind of habit.
We met some Christians out in the state of Washington. We had labored with their son, who was in prison in Wisconsin, not gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus and little Mary, 10 years old, she said to me. I read the Bible for myself every day. Isn't that a wonderful thing?
Is there anything better that you can do? Read the Bible.
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Dig the wells. Redict the wells.
You know, even we who are brought into blessing, being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we too have to redict the wealth.
And I hope we will go back to the pure source of blessing. This passage in the word of God was very much used in my own life when I came under conviction as to where the Lord wanted me to be. I wanted to get back to the pure truth of the word of God.
And what a wonderful passage this is to consider this for ourselves.
You know, they didn't have power tools in those days. That was a hard labor to redict the wells, but they didn't mind that because they needed that wealth. But then what do we find the Philistines? Do they strive with them? They say that's our water.
Years ago I found a book that was written for children and.
They commended Isaac for surrendering the wealth to the Palestinians. He was a man of peace.
I think they missed the ball. That is not the way to use this. Isaac should not have surrendered these wells.
But he did. But they kept on digging.
And then finally.
They found living water, and they came to the point that the Philistines did not contend with them about the world. And so there is progress in Isaac's life. At first we find Isaac is afraid of the Philistines, then we find the Philistines.
Envied him because they saw that there was real blessing in the life of Isaac. Then we find they hated him. Don't be surprised if those dead professors hate the real Christians. Don't be surprised. And I do not speak of anybody who truly loves the Lord Jesus as a Philistine. I'm Speaking of those who are merely taking a place of profession.
And are dead. They have no life. They don't have the spirit of God. But later on we find that they were afraid of Isaac.
They want to make a covenant with him because they realized how strong Isaac had become.
But the most wonderful part is when we read finally.
In verse 25.
Isaac built an altar in this place that speaks of worship, doesn't it?
He was a worshipper.
You know, if our getting into the truth of God does not bring us closer to God, does not bring us into a position of really appreciating what God has done for us and thanking him and worshiping him, have we really made progress? But he had an altar.
And called upon the name of the Lord.
And pitched his tent there.
You know he was a tin kuella. That speaks of being a Pilgrim.
The Pilgrim character is what the Lord looks for in us. Not only to be a worshipper that comes first, isn't it a wonderful thing, beloved Saints of God, that God has a desire in his heart that can be only satisfied by you and me?
God seeks worshippers the.
Father seeks worshippers to.
Tremendous. And you and I can give him that pleasure.
I sometimes, on Sunday morning, think what a joy it must give to the Father's heart to look down. And then he sees people in this world who love his son, who appreciate his son. And he has given us the capacity of appreciating his Son and present to him that which we have come to appreciate of his Son. That's worship. What's the difference between prayer and praise?
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And worship well, they gave that definition one time. In prayer, the soul is occupied with its needs, and we need that we need to pray because it expresses our dependence upon God. Praise is the occupation of the soul with the blessing.
Worship is the occupation of the soul with the blessed life.
Yes, Isn't that wonderful? One time we saw no beauty in the Lord Jesus. Now we see He's altogether lovely, and we have a capacity of enjoying Him and presenting to the Father that which we have come to appreciate of his Son and the work that he did not only for our salvation. Although that is wonderful, He did it for the glory of God. That's far more important than what he did for you and me.
You know.
The burnt offering.
Is the acceptance of that which the death of the Lord Jesus means to God. Is the basis for our acceptance before God and he lived in a tent.
And he digs a well.
Source of blessing and refreshment.
You know the devil would like to have us turn to wells that hold no water.
You know, but we have real wealth. We have the word of God.
Well, I don't want to go on. Others might have things to say, but I hope we will become, well, diggers.
And I like to suggest that the way we all have started in our Christian life is by benefiting from that which God has given to others who live before us. Isn't that true?
Most of what we bring, I'm sure Chuck will readily agree with. That is what we learned from others.
But the Lord might also give us something that we ourselves find in the scriptures.
That we haven't heard somebody else, minister, or that we have not read in some book of ministry, and that means a special blessing to our souls. But if he gives us something that we haven't heard or read someplace else, it will never contradict what he has given others that walked a path of faith before us. Let us be careful that we do not allow our minds.
To go wild, I trust you will agree that I have not forced anything into this passage, that it commenced itself to you. What I have suggested, the red digging of the wells, the Philistine influence, The danger that we face as Christians is that we are listening too much to the radio, to the television programs, you know, instead of.
Going to sound ministry that we have. That's why the general scriptural understanding amongst the gathered Saints is diminishing because there isn't a diligence and we go to bad sources are. Sometimes when I listen to a radio program, I'm more distressed than edified because there is truth that they bring, but then they also are bringing error. Don't rightly divide the word of truth.
You know the Lord has given the truth of God in this book. The word of God contained earnestly for the truth once delivered to the Saints, then it was lost. Then He has raised up men, even Martin Luther.
I'd be thankful for what the Lord gave back to us through Martin Luther. We better be thankful for that.
Justification by faith and the supremacy of the Word of God. If that would not have been given back, could anything else have been given back the supremacy of the Word of God?
But then when you read the history of the church, those after the Reformation.
God did definitely give an increase of light.
I have for years now when I sing a hymn that in our little Flock hymn book that I don't remember who was the writer. And I looked in the back and I find that some of the hymns were written long before God raised up brethren.
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God gave them more light than the reformers said. Should we not be thankful for that?
What about then the light that he has given to the Brethren?
We are responsible, beloved Brethren. For what the truth? What the truth that God has given to the brethren?
Are we faithful heirs? Are we valuing these things? Have we made these things our own, not just intellectually laying hold of it? You don't possess anything if you only have it up here. All truth enters by way of the conscience, and the heart has to be affected. The truth is to form our character, our very being.
And then when we live it.
And we possess it if we only know it intellectually. We don't possess a thing.
Truth is not given us particular intellect. Truth is given us to help us know our privileges and our responsibilities as Christians. So let's dig.
No. I sometimes tell the young people you excel in the schools of men. Many of you get wonderful grace that proves you have a good mind. And if you wouldn't have a good mind, you couldn't lay hold of anything, even the truth of God.
But your mind is only a tool. The power is the spirit of God, and there are different capacities. We acknowledge that not everybody is able to become a teacher. But that doesn't mean that you cannot come to enjoy the truth of God. You might not have much of an ability to pass it on.
But you certainly can come to enjoy it, so may the Lord encourage us.
That we make progress into things of God. If you do not make progress, if you stand still, you're going backwards. Because it's not expected that a Christian stand still. That we're going to make progress and grow into things of God. Come to a full understanding. Read the prayers of the Apostle Paul. What is his concern? Not so much that we're physically well, not that it is not to be.
A concern that we make progress spiritually, that we come to know and appreciate and enjoy the truth of God.
Could we turn please to the 24th chapter?
Of Luke.
Now I want to make some comments about this chapter.
But before I do, I mention to you in the Epistle of Peter.
I want to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.
Even though you know these things, we need stirring up, don't we?
And these truths that I'm going to read to you are not new at all.
They've been in this precious book for 2000 years.
You probably heard them 1000 times.
But God wants you to get it in your heart to see what he has for you.
To give you assurance as to the position you're in.
Some of us talking this noon, finding out that certain ones are not sure.
Of the place they're in. That's sad. God wants you to be sure of that.
So I'd just like to read a couple of portions here in the 24th chapter of Luke.
Let's start with.
Let's see.
Well, we could read a lot here, but it's it's about the two who left.
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Jerusalem and went down to Emmaus.
Now you've heard this truth many, many times.
But how much of it do we take in? So I'm going to read all this. I just want to read the down here a little bit where he's they say.
Well, let's start it.
Verse 24 And certain of them which were with us.
Went to the sepulchre and found it even as.
Even so, as the women had said.
But him they saw not.
Then he said to them, O fools, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
Ought not Christ, who has suffered these things, and entered into his, entered into his glory, and beginning at Moses?
And all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
And they grew near.
Onto the village whither they went and he made as though he would have gone further.
But they constrained him.
Saying abide with us, for it is it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them, and it came to pass, as he sat at me with them, that he took bread, blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened.
And they knew him, and he vanished out of their sights.
Why? Why was this? Why did he vanish out of their sight? Now I just suggest this.
They recognized that they were in the wrong place.
It was not the remembrance of the Lord, mind you. It was a feast there, or it was a meal there. And no doubt they saw his hands and realized who it was because they had asked earlier. They had asked. We thought it had been He who should have brought blessing. But it's now the third day and and all things are over and it's all gone. And they were discouraged and they left the center and went down to Emmaus. And remember if you leave the center and go down.
It's a long way back.
It's a long way back. You have to climb back again. Sometimes we find that there are those that can't do it. They never come back. They never see their true place.
But these truths here are so precious to my soul and I just thought I'd just like to mention these few things to you. See if I can't enlighten you a little bit. Notice here it says when the Lord Jesus, it says He drew near and he went with them. Now remember this, it tells us in the book of Hebrews.
He said. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
The blessed Savior will never leave anyone or forsake them, no matter where they are. These two were on their way down from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They're out of their place. But did He leave them alone? Did He forsake them? Did He say, Well, you're on your own now you go. No, He did not, Blessed Savior. He followed them, He went with them, and He does with you if you're out of the path.
He will never leave you. He never has and never will.
This is very, very precious.
Down here at this place in Emmaus.
It says.
Verse 20.
Verse 27 beginning at Moses and.
All the prophets He responded unto them in all the scriptures of things concerning himself.
Now this is interesting because it speaks here about Moses and the prophets.
And when they recognized him, they were down. They were away from the center.
When they recognized who it was, it said, Did not our hearts burn within us if you're away from the Lord?
Not at the place of his choosing.
Does your heart ever burn about it? Do you ever think about it? Do you ever weep over it?
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You should.
Because as we had before us today.
Got a divine record.
And if you're not in a place where he has chosen, you're in the wrong place.
So here he was with them, and they rose up the same hour.
And they returned to Jerusalem. Now we want to go on a little bit here and justice say a few more. I don't want to take up too much time here, but.
Notice what he says.
And they said verse.
Verse 32. And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us? By the way, has he ever talked to you? He talks to you every day.
How much do you talk to him? How much do you commune with him?
You know, prayer is a way of communion, isn't it?
The Word of God speaks to us and we have access by prayer to the sweet communion with the blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Who died upon the cross?
Who suffered untold agonies that you might be brought into a place of blessing?
Precious seeds.
Well, here he says, while he yet talked with them in the way verse.
32.
And while he opened to them the scriptures.
They went back to the center, and the first thing he does is open to them. The Scriptures. You know, dear beloved Saints of God, God's desire is to open the scriptures to you. We had some of it today.
Scriptures are read. Do we ponder them? Do we pray about them? Do we meditate upon them? Or do we just casually read them and just put it down? No. This is what God wants us to ponder. He wants us to think, think upon these things. He wants us to meditate so we're precious. But that's not my point in all this. But it says, and they rose up the same hour, that same hour, and returned.
To Jerusalem, Why this was the true center at that time.
Jerusalem was the center. They had left that center and went down. Now they returned.
Because they recognized who was there with them.
They recognized him.
As he followed them.
Do you recognize the fact that no matter where you are, Jesus is looking after you? He's following you. You should. You should, because he never, He will never leave nor forsake his own. Well, that's I want to continue here, they said. They said they returned to Jerusalem and found the 11 gathered together, and them that were with them, they were now back at the center. So he says. And the Lord they they say.
The same. The Lord is risen indeed.
We didn't know this before. They were disappointed they were going away.
There isn't. The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
And they told what things were done in the way how he had made known to them the breaking of bread.
And that they speak, thus they speak. Jesus himself stood in the midst of them.
Verse 36.
When they thus speak, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them. That expression You don't get down at Emmaus, do you? He went with them, He followed them. He was with them. He never forsook them. But it isn't until they get back to the center where we find that expression. He's in the midst.
So we find two things here, principally. Now again I say these are, these are.
These are things that you've heard probably thousands of times.
But are we taking them in?
There are two things here. There's individual presence and there's corporate presence.
The blessed Savior is with everyone of us in this room if we belong to Him as some individual presence.
But are you gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus?
If not, you don't have His corporate presence. That's what we have here exemplified before us in these scriptures.
And then we want to prove the point on this a little bit by going over further to some of these scriptures. So much more could be said. But I just want to read here it says they.
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And they were verse 37. And they were terrified and affrighted and supposed that they had seen a spirit. Well, it wasn't my thought to talk about that, But he said, his spirit hath not flesh and bone, as you see me have. There was no blood. He was his blood was shed. He was there in body, in a spiritual body.
But notice now just drop down a little bit.
And we're not going to read that portion, but.
Verse 44.
And he said to them these other words, which I spake unto you.
That all things must be fulfilled.
Which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets.
And in the sound Ah, why the sound?
Beloved Saints of God, I'll tell you why in my little thoughts on this.
Is the psalms of Christ how he felt Psalm 69 Psalm 22, Psalm 30 Psalm?
All through the Psalms we find this how he felt, the keenness of it, the sorrow, the sufferings that he went through.
Isn't that blessed and precious? But they didn't know that until they went back to the center where he was, and they were, and he appeared in their midst.