Address—Doug Buchanan
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What am I?
By me, King's reign.
And Princess decree justice.
By me, Princess, rule and nobles, even the judges of the earth.
But ye have said it not all my blank.
And would none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity.
What am I?
One word, I'm one.
Close. That's the right answer, but it's it's not the exact word that I wanted.
Counsel.
Wisdom Counsel.
This has been impressed on me of late. The Council of God. The councils of God.
We had it yesterday afternoon, so beautifully brought before us the 1St 10 men named in Genesis.
Who worked that out? Who planned that?
Only God could do that.
God has a purpose.
An eternal purpose, young people.
I was struck the other week with a comment that a brother made. I'll pass on, he says. You know the history of man as we know it and the Bible.
Is going to be about approximately 7000 years.
Counting 1000 years of the Millennium.
We're already nearly 6000 years down the course of history. I believe that's a part of God's council.
Out of that 7000 years.
The average span of life is 70 years.
Not all make it.
But that's the average 4 score and 10.
Given to us 1%.
Of the total history is given to you and me.
How are we going to fit in?
What are you going to do with those seventy more or less years of your life?
How you going to live it?
What is our purpose?
I noticed sometimes that sometimes young people and the rest of us are older too.
We don't seem to have a vision, a purpose in our life.
God has a purpose.
He's written it down, he's given it to us, told it out 66 books.
70 countings the five books of Psalms.
That's another perfection.
God.
A couple weeks ago.
I was impressed by a young person down in Peru. His name was Alejandro. He told me this story.
Said I was.
In my home city.
It's very dangerous. There's a lot of bandits or thievery robbers, St. robbers on the street, so common. I can tell you all kinds of stories about wallets and money and things stolen. And he told me this story, he says. You know, one day I was going down the street.
All of a sudden a robber came along. I didn't notice. He came up from behind. He grabbed my little satchel, my little Bible case and things, and he took it and he started running.
How would you react in that kind of a situation?
I don't think I would have reacted like he did.
He said in the name of the Lord Jesus, drop that.
What did that thief do?
He dropped it. That's a miracle, isn't it? Anybody that knows anything about robbers and thieves will understand.
God was in control.
Even of that robber.
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He told me of another young fella.
David was his name, or Dave what we call him. I know this young brother too.
Also in the same city.
He was also accustomed by a robber.
A little more violent.
And this one had a knife. He grabbed him around the neck with one arm and elbow, and with his other he had a knife in his hand, holding it right up to his face and saying give me your money. Money.
How would you respond in that?
Where's your faith in the Lord?
Do you believe God has a purpose in your life? Are you trusting God?
You know what that young man did?
He said Lookout, there is somebody looking.
And the robber said where? Where?
Where is he?
Said he's over there. He took the robber turn. Said who is it?
The young fellow said God.
He let him go, didn't hurt him.
God, God lives.
Now, I hope we're not subjected to those kind of tests, but we are subject to the tests of our faith.
What do we believe? I appreciated what was said to us this morning about our habits.
You know, we don't react in a situation like that.
Rightly, unless we have already formed a good habit.
Unless we have already laid hold of God, how are we going to cry to Him in a moment like that?
If we haven't formed the habit already.
We need young people.
To enter into the mind of God, the purposes of God, the counsels of God. God allowed those robbers to come along, and he's going to allow certain things to come along in your life and my life to test us, to prove us.
I'd like to just in brief read our quote a few verses out of Proverbs. You needn't turn to them, but I just want to bring them before us quickly and as we go continue our.
Meetings. Maybe these thoughts will come back in our minds, these verses.
All of these verses are out of the book of Proverbs except the first one.
Isaiah 4610 declaring the end from the beginning.
And from ancient times, the things that are not yet done saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.
Psalm 3311. I already made a mistake, didn't I? I said they were all from Proverbs. This in Psalms 3311. The council of the Lord standeth forever the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Proverbs 2130 There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord.
Proverbs, 2018.
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Proverbs 2018. Every purpose is established by counsel.
And with good advice make war Proverbs, 1921.
There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord that shall stand.
Isn't it wonderful?
That there is something God is controlling and holding.
And nobody is going to change it.
Do you want to be on his side?
I've been impressed. How much time?
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I waste.
Not considering the Council of God.
I'll give you an illustration. Few weeks ago we had a birthday celebration for my mother.
You'll never guess what we got her.
We bought her a trampoline.
Not feeling better? You know my mother.
You'll know why. It was kind of a strange. It's kind of nice, you know, to have grandparents so you can give gifts to so the grandchildren can use them.
It's nice to have a grandparent or a parent like that, you know?
They want to share with what they have and their joy.
Was complete seeing the grandkids enjoy it.
That was nice.
Well, we got this trampoline and.
On her birthday, didn't have much time planned because it was wheat harvest and we were all busy and a lot of come in and go. And so we got this trampoline, got it, took it out-of-the-box and everybody wanted to help put it together. Now you all know how trampoline is, doesn't take too much for the trampoline together. In that box there was a one sheet page of instructions.
The kids all took a look at it. Oh, I know how to put a trampoline together. They didn't say this, but.
I'm adding a little bit to it. They started putting this trampoline, they got the frame all around. They started getting, they got the pad out and all the springs, basically only three different parts.
Started hooking up the springs here and they started working around. They got about 2/3 away around this trampoline.
And they were pulling on those strings trying to get them tight and they couldn't make them. And they were even stretching the string, the springs.
Uh, we didn't do it right.
Where's the instruction sheet?
We went back and looked on the instructions. He and it told very plainly how to put it together. We had to take all those springs off, start all stop, start out all over again and redo it. And it worked just fine when we did that.
Is that what your life, my life, is going to be like? Are we going to get down the road not 10 or 15 minutes? Are we going to get down the road 20 years?
Have to backtrack.
Counsel with good advice make war.
God has a plan. He has a plan for your life and for mine.
For all of us.
Oh, but how much time we waste?
Forgetting to read the instructions.
So much so that we have the well known saying if all else fails, follow the instructions.
Not a very good motto, is it?
The counsel of the Lord shall stand. A brother was telling us the other night, yesterday. God makes the rules.
That's right. The wonderful thing though, dear young people.
He's told us the rules. He's written it out for us. We have it in black and white.
Now I'd like to go back.
Let's go to turn to Genesis 3.
And start out.
In real brief.
I'm going to.
Just touch on.
A little bit of the plan of God.
Genesis 3.
Verse 5.
Just the one clause that Satan the serpent put before Eve in the garden.
He said to her, Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Understand this word God's.
Is the same root word as word for judges.
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He put before Eve.
A temptation.
That she might make a judgment at his instructions.
And elevate herself.
To God, to be a God, to know more, to advance.
Eve followed that instruction.
Fell into sin with her husband. We had it beautifully brought before us yesterday and we know the sad result.
Sin.
God allowed that to happen.
It fits still in his purposes. He could bring blessing out of it.
Now let's turn over to Exodus chapter 22.
Verse 7.
If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to keep and to be stolen out of the man's house, if the thief be found, let him pay double.
What Eve aspired to and sought after was a thief.
Taking something that hadn't been legitimately given to her. Aspiring for something.
She forgot to read the instructions before she acted.
She fell into sin with her husband. We're all here. The result of it fall in creation.
That God is not frustrated. The penalty here was double.
In Psalm 69, we won't turn to it, prophetically speaking, of the Lord.
It says of him. Then I restored that which I took not away.
This is part of God's council.
The Lord Jesus came into this world to restore what the 1St man.
Took by robbery.
From Satan and not from God.
The Lord Jesus became a man.
In order to pay back and he had to pay double I believe according to this verse.
The Lord Jesus has paid for our redemption. He came into the world.
He gave his life, he died, he rose again, he overcame the enemy Satan, and as a man conquered.
The stronger enemy. Death, Satan, Hell.
And has committed to us the Ministry of Reconciliation, salvation.
We have the gospel preached freely, all because the Lord Jesus came.
And pay the price to liberate us from our sins and from the slavery that we fell into.
When Anna Beneath didn't follow the instructions.
Things were not as far as God is concerned.
Now let's turn over to 1St Corinthians chapter 15.
And I'd like to read just the 24th through the.
20.
Six verse.
Then cometh the end, when he this is the Lord Jesus, shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power, For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
This is the end of the story of God's purposes, young people. The end.
The last thing that's going to be put away is death.
But the Lord Jesus has power to do it.
He is in control and will one day soon put it all into control.
Do you know Him as your Lord and Savior?
Do you want to walk your life?
According to his plan.
Or do you want to walk your life some other plan?
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The counsels of God.
Now not only are those counsels of God all known, he knows them known unto God.
All these works from the beginning of the creation of God.
The wonderful thing we want to take up?
In these meetings.
Is how the Lord Jesus has a plan of blessing.
And he has revealed that to us.
We live.
In probably the most favorable time the world.
Let's turn to a verse in.
Romans, the last chapter. Romans.
The last three verses of Romans.
Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations.
For the obedience of faith.
To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
Dear young people, God has made known this plan to us. This plan was not made known in the old time, in past dispensations, only in brief and in pictures and type and in part. What did David, King David, know about the Millennium, the day of grace?
Or about Christ coming down to be the sin bear.
Only in shadows and pictures did he know. But men like Abraham.
David Daniel we had about a remarkable man.
They didn't know what you and I know of God's plan. God has unfolded it at this time.
To who?
To you and me.
And this dispensation?
Were special in that regard.
Not even to angels.
Did he make this known or bring into blessing?
We had before us yesterday also about.
Adam and Eve and the penalty, the punishment that was put upon them, and also upon the serpent.
Never has God offered salvation to any fallen Angel.
As recorded in the Word of God, Never.
And yet we.
Fallen men and women in sin, He has come down to rescue, to bring into favor, to make known to us.
His ways and purposes.
Doesn't that make a?
Something ring in your heart of appreciation.
Some desire to walk with your God.
To enter into that plan and to go along with it rather than contrary to it.
This is what we want in our life, isn't it?
To go along with God.
It's not just a hit and miss thing.
God has told us what his plan is.
But we mess up because we don't inquire. How often in the Old Testament you have, they did not inquire of the Lord, and they go out to battle and they're defeated. Over and over the story repeats itself. We ought not to need to learn it that way anymore, but we still do. God is patient.
How patient he was with Moses and all those children of Israel those 40 years.
Oh, he's a wonderful God.
And he's waited in our life, too.
So here in Romans it says the mystery which was kept secret.
Since the beginning of the foundation of the world, God couldn't really make it known to us.
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Until the Lord Jesus had come down to open up the way to become the sacrifice.
Put away our sins to bring us into a relationship with God where we could enter into these purposes and councils. None of that was able to be made known in the Old Testament.
But it is now.
It's all told out.
But is now made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations.
Not just to the Jew anymore.
But to all nations, to those of us here, it's made known.
For the obedience of faith.
That's the way the book of Romans starts. The obedience of faith. What's the obedience of faith?
It's not just a question of having it up in your head.
And we're not here to expound on prophecy to.
So everybody just can know it in their heads.
I think probably that's not the biggest obstacle in our lives.
Now in some places where I travel, it may be.
They don't have the Bible. They haven't had parents that read them the Bible from their youth up.
They haven't been taught to sing. Read your Bible, pray every day.
They don't know, and it's a privilege to make some of these things known to them. It's a real joy to see faces light up when a when a truth gets hold of their soul and they see it.
But that's not enough.
The obedience of faith. It's a question of obedience.
It's a question of submitting to God and His plan.
Just like with the trampoline.
We think we know.
We presuppose things.
Without consulting with the Lord.
We have to backtrack. I do it all the time. I can tell you a lot of other stories, how often we start out on some project, good intentions.
And then we get down the road and the Lord has a way of teaching us and He is so patient. It's wonderful to have such a Savior.
That the obedience of faith.
It's a question, dear young people, of submission.
Now we've had.
Harp status a little bit. No, that's not the way to put it. We've had spoken to us some of the rules and regulation of the camp here.
And.
We need it, young people.
Why? Because it's the way to blessing. It's the way we can function together here and everybody be blessed.
And so.
When we go over these things over and over again.
Be patient with these young people and don't think that we learned it any other way.
No, we've all made mistakes and that's probably why I'm up here speaking on this subject, because the Lord is impressed on me. How often?
I do not consult with my God.
The obedience of faith. When we get saved, how do we get saved? Owning Jesus as Lord. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
We like the part about being saved.
Sometimes we have hang ups with the part about owning him as Lord.
What the obedience of faith is about submitting. God has this plan and He's not going to change it for you and me.
We don't make God accommodate to our desires. We must commendate to God's desires. Is that bad? No, it's good because God has the best desires, the best plan. He formed a back in eternity, and the wonderful thing is that He brought man into it, not angels.
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A lot of times we think, I remember thinking when I was a young person, a little kid who would be nice to be an Angel. I could fly through the air and do all kinds of things. I'm glad now that God didn't make me an Angel.
Or any other creature.
It's a wonderful thing to be a man or a woman because the Lord Jesus became one.
If I look back to my first parents and read this story about Adam and Eve and a lot of the other ancestors of we all have.
Sometimes I'd be ashamed to be a human being.
And I read the paper and I'm ashamed to be a human being.
When I see what humans do, you don't see animals going out and doing those things.
And if angels ever did them, they would be locked up for eternity in the abyss.
Why is God so patient? Why has God chosen us?
Because he's gone.
And that's the way he wanted it.
Now there's one other key verse that I want to read, and then we'll leave the Raspberry tomorrow. Ephesians chapter one.
Verse 9.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will.
According to the good pleasure which he purposed in himself, this is God.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of time, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him. This verse sums it all up, the purpose of God together all in one in Christ Jesus.
That's why God made this plan. He wanted the Lord Jesus to be the preeminent 1.
To be the one that would gather it all together, bring it into shape, put the Rubik's Cube back together again.
And he's going to do it.
Let's go along with him.
And enjoy God's way and be a part of it.
Because if it's not for blessing, it will be in testimony to the power of God to judge, Ben said. Every, every soul of man is a testimony to God in one of two ways, either that the power of God to save or the power of God to judge.
The obedience of faith brings us into the blessing any other path.
Power to judge.
Shall we pray?