Talk—Gordon Whitaker
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If there could be one wish that I have from each one of you, if you could tell me what's on your heart, I wish they would be these four 5-6 words up here. Sir, we desire to see Jesus.
That's why we're here, isn't it?
Well, this morning I had in mind to talk a little bit about the musical instrument, instrument called the harp. Also like to think about the sufferings of the of the Lord Jesus Christ for us. And then toward the end, I'd like to sing some more hymns out of this little flock that tell us about this.
Deliver. We have our Lord Jesus and what He did for us and the sufferings that He went through on our behalf. So let's start then with a few thoughts.
About the harp, well, before I do that, you know, it's nice to start fresh in the morning. Had a good night's sleep and we wake up and we don't have the clutter of the day yet before us. The pressures are gone momentarily and we can be alert and we can be listening and ready to hear what the Lord might have to say to our hearts.
That's a good condition to be in, isn't it?
Want us all to be impressed with the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that He wants you near to Him.
Some people picture God as being way off there and being looking down to look for any infraction to land on a person. You know the Lord Jesus Christ is not that way. He wants you near to Himself.
Well, he also appreciates the spirit of a child.
What's different about a child? You see a little two or three-year old gal lost in a department store because the mommy stepped around a rack of clothes or something. Boy, the sirens go off and she's making it known she wants her mother right? And soon as she spots her it's Pell mill running and grab her around the legs. You know, once mommy, well, the Lord Jesus is perhaps looking for that kind of a reaction in your heart and mind.
To his call of love and he doesn't want a soft straying on a hillside somewhere. He likes to have us right near at hand where he can minister to our needs.
So.
The simplicity, you know, I know.
A little fella. He's not little anymore, but when this occurred, he was a very young, simple person. They went down to the ice cream store and he stepped up to the counter and the clerk said, and what would you like, Sonny? He said, I'd like a chocolate Lord's Day.
Well, all right, I don't find any fault with that. There's a boy that's thinking in the terms of scripture, even though, you know, he wasn't trying to make anything funny about it. But.
The Lord wants us to be simple with them. If we don't understand something, come right up and ask them. Don't be afraid, He's there to help us.
So we've got our Lords day before us.
Ever wonder what it would be like we didn't have a large days or Saturday back right on Monday, and nobody was there to remind you about the Lord Jesus? That'd be awful. It's just a blessing that not only does He want us near himself, but it gives us a special day to kind of devote to Him, to remind us about him, about his love, what he did for us. What a tremendous thing.
Asked us to be near him. Asked us to remember him.
Wants us right by his side, promised his presence.
What a tremendous thing you can go someplace today.
And you can be guaranteed that the Lord Jesus Christ will be present.
Boy, when I think about that, I need to be reminded of it often. I kind of like to think, well, Lord, here's a chair right next to me that's vacant. You sit there.
I like to picture him there in my mind's eye of faith that he's right beside me.
You have that privilege too.
Well, So what do we come to commemorate the Lord's Day?
About the Lord Jesus and his death.
Well, why did he die?
Well, some people like to just kind of gloss over this subject of sin and they are not too interested in talking about it. In fact, they laugh about it and said it's all relative. It's whatever is happening today, whatever the public opinion is, what's good and what's bad, that's what it is. And.
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What the Bible said 2000 years ago might not apply today, but I thoroughly disagree with that. But the Bible says today about sin is the same 2000 years ago as it is right this minute. God's opinions haven't changed about that. So this whole subject of Christ coming and dying and suffering?
It all hinges on this question of sin and God being a holy God and wanting to bless you and me. How does he do it?
While there had to be a sacrifice, didn't there?
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, so we go to remember him in that regard, don't we?
Well, wouldn't you like to come to Jesus? Does everybody here know the Lord Jesus as their Savior? This is an excellent time to tell Him that you want to come.
Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.
By meek and lowly in heart, you shall find rest for your souls.
We long for rest, don't we?
The pressures that the enemy would bring in on us, that's no fun.
Lord Jesus wants to lead us in green pastures besides still waters.
So let's turn our attention to the subject of harps.
The reason I thought about harps is because recently I heard a tape that was on that subject and justice brought some things to mind. But you know, if you are the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has saved your soul. I think it's kind of nice to think of it like he's given you a harp. He's given me a harp.
In Revelation 8, I think these are five, it talks about many people there, each one having a harp. So what's what's the deal about the harp? Well, a stringed instrument, you piano, a guitar, a harp, you got a two, no strings. And if you got a good ear, you get that thing just in precise tune. So somebody who knows how to play the instrument.
Can strike a chord and you just hear beautiful harmony.
Well, so each of us, God has given us a harp. So our new nature, our new life, if you will. So what does he make use of therefore? Well, the Spirit of God, like this morning down in Red Bluff, we plan to remember the Lord Jesus. And who runs that meeting? Well, it's the Spirit of God. He directs and he'll take you if you're in tune perhaps.
Or the one sitting next to you.
And he might strike a note on your harp.
There'll be some praise come out to His glory.
So think about that as we talk about some of these things.
Turn first of all to Psalms 43.
Verse three says.
Send out thy light and thy truth. Let them lead me, Let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles.
Verse four. Then will I go unto the altar of God, Unto God my exceeding joy, Yeah, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God.
Well is God your exceeding Joisy, my exceeding joy today.
What a wonderful thing that God invites you into a relationship with himself, to be called God's children, to be able to call God your Father. What better thing could there be?
The enemy of our soul has nothing like that to offer you.
So.
Our harps, are they in tune? First off, do we have a harp at all? Well, we need to be concerned about that, don't we? He certainly wants to provide this new life for each one here.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house.
Well, what if our harp is sort of rusty over there in the corner and it's never been tuned for a long while and you try to get a tune out of it? It sounds just horrid.
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That's no good. What can the Spirit do in that regard? Publicly in the assembly?
It's difficult, I'm reminded. I think Wally read the portion in Acts 20 this morning.
Remember that story about Eudicus? He was the man that a young fellow that was went to meeting and Paul was preaching and he's sitting there in the open window. And mind you, this was like the third story. So he's way up there. I don't know what he was doing sitting in the window. You know, there's sometimes a tendency to want to sit in the back row. Well, that that doesn't help anybody. Let's sit up front, but namely Eudicus. He's probably looking down on the street below and maybe there's a.
Going on down there and he's checking that out and maybe he's thinking about something else and not paying too much attention to what Paul's saying. We need to pay attention to what Paul's saying.
And he sinks down in sleep and before you know it, he's down on the stones below. Looks like he's dead. For all intents and purposes, he is dead.
But Paul comes to his aid.
In his love he throws himself upon him, and.
You know, it just reminds me of of the love that the Apostle Paul has for you and how he's expressed it in his word. He's given himself and the doctrine that the Lord has given to Paul for each one of you here today and for me is a message that's going to see us through if we'll take up with it.
It's a message of joy and of satisfaction.
So we want to wake up. We want to be in earnest.
We want to come and say, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Well, let's turn over to Song of Solomon.
Song of Solomon, chapter 2.
Right after Ecclesiastes.
And verse 14214.
Oh, my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, this part. Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice.
For sweetest thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Hear the Lord Jesus speak into your heart. He'd like to have you right near to Him. He'd like to be able to hear your voice. He hears you all singing this morning and that's a joy to His heart. He'd like to have you in His presence First off so He can see you, and 2nd off to hear your voice, that there might be praise and that you might be encouraged as a result.
Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice.
Well, young brother.
In the assembly, do you feel constrained, maybe by the Spirit, to offer a word of praise or give out of Him?
Well, that's the Spirit of God. Speak into your heart. Don't put Him off. Be in tune. Let Him strum those strings that are tuned for His own praise. Now look up in the chapter at verse three. We'll draw near to Him and let Him minister to our needs and encourage our hearts. Here's what we might be able to say. Look in the middle of verse 3.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight.
And his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house and His banner over me was love. Every one of us want to be loved. And He wants you to know that He loves you and His banner over you is love.
This reminds me of.
Fortune in Genesis 49 about Joseph, if you'll turn to Genesis 49.
And verse 22, it's a verse about Joseph, and we know Joseph is a wonderful type of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you read the story of his life, it's so wonderful.
And I want to just give you a little word picture of what I see in this verse 21 and 22. Verse 22, excuse me, Genesis 4922 Says Joseph is a fruitful bow, even a fruitful bow by a well whose branches run over the wall.
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Tell you, when I think of that, what comes to my mind, I think of my need and how the Lord Jesus Christ has met that need and how he wants to encourage each of our hearts. And naturally, you know, this world is just a wilderness wide. And so in my mind's eye, I see this scene kind of like Death Valley, let's say, OK.
You got not a green thing inside, you got jagged rocks in a trail. That's.
Very hard to negotiate and it's hot, scorching sun and the buzzards circling and here you are going down the trail and you don't know how long it's going to be before you get to where you're going.
And there's no relief insight, and your mouth is dry and you're just wishing for some respite, some rest, some coolness. And so you go around the bend in the trail and lo and behold, here's a high Stonewall, way higher than you could ever climb over. And on the other side, here's green, lush vegetation and trees.
My look at this, did you see this out in this barren wilderness?
And you look and wish I could get in there and Nope, there's not even a gate through the wall. You know, this is kind of like Israel. And here's the Lord Jesus Christ, his people, and he's with them and meeting their needs in this beautiful garden, you might say. And here I am, a poor Gentile coming along. Is there any hope for me? And so you go around the corner of the wall, and lo and behold.
Here is a beautiful apple tree, if you will, with its branch just hanging over the wall, loaded with fruit, and it's right down within your reach.
And you walk up to it and my it's shady and you sit down in the shade of this beautiful tree and you taste of that wonderful fruit. You know, I just picture that as the Lord Jesus Christ coming right where you are, meeting your need and just supplying that which just exactly suits your situation at the time.
So this Joseph being a fruitful bow, that's the Lord Jesus.
Today, he wants to be that for you. All you have to do is recognize that he's there and reach out for it.
Sir, we would see Jesus.
That's a nice thing. Now turn over, please to 1St Chronicle.
Still a little bit more here on a harp.
First Chronicles, 25.
And in verse three, at the end you see a man named Juduthan who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord.
And in verse three, at the end you see a man named Juduthan who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord.
Then he's got a fellow Workman there named Heman in the next verse. And if you look down in the middle of verse five, First Chronicles 25 five.
It says And God gave to him and fourteen sons and three daughters.
What a family. Now look at this next verse.
All these were under the hands of their father for song in the House of the Lord.
Just that much of it.
All these were under the hands of their father for song in the House of the Lord.
Well, what do you think about that?
Here's fourteen sons and three daughters, all in their father's house, and being willing to be there and to be under the hand of their father to some good end. For praise in the House of the Lord for song.
What do you think about your Father's house? You know that's a place of blessing.
Some folks might have an idea that it's a good idea to get out of there as just as fast as possible, but the Lord doesn't look at that way. He's given you two places of refuge and safety. He's given you the assembly, and He's given you your home, your father's house, if you're still living there.
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What a wonderful place, a household, family, the assembly. The assembly is there to meet some needs, but it's not there to meet all the needs, not some of the needs you might get from home. So it's good for us moms and dads to think that over and say, are we doing what we should be doing for our young people?
But think of the household and think of the assembly as places of safety.
And if you get out of those two areas, you're going to be in danger of coming into trouble.
You read about elephants, you know, they stay in the herd pretty much. But once in a while you'll get our rogue elephant that just wants his own way. Something tweaks out in his mind and he just is rampaging through fences and just making a mess. Let's not be like robes that just out there stirring up trouble.
Let's recognize what God has given us, and let's find our happiness and our joy in the confines there, where we'll be blessed.
You know, everyone has someone over us. I don't care how old we are, somebody we report to and so.
To submit to that.
The Lord takes care of everything when we submit to Him.
Wonderful place, the assembly.
Well, another place to look here is is in Matthew. So I'd like to now talk about the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we look at what he prophesied in Matthew 16.
Matthew 16 and verse 20.
One from that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
So let's talk about how the Lord Jesus fulfilled what he just prophesied here and what happened and why it had to happen. And let's turn to Isaiah chapter 53. We all know that portion pretty well, but let's just look at that and remember.
It's this question of sin, and if we've come to grips with it, well and good, but if we haven't, we need to.
And why did the Lord Jesus suffer? Wasn't because of any wrong that he had done, is it?
If you look at 52 and verse 14, that's an amazing verse as many were astonished at thee.
Speaking of the Lord, his visage was so marred more than any man.
And his form more than the sons of men.
So how did the Lord suffer? He suffered in in several ways, and he suffered for more than one reason, I dare say.
But he suffered at the hand of man, didn't he? And of course, then there was.
The power of the enemy, the power of darkness, was against him there, and finally he suffered under the hand of his God.
Verse one of chapter 53. Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant. Just think of the Lord Jesus growing up.
From a little baby to manhood, like a root out of dry ground, He hath no form nor comeliness. When we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from him.
He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, and yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
You know, people had a problem with that. They said why is the Lord Jesus having to suffer? And they might have had the thought that God was punishing him for something that was wrong in his life.
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Harvey the thought, the reason this happened is because God wanted to bless you and he wanted you and he wanted me to be with him in glory, with his dear Son, the Lord Jesus. And so this question again, we've mentioned of sin had to be dealt with. So we needed a suitable sacrifice, one who was perfect without blemish and without spot.
And our Lord Jesus Christ was exactly that one.
So in verse five it says.
But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
Are we, like sheep, have gone astray? We have turned everyone to his own way?
And the Lord Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep before her, Shivers is dumb.
So he opened not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment.
And who shall declare his generation?
For he was cut off out of the land of the living.
You know, sometimes prisoners are put in prison as much for their own safety as anything else.
You get somebody that has excited a mob of people and if they're out, they get lynched, you know?
There's times when a prison is a safe place.
The Lord Jesus, he had no safe place. He was taken out from prison.
And there was the judge that was supposed to understand the difference between right and wrong and make a right judgment. Did he? No. So he didn't even have decent judgment.
He was taken from prison and from judgment.
And when somebody passes on, you usually have someone stand up and say all the nice things that this person had done. Read his obituary, if you will.
Eulogize.
But who shall declare his generation?
There wasn't anybody there standing to stick up for the Lord Jesus at this time.
He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people. Was he stricken?
And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death.
Because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him.
He hath put him to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
That's all we'll read there.
You know, I think in Matthew.
20 roughly, it says.
A bruised Reed, shall he not break? A smoking flax, will he not quench? The Lord Jesus is tender. He's full of compassion and love. You know, we might see a cattail, if you will. It's kind of bent, got a kink in the stems that's useless and rip it apart and throw it down. The Lord isn't like that if you're like a bruised Reed and you can barely stand straight spiritually.
He'll take care of you.
If there is a little spark, a little glimmer there in your life for him, he appreciates that.
He won't dump water on it. He wants to fan that into a warm flame.
So just think of what the Lord Jesus did.
And let's appreciate him. Let's appreciate what he did. Let's appreciate the fact that he wants us to remember him and made it so easy for us to weakly be reminded.
Well, you know, I was looking on the way down here through the little flock. And I started with hymn #1 and I started flipping through the pages, seeing if I could locate the hymns that spoke about the sufferings of Christ and his death. And I came up with quite a number in the first half of the book. And I thought if you didn't mind too much, I'd, I'd quickly breeze through them and, and I just read some of them to you. Maybe toward the end, if we got a few minutes left, we can sing a few.
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If you want to just follow along with me, I'll tell you the number and and we just read them together.
Hymn 5.
I got a number of them, so I kind of go rapidly through hymn #5 unto Him who loved us, gave us every pledge that love could give freely shed His blood to save us, gave His life that we might live. Be the Kingdom and dominion and the glory ever more. You know when people write hymns or poets.
They jumble up the words and it doesn't read too smoothly sometimes, so you got to watch the punctuation real carefully. Some of these hymns you swing through me. If you're not seeing where the commas and the periods are, you get all confused.
But just just watch that as we go through. Look at #27.
Lamb of God, our souls adore Thee, While upon thy face we gaze. They're the Father's love and glory Shine in all their brightest rays. Thy almighty power and wisdom. All creations works proclaim heaven and earth alike. Confess Thee as the ever great I am.
Son of God, thy Father's bosom ever was Thy dwelling. Place His delight in Him, rejoicing one with Him in power and grace. Oh, what wondrous love and mercy Thou didst lay. Thy glory by and for us did come from heaven as the Lamb of God to die.
Lamb of God, when we behold thee lowly in the man tree laid.
Wandering as a homeless stranger.
In the world thy hands have made.
When we see thee in the garden.
In thine agony of blood.
At thy grace we are confounded.
Holy spotless Lamb of God.
When we see the earth, the victim.
To the accursed tree for our guilt and folly stricken.
All our judgment formed by thee.
Lord, we own with hearts adoring.
Thou has washed us in thy blood.
Glory, glory, everlasting be to thee, thou Lamb of God.
1St Hymn 39 Look at that. 39 On his Father's throne is seated Christ the Lord, the living One, all his toil on earth completed, all his work for sinners done.
In the glory see him God's eternal Son. Every knee shall bow before him, every tongue confess his name ransom. Myriads shall adore him.
Who endured the Sinner shame from the glory God death now his worth proclaim.
Man the cross to him awarded. Man, the Savior crucified. This world's judgment stands recorded. God's own justice satisfied.
By the glory Christ was claimed on earth. Who died?
Son of Man, his incarnation, opened first the tale of grace.
Son of Man in new creation, leader of a chosen race, well may glory crown him in the ordered place. And 40 O thou great all gracious Shepherd, shedding for us thy life's blood unto shame and death, delivered all to bring us nigh to God. Now our willing hearts adore thee. Now we taste thy dying love.
While by faith we come before thee, faith which lifts our souls above as our surety, we behold thee.
Ransoming our souls from death as the willing victim view thee, yielding up to God thy breath.
In this broken bread we own thee bruised for us and put to shame. And this cup, O Lord, we thank Thee, speaks our pardon through thy name.
Let his past and Lord we hail thee ground with glory on the throne. Meet it is thy St. Should bless thee for the place thy death hath won. One for us that in full measure we should have our part with thee. Taste the river of Thy pleasure. Share in all thy victory.
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Look at 71.
You think somebody could be saved reading these hymns? I think they could.
71 Oh Jesus, everlasting God, who did for sinners shed thy blood on the accursed tree, and finishing redemptions toiled its win for us the happy spoil all praise we give to thee. Fain would we think upon thy pain, would find in Thee our life, and gain, and firmly fix our heart upon thy grief and dying love.
Nor evermore from thee remove, but from all rest.
From all else we part, the more through grace ourselves we know, the more rejoiced we are to bow and glory in Thy cross, to trust in thine atoning blood, and look to Thee for every good, and count all else.
But dross.
77.
You might see something here that just might fit what the Lord will have before us in the meeting next.
Jesus own name divinely sweet. How soothing is the sound, What joyful news, what heavenly power. In that blessed name is found our souls as guilty and condemned. In hopeless fetters lay our souls with countless sins, defiled of death and hell. The prey Jesus to purge away our guilt, A willing victim fell, and on his cross triumphant.
The bands of death and hell.
84.
We hear the words of love, we gaze upon the blood, we see the mighty sacrifice. We have peace with God.
His everlasting peace, sure as Jehovah's name tis stable as his steadfast throne, forevermore the same.
Our love is OFT times low, our joy still ebbs and flows, but peace with Him remains the same.
No change. Jehovah knows we change. He changes not. Our Christ can never die, His love not ours. The resting place we on his truth rely. The cross still stands unchanged, though heaven is now his home. The mighty stone is rolled away, but Yonder is his tomb, and Yonder is our peace.
The grave of all our woes.
We know the Son of God has come. We know he died and rose. We know he liveth now at end above. We know the throne on which he sits.
We know his truth and love 98.
We all know.
Now there we read the wondrous story of the Cross, its shame and woe, every mark of dark dishonour heaped upon the thorn crowned brow, all the depths of thy heart's sorrow told in answering glory. Now on that Cross alone, forsaken, where no pitying eye was found.
Now to God's right hand, exalted with thy praise, the heavens resound.
Did thy God in them forsake thee, Hide his face from thy deep need? In thy face once marred and smitten all his glory, now we read, gazing on it. We adore thee, blessed, precious holy Lord. Thou the Lamb alone aren't worthy.
This be earth, earths and heavens accord. Rise our hearts and bless the Father.
Ceaseless song, even here begun endless praise and adoration to the Father and the Son.
Let's see, let's just.
Sing a couple of these. How about?
119.
Oh, head once fall, our bruises awful heart pain and scorn.
Middle.
Storm Business.
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Heartbreaker.
Tree.
Thou.
Countenance.
And sand and thou light beating sparks.
To the world.
Let's play.
It come on.
Facebook.
Until.
2:40.
137 None will quit him 137.
Oh Christ.
What burdens fell right?
Our own must lay.
I'm Dee.
The stars.
Sin.
And we can tell how much we owe him.
Let us render to the.
Lord Jesus is that charms us before conflict Christmas.
And nothing harms us while we trust in him. Trust in him.
Forever.
Be as faithful changing.
Neither force more God is better.
Because he does, strongly.
Keep my squares deep threshold and still believe me.
As we start, glorious.
Savior Shine.
To the God and Christ, our grace is praying.
The song is which my heavens, my heavens, my heaven will bring.
Praises for grace divine.
00:50:01
Praises for grace.
In precious.
Life.
To come with her mother who won't kill.
I said again, start on.
Birthdays with those righteousness.
In the transformation stress.
In the Saints have ever stood.
Yes, St. Saturn.
And make it for it's known.
And make it for a small.
As to my.
Face to face.
Then when I say good morning friend.
The one broken.
They will spend.
They will save.
Joy.
00:55:20
And it was 24 in the appendix, is that right?
Nothing but Christ, that's all we dread.
I get done. Christ, gossip, baby breath.
Let's of our heads and ask.