Address—J. Brereton
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to turn tonight just very briefly, for one verse in Numbers chapter 24.
Numbers chapter 24 and verse 17.
These were words that were spoken by Balaam.
And he says, I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not nigh.
There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Seth.
Now there's no doubt, I believe, beloved brethren, that Balaam was a lost soul.
There's nothing that gives us to believe in any way that he was a true child of God, but he was given.
To speak prophetically here, the truth of God, and particularly what I would like to speak on tonight, is this subject of the Star.
You know, the Lord Jesus is the one who's spoken of here as the one who is a star out of Jacob.
The one who would come, and as it says here would smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Chef, the scepter that should rise out of Israel. And so, first and foremost, the star looked at separately, the star looked at as we have it here, the star out of Jacob is the Lord Jesus.
Christ.
The one who will come, establish his reign in righteousness, will rule with equity, will put down his enemies, and will establish a Kingdom that will never be moved.
What we find in the word of God, that there are stars spoken of.
Associated with this glorious star out of Jacob.
And I believe that we find that the stars are brought before us, or a star is brought before us in the word of God.
In three different ways.
First of all, we have the star or stars brought before us.
As a type of individual believers.
Associated by wondrous grace with the star, the star Jacob.
We also find that the star, I believe, is brought before us as a type of the Holy Spirit.
As the one who is the source of light from heaven.
And thirdly, of course, we have the star brought before us as the Lord Jesus in a particular character, and that is as the soon coming one.
Now, I'd like to follow these through the Word of God very briefly tonight. Would you turn with me, first of all to Genesis chapter one?
Genesis chapter one and verse 16.
And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.
He made the stars also.
My brethren, I'm sure many of us have meditated with a great deal of profit on this first chapter of Genesis.
God outlines virtually the whole truth of Scripture in type in the book of Genesis.
And there's a great deal of it right here in the very first chapter.
And we have in these first that we've just read, particularly the last clause.
That line of things which should be and I trust is enjoyed by everyone of us here in this room.
It says he made the stars.
Also.
Now the Son, that supreme light.
That was given of God to rule the day, I have no doubt is a picture in type of the source of light, the Lord Jesus Himself.
We also have the moon, the type given of God of the church that reflects that light and a day of darkness. But then it adds these simple words, He made the stars also.
00:05:02
Now, brethren, the stars had nothing to do with being made stars.
If I could put it this way, they were not consulted.
They didn't have to do anything to become stars. They were made stars.
You know in Ephesians chapter one it speaks of God.
Who worketh all things after the council of his own will of his own will. That is, when God purposed to do something, he didn't have to consult with a number of other people as to whether it was should be done or shouldn't be done. He works everything after the council of his own will. And here in Genesis chapter one, we have the simple.
Precious statement.
He made the stars. Also. You look up into the sky at night and you see millions of stars.
Untold numbers of stars. They cannot be measured, but each one of those stars was the result of a sovereign act of God. He made the stars. The Lord Jesus was the one who actually as the second person.
As the one who was the one to carry out that will, who literally made them. But the fact remains, it was a sovereign act of God. He made the stars. Now you sit here in this room tonight and you're a child of God. By wondrous grace, you're a child of God. You belong to Christ. I trust that's true of everyone here. And it is a marvelous thing to look back and perhaps even be able to pick the day.
Some of us can't do it, but some perhaps can pick the day, even the hour when they accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
And they rejoiced to be able to say on such and such a date, I was there, and I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
But there may be others here in this room who have to say, I don't know the day. I can't pick a day or an hour. I can't pick a particular moment. Some of us are like Bartimaeus. We have to say, all I can say is I was blind and now I see. But I don't know exactly when it took place. But thank God I'm a child of God tonight. But what is true of every one of us, whether we can name the day or the hour or not?
We are Christians. We belong to Christ tonight.
As a result of a sovereign act of God, He made the stars.
And he made you and I children of God.
He had to do it. We followed it through. It's not my thought to go through it tonight, But if we were to go back in the Word of God, we would find that the Word of God takes us back to God's exercise of the sovereignty of God in choosing you and I, choosing us by grace. And we sit here tonight. We belong to Christ as those who are chosen.
In Christ before the foundation of the world.
When it became a matter of hearing the gospel, the word of God says.
He called us when it was a question of faith. He gave us the faith. It is the gift of God. I was present at a meeting some years ago in Pine Grove.
And there was a man came to the gospel that night, and then the gospel meeting was over. He had taken strong exception to something that brother had said. The brother had been commenting on the verse in Ephesians chapter 2 where it says by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.
Well, he, this man, this brother, and the Lord took exception to this. And when the meeting was over, he immediately came over to me because I, I knew him personally. He came over to me and he said, it's my faith, it's my faith. I have to have faith, it's my faith. And so I said to him, his name was Bill. I said to him, Bill, you know, I said, it's a wonderful thing. But when you and I to get home to glory.
And we're in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Everyone else in heaven is going to be able to thank the Lord Jesus for doing everything.
And you're going to be able to tell the Lord Jesus that you were the one who figured it out for yourself.
That the faith was yours.
00:10:00
He looked at me and all he did was nod his head. Brethren, the truth of God will always give all the glory to Christ. All the glory, Not some of it, not most of it, but all the glory to Christ and make absolutely nothing.
Of man, nothing of man. In the second chapter of Isaiah we have that precious verse that says the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day. Now here in the first chapter of Genesis, we have this precious thing so simply stated.
He made the stars also. Are you a child of God?
He made you one. Do you belong to Christ tonight? It's a result of the work of God. He chose you. He worked by grace. Now in no way, and that's not what I have before me tonight, but in no way does that change man's responsibility. The word of God says whosoever will may come that stands. You know, you and I look at a railroad track. Perhaps you've done this. You stand on the in the middle of a railroad track and you look down that railroad.
Track. And you look and you look and you are positive that down at the end of that railroad track, those two tracks come together.
But you know they don't. You know they don't, but they look that way. Why do they look that way? Because your eyesight is defective.
You can't see far enough down the track. Well, we so often look at what is God's sovereignty, his sovereign will, and then we look at man's responsibility and we stand there in the middle of those two tracks and we say they've got to cross somewhere down there ahead of us. But they don't, they never do. They run parallel, side by side, both equally true. Here we have.
A precious, precious truth for our own hearts.
That settles forever any question, for instance, of eternal security for the believer.
He made the stars.
He made the stars. You and I are stars. We are able to shine here in this world as a light in The Dark World, in the night season. But he made the stars. We had nothing to do with it.
Now would you turn to the 147th Psalm for more?
The 147th Psalm and the fourth verse.
He telleth the number of the stars.
He calleth the mall.
By their names.
Now some months ago as a matter of fact, I was reading an article and it was referring to some old scientific.
Writings, and if I remember rightly, I think it was Copernicus.
Who was the one who came out with a star chart back around the year?
30 or 40 AD, Somewhere back in that area anyway, right around the time when the Lord Jesus was here.
And if I remember rightly, he was the one who came out with the chart who said in his chart that he had counted them and proven conclusively that there was something like 1128 stars.
And then this article went on to point out how that approximately 40 years later, I think it was another learned scientist came out and said Mr. Copernicus was all wrong. They had recounted them and there was 1198 stars, not 1148 stars. Now we come today and we know.
That we don't know.
That man looks up into the heavens and further he sees the more stars there are. He now talks about galaxies, millions and millions of galaxies which are made-up of hundreds of millions of stars. And he looks and he says I can't tell. Man is incapable of measuring what is finite.
Remember that man is incapable. It's God's way of testifying.
To the inability of man to measure what is infinite. Because he can't measure what is finite, he cannot look and tell the number of the stars.
But the word of God tells us that there is a number.
It is not a limitless creation. He telleth the number of the stars.
00:15:03
He calleth the mall by their names.
As you know, in science today, they don't even try to name the stars. Most of them are simply given a number on a star chart. But the Lord Jesus has a name for every star. He knows the number of them, and he knows their names.
Beloved brethren, here is again the most precious picture of you and I, the children of God. He knows how many Saints of God, how many true children of God are there in the city of Vancouver?
You don't know, and neither do I. But he knows the number. He knows the number of the stars.
He calleth them all by their names.
You remember in the 10th chapter of John where it says he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out? Isn't it a lovely thing to sit here tonight and realize that you're not just a number, that in all that vast family of God, you're just not number 1,150,000?
You're one who is known by name, one who is so infinitely precious. You are one of the stars made a star by himself.
And.
You're known by name, and we look at this world today and we say, are there a million Christians? Are there 2,000,010 million, 100 million? We don't know, but he knows, and each one infinitely precious, known by name.
And so it is brethren. I look back in my life and I thank God tonight He made me a star.
I look at my life tonight as I stand here and I rejoice to know He knows my name. He has called me by name. There is a personal relationship between the Lord Jesus and myself, signified in His knowing my name, calling me by name.
Now let's turn over.
To First Corinthians chapter 15.
First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 40.
There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars for one star different from another star in glory.
Now, brethren, this has been written for a very real lesson to us. This is written in connection with resurrection.
You know, as you and I sit here tonight, I can say to you on the authority, the word of God, that there is not one spiritual blessing that you have that I don't have.
Nor is there one spiritual blessing that I have that you don't have, because God has given each of us every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. We all have them all. That's the way God works.
Blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. How many times have you read in the book of the Psalms such words as the Lord shall bless us, or such words as God bless us?
But when we come to Christianity, what do we read? God hath blessed us.
With every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, how rich we are, Beloved brethren, we have everything, every blessing that the heart of God could think of, and we're just waiting to enter into our home, the Father's house. But what we find here in first Corinthians 15 is a reminder.
That one star differeth from another star in glory.
That is, beloved brethren, that when we get home to glory, there's going to be a sorting out. There is going to be such a thing as the judgment seat of Christ.
We were talking, some of us tonight at supper time, about the verse where it speaks about he that loveth his life shall lose it. There is such a thing, beloved brethren, as a saved soul, but a lost life.
00:20:01
That is the life that has been lived for self, the life that has been lived for our own pleasure. The man who loves his life, he says, this is my life to live as I see fit for my own pleasure. The Lord says you leave, you live your life that way and you'll lose it because at the judgment seat of Christ where every believer will stand.
Not to be judged for his sins, but to have his works reviewed.
Their beloved brethren, everything that has been for self will be burned up.
Everything that has been for Christ will be rewarded.
And in the Kingdom it will be on display.
One star will differ from another star in glory. All brethren, what a what a bright star the apostle Paul is going to be.
That dear man of God who gave up everything for Christ, has it been worthwhile?
All, beloved brethren, we're going to see when the Lord Jesus rewards that has been for himself. The result is going to be one star differing from another star in glory. Now it's all going to be to the praise of his glory. Our old brother Kohler years ago used to say people say we shouldn't be occupied with crowns.
Well, that dear old brother said. I don't agree with that, He said I want all the crowns I can get.
Because he said the more crowns I have, the more I'll have to cast at his feet. So that's what I want him for, to cast him at his feet. Well, beloved brethren, there is going to be a difference.
Will everyone of us, members of the body of Christ, we will be part of that bride, but rewards are connected with the Kingdom.
And in that day of glory, one star will differ from another star in glory.
So when I look back, when I look at the thought of stars as individuals, I look back and I thank God He made the stars. He made the stars. There's no question of me ever being lost. He made me a star.
When I look at the present, I say thank God He knows my name, individually known and precious to Himself.
Every believer. And when I look at the future, there's a reminder.
That one star will differ from another star in glory.
I may have told this story before, but I remember so well years ago I was still in high school.
And I was really perplexed. One day there was an exam coming up.
And I was going to have to write this examination on a certain day, and there was a meeting the night before.
And I didn't know what to do. Should I stay home, study or should I go to meeting?
And I asked the brother, a dear brother that I highly esteemed in the Lord for some counsel. What do you do on a circumstance like that? And you know, the only counsel he would give me, he wouldn't tell me what to do. All he said was he said brother, he said you just act the way you want the record to read at the judgment seat of Christ, because you that that's how to act. Just act the way you want the record to read at the judgment seat of Christ. But you know, that's settled it that that that eliminated the difficulty right away.
How did I want the record to read?
One star will differ from another star in glory.
Now I'd like you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 2.
Matthew chapter 2 and verse one.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea and the days of Herod the King.
Behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews?
For we have seen his star in the East and are come to worship him.
When Herod the King had heard these things, he was troubled in all Jerusalem with him, and when he had gathered all the chief priests and the scribes of the people together.
He demanded of them where Christ should be born, and they said unto him in Bethlehem of Judea.
For thus it is written by the prophet, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the Princess of Judah. For out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise man, inquired of them diligently.
What time the star appeared and he sent them to Bethlehem and said go and search diligently for the young child.
00:25:05
And when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also. When they had heard the king, they departed. And lo, the star which they saw in the East went before them till it came, and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother.
And fell down and worshiped him.
And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
Now, brethren, we often hear, or we have heard perhaps I should say, in the popular stories that are given in Christendom of how that star led the wise men from the East to Jerusalem. But that is not what the Word of God says.
What we find is that the star appeared to the wise man in the East.
And that star in its appearing in a way that is not explained to us in the word of God, communicated to those wise men something concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. If I asked you how did they know that that star meant the King of the Jews had been born, you would have to say we don't know. God hasn't revealed it to us, but the.
Communicated that truth to them, and they started out with this conviction. The King of the Jews has been born. Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to worship him.
And beloved brethren, one of the primary functions of the Spirit of God.
Is to take of the things of Christ and show them unto us, to make known the person and the work of Christ. What a marvelous testimony this was to these wise men. Something concerning that person he had been born.
And who he was the king of the Jews.
And so it is today, beloved brethren, the Spirit of God is today.
Bearing witness to this world, who the Lord Jesus is and what He has done.
The wonderful facts, the wonderful truth concerning his coming, concerning his death, concerning his resurrection.
Concerning the power of that resurrection, concerning the results of that resurrection, concerning the value of the precious blood of Christ, this is the testimony of the Spirit of God to this world. So we find that the star, its function, first brought before us a testimony to who it was.
And what had happened concerning him?
The Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews, had been born into this world.
But then we notice a striking thing, and what to my own soul, is a very searching thing. Where did the wise men go?
The wise men went to Jerusalem.
Now the star did not lead them to Jerusalem.
They said we saw the star in the East.
And that star's appearance convey the truth to them. The king of the Jews had been born.
But it wasn't the star that brought them to Jerusalem.
It was what we might call human wisdom that brought them to Jerusalem.
Because you see, beloved brethren, the Word of God.
Said Bethlehem.
Human wisdom, said Jerusalem.
And so the wise men start off on their journey, and they go to Jerusalem, and at Jerusalem they ask, where is he that is born king of the Jews?
Now when the question is put to the scribes and the Pharisees, and the fifth verse, it says, They said unto him in Bethlehem of Judea.
00:30:05
The word of God said Bethlehem, 12 miles approximately South of Jerusalem. That was where he was to be born.
And the Herod tells the wise man that it's Bethlehem.
They start out for Bethlehem. Notice.
The eighth verse he sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search diligently for the young child.
And when you have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed.
And lo, the star which they saw in the East.
Went before them. Here's the star again. Now, brethren, why is it so?
This is, I believe in my own soul, most important principle that the Word of God is bringing before us, and that is simply this. The Spirit of God never leads contrary to the Word of God. Never.
The Spirit of God and the Word of God must be in harmony. Must be in harmony.
Was that the star could appear in the east and convey that wonderful truth. The king of the Jews has been born, but the star couldn't lead to Jerusalem when the word of God said go to Bethlehem.
It was impossible.
But once the word of God had been listened to but once.
The Word of God had been listened to once. The Word of God had been heard. It's in Bethlehem. They start off for Bethlehem. Now the star goes before them. The star goes before them. This wonderful picture, their type of the Spirit of God can lead according to the Word, but never contrary to the Word, never contrary to the Word. And beloved brethren, I say this to my own soul.
But let us always be conscious of the fact that the Spirit of God cannot, because He is the Spirit of God, cannot, lead contrary to the revealed mind of God in the Word.
When someone says I believe the Spirit of God led me and the word of God condemns what they did.
You know that the Spirit of God didn't lead them at all. Human wisdom LED them. Their own desires LED them. The inclinations of their own heart LED them. Whatever it is, the apostle Paul had a wonderful motive. He loved the Jews, and he wanted to see the blessing of God brought to the Jews.
So he went to Jerusalem.
But the Spirit of God said not to.
But he went anyway. He went anyway. Now God in his grace overruled.
So that Paul ended up in the place where God wanted him in Rome as a prisoner and what God wanted to accomplish was accomplished in God's over ruling way. But all what a rough Rd. Paul had to follow the lessons that Paul had to learn as he sat for those two years in that jail in Caesarea.
Because his own desires took him to Jerusalem when the Spirit of God.
Had directed him to go to Rome.
Now what we find here is that these wise men, acting on what the word of God said to go to Bethlehem, are now led by the Spirit, led by the star.
And so it is, brethren, the function of the Spirit of God to bear testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is.
And what he has done, the Spirit of God to act direct, lead in accordance with the word of God. And brethren, I cannot emphasize to your soul or to mine how important this is. We hear so much today. I believe the Lord wanted me to do this, but no effort made to search the word. Is it according to the Word? Is it according to the word?
How often I've said to the young people back home that once the word of God has spoken.
About something, you shouldn't even pray about it.
Unless it's to ask the Lord for grace to be obedient.
To have someone say I'm engaged to an unsaved boy or an unsaved young lady.
And I'm praying about whether I should marry them when the word of God says be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, should they pray about it?
00:35:03
No, they shouldn't pray about it all. They should bow to what the word of God says because God never leads contrary to His Word. The Spirit of God never leads in a path that is opposed to His Word.
The star could only lead them.
When they were going by the word of God.
Lastly, you'll find.
The end of the ninth verse.
Which they saw in the east, The star which they saw in the east went before them till it came, and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child would marry his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. Brethren, the third function.
Of the Spirit of God is to gather to Christ.
To lead to him. You know, I have thought about this person, meditate down, as I'm sure others have. I've even tried it. I don't. Perhaps others have tried it too. But if you've ever stood outside, outside, especially in the country on a very dark, on a night where there's no moon but lots of stars. And you stand out there in the country and you look up at the sky full of stars and you stand there and you say to yourself, which one is directly over me?
Which one am I directly under? And if it's a good bright night with a lot of stars, it's impossible.
You look as I can't tell which one. Any number of those stars could be directly over me.
But these ones, these wise men, the Star LED them, it says, till it came and stood over where the young child was. To me, that's so precious. Oh, you say, you mean it LED them to East Vancouver or you say, no, it LED them to such and such a house.
It LED them to a person.
It led them to a person where the young child was.
And when they went into the house.
They worshiped Him, they saw the young child with Mary's mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.
All beloved brethren, have you and I seen that star, the Spirit of God?
According to the word of God, that word of God in the Spirit of God, acting in harmony.
And Luke 22, the picture, the picture that's given to us, is the man bearing the picture of water. And where does he lead? He leads to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he stands right over that person.
They weren't attracted to Bethlehem, they weren't attracted to the house. They were attracted to the person.
And what they had to offer, they didn't offer to the house, they offered to the person.
They opened up their treasures and offered to him.
Gold and frankincense and myrrh. Now would you turn with me?
To the Burke, Second Peter, Chapter one.
The 16th verse, for we have not followed that second Peter one and verse 16.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mountain.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy.
Now if you have a margin in your Bible as I have for instance, the way the margin in my Bible reads is this for that 1St 19.
And we have the word of prophecy confirmed or made sure, we have also a more sure word of prophecy. Where unto ye do well, that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your hearts.
Now, the word that's translated here, day star, is exactly the same word that's translated in the Book of Revelation.
The Morning star, the Day star and the Morning Star are the same thing. The same star.
And what we have here in Second Peter one is, as you know, a reference to the Mount of Transfiguration.
00:40:00
That is Peter and James and John stood on that mount of Transfiguration, and what he says is that standing there and looking at the Lord Jesus transfigured before them, as they saw his face white and glistening, as they saw his rope shining, as they saw that display of glory.
They had the prophetic word confirmed to them.
It's what you and I might call a preview. They had a preview of the Kingdom.
So they said what we have already knew from the prophetic word. We had it confirmed to us because we've already seen it.
And that's why, if you remember, in each one of the Gospels, in the 17th of Matthew, in the ninth of Mark and in the ninth of Luke.
The three Gospel accounts of the Mount of Transfiguration. Each one of them is introduced by those words of the Lord Jesus. There be some standing here that shall not taste of death until they see the Kingdom come in power.
That is, that they were not going to die until they'd been up on that mount of Transfiguration.
And had seen a preview of that Kingdom.
In power and glory. Well, here in two Peter chapter one, what the Peter is saying is that he's had this prophetic word.
Confirmed to them by seeing that display of glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
We have also that word made sure, a prophetic word made sure. Where unto ye do well that ye take heed.
As unto a light that China thin a dark place until the day dawn. Brethren, prophecy is good.
Prophecy is part of the Word of God. Prophecy is given to us to be intelligent about.
And so he says it is. Well, it's a light that shines in a dark place.
And so it is as we see this world getting darker, as we see it all the corruption and misery in this world, as we seek corruption in high places, as we see moral issues being.
Laughed at today, Mocked at as we see the Word of God set aside, as we see violence increasing on every hand, as we see men's hearts failing them for fear. It's a dark scene. Aren't you glad for the prophetic word that lets you know what the end is going to be?
That lets you know that the Lord Jesus is going to reign in power, that Satan is going to be defeated.
That righteousness will reign one day in this world. That there will one day be a new heavens and a new earth where indwells righteousness. Oh, it's well to take heed to the prophecy. It's a light that shines in a dark place until that day dawns.
But then he says, but there's something better.
There's something more precious, something that he would value much more highly.
He says I'm the morning star or day star. I rise in your hearts.
Brethren, is that morning star? Is it rising? Is it shining? And all its wonderful light in my heart?
Is the precious truth of the Lord's coming a real present hope for me? If it isn't, don't talk about the day star shining or arising in your hearts. What you if, if you and I say, well, now someday? I had a lady come to the meeting at Pine Grove just a little while ago, a visitor, and we got talking to her after I found out she was a child of God.
And when we.
Chatted with her for a little while. We got talking about the Lord's coming. She said, oh, that's years off that, that's years off. Another lady come to our house and I got talking to her and finally she was a dear child of God. She loved the Lord Jesus. When I got talking to her about the Lord's coming, she said, oh that that could be a long, long, long way off. Could we just take a moment to go back to the book of Ezekiel for a moment?
16th chapter.
I'm sorry, I it's the 12Th chapter, Ezekiel chapter 12.
I just like to read a little portion here.
Beginning with the 21St verse of Ezekiel chapter 12.
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel?
Saying the days are prolonged, and every vision faileth tell them therefore thus saith the Lord God.
I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel, but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more any vain vision, nor flattering divination within the House of Israel. For I am the Lord, I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass. It shall be no more prolonged, for in your days no rebellious house will I say the word, and will performance at the Lord God.
00:45:25
Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of Man, behold, they of the House of Israel say the vision that he seeth.
Is for many days to come, and he prophesied of the times that are far off.
Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, there shall none of my words be prolonged anymore.
But the word which I have spoken shall be done, said the Lord God.
And what this has particular reference to is the destruction of Jerusalem. And there were those who were prophesying that that destruction was about to come.
But there were those in Israel who were saying.
Every vision fails.
People are always talking about that Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. They're always talking, but it never happens. It never happens. The Lord says it's going to happen and it's going to happen in your days. But then he says that there are other prophets, there are other people in Israel who are saying, oh, we know about that vision, but that's for years off. Someday perhaps, but that's years off. It says the vision that he seeth is for many days to come.
The Lord says not so, not so. There shall none of my words be prolonged.
Anymore and it came. The destruction that the Lord spoke of came. Jerusalem was destroyed and both the prophets, both the types of prophets, those who said it would never come, and those who said it was a long way off.
Were proven to be false prophets. What we find here in Second Peter chapter one is the reminder that what the Lord is looking for is the day star arising in our hearts.
To have you go home tonight, to have me go home tonight with the sense in my soul the Lord is coming and I'm looking for Him tonight. Tonight, not waiting and watching for something that's going to happen 50 years from now or 25 years from now or five years from now.
No, the Day Star rising in my heart tonight. Tonight we're looking for the Lord. Tonight we're looking for him to come at any moment. The Morning Star, the day stars had spoken of here are rising in your heart. And brethren, that's far more important than any amount of prophecy.
Prophecy signs are connected with the Earth.
But the day started rising in the heart.
Is connected with the man in the glory, the longing for him to come, the heart taken up with himself.
Enjoying his promise, Behold, I come quickly.
Nothing here connected with testimony, nothing here connected with anything else except the hearts response, the daystar arising, and your heart.
Now would you turn with me to Revelation Chapter?
3 Revelation Chapter 2. Sorry, Revelation Chapter 2.
And verse 24.
But unto you, I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak.
I will put upon you none other burden but that which ye have already. Hold fast till I come.
And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to Him will I give power over the nations.
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Now.
The last four churches from thy Tyra. The one we just read on to the end. The last four churches.
In this account, outline of the Church's history in this world go on to the end.
The Lord's coming is connected with each one of them.
And there is a change when we come to the 4th church, the one we just read, and that is that God is no longer looking for the hearing ear in the church as a whole, but he's looking for the hearing ear in the overcomer. It's to the overcomer that he then says he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear. But what we do find is that in connection with Thyatira, the Morning Star is introduced again.
00:50:13
And it's introduced in connection with.
Holding fast.
You notice it says in that 24th verse, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan. As I speak, I will put upon you none other burden but that which ye have already.
Hold fast till I come. Oh brethren, let's look at things. Just out you look at things in Vancouver. You say to yourself, can can we, can we go on? Will, will there be a testimony in Vancouver 25 years from now?
Oh, brethren, we don't have to be concerned with what's going to be here 25 years from now.
The Lord is coming, The Lord is coming. He says, Hold fast till I come, till I come. You know, it just struck me just a little while ago I heard of a dear St. of God who?
Left the Lord's Table, just got discouraged and despondent and left the Lord's Table. And the thought that struck my soul as soon as I heard it, it's one that I'd known and and cared for deeply. And the thought that struck my soul the moment I heard of it. Giving up. And this close to home.
This close to home, here's what we have here. The Morning Star.
Given as the encouragement to the overcomer. Given as the encouragement.
Hold fast till I come. Do we have to hold fast for one more week?
One more day, one more hour old brethren, isn't it wonderful you think of some dear St. of God tonight?
Who's in a prison in Russia?
And he comes before a judge in that nation of Russia, and he hears the judge stand up there, sit on his seat there in Russia. And he says, you're sentenced to Siberia for 99 years.
What does he say? Does he go saying I've got 99 years of this to go through?
No, brethren, He hears that voice, I trust. Hears that. Hold fast till I come. Till I come. You know. I thought of it in connection with Enochs. I'm sure others have too. You know. Enoch, if he had gone by precedent.
Enoch lived in a world that the Word of God tells us was filled with corruption and violence. It was a world that God was going to overthrow with a flood. And if Enoch went by precedent.
He would have said.
I've got 500 more years of this to go through.
His father, his grandfather, his great grandfather had all lived to be 900 years old or better.
And he was only 365 years of old age.
And if he had gone by precedent, he would have said look at look at the world and the condition and how much more I've got to go through.
But the word of God says he walked with God, and he was not forgotten.
God took him. He didn't have 900 years to go through.
The time had come for the Lord to take him.
And so it is, brethren, here, the encouragement that's given in Peter, the thought is particularly the day star arising in your hearts, the heart simply taken up with himself. He's coming for us here in Revelation chapter 2. It's an encouragement to hold fast till He comes.
The Morning Star all when I hear Saints of God talking about the Lord's coming as if it's years away.
Is that any encouragement to hold fast? It's not the way God puts it to us. He's like having our hearts looking for His coming tonight and realizing that all I've got to do is hold fast by His grace for the moments that are left.
Before we enter the Father's house now, I'd like to turn your, pardon me, just going a few minutes overtime. One last verse, Revelation chapter 22.
Revelation chapter 22 and verse 16.
I, Jesus have sent mine Angel, to testify unto you these things in the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the Bride say come.
And him that here and let him that heareth say, Come and let him that is a thirst.
Come and whosoever will let him take the water of life.
00:55:03
Freely the 20th verse he which testified these things. Seth, surely I come quickly.
Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Now here we have the third instance of the Lord Jesus spoken of as the bright.
A morning star. And here it is given particularly in connection with testimony. You notice it says, I, Jesus have sent mine Angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning Star. And then it says, and the Spirit and the bride.
Say come.
Now, brethren, the Lord Jesus is the one who speaks of Himself as the Morning Star.
That light that shines before the dawn, the Lord Jesus will come in judgment and in blessing to this world as the Son of righteousness who rises with healing in his wings. But for us before that, he comes as the morning star. He's the light that comes and shines at the darkest part of the night. But what we have here is a testimony.
And what is that testimony? The Lord Jesus saying I'm the bright and morning star and the Spirit.
Says come.
The testimony of the Spirit. The response of the Spirit of God.
To the one who says he's the bright morning star is come and the bride.
In harmony with the thoughts of the Spirit.
Also says come.
Not come next week or next month or next year. Not come when things that I want to do are over and done with. But come. The Spirit says come and the bride says come.
And what's the result of the testimony of the Spirit and of the Bride?
In harmony, IN response to the voice of the One who's the brightened Morning Star. What's the result of their testimony? It says, And he let him that heareth.
Say come, come.
All beloved brethren, it's such a lovely thing to think that you tonight, that you and I tonight have the privilege of encouraging by our own testimony in harmony with the thoughts of the Spirit of God, encouraging other Saints of God to say come to, to be looking and longing for his coming also. So it says, he let him that heareth.
Say come.
Have you had the joy of bringing before a Saint of God the precious truth of the Lord's coming?
And have them lay hold of it and rejoice in it, and thank God for the opening up of that truth to them, that the Lord is coming at any moment. That's what we have here. The Spirit and the Bride say come, and he that hears says come.
And then it says and let him that is athirst come.
Now this is one who is not saved, one who needs to Savior, and the result, the heart then says at the thought of his coming, the Spirit and the Bride in harmony.
The effect on other believers is that they are led to say come also and then the heart goes out to those that are lost.
And it says let him that is athirst come.
Brethren, the enjoyment, and let us always be conscious of this.
The enjoyment of the truth of God enjoyed in communion in the soul will only deepen love for souls. It will never weaken it. It will never give us to have less interest in the Gospel.
Know that joyment of the truth of God will give us as it is here, as we're occupied with His coming. The heart cannot help. If the Lord's coming is a reality in my soul tonight, that can't help but be a love for souls, a desire to save. Let whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
We come to the end of the chapter. The Lord Jesus says, surely I come quickly.
Now, brethren, I trust you understand what I mean when I say this. It is never the place for the child of God to tell the Lord Jesus what to do.
01:00:05
The Lord Jesus says I come quickly.
The response is not come quickly.
But just entering into His spots, it would never do for us to tell the Lord when to come, but we can respond to His statement.
Behold, I come quickly.
Our hearts say, Even so, come, Lord Jesus, we want Him to come. He knows the best time the God our Father has appointed that day. He waits for that time. We wait for it. In the meantime, brethren, we rejoice to know that He made us stars, to know that He calls us by name and cares for us as those who are precious to Himself.
That there is a day coming when one star will differ from another starring glory.
The reminder that the Spirit of God.