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Reading in Hebrews 11, perhaps verse five is it?
5.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death.
And was not found because God had translated him.
For before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him.
For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
By faith, Noah, being warned of God, of things not seen as yet mold with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for inheritance, obeyed.
And he went out not knowing whether he went.
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country.
Dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is gone.
Through faith are also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Therefore spring there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky and multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises.
But having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them.
And confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from which they came out, they might have had the opportunity to have returned.
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But now they desire a better country, that is and heavenly.
Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called. They're gone, for He hath prepared for them a city.
By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac.
And he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure.
By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
By faith, Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel, and gave commandments concerning his bowls.
Is that far enough?
A beautiful order we have in this chapter.
First, the faith that trusts in a sacrifice and so has peaceful God.
Then we have the life and walk of the believer.
With translation.
As the hope that's before the Christian find that in Enoch.
The Genesis account of Enoch tells us that he walked with God for 300 years and he was not, for God took him.
And it's rather encouraging to young families to.
Their attention called to this.
That Enoch began to walk with God when his first son Methuselah was born.
And from that time on we find him walking with God, and not only that, that he walked with God and begat sons and daughters.
Sometimes they coming into the family of.
A little one.
Yes, on occasion.
Of special blessings from the hand of God. And we learn too that in connection with the family life. And I'm sure Enoch had his trials.
Had a world that was ripening for judgment because the world was becoming filled with corruption and violence.
Just as the world is today.
But in the scenes of life where problems and.
Trials are on every hand. We have a man that quietly walked with God.
Think how long the walk was.
It was a Sunday school teacher instructing her children the class and she made this remark. She said that.
God took a long walk with Enoch, and they went so far that the Lord just took him home.
Well, it tells.
The truth of What's Before us translation that is to be completely taken out of this world.
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For when the Lord comes, as though those who are alive and remain.
Will be caught up. And as the apostle says in First Corinthians 1551, we shall not all sleep, that is, we will be translated in these very bodies in which we are sitting in. But oh, how lovely that is, we shall all be changed.
That is, we'll put on the perfect lightness to God's beloved Son.
Before you used to say I'm a man of destiny, a man of destiny. The lovers think of what a destiny is before the child of God to be perfectly like Christ, even physically, morally, spiritually.
Well, that's what is before us and.
We may never have the experience.
Death may never.
We never may need an undertaker. You may never have a grave in the cemetery. We may be caught up alive. And really, we should expect that increasingly, as the world grows evil. But while we're waiting, the spirit of God is engaged in gathering out the members of that company that to be the bride of Christ.
During this little while.
At the moment we could say that Enoch probably had two parts of this testimony, The testimony in his own soul, the knowledge that he was seeking to live to please the Lord. And then there was also the testimony that he delivered to the world, as mentioned in Jude.
It tells us that Enoch, the 7th from Adam, prophesied and he told the judgment that was coming. And those who watched his life and heard his testimony realized that he wasn't part and parcel of the world, that he was seeking to please another. And there should be with us those two things. If we live to please men, we'll certainly have a very difficult time in this world, or perhaps even sometimes we can't please other believers.
But we can't always live to please the Lord and the path of obedience to His Word. And if we do, I believe that others will know that we do seek to please the Lord, says Paul, speaking in this way in 2nd Corinthians 4, said by manifestation of the truth, commanding ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God, people may not always agree with what we say, but if it is spoken in the power of the Spirit.
It will command itself to their consciences. As someone has said, when we speak the truth to those who hear, their conscience is on your side. Their conscience bears witness that it is the truth. So we need to have those two things.
The desire in our souls to please the Lord, Paul said. If I yet please man, I should not be the servant of Christ. And then, as we seek to please the Lord, to walk in such a way that our lives before others.
Commends itself so that, although they may not always agree, they may see that we have the Lord before us and that we're seeking to please him.
Then that he had this testimony, that he pleased God, that that was a testimony to his own soul, that he lived in the enjoyment of the sense that his walk was what was in keeping with the Lord's desire and for his glory.
I believe so. I believe there were the two sides. I believe the one that you spoke of in which we mentioned is in Revelation 2, where it states that you notice in Revelation chapter 2 and verse 17.
He's a half a meter. Let him hear what the Spirit says under the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to Eve of the hidden manner, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man most saving, he that receiveth.
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There will be a manifestation in that day of the Lord's approval, but I believe that can be enjoyed even now by faith. And when the manna fell in the wilderness, and that was the food for the children of Israel and the wilderness, there was also a pot of mass that was laid up before the Lord to be preserved for their generations. And so in a coming day, when we get home to glory, there will be that in which we have shared in the pathway of the Lord Jesus.
Here in this world, he walked through this world to please his father. As we feed upon him, we have the sense too that we are walking to please him. And I believe in that there will be a remembrance even in glory, that we share something of that in our pathway here.
And then the white stone, which no man knows, saving he that receiveth it may not always be understood by others, but there will be the sense of the Lorde approval. And to me the lovely thought is that it's not only here but a wonderful thought, that in glory there will be the remembrance of that, that down here we thought to please him. And then there will be the manifestation above, but there will be something that goes on.
Even into eternity He that sold to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
The enjoyment of that will continue. To illustrate it, I sometimes put it like this.
Perhaps some of us have never been in prison for the Lord, but Paul was and won't there be something very wonderful that, as Paul's life is manifested, he'll have shared something which the Lord Jesus himself experienced, for it says he was taken from prison and from judgment. There will be an experience that he had in common with the Lord.
Has there been a time when someone has reproached us for seeking to please the Lord? Why the Lord was often reproached as he sought to please his Father? Well, that is something that will not be known by one who has not had that experience down here. And so is a marvelous thing to think that there will be a, a, a personal enjoyment of that, that will remain even in the glory.
I suppose the location that we have in Ephesians 4 would remind us something of the need of walking.
Before the Lord, for instance, the vocation here is.
Really concerning all the councils of God in grace concerning his people here below.
And.
OFT times there's a failure to walk as we should.
In the light of eternity.
Where is one thing about it that God's standard is never lowered in spite of our?
Calling. That's not very.
Strong Our Calling. Sometimes we call it a lost calling, the calling of God.
OFT times brethren, we fail to to recognize that the vocation, now vocation, has to do with the Councils of God in grace concerning us in the same.
And his standard is never low, and no matter how weak or failing we may become.
In our testimony I noticed that in Colossians one we are to walk worthy of the Lord.
And also in.
In First Thessalonians 2 we are the war walk worthy of God.
Well, it reminds me of a Sunday school that I was taking. And we took up the question of Enoch. And so I asked one of the girls who she'd be about 9:00 or 10:00, and I said, what do you think about the this question of ethics walking with God? And she replied in this way. It was most interesting. Well, she said.
Enoch and.
Lord walked a long way, and the Lord said to her to.
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I think we're a good way from home. You better come home with me.
You're a long way from home. You better come home with me. Well, it was rather nice the the thought of the young girl. You're so far from home now. You better come home with me.
One of these days we're going to be translated, brethren, We're going to quit this scene. These bodies of humiliation are going to be changed into bodies of glory fashioned like unto his own body of glory. And so I suppose it does really come in here.
That Enoch is the type of the of the believer being translated, would you not say?
What has to do to of course, for the Remnant, but I think there's a nice little type here, Brethren. Why does it say brother smell? By faith?
By faith, he was translated.
Why does it say that?
Had to do with his.
Trust.
I don't know you explain it to us a bit brother. Well, I don't know that I will explain it, but I was. I was just wondering about it if.
If Enoch, is that before us as a type of the Church, is that right?
Just a little picture of the church that's to be caught up. We know what characterizes the church's intelligence and divine things.
And so when it says by faith, there must have been intelligence as to what was going to happen.
We see that repeated in the passage, our brother Hey Ho quoted to us from June. He was he was also intelligent as to the judgment that was coming.
Now, I don't know this correct or not, but there seems to be some hint in Jude as to the judgment that will come on Christendom. Is that right?
Because it's connected to the Lord and His coming. So that in meditating on on Enoch we get that which would encourage us to see the truth of Ephesians that our brothers been bringing out. Those are the counsels of God. And dear brethren, isn't it a marvelous thing that God has given us all of his counsels?
And.
How slow we are to meditate on them, and to enter into them and read them, and to wait on the Lord to open them to us. Because as our brother Hales mentioned about the Whitestone, I believe there are some things.
That we learn through experience. This course is the Word and the Spirit teaching. But He uses our experiences daily. The sorrow, the trial, the joys to awaken us, to realize these precious things that we have in Christ, so that we might turn everything in that direction and not just be occupied with this present world and what's passing, which we're so proud to do.
To settle down in this world.
Now this whole chapter of Hebrews shows us of people that would not settle down.
They accepted the circumstances that all pointed to a certain blessed hope. Well, that's Ephesians true.
I think there's great emphasis on that's about pleasing God too, because, you know, that's the thing that's natural to our hearts, that we want to have the feeling that we're accepted. We try to do things and dress in such a way and go places that please our friends.
Well, it's a great thing as we see the breakdown of everything. Here you have one before us to please. We may not always be able to please others, but we can always please the Lord and make him our object. So when the there was departure from the gospel, Paul laid emphasis on the fact that he didn't seek to please men. He said, if I yet please man, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Again in Second Corinthians chapter five, he says wherefore we labor. That, whether present or absent, we might be accepted or agreeable to him is a great feeling, as among us all that we like to feel accepted. Even at these meetings we like to feel accepted. We like to feel that our friends accept us. Well, we may not always be able to be accepted by our friends, and in fact it's going to be a very difficult thing if we have that before us.
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But if we have the Lord before us, and after the peace, there's a joy in the soul, and that was what Enoch walked with. We're not told that he had any kind of companionship. It almost sounds from the account given to us in Genesis as though he'll knock lock more or less alone. But he had the Lord's approval, He had the sense of it in his soul, and he had the testimony of others who watched his life, and a lowly might have disagreed with his message.
Disagreed with what he did. They said one thing we know about that man, he wants to please God, and I believe that should be the character of our testimony. And it's the only thing, brethren, that will give us peace and quietness of spirit in a world where everything is changing and standards are changing.
The fact that there is one I like the way the little hymn puts it from various cares. Our hearts retire. They'll deepen down the 30 by our we've now to please. But one in before whom each knee shall bow with him is all our business now, and those of our norms. Well, there's a blessedness in this, and we need to have this in our souls. And it's only by faith that can we can have it before us.
Now, that is, if we walk by sight and we'll have confused ideas about if we walk by faith. We make the word of God our guide. We have our eyes upon an unseen object, and then there's a steadiness and quietness and peace in our path. And I believe Enoch walked in that path.
Really. That.
6 verses the comment on the walk of Enid. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to him to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. And I believe that.
What we're told here without this impossible to please God.
We're so and much in danger of having confidence in ourselves and, as Philippians 3 tells us, having no confidence in the flame. It's so natural, it's so subtle to be trusting himself instead of trusting in the Lord. So really, it casts this much upon himself exercises. Let's get us a sense of the Lord.
Presence. For our wills are so subtle, and if if we're not watchful and they're not willing to judge what is just a matter of our self will, we may be feeling and we may have the thought that we're really pleasing the Lord, when in reality we're really pleasing ourselves. I suppose that every part of scripture.
Comes in with its great importance, so that every phase of life is is is taken up and nothing is omitted. And in that connection I was thinking of the 139th Psalm, where the psalmist passes through much exercise and he comes to this conclusion. He says search me and know me.
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting he starts off with. Thou hast searched me and known him. When he finds out father blessing it is he wants the Lord to keep on searching him. And brethren, let's be willing.
Let the word of God, and let the Spirit of God search us through and through, and not resist, and to be most careful and watchful, that our own wills are not involved.
I read a statement there from a brother not long ago.
That one rarely gives up an error if his will is involved in it so.
We we need this.
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In considering this matter of walking by faith, the only way we can please God and faith is in His Word and in Himself. It really becomes the the result.
Of an acquaintance with the Lord himself through daily communion.
And communion leads us to the readiness to always judge ourselves and to own when we were wrong, and to not set ourselves up as though we were not, as though we didn't make mistakes rather than we are just a lot of poor failing things. But I believe the one that goes on with God is One Who.
Is really always willing.
To judge self and to own a mistake that he has made and not just support himself so that we are not deceiving ourselves in any way.
Gospel of John.
The Gospel of John, chapter One in connection with a walk of Genoc. I think that we have already something very precious in the first chapter of John, chapter one, verse 29.
It's a very well known verse, the Gospel of John, Chapter one, verse 29. The next day John.
See it? Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away.
The sins of the world. And I was very much impressed with this expression. So the Lord Jesus come and unto him.
Stand where a blessed.
Blessed experience has been in our life when the Lord Jesus came in our life and we have come to the realization that that blessed Savior He not only come to take away the sin singular, but at the cross of Calvary all our sins that were put away by that precious blood. But then the testimony doesn't stop there. He gives a wonderful testimony in verse 33 concerning the Savior that he saw the Spirit of God.
Descended upon him in the form of dog, and then on verse 34 say and I saw and I bear record that this is the Son of God. But no, it doesn't stop there. The next verse, the next 2-3 verse, they are very precious indeed in connection with walking again the next day.
The next day after John stood and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus.
As he walked.
He said, Behold the Lamb of God, oh the perfect walk of our blessed O Jesus, as he walked here below to please his Father. What a lesson we can learn as we go through the gospel and we see the perfect walk in obedience of this precious Savior, where a lesson we combine and what an encouragement will be to our heart to behold him in his walk through this life.
To encourage us to walk in the path of the faith. And the result of that was that two of his disciples heard him speak.
And they follow the Lord Jesus. How blessed it is. Yes, Enoch, he walked with God. He pleased God. Oh, but what a wonderful blessed example we have in the person of the Lord Jesus.
Our perfect was it was not only in his life, but his billions took him to the dead and that the dead of the cross can we not lying a wonderful lesson as we walk to the scene here as we behold the Lord Jesus.
Walking through this to the packed way with this light, I believe we can.
Verse 7 There's quite a contrast with Enoch if they're not.
I suppose if Enoch would give us a faint picture of the church we have here, Israel, possibly, And we will find that in their coming prophetic history, that when they get back to the land, they're going to remember their ways and their enemies will surround them and they'll be moved with fear.
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But the Lord will deliver them.
Well, this was true of Noah. He was given a message of judgment, and he was moved with fear.
And so we see quite a contrast between this and Enoch. Enoch.
Had built up in his life.
A companionship, shall we say.
Walking with God and the result was he was a perfect ease in his presence. It wasn't so with Noah. He was moved with fear. I suppose there was ease in his presence in the sense that there was faith there and he knew the Lord would deliver him because he said so. But there wasn't the same walking with God that gives the testimony Here is it.
Case of Noah. So Noah was moved with fear, being warned of God of things not seen as yet. That was faith. He acted on it. He was moved with fear, prepared an arc to the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Now we see in each of these three instances.
Whether it be?
Able or whether it be Enoch.
Or Noah. There's a warning of judgment in each case.
And we were thinking a little while ago of Enoch walking with God.
The very fact that he was walking with God was a warning to others of the judgment that was coming. And this is true of the Christian today. If we're walking in the path, it's a constant warning to the world around us that they're they're not in the place, a blessing. They're ready for judgment.
And we find when the Lord Jesus went through this world, he was condemned because of who he was. He exposed all was around him. He walked before God, his pathways. And so there's a constant testimony of judgment with the believer, I believe if he passes through this world, if he walks with God.
Then that.
In Enoch we get the present dispensation, the Church and her translation typically especially in view. Then in nor we have the coming dispensation after the translation of the Church has taken place.
For Noah goes through the flood just as Israel will go through the great tribulation.
The Christian will never, never go through the great tribulation. We will already be in glory, and that's covered by that verse in the promise to Philadelphia, because I was kept my word. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which is coming to try. All them that dwell upon the earth. We have that promise.
We see things growing worse every day and the.
Very foundations of the government's shaking and anarchy prevailing between are assured of this that the final outbreak of anarchy and the awful.
Results of man's will will cover the earth and we'll be in glory with Christ but.
When the remnant of Israel.
Are taken up as they will be after we are gone.
They'll be like Noah and his family going through the tribulation, and to inherit a new world that is God will set up a Kingdom here on earth, which we see and no coming out of the Arkham after the judgment. And now he inherits the earth.
Just as the Lord gave in the Beatitudes, blessed are the meek. That's the.
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At the remnant, for they shall inherit the earth.
But I believe besides that.
You've been bringing out.
Brother London, there is a practical.
Application of this to us, that is a testimony that was rendered through North.
Now, no matter how Noah was mocked in his day for building a great ship on the dry ground, there is one thing that all the Antediluvians had to say about it, that there is a man that believes what he's telling us.
Or he surely would never go to all that work and expense to build that immense ship. Well, may our lives be such that.
Our ways will speak louder than.
Our ways speak louder than any words we could speak. Our brother Power believed that Noah.
Didn't just preach and.
To the centers of those days, the way Nob Priest was, his thought was by building the ark. That was his sermon. That's what he preached to those of that day, that there's a flood coming, and here I'm preparing for it.
You remember how they asked the Lord the question, who art thou? And if you get the correct translation, I believe it's in the 8th chapter of Young.
It should read absolutely that which I say unto you, that is, the Lords. Life was in perfect keeping with his words. Sometimes we say things, and we're not wholehearted in it, but when the Lord spoke.
His life was in perfect keeping with what he said to others.
Yeah, but I think that will be fine. In connection with Noah that says that no in Genesis, as it says of Enoch, that Noah walked with God too. But there was a certain character to his testimony. He was moved with fear. Now, that is, he saw what was coming. The world doesn't like to admit what is coming. They're always looking how they can bring about situations where.
They can take care of the problems that face society and the face the world today. But the Christian who has believed God, he's moved with fear because he knows what is coming and that no matter what man do or whatever improvements they may think they make in regard to the environment or growth of population or whatever it may be, God has said that this judgment is coming and it's going to come, and that there's only one way of escape from that judgment.
And that is through the true arc of safety. Who is the Lord Jesus? And so no more witness to this. We're told that he was a preacher of righteousness and his life also agreed with it because as it says here, he prepared this ark. And it's nice to little added comment of the spirit of God here to the saving of his hopes. Now that ark was built large enough to accommodate all those animals too. But there was 1 great thing that was before all this before Noah.
The spirit of God comments on here and that is it was to the saving of his house. He looked at his household, he realized that they had immortal souls and all his work had that, particularly before it. The preparation of the ark and the bringing in of all the animals was important in obedience to God, but I think this, in connection with his house is most beautiful and speaks to each one of us.
That surely we who are parents, we see the world. There's more materialism today. There's more prosperity. Our children can get better jobs and better things than they ever had before. And it challenges us as to whether our prime purpose, our most and greatest desire for them, is that they would be saved from the judgment that is most surely coming upon this world. And this is what Noah did.
And he became heir of the righteousness which is by faith now, that is, he had something better than all. And I have no doubt that the world was very materialistic in his time. I believe the world had made a great amount of progress in those times. But he saw it as a doomed world. And we need to see this world as reserved under fire, as Peter tells us, and be looking for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
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I think that's very helpful, Bronze.
Nora is the type of the Jewish remnant.
Of course.
But there's that fear of what is going to come to pass.
And so, in faith, he builds that wonderful ark, by the way, that that is, I asked the captain about the measurements of ships.
And I said, Captain, could you tell me the?
Whether the dimensions of the arc are used for the building of ships today, and he said absolutely so.
For that arc was 450 feet long and 70 feet wide and and I put it down here at 45 feet high, it was a it was a transatlantic, wasn't it?
But here is Noah, in the face of the unbelief that surrounded him here, he's building an ark on driving.
A preacher of righteousness. They must have called him a crazy man To build what? What? How would he ever float it?
But he built it in view of the coming judgment, and I think that's a good word for us here, brethren. We know as Christians that this world is condemned already, and here we have no continuing city. We don't belong to this world. We belong to heaven, and we have to continually remind our hearts of this fact that we belong to heaven. We're a heavenly people.
But how sad it is when you take into consideration the portion of the Jew.
Here they are battling away Kissingers over there trying to make a peace arrangement of peace with with Syria, trying to make peace without the Prince of Peace. We know that the children of Israel will get that land because the promise is sure.
Absolutely, sure. But they'll never get it at the force of arms. They'll get it when God gives it to them. I think this is a very interesting portion concerning Noah. It was in view of coming judgment.
That he by faith.
Build the ARM.
He knew.
By faith, what was going to happen?
The world didn't know. They must have counted him a raving lunatic, but that didn't alter the his conception of what God had purposed through him. So there's a lesson for us in this too, isn't it? Not to be too occupied with the things of this world because judgment is coming, but the bride of their brother?
Barry has mentioned the Church will have already been raptured, so we shall not be there for that occasion. We shall be at the close of the tribulation period. We should come back with the Lord Jesus and reign over the earth.
A portion is a heavenly portion, but for all the dreadful unmitigated judgments that are to fall upon that little land of Palestine, I was just thinking of the peril from the north.
God sleeping down with Assyrian, then the peril from the east.
What a tremendous upheaval it will be. Beloved, all the Church will never go through the tribulation period. Let us never be tripped up with that theory.
But what terrible judgments are awaiting this scene?
The Lord is going to take us out of it.
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At any moment we could be gone. May we just live in view of it, beloved.
There's a verse in Job that would tell us the character of the day Before the Flood. It's in the 23rd chapter, 22nd chapter of Job.
And verse 15.
Possibly another verse in Joel, but perhaps this would give the character of.
Today.
Job 22 and 15 hast thou marked?
The old way.
Which wicked men have trodden?
Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood.
Now this is what they said, which said unto God, depart from us.
And what can the Almighty do for or to them?
Yet he filled their houses with good things. But the council of the wicked is far from me. So apparently God had blessed them outwardly, and they despised their blesser. And so that they said to God just what the equivalent to what men are saying today.
Depart from us, and man would like to have this world without God.
What he would like? Well, it's history repeating itself, and so it calls for judgment.
Well, I suppose if we.
Have divided up the book of this chapter, the 11Th of Hebrews, that when you get through the 7th verse you have completed the first subject the premises were which gives us fullness.
That is, it's taken up creation, it's taken up the way of approach to God.
Given us the Christian walk and translation.
At the end, And then the coming judgment on the earth, the remnant that will go through it, And then?
The when it takes up in the eighth verse, then we get the.
The life of separation of God's people, His redeemed ones.
Pictured to us in the walk of Abraham.
So we find that by faith Abraham the eighth verse, when he was called to go out into a place which he should, after receive corn inheritance, obeyed, and he went out not knowing whether he went. Now there is very clearly the pathway of the believer, and there in that we see not only faith, but the obedience of faith.
Spoken of in the first chapter of Romans.
The obedience of faith to all nations, and that's the way faith manifests the reality of its confidence and trust in God. It obeys. God speaks, and the exercise of faith is to walk in the path that God has marked out for our feet.
We said that the Earth had made it a considerable amount of progress before the flood.
But even after the flood, they had made a great amount of progress in the time of Abraham.
And her of the Chaldees had come to a very advanced stage, and saw the world, after having been judged, has again made its progress. Now again we see the call of God, and so we see the world developed today in a marvelous way. But Abraham now is called to leave all that and to live the rest of his life and attempt well, it was a real test of faith to think that he left his place.
And it wasn't just a temporary thing about he was to be a stranger in that land that he should after receive for an inheritance. And so that's the true character of the Christian today. We don't find our rest and home here, and the thought here is not so much of being taken out of it, although that's blessedly true, but how we conduct ourselves while we're still in it. And this is important for us, because if the Lord doesn't come, we may be left here a little longer.
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How are we going to conduct ourselves in it? Are we willing to turn our back upon those things that would?
Tie us down to this world in order to live, to please the Lord. That's a real test of faith. It's a test of faith for Abraham. And then it mentions here too about Sarah, because this was also a test of faith for Sarah, because when she left, why?
She was leaving also all the comforts and all of belonging to that society and progress in her of the Chaldees to share that place of reproach and that place of suffering. Well, it's very lovely to see that because a sister can be a drag, you and perhaps the husband may be a hindrance, perhaps the wife may be a hindrance. But it's nice to see that when Abraham went out.
And they were to live in tents. And we don't find one grumble on the part of Sarah for this change. And I'm sure it was a very real change for her. That's a lot harder for a sister to leave certain comforts than it is for a brother, because that is the sphere of their activities at the home. And then to be called to take up this light. So it's very commendable. And the Lord honored her and giving her the strength to give a child in the later part of their life, which was their joy.
Well, he was called to a place which he should after receive for an inheritance. He didn't see what was ahead of them. He couldn't get pictures. If we're going to visit another land, we can get pictures and road maps and everything. He couldn't. When he took this journey, he had to go.
Knowing whether he went, how lovely to see that faith that counted upon God, that knew that if God had called him to something else, it must be better than what he called him to leave. And so it says that he looked for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker of God were not told anything of that in the Old Testament. We're not told that he was looking for a city at all about. I believe that when he left that city in early the counties, he said, well, if God calls me to leave this, he must have something better than what I'm leaving.
And the vision of that filled his soul and that enabled him to walk by faith. And the Scripture says where no vision is, the people perish. If you and I don't have any sense of having something better than what we give up here, it'll never be possible for us to walk the path of faith.
But God can make that real to us, that what is ahead of us is far, far better than anything that he calls us to give up for his sake here.
Draw your attention, beloved, to the Genesis, for a moment or two. There's a little secret there.
Which is worth noting.
Verse seven of chapter 12, He went out, as her brother had just mentioned, to a land that God would show him, and there all the enemies were there.
In the land. But here's the secret. And the Lord appeared unto Abraham, Abraham, And sin unto thy seed will I give this land, and there build it he an altar.
Unto the Lord who appeared unto him, And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent. Well, beloved, we are liable to pitch the tent first.
When this is where we go wrong in our Christian testimony, Abraham builded an altar, and there he had the presence of the Lord with him. This is faith in action. He builds an altar first of all, then he pitches his tent, which is a type of cost of the pilgrims. Oh how much time we spend.
So often in the tent, attending to the tent and the altar is neglected. May the Lord help us to remember that the altar comes first. As pilgrims, this is taught here in this gentle, perhaps connected with your remarks in the 12Th chapter.
01:00:20
It might be well to notice that these steps of faith.
We're gradual. He didn't get a lot of light all at once.
In the first of that 12Th chapter, he said, God said to him to a land that I will show thee.
Well then, after he gets into the land, he said. I'm going to give it to your seed.
But then when lot of separated from him in the next chapter, he said you look to the east and the West and the north and the South and you'll see the land that I'm giving you. So you see it was progressive. It was one step at a time.
Now I think that there's a lesson for us in this.
Sometimes those who are older expect too much.
Those who are younger, is that not so?
And we have to realize that there are some who perhaps the Lord has given more because they're older, or they've been in the path longer, and we'll have to be patient with one another as to these things. And we don't all see things the same, that is the old and the young. We have to remember to learn this from the life of Abraham, that there were certain things he did not know when he went out.
God said I'll show you the land, that's all, he said. And then he said he was going to give it to his children.
But then, after he had taken that step and separated from his last kinsman, as it were, and that was real separation. Why Abraham? He says. You can have the whole thing. It's yours, but it's by faith. You still live there as a stranger. But it was his.
Scheme be like Second Thessalonians, one where the apostle says your faith groweth exceedingly. We have to remember that.
When Abraham lived, he didn't have one page of the Bible.
It was entirely a matter of faith in God, and God was teaching him from step to step as to his mind and to his thoughts. Our brother Hale has just brought out so nicely about.
Having left her of the calories here, he arrives in a land where there's no city in view. So God teaches him in this way.
Where he has another city that is in heavenly.
How did he learn that? He didn't learn it from the Book of Revelation about the city which whose life was like onto a stone most precious. He learned it in communion with God in a walk of faith. That is where he fully trusted in the Lord. Now if the Lord has called me and I know he can't fail me to go into this land, and he's given me no subtle place to to abide.
He must have something far better before me. And what is that that's before me?
Oh, it's a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. And then in the offering up of Isaac, he learns the truth of resurrection.
When it tells us here, I'm getting a little ahead of our subject, but just point out how God was teaching him.
Along the way it says that by faith Abraham the 17th verse offered up Isaac and he that had received the promise.
Offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy feed be called.
A counting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. How did Abraham learn about resurrection? He didn't turn to the book of Ephesians or the account of the resurrection of the Lord in the Gospels. He didn't have that.
But he had such unshaken faith, and the God who had called him that. He said, if I take the life of my son, and God has pronounced all his blessings in this Son, God will have to raise him from the dead, for there's resurrection. He learned resurrection in that way. And I think what you said, Brother Lunzine, is important for us.
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That is not to expect.
Too fast or too swift growth of faith in some of God's people. Have patience, waiting and and let the Lord teach. The Lord has his own way of instructing His teaching His children where none teachers like him and if we go on individually.
In quiet.
Consistent walk.
And seek to please the Lord and be subject to his words, just as the apostle says. God shall reveal even this unto you, like he did to those in Philippians.
I think this is very important in this day when the enemy is so busy to scatter us down, to spoil our testimonies gathered to the Lords name, to be patient with one another and to wait on the Lord to instruct.
Each other.
And to leave many things within the Lord's hand, because he's far wiser, surely, than we are.
Personal illustration I had not been gathered very long, and I went into the Los Angeles meeting room for a visit.
And I was quite young.
And an older brother came up to me and he said you're taking the meeting tonight.
Well, this was a new experience for me. And so I answered him. I said I'm not ready.
He said as he turned on his heel to walk away. He said the word of God says be all was ready, so I took the meat and the Lord helped me. But you see, sometimes we expect too much.
And.
Expect a younger one who could not be able to carry out something that we would expect of them thinking that they can do it.
In connection with the tent, I think it's not unloaded. The angels rest and to Abraham.
I said, Abraham, where is there thy wife? Oh, I believe she's around. Mr. Smith having a coffee break? No, he said. She's in the tent.
For less than place four or wasn't it?
Probably in this 11Th of Hebrews it's the chapter of faith. It's not the chapter of failure. We get all the failures of Abraham. There's some of his failures were very sad and very distressing, but lovely, isn't it? For the spirit of God just to give us one view of the life of those?
We might call belonging to his honor roll, those that he's freshly honored in their testimony here below. And then when you get to the next chapter, they're spoken of as a great cloud of witnesses. But he's just taking up that side of things, and that will be the side of things. That will be the.
The.
Subjects of our joy and with each other in glory for all these failures and mistakes and all these disagreements and some unhappy affairs.
Isn't it wonderful to think that that will be all wiped out and there will be nothing but those things that will furnish joy and happiness together?
And the joy that the Lord has brought us into such a fellowship together with Himself, will fill us with eternal rapture.
It's nice to see here that when it's talking about the walk of Faith, we find others brought in as we mentioned Abraham, and then it mentions and that's 11Th verse through faith, Sarah also herself, and then in the ninth verse dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob.
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When I'm speaking about those before that, we have mentioned Abel and Enoch and Noah. We're not told about those others, but in the Walk of Faith, there were those who were companions, who were helpers. And isn't this a little word of encouragement? How often in family life there could be such a help in the pathway of faith as we share these things together?
Father and mother and children can be a great blessing in sharing these things of faith.
Because the path of faith is not an easy one, and it is a great blessing when there are those who are, shall I say, helpers with us. We find that in connection with Jonathan, he had an armor bearer who was an encouragement to him.
And then I just also was thinking about this eleventh verse. It says through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed. In the 4th chapter of Romans speaking about Abraham, it says in the 20th verse.
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. I might mention here that in the new translations it is not strong in faith but strengthened by faith, and it's the same thought. In our 11Th 1St year through faith, Sarah received strength. I mentioned this because some person might say, well there do seem to be those who are strong in faith, but I don't think I'm one of them.
I don't really think my faith is very strong. Well, the scripture never speaks about being strong in faith, but it does speak about being strengthened by faith. And that's important because it's not how much faith we have, but whether it's in the right person.
Some people can have faith in their own faith, confidence in their own faith. But as we put our confidence in the Lord, then when situations arise, not whether I have enough faith or the situation, but rather, is the Lord sufficient for this situation? Is he able to give me guidance? Is he able to help? Is he able to give me the strength to meet this situation? And as we trust Him, then we receive that strength that is necessary for the situation?
So if there should be anyone here who is thinking of how weak your faith is, remember that the Lord Jesus said that if we had even strength like a grain of mustard seed, we could move mountains. And if any of us have any mountains in our life that we haven't been able to move yet, then we must have less space than a grain of mustard seed. So I don't think we can do much boasting about our faith, but we can do a great deal of boasting about the one and whom we trust. Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
And that's the theme here, the person in whom we trust. Let's think of that. Let's think of whether he's worthy of our confidence in all that we have to meet in life. And then we'll find that he will give us the strength to meet these problems and difficulties. And again, I say in family life, there's a lot of.
Families represented here, when these difficulties are talked over at home, as they often are, how often a little word from a husband or wife, or even the children, or as parents to the children, can help them through a difficulty just by encouraging them to that confidence in the Lord, seems to me quite remarkable that only in the walk of faith do we find these other names introduced here as showing what helpers we can be in this path.
Get farther on in the chapter that by faith they passed through the Red Sea with the Assyria the Egyptians are saying to do.
Were drowned. Well, you would think to read of those people that they had no faith at all.
They were saying, You brought us out here to perish in the wilderness. There were mountains each side, and and Pharaoh with his great army and all his Chariots behind him. Well, when Moses told him to go forward.
That was the obedience of faith. He went forward with nothing but the waters of the Red Sea ahead of them. But God dried up the Red Sea and they went through on dry ground. So when we act as you say, it isn't a great amount of faith. In fact when the disciples said Lord increase our faith, that verse you were quoting, if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, so to speak, it isn't how how much faith you have, but use the faith that the Lord has given you in the person.
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That you're trusting in and then you can surmount the difficulties and make the dangers of the way.
Maybe saying 3:30 call 334.
The love of God. Through the love of God our Savior, all will be well.
Free and change. This is his favor all. All is well. Precious is the blood that he loves. Perfect is the grace and seal that is strong. The hand stretched small to shield us all must be well, 334.