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270.
And waiting for it.
To be on.
What all the day lost in its grace and grace.
What all commitment, of course, we need to hold on when it's in the beginning of our lives.
Replay India Banega Manch.
Perhaps we could start at verse 5.
And.
Hey Bruce. Chapter 13, verse 5.
Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
00:05:10
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.
Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines, for it is good that the heart be established with grace, not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the Tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls that they as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief.
Where that is unprofitable for you.
Pray for us where we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. I men. And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.
Salute all them which have the rule over you, and all the Saints they of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Well, verse five is another exhortation.
In the.
That the apostle gives in connection with our practical testimony, and as well for our own peace, that there might be fruit for God in our lives, and as part of the Christian testimony that it ought not to be characterized by covetousness. That's what characterizes the world that we live in, in a day of prosperity.
Where the perhaps American, perhaps all of the Christian, Western Christian world that's characterized by.
Covetousness. And so in the New translation it says, Let your conversation or your manner of life be without love of money, satisfied with your present circumstances. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, neither will I forsake thee. And so we ought to be satisfied, not only content, but satisfied, fully satisfied to have the presence of the Lord, and the approval of the Lord.
In our walk and ways and so this exhortation is necessary for us in these last days before the Lord comes because it says Paul says for ye brought nothing. We brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out. And so whatever he gives to us, whatever resources, funds.
Property. Whatever it is, we ought to use it for the Lord.
I.
It's one thing.
Call somebody to be satisfied. It's another thing to recognize that you ought to be satisfied. But the question is, how is it we are satisfied? Well, there's two aspects to it. One you'll see in Philippians Chapter 4.
Philippians, Chapter 4.
Verse 11.
Not that I speak in respect of want.
00:10:04
For I have learned in whatsoever state I am.
Therewith to be content.
Paul says I have learned.
That's a process.
And.
That means dealing with unpleasant.
Circumstances that would normally be unsatisfying and accepting them from the Lord. Learning to accept them from the Lord.
You look in the life of the Apostle Paul, you find that there were times when he did get agitated in certain circumstances, and he did things that he probably should not have done.
And then he says in verse 12.
Verse 11 he says, I have learned, Verse 12 he says.
I know both how to be abased and I know how to have found everywhere and in all things I am instructed. I am instructed both to be full, to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. So the first aspect is something to learn, but who do we learn it from? We learn it from the Lord, the Lord Jesus.
Said take my yoke upon you and learn from me. And if we recognize we're in circumstances that are less than satisfying, that we're not content with them.
And I think we all have that experience. We need to turn to the Lord and discover what is in this fifth verse. Let your conversation be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have before.
He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
The Lord is ultimately our portion.
On the verse that John referred to in Matthew 11. On the same point, Matthew Chapter 11.
Matthew 11 verse 28. Come unto me. I'll comment on it as we read it.
All ye that labor and are heavy laden, we all have our present circumstances that are referred to and we're told to be content with them, and yet present circumstances can also have connected with them. A laboring and a heavy lading.
I spent a couple of evenings this week with a man.
In the intensive care unit of a hospital that is dying of lung cancer.
And he what put him in this time was he had a panic attack. He was afraid in the circumstances and he was in a lot of pain. So he overdosed on his over the counter pain Med and ended up in the hospital where he is now. And the first comment connected, which I was.
Going over these verses with him coming to me.
That's the first step.
To find.
Being acceptable in present circumstances.
Very often requires going to the right place and the right person and the person that can give us that peace.
Is the one that says, Come unto me.
The second thing, he says. A promise I will give you rest.
And so that person, the Lord Jesus that invites us to come to him, says, you, come to me and I will give you rest.
Fella, I'm referring to Thomas. Somebody walked into his room that day from the hospital staff and they said to him the other day, are you afraid Thomas? And he says, yes, I am.
He's always been an honest person in that way. And so he said, yes, I am afraid. And the Lord Jesus recognizes where we are, and if we're afraid, he recognizes that, but his invitation is come. And then he says, I will give you rest to me. The 29th verse is the practical way in which we learn to have that rest. He says, take my yoke upon you.
00:15:24
I don't know. I assume most here know what a yoke is. 2 animals that are going to labor together. I have a common yoke that ties them together. And so he says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. What is there to learn of the Lord?
Did he have peace and rest in his circumstances of the most difficult life that a person has ever lived, that he know what he was talking about when he says?
Come to me and get in yoke with me.
Yes, he did. We know he did. And so his invitation to us is come submit yourself to bearing a common yoke with me. I've been through what you're going through or something far worse. And so I have experience at the burden and what it is and what it is to be facing.
Circumstances that are very difficult and so then he says.
Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. That's one of the things that is learned in yoke with the Lord Jesus. We sometimes try to learn it on our own, Oh, I ought to be more humble, I ought to be more accepted, and so on and so forth, and find it very difficult. But with the Lord Jesus, he says what is involved in it?
It's acceptance.
Part of the acceptance of circumstances as being leaked and lowly, and the Lord Jesus submitted himself to God in the circumstances of his life, and even the circumstance of being rejected and being unfairly treated and being put to death and so on, were the circumstances of his life.
And yet into thy hands I commit. My spirit was his attitude in that God is in control of all the circumstances of my life, and he submitted to them.
He would say, I delight to do thy will, O my God, and that delight meant I accept thy will, Oh my God, even if it causes me to lose my life in the way that he lost his life. And so he says, verse 30, my yoke is easy.
Why? Because when two are yoked together, the stronger one can make the weaker ones yoke like.
And so the Lord can say, I know how to make the yoke, that you have to bear light, because I will bear it with you, and my burden for you is light, lo I. And so in our verse, as it says.
Here I am. Will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. I'll never say I'm sorry. I can't carry the oak with you. It's too difficult. You'll have to do it on your own.
Now the Lord says, I'll never leave you, I'll stay in yoke with you, I'll never cease to go through it with you. But it starts with the invitation. Come.
And if we aren't willing to come to him, then we will not enjoy the fellowship with him in the.
Oak.
Matthew 11 we see the.
The key to the Lord's submission first of all, in verse 25.
He he had just.
Viewed the his his field of service for God.
His his love to those that the father had sent him to, and they had all rejected it and.
His his answer to that was in verse 25 and that at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank the old Father, Lord of heaven and earth. And so the Lord Jesus you spoke of the fact that he he knew what he knew what submission was and so he could be a piece in whatever circumstances he was found. And then he goes on to say in verse clinic 26.
00:20:20
Even so, Father, for so it seemed good and thy sight, the Lord Jesus had such confidence in the Father that whatever happened to him, He knew that it was it was the best thing and this. And So what the Lord Jesus has done here is he has laid out an example of already having done what he's asking us to do.
And when we speak of being willing to go into the yoke, we're going into the yoke of one who has already given us the example of perfect submission and obedient to his Father. And you know, really, that's the that's the answer for contentment, as we have in our verse here.
When we realize that our Father is in charge of giving.
And he'll give what he sees as best and if we have confidence in his ability to give.
Then it's hard to be dissatisfied with what you give. And we can rejoice in whatever he gives. And if he doesn't choose to give, then we know it's best because He's our Father.
He gives according to his own heart. And so, you know, we can't really have these things without relationship.
God hasn't brought us into fellowship with himself for us to not enjoy relationship and so.
Contentment really has to do with us. Don was Speaking of being in the yoke with the Lord Jesus, letting him bear the load. But it also has in the confidence of relationship with the giver, with the one who every good gift says.
In is it James one, every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father of life, and who is is no variables in the shadow of turning so.
Contentment really has to do with relationship and trust within that relationship, knowing God is our Father.
And I just want to emphasize that's what the Lord showed us in Matthew 11. He said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. He said Even so Father for so it seemed good. And I said it was relationship which led him to be that wonderful son.
I have a question with regards to covetousness and being content. So a couple of things. The Buddhist ultimate desire in their life, it's a funny way to say it. It should eliminate all desire. They conflate it with the idea of covetousness, which is damaging. We can see that around even the world can see that materialism, at least to excess is damaging and does damage. Although Buddhist wants to eliminate all desire.
Somehow. And that, that's the ultimate goal. So when you're growing up and your father says to you, don't you have any ambition?
Someone in school may say your counselor, don't you have any ambition to maybe a lazy student or a casual student?
And here's another thing. I've heard a group of fathers talking, and this one father says, my son's almost 40 years old. He's content to live at home. He's content to hang out with his friends. He's content to just have a menial job. He's happy. Something's wrong with that picture.
Where does Biblical?
Godly desire to advance, to go to school, to get a job, to get married.
To advance a career on a business and that crossed the line over into covetousness because if you're content to sit at home as a 39 year old young man, content dad isn't content about that mom. They're saying how do I get him out? Something's wrong with that picture.
00:25:13
So how these things work out in real life?
How do you say that? Because the world's thinking about this can influence us. And that idea of ambition. Don't you have any ambition? Well, some people, they want all of that and they're right out of the gate. You can see something's wrong with the desire they have. They want to be rich. They want all these things, the toys and all of that, and it's over the line.
Where is the ballots? Where is that at?
All Ephesians and Colossians.
It says that covetousness is idolatry. So it's getting something before our souls that is not the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think that's so nice what it says in our verse five that your conversation be without covetousness and be content with those things that you have. For he has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
So it's having the Lord before us, that's what will really truly satisfy. I think it's important that we recognize that our American culture is built on covetousness. Having more, the whole advertising operation industry is to make you discontent with what you have. Hey, there's something better, you can get it. And that's it's built on that. And so to realize that there's something wrong with that way of thinking.
I must say, brother, and I was.
Severely challenged from those younger in an experience I had in the Dominican Republic with Columbia Cannon years ago, a brother who is very poor.
He had a house that was built in sticks on in the ground. There were the walls tied together financially through that leaked fairly freely when it rained heavy.
This to their home, his home.
For the noon meal, and there was no place in the place in that house to sit except at the table. And so before the meal was ready, that's where we sat down and the brother was sitting at the head of the table. He didn't have any nice car to show us, any nice house to show us if he got out his Bible I'll never forget.
A dear brother, that black face shining with the joy that it did as he opened the book, started reading.
I thought he was reading. Anyhow, afterwards I found out he couldn't read. He was quoting it from memory, but the joy that radiated from his face.
May be challenged my own way of life and my way of thinking about things.
And I just bowed my head there and said, Lord Jesus, please help me.
Not to get deceived by material things that are so much part of our life. It's not about having things, it's about relationship. Life is. And so it is with God is Father, with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And here it says that this way.
With the fact that he has said I will never leave you nor forsake me, he's there.
You want something more than him? Is that what it's about?
It says in the book of Proverbs chapter 27, verse 20, last part of the verse. So the eyes of man are never satisfied and so this world is too small to ever fill and satisfy the heart of man. It's only Christ that can satisfy the heart and it's a comfort to those here in the the apostle was speaking to those that were soon to lose everything.
They were soon to just walk out of Jerusalem, and historically, I believe they went to a city called Pella, and they went and before the city was destroyed, before Titus came in and they were spared God's people, but they had to leave everything behind. And so this was perhaps going to be a comfort to them. And there are those that do face the loss of all things when you think of our brethren in India.
00:30:29
And perhaps in Egypt, other places where the persecution is intensifying, they may be losing all things, but they'll still have Christ, they'll have what's worth having, and they'll be content with present circumstances or satisfied with present circumstances. And so that's what ought to characterize your life, and mine is to be satisfied with the present circumstances that God has allowed.
In our lives individually, you and I are in the School of Law and he is arranging circumstances in your life and mind that are individual and that are unique.
And So what he desires is that we might value the sense of his presence, that we might walk in fellowship with him and be perfectly satisfied to have fellowship with him regardless of the stuff that's all around us.
Well, Robert, I have a question for you. Years ago, you decided to start a business that was more than just having a job. When you're talking to a young person making that decision, that's more than they have.
That's doing something more than what you have. The first job you have. Why not stay at that simple job? What is it then? You desire the next step? I've desire to now have a business or grow or move on to the next thing that's not sitting still someplace there. Was that wrong? I don't think so. When you made that decision before the Lord to start a business. That is a practical thing that comes up in every single young person's life here.
And they have to balance that is in a right desire for me to do this. That's the question that I'm trying to get an answer to. You know, what is that? You're not staying in that first job you have or the next one or the career and so forth. You're moving forward. What do you say to that father? How do I get my son out? He's content there. Something's wrong with that. And we want to be content that God has placed us a certain way, at least for now.
Tomorrow, the next day or down the road.
Our brother read how Paul had learned to be content, but he also had learned to abound. So what is it when you have a young person, you're starting out in life, you have a job, the desire to go higher, or have ambition to take a better job or start a business or something. How do you do that practically before the Lord?
There are different exercises, but it says that we are to provide honest things, honest in the sight of God and man. And so God allows and He gives the opportunity to be able to provide for our own in a profitable way, and that there might be fruit for him, that we might be a blessing to the Saints of God and other places, all those sorts of things. But the fact of the matter is here in Hebrews he's talking about the heart.
Whether it's the heart engaged in, is the heart making? Are we our hearts deceived into thinking that having a business will satisfy us? Are we deceived to think that having a better truck than I have now is going to satisfy us? Are we thinking that if we have a bigger house that we're going to be satisfied or content? No, he says. Be content with such things as you have or satisfied with present circumstances. For he has said, I will never, never leave thee.
Nor for safety. So there is a possibility that we could miss the mind of the Lord and be covetous.
And seek to have something that we ought not to have. And then the Lord will bring us into his governmental ways, will train us because of that. But you know that we, we brother, my answer to you would be that we live before the Lord and he gives us those exercises. We need to be careful not to make this world or the things in this world the object. And this is the passage that we're reading he's driving at.
You're going to leave it behind. You're going to have to walk out and leave it all behind. Don't make it the object for life.
00:35:06
I'd like to suggest that you have a hard time finding somebody who is more ambitious, naturally, than the Apostle Paul.
And he was on the road to Damascus.
And he met the Lord.
And then he says, what wilt thou have me to do? His own personal ambitions were gone. It's interesting what he wrote in the First Corinthians seven. Look at that briefly. First Corinthians 7.
And I'm not saying this has all the answers, but it's interesting how it's written here. Let every man, First Corinthians 7 verse 20, let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. And the calling in First Corinthians is first and foremost the Lord's calling.
Art thou called being a servant? Care not for it.
Where's the ambition here?
Well, here's something else instead of ambition, but if thou mayest be made free.
Use it rather That's advancement. If he has the opportunity to be freer to serve the Lord, then he can go ahead. That's advancement. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lord's freeman. Likewise, he that is called being free is Christ's servant.
Ye are bought with a price, be ye not the servants of men, those who.
Seek advancement in this world, become servants of men. So the servant of the Lord says, Lord, what do you want me to do? And so the Lord opens the door and tells you to go through it. Because the two, you have to have both of them just and not every door is meant to go through. But if the Lord opens the door and tell invites you to go through it, then that's fine.
I was thinking of Peter asking the Lord Jesus, Lord, what shall this?
Man do we can't lay down a decision for every person. Every person's got to have that, make that decision and get their direction from the Lord. And so the Lord says to Peter.
What is that to thee? Follow thou me, and you see a person that is wasting their life and they don't seem to have a sense of direction.
They're foolishly content.
They need to get to know the Lord Heal Director.
Further back home, little assembly we're sharing.
A quote or in a comment that he picked up from 1 of Mr. Darby's writings and in effect he said Mr. Darby said this, that since the fall of man, man has been living a lie.
And Satan being the Prince and power of the air.
Would take us anywhere but Christ and everywhere but Christ. And I thought that was very pertinent statement. Since the fall of man, Adam may have been living alive.
What is important?
We know very little about the life of the Lord Jesus.
In his early life, but we have a little bit.
He was raised in a family in which the father was a Carpenter.
And when people saw him, they said, is not this the carpenter's son?
Later on, he's referred to as is not this.
The Carpenter, from that I believe we can say the Lord Jesus had an occupation. He's a perfect man. He spent the 1St 30 years of his 33 1/2 years life in a quiet way. As he grew up, he learned to be a Carpenter from his father. He took up that work. From Mark's Gospel chapter four, I think it is there's a reference to him is, is he not at home?
And in that, I believe some of the most sound teachers have made the comment that he had a place to live. He looked after himself as a Carpenter. He had a dwelling in which he lived.
00:40:13
Not to mix that up with, as was said in the open time in the previous meeting, he had not where to lay his head and so on. That's a different line of truth that has to do with the fact that there was nothing here in this world.
That in which he could find rest. And after he went into his public service, he was despised and rejected of men for it. And it had to do with that aspect and that piece of his life. And so we see in a Perfect man there was a perfect balance as well. He spent approximately 30 of his 33 1/2 years in a quiet, occupied, natural way of life.
But he was called of God from the beginning to a service, and at 30 years of age he went into that service and gave up the natural things of life. And for the last 3 1/2 years of his life he did that work which we are most called upon to focus on and learn from part of the perfection of living the balanced life that.
Is commented on has to do with what motivates and the Lord Jesus from the day of his birth onward was properly motivated in how he lived his life. When he was 12 years old or so, the family goes to Jerusalem and they're going on their way home and they find out he's not in the company of them and they say where is he?
So they go looking for him.
He had reached the beginning of an age in which he.
Started to make decisions in life of his own responsibility. And so when they found him, as he said, I must be about my father's business. They recognized as young people go through this period of life in which at first all decisions are made by mom and dad.
But there comes a point in the natural progression of life in which God holds the child responsible to start making decisions of their own. And it's often a difficult time for mom and dad to properly guide and shepherd their child and maintain the authority of the household and yet recognize that the child needs to start making certain decisions.
That they will be responsible for in their relationship with God. And so it was in the perfect life of the Lord Jesus. But I think the apostle Paul gives us something that's very important on it. And that is he could say for me to live is Christ. That is whatever he chose to do.
He said my life, my motivation is to please the Lord Jesus Christ.
And for that very reason, when he was writing to the Saints in Corinth.
He chose even though he was in the service of the Lord, even though he was in what people call full time service, if you will, in serving the Lord, and he'd been called to that work. What was he doing?
He was at times working as a tent maker. He was worked as a tent maker.
He continued within what the couple.
Priscilla and Aquila, why did he do that? Paul, you got more important things than that to do. There are lots of Saints to be visited. What did he do? Why was he doing a natural occupation at that point in his life? Because he said I didn't want to be a burden to you brethren, to the Saints that he was ministering to. He knew that would be for their blessing and benefit.
And their state of soul to himself occupy in that way for their blessing. And so even in natural things, sometimes the Lord will have a brother or sister, and so on be occupied in some natural way with a sense that they're serving the Lord Jesus Christ for the blessing of others.
00:45:02
I'd like to.
Brother Sam's question right on the nose because I happen to have an older son at home.
And I think what you're raising is very real.
We were sitting at home, the two of us, and we were.
In our reading together, the two of us read before we start our day. And we were in the book of Philippians.
We could maybe turn there for a moment.
Three.
Philippians, Chapter 3.
Our brother Dawn has just quoted from Philippians 1.
In Philippians chapter 3, we have Christ as our object when we're reading there. We read in the 13th verse which said, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended. But there's one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth, or rather straining or stretching under those things which are before I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling.
Of God in Christ Jesus.
So.
When we have our reading, it's after my son has come back from his workout. He works out every morning except for two and I work at 2:00 and.
I'll share this that our workouts they have no remote similarities.
But.
In in the workout that my son does once a week and it's in relation to this verse, he says, you know what, when I read in this verse, the thought of stretching and straining.
He says one of the things that we do.
Is we, we pick an activity, whatever it is, and there's a group of them there and whether it's sit-ups or whether it's push-ups or whether it's curls or whether it's biking or whatever it is, they pick a particular exercise and they do it as hard as they can for as long as they can and they don't count. So for instance, if they're doing push-ups, they do push ups until they can't do another one and then they wait for 30 seconds.
And they start over again and they start to push ups again and they do those until they can't do them again. They stop for 30 seconds and do them again. And they keep doing these until they get to the point where they can't possibly do another one.
Let's turn to the book of John because this is the next portion that we looked at.
In John's Gospel.
The second chapter.
And this takes place the first time that the Lord leans out the temple. We have at the beginning of his ministry, and we also have at the end. And here at the beginning of His ministry we have in the 15th verse, He makes us a scourge of small cords. He drives out of the temple of the sheep, the oxen forced out the money chambers, very careful with the doves, He says, take these things hence.
Makes up my father's house, a House of merchandise, and his delightful remembered that it was written and this was welcomed by some was looking at. He says the zeal of buying house hath eaten me up. The zeal of my house hath eaten me up. This completely consumed the Lord Jesus.
And after we had this conversation, I hadn't started my workout yet. My son turned to me and said so.
How does your spiritual zeal?
Now that was a challenge to me. I don't have a 39 year old son and this one has lots of drugs. So that's different. I understand that. But the point is that in our lives.
00:50:01
We have been given enough in the Word of God to know what the will of God is. We know that, and if we're doing those things in our life, then we'll have wisdom to know the things that we don't have. Chapter and verse 4.
But that we struggle with as to what His will is in our life. And the problem is, is we want direction for those things and we're not content to do the things that we know are the will of God.
You know that that's a challenge to me because in Philippians with regards to and of course, it's a race that that's portrayed there in a race, there's a winner. Those of us who are believers, every last person can win every last person. It's not just a prize for one person. And it's, it's I think it's so important for those here who are younger, who are believers because you've been bringing up before us and when does the person have drive? When does he not have drive? What's he supposed to do? What's he not supposed to do? And I think the key is.
There are those things that we know are the will of God and if we're doing those things.
All the other things will fall into place.
John 717 says we must be first willing to do the will of God and then we'll know the will of God. I learned that from Dan Spence years ago and I never forgot it. That thing that I think one of the problems that we've had is that we've picked up some of the ideas of the world and we've encouraged our children and that to pursue things.
Before they understand that principle, knowing that God will reveal His will if we're willing first to submit to it is a big thing. The other thing too is why not encourage our children at a very young age to find out what God's purpose is in their life, maybe what their gift is. I talked to a 69 year old man who's been saved for many years who told me I don't know what my gift is.
I believe he has the gift of helps and he does the work of an evangelist. But I was astonished at that, and I have young people ask me that too. Maybe we should encourage that. What purpose does God have for you, young person, as you direct it? Because then your thinking, as you pray and seek God's will for your life, you're not going to go certain directions because it will interfere with that pursuit.
But that willingness to do His will upfront, coming to that and being willing there first and then seeking what is my purpose before God? What does He have? What is He drawing me to? How is He moving me forward? There are things and choices in life that will interfere with that. That will be wrong. Wasn't it? Mr. Darby said he'd rather if he had children to be a ditch digger than an educated person. If they would just follow and walk with the Lord.
But in America and North America, we don't think that way. There could be a son and a daughter that would choose a simple life because their purpose, their gift from God has something else would interfere with that. But then again, maybe God wants somebody to be a doctor and be like a bill cross. That's another direction. And that what he chose to do and walked in a way submitting to God's will, willing to do his will let him down that but not everyone.
Maybe you're supposed to be a farmer, maybe you're supposed to be a Carpenter like Brother Phil and serve the Lord in that way and doing something else or interfere with that. And I believe that sometimes young people listen too much to the world, and maybe their parents encourage them down the road and they make choices that their parents like that people approve of that will interfere, at least for a time, with God's purpose in their life.
And then?
Like Brother Robert was saying, God will come in with his government and he will teach us and he will read, you know, move us in another direction. But the purpose that he had, if you guys remember the story of Eric Liddell from the 1920s Olympics, the Scotsman, the Scotsman that that could run like the wind. He believed from a very young age that God had called him to be a missionary to China.
And he knew that and in his life.
In sport, he found out he could run very fast. He was so fast he could run faster than most of the people in the world. But he was a Christian who wanted to please the Lord, and he knew he had a calling on his life.
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And in his story, his sister became concerned with the direction he was taking because he was starting to run in meats and approaching towards the Olympics.
And he told us she was afraid he was going to forget what he believed. And she believed his calling was that God was directing meant to be a missionary. And he said, no, sister, I'm not going to deviate from that. I know God wants me to go to China, but he said God made me fast.
And when I run, I feel his pleasure.
And he used to run with a beaming face toward the sky and at a skimbo sewed away with his arms. And the technicians who trained people to run would look at him and say, how in the world can he do that? But he was running feeling God's pleasure in that. And he used those moments early on in his life. He would preach the gospel at the meats. And because he had this ability as a Scotsman in Scotland, loved him.
He had freedom to preach the gospel and every time he ran and every time he was at these events, he would just preach the gospel and then God did take him all the way to the Olympics. Now in his story, why he got famous to the world was because he would not run on Sunday.
And the King of England was outraged. The Lords and Ladies of England were outraged until 1 Lord stepped forward who was in the Olympics himself. Lord. I don't remember his name.
And he gave up his position in a race that was a race that Eric Liddell had never run.
And then he ran that race on Monday because he wouldn't run on Sunday. And he won a race he'd never won. And the world knew about it. The testimony of this man who was both fast in a natural thing, what has only used it up to the point where then he went to China, but there was an American runner who was a Christian who came up to him who would have run against him on Lord's Day.
Who did run on Lord's Day, whom he would have lost to, Who handed him a note that said.
He that honoreth me, I will honor and God honored him. And Eric Little, I went to China, he was a missionary there. That was his ultimate purpose and he died there, leading souls to Christ and saving lives and giving medical treatment to God. Be the glory. What a life that is. But I think that's a picture of a balance. Someone who knew their purpose, had natural abilities and used them and used them for the Lord.
But then God took him to that place and he gave his life there as a martyr. Does that make sense?
Hebrews on a man's life and the purpose and balance of his life, and that's Abraham. Turn to Chapter 11.
Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 8 by faith Abraham.
Comment First comment is.
God orders our lives so that they will always have to be lived by faith, not by sight.
We can't, if you will, dream up a grand plan for our own life.
And live the kind of life that is chosen for us by God.
And we have the example and the testimony of that in Abraham.
By faith, Abraham. So what happens when he was called to go out into a place which he should have to receive for inheritance? Obey.
The comment I want to make about it is that very often in the progress of life, the Lord puts a step before us.
Maybe in a natural realm of what we're going to do as an occupation or something else.
In service to himself, but he will often put before us one thing to do.
And then wait, will we obey it? We would like very often to see the whole program seen before us before we're ready to take the first step. That's not faith. That is something that we do because we see the result of what it is if we follow a certain direction of things. And so here Abraham was called.
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To go to a place he'd never been to, a place he had never seen, a place he didn't know what he was going to find when he got there.
All he knew was the Lord said go, and by faith he went.
He obeyed, and I want to comment that sometimes if you want to know the second step of your life, you take the first step and then the Lord will show you the next step. Sometimes we may see multiple steps ahead, but not always because it isn't the character of a life of faith if we always do. So He went out and He obeyed, not knowing where he was going to end up.
Where he was going. So in verse 9, by faith he sojourned in the land of promise.
As in a strange country.
His children followed him in that same path of faith, as we see in the latter part of those verses.
He was told to do something. He did it. He took the next step. He lived there. He raised his family there. Did he ever see the end? Well, he was promised things, but in his life he actually never saw the end of the journey of what was promised to him in blessing. However, in the high point of his life, he was told one day, Abraham, you take your son out there.
A new sacrifice him to me, all the promises and everything that he was living by was well, God, he could have said, wait a minute, you promised that I'd be a nation and how can I be a nation? I have this son and you're telling me to take him out and put it take his life as a sacrifice to you.
But he had faith, he obeyed, he went out, and as a consequence, in a way he did not anticipate or could have seen, the Lord, of course, protected his son and.
Yeah, he acted in the belief that he was going to give up the very most precious child. That is, that he had in which the promises. Why did he? What was his belief?
Who said? Well, at least by implication, he said, Well, God promised me that I'll be a nation, so if he has to raise thy son for the dead to do it, he will.
Consequently, in the path of life there is nothing impossible with God in the circumstances of ordering a life according to His choosing for us, and so He will bring us into those circumstances, natural and spiritual.
Which are according to his will, but he has he's going to make us do it in a process of faith. And then very often it's after we take one step that he shows us the next one.
That's my status in the next verse. So that way you may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what shall what man shall do unto me.
We may boldly say who is the one that's directing this? Like you say Abraham when he was told us take his son and sacrifice him. There is no record of any back doc with Abraham.
He simply got up early the next morning and went about doing what he was told to do. That's faith. It's simple trust. Could he see ahead what the answer is going to be? No, that's fake. But what kind of a God do you have, brother?
Can you trust him?
That's the point.
Is he a resurrection? He was mistaken, but his belief didn't waver. That's the thing, he said, OK, there's going to be a resurrection. Not going to be fun killing my son. But that's, that's what he thought. That's faith took him through. Absolutely.
It's always been an encouragement to be taken up Hebrews and.
Thinking that these were Jewish believers or Jewish folks that were under the first covenant, these are important principles that they needed to know they were really.
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Under the first covenant, rightly, and the writer of Hebrews is trying to focus them.
A different direction and indeed the emphasis on faith was so important and also they were earthly minded and so look at this are times about God. But look at this at the end of chapter 10 they lose everything. So these Jewish believers who were rightly earthly minded possessions would have meant something. So look at what happens.
The stalling of their goods. So look at verse chapter 10 and verse.
Verse 32 The call to remembrance, the former days in which after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of affliction, partly while she were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst you became companions of them that were so used. For you had compassion on me and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods. And he's going to say, there's something better.
Knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and enduring substance. So he's trying to focus them on the heavenly portion. So can't you understand why he would emphasize not being content with earthly things but trying to focus them that the reward is in heaven? And then he says cast, not your cast, not away there for your confidence, which has great recompense of reward.
For you have needed patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.
For he had a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not carry. Now the just shall live by faith. If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. So the emphasis was heavenly, wasn't it? And the emphasis on faith. And so when we get to Chapter 13, all of this ground is covered, isn't it?
I think it's chapter 13. The Lord said to Moses, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.
And so they had to go forward in faith. They hadn't been that way before. And so here in chapter 13 of Hebrews verse six, he speaks of really courage. If you look at the new translation, it says so that taking courage we may say the Lord is my helper.
Would you want another helper? The Lord is my helper.
He's not only our shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the chief shepherd, the great shepherd, but he's our helper. And so God is interested in your individual circumstances, and He may put you in a set of circumstances where it will take courage to move forward, it will take faith to move forward, but with the Lord as our companion.
As we have a sense of his presence, a sense of his approval, as we take a step in faith, then there can be courage. So your pathway and mine ought not to be characterized by cowardice and refusing to make a move because we don't take, we don't know what the what the results will be. But when the Lord gives us a step to take, to take that step, I'll just point out too, in Acts Chapter 9, the apostle Paul.
When he was, Saul was saved, and the Lord gave him one thing to do. He says in chapter nine of the Acts. He says in verse 6, partway through verse six, the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. So he had to get up first, he had to act. And the man which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing a man. But then it says in verse 8 and Saul arose.
So there has to be obedience, obedience, happiness, courage.
But a sense of the Lord's presence. Isn't it nice to have a sense of the Lord beside us, helping us through the difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in? He is interested and He does have the power to help, and He does have the will to help us. It's not like He doesn't have the will to do it.
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And obedience will deliver us here. I will not fear. And I think that's so important today. And you see so many people under the power of fear.
Brethren, if that's what's gripping us, we need to get back to thinking about who has called us. When we simply trust Him and go forward by faith, it will deliver us from fear.
There might still be a few guests along the road, right?
Here has a place. If there's danger, we should be fighting. But it says in Scripture not to be given to it. That's the Christian past, not to be given to it.
Or.
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With the RLW.
Oh my God, everybody is coming up again. Whatever.
Oh my God.
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Please.
Give me all the.
Call.
Me.