Address—P. Johnson
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General Meeting at Des Moines, May 1982, addressed by.
Paul Johnson.
Mr. Glory bringing God set forth his heavenly name.
On we March in Korra singing Worthy the Ascended Lamb, hymn #16.
Many songs to glory.
Bring.
Oh my God, you feel it's a long time.
Ago.
I'm going to read first a passage in the book of Joshua chapter 2.
Joshua Chapter 2.
And we'll begin reading in the first verse.
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shitham 2 men to spy, secretly saying go view the land even Jericho. And they went and came into an harlots house named Rehab in lodge there. And he was told the king of Jericho saying, Behold, there came men in hit her tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab saying.
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Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house, for they become to search out all the country. Verse 6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which he had laid an ardour upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan under the Fords, And as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof. And she said unto the men.
I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when ye came out of Egypt.
And what you did under the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side, Jordan, Sion, and Ogg, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt. Neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you, For the Lord your God He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness.
That you will also show kindness unto my Father's house and give me a true token.
And that you will save a life, my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her. Our life were yours if you utter, not this our business.
And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
Then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house was upon the town wall. And she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers be returned, and afterward may you go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread.
And the window which thou didst LED us down by and thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother.
Thy brethren, and all thy father's household home unto thee, and it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head. And we will be guiltless. And whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath, which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, according unto your word, so be it.
And she sent them away, and they departed, and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
And a passage in the 10th chapter of Mark.
Mark 10.
And verse 46.
And they came to Jericho. And as he went out of Jericho with his disciples, and a great number of people blind, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, set by the highway side, begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me, and many charge them, that he should hold his peace.
But he cried, the more a great deal thou, son of David, have mercy on me.
And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, Rise, He calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.
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And immediately he received his sight.
And follow Jesus in the way and one other passage in Luke.
Chapter 19.
Luke 19 and verse one. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus, who he was and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a Sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down.
For today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying that he was gone to be a guest with a man that is a Sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, of the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him for food. And Jesus said unto him.
This day is salvation come to this house far, so much as he also is a son of Abraham.
It wasn't my thought to go into these passages in detail, but to link them together.
As they all linked together by events that take place.
At Jericho you perhaps noticed in each one of these passages we read, we have the city of Jericho brought before us, and I suppose most of us are aware of the fact that when we we have in the Old Testament the various types.
And we were to look beyond the physical cities and towns.
That are brought before us and see in them types of spiritual or moral things. For instance, we know that Egypt is a type of this world as being that where the you might say souls are enslaved and in the House of *******.
Well, Jericho also I believe is a type of this world, but it's a type of this world as being opposed.
To God being opposed to the people of God and their blessing because Jericho stood right in the way.
Of the advance of the people of God, who had been delivered out of Egypt and brought through the wilderness, and were about to come into the promised land of Canaan and Jericho, stood in the way, and that city had to be brought down. It speaks of the world in opposition to God and to the people of God, and the world as lying under judgment. We had in the scriptures that were read this morning in John's Gospel.
Chapter 12 when the Lord Jesus says now is the judgment of this world.
Well, we know of course, that as to actual execution of that judgment, that day has not yet arrived. We know that that day has not arrived because of the long-suffering mercy of God, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But nonetheless, we know that the judgment is already passed upon this world. It lies under judgment, and God is going to judge the world.
In righteousness.
By the Lord Jesus, and he's given assurance in that he has raised him from the dead, as the apostle Paul speaks in Acts 17.
So Jericho brings before us this world as lying under the.
Sentence of judgment from God. It is already a judged thing.
And it's just a matter of time when God is going to execute that judgment upon this world.
But when I wanted to bring before us this afternoon.
Is the fact that God, you might say, rescues or secures for himself and for his people something?
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For himself and for his people in this world at the present time.
That is, he has something for himself and he has something for his people. Even while, as it were, we are in Jericho now, we are not a part of the world that is passing away, but we're still in it. We're still in this world that lies under judgment and this world that is in opposition to God and to God's people. But the wonderful thing is that God comes in.
And God brings blessing to his people and he secures something for himself. When we think of this world, even we find people who do not know the Lord feel that the world is in in a terrible condition.
And those of us who know the Lord have we even feel it more keenly, the state of things that exists in this world. But there is something for God in this world, and that's his people.
There is something for God and there is something for his people.
And in these three passages I would like to bring out what God has secured for his people and for himself.
The first one we read Have you turned back to Joshua? Chapter 2 brings before us what God has secured for His people.
That is, we have in this history of the setting forth of the faith of Rehab, we have brought out something that God has for his people and secures for us.
And I might say at the end see it what it is, and then I trust we will be able to see it for ourselves. From the scriptures. What is prominent in connection with Rehab here in the second chapter of Joshua is the window of her house. You will notice that that was through the window that she.
Let these spies out of the house. It was in the window that she put that scarlet thread.
It was the window that became the prominent feature.
Of her house. Now she had a door to her house because we read in verse.
19 about the doors of the house. She had doors.
But she also had a window. Now, apparently, this woman's house.
As we read in the 15th verse, was built upon the wall.
Of that city, the city of Jericho had a wall about it, and her house was on that outside wall.
So that the door, you know, I'd say would face out to the City side. If you went out of her door, you would be going out into the city of Jericho. But her window opened up to the outside, so that outside her window, when you go outside her window, you were outside the city. The window opened up to what was outside the city. The door opened up to what was inside.
And I believe that we can see in these two things the door in the window.
But you might say that God has secured for us His people. That is, we have a window. We have a connection now with that which is outside this world. We are those who are no longer identified and associated with this world under judgment. Everything that we hope for, everything we look for, all of our connections are outside.
This world, so that Rahab we see, turned her back on the door. She didn't. She wasn't occupied with the door of her house. She was occupied with the window.
Now we read in the Epistle to James about Rahab being justified by works when she received the messengers with peace and sent them out another way.
I might contrast that with Hebrews 11 In Hebrews 11, where her faith is mentioned, says by faith the Holy Rehab perished not because she received the messengers, or rather the spies, It says in Hebrews 11 with peace.
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In other words, she received them as spies who were harbingers of the coming judgment. She recognized that they're coming to spy out the land meant that the city where she was living was doomed to destruction.
But as receiving the messengers, she received them who came with a message from God. For we find those two characters right in this second chapter. The men came to spy out the land because that city was doomed for judgment. But they also came with a message. They gave a message of hope. They gave a message of peace. A message of deliverance was brought to rehab. And so we might say that in a sense, the gospel comes to us in these two characters.
God brings the gospel to you and me.
In these two characters, as you might see, the spy character, the gospel, declares to us that the world is under judgment.
And all of that is, everything outside of Christ is going to be judged, just like.
The world that was condemned all perished outside of the Ark in Noah's day.
As spies, you might say, it's as harbingers of coming judgment. And it's good for us to realize that judgment does lie down the road, not only for this world as such, but for every individual who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ. But also the gospel comes bringing us a wonderful message of deliverance and peace, telling us of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How did he die for our sins according to the scriptures?
And that he bore in his own body our sins. On the tree he suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.
And he is the one who delivers us from the wrath to come.
And believing on him for that sent him, we are we shall never come into judgment as we have in John 5/24.
These many wonderful things that come to us as messengers or as a message from God. But now, as I say in James.
It says that she sent them out another way.
But I'd like to make an application of the door here that we would want to apply to everyone in the room.
And any who might be in the room this afternoon who is not one of the Lords. Because if you are not the Lord, you don't, You do not have a window of hope. If you're not the Lord, you're a part of this city, Jericho, as it were, which is headed for judgment.
Well, the spies and these messengers, they came into rehabs house through the door.
She sent them out another way through the window, but they came in through the door.
And so it is that each one of us has to open the door to receive the message that God has for you and me. We have to open the door, as is often used in the gospel, and I believe it's a legitimate application. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Have you, have you opened the heart's door to the Lord Jesus? And have you received the message into your heart of the gospel and believed on the Lord Jesus?
If so, then you want to shut that door. You want to shut the door that goes out into the city.
And become occupied with the window because it's the window that connects you with everything that is of God.
You see, the city of Jericho was a doomed city. There was nothing there for God.
Not a thing, Not a bit of that city. There was number, delight and pleasure in the heart of God, of anything in that city.
It was all to be judged and removed, so the door is not to be used. You'll notice that in verse 19. And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors, you don't want to go out of the doors.
You want to shut the door toward this world?
And take one's posture, as it were, at the window.
I have no doubt that what after these messengers left to the House of Rehab and she bound that scarlet line in her window, I have no doubt that Rahab stood by that window looking for the armies of Israel to come, because she was told that when they came she would be delivered and would go with them into that promised land. She was no longer concerned with the City side.
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She kept that door closed and she was looking out that window because all of her prospects were outside of that doom city.
Well, we see here also that she put a scarlet line in that window.
And that Scarlet Line identified her house as not being a part of that doom city, so that when the armies of Israel came and encompassed that city, as we know they did seven days.
And when they compassed that city, they would see that scarlet line there in the window.
Of the House of Rehab. And they would say that house does not belong to the city of Jericho. That house is associated and identified with the people of God who are going on into the promised land and and are delivered from destruction. It was the scarlet line that identified her with the people of God. She put that scarlet line out there to show that she was not a part of this world. She was not a part of that city of Jericho.
That was headed for destruction. Well, I would like to just ask a little word. Especially. I'm thinking of the young persons here this afternoon. Have you put the scarlet line in the window? First of all, we want to have a window. Do you have a window? Can you say that all of my connections are heavenly?
I'm not saying that. I'm not indicating that you have entered into perhaps a lot of the truth.
But can you say that, as Paul says, our citizenship is in heaven?
Can you do you have a connection with the world above where the Lord Jesus is the center and the Lord of that glory?
Are you a part of this world that is headed for destruction? The Apostle Paul says, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which I am crucified under the world and the world unto me.
It was the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ that separated him from.
This present evil world, and he is now. He was associated with that word above. Do you have a window if you are a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ? You do. You are connected with that which is outside this world. You belong to another world.
You belong to the world above. You're part of that new creation. If any man be in Christ, it's a new creation.
All things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new as a believer in Christ.
And in Christ you are part of that new creation. You belong to the world above.
And so everything that you have that is lasting and genuine.
Is connected with what is outside this world. But now then, do you, have you put the scarlet line in that window? That is, have you made it a public thing that you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and that you're not a part of this world? I believe when Rehab put that scarlet line there, it indicated that she was not a part of Jericho.
And everyone who saw that Scarlet line would understand that they would say that woman doesn't belong to Jericho.
And that's how they knew it. It was the scarlet line that made it evident. Have we made it evident that we're not a part of this world? As we go about our various pursuits and our work in our school or wherever we are, and when we make contact with people in this world, do we leave the impression with them that we are a part of the world like they are, That we're just as interested in the things of this world as they are?
Our conversation is along the lines of the world and when they leave our presence.
They may think we're a nice person, but they have no idea that we were not a part of this present evil world. Well, we want to put that scarlet line in the window, as it were, and to show that our connections are outside this world. While we're here still in this world, we're not a part of it. And our connections is with that which is outside. We want to put that scarlet line. I have no doubt that it speaks to of the death of Christ.
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Of Christ. As I just quoted from Galatians, it's the cross of Christ that has separated us from this world. And when one puts out, you might say unfurls his colors.
That Scarlet would be.
A color that would show up.
From some distance of brilliant color like Scarlet, she unfurled her colors.
Have we unfurled our colors in this world so that we give evidence?
In our manner of life, that we are not a part of this world that is under judgment. So God has secured for you and me, His people a window.
It's a window of hope.
And we want to close the door, as I say to the City side all that belongs to this world and and see that everything that is for our good and blessing is connected with the window outside when I turn over to Mark.
Gospel of Mark, chapter 10.
Where we have another.
Incident at Jericho.
And here again we have something that God has secured for his people.
And I would like to say here that we have God has secured A pathway for His people through this world, a pathway. A pathway in connection with the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this 10th chapter we have He received His sight and followed Jesus in the way. Well, the thought of being in the way is a pathway.
There the Lord was in the way.
There was a pathway here and this pathway was associated with the testimony.
The testimony of the Lord Jesus. I believe we see that in the 11Th chapter we see where the pathway was leading to, and it was it's leading to what we have in verse seven of Chapter 11. And they brought the code to Jesus and cast their garments on him, and he sat upon him.
And many spread their garments in the way, and others cut down branches off the trees and strawed them in the way. And they that went before and they that followed cried, saying, Hosanna, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. What a wonderful testimony is born here to the Lord Jesus. Of course. It's the testimony in connection with Israel, I know.
It's not the testimony of the gospel that we have today. It's not the testimony of the assembly, which is God's testimony in this present age. But the point I'm making is that there is there was a testimony rendered to the Lord Jesus and the pathway that he was in.
And the pathway that Bartimaeus entered upon was that pathway of testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the pathway that God has secured for you and me as his people in this world, that we might be in this pathway associated with the testimony of the Lord. The Apostle Paul says unto Timothy that he should not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony.
Of the Lord. The pathway that we've been called to is a pathway in connection with the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a testimony here in this world. We know He established a testimony in Jacob, that is Israel, and now he's to establish the testimony in the assembly.
And we see here that this pathway being in the way and in this pathway is not exactly an easy pathway.
You remember, we might just turn back. I'm not going to read it, but when we read in verse 17 that he went forth into the way, there came one and spoke to him, and he was well to do, but he was one who could not take the rigors of the pathway. When the Lord told him to come take up the cross and follow me, he turned away. The pathway was too difficult.
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It's a pathway of self denial. The pathway of testimony to the Lord Jesus is not necessarily an easy one. It's a pathway of self denial, self judgment. And this man could not take up the cross and follow the Lord in that pathway. And we see later on in verse 32 as they were in the way.
James and John wanted to have a special place.
In other words, we see here that the pathway is 1/2 of humiliation, because the Lord speaks of being taking that low place.
There to be in a low place. It's a pathway of humiliation, but it is a pathway of joy. It is a pathway of blessing, as the Lord indicates in verse 29. There is no man that have left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children or lands, for my sake and the Gospels. But he should receive 100 full now in this time, at this time.
So while it is a pathway of self denial and of humiliation, there is great blessing in being in this pathway. Well now I'd like to just speak a moment about Bartimaeus being brought into this pathway because we read in the last verse of our chapter that he followed Jesus in the way.
He followed Jesus in the way as remarkable the Lord had said to him, Go thy way. Verse 52 Jesus said unto him, Go thy way. But he didn't go his way. He followed Jesus in the way that brings before us the five that in this pathway that God has secured for his people.
There is no place for self will.
We can't go on our own way.
We go in the way that the Lord has set out in His precious word. We cannot go our own way. Oh, how the testimony.
Of the Lord Jesus committed to his people because the assembly is the pillar in support of the truth, and the Apostle Paul speaks of having declared the whole council of God what a testimony has been deposited.
In the assembly and it has been rendered greatly ineffective because of the self will of man each going his own way.
We know this is characteristic of man in the flesh to go his own way. But Bartimaeus did not go his own way, you might say. In a sense he was at liberty. The Lord said, go thy way, but he followed Jesus in the way, the way that God has marked out in his word for his beloved people, the pathway that He has for us, that's the way in which he went.
But now you'll notice when he is brought into this way, the first thing we see about Bartimaeus is that he understood the testimony. Notice in verse 47. Apparently he had inquired as to who this was and why the commotion? Because he was blind and couldn't see. And when he heard that, it was Jesus of Nazareth.
While I take it from this that when he inquired, he was told that the person coming that way was Jesus of Nazareth.
But when he speaks, he doesn't say Jesus of Nazareth. He says, Jesus thou son of David.
He doesn't say Jesus of Nazareth because as Jesus of Nazareth it speaks of his rejection. It's it's not associated with the the testimony that God had for his people. But as the Son of David it is. We read in the beginning of Matthews Gospel the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.
As the Son of David, he is associated with the testimony that God had for his people.
That's what he's declared and when the testimony is rendered to him in Chapter 11 That we read a few moments ago.
He is declared to be the son of David. Martimius understood the testimony.
Well, now you know we can't really be in the way.
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That God has for his people if we do not understand.
What the testimony of the Lord is today, the testimony of the Lord is not an earthly program.
The testimony of the Lord today is not that he is about to set up a Kingdom.
The testimony of the Lord today is connected with the gospel, and the gospel brings the light to the truth of the assembly.
The testimony of the Lord is connected with what we James speaks of, that God is visiting the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
And that God is procuring a bride for his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus.
It's the gospel and that which is really connected with the gospel, the truth of the assembly.
You know the Apostle Paul in the 6th chapter of Ephesians, when he desires that the Ephesians pray for him that he might open his mouth and speak boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.
The mystery of the Gospel.
The gospel itself, that is the declaration of the work of Christ.
Is not a mystery. That's not what he's talking about when he says the mystery of the gospel. He's not talking about preaching the gospel to lost sinners. But the mystery of the gospel is the mystery that is associated or connected with the gospel because God sends out the gospel.
Not only to save souls from.
An eternal tournament, but that he might have a people for himself. That the assembly might be formed. The mystery of the gospel. The purpose of the gospel being preached is to secure members of the assembly. That's the way. That's the way the church is formed.
The Lord added daily to the church, such as we're being saved.
That's the way it's formed, the mystery of the gospel, so the testimony of the Lord.
Is, of course the gospel the good news of the work of Christ. But we don't stop there. It goes on to take in the mystery of the gospel the truth of the assembly. Our brother. Yesterday afternoon, those of us who were here heard something of that in connection with the truth of the body of Christ.
The mystery of the gospel. Do we understand that that is God's testimony today?
There are those who take up the testimony of the gospel and stop there. They don't go on to the truth of the mystery of the gospel and to understand why God is sending out the gospel.
That he has in view of the assembly.
He hasn't viewed the assembly, which is going to be presented to Christ, a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Then I'd like to go a little stage further.
The days in which we live are turned by the Apostle Paul when he writes to Timothy in his second letter, The Last Days. Now there is a testimony, I believe, in connection with the last days, and that testimony is set out in the.
Second chapter of Second Timothy.
That is, it is a testimony in separation from evil. That is, that evil has come in to the Church in its profession here in this world, the House of God set up in the place of universal testimony.
Has fallen into a condition, so that it's like a great House of this world and a great mixture. And there is iniquity there. And everyone who names the name of Lord is to depart from iniquity, And their vessels under dishonor are there and recalled upon to purge ourselves from vessels under dishonor, and then to flee youthful lusts, and follow righteousness, faith, love, peace.
With them they call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
So the testimony of the Lord is not only the gospel, not only the truth of the assembly is the body of Christ, but it's also that separation from evil is God's principle of unity, and that if there's going to be a faithful testimony maintained for the Lord in this way, it's going to be maintained in separation from evil.
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It's not enough to stop in the truth of the one body. We find that sometimes there are those who take up the first part of the testimony, the gospel, and stop. And there are others that go a little farther and take up the truth of the one body and stop. We want to go on to the full thought of the testimony as to separation from evil in the last days, that wasn't a necessary part of the testimony in the early chapters of Acts.
Now all that believed were together.
And we read when Paul writes to the Corinthians, it's with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. But in the last days the testimony is is identified or connected with the principle of separation from evil. It's with those that call on the Lord. Out of a pure heart do we understand the testimony.
Well, I think Bartimaeus represents one who understands the testimony.
He didn't just take up what was being said by people round about Jesus of Nazareth.
No, he took up the thought of God in connection with the testimony. Well, we see here that.
He comes to the Lord and his eyes are opened.
Well, if we understand the testimony, I believe we're going to have our eyes opened and we'll see a lot of things that we wouldn't otherwise see.
And you know, it's only the Lord that can open the eyes of his people.
Who may still be in association with evil.
We've often used the expression that it's the Lord that gathers, and I believe it's true.
We can't go out with the truth of gathering. We cannot go out with the truth.
Of the testimony in these last days in separation from evil in a sort of a broadcast way, like in the gospel.
Now where the Lord opens up and exercise, and where the Lord is working.
We might be of some help, but we can't go out in a broadcast way with with that truth. It's the Lord who must open the eyes.
And when one is, the Lord is working, and he opens the eyes.
Of his people than they see the place, they see things perhaps that they're in association with, that they never thought of before. There are those in the room this afternoon, If we wanted to have testimonies, could get up and testify that when their eyes were opened as to the testimony, they saw things that they were associated, that they were associated with. It was not of the Lord that they never saw before.
And they saw the place, and it was so plain they had never seen before. Well, this man Bartimaeus had his eyes open, and not only that, but we read in verse 50, casting away his garment.
While the garment in scripture of course has a reference to our habits and ways, if we're going to be in the way of the testimony, we we cannot take up or have the habits in ways of the world and man in the flesh. And sometimes I've wondered if if sometimes some hesitate to follow the Lord Jesus in the way, the pathway of separation.
In these last days.
Because they feel that they must castaway their garments, that is, they're going on with certain things.
They're associated with certain things. They have certain habits and ways that would not be in keeping with such a pathway, and so perhaps they're not willing to cast away their garments. But this man, when he had his eyes open, he was so happy that he wanted to rid himself of those garments that would not be in keeping with the way, because he's going to follow Jesus in the way he could have perhaps maintained or kept his garments.
If he was going to go on in his own way but to follow Jesus in the way he had to cast his garments.
Aside. Well, as we said, the way perhaps may not be the easiest, but it's a way of blessing. God will give blessing a hundredfold now, and not only that, but a blessing in the in the day to come. Well, here we have a pathway secured for His people, a window and a pathway now turn to the 19th of Luke.
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And I believe we have here.
What is secured not only for.
God's people, but for God himself.
Not going through this story of Zacchaeus, well known to most of us, but verse 9 is what it wanted to emphasize.
Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house.
Now he didn't just say that Zacchaeus was, or that salvation came to Zacchaeus. And this also of course, takes place in Jericho.
We find again that this is an incident that's connected with Jericho.
Salvation has come to this House.
I might say in passing that this man Zacchaeus.
Was not the kind of man that the some of the people thought. They spoke of him as being just a Sinner, but the Lord speaks of him as a son of Abraham.
And he was an upright man, as he says in verse eight, he told of what his.
Manner of life and conduct had been he was the son of Abraham. He was not what they had derided him as being a Sinner.
But in verse nine he says salvation today is salvation come to this house.
And I would like to just speak a little bit and direct it especially to those who have.
We might say young families, of course, they reply to all of us who have a house.
But I want to apply it especially to those who have families they're raising. In this world, salvation is come to a house. God's thought is not only that individuals should be saved, but that there should be saved households.
You remember in Acts 1631 when that jailer asked what must I do to be saved?
The answer was Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Wonderful news to that man. He was in fear and trembling of his life. He was in fear and trembling that he was going out of this world a lost man, a lost soul, went wonderful words. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. But then they add, thou and thy house. Salvation could be brought to his house.
Well, of course we want. We want to. First of all, we want to we have that exercise and desire that our children are saved individually, that is that they each one come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Because after all, that's what it's all about. All of the training and everything that one would be exercised about in his household would have in view of the children coming to know the Lord Jesus and following Jesus.
In the way that they might have a window too, that having received the messengers with peace through the door, and shut the door to the world, and have a window that connects them with the outside, and to follow Jesus in the way to come to know the Lord Jesus, of course, is the first thing, But I believe when they say, thou shalt be saved thou in my house.
Was bringing before that jailer that he could have.
Saved household that he could have his household for the Lord.
So that everything in his household would be dedicated to the Lord Jesus.
And what I had in mind is just to touch upon this subject a little this afternoon as to our households, our houses, there's quite a bit in scripture about the houses. You remember in Matthew 10 when the Lord sends out his disciples as as with a message, he tells them that when they go into a city and there if they find a house that is worthy, they enter into it and salute. It speaks of the house being worthy.
And they were dissoluted and abide there. What does it mean? A worthy house.
I believe it means that there were conditions there that were in accord with the testimony.
They received the word of God. They received the testimony. There was something there for God.
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There was something in the house we're not talking about now. The furniture.
We're not talking about the physical things that might be in the house, we're talking about what is in the house for the Lord.
And I thought we might just trace or just speak of a few households or a few houses that are brought before us in Scripture without turning to them. I'll just recount them. I'm thinking in the 10th chapter of Luke, when the Lord Jesus went into a certain city, we know it was Bethany, and he says Martha received him into her house.
Well, I would say to those who have houses, have you received the Lord Jesus into your house?
Now, I'm not talking about receiving the Lord Jesus as your savior.
But have you received him into your house so that everything in your house is connected with the Lord Jesus? I mean by that the whatever you take up in your house, everything.
Has in view of the Lord Jesus, you've received him into your house. You know, sometimes there are those who believe on the Lord Jesus and they receive him as savior.
If they do not have an exercise about their households, there is not an exercise to receive Jesus in the house.
And you know, if you receive Jesus into your house, he's going to adjust everything according to his mind and thought for when he came into the House of Martha.
He had to correct Martha. He had to adjust her thinking. And if we receive the Lord Jesus into our houses, it means that everything in the house is going to be under his charge and direction. We're going to take up everything in reference to him and his mind and his will.
Well, I know there's a great exercise on the part of most parents for their children.
Desiring for them to know the Lord and to follow the Lord. And there is an exercise to teach them the word of God. And they want to bring them to the children's meeting and have them at the meetings. This is all good. But if we don't receive Jesus into our house, it's going to be ineffective. That is we. We have the Lord Jesus, his will and his mind and his thoughts and everything at the table. What we wear, what we have in the house where we go, everything we receive. Jesus.
In the house, and I'm thinking of one in the 16th chapter of Acts.
Lydia and her heart was open to attend to the words spoken by Paul.
And then she was baptized in her household. She committed her household to the Lord.
And she was baptized in her household. And then she says that if she was deemed to be worthy, well, she wanted to Paul to come into her house. She invited him into her house. Well, I believe that would bring before us that we should have in our houses the teachings of the word of God. We should have the doctrines of the apostle Paul. If we have had our hearts open to receive the truth ourselves, we want to bring that truth to our children.
Teach them in the home. We can't leave everything to the children's meeting. Teach them in the home. The word of God. Receive Paul into your house.
And then we have another expression. Paul writes to file women, and he says he speaks of the church that is in my house or assembly in my house. Well, of course, literally there was a gathering of the Saints there in the House of Philemon. But I believe it would suggest also that we should have the principles of the assembly in our house and our house so associated with the assembly.
That it's understood that when it's time for a meeting and the meetings of the assembly, while the household knows the thing to do is to get ready and go.
We have the assembly, as it were, in our houses. It's so identified and associated with the assembly that our children grow up with the understanding that it isn't just going to a meeting once in a while. You know, and Christendom people go to church and they when they leave that they go back and they live in their houses according to their own thoughts. They don't, as it were, take what they had their back with them.
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But I think the thought of the assembly in the house is that our houses are identified with the assembly and the children grow up with the thought that they're a part of it. And when the time for meeting comes, that's where we go.
Then again we have in Romans 16 a Priscilla and acrylic and it's spoken of there, Paul says the assembly that is in their house. Now to Philemon it was the assembly and by house as the father, as the husband, he was the head of the house, it was his house. But I think it's nice to see that it's in Romans 16 it says their house, Priscilla and Aquila that would bring before us that the wife was with, was of one mind with her husband.
Oh, what an important place the mother and the wife has in the house.
To see that the assembly is there too. Not only the husband taking the lead the assembly in my house, but it's the assembly in their house. The wife is of one mind with her husband and not pulling against him, but going along with him in these exercises to have the assembly in thy house. Well, I believe that these features that we've touched on would bring before us something that might fit in with Matthew 10 when he speaks there of a house worthy.
That is their conditions that are congenial to the testimony. And if we receive Jesus into our houses, if we take Paul in and we have the assembly in our house, we'll find that there are conditions that are congenial to the testimony, and it will help and further the testimony in the way. Well, God has secured for his people a window so that we're connected with a glorious world.
Outside of this world entirely.
God is secured for us a pathway through this world, a pathway of following Jesus in the way, in the way of testimony. And God would secure for Himself our houses to be for Himself, and for His glory, and for His testimony shall we pray.