Open—Bruce Conrad
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Matthew 26 and verse 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and break it.
And gave it to the disciples and said, take, eat, this is my body.
And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it. This is my blood of the New Testament or the New Covenant.
Which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine.
Until that day when I drink it new with you.
In my father's Kingdom.
Now, if you hold your finger there and I want to just refer to a passage we covered in the reading meeting the other day in First Peter One.
In verse 12.
Referring to the.
Profits.
Unto whom first Peter one and 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things.
Which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sound sent down from heaven.
Prophets and others, intelligent and diligently looking into the prophetic scriptures, saw in those scriptures a coming time of blessing that was not going to be for themselves, but for some others. Angels we had before us yesterday.
We're also desirous to behold these things. But for you and for me as Christians, we have the opposite in a certain sense. We have our blessings before us, laid out in the Scriptures of the New Testament apostles and prophets, but we also have as our portion to read, to understand, and to enjoy the portion that is for God's earthly people.
There is a verse in Matthew 13 which we didn't read yesterday which which I will turn to now. I think it's around verse 44 of Matthew 13.
52 Sorry, Matthew 13 and 52.
Then said he unto them, Therefore I should have read verse 51.
Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things?
Those were the things we were reviewing yesterday in the six or seven parables in Matthew 13.
Have you understood all these things? They say unto him, Yeah, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of heaven.
Is like unto a man that is in householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
We are to be, and it is our privilege to be, householders instructed in these things of the Kingdom of heaven.
And being instructed in those things, we learn and enjoy and have as a hope from God to be able to look forward to the time when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be glorified in heaven and in earth. And there are, if I could put it this way, there are old things which we read about in the book of Genesis. Some of the brothers referred to them yesterday.
There are old things that we read about in the book of Deuteronomy.
There are old things which we read about in Isaiah. We just read of some of the old things in Jeremiah, prophecies that are sure, they are as sure to be realized as your blessing is sure to be realized, no more and no less, because they are both founded upon, as our brother just said, God's promise, God's oath, and he is entitled to do it because he has raised His Son from among.
The rest of the dead and positioned him as a glorified man in a place where he is able to and will secure all blessing for everybody, anywhere, forever.
It's a nail fastened in a sure place, and all the glory hangs upon him. And so in in a similar way to what our brother has brought before us, It is our privilege.
00:05:09
And it is our joy to be able to hold not just mixed up things altogether. You go into my garage, you're going to find some mixed up things. You're going to find some tools that I had when I was in my 20s and you're going to have some find some nice tools that my son has in his teens.
And they're all mixed up together, unfortunately, most of the time. Once in a while we sort it out.
God expects us, and it's our privilege to have both in an orderly way.
And whether we use the figure of the piano keys yesterday, or of things old and things new, it's our privilege to hold these things, to have them as our treasures, and to be able to bring them forth for our enjoyment. The enjoyment of our brethren, our family, our neighbors, our workmates.
And of course, our our own hearts.
And so it's a happy thing to look forward to that day when the Lord Jesus will restore his beloved earthly people elect for the Father's sake.
Now most of you have come from the West, have not probably lived around as many Jews as I have.
But I I worked from the time I was.
Traveling around with my my dad in the summers is a three or four year old up until my mid teens for an organization that you couldn't be part of unless you were a Jew and we gentiles were the servants of Jews. And I was around Jews all day long from morning until night every summer in my youth and in school. Half of the kids were Jewish and the rest of us were either were mostly Protestant.
In the mornings, we everybody was in these neighborhoods and the Catholic kids in their uniforms walk this way.
And the Protestants and the Jews walk that way to the public school and we're all friends played together. But we, we knew and and we and, and as I read the scriptures, you know, I can remember teaching kids to swim for a job and, and waiting on them and their parents and all these things. And I picture sometimes in my mind's eye, what will these what will these ones look like that are finally delivered through that horrible threshing of brother mentioned.
Will they look like that, those kids on that corner house that, that I walk with or and I I don't know my way my mind works. I just try to picture these Jewish people that will be spared through not from, but through that terrible hour which will come upon them. And my heart goes out and I look forward to it. I really do. I look forward to it.
And in a sublime way.
God has woven these things together and had we spent time to read with some detail Chapter 9 and 10 and 11 in Romans, we would see the way these things.
So sublimely.
Woven together by God in His purpose, which is why Romans 11 in that section ends with that doxology of praise of like it does.
And so in Matthew 26.
Where we where we read.
The Lord Jesus said, instituted, as we say, this remembrance.
The loaf and the cup.
Is this a purely Christian thing? We had? I was thinking this this morning. We had the loaf and the cups before us this morning and I my mind started to travel along these lines.
We were speaking yesterday about.
The fact that after the Lord Jesus died and rose again.
And after he ascended up.
Into heaven he sent the Holy Spirit down to unite together the children of God, but that had faith into one body.
That was never existed before. It was a new thing.
But in the next chapter, I think it is in Acts chapter 3, Peter is speaking to the Jews and making to them a bonafide offer.
Let me read the whole Matthew 26. I think it's Acts 3.
00:10:03
Yes, Acts chapter 3.
We're in Jerusalem in the beginning of the chapter.
And they heal the lame man, and it creates such a stir.
And Peter begins to speak, and then in verse 19, repent ye therefore.
And be converted. Those are two different things by the way.
So that your sins may be blotted out. Reading it as in the new translation, I think so that times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which was before preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive, until the rest times the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
At this moment, the Lord Jesus Christ is a glorified man, He seated upon the Father's throne.
Perhaps you could say he was standing on the Father's right hand.
He had already come, he had died, he had risen, and now he had ascended. And so Peters testimony here is that God would send Jesus Christ, He would send him back.
And all those promises that were tied to Him would begin to be fulfilled at that moment based upon their repentance.
And that wonderful Kingdom which you and I look ahead to would have been set up then.
In Luke's gospel, and maybe it's in another gospel too, when the Lord encounters.
The tree that bears no fruit.
I'm mixing 2 parables. There's there's the parable of the of the husbandmen that comes and he looks for fruit from the tree and for three years he finds none.
And he says, why come birth it the ground and And the man says.
Let's just give it one more year. Let's do something extra special. Let's dig around it and Dong it and then if not, cut it down. And I believe this special period of time after the ascension of Christ, the sending of the Holy Spirit and these apostles and witnesses of his resurrection were disseminated throughout Jerusalem and they and the environs to the Jew was that special year of digging around about it.
And Peter could look at them and point to them, and say, Ye have denied the Holy One.
And the just and you granted her murderer to be delivered unto you.
And pointed to their hearts and consciences. And though a remnant received the testimony, the nation did not, and the tree was cut down.
Did the Lord not know that that offer would be made? Of course He did.
Did the Lord not know that that bonafide legitimate offer to the nation, a last call if you will, for that time, would be given? He did. Did He know it would be refused? He did.
But the feast, the the the remembrance of the Lord in Matthew 26 is anticipation of that day, no matter whether that day would have come in 50 days or 55 days or 60 days or 2000 years. It's so interesting and as it turns out.
With the stoning of Stephen, who gave that that full comprehensive resume.
Of their privileges and their sin in the stoning of Stephen. There's Saul of Tarsus standing right there, and he's introduced and pretty soon he's converted, he saved, he's a chosen vessel to bring forth the fullness of the truth of the church.
The church had started in Acts 2, but the truth of the church unfolded to those that were in the church came a little later. And This is why Paul had this could say to the Corinthians sometime years later. He could say, I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night he was betrayed, took bread and break it, and so on.
And if Peter and John were there, they say whole time out, Paul.
You weren't even there. We were there. How do you get off saying this is a revelation that you got?
00:15:05
It's a revelation that he got because the character of this supper took on an added element or character that you and I have been enjoying some of us for many years, and I hope everybody in this room will enjoy it. Before the Lord comes the privilege to sit here like Lazarus, one of those that sat at the table with him.
We enjoy resurrection life, of which Lazarus life was a figure.
To sit here like we did this morning.
And remember him the way he's asked us to do. And we recognize in that loaf not only the body, as the Lord put it before them in Matthew 26, broken for you, but also as Paul got the revelation. You know what? And as our brother was saying yesterday, the mystery now unfolded that out of Jew and Gentile He's made of two, one Newman.
You all partakers of one loaf. There is one body, and the loaf on the table takes on that added character.
As an emblem of that delivered from an ascended arisen Christ, ascended Christ through Paul to the others, to the Christian testimony. And now it is our custom, a scriptural and a happy custom. On the first day of the week, the disciples came together to break bread. We've done a lot of other things today other than break bread, and that's happy too.
But we came together to break bread and so the Lord Jesus anticipating that both those things.
Anticipating in a way that only he could.
He could look beyond like no other could, and see in present circumstances, whether it be whether it be the revelations given and saying, Father, you've hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes. So it seemed good and nice sight.
And he could see the encouragement they had when their testimonies was received. And he can look way beyond and say, I saw Satan falling like lightning to the earth.
When the long.
Day's work would be done.
He would be able to rest in the accomplishment of the fullness of God's purpose and counsel in heaven and in earth.
He said I will drink it new with you until that day, not drink it henceforth until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom.
Sister was was asking us about the vow of a Nazarite, which you can read about in #6.
Different from a Nazarene, which we sang about this morning, a Nazarene is someone from Nazareth.
The not highly.
Esteemed town in Israel in those days. But the vow of a Nazarite was a voluntary vow where an Israelite.
Stopped cutting his hair and let his hair grow long, no razor upon it.
He kept himself from the defilement of the dead.
And he?
Came at no or took no. Anything that came from the grape.
No wine, no grape, nothing like that.
The other day one of the brothers in the reading meeting, if you if you caught it, he made a comment on sanctification and he turned to Sir John 17, where the Lord said for this, he said.
For this 'cause I sanctify myself.
And I believe if I remember right, the.
The brother expressed it this way, that the Lord in in ascending up into heaven.
Where there is only one man right now, the first fruits, the first installment of the first resurrection is completed and there's one man in the glory, and that's him.
And there he is, set apart.
For our care, for our blessing, and for God's glory.
And in that sense, he's kind of like the Nazarite.
He says you know I'm not going to partake of Earth's joy's.
I'm going to be the Nazarite. I'm not going to drink any wine. This is going to be the last time until I drink it new with you.
00:20:01
In my father's Kingdom, that hasn't happened yet. He's still the Nazarite on high.
And the woman's hair, the woman is the weaker vessel, and it's, I suspect, the man taking, taking voluntarily the position of submission and of weakness and deference.
And the Lord who's the one who has all power.
Who sustains the whole universe?
Allowed himself to be taken when he was here by wicked hands.
Allowed himself to be misunderstood, allowed himself to be taken in the garden, and so on.
It's the woman's hair.
And of course, separate from sin and from sinners in that high place, but there's going to come a day.
Just like there was a number six if you research it. When the Nazarites vow ends and he cuts that hair and he makes offerings.
And the vow is completed.
And so there is going to come a new day. It's coming soon. The Lord is going to reveal himself to his tried, tried people.
I wondered. I asked a brother this morning.
When the Lord comes.
It seems like there will be a somewhat private meeting.
With the remnant of Judah.
That are delivered from this through this great tribulation.
And at a certain point the Lord's feet stand upon the Mount of Olives. In the fulfillment of that prophecy. This same Jesus will come in like manners you have seen him go.
And they receive him as Messiah.
And they're delivered, and they're grateful, and they're full of praise and Thanksgiving and awe.
And then they say, but what are those wounds in your hands?
And it's then that they realize.
Who he is?
And it says in the prophet Zechariah that they mourn every man apart, in his wife apart, and every family apart.
And they realize, they begin to realize.
Irony is too shallow a word, but they realize and begin to. You can just imagine what would flood through their souls when they realize it was Jesus all along and after all. And yet there He is with them, blessing them, delivering them, saying peace, be not afraid, be not angry with yourselves, as Joseph said.
And so I was asking the brother, you know, when, when Joseph finally revealed himself to his brother.
He said he could, he couldn't refrain himself any longer. I think it was in the previous visit that he would go out and cut, compose himself. Being kind of that nature myself, I can understand it. And he composed himself and came back and spoke, you know, firmly or harshly to them. But at the he says he couldn't refrain himself any long. And he says I am Joseph, your brother.
But before he said he caused every man to go out from me because.
Ostensibly it was an official, these were foreigners, he was the head of state. There was some issues to be dealt with here. It was a quasi legal or formal meeting, the way I take it. But he couldn't contain it any longer. And he says, 'cause every man to go out from me. And he reveals himself to his brother. So I don't know.
I'd like to be there. I'd like to stand off to one side.
I'd like to see.
That moment.
I'd like to see the Lord's joy.
I'd like to see their joy.
I'd like to see the consummation of that love that has stayed with those people for thousands of years, and we'll bring them into blessing.
You say, well, why you select those people, why you bring them into blessing? I mean, they're not any they're any better than anybody else.
Why did he bring you in the blessing? Why did he bring me into blessing? It's the same principle.
It's because he's God, and God is love and his sovereign prerogative.
00:25:00
That's what he decided to do. You say it's not fair. It is beyond fair.
We're way out of the realm of Fair here because he died for that nation. Let me in closing John Chapter 11.
John, Chapter 11.
Verse 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we for this man do with many miracles? If we let him alone, all men will believe on him, and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, You know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people.
And that the whole nation perish not.
And this spake he not of himself, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation. Now we often read verse 52 because it applies to us more, but I'm going to stop at 51 for today's purposes.
He died for that nation. Romans 15 for a verse.
Romans 15 and verse 8. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.
And the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
God is going to fulfill the desire of His heart.
To bring them into blessing.
And he's righteous in doing it.
Because he sent his son, who died for that nation. That's what the scriptures say.
And when brothers sometimes sit in reading meetings and say, well, it'll be the closing of the day of grace at the rapture, I always want to say no, no, no, no, no, no. God's not done with grace.
God is who he is, and He delights to show mercy and grace. It's part of his nature. And God has woven before us hundreds of years of moral history taking place in moral geography with moral principles to enable you and I to learn through his governmental ways more about himself, what his nature is and how he thinks.
And what he's like. And we learn that through the prophetic scriptures, among other places.
Last verse I promise. Zephaniah.
Think it is.
I'm looking for the verse. He will rest in his love. Yes, thank you. Zephaniah chapter 3.
I know it's time to quit. Thank you.
Zephaniah, chapter 3.
The Lord thy God, in the midst of these mighty He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy.
What a wonderful verse.
He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing.
I've always, for many years, loved that verse.
Really has to do with the subject we're talking about when they're finally brought into a place and into a condition where they can happily spread themselves out under his wings as his beloved people.
He will joy over them with singing. His joy will be greater than everyone else's. Full the joy as fierce, the wrath, as the hymn writer put it. And I used to think in my King James, which I always read.
He will rest in his love. I've often thought What a beautiful verse. And then I saw.
In the margin it says he will be silent.
He will be silent in his love. What does that mean?
And so I looked in my purse, my set of friends I have in my study.
I have my personal reading meetings with these different ones.
And I enjoyed this comment. He says it is it would be silent because he is so moved.
00:30:04
You know, if someone's discouraged.
And they're in the meeting, somebody gives out a hymn or they're distracted. They don't hardly sing.
They don't sing very loud.
If they're happy in their soul and really enjoying being in the meeting, in the Lord's presence and with their brethren.
Like I think 98% of us probably were this morning. Sing loud and heartily.
But sometimes.
Goes beyond that you just Can't Sing.
It's just too touching, too beautiful.
There are times at weddings.
Times at funerals.
Times when you listen to your brethren speak or pray.
That's just touching like that.
Times when you're all by yourself in your room or in your car or in your study and you read something, it just touches you. Just to think that he is going to be touched like that.
Speechless.
Almost is the way it's interpreted. He will rejoice over thee with joy.
Because speechless. What a wonderful day that's going to be. As Christians, as believers, it is our privilege to have things new and old.
These are old things that I have spoken about and that Steven spoke about. It's our privilege to hold these things.
Great, great privilege in our possession, and that we might enjoy these things and look forward to that day when He will rest in His love. He will be glorified in heaven and wonderfully in this very earth where he was cast out and hated without a cause.
Say 310.
And to countless.
Experience.
Rosary.
No ground sparing.