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May be that the Spirit of God is laid it on the heart of someone to have a special portion this morning do not have to continue with that chapter necessarily.
Unless the brethren feel we should.
But I suggest that we continue with the chapter and include the first part of the second chapter the third day together with it.
Just what portion?
Verse 11 and chapter 2 together with.
Perhaps beginning of first quarter three, chapter one.
John's Gospel chapter one.
1St, 1:00 and 3:00.
Today, following Jesus, we go forth into gallery and find this Phillip and stand up here. Follow me.
I feel the first Slayer that is the city advancement figure.
Come on to him, come and see.
Change your soul, and then you're coming to him and say about him, Behold the natural light indeed, and whom is no God?
The thank you stands unto having much. Most are made. Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, When thou was out of the victory, I saw thee.
Nathaniel answered and said unto him, Rabbi Thor, the Son of God, thou are the individual.
Jesus answered and said unto him.
Because I said the thing I saw the end of the fig tree. Believe as thou shall see greater things than these.
And he says unto him, Verily, verily, I said to you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven over the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
And the third day there was a marriage at Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
And both Jesus was thrown and his disciples to the marriage.
And when they wanted one, the mother of Jesus said of them that no wife.
Jesus says unto her, woman, for their heart to be with me are now is not yet come. His mother said unto the servants, Whatsoever he says unto you, do it.
And there were set there six waterfalls stores, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews attending two or three Perkins of beasts.
Jesus said under them from the water, cross the water and they still live up to the bridge.
Says unto them, Grow up now and there under the governor of the feast, and they buried.
The rumor of the fish that tasted the water that was made blind and knew how much it was but the sun.
Service was through the water. You, the governor of the speech, recalled the bright state of hands. Every man at the beginning just set forth with wine. When miserable drop, and then leverage is worse. But thou has kept a good one for now.
This beginning of miracles in Jesus and Gino's Galilee manifested forth its glory and his disciples from the.
Yesterday in this portion there was a.
Pointed out.
The comp that is brought out of following in verse 43.
And I don't think it was pointed out the position the Lord takes. It says the day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee.
And I wondered if that wouldn't bring before us the fact.
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Of his being in rejection.
As we have in the end of the Gospel of Matthew, that's where he met his disciples.
He, he met them in Galilee and speaks of, of a place of rejection, not in Jerusalem, the accepted place, but he was outside in Galilee. And then again the statement of of Nathaniel.
In verse 46, can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
That would speak of reproach. So the Lord is presented here, you might say, in a way of of rejection and reproach, and that's the one we follow. We follow one who is in rejection, rejection here and in reproach.
But I think I like to think of the the way that those who accepted that.
The Lord could say in verse 50, the end of the verse, thou shalt see greater things than these. What a prospect those who followed him as.
In rejection, and though I followed him as connected with reproach have the prospect of seeing greater things, that's the hope for the prospect is before them. So I thought of this little day which I I'm sure that in a dispensational sense with would refer to the.
Perhaps that remnant it will be.
Called out after we're taken to be with the Lord, that remnant who will have the testimony of Jesus as we find in the Book of Revelation. But in a sense, those of us today who seek to follow the Lord. I like that little remnant. And we're in a day of of the Lord's rejection and reproach and relieve, even living in a day, not the day when the Antichrist is here.
But John says there's already many antichrists, that is, there's an anti Christian spirit all about. And so it's in that sense, or you might say in those circumstances that we follow the Lord if we follow the Lord as in rejection and reproach.
But with the prospect of the greater things that are going to be revealed when He comes to be manifested in all of His glory.
Behold, he goeth before you into Galilee, is the language of the 28th of Matthew.
Would you say that when he was with them in Galilee and left them instructions to tarry in Jerusalem until he be immune with power from a high, that he was giving them? Perhaps a foreshadowing on the other side place a rejection and a reproach, but at the same time perhaps telling them that their responsibility was still associated with Jerusalem until He?
Moved the doors. That's like the exact song.
We find it loose that that's where they were to begin with the testimony, isn't it, that forgiveness of sin was to be preached in His name, but beginning in Jerusalem, I suppose, showing that as, as Luke emphasizes, the grace of God, it would be the grace of God to begin the testimony of the declaration of the work of Christ in that guilty city of Jerusalem. But in Matthew.
He is seen to be outside of Jerusalem entirely as rejected.
And as you say would be giving them the the sense of following him as one rejected here and yet to be in the sense of the grace of God that would go out to that guilty city first with the gospel.
I raised that question because someone acquired up me after the young people's meeting on Lords Day as to the fact that the two who left Jerusalem and went to the mayors. Actually the Lord himself was indicating that He was going to meet His disciples outside Jerusalem, which He did at Galilee, but it was in Galilee.
That he told them to carry into Jerusalem.
So I suppose that really, in obedience to Him, their place was in Jerusalem, until such time as He made it very clear that that was.
So there are two two things in connection with just leaving.
After the 40 days were nearly over.
We find that.
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He leaves them out as far as Bethany.
Now he had instructed them as to their testimony in connection with Jerusalem.
But as to their position?
As associated with him, he led them out as far as Bethany.
Now that would suggest to us the place.
Of separation, where he gathers the two or three around himself because it was at Bethany he met so often with the little company.
Who surrounded him in his rejection?
And when he went to the temple, as was mentioned yesterday, and looked around about upon all things.
His heart found no rest there.
And he turns, and he goes out to the House of Mary and her sister Martha, and Lazarus to Bethany.
And the very last words almost before he leaves this world says he led them out as far.
As Bethany.
And that's where he separates from them.
And if you will read in first of Acts, you'll find that that's where he comes back on the Mount of Olives, the very same place. And there's a there will go, there will be a little company there.
That we have here in our chapter.
Nathaniel.
And Israelite indeed, and whom is no guile? A little company who are waiting for him in that coming day on the earth.
They were. They are Jews. They're from Judah and Benjamin.
And he's going to appear to that little company on the Mount, right, just over against Bethany outside of Jerusalem. That's where he's going to appear. And his feet are going to stand on the Mount of Olives and that day and he'll make himself known to that little company. That's before he comes in judgment upon the last enemy, Russia that comes down.
But he makes himself known to that little company, and he sets up his Kingdom with that little company before he brings back the 12 to the 10 tribes to join the two. And it's that little company that are waiting for him. Ye men of Galilee, the same Jesus that she's seen going to heaven shall come in like manners. You've seen him go.
When he went, he didn't have a sword in his side. His hands were held up in blessing.
When he left and when he comes back, his hands will be held up in blessing. Victorious blessing. And here we have his glories mentioned in this chapter by Nathaniel.
What a discovery did Nathaniel makes?
When he finally realizes who this person is.
Why he's the son of David.
What a what a thing for the Jews to discover.
David, the one who had been prophesied all way back from the Book of Kings, the one who was to come to be their Messiah, the one in whom would be found all the promises for his people, Israel.
But what's more, the Son of God?
Is that all? No, that's not all.
God is going to open up to Nathaniel. Something more here.
And that is as you go down the chapter.
In the end here after you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Now what is this?
These are greater things.
These are greater things.
This is connected with his greater glories. The Son of man, He's God.
All to think in those councils in the 40th Psalm, what were they about?
In the volume of the book it is written to me.
What is the volume of the book? Well, I'm sure this is included in the thought of it.
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But the volume of the book are God's counsels in eternity.
And what were they?
They had to do with one person and his work as a man. Think of it.
The counsels of God and eternity had to do with the Son of man.
The one who's coming down to fully glorify God in everything.
But at the same time.
To fulfill the deep, deep desires of the Father's heart.
To have children in his presence forever.
And children that would be just like his own son.
Children who would be his because they would be given a nature that could enter in and understand the things of God.
Could feel as he feels and understand too.
So that there would be those who would feel as children at home in the father's house.
Besides that, Christ his Son would have a bride, and a bride that's just fitted for him in every way.
That's Ephesians 5, and that's the work that's going on. Now. All these are part of those councils. Now. I don't think we have it all here, but we have the hint of it here. We have the King of David. That's Israel.
And all promises to be fulfilled in regard to him for Israel.
And we have the Son of God, the one who alone could glorify God, fulfill all his counsels, but he does so as the Son of man and as man. Think of what that means.
That when we get home to glory, it will not be as simply as men, a different race looking up to God as Creator.
Marvelous as that is.
But we have a nature.
That enjoys God, that enters into His counsels and purposes.
We have that nature now, and we will enjoy those counsels and purposes for all eternity. But one more thing.
He's given us in that divine nature a nature of love.
And that's the secret of it all.
And brethren, that's the secret of what holds the Saints together today. If it weren't for that, we'd be in 1000 places.
We have a nature that loves every child of God.
Not because of conduct, but because we belong to one family.
And in that long eternity.
God is going to pour out His love on His children and we will enjoy that which is beyond knowledge.
Because we will revel in that marvelous love.
Own character manifested in His fullness to His children. All this is suggested right here in this chapter in John chapter 5 and verse 39.
It says search the scripture for example, you think he had eternal life and they are they would testify of me.
I suppose to have margins in their Bible tell us the market reading it really reads. He searched the scriptures.
This isn't really an exhortation to search the scriptures.
Believe the Lord here was acknowledging that they were searching the scriptures, but they failed to see that all those scriptures centered around his own person. And so they did search the scriptures and he said in them you think you have eternal life and they are they which testify of me and he will not come to me that he might have life.
They were reading the Word of God and missing the whole central theme character theme characters that put.
When we look at the chapter we're reading this morning, we see how Phelps says in the 45th verse of the first chapter we have found him of Moses in the law and the prophets did right Jesus of as the son of Joseph to think of Israelite like Philip who knew the Scriptures something of the scriptures having but to whatever extent he didn't.
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Structures and then to meet the person that those scriptures were all about to realize that Moses talked about a prophet making the Deuteronomy that God would raise up, and there Philip had passed. That's one that God will try to raise up to read the Psalms he came to understand and think about some of those fresh songs and to realize that he had now met the man.
Were all written about what a wireless thing and yet we see in the two, it seems to me how that in the case of Phillip there was a limit to his understanding Of course there was a.
Until he received the Holy Spirit, but he refers to the Lord Jesus in the 45th verse after talking about him being the fulfillment of those scriptures. What is the word of God testified now?
He refers to him as the son of Joseph.
Now the word of God very carefully, even though in the first chapter of Matthew we see a meaning of genial geniality, I believe that would associate the Lord Jesus with that royal line that descended from David and Abraham. Yet the word of God is very careful to guard, to have us to see that Joseph was not really the Father, of course, Jesus.
And when we come, I think at least for my own soul is so beautiful to see. And when we come to the 14th chapter of John, how Philip has learned that Now when the Lord Jesus says in the 14th of John and the seventh verse, if he had known me, he should have known my Father also, And from henceforth we know him and have seen him.
Phillip set up to him. Lord show us the Father, and it suffice us.
Our Phillips still have to learn that everything that there was to know about the Father was revealed in the Son. But he had now learned that the Father was not Joseph, that the Father was the one that we come come to know about and to enjoy a sweet and precious relationship with. We're going to see the Lord Jesus.
And we're going to be in his presence, and everything that was together won't know about the father will be displayed in him.
I remember hearing rather I just had lots of comments. I thought it was so sweet. I was told years ago that.
Brother Darby was in Montreal, if I understand it correctly. And in Montreal somebody asked him the question, when we get home to heaven, are we going to see the Father? And I'm controlled by some of those older President Montreal that the answer she gave so many years ago was.
He said I know of no scripture that says that he will actually see the Father. Now, as I see everything we should want to know is displayed in the sun. But he said, I know no scripture that says that we will actually see the Father. But he said I cannot conceive.
Of being in the Father's house without the deepest sense of His presence.
While we know of course, this primarily.
Looks forward to the the remnant of Israel. I'm sure that Nathaniel was there being before us that that remnant. I have been impressed with the fact that the the Saints at the present time and especially, you might say those of us living in the last times the closing.
Our the closing days of this present age are in circumstances quite a bit similar to what that remnant will be in and one of the things that helps maybe you turn to Revelation chapter one. We have an expression there in connection with John as he presents himself as a as a model brother in the.
Closing days of the dispensation.
He says in verse nine at the end of the verse.
That he was in the aisle that is called Patmos.
For the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. You'll find that the word Christ is not found in the new translation. It's the testimony of Jesus. And this is.
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The In connection with those of us at the present time, John, as I say, is not presenting himself here as an apostle or an elder, but as a brother and as a brother who.
Is in a place of reproach and in a place of restriction and rejection on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. And I connect that with what we have in John one there when they say Nathaniel says, can any good thing come out of Nazareth, Jesus of Nazareth, It's the it's the reproach connected with that one.
Who is here in, you might say?
Smallness, littlest rejection. He was not here as one who was acclaimed by this world. He was not one here to to set things in order in this world. He didn't come as a great benefactor to relieve the world of its poverty and its injustice and all of these things that he was here in reproach and rejection.
And the testimony of Jesus will bring before us that man in his humility and loneliness.
And acceptance of things as he passed through this scene, not seeking to set everything right and being rejected of men. But now later on in the Book of Revelation, in chapter 12, we have that remnant of Israel.
Because when it comes to Chapter 12, of course, we're taken out of this scene.
Well, you know, at the end of chapter 3, the Church of the assembly is taken out. We're no longer here. So the testimony of Jesus is not associated with the Saints of the heavenly calling. But we read here about others and The Who are the remnant of this woman that represents Israel in chapter 12. And the dragon would represent or bring before us safety.
And verse 17 it says the dragon was wroth with a woman.
And went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keeps the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. And again, it's the word Christ should be dropped. It's the testimony of Jesus. Well, here are those who have the testimony of Jesus.
That remnant of Israel, that remnant of the Jews that Nathaniel would represent, but those of us at the present time.
Who seek to follow a rejected Christ and one in reproach. We have the testimony of Jesus and I have been more and more impressed with the fact that the circumstances through which the Saints of God will be called to pass through before the Lord comes.
Are very similar to what that remnant will be called to pass through when we're taken out and they have the testimony of Jesus. In fact, it might be more.
Similar than what we have been accustomed to think of in the past. As I mentioned a few moments ago, when this remnant of Israel bear the testimony of Jesus and suffer for his namesake, there will be one who is called the Antichrist.
On the scene, well, John says you've heard that Antichrist comes. Well, even now there are many antichrists. And so the spirit of Antichrist is all about us. And I think we can view this circumstance in John, one of Nathaniel, as being a little picture of those in the closing days of the present age who seek to follow the Lord Jesus.
And they're going to find increasingly the.
Reproach that is connected with following one who is in rejection, one who is not here to set things right in this world. The one who suffered in meekness and humility and who accepted all of the reproach and the shame that was heaped upon him in lowliness. The testimony of Jesus. It's not a testimony of power. It's not a testimony of greatness.
It's a testimony that's connected with humiliation and suffering and littleness and reproach. And sometimes this might be difficult for us to accept. But then on the other hand, I like to think that when Nathaniel came to the Lord, the Lord took account of where he had been. He was under the fig tree, and that, I suppose, would indicate that he was.
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He was.
In the consciousness of what the fig tree would speak of the nation.
Has seen according to the purposes and counsels of God and so today, even though we are associated with that lonely name of Jesus and a testimony of reproach and rejection. Yet we we know what the purpose is and counsels of God are for his people and that would give us to be in dignity that would give us to to realize that while as far as the world is concerned it's recruit and rejection and.
Yet on the other hand, there's a great destiny that God has for his people and we we know something of his purposes and counselors. And then Nathaniel, the Lord said an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. Well, an Israelite, I think that we know the name Israel was the name given to Jacob that connected him with God.
And God's purposes for him, Prince of God.
An Israelite indeed, I believe, would speak of the moral character of that man, and I thought of that in connection with Second Timothy 2, when he says not only that we are to purge ourselves from vessels under dishonor, but to flee youthful lusts and follow righteousness, faith, peace, love with them that call them the Lord out of a pure heart.
Even in days.
Of closing days of the testimony of ruin and failure, and the days of reproach, and weakness, and humiliation. God looks for those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. And Nathaniel, I believe, would represent that that class of persons who would follow a rejected Christ and reproach, and would be in the consciousness of the purposes and councils of God for his people.
And would be an exercise that there might be calling on the Lord out of a pure heart, not only separation outwardly, but inwardly as well, following righteousness, faith, love, and peace.
Nathaniel has also helped me to can't like, say, understand but get some glimpse of.
The Lord Jesus presenting himself to the remnant.
And shall I say where that remnant might come from?
You would I understand from the word of God that if the shout came today, those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our saviors would in a moment in the 22nd of eye be called up to be with it, to be like Him forever. Then we believe that God will begin to work through a reference of His people. Israel here.
In the proclamation of the Gospel.
But it always puzzled me as to where that remnant might come from. It would seem that all those whom we know as Jews are either already believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who will be come together with us, or else projectors of the Lord Jesus who will share the faith of every other rejector. Where does the God be remnant come from?
Houston puzzle me, I thought the only solution I can think of is.
That God will have to wait until a generation of Jews beneath the age of responsibility grows up and has the opportunity to become part of that Clemence and the love of that message. But that didn't seem right to me. It left a gap there. But it seems to me that the account of Nathaniel is perhaps a hint.
That God has even mouthed where I am not.
But he does have, I would believe.
Those of His own beloved people who are not guilty of having heard and rejected the gospel of the grace of God, the will as the final does.
Identify themselves with the Lord as the one whom He calls. Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel. And I believe that I would like to accept correction if this is not a proper thought. I believe that undoubtedly when we are gone, He will bring forth those who are the Nathaniel.
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Those who are not guilty of having heard and rejected the gospel of the grace of God.
Remember some years ago when I was over at your husband standing by the Wailing Wall?
There was on the one end of that wailing wall a wrought iron fence. I fence with a large gate in it and.
So I hope it was all right to do this. I put on a Jewish cat.
And I went in through that gate to see what was to be seen, and it really impressed me. There where a goodly number of bearded Jews. They were reading the Old Testament Scriptures concerning Jehovah and concerning the peace of Jerusalem. And the tears were screaming down their teeth, and they would step forward and.
To that wall, and then read the Scriptures, and then they just weep. They would join together in tears of leaping, and then they stepped forward again and kissed those stones that suddenly it occurred to me, could it be that among these there are the Nathaniel's?
Whom our Lord may use in the coming days to go out with that message.
It impressed me so much. I remember that when I came back out and.
Went to be curious, she said, whatever happened to you, And I could hardly speak for some time, until at last I said, my dear, I think I met. She knew what I meant because she had talked this over. I think we would agree that what we are gone there will be a godly remnant.
Where will they come from? At the moment I believe they're under the victory.
The eye of God can see and He will bring them forth. I rightly think that there is that possibility. I think it the remark that you just made at the end is significant. They would be under the fig tree, but they're not. They wouldn't be among that company, as you say, who are Christ rejected then they would, they would not be.
But under the fig tree would indicate, as you say, those who still have the thoughts of God in regard to that nation.
Before them in faith and.
The God has not just brought that light to them, and I'm sure that as we approach the end, we know that the.
The conditions that are going to be prevalent on the earth and even those, as you say, who are going to be brought forth by God to bear the testimony of Jesus in that day.
They're going to be already here. We're going to be I, I feel we're getting very close to that even now. The same circumstances and surely those persons are under the eye of God and God is going to bring them out when the the only when the, when those who are now identified with the testimony of Jesus are taken out.
They will also be the ones that will be part of the wedding all day the the portion of chapter 2 The remnant will be part of the wedding. But I've been meditating just before on woman. What have I to do with the.
His mother, who did not show us that they will not come in by the natural way, so to speak.
Will be on a new basis, not by natural descent, but by that with the Spirit will bring about in their lives that they will be born again.
In Ezekiel 37 this may have more to do with the 10 tribes, but the principle is the same. And the 25th verse.
24th Verse For I will bring I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out all the countries. Ezekiel 36 and 24.
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And we'll bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols. And I will cleanse you in a new, new heart. Also will I give you, And the new spirit will I put within you. And I will take away the Stony heart out of your flesh.
Give you an heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them, and you shall dwell in the land, and so on.
Now an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile is not to be found today.
But when the Spirit of God goes to work according to Daniel 12.
There will be a little company raised up as our brothers suggested.
Coming from where? We don't know.
But they will be Jews, they will be of the two tribes, and they will.
They're called teachers. They'll be the ones who will give the testimony of the gospel of Kingdom for the 1St 3 1/2 years of the seven years of prophecy yet to be fulfilled. But their testimony will be in Jerusalem.
And the persecutions will be there.
At the same time that they're giving their testimony in Jerusalem, the enemy will have to counter it. And so he in the remnant who are not believers of the Jews, the apostates, they'll restore the sacrifices so that the nation will observe something religious to counter the truth.
And it'll get so strong in opposition that in the middle of the week, the little remnant of faith will be driven out.
And the testimony will not be any longer allowed in Jerusalem.
But they will go to the Gentiles.
And for the last 3 1/2 years.
There will be the forming of that great company that you have in the 7th chapter of Revelation.
People from every tongue and language.
These scattered Jews, the two tribes, will go out among them, but they will have a new heart.
There will be Israelites indeed, in his home as no guile. They will be born again.
And they'll bear that testimony to the Gentiles.
And when the Lord finally comes.
All these Gentiles who are in the nations immediately surrounding Israel, their neighbors.
Who have heard the Gospel of the Kingdom?
They will either be the sheep or the ghost, who will have to stand in judgment and give an account as to how they treated the messengers who came to them.
You know how that reads. I was poor and sick and in prison. You came not under me and so on. It's a question of how they treated the servants who came with that message.
But at the beginning we said in Daniel 12, there is a little remnant that God raises up of teachers, and he says of them, they shall sign as the stars forever and ever. That is, they're going to have a place in the Kingdom of prominence, a blessing in that coming day. But they're the ones who bear the testimony and they go out to all these nations surrounding. And so there will be a testimony again in Jerusalem.
And there will be a testimony to the nations around them. And that testimony will be not the gospel of the grace of God as we know it today, but it will be the testimony of the Kingdom.
I believe Psalm 96.
The testimony of the Kingdom.
And what's that? The King is coming back? The Messiah?
It will be the blessing on the basis.
Of the precious blood of Christ being shed.
Because there's no blessing for any creature outside of the shedding of the precious blood of Christ. And that finished work.
Now later on, of course.
God is going to bring the 10 tribes to the border.
That's the 11Th chapter, Ezekiel.
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The 20th chapter as well. He's going to bring them to the border just like at the time when the angels came to Sodom and dragged Lot out of the city.
Took a morning to the border and lot had to go into the city of refuge by faith. And so it will be in the coming day. Those 10 tribes will be taken off from all the lands where they're scattered and they'll be brought back to the border of Israel. And then the message will go out. There is deliverance in Zion.
And all those of faith will come in, and ye shall be gathered 1 by 1 or you children of Israel. That's the 27th of Isaiah, and each one will have to come.
On their own exercise of faith as to their Messiah, trusting in that precious blood.
Be gathered 1 by 1 until the land will be filled again, but only by those who have faith. We do not know exactly what Nathaniel may have been thinking when he was under the fig tree. And for our young hearts here this morning, may it not be simply stated in this way?
Let no doubt when the Lord spoke of seeing Nathaniel on the victory.
It was not simply to identify a type of tree, it was certainly, as has been suggested, and the matter.
That is, as to Israel being either a wine vineyard or the olive tree or a thick tree, we can think of it that way. The ones all hard. I wondered if Nathaniel, in sitting under that which was emblematic of Israel, that is, the fig tree, might not have recognized that all around him there was Roman oppression.
Everything seemed to be anything other than peace and tranquility.
And maybe Nathaniel might have thought something about two scriptures that maybe are very plain for our hearts and breathing together in First Kings chapter 4.
We would have that which is historic.
First Kings chapter 4 at.
Verse 25.
And Judith. And Israel.
Safely, every man under his mind and under his victory, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
And maybe he might as well have thought of that which is prophetic but rather clear in Micah chapter 4, Micah chapter 4, and verse one. But they shall sit every man under his mind and under his fig tree.
None shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord opposed.
Have spoken for all people will walk everyone in the name of this God.
And we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. Maybe Nathaniel had glimpsed his own soul of that which God purposed for Israel in connection with that friend felony and that peacefulness and that provision. And I think of it, dear brother, because.
If there was any sense in Nathaniel's soul.
Of what a godly Jew should yearn for.
Was it not seen by the Blessed Saviors?
The Lord tells Nathaniel that before Philip called him, he saw the thing. And if there is any sense in your soul and mind as to that which is a real, proper, present godly exercise.
Does he not see that as well? We remember with the light that there were those in Israel of whom it could be said that they had understanding of the times what Israel ought to do.
Do you and I have understanding from the Word of God of the character of the time for which we passed, and out of the occupation in the first of Christ that ought to be characteristic of us, And maybe we can all, beloved brother, nod our heads and say.
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That yes, in measure we have understanding of the times.
And I suppose then we could say that Nathaniel had a little understanding of it. And when the Lord saw him, he was in the manifestation of what understanding he did have. He was sitting under the fig tree. And if you and I this last this morning have any sense in our souls of what really ought to characterize us as we as dear Saints of God.
Loves of the blessed Satan found waiting for his soon coming.
That our souls and we say, yes, we have a little place of what it means. Have an understanding of the time and what we ought to do. Then perhaps that little word is instructed. If you know these things, happy are you if you do.
There will have to be the appreciation.
Of what?
Joseph is.
Because before Israel can have their Benjamin. Now I just mentioned it in that way because here we have greater things presented to Nathaniel. It's the Son of Man.
It's a wonderful thing for Israel to look forward to their king.
That's marvelous.
But they're going to have to recognize the Son of Man first.
And what does that mean?
Joseph went down into death.
And before the.
The brothers of Joseph could get.
Corn before they could be relieved of their famine, before everything could be settled.
They had to acknowledge Joseph Benjamin could be put in prison. In the meantime, Benjamin means the son of my right hand.
Joseph is the one who went down into death.
Israel would like to have the Son of my right hand. They would like to have the king reigning in his proper place without the feeling of their guilt before a holy God. But the day is coming when Israel will have to come to the feast of Atonement.
They'll have to discover the son of man, Joseph, the one who went down into death for them and went before to preserve life.
This will be true for every soul. There has to be the recognition of the work of Christ.
Before they can have their Benjamin, the son of my right hand, and as soon as they do recognize Joseph, he makes himself known to them. And all would have seen that was. And it makes us think of the day when the Lord Jesus will make himself known to his people.
But a day that will be.
What?
What the deep, deep feelings flow through that nation of Israel when they finally.
Come to realize who there Joseph is, the one that they had hung on Calvary Cross.
And they'll realize their guilt.
So in the book of Hosea, the first of the minor prophets, which gives us the real outline of of that sort of thing that prophets.
We find that I will depart and go to my place until they be guilty.
The Lord Jesus had to go away the Son of man, coming down here and dying and then going away until they be guilty. That is, until the nation recognizes their guilt, until they recognize their Joseph, until they recognize the Son of Man. Then everything will be cleared up.
And the nation will be blessed. And so it is. The same principle follows.
We have to recognize our guilt before a holy God.
I don't care who you are in this room this morning, there will be never any blessing for your soul until you recognize that you are a guilty, lost Sinner before a holy God. Israel have to do that, not merely as a nation, but individually.
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And there will never be one out of the courts of glory in the Church except.
They've had their sins put away in the precious blood of Christ.
In the second Psalm it reads.
In the sixth verse of Reading All the Song, Psalm 2 and verse 6. Yet have I sent my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son. This day have I because of thee.
Then in the 80s.
And the Board 1St. What is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of Man that thou visited him? Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and has crowned him with glory and honor, the latest hymns who have dominion over the works of thy hand.
It would seem that what we have here is in a sense of progression from the 2nd Psalm to the 8th song.
You find the dentist, Nathaniel says. Thou art son of God. Thou art the king of Israel.
Corresponds to the second song, acknowledgement of what is given there. But then when the Lord says henceforth or hereafter, henceforth he shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and deceiving upon the summer time, that really takes us on to the 8th song, and we see Him as the one who has man. Son of Man is entitled.
For that man, the one who has the place of universal dominion.
And yet at the same time, it's so very precious our brother Bundy was bringing before us to realize that God very carefully points out to us, even in that Psalm that brings before us his exaltation as the one who as man, is given dominion over all things. He's the one who was made a little lower than me. He was the one who became a man.
In order that he might be capable.
Of suffering death. For the suffering of death. He's the one who is crowned with glory and honor. And so the greater things that that.
Nathaniel in principle here looks forward to is given to look forward to is that day of universal dominion.
The Lord Jesus as the Son of Man is going to have his rightful place as head over all things. When you love someone very much, you look forward to everything that would reflect upon their their honor, their worthiness. It would be a very, very selfish attitude for you or me or anyone else to say, well I know that I am going to be back at home to be with the Lord.
As for what may be his future, As for what he intends to do in connection with this world and cast him out, it's too complicated. It's too difficult for me. So as long as I know what my course will be, that's all that really matters.
That would seem to me to be rather selfish, would it not? I've used sometimes a very homely illustration.
Suppose I got home from work, I stopped by as my wife requested at the grocery store, and I sent the bag of groceries on the kitchen table. And then I sit down and began to begin to talk with her about my activity, that at the office and possibility of making a little change, maybe getting a little new equipment or whatever. And she looks very bored.
After a while she says, look, I'm really not interested in.
Your activities and your plans. Did you bring home the groceries? Yes, they're on the kitchen table. Well, that's all that matters to me. If you pay the rent and buy the groceries, I'm not concerned about your plans and that kind of thing. That would be a great disappointment to a husband.
He would hope, he would expect that his life would be greatly concerned in everything that concerns him. The goal has not only told us of our future and so wonderful future, but I say, Paul Reverend, why has God taken the trouble to tell us?
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That would concern the future honor and vindication of his beloved Son, only in heaven, but upon earth. Because I think he's saying I know you love him so much that you will be interested in everything that concerns him and the future honor and glory and fiddity. That will be it. The love is appearing, I think.
Has, at least in part, something of that bumpkin. We will just love to see the day when he will have that place in which he is so worthless.
Perhaps we can probably have 2000 second.
And you can start by.
Telling us if there's any significance in the fact.
That while before this we've had the next day, the next day, but this is said the third day.
Is there any significance in that? In other words, it doesn't say the next day, but it calls it a third day.
Well, three speaks of completeness.
As to what God is undertaking for the earth and this would be the millennial day.
We know that the eternal state follows it.
But you'll notice in this chapter that.
We don't have the vessels of skin that you have in the 5th chapter of Luke, for instance, or in Matthew and other places.
These vessels, these containers mentioned here, are permanent.
They're permanent. They have a permanent character.
And something interesting to notice with it in connection with it.
And I believe that.
It was after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, it says.
In the sixth verse 6 water pots of stone.
After the manner of the purifying of the Jews.
It seems to me this is connected with the work of the prophets.
God always prepares ahead. And why were there those?
Who responded to John the Baptist preaching?
Because the Spirit of God was at work, that's why.
One would say, well, surely there would be a great work with miracles, but John did no miracles.
It's a very outstanding picture of the power of God.
Working through an empty vessel. You know what a lesson for us The power of God. Working through an empty vessel.
And so purifying of the Jews, it seems to me, has to do with the testimony of the Spirit of God that preceded this time gathering souls out.
Work working it within.
Because in the third chapter we have new birth.
But in Ecclesiastes we have quickening.
And so there's a work of God going on ahead of time.
And I believe that we have the work of God suggested by these permanent vessels.
And there are two or three firkins apiece.
They're exactly the size that the Potter on the wheel decides to make them.
As he forms this clay, because it no doubt was clay.
Vicks later fixed state, but as he forms them, he forms them intelligently.
According to the purpose he has in view for them, two or three firkins apiece, they're not all the same.
These are permanent fixed vessels. Now, what are they for? Water. That's what they're for.
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And so the servants are told.
To fill them with water.
Ah, but they fill them to the brim.
Fill them to the brim.
The energy, the spirit at work.
Acting on the instructions given by the Lord.
Now what happens?
Do do they turn this water into wine?
No, indeed.
It says when men have well drunk and then.
They bring forth other, but this is they brought the best at the last.
What is it?
Ah, it's the joy of the Kingdom.
When the Lord Jesus himself is.
Master of the Feast and all, What a day that will be for Israel.
But a picture tube, beloved, of that day when you and I will be sitting down to eat and drink in the Kingdom of God.
Oh, today that will be permanent. Vessels filled to the brim, turned into joy.
Wine.
For all eternity.
Vessels that he himself has formed permanent vessels.
No change now.
And filled with the very thing that that heaven will be filled with joy, God himself provides.
I thought also in connection with the third day that there is special attention being directed to this, not just simply again the next day. Or the moral perhaps whose thoughts might be considered one is.
Always future blessing is based upon the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thursday sees the main to suggest the wonder of resurrection. It's all based upon that and then to perhaps the third day would emphasize that we seek again and again in the Word of God.
And God's timetable is no vague, indefinite thing.
But well known before the foundation of the world. And I healed, dear brethren, that when we read of this marriage on the third day that we have.
Definite indication that.
False timetable.
Is well established and I do believe perhaps I should be pretty careful, but I do believe that when we look back on God's timetable.
We will see the precision of it, and I believe that two days of waiting before that marriage takes place has very nearly expired. We're just about to see the wonder of this. It seems to me to appear rather frequently in John Gospel. It's after four he turned aside from his service to his beloved people, and for two days he laborers among those despised Americans.
And then after those two days, he returns again to Galaxy. He turns to the 11Th chapter and he receives the news that his dear Jewish friend Lazarus instead. And when he hears that news, he abides 2 days in the same place where he was before he chose to raise up Lazarus from the dead.
So the emphasis here on the third day sees perhaps to indicate that all blessing rests upon the death and resurrection of our precious state in the Lord Jesus, and also the fact that the waiting period for this wedding is well known to the Lord and it's just about us.
It seems there's a word of.
Of exercise for our hearts as parents here.
We.
May take advantage of this a little bit, but it seems to me that those little vessels that are entrusted into our hands, we have a responsibility to fill with water.
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But just say something.
And so that the parents have the privilege today.
Of filling the minds and hearts of the little ones with the word of God.
Now some may think, well, they learn the verses and that's it, and they forget and they go away, but that is so.
Every verse that child learns will be in that child's mind for all eternity.
But a solemn thing, that is.
And so, filling the water pots with water, the diligent ones filled them to the brim.
And the time will come.
When the Spirit of God will change it into wine, that's joy.
Know there are many things that are necessary, perhaps before the joy comes. Oftentimes when a soul is converted, there's no joy at all, oftentimes because he's occupied with his sins and guilt before a holy God. And it's rightly it's so.
And then the deep exercise ends in real joy as a result.
But what is it that does it? The water of the word flight to the Spirit. So there is a responsibility with parents.
Teachers, if you please, to fill those little water pots.
With water.
And it's lovely to see, to hear little children, little tiny children, saying their verses clearly.
And having them fixed in their minds, in their hearts at an early age. And some of them have them turned to wine early too.
The joys that accompany the precious truth of the Gospel of Christ.
My father used to say, fill up the six days of the week with the Word of God and it will pour out like new wine on horsepower. May not be the primary thought in it, but in addition to that wonderful privilege and solemn responsibility of the water of the Word for a little while, we surely need it for ourselves, don't we?
With every other influence around us, with the Midianites busy trying to rob us of our very sustenance.
I only eat to fill up those six days of the week. 6 Waterfalls don't build up to the brim with the word of God. It will pour out like you wine. And perhaps perhaps we sometimes say, Oh well, we have no one in our assembly to teach us, to instruct us, to exhort, to encourage us.
From time to time, and it troubles me a bit to hear it, because the word of God gives us this wonderful privilege.
The water is available. It might be reading the very last epistle, building up yourselves on your most holy faith. I'm sitting back waiting for someone else to do it for us. Building up yourselves. When our children were little, we fed them, and we're pleased to be able to do so. But it would be a great disappointment if we still had to do that.
We'd like to see them reach the point where their appetite and their ability.
Develops where they can.
Feed themselves here we have the word of God and an appetite for it is not a gift from God. They're ought to be my beloved present by they might have to put my heart and appetite for the water of the word of God and when that water body fills the bridge in there.
Need to have this practice Word of God continually apply. Remember years ago brother Barry Speaking of those in the days of Elijah, who for that quarter from the sacrifice on the carpet and having done so, he said do it again. Having done it the second time, he said do it again. And they poured that water so it was running all over the place. But I'd like to see.
A hole in which the word God is just continually, sort of.
Texts on the wall, the word of God abundantly in evidence.
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Fountain wherein there's plenty of water is clean.
Just one thought on this.
4th and 5th verses.
Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hours not yet come.
Now turn to John 19.
I.
26 verse.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved, he said unto his mother, Woman, Behold thy Son. Then said he to the disciple, Behold thy mother. From that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
We find that the Lord Jesus was the true Nazarite.
And as the true Nazarite, he was not to know his father or mother.
And as he begins his ministry in the second chapter of John.
He, as it were, does not know his mother.
Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.
But in the 19th chapter, his hour has come.
He has completed the work that the father has given him to do, and now he resumes that relationship again with his mother.
And so when he says woman.
Behold, thy son is referring to himself.
And then he turns to John.
Then said he to the disciple, Behold thy mother.
He assumes that responsibility on that dark hour as he was.
About to be crucified or being crucified?
He identifies himself with his mother.
So that she can be cared for by John.
John was the disciple that lay on his bosom.
He put his mother in the trust of John. Son, behold thy mother.
Sentence in parenthesis here where it says but the servants which drew the water you.
Oh, and a source of enjoyment. This may be for anywhere occupied much in the Word of God, they have a secret.
The service knew what the master of the feast did not know. That's better.
Love it. Isn't it wonderful to be here, occupied in the Word of God?
And consciously doing what the monster desired of us to do. We have a secret.
And we can enjoy what?
Any others do not enjoy, but we do receive it from the Master to His words.