Open—L. Hayhew, G. Hayhoe, J. Ryan
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If I just stood up here three years ago, if I'd have been at this conference.
And I just said what I'm going to say this afternoon. People might not have thought of it the same way as I pray that we listen to what I'm going to say because it in this last three years, things have happened in the meeting around that we have all been affected one way or another.
We have seen a terrible shake up in the meeting. Those whom we love dearly have gone.
I know there's parents here with heartaches.
Where are their children today?
Where are their grandchildren?
It's a serious thing. It's a solemn thing to think of.
Because the devil has taken away a whole generation.
Of our young people, not only themselves, but in their selfish way of wanting to do their own thing, they've not only taken that.
They've taken ones that are very dear to us.
I know.
Such as many.
Are affected this way not only is families but our friends. You may be lost your best friend best friend.
It's not something to be concerned about. Haven't you got a problem? Yes, we all have problems. Your problems maybe aren't the same as mine.
But we all have problems and I was just thinking that we would take up a little while on the 11Th of, uh, John, the 11Th chapter of John. It's a well known scripture. It's a well known, we all know it.
We all know it.
The 11Th chapter of John.
We know that Lazarus was sick.
And these two dear sisters sent to Jesus for help. We can thank the Lord that that's where they went for they went to him for the help.
And wouldn't you think, as we read in the third verse, Therefore his sister sent unto him, saying, Lord.
Not Lazarus is sick.
Behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. Think of it. Wouldn't that make you think that the Lord would come right away to his, to their problem, and solve their problem? They had a real problem, a real problem. This one whom they loved was sick.
But what do we get for an answer? Does it say that the Lord came right away? No, He stayed there two days more. Why did he stay there two days more? Brother? Why?
Because when Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Doesn't that speak to you and me? Doesn't that give us comfort? We got a problem, a real problem. We come to the Lord.
The Lord doesn't help us.
It just doesn't seem to care. People say, well, you, I went to him and I brought it all before him, but he never cared. He never did nothing for me. Why didn't he do? Why didn't he solve that problem right then? Why? Because it's for the glory of God.
Isn't that something to think of, brethren?
We've all had real troubles. Sometimes we say, why can't the Lord help us? Why doesn't he help us? He knows I got this trouble. He knows I got a bill to pay tomorrow and I can't pay it. Why can't he help us? Because it's for the glory of God. That's why he didn't help us. Does it make him love any louder than he left? Because he didn't come for two days. He didn't say he didn't love him. He said he loved him.
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He whom thou loveth to sit and think of it, you and I who are passing through these terrible trials and troubles.
We get help from the Lord and we can understand why He can't come and help us right when we expect it.
Is he not concerned? Yes, it's for the glory of the Lord. And when we get into these problems, brother, maybe we should say.
If the Lord will, he'll help us. Now I can give you an example of meetings all across the country.
What's happened? We've had brothers that are all real. Dear Christians to the Lord.
One is praying for one thing and one is praying for the other.
Can you answer both there? There is much in prayer as we are afraid to have what we what we want according to the word of God, but they're just as much in prayer too. Can the answer is both at the same time? No, it has to be for the will of God, but for the glory of God. Excuse me, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified.
And he stays there these two days, brethren.
Chapter uh, verse 4.
It's not under death.
This this thing is not on the deck.
It was a problem.
That man had to give up their hands. They can't help now. They can't help this problem. It's going to get so bad. That man can't help. Nobody can help but Jesus, and he's going to do it in his time. In his time, he's going to do it.
And in verse 19.
And many other Jews came to Mary and Martha to comfort them concerning their brother. I thought, This is lovely, my friend. As I said, each one of us have been affected by the problems in the meeting one way or another.
But you know something, I was just thinking of it the other day. I have problems that nobody of you, maybe none of you people have. You have problems that I don't have.
But isn't it nice to see that these ones came and comforted Mary and Martha? Isn't it nice to see that, brethren, are we comforting each other? Oh, you know, that's, that's always got a problem. And I told him what to do and he didn't do what I told him to do.
So I don't want him no more. You ever heard that? I've heard it, I've heard it. I don't say if it's a meeting, but there's problems that each one of us has. Because if you haven't had a problem yet, don't worry, you're going to get one. You you'll have one. As I said, I think I'm sometimes just about perfect. But then I married a wife that wasn't quite perfect.
But that wasn't too bad. But then I had children and if I thought that was OK.
There's problems there too.
So we all have little problems, one or the other. Are we trying to help each other? Are we trying to comfort them in their problems? I know Amanda has a problem, a very big problem.
And I've heard it said just what I said.
Well, I tried to help him and he didn't wanna do what I said. So that's it, That's it. I don't care no more.
Didn't marry. Didn't these dear friends come and comfort them even though they didn't understand what the whole thing was? They didn't know that Jesus was involved in it. Wouldn't it be nice?
If each one of us were a little more compassionate with each other.
I can't stand the way that person comes into meeting. I just can't stand it. Is that really comforting them? I know we all say these things, so if we're gonna say them now, I'll say it right now.
What a thing it is, brethren, to have those that comfort you.
I'm going to say.
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That I have passed through.
One of the biggest problems we say that we have.
And I sure can't say that our friends weren't there. I sure can't say that our friends weren't there.
We had to wake one night.
There was only 350 there.
The funeral was the next day. We only had 350 at the funeral.
So I can't say that our friends weren't there and you you won't know it until you pass through it. The the the Lord, how he sustains you through it. And I know that day. I know that time there were so many people were praying for us, but have we forgot about all the ones that have lost loved ones? How many we can just think around every assembly nearly a husband has gone, a wife is gone.
A child.
Do we forget about them the day after the funeral?
The Lord sustained us.
When there was real prayer. But do we pray for those that have lost loved ones? And this is Talkington. There's so many that I could talk about it just unmeasurable. The number I can say. Do we really pray for them now?
Through a funeral, my friend. It's like going to a dentist to get a tooth out.
You have the freezing in but when you go home.
The freezing goes out.
And then it hurts.
I know I have some kind people at the funeral.
They told us, well, now that it's over, you just forget about it and go on just as if it never happened.
I really haven't got to that point yet. 2019 months ago. Maybe I can look forward to that time when I'll forget all about it.
But, brethren.
It's wonderful that we can comfort each other in our different problems. Now we come over to.
33 to 36.
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping, which came with her, he groaned in the Spirit and was troubled and said.
Where have you laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
Jesus wept.
Then said the Jews, behold how he loved him.
Did we ever realize?
That Lazarus has not been raised yet. He's been dead 4 days. They say he's stinking.
As I say, this problem is out of man's hands now. Maybe when he was sick they could have done something.
But now he's dead.
Your problem fails that nobody can help. Nobody can help you now, but who can Jesus, Jesus can he promised he would. Moses had to go through a a a big problem and what did Jesus or what did the Lord say to him? Not I will be with thee. That's nice, that's lovely, but he says certainly I will be with thee.
Certainly.
Isn't that something to take when we have to go through problems? Certainly I'll be right there to help you.
But brethren, as I was pondering this.
Jesus wept. As I just said, Lazarus wasn't raised yet.
Jesus had to weep.
Before Lazarus could be raised.
Did you ever think of that?
Jesus had to give up everything on the cross so that you and I could have what's to come after. Did you ever realize that it doesn't say anything?
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In the gospels about Jesus weeping when he went to the cross.
The target for you and I and there's two versions I'd just like to look back at and the Lamentations of Jeremiah. They're two well known verses, but they hit me one morning in in northern day morning and I'd like to bring it before you because it very solemn, very, very solemn Lamentations 1.
Verse 12. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by, and see if there be any sorrow, like under my sorrow, which was done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me?
In the day of his fierce anger and three.
Lamentations 3, verse one.
I am the man that has seen affliction.
By the rod of his wrath. Think of it.
Our blessed Savior saw the wrath of God.
He saw it. He saw his fierce anger.
Why did he see it? Why did he see it, brethren?
For you and me.
If we hadn't.
Had a savior like this we would have seen and those who don't accept the Lord as their savior will see what the wrath of God is. What the uh.
Has afflicted me in the day of the fierce anger. It will see the fierce anger and the wrath of God. How solemn to think of it that if we don't take Jesus Christ as our Savior, we're going to stand before a God who punished his Son this bad for you and me, for you and me.
Jesus wept, brethren.
What a wonderful thing that Jesus wept now.
After we get them weeping.
What happened? He says. Lazarus, come forth.
Come forth out of the grave. Now he's doing something that nobody else could do. And he calls them by name because he just said come forth. Everybody would have come. But he called Lazarus. Think of it, how wonderful, how lovely. And he presents them back to his sis, to Lazarus, sisters, how wonderful that is too. But these problems that we thought there was no absolute way that there was an answer to.
What does the Lord do? He can give them back to us. Fixed.
Now that's some problems, but there are other problems that he can't fix this side of the glory. And that's why Lazarus was risen again. And if you go to chapter 12 and the 1St 3 verses, I love that.
Then, then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
There they made him a supper, and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with them. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Isn't this lovely, this supper? There's no fighting at it. Martha and Mary are not fighting at this time.
This is just a real lovely supper. And think of it my friend.
That even if the problem can't be solved until we get home to glory, where are we gonna be?
With our loved ones and with the Lord. This supper had to quit, but that one will never quit. Never, never quit. We're gonna be with them and like him to praise him for all eternity. How lovely. And then this last verse I just read. Mary took a pound of fighting her very costly.
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When we come to large day morning.
Have we spent any time in the Lord's presence from one Sunday to the other?
You say, well, I leave that to brother so and so, and I leave that to that, and I leave all these things to other people. But what about you? Here is a sister who had got a pound of spikenard, very costly, very costly. Have we spent time? You say, well, that's not expensive, Yes, it is, because you gotta take time. Gordon has said many times, you gotta take time to be holy. The devil won't give it to you.
You gotta take time. You gotta take time away from the things you would like to do.
And sit in his presence. Is it worth it? Look at Mary with her poundless spikenard, very costly. And she anoints his feet with this very precious ointment. And what happened?
The house was full of the odor of the ointment. Isn't that lovely, brethren? Isn't that lovely to see that in eternity our praises are going to be?
About Jesus, what He has done for us for all eternity, and think of it when we get home to be with those we love and with Him.
There won't be any more tears, there won't be any more sorrow. It'll just be as as calm as this supper was here tonight in this in this chapter. Think of it, brethren, that the supper is going to be provided. This one was provided by Mary and Martha, but that supper is going to be provided by the Lord himself.
It's not something to look forward to. You know, I just in closing, I was very, very, very happy.
To be able to come down here this time, I have been at a conference for two years and I really, really appreciated it to come here.
But, brethren, if we really realize.
What heaven was going to be like for us, wouldn't we want to go there? And if we want to go there, wouldn't we like to spend some more time and get ready, Like one little boy said to his grandpa. He said, grandpa, why do you read the Bible all the time for? Well, he says, son, he says, I'm just getting ready for the final exams.
How lovely. How lovely. Are we getting ready for the final exams? Or are we just gonna say, well, when I get to heaven, I'll be, I'll be All right then. Isn't it nice if we started now?
Just thought of what our brother said getting ready for the final exam and I was thinking of things the Lord has asked us to do. Brethren, until He comes. I wonder if we could just look at Revelation chapter 22 first of all.
In verse 17.
And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, come, let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.
And the 20th verse, he which testifies these things, saith, Surely I come quickly, Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Isn't this a beautiful passage here? The last book in the Bible, the last chapter, and the spirit of the bride say come. We think of how Spirit of God is looking forward to that blessed time. He's been sent down here to gather the bride for Christ. And that bride is soon going to be completed and the Lord Jesus is going to come. And the Spirit longs for that time. We long for that time too.
When the bride will be complete, we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so it says, let him not hear us say come. That's an individual thing. When we think of the bride, we think of the collective. When we think of the Spirit, we think of the Him that heareth. Why it's individual. Are each of us sitting here in these meetings individually longing for the Lord Jesus to come? Is that our real desire that He should come even this very day and call us to be with Himself?
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Then it says and let him that is athirst come is not blessed to thee glorious invitation of the gospel is going to be continued until the Lord comes. He's waiting. That's why the Lord hasn't come because the last one hasn't yet responded to that call. And so let him not hear us say come. Maybe the Lord is waiting for someone in this very meeting to say, I accept the Lord Jesus as my Savior. The message to you from his heart is come, come except the water of life freely come accept him as your Savior. Come, accept the pardon.
That He has so freely to offer. And then in the 20th verse he would have testify at these things, saith, Surely I come quickly. That's the Lord's response to our heart's desire.
You notice here there's no mention of quickly in the 17th verse, but there is a mention in this 20th verse. You say. Why is that? It says.
This is the Lord himself speaking. Surely I come quickly because God would have us to be patiently waiting. There's not one of us here that wouldn't like to be taken out of all difficulties and trials of the way and be called home. But we don't find the bride asking the Lord to come quickly. It says in Thessalonians, the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, into the patient waiting for Christ.
Or the Mr. Darby's translation is the patience of the Christ, that if he's waiting patiently, I'm glad he waited for me. Perhaps you say, I'm glad he waited for me too. And God would have us to be patient amid all the difficulties and trials, because the reason he hasn't come isn't because he doesn't want to have us with himself. He's going to come as soon as that working grace has been completed. And so when he replies, he says surely.
I come quickly because when the last one has been brought to know him will come in a moment and the 20 thing of a die, no more delay is working. Grace has been completed. So he says surely I come quickly and John replies Even so come Lord Jesus couldn't come too quickly for John couldn't come too quickly for those of us who know him as Lord and Savior. But as I said, he's asked us and I just like to look at.
Look chapter 19.
Excuse me, Verse 12.
He said, therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return, and he called his 10 servants and delivered them 10 lbs.
And said unto them, Occupy till I come. Well, here we find something the Lord has asked us to do. Until he comes again. There's always going to be a little service for every one of his own to carry on. And how long to carry on till the obstacles become too great, till the situation becomes so difficult? We say, I have to give up. No, he says, Occupy.
Till I come rather than this is a day when enemy is succeeding and getting many of the dearest Saints of God discouraged. And too often we feel, oh, it's no use, we just feel like throwing up our hands. Oh, let us not do that, brethren. He says occupy till I come. He is given every one of us a service. It says here he had 10 servants. 10 brings before us responsibility, just as there were 10 commandments. So.
Given to man and to every one of us as believers, responsibilities. And uh, we know that each one of us not exactly the same. Your service is different from mine. We think of the Levites and how they, each one of them went to Moses or to Aaron rather. And it says he appointed to everyone his service and to everyone his burden, everyone his service. Some carried the ark, some carried the pin, some carried the heavy things, the board, they didn't all have the same thing.
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And as I believe what Paul refers to in the 6th chapter of Galatians when it says.
Let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. Let's not wish our lives away wishing we were doing something that somebody else is perhaps doing. The Lord has given to each one of us a special thing. Nobody else can do it as well as you. There may be somebody else fill in, but nobody can do it as well as you, because if He calls you to it, He also fits you to do it. That's what it means, I believe, when it says.
No man goes to warfare at his own charges. Sometimes we measure ourselves and say, I think I can handle that. And too often we break down. The important thing. Brazen is not can I do it, but does the Lord want me to do it? And if the Lord wants you to do it, he's going to supply the grace. He's going to keep us all dependent. He's going to keep us all humble as we realize how insufficient we are in ourselves, Paul said. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.
Peter thought he could do something on his own. He failed. Haven't we all found that we thought we could do something? We got a little bit of Reebok and we gave up. The Lord says Occupy till I come. And you see, when that Tabernacle was moved from place to place, each one picked up the particular little service that was given to him. And as I said, some of the boards, some of the pins, some with carrying the ark, it didn't change places.
Each one was given His work, and He was to do it all through the wilderness journey. And so the Lord has given to each one of us. As I say, Tam speaks of responsibility. We say some of them would get more reward than another. Well, it tells us here He delivered them 10 lbs. It's true that the one who got 1 LB got 10 lbs. He got more reward, but they all started out with the 1 LB.
And so the point is devotedness. Why are you and I doing with what ability or work God has given us to do? Are we seeking to fill that little place in the Church of God and in this world that he has given us? Oh, how beautifully everything is planned by the one who is the head of the body, the church, the one who is the, as it well says, the Lord of the harvest.
Well, May God grant that we might occupy. And brethren, let's not give up. It is a time of testing. It is a time of discouragement in many areas and in many homes. But the Lord says, occupy till I come. What a privilege. May the Lord give us grace to continue on.
Little assembly where we are will be brighter. The homes where we live will be brighter. Even our jobs will be happier if we do them.
As unto the Lord, and continue on in them until he comes. Occupy till I come.
Well, we have another word given to us also in First Corinthians Chapter 11.
Verse 23.
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks.
He break it and said take heed, this is my body which is broken for you, that's due in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had stopped saying this cup is the New Testament in my blood.
This do ye as OFT as she drinketh in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup.
He to show the Lord's death till he come.
Isn't this precious that the Lord would have us to respond to this privilege that we have? It's His desire was on the very night of His betrayal as our brother brought before us with that awful cross before him.
And what he was going to endure there suffering that we could never, never measure, never will be able to because.
He took that cup of judgment and drank it to the last dark drop, leaving only the love for us. He has borne it all that He's given us, brethren, this simple privilege. I know there are many that are discouraged about this too, and they say everything's going to pieces. How can I continue on? Well, I say what? Our dear brother Brown, the brother who serves the Lord in the past said the Lord wouldn't have asked us to remember him until he comes if he wasn't going to provide a way that we could do it.
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According to his mind and according to his word, everything that has been committed to man in responsibility, he has always failed. Everything I say, we look at our own lives, we know that we fail. And what if the Lord has given us to do? And we know that the church collectively has failed and we're part of it. But he's faithful. And Israel faced its First Division in the reign of Reelon. The Lord said he would preserve a light in Jerusalem.
For his servant David's sake, for his servant David's sake. Brethren, let's not be discouraged. The Lord is going to have a testimony that's according to his mind, in great weakness. No doubt it tells us thou us a little strength and has kept my word and not denied my name. Brethren, may the Lord keep us. We can't keep ourselves individually or collectively, but let's let our confidence be in the Lord.
He's going to and he had given us this privilege and he's asked us to respond.
Surely when we think of all he has done for us and how near is coming is remember when I was just a young person of brother, an older brother spoke about his young days and he spoke about how there was a desire in his heart to remember the Lord, but he was putting it off and he thought, supposing I don't remember the Lord and he comes, he said, but I like the Lord to say to me.
Did you never Remember Me when I asked you to until I come? Did you never respond to that desire? What a loss that will be to think that He gave us a special thing that he asked us to do, and we're going to be with him. Whether you remember the Lord or not, if you're his, you're going to be there. But this brother said that was what caused him to desire to be there, where the Lord would have his own. He wouldn't ask us to do it if he wasn't going to preserve us the privilege.
And He wouldn't ask us to do it in disobedience to His word. So this assures us that there will be a testimony preserved by His grace, remembering Him until He comes.
Then there's another one in James chapter 5.
Verse 7.
Be patient, therefore, my brethren, under the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he received the early and latter rain.
Be also patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned. Behold, a judge standeth before the door.
Here's another exhortation. Be patient. Are we going to have things that we're going to have to bear until the Lord comes? Yes. We wouldn't need patience if there weren't things all their brother has brought before us. We say, why aren't they set right? Does the Lord not have power to set them right? Well, perhaps He's showing us that we just have to be patient. And I often mention that a little incident I heard about a care meeting that the brethren were having in a certain place.
And it was a very difficult care meeting when there was a lot of things that were disturbing the same. And as they walked out of the care meeting, one brother turned to the other and said, oh, brother, when's this all going to end? And the brother said, at the coming of the Lord, at the coming of the Lord, there's always going to be that which are which we're going to have to bear with. And as our brother Brown also said.
He said, if my brethren can bear with me, surely I can bear with them. We have to remember that Harper Adam had to put up with things in us. We may think we're the ones that are putting up with things, but it says be patient there for my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. The husband waited for the precious through the earth, and have long patience for it. Is the Lord going to pick out of our lives that which we endured?
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There's a verse in Colossians I believe it is. It says strengthen with all might unto all, patience and forbearance and long-suffering.
Someone had mentioned about that verse. It doesn't say strengthen to do some great service for the Lord. We certainly do need strength as we seek to occupy till the Lord comes, but don't we need a lot of strength to be patient? Doesn't it take everything that we can receive from the Lord to be patient in some matters that come up, yes, but he gives that patience. He's the one as we often saying all patients spotless one our hearts in meekness train.
To bear thy yoke, and learn of thee, that we may rest obtain. So he doesn't say that things are going to be set right, he says.
And he says in the sixth verse, he's condemned and killed a just and he does not resist you in a situation that wasn't that right. And many things will not be set right here. But his little poem says with endless love and thy home above all will be righted there. And it tells us then.
In the.
Ninth verse Grudge knot one against another. Sometimes we just, uh, go on. We don't say anything, but we hold a grudge. Terrible thing, isn't it? Hold a grudge. May the Lord keep us from that. Brethren, the Lord is forgiven us far more than we'll ever have to forgive anyone else. He's forgiven us so much. Let us be careful that we don't allow that horrible weed to grow in our hearts.
Of not having a forgiving spirit. The one who didn't forgive another was delivered to the tormentors.
And brethren, with there's nothing more miserable than to hold a bad feeling toward somebody. An unforgiving spirit may help us in that. Be patient, therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. He's going to come soon.
And when he comes, everything's going to be righted, and the Lord is going to actually reward patience and long-suffering. He was and is that patient, spotless one? Well, there's just one more I'd like to notice, and that's Revelation chapter 3.
Pardon me, Chapter 2.
Verse 25.
But that would she have already hold fast till I come?
These are days when there's a great giving up. There's a tendency not to stand firm for the precious truth of God, to let some things that might be called non essentials to say, well, they're non essential. We can let those things go. All the truth of God is important. Every word of God is pure. There isn't any part that we can say that wasn't necessary. It's the present truth too. It's what we need for now.
For today. And it's interesting to me that this verse was spoken to Thyatira. Perhaps the reason it's given there is because I believe it's to show that there might be those living at that in that system who perhaps didn't realize, as it says, the depths of Satan. And maybe you say, well, I haven't learned as much as some others, but brethren, what we have learned, are we holding fast?
Are we holding fast? We're all learners. I hope we always will be learners. All our lives. None of us can say we've learned it all. Bible says a man thinketh that he knoweth anything. He knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know it. If learning the truth of God doesn't keep us humble, we haven't learned it in the right way. How could I learn about such a wonderful Savior, wonderful friend, wonderful home he's provided? How could I learn that without being humbled by it?
If it makes me proud, I haven't learned it in the right way. And so there may be young people say, well, I haven't learned very much. I don't know as much as some of my older brethren. Well, that may be true, that we do learn more, I hope as we get older. But I ask this, are we holding fast what we do know? If it had been in perhaps in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, we might have said, well, they knew a great deal more, but God has given us there to show.
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That no matter what it is, if you've learned some truth from God, don't give it up. Don't give it up. The word of God is so important. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee again? By the word of thy lips have I kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Well, brethren, I just thought of this in connection with what our brother was bringing before us, and how needful that we remember the Lord's coming is getting near.
We're all looking for him. I believe we're waiting for him at any moment, but there's something that He's left us and He would have us to remember these things. There's a little service that He has for you, a little service that He has for me. And if you and I think by His grace to fill in and do that little service, what a privilege till He comes. He's asked us to remember Him until He comes. He's asked us to be patient until He comes.
And he's asked us to hold fast the precious truth that's been committed to us. He says, Behold, I come quickly. May our hearts respond. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, you remember what the Lord said about the servant who is ready to open the door when his master comes.
If my, if things aren't just in order, we don't fly, the door opens quite as quickly. But if we're seeking to do what's pleasing to that friend that's coming, you don't mind throwing the door open and being glad to see them? Well, may the Lord keep us, brethren, so that we'll be ready to open to him immediately. He's coming quickly.
We had a a reference to one, I think it was a grandfather who was reading his Bible.
To get ready for the examinations, the final examinations.
We do need to read our Bibles.
There's a day when more and more people.
Finding something else to do with their eyes. We need to read our bibles.
We just heard now something about what we ought to be doing while we wait.
The him we opened up this meeting with was #183.
Just like to read the 1St 2 lines of it again. Savior come, thy Saints are waiting. Waiting for what?
Waiting for the marriage, waiting for the nuptial day.
The church collectively.
All the redeemed.
The bride described as a bride, the bride of Christ, and we're members of that body. We're part of that collection individually. Well, particularly collectively, we are the bride.
Now our brother has just told us, given us some little notes as to what we ought to be doing while we wait. What should we be doing?
Umm, things that he would like to have us do.
Until that wedding day, one of them is Occupy till I come, pay attention to our business, care for our households.
Diligence, connection with the raising of our children. Occupy whatsoever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord. Occupy till he come. That's something we ought to do and.
Remember.
Me there's a really a few brief words in the the 43rd chapter of Isaiah where the Lord says it's kind of a plaintive, a plea.
He says put me.
In remembrance, He wants to be remembered. He doesn't want us to forget Him, to get so busy with our occupations or with our entertainments that we forget Him.
So we have a large supper till he come. Then we have something about patience, as we brought to us in in James. Be patient unto the coming of the Lord, and then to hold fast. Whatever it is, how little it is, don't let it go.
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If it's much, hold on. If it's little, hold on, hold fast. That doesn't suggest a slack hand, but it suggests a diligent, earnest, energetic.
Laying hold, hold fast.
No, I'd like to a few thoughts from the book of Ruth.
And we have in the book of Ruth a model of the bride. We are the bride of Christ. We'll be his companion for eternity. And in the book of Ruth we have a model, a description, not so much of what we ought to do, but a description of how we ought to do it. What should be our style? What should be our mode?
How?
Should we do if we are going to be the bride?
How do we function? How do we behave to make ourselves?
Acceptable to the bridegroom.
Ruth is the perfect bride. In chapter one, chapter 2 and chapter three of the book of Ruth, we read a lot as to what she said and what she did.
But look at the 4th chapter. In the 4th chapter she came to the marriage verse.
Verse 9 The last The last chapter of Ruth and Boaz said unto the elders and unto all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimolex, and all that was Chileans and melons of the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth no more of it S the wife of Malon have I purchased to be my wife.
That was that mighty man of wealth, Boaz. Our Boaz is waiting for the day when he can stand at the gates of glory and introduce us to his father, when he'll say here she is. The Moabitess, the unwanted, the undesired, the one with no rights, no claims, the Moabitess not fit to enter to the 10th generation, but here she is.
And she's mine. I have purchased her. That's such a tremendous price, great cost. As her brother was describing it to us, the agonies that he went through to make that purchase, to consummate it.
And he says I have purchased to be my wife. And on that day she became his wife. And we hear nothing in chapter 4, not a word from that woman.
A lot in chapter one, two and three. Preparatory to the wedding on the wedding day. Not a sound from that woman. We have no record of her saying a word.
She had lost herself.
She had given up on Ruth. She was now Mrs. Bowen's. She had no interest in Ruth. And to what extent had she given up on herself? This is part of the behavior. This is part of the style of the woman that made her a fit bride for that mighty man of wealth.
Notice verse 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife, and when he went in onto her, the Lord gave her conception and she bare a son.
Still no words, no communications from her mouth that we have a record of. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel, And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age. For thy daughter-in-law which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. I noticed the next.
And the women? Her neighbors gave it a name as quite a few present who are mothers. A goodly number of mothers, some older and some younger, some here with little tikes just a few months old. How many of you mothers?
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Were willing to let the neighbors name your child. How many of you would have been willing to let the neighbors decide what that lovely little child was to be called?
Ah, not many. I I can remember how interested we were in the names for our children.
But Ruth had lost all self-interest.
She was no longer interested in Ruth, she was interested in her Boaz.
So this part of the style that suits the bride a lack the complete absence of self-interest. Oh, that kind of cuts to the heart of things, doesn't it? Think about it, how much are we governed by self-interest? I'll go back to chapter one.
And we'll find 3 steps that brought that woman to that state that.
Acted on her spirit that produced in her that willingness to be nothing in the presence of her bridegroom.
I'll just pick out three things in her history that are really finally identified that produced that happy result. Chapter one.
Verse 16 And Ruth said, And treat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee.
Or whether thou goest, I will go, and where thou largest I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.
Verse 18. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left, speaking unto her. Her mother-in-law was trying to talk her out of it. Her mother-in-law tried to send her back to her family home.
But Ruth had her mind made-up. She was steadfastly minded. She had her vision set on the God of Israel.
She had a purpose in her life. Her heart was set.
Was it, uh, Barnabas that said something to some?
Uh, that, uh, their hearts should be, uh, single, a single high, steadfastly minded. Now the the mind is connected with the heart.
On the other hand, if things in the mind don't filter down and reach the heart, it's a complete waste.
How many of us may have met over the years in the world? Perhaps some men that were highly intelligent, brilliant minds, Well, they didn't know how to say hello to a soul. They just had no social sense that the mind was well structured and well arranged. But it has to get down to the heart.
It started out with Ruth. A persuasion. Oh, a real persuasion.
Steadfastly minded talk about persuasion. Can we turn briefly to Romans chapter 14?
In these days of difficulty we may speak with one or another.
And somebody doesn't agree with me, they can't understand my line of reasoning.
Maybe it's my fault for trying to reason.
Romans 14. The end of verse 5.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. We have an individual responsibility to examine things in the light of the Lord, with the Bible in our hands and our knees bent in prayer, seeking guidance and leadership from God. But we need to be persuaded.
And that fully.
That's the apostles desire expressed in Romans 14 verse five. But notice verse 14 now.
Where do you get your persuasion? Where have you obtained that which has produced conviction in your heart? Where do I get my persuasion? Is it from the exercises of the mind that'll fail? That'll surely fail? Is it from the exercises of somebody else's mind that will surely fail?
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Romans 14, verse 14.
I know.
That's positive. IKNOWI know, and I'm persuaded by whom.
If we're persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that's persuasion.
That's persuasion.
Back to the Book of Ruth, chapter 2.
The the the woman had made-up her mind and she was steadfastly minded.
Now verse 19, just pick out one verse that describes something of her style and her behavior, her manner. Her mother-in-law said unto her, She came home after gleaning the day.
Where hast thou gleaned today, and where wrought thou notice the word where twice expressed in two lines? Her mother-in-law was most anxious to find out where she had spent her day. Where? Where did she get an answer to that question? No.
Read the rest of the verse.
And she showed her mother-in-law, with whom?
She had wrought and said. The man's name with whom I brought today is Boaz.
May maybe all of us, most of us, have perhaps heard some criticism.
We make too much of the place.
I don't know that we can make too much of the place.
If our emphasis is on the person, who, as it's put here, whom?
Are we really persuaded that our Savior is present in our midst, in the middle, in the midst? He's the center of every circle of which He is apart, and we give Him that place.
Ruth gave the man that place. She was asked all about the where and she responded.
In effect, she said, Mother, I can't tell you much about the place, but oh, I met the man today. Let me tell you what who I met, I met the man, the man, the mighty man of wealth.
So that that has some imp impact on the woman that did things to her.
Chapter 3.
It's a nice chapter to read, but I'll just read one word or maybe two or three in the chapter.
And the word is down.
In verse three, notice the word in the middle of the verse, get thee down. And in verse four, in the first line down and toward the end of verse four, down again. And verse six, she went down. Oh, we don't like to go down, do we? We love to go up. We just delight when somebody invites us to go higher. We enjoy promotions in the world, in our business. We certainly don't like it when we have to take a lesser post.
We don't like to come down, but here it is. And this woman did it. Verse six, she went down. I think that may be the 4th time, maybe three or four. We'll find seven of them in all in this chapter. In verse 7, down twice in the verse, the little word DOWN.
Hmm.
And verse the end of verse 13, lie down.
Until the morning, we don't like to get down, not even for 1/2 hour. We don't like to come down for a split second. We wanna go up. But this woman was willing to go down. And for how long? Until the morning. Are we willing to be nothing until he comes? Until the morning, a great day of that marriage will be consummated. Are we willing to be nothing until that happens? Ruth was.
Booth was oh, how many problems would be solved before they ever come to fruit or or large enough to to to be defined if we were all contending for that place, the bottom of the ladder.
Brother was once asked.
A question about such a world of competition that we live in, how many intelligent people there are out there, how hard it is to get along in business. Competition is tremendous. The response was, what would you like to know where there is no competition? Because I can, I can tell you a place where there's no competition.
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You hardly have any there, practically nothing in the way of competition. Oh really? Where's that?
The bottom of the ladder.
Ruth came down and she stayed there until the morning. That's a style, a manner of behavior that suited this model. Bride down twice in the chapter. I think it is the references made to at his feet.
At least once in verse 14.
So.
There are some things we can do that would please the Lord.
Psalm 69 There is that which pleases the Lord better, that he should be praised.
Better than an Oxford that hoofs or horns.
And as has been suggested, there's these four things that occupy until I come, be patient and hold that fast till I come. That's three. I made a little note of the four as our brother was talking. Occupy and remember, remember, don't forget. Oh, prone to forget.
Aren't we all prone to forgetfulness?
What's the matter? The style in which we wait?
The manner in which we occupy #1 Ruth, chapter one, steadfastly minded #2 The person that's, uh, the whom? With whom she wrought that day. The person of our Lord Jesus, so preeminent in our minds that all other persons are nothing, including myself.
Then the third chapter, Nothing.
Lie down, come down, go down until the morning.
Savior, come, Thy Saints are waiting, waiting for the nuptial day.
There'll be no room on that day for arrogance.
There'll be no room for pride. There'll be no room for the lifting up of the hand today. There's room for the lifting up of our eyes.
There's really no room for lifting up our heads. We should be hung in shame.
May the Lord help us.
To be steadfastly minded, occupied with that man, that mighty man of wealth.
And willing to be nothing.
Telica.