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166.
Lord, thou have strong.
Now let us run and never die.
Why Crimes and Shout?
From birthday.
Like so far all.
I start by.
Your son by your hand.
Our spring of life when hearts went around.
I wanted to chill.
Our bread together.
I should.
Always save all of the world.
I change our.
Place.
Here.
Where you are being to make my children.
Our God and our Father, we look to Thee.
Let us know the needs of our our hearts as we tried the Pilgrim path.
And now owned by the Spirit of God, can direct us to that which is.
Going to meet those needs and my purpose a blessing to us.
We think of how Melchizedek of old came forth bearing that bread and wine for Abraham sustenance.
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And we do thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who intercedes on high for us.
To keep us in that Pilgrim path. And Lord Jesus, we thank thee.
Thou art our head in heaven, and it is Thy grace that ministers by every joint of supply.
To achieve that purpose of lying, the perfecting of thy Saints at the ministry.
Might be carried on, and the testimony all that fail, yet the perfecting of thy Saints is ever before thee. And so we pray that the word of God would reach conscience, find its dwelling place in our hearts by faith, and that it might produce those fruits in our life.
That would be for thine own glory.
And we find, like Abraham, a bold that thou art our shield.
And are exceeding great reward. And Lord Jesus, we look forward to thy return.
When we will.
See thee face to face.
When hope shall realize its expectation and faith see its object.
And we will dwell forever with thee, Lord Jesus, in that atmosphere of love in the Father's house.
While we're here, Lord Jesus, we look up to thee. We would lift up.
We trust, holy hands, to receive of Thee that which Thou does have for us.
We give the thanks and ask this our God and Father, and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of the prayer meeting we sang that Him We've often sung tis not far off the hour when Christ will claim his own. And I wonder, brethren, if for these two reading meetings we have scheduled today, it might be profitable to consider a little bit concerning the Lord's coming. I don't suppose there's ever been a day when the Saints of God have desired the Lord's coming more than the day in which we live.
And I was thinking perhaps we could read, at least for this reading, the 1St 6 verses of John 14 as well as the last part of First Thessalonians 4. We may not get all of it in this reading, but.
Wondered if that might be for our profit. Like I say, maybe the.
Verse 6 Verses of John 14 and then in.
Thessalonians.
Four, perhaps from verse 13 to the end.
Read John chapter 14, verse one to six.
Let not your heart be troubled. Be believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And whether I go you know and the way you know.
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
In First Thessalonians chapter 4.
Starting at verse 13, First Thessalonians 4.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Or if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.
Even so, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, And the dead in Christ shall rise first, Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.
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To meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Well, just to get the context of what we have in this familiar portion in the 14th chapter of John, we find that the Lord Jesus has gathered the disciples around himself in the upper room to address them really for the last time before He goes to the cross. And as the Lord Jesus looked at these disciples, he looked right into their hearts, and He knew that their hearts were troubled. He knew that they were afraid. And the reason they were troubled and afraid was because.
The Lord Jesus had told them that He was going to go away and leave them. Here were these men that had walked with the Lord Jesus during His public ministry and He had provided everything that was needed, not just in a physical or temporal way. But when their hearts were troubled concerning the death of John the Baptist, they came to the Lord and they poured out their hearts and He listened to them and drew them into the desert place to rest a while. They could come to Him in any situation.
But at the beginning of the 13th chapter where this Upper Room ministry begins, this last discourse of the Lord Jesus with His own, it says the hour was come that He should depart out of the world under the Father, having loved His own, which were in the world. He loved them unto the end. There was a need and a motive that prompted the words that we've read here this morning. The need was He was going to leave them. The motive was His unchanging, unfailing love for them.
And so there are many things that he covers in these chapters, that is chapters 13 to the end of 16. And it just seems like he covers every aspect of what they're going to need and his provision in view of his absence and them being left in this world. But brethren, one of the beautiful things that he brings before them is the hope of his second coming.
The fact that while He was going to leave them for a little time, this was not going to be permanent. And so He gives them for their comfort here, the truth of His coming again and the Father's house. And brethren, if we didn't have that comfort, if we didn't have this truth this morning, there isn't much other comfort in this world today. Think we see things getting worse and worse. We see political and civil unrest.
In so many pockets and corners of the world we see natural disasters which many of us have been made acutely aware of, of recent time, and all these things, and the world really winding down for the judgment of God. What comfort would we have apart from this blessed truth? And so, just to stop this morning and consider this and perhaps connect some scriptures with this that bring before us this hope and confirm it to our souls, I believe it will give us courage to press on amidst the difficulties.
It's important to see in the subject that is before us that there are two aspects of the Lords coming.
That is important to this.
To separate in our understanding.
This is the first revelation.
We have of the Lord's return for his Saints.
Even here the Lord does not develop the truth to a large extent, but He brings this hope before us. This is the Lord's coming for His Saints, and that could take place at any moment. That should be our hope. We should be a watching, a waiting, also a working people.
But there is another aspect of the Lord's coming. It's all the one coming, you might say. But IN22 Characters, the Lord's return is appearing, is also his coming. But that does not take place at the rapture. That is subsequent. That is at least seven years after we are.
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Transported into the glory.
At the shout which Paul develops doctrinally in the First Epistle of the Thessalonians that we will look at.
That has more to do with our responsibility, not so much a question of responsibility here. It's the joy of meeting the Lord and being ushered into the Father's house. But responsibility does come before us in the appearing, which as I say, is subsequent to this event that we are looking at this morning and.
The Lord was going to be the one that they would come to with their problems, their supplications. You believe in God. They were taught to believe in God. Jehovah is the all powerful one. Now the Lord was going to be in the glory and they would have the same confidence in him because of course he is God, but now an exalted man at God's right hand. So I think it's important to see the the two aspects of the Lord's coming.
That we have in Scripture and that Paul brings before us later on in his official.
Just say 2 As a little outline of these verses we've read in John 14, there are really at the beginning of this chapter three things that are given for the comfort of the disciples on this occasion and of course for our comfort this morning as well. The first brother John has already mentioned, and that is the Lord Jesus himself. And what the Lord Jesus is really saying to the disciples is you believed on God whom you've never seen.
Now you're going to have to believe on me in the same way, because the Lord Jesus was number longer going to be with them physically the way he was on earth. Paul later on said, henceforth know we know man after the flesh, though we knew Christ after the flesh, henceforth know we him no more. And that's what the Lord was preparing the disciples for. So Peter himself says in his epistle, whom not having seen ye love, though now you see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
The Lord was going to return to the Father. The cloud received him out of their sight, and they saw him no more. But brethren, he's no less real to the eye of faith if he, if we don't see him physically, we haven't, like John, seen him with our eyes and handled him with our hands, but he's no less real to the eye of faith. And so I believe, what is going to comfort and strengthen us for the path of faith.
Is to look up by faith into the open heavens and see the Lord Jesus. We see Jesus, it tells us, in the book of Hebrews. And so the first thing is himself, but not himself as he was when he was with the disciples. It's himself as the exalted man in anticipation here, of course, but for us it's himself as the exalted man at the right hand of God. The second thing in the second verse is the Father's house.
The new home. And the third thing is the promise that he is going to come and escort them and us of course, to that new home. So as we go down these verses, three things for our comfort, Christ as the man in glory, the home that is before us, and the truth that he's going to come again and take us to that home and to himself.
The coming again, that is spoken up here is not death. Many Christians have regarded this as passing through the article of death, but that is not the the thought in this passage. It's the personal appearance of the Lord. But it is it is the rapture, let's say, a secret coming. The world will see nothing of the Lord at this time when we are.
Raptured, taken from this earth in the moment and twinkling of an eye, the world will see nothing happen. They'll be completely.
Unaware of what has taken place, what they'll notice, there is an absence of many people in the world. So it's important that we we see that.
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The the Lord is in the glory, but he is coming again and to see the character of the Upper Room ministry, which is really Christianity, the Lord was.
Was developing here the truth that now we enjoy as our brother Jim said, Christ glorified at the right hand of God. Also brought out in the upper room ministry in chapters 14 to 16 the presence of the Holy Spirit of God here in the world, which is characteristic of Christianity. This was never so in the Old Testament when the rapture takes place.
The Holy Spirit of God will be taken as well. He is now indwelling every believer in this room that was never known in the Old Testament times. So we have a wonderful privilege in Christianity. Although the Lord is absent, we look up and we see him glorified at God's right hand and we have the Holy Spirit of God that unfolds to us all these precious truths that we have in the in the upper room.
Believe that.
God's desire is that we should.
Be at perfect peace. But it's all a result of faith, and faith is taking God at His word tells us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith believes in the existence of something that it cannot see.
And I've often thought when we look up into the blue sky and we see a airplane traveling across the sky.
But then perhaps it goes into clouds and it disappears.
We can't see the airplane any longer.
Now, do we believe that it doesn't exist? Of course not. It's just that the clouds obscured the airplane. Well, our brother Jim referred to Acts chapter one how that when the disciples were gathered there on Mount Olivet, I believe it was.
Jesus ascended up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Did they believe now that he ceased to exist?
The Lord Jesus had already spoken with them and said you believe in God who you don't see. Well, I want you to believe in me because you're not going to see me with the natural eye. But by faith you can enjoy the fact that I do exist.
And as we read in the Word of God, we find that the Lord Jesus is seated.
At the right hand of God, and this is what we enjoy by faith.
And through the Word of God, apart from the Word of God, we wouldn't know anything about this.
Well, how thankful we can be for faith.
And so.
Lord Jesus speaks here to his disciples. He says, believe in God, believe also in me.
So Stephen later on in the Acts then gives a confirmation, doesn't he, that the Lord Jesus who had been received by the cloud out of their sight was indeed still existing or living. And he with his last breaths and his last look, he looks up and he says, I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. What a confirmation that though he was no longer visible to the physical eye, he was indeed.
Visible to faith.
And I'd just like to say too, in connection with this portion that we find with the Upper Room ministry, that God, as he always has done with his people, whether it was the Old Testament or the New Testament, he always does, has done two things. He's always made present provision for the pathway, and He has always provided an eye to the future. Because Wally mentioned faith, but there's no such thing as blind faith.
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Faith always has an eye to the future. Moses gave up the riches and position of Egypt. He esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt. How could he do such a thing? I've just been in Egypt again this summer, and the treasures of Egypt back at that time were something. Egypt's a base Nation Today, but it was not a base nation in the days of Moses and the Pharaohs. It was a glorious nation and the treasures and wisdom of Egypt.
At that time are something that is remarkable in ancient history. You say, how could he give all that up? Well, it says he endured as seeing him who is invisible. He had an eye to the future. He had an eye of faith. And so faith always gets through the present because it looks to the future. And brethren, if we only look around and back, which was so often the difficulty of the Israelites in the wilderness.
We're going to be discouraged too. We're not going to press on. But as we've often said, the Christian look is upward and onward.
Let me give you a little example from the children of Israel's history. At the beginning of the wilderness journey in the 16th of Exodus, they very quickly look back. You know, they never got back to Egypt. In their hearts they returned to Egypt, but they never got back there, thank God, positionally, and we'll never get back there positionally. But in their hearts they returned into Egypt. They began murmuring and complaining. And if you ever travel the Sinai Peninsula, I'm surprised they didn't murmur and complain more, but they murmured and complained.
And Moses cried to the Lord, he always knew where to turn. But what's instructive is the Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel to turn around. They in other words, he said they're simply looking backwards and at present circumstance. And when they turned around and looked out over the wilderness, what did they see? They saw the glory of the Lord revealed in the cloud. In some way, Jehovah was pleased to reveal himself to them.
And with that vision of the glory of the Lord, they could press on. The problem was, they didn't keep that before them. And time and time and time again they lost sight of that. And time and time again they murmured and complained and grumbled and blamed Moses for their situation, and so on. But as long as they had the glory of the Lord before them, they were encouraged to press on through that hot desert, sandy Sinai Peninsula.
And brethren, we're in a spiritual world. There are difficulties. I have no doubt there are brethren here this morning whose hearts are very troubled.
Very afraid because of circumstances, but let's get a fresh vision of the man in the glory, our present provision and the hope that we have here of his coming. That's what's just around the corner.
This is not also true that on Thursday morning when we come together.
To remember the Lord, the.
Look by face.
The Lord we can see in our midst, but we know He is because His Word tells us.
And he also tells us to look back when the Lord had said this, Do in remembrance of me, shall I come?
But also, we look forward to the day when we won't need that. We don't need the emblems anymore because we'll be in His presence. So to think of the breaking a bridge tomorrow morning, Lord willing, we can see.
The past, the present and the future, and the remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith also forms us because with Christ as our object, a man has to have an object.
And Christ as our object forms us to be more like Him and has an object, and he becomes like whatever is before his soul, whether it's money or whether it's to be famous or have power or to look beautiful or whatever it is, He becomes like. What is the occupation of his heart?
Hope is an expectation, and so faith is God-given to look up.
And believe what he has said. And a practical faith in our life has Christ as its object, and were formed to be like Christ. And then that very word that he has given us faith to believe gives us a hope and expectation. And ever since the fall, man has lived in expectation. And we're not the only ones that hope. But Paul says others have no hope. We read in First Thessalonians 4. It's not that they don't hope.
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But they really don't have a hope. The believer is the only one who truly has a hope. But man hopes. Man lives his life and hope. Just listen to those that you're around and.
Hear them in the world there. I can't wait till Friday. Well, I can't wait till that vacation. Why can't wait till I get the house paid off and I can do this and I can't wait for this and I can't wait for that. And as soon as they get that next thing, then they can't wait for the next thing. And they constantly live in hope.
We're no different, but we have a hope. We have a blessed hope, the apostles tells Titus. And it's a sure hope because God has given it to us, and hope is going to realize its expectation. But man's hopes are going to end and be finally taken away from him in death and in eternal judgment. They have no hope, but they live in hope. That's how we are. That is how God has made us.
But he's given us an expectation that's going to be realized. And so the Lord sets before them this expectation says, here, here's what your hope needs to be in. Here's what you look forward to. And that's what really lifts us above this scene and all the circumstances I was thinking of. As was mentioned, all the difficulties that we see around us in this world is as it were, as God turns up the fire under the pressure cooker.
But you know, there's other things that trouble us too, and trouble the disciples. One of you shall betray me, the Lord said.
And Peter would deny the Lord, and all would forsake him and flee in time. So whether they looked at each other, whether they looked within, there was going to be discouragement because there's going to be failure among his own. And there were going to be those who claimed to be his own who weren't at all.
And so within the Christian circle, so to speak, there's that which can discourage us perhaps even more.
Than the things that have come upon this world.
But having that hope in Christ to see that every believer.
Is going to be in the Father's house. Every believer is going to end his and her path in glory with Christ lifts us above the scene. That's why the Lord sets that before us as a hope every other hope.
Will be disappointed. Do we set our hope in the Christian testimony in this world?
I'm going to be disappointed in one another and ourselves.
Will be disappointed, but there's one place where we won't be disappointed and that's in Christ, and we're going to all be there with Him.
It's the only hope that man has that can be referred to as sure and steadfast. And so the apostle in Hebrews chapter six, he says which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. Every other hope, as you say, is when we talk about hope connected with this life of the first man. It's uncertainty at best. We might say, well after these meetings are over, we all hope to return.
To our homes. But wouldn't we be presumptuous if we sat here this morning and said beyond a shadow of a doubt, we all know that when these meetings are over, we're all going to return safely to our homes. We pray to that end and we trust it so. But many things we have hoped to do that have become frustrated and never come to fruition. But we have a hope that sure and steadfast because it's a hope based on two things.
Resurrection and ascension, and those two things have been accomplished. The Lord Jesus rose from the dead. And when Peter writes to the Saints, he writes to them of a living hope, and it's based on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. But it's not just the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, it's the ascension of the Lord Jesus. And that portion in Hebrews 6 that I just alluded to brings that out, that our forerunner, the Lord Jesus, has not only risen from the dead.
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But he has been accepted back into heaven to the right hand of God, and as the forerunner. It is the assurance to you and to me that when the right moment comes, we are going to get there. And I want to say this ever so carefully, but I believe it's true, brethren.
That having availed ourselves of the finished work of Christ and having this hope set before us now.
If God were to refuse anyone of us entrance into heaven now.
He would have to banish his son from his presence, and that is absolutely and unequivocally impossible. That's the security in which you and I stand as to the hope of our entering the Father's house when the right moment comes, if you ever doubt your hope in Christ and the fact that you're going to be there amongst the number who fill the Father's house.
Look up by faith and see where the Lord Jesus is as the forerunner. He seated there.
And He is the the confirmation, the guarantee that everyone who comes after him is going to make it. Christ the first fruits.
Afterward they that are Christ, that is coming.
And then be connected with.
I go to prepare a place for you. The cross fitted us for that place, but His presence there as a man in the glory has fitted the place, prepared the place, you might say, for us.
It's not that the Lord's up there building a mansion, he says. There are many abodes there when I go to prepare a place for you. And so as a man, he stepped into the glory, the eternal Son.
As a man in the glory, and he's prepared the place for us of sons and Father's house. That's vital to understand because the reason it was said in the future tense here is because three things had not yet been accomplished. The Lord Jesus had not yet gone to the cross to accomplish the work of atonement. He had not yet risen from the dead, nor had he yet ascended to the Father's house.
But for us now, those three things are accomplished. They're in the past tense. And I believe, Steve, it's very important to understand that the moment the Lord Jesus entered the Father's house with the marks of atonement on his body, that house was prepared.
He's not, as you say, up there getting it prepared, and He hasn't come yet because it's not quite ready. No, the place was prepared the moment the Lord Jesus entered there with the marks of atonement. The only thing that isn't complete yet is the bride. There's still some work for the Spirit of God to do here on earth, having been sent down on the day of Pentecost and the moment that that work of the Spirit of God through the Lord's people is completed.
And the Bride, the Church of God, is finished. The last one is brought in. Then I suggest that he that shall come will come and will not tarry. But the place is fully prepared. It's just that the bride isn't fully prepared yet.
It's his presence in the glory in heaven that makes it so wonderful. It's his person.
And it was pointed out to me that I don't think we ever read in scripture about going to heaven.
What we do find is that references made.
To departing to be with Christ.
Which is far better.
And here in our chapter, the Lord Jesus says.
I will come again and receive you.
Unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also, is a person of Christ. That's so wonderful. And of course.
When the Lord Jesus hung on the cross.
What did he say to the thief?
Who asked that he would be remembered?
When he come into his Kingdom, the Lord Jesus said, today shalt thou be with me?
In paradise. So this is something I think it's very wonderful to.
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Get a hold of is the person of Christ and you know we can enjoy His person right here on earth.
And in a sense, enjoy the days of heaven here on earth as we are attracted.
To the Lord Jesus.
And we're captivated by his beauty.
Well.
It's a wonderful thing to realize that.
Going to go be with Jesus, but in the mean time I believe He has come to be with you and me here on earth. And we have that later on in the chapter. But it's all a matter of the person of Christ enjoying Him and our soul.
Throw a little bit a little bit different.
Perspective on this?
We talked a lot about the hope that we have and and.
The hope of going and being with Him. I wonder if maybe what the Lord Jesus is talking about is the hope that He has. I go. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself.
His hope, his desire is to have us with him.
The in my father's house are many mansions. It's the way it's translated here. If you look in the margin of some of our Bibles, it says of both. It's kind of a, of a, of a disappointment, you know?
We all like to think there's going to be a big place there that, but the point is that the Lord Jesus emphasizing what's there as far as stuff is concerned, he said. Emphasis is I want you to be with me.
And our emphasis is not on what's there, but on the incredible.
Privilege of just being in his presence. You know, if, if I go somewhere, I'm excited to have somebody at my place. So we go home and get things prepared. We get ready. You know, the fact they probably don't know anything about it and they come in the house with all this hair and it's all like, you know, really nice and we're so glad to be here and all this. But the point is I, we went and, and we worked hard to to make this place ready for you because we want you to be here. We want you to enjoy.
Being here with us, we're looking forward to being and so just the sense of his joy and looking forward to our being with him, it's incredible.
Danny I suppose that's why the Lord Jesus said in the 17th chapter in his high priestly prayer, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. That wasn't the disciples expressing their desire to be with the Lord, but that was His desire. And He's looking forward to that day when we'll be there to be, and as He says, to behold my glory. And so I believe that's really what's going to make heaven.
As has been alluded to by several already, what is it that's going to make heaven? It's to behold the Lord Jesus to be where He is, His joy in having us there, and our joy then in being occupied with Himself. And brethren, I suggest that when we get there and we get one look at His lovely face, it's going to eclipse everything else. And it's often been said that what makes heaven is not, or what makes a home, I should say.
Is not four walls and fine furniture. It's the presence of those that dwell there. In fact, it's interesting. You know, we often read the last couple of chapters of Revelation and we take it a little bit out of its context. Now, brethren, I don't want to take away from what anybody's conception of heaven is. And I know in some of our hymns we sing of the Street of Gold and the Gates of Pearl and what will it be to be there? And I will join heartily in the singing of those hymns.
But if you notice carefully, what you have there at the end of Revelation is not a description of heaven.
It is a description of the Church in her millennial administrative glory.
Reigning with Christ having a part in the millennial reign. And the church in figurative language is described as a city coming down out of heaven over the earth, and she's described as a city because cities in Scripture denote administration. We think of Washington or Ottawa or London. We think of the administration of the country. It's the capital of the country. It is not a description of heaven there. We are actually told very, very little about what heaven is like.
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But one thing we know is heaven is where the Lord Jesus is in the midst of his own, because that is what is going to make heaven. And I say when we get one look at his face and those glory so fill our soul, We're going to be occupied with him. Yes, I have no doubt they'll be discourse one with another, and yes, we'll have a part in the Kingdom and so on. But everything we see and do and say.
Is going to be Christ centered in that day.
Just a little example in in the book of Numbers, that which we've been speaking about in Numbers chapter 10, I enjoyed this thought. You referred to Jim a little earlier to the murmuring in the 16th chapter. We have it later on in the 11Th chapter, but I just enjoyed this little thought in the 33rd verse of Numbers, chapter 10.
And they departed from the mount of the Lord 3 days journey. Then we have that which would speak of the presence of the Lord and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days journey. And I just enjoyed this to search out a resting place and what was it for a resting place for them. I just rather enjoy that that it was always in the heart of God that dwell amongst his people to find out in the book of Exodus, the 25th chapter, He says let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. And here we find this little picture of the ark going ahead that three days journey.
To prepare a resting place for them. Well, that's what the Lord says. I go to prepare a place for you.
And it's important to see that it wasn't a question of a lot of knowledge.
Or.
Prophetic understanding. If you turn to 1St Thessalonians chapter one, there were new converts who had just been saved from even dumb.
Gentile darkness through the preaching of the apostle Paul and his.
Workers and they had before them.
You might say they were very young in their group, but if you look at First Thessalonians one verse 9 where they themselves show of us what commander of entering in we have unto you and how you turned to God from idols. Notice not from idols to God, but to God from idols. They had an object before them that that delivered them from all the idols that had did.
Attracted them before and to serve the living and true God in 20 verse 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead. Even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come. The wrath to come here is basically the tribulation period, but here were young converts just saved out of even darkness put before them.
The coming of the Lord.
Now the coming of the Lord, as we have mentioned, is.
Not the question of responsibility. When the Lord returns with His people at the end of the tribulation, the appearing then will be manifested. How we have walked and lived down here. Because between the rapture, which we are speaking about this morning, and the appearing, there is the judgment seat of Christ. Now every believer, not only those who are devoted, will be taken from this world.
Hudson Taylor, godly man as he was.
In a marvelous servant of the Lord failed in that he taught that only those who were devoted and were in a.
A good spiritual state would be raptured, but that's not according to scripture. As Jim has pointed out, they that are Christ at his coming will be, will participate in this, this deliverance from the world, this rapture. But may we ever.
Realize that our lives too are going to be manifest. Our walk is going to come up. Not our sins, thank God, but our walk, Our conduct will be manifested after this wonderful event. We are speaking up.
00:50:15
So he's coming himself for a season date. I will come again. In the Old Testament, God often sent messengers. He sent angels on various message, various missions. Sometimes we know the Lord appeared to various of his own in different ways in the Old Testament too. But angels were his messengers. We find 2 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. When he died, he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.
We find that when it comes to the rapture, what we refer to as the rapture or the second coming of Christ for His Saints, the Lord Jesus is going to come Himself. He went away. I go to prepare a place for you. As Steve and others have mentioned, the place is now prepared and he's waiting for that moment when he himself is going to come again and receive us. And so as we are going to develop when we go on to the next portion in Thessalonians.
He's going to descend and he himself is going to usher us into the father's house. You know, the greats of this world, they might send out invitations to invite people to their Manor homes and palaces, and often they may send a messenger. A person may fly into London, invited to Buckingham Palace, and the royal limousine may pick them up at the airport and usher them through the gates of Buckingham Palace.
But wouldn't it be more if Prince Philip or Queen Elizabeth came to the door of the plane at the tarmac and escorted them themselves? You'd say, well, that would be a little unusual. That would be must, must be somebody very, very special that is being invited to spend time at Buckingham Palace. Brethren, we're going to the Father's house and the Son himself is going to come forth and usher us there. Now, brethren, if that doesn't make our hearts leap and encourage our hearts.
To honor the Son and live for His glory. Now I don't know what goes on within our hearts. And so he says to the disciples, I'm going away. I'm not going to send a messenger for you. I will come again and receive you to heaven. It's true, it will be heaven. Receive you to glory. It's true, it will be glory. I'm going to come again and take you to the Father's house. We know from this portion it is the Father's house, but that's not what He says. I will come again and receive you unto myself.
And so his brother Danny has said it's his desire to have us not just in the father's house, not just in those many abodes, but with himself. You know, again, you someone might be invited to Buckingham Palace and they might have tea with the Queen and dinner with Prince Philip. But probably the rest of the time they've got some servant or valet that's going to show them around and make sure that their needs are met in the little corner of the Buckingham Palace where they're given a suite of rooms or something.
But the Lord's not going to be satisfied with that. Brethren, when we get to the Father's house, it's true, there's going to be many abodes that that is, there's going to be room enough for all, and we're going to dwell there. We're going to abide there. It's not temporary. But brethren, every one of us, thus does the multitude is going to be every one of us for eternity are going to enjoy a special.
Place of nearness and relationship to himself. You're not going to be off in some little apartment down the hall.
You're not going to be trying to get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus over the crowd. You say, how could it be? Well, it's going to be a spear so foreign to anything on earth that we are used to with the physical limitations of our bodies and the conditions that they are now that we can't describe it or understand it. But brethren, on the authority of the few scriptures that were given as to as to the Father's house in heaven, we can be rest assured that we're going to be with himself.
In a place of nearness and relationship. And his heart will be satisfied with nothing less.
Psalm 16 verse 11 Says, Thou will show me the path of life, and Thy presence is the fullness of joy, that thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. And in Psalm 17 verse 15 says, As for me, I will behold my face and righteousness, I shall be satisfied with my awake with thy legacy. 2 old.
00:55:09
Verses when there was perhaps not much light concerning these things, that David was in the enjoyment of what was coming.
Within the presence of the Lord for all eternity.
I've enjoyed.
The thought that in Luke 15, with the return of the prodigal, we get in language that we can take in with our present limitations, a little picture of the father's house. There aren't many descriptions of it because, as you say, it's beyond our grasp. But we're given in language that we can lay hold of for the satisfaction of our own hearts, a house that's full of light and love and song, as we sometimes sing. Is that a brother's house? One time, and we were reading, interestingly enough, in Revelation.
And.
His little daughter said to her father. He said that she said, Dad, what's heaven like?
And we went back over, I think we're in chapters four and five, maybe there in Revelation. And he kind of went back over the scene there with its thunderings and lightnings and all around the throne and the worship and so on. And she just sat there kind of quiet. And you realize that her heart wasn't too satisfied with that answer. And another brother was there. And he said to her, Katie, when you've been away from home a long time and you've been on a long trip, where is your where do you want to be? She says, I just want to be home.
And he said, well, that's what heaven's like. He said that's where everything is, just how we want it to be because we have a renewed heart that cannot be satisfied with anything less than what has been brought before us. And you know what peace is? Peace is a nature at rest and satisfied. And we're going to know it there in a wonderful way in that house, in the presence of the Lord Jesus. And not only the presence of the Lord Jesus, it's the Father's house.
And he wants to fill heaven with children, and he's going to fill that house with those who are just like Christ through his own heart satisfaction in that day.
Yeah, I was just saying when you, when it's like the queen herself came to the airplane, it would have to be someone very special. And we are special because of his precious blood and because we consider the preciousness of the shed blood of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, how precious we are at the sight. It's no, it's no wonder he's coming himself. And I was thinking too.
I go to prepare a place for you too.
We're going to be the bride of Christ.
Anticipation, I think, is a pretty feeble word. We consider the feelings of Lord Jesus Christ when He finally receives his bride to himself.
We shouldn't forget the practical application here in the same chapter that we are looking at in verse 23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our a bowl with him. Now this is a present enjoyment of the Lord in our souls.
We haven't seen the Lord's coming yet. That should be our fault day by day, but even now?
God wants to.
To make our a bold with Him in our souls. We can enjoy the company of the man of Calvary if we are walking in obedience and keeping His word. We enter into these things even now. Perhaps we do it feebly because there are hindrances in our lives. Sometimes there's unjust.
Sin in our lives and it hinders communion, but it does bring before us the privilege of enjoying the Lord's presence in our pathway down here amidst all the trials and tribulations to enjoy His presence now before we actually enter the glory.
So the disciples found it hard to look beyond something that was physical and tangible. You know, under the Jewish order of things, everything was physical and tangible. There was a physical place where the Lord dwelt in the wilderness. There was His presence, denoted by the.
01:00:01
The Ark of the Covenant, when they got into the land, there was the temple built, the permanent dwelling place, so to speak, and everything in connection with Jewish worship had to do with the census. And Thomas and Philip found this very difficult to grasp what the Lord was Speaking of, because what the Lord was really preparing them for in these first few verses was to be occupied with Himself, whom they were not going to see with the physical eye.
And he was bringing before them a place that they couldn't see physically at the time. And so we find here that Phillip he finds or Thomas, he finds it hard to get beyond a physical place. He says in verse five, we know not whether thou goest. And how can we know the way? He was thinking of something physical or tangible. And so the Lord Jesus then says to Philip, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And So what he's really saying is I am the way he was, the way to the father.
He was the truth. He was the truth concerning the Father and he's the was the life. He was the life that enjoys the Father. And I would just say in that regard that when we get to the Father's house, it's true. We're not going to see the father with the physically like we're going to see the Lord Jesus. But can we be in the Father's house and not be aware of the Father's presence? And then we find that Philip, we didn't read it, but.
Phillips says, Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. He said, have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hast seen me has seen the Father. And so when we get to the Father's house and we see the Lord Jesus, we're going to see that perfect reflection of the Father. And so we're going to be in the Father's house. I believe we'll have a sense of the Father's presence, and we will see the Father fully reflected in the sun, who was the express image of his person.
And So what a wonderful thing. And brethren, to think that as God's children, we're finally going to be home. You know, as you say, Steve, there's probably one of the sweetest words in the English language is home. Doesn't matter whether it's a Hut or a palace, if it's home, that's where the heart is. Brethren, is that really where our hearts are? The Lord Jesus has been pointed out is longing to have us there.
As the man of patience, he's waiting for that moment when he'll have us there. Do our hearts this morning go out so to the person of Christ that we long for nothing less than to be physically unhinderedly in his presence in the Father's house. Yes, has been pointed out. We we ought to have a sense of his presence. Now we enjoy it. I trust individually, collectively in the assembly. There's the abiding presence of the Spirit of God and so on.
But do our hearts, so are they so attracted to the person of Christ that we long we desire for nothing less than to be fully, unhinderedly in His presence, to enjoy His company for all eternity, and to praise Him the way we should.
I've enjoyed looking at the disciples and how we hear from them at different times. Some we hear more than more than others. We hear from Peter quite a bit. Some of them we don't hear anything at all other than a little line that says and likewise said they all. But Thomas is one that we usually hear from when the disciples were despondent often. And often at times when we're despondent we don't say anything at all. And that was perhaps like many of the disciples. But when when the disciples were despondent, when they are down perhaps a little bit.
It's usually Thomas that speaks up and aren't really thankful for Thomas's question here.
When he says how come we know the way, how many times have we repeated what the Lord Jesus responds to here? Well, what a marvelous portion to have and to think of that time as you bring it up before before us, Jim. I just enjoy that when that moment comes and the Lord Jesus indeed takes us home to be with himself, He'll have us all to himself at that point. Now, you know, he has us and our minds are such that they are distracted and they go this way and that way, but in that at that moment, he'll have us all to himself.
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What a what a beautiful thing that is.
Thomas, like us, might have come short in his apprehension, but boy, he had a better occupation than Judas. He was occupied with Christ in the way, and better that than the occupation that was before Judas soul.
Couple of chapters earlier, Thomas speaks up again and the disciples were thinking, oh, let's not go to Jerusalem. They spoke of taking away the Lord's life and Thomas just says let's go there and we'll buy one. Just beautiful. That spirit that we see often with Thomas. We often tie in on building Thomas and the thoughts that are brought out there. But what a beautiful thing to think of these earlier portions of Thomas's life where he's such a blessing. And I think perhaps his last recorded words in the gospel are my Lord and my God.
That beautiful? Yeah, That's worship, yes.
You see #296.
Haste the day of thine appearing with thy ransom Saints to reign. Then shall end all days of mourning. We shall sing with triumph then thou art worthy. Come, Lord Jesus, come, Amen #295.
01:10:57
77 in the appendix.
My wife of my baby world now.
I stand up on my face.
01:15:00
I.
Know no space.
Nobody.
'S my father.
First Corinthians, chapter 2.
Verse 9.
As it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard.
Neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
And then in the Book of Revelation chapter 22, just the first part of verse 4.
And they shall see his face. Commend ourselves.
A loving God and our Father. How thankful we have been to be able to sit and just reflect.
On the Lord Jesus and the great work that he accomplished, and the fact that he has gone the glory and is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high.
And we have heard this promised wreck of how he has said that if I go away, I will come again. And we thank the Lord Jesus that very soon, perhaps even before we leave this conference or before the end of this day, that will come and receive us on to thyself. We thank Thee for the love that this represents, Lord, not only as thou hast, thou died for us.
That Thou are coming to take us be Thy treasure for all eternity. We thank Thee for the thoughts we have had.
Of the bride in this hymn, and of the desire that Thou does have, Lord Jesus, to throw thy arms around us for all eternity, to shower us with Thy love. And our God, we think of the things that thou hast prepared for those of us who love thy Son. And we thank Thee that first of all we will see thy face, Lord Jesus, and be forever taken with Thy love for us. And so, as we are here together, we pray for encouragement.
That we would encourage one another with thoughts of thyself.
We thank Thee for Thy mercies in bringing us here, We pray for those that have had trials of late, and we thank thee for thy mercies to us, Lord Jesus, and give thanks for our dear brethren that have desired to have these meetings. Thou has given them this purpose, that Thou hast given them the strength to have these meetings too. We thank Thee for the facility, for the government of this country, for the peace and security we enjoy.
We pray that it may be preserved to us.
Come for us, which may be today we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.