Kentucky Conference: 2002
Table of Contents
What is Christianity? John 14
Reading
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312 Lead on, Almighty Lord, lead on to victory, encouraged by Thy blessed word joy. We follow the 312.
Sleep on all my.
Life.
Don't know. I'm going to raise a question.
What is Christianity?
What is Christianity? How does it differ from Judaism?
And from every other religion.
Our young people are faced many times in college by those that would challenge everything that's in the Bible.
With all kinds of questions.
Peter says we ought to be ready to give an answer of the reason of the hope that is in US.
What is Christianity?
Was it founded upon?
Founded upon his death.
His resurrection, His ascension, coming of the Holy Spirit.
These are truths that are very basic.
To the Christian faith.
Where were the people 1St called Christians, Chuck and Young? Yes.
The name was embedded then. I had a bit empty, you know, and evidently the public thought they were life crushed. Nothing could be more.
What you have said about you and to be like Christ.
I don't think they meant it as a flattering thing, though.
Well, I'd be glad if it's true of me.
Yeah, have people say that about you?
What cat are you thinking about, Chuck?
Well, I don't think we can cover it in one chapter.
No. Well, I suppose the best place to start with that subject would be John 1415 and 16. And we have a very foundation truth. John 13 too, because there you have his death.
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We could, yeah. We can move groove around if we we've got 3 readings.
I don't need to go through each, each reading, each chapter in great detail, but to green the the foundational truths that we need to be established here.
There's so much out there in Christendom around about us that's they that's called Christian, but it's not Christian.
It has more the character of being Jewish, Judaism and paganism. It's not Christian. What is Christianity? What really is it? Could we give an answer if we were asked that question? How would we answer it?
Is it a religion?
Is Christianity a religion?
Judaism was a religion. All kinds of things to do, ordinances and regulations and all this. Everything was laid out, how they would approach God, and there was a priesthood in between the people and God and so on. But that's not Christianity at all.
Completely different.
Why don't we start in John 14 and?
I.
Do you want the whole champion? Yes.
John, Chapter 14.
Let not your heart be troubled you believe in God. Believe also in me and 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 and ye may be also. And whither I go, you know, and the way you know. Time to say something to him. Lord, we know not. Whither thou goest? And how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way of the truth, and the light don't make it almost under the Father, but by me. If he had known me, he should have known my Father also. And from him forth he know him, and have seen him still say unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have to not know me? So he could have seen me, have seen the Father? And how sayest out then to show us the Father?
Believe us thou not, that I am in the Father, and the Father and Me.
Words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself, But the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the word, Believe me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in need, or else you leave me for the very worst. Say, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Either believe it's on me, and the work that I do, shall he do also, and greater work than thee shall he do, because I go unto my Father, and whatsoever he shall ask you my name, that will I do, doesn't bother me, be glorified in the sun. If he shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.
If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever, Even the truth of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it sees him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him. Breathe close with you shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Get a little while, and the world will see if you know more. But you see me because I live, ye shall live also.
And that day you shall know that I am in the Father, and me and me, and I am you, he that has my commanders, and keep of them He is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas, faith unto him, not a period.
Lord, however, this thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world. Jesus answered and said unto him, If the man lonely, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and will will come unto him, and make our vote with him, He would love with me, not keep us not my sayings.
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And word which you hear is not mine, but the Father is which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, Not as the world giveth, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard how I said unto you, And I go away and come again unto you. If you love me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father, for my father is greater than I. And now I have told you before come to pass, that when it has come to pass, he might be leave hereafter. I will not talk much with you.
For the Prince of this world cometh and has nothing in me but that the world may know that I love the Father. And as the Father has Father gave me commandment, Even so I do arise, let us go him.
Like to read to?
Versus lunch and John 12 and verse 31. The Lord says now is the judgment of this world.
Now shall the Prince of this world, that Satan be cast out, and I if I be lifted up from the earth, that's the cross.
Will draw all men unto me This he said, signifying what death he should die.
In the death that he died, having presented himself to the world, especially to his people, Israel.
He was in the world. The world was made by him. The world knew him not. He came unto his own. His own received him not to get that in the first chapter of John's Gospel. John's gospel gives us before the the establishment in history of the of the Church of the Christian testimony. It gives us the truth of it in John's Gospel and in in in the if you go through it, his death is required.
In order to put our sins away. That's not all brought out in John, but the fact of it. And it's the judgment of the world. The world was on trial for 1500 years with the perfect law, a perfect religion, that man, that God gave to man through Moses, and he failed.
And totally failed. The word was this do and thou shalt live that they didn't do it if they disobeyed it.
It brought a curse on them. It was condemnation to them. It was judgment.
Not blessing and not living, but death and the law was never given with the idea. I had a brother write to me once, and he said I understand that souls were saved in the Old Testament by keeping the Law of Moses, and in the New Testament by grace. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth than that man has always been saved by grace.
No matter what dispensation you can think of, man is always saved by grace. In other words, grace is God saving him because it comes from the heart of God. Man cannot save himself. He was given the law for 1500 years, but Jewish work was never given to the Gentiles and he was an utter failure. When they heard the law, they said all that the Lord has spoken we will do and obey.
The what it brings out is the confidence that man has it himself, and the total ignorance of God and of himself, and the total ignorance of who God is, and the majesty of God and the greatness of God and the righteousness of God.
Which would condemn everyone of us if it wasn't for the cross. So we can say that Christianity sort of takes to bring us to God, bring us to the Father. That's crazy. And the way, the truth and the life. It hadn't been made here to do that all before. She had to bring that to us and gives it to us in pure grace, unknown. And he can say in the 10th chapter of this book, Jesus, I and my father are one.
So that anybody who saw Jesus so God redeemed.
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Manifest in the flesh for our Savior.
The question of what is Christianity? Is it a religion? The answer is no. A religion is something for man to do, to gain acceptance with God. That was the law and that was paganism. They had all kinds of things that they had to do to appease their gods that they had invented themselves, but God gave them a perfect law.
To see if man God knew he couldn't do it. God knew that man would fail when he man heard a lot. He said all that the Lord has said we will do and obey. And man is still trying to to get acceptable with God by by his works, by doing something, by keeping the law, whatever it is, whether it's the law of Moses or some the law of some Pagan religion, it doesn't matter. The principles are the same, isn't it? There's only two principles in which we can approach God and one is we do it.
Or we all we can't do it, and he does it for us, and that's Christianity.
And that's that's, that's really number one, to understand that that Christianity is the outflow of the love and the goodness and the grace and the heart of God in blessing man, when he doesn't deserve it at all, doesn't deserve any of it, and he can't get it by his own efforts and he has to come to the end of himself. I used to puzzle at that verse in Galatians 5. I want to read it to you because it's so important.
In Galatians 5 the whole Epistle to the Galatians was written.
To refute the legality of the Judaizers who are trying to put the Gentiles under law and Iglesias, Five, he says, Stand fast, therefore, in the Liberty where with Christ have made us free. Now Christianity is Liberty is setting us free from the ******* of the Law.
Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ is made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of *******. That's the law.
Put Behold, I fall, say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing, in other words.
Whether Christ did 50% and you do 50%, or whether He did 90% and you do 10%, or whether he did 99% and you do 1%, as long as you're in that equation that you have to do something to get acceptable with God, you are off the ground of grace.
That's why he says Christ profits you nothing if you do the least thing. Just circumcise these Gentiles. You commit them to the principle of law. Notice what he goes on to say. I testify again to every man that is circumcised. He's a debtor to do the whole law. He's put himself under law now and then it's up to him. Christ has become of no effect unto you. Whosoever of you are justified by the law. You're fallen from grace, I used to wonder.
What is really meant to be to be fallen from grace? It's just as simple as to put yourself under law. If you're under the law, you've fallen from grace. Christ must do everything altogether.
In order to bring about our salvation, we owe everything to Him. We can do nothing to save ourselves, he said in John 15 That's going on into this John's Gospel. But he said without me he can do nothing. Without him you can do nothing. That means man cannot get there, get into a place of favor and acceptance with God by any efforts of his own. It's Christ does everything for us.
His work, his death, his resurrection, his glorification, and then he's coming again to take us to be with himself. It's all flowing from him and from God, and that's Christianity. It's not a religion. It's not something for us to do. It's a relationship that he brings us into with himself, that we might know him who is the way, the truth and the life. And we brought into a relationship. That's Christianity.
It's not a religion and it's always been based on the work of Calvary. Whether it was salvation in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, everyone who is going to be in glory is going to be there as a result of the work of Calvary. It's interesting to note that when Moses and Elijah talked with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, what were they Speaking of? There were two Old Testament Saints that were going to see when we get to glory and they were Speaking of his deceased that he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
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How could God clothe Adam and Eve in the garden after they had sinned and disobeyed and reached out and eaten up the forbidden fruit? Well, when those coats of skin were provided, it only spoke to God of what was ahead, the coming of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to give himself as that sacrifice at Calvary's Cross. How could Israel enjoy what they did as a special peculiar people? Well, those sacrifices that they were told to offer from day-to-day and year to year.
Where to the heart of God, just pale reflections and feeble foreshadows of that time when the Father and the Son would go to the altar and the Son would be offered up as a sweet smelling sacrifice and brethren, We need to realize this in our soul. This is what's going to give us a sense of grace.
The cross of Christ that separates us from this world. God forbid that I should glory and save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. And a brother Chuck has just said and rightly stole that Christianity brings us into association with Christ. But I want to take that just a step further. It brings us into association not with Christ in the way that the disciples here had been associated with him.
In His pathway. But it brings us into association with Christ in glory. That is what is unique, one of the things that is unique to Christianity. And just to go to our chapter for a moment, if you'll bear with me, because I believe it's beautiful to see this in the opening of this chapter. Maybe I could just make this statement too in a general way as to these chapters that we sometimes refer to as the upper room ministry. What the Lord Jesus.
Really doing here.
In preparation for his leaving, the disciples to go to the cross and then return to the Father. In fact, just go back and see what necessitated this discourse with his disciples in the 13th chapter in the first verse. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his 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.
His motive here is his love, his unchanging love for his own. But what necessitated this, this discourse, this time with the disciples, was the fact that he was going to depart out of the world under the Father. And as it was, where he says to the disciples, you're no longer going to be associated with me the way you have been during my public ministry. Paul later on said, henceforth know we know manna after the flood, so we knew Christ after the flesh. Henceforth know we him no more.
But he brings before them in these chapters there are what was going to be their association with him as having accomplished the work of redemption and return to the Father brother. And I say again, and we need to get ahold of this in our souls, that Christianity brings us into relationship with Christ, but Christ in glory. Now just notice in where we read in the 14th chapter, in these opening 3 verses, there are three things.
That the Lord Jesus immediately brings before the disciples to comfort their hearts and to instruct them as to their relationship and their hope in connection with what was to follow. The first thing he brings before them for their comfort and instruction is in verse one.
He says you believe in God. Now notice this. Believe also in me. In other words, he says, you're going to be associated with me now, not here on this earth, but you're going to have to buy fake look up and realize that you are associated and connected with me in glory. Peter says in his epistle of the Lord Jesus, who not having seen ye love, though now you see him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. And so, brethren, we've never seen Christ with the physical eye, the way the disciples did when he was here, and many others.
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But he's no less real to the eye of faith. And to realize that the man in the glory is the one that we are intimately connected with and associated with, I believe will have a practical moral effect on our lives. And maybe we can hear some more of that. But just to notice these things quickly, in the second verse he speaks.
Going to prepare a place for them, and that place is the Father's house. This was something that was not enjoyed in this fullness. Up until this time, the Old Testament Saints looked for something after death. David said, I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever, and so on. But here was something now, the Father's house, if I can put it this way. The cross prepares his people for the place, but his presence in glory prepared the place for his people.
And the Lord Jesus is there now as a man. The place is now prepared, and we're just waiting for what? That moment when we're going to be there. And so the third thing he gives them now is the hope I will come again, the promise that he was going to come again. And if you just meditate on these three things in these glory, a new home, and the hope of his coming to receive us there, rather than we see very quickly that we're dissociated. Christianity dissociates us from this world.
As to our hopes, our goals, our aspirations dissociates us in every way except for the fact that we're not physically in the Father's house yet.
When he was here below, he took care of all their affairs. And then he tells them, I'm going away, I'm going back to the Father from whom I came. And they didn't like that. And that's why he starts out in chapter 14, verse one, but not your heart be troubled. It was troubled. He had just told them verse 33 of chapter 13, Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
Ye shall seek me. And as I said unto the Jews, whither I go, You cannot come, so now I say to you.
And Peter was thinking on that.
And.
His heart was troubled, very much so. They didn't like the idea that he was going away, but he tells them, I'm going away, but I'm going to send another comforter down here to care for all your affairs in my absence.
And he's going to unite you to me in heaven. Not a Messiah reigning on earth now, but a rejected Messiah now in glory, as Jim was saying, now in glory, but were united to that man in the glory by the coming of the Holy Spirit. That's we get that in John 14.
And that's developed and then you get fruit bearing in John 15. And at the end of John 15, you get the hatred of the world towards the Christian who is here to represent Christ. And we're not here to convert the world. We're not here to improve it. Although every soul that's saved that ought to be our business is, is presenting Christ. That's sold so that they get saved and are delivered from this world.
But the time to fix the world up hasn't come yet. The Lord Jesus will do that when he comes back with us, and then we'll have a part in that too. But right now, the true character of Christianity is to present to a world that is under the judgment of God now is the judgment of this world. And that was when they rejected him and sent him away with a message. We will not have this man to ring over us, I read just recently.
In a article I was reading, I'm not sure who the author was.
He said.
The world will never reject the Christ of Christmas.
Never will promotes it.
But the world doesn't want anything to do with the Christ that they hung on a cross and said we will not have this bad to reign over us. Do we realize who we are as Christians? We are not of the world, even as he is not of the world. We're not here for that purpose. We're here to witness to the world that that you're lost without Christ. It's not another religion.
Is a person who has come, and now he's gone, back, rejected, but he sent the Holy Spirit. And the coming of the Holy Spirit is the proof that this world is under judgment. Look at John 16 for that statement.
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He says in verse 7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he has come, he will Darby translation says, he will bring demonstration to the world of three things, of sin, sin, of the world, and rejecting Christ of righteousness, the righteousness of God, and exalting him, and setting him in as a man in the glory.
And of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged when he has come, he will reprove or bring demonstration to the world of sin and of righteousness. And of judgment of sin, because they believe not on me of righteousness, because I go to my father. It's the righteousness of God that has set that man in the very presence of God on high. And you see me no more. And that's where he is right now of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged.
The Prince of the world is judging. The whole world that's under his authority is judged, and we're going through a judge scene. But in the United States of America and in Canada, these are two countries that don't really understand what Christianity is all about. They think it's the world is smiling. At least they used to think smiling upon Christians.
Well.
When we really are true and faithful to Christ and walk as he walked, they will do to us exactly what they did to him. They don't want they didn't want him. They still don't want him. And if we're true to him and live for him and not for getting involved with joining with unbelievers to correct the world's ills, that's what Christians are doing when they join these different movements to try to correct the world's illness.
Abortion, that's evil. That's an evil. But is the Christian to join hands with unbelievers to correct that ill or homosexuality and on and on You can in drunkenness, drinking drugs, all these evil things. Is the Christian to join hands with an ungodly person or persons to get rid of these ills?
Without Christ, if you say to them and they want you to join them in some of these things, it sounds so good and you say, well, I'll do it. If you preach Christ to these people, it's Christ who they need. No, we don't want him. Don't mention him, leave him out. He's out of our plans totally. That's the attitude of the world. And for a Christian to join, that is to be traitorous to Christ, isn't it? So we don't want to ever give the impression that we're indifferent.
The abuses of humanity and the sin that we see all around us. And we don't ever even want to be callous to it, because sometimes we can get used to this, to the the things we see around us and here on every day. David said not take not the spirit of holiness from me. He never wanted to get used to sin.
But I think what Chuck says is very important for us to realize we're not a moral force to change the world. I saw a sign on a billboard outside the building where Christians meet regularly for.
Collective purposes. And it said this building better citizens to build a better world rather than that's not what we're here for, if Christians would take the energy they spend lobbying against the abuses of humanity.
And take that same energy and those resources and propagate the preaching of the gospel. What a difference it would make. What man needs is not moral, outward, moral reform or reformation. What man needs is the change of heart. You're never going to change this world without a change of heart. And the the root is inside. The problem comes from within. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, and so on. The Lord Jesus said in Mark's Gospel.
But I just say we never want to give the impression we're indifferent to it. Because sometimes I think even other believers who are involved in these movements, they get the impression, well, that group of people are those Christians. They're not concerned about the nation. They're not concerned about the rising tide of moral evil and thought, no, but we need to pray. We have the resource of prayer. Timothy in his day was not told to lobby against the abuses that were going on. One of the worst tyrants of this ever reigned in this world was in power.
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What was Timothy told to do? To pray for those in authority? Pray for our leaders. Get before the Lord in supplication on behalf of those who are in places of responsibility. Propagate the gospel. Use your resources to get the truth of the gospel that Christ might be presented to this world. Then I believe there will be great blessings.
The Lord has.
One more.
For his Kingdom, he said in this very gospel, John.
My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom are of this world, and would my servants fight? But I should not be delivered to the world. When Peter cut off the servant of a high priest here, the Lord said, put up the sword into the sheep. If I wanted, I could pray for thousands of angels and be delivered from this.
That's not the principle of my Kingdom. When the disciples, because his face was turned to go to Jerusalem and they wouldn't receive in Samaria, the disciples said like a Jew with shall we command that fire come down from God out of heaven like Elias did, because they won't receive you. And he said, I'm not the Son of man has not come to destroy men's lives but to save them. And he went to another city. That's the principle.
That's a principle that is Christian and it's so totally different than than the law principle. An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth. That's the principle that the Muslims operate under. Actually, the principle that the Muslims have is more scriptural than the the principle that we operate under in democracy.
Let me let me finish this. They say when they're wrong, but their principle is right. They say that Allah is the true God. That's where they're dead wrong. And that's the only religion. That's the right religion is Islam and that's wrong. But the principle is right.
In the Old Testament, the Jews were to bear testimony to the one true and moving God. His name is Jehovah, and that's what that nation was the witness to.
And that's one of our responsibilities, is to witness to the true God and also to the the the church which is his body, body of Christ, and to bear testimony to that. But the the principle that there's only one religion that's right is right. That's the right principle. That's like the principle. There's only one scriptural way to gather.
That's the right principle.
There's only one way of being saved, and that's through Christ. That's the right principle. But what have we done in the United States? We we have. We've left and Canada is worse. We've left every religion under the sun. Come in. Everyone has a right to his own religion. Go to the Church of your choice. That's the that's the the common saying.
That's just totally opposed to the truth.
Christ said, I am the way, the truth and the light. We just read that in John 14 no man comes to the Father, but by me you leave me out and you've got nothing. Now is that our testimony? Is that what Christians are trying to promote? If they were doing that, they would not be asked to take a part with those who are trying to correct the ills of society. They wouldn't leave him out. We don't want him.
They do not want our Savior and we are here to testify to Him and to be true to him. And no matter what good they're trying to do, they're a bunch of hypocrites is what they are, because they're promoting evil on every hand and justifying it, and then they're trying to get rid of it. But most of those that are trying to get rid of it are are godly Christians that really think that that's our place, That's our responsibility.
To correct the ills of the world. And they're they're sincere in what they're doing. Don't. I'm not judging any of their motives. But is that what we're here for? No, it really isn't. Do we really understand what Christianity is? It's to be true to the man that the world has cast out. How can we join hands with the world whose hands are dripping with the blood of Jesus?
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And yet outside the camp.
Because they're my savior died. It was the world that crashed in 4th and saw Him crucified. Can I take part with those who nailed him to a tree and where His name is never praised? Is that the place for me? May world I turn away. Though thou seeming fair and good, that friendly outstretched hand of thine is stained with Jesus blood. Within my least device I stoop to take apart all unawarers.
That influence steals God's presence.
From my heart, it's a beautiful poem, and that's just part of it. Beautiful poem that states what I'm trying to say.
As to the law, I'm lucky. It's a good law to get clear what it says in Rumors 10, verse 4.
And there was only one nation that was ever put under the law and that is only about 1500 years they were under it. And then finally enrollment it says Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every woman that believes.
God not certainly men under the law, because the world is too clear one man fulfilled it.
And he died under the curse of a broken wall for us to put away out of sin. Jesus was perfect. No man ever kept what all that could keep him to God. And grace gives us. A Savior has done everything for us, so he's away. The truth of the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. That's Christianity.
And the law never brought gold to the Father Number One, nor was the law ever given as a passport to heaven.
Which I think is good to get ahold of, because if people could have kept the Law perfectly, it meant endless life on this earth, not the home that He's Speaking of. And presenting to the disciples for their comfort here, not a heavenly portion. And so it offered endless life on this earth. Well.
We look around, we have some elderly brethren with us today, but obviously nobody ever been able to perfectly keep the laws because we have none of those ones that were under the law with us today. And so it's a proof that the law never could bring blessing. And I say again, it's a we we see very clearly.
The law was not a passport to heaven, because people say, well, if we can keep the law, we can get to heaven us. Some people have said that over the centuries, Not so. I'd like to just say this too before we pass on. Yes, if we would keep the world.
Then we would be promised light that he promises. Yes. The the point is we can't keep it. That's it. If that's it. That's what you meant? Yeah, that's right. Thank you. I'd like to just say this too, in connection with what has been said. It's interesting that when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to marry Magdalene in the 20th chapter of this same book. In fact, let's let's just read it because I think it's instructive in this connection.
We won't read all of this, but verse 13 And when they And they said unto her, woman, why weepest thou? And he said unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she has thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus says unto her, woman, Why weepest thou whom seeketh thou? She's supposing him to be the gardener? Says unto him, Sir, if thou was born him hence, tell me where thou lay him.
And I will take him away. Jesus said unto her, Mary He turned herself, and said unto him, with all night, which is insane. Master Jesus says unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended unto to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father to my God, and your God. Now I think this is very instructive, because what the Lord Jesus was saying to Mary Magdalene here.
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Was Mary, You're going to be associated with me now, not here in this world. Ascended not only to my Father and your and God, but to your Father and God as well. This is a new relationship, but it's not connected with this earth.
I don't want to go too far with applications in Scripture, but I pondered this little expression when Mary turned around and saw the Lord Jesus first, she supposed him to be the Gardener. And if you allow me just to say this, I believe there are many Christians today who suppose the Lord to be the Gardener. They think that this is the time for the betterment of this world, but it has already been brought before us. Rather, this world is under judgment.
They cast out the Prince of Peace. And not until the Prince of Peace and the Son of Righteousness rises with healing in his wings is there going to be better days down here. In fact, scripture prepares to show us that things as far as outward evil and moral wickedness and violence and corruption, they're just going to get worse and worse as this dispensation draws to a close. But what was the result when she supposed him to be the gardener she was weeping.
And Brother Knight, Week two. If I thought the Lord was the gardener, I had had opportunity one time in North Carolina.
To visit a couple, my wife and I and a couple that the brethren there in Fleetwood had had some.
Contact with, and I don't believe that they were the Lord's, but we went to visit them one afternoon and the lady said to me was just after the Gulf War or just during the Gulf War, she said. You know, I really believe that after this war it's going to put this world on a course that's going to lead to better and better things.
I shook my head in disbelief. How can we say that this world has is getting better and better all? There may be advancements in medicine and technology, and we have a lot of niceties of life and things we enjoy, but what about the moral and spiritual darkness that's deepening over this continent? Every moment and over this world, it's only getting worse and worse. And so I weep if I thought the Lord was the gardener. But the Lord is not the gardener now, but rather we have been brought into a relationship with Christ.
That is far, far greater than the relationship that was enjoyed here at this time, when the disciples were gathered around the Lord Jesus. We have far, far more than they had, and that's what he's bringing before them here. When I go away, yes, I'm going to leave you, but you're going to have a connection and a relationship with myself and resources and provisions in a glorified, ascended, glorified Christ.
You've never had, even with me here present and oh brethren, to just enjoy that in our souls now, and to see the world in the proper perspective, to present Christ, to enjoy Christ in our souls, and to know that we're going on to see Christ face to face, perhaps today.
It might be helpful just to say this too, in connection with what Brother Klein brought before us. And that is that if it was helpful to me, at least when I was younger, to see that this dispensation or this Church period which began really at the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Spirit of God, and will end when the Lord gives the shout.
And the church and the Spirit of God leave this world. It's sort of, if I can put it this way, a parenthesis in the history of man on the earth, in all previous dispensations and in that which is yet future after we're gone. It's really God dealing with man on the earth. Israel was an earthly people. It says that their Kingdom in Matthew was from the foundation of the world.
And though yet be blessed in that way in the coming day, it has to do with the earth. And God is going to take them up in that way in the coming day again. But this is a parenthesis where God is calling out a people from this world. Not a people whose relationships are hopes and aspirations are connected with this world, but a sanctified people who are set apart as a peculiar treasure for himself.
00:50:02
Israel was a peculiar treasure for himself, but an earthly people.
We are a peculiar treasure for himself, that is the Church of God, the body of Christ. But we are elect for heavenly blessings. And I believe the Spirit of God is very careful in the New Testament to disassociate us, disconnect us in every way from this this earth. It says that we were chosen in Christ not from the foundation of the world, but before the foundation of the world. In fact, so careful is the Spirit of God to guard this truth.
That when he speaks in Revelation 5 of that time when we will reign with Christ, if you notice a better rendering, it's not so much that we reign on the earth, but we reign over the earth. And I just appreciated that again, the Spirit of God, showing that while we'll have a part in that administration in the coming days, it's the city coming down from God. We don't read that it touches the earth. It has a heavenly character and brother. We are a heavenly people called out for a heavenly purpose.
It's unfortunate that our Bible renders the Word Church.
That doesn't convey at all what it means. The word that's rendered church is ecclesia, which means that you're in Greek and it means they're called out ones. That's what you were talking about one time in Acts 7, as Steven gives his discourse, it's applied to Israel because Israel was called out of the ******* of Egypt to God, to Jehovah.
Not the church though, like we are, but that's another example of called out ones. They were called out a picture of this being called out of the world to be a heavenly people associated with the Lord, the man and the glory. Just just think if you would ask if you would ask just about anyone on the street, you stop and say you're a Christian. Yes, I'm a Christian.
Do you believe in in Christmas? Yes, I believe in Christmas. Jesus was born.
To believe in Easter? Yes, I believe in Easter. Jesus was raised from the dead.
Do you know that there is a, there's a man in the glory right now. We look at you. Most of them would give a kind of a blank stare. They, they they they know the bird. They know his life, But he lived here and that he died here. And then he rose again. But that's as far as they go.
Most of them.
There are many others that know more than that. Thank God they do. But our our Christianity begins after he ascended and sent down the Holy Spirit to unite us. To him, where he is and he's no longer on earth, He's in heaven. I heard. I heard a radio, A preacher.
That's always doesn't matter who who it was.
Say that the.
The the Mary Shepherd of the Lamb was going to take place on earth, and I don't know where he got that idea, but it's going to take place in heaven. The church is heavenly and that's going to take place there, not on earth. But they always, they always, they always seems as though they want to bring the church down to the earth. And we're called out of the earth, we're called out of this world to be associated with the heavenly man and Our Calling is heavenly.
Partakers of the heavenly calling. Our blessings are heavenly. We're blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. He's there. We're we're there.
Our, our, our conflict is in the heavenlies.
All of this is, is, is what? That's why I raised the question at the beginning. Do we understand what Christianity really is? Because much that passes for it in Christendom is not Christianity at all. These marvelous buildings, stained glass windows.
Great architecture and a priesthood and all this and the robes that the the clergy wear and all this. That's all patterned after Judaism. It's not just not Christian.
He said. He said. I'm. I've come to to serve, not to be served, and the greatest among you will be the servant of all.
Just the opposite to to what you see in the in the church world where where it's so patterned after Judaism.
00:55:09
Anyway, what we get in John's Gospel gives a beautiful outline. And the first the first part of John 14 is that he's gone to heaven. To prepare us a place. In John 13 he washes their feet, the disciples preparing them for the place. John 14 prepares the place for them. It's already now, as soon as at any time he could come take step. Nothing more has to happen. It's ready right now.
As soon as that man entered the glory, it was regular to take a step. So they're very first generation of Christians, those that live in the 1St century. They were looking for the sun from heaven. They expected him to come at any moment and that's the normal that they weren't wrong to expect the Lord to come at any moment. They were not wrong. Just because he hasn't come for 2000 years doesn't mean they were wrong. We should. We should be living that way right now, expecting him to come today.
Just.
Little aside, but I think one thing that has confused some is that in the Old Testament I noticed their brother read from a brother Doug read from Isaiah 40 during the prayer meeting. And if you notice the headings, which are of course are not inspired at the top of your page that run along the top of your page. Those headings can be very, very confusing because I noticed when we read from Isaiah 40 this morning, this afternoon that it says something to the effect God's promises to the church.
Well, you don't get the church in the Old Testament. Now we enjoy those promises. We we I enjoy when Isaiah 40 was read to us and we apply them to ourselves. But I think it's important to see that those things there, that they that is not the church. God was giving promises to Israel there. That comfort was for God's earthly people at that time comfortably comfort. You my people. We enjoy that applied to ourselves, but it wasn't about us. It was about Israel.
And so I just say that when you look, if you ever, if you notice it's headings on the top page of the page of your Bible, just something be very careful. The translators who added those didn't really understand the heavenly position of the church or the distinction between the church and Israel. They did not understand dispensational truth. And if you don't understand dispensational truth, we're not living under the dispensation of law. We're living under the dispensation of grace and the mystery.
And there's another dispensation coming sharply, and that will be the righteousness for Millennium for the dispensation of the fullness of times when the Lord will reign here on earth. Actually we call this sometimes we call it a dispensation of grace, as the Scripture says in Ephesians 3, and the dispensation of the mystery.
But it's really not a dispensation of something here, but of something that's up there.
And.
In John Two you have the father's house mentioned and the Lord overturns the the money changers tables and he says make not my father's house the House of merchandise he was calling Herod's temple my father's house, he said. But here when he says in my father's house are many mansions, he's not talking about Eric Seppel, he's talking about the heavenly house. Isn't he use the same term? But they mean completely different things, don't they?
Remarkable, isn't it, that he doesn't say he's going to come again and.
Take them to heaven, that's true. Or to glory that's true. Going to take them to himself. And it's again not heaven or glory, but the Father's house. This world is not our home. We don't belong to this world, as we've been saying, but rather we do have a home where we belong. We're not there yet. Physically, we're still here in this world. Isn't it wonderful to think that while the Lord Jesus found no home here, and in the measure in which we reflect Christ during our faithful to Him, we will find the same?
Yet there is a home to which we are going and when we get there, we've had some of the trials and difficulties brought before us in the prayer meeting that the Saints are going through and so on. But imagine what it will be when we get there to sit down in the Father's house.
Sometimes said that there's no place on earth that I find where I can relax and be as comfortable as is possible to be the sight of glory than in my own home. I'm comfortable in the homes of many of the Saints of God and so on. But when I get home to Smith Falls and I sit down in my own home with my wife and children, I say I'm as comfortable as is possible to be this side of glory. And brethren, may we not find our comfort here. May we not try to just to fit in or make Christianity that which is popular here. But may we realize that we're going on to the Father's house. And what is it that's going to make the Father's house?
01:00:29
It's the presence of the Lord Jesus, and I suggest that when we get one look at his lovely face, we're not going to take what our eyes off him for eternity. Whatever else we speak of and see and so on, we're going to gaze on him. He's going to captivate our gaze and our hearts. Well, brother, the realization of this in our souls ought to wean our hearts from this poor world.
One of the precious truths you learn in John 14 is the truth of the Trinity. Notice verse 16.
I, Lord Jesus second person, will pray the Father first person, and he shall give you another comforter, third person, and he may abide with you forever. And he says again in verse 26, But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father.
Will send in my name. There again. You have the three persons of the Trinity. That's Christianity. You don't have the Trinity revealed in the Old Testament. It's there. It's referred to not as such, but it's there. But it's right out in the New Testament. The Trinity, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the very baptismal formula is baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
So there you have the three persons, and. And this is what Christianity is all about. He's gone to the Father, and he sent down the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever and to to be our our teacher, the one who handles all our affairs in his absence, and to attract this to him, to attract this to him. Religion makes you look within and see, to see how how well you're fulfilling the requirements.
Of the religion that you might be identified with. But the Spirit of God never causes us to look within. He causes us to look up and to look at Christ and see where he is and realize He's the one I'm going to be with for all eternity. It's like the picture in Genesis 24 where the Abraham sends the servant to get a bride for his son Isaac the servant, The type of the Holy Spirit. You have beautiful type of the church there.
And what's the spirit? What was that servant to do? To present these precious things to Rebecca and to take her to see Isaac, and to be united to Isaac? That's what the spirits here for is to attract this to our Isaac, our blessed north, and to bring us back there where the father is. That's Christianity. And it's it's so wonderful and precious.
If we let me get a hold of our souls, what Christianity really is, it's an out of the world association with the one who came into this world, went to the cross, died for our sins to put them away. And now it's gone back and it's bringing us there and and since the Holy Spirit to attract this to him there and say this is where your hope is. This is where your blessings are. This is where I am not here.
Well, you're going through an enemies land. Do we feel that? Do we feel that?
I think the first place in the Bible where we clearly see the Trinity is so beautiful. If we turn to Matthew 317.
They are clearly seen and it's a special occasion.
So much to know that the heavens were open to look down.
What was happening? Let's just read it. Matthew degree.
And really 16 and 17 and Jesus.
The man on the earth, when he was baptized with a great way out of the water, and low the heavens, were open unto him. Here's one man on the earth at the heavens, who looked down. Well, please, the heavens are open unto him.
01:05:01
And he saw the Spirit of God. He sent me like a dove, and lighting upon him.
Now here's the Father in the last verse. I'm an old boy from heaven, say this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. God has never been able to open the heavens from another man. Say anything like that. Never has anything.
But it's so beautiful that the Spirit of God comes and this man is living in the gospel to finish the work of salvation so that he can bring us up there. But it didn't blow. It think the heavens grow and the spirit of government descending upon a man.
And well pleased.
Let's notice, Brother Buchanan, another incident where the heavens are opened in Acts Chapter 7. Because as you say in the incident we've just noticed in Matthew the heavens were open so that the heaven could be occupied with that perfect object who was here in this world. The poet CalPERS said there was finally an object in this world that might commend the place, but now it is gone. Jesus is with the Father and so notice to follow up because I think it.
Acts Chapter 7.
This has been connection with Stephen.
And I'll read 1St, 5th from verse 54. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God. And Jesus standing on the right hand of God and said, behold, I see heavens open, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. What a vision this was. And so here the heavens are open.
So that this man in the power of the Spirit who was full of the Holy Ghost, he could look up now. Heaven looked down in Matthew. Now here's one who can look up and in the power of the Holy Ghost, what is he occupied with? He's occupied with the man who has gone to the glory. Very shortly his spirit departed to be with Christ because they didn't receive his testimony and they stoned him. But brethren, we can while we're waiting for that moment when we're going to see him face to face.
We can, in the power of the spirit of God, look up. And as I said before, I don't think there's anything can wean our hearts from this sad world and encourage us more than occupation with the man in the glory. And it's a very, very real thing. It's not something mystical that we're Speaking of. Christ is real to the eye of faith. And it says in Hebrews too, we see Jesus. What does that mean? Something mystical or something that's hard to do or graphs, no, by faith.
We see Jesus on earth, no crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should take death for every man. And looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith, rather than we sing a little prayer. And I'm only going to point the finger at myself, because that's all I can do. But I sing this little prayer so often that sometimes I don't consider the import that it ought to have on my life. And this is the little prayer all fix our earnest gaze, so holy Lord on thee, that with thy beauty occupied we elsewhere none may see. Is that really the desire, the earnest desire of your heart and mind?
When we were young people, we used to sing another hymn. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in this wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Let's look at this again. I think what you're doing in Acts 7.
And verse.
55 About Steven They pulled the Holy Ghost.
The scriptures say the report is he looks up steadfast into heaven and saw the glory of God.
One thing, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, but you go on the next verse, he does say one word about the Lord and talk about the first. I think that's so lovely, he said. The whole I see the heaven open and the Son of man standing right-handed.
He's everything that's got a friend.
And when he testifies to that, what do they do? What do these Jews do?
01:10:00
They cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city and stone him. Witnesses laid down their clothes of the young man's feet. His name was Saul, the first Christian martyr. As he points out the man in the glory that will in heaven they won't have it. And the world is no different today. It is not improved one bit. They don't want the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'd like to go back to what was mentioned in Ashley and Genesis 24 about the bride, about the servant fetching the bride. And it seems to fit beautifully with our chapter. The the servant goes to get a bride for Icy, and it says in there for a bit of the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this man must I need bring thy son again into this land.
From whence thou camest neighbors, Him said unto him, Beware that thou bring not my Son. Thither again seems to me it fits beautifully with the thoughts in our chapter of the heavenly portion, where Christ is entered into the Father's house, and that the bride is gathered here on earth by the Holy Spirit. But not to bring the sun down again here to this land, and make it an earthly thing. That is the very thing that they were warned of. Here the servant was.
And so that is the occupation of the Spirit of God today in our chapter here, where he comes to be with us. And what does he speak of? He speaks of Christ, and his glory is there, but he had a little bit of it there. And Stephen, what he saw there, that is enough to wean us away from the world, isn't it? That's what the servants spoke of to Rebecca when he was bringing her back. And she said I will go. He showed her.
The glory so.
The riches of her right room. And so that's the.
It seems to me it fits beautifully with our the Gospel of John. Christianity begins there, and that's what weans us away from the world.
Seeing what Christ has in glory.
I wonder if I might take us back to the beginning of the meeting for a minute, because I feel as though there's a point that could be made that should be helpful, especially to the young, and that is we what we started out by presenting the cross as the foundation of Christianity and.
The work of Christ as what the Christianity is based upon. I know we've been speaking a lot about where Christianity takes us, and that's into the heavenly. But if we don't have a clear understanding of the foundation of Christianity, have a little difficulty entering into the heavenly side of it. I say this too, that this is this has been a difficulty, I believe well with us, with our brethren with whom we're not gathered with, there's not a clear understanding.
How far the Gospel takes us. So often when we hear the gospel preached, we hear it preached to Romans chapter 3 or Romans chapter 5. And that is the work of Christ. As as as it has to do with the with the the question of the penalty of our sin, the question of God dealing with our sins. We don't often have to have the gospel presented in such a way.
That it goes farther on in the book of Romans, where we see what the work of Christ has done to the first man, where the first man has met his end. The first man has met his end in the cross. That's the foundation of Christianity. The cross. The first man, as much as in at the cross. Why this man turned back to Judaism? Because he doesn't understand.
Judaism.
Was directed to the first man. God dealt with the first man at the cross, and there the first man had his end. Now, once we understand that the first man has completely been dealt with at the cross, then we see it's in. We see it has been condemned. We no longer want to take it up in any way in connection with meriting God's favor. Then once we see the end of the first man, we can enter in.
01:15:01
To what? God has passed for us in Christ, the 2nd man. And so I just interjected. I know that I've kind of interrupted our train of thought, but I feel it's important to have a strong foundation as to what the gospel means. And that is, the gospel didn't just take care of the question of our sins. The gospel took care of the question of the first man. It's been dealt with. It has been condemned.
We go from there. In Christianity, first man's gone as as it were in God's eyes. He dealt with it when he judged the Lord Jesus on the cross. And so we have been set free from all that we once were. Now we've been brought out into the liberty of a new life in Christ, and now we can enjoy heavenly things because there's there's there's no record of the first thing.
Isn't that part of the thought now as the judgment of this world and and back in chapter 12 where where the Lord speaks about that that?
The world, as far as the system was found useless, as far as approaching God until God sets it aside. And anytime we go back to veterans man, veteran himself, we're failing to recognize that that trial is already over. God has pronounced judgment upon it. I think if I might just mention one one phase where I believe this this is not seen in the world today is in the.
The attempt to not necessarily the religious world, but in nature itself and the things of nature, Greenpeace and so on, to try to make this world better and to undo a lot of the things that man has done wrong. It's true we've spoiled our world, but but to think that we can go back and make put it back together, fix it up somewhat in nature even, is a failure to see where Christianity is that we're not.
So failure to see that this, this system, the world has been judged. We don't want to go back and try to prove that there's any good in it, even in nature. I think sometimes we recognize that religiously, yeah, things are a mess, but do we recognize that even as far as the things of nature, we have ruined it, but we can't put it back together, The Lord's going to do it. We have to wait till that time.
The whole world is under the ******* of corruption.
Verse 21 of Romans 8 says because.
The creature itself also shall be delivered from the ******* of Corruption into the.
Glorious Liberty Arm should be read, should read The liberty of the glory of the children of God all. We know that the whole creation grown us and travail us in pain together until now and swine. And when we come back with him, the liberty of the glory is going to affect this whole scene. The desert will blossom as the Rose of the handfuls of corn on the top of the mountains. They won't hurt or destroy all my holy mountains.
The line of the land will dwell together. The sucking child would plan the whole of the ***. What a day that will be. He'll do it. That's called the regeneration to regenerate this whole world. But there it's under the curse now. The thorns and thistles are still around and because of Adam's sin, the whole creation feels that, doesn't it? It's amazing the the marvelous things that God has allowed man to do in the medical field and.
Some of the fields that man is getting into, I think I said stay out, but.
He has done some marvelous things.
I said to a man once I was down in Cape Kennedy watching the the liftoffs and that and I turned to the fellow next to me. I've been talking to him about the Lord. And as we walked out, I said think of what the God is like. Who gave man the capacity to do that? And he just said yeah.
Police says I will come again. When are you going to look for it?
01:20:02
OK.
Chuck mentioned earlier about the early brethren we're looking for the Lord to come, and I was thinking of that expression when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians and explained to them very carefully how this was going to take place. He uses the little expression. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It says we which are alive and remain now. Who was he talking about? He was talking about himself in the Thessalonian brethren. He was looking for the Lord to come at that time. The Thessalonians were to have it as a present hope.
I know I've told this before, but one time I pulled an old volume off the shelf of the young Christian, which was the periodical that was edited by a brother, JC Armond, beginning of the century. And I believe it was the 1913 edition of the young Christian. And I read the New Year's editorial 1913 and brother Armand was saying, with the condition of things in the world and amongst the Lord people, how could the Lord delay much beyond 1913? Surely the Lord was going to come in 1913.
Smile at that. But those brothers, they had it before their souls as a reality. My grandfather wasn't looking to go through the article of death. My father's been with the Lord two years now, but he taught us all his life that the Lord was coming at any moment and that we ought to be looking. He never expected that he would be laid in the tomb to await the Rapture. And so, brother, we need to have this. And again, what's going to have a practical purifying effect on our lives? Just talk to people who are busy lobbying for the betterment of society in this world and trying to save the planet, and so on.
Talk to the real believers. Are they looking for the Lord Jesus this afternoon? Not usually. Usually they have lost sight or even lost the real understanding of the Lords coming. And often it leads to confusing the Lords coming for his Saints with the Lords coming with his Saints and all this kind of thing. But if you and I can keep the hope of the Lord's coming before us as a living reality, it will adjust all our perspective as to.
Whether it's cleaning up the world, Whether it's our relationships one to another, whether it's family relationships, whatever it is and these things will be kept in their proper perspective. If we're looking upward and onward every day. Heard of a young man? Had a little motto on his bathroom mirror. Just said Perhaps today, I thought that was very nice. He wanted to be reminded every morning when he looked in the mirror that perhaps today.
That used to be the greeting of the early brethren as they greeted one of them. Perhaps today.
234.
234 We're not alone.
Our way.
What is Christianity? Acts 2
Reading
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Our breaking.
World.
Sacred.
In John 14, actually, that was kind of a springboard for whatever the Lord would bring before us on the question what is true Christianity?
There are other aspects of it we can take up. Unless someone has another portion, we have two more readings.
I thought we had a good reading.
That subject.
00:05:11
Question is, should we go on?
Let's read John 15 and this again go go from there. Or should we?
Have another subject.
Well, I think you left the door open.
And.
I appreciate your remarks as very much about.
John's ministry, John's Gospel being a preparation.
For the church.
And you mentioned the Holy Spirit.
You have much about the Holy Spirit in John 15 and 16.
And I think somebody mentioned.
Formation of the church. Maybe you didn't this just last flat address. I think that's.
Really the beginning of Christianity?
And I thought of John. I mean, Acts 242.
The simple things that are they're told to continue in, to continue steadfastly in the apostles, doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers.
Now that's introductory to the truth of Christianity.
I I thought also of.
John's first epistle.
Now that the first chapter goes on.
First, John.
The first chapter gives us.
That apostles fellowship what it is.
That's the first fellowship mentioned in John's apostle John's epistle.
I don't know whether you want to consider those things or not. Check.
But to fight with me if we.
What would you suggest reading first John one?
One and two or something like that.
Well, that's, that's all right. Yes, we might just read those.
X242 enough there to get the establishment of it.
The formation and that they continued steadfastly. Now that's still authoritative ministry for us to continue steadfastly.
In the apostles doctrine and fellowship.
That's the introduction to the doctrine.
Well, would it be?
Should we read acts one and two?
Because there you have the coming of the Spirit, the establishment of the church. Well, I don't want to say anymore there. There's a big door open already, and we only have two readings.
Henry, help us out.
Brothers, minds are much.
Larger than mine. I can comprehend all of these passages in there.
Connections like you can, so wherever you choose that would be fine by me, but.
Bob and Jim.
Well, maybe we could read the first verses of chapter 2 of Acts, maybe the 1St 4 verses and then the.
From verse 41 to the end and then first John one.
Would that be all right? That's fine. Be good.
Acts, Chapter 2, Verse One. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and filled all the house where they were sitting. And it appeared under them broken tongues like amplifier, and set upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as a spiritualism utterance.
00:10:16
#41
Then they they gladly received His word, were baptized, and the same days that were added unto them about 3000 souls. And they continued steadfastly in the house bathroom, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and of prayers.
And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, empowered them to all men, as every man had need. And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, to eat their beef with quietness and singleness of heart, and praising God, having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church. Dailies such as should be saved.
The First Epistle of John Chapter One. Why don't you wait till the next reading of that?
We might not get that far.
I.
Well, perhaps it would be good to establish at the very beginning, as I think has already perhaps been said in these meetings. But it's important to understand it, that you do not have the church in the Old Testament. You have things that illustrate the truth of the church. And so in light of what we have in the New Testament, we go back and we draw on those illustrations that help us to understand very clearly what is being brought before us the truth of the Church, our position, Our Calling, our hope, and all those things of which we have spoken of, many of, many of which we have spoken already.
In these meetings, for instance, the building of Solomon's Temple, when we speak of the church, we often go back and we draw on that illustration and things in connection with that building. But that was not the building of the church. That was a physical dwelling place, the physical dwelling place of God amongst his people at Jerusalem, in the Old Testament, Elijah, Enoch, and some of those manners, little pictures of the church. They didn't go. They went to heaven without dying, and we're going to be raptured at any moment.
We may not see death. Perhaps most of us here are going to be alive when the Rapture takes place. We see this illustrated in these men, and so we have those illustrations. But let's again make it very clear, brethren, that we do not have the formation of the Church until what we have here in Acts chapter 2. And again, as our brother Chuck has brought before us, this is the beginning. This is the birthday of what we refer to as the Church or the assembly.
You might just read in chapter one of Acts.
Verse four being assembled together with them. This is the risen Christ. He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father. That's the coming of the Holy Spirit, is what's referred to there. Which say he have heard of me for John truly baptized with water.
But ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence, not many days hence, when they therefore will come together? They asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel? They still had their thoughts on the Kingdom being established. They their their their hopes were dashed to pieces when they crucified Christ. They thought that he was going to be the Messiah and set up the Kingdom. Then he was dead.
But then he rose. Now that he's risen and appears, then they resurrect that thought. Are you going to restore the Kingdom to Israel now? And he said to them, verse seven, It is not for you to know this times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power, but ye shall receive power. After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria.
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And unto the uttermost parts of the earth, when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
While they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, 2 men stood by them in white apparel. These were angels, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, Why stanji gazing up into heaven, This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.
Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. So the Lord is going to come back to Mount Olive, and that he will do that when he establishes the Kingdom. That will not be the rapture when he returns that's referred to here. But he's saying, you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me. So that took place in the next chapter, didn't it?
40 days. He was a risen man on earth. Day of Pentecost was fifty days after the resurrection of Christ. And he was 40 days a risen man. And then he ascended. And then ten days later, making the 50, He sent down the Holy Spirit. That's chapter 2 and that's when the Church was formed. And it is so important to understand that if you don't understand that, you'll never understand the word. You never understand what Christianity when it began.
And it's going to end at the Rapture. We know that when it begins. Acts 2, when the day of Pentecost was fully down, come fifty days after the resurrection of Christ. And that goes back to Leviticus 23, where you have the feast of Jehovah. Day of Pentecost was fifty days after the feast that spoke of the resurrection of Christ. And it's beautiful how it all goes together, doesn't it?
In John Seven it verse 37 the Lord Jesus says, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the scripture that said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this fake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
So that the Holy Spirit could be given, it had to be that the Lord Jesus had to be glorified in God's right hands. Consequent on his death and resurrection and ascension to glory, the Holy Spirit comes down and those are the 2 cardinal truths of Christianity. I think it's really great for young people to get a hold of this number. One, there is a living man of flesh and bones at the right hand of God.
And I think that's so wonderful to think about young people. We're not talking about philosophy for mere doctrine. It's a reality. A man that could be touched down here in resurrection says a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have. They touched him. They ate and drank with him. In his resurrection, he ascended into the glory of God and took his seat at God's right hand.
And now he sent down the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit as a person came down.
To indwell and unite believers in the Lord Jesus into one body.
And unite them to him in glory. This is the second cardinal truth of Christianity #1A Man in the Glory #2 The Holy Spirit here in this world. And so in Acts chapter one we have the Lord Jesus ascending into glory. Acts chapter 2 you have the Holy Spirit coming down to form the church those about 120 that were there.
To experience the coming of the Holy Spirit, to unite them into one body, and to unite them thus to Christ, the glorified head in heaven. At the At the end of chapter 2 in Acts verse 29, Peter is explaining what's what's happened when the Spirit of God came and they spoke in tongues. He says, Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchers with us under this day, therefore being a prophet.
And knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He's seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in Hades. It should read neither his flesh did seek corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up. We are all witnesses. Therefore verse 33 Here's the cardinal verse that Bob was talking about being by the right hand of God exalted.
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And having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he had shed forth this which he now see and hear. So when he gets into the glorious man, he sees the Spirit of God, not for himself, like he did at the River Jordan, but to send him down for us, for the believers, I mean, and to form the church. And that's what you have Peter explaining that, isn't it?
The Spirit of God is the energy in which God has always moved, isn't it? We find in the Old Testament from the very beginning, beginning with creation, right through, we find God moving in the power of the Spirit. But what we have in Christianity is unique in this dispensation. God will again move in this work in the Spirit, in a coming dispensation. The judgments will be executed in the power of the Spirit, righteousness and blessing in the power of the Spirit in that day.
But I say what we have in Christianity is unique. What we have here in Acts, where we read is not just God moving in the power of the Spirit, and the Spirit coming upon with different individuals the way He did in the Old Testament, The Old Testament Saints moved in the power of the Spirit, and so on. But we didn't particularly notice it in the chapter we read yesterday, John 14. But the Lord Jesus, in Speaking of the coming of the Spirit, he said he is with you.
That was present and shall be in you. Now that's unique, isn't it too? That was future, he said. There's a day coming when the Spirit of God is going to descend and dwell with you and in you. And so the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost came to dwell in the church collectively and united those about 120 believers into this new unit that was formed on that day and then has been mentioned came to indwell each individual believer.
Never had happened before. And so in Corinthians we're told that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. So I just say that because God is always and will always move in the power of the Spirit. But the Spirit is here in a unique way and will be here, brethren, until we go. The Spirit and the bride say come. Why? Because he doesn't leave in the way that He's here. Until we leave, we might notice what the Lord says the Holy Spirit would do when He came.
In the 16th of John, OK.
What he does?
In the 16th of John.
I'll just read, starting with the 13th verse, a few verses.
Howbeit when he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.
Shall not speak of himself, but that means independently, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.
And he shall show you things to come. He could have opened up the future, and he shall glorify me, says the Lord.
For he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. And he tells us all things that the Father hath our mind. Well, the Spirit of God is the one that makes this all known to us. He's here to glorify Christ, to show us the coming things. It's a wonderful thing to know the future as God reveals it. He gives peace in the 14th chapter. I just want to add to what you just read in 16 verse 26 and 14.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name.
He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. So there the Spirit of God teaches them, and brings to their remembrance, but in John 16.
Verse 13 How when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself. But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come, He shall glorify me to receive of mine. So he he showed, he shows us things to come.
In the Book of Revelation, that's when he discloses future events.
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In addition to what we have in prophetic testimony in the Old Testament, so so it goes a little beyond that. In John 16 he he in 14 he brings everything to the remembrance so they remembered what he said, and then in 16 he shows things future yet that the Lord hadn't spoken about.
I'd like to ask and make a few suggestions about the first time in the Bible when we have the church mentioned it's in the 16th of Matthew and Jesus was talking and he clearly says I will build my church. Now does he do that? Yes he does. But if by the Spirit isn't it he couldn't start it until he finished work on earth Redemptions work and he was ascended man in the glory.
Then he sends the Holy Spirit down here to write the book. We have the whole book and to interpret it for us, to bring us into all truth. Go ahead And got any secrets anymore? It's all out. The church was the last thing that God had to make known.
If you want to use the word dispensation to describe this present period, I can't think of a better way of describing it as this is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. That is, the Spirit of God is here indwelling the assembly, indwelling us individually and the assembly collectively. And the Acts of the Apostles is more properly the Acts of the Holy Spirit as he uses. He works through the apostles and other leaders, but it's the day of the Holy Spirit.
We're living, and when we're raptured to heaven, the spirit will go in that character.
It's not that he won't work. As you said, he won't work in the tribulation period and in the Millennium he will. In fact, he's always worked. He's the active agent in the Godhead, but today he's forming the body, he's forming the assembly and he's calling out a bribe for the sun. That's you see that beautiful picture. Genesis 24, don't you serve it does that. And that's the function of the Holy Spirit. Completely different than the Old Testament, completely different than the tribulation period and the Millennium.
This is a unique time that we're living in where the blessings from God are the highest ever, never come close to it in the future dispensations or the past. I think that's so nice what you said this is a dispensation of the Holy Spirit. That's right. But also you said he always works. He's the he's the agent that does work and.
The world doesn't know anything about it now. The world could see and touch Jesus.
As a man born of a woman.
And they did. They took him and hung him on the cross, rejected him, and cast him out.
And God took him up. He's there, glorified man. Now he's working.
By the Spirit of God. And the Spirit of God would be hated and the world would catch him and do the same to him thing to him as they did to Christ. But they can't. They don't know anything about it. He just works. That's right.
It's a wonderful age, the power of the Spirit of God.
I think it's so wonderful too, to see that the Church is not formed until redemption is fully accomplished. Full redemption has been accomplished. And upon that groundwork, the Church is founded, and it is in Christ, in new creation, because it's Christ and resurrection is the head of new creation. That's where we find the Church.
Begun. So this is something that is going to last throughout all eternity.
Doug read the verses in the 24th of refer to the verses in the 24th of Matthew where.
Abraham Genesis.
Where Abraham said.
To that spirit, I mean, we call him the Holy Spirit, but that serve.
If the woman won't come, what shall I do? I think it's twice over in there, Doug. That it says beware that they'll bring not my son. Hit her again. Christ is never going to suffer again. His work is all done. It's completely done.
And the Spirit of God takes that and forms the church.
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And that's the completion of his body. Maybe he could say something about that, Sir. That's too deep for me. I was just thinking of Genesis 24. Laban wanted to detain the servant, didn't he? He wanted to detain him. And he said, no, don't detain me. I'm here for one mission. I'm going to carry it out. And he got Rebecca to say I will go. And then he took her. He was here. And he's here for one purpose. The calling out of the bride. That's what he's here for. Yes. He's here to restrain evil. Yes.
But his main purpose in this present dispensation of grace is to call out the bride, which is the body of Christ, and that's what we're part of.
I'd like to go back to Genesis 11 and make a little comparison to another thought. I believe it fits with our chapter and and the Tower of Babel. You have the confounding of the languages there. Let's just read a few verses there because I believe we have in our chapter of Acts 2 God's answer to what he stopped here in Genesis Chapter 11.
In verse four it says, The people say, And they said, go to Let us build us a city in a tower, who's taught me, reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, behold, the people is 1 and they have all one language. And this they begin to do.
And now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Go to let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another Speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city.
This was man's work to build a name for himself, to unite together and make something here on earth.
And God saw fit to stop it.
In Acts two we have God's way of doing this. The Lord Jesus was rejected on earth. What was God's answer for him to make a name for him in heaven. The Lord Jesus is now in heaven in Acts 2 and God sends the Holy Spirit down to gather a bride for him to make a name for him.
The world doesn't see this, but it's going on now. It started then, and this is the Christianity that we're talking about. To become a bride of Christ. To become one with him, united together in one spirit. And that the Lord gave on Pentecost the very reversal of what took place in Babel, a witness to what he was doing.
To gather together in one people of God. They're scattered abroad.
Men's thought was to do it here on earth. God said no, there's only one who deserves to have that place. And so it was reserved for Christ, and that's what he's getting now. I think it's nice to consider this as.
We often look at the churches, our part in it, our relationship with it, in it. And that's wonderful too. But we mustn't lose sight of the Lord's place in all of this.
The Lord is getting here in Acts 2 what he's doing by sending the spirit of God down to gather them together in one and they all spoke one language, a witness to the to the power that came from God. Well I I just enjoy comparing and contrasting this in in Genesis with with our chapter in in Acts. Let me add 2 verses in Ephesians 2 Connection with that tower that man was building.
20 and 21 And the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. And that's not finished yet. It's still growing. But that's God's answer to what man was trying to do, isn't it? Goes up to heaven. Yeah, and God's purposes will never be frustrated, be frustrated. The purposes of man in the land of on the plain of Shinar. But it's beautiful to complete the picture.
Brought before us and we won't take time to turn to it, but just go over and read the end of the story and the end of revelation when that city comes down from God. And really what that city is, is the church viewed in her millennial glory. And what are those beautiful things that you have described there concerning that city? It's really a reflection of the glories of Christ. Everything is going to bring glory to him, and it says he's coming to be admired in His, to be glorified in his Saints.
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And admired in all them that believe in that day. In other words, when the church is viewed in that coming day, what are people going to see? They're going to see a reflection of Christ. We think of how wonderful it will be for us. As you were saying, Doug, we often think of our part and what we get out of it and what will be our position. But to think that in that day everything is going to reflect Christ and everything is going to bring glory to his name. And what is the heart of God going to do? Imagine the heart of God. What the heart of God.
Is going to feel as his son is completely vindicated, as his son has his full rightful place. He has it in heaven now, but on earth, and as the church comes forward, that city out of heaven and everyone looks and sees a reflection of the sun.
But I would like to just say that, say something else in connection with what we've said, lest we get discouraged, brethren. And I want to make this very practical, because to see the Church in her beauty, shall I say you have to look at her here in Acts chapter 2, or you have to go to the end of revelation. What we see in between isn't always such a beautiful and wonderful picture, and we all have to hang our heads and own that. We're part of the failure and ruin that has come in.
And so I just say that because we are not in the Pauline Pentecostal days of the Church, we are down at the end. Brethren, it's true there's a day of glory coming when the church will be displayed in all her glory. But rather than we have to understand where we are now. But what encourages my heart when we speak about the work of the Spirit of God, that work that began with his descent on the day of Pentecost, the very fact that we are here.
Today that we haven't been called home, that the Church age, they're the dispensation of grace or whatever expression we want to use. The very fact that it hasn't closed yet is a proof that there is still some work for the Spirit of God to do. The work that was begun in the Acts here is still going on, and it will continue until that work is completed and the Spirit and the Bride are called home now.
It may not be in about 3000 being saved and about 5000 being saved and outward signs of power and the place being shaken and and so on. In fact, I believe to look for that kind of thing at the end of the age is dangerous and we need to be careful of that.
But the Spirit of God is still working. One and another are being saved. The church is not completed yet. If the church was completed, we wouldn't be here. But there's more work for the Spirit of God to do, and you and I have a responsibility in connection with that.
The disciples were told before the Lord Jesus went back to glory that they were to go forth and preach the gospel to every creature, and so we have a responsibility. The gospel is going out and it's a work of the Spirit of God. But maybe if you'll just allow me to digress for a moment, I'd like to look at 2 portions in the Gospels that I believe bring before us so our responsibility and the work of the Spirit of God in this regard.
Go first of all, please, to Matthew 22. We're going to look at the same parable, but we're going to look at it in two gospels and just note a little difference. I'm not going to read all this. It's a well known parable that the Lord Jesus told about the king who made a marriage for his son, and he invited a number of guests to that marriage. And there's a dispensational character to what we have here. And I don't mean to get into that because that's not the point in taking this up. But they refused to come.
And then we find here. Well, let's just read a few verses. This is when they refuse verse seven of Matthew 22. But when the king heard thereof, he was Roth, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned their cities. Now notice this then said he to his servants. I want you to notice that here in Matthew it's plural. He says to his servants the wedding is ready, but they which were bitten were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find.
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Now notice this again bid to the marriage, so those servants went out and so on. Now I believe that the reason here in Matthew the servants is plural is because that's you and me. We have a responsibility. We've been given a Commission to carry the gospel and to be a testimony to those who are around us and to present Christ that others might come into the joy of relationship with God the Father and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But what do these servants plural, do? They bid them to the marriage.
We're going to have another gospel meeting here tonight, and a brother is going to stand up and he's going to tell forth the gospel and he's going to bid them, as it were, to the marriage. But now notice the difference. I'm sorry. Read verse 10. Got to read verse 10. So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was furnished with guests. Now let's go over to the same incident in Luke.
I think it's the 14th chapter.
Yes, Loop 14.
Now same same story here, same parable.
But notice verse 21 So that servant. Now notice this that servant singular came and showed his Lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, singular, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bringing hit her the poor and the maimed, and the Hulk, and the blind. That's you and me that have been saved by grace. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto the servant.
Go into the highways, This is you and me, I should say, and hedges. And now notice this not bid them to the marriage.
But compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Now notice this a little different here when the servant singular, which I believe is a figure of the spirit of God. We noticed with Abraham's servant a figure of the spirit of God. The man is often in scripture used in that way traced through there several times. The man bearing the picture of water is another incident. It's the word of God applied in the power of the Spirit. And here the servant singular he goes out, and he doesn't just bid to the marriage.
He compels them to come in. You know you feel so helpless after you have opportunity to tell someone the gospel or to preach the gospel the way it was we had last night or tonight. You feel so helpless because we can't save souls. We can only bid them to the marriage. But aren't we thankful? And this is the point I want to make. Aren't we thankful that the Spirit of God is still here, here, and he is compelling sinners to come in and any of us who have been saved by the grace of God?
I'm sure have to look back and own that it was the work of the Spirit of God that compelled us. We if it was left to us, we never would have come, but the Spirit compelled. And I want to notice one more thing is locked here, but I want to notice one more thing that my house noticed. This may be filled. God's house is going to be filled. God's work is going to be completed. It is not going to be frustrated. And so as long as we're here in the spirit of God is here.
There are some yet to be saved. The house is not filled yet, and I think this ought to encourage us rather than to press on. Give out a gospel tract to the man who pumps your gas. Speak to the person at school at the desk next to you. It's not great things to expect. Great revivals and great outward things I believe, is dangerous and wrong at the end of a dispensation. But, brethren, the work is going on, and he gives us the privilege of having a little part in that work.
If everyone that proclaims the gospel, all the servants that proclaim the gospel, would get a hold of what you just presented from these two gospels. He wouldn't try the the ways of man. He wouldn't try on scriptural practices to to gather them in because he thinks that their salvation depends on him.
The servant should lose, but I can put it that way. He should not adopt fleshly principles in order to gather them in carnal music and carnal things that are being promoted in order to get the crowds in. That's that's mixing, that's really denying. It's the spirit that's going to compel them in the 1St place, and there won't be anyone missing in heaven because of our unfaithfulness.
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In proclaiming the gospel, we'll we'll lose out in reward.
But our responsibility is to proclaim the truth of God according to the principles of this book. Are not to bring in all other kinds of things which are wood, hand stubble, early burned up.
So I'll be getting this Chapter 2 is the Holy Spirit coming down and baptizing believers into one body. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is to unite believers into one body. I think it's good to realize that because there's a lot of said about the baptism of the Holy Spirit today.
In the religious world in First Corinthians 12, it says for by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, have been all made to drink into one spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is to unite believers into one body, and this took place at the beginning of the church's history. It's not being reformed every time a new believer gets saved.
They are added to the church as if we have in the last verse of this chapter 2. But this is what took place at the beginning and the Holy Spirit came down and they were all filled verse four with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. This was a special sign given at that time.
For a testimony to the Jewish people, remember Paul says in First Corinthians 1, the Greeks seek after wisdom, and the Jews seek for a sign, and God gave a sign and he gave the gift of tongues. In other words, these men who were Galileans spoke in a way that all these from these different nations could understand.
In that way, like you said, Abel was reversed. At that time they could understand the message of the glorified Christ, and Peter is the one that takes the message to the Jews. And I think we need to keep going here, brother to the end of the chapter. There's some really important things here from verse 41 on.
There were 3000 souls added that day. What a tremendous work of the spirit of God. These are the Jews.
In the address that were first believers and they were the nucleus of this new body, the church, before we pass on perhaps that we could use another illustration, and it's certainly not an original illustration, but it is an illustration I heard when I was a young person, and it helped me to understand very clearly.
What is being Take what is taking place here in Acts chapter 2? And so, just in connection with Bob's remarks, if we can illustrate it this way, suppose we had a plate or a bowl here, and we had in it about 120 beads. We would say that those beads are individual beads, and before the day of Pentecost you had believers, but they were individual believers, and here gathered in obedience to the word of the Lord.
They were in this room waiting for the coming of the spirit of God, and it tells us there were about 120 glitters. I think that's important. And usually numbers in the book of the Acts are not definite, about 120 believers, about 3000, about 5000 saved. But anyway, you find that it will go back to the illustration of the beast. And so you take these beads and you take a thread and you string them. Now it is true you still have 120 individual beads.
But they also have become something else. They have become a necklace. There's a new unit formed Now. That's what it And it's a feeble illustration. But that's what took place on the day of Pentecost. You have these individual believers, and when the Spirit of God descended, the Spirit of God became the link that connected them together and with their glorified head, the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of God. And so the church in its completion is looked at in those two ways. Chuck brought it before us in connection with the expression the Christ. You get that in First Corinthians 12 as well.
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When he views the members, let's just take a minute and look at that in First Corinthians 12, because it follows on with what Chuck was saying this afternoon in Ecclesiastes.
One Corinthians 12 and verse 12. For as the body is 1 and half, many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is. And again it ought to read the Christ. I think, brethren, this is a remarkable, tremendous thing to get a hold of in our souls. God looks at the body, we the members here on earth, Christ our head linked to him by the Spirit of God.
There in glory and he looks at the head and the members, and so close is our association and connection with that glorified man.
That he says it's the Christ so near, so very near to God we cannot near be. For in the person of his Son you have his heart as near as he and so how intimate is the is the connection we the members here. I say again, Christy the head there now just to follow the illustration of the beads on a little further suppose you make this necklace. You say, I have a necklace got 120 or so big.
But now, a little later on, you get some more beads, or you find there were some beads that you didn't add at the time. Well, what do you do? You untie the string, the thread, and you add those beads to it. Now you wouldn't say you formed a new necklace. You only added to what had already been initially formed and brought. The Lord is still adding to the church daily such as should be saved. One and another are still being added, as we have already said.
But it's not a new church. What has the was begun on the day of Pentecost. He is still adding to and will continue to add to until its completion. And we are gone now when we inactate when the Samaritans are brought in and in Acts 10 when the Gentiles are brought in.
I want to express this as carefully as I can. It was not a repeat of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, but if I can put it this way, a little extension of it to guard, lest we ever think there was more than one church.
Lest we ever think there was a Jewish church in a Samaritan church, or a Gentile church, or a Jewish Gentile church, no. And so they're brought in. But it is that which was formed and began, and that baptism of the Holy Spirit. As Bob said, the forming of that unit is beginning, was never, has never been repeated.
There is only one church and there will never be more than one church. I I think that's really important. His thinking is so diverse in Christian circles. Remember when we moved when we lived in Bolivia, we moved from Santa Cruz area up to Cochabamba and several missionaries that I met and knew real believers asked me what were you coming up here? Are you coming to?
Plant new churches.
He said no, no, I'm not coming to establish any new churches.
My only desire and being here in Touch of Amber is to recognize the church that began at Pentecost, and God continues to add to it. And if I meet together with believers, it's only seeking to recognize what God is doing in this world to this day. And that's so important, brother, when wherever we meet in assembly, it should be in view of that truth that there is.
Only like 1/5 cannot be anymore.
That's what God is doing to this day, and even though the confusion is great, once they my church over here, another says. Our church over here.
Well, brethren, those are things that show the confusion in people's thinking that there is no more than one church, the church that the Lord Jesus said I will build.
I wonder if we might notice.
Genesis 52IN connection with.
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First Corinthians 12/12.
Because I think the picture and the language is so beautiful in Genesis 5 verses one and two.
This is the book of the generation of Adam.
In the day that God created Mass.
In the likeness of God making him.
Male and female created example and blessed them and called their name Adam and the day they were created. Now let's read again 1St Corinthians 12 and verse 12.
For as the body is 1 and that many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also be Christ beautiful to see that they fit.
I'm going to say something now. You've got to listen carefully to get this.
In Acts one the Lord speaks of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
And X2 when the Spirit of God came, it was the gift of the Spirit. Baptism is not mentioned as only Jews. Acts 8. It was Samaritans give to the Spirit and the Spirit. They're both expressions are used, but not the baptism Acts. 10 When the Gentiles are brought in, it's the gift of the Spirit, but not the baptism. It's not until you get to Acts 11 where Peter is explaining. Now I got to have to read that one.
In Acts 11, where Peter is explaining what took place, they took him to task because he went into the Gentiles, the unclean Gentiles, and preached to them. And he says in Acts 11 he's explaining what took place. In verse 12 it says the spirit, Dad, me go with them. That's these men that Cornelius had sent, nothing doubting. Moreover, these six brethren who were Jews, accompanied me, and we entered into the man Cornelius's house.
Max 10 He was a Gentile, and he showed us how he had seen an Angel in his house.
Which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter.
Who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all my house shall be saved?
And as I began to speak, it wasn't true. Peter was going to say more, but the Spirit of God interrupted him as I began to speak. The Holy Ghost fell on them. The Gentiles, as on us, the Jews at the beginning. Acts 2.
Then remembered, I notice how Peter ties it all together. Then remembered I the word of the Lord how that he said John indeed baptized with water. When did? When was that? That was Acts 1.
John And he baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
So X2 was the baptism of the Holy Spirit for the Jews. Acts 8 For the Samaritans, which are really a combination of Jews and Gentiles. Acts 10 The baptism of the Spirit for the Gentiles. First Corinthians 12 Says that the baptism of the Spirit was for Jews and Gentiles, so it wasn't finished until the Gentiles were brought in in Acts 10 Acts. Well, two is the Jew and the Samaritans, and that then he ties it together.
Links it with chapter one, and that's the baptism of the Spirit. Now we don't have the baptism of the Spirit anymore. It's already been accomplished. It embraces Jews and Gentiles, and they were formed in the early church, but the Gentiles weren't brought in until Acts 10, and in Acts 11 Peter brings he can exit them with Acts 1, the baptism of the Spirit. So that's complete, that's finished. And I don't think we were clear in the way we were explaining that. That really clarifies it.
I hope you're not confused.
So it would be good to make some comments on the end of the chapter as our time is going along. And I would just say that there are four things here in the 42nd verse, which is here Are you in of chapter 2 where we read?
I'll just read verse 42 again. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers. And so you have these four things that the early believers continued steadfastly in. Mr. Darby uses the word persevere, and it does take perseverance to go on in the new position, doesn't it? We have the power, we have divine life, We have the power for that life, the Spirit of God.
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But it does take continuance and perseverance. But I think it's always important when God gives a list of two or more things, to notice the order in which that list is given. Because if I can say this carefully, God never gives a list of things haphazardly. I might list 4 things and you might say, well, why did you list them in that order? And I would say, well, there was no particular reason why they were listed in that order. But God lists the order of God's lists are always important.
And it's interesting and instructive that the first thing that they continued steadfastly in is the apostles doctrine. And just hold your finger here and go to Ephesians Chapter 2 for a moment.
Ephesians chapter 2. And he's speaking about the Church here, verse 20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the buildings fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord and so on. And so you find here what is the foundation? It's the apostles and prophets. That is, it's the truth that was laid down at the beginning.
And I suppose the real meat of the truth, you'll never have the under true understanding of the church and it's calling if you don't go to Pauls ministry. Now of course here they had to get it orally. I realized that in Acts two they had to get it orally. But for us we have it written down by inspiration. It was given to Paul to complete the word of God. And so the apostles doctrine is the first thing because it's the basis for everything else. It's the basis for fellowship.
It's the basis for breaking bread, and it's the basis for prayer. And I think this is something we need to really take heed to in the day in which we live, because you often hear folks say, well, doctrine isn't all that important. But it's interesting in Second Timothy, where you have the undermining of doctrine and Paul's ministry being given up even before Paul passes off the scene, and the subverting of the souls of the Saints over and over and over again.
Paul speaks to Timothy of the importance of sound doctrine. He's the whole fast the form of sound word. We find that all scriptures given by inspiration of God and is profitable. And what's the first thing is profitable for? Notice what heads the list, It's profitable for doctrine.
Now he also says that Timothy, thou have fully known. Now again, the order of these two things is important. Thou hast fully known my doctrine and manner of life. If I've been writing that, I probably would have reversed the order and said manner of life and doctrine. Now our manner of life is important, and I am thrilled whenever I meet a Christian. And there's a godly piety, and many of those believers, some not in fellowship with us, but they put me to shame as to their piety and manner of life, their godly men and women.
But what comes first, brother? It's doctrine. Now it's fully known my doctrine and manner of life. And so doctrine is important and brethren, That's why it's good and important and more important as the days darken to be well rooted and grounded in the fundamental doctrines of the Word of God and the doctrine of the church, the things we've been going over in these meetings. But get your Bible out when you get home. Read these things.
Study them out, Enjoy them. Continue steadfastly, first of all in the Apostles doctrine.
Doctrine means teaching doesn't it's the apostles what they taught. And then in Ephesians 2 There were, it says, the apostles and prophets. It's the New Testament prophets. It's not Old Testament prophets. It's that upon which the church is built. And I love to think you were mentioning Second Timothy and the confusion of the day we live in there. It speaks in Second Timothy.
The foundation of God stands. Sure, the ruin is great, brethren. All around you get confusing pictures, and I talk to people sometimes that are looking around and trying to figure it all out. And let me tell you, they're mighty confused. And I must say that when I start looking around too, I get confused. But it's been such a comfort to my soul to read that verse, that foundation.
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God stands. Sure nothing will ever change that foundation way. It's theirs, written out for us, brethren in black and white. To read it, to enjoy it, to let it form our thinking, our practice, our lives is so important. It's the basis of all. And I think it is interesting. I think in the New translation it says the apostles doctrine and fellowship, the two things.
Go together. The Apostles Doctrine. The Apostles Fellowship.
That adjective modifies both those nouns, and so it's the apostles doctrine, the apostles fellowship. Is there such a place where the apostles fellowship can be enjoyed today?
We can't look at ourselves, brethren. We have to look at the word of God. That's the reference point. Are we going according to what is written here? That is the apostles teaching.
Then that is the basis for the Apostles fellowship. I think that's important that those two things be connected. It's not that we get together and say well let's see now what points we can agree here and maybe we can have some fellowship together. Sometimes we use that word pretty loosely having fellowship. I would say that any club that is formed by persons, automobile club or a.
Hunting club, they have the bases upon which they enjoy fellowship.
But when we're talking about the Church of God, we have no right to establish the basis upon which we enjoy fellowship that has been laid out by the apostles right from the beginning. It is for us to learn it and to continue according to it.
We don't have living apostles.
Our living prophets that are still writing the book. It's complete. The foundation doesn't go all the way up to the roof.
It's what's built on, but we do have evangelists, pastors and teachers. I'm referring to Ephesians 4, where he gave the gifts.
For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, For the edifying of the body.
That's a 12 Verse till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God under a perfect man unto the.
Measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ I think it should be.
We do have living evangelist pastors and teachers.
But we use what this book gives us as to apostles and prophets as to the written word. Is that right?
They laid the foundation, Yes. And that was completed in the 1St century. Yes. And any any church group that says they have apostles, the Mormons are one. They have 12 apostles. That's false. No such thing as apostles today. They laid the foundation and the prophets of the that were with the apostles.
They laid the foundation. That's how we got our new testimony. That's finished. To say that we have more apostles. To say we have apostles today means that the word of God is not complete. And they're going to give us some more, some further things than what they give. Those pretend to be that promote, error, test everything they say by this book.
I wanted to say before we go further here in verse 41, after Peter had preached to them, notice the end is preaching in verse 36 by saying God hath made that same Jesus whom he had crucified, crucified both Lord and Christ. And it's interesting he does not give a call to come forward like he's done in evangelical campaigns today.
No call to go forward and simply presents the truth, and I think that's such a help for us in presenting the truth. Present Christ, present the truth. But then they respond and they say, men and brethren, what shall we do? And then he gives an answer.
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What they had to do in verse 38, we had to be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and he shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He's talking to Jewish people, and it was necessary at that time for them to be baptized, to disassociate themselves with that guilty nation that had crucified their Messiah, to be identified through baptism with the Lord Jesus Christ in his death. But in verse 41 it says them they that received His word.
That's where it starts. The word is presented. What is the reaction of your heart and mind? The beginning of blessing is to receive his word, and then it says they were baptized. And through baptism a person takes his place under the name of Christ. In an outward way, he takes the name of Christ upon him and says you're all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Poor enough to read that some Galatians.
Many of them invest as under grace is put on fresh right at Galatians 3.
And verse 27, the next verse. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. So a person identifies himself as a Christian through baptism. Now in that sphere of baptism, you know sometimes it's taught that you can't be baptized until you've been taught you have to go through a course of teaching. Sometimes they delay baptism for.
A month or a couple months or for a year. But notice that here they were baptized the very same day and then they were taught in the apostles doctrine. I think that's important to realize that that's the way they did it in the beginning. And that is the order that we have in scripture, that they were baptized and then they were taught in the apostles doctrine. It says the same in.
In the Matthew chapter 28 two go into all the world, make disciples of all nations.
Teaching them now, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to continue in all things that I've commanded you.
So the responsibility there, What? So the responsibility there? Bob is the baptizer instead of the person who's baptized.
Your comment about teaching it brought to mind there are some groups in Christendom that will teach the the new members how to speak, how to speak in tongues. They teach them how to speak in tongues. They they get them actual lessons to speak into another. Speaking in tongues was a marvelous gift of the Spirit. You don't have to be taught that you either have it or you don't. But they actually teach their people. They they they have the doctrine that if you haven't spoken in tongues.
Received the second blessing and and so on. Altogether wrong. And they even teach you how to speak in tongues. All this kind of Babble. And it's it's not tongues at all but it it just shows you how far things have gotten in some parts of Christmas. Terrible.
Though they not only continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, but then there was breaking of bread and prayers, and brethren, we had the blessed privilege this morning of breaking bread.
And let's let's just again go to it, because I think sometimes rather than quarter, let's go to 1St Corinthians 11 just for a verse or two here.
I'll just read verse 26.
Of First Corinthians 11 For as often as she eats this bread and drink this cup.
Lord's death till he comes. And brethren, I believe that what was established in the beginning carries on Today it is a day of ruin. It is a day of small things. But when the Lord Jesus or when the Apostle Paul here writes by inspiration and says till he comes in connection with the remembrance of the Lord, I don't believe he would say till he come if he wasn't going to provide a scriptural ground on which to do it. Now there's no doubt if we belong to the Lord Jesus, he desires that we would remember him, that we would break bread.
But it is very good to be exercised as to where He would have us when the feast was instituted back in the 22nd of Luke. You remember that the Lord Jesus sent the disciples to prepare, and I know that it was there they were going to prepare the Passover, but the Lord knew that that was going to be the very spot where He would, after the Passover supper, take a loaf and a cup and say this new and remembrance of me. And there's a beautiful response on the part of the disciples. They said, Where wilt thou that we prepare?
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And then they received very specific instructions. It was not left up to them to decide what house It was not left up to them to decide what room in that house. Maybe they might have got to the house and said, well, we don't need such a big room. There's only going to be a handful of us tonight, and we don't really need one on the upper floor. It'd be better if more convenient down here. No, it was not left up to them. It was mentioned earlier that the man bearing the picture of water that led them to the house is a figure of the spirit of God. So the word of God applied in the power of the spirit.
The man is a figure of the Spirit, the water a figure of the word. And so here we find that these early disciples, they continued steadfastly in the breaking of bread. And brethren, if there's a place maintained for us until he comes, where we can not only break bread, but partake of the Lord suffer at the Lord's table, then oughtn't it to be our exercise that we would be there till He comes. But just notice in this verse we read in First Corinthians.
It says for as often as ye. I want you to notice this word. Eat this bread.
And notice this next word, drink, this cup. I sometimes wish these words, word, eat and drink were printed in capital letters in our Bible. I think it was our brother Buchanan. This morning, in giving thanks at the table, he stressed that there's something for us to do this do in remembrance of me. The reason I say this, brethren, is because sometimes I've talked to people who say, well, I can remember the Lord in my heart.
Rather than I trust me, remember the Lord in our hearts every day, and never forget what he suffered on Calvary, for the glory of God and for our sake. But there is a way that we can give expression to this in the eating, in the drinking, in the doing, that our brother stressed this do in remembrance of me and how often.
How many times a year? As often Now? I think this is one of the most wonderful things about being gathered to the Lord's name.
We have the privilege of remembering the Lord of bread and bread, and we have it often. When the Lord instituted the feast to the disciples in the upper room, he not only knew what their hearts were like, but He knew what my heart was going to be like. And He knew I was going to need a reminder. Not just twice a year or on a special occasion or something once a month or something like that. But he knew I was going to need a reminder, and that I was going to need it often. And when you trace through the Acts from the second chapter on, you'll find that very quickly.
It becomes the exercise and joy of the early believers to meet together on the first day of the week.
To break bread. Now, brethren, is that our exercise, if he desires to have us there?
I'd like to make a few comments, practical comments on Acts 242 That we had before us. You're talking about the breaking of bread, but it says they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. Are we doing that? Are we attending the reading meetings in our home assembly?
And fellowship, that's where you get the fellowship is when you go to meeting, not by staying at home.
Breaking of bread? She asked. Just about everyone comes to the breaking of bread, but there are those that are breaking the bread.
Only Christians. They don't come to other meetings and prayer.
Evidently the prayer meetings is not very valuable.
Come on now.
This ought to speak to us. Those four things ought to characterize every single individual Christian in this room.
That breaks bread. You're not to miss the reading meetings, the addresses, the gospel meetings, any other meetings that the assembly has, the prayer meeting, the reading, the fellowship that you have together. It's not enough just to break bread and really grieves me. I know Christians that have come to the breaking of bread and we have a fellowship meal right after, and then there's either a reading meeting or an address or whatever it might be in the afternoon.
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And some stay for the meal and then they go home. Others don't even stay for the meal, they just go home right away.
I don't understand that. That's not normal Christianity. That's not normal. There are three characters to the meetings we have. I think that embraces all.
Now, a meeting might take two or three of those characters, at least more than one.
What I'm saying is we need to ask from the Lord.
That's prayer made. We meet to receive from the Lord. That's ministry meeting. We need to give to the Lord. That's praise and worship. And those characters can be in in the same meeting changing. It's so important to have all of them if we miss out, if we don't attend them all.
And the sisters too. Nothing thrills my heart more than to go to prayer meeting. And there's the sisters. They maybe can't take part like the brothers. But let me just repeat something that I've often said, because we have a beautiful example of the assembly prayer meeting in the 12TH of Acts. You remember Peter was in prison, The assembly was concerned. And that's what assembly prayer is for. It's to bring to the throne of grace before the Lord those things that affect the people of God as a whole. And there are plenty.
If you come from an assembly where there aren't needs and problems and difficulties, I don't think so. And so we need to avail ourselves of the assembly prayer meeting. And when they came it says prayer was made for him by the church without ceasing. But I've often said there were at least two sisters at the prayer meeting that night in Acts 12 May, probably more, but at least two that we know of. The prayer meeting was held in the home of a Sister Mary, the mother of John Mark, who no doubt was there and then wrote a damsel. Or a young girl was at the prayer meeting and wrote it might have said, well not much point of me going to the prayer meeting.
The brothers are going to pray out loud, and I'll just pray at home in my room and that will be just as effective. Well, she could have prayed at home in her room, but I believe, sisters, that the Lord gave Rhode Island a special blessing for being at the assembly prayer meeting. In fact, he so ordered it that she was the one who went to the door and saw first hand the power of God to answer assembly prayer. Why is it so? Often problems arise in the assembly, the local assembly, and there doesn't seem to be power or delight to deal with it. Perhaps it's because we're not brothers and sisters alike, availing ourselves of assembly prayer in the way that God has given it to us.
The powerhouse of the assembly. And so Rhoda goes to the door. She sees first hand the power of prayer. I don't suppose Rhoda ever missed a prayer meeting after that. If she could help it, she knew the power of God to answer assembly prayer. If she'd stayed at home and prayed, she would have heard about it the next day and rejoiced with the space, but it wouldn't have been the same. So I just want to encourage us, not only the brothers but the sisters be there and a sister who is at the breaking of bread.
At a meaningful ministry or at the assembly prayer meeting, sitting there in exercise with her brethren has more influence than is a greater blessing than she should herself realizes. I just quit mine won't take a minute. We read this morning about Thomas that missed a meeting.
Who did he miss? He missed the rising Christ. He missed. We have seen the Lord and he was there. The next week He was surely there. And the Lord said reach hitherto your finger and so on. He I don't think he did it. He just fell at his feet, worshiped him as God. He missed something. Every time we miss a meeting, unless it's sickness, there's there's all kinds of reasons we can legitimately miss. You could get caught up in traffic and not be able to get there. Yes, I'm not talking about that. We all know we have problems.
I'm talking about habitual missing meetings is something we're not in a healthy state of soul when that happens.
Just wanted to say that sisters do pray prayer me. I hope they realize that.
It's not that they sometimes I think we have the idea that the Sisters are just silently presenting their prayers and the Brothers can present their petitions in in an audible voice. No, the thought of assembly prayer is that a brother expresses the needs of the assembly. He is the mouthpiece of all that. Are there the Sisters as well. And at the end when we say Amen.
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I hope you've been listening to what they've been asking so you can intelligently say Amen. You have prayed just as much as the brothers.
As a brother in Shadow Hills that says his Amen so loud that if you're sleeping, he'll wake you up.
You know, I mean.
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Thoughtless one our hearts and makes us strange to bear that yoke and learn a video that we made with.
Open star and escape. So holy Lord on me it was that beauty. Occupied wheel for anonymous Shape #174.
Romania.
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And all day.
I begin to grasp the light in the light of the Lord and the Lord, the Lord of the Lord's dear God. I want to hear you know dear name.
What is Christianity? 1 John 1
Reading
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I think let's take that up, that'll be fine.
I wonder if we could read the.
Another verse to connect with first John one.
In.
Second Peter.
Chapter One.
And.
Burst one, read that verse second Peter one and verse one and then start on 1St John.
Do you want to read all those paper two first time?
We may not, we may not get through it all, but you can read it OK.
Second Computer 11.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior of Jesus Christ.
First Episcopal John, Chapter One.
Which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon in our hands, have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which is with the Father, and was manifested unto us.
That which we have seen and heard declarantly unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things rightly unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.
And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sins, believe ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar. And this word is not an us. Chapter 2. My little children, these things right eye unto you that you send that. And if any man sin, we have an advocate for the Father, Jesus Christ.
00:05:15
And here's a propitiation for our sins.
And that for hours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby would you know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He did say as I know Him and keep us not His commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in hell. But whoso keepeth his word, him verily is the love of God protected.
They're buying Know me that we are in now Either saith He abideth in him, or himself also salt so to walk even as he was. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but it has commandment which he had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which he had heard from the beginning.
Again a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passed, and the true light now signeth he that says he is in the light, and hateth his brother is in darkness. Even until now he that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in hell.
But he that hateth his brothers in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His namesake. I write unto you, Father, because He has known Him, that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked ones. I write unto you, little children, because He has known the Father. I have written unto you Father's, because He has known Him, that is from the beginning.
I've written unto you, young men, because you're strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world. These are the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away in the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
Little children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that Antichrist will come even now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time they went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest, that they were not all about. But you have an uncensored from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written unto you because you know Massa truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
It was a liar, but neither denies that Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist that denies the Father and the Son. Whosoever denies the Son, same has not the Father, that he that acknowledges the Son has the Father also? Let that therefore abide in you which He had heard from the beginning. If that which He had heard from the beginning shall remain in you, He also shall continue in the sun and in the Father. And this is the promise that He had promised us, even eternal life.
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduced you.
But the anointing which you have received by the venue, and you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you of all things and his truth, and is no lie. And even as it has taught you, he shall abide in Him, and now little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before. No matter, Tommy, if you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him.
I suggested reading the first verse of Peter second epistle because of these words with us.
Peter says those that have obtained like precious faith with us. That's the apostle. Now notice what it says in first John in the first chapter.
Uses same words.
In the third verse.
That which we have seen and heard a few apostles.
Living with the Christ here below.
Declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. That's the apostle. Peter and John were very significant in the Lord's use of them in the early church.
00:10:10
But it's all the apostles. Matthew was one of them. He wrote the first book of the New Testament.
So we've been noticing in second, I mean in, you know, the second chapter of Acts, verse 42.
They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship. Now here's the original writers of those two books, those two persons that walked with Jesus, telling what they had seen and heard when he was here. Now we're going to have fellowship about the Lord and his feelings. We're going to get it second-half. No, we're getting it first hand by the Spirit.
Because the Spirit of God caused Peter and John to write this way. It's a wonderful thing.
Deduction and the fellowship we were speaking about that yesterday they are so basic and so important the foundation truth.
We have 3 beginnings in scripture.
There may be more, but I think at three and John one in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. That's the eternal past.
That's the beginning that had no beginning, and put it that way, Genesis One says.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth to be That was the beginning of creation. And in this epistle that which was from the beginning refers to that time when he came into this world.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, so the from the beginning is Christ down here.
In this world is man.
I think it helps to see that because right through this epistle that expression is used over and over again in second chapter. Notice in verse 7.
I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning.
Verse 13 I write unto you, Father, because you have known him, that is, from the beginning.
Verse.
1414 as well, Yes, it's readdressing the Fathers there as looking on down the chapter in verse 24. Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. Is that what she have heard from the beginning? It's all referring back. Every time you see that little expression you can refer back to the very first verse of the Epistle is the beginning.
As Chuck has said of the manifestation of eternal light in this world and the person of the Lord Jesus, isn't that wonderful? Brethren, what we have embraced in Christianity is not.
A difficult philosophy to comprehend. What we have embraced in Christianity is the person of the very Son of God come into this world.
It is historical fact. There was a man born into this world who was the Son of God, and he in his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, these are historical facts. It's not philosophy, something difficult to embrace. No, this is what we have seen, what we have heard, what we have looked upon.
What we have handled with our hands, this is real.
And it's interesting in the first verse to see the progression. The first phrase is, which we have heard. The 2nd is, which we have seen with our eyes, the third which we have looked upon.
4th Our hands are handled, and I like to think of it in this way, that each one of those gets closer to home to hear something and to hear an explosion in the distance.
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Quite a distance you hear it. Yes, you heard it. To see it, it might have to be a little close.
But to look upon it, the translation reads contemplate. It means look at it in detail. You have to have it closer yet. And to handle it, it has to be within your reach. And God came so close in the person of the Lord Jesus.
Desiring the fellowship of man, that the apostles could say.
Our hands have handled him of the word of life and he was noted and noticed in scripture as the one who lay on Jesus bosom. He often says indirectly himself in the lay on Jesus bosom without using his name. No wonder he could take our hands have handled of the word of life. Now He gives that to us by the Spirit in the written prayer.
So we're going to get the truth as it is in Jesus. We're going to get it through this way of the apostles and the prophets that wrote the book.
Well, we've never had the privilege, like John and Peter and those that were alive in the days of the Lord Jesus of physically carrying this out. But is He any less real to our hearts, brethren today? Is the relationship any less? No, in fact, the relationship, as I think we mentioned in the first reading, is deeper and more real than even the disciples having the privilege of walking with the Lord Jesus while He was here in this world.
Because the things that we noticed that he brought before them in the upper room, that we're going to bring them into relationship with himself, not as a man walking here in this world, but as a man in the glory, were things that they never had or could enjoy while the Lord of Jesus was walking with them. Because we might say, well, what a wonderful privilege. John had blessed the thing to be able to sit with the Lord Jesus, to walk with him, to lay his head on his bosom.
At supper to speak to him directly, to look into the face of that blessed One who had come in incarnation. But rather we have the blessed privilege and have been brought into a place of nearness and relationship that was never enjoyed before the coming of the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost. And when you read in the Old Testament of those men of faith and women of faith who had a relationship with God and with Jehovah, and so on, whatever name.
They, whatever time they lived and whatever name they knew him by, wonderful the relationship they had with old brethren. As we leave this place in a few hours, if we're left here, may we go with a conscious sense of the one who we have been brought into relationship with the Father and with the Son, and may we seek by grace to look up more and more by faith to be occupied with Himself.
As our brother Buchanan has said, to go to the epistles, the life of the Lord Jesus and then the Epistles and to drink these things in. How are you going to know the Lord Jesus? I don't mean how are you going to know him for salvation? Perhaps most here, not all know the Lord Jesus as their Savior, but the great desire of the Apostle Paul who never saw the Lord Jesus in the way that John did. He said that I may know him. He said, well, didn't he get to know him on the Damascus Rd. Yes, he got to know him as Savior, but his whole.
Desire of his life was that there would be a cultivating of that fellowship and relationship. Yes, we're brought into it positionally, but what about the cultivating of it is the desire of our souls that we might know Him in the power of his resurrection?
These four things that Bob has pointed out from the first verse they heard him, they saw him, they.
Him. They handled him.
I just want to read a few verses from Esther five. Well Esther core the edict had gone out to destroy the Jews. And verse 9 says of chapter 4 Haytack came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. And he was he told her in verse 8 to charge her that she should go in under the king to make supplication unto him to make the request before him for the her people.
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She hadn't disclosed herself that she was Jewish, and she was told, Mordecai, you got to go in and make intercession. And Esther spake unto Haytack and gave him commandment unto Mordecai. All the King's servants and the people of the King's provinces do know that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death.
Except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter that he may live, but I have not been called to come in unto the king these 30 days. And Mordecai says if you don't do it, then God will raise up deliverance from the for the Jews is from another place. And then she decides she will go in and she says in verse 15 Esther bad them return Mordecai this answer go gather together all the Jews that are present.
In Shushan and fast for me you neither eat nor drink 3 days, night or day. I also and my maidens will fast, and so will I go in under the king, which is not according to the law. And if I perish, I perish. The reason I'm reading this is the access to a earthly monarch was not. No one could presume on that. No one dared approach him and come into his presence unless he was called.
And.
Verse chapter 5 Now it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on her royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the King's house over against the King's house. And the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house over against the gate of the house. And it was so when the king saw Esther, the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight. And ** *** was the queen, and even she, if she hadn't been bitten, risked her life to come dare to come into the king.
Without being invited when he sees her, when he saw Esther the queen, that she obtained favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden censer scepter that was in his hand. So Esther Dunier and touched the top of the scepter.
That's how inaccessible the earthly monarchs were. No one dared to approach them. What do we read here? The God who created the universe, the sovereign of all. He came.
Into flesh and blood.
They heard him, they saw him, they looked upon him, they handled him.
That's how accessible he was.
Do we realize?
What that means?
The most accessible of all men, and yet the greatest.
He holds out his word to everyone of us, The golden scepter coming. I've come to save you.
That's the gospel. That's marvelous. Marvelous.
He is precious Brother Chalkin, while it's true we've been brought into a relationship with the glorified Christ.
John isn't occupied with that, he's occupied with God, eternal life come down and taking his place as a man.
The real man.
Really. You don't have the attention of Christ and John?
What captivated his heart was the person who had come so close to him that he could.
Hear him, see him in Hamilton, and it becomes the criteria of of faith.
Deny Jesus Christ, come in flesh, your Antichrist.
It's everything to John and and we want to consider him coming fresh. We want to consider him as this man is John presents him of God and man eternal life. It's it's vital to us. It's vital to Christianity.
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Of Jesus Christ, common flesh.
And it's it's been given up and it does. It isn't even understood by the Christian world. Or they wouldn't for a moment tolerate.
Any thought of another religion being possible as another way? This is Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, eternal life taking up manhood and coming so close that he was touched and heard and saw and handled.
That's the 14th verse of first John John Gospel.
The word became.
Flesh and dwelt among us.
Full of grace and truth, you just can't make quite that too much.
And I think that God develops that, at least because of the way he's going to get glory in defeating Satan.
Let's go to that first chapter of John and read the last verse.
And see how God.
Is going to.
Show him.
It's another place where heaven is open. We refer to two of them yesterday.
And there's another one. And then there's this one, John one, and the last verse.
It's Nathaniel.
And he pronounces this and the.
Well, Jesus said in the 50th verse, Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, Nathaniel, I saw thee under the fig tree. Believe us now, thou shalt see greater things than these. Evidently Nathaniel was a godly man, and it was practiced to.
Pray under Sycamore fig tree.
For their privacy.
Well, he was doing that, we think, and Jesus was walking up there and he said.
Before that failed called, even that was under the fig tree. I saw thee. Then he said in the last verse to get to it. And he said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you hereafter.
Now that's a long time later.
Shall seek greater.
Ye shall hereafter he shall see heaven open.
We were enjoyed yesterday. Have an open.
In the.
Baptism of Jesus by the Spirit in Matthew 317 when the Spirit came upon him, and then we went to Acts 7.
And.
We had a man on earth being murdered and heaven was opened so that he could see in there.
And he looked up there, and he saw that man that had been crucified. He saw his glory standing on the right end of God. He had yet seated himself. He was ready to come back. Opportunity came.
But there is revealed that Jesus standing on the right hand of God.
Now, coming down through time, I'll just refer to Revelation 19. There's another place where heaven is open, and that's for Jesus to come out riding on a White Horse. That's the kind of the character that.
After six developed some Morty chaos or from Haman, the man of the flesh was the one that pronounced. What would you like to have?
But on a horse and ride through the Jerusalem on earth, right? And through the city.
And be proclaimed thus shall it be done to the man, and the king delighted to honor.
And a little measure the beeps of the time of Jesus. As he was approaching to go to the cross, he got on a.
Ash Rd. Into the city.
And they proclaimed him, Well, heaven was opened there to see this.
I mean heaven has opened Revelation 19 to see that man taking the place of king and coming back with with us too other horses. The Lord Jesus is going to take the throne, but here in Nathaniel is hereafter and notice what it says in this last verse again of John. Hereafter shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man, not the Son of God, it's the Son of man.
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Now let's go to John 5 and see why God does it this way.
John 5.
And verse.
22.
As the Father judges no man.
But have committed all judgment unto the Son, For the Father judgeth no man, but I committed all judgment unto the Son.
Then in the 27th verse.
For the mother had and had given him authority to execute judgment. And here's this word because, because he is the Son of man, God has gained the victory in the Son of man. He lost in the first man. That's what it looks like. It still looks like that Satan has messed it up. Well, here's a man that came to undo the works of the devil.
Jesus the unleashed and we had yesterday about the and what took place at Pentecost the he undid the confusion of the tower Babel.
So here is the man, the Son of Man. He's going to be the one that comes forth and as it says in John Wonder.
The last verse.
Nathaniel sees the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. He is the center of everything.
Ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. What a mighty show God is going to get in the Son of Man who has pleased him so much.
Whereas the first man, as Phil told us yesterday, into the first man was the cross.
He became the Son of man to be a savior, and if he's refused as a savior, he will be a judge. But we will all meet him, whether saved or lost, we will all meet him and stand before him. Either meet him now as a savior, or you will meet him then as a judge. But meet him, every man and woman, boy and girl will meet him and stand before him either one way or the other.
Either as savior or judge. Very solemn, isn't it?
They've taken us away from John first, John one. Let's go back and connect up with the fellowship with us.
Like Peter says, obtained like precious fellowship with us, that this is the first fellowship we find in this first epistle of John.
Just to read the third verse again, that which we have seen and heard, declaring unto you, we have this, we get this through the apostles.
That ye may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Fellowship with us comes first. You don't get the fellowship of the Father and the Son 1St, and you don't get fellowship one with another further on down. Let's read that.
Which verse is that 7/7?
If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, Princess from all sin. Man, in his natural attraction to get to God, would rather ignore everything else and put fellowship one with another first. You can't get into God's fellowship that way. You can't have brotherly fellowship that way. It's not possible. We've got to start.
We it's a beginning. That which is from the beginning, we got to know that Son of man.
And they that we get from the apostles. So this book is so important. You can't get this any other way than going through the apostles doctrine and taking that, taking this book and believing it. Then you can have the next thing comes real quick. Our fellowship says John is with the Father.
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And with his Son Jesus Christ, that's the highest thing there is. But we got to get into it through this book, through this word, through the apostles and the prophets.
We heard last night in the gospel.
Of two houses that were visited, the one there was fellowship because they loved the sun. The other there was no fellowship because they had no room for the sun. And it He divides the world, doesn't he?
He divides the world either those who are his and those who are not a wonderful to know him.
Brother said to me the other day.
I don't know how he put it. What do you know? What do you know? I said, It's not what you know, it's who you know. That's what counts. That's very important, isn't it? Because John brings before us the person of Christ in a very, very remarkable way, the one who saw and heard and looked upon and handled. And when you read the Gospel of John.
Doesn't it touch your heart the way John so beautifully brings out the eternity of his person, the glories of his person?
It it it almost overwhelming when you go through the Gospel of John, but it is a person now. It's based on the work, of course, because when it's all summed up here, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. I used to think this was a rather strange place for this statement to be made.
When he's talking about the person of Christ and the fellowship to which were brought into.
And then all of a sudden he goes and he turns and speaks about the blood of Jesus. But it's interesting, isn't it, that John is the only one who records that a soldier with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out and watered. And having recorded that, he now says that the basis of all this, the basis of fellowship, the relationship and circle of blessing we've been brought into.
Whether it's with one another, the apostles, with one another, with the with the Father and the Son, he says it's all based on the work of the Lord Jesus at Calvary's cross. Brethren, apart from the incarnation of the Lord Jesus and his atoning work on Calvary's cross, we'd still be without hope and without God in this world. We'd be sinners, doomed for a lost eternity. And we want to never forget as we speak.
Of the preciousness of the person of Christ and that which is ours in Christianity. We want to never forget the cost to God the Father and his Son, the Lord Jesus. And that's why I believe we need, and we need it often, the remembrance that we had yesterday morning, a loaf and a cup. And notice that the it's not all combined in one. It's not all in a wafer. The Lord, when he instituted the feast, he instituted it the way we kept it yesterday morning.
A low separate from the cup. The loaf speaks of his body given in death, and the blood speaks of his blood, and the separation of the blood from the body was the proof of death. And John brings this out so beautifully and brings it out so clearly. I would like to say one other thing too, in connection with John bringing before us the person of Christ. We've had much before us as to the importance of the apostles doctrine, the truth that they bring.
Out and so on. But let's go to John in chapter 8, John's Gospel just to notice 2 verses.
That bring perhaps tie these things together.
John's Gospel, chapter 8.
And verse 32.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Now drop down to the 36th verse. If the sun therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Well, I used to ponder these two verses as they appear here. First of all, it says you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And so the truth does liberate. And we've had expressions concerning that in these meetings. And I don't want to in any way take away from what has been said in these meetings as to the importance of familiarizing ourselves with the fundamental doctrines of Christianity.
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And going over and over and over again, Peter said, I'll not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these things, though you know them and be established in the present truth. John said, no new commandment right I unto you, but that which you've received from the beginning. I'm going to tell you over and over and over and over again. And especially, brethren, in our day Jude, when he writes of the appalling days of apostasy and the giving up of the truth and the undermining of things, he says, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation.
It was needful for me that I should write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saint. Once delivered, nothing new once delivered. That's what we need to be familiar with. That's what we need to earnestly contend for. And so that you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. But in the 36th verse it goes a little farther, doesn't it? It's not just freedom, but you shall know if you know the sun.
If the sun therefore shall make you free.
You shall be free indeed. Now I'd like to hear more on it, but I've just enjoyed it in this simple way. You can know the truth and really not have the heart attack. Sometimes said we can be clear as ice and just as cold. You know the Ephesians, they were very clear on things when John wrote to them. They were even able to detect the false apostles and everything was in very much order. But they lost their first love. But you can't know the sun and not have the heart affected. And I suggest that's one reason at least why.
He goes a step further. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
And brother, if we take up, as it says in Ephesians, the truth as it is in Jesus, then it's going to affect our hearts. Not just, I want to say this carefully, not just mere doctrine, doctrine is good, but if we take it up in relationship to the sun, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is going to be to be free indeed. And when the heart is affected, it's going to have a practical purifying moral effect on our lives.
Sometimes said, there's only one way to be a true disciple, a true follower, and that's to have a heart where there's only one object in it. John had that object before his soul, and what is he referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved. His heart was affected, and ours will be too if we're occupied with the person of Christ.
I'm glad that I haven't found him the word.
You've got to understand these things. How can I understand it? Jesus is God and Jesus is man.
God doesn't ask us to do that, and everything that you and I have, that we will always have, I'll tell you said that well, after I get through here, you have my face.
Everything that you have now that you will always have. You have my faith.
You don't have that car out there. You don't have that desire to eat breakfast every morning.
Everything that you have, that you will always have for eternity, you have my faith. It's all that Christ has.
That's enough to feel what is the.
Fourth verse of our chapter.
We're getting to the fourth verse.
First job, first John one back to first job. Now I'll read this the way that old brother Harry AO and he's the one that said everything that you have by faith you'll you'll always have not the only thing you'll have. He used to read this this way to get us young people to look up at it.
These things right We are to you that your joy may be half full. We're wrong.
Would that be great? No, that wouldn't satisfy God. No, it's got to be the truth, the truth as it is in Jesus. Now, I've agreed with everything you've said, Jim, but I don't understand a lot of it. And the truth is that in Jesus the truth shall make you free. And then if the Son make you free, you'll be free indeed. I believe that.
I think the great thing about the Bible is to believe it and go on and wait on God to make it a little bit clearer.
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It's through the scriptures, doesn't. It's through the doctrine of the apostles that we get to know Jesus. That's why verse three it says that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you. John is speaking in the portal because he includes the other apostles who were eyewitnesses.
Done what they heard, what they saw, what they contemplated and what they handled. They have declared it where in the Scriptures. That's where you get. I think it's so important that is objective. That way it's not something subjective. First of all, it's objective here, written out in black and white for us to get to know the person of the Lord Jesus. We can go back to the gospel.
Not only hear him, we can seek him, not only see him, but we can look at him in detail, we can contemplate him. And the more you magnify him, the more you see the perfection.
That was in him at all times. So it's the doctrine of the apostles that leads us into the fellowship of the apostles, which is the fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. I'd like to say that the word fellowship is mentioned four times in this chapter. It's something that's normal in family life, and John takes up that subject of the family of God.
Not so much the Church of God, but the family of God. And so fellowship is what is normal. It's having common thoughts. The more I read the scriptures and find out what the apostles saw and heard and declared unto us, that I will have more common thoughts with them and will be brought into this fellowship that we're talking about. And then I think it is nice to carry that on.
If you mentioned.
Brother Clem, in verse seven we have fellowship one with another.
You enjoy fellowship with the father and with his son through the doctrine of the apostles. If I enjoy that fellowship, what is the automatic result is that we have fellowship with one another as well. And that's the order and I think it is something that really happens rather than to us and I really think it's something we need to reflect on that we do put that verse seven First off times we think of who I've got to get to meeting and.
Be it meeting and with the brethren, and that's important. I'm not saying it's not important.
The brethren, it's not first. First is fellowship with the Father and with his Son, and then the result is I will enjoy fellowship with those that are also walking in the fellowship God is Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ. That's not wonderful brethren, that God wants fellowship with us more than we want fellowship with him I think of.
When he put Adam into the garden in the beginning, it says after Adam had sinned, he heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
It may have been that God, the Creator, man, the creature, walked together, communicating, enjoying common thoughts.
Sin came in and wrecked it all, and Adam ran in here and fellowship was spoiled. And it's interesting God never restores a thing as it was in the beginning. He always gives it back in a better way. Now we are brought back into fellowship with God, not on the ground of creators.
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Preacher, but now on the ground of.
Father, Father and his children, we're brought into his family now to enjoy that fellowship. We say that God.
Reveals himself.
In three special primary ways.
And you find it in the Gospel for John. You find it in the Epistle of John.
God is that starts it the eternal.
God is he that cometh to God must believe that He is.
Then we go on to another statement. God is light. That's the 2nd way that God makes himself known in John's Gospel and in this epistle.
And no further on. And Johnny makes God his love. That's a third chapter. I think it comes in the third chapter of John's epistle. Now it's necessary to try to get into the revelation of God in that way, that which is from the beginning.
In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with life, with God. The Word was God. That's the first verse of John's gospel.
We've got to believe that God is the eternal. He always is. There is no path.
Nor future with God. Everything is 1 eternal present. Can you understand that? I can't either, but I try to believe it. I do believe it always is.
Now he was going to communicate to us, and we're getting it here so delicately in this epistle.
He comes in.
To the world and chose himself to the 12, especially to others.
And they see him.
They walk with him, they talk with him, they look upon him, and they handle him of the Word of God.
Well, that's where we're going to get it to, if we can get it.
And then the light would show us others as we're getting here.
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light now, he's always in the light. If you and I walk with others that we find that are in the light, we're going to have fellowship with them. That's the only way you can get into this fellowship.
Walking in the light.
What does it mean to walk in the light? I want to read some verses from Exodus 20. When the law was given, verse 18, the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the mountains smoking. And when the people saw it, they removed and stood afar off. And the law was given it put man at a distance, didn't draw him near at all. And they set up to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear, but let not God speak with us.
Lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, for God has come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that she sin not. Now notice this 21St verse. And the people stood a far off, and Moses drew near into the darkness, thick darkness, where God was. When the law was given, God was in thick darkness. He did not reveal himself.
Fully as he has in Christianity.
And that's what we that's what we have in this seventh verse of our chapter. First John one, we walk in the light, we walk in the.
In the full revelation that he has given of himself in Christianity.
That's where we walk. We understand our portion. We understand our sins are forgiven, that we are redeemed, that we're reconciled, that we're justified. We understand that we're children of God, that we have access into his very presence through the blood of Christ.
That's the work that He did on the cross that opens that up to us. We could dwell and dwell and dwell upon His person, and I love to do that. But if that's all we have and don't understand the work that He did and what that has opened up to us, we don't dare approach His person without the work. We have no access to Him whatsoever without the work that He did. But in John's Gospel, and it's only in John's gospel, he pronounced upon that work that he did.
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He said it is finished. He pronounced upon it. The work that brings us into the very presence of God was finished on the cross. Nothing more to do. It's a finished work. And that's when we don't have that knowledge. Then we'll be doubting our salvation, wringing our hands in fear. We won't have liberty in His presence. We won't enjoy what the work that He did has opened up to us.
Then we can enjoy his person. Then we can feed upon his person once we understand the work and that's why it says the last cause of verse seven says and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Now, I'm a city boy and I don't know much about farming, almost nothing. And I live in a, in a, in an assembly where they know a lot about farming. And oftentimes I just overhear a few things and they're talking about farming. And then I go to another assembly and they're talking about computers and then another one and they're talking about sports. Now that's not the fellowship that John's talking about. The fellowship he's talking about is enjoying the things that we have in Christ, those things which are eternal, not the things of time and sense.
And we often degenerate into that and we say we had sweet fellowship one with another, but how much of that was real Christian fellowship of, you know, meditating on him and his work and his person? That's really fellowship. So I'm not saying I'm not speaking against these other things because after all, we do live in this world and we have to make our way through it. But that ought not to be the the central focus of our conversation or our thoughts. It ought to be.
To walk in the light.
Of the full complete revelation of God. God has revealed himself in his Son and a fuller revelation we could not have and he and he did a work which now makes us who had to stand afar off that were trembling in fear. And he said, I remove all your sins, I give you eternal life, and now you can approach me and come into my presence at any time. The way is open by 1 Spirit we have act through him Christ.
We have one spirit, we have access by 1 spirit unto the Father. That's Christianity, that's the Trinity all working for us. And that's what it is to walk in the light. It's not how we're doing in the light, it's where we're walking. You mean you may be doing well or or not, but you're still in the light and that's where you walk. If you're a Christian, you're in the light and you can't get out of it. But there's an if here.
If we walk in the light, you know what do you mean? What do you mean by that?
Conditional as he is in the lake, if we walk in the lake, we have fellowship one with another. My fellowship with you and the others around here depends upon conditions. Now let's go to her Second Timothy 2 to see where we can find that. I think it gets very practical and rather simple.
Second Timothy 2.
I hope you all know this. I'm sure you do. But I'll start with reading the 19th verse and then going down because we have to know how we're going to have fellowship one with another we wanted.
The foundation of God's standard Sure. Having this seal the Lord.
Know it them that are his.
Then their separation.
Let everyone that name it the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
That's very conditional and very important.
Let's separation, but we want congregation. Let's go on down and look at the 22nd verse. But we want to get to this. We want fellowship one with another. We want it according to God.
Pre author youthfulness is put in there. It's something that.
Our children growing up show us the lusts of this life.
This speaker, that's all it says there.
But follow with there's congregation.
There here are people, brethren.
The stand on the foundation. The Lord knows them or his their brethren, but they followed separation from evil.
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Now they want to congregate. We want to have fellowship one with another. And I think this.
Last part of this 22nd verse is so beautiful, so inclusive.
Unconditional and so precious that we can call it out, but follow righteousness.
I'll quote from First John, First Corinthians down toward the end.
Of him that's God are ye in Christ, who is made unto us four things Wisdom. That's the wisdom of God that planned this whole thing out righteousness.
Sanctification and redemption, they're basic things.
Righteousness. We get it from North. We get it from this precious word.
Follow righteousness, faith. We don't get these things by understanding first. We get them by believing them first. Then He helps us to understand.
So separation from evil, would you say, Brother Clem, has always been the basis for fellowship? I say that because we're not really exhorted in Scripture to separate from true believers. What we are exhorted to separate from is evil. And if that ultimately means that there are true believers that we can't go on in fellowship with, then we have to bow our heads and say so be it. So I just raised that. So separation from evil is the basis for fellowship. Is that correct? True.
Ecclesiastical thing what we're talking about John's ministry is family truth and every true believer walks in the light. Every true believer if there's a profession of being a true believer and he walks in darkness, he lies and does not the truth. He's not a true believer, but every true believer walks in the light. That's where he is as a Christian, as a true believer, as a member of the family of God and to bring the thought of if is not.
To question it, he tests profession. All through John's ministry. Here he tests profession.
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. You say you have fellowship with him and you're walking in darkness and he's the God who is in the light and who is light. How can you have fellowship with him if you don't even know him? So he tests profession. There's two sides to every line of truth and one is positional what where we are positionally and that never changes. The other is what we is the practical side of things.
And so we're all, we've been brought into this place of fellowship and relationship. As Brother Chuck says, we're always in the light. We can turn our back and the light may shine on our back. It's not that the light isn't still shining. We may allow a cloud to come between, but it doesn't mean that the light is still shining. But I would like to make a comment as to what Bob said earlier in connection with practical fellowship one with another because what we've been brought into positionally.
And what is practical or practice is often two very different things. At least I have to hang my own head and admit it for my own soul.
And really fellowship one with another in a practical way. Now I'm Speaking of it practically, fellowship one with another. True fellowship is our enjoyment of the person and work of Christ one with another. And why is it has been said, we sometimes get together and there isn't the enjoyment of Christ one with another that there ought to be, but brother. And I can only share Christ with my brother or sister if in the measure in which I have enjoyed Christ in my own soul.
I'd like to go back to an Old Testament illustration for a moment that I think it's helpful. Let's notice 2 portions in the book of Joshua in connection with Caleb, first of all in the 14th chapter.
Chapter 14 of Joshua.
And verse 13 And Joshua blessed him and gave unto Caleb the son of Jakuna, Hebron, for an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jefuna the Kenazite under this day, because that he wholly follows the Lord God of Israel. Well, we know that Hebron is the place of communion in the Old Testament. You remember that Abraham had an altar at Hebron.
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And he enjoyed many happy hours of fellowship and communion with his God.
And now we find that Joshua, who has finally gone in to possess his inheritance, and it's remarkable that he's the only one we read of that receives a personal inheritance. There are only two that we read up who for sure got into the land, and only one that received a personal inheritance. The rest all received their inheritance by pride. But here was Caleb, who had wholly followed the Lord, and he received the personal inheritance. And what is it?
He brought and does he ever lose that? It's his till this day. The scripture says that is it has to do with what we're Speaking of in connection with if we're, we're brought into that position in the light and there we are positionally. It's ours to this day, brethren, whether we enjoy it or not, we're in the light. And so Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jefuna. And I believe Caleb valued Hebron because it was the place of communion.
Now let's go over to the other side of it in the 21St chapter.
Now, I'll just preface my remarks and reading of this portion by saying that in the 20th chapter you'll find that Hebron was set aside as one of the cities of refuge, and just bear that in mind.
As we notice verse 11 of chapter 21.
And they gave them the city of Arbor, the father of Enoch, which city is drawn in the Hill Country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof roundabout. And so here we find it also becomes part of the portion for the Levites. But notice what happens now in verse 12. But the fields of the city.
Villages thereof gave they to Caleb the son of Jefuna for his possession. Now two things here. I think it was mentioned the other day that when God gives a list, the list is important. And notice here it's the fields and the villages, not the villages and the fields. Before I make another comment, hold your finger here and go to Song of Solomon Chapter 7 and you'll because it's connected.
Just have patience and hear me out on this.
Son of Solomon, Chapter 7 and verse 11.
Come, my beloved, let us go forth into Now notice the order here, the field. Let us lodge in the villages again. It's the same order, the fields and the villages. Now I would suggest that the fields here, which Caleb retained, these two things, the fields and the villages, the fields would speak to us of personal communion and relationship.
He maketh me to lie down in green pasture. If Isaac went out into the field at eventide for the purpose of meditating, I will go in and out and find pasture. It's that it's our personal relationship, personal communion, personal enjoyment of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's getting the Bible out and reading it and enjoying it, listening to His thoughts and what He has to say to it. That's the field.
And that's why the fields are first here. And if the fields speak of our personal communion and fellowship, then I suggest the villagers speak of fellowship one with another. If men have common interests or desires, what do they do? They form communities. They form villages. And so here we find it's the fields first in the villages. Now the bride and the Song of Solomon is speaking in the verse that we read. And she's been awakened in her affections. Her heart is going out to the bridegroom. She's occupied with himself.
And now she says two things that go very necessarily together, and in this order.
Let us go into the field. That's personal communion and what is the result? Let us lodge in the villages. We can only lodge in the villages as we are first in the field. And so I just mentioned this. Hebron was the possession of Caleb. It was his, it says to this day. But then there was a very practical side connected with Hebron. There's another verse we haven't really touched on. Verse five I think is helpful.
Connection with the Fellowship of the Father and the Son.
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Very basic. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. We're going to talk about fellowship with God, brethren. It has to be in the light, because God is like and God.
Ain't light. There is nothing. Absolutely nothing.
That you can hide in His presence. In fact, if you try to hide something in the presence of God, you make yourself that much more conspicuous. You cannot hide in the presence of God. I like to think of the Samaritan woman who came to the Lord Jesus and found him sitting on the edge of the well. She didn't know who he was. All she thought was he was a Jew. But as she began to talk to him, and in the course of the conversation.
Says, go, call thy husband and come hit her. She says, I don't have a husband. The Lord Jesus says, Thou hast well said that I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now cast is not thy husband. And that's focused out truth.
She bound herself in the light. She found herself in the presence of one who knew absolutely every detail of her life. There was no way she could hide anything any longer. She leaves her water but she goes back into the city and says come see a man that told me all things that ever I did is not just the Christ.
And he told her every detail of her life.
Know that she felt herself to be so in the presence of God and the light, that she knew there was nothing that could be hid any longer. When we get to that point, brethren, of realizing that when we talk about fellowship with God, there is absolutely nothing to be hid, it really leads to liberty when you get to that point, not trying to hide anything any longer.
Everything is out.
God is the light, and light is that which manifests all things.
And in Him is no darkness at all. You cannot mix those two elements. Right from the very first chapter of the Bible it says God divided the light from the darkness, and that separation runs through the whole book.
God mix those two things absolutely impossible or like or darkness and as it's been brought out and the light is where a believer in the Lord Jesus is, understand it or not. That's where he is to be in the darkness is where an unbeliever is. John speaks in the abstract. I think it is helpful. He speaks in black and white words and then he gives us little tests.
And notice verse 6, verse 8, verse ten of our chapter, how they start those 3 verses. If we say there's a, if we say verse 10, if we say it's easy to talk, brother, it's easy to say, sure, I'm walking in the light. There's a test. If we say we walk in the light and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. He's just putting it in black and white.
You and I ought to be exercised in view of the truth.
The Word of God is presented here, so who walks in the light that we can have fellowship with? Let's go back to Second Timothy 222 and finish the verse and see who it is.
But follow.
With there's congregation, there's assembly, there's more than one person.
Righteousness.
Faith, Charity, love.
Peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
A pure heart. How do we get that?
Every word of God is pure. Let's go to Ecclesiastes.
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30 and see that, wait a minute, I'm not quoting that right. Proverbs.
30.
That's the third verse. The fifth verse.
Every word of God is pure.
Call on the Lord, have a pure heart. They have one motive. That's Christ. That's the word. Those people that do that, we can walk with them and have fellowship with them. We have to do that too. It's collecting.
Them that call on the Lord have a pure heart, no mixed motives, Christ everything.
What lovely brother we find in that place. But it's conditional as to the measure in which we do it. If we walk in the lightest years in the light, the light, the word makes it clear. We have problems. Go to the word and get clearance from God. As to walking where the light puts us, it's it's conditional, but it's everyday thing.
Which is a lovely place. We have fellowship with them. So as we've noticed, first fellowship is with the apostles. That's this book.
And that is with God and with his Son Jesus Christ. He calls us into the highest fellowship.
Notice a verse in First Peter 5.
As to what we're called into.
Understand.
Yes, the God of all grace.
Who have called us?
Into his eternal glory, eternal glory we're called to.
By Christ Jesus, that's what we're called to. That's where we're going.
What's the next statement?
What's the next statement?
After that ye have suffered a wife. That's a character of this life down here.
Sufferings of this little heart make you perfect. We're going to be paid perfect when he comes and gives us a new body.
And everything that goes with it and called into that scene where he is, that's where we're called. So that's what it means to follow these things with them that call on the Lord of a pure heart. Every word of God is pure.
Well, John never assumes, does he, that we reach sinless perfection down here. I know our time is gone and I'm rushing, but I think this is important to see because there are those who actually teach that you can obtain some level of spirituality that puts you on a plane where sin is burnt out. And while it's true, as members of the family of God, children of God, we have the very life and nature of the family, and that life and nature is the very life of Christ.
Yet we're not home yet, we're not rid of these bodies, we're not rid of the flesh. It's still there. And so that's why he brings out in this, the end of this chapter, in the beginning of the next chapter, that this isn't sin, is not burnt out. Yet if we say we do know sin, we lost, we lie. And so we have an advocate with the Father. And I just want to notice that because we have the Lord Jesus living for us in two capacities at the right hand of God.
He's living for us as our high priest, and that's what Hebrews brings before us. And there he's living for us as our high priest to preserve us in the path of faith and service. And his high priestly work is in connection with God, because when it's in connection with God, it's the power that's at our disposal. And so we have one who's at the right hand of God, the place of power, and he's living for us that we might be preserved through the ups and downs and the trials and the difficulties in the path of faith and service.
And so on. But here we find we have an advocate not with God, but with the Father.
01:20:05
Now to my own soul, this is one of the clearest scriptures as to eternal security because you will find people come along and say, well, if you sin, something happens, you're going to lose your salvation. But it's not an advocate with God, it's an advocate with the Father, showing very clearly that the family relationship is not broken. I don't bring my children up to the court of law when they disobey me, but they do have to do with me as a father, and I take them up as my as my children and deal with them as to family relationships.
And so if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, and then it's Jesus Christ the righteous. I like that because I might spare one of my children some punishment. But if they're really guilty of what they've done and there needs to be punishment, I'm not righteous in what I do. I might be brought up to the judge at the court of law and he might listen to my case and he might say, well, I know you're guilty, but I'm going to let you go.
Well, if I'm really guilty, he's not a righteous judge. But if someone else comes along and says now Jim, I know you're guilty. Or suppose the judge says, Jim, I know you're guilty and the penalty is so much, but I'm going to pay the penalty so that you can go free. Now he's a righteous judge because the claims of the law have been met, the claims of society and the Lord Jesus. To me, it's just as if when I sin, he says in the presence of the Father, I've paid for that sin. That's how he can be a righteous advocate.
And so if someone comes along at school this week, they're at work and tells you, well, they were saved or so and so was saved, but they've lost their salvation. They've backslidden, they've lost their salvation. No, they may have sinned. We've all sinned. We may fall, but we have an advocate with the Father.
Then breaks fellowship, doesn't it? And that's what our theme is here in this first chapter, and I think it is good to see that.
The scriptures show us how to restore fellowship.
If we have lost it and two of us can say we don't lose it quite often.
Sin, as minor as it may seem, always breaks fellowship.
Is God and we are walking in his presence. I tell what I might say is just an insignificant little white lie. I lose fellowship.
Until what notice and I like to read the last three verses of the chapter again.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in US. If we can confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We say that we have not sinned. We make Him a liar, and His word is not in US. You know, look closely at verse 8 and verse 10. They are quite similar, but verse 8 deals with sin, the root.
Principle of sin verse 10 is the act that we commit, and oftentimes when we realize we've done something wrong, we try to justify ourselves by blaming somebody else. If we want restoration to fellowship rather than we have to recognize that not only what we did was wrong, but the reason I did that wrong thing was because I allowed that nature.
That evil nature of sin is to act and that other person may have provoked me, but I am guilty. That is important if you want restoration. And then verse nine, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yesterday we were talking about that. It's not necessarily we heard that it's not necessary to ask for the forgiveness of our sins.
Because we have the forgiveness of sin. But here it says not if we ask for the forgiveness of sins, but if we confess. And that's what we need to do when sin comes in, is to recognize what I've done wrong and to tell the Lord about it. That's the that's our part. And if we confess, he is faithful and just to forgive.
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And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I think this is the way to restoration of fellowship. So important. Young people and older ones too. Sometimes I meet up with people that you can see they're not in the enjoyment of fellowship with the Father and the Son, and days and weeks and months and years go by and they are down under. They're not in the fullness of joy that God means this to be.
And I ask your heart as I ask my heart.
Is there fullness of joy running deep in your soul? There ought to be. If there's not, it's because sin has come in, in some way or another. Recognizing, get into God's presence, recognizing, confess it. And if he, if we confess, he's faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. And we don't need a fresh application of the blood, because the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sins.
And I just want to say in connection with verse seven, if we walk in the light, it doesn't say if we walk according to the light. And much as what has been said has been said as though that's what it reads, it's not telling us how we walk, but where we walk. We walk in the light of God's presence. That's Christian position. Then we have fellowship with one another and the basis for it, what has brought us into it and makes us perfectly.
At home there is the blood of Jesus Christ. His Son cleanseth us from all sins. It gives us a place there where fellowship is proper and it tests of the profession by by using the word if. But it's not if we walk according to the light. The next verse says if we sin, we should confess it. So we haven't walked according to it if we sin. But that's not the point of verse seven. It's where we walk.
We walk in the light of God's full revelation of Himself in Christ.
And until he came, God was in darkness. Now he's in the light. Sin is what hinders fellowship, and that's why I think it's good to see it first. We use in the Gospel a lot. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin.
But it's written to believers here. The reason is that God has provided.
At all costs to himself, the means by which that which hinders fellowship can be removed so that we can come back into fellowship with God, such as Christianity. What we've had in these last three meetings, such as Christianity, that's a little bit, that's a we touched on a little bit. I'd just like to mention three times that the word Christian is written in this book.
What is in Acts 11?
Disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.
Then Paul preached to Agrippa and finally, Agrippa says, almost felt persuaded me to be a Christian.
Now in first Peter chapter 4, there's another mention of it and it may surprise you.
And this is what we may expect if we walk in the light and if we walk as Christians.
One Peter 4.
And verse 16.
Yet if any man suffer.
As a Christian.
Let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.
How can that be? Glorify God on this behalf? How can that be? Henry tell us.
Well, I don't know that I can, but I do know if we suffer as a Christian, it's to God's glory, and if we suffer because of our sin, it's to God's shame. Well said. Well said. For God's glory, standing up for God and the truth.
They're going to entail some suffering, isn't it?
Time is up.
We're supposed to his eternal glory.
01:30:00
But number, What's your #275?
Our goal is light and though we go.
Across a Trackless 1.
Articulate.
Our God is my glory.
Oh, God will run the track. Let us watch.
Trees, I suppose.
John 14:1-6
Gospel
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This evening with him #10 on the Gospel hymn sheet, there is a Savior on high in the glory, A Savior who suffered on Calvary St. A Savior as willing to save now as ever. His arm is almighty, His love great and free. I realize as I give this out at the beginning of the meeting this evening, that for myself and many others here tonight.
We have sung this hymn many, many times.
This hymn goes back to the very early days of my childhood when I sat in gospel meetings beside my parents as a young boy.
But you know, this is one of my personal favorites, and it brings before us in a very real way the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it brings before us the gospel message. I love every time we join together in the singing of this chorus. All come now to Jesus, that dear loving Savior. Receive him this moment, and he shall be signed. Oh, that's the invitation that God is giving out tonight in the gospel. And you know the very fact that you're here tonight for one reason or another.
Is a very proof of the love and the patience and the long-suffering that's in the heart of God.
And a very proof of his desire that he wants you to be saved and look forward to being in that happy home in heaven when we leave this world. And I would just say this too, before we join in the singing of this hymn. You know, the world has its songs. And sometimes the words in those songs don't mean very much. They're just light words that go along with a catchy tune. But you know, these hymns that we sing together on occasions like this, they're far, far more than that.
Many of these hymns were written under real exercise and personal conviction. And these hymns bring before us in a very real way the person and work of Christ. And I would like to challenge each of our hearts this evening as we sing this together, that we think about what we're singing. You know, again, for myself, sometimes I've sung these hymns so very often that I don't really think about the words.
But I believe that Saints and sinners tonight in this room will receive a blessing if we just think and consider the words of this hymn that we're about to sing. Hymn #10 I'm going to suggest that we stand up to sing this hymn and if someone will please start it.
There is a.
But that God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father, how very thankful we are tonight for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank thee that He is indeed the Savior of sinners. And we thank thee that tonight the gospel is going out around this world, and that by thy Spirit thou art still working compelling sinners to come in that thy house may be filled. And oh, tonight we cry to thee on behalf of this hour before us here.
And as another gospel has been announced, we pray that it might go forth in the power of the Spirit. We're solemnized to think that there may be someone here who still lost and on their way to hell. We pray that tonight thy word might convict them of their need, that thy love might draw them to the Savior, open their eyes to see beauty in Christ. We do pray. We pray for much blessing. We pray that the hearts of thine own might be refreshed and encouraged.
As we hear again the sweet story of Thy love and grace, so we cast ourselves upon Thee. We looked at Thee for blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory. Amen.
Turn with me, please, in your Bible to the 14th chapter of the book of John.
00:10:07
John's Gospel chapter 14 and we're going to read the 1St 6 verses of this chapter.
Let not your heart be troubled. You 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'd 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 ye may be also, and whether I go ye know in the way ye know.
Thomas Seth unto him, Lord, we know not whether 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.
Well, I realized that many of us this afternoon in the reading meeting enjoyed something from this portion in John 14.
But you know, I have been solemnized to stand or to sit at the funerals of many who have passed into eternity. And as far as I or anyone else knew, they were in a lost eternity. And to have a man get up at that funeral and read these verses seeking to give comfort to the family and friends who had gathered, it's a very solemn thing because if we don't know the truth of what is contained in these verses.
It is too late when we are laid in the casket and someone gets up to take our funeral. It is too late to decide where we're going to spend eternity. It is too late to make a choice as to salvation. And I suppose that that's why so often in the Word of God, the gospel is not only brought before us in its solemnity, but the urgency of the gospel. And there is an urgency tonight.
And all that those of us who know Christ as our Savior as we sit in these seats, would that we would feel the urgency of the message tonight.
Realizing that the time is short, the fulfillment of this promise that the Lord Jesus made here I will come again is about to be carried out. People have heard about the Lord's coming for many years. I've heard about it from the very early days of my childhood. But we have never been closer to the Lord's coming than we are sitting in these seats at this Gospel meeting this very night. The coming of the Lord does draw nigh. And over and over and over again, Scripture warns us of the awful reality of rejecting or neglecting.
Our soul salvation, because there is going to come a time when the gospel of the grace of God will no longer be proclaimed to lost sinners here in this world. There's going to come a time when the strivings and the pleadings of the Spirit of God are going to cease. There's going to come a time when the door of mercy will be forever shut and it will never be reopened.
And wouldn't it be just so sad, just so tragic, if there was someone here tonight who perhaps has heard the Gospel many, many times?
And yet finds themselves left behind when the Lord Jesus comes.
Left behind for the wrath and the judgment of a holy God.
And left behind to be eventually taken and cast into the Lake of Fire.
To be cast into the bottomless abyss where it says there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, A place where it says the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
Most of us know the story well, but if we were to turn back a few pages in our Bible.
To Luke's Gospel we could listen in as the Lord Jesus told a very solemn account of two men.
It wasn't a parable, it wasn't an illustration. It was the actual account of two men who lived in this world, who actually were here on this planet at one time. Who, like you and me, took one breath after another, who enjoyed health and strength at least at one time in their life.
00:15:01
And the Lord Jesus told in summary, in a few words, something about their life here in this world, not much, but just enough. So we realize that those two men lived under very, very different circumstances here in this world. You know, I realized tonight I look into the faces of those who perhaps live under very different circumstances if we were to take the time and go up and down these rows and talk to the boys and girls.
Talk to the young people. Talk to those of us who are considered middle age.
Talk to some who are a little older. We would find a great variety of lifestyles and circumstances no doubt.
These men lived under two very different circumstances in this world. One had all was surrounded by all the wealth and luxury that money could provide.
One enjoyed all the ease.
That this world had to offer in his day. The other had a very hard life and very little of this world's goods.
The one it just calls him a rich man.
The other we're told his name. It was Lazarus. I think that's significant. One, just a rich man. The other, his name was Lazarus. But you know, it wasn't the circumstances in which they lived in this world that counted when the final tally was in. It was the circumstances in which they left for the next World. It was that which had to do with eternity, not that which had to do with this life. They both lived very differently, but they both died and they both entered very, very different circumstances.
In the next life, remember, it's a true story. The Lord Jesus didn't just tell about their lives. He pulled the curtain aside and gives us a glimpse of what takes place after we leave this world. Because there is something after this life. Man does not die like the animal Kingdom. Man does not die like a dog. Man lives on in one of two places.
Heaven or hell and one of those men who.
Had all that he could enjoy in this life. He had forgotten God, He had neglected that which was of utmost eternal importance, and he went to a place of torment, a place where he is tonight. Has been since the Lord Jesus told that story, and I don't know how long before that, but at least.
Over 2000 years that man has been in a place of torment.
All he wanted was one drop of water to cool his tongue. This is solemn, young people. This is reality, children. This is real. These things are solemn. He wanted one drop of water to cool his tongue. In other words, all he asked for was momentary relief from his situation. He never got it, and he never will.
I hope, Lord willing, in a couple of weeks.
To leave for a climate very different from this. You think it's hot in Kentucky in the summer?
Try going down to one of the islands that's eight or 10° from the equator. You're at sea level, you're at the equator.
It is hot and humid and I'm talking about 110 to 115° every day of the year. It's rainforest. I'm not there for the weather. I find the heat oppressive.
Ken Fournier's grandson said to me the last trip we were together on, he said. You know, Jim, one afternoon I thought I was actually taking a heart attack.
It's just the oppression of the humidity and the low pressure system that existed.
And sometimes when we're in those situations, I think if we could just open a bottle and get one blast of cold air, it would feel so good, just momentary relief. But at least I know in a few weeks I'm going to be on an air conditioned plane heading back to Canada where it's a little cooler, a little less oppressive.
And I often think in those situations of that man.
Who lifted up his eyes in hell and he didn't ask to be released because I believe he realized his destiny was fixed.
All he asked was that someone would come and bring him that momentary relief.
00:20:05
But there was another man. He left this world too.
Now this is a solemn question raised in the Book of Job. Mandieth and wasteth away. Yay, man, give us up the ghost. And where is he?
And the other man whose name were given.
Went to a place of bliss.
He was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.
And now in Christianity later on, we're given some further light as to those who depart this life, who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. They are absent from the body and present with the Lord. They are with the Lord Jesus in the conscious enjoyment of his presence, beyond the trials and difficulties of life, beyond the sicknesses and the weakness of body that they may have experienced here.
Oh, death, where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory?
It is a thrill. It's sad, but it is a thrill to my soul every time I have opportunity to stand at the bedside of a Saint of God.
As they draw those final breaths.
And they leave bodies that are often have often been wracked with pain, some for many years.
I wasn't with my father the last week of his life.
But my family tells me that he struggled for every breath.
Every day, he said to the family. I'm just a little closer to home.
And when he finally took that breath and my wife called me.
To tell me to get the next flight home from Germany, I said. What else can we wish for?
For one who is known the Lord for 70 years, One who was struggling for his breath.
And now to think that he's in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
There were a lot of tears at his graveside, but we rejoiced to know.
That he was safe home. But suppose suppose tonight.
We were called to a Funeral Home.
And in that Funeral Home, there was a room.
With a coffin surrounded by flowers.
And we stood and looked in that coffin into your face.
Would you be in a lost eternity?
Longing for one drop of water to cool your tongue?
Or would you be enjoying the conscious sense of the presence?
Of the Lord Jesus.
What can we say tonight in the face of such issues?
We find here in the verses that we read together, the Lord Jesus.
Was about to leave his disciples. He was about to go to the cross of Calvary.
And I'm thankful tonight that we can look back and see that the Lord Jesus did indeed.
Leave the circle of disciples here later on. And he did.
First of all, allow them to take him from the Garden of Gethsemane to Pilate's judgment hall.
And there he was mocked and ridiculed, and all that man could heap on the blessed Son of God was heaped upon him physically and verbally.
They cried away with him. Crucify him, Pilate said. Shall I crucify your king? They said we have no king but Caesar.
And later on in the 19th chapter of this very book of John.
We read these words.
And he bearing his cross.
Went forth.
Just picture it in your mind's eye, the Lord Jesus crowned with a crown of thorns.
His back bleeding, the spit running down his beard, no doubt the bruises of his face.
And he looks out from Pilate's judgment hall, and he looks outside, as it were, the city walls of Jerusalem.
He looks out to a hill called Golgotha. The place of a skull was as high as man's intellect took him.
Crucified the Son of God.
And at that very place that speaks of man's intellect and reason.
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They stretched his blessed hands. He went forth, and he allowed them to stretch his blessed hands.
Those hands that had dispensed blessing on every occasion during his pathway here.
Those feet that had never digressed from the Father's will.
Nailed to a Roman gibbet.
A spectacle for men and angels.
Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by, behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me.
There were those who passed by at that crossroads. They saw him suffering. They read his title in the three languages of the day.
Hebrew and Greek and Latin. Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. They mocked him, they reviled him. They passed on their way.
Others sat down and watched him there.
I love that hymn that we sometimes sing on Calvary. We've adoring stood.
And gazed on that wondrous cross.
Where the holy spotless Lamb of God was flame in his love for us.
Does that mean something to your soul tonight?
If that means nothing to your soul tonight. If your soul is not stirred as we speak.
Of the person and work of Christ. I don't know what goes on within your soul.
All that the love of God would touch your heart tonight.
All that the person of Christ would reach your soul, so that it would be awakened.
To see beauty in that blessed one.
About an hour and a half ago.
I spoke with my youngest daughter on the phone home in Smiths Falls.
She said. Dad, what are you going to speak on tonight in the gospel?
I said, Amy, by the grace of God, I'm going to speak of the person and work of Christ.
We have nothing else. Paul's desire after he was saved on the Damascus Rd. was to preach Christ and Christ crucified. He speaks of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, of how he died. He was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the scripture.
We're not going to preach reformation tonight. We're not going to preach socialism.
By the grace of God, we're seeking to present the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a Savior on high in the glory we were singing. That's the one for you tonight. Have you come to Him?
And the Lord Jesus drew this little company of his own around himself.
And shall I say he had for a time, as he spoke, these words that follow in these chapters?
He had for a time what we would say their undivided attention.
Tonight, you've been drawn to this room.
I don't know why you've come. I suppose if we were to question up and down these rows, we'd find there are a great variety of reasons as to why you came to the gospel meeting tonight. Maybe there are some boys and girls here who came because your parents brought you. Thank God for parents that bring you to the Gospel meeting. I didn't always appreciate it, but thank God it's a blessed, blessed heritage and privilege.
Maybe there's some young people here and you would rather be somewhere else, but.
Again, your parents constrained you to come to the gospel meeting.
Maybe there's someone here and you have come because someone handed you an invitation when they run around the community here just about a week ago.
Maybe you're here because a relative or a friend invited you, and if so, that relative or friend sitting beside you is probably at this moment, earnestly and quietly praying for your soul's salvation.
But despite all the secondary reasons as to why you came into this room tonight, certain God loves you. The Lord Jesus desires your blessing.
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And he has brought you to this room tonight so that you have one more opportunity.
One more chance to hear the gospel. One more chance to have the Word of God before us.
Or maybe you've never heard the gospel before.
He's giving you an opportunity tonight.
All God loves you tonight. God loves you far, far more than your parents who constrained you to come, or that friend or relative who invited you and maybe even went by to pick you up to make sure you would come tonight and wouldn't back out.
Oh, there's one who loves you with an infinite love. There was a young man in the days of the Lord Jesus.
He was a fine young man as far as standards go in this world, and he came to the Lord and it says these words. Jesus, beholding him, loved him.
The Lord Jesus looks down from heaven tonight. He looks at you.
You as an individual.
And as he beholds you.
He loves you.
Are you a Sinner tonight if you're without Christ?
You're not only a Sinner, but you're a lost Sinner.
But that's just who the gospel is for. The gospel is for sinners.
Those who have a felt need, we're all sinners. But you know, again, there were those in the days of the Lord Jesus.
Who didn't receive blessing because they didn't realize they had a need, or they did have a need. But over and over again we read words like this, then drew near to hear him, all the publicans and Pharisees.
I'm sorry all the publicans and sinners.
You know, the Pharisees were pretty self-righteous.
Or they listen sometimes to the Lord, but it was to catch him in his words and to raise an argument as to what he presented. But there were those who had felt need and who came with open ears to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say, and they received a blessing. You can trace through the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And as you read the four gospels concerning the life and work of the Lord Jesus here in this world, you very quickly realized that there was no individual who came to the Lord Jesus.
With a sincere desire.
Whoever went away without a blessing.
And sometimes, as we already mentioned one case, the Lord Jesus would often speak of two individuals.
The rich man and Lazarus, two men, went up to the temple to pray.
The 1A Pharisee, the other Republican. The Pharisee prayed thus with himself. His prayer never got above the temple roof because he tried to tell God he was a pretty good fellow.
But the other man who recognized his great need, smote himself on his breast, and said, God, be merciful to me, a Sinner. The language is tremendous. The Lord Jesus said, I tell you in other words, make no mistake about it, this man went down to his house, justified rather than the other. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Is there any doubt that one who comes in earnest?
Is going to receive a blessing, not one doubt all those who come.
In earnest tonight.
Can claim the promises of God and receive.
Eternal life, the wages of sin, is death, but the gift of God.
Is eternal life we find here? The Lord Jesus spoke words of comfort to the disciples.
You know, there's very little comfort in this world tonight.
I don't suggest you do this, but if you go home and peruse the pages of your newspaper.
You'll find very little comfort or good news.
Men's hearts are failing them for fear and looking for those things that are coming on the earth.
And not only that, but if we could just have a glimpse into some of the homes and the hearts.
Of individuals right here in Mayfield. And I suppose we couldn't stand it if we only had 10 seconds to have a glimpse into every heart in Mayfield. The sorrow, the brokenness, the wrecked lives.
Because of sin, you know, sin is costly, young people. Sin doesn't pay.
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Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth. Sounds like scripture is telling us to go out and have a good time while we're young.
But it doesn't end there.
But remember for all these things.
God will bring me into judgment.
It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment. It tells us too, that the way of the transgressor.
Is hard. I don't know if you've ever been inside the walls of a maximum security prison.
It's a very solemn thing. The way of the transgressor is hard sin.
Is costly, sin doesn't pay, and in the long run it drags a soul down to hell.
But here the Lord Jesus was able to speak comfort to those who were around him on that occasion.
And we are so very, very thankful tonight that we can speak comfort and we can tell for us the glad tidings of the gospel. You say, Jim, it doesn't sound, it hasn't sounded like very many glad tidings yet. You've been talking about sin and hell and the results of sin, death and judgment after that and the bottomless pit in hell. And I would be less than faithful if I didn't warn you. And I will be held accountable for what is said in this meeting in a coming day when I stand before the Lord Jesus.
But all there is a glorious side to the gospel too, and that is that there is that Savior. And it was mentioned this afternoon that in these verses we have brought before us the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not here walking as the man of sorrows in this world, not the one who was weary with his journey and sat thus on the well, but one who's in the glory, because after the Lord Jesus.
Had laid down his precious life, and after the soldier with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came throughout blood and water.
We find that loving hands as had been prophesied in the Old Testament.
Took the body of the Lord Jesus down from that cross.
And laid him in a tomb. They rolled a stone over the door of that tomb. The authority set a watch.
But neither that stone or that watch.
Could hold the blessed Son of God as He came forth in resurrection power. Now are there any more glorious words than those words echoed or uttered to the those who were early to the sepulchre on the resurrection morning? He is not here, He is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay, because I want to stress for a moment the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not rise from the dead just in spirit. He rose in body. He said to His own, Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone as ye see Me have.
And after he had remained on Earth.
Long enough to give ample testimony to his own as to his bodily resurrection.
There was a moment when his feet left the Mount of Olives.
And he ascended, and the cloud received him out of their sight, and he went back.
To the Father, as he had told them he would, that the hour was coming.
When he would return to the Father, he had come from God, and he must return to God.
And there that blessed man returned, having satisfied and glorified God as to the question of sin on Calvary's cross.
And there, with the marks of atonement in his body, he has sat down at the right hand of God.
And there tonight his arms are outstretched wide. There he's waiting to receive lost sinners, as it were. He's bending low from heaven tonight.
To hear the faintest, feeblest whisper of a boy or girl or young person in this room who will say yes to the Lord Jesus Christ, who will receive Him as their Savior.
Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father, but.
By me.
Singular here, isn't it?
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There aren't many ways.
There aren't many truths.
There is only one who could say I am the light.
There is only one way of salvation tonight.
Let's be very, very clear about that.
It's not that as long as you're sincere, all roads will lead to the same place. No, indeed not. It says there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the waves of death.
I don't often bring an object lesson to the gospel meeting, but I have in my pocket my passport, a Canadian passport. It's a very important part of my life.
Because from time to time I have opportunities to travel to other countries.
And there is one thing that I need in traveling to another country.
And that is a passport. In fact, I have a checklist when I start out on a trip, and there are three things on that checklist that are vital.
My Bible, my ticket, and my passport I can do without a lot of other things.
I can replace a lot of other things when I get to the other end of the journey.
But I always say to my wife, I need to make one final check as we're off to the airport that I have my Bible, my ticket and my passport.
You know, it's the word of God that tells us the way of salvation, isn't it? And God has made it very, very plain. It is not complicated. The way of righteousness, it says, is so plain that a wayfaring man, though a fool, may not err therein.
I had the privilege some weeks ago preaching the gospel in the city of Walla Walla, WA.
With quite a larger crowd than there is here tonight and after the meeting was over.
A young boy came to me.
He was five, maybe six years of age.
I was talking to some of the older ones as I had stepped down from the podium, but I could see this young boy was anxious.
To speak with me.
And so I stepped aside, and I leaned down.
The preciousness of it floods my soul.
He said Mr. Highland.
I just wanted to tell you.
That I know the Lord Jesus Christ.
As my savior, I don't think there's much my ears have ever heard that's sweeter than that.
Five or six years of age, I just wanted to tell you that I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Is that complicated? Is that something difficult?
In our Sunday school at home, we sometimes sing that well known children's hymn. A little child of seven or even three or four may enter into heaven through Christ the open door. For when the heart believeth on Christ the Son of God, tis then the soul receiveth salvation through his blood. Perhaps at this juncture in the gospel meeting we should pause a moment.
To stress the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I sometimes think in application of the blood of Jesus as my passport.
To heaven, I said. I need three things when I take a trip. My Bible.
My ticket and my passport. The Bible tells us the way to heaven. It's God's Word. It's the truth.
My ticket to heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ and my passport is this precious blood that He shed on Calvary Cross. I trust. I say that with all reverence and respect.
This passport I hold in my hand tonight is very, very personal if you were to come to our house.
You would find that there are three other passports in our home.
There is a passport for my wife.
A passport for my oldest daughter and a passport for my youngest daughter. 4 passports.
And it would be foolish of Maine to take a trip with my family and expect to step up to the immigration desk in another country.
00:45:07
And put my passport on the desk.
And expect that they would allow my wife and my children into the country.
On my passport. And yet, let me tell you something, it doesn't seem all that many years ago.
That my 2 girls could travel on my passport.
Because they weren't old enough to understand what was going on. They weren't old enough to enter in to the fact that they needed a passport of their own and they weren't old enough to sign their own name. And so when I would apply for my passport or my wife would apply for hers, we would include on that passport the names of my two daughters.
But you know, there came a day when the Canadian government said no more.
Those girls are old enough, as it were. I'm speaking, I'm paraphrasing, but those girls are old enough now.
To understand what is going on, and they must if they are going to travel with you.
They must travel on their own passport.
I'm thankful that children who do not understand, who are not old enough.
To understand the gospel.
If they die, it says, their angels do always behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven.
I'm thankful and there are many little children who have passed into eternity.
And they're with the Lord, because he came to save that which is lost.
But you know, I looked into the faces of boys and girls and young people tonight who are old enough to understand the way of salvation.
If I can put it this way, you can no longer travel on your parents passport. You've got to make it personal. You've got to come to the Lord Jesus Christ yourself as an individual.
Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior tonight?
I am the way.
Oh, how wonderful that there is a way.
Of salvation tonight.
That way is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am the truth.
You know Pilate.
When he had the Lord Jesus before him, he said to the Lord Jesus, what is true?
Sad to say, he never hung around to find out the answer. He really wasn't interested, was he?
There's nothing saddens my heart more when you talk to somebody about the gospel or you hand them a gospel tract.
And they refuse it. They don't want it. They don't want to hear, they don't want to know. And yet they're going on to eternity.
I don't know the statistics, but I suppose in these 40 minutes of this gospel meeting.
There have been hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people pass into eternity around this globe.
What if it was your turn?
The number of young fellows here this evening and perhaps you're interested in race car driving, I don't know.
But I was reminded of a story.
Through a newspaper article that I clipped out of the paper 12 years ago.
Was a story about a man whose father had been a very famous race car driver.
And he himself had made a name.
He'd won a lot of races. He was noted for his nerves of steel and his speed.
And the number of trophies he had. In his trophy case, his name was Richard Vogler.
And on July the 12TH.
1990.
Richard Vogler got into his car.
At a track in Salem, IN.
For another race.
The newspapers reported that on the last lap, 30th lap of the race.
He was quite a ways ahead of the other race drivers.
He was going to win that race, no question. Hands down the race.
Was Rich Vogler's.
Something happened on that last lap.
His car went out of control.
Burst into flames and rich folklore.
00:50:00
With an eternity dead.
But what was so astounding, to me at least, as I read that article.
Was to read on and to see that the officials of that race.
In discussing the matter subsequent to that accident, decided that because Rich Vogler was so far ahead on that last lap and would have won the race had he survived, they decided to award Rich Vogler.
The prize. The trophy.
As his last winning for his last race.
I read that and I thought.
How much did that prize mean to Rich Vogler when it was awarded 0?
Nothing.
Rich folklore was an eternity.
And what are the things of this world and something that may be keeping you from coming to Christ?
And receiving salvation, what are they compared to? Eternal loss. And not only that, what are they compared to? What you will gain not only for this life, but for eternity?
You know, I think sometimes when the gospel is presented, people think, you know, Christians are pretty long faced people and if I get saved, there goes all my fun and there goes life.
I want to tell you from experience, it's not so Oh, I wouldn't trade places with anyone who isn't a Christian. The joy, the happiness. Oh, I don't mean there aren't lots of ups and downs. There's lots of trials.
But the joy.
And the.
And the rest of soul that comes from knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, if you haven't experienced it, oh, tonight I played with you. Don't put off salvation. Don't go to bed another night with an empty aching heart. Don't go home tonight unsatisfied and unfulfilled in your soul. Go home with the peace, having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Go home knowing that the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son.
Cleanses us from all sin, knowing that He's made peace through the blood of his cross. I said. I want to distress the blood of Christ.
And no doubt we've all in our mind's eye viewed that scene where the Lord Jesus bowed his blessed head at the end of those hours of darkness.
Having cried, it is finished and scripture records that he gave up the ghost.
He laid down his life, he could say, previous to the cross, No man taketh it from me.
I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received.
Of my father.
And then a soldier, as we already mentioned, with a spear, pierced his side.
And forthwith came there out blood and water.
Two men were walking down the street.
Two very prominent men in a community.
One was an infidel and a soap manufacturer, The other was a Christian.
And they were having a discussion about.
Christianity, and I suppose, as the infidel would say about religion.
And the subject came up about the blood of Christ, and the infidels said, look at this condition of this world. What is the gospel? What is the blood of Christ done for this world? Look at sin, rebellion, things getting worse and worse, the degradation of humanity.
So I can't see it's done any good.
The Christian very wisely didn't answer right away.
They walked on together in silence.
Until they came to a little boy.
Who was playing?
In the front yard of his house.
And his face and hands were covered with mud.
And the Christian turned to the infidel, and he said.
You're a soap manufacturer, but boy, you're soap hasn't done much to clean things up. Look at the condition of that young boy.
Be filthy and you're a salt manufacturer. What good is your soap? Oh, the infidel said. You've got to apply it. My soap's no good as long as it's in the package. You've got to take it and apply it.
00:55:04
Just so, said the Christian, The blood of Christ will do you no good.
Until it's applied.
And I know there are just so many here in this room this evening who thrill as we speak of the blood.
Of the Lord Jesus and I would just say to our hearts, I trust we never tire.
Of singing, of Speaking of the precious blood of Christ. It's the ground. It's the foundation.
Of all our blessings, and when the scene of glory burst forth in Revelation 5.
And the redeemed are there, gathered around the Lamb, the Lord Jesus. What are they singing about? They are singing about the blood of the Lord Jesus.
That blood that has redeemed out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. That will be the theme of the eternal song. And if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior and you ever get tired of hearing or Speaking of the blood of Jesus, you need to get down on your knees and examine your state of soul.
But I'll send her friend. What about you tonight?
Does the blood of Jesus thrill your soul? Or do you squirm in your chair and say, well, this meeting will probably end in about 5 minutes or so? It probably will end in 5 minutes or so, but all.
I just want to impress upon you again, and I know there are just so many who would stand by me here.
If they had the time and opportunity and seek to impress with me on your soul the importance of being saved, the importance of you coming.
And receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. It's very personal, just like this passport is only good for me.
So you need to come as an individual. You don't inherit salvation from your parents.
Thank God for parents that are saved, but you're not going to inherit salvation. You've got to come yourself. But all the wonderful thing is the way of salvation is open to you tonight. It doesn't exclude anyone. Whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely. Little girl, when she was asked what does whosoever mean, she said why that means you and me and everybody else.
No exclusions. The only reason you will be excluded from the father's house in the coming day is because you didn't know the father.
Because you didn't know the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will hear awful words.
Ring in your ears for eternity. Depart from me. I never knew you, but the message tonight is not depart from me.
The message tonight is Come unto ME3 words come unto me. If you refuse it and the Lord Jesus comes, or you pass into a lost eternity through death, you will hear three other words depart from.
Come unto me, depart.
God so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
That thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved. May the Spirit of God strive with your soul tonight if you're lost.
And may that which has been read and quoted from this precious book, the Living Word, so be used in the power of the Spirit.
That you realize your great need, but that you realize that there's a great Savior.
A great Savior who desires your blessing.
I have set before you life and death.
Blessing and cursing.
Therefore, therefore choose life. Let's pray.
Our blessed God and Father.
Work by thy spirit. We do pray.
May no one rise up off these seats until they are saved.
Bless thy word, bless the gospel. May Christ be real and precious to each soul.
We give thanks and ask it.
01:00:01
For His glory and in the name.
What Hinders?
Gospel—D.C. Buchanan
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
And.
We look to the Lord for His health and blessing.
Blessed God our Father, we thank Thee for these precious words.
Come to think that our Savior, the Lord Jesus uttered those when He was here on earth.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
00:05:01
And to thank Lord Jesus and thou after having finished the work of.
On the cross, I'll just go back to heaven and send the Spirit of God down here to strive with our souls.
To bring us into the good and blessing of what thou hast done. And we're here with the Gospel meeting for this purpose, Lord Jesus.
To speak of thee, to announce.
The invitation.
Most all here have heard it over and over again, Lord.
But there may be still one or two that have not accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior. And so our hearts go out to them, and we pray for a blessing on Thy word as we open it up tonight.
Give us to open up our own hearts, Lord, to hear without a say to us.
Not just the speaker, but it might be in truth, thy voice speaking to us. Our God, we thank thee for lingering, for tearing until tonight in the gospel. This is the last gospel meeting in this conference, Lord. So if there's some someone that's not saved, they need to be saved tonight. And we pray for them, blessing on their soul. Help us, Lord, we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Well, dear ones, my soul hath been filled with.
Joy and gladness and thinking of what the Lord has brought out here about the Lord Jesus.
During these meetings.
One shudders to think, could we add anything more to that? But.
You know there are precious souls here.
Your soul is at stake tonight here.
If there's someone here that's not saved.
All that we've had before us about the Lord Jesus coming down to this world.
Wanting to gather a people and take them up into heaven to be with him.
It's a wonderful story.
We want to enlarge on it a little bit tonight.
Maybe nothing new.
But maybe something that will reach your heart.
What is it that's holding back? You know, sometimes I think when we preach the gospel.
We speak about how the Lord Jesus came down into this world, how he died.
How he loved us.
How He took our place there on the cross so that we might not be judged for our sins.
And why is it?
We hold back.
Why is it we don't say yes Lord, Yes, Lord? You know, it's so easy to get saved.
Just two weeks ago tomorrow night.
The Lord touched my heart and seeing two cases and I want to tell you a little bit about it.
I was down in Peru.
Went off to a place I'd never been to before. It's called Shitari. It's over in the jungle of Peru. You have to cross way over the mountains.
And I won't tell you all the obstacles and the problems we encountered in getting there. It just seemed like one thing after another. Where we ever going to be able to make this trip?
So much so that some of us were saying in our hearts, well Lord, do you really want us to go?
Well, now as I look back on it.
I believe.
I believe there was an enemy working too.
And maybe that same enemy is working here tonight.
Maybe there's somebody that's holding back.
Not saying yes, Lord.
Before I go on with the story, I want to pick up with where one of the last verses that was quoted to us last night.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Now that's the gospel invitation. God loved the world. That verse is divided into two parts.
00:10:04
The part that God has done and the part that you need to accept.
Whosoever believeth in him is the part that touches us. The part that God has done is for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
What a beautiful thing to bring those two things together, God and a Sinner brought together and oneness and peace through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We were traveling over this mountain.
We arrived to a place near there.
We opened up our Bibles and began reading some of the Scripture verses and there was a couple sitting there on a little bench. They didn't even have a back on it. There were two candles up in the window sill and the one little other little Lantern over on this side. And it was difficult to read your Bible because it was dark and all we had were two candles, another little light over there.
And there was a young couple sitting there.
Close together, a man and his wife.
And their hits were bowed like this, and they were reading the scriptures. And as we read those scriptures of the Gospel, I think maybe even John 316 was read.
You could see.
Their hearts were touched.
Their heads were bowed, they didn't even lift up and look.
God was speaking to that couple.
And as the scriptures were read.
I believe.
God was touching their hearts.
And I believe they were saying yes, Lord, yes, Lord.
A brother said, Do you understand? They said yes.
Do you want to be saved?
They said yes.
And so we all got down together on our knees.
And they lifted up their voice in prayer.
And confessed that they were sinners. They confessed the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Oh, there was joy in heaven. There were serious faces there.
They weren't laughing, they were serious. Why?
Because the sin question was in view their sins. What about their sins?
They learned that the Lord Jesus died for sinners.
And they accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior.
We went to another house on this same trip the same day.
We walked into this house.
With the intent of opening up the scriptures.
A family also lived in this house.
And you know what?
There was no room for Jesus.
And their hearts.
Instead, they pushed the little button and the little apparatus turned on, and this was supposed to entertain us for the time that we were there.
And I thought to my soul.
What a hindrance.
What a pity.
This family has no room for Jesus.
The others did.
And they got saved.
Now I tell that because I believe it's a witness to us. The Spirit of God is still working.
Not big things.
One by one. In this case it was 2.
Got saved.
How about you, dear friend tonight? Where do you stand? What is it that is hindering you from accepting the Lord Jesus as your Savior?
Let's open up our Bibles to John 3.
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The Gospel of John, you know, we've had in these last meetings, we've had the purpose of God in coming down to bless how the Lord Jesus came from heaven.
Down into this world to save us. How he went to the cross, how he sent down the Spirit of God now to gather together in one the people of God.
And that's the purpose of the Spirit of God being here. That's why we're having a gospel meeting. We're inviting souls. We're inviting you, dear friend, if you haven't come to know the Lord Jesus tonight.
Listen, listen up. This is for you.
John's Gospel, chapter 3.
Verse 13.
No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have.
Everlasting life for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world.
But that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds.
Were evil.
Now notice it will drop down to verse 36, the last verse of the chapter.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Oh dear friends, we have two issues here. We have two things here. We have life and we have salvation and we have death and we have the wrath of God.
I want to speak a little bit about this tonight, the judgment.
It says.
In he that believeth.
Not is condemned already.
You don't have to do anything to be lost.
Were born in sin.
We prove it all through our lives by what we do.
We need to be saved and God.
Sent.
His son into the world to save us.
The Lord Jesus came down from heaven, He died on the cross and loved your soul, it says. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
Why was the Lord Jesus lifted up on the cross like that serpent in Moses?
To bear the judgment.
God in mercy sent him to take your place and my place there on the cross, so that he could forgive you and me, and so that we could be saved.
Is this hard to understand? No.
So simple.
And yet there are people that are not saved.
Why? What is it that's hindering you, dear friend?
What it is that is hindering you?
From accepting the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Recognizing.
First of all, that God loves you.
2nd.
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We see in this.
The consequences of sin.
You know.
Sin is treated lightly today.
It's one of the favorite. It's one of the favorite pastimes of the unbelievers.
To make light of sin, either with jokes or with amusements.
And when I walked into that home where they did not have an ear.
For the gospel.
What impressed my soul and something of the burden of my heart tonight is.
What is it that is hindering your soul?
There are so many things.
That the enemy can use to occupy our time.
It was electrical apparatus there that turned on and occupied.
People.
I believe.
That because.
They did not want to hear the gospel.
You know our brother mentioned last night he quoted a verse for Mark's gospel.
Where the worm dieth not and the fire.
Is not quenched.
I thought a little bit about that expression and we're going to turn to it maybe later on, but I want to introduce it now.
We're the worm, Dieth not.
What does that mean?
I believe that speaks of the conscious.
Conscience that God has given to everyone, that every soul in eternity is going to have.
Remembering.
The issues.
Of life, the conscience, accusing and speaking to one's own self, reminding for all eternity.
Of sin.
Of God's righteous judgment and where you will never be able to turn it off.
You know, people turn off their conscience. They try to.
When that little voice inside says something about your a Sinner or you need to, you know this is right and you don't want to do it. There's 101 Things that we can use, as it were, to turn that conscious off conscience off so we don't think about it anymore.
The sad thing is that in hell.
You won't be able to turn it off.
To die without Christ.
To go to hell, There are two things there that that verse tells us you can't.
Turn off your conscience. That tells you what was it that Abraham said to the rich man we were told last night.
Son, remember.
He had to remember.
What happened in his life, he couldn't turn it off.
The worm wouldn't die. It never will.
That's serious. That's sad.
But it also says the fire is not quenched.
The judgment of God.
No way to turn it off.
Can't stop.
These are the issues of your soul, dear friend.
This is the consequence of saying no.
Unto the Lord Jesus.
How can we look back to Calvary's cross? See the Lord Jesus there?
Hanging up there, being made a curse for us so that we can be forgiven.
Say no to him.
And go home and sleep.
Oh I pray God, you will not be able to do that, to go home and sleep if you're not saved.
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God doesn't want you to do that.
He wants you to be saved.
How much he has done for us.
What is it right now that you are using, dear friend?
To turn off those darts that are touching your heart that are saying turn to Jesus. What is it that you are using?
Oh, it was a wonderful to see a couple.
Who would block out everything else in this world, sit on a humble bench, bow their heads and listen to the gospel testimony and accept it and believe it and be saved?
And what a contrast another couple.
No.
And in order to appease the conscience for a time.
Turn something on else on to think about. Go somewhere else. What are you doing on your free time when God is speaking to you?
Is it really worth it to let these amusements?
Take up our time.
And I'm not saying that the amusements in themselves are bad.
But if I use some anything, any amusement, any apparatus, any good thing to hinder me from turning to the Lord?
I'm making a big mistake.
First of all, because now is the only time I can be saved. Second of all.
Because.
Later on to those who reject him.
You won't be able to turn them on. You won't be able to use them. There will be no amusements in hell. There will be nothing to take away, to distract your mind, to make it easier to appease things.
I hope I'm not speaking too strongly, dear friend, but I my heart has been.
Touched with.
How Satan is using those kind of things?
To allure people.
And to trick them or to cover the real issues, to postpone it or anything.
It made me realize how successful Satan is in the environment that we live in.
In this country.
Where there is so much to occupy our time.
And how often those things?
Which are not bad in themselves.
Satan is using them.
To keep our souls from looking back to Calvary's cross and seeing the Lord Jesus.
As our Savior.
These verses are so wonderful. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, why did Moses lift up that serpent there in the wilderness? It was so that everyone easily could look at that serpent of a brass and be healed. Why was it that the Lord Jesus was lifted up on a cross? It was so that salvation could be so accessible, so easily, to be so easy to obtain.
How hard is it to be to get saved? It's the easiest thing in the world.
I can't think, you know, there's a lot of gimmicks out here in the world to get people to do things. And it's so much so that the normal American is turned off on on gimmicks and advertisement.
I have to. I just to show you, if you walk down the, if I walk down the street and somebody offers me a paper or something, you know what my first reaction is, no.
You go to a foreign country where they don't have all the immune advancement of the world and you offer them anything. It could be a lie. You offer them anything and they're they're flocking you to get it.
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This is Satan's way of distracting people, but in the middle of this, the Lord Jesus.
Is lifted up here just like Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. And so here tonight in the gospel meeting, we want to lift up before you the Lord Jesus Christ and say, do you want him?
Will you take him as your savior?
Will you accept and recognize that what He did there on the cross was what was necessary for your sins to be forgiven?
The judgment that was poured out there on him.
Nobody can understand how we understand a little bit what the men did to Him there and how they hit him and they put a crown of thorns on Him and how they put a spear up on his side and they put the nails in his hands and his feet. We understand a little bit of the pain and the suffering and the consequence of that, but really we don't really understand what went on during those three hours of darkness when God.
Laid on him.
The sins of those who trust in Him.
When God dealt in full measure the judgment of sin.
Upon him.
And now God lifts him up, and by the preaching of the gospel, he presents to you the Lord Jesus Christ.
What you have in.
Will you look to him in faith? That's all they had to do to be healed in Moses time. That's all we have to do tonight to be saved. A look of faith.
When the Lord Jesus was walking here and there was a woman who had an infirmity.
And she was walking along, and she believed in the Lord, and she believed that the Lord could heal her.
And she walked up behind the Lord and touched the border of his garment.
And she was healed, and the Lord Jesus knew the moment she touched her Him.
And he turned around and he said, who touched me?
That's the person we're dealing with tonight. You look to him and he'll know when you look in faith.
We can't touch him with our hands, but you can look at him by faith.
And say, Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me.
That's why the Lord Jesus is lifted up.
The judgment.
Should not perish.
We've talked about hell. Let's go over to let's go over to refer to those verses we already referred to in Mark's Gospel, Mark's Gospel Chapter 9.
Read just a little bit here.
Mark's Gospel Chapter 9 and move begin with verse 42.
Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell. Into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not in the fire is not quenched.
If thy foot offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter it halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, Into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God.
With one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire where their worm dieth not in the fire is not quenched.
These are very serious words. The Lord here himself is advising us about hindrances to being saved, hindrances to entering into life, and he's saying that it'd be better to lose a hand or a foot or an eye.
00:35:10
And the parish in hell.
That's the that's the seriousness of the consequences.
You know, it was interesting to me. I was speaking to Brother Graham here this morning and he was.
Tell me a little bit about the history of the assembly up there in Springfield, where he comes from.
And to me, it was remarkable that he told me three stories.
A man who lost a hand. A man who lost a foot.
And if I'm not mistaken, there was an I or there was another member anyway, a man that lost that.
When the assembly was established way a long time ago, over 150 years ago I believe it was.
And it made me think of the faithfulness of God and working in that city a long time ago.
The beginning, a little gathering there, he said. There were six souls that began breaking bread there a long time ago.
You know it's still the same.
When I was down in Bolivia.
A friend of my son Caleb here, who grew up as a little boy with him.
Whose name is Willie? Used to climb up in a tree and play.
I don't know if my son Caleb remembers this now, but when he was little they used to climb up in trees and play together.
The years went by and this friend Willie.
Got away from the upbringing he had. He was brought up by Christian family.
And he got out into the world.
Poor Willie.
And he was on the road to a lost eternity.
And God spoke to him.
And he lost his hand.
After he lost his hand.
Willie turned to the Lord.
He came back.
He preached the gospel.
And he does it every year I go there.
He stands up and he holds his Bible like this because he doesn't have this part of his hand.
And every time he preaches the gospel, I think.
Yes, it's better to enter into heaven with one hand.
That's what it took for Willie to get saved.
What is it going to take for you to get saved?
How is God going to have to speak to your heart? It may not be a hand.
It may be a foot, it may be something else, it may be some pleasures.
What is it?
For God so loved the world.
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish.
But have everlasting life.
If thy hand offending.
Don't let it hinder.
Don't let it hinder. We could tell some other stories. Others.
Dear brother Lino Bueno down in Bolivia, another brother.
He lost an eye, he lost an ear, he lost a hand.
But he told me, he said thank God.
Before I blew my brains out.
You brought me to know to say yes, Lord.
The Lord Jesus loves us.
The faithfulness of God that deals with us.
Dear friends.
00:40:03
The Lord Jesus wants to bless you. He wants to save your soul.
When we looked at Calvary's cross.
How can we doubt?
Yes.
What he wants to do with your life is better than anything you can imagine.
No doubt many times we don't say yes for the Lord because we want to do our own.
Well, the Lord Jesus warns us about this.
Let's go back to John's Gospel, Chapter 3.
Verse 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
You know God told Joel. Because there is wrath. Beware.
There is wrath.
Now this is not a part of the gospel. The gospel is that God loves you. He sent his Son to die for you. By faith in him, by trusting in Him, receiving Him as your Lord and Savior, you're delivered your past from death unto light.
There is no condemnation.
But the wrath of God abideth on those.
That reject the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's amazing that the gospel can be concentrated in one person.
You know, to the natural mind this looks like very narrow minded. It says in Acts 4 there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must save, where whereby we must be saved. That looks very restrictive doesn't it? There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Why is that? That's because there was only one.
Who could satisfy God's claims? Regard sin, regard your sins, regard my sin.
There is only one who was holy enough to bear all that judgment and to exhaust all the judgment, and to be able to say to you and me now.
Should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Because there is wrath to beware.
Now, we've told some of these stories about Willie. We've told stories about Leno Bueno and others.
These are these stories that judgment.
When Willie lost his hand, that was just the mercy of God. I look at that as.
Our brother was speaking about the Spirit of God. Compelling.
Compelling.
He compels us.
He knows it's serious. He knows it's necessary. He knows we not must be saved.
And so these things that may happen.
And don't test God on these things.
Don't see how far you can go with in the course of this life without Christ, and see how far you can go before accepting the Lord Jesus as your Savior. That's dangerous.
It's dangerous to do that.
Except him now.
Before it's too late. We have no promise of tomorrow.
Tonight's the last gospel meeting. We're going to have meetings tomorrow, but I don't believe there's going to be a gospel meeting. That doesn't mean you that somebody might not be able to get saved, but we have no promise of tomorrow.
Getting saved.
Tonight is the night.
Now is the accepted time.
I'd like to close with the hymn #6.
In our M sheet.
God in mercy, then his Son to a world by sin undone, Jesus Christ was crucified.
Was for sinners. Jesus died number six.
00:45:04
God and mercy and his Son go away in my God.
Give him a surprise. It's much really sick Friday.
One sources and it is a sky.
Jesus Christ.
Is Lord of all.
The Lord.
Grace.
Shyness.
My favorite girl's friends.
Run blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
God.
Time to Awake
Address—R. Thonney
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
But thing number one, 168.
The afternoon meeting is probably one of the hardest ones to keep our eyes open, so I'm suggesting we might want to stand up, get the blood circulated a little more 168 If you're older, you can just stay sitting.
The night is forced.
Then it gives a lot of water to God.
You know.
Translation for suffering and long.
Roger has been in this world when it comes back.
To the morning.
Well, from.
Hills.
Are written on me. You're in the despicable very fairy.
Oh, that's my.
Turn in love.
Long and strong, let go.
Yes, no one stands not, not for all these experience.
Let's try our God and our Father. We're so thankful for our Lord Jesus, our glorious Savior, for that wonderful portion that belongs to us and Him.
Help us to walk more in the light of it, Gracious Father. Now this conference is just about over and we've got about 40 minutes more, Lord, to open my precious word. And we know that if it depends on any of us here present, it's not going to be any profit at all. But in our measure, we do feel our weakness and we're looking up, Lord Jesus, that though it's give according to Thy thoughts, not our own. We just do pray Thy blessing as we open Thy word.
And the liberty of ice spirit to speak about it. We ask in that most worthy name of the Lord Jesus our Savior, Amen.
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I'd like to turn to Romans chapter 13 to begin.
This afternoon.
Romans chapter 13, beginning with verse 11.
And that knowing the time.
That now it is high time to awake out of sleep.
For now, is our salvation nearer.
Then when we believed the night is far spent.
The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the less thereof. Wanted to focus primarily on verse 11.
Knowing the time, what time is it that we are living in?
I think, brethren, we don't have to dwell too much on this. My purpose this afternoon is not so much teaching, but in view of the wonderful things we've had before us.
To stir us up a little bit, brethren, that we might walk in the enjoyment of the full light of Scripture that we've been talking about. Not that any of us have grasped it very fully, but in the measure that we have to walk in the enjoyment of it.
And it has impressed me recently.
What it speaks about here in verse 11, The necessity of awakening out of sleep.
You know, it's easy to go to sleep. At least I find it so when I hit the bed at night, my wife complaints that I'm snoring way too fast and don't leave time to talk. And I find it fairly easy to go to sleep. Maybe some people don't that.
You know, sometimes you go to sleep too, in situations you shouldn't go to sleep sometimes on long trips on the road. And you know, you just had a nice meal like we had here this afternoon and and.
Then it's kind of warm and you're in the car and driving along and nice steady vibration.
Or, you know, your head goes up and you didn't realize you're going to sleep. It takes you without you realizing what's happening. You know, what has impressed me is that I fear that far, far too many of us as Christians are sound asleep as to where we are in the Christian testimony.
You know.
When the Lord gave that parable of the 10 virgins.
In Matthew 25 there were five that were wise.
There were five that were foolish, but when it came to sleeping.
You remember all 10 of them?
Went sound asleep.
Like sound asleep. And I'm afraid that's what's happened in the Christian testimony today.
We don't realize where we are. Now, I know some of you may have a little bit trouble staying awake this afternoon in this meeting. I'm not talking about physical sleep. I think you understand that. I'm talking about sleep in the spiritual sense of it. A person that's asleep is not alert. He doesn't. He isn't responsive. There's somebody sleeping on the ground up here. I say, hey, listen to me.
He doesn't pay attention to me. Why not?
He's asleep. You know, sometimes for our own interests in this world, our business, our house, our car, we're mighty alert.
But when it comes to the Lord's interests.
Not really that alert. Does that mean that sleep is overtaking us? I think it's something that we need to think about. We're just right down at the end. The Lord is coming at any moment. Is he going to find us sound asleep?
00:10:02
This really searches my soul and as I look around at the Christian testimony, it seems to me, brethren, that the majority.
Of those who say they're Christians are sound asleep.
The tremendous things that are about to take place in this world, we are on the edge of the worst time in the history of this world. The Lord said there will be no time as bad as this time before it. There was no time as bad as that, nor will there be after the awfulness of the judgment that's about to fall.
Are we doing anything about it with the gospel? Are we occupied? Oh brethren, we need to know the time we need to awaken out of sleep. It's high time Scripture puts it that way. Ephesians, chapter 5.
And verse 13.
This morning we were talking about the light.
Here's the verse that explains what light is.
All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Wherefore he said, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead.
And Christ shall give thee light awake. Thou that sleepest arise from the dead in Christ shall give thee like. This is in the practical part of the book of Ephesians. We had an outlay of the first chapter and somewhat into the second chapter yesterday. The tremendous position we've been brought into, brethren, are we walking in the light of that truth?
Today.
Am I awake? As to this, I do not believe that I can pronounce my own judgment in those things. I think the Lord is the one that has the word to say if he's awake or not, if a certain person is awake or not.
But oh brethren, how we need to be awakened as never before in these last days. Awake, thou that sleepest arise from among the dead. You could read it. Christ shall give thee light. Our light is a reflected light.
But we should not be lying around with the dead.
Remember, Brother Clem Dear, given the illustration, that was quite impressive to me, he said.
Supposing in a hospital.
You know, nice hot weather like it is right now. Hospital employee might say well.
Down in the morgue, it's nice and cool. Maybe I'll go down there and have a nap. And so he goes down there, and when he goes in there, he sees there's two bodies laid out there.
He's not afraid. He's a hospital employee. He just lays down there and goes sound asleep.
Now another guy comes along and he walks into the room and what does he see? Looks like there's three dead people there. There's not a lot of difference, outwardly speaking, between a dead person and one that's sleepy. If you look at him pretty close, you might see him moving a little bit in his breathing.
Is there a marked difference between you and the unbelievers around? If there is not a marked difference, if people don't notice the difference, it is probably because.
We're asleep. May the Lord help us to wake up, to arise from among the dead. Our place is not there.
Our place is to get up and let shine Christ shine upon us, and His light shining on us will reflect those around.
Now let's go over to 1St Thessalonians Chapter 5.
I Thessalonians, chapter 5.
And.
And the Apostle Paul is writing to the Thessalonian believers about.
00:15:05
The day of the Lord. Notice it is mentioned in verse 2.
The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.
As travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
The Lord is not coming for the believer. As a thief, sometimes I ask the believer in the Lord Jesus, do you want the Lord to come? Yes, Sir. Are you waiting for him to come? Yes, Sir.
And I say, do you want a thief to come to your house number, Sir?
Are you waiting for a thief to come to your house? No, Sir. Then I say the Lord is not coming to your to for you as a thief. It's for those that don't wait for him and don't want him to come, that he will come as a thief. And it's the day of the Lord begins at the end of the tribulation period when the Lord descends to exercise his lordship in this earth, and it runs for 1000 years.
Through the millennial day. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. We will already be with the Lord.
But it's those that don't look for him and that don't want him to come.
That he will come as a thief.
And then it says, verse five, Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as do others.
But let us watch and be sober, for they that sleep, sleep in the night.
And they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober.
Putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Here it speaks of two things, sleep and drunkenness.
And I'd like to speak of those both in their figurative way. We've already spoken of what sleep is, is unresponsiveness.
It's not being alert. A person that's asleep is not alert, is not responsive. Tell me, are you responsive to the Lord's claims on you?
There's another thing. Soberness is in contrast with drunkenness.
You know a person that is drunk, you can tell they're drunk.
By the way they talk and by the way they walk.
They're under the influence, we say.
They have taken in something that they are under the power of.
And there is a possibility in a spiritual sense that a person can be drunk as well.
So under the power of present circumstances, maybe he's not drunk with alcohol.
But he saw under the power of present circumstances, he cannot walk right as a Christian should walk. That's drunkenness and this spiritual sense. And the apostle here exhorts, let us not be drunk, but let us be sober. Sober means.
In your own powers, in your own control.
Speaks in Ephesians 5 as well, of be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.
The believer in the Lord Jesus should be known not as filled with wine.
But filled with the Spirit under the control of the Spirit of God.
And so we have those three places that speak about sleep. And brethren, in view of the fact that we're right down at the end, you know, I try to think and sometimes what that moment is going to be when the Lord comes. I don't suppose that you and I are capable really of grasping the tremendous glory of that moment of his coming again.
He's going to descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel.
With the trump of God.
Are you ready?
Are you expecting him at any moment?
00:20:01
Are you in your full capacity to be ready when he comes?
You know, we have a little text on the wall of our kitchen. I thought it was a good one to put up there.
Some time ago, maybe some of you have seen it, but I liked it when I saw it and it's not a text from the Bible. It just got 3 lines. The first line is.
Say something you would like to be saying when Jesus comes.
Do something you would like to be doing when Jesus comes.
Go somewhere you would like to be found when Jesus comes.
Oh, to live.
In the imminency of the Lord's coming, this is being given up today.
You know it is, and as a doctrine, I know we haven't given it up. Thank God for that.
But you know what happens before We give it up as a doctor and we give it up in practice.
We don't live in the reality of the truth of his coming again.
And you know, we speak about it so much, sometimes it becomes commonplace and we go to sound asleep.
Not realizing that the Lord is going to come at any moment. Speaking to some believer the other day about the Lord's coming and he was mentioning, oh, there's all these different interpretations.
There's some that say that the church is going to be raptured at the end of the tribulation. There's some that say it's going to be raptured at mid tribulation. There's the pre wrath rapture they speak about.
I said, you know what the apostle Paul said?
He said, we which are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, the apostle Paul expected.
To be here when the Lord came, was he wrong to teach?
The Thessalonian believers to wait for the sun from heaven? Absolutely not. It is always the proper hope of the Christian to wait for the Lord from heaven.
Brethren, one of these days that's going to happen and.
I like to put it in this way. Maybe I'm busy, busy in my mind.
Running trying to get my stuff done.
And I running down the street and pull up my foot to take another step and instead of stepping back down on planet Earth, step onto the cloud.
Right into the presence of Jesus.
It really searches me Breath.
Mileage. I'm afraid sometimes a tendency for me too is to go to sleep. Sleep comes over as so easily.
Material is fleet comes over as easily.
And spiritually, and I'm saying I'm not talking about.
Physical sleep. I'm talking about sleep spiritually. The physical sleep comes sometimes imperceptible.
Still remember down on the high Alta flannel of Bolivia one time some of us brethren that were from Montero, where we used to live, we were visiting.
You got to understand that the high Altaplano is that 12,000 to 13,000 feet altitude.
And we were visiting these brethren off in a isolated corner of this High Plains.
At a Jeep. And so he went across where there was hardly any road, found these brethren, and they were so glad to see us that they wanted to prepare a meal, and then they wanted a meeting too, that evening.
Well, they're not so well controlled by the clock like we are, so.
By 9:00 they finally had the meal ready in the evening and I don't think we were up from the dinner and supper table until maybe 10:00. And then it was to the little meeting room they had and it was a small little room.
If you ever up at that altitude, you know that oxygen is rather sparse.
And besides that, they had a lamp, a kerosene lamp in the room.
And that tends to burn off some of the oxygen.
There were five of us visiting brethren and then the native brothers.
Never forget how ashamed I was, Brad. We all could not fight off the sleep. It was overpowering. We finally came to the conclusion we kind of take turns and I'd speak for a while and then I'd kind of elbow the next brother, let him talk for a while and and he'd keep going around the group.
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We never forget how overpowering that sleep was. I couldn't resist it yet his that way, brethren, and that's why we need to be shaken up sometimes. And I really believe that the Lord allows problems in our lives so that we might awaken as to what our position is and to walk in the enjoyment of it. Oh brethren, never has there been on the face of the earth in any time period.
In the history of this world, a privileged people like we are privileged.
And are we sound asleep? Is it possible? I can't point the finger in your direction? I have to point it right back at my own heart. And I'm going to have to say yes, it's possible that sleep does overpower me. The Lord help us. I'd like to go to a few parts of scripture that speak about people that went to sleep. Let's go to Luke Chapter 9 to begin with.
Luke Chapter 9.
And verse.
28.
And it came to pass about an 8 days after these Saints.
He took Peter and John and James and went up into a mountain to pray.
And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered.
And his raiment was white and glistening. And behold, they are talked with him, two men.
Which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory and spake of his deceased, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep.
And when they were awake, they saw His glory in the two men that stood with him.
And it came to pass. As they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here.
And let us make 3 tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses and one for Elias, not knowing what he said.
Well, he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them.
And they feared as they entered into the cloud and there came a voice out of the cloud saying.
This is my beloved son. Here in here is Peter.
It's interesting the way it puts it there. In the other gospels it says it was Peter, James and John that were there, but Peter was always a leader.
Sometimes I think we may pick on Peter more than we should.
But we learn tremendous lessons from Peter. Thanks Peter for that. Thank the Lord for Peter should say, but it says here in verse 32 Peter and they that were with him. What kind of an influence do you have on those around you? You encourage them to go to sleep.
Or do you encourage them to wake up?
I can still remember as a young person, a young brother that was very instrumental in my life.
Turning me in the right direction and I must say he helped wake me up many times. Thank God for him.
But Peter and they that were with him, he had a definite influence on those around him. You do too. You have a definite influence in one way or another on everyone around you. What kind of an influence are you exerting on those around you? Well, here was the Lord Jesus and this is a preview of His Kingdom glory.
His countenance, the fashion of his countenance was altered. His raiment was white and glistening. It says in Matthews Gospel his face shone as the sun. Supreme glory that people as a preview of that coming Kingdom.
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But there in the glory appeared to with him Moses and Elijah.
And Peter and they that were with him were heavy. Let's sleep.
Henry was talking about things being heavy yesterday. Here's heavy with sleep and it gets pretty heavy. I don't like to wrestle with sleep. If I get sleepy, I like to go out and take a nap and get it over with and get back wakened up. But.
That it is not a pleasant thing to have to wrestle with sleep, but here he is heavy with sleep.
Not realizing the glory, the display of glory that was taking place there. Does that ever happen to us? I really believe it happens to us, brethren, and I really want to encourage us to be more awake as to the glory of the Lord. You know, I'd like to apply this. I know this isn't the teaching here, but I'd like to apply it in this way that when we come.
Into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
To remember him on Lord's Day morning.
Do we know whose presence we are in?
Does that truth lay hold of us?
That we are in the presence of the Lord of glory. It seems that because our eyes don't seek Him physically.
We tend to think, well, it's not really that important if we're there, if we miss it is important. Brother and sister in the Lord Jesus.
And to sound his praises. And I'd just like to fly it in that way. Brethren, may the Lord encourage us, awaken us to praise him more. We have a glorious God and Savior in the person of the Lord Jesus.
Can you sit there and not open your mouth?
In His praise, Forgive me, brethren.
But when I go to Latin America, the brethren down there have another problem, a little different than our problem.
And it's this.
That OFT times in the breaking of bread meeting, they're stumbling over each other to give out hints.
I have seen it happen several times that a brother will give out of him and another brother stands up at the same time to praise the Lord.
The brother that gave out of him has to wait until this brother is done praising a lot.
Well, it's not exactly order. Maybe they need to learn a little more what it means to be led by the Spirit of God in order.
The brother When I get back up to the States, oftentimes I see brethren sitting.
In the remembrance meeting, silence, silence, silence.
I don't disagree that there can be proper moments of silence in the Lord's presence.
But rather than the silences that happen so often are because we are not occupied as we should be, with His glory, are we asleep? And I'd like to encourage brethren, because I think it really makes a difference.
Seek to praise the Lord in your home life.
Sing his praises at home. That way it won't be quite so difficult when we come together.
To sing his praises and let me say a word to you younger brothers.
Don't think because you're younger you're exempted from participation in the Praise and Praise meeting.
You are a priest just as much as those that are older, and praising the Lord and praying are not a question.
Of gift. It is a question of priesthood. It bothers me sometimes. We come together in conferences here it seems like in a prayer meeting we kind of think that the brothers up in the front row are the ones that should pray.
And thankfully today in the prayer meeting this morning, I saw quite a few get up in other places around the room. That was great. That was good.
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But never think that you are exempted from praising the Lord. Maybe we think, maybe you young brothers think that you when you get up to praise the Lord, you have to stand up there for quite a while and be at least 5 minutes long. No, you don't have to.
Remember here in one brother who was not very vocal in the meeting.
But in one breaking of bread he.
Got up at a moment of heartfelt Thanksgiving to the Lord and said.
Thank you Lord Jesus.
Sat down.
I think that's precious. I want to encourage you young brothers. You know, brethren, we talk about our testimony.
When we talk about our testimony, brother, we're not talking about ourselves. Our testimony is to be occupied with him, that one that is in the midst of us.
And it says you and I are occupied with him and let the praise flow out naturally, that there is a testimony, people will notice it.
Let me encourage you.
Those that don't take much part in the meetings, when it comes to prayer, when it comes to praise.
No brother in fellowship is exempted. No, they need to do exercise.
To be an instrument of pronouncing his phrase, you know, in the Lord. Jesus was coming into Jerusalem that day, remember?
And.
On a donkey.
And the children were saying hosanna, hosanna, they were shouting.
And the Pharisees didn't like it. And they said, Master, tell them to be quiet.
He said if these should hold their peace, this stones.
Would immediately cry out God is going to have His Son. Praise brethren, and if you and I don't do it, he will raise up others who will do it.
And the Lord help us.
To the exercise about his praise.
In the breaking of bread, meeting at home too, it says, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. Let's go back to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 26.
For another incident in Peter's light.
The Lord Jesus is on his way.
To Calvary.
Verse 36. Matthew 2636 Then cometh Jesus with them into a place called Gethsemane. And Seth unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray Yonder. And he took with him Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Then saith he to them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. Tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them.
Asleep.
And saith unto Peter, What could ye not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, Oh my Father, if this cup may not pass from away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
You know, I have to relate to Peter. I'm sure I would have probably done the very same thing.
That oh how important it is to be.
Praying, brother. This is an area where I'm not speaking so much of praise, but a prayer.
Do you pray? Do you take time to pray?
You know, in today's world it is tough to get time quiet by yourself with the Lord. I think it is so very important. It impressed me what Martin Luther said.
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During his lifetime, you know, he was an instrument that God used in a mighty way, the kind of the Reformation.
He said I have so much work to do every day. I dare not.
Any less than three hours.
We sometimes say I've got so much to do, I just don't have time to pray. No wonder we don't get much done.
Martin Luther knew the countenance of real power.
You take time to pray. It is a tremendous privilege, It is.
Work, though, I find it is work to pray. Scripture speaks of Epiphros, who labored fervently in prayer. It is work. It's not easy, I find. I get down on my knees and sometimes I'm there for 5-10 minutes and all of a sudden they come to you and say where have I been? My mind wandering off and who knows where.
Have to bring my mind back to concentrate. Where are we going?
And when we enter His presence in prayer, it's not only in the bedroom where we may pray.
We are going right into the presence of God in heaven before the throne of grace, and I like to think of it in this way.
That before that throne appeared the host of the angels, the millions upon millions of angels.
Before that throne also appears Satan, according to Revelation 12, and his host according to some Old Testament scriptures.
But you and I have special privilege there because we are part of God's children.
And we present ourselves there before the throne of God. What a privilege.
To pray. What a privilege to pray. May the Lord help us that we are not.
As Peter.
Sleeping when we should be praying. Discipline yourself. Get up earlier.
Deprive yourself of some sleep so that you have time to pray. It's so important. Peter was sleeping when he should have been praying, when the Lord was submitting to his enemies, allowing them to bind him. Peter comes out swinging his sword.
And all the good he did, I shouldn't say the good it was bad, is cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest and made more work for the Lord to do.
That's all. We never got anywhere from that.
I'm not criticizing Peter because I know I'm the same way, but it's a lesson, brethren.
The Lord help us not to be sleepy, but to pray watch.
And pray for the Spirit is ready, let the flesh is weak. Like to go to the book of Acts chapter 20.
We're not going to be able to get much further because our time is running out, but next 20 we have the case of a young man.
We've all remember this story. Paul was.
With the Saints at Troas.
Remember, brother.
John Lloyd Speaking of this portion and he says he was giving them a good piece of his mind.
He slipped he.
Talked all night long.
I think I probably might have gone to sleep too, if that was the case. But here's this young man and he's sitting in the window. Well, you know, in those times they used to make their walls quite thick, like they do with Adobe down in South America. Yet when you have a window, you have quite a thick place to be sitting in. And I'm sure that that young men found it maybe a place that was cooler and you could sit there and maybe he could take a glance outside. What was going on outside? You know, we like to take a glance outside once in a while.
But here was the Apostle Paul.
Ministering those wonderful truths we've been talking about in these meetings.
And this young man, what does it say? In verse 9? The earth sat in a window, a certain young man named Eudicus being fallen into a deep sleep. And as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
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A fall doesn't take place from one moment to the next.
The fall took place because he was overpowered with sleep.
That's something that really searches my heart.
Is that the case with me? The Lord knows, brethren, but may the Lord help us. A fall doesn't take place overnight.
It's something that's been a degeneration of things that have taken place over the course of time.
You know another thing that really searches me here?
Is that there was nobody up there that would go up and say, hey, don't go to sleep there now, when do you might fall down? Nobody that had enough care for that young man.
You and I see sometimes young people getting into dangerous positions and we say nothing.
The Lord stir us in our desire to be a help to the people of God, not to be critical, but to be a help.
When you see someone that is sinking down with sleep to warn them in time.
I had quite a few others in mind to speak about, but we want I just want to mention one others that comes to mind.
And it is Samson. The story is long of Samson, but you remember Samson's story. What a powerful man. What an instrument for the help of God's people when they were oppressed with the Philistines in the land of Canaan.
Could have been such a help, but Samson insisted on mixing with the Philistines.
And.
Of the three women that it speaks of in the Book of Judges that Samson knew, the last one, Delilah, was the most seductive. Evidently she got him to go to sleep on his knees.
On her knees.
There he was asleep as to danger, and she was trying to get out of him. The secret of his strength. The secret of Samson's strength was his separation to God. You know God when he calls the people for his name means them to be separate from this world around, and that was.
Samson's strength, the sign of his separation to God, his Nazarite ship, was his long hair.
And so ** *** started trying to get out of him the secret of his strength.
And you know, he started getting closer and closer to telling her the secret of his strength. In fact, she even though one of the the next to the last time she told him to bind the locks of his head in a certain way. It wasn't the secret of his strength, but he was getting close.
Didn't he realize what she was going to do to him? Was he that blinded? Was that asleep? That can happen to us, brother. None of us are exempt.
We cannot trust in ourselves, not for a moment.
And she pressed him some more, and he finally told her there is no razor. Come on, my head is my youth.
And she made him to sleep once more.
What did Samson lose?
He lost his hair. He lost his strength. He lost his liberty. He lost his eyesight.
And he was put.
To grind in the House of the millstone like an animal. There he went round and round and round.
Until God gave him an opportunity to avenge himself of his enemies. And then Samson lost one thing more. He lost his life.
What tragedy? Because he was not careful about being asleep. Brethren, we are right at the end. We're going home into the glory. Really believe it.
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It's going to happen.
One of these moments, his least expected moment, is going to happen.
Here we go, this three.
Lord, stir your hearts through mind, that we might wake up.
Well, we still have a moment to reach out to praise His name more, brethren, to pray, to reach out in the gospel to the lost around.
To use our energies, our means for the extension of the precious Word of God in this world. There's so much to be done in this world, and we're going to vacate it very soon. All those things we have.
For our own enjoyment, we're going to leave them behind from one moment to the next.
The Lord stir your heart, brother and sister may stir mine, that we might truly, when he comes again, be awake to receive him.
Ephesians
Address—C. Hendricks
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Let's begin this afternoon by singing 330.
What raised the wondrous thought? Or who did it suggest that we the Church?
Through glory brought should with.
The Son be blessed.
330 Someone raised the tomb, please.
I shall be.
Let's pray.
Our God and our Father.
We've been singing about.
Thy wonders thought of centering in thy beloved son.
And we have a part in this wonderful part, And as we open Thy word this afternoon, we ask Thy help by the Spirit.
To guide the speaker and the hearers as well.
To take in these precious things that come from thee, we ask thy help. We ask thy blessing in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Amen.
When Brother Wigram composed this hymn, I have no doubt that he was thinking of the Epistle to the Ephesians. And that's where we're going to turn this afternoon, Ephesians Chapter One. Now it's not going to be possible to cover.
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Everything that I'll read.
But it's always good to have the word read before us, and then we can glean from it some of these precious thoughts that are His that come from Him. And the unique character of this epistle is that it? It's God disclosing, revealing to us what His plan for eternity, for us, for His Son, and for us is.
Marvelous that he has let us in to his.
Eternal thoughts concerning Christ and His assembly in this scene and then forever with Him the Lord. And let's just read Ephesians One and then we'll go on from there.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. And I want you to notice how often in this chapter we read of the will of God the the purpose of God.
The intent of God in all that he's doing, you'll come across these words that express this. And Pauls apostleship was by the will of God to the Saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have blessed us.
With all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. In love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven.
And which are on earth even in him in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the council of his own will.
Purpose, counsel, will, that we should be to the praise of His glory.
Who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted? After that she heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that she believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks.
For you making mention of you in my prayers, that the God.
Notice He prays 3 things here. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him the eyes of your understanding, being enlightened, that she may know. Here's the first thing that she may know what is the hope of his calling? And secondly, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints? And thirdly, what is the exceeding greatness of his power?
To us word who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and have to put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church.
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Which is his body, the fullness of him.
That fill us All in all.
I want you to imagine.
Maybe that's a bad word. I want you to put yourself in the position you may choose either either being a Jew with the knowledge that the Jew had from the Old Testament scriptures, or a Gentile. I mean, it might be very difficult to put your your yourself in the shoes of a Gentile, not knowing what part of the Gentile world I'm talking about. And I don't know what part I'm talking about, I'm just talking about Gentiles. But this chapter contains blessings for.
Jews and Gentiles, In fact, the whole epistle does, and they form something brand new that was never known before in the Old Testament scriptures.
You can search the Old Testament through and through, and you won't find it there. This body he talks about in verse 23, which is his body, The fullness of him that filleth. All in all, his body doesn't tell us who makes up the body, yet he tells us that as he goes on into this wonderful epistle.
Isn't it wonderful that in this portion of God's Word we have the truth flowing from God, originating in God and flowing to us from God, His thoughts, his purposes, his counsels? And we are. We're part of that. We're brought into a a relationship with him that is something that was never known before. I was talking to a brother, and the question was raised at the outset of the first reading.
The question is, what is Christianity? And the brother came to me after and he said one word tells us Christianity is Christ. Well, not quite. Yes, that's true, that's true. But Christ as he was down here as Messiah to Israel, No, that's not Christianity. Christianity didn't even begin while the Lord was here on earth. It didn't even begin. And after he rose again from the dead, it didn't begin until he ascended to heaven.
Down at the right hand of God and then sent down the Holy Spirit to unite into one body, the believers, His disciples, His Jewish disciples, to unite into one body. That was the birthday of the church. That's when Christianity began.
So it's not enough to say that Christ is the answer.
As far as what is Christianity, when he comes back and establishes his Kingdom and reigns here for 1000 years, we'll be with him and share in that reign. But that's not Christianity either. That's when righteousness will reign. Today, righteousness is not raining. Grace is reigning through righteousness. And it's different. What is Christianity?
Means the question, at least that was raised, means what is the true character of the day in which we live? Christianity. Because when the Lord comes and takes this home, Christianity will cease to exist here on earth and then he'll start dealing again with his ancient people. Israel and other another order of blessing will be introduced with a view to the establishment of his rights here as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But he's not reigning today.
He is in rejection today, and that was brought out in the readings. He's in rejection, and we are identified with him in the most intimate and blessed relationship and place ever known before, something that goes beyond any revelation to the Jew in the Old Testament, and certainly infinitely beyond anything the Gentiles had because they didn't even know the true God. They were without God in this world. The Jews had the knowledge of the true God insofar as he had.
Been pleased to reveal it to them at that time, but the truth, the full truth that we have unfolded here couldn't be brought out until the Son of God, the eternal Son became a man and came into this world. And as he walked here for 33 years he spoke of God as my Father.
ABBA father.
In the most intimate way, and the Jews were very offended by this. Who is he?
Who art thou? You're making yourself equal with God. Yes, he was, because he was equal with God.
But in order to introduce Christianity, he had to become a man, present himself to his earthly people, Israel. They rejected him and put him to death. And then he rose.
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And then he ascended and sat down, the right hand of the majesty on high.
And then he sends the Holy Spirit down to form the assembly.
The Church of the living God. And that's when Christianity began and that's when we are living. We are in a different dispensation today than the dispensation of the law. That was 1500 years when they were under law. And the dispensation of the Kingdom which is to follow this one is entirely different. When righteousness will reign when every morning.
Outward sins that have been committed will be dealt with and judged.
Not so today. Today, grace is reigning through righteousness.
Very different. And it's important. If we are to know how to conduct ourselves in this present day of grace, we have to know what Christianity really is.
Really is. So if you can put yourself back in the 1St century.
When you didn't have a complete Bible and someone says we've received an epistle from Paul. This is at Ephesus, the assembly at Ephesus. I'm going to read it to you. I've just read you the first chapter and we have. We've got the tremendous privilege in this 21St century to have a whole chapter, to have the whole book, to have the whole Bible complete. Tremendous, tremendous advantage we have over those early Christians.
He says in verse three. I'm not going to comment on every verse. Blessed be the God and Father.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You notice he doesn't ever in the Epistles address him as Heavenly Father.
It's always the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He taught his disciples on earth, his Jewish disciples, to address him as our Father, which is in heaven, and so on. There are some Christians that still do that. It's not wrong, but it doesn't. It doesn't come to the the blessedness of what we have.
In Christianity he is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that one who was God and become a man, and now has put our sins away by his death on the cross, raised again, and seated at the right hand of God.
Well, he pronounces God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, blessed, who hath blessed us. Now if you were a Jew, you can contrast what I'm going to read here with what the promise for the Jew was If he had been an obedient Jew and a godly Jew and lived according to the law, He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
The Jews blessings were material, and they were earthly ours our spiritual.
And heavenly, according as he hath chosen us in him.
Before the foundation of the world, the earthly people, Israel was chosen.
From the foundation of the world, because when he established this world and he chose some to.
To live here, and to rule here, and to represent him here. But we were chosen before the foundation of the world.
Before this world ever existed, he had in his thoughts a bride for his son, whom he would have to assume manhood, and that was before man was ever created.
These are all thoughts of God.
In Genesis 1, the Trinity speaking among themselves, they said, let us make man in our image.
And after our likeness, and then he put him here as the head of this earthly creation.
And everything was subjected to him. Well, that was just. That was just a prelude to what he would do later. After the first man failed, he would send the 2nd man the last Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, who never failed. And just as he made a bride for Adam, he has made a bride for Christ. And you and I are part of that, part of that heavenly bride, not an earthly bride. He has an earthly bride as well. Jerusalem, Song of Solomon is about the earthly brightness, not about the heavenly bride.
00:20:10
It's often.
Ministered on that way, But it's not about the Heavenly Bride.
Heavenly Bride is the Church or the Assembly.
The called out ones were not a part of this world. The earthly bride was a part of this world. Jerusalem.
He has chosen us in him verse 4 before the foundation of the world.
That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Now we know from Johnsky Epistle that God is light and that God is love.
If we're going to be in his presence, we must be there according to his nature.
And he is light, his absolute holiness.
He's absolutely holy and righteous, and he is love. God is love. And so if we're going to be there, we have to be there as he is. And so we have to be holy and without blame, blameless before him in love. So verse 4 answers to him being the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we're going to be in the presence of his God, we have to be holy and blameless before him in love. But he's also the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so he goes on to say in verse 5, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children, the placing of sons. Literally, if I correct the King James, I want you to know I'm using Mr. Darby's translation to do it, I'll just say a new translation and we'll leave it there. A better rendering.
Of this passage having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons literally.
By Jesus Christ to himself, he's going to fill heaven with those that are just like him.
But we're not going to be just holy and blameless in love as servants. We're going to be there as sons.
According to the good pleasure of his will, this all flows from him.
Now think of it if he chose you and me before the foundation of the world.
Can we ever be lost?
Does it depend in any way upon us?
Our security? No, no, not a bit. You are absolutely secure.
And nothing can change that. The only thing that Satan can do in attacking us.
Is to get us to not enjoy what we have in Christ. He can't take it away from us.
He can try to rob us of the enjoyment of it.
So here's children. And this is all to the praise of the glory of His grace. You'll see in this epistle, especially grace repeatedly mentioned, because everything that God does in blessing towards us for us is grace. We haven't earned it. We don't deserve it. We haven't done anything for it. It's grace. He is as he is, As much as says I'm going to bless you, no matter how bad you are or whatever your character, I'm going to bless you.
And that's exactly what he has done. Everyone of us has a different character, some a better character than others, but this is not dependent on our character or on our disposition or anything about us. It's his purpose to bless, and nothing can change that to the praise of the glory of His grace, The glory of his grace, That's the that's the highest glory you can think of, the glory of his grace, that everything.
That he has in store for us everything that is in his counsel for us, in his purposes and will for us.
It comes to us by grace, the glory of his grace.
Wherein now I'm going to correct this wherein he hath taken us.
Into favor in the beloved.
Made us accept it is not incorrect, but it's it doesn't. It doesn't really convey the the full force of what the apostle is saying here, to the praise of the glory of his grace. He hasn't just.
Put us inside as a servant, Some low place within the door, so to speak, as we sing. But the crown, the throne, the mansion, all were ready long before.
He has taken us into favor in the beloved He sees us.
Doesn't even say in Christ, which would be not incorrect, but it says in the beloved.
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Beautiful. This is my beloved son, he said. And he sees us as he sees him.
And the nearness that we have to God is the nearness that his Son has.
It's nearer than the angels. The relationship that we are brought into is more blessed than the angels. They're not going to dwell on the Father's house that you and I are. That's a special place for His bride, for His children.
And the angels are not that close. Their servants may do his bidding.
But we are more than that.
Far more than they had in the Old Testament.
He has taken us into favor.
In the beloved made us the objects of His grace.
In the beloved.
So everything that's in his heart to bestow upon us is yours.
And mine. Whether you enjoy it or not, you may not enjoy it. There's a measure of an enjoyment in our crowd this afternoon. Some of you enjoy these things far more than I do.
And others. But they're they're here for all of us.
And then it says in whom we have redemption. Well, let's pause a minute here and let's reflect upon this surely, this, this, this calling, this choosing that we're going to be holy and blameless before him in love. Who is he talking about? Is he talking about the some angels that have never sinned? He must be talking about?
Some very elevated creatures to be brought into such a place of favor and blessing.
No, he's not talking about angels that have never sinned. He's not talking about anyone that's never sinned, it says.
In whom we have redemption through His blood. We needed to be redeemed. We were sinners. He's talking about you and me. He's talking about us. He's talking about those that have sinned against him and His Majesty. We're the objects of His love and blessing, so we needed to be redeemed.
So that's something lower than verse 6, which is to the praise of the glory of His grace, all that he's going to bring us into.
But He has to redeem us first, in whom we have redemption. Through His blood we were sinners, and that precious blood has met the eye of God and put our sins away. And we're redeemed, set free the forgiveness of sins. We have that.
We were at AI was at a hospital bed the other day visiting a young man with my wife and.
A friend of his was there, and he prayed, and at the end of his prayer he said, and and forgive us our sins.
And I just nodded to my wife and and he's a real believer and he he knows the Lord and he loves the Lord. Very sweet Christian. But he didn't seem to know that he has the forgiveness of his sins right now. He prayed for it and there's so many in like that in Christendom forgive us our sins.
No. We have the forgiveness of sins through His blood. We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace when it comes to meeting our need. It's the riches of His grace when it comes to the outflow of His heart of love, the boundless love that is in His heart to bless us.
The glory of his grace.
And wherein verse 80th abounded toward us in all wisdom.
And prudence.
He hath abounded toward us. Now whenever he uses language like this wisdom, it's God's wisdom. You can, you can, you can look for the the mystery, the truth of the mystery. It's going to be mentioned in some form, and sure enough, it is in the next verse wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, The mystery is something which in the Old Testament was a secret. Not known, not disclosed, not revealed there. But now it's out. Now it's revealed. It's the mystery of his will. What is it?
According to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself.
It's his good pleasure. It's what flows from him. It's the purpose that he has in himself, and he's going to bring it to pass. And no one of us can stop it. Satan can't stop it. Satan. Satan can rob us of our enjoyment, of our blessings, but he can't rob it. They're fixed. They're sure they've come from God, and nothing can take it away. That's precious eternal happiness and security. You can. You're just as secure and sure of heaven as you will be when you're there.
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Right now you're just as sure of it.
If you believe God.
So he's abounded toward us in all wisdom, and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will.
According to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. And here it is verse 10 that in the dispensation.
Of the fullness of times, the other translation renders that the administration.
Of the fullness of times. When is that? Well, that's the millennial reign of Christ. When he reigns here for 1000 years, he will administer the affairs of the Kingdom here on earth, and we'll have a part in that, that administration. But that's not our highest blessing at all. Our highest blessing is to be with him in the Father's house. But in the dispensation of the fullness of times, which is still future, he might gather together in one. Again, I'm going to read that.
In the other translation to head up to head up all things in the Christ, that's important. The article before the Word Christ is Christ and the Church. Here it is not always, but here it is Christ and the Church, the Christ.
That's a truth that was never revealed in the Old Testament. You get in Daniel seven that the Lord Jesus has given a Kingdom and he will reign over it. We get that in the Old Testament, but in the New. Here this mystery of his will is to head up all things in the Christ heavenly.
And earthly, not just earthly things, but heavenly things that he might head up in all things in the Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in him.
These are God's thoughts. These are God's purposes. This is God's will. This is what He's doing in the forming the assembly here. And we're a part of this heavenly company, not an earthly company. We don't have earthly blessings as our heavenly, and we're waiting for that time when we'll be there and when the dispensation of the fullness of times arrives, we'll we'll be there as well in helping in the administration.
Of the affairs of the Kingdom, but our proper place. Take just as an example of that. President Bush has a family. He lives at home. He has his family life, and then he has an administrative responsibility as the head of this country. That's his administration.
But his family life in in his heart much higher and more dear to him than his administration administrative position. And so it will be with us.
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance.
We have obtained an inheritance.
Being.
Predestinated, marked out beforehand according to the purpose of him.
Who worketh all things after the Council of his own will.
That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. Who's the we in this verse? It's the Jews who believe the gospel.
They're the ones that first trusted in Christ. They pre trusted in Christ before the nation has come to faith. The nation is still in blind unbelief. They don't believe.
Israel is over there in unbelief. But everyone that's a Christian who is, who was a Jew and is now a Christian, he's one of those that have pre trusted or first trusted in Christ. And he says in verse 12 of them that we should be to the praise of his glory who pre trusted in Christ in whom ye also trusted. Notice it changes from the we which were Jews to the ye Gentiles.
In whom he also trusted after that she heard the word of truth. So if if I had just read through verse 12 and you were a Gentile here in the 1St century, and you read that, you might say, well, what part do I have in this? Well, verse 13 says in whom ye also trusted you Gentiles. After that she heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that she believed you were sealed.
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With that Holy Spirit of promise, just as the Jews who believed were brought into this blessing, so the Gentiles now he develops this in this epistle, and especially in the second chapter.
The Holy Spirit. And then he says, which is the earnest of our inheritance.
I said to this, brother, that said that what is Christianity? He said the answer is Christ. I said what about the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the formative power down here on earth for the Christian testimony. The Holy Spirit is the one who has united us into one body and to Christ the head in heaven.
Christianity involves more than just Christ. It involves the whole Trinity.
And now we know God is our Father. They didn't know him as Father in the Old Testament. The Jews knew him as Jehovah. That was the covenant name of relationship. And they had circumcision as a sign of that covenant relationship that Jews had Israel had with Jehovah. They didn't know him, his father, though. What had to happen to introduce him to us as Father? The son had to come. Until the sun came, He wasn't known as Father.
But in Christianity we know God is our Father. We are in dwelt of the Holy Spirit.
Sealed of the spirit, we can never lose that and.
We know the sun to be our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer.
Our justifier and all that we have in him.
Christian Truth.
We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, verse 14, which is the earnest of our inheritance.
Until the redemption of the purchased possession. Now the Saints are not the purchased possession.
The whole creation has been purchased by the Lorde death and when he comes and sets it free.
You get that in Romans 8.
When we come back.
With the Lord and have the establishment of the Kingdom here, this whole creation which grown us and travail us and came together until now, we'll be set free from the ******* of corruption. It will be redeemed.
That's what he's talking about.
The earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. And when he does that, when he sets everything free and he reigns, he's going to head up everything in the Christ which is Christ, and the assembly we're going to be reigning with him. That was never revealed in the Old Testament.
That Israel would be the head nation, yes, and the Gentiles subordinate to them, Yes, they would be blessed, but not what we have here.
This is something infinitely better.
And it's our portion.
Do we live? Do I Let me address myself because.
I'm a failure.
Do I live consistently with these truths?
Do you do it?
I know I don't.
But they're true. They're my portion.
And as one brother said recently, oh, that we might enjoy what is really ours, enjoy it being living in the good of it. Satan has spread a mass of attractive items before us, toys. I said to a lady in the store, her little sun was right there and playing with one of these little cars. And I said to her, I said, well, we have toys too, but ours are much more expensive than that one.
We all have our toys.
They're not worth They're not worth anything eternally.
Not worth anything eternally will not take them to heaven.
No, but.
What we have is a head. We have it now.
We enjoy it by faith.
Notice.
In verse 16 of chapter 3, that's his second prayer. He says that he would grant you, according to the rich of his riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. The only way he can dwell in our hearts right now is by faith that we have the conscious sense of his presence with us. Wonderful prayers. Two prayers in Ephesians chapter one. We haven't come to it yet in chapter 3.
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The first one is what he wants us to know. What is really ours. That you know these things. Three things. And then in chapter three, that it might be subjectively lived out in our souls in our life down here.
So he says in verse 15. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints. Faith in the Lord Jesus produces love to all the Saints. That's beautiful.
So if you're reading his, you love all the Saints, whether they're gathered or not. You love all the Saints, if they're Saints.
You love them because they're his and he loves them.
Cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers.
Now here it is that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, the fountain. He had the source of glory, but he's, he's, he's here, the Father of our our, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in verse 14 of chapter three, he prays to the Father by my bow, my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But here it's the God verse 17 of chapter one, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father. There the thought of Father is the the source of it, The Fountainhead of glory.
May give unto you the Spirit of wisdom, and when he talks about wisdom.
He's going to talk about his.
Purposes and plans for us and revelation that are revealed to us. Something that is not found in the Old Testament in the knowledge of Him, the full knowledge of Him, full knowledge of Him. Now here it is, verse 18, The eyes of your understanding or the eyes of your heart. Other translation, being enlightened, that you may know.
This is what he wants us to know. What is the hope of his calling? The hope of his calling is not just the Rapture when he's going to take us home.
But it's everything that follows that, it's everything that he brings us into that is we're going to be in his presence, we're going to see him and we're going to be like him.
As he is. It's not just I want to go to heaven.
When I was a kid, I wasn't a Christian. I remember talking to another third grader and we went into this deep theological discussion whether there was a God or not. And we came, we came away with the conclusion, yes, there is a God, but I didn't know him. Do you want to go to heaven? Yes. Everyone wants to go to heaven. I had no idea There was a man in the glory. And sometimes a person will talk to you. I remember I was on the elevated after we had that tremendous snowstorm in Chicago and there was a black man there. And he said the man upstairs, he done showed us. He done showed us because no one was moving that day.
That was 3 feet of snow on the ground.
Well, he didn't know that there is a man upstairs. I don't think he knew he was talking about God.
But there is literally a man in the glory. Oh yeah, you ask other Christians do you know.
There's a man in the glory, and as he is, so are we. God sees us just as he sees him. We are as acceptable to God as he is.
Well, that's who do you think you are to make such a claim?
That's what they might say.
Who are you to make such a claim? Well, it's not my claim. It's what God has told me that He's brought me into. And if you're a true believer, he's brought you into that as well. Whether you enjoy it or not, whether you believe it or not, it's still true of you if you know him as your Lord and Savior.
The eyes of your heart being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and that goes far beyond just getting there. But then he's going to display it all to us. What has he called us to? And secondly, what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints? It's the Saints are not his inheritance, but it's it's he's going to take everything in the persons of the Saints. Everything. He's going to he's that he's won here as a man down in this scene. He's going to share it. The second Psalm.
The Jehovah says to his Messiah, Ask of me, and I'll give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the world for thy possession. Everything is his, and he won't take it alone. He's going to take it in his Saints. You and me, we're going to have part in that.
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And thirdly, what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe?
According to the working of his mighty power, what is he talking about? His power in creating the universe?
When he spake and it was done, he commanded, and it stood fast. No, you're not talking about his creatorial power. He's talking about taking that man, the blessed Lord Jesus, who lay dead in that tomb and quickening him and raising him and setting him in the highest place in glory. That's the power he's talking about, the power that establishes a new creation with him as the head.
The second man and the last Adam, and we are there with him.
Now if you were a Gentile in the 1St century or a Jew in the 1St century.
And you heard this, and you entered into it, and you understood it. You would be absolutely awed.
Amazed at the immensity of the grace blessedness.
Of what He has brought us into so he praised what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. There's a man at the right hand of God tonight, set there by God the Father. He set him there far above all principality and power and might and dominion, all created intelligences, all the angelic hosts, the hierarchy of heaven.
He's gone beyond that. There's a man that's gone beyond that.
And we're in that man before God. We're in a place of nearness and favor and blessing. He's taken us into favor in the beloved, and all that is his is yours and mine.
And we get interested in the little toys of earth when we have all this.
I'm guilty.
You probably are too.
And he hath put all things under his feet.
Now let me read verse 21 before I go on far above all principality and power and might and dominion in every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come, and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be or as head over not the church, here all things to the church, So he gives him as head over all things to the church.
Which is his body? First mention of that in this chapter in this Epistle, the Church, the Assembly, Which is his body, the fullness?
The completeness.
Completion of him that filleth All in all Brother asked me and says, does that mean that that without the church Christ is not complete? I said yeah, that's exactly what it means.
Christ as a man is incomplete without his bride, without his church, which is his body.
The fullness of him that filleth All in all.
Now I'm going to read verse one of chapter 2.
Without the italicized words because they really spoil it, and you who were dead in trespasses and sins.
But it says here the translators have brought hath he quickened up from verse verse.
Five. But it shouldn't be in verse one. It's not wrong, but it sort of fuzzies the point. You who were dead in trespasses and sins. That's what we were. Whether Jews or Gentiles doesn't matter. That's what we were by nature.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world.
According to the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, when it says ye walk, he's talking about those that had been Gentiles and that's how they walked. That's how we walked wearing in time past. Ye walked according to the course of this world. This just the the flow of this world. That's the way we used to walk as Gentiles. According to the Prince of the power of the air, he's the one that man likes to think in this country that he's free. He's free not. He's freezing servant to to Satan and his servant to sin.
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He that committed sin as the servant of sin. But if the Son shall make you free and deliver you from sin in its power, then you're free indeed.
And he's the only one that can free us. Yeah, that we walked according to the Prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. And then verse three brings in the Jews that had believed, among whom we also we all be Jews. We were no better. We were just as bad as these Gentiles we were used to in Judaism. Looking down upon them. We were cut above them. But he says, among whom also we all had our conversation, our manner of Life and Times past.
In the lusts of our flesh, having the law didn't stem the lust of the flesh, didn't quench it, didn't prevent it. We still lusted, just like the Gentiles.
Whom also we all had our conversation in times past, and the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
And of the mind fantasies?
Let your mind go just to meditate on the worst evils.
That there are in this world. That's what these Jews did.
And we're by nature the children of wrath, even as others now he's described.
In verses one we were dead in trespass and sins, Jews and Gentiles. Then he describes the Gentiles in verse two and the Jews in verse 3. And now he comes to God.
And it says but God, who is rich in mercy, when he's described our our lost condition, our being dead in trespasses and sins, and living according to the course of this world and and fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. That's what we were, whether we were Jews or Gentiles now He We needed mercy. We needed deliverance from that state of sin.
And that's the thought behind mercy. Mercy gives deliverance. And so it says God who is rich in mercy.
He can deliver us from that awful condition that we were in for his great love, wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. Now that's where the quickening belongs. After he's described our lost and ruined condition. And then He says God comes in in mercy and delivers us by giving us life, a new life, the very life of Christ.
Quickened us together with Christ, and then he says by grace you are saved. Now he brings the word grace in.
Now we can expect that he's going to unfold blessings, further blessings. The riches that He's brought us into mercy delivers us from the evil, and grace brings us into the blessing that He has for us.
Even when we were dead in sins, verse 5 hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace you're saved. And then hath raised us up together. Not only given us life, that's the opposite of being dead in trespasses and sins. That's mercy. He's given us life and delivered us from that dead condition, but now he's raised us up together with Christ. That's grace. That's going beyond just reversing the condition we were in is bringing us into something better, a new creation.
He's raised this up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Now if you're seated in heavenly places, if you've been raised, that means you no longer have to do with this world. You've died to it and you were dead in sins and.
He was dead and he was quickened. He was raised, and now he's quickened us and raised us and seated us there. What part do we have?
In participating in the affairs of this world to improve it.
We will improve it. If we live Christ, we will improve it. That will have the most powerful effect.
That we can have if all Christians would walk as Christians. What a tremendous impact.
That would have on this world and it would stem.
The type of evil, the very presence. Our presence still here with the spirit of God. All Christians. I don't mean just us. I'm talking about all believers, stems the tide of evil mystery of nicotine. I've already worked Only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way. There's the restraining power and we're still here, but we don't. We're not called upon. We had that brought out in the reading. We're not called upon to set the world right.
He will do that. We're called upon to represent the place that He's brought us into and to try to deliver those that are still ******* to sin and to Satan out of that condition and bring them into the place of blessing that as he's brought us into.
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Verse 6 Again he hath raised us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
As one who's sitting there and has entered that scene.
We are out of this world and for us to get engaged in it in.
Setting its affairs right is not acting consistently with our place in Christ. I know we have to pass through it, we have to make a living and so on. But we don't have to try to be someone, or to obtain any kind of fame or a position of status or a hero.
Or a someone they look up to.
No, we want to point everyone to Christ.
Not I, but Christ. He must increase, John said. I must decrease.
That ought to be our attitude.
Now that's true of us. Right now we're seated in the heavenlies in Christ. But then the next verse tells us what's ahead, That in the ages, verse seven, in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Will this ever end? I don't think so.
In the ages to come, he's going to show to us the exceeding riches of His grace. Will that ever be exhausted? Will he ever exhaust that?
I don't think so.
And we go out after the soap bubbles of this world. Shame on me. Shame on any of us to do that.
When all this is ours already, we're just waiting to enter into it in its fullness.
We're being tested.
How much do these things really mean to us?
How important are they to us?
Does the world really have something to offer?
That can even come close to what is ours already in Christ.
We enjoy it by faith.
By faith.
That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace.
In kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. That's inexhaustible. That's something like his prayer in the third chapter to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. How can you know something that passes knowledge that's beyond knowing. To know Something that's beyond knowing. I like what a brother wrote on that, he said. The apostle supposes us. Launched upon a shoreless sea, and we'll have all eternity to explain. It will never come to the shore.
All eternity.
The love of Christ.
And this is something like that.
Then he says in verse 8, For by grace are you saved through faith. Grace is what made all of this possible for us.
And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
He puts that in there so that we can be absolutely certain that all of this comes from God, flows through Christ, and by the Spirit we enter into the enjoyment of it.
But we don't. We didn't. We didn't earn it. We don't deserve it in any way. Pure sovereign grace.
Let me tell this story. Some of you have heard me say it before. Two older ladies were talking together.
Someone came up to them and said, did you hear that John Smith got saved last night? He'd been a thief, he'd been a.
A drunkard. He'd gotten into drugs. He'd gotten into all kinds of things.
And he got saved last night in an evangelistic meeting. Oh, so the other sister said. I you read, you're sure he's saying, Oh yes, he's just bubbling over with Christ.
And she said, well, if he got saved, that had to be nothing but sovereign grace.
01:00:00
You get the point.
How did you get saved? How did I get saved?
Just as bad as you were.
The Threshold
Children—H. Short
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Like to start Sunday school by singing with me. And some of your children can't read and even don't know numbers. So if you have a song you just tell my name is Mr. Short. You'd say I would like to sing a little ship or Jesus Loves me. You can just tell me what song it is. You don't have to give a number out and then we'll try to sing that song for you. What is your choice?
45.
And that's Two little eyes. And I'll ask someone to start these songs for us this morning #45.
40 And we'll sing the 1St 2 verses of #40.
Children, I just want to say something to mom and dad a minute.
That.
I was a dad, I am a dad and we had this many children, as many children's in this role and.
Don't worry about what your children are doing up here.
I know they might not be.
You know, might make you nervous. But don't be nervous. Don't worry about what your children are doing up here, OK? Another choice.
All right #29.
See.
If I get worried about them, I'll call you up.
#29 Let's sing the 1St 2 verses of 29.
Ruler once came to Jesus by night to ask him the way of salvation and blind the masterpiece answering.
OK, what song would you like to sing?
Even if it's not in here, if you just know the name of it, we'll sing it.
I know.
#4
sing the 1St 2 verses of #4.
I am praying.
For me.
Now I can say I am why I am why I can't?
Another choice.
I know a song. OK, which one is it? 3646?
OK, #46 we've seen all of 46.
00:10:13
#11 all right.
Let's sing the 1St 2 verses of #11. The reason I'm not singing them all is so more children can have choices. So first two verses of #11.
Grounded. Fermented in the Savior.
Let's see one more song.
Someone would like to choose the last song.
If we could sing, do any of you know a little child of seven or even 3 or 4?
Oh, here's one. OK, what would you like to say?
I agree. Do you have?
Special one? Which one?
OK.
Someone sorry a message came from heaven.
Came from.
Away what's in the whole place by falls on the gospel and gospel.
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, we ask thy blessing on this time. Together we pray Lord Jesus in thy name. Amen.
Now, I heard a mom ask her little boy if he'd worked on his verse. So I know some of you have learned a verse this week, and I'd like you to say it. If you'd like to say a verse this morning I give you a chance to save verse. Who has a verse they'd like to say?
00:15:14
Anyone want to be first OK?
And the chest type.
I see.
A 53.
6th I'm not sure.
53 five thank you.
OK.
Said same one.
I'm going to get that verse just a minute because.
And I can help you better.
Probably learn maybe part of it.
OK, he was wounded.
He was proved.
For our iniquities.
See how I like that? Because there's a dad that knows laws just don't work. So.
Yeah, and the chastisement of our peace.
Was upon him.
Did you learn that? And with your stripes, wear heel too?
Very, very good. Thank you.
Anyone else wanna favors OK?
OK.
Let's see.
He was wounded.
Transgressions with fire nickel this.
That were peaceful upon him, Melissa's strengths were healed.
50 3.
He was wounded.
For our transgressions.
He was bruised.
For our iniquities.
And the chastisement?
Upon him.
And with his stripes.
Say a 55535.
Thank you very much.
He was wounded. He was wounded.
Chest tightness.
Thanks very much.
OK.
And move the straps for your asset if you could.
Very much.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Anyone else want to say it, I'll help you because I would need help to say that if if I was supposed to say this verse I would need help so.
00:20:09
OK, well we'll talk a little bit about someone else who was bruised and and why the Lord Jesus had to be bruised. I want to talk to you about.
Some children in the Bible, the first little boy I want to talk to you about got sick.
Has anyone have any of your children ever gotten sick?
You got sick. You've been sick. Well, most of us have been sick. Have any of you ever had to go to the hospital because you were sick?
Yeah, OK.
Kind of remember that. All right, let's look at a boy who didn't go to the hospital, but his mom and dad did something else with him when he got sick. It's in the In the Book of Kings, First Kings Chapter 14 in Idaho. Read all of the story about this boy. His name was Abijah, and he apparently was a little boy, and he got sick one day.
Sometimes children, you know we're seeing mom and dads have to face sometimes is when you get sick because when you get sick and I mean really sick, mom and dad get really worried and sometimes they talk to each other. What shall we do? And so this little boy there he was really sick. Not not didn't just hurt his finger or.
Cut himself or anything, but he was really sick and mom and dad talked to each other. Here's what went on at that time. First Kings chapter 14. The son of Jeroboam of Aija, the son of Jeroboam fell sick and Jeroboam said to his wife. In other words, dad said to his mother. To the little boy's mother, he said to her.
A goal, he said to her.
And get thee to Shiloh. Behold, there is a Hydra, the prophet which told me that I should be king over this people.
And he they talked it over and instead of going to the doctor, this father said, I think you need to go down to this prophet of God and and see this prophet of God. And here's why he wanted his wife to go down there, this little boy's mom to go down there. Down in verse three it says the prophet he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.
This dad knew that this prophet who who was in contact with God, would be able to tell them if their little boy was going to live or if the little boy was going to die.
What do you think Mom and Dad wanted to happen to this little boy? He was a nice little boy too.
They did.
They did. They wanted that little boy to live, but they didn't know if he was going to live or if he was going to die. And they thought they were quite sure that a hydra, the Prophet would be able to tell them, yes, Abijah, your boy is going to live or he's going to die. And so mother went down to see this man on this journey. And I don't know how far it was down there, but it was a ways. And she went down there.
And met this man, this prophet, and down in verse six it says when Hija heard the sound of her feet.
He said come in the wife of Jeroboam, he said come on in. I'm not reading all the details of it, but he invited this mother to come in.
And then he tells her something, he said.
I am sent to thee with heavy tidings. Oh.
What does it mean to have heavy tidings?
00:25:03
Have you ever heard about glad tidings? We sing a song Gee, Glad Tidings, Glad TIDINGS.
What do you think this mom must have felt when this prophet of God said to mother, I'm telling you, the Lord sent me.
With heavy tidings.
You think that made her happy? What is a heavy tidings? I had a friend, a good friend, and he used to say to me one time, once in a while. That's pretty heavy.
That's pretty heavy.
What would heavy tidings be?
Oh, children, it would be to be told something that just kind of made you sad.
Have you ever heard anything that made you sad?
Maybe, oh, somebody backed over your bicycle and broke your bicycle. Or maybe you were playing with a ball and and you broke a window and the sound of the window.
Have you ever heard anything that kind of made you just feel sad? Well, that's what I just told this mom, she he said. I'm going to tell you something, really.
Is going to make you sad.
And it's one of the sadest stories you could find in the Bible.
He tells her down in verse 12. Arise, though, get thee to thine house now if you were a little boy and you were really, really sick.
Would you want Mommy by you? Would you like it if Mommy was there with you?
Now this mom was off there in Shiloh, quite a ways away from her little boy.
And hide your The Prophet says you go back to be with your little boy. If you were sick, would you like mommy to be by you?
I would. I would, yes. I had a little boy. He wasn't very sick either. Well, he had to have his tonsils out and he had to stay overnight in the hospital. And I was there till about 11:00 at night. And he went to sleep. And I asked the nurses, I said, now, are you going to be waking him up in the night? No, he should sleep through the night. So I thought, well, I will slip home. And I came back 5:00 in the morning.
My little boy was was asleep and I was pretty pleased. I got back to my little boy before he woke up, and when he woke up, you know what he said? He said. Daddy, you left me.
Oh, I feel so bad. I wish to this day I hadn't left him, but I did. We like to have Mom and Daddy buy us when we're sick. And so this mommy, I just said you go back home. But here was the heavy part about it.
Says to this mommy, when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.
What would you do children?
What do you think you would want to do if you were that mommy? If I ask every mommy in this room for what they would do if a prophet of God told him, here she is down here?
By the prophet of God, and there is the threshold of the city and the prophet says when you cross that line.
Your little boy is going to die.
That's heavy, isn't it? That's a sad story, and I'm sure that mommy thought, I don't want to go home.
But she didn't have any choice, children, the prophet of God told her, You've got to do that.
It's going to happen And So what do you think? As she walked along that dusty Rd.
Every step getting closer to that threshold.
Closer And her little boy right there. So sick. So very, very sick.
00:30:04
And she comes closer and closer. I think she got bent down sometimes. You know, children, things are so sad.
It just, it does just break your heart. You you think, well, if I could just do something to change something, but no, Mama couldn't do anything. She had to go back because the word of God told her.
And she got right here, and I think she must have thought, oh Lord, I can't hardly do this, but she had to do it.
What happened to her little boy?
When she crossed her threshold.
Well, the Bible doesn't tell us to guess about it. It tells us when she did that.
In June he died verse 17, and Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and came to Tursa, and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died.
And that's a sad story, children.
Now I want to talk about some other children.
There could be sadder, sadder than this. Even now. It's a sad story. That little boy died because mother.
Went home.
Mother came home and the little boy died.
Now I'd like to turn to the book of Isaiah for these other children, Chapter One.
Nobody say yeah.
And I don't know that these children are given names, but I would like you to think of whether or not you could be like these children here.
In Isaiah chapter one and verse 2 The Lord is talking, and in the middle of verse two he said, I have nourished and brought up children.
You know when you were born, you're a Christian daddy and mommy.
When you were born.
They knew a verse in the Bible and this verse told mom and dad, you know, bring up your children in the nurture and add addition of the Lord. And so they tried to do that and that's why you're here this morning. I never came to a Sunday. My mom and dad never brought me to a Sunday school like this.
So they weren't that concerned.
That I learn about the Lord Jesus. But now these children, they were brought up by the Lord.
And a strange thing happened to these children. It says they have rebelled against me. And so children, something happened when these children, they they just said to the Lord, I don't want you to bring me up. I don't like the way you're bringing me up now.
My I've been in Sunday schools like this for.
Close to 45 years.
And I've seen children just your size.
And I've heard him talk to them just like you're being talked to this morning. And I've watched them and they grew up and they said, I am tired of going to Sunday school. I'm not going to go anymore. And they didn't. And they just left. And they went off and did things that they were taught they shouldn't do. That's what it means to rebel against the Lord. It's like if mom and daddy say something to you.
And if you don't say it with your lips but you say it in your heart, I don't want to do that.
That's what rebelling is. And these children were brought up this way by the Lord perfect upbringing and they rebelled against him. And as a result it says about these children.
Down in verse 5.
Why they'd They'd gone away backward in verse four. Why should ye be stricken anymore?
00:35:01
You know, sometimes when dads and moms have children and all children seem to do this?
They say no.
And Dad or Mama?
May have to spank them. The Lord did that for these children. He tried to correct them, but they went on their rebellious way. And here's what happened to them because they didn't want the Lord to bring them up. They they said, I don't want your Lord. It says hear about them.
The whole head Why should you be stricken anymore?
He will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick.
The Lord said. I look at these children and they are just sick children.
Now this is not talking about just real sickness, but this is talking about the worst kind of sickness there is, and that's rebellion against the Lord. It's what we might call spiritual sickness. It's a sickness that's inside that the Lord can see. Now let's remember this child. We were talking about Abijah and his mom. Remember mom and daddy? Yesterday they sat in meeting and they were told.
They were told this, that they are on the way home.
In one, Mr. Highland, he said. You know what?
We are closer to the threshold of being.
At home in the father's house.
We're closer than anyone has ever been.
Mom and dad are about to cross that threshold and go home.
Now if you are like one of these children.
Whose head is sick? You haven't changed your mind. You haven't turned to the Lord. You haven't had the Lord Jesus wash your sins away. It's pretty dangerous because if mom and dad take that last step today.
If the Lord Jesus takes him to the Father's house in their home, and you're still sick children, you're going to die.
You're going to die the worst kind of sin, the worst kind of death. You're going to die in your sins.
And mom and Dad knew that. And so they wanted you to come to Sunday school this morning, one daddy told me. He said you've got a big responsibility to talk to all these little children.
I do feel that too, because I love your children. I love, just love children.
But I know mom and dad are going to cross that threshold. And if you haven't given in to the Lord Jesus.
If you're still rebelling against the Lord Jesus, you're saying no in your heart. You know, I I had a little granddaughter won't tell your name, but she's grown now. But when she was little, maybe two years old just could talk, she said. I don't want to be saved.
He said that she had her older sister. Her older sister said oh, don't say that.
And her older sister paid for her.
And ask the Lord Jesus to get her heart. And it wasn't about a few days later.
A younger sister.
Said she accepted the Lord Jesus as her savior and was saved.
I wonder, children, how are you this morning as you sit here, You know mom and dad are both, I suppose, to crossover and go home. And if they go home and you still are resisting the Lord, you still haven't said Lord Jesus, I want you as my savior and if they go home they will leave you behind.
00:40:00
And you would die.
In your sins and then we're denied. You would have to die again the second death.
Don't have to happen. I'm glad that I'm not like the height of the prophet. I'm glad that I don't have to just come with heavy tidings. I'm glad I can tell your children. You don't have to. You can get healed before mom and dad crossover. Because the Lord said right now, right now.
You come to me and you can be saved. And instead of being left behind to die, you can cross right over with mom and Dad right into the father's house. What a wonderful, wonderful thing that would be if the Lord Jesus says this morning, this is the last step. You know, Mr. Short, walk a lot at home. And during my life's walking at home, I've met a lot of people.
In my little town, and I've become acquainted with them. Some of them were Christians.
And some of them. One old lady, dear sister, dear older lady, she and I. Sometimes I would catch up with her, and then I would slow down and we would walk together. And one day I heard that she had taken her last step in Carlisle.
She'll never see her there again. The Lord took her home.
With children, if mom and daddy know the Lord as their savior.
And they take that last step today and go into the Father's house. And I'm talking about the Lord coming and taking all the believers out of this room and you're left behind. You'll be left behind to die. And I don't want that to happen. And so in that chapter of Isaiah, it does say something will close with.
The Lord says down in verse 16.
He says wash you, make you clean, put away evil of your doings before mine eyes cease to do evil. He is saying repent, change your mind, don't go on rebelling against the Lord. And so he wants children. In verse 18 he says this come now, right now. Well Mr. Short is talking in Sunday school to you. He is saying, look, this is a reality.
Mom and dad are going home. Children, they're going home and we don't know.
If we've got this many steps to take or not, but it's true, it's a reality. Mom and dad knows the Lord Jesus as their savior, just says, Mr. Highland said. We're getting closer and we're getting closer and we're getting closer to that threshold, to the father's house, and it's as if the Lord has stopped me and said, Mr. Short, tell those children right here to come now, don't wait any longer.
Come right now this morning, and let us reason together though your sins. Be a scarlet.
They shall be as white as snow, though they be red like Crimson. They shall be as wolves and then children. If you come right now, it won't matter if mom and dad cross the threshold and go home, because you'll go home with them.
That's something you have to decide. Do you want to cross the threshold with mom and dad the only way you can do it?
Is have your sins washed away and you can do that right now. You can say, Lord Jesus, I don't want to rebel anymore. I want you as my savior. Let's pray, Lord Jesus, bless thy word to the dear children, oh Lord, that none would be left behind. We pray.
We ask it in thy name, Lord Jesus, and for thy glory, and for the blessing of these precious little souls.
We pray, Lord and thy name. Amen.
Heart and worship.
His glory now we really.
00:55:03
All right, bring joy.
On Earth.
We're in all hands.
Created all the way to the heart of God.
Heaven.
For God.
'S dream.
Let me go ahead and.
Pick up.
Bringing what I want to bring with pride and.
And everything.
01:05:06
Grandstand.
All right.
Oh my God, bring your heart. Whatever.
Translate.
Great. Welcome back to this man.
'S merry it shall not go forever again to do and together.
By the bird and shame.
On the slaughter from the core.
Run the glory from the glory.
To God.
Frost, you can't, my Lord.
Glory, thou may, glory.
Around different.
Things like your name.
The Grace of God
Address—C. Hendricks
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Ephesians chapter 1.
Now it's not going to be possible to cover.
Everything that I'll read.
But it's always good to have the word read before us.
And then we can glean from it.
Some of these precious thoughts that are his, that come from Him and the unique character of this epistle is that it It's God disclosing, revealing to us what His plan for eternity, for us, for His Son, and for us is marvelous that He has let us in.
To his eternal thoughts.
Concerning Christ and his assembly.
In this scene and then forever with him, the Lord.
Let's just read Ephesians 1.
And then we'll go on from there.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. And I want you to notice how often in this chapter we read of the will of God.
The the purpose of God.
The intent of God in all that he's doing. You'll come across these words that express this.
And Paul's apostleship was by the will of God to the Saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us.
With all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath.
Made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.
Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will.
According to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven.
And which are on earth even in him and whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated.
According to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the Council.
Of His own will, purpose, counsel, will, that we should be to the praise of His glory.
Who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted? After that she heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom also after that she believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption.
Of the purchased possession unto the praise of His glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the Saints, cease not to give thanks for you. Making mention of you in my prayers, that the God Notice he prays 3 things here, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that she may know, here's the first thing, that she may know. What is the hope of his calling, and secondly, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints? And thirdly, what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward, who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him?
The dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church which is his body.
00:05:00
The fullness of him that filleth All in all.
I want you to imagine.
Maybe that's a bad word.
I want you to put yourself in the position you may choose either being a Jew with the knowledge that the Jew had from the Old Testament Scriptures, or a Gentile. It might be very difficult to put yourself in the shoes of a Gentile not knowing what part of the Gentile world I'm talking about. And I don't know what a part I'm talking about. I'm just talking about Gentiles.
But this chapter contains blessings for Jews and Gentiles.
In fact, the whole epistle does, and they form something brand new that was never known before in the Old Testament scriptures. You can search the Old Testament through and through and you won't find it there. Of this body he talks about in verse 23, which is His body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all. His body doesn't tell us who makes up the body, yet he tells us that as he goes on into this wonderful.
Epistle.
Isn't it wonderful that in this portion of God's Word we have the truth flowing from God, originating in God and flowing to us from God, His thoughts, His purposes, His counsels, and we are, we're part of that. We're brought into a a relationship with Him that is something that was never known before.
I was talking to a brother and the question was raised at the outset of the first reading.
The question is what is Christianity and the brother came to me after and he said one word tells us Christianity is Christ. Well, not quite Yes, that's true. That's true. But Christ as he was down here as Messiah to Israel. No, that's not Christianity. Christianity didn't even begin while the Lord was here on earth. It didn't even begin until.
After he rose again from the dead, it didn't begin until he ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
And then sent down the Holy Spirit to unite into one body. The believers, his disciples, his Jewish disciples to unite into one body. That was the birthday of the church. That's when Christianity began.
So it's not enough to say that Christ is the answer.
As far as what is Christianity, when he comes back and establishes his Kingdom and reigns here for 1000 years, we'll be with him and share in that reign. But that's not Christianity either. That's when righteousness will reign.
Today righteousness is not raining. Grace is raining through righteousness and it's different. What is Christianity means the question, at least to that was raised, means what is the true character of the day in which we live? Christianity. Because when the Lord comes and takes us home, Christianity will cease to exist here on earth, and then he'll start dealing again with his ancient people.
Israel and other another order of blessing will be introduced with a view to the establishment of his rights here as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But he's not reigning today. He's in rejection today, and that was brought out in the readings. He's in rejection and we are identified with him in the most intimate and blessed relationship and place ever known before, something that goes beyond any revelation to the Jew.
Testament, and certainly infinitely beyond anything the Gentiles had.
Because they didn't even know the true God. They were without God in this world. The Jews had the knowledge of the true God insofar as he had.
Been pleased to reveal it to them at that time, but the truth, the full truth that we have unfolded here couldn't be brought out until.
The Son of God, the eternal Son, became a man and came into this world and as he walked here for 33 years.
Spoke of God as my father.
ABBA Father.
In the most intimate way.
And the Jews were very offended by this. Who is he? Who art thou? You're making yourself equal with God. Yes, he was, because he was equal with God.
But in order to introduce Christianity, he had to become a man, present himself to his earthly people, Israel. They rejected him.
00:10:06
And put him to death.
And then he rose.
And then he ascended.
And sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. And then he sends the Holy Spirit down to form the assembly, the Church of the living God. And that's when Christianity began. And that's when we are living. We are in a different dispensation today than the dispensation of the law. That was 1500 years when they were under law and the dispensation of the Kingdom which is to follow this one.
Is entirely different when.
Righteousness will reign when every morning.
Outward sins that have been committed will be dealt with and judged. Not so today. Today, grace is reigning.
Through righteousness, Very different. And it's important if we are to know how to conduct ourselves in this present day of grace. We have to know what Christianity really is.
Really is.
So if you can, put yourself back in the 1St century.
When you didn't have a complete Bible.
And someone says we've received an epistle from Paul. This is an Ephesus, the assembly at Ephesus. I'm going to read it to you. I've just read you the 1St chapter. And we have, we've got the tremendous privilege in this 21St century to have a whole chapter, to have the whole book.
To have the whole Bible complete tremendous, tremendous advantage we have over those early Christians, he says in verse three. I'm not going to comment on every verse.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You notice he doesn't ever in the epistles address him as Heavenly Father. It's always the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He taught his disciples on earth, his Jewish disciples to address him as our Father, which is in heaven and so on. There are some Christians that still do that. It's not wrong, but it doesn't it doesn't come to the the blessedness of what we have.
In Christianity, he's the God and Father.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ, that one who was God and become a man and now has put our sins away by his death on the cross.
Raised again and seated at the right hand of God.
Well, he pronounces God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ blessed.
Who hath blessed us? Now, if you were a Jew, you can contrast what I'm going to read here with what the promise for the Jew was. If he had been an obedient Jew and a godly Jew, and lived according to the Law, he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
The Jews blessings were material.
And they were earthly, ours, our spiritual and heavenly.
According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
The earthly people, Israel was chosen from the foundation of the world because when he established this world and he chose some to to live here and to rule here and to represent him here, but we were chosen before the foundation of the world.
Before this world ever existed.
He had in his thoughts a bride for his son.
Whom he would have to assume manhood.
And that was before man was ever created.
These are all thoughts of God.
In Genesis 1, the Trinity.
Speaking among themselves, they said, Let us make man in our image and after our likeness, and then he put him here as the head of this earthly creation, and everything was subjected to him.
Well, that was just, that was just a prelude to what he would do later. After the first man failed, He would send the second man, the last Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, who never failed. And just as he made a bride for Adam, he has made a bride for Christ. And you and I are part of that part of that heavenly bride, not an earthly bride. He has an earthly bride as well, Jerusalem, Song of Solomon.
00:15:04
Is about the earthly brights, not about the heavenly bride. It's often.
Ministered on that way. But it's not about the heavenly bride. The heavenly bride is the church or the Assembly.
The culled out ones were not a part of this world. The earthly bride was a part of this world, Jerusalem.
He has chosen us in Him, verse 4, before the foundation of the world.
That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Now we know from John's epistle that God is light and that God is love.
If we're going to be in his presence, we must be there according to his nature. And he is light. He's absolute holiness.
He's absolutely holy and righteous and he is love. God is love.
And so if we're going to be there, we have to be there as he is. And so we have to be holy and without blame, blameless before Him in love.
Verse 4 answers to Him being the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we're going to be in the presence of His God, we have to be holy and blameless before Him in love. But He's also the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so he goes on to say in verse 5, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children, the placing of sons literally.
If I correct the King James, I want you to know I'm using Mr. Darby's translation to do it. I'll just say a new translation.
And we'll leave it there, a better rendering of this passage. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons, literally by Jesus Christ to himself, He's going to fill heaven with those that are just like Him. But we're not going to be just holy and blameless in love as servants. We're going to be there as sons.
According to the good pleasure of His will, this all flows from Him.
Now think of it.
If He chose you and me before the foundation of the world, can we ever be lost?
Does it depend in any way upon us?
Our security.
No, no, not a bit.
You are absolutely secure and nothing can change that. The only thing that Satan can do.
In his in attacking us is to get us to not enjoy what we have in Christ. He can't take it away from us.
He can try to rob us of the enjoyment of it.
So we're here as children, and this is all to the praise of the glory of His grace. You'll see in this epistle especially grace repeatedly mentioned, because everything that God does in blessing towards us, for us is grace.
We haven't earned it, we don't deserve it. We haven't done anything for it. It's grace.
He is. He is a notch who says I'm going to bless you. No matter how bad you are or whatever your character, I'm going to bless you.
And that's exactly what he has done. Everyone of us has a different character.
Some a better character than others, but this is not dependent on our character or on our disposition or anything about us. It's His purpose to bless, and nothing can change that.
To the praise of the glory of his grace, the glory of his grace. That's the highest glory you can think of. The glory of his grace, that everything.
That He has in store for us everything that is in His counsels for us, in His purposes and will for us.
It comes to us by grace, glory of his grace.
Wherein now I'm going to correct this, wherein he hath taken us into favor.
In the beloved.
Made us accept it is not incorrect, but it doesn't it doesn't really convey the the full force of what the apostle is saying here.
To the praise of the glory of His grace, He hasn't just.
Put us inside as a servant, some low place within the door, so to speak, as we sing. But the crown, the throne, the mansion, all were ready long before. He has taken us into favor. In the Beloved He sees us. And it doesn't even say in Christ, which would be not incorrect, but it says in the beloved.
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Beautiful.
This is my beloved son, he said. And you know he sees us as he sees him.
And the nearness that we have to God is the nearness that his Son has.
It's nearer than the angels.
The relationship that we are brought into is more blessed than the angels. They're not going to dwell on the Father's house.
You and I are.
That's a special place.
For his right.
For his children.
And the angels are not.
That close, their servants may do his bidding.
But we are more than that.
Far more than they had in the Old Testament.
He has taken us into favor.
In the beloved.
Made us the objects of his grace.
In the beloved.
So everything that's in his heart to bestow upon us is yours.
And mine, Whether you enjoy it or not, you may not enjoy it. There's a measure of enjoyment in our crowd this afternoon. Some of you enjoy these things far more than I do.
And others. But they're here for all of us.
And then it says in whom we have redemption. Let's pause a minute here and let's reflect upon this. Surely this this.
This calling, this choosing that we're going to be holy and blameless before him in love. Who is he talking about? Is he talking about some angels that have never sinned? He must be talking about.
Some very elevated creatures to be brought into such a place of favor and blessing.
No, he's not talking about angels that have never sinned. He's not talking about anyone that's never sinned, it says.
In whom we have redemption through His blood. We needed to be redeemed. We were sinners. He's talking about you and me. He's talking about us. He's talking about those that have sinned against Him and His Majesty. We're the objects of His love and blessing, so we needed to be redeemed.
So that's something lower than verse 6, which is to the praise of the glory of his grace, all that He's going to bring us into.
But He has to redeem us first.
In whom we have redemption through his blood.
We were sinners, and that precious blood has met the eye of God and put our sins away.
And we're redeemed, set free the forgiveness of sins. We have that.
We were at AI was at a hospital bed the other day visiting a young man with my wife and.
A friend of his was there and he prayed, and the end of his prayer he said and and forgive us our sins.
And I just nodded to my wife and.
He is a real believer and he he knows the Lord and he loves the Lord. A very sweet Christian, but he didn't seem to know that he has the forgiveness of his sins right now.
He prayed for it and there are so many like that in Christendom.
Forgive us our sins.
No, we have the forgiveness of sins through His blood. We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. When it comes to meeting our need, it's the riches of His grace. When it comes to the outflow of His heart of love, the boundless love that is in His heart to bless us, it's the glory of His grace.
And wherein verse 80th abounded toward us in all wisdom.
And prudence.
He hath abounded toward us. Now whenever he uses language like this, wisdom, it's God's wisdom. You can, you can, you can look for the the mystery, the truth of the mystery. It's going to be mentioned in some form. And sure enough, it is in the next verse wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will. The mystery is something which in the Old Testament was a secret, not known, not disclosed, not revealed there. But now it's out. Now it's revealed. It's the mystery of His will. What is it?
According to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.
It's his good pleasure in what flows from him. It's the purpose that he has in himself, and he's going to bring it to pass. And no one of us can stop it. Satan can't stop it, Satan. Satan can rob us of our enjoyment, of our blessings, but he can't rob it.
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They're fixed, they're sure. They've come from God.
And nothing can take it away. That's precious, eternal happiness and security. You can. You're just as secure and sure of heaven as you will be when you're there right now. You're just as sure of it if you believe God.
So He's abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself. And here it is, verse 10. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times.
The other translation renders that the administration of the fullness of times. When is that? Well, that's the millennial reign of Christ. When he reigns here for 1000 years, He will administer the affairs of the Kingdom here on earth, and we'll have a part in that, that administration.
But that's not our highest blessing at all. Our highest blessing is to be with Him in the Father's house. But in the dispensation of the fullness of times, which is still future, He might gather together in one again. I'm going to read that in the other translation to head up.
To head up all things in the Christ, that's important.
The article before the word Christ is Christ and the Church. Here it is not always, but here it is Christ and the Church, the Christ.
That's a truth that was never revealed in the Old Testament you get in Daniel 7.
That the Lord Jesus has given a Kingdom and he will reign over it. We get that in the Old Testament, but in the New here this mystery of His will is to head up all things in the Christ, heavenly and earthly. Not just earthly things, but heavenly things, that he might head up in all things in the Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth.
Even in him, these are God's thoughts.
These are God's purposes. This is God's will. This is what he's doing in the forming the assembly here. And we're a part of this heavenly company. It's not an earthly company. We don't have earthly blessings. Ours are heavenly and we're waiting for that time when we'll be there and when the dispensation of the fullness of times arrives.
We'll we'll be there as well in helping in administration.
Of the affairs of the Kingdom, but our proper place. Take just as an example of that. President Bush has a family, he lives at home, he has his family life. And then he has an administration responsibility as the head of this country. That's his administration.
But his family life in his heart much higher and more dear to him than his administration administrative position. And so it will be with us, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance.
We have obtained.
And inheritance being.
Predestinated.
Marked out beforehand according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
That we should be to the praise of His glory.
Who first trusted in Christ? Who is the we in this verse?
It's the Jews who believe the gospel.
They are the ones that first trusted in Christ. They pre trusted in Christ before the nation has come to faith. The nation is still in blind unbelief. They don't believe.
Israel is over there in unbelief, but everyone that's a Christian who is.
Who was a Jew and is now a Christian?
He's one of those that have pre trusted or first trusted in Christ and he says in verse 12 of them that we should be to the praise of his glory, who pre trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted. Notice it changes from the we which were Jews to the ye Gentiles.
In whom he also trusted. After that she heard the word of truth. So if I had just read through verse 12 and you were a Gentile here in the 1St century and you read that, you might say, well what part do I have in this? Well, verse 13 says, In whom ye also trusted you Gentiles.
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After that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Just as the Jews who believed were brought into this blessing, so the Gentiles. Now he develops this in this epistle, and especially in the second chapter.
The Holy Spirit and then he says, Which is the earnest of our inheritance.
I said to this brother that said that what is Christianity? He said the answer is Christ. I said, what about the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the formative power down here on earth for the Christian testimony. The Holy Spirit is the one who has united us into one body and to Christ the head in heaven.
Christianity involves more than just Christ. It involves the whole Trinity. And now we know God is our Father. They didn't know him as Father in the Old Testament. The Jews knew him as Jehovah.
That was the covenant name of relationship, and they had circumcision as a sign of that covenant relationship. The Jews had, Israel had with Jehovah but didn't know him, His father though.
What had to happen to introduce him to us as Father? The Son had to come. Until the Son came, He wasn't known as Father, but in Christianity.
We know God is our Father. We are indwelt of the Holy Spirit, sealed of the Spirit.
We can never lose that.
And we know the sun to be our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer.
Our Justifier and all that we have in him. Christian truth. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, verse 14, which is the earnest of our inheritance.
Until the redemption of the purchased possession, now the Saints are not.
The purchased possession.
The whole creation has been purchased.
By the Lord's death.
And when he comes and sets it free.
You get that in Romans 8.
When we come back.
With the Lord and have the the establishment of the Kingdom here, this whole creation which groaneth and travail us and pain together until now will be set free from the ******* of corruption. It will be redeemed. That's what he's talking about, the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. And when he does that.
When he sets everything free and he reigns, he's going to head up everything in the Christ, which is Christ in the assembly. We're going to be reigning with him.
That was never revealed in the Old Testament.
That Israel will be the head nation, yes, and the Gentiles subordinate to them, yes, they would be blessed, but not what we have here.
Oh, this is something infinitely better.
And it's our portion.
Do we live? Do I? Let me address myself.
Because I'm a failure.
Do I live consistently with these truths?
Do you? Do you do it?
I know I don't.
But they're true.
They're my portion.
And as one brother said recently, oh that we might enjoy what is really ours.
Enjoy it being living in the good of it.
Satan has spread a mass of attractive items before us.
Toys, I said to a lady in the store. Your little son was right there and playing with one of these little little cars.
And I said to her, I said, well, we have toys too, but ours are much more expensive than that one.
We all have our toys.
They don't work, they're not worth anything eternally.
Not worth anything eternally. Will not take them to heaven.
No, but.
What we have is a head.
We have it now.
We enjoy it by faith.
Notice.
In verse 16 of chapter 3, that's his second prayer, He says that He would grant you, according to the rich, of his riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.
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The only way He can dwell in our hearts right now is by faith that we have the conscious sense.
Of his presence with us.
Wonderful prayers, 2 prayers in Ephesians chapter one. We haven't come to it yet. In chapter 3. The first one is what he wants us to know what is really ours, that you know these things, three things. And then in chapter 3, that it might be subjectively lived out in our souls, in our life down here.
So he says in verse 15.
Wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints. Faith in the Lord Jesus produces love to all the Saints.
That's beautiful.
So if you're reading his, you love all the Saints.
Whether they're gathered or not, you love all the Saints if they're Saints.
You love them because they're his.
And he loves them.
Cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers.
Now here it is that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, The Fountainhead, the source of glory. But he's, he's, he's here the Father of our our, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in verse 14 of chapter 3, he prays to the Father, Bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But here it's the God, verse 17 of chapter 1, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father there the thought of Father.
The the source of it, The Fountainhead of glory.
May give unto you the spirit of wisdom. And when he talks about wisdom.
He's going to talk about his.
His purposes and plans for us and revelation going to reveal to us something that is not found in the Old Testament.
In the knowledge of him, the full knowledge of him.
Full knowledge of him.
Now here it is, verse 18. The eyes of your understanding are the eyes of your heart.
Other translation being enlightened that ye may know.
This is what he wants us to know.
What is the hope of his calling? The hope of his calling is not just the rapture when he's going to take us home.
But it's everything that follows that, it's everything that he brings us into that is we're going to be in his presence, we're going to see him and we're going to be like Him as he is. It's not just I want to go to heaven.
When I was a kid, I wasn't a Christian.
I remember talking to another third grader and we went into this deep theological discussion whether there was a God or not. And we came, we came away with the conclusion, yes, there is a God, but I didn't know him. Do you want to go to heaven? Yes, everyone wants to go to heaven. I had no idea there was a man in the glory. And sometimes a person will talk to you. I remember I was on the elevated after we had that tremendous snowstorm in Chicago and there was a black man there. And he said the man upstairs, he done showed us. He done showed us because no one was.
That day.
There were three feet of snow on the ground.
Well, he didn't know that there is a man upstairs.
He, I don't think he knew he was talking about God.
But there is literally a man in the glory. Oh yeah, you ask other Christians. Do you know there's a man in the glory?
And as he is, so are we. God sees us just as He sees him. We are as acceptable to God as he is.
That's who do you think you are make such a claim?
That's what they might say.
Who are you to make such a claim? Well, it's not my claim, it's what God has told me that He's brought me into. And if you're a true believer, He's brought you into that as well. Whether you enjoy it or not, whether you believe it or not, it's still true of you if you know Him.
As your Lord and Savior.
The eyes of your heart being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling.
And that goes far beyond just getting there. But then he's going to display it all to us. What does he call this to? And secondly, what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints? It's the Saints are not his inheritance, but it's it's he's going to take everything in the persons of the Saints, everything he's going to, he's that he's one here as a man down in this scene, he's going to share it.
The second Psalm Jehovah says to his Messiah, Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.
In the uttermost parts of the world, for thy possession, everything is his. And he won't take it alone. He's going to take it in his Saints.
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You and me when you have part in that.
And thirdly, what is the exceeding greatness of his power?
Towards us who believe according to the working of His mighty power. What's he talking about? His power in creating the universe. When he spake and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast. No, you're not talking about His creatorial power. He's talking about taking that man, the blessed Lord Jesus, who lay dead in that tomb.
And quickening him and raising him and setting him in the highest place in glory. That's the power he's talking about, the power that establishes a new creation with him as the head.
The second man and the last Adam.
And we are there with him.
Now if you were.
Gentile in the 1St century or a Jew in the 1St century, and you heard this and you entered into it and you understood it. You would be absolutely awed.
Amazed.
At the immensity of the grace, the blessedness of what He has brought us into.
So he prays what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead.
And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. There's a man at the right hand of God tonight, set there by God the Father. He set him there far above all principality and power and might and dominion, all created intelligences, all the angelic hosts, the hierarchy of heaven.
He's gone beyond that. There's a man that's gone beyond that.
And we're in that man before God.
We're in a place of nearness and favor and blessing. He's taken us into favor in the Beloved, and all that is His is yours and mine.
And we get interested in the little toys of Earth when we have all this.
I am guilty.
You probably are too.
And he has to put all things under his feet.
Now let me read verse 21 before I go on. Far above all, principality and power and might and dominion, in every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.
And has put all things under his feet and gave him to be or as head over.
Not the church here. All things to the church.
So he gives.
Him.
As head over all things to the church.
Which is His body? First mention of that in this chapter in this epistle. The Church, the assembly. Which is his body? The fullness.
The completeness.
Completion of him that filleth Allah. Brother asked me and says, does that mean that without the church Christ is not complete? I said yeah that's exactly what it means.
Christ as a man is incomplete without his bride.
Without his church, which is his body.
The fullness of him that filleth All in all.
Now I'm going to read verse 1 of chapter 2 without the italicized words because they really spoil it.
And you who were dead in trespasses and sins.
But it says here the translators have brought hath he quickened up from verse verse 5, but it shouldn't be in verse one. It's not wrong, but it sort of.
Fuzzies the point. You who were dead in trespasses and sins, That's what we were. Whether Jews or Gentiles doesn't matter. That's what we were by nature.
Wherein in time past ye walked.
According to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air.
The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. When it says he walked, he's talking about those that had been Gentiles. And that's how they walked. That's how we walked.
Wherein in time past he walked according to the course of this world. This just the flow of this world. That's the way we used to walk as Gentiles.
According to the Prince of the Power of the Air, he's the one that man likes to think in this country that he's free. He's free not he's freezing servant to Satan and the servant is sin.
He that committeth sin is the servant of sin. But if the Son shall make you free, and deliver you from sin in its power.
Then you're free indeed.
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And he's the only one that can free us. Yeah, that we walked according to the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. And then verse 3 brings in the Jews that had believed, among whom we also we all be Jews. We were no better. We were just as bad as these Gentiles we were used to in Judaism, looking down upon them. We were cut above them. But he says, among whom also we all had our conversation.
Manner of Life and Times past in the lusts of our flesh. Having the law didn't stem the lust of the flesh, didn't quench it, didn't prevent it. We still lusted just like the Gentiles.
On whom also we all had our conversation in times past, and the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
And of the mind.
But your mind gal, just meditate on the worst evils.
That there are in this world. That's what these Jews did.
And we're by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Now he's described in verses one we were dead and trespassing sins, Jews and Gentiles. Then he describes the Gentiles in verse 2 and the Jews in verse 3. And now he comes to God.
And it says, but God.
Who is rich in mercy when he is described our lost condition, our being dead in trespasses and sins and living according to the course of this world and and fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. That's what we were, whether we were Jews or Gentiles. Now he we needed mercy. We needed deliverance from that state of sin.
And that's the thought behind mercy. Mercy gives deliverance. And so it says God, who is rich in mercy.
He can deliver us from that awful condition that we were in for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins had quickened us together with Christ. Now that's where the quickening belongs. After he's described our lost and ruined condition and then he says God comes in in mercy and delivers us by giving us life, a new life.
That very life of Christ.
Quickened us together with Christ.
And then he says, by grace you are saved. Now he brings the word grace in. Now we can expect that He's going to unfold blessings, further blessings, the riches that he's brought us into. Mercy delivers us from the evil, and grace brings us into the blessing that he has for us.
Even when we were dead in sins, verse 5 hath quickened us together with Christ, By grace you're saved, and then hath raised us up together, not only given us life, That's the opposite of being dead in trespasses and sins has mercy. He's given us life and delivered us from that dead condition, but now He's raised us up together with Christ. That's grace. That's going beyond just reversing the condition we were in. It's bringing us into something.
Better a new creation.
He's raised us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Now, if you're seated in heavenly places, if you've been raised, that means you no longer have to do with this world. You've died to it, and you were dead in sins and.
He was dead and he was quickened. He was raised and now he's quickened us and raised us and seated us there. What part do we have?
In participating in the affairs of this world to improve it.
We will improve it. If we live Christ, we will improve it. That will have the most powerful effect that we can have. If all Christians would walk as Christians, what a tremendous impact.
That would have on this world.
And it would stem the tide of evil, the very presence, our presence still here with the Spirit of God, all Christians. I don't mean just us. I'm talking about all believers.
Stems the tide of evil mystery of nicotine. I've already worked. Only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way. There's the restraining power, and we're still here.
But we don't.
We're not called upon. We had that brought out in the reading. We're not called upon to set the world right. He will do that. We're called upon to to represent the place that he's brought us into and to try to deliver those that are still ******* to sin and to Satan out of that condition and bring them into the place of blessing that is He's brought us into.
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Verse 6 Again, He hath raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
As one who's sitting there?
And has entered that scene.
We are out of this world.
And for us to get engaged in it.
In setting its affairs right is not acting consistently with our place in Christ. I know we have to pass through it, we have to make a living, and so on.
But we don't have to try to be someone or to obtain any kind of fame or a position of status or a hero or a someone they look up to.
No, we want to point everyone to Christ.
Not I, but Christ. He must increase, John said. I must decrease.
That ought to be our attitude now. That's true of us right now. We're seated in the heavenlies, in Christ.
But then the next verse tells us what's ahead. That in the ages, Verse 7 in the ages to come.
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace.
In his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus, will this ever end?
I don't think so.
In the ages to come.
He's going to show to us the exceeding riches of His grace. Will that ever be exhausted? Will he ever exhaust that?
I don't think so.
And we go out after the soap bubbles of this world. Shame on me. Shame on any of us to do that.
When all this is ours already, we're just waiting to enter into it in its fullness.
We're being tested.
How much do these things really mean to us?
How important are they to us?
Does the world really have something to offer?
That can even come close to what is ours already in Christ.
We enjoy it by faith.
By faith that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of His grace.
In kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. That's inexhaustible. That's something like his prayer in the 3rd chapter. To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. How can you know something that passes knowledge that's beyond knowing? To know something that's beyond knowing?
I like what a brother wrote on that. He said the apostle supposes us launched upon a shoreless sea, and will have all eternity to explain it will never come to the shore.
All eternity.
To know the love of Christ.
And this is something like that.
And then he says in verse 8, for by grace, are you saved through faith? Grace is what made all of this possible for us.
And that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God.
Not of works.
Lest any man should boast.
He puts that in there so that we can be absolutely certain.
But all of this comes from God.
Flows through Christ and by the Spirit.
We enter into the enjoyment of it.
But we don't. We didn't. We didn't earn it.
We don't deserve it in any way.
Pure sovereign grace.