Kentucky Conference: 2009
Table of Contents
Fear
Address—Don Rule
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And help me.
That aren't mine #27 in the appendix we need a starter.
Oh my God.
Oh, one hour.
I am.
Home dear all day.
Why should I?
Never.
And I.
Come here in the morning and.
Umm.
Subjects were.
I don't know if I should say my heart, but anyways, the subject before me this afternoon is fear.
You turn with me to Genesis.
Where we have the beginning in Scripture of fear.
Genesis chapter 3.
Adverse.
Nine And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, for ourselves.
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked. Mr. Garvey translates it. I am naked and I hate myself.
Turn with me to Proverbs chapter one.
Roberts, Chapter One.
And verse 7.
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The fear of the Lord.
Is the beginning of knowledge.
Now over to 1St John Chapter 4.
First John, chapter 4.
And verse 16.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.
Because as he is, so are we. In this world, there is No Fear.
In love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect. In love we love him because He first loved us.
Everybody in this room.
Knows what fear is.
Maybe the littlest child in the room isn't capable of expressing why or.
Using the word. But they've experienced it in their lives. And every one of us knows what fear is, and we all experience it. And perhaps you've had it today. I have. And maybe you have two.
So we know what fear is. The only person that, and I submit this to you, that ever lived in this world without fear is the Lord Jesus Christ. He went through his entire life without fear.
Perfect love casts out fear. He went through his entire life in the reality and the truth.
Of that fact, and consequently without fear.
Adam and Eve when God created them.
And we had been able to visit them in the Garden of Eden.
If we had said, Adam, do you fear anything? He would have had to answer. I don't know what that word means. I have no idea what fear is.
In innocence, he experienced No Fear.
But the minute Adam disobeyed God, the very first.
Reaction in Adam was fear.
And because he was afraid, he immediately, well, who is he afraid of? He was afraid of God.
He wasn't afraid of the animals, he wasn't afraid of a storm or anything of nature as it were coming into his life at that moment.
But he was afraid of God.
Every one of us in this room knows what that is. Every one of us has experienced something of that.
Adam.
Immediately tried to do something about it to take care of his fear.
Because he had sinned, or shall I say before he had sinned.
He was totally open and free.
In his soul, with God. There was nothing in him that wanted or needed hiding. He was OK and he knew it. He was innocent.
Of any such feelings or thoughts.
But as soon as Adam disobeyed God.
The consequences of his disobedience, He felt it in himself.
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. And it produced in him a fear, and as a consequence of that fear he tried to hide himself or cover himself.
With something that would perhaps remove or hide between himself and God and remove him within him his own fear.
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He recognized when he put some clothes on that that didn't hide his guilt from God. And so when God comes down into the garden, he's trying to hide behind the trees. And so God says to him, where are you? Where art thou? And he's forced to come out from behind the trees and face God. And God ask him, what is it? Where would you do that for?
He said as we read there.
I hid my I was afraid and I hid myself and it perhaps more accurate and I am naked. That is, he recognized that what he provided for himself by way of clothing and the attempt to hide it, what he had done or if used the nature of the trees of nature as a way of protecting himself from God didn't work. He was still naked.
And there is something in the conscience of every one of us that learns sooner or later that we can't hide from God. We can hide from each other.
To some extent at least, we can pretend to each other to some extent, early or not or so. But with God, we can't do it. We recognize it and there's a consequence in it.
That's fear.
I'll try to explain why, but before I do, I just wanna bring out something that's really important. When you see word fear in the Bible, it doesn't always mean the same thing.
There's more than one kind of fear.
And it's important to recognize the difference.
Adam, I'm gonna use it this way. When he disobeyed God, he had a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, that kind of fear.
He had a fear that we all recognized when something happens or we think is going to happen and we don't feel very comfortable about it. In fact, we sometimes people talk about him being petrified with fear. I've had dreams in which certain things are happening and I'm in a certain situation and I feel petrified. I can't move because of the fear.
Even in something like a dream.
And that is the way it happens too. And consciousness, sometimes the person said, I, it happened and I just was frozen. I couldn't do anything. There was that fear.
And there is.
A serious fear that has to do with man's relationship with his God when he disobeys him.
But there's another kind of fear that's brought out in Proverbs chapter one that we read. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. And a little later, the fear of the Lord in the Proverbs is the beginning of wisdom. That means a profound reverence and awe.
Toward God. That is a reverential fear, that is fear of a character that we will should have, and as the children of God will have forever.
A profound awe, a profound respect for our God.
That's a good fear. That's a proper fear, that reverential fear of our God.
We want that the greater it is in us, the better it is for us.
To whenever God comes before our thoughts, we immediately hold Him.
In Supreme.
Honor and reverence.
And respect in every thought with respect to himself.
We live in a world that despises God.
Doesn't want to know a God that's any greater than himself, and so tries to take the greatness of God and and reduce it down to something that's no greater than his own mind's capacity to know and understand and appreciate.
Not at all willing to recognize a God with respect to whom man is just a speck.
A tiny little speck of his creation, as far as his comparison to his God.
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And without it, without that respect, man has no knowledge, incapable of anything in his knowledge of God.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. If you sit in this room this afternoon, young person or any age person, and you do not have a proper respect for God.
You have no knowledge of God.
You're blind.
Ignorant.
But it's the beginning. It's the starting point.
There's something that is in this subject that is difficult, perhaps.
But maybe not so difficult. It's just that we don't really.
Enter into it in a practical way, and that is.
Men and believers, there's this constant tension sometimes between the love of God and that God is light and we can't always somehow in our thoughts and our feelings reconcile the two. And it creates a a tension in us, a difficulty within us, within the circumstances of our lives.
Because on the one side we recognize the God of supreme authority and power.
And on the other side, we recognize the God of love.
Beyond with a love that's beyond our understanding and consequently when things occur or come into our lives, we have great difficulty many times between the two.
The fear side often comes because of the holiness and the majesty that God is light.
And the love side, because of what love is and what love does in its actions toward us.
But Adam as he was in the Garden of Eden.
He recognized his.
The knowledge of good and evil that came into him, the conscience that came as a result of his disobedience, that gave him something of the knowledge of good and evil, also brought with it fear.
He was before a holy God.
It's to talk a little bit more about that side of it.
Suppose I said to you, man is built.
A spaceship.
Capable of going out into space with a greater distance than the moon.
And so you've been selected to get on that spaceship.
And we are gonna send you out into space to visit the Sun.
And anybody whose brain works at all says no thank you.
Wouldn't even consider it. Why not? Because there is that within us which recognizes there's no hope, there's no chance.
Nobody is ever gonna make a spacecraft of any God made material that is going to go to the moon or go to the sun. The sun has a majesty and it's by some of the Suns in the universe, a tiny one.
There's some huge Suns out there, but the one we know is sufficient for our purpose.
And we can't approach it. It has a brilliance, it has a character that we cannot approach.
While we may not realize it very well.
God is, light is.
Something so great that God in his essential being.
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As light we will never.
Approach.
And we have that in First Timothy chapter 5.
God dwells in unapproachable light.
But God has come out in his love to us in a way that we can approach him in the person of the Lord Jesus, and we can be near to God, and we'll have that sense of our nearness to our God for eternity and in the holiness of His being, being at peace and without fear too, in His presence.
But God in his essence.
Is unapproachable in that sense.
It's too great for us and to approach in his.
Greatness of his own being.
But it's a wonderful thing to be able to.
Know God is light and have a respect, a reverential respect for God, but it also brings with it when there's disobedience, when there's that which is not consistent with what God is. There's a necessary as far as it is with God that we recognize something called fear. And so every one of us.
And a very significant way of known fear with respect to God.
And we say.
Please God, do something for me. And so it was that only God can do something for us, because God is the only one that can come into that and remove that fear. We can't in ourselves do anything to remove it. And so God with Adam, he clothed him with coats of skin.
And he gave him at least a measure of peace within himself.
And so it is that when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are brought to have peace with God.
Odd.
But we, I'm just not here to emphasize that part of it particularly. But yes, we have peace with God and we can have settled peace with God so that we do not fear the judgment of hell. We do not fear the judgment of the lake of fire, but we have total peace about that. And many of us do. Many, many of us may have gone through periods in our lives that lasted for months or weeks or years until that piece was brought to us. And we don't have time to look at that side of it particularly.
But.
We still don't. We know what fear is.
We still experience fear, don't we? Even if we have a very settled peace with God. And I want to look at 3:00, we'll never cover more than scratch the surface of it, but I wanna look at 3 instances in the Word of God where people feared the first being Joe.
Second being David and the third being the disciples. So turn with me to the book of Job and we'll have a little bit of a a little illustration of something about fear in the life of Job, perhaps something that we have to deal with in our lives as well.
Job chapter one.
We'll read the verses 1St and then comment on them.
Job chapter one, verse one. There was a man in the land of us whose name was Job. He was a man perfect and upright and one that feared God and astute evil. That's the reverential fear of God.
And umm verse 8 The Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in all the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and this cheweth evil. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said that Job fear God for not.
Has not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he have on every side?
In other words, Satan said. Well, yeah, I fears, but.
You're so protected him that he's not exposed to anything, So what does he have to fear? Turn over to Chapter 3.
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And verse 25. For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet. Yet trouble came. Chapter 9.
Uh, Chapter 9 and verse 30, if I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and my own clothes shall abhor me. For he is not a man as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daisman betwixt us, that I might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear.
Terrify me.
Then I would speak and not fear him, but it is not so with me. Chapter 23.
Chapter 23 and verse 10. But he knoweth the way that I take. When he had tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held His steps. His way have I kept and not declined, neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips. I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. But he is in one mind, and who can turn him, and what his sole desireth even that he doeth.
For He performeth the thing that is appointed for me, and such things are with him. Therefore I am troubled at His presence when I consider I am afraid of Him.
For God maketh my heart soft in the Almighty, troubleeth me, because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath He covered the darkness from my face.
Job is a man, an object lesson to us in multiple ways, but he's still teaches us something about the matter of fear.
Joe was a man, if we could use the expression. He was a believer.
In fact, he was an admirable believer. There wasn't anybody like him in his day.
He was a man that feared God. He had a tremendous respect and awe toward God and he lived accordingly in his personal life.
But as this trouble comes upon him and God opens up what's inside, we see that there was hidden fear in the heart of Job. We see in Job that there was a man who had certain things that he feared might happen in his life and when they came.
Said that's what I feared.
That's what I feared. I thought that might happen.
We ask ourselves that question, Is there hidden fear in any of our hearts this afternoon? Is there something in us that we fear?
That we say what if?
This or that might happen, and then what? And so we fear.
We have that hidden. No one else knows about it. No one else knew how Job felt. Even his wife, I don't think understood or knew.
But he had something inside of him that caused him not to be totally unafraid.
Was it sin like Adam?
Not an act of sin.
Yes, if we have disobeyed God in some way and we've hidden it.
The wicked flee when no man pursueth. A guilty conscience makes a person afraid and and try to hide and to flee from God and feel like everybody knows, even when nobody knows because of the guilty conscience within. But Job didn't have that.
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He wasn't with some hidden sin and that he was conscious of in his life. In fact, we learned from.
Uh, chapter 23 that he says, as it were, if I could put it this way in other chapters, he says.
God can do whatever he wants and I can't stop him, and that makes me afraid.
He said at one point, and in fact he sins in it later on when he is at where he says it doesn't matter whether you're good or bad, whether you're righteous or unrighteous, God's gonna do what he wants. Because Job looked at himself and he said I'm living right and even if God slays me, I'm not gonna give up my own righteousness.
I'm gonna remain faithful.
Even if he takes me to being right, to being righteous.
As long as that spirit is in us, we will never know the absence of fear.
What do I mean?
Have you ever had something happen in your life and you thought, why did the Lord allow this? I've been living right?
Or have you ever done something wrong and you kind of inside expect something bad to happen?
It's kind of how the Old Testament Saints lived.
Because they lived on the ground of their own responsibility before God and being able to do right.
I don't think there's an Old Testament St. who, and if I could speak properly, had a chance to live without fear.
Because they did not know the truth of Christianity.
They might have had a glimpse of it, they might have been able to look beyond, but I don't think, at least in what was revealed, they knew the foundation of what it is to be without fear.
Job is an ex wonderful example of it. He didn't know. He didn't have a solid foundation not to fear, he knew God.
As holy and righteous.
But he didn't have the revelation of God as love as we have it.
And so we didn't have that, which casts out beer in a perfect way and so.
Joe had a lesson to learn. He was righteous. He did have reverence for God. But why? Because God put it in him. Because God put it in him. And he turns around and takes the credit for it. And God says, Joe, you're honoring yourself. I'm gonna have to teach you the lesson that what you are comes from me, not comes from you.
And so he had a lesson to learn, and he does learn his lesson and, uh, gets great blessing from it. And it's a difficult but necessary lesson of life to come to that point where the soul rests upon what God is and what God is toward them, rather than what they are for God and what they are in themselves.
But Joe didn't really fully learn that lesson. It came for others. Let's look at David. Just a small moment.
In Psalm 23, where we're so familiar.
With it.
Psalms 23.
We love the verse.
Even though it's hard to practice it.
In the realities of life, Psalm 23, verse four, Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
And then Psalm 27.
The Lord is my light and my salvation. Of whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes come upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumble and fell, and so on.
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Verse four. One thing of my desire to the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life. Behold the beauty of the Lord to inquire in his temple, for in the time of trouble he shall hide me.
In his pavilion and the secret of his Tabernacle. Shall he hide me? He shall set me upon a rock.
Then let's go over to Psalm 56.
Stop.
Umm.
Sum 56.
Be merciful endomo God for man would swallow me up. He fighting daily oppressed with me.
Uh, mine enemies would daily swallow me up, for they be many that fight against me. O thou most holy, when what time I'm afraid.
I will trust in the.
In God I will praise His word. In God I have put my trust. I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
I bring out David because I think it's something that we all can relate to and experience and that is at times like David.
We're not afraid, we say, Well, the Lord's gonna take care of it. I can trust him. And whatever happens, I'm not gonna have the fear of man.
And in the 20 Psalm 23, we have a little of that and Psalm 26. But here in this Psalm, he says what time I'm afraid then I'll trust too. And I think many of us have experienced that in our lives that.
We haven't, if you will, learned our lesson completely. I don't think any of us will fully in this life. But we can grow, and that is that we're not.
That which, oh, I'm afraid and, uh, another time, well, no, we, we feel up on top of it. We feel on top of the situation or closer to the Lord or something. And so we say, well, no, I'm not afraid.
But we have a lot to learn, so we we have to ask God to help us.
Can I tell you how this subject came about?
Police confession. I haven't learned what I'm talking about very well.
A couple days ago I was called and asked to.
Uh, the responsibility of this hour here.
I said yes.
Umm. Usually when that happens, you start, as time permits, to think a little bit about what you say. Lord what?
Would you have me say and ask the Lord to give thoughts from himself?
So time passes and this morning comes and.
There's only three words before me, and three words didn't seem like an adequate number of words for an hour.
We'll come to those 3 words later. 3 words or it is I.
But what happens when time starts to run out? Well, you start getting a little uncomfortable feeling in the stomach.
I was sitting in my chair 5 minutes before this meeting started and everybody in the room seemed to be pretty relaxed.
Enjoying one another's company in fellowship.
I wasn't feeling that way.
I didn't feel relaxed in the same way.
I can say without fear of contradiction, Lord Jesus wouldn't have felt that way.
But it's what we are. It's the practical side that at when we're not in a circumstance, it's often easy to tell somebody else, just trust the Lord, Don't be afraid everything will be all right.
It's different, you know, the disciples in the boat weren't telling each other that.
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They were in the same circumstance and as a consequence, we're like David. I believe in that. You might say it comes and it goes, but, uh, but the point in it is we can learn the principle and grow in the principle that casts out fear. Before we get there, though, let's go to Matthew's Gospel and look at the disciples for a few minutes in Matthew's Gospel first chapter 8.
And Matthew's Gospel, chapter 8, verse 16. And when even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils. And he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaias The prophet saying himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Now when Jesus saw a great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the year have nests, but the Son of Man.
That's not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead. And when he had entered into a ship, his disciples followed him, and behold, there arose The Tempest in the sea, and so much that the ship was covered with waves. But he was asleep, And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are you fearful, Oh, ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the waves.
And the sea. And there was a great calm. OK, before we comment here, let's go to chapter 14.
Chapter 14.
Verse 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves and the two fishes. And looking up to heaven, he blessed and break, and gave his the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled, and they took up of the fragments that remained 12 baskets full. And they that had eaten were about 5000 men beside women and children. And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship.
And to go before him under the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when they even evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the 4th watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a Spirit. And they cried out for fear.
But straightway Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith.
Wherefore digital doubt. And when they were coming to the ship, the wind ceased. One more verse. You can keep your finger here. We're gonna come right back. But Isaiah chapter 46.
Isaiah 46 and verse four. And even under your old age, I am he, and even to Jorge's I will carry you. I have made and I will bear. Even I will carry and will deliver you.
Fear or the Christian?
Often results because of a lack of true knowledge.
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Of the Lord Jesus or God.
All of us come short in that, but there's a positive sense in which God is working through our lives to teach us more of Himself.
And sometimes he brings us into circumstances in our lives that expose to us.
We're not always aware of it, but they expose our lack of knowledge of himself.
We don't know God as He wants us to know Him yet fully, but day by day in our lives He is working with us so that our eternity will be full and rich.
And blessed to him and to us.
In this first account of the disciples on the sea.
When the problem, the circumstance comes up, who put him into that circumstance?
Well, our debt.
He said let's go.
They were his followers and they got in the boat and they were in the boat together.
He was right there with them.
But when a situation comes up.
That naturally will say, produces fear among men. They were just like everybody else. They were afraid.
Might say they weren't any different than their neighbor in this situation.
In Mark's account of it.
So I read it this morning.
My soul was smitten.
By their words they said, Lord, cherish thou not.
That we perish.
Could we ever, in any circumstance that we will ever pass through of our lives, rightfully say to the Lord Jesus, Lord Karis, thou not?
Can we go to the cross and look at him?
And in the light of the cross, say, Lord, karst thou not?
Could we ever doubt or have a right to doubt any possible circumstance that could ever come into our lives?
With our God as we go to the cross.
My heart.
Yeah.
Did I ever have those feelings come up in me? Lord Charis thou thou.
It is a statement.
That I have not learned.
That God is love.
Yes, I know God loves, but the very essence of his being.
God is love.
In its practical sense hasn't had its way with my soul.
As it needs to and as it will.
It also says in another account master.
And as master.
That means teacher.
Teacher cares, thou know.
Well, I think many of us have gotten beyond that sense of the passage that we recognize the Lord Jesus isn't just a teacher.
But it's an expression that exists that they didn't know him.
In the second account.
There's growth.
In them.
And in the accounts, uh, we don't have time to really look at it, the details of it, but there's, there's a, there's a clear indication that they had grown in their souls and to who he was.
Peter personally.
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Lord, In fact, it's kind of interesting characteristic of Peter. He says command, if it's really you, command me.
Bid me in the sense has the board command me. Tell me to come out of this boat and walk to you.
I admire Peter.
But I wanna say, brethren.
In learning not to be afraid.
You and I may not be called to walk on the Sea of Galilee or any other sea to come to the Lord, but in a spiritual way every one of us has to learn to walk on water.
If we're to learn what it is not to fear.
What do I mean by that?
The Lord puts us into circumstances in our lives.
That we cannot be sustained.
In by the things of this of nature.
That is, without a boat.
Without insurance, insurance policy, without a car that necessarily works, without circumstances that we can control and so on and so forth. All those things that if they're in place, give us a comfort level perhaps and tell the Lord takes us out of that place, says come to me and we have to come to him and nature won't support us in any way. And if we are looking at the circumstance.
Then fear comes and we think.
But as Peter did, and as the Lord knows, and He'll never let us drown.
Immediately, as Peter said, cried out to the Lord, Lord save me. The Lord reaches him and he saves him. And the reason I read the verses in Isaiah 46 is if needs be, Lord not only reaches out His hand, but he picks us up and he carries us, and He will do so.
He'll never fail us, but he wants us to learn something about himself that is learned whether he's in the boat with us or whether we're in the boat and he's not. In other words, regardless, he can arrange things in such a way. Did he not know? Tells us in one account. He saw him out there, He saw him out on the sea, he saw what was happening.
He put him in it.
Every circumstance through which we pass in life is controlled by a God of love.
Not just a God of power, but a God of perfect love and so.
The largest sometimes does, perhaps.
You got wide little faith. Why do you doubt?
Let's finish up with going back to First John Chapter 4.
First John, chapter 4.
And we have known verse 16 believe that God, the love that God hath to us, God is love.
Verse 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Verse 18 There is No Fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear that hath torment he that feareth is not made perfect in love.
The Lord Jesus went through his life in fellowship with his God.
With an unquestioned.
Unquestionable confidence that God is love.
And as A and the as God is light, that God had complete and full power over all things, and consequently he never feared.
Try to think about it in my own soul and.
Talked again in my mind is what if one of my children runs out into the street and I see a car coming?
Immediately first thought I have is why didn't I take care of them that they were out in the street in the first place?
But, and that's sometimes what does give fear to us is because of our own failure. And so where do we get into this problem of fear? A lot of times rather than it comes from self occupation.
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I fear.
It's my reputation is at stake. I fear the failure that I won't be able to do something. I fear this. I fear some animal that God has told me I have dominion over and so on. And so we get into all these fears, but a lot of them come from.
Self occupation. There's an eye at the root of them. And the Lord Jesus who did not.
Have fear was totally, fully, perfectly delivered from himself.
He was selfless in that way. His was perfectly given over to doing the will of a God of perfect love and because he was delivered from or didn't need to be delivered in that way was perfect in his being. But because he was that way, he didn't have the experience of self occupation that immediately what's gonna happen to me and so on.
And what God does.
Gradually, little by little, in the work of his the Spirit in US.
Is he takes by the Spirit through the word of God, through the circumstances of life, and he imparts puts in us the practical.
Expression of his own love. We can't do it ourselves. We can't put it there by our own efforts, but we're not perfected yet in the sense that that process is not complete, but it's what God is doing in US, and so he puts his own love.
In US and as and it and it, when it expresses itself, it expresses itself without self occupation, without selfishness, without fear of anything, because God.
Is in control with perfect love. And so just to finish with those words the Lord said to them on the sea, he said, Do you have good cheer or be of good courage?
It is I be not afraid. May the Lord help us whenever there is fear, to be able to look beyond the circumstance and be able to say one-on-one with the Lord Jesus, have Him say to our own hearts It is I.
It is I.
Is something come into the life?
Then God can say to us, it is I.
May the Lord help us not to allow unbelief, which produces fear, to get between our souls and God saying to us, it is I.
Be not afraid.
I love you with a perfect love.
And it is I.
May we see him?
With that eye of faith.
Just one comment.
Unbelief makes us blind self will.
Makes us deaf.
May we not be deaf or blind to be able to see the Lord. And when he says to us, it is I let's pray.
Our God and Father.
2 Timothy 3
Reading
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Date. Now when I say that, I know that's a lot of verses to think of considering in three short readings. But my burden and exercise is not so much to take it up verse by verse, not so much to try to get every detail. Not so much either to dwell on the negative side of things, although we certainly don't want to ignore what is brought before us, particularly in the third chapter, as to a description of the last days and so on.
But just simply, brethren, to perhaps encourage our hearts that amidst the days in which we live very parallel to the days of Second Timothy, there is an encouragement to go on and to get some overall sense of Pauls last words to Timothy and the last words that he wrote by inspiration before he laid down his pen and gave up his life for his testimony for the Lord.
I just suggest that, and if we do that, perhaps this afternoon we could just read the third chapter of the second Timothy.
Second Timothy, chapter 3.
This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient appearance, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truth Breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce despisers of those that are good traders, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.
From such turn away, for of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captives, silly women, laden with sins, LED away with diverse lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Janice and Jambrice unders withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth. Men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith, but they shall proceed no further. Folly shall be manifest unto all men as theirs also was.
But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity and patience, persecutions, afflictions which came into me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, What persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yeah, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall acts worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of.
Knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child, thou has known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Yes, as well, as has often been pointed out, Second Timothy brings before us in very real language what is described as the last days or perilous times. And as we've mentioned, their days very parallel to the days in which we live. But I was thinking of this in connection with what our brother Dawn brought before us regarding fear in the previous meeting. And if you'll just go back to the first chapter for a moment.
Read the first here.
Verse seven For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. And I have no doubt there our brethren here this afternoon, whose hearts pray we've come from difficult.
Situation, little assemblies where there are difficulties and problems, or even little assemblies where we say, if the Lord leaves us here, I don't know who's gonna carry on. How are we gonna go on? If the older ones are taken and certain circumstances arise, how are we gonna go on? And those are very real fears and concerns. But isn't it beautiful that it's not in First Timothy that he makes this statement, but in Second Timothy he hasn't given us the spirit of fear.
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Now when the Lord Jesus described situations in Luke's Gospel concerning the last days, and I know it's a little different there, but he speaks of those in the world in the last days. He says men's hearts failing them for fear and looking for those things that are coming on the earth. And I have no doubt that anyone here who operates in any sphere of business or the corporate world or any sphere of the world.
You have you realize that men's hearts are failing them for fear today. Men look at conditions in the economic and corporate world, the political, the social world, and they realize that they are dealing with an interplay of circumstances that are beyond their control and that the elastic is being stretched so far that it's got to snap somewhere. Things are going to have to give. But rather, and we can sit here this afternoon.
With the peace of God in our hearts, not that we don't want to be aware, but we don't need to be overwhelmed. We need to be aware of what's going on in the world. We're not isolationists, but we don't need to be overwhelmed. And even when it comes down to spiritual things and things amongst the people of God and in the assembly, brethren, we don't need to be overwhelmed. And this was really my exercise in suggesting this portion.
But yes, we need to be aware of how God describes the Christian profession in the last days. We need to be aware and have discernment of the times in which we live. But Brother Timothy was encouraged to go on to the very end, and you and I can be encouraged from the word of God by the Lord Jesus himself to go on to the very end. There's provision made to the end.
And these are, as our chapter begins, They are the last days. They are perilous times. But the provision you and I have and the resources that you and I have in Christ today are the same limitless supply that have always been available to the people of God. Are these days of weakness? Yes, they are. Are they days of ruin? Yes, they are. Are we part of that? We have to hang our heads and say, yes, we are.
But brethren, we still have one who's in control. We have one who's everything, and one who has made provision to the very end.
To comfort, to know that God has never caught by surprise with anything, and so God perfectly.
Could see, if you will, the end of the day of Grace and that his grace would be eventually more and more despised and man be indifferent to it and his own, uh, son's.
Uh, gathering out of a bride and so on would come to its end with increasing failure. But God is never caught by surprise. And consequently, as these chapters give, and not only in Second Timothy is here at the end of Paul's life, but the end of Peter's, the end of John's, the end of of June, every one of them anticipates today and at the end in which we live, and God gives particular instructions and emphasis.
For us, you know, sometimes we might plan to do something and we say later, well, I never knew it would involve this or I never knew that it would get to this place. And I don't have anything to finish it off. I can't, I can't handle this situation. But it's a joy of thankfulness to us to see that God saw, God provided, and we can each one of us and together go on in fellowship with God, with his provision.
To get to the end and to serve him, Timothy here is being encouraged not just to hang on, but to serve to be a light in a increasingly Dark World in which he lived. And even if, uh, we're, uh, kind of a little light and not much energy in it, the darker the world gets, the easier it is to see that light. And so God gives us what's sufficient to go on with him.
00:10:07
To be a light for him, and to be used in blessing to fellow man to one another.
It's helpful to see, isn't it, that second epistles always denote and bring before us days of weakness and ruin, That what was committed to the individual or individuals in the first epistle, He all, they all, it always breaks down. Man fails in his responsibility. Not that God ever fails in second epistles encourage us in that regard too. But as you say, second Peter.
Second John.
And even if I can put it this way, the 2nd epistle to the Ephesians, Paul wrote to the Ephesians, They were able to take in the highest truth committed to man. But when John wrote another epistle to them given to us in Revelation chapter 2, we find that they had left their first love and failure had come in. And so it's helpful when we take up second epistles to see that and in regard to this first verse that we began with.
I want to in a minute turn to a couple of other verses because you see in the epistles you see a decline of things that brings us right down to the very end. Now we won't turn to it, but to precede this verse, the apostle Paul at the in his last address to the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20, he spoke of a general decline that would come in after his departure.
He said, After my departure shall grievous wolves enter in not sparing the flock, and of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw disciples after themselves. He anticipated this, that there was going to be a breakdown come in both from the outside and attack from the outside, and then that which is even more subtle and perhaps does more damage. But from the inside Satan is clever. He works from both ways.
And sometimes it's easier to detect and deal with that which comes from the outside than that which comes from the inside festers and bubbles up and defiles an effect and effects even before it's detected. And then here he writes to Timothy right at the end and he speaks about the last day. But let's go to Second Peter and see how Peter takes it just a little bit further in Second Peter chapter.
Second Peter chapter 3 and verse 3.
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their luck. Or if you notice in Mr. Darby's translation, he translates it a little different. It's the closing days now that's perhaps that perhaps brings us down just a little bit further.
Than the last days, the closing days. Now don't we have to admit, brethren, that these are not just the last days of the church's history on earth, but we see things that characterize the professing Christian testimony that would indicate that it is even the closing days. But let's see where John takes us. Go to first John, chapter 2.
First John chapter 2 and verse 18.
Little children, it is the last time. Or if you notice again, Mr. Darby, it's the closing hour. It's not just the last days. It's not just the closing days. But John brings us right down to the closing hour. Now, brethren, again, don't we have to admit we're right there? We're at the closing hour, but that ought to discourage us.
Not only, as I say, has a general declension come in, not only is it the last days, not only is it the closing days, but it's the closing hour. But, brethren, that ought to encourage us to hang on, to stand for the truth, to go on, as Dawn has said, and serve the Lord, to go on individually, to go on as families, and to go on collectively as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are right down in the closing hour, brethren, it's not very long.
00:15:04
And isn't going to be worth it to seek to be faithful and go on in the past until the very end.
There's often a strong contrast between what's seen at the beginning of, uh, what we call a dispensation of God, and the end of it.
And the beginning of the day of grace was the day in which the love of God was displayed in the work of the cross, and in the formation of the assembly, and the very beginning of the Assembly of God. It says they had all things common. There was a work of God in the souls of men, that the love of God was placed in them to such a practical extent.
That there was true love of God's character, which, as we said earlier, is selfless. It always is occupied with the well-being of its object and never with itself and what it gets out of it. And as a consequence, at the end of the dispensation, you see, it goes to the extreme for which man becomes the center of his own existence, he becomes totally.
Selfish.
And in fact, there's a defined philosophy today that the end of all existence is the happiness of man. That is, man puts himself at the center and says the very reason for all existence is me and my happiness, and I'm going to love myself and I am going to find pleasure for myself. The truth of it is the glory of God.
Is the ending of all existence and God is supreme and has the 1St place and glorifies himself in all that he does. That's the right view, but Mann has reached that point and it pervades.
Advertising. It pervades school, it pervades everything that we see. And if we're not aware of it, we unconsciously absorb it and start to think that way, and we start to place ourselves at the center of our own lives and our own being. Is me first?
People say, well, if I don't, if I'm not happy, I can't worry about you being happy and so on. And so we make up all these ways of looking at something. And so this when Paul says Timothy, what's going to come is men are going to be lovers of the most their most themselves. They're going to be covetous. Give me I want for myself and so on and without any natural affection. Natural affection is that.
To which the heart goes out to somebody else, and so on. And so may the Lord help us, brethren, to recognize the day in which we live, so that we don't become a part of it unconsciously, not necessarily intentionally. But if we do, then we can't speak for the Lord. We can't represent the heart of God, which is.
As some of us remember, a little sign that once said joy.
JOY, Jesus first.
Oh, others next. Why yourself last?
But but the Lord Jesus first not self-interest, put the interests of others next, not self-interest, and put yourself in the last place. And God said that's the path of joy.
It doesn't say that the world is happy.
With this method of life, that's just the way it is.
When we read this, we tend to think of it as a description of, shall I say, the secular or even the heathen world or the godless world, whatever you want to say. But I think it gives it import when you realize it in its true context and character. And that is that he is not describing the the secular world or the heathen world or the world where they have never had the profession of Christianity.
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What he is describing here is the Christian profession in the last days, and I believe when we take it up in that light, it brings it, makes it very, very solemn, and gives it, it ought to give it a real import to our heart. You know he has taken up in the chapter before the Christian profession as the great house, and you and I are in the great House of profession in spite of ourselves.
We're part of that. We can't stand apart and say we're not part of the great house and the ruin and the failure and the things that have come in. There's provision to go on faithfully for the Lord in the last days and in the great House of profession, as we've been saying. But we are part of it. And as we read this list, and I don't think it's profitable to pull every word apart and dwell on all that he picked up here.
We're well aware of these things. We see them about us every day. But brethren, we ought to be exercised that we not be not these things not characterized us as individuals. They characterize the Christian profession in general. We have to hang our heads and admit it. But what he's going to tell Timothy later on in the chapter is, Timothy, you go on. You don't have to be characterized. There are certain things that have characterized me, the apostle Paul, and there are certain things that ought to characterize you.
Even in spite of the fact that I have just described to you the Christian profession at the end, but I think it's helpful as we take this up to see it for what it really is.
In chapter four of Second Timothy verse 3. Second Timothy 4, verse 3. For the time will come.
We have, uh, a description here.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine and.
The key to that there is the sound doctrine. But after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and they shall be turned to fables. So we have a description of the time that will come, the last days, the final days that we've been hearing about. Back to our chapter 3, verse five, having the form of godliness, but denying the power of it from such a turn away.
So we see here that they've departed from the fate.
But they've tried to keep a profession out there.
Uh, it's an outward appearance, but they are lacking on the inward part of it. Umm, if we go to first Peter chapter 4.
First Peter, chapter 4, verse 7.
But the end of all things, Here we are again. The end of all things is at hand. Be therefore sober. And that means sober minded.
Uh, and watch us through prayer and above all things, have fervent charity or fervent love among yourselves. For most shall cover a multitude of sins, Not my sin, but the other person's saving course. Uh, our love covers their sins, but have charity and love above all things. What we read in our, uh, Second Timothy chapter 3, here we see that the Christian has to have resources.
And we can see that these end times are coming and we have to rely upon our resources. And he gets into many different things that we're gonna probably gonna be talking about here in the future, but he wants us to cling to certain things. Uh, he doesn't want us to shy away from a de deviator to go away from those things. He wants us to cling to them. These truths that we have here, uh, continue in verse 14 and the word learned and the word assured.
And the word knowing of whom thou has learned them, what was then taught by our previous schoolmasters, clinging to these things, abiding to these things, all the fundamentals that they have taught us. And then we go into the scriptures. And the great greatest resource of all, of course, is scriptures. What we have to remember that there are in these last times those that are falling away from the faith, but still having a, a profession and they still are putting on a front, but they've fallen away from the faith and the end times.
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Above all things, have our love.
We have to have resources, don't we?
God wouldn't leave us blank without some resources.
When God took the children of Israel out of Egypt should be a people for himself, he took them to a land and he said this land is and the people in it are evil. I want the land emptied of them. I want to place you in the land. I want you to be put there for me. I am a jealous God. I will not share you.
With the gods around.
Frontier to be mine, and so they were to put away.
Everything that spoke of the gods of the land and all the high hills and Groves and so on that they established for themselves and God warned them, he said If you allow that idolatry back in the land, I'm going to put my hand on you and there's going to have to be judgment.
Sadly, when Christianity was brought into the world.
God brought himself in a way that he never had before, to the full extent of the revelation of himself. But his character doesn't change. God is.
Wants to have a people for himself that he can find his pleasure in and that they find their pleasure in him.
And so we see in this description what's happened in that best place, if you will, a profession of God with respect to what man loves. Does he love God? Does God have the supreme place in his heart and in his life? Verse two says men shall be lovers of themselves, covetousness, that is, lovers of money.
Lower, lower, uh, farther down it says verse 4 lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. And in the other sense of it, it, it also speaks about not loving the things that are good in verse 4, meaning the Darby translation, no love for what is good, traders headlong and so on. And so this is something that tells us about the day in which we live so that we can be aware of it.
And and ha have our hearts before our God. God says I don't wanna share you with the world.
And I want you for myself. And so please give me my place in your heart and in your life. Don't replace me with yourself and become self-centered and say I love myself, I love my money, I love my pleasure. What's in it for me? Because if you do, and man has done that generally and even in the Christian profession.
We're it permeates us, what we have and the consequences God has set aside and what is good from God in the light is lost. Man doesn't even want to do the good anymore.
He wants, the society says, in which we live in this country is who are you to tell me what's good and what's bad? It's my business to find my pleasure my way, and you have no right to stand in judgment upon me.
We don't personally, but God does. And it's not wrong to declare what God says is right.
And God says certain things are right and certain things are sin and yet we live in a society now that says no, don't you dare tell me that's who are you to say you can tell me. In other words, they look at the person that says speaks for God and says we don't want to hear from you. But Paul telling Timothy that's the way it is and it has come into the profession of of what God is. The barriers are down. And so we need to be aware of it and.
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Consequently, get the instruction from the Lord through Paul.
To live like Timothy is encouraged to live.
If you say it's impossible for us to be lovers to ourselves and lovers across both.
It's it is a recognition that I was condemned there and it took the cross for God to do away with me. And so if if we fall into this which.
Professing church in our day characterized by.
It must be because we don't enter into the the truth of the cross of Christ.
We've lost sight of it.
It seems that if in taking this up.
It is imperative that we look at.
The umm, Church of Laodicea, because we have the same character, the same essence, uh, brought out an adversary in every detail. We have it from, from the point of view given to John, uh, by the Lord Jesus. And uh, it just verifies exactly what it, uh, Timothy is being instructed, uh, by Paul, uh, we have the exact same characters of what's been mentioned so far.
In umm Revelation 3 in the Church of Laodicea.
Yes, they were so indifferent to the claims of Christ and occupied with themselves that He has to say to them, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. They had lost that sense of fellowship and communion with himself that he so desired. I'd just like to say a word on that and in connection with some previous comments.
Because brother Phil brought up about self and you know, I think of the prodigal son when he came to the father, he said two very or three very significant words. Father, give me now doesn't that sum up the spirit of the age in which we live? We want everything that the father can give us. We want for self without.
Necessarily.
The he, the the product of son didn't want the blessing and company of the father's house. He didn't want what he perhaps felt were the restrictions of the father's house. But he wanted everything, all the blessing that the Father could give him and what he felt the Father owed him. How many times have we said and I have to hang my own head? Well, I deserve it or that person deserves that, You know, I deserve nothing, everything I have.
A blessing is on the grounds of pure sovereign grace. We really deserve nothing, but we become so occupied with self. Don mentioned the circle and when it says in Romans, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed again, we apply that to many practical outward things. But I believe really in the context of that portion, what he's saying is that the bent of the natural man is to draw a circle and put himself in the center of that circle and do everything for himself.
That's the bent of the natural man, and that's what we see personified in the world around us and in even the Christian profession in the last days. Because whatever characterizes the spirit, whatever the spirit of the world is, whatever characterizes the world in the day in which we live, eventually affects the Christian testimony and the people of of God. And even in our practical Christianity, brethren, I think we need to be very, very careful.
Things creep in so subtly. Now I want to say what I'm going to say very carefully, and I want to qualify it, lest you misunderstand me. How many of us came to this conference with our our foremost thought being that we would get something. Now I hope we all get something. Don't misunderstand me. I hope that when we leave here on Monday, we all leave with a blessing and that we've got some spiritual food and something to exercise our souls, and we go away refreshed and encouraged.
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But, brethren, all thought to have been my first thought in coming to this Conference.
Wouldn't it have been better if my first thought in coming to this conference was that, you know, it's gonna please the Lord Jesus to see a few of his own gathered together with the Word of God before them and the privilege of remembering him on Lord's Day and the pre He's gonna be glorified in the preaching of the Gospel. And my second thought perhaps being maybe my coming in some way can encourage another.
And be for the blessing of another. That's selflessness. But so often we fall and I'm I'm not pointing the finger, brethren. If I have to point the finger, I have to point it here and leave it here. But so often our thought is, what can we get out of it? What do we get out of going to meetings? You know, when I hear someone say they're bored with the meeting or they didn't get much out of the meeting, or there's just nothing there, I wonder if perhaps that person is going.
With a selfish motive that we're going just to get something. But if we go first of all for the glory of God and because it pleases the Lord Jesus, and perhaps by our presence and our actions and maybe even our words we're a blessing and encouragement to someone else, then I believe we're going to truly be refreshed in our own soul. Because he that Watereth is watered all to himself. Well, I don't say these things to be critical, but I simply say to them that we don't want to fall even under.
In our CRO practical Christianity, we don't want to fall into the trap of what we have here that characterizes generally the Christian profession in the last days, brethren, it doesn't have to characterize us as individuals.
There's a couple Old Testament verses that I'd like to read together. Isaiah chapter 30.
Isaiah chapter 30, verse 8.
Isaiah 30 and eight go now, right before them on a table or a tablet.
And noted in a book that it may be for the time to come forever and ever that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord. Now note this verse who say to the seers, see Knox and to the prophets prophesized not unto us the right things nor don't speak the right things to us speak unto us smooth things prophecy deceits get out of the way, turn the sight out of the path cause the Holy one of Israel.
Ceased from before us and another reading in Jeremiah chapter 5.
Jeremiah, chapter 5, verse 30.
Jeremiah 5 and 30 A wonderful means in an appalling We have to be real careful of that word. Wonderful. Jeremiah 5 and 30 A wonderful and appalling and horrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets prophesized falsely and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so.
And what will you do to the end of it all? The last days, the last times, what people are wanting?
We see them wanting the smooth things. We see denominations letting gay ones get on their platforms and doing the speaking. We see the churches having the bands with the rock'n'roll and the big screens.
And we see all kinds of things going on in the last days that are creeping in slowly and they're wanting to smooth and not so and not the old packs.
And not scriptures. And we see here what Timothy is trying to bring across, that in these last days, these things are gonna be taking place, aren't they? We have to stick to the truth of scripture. We have to see stick to what has been taught to us, what our oversight has said, what our forefathers have taught us. And everything down the line, we have to stick to it, but mostly to scriptures. Always our resource and inspiration.
Of God. That's our resource right there. These last things are taking place, brothers and sisters. It's happening to Israel, too.
And Israel is going to be judged, and because of these last things that will therefore bring in the judgment to come.
00:40:08
I'd like to read make an application of loop 24 as a positive.
We necessarily had to speak of negative things and be encouraged. I'd like to make a positive application.
Comes to mind from what Phil said a few minutes ago in Luke chapter 4.
Umm, I'm sorry Luke, Chapter 24.
On loop 24.
And.
Umm, verse five and as they were afraid.
And bowed down their knees to the earth, they said unto them, This is the Angel speaking to them. Why seek ye, the living among the dead? He is not here.
But it's risen.
Just like to make this application of these these. I know it's not the context but.
The world in which we live lives in death.
Man is dead.
Who just trespasses in his sins?
And men, dead men, seek to find pleasure to pass their lives.
And there's no end in it. There's no fruit in it for God.
Man, engaged in his evil, feeds on his own sinful desires and wastes his life without any fruit.
And so we who have died with Christ, and risen with Christ through his death, as it were in application, the question can be raised, why would we seek?
The living among the dead is not here, is not there.
The one that we seek is risen.
This afternoon he sits at the right hand of God, outside of it all, and he is there as the object for our lives and our faith.
And so we're exhorted in Colossians, let your mind be on things above where Christ said it at the right hand of God. And Galatians chapter 2, I live by the faith of the Son of God. That is, I live by that faith which has the Son of God as the object of that life. And so in the measure in which the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the object of our lives.
To that extent we are delivered practically from seeking the living among the dead and sharing with the dead in that which God has nothing to say to except to judge. So may the Lord help us. It delivers us from that self occupation, because the object is not self, it's Christ, and into the measure to which He becomes the object of our lives.
As Jim said earlier, that I come here for me and what I'm gonna get, or is the thought, the Lord Jesus wants me to come here and He will, as it were, reveal himself to my heart, because that's His will and wish to do so. And in so doing, in His company, we get to enjoy the object of the heart and of the life, and God has given glory in it so.
May the Lord help us, brethren, to answer in our own souls. Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, he is risen.
So we can say in this chapter that the 1St 9 verses actually give us the fall or the corruption of prison them, don't they? And then starting with verse that we might keep this in mind for the next reading, but starting in verse 10, we have the resources of the godly in such a day. And it's often been mentioned in connection with the 1St 9 verses in the fall of Christendom, uh, that it's actually quite similar to what we have in the early chapters of Roman, isn't it?
Umm, you read the description of the Gentiles and even the Jews in the early chapters of Romans.
We see that there's really little difference from that. And uh, what we have in the 1St 9 verses of our chapter, and it's often been said that a dispensation comes to an end when those who have the peculiar dispensa, the peculiar calling of the dispensation are a little different from that from which they were called out. And so in the early chapters of Romans, for instance, we have the lost and guilty condition of mankind for which God brought a remedy, which of course we have in the gospel. Thank God for that.
00:45:28
And of course, out of that, Christianity was born.
But now we see in, uh, the Apostle Paul gives us the same feed of, uh, corruption which were coming in among Christendom, which would, uh, which would ultimately be the death knell of Christendom as well. And so again, I believe what we have in the 1St 9 verses is that corruption of Christendom where in time at least these are the seeds of corruption creeping in. Uh, we're in time in the full development, which we probably actually have in the book of Jude. I think it goes, Jim, even a step beyond what you haven't.
First, John is full apostasy in Jude, and yet there's still a passive escape. And then we know the apostasy comes to its fruition actually during the, uh, the, uh, period of that we have covered in the Book of Revelation. But Jude even goes a step beyond first John, doesn't it, in final corruption. And so again, what we have here at the initial seeds of corruption coming in, in the 1St 9 verses, and then we have that remedy.
We have in verse 12 just to give a brief outline. Yeah, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus. That's what our brother Don was just speaking about. And then the Holy Scriptures are given to us in verse 15 from a child that has known the Holy Scriptures. That's what Paul spoke about in Acts of Money, isn't it? God and the word of His grace are the abiding resources till he concludes the dispensation.
1, 168.
The night is far spent and the day is at hand. No sign to be looked for. Stars and skies rejoiced. Any thanks to your Lord's own command. Rejoice.
Uh, great, I'm on walk.
And where's all of my life?
I will bring language train.
So much around.
OK.
Being called.
Luke 14, 15 and 16
Gospel—Al Coleman
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.
Now let's open our job for you number uh #13 #13 Man of Sorrows. What a name for the third guard who gave ruined sinners who trained. Hallelujah, what a save. Hallelujah, what a Savior. Listen.
Come before The Tonight.
Are the gospel going forth from this room again, and we aren't see loving further than if there's one here tonight still a stranger to thee, that they might come to that blessed one, that blessed one who went to Calvary's cross, who thy beloved Son are God the darling of divorce them that he went willing to lead to that cross and suffered on that cross.
When we think of the depth of all my suffering, Lord Jesus there on that cross when I was alone and forsaken.
And bearing our sins there in thine own body on the tree, we'll never know the depth of which others go through for us there on Calvary's cross that over, we can thank you tonight.
And we thank you that through thy precious work on Calvary's cross, that the gospel can go to poor lost, fallen man. And we pray tonight that there's still one here tonight, a stranger to thee, maybe a little one, maybe a young boy, maybe a young girl, maybe a grown up.
Coming farther, downtons, look down into this room, into this audience tonight.
And I could see the heart of each one, whether they're saved or not.
Some might say to their neighbor that they're really designed and yet they cannot prove God.
Loving Father, we do ask thee for the gospel tonight. We ask thee that thy word would be proclaimed and we ask the loving Father that it may bear fruit tonight. So we ask the and to help us as we open that process word and we give you thanks for the for the privilege of being able to do so. And we ask it in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. Amen, Amen. Amen. I'd like to read, I'd like to sing another song here.
He who borrowed a lot of sin as he knocks and has his mission thinner believe that again.
Grow for Jesus, Lord of glory. Patience now His word obeyed. Swing the heart store widely open. Let him answer while as you made #17.
Lives.
00:05:08
In your glory coming, Lord, downstairs.
And he's on the trailer and.
It's now.
And then there were five years ahead of the end.
Moon water plants and every morning.
Our bright sun, Christine honey.
I have to do great. Give me a call. Sometimes I can hear you.
1 Two days in a time outside.
Tomorrow.
Glory.
And now it's where I'm at the end.
Swearing through our hearts, but our winding alone and.
Man in man's bed, lying to him and.
Turn with me, first of all, to just part of the verse. Romans, chapter 2. Romans chapter 2.
The first phrase of the first verse.
Therefore thou art inexcusable, oh man. Therefore thou art inexcusable, oh man. Then turn with me to Luke, chapter 14.
Verse 16.
Then he said unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many, and he sent his servant at supper time to them that were bidden come. For all things are now ready. And they all with one consent begin, began to make excuse.
The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must need go and see it.
And I pray have me excused.
Another said I have bought 5 yoke of oxen and I go to prove them. I pray thee have me excused.
00:10:01
So that servant came and showed his Lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servants, go out quickly.
Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hit her, the poor.
The maimed, the halt, the blind, and the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou is commanded, and yet there is room.
And the Lord said unto his servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. Now, if you have noticed that I have.
Umm umm, pronounced the word excuse. Excuse.
You know, when you give the gospel to many souls, it seems that there's always an excuse, always an excuse speaking to a man on the street corner, umm, you can talk to him about the Lord Jesus and, and so many times there's an excuse. And so many times they'll say, well, I got no time right now, today, some other time. You tell it that you, you, you, you tell me that some other time.
MMM and excuse and they're petty. They're petty.
I'd like to speak from Luke chapter 14 with this theme.
The earth with all its hindrances. Luke chapter 14. Luke chapter 15. Heaven with all its blessedness.
Yeah, you go to Lu, uh, Lu, Luke chapter 15. And what do you see? There's joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner, that repentance. There's rejoicing. There's rejoicing because the young man had came back to his Father. And then we want to go finally to the end of this gospel meeting to go to Luke chapter 16. And we're going to talk about hell.
With all its miseries.
Hell with all its miseries.
I'll ask this one question tonight. Does God want to send a man to hell?
No young man is shaking and said no. And it's right. God doesn't want to send a man to hell. God has provided salvation full and free to whosoever will tonight.
Everything has been provided, it says here, as I have read here just a few minutes ago, it says all things are ready.
Come here is that beautiful word that God likes to say in his precious word. Come, come for all things are now ready now. Umm, a week ago, uh, I was invited to a barbecue and the whole meeting came to this barbecue and ho, and what did I have to do to go to that BBQ? Just come and it was a blessed time. We had a blessed time, time together.
And so it says here a certain man made a great supper.
And made many and who was that God himself has made this blessed supper and and we go to the Revelation chapter 19 and and there we see the marriage suffered their lamb, God's beloved Son. You know that through so and I'm gonna say this it's through sovereign grace.
I'm gonna be at that married supper of the Lamb through sovereign grace. Nothing that I have done is all His grace that reached down and saved a person like me.
And he can do the same for you.
Beautiful, isn't it? What a wonderful God we have.
Oh, man could only know the heart of a wonderful God. A God.
That could see us in all our need as guilty, lost sinners. That's what it was. That's what you and I were.
00:15:07
I met a man down in the street and uh, right away I was attached to him because he was black and he was really black. And so right away I figured, where are you from? Nigeria? Great. I've been to Nigeria and uh, so we got to talking and then I asked him, I said, Sir.
Are, uh, are you a Christian? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior? And I'm going to ask that same question to everyone here tonight. Young ones, older ones here. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal savior, personal between you and the Lord Jesus? Do you know him? Oh, he says, uh, yes, he says, I was born a Christian, a born a Christian. You know, that's not what the word of God says. You're born into sin.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Those sins have separated you from a holy God. You can't get to heaven with all your sins on you. How wonderful it is that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son cleanseth us from all sin. And there, and there's a song here in this shot him she says, have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? And so I say this tonight, that you cannot get to heaven without the blood of Christ.
You cannot get to heaven without the work of Christ. It's all been done there on Calvary's cross. The Lord Jesus there on that cross could say it is finished. Everything has been done to accomplish your my redemption and yours and all I have to do. And that wonderful word, come, come. And he says, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. There's so many.
That have not got that rest, that rest of soul, that rest, that my sins are all gone.
And I'm on my way to heaven. Wonderful, isn't it, to be a child of God, to know for the assurance that I belong to the Lord Jesus. So I hear, he hear he said they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first set I bought a piece of ground and I must knees go see it. I I pray they have me now. Isn't that a petty excuse?
And after he's bought the piece of ground, he goes to see what it's like. Now that's, that's silly. And then the next one, uh, another. I have bought 5 Oaks, Europa Oxygen and I go to prove them. I pray that they have me excused.
And I've been a car mechanic all my life.
Well, this is.
Are you going to go and buy a car without looking at it, without getting underneath it, without getting under the hood? Are you just going to look at the car and and buy it? No, that's silly. You go and you prove the car. You take it out for test run and and everything else, don't you?
I go to approve it.
Then the next says I have married a wife and there therefore I cannot come. I've married a wife and there I cannot come. Well, this man, he's got a, he's got a family. He's got a responsibility. Oh, bring your family, bring your wife.
Come bring your family. You know what you know what you know what God says and and Genesis 7 when he says come down in all my house into the ark.
All my house into the ark, God wants family wherever I go and, and, and all the conferences and meetings that I go to, I see families. You go to, you go to Richmond and you see the anesthesia and you see the Colemans, but they're fat. God wants families in heaven with him.
So he says come now in all light, house into the ark. And he says, I married a wife and therefore I cannot come full. Think of that. Think of that while you're sitting beside you. Thank the God for that wonderful wife that's sitting beside you.
And then that servant showed is largely singed in the master of the house being angry, said to his servants, go out quickly. You know there is an urgency to the Gospel. Why?
Because the day of grace is coming to a close. It's coming to a close. And I believe it's so very, very soon. If I was to ask each child of God here tonight, when is the Lord Jesus coming? Oh, maybe tonight. Think of this, if there's one here tonight that is lost in their sins, and you went out of this room tonight, still lost, and the Lord Jesus came tonight.
00:20:24
That showed that will take us all up to be with him, be forever too late. And so we're going to see in Luke, Luke chapter 16, where this man was too late and he was in a lost eternity.
But yet there is room, and this is a wonderful let the gospel can go forth tonight. The good news of salvation. Have you accepted it? God is offering it to you.
Fallen free to whosoever will.
So go out quickly into the lanes of the city and bring in hitter, the poor, the main, the halt and the blind. Who are these people? They're running away from God. They're trying to get away from God. And there's many like that today trying to get away from God. And then in verse 23, the Lord said unto the servants, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Who are they?
These are people that are hiding from God.
There are many that are hiding from God. Are you hiding? Are you hiding?
I remember a young man about 70 years ago who who used to hide quite a bit in a gospel meeting and he hated to go into a gospel meeting to hear the gospel because that that preacher always taught to me, you know.
You know I was hiding from God.
Oh young man, young girl, hit tonight, don't hide. Come, come to the Lord Jesus, He'll save you. It says. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
I gave a gospel tract to a man on the street and he threw it in the ground just like that.
I said, Sir, you see that gospel tract on the ground? God is going to hold you responsible for that act.
You are rejecting the wonderful gospel from the heart of God.
Are you doing that? Are you doing that? Oh, I trust not. Come to the Lord Jesus tonight.
Let's go to Umm Luke chapter 15. This is a blessed chapter.
Heaven with all its blessedness.
Umm.
Let's see.
Umm, verse 11.
And he said, A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion that falleth to me. And he divided unto him his living.
You know, this strikes me as being a Christian home. It is. It really is a Christian home. This father was a praying father. We know he was.
And, you know, there's fathers that are praying for children here tonight in the prayer room.
There were fathers there praying for young ones. Is there a young one here tonight that is still a stranger to the Lord Jesus?
Maybe your father and your mother brought you here.
I say I asked you tonight, are you saved? Are you really saved as a song that we sing in Sonny's Good. Are you Really SAVED? Are you sure?
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Do you know, do you know Christ as your Savior? The younger them said to his father, Father, give me, Father, give me. Oh, we have a wonderful giving God.
Give me the portion of the goods that falleth to me in the divided unto him as living. And not many days after, the younger son took all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living and going down the street. And I give a track to a man.
And that track happened to be the prodigal son, this very story on the track, and he's got it here, I think.
Wonderful track. And the man said to me, he said, you know, I'm a prodigal. And he started telling me a story of his life and I'll tell you it wasn't very good. He was in a wheelchair and he was pushing himself around the wheelchair. He was down there in Cordova St. where I go.
00:25:14
A dear man, he told me all about his life and what a life it was.
But you know he hadn't come to Christ yet.
He was a prodigal, but he hadn't come to his father. Is there a prodigal here you know?
There's a product called standing in front of you tonight.
Uh, most of you here don't know me.
Most of you don't know me, some of you do, but I was a prodigal as a young man.
I grew up in a Christian home just like this.
And I wasted my substance on riotous living. I did. I did it all. The whole ball of wax did everything.
But you know, God finally had to talk to me very strongly and I came to Him.
Was I sorry for that?
No. You know how many years ago that was?
50.
Oh well, over over 50 years.
But a wonderful God ever since. And I just say this dear one, tonight, if you don't know Christ as your Savior, you're missing something wonderful to have a wonderful God that looks after you and cares for you every moment of your life. One who blesses you and keeps you.
The blessings that have flowed down from that wonderful God on my SH on on on my life. I think just what a wonderful savior he is.
And I just say this, this world is missing something because something wonderful because they don't know Christ as their own personal savior.
Wonderful, wonderful God, a God who in this great love could send his beloved Son here into this world. God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I say this to many on the street. Do you know the author of John 316? Three young boys, girls here tonight. Do you know the author of, of the Lord, uh, of John 316? Think of it there in John who quoted that verse?
The Lord himself, the Lord himself, and what a wonderful verse it is the the means of so many countless souls coming to Christ and knowing them as their own personal Savior. And when he had he, he goes into the far country and 1St 14 when he had spent all, there arose a mighty family in that land, and he began to be in want. You know, God brought a famine into that man young man's life.
And you know, if you're gonna turn your back upon God, God can bring a famine into your life.
And like the Philippian jailer, God can bring an earthquake into your life and sometimes God has to shake you before you come to the Lord Jesus. Sometimes God has to bring a famine into your life before you come to the Lord Jesus. Why? Because God doesn't want you to send you to hell. He says I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his evil away.
Then he says, turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die? He doesn't want to send a man to hell. Wonderful, wonderful God. Oh man only knew the heart of God.
And when he and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him in his field to peace. Wine.
T swine and Ivane would fill his belly with a husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. And that's the world no man gave unto them.
The hus that the swine didn't eat.
You go to dinner.
Umm, how about some watermelon? OK, watermelon. OK, you like watermelon?
You eat the green rind.
Dewey, the green part.
No, no, no, this young man did.
I don't like the green part. I like that nice red watermelon that's sweet and juicy and the juice is running down your, your face. That's, that's what I like. This young man was eating the husk that the swine did eat and you know.
00:30:18
There are many that I see this very day that are doing that very thing.
Down in the streets where I go.
So we're the, the most horrible, horrible sites that you can see. And I believe that some of those fellows and some of those girls and some of those ladies that I see are ones that probably were in a gospel meeting, probably in a, in a, in a Christian home and turn their back upon God and God into the horriblest that this world can offer. They were eating the husk that the swine did eat.
And it says, No man gave unto him.
And when he came to himself, oh friend, I want you to come to yourself tonight to realize, friend, that you're a guilty, lost Sinner and you need to be saved. You must be born again this very night.
And he says, how many hired servants of my father's have bred enough despair, and I perish with hunger.
This man was hungry.
I see so many of these men, they're hungry, never had a meal.
They're eating the husk that the swine did eat. I will arise and go to my Father and we'll say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. Yes, he says, I am a Sinner. I am a Sinner. And dear friend, you are a Sinner and you need a, a Savior.
The Savior of sinners.
And I'm no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell in his neck and kissed him. Think of it. Here's this young man, it all his bedraggial state, and he's coming up the road and his father's season. Would his father come to him and say, Son, look at you're, you're a mess.
No it didn't.
This is the heart of God. He comes to him and he wraps his hands around him, and he kisses him.
It says here.
Uh had compassion on and and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight no more worthy to be called thy son. But the Father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe and put on him.
And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring hit her the fatted calf, and kill it. And let us eat and be merry for this. My son is dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And then I like this phrase. I love this phrase. They began to be married. They began in that beautiful. They began to be married.
You know.
The Lord Jesus coming, coming so very soon. His coming is as sure as the dawn.
And I just long, dear ones, tonight I long for my blessed Lord to come and take us all home to hear the shout. It'll take us out of this Christ rejecting world, to take us out of this awful world that is fast going on to instruct destruction.
When you see the events of this world in the last months, in the last year.
Right for the judgment of God.
Right for the judgment of God. I believe his communist so very, very near.
Lord Jesus, come thus by constant prayer. Lord Jesus, come and take us home.
And they began to be merry. Oh, what a wonderful moment. You know, as I hope you don't mind a little personal thing.
I would I I stood. I stood at the bed of my wife.
00:35:01
And I watched her take her last breath.
She left this world and she was into the presence of her savior.
Uh, she's there. Enjoy Christ, She's there and I'm gonna there. I'm gonna be there. I'll join her one day very soon.
And each and every one of us here that know Christ as your Savior, that's your portion. No wonderful.
The best is yet to be. That's it. The best is yet to be.
Heaven with all its blessedness. Oh, what a wonderful moment. It's just ahead of us. How we can rejoice in this. Are you looking forward to this?
Chapter 16.
Chapter 16.
Verse 19. There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.
You know, as you preach the gospel, I feel that it is a deep, deep, very serious responsibility to speak about health.
A very solemn thing.
You know, if you're without Christ tonight, you're on your way to hell.
You're on your way to hell.
That's a very, very solemn thing.
I bought a car the other day.
The other one was given out.
And I went to the dealership I used to work to work for about 40 years ago.
And uh, I, uh, looked around I Washington, I wanted to find a familiar face and yes, I did.
And I found a few, uh, fellows that I used to work for 40-40 years before and they were still there. And uh, there was one particular person who was a parts man and his name was Jerry Pugh.
And, uh, I.
A a nice fella, nice fella. I really liked him, polite and and he really knew his parts. I it was a good part.
And, uh, I asked, what was Jerry? Well, he's in the hospital. Oh, OK. Umm, and he's dying of cancer.
He's got bone cancer and he's dying right away. I want, I'm gonna go see Jerry. I gotta go see Jerry.
So I went to the hospital. Palace of Care award.
A word that my wife is in and she Washington and he was a couple of beds down from where my wife was.
And, uh, the, the, the grades were closed and there was most of the family in there and I kind of peeked in and, uh, to 1 to one of the folks there and I said, can I talk to Jerry?
And so I went in, they let me in, and there was Jerry, skin and bone, an awful emancipated mess. He was just skin and bone.
And, uh, I talked to Jerry for a few minutes and then I left because, uh, polite, because of the family that was there.
But I left some gospel tracts for for for him to read.
And then a day later.
I was bothered. I was really bothered. Here's a man who's going out of this world and where, where I didn't know, I didn't have any evidence of where he was going. And so I thought I must go back there. I must go back there. So I went back there the next day and I had on my heart to, to, uh, to read from John 14.
And I walked in there and the family was there.
And uh, could I speak to Jerry? No, Jerry was in a coma. It was too late.
It was too late.
I felt bad because I had never really told him the real gospel story. I don't know whether Jerry was really saved or not, but I felt bad because for me it was too late to talk to this person.
00:40:14
You know, we need to seize upon those opportunities that are granted to us.
It was too late for Jerry. He left this world.
What about you? Are you going to go out of this world without Christ? What a solemn thing.
OK, let's read this. Umm, this man, he fared sumptuously every day. He lived for himself. He had money, by the way. Uh, they showed me a picture of Jerry's house. Beautiful house, right on out on the deck. You know what happened to Jerry's house? He left it behind. You know what happened to this man? All his fortune he left behind.
He fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of swords and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. What a scene, what a scene. Here's this rich man and here's Lazarus lead at his gate. Pull a sword. Just give me a few crumbs.
No, no.
And it came to pass. You know, that's a phrase that what a solemn phrase. And it came to pass.
The beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. What a blessed thing carried by the angels into into Abraham's bosom, right up to heaven.
Beautiful. And that's where I'm going. Is that where you're going?
And the rich man also died and was buried.
You know it doesn't tell the name of this rich man. There's no name, no name.
John 10.
Verse 3, isn't it? Let me read it, I should know it off by heart.
Uh, did I get the right one? He called them out by name.
It's Jacket Durbin.
Oh, sorry, yeah, to him the four year open it. Then the chief hear his voice and he calleth his own sheep by name. Now in that wonderful he knows your name, he knows whether you belong to him.
Uh, OK. Anyhow, he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and see if Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom, and he cried. You know there's going to be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in hell.
A solemn place to go. God doesn't want to send a man there. And he cried and said, Father, may you have mercy on me. He cried for mercy.
You know, you go through all the Gospels and you find that those who came to the Lord Jesus and cried for mercy, they got mercy. All except for this man. Why? Too late, Too late?
What a solemn thing to hear those words. Too late, too late will be the cry Jesus of Nazareth has passed by.
God's time is now. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. He says, remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. That's the time to come to the Lord Jesus. When you're young. God's time is now. Have you come? You see, this is the gospel meeting and there is a tremendous urgency to the gospel.
Because there might not be another one.
God's time is now.
God offers man salvation fallen free.
00:45:01
But the offer said now, now.
Don't we?
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he might tip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in his flame. Could be no water in hell.
No water inhale a solemn thing.
We have the water of the Word of God right here. Beautiful.
This precious book, the water of the word of life, wonderful words of life, all to take this precious book out every day to read it and to meditate upon it. How precious it is the water of life, life giving stream coming right down from the heart of God to you and I beautiful. Oh, what a precious book we have open in in our in in our hands right here tonight. Oh if man with just only open this precious book and read it.
You'll find wonderful words of life. I like to whenever I see a man in need, I like to put the precious word of God in his room, in his hand. Here, open it. Read the Gospel of John.
Hmm.
And cool my tongue, for I'm tormented in this PLA plane. But Abraham said, Son, remember, you know, this is the most solemn thing that you're gonna have a memory if you reject Christ, if you're put into hell, you'll have that memory forever.
Supposing there was one here tonight that went out of this room lost.
And into a lost eternity you would have the memory.
Of that gospel meeting for all eternity.
Solemn you would have that memory of this Gospel meaning for all eternity.
God holds you responsible for what you know.
You heard it in the Sunday school. Your Sunday school teacher.
You've heard it in gospel meetings. Have you accepted it?
It's a solemn thing to reject God's wonderful offer of mercy.
God has offered the very best, the very best that his heart of luck, a good gift. And you know it's an insult to God to reject this wonderful offer of mercy.
Solid.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receive as thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is com comforted, and now are tormented. And besides all this, between US and you there is a great culprit. So that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from hands. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou would send them to my father's house.
This man is praying in hell.
But he's not prayers not being answered.
Doing that wonderful that you and I as a child of God, that we can pray to a wonderful God and he hears everything.
How, how wonderful it is, what a wonderful God. And then he says, For I have 5 brethren that may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place. And Abraham said, they have Moses and the prophets, yes, they have the word of God.
When I say this again.
Man. God holds man responsible for what he knows.
As you grow up, you memorize the verse on Sunday morning and you say your verse.
You memorize those verses.
They go deep down into this.
Precious brain that we've got. You'll learn.
And is there.
Even though I rejected it when I was a young man and still remember all those verses that I learned.
What does the Word of God mean to you?
They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, nay, father Abraham, but if one went to them from the dead, they will, they will repent. And he said, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they for be persuaded, though 1 rose from the dead. Oh, isn't this wonderful? There is one that grows from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ, you know, isn't that wonderful that tonight as we proclaim the gospel.
00:50:18
We have a risen, glorified Savior and high in the glory. There's that song that we sometimes sing. Well, maybe we'll sing it. There is a Savior on high in the glory, A Savior who suffered on Calvary's tree. A Savior as willing to save now as ever. His arm is almighty, His love great and free. Think of it. A living Savior and dear friends by His matchless grace.
I'm gonna see him soon. How about you? Is that your portion? It's mine Through sovereign grace. Let's see that time. Uh, what is it?
Ken, thank you.
Yeah #10 there is a save one time.
Down the ground is pretty.
And I pray for me.
Great. And then?
From one stream.
On our community.
Uh, while you're now there's a circle of God come again? All right, now I have all the translation of weather.
00:55:44
OK, so.
1 day I'm very stressed and try and.
Set up I.
Done with those kind of art.
Always turn back.
If you're still without Christ, if you're still a lost soul, I want to plead with you tonight, Come to Christ. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ. This, this course has come. Come now. Come now to Jesus.
A dear loving Savior, receive him this moment, and peace shall be thy. You won't have peace in this world.
You can have peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. He's a wonderful Savior. Come to him tonight. Let's close your eyes in prayer, we thought.
Delivered
Children—Mark Breman
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.
Good morning. Good morning.
Let's start the Sunday school out this morning with singing hymn #34. OK, hymn #34. And while we're singing, if there's children that would like to come up here, we have two seats here, two more seats there, a whole row of seats right here. And there are hymn books on these seats for the children if they want to come up here. And.
And occupy these seats this morning.
Brush.
She's not his friend. Shall. It's like a campaign, that's why.
It's no.
Yeah, I mean, well, I'm sorry.
OK, before we sing another song, let's bow our heads and let's ask for the Lord for His help this morning.
Our blessed God and loving Father, we thank thee for the privilege of singing of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, thy well beloved Son, together this morning. And we just pray that if there is a boy or a girl here, or anyone in this room who has yet not taken the Lord Jesus as their Savior and found the cleansing power of that precious blood, that this morning they would do so.
Before it is forever too late. So we ask for thy help this morning, as the children would say the verse. And we speak of these things, that these things would be a blessing to each one, and to especially one who is without Christ, that this morning they might find that peace and joy that is in the Lord Jesus alone. And so we ask thy health, because we need thy help, and we depend on the most worthy and precious name. We pray Lord Jesus, Amen.
Amen. OK. We have quite a few kids up here already.
And I wonder if anyone of you have a song to sing? OK.
Good.
#25.
Life at best is very brief life.
That I will turn it down and but there's no light in my life.
Speaking on.
It I hope not a question that means that all to be in time.
Your pride becomes too late.
Being time.
There is large 2 decades and unity passed away all you have so far to spend in the night.
00:05:50
I invited friendly by that and judgment of God I to the arms of Jesus.
Flaming.
Time.
All I pray is down to the cross and the pale lightly crossed, And your pride when sold me above.
Be upon.
Along your way you may find no one can get it and your pride. Be honest to the hang me in time.
1013 from 1 earning point make the water to your mouth. These choices and all that do well restore it in mind.
From darkness into light. From the way that see the product.
On and start for heaven to die.
Being time.
In time.
Well, this song is an invitation, isn't it, to come to the Lord Jesus in time.
And even though it said start for heaven tonight, we know that was written, uh, to be poetically correct with the song. But it is right that right now, isn't it where you're sitting in your seat this morning in the Sunday school to come to the Lord Jesus? Because we don't know what does that mean? We're saying it twice in this song. Fatal line, fatal line if the that fatal line.
Be passed? What does that mean? The fatal line?
It was in the last of the first verse and it's towards the last of the third verse. It says fatal lines be crossed. Who knows what is fatal line mean?
Well, maybe I'll tell you a little story that might help you understand what fatal line means.
Earlier this week, umm, where I work, there was a man that works in the department I work in and uh, in the middle of the morning his cell phone rang and he took the call and he looked very disturbed.
Then a little bit later after that we had a meeting to go to and he was at that meeting and his cell phone rang again and he said I have to go.
And we said you just stole and punched the time clock and go ahead and go home. Take care of what you need to take care of.
00:10:03
Well, this man, he had a stepson. Stepson was a big man in good health, strongman.
And uh, this young man, he, he confided in his strength a lot.
A matter of fact, this young man, for an occupation, he was a fighter.
And people would pay him money to go into a ring with another man who is also big and strong and healthy, and they would fight.
Until one of them won the fight and the other one lost the fight well.
The last fight that this man was in was a couple of weeks ago, but he hadn't been feeling very well after the fight.
And uh.
Monday morning when he when he got up.
He didn't feel good at all.
And so he told somebody to take him to the doctor. He was only 28 years old, told him to take him to the doctor. So they took him to the hospital.
And he was losing his strength.
And so they asked him, can you give us?
Somebody that we can contact to let them know that you are here.
And he got 2 cell phone numbers out of his mouth and that was his last words that he could say and he went unconscious.
And it wasn't very long later he crossed the fatal line.
And what is a fatal line mean? He crossed that fatal line.
He died.
And he died. That's a solemn thing, isn't it? The fatal lying that man went into eternity.
And I do not know if he knew the Lord Jesus as his Savior.
Now I'm thankful to say that I know his stepfather and I've known him for quite a few years and I've had a lot of nice talks with his stepfather about the Lord Jesus.
But even his stepfather didn't know.
If he knew the Lord Jesus, what a solemn, sad thing.
That fatal line? I trust there's no boy or girl here that's willing to go on without the Lord Jesus.
Not knowing when that fatal line would be crossed for you.
We sang of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.
Shed for each one of us. Oh, make sure that you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Last night I think most all of you were here in the gospel meeting. It was spoken of about hell, the end past, the fatal line for those who reject the Lord Jesus. An eternity apart from God forever.
The judgment of God forever.
Isn't that sad? But the Lord Jesus went to Calvary's cross to bear our judgment in our place, if we'll receive him.
Have you received the Lord Jesus this morning?
OK, who would like another song?
#46.
Glad to hear.
Believe me.
00:15:06
And he called and he called all the GI art of life and the required song to give out by the students.
Now, I'm sure that all you kids know how to spell these words.
That's a nice way to put a song, isn't it? To spell it out, to help us remember glad tidings. I bring good news of the Lord Jesus, that Jesus has come to save me that wonderful. That's why the Lord Jesus came to save us.
And he wants, and he calls all the girls, and he wants all the boys too.
To trust in Him and have all their sins now washed away. Do we deserve that? Do we deserve for the Lord Jesus to call us and to take our sins away? No, no we don't. It's a free gift. We don't deserve that, do we? But there it is. The Lord Jesus came for that reason, that He might show us that love and that grace.
He wants you.
He loves you. Come to him this morning. Let's sing another song, OK?
#41.
Around the throne of.
Me children are all forgiven, well held, handsome, strange.
Crying.
Glory days to come.
By.
And shining round the spotlight twice, each one will be afraid.
Right away, again for your life, sing light and joy. That's everything.
Glory.
Glory.
Glory, glory.
To God.
Nsnoise one, bring them to that world of thy heaven, so bright and fair.
Where all his peace and joy and love are from the children dancing.
Glory.
Because the Savior shine is 1/2 bridge away their sins.
No, I understand that. Most precious one be home and white and clean thinking glory.
Glory.
Glory to God.
It would be nice to be able to sing that now, wouldn't it? If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you can give glory to God right now for what He's done for you. It's a wonderful thing to be able to praise the Lord, isn't it? And in the chapter of the verse that you learned, it speaks of us praising the Lord and having much to praise the Lord for.
Who else has this on them?
And it doesn't have to be just somebody in these two front rows. Here too, somebody has a special song that they would like to sing. OK, there's one back here.
#36.
Somebody else start that one please.
00:20:17
Oh do not let the word deeper and more thine eyes look at the boy.
Or 10:00.
I'm in my heart. Love what he's saying. Why don't you come out in the morning? Why not? Why not? Why not?
29 I love you night no one wants me to say thanks to I'm gone to the night.
Oh my God, I didn't see my winter snow. I'm well thought about it. As long as I mean it's quiet breathing out that way. The lights are very well.
All but speak satisfaction. Why not give mine?
1919.
Love what's been saying.
Why not till my?
Well, I don't have none.
To give and I don't know if you're eating like explore now do you see thus Christ and live.
Thou would have been saying, why not your time?
Why not tonight?
Why not during the winter?
Today, Why am I still Miami?
OK, there it is again, the question put forth. Why put it off? And no, it doesn't have to be tonight either, does it? You can do it right now, right where you are sitting.
Somebody else have a song?
Here's one back here, number 20 #20 thank you.
The longest way in Kingstown.
Yeah, yeah. No one could ever find snow.
All right now, God, you know I will never end. I can start with you.
OK umm Oh my God.
00:25:03
I need to go in my place when I get there alone.
Open the door.
In a manner.
I'm not with you.
I gave me part time every time.
What about your daughter?
Seeing I don't know.
Never endure today.
From time to time.
Long part of their joy.
Stand down.
Welcome to be calm and stand to the mouth.
Open the door in heaven.
OK, I'm done with you.
I'm you, President.
OK, maybe we can close our songbooks a little bit and we'll talk about the verse and.
Maybe you kids would like to say the verse. That might help us out if somebody would like to say the verse that was in the Sunday school paper and Psalms 107.
If you have a Bible, you can turn there.
Psalms 107 believe it was verse 19.
Hmm, I'll, I'll say it first and then, and then see if somebody else wants to say it. And they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. Psalms 100 and 7:19.
We have a volunteer.
OK.
OK.
Anybody else want to say it?
Found 107. Nineteen. OK.
Didn't they crying to the Lord and their trouble? And he said it's no matter their distress. Psalm 10719.
Very good. OK.
Very good.
OK, maybe I should.
They cried unto the Lord.
The trouble and he saved him out of their gestures.
Home 1/07/19.
Very good.
OK, somebody else.
They cried unto the Lord in their troubles, and the Lord saves them out of their distresses. Some 107 Nineteen. Thank you.
Some more.
Anybody.
00:30:00
OK, I don't see any more volunteers. You did a very nice job.
Thank you.
They cried unto the Lord in their trouble.
They save them out of their distresses.
You know, I think this verse very, very similar wording is.
Four times in this chapter. Four times.
Now I'd just like to make a little application that might help the children to understand about our need, OK?
The disciples came to the Lord Jesus and they wanted him to teach them how to pray.
And in this chapter, we have what I'd like to think of just for the sake of the Sunday School this morning.
For for basic needs.
That the Lord Jesus even brought before his disciples in verse six of this chapter.
It's the almost the same verse. Then cried the end to the Lord in their trouble He delivered them out of their distresses. And verse 13 they cried unto the Lord in their trouble. He saved them out of their distresses. And then verse 19 is the one you learned.
Verse 28 They cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. It's another one, four verses like there's other verses that are very similar that we might speak of here this morning too.
The first one, verse six, I'd like you to think of as our natural need, our need needs that we have naturally. The 13th verse, we have spiritual needs, spiritual needs.
The 19th verse We have moral needs.
And the 28th verse, there are needs that we have to get through this life. It speaks of business and finance and the things of this world that the Lord understands that we have need of to get through this world. The Lord was speaking to His disciples.
In Matthew chapter 6.
Just very quickly, just for the basic.
Principles of.
This thought.
In the Lord Jesus.
Says.
In uh.
Verse 9 after this manner, therefore pray ye our Father, which art in heaven, that's you cannot call the Lord Jesus your Father, which is in heaven if you don't have your spiritual need met. First of all, how can you call him your Father if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior? That's the first need that you have to address.
The first need is to come to the Lord Jesus so that you can pray a prayer and to take up the things that we have in the chapter of the verse that you learned and then.
In verse 11, give us this day Our Daily Bread. We have natural needs, don't we? And the Lord recognizes those natural needs, and he's very plain.
That we can come to the Lord Jesus with those needs. And then verse 12, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. There are things in our life in the interaction with with the world around us and things as we get through that the Lord understands that those things are brought to Him in prayer as well. And then verse 13, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
We need help. We have moral needs too, don't we? We need help as we go through this world. So let's turn back to our chapter, Psalms 107.
And let's look at this a little bit.
Psalms chapter 107 and it says here.
In verse five, hungry and thirsty.
They're so fainted in them, they cried unto the Lord. Each one of us have natural needs.
00:35:10
Uh, who knows what this piece of paper is?
What is that?
What's that piece of paper?
It's an old coffee. Some of you don't think it's old, though.
It says Salem General Hospital, Salem OR birth record. This certificate certifies that Mark Andrew Bremen was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ben Borneo Bremen in this hospital at 12:12 AM on Tuesday, the 7th of July, 1964.
What is that?
That's a birth certificate, isn't it? And each one of us were born into this world and we have natural means now. What we, what do you think would have happened to me if my mom and dad were glad that I was born? And, uh, they brought me home from the hospital and sent me down on the couch and walked away.
And there they just left me.
What happened?
What would happen to me?
Would I still be here today?
Oh, I see a head going like this. We have needs, don't we? And we are dependent creatures. We are very dependent creatures, and the Lord knows that. The Lord knows that we are dependent creatures and we can come to the Lord with every need that we have. If I didn't get fed and cared for until I could feed and care for myself and so on, I would have a lot of difficulty, wouldn't I? And sad to say, there are some little children in the world, some parts of the world.
That don't have that kind of care that they need.
But the Lord knows that we have needs.
And here it speaks of drawing unto the Lord in their trouble, And he delivered them out of their distresses.
The Lord knows that we have those needs. Oh, that man would praise the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men. This next verse is very precious. He satisfies the longing soul and soweth the hungry soul.
With goodness. And then it goes on into another need that we have. You know, I was both. I was born. That's not the only need I have.
Now here it speaks of sitting in darkness.
In the shadow of death.
Being bound in affliction and iron. You know, we might be born into this world, but we're born into this world of sin and sorrow and sadness.
And we each have a spiritual need as well, don't we?
Well, I have a little calendar that I've kept around for quite some time.
And this calendar says 1964 on it 1964. And a long time ago I circled my birthday on that calendar. I don't remember when this calendar was printed and I was too little to remember that. And I'm not even sure where I got this calendar, but I've had it for a long time.
Had it for a long time and on the other side of the calendar is a little worse.
It says as my father has sent me. Who's that? Who did God the Father send?
We sang about it this morning. Who did God the Father send?
Who did he send down into this world?
There are boys and girls in this world that have that need of the Savior. So who did God send into this world? His Son, the Lord Jesus, to meet that need. He as my Father has sent me so.
The Even so send I you and the Lord sends us out as this young man was saying right here.
So that boys and girls can also hear the love of the Lord Jesus. And then inside here is another verse that says go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And then there's a little poem inside there about sharing the gospel with others. We have a spiritual need. Each one of us do. If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your Savior this morning, you need to cry to the Lord.
00:40:22
Even as it says here in verse 13, they cried unto the Lord in their trouble. You're in trouble. We were born in trouble. Isn't that something to realize? We were born in trouble. The good news that we sang of is that the Lord Jesus came into this world to deliver us from that trouble. Isn't that a wonderful thing? And have you made that your own this morning to be delivered from that trouble?
And then?
In verse 17, it says fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. You know, sometimes we say things and do things that might get us in trouble. And there's all kinds of ideas in this world, all kinds of ways and methods that we could find that people say, do this, do that. Now the guys at work, they got me a little thing to put up on my wall.
Over my desk. I brought it along to show you. Sometimes my day is pretty filled with responsibilities and they put this sign up over my desk.
It says anti stress sign bang head here and there's some instructions to continue to bang your head till your stress goes away and so on that fix it that fix it so to place it on a hard service. If we stuck it over there by Bill Shane on the.
On the brick wall, you think that would fix the problems that we get into?
He says, No, no, that won't do it. No. Then the verse that you said this morning, they cried unto the Lord in their trouble. He saved them out of their distresses. It's a wonderful thing after each one of these things, and verse eight, it says, Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. The Lord fills the heart with praise.
When we see His hand in answering these needs that we have, verse 15, oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works for the children and men. And then again, after the Sunday school verse that you said, verse 21. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. And then the last verse, that's like your memory versus verse 28. Then they cried unto the Lord in their travel.
And he bringeth them out of their distresses. Well before that. We see in verse 23 about going down to the sea and ships and they do business in the great waters and things like that. We have needs as we get through this world. And you know, we heard already in this conference how that the economics of this country and the world system is like a piece of elastic that's just stretched.
To its end in just about ready to snap, you know?
There are those probably here at this conference that it was harder for them to get to this conference this year than it was for them five years ago because of that.
And this world thinks they have answers for those things. And, you know, some years ago, just just for the fun of it, I picked up a book that I saw at a garage sale and, uh, thought it was kind of interesting. It says trade secrets fact you're not supposed to know. And this book will tell you how to keep an insurance man from taking advantage of you and the way to, umm, purchase a car.
Without getting taken advantage of, it will tell you how.
How to, uh, uh, make your car last twice as long. There's all kinds of pointers in here about traveling to third world countries with, without being taken advantage of and things like that. It's got all kinds of answers of things in here. And I thumb through this thing and I, I hung on to it because there's some things in there that I just had to chuckle at. But you know what? I looked this book through.
From cover to cover. And I didn't find one word in here about the Lord Jesus. I didn't find one word in here about the Lord Jesus delivering us from our troubles.
00:45:17
This world has tips and pointers and things that they would like to give you, but there's only one answer and it's in the memory verse that you had this morning.
They cried unto the Lord in their trouble. If there's only one way that the Lord can help us in all these needs that we have, and that's to go to Him. First of all, you have to know the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
If you haven't taken care of that question this morning, you're still on your way to hell. You're still on your way to a lost eternity. And as we sang precious, precious blood of Jesus, shed on Calvary, shed for rebels, shed for sinners, shed for me, can you say that this morning that the precious blood of the Lord Jesus was there to meet you in that need and you accepted it, Yes.
It's there and it's still there this morning if you will put your trust in him.
And every other need that you might have in your life, you can come to the Lord Jesus and he is there now when you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. It's a wonderful thing. Lord willing, when we're done with this Sunday school, we are going to remember the Lord Jesus in his death. What a wonderful, wonderful thing that is.
Let's go back to the first part of the chapter.
OK, thanks unto the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.
Have you given expression to the Lord Jesus?
For all that he has done for you in.
Thanksgiving.
In worship to his name.
I'll just leave that thought with you to think about.
And let's close in prayer. Our blessed God and loving Father, we thank thee for the Lord Jesus. They came down into this world to meet us in our every need. And though man house is his systems that he has tried to develop to gain peace without the Lord Jesus and how we see around us that that system only fails and there is no peace apart from the Lord Jesus. We pray this morning.
That these boys and girls would see that it is only through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus that one can be saved and delivered, delivered from hell, delivered from eternal damnation, and delivered from anything Lord Jesus in this life that they might have needs of. And so we thank Thee that Thou art a full Savior, and that Thou has promised to keep us until thou dost come.
So we just thank the two for the privilege, Lord Jesus, of returning a word of praise and thanks to Thee for what Thou hast done for us. And so we just would commit this time into Thy loving care, the precious and worthy name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Mothers
Address—Doug 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.
Did we begin our meeting with him #128?
128.
See mercy, Mercy from on high, descend to rebels, doom to die. His mercy 3 Which knows no bounds. How sweet, how pleasant is the sound. As soon as the reign of sin began, the light of mercy dawned on man When God announced blessed news. The woman. See thy head shall Bruce.
Say mercy. Mercy from my heart.
And turn around.
Uh, what can you?
Know I haven't seen any thighs and shall bring.
Rising.
On the next part of our alarms.
When I saw only.
So far.
Umm, probably good, you know, big and blessed on.
Grand Jesus dying.
Right. And then.
Completely and my recommendation.
Months.
And birds fall and fall.
And we can't give life, can't give any.
So come.
Everything I'll be.
On.
Children's grace in compound.
Oh God speaking.
Towards.
Umm.
So it looked in the Lord in prayer.
I have something on my heart to speak on this afternoon which I cannot remember anyone ever speaking on in a conference.
And that is mothers.
Has come before my soul of late. The importance of our mothers.
The role of a mother.
Thank God for our mothers. Every one of us has one.
00:05:06
Without mothers, our race would become extinct.
Without mothers, the Lord Jesus.
Could not have children in heaven.
I believe that we are feeling the attack of the enemy.
Particularly against mothers or women.
Our society is.
Departing from what God set up.
Women are aspiring to things.
That God did not give them.
And we're faced with that.
I'm not speaking on this because I think it's a particular problem, but I'm speaking on it because I think we need to have it before us.
Let's turn to the book of Genesis and see how it started.
Chapter 3 of Genesis.
And verse 13.
I take it that we will all know the background from where we start of the fall of man, how the the serpent beguiled Eve and she ate of the forbidden fruit and now we have the Lord God speaking to each one.
Verse 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this, that thou?
Has done and the woman said the serpent beguiled me and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and thus shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel unto the woman. He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception.
In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.
And thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
I'm just going to stop there because our subject is not demand. Now we'll turn over to the book of first book of Timothy.
Chapter 5.
And verse 14.
I will therefore let the younger women marry their children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
I believe these two portions have a connection.
In the New Testament.
Paul in writing to Timothy.
Would instruct the different ones.
And he would instruct the younger women of what their role is.
Mary, their children guide the house and give none occasion of offense.
Does the advert uh, uh, none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully?
00:10:06
This, I believe, is the role of the woman.
Of the mother.
In our society we are.
Faced with.
A different environment.
Where this kind of occupation?
Is somewhat disdained, minimized.
And thinking about it is come home to me that this is the attack of the enemy.
On the woman.
There's a warfare going on.
And it started in Genesis.
And the Lord spoke about it, the enmity. He did not speak that to the woman. He spoke it to the serpent, Satan.
The enmity is really not on the part of the woman.
The woman.
In that sense did not have occasion to be at enmity against the serpent. She was, yes, at fault.
But they, the Lord, opened the door, as it were.
And spoke to to the serpent.
That this would be so.
Now we know and we believe.
That this was a particular reference to the coming of the seed of the woman, the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we would turn over to the Book of Revelation chapter 12, we're not going to turn there because my thought not is to study this subject historically, what has happened and how it's going to end up.
But in Revelation we are told of that of the woman and of the serpent and the battle that goes on, and eventually the seed of the woman is going to send his angels and Satan is going to be cast out of heaven, out of heaven.
And so the battle goes on.
And we're in the midst of it.
And you women, and in pick particular, you mothers.
Are the point of attack.
More so than we men, folks.
It's true Satan is our adversary too, as men, but why is it that the woman is a particular focus of the adversary?
Because there's an important place that she plays.
When it came to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We men folks got left out as to his humanity.
He was the seed of the woman.
He had no human father.
God was his father.
In divinity he was God, and he was conceived of the Holy Spirit.
But in manhood, as a human being here.
He got his life from a woman.
She gave birth to that holy seed.
This gives us to understand why the serpent, why Satan is focusing on the woman.
Now we might think well.
That's already happened. Christ has been born. Is the battle going to cease now?
No, it's still going on.
Christ needs a seat.
As far as the natural seed goes.
Throughout the generations from Adam and Eve on.
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In tracing through the Old Testament, I believe we can see little inklings here and there of the hope that every godly woman.
Had.
Of having that seed, that sun, that man child that was going to be born, that would give deliverance.
This was the hope. This is the first prophecy in the Bible.
The woman seed would bruise the serpent's head.
Her salvation, The salvation of the human race.
Was put in her hands.
In the woman's hands in that sense.
Now I look out here at this conference and I between the meetings, it's a lot more noticeable. All the little children running around here. Isn't that wonderful?
Wouldn't a conference be sad thing without any little children running around and playing or any young people?
This is a joy to us.
This is the fruit of the womb. This is the mother's contribution to us.
That goes on.
This propagates our race.
And this is the means of our blessing.
That the blessing continue from generation to generation. Well, turning back here to to Genesis, we're going to notice a few more points. And then I would like to turn to one particular woman and to see the struggles that she went through in the place that God had given to her and how she overcame and was victorious in her life.
But going back to Genesis chapter 3, just to comment briefly a little more.
Umm, we are told in verse in chapter 3, uh, first of all, we've commented on the fact that there would be enmity between the woman, the Satan and woman, and also between Satan and the woman's seed.
And so that's where.
If it could be that the men will come in, and particular Christ, who was that promised see, but there was enmity between Satan and the woman.
That's the environment given to us to live in.
That has not changed since Christianity has come.
That still exists.
It's nice to know who your enemy is.
And it's important for us to see.
Where this started and why it's ongoing today, even as Christians.
Christian women are not exempt from this. Probably more attacked than women of the world.
In a certain sense.
Now.
There was some conditions put upon the woman, and these are hard.
I don't know anything about it in that sense.
Being a man, but she was told that in sorrow she would conceive and bear.
And that her desire would be to her husband, and he would rule over her.
That has continued to be a point of difficulty for women for many years.
The wonderful thing is to submit to it.
Honor God in that place.
Where God has put you.
The blessing is not trying to get out of that condition. The blessing is to go on for God in that place.
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And blessing will flow.
Now turn over to uh chapter 20. Uh verse 20 have umm, same chapter Genesis 3 verse 20. It's interesting to notice.
That Adam here.
I believe he.
Gained a real victory in seeing this point, verse 20.
And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Looking back to the condition at that point.
Adam had just been told.
That because he had eaten of the fruit.
Of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Dying. He would die.
His end was foretold.
He was not going to go on living.
What hope is there then for us?
He got the point here.
He saw in Eve the propagation.
Of the human race.
And that she was the means of extending the race. Let it not die out. And he named her Eve.
Because she's the mother of all living. That's the meaning of Eve. So what it we look out here on one another?
And this is what we see.
In motherhood, in the moment.
The door open.
To continuing to live.
The human race is no longer doomed to die. There's hope.
Now this is in the natural sense.
And I would like to.
To show too, that in our, in the New Testament, I believe.
The same thing continues.
In blessing to the in the spiritual sense.
Spiritual children, because today we know it's not just enough to belong to the human race and be born.
And live as human beings here on earth.
The Lord Jesus has opened up a whole new race, a new creation.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
These are spiritual children. This is the propagation of the new race.
For the Lord Jesus.
That he bigot children too.
And so it's wonderful for us today.
In considering this subject to see that.
It's not only the that is womanhood and and a motherhood of bearing children is not only.
The The extension of the human race.
It's the means by which God gets children too.
If we bring our children to the Lord.
And they are saved and become a part of God's family.
You know, God in some cases chose to make.
What are called the sons of God? Like the angels, they don't have mothers and fathers. God created them, but it's not so with the human race.
He only created one, and then after that from man he made the woman.
But none of the rest of us were came into being in that way.
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We have all been born of a mother.
And so it, there's an interesting verse and I, I, I wondered why this verse was there in First Corinthians. Let's turn to it. It's a well known verse, but I'll just turn to it so I can read it right. First Corinthians 15.
And verse 46.
Albeit that was not first which was spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual. The 1St man is of earth earthy, the 2nd man is of the Lord from heaven.
You have to have the natural first.
Before you can have the spiritual in this sense, because God has not chosen to create sons of the human race to propagate to, to fulfill his desires.
As to the human race.
God has chosen to put into.
Our hands as fathers and mothers. The propagation of the human race.
And the greatest blessing today, now, is not only just to have children.
That's not enough just to have children, but to have children and then bring them to the Lord so that they can become spiritual children as well, that they be born again. But without the natural children, you can't have spiritual children. And so this is the part of the role involved with the mother.
I will therefore let the younger woman marry their children, guide the house, and so on.
This is the this is the wonderful role that we need to hold up as the model for women, for mothers.
And this is the role that is being attacked today.
And women are leaving that role.
It's interesting that there are many struggles.
We speak of this movement and sometimes as the feminist movement, other terms.
Too, It's pervading our society more and more, you young ladies that grow up and go to school.
We'll be be faced with the whole demeanor and attitude all around you will be to culture you and to make you want to become like a woman of this world.
And the book of Genesis, chapter three more than likely will not be held up to you.
As the role model to keep in your life.
What is the problem? What are some of the consequences of women who leave this role that God has called?
Women too.
We won't have children running around at conferences.
Or at school.
When Adam looked on his wife Eve and saw in her the mother of all living.
He found in her the true role of what God had called her to be.
And gave her that knee. He saw the great secret.
In the woman that she was the necessary key link.
To the human race to be able to continue on otherwise.
We're beginning to become extinct.
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Otherwise, how will God give children in heaven?
This is the wonderful part. Now I know there are women that never marry. There are women that who cannot have children and it's wonderful in that respect that if God should not allow and we're gonna notice a case of this a little bit later that there is there is still.
A part of this that I believe every woman can participate in, and that is in bringing children to the Lord, even if they're not your own.
Birth children and this happens.
Adoption and so on, having Sunday school classes with children so they learn about the Lord and so in that sense.
You are fulfilling the role that God calls you to, even though they may not be your own flesh and blood children.
The second part of the story all of all are able to participate in, and that is.
Spiritual children for God.
The most important thing?
God created us for this reason. God delights.
He's a family man.
He loves children. It comes out all through the Bible.
The father, the prodigal son, and so many other stories.
We had about it a little last night. The feelings of a father to a son. Want them to come back.
Heaven's delight.
And children and receiving him that way.
There's a verse another verse in First Timothy.
We could read.
First Timothy, chapter 2.
And I'm going to read these verses in the new translation because I believe our King James.
Doesn't convey to us in language that we understand very well the true thought.
First Timothy chapter 2 and verse 9.
In like manner also, that the women in decent deportment and dress adorn themselves with modest and modesty and discretion, not with plaited hair and gold or pearls, or costly clothing, But what becomes women making profession of the fear of God by good works? Let a woman learn in quietness.
In all subjection, But I do not suffer a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over man, but to be in quietness. For Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman.
Having been deceived was in transgression, but she she shall be preserved in childbearing if they continue in faith and love and holiness with.
Discretion.
Well, I don't want to try to go over and ex explain all these verses.
But I I I believe we see here.
The role of of the woman and her place.
And.
That it is in submission.
To the place that God put her in. You know, in reality, when when God.
Spoke to Eve in that way. He he gave her the place that she had already chosen.
When she chose to obey or follow the instructions of the serpent.
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He then put her under authority of another, but not the serpent, but the man.
And so he really put her in the place that she picked.
But besides that, God had already chosen to make man first. So there are two reasons that the woman is in this place.
It's not a question of inferiority.
Or importance.
There's a lot of ways that the woman's place is more important than the man's.
The blessing for all of us comes in submitting to our situation where we are.
And God is able to make blessing flow.
If we depart from the natural order God has called us to, whether men or women or children or anywhere else, then these are hindrances.
It's my desire to speak positively about this subject.
Oftentimes this subject is a way of exhortation of the woman keeping her place. And yes, both men and women, we need exhortations along these lines as to the role God has called us to.
But what has struck me and has impressed me is the blessing that results in seeing God's plan in all of this.
And he gave to the woman.
Here in in southeast and and SEC and First Timothy, chapter 2 This.
Umm, door of hope, if we could call it that in this last verse that we read. She shall be saved or preserved in childbearing. I There are many, there are different thoughts that have been expressed in connection with this and, and I'm not sure what the, the, the exact one is or but it is a wonderful thing to see that.
Umm, you know, many women.
Abstain, seek to abstain from having children for fear of the trial that it and the pain that it may bring.
And I do not, I do not believe that that is faith in God.
And that God tells us expressly here she shall be saved or preserved in.
Childbearing.
It's a very noble profession.
To be a mother.
We are not.
Don't let.
The opinion of the world stop you, dear sisters, from putting down as your profession housewife or mother or some some such term. There's not a more noble profession in this world than that.
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for a mother.
That fulfilled her role.
In that the Lord Jesus wouldn't have been here.
If there hadn't been a mother Willie to go through.
Certain hard things.
That she had to go through.
And she did. And while the child was in her womb, she could say, I rejoice in God my Savior.
Her savior was there.
In her.
This was the hope.
That every woman had looked forward to.
And here he was coming.
We don't know when our children are born, how they're going to turn out, what role God is going to call them to, what he's going to use them for. But I want to look at two, uh, one case of a woman who couldn't have children and then God gave her a child and that child was used of the Lord in a remarkable way.
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Let's just turn to it now.
In First Samuel chapter one.
We're gonna read and make a few comments on this chapter.
First Samuel chapter one and verse one. Now there was a certain man of Ramoth Zofin of Mount Ephraim, and his name was.
Del Cana, the son of Jerusalem.
The son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuth and Ephrathai, and he had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah.
And the name of the other Penina? And Penina had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hofney and Finney has the priests of the Lord were there. And when the the time. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Penina his wife, and to all her sons and daughters portions.
But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion, or a double portion, for he loved Hannah.
But the Lord had shut up her womb, and her adversary also provoked her sore or to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.
And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the House of the Lord, so she provoked her. Therefore she wept and did not eat. Then said El Cana, her husband, to her Hannah.
Why weepest thou, and why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved?
Am not I better to thee than ten sons? And we're going to stop there and make a few comments before we go on.
We see here an adversary.
Who wasn't behind?
Who was the true adversary here? Was it just Panina? Was it just a family conflict? I do not believe so. I believe it goes all the way back to Genesis.
Enmity.
Sewing discord here.
Making it hard.
That's what's going on and out in the world there today.
That's what's changing our environment that we live in.
That it is giving up certain Christian principles as to the place of men and women, and so forth.
There's an adversary.
An adversary seeking to destroy the relationship that God set up.
Making it hard.
For this particular woman, who is a godly woman, Hannah. And so she has made to fret, made hard.
And umm, it says the Lord had shut up her womb. This wasn't a genetic problem necessarily.
The Lord was working.
With this family.
The Lord needed a special child.
To be born.
And there was no good candidate to give birth to this child at this moment.
And so the Lord had to work in this family through some hardships.
And this woman?
Who wanted to have a child couldn't have a child.
Was she wrong in having in that desire? No, she was not wrong.
This was the place that the role that the woman had been called to, to be mothers, and it's still that.
But a work had to be done in this family to bring this family to the point where when the child came, he would be trained and brought up in the right way.
00:45:14
And before we go on in reading, there's a couple more points.
She did not eat.
And then her husband makes this comment.
I really see it as a typical man thing to say.
You know we men, folks.
We have this tendency to look at things from our perspective. How does it affect me?
Am not I better to thee than ten sons? Do you see anything selfish about this?
Do you see him understanding this woman in her need?
Mothers, sometimes you have to go through this.
We don't understand.
We don't feel things like you do.
And we're no help.
Keep on trusting the Lord, women. Keep on looking to Him.
We'll go on and read verse 9.
She couldn't talk to her husband anymore. She had no answer. She doesn't argue with him. She doesn't say you don't understand.
She has another recourse to go to.
So Hannah rose up after that eaten. She has to go by herself in Shiloh.
And after they had drunk, she had had a double portion.
And her husband loved her. It wasn't a lack of love, but he did not understand the desire that she had to bear children God had called her to, that she had seen that was her role as a woman, and she could not fulfill the role she'd been called to.
This is hard when you can't do what the very thing that you think the Lord has called you to.
He's the only one to go to, and so she does.
But things can almost get worse on her part. Verse 9. So Hannah rose up after they had eaten and and Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon the seat by the post of the temple of the Lord.
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed to vow, and said, O Lord of hosts.
If thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and Remember Me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now, Hannah, she spake in her heart only her lips smooth.
But her voice was not heard, therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my Lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor salt strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial.
For out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy portion, that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.
So the women woman went away her way and did he, and her countenance was no more sad.
Hannah goes to the Lord.
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And she pours out her heart to the Lord there her soul.
And there's misunderstanding there too.
The place where the Lord had chosen to place His name was.
In terrible circumstances.
Eli was sitting on a chair. He said he was very heavy.
Things were out of order. Never until you read about there supposed to be a chair in the Tabernacle or in the temple.
Taking his ease.
You know, there's a lot of faults among the Lord's people and those that are in charge of the Lord's place, but this is does not stop her from going to that place.
She did not do what umm in the previous book of Ruth they had done the family of they left their heritage, their Christ, their Israelites heritage and went off into a land of Moab.
This woman and this family stayed where the Lord.
Had placed his name in that time and it was that Shiloh.
And the Lord was still able to answer her need in spite of all these outward things that were out of order.
In fact, so much so that it when?
Eli misunderstood what a godly Israelite woman was praying and thought she to be drunken.
His sons had led him to think, have that kind of a mind frame, no doubt.
And so when she tells the real reason she was there, in bitterness of soul and praying.
I believe he realized there was a person more godly than he in his presence.
And it prompts him.
To give her those words the Lord give.
Uh, he says, go in peace, the God of Israel, grant thee thy petition without even knowing what it was still. He was still the mouthpiece for God.
It's a little bit I like, I like to look at this a little bit like the story of the great woman of Shunam who had went up to Elisha when her son had died and the Lord hadn't told Elisha yet what had happened.
But Elisha realized there was a need and that he was obligated to meet that need, and he follows that woman.
And she brings him back to the little child there that had died, and he is compelled by her intercession and the way that she act to give her the request that she had.
This is the case of a woman in her place.
Going to God and getting what she desired.
Real secret here.
And so he gets the promise, she accepts it and is no more sad. The blessing had already started. It was already in her soul and the way she acts.
In the in the end is we're not going to have time to get on into her prayer, but later on she takes the child and she gives the child to the Lord.
After he's weaned.
You might say, well, if you wanted a son so bad.
Long as she had the son she would be happy, but then when she had to give the son to the Lord and then she go back to her house all alone, is she going to become sad again? Is that the way the story happened? No.
Because her soul had been brought into a relationship with the Lord, the Giver of that son.
And so whether she had the Son here, or whether the son was off in Shiloh serving God.
00:55:00
She was a happy mother.
Her prayer had been answered and so it wasn't just the joy of having that child and being able to raise it and that that child brings satisfaction to her own heart. As a mother would love a child, her heart rose above that. And so she gives this child back to the Lord and that and Samuel becomes.
The Lord's servant, the fir, the prophet, the first of the prophets. So it's a remarkable story of the struggle that a woman went through.
And how she became victorious.
Got the manchild, gave the manchild to the Lord. She rose to the height of what we understand today of having spiritual children. It's not a just enough for us today to have natural children. There's blessing in that, but to have spiritual children and present them to the Lord, I believe.
Is the group the most noble profession that a woman can have?
Now I would like to sing in closing, a little song that we sing in Sunday school when mothers of Salem. It's not in our hymn book, but I believe enough of us know it that we can sing it by memory. I'm going to read it to, to you to refresh your, your minds so we can sing it together. Uh, it says when mothers of Salem, their children brought to Jesus.
The stern disciples drove them back and bade them depart, but Jesus saw them ere they fled, and took them in his arms, and said, Suffer the little children to come unto me when?
Mothers.
Are saying they're chilling grunt Chili's like I'm certainly inside the insightful strong come back and then left to decline.
Umm, if I saw that there's a.
Standing his arms and said slaughtered children to fall upon you me.
Let's go on, Our Father, we thank thee for children.
We thank Thee for the role that Thou has called us each to for the wonderful place of the woman of mothers, and we pray, Lord, that Thou will strengthen our mothers and our families, our house.
2 Timothy 3
Reading
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As part of this chapter and next reading tomorrow, Lord willing to perhaps look at the 4th chapter.
Second Timothy, chapter 3, verse 10.
But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured. But out of them all the Lord delivered me the yay. And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.
And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise, and to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Well, we spoke at some length yesterday of what characterizes the Christian profession in what are referred to as the last days. And I suppose it's right to say that really the last days began with the departure of the apostles, as we noticed in passing, Paul said to the Ephesian elders after my departure. And then he went on to speak of a condition of things that would come in.
And so we see it back then, developing back then. And this brings us right down to, to the end. And so we, ha, we spoke at great lengths of that. And, uh, it's a solemn thing to realize, brethren, that we are in the last days and that these things have developed. If they were the last days in the early days of the church after the departure of the apostles and even Paul seeing the seeds of it begin prior to his departure, how much more do we have to admit that those are the days we're in?
Just before the Lord Jesus comes, the church age is just about to finish.
We're just about to hear the shout and be called safe home, and it's good to have discernment of the times and realize where we are.
In our history. But as we mentioned in the end of this chapter, now we have resources to go on even in a day of ruin because, brethren, everything has been provided for us. All the tools have been provided for us to go on even in the days in which we live. When I was in business, I often used to send men out on jobs. And what would you think of me sending a man out on a certain job?
And not providing the proper tools. Now we had to keep several sets of tools in the back of the shop. And the person I sent out on the job, they were told to take a certain set of tools that they were going to need for the job. And when they got to the job, if they hadn't taken the tools or utilized the tools, they really had no excuse as to why the job hadn't been completed. Satisfactory. And brethren, when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
Are we going to be able to say we didn't have the tools to stand in the last days? Are we going to say we have to be able to say to the Lord Jesus that we didn't have the resources that were needed to live in days of darkness and days of of ruin? No, we'll have no excuse because as we're going to notice in these verses, everything has been provided for us. But the the question, brethren, that comes home to our souls this afternoon is.
Are we, so to speak, opening the toolbox and utilizing the tools and resources that God has given us? If we are, then we're able to going to be able to go on in the various spheres of life and walk in moral piety and practical Christianity for God's glory and the blessing of others right up until the end.
So Paul says to Timothy.
Now it's fully known my doctrine.
You also said to him in chapter 2.
Umm, beginning of chapter 2, we said to Timothy, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou unto faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
00:05:16
We recognize that what Paul speaks of is my doctrine, was not his own idea, was not his own opinion about how God's people should walk or act or what they should believe or stand for. But he had received it.
From the Lord.
And he passed it on, and he passed it on not in a corner, not privately As for some little group, but he had done it in Timothy's president presence multiple times in the presence of witnesses. And in fact, in the case in Corinth where some of them were seeking to take away the truth of what he had to say. He had to stand for its source.
And say, brethren, you've got to accept it. It comes from the Lord. And so it is today. We're not trying to find something new and something different and something that, umm, the world would be satisfied with or our natural flesh would be satisfied with, but what's been given to us was given to the apostles.
Through the Lord Jesus 2000 years ago and God gave it a sufficient and accurate and for us to live by today. And so Paul says to Timothy, you know it. It wasn't a question of knowledge with Timothy, but it was living it. And today for us, as we're little and young, we gradually lo learn and none of us know it all and none of us will know it all in our lifetimes.
But what we have learned?
We need to walk in and it's not.
Lust or the thirst for something new and different, because if we loathe what God has given, we will soon be lost in our own imaginations and far from the knowledge, the true knowledge, of God.
The apostle doctrine is going back to the first principle back in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. It says they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. That was the basis of the beginning of the work in that, on that at that time. And it's interesting how the sequence follows through the book of Acts. Uh, at the very end of the book you have Paul, umm, going up to Rome on the ship.
And he exhorts them that they're not to depart from that place, Fair Havens, and they don't heed his warning. And as a result they have a disaster and the ship is in a storm and broken up. And that has been used, and rightly so, I believe, as a picture of what happens when the Christian testimony gives up the apostles doctrine. When you get up, give up the apostles doctrine.
Then there's the breakup of the Christian testimony and we've seen that happen. And so here in this book, when Paul writes about order, when things are broken up, this is the first thing he mentioned off the dock. We can go back to that. Uh, there is one body and and so forth. And that's the basis upon which the, uh, men began breaking bread in separation from denominations gathered to the Lord's name was.
Really a return to the apostles doctrine as the only creed and only doctrine that we hold today and not, uh, supplementing it with human, uh, organization and order, uh, by me. And all of that is, uh, has, has led to the breakup of the Christian testimony.
In his public testimony there still is one church and one truth, one body, but there the testimony of it is broken up. So it's nice to see that we can always go back, brethren, no matter how bad things get around us, to the original principles upon which the church was founded. And we see that in the Old Testament too, when there were days of revival in Israel.
00:10:21
It wasn't that they came up with some new doctrine or spin on the truth, if I can put it that way, for our purposes this afternoon, but it was to go back to that which was established by God at the beginning. A copy of the law was found in the trash of the temple, or it was brought in red in the ears of the king or something of that nature, and they went back. They realized that they had departed from what God had set down at the beginning. And so we find that God never gives new revelation.
During a dispensation, it's a principle with God that He gives light at the beginning of a dispensation, usually then brings in judgment at the end when man fail, fails in connection with the light and the responsibility connected with it. And so it's true in this dispensation, the dispensation of the grace of God, as you say, that when there was a revival in the 1800s, it was going back to what had been lost.
But it wasn't something something new. And I think what you say, Doug, is important to stress in connection with it being the first thing here. It's the first thing in Acts 2. I know it wasn't Paul's doctrine there, of course, but they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. And it was the basis for everything else. It was the basis for fellowship. It was the basis for breaking bread and it was the basis for prayers, that is collectively.
Here we find that the apostle Paul lists nine things in connection with his ministry and his life. Seven in the, in the, uh, tenth verse and two at the beginning of the 11Th verse, nine things that he mentioned. And he doesn't begin with a manner of life or a purpose or is persecution and afflictions. No, he begins with that which was the foundation. He begins with his doctrine. Thou is fully known my doctrine.
And I believe this is important because I think especially perhaps those who are younger, they're bombarded today by those who say, well, doctrine really isn't important. You know, it's a pious life and getting out the gospel and getting together for Bible study and that kind of thing. All those things are wonderful. All those things are good wood, that our manner of life was more godly and pious.
But it must start with the apostles doctrine. It must start with the foundation. Paul spoke of the foundation being the apostles and prophets. So that is those principles that they lay down by inspiration at the beginning. And that foundation, those principles don't change. And it's not just enough to have a pious life. It's not just enough to get out the gospel and encourage our fellow believers.
But we must go back to the to the fundamental doctrines of the word of God and what is it that's going to preserve us from that which is error in a day of ruin, to be occupied with the error to study up on all the false teaching that's been propagated and is propagated in Christendom. No, I'm not saying there aren't times we shouldn't be aware of certain things if we're dealing with a specific situation and so on, but generally speaking.
What is going to preserve us in a day of ruin and a day when there's a subverting of the souls of the Saints and an undermining of the truth is to be well rooted and grounded in the fundamental doctrines of the Word of God. And what's going to preserve us in connection with the collective side of things, the and, and the Church of God in that way and so on. It's Paul's doctrine. Why is there so much confusion about how Christians should meet and and function as in the assembly and so on collectively?
Because to a large degree, Hall's ministry, Paul's teaching, in other words, for doctrine, Paul's teaching, has been given up. We need to be grounded in it, perhaps more than ever.
I think it's helpful to see that there's three women in the New Testament who give us figures of the decline of Christendom, aren't there? Uh, the first woman, of course, is found in Matthew 13. She's the woman that hits 11 in three measures of meal until the whole was 11. And that's a picture of what happened after the apostles were gone, wasn't it? It's called the fall of the church. If we look at the 2nd chapter of Revelation, we see the address to the Church of Ephesus.
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And they're warned there to take heed how thou hast fallen and repent. So there was the fall of the church, as the expression is often used. There was still the possibility of the recovery of the whole church back to the original days. But the apostles were gone. The leaven had had was in the three meals of measure, and it was starting its leaveness work. Levin, of course, commonly speaks of evil. And then if we turn again to the second chapter of Revelation, don't have to do it, but the figure there is of the second woman.
And that's the, uh, woman Jezebel, who we well know from first Kings, and that woman, uh, we have at the end of the second chapter of Revelation during the church period of Thyatira. And this speaks of what's commonly called the ruin of the general Christian testimony. There is a difference between the fall. The fall came after the Christendom had been established.
And then it began its decline after the apostles went off the scene. But then this second woman speaks of something which happened many years later, perhaps, uh, historically about the time of the, of the, uh, 15th and 16th century, or perhaps we should say the, the 14th and 15th century. And this is when the testimony, the general Christian testimony became so corrupt that the Lord could no longer recognize it as representing him in this world. And as I say, it's not a scriptural term.
But it's a term commonly used by the writers, which is called the ruin of the church. Well, what happened at that point? At that point, there was no possibility of the return of the whole testimony being restored to that initial testimony of the first days. What did God do then? Well, if we look at Revelation chapter 2, it mentions about Jezebel and it says in verse 21 of Revelation 2. And I gave her space to repent.
Of her fornication.
And she repented not. There's no longer a possibility of the general Christian testimony returning to the happy, uh, state of the first days of the church. This is the ruin of the church. What does that mean? Does that mean the corporate testimony is gone? Of course not. Does it mean that Christendom is gone, Christianity is gone? Of course not. Well, what does it mean then? Well, if we read carefully, we see that the Lord then begins to separate a remnant.
And so in Revelation 2, again it says in verse 24, but unto you I say, and the next verse, Mr. Kelly translates it, the next part of the verse, the remnant in Thyatira, he begins to separate a remnant. Brethren, it's important to understand that the, the, the unity of the, of the church today is held in a remnant form. And so this is the recovery we were speaking about during the 19th century.
You say, well, they went back to first principles. Well, they did generally, but there was number miracles. They didn't go back to Pentecost. They did go back to the apostles doctrine and that was helpful. That was vital. But it was not then the return to recognizing the Christian testimony as a whole expressing the unity of the one body, but rather the unity of the one body then is expressed in remnant. And we, uh, as we read these now.
We see, for instance, that for the rest of the churches, beginning with Thyatira, the message to the overcomer is only addressed to the overcomers. Uh, verse, umm, uh, verse, uh, 27 for instance, or verse 26 of chapter 2 of Revelation. He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end to him will I give power over the nations. And uh, verse 28 and I will give him the morning star.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. You notice in the three previous churches, the message of the Spirit was written to the whole church. But now with Payatyra, a remnant is separated out. And uh, for the rest of the churches, the, the, the Spirit speaks only to the overcomers. So we speak about return to the first principles, but it's based on a remnant testimony, isn't it? And then the third woman that we have, if we turn over to the 17th and 18th chapters of Revelation.
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We see it's the great harlot. Now this is what's happening in our day is we're going to the final apostasy of Christendom. We know it'll get much, much worse after the true believers are taken home at the rapture. And then during the first half of the Tribulation, there'll be that absolute apostasy where Christendom has given up. Even in profession, you say, well, all the true Christians are gone. That's true. But nonetheless as an outward profession in this world.
Chrysanthemum has given up and the harlot is destroyed in the middle of the tribulation period. So there's three women that speak of the, uh, decline of the Christian testimony. And there is a difference. As I say, the first time, with the fall of the church, there was a possibility of a return to the happy early days. But then with the ruin of the church, there was no longer that possibility. And the unity of the body is.
Maintained in a remnant testimony. Now that's an important principle because we're commonly taught that.
The unity of the body must be expressed in the ecumenical movement. But that's not true, is it? It's maintained in a remnant testimony till the Lord come and takes us home to be with Himself.
Connection with my doctrine. I'd like to have us look ahead a little bit toward the end of the chapter, Uh.
Where it says in verse.
14.
Continue thou and the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And then in verse 16 all Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
It's extremely, vitally important.
To know where what you believe comes from.
And every one of us, even in natural things, most of the things that we believe, we believe because someone said it.
Things that we think are true, we think are true because someone has said it and passed it on to us. There's not a single person in this room that knows that Abraham Lincoln ever existed by personal experience. You only know it because someone has said it and passed it on to you. There's really only two ways of knowing anything. One is by your own personal experience.
The other is by someone's testimony to you, and consequently in the world, man's beliefs of what's true is constantly changing. He passes on something from himself to somebody else to somebody else, and it becomes the commonly understood belief. And then someone, by personal experience, learns that it's not exactly true, and so something else becomes the the thought of truth.
But, brethren, it's a wonderful, blessed thing for us.
To sit here and have in our hand.
That which God Himself has chosen to give to us.
That's where we had it. And unlike fellow man, unlike ourselves, who can never come to a full understanding of truth by our own effort, experience, or listening to all the voices of mankind on every subject, God can and does make known His thoughts, which are absolutely, perfectly always true, because He's never ignorant of anything.
And secondly, because he never lied, and much of what man believes or thinks is true sometimes has deceit or a lie connected with it, because Satan is often behind some of it, and so he's often deceived into believing what's not true at all. But with God, it starts with one who knows everything and who always tells the truth and what God chose to do.
Was perfectly expressed his own thoughts in our case, in the doctrine that we're talking about this afternoon to people.
The apostles, particularly in the New Testament part, and it's called a revelation because God alone could make it known. Man couldn't discover it. So God says, I'm going to tell you what you never know for yourself about myself. And in fact, I'm going to give you that truth and the perfect expression of it in my Son. And so the Lord Jesus comes into the world.
00:25:30
And he in perfection brings around himself these men, to walk with him.
And to make known his thoughts in the heart of God. And so some of the New Testament was given to us through them. And God by the Spirit has assured us that what we have in our hands to live by and walk by is not the latest view of man, which will be different next week or next year. That is the inspired revelation of God, word by word to our souls to live.
Our lives to put our faith in knowing of whom it comes from.
It's incredibly important and wonderful that we can live by something that is unlike all the natural things we tend to live by, which are constantly changing. And we may believe them absolutely. But if we stop and think, where did I come to believe that's true in most even natural things, it's not because we know it ourselves, it's because we've chosen to believe what someone else says on the subject.
But in this vital area of life, we have the absolute confidence, confidence confirmed in our souls by the Spirit of God too. It's not that just God says it to us, but he then confirms it in us through the Spirit so that we can say we know, we know, and we live by what we know.
In this list of things that follow the doctrine here we have a list of things that are show the reality of what Paul conveyed. There have been many attempts to stamp out all the Bibles in the Word. The fact that we're sitting here reading the complete word of God has been preserved to us is a miracle and proves in itself that God is behind this book.
All many converts were made.
When martyrs were threatened with their lives to renounce their faith, and the fact that they persisted in faith in spite of persecution was a tremendous evidence to the reality of the power behind the Christian testimony.
We have this, brethren, to help us in these days that we live in.
Paul lived practically what he preached. It wasn't just a doctrinal, it wasn't just a doctrinal argument between who was the smartest.
But Paul taught.
And live, and God preserved him, and he was successful in that measure.
And it says out of them all, the Lord delivered me who was on the winning side.
All was.
And that's, that's the FA that's put here for us to have confidence in what we believe in today in a day of brewing when Christianity is attacked on all sides and in many ways.
We have here the example that shows how Paul lived and so on, and what he went through, rather than proving him a liar, has all that he went through, has more than ever proved the reality of what he believed in and taught.
Its consistent Christian living that we have in this list of things, isn't it? And Paul was a consistent Christian, as you say. And so sound doctrine or sound teaching leads to sound practices or sound living. But in that connection and in regard with what Don said, I want to just make a very, very practical comment to all of our hearts. And that is we'll never know what sound doctrine is.
00:30:03
Nor will we know what sound practice is unless we read, then search the word of God.
Now it's wonderful, as Dawn said, to come to meetings like this and we have the Word of God before us and we trust, give the Spirit of God liberty to minister Christ to us from the pages of this blessed book.
And it's vital and important that we avail ourselves of ministry in the assembly as God has given it to us. But I believe too that that in a sense is not enough. We need to open our Bibles in our own closets and we need to search out and confirm these things for ourselves. Because as Brother Dawn said, we tend to believe what we hear. We know what we we have knowledge because of what we hear, and we tend to believe it.
Especially if we hear it from somebody who usually is sound in what they tell us usually is truthful. Someone that we have confidence in. But brethren, it is important to make sure that what we hear in meetings like this is based on the word of God. Sometimes we may run a lot of things.
By us in a meeting like this or in a conference over the weekend, is everything we say accurate? We want to go home and confirm it by the word of God.
I think there's a nice example in the book of the Acts with the Bereans. You know, they listen to the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
And you might say of anybody's word for it, couldn't they have taken Paul's word for it? Well, they listened to what Paul said and then it says, and they searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things notice that expression, these things were. So what things, the things they heard from the apostle Paul, they wanted to make sure that what they heard orally could be confirmed by whatever portions of the word of God they would have had at that time.
And as a result, they are given a commendation. They were more noble than those of Thessalonica. Now, those of Thessalonica were noble, and they listened to the ministry of the apostle Paul. But the Bereans were more noble because they searched the Scriptures individually to get these things directly from the Word of God. And we need to, after these meetings are over, to take what we've heard.
And we need to go home and we need to get our Bibles out and we need to search the Scriptures to see if the things we have heard in these meetings are so. And if we are willing to do that, brethren, then as a result, that's going to be the springboard for for sound living, for sound practice. Again, sound teaching, sound principles are going to lead to sound practice.
And we can walk with sound practices even in the day we live. We won't turn to it. I'll just quote you the verse we often have referred to in Titus where it speaks of grace there being the teacher. And then it says that grace teaches us to live soberly, righteously, godly when in this present age. That's right where we are now. Because you might sit here and say, well, Jim, that's all right for you to talk about.
Living a consistent Christian life today, but you don't understand what it's like out there. You don't go to school today.
You don't operate in the business world today. You, you just don't know what it's like out there. It's pretty dark. And sometimes we have to kind of live on the Gray side to get along and survive in school and business and so on. But in this present age, right where we are, we can live a pious, consistent Christian life, just as Timothy was exhorted to do in his day, just as our grandfathers did in their day.
Just as our fathers did in their day, there are no less resources. Are the days darker today? Yes, they are. Are they getting worse, morally and spiritually? In every other way, yes, they are. But again, we can.
Take up the characteristics, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, and then endurance, patience or if you notice Mr. Darby's often rendered endurance and that's often the thought in patience. Does it take endurance to Live Today? The Christian race is not the 100 yard dash and we're to run with endurance. Paul who endured more than Paul.
00:35:02
Day after day after day.
And then let me just say this to persecutions and afflictions. And then he lists a few places. But do you realize in Acts 20, he said in every city, bonds and afflictions, not just the few that are listed here, but in every city. Now, in coming to Mayfield this weekend, if I knew I was going to have bonds and afflictions, would I have come? I'd want to be pretty sure I had the Lord's mind. But what I have come if I'd known that was the result, Paul said in every city.
You know, it's never been easy to live for the Lord. It's never been easy to stand for the truth and to walk as a consistent Christian. Did Paul find it easy? No. Are we going to sit here today and tell you it's going to be easy if you follow through on these things? No. But Paul finished his course with joy.
We've looked at a few viewpoints here. Uh, yesterday I read chapter 4, verse 3, just the first part of it together again for the time will come when they will in not endure sound doctrine. I stopped on sound doctrine and they said, remember this because it'll, it'll bring up a point when I look at. And when we started this afternoon, umm, we started on my doctrine and I, and I wanted to note that over there in verse three, it was the first thing.
To go.
The first thing to go for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. When I look at verse 10 and I see the words hast fully known. Uh, Paul's writing to Timothy and he's saying, Timothy, you're different than what I've written about in all these other verses before. You're different. You have fully known. And so he says to him, he's saying you've been with me.
You've been taught, you've seen this, this life and all of this. And when you look at it, it says my doctrine. You could put the word my before my manner of lies. You could put for my purpose before my faith, before my long-suffering and etcetera. Write down the line through all nine of them. And so he says, you have seen it and you fully know then you are different. And so when you move down to three, it comes back. It says, but evil men and seducers shall wax.
That word wax means to become.
I took piano lessons as a child, and one of the things in piano lessons was a little arrow that got larger this way, or it went the other way and it decreased, and when it got larger it was called a crescendo.
And that means that when you played it, you played it at one volume starting, and as you played along, it got louder and louder and louder. That was a crescendo. And what we have here is but evil men and seducers shall become. It's going to increase and increase and increase in the last days.
Paul knows that he's going to be leaving Timothy soon and he's saying, Timothy, you're going to be standing alone.
And this is going to be happening to you in these last days. It's going to grow worse and worse and worse in a crescendo and.
You're going to have to stand out there without me.
Now where are you grounded at in sound doctrine? He starts at and he goes down through the nine of them, testing.
And when you look down here, but continue the little work, continue means to abide.
It's used in God's work quite often to abide.
To continue in that faith, to abide in it.
In the things which thou hast learned and of whom you have learned been taught by the schoolmasters and we've heard that we need to read and make sure that's correct and quite often it may just be fundamentals and it doesn't hurt to check back on the fundamentals, does it been taught by the school masters at thou was a child has known the Holy Scriptures when a Jewish child can barely start talking, they have to start memorizing versus of the Old Testament.
They have to start memorizing them right away.
Which thou art able to make thee wise. Now that doesn't say sell, uh, knowledge, does it?
The Jewish child learns by knowledge and the quote of those scriptures.
Here we have wise wisdom unto salvation and we're moving into the New Testament now. Salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. So he's telling it to him different. It's not exactly like when I was a child and learned the knowledge by being able to say them Old Testament scriptures. It's made you wise under salvation through Christ Jesus. See. And then we go into the park where all scripture is God breathed.
00:40:27
I'd like to just say a word too, in connection with some of the things that are listed in this, uh, list of things that Paul gives. And he, as I say, he ends with, uh, persecutions and afflictions. He talks about endurance, as Doug mentioned, he endured them all and so on. I'd just like to say this, that Paul never looked for the easy life. He never looked for the easy pathway. And I think rather sometimes we get caught up in a spirit of things.
That teaches us to look for the easy way down here. Paul never did. Paul was willing to make sacrifices in his service for Christ and the people of God. And some of the things that he suffered were persecutions. We know that he suffered much from the Jews, from the Gentiles. Some there was, there was plenty of persecution, but it wasn't all persecution. Some were affliction.
Might say what? What is the difference between persecutions and afflictions? Sometimes we tend to use the word interchangeably, but if we were to go back and to read, in fact, let's just take time to do it. In Second Corinthians Chapter 11, he gives a little sample list here of some of the things that he had suffered in the path of faith and service. Maybe I can just say this too, that Paul was often forced by inspiration.
To say things that he really didn't want, wouldn't have said otherwise, and really weren't according to his natural character. I suppose even the list of things that he gives Timothy, he perhaps wouldn't have if he had, if it hadn't been by inspiration. But Paul was a pattern St. raised up at the beginning to be an example to those who would hereafter follow, and as such, he says, be followers of me, even as I am also of Christ.
Paul wouldn't have said that if it wasn't by inspiration. Would any of us here dare say that? No. But Paul says this. And so this is perhaps true of some of this list or this list that we'll just read very quickly here in First Corinthians 11.
He says beginning at verse 23. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more in laborers, more abundant in stripes above measure.
In prisons more frequent. In death off of the Jews. Five times received by 40 stripes, save 1. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day. I have been in the deep and journeyings. Often in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils by the and perils in the city, and perils in the wilderness, In perils in the sea, and perils among false brethren. In weariness and painfulness, in watching so often in hunger.
And thirst in fastings, often in cold and nakedness. Besides those things which are without that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Tremendous list, the list of which most of us have never been called on to suffer in the path of faith and service. The reason I read this list is there are two things that are brought before us in this list. There are persecutions and there are afflictions, and they're not always the same thing.
That is, there were persecutions that he received. He was beaten, and we know he was in prison and he was stoned and so on. But there were other things like the nakedness and the coldness and the hunger and the shipwreck and so on. And they weren't necessarily persecutions. That is, they weren't inflicted by any certain people. They were things that he suffered as he traveled about and ministered the gospel and ministered to the Lord's people.
And I only point this out to show that Paul neither avoided persecutions or afflictions. Now. He didn't go out and look for them. He didn't get up in the morning and say, how can I suffer for Christ today? No, he was faithful in the past that was set before him, and he found plenty of opportunities to suffer both in persecutions and in afflictions. And I don't believe, as some have taught, that we need to go out and purposely look for suffering.
00:45:15
Or look for persecution. But if we're faithful, we're going to find because our next verse is all they that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But I just say that because if you and I are willing to walk in the truth and serve the Lord and the people of God, we we can't expect it to be easy. We're not taught to make sacrifices in the day in which we live. We're not taught to make personal sacrifice.
But are you and I willing? Like the apostle Paul? We may never be called on to suffer many of these things, or in the extreme that Paul did. But are you and I willing to lay down our lives for our brethren? Are we willing to give our bodies as a living sacrifice? Did Paul regret it at the end of his life? Was he sorry that he had given up so much and suffered so much in these two different ways? No, he rejoiced that he was able to do it.
And rather, any little thing we may feel that we give up for Christ down here and to serve His people, What is it going to be in relationship to eternity? Why, it's going to seem as nothing. And we're only going to wonder why we didn't give more for His glory, for the truth, and for His own.
When I was in high school.
I had a geometry teacher that was of the old school. She was an older lady. She was a good teacher but a bit old fashioned. She used to line this up on the blackboard both sides of the room and give us geometry problems to solve on the blackboard and keep watch.
And of course there would be a race to see who could get the answer quickest. Whoever did turn around and looked at her. And once in a while you'd get the wrong answer and turn around and and you'd be disqualified.
But she had a saying that I that I still remember and maybe it didn't originate with her, but she said be sure you're right and then go ahead.
She'd watch us solving a problem and she'd see us getting halfway through us and then we kind of become bewildered whether we should go up, go ahead or not and and solve it.
And, uh, that was her advice to us.
I believe that's a little bit like what our chapter is saying here. Be sure you're right and then go ahead. That is your, the doctrine is right that the truth that you believe in is correct. And then if their opposition and problems come along, don't get flustered and worried about it and, and question your beliefs, go ahead. And I believe that's the world that we live in.
Be sure you're right, you're on the apostles doctrine, and that you know the truth that you believe in. And then don't let the hindrances, the persecution and an affliction stop you.
From persisting in the Christian path.
I'd like to add a principle umm to that, however, and say that God's truth is moral truth in contrast to school book truth.
Uh, could you turn with me to John's Gospel Chapter 7?
Something I think that's very important in connection with truth and doctrine as it relates to the apostles doctrine in our lives.
Umm John Chapter 7 and.
Verse uh 16 Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not of mine, but his. That sense made. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
We're dealing with things that are moral. We're dealing with things that have to do with our relationship with God.
And they can't be learned.
By the mind alone.
00:50:02
God's way with us is through our consciences and into our hearts and to know the truth of God. Even the doctrine that we are to walk in, God puts before us. The knowledge of it is connected with obedience and submission to His will. God never promises that we will know the doctrine.
Simply because we read our Bible.
Simply because we have a good mind.
Many people with great minds read the word of God and don't have a clue what it means.
In fact, their thoughts about it are totally wrong.
Sometimes, just to try to make the point, someone says to us, will you do something for me?
Our tendency is to say, not sure what is it, but what is it? And then we decide if we want to do it. We don't typically commit ourselves to doing something without knowing what it is, even if it's somebody that we know.
But that isn't the right way with God. God wants us to come before him with a willing.
Heart and then he presents to us, can I say at the doctrine, and we walk in it.
The difficulty is that we, the Lord Jesus, is going to use the Lord Jesus. He's the perfect example of it. The Lord Jesus is a man.
That, if you will, morning by morning, to hear the word from the Father.
With a perfect sense in his own heart, I delight to do thy will, Oh my God. And so morning by morning, you might say, He got the instruction of the day, and He lived that day according to what was said to him, which was the will of the Father for the living out that day. And we need to approach even the knowledge of truth.
We don't. It's all there, it's all in our hands, but our understanding and knowledge of it grows little by little. We start out as babies and we're not limited by our minds. We're limited by whether or not we're submitted, submissive by whether we are sometimes. And consequently, as it says in this chapter and the principle of it, as has already been brought out in the next verse when Mann says I don't want it.
He turns from truth, the measure of truth that he understands at that point, and he says I don't want it. And then he completely opens himself up to fable.
The imagination of the human mind replaces the truth of God. Man lives by that imagination and he ends up in the dictionary. He ends up in destruction. So, brethren, it's the doctrine comes first and the conduct comes after it, but they can't be really separated. You're not going to be able to even know the doctrine unless there is the willingness to walk in it.
As God gives it to us.
And if there is that willingness, then there's the promise. And only then he says, if any man will to do his will, he shall know. He shall know. It's a promise of God. If there is a submissive heart, then there will be the knowledge. So may the Lord help us in a practical sense. And the apostle Paul's life showed that willingness.
One other comment too, on persecution. Why is there persecution? Because the truth of God is opposed by the will of man. And if I'm going to walk in the truth of God, it's going to be with man's opposition because man in the flesh or the flesh in the Christian who doesn't want to walk in it is going to oppose it. And so there's a persecution connected with it. So if any.
We'll live godly, He will suffer persecution because what he lives for is that which Satan is opposing and which man in the flesh will always oppose. And so it has to have connected with it, going against the current of the will of man and.
00:55:04
Consequently, the opposition to it.
But perhaps we say, well, we don't suffer persecution in a country like this. Here we sit today. We didn't have to lock and shutter the doors or meet in secret to have a Bible meeting. And we don't, because we give out a tract. We don't expect to get thrown in prison or stoned or shot like some of our brethren do in other countries right at this very time.
We don't suffer, shall I say, physical persecution, but the verse in our chapter says all day that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So you say what is what? What what about us? What about people in countries like this? Are they not living godly? No, there's persecution in different ways. Perhaps we can break it down into two UH-22 distinct forms.
There is, as we've been saying, physical persecution, and that's the way we often think of it.
But while we don't suffer in that way here, there will always be a reproach in the measure in which we walk in faithfulness to the truth and to Christ. And so it says, if we in connection with going forth unto Him without the camp, is it that we might have reproach? No bearing his reproach. Now, if you give a gospel trap to someone on the street of Mayfield, you're not going to probably suffer physical persecution.
But there'll be a reproach connected with it if you open your Bible on the airplane and read it. They're not going to come along and, uh, handcuff you and arrest you when the plane lands, uh, for, for reading your Bible on a flight from LA to Toronto. But there is a reproach connected with it. Just look at people around you, the sneer, the thoughts that go through people's minds. You feel yourself isolated all of a sudden.
I say in the measure in which you and I are faithful to Christ and exhibit moral piety and godliness in our lives, we will suffer in one of two ways, physical persecution.
Or a reproach. There's no as the world would say, if ands or buts about it, it is a fact. And if we're not feeling a reproach today, brethren, for our testimony that I just suggest that we need to examine our manner of life.
For the gym, I gave out of track to the lady at the store.
She knew he was a gospel tract about the Lord Jesus.
And she says He's by Lord and my Savior.
That's the reward, yeah. Very nice, very nice.
Our time is slipping away and I'd like to just make a comment or two in connection with the scriptures the way they're brought before us. In this end of this chapter there are really 3 aspects of things that are brought before us. First of all, in verse 14 he says, but continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. Just go back to the second chapter and we find out who Paul or who Timothy had learned these things from and what they were.
Chapter 2 and verse two and the things that thou hast heard of Maine among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also Timothy, as we've been saying, he had heard Paul's doctrine from the lips of Paul. Paul had conveyed these things to him and of course Paul's exercise was or desire was that Timothy then would continue in those things.
And as we've noticed in the second chapter, commit them, pass them on, not just to anybody.
But the faithful men who would be able to teach others also. Just a little parenthesis, but I I never knew. Chapter Brown, But he made a comment on the a tape one time that his exercise was to pass the truth on to the next generation with the same purity in which he himself had received it. I thought that was a very nice exercise. And that's what Paul's desire was, that he would pass on the truth to Timothy.
And that Timothy would pass it on, not watered down or adjusted or changed, but that he would pass it on with the same purity in which he had received it to faithful men, who would in turn be exercised to do the same thing.
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But be that as it may, just to point out that Timothy had received Paul's doctrine from the appall himself and he was to continue in it, to go on in that. And rather that's a good word for us. We don't have Paul physically to convey the truth to us, but we have his writings preserved to us. That which he recorded, those foundation crews that he recorded by inspiration and then.
Then he says something else in verse 15.
And that from a child thou hast fully known the Holy Scriptures. Now what is he referring to here? These are the Old Testament scriptures, that which Timothy would have heard, no doubt from his grandmother and mother. We know from the first part of this epistle that Paul had reminded Timothy that he had a godly heritage. He heard the truth from a God fearing grandmother and a godly mother.
Many of us have had such a such a heritage as that. I realize that there are perhaps some here today who were not brought up in a Christian home and the Lord has saved you and gathered you to his precious name and brought you into the truth and so on. And that's marvelous. That's wonderful. But many like myself have had a godly heritage. And can I just say this in my own personal experience of late, Sometimes we don't value that heritage until we go through some experiences and our mothers and grandmothers.
Have gone on to glory. I just want to say to the young people here and the children, learn to value. I didn't value a godly mother when I was growing up. A mother who sometimes in the absence of my father being at work, read the scriptures to us every day, made sure that there was a prayer time with us every day, be it morning or evening. Learn to value mothers and grandmothers who bring the word of God and the truth before us.
Timothy had such a heritage and Paul reminded him of this. But this is the Old Testament scriptures.
You know, we need the Old Testament. We've been stressing Paul's doctrine and that's we don't want to take away from what we've said. It's vital. But you know, we need the Old Testament illustrations too. Familiarize yourself with those Old Testament stories, children. Listen to them from your parents need when your mother tells you in Old Testament story, listen to it as you get a little older, read those stories, familiarize yourself with them. Maybe they won't mean a whole lot to you at the time.
But later on, as you learn the New Testament doctrines, you realize that those Old Testament stories and illustrations, they help to illustrate New Testament truth and make it very clear. But then there's something else too. In the 16th verse, he says, all Scripture. That's all inclusive, isn't it? That's Paul's doctrine, that's the Old Testament. That's the other New Testament writers, the Gospels.
What the other New Testament prophets and apostles have recorded by inspiration. We need all Scripture, and I believe that when we take up the Word of God in that way, we get a proper balance. If we just if we just concentrate on the Old Testament, we're never gonna understand the doctrines and principles of Christianity. If we just concentrate on the Gospels, yes, we get the perfect example, but we never get the truth developed if we just concentrate on prophecy.
We never know what our present position and responsibility is. We need to take up the whole word of God that we might be balanced Christians.
It's already been said, but I'd like to re give emphasis to it.
It's important when it's a matter of truth to know whom you're getting it from.
It's important to know where you're getting it.
Go back to the Garden of Eden.
God says to the man concerning the tree, the knowledge of good and evil.
Thou shalt not eat their uh, he says. You'll surely die.
Another voice comes in.
A voice of deception, just like we have in our chapter.
There's seducers deceiving and being deceived. The source of all things really are either God or Satan. The source of all man's thoughts either come from God or they come from Satan and.
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And those thoughts come, God says, in that instance in the Garden of Eden to the man and the woman, Thou shalt surely die. Satan comes in and produces a spirit of unbelief by deception, he says. Has God said in other words, raises the question of the source? Is the source good? Is it accurate?
As God really said it. And then the deception goes on until there's the outright lie.
Thou shalt not surely die.
And Nan is faced with the choice.
God has spoken, the deceiver has spoken, and he makes his choice to believe the deceiver, and he dies.
Here we have that principle embedded in what Paul is saying here and what is important for us to put it this way when we open this book.
Our hearts should open it.
With the sense of God is now going to speak to me.
God, all scriptures given. The source of it is the inspiration of God. When I pray, I talk to God. When I open this volume, God is speaking to me and I want to take it with all the authority of the giver of it, the source of it. It's God speaking to me personally. And as a consequence, we need to be careful who we listen to.
We so easily pick up a book.
Of any sort, and we give it some authority or some according to what our hearts respond to it or think about it, that sometimes elevate it in terms of even questioning God, speaking as God said, and so on. And so, brethren, there's a simplicity to these things, but we're often deceived by the enemy of our souls into listening to voices which the source of which is not God.
And, uh, thank God that, as Jim said, a Christian heritage, because in that way, the source is the heart, even if it's not perfect in understanding a heart that longs for us to have the truth of God and points us to that which will never deceive us as well, teaches us to receive from this book. This is God speaking to us.
Inspiration is a word that we use, and perhaps there are some here that wonder exactly what does in inspiration mean. And I've sometimes used a little illustration that perhaps gives us at least part of the thought That is that when my girls were little, they would take a pencil in their hand and they would want to write something, but they hadn't really learned to write yet. And so I would put my hand over their hand in the pencil.
And I would guide their hand to write their name or whatever word or word.
They wanted to write and maybe after they were done, they would take the paper and they'd go to my wife and they'd say, mom, look what I wrote. Now, who really wrote it? Did they write it or did I? Well, it's true. They held the pencil in their hand, but my hand was over their hand and guided exactly what they wrote. Every stroke they made was guided by my hand. Now, maybe that helps us to understand a little bit what inspiration is.
Inspiration. These men wrote by inspiration. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. That is, they took up the pen physically in their hand, but it's just as if God put his hand over their hand and guided that pen to write. They did not write their own opinions. They did not write their own views. They did not write what they thought was the truth or appropriate for the day in which they live.
No, every word they wrote was God breathed, directed by God. And that's why it's so important that Dawn has been stressing that we open this book and when we read it, we read it without question. You know, if I write something or anybody else in this room or any writer in this world writes something, we have every right to question what they write, to read it with a somewhat critical attitude, and to question whether it's really.
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Fact or fiction, or whether it's relevant or not.
But we have no right to read the Word of God like that. If we pick up the Word of God and we read it without faith, or we read it with a questioning, reasoning mind, we're not going to know what God is saying to us. And Don spoke of the submission of our will in reading the Word of God. And so often I believe people miss the mark because they pick it up and they bring their own.
Thoughts are preconceived notions to the Word of God, and they try to make it fit what they think is best, or they question it, they reason it out. Are we going to learn the truth that way? Is that what's going to bring before us the doctrines of Scripture? No, I say, we're going to miss the mark entirely. God.
'Cause these men to write what he had for them. That's the truth of God.
And we need to look at it in that way.
Because of a divine guidance and divine inspiration, they wrote with authority. Oftentimes they would say Thus saith the Lord.
Jesus himself.
Would prove.
Certain portions of the Old Testament.
And it's beautiful to see these teachings that we see here. We do have to be careful of some of the modern translations. Some translations in verse 16 instead of all have every every scripture. And Scripture here is singular without an S where in 15 is plural. And so they get you looking at individual verses and where it says and profitable, they use the words also in there.
We noticed that is is between and and is italicized has been added in there. But when we see all Scripture, we look from the very beginning to the end of God's Word. Every bit of it has been inspired and God breathed divinely and profitable that that that's the way to look at it and profitable and etcetera down the line.
It's beautiful to see that now.
I would like to ask a question. Holy Scriptures, the Old Testament Hebrew text.
For instance, we have reference to our Bible of the Book of Enoch.
Is there any other scriptures anywhere that are considered holy?
Or is it only the Old Testament text, Hebrew text that we have?
I know there's portions of the books of the universities quoted.
Holy in certain senses, in that it.
Got three? And nothing that is not consistent with the character of God can be expressed from God's own heart. It's wholly in contrast to man's books in the sense that God has given us something that never not one word of it, not one principle of it, is going to produce a lust in us to thin.
At the same time, God records what He has for us in such a way that yes, Scripture contains lies.
That is, God has recorded for us people lying and what their lie was. It records for us deception and evil and so on. But unlike books of men.
Man brings things before us, which produces a lust in us when we read it and when we occupy with us. But God gives us a revelation from himself that takes up evil, but it takes it up in a way that never produces.
Anything that is unholy.
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Inside of us, but it always takes it up in a way that would produce a proper response in us if there's not a will against him. I don't know if that fully answers the question, but there is. There is a certain sense in which we want to be sure to give the Word of God, the reverence of the perfection of it as being inspired by God. It has to be consistent with what God is as light.
It can't be less than that to us.
Uh, what we may give.
Of our own thoughts can often have mixed with it something I'll say that's Gray or less than the way God imperfection alone can give us truth. This is all the holy scriptures, but it's only the Old Testament that's referred to here because that's all Timothy would have had as a child what his mother and grandmother would have brought before him were the Old Testament Scriptures. And so it's referred to in that way and I know it's not specific, but in John the Lord said if they didn't believe Moses the Holy Scriptures.
That they had in the Old Testament. How would they believe His words? But it's all the Holy Scriptures in that sense. I would like to make one other comment on the last verse of this chapter before we close. And that is, He brings before us the man of God. And there are two things in Timothy that make a man of God furnished unto all good work. If you just go back to the previous chapter, you find that in verse 21.
If a man therefore purged himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the masters use and prepared unto every good work. Now what prepares a man unto every good work in the second chapter is separation from that which is unholy, separation from evil. If you and I are going to be prepared for by God, not just to some good works, but to every good work, we must separate from that which is evil. And that's the subject that you have.
In the second chapter, if a man therefore purged himself from these, so that's the first thing, but then we have that's the negative, we might say, but here we have the positive. What else is it that that goes with that coupled with that to prepare a man of God unto every good work? It's the truth of God. It's walking in the truth of God. It's to be rooted and grounded, as we have been stressing in this meeting in the fundamental principles of Scripture. It's to be going on in the truth.
How can we be furnished unto all good work if we're not walking in the truth? I heard of a young man one time and he exercised some others as to the need to be baptized, but in the end they were turned aside because they found out he'd never been baptized himself. And they said, well, how can he talk about the need to be baptized when he's never been baptized himself? He wasn't thoroughly furnished unto every good work.
Not to be what's going on with something evil associated with something evil, but he wasn't going on in the truth of God. He wasn't walking a consistent Christian life as Paul was, as we spoke of earlier. So these two things are vital. In the next chapter. Tomorrow we're going to notice he takes up the resources for Christian service in a day of ruin. How are we going to be, uh, effective in our service in a day of ruin before he takes up those resources? He tells us we need to separate from that which is unholy.
And then go on in the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and we'll be prepared, I say, not just to some or a few good works, but to every good work.
Just like to comment to that connection with scriptures. I believe that Romans chapter 16 verses 25 and 26 take in include the New Testament as we call it scripture.
The apartment, the calls that they're my gospel, but he talks about the.
Profits and I believe their New Testament prophets. What we have in our hands today is included in Romans last chapter and verses 25 and six.
We sing hymn #22 in the appendix.
Hymn #22 in the appendix.
Sheep and the Shepherd
Gospel—Jim Hyland
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Let's start the Gospel meeting this evening with hymn #9. On the gospel hymn shape come every soul by sin of breath. There's mercy with the Lord, and He will surely give you rest by trusting in His word. I suggest that those of us who can't stand up to say this hymn #9, and if someone will, please start.
Umm.
Far away.
And due to the weather.
Believe in heaven.
I'm feeling I love you, the one I'm glory in my life.
Nsnoise.
He will take him for now.
Start Skype.
Going to read several portions of scripture at the beginning of the Gospel meeting this evening. The first one is in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah, chapter 53.
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Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 6.
All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.
And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And then a portion in John's Gospel, chapter 10.
John's Gospel, chapter 10 and verse 11. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. And then in Luke's Gospel chapter 15.
Luke's gospel, chapter 15 and verse one then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them, And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you having 100 sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the 90 and 9.
In the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it. And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over 1 Sinner, that repenteth more than over 90 and 9 just persons.
Which need number repentance and then I want to read another verse in Hebrews chapter 13.
Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 20.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen. And I want to read just one more expression. It's in Psalm 23.
Psalm 23 and verse one. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Well, as we know, going through the word of God we find that the person and work of Christ is brought before us in different ways.
Sometimes the Lord Jesus is brought before us as the Lamb of God. He's brought before us as the Son of God and many, many aspects of his work and person brought out in so many different ways. In the verses that we have read together, He's brought before us as the Shepherd, and God uses these ways to bring before us the truth, to make it clear and simple and plain.
Because he wants us to understand tonight the way of salvation.
Through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, there's a lot of complicated things in this world today.
A lot of things that are hard to understand, and I have no doubt there are students here who dread going back to school on Tuesday. You say I just don't understand that textbook they handed me at the beginning of the term. I just don't understand that homework they gave me to do and to ponder over the weekend. There are things that are complicated, some perhaps here, who are distressed as they think.
Of going back to the business or the corporate world, how tangled things are.
In the corporate world today. But isn't it wonderful that there's something that is never complicated?
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Or sometimes we complicate the gospel, but the gospel is not complicated.
God has made it so very simple, and I've had opportunity on many occasions to present the gospel to young children, to boys and girls. And you know, the astounding thing is sometimes they can take it in better than those whose minds have become cluttered with the cares and teachings and philosophies of this world, whose minds have become, as we would say, more developed and more enlightened.
Because it does take the faith of a little child to come, the Lord Jesus put a child in their midst on one occasion.
And told them that if there was going to be blessing, they needed to come in simple faith like that young child. And so the gospel tonight is not complicated, but there are a number of things we want to go over tonight in the presentation of the gospel from these verses that bring before us, as I say, the aspect of the Lord Jesus as that Good Shepherd. But I began here in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah.
Because this verse brings before us, first of all, very clearly why there was a need for a shepherd.
And why there was the need for a shepherd to give his life for the sheep? Here we find that we're likened to sheep. Why is mankind, in his natural state, likened to sheep?
Because sheep are wayward. And you know, if there's one thing man likes, it's to do his own will. It's to go his own way. I didn't have to teach my children to go their own way. I didn't have to teach my children to be wayward or willful. I didn't have to teach them to say no. I didn't have to teach them to quench those little fists in anger when they didn't want to do something that I wanted them to do.
No. We're born in sin and conceived in iniquity. We're born with a fallen, rotten nature that likes to do its own will. And here we find it says all we like. Sheep have gone astray. There's no exceptions, is there? No exceptions to the fact that we are sinners. If we were to go over to the Book of Romans, we would find there again. It confirms that all have sinned.
And come short of the glory of God, Solomon the wisest man, whoever lived in the Old Testament. He said, there's not a man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not. No, we like to have our own way all we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and we want to get this very clearly rooted in our souls. If you're not saved tonight, I want to impress upon you on the authority of God's word.
That you are a Sinner, and that not only are you a Sinner, but you are just as rotten a Sinner in the sight of God as the person sitting beside you. And you are just as rotten a Sinner in the sight of God as the person down in the penitentiary, or the person who lies in the gutter in the inner city, wasting their life and the part of the person who staggers home drunk and beats their wife.
The person who mistreats their children. The person who will stand and openly curse God. Oh, you say? I'd never do any of those things. Perhaps not, but there is no difference. For all have sinned. There is no difference. God sees you tonight as a Sinner, and you're without Christ if you don't know him as your savior and you're on your way to hell.
Are we, like sheep, have gone astray? We have turned.
Everyone. You know, when it says all, that's the whole human race.
But then it brings it down because it's easy to say all have sinned.
It's easy to admit that when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit.
That sin came into this world, and that sin has affected this world.
And mankind.
But we need to get to the second point, and that is we have turned everyone to his own way. That's individual, isn't it? That brings it right down to you and to me tonight. And that's the way we've got to see it tonight. Because tonight we must realize two things, That as individuals we're sinners, and that as individuals we must be saved.
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We don't get saved as families, we don't get saved as groups.
We were talking this afternoon about Timothy and how he had a wonderful, godly heritage.
I'm thankful for a godly heritage, but you know, Timothy had to make it his own. He had to come as an individual through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. It wasn't enough to have a God fearing grandmother. It wasn't enough to have a godly mother. No, he had to come. And that's really what it means when it says straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be.
That find it? Are you going on in rebellion?
Are you refusing to enter in? The gate is narrow, The gate is straight. You have to come as an individual, but you have to come. And the gate is open tonight to individuals. It's not closed yet. You can come tonight.
Are you going to disobey?
Are you going to rebel against God tonight and turn away from his pleading, from his command?
From his invitation to come to the Savior, you know the gospel is not just good advice.
You know, I might give you some advice. Or anybody else in this room might give you some advice. It might be good advice. It might be bad advice. And even if it's good advice, you might choose not to listen to it. But tonight we're not giving you good advice. We're giving you good news. And we're giving you, from the word of God, some of the facts of the gospel. And you are responsible because it talks about those who obey, not the gospel.
And they're going to be damned. In a lost eternity, God will have no choice but to send such an one to hell.
Maybe there's parents here who are praying for their children and young people. I want to encourage you not to give up.
I recently sat by my mother's bedside.
As she neared the end of her 87 years of pilgrimage.
Here in this world, and as I was sitting there quietly one afternoon.
I picked up my mother's Bible and I just.
Really idly flipped through it. I don't think I'd ever picked up my mother's Bible before, although I had seen it in use plenty.
But as I flipped through it, something came to my attention. Something that was tucked between some of the pages.
It was a newspaper clipping from 36 years ago and it was a newspaper clipping of one of my mother's sons.
That picture was in the paper, Really.
As a result.
Of a rebellious course.
One of her sons, at 16 years of age, had dropped out of high school.
With a Grade 10 education gone down to the City of Ottawa and written their real estate exams.
Got on in one of the local offices in Smiths Falls and this picture wasn't announced.
So that this 16 year old had now been hired as a real estate agent in the town of Smith Falls. I looked at that picture for a long time.
I have that picture on the podium with me tonight, just as a reminder.
And I have pondered in the last couple of weeks why my mother kept that picture in her Bible.
For 36 years.
I don't know exactly why, because I never had opportunity to ask her. She really wasn't cognizant of what was going on by the time I discovered this picture. But I have wondered if every once in a while she didn't look at that picture, the picture of her oldest son, and rejoice.
00:20:10
That the grace of God, because it is the grace of God. It is only the grace of God that saves us, and it is only the grace of God that keeps us. And it is only the grace of God that restores us when we fail. And I just say that as an encouragement to any mother or any father or any grandmother or any grandfather tonight who may be sitting in these seats praying for a young person.
A son, a daughter, a grandchild who maybe they don't know if they're, say, you don't know if they're saved.
Or maybe they've made a profession and they've gone off in sin and rebellion.
And you're praying that they'll be restored. All be encouraged, but all we, like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. But thank God the verse doesn't end there. It tells us. But the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. And that's why I turn to John chapter 10, because in John chapter 10 we have in such a very precious way.
The shepherd brought before us the shepherd who in a previous verse is referred to as the door of the sheep.
The shepherd who in the verse we read together.
Is referred to as the Good Shepherd, not just the shepherd. There's a lot of shepherds. And in the days of the Lord Jesus, there were a lot of professed shepherds in Israel, those who professed to care for the sheep. And I'm not talking now about natural, literal sheep out on the hillside, but I'm talking about those who were God's people as far as being the Jews, God's people. And there were those who professed to be shepherds of God's people.
But they were anything but good shepherds. But here was the Good Shepherd. And the Good Shepherd had come to give his life for the sheep. Because if there was going to be blessing for fallen sinful man, it requires the death of an innocent victim. And oh, thank God, we can present the gospel tonight, because the Good Shepherd has laid down his life, he gave his life, he said later on, said later on in this very chapter.
That he laid down his life. 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. Do you know this shepherd? If we were to read this chapter, we would find that the shepherd, the sheep, they hear his voice. Have you heard the voice of the Lord Jesus? He's speaking to you tonight.
What to God that you would hear, these scriptures that we are reading and quoting as the very voice of God to you these things, as we were reminded this afternoon?
Where God breathed, they were written down by, yes, John and Isaiah and others, but they are the very voice of God speaking to you.
When the Lord Jesus was here in this world, he spoke these words to those that listened to him.
That were around him, but you know he caused men like John to write them down.
So that his voice could still be heard tonight. Do you hear this as the very voice of God to you?
The sheep follow him. Oh, I know there's many in this room who delight to follow the Lord Jesus as his sheep. We used to sing a chorus when we were young people. I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back. We find in this chapter 2 The sheep know him.
Do you know the Lord Jesus? Do you know him? Is he really your savior? Is he your shepherd? You know, the thought in a shepherd is one who cares for the sheep, one who provides for them.
I wish I could tell you more about the care of sheep. I'm a city boy. I don't know much about the care of animals. I'm not even a pet lover. And so I tolerate a cat in our house, but I don't really look after the cat. And so I don't know much about the care of animals. If my father were able to come and speak to us tonight, he'd be able to tell us a great deal about the care of sheep. You know, my father, he's been with the Lord over nine years.
00:25:08
He was not a man. Whoever stood up in a public place very often, he was good and solid when it came to the truth, and he raised us in a godly God fearing home. But you know, one time I heard him preach the gospel. Just one time in a public setting I heard him preach the gospel. And he preached on sheep and he preached from his experience because as a young man he had cared for sheep.
And he could bring out things from this chapter in Luke 15 that I could never hope to bring out.
But I do know one thing. While I don't know much about the care of sheep, I do know that my shepherd has cared for me for many, many years. And so we find the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep and he's calling tonight.
My wife and youngest daughter and I had opportunity to visit a large Maple Sugarbush operation. Lanark County, where I come from in Eastern Ontario, is reputed to be the heart.
And capital of sugarbush country and there's great production. I've heard statistics as to the gallons and gallons of Maple syrup that are turned out every spring, UH, in our area. And we had opportunity to visit a large sugar operation and to have a meal of pancakes and Maple syrup and to tour the operation. It's a state-of-the-art operation where the trees are tapped and then it's piped in and uh.
Boiled very scientifically, not like the old bats and the old horse and sleighs that used to collect it, And as we think of Maple syrup collection and boiling and so on. But you know, what struck me most about that day was not the Maple syrup operation, but there was a A. There were a few animals there, a few farm animals in different pens, and the boys and girls could tap them and feed them, and so on. And in one of those pens there was a sheet.
And that sheep was lying over in the corner, just viewing everybody as they passed by, and seemed as unconcerned as, uh, a sheep could be. And my daughter tried to call that sheep over. She even had some hay or something green, something green and leafy in her hand. And she tried to coax that sheep to come over, and that sheep would not respond, even though she had a tasty morsel for it. That she was no more interested in coming over to my daughter than anything.
You notice we were about to turn away, The back door of the kitchen opened and a young girl came out, and she was obviously the daughter of the owner, part of that family. And she had some things, some scraps from the kitchen in her hand. And she came over to the fence and she said here Nelly, come and get this. And immediately there was a response as soon as the shepherdess called the sheep by name.
That she responded immediately. And I've never forgot that. And oh, tonight the Lord Jesus is calling you. He's calling you by name. Are you responding? I know there are just so many here who have responded. I have redeemed the I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. It rejoices our hearts. But what about you tonight? Have you ever responded to that? Very.
Individual call.
There was a young boy named Samuel in the Old Testament, and the Lord called him too.
Samuel, Samuel. And finally he responded and said, speak for thy servant Heareth. What did everyone of us would respond to our name being called and that we would hear what the Lord Jesus has to say. But now I want to dwell for a few moments on that well known parable that we read in Luke's Gospel chapter 15. You know again.
The gospel is very simple and the Lord Jesus when he was here.
He often told real stories and he often spake in parables. Now, you know, they're not fables, they're parables. Scripture is very clear about that. You know, when I was quite a bit younger and 1St preaching the gospel a little bit, an older brother said to me, he said, Jim, remember, we don't tell fables or fairy tales in the gospel, you know, that was a good reminder. It stood me in good stead. No, we might tell an actual story or incident.
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To illustrate a point. But we don't tell fairy tales or fables. And the Lord Jesus never told fables, but sometimes he.
Used parables and a parable is a story or illustration to present to us a moral truth, to make something very clear, to illustrate something that is very vital for us to get a hold of. And the Lord Jesus. Here in this chapter he tells three stories. Before we comment specifically on this first one that we read, I would just say that in a general way to sum up these three stories.
We have, first of all, a wayward sheep, an inanimate coin, and an intelligent son. Or if I can put it in a way that perhaps is a little easier to understand, we have a lost sheep, a lifeless coin, and a lawless son. And when we take these three stories together, they really bring before us on the one hand man's condition, and on the other hand the blessedness of the Lord Jesus.
And God the Father, and the Spirit of God, seeking and saving the lost.
We might say again, in summary, in the first incident we have particularly brought before us the Lord Jesus, the Son. We have him as the shepherd. In the second incident, the Lady lights the lamp, the candle, and searches. It's the work of the Spirit of God. And then, as we were reminded last night, we have the Father dealing with the prodigal. In the third incident, we have what we might say the Trinity, the whole Godhead.
Working to bring a soul back to himself, Isn't that marvelous to think of So precious and vital is your salvation tonight that the whole Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are at work to bring you in. And if you go out of this room lost tonight, It's not, I speak carefully, God's fault. It's not the fault of the Spirit of God. It's not the fault of the Lord Jesus and if you go to hell.
When you leave this world for the Lord Jesus comes, it will be no one's fault but yourself.
You will in the coming days stand before God, uh, the the Lord Jesus as your judge, and you will be inexcusable. You will have nothing to say, no excuses, no arguments in that courtroom in that day. And so we find here the Lord Jesus tells this story and he tells this story as a result of a number of people.
Coming close to him to hear him, you know, as the Lord Jesus walked up and down the dusty streets of Palestine.
There were, generally speaking, I suppose, very few that really had time to listen and heed the message that the Lord Jesus had. But you know, there were some. There were some, like the publicans and sinners, those that had a real need, those who felt that they had a lack and they would draw near to hear the Lord Jesus.
Or today. Again tonight, word that you had a felt need.
You know, I read just before my mother passed away. I read in her own handwriting.
Her own testimony that as a young child sitting on her father's knee.
She had the vivid memory of receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as her savior. You know, I had the privilege and responsibility of taking my mother's funeral. It's not wasn't an easy thing, but, you know, with a state with statements like that and a godly life and practical Christianity manifested to her children and to her, to her family and to those about her. It was a great comfort because I knew.
Where my mother was, in fact, for 2 1/2 hours the night before her funeral, there was a steady stream of people, family and brethren and friends and neighbors and acquaintances that filed by her coffin. And you know, as we talked together, I said, you know, really, my mother is better off than all the rest of us in this room. She's with the Lord now. She's absent from the body and present with the Lord. But what about you tonight? Could that be said about you?
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I was walking through a graveyard some time ago and I came upon a tombstone with one word on it saved.
Just one word. I don't know if it was a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, a young person who was in that tomb, but it didn't matter. They were saved. I've often thought if you had to choose one word as your epitaph to be placed on your tombstone when you died.
Before God, what word would you honestly have to choose?
I've never seen it, but they tell me in Evergreen Cemetery, just outside of New York City, there's another tombstone.
With another word on it, Forgiven.
I am told too that in the state of Louisiana, and I'm not sure where it is.
So if there is a tombstone with one word on it, waiting.
Waiting. Waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Waiting for the resurrection and to be with the Lord Jesus. But I say, what would you would they have to place on your tombstone in all honesty before God? Well, these Republicans and sinners, they drew near to hear him. And so he tells this beautiful story, a story really, about himself as the shepherd.
That shepherd who was seeking the sheep, you know, when I was growing up, we used to sing out of Ira Sankey, sacred songs and solos around the piano at home, and when we had him sings and so on. And one of the earliest hymns that I remember singing was that old hymn. There were 90 and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold. But one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold, out on the mountains, wild and bare.
Away from the tender Shepherd's care, you know, that hymn has a very interesting story.
Because in 1874, Dwight L Moody was holding some evangelical meetings in Scotland.
We often tell stories about Dwight L Moody, but perhaps we don't always often tell stories about Mr. Sankey. Mr. Sankey for many years was associated with Dwight L Moody in their evangelical outreach and, as the story goes, in May of 1874.
Mr. Moody and Mr. Sankey were on a train from Glasgow headed to Edinburgh, Scotland, and they were going from one set of evangelical meetings to another that had been scheduled for the city of Edinburgh. And before they got on the train, Mr. Sankey bought a newspaper for one penny. Couldn't get a newspaper for one penny today, but in those days you could for a penny get a new paper.
And as they were traveling along, Mr. Sankey decided to see what the Daily News had to offer.
But as he was thumbing through the newspaper, he noticed a piece of poetry.
In the corner of one of the pages of that newspaper. It was the hymn I've just quoted, with several subsequent verses.
There were 90 and nine. He pointed out the piece of poetry to Mr. Moody, who was absorbed in something else and showed very little polite interest. And so he tore out the piece of paper and stuffed it in his coat pocket. A few nights later, Mr. Moody was preaching on Luke, 15, about the shepherd, and that's the conclusion of his Gospel meeting.
He announced that Mister Sankey, who was the soloist for Mr. Moody, would now sing an appropriate hymn at the end of the service.
I can't imagine what it must have gone through Ira Sankey's mind as he felt prompted to reach into his pocket and pull out that piece of newspaper. And as he said in his own by his own testimony, he his knees were shaking as he placed that paper.
On the organ, looked at those words.
Put his hands to the keys of that organ.
And began to compose the music for the first verse. He sang that verse through as he played the music for the first time.
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He said his greatest fear was that he wouldn't be able to repeat the music for the second verse, but with the help of God he was able and verse after verse he sang that him. Mr. Moody had tears streaming down his face. It was the first time that him had ever been sung and they say there were powerful results in the Spirit of God moved as a result of the preaching and singing of of this portion and the singing of that hymn.
And many profess to come to know the Good Shepherd that night.
That hymn was actually written by a lady who wrote that hymn for her brother George.
Her brother George, Her name was Elizabeth. Her brother George was brought up like she in a Christian home, just like myself and so many here.
But you know, as he got older and into his teens, he became.
Very wayward. He chose his own way and I believe at 16 years of age left home.
Chose like the prodigal son, riotous living.
But he was restored.
To the Lord are saved, saved, Uh, he. He was saved, as in in his rebellion he was restored to his family, and as she put it, restored to the flock, he came home and she wrote that him, that piece of poetry, never dreaming that it would be sung worldwide for years to come.
But she wrote that piece of poetry for her brother.
Not long after he was saved and returned home, he was thrown from his own horse, hit his head on a rock in the fall, and was instantly ushered into eternity. And those words were published in a Scottish newspaper. And those words, I believe, have been a great blessing to many.
For many, many years. But what about you tonight? Are you Are you way a wayward sheep tonight? Are you like Elizabeth's brother George? And what if you were killed tonight? What if you got went out and got in your vehicle tonight and got on the Parkway and something happened and you were broadsided?
Where would you be?
And so the Lord Jesus tells this story. We know it so well.
About this shepherd who goes out to find the sheep, I might just say this that the that numbers in the word of God have very significant meaning. We often go over the meaning of numbers. You know the number 100 has a very significant meaning in scripture. The number 100 denotes complete salvation. If we were to go back to the book of Nehemiah, the third chapter.
We would find there that the first gate that is mentioned in connection with the wall around Jerusalem is the Sheep Gate. And we would find too that over by the Sheep gate there was a tower. You know, a tower in scripture speaks of security. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runeth into it and is safe. But very interesting that the name of that tower is Mia, and Mia means 100.
Complete salvation as a result of the Lord Jesus going to Calvary's cross.
Giving his life and shedding his precious blood, we find that there was a net cast into the sea by the disciples, and when they dragged it out of the sea, it says there were 150.
And three fishes. Let me go backwards in the meaning of those numbers.
Three speaks a couple of things, death and resurrection. Because all blessing is based on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we sometimes refer to that net as the gospel net full of those fishes. I will make you fishers of men. Three speaks of complete testimony too, because the grace of God which bring us salvation has appeared to all men.
50 brings before us Pentecost.
You know, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God came down and the gospel began to go forth. And it's gone forth ever since. And it's going forth today. It's going forth tonight.
8 and 100 is complete salvation. And here we find that this man had 100 sheep and he lost one and you'd think he'd be content. I'd say 99 out of 100 is pretty good odds. But no, the shepherd wasn't content. There was 1 missing. There was 1 who'd gone astray. Is that one you tonight? If he if it is.
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The Lord Jesus is seeking for you. He came to seek and to save.
That which was lost.
You know, sometimes we refer to people.
Who are not saved as just that not saved or unsaved.
And that's true. But tonight I want to bring it home a little stronger. If you don't know Christ, you're not just unsaved, you're lost.
You know, I I don't have a very good sense of direction. Anybody who's traveled with me by vehicle can attest to that, especially my wife and children. And you know, we'll be going down a road and there'll be a sense by the others in the car that we're not going the right way.
And a voice in the back seat will say, Dad, are we lost? Oh, no. We're just confused. We've just gone out of our way a little bit. We're turned around. Oh, we don't like to admit we're lost. You know what happens when you're lost too? You start going a little faster, you know? You think if you just go a little faster, you'll come out in the right direction. You ever do that, press on the gas a little harder? Isn't that the way it is in spiritual things?
Man is going faster and faster over the precipice to a lost eternity.
And he says, oh, I'm not lost and maybe just few things, but I'm not really lost.
I'm just looking for some answers, but you're lost tonight if you're without Christ.
This sheep was lost. This sheep wasn't just confused.
He wasn't just misguided or misdirected. He was lost. And you're lost tonight. But the marvelous thing is.
That the Lord Jesus as the shepherd, is seeking you.
And this shepherd he sought until he found.
He did. He saw it until he found, and he put it on his shoulders, the place of strength. Sometimes I think people, when they hear the gospel, say, well, I'd like to get saved, but I could never live like that. I could never follow the Lord like some other people do.
But when we get saved, he puts us on his shoulders and he holds us there. He gives us straight. He puts us on that place of strength and power. He doesn't leave us to find our own way. He didn't smack this sheep and tell it to get back to the fold and the rest of the good sheep that hadn't wandered away. Is that what he told the sheep? No. He picked it up in love and tenderness and he put it right on his shoulders.
And he carried it all the way. The Lord Jesus has been carrying me for many years.
On his shoulders. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the Lord Jesus and the power that he gives to live the Christian life.
And then there was rejoicing. Oh yes, there was rejoicing. But where was the greatest rejoicing? In heaven. You know, if you get saved tonight, the greatest rejoicing will be in heaven. The greatest rejoicing will be the Father and the Lord Jesus rejoicing later on in the in the story of the prodigal who was happiest when the sun came back.
I don't want to be dogmatic, but I think the Father was probably the happiest, probably the most satisfied. That's what he'd been longing for and waiting for. And if you get saved before you leave your seat tonight, yes, there'll be joy in knowing your sins are forgiven, but there will be greater joy in heaven.
But in sad contrast to that, if you walk out of this room.
As a rebellious sheep, the way you came in.
You will cause great sadness in the heart of the Lord Jesus. You know, sometimes we sing that hymn come for Angel hosts or musing, or this sight so strangely sad, God beseeching man refusing to be made forever glad. Are you going to cause joy in heaven tonight? Or sadness?
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For a few moments I want to mention the other two verses that we read together. I read the verse in the 13th chapter of Hebrews because there are two vital facts of the gospel brought before us in that verse that verse one is the blood of Christ and the other is his resurrection. They are two very important and vital elements of the gospel.
The Lord Jesus gave his life as the Good Shepherd, but you know the Good Shepherd is not dead tonight.
No. That great shepherd is alive tonight. He's a great shepherd. He's a great savior. He rose from the dead. Come see the place where the Lord lay. He is not here. He is risen. Because if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. Man likes to discredit the resurrection because if man can convince himself, there's no resurrection.
Then he has no responsibility to the Lord Jesus, but he did raise rise from the dead.
And he remained on earth long enough to give complete and ample testimony.
To his own that he had bodily risen from the dead. Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone, as ye see me have, but I want to back up for a few moments. To the blood of Christ, After the Lord Jesus had dismissed his spirit, after he had laid down his life, we read these words. A soldier with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood.
And water we read in first John the blood of Jesus Christ his Son.
Cleanses us from all sin. How often we sing that question?
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
We sometimes sing another question on occasions like this. Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you? Is the blood of Jesus precious to you? Are you redeemed with that precious blood?
It's that precious blood that sanctifies and justifies us. It's that blood that brings us nigh to God.
It's through his blog that we have the forgiveness of sin.
Has the blood been applied? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? But before we close, I want to notice the 23rd Psalm, where we read the Lord is my shepherd.
You know, it's one thing to speak about the Lord as the Shepherd. It's one thing to speak of him as the Good Shepherd or the Great Shepherd or even the Chief Shepherd, as he has brought before us.
In Peter's epistle. But it's quite another thing to say The Lord is my shepherd.
It brings us back to what we said earlier, that this is a very personal thing.
David had a very personal relationship with the Shepherd.
So that he could say the Lord is my shepherd. I know it's a very, very simple story, but I'm going to repeat it.
Because I'm touched every time I read the story of a young child who went off to Sunday school.
And at the end of the Sunday school season, the Sunday school teacher had put together a little recital.
And invited the parents and older ones to be there. And the boys and girls had been drilled in a number of gospel choruses. They were going to sing some Scriptures that they were going to recite, and some Bible stories and so on.
And there was a particularly young child who was, to simply quote.
Psalm 23, verse one. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Well, the teacher was sure this young child had it, just had it down just right. And so the day of the recital came and there were several parents, grandparents and other adults who attended the Sunday school recital and everything went quite well until it was time for this little child to recite.
The 23rd Psalm, just verse one.
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And when the child stood up and saw what seemed like a sea of faces.
The child got what I suppose we would call stage fright.
The child began. The Lord is my shepherd.
Froze. Couldn't think of the rest of the verse.
Decided better start again. The Lord is my shepherd still wouldn't come.
One more try. The Lord is my shepherd.
Sweat was running down this child's back.
In desperation, the child finally said the Lord is my shepherd, what more can I want? And sat down.
You know, without realizing it, that child caught really the essence of what we have here. The Lord is my shepherd, What more could I want? And all if you could just get one inkling.
One taste of the goodness of the Shepherd and what he has for you.
And the fact that he will fill and satisfy your heart for time and eternity.
I have to say what more could I want.
I've known this shepherd for most of my life.
For some 45 years, he's been my shepherd.
What more could I want? What more could you want? And what more can we say tonight in seeking to present this blessed one to you? Oh, tonight, don't go out of this room lost. I'm going to pray now. And if you don't know the Good Shepherd, if you haven't let him pick you up yet and put you on his shoulder.
I plead with you to bow your head quietly and in your heart, because he hears what you say, whether you utter one word aloud or not.
In your heart, receive the Lord Jesus as your savior. He'll be your shepherd, your friend for time and for eternity. He'll pick you up, and He'll carry you safe home. The Lord is my shepherd. What more can I want? The Lord is my shepherd. And who else do I have to present to you tonight but this blessed one, in all his loveliness, his beauty, his grace, Oh, come now to Jesus.
That dear loving Savior receive him this moment and peace.
Shall be thine. Let's pray our God and Father how thankful we are tonight that the Shepherd is still thinking.
2 Timothy 4
Reading
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Second Timothy 4.
Second Timothy, chapter 4.
I charge thee therefore before good. Sorry, I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead. It is appearing in His Kingdom. Preach the word, be instant in season out of season, improve rebuke, exhort all along, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own loss they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
The watch style in all things. Endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist, Make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which lowered the righteous judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but also, but unto them also that love his appearing. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me. For Demas have forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica Crescent to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only. Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
Antiochus have I sent to Ephesus the cloak that I left at Chouas with carpets when thou comest bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works, of whom thee thou where also, for he hath greatly withstood our words.
And my first answer, No man stood with me, but all men forsake forsook me. I pray God, that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out, out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Salute uh Prisca and Aquila and the household of Nassiforis.
Erastus abode at Corinth, but Trophimus have I left and my litm sick. Do thy diligence to come before winter You will let us greet at thee and Putin's and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren. Lord Jesus Christ, be with thy spirit, grace be with you. Amen.
Umm, we mentioned that the ending of the last meeting, that in this chapter we have the resources and the encouragement to go on in a day of ruin in service for Christ. Because for every one of us here who know the Lord Jesus this morning, there is a path of service for us. He has something for each one of us to do for His glory, connection with the truth.
The Gospel and in blessing to his people. Wonderful to be at these meetings and enjoy this little Oasis this weekend.
But as we leave these meetings, let's be exercised that even though we find ourselves in the last days, yet there is a way to go on and serve the Lord faithfully, not with compromise. We've talked a great deal about the basis being a doctrine and truth and so on. And so we don't have to compromise to serve the Lord in a day of ruin. But there is a way that we can go on in spite of the ruin that has come in.
And there are perhaps a number of reasons in this chapter that Timothy is exhorted to faithful service in the last days. And one is that there is judgment coming and judgment on the on professing Christianity. And as we think of the judgment that's coming, oughtn't that to quicken our hearts to serve the Lord and get the gospel out? There are many raised writing in a Christian country, so-called Christian country, even in Christian homes.
And they're still lost. They might make a profession, but they're lost and in their sins. And so we need to be faithful in getting the gospel out, realizing that the time is short. He goes on to tell Timothy the time was coming when they wouldn't endure sound doctrine. And so we need to be faithful in speaking the truth and getting sound doctrine out and communicating the truth to others. And he brings before Timothy, too. There's a day of reward coming.
You and I seek to be faithful in a day of ruin. It's going to be worth it in the end.
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I think our brother Eric, in his prayer this morning, quoted that verse from Proverbs 29, where there is no vision, the people perish. And so we need to have vision if we're going to be encouraged to go on in the last days. And we're going to notice it's not so much the rapture he takes up, but it's the appearing, because the appearing is always in connection with the day of commendation and reward. Maybe one other reason is that there were few who were going on faithfully.
Few who were taking up Paul's doctrine and seeking to go on, and many have been turned aside. He says, Timothy, don't be like that. You go on and be faithful and be a blessing to the people of God. Exercise your gift for profit and edification, even though there's opposition. So we're going to notice these things and it's real encouragement. Rather, we've taken up some very solemn things in these meetings, but we want to go home from these meetings encouraged to press on in the little assembly in which we come from.
To be faithful to the truth of God, to be faithful in our service, to get off the gospel, and to be looking onward to that day of glory.
Just like to under score what's just been said.
I think it's really important to get the the sense of it in soles this morning. This is the last words of the apostle Paul is.
Not an epistle. Rent into an assembly.
Even to the individual, he talks about the state of things and so on, but it is a final word of encouragement to a brother that he had a very close relationship with, more close perhaps than anyone else. And he realized that he himself wasn't going to be with Timothy much longer and have much opportunity, but he wants to encourage him to serve the Lord. It isn't just saying to Timothy, you just go on and.
In spite of all the failure and everything else, Timothy.
Get somehow to the end of the journey faithfully with the Lord and others, but he's particularly encouraging Timothy to a path of continued good works. And so it says. In fact, the very context of the end of the previous chapter when it talks about the inspiration of Scripture and so on. And we applied it in a very fundamental, I think an important way to ourselves, but.
In the very context here, what he's saying to Timothy is Timothy.
You need to be completely the last phrase of the last chapter. A man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. And then this chapter elaborates on the work of good work. He's saying the Scriptures, Timothy will give you everything you need to do good work If you need a word of correction to somebody.
Scripture is going to provide it to you. If someone needs a word of right righteous living, Scripture is going to provide that word to you, Timothy to give. Is it a matter of teaching? Scripture is going to provide that word of teaching to you so that you may go on and serve the Lord with good works. And we need to be sure because our idea of service and that word service gets sometimes pretty constrained.
And so we think of service as preaching or always speaking to somebody about the Lord and so on.
That's too constraining, that's too narrow, and it isn't really necessarily the work that all of us are called to do in the same way. And so I want to try to help us to see it. Brethren, young people, each one of us, when we leave this building, we need to have that encouragement in our hearts to continue in a path of good works. I noticed as we read the chapter this morning some of the good works that Paul wanted from Timothy, as he said, Timothy.
I left my coat in this place. Please, when you come, bring me my coat, bring me my books, and bring me my writing paper, my parchments.
And that's good work. Some of the brethren who came into this building before most of us came into this building, we're doing a good work in bringing chairs into this building and setting them up so that we could have this conference. And when we all get ready to go, those same brethren will be doing the same good work this morning or this afternoon of picking up those chairs and the sound system and everything else.
00:10:18
Umm, permit me to take it even one step farther. This morning, when or when we prayed, we prayed for Lemoyne Smith.
And part of our prayer for Lemoyne Smith was that he would be raised up.
He would be healed so he could continue with his service.
Not so. Not completely so it's OK, but I was very struck. Marvin Miller, the brother whom we prayed for the first day of the conference, whose wife died and was buried on Thursday.
Said very recently to me when I was visiting them in the hospital, he said. I don't mind coming to the hospital at all, He said I believe that and he's been in and out of hospitals many times over the years, he said whenever.
Something happens and we end up in the hospital. I always think the Lord has something for me to do there.
The Lord has something for me to do there. So it is with Lemoyne. The Lord has put Lemoyne in the hospital, but has given him his mind, his mouth, his heart. And the Lord will use Lemoyne in good works where he is right now, as well as other services that he may do at the healthy body that he doesn't presently have. So may the Lord encourage us to.
As we go over this chapter today to not just say Paul was writing something to Timothy, but God intends to speak to every one of us this morning and he has some words for each one of us.
To encourage us.
To good works.
I'd like to make a comment on the beginning of that verse 17 before we get too far that the man of God may be perfect or if you notice the margin it says complete.
That's so important, isn't it? We notice in this book, particularly as our brother Don mentioned, it's the last words of the Apostle Paul and he and what's happening in this epistle very evidently is that the popular current of Christendom was against the apostles. We see that in the in our chapter. We also see it in the first chapter. He says in verse 15 of chapter one, this thou knowest.
That all they which are in Asia.
Be turned away from me of who our flagellas and our homogeneous and then later on in our chapter, of course, it says, uh, verse 16 at my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. And then we noticed, as opposed to the popular current of Christendom, we have individuals that were a health and a blessing to the apostle Paul. And he mentioned these individuals by name in many cases.
Well, when the popular current of Christendom is against us as we expect, there's still a place for the man of God and the man of God to com be complete. When the enemy comes in like the flood, like a flood, the Spirit of God raises up a standard against it. And so it's so important, isn't it, that we be men of God. That speaks to spiritual maturity. We have spiritual maturity and joined over and over in Scripture.
The first epistle of John, we have babes and young men or young people, we might say, and then fathers are mature adults. And I would suggest that's really what the man of God is, is someone who's mature. I think, uh, one of the veins of Christendom today is that so many Christians are, are, uh, stunted in their growth and, uh, they believe that getting to heaven is the end of Christendom. It's just the beginning of Christianity, isn't it?
And so.
Uh, we're called to be a man of God. Even in a day when the popular current of Christendom may be against us and the demand of God may be perfect or complete is the better translation. That is that we have the understanding of the whole councils of God, as our brother Jim mentioned and reminded us, uh, where there is no vision, the people perish. We need to understand the position that we occupy today. When I say we, I'm not talking about brethren as such.
00:15:15
I'm talking about that which is the proper position for God's people in such a day. It's important to understand that that part of that sound doctrine, isn't it? So sound, uh, practice is required, a right condition of soul and sound position is required in such a day.
I could just add a little work of what you just said. You don't want to give the impression that, umm, those.
That umm may have a certain amount of light and truth. Uh, umm are necessarily always perfect and mature.
Say that we're experiencing difficulties in some of our assemblies in a lack of health.
A lack of help within the flock.
And the reason that we find ourselves in tho those states, is the very same reason that we see a decline of Christendom, that there that the man of God hasn't been been perfected by the Scriptures, by the truth of the Word of God. And when we find difficulties amongst the brethren.
It's because the Word of God hasn't had its effect in the soul, and something has crept in to undermine the truth and the the the liberty and the grace that the truth brings. So let us not think that.
Just because we have a certain amount of light that we don't have.
A need to be exercised, but the man of God may be perfected by the word of God, and that we might be thoroughly punished into every word.
It's individual here, isn't it? The man of God, because as you say, collectively things are in the state in which we've been speaking this weekend. But I think you have it illustrated very beautifully in the the writing, the prophet writing in Mount Prophet Malachi writing, because there we find that generally speaking, they were in the right position, but they were in a wrong condition.
And he brings before them very clearly to exercise them as to the condition, not the position, but the condition that they were, they were in. But it is nice that there were those individuals amidst that condition who were seeking to go on faithfully as individuals and then as a result, being able to encourage one another and to speak often one with another and so on. And that's really what the, what our exercise ought to be in the days in which we live, there is a right position.
And but as Brother Eric said, things are not going to return to the Pauline days of the church. They're not going to return to the days of great revival like what's experienced 175 years ago or so. No, but there, what Paul is telling Timothy is there's a way for individual exercise to go on as a man of God and to effectively serve the Lord and his people.
Even amidst the condition of things, that was generally.
The state in Timothy's day and very parallel to the day in which we live. And that's why we sometimes say that the last days are characterized by individual faithfulness. But lest we be, uh, confused, let's always be clear that collectively there is a path of faith too, to the end. It's interesting that in the second chapter, he takes that up.
He exhorts Timothy to go on with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. There is a collective path to the end. And then he is in the 3rd and 4th chapters. He takes up the individual aspect and the collective side of things can be no more than the individual. You know, our local assemblies can be no more than the individuals that make them up, and that's why we need to be exercised as individuals.
00:20:08
That these things might characterize us, that we would take up the Word of God, that we would read it, that we would have, that those willing hearts to walk in obedience to it, that we might be useful servants, that we might reach in our souls maturity and full growth. And if we do that as individuals, then there will be a state of things collectively that will be a blessing as well. Would you say, Eric, that?
That's good, Jim. Thank you. Yeah.
Nice to see how the hall brings Timothy into the consciousness of the presence of the Lord in his addressing him. You know Paul was called up to the 3rd heaven and he got things directly from the Lord himself. When God begins the work, he often does it with great signs and wonders to give witness to the truthfulness of it and so on.
But we're not told that Timothy ever got a vision or caught up to the 3rd heaven, or I'm not sure if he even performed miracles or not.
Umm. But it's wonderful to to know that, uh.
In a time like ours that though we don't see these evidences of things of miraculous power or even like they were abundant tokens of blessing like they were 100 years ago or so.
Our God is still the same, and that God does not.
Read UMM institute his truth give granting 1 revival after another.
Uh, just so the truth of God can be maintained once he communicates something to his people, it's their responsible to carry it and continue it. And so we, we have received a heritage of, of blessing from God in the time that we live in. And God having raised up a testimony to the truth of the one body and recovered many wonderful fundamental truths that we.
Enjoy. It's, it's so needful for us in order to carry these things on and keep them as Paul was concerned here as usual, about to leave and he charges Timothy with this. It's a little bit like Moses and Joshua, uh, and uh, he laid his hands on, at his Moses laid his hands on Joshua and commended him.
I believe it says he put some glory on him in one place.
So that the people of God would recognize.
Uh, that he had been raised up for his time. It's wonderful for us to, even though we don't have these outward signs rather than evidence of the power of God.
To live consciously in the presence of God. And don't forget that when your ministry is not well received by in a general way around you, because the testimony is so weak and poor and so much departure and you will not get patted on your back every other day or what you do for the Lord. That's the time you need to have the Lord before you and serve.
Steadfastly.
We can see from what's called previously fed to Timothy that he was a timid person.
And Paul said to him, as the God have not given us the spirit fear.
For the power of love and a sound mind. And Paul recognized the individual character of Timothy. Not everyone is a Timothy in that regard. Some people need to have to grab on to their shirt tail and hold them back a little bit, and others need you to sort of give them a push in the back to keep going forward.
And so it is with us in service to the Lord, we can easily come up with something we think.
While I'm not ready yet.
Partly why Paulus brings out the scripture here, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished for everything. There isn't anything.
00:25:03
That God will give you to do that. He won't provide for you to do it.
I well remember and appreciated a brother, his wife, saying to me one time concerning something that was before them to do for the Lord. She said, my husband said the question is not whether we have the resources in ourselves to do it. The question is whether the Lord wants us to do it. And if he says do it, he will provide everything that's necessary for the doing of it. And Paul is encouraging Timothy here, not for being fitted. He's already finished all that and what he said to him, but.
This last chapter is the doing.
We're doing. It's not the preparation for the doing, but it's the doing. And so he begins the chapter by saying.
To Timothy, said, Timothy, what I'm saying to you, I say before God in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, what God is saying to us this morning is in that same power and spirit he speaks to us and he says.
I charge you.
You who sit in this room before my eye.
That you.
Do in Timothy's case, that was preached, he said. Be urgent about it, what you're doing. Why? Because the day is close at hand.
When everything is gonna be brought out, the appearing is a time when everything is gonna be manifested as it is before the eye of God, not as it is before man and man's eye and man's view and man's opinion. But the day is shortly to come when everything will be out as God sees it among men.
And established according to God's order instead of man's order. And so he says, Timothy, you do what you're doing now.
In view of that.
And Paul himself, when speaking to the Ephesians in Acts, he said, I am free of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God.
Let's not hold back. Let's not have, if you will, I could speak this way, Regret.
That we didn't.
When it's all manifested and and we won't be able to say, well, I was timid or I was afraid or I didn't have time or I didn't this or I didn't that. No, brethren, the Lord, as it were, says brethren to us this morning before my eye. Please, if I can add that word, please. He's he's urgent with him. It's an exhortation. Preach, teach.
Guide the home, take care of the chairs, Do whatever the Lords called you to do, do it.
Do it before the eye of God, not before your fellow man, not before the concern of the opposition of men to it. But it's before God. Do it for him, but do it.
It's been said that a a good politician finds the parade and gets in front of it.
But that's not what we have here, is it? It's a call to faithfulness, uh, when the, uh, the parade is going the opposite direction. And that's a challenge. And so I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead. Now, the translation here needs a little correcting, doesn't it? I think we all know that the quick and the dead aren't judged at the same time. They're not judged, it is appearing, but rather the quicker judged.
That is appearing.
And then during the Millennium, and then the debtor judged at the end of the Millennium. So a better translation, of course, is who shall judge the quick and the dead? And by his appearing and his Kingdom, the point is he judges quick and dead. And also it is appearing, as has been said before, there's the question of faithfulness and rewards because of course it is appearing.
Will already have been in heaven for seven years.
And as it is appearing that the measure of our faithfulness is displayed, isn't it?
00:30:00
I was looking a few moments ago at.
That furnished. Thoroughly furnished.
And we've moved beyond that now, just momentarily going back to it. Turn with me to Luke chapter 22 and verse 12, Luke 22 and 12.
And he shall show you a large upper room furnished.
Luke 22 and 12 And he shall show you a large upper room furnished now. Psalm 78, verse 19. Psalm 7819.
The questions can God furnish?
A table, Psalms 23 and verse 5. Psalms 23 and verse 5. Thou prepare us to table before me. When we came to the meeting yesterday, everything was prepared thoroughly, completely and thoroughly. There was not one thing lacking. And that's that same thought that carries with it here that we've been hearing. And so we see that we have all the word of God right here. We're completely Thorne Eastern.
Furnished, uh, sometimes we look at Ephesians 6 and with that whole armor and we see all those body parts that put on it. But it's a spiritual thing. We have a spiritual warfare and we come to the shoes and it says they're shot, but on the way down we don't see anything on the knees. And that's because we have to be on our knees in prayer. So we are completely thoroughly taking care of there. Also here we're completely and thoroughly taken care of. And so when we move on, there must be one other thing our brother just got done saying, a faithful servant.
To be a faithful servant.
Not only do we have to be completely, thoroughly furnished, we have to have one thing else. If we're gonna go into this service and I'm completely furnished, furnished, I have to have a faithful Lord. Look at verse 17. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood by me and strengthened me. Deuteronomy 31 has a verse. We get to a hairdo around me, 31.
It's verse 6, Deuteronomy 31, verse six. Be strong and of good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, it is he who doth go with thee. He will not fail thee nor forsake thee. In order for me to be a faithful servant, I not only need to be thoroughly furnished, but I need to have a faithful Lord. And my Lord, it says it's going to go with me. He's going to strengthen me. He's going to be with me.
And that is the thought that we have here, that this not only is completely, thoroughly furnished with the word of God, we also have a faithful Lord that is with us. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood by me and strengthened me.
Well, Timothy was going to find opposition if he was faithful in presenting the truth and walking in the path of faithful service. Paul, as we would say today, didn't pull any punches with Timothy. Timothy, you said, Timothy, I'm not promising you that it's going to be easy. You're going to have to endure afflictions. They're turning away. They're not going to want to hear what you have to say. All day in Asia have turned away from me, said in the earlier in the epistle.
In Paul's day, that was true. In fact, they had turned from Paul literally. We apply it in a spiritual sense, in the sense that they have the giving up of Paul's ministry. But Paul felt it in his day. And so he said, Timothy, if you present the truth as I presented it to you, you're going to expect that there be opposition. But he said, don't let that dissuade you. You go on and be faithful. Learn to endure afflictions and.
Fulfill your ministry.
Paul had fulfilled his ministry. He was about to finish his race. And the race that Paul speaks of here is really the relay race, isn't it? That's the aspect of the race. He was passing the torch. He was passing the baton on to Timothy. The relay runner goes out and he only runs a lap or so, and then he passes it on and someone else takes up the responsibility for the next lap and then they pass the torture, the baton.
And somebody else takes it up that everyone has a little part in the running of that race. And so this is what Paul was saying to Timothy. But we don't want to, again, give the impression that if we're going to be faithful in the days in which we live, that it's going to be easy. But, you know, Paul spoke of not only finishing his course, but finishing it with joy. You know, all Christians don't. All Christians don't. And I suggest that all Christians don't fulfill their. Excuse me.
00:35:10
Our Christians don't fulfill their ministry.
All Christians, uh, some Christians miss the path. He's going to give us a list of some that didn't carry out until the end, like Dimas and others. And so it's a very searching and a very solemn thing. But when he says to, to do the work of an evangelist, I think with Dawn made a comment that Timothy was probably a shy person and we get little hints of that. I suggest that he was not an evangelist as such.
Timothy had a particular gift and ministry and, uh, to the people of God. He was to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, get that in the first epistle and that public reading and ministry of the Word of God and so on. But I suggest he was not an evangelist as such. An evangelist usually isn't a shy person. God puts gift and ability together. If he raises up an evangelist, he's going to.
Raise up one that perhaps has a good voice, perhaps is like the cork, willing to have Bob back to the top no matter how far down they're pushed or whatever the opposition, perhaps a lot of adrenaline and push and so on to get into situations where he can give the gospel and so on. But we can all do the work of an evangelist. Timothy is told here in our chapter, do the work of an evangelist. I want to say that because.
We're not all preachers. We're not all. We're not all given a public place in the body of Christ, in the assembly. We're not all evangelists. But we can all in our measure and in the sphere in which we're placed, whether it's Doug was bringing before us its mothers in the home, or whether it's just going back to work or to school or to our neighborhood, we can all do the work of an evangelist. We can all present the truth.
In the sphere and to those that we come in contact with.
Yes, Timothy had a very public place, but that's not given to us all. But don't be discouraged. Whatever little sphere and ministry the Lord has given you, seek to fulfill it. That's where your joy is going to come. And so it says in Galatians. Let every man prove his own work, not another's, but his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another.
There were slaves in Ephesus and Colossians. They might have thought, well, what good are we doing? We slaves are employees to ungodly masters. And I think in both of those epistles he says something similar. And one of the epistles he says, not to do I service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart as unto the Lord, knowing that of the Lord he shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For ye serve the Lord Christ. He said, You go on faithfully, even as a slave or an employer to.
An employee to an ungodly master.
And that service for Christ, you'll be faithful, and God can use that in blessing, and he counts that as service for himself. And he'll reward you in a coming day. And so we all have a ministry. We all have a gift. We all have ability. It's not all the same, and that's not the point. The joy and the reward is connected with fulfilling the ministry that God has given each one of us.
Just want to emphasize what Jim has just said.
Again, it's so easy when that word thankfulness is used to talk about the dispensation and to talk about a lot of things, to talk about it in the collective sense of the word. All those things have their place, but not in this chapter. The point is, only Timothy could be faithful to what God had given Timothy to do. You and I couldn't substitute for Timothy.
No one can substitute for you being faithful to what the Lord gives you to do.
And he wants Timothy to be faithful. He's not talking about going on in sound doctrine and so on. He's already said that to Timothy. The point gets missed if you go back that way. The point here is you be faithful to the service to which you individually have been called to do for you, Timothy. Preach the gospel for you, Timothy.
00:40:02
In as he says rebuke. And I like the fact that Mister Darby's translation after says rebuke says encourage.
Encourage, you know, as someone says, oh, everybody's giving it all up. And then I say, Oh well, but I'll have to be faithful. I'll walk in it. That's not the point. That's not the point here. It's Timothy. Even though it won't have reception, continue to encourage. Even though people don't want the gospel, continue to give it out. That's the only possible way for you in view of the appearing.
To do full proof to your ministry. And so brethren, don't give up. Maybe things aren't appreciated, but the Lord gave it to you to do. Keep on doing it. Maybe more tracks get dropped on the sidewalk than they used to. Don't stop putting them out. Continue to give them out if that's what the Lord has given you to do. Perhaps your neighbor says I'm not interested.
And what you have to say.
Well, if the Lord put it on your heart to say a word to them, say it anyway, even though there may not be. Or a fellow believer at work says, well, I'm not interested in that. Or well, if necessary, continue to encourage or review or exhort or whatever it is. Don't let the difficulty keep you from the doing as the Lord gives it to you to be.
Just to move along in our chapter because this is our last reading. No, just notice three things in verse seven. He says I have fought a good fight. One, I have finished my course 2 and I have kept the faith. And what a wonderful thing for the apostle Paul to be able to say at his life, at the end of his life. And brethren, wouldn't we like to be able to honestly before God at the end of our lives be able to.
Say these three things.
And so, first of all, he had fought a good fight, because as we've been saying, it is a fight, there is a battle. When the children of Israel went in to possess the land, it wasn't easy. And the measure in which they sought to take their inheritance, there was conflict. And you and I are in a war zone. And if you and I seek to be faithful in our ministry and carrying out the path of service that the Lord has given us, there's going to be opposition to that as well.
As we've already said then, he says, I finished my course. We've spoken of that.
And then he says, I have kept the faith. Now faith is used as in a couple of different contexts in the Word of God.
Sometimes faith is looked at as confidence in God, but I believe often, and especially in the epistles to Timothy, it's looked at more in connection with the Word of God, the truth that has been committed to us. We sometimes refer to it as the deposit of truth. And we find that earlier Paul speaks of those who had made shipwreck of the faith. They hadn't kept the faith, but Paul had. He'd gone on and kept the faith. And Jude when he speaks of appalling days of apostasy.
He begins his exhortation by saying, Brethren, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation.
It was needful for me that I write unto you and exhort you that ye earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the Saints. You notice it's the faith once delivered to the Saints. We said earlier in these meetings, we're not looking for some new revelation today. No, it's all been given to us. In fact, it's important to understand that there's no revelation beyond what Paul has given us. It was given to Paul to fulfill or to complete the Word of God.
And there's no revelation beyond that. And so we're to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints.
And when it says contend, it's not to be contentious, but again, it's that good fight, isn't it? It's standing firm in the evil day for the truth that has been committed to us. And so I think it's beautiful that Paul, honestly, before God could say that he had fought a good fight, he had finished his course and he had kept the faith. Brethren, we ought to covet that in our own souls.
And then the reward, and so he says in the next verse, henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. Now it's often been pointed out that there are crowns given in different contexts and aspects in the New Testament in connection with faithfulness. Rewards for faithfulness at the judgment seat of Christ, because any little faithfulness he so values that he jocks it in his book of remembrance. If you're faithful in your service for Christ.
00:45:34
It's jotted down. Maybe, as someone said, nobody sees what you do. Nobody gives you a pat on the back. Maybe someone criticizes you. You know, all the disciples criticized Mary when she poured out her ointment at the feet of the Lord. Not just Judas, but all the disciples criticized her. But the Lord gave a proper sense of what had been done. He gave his commendation as to what Mary had done. And isn't that what we really want? But the crowns are taken up in contrast.
In Corinthians, you have a incorruptible crown in contrast to a corruptible crown. You have a crown of life for one who lays down their life, and here you have a crown of righteousness. It's a crown of righteousness because we're going to have a part in the righteous reign of Christ. Our faithfulness now is going to determine our place in the Kingdom. It's not our entrance to heaven, but it's the Kingdom that he's taking up, an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom, not into heaven.
But the Kingdom, and so it's a right, there's going to be a righteous reign. A king shall reign in righteousness and Princess shall rule in judgment. But I just want to suggest this too, that in contrast, it's a, it's a reward for living righteously in an unrighteous world. If you and I, there's a lot of unrighteousness, but we can again live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world or this present age. And if you and I seek to do that.
He says at the end there's a crown of righteousness given.
End of verse eight, he speaks to him about those that love his appearing.
When I was a boy.
Sometimes in the summer when my father went off to work, he gave my brothers and I jobs to do for the day.
Some days I was glad when he got home and some days I wasn't.
Some days I look forward to my father coming home to supper.
Because I had the sense in myself that I had done what I was told to do and I had finished it, and it had been done perhaps with the diligence and desire that it should be pleasing in my father's sight. Other days the lure of baseball or something else was too great, and I went off and I made sure I got my pleasure out of it. And then I didn't have an adequate amount of time necessarily to finish what my father had given me to do, or else it wasn't done in a very thorough or accurate way.
And so I really didn't look forward to my dad looking it over.
Brethren, it's maybe a little illustration to us of the appearing is going to manifest our work.
That the Lord is charging us to do. The things that Timothy had before him in this chapter were going to be seen in the light of the day which was coming, and they were going to be reviewed by the Lord in the light of that day.
So the manner of life, uh.
Could be said to us in this way. I know this has to do more with the earth and the appearance side of it, but even for us whose destiny is with the Lord in heaven, if the Lord Jesus.
Comes before 12:00 this morning. Are we going to have to have any change of lifestyle?
Our circumstances will change, but will the things that are governing our hearts?
Will what motivates us in the activities of our lives? Will those things have to change?
When the Lord Jesus left earth and went to heaven, his motives, his life in that sense did not change. And the sense of what's important to us should be in living in light of God's day. I don't mean that in the second Peter sense, but in the day when things the Lord appears and everything is displayed, we are to live now.
00:50:24
Morally in the Kingdom that will be in manifested publicly in that day and so it's important he was saying to Timothy you do what you do Timothy do it in keeping with and in consistency with what is it should be when everything is displayed before the eye of God and the Lord appears.
And there's an important difference.
An implication between the Rapture and the appearing isn't there, and I appreciate what you brought out about that. Just to emphasize that a little bit more, I have a note here. I don't know where I got it, but I think it's helpful. It says the Rapture is the expression of sovereign grace where every believer, no matter what state of soul we're in, we're going to rise up with the Rapture, aren't we? So long as we're on this earth or even in the grave. And sometimes we get the wrong thought that, well, it really doesn't make too much difference how I live because we're all going to go to cabinet at the call.
But when he speaks about loving his appearing, uh, the statement goes on to say his appearing is the display of his righteous remembrance of faithfulness. So it does matter how we go on in this world. That's the appearing side, just as our brother Don mentioned. I appreciate that illustration done. So there's a distinct difference in the Scripture always keeps the distinction between the rapture.
Is coming for us.
And the appearing is coming with us. They have different implications. One is sovereign grace. The other is his, uh, display of his righteous remembrance of faithfulness in this world.
These brought before us as a judge in two different ways. In this chapter. We've spoken of it at the beginning, but he's a judge in this verse as well. He's the righteous judge. But here it's a little different, isn't it? Because you and I are not going to be judged for our sins. And we've often used the illustration of the difference between the judge on the bench at the court of law and the judge at the County Fair.
The judge at the on the bench, at the court, at the court of law, he's judging people. It's because of their work, because they went against society, but he's judging people and the person has to bear their penalty for their crime against society, be it a jail sentence or a fine or community service or whatever it is. And that's what will happen at the Great White Throne judgment. It's the people. They're again, they're judged for their works and because they rejected.
God's offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus. But it's the person that will bear their penalty. They'll be bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness. But at the County Fair, there are judges, but they're not judging people, they're judging their works. Now it's the person that ultimately gets the reward. The lady gets the blue ribbon for the best jam or whatever it is. The man gets the blue ribbon for the best woodworking project or.
Whatever it is, it's the person that gets the reward. But it wasn't the person that was on trial. It was their work. And so our works are going to be tried. And this crown of righteousness, this reward was not only for the apostle Paul who had kept the faith, but it was going to be available to others too, to all those that love his appearing. Now, we often say that the rapture, the Lord's coming for his Saints.
Is the proper hope of the believer. And I understand that that's true. We're looking for that to take place before this meeting ends. We're looking for the Lord to come and call us home. But in Titus, actually, the two things are connected. Let me just read it in Titus chapter 2.
And verse 13, looking for that blessed hope, that's the hope of the Lord's coming at any moment.
But he doesn't stop there, he says, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. And really the both things are part of our hope. We're looking for the Lord to come at any moment.
00:55:07
But we ought to love is appearing the day when he's going to appear back in this world and have his rightful place, when he's going to be vindicated, When he's going to set things right, not by man's standards, but regarding what he sees as right. When he's going to reign in righteousness, When he's no longer going to be the on the lips of the cursor and the song of the drunkard that ought to throw our souls. And we ought to live in view of that day.
And the realization that we're going to be associated with them, it tells us in Thessalonians he's coming to be glorified in his Saints and admired and admired in all them that are about him In that day. What day? It's the same day Paul is speaking up here, the day of his appearing, the day of his manifestation, when we're going to reflect the glories of Christ and have a part in what is about to unfold in this world.
At his appearing. And so we ought to live in view of that. But let me just say one more comment about rewards. They're not the motivation. Christ is to be our motivation. But brethren, aren't they given us a nice little incentive?
I think it's important to notice, I think we should call attention to what the hospital says about demons because I believe this is the environment that we live in. In Christianity Today. That is in verse 10, Demethat forsaken me having loved this present world and would be departed under Thessalonica. Dimas did not give up Christianity.
He forsook all. Paul was the man who brought us heavenly ministry.
And uh, he was the one who was caught up to heaven and it really only through him. We have a large part of our Christian teaching today.
This is the thing that.
Christians around us and a large part have given up and we are in danger of falling into too. That is making Christianity palatable to an earthly worldly type living not worldly in the bad sense of vulgar and and bad in that sense, but in the sense of making it the earthly mindedness.
This is what I believe Demon did. He left Paul.
Identification with the man who was a prisoner, that's hard to take, you know, to to be rejected and cast into prison there has.
Less several 100 years, Christianity has been made palatable to this world and to live good.
Earthly Christian lives here on earth make the earth a better place to live, and a lot of good earthly causes.
As to this world, uh, they're done in the name of Christianity. Not totally wrong in themselves, but they missed the mark of what they're really calling it. We're not called in here at the earth at this time. We're called to heaven. And this is the danger that I believe that we face. And it's a constant battle with the enemy to, to not give this up.
For a convenient lifestyle here on earth.
Now I know they have good moral lives here on earth, uh, and enjoy the things of this world.
That is what Dimas gave out.
We see a mark, we're seeing demis, a person going one way and in.
Mark here in a little detail we see another going the opposite direction. Uh, in Dimas case he loved the present age.
As Doug said, it isn't the evil. It's not doesn't use the word as it does elsewhere in a different connection. It's present evil world. No, it isn't the evil side of the world that attracted Dimas's heart. He was the present age until he he wanted to go on with her. And so he leaves Paul and all that Paul stood for and preached.
In order to enjoy the present age and not the age of disappearing because it's put in contrast to the appearing. It's lovely appearing and loving the present age. So which do I love? Do I love is appearing when the Lord will have His rightful place and what truth will be on display as it should be? Or do I love the present age and all that it offers to me? Well, our hearts are attracted to one or the other.
01:00:28
But then to go on to Mark in verse 11, he brings another example to us because when Paul first went out to preach, he went with Barnabas and Mark was Barnabas nephew. And they go out, but Mark wasn't up for it. He wasn't ready for it. And so they're out on their service to the Lord and Mark returns home.
And, uh, they come back. That is Paul and Barnabas. And now the time has come for Paul to go out again and they have a disagreement over March and uh, Barnabas says let's take him with us. Paul says no, you can't go.
Uh, he's as if we're not suited to it.
And the consequences? Paul and Barnabas separate their service to the Lord, and we never hear Barnabas work again. Paul takes Silas and off they go.
But we can see in Paul's epistles, his heart for Mark never was lost. And there came a day when perhaps the brethren said, Oh, that's Mark now. He, he's failed. He, he, he's not worth it. He, he can't serve the Lord. He's, he's, he's failed.
And it was known, but it Paul has to say in one case, except him, brethren, accept him. He doesn't say accept him in service exactly, but it says accept him, brethren. We can see that Mark was making some progress in his own soul and in his own life. And now here at the end of Paul's life, he says, what does he say of Mark? He says.
Bring Him, He's profitable for the ministry. Perhaps we failed the Lord in some way in our service to Him, and maybe others know about it too. Uh, this is a word of encouragement to us. If the Lord's given us, as it says, the gifts and calling of God are about repentance. If the Lord gives us something to do, He never repents of it. We may fail in it, but He doesn't repent of it, and so it's without repentance if He gives us a gift.
He doesn't take the gift away. It's without repentance on his part, but we can't use it profitably or serviceably if we're not walking with him. But if we have failed, the Lord has gracious and He works with us because He still intends with that gift and that work be able to be accomplished. He may use somebody else if we aren't submissive, but His heart toward us is a mark, the heart for mark.
He's profitable now.
Bring it, let's use it. So even in a day of ruin, there's restoration for individuals, isn't there? And that's beautiful and encouraging to see. Someone has said falling down doesn't make us a failure, but staying down does. If I could just sum up three men here that are brought before us. We have Dimas, who began well and ended poorly. Then we have Mark or John. Mark as he's referred to in other places, and we find he, uh, began poorly, but he ended well.
And then we have Luke, and he began well and ended well. He's like Caleb. He wholly followed the Lord. And so I think it's beautiful that these three men are brought before us in this way. But you know, there's a very human side to these last few words of Paul, isn't there? You know, Paul never lost that. The great apostle Paul never lost that human touch. And I think it's very beautiful in these last few words of the apostle Paul to see them.
Just back up one verse. Why did he want Timothy to come? He wanted his fellowship. He wasn't satisfied with just writing to Timothy. He longed to have Timothy fellowship here where he was a man who had served with the apostle Paul and traveled with Paul and been a blessing to Paul and Paul to him. He desired his fellowship. Do we desire the fellowship of one another and those who have liked precious faith and who have the similar desires?
And motives to go on in the truth. Paul did that. Then he felt it when Dimas had gone up. Dimas on two other occasions is listed with fellow laborers of the Apostle Paul in Colossians and in Philemon. Then there's Luke. Now I know this isn't the most profound thought, brethren, but I've often wondered why it says only Lucas with me. I think there's something very precious here in the care.
01:05:18
Of the Lord for his servant at the very end.
Who better to be with the Apostle Paul in very difficult circumstances as an aged man about to lay down his life than the beloved physician?
God made sure that his servant was cared for to the very end. Here was a man who could not only minister to Paul spiritually, but here was a man who could help him with his infirmities and in the very difficult situation that he found himself. And as as I say, as he realized he was going to lay down his life and that beautiful to see only Lucas with me. The beloved position was there.
Ministering in a number of ways to the Apostle Paul. Did Paul feel the cold of winter coming on? Yes, he did.
He needed his coat. You know, we never, brethren want to become callous or indifferent to the circumstances of life and the natural thing. If we become callouser and different to them in our own situation, we're going to become callous and indifferent to them in regards to our brethren. But we need to be sensitive to those things. He wanted his books, as Don mentioned, his writing paper and so on. So I just say that that yes, there are spiritual applications we can make here and rightly so. But to see.
The very human side of the apostle Paul and how Paul, on the one hand, he felt it that there were those who weren't going on with him.
Those who wouldn't suffer reproach and be those who were associated with them as Paul the missionary but wouldn't associate with them as Paul the prisoner. It was one thing to be associated with Paul the preacher. Paul the prisoner was quite another thing. He felt that keenly and then he appreciated those that were faithful and those that were with him, like Luke and wanted Timothy's men fellowship. He needed those things that were very practical.
And so I think it's very beautiful to see this. And brethren, let's remain sensitive to the practical needs of life too.
In our own situations that we might minister to others in that way as well. That's all part of the good work too.
Well, above all, he had the Lord, didn't he? The Lord stood with them and the Lord delivered him. And brethren, sometimes perhaps we get feeling down. We feel perhaps we're the only ones that are seeking to go on and faithfully and so on. We think we're the only ones that ever face these kinds of situations. And we say, you know, we used to have help from this brother and that or that sister, but they just don't seem to care anymore.
But you know, Paul wasn't wallowing in self pity at the end of his pathway. No, he was trusting in the Lord. He looked back and many had forsaken Paul. Many had even opposed Paul. But he said that's OK, the Lord stood with me. And you know, it's interesting that when he wrote to the Corinthians, he said we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. That was Paul's comfort and consolation at the end of his pathway.
There were those who didn't hadn't received his ministry, hadn't gone on in it were speaking I'll against him as a say, even opposing him. But he said if I have the Lord's acceptance and I've experienced his hand in my pathway, then I'm content at the end of my ministry.
Well, there are a few at the end too, aren't there? I'd like to just say this, that as this little addendum begins in verse, and I know we're skipping over, but if you notice, he says Amen at the end of verse 18. And then he gives a little addendum here with a few names. But I believe the order of the list is very significant. It begins, first of all, with Priscilla and Aquila. You know, we've spoken of individual faithfulness.
But you know, there's, it's possible to go on as couples too, husband and wife. And isn't it interesting that the first people he lists here is a husband and wife. We know that this, I think this is the 6th mention of Priscilla and Aquila in Pauls writing and from Acts and then in Paul's writings and here they were going on to the very end. We might say, can we really go on as husband and wife? Can we go on as couples in the day in which we live?
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Here's a beautiful example. You know, God teaches us by example as well as precept. What's the next, the household of Anessa Forest Brethren? Can we go on as households? There was a household going on that could be commended in the last days. In a day of ruin. Are there households? I'm thankful for households, not just individuals, not just couples, but there's households, families, we can go on.
As families, there's provision as families.
In A Day of ruin and then he gives these individuals as well, but I think it's remarkable that he starts with a couple and a household before he mentions a few individuals.
And it's Priscilla first, isn't it? Sometimes it's Aquila first. When it's a matter matter of public testimony, it's Aquila first, isn't it? The Osman? But it appears when it's a matter of devotedness. It's been suggested, like our brother Doug was speaking about yesterday. It seems like perhaps Priscilla was actually the leader in devotedness, and so she's mentioned first.
Entropy Mist. It's interesting again. It shows the time in which, uh, this epistle was written.
Tropomas if I left it my lead them sick. That's a remarkable statement, isn't it? Didn't the apostle Paul have the gift of healing? Why didn't he heal tropamine? Well, it was the day in which they were living. It seems like they were coming to the end of the first phase of Christendom and uh, uh, the gifts of miracles were were not needed so much or not used so much. The scriptures were being written and completed.
They gave the testimony now that was superior to that testimony that was given by miracles. So trophy myths have I left at my litm sick.
So he ends by saying, the Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Again, it's very individual, isn't it? And perhaps what one thing at least we can learn from this, brethren, is that in a day of weakness and ruin, in the last days and perilous times, yes, on the one hand we need to be faithful. We need to stand for the truth and go on in the truth, but we need to do it in the proper spirit. You know, we can do the right thing in the wrong spirit.
And it's sometimes been pointed out that when Joshua and Caleb came back from spying the land with the other 10.
Spies. They were the only two that brought up a faithful report, if I can put it this way, for our purposes, They stood for the truth as they saw it and knew it in their day. But it's interesting that there's a special commendation given to Caleb, and he's the only one that we read of that later on received a personal inheritance. But it was because of my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with them. Not remarkable. Caleb was not only faithful.
In his presentation of the truth to the people of God amidst opposition.
But He did it in the proper spirit. And brethren, we don't want to leave this room with our heads in the air and act like we're going to be the ones that are faithful and go on to no brethren, we want to leave our this room, I trust, humbled with a sense of grace in our souls and go on. Yes, but we need to do it in the proper spirit. And I believe there has been more damage done amongst the people of God by standing for the truth with a wrong spirit.
And so Paul says to Timothy, I want you to continue, but if you're going to be effective in your service and your ministry, you're going to have to do it in the proper spirit. And then he gives him one more resource. Grace be with you, brethren. We need to leave here with a sense of that in our souls. Grace is meets our present needs. Grace is for our service and ministry. Now the Lord will give grace and glory. Glory is what comes at the end.
But grace is to meet our present needs, and may we go forth from these meetings with a sense of grace in our souls, that we might effectively finish our course, fulfill our ministry in the proper spirit for the Lord's glory until He comes.
01:15:07
We sink 288.
288.
The bright sky and.
Lightning falls.
I don't dream.
On.
And I thank God.
And increase.
On high.
I.
19 and so and.
Hiding. Praying.
Six Walks for Believers
Open—Bill Shane
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No one will be proud to be on a roll. Make me am at night.
Anything.
Pretty high.
On the Father's change of life.
They're coming on Tuesday.
Long to dwell with the.
Thank you.
Home and welcome you. You know all the great metal tongue, thy love.
Oh Lord Jesus.
Converting us to any thy shape.
Ephesians chapter 2 together.
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 10.
For we are his workmanship.
Created in Christ Jesus.
Undo good works.
Which God hath before ordained.
Then we should walk in now.
Chapter 4 and verse one.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you.
That he walked worthy of the vocation for which ye are called.
With all loneliness and meekness and long-suffering.
For varying one another in a low.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.
In the.
Verse 17.
This I say therefore, and testified in the Lord.
That ye henceforth walk.
Not as other Gentiles walk in.
The vanity of their mind.
Chapter 5, verse one.
00:05:00
Be ye therefore followers.
So God is your children.
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.
And have given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.
Verse 8.
For we were once darkness.
But now ye are liked in the Lord.
She then the ego circumspectively.
Not as cool, but as wide as needing the time.
Are you?
You can see that there are six walks.
But I have written the book of Ephesians.
Discussing a few other things about Ephesians first.
Before I come actually to my topic of walking.
The book of Ephesians.
Is quite often divided up.
As the first three chapters in which we have the wealth.
By that, let's look at verse seven of chapter one.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin.
According to the riches of his grace.
While back I.
Looked at this verse.
And we all know this according to the riches of his grace.
And I meditated highly upon.
I've heard many of them speak upon it.
I've found a different person that has to really sink into me in a simple sort of way before it comes home and deep.
In whom we have the redemption, the purchasing price.
And therefore we stand on redemption ground, the price that was paid in full. Those of us that know the Lord, we know about redemption. The price is praised, paid to set us free.
Through his blood, the precious blood of the lamb without blemish, the one that serves power in.
Cleansing power to remove my sense as far as Jesus from the West and never could be remembered.
The forgiveness of my sins.
Only Jesus Christ was capable of forgiving me since because he fathered Christ.
Pure, spotless Lamb of God, with whom no God was smiling his mouth.
But here comes the sticker, according to the ridges of His grace.
It was not according to the quantity.
Nor the quality.
Of my sins.
Not according to the quantities or the quality of my sins.
According to the riches of his grace.
First three chapters of Ephesians is following our riches in Christ.
My natural state of me would like to say that it was according to.
Bill's terrible simflax that he did.
There's a scripture that says this is a worthy saying.
This is a fateful saying and worthy of all acceptations. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
I liked the last part of it, the next part of it, of whom I am chief.
In order for me to be saved and look at myself, I had to see myself as the chiefest of sinners.
Therefore, one time I heard two brothers speaking at a conference and one said.
The greatest miracle that ever took place was the day that God raised Jesus up out of the ground and I was a young convert. I just gotten saved and I had that old punky self in here. The buttons was having a hard time staying on my shirt. I said no. No, the biggest miracle was the day that Bill Shane got saved. How wrong I was.
00:10:04
The greatest miracle that ever took place was the day that Christ rose from the grave.
Given the power by the Father to be raised up.
What a thing that is.
Raised up from the dead. So therefore it wasn't according to Bill's quantity nor the quality of his Sims, was it?
It had nothing to do with it at all.
It was according to the riches of His grace.
It takes a little while for me to kind of learn some things and each and every one of us it does, and some learn it faster than others.
But here I opened up this verse.
As according to the riches of his grace. I know I was saved by grace. I knew I was in a big pool of sinners.
We heard that there is no difference.
Romans 3 at the end of verse 22, the last five words.
Brother spoke unto the Gospel.
Since being no different than the one that's in prison or wherever it may be.
Have they spoke that to Muna's young man? I probably stuck my fist up and been ready to fight and get the Irish temper night outside the door. Let's go. I wouldn't have taken it very well.
Took the Lord to humble to see my place.
That I was a Sinner.
And he did that to each and every one of us, and he picked us up when we were down low.
Out of that might reclaim the center of feet upon a rock. And we established our goings. But not only that, He set us in the heavenlies all in one motion. Boom boom, boom.
We have riches in Christ verse 18 of chapter one. The eyes of your understanding did enlighten, that ye may know what the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance of the Saints. Chapter 2, verse 7.
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness towards us through Jesus Christ.
Verse 16 of chapter 3, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened.
With might and by spirit and the inner man. Back up to verse eight of that same chapter 3 Unto me, who am the least of all the Saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles in circles, unsearchable riches of Christ?
The first three chap chapters are about our wealth.
It's about.
What Christ has done for us.
What God has done for us.
The last three chapters, chapters 4:00 and 5:00 and then chapter 6, are about our duty and our responsibility.
When I read the six verses on walking, one of them was in chapter 3 and set apart from the other five walkings.
The other ones were in chapters 3:00 and 4:00.
And so we see a final chapter.
In chapter 6.
In our in our armor that we put on the war a spiritual warfare. Let's just turn over that part of it just a minute.
If we look at that and I could take time on going down through it.
It begins in verse 11 about putting on the army.
And it goes down through it. I want to emphasize one thing that is different in there.
The young ones, I want you to look that verse real hard one.
It says that your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
He doesn't say you'd put your shoes on, does it?
It says that you're already shod the minute you got saved.
I had a pony at a young age. I had horses all my life.
Until 99, when arthritis was so bad I could no longer hardly get a farm and ride and I moved to town.
To have a horse shot means to put the shoes on the feet with nails.
And they're put on there.
I want to tell you a little secret about your shoes. You never need another pair.
They don't need resold.
00:15:00
You can't wear them out.
Nobody says you can't use them.
I can't stop you from using.
You were divinely shod.
And your Lord and Savior expects you to use it because it cost you the price with that pair of shoes on your feet.
You study hard.
Hope you got a lot of scars and scratches on them.
5 scars and stretches on your shoes.
You were divided shot.
The moment you got saved, it's going to last you all the way through a lifetime.
And when you go down through that armor, you've got helmets, you've got Shields that we could all lock together in unison and make a wall in front of us.
You got breastplates?
You got girdles.
Nothing for your knees.
Nothing for your needs to spiritual warfare. You're on your knees training, you're wrestling against.
Not people, but Satan.
Stay inside.
Just touching on a few highlights.
Now I'd like to look and come right back to this a minute, but I want to be installed more and more together.
Blessed.
Is a man.
Who walketh not in the consoles of the ungodly?
Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the swan hole.
Was written in the negative.
Blessed is the man that does not.
So blessed is the man that does the correct things, OK, Blessed is the man that does not do these things. He doesn't walk, he doesn't stand, he doesn't sit.
That's the verbs that I want to pull out of there. Walk, stand and set. If you don't do what it tells you here, you're blessed, OK?
Let's go back to Ephesians.
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 6.
And he has raised us up.
Together, and that is set together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Now we have one of the three verbs set.
Back to verse four, chapter one, which I read earlier. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation for which you are called walk.
The one we just read a minute ago in chapter 6.
And verse 11.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
We have sitting, walking and standing.
I simply got a little bit of that and I really mean it. Sometimes it's really hard for me to grasp and I think the wrong way.
And the Lord thinks you different than I do, and I have to read His word and study hard.
For me, I can go out there and I wanna fight the devil first.
I want to get on my arm and go out there and stand up against you.
And then I would come back.
And I'd want to walk.
That if by chance I was walking the walk right then I could get to sit in the heavens.
That's kind of the human way of thinking of it, isn't it?
If we had any way of thinking of it before we were saved, it's probably the way we thought of it.
Kind of the natural way to think of it. That's not the correct way. Is it called?
God says.
I'm going to place you first in the heavenlies and let you sit there.
Place you first in the heavenlies, and let you sit there.
And show you all the love.
And all the riches and all these things I've given you, and that's placing you in the heavenlies.
We're in the heavenlies now, currently setting in the heavenlies with our Lord and our Savior spiritually our.
00:20:05
We've been hearing about being fully equipped.
We're talking about his grace. We're talking about his mercy.
All of this that He has done for us in our riches and our wealth that we have in our Lord and our Savior, we are now currently standing.
And then we can walk with him.
And as He would have us to do, and in the walks that had been prepared for us ahead of time before ordained.
And then we can put on the arm and we can stand.
He takes it in the other order.
I'd like to go back to chapter one and one cover just a little bit more until we just want to be pretty strong on a little bit here before I get into Milwaukee. OK, verse 3.
Blessing.
The God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed us.
With all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places where we're setting.
We're rich with those spiritual blessings.
He's blessed us #1.
Verse four. He has chosen you and He has chosen me. Verse #5 We have been adopted.
When I moved to my farm in 80.
Six, I think it was give or take a year or two. I think there was 10 apple trees out there and.
They were all old apple trees and looked pretty sad.
And so I thought, well, maybe I'll start reading about apple trees and I got a book and I could have bought this one apple tree that had in grafted in it four or five other kinds of apples.
I could have got a Jonathan in there and I could have got a Granny Smith and I could have got a Whitney and I could have got a delicious and all that in one apple tree and grafted in. And that was about the time I was studying this adopted.
Oh, why He's taken the root to stem.
Lord Jesus Christ, when you take the knife to the tree and you cut a little slice and you cut a little branch off and you point and you stick it down in the slice and you tie around it and you wrap it and pretty soon it's growing out of there and there's one little stem will produce all these different kinds of athletes.
Into his family. I've been adopted into his family because of Jesus Christ. I must get verse six for a minute. Verse seven, I've been redeemed. We talked about that, didn't we?
So we've been blessed, we've been chosen, we've been adopted, and we've been redeemed by Skip verse six for a moment.
Verse six through the phrase, that's what is 2 of the glory of his grace through which he has made us accepted in the Beloved.
You've probably heard accepted in the beloved a lot.
If you haven't, it's a beautiful verse.
I wanna emphasize in my crude little way about accepted.
I am no more accepted today.
Than I was.
37 years and nine months ago, I think of trickish occupation.
My brother Al had over 50 years, my brother Jim had over 40, but Bill's got about 30, just short of 38.
Just short of 38 December 23rd, 1971.
I was accepted in the Beloved.
I will be no more accepted in the beloved the day I die than the first day, nor today. I'm 100% accepted.
100% accepted in the Beloved.
I'm going to read.
A little piece I wrote down out of a book.
If he gave his son for me.
Then he must love me.
As greatly as he loves his son.
Or he never would have permitted.
His son to die for me.
00:25:08
Brother Dawn gave out him #27 in the back of the book. Grab your book so fast.
Right in the back hymn #27.
Saturday morning.
And we're singing down through the hymn.
We get down to verse 4.
Hymn #27 in the back of verse 4.
So dear, so very dear to God.
More dear, I cannot be the love wherewith He loves his son. Such is his love to me.
The minute we sang that him, I was smiling from your ear.
I was smiling weird here.
He loved me as much as he loved his son, or he never would have put his son on Calvary's tree to die.
I have three sons, six children.
I couldn't put one of my sons on Calvary St. for somebody I didn't know, a Sinner.
But our God did it for us, therefore we are accepted in the beloved 100%, the same as His Son. You know what? I've been joining in today. I've been enjoying it for three days.
I've been looking around the room.
I've been talking to elderly people.
Young people.
Help take fish and a line off of one of Mark's kids that was all mixed up over there.
Talk to a brother here and listen to him tell me about some scriptures and different things.
Talk to his sister and let me tell about her family.
We're all accepted in the beloved the same amount.
Every one of us the same amount.
100% accepted.
That's the beautiful pot.
It keeps unity.
When you look at US inequality.
As far as being accepted.
There's not one more accepted in this room than I am.
There's not one less accepted.
What a beautiful thought that was.
Have you ever seen a child that cuts their wrists and leaves scars?
They don't think enough of themselves. There may be someone here that reached that point before the Lord picked him up.
If we look at this first and see ourselves 100% accepted, we can accept ourselves. And if I can accept myself, I can accept my brothers and sisters.
And any time that my eye or my thought starts to go wrong, I need to pray about it that it gets cured right inside of here.
Because each and everyone of you that know the Lord accepted the same as I am. No level higher or lower, exactly the same.
Now let's get to our topics. There's not many minutes left.
I don't want to take too long, but I got to get it done.
Verse 2 and 10. Chapter 2. Verse 10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good work, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in. Look over at verse 11 according according to the eternal purpose.
Before ordained out of our verse.
Don't want get in predestination election. OK, I don't have the time, I'll cover my purchase.
Before ordained that we should walk in them. I'm going to put a title on this one, OK?
It's a selected walk or prepared walk that He has ordained. He has decided according to his eternal purposes that we will be in that walk.
No choice in it.
He decided.
We are his workmanship and he's working a good work in US.
He's working a good work in every one of you young ones and everybody in here until the last day we die. He's working a good work in US, and we're his workmanship unto good works. There's where we're walking under good works, aren't we?
00:30:12
In Christ Jesus.
And God, before ordained, He decided in his eternal purpose that every.
Saved person on the face of the earth that becomes part of the body of Christ in that category, that group of sinners saved by grace.
He says it's my eternal purpose and I've decided this that you will walk in this walk because I'm you're my workmanship and I'm working in you a good work.
Sometimes I speak on pleasing God.
And sometimes.
When I get deep into the subject.
I sat there and I looked at this and were his workmanship created?
When I first got saved, my cousin gave me a book.
It's from Second Corinthians.
Chapter 5.
Verse 17. Wherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature or a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things become new.
And in that book.
It used a term man made anew.
Man made anew.
Old things are passed away.
He is taking this new creature, this new creation.
That their sins have been forgiven. That's accepted 100% in him and he's working a workmanship in US.
The good works he's doing with his what pleases himself, what he wants to do, what he has before ordained before the foundation of the world in his eternal purposes.
My children, Troy and Christine are 34 years old. They're twins.
And I can remember when they first became time that they could hardly talk.
And Troy?
Learn this verse and he had a very hard time saying creature.
And he got up and he stood up. We've been hearing about one that stood up and went blank.
My son Troy stood up and said.
Therefore, if many man be in Christ, he is a new teacher.
Everything that we do sometimes.
Comes home to us in a different sort of way.
We can remember those precious moments that the Lord has shown us in our children.
We can remember verses and plaques that were on our wall, and that's where I got saved through Ephesians 28 and 9:00 IF.
If I had anything to say to any young family in here, you got children going by the biggest plaque you can with the biggest, boldest letters, this gospel verse and hang it in the most prominent place in your house.
Because if it hadn't been diverse, I might have never gotten saved. I didn't have a Bible and I hadn't been under the word of God for 12 years, even though I was raised in a Christian home. And all I could remember was every time I laid on the downboard, I was sick. I looked up before my Gray star. You saved through faith.
It's a gift of God not to work. So sick, mentioned most.
Hanging on my parents wall.
We're a new creation.
And he wants us to walk, for he has ordained that we walk in his walk.
He has decided it's his eternal purposes. All the other works walks are in versus four and five, which are outside, and they're our duty and our responsibility. In other words, we should walk in them or we ought to walk. OUGHT, should or ought to walk. OK.
It could have gotten the Holy Spirit on that. I don't have time.
A walk that is suited to Our Calling.
A walk that is worthy of Our Calling.
And a walk in unity.
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Let us walk together, brothers and sisters.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you.
Home in beseeching is begging of you.
Our God breathed inspired word through Paul.
God is saying, I beg of you.
I beseech you.
That you walk worthy.
Whenever you're called, you're called from something into something.
From something into something, whenever we're saved, we're saved from here and to something we're delivered from here and to there. And Israel from delivered from Egypt and to the promised land, etcetera, etcetera. And we've been called out of the world and unto him and.
And that's the thought there. Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And where does He come? Right in amenities tos topic loneliness and meekness. Our Savior was low and weak, wasn't it?
We are preserved in the spirit. We sang the song this afternoon.
Had the preserved in it twice.
And preserved was in Second Timothy chapter 4 and around verses 1617 or 18.
And if you look at the book Jude the first verse.
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ and called.
We see in verses 4-5 and six.
The Spirit.
Of Ephesians 4.
And later on, we see the gifts.
Preserved. My mother always kept jams downstairs and jellies.
And Pickles. And tomatoes.
And she made preserves and put them on the shelf and anytime I was hungry and ran out of something, I wanted some Raspberry jam down the base. When I went and got a jar, Mom had preserved it and spent the time doing it.
Preserve being preserved in Christ.
Is our assurance.
In my salvation, I needed assurance.
That I would be eternally kept.
That's the thought of it eternally kept I.
I will never lose thee, nor forsake thee.
Preserved is my assurance.
With that assurance.
I can walk.
According to my colony.
Because I know I'm preserved.
Throughout the endless ages of eternity.
Running out of time fast as usual.
Umm, verse 17.
We have don't walk like the other Gentiles in the vanity of their mind.
We have a walk in purity here.
And a walk that is separated.
From the walk of others in this world that don't know Christ.
A walk of purity and a walk separated.
So we have a separated Walker walking thirty look at verse 22. Just pick up these words real fast. Put off verse 24 put on verse 25 put away verse 26 is 6 says be not angry. Let me change that to stand in awe. Just trust me on that. Come short of time. Stand in awe verse 27 never neither give place to the devil.
Every one of these things.
In order to walk in purity, to walk a walk separated, he has told us. He's told us what we need to put off. He's told us what we need to put on. He told us what we need to put away out of her mouth of speaking lies and everything.
He told us to stand in awe or reverence like the Old Testament.
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Reverential trust and fear of the Lord.
Holding the guard so high and so pure that we stand in awe of Him. Stand in awe of your God.
And sin not.
Neither give place to the devil.
I heard his sister come over and say to brother Mark.
I hope it's all right, sister. I can repeat it.
Your mother said something 36 years ago that stuck to me.
Your mom should keep life simple.
Isn't that beautiful? What mother's still? My mom said to my kids. God created your body, created you pleasingly in his own sight.
You don't need to put tattoos on it. You don't need to do all kinds of things to try to get attention and change yourself.
Don't if one's on her, that's alright. If that happens before you say we just have to. But what she tried to portray to my children was that when God created you, He created you pleasingly in his own eyes. That ties in with you seeing yourself accepted.
That God created you the way he wanted you.
And it pleased himself.
And he's accepted you and saved you and he loves you.
OK, walk in purity.
Put on, put on, put away, stand in awe, and neither give place not as the other. A gentiles were the unsaved.
Last couple minutes.
We got sacrificial walk.
Be therefore followers of God as your children and walk in love.
As Christ also hath loved us and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice for a sweet smelling savour, one that rises up to his nostrils. If you walk in love, a sacrificial walk is going to rise up.
Him as a sweet smelling savour.
Be ye therefore.
Intimidators.
First thing I notice when I come down here.
Southern accent beautiful.
Little boys talking like their dads, Dad's probably talking like their dad's like their grand.
Once in a while you might catch me with a little roll on the R.
Little Irishman in me.
Talking like my father talked.
And if you come to Iowa, you'll probably hear WARSHED washed in the blood.
Yeah.
Intimidators or in in in. Excuse me.
Yeah, yeah, say it again, Imitators. Here we got it, imitating the same as their fathers.
Be therefore imitators.
Oh God.
What a thought.
As dear children, just like little children, a lot of you like your mom's, maybe like your dad, like your grandparents.
You know, when we look at brothers and sisters, what we need to do.
We need to pick up the good qualities in them.
A little paraphrasing on this, but Jesus said about his disciples, They shall be known by their love.
It didn't say Jesus said that his disciples would be known about it.
How well they can find fault and pick things wrong with everybody does it.
That will be known by their love.
And that's what our verse says.
Walk in love.
This brother is very, very good at giving out a hymn and this is very, very good frame.
And this was very good.
Recognizing when I need a hug.
And this sister might bring you over.
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A dish to eat.
And this couple might invite you to their house.
Can we find the good in one another?
It's easy to find the wrong.
First John 1, four or four and eight. God is love.
God is light.
And God is truth, all found in first John.
Next we need to find a spirit filled walk in verse 8.
For ye were sometimes.
I have once in my Bible.
Over on the side I have the. Sometimes it used to be there.
Sometimes makes me think that in the past I only occasionally might have been in darkness, and that's not true.
Once. I was in darkness all the time. That's the thought. Once.
Once I was in darkness all the time, but now ye light. Ye are ye the light, but now are ye light in the world.
Used to be, but no longer.
So now I am the light in the world, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness, Truth. This is a spirit filled and a spirit guided walk.
Spirit filled in a spirit guided walk verse 15.
See, then, that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. This is a walk of sincerity.
What that means?
Is that means that you walk carefully?
And with exactness.
Because that type of walk.
Is a walk of wisdom, but as wise.
There's two Latin words.
In that walk.
And one of those basically is that you're looking around.
Now they're looking around.
And see in the way that we walk.
The other thought of it is.
With precision and accuracy.
Like one that would be walking across a tightrope wire from here to there.
That's the Greek word. The other two Latin words are looking and around.
It says that that wall.
Not in schools, but as wise is a mark of wisdom.
Why verse 16? Because life is short.
The days are evil.
Most of all, God has a plan.
In your life and my life.
God has a plan in your life and my life.
He has already decided in His eternal purposes.
One walk Forest.
Ephesians 2 and 10.
The other five blocks are walks that we should walk.
And if we walk in them?
It's going to come up as a sweet smelling savour to them.
We're going to please our Father.
Walk in unity and walk in love.
Walk in the Spirit and guide Spirit guided walk. Walk in sincerity.
May the Lord bless the reading of His scriptures today.
I enjoyed the hymn 27 in the back of the book. Do you happen to remember John? The melody you gave it out to?
27 In the back of the book will close, and I'll pray and give thanks, and then we'll sing him #27.
Father in Heaven, in the fearless and wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we bow our heads under Thee.
Father May, it humbled me.
To walk as his walks.
May there be little Nuggets that we can take home from this.
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Meetings here together in the last three days.
May the sisters be like Hannah.