Kentucky Conference: 2021
Table of Contents
Hebrews 13:1-4
Reading
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Great news.
All thou gracious Savior.
Malachi Chapter 3.
Over the years, I've heard this verse read at reading meetings.
Standing in the middle.
Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. But how do we prove him?
James says you have not because you asked God or that you ask of him. But how can the Lord not answer this prayer of our heart today to simply ask Him to prove himself with expected hearts by faith?
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Believe in that he will do what he has promised and what we have asked him to do.
That we take up Hebrews chapter 13.
We know that this epistle was written approximately 7 years before Jerusalem was destroyed and God was going to.
Really.
Drug those that had crucified his well beloved Son in that nation was going to be set aside. And so the real believers, those that truly love the Lord Jesus were giving were being given instruction and the instruction given here in the 13th chapter. While Hebrews doesn't mention the assembly, it does give us the principles of how we might encourage one another in.
Days just before we're to leave the scene and so the first few verses perhaps give us instructions to strengthen the Christian testimony. Really from verse 7 down to the end you have how we might strengthen the things that remain and then these first few verses how the assembly how those that are gathered in the Lord's name.
Might go on for His glory and strengthen one another.
Hebrews, chapter 13.
Let brotherly love continue.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in the body.
Marriage is honorable in all and a bed undefiled, but ************ and adulterers, God will judge. Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have.
For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and forever.
Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines, for the good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein We have an altar.
Whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the Tabernacle, where the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also that He might sanctify the people with his own blood.
Suffered without the gate, Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief.
For that is unprofitable for you.
Pray for us where we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly.
But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. 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. I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I have written a letter unto you in few words.
Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.
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Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the Saints they of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Hebrews, really, you might say it doesn't teach Christian doctrine, as perhaps you might have in Romans and some of the other epistles. But it brings before us the glories of Christ and the glory of his finished work and the completeness of it, and gives us the proper teaching of all those Old Testament types. And perhaps the apostle Paul is the writer of it. And if so, then he's written 14 of the Epistles of the New Testament.
And in this epistle we have.
The juxtaposition between.
Christianity and Judaism, the contrast between Judaism and Christianity and how Christianity is far better than all of those types and shadows that they had in the Old Testament. And so we have a better hope, we have a better covenant, you might say, the better promises, a better sacrifice.
A better and abiding and enduring inheritance in having all those things we have better. And I think it's 13 times in the epistle that we have that term, that expression, those things that we have that are better. And so in this chapter that we've just read, there are some specific instructions given. The epistle generally has doctrine or teaching.
In the first part of the epistle.
But then the last part of the epistle generally gives us the practical instructions as to how the teaching that has been given in the beginning of the epistle should affect our practical walk before the Lord and before those that are outside. And so we have in this chapter some practical instructions. And so we didn't read it in chapter 12, but the last verse 28.
We could.
Just comment on there are seven things that perhaps the apostle refers to here that gives us practical instruction. And if we take verse 28, we could have those seven it says in the last part of verse 28. Well, let's read 28, Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved. Let us have grace or be thankful, whereby we may serve God acceptably.
With reverence and godly fear. So that's the first one is to serve God with reverence and godly fear. The second one is to have brotherly lung verse one and then in verse 2, the third one. Not forgetful to entertain strangers or not forgetful of hospitality.
The fourth one would be to remember them which are in bonds or those that are prisoners.
And then we have marriage brought out in the distinct character of marriage, and the honorable estate that it is, but that Christianity it was to be.
Visible.
Manifestation of Christ in the church, and then in verse 5, covetousness. It's the sixth thing that we ought not to be characterized by covetousness in the Christian testimony, and the sixth thing is one.
Position in the seventh verse. The sixth verse speaks of the seventh thing, and that is that we ought to have courage in the day that we live in. The Christian testimony was not to be characterized by fearfulness, but by courage because of the fact that we have a sense of the presence of the Lord. So those are seven things that perhaps the apostle desired individually that they would be exercised about.
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And that would manifest the character of Christ in this scene, as they went on together, awaiting the coming of the Lord.
So brotherly love is something that is to be cultivated. Let it continue. That's the phileo love in the Greek. It's in contrast with the agape love that we have so often referred to in the New Testament, which is the love that God has towards this world. For God so loved the world.
And that he loved because of who he is. He did not love because of who we were, but who he is. And I think it's helpful to see the distinction so that brotherly love is something that it goes along with it, but it's distinct. It's the cultivation, the enjoyment of each other in a practical way.
I love you, brother Robert.
I know I have learned to appreciate things about you.
But.
Supposing in our relationships one day I get annoyed and I give you a slap in the face.
Now you're going to look at me with a little bit of reserve, aren't you?
Naturally speaking, perhaps. OK.
Can you still love me? Yes. But that's not the brotherly love, that's the agape love, isn't it? And I think it's good to see that in Scripture. And let's go back to First Thessalonians chapter 4, because in so many places it puts those two different kinds of love together.
First Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse nine. Look at this, it says.
But as touching brotherly love, that's the chileo love ye have. Not that I you need, not that I write unto you, For ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. There's the Agape lab.
So it goes together and I think it's helpful to see that. Let's look at one other place because there's quite a few places.
Being first or second Peter chapter one.
We are told to add things to our faith.
And amongst them, well, let's read from verse 5, second Peter chapter one and verse five. Beside all this giving all diligence add to your faith, virtue, to virtue, knowledge and to knowledge, temperance and to temperance, patience, to patience, godliness, and to godliness. Here it is brotherly love, the filial love.
And then it says and to brotherly love add love or charity which is agape love.
So if there's something that you and a brother you have in your sphere of your acquaintance has done that kind of offended you, are you going to still love him?
That's where agape love comes into the picture, and that's what's so important to understand.
Yes, we can still love him, and that's agape love. Add that to brotherly love. I think it's so helpful to see the distinction. And like I say, brother and we need these times together where we can cultivate brotherly law.
Let brotherly love continue.
There's a wholeness for that that is often not available at all. When you think of a brother that you're close to naturally in your family, the depth of that thing, you know, brothers are created for adversity.
A real brother, blood brother, will come running no matter what time of day or night, no matter the problem. And if you slap him to the face, he'll come right back running through you.
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I was talking with a group of brothers, and one brother there had expressed to me that when he had gotten away from the Lord, one of the reasons he said was I did not have a close friend in the assembly, a real brother. Yes, he loved his brothers, They loved him, but he had never developed his real friendship closest with his brother. And as we talked around the room, different ones from different assemblies were saying, you know.
We get so busy with our lives and families and business, we don't spend time with our brethren away from the assembly. We calm, we smile, we shake hands, we love our brothers, We have meetings, we have brothers meetings, so forth. But we often don't spend time doing other things. Spending time going out for lunch, going and doing something, maybe fishing, enjoying one another's company and developing a real brotherly relationship with that person where you get to know them.
You get to and the opportunity to hear them talk about maybe their their fault, how you can fetch your faults to one another if you don't spend some time together. And maybe you learn to understand that and be able to help with that and that person can help with you and then when trouble comes.
Oh, there's one who comes running in the middle of the night. There's one even if you're offended, he forgives you and comes back again and again because you've developed that relationship. I think we missed that in some ways. We don't fully develop. And like you're saying, brother, these are wonderful times when we get together, when we start developing that and we catch up with people we haven't seen in a long time. And I treasure that like I think everyone does, but locally.
And even across distances, we need to work on developing a fullness of that kind of relationship as brothers with one another, as sisters with one another, that there's a depth to it and a strength to it that is more than just purpose.
This is, after all, a the Lord Jesus makes.
In John 1333, when he says by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples. If you have love one to another. It's an identifying character and trait, the Lord Jesus himself says.
You should have this.
In Judaism, they were commanded to love one another. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
But there was only one man that ever did it, and that was the Lord Jesus.
He came into this world and He loved, He loved you and I. He loved his Jewish brethren. He came unto his own. His own received him not, but he loved them yet, and so He loved them through everything. I think that's the force of the thought in the verse that we sometimes quote. Having loved his own, which were in the world, He loved them to the end. He loved them through everything. And it didn't dim his love, but it's interesting here in this passage of Scripture.
The term let us, he says, let brotherly love continue.
And then a little further on, perhaps verse four, we could quote in the Darby translation, Let marriage be held every way in honor. And then a little further on, he says.
Verse five. Let your conversation be without covetousness little further on. Let us go forth therefore unto him in verse 15. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually so.
In Christianity, that's lovely to see that the Spirit of God, if we allow the Spirit of God to do his work, let us, let us allow the Spirit of God to have an influence and a desire.
To give us the desire to submit to His will.
And to the operative in our lives, if we do not grieve the spirit, we walk in an ungrieved spirit. Let him have his way and he will lead in this way. And so if we would just he's not commanding us in the sense, but appealing to our.
To us that we might yield in this way.
Hardly think that there could be rather than rather than water. Divine law isn't its source and I realized there's a difference brotherly love is a is a very practical thing as as brother Sam was giving us illustrations. It's an actually working out of that which we should already find in our hearts because we have the very nature of God and.
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God is love. If we're if we're the children of God, then love is not something that we have to.
We have to try to generate it is if the Spirit of God is free, it's free flowing and if we're in the enjoyment of God's company, there's going to be a reflection of him through us. And this is.
The practical as we've been speaking about, it's very, very important. It touches hearts, it strengthens and encourages and, but it's a practical thing. If, if we're going to, if we're going to let it, then we're actually not putting anything in front of it to hinder it. We're letting it it's, it's flowing freely and.
The spirit, I think of times when we might be going from place to place or something and something comes into our heart. Maybe we're driving right past the road where our brother lives and, and there's this desire to just stop in and see how they're doing and, and.
Pretty soon there's an opportunity for brotherly love to be manifest. Just that care that I have.
For you, because I have God's love in my heart. I all I'm doing express is expressing the nature God has given me. And it's, it's a, it's something that flows and we're just supposed to let it, okay, It's it's not we're supposed to generate it. We're just not supposed to put anything in front of it to hinder it from going forward.
So interesting it failed to think that that love, that agape love.
Love which is of God is love that loves because of what God is, not because of what we are.
And so there should be nothing ever to hinder that outflow in our lives. And then there is a place, like you say, for the cultivation of mutual appreciation. There is, if there is real divine life. And my brother, I know there's going to be something that I can value and appreciate and to cultivate that.
We let God's love go through us. That's a copy love. And that goes further, even it goes in the face of things that in our natural way we wouldn't threaten, maybe respond to. On the 18th of this month, early in the morning hours, I heard the roar of a dying animal out of my window. I ran out and it was my brother. His wife and son were in a fire and he had the day before. He'd been upset with me.
Ran and grabbed me and embraced me. Let pray for me. My son and my wife were in a fire. They won't let me up.
I loved him with all my heart in that moment, not just with brotherly love, natural brotherly love, brotherly love in Christ, but my heart flowed from the Lord and I cried out with him in that moment. This is my brother twice over, and God's love flow through, and it wasn't mine, it was His.
And in those moments, he cried out, Please God, do not let my son die. Don't take him. Don't take him. He's not ready.
And when I walked up there to talk with the police.
He wouldn't let me near either.
But I wanted to find out for my brother if his son yet lived. And I asked him, are they dead or alive? And he said to me, one lives, one is dead. I said, which one lives? He said, Jeremy, God heard the crowd here. Linda went home to be with the Lord into the arms of her Savior, to leave lots of pain and suffering behind. But in that moment, in that time, even after the day before.
My brother upset with me, he knew that I loved him and he came to me and he was not disappointed because it wasn't just mine. It was the love of Christ flowing through that comes through in the darkest of moments to embrace one another. We need to love one another that way because we are facing difficult times. And in the near future, if God leaves us here, we're going to face difficult times, we're going to face persecution.
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And we're going to need that kind of love for one another.
Divine love and brotherly love.
The perfect example of it is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He exhibits to us divine love, which has been commented on.
He loves us because of what he is, not because of what we are. He loves us not because of relationship that's pre established, but because of who He is. He is God the Son, but we also. When we look at the life of the Lord Jesus we see the perfect.
Expression and activity of brotherly love.
The Lord Jesus was born into a Jewish family.
And he had brothers and he had sisters in his household that were part of his family. He also had fellows in the town where he was who were fellow Jews of the same heritage and the same family. The Lord Jesus in calling disciples to be with him.
Showed perfect brotherly love in his relationship with them.
He valued the companionship, he valued the daily relationship that they had as brothers and sisters of the same heritage. And as a result, on the very last night of his life, he was saying to some of them.
Ye are they which have continued with me.
He appreciated their brotherly love.
To himself, as he had that love in his own soul.
For them.
We sometimes, because of the truth of Christianity, may not always recognize that he still this morning has that same love toward that people.
He loves them as his brothers and his sisters in the natural way, and consequently the Lord Jesus feels the separation.
This morning from them that is still true between himself and his brothers of Israel and of the family into which he was born as a man here on earth.
And so it is. I make the comment without trying to elaborate on it. There are times when we're not always able to express the love of a brother because of circumstances.
Or because of the condition of that brother's soul. Or perhaps the condition of our own soul.
That is a hindrance to us, but to just give one more thought on it.
I used to think when I went to heaven I wouldn't cry again.
I don't believe that anymore. In fact, I'm confident that's not true. I'm going to cry after I get to heaven, and I'm going to cry because I'm going to see the Lord Jesus Christ cry at least seven times.
In the process in which he is restored to an unhindered brotherly love with his earthly family and the picture of it is found in Joseph, who loved his brothers as his brothers, who was estranged from them and lost the enjoyment of the relationship that they had as members of the same family. He loved them and in fact, he restrained himself when they came for food.
And didn't make himself known to them because of the state of their souls, but he loved them as brethren. And he goes through a process until they are restored to him that he's able to embrace them and know them as his brothers again in that relationship. And so it is that character that we have the perfect example of the Lord Jesus, of the fact that God has brought us into the same family.
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We are going to be forever part of a family we weren't born into.
Now we're children of God and it's the only family relationship we'll have in heaven. As children of God together, natural relationships will be passed, but in that family we can start now to enjoy with one another brothers and sisters of the same family.
In the character not only of divine relationship, but also the character of family relationship. And so let brotherly love, I'll say it this way, let it start, let it abide, and let it remain for eternity.
It says let because our own natural tendencies are to not let.
Remember, Joseph was betrayed.
But he still loved his brothers.
Because Joseph walked before God.
Our tendency is to hold grudges and to not let brotherly love continue. We we damn it up, we hinder it by our own wills.
And that's why we have this verse. Yes, our brethren on occasion will betray us.
Say things that hurt deeply, Do things that may hurt deeply. And sometimes that hurt is related to our own pride.
That's why it says let brotherly love continue.
It's interesting that Joseph expressed his love for his brethren by having them in his home even when they were estranged from him. And so, as it were, he was not an injustice collector. Sometimes you run into someone and he's as remembers that on July the 1St, 1969, you stepped on his foot or something and never forgot. He collects those injustices and he has a whole bags and bags of them. He's collecting them.
Won't let them go, but one of the things that is helpful is to forget those things that has have taken place if we can and if not to just seek grace to go on with our brethren. But the apostle here, perhaps the Apostle Paul, he wrote be not forgetful to entertain strangers. Why did he say be not forgetful while they were under persecution and some of our brethren in India and other places.
I'm sure could read these verses and they're so apartment to think of our own things and to be taken up with our own circumstances that we forget to take up the work of having our brethren in our homes and to serve them in that way and to. I was just thinking of Acts chapter 8 in this connection. Acts 8 and verse one. Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were scattered abroad throughout all the regions of Judea and Samaria except.
The apostles. So there is a time of stress that we're going through Indiana these days.
No doubt about it, there are hindrances, oftentimes, perhaps perceived hindrances, whatever they are to fellowship, to having the Saints in our homes. And I think it's the Darby translation says here, be not forgetful of hospitality in spite of the difficulties, in spite of the stresses of the day that we live in. We're just about to be removed from the scene and the Lord Jesus.
Who?
It says in John's gospel, I think it's Chapter 11, maybe 12, that says they made a supper for him in the home in Bethany, the one who is a homeless stranger in this world. And he appreciated that dinner. He appreciated the fellowship in that home. And so it's necessary for us to have the Saints in our homes and to warm their hearts and to have the word of God before us to sing to him.
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Just to have a word of prayer to do those things that we might strengthen our brethren and that we might be refreshed ourselves.
The stranger. And it's not just our home. The stranger you meet at the gas station, the one you meet at the restaurant, the one you see walking along the road, the one whose car is broken down, the one you meet someplace per chance and something nudges you within your soul. This person needs to have a conversation. Those are all entertaining strangers. And you never know when 1 might be an Angel that God has sent to draw you out, maybe to teach you something to bring you alongside. Maybe it's somebody at a bookstore when you're there and you get a nudge in your spirit.
That that person needs someone to talk to. You see a face with a frown of sadness and you walk over and you say something. All of those things are entertaining strangers. And that kind of thing ought to be what the love of our heart that Christ puts their producers to see that, to notice it, to even pray that God will help us to notice it so that we can do that. And from that we will see not only be able to bless others.
But receive great blessing ourselves.
When he had his brother and at the first into his home, they were estranged from him, weren't they? And yet he had them. This is one way to let brotherly love continue is to do this activity. And it's interesting. It says thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
And we don't naturally see angels every day, I don't suppose maybe we do. But it's interesting to be aware that there are angels. And it's does seem that in Genesis 18, where the Lord appears to Abraham with two angels, it says he lifted up his eyes and there were three men standing by him.
Just appeared as men. So angels don't appear with wings, they appear as men. And so be conscious of the fact that I don't seem to know that person out standing out front. Who in the world might that be? Be aware of the fact that there are angels around. I still remember in Bolivia a brother I used to visit, He wasn't gathered with us, but I had a real heart for the Lord and he said.
Because there's a lot of beggars that go around to the doors, They're asking for things. And he says, I always be careful how I treat those beggars that come to my door. It might be an Angel that has come sent by the Lord. And so, brethren, we never know. It was interesting to me to think that when those two angels came to visit Abraham, he prepared a meal for him. Do angels eat food?
That time they did they ate food and Abraham was the one that served it. I think that's so so nice. I mean he was a wealthy man. He had had lots of servants to serve and yet he served the Lord in those two angels. I think that's beautiful picture. So may that be one of the things that's characteristic of his friend. Why are questions Bob? I thought about this. So we're told that we might entertain.
You know, entertaining strangers, so they're people.
There are strange people, they're men. But why would God send an Angel to us to entertain? What would the purpose be, do you think?
What?
Have but what would be the purpose of that? I wondered. I have some thoughts but what would be the purpose?
Your one is 1 purpose brother.
And I don't pretend to know all the ways that he may use angels, but.
Verse 14 says, are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them? Who shall be heirs of salvation? So they are sent to minister. In what way does it say here, but there must be some need that God sees and sends them along at the appropriate time for a specific need that we have.
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We could turn to Genesis chapter 19 as well and it says in verse one, Genesis 19 verse one, there came two angels to Sodom and even and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom seeing them, rose up to meet them. He bowed himself with a space toward the ground. But then a little bit further on it says that they delivered their message, it says.
Umm.
Little further on, hey, I'm trying to looking for the verse where verse 12 The man said unto law, Hast thou hear any besides son-in-law, thy sons, thy daughters, whosoever whatsoever thou hast in this city, bring them out of this place, for we will destroy this place.
And so they delivered a message. They had a message from God. And so they're used not only as servants of God to do his service, but they're used to send a message. And so oftentimes, the reason?
But perhaps you might have someone in your home and you didn't expect to have them in your home, but there they are, and there's time over the Word. Or there's just there. You're eating together, you're having fellowship. They may deliver a message to your heart, to your conscience, and they may deliver a message from God himself. You weren't expecting it. They may not even know that they're delivering a message, but they are delivering a message to you.
And so God is no man's debtor. It says that whosoever water it, he shall be watered also himself. And so God gives the increase. He delights to have his people together. And perhaps it is a stranger, perhaps one that is yet lost, and so there might be fruit for him even in that visitation.
It's also important to recognize we've been talking about.
Us showing something to somebody else. But very often in that process, God is working in the opposite direction as well. In other words, brotherly love, abiding. We've looked at it from us, letting us do this or that. Very often in God's side of it, He's letting the other person minister to us.
Something that we need as well, even though the responsibility and the exhortation given here is for us to let something happen. The same way with entertaining the stranger. God may use that stranger as He used angels to minister to the need of the individual that was showing the hospitality. And the next one is the prisoner. Some of us have had privileges of interacting with prisoners.
But very often after a while we find out that the prisoner is giving us more than we're getting, and we're receiving a greater blind effect from the prisoner than we ourselves have maybe thought we were doing for him or her. And so, brethren, God's working in both ways. He puts here the exhortation on us to do certain things, but he's thinking about us as well.
Not simply serving him and what we're doing, but also using.
The other half of that relationship for our own blessing and benefit.
The Apostle Paul.
Romans chapter one and verse 11.
So the Apostle Paul was the minister here.
For I long to see you, that I might impart unto you some spiritual gift of the end you may be established. But verse 12 Says, that is that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. And so we think of the apostle Paul as as the, the chief instrument, you might say, of, of setting forth these truths to the Saints. But he didn't consider himself that.
In this case, he thought of the blessing and the benefit he was going to get from being in their company and how he was going to receive comfort by their mutual faith. And so we need to have that spirit, don't we? That we, the Lord may lay something on our heart, but we're not just there to give. We're there to receive because those that we are seeking to be an encouragement to.
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Are going to meet our need as well.
Well, in Acts chapter 18, And that is to have a home that's suitable, that we might be able to be used of God in that way. So Acts chapter 18 verse 24, a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, being firm and in spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord. Knowing only the baptism of John, he began to speak boldly in a synagogue, whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them.
Expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to passenger, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive Him, who, when He was come help them much which had believed through grace. For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly showing from by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. And so this couple were never told that they had children, but they used their home, and it was suitable as a place where the Saints could come in.
And where one was not instructed in the way of God as materially, as perfectly as he could be, but he was, they invited him, I believe, into the home. And perhaps these things were gone over in a nice way, not in a public way, berating him. They didn't stand up in the synagogue and and contradict him or anything, but in a very quiet way. And for God's glory, they sought to minister the proper truth.
To him of the finished work of Christ and that the work of John the Baptist, the baptism of repentance in connection with the nation of Israel, that wasn't Christian baptism. And they perhaps explained Christian baptism to him. And so in a nice way they spoke. And in the home there was hospitality and the people of God were welcome. There wasn't that hindrance with the God that our homes were open, every one of us to the people of God and to those that are yet lost.
But I believe that the Spirit of God brings before us this example in Acts chapter 18.
That we might have suitable homes and have the word before us and know the truth that might be, that might be blessing. So we know that Apollos went forth and there was great blessing as a result.
I've been sending 2 interceptions with angels.
There they see a side to to God that they haven't seen before, don't they? And, and him reaching out to mankind and bringing us into such blessing as we had enough into that first chapter of Hebrews that were heirs of salvation. But I was thinking of what Peter says concerning the angels and verse 12 of chapter one of first Peter, unto whom it was revealed.
That not unto themselves, but unto us, they'd administer the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. So I was just thinking of the angels here. They're learning, aren't they, through God's dealings and his work with, with the church, with us. I was thinking too even of, of the matter of wearing head coverings, which has largely been given up in Christendom.
It says in First Corinthians Chapter 11 That our sisters put on a head covering partly because it says here verse 10, for this cause of the woman to have power on her head, or really it's the thought of her being displaying a subjection to the authority that she's under because of the angels. I think that's interesting that Paul has that because of the Angel. So when the angels look down.
On a company today, perhaps they're seeing us here. Now, as I've mentioned, they're all around us ministering. We don't see them mostly, but they're ministering to us and they're observing us as well. And they see our sisters with a head covering and they're learning through that the purposes of God and in a way that they wouldn't absent that. So I was just thinking of that aspect too, to that we might.
00:55:19
Be mindful of that that.
There are those that are observing us and they're learning, aren't they? The purposes of God? I think that's wonderful to think of.
Young sisters especially realize it's just not just a custom that we practice, but there is a meaning to it. And so when we pray or prophecy, and that's not just in the meetings, it's anytime we pray or prophecy might be in our homes.
Or out in public too, if I have a hat on, If I'm going to prophecy, I'm going to speak the gospel to somebody. I take my hat off. And that gives a testimony to the angelic hosts, and a woman puts something on her head, and that's the testimony. The angels, it says in Ephesians 3 and verse 10 to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places.
That's the angelic horse might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God. The angels do not have the Holy Spirit to help them to understand the ways of God like we do. How do they learn?
By what they see in the church. And so it's very important point is we show that by that simple faith. Somebody said what? What's so important about putting something on your head or taking your hat off?
It's important when you see it in the light of God's Word. It is important.
Young brother and sister. And so may the Lord help us to understand that these are just not customs. These are.
Instructions of the Word of God. It might be helpful too to look at Ephesians chapter.
Five and just verse 24.
Without going into a lot of detail, it says therefore as the church is subject unto Christ.
So let the wise be unto their own husbands and everything. So the sister has a marvelous privilege of representing the church here in this world in submission to Christ. So Christ is the head of the church, and man represents Christ as he walks, as he is in this world. But the sister represents the church in perfect submission to Christ.
And so.
Will the Church be in submission to the Lord Jesus?
When she's in heaven, in glory, perfectly submissive.
Never once will you or not ever rebel against his authorities. Never. It won't be possible and but God has ordained that in the world that we live in that there might be a little picture of Christ in the church in this world. And so the Christian marriage is brought in in this chapter that we have but.
Sisters, you have a privilege that is beyond.
What we can express, to express publicly to the angels and to the men and women in this world, the order that God is intended that Christ would be the head, He would have a bride, and she would be in perfect submission to Him. And so the Church should be in subjection to him. But it's in rebellion against him in many ways in the world that we live in. So let's walk in subjection to Him.
Verse three is another way that brotherly love can be expressed and it's in connection with those that are in bonds. And we live in the Americas where we have so much liberty really. But we need brother. And I really believe. Sometimes I listen in the prayer meetings.
And sometimes just barely any mention of our dear brethren that are suffering severe persecution, some that are being slaughtered.
For the name of the Lord Jesus and we.
Don't have anything. We don't relate to that. I guess it's that we don't relate to it. But we need to be stirred up about these things. Remember them. That are in bonds as bound with them, and then which suffer adversity. It's not only in bonds, but it's in adversity. And it says as being yourselves also in the body.
01:00:23
In other words, we're part of the body of Christ and when one member suffer, we all should suffer with them. So let's remember to pray for them. If there's nothing else that we can do, sometimes there are things that we can do to help out, and we should be watchful for that in any way we can to be a help to those that are suffering adversity.
This is the Spirit of God thing because he said how can we relate? It's hard to relate to those things. How do you suffer here in America with the brother in Afghanistan who's worried that his head is going to be chopped off any minute right now? How do we do that? Well, we can't do that. I can't work that up. It has to be a divine thing. It has to be something from the Spirit of God that will let me know. I mean, if I hit my thumb with a hammer, my whole body knows it hurts.
But the only way I can experience that in some way, shape or form is if the Spirit of God gives me that. We know in Scripture that the Lord Jesus says, it says of him, He's touched with the feelings of our infirmities. That is something the Spirit of God can do, is touch us, give us that sense, a real sense maybe in a prayer meeting when we're on our knees, be touched with the feelings of those infirmities and those things that are going on. So we actually feel something in our spirit, in our soul, but it can only come from the Spirit of God.
Translation. It says, remember them. There are prisoners as bound with them. And so a prisoner couldn't come into my home even if he wanted to, and I couldn't have him in my home because he's bound. And so there are those that are prisoners and perhaps we might say that there are some that perhaps are in homes right now and they're perhaps locked down and so on, and they can't come into our homes. They're prisoner of circumstances.
That the Lord has allowed them to have and to be in and so we need to have as many into our homes as we can to enjoy fellowship and to build up the things that remain to give the Lord Lord a little portion for his own heart as we have the Saints and enjoy their company and so on. But then there are those that are prisoners and we're not to forget them. It says remember them. They're in bonds and so.
As you said, brother Bob, it's easy to forget those that are hidden away in a prison cell somewhere. There's a brother in India that was recently arrested, I believe it was this week, and he's arrested, He's in prison, charged with crime that he didn't commit. But the authorities are actively persecuting believers in that country. And so they're not only being.
Bound, but there are many that are suffering adversity.
Adverse circumstances and so we need to remember them in prayer and seek to do whatever is possible to relieve them that we not to forget them.
Brother Dave, you were mentioning Egypt, and of course we have our brother Ripe in our assembly who is from Egypt as well. And so I kind of checked out some of the things I've read about Egypt. And one of the ways they are oppressed in Egypt is sometimes there's a young sister or even a young mother.
And when they are alone on the street, they are kidnapped and taken away without the knowledge, any knowledge of the family and forcibly married to a Muslim, maybe the second or third wife of a Muslim.
And then when they are called before the authorities because of the kidnapping, why they find that sometimes they've been threatened so violently that they say I've converted to the Muslim religion, even though they parents or the maybe the parents or the husband knows that that's not the case. And so it's a very real form of oppression that takes place there and.
01:05:13
So we need to be aware of these things and pray for our bread. We don't know much about it.
Paul and Silas, but if you turn to Act 16.
14.
This is when she first attended to the.
And a certain woman named Lydia, the seller purple, the city of Bayatar, which worshiped God heard us in whose heart the Lord opened that she attended to the things which were spoken of Paul. But if you go to after their release from prison in verse 40.
It says and they went out of prison and entered into the House of Lydia. When they had seen the brother, they comforted the department.
Also for a benefit and what's brought to us in verse three in this way.
When we are in some kind of difficult situation in our personal life, our prayer is generally, Lord, Take Me Out of it.
But.
The better sometimes starting point is to say thank you Lord, for the problem, for the difficulty that you have allowed in my life or in the life of someone I love, because sometimes the Lord is allowing it.
In part, at least, to enable us to fulfill the spirit of this verse 3.
You often can't enter in to be a help and a comfort to someone else in something you've never experienced yourself. And so we see in the wonderful example of the Apostle Paul.
In Second Corinthians Chapter 11, when he gives the list of things that he had experienced in his own life.
There's not a single. I dare, without complete confidence, say there's not a single person in this room.
That's experienced 110th of the things that the apostle Paul experienced and recounts to us in that chapter, but he's given to us as an example. Because when we go through these things, we are then enabled of the Lord to enter in spirit at least, if not more than in spirit into what another person is going through. And in that way be able to be an encouragement and a help to them.
Very often we say, I wish I could help, but and then there's some reason I don't have the time, I don't have the energy, I have my own problems. We may not verbalize it that way, but the bottom line is very often we're taken up sufficiently with our own situations that we really don't find time to enter into others. But the apostle Paul did, and he's a pattern St.
To us, He's given to us to show us the pattern and.
In that way, when we have experienced these things, we're more able to enter in with others that are going through something. And the Lord Jesus is again a perfect example of it. He went, he became a man, and then he experienced all the difficulties of life that now he is using, if I can speak of it as a man, that personal experience that he went through.
To be a help and a comfort to us. So when we have a difficulty and we turn to the Lord in it. We have that instinctive sense in US. Lord, you know, you understand you went through something even greater than I'm going through. And in that way we received from him. And so in the spirit of this verse, we need to, if I could put it again, what the first comment we need to do in everything. Give thanks.
Including things that come into our own life that the Lord may use to enable us to be a help to others.
01:10:05
I wonder if you saw these thoughts might have gone through some similar to look at the People's Teen.
Book of Hebrews 10 down towards the end and.
32 The call to remembrance the former days, in which, after you were illuminated, he endured a great flight of afflictions, partly whilst you were made a gazing star, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly while you became companions with them that were so used. And then he says that they could understand. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully.
The scrolling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and enduring substance. So it makes you wonder that some of these went through some really difficult times.
I would watch through these 3 verses but I I would like to back up to the verse on hospitality.
Some of us maybe have grown up in in homes that are extremely hospitable and as kids we we always experience those beyond our family, our immediate families as being a part of the dinner table or whatever. And so hospitality is something that.
We really love and enjoy, but I think it's good for us to be reminded that the burden of hospitality.
Often most.
Falls on the the white.
And the workload of hospitality can be burdensome if it's not shared.
I don't know very much about this. I I know that there's been plenty of hospitality, but I didn't wake up to this.
I I, you know, with shame, I say, I just figured that's kind of what my wife was. I don't want to, she's a wonderful woman, but.
We need to realize that when we are hospitable, we are creating circumstances that we need to share. I just put it that way.
It may not be 5050.
It's amazing if it's 95.5.
How much that is a healthy And so I just want to share that that's a practical side of this, but it certainly is important.
When Genesis 18 that we mentioned.
That when it came to serving them, those that had come to be with him, he says, let a little water, I pray you be fetched and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the trees. I don't think that was Sarah that did that.
I will for fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts that ye.
After that ye shall pass on, for therefore ye come to your servants. And they said, So do as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened unto the tent, unto Sarah said, Make ready quickly 3 measures of fine meal needed, and make cakes on the heart. So Sarah did have a part. But Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched the calf tender and good, and gave it to a young man, and he hasted to dress it.
And he took butter and milk in the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. Who did that?
Abraham did. He served the meal. That's a little bit different, like when you say sometimes the way it is, and that's been kind of a challenge to me as well. We do need to be exercising that.
It is nice to see that they labored together. Perhaps Abraham it was his home and his responsibility, but his wife labored with him and so it is a work of love together. Might just mention too that perhaps a sister or perhaps the home is not suitable to have visitors in the home. But oftentimes isn't it precious to have a couple, perhaps even a young person that doesn't have a home invite you for a meal?
01:15:22
To a restaurant, and then there's a time of fellowship and even the word can be opened and there's just a liberty of the Spirit to bring Christ before our souls. So it doesn't have to be in the home, but it does say remember or be not forgetful to entertain. Be not forgetful of hospitality. There are different ways of expressing it.
So the next one really is in connection with marriage, and one of the things that was to characterize Christianity is that the marriage, the institution of marriage, would be a display publicly of the truth of Christ in the church. It was not known in the Old Testament that Christ would have a bride. There's little pictures of it given in the Old Testament in connection with Joseph, that he had a Gentile bride.
Asana means beautiful.
And he had opportunity to have defiled himself and so on, but he would not sin against his God. And so I believe that he got the best wife that he could possibly get in Egypt and was given to him of Pharaoh himself. And so here the expression here of the Spirit of God, verse 4, I'm going to read it in the new translation. It says let marriage be held every way in honor, and the bed be undefiled.
For fornicators and adulterers, God will judge. And so in Christianity, the institution of marriage ought to be held in the highest respect because it is an institution that God himself has instituted for the happiness and the blessing of man. And So what we find in the day that we live in is that marriage is ridiculed and it's corrupted in every form, every possible way. And so the.
Institutions that God has instituted for our blessing have been.
Dishonored, but nice to let the Spirit of God. It speaks of moral purity.
Let the Spirit of God have his way, and that marriage, let marriage be held every way in honor.
Which says that that be undefiled. It means that there is a place for sexual intimacy in marriage.
It's to be undefiled, and I think that is beautiful to see because sometimes we give the.
Intimation that sexual desires are wrong.
God put those there.
But there is a place for them and it's within the marriage bonds.
I sometimes relate it to a river. A river can be a very beautiful, fruitful thing in a country. But if it gets.
Too much water and flows over its banks. It's not in the place where it's meant to flow. It will do tremendous damage. So be careful of your sexual impulses, dear young people.
They are to be used within the marriage bond. There's a place for them.
And it's a beautiful thing in that place. But before that, keep yourselves pure. Let me show you a verse that has impressed me that Paul wrote to Timothy in First Timothy chapter 5.
And it's in connection with his relationship with different.
Groups of people in the Christian testimony.
Here it says in.
Verse one rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father.
The younger men as brethren, the elder women as mothers, and that interesting respect as a mother, that near this part, the younger as sisters with all purity. Lord, help us in your relationships. They're your sisters and the Lord treat them with respect, but with all purity. And I think that's why.
01:20:15
It says in First Corinthians Chapter 7 it says it is good for a man.
Not to touch a woman, I don't think that means you can't shake hands or something like that, but it's going into more liberty and touching as was would not be proper. It would not be the purity that is to be maintained in the marriage bond. How important those things are, ************ and adulterers. God will judge you. Go beyond those. You're going to get into trouble.
David was a man after God's own heart, but he got into problems there.
And the Lord, when he repented of his sin, the Lord said through the prophet Nathan, God has forgiven your sin, but because you have made the enemies of the Lord blasphemy, the sword will never depart from your house. So the government of God was on David for the rest of his life.
Because of going over the bounds and taking someone else's wife.
Oh, how serious these things are, how you need to be careful about this. I must say, in traveling around with Eric Smith and brother Ramon Alarcon, they were super careful as to the appearance of evil. And I must say I learned not only from what they said, but how they handle situations. Don't give the appearance of evil.
Be careful about your relationships with those of the opposite sex.
Proverbs, you don't need to turn to it. Proverbs 414 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, Pass not by it, turn from it and pass away. So there are circumstances where in order to maintain purity, respect, and honor, we take precautions that go beyond.
Our normal circumstances.
We see #22 of the appendix.
In the circle of libel his brother and we apply teach us that name to all, while waiting Lord, for the unholiness and sins to show from all of truth to flee #22 independence.
Yeah.
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Read it.
Fellowship with the Father and the Son
Open—Don Rule
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.
We've seen #19.
19th of the 5th.
And heavenly love abiding don't change. My heart shall be here. Save is such confiding. For nothing changes here. His wisdom ever walked waking His sight is never damned. He knows the way he take it. And I walk with him.
Alright.
This morning.
In my heart I had occasion to speak to the Apostle John.
He wasn't.
Thinking about me, I don't think this morning.
But I think you'll understand the sense.
And I in my heart, I literally said out loud, thank you John. I'd like to share the reason why I thank John this morning with the desire that you too will share with me in your heart and say thank you John. And further than that, maybe sooner than we think.
We'll be able to say it to John face to face, so turn with me.
To the John's first letter.
Which we call first John.
And we refer to it as chapter one.
John had a purpose in writing this letter.
And.
I consider that he was writing the letter to some people, but it included me. So that's the first thing I want to say. If you want to get something out of it, you have to as well say thank you, John, for writing to me.
He writes with a purpose. It's good when you're writing or communicating with people to have some reason for doing it, and he states his reason in verse 4.
He says these things I write unto you.
Why?
Let your joy may be full. Very simple, isn't it? There's somebody that's writing a letter.
And if we make it personal, writing a letter to me and writing a letter to you, and John says I'm writing to you because I want you to have joy and I want that joy to be full.
00:10:11
So if you want joy and you want fullness of joy.
John here has something to say to you this afternoon, as he had to say to me this morning and this afternoon as well.
So he begins his letter in verse one, that which was from the beginning.
Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes.
Which we have looked upon and our hands have handled. Of the word of life.
You know, if you're going to write to somebody something, it's good to know what you're talking about.
It's not something you by hearsay, it's not something that somebody else necessarily is passed on to you, but the things that are important most often are things that we have personally experienced and know.
And John is saying I'm going to write to you about something that I know about.
By personal experience.
He's referring in verse one to his personal experience of knowing the Lord Jesus as he was here on earth.
And John had the immense privilege of spending 3 1/2 years.
With the Lord Jesus.
And getting to know him.
To observe him.
To see his life face to face, day-to-day. And now John saying to those us to whom he writes, he said, I want to share something of what I've learned from that time I had with.
The word of life, the Lord Jesus.
For he says, verse two, that life was manifested, and we've seen it and bear witness, and show unto you what that life, that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.
We all know that our Lord Jesus Christ was unique.
And John got to know him.
Perhaps the first time he saw him in John's eyes he was looking at a man like you and I look at each other, and I very much doubt that at instantly, although it happened with others. He looked at him. He spent some time with him.
The Lord Jesus came down after a while one day when John was.
Of his daily occupation as a fisherman. And he says to John, now you, you come. And he had that privilege of leaving his occupation as a fisherman along with his brother, and going to spend full time day by day, wherever the Lord Jesus was, he was.
John was traveling with him.
And so here.
He had learned something incredibly important about the man.
Not simply as a man, but then later on, he decided as he looked at him.
This is the Messiah.
This is the one that in our Old Testament, while he didn't call it Old Testament but in our scriptures.
That God promised to come.
And re establish for us our place that we lost.
A long time ago.
In the days of our ancestors we lost it but here he's coming and and our scriptures promised him to re establish for us.
Our Kingdom that we've lost.
And so John, as he got to know him, saw him as Messiah.
00:15:06
And in fact.
He spent 3 1/2 years with him and after 3 1/2 years, he learned a lot.
But he still had more to learn because 3 1/2 years later, he's still looking for him as Messiah. The very night before Jesus died, John and Peter are having a little conversation as to which of them was going to be greatest.
When the Messiah set up the Kingdom.
Even though they've been with him day by day, listen to what he did, watch him perform miracles and so on. Which of course to them confirmed he was the Messiah and that he was going to do what had been promised and set up the Kingdom.
And here when we hear this letter.
John is.
Says AD 90 approximately when this letter was written and the Lord Jesus had been dead almost.
On the cross, he had died almost 60 years before, 50 some years before, and the Kingdom wasn't there.
But John now knew him in a far better way. He knew him not as a man that.
Was only Messiah.
But now he knew him as Son of God.
He knew him not in the time sense of the word, only as Messiah had to do with time, and in fact it had a duration. There wasn't going to last the Millennium, so-called indefinitely. But now he knew something better. He knew something that was going to last forever, that was eternal.
And he saw in this person that which transcended time.
And brought him into things that are eternal.
I think I can speak for John when he says I want your joy to be full and say to you it won't be full in your life this afternoon. And this is fullness here is not talking only about future, it's talking about this day.
For each one of us, we can have fullness of joy now, even as we look forward to a greater joy in the future. But he's saying, I think.
If you want to have it, you're going to have to see it from a not the perspective simply of time. What you're going to have to see what goes beyond time and lasts. Peter, who got it, like John got it, got the message the night before the Lord Jesus died. John's talking about who's going to be great in the Kingdom.
But you know, I happen to read it the sporting as well. In second Peter the last of his.
Letters.
Peter's got it.
And I think he had fullness of joy when he wrote it.
In his, as we would say, second Peter chapter 3.
He says the Lord's told me that shortly I'm going to have to put off this Tabernacle, or in our language, I'm going to die.
And had John seen the Kingdom? No, he saw something better. He says I'm going to have to die. And then a few sentences later he talks about the everlasting Kingdom.
He'd gotten like John had into that which transcends time and takes him into eternity, and he says that Kingdom.
Now that I'm looking for is better than that. He didn't put aside that there would be a millennial. There will be, but he said, now I know what it is to talk about the everlasting Kingdom, a Kingdom that has no end and that will last forever.
So he says.
That eternal life which was with the Father, it was a life that the Lord Jesus had in eternity past as we call it, before time existed. He always had it in truth in his gospel John says in the beginning was because the Lord Jesus had no beginning like you and I all have had a beginning.
00:20:08
We didn't exist. Nobody in this room existed.
100 years ago.
But you, everybody in this room now exists, and you're going to exist forever.
You now belong to eternity in that sense. If you're the Lords, you're going to have an eternal joy with Him. If you die in your sins, you're going to spend an eternity of misery and separation from God. But here, he says.
Verse 3.
I'm sharing.
What I've seen, what I've learned with you for a reason, and in verse three states the reason.
That you ye also.
You can join me.
I have it, I'm enjoying it, and I'm writing to you so that you can have it and enjoy it too. Fellowship with us.
We'll stop right there. You know when something is important to you.
You like to share it?
We're all that way. You probably, since you've been here even and seeing someone that you hadn't seen for quite a while, you shared something very likely that you've enjoyed or that was important to you in your life. And so you wanted to pass it on and you wanted the other person to know about it.
And so you share it. Fellowship means to have commonness, common interest, common thoughts. I share something that's important to me, hoping that you will enjoy it and share it with me. And that's fellowship.
Commonness of thought and commonness of feeling too, that you can enter in and someone can understand and feel.
And enjoy the same thing that you feel and know and enjoy.
And.
John saying to us.
I want you to enter in and enjoy what I'm enjoying, what he was enjoying when he wrote this letter.
He says what truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Have you been enjoying it today?
Have you today?
Shared thoughts and feelings that are common to the thoughts and feelings of God the Father and the Lord Jesus.
John did. He knew he did.
And he wanted those to whom he write, wrote and writes to have the same.
Is there joy?
In looking at things.
That the father enjoys.
That the son enjoys with the father.
We know, if we go back to Proverbs chapter 8, that the Father and the Son enjoyed this fellowship before the world was ever created.
And the sun further could say my delights worth the sons of men hadn't been created when he said that.
But he could say to the father, father.
Knowing the purposes of God. Knowing that God.
Is going to create us.
And doesn't it doesn't bring joy to think that?
God created me.
So that I could have fellowship with him.
Does that not bring a little joy to the heart?
A reason I exist is because God created me.
To enable me to have fellowship with him and his joy and his son here, John says I want to have fellowship with us.
00:25:07
Doesn't it produce some of the joy that we want, the fullness of joy, to think the Father in eternity found such pleasure in His Son that he could say, Don, when I create you, I'm creating you because I'm going to share you with myself in the enjoyment I have in my son.
Is that not a reason to be happy?
Incredible reason to find joy.
That that God purposed us.
Yes, we live this afternoon in time, but God purposed us for a fellowship that's going to be eternal. It'll have no end.
And it will have no sin in it either at that point in time. I can't talk outside at that point in time. You know, we're we're so connected with time that we little have even a vocabulary that enables us to talk about things from their eternal perspective.
Our fellowship will be No, our fellowship is.
This is not, we're not talking about something that we have to wait, as we would say, till the rapture or something in the future that's been promised to us. This was something that John was experiencing when he wrote his letter. It's something for us to be experiencing in our daily lives as we go through it, and that is to share.
With the Father and the Son in those things that are upon their hearts today.
Upon their thoughts today, and that includes the painful side as well as the happy side of things. God is not unaware of all the pain and suffering going on in the world this afternoon, and yet He would have us share with Him in His perspective of it.
And how he sees it.
So let's go on to verse 5.
This, then, is the message that we heard of him.
And declare unto you So John's going to pass on something he learned from the Lord Jesus.
In his time with him and he said he told us this, and so I'm going to pass on to you what the Lord Jesus said to me, he said.
If we this is the message that we heard him say and declare to you that God is light.
And in him is no darkness at all.
God.
Is not like man. By contrast, the Bible teaches us that man's darkness.
And God is light.
Man loves darkness. Why? Because his deeds are evil, and so he chooses darkness.
Most robberies were committed at night. More crime is committed at night than during the day because it's harder to detect and stop. And so men love darkness. If you're going to do something is wrong and you know it's wrong.
You just prefer nobody saw it.
That's the way we are.
When things aren't.
And our hearts aren't the way they should be. We will choose the darkness with the wrong idea, but nonetheless the natural idea that if nobody sees it, then nobody is going to know and nobody's going to be harmed, and nobody this and nobody that.
But John says, I want to tell you that God is light now. He's just said, I want you to have fellowship with God. And so he says.
In the next verse, if we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.
We'll see multiple cases here, probably won't notice all of them, but John draws a contrast when he's talking to us or writing to us between if I say and if I do.
00:30:01
You know, it's pretty easy to say stuff.
Sometimes though, the doing doesn't match the same and so I might say if I say I'm having fellowship with God.
But I'm walking in the darkness.
John says.
You aren't having fellowship with God. That's not true. You may say it.
But it's really a lie. Whether you're aware it's a lie or not, It's a lie because.
God doesn't have darkness, and so commonness with God can only be had if there is commonness.
You can't have fellowship unless you have common thoughts. Then if it's darkness, God doesn't have any common thoughts with darkness.
Everything with God is going to be open.
And out in the light, and consistent with him in his holy character.
You want to be happy.
The only way you can have fullness of joy that John's talking about is in the light.
You can't mix it, you know.
Many times life tends to be a mixture, kind of like twilight, and God works with us in that regard.
But while he works with us and he loves us and he deals with us when we're walking inconsistently, we can't do it and have fellowship. We're missing the fellowship with him in that regard.
So he says, not if we say in verse six, but in verse seven if we walk.
If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with the other, and so.
John wants us to enjoy and he writes to us so that we would have that fellowship that comes from walking together in light.
But God knows what we are, and so he makes an important statement.
Sometimes we immediately maybe you're sitting there sort of thinking well, but boy, I sin so often.
How can I have fellowship with God the way I walk sometimes I know I do things, I lose my temper, I have bad thoughts. I this, I that.
And I know it's not what God wants. I know it's not in the light. So what hope do I have? It's all right for somebody else, but not for me. And so it says here to help us understand the end of verse 7. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
John is telling us that that work that the Lord Jesus did at the cost of himself.
At this expense of his life, at the suffering he did on the cross, in the giving up of his life's blood and that lifeblood when shed had all the value of the suffering on the cross that had preceded it. He says God takes that and makes you clean in his sight in a way.
That never changes.
It's once it's done, it's fixed, it's forever. And you need to appreciate that and enjoy that or you'll forever be worried about trying to have fellowship with God because you're looking at yourself and.
The last sin you committed.
That is a hindrance to your enjoyment of it. But the basis of your fellowship is not walking. It's what the work of the Lord Jesus did. So you have to be free from thinking that the basis and the foundation on which you can have joy with God is you.
It's not. It's what the Lord Jesus and God did. And love for you is the foundation of having fellowship with God.
00:35:01
So he establishes that in verse 7.
Then he says in verse 8 and to the end of the chapter and try to finish up fairly quickly. He says if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. Well, here's one thing.
It's a potential hindrance in a person to think, oh OK, now that I've been rushed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and made clean in God's sight.
I'm good. There's no sin in me anymore. I do it right. And he says if we think that way or we say it, we're deceiving ourselves.
I'll just make this practical comment.
If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you'll spend the rest of your time on this earth.
Learning two things. One is to learn to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
Better than the other one is you'll spend the rest of your life knowing yourself better.
The one honors Him and is a blessing to your soul. The other one humbles you and will make you more eternally appreciate the greatness of what He has done and is doing for your blessing. And so, when the children of Israel started their 40 years of life in the wilderness, he told him right at the beginning.
As it were, you know you're going to spend 40 years and you're going to be taught what's in your heart.
And it's going to humble you. I'm going to test you, I'm going to humble you, but it's for your blessing. And so that's part of the path of life. And here John comments, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. Verse nine, if we confess our sins, these faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is.
A encouraging statement, really.
I'm clean forever in the eye of God by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Does that mean now I have a fellowship with God? That can't be.
Broken.
Well, the basis of it can't be broken.
But if I sin, God has no fellowship with that, and I lose the enjoyment and a fellowship with my Father and his Son. And so there is a practical process that goes on in life. And so it says, do you, have you admitted it? Have you acknowledged it?
Are you trying to pretend that you didn't do it?
Or that it didn't matter? No, he says. You have to confess it.
And if someone else beside yourself and the Lord know it and are part of it, then you have to acknowledge it to them as well.
It's a humbling thing, but he says. But I will forgive it.
In the practical, my ways with you and I will work with you in you so that you don't just keep doing it the rest of your life. I'll cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
It's practical, but it's a present thing.
Then he says, if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in US.
It's important here, and John is saying and having a relationship with the Father to know that we not only have the problem of sinning, doing things wrong, but there's a reason why we do it, because we were born with Adam's fallen nature in US, and so we have a sinful nature in US. And if we deny that.
Or think it's gone. We're deceiving ourselves.
And the Word of God is not in us. Let's finish with just a word or two in chapter 3.
John, Chapter 3.
And we'll read verses two and three. Beloved. Now, are we the sons of God?
And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.
For we shall see him as he is.
I look forward to that someday when I see you in heaven.
00:40:04
I don't think I can say it to you necessarily this afternoon.
But when I see you in heaven, I will be able to come up to you and say, John, Mary, Bob, Bobby, you're just like Christ.
That's your destiny, that's your future.
You're going to be just like him.
In every detail.
In every action of your heart it will be like him, because he's given you his life, and that sinful nature that's in you will be left behind at the time when he takes you to be with himself. And so it says, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
The next verse. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. The Lord Jesus is pure.
Perfect in every way and what is said here is this is your future and if you really.
Are wanting it.
You're going to be serious about today.
Because the desire of your heart is not to wait.
But don't you want to wake up tomorrow more like him than you were today?
I hope you do that each day of your life. You want to get to know him better and have more fellowship with him so that there's no darkness or anything in you that's hindering his sharing with you what he's enjoying. And he says every man that hath this hope in him, that is, of being like him as he is pure, will purify himself that is.
Life serious business and it's important for us to.
Take it seriously in our relationship with the Lord Jesus and not just Oh well, I've done it before I got I lost my temper a little bit or I wanted something that I lusted after something I wasn't to have or in our Romans 13. We're going to come up be content with such things as you have and I say, Oh well, I wasn't very content. I had to have that.
I thought, boy, if I can only have that thing, you know, I'd be real happy I I got to have that car.
I got to have that new appliance or I have to have this or that, and then you have to say, oops, I'm not like him, am I?
Did the Lord Jesus ever say I have to have?
Is that ever part of his daily life? Oh, if only I had this or that, I could be happy.
Not even thinkable and yet he says you want to be like him.
Be serious about it and you can have now a fullness of joy that this is the only way.
Cultivating Fellowship with Christ
Open—Bob Thonney
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That chapter, Brother Don, has been one of the ones that I've so much enjoyed in recent times and I must say been a real challenge. Wonderful to think that you and I have been called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I mean, there's anybody here that has been called into the fellowship of the President of the United States.
You say that's a pretty big calling.
That pales in contrast with what we've been called to, Brother. Wonderful. I'd just like to go back to the first chapter again with your permission to rather Don.
Thank you.
That's right. Thank you. But.
I must say I so enjoyed this chapter many times with our Latin brethren, but I'd like to go back to verse one again.
You notice John's Gospel and John's epistle begin somewhat the same.
In the beginning, it says in John's Gospel was the Word.
And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Of course, it's talking about the person of the Lord Jesus.
The Word is the full expression of all that God is in his glorious person.
If I'd stand up here and justice be silent, you look at me and say, what in the world is he thinking about? You just have to guess because there's no words coming out. But as soon as I open my mouth and use words, you know what I'm thinking about.
And God is so infinite, so eternal, so how powerful?
All knowing, all wise, how could we ever know him? We were CUNY creatures.
It's because the eternal God became flesh, and it's through him we have the full revelation of all that God is. And so that was John 11. John first, John 11.
Begins with the beginning again, but it's a different beginning. Look at it that which was from the beginning.
Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon in our hands, have handled of the word of life.
So this is the beginning of the revelation of who God is in the person of the Lord Jesus. Look back at John's Gospel chapter 8 and you'll see this expression used.
When the Lord Jesus was talking to the.
Pharisees, I think it is.
John, Chapter 8.
And no verse 25.
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? Notice his answer, even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. That's the same expression we have in verse one, that which was from the beginning. Who was he? He was.
That eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us.
Incredibly wonderful, but I want to focus on those little phrases.
That which we have heard.
That which we have seen, that which we have looked upon, our hands have handled. This wasn't, as Peter says in his second epistle, cleverly devised fables. Peter says, We have not made known unto you cleverly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But were I?
Witnesses of His Majesty.
So.
These are tangible historical facts related to the coming of the Word of God into this world.
That which we have heard. Have you heard him? We're going to have fellowship. We're going to have to learn to hear him. How do you hear him?
00:05:06
We got the word of God in our hands. But sometimes, you know, I think we read it kind of as any other article that's to be read.
Do you listen? Do you hear him? How important that is? I want to encourage either young people to make it a practice to read the Word of God on a daily basis.
I don't know why it is, but it seems like that is put on the back burner sometimes.
Don't do that.
Learn to listen. When you get up in the morning, make it a priority to give him time to listen to him. How important that is.
His word.
Sometimes like to challenge young people. I think I told this story. I don't know if I've told it here, but.
Two or three years ago at the conference in La Cumbre, Oaxaca, Mexico, we're probably close to 1000 that were together there. I between the meetings, was talking to a group of young men, said.
Do you read the scriptures?
Yeah, yeah, sometimes I say what do you mean sometimes? Well, maybe two or three times a week. Oh, OK. Well, I'm glad you read it that much, anyhow.
But another question, how often do you fellas eat?
You just two or three times a week? Oh, no, no, no, no. We ate every day. Oh, OK, that's interesting. Just once a day. No, several times a day. OK, well, that means then, that your body is a lot more important than your soul. Don't say that. They told me. Well, you're feeding your body every single day, several times a day. And your soul you don't have.
Any importance to be in it maybe two or three times a week?
Well, I think they got the point.
Is it not important to you to get food for your soul? The Lord Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live. And so we need the Word of God on a daily basis. Learn to cultivate.
Fellowship. Our brothers talked about fellowship in verse.
Three, fellowship in verse three is with the father and with his son. Fellowship in verse seven is one with another. Which is more important. Fellowship, one with another doesn't come first.
What comes first is fellowship with the father and with his son.
And if I cultivate that fellowship, I meet up with my brother Don and others here, there is immediately something that clicks because we have that same fellowship. May that be so in our lives. Dear young people, I desire that you will be ones that cultivate.
This fellowship, by hearing him think it is so amazingly wonderful.
To hear him, that which we have heard.
Notice back in John chapter one an example of some that heard.
John chapter one and notice in verse 35.
Again the next day, after John stood and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God.
Notice this verse 37 and the two disciples heard there's that verse that verb him speak and they followed Jesus. I think this is so beautiful. They heard him speak.
Behold the Lamb of God. I think it was more of an expression of worship on the part of John the Baptist because in verse 29 he says almost the same words. There he says behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. But here he says, just behold the Lamb of God.
00:10:15
That glorious person.
God's eternal Son is the Lamb that was going to give his life for this world. They heard him speak and evidently they wanted to get closer to that one. And it says, and I love this verse 38. Then Jesus turned and saw them following him, and he said unto them, What seek ye?
What is it that you are seeking?
They said unto him, a rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted master.
Where dwellest thou?
Where is your dwelling place?
He said unto them, Come and see, I love that simplicity, Come and see. The only way they could find out where he dwelt was follow him and observe.
Where was the Lord's dwelling place? He doesn't give an address here. Such and such a street and such and such a number. That's the way we do it.
But they came and saw where he dwelt, and they abode with him that day.
Where was his dwelling place?
Oh brother, I love to go back to the.
18th verse to give that answer.
Of this same chapter no man hath seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him, where was His dwelling place.
The bosom of the Father.
You know, the Lord Jesus said different times. He said foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. It's just amazing to think about. Here's the creator of the universe coming into the world.
When one of the Princess is going to a new Prince is going to be born into the royal family in England, they make sure that everything's ready to receive him in royal form.
Here's the eternal God, the Son of eternal God.
His poor mother.
After a grueling trip, evidently from Nazareth, there is no room for him in the end. Maybe you can find some space out there where the animals are.
There's where the eternal Son of God was born into this world.
And so you never find him in this world looking for, in a dwelling place. I, I, I think I like to think of it in this way, brethren, he said. I came from my father's house and there's nothing in this world that corresponds to that. I'm really not interested in anything further.
He dwelt in the Blues and of the Father and that's where he wants to guide us, that we do.
Will enjoy those same divine affections that he enjoyed from all eternity.
So going back to the first verse of chapter one, the second one is second phrase is that which we have seen with our eyes and notice the third phrase, that which we have looked upon Mr. Darby's translation says that which we have contemplated. What's the difference between?
Seeing and looking upon or contemplating.
Looking upon or contemplating is more detained.
You might say I saw that person on the street today. It was just a passing glance, but you could say I saw him.
But to look upon somebody.
I'm going to have to really examine this for a while and see what I see, and I love to think if somebody has put it this way, brethren.
00:15:06
One look to Jesus saves the soul. Every afterlook is the power of Christian living.
Look at him.
You know, listen.
I've done something with printing, not as much as Brother Don and BTP as Don, but I noticed that those that run the printing Press of times have a magnifying glass and after they pull it off. I guess you're familiar with this too, Robert. You're taking magnifying glass and they run it across there to make sure and so the defects are seen when you make magnify it.
Hey brethren, please don't use the magnifying glass on me. You'll see too many defects.
But if you use the magnifying glass on the Lord Jesus, all you're going to see is complete perfection all the way.
Oh, it's wonderful, brethren, to look at him, to see him, to look at him.
So go back again to 1St, the 1St chapter of John's Gospel to see those two verbs used in John's chapter one.
We've already read one of them, but just to put it into perspective. John 129.
The next day, John.
See it Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. There it is, that word. See, now go back to.
Verse 36 we already read this and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said behold.
The Lamb of God. There it is, looking detained, looking on the Lord Jesus.
Oh, how wonderful it is to go through the Gospels and look at him in all the detail that you can.
And like I say, everything you see will be perfection. That's all you see in him because of who he really is.
How important that is. I love to think of that poor woman that was taken in the very act of adultery and brought right into the public eye in the temple, surrounded by all those people and those Pharisees say to the Lord Jesus, this woman.
Was taken in adultery in the very act their hypocrisy was so evident. Where was the man? Because adultery involves a man.
Come on, bring them in too. But they didn't do that.
And so instead of answering, he Stoops down and writes on the ground.
They keep asking and he finally says.
He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.
And they all were convicted by their own conscience, and they start walking out, beginning with the oldest who had the most sins, I guess.
Until there was nobody left except the poor woman and the Lord Jesus.
Was there no one there that had no sin?
Yes, there was.
Was he going to cast a stone at her?
He had not come to condemn.
He had come to save.
But to say to her as he did, neither do I condemn you, Go and sin no more. It was going to cost him terribly. He was going to have to go to that cross and die there.
Oh, what perfection in that glorious person of the Lord Jesus. So I encourage you not only to see Him.
But to look upon him?
But then the third or the last phrase that we have in verse one of John first John 11 our hands have handled of the word of life.
00:20:01
I can hear you if you speak to me, Brother Sam.
I can hear you, but you're at a little distance.
I can see you out there, but I can't really examine you very closely. You that's sitting in the back row back there.
I need you to be a little closer to be able to look upon you.
But to handle you, I'm sorry, I can't reach any of you to handle you.
To handle you, I've got to be pretty close. But that's the word that John uses here. Our hands have handled of the word of life. He could say, I know we're not talking cleverly devised fables here. I've handled the word of life. That glorious person, where did he get so close to the Lord Jesus?
Go back to John's Gospel chapter 13, please, just for a brief moment before we end our meeting here.
John 13.
And verse.
21 Says Jesus had said thus he was troubled in spirit and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you will betray me. And the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. That's I find that interesting. They never suspected Judas Iscariot. Now there was there was leaning on Jesus bosom.
One of his disciples whom Jesus loved.
Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him that he should ask who it should be of those of whom he spoke. Spake.
You know, Peter could have asked too, but he didn't seem to have the confidence to be able to ask if there was someone closer. I think he had the sense that this one that was closer was the better one to ask the Lord.
So Simon and Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then, lying on Jesus breast, saith unto him, Lord.
Who is it? Jesus answered. It is to whom I shall give a SOP when I have dipped it. Just this point, brethren.
He was close enough.
In his relationship with the Lord Jesus.
That he could ask such an important question. Oh, brethren, may the Lord help us that we would cultivate fellowship in the ways that we have talked about, that which we have heard, that which we have seen.
That which we have looked upon.
And our hands have handed of the word of life.
Hebrews 13:5-6
Reading
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270.
And waiting for it.
To be on.
What all the day lost in its grace and grace.
What all commitment, of course, we need to hold on when it's in the beginning of our lives.
Replay India Banega Manch.
Perhaps we could start at verse 5.
And.
Hey Bruce. Chapter 13, verse 5.
Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
00:05:10
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.
Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines, for it is good that the heart be established with grace, not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the Tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls that they as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief.
Where that is unprofitable for you.
Pray for us where we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
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. I men. And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.
Salute all them which have the rule over you, and all the Saints they of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Well, verse five is another exhortation.
In the.
That the apostle gives in connection with our practical testimony, and as well for our own peace, that there might be fruit for God in our lives, and as part of the Christian testimony that it ought not to be characterized by covetousness. That's what characterizes the world that we live in, in a day of prosperity.
Where the perhaps American, perhaps all of the Christian, Western Christian world that's characterized by.
Covetousness. And so in the New translation it says, Let your conversation or your manner of life be without love of money, satisfied with your present circumstances. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, neither will I forsake thee. And so we ought to be satisfied, not only content, but satisfied, fully satisfied to have the presence of the Lord, and the approval of the Lord.
In our walk and ways and so this exhortation is necessary for us in these last days before the Lord comes because it says Paul says for ye brought nothing. We brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out. And so whatever he gives to us, whatever resources, funds.
Property. Whatever it is, we ought to use it for the Lord.
I.
It's one thing.
Call somebody to be satisfied. It's another thing to recognize that you ought to be satisfied. But the question is, how is it we are satisfied? Well, there's two aspects to it. One you'll see in Philippians Chapter 4.
Philippians, Chapter 4.
Verse 11.
Not that I speak in respect of want.
00:10:04
For I have learned in whatsoever state I am.
Therewith to be content.
Paul says I have learned.
That's a process.
And.
That means dealing with unpleasant.
Circumstances that would normally be unsatisfying and accepting them from the Lord. Learning to accept them from the Lord.
You look in the life of the Apostle Paul, you find that there were times when he did get agitated in certain circumstances, and he did things that he probably should not have done.
And then he says in verse 12.
Verse 11 he says, I have learned, Verse 12 he says.
I know both how to be abased and I know how to have found everywhere and in all things I am instructed. I am instructed both to be full, to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. So the first aspect is something to learn, but who do we learn it from? We learn it from the Lord, the Lord Jesus.
Said take my yoke upon you and learn from me. And if we recognize we're in circumstances that are less than satisfying, that we're not content with them.
And I think we all have that experience. We need to turn to the Lord and discover what is in this fifth verse. Let your conversation be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have before.
He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
The Lord is ultimately our portion.
On the verse that John referred to in Matthew 11. On the same point, Matthew Chapter 11.
Matthew 11 verse 28. Come unto me. I'll comment on it as we read it.
All ye that labor and are heavy laden, we all have our present circumstances that are referred to and we're told to be content with them, and yet present circumstances can also have connected with them. A laboring and a heavy lading.
I spent a couple of evenings this week with a man.
In the intensive care unit of a hospital that is dying of lung cancer.
And he what put him in this time was he had a panic attack. He was afraid in the circumstances and he was in a lot of pain. So he overdosed on his over the counter pain Med and ended up in the hospital where he is now. And the first comment connected, which I was.
Going over these verses with him coming to me.
That's the first step.
To find.
Being acceptable in present circumstances.
Very often requires going to the right place and the right person and the person that can give us that peace.
Is the one that says, Come unto me.
The second thing, he says. A promise I will give you rest.
And so that person, the Lord Jesus that invites us to come to him, says, you, come to me and I will give you rest.
Fella, I'm referring to Thomas. Somebody walked into his room that day from the hospital staff and they said to him the other day, are you afraid Thomas? And he says, yes, I am.
He's always been an honest person in that way. And so he said, yes, I am afraid. And the Lord Jesus recognizes where we are, and if we're afraid, he recognizes that, but his invitation is come. And then he says, I will give you rest to me. The 29th verse is the practical way in which we learn to have that rest. He says, take my yoke upon you.
00:15:24
I don't know. I assume most here know what a yoke is. 2 animals that are going to labor together. I have a common yoke that ties them together. And so he says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. What is there to learn of the Lord?
Did he have peace and rest in his circumstances of the most difficult life that a person has ever lived, that he know what he was talking about when he says?
Come to me and get in yoke with me.
Yes, he did. We know he did. And so his invitation to us is come submit yourself to bearing a common yoke with me. I've been through what you're going through or something far worse. And so I have experience at the burden and what it is and what it is to be facing.
Circumstances that are very difficult and so then he says.
Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. That's one of the things that is learned in yoke with the Lord Jesus. We sometimes try to learn it on our own, Oh, I ought to be more humble, I ought to be more accepted, and so on and so forth, and find it very difficult. But with the Lord Jesus, he says what is involved in it?
It's acceptance.
Part of the acceptance of circumstances as being leaked and lowly, and the Lord Jesus submitted himself to God in the circumstances of his life, and even the circumstance of being rejected and being unfairly treated and being put to death and so on, were the circumstances of his life.
And yet into thy hands I commit. My spirit was his attitude in that God is in control of all the circumstances of my life, and he submitted to them.
He would say, I delight to do thy will, O my God, and that delight meant I accept thy will, Oh my God, even if it causes me to lose my life in the way that he lost his life. And so he says, verse 30, my yoke is easy.
Why? Because when two are yoked together, the stronger one can make the weaker ones yoke like.
And so the Lord can say, I know how to make the yoke, that you have to bear light, because I will bear it with you, and my burden for you is light, lo I. And so in our verse, as it says.
Here I am. Will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. I'll never say I'm sorry. I can't carry the oak with you. It's too difficult. You'll have to do it on your own.
Now the Lord says, I'll never leave you, I'll stay in yoke with you, I'll never cease to go through it with you. But it starts with the invitation. Come.
And if we aren't willing to come to him, then we will not enjoy the fellowship with him in the.
Oak.
Matthew 11 we see the.
The key to the Lord's submission first of all, in verse 25.
He he had just.
Viewed the his his field of service for God.
His his love to those that the father had sent him to, and they had all rejected it and.
His his answer to that was in verse 25 and that at that time Jesus answered and said, I thank the old Father, Lord of heaven and earth. And so the Lord Jesus you spoke of the fact that he he knew what he knew what submission was and so he could be a piece in whatever circumstances he was found. And then he goes on to say in verse clinic 26.
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Even so, Father, for so it seemed good and thy sight, the Lord Jesus had such confidence in the Father that whatever happened to him, He knew that it was it was the best thing and this. And So what the Lord Jesus has done here is he has laid out an example of already having done what he's asking us to do.
And when we speak of being willing to go into the yoke, we're going into the yoke of one who has already given us the example of perfect submission and obedient to his Father. And you know, really, that's the that's the answer for contentment, as we have in our verse here.
When we realize that our Father is in charge of giving.
And he'll give what he sees as best and if we have confidence in his ability to give.
Then it's hard to be dissatisfied with what you give. And we can rejoice in whatever he gives. And if he doesn't choose to give, then we know it's best because He's our Father.
He gives according to his own heart. And so, you know, we can't really have these things without relationship.
God hasn't brought us into fellowship with himself for us to not enjoy relationship and so.
Contentment really has to do with us. Don was Speaking of being in the yoke with the Lord Jesus, letting him bear the load. But it also has in the confidence of relationship with the giver, with the one who every good gift says.
In is it James one, every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father of life, and who is is no variables in the shadow of turning so.
Contentment really has to do with relationship and trust within that relationship, knowing God is our Father.
And I just want to emphasize that's what the Lord showed us in Matthew 11. He said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. He said Even so Father for so it seemed good. And I said it was relationship which led him to be that wonderful son.
I have a question with regards to covetousness and being content. So a couple of things. The Buddhist ultimate desire in their life, it's a funny way to say it. It should eliminate all desire. They conflate it with the idea of covetousness, which is damaging. We can see that around even the world can see that materialism, at least to excess is damaging and does damage. Although Buddhist wants to eliminate all desire.
Somehow. And that, that's the ultimate goal. So when you're growing up and your father says to you, don't you have any ambition?
Someone in school may say your counselor, don't you have any ambition to maybe a lazy student or a casual student?
And here's another thing. I've heard a group of fathers talking, and this one father says, my son's almost 40 years old. He's content to live at home. He's content to hang out with his friends. He's content to just have a menial job. He's happy. Something's wrong with that picture.
Where does Biblical?
Godly desire to advance, to go to school, to get a job, to get married.
To advance a career on a business and that crossed the line over into covetousness because if you're content to sit at home as a 39 year old young man, content dad isn't content about that mom. They're saying how do I get him out? Something's wrong with that picture.
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So how these things work out in real life?
How do you say that? Because the world's thinking about this can influence us. And that idea of ambition. Don't you have any ambition? Well, some people, they want all of that and they're right out of the gate. You can see something's wrong with the desire they have. They want to be rich. They want all these things, the toys and all of that, and it's over the line.
Where is the ballots? Where is that at?
All Ephesians and Colossians.
It says that covetousness is idolatry. So it's getting something before our souls that is not the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think that's so nice what it says in our verse five that your conversation be without covetousness and be content with those things that you have. For he has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
So it's having the Lord before us, that's what will really truly satisfy. I think it's important that we recognize that our American culture is built on covetousness. Having more, the whole advertising operation industry is to make you discontent with what you have. Hey, there's something better, you can get it. And that's it's built on that. And so to realize that there's something wrong with that way of thinking.
I must say, brother, and I was.
Severely challenged from those younger in an experience I had in the Dominican Republic with Columbia Cannon years ago, a brother who is very poor.
He had a house that was built in sticks on in the ground. There were the walls tied together financially through that leaked fairly freely when it rained heavy.
This to their home, his home.
For the noon meal, and there was no place in the place in that house to sit except at the table. And so before the meal was ready, that's where we sat down and the brother was sitting at the head of the table. He didn't have any nice car to show us, any nice house to show us if he got out his Bible I'll never forget.
A dear brother, that black face shining with the joy that it did as he opened the book, started reading.
I thought he was reading. Anyhow, afterwards I found out he couldn't read. He was quoting it from memory, but the joy that radiated from his face.
May be challenged my own way of life and my way of thinking about things.
And I just bowed my head there and said, Lord Jesus, please help me.
Not to get deceived by material things that are so much part of our life. It's not about having things, it's about relationship. Life is. And so it is with God is Father, with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And here it says that this way.
With the fact that he has said I will never leave you nor forsake me, he's there.
You want something more than him? Is that what it's about?
It says in the book of Proverbs chapter 27, verse 20, last part of the verse. So the eyes of man are never satisfied and so this world is too small to ever fill and satisfy the heart of man. It's only Christ that can satisfy the heart and it's a comfort to those here in the the apostle was speaking to those that were soon to lose everything.
They were soon to just walk out of Jerusalem, and historically, I believe they went to a city called Pella, and they went and before the city was destroyed, before Titus came in and they were spared God's people, but they had to leave everything behind. And so this was perhaps going to be a comfort to them. And there are those that do face the loss of all things when you think of our brethren in India.
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And perhaps in Egypt, other places where the persecution is intensifying, they may be losing all things, but they'll still have Christ, they'll have what's worth having, and they'll be content with present circumstances or satisfied with present circumstances. And so that's what ought to characterize your life, and mine is to be satisfied with the present circumstances that God has allowed.
In our lives individually, you and I are in the School of Law and he is arranging circumstances in your life and mind that are individual and that are unique.
And So what he desires is that we might value the sense of his presence, that we might walk in fellowship with him and be perfectly satisfied to have fellowship with him regardless of the stuff that's all around us.
Well, Robert, I have a question for you. Years ago, you decided to start a business that was more than just having a job. When you're talking to a young person making that decision, that's more than they have.
That's doing something more than what you have. The first job you have. Why not stay at that simple job? What is it then? You desire the next step? I've desire to now have a business or grow or move on to the next thing that's not sitting still someplace there. Was that wrong? I don't think so. When you made that decision before the Lord to start a business. That is a practical thing that comes up in every single young person's life here.
And they have to balance that is in a right desire for me to do this. That's the question that I'm trying to get an answer to. You know, what is that? You're not staying in that first job you have or the next one or the career and so forth. You're moving forward. What do you say to that father? How do I get my son out? He's content there. Something's wrong with that. And we want to be content that God has placed us a certain way, at least for now.
Tomorrow, the next day or down the road.
Our brother read how Paul had learned to be content, but he also had learned to abound. So what is it when you have a young person, you're starting out in life, you have a job, the desire to go higher, or have ambition to take a better job or start a business or something. How do you do that practically before the Lord?
There are different exercises, but it says that we are to provide honest things, honest in the sight of God and man. And so God allows and He gives the opportunity to be able to provide for our own in a profitable way, and that there might be fruit for him, that we might be a blessing to the Saints of God and other places, all those sorts of things. But the fact of the matter is here in Hebrews he's talking about the heart.
Whether it's the heart engaged in, is the heart making? Are we our hearts deceived into thinking that having a business will satisfy us? Are we deceived to think that having a better truck than I have now is going to satisfy us? Are we thinking that if we have a bigger house that we're going to be satisfied or content? No, he says. Be content with such things as you have or satisfied with present circumstances. For he has said, I will never, never leave thee.
Nor for safety. So there is a possibility that we could miss the mind of the Lord and be covetous.
And seek to have something that we ought not to have. And then the Lord will bring us into his governmental ways, will train us because of that. But you know that we, we brother, my answer to you would be that we live before the Lord and he gives us those exercises. We need to be careful not to make this world or the things in this world the object. And this is the passage that we're reading he's driving at.
You're going to leave it behind. You're going to have to walk out and leave it all behind. Don't make it the object for life.
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I'd like to suggest that you have a hard time finding somebody who is more ambitious, naturally, than the Apostle Paul.
And he was on the road to Damascus.
And he met the Lord.
And then he says, what wilt thou have me to do? His own personal ambitions were gone. It's interesting what he wrote in the First Corinthians seven. Look at that briefly. First Corinthians 7.
And I'm not saying this has all the answers, but it's interesting how it's written here. Let every man, First Corinthians 7 verse 20, let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. And the calling in First Corinthians is first and foremost the Lord's calling.
Art thou called being a servant? Care not for it.
Where's the ambition here?
Well, here's something else instead of ambition, but if thou mayest be made free.
Use it rather That's advancement. If he has the opportunity to be freer to serve the Lord, then he can go ahead. That's advancement. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lord's freeman. Likewise, he that is called being free is Christ's servant.
Ye are bought with a price, be ye not the servants of men, those who.
Seek advancement in this world, become servants of men. So the servant of the Lord says, Lord, what do you want me to do? And so the Lord opens the door and tells you to go through it. Because the two, you have to have both of them just and not every door is meant to go through. But if the Lord opens the door and tell invites you to go through it, then that's fine.
I was thinking of Peter asking the Lord Jesus, Lord, what shall this?
Man do we can't lay down a decision for every person. Every person's got to have that, make that decision and get their direction from the Lord. And so the Lord says to Peter.
What is that to thee? Follow thou me, and you see a person that is wasting their life and they don't seem to have a sense of direction.
They're foolishly content.
They need to get to know the Lord Heal Director.
Further back home, little assembly we're sharing.
A quote or in a comment that he picked up from 1 of Mr. Darby's writings and in effect he said Mr. Darby said this, that since the fall of man, man has been living a lie.
And Satan being the Prince and power of the air.
Would take us anywhere but Christ and everywhere but Christ. And I thought that was very pertinent statement. Since the fall of man, Adam may have been living alive.
What is important?
We know very little about the life of the Lord Jesus.
In his early life, but we have a little bit.
He was raised in a family in which the father was a Carpenter.
And when people saw him, they said, is not this the carpenter's son?
Later on, he's referred to as is not this.
The Carpenter, from that I believe we can say the Lord Jesus had an occupation. He's a perfect man. He spent the 1St 30 years of his 33 1/2 years life in a quiet way. As he grew up, he learned to be a Carpenter from his father. He took up that work. From Mark's Gospel chapter four, I think it is there's a reference to him is, is he not at home?
And in that, I believe some of the most sound teachers have made the comment that he had a place to live. He looked after himself as a Carpenter. He had a dwelling in which he lived.
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Not to mix that up with, as was said in the open time in the previous meeting, he had not where to lay his head and so on. That's a different line of truth that has to do with the fact that there was nothing here in this world.
That in which he could find rest. And after he went into his public service, he was despised and rejected of men for it. And it had to do with that aspect and that piece of his life. And so we see in a Perfect man there was a perfect balance as well. He spent approximately 30 of his 33 1/2 years in a quiet, occupied, natural way of life.
But he was called of God from the beginning to a service, and at 30 years of age he went into that service and gave up the natural things of life. And for the last 3 1/2 years of his life he did that work which we are most called upon to focus on and learn from part of the perfection of living the balanced life that.
Is commented on has to do with what motivates and the Lord Jesus from the day of his birth onward was properly motivated in how he lived his life. When he was 12 years old or so, the family goes to Jerusalem and they're going on their way home and they find out he's not in the company of them and they say where is he?
So they go looking for him.
He had reached the beginning of an age in which he.
Started to make decisions in life of his own responsibility. And so when they found him, as he said, I must be about my father's business. They recognized as young people go through this period of life in which at first all decisions are made by mom and dad.
But there comes a point in the natural progression of life in which God holds the child responsible to start making decisions of their own. And it's often a difficult time for mom and dad to properly guide and shepherd their child and maintain the authority of the household and yet recognize that the child needs to start making certain decisions.
That they will be responsible for in their relationship with God. And so it was in the perfect life of the Lord Jesus. But I think the apostle Paul gives us something that's very important on it. And that is he could say for me to live is Christ. That is whatever he chose to do.
He said my life, my motivation is to please the Lord Jesus Christ.
And for that very reason, when he was writing to the Saints in Corinth.
He chose even though he was in the service of the Lord, even though he was in what people call full time service, if you will, in serving the Lord, and he'd been called to that work. What was he doing?
He was at times working as a tent maker. He was worked as a tent maker.
He continued within what the couple.
Priscilla and Aquila, why did he do that? Paul, you got more important things than that to do. There are lots of Saints to be visited. What did he do? Why was he doing a natural occupation at that point in his life? Because he said I didn't want to be a burden to you brethren, to the Saints that he was ministering to. He knew that would be for their blessing and benefit.
And their state of soul to himself occupy in that way for their blessing. And so even in natural things, sometimes the Lord will have a brother or sister, and so on be occupied in some natural way with a sense that they're serving the Lord Jesus Christ for the blessing of others.
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I'd like to.
Brother Sam's question right on the nose because I happen to have an older son at home.
And I think what you're raising is very real.
We were sitting at home, the two of us, and we were.
In our reading together, the two of us read before we start our day. And we were in the book of Philippians.
We could maybe turn there for a moment.
Three.
Philippians, Chapter 3.
Our brother Dawn has just quoted from Philippians 1.
In Philippians chapter 3, we have Christ as our object when we're reading there. We read in the 13th verse which said, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended. But there's one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth, or rather straining or stretching under those things which are before I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling.
Of God in Christ Jesus.
So.
When we have our reading, it's after my son has come back from his workout. He works out every morning except for two and I work at 2:00 and.
I'll share this that our workouts they have no remote similarities.
But.
In in the workout that my son does once a week and it's in relation to this verse, he says, you know what, when I read in this verse, the thought of stretching and straining.
He says one of the things that we do.
Is we, we pick an activity, whatever it is, and there's a group of them there and whether it's sit-ups or whether it's push-ups or whether it's curls or whether it's biking or whatever it is, they pick a particular exercise and they do it as hard as they can for as long as they can and they don't count. So for instance, if they're doing push-ups, they do push ups until they can't do another one and then they wait for 30 seconds.
And they start over again and they start to push ups again and they do those until they can't do them again. They stop for 30 seconds and do them again. And they keep doing these until they get to the point where they can't possibly do another one.
Let's turn to the book of John because this is the next portion that we looked at.
In John's Gospel.
The second chapter.
And this takes place the first time that the Lord leans out the temple. We have at the beginning of his ministry, and we also have at the end. And here at the beginning of His ministry we have in the 15th verse, He makes us a scourge of small cords. He drives out of the temple of the sheep, the oxen forced out the money chambers, very careful with the doves, He says, take these things hence.
Makes up my father's house, a House of merchandise, and his delightful remembered that it was written and this was welcomed by some was looking at. He says the zeal of buying house hath eaten me up. The zeal of my house hath eaten me up. This completely consumed the Lord Jesus.
And after we had this conversation, I hadn't started my workout yet. My son turned to me and said so.
How does your spiritual zeal?
Now that was a challenge to me. I don't have a 39 year old son and this one has lots of drugs. So that's different. I understand that. But the point is that in our lives.
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We have been given enough in the Word of God to know what the will of God is. We know that, and if we're doing those things in our life, then we'll have wisdom to know the things that we don't have. Chapter and verse 4.
But that we struggle with as to what His will is in our life. And the problem is, is we want direction for those things and we're not content to do the things that we know are the will of God.
You know that that's a challenge to me because in Philippians with regards to and of course, it's a race that that's portrayed there in a race, there's a winner. Those of us who are believers, every last person can win every last person. It's not just a prize for one person. And it's, it's I think it's so important for those here who are younger, who are believers because you've been bringing up before us and when does the person have drive? When does he not have drive? What's he supposed to do? What's he not supposed to do? And I think the key is.
There are those things that we know are the will of God and if we're doing those things.
All the other things will fall into place.
John 717 says we must be first willing to do the will of God and then we'll know the will of God. I learned that from Dan Spence years ago and I never forgot it. That thing that I think one of the problems that we've had is that we've picked up some of the ideas of the world and we've encouraged our children and that to pursue things.
Before they understand that principle, knowing that God will reveal His will if we're willing first to submit to it is a big thing. The other thing too is why not encourage our children at a very young age to find out what God's purpose is in their life, maybe what their gift is. I talked to a 69 year old man who's been saved for many years who told me I don't know what my gift is.
I believe he has the gift of helps and he does the work of an evangelist. But I was astonished at that, and I have young people ask me that too. Maybe we should encourage that. What purpose does God have for you, young person, as you direct it? Because then your thinking, as you pray and seek God's will for your life, you're not going to go certain directions because it will interfere with that pursuit.
But that willingness to do His will upfront, coming to that and being willing there first and then seeking what is my purpose before God? What does He have? What is He drawing me to? How is He moving me forward? There are things and choices in life that will interfere with that. That will be wrong. Wasn't it? Mr. Darby said he'd rather if he had children to be a ditch digger than an educated person. If they would just follow and walk with the Lord.
But in America and North America, we don't think that way. There could be a son and a daughter that would choose a simple life because their purpose, their gift from God has something else would interfere with that. But then again, maybe God wants somebody to be a doctor and be like a bill cross. That's another direction. And that what he chose to do and walked in a way submitting to God's will, willing to do his will let him down that but not everyone.
Maybe you're supposed to be a farmer, maybe you're supposed to be a Carpenter like Brother Phil and serve the Lord in that way and doing something else or interfere with that. And I believe that sometimes young people listen too much to the world, and maybe their parents encourage them down the road and they make choices that their parents like that people approve of that will interfere, at least for a time, with God's purpose in their life.
And then?
Like Brother Robert was saying, God will come in with his government and he will teach us and he will read, you know, move us in another direction. But the purpose that he had, if you guys remember the story of Eric Liddell from the 1920s Olympics, the Scotsman, the Scotsman that that could run like the wind. He believed from a very young age that God had called him to be a missionary to China.
And he knew that and in his life.
In sport, he found out he could run very fast. He was so fast he could run faster than most of the people in the world. But he was a Christian who wanted to please the Lord, and he knew he had a calling on his life.
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And in his story, his sister became concerned with the direction he was taking because he was starting to run in meats and approaching towards the Olympics.
And he told us she was afraid he was going to forget what he believed. And she believed his calling was that God was directing meant to be a missionary. And he said, no, sister, I'm not going to deviate from that. I know God wants me to go to China, but he said God made me fast.
And when I run, I feel his pleasure.
And he used to run with a beaming face toward the sky and at a skimbo sewed away with his arms. And the technicians who trained people to run would look at him and say, how in the world can he do that? But he was running feeling God's pleasure in that. And he used those moments early on in his life. He would preach the gospel at the meats. And because he had this ability as a Scotsman in Scotland, loved him.
He had freedom to preach the gospel and every time he ran and every time he was at these events, he would just preach the gospel and then God did take him all the way to the Olympics. Now in his story, why he got famous to the world was because he would not run on Sunday.
And the King of England was outraged. The Lords and Ladies of England were outraged until 1 Lord stepped forward who was in the Olympics himself. Lord. I don't remember his name.
And he gave up his position in a race that was a race that Eric Liddell had never run.
And then he ran that race on Monday because he wouldn't run on Sunday. And he won a race he'd never won. And the world knew about it. The testimony of this man who was both fast in a natural thing, what has only used it up to the point where then he went to China, but there was an American runner who was a Christian who came up to him who would have run against him on Lord's Day.
Who did run on Lord's Day, whom he would have lost to, Who handed him a note that said.
He that honoreth me, I will honor and God honored him. And Eric Little, I went to China, he was a missionary there. That was his ultimate purpose and he died there, leading souls to Christ and saving lives and giving medical treatment to God. Be the glory. What a life that is. But I think that's a picture of a balance. Someone who knew their purpose, had natural abilities and used them and used them for the Lord.
But then God took him to that place and he gave his life there as a martyr. Does that make sense?
Hebrews on a man's life and the purpose and balance of his life, and that's Abraham. Turn to Chapter 11.
Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 8 by faith Abraham.
Comment First comment is.
God orders our lives so that they will always have to be lived by faith, not by sight.
We can't, if you will, dream up a grand plan for our own life.
And live the kind of life that is chosen for us by God.
And we have the example and the testimony of that in Abraham.
By faith, Abraham. So what happens when he was called to go out into a place which he should have to receive for inheritance? Obey.
The comment I want to make about it is that very often in the progress of life, the Lord puts a step before us.
Maybe in a natural realm of what we're going to do as an occupation or something else.
In service to himself, but he will often put before us one thing to do.
And then wait, will we obey it? We would like very often to see the whole program seen before us before we're ready to take the first step. That's not faith. That is something that we do because we see the result of what it is if we follow a certain direction of things. And so here Abraham was called.
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To go to a place he'd never been to, a place he had never seen, a place he didn't know what he was going to find when he got there.
All he knew was the Lord said go, and by faith he went.
He obeyed, and I want to comment that sometimes if you want to know the second step of your life, you take the first step and then the Lord will show you the next step. Sometimes we may see multiple steps ahead, but not always because it isn't the character of a life of faith if we always do. So He went out and He obeyed, not knowing where he was going to end up.
Where he was going. So in verse 9, by faith he sojourned in the land of promise.
As in a strange country.
His children followed him in that same path of faith, as we see in the latter part of those verses.
He was told to do something. He did it. He took the next step. He lived there. He raised his family there. Did he ever see the end? Well, he was promised things, but in his life he actually never saw the end of the journey of what was promised to him in blessing. However, in the high point of his life, he was told one day, Abraham, you take your son out there.
A new sacrifice him to me, all the promises and everything that he was living by was well, God, he could have said, wait a minute, you promised that I'd be a nation and how can I be a nation? I have this son and you're telling me to take him out and put it take his life as a sacrifice to you.
But he had faith, he obeyed, he went out, and as a consequence, in a way he did not anticipate or could have seen, the Lord, of course, protected his son and.
Yeah, he acted in the belief that he was going to give up the very most precious child. That is, that he had in which the promises. Why did he? What was his belief?
Who said? Well, at least by implication, he said, Well, God promised me that I'll be a nation, so if he has to raise thy son for the dead to do it, he will.
Consequently, in the path of life there is nothing impossible with God in the circumstances of ordering a life according to His choosing for us, and so He will bring us into those circumstances, natural and spiritual.
Which are according to his will, but he has he's going to make us do it in a process of faith. And then very often it's after we take one step that he shows us the next one.
That's my status in the next verse. So that way you may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what shall what man shall do unto me.
We may boldly say who is the one that's directing this? Like you say Abraham when he was told us take his son and sacrifice him. There is no record of any back doc with Abraham.
He simply got up early the next morning and went about doing what he was told to do. That's faith. It's simple trust. Could he see ahead what the answer is going to be? No, that's fake. But what kind of a God do you have, brother?
Can you trust him?
That's the point.
Is he a resurrection? He was mistaken, but his belief didn't waver. That's the thing, he said, OK, there's going to be a resurrection. Not going to be fun killing my son. But that's, that's what he thought. That's faith took him through. Absolutely.
It's always been an encouragement to be taken up Hebrews and.
Thinking that these were Jewish believers or Jewish folks that were under the first covenant, these are important principles that they needed to know they were really.
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Under the first covenant, rightly, and the writer of Hebrews is trying to focus them.
A different direction and indeed the emphasis on faith was so important and also they were earthly minded and so look at this are times about God. But look at this at the end of chapter 10 they lose everything. So these Jewish believers who were rightly earthly minded possessions would have meant something. So look at what happens.
The stalling of their goods. So look at verse chapter 10 and verse.
Verse 32 The call to remembrance, the former days in which after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of affliction, partly while she were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst you became companions of them that were so used. For you had compassion on me and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods. And he's going to say, there's something better.
Knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and enduring substance. So he's trying to focus them on the heavenly portion. So can't you understand why he would emphasize not being content with earthly things but trying to focus them that the reward is in heaven? And then he says cast, not your cast, not away there for your confidence, which has great recompense of reward.
For you have needed patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.
For he had a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not carry. Now the just shall live by faith. If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. So the emphasis was heavenly, wasn't it? And the emphasis on faith. And so when we get to Chapter 13, all of this ground is covered, isn't it?
I think it's chapter 13. The Lord said to Moses, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.
And so they had to go forward in faith. They hadn't been that way before. And so here in chapter 13 of Hebrews verse six, he speaks of really courage. If you look at the new translation, it says so that taking courage we may say the Lord is my helper.
Would you want another helper? The Lord is my helper.
He's not only our shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the chief shepherd, the great shepherd, but he's our helper. And so God is interested in your individual circumstances, and He may put you in a set of circumstances where it will take courage to move forward, it will take faith to move forward, but with the Lord as our companion.
As we have a sense of his presence, a sense of his approval, as we take a step in faith, then there can be courage. So your pathway and mine ought not to be characterized by cowardice and refusing to make a move because we don't take, we don't know what the what the results will be. But when the Lord gives us a step to take, to take that step, I'll just point out too, in Acts Chapter 9, the apostle Paul.
When he was, Saul was saved, and the Lord gave him one thing to do. He says in chapter nine of the Acts. He says in verse 6, partway through verse six, the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. So he had to get up first, he had to act. And the man which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing a man. But then it says in verse 8 and Saul arose.
So there has to be obedience, obedience, happiness, courage.
But a sense of the Lord's presence. Isn't it nice to have a sense of the Lord beside us, helping us through the difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in? He is interested and He does have the power to help, and He does have the will to help us. It's not like He doesn't have the will to do it.
01:10:03
And obedience will deliver us here. I will not fear. And I think that's so important today. And you see so many people under the power of fear.
Brethren, if that's what's gripping us, we need to get back to thinking about who has called us. When we simply trust Him and go forward by faith, it will deliver us from fear.
There might still be a few guests along the road, right?
Here has a place. If there's danger, we should be fighting. But it says in Scripture not to be given to it. That's the Christian past, not to be given to it.
Or.
Our international students are like.
With the RLW.
Oh my God, everybody is coming up again. Whatever.
Oh my God.
4.100.
Dollars.
Please.
Give me all the.
Call.
Me.
Those the Lord Calls "My Servant"
Gospel—Dave Mearns
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So I was looking over this hem sheet.
Trying to select the hymn that we should sing tonight, I realize, you know, we could spend the hour and we could sing this whole sheet and we would have the gospel presented in such a clear way.
I don't think that's what the brethren had in mind, so we're not going to do that. But I would like to open by singing hymn #25, hymn #25.
It's a solemn hymn.
Life at best is very brief.
I like the falling of a leaf.
Just before.
My wife and I came here halfway through the week. The brother called me and asked if I would hold forth the word of life on Saturday night.
And.
I went for a walk in the driveway.
That night.
The moon was shining. It was dark.
And I knew that because of the circumstances that.
We've been found in the last while that there probably wasn't going to be.
A canvassing in the neighborhood and a whole group of people in here that were invited to the gospel.
I kind of took that for granted and I think as I look around the room that that is likely the case.
And as I pondered that, I kind of looked up and thought, Father.
What would you have me to say?
And I considered, you know, when I was younger.
And I, you know, I came in in just as we came in first here. The first thing that I saw was a group of young people on the outside of the door just chatting and having a good time. And I recall back to when I was a young person, the assembly that I was brought up in, in Montreal, the large assembly, it was give or take somewhere around 50 young people on any given.
Birthday that we would have, there would be that many signatures on a birthday card and yet as I reflect on that company now.
I think there are five that are gathered.
And there's probably 15.
That there's no evidence whatsoever.
That they know the Lord Jesus as their Savior. No evidence whatsoever.
So here tonight, we're not going to preach the gospel.
As if there's a company here that has never heard it before. Because as I view, particularly you young people.
Most of you would know the gospel every bit as well as I do.
And yet I can't help but think.
That there is somebody here tonight.
And you know not my Savior, the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
What a solemn thing to be brought up.
In a Christian home.
To be brought up with the influence of the assembly.
And to be without Christ.
All we trust tonight as we open this precious book, the Word of God.
We speak from these blessed pages that your heart would be touched tonight.
And that you, whatever age you are, just speaking to a brother, you say you couldn't figure out how. How come he didn't come to the Lord when he was really young? He came when he was 11.
We trust that you would come to know the Lord Jesus tonight as your Savior, so let's open by seeing him #25 if somebody could please start that for us.
#25.
My fat *** is very brave. Like the falling falling by the mind in the world.
That's a lot of things.
About all.
In the arms of the flowers.
Let me send you on your way to make fire.
And your pride of anything else to do without anything.
In the morning, morning and the morning.
And you're right.
As I was walking down the driveway and considering.
What was before me? I walked over to where we have a burn pile.
Where we burn brush and I noticed a glint in what was no longer a brush pile, but a pile of ashes, and kicking away at the ashes, there was a hinge.
From a door that I had thrown on a wooden door, I'd throw that on the brush pile and it all burned up.
00:10:01
And that was the only thing that was left.
Was this metal hinge?
And I'm just wondering tonight.
If this was the last day of your life.
Would there be any gold, there be any metal, anything shining? Or would it all be ashes?
You know, it's such a solemn thing to have just sung that hymn. Life at best is very brief. You know, while we sang it, 800 people were ushered into eternity, 800 people.
Say, oh, well, that's a statistic.
Yeah, maybe. But if the Lord should leave us here, everyone of us will become a statistic. Turn with me, please, to Isaiah chapter 42.
Isaiah chapter 42. We're going to read a few preliminary scriptures before I look at the subject that's before me, Isaiah chapter 42.
Isaiah chapter 42. In the first phrase of that first verse, behold.
My servant.
Behold.
My servant.
Now the Lord Jesus, he walked this pathway down here as one that served. Have you seen that blessed one, our Lord Jesus as the one who is the perfect servant? You know we could put that those 3 words, Behold my servant over the Gospel of Mark as we go through that gospel and see the Lord's pathway is the perfect servant. Turn with me now please to Matthew's Gospel Chapter 7.
Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 7.
Matthew 7.
And verse 13.
Enter Ye in at the straight gate.
For why does the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat, because Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Now, Isana, one of us here that was born into this scene.
Under the narrow way. Ah, one of us, everyone of us was born on the broad Rd. that leads to destruction. Every single one of us. Yes, it's a blessed thing to be brought up in a Christian home. It's a wonderful thing to be brought up with the influences and the protection of the assembly. What we've been born.
The broad road, and it leads as we, as we rehear, it leads to destruction. Now turn with me to the book of Jeremiah.
The Book of Jeremiah, chapter 17.
Jeremiah, chapter 17.
And we read this in verse 9. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? A trust will be able to elaborate a little on that tonight. The deceitfulness of my heart and the deceitfulness of your heart. Now turn with me over to Luke's gospel. Luke's gospel, chapter 18.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 18.
I would like to read this portion which is a very well known portion.
Without comment.
And perhaps refer to it later. Luke's Gospel chapter 18 and verse 10.
Two men.
Went up into the temple to pray.
The 1A Pharisee, the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank thee. I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possessed.
00:15:08
And the publicans, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breasts, saying, God be merciful.
To me, a Sinner.
Now turn over with me to 1St Thessalonians.
First Thessalonians.
Chapter One.
Just a phrase at the end of verse 9 concerning the Thessalonians.
And how it says that they turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. They turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. You know, we just read from Luke's Gospel chapter 18. If we were to turn back two chapters, we would read there. It says no man can serve 2 masters.
No man can serve 2 masters.
As I look around this audience here tonight, everyone of us is serving a master. Who are you serving tonight? Maybe it's not evident who you're serving, but who are you serving tonight? These Thessalonian Saints, they turn to God from idols to serve the living and the true God.
I would like to look this evening. I've been impressed with the many that we find in the scripture that the Lord refers to Him as his servant, and there are many, but there's a much fewer number.
Where the Lord says about them that they are my servants.
And I would like to look at some of them tonight, those who the Lord says they are my servant. And just at the outset, you know, there's a day coming. Every one of us here in this room is going to stand before the Lord Jesus.
And I know it doesn't exactly, it's not going to exactly happen this way, but for illustration, when your number is called and you stand before the Lord Jesus, is he going to look at you and say my servant, or is he going to say, depart from me for I never knew you?
Depart from me, for I never knew you. What a solemn thing, those beautiful.
Words that we read in First Thessalonians, one about those Saints, how they turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. I had occasion at the airport.
To interesting We've all been in airports and there's a it's fascinating to look at the cross section of people. I was sitting at the gate and and there was.
Scads of people there. There was. There was. Men there in suits, there was.
There was young people that were dressed rather shabbily.
There was there was mothers with babies.
There was a there was a girl, she had green hair.
She had shorts that were probably this high, probably 10 inches, not dressed modestly. There was men with turbans, there was men with skull caps, a whole cross section of people and.
I hadn't checked in. I'd already had my boarding pass, so you don't have to check in. So I went up to the up to the gate and I said to the, I said to the lady there. I said, so how are you this fine sunshiny day?
As steaming rain out, she looked at me and she says you live in a cave.
I'm not trying to be funny, this is the way it happened so.
I went back to my seat after I showed her my passport and it tweaked my interest because.
I had just finished reading about one of the caves of scripture and when she said that it made me think I wonder how many caves there are in scripture.
And it just, it just enthralled me to sit there in my seat and to go through all these, these various scriptures with these various caves. There's a vast number of them.
And as I'm going through this and I'm enjoying it so much, I look up and the place is empty. And I realized I'd been enjoying it so much I'd oblivious to what was being announced. And sure enough, it's the very last call. And I got up and I went to the gate and the lady saw me and she says, Oh yes, it's the man that lives in The Cave.
00:20:22
Anyway, I, I, I got onto the, I got onto the plane and it's packed with people and I went my way down to the back of the plane. There's only one seat left and it's right beside green hair and the girl with shorts and I.
I sat down and I thought, this is my portion. I didn't know where to look. I didn't know what to say. It was an uncomfortable situation from me. Anyway, I sat there and.
The.
I asked. I thought, well, I better enter it into a conversation. And I asked the girl where she was going. Well, she was on her way. She was on her way to Las Vegas. Never been there before. I thought, wow, what a sad thing, you're 19 years old.
And so I thought, well, you know, I'm going to ask her what she does. Ask her, what do you, what do you do for a living? Well, actually, I serve, I serve in a drinking establishment and I, I enjoy it because I get the best tips at about two, 3-4 in the morning. And that's where I work. And I thought, wow, what a, what a hard life for someone to start at. And then she flipped it to me and she said, So what do you do for a living? I said, well.
Actually I serve too.
Oh, tweeter interest, she said so. So where do you serve? I said. Well, actually.
I serve someone who is the most marvelous employer that anybody could find in this world and that tweaked their interest, they said and who is that? I said his name is Jesus Christ. And you know, she got this far off long look in her eye.
And she looked at me and she said, oh, I bet he is. As we entered into conversation, I realized here's someone that was brought up.
In Christian influences.
And here her life was a wreck.
You know as as we approach this subject as to who every one of us here serves.
Who do you serve tonight?
No Joshua could say choosy this day whom he will serve, but As for me in my house we will serve the Lord.
Who are you serving tonight?
This poor girl was brought up in circumstances. Then she realized what I was saying.
That I was serving someone that was much different than her.
Oh, I plead with you, young person, as you sit there in your chair and nobody knows that you're serving the enemy of our souls.
You know, we just read a verse. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And you sit there in your chair, having been brought up in a Christian home, and you say, well, I'm not that bad. I'm not like the girl with green hair. I'm not on that kind of a rote. But you know, we read about the Broad Rd. didn't we?
And I'll say tonight that every one of us have been brought up, have been born into that position. We're on the Broad Rd.
And the Broad Rd. has two sides to it. The Broad Rd. has two sides to it. It's got a filthy, dirty side, but it also has a very clean side. And you can be thankful in your soul that you have been brought up in circumstances that are such that you're on the clean side of the Broad Rd. but it's still the Broad Rd. that leads to destruction.
What a sad thing tonight.
To sit here in this room.
Having listened all day to what we've had before us from Hebrews 13.
And you sit there in your chair, and you're lost and in your sins.
You know, it's, it's just an amazing thing for me to try to understand.
And yet there you sit. I don't know who you are, I don't know where you are, but you're sitting there lost and in your sins. And we've just read that scripture. Behold, my servant. Oh, that you would see beauty in that blessed One, our Lord Jesus.
00:25:12
Let's turn now, if you could, with me.
To the first one that I would like to look at.
It's in Genesis chapter 26.
What's intrigued me about this subject is that each one of these ones that the Lord calls my servant, there are features.
That we see in God our Father and we see in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I believe that's why.
The Lord refers to them as my servant, so here we find in Genesis chapter 26.
And, umm.
We pick up on verse 24.
The Lord appeared unto him in the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and I will bless thee.
And I will multiply.
He's referring here. He's talking here.
About Isaac.
And he says here.
I will bless thee and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. My servant Abraham's sake. You know, you wonder when Isaac heard that name, just what it was. But we know you know the feature. We had it read to us this morning. Let's turn over to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8.
Where we read.
Romans, chapter 8.
And verse 32.
He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. Now I love that expression and I love looking at Abraham, and we don't have the time. I won't do it for her to go to that 22nd chapter, beautiful chapter, where the Lord says to Abraham, take now thy son, thine only son eyes thy whom thou love us. And we know the story well, don't we? He takes Isaac, and there he takes them and he puts them on the altar.
And we know that he doesn't have to slay his son. But what a beautiful picture.
That we have there of how it's only the picture of God the Father didn't spare his Son. Isn't that an amazing thing for us to consider of God the Father not sparing the Lord Jesus, but the Lord Jesus being taken and nailed on a cross for you and for me?
What a spectacle, there between heaven and earth on a cross, and there we know that the sun was blotted out, and there during three hours of darkness.
We read in Isaiah the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. There my load of sins was laid on the Lord Jesus, and every one of them was paid for. Oh, what a price was paid for my redemption, and what a price was paid for your redemption, and you sit there in your chair without Christ.
After all, God the Father has done.
For you.
You know, he looks at Abraham and he saw that beautiful obedience.
And he refers to Abraham. Abraham my servant.
But where do you stand tonight? Where do you stand as you sit there in your chair?
Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior or are you lost and in your sins? Oh what a what a horrible thing for me to think of.
The shows being given right now and this whole room being cleared completely out and you left there on your chair. What a solemn, solemn thing.
For us to consider, let's look at the next one. If we go down to turn to the book of Job, the Book of Job.
00:30:06
Where we read another one where the Lord says is my servant.
Job chapter one.
We have this a number of times we have in the second chapter as well in verse 8, the Lord said to Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job? There's none like him in the earth, perfect in an upright man, one that feareth God and a steward evil, my servant Job. Well, let's turn over now to see the feature that we find and it's in.
It's in Second Thessalonians chapter 3.
2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 3.
2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse five we read the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ, or as the margin says, the patience of the Christ, the patience of.
The Christ you know if you were to turn over to the book of James.
The 5th chapter we would read there concerning Job, it says you have heard of the patience of Job and seeing the end of the Lord, that feature that Job had received the Lord Jesus has that feature and it's interesting because all these speeches that we see in all these when the Lord has them all, everyone of them and tonight.
The Lord has patiently waited for you until this moment.
You know, I got a call.
Just during this COVID period.
It's an interesting story.
It's from my next door neighbor several years ago. 12 years ago.
Our next door neighbor.
Who they built a house beside us. There's just a fence between us. They moved in. They were atheists. And gradually they we invited invited them to gospel suppers, invited them to gospel meetings. They came a number of times but had refused God's offer of salvation. And there was this one day that my wife went next door and she asked the lady, She said, you know, Betty, wouldn't you like to come to the Lord Jesus? And Betty said, yes, I would. And she came to the.
Jesus right then and there. Well, Fast forward 12 years, just a few months ago I get this call. Betty's last words to us were make sure my husband Don knows the way. Well dawn went on his way. He was not willing to accept the Lord Jesus. On he went to a point now where he's 89 years old and I get this call.
And it's from the caregiver.
And so I go next door and here's Dawn in bed and he's on oxygen. He's extremely weak.
And yet he's clear in his mind and he says, Dave.
I'm going to die and I'm not ready. I'm not ready.
Well.
We presented to him once again the gospel message that he knew.
And that's how he needed to ask God to forgive him of his sins. He had to realize he was a Sinner. Yes, he realized he was a Sinner. And right there in his back, he asked God to forgive him of all his sins.
Young person, The Lord took him the next day. The next day. This is not a story I read out of a book. This is my neighbor next door.
And how God had patiently waited for him all his life, and he had that opportunity right at the end, the day before he was taken to accept the Lord Jesus as his Savior. You know, I dare say not very many people have that kind of opportunity. And I dare say that that's probably not going to be the opportunity that you have, particularly if you have spurned.
00:35:00
Message time and time and time again and yet.
The patience of Christ to patiently wait for you who are sitting there in your chair right now without Christ.
Where you can simply ask the Lord Jesus.
To wash your sins away.
In that precious blood that he shed on Calvary's cross.
Own Him as your Lord, own your need as a as a vile Sinner, and come to him the opportunity right now. You have absolutely nothing to lose, and you have everything to lose if you don't.
You know Dawn had this opportunity.
And he?
Took the opportunity right at the end of his life and came to Christ. Well, what about you tonight? Oh, you might say, well, I got my life ahead of me.
And you might even say, you know, I'm really not that bad.
And I think that's that's one of the things that is an issue with some of us who have been brought up in Christian homes and have been brought up in the assembly where we find ourselves on the clean side of the Broad Rd.
And yes, we maybe tamper on the filthy side of the broad road now and again, but we're living our lives on the clean side. And the result of that is we we don't feel the need.
Because it's the clean side of the Broad Rd. But as we read earlier, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. If we're to turn, let's let's turn to it. And it's in Isaiah the the 1St chapter. Just a picture of what our hearts are like.
And it's a true picture of every one of our hearts.
Isaiah, chapter one.
Verse 5.
Why should he be stricken anymore? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick. The whole heart faint from the sole of the foot, even unto the head. There is no soundness in it. Bruises, putrefying sores. They have not been clothed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Oh, what a what? A picture of what your heart is, and what my heart is. And sometimes that's difficult for us to see when we find ourselves on the clean side of.
But if you don't realize and you don't own that that is indeed just what your heart is like, you know who you're like. You're like that Pharisee that we read about in Luke's gospel who pointed the finger over the public and said, I thank God I'm not like him.
Is that what you're saying tonight, that you're really not that bad?
You're not like the girl with green hair, you know?
When I was a young person, we used to go to this drug rehabilitation farm. There was a brother in Montreal that used to take us there. He was an evangelist. His name was Roland Blinner has it. And he took us to this farm which was had about 30 people on it that were drug addicts. And it was a tough, tough.
Time to to look at their lives. I remember going there. I was 16. It was the first time I opened my mouth.
We arrived there and Brother Leonard has it said to me. He said, Dave, how about you just share what the Lord has done for you? So you know I was terrified, never opened my mouth before, but there shared the gospel with these addicts and as I talked to the man that ran the place, it was an eye opener to me to realize the wretchedness of the human heart.
Because he told me, he said, Dave, this is a man who was saved through.
Some of you have probably read The Cross and the Switchblade. The man that wrote it was Dave Wilkerson. He was saved through this man. He said to me. He said Dave.
I was saved when I was in jail, said, oh, he was an addict himself. And he said, you know, when you're an addict, you get to the point where you're so incredibly desperate that you'll do almost anything. And he said, you know, I went and asked, I was desperate for drugs. And I went to my mother and I asked her if she had any money. And she all she had was $5 and she wouldn't give it to me. So I took out her knife and I killed her on the spot for the $5.
00:40:01
And he said to me said, you know, Dave, I wasn't brought up a murderer. That's not what I was. But I soon learned what my heart was and there was in jail. And that's where I came to Christ. You know, you're sitting there in your chair, you're saying, you know, I'm not like that. I'm certainly not a murderer. And I don't have green hair. And I I'm not, I'm not living that kind of a lifestyle. But you're on the clean side of the Broad Rd.
And your heart is absolutely no different, no different whatsoever. That's what my heart is. And if you're saying tonight that your heart is not like that, if you're saying in your heart tonight.
That there are things that you wouldn't commit. You know, it's absolutely not true. You're just like that Pharisee. You're just exactly like that Pharisee who says, oh, I thank God. I'm not like other men. I thank God.
That I'm not like that publican. Oh, tonight our hearts are desperately wicked. Absolutely, desperately wicked. Who cannot?
And the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. I stand before, you know, a happy man, a happy man. Just a few weeks ago, Melissa was up visiting with us, and I took her to the airport in Montreal.
And I decided that while I was there in Montreal, I'd drive over to my old high school, which I did. Hadn't been there for while I was there some time ago, but it was.
40 years since I 50 years actually since I attended and I sat there in the in the parking lot.
As I sat there, I just thanked the Lord as I considered.
All the different ways that my life could have gone, Mary sat there and thank God for the preservatives of his matchless grace in my life and for reaching down and picking me up. One whose heart was desperately wicked. Desperately wicked just like what we've been reading, just like the Pharisee. And I'm afraid I was like the Pharisee for many years. And I could look around and I could thank God too that I wasn't like.
Other men I was saved even.
Oh, the heart is a horrific thing and it can't be trusted. You know, it's a good it's a very good thing for us to get up in the morning and say preserve me. O God indeed do I put my trust. If you're sitting there and you're tampering with.
With the grace of God in your life as a young person, I don't know where you are because you're sitting there and you're well hidden because your life does not manifest.
The Dirty side of the Broad Rd. but it's still the broad rote.
Oh, that you would recognize your need of a Savior, and you would recognize the patience of the Lord Jesus in waiting for you tonight so that you could have this opportunity one more time to receive his offer of salvation. Let's turn to another one now if we could turn over to.
I'd like to turn to one in Isaiah.
The book of Isaiah.
Isaiah chapter 22.
Isaiah chapter 22.
Verse 20 We read about this man Eliachim.
And it shall come to pass in that day that I will call my servant.
A lion, my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of Judah. I would just like to look for a moment at.
This man and the comments that I make now.
For you who are lost, it's not going to be to you.
But it's going to be for you.
Because there are those here who are fathers.
Quite a number of us, and one of the responsibilities of a Father is to bring the gospel before our children.
00:45:00
And I I so appreciate we find a feature, you know, God speaks once, yeah, twice. And God and man perceives it not. But for those of us who are fathers and there's young fathers here and.
He was the young father. Yes, you're bringing up your children, but.
It's sometimes hard to realize that you're actually the one that's in training because.
There are those here who are fathers in the assembly, and I'm so thankful that for those who are an influence of my own life that were fathers to my own soul, that brought the gospel to me. And that's one of the responsibilities of a father is to bring the gospel to our children.
And I would just encourage you to do that. You know, the apostle, he writes to the Corinthians, he says you only got lots of teachers, but you don't have many fathers. And that's one of the responsibilities of a father is to bring the gospel.
To our children and to our young people in a manner for them to be able to realize that, not just to take for granted that because they've been brought, they're being brought up in a Christian home, that they've accepted the Lord Jesus, even if their life doesn't manifest anything that's otherwise. Because in my own in my own life, I've seen so many who have been brought up with the privileges of Christianity have turned away and.
They're not real at all. Oh, Eliacan was here, and he manifested those spirits that that characteristic of a father.
And the Lord Jesus, at least God, calls him. He says he's my servant.
I would just encourage those who are fathers and for you who sit there in your chair and listen to your Father, listen to your Father, give the gospel to others, but you've never received it yourself.
What a solemn, solemn thing.
Let's turn over now to the Book of Numbers.
The Book of Numbers.
Numbers, Chapter 12.
And we read this about Moses.
In verse 7, the Lord speaking, he says My servant.
Moses.
So what characteristic do we see of Moses that is a characteristic of the Lord? If you go back a few verses, we read in verse three. Now the man Moses was very meek.
Above all the men that were upon the face of the earth, the man Moses was very make of all the men which were upon the face of the earth. We had a scripture read to us. I'd like to turn to it again. It's in Matthew's Gospel Chapter 11.
Matthew 11 Scripture that we know very well, and to use it in the application of the Gospel, it's beautiful.
In verse 28 we read, Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek.
And lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
You know, as I visited with that girl on the plane and she recognized.
But the one that she served was a hard, hard taskmaster, and the one that I served was a wonderful, wonderful master. She knew that, too.
O the Lord Jesus says tonight as he says here, he says to you that are sitting there in your chair, he says, Come unto me, be willing to come.
Choose you this day, whom you will serve.
Going to serve, continue to serve, that one who is the enemy of our souls.
The one who is a hard taskmaster, and the one of the end of the road, as we stand before the Lord Jesus. And he says, depart from me, for I never knew you. Oh, what a solemn, solemn thing.
To sit here tonight.
You know, if I could, if I could reach out and grab you by the lapels and make you believe, I would. But I can't. I can't. And God is knocking on your heart's door tonight and he's saying, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
00:50:18
There's many more I don't think we'll read anymore.
We have a little time left, but I'm not going to go through there's there's a number of others, There's Elijah, there's there's Hezekiah, there's Nebuchadnezzar, there's David and Lord Jesus, God the Father, he calls them, he says they're my servant. There's many and they all have a characteristic.
That is a beautiful characteristic, but I think we've had enough and I'll just end with this story that perhaps some of you have read, have heard before.
My dad was a was a military man. He spent some time in the Navy and when my sister Janette, who is now 78.
She's she's Barbara and Spintage.
And grew up with bar brand. I was a younger one in the family.
But when my dad was in the Navy and my sister was just, was just.
Two-part of the.
This is this is in World War two-part of the.
Of the exercise that that he was involved with was doing nothing and he found himself parked on the Orkney Islands, just outside the Orkney Islands, just off of Scotland.
And they were there for several weeks, but while there was action going elsewhere, but they hadn't been called to action. And one of the things that he was called to do or that he did was he took a light boat into the into the islands and just out of boredom, went around looking to see what what he could find. And he found there a Christian, old Christian couple. And they the man was.
The man was cutting peat and storing it away because that's what that's what he burned.
In the winter time, this old man and this old lady and my dad helped him do that. And my dad happened to casually ask him. He says, do you have a, do you have a bomb shelter in the, in the village here? And the man said, well, yeah, we have two of them. We have two bomb shelters. And he said to my dad, would you like to see them? And so my dad said, yeah, So they, they went into the village and he said, well, there's two of them. There's there's one here. It's made of concrete.
And there's one that's made of feathers.
And I tweaked my dad's interest and they went down the stairs into this concrete long shelter. And the man turned to my dad and he said, you know this, we have this concrete one here, but I don't have much confidence in this one, but I have a lot of confidence in the one that it's made of feathers. And he took his little Bible out of his pocket and he turned to the to the 91St Psalm, if you could turn to that.
Psalm 91.
Psalm 91 and in verse 4.
He read to my dad. He shall cover me with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. That really impressed my dad because when I heard it, it was on a Saturday morning in bed. We used to on Saturday mornings all pile into my folks bed. My mom would go off and make the breakfast and dad would tell us stories and we always wanted stories from the Navy. So he told us this one. It was great with great feeling.
Well, the time came when they left.
The Orkney Islands and while they are gone.
The Germans had heavily bombed the Orkney's.
And then there was my dad's portion to come back to the Orkney Islands, which he did, and he took a little lifeboat back in. He wondered what the plight was of the old gentleman.
And his wife and he made his way to the village and it was heavily devastated. But there was the one house and sitting on the porch was this older gentleman and his wife. And my dad went up to him and he and he greeted him and he said to my dad or my dad said to him, he said, So what happened when they started the bomb? He said, oh, we stayed.
Year, he said, you know, I trusted in the one in whom I serve. I trusted the one that I serve, and I took shelter in the bomb shelter of feathers. He said we stayed right here and everything else was devastated, but I thought, you know of that man and what the Lord now the one whom he served.
00:55:16
What a wonderful one. And as I look around this room, there are so many here tonight.
That serve just like the Thessalonians, the living and the true God. But tonight.
Who?
The user.
Who are you serving tonight? Do you serve my blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus?
The one who's died for me shed his precious blood.
That whom you serve or do you serve the enemy of our souls and your content to be on the clean side of the Broad Rd.
Oh, that you might see tonight that your heart is desperately wicked, desperately wicked. And you need the Savior. You need the Lord Jesus. Just like Don, our neighbor, the knee of the Lord Jesus. The Lord waited for him, and the Lord has now waited for you until this very night that you would see that you would receive the Lord Jesus. I wonder if we could.
End by singing hymn #21 hymn #21.
If someone could please start that decide for Christ today and God salvation see yields soul and body, heart and will to him who died for thee. Christ alone can save brick the power of sin. Christ doth fully satisfy the heart that cleaves to him #21 Could somebody please start that?
Oh, downstairs.
Really come out all your own sticking with me.
Run, run. Run. Run. Run.
Set a.
Right.
01:00:12
Now.
Three People Who Got Over Themselves
Friendship with Christ
Children—Craig 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.
So come on up, children. There's plenty of seats up front. If you'd like to sit up here, we'd love to have you and get a hemp sheet and maybe one of you kids up here has a song to start out with. If you look at your hymn sheet on the back, there's some children songs on the Backpage, but you can give out any of them. That's fine. I don't mind that at all. Yes, Robert.
You like #1 OK, all right, let's do #1 Then.
All right. Thank you for that. Do you have one?
All right #42.
A little child down the sky.
Over here I'm hungry and horrible.
I need to speak.
To you.
All right, we'll sing some more. You know, in that first song we we sang was an invitation to come, wasn't it? That's really nice. The Lord Jesus wants you children to come to him. And in this song we just sang, it tells us or shows us that you don't have to be a certain age. You don't have to be so big or so old to come to the Lord Jesus. OK, so even three or four.
In in the Gospels and the Bible tells us that when the Lord Jesus was here.
He he, he told the disciples to let the little children come in, forbid them not. He wanted them to come and put his hands on them. So that shows his heart, doesn't it? Very loving towards your children. All right, we have another song here, right that Jayden, you had one number four, okay.
Christ is the same.
Call.
00:05:25
Stay by my plastic green stand.
It's just that Spider-Man.
All right, how about?
1616 OK.
Whosoever.
And the largely five of the world is not important.
Somebody ever will be able to survive the world.
And let me say.
All right, I'd like to sing some more, but I know you all have some verses that you've learned, some of you. So we're going to look to the Lord and ask for His help, and then maybe we'll sing one or one or two more. Okay, All right, Can I give out one? Is that all right? We might have time for yours too, but I'm going to, I'm going to give out one because it kind of goes the verse. Can we do #39?
What a friend we have in Jesus. Let's do that one.
00:10:00
39 We can just do that first and last name 39.
We.
Believe.
Going to trust you.
Right.
Now.
All right. Now, I know some of you probably have a verse to say, so I'm going to give you that opportunity to do that. Now, if you'd like to do that, there was a Sunday school verse in Proverbs, right, 1824 about well, who wants to tell us to know the verse? You want to say the verse? OK, go ahead.
#1824.
There is a friend that singers closer than a brother. Proverbs, 1824.
Thank you. Very good. Anybody else want to say it? OK, Laurel.
Good. All right. Who else will we?
All right. Yes, go ahead.
Good. Anybody else, Jayden?
All right. Like you want to do it, OK.
All right.
Very good. Who else? Anybody else want to say it? All right, very good. I enjoy this verse that you you all learned this week. And we're going to talk about friends and brothers a little bit. And so maybe I'll ask you guys some questions. Is that all right? How many of you have a brother or maybe a sister? Sister or brother? Yes, you, you.
Have a brother or sister about both. OK, so would you say that your sister is your friend too?
Good. All right. I'm glad to hear that. Good. I think that's very true some days, right? And there's another verb that might describe our brother, our relationship with our brother, a little better some days and some hours. And it's an enemy. I know that from experience. From experience, I know that. But I think you know them as your friend too. And that's nice. That's very nice.
You know the brother quoted the other day the verse that says.
The brother is born for adversity. That's very true. And so sometimes there needs to be some reconciling that goes on. And the Lord can help us with that, can't he? He can help us to be a friend with our brother or our sister. All right. How many of you here in the front row have a friend maybe in this room that, you know, that you could say, oh, yeah, that person's my friend. Who has a friend? Oh, come on. I know you have a friend probably here somewhere. Right. So, Jayden, you have a friend here. OK. Who?
00:15:05
That you mind telling Tim? Where's Tim? What's Tim? There's Tim's here. Oh, that Tim. OK, so, all right, so, Tim, let me ask you, is Jayden your friend? OK, Good. I'm. I'm so glad he said yes. You know, because sometimes it doesn't work that way. Sometimes you want to be somebody's friend.
Or they want to be your friend and it doesn't always work very well. And that's kind of sad, isn't it, that it might be that way.
But this verse is talking about someone that's very close that is a good friend.
And I think you each know that know someone like that. I hope you do, because it's important to have a friend. It really is. God made us to have a friend. He, he, he built us that way. He made us that way. Even the 1St man, Adam, he, he said it's not good that a man be alone. And he gave, he gave him a friend. And we're going to talk about a very special friend here this morning too, as well as our brothers and and our sisters. I brought some things in a bag here.
Maybe I'll.
Show you here and.
There's some gifts in here.
Because I was thinking about this subject of friends and I was sitting at home and I started looking around the house and I noticed that on the wall and on the counter over there were these things that people, my friends had given me. So I'm sorry to say these are gifts for me. Not really, not really for you, but I did bring something for you at the end. OK, So I promise you I'll give you a little gift at the end. All right, So hang on. But I brought some things in here that.
To me by various friends and they're just this little things I happen to grab pretty easily. Maybe we can notice them, talk about them a little bit.
We need the microphone here so you can read this to us. I have a friend that gave this to me after he and his family visited our house. So who wants to read what it says? Yeah.
Don't be so serious. If you can't laugh at yourself, call me, I'll laugh at you.
Now does that sound like a friend?
He had no idea how stressful having his family in our house was.
Now I, I really appreciate this friend and it makes me smile when I see this. We put this by where we charge our phones and so when I go grab my phone, I see it and it makes me smile. Why? Well, there's a little bit of truth to this thing. There is, but it also makes me think of him. And sometimes I will pick up the phone and call him or text him because he lives a long ways away. And that's something I wanted to talk to you about. You know, I have a brother too. Actually, I have two sisters.
And a brother.
And one of my siblings, my sister, lives close to where I live in Illinois.
But also have a brother that lives in California. OK, so California, that's West, right? If you walk in or go drive as far as you can, go that way until you fall in the Pacific Ocean, that's California. OK, that's where he lives. Not very close. And I have another sister that lives in Florida. So if you go that way.
East and South you go as far as you can go till you fall in the Atlantic Ocean. That's where my sister lives.
Umm, so let me ask you this.
When my brother in California needs help moving furniture, does he just call me up and say, hey, can you come over and help me move the piano? Does it work like that?
No, I would have say sorry can't help you and if I get stuck mowing my lawn and I need someone to help pull me out, you think I can call my brother in California and say hey can you come over and help me real quick I need pulled out. Does that work?
No, it's too far away. He couldn't. He couldn't. If he, if he wanted to do that, he couldn't do it too far. So we're not very close by distance. And it's a problem sometimes, isn't it? Well, I can tell you about somebody, children, that's always close. A friend that's closer than a brother, a friend that promises us in the Bible that he will never leave us nor forsake us. We read that yesterday.
Meeting in Hebrews. So that's really nice, that kind of a friend to have that's that close all the time, and that's the Lord Jesus.
OK, so I hope that you will know him and know him as your friend as well. Let's see, I got some more items here.
00:20:00
What's this?
Now, this one's kind of silly.
OK, who wants to read it? This is a card I gave. Oh, this is actually a gift I gave. This wasn't to me. I gave this to my wife Amy on her birthday and it was laying on the counter. So you want to read it. William on the front, if you can't see it, has a boy saying something to a girl.
What does the boy say?
And the girl says.
I'm not too serious.
And then and then side says this.
I would gladly agree on it.
Yeah, So anyway, this was a gift I gave someone I love on their birthday, you know, and I do think a lot of this person, this is a special friend to me. And you might have a special friend like that, too. It's wonderful to have that. So, OK, that one was not so serious. Let's see what we got here.
Oh, this is a very, very precious gift. OK, so who can I trust to open this? Graham? No, not so sure. I think you can do it's it's it's a ring. OK, so you want to look at that, do that. There. That's a ring. You can hold it if you want. It's kind of scratched up a little bit. You want to touch it. OK, well, this is a this is a gift that was given to me again.
By my wife on her wedding and it's it's a it's a made out of metal and it's kind of scratched up.
And so I decided that I was going to wear a different type of a band for a while to keep this from getting so scratched up. So I don't always wear this one. It's made out of a precious metal, but it's valuable to me not because of what it's made out of, but because of what it means, what it represents. That love and that gift right of marriage is very special. So this is another example of a gift that I had in my house.
Given to me by a friend.
And it's very, very precious to me. There's another one here.
I'll have somebody maybe read.
OK. This was also given by somebody that visited us.
A young lady that visited our family and does anybody know what it says?
Can I read it? My e-mail in front? Maybe not. Well, maybe Clint can read it.
Give it your best shot.
Yeah, yeah. Dios Bendiga, Nuestro Ogar. And then it gives a a reference by a reference one race, Ochio Bentinue. So that's first Kings 829. So this means I think God bless our home. OK, so this was given to somebody after they visit our home, our family. And I appreciate this gift.
Because it reminds me of somebody that lives way far away in other countries, speaks another language, and it makes me think of how big God's family is.
And diverse and it's a precious reminder of that fact to me by having this in our home this gift. So these are these are just some examples of of gifts from friends and I guess that's enough for now but I want to talk to you a little bit more about our savior, the Lord Jesus because.
It's wonderful. It's wonderful to have a good friend.
But the most important thing for your children that I want you to know is to know the Lord Jesus.
You know, and you can't have him as your friend if you don't know him. You can't be a friend with somebody if you don't even know them. There's some people here I don't know. I'd like to be their friend.
But I'd have to get to know you first a little bit and umm.
So how about you? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? Is your Lord and Savior that one that God sent into this world to die for our sins?
That's who he is, and he can be your friend.
There's a few verses maybe I'll read about this.
Let's see.
Well, the Lord Jesus calls his friends in John 15.
And he says, ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you.
So I was thinking about that and you know, it doesn't say.
00:25:03
It doesn't say I'll be your friend if you do what I command you.
He says you'll be my friend if you do what I command you. The Lord Jesus is always loving towards us. He always wants to be our friend. But what about us? Sometimes you want someone to be your friend and they don't want to be your friend. What about us? What about you? Do you want to know the Lord Jesus in that way?
Well, He's Lord and He's our savior, so if we want to be his friend.
We really need to recognize that. We need to know Him as that Lord and Savior, OK?
And that's the most important thing I wanted to notice about what it says there.
There's some other wonderful things that friends might do for us or help us with, and there's a lot of interesting verses in Proverbs, so maybe I'll read a few of them.
Let's see.
We already read that one. Let's see. Let's read this one. Proverbs 2714, says he that blesseth his friend with a loud voice rising early in the morning. It shall be counted a curse to him. And I thought that was funny.
But the first part of the verse you all learned says.
A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.
So if you want to have a friend, you've got to be nice, you've got to be a friend. And if I, if I'm an early riser and my friend is not and my friend wants to sleep in a little bit and I wake up and I start banging around and you talking loud and saying even nice things really loud, you think they're going to appreciate that? No.
They're not. So we have to be gracious with one another to be friends, right? It's it's an important part of friendship.
I thought that was interesting. What's another one? Here's Proverbs, same chapter. Iron sharpeneth iron, So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
You know what that tells me? That sometimes that God gives us friends that are just as hard as we are.
And we need that. We need that.
Sharpening by our friend working with us. And sometimes we're pretty hard, like iron. Iron is hard, isn't it? It's hard to work with iron. You really have to grind or, or heat it up or something. And, and you know, a good friend will do that with us too. A faithful friend will do that. There's another verse that says faithful.
Are the wounds of a friend.
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
So yes, does a good friend sometimes have to say hard things to you, some correction? You know, certainly as parents, we we do that to our children when we love them, we chasing them. And it's not because we like doing it. It's not because we don't love you. It's because we love you. We want you to learn something. And a friend will do that, even even to the point of.
Hard things. Bruises.
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
That reminded me of something about our precious Savior, Lord Jesus. You know he had 12 disciples when he was here on earth. Remember that. But one of them was an imposter. One of them actually betrayed him. One of him was a fake friend, not a real friend.
But the Lord, when Judas comes to the Lord to betray him with kisses, you know what the Lord Jesus said to him. He said, friend, wherefore art thou come?
You know, the Lord felt that that betrayal by one of his own.
And maybe you've even had a friend betray you. It's a very hard thing. It happens. There's a song we sometimes sing. Earthly friends may fail or leave US1 day, soothe the next day, grieve us. But this friend will never deceive us. Oh, how he loves. I don't know if I quoted that all right, but this is true. Maybe with earthly friends.
But not with our Savior. Never will He do that.
And he also, if you've gone through that or go through something like that, he knows what it's like. He is there a very present help for trouble. He is never going to leave you. He is faithful always. So I encourage you to know him as as your Savior and your friend.
00:30:08
Wonderful what he has done for us, isn't it? But he felt that very, very keenly. The kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
All right, I think that's about all I had here for you children this morning. And I just I'm going to give after we pray, I'm going to give you an opportunity to come up and there's probably some Sunday school papers here and I've got some a little gift for you in my bag. OK. So if you'd like to do that or if you're not sitting up front, don't, you know, don't be shy. You can come on up and get a little candy. It's all right to mom and dad.
What is Your Work for the Lord?
Open—Sam Ludvicek
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.
Praise God.
It's clear.
It is so many places.
Our gold and my heart.
Whatever. **** I don't know what it is.
So much.
Better so I won't let you go.
Linda McDonald's.
I have something glued in the flap of my Bible that has some quotes on it that I like.
00:05:04
From Mr. Kelly and Mr. Ballot, Mr. Darby, a few things I want read a couple of them.
But I get asked by Christians I meet that aren't amongst the gathered Saints and some to amongst us. Sometimes I don't know what my ministry is or what my gift is. Well, when somebody asks me what my ministry is, I can tell and you can tell them too. Well, I know one that you have.
And the Bible calls it the ministry of reconciliation. We have all been given that.
And to participate in in some way, shape or form.
And I want to honor a dear lady here who pursues in that ministry to the end of her days back home in our little gathering in Cedar Rapids. Her name is Betty Bellison.
And if you think you have a difficult time finding a way to serve the Lord in the ministry of reconciliation, do you know what that dear lady still does? As her time is winding down, she goes through the phone book and randomly picks a name.
And then she writes a letter to that person sharing the gospel, and in that letter she will include a gospel tract.
She's still.
Pursuing the ministry of reconciliation and participating in something that the Lord has given her to do, does that encourage your heart?
Last Lord's Day Betty was able to come out to meeting, and every time I hear her voice as she comes in, greeting everybody, I tell her she's the lady with the smiling voice. It lifts my heart, thrills me that this dear St. though faint, is yet pursuing. And what an encouragement this dear lady is in our little assembly there.
And I know she wants to go home soon, and perhaps she'll get there ahead of the rest of us and the Lord, unless the Lord comes today. But I hope you don't mind that I honored your mother that way because she means a lot to us.
My brother Paul has been recently restored to the Lord. He still struggles but when he walked into the meeting room and saw dear Betty, he teared up and he said that reminds me of our grandmother who was too a faithful St. who sought to win souls till the end of her days.
Once a year, my grandmother used to get on a bus and she would go around Iowa to the different relatives, distant relatives, some of we didn't know very well, but her mission was to make sure that they were all saved.
Ones who attended different churches and so forth, but their children and their grandchildren. She wanted to make sure that they knew the Lord Jesus as her Savior. Another good example of a dear St. And she did that.
Up until she wasn't able to do that anymore, even when my father was a bit concerned about her going as she got older. But she wanted to do it, and the Lord honored it because many of those relatives did come to the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
We have enrollments 11/29.
It says for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. In Scripture, when we look at the word calling, sometimes it refers to a secular calling, a job of some kind. Sometimes it refers to the calling that we have as Christians, that we've been saved, we've been called and redeemed.
And sometimes it can refer to that calling we have to serve the Lord.
And here gifts as well. We've been given natural gifts. My wife is an artist and she's honed and developed it over the years. But anybody looking at what she can do will have to say that gift is from the Lord and there are natural gifts that are from Him.
00:10:01
And he does not recall them. Now, it might be your secular job might change, but the bent with which God has made you and the natural talents that underline the strength of your body and all that that is set. And God may have you adapt them to do whatever secular work you do. And we've talked a bit about that.
Some of us were talking about it at lunch, but those gifts and callings are there.
And the vessel that God makes to put the gift in is part of his doing as well.
2nd Corinthians 518 is the verse that I was thinking about.
The ministry that we all have.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.
I hear his quotes in the flap of my Bible.
I'm going to read it carefully.
William Kelly wrote.
Reconciliation is the full establishment in a relationship with God according to His nature and according to the nature of that which is reconciled.
It now acts in redemption and a new nature and as regards all around us, a new state of things.
John Darby wrote.
God acting in Christianity according to the active energy of His love towards sinners.
Christian ministry becomes the expression of this activity.
It has its source in the power of this love, whether it be in calling souls or in nourishing those who are called whom Jesus loves. And one more from Mr. Darby in another place.
The principle of ministry is the active energy of love, of grace, flowing from the faith by which we know God.
To touch this is to overthrow the hole in its fundamental principle. In its essence, ministry flows from individual knowledge of the masters character.
I love that grace known and strongly felt, becomes active grace in our hearts, the only true and only possible source in the nature of things of a ministry according to God. We see, moreover, that it is the sovereignty of God who gives as He sees good.
Either natural capacity as the vessel to contain the gift.
Or the gift according to the measure, the gift of Christ.
Out of those treasures which are found in him, which he has received for men.
Paul told Timothy to make full proof of his ministry.
He also told him to stir up the gift that was in him.
So my primary thoughts are with regards to those younger here.
We had talked a little bit about a father who had a son who was content to live in his home and.
Not very ambitious. And how did he get him out? And that's really complacency. It's not contentment.
But what about spiritual things as a young person? And you're thinking about how you will serve the Lord in your life, and you've come some way along. Maybe you've begun to discover that you have a particular gift. Maybe you don't know.
Hopefully others will begin to see in you something and will seek to encourage it because that's one way of discovering it and what you find in spiritual things, pleasure doing that is an indication as well. But regardless of a particular gift, this ministry of reconciliation goes from winning souls to Christ and bringing souls along that are already one to Christ.
And somewhere in there, God has a purpose.
For you, we were talking at lunch about the secular job that we have in some places in the world. You have no choice. You're born into something. That's what you do. And if you're a Christian there, you find a way to do it and honor the Lord and be content in that.
00:15:12
We had read before us that if you can be free from something that you may be forced into, seek it. Go ahead, be free. Be free to serve the Lord is widely and broadly as you can.
If you can work for yourself and control your hours and so forth, if that's something that God can bring you into, then that will give you maybe more opportunity to serve Him in other cases, not having the responsibility of a business.
But working for somebody?
And maybe with the opportunity to have lots of vacation and lots of opportunity to go on weekends and control some of your time, that might free you up from the headaches of running a business so you can be freer to do something that the Lord will have you to do. But those should be things that you think about at a very young age. What? And how I can pursue the gift that God has placed within me. Are we going to be someone? And I know Christians that are.
This Whatever talents they've had, like in the parable, they just bury it in the sand.
Whatever church they go to, our religious organization they belong to, as soon as they got saved, they got put in the bus ministry or in the soup kitchen or someplace to keep them occupied. And there's little opportunity to see any spiritual gift really develop. Well, if you have the gift of health, that's fine to be in those places.
But often the gift of helps is combined with something else.
That ability to go and be there when somebody needs you and you just have this, this delight to go and help. And while you're there helping, that word that you can share in the gospel, our word of encouragement to a dear St. of God or somebody that needs instruction. I know some brothers like that.
My dear brother Lemoyne Smith is like that with these carpentry.
How many times he has told his stories of being on a job site, working with somebody and having the opportunity to share something in the gospel or share something with a dear child of God that is maybe starving because of where they're at. Brother Phil and others, carpenters, I know, Brother London used to do those kinds of things, used his hands and do some kind of work and at the same time have the opportunity to speak to somebody.
We talked about entertaining strangers unawares.
That opportunity to see something my father taught me whenever he was in business, in a crowd, at a meeting or at a Bible conference, he said I would look for the loneliest face in the place.
And then I would go make that person my friend.
His whole idea was to go and encourage them. Why is that face sad now? If you do something like that, you go to somebody and you say.
You're looking a little down in the mouth. Is something wrong? Well, you might have an opportunity to really do something, win a soul to Christ, encourage somebody along the way. Maybe you'll find a dear fellow believer that's just struggling and they need you to be that Angel that came along at just the moment.
But what is your spiritual gift? What draws you in the things of the Lord? Is there something that actually excites you?
I was asked to give a meeting in Tampa years ago addressed to young people, and I had a message in mind. But after the the meal that day, I was outside and I heard a bunch of young people there, some from Canada, visiting in the winter, and they were all talking about how bored they were.
And I said, boy, oh boy, here in America, with all that we have and it's easy to be bored, maybe they didn't have access to their video games or whatever else. But I got to thinking about that. And I said the message I had on my heart is not the message God wants.
So when I got up there, I said the exact thing I just said I've changed my message and I said you're bored.
I'll tell you how to have excitement go in a soul to Christ. You want to get excited. You want to have a thrill that's that's hard to find on this earth in any other way. People take drugs and do all kinds of things. They do extreme sports to get some kind of a thrill.
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Ask God to give you a soul to win for him. Just one in a year. Ask Him for that. Have you ever done that? Give me a soul to win for you. Just won this year at least one.
And I want to be there for the birth Lord. You think he won't answer that? I guarantee you if you ask him, he'll do it.
Now when that happens, you'll have a thrill like you haven't had before. If it's never happened, I tell people it's like being a midwife.
I've talked with actual midwives. One of the reasons they do it is they're usually women who love that little baby that comes into this world and taking that little baby and that miracle of life and watching it happen, and they just love that and they get a thrill from it. Well, you catch your first born again child of God in your hands.
You'll have that thrill yourself, and if you want to not be bored, seek that for a summer. If you're a young person, seek that opportunity. I'm not telling you to force yourself in some way, shape or harm or go out and do what somebody else does. Just ask God.
You have not because you asked not. Ask Him for that and then ask Him to help you to pursue it by His spirit and He will lead you in ways. Ask Him to drop it in your lap.
I've had God do that, drop things in my lap more times than I can count, and that's exciting. The Christian life need not be boring at all, but some people think of it that way and some young people that drift.
Way that are the Lords drift because they get bored with it and really they've drifted and they're not really walking close with the Lord, they're not enjoying.
Who they are in Christ, they've forgotten that a little bit.
Yes.
They know they're saved and they're not going to hell, but they're they're bored.
And maybe sometimes that's our fault. Because if I ever pick this book up and say anything from it and read anything from it and bore you, you come and rebuke me because I am not do that. I never bore you with this book. If I were to speak from it, better that I shut my mouth.
But there are exciting things in the Christian life, and that's one of them is to win a soul to Christ.
Maybe.
You like to help people understand things and justice. Maybe you have the ability to hear a message.
And if you're like me, every time I learn something, my immediate thought is how do I explain that to somebody else? Maybe better than how I heard it, Maybe I dug it out myself. How do I explain that to a new Christian? Because early in my Christian pathway in my 20s, I was involved with a lot of young believers that needed to learn things, and I was their immediate teacher.
In the early things of the faith, how do I explain this truth to that young person?
Or that new Christian that's young in the faith. How do I do that? And then your mind works.
And the Spirit of God works with you and, you know, a story or an illustration or some way that you can express that and even a better and more simple way to help a dear child of God, you know, that's the development of teaching. And there are different measures of teaching gifts.
In the past, as we think about different ones, all of us remember people like Charles Hayhole, people like Albert Hayhoe, people like Gordon, those who can remember. I don't remember Harry Hay Hall, but I've heard him talked about those who remember different ones, Ron Reeves, who I did grow up with, Brother Whitaker, Brother Anderson, different ones, The different measures of gifts that were there and the different styles that were there.
The wonderful Penelope of it all. God had chosen each vessel and prepared each vessel and put a gift in each one. So what is that thing that's in you that God has placed there? Discover what it is not for yourself, for yourself in the sense to know what you're about, what God's purpose is for you.
00:25:07
You're the man who broke the the book The Purpose Driven Life.
Some of it's OK, but the idea that people grow up and don't even know what their purpose is, and even if they find certain secular employment and a career, unsaved people not having a purpose is a dangerous thing. And if you're a Christian and you don't understand what your purpose is before God?
That can set you adrift, but you can ask Him. He can help you and hopefully your brethren will help you and guide you with that.
Irwin Sutherland in Des Moines, IA If I saw a Bible dictionary that said gift of helps, his name would be next to it. That brother was always there, right there when somebody needed help. Icy nodding heads.
There are people like that. Is that you?
Well, glory in it, rejoice in it that you can do that, and you can take pleasure in doing something like that for your Savior.
Because he created you for that and to do that.
If you delight sharing the gospel with people, we should all delight in that. But if you have a little extra something special within you that just wants to go out and win souls to Christ, then you ought to think about that as well.
And maybe naturally speaking, it doesn't look like that. And maybe early on you won't get encouragement. I don't know how many of you know DL Moody's story.
But DL Moody was born in, I believe, 1937.
Not 1837.
He was not born in a Christian home. I don't think he got beyond the 6th grade.
His uncle had a shoe store in Chicago.
And his uncle was a believer and he invited DL Moody to come at 17 years old of age and work in his shoe store. But he required one thing of him if he was going to get the job.
He must go to church and he must go to Sunday school. And he did.
In one day a Sunday school teacher came to the shoe store and he put his hand on DL Moody S shoulder, and he was burdened to come to the store and talk to him. He had shared the gospel with him before, but there he pressed it in. In his heart he felt that was the moment to come to DL Moody and tell him and urge him and plead with him to trust in Christ as his Savior. And he did.
DL Moody wasn't, couldn't hardly read.
But something sparked within him, and he wanted to tell others.
My favorite Sunday school song is The Gypsy Boy because he immediately goes tell it again, tell it again, tell it again.
That was his desire. That's what DL Moody. Go tell it. I'm going to go tell it. I don't know if he rented it or how he got it. He got this old shack. It was part of a.
Behind a bar, a part of a maybe for whiskey storage or whatever it was.
And he put some candles in there and he set it up and he started inviting children to come.
Nowadays they they come and arrest you if you try to do something like that. What are you doing in an old shack with kids?
And one man who came to see what DL Moody was doing, as this young teenager said, he walked in and there were 3 candles and he had a little African American kid and he was reading from the King James Bible.
And he skipped words because he couldn't read them, but he was seeking to win that soul to Christ. And the man observing it said, how could God ever use this guy for anything? He's worthless.
Outwardly, it didn't appear that there was much there, but do you know, within a year's time, there were 600 kids in a Sunday school that were started by DL Moody, and he had a bunch of assistants helping him that could read better than he could, but he learned to read.
He pressed on and that ability that outwardly didn't look like much God had put within him. It was from the Lord, and that gift was developed.
And DL Moody began to preach the gospel more and more, but it started as a Sunday school work. Do you know that the news of that Sunday school work reached the White House? And when Abraham Lincoln became president, he came to visit that Sunday school, and he spoke at that Sunday school.
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There's nobody from nowhere from Hicksville. No talent, no gift. The vessel looks like nothing.
That God had a plan for that man. Now something else happened. God was already working with the desire of his heart. He had planted the gift. He was molding this. He was shaping it. He was taking maybe the lack that was there, the education he didn't have, and he was filling in the gaps.
But at one point, I think in the 1850s, it was DL Modi was in Scotland at a conference.
And while he was there, he sought the advice from an evangelist. An English evangelist just sought advice from him and seeing an older brother and he sat with him.
And one of the pieces of advice this man gave to Mr. Moody was this.
He said the world has yet to see what God can do with a man totally consecrated to God.
And justice at Ottawa, all the counseling got that phrase hammered away in his brain, said when he got on the ship back to America, he said, and he walked a deck of as if every plank on the deck of the boat said those words. When he got back to Chicago, walking down the cobblestone streets, it's as every stone, he said, had those words carved into it. And he got before the Lord and he cried out and said.
With your help.
Oh God, I will be that.
Man.
There's nobody from nowhere with no talent, no our ability, seemingly nothing God raised up to speak and preach the gospel to over 100 million people without modern technology that we have today.
And when DL Moody came into contact with early brethren, God used him and the Keswick Conferences that time.
To spread the truth about prophecy and about the identification truths.
And who we are in Christ to the broader part of Christendom at the time amongst evangelicals.
On nobody from nowhere, with no talent, no ability was used of God in a mighty way.
That story of DL Moody has inspired me.
In my life.
Encourage me, others have too. But imagine what God could do with you if you were to knowing the full truth of Galatians 220.
Your identification with Christ, who you are in Christ, knowing something about a little bit of a gift that God may have implanted in you and you are to get before Him, knowing that without Him you can do nothing and to ask God to help you.
To participate in the ministry of reconciliation in whatever capacity it has for you. And you were to go forward and you were to then mold your secular job around that.
And see how that could further. We don't know how much time we have left.
Let's say the Lord does leave us here for a little while. He's going to allow persecution to hit the church in America if that's his plan to wake it up because it's fast asleep.
And the thing about being fast asleep and being deaf?
Laodicea doesn't know it, and sometimes that spirit of Laodicea can affect us and we can ask God in whatever measure we might be, depth, whatever measure we might be, blind, that he would open our eyes and open our ears so that we can see clearly. Then in the power of the Spirit of God, knowing the truth of who we are in Christ, we can step forward.
Counting on him when Scripture says we can come boldly before the throne of God because of that blood.
Yes, we intercede there, but we can come there and we can ask His help to go forward in His service and we can say, each one of us, I must be about my father's business because we have our father's business to be about, don't we?
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John Darby wrote.
As the main springs and sources than of all ministry there are these two things.
The love produced in the heart by Grace.
The love which impels to activity.
And the sovereignty of God, who communicates gifts as seems good to him.
And which he has received for men.
And the sovereignty of God, who communicates gifts that seems good to him and calls to this or that service.
Can you say I must be about my father's business?
Do you know what that business is and your portion in it? That's a good question to ask before the Lord.
And you will, in pursuing that, have the thrill of your life.
When I was out at John Leben's camp.
This year been out three times.
One of my thrills there is watching a man who is living in the middle.
Of what he knows is God's will to serve God's people in that time and in that place.
Thrilled to the bottom of his soul to be dead tired every night, stressed to the Max in that service, but filled with joy and singing with joy. During that time Jonathan lost his voice for a while and brother Danny Weeks had to pick up the slack with the singing and the guitar playing. But one of the thrills of being there is just looking at this dear man who loves the Lord and loves the Saints who is just.
Running and feeling God's pleasure as he serves him. Will he be the first one to tell you how imperfectly he does that? But it's a thrill to watch that. And when you see that, we talk sometimes about these dear old ones. When I was three years old, my parents would tell you if they were still here when Albert Hayhold came to our little meeting and he preached the gospel.
Some of you have never seen that, but those who remember it.
Did not his face shine? I told my dad, I said when Moses came down from the mountain, his face shined. That's what must been like. You know why his face shine? Because his father's face was shining on him and he was reflecting it. He was in the joyment of his Savior, his relationship and what impelled him.
Is, Mr. Darby wrote. Was that love and the grace that he felt?
And when he used to do this and that smile shine as a three and four and five year old, I'm transfixed because I saw something real and I saw a man who believed what he was saying and I saw a man who was enthusiastic about what he was saying. He wasn't bored.
He loved preaching the gospel. He had found his Father's business to be about. My dear fellow believer, I trust and hope you have found.
The bit of the father's business you are to be about.
God is Working a Word
Open—Ron Klassen Jr.
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.
Perhaps we could look together at the Book of Habakkuk, chapter 3.
Habakkuk, chapter 3 and verse 16. And I just want to get a phrase from the middle of the verse, that I might rest in the day of trouble, and then on to the 17th verse. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall the fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat.
The flock shall be cut off from the fold.
And there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like Hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places to the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
We enjoyed recently.
Going through the minor prophets.
And I wondered, why are they called the minor prophets? You know, in our conversation, we might say, oh, well, that's a minor detail. It's really insignificant.
And perhaps these prophets felt that at times they were prophesying during the time of maybe we've called the major prophets and much of what they said was not.
Entirely different from what those prophets said.
I just have, I like to hear the thoughts of others, but I just enjoyed that. Perhaps it's because in a large part the Lord was not only working through them as prophets, but He was working in them. And we've often heard, haven't we, that, that the work that the Lord has to do in us is far greater than the work he has to do through us.
And in saying that, I don't want to minimize because we've just heard a word to encourage our hearts to exercise our hearts is to our service and our work for the Lord. And actually, perhaps a good deal of the work that He does in US is when we're seeking to do that work for Him.
You know, you think of Jonah.
How the Lord in in Jonah's that little book he prepares, we've often been reminded for things.
He especially prepares them. Big things, a big fish, but also little things, a worm.
And so although with Jonah, he did have a particular message for Jonah and it was very effective, yet he was also working in Jonah, wasn't he? In a mighty way.
Pick a a being brought to the place where the Lord says, Jonah, are you doing well to be angry and chancellor the Lord? Yes, I do well to be angry even unto death.
We're surprised when we read that because.
It's Jonah probably wrote that who could have written it but him and you know, to be exposed there that.
The the satisfaction of being right was more important to him than if he would rather see 120,000 little children. You know, as we've seen them run around here, we just love them, we delight them. But he would have rather seen 120 of those go to their death and been right.
We can relate to that, can't we? And so the work that the Lord was doing in his prophet.
But to come to this little book of Habakkuk, you know, it is it's, it's just been an encouragement, particularly we've had reference to the year and a half that we've just gone through and how in many ways.
It's it's brought before us that what we say, what we profess to hold, and the Christianity that we profess is ours.
Has been tested.
00:05:01
And it's made it somewhat vivid as to how little maybe we really do believe it.
And so to come to Hezekiah, or excuse me to Habakkuk, and see this phrase, that I might rest in the day of trouble.
You know, if the Lord leaves us here, I I think we have a sense that we haven't even started.
Feeling what it means to be in the day of trouble.
This book begins with Habakkuk.
Crying out to the Lord. And it's not particularly a burden that Habakkuk was given to go and give to Israel or give to one of the nations. This is a burden that Havoc had and he expresses it to the Lord.
And he says in in the first chapter, in the second verse, Oh Lord, how long shall I cry? And thou wilt not hear, even cry out to thee of violence, and I will not save. Why does thou show me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance, for spoiling and violence are before me.
And there are that rise up strike, raise up, strife and contention.
We know something of that, don't we?
It even comes into the assembly. There are these matters that there's a feeling conviction very strong on both sides.
And we feel it.
Now why does the Lord allow it, and why doesn't he?
Come in and umm.
Help us with that. You know, a verse that's been.
Helped to me and I've seen lived out in this last year and a half is the one in Philippians where it's it's really instructed to an assembly and that is work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Say, well, we've been trying to, but they're just such divergent of thought.
We don't know how to work it out. Well, it goes on to say, for it's God that works in you, both the willing and the doing. And so you know, you have the shipwreck in Acts.
The end of that ship was because the four parts stuck fast, but the hinder part wasn't, and it was being beat by the wind and the waves and finally the ship disintegrated. And I think there's a practical lesson in that.
Each of us as an assembly needs to workout in the fear of the Lord, our own salvation. We can't say well, assembly, so and so is doing this, and all the brethren here are doing this, and we all need to act in unity. Yes, that's what should be our desire and our longing, what we work for. But that's not where we are. And so we need to work it out before the Lord individually as an assembly.
And remember that it's God that works in you. Allow that opportunity.
For God to work rather than to determine something that's going to be like this because it's often devastating in its results.
Verse four. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment does never go forth, for the wicked does compass about the righteous, therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
A while back.
In the highest court of this land.
A new judge was chosen.
And you know, with a sense that there is.
Fraud going on things that cannot be and crookedness even in the lower courts or whatever, but the relief that but that now even if a matter gets to the highest court there, you're going to have a righteous judgment made.
Enjoyed a verse at that time in Job Chapter 9.
I'm going to read it in the new translation.
00:10:09
Job Chapter 9 and verse 24 it says.
The earth is given over into the hand of the wicked man. He, Mr. Darby, has a footnote. That's God. God covereth the faces of its judges. If not, who then is it?
Something to to feel as you see things crumble and you feel the unrighteousness of things, but you say, well, that there's still something here that you can somewhat count on, that there's righteousness going to be carried out and to see it gets up to this court.
That's not what happens. You stand in a maze.
The faces of the judges were covered.
Well, who did it?
Here we regard a song and you know.
Habakkuk felt that let me, I'll read another verse in in Isaiah 59 because both of these scriptures came to me and it's it's a scripture we know very well, but it's nothing like certain set of circumstances to give us the word of God to stand out. And you say, Oh my, it's not theory anymore. There it is Isaiah 59.
In verse 14, and judgment is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off. For truth stumbleth in the street, and uprightness cannot enter, and truth fail.
And he that departed from evil maketh himself a prey, And the Lord saw it, and it was evil in his sight that there was.
No judgment.
You know, it can become a very disconcerting and distressing thing to our souls.
If you look for truth to be carried out, here it is. It's exposed, doesn't matter.
Doesn't matter. And then someone says, well, I can't go along with that. I've got to. And then they become a prey. There's a target on them there. You've got to go along with this. And you know, if our hopes are here, we can become very distressed and in anguish. But they don't have to be here and they shouldn't be here. And so.
Back to Havoc.
Verse five of chapter one, Behold ye among the heathen, and regard and wonder marvelously, for I will work a work in your days which he will not believe, although it be told to you. That was Habakkuk's answer from the Lord. I'm working, I'm working, he says. Why don't you stop this?
Why do you allow this to go on?
Because I'm working a work, and a work so grand that you're not going to believe it.
Even if someone told it to you.
You know, he goes on. At one point he cries out and he says in verse 12, art thou not from everlasting? O Lord my God, my holy one, Doesn't that make you think of the verse in Second Timothy that says nevertheless?
In all the shaking and all this uncertainty and all this unrighteousness.
Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth that can't be shaken.
What a relief to our hearts, but I think that's what Havoc appealed to.
Lord, art thou not from everlasting? We shall not die.
O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment.
An almighty God, thou hast established them for correction. We shall not die.
00:15:00
You know.
Each one of us perhaps can relate to the fear. I was thinking of three fears in particular. There's no doubt more, but maybe a reflection of my own soul. One of them is, and we know it's very real, the fear of our health.
And the fear of losing that can be so great that it can give us to pull in, to duck out.
A brother spoke of that one that was given that gift from the Lord, that # and he was to use it for the Lord.
And as he thought about things in his fear, he took it and he put it in a napkin and he quarantined it to keep it safe.
You know the Lord Jesus said in John chapter 12, he that loves his life is going to lose. He that hates his life in this world shall save it until life eternal.
We're afraid, and our brother also remarked on this. We're afraid of losing our freedoms.
You know you can live with. I like to affirm to myself, I can live as a poverty, poverty stricken, but I still would like to be free. I wouldn't like to have.
Where I lose my liberty?
Because of that, again, it's our tendency to pull in.
We don't want to lose what we've acquired.
All these threats of suddenly our money isn't going to be worth anything. You need to invest it. You need to secure it. You need to.
And so suddenly we become very occupied because where our treasure is, that's where our heart is.
And we find ourselves so affected by what's going on here because afraid of losing.
You know, I was thinking if if Paul, as he dwelt there with Priscilla and Aquila, if he got up in the morning and he started out in his service for the Lord and, and they said to him, Paul, stay safe.
You know, I can see him smiling and saying, you don't know that, he says in First Corinthians 15, why stand we in jeopardy every hour, every hour, the next verse he says, I die daily.
Stay safe.
That couldn't be a priority for Paul if he was going to fulfill what God had given him to do.
Well, you know, we've got to be prudent though.
Well, if you would have been standing there at Lystra, outside the city, where they had stoned him and drugged him out, left him there for dead. And you, you saw him begin to move, and then you saw him open his eyes.
And slowly get up.
And then start walking. Say, Paul, where are you going? I'm going back into the city.
We've got to be prudent.
What have you said to him, Paul?
You're putting people at risk.
You know those ones you take with you like Mark and Timothy.
Why? Because they're such a price on your head. You, you, you caused them to be at risk. Is that right for you to put others at risk?
I wonder if he would have said, You know when I said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
I wanted him to tell me.
And he gave me the peace that in pursuing what He wanted me to do, His divine will that I could leave the consequences with him.
And we can.
He said, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him.
Against that day.
In verse 14 it says, and make us men as fishes of the sea, as the creeping things that have no ruler over them. They take up all of them with the angle. They catch them in their net and gather them in their drag. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net and burn incense unto their drag, because.
00:20:19
By them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
You know, as we look on and we say, why is everyone swayed this way?
There's not a lot of reasoning to everyone, the whole world being swayed One Direction and then swayed the other direction.
You say somebody surely can break out of this. There's a net, there's a net. That's why they're all working in unison. They're being manipulated.
All remember, remember the Lord said, I work or I work.
And it's that.
You know, it says in Ecclesiastes.
That which God doeth his forever, nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it.
And that's what he wants to call our souls, too. And if we realize that we look out on what is happening, what perhaps may happen, that's what's going to lift our souls.
To realize that as difficult as it is God's working a work, he's fulfilling his divine purpose.
And Will, because he has a scene of glory and he's working all things to serve that end.
So in chapter two he says I will stand upon my watch, and will set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say to me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
You know, along with this confusion and so much happening, our lives turned somewhat upside down, others worse than ourselves.
There is a lot of noise to accompany that. You want to find out what's happening.
That also can be a great distraction. It will also direct our thoughts here. It will not keep our vision above. But Havoc realized that he needed to get at a tower where he was looking above what was happening, and also he needed to be able to hear what the Lord was saying to him.
Sometimes we can't in the den, but it's so important because.
Lord Jesus.
We've been reminded, surely his coming is near.
Isn't he putting on finishing touches well?
Often suffering involves that we don't do so well.
Dewey when everything is going fine, but when we're shaken from what we've been leaning on, when our roots are started to bring be pulled up and we realize the ground around us in the world around us is very uncertain.
All then he's able to work his divine working and his bride, each one of us. And again, it's so helpful to keep that in mind. You see something that could just distress you to no end or you lose something.
Remember.
God is working a work, A work so grand that we wouldn't believe if someone told it to us.
Well, so he comes to a place of prayer in chapter 3A, Prayer of Havoc the Prophet.
The Lord spoke to him and you know when you read Chapter 2 and it's very exercising, I'm not going to do it, but I believe the reason why he brought up in Chapter 2, he's speaking about the Chaldeans and how they have conducted themselves, we might say the world around us.
It's what's governed it covetousness, idolatry, violence, corruption.
But the sorrowful thing is, is that the people of God are sometimes hard to tell from the world in these pursuits.
00:25:01
Well, he says now in response to what the Lord has made real to him, he's heard the Lord's voice, He's been able to be on the watchtower and look above the den and strife. And he says, verse 2O Lord, I've heard thy speech and was afraid, O Lord, now notice revive thy work in the midst of years.
Was he distressed at what was going on? Then? No, he wanted it to go on.
Isn't that a whole different perspective for you and I? The very thing that we were afraid of, the very thing that would cause this misery, the thing that made us depressed. Now we realize that that's what God is using in a wonderful way, His work. Yes, the enemy's working, but God is behind it.
And you know, I believe that as he prays here, it's really the spirit of intercession. And that becomes us.
More than ever.
We need to intercede.
For our families.
For assemblies.
And for the lost, as we've been reminded.
The time is short, and you know I've been encouraged by an intercessor of the Scripture, Abigail.
You see her, at the expense of her own life, fall down before a man that was intent on judgment. He had everything. She did it just in time, you might say. And her whole purpose of intercession was that she wanted him to have more when he came into his Kingdom. She's one that loved his appearing, and she didn't want any blood on him. And she wanted all those young men that would have been slaying that day to be saved and go into his Kingdom.
How wonderful if that's, and I believe that if we can get on the tower.
And we, we can look above and realize that God is working to be a communion in fellowship. With that we can pray intelligently and pray that he might have more. We might love his appearing.
Well.
What a wonderful thing to come to to what we read at the beginning. Rest and the day of trouble.
You know there are many souls that are troubled, even our fellow believers.
How good. And that ministry of reconciliation, I believe, very much a part of that.
I've enjoyed to see it in as Israel encompassed Jericho, they, they had the ark of God out front. So as, as those in Jericho looked out, they saw those that had been with Jesus. You might say they heard the trumpet noise that, that the ram's horn that was blown at the, the Jubilee. And so there was a joy connected with what they saw. There was an order in the light.
Marched in order.
There was a confidence, you might say, and I believe that whether our own brethren or whether the world in these days that stands out, that can be such a help. You know, the Lord said right, so that he that sees it will run. And there's a need for that in the ministry of reconciliation.
But this wonderful thing, you know, I being a farmer and coming from a place where.
Drought has.
That's what it's been there at home, and we're preparing in less than a month to seed, seed into powder, dry ground. This verse becomes very real. But those things that we fear again, it's so wonderful to think nothing changed in Habakkuk's life, just his perspective. He came to where of all those things failed. And brother, we don't know what's going to fail.
But of all those things failed.
Here was his study.
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy not just be preserved.
But I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength.
He'll make my feet like Hinds feet. Ah, that's the liberty. That's the liberty that can't be taken away from us. Whatever freedoms, rights or whatever that we have down here that can't bind our feet and give us to walk on high places.
Because, you know, we very little really walk up to our heavenly calling, but this is a recipe to do so, and the Lord wants us to do so.
00:30:04
And may we fly in grace and strength to even be found.
As a singer in this state.
216.
Lord, we rejoice that thou art gone to sit upon thy Father's throne.
Lord, we rejoice.
And it hurts.
You.
About 217 as well.
What would he say?
You never know what you're saying at the metal.
Oh, I can hear you. We don't want to cry. At the end of the day, it's all.
00:35:01
Oh.
Maharashtra.
I'm not.
Hebrews 13:7-13
Reading
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270.
Lower impact operating.
Might suggest that we start at verse 7.
Hebrews 13, verse 7.
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God.
Whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation? Jesus Christ. The same yesterday and today and forever.
Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines. What is a good thing? That the heart be established with grace, not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the Tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.
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For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come by Him. Therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
But to do good and to communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give account.
That they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. Pray for us, for we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. 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 beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I have written the letter unto you in few words.
Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you. Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the Saints they of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all.
Amen.
We were talking a little bit ago, some of us, about what may be coming the previous verse.
Says, I will not fear what man will do unto me. There may be a moment ahead of us coming.
Where we may have to say to the government, no more.
You're forbidding us to meet. We're not listening anymore. You don't want us to do this or that. We will suffer the consequences. We're going to do it anyway.
And if it comes down the road that way, those decisions will be made and we need to say and walk in faith and be able to say we will not fear what man will do unto us and just take the consequences. If day in and day out here month after month and it rolls into years, they forbid people to meet together.
Brother mentioned to me.
That the warning to not forsake the forsake the assembling of yourselves together says even the much the more so as you see the day approaching that may come where we need to just say I will not fear what man shall do unto me and just step forward in faith.
Important that the ones that it speaks of in verse seven and then you'll notice in verse 17 it's the same word and also in verse.
24.
It's mentioned three times. I noticed in the margin it says our guides.
Or Mr. Javi puts leaders and so there are those that God has raised up and through their testimony are such as leaders. Doesn't mean that leaders are devoid of mistakes. Peter was definitely a leader.
But he made some mistakes. Thankfully, he was able.
To be corrected but I think this is important and so in verse 7 the leaders.
Those that have the rule over you are the ones who seemingly.
Have ended. We have the end of their conversation, it's mentioned, or the end of their way of life.
In verse 17, it's those that are today obey them, which have the rule over your leaders and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they must. Give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is improbable for you.
They're not going to give an account for you, but they are going to give an account for how they.
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Were used amongst the people of God in their laborers and then we have it mentioned again in verse 24. Greet those that have the rule over you for your leaders. So it's interesting. This is a principle in the word of God. It's not somebody that we elect.
In certain groups they elect elders. Are there elders amongst us? I do believe so, but they're not named elders.
They're recognized according to their manner of life.
So these are important principles.
It's rather instructive that this is given to us in the last chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, because in the Judaistic economy of things, Judaism was organized, you might say, by God. And those that had authority and those that had took the lead among the people of God were raised up of God and put into that.
Service in connection with the ironic priesthood and the Levitical priesthood. And so they conducted their service in this way, and they had the authority to.
Guide the people of God according to the truth of the Word of God-given to them, and so here.
The apostle mentions these three times, as you mentioned the first verse in verse 7, to remember them which have had, which have had the rule over you, or which the leaders that have gone before that are now with the Lord, who have spoken unto you the word of God. And so they knew the Word of God. They lived by the principles of the Word of God, and they sought to bring before the people of God the word of God. And it's really the will of God and the word of God that ought to govern the assembly.
That's what ought to govern your life privately and my life privately.
But it's the Word of God and the will of God. And then they were to imitate their faith, not to imitate them personally, so to speak in their mannerisms and whatnot, but imitate their faith and to walk and not to forget what they had been taught in the Word of God. And so that other passage that you mentioned, I think is in first Timothy chapter.
Six Is it the to recognize them that are?
It may be a little.
I was thinking chapter 3 where it says where it gives the qualifications for a Bishop and it's interesting that.
Timothy is not told specifically to appoint elders as Titus was, but he was given the qualifications whereby he could recognize those that were such.
Yes. So it's the chapter five, first chapter 5, Let the elders, verse 17, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. So not all of them have the ability to teach, but they knew the doctrines, They knew the principles that the ought to govern the people of God. And so there's oversight. God raises up oversight among his people. We might just turn to Acts chapter 20.
And see there that it's in the sovereignty of God what he does.
Verse 28. Therefore take heed unto yourselves.
And to all the flock over the witch or wherein the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God, which he had purchased with his own blood. So it's the Spirit of God today that raises up those that take the lead that are in oversight, those that are elders, that have experience, that have a steady track record and have walked with God and they.
Are raised up of the Spirit of God. So you mentioned Titus. Titus has a list in the Spirit of God.
Records that the apostle Paul wrote to Titus and he gives them a list of the qualifications the must haves of one that would be take up that work. But then in Timothy first Timothy chapter 3 goes over almost identical list.
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What's the difference? Well, one really was in connection with the sovereignty of God. At the beginning of the church period, Timothy or Titus was appointed to the apostle to appoint elders, appoint those that would exercise that work of oversight among the people of God. But God loves his people.
He's in the sovereignty of God. He had those appointed when the church was young, but now in the day that we live in.
Why? It's in the grace of God that he raises up by the Spirit.
Those that will take up that work and generally speaking, it has been a thankless work and a difficult work.
The young people with regard to.
This leadership.
And I believe it's first Timothy you have.
The.
One that desired the work of a Deacon.
And that was if, if they desired a work of a Deacon, it was a, it was a good thing, it was commendable. And the work of a Deacon is, is is is something different than the work of a, an overseer or an elder.
A Bishop. And yet I believe that.
It's often proven that God will take a Deacon who has been faithful in serving the Saints in whatever way God has put them, whatever work he's given them, and however he's asked them to serve and help and nurture the Saints that it's in that.
Capacity that growth takes place.
And one.
Grows in the mind of God and it's a further I believe it's fertile ground for growth. So the oftentimes I'm not saying that the Scripture doesn't necessarily tell us that you have to be a Deacon first before you're a Bishop, but.
Faithful.
Faithfulness leads to. Fruitfulness leads to.
An expanded heart.
And then oftentimes an expanded sphere of service and so.
If if there's a young brother or I believe that there were deaconesses in Scripture, I believe so Sisters just as well.
You know, the new, new life that God has given us will naturally have a desire to serve that new life. It will.
It will produce.
A Christ likeness, He was the perfect servant. And so if there's a longing in your heart.
To serve the Saints the testimony of God.
It may well lead in time because there's a there's qualifications there. In both Timothy and Titus, there's qualifications and that usually, and I think it always does, lead through the raising of a family.
And the experience, that one.
Goes through the process of being in places of responsibility within our own families, which leads to.
Um, experience and then.
That often opens the door for God to broaden service and become a Father. I believe that.
Often times.
Overseeing and being a spiritual father go together. I think they they probably need to to be effective and so but I just encourage those of you that are younger.
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This often begins with the desire to just do whatever God would put before you.
In very small.
Not going to look like a whole lot.
Just helping, but it leads on to a place possibly where there is wisdom and discernment.
For being put in a place of.
Responsibility amongst the flock of God.
I wonder if we see that in the 1St Corinthians 16 to turn to it. But Paul writes, I beseech you, brother, and you know the House of Stefanus, that is the first fruits of IKEA, that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the Saints. So here's a household that, as you say, was addicted to serving the Saints and no doubt in a very practical way. But then it goes on to say that you submit yourselves.
Unto such, and to everyone that helpeth with us, and labor. And you know, if we know that there is that love and care, that it's not difficult to submit at all, is it?
Principle an Old Testament picture of it in Joshua. Let's just look at Joshua chapter one.
Verse one says Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass.
That the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of none, Moses minister or Moses attendant, saying, Moses, my servant is dead. We don't need to go into the history of Joshua, but this dear man Joshua identified first in the Exodus chapter 17. He was fighting with Amalek the flesh, and he was used of God to in company with Moses and he was an attendant. He labored together with Moses, but in Moses shadow and.
He was, his brother, Phil pointed out, maybe doing The Dirty work behind the scenes, and he was doing a work of service quietly behind the scenes. And that's how we learn in the ways of God. To become useful in the things of God is to work in the shadow and in the assistance of those that God has already raised up, that there might be learning a time of, you might say, an apprenticeship, and how the Lord.
The lights to have it that the older brother walk in fellowship with the younger brethren and the younger brethren do not rise up against those that God has used in oversight in the assembly, but they imitate the faith and they submit as verse 17 gives us not obey a clergy or anything like that, but they submit and they submit to the judgment of their older brother. And I think it's in First Thessalonians chapter 5. It says and be at peace among yourselves.
And so that's how there's peace brought into the assembly if there's that spirit of submission to those that are in oversight. You have mentioned that they might not be features and they might not.
In First Epistle of Timothy, chapter 3, where it gives one of the lists, verse 2, the last part of the verse, it says they must be apartment to teach. I was thinking as you spoke, Robert, there might actually be a situation where there's an older godly brother who's an elder.
Who sits at the feet of a younger brother who's a teacher?
They submit to one another in their capacity and their service for the Lord. And when wisdom is needed for guidance, the younger brother, who's maybe a gifted teacher, needs to listen to the guidance he receives from his elder. What does it mean to be apartment to teach?
In Second Timothy, chapter 2.
In verse 24, it doesn't let any of us out, says in the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men apartment to teach.
Well, I would suggest that something like this. My father was definitely an elder, but he was not a gifted speaker, but one-on-one. He could teach and lay out an outline of the word of God to somebody, and he did that both.
In the gospel and in giving counsel.
00:25:01
That having that ability and seeking it from the Lord to at least be able to do that one-on-one.
I think to seek to be apartment to teach would fit that.
Stephen was a Deacon in Acts Chapter 6.
And he evidently was faithful. He was a man filled with the Spirit of God.
And when you come to Acts Chapter 7, what a man to take the scriptures and teach them. And so it is like you say, Phil, to be faithful in what is little. Sometimes we don't put any importance on things that are small, but he that is faithful and that which is little.
Is faithful also, and much. I encourage you to be faithful and to cultivate fellowship with your older brethren too.
I think it is very healthy situation. I just want to connect verse seven of our chapter to verse 8 because it says the end of verse seven considering the end of their conversation.
What was it? Jesus Christ? The same yesterday and today and forever. I think it helps to connect those two.
It's Christ before the soul, and that's what's important, to lead them into the enjoyment, our younger brethren, into the enjoyment of the person of our Lord Jesus.
Chapter 10, which starts the foundation on which these exhortations are based. Chapter 10, it's the just shall live by faith. And then in Chapter 11 we have a list of those who live by faith.
And then in Chapter 12, turning really from that set of people that we can benefit from examining their lives of faith and how they live by faith, we have the perfect example of someone who lived by faith.
And that is, in chapter 12 we're turned to and at verse one to looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith.
This is chapter 12 is not his atonement that's in view. It's not the work he did on the cross that's before us here. It's his life of faith. And we're told look to Jesus and look at that perfect life of faith and look what he endured in it. He looked at this. He was despised in his life of faith, but he looked beyond it.
To.
Of that which he now has as the God-given to him to set down on the right hand of the throne of God. So then in verse three of that chapter, he then turns to us the writer, and he says, now consider him.
And so when you get to the 13th chapter, you have another set of people and they're introduced to us in verse seven. Remember them which take the lead among you. What is it you're to consider about them, their faith?
That is, here is another class of those whose lives were characterized by faith.
And you?
If we'll say if you're younger, there's been a lot of comment about younger and older. There are those that we look to and we look at their conversation. That is their life and we look at it and we see a life of faith.
And what does that intended to do to us? It's intended to, and we're exhorted to listen to what they said.
That is in verse seven, remember them who have spoken unto you the word of God. And what gives? Practically speaking, and is an exercise to one that's older. Has my life been characterized by faith?
In a way that would cause a younger one to listen to the word of God.
00:30:01
Given to them or a word spoken to them? Or is it like the world says your life speaks so loudly I can't hear what you say? In other words, if the life is not consistent with the words and it does not demonstrate.
That it is a hindrance rather than a help sometimes to someone to be following the Word even though it's a true word. And yet the exhortation here is that followed in verse 8 by going back to the Lord Jesus in verse 12. His life was the same.
Consistency characterized his life. There's more to it, and the more it'll be said about verse 8, but in this sense of it.
His life was perfectly consistent. He wasn't hot one day and cold the next in the life of faith, but rather he walked in a consistent way. And so he then contrasts that in verse 9 because it's all connected thought. He says be not carried away with diverse and strange doctrines. Why? Because the person described in verse seven walked consistently in the Word of God.
And wasn't carried away by divers and strange doctrines. And so when we look at them and we imitate that word of God-given to them, we are imitating a word which isn't going to be one thing today and something tomorrow and a different thing another day. But it is that which will keep us in a consistent path of faith according to God's mind. And then he says one more thing.
Let the heart be established in grace.
So important.
If one is going to take the lead among his brethren, that it not have the spirit of legality.
That it has the Spirit of Christ and grace, and that that spirit characterized one who takes the lead.
And then those who come along under that character are enabled to follow and imitate the manner of life, the faith that was exhibited, the consistency of walk that isn't constantly going this way and that way. And finally, it's a life that the Lord Jesus perfectly exhibited. Faithfulness, but perfect grace.
Maybe just a further thought as to what we have in verse 7 here. Who have spoken unto you the word of God?
No, scripture is like private interpretation and I've wondered if the thought there if you turn back to.
Acts chapter 20 that we had read to us.
Acts Chapter 20.
Must have been a burden for the apostles to call the oversight and emphasis together.
To know that as he spoke to them in verse 28 here that was read to us. Take thee therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.
The first thing that he mentions here is that those in oversight.
Are characterized by providing food for the church, so he says here.
To feed the Church of God.
Now just hold your finger there.
And turn over to first Peter.
In first Peter.
And chapter 5.
But we have Peter addressing those in oversight.
And he said, The elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory, shall be revealed. Now he states exactly the same thing.
That what should characterize those in oversight is they provide food. So he says here feed the flock of God. And I take it from the Scripture that you referred us to Brother Robert in first Timothy, that the statement that those that rule well would suggest that there are perhaps those that don't rule well. And so I think Peter addresses those here by saying here.
00:35:11
Feed the clock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight theory thereof, not by constraint but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. And then you suggest you're not as being Lords over God's heritage, but being models. And then he brings before us the Chief Shepherd, that perfect example. But go back now to Acts chapter 20.
Because I believe as the.
Apostle addressed those in Ephesus. We have a we have a progression perhaps in in what is written to those in Ephesus. We have three different epistles to the Ephesians. We have this one. We have one in Ephesus and then we have one, of course in Revelation. But what the apostle Paul saw on the horizon here was a difficulty with those in oversight. It was a very real thing. And so he says here.
In Acts chapter 20, verse 189 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. OK, so he's suggesting that there are going to be some that are brought in that were not good. But then he addresses those that are right there amongst them. And so he says also in verse 30 also of among yourselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.
And this is a sad line of things to have to address, but it's real because we've seen it time and time again. In my own life, I've been affected very heavily by 7 different divisions and it's never been among the young people. It has always been amongst those who are in a position of oversight. The point is that everyone, whether they're young or whether they're in a position of oversight.
Are accountable.
Everyone of us is accountable, and if we see someone that's in a position of oversight and their ministry is not food for the people of God, it should set up a warning signal. That's why I believe both the Apostle Paul and Peter addressed that line of things with oversight. And isn't it true that if that exhortation hadn't been received?
In Acts, and also that which was provided in the Epistle of the Ephesians. If that had been received, then perhaps John would not have addressed, have had to address those in a position of oversight and emphasis that he does in Revelation.
Just wonder why you just share. You just shared.
Ministry that was given to Peter.
For the Saints.
That had to do with the fact Peter was an agent elder and he, he was a father to the to the children of God. And if we, if we turn on them to 1St John, we'll get the heart of another father.
And I just want to make mention of of one thing which has been an exercise of my soul.
As to whatever extent the Lord uses this vessel for the encouragement of the Lord's people.
It says in verse two of first John one, for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you eternal life. You know, it's been my desire to whatever extent I understand.
The truth of God, not just to be a mouthpiece for it.
But that I might show.
That the Saints of God, what the truth is.
It's almost as though the Spirit of God has worked in my soul. I would rather show.
Until I don't do a very good job at that, but I do long that that would be the truth. That would be the reality of whatever extent the Lord uses this vessel and.
The apostle John, he he knew what eternal life was.
00:40:01
He knew because he had seen it. Someone had showed it to him.
And.
That should be our desire too, that.
We might show those that we're seeking to encourage and strengthen and build up and lead along the reality of the truth of God.
Burton of Impossible Acts 20 was the pretty much.
There, but before he spoke, he laid out what his life had been, how he had been amongst them. And I just was thinking of that as we were speaking, considering the end of their conversation, their manner of life, that Paul could, could speak to those Ephesian elders there and speak begin. He begins by Speaking of his life serving the Lord.
With all humility of mind, we says earlier on that you know from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears of temptations and so forth. And he says how I kept back nothing that was profitable. And you have showed you and taught you publicly and so forth. And then later on in the chapter he speaks about how he coveted no man's silver or gold.
So forth. He administered verse 35 and showed you all things now that so labour and you ought to support the weak and so forth, so forth. To your point, though, I just was thinking that Apostle Paul before he ever even you might say, laid out the truth that was that matter of life that was going to display that that truth that he was laying out was a reality in his own soul.
I think that's why whole ship is, isn't it? It's learning not only by what is said, but by what is seen. And I must say in my younger days traveling with some of my older brother, and it was such a lesson to me not only to listen to them, but to see how they handled situations. And so the Lord said make disciples. And I think discipleship is an important thing, but I want to emphasize again the question of.
Of feeding the flock of God, how important food is.
What was it that brought Naomi back from Moab to Israel? It was she heard that the Lord had visited His people and giving them bread. What was it that brought the prodigal son home from the far country? It was how many servants of my father have bred enough and despair. How pertinent it is, brother, God's people are not fed on contention.
They're fed on solid food and so how important the reading meetings and going over the scriptures consistently and I was thinking about what Don mentioned in verse 9 about the importance of grace by the the.
Admonition is not to be carried about with diverse and strange doctrines. Sometimes we get occupied with diverse and strange doctrines. That's not the important thing. It's to give them a solid food from Scripture. How important that is.
There's talks about, I think in Ephesians four of the Winds of Doctrine.
And there are people that get caught up with this wind of doctrine and then another wind of doctrine. I sometimes say piece of paper outside that is caught with the wind and carried away One Direction and then another, that piece of paper is going to land in the garbage. So let's be careful not to get caught with winds of doctrine. But.
Be occupied giving God's people solid food.
From the scriptures and here in verse 8, the person of the Lord Jesus to focus on him, how important to relate it to him.
Brother Don mentioned something in combination with Brother Dave had said that. I think it's really important the troubles that have come from older ones. They may have had a consistent life for a long time, but what Brother Don mentioned is a red flag.
Mr. Darby, I don't know where the quotes from and I think brother monks, the one that told it to me years ago and the quote goes like this.
00:45:08
When practice declines, practice is pressed, and that's exactly the wrong thing. It is grace. So as Brother Don said, if the spirit of legality comes in and the spirit of grace departs, and that teacher who once maybe was very good.
Is characterized by that. That's a red flag. It's a huge red flag. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong.
It's really bringing out here in this passage the potential for mixture or the attempt to mix Judaism and Christianity. So the law was given by Moses and it was due. It was perfect and the ways of God it was presented with the were types and shadows and the children of Israel had the five books of Moses and but when the Lord Jesus was rejected, he was crucified.
Died upon the cross, shed his precious blood. The test of the 1St man.
Was over. And so God set aside Judaism and officially set it aside, you might say, in the AD 70 when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. And so Christianity is not an addition or an improvement of Judaism. It's entirely distinct. And So what he's saying here is that the heart, the affections need to be established with the grace. Grace came by Jesus Christ. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, that is that we have an approach to God that they did not have. And we come directly in the presence of God. Every one of us is a priest and we have the liberty of those that come in the very presence of the Lord. He's saying don't go back to Judaism. Don't mix it in. Don't try to adopt some of the principles of Judaism.
I'll appreciate the grace of God.
That brought us into His presence with full liberty of those that are the sons of God, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, and to offer our sacrifices of praise and Thanksgiving to God in His very presence. So he's giving this as a warning, perhaps from verse 9/10/11.
Not to adopt anything that would be of Judaism and to just be so thankful for the grace of God.
I think I enjoyed the thought here in in relation to that. Look at this in Second Kings for the effect of what that would have.
Look at.
Verse second Kings four and verse 38 And Elijah came again to give God, and there was a dearth in the land, in the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.
And he said unto his servant, Sit on the great pot, and see pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field together, herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds, his lap pool, and came and shred them into the pot, the pottage where they knew them not. This verse 40 was thinking. So they poured out for the men to eat, and it came to pass as they were eating of the pottage.
That they cried out and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot and they could not eat thereof. That's the effect of bringing in Judaism. It's poison in the pot, isn't it? And to bring it into the assembly, that's what happens. It's death, isn't it?
Remedy. It's really Christ himself that's wonderful to see in those Old Testament types.
There are more overt types, though dangers, and we could bring in some of the types, some of the forms that Judaism had. And Christianity hasn't by large adopted large buildings that they sometimes even call a temple. And they have a special group of men that they call priests or pastors even, and they have special robes and they have choirs and so on and so forth. And so he's warning against this and in the simplicity.
00:50:02
Of Christianity, that which glorifies Christ, he says. You have an altar, you have an approach to God that those Old Testament Saints never had. Oh, how thankful we ought to be, brethren.
Also.
We introduced the thought of the old man in connection with They have no right to eat of this altar.
And so all that was was established in Judaism was established around Adam.
And Adam has no right to eat of this altar and we we need to realize that.
It's in our new position of being in Christ that we enter in to the blessings of, of, of worship and of new creation. And when we see the efforts and the energies of the first man introduced, all of those things that you just mentioned, the buildings and the robes and and the the rituals, all of those things attract.
Man in the flesh and in and Christianity.
Man in the flesh is seen at the foot of the cross.
And he's never.
He never takes another step from there in the reality of the truth of Christianity.
So the danger to us, are we likely to start building temples and do that? What's the instruction to us? What's the danger that we have in our day, at our time, at our moment in history that can be introduced that would change that rather?
I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were directing that at me, so my mind wandering.
Well, then this, what's the danger to us? What can we introduce that will interfere with this? What are we likely to do? Are we going to build a temple? No, we're not going to do that. We're not going to bring back a lot of these Judaistic practices. We're not going to do that. But we can do something that will interfere. What is it? Well, anytime we, anytime we fall from grace, we place ourselves under law. We reintroduce the energy of man in the flesh.
I don't know if that's what you have in mind. Well, principles are rule keeping.
To constrain what? Because there's a lack of faith and people need to be constrained, we'll introduce them back to the preciousness of their Savior, introduce them back to grace, introduce them back to The Who they are in Christ, and they'll be just fine. Don't put rules on them. It won't work.
Versus everything. So you ask, in verse 10 we have an altar. What is our altar? It gives what our altar is in verse.
15.
By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise. So Christ is the altar. By him we offer praise to God.
In a circumstance, Christ is the altar, Christ is the priest, and Christ is the sacrifice. And so it's relating it to him, to his person. And so it's not anything of the formalities of that Jewish system, it's his person.
And if I turn aside from Christ?
Then I don't have a right to eat at this altar.
There are three things that characterize Christianity that did not characterize Judaism, and you have in verse 12, the first of them it says wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood. So the blood of Christ is one of the things that is unique.
To Christianity and that God has given us in Christianity that sets us apart from everything that ever was before in Judaism, and gives us the value of the person, the work of Christ. Then we have His reproach as well in verse 13. Let us go forth therefore unto Him.
Without the camp bearing his reproach. So if we go outside of all of that organized religion that that system of things that.
00:55:11
Imitates Judaism, perhaps what we might even call the camp today. Mr. Dunlop, Brother Dunlop has a nice little pamphlet that What is the camp? What is it? I believe it is. I don't know if BTP has it here or not, but.
It's a nice little exposition of that expression, but there's his reproach. There was no reproach in connection with the God of Israel in Judaism. If they walked in Solomon's day and all the power that in display of that power. But then the third thing is his name in verse 15 by him. Therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continue. That is fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
So his blood.
His reproach and his name.
Call, beloved brethren, what a treasure we have the blood of Christ.
And the privilege of bearing the reproach of Christ.
And of bearing his name in the day that we live in. It's a real privilege.
It's like you've mentioned in verse 11 Says for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. You go back to Leviticus 16, which is the chapter where we have the great Day of atonement. We have that mentioned if you look at verse.
27.
It says and the Bullock for this sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering.
Whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place shall one carry forth without the camp, and they shall burn in the fire, their skins, and their flesh, and their dawn.
So that's a picture of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 12 it goes on to explain that wherefore Jesus also.
That he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Of course, like you say, the camp is Judaism that they were called out of. The Lord Jesus presented himself to that Judaistic system and in fact they said we have no place for this person in this system and they took him outside.
The city of Jerusalem and nailed him to a cross.
Is there a place for us in this system? Now I think we get the picture that there is really no place. And so we're called out of it as well in verse 13. Let us there. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp bearing.
His reproach?
Somebody made the comment and I have enjoyed it.
I think this is the middle verse of this chapter.
And.
Of this 13th verse, I think there's 13 words and the middle word is.
Brethren, that's the point of attraction unto him.
Is there something else in the religious system that exists that attracts us? Let us go forth, therefore unto Him, without the camp bearing his reproach.
Something else that I think is important to recognize.
And that is?
The Epistle to Hebrews was written to Jews.
Not Gentiles. It was written to Jewish people.
Who had embraced the faith?
Of the Lord Jesus Christ. And now they became Christian. But their whole mindset, their whole life from their birth on, had been in a system called Judaism. And it's important to recognize that the system of Judaism was established not by man, but by God. It was God's organized way in which the people, the Jewish people, were to have a relationship to God.
01:00:25
Established at the time of Moses and still recognized by God when the Lord Jesus came.
And the Lord Jesus himself lived his life inside.
That system.
He observed the Sabbath as a godly Jew. He obeyed the 10 commandments for Jesus as a godly Jew. And so it was important that here in the writing to the Hebrews, they were being taught that they had to leave it. Yes, it had been badly corrupted, the leaders of it.
We're living in such a way that they had no place for the Lord Jesus in the system and they cast him out.
And so it was something that here they were being taught that Judaism as a religion given of God, did not establish a foundation in which man could approach God under the system established by God.
There wasn't a single Jew that had liberty to come into the presence of Jehovah. Not one, because the way of approach had not been established after Nadab and Abihu in the very early.
Sin, even those who could get into the Tabernacle itself as priests, was limited. The high priest, only once a year could go into the Most Holy Place, and everybody held their breath as to whether he would come out alive.
Including himself.
But I'm saying all these things, brethren, because I don't know anybody in this room that was born in that system. I'm not aware of anybody. Bill Weiss is not here, so I'm not aware of anybody who was born a Jew. And there are certain things here, Peter said maybe you don't say it. Peter said Paul says some stuff to us. It's pretty hard to understand.
He was having trouble Peter understanding how to get outside the system that had been established by God and under which he lived his whole life until the Lord Jesus he became a follower.
And I don't want to go too much farther in this except to bring a parallel that's very important. And that is, yes, it's been said and we need to heed it, that it's very easy for man in the flesh to like a set of rules and want to go back under the principles of Judaism.
Even if not going under the system itself as given of God. But here's here's my point brethren, you were born a Gentile.
And as a Gentile, like the Jew had to leave a system, so you have to leave something too, and that is the world.
You were born into the world.
And it says.
Worldlings, there's idols. Not the idols of Judaism or what was substituted, but the world is full of things to grab your heart and cause you to live here as the center of your being. And then the example of an epistle not written to the Jew, but to the Gentile.
To the Thessalonians, and he says to them in the first chapter, You turn to God from idols.
And that's what we have had to do, to turn to God from the idols that control the world in which we live. He turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait from his for his Son from heaven. We have to live in the world, but in spirit we have to leave it. And a great danger for us in this room particularly is that we try to mix the two.
The Gentiles so easily and we so naturally, we want to have the hope of the Lord's coming. We want to come together and remember him on the Lord's day. But at the same time we rather enjoy naturally to have some of what the world gives to us. And we are exhorted in a similar way to what's given here. Are we willing to turn our back, if you will, to leave the world system as a system?
01:05:25
To become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ outside of that system.
And that's a very real challenge that we face every day because you go to work every day, and there is that which will draw your mind and your heart if you occupy yourself with the news or with the television set or what's available on the Internet with your cell phone, it's all drawing your heart, if it can, back into the world.
And so there's a very real importance of getting the exhortations here and also being able to apply them to us as Gentiles and get the parallelism between leaving the system of Judaism, which is man after the flesh but organized of God until Christ came with a world system that began when a long time ago.
The world began when Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.
To live his life without the Lord. And that's the beginning of what we call the world today. And it's we wouldn't say, oh, I'm going to leave the Lord out of my life. But again, I say a great danger for us that will make it difficult for us to fulfill these exhortations is if we try to mix the two.
But the same.
Constraining power that took the Jew out of the system of Judaism.
Was the constraint of the love of Christ and that's the same constraining power that draws your heart and mind out of the world to be focused upon himself and the apostle Paul is a patterned St. could say for me to live as Christ. That was the consuming object and interest.
Of Everett, and I put it this way, decision he made in his life. What is it that I'm going to do today that is going to give me to know him better?
Prayer number 46 in the back of the book.
Could we also sing 312 #312?
Congratulations.
We.
All.
A loving God and our Father, we thank thee for thy love for thy.
Fear
Gospel—John Kaiser
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 evening, this is a better evening than many appreciate.
So often people say to me, have a good day.
And sometimes I've said to them, I'm having a good day and so are you.
They say, how do you know?
And I say every day outside hell is a good day.
And they're not. That's not what they're expecting, but it's true.
Every day outside hell is a good day. So the man of this world has a good day every day.
In that respect.
But how about tomorrow?
Are you ready?
To meet God.
Let's sing hymn #100 Excuse me?
#18 I was going to say 118. I haven't. I've had some 118 on my mind lately. And some excuse me, hymn #18.
God loved the world so tenderly.
His only son. He gave that all who in his name believe.
Its wonders power will save.
God loved the world.
It is my little fault will stand.
All the way up.
It's my name.
If I never said another word this evening.
You've already heard the gospel.
You've already heard it twice.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, of whosoever believed in him should not perish, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
You know that word perish. I heard that I learned this verse John 316 when I was very young.
And I never understood what the word perish meant until I probably got into my teens that I knew it was bad if there's something God wanted to save me from.
I knew it was bad because I knew he was good. God so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe him should not perish.
00:05:06
Because you see.
All sinners, and that means all of us are naturally in danger of perishing. Passing eternally ruined into Satan's help. P/E RISH passing eternally ruined into Satan's health.
Now you've heard the gospel, let's sing the third verse.
You notice that I'm wearing glasses I don't see very well.
But there's someone here tonight.
Who sees everything?
He sees into your heart. He sees into your past.
He sees into your feelings. He sees into your future.
And that's the person you have to answer to. There I mentioned it.
I already told you what my subject is going to be tonight.
Maybe you didn't catch it.
Turn to Genesis chapter one. Genesis, Excuse me, Genesis chapter 3. Genesis is the book of beginnings.
And so we're going to go back to the beginning and.
We're going to read about something that is very common today.
But we're going to go back to the beginning. There's a lot of firsts in the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter 3. This is the book of the generations. Excuse me, I've got chapter 5 there. Genesis chapter 3. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.
And he said to the woman, Yeah, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened.
And you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her and heated heat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool the day and Adams with.
And his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee thou was naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee, Thou shouldst not eat? And the man said.
00:10:00
Whom thou gave us to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Now, very often in preaching the gospel, people focus on the first few verses that we read.
I want to focus on.
Adams actions after he sinned. You notice it says Adam and Eve they made themselves.
Aprons of fig leaves.
That's the first mentioned human invention.
Not very impressive. They made themselves aprons of fig leaves.
And yet somehow they knew that those fig leaves.
Didn't hide them from God because it says Adam says I heard.
Thy voice.
In the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself naked even after he put the fig leaves on. Why?
Because he knew he still wasn't fit for God's presence. The fig leaves were symbolic, a symbolic recognition of his need, but that's all they were.
And, you know, people are all the time putting out fig leaves these days. They have all kinds of things they do that they think somehow cope with their situation, and they don't have God's solution. So Adam here, Adam and Eve, they put on fig leaves and then they hid themselves from God. And you know, that's what people have been doing.
For centuries. For thousands of years.
They do a little something to recognize their need.
I came up with some little religion or something else. Then they hide from God. It's been said that people are seeking God. People will tell you I'm seeking God, but they don't go to the word of God to find him. They don't get on their knees and cry out to him.
When a person seeks God, he finds them. God is not hard to find. Romans chapter one tells us that we don't have time to go there.
I'll tell you why in a few minutes. But people.
In general, the natural man seeks for God the way a thief looks for a policeman.
He's really trying to avoid God. He's trying to find something that satisfies his need for a God.
Without having God himself. And you know there's no substitute for God. Don't waste your life looking for a substitute for God. God made you for himself. The Bible tells us that. And nothing else will ever satisfy you. Nothing. So Adam here, he hid himself. He heard God's voice. If he really wanted God, why didn't he run out there?
He was afraid, he knew he wasn't fit to be in the presence of God. Fig leaves or not, he still knew he was naked. You see, when Adam sinned.
He got not only a knowledge of good and evil.
He got an increased knowledge of good, increased appreciation of good, because, you see, good does contrast with evil.
But he got a knowledge of evil, he got a conscience, and everyone of us here has a conscience tonight. A knowledge of the word conscience means with knowledge, knowledge of sin. And with that conscience came something else.
Fear.
Fear. And that is the subject that's on my heart tonight I want to talk about.
Fear.
It's a very common thing these days. People are very afraid.
Adam was afraid.
Fear came into the world with sin.
Now there are good kinds of fear. Fear is not always bad.
But it didn't. It wasn't here in the world before sin.
It's a there's this legitimate fear of death, there's a legitimate fear of God, there's a legitimate fear of fire, legitimate fear of illness.
00:15:05
But this fear mastered.
Adam and Eve and they hid themselves from God. He heard God's voice and he was afraid.
I hope there's no one here tonight like that. You have no reason to fear God. God created Adam as an object of his love, and God still loved Adam. God created Eve for Adam.
As a symbol of his love. And God still loved Eve, and God loves you tonight.
But you see, there was something else that accompanied that created that fear, and that was guilt.
Fear and guilt go together.
And guilt itself is not always a bad thing in the one sense that if I am guilty, I should know it, know that I'm guilty.
The guilt is linked with sin.
And.
That is what separates us from God, and that was ultimately what separated Adam.
From God.
God was in the picture. God's in the picture. Tonight everyone of us has to deal with God.
God didn't give up on Adam when Adam sinned, and God has not given up yet on the human race. God has said, My spirit shall not always strive with men, and every one of us has a limited time on this earth to respond to God's call.
You know, it's interesting, when God came into the garden, he didn't say, Adam, what did you do?
He knew, he said. Adam, where are you? Notice what it says here?
And the Lord verse six, the Lord God called unto Adam and said to where art thou? God was interested in Adam. He knew where Adam was and God knows where you are tonight. But he wanted a response from Adam and he got it. He got a response from Adam. Adam didn't say here I am. He knew God knew where he was, he said.
I heard thy voice in the garden.
And I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. He was afraid, He admitted to being afraid.
It's a healthy thing to be afraid of God if you are a guilty Sinner. If you're not a guilty Sinner, my friend, you can walk out the door tonight. This message is not for you.
Except those of us who are no longer guilty sinners rejoice in it, because we're saved.
Now.
I heard thy voice in the garden. I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee thou was naked?
Adam's own conscience told him that.
And each of us has a conscience and you know.
That if you're not, if your sins are not cleansed, you are not fit to meet God tonight.
What was Adam's response? He went and hid himself and then when God said to him.
Umm, have you eaten of the tree? Where have I commanded thee? Thou shest not eat, the man said.
The woman, he didn't say yes. He was devious, he and that's like the rest of us.
We try to evade responsibility, Adam said. The woman which thou gave us, me to be with me, she gave me the tree and I did it. He tried to pass off some of the responsibility, some of the blame.
To his.
Bride. They hadn't been married that long.
00:20:01
That he was ready to blame his wife.
Sin makes cowards of all of us.
Adam was a coward. He wasn't willing, wasn't ready to face God. He wasn't ready to face his responsibility. And I want you to understand that all of us are by nature are cowards. How do I know that?
There's somebody in this room who's never made an excuse.
Hold up, your hand never made an excuse.
What's an excuse? It's an attempt to evade responsibility.
And Adam made excuses. And so did Eve.
It's male or female. We all make excuses.
I want you to think about something because this is very common in life. You know, when the Lord Jesus told us a story about a man who.
Made a great supper and invited many, and it says with one consent they all began to make excuse.
People make excuses all the time. They're late and they make excuses for that. They lie and make excuses for that with more lies. Sometimes we say, well, politicians do it. Yes, lawyers and salesman and.
Everybody else, we make excuses, but think about it.
God never makes an excuse, you know. It's a wonderful thing if you can grow up and learn not to make excuses.
Is something I've had to learn in my life and I'm still struggling with it. We so automatically make excuses to make excuses to our parents. We make excuses to our children.
God never made an excuse, and God never.
Accepts an excuse he can't. How can God ever accept something he doesn't authorize?
People don't think about this. We live lives of excuses. It's proof that we're sinners, just like Adam.
You know, I like to use visual aids. I.
Have been using visual aids for years and I find that visual aids cover up for a lot of shortcomings in the speaker. People appreciate them and.
I've got this subject of fear and when I was asked last week.
To take this meeting.
I'd already been looking at this subject of fear because I've been hearing about it so much, you know, So we see symbols of fear everywhere we go.
People wear these for two reasons, either fear of a disease or fear of man.
Right, we live in a society that's increasingly dominated by fear, and I want to tell you that God has an answer to fear. Fear, the very first emotion in the human expressed in the human race. Now I've no doubt that when God, God brought.
Eve to Adam, that Adam had some emotion, we're just not told what it was, and I'm sure he was.
Has some really strong feelings. The first feeling we're told of the scripture is fear. And it's a very basic feeling. It's interesting, you know, I've got a quote here. I have been for years. We've been going to a, a detention center. I thought I had the quote here.
Oh, here it is. Here we go.
I stuck my notes down there by mistake. Go to a detention center and this detention center, they have a big picture of Einstein on the wall.
And.
A bunch of quotes that he made and one quote he made that's kind of stuck with me is.
Fear or stupidity has always been the basis of most human action.
00:25:03
Fear or stupidity has always been the basis of most human action. Well, here you know we have the answer for fear and we have the answer for stupidity as well, right in the word of God.
Poor Einstein. You know, I don't think he ever got the answer. I think he died a disappointed man.
Didn't need to.
So.
I made a list of scriptures. I pulled up a list of scriptures on the computer, printed out some scriptures. I came up with over 100 scriptures on Fear. We're not going to go through them all tonight, but I picked out a few I'd like to look at very quickly. Let's look at.
Psalm 23.
Psalm 23.
Very commonly read. There's a wonderful verse in the middle of Psalm 23.
That deals with fear.
Psalm 22 is written by David, and he has these words in the middle of Psalm 23. Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will.
Fear no evil.
That's a wonderful statement.
How can he say that? Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. You know, when I was making plans to come down here, somebody said to me, don't you think? You think you shouldn't go there? There's I hear that COVID is on the rise in Kentucky. Well, it's on the rise a lot of places.
Yeah, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
You know Adam didn't know God's comfort. He began to get a little idea of God's heart toward him when God gave him something better than those fig leaves. God clothed him with animal skins, proper clothing, as a symbol of his interest in Adam's welfare. I want you to understand that God is interested in your welfare tonight more than you are.
And if you're at his side?
He is at your side and it says yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. You know, if you're with the Lord, and you're in the course, in the path of his will, there's no place safer on earth.
The Bible says the fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. The Bible says the horse is prepared in the battle, but safety.
Is of the Lord. You know, if you're in safety, you don't have fear.
That doesn't mean I'm never going to get COVID, it means I can trust the Lord.
God is greater than our fears. God is greater than anything we could fear. And that's what David was saying here. I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
If I walk into the store and I want to buy something, it costs $0.50 and I haven't got that $0.50.
But I got a friend beside me who says opens up his wallet and says help yourself. And there's lots in there. I don't worry about not having $0.50. God is for you tonight.
Our very being here is evidence of that. God cares for you. David knew that. Let's look at Proverbs chapter one with some interesting verses about fear here. Proverbs chapter one.
Proverbs is right after some, you know, I, I looked all these verses the other night and I thought, how can I arrange these in some orderly manner? And it's like the Lord said to me, I already did just go through the just go from Genesis to Revelation.
And so that's what we're doing tonight. We're going to go very quickly from Genesis to Revelation, Proverbs chapter one and verse 24.
Because I have called and ye refused. You know, Adam, I'm sure Adam was so glad that he did not continue to hide from God. It's a terrible thing for God to call and you refuse. It's dangerous. Because I called and he refused. I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded.
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And ye have said it not all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. Notice that phrase, Your fear cometh.
The fear of the wicked man, Scripture says over and over, will come on him, and it'll be worse than he ever imagined, because God always gives greater than we ask or imagine.
God always gives greater than we ask or imagine, whether it's good or bad.
God's thoughts are bigger than ours and so.
I will laugh when your fear cometh. I will mock when your fear cometh, When your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, When distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall mock me. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge and did not choose.
The fear of the Lord.
Now this is a very positive, healthy fear, the fear of the Lord. And tonight you can be occupied with the fears that occupy the common man, or you can be occupied with the fear of the Lord. Now the fear of the Lord is a wonderful thing.
It can be in the in the book of Proverbs you have a lot of words about the fear of the Lord and it says in Proverbs think it's 28 or 29. Happy is a man that feareth always.
Well, is it always nice to be fearful? The point is the verse there in the Hebrew, it says happy is the man who is always reverent. Always reverent, recognizing that God is controlling control of all my circumstances.
And so they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
That's a bad choice.
And I want to tell you to understand that fear.
I'm sorry.
Is a choice. Fear is a choice. You say I can't help being afraid. Yes, you can. God has given us a way out. Fear is a choice. You have a choice between fear and God. You have a choice between fear and God's love.
You can enjoy one or the other.
Now let's look at Proverbs 28 verse one.
Proverbs 28 verse one, it says the wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion. I don't want to comment on that verse right now, but I want you to think about it because it's going to apply.
In something we come to later, the wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion. The only comment I want to make on that is that sin.
Makes us all cowards. And by the way, what we're talking about cowardice. Anybody have a trouble? Procrastination.
That's a form of fear. Procrastination is saying I can't deal with this right now or I won't deal with this right now. Maybe there's someone in here who's putting off. They're procrastinating doing something they know the Lord wants them to do.
You're being a coward.
The righteous.
Our bold as a lion, but the wicked flee when no man pursueth. Turn to Isaiah 3314.
I'm going to just simply read these some of these verses make very brief comments because.
Our time is short and I'm really trusting God to impress His word on us. I'm sowing seeds tonight.
Isaiah 33 and verse 14. The sinners in Zion are afraid. Fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites.
Hypocrites.
Are you pretending that you're not a coward, you're a hypocrite?
We're all natural hypocrites, I remember.
Norman Berry once said to me, he was talking about a certain situation. And they turned to me and he said, John, you know, we're all hypocrites. And I thought to myself, I nodded my head, but I thought to myself, Mr. Berry, speak for yourself.
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I hadn't learned yet what a hypocrite I am by nature. That's something we have to learn. We're natural hypocrites because we're natural cowards. We're afraid to be honest.
And so it says here.
Fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites.
Fear and hypocrisy go together. If you're not willing to face reality before God, you're going to be stuck with fear and hypocrisy.
Fearfulness. Fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? It's the word here is shall.
Because these things are coming. And the kiss you is, is there anybody here that's headed for that? That's the issue tonight. Where are you headed? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Turn to Isaiah chapter.
Oh, I want to share something with you that I came across a long time ago. We sing to him.
We sing of the realms of the Blessed. It's hymn #70 and the Little Flock Hymn Book 70 in the appendix.
And the first verse is we sing in the realms of the blessed and so on. There's 4 verses that hymn.
There's a fifth verse that discovered some years ago. We speak of the realms of the damned, the regions of guilt and despair, the endless fear suffering for sin.
But what must it be to be there?
Let me read that again. We speak of the realms of the damned. We talk. People use the word hell carelessly. We speak of the realms of the damned, the regions of guilt and despair, the endless fierce suffering for sin. But what must it be to be there? I thank God I'll never know. I hope nobody here ever does.
Turn to Isaiah 43.
Verse one.
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that redeemed thee that has formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. Here's God speaking to his rebellious people, and he's saying, I've redeemed thee, I've called thee by thy name. Thou art mine if I'm God's possession, if he has bought me back.
And the Bible tells us that we are redeemed.
Bought back with the precious blood of Christ. If I'm redeemed, I'm His precious possession. You have things in your life you paid a lot of money for. You value them. God paid infinitely for your soul, if you're His.
And he values you and cares for you with infinite care. He says, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.
You know, we've been, we've been reminded today that there may be things coming in our future that might cause us to fear. Please remember these verses. Fear not. I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. You know it's personal.
God says thou art thine now.
Let's look at.
Luke, chapter 12.
Verse one in the mean time, when they were together together in innumerable a multitude of people is so much that they trod one upon another. He that's Jesus began to say, as to the disciples, First of all, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid, which shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever he has spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light, and that was she have spoken in the ears in closets.
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Proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say to you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I foreign warn you whom ye shall fear. Fear him who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yeah, I say unto you.
Fear him.
Fear him.
Those are the words of the Lord Jesus.
And he said them with all his heart, fear him.
Who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell? All right, let's we're going to see something further on that subject in Luke chapter 21.
Luke chapter 21, verse 25.
And there shall be signs in the sun and the moon, and in the stars.
And upon the earth, distress of nations and perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear.
We begin to see that already people in the past year, suicides have been up. I think I heard 50%.
Men's hearts failing them for fear.
And looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken, and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. You know, some people think this world is going to end, could end. You know, man could destroy the world and end in a very short time.
Scripture tells us what's going to happen. It tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come back to this world and he's going to execute judgment and he's going to reign in glory.
For 1000 years. This world isn't going to end sometime soon, but terrible things are going to happen.
And there's a reason for men's hearts failing them for fear. All right, let's look at Luke. This is the heart of the message tonight, Luke chapter 23.
Luke, chapter 23.
This is the picture of Calvary. That's the reason for this thing being here tonight. This flannel graph Luke chapter 23 verse 33. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then said, Jesus, forget Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots. And the people stood beholding and.
Rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others, let him save himself, if he be Christ the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be king of the Jews, save thyself. And the superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew. This is the king of the Jews, and one of the malefactors which were hanging, railed on him, that is, spoke abusively.
To the Lord Jesus saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
And the other answering rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, But this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said to Jesus, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Verily I say to thee today.
Thou shalt be with me in paradise.
There were three men crucified.
They looked, all three of them looked like criminals because of where they were and how they were. But we know that Jesus was in the midst, and there was.
Nothing. No guilt in the Son of God.
But there were two malefactors on either side of it, two men who were loaded with sin.
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And yet Jesus was being crucified along with them.
And one of these men mocked the Lord Jesus.
Made fun of him. I hope there's no one here that ever so dishonors the Lord Jesus as to make fun of Him.
And the other man said, dost thou not fear God, seeing we are in the same condemnation?
He recognized that he was dying. He was going to meet God.
And he was guilty.
And he said.
Don't you fear God? This man should have feared God, and he didn't.
There is a proper fear of God.
He said, this man said to the Lord Jesus, Lord, Remember Me. He said, oh, he said of the Lord Jesus, this man has done nothing amiss. And you know, he confessed what truth he knew of the Lord Jesus and he got more light. There's a scripture that says in thy light shall we see light. He found out, he, he realized that Jesus was.
Innocent. And then he realized that Jesus was the Messiah.
He says to the Lord, Lord, Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom. And Jesus said today.
You will be with me in paradise. Which is better, to be in the Kingdom or in paradise? Far better to be in paradise. He got more than he asked for. I want to tell you, if you come to the Lord Jesus, you'll get more than you ask for, more than you ever dreamed of.
God's.
Heart and God's mind, and God's wealth and God's power.
Are greater than we can comprehend.
And so Jesus said to this man, today you'll be with me in paradise. But.
Of course Jesus would be in paradise. He was perfect.
How was it this man could be in paradise? Well, the Bible tells us it says who? His own self.
Bore our sins.
In his own body, on the tree, during the three hours of darkness, Jesus took this guilty, believing man's sins on himself. And He did it for me too.
And after the three hours of darkness, there were two men.
On Calvary who are ready to enter paradise.
One because he was the holy Son of God, and the other because he was.
Redeemed with the precious, full of Christ. Now tonight, my friend, which are you? Are you like the thief who rejected Christ, or the one who called upon him? Scripture says whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Hebrews, chapter 2.
Hebrews, chapter 2.
And verse.
15.
14 verse 14 For as much, then, as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might deliver them that had the.
Deliver him that had the power of death, that is, destroy him that had the power of death that is a devil. And deliver them who through fear of death, were all their lifetimes subject to *******. You know, there's people all around us. I hope you're not one of them.
Who are struggling?
To make themselves fit.
To meet God and they are in *******.
And Jesus came to set them free.
That's what the word deliver means, to be set free.
Are you in ******* here tonight? Are you in fear tonight? And Adam came to God, he was in fear. He was afraid. There's no need to be afraid of God. Yes, there is a place for reverential fear of God, but no need to be a trembling Sinner stuck outside.
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And to deliver them.
Who, through fear of death, were all their lifetimes subject to *******?
Turn to 1St John.
Chapter 4.
Verse 16.
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 love made perfect.
That we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Remember that verse we read in Proverbs?
The righteous flee when no man pursueth.
Let the righteous, excuse me, this wicked flee. The wicked flee when no man pursueth. But the righteous are bold as a lion, that we may have boldness.
In the day of judgment.
Because as he is.
So are we in this world, this man? He didn't know it, but as Jesus was on the cross, and as Jesus is now in glory, so is that man fit for glory, fit for heaven.
There is No Fear and love, but perfect love casteth out fear.
Because fear hath torment, and he that he that feareth is not made perfect in love. Tonight, my friend, if you're living in fear, any kind of fear, I'm talking about the natural fear that Adam felt, fear of the future, fear of death, fear of circumstances.
Not talking about the fear of God, but if you're living in natural fear.
You're not made perfect in love.
Perfect love casteth out fear. God is greater than anything we could fear. God is greater than your needs. God is greater than your sins. His grace is greater. His provision is greater.
He that feareth is not made perfect and long think of those words.
Where do you want to? Where are you going to find perfection and love?
Says perfect love casts out fear. Where are you going to find perfect love? In the person of Christ?
This man was crucified beside perfect love and embodied.
He didn't know it and you don't, so there may be someone here tonight. Don't realize how close they are to that perfect love God offers you himself.
God offers you himself.
And so it says here, he that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Perfect love casts out fear. Let's turn to.
Revelation, the last scripture we're going to look at Revelation chapter 6.
I'm just scattering seeds tonight.
Just in the order in which they I find them in scripture. Revelation chapter 6 when this is a something came to mind in connection with fear Revelation chapter 6.
And.
Verse Start with verse 12.
And I beheld when he had opened the 6th seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.
And every mountain and island were moved out of its place.
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And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondsman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that live sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?
There is a future, you know. I pass out pocket calendars.
Keep them on my pocket. This is for 2022. And sometimes I give them to people and they look at all the kind of early, isn't it? I say, yes, it's coming. 2022 is coming. I don't know what it holds, but it's coming. Word of God tells us that there this earth has a future yet, and that future includes judgment.
And this gives us a little picture of the judgment, this passage.
Notice what it says here in verse again, verse 15. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich man, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondsman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand now in Normally speaking, people don't talk to rocks or mountains, but we're seeing a scene of desperation. This world is going to become desperate, and when the Lord's glory and His judgment are revealed, people are going to want to hide, just like Adam did.
And they're going to call on the rocks and the mountains.
It says here they're going to do it. They're going to ask the rocks in the mountains to hide them.
You know, this is something that's been that was.
Impressed on my mind 55 years ago.
By a young man named Jim Wilson, who none of you knew. I don't think maybe Don here might remember him. And he used to play his guitar and sing a song that was popular in those days. And I want to try to sing it for you because it left an indelible memory, my mind. And I want you to think about it.
O Sinner man, where are you going to run to?
Oh Sinner man, where are you going to run to? Oh Sinner man, where are you going to run to on that day? Run to the rocks. Rocks, won't you hide me? Run to the rocks. Rocks, won't you hide me? Run to the rocks. Rocks, won't you hide me?
On that day.
No Sinner man rocks will never hide you. No Sinner man rocks will never hide you. No, Sinner man rocks will never hide you on that day.
Oh Sinner boy, where are you going to run to?
Oh, sitter girl.
Or are you going to run to Oh Sinner woman, where are you going to run to?
On that day, you know God. The Bible tells us that God is a refuge. God is a refuge for us, and there is no other.
Fear is a choice.
Perfect love casts out fear. I want to tell you fear was a choice resulting because a result of sin. But God has always been love, and even if you go to hell.
It won't because God quit loving you it because of your choice.
Your sin.
God.
Is love.
And so there's no excuses.
Small Things
Hebrews 13:14-25
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325.
We we, we wait for.
The old song.
Raymond Ryan, O'Brien.