Kentucky YP Camp: 2016
Table of Contents
Christian Focus & Characteristics Part 1
Address—Jim Hyland
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I'd like to sing a hymn from the Little Flock Hymn Book Hymn #132.
And again if someone will please start it.
By way of introduction to the subject I have before me this weekend.
In the three talks that we share together, I'd like to read 2 verses from the word of God.
The first one is in Luke's Gospel.
Chapter Chapter 3.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 3.
And we'll read verses 21 and 22.
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized and praying.
The heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him.
And a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son.
In thee I am well pleased and then I want to read a verse in Hebrews chapter 2 as well.
Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
Crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God.
Should taste death for every man. What I have before me this this weekend is to speak on what we might call Christian focus and Christian characteristics.
If things go according to what I have laid out, we'll spend 2 meetings talking about Christian focus and then perhaps the last meeting will speak of Christian characteristics, particularly those things that are to characterize the believer.
In connection with His testimony and interactions as being still here in this world, we're not home yet. We're not in heaven yet. And God has spelled out in His words those things that ought to characterize us as we walk through this world. But I want to spend some time talking about focus. You know, I believe young people, that one of the great works of the Enemy is to get us to be distracted in every aspect of our lives.
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Whether it's our spiritual life, whether it's our home, family life, our interactions with one another, whether it's our school, our business, whatever it might be the lot in this world today to distract. But we're going to find, as we go from scripture to scripture, that God talks to us a lot about the need for focus in various aspects and avenues of our life. But I began with these two verses.
Because here we have, first of all, not so much what our focus is.
But what heaven's focus is what God's focus is now when the Lord Jesus was here on earth?
There were a number of times when the heaven would open up and heaven would be occupied or focused.
With the person of the Lord Jesus here on earth, because here was the only perfect man.
Whoever walked on planet Earth.
And I want to stress at the beginning of these meetings that God's occupation, God's focus, is to do with the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And everything else in the mind and heart of God radiates out from that. You know, it's a little bit like when you go down to the Creek or the lake and you throw a stone in and there's a ripple effect.
You know, you watch where the stone falls, that's the focal point, but there's a ripple effect out from it and.
There are ripple effects as to God's interests. You and I are one of God's interests. He's interested in the gospel going out. He's interested in the loss getting saved. But it all has to do with his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when the Lord Jesus was here, heaven opened up. Not so much that people could look up into heaven, but so that heaven could look down and be occupied with the one that God has always.
Been occupied with but you know, as we well know, the Lord Jesus is not here in this world today.
The way he was physically when he walked amongst men 2000 years ago. But you know the heavens are still open today. The Lord Jesus has returned to heaven having accomplished the work of Calvary, the work of redemption to the glory of God. And God raised him from the dead, and a moment came when he led his disciples outside on the Mount of Olives, outside of Bethany.
And he lifted up his hands and blessed them, and his feet left this world. And he went back, and the cloud received him out of their sight. And it says they saw him no more.
That is, they know they saw him no more with the physical eye. But you know the heavens are open. Not so much that heaven can look down the South this morning, but so that you and I, who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, can look up and again be occupied with the one that God would always occupy his people with, And that is his Son, the Lord Jesus. And so in the book of Hebrews. And later on we'll look at some other scriptures in the book of Hebrews. But if you want a little key to understanding the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews opens up to us, the heavens, so that we can be occupied with God's Son where He is now. Now let me just say in parenthesis that it is good to go back to the gospel and read the Gospels and to be occupied with the life of the Lord Jesus as he was here in this world. Because of the Apostle Peter tells us later on He's left us an example that we should follow his steps. And how are we going to know that example? We've got to go back to the Gospels.
Brother Eric Smith, who I don't suppose any of you remember. I remember him as a very, very old man visiting him in a nursing home in Montreal.
But Eric Smith served the Lord in Bolivia for many, many years. He was one of the pioneer missionaries to Bolivia, gave the Incas the part of the word of God in their own language, in the Quechua language and and so on. But at the end of his life someone asked him what was the secret to study for for you in studying the word of God. He said this, and I thought was very good, He said, wherever I read in the scriptures.
Or wherever I was studying the word of God, I made it a point every day of my life to read something in the Gospels.
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I thought that was a very nice exercise. But nevertheless we also need to be occupied with Christ where he is now, and that's what the epistles bring before us. So the Gospels they bring before us Christ.
Where he was, here in this world as the lowly man of grace and so on, the epistles more bring before us Christ, where He is, and that's at the right hand of God. And Hebrews particularly opens up to us the heavens, Not so much that heaven can look down now, but so that we can look up and be occupied with the Lord Jesus, Not crowned with a crown of thorns like he was on Calvary's cross, not the lowly man of grace, weary with his journey, thirsty, hungry, and so on.
But as we read in Hebrews, he's now crowned with a crown of glory and honor. And so Christ is to be our focus because Christ is heaven's focus. Whether it was when he was here, heaven looked down when he's now that He's there at the right hand of God. Again, I suggest that all heaven is occupied with that blessed one. The angels are around, the Lord Jesus occupied with him. God is still finding his delight, and forever will find his delight.
Beloved Son, and he's given him that crown of glory. Now. Now, young people, I hope there's no thought even in corners of our hearts this morning as to the Lord Jesus having his rightful place here on earth. He is not crowned as King of Kings and Lord of Lords yet, and he won't be until heaven opens up again to reveal the Lord Jesus coming in power and glory. You can read about that in Revelation 19.
And there he's going to come with many crowns or many diadems, but he isn't crowned in that way yet. We didn't read the context in Hebrews, but if you back up a few verses in Hebrews 2 and read it on your own, you'll find that the word of God makes it very, very clear that the Lord Jesus does not have his rightful place on earth yet. He's not the focus of the world yet. He's to be our focus who belong to him who are still in this world. But he is not the focus of this world yet, but he will be in a coming day. And God is going to make sure that I say that because.
I know there's a lot of people today, a lot of Christians, who through misteaching believe that this is the reigning time. Now you know, it's an age-old mistruth. Because way back in the Apostle Paul's day, the Corinthians got thinking that and they thought that this was the reigning time. And when Paul wrote to them, he said I wish you were reigning because if you were truly reigning, if this was really the time.
For Christians to reign, then we'd be reigning with you. If this was Christ's time to reign, we'd be reigning too. But just read the experiences of the Apostle Paul doesn't sound like one who's reigning. He was beaten, he was in prison, he was in shipwreck, and all the things he lists in various places. It was not the time of Christ's reign in the days of the Apostle Paul, and it is still not the time of Christ's reign yet. Until.
The church. We who know the Lord as our Savior, are gone at the Rapture, the Lord's second coming, and then in time he's going to come back and all heaven is all earth is going to look up and focus on the Lord Jesus. I find that quite a thrill, not neat to think about. There's a day coming when heaven's going to open up and the whole world is going to look up and they're going to be focused on the person of the Lord Jesus. Now, before we go on, I'd like to read another another scripture.
In Isaiah chapter 45.
Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 22.
Look unto me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God.
And there is none else.
Now, I want to apply this verse in two ways. And first of all, I want to apply it in K in a way, in case there's someone here at camp this year who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. You know, in a group like this, I believe it's never good to assume that everyone knows the Lord Jesus. I hope everyone does. And I know that most of you do. Most of you I know very well.
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But I am solemnized to think that maybe there's someone here this morning.
And you have come for the fun and the activities and maybe for any number of reasons, but you haven't come because you really want to know more about following the Lord and pleasing the Lord Jesus. Maybe you're not saved. Now we won't turn to it because it's a very, very familiar story. But if we were to go back to Numbers, chapter 21, we would find a story in connection with the wilderness experience of the children of Israel that illustrates.
This verse that we've read in Isaiah very well, because if we're going to be saved, it takes focus or looking to the Lord Jesus because there is no other way of salvation. Again, Satan comes along when the gospel is presented and says there's lots of ways, there's an old expression that dates back to the Roman Empire. All roads lead to Rome. Well, that might be true.
And there might have been several ways to get to camp, depending from what direction you traveled here.
This weekend. But all roads do not lead to heaven. There is only one way to get to heaven. There is only one way to come to know the Lord Jesus as our Savior. I say it's illustrated back in the 21St chapter of numbers because you remember that when the children of Israel were in the wilderness because of sin, God sent fiery serpents amongst them and every person that was bit by a snake.
In the wilderness died.
Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord gave Moses a remedy. He told him to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole. Now we might wonder why a serpent of brass snakes in Scripture do not have a good connotation.
The subject of snakes is introduced to us, of course, in the Garden of Eden, when Satan came in the form of a serpent.
And in subtlety he tempted Eve, and Eve took of the forbidden fruit and gave to Adam. And we know the sad result. Sin came into the human race, and it's been passed down ever since by one man's disobedience. Sin entered in death by sin. So why was it a serpent of brass that had to be put on the pole? Well, because it speak brass speaks to us in Scripture of divine judgment.
And it speaks to us of the Lord Jesus in the hours of darkness on the cross.
When he suffered the divine judgment of a righteous God against sin.
That's why in the Tabernacle, in the temple there was the brazen altar, the altar of brass. It speaks of the ability of the Lord Jesus to bear the judgment of sin because of who he was, and so he bore my sins in his own body. On the tree it was a serpent, because the Lord Jesus sinless as he was, He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. It had to be lifted up on a pole, because, as the Lord said.
In the third chapter of John, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. It speaks of the Lord Jesus on the cross bearing the judgment of God against sin so that we could be saved from from Satan's bite, so to speak, the bite of Satan, the sting of of sin is death, but there's a remedy for sin now. But the point I want to make is that in that story.
There was another reason why, a practical reason why that serpent had to be lifted up on a pole. And that was because there was a vast congregation of the children of Israel. And the remedy was not simply the serpent lifted up on the pole. The remedy was everyone that looked, everyone that focused on the serpent of brass, a picture of the Lord Jesus on the cross, everyone who did that.
Was healed. They did not die when they looked to the serpent. I saw a painting one time by one of the old masters, and it was a π picture of the serpent on the pole. And this vast congregation of people around the children of Israel. And the snakes were going through and they were biting the people and some of the people were dying. And in the painting there were people going around trying to help the bitten and the dying.
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And some of them were one man had a picture of water and he was giving a drink, and another one was trying to comfort and all kinds of things were going on. But when you focused on the painting, you saw there was one person going around, and he was turning heads towards the pole, turning heads toward the surface, because that person understood very clearly and the artist understood very clearly evidently that that was the only remedy. No use trying to comfort or give a drink of water or pillow ahead and hope that was going to do.
And so when we preach the gospel, it's Christ. It's to look to the Lord Jesus on the cross.
And so the prophet here speaks of looking unto him. But now I want to broaden the application here, because we find that in the word of God, and particularly when we go to the New Testament, salvation has a much broader term, a broader application than just being saved from our sins, knowing that we are no longer on our way to to hell, but we're on our way to heaven because salvation is taken up in connection.
With the thought of being preserved, you know the Lord Jesus is living for us, who are believers at the right hand of God. And it tells us in Romans 5 we're saved by his life. You know we're saved by his death from hell, because the wages of sin is death. And so the Lord Jesus had to die for me to save me from the just penalty of my guilt.
To go to hell, which is the second death.
But I'm saved or preserved every day by his life, that is, by the fact that the Lord Jesus is living for me and for you at the right hand of God will perhaps have a chance to develop it a little later on. But just remember that salvation is not just being saved from our sins, being preserved from hell through coming to know the Lord Jesus as Savior in that way, But we are preserved for the Lord's glory, to live for him and be a testimony for him.
And save preserve through the trials and circumstances of life.
Every day because the Lord Jesus is living for us. He's living for us as our high priest. He's praying for us. You know, we had a little prayer meeting this morning.
We can pray for one another. Isn't it wonderful to think that the Lord Jesus is praying for you?
He's praying for me every hour of every day, and he knows each need. And he's praying for us as our high priest so that we won't sin and fail in the path of faith and that we will keep our focus on what is really eternal and what is what really matters in life. Then when we do sin and when we do fail, because we all do and we have to admit it, the Lord Jesus is praying for us in another capacity.
He's praying for us as our advocate and that's why in First John it tells us if any man's sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. So the Lord Jesus is praying for you, praying for me in those two capacities so that we'll be saved. But how are we going to be preserved in our Christian pathway in our Christian testimony? It is going to only be by looking to the Lord Jesus, look unto me and be saved.
He says so whether it's initially for salvation from our sins or whether it is ongoing day by day in our pathway.
There's only one way we're going to be preserved or saved, and that's by looking to the Lord, and we're going to develop this a little bit as we go along.
Let's go now to the 16th chapter of the book of Exodus for another Old Testament illustration.
Exodus Chapter 16 Before I comment on this, I'll just say that so often when we speak about the different aspects of the truth and following the Lord and living for the Lord, we often go back to the wilderness experience of the children of Israel. There are pages and pages of the Old Testament taken up with the wilderness experience of the children of Israel and we might wonder why is it we so often go back to those stories.
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Well, in First Corinthians chapter 10, it tells us that the things that happen to them in the wilderness.
Were written for our admonition and for our learning. And so we go back and we have illustrations as to the life of the children of Israel in the wilderness. And we can learn lessons. We learn lessons from their disobedience, we learn warnings, and so on. We learn lessons from their obedience. But above all, we learn the heart and the faithfulness of God with His people. In spite of the fact that they often lost their focus, they often allowed sin in their lives. They often complained and.
And they murmured against God and so on South. That's just a little parenthesis, but that's why we often.
And in these talks, we'll probably mention several instances by way of illustration from the children of Israel. But I want to notice an incident.
In their life that took place very quickly after they were in the wilderness, they'd been redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb.
They'd come through the Red Sea. They were completely delivered from Pharaoh and the Egyptians, a type of Satan in this world.
They now belong to the Lord, and he's going to bring them through the wilderness. But let's notice this little incident in the 16th chapter, beginning with verse 9. And Moses spake unto Aaron, say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel come near before the Lord, For you have heard your murmurings, and it came to pass as Aaron spake under the whole congregation of the children of Israel. They look toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
Well, this might seem like a strange incident to read, but I believe what had happened here was.
That not long after they had gone through the Red Sea and entered the Sinai Peninsula, they started looking back. They looked behind them. They looked back to Egypt, from which they had just come and been delivered. And you know, there's a an important lesson for us to learn in this young people now, Paul said. Forgetting those things that are behind, I pressed toward the mark. Now, any of you who've ever run a race or participated in athletic events, No, that you always have to be looking ahead.
A runner who looks behind him even for a moment is going to probably not going to win the race.
In fact, they may be disqualified for one reason or another.
I have been in Europe when the Tour de France has taken place. In fact, I stood right there as the bicycles have gone by, and it always amazes me, these dozens and dozens of bicycles, all seemingly crammed together on a narrow mountain pass or a city street. And they're going at tremendous speed and rarely do they run into each other, but sometimes they do, and usually it's because one of the bikers has looked to the side.
Or looked behind. They've lost their focus. So the children of Israel, they were looking back.
They were on a journey now and they were to be looking ahead to the promised land, to the land of Canaan.
But when they looked back, and it often happened throughout their journey of 40 years.
They lost their focus, and they usually began to murmur and complain. They began to blame God. They began to blame God's servants, Moses and Aaron, for their their difficult situation. Now, having 10 times traveled through the Sinai Peninsula, I have a lot more sympathy with the children of Israel than I once did. When when the Bible calls it a wilderness, that is exactly what it is. It is shimmering sand and rock.
As far as the eye can see, I've been on the Sinai Peninsula when it's 138°F and you long for any cloud in in the sky. But the spiritual lesson we learn here is that we need to be looking ahead. And so when Moses cried to the Lord and asked the Lord about the situation, he said tell the people to turn around, they need to be looking ahead and when they turned around.
And looked out over the wilderness. What did they see? Well, it wasn't so much to see the rocks and the sand and all the weary miles that were between them.
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And the Jordan River and the land of Canaan. No, they saw the glory of the Lord in the cloud.
And so again, for us, we learn that our focus needs to be the Lord Jesus and what is ahead. If we lose sight of that, we're going to get discouraged. You know, if we look back, we're going to get discouraged. If we look around, we're going to get discouraged. If we look at ourselves, we're going to get discouraged. But what we need to do is have Christ be for us. Now, you say, Jim, it's OK to talk about this, but how do we practically carry this out?
Well, again, we'll probably bring this out.
In a little more detail later on, but the way we focus on Christ is to get this book, the Bible, and read it every day. Because wherever you read in the Scriptures, the subject is always Christ. You're not going to read very far with real prayerful exercise before you find that the subject is always Christ. Now in the Old Testament, we have the figures and foreshadows.
The illustrations. And so we have stories about different men.
And they have practical application. But stories like Joseph and Abraham and different ones, They are more than just interesting stories with practical applications for Christian living. They are beautiful pictures and foreshadows of Christ, the the Tabernacle in the wilderness and all the furnishings and all that went on as to the Jewish ritual, the Levitical order of things. It all, in some way or another points forward to Christ.
The prophets foreshadowed and foretold about the Lord Jesus coming into this world.
And what is yet ahead in the judgments of this world and the future blessing? But it all has to do with Christ. So in the the Old Testament you have the figures and foreshadows. In the Gospels we have the facts, the facts and footsteps of Christ. And so as we mentioned important to read that in the epistles we have the where Christ is now, we have the truth about the Lord Jesus as to.
Christianity and so on.
And so we need that. Then in the Revelation, we have the future day.
The fruition of all God's purposes. And again, it will all be centered in Christ. So we need to open this book, and this is how we're going to focus on the person and work of Christ. And it's not just to open it once a week or once in a while, but you need to read this book every day. You want to have your perspective adjusted every morning. You're gonna have to open this book. This is what is going to give you the proper perspective, the proper focus for the day.
Because when you go out into the world, when you go to school, you go to work, Oregon, wherever you operate on a day-to-day basis, there's going to be a lot of things to take your attention and those things are right and proper. I realize when you go to work, when you go to school, you've got to focus on your job, you've got to focus on your studies and so on. I I understand that, but.
Your your focus as to practical things will never be in the right perspective unless you are first of all.
Focused on heaven and focused on Christ and so the children of Israel.
They were to turn around and they saw the glory of the Lord in some way, revealed to them in the cloud, and that was what encourages, encouraged them to go on. Are you a discouraged young person this morning? If you're a discouraged young person this morning, if you're just saying it's not worth it anymore, I just want to give up. Why go on for the Lord? And I know a lot of young people, and some who are not so young, who have that attitude today.
But if you're discouraged today, if you're ready to give up, I suggest it's because you've lost.
Your focus of the glory of the Lord, and so as long as the children of Israel kept that focus before them.
And followed the cloud through the wilderness. They could be encouraged to go on.
Day by day and year by year. And it wasn't I and I know from experience I've never walked a lot of it, but I know from driving across it, it must have been a very, very difficult journey. There were many things to discourage. You know, it's interesting, You can look this up, But in Acts Chapter 7, some of these verses that we don't turn to if you jot them down in your notepad, it's a good little homework assignment to look them up on your own. But you remember when Steven preached for the last time to the Jewish leaders in Acts Chapter 7.
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He recounts the history of the children of Israel in the wilderness.
And one of the things he says, and it really goes back to what we have in this 16th chapter of Exodus.
He said. In their hearts they returned into Egypt. You can look that verse up, but in their hearts?
They returned into Egypt, You know, they never got back to Egypt once they were delivered.
Once they were redeemed and once they were delivered, they never got back to Egypt. Because if you know the Lord Jesus as your savior.
You will never be part of this world. And the fact that it's under judgment again, you'll never be part of this world again. We're delivered from this world.
But in our hearts we can go back into Egypt. That's what they did here. And there was an occasion where they said, why didn't you leave us in Egypt? We had all the good food of Egypt, the melons. You know, I love melons. I have never eaten melons like they have in Egypt. They have wonderful melons and varieties of melons that we don't have over here. I know why they wanted to go back and get some the fish. I love the fish of Egypt, the garlic, the leeks, the cucumbers, all the things that the children of Israel.
Craved that they once had partaken of back in Egypt, but in their hearts they returned into Egypt. And again nothing wrong with a good piece of melon. Nothing wrong with a with fish and and those vegetables we mentioned and so on. But again, it's a spiritual lesson we learn that if we lose sight of Christ, if we're not focused on him through the word every day and pressing on in our Christian journey to heaven.
Then we're going to want the food that this world has to offer, and this world has lots to try to fill and satisfy the appetite. It will never do it.
And there's nothing in this world to satisfy the Newman the life that we have in Christ.
There's plenty to feed our lust, plenty to feed the flesh. And you know what I'm talking about just almost seems like you can't drive down the highway today or stand in the checkout counter without seeing something to feed the flesh. But what we need to do is satisfy our souls with the Lord Jesus so that we won't be so vulnerable to those things. Now let's go to the new back. Go to Acts Chapter 7.
We're gonna read a little near the end of the chapter in Con connection with Steven.
It's often been pointed out that Stephen is the first Christian martyr that we read about in Scripture.
Steven was a very faithful man in the early church and in this chapter, as I've just mentioned, he preaches.
To the Jewish leaders, it's the last time that there's an appeal to the nation of Israel as a nation. That's another subject. But what I want to notice the end of the chapter, verse 54, when they heard these things that the Jewish leaders, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing.
On the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see heaven opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.
Just that little expression looking up steadfastly.
Into heaven. If you notice another translation, it's having fixed his eyes on heaven. I like that. Having fixed his eyes on heaven at the end of Stephen's preaching, here they take up these stones to stone him.
And how could he suffer as a martyr? How could he take what was about to happen here?
Well, he had his eyes above the horizons of this world. He had his eyes fixed on heaven. Now you notice here that heaven is open once again. We've spoken about heaven being open when heaven looked down to see the Lord Jesus as the perfect man. We've spoken about heaven being open. So by faith we can look up and be occupied with him, with the Lord Jesus. I believe this was something very special for Stephen here. I believe that Steven, it looked up and actually with his physical eye saw the Lord Jesus standing on the threshold of heaven.
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Ready to receive the first martyr. But I want to say this, that he all the martyrs that have followed, and for you and for me.
The Lord Jesus is no less real to the eye of faith than he was here for the Evangelist Stephen, I want to say that again, He's no less real to the eye of faith for you and for me than he was physically for for Steven. But this was something very special.
At the beginning, we find that in the Acts at the beginning of the Church's history, there were many special things that took place.
That perhaps haven't been repeated or are rarely repeated since. You know, I used to read, and I still do. I read about some of those who have been martyred for their testimony. In fact, I recently read a book on some of the martyrs of the catacombs. And I read those stories and I marvel that they had the grace and the strength to go through the tortures and eventual death that they went through. You know, sometimes I find it very hard to read those things, but I want to encourage you to do it, just, you know, we don't know anything really about physical suffering here.
In North America, we're not afraid of the authorities busting down the doors this morning and arresting us or shooting us or pulling us off to prison for having a Bible camp and having the word of God before us. But you know, it's good for our souls. I think to read of some in the past, and there are many today who are still suffering in that way. I get a little periodical. I actually get it online now. I used to get a hard copy called Voice of the Martyrs. I don't read it all, and and I don't agree with some of the doctrine that that organization propagates, but I get it.
To remind me to pray for my brethren today who are suffering real physical persecution and facing martyrdom. And it's good for a scripture tells us to pray for those that are in prison as bound with them.
And so think about those who suffer in that way and what they go through. But let me say this. The point I want to make is that I believe that you and I, if we ever had to face that kind of thing, would be given a special grace and a special portion at the time, You know, we don't need grace to die as martyrs until we're called to die as martyrs. And John Huss and many of those ones that died at the stake and so on, and many today who are laying down their lives for their testimony for Christ.
They are given something special, just like Stephen was given something very special here.
As he they picked up stones to stone him but again.
I want to stress that there's something for us to learn, whether we're here in ease and comfort, whether we're ever called on to suffer privation or hardships or martyrdom.
Torture for the Lord. Whatever our situation, what we need is the same focus that Stephen had. How are we going to get through life? It's to lift our spiritual eyes above this world and to be occupied with Christ. Now, before we close, I want to turn to one more portion in First Peter, Chapter one.
One Peter Chapter one.
And I'm gonna begin with the Well, I'll be I'll read verse 7. We'll read verse 7:00 and 8:00.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold, that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, Whom not having seen ye love, and whom, though now we see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. I read this because I want to stress that.
Here the focus is not on ourselves or on the trials. You know, I believe a lot of our problem today is we get too self occupied. You know, we're taught that we're in school and in the spirit of the age is that we're the center of our world.
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That everything revolves around us. You know in Romans chapter 12 it says be not conformed to the world.
Now, I know we often apply that to many outward things, but I don't really think that's the context of that expression. If you were to go back to Romans chapter 12 and read those verses, what he's really saying is that the unbeliever, the man of the world, he draws a circle, puts himself in the center of the circle and does everything for himself. That's the natural man. He's the center of his world.
But when we get saved, there's to be a new center in our world.
And that new center is not ourselves. The new center is Christ. And everything we do is to revolve around Christ and his interests. But today we get so self occupied. You know young people this is not the me first generation. When I was growing up we we were the me first generation. This is the me only generation. You'll you'll smile at this but I'm on a plane usually several times a week.
I think I've been on 8 planes in the last week or 10 days but.
When I get on a plane, go to the airport or get on a plane, I see it personified. You know, they called the flight. They tell everybody to stay in their seat until.
Their zone number is called or to line up in their proper zone. Everybody wants to get on that plane first. Well, I'm just as bad. I want the bin space too, but.
Everybody. It's like there's nobody else in line. Then when you do get on the plane, they keep announcing. The flight attendant keeps announcing. Please store your your carry on bags as quickly as possible and step out of the aisle. There are other people getting on behind you. We want to get this flight in the air as quickly as possible. If you want to be on time. Remember your fellow passengers, Do people listen to announcements like that? No. In fact they spend time trying to ram things in overhead bins that you know aren't going in there in 100 in 100 years.
I think that's another problem people have is depth perception.
But my point is everybody is just concerned with #1. And I say it's not just the me first generation, it's the me only generation. But that me is not to be the focus as we sometimes say. It's not all about me, it's all it should be all about Christ. He should be the center of our lives. And so really what Peter was telling these believers and they were going through.
Some things that I've never been called on to go through. These early believers were driven from their homes through persecution.
Many of them had been killed. They were suffering what Peter refers to as fiery trials, things that I've never been called on to go through. But what Peter is seeking to do here is to get the focus of the believer not on the trial or the circumstance or on themselves, but on Christ. Now he points out here that we don't see the Lord Jesus in the same way.
That Peter had seen him when he was here. In fact, Peter had with some others some very special privileges of seeing things that the Lord Jesus did on earth that none of the other disciples had seen. He was on the Mount of Transfiguration.
There were times when Peter, James and John went into a house and saw a certain miracle where others were kept outside and so on. But Peter says whom not having seen ye love. Though now you see him not what's he talking about here? He's talking about the physical eye. We don't see Christ with the physical eye. But again, and I want to stress this as we go along, he is no less real to the eye of faith.
Well, of course I didn't get as far as I wanted to in this meeting, but we'll seek to continue. Our time is gone.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
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78 white ebooks 178 Thank you.
Everything to my prayer.
Oh, what is the optimal?
Me, let's stay with them.
All because they hear my daring.
They sing to God in prayer.
Have 3 miles and that day.
Couple of landing near where?
We shall never be discovered.
In the morning prayer.
And we find our friends are faithful.
My friend says 540.
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In his life till they can chill day.
Thou will find out all the time.
So, as I mentioned, we are going to read in First Thessalonians.
Chapter 5.
And we're going to begin with verse 16.
And I hope any of you young brothers who have a thought or question as we go along on the, uh, verses, we'll, uh, please feel free to speak up. And, uh, we'd like to conduct this like a little Bible study. So I've asked Lucas to read from verse 16 of First Thessalonians 5.
516 Rejoice evermore, pray without season in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. Braden, pray for us.
Grate all the bread, and with the holy kiss I charge you by the Lord, that this piece will be wrath unto all the holy brethren, the grace of her Lord as Christ be with you. Amen.
So just to introduce this.
Portion of Scripture. As we know, the great subject in both 1St and 2nd Thessalonians is the Lord's coming in its various aspects. That is, the Lord's coming for us at any moment, and then the time when the Lord is going to come back to earth and take up the judgments of this world and eventually reign in righteousness. But at the end of this epistle, where he has explained very carefully both aspects of the Lord's coming.
He then takes up before he closes, some very, very practical exhortation.
Short sentences here that are not hard to be understood because we're not home yet. We're not. The Lord hasn't come yet. And you and I, whether we're young or old, we're still here in this world. And there is a conduct that is in keeping with Christians who are waiting for the Lord to come. And so in a few terse sentences at the end of the epistle, he gives us some hints as to what our conduct is to be.
00:05:30
While we wait for the Lord Jesus to come. So we'll go down these and make a few comments on each one. And please, anybody that has a thought on these expressions, uh, please share it.
So just to start us off with the verse we began with, it's in our English Bible.
It's the second shortest verse in our English Bible. I know the verse divisions are not inspired. They were added by the translators.
But it is interesting how God arranged that the shortest verse in our English Bible.
In contrast, is Jesus wet? The Lord Jesus was the Man of sorrows here in this world.
But now he says to us, rejoice evermore so when we think about what the Lord Jesus has done for us.
He begins these exhortations by telling us that we are to be a happy people.
We're not to be a sad, long faced people waiting for the Lord to come. Sometimes people think of Christianity as being very sober and long faced and, uh, boring and so on. But that's not the way it is to be with Christianity. We're to be a happy people, rejoicing not just sometimes, but ever more.
There was a risk when, uh, left.
The first time, uh.
They, they were attracting attention. They, they had to leave for the sake of the, the congregation that they had formed there. And, uh, there had to be, it had to have been on his mind, on their mind that this, this congregation, as small as it may have been, even in such a great city of Thessalonica, which is one of the greatest cities of that time in that area, there was a risk that this congregation would, would soon collapse after their departure. And, uh, I think.
You know, as Paul usually does at the end of his his epistles, you know, he he makes it very he makes it very personal greeting such and such by name or, or and you know, things of this nature. And he's, you know, he's giving this, this little church that has has.
To his probably to his to his joy lasted, uh, until this his writing this letter and he's just giving him just some practical.
Umm, exhortations in this way. Rejoice, pray and give thanks, uh.
Continue, you know, obviously they had withstood the initial challenge in their that must have been comforting to, uh, to pull, you know, and he's just giving him some sort of pride club exhortation and it makes it personal as usual.
I find in my own life that there's rejoice always, so I can't, I don't always rejoice. And I find that, you know, like it's not like giving, like a qualifier, like what we're going through, you know, like to rejoice all the time. But for me seems like it depends on what my like status of communication is with God, you know, like to be able to rejoice like above and beyond like circumstances, you know, things are going good, you know, but I'm not, you know, like out, you know, physically or whatever. And I'm in a relationship with God's faults and I'm not necessarily happy like that, you know.
And things are going bad. You know, it's I mean communication with God had to understand like more than just what's going on here in his heart. If if you know, sometimes you can still rejoice. So this is my personal experience.
But, but I, I think that's really the key what Kevin has said, because it's not here rejoicing in our circumstances necessarily. We are to rejoice while we go through trials and difficulties, but it's not circumstances that cause us to rejoice. It's the Lord. And so that's why when Paul wrote to the Philippians, he said rejoice in the Lord always. And and again I say rejoice.
00:10:12
Because, as Kevin said, our circumstances are often adverse and difficult. Sometimes our state of soul isn't what it should be. But I believe the rejoicing in your life and mind comes in the measure in which we are enjoying the Lord. And so we read this morning. Whom not having seen, ye love, though now you see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
But, but let me point this out too. It is often a process. Let's just go in thought to Paul and Silas in prison. Now I don't know what time of day they were thrown in prison, but I suspect that they were in prison for some time before they prayed and sang praises.
Because it's very specific. At midnight they prayed and sang praises, but who knows how long, how many hours they had been in the prison before that process.
But just hold your finger here and go back to the 119th Psalm for a verse that I have often wondered if Paul and Silas didn't all of a sudden remember while their backs were bleeding, their feet were in the stalks. And I don't know what I would have been doing. Probably grumbling and complaining and saying, well Lord, I thought I got a vision to come over here and help someone and what good am I doing here? But notice what it the 119th Psalm and verse 62.
At midnight I will arrive, I will rise and give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. Now again, Scripture is very specific. At midnight they prayed and sang praises. And I've often wondered if they didn't remember this verse and remember the last part of this verse that says, because of thy righteous judgment, you will only be able to rejoice at all times in the measure in which you realize.
That what God is doing in your life is right. It may not be pleasant, It may not be good. Seemingly as far as the circumstance, it may be like the people Peter was writing to, they were having fiery trials, but it was right. And that's how we can rejoice evermore. To get to the point where we realize that what God is doing in our lives is the very best, and that's what's going to cause us to rejoice. So we rejoice, yes, we rejoice in the circumstance, but not necessarily.
Because of the circumstance or the what we're go, what we're going through, it may not be a pleasant circumstance, but here's another verse. Paul said sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. So he experienced sorrow in trials and difficulties, but he could rejoice and that lifted him above the circumstance.
I think it's always kind of important to realize exactly what we're rejoicing. Umm, this kind of, uh, reminded me of a section in, uh, loop chapter 10, uh, starting with uh, verse 17, uh, referring to the 7070, uh, messenger sent out, uh, if I might read that. And the 70 returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. So even though they were in, you know, obviously a positive experience, that still.
Wasn't what they should be focusing on.
Be kind of a state that you you're in when you're, umm, you're not necessarily just.
Praying all the time, but it's the communion that you have with the Lord.
Yes, I think that's right, but that for a moment, but and it's interesting, isn't it that it follows rejoice ever more and so the two things are are intimately connected so.
00:15:01
Sometimes. Well, let me go back to Paul and Silas. They did two things. They prayed and they sang praises.
Because we don't want to be indifferent to our circumstances and when we talk about rejoicing in the Lord, it doesn't mean that we're just floating on air and in different to what are callous to what's going on. No, if we're going through good or bad circumstances, we need the spirit of dependence. And as Austin said, that's really what what prayer is. When I pray, I'm really expressing dependence on the Lord. I'm saying I don't have any might for this.
Situation. But I'm also expressing confidence that the Lord is able.
But as you say, Austin, you can't be forming actual words in prayer all day long. You've got to concentrate on your studies, your driving, whatever you're doing, school work, work, uh, in, in our secular employment, all those things. So what does this really mean? Pray without ceasing it is to maintain at all times the spirit and attitude of dependence and to keep an open line between ourselves and the Lord.
You know, if you have a friend and you're driving along together, maybe you're driving to camp and you've got several hours drive, you may not always be talking to each other all the time, but that friend is there and you can turn to that friend at any moment. Now, if you allow something, some problem between you and the friend, then you just don't feel like talking to that friend or you have a question. I just don't feel so comfortable to ask that. But if things are well between you and your friend.
Though you may not be actually communicating at all times, there's an open line maintained.
So that if you need directions, you have a question, or you just want to communicate, talk, be friendly, you can turn to that person. Now let's go to Nehemiah chapter 2, and we see a beautiful example of a man who maintained an open line between himself and the Lord.
I won't read all this, but in the second chapter of Nehemiah we find Nehemiah was sad one day in the presence of his employer, who was the king. Nehemiah was the cup there, and Nehemiah was always to have the cup. There was always to have a happy countenance in the presence of the king. And one day Nehemiah was sad. The king noticed this and he spoke to Nehemiah about it. And you can imagine Nehemiah how scared he was. These kings had the power of life and death.
They didn't like the way your attitude today, off with your head by sundown. And so the king says.
To Nehemiah, what's your problem? And Nehemiah had to give an immediate answer. He didn't have time to go into his room and pray about it or get his friends together like Daniel did on one occasion and have a little prayer meeting over a serious situation. But let's notice first four. Then the king said unto me, This is Nehemiah 2.
For what dost thou make request? Now Nehemiah had to give an immediate answer. Notice what it says. So I pray to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king. In other words, between the time the king asked the question and Nehemiah had to give an immediate answer, and he knew it had to be answered wisely, that he'd lose his job and maybe even his head, he sent up a swift little prayer. You see, this isn't this isn't an illustration of what we have in our verse.
Pray without ceasing it was to maintain that open line. So I would suggest this little prayer with maybe a swift as Lord help me or help Lord, and I know you've experienced this. Somebody at school asked you something. Somebody at work says something and you know it's gotta be answered wisely. You just send up that little swift little 10 second prayer and if any man lack wisdom, let him ask and then God give liberally. So it's an example of.
What we have pray without ceasing. We're not always on our knees, we're not always forming actual words, but we're keeping that open line of dependence.
In connection with the rejoicing part, I think it's, we'll talk a little bit about the circumstances, but also brought a Rep in, uh, in Luke and rejoice that you're neighboring heaven. So what is it in my life or your life related to the Lord that we can always rejoice about? We can rejoice in our salvation. We can rejoice that we know the Lord, We can rejoice.
00:20:09
His promise to us and to have that as, as something that is sure for our own souls, that's something that we can, we can rejoice always on those things. So it's umm.
Different cases that we we look at circumstance and know that the lower will provide, but there are also many, many things that we have with the Lord. The Lord has promised us that we can rejoice on those truths alone. If you could say that that's alone, but just just by by having that before our souls or what he has promised that will not never leave us nor forsake us and salvation again and he's coming very, very near. Those are the things that just allow us to to always have something to rejoice.
Above it may be completely different.
Or not completely related to the circumstances we are at, but it's something that we can always rejoice about.
There was an illustration I read, uh, umm, a recent book. Uh, the heavenly man, a Christian, a Chinese Christian, umm.
That went through great persecution, and he would rejoice.
Uh.
By faith.
Based on these verses in in Matthew, blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say to all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
And he thanked them for increasing his reward.
It's just, it's a, it's an incredible book. I.
So it's only a believer who can really rejoice in adversity.
And I that book, I, I've enjoyed that book too. I, I recommend it, But only a believer can rejoice under those kind of circumstances.
The man of the world can be happy when things go well. They get a good grade at school, they get a promotion at work. Things are going along well. The man of the unbeliever can re can be happy, but a Christian has a joy. It says your joy no man takes from you. It's a joy that, as we've been saying, isn't dependent on circumstances. And that's why he goes on in the 18th verse to say in everything.
Give thanks, but but I'm a bit like Kevin, I, I, I'm in a situation and I'm not very thankful in the situation. But to follow up what Mark said, let's go to Ephesians chapter 5 because there's a prerequisite to the verse we have in our chapter.
So you say I I find it hard in my circumstances to give thanks. Pretty difficult circumstances, but here's the prerequisite in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 20.
Giving thanks always or at all times. Now I want you to notice this next little word 4 Not in like our chapter, but four. There's quite a difference. So first of all, we have to give thanks.
For the circumstance, before we can give thanks in the circumstance, it's like what Mark was saying about the Chinese brother. I believe he was one who learned to thank the Lord for the circumstance, not that the circumstance was pleasant. And if you can learn in your circumstance to say, Lord, thank you for allowing this. I know you've got a purpose for it. I know it's gonna turn out for a blessing in the end.
When you learn to give thanks for things.
For circumstances then, and only then I believe, will you have learned to give thanks in the circumstance. I suggest again with Paul and Silas, that they first of all gave thanks for the circumstance. Realizing that what God was doing was right. He had put them there for a purpose. Then they could rejoice in the circumstance. And what was the the result? Why the the whole prison heard them. The jailkeeper got saved.
00:25:04
There was a lot of blessing as a result of their joy in the Lord. Because remember, your joy and thankfulness in the Lord is often a testimony to others because they'll realize, as we've been saying, that you have something they don't.
Those words in everything you're saying, it's been pretty difficult. I found in my own life that's easy sometimes to get a little bit backwards when it comes to big things and little things. So sometimes I almost find that I'll use the example of driving past year. I got in an accident and you know when it first happened, you're exactly happy. But after a while you're like, OK, Lord, this is I needed this. Thank you for this and then.
And being thankful for that circumstance. But those little everyday things sometimes I think can be even more difficult. And we're supposed to be thankful for everything. So for me, if you're if you're late to work and that light goes red.
Sometimes I find it can be considerably more challenging than to consistently have a thankful spirit for even those little things that can annoy you day-to-day, whether it be personal life or something like that. It's important to get the the little things, be thankful for them on a day-to-day basis in your life practically and then.
A bit of an order there and that some of those bigger things and the word sends on larger trials in your life. Umm, those two, you can be thankful for those.
Thankfulness to start with trust.
If we if we think that the ship trust the shepherd that will be taking.
That's shipped to the right places at the right time for the right refreshment.
That you can be thankful no matter the circumstance. I think that's where with the Lord, if we trust and own Him as Lord of our lives.
That could give us a better perspective in terms of thankfulness, because we we may look at a circumstance only isolated, but trust that the Lord.
Is guiding our lives and and providing things and and directing it.
It would be much easier.
You if you look at it as if if the Lord is leading you this way, I will be thankful that we.
Sometimes it's embarrassing, uh, when you have, you're in those difficult situations and you're not being thankful. All you can think of is the trial and after the fact, you look back and see, oh, that's why. And that's, and the embarrassment hits when you're like, when you realize I wasn't, I wasn't trusting him.
Well, one thing is for sure, our verse tells us that this is the will of God.
So we often talk about knowing God's will. You know, there are so many things in our lives we have to say, well, we trust we have God's will in doing this or that and so on. But there are some things we don't have to wonder. And one of the things we don't have to wonder whether it's God's will for us or not is to give thanks for all things and in every circumstance. So it's not God's will for you to go around with a long face unhappy.
Not saying there are times of sorrow, no that's not what I'm saying. But God wants us to be a happy people, so we sometimes sing to him, happy though despised and and poor. God wants us to be a happy people. So this is the will of God concerning you.
Q&A 1
Q&A
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Five from the young people.
And everything more. Goodnight for him.
Well, we have quite a few questions tonight. Some of them we're going to, uh, move rather quickly, uh, And try to give some basic answers from the word of God. We don't have all the answers, but we do have the answer book as often expressed in his prayer. And so we'll give a few thoughts. I'll read the question, perhaps suggest some scriptures, give us a thought or two, and then an opportunity for anyone to uh to add to it. But umm, we're gonna move a little bit quick tonight.
And try to at least get a thought or two in connection with each question. Interestingly enough, I paired some of the questions because they seem to fit together. So sometimes uh, there's two questions together and umm, we'll uh try to get something from the scripture. So this first one said asks is it wrong to want to earn more money or should we be content with what we have? I paired it with another question that says.
00:05:29
How do we properly use our money for the Lord? So, in connection with this first question, let's notice a couple of scriptures, first of all in First Timothy chapter 6.
First Timothy chapter 6.
And verse beginning at verse 6.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation, and and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after they have heard from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Now let's read a portion in Luke chapter 3 as well.
Luke Chapter 3.
And.
Verse 14. Now these are the words of John the Baptist when they came and questioned him. And this this is an answer he gave.
Well, let me read from verse 12 to get the context. Then came also Republicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which has appointed you, and the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages.
So I think these quite these scriptures help to answer this first question.
About and I'll reread the question. Is it wrong to want to earn more money or should we be content with what we have?
I believe in in First Timothy Chapter 6. If you've noticed carefully, it's not money that's the root of all evil. Money is not the root of all evil. We need money to get along in this world, but it's the love of money, and it's what we set our heart on. If you and I set out to get rich in this world, the Apostle Paul said to Timothy. You're gonna get into a lot of difficulty.
And you're going to lose what we were talking about this morning in connection with our focus. We're going to begin to want to get ahead and be great in the in this world. But Paul here said to be content with what we have. You know, the Apostle Paul on another occasion said he had learned in whatsoever state he was to be content whether he was.
On a ship sailing somewhere, whether he was in the home of a poor person or whether he was in the home of a rich person, whether he was in prison, whether he was a free man, whether he was sleeping under the stars, whether he was in a comfortable bed, he had learned to be content. Now you will learn to be content with what you have in a material or monetary way only in the sense in which Christ.
Satisfies your soul. We won't turn to it. You can jot this down in Hebrews chapter 13. I believe it's verse 6.
It says be content with such things as ye have, For he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. What is going to make us content? It's the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord. So, young people, it's not wrong to work hard at school and get a good grade. It's not wrong to do your your secular work well. And if you're offered a promotion, to pray about it, and perhaps that's what the Lord has for you, and you get a little extra.
00:10:10
Money because you got a promotion or whatever, or a better job was offered to you. I believe Daniel is a perfect example of what we're saying. You know, under every king that Daniel lived in Babylon, he was promoted in his job and he was sometimes next to the king in his job. In fact, in the 6th chapter of Daniel, that's what invoked jealousy amongst his coworkers. He'd been promoted under King Darius.
And his coworkers thought he didn't deserve the promotion and the position that he had. But you find when you read the story of Daniel, he never lost his focus. He never he. It wasn't that he was seeking to be great under those kings. It wasn't that he was coveting a better position or more money or more status. He honored the Lord. And the Lord raised him up in those situations. So it tells the IT says them that honor me.
I I will honor, Solomon said in Proverbs. Give me neither. Neither poverty or riches. Or perhaps it's Ecclesiastes. You'll have to look it up. Give me neither poverty or riches. Poverty can make us bitter. Riches can make us complacent and self reliant. And Solomon said, don't give me either, just give me enough to get through this world. The soldiers came to John the Baptist and they asked about this.
And you know, I, I, they were under the suppression of the Roman government and I think they probably wanted an answer like, well, you know, you should be demanding more money, the Roman government here and they're making you do things that you wouldn't normally be doing and so on. No, John the Baptist said be content with your wages, what they're offering, what they're giving to you, you take it and be thankful for it. So that's, that's the first question if anybody else has a verse or suggestion.
Of a thought that would be good.
Mm-hmm. OK.
And our hearts are tricky because sometimes we think if we had more, we could do more for the Lord, but if the Lord wanted us to do more, he'd give us more. And if our motive is not right, if we did get more, I doubt whether we use it in the way we first thought we might. Satan can often use what seems like good motives to lead into a bad path.
Give us that reference again so they can jot it down. Thank you. There's a proverbs 30, uh 8:00 and 9:00.
Set.
So the next part of the question was how to properly use our money for the Lord. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 13.
Hebrews, chapter 13.
And verse 16.
But to do good and to communicate, and then other translations, and it's it's accurate put in this to communicate of your substance, or we might say, of our money for our purposes tonight to communicate of your substance. Forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
I think the key to understanding or to answering this question in Christianity is the realization that everything that is entrusted to me in a material way.
00:15:05
Or or even a physical way, our health and whatever is from the Lord. In the Old Testament there was a requirement under the law to give 10% and a person had no choice in Christianity. It's not that 10% belongs to the Lord and 90% belongs to me. Like under the Law, Christianity always supersedes what you have in the Old Testament under the Law.
In Christianity, everything we have belongs to the Lord. Now, it's interesting that money is referred to in scripture as filthy lucre.
But when you go to the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Numbers, you'll find that money is referred to as the shekel of the sanctuary.
I believe this is the thought if the Lord puts a dollar into your hand.
We think of it as filthy lucre, but if we get into the presence of the Lord and say, Lord, now what do you want me to do with this dollar?
Now it becomes the shekel of the sanctuary. It sanctified in that way with the realization in my soul that this dollar belongs to to the Lord. And so He says here that we are to use our substance, our money, or whatever it is He's entrusted to us in a material way. We are to use it for the work of the Lord, to help the Lord's people, to help the poor.
So many scriptures in Proverbs it talks over and over again about if you see the poor and you don't help them out.
That that's a sin. Umm. So there's any number of ways we can use what we have for the Lord and notice it's a sacrifice. You know, a sacrifice is something we give. And then by we that something that we when we give, we deny ourselves. We deny ourselves something by giving or helping others. Now I'm, I'm gonna speak very plainly and this is just for myself.
But I think it'll make the point when the when the.
Offering or the collection is passed on Lord's Day Morning. My putting a $5.00 bill in the collection is not a sacrifice.
I'm giving to the Lord, but it tells us in First Corinthians where to give as the Lord has prospered every man. And my putting of five or $10.00 bill in the offering on Lord's Day is not giving us. God has prospered me. I I'm not saying that to anybody else, but I'm just saying that's a that's a standard. Do we give now? Putting money in the offering on Lord's Day Morning is only one way of giving. Of course there are multitude, a multitude of ways.
To give, but I want to make one other point before someone else makes a comment by reading first Timothy chapter 5.
Because this will, I hope, temper my remarks on giving and giving as a sacrifice.
Verse eight of First Timothy 5. But if any provide not for his own and specially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. Now I realize that most of you here don't have your own household yet, but some of you are thinking about it, about it, and the day will come if the Lord leaves us here when? And I'm guess I'm speaking mostly to the young men now.
The day may come when you will be responsible for a wife and in the natural course of things, perhaps for children. Uh, as well. And what Paul was telling Timothy is don't be giving to the Lord's work. If your wife is hungry or needs a new dress, don't give to the Lord's work. If you don't have enough money for school supplies for your children, you're worse than an infidel. That is not what God intends. And I say that because I've known some who have.
Been generous in giving to others and helping others, but really they have withheld from their own family than the some of the necessities of of life. So we're to first of all consider our own households, those who are dependent on us, and then to use whatever we have left to help the Lord's people and the and to further the Lord's work.
00:20:32
Uh, I've heard the parable of the talent used in connection with, you know, either money or just like work in general. Like, you know, I, you know, it's one thing to be satisfied with what you're getting paid. It's another thing to not like.
Not tape, you know, with opportunities that are available. You know, ever to say that's not stewarding yourself, Well, what, what would you say to that? Don't just apply for that.
Well, I believe that it takes individual discernment before the Lord because on the one hand, we don't want to be careless and not put up for the future. And the man that buried his talent and didn't put it to the users or as we would say, put it in the bank or the investment company, he was reviewed because he didn't earn any interest on his talent. And so we want to be careful.
That well, I knew a brother, and he did, he said. The Lord was coming and he never put anything away for retirement.
Or paid into any kind of a pension fund. Well, that brother, when he got to be 1665 years of age, has had a lot of financial difficulty because he wasn't occupying in the way that I believe the Lord was bringing out in the parable that that you mentioned. Kevin, on the other hand, we don't want to put everything in the bank and say, well, I've got to lay up for the future and ignore the present, the work of the Lord goes on.
There are great needs amongst the Lord's people, opportunities in the gospel. So there's a balance. But again, I think it goes back to what Mark and Joe have said in different ones, and that is that we need to be exercised not to try to get more than the Lord has given us, but to manage what he has put in put in our hand. So it's, you know, the Bible is not a book of rules. Again, the New Testament doesn't say we're to put 10% in the bank and 10% for this and.
So much percent for in the offering on Lord's day. Know it all takes very individual exercise before the Lord, and I believe in many of these things. If you're really praying about it and living before the Lord, the Lord can give you the wisdom and discernment that's needed for each situation. And remember too, don't set yourself under hard rules either. Maybe there's a day, maybe there's a time in your life when you can be generous.
In certain avenues. And then maybe there's other times when you have to readjust and funds have to go in in a different direction. Don't don't put yourself under law and say, well, I have to give so much for this and I have to do this and I have to do to do that. And I'll speak in my own case. I've been thankful for those who supported certain aspects of the work in the Caribbean and the gospel work at a certain time. But then things changed in their situation and they weren't able to and.
The Lord always provides in a in another way as well. So the exercise as to where you're at in your life now and don't worry about tomorrow or what's going to happen down the road. And be willing to adjust if the Lord directs.
Exercise and doing it in the proper spirit. That is important because that's that's the other aspect of not having exercise but still want wanting to do it because we've heard at a camp that is very nice to do it. So now next week I'm going to do it and not do it on the proper spirit. I don't think that's what we we have here.
Uh, I was just thinking a little bit on doing that. Apps won't, won't read. But the story about, uh, some of them.
Giving in all their possessions, selling and giving to the apostles and distributing it. And then we have Ananias and some figure that's doing it in a way they were giving. Not all of course we're handing handling back, but you could say well, they they gave a pretty good part, but not not on the right spirit and not on the proper discernment there. So I think that's there there was judgment in that case.
00:25:08
But I think that's that's important to to seek direction from the Lord so that it can be done with a proper spirit. Yes, that's helpful. And and it says God loves a cheerful giver. And it wasn't that I, Ananias and Sapphira had to give any everything. Nobody told them in the early days of the acts to give everything. They did it out of a willing heart. There was such a work of the spirit of God.
The sin with Ananias and Sapphira was not that they didn't give everything, but they lied about it.
And another one other comment and that is that.
We, uh, we want to be careful that when we give, we don't do it again for the wrong motive. That is to get a pat on the back. Take some time, some time to read Matthew chapter 6 because he rebukes the Pharisees and the religious leaders there, because they were giving their arms or their money in public. They were making a big display about it so that they could get a pat on the back as to how much they gave and and how generous they were and so on.
But he said, when you give your arms, when you use your money to help others, do it in secret. And if you do it in secret with the right motive, then you'll get your reward of the Lord. Otherwise you just get a pat on the back, your reward of men. And it's only for for time.
OK, the next question, I'm wondering about the passage in Genesis 32 verse 24. Let's read that.
Genesis 32.
And uh, Kyle, if you have it there, can you read verse 24 to the end of 30?
When Jacob was left alone, and the rest of the man came until the breaking of the day. But when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh. And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go for the day, break it. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel.
For as a Prince hast thou power with God and with men?
And has prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee thy name.
And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place. For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. So this question is is very simple. Did Jacob wrestle with God in verse 24? In verse 30 Jacob says, I have seen the face of God. What does that mean? Well, the simple answer to this is yes.
He did wrestle with God. He did see the face of God. Now let me just explain what happened in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, God or the Lord appeared to various individuals in various forms. For instance, when Abraham was sitting in the tent door, he looked up and three men approached, and Abraham recognized one of them as the Lord. We find in the Book of Judges that the Lord appeared in the form of an Angel to Manoa and his wife to announce the birth of Samson.
And there are another occasion that comes to mind is on the banks of the Jordan, where Joshua is standing, and he sees a man with a drawn sword, And he says to him ourselves, for us or for our enemies. And he says, as captain of the Lord's host, am I come. This is another occasion where the Lord appeared to an individual, but I want to make it very clear that this was not in what we call incarnation.
This was a temporary thing. Again, the Lord appeared to different individuals in various forms in the Old Testament, but the Lord did not come in incarnation until.
00:30:14
He was born in Bethlehem S Manger, and there as a babe we have God manifest in the flesh and the Lord. Jesus grew up as a boy. As a young man, he went about his public ministry from about 30 years of age and on, and when he took that when he came in, incarnation came in human form. It was something that was, was, and is permanent. In the Old Testament, these instances were temporary.
With the Lord Jesus coming as a man in incarnation, it's a permanent thing, because the Lord Jesus is still the same man today at the right hand of God as he was when he walked here on earth. A glorified man, yes, but the same man, He rose bodily from the dead and he bodily left this world and went back to sit at the right hand of God. And we are going to see the Lord Jesus as the same man again, a glorified man, but the same man.
That came into this world and whose birth was originally announced to the shepherd. So yes, Jacob wrestled here with God in the form of this man. He saw the face of God, and it was rather a terrifying thing to those in the Old Testament.
In fact, Manoa and his wife said, we're going to perish because we've seen the we've seen God, but God acted in grace and veiled himself in the form, in human form, in that way, uh, in on different occasions in the Old Testament.
OK, I think that one was fairly straightforward, but it was a good question.
This next question is, is it a sin to be addicted to something?
Let's go first of all to 1St Corinthians chapter 6.
First Corinthians chapter 6.
And verse 16.
Well, that's.
Actually.
Verse 12 Let's back up to verse 12. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. I'm going to stop there.
Sorry, First Corinthians 6.
Sorry, speak up if I don't make it clear. Verse 12.
So the last part of this verse is really the Apostle Paul.
To put this in today's language, saying I don't want to be addicted to something, I don't want to be under the power of something. There are many things that are not wrong in themselves, but to be under the power of it is what is what is wrong.
So he says I will. You know he's talking about all things are expedient and and and so all things are lawful, but not expedient and and so on. But he won't be brought under the power of any. But now let's drop down. Well, let's drop down to verse 19 just for the sake of time. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
And in your spirit, which are gods. Now, we don't read in between here, but he cites something fornication, which is sexual activity outside the marriage tie, and God prohibits it. And there are things, other things too, that are are going to harm our bodies, things that we take into our body that are going to harm our body.
I suppose smoking is one of them.
How the UH research has shown over the years that smoking, inhaling cigarette or cigar smoke is harmful to the body. It defiles the Temple of the Holy Ghost. Our bodies are the dwelling place of the of the Holy Ghost and to take something into our body that harms and defiles the Temple of the Holy Ghost. Scripture prohibits it. Again, there are other things.
00:35:22
That aren't wrong in themselves, but it is the excess of it. It's to be held under the power of it. And before I let somebody else comment, I want to read a verse then in the 16th chapter of First Corinthians.
There's only one time in our English Bible that we have the word addiction or addicted and.
Verse 15 of the last chapter of First Corinthians, I beseech you, brethren.
You know the House of Stefanus, that it is the first fruits of IKEA and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the Saints. So is it wrong to be a? Is it a sin to be addicted to something?
Yes, in most cases it is. But there is one addiction that is scriptural and that is in the service of the Lord's people. You know, it tells us in First John chapter 3, verse 16, that we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. What does it mean to lay down your lives for the brethren? We think of laying down our lives for the Lord as martyrs, and many do, But what is it to lay down our lives for our brother?
It's to give ourselves in sacrifice and service to one another.
And there was a household in the days of the Apostle Paul, where the whole household, the parents, and the young people were addicted to the service of the Lord's people. So there is one, one form of addiction that's good, but generally speaking, we ought not to be under the power of anything.
Director focus to something else?
Other than the ward.
Several stages of addiction, you know, I have no medical authority or anything on it, but.
Speaking of things like drugs and heavy alcohol abuse, you know, it starts it's something to.
Make you feel good.
And maybe provide that distraction and then and then it becomes something to prevent you from feeling, feeling bad.
Uh, that's when it tightens the grip.
But it's it's something to cause you to look away to, to divert your attention to the things the Lord would have us focus on.
Yes. And and it doesn't have to be something that we take into our bodies either like drugs or smoking or excess of alcohol.
Will be very plain. It can be video games. It can be some hobby that we spend so much time at that we're not spending time with her for the Lord or in in the Lord's service. So it can be any number of things that we set our heart on.
And often I think what Austin said is good because often it's because our hearts are not satisfied with what they should be satisfied with. If our hearts and minds are not focused and satisfied on Christ, we're going to seek for for something else. And before we know it without even realizing it, we may be so under the power of it that we find it very difficult to get out from under that. But remember for every addiction.
That there is, there's deliverance. Now that doesn't mean we don't reap what we sow. And there are many Christians who, even before they were saved, were addicted to certain things, and now they're suffering physically or even mentally because it. God doesn't promise us always physical or mental deliverance from even those things that we delve into before we're saved. But there can be deliverance from it and the Lord's help to get through it, perhaps even with even suffering from.
00:40:12
Something physical or mental that we may not be rid of till the Lord comes.
We can, we can relate addiction to excess. I'll take a different passage here in Ephesians 5 that talks about one type of excess.
Starting on.
On verse 15.
Patience 5:15 see then that give walk circumspectly not as close but as wise redeeming the time, because the days are evil. But the first thing about excess or addiction is that it's taking taking time from us in one aspect, and that continues very far. Be not one wise but understanding what the will of the Lord is and be not drunk with wine. We're in is success, but this deal with the spirit. So as I mentioned here is 1 type of.
Except, but Gmail's mentioned can be good things. We can have excess in sport or news or work or school.
Or even unhealthiness. All good things.
Rachel should be looking to fulfill the Spirit and walk.
Yes, and don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong. I I like to play a game of Scrabble on the computer from time to time myself and and different things. But.
That's very helpful to see.
Addictions can start out as something you know that's not.
Bad, but if it goes unjudged or on if you don't take it to the Lord and ask for help. It can lead to stuff.
That is very harmful.
So, you know, if you have, I mean, I I would say, you know, I think everybody struggles with something and you could almost call it an addiction probably. And it's something you really need to take to the Lord.
Because it can snowball.
Similar to all the the financial discussion we had earlier, it's all balancing and moderation, yes.
Judging ourselves in the light of Scripture, and in taking corrections where necessary, the Christian walk is not a.
Umm, a straight line. No deviations, no problems. It's it's a it's a an experience.
And we need to be aware of what's going on in our lives and make corrections from time to time and and be open to those corrections.
Umm. I can't think of any verses right now, but I I remember coming across quite a few that talk about those corrections. Umm.
How that that's a normal?
And one good moderator for everything in our life is, whatsoever ye do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. Am I doing this to the glory of God? If it's in excess and keeping me from my enjoyment of Christ, it's not to the glory of God. So that's always a good moderator in our lives.
Want us to have pleasure, I being a parent you?
You get illustrations thrust upon you.
Just the act of eating.
00:45:28
Those pleasures. But there's a place for it.
That's why we keep the soda pop and the coffee flowing at camp.
We better move on to another. There's more could be said about all these, but I would like to just make a brief comment. Get us to make some brief comments about each one of these questions. This next question is in connection with Romans 6, verse 17. Let's turn to it.
Romans 6 verse 17 But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart.
That form of doctrine which was delivered unto you. So the question, they quote the verse here and then the question is what is the form of doctrine that's mentioned here? Well, the form of doctrine is what we have in the book of Romans, and what Romans takes up is fundamental truth as to our salvation and Christianity. And so the Apostle Paul says you were once the servants of sin.
But now having obeyed the truth of salvation.
You've been brought into a position now where we're no longer to be the servants of sin.
But we are. We've been delivered. It's it's the teaching that the Apostle Paul has given in the book of Romans as to.
Fundamental Christianity, that is the form of doctrine here, and that's why.
It's important to read the book of Romans and to understand as much as we can. We know in part and prophecy in part, but to understand fundamentals, the fundamental doctrines of Christianity and what we have been saved from and what we have been brought into in in another scripture. Paul. I think it's in second Timothy three. I think it's the tenth verse. Paul speaks of my doctrine. What is Paul's doctrine? It's again.
The fundamental truth of Christianity that were given to Paul to lay that he was given to lay the foundation of Christianity. And that's why we need to go back to what Paul wrote by inspiration or will never understand the liberty that we have in Christ. Now we might wonder, well, what does the word doctrine really mean? Doctrine is simply another word for teaching. So it's Paul's teaching. It's the form of doctrine. Here is the teaching that is laid out.
In these chapters that we were sinners, born into this world as sinners. But now, based on the work of Calvary, we've been brought in, we've been given new life, and we've been brought into a new standing of liberty before God.
You can drop this reference down. We won't take time to look at it, but in John Chapter 8, verse 32.
The Lord said, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Now what is the truth? It's what we have in this book. And so again, what's going to really give us, set us free in our souls? What's going to give us liberty in our souls? It's the understanding of the truth of God. You know, the law gave no liberty. It tells us of those that who through fear of death where their whole lifetime subject to *******. That was the children of Israel under the law. But in Christianity we've been set free now.
Now, Christian liberty is not to please ourselves, but Christian liberty is the ability and the resources to please the Lord. And that's that's true liberty for a believer.
Don't let anybody tell you doctrine isn't important. It is. It's very important.
00:50:19
Let me add to that. But having titles speak to other things which become sound doctrine. Is that the other aspect as well? We had in the the little favorite schedule. You know they sell to show proof rightly divided the word of God. So that's another exercise to be able to to go through doctrine because we have doctrines we're talking about here on the from Paul and from the other polls as well. But.
You will hear in the world a lot of different doctrines as well, so it's important to to become familiar with sound doctrine.
Sound doctrine leads to sound behavior We'll never know how to behave as a Christian.
If we don't know the teaching of the word of God, it teaches us how we can and are to live for the Lord.
The next question I've got two questions I I paired together here.
The first one says, how can I encourage your help a young Christian. And then I paired it because I I think it goes along with, uh, that question How can we keep the Lord's coming? For how can we keep the Lord's coming for us fresh every day? Let's go first of all to First Samuel, chapter 30.
Because there's a prerequisite to be able to being able to encourage or help another Christian, and we get it in First Samuel Chapter 30 in An Incident in the Life of David.
No, just we won't read this story. It's a familiar story probably to most of us. It's the story of Ziplag and the battle with the Amalekites. And we find that everything seemed to be against David and the men that were with them, against the children of Israel. And their cities were burned with fire, their wives and their families were taken captive, and so on. Everything seemed to be against them. But I wanna notice what David does in this very difficult situation. Verse 6.
First Samuel 30, verse 6. And David was greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved every man for his sons and for his daughters. But now notice this. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Now if you read the rest of the story we find that as a result of David getting into the presence of the Lord and encouraging his own heart in the Lord.
He was able to go down and encourage the men that were with him, and as a result, there was a great victory in Israel that that day. I read this because maybe sometimes we're together with other young people or other Christians, and we come away and we say, you know, we really didn't enjoy much of the Lord and we didn't really encourage one another much and so on. Or I wasn't really able to be a help to that person that I know needed some encouragement and help.
You can only encourage your fellow believer and help them in the measure in which you are encouraged in the presence of the Lord yourself. If you're not reading your Bible and enjoying the Lord, if you're not getting into the presence of the Lord in prayer, then you're not going to be a help to anybody else. So how can I help a fellow Christian by first of all enjoying the Lord's help and His encouragement for me?
Now how do we get encouragement from the Lord? Well, Romans tells us that it is through the encouragement. I know it's comfort in the King James, but the thought is really encouragement. Through patience and encouragement of the scriptures we have hope. So get into the Word, be encouraged from the Lord in the scriptures. Spend time in prayer like David did here and you'll find that without even trying when you interact with other believers, young or old.
Then you'll be an encouragement to them.
00:55:01
And it's not always by what we say either. Sometimes it's just sitting with a person, just listening. So.
Sometimes it's just taking the other end of a board or a hammer and helping someone with a project.
It's not always even just sharing deep things of God, It's just being there for somebody. That can be a real help too.
Good bud. And what you're saying, it's so true. I just experienced that so much in my life. It's something that's been a help to me too, is, uh, I think it's in Timothy. It talks about how to treat other folks. You know, because the body of Christ. And, uh, I don't know the verse exactly. I'm sure somebody else does. It says like, uh, you know, treat older men as fathers. You know, you're in your men's brothers, you know, uh, older women's mothers. You're a woman's sisters. And that's that's been a big help to me. And also like you're saying, you know, like you gotta.
Don't have anything to get if you haven't got anything from the Lord, you know.
And then, uh, the other thing is, you know, just walking along someone you know. So I find in my own life that it seems like with my friends that I talk to, you know, like try to be honest and stuff and, you know, talk about what's really going on. And it seems like a lot of times maybe I can encourage someone else's down, but then I'm gonna be, you know, not doing so well myself, you know, like sometimes, you know, with my walk with the Lord and then a lot. I think it's kind of funny how it works out a lot of times if that happens.
Then friends that I would you know regular communication with will be, you know, doing being a better spot, be able to encourage me.
Now I link this question with the second one because the two are really connected and let's go to 1St Thessalonians chapter 4.
So the second one was, how can we keep the Lord's coming for us fresh every day?
First Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 17.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.
And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Now this next verse is the link between the two questions.
Wherefore, comfort? Let me just say this, that often in our King James Bible, the word comfort is really encouragement. You notice in Mr. Darby's translation and some other translations, they translate the word comfort often as encouragement, and that's the way it is here. Wherefore, encourage one another with these words. So again, going back to the original question, how can we encourage another Christian?
By talking about the Lord's coming. How can we keep the Lord's coming fresh in our own souls? By talking about it to other people. So the Apostle Paul in writing to the Thessalonians, he explains very carefully in this epistle about how the Lord's coming is going to take place. And then he says talk about it. When you're together, encourage one another with these words. What works? The fact that the Lord Jesus is coming.
And young people I know when you're younger, perhaps it's not always uppermost in your thoughts. You know some of us who are a little older and we're experiencing various aches and pains and different things that you haven't experienced yet. Sometimes we're looking maybe for the Lord coming in a little more real way because Jude says looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. And for some of us, it's going to be more of a mercy than for others in various ways to circumstances and physical things and so on, but.
Let's learn to enjoy in our own souls the truth of the Lord's coming every day.
And then share it with others. You know, you never really have something until you share it. If you talk about something from scripture, anything, if you share it with somebody else, it's going to confirm it in your own soul. Now, most of you young people have heard me tell this little story before, but I I I heard of a young man who had on his bathroom mirror a little model, 2 words perhaps today. I thought that was very good.
Because when he got up in the morning and looked in the mirror, he wanted to be reminded that this might be the day of the Lord's coming.
Heard of another young man who, when he closed his desk at the office down at night, he made it the habit of his life before he left his desk to go home for the evening to audibly say Lord Jesus come.
01:00:13
That was, those were two young men who were seeking to keep fresh before them the fact that the Lord was coming. One realizing that the Lord might come before he went to bed that night, the other realizing that the Lord might come in the night before he had to go back to the office in the morning. I thought those were very good exercises, but learn to share those things, and you'll really encourage others and yourself as well.
Asking my friends where they're at, you know, with their walk with the Lord, you know, how's the relationship with the Lord doing? I've had this done to me quite a bit. You know, how I learned it is? I have a friend. How's your walk with the Lord and being able to be honest, you know, because we're not always doing that good, you know, I mean, if we're not, like, doing anything terrible, you know, I mean, it's really easy for myself, You know, I go through periods of where I really want to read the Bible, You know, I just have like a lot of, I don't know, spiritual interview or whatever, you know? And other times I don't want to at all. I have to, like, force myself, you know. But it's been really helpful to me to have friends that will ask me how, how's your relationship with or, you know?
And be able to ask someone else that or did you enjoy anything today? And and being able to be honest about that. You know, being able to have a friend that you can.
Have a good enough relationship that you can be honest, you know, and say how you're really doing. It's really a big hit. It's my time to be a really big encouragement to me.
And don't think that those of us who are older have arrived, that we're always upbeat and everything is going, going well. I'll make a little confession here at camp. One time, not all that long ago, I was sitting at the end of our kitchen table and I was pretty down and I was kind of crying. And I said to say, I said, whoever calls us to encourage us. And I said no, I'm in a bad state of soul. I realize it, but I'm just saying that because.
We all, it doesn't get any easier as we get older. And I think sometimes when we're young, we look at the older brothers and sisters and we think, well, they've arrived and they've figured it all out and they don't have the problems and the stresses that we have. And I, I don't want to be a prophet of doom, but if the Lord leaves us here, doesn't get any easier. The enemy attacks. In many ways life today is very stressed no matter where where we're at. And you know, I've been encouraged by young people who have.
Spoken to me.
Baby called me, said something between meetings, Help me out in some situation. And we who are older need encouragement. And Timothy as a young man, was to live, to be, to seek, to be an encouragement. He'd been an encouragement to the Apostle Paul, who was an older brother, and he was exhorted to be an encouragement to his brethren, whether they were young or old. So we all need it.
Now again, I've got three questions here, so let's let's move very quickly here. I wish we had more time, but if if you haven't got the answer to your question that you feel is sufficient, talk to some of us after. We'll be more than happy to discuss it further. I'm gonna read this next question. A few years ago I found out that my school friend was a Jehovah Witness.
As we got older, I let my friend know my beliefs and she told me hers. I can see that what she believes is wrong and not the word of God.
And and not the word of God warns against. The word of God warns against these false teachers. It is. Is it OK to simply know her as a classmate friend? How should I approach the situation? Very good question. Let's go to the third epistle of John.
I'm sorry, the 2nd Epistle of John.
The second Epistle of John.
Let me just say this before I read this. Without going into their doctrine, we know that the Jehovah Witnesses do not believe that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. And in spite of what an individual might tell you at the door, their core doctrine does not believe. They do not believe in their core doctrine that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh and John in the first epistle.
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Warns about those who do not teach that and that that kind of doctrine is blasphemous. If the Lord Jesus is not God manifest in the flesh, we do not have a sure foundation for our salvation and for our eternity. We must tenaciously hold on to that doctrine that He's God manifest in the flesh. OK, so having said that, let's notice some scriptures here.
Uh.
Verse 7 Second Epistle of John Verse 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world.
Who confessed not that Jesus Christ is come in flesh? This is a deceiver and an Antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not these things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, Hath not God He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ? He hath both the Father and the Son.
If there come on, if there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house.
Neither bid him Godspeed or, in our language say goodbye for he that biddeth him. Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds. Now let me try to be balanced in answering this question. So we often re take these verses, and we say in connection with those that come to our door, like the Jehovah Witnesses, who hold doctrines, blast blasphemous doctrines as to the person of Christ, that we ought not to invite them in.
And that we ought not to wish them well when we when we say when we give, give them leave. I'm not saying we shouldn't give them a verse of scripture. My personal exercise is not to argue with them, because they're only there to argue. If someone genuinely wants to know what you believe from the scriptures, that's a different matter, but you'll just get into a tangle arguing with those kinds better. Just a quote, a verse of Scripture.
And to leave it for the spirit of God so we don't invite them into our home.
I believe it is not proper to be close friends with them, David said in the 119th Psalm. I am, I am a companion. Well, let's, let's take a minute just to read it because it's an important verse. Psalm 119.
And verse 63.
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and then notice this next part and the key by precepts. In other words, David for our purposes tonight David found his close friendship or companionship only with those that.
In obedience to the Word of God that held the truth of the Word of God. I know it was.
Wasn't the truth of the New Testament in his day, But I believe the principle is there. Do those that we find our close friendship and companionship with hold fundamental truth principles of the word of God. Now, having said that, we do have to operate in this world and so perhaps you're on a project with someone at work who perhaps is a Mormon or a Jehovah Witness or.
Whatever. You've got to get along with them that you're not seeking their friendship or companionship. In that situation, you're simply working on a project that your employer has set you to. Maybe it's a lab at school, maybe it's sitting next to someone at a desk in the classroom. We are to show ourselves friendly and to do good to all men and so on, but that's quite a different matter.
Our associations.
As to work to school, neighbors, and so on, is quite a different matter than taking up close friendship and companionship. And if they hold doctrines that are contrary to the person of Christ, fundamental truth concerning the person of Christ, we are not to have close companionship with them. Scripture is very clear.
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A series of questions you could approach them with.
Is the reaction of in the Bible of people worshipping attempting to worship anybody but God. And there's uh, look it up. There's the Apostle John tried to worship an Angel. Umm.
And he was shut down. The a couple of the apostles in the book of Acts, they tried to worship them. The uh some group I forget and they did everything they could to stop that worship. Uh when Jesus received worship several times he had a very different reaction. He didn't shut them down.
And so.
The 10 commandments tell us we should worship the Lord our God, and Him only shalt thou worship now the Bible telling me to worship a creature or God himself when I worship Jesus.
I found that really helpful.
Yes, so we can be a help to others present the scripture. But I think in the light of the question to form social Co close social uh interaction with them is uh is not according to the word of God. But I think what Mark said is good. We need to be available if there is a genuine desire to know what scripture really says and to counteract that which is false.
Now our time is gone. It's more than gone, but let's just very quickly look at these other two.
Question. This one is in connection with Ephesians 6. Let's go there.
Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 16.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. So this question is in connection with the shield of faith and.
Before the the person asked the question, they quote. They say Jesus quoted scripture when he was tempted by Satan. That's in the wilderness. And then they quote the 119th Psalm verse 11 by Where have I hid in my heart?
That I might not sin against thee, then here is the question.
Why then, in the armor of God is faith a defensive piece of armor as opposed to the word of God?
When we have those who? When? When we have these other examples of scripture, the verses they quoted ahead that we just read seeming to be defensive against sin.
As we often point out, there are 5 defensive pieces of the armor and one offensive. The offensive piece is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, but the shield of faith is really one of the defensive pieces of the armor. Because it's a little different here than what we normally think of. It's not so much it's it's not so much using the word of God to.
Counter the devil's attack. But to lift the shield of faith is to have complete confidence in God in every situation. That's why it says above all. So he lists the other pieces of armor and then he says above all, take the shield of faith. Now I'll give you just a couple of examples and we won't turn to it, but you can jot these references down an example first of all.
Of some men who did not lift the shield of faith. And those were the disciples in Mark's Gospel chapter 4 verses 37 to the end, where we find they were in a ship one night the Lord was asleep in the boat, and they didn't lift the shield of faith. They were afraid and they cried and woke up the Lord and cried, Master, carest thou not that we perish.
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Now, why do I say they didn't lift the shield of faith? Because the Lord had told them they were going to the other side. And if they had really believed that, if they'd lifted the shield of faith and believed what the Lord had said, they wouldn't be afraid that they were going to go to the bottom in the midst of the sea. They would have had faith in what had already been confirmed to them. They didn't lift the shield of faith now.
On the other side of the coin.
If we were to go to job chapter two, I think it's verses 9 and 10.
We find there that Job lifted the shield of faith when his wife came to him in the midst of all those trials and difficulties and said, Job just give up cursed God and die, and Job said no. In other words, at one of the most difficult times in Job's life, he lifted the shield of faith. He counted on God, he counted on God's word and that what God was doing.
Was right in his life, and that's what That's why. It's not so much the offense of being on the offensive, but it's to lift that shield, to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. What are the fiery darts of the wicked? They're the darts of doubt. It's in contrast to faith. Faith brings God into every situation in life and trust God for those situations.
The enemy wants us to let down that shield so he can get the fiery dart in, just like he did with the disciples in the boat. But if we're holding the shield up at all times?
Then the enemy is not going to get those darts in, but the minute we let that shield down.
Then the enemy has some doubt in some way, and we're not going to be trusting God in the situation.
Let's think of the probably the first example of that regarding of you or the Garden of Eden.
When Serpent talked to the woman, I'm going to read the in the Darby version.
First awards and it said to the woman is it Even so that God has said and pose a question so that's where he's bringing in doubt and if you guys that's important also for us as at any any time or circumstance in our lives we without something that we see in the word of God. I think that's that's the moment just tough and and see that a dark may have gone through we have to go back to through faith and believing in what.
What is in God's word?
The contrast with is it so is what Paul says in Acts 27 and he was on the ship. Says we're for sirs, we have good cheer for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me.
Yeah. Yes, that's that's a very nice contract. That's very good. Thank you.
OK, one last question. It's a very, I put these two questions together, they're very comprehensive. But uh, we'll just give a very, very quick outline here. The question, both questions have to do with the day of the Lord and the day of God.
So he's on. The one question is what? What period of time is the Day of the Lord? The reference is Second Peter 3, verse 10. Just drop drop that reference down.
Then he Then the question says, what period of time is the day of God that Second Peter 312. Then they give a reference 1St Thessalonians 5 two is first Thessalonians 5 two the day of the Lord? Is it the same as second Peter? 310. Now having said that, the second question is when does the day of the Lord begin? Are we in it presently? And then there's the the person gives a little list here, The rapture, the tribulation, the Millennium, the appearing.
OK, it's a very comprehensive question, but the day, to put it very simply, well, before we do that, let's take time and go to 1St Corinthians Chapter 4, because there are four days that it's very important for us to understand. There's a day that we're in right now. There are three days that are yet future.
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Or or two. I'm sorry. Yeah, there's Well, well, let's let let me qualify here. So let's let's notice here.
Umm. First Corinthians chapter 4.
And verse 3. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, Lucas, you have Mr. Darby's translation right there. Read this verse and Mr. Darby's translation. But for me it is the very smallest matter that I be examined of you or of man's day. OK, so he's talking here about man's day. Man's day is the day we're living in right now. It's the day when God is allowing man to assert his rights here in this world.
That doesn't mean that God isn't in control of every situation.
But God is allowing man to go to a certain extent, and he will allow him to do so until man's day is over, and man's day will not be over until the day of the Lord. Well, then the question arises, when does the day of the Lord begin? Well, it begins after the Rapture, after we're called out of this world, but not right away, because the Lord is going. God is going to allow men to assert his rights for a short time, even after.
The Rapture, the day of the Lord isn't really going to start.
Until the middle of what we call the prophetic week, there's a There's going to be after the Lord comes, there's going to be at least seven years of a Prophetic Week.
And in the middle of that week, Satan is going to be cast out of heaven and down to earth because he's and that's the created heavens. He's the Prince of the power of the air today gonna be cast down to earth.
And the Lord is going to begin in judgment to assert His rights here on planet Earth. So let's keep it very simple. The day of the Lord is the time when the Lord is going to assert His rights here in this world. You have it in Revelation chapter 19, where the heavens open up. We've talked a lot today about heaven opening up. The heavens are going to open up in a future day.
And the Lord Jesus is going to come forth in power not not as the lowly babe in Bethlehem, not as the man of grace, but he's going to come forth in power, and he is going to assert his rights here in this world, in in judgment. And so that is the the day of of the Lord. Again, if you make a note, the day of the Lord is the day when man, when when the Lord is going to assert His rights on earth now.
It's not just going to include the tribulation, it's going to include the thousand year reign that we refer to as the Millennium. Because in the thousand year reign of the Millennium, the Lord is going to reign in righteousness. And in fact, if anybody rebels, they're going to be judged every morning and it's going to be the ultimate penalty of death if anybody outwardly sins the Lord as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He's going to assert his rights and nobody is going to be allowed to do anything out of line to rebel against the Lord without being cut off. So that's the day of the Lord.
In in In a nutshell, now the day of God then is after the Millennium. Now you can read the verses in First Peter where it talks about the day of God it's after.
The Tribulation. After the Millennium, he's going to turn to the 15th chapter of First Corinthians and you'll see how it's going to begin.
First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 25. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
For he hath put all things under his feet, but when he saith, all things are put under him.
It is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him. Now notice this.
And when all things shall be subdued, that's at the end of the Millennium, when all things shall be subdued unto him.
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Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him.
That hath put all things under him, that God may be All in all.
We call it the Day of God or the eternal state. It's when everything is brought into complete conformity to God and to Christ. There's nothing more needs to be put down, nothing more needs to be ruled over in that sense. And the Lord Jesus as a man turns the Kingdom back to the Father that God may be All in all. That's why in Peter it's called the Day of God in Revelation chapter 21 in the 1St 8 verses of that chapter.
It's the day of God. And the key is God shall wipe away tears. God shall be All in all, When it's God, it's the eternal state or the day of God. So I mentioned there's four days that are important for us to understand. I've mentioned three of them. Let me very quickly give you the other one. So again, I'm gonna summarize that this is man's day today and it will be man's day, really, up until the middle of the tribulation week. Then it's going to be the day of the Lord.
From that point until the end of the thousand years when the Lord asserts His rights in judgment and government on the earth, then it's the day of God forever and ever, the eternal state. But there's also what is referred to as the day of Christ. You get it in Philippians one and other places. Sometimes it's called the day of Jesus Christ. That's a little different day. What is that? That's the time when the believer.
Is going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ and be judged for their works, for their life here. Not judged for their sins, of course. But you'll notice if you look up the times where you have the day of Christ or the day of Jesus Christ, it's always in connection with reward for the believer. So the day of Christ is when we stand before the Lord Jesus. Not a question of getting into heaven, not a question of us being judged.
But our works are going to be judged and manifest and he's going to give reward.
At that time.
Now again, young people, we've covered these questions very, very basically very, very quickly. But you know, sometimes it's good just to get an outline of things and hopefully it will whet your appetite to search it out more for yourself and maybe to ask other questions in private conversation and to share things together with your fellow young person as well.
Christian Focus & Characteristics Part 2
Address—Jim Hyland
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.
192 from Which book?
Blue Book. OK. Thank you.
When the storm dies with and again all spraying, will it rain with the rain for?
The great name.
Will your eyes be all thrilled and boring?
My Lord is on the gold standard of my heart, good pride.
Will it be alright?
Forever.
Born.
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OK, I'd like to sing a hymn from the Little Flock Hymn #174.
I'd like to go on with the subject of Christian Focus this morning.
And to introduce some thoughts, I'd like to go to the book of Proverbs first of all.
Proverbs, chapter 29.
Proverbs, chapter 29.
And verse 18.
Just the first part of the verse, where there is no vision, the people perish.
Or another translation. Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint. I wanna stress for a few moments the fact that when we talk about living by faith, there's no such thing as blind faith. And faith is not a leap in the dark now. Faith acts on the light that it has for the moment, but faith always has an object before it. Faith always has an eye to the future.
Some of you young people have or are going to college or university, Oregon trade school, whatever it might be. And some of you have or are living on in circumstances and on perhaps a limited budget, things that you wouldn't normally choose. Why do you do that? Because you say, well, in a couple of years or four years or whatever it might be, I'm gonna get my degree, I'm gonna get my diploma, and things will be better. I'll get a job, I'll get a better job and life will be better. You have an eye to the future.
And I believe young people as Christians, if we lose sight, as we said yesterday, of what is ahead, we're not going to walk today the way we ought to walk. In the book of Ephesians and a couple of other places, we are told to walk circumspectly.
Circumspect or circumspectly is not a word we use too much in today's vocabulary, but if you look it up in a dictionary, it will give you a meaning. Something like this.
Careful to consider all circumstances and consequences.
In other words, to walk circumspectly is to consider today.
What impact my actions are going to have on tomorrow?
And that's what Solomon is really telling us here in the book of Proverbs, where there is no vision, the people perish or the people cast off restraint.
Now this verse applies not just to our spiritual lives, but it really applies to every aspect of life, whether it's our personal life, whether it's family life, whether it's assembly life, whether it's school or business, whatever it is. We have to live in view of what is ahead, and today we are going to live in. If we have, I'm sorry if we have tomorrow in view.
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And the consequences of our actions? Then we are going to Live Today.
In a way that is going to glorify God. Otherwise we're just going to live for ourselves.
In fact, Paul said in Philippians or in First Corinthians if there's no resurrection and nothing beyond this life. In other words, if there's nothing in the future.
Why would we live for the Lord today? Why would we give up present advantage if there's nothing in the future? And so like I say, going to school, you may give up present advantage. You may not even go out with your friends when you'd like because you stay in the study. But you say I want to get through these exams and I want to get my degree and then I can do some things that I I haven't done, you know, for those of us who travel and do business in 3rd world countries.
We see this in stark reality. You know, so often when I step up to a airline counter in a place like Guyana, South America or Trinidad, what happens is they'll say to me, oh, Mr. Highland, your name isn't on the manifesto this morning. Well, I always have a $20 bill right here in my pocket. And I will say something like, Are you sure my name isn't on the manifesto? Oh, I'm sorry. It's right here.
Now they're not circumspect you see in those countries and This is why I say it applies to every level of life from the government right down. They're only living for the moment. They're only living for that little bit of money in somebody's pocket at the moment. They're not considering the long term ramifications of a system like that. And that's why those countries remain in the situations, the states that they do, because they're not living circumspectly and so we always want to live.
In view of what is ahead, and again for the believer, what is ahead or what we ought to have as our focus is Christ and what is ahead is is glory. Now let's go to a very familiar verse and then we'll look at some examples in scripture of those who lived circumspectly and those who didn't. But let's go to a familiar verse in Philippians chapter 3.
And verse 13. Philippians chapter 3 and verse 13.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do.
Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Well, of course we know the writer here. It's the Apostle Paul, and he is Speaking of running a race. Now we don't have time, but if we go through the New Testament, we find that the Apostle Paul and others, but particularly the Apostle Paul.
He often speaks of the Christian pathway as a race or an athletic event. Because to participate in an athletic event, it takes focus, it takes concentration. When Paul says this, one thing I do, this is not multitasking. Now they talk about multitasking today, and I guess I tend to be a multitasker. When I'm home. I like to have a number of projects on the go and I can go from one to the other.
But this isn't multitasking. Here. One thing I do he had the goal before he was running a race. So when the athlete goes out to train, he perhaps again doesn't do things he'd like. Perhaps he has a diet that isn't really according to the bend of his nature, eats things that perhaps he wouldn't choose otherwise because he wants to get his weight and his metabolism to a certain level. He goes gets up early in the morning even though he's not a morning person.
He works out and goes out to train when perhaps other of his friends are doing other activities and so on.
He's focused on what is ahead. Then the day of the event, again, as we said yesterday, like with the Tour de France or any athletic event, it always takes focus. It's looking ahead, it's looking to the goal. And so the Apostle Paul was looking ahead. Tell you a little story. I know some of you have heard me tell this before.
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But William Kelly, whose commentaries are still in print and are read by many.
Was a man who in the 1800s was one of the great minds of England. You know those men that God raised up at the revival of the truth in the 1800s. They were men who had a knowledge of a number of languages, often Greek and Latin and Hebrew and other languages, French and German and many Latin based languages and so on. They were the scholars of the day and God raised them up to.
Reveal from the Scripture to bring out from the Scripture that which had been lost and not enjoyed.
For many centuries. But William Kelly had a nephew, I believe it was, who was attending one of the great universities of England. I can't remember if it was Cambridge or Oxford, but one of those great universities of England. And it became quickly evident to his Greek professor that this young man must be getting some extra tutoring from outside the university. And so the professor and the Dean of the college questioned the young man as to why he was excelling in his Greek studies.
And it came out that his uncle William was helping him. And so the Dean of and professor of the college made an appointment to have an interview with William Kelly. And they were astounded in the presence of one of the great minds of England at that time. And finally the Dean of the college leaned across his desk and he said, Mr. Kelly, you could be a great man in this world. And Mr. Kelly looked him straight in the eye and said, which world?
Now there was a man who had focus. There was a man who was living in view of another world. Perhaps you've read something of John Wesley again, another man who gave up a great deal to serve the Lord, traveled up and down the length and breadth of Britain, and came to North America too, on occasion suffered privation and hardships to get the gospel out. And one time he was passing one of the great Manor houses of England.
And what the gardener was working around the gate of this house. And John Wesley stopped to speak to this gardener, and it came out that the family who owned the estate was not home. And so when the gardener saw that John Wesley was interested in the the the grounds, he offered to show them around some of the grounds of that great Manor house in the state. And after they had had a little tour and they came back to the gate, John Wesley said to them to the gardener.
I too have a liking for these things. But there is another world you see. They were living in view of something beyond this life. They were living in view of something that is more than just reserved under fire. Because you know, everything in this world and everything in this life is only temporary. It's all reserved under fire. Got a question? Raise your hand. How many have ever read Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan? OK, so several. You have read Pilgrim's Progress. It's one of the classics, of course.
What's very interesting book? I don't always agree with all the.
Analogies and things he makes in in his allegory, but it's very interesting and helpful. It's a dream that he had and he wrote down and there were two men in that dream, Christian and faithful, and they were on a journey to the Celestial City and they had that before them. And in one of the chapters of that story they come to a place called Vanity Fair and there was a great carnival going on.
And as they passed through Vanity Fair, they were offered every kind of worldly activity that was imaginable. Come and join us in this. Come and join us in that. Come and do this. Just step aside here and we'll, we'll give you this and you can gain such and such. But in the in the dream, Christian and faithful keep on the King's highway, and they don't turn in to participate in that which was offered to them.
At that carnival. Why? Well, the point the writer makes is that they had the goal in view. Now, again, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that there is an enjoyment in natural things and so on. You know, Mr. Darby, whose commentaries we're familiar with, he was on a train one time with another brother by the name of FW Grant, and they were going through Western Canada and through the Rocky Mountains.
00:20:21
And they were sitting together in beautiful scenery. If you've ever traveled through the Rockies, it's breathtaking scenery. And Mr. Darby, a number of times as the train went along, commented on the beauty, the natural beauty of the scenery of Western Canada. And Mr. Grant kept saying, oh, I'm dead to all that well, after a while Mr. Darby got up and he moved to another coach. And when he and Mr. Grant met at their table in the dining car.
For the noon meal, Mr. Grant said. I I don't understand why you all of a sudden got up and went to another coach. Oh, Mr. Darby said, I didn't like sitting with a dead man. Well, he made his point. We're not dead to nature. We're not dead to natural things. No. And you young people, I trust, have enjoyed some sports activities, some games around the table. Wonderful. Great to have have a a laugh, great to enjoy things. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the things that the enemy brings into our lives to distract us from our focus, you know?
When we read about Paul here in Philippians, Paul had many avenues in his life. He had natural things, you know, At the end of his life he wanted his coat read. First Timothy, Second Timothy, chapter four. He wanted his books. He wanted his coat. He wanted Timothy to bring his coat before winter. He wasn't indifferent to those, to those things. Paul had the natural side of life. You know, when they were shipwrecked on an island and they were gathering sticks to make a fire, it was cold. And Paul got up and helped them.
Gathers gather some sticks. He took care.
Of natural things in life, natural responsibilities. He had a gospel ministry and everywhere he went he sought to bring souls into the realization that they were sinners and needed a savior. He had his ministry to the people of God. He had. He wrote by inspiration. I have no doubt he wrote other letters and many things that weren't inspired and haven't been preserved to us. There were many avenues to his life, but in every Ave. of life it all headed up with one thing.
Christ in glory that everything he did, whether it was in natural things or spiritual things.
It all had Christ and his glory in view. So as we I think maybe in the question and answer in the Bible study yesterday, we quoted that verse.
That what? That we're whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we do, it's to be all done to the glory of God. And that certainly is the overriding qualifier for whatever we do. Now I'd like to look at two men in contrast for a moment. Go to Hebrews, Chapter 11.
Hebrews, Chapter 11.
And verse 8. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whether he went by faith, he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs of him with him of the same promise. And then this is what I want us to notice, particularly for he looked for a city which has foundations.
Whose builder and maker is God? Well, as we often mention, Abraham is the father of faith.
He had a specific call from the Lord. He lived in a city and in a society. The secular history tells us was very advanced, was a post deluge society and I suggest it was perhaps more advanced than we realize. But Abraham received a call from God and while it's true he went out not knowing whether he went yet he had specific direction in his life.
And when we trace the life of Abraham, we find that he acted on the word of God that he had for the moment. Again, I want to make it clear, there's no such thing as blind faith. We don't just stumble along in the dark in the path of faith. No, we often again quote the verse. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. God gives us light for one step at a time in the path of faith. And if we take those steps, then we're going to have sufficient light for our pathway. So, Abraham.
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Was a man who looked again for something beyond this world. Uh was a very advanced society, I have no doubt. It was a great city in its day, but he saw another city by faith, and that city was not something that was for time, but for eternity. You know, there were those in the Old Testament who had special flashes of light and revelation beyond what was the normal revelation of the day.
And I believe that Abraham was one of those men. What did he really see were not exactly told.
But he saw something that a city that was heavenly, not earthly in its character. But now I want to go back to Genesis for a little contrast.
To Genesis chapter 13.
Genesis Chapter 13.
And verse 10.
And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere.
Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
And Lot chose him. All the plain of Jordan and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves, the one from the other. Well, here we have Abraham's nephew Lot. And Lot made a choice too, and Lot saw something. Lot lifted up his eyes. It's a little homework for you. Go through the scripture sometime and notice this little expression as to certain ones who lifted up their eyes. I believe I stand to be corrected, but.
I believe that this might be the first.
Time. You have the expression that someone lifted up their eyes. Later on we find Abraham lifted up his eyes. We find that Isaac lifted up his eyes and there are quite a number. But it's a very interesting and instructive study. But here we find that Lot lifts up his eyes, but he didn't lift them up as far as Abraham. Abraham had spiritual eyes.
And by faith he saw something above the horizons of this world. He saw something of eternal value.
Of heavenly character. But Lot lifted up his eyes on this occasion, and he only lifted up his eyes and saw what was what was connected with this world. And he chose the city as well. He chose Sodom. Now, I suppose we're all very familiar with the story here. We find that this was really the beginning of a downward course for law. Now let's make it very clear that Lot like Abraham.
Is going to be in heaven in a coming day. We're going to see Lot because the New Testament confirms to us that Lot was a righteous man and so Lot was a true believer, but he made a choice that was based on something that was temporal, you know, it's really a sad commentary here, not only for Lot but for Abraham, because first of all, there was a strike. If we were to back up in the chapter, there was contention and strife.
Between the herdsmen of Abraham's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot S cattle. And Abraham made a suggestion here that I don't think was very wise. Instead of sitting down and before the Lord seeking to sort out this matter in a proper way, Abraham suggested that they separate. You know that is never the way for Christians to solve difficulties amongst themselves. The way for us, the people of God, to solve difficulties is to get on their knees in the presence of the Lord.
And look to the Lord for guidance and direction, and I believe that there has been much.
There have been many divisions and much strife amongst the people of God, a lot of separation amongst the people of God.
Because they decided just to go their own way. And as we sometimes say.
Agreed to disagree. That is not the way. God has ordained that we solve problems amongst the people of God. And so Abraham makes this suggestion and they separate. But there's something else that Abraham had done that led to what happened here, And that is what he had taken Lot down into Egypt with him on a previous occasion. Because when Lot lifted up his eyes and he saw the well watered plain of Jordan.
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It was like the land of Egypt. How did Lot know what Egypt looked like?
He'd been taken down there by his uncle Abraham, and Egypt again, as I think we said yesterday, is.
Almost invariably in scripture, a type of this world. And if we get a taste for this world, and we only make choices connected with that which seems for present advantage, we're going to lose. We'll never lose our salvation. Lord, as I say, we're going to see him another day. But if someone has said Lot had a safe soul, but he had a lost life, and it's possible to have a saved soul but have a lost life, what does that mean?
A life where there's very little fruit for God, and a life where we're going to reap what we sow.
You know, we often quote that verse. We reap what we sow. Whatsoever a man soweth actually also reap.
That verse applies to a believer. It's true that the unbeliever, if he goes on in his sins.
And simply so seeds of sin and degradation in this world. Yes, he's going to end up in a lost eternity, but that's not really what that verse is applying to. That verse in its real context is applying to you and to me who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior. If we sow to the flesh corruption, we're going to reap to the flesh corruption. And we find, if we go on with the story of Lot, that he first of all pitched his tent towards Sodom.
Probably thought, well, I I can handle this and and I know how far to go. Uh, we like that sometimes our hearts are tricky. We say, well, I I I can I can, uh observe things and I I can do things but but I won't go so far as as anybody else. But then we find that he was living right in Sodom gave up his tent and a tent in scripture would speak of our character of those who are just here for a little time. Tent is a temporary dwelling.
He lived in Sodom, he built a house and he lost most of his family. Even his wife looked back and I don't believe we're going to see Lot's wife in heaven. And some awful things happened when he was in Sodom and he lived to see the day when it was all destroyed and burnt up. And young people, if you only build for this life, and again, as we said yesterday, there's nothing wrong with getting along in this world, in in in this world, as far as our secular employment and whatever the Lord puts in our hand and gives us.
But if we set our hearts on those things, if that's what we're striving for, we're going to be disappointed. You remember yesterday we mentioned in one of the meetings that verse about those who desire to be rich, and in the end they pierced themselves through with many sorrows. You know, sad to say, Lot even got involved in the politics of the day. I say that because we read of him sitting in the gate.
And if we were to go back in secular history and in the Old Testament, we would find that the administration, the politics of the day, where was carried on in the gates of the city. That's where the elders sat. That's where decisions were made. Even under the Levitical law, when there was a decision needed needed to be made, they were to come to the gate where the elders were, and the elders were to pass judgment on tho those things.
Was sort of where the court of the land, the city was, and so Lot got involved in all that.
But I say again, he lived to see that it was all done away with. Well, who do we want to be like? Do we want to be like Abraham, who looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God? You know, Later on in Genesis, Abraham lifted up his eyes too. But he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and the Lord told him that he would bless him as the stars of the heavens and as the sand of the of the sea. He received that which was not just for this earth, but he received that a blessing in connection with.
Heavenly things. One more example, very similar, but let's go back to Hebrews Chapter 11.
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Hebrews, Chapter 11.
And verse 24.
By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Well, here we have Moses. We mentioned yesterday about the children of Israel on the Sinai Peninsula, and how they have the pillar of cloud to lead them, and the occasion where the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud, and they were encouraged to press on, and so on.
And here we have Moses. Now it's interesting that it says here that Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called not the grandson of Pharaoh or the son of Pharaoh, but the son of Pharaoh's daughter. I believe that's a very significant expression. Pharaoh in the Old Testament is most often a picture to us of the enemy, Satan, shall I say, in the raw side of the world.
And when the children of Israel were in ******* under Pharaoh and the Egyptians, Pharaoh is a picture there of the enemy seeking.
To keep souls from coming under the good of redemption and deliverance and so on. And as I say, it has to do more with the raw side of the rough side of the world. The way of the transgressor is hard, it says in Proverbs. But what is the son of Pharaoh's daughter? I suggest that's the nice side of the world. You know, Moses was taken to the palace in his very young, and he was trained in the best of circumstances.
You know, Egypt was not a base nation in those days. It was a glorious society.
And as I have traveled in Egypt for a number of years and observed some of the treasures of Egypt and learned some of its history.
It was a glorious nation and the learning and wisdom of the Egyptians post deluge is something that's very, very outstanding in the history of mankind. That's the kind of society that Moses was brought to. He was trained to be the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He was trained in all the culture and it and when when Steven sums it up in the New Testament, he he was trained in all the wisdom and learning.
Of the of the Egyptians, and perhaps would have been the heir to the Egyptian throne, but he refused all that. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
And he exchanged it for the people of God.
Who were really a complaining, rebellious people who often blamed Moses.
For their situation, in fact, you you read like the 17th of Exodus. Then why did you bring us here? To kill us with hunger? And what about our cattle and our families and so on? Bad enough you brought us, and often they blamed Moses and Aaron.
For their situation, I think that's the tendency of our hearts when we get into difficulty to always blame somebody. But we find that Moses chose this, and not only that, but just the physical rigors of the Sinai Peninsula and so on, because he had a vision. He had. Again, I believe Moses had one of these little flashes of revelation that was beyond the normal revelation of the day.
I pondered, and I don't know what it means, but esteeming the reproaches of Christ.
He didn't know Christ as we know Christ, but he had some special revelation, some little flash of light, and he esteemed the reproaches of of Christ better than the treasures of Egypt. And as I say, the treasures of Egypt were really something. And to enjoy the pleasures than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. You see, it's always in contrast with what is just for time.
Scripture says there is pleasure in sin, but you know sin. The pleasure in sin is gone with the act.
It only lasts well for the ACT and then it just leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths and a guilty conscience.
There's no pleasure in sin after the ACT is completed.
But we find that Moses chose something that had eternal value now.
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He could have perhaps had the throne of Egypt, perhaps a pyramid or a monument built to his memory that we would all flock to today.
But you know.
Moses was one who had the privilege.
Of standing with the Lord Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration, and when we see Moses another day.
And we talked to him and say, well, was it really worth it, Moses. You know, I think of myself and I know this a little bit of a fleshly thought, but I think of myself meeting Moses in the coming day and saying, Moses, I traveled through the Sinai Peninsula too. But I had better circumstances than than you did. And I didn't really always enjoy the the heat and the the the situation. But what about you back in those days and that rebellious people, Was it really worth it? Oh, I'd say it was worth it and more because Moses gained something.
Of eternal value and young people. That's the point I'm trying to make. Are we living for time or are we living for eternity?
You know, because of my travel, I belong to the UH Air Canada frequent flyer program called Aeroplan, and it's part of the Star Alliance network of a number of some 20 air airlines around the world. But you know, Air Canada's our aeroplanes frequent flyer model is live for the moment. Now I realize that's just a catchy slogan to get people to stick with Air Canada and Star Alliance and spend their money flying on their airplanes. I understand that.
But I've also thought of that live for the moment. Isn't that the spirit of the age, as we've been saying to just live for the moment? We pull the credit card out? Are we thinking of the day of reckoning that's going to come when there's going to be a bill and a payment and if we don't pay it, there's going to be a large interest rate and it's just going to accumulate from month to month. We buy something and we don't always think about whether down the road we can make the payments on this car or this house or whatever.
Uh, it is. We have fun for the moment to do something that we don't consider what the consequences down the road are going to be. Live for the moment.
Lot live for the moment. Many Christians today, to their sorrow, live for the moment. But I don't want you to live for the moment. I want you to live in light of eternity. You know young people.
We're almost at the end.
Of this dispensation of the grace of God, at any moment the Lord Jesus is gonna come. And when you stand before the Lord Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ, and as we mentioned briefly last night, your life is going to be reviewed and rewards given for faithfulness down here. And how you live down here. What's gonna matter? How well you planned your life, how well you got along down here?
How well you fit in with the crowd, you know, the apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, who criticized him on every level. The the the the Corinthians question Paul's ministry. They questioned his authority as an apostle. They even questioned his ability to present his ministry. They said his speech was contemptible and so on. They questioned everything about Paul. Paul said that's OK we labor that whether present or absent, we might be accepted of him.
He was living for the Lord's approval. You know, as young people, it's not wrong to desire to have approval. It's not wrong to desire acceptance. But the question is, whose acceptance do we really want? Are we really seeking the Lord's acceptance and his approval? Now we're going to look at some other scriptures very, very quickly, again, in connection with this subject of focus. Let's go to John, Chapter 5.
John Chapter 5.
And verse 39.
Search the scriptures.
For in them ye think, ye have eternal life, and they are they.
Which testify of me, I want to talk about focus when it comes to our reading and taking up our study of the word of God, because it does take focus. You know, I want to speak very carefully when we speak about this precious book, but it's not light reading. You know, you might be able to take a story book and you might be able to read it in a crowded room. You know, sometimes I carry a missionary story or something with me because I'm going to be sitting in a crowded airport.
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We're on a plane or on a bus or somewhere in my travels, and I can read something light like that with a lot going on around me. But you know, to read the word of God and really study it and get what is here, you've got to focus. I want to encourage you to schedule not only some time, but a place where you can slip away every day and really quietly and alone focus with the word of God before you, you know when Mary of Bethany sat at the feet of the Lord Jesus.
She was focused in contrast to Martha. I'll encourage you. You can jot this down, but I'll encourage you to read the last few verses.
Of Luke's Gospel, chapter 10. Very familiar to most of us, but there you have the Lord visiting that house.
And Mary sat down at the feet of Jesus to focus on what he had to say.
And it's interesting if you read in Mr. Darby's translation about Martha.
When the Lord spoke to Martha after she complained that Mary had left her to serve alone, he said to Martha, You are careful and distracted with many things. Isn't that interesting? That's the work of the enemy. When we get when the Lord is speaking to us through His word, the enemy's right there to distract us in one way or another, and that's why you need to schedule not only time but a place.
A stated place. Maybe it's in your room, maybe it's somewhere. At lunchtime you can slip away quietly with the word of God, what? Wherever it might be, but somewhere where you can really focus because.
In the verse we read here, he exhorts them to search the scriptures. Searching takes diligence and focus. Now we need to always care, orderly, and consistently read the word of God. But it's good to to get out of concordance. I know we don't use.
Hard copy concordances like I did when we were young people. But get out your smartphone, get out your laptop and study through certain phrases and and words and do those searches.
And that's where you're really going to get the benefit. You see, as the Proverbs said, it is the glory of God to conceal the matter. The honor of kings is to search out the thing. God doesn't encourage laziness in any aspect of our lives. And the Bible's not a self help book. You're not going to turn to a certain page and in 12 easy steps get from point A to point B God has woven the truth in a way that we have to search it out.
Let's go to another scripture in First Timothy.
Our second Timothy. I should say Second Timothy.
Chapter 2.
And verse 15. Now it uses the word study here in our King James Bible, but it's really the thought of striving diligently.
To show thyself approved unto God, a Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. So whether it's the word study here or strive diligently, it's a very similar thought. That is, it's going to take focus and diligence if you are going to become familiar with the word of God and if you are going to take up the word of God in its proper context.
You know, there's a lot of confusion in many Christian circles today because they don't take up the word of God in its proper context. They don't rightly divide the word of truth or again, draw straight lines when it comes to the truth. What does that mean? Well, very simply, it means that we need to realize that all scripture isn't about us. It's not all about the church. There are certain scriptures that refer to God's people, Israel in an earthly sense, and their earthly blessings.
There are prophetic scriptures that apply to a future day.
There are there are scriptures that have to do with God's people being blessed on the earth, that is, the children of Israel, the descendants of Abraham.
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There has there's scriptures that have to do with the heavenly blessing of the Church of God, you and me who have been saved.
In this dispensation and so on, we need to rightly divide the word of Truth. But you'll never be able to do it unless you strive diligently. Study, focus on the Word of God. So when it comes to the Word of God, it takes focus. It takes diligence. You know, the Lord said to some in his day, ye do err not knowing the scriptures. Why were they misapplying things? Why did they not understand what the Lord was doing and saying? Because they hadn't searched out the scriptures in the way that they should have.
So that's reading of the word of God. It takes real focus. Now let's go to Matthew 26.
Matthew Chapter 26.
And verse 41.
Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. So we've talked about focusing connection with the word of God. But now I want to speak for a moment of focus in connection with our prayer life. You know, the disciples here in this chapter had become weary, and they had lost their focus. They had fallen asleep. And the Lord rebukes them here and tells them to watch and pray lest they enter into temptation.
If you go through the New Testament, you'll often find that watching and praying are connected. In fact, in Ephesians 6, it's also connected where to watch and to pray. It's one of the it's the spirit and attitude in which we take up the armor of God and utilize it effectively, because prayer is the powerhouse of the Christian life. You know, again, the great work of the enemy is to distract us from our focus on scripture and our focus in prayer because he knows that our power.
The power in our Christian life is from prayer. It is our powerhouse.
And the more prayer in our lives, the more power that we are going to have.
But here we find these disciples had become weary. I want to say a word about that, because I believe that one of the great tactics of the enemy at the end of the Christian age is to weary or wear down the people of God.
And you young people know what I'm talking about because it says in Isaiah 40, even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall. You know, the glory of young men is their strength. But there's a lot of young people giving up today. There's a lot of young people who have become weary. And it's not with things that are bad. It's not with things that are sin or wrong in themselves. It's just the daily grind of life. I I marvel at some of you young people in the curriculum that you have and the jobs that you keep up while you go to school and the pressure in the corporate world and and so on.
You're facing things that I never had to face when I went to school or when I was in the in the business world. But I say the great tactic of the enemy is to wear out the Saints of God. I'm going to make a little application, and it's only an application. But you know, it tells us in Peter that your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour. Now usually when we think of the roaring lion character of Satan, we think of persecution and and violence against the truth of God.
And that is certainly true. It's been true of many in past generations.
It's even true of many of our brethren in other corners of the world today. They're suffering the roaring, roaring lion character of Satan as to persecution and physical violence. But Scripture always has a present application for us. We're not suffering in that way. What is the roaring lion character of Satan for us? You ever watch a cat with its prey? It gets that bird or that mouse or that mole. It doesn't usually kill it right away.
It plays with it, and then it lets it go and the little mouse runs ahead, and then it pounces on it again, and it mauls it for another while. And then after a while, when it absolutely drops from sheer exhaustion, then it comes in for the kill. I suggest that's what the enemy does to is doing to us. It's just wearing us down now. Again, the enemy will never take our salvation, but he can weary us to the point where we become so discouraged.
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That we throw up our hands and say it isn't worth it, But again, what's going to encourage us to go on?
What's gonna keep us pressing on? It's the goal. It's the object. You know, you don't you think Paul was often weary. In fact, he speaks of injuries often. And he was weary and he was hungry and so on. But he kept going because he had the prize. He had the goal in view. There's another aspect of things I want to take up. Our time is slipping away very quickly.
Let's go to Acts Chapter 2.
Acts Chapter 2.
In verse 42.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers or another translation. They persevered. Now it takes focus to persevere, doesn't it? And here we find it's not so much the individual side of things that's taken up, it's the collective side of things. You know, young people, it's wonderful to come to a camp like this, and we're thrilled you've come and made it all possible.
And it's wonderful to have Christian fellowship on a weekend like this and that conferences and special get togethers, but you're gonna go home. And I realize some of you come from tiny assemblies, some from little larger assemblies, But you know, whether we come from a big meeting or a small meeting, it's going to take perseverance and focus to go on together in the assembly meetings and to be a help to the people of God collectively.
It's going to take real perseverance because I realize when you come through the door at night, whether you've been at school or work, Oregon, wherever you've been, you're tired, you're weary. And the tendency of our hearts is to say, well, really too tired to go to prayer meeting tonight. Really too tired to go to reading meeting tonight. And but you're it's going to take real perseverance. The Lord can give you that extra spurt of energy that you needed.
You need and we find here that these early Christians, they persevered in these things. These are what we might say are the assembly meetings, the apostles doctrine, those meetings where we have ministry and truth before us from the word of God teaching. Then there's there's fellowship, our interactions together, encouraging one another in that way and breaking a bread, the privilege that we're going to have a little later this morning. And prayer, this is not individual prayer, this is collective prayer.
And so it takes real energy and real focus to be at the Assembly meetings. But I believe you'll find that there'll be a real blessing. Now I just want to say in a very practical way that what we really need to do not and and it's perhaps a little easier personally, although not really easy. But again, as you form relationships and perhaps some of you become married and households, new households are established, you need to plan your life.
Personally and your family life around the Lord and the assembly, you know, I'm thankful looking back that I had parents that planned our lives around the assembly meetings. I don't ever remember sitting at the dinner table on a Tuesday or Thursday night and it being a question of whether we were going to meeting or not. Now, I'm not saying there weren't times under extenuating circumstances that we didn't go to meetings. There were those times, but it was a very special circumstance that kept us from going to meeting.
And it was always assumed that when the evening meal was over, things would be cleaned up and that we would be ready by 7:15 to be out the door and in the car and on our way to meeting. I didn't always appreciate that being taken to meeting two or three times a week. But as I look back, I realize that even back then I knew what was important to my parents. And another thing with my parents, it was never a drudgery or a chore. It was something that they appreciated and enjoyed.
And I believe they conveyed that to their young people and so we need to plan our lives around the Assembly meetings.
01:00:02
You know, the difficulty today is sometimes we try to plan our lives and then work in the Lord and the assembly. It will never work that way, young people, because from the minute you get up in the morning till you go to bed at night, the enemy is going to be there to inject every kind of thought and activity to distract your focus and to keep you from planning your lives around the Lord and around the assembly and the interests of his people. Well.
We've looked at these scriptures very quickly. I trust they're an encouragement to us and that you'll go back over and look at some of these examples, look at their stories a little more thoroughly, and that you'll meditate on them.
Christian Focus & Characteristics Part 3
Address—Jim Hyland
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.
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00:05:02
To this morning far away.
Where it is all the great Lord.
I mentioned at the beginning of these talks that we were going to take up really two subjects, but they're interrelated and we have talked in the last two meetings about Christian focus. We're going to this afternoon speak a little bit about Christian characteristics.
But before I do that to bridge, are these me, these subjects? I'd like to read 4 familiar portions in the book of Hebrews. We started out in the book of Hebrews yesterday morning. I'd like to go first of all to Hebrews chapter one.
Not gonna really make much comment on this, these four portions just a a word or two, but just to read them and to uh as we go on to get our focus again back on the person of the Lord Jesus where he is now. Might be helpful to say before I read these portions that Christianity sets us in relationship with Christ, but it's Christ where he is now. I remember the Bible conference, the question was raised what is Christianity?
And someone said Christianity can be summed up in one word, Christ.
But that needs explanation because it's not Christ the way the disciples were associated with him when he walked here on earth. The Apostle Paul later on in the 15th chapter, First Corinthians said henceforth know we know man after the flesh. Though we knew Christ after the flesh, henceforth know we him no more. In fact, Paul was one who didn't walk with the Lord Jesus when he was here on earth, didn't know him in that way after the flesh.
Paul was saved later on, of course, the Saul of Tarsus, and he saw the Lord Jesus, but he saw him.
As a glorified man at the right hand of God, it's not Christ in the way that his earthly people, Israel, will be associated with him in a coming day when he reigns as the Messiah, the Jewish king. No, they're going to know him in a very unique way. But in Christianity, we know Christ. But it's Christ where he is now. It's not Christ where he was. It's Christ where he is.
Christ, where he was, was lying in a Manger as a baby.
Wrapped in swaddling clothes as he was, was a 12 year old boy sitting in the midst of the doctors and teachers in the temple, asking them questions and giving them answers as he was was sitting on sight. Cars well weary and thirsty with his journey as he was, was asleep for a few moments on a borrowed pillow in the back of a boat as he was was hanging on a cross crowned with a crown of thorns in his shame. And so on.
As he is, it's what we had before us this morning in the breaking of bread and so many of the hymns.
And scriptures that were read and that which was expressed in worship, and that is the Lord Jesus and glory. You know, I was thrilled that we started with that him this morning, gazing on the Lord in glory while our hearts and worship bow. So we looked back to Calvary this morning, but we looked up and we saw him where he is now and realizing our association with Him and the results of that work, we could worship him, praise Him, and thank Him. Having said that, I'd like to read these four portions in the book of Hebrews, first of all in chapter one.
Verse three, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person.
And upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by himself purged our sins.
Sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Now if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, it's not so much here that he's purged our sins, it's a much broader thought. It's true he has purged our sins. But you'll notice in the end of the second verse it's in the context of his being creator. And he has made the purification for sin. Because when man sinned in the Garden of Eden, not only did man come under the curse of sin, but all creation, Every level of creation to this very day feels the effects of the curse of sin.
00:10:38
And the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain, and so on. But there's a day coming when the Lord Jesus.
Is going to take it all back and reign in righteousness on the basis of redemption.
Not just on the basis of his being creator, that's Revelation 4, but on the basis of his being Redeemer, thus Revelation 5. And so he's made the purification for sin. The work of Calvary has taken care of more than just your sins and mine. The work of Calvary is so broad that there's a coming day when the eternal state is going to take place, as we mentioned last night.
In the question and answer meeting and sin is going to be completely eradicated from creation and there's going to be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness and it's because he's made the purification for sin and as such God has seated him at his own right hand. But then let's go over to the 8th chapter and we'll see him again seated at God's right hand. I should have said that in all of these four verses portions were reading you have the Lord Jesus seated at the right hand of God.
Because again Hebrews opens up to us the heavens, not so much that heaven can look down, but that we can look up and by faith be occupied with the Lord Jesus where he is now. Chapter 8 and verse one. Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum we have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. So here we have the Lord Jesus seated, and this time it's in connection.
With the office that he's carrying out on your behalf and mine, and that is the office of our high priest praying for us every hour of every day, and the Lord Jesus who walked as a man here on earth.
Is now seated at God's right hand, and we are invited to look up into the open heavens, to focus on that blessed person, and to avail ourselves of the work that He's carrying on for us. Now He's praying for you. He's praying for me so that we will be preserved in the path of faith and service, and in the measure in which you and I avail ourselves of the high priestly work of the Lord Jesus.
In that measure we won't fail and sin. In that measure we will be kept in the path of faith for the Lord's glory. You remember what the Lord said to Peter near the end of his pathway? He said to Peter, I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And if Peter had only availed himself of that resource, he never would have denied the Lord three times with those and curses. And when the enemy comes along to tempt us in one way or another.
Just look up and avail yourself. Be occupied with the person of the Lord Jesus.
Praying for you as your High Priest, of course. And it's not the subject here. He is also our advocate when we do fail so that we can be restored. And you can of course read about that in the first Epistle of John, now in the 10th chapter.
And verse 12. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins.
Forever sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now here it's more in connection with our being brought into blessing. In the first chapter it was a very broad thought. Here it's by one offering He's perfected forever them that are sanctified. Here he seated at the right hand of God, having offered himself as that supreme sacrifice for sin, so that you and I could be brought into blessing.
You know God having received the Lord Jesus back into heaven.
And having him sit at his own right hand secures heaven for you and me.
00:15:04
If you ever doubt your salvation, just look up and see where the Lord Jesus is now.
And I want to say this ever so carefully, but if God were to refuse you and I into heaven now.
Having availed ourselves of the work of Calvary, he'd have to refuse his own dear son. He'd have to send his Son out of heaven forever if he refused. You and I, now that is the security in which you and I stand before God in Christ. Having availed ourselves by His grace of that finished work, we are secure. If Christ is there, we're going to be there too. And if you back up and read the end of the sixth chapter, where it talks about the forerunner already entered there.
Again, it shows the security we have. Christ is there as the forerunner. If there's a forerunner, there has to be after runners. And who are the after runners? It's you and I who are going to eventually make it safe to the harbor of heaven. Now, quickly, just one more portion in the 12Th chapter.
And this really has to do with what we've been taking up this weekend, chapter 12 and verse one. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. And let us run with patience the race that that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him.
Endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God.
Now we've talked about the Christian pathway being likened to a race or an athletic event, and here we find the Lord Jesus again, seated at the right hand of God as to being the author of the beginner and completer of faith. You notice the word hour is in italics. The translators added it the King James translators, but it's not so much that he's the author and finisher of our faith, but he is the author and finisher of faith, in other words, the Lord Jesus.
Was the only man that walked through this world and began and completed the path of faith and perfection.
There's no one else who can ever boast that they began and completed the path of faith and service in absolute perfection. No, we all deviate in some way or another. But the Lord Jesus began and completed the path in perfection as a man, and now he's seated as the object for you and for me. You know our brethren are never given to us as the object for faith. No other Christian is given to us as the object for faith. Now our fellow believers are an encouragement to us.
And in the 11Th chapter there is a list of men and women and young people who live by faith and triumph for God against all kinds of odds and difficulties.
But. And they're given to encourage us. But as soon as the list is completed, he lifts our focus from that list of men and women who live by faith. And he directs our focus into heaven, to be occupied with the only perfect man that ever walked this world. If you're looking to someone else as the your object, you're going to be turned aside and disappointed, the psalmist said. In the 119th Psalm, I've seen an end of all perfection.
And maybe you say, well, that young person let me down, that brother, that little sister let me down. But oh, I'm sure that other young person, that other brother, that sister, they'll never let me down. I'll be careful. You're gonna see an end of all perfection if you're looking for it in the flesh. But you won't see it in the Lord Jesus. When the bride and Song of Solomon focused totally on her bridegroom and enumerated his qualities and glories. What did she say at the end of it? He's all together lovely. You'll never have another friend that you really can say that about.
In fact, the more you get to know someone, you may love them very much, but the more you get to know them, the more you'll find there are just those idiosyncrasies and little imperfections and those little personality traits that you didn't realize at 1St and that perhaps you wish were just a little bit different. Doesn't mean that you love them any less. Doesn't mean you don't desire their friendship, but with the friend that sticks closer than a brother, the one of whom the bride, the bride said.
This is my beloved. This is my friend as she's occupied with him.
She didn't find any imperfections there. And so he began and completed the path of faith. Now I just want to say a word about that because anything that God begins, he always completes. You know, they talk in school and in Business Today about stick to itiveness. I wonder how much stick to itiveness you have. You know, I like to hear of a young person who has begun something and followed through on it. You know, it says he that has begun a good work in you.
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Will complete it. God. When God begins the work, He completes it.
When he began creation, then we find that it says the heavens and the earth were finished. He completed that work. When he begins at work in you and me, he not only begins it, but He carries it through He He finishes it. The Lord Jesus. When he was here He could say with confidence to his God in prayer. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou giveth me gave us me to do. That's a good example for us, isn't it? Now, young people, I realize that sometimes we go down an Ave.
And we realize we've gone down the wrong St. and this is not what the Lord has for us. And it takes real fortitude sometimes to turn around and admit we've gone a wrong way. But having said that, I think often the more often the problem in our lives is that we get distracted in something we we change direction when we ought to really follow through. And I'm not just talking in our spiritual lives, but even in our practical life too, if we feel led to take something up or follow a certain course.
Pray that the Lord will give you if it's the right course. Pray that the Lord will give you the courage and the stick to itiveness to follow through. God begins when God begins something, He completes it. And I believe he likes that character trait in his own and it's a good testimony to others. Now having said that, I want to change a little bit and we're going to talk about four characteristics of the Christian while we're here on earth and.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list of characteristics, but ought to characterize a Christian here on earth. But I chose these four because I believe they have more particularly to do with our testimony to the world and to others. We're still here in this world. We're not home yet. We're not face to face with the Lord Jesus, yet we're still in this world, I trust, focused on the man in the glory running the race and seeking to, like Paul said, finish our course with with joy.
But in the mean time, there are certain characteristics, certain things that ought to characterize a believer.
Now, before we look at these things, four things specifically, I'd like to read 3 portions of the Word of God that bring before us, and they are the only three times where we have the word Christian. Let's go first of all to Acts, Chapter 11.
Just to see how we use the word Christian, we talk about being a Christian, and I know sometimes it's used in a broad sense as to those that are in Christian countries or take the profession of being a Christian through baptism or whatever. But in Scripture the word is used in connection with those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Let's see how it began in Acts Chapter 11.
And verse 26.
Acts Chapter 11, verse 26. And when he had found him, he brought him on to Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people, and the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. So this is the beginning of the expression or the title Christian at Antioch. These people were marked out as those that belong to Christ.
There was a testimony in Antioch with those who had come to know the Lord Jesus as their savior.
And so they were called Christian. You just notice the root of it is Christ. There was a Christ likeness about them, and there ought to be that which radiates from you and from me as we leave this camp and go back to our various spheres of life that marks us as a Christian. You know, I've enjoyed that in connection with Daniel. I know Daniel wasn't a Christian, of course, because the Christian era hadn't happened. But there's a little illustration there that I think is good for us to consider.
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You know when Daniel was promoted under King Darius, it invoked jealousy amongst his Co workers and they got together and they had a little meeting about it and they tried to come up with something that they could find fault with Daniel about. And finally they said we will find no fault in this Daniel except it be concerning his God.
To me, that's very remarkable. That's about the equivalent today of you going to school or work. And there's jealousy amongst some of your fellow classmates or fellow workers. And they're trying to find something to accuse you of. And they say, you know, really the only thing we can find against that person is he's a Christian. Wouldn't that be a good testimony if that's the only thing they could find against you? Well, the only thing they could find against Daniel was that he served his God. What a testimony. Now let's go to the 26th chapter.
Of that.
And in this incident, Paul has just finished preaching to King Agrippa. Agrippa has listened, seemingly with some interest.
And then in verse 27, Paul puts a challenge to him. He says, King Agrippa, Believe us all the prophets, I know that thou believeth. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. You know we're not told exactly what was going through the mind and the heart of King Agrippa, but there evidently seemed to be some work, and a grip of shuffle chuffed it off. He said almost, but not quite.
Now, I don't want to read into scripture more than is here, but I have wondered myself if Agrippa, in considering Com becoming a Christian, didn't consider that there would be some reproach connected with it. That maybe it wouldn't just be the best thing for someone in a place of power and popularity to all of a sudden turn to Christ and to be labeled as a Christian. I don't know, but something kept him.
From becoming a Christian, I hope there's no one here in this room who sat in these meetings this weekend and participated in these activities.
And almost you're persuaded to be a Christian, but you're still lost. But now I want to look at the last mention of the word in First Peter chapter 4, and this really sums it up.
And I I guess it's on the basis of this verse that I wondered if it wasn't with King Agrippa. The fact that there might be a reproach connected with associating with Christ, but in first Peter chapter 4 and verse 16. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. I guess what I I wanna point out is that.
In Scripture, the word Christian was never really something that was popular.
It marked the people apart, and Peter sums it up here by talking about suffering as a Christian and not being ashamed as a Christian. You know, there's been a great movement in so many Christian circles to make Christianity popular and palatable and to fit into the world in one way or another. You know what happened under Constantine in the early days of Christianity.
Constantine, the Emperor. Constantine decided that Christians were good for the Empire. They were honest. They worked hard.
And so he legalized Christianity and made it a popular thing.
And it only led to the Church of God settling down in this world, losing their focus of being a heavenly people.
And it left LED led to a very lethargic spiritual state, a state of spiritual sleep that led to what we often call the Dark Ages. And so we want to be careful. As a Christian. We're not here to be popular. We're not here to try to fit in. In fact, the more Christ like you are, the less you are going to fit in and be popular. Because the Lord Jesus said if they hated me, they will hate you. Also, it says the servant is not greater than his Lord.
Now let's get a little more specific. The first thing we're going to speak of is salt the carrot. What character these are Christian Characteristics. And let's go to Matthew Chapter 5, first of all, in connection with the subject of salt.
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Matthew Chapter 5.
And verse 13.
Ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
It is henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot. Now we're going to come back to this portion, but I also wanna read in Mark's Gospel, Chapter 9.
Mark's Gospel Chapter 9.
And verse 49. For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt have lost its saltness, wherewith will it will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace, one with a with another. And one more Verse in Colossians chapter 4.
Colossians Chapter 4 and verse 6.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how ye ought to answer every man. So here we find that the believer in Matthew's Gospel is likened to salt. So the Lord Jesus said ye are the salt of the earth. Now several things to consider in connection with salt. Salt is good, as he says here, and too much salt, of course on our food is not good, especially for those of us who are getting a little older. We get high blood pressure and that kind of thing. But salt is good and Scripture recognizes it.
Fact, you know, in ancient days salt was a very valuable commodity. In many countries in ancient days, salt was used as money and there was a price put on salt and salt was weighed very carefully and so on. And many countries traded by by salt. But he says, here you're the salt of of the earth. And then he says, but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?
Now salt is a preservative. I, I, I know we have freezers nowadays and other ways of preserving things. But you know when my wife was growing up in Newfoundland they did a lot of salt fish. That was the old way to preserve fish and my wife grew up eating salt fish. And our grandparents and great grandparents, they used a lot of salt in preserves and they canned and and so on and put down things for the winter before the days of freezers and so on and a lot of salt was used. Salt is a preservative now. One reason we are are likened to salt is because.
The presence of the Christian here, the believer here, is preserving the full blown tide of evil and apostasy from developing in this world. And it is We are hindering the judgments of God from falling on this world. That's why the Lord said to Lot when judgment was about to fall on Sodom and Gomorrah. He said, I can do nothing till you come hit her. Until you're out of here, there can no judgment fall.
Because as we noticed the other day, Lot was a true child of God. He was a righteous man. And every righteous person, every true child of God, will be taken out of this world before the full blown tide of apostasy and before the judgments of God fall on this on this world. In fact, there are two things that are hindering the judgment from falling, the full blown tide of apostasy and the judgment from falling.
One is the salt of the earth, you and me, and the other is the presence of the Spirit of God.
Because the Spirit of God is hindering, and as it says in Thessalonians, he will hinder.
That is, he's keeping back apostasy and judgment until he's taken out of the way. Because when the Lord Jesus comes, not only are we going to go, but the Spirit of God is going to go as well. One of the things that's unique to Christianity is the abiding presence of the Spirit of God on earth. And that's why at the end of Revelation it says the Spirit and the bride say come, why does the Spirit join in? Because the Spirit is here and he won't leave till we do. And so when those two things are gone, there will be nothing then to hinder the full tide of evil, all restraint.
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Will be gone. I wouldn't want to be here for anything. People will still have a conscience after we're gone, but they'll have nothing to reprove their conscience. You know, the presence of the believer and the spirit of God is reproving men's consciences. In fact, it tells us that the Spirit of God is in the world, reproving the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment to come. But when the reprover of sin is gone, people will go downtown and rob a bank the night after the Rapture, and there'll be nothing to reprove their conscience.
It will be very serious. It will be absolute anarchy once we we are gone and so we're preserving in that way. But he says, if the well, let me say this too before, just by illustration, before we go on, I believe Joseph in the House of Potiphar is an illustration of this. Because you remember when Joseph came to the House of Potiphar, Potiphar found that here was a man he could trust and pretty soon he put PO Joseph in charge of all the running of his household.
There's an interesting comment made there. It says the House of Potiphar prospered because of Joseph. The presence of a child of God in the House of Potiphar cause prosperity and there was a preserving effect. So that illustrates what we we have been saying. But then it says if the salt loses its savor. Now we've mentioned lot a couple of times in these talks and I believe that law is an example to us.
Of salt that lost its savor because when judgment was announced for Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot went out and he spoke to his family about it. And it says he seemed that as one that mocked, Lot had lost his testimony. Yes, he was preserving the judgment from falling, but he lost his savior. And when he even talked to his own family, they laughed at him. In other words, they said Lot. Your whole focus and energy has been.
Building here in Sodom, you've even been involved in the betterment of the politics and the running of the city.
How can you talk to us about judgment to come? You know, it's very sad when a Christian loses his savior in that in that way. And so that's why we need to keep our focus on heaven. That's why we need to have Christ before us and to run with endurance the race that is set before us, and not to get entangled, as Paul told Timothy with the affairs of this world. Well, then we noticed that.
In Mark's Gospel, he takes it up again, and it might seem like a strange context here.
Because we find that it's in the 9th chapter, we find that he has been talking about.
Those that go into a lost eternity, and the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, And then he speaks in this way.
But I suggest at least an application for you and for me. What he's Speaking of here for the believer is not that we will be tried with fire, but our works will be tried with by fire. You know every person according to First Corinthians chapter 3 and about verse 15, every person is going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ and our works are going to be tried with fire.
We're going to be saved because all that is secure in Christ, but it's our works.
That are going to be salted with fire and it's going to come out whether those works were for the Lord's glory and the blessing of his people or whether it was just for self and that which was just for self and sin and not according to the mind of God, that's going to be burned up. Now I'm glad it is because really the judgment seat of Christ for believers, in the end one of the things that's going to do is magnify the grace of God.
Because we're gonna realize that in spite of ourselves, he brought us through. And we're gonna realize really, the import of the verse that says it's God that works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. If I can illustrate it this way, suppose you give a cup of water in the Lord's name. The Lord said it won't lose its reward. But when you get to the judgment seat of Christ, you're gonna realize that first of all, He provided the cup of water.
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Secondly, he put it in your heart to give the cup. And thirdly, he gave opportunity. He provided the opportunity for you to give that cup of water. Well, no wonder you're gonna praise him and cast your crowns back at his feet. And it's going to show us the grace of God and the work that God did innocent through us during our Christian pathway. And so I'm looking forward to the judgment seat of Christ and I'll be glad when those things that were of sin and self.
Are gone and gone and gone forever. And so we need to live in view of that day. We need to focus. That's why Paul said to Timothy those that love his appearing, that's the day when things are going to be manifest. And as I said last night, the day of Jesus Christ is the day of manifestation. For believers, it really has to do with the judgment seat of Christ and with the rewards that are given at that time. Well, one more comment then on the.
On the subject of salt, we read in Colossians.
That our speed, where words are to be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Now when we speak, whether it's in encouragement or admonishment or what correction, whatever it is, we are to always speak with grace and to and we're to speak in love and so on. But why does it say seasoned with salt? You know, salt ****** doesn't it? Salt aggravates you. If you have a wound and you get salt in it, it's going to sting.
And you and I are here to speak words of grace and love like the Lord Jesus spoke. They marveled at those gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. But we always want to reach the conscience too. We always want to reach the conscience. I believe that's at least part of the thought of our words being with grace, seasoned with salt. You know, one of the characteristics of the last days, whether it was Old Testament or whether it's the day in which we live, is prophecy to us smooth things.
Don't prick our conscience, don't stir us up, but exhortation is really stirring up.
Yes, we need comfort. Yes, we need encouragement. But we need to be stirred up. And there's always something for the conscience. So the Apostle Paul, when he preached, when he interacted with his brethren, he I'm sure he was, he spoke very graciously, but he always had something to stir up the conscience of the Saints of God. So we're to speak in a gracious way, but our words are to be seasoned with salt. Now let's go back to Matthew, chapter 5.
For the next characteristic, and that's light. So we are to be where the salt of the earth is one of the characteristics of a believer in connection with our testimony. But we're also light. Let's notice again in Matthew chapter 5.
Sorry, I'm in the wrong book here.
Matthew chapter 5 and verse 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, Neither do men Light a candle and put it under a bushel, but but on a Candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they see, may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Now I wanna read a portion. 2IN Philippians chapter 2.
Philippians chapter 2 and verse 15.
That he may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked, impervious nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Holding forth the word of life well, we often speak of being the being lights in this world.
You know there's an old hymn. We don't sing it, but there's an old hymn. The light of the world is Jesus. But that is not an accurate statement. When the Lord Jesus was here in John's Gospel, Chapter 9, I believe it's verse five. He speaks of himself as the light of the world. And that was true when the Lord Jesus was here, He was the light of the world. But the Lord Jesus is not here today the way he was when he shone amongst men.
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2000 plus years ago. Back then it says the light shone in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
But the Lord Jesus again has returned to heaven, and he says to you and to me, ye are the light of the world.
We are here to shine for the Lord Jesus, and it's not so much what we say.
But it's our light. Light doesn't make any noise. Light penetrates darkness, but it doesn't make any noise. And so it's not necessarily what we say, but by our actions we are to shine for the Lord, for the Lord Jesus. Now we find here when he speaks of this in Matthew, he speaks of not putting our light under a bushel. You can look it up sometime, but in Luke 8 verse 16 in the same incident, he also speaks of putting it under a bed.
The bushel would perhaps speak to us of our business, life or our.
Our secular employment farmers in the days of the Lord Jesus would have understood this. Things would have been measured by bushels as they brought in the harvest and prepared to sell it and to get their money and so on. And we're not to hide our light behind our work. When you go to work, young people, those of you who do, do they know that you're a Christian? Do you let your light shine at work, or do you say, well, I leave that behind? Work is work.
And I, I, I, I leave my Christianity behind when I go out the door in the morning. No, we're not to hide our light behind a bushel. We need to let it shine at work. And you know, if you do, it'll save you from many things. They won't ask you to go certain places. They won't ask you to do certain things, because they'll understand, as a Christian that you have a conscience about that. But then there's the bed too. The bed would speak of ease. And so often.
Especially in these countries where we come from.
The ease of life can cause us to hide our light or to not let our light shine.
You know, when I travel to a Muslim or a Hindu country, really there's no neutrality. You're one or the other. You know, in a Muslim country, if you belong to the Lord, you've got to let your light shine, and it's going to shine very bright and you're going to suffer some reproach and maybe even physically as a result. But here in these countries, it's easy to hide our light under a bed. Now I just want to make a comment in connection with what we read in Philippians Chapter 2.
Because here he says, we ought to shine as lights in the world. The word really is the thought of luminary.
You know, a luminary is something that has no light of itself. It reflects the light of another.
You know the moon has no light of itself. They've landed on the moon, it has no light of itself. But you look up on a bright night and there the moon is shining. Why? Because it is reflecting the light of the sun, and it only reflects the light of the sun in the measure in which the Earth does not come between. That's why the moon waxes and wanes during a during a month period, because the Earth comes between to various degrees and you and I.
Are here to shine to reflect something of Christ in our lives, and we will only reflect Christ in our lives in the measure in which we do not let the world come between us and the Lord. Just go to a verse that I was thinking of earlier, but in this connection in Second Corinthians chapter 3.
Two Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18.
But we all, with open faith beholding us in a glass, the glory of the Lord, or little better translated, looking on the glory of the Lord with unveiled faith, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Very simply, what this verse is telling us is that in the measure in which you are occupied, focused on the Lord Jesus, the man in the glory, in that measure you will reflect something of the glories of Christ.
In your life you will only have a Christ likeness to.
Illuminate to those around you in the measure in which Christ is your is your object. And so it's not that we try to generate a testimony within ourselves. You know, when Moses came out from the presence of the Lord, he had to veil his face. The people couldn't look on Moses. Why? Because his face shone. But it's an interesting comment. It says he whisked not that his face shone. He didn't try to make his face shine. It was the unconscious reflection.
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Of being in the presence of the Lord on the Mount. And the more you and I are in the presence of the Lord Jesus, the more there will be an unconscious reflection of Christ in our lives. Not that we try to generate a testimony within ourselves, but we will unconsciously shine as we're occupied with Him. Now we're going to look at another aspect, and that's the aspect of strangers and pilgrims. Let's go to Hebrews Chapter 11.
Hebrews, Chapter 11.
And verse 13.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them.
And embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. And then there's one other time we have this expression. It's in First Peter Chapter 2.
First Peter, Chapter 2.
And verse 11.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Now it's interesting that this little expression is always in this order. Strangers and pilgrims little hint in studying your Bible. When God gives a list of two or more things in Scripture, he never does it haphazardly. There's always an order and and it's instructive to notice the order.
You know, so I when I'm home, I like to do the grocery shopping for Fay, and she's not one that particularly likes shopping. So she's very happy to make me a shopping list and I'll go off to the store and uh, I'll do the shopping. Gives me a little break and uh, probably good therapy for me. But uh, when she lists things on a shopping list, she does it, shall I say, haphazardly. If I went to Faye and said why did you put the grapes 1St and the oatmeal last, she'd probably say no particular reason. It's just as the stuff came to mind or as she flipped through the flyer and noticed the specials for that week. But God doesn't do that.
God lists things in a proper order, an instructive order. And why is it not pilgrims and strangers?
Often when we quote this expression, that's the way we quote it. We say we're pilgrims and strangers, but that's not what Scripture says.
It says where strangers and pilgrims for this reason because a stranger, first of all, is one who doesn't belong and a Pilgrim is 1 who's just passing through. Let me illustrate it this way. When I cross into a foreign country, when I come into the United States, for example, and I pull up to a customs booth or standard and immigration booth, the first thing question they ask me is what's your citizenship? And I tell them I'm a Canadian.
And the very next question they usually ask is how long are you staying in the country? Because as soon as they realize I'm a stranger or a foreigner, they realize I'm just here for a little time. Now if I change my citizenship now, I step up to AUS immigration booth. I tell them I'm an American. They're not going to ask me how long I'm staying because now I belong here. In Ephesians Chapter 2 from a different perspective, we're no more.
Strangers and foreigners because we belong to heaven. We're not foreigners when it comes to our new country, heaven. But as far as being here in this world, you and I are no longer a part of this world. We don't belong to it anymore because of the cross of Christ. It has separated us, severed us completely from this world. That's why in Galatians chapter 6, the Apostle Paul said, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Paul was a stranger here in this world. He didn't belong to this world anymore.
And you and I don't belong to this world anymore. But only in the measure in which we believe that we're understanding and appreciate that we're strangers and pilgrims. I'm sorry that we're strangers. Will we confess that we're pilgrims? Why is it so often we settle down in this world? We're like lot we We just get get settled down here and we get involved in things perhaps we ought not to get involved in. We forget that we're foreigners. We forget that we belong to heaven.
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Heaven is our country. You know, people talk about dual citizenship. Well, I have dual citizenship. I'm a Canadian, naturally speaking and spiritually speaking, I'm a citizen of heaven. Some of you perhaps have triple citizenship, some of you have dual citizenship, naturally speaking, and then you're also citizens of heaven as well. So we want to remember at all times that first of all, we're strangers, we don't belong. Don't lose that focus. And then that will give you the characteristic of one who's just passing through.
On your way home to another country now, I'm gonna take a few more minutes here and we're gonna look at one more characteristic. And that's the characteristic of being ambassadors. Let's go to 2nd Corinthians Chapter 5.
2nd Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse 20.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ stead be reconciled to God. Now I realize when Paul says we are ambassadors for Christ, he's Speaking of himself in the early apostles who were raised up and had a special mission and ministry. But I believe there's a broad application for every one of us as ambassadors for Christ. We're not going to turn to it, but perhaps you can jot these two further references down that will refer to.
In Proverbs 13 verse 17 were referred to are the believers referred to as a faithful ambassador. That's what we should be a faithful ambassador. In Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 20, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as an ambassador in bonds in prison. But here we find we are ambassadors for Christ. Now I wanna mention three things that characterize an ambassador.
And that we can apply in connection with being ambassadors for Christ. If we send an ambassador from Ottawa, Canada to Washington, DC, DC here in the United States, we send him first of all to represent his country. The ambassador is here to represent Canada and to portray to the American people that image that we as Canadians want to portray in the United States.
In fact, I believe that.
When it speaks of the sin unto death in One John chapter 5 and verse 16, it's the recalling of the ambassador. I say that because if an our ambassador to the United States or any other country does not act in the way he should after remonstrating with him, we reserve the right to recall our ambassador back to Canada and as ambassadors for Christ here in this world if we don't act in a way that represents heaven and Christ.
We may be recalled, he may take us home, and if we continue in a course, then there is a sin unto death. It's really the recalling of the ambassador, one who does not live in a proper way and represent heaven and Christ, and it's a very serious thing. So the first thing an ambassador does, he represents his country in another country. The second thing he does is he takes up the interest of his fellow citizens.
In that country. In other words, when I go to a foreign country where there's civil or political unrest.
I'm always encouraged to register at the Canadian embassy or consulate in that country.
Because if there's a problem, the ambassador, the Canadian ambassador, will take up my cause. I can go to the embassy, and he's going to do everything he can to protect me and to perhaps Get Me Out of that country if need be. He takes up my interest because I'm his fellow citizen. And we're here to take up the interests of our fellow citizens, too, because we're fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God. And it tells us that we ought to have the same care one for another. If you belong to heaven, you're an ambassador for Christ, and you should have the interest of your fellow believer.
01:00:00
At heart, the other thing an ambassador does is he instructs as to the requirements of becoming a citizen of his country.
In other words, if I want to become a Canadian, an American citizen, I can go down to the American consulate in Ottawa, and the ambassador and his staff there will give me the papers and walk me through the steps that are necessary to become an American citizen. And we're here to tell others how they can become citizens of heaven. We're here to present the gospel, but those are the only three things an ambassador does.
What would you think of the Canadian ambassador who got involved in the political wranglings on Capitol Hill?
Or join some lobby group and went out and plot carded for some cause.
Here in the United States, why we as Canadians and you as Americans both would say that's very out of keeping for the ambassador of another country. That is not what he is here for. He represents his country. He takes up the interests of his fellow citizens, and he tells others how they can become a citizen of his country. And So what God wants, according to Proverbs 13, is faithful ambassadors. Just say this about an ambassador in bonds.
You know, usually an ambassador has diplomatic immunity. If an ambassador gets does something he shouldn't in an American ambassador in Canada, well, usually he doesn't doesn't get charged like the like common citizens, they have diplomatic immunity. You know, Paul was an ambassador for Christ, but he didn't have diplomatic immunity. No, he suffered for it. And you and I are not here to assert our rights. Christians sometimes get off track by asserting their rights and so on. And we are here to obey the laws of the land. If you're if I'm in the United States, I'm responsible to obey the laws of the United States if you come to Canada.
You're responsible, you'll be held responsible and there'll be fines and penalties if you break the law in Canada. So we're not here with diplomatic immunity, but we are here to represent Christ. Well, we've spoken of these things very quickly actually. I think there's, as far as ambassadors, there's some little leaflets at the back that outline what we have said. Our time is gone. But I I'd like to sing one last hymn in the blue book. I think it's 53, yes.
#53 if someone will please start it.
Uh.
Turning back.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-28
Reading
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.
In the little clock, Yeah, thank you. 46 in the appendix of the little floss.
The deadline is all whistling.
By my heart and day.
Princess, I swear it's been flawed and circuitously by Constantine.
LOTC.
20.
7.
Of my heart.
A gratitude, brother.
And.
When you serve your life on me.
In my.
Spirited.
Fry's.
My Savior.
Have been pretty.
Long and long.
And pray for the.
Dead right and there.
Soon.
And my heart.
I love to be.
The.
Head and let them all from.
Thee to heart.
40.
Undestructed.
And wait for everything.
So we're in first, uh, Colonians 5, and I'm going to get Lupus to read from verse 19 to the end, please.
Where's the colonial 519? But it's not the spirit, but it's not prophet. Science prove all things hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God your Holy Spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. Rather pray for us. Reap all the bread, and with the holy gifts I charge you by the Lord that says the pistol be wrath unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord says Christ be with you.
00:05:22
I mean, let's notice a verse in Ephesians chapter 4 in connection with this expression quenching up the Spirit.
Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 30.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby.
Ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. So just these two expressions. Quench not the spirit and grieve not the spirit. They're slightly different.
Now in these next few verses we have in our chapter, I would say that the general context of it is the collective side of things more than the individual, but I believe we can apply it also.
Individually as well, because we can quench the Holy Spirit in a collective setting, and I believe we can quench the Holy Spirit in a our interactions with one another outside.
What we call assembly meetings. Now if I can put these two verses in perspective in this way, to grieve the Holy Spirit in Ephesians is to hinder the work of God in US. And it's sin in our lives that grieves the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can't work in our lives if they're sin. Sin hinders the work of the Spirit of God. So the.
To grieve the Spirit is to hinder the work of God in US.
To quench the Holy Spirit is to hinder the work of God through us.
Now let's apply it in its real context here collectively. First of all, this morning when we were together to remember the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread, we waited on the Spirit of God to guide and direct in the worship and the praise and the Thanksgiving. So we didn't have a preset list of hymns up at the room. We didn't appoint different ones to pray or read certain scriptures. There wasn't a brother who was pre appointed to give thanks for the loaf in the cup. We came and.
I trust we waited on the Spirit of God.
But brother, brothers, if you sat in the meeting this morning and the Spirit of God pressed something on your mind to give out or to say, and you didn't do it, you quenched the Holy Spirit of God. If you had a hymn on your heart and it just kept coming to your mind, and because it's through the mind that the Spirit works, and if that him kept coming to your mind and you didn't give it out, then perhaps you quenched the Spirit of God. I'm not saying every hymn that comes to your mind is of the Spirit of God either, so.
We, we, we, we wanna temper our remarks.
If you gave out a hymn that wasn't of the Spirit just because it was your favorite hymn, or you read a scripture that was your favorite scripture, but it wasn't of the Spirit of God, you quench the Holy Spirit as well. If the you seemed pressed to stand up and say a little word of Thanksgiving and you didn't do it, you perhaps quenched the Holy Spirit. You were hindering the work of God through you, and not just on Lord's Day morning, but in any assembly meeting.
But I believe you can also do that by in in our interactions with one another. Maybe the Lord has really laid on your heart by the Spirit of God to go and speak to a young brother or young sister. Now this is something for brothers and sisters alike. Maybe young sisters, you know of some real need and the Lord lays on your heart a scripture or something to bring before another sister and you don't do it. Perhaps you're punching the spirit of the Spirit of God. And so.
Again, just in a general way, to grieve the Spirit of God is to allow sin in our lives that hinders the work of God in us so that He can't minister Christ from the Word to us the way he he should or or wants to. And to quench the Spirit of God is to hinder the work of God through us in blessing to others.
00:10:05
Good question. So how do we unregulated?
Very good question, Kevin. How do we, I, I like your word ungrieved the Holy Spirit. That's that's about as good as I've I've heard it. Thank you. Well, let's let's go to first, John.
First John chapter one and.
Let's just read a few verses here and there, verse three, first, John 1/3 that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. So it's through the Spirit of God. We are linked by the Spirit of God to the Lord Jesus, and it is through the Spirit of God that we have fellowship with the Father, with the Son.
And as a result with one another.
But Kevin's question is, what happens when sin comes in and that fellowship or that communion is broken so that the Spirit of God can't minister to us, the person and work of Christ, the fellowship that we have with the Father and with the Son? Well, He gives us the answer here. Let's read verse nine. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Now I'm going to give you a little illustration from the Old Testament that helped me to understand this verse I've just read.
Before I do that, I'll just say that running water in Scripture, a fountain of spring, a brook, or a well is most often a type of the Spirit of God. The reason I say that is the Lord said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, and this he spake concerning the Spirit. That's the key to understanding.
Many scriptures in connection with running water. Now you remember when Moses first struck the rock in Exodus chapter.
17 As a result, the water flowed out, and that water was a refreshing stream for the children of Israel all through the wilderness. Christ is the rock is a picture of Christ. The rod striking the rock is a picture of the Lord Jesus coming under the rod of God's judgment. I'm the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath if the Lord Jesus bearing our sins on the cross.
And what's the result? Then the water flows out. It's a picture of the Spirit of God sent down after the Lord Jesus died on the cross, rose again, and went back to heaven. But when you go to Numbers Chapter 11, you'll find that the water dried up.
The water is a picture of the Spirit of God. And what was Moses to do?
He was to go and speak to the Roth. The sin of Moses was that he struck the wrath and he struck it twice, but he was to go and speak to the rock. And when we have grieved the Holy Spirit of God through sin, and it's the the Spirit of God is not flowing out for our blessing, what are we to do? We're to go and speak to the rock. We're just going to speak to the Lord Jesus. We're to confess our sins and.
This verse in first John is a believer. This is not confessing.
For salvation, this is confessing for restoration. And so if the Spirit of God has been grieved by some sin in your life.
Go and confess it. Of course we need to forsake it as well. We don't want to confess in sin and sin and confess and so on. That's, that's not going to cause the, uh, the, the water from the rock, so to speak, to flow out as it should. But when, when we go and speak to the Lord Jesus, then the Spirit of God can again work and minister to us according to what our need. Is that helpful, Kevin? Yeah.
You know, I guess I'm not gonna say one other thing. There's a verse, I think it's in James's, uh, confessors intellectually another, I think your fault to one another, one or two.
Pray for each other that you might be healed. Umm, I guess it was the other day we're talking about addictions, you know, those can be sent that we can't get rid of very easily, you know, and we definitely gotta get it right between God, you know? But they could also be helpful in scriptural to confide in maybe a close friend that you're being able to talk about, like what? And get prayer support, you know, as well. Get support of another believer, those sort of things.
00:15:11
Very ties into this. Yeah, that's good. We can be a help to one another in that way. And it's good to have a close friend who, uh, you can turn to with the spiritual matter or a like you say, even in cases like addiction and different, different difficulties. Yes, it's very helpful.
So then going along with what we said about quench not the Spirit in the collective side of things, he then says despise not prophesying or prophecies. Now the word prophecy here is not so much in the context of prophetic events like we usually think of prophecy. When we think of prophecy, we think of the Book of Revelation and other parts of the Word of God that bring before us future events.
But there's also another context in which we have in the New Testament prophets and prophecy, and that is when Paul wrote to the Corinthian assembly, he said let the prophet speak two or three and let the other judge. We read to that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Prophecy in that sense is simply conveying the mind of the Lord.
A prophet in the New Testament sense is not necessarily someone whose.
Predicting future events. In fact, there's nothing to predict apart from what we've been given in the word of God. There's no fresh revelation. But we do have prophets today. And so when we have, when we come together for ministry, maybe in a reading meeting, it may be in a an address, it may be in what we call an open meeting. There are things said by those I believe that are we could label as prophets.
A profit in its simplest form, whether it's Old Testament or New Testament, is one.
Who has a message from God for a specific people at a specific time concerning a specific situation?
So.
There were different ones that came to Israel. They had a specific message at the time concerning a specific situation in Israel and God has those in the church today, in the assembly today that.
Maybe sometimes they don't say a lot, but every once in a while they'll speak up and they'll have a message that's right on. And we're not to despise that. You know, we might not like always like what they say. The prophets in the Old Testament, the people didn't always like what they say. In fact, they threw Jeremiah in prison because he prophesied faithfully and they didn't like the message he had for them, but he had a message from God.
And so sometimes things are said in a meeting like this.
In the assembly meetings that maybe that really hit hard, but it says don't despise that. Take it as a message from the Lord at at the time. Now let's broaden the application here again because perhaps someone speaks to you, maybe an older brother, an older sister speaks to you about something. Maybe they see something in your life that you're going on with that they feel is going to be a detriment to you.
In following the Lord or lead into a bad path, and they come and they speak faithfully to you.
Don't despise that. If they have a message for the time, for the specific situation, then take it as from the Lord. Maybe you say, but I don't like that person, or that person hasn't treated me very well, or how can that person say what they say when they're going on with something? Look beyond the messenger and weigh what they say in the presence of the Lord.
We can read in Ephesians 4.
Connect you to two thoughts together.
Just 411 was mentioned, and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers in verse 12, especially for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry.
And 435 of the body of Christ.
Especially at the last part of the verse when we talk about wrenching off the Spirit as well as by not prophesying is that what God has for us and and wanna use each 145 oil price. So when when we hold back there is a loss for each one of us of the Spirit wanna use but also there is a loss.
00:20:28
For a body of Christ.
And I think there is.
Many, many reasons why we we would want or perhaps would want would hold back that I, I think of one, maybe just, you know, I'm not the best person to talk about it or to talk to that person. And so and so, but I think it's important to to be aware of what the spirit is slating in your heart about it. One other aspect. Maybe it's a large meeting and.
Why? I'm gonna stand up here and talk.
But we are all priests or holy priesthood before the Lord and uh, the Spirit can use each one. This, this perhaps an exercise. Often there is a award to to different ones coming from smaller meetings. But I think this is one area where a smaller meeting provides a better exercise to to hear of what the the Spirit is.
In leading and not not hold back.
So there are two extremes. We can be like the Corinthians, when they came together, it was confusion because everyone had a Psalm, everyone had a doctrine and it seemed like they were tripping over one another to get out of him or a thought or a prayer or whatever. And that was that was one extreme. But I think mostly today we have the other extreme where we sit in the breaking of bread or any other assembly meeting.
And sometimes 10 or 15 minutes can go by without somebody saying saying anything. So both extremes are are wrong.
So I'm going to ask the question how do we prove all things?
Verse 21.
Let's hear some thought about how we prove all things. We're talking about prophecy and what we're prophesying and what we hear in ministry in the assembly. How do we then prove all things?
Reading scriptures.
Right, spending time with with the Lord.
I would say, yeah, that's that's very good.
Improve here I think also doesn't relate to to experiment all things that sometimes the word proof is used, but to examine or judge all things.
I think this is a SPE was a special needed word to the Thessalonian assembly based on their reaction in Acts 17. Let's go back to Acts 17 and see what happened there when the Apostle Paul visited them.
I'll start from verse 10 of Acts 17.
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea. They'd been in Thessalonica, now they've sent them to Berea.
Who coming thither, went to the into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were solved. Now when Paul was visiting the assembly in Thessalonica, they listened to what the apostle Paul ministered, and that was good, and they received the truth in that way.
But we find that and they were noble.
But the Bereans were more noble. Wasn't that the Thessaloniki weren't noble? They were. But there were those who were more noble. Why? Because they went a step further than those in Thessalonica. They searched the Scriptures daily to see if those things were so, what things, the things that the Apostle Paul was ministering to them. Now, of course, they didn't have the New Testament like we do.
00:25:14
But they listen. They came and listened to the apostle Paul minister, and then they went home and they got out whatever manuscripts or scrolls, whatever part of the word of God they would have had available. And they wanted to make sure what the apostle Paul was telling them coincided with the scriptures that they already had. That's proving all things. They didn't do that at Tesla Nica, but in Berea they did. And I believe that's why Paul gives this special exhortation.
To the assembly at Thessalonica. He wanted them not just to be noble, but to be more noble. Now what have we learned from this?
We learned that it's great to come to meetings for ministry of the Word. It's great to come to camp and to conferences and to listen to the word minister. But young people, I hope everyone of you will go home with your Bibles and the notes you have taken and make sure what you've heard this weekend is according to the truth of God that's proving all things. And then walk in it as you say. Take what you've learned and and seen us the truth.
And use it experimentally in your life and you'll be more noble than those of Thessalonica. You'll be like the Bereans. So as we said in one of the previous meetings, we need to search the scriptures. Not just casually read the scripture, but search the scriptures and go home from every meeting you hear you're at and search out what you've heard to make sure it coincides with the truth of God.
I think the opposite. We have in the chapter we write Ephesians 4.
Season 4.
What is the the opposite effect verse 14?
That that we as far be no more children.
Thoughts to and fro, and carry it about with every wind of doctrine on the slave of man, in the cunning craftiness whereby they lying wage deceived.
If if we don't have a standard to to go by and to prove all things about the word.
Will be carrying a toxic to or from from every wing of doctrine. And, uh, it's important to, to, to remember that some of those suite of documents may come proportionally from, from different ones, including some together. So that's why it's important individually as, as an exercise before the Lord to, to prove all things.
And then when we proved all things to hold fast thought which is good, if it's not according to the word of God, let it go.
But if it is, if you see that it is based on Scripture, then hold fast to it. And so often we are exhorted in Scripture to hold fast. What does it mean to hold fast? It means to grip something firmly and not let it go. And that's what we need to do with the truth of God, what we prove from Scripture to be the truth. We need to hold back to it, not let it go. A lot of letting go today, a lot of compromising, and it isn't letting go all at once.
It's just letting go a little here and a little there. Compromise is letting the barrier down slowly, just taking a brick off the wall now and again. Doesn't seem like very much.
But you do it often enough. The barrier, the wall is gone. That's what compromise is. And so we prove all things. We set aside that which is not according to truth, the Word of God, and we're to hold faster, cling to that which is good.
First thing you talk about talks about abstaining from all appearance of evil. Other versions says every form of wickedness.
Would this relate to some things that maybe not evil on themselves but.
Brings up the appearance to others as we're talking about collectively.
Well, we can take this verse at face value in the King James, and it's certainly true. We shouldn't. And there are other scriptures that teach us that we shouldn't be in a compromising position.
00:30:02
But I I suggest that's not really the thought in the context here, because he's talking again about not despising, prophesying. When we hear the truth of God, minister, and we're to hold fast what is good, we're to set aside what is evil and to stay aloof, as you say, which is Mr. Darby's translation from every form of wickedness. That is, we are to have no association with that which is not the truth of God.
It may be doctrinal evil, it may be moral evil, it may be an ecclesiastical connection that is not according to the Word of God, Some religious system that holds doctrine contrary to the person and work of Christ, like we spoke last night in the question and answer period about those who bring doctrine that's blasphemous in connection with the Lord Jesus and so on. So we're to hold aloof. We're to completely keep away.
From that which is unholy, from that which is wicked. I believe in every aspect of our life. However, I don't want to take away from what it says at face value in our King James Bible because it, it's certainly true. I, I think in a setting like this, I can be very, very blunt.
A a man and a woman living under the same roof who are not married, even though there may be.
Nothing unseemly about their relationship as far as they know. Yet it has the appearance of evil to the neighbors. And so we want to abstain from all appearance of evil. We don't want to do anything to mar our our testimony. But I think it's really a a a.
It's really a more, it's a harder state statement here. It's it's really getting to the very heart of the matter.
Anything that is not of the truth of God, we are to keep completely away from.
It might be helpful to read, uh, this whole section from verse 20 down to there in the Darby translation, because it's all kind of one connected thought.
It says, do not lightly esteem prophecies, but prove all things hold fast the right, hold aloof from every form of wickedness.
Yes, that's that's helpful. It's all part of the same paragraph.
So yes, it's all all connected and and really in its context, that's why I say abstain from all appearance of evil. It doesn't. It's not really practical things that he's talking about.
Well then he goes on in conclusion of the chapter to speak of how God's desire is to preserve you and me in the three parts of our being because we're a tripart being. We're three. There's three parts to our being. There's the spirit, that's the God consciousness and that's what sets us apart. That's what sets humanity apart from the lower creation.
We have a God consciousness. God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life.
And man became a living soul or a living spirit. He you don't read of him doing that with with the animal Kingdom. And so we have a God conscious part to our being. Then the soul is the seat of the emotions and affections. Animals in that sense have a soul because animals have personality. They have affections. Some of you I saw hugging up a cat here and that cat was snuggling in and that cat had affections. And that cat in its own way appreciated the attention that it that it had. And any of us who had pets know that every pet has a distinct personality.
And so the lower creation have a soul as well. It's the seed of the emotions and affections.
And so there's the spirit soul, and then there's the body that's the physical. And the desire and prayer of the apostle was that the Thessalonians believers would be preserved in the three parts of their being. So he didn't want them to be taken up with false teaching. He didn't want them to fall into moral evil because he's taken that up in the 4th chapter, connection with fornication and and moral evil.
And and so on didn't want their emotions to run rampant and so on and to follow, just to follow the desires and appetites of the northeast of, uh, their emotions. No, everything was to be brought into check so that they would be preserved, spirit, soul and body. Now he speaks here not of the peace of God, but the God of peace because it's a person. Christianity is a person.
00:35:23
Christianity brings us into relationship with God and with the Lord Jesus, and it's not just the peace of God, but it's the God of peace, and it's the God of peace that's going to preserve us in the three parts of our being. And how long does did he desire that they be preserved, blameless, under the coming of the Lord of our Lord Jesus Christ? He sums this up because that's the subject of the whole book, really. It's the coming of Christ. And Paul's desire for the breath the brethren at Thessalonica was.
That they would be preserved in their their spirit, their soul and body for their own blessing and their own and their testimony to those around until the Lord Jesus comes. But you say, how can it be? Jim, you don't understand what I go through at school and how evil it is at work and in the world today. Well, perhaps I don't. But faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
If we fail in our lives, if we're not preserved, spirit, soul and body, it's not God's fault because He's faithful. And if we're not faithful, He abides faithfully, cannot deny Himself. And if you and I are looking to the Lord and drawing on the resources that we have in our God and in the Lord Jesus every day, we can be preserved, not because of our faithfulness or anything in ourselves.
But because of his faithfulness, faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. He will do it.
But he if, if we fail, it's not his fault, it's our fault. He will do it. But we have to take heed. We have to hold fast the good. We have to hold aloof from evil. There are these practical exhortations. There has to be prayer and not quenching the Spirit and and so on. All these things, if they're carried out in our day-to-day life, then God will and can preserve us.
And remember this young people, they'll never be a day so dark.
Morally and spiritually, that you and I can't be preserved and live for the Lord's glory here in this world.
If it ever gets that bad, then the Lord will take us out. But as long as we're here, every resource is given to us to be preserved, spirit, soul and body.
Well, we're never above the need of the prayers of our brethren, are we? Here was the Apostle Paul, this great apostle raised up at the beginning of the churches history and given all this wonderful truth and what does he say in verse 25? Brethren, pray for us. He and his fellow laborers needed the prayers of their brethren and none of us are above the prayer needing the prayers of one another and.
I believe young people, if we would pray for one another more, it would be a preserving factor. You know, so often we pray for someone after they're in trouble. Maybe they aren't coming to meeting, they're getting cold in their soul, they're going on with something they failed. Some sinners come into their lives and then we pray for them. But if we would pray for one another as a preventative measure before we get into trouble.
I think it would preserve us from many things. So Paul, as he went about and had his fellow laborers with him, he said we need your prayers so we can pray as to our own needs, but we need to pray for one another as well.
I guess I'll just say again, you know, we don't, you don't know that I'm struggling unless I tell you about it, you know, So I encourage you guys to talk to your friends and, and share what you're struggling with, you know, so that doesn't get to that point. You can be prayed for ahead of time.
Well, our time is gone, but I just say at the end of the chapter we find that he asks that or charges that the epistle be read to all the brethren because they all needed it. This wasn't just exhortations for certain ones, but this was for all the brethren. And so when we open the word of God and we read it for ourselves or we hear it ministered in the meeting, don't be like a brother. I heard one, one time I heard of a brother one time. He said, well, certain shots I let go over my shoulder.
00:40:23
He doesn't think those certain things that were said were for him or that he needed them. But the apostle Paul said, what I've written to you is good for everybody. Make sure everybody hears, uh, what, what I said. And then as he, as he's so customary, he closes with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ because grace is what preserves us in the path of faith. It's what meets our present need.
He says in another place, my grace is sufficient. The Lord said to Paul, My grace is sufficient.
For thee do you need more grace? It says in James. He giveth more grace.
Is it just for a certain class of brother? No, of all we received of His fullness and grace upon grace. So it's one of those great supplies that we have so that we can be preserved. If you draw on the grace of God every day, then you'll be preserved, spirit, soul and body.
Now I'm going to make a suggestion for the next 10 or 15 minutes we have, we received word that there's been a car accident. The ruins were in a car accident. Their car was totaled. Abel was driving. They're OK. They went to the hospital as routine. Umm, their brother is coming for them from Dorothy. They're about 9 hours from home and umm.
So they're waiting for that. They spun out of control. No one else was involved in the accident, but the car is totaled as far as they know. I think what would be nice for the next few minutes is if we just quietly get down on our knees and we have a.
New #23.
Will pray.
For all.
The time.
And.
Trust him over all.
That should come.