Address—R. Klassen
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Well, it's a special joy for my wife and I to be here once again with our brethren.
And all we can say is the Lord is good stronghold in the day of trouble.
And I was thinking about hymn #5 this evening in the appendix.
Perhaps you have all experienced having perhaps an old brother in the assembly and you associated him with him.
And we had a brother by the name of William Bland in Walla Walla and he was saved later on in life.
And he was a shepherd by occupation.
And.
He married a wife that was a very unique woman and she didn't have much light but.
She felt that there was something wrong with putting your name on a church roll.
And so even though they went different places and.
When the subject of signing the church role, she said I can't do that because I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, as the Lord would have it.
Someone is seeking for the truth that he brings around those circumstances where they were brought to the assembly in Walla Walla and the day came when they wanted to be received at the Lord's Table. And so a couple of brothers went to visit them and.
And they kind of ask him questions in connection with their lives and whatnot. And, and finally they got down toward the end of the conversation and, and they asked Mrs. Glenn, do you have anything you'd like to say? And she said to him, well, do you, do I have to sign a church role? And they said, no, not here. And she says, I'm at peace.
Well, he used to give out this hymn.
As an old brother.
And.
He impressed that third stanza.
On my heart, oath of grace, how great a better daily I'm constrained to be.
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee. I often used to look at them and think, you know, these seem so steady and steadfast. And yet this was him that he loved to give out. And I think that he had a wandering heart even when he gave the hymn out. I have one as I give it out tonight.
But I rejoice in being able to sing it as a prayer and and as a deep desire of heart so we can sing it that way tonight, all of us.
Let's open our precious Bibles to the third chapter of Revelation.
Revelation chapter 3.
We'll begin reading at verse 10.
Verse 11 Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God?
And he shall go no more out.
And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God.
Which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven.
From my God, and I will write upon Him my new name.
Again in verse 20.
Behold.
I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will Sup with him and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and I'm sat down with my father in his throne.
We notice.
These are words that are spoken to two assemblies. One is Philadelphia and the other is Laodicea.
And one has been impressed with the word, Behold as we have it in the Word of God.
00:10:06
You know, it's it's not a word that we use in our everyday conversation.
We hardly ever use the word behold because we have an expression come and see something of a really impression.
But just to say, behold, we don't use that on account of adding other words.
And so I've enjoyed the fact that there are some words that have been in reserve.
And used only in connection with divine things or in connection with the Lord Jesus.
And this word behold comes many times throughout the word of God and it has the has the thought of behold as something that's not quick, but it's something that's joy thinking of children. Sometimes they'll maybe a little girl will bring her doll to me and she holds that doll up for me to look at and.
I'm looking at it and she continues to hold it.
In other words, study this situation. She's had a lot of hours with that doll that she's looked at doll all over and and had a lot of thoughts about it. So she looks at me and she knows that I can't take all this in just at a glance or so she holds it there and I just enjoy thinking how God and his patience with us, He as a word holds.
A situation for us to look at, to feel.
To meditate upon and to get the good out of it.
And so here we have his words. Behold, I come quickly.
There isn't a heart here in this room that that doesn't mean something to and to think of the Lord saying behold.
And it's a situation that we don't take a glance. It's really a state of soul.
That were called to of justice, being conscious that perhaps the Lord may come today, but here it's in connection with what he has given to the assembly.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast.
Why does he say that? Hold it fast. You would think he'd say, well, you've got the truth, now share it with everybody and get it out. No, he says. You hold that truth.
And every bit of truth.
That we receive from the Spirit of God.
And we hold it, and we hold it in our affections. We hold it dear.
And.
We're going to hold it forever.
It isn't like going to school and learning what you can get out of the education system and then work with it and then.
One day it will all be over with. It won't be needed, but it's not that way in connection with the things of God.
And so he says, hold it fast.
And don't let anybody take your crown.
Now I understand that that has a Nazarite touch to it.
We will go back to the 6th chapter of Numbers. There we would find.
The Nazarite and the subject connected with anyone that desires to be a Nazarite and a Nazarite. The word means a crowned 1.
Now you know in this world in this way you're not crowned and till you've proved yourself and you've reached the goal or whatever it is, and it's OK to get a crown. But here's God, He doesn't take on man's ways.
Nobody says here's a heart that by my spirit I put a desire.
In their hearts to follow after me.
And seek to please me and to honor me in the very world where I have been so sorely dishonored.
By man his preacher.
So we're a crowned one as an azurite, and when we think of a crown put on our head, we would think, well, it got to be kind of careful where that thing could slip off.
00:15:01
But you know, you have Samson as an example of a Nazarite who a razor was not to touch his hair. And so he grew up, went on, and the enemy wanted to know where his strength was. He couldn't figure it out. If Samson was sitting here tonight, he wouldn't look any different than the rest of us. He wouldn't have big arms and big torso or anything like that. He just sit here. But here he has this tremendous strength.
And so Delilah is hired.
Find out where in his strength lay.
And she found it out because he told her He had to tell her, otherwise she would not have known.
And so she he falls asleep on her lap, cuts the seven locks of his hair off of his head.
You know, if you I would imagine having never had a razor on your head, you would be extremely sensitive to somebody.
Sharing your head, but he was totally.
Lost.
Not realizing the trap that he had fallen into.
Got to the point where he didn't worry. He had everything in control and he had a woman. Took his crown.
And so.
The world is still doesn't know what our strength is and they would like to find out and they'd like to take our crown away from us. So to lose our crown is not an easy thing, but it can be done.
Well.
In Philadelphia.
The very name of Philadelphia means brotherly love.
Brotherly love, and to think of what a delight that assembly was to Christ as he walked among the seven golden candlesticks.
He never rebuked anybody in Philadelphia. They didn't draw rebukes. The others did. Maybe Sardis didn't either.
Or Smyrna.
And so it's nice to have a Philadelphian spirit and they have that fervent love, one for another, and seek to be a help to one another.
And then we see the overcomers blessing.
And.
I counted the words of this blessing and it took 63 words to describe the overcomer in Philadelphia.
And I look over at Laodicea now and I just see a few words given there to the overcomer and Laodicea.
And.
Well, we'll get to that, but I just want to touch in on the difference between Philadelphia and Laodicea.
But now we come to Laodicea, and Laodicea means.
Sad to say that people rule.
The people rule, they have a voice, they decide things. And that's nothing less than the democratic system, of which we know full well what it is. We live in a democratic nation and the people have a voice.
They don't like the authority that God has set up start moving to overthrow it.
And to think of that spirit of things coming in to the assembly is a very painful thing to think about.
But it gets an inroad into the Assembly because we have Democratic cards.
And so we understand this system of things.
But that's not God's system.
It's not democracy, but it's theocracy that we are very interested in. Theocracy means that God is one, the supreme authority. And what does God have to say about any matters, as little as it may be?
And so we speak of truth, and it's been said about truth, and it's God's thoughts on any given matter, and that's the thoughts that we want to reign in our hearts.
00:20:10
But here in this system of things.
The spirit behind it is that I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.
What can the Lord do with something like that? How can He reach us?
Some of you may have noticed in the new translation the end of verse 17.
He said.
Thou art the wretched and the miserable.
And that's the result of that system that we've grown up in.
It doesn't solve man's problems, it doesn't satisfy his heart. The more the human heart expresses itself, the more errant, the more error comes down. And I feel sorry for politicians who who step into this circle of things and to try to rally the people to oneness. Why? It's an impossible job because we all have our own ideas and our ways and.
We're willing to express enough challenge.
Well, you might say right in the middle.
Right in the heart of this situation we have those words, that word behold again, behold. In other words, our I survey the whole situation, and we reason and.
And are lost in thought. And all of a sudden we hear a word. Behold.
In the lips of the Lord Jesus.
What has he got to say in this condition of things? He has something very special.
In fact, of all the churches, there's nothing so special to my heart is this Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
Now here we find the Lord is outside of this system of things. He's not welcomed in there. He can come in if he's going to give his approbation everything that's going on in there, he can't do that.
So he's on the outside and he's knocking.
On our hearts door.
Individually, I think of this dear sister Bland.
Having so little truth, but there was one thing that was so impressed upon her, and that is that the Lord Jesus Christ is everything, and to have anything come in to take away that holy, wonderful, precious thought. She had many sorrows in her life, and those sorrows made a sweet woman out of her. And there was one thing you weren't in her presence very long.
And you knew who her chief joy was.
And so he says, if any man hear my voice.
And open the door. Open the door.
What kind of a heart do we have tonight?
Let's challenge ourselves just a little bit. Is he welcome?
To come into these hearts of ours.
And we're willing to allow him to have every recess.
Every hidden corner of our hearts.
I can tell you if the answer is yes.
That you're happy.
He can't reign in our hearts and us be miserable. The combination don't work together. But it seems so beautiful when he says I will come into you and Sup with you and you with me.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Willing to suck together.
This is wonderful.
You know, it was my dear wife and I traveled among the Lord's people.
Just find that this is something you look to be able to do with whoever has time just to go out to eat together and have fellowship. There's a bonding power there. There's a spirit of understanding that comes and we're edified by it.
00:25:13
And so here, you might say, in this very pathetic situation of Laodicea is the marvelous provision of the Lord Himself.
Now that this democratic system.
You know when the Lord comes.
The Church of Laodicea.
In its apostasy is going to keep right on going like nothing ever happened.
The Lord raptures his own out of this world, and they function on it.
Oh, we say, how hard can the heart be?
How determined?
You know, we can get so determined in our, maybe even in our desire to serve the Lord.
Now we're going to take measures to.
Get our names spread abroad by various and sundry means, and we want the Lord to endorse it, and He won't endorse it, and we'll go on without Him if we have to.
Good, so these are sad days to live in.
But just to find a heart that wants to sit down.
And Sup with him and have that sweet communion together.
There's nothing like it in all the earth.
And so the the.
Word to the overcomer is to him that overcometh. Will I grant to sit with me in my throat?
I don't know how it affects you as you read that, but it seems like there's something missing. Because we visualize sitting on his throne with him, we can claim it as an honor.
Something that.
Would be a great thing in our minds to sit with him on his throne.
But I believe that there's something here.
That the blessedness of it and the wonder of it cannot be explained to our hearts.
Because we can't take it in.
What that means?
To sit with him, to be so intimately identified.
With him.
Perhaps it was about a year ago.
That somebody asked me a question that I thank God they asked me.
They said, Do you think that you could find the Assembly of Philadelphia?
And Laodicea in the life of Mephibosheth.
Well, I'll tell you, that just rocked me right back on my heel. I thought, how could anything?
Be connected that way.
You know.
Very helpful statement was made.
And I heard it when I was a young man. And the statement goes like this.
That most of the Old Testament.
Our prophetic scriptures.
I had no clue what that meant.
Most of the Old Testament.
Are given to prophetic scriptures.
And you know, it's like one day the light dawned on me as to what that meant.
To find those examples in the Old Testament that were written for us to read.
That were given in view of the future somewhere.
In the workings of God with men.
With the assembly with Israel in a future day and they go back.
To the beautiful picture book of the Old Testament. And we have Paul saying to the Romans that these things were written for our learning. That we, through comfort, patience and comfort in the Scriptures, might have hope.
00:30:09
Well now let me tell you, this puts a beautiful light on the Old Testament as we take the New Testament light and shine it back on some of these.
Old Testament worthies or circumstances the Old Testament.
And you think, did God go to all these things to give us an amphibious and give us details about him and that it was going to be meat to us in the heart of way to seeing days?
The answer is yes.
And so, with his help, we're going to turn back.
To Second Samuel chapter 5, I believe it is chapter 4 maybe?
Chapter 4.
I.
Reading verse 4.
And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son.
That was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. You know it's good when we read the Old Testament in this life.
As you say, why does God give these details? Because there's not an idle word in the Old Testament.
Here we have a boy that's five years old.
Now, I believe that most mothers here know.
That from the time a little child is born until they're five years old is the greatest development of their life. To go from helplessness to be able to begin.
Begin movement and to see them begin to work at crawling.
And to see them come to the point where they're trying to stand up on their feet and keep their balance.
These are marvelous things, aren't they?
And to think the day comes when they use those legs to run.
And to jump. And if mother isn't looking, they'll try climbing a tree.
With those good legs.
Like to apply that to Philadelphia?
The recovery of the truth in the 1800s was a marvelous work of God. The church had bottomed out, if I could put it that way, in its testimony to the world. And there was a a time of recovery, what we call the Reformation. But the Reformation broke down.
And so God comes in with the awakening of the 1800s, and the call goes out. Behold.
The Bridegroom.
Behold the Bridegroom, that personal acquaintance with the living, glorified man in heaven.
And there was that door that was opened up.
Open. And they went in, and they wet the floor with tears as they saw the ruin of the church. And what was God going to do about it? It was not open to any man's good ideas.
They sought the mind of God. You read of those days when there were those godly men that, like a child, they began to.
Take in the truth.
And the understanding of it.
And those days were so happy that they had the breaking of bread every day to bring them back.
To Calgary Cross.
To judge their hearts and any pride that may be sneaking in to come forth to ruin things.
00:35:04
Well, they recovered all the truth.
That was given to the church, however.
Dear ones, we have it tonight and we're called to hold it fast. In other words, we're not open to winds of doctrine. We're not open to those men that are going out and doing great exploits and service. We can pray for them, trusting the Lord in His sovereignty that He can use whatsoever He will.
We bring salvation to precious souls.
At all just to.
Tender in the rich legacy that we have as those gathered to the Lord's precious name.
And so.
This mephibosheth.
One day.
Can you imagine the news this little fella had to hear these words?
Grandfather is dead on the battlefield.
His father was dead and his two uncles, Laura, the royal line, the responsible ones, they're dead.
And they no doubt had a feeling and a realization that there was a man that God had prepared.
Where the throne of Israel by the name of David.
And so they're stricken with fear. They've got to get out of there. If I'm not mistaken, they cross the Jordan where the 2 1/2 tribes were that didn't enter the land there. He was in a place called No Pasture. And that's the very reason they stayed over there was because there were a lot of pasture for the cattle.
And David was his enemy.
However, he didn't enter into this.
But he's lame on both of his feet. Now what does that mean? What would the Spirit of God impress us with by that?
And that is to realize.
That we walk and felt weakness.
Somebody said our greatest weakness, the greatest weakness that we have is not knowing how weak we really are, and it takes a lifetime to learn that.
But is there anything the matter with that?
The spirit of dependence.
Upon someone to help us.
In our Christian pathway.
And so think of standing with Mephibosheth that the Lord calls us tonight and we're there and Yonder. Glory to be able to say Mephibosheth. You'll never know what your life meant to us as we feebly made our way in the pathway of faith.
Let's turn to Chapter 9.
Chapter 9 just has 13 verses.
Perhaps some of you have noticed.
At David's table, is mentioned four times.
Four times.
Sometimes it takes a lot to get our attention. It takes a lot to impress us. And we read a chapter like this, with a new light, with the light of the New Testament shining on it, and we begin to see.
Not in this condition of things. And lay the seed.
What we really have and what really counts.
We'll just read a little of this verse one and David said, is there yet any that is left of the House of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
And there was of the House of Saul's servant, whose name was Ida. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto Zeida, Art thou Zaida? And he said, Thy servant is he? And the king said, Is there?
00:40:04
Not yet any of the House of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him.
And Zaida said unto the king, Jonathan has yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
Now as a figure.
I would like to just point out the fact that Zyba is a picture of Laodicea.
He's he wants.
The position that Mephibosheth is going to have.
And he knows he can't come up and block David's way. He knows he can't do that, but he's willing to tell him about it. But he makes the point. He's laying on both of his feet. He won't really be an asset to your Kingdom.
I'm sound and I raise good crops.
And I'm diligent and I'm this and I'm that.
You know, that's poor language, is it not?
Hold to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be.
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, find my laundry heart today. And that's the heart that He seeks.
Well, forsake of time, David summons Mephibosheth.
I'm aphibious, must have had tremendous mixed feelings. What is this man calling me into his presence for?
Well, we find it.
In verse 5 Then King David sent and fetched him out of the House of Maker, the son of Amio from Motobar. Now when the fibbies at the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul was come unto David, he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said, No, fibbish it. And he answered, Behold thy servant. And David said unto him, Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake.
And will restore the all the land of soul, thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
Can you imagine the heart of Mephibosheth to hear these words from the man that he thought was his enemy?
And.
It's just like the heart of God represents. David is so full and has so much for us to enjoy.
That we just are overwhelmed and we say who me to have this blessing?
And the first thing that he says to Mephibosheth is the promise is I'm going to restore to you all the land that belonged to your father, to your family. Why did he do that? Why did he bring that up?
Why? He knew my ship was just stripped of everything. He was a pauper and he wanted to clothe him with dignity and with promise.
And to ground him.
In the heart of the man that he is going to sit down and sublet day after day after day after day.
You'll notice 2 words that are used about eating bread at his table and first aid. And he bowed himself and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
Oh, there's there's the meeting point of blessing coming to the end of ourselves. No merit.
Nothing to commend ourselves to God. There we meet, and there we meet with Him.
And so we'll go on to verse 10.
Thou therefore, and thy sons and thy servants shall till the land, thou shall bring in the fruits, that thy masters son may have fruit to eat. The mephibosheth thy masters son shall eat bread always at my table.
00:45:01
Here are these two beautiful words, continually and always.
Is that the issue?
When he says open the door and I will come in and Sup with you and you with me, that's the issue.
All to be established in our hearts.
As to what He values above everything else is that place where we can open up our affections to Him and praise and worship.
And that's not enough yet in the middle of verse 11, As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table as one of the King's sons.
What is this, David? Add a number of sons.
And see this crippled man take his place at the table as one of David's sons.
What is this?
You know, while we're thinking about that.
I believe we all agree.
That perhaps David was closer to Mephibosheth than he was to many of his sons. I won't say all, but closer to Mephibosheth.
So.
Mephibosheth is not taking its place at the King's table.
As just a non entity, as just somebody that is just going to.
To be kind to him and look after his needs.
No, that's it won't be that way. And we don't come to remember the Lord on Lord's Day morning as just something that He's asked us to do, and so we do it. It was his dying request, so we do it.
The dear brother that drives three hours.
From the South and comes to Walla Walla.
Gathered when he was after sick after 60 years of age.
And he lived in a town where everybody knows everybody else in their business and, and there's quite a few churches in this town. And so they found out that he was going to Walla Walla 3 hours, having to spend the weekend with some Christians there.
And so they kind of got their heads together and they said, you know, we ought to, we ought to invite him out the restaurant, which they did. And we're going to find out what's behind this.
And so whether he knew this was coming or not, I don't know. But anyway, he told me the story afterward, he said, sat down there and I could see their faces were pretty fixed. And finally they began to ask me, how come, when you could be such a help down here and you could go to any of these churches and you would be welcome that you go clear up the Walla Walla. What have they got up there that you don't that we don't have here?
There it is. What's he going to say?
And this is what he said. And I've never heard this in my life.
He said Men, I would like for you to come with me.
To sit down with a company of people.
That remember the Lord in his death, as though he was just crucified during the week.
Have you ever heard that before?
That's the impact that it had upon his soul to be gathered. And he was raised in a Quaker church and went church hopping and trying to find something that would satisfy his heart. And when he came, that's the impact that came to his heart.
We don't take any credit for that, but he recognized that the Lord was in the midst.
And that this wasn't just some people coming together to keep some tradition from dying.
Oh, may it rain in our hearts more and more what this is all about to come together.
00:50:01
Lord's Day, mourning to sit at his table, continually and always.
As one of the King's sons.
We're daughters, not that I address the Lord as king, but that is that one who is universal and who is worthy, supreme in power and glory. And then he goes on in verse 13.
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually.
At the King's table. And here it is again. And was lame on both his feet.
Sometimes we mourn.
Make a mournful sound. Insane or so weak.
As we travel around, one brother said to me recently, he said, you know, it was a brother here in this assembly that if I were to say his name, many of you would know who I was talking about.
The Lord took him home.
And before he took him home, he said to this brother.
My desire is that there would be a testimony here in this place.
Until the Lord comes.
And if the Lord doesn't come, there will not be a testimony there much longer.
You know, that's we feel that and that's felt weakness and it's all right. And if we feel our weakness, it's his delight to come in and strengthen our hearts and help us on and to be a part of that testimony when the Lord comes.
And so here we have it four times.
To I will suffer with you, and you with me.
Now I understand that the Lord leaves us here. There will be another meeting Lord's Day afternoon.
Now I'd like to continue on with this subject and I'm just going to say in the interval.
Read Apart.
Of characters 16 in your home reading your personal reading.
Second Samuel 16 Read verse verses from 1:00 to 4:00 in this chapter.
And meditate on it and then turn over to the 19th chapter.
And read from verse 24 down to verse 30.
Just to be acquainted with that and pray that the Lord would give us something.
Special for our hearts as we press on in these last moments of the churches history.
And then we'll return back.
Just for a little bit again to let us see up in Revelation.
Well.
I was just thinking about Mephibosheth if he was here tonight.
He could sing out of this hymn book.
What he would think if we will turn to him #21.
Hymn #21 I was thinking particularly of verse Truth 2.
Once as prodigals we wandered in our folly, far from Thee, but Thy grace or sin abounding rescued us from misery. Clothed in garments of salvation. At Thy table is our place. We rejoice and now rejoices in the riches of Thy grace. Perhaps he would sing louder than the rest of us tonight and what he experienced in his day. Let's just sing that one stands in closing.
#2.