Lassen Pines Family Camp: 2003
Table of Contents
Seven Encampments of Israel
Address—Bruce Anstey
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Turn to Hebrews Chapter 7.
Hebrew 7 verse 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing that he ever liveth to make intercession for them. And I understand that saved to the uttermost could be translated to save them completely, so it could read. Wherefore he is able also to save them completely that come unto God by him. I'd like to speak a little bit about that this this morning.
And that is how that God is interested in saving us completely. And that might just sound a little unusual if you have only one idea of what salvation is. But in the Bible, the word salvation is a very broad word with many applications. And if you know the Lord Jesus as your savior, and we trust that every person here knows him in that way, we surely have the salvation from the penalty of our sins, and we rejoice at that fact.
But as we find from this verse that God is not interested only in saving us from the penalty of our sins. He wants to save us completely. He wants to save our lives. Now you may ask the question, what would he want to save our lives for or from? Well, he's going to save our lives from the sorrows, the difficulties, the troubles that we can get ourselves into if we try to pilot our own life.
Through this world. And what he's going to save our lives for is for his glory and for his praise. And since we have been saved, that is from the penalty of our sins. He wants to use our lives for his glory. And this requires the salvation of our life in a practical sense. And so the Lord wants to save us completely, you know, there's such a thing as having a saved soul, but a lost life, we've often been reminded.
Lot is the example. He was a righteous man and his soul has been saved.
He's in the heavens this very moment with the Lord departed to be with Christ.
But it's often been said that he has had, as we look from the record in scripture at least, save soul but a lost life. He lived his life for the interests of this world only, it seems. And there was very little that you could see that was for the glory of God. You don't want to have your life follow the example of dear lot. You want your life to be used and poured out for the glory of God. It's the happy life as we've already spoken of in previous times.
But it is also the safe path, because we can bring a lot of trouble and sorrow into our lives if we don't let the Lord have His rightful place. And so I'd like to speak to you a little bit about Israel's baby steps, the first steps out of Egypt. And I just like to read now in the 8th chapter of Hebrews one verse.
Are one part of a verse. Verse 9 and I made their fathers in that day.
When I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt and now turn over to Exodus 19.
19th chapter of Exodus.
And verse 4.
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bear you on Eagles wings, and brought you unto myself.
As I said, I'd like to look into the history of Israel from Egypt to Canaan. At least, I'd like to look at the first leg of that journey. It's very instructive and very interesting. And if you don't know, you should get well acquainted with this journey because there is much New Testament truth that is built on these types. Or at least these types illustrate New Testament truth that are found in Israel's journey from Egypt to Canaan, and the first leg of the journey takes him out of Egypt.
To the mountain and it has often been called on Eagles wings. That's been the title that has been used sometimes to describe this first leg of the journey. I understand if you look through the book of Exodus, counting their various encampments that they made along the way, there are some 7 encampments from Egypt to Canaan and they could be entitled, as I said on Eagle's Wings, it's the time when they were first.
Redeemed, and the Lord took special interest in undertaking for them to carry them on those first steps of the journey to bring them to himself. As it says here now, it's called on Eagles wings because it's a figure taken from how an eagle looks after its young when they're just learning the first steps of flying. You could read elsewhere, I think it's in Deuteronomy where you find that an eagle stirs up her nest.
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And what happens is she with her powerful wings will stand on the edge of the nest and blow off the nice feathery down, so that those little birds in there get a little uncomfortable and they start to get notions that they should try to get out and start flying. Of course it's not as as most birds they are not able to fly immediately. They have to learn to fly. And So what happens is that their little birds get up on the edge of the nest and they jump off because the nest is usually put in a very high place, the cliffs and rocks and so on.
And when the little birds jump off, they begin to sink in the more than fly, and the mother swoops down and catches underneath them and they land on her wings and she takes them back up there and they try it again until they get the the idea as to how to fly and the Lord picks up on this little.
Remarkable care and nature, and it uses it as a figure to illustrate how that he is interested in caring for us in our first steps in our Christian life. And so as we're addressing young people here predominantly at Lassen Pines, young new converts predominantly.
That the first steps in the Christian pathway are very, very important. And the Lord takes special interest in it. And He wants to help you. And where is it that He's leading us to? Where was he taking them? I think it's beautiful to see here. I brought you unto myself. That's what he really wants, is to bring you closer to himself. That you would learn less upon other things, on self-confidence and lean hard upon himself.
And so the Lord took special interest with Israel, and he takes special interests with us. Let's turn back now to Chapter 12. And I want to go over each of those seven encampments that I mentioned. And I like to just bring out the salient point that's connected with each because it's so remarkable to me to see that there is a lesson connected with each one of them.
Chapter 12, verse seven. And they shall take the blood and put it or strike it upon the two side posts on the upper door post of the house, wherein they shall eat it, And they shall eat the flesh that in that night rose with fire, with unleavened bread, and with bitter herbs, shall they eat it, not eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire his head with his legs.
And with the pertinence thereof, and there shall let nothing of it remain until the morning.
And that which remaineth of it until the morning, ye shall burn with fire.
I'll just stop reading right there. You know the story. We've had it in the Gospel meaning earlier this week, and that is the Passover lamb. And the great thing here, the great exercise of course here was that the children of Israel, as you know, were to get themselves under the shelter of the lamb. That blood was shed, and I think it was pointed out that it would do them no good to shed the blood of the lamb.
To catch it in a basin and not strike it on the doorposts and the lentils. And there's a difference you'll find in the chapter between the blood shed and the blood sprinkled. Bloodshed brings before us the idea of provision. And God has made a tremendous provision for us in the death of his Son. The blood has been shed there, and it has power to cleanse every Sinner that comes unto God for salvation. But blood sprinkled brings before us the thought of appropriation.
OK, and you can just see how that if some Israelite decided to kill the lamb, catch the blood in the basin there the blood was shed but never took the time to put it over the doorpost. Why? When the destroying Angel when the Lord came through in judgment, what would happen would be they would have the death into that House of course. And so there are many people that know about the salvation, they know about the work of God, they know about Christ's death on the cross.
But they have they, but they have never appropriated it in faith to themselves. And so we have the blood sprinkled as well. I think that's down.
In verse 22, it was to be caught in the basin, but it was also to be.
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Sprinkled on the doorpost of the house, this is something that I trust every young person has come to in their souls. Here I like to think that I'm looking into the faces of ones who know the Lord already as as a savior.
But now there was something more that they were to be engaged in there, and I've read the verses connected with it. So let's read, Let's look at that verses 8 through 10. They were to eat the roast lamb.
They were to eat the roast lamb.
Now let me ask this question, a question I've asked to young people's groups before, and I've never really got an answer in talking to young people as to why, and so let me ask it to you this morning.
Why was it necessary that they should eat the roast lamb?
Was it going to make them any more safe from the judgment coming?
The Lord said when I see the blood on the door, I will Passover you. He didn't say when I see you eating the roast lamb that I'll pass over you, but yet he gives a specific instructions that they should eat the roast lamb. What for? What was it for?
It wasn't going to make them anymore safe.
Well, I believe the answer to that is.
Because the Lord had intentions for them to make a journey, and they were about to receive their marching orders to leave Egypt altogether. And the Lord knew that they were going to need strength for the journey. And so the answer to that question is the eating of the roast lamb was to give them strength for the journey. It was not to make them more safer or anything like that, but it was to give them strength.
For the journey now let me ask the question, what does it typify for us?
Eating the roast lamb well, it means to meditate on Christ's suffering.
He is the one who has shed his blood. That's true. But he's also the one that has undergone the fire of God's judgment. See, fire in Scripture always is the figure of judgment, and so he has undergone the judgment of God for our sins. And God would have us to feed upon his sufferings and death for us. And there they will get strength for the journey. Now it says here they were to eat the head and the legs and the pertinence thereof.
And this is different aspects of Christ.
As he is presented in the Word of God.
The legs of the animal would bring before us the thought of his walk.
And where we would feed upon the walk of this blessed Savior, of course, would be predominantly in the Gospels.
And then it says the pertinence thereof. And I understand that could be translated the inwards thereof, that is, the inner parts of the animal there. We would take that in by reading the poetry section of our Bibles Psalms.
And other passages like that where we get the feelings, the inward feelings of our Blessed Lord as He went through such an ordeal, the head.
Well, that might bring before us Christ as he's found in the Epistles. Correct me if I'm wrong on that, but we see him on the other side of death as the head of the church in the 21 Epistles. And so we have Christ presented to us in various parts of the scripture, and I believe that these things here really bring that before us. But getting back now to eating the roast lamb to provide strength for the journey, it is so essential that we as believers take up with not just getting under the shelter of the blood, but.
Feeding on the roast lamb. Feeding on the roast lamb. And I have noticed.
That those who don't take as much importance or put as much importance on taking time to feed on Christ in this way have difficulty when the journey when the journey is in process and the first leg of the journey was to take steps away from Egypt. And I have noticed that those who have difficulty making steps away from Egypt are very often correlated with the fact that they don't or they haven't spent much time.
In the feeding on the roast lamb. And so they're correlated. Now let's look down in verse 37.
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The children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Succoth, about 600,000 men beside children. And so this begins the journey.
Striking and very interesting to see that the journey was away from Ramses, where they were living.
Now, Ramses is a word that means evil is the standard. That's what that word means. Evil is a standard. When they lived in Egypt, they.
That was the standard of things there.
But now the first, the next exercise for the children of Israel was to make steps away from.
The standards of evil that characterized Egypt, and so it is with us too as believers. The first exercises that we want to be engaged with is firstly to be feeding on the roast lamb and then to be making steps away from the the the standards of this world which are far below God's standards and they are intrinsically, essentially evil.
Now I suppose I should have mentioned also back in the chapter, that another thing that they were to be engaged in in that very first day, and that was to begin the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, to begin the feast of the Unleavened Bread. And that, as we've had pointed out to us, is that that the feast or that exercise that were to be carrying on with as being believers that are separated from evil.
Now the reason why we say that is because evil I mean.
Scripture as a type and that is leaven. Leaven is used to typify evil throughout the scripture.
And so we find that they were to have a feast, but it was to have no leaven in it. And verse 39 makes it very plain that when they made these steps away from Egypt that they left their leaven behind.
Verse 39 says that they makes it very plain they left their leaven behind in Egypt. And so when a person gets saved, it's God's intention that they don't bring the evil practices, things that they've been carrying along with before they were converted with them.
God's intention at the very moment that we come under the shelter of the blood of Christ that we take up was seeking to live a holy life without sin. And that's what the seven day feast represents. 7 is the number of completeness we've mentioned and it really brings before us the complete pathway of the child of God moving right along, we come to Sokka now and Sokka brings before us. It means booths or tents and the reason why we.
Say that is because this is the very place where the children of Israel.
Had to take up with living in a tent. They had lived in houses in Egypt.
And their houses were left behind with blood on the door.
And but now we find that they had to live in a tent from here on. They were going to be making a journey from Egypt to Canaan, and the Lord was going to undertake for them marvelously along the way. And they were going to have to live in a tent. Now what does that speak to us? Well, a tent in Scripture brings before us the idea of a Pilgrim character of life.
And so there is a new lifestyle that is to be adopted now to these new converts, and that is a life of Pilgrim.
Experiences. And so the idea of a Pilgrim is one who is on a journey, one who is not home.
One who's heading toward his home. One who is not settling down in this world but is just passing through. And so it is with us, as pilgrims were not to be seeking to make our mark in this world or to establish anything of importance for ourselves. As far as making a name for ourselves or anything like that, we are to take up with the Pilgrim character of the Christian life.
Chapter 13 And verse one. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the first born whatsoever openeth the womb.
Among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast, it is mine.
So we find that saketh there was the claims of God.
Pressed upon them.
The claims of God on them here, I think this is very striking. The Lord had redeemed them and he had provided a substitute in the Lamb, and now he makes a claim over them.
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And he would desire that they would surrender their first born to His cause. And this brings before us the idea of acknowledging the claims of the Lord over us in redemption. This comes at the very beginning of the pathway.
Separation to God and the surrender to the claims of the Lord in our life. This is really what we speak of as Lordship. Now you might just wonder what what do we mean by Lordship? It simply means to give the Lord His rightful place in our life. You've heard that many, many times. But I'm going to define that even more. So you get it really clear, because sometimes we have these cliches that we just rip out of our our mouths, and sometimes young people don't get ahead a hold of it.
Digressing just for a moment here, I just thought of another one. Be occupied with the Lord. I heard that all my life until I really sat down and tried to figure out what that means. I hope there's no one here doesn't really know what that that that means. And.
When we talk about being occupied with the Lord, that simply means to be taken up with the things that belong to the Lord, his interests, and the sphere of those things that belong to Christ. It does not mean, as I had thought, to sit on a chair and look up and just sort of contemplatively meditatively. Just be occupied with the Lord as he's sitting there at the right hand of God and just meditate on it, because you can't be occupied with the Lord all day long in that sense.
You have to get about your job. You have to get about your work and school and whatever else that you have to do. There are responsibilities, and I could never really understand that because we just simply can't occupy ourselves with Christ all day long in that sense. But an understanding what it really means is to be busy in the things of the Lord. To be occupied with His things, whether it's the scriptures, or to encourage his people, is to be occupied with Christ. And so it's much broader than just personal meditation.
Now what was I saying about definition of what I had here?
The claims of the Lord, the Lordship of Christ. What that means, to put it in words that we might understand, it means to tell the Lord that he's the only one that has a right to tell you what to do. It's as much as to say, Lord Jesus, you've paid a tremendous price for me, and I see it now as I see thee dying on the cross. For me. I don't belong to myself anymore, and I'm giving up my rights to paddle to to to order my life.
And I put my life in thy hand. And you're the only one that's got a right to tell me what to do. I want to do only what you would have me to do. That's really what acknowledging the Lordship of Christ is. And every day we're tested as to how much of the Lord we want in our lives, we come to a fork in the road every day of our lives. We can do our own will. We can use our day for our own selfish interests where we can use our day for the Lord.
Of Christ under the lordship of Christ.
OK, so we have here at Sukkoth the claims of the Lord being pressed home to the children of Israel. And then in the next encampment we have is in verse 20. And they took their journey from Saketh and encamped in Ethan at the edge of the wilderness, and the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way.
And by the night in the pillar of fire, to give them light, and to go by day and night. And he took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
And so here at Ethan, we find another great provision that the Lord has made for them in the path, and that is divine Guidance. It appears that this is where the cloud meets them. They come to the edge of the wilderness. It's a trackless wild as we sing sometimes.
And they were not experienced in the wilderness and knew not the way through. And now we find that the Lord makes this tremendous provision for them, and the cloud meets them, And the cloud brings before us the presence of the Lord. And when the cloud moved, they were to move after it. We learned from Numbers, Chapter 9. And they were responsible to keep their eye looking up to that cloud, and to follow the cloud as it moved. This brings before us divine guidance, being known by keeping ourselves in the presence of the Lord.
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Moses valued the presence of the Lord so much he said to the Lord in Exodus chapter 33. I believe it is He said, Lord, if thy presence going on up, carry us not up. Hence what he was saying to the Lord, there was Lord, If your presence is not going to go with us, don't take us. We value thy presence so much that we don't want to go anywhere where thy presence is not going to be found and known and enjoyed. And that should be the exercise of every one of us.
That we want to keep in the company of our blessed Lord in that way. And so we need this lesson too, and that is to learn to follow the Lord.
And so we had we've got three points here. We've got the from Ramses to Suck It now to to Ethan and Chapter 14. We have now the Lord showing himself in another way.
Verse two speak unto the children of Israel that they turn.
And then camp before Pai Hey, Hayroth. And so we find here at Pai, hey, Hayroth, which means the gate of Liberty.
They are going to learn the Lord in another way, and I might add too, as I.
Speak of these various encampments and the lessons that are associated with them, that the Lord brought them through various circumstances in the Way.
To show himself to them that he was far more than just a merciful judge.
In passing over them in judgment, he wants to show you as well that he's more than a savior in your Christian life.
He isn't all the way home, Savior. He's one that wants to save us completely, as I read there in Hebrews Chapter 7, and he has provided for every bit of it. But we're not going to know him in those ways unless we have the circumstances in our lives where we're going to be cast upon him and where he can show himself in these ways. And so we find that there is a situation that arises. Now we know what happens. Pharaoh's armies come after them.
Now I'm going to read verses 10 and 11. And when Pharaoh drew nigh the children of Israel.
Lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, And they said unto Moses, Because there are no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? And so we find the situation of the children of Israel. Here is such at this point in the journey.
That they were safe from the judgment of God, but they were not delivered from the enemy. And this brings before us a condition of a soul that is not known. Deliverance and slack. The way Mr. Wolston puts it, these verses 10 and 11 really are the language of an undelivered soul.
And their their lack of deliverance really comes from having their eyes on the enemy and their eyes on themselves. You'll notice all the references to themselves in those verses that I mentioned. And it leads them to an awful state of dismay. And what we find in this chapter is that the Lord brings them through the sea, and he puts an end to that enemy before their eyes. And as you have in the last two verses of the chapter, the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw.
The Egyptians dead upon the seashore, and Israel saw the great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, And the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and his servant Moses. And then it says, then saying, Moses and the children of Israel. This is the first song that we find in the journey. There was safety under their blood in chapter 12. But we do not read that there was a song. We do not read that there was joy.
And we do not read that there was peace.
But now we have all those things here illustrated, brings before us the deliverance of the Lord, and so we find them singing and rejoicing.
Now let's just summarize what we've had so far at Ramseys. They apprehend God as a God of mercy, the mercy of God. Then it sucketh. They learn of the claims of God.
At Ethan, the guidance of God. And at Π, hey, Hayroth, the power of God for deliverance. But you know, the Lord wanted to show them that he was much more than that for them. And you may be saying that's very well and good to know that the Lord is a merciful God, and he is a great deliverer and has saved my soul. But there are very difficult circumstances in the pathway.
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Can he meet that? Can he be a help to me in the everyday practical circumstances of my life?
Yes, indeed he can, and in these lessons I should have mentioned it at the beginning, perhaps.
That you find in these these seven encampments that take us to the mountain, you find that the Lord is showing them that He is all sufficient for the pathway. Now we've said many times that there are two great lessons in the wilderness. The 1St is to know our own insufficiency, and the 2nd is to learn the Lord's all sufficiency, to learn what is in our hearts and not trust ourselves as a result.
And to learn what is in his heart and therefore trust him implicitly.
That's the two great lessons of the wilderness. It's often been said, and I see here in these first seven encampments, that the Lord showing himself to be all that they need to showing them.
His all sufficiency. Then when the law comes in after chapter 19 and you get into the book of numbers, where you get the next leg of the journey where they wander for 38 years. There we got them learning that second lesson, so to speak, and that is to learn what is in their own hearts.
That's where you get all those murmurings, and that's where you get the temptations. And so on the day of provocation. And so you have illustrated in the book of numbers predominantly the lessons of learning what we are in ourselves. And those are very humbling lessons indeed. Now I realize really in the ways of God, we learned them both at the same time, but scripture separates them so we understand them better, just like we have. What is in Exodus 12 and what is Exodus 14? That all is one word.
If you look at any of the those who have written on this and have given us.
Wonderful teaching. They'll tell you that it's one work, but God separates them so we can understand the two parts of it. And so that's always the way of God. And so we learn the Lord in these two ways, or at least we learn these two great lessons but ourselves and about the Lord, one is a bitter, humbling experience predominantly, and the other is a blessed experience. And so, as I say, the Lord is going to show himself to be all that they need.
And the Lord wants to show you and me the very same thing that He is all that we need for the pathway. Now let's read verse 22, Chapter 15, verse 22. A new circumstance is going to arise. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea and they went out into the wilderness of Sur.
And they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Mara, they could not drink the waters of Mara, for they were bitter or salty. Therefore the name of it was called Mara. And the people murmured against Moses, and said, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord, And the Lord showed him a tree, which when it was cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. And there he made for them a statue and an ordinance. And he proved them well. The children of Israel were singing with the hearts full.
Of praise to the Lord at the Red Sea. And they rejoiced, and they were singing with real purpose and with meaning.
They, if you read the song over, they really make some promises to the Lord that they're going to follow him and they're going to make the Lord everything in their life. And they're so happy. And it reminds me of the singing that we see here. You young people have been stirred up, I know, by what you've heard and being together, and perhaps you're singing with full hearts, like we see the children of Israel hear them, but now the singing dies down and it's time that they move on in the journey.
And we find that Moses gives direction, that it's time to set the camp forward.
And he brings them out into the wilderness, and they're now going to begin to cross that wilderness on the other side of the sea. And they go one day.
And as they travel that day, they find that there's no water for them to drink. They must have wondered, I wonder, how we're going to make it through without any water.
But they perhaps encouraged themselves and said, well, we don't need to get too troubled with this. The Lord is going to look after us. We know he's a great God and he's going to undertake for us and and.
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He'll provide water. So the next day they go on and they find again no water. And surely they must have been wondering what was going to happen because they were getting mighty thirsty.
And maybe they cheered themselves up and said.
We know the Lord is going to look after us. Tomorrow is going to be a better day. I just know it. The Lord is such a great God. He looked after us and saw they journey another day and they find again the same thing, no water. And now their faith is being tested us to trusting the Lord in the wilderness.
And they begin to wonder, why would the Lord ever lead us in such a path? But the Lord had something He was doing far deeper.
He was creating a circumstance that he was going to show them how he is.
Such a great God that he is, and we were singing that.
Beautiful hymn at the beginning, and it tells us in the desert God will teach thee what the God that thou hast found. Patient, gracious, powerful, holy, all his grace shall there abound. And so it's in the wilderness that we have the place of education for us, and the Lord is going to teach us more about himself.
Then what we have learned thus far as being just a Redeemer. And so on the third day they are pretty down and they thought well.
I don't understand. And then at the end of the day, after traveling, they spied some water. They said, see, I know, I knew the Lord was going to come in for us there. He's provided water. So they run to the water and they begin to drink and they find out it's bitter water and they can't take it any longer.
And they begin to murmur and complain against the very God that had redeemed them.
What a disappointment, and what this brings before us is that there's going to be disappointments in our Christian life. There are going to be times of sorrow. There's going to be times when we are going to be very, very tried in this way.
But the Lord allowed this to happen because he wanted to show them that he was the God of all comfort. And the only way you're ever going to learn him as the God of all comfort is that you get into a situation where you've been faced with a disappointment in your life. Now I just think it's so wonderful to see here how the Lord comes in and meets this. They cry to at least Moses cries to the Lord, and the Lord shows him a tree. And the tree here, of course, is the cross of Christ. It typifies Christ.
And his work on the cross. But now it doesn't bring before us Christ on the Cross as far as his death is concerned, as we've had already. This is another different aspect of Christ on the cross. And this really brings out Christo's love and the love of God for us.
So so we find here that the cross is brought in.
And there is The tree is brought in. The tree is cast into the waters. And when the tree touches the waters, there's a miracle that takes place. And the waters become sweet and they can drink. And so the Lord comes in and shows them that He can meet their need in their times of disappointment.
Now how we're to understand this is that when we come into times, and we surely will, where we are going to be tested and we may come into a very deep disappointment in our Christian life. What we need to do is to let the Lord show us the cross. We need to turn back to the place of the cross and there see the love of God displayed in such a way that we get strength for the situation.
And what we need to understand is that when we look at the cross and we see that he's paid such a price for us and his love is so great there, and then we take that and we apply it to our present circumstance, we can say, well, if he loved me that much, I know he's going to look after me in this situation where I am right now. I can't understand why he would allow it to happen to me. But I know he's a God that loves me so infinitely. And you just take that and apply it to the situation that you're in and he'll make those waters sweet.
He'll make those waters sweet, I assure you young people. And you know the Lord will prove you in that way. And He'll show you that he is more than just a savior. The one that we're presenting to you this morning is more than just the Savior. He wants to be your companion, your comforter, your friend, the one that can help you in times of disappointment. He's a real God that is interested in real circumstances of our Christian life.
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You know, it's very well to read about them in Bible meetings and to sing about him and to all that kind of thing. But there are very difficult situations that we pass through as Christians in this world. And I want to tell you that he is a God that is equal to it and greater, and he's a practical God and is interested in helping you even in times like that. And isn't it beautiful to see how that the cross of Christ is the answer to the situation? Let me say it again, you need to go back to the cross in times of disappointment and just think.
About how much he loves you, there's the demonstration of it. Now take that and apply it to your situation, just as the tree was to be put into the waters, and he'll make it sweet and you'll be able to take the situation and say, as the Lord Jesus did when he met, a disappointment in his life and ministry.
Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Yes, everything that comes to pass in your life, God has ordered it, and He knows the very best, and He's testing you to see whether you let go and just let him have his way. You know, some of us as we look back in our lives, when we see some disappointments, and we don't understand why the Lord has allowed it to come to pass. But then, as the years go by, we look back. We think I'm ever glad the Lord allowed that to happen, because I would have made a mess of my life. I would have made a wrong step, although I was so upset at the time.
Now I look back at it. I just see how marvelous His wisdom was and how great His love is. And so the Lord is more than a savior.
Wonderful. Now we find in verse 27 they make a journey to Elam. There were 12 wells of water and three score palm trees and they encamped by the waters. And so we find here. Now the Lord shows himself to be the God of encouragement. If Mara brings before us the comfort of God, Elam brings before us the encouragement of God. Now there is encouragement. They didn't even need to get into a situation where they had to cry out to him for and wait for three days.
They just come across this incredible Oasis and there's water everywhere and shade as well.
And so the Lord is just wants to refresh us and to remind us that He knows the way through the wilderness, and He will encourage us. And we need encouragement, don't we? And so we have the comfort of God and Mara. We have the encouragement of God and Elam. Now we step to the next chapter.
We have the Wilderness of Sin, chapter 16 verse one, and they took their journey from Elam and all the congregation of the children of Israel, Cain through the wilderness of sin, which is between Elam and Sinai on the 15th day. And we know what happened. There was the need for food. They had been eating the unleavened bread along the way and.
But now they needed something more to sustain them, and so they're tested again as to needing food. And this is the chapter that brings before us the manna. The Lord rained down this heavenly food, this manna that was a provision for them that carried them throughout the 40 years.
And so we find here the Lord bringing in the bread of God for the sustenance from God.
To sustain them. And we have said already that the manna brings before us type of Christ in the word of God to feed our souls. I'm going to pass over this real quickly, but I'll just give you a sevenfold description of Christ as the manna. Everything to do with this manner typifies Christ. First of all it was it rained down from heaven, came down from heaven.
This brings before us the humiliation of Christ coming down from God the Father. Secondly, it was round.
That brings before us the eternality of his person, something that's round his has no beginning or no ending. Thirdly, it was small that brings before us that he was insignificant in the eyes of men. They looked at him and thought he was a Carpenter, a carpenter's son, nothing more. It was white. That brings before us his moral purity as a person. He was that holy thing that should be born unto Mary.
Fifthly, it was as coriander seed.
And the idea of seed in scripture is that which has life in it. Every seed that you find that it's been something happened to it has life in it. And so the Lord Jesus was the life of men in him was life. He was a source of life. We read from John's Gospel chapter one and then into to the taste it was sweet as wafers and honey we read and so we know that the meditation of our Lord Jesus as sweet and when taken in and enjoyed and then last but not least.
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When it came down, it laid on the dew. It never came and touched the dirt.
On the wilderness floor it landed on the dew, and so it was separated from the dirt. And that reminds us of what you have in Hebrews 7. But tells us that he was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. He was a man that was separate, but yet he reached them and touched them. And so we have the sevenfold description of Christ. The manna can't say anything more about it. We need to close in a minute here. We'll turn on now to Refinim, which is the last of these.
That I'd like to speak about chapter 17. There they come to refer him. And we know what happened at referendum. They needed water. The Lord told Moses to strike the rock. And here we have another type of the death of Christ. Which by the way, you'll find seven types of the death of Christ in the wilderness gathered the fragments. Let nothing be lost. The Passover is won. The Red Sea is another. The tree at Mars. The third, the 4th is the.
The smitten rock. Here the 5th would be the red heifer, numbers 19, the 6th is the serpent on the pole in numbers 21, and the 7th is of course Jordan. The crossing of Jordan, types of the death of Christ through the wilderness, precious meditation. But here we find it referendum another situation and that is Amalek comes against them. They have had the rock smitten.
And out of the rock flows this water and it comes forth with with rushing water. And that's a type for us of the Spirit of God being given by the way running water, springing water is always the type of the Spirit of God. And so as soon as the the water was given, we find that Amalek comes and we learn from Galatians 5 that there is a conflict between the flesh and the and the Spirit. And we find that the flesh here typifies an Amalek Satan's operations on the.
On the flesh come to thwart the children of Israel and God allows them to break the power of Amalek. Verse 13.
So that they're able to carry on in their journey. And so we have here now another provision by the Lord.
And that is the spirit of God and the high Priest of God. I say high priest because you have Moses.
And Aaron, they're up on high on a mountain, and his hands are uplifted and his walls are all lifted. They had won the battle down below, you know, Crisis on high, helping us down below here.
I don't have any more time to go, but we have now looked at these various encampments. It brings before us how that God has shown himself to the children of Israel to be more than just a a judge. He is everything. And so let's learn him in these ways and let him lead us in our Christian path. I'm going to pray now and ask God his blessing.
The Lord's Table
Address—Dave Spence
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Like to just say a few words?
And not to add too much to what was brought before us this morning, this due in remembrance of me.
That is a request, is it not?
I trust that each one of us may have that stamped freshly upon.
Our hearts and our souls.
Because even if we are at the Lord's table and have answered to his request.
May it continue to have that power in our lives, the effect in our lives.
Power over our hearts and our minds that it may take precedence over.
Everything else in this life.
Even concerning a relationship, even that which concerns an occupation.
And other things that come in to sidestep the blessedness of that wondrous request. Now I'm just going to refer to a few verses that were read to us this morning.
And the first one is in the Song of Solomon chapter one.
Song of Solomon, Chapter one and verse.
12.
While the king sitteth at his table.
My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. Now that is the bride.
Speaking, she's sitting at the King's table with him.
That's where we were this morning. Now, we don't refer to him as king, although sometimes that's included in some of the songs that we sing. But he's our Lord, the Lord of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is his table that we have been invited to. Could we also turn to 1St Corinthians 10?
And Justice to make a few preparatory comments concerning the table.
And the table is brought before us.
In the Word of God in First Corinthians chapter 10, before the Supper is.
And the table reminds us beloved young people of communion, fellowship. Our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Someone mentioned that verse earlier in our meetings, First Corinthians Chapter 11. It is the memorial.
But the table is brought before us first.
And in chapter 10.
And verse 15.
We'll read just a few verses and not to comment upon all of these verses.
They speak for themselves.
I speak as to wise men. Judge ye what I say, the cup of blessing which we bless.
Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the Body of Christ?
For we, being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold, Israel, after the flesh, are not they which eat of the sacrifices, partakers of the altar?
What say I then, that the idol is anything or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols? Is anything but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrificed to devils.
That was what was behind the altar.
Hiding, lurking.
And so the apostle brings out the seriousness of partaking.
Or eating the sacrifices of the of the Pagan altars. They were actually having fellowship if they're going to do that with demonic spirits.
And I would not that you should have fellowship with devils.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table.
And on the table of devils.
Now we know, Beloved, that today we live in a society where we are not faced with so much here in this country, although things are getting worse.
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We are not faced with tables of demons, so to speak.
But we do have man that has set up systems within Christendom, a system of things.
And a human arrangement in ordered priesthood and all of the things, the accoutrements that aligned themselves with the Old Testament.
And that order of things, and by human appointment and arrangement things are carried out.
We know this, do we not?
And so we're not dealing so much with devils, but with what man has set up, set up, that is, in discord or disagreement with what our Blessed Lord meant for the Church.
And what activity should take place within that circle of blessing that we know a little bit of?
They are not according to men's thinking and man's ideas and his intelligence.
And as sincere as many of our beloved brethren may be elsewhere, how wonderful it is to realize the word of God does not change.
And the Lord Jesus Christ himself is the same yesterday, today and forever.
And he has given us truth to walk in, according to this blessed book, until he comes. Because he says in the 11Th chapter, as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lords death till he come. That is the path he has given for us to walk in. And I know there are discouragements connected with that path. Beloved, there is the reproach of being in his presence at his table. There is such a thing as our being discouraged because of fewness of numbers.
We come together like this, we have such wonderful times together and sometimes when we think we have to go home to just a few.
It's a little disheartening, is it? Not if we're honest.
But what will take the place in a measure?
And the more we submit to him in this blessed truth of His presence in the midst, the more it will satisfy the longings of our hearts. David himself we know. Glory to numbers. I was just reading that the other night in my own personal reading, and he got in trouble when he gloried in numbers, and he numbered the people, and he had to suffer some measure of the chastening hand of the Lord in his life because of it.
And all that we would glory in His presence more than anything else in this world. If there are a half a dozen or there are a dozen or two dozen, whatever it might be. May it be that you will see and I will see the blessedness of His presence as our brother read to us this morning. They saw no man save Jesus. Only those are not mystical things, beloved.
Those are scriptures of truth. We may not see bodily our Lord Jesus Christ, but we know that he is in the midst by faith. You know, as we were together during the week, we were sitting in the audience, as you folks here are today, looking at those that were ministering the Word. And there were gifts the Lord has given so that the Word of God can be conveyed in a way that can be understood.
And enjoyed and taken in and digested, and we come to a better, fuller, and richer understanding of these precious things.
But wasn't it interesting this morning as we came together, there was #1 standing up here?
The gift and the brother, the servant the Lord used, so to speak, was effaced or displaced by the glory.
Of His Majesty who stood in the midst.
And we saw as we read together, no man saved, Jesus only. And I know that may not be true with everyone here, but it is the truth.
It is the truth.
Where two or three, as our brother Doug brought before us.
Are gathered together unto my name, Jesus said, There am I in the midst of them. And that was said before the Holy Spirit came down to bring all of the believers together in one body, to unite them to one another and to their head in heaven. So much so it seemed to be saying that he was anticipating the moment when the church would understand a little bit more of the truth of that which he speaks of in Matthew 1820.
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And it is that outside forces our brother described to us that leads us to where he is, in the mids, that draws us to Him as the Holy Spirit work in your heart and in my life to bring us to Christ, to own Him as Savior and Lord. Likewise, He draws us to the one center if we're submissive to Him and His precious word.
If there is a desire to know, we spoke of his desire. Our brother Bruce spoke of his desire this morning.
But is there a desire on your part to really know the truth as to where he is?
So the largest table, first of all, speaks of communion, a place of fellowship. We have fellowship not only one with another, but concerning the emblems of which which they speak, first of all, the cup of blessing that precious blood that was shed, that gives me right and title to be at his table. Therefore #1 you must be saved in order to be at His table, cleansing the precious blood of Christ that gives you right to be there.
And me right by his grace to be at his table.
And the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the Body of Christ? For we, being many, are one bread.
You know, the bread which we break is not the communion of the body of Christ.
For we, being many, are one bread and one body, So the table also speaks of unity. First of all, communion with one another and with our Lord Jesus Christ concerning.
The precious blood that was shed, the body that was given, that he had given to him in this life when he came into this world. We have communion with him, fellowship together.
As we sit around the Lord's table concerning His precious blood that was shed.
In his body that was given in death for us I.
But I remember a very happy experience in my life, as I think back in times gone by, of the happy unity there was at a table I used to sit at over 50 years ago.
Almost 60 years ago, to begin with, at my grandfathers place, when all the family would come together and we would sit together around his table and I used to think of the family atmosphere that was produced by his invitation for us to be there. So it speaks of unity, does it not?
This is what his intention was in the very first place, and it was true.
As the church was initially set up in its first estate, its first glory, so to speak, there was commonality, there was unity, there was oneness expressed in testimony. It must have been a marvelous thing. There was great grace and boldness. There was a testimony that flowed out as they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, in the breaking of bread and fellowship, and in prayers.
They continued steadfastly in that.
The unity will never change. As far as the body of Christ is concerned, as our brother brought before us, there is one body that will never change. What changes is are we walking in such a way as to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?
Could I illustrate it by the way our beloved brother Gordon Hayhoe used to illustrate it?
And it was so simple as he, in his very simple illustrations could convey things to help us understand. Suppose that you went to the to Washington, DC, and you asked what the addresses were of the Canadian embassy there. You perhaps heard him give this illustration, and you found out from the Information Bureau that there were ten different places that all claimed to be the Canadian embassy, but they had no agreement with one another.
And you thought, well this is very strange, How am I ever going to find out which is the right one?
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If there is one that exists, well, he said. The right thing to do would be to contact the Canadian government.
And ask them which one they honored and which one kept the precepts of the government.
And went along with what they had laid down as the requirements to be the Canadian embassy.
And beloved, may I say this, as our beloved brother used to say.
How will we ever find the truth or the true path that will lead us? And we know it is by the Spirit of God to the right place where the Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst, where He is, and His table, so that we can sit down together and have fellowship with one another and with him concerning those precious emblems which speak of His body.
And his blood.
It is only by the word of God.
Now you can go down the street where you live, all of us can, and you can knock on various religious institutions, the doors of religious institutions, and you will find various differing ideas and opinions and doctrines concerning the word of God. Isn't that true? It doesn't make any difference if it has to do with the awful tragic.
Doctrinal departure concerning the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some say that it was possible that he could sin.
And some say, well, you have to be baptized to be saved. And we might even go so far as to say.
One man ministry is that according to the word of God?
Read 1St Corinthians 14.
As a teacher at one of the seminary schools used to say, he said, you know, I have no trouble with teaching the word of God in most of the chapters of the Bible, except when I come to 1St Corinthians chapter 14. And when I get to the 14th chapter, I have to leave that to brethren to explain it because it says let the let the apostles speak two or three and let the others judge.
It is not limited to one man. We are not gathered to one man. One man does not preside as we have before us this morning, as we were gathered together unto his precious name and around his blessed person.
So it doesn't matter how much the departure, it could be the fact that, well, there are some institutions that pass the cup around to everybody that walks in the door.
And you don't know who you're breaking bread with. And the scripture is very clear in First Corinthians 5 that there is such a thing as.
Putting away from the table of the Lord.
That in itself is a reproach to Christians today. And they will sidestep that truth, that necessary truth, and go somewhere else because it's too reproachful.
It's too difficult to walk in in the day that we live. It's easier to come together and.
To be gathered in such a way that we can enjoy music and we can enjoy various speakers and justice, have things simply we don't have to be involved and we just listen.
And we can get into such a state, beloved.
Where there is not exercise.
Any longer in a state of soul that goes along with that coldness comes in indifference. And there is a departure from these principles. Wasn't it wonderful this morning, the 11 young brothers?
To have you dear young brethren.
Participate in the meeting what a blessing that was to those of us who are a little bit older. Stand up and praise the Lord. Read the scriptures and give out of Him.
I've said to my own family members where they go.
I said to my son, can you stand up where you are? And can you read a scripture, or can you give a word of thanks? And do other members of the congregation have that privilege and liberty by the Spirit to do so?
They have to say no.
That in itself would show that this is discordant with the truth of the Lords table. And it is, may I say thirdly, his table. This is why and we spoke together, some of us.
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After the meeting concerning, receiving and putting away, because it is his table and a brother mentioned, holiness becometh thine house, O God forever.
It's not our table, beloved. If it was, perhaps we would just kind of compromise and dissolve things and maybe let everybody come in but profess to be a Christian and participate.
But it is his table, and it will cease becoming his table.
If we compromise in those areas, as difficult as it is, to put away someone.
Who has been involved in moral or doctrinal evil?
Just to make those comments about the table of the Lord.
You cannot eat of the sacrifices, so to speak, as it says here.
Of the altar.
Without being in communion with that of which it speaks.
Dan and Bethel were set up two alternative places to go to by the children of Israel, so they wouldn't have to go so far to Jerusalem. Was that according to the mind of God? Absolutely not. They have made may have made it sound very palatable through the mind. And to human thinking, well, don't go all the way to Jerusalem.
You can go right here to Bethel or to Dan, one in the South, one in the north of Israel, be a lot easier to do that. But according to the word of God today the table is not, of course we know a physical table in one place, but as there is the table of the Lord in San Diego, thankfully the table of the Lord in Lawrenceville, IL, the table of the Lord in in Kirkland, WA, and so forth.
It is not a physical table.
And it's not limited to geographical distances and differences. The table of the Lord is 1.
Thus, as we fellowship together after the meeting we had this morning, we were discussing the necessity of abiding by the word of God and receiving those that have been received at another locality.
And also if one has been put away from the Lord's table at one locality.
They should likewise not be received at another. Otherwise, beloved, how can we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?
And there are fellowships, and you know as well as I do that.
Function independently one of another and they are called brethren fellowships.
So that you might be put out in one fellowship, but you might be able to be received in another fellowship, and they're kind of indirectly linked together somehow.
And I'm not. I'm not. And I'm not being critical. I'm warning that that Satan has all kinds of ways and man's ideas to make things work.
Not in accordance with this blessed book, and may I say this too as just a a fine point.
That there are even those fellowships that go so far as to say we'll let a board of directors decide which when an assembly gets in trouble, what the outcome and conclusion of the difficulty in that assembly should be. In Matthew Chapter 18, it speaks very clearly as to the responsibility each local assembly has.
In coming to a decision regarding the matters of putting away and receiving.
Things are so subtle out there that we can be easily tripped up if we do not check with the word of God as the one who checks with the government in Canada concerning which one of those 10 Canadian embassies is the right one in Washington DC.
Very simple illustration, but right to the point. The Word of God clarifies these things so beautifully.
Could we turn to Luke Chapter 22 That was read this morning? Luke chapter 22.
And verse 15 And he said unto them, With desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will not anymore eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.
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And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I say unto you, I will not drink the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God shall come.
Says that twice.
The Passover Beloved had come to its termination.
Because the very one that the Passover spoke of the Passover lamb, as we have before us this morning.
Lamb of God, our souls adore thee, while upon thy face we gaze. He was the Passover lamb that would be killed. How could he who came to suffer the just one for us, the unjust, to bring us to God? Sit down and drink that which spoke of joy that's reserved for a future day. Ezekiel, chapter 45, verse 21.
In the Kingdom he will sit down with his own enjoy.
And rejoice with them.
But he does bring before us that which has taken the place of the Passover, and it's called the Lord's Supper in First Corinthians Chapter 11.
It is the Lord's table in First Corinthians chapter 10.
And that is communion.
Where we have fellowship concerning his death and His Precious Blood gives us title to be there.
But it is a supper that brings before us the memorial, and he initiated it here. And we know these things very well, beloved.
In all three Gospels.
Excluding John.
He initiates this blessed feast of love.
Could I ask you a question, each one of you who sat around the Lord this morning?
Was it a feast of love to your heart?
As you were occupied with the love of Christ, that was so demonstrated and manifested in him, not only coming into the world, but giving his life for you. And it seems as though the Apostle Paul never lost the good of that, and he was impelled through this life in his service for Christ, because he had that continually before him, the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Could you think of a more wonderful place to be in all of the world?
Including the table at the United Nations where men sit and they struggle for power and control and ideas that don't solve this world's problems. Or maybe some table in a palace where the greatest and richest king may dwell.
Could you ever think of a table?
To be at that would compare with the table of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And to sit down and eat his supper.
There.
I would never want to say, beloved, that believers in other places don't remember the Lord.
May I convey to you one sad story that?
Has so affected my heart.
A sister.
Left home at a very young age, before her 20s, having been raised in the assembly and for nigh unto 60 years.
Had left the Lord's table.
The other members of the family, most of them, continued on at the Lord's table, but she had left.
A few years ago, she came back.
But sixty years intervened.
Another member of my family, almost 35 years.
Having left the Lords table was connected with some religious group and they asked him one time.
Would you like to take communion with us sometime? And he thought about it and he said, well, yes, I guess I will. For 35 years he had walked independent of his Lord and in the world and had taken his children's family into the world.
And as that wafer came by, and that grape juice or wine or whatever it was, it was like all the fountains of his heart broke.
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And he began to cry.
I wouldn't want to say that souls in other places don't remember the Lord. I believe they do.
But they are not at the Lord's table.
If they are not walking in accordance and abiding by the precious precepts and principles of this blessed Book.
But that did restore him to the Lord and his wife.
In a great measure, but not to the Lord's table, beloved.
It may seem an easy thing to walk away in indifference or coldness because of coldness, or because you've been stumbled. Somebody was mean to you, somebody offended you. And I know I've been in that position myself.
But the ramifications of it all over the period of time, beloved.
And the effect that will have not only upon your life, but the life of your children, if the Lord leaves us. I know one family that had left the Lord's table years ago.
And he came back about 14 years later, and he said, oh, I'm so thankful to be back at the Lord's table where he is in the midst. But I've lost my family and he wept.
What value do we put upon?
The truth of his table, beloved, these are not our ideas. This is not something that we fostered up in our minds, conjured up in our own way of thinking. This is what the Word of God brings before us. And Jesus said with desire. And in Luke it expresses so tenderly the man Christ Jesus.
Where he touches souls with his hands.
And he has compassion upon them, the widow of Nain and and oh countless situations where it expresses the tender sympathy and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So he says with desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
But then he introduces the truth of his supper.
And I want to just point out something that I never saw before until just the other day and it is not in Matthew or Mark.
It is the personal words we might say of the Lord Jesus Christ, not to an audience, so to speak, although it is, but to you personally and to me. Notice what it says, verse 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body.
And it stops there in Matthew and Mark.
Read beloved what it says.
The rest of it?
Which is given for you.
Given for you.
It does not say in the plural form them. It says given for you. This is my body which is given for you. I came into this world to save the world. That's true because I love the world. But all the world's not going to be saved. I came for you.
This is my body, the loaf on the table this morning that we saw and we partook of.
It was given, it was speaks of that which was given his body, given for you.
Personally, we partake of it because it's personal.
He was given for me.
Have you ever thought of it that way?
Does that not put a greater emphasis upon his request? This due in remembrance of me I gave my body for you, beloved.
And the next verse it says likewise also the cup after supper, saying this cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for them.
Shed for you.
The Precious Blood of which it speaks, beloved, was for you and for me.
It is not spoken of that way in Matthew and Mark, but where he is brought before us. The Lord Jesus Christ in Luke, as that compassionate one whose heart was full of sympathy and tenderness, reaches out to you and to me. And think how much it must affect his heart when we do not take our place at his table and take that personally.
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Lord, yes, I want to remember thee.
When we don't?
Respond favorably.
Through that blessed request.
Now just one short little portion in First Corinthians 11 That was read to us this morning.
Verse 20 The Lord's Supper. The end of the verse. They were not eating it as the Lord supper. Supper should have been eaten. It says in verse 21 in every in eating, every one taketh.
Before others his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunken.
Verse 23.
And Paul says this in case.
Some may have thought that what the Lord had initiated in the gospels would be terminated or just become a tradition. It was never meant that way, beloved.
For I have received of the Lord that also which I have delivered unto you, Paul had told them beforehand.
Because he had received fresh instructions from the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
To convey the importance of this partaking of his supper at his table to the Saints in Corinth, and to all of the assemblies for all ages, down to the very last moments of time. We are living in the last stages of the churches history on earth, beloved. And we have the privilege of being at His table, partaking of his supper. And I say again, is there any more wonderful place in all the world to be?
On Lord's Day Morning.
Than at his table, partaking of his supper.
There was a brother who had a very important job and he went to a certain area and he was supposed to have a meeting at a certain time come 11:00 on Sunday morning with all the officials of this certain company that he worked in directly for. And he said to his boss, I have a more important meeting that I have to attend.
Do we have that kind of conviction? Beloved, I speak these things to my own heart.
Do we regard his tape sitting at his table and partaking of his supper?
As something very personal, not only to my heart, but to your heart, to his heart.
This is my body, which is given for you. This is my blood, which is.
Shed for you.
And the way he introduces this to the Corinthian Saints, he says, the same night in which he was betrayed or delivered up, it says in Mr. Darby's translation, he took bread. What a night of horror. That was, when all of those things were happening all around about the Lord Jesus Christ, including one who sat with him at the Last Supper.
Not when he introduced the truth.
Of the Lord's Supper, because it says that he went out, Judas went out, and it was night, and thus he was not there to be a partaker of the Lorde Supper.
But the awfulness of that scene?
So tremendous.
A traitor sitting there with him, and it says in John chapter 13 that his heart was troubled.
He had continued with the Lord for 3 1/2 years. It wasn't as though.
The Lord Well, that's.
What he gets.
That's his own fault.
Never.
Even when Judas came to him in the garden, he says, betrayed thou the son of man, with a kiss.
Friend.
Why art thou come? Hit her. Call them friend.
And so there was a traitor, and there was the chief priests and all of the religious clan in Israel. They are in Jerusalem plotting his death.
00:40:09
An awful night. That same night in which he was betrayed or delivered up, he took bread.
And even when he stood before Pontius Pilate.
He said the pilot, You could have no power over me at all, except that were delivered to thee from my Father, which is in heaven.
Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life.
I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it again. No man taketh it from me. So he was.
In full control of offering himself up as that spotless victim.
The same night in which he was betrayed or delivered up, he took bread.
Beloved with all that was happening around him, in fact.
Right there, he expresses the greatest desire of his heart, and oftentimes this happens to one who is dying.
They tell their family, I want you to do this or do that. My grandfather did with me just before he passed away. He told me some things that he felt I needed to do in my life.
I remembered I can remember to this day what he told me.
Important words, important requests are made on such.
Occasions.
Here we have the repeating of what the Lord had brought before us in Luke chapter 22.
And when he had given thanks, he break it and said, take eat, this is my body, which is for you, says broken, but we admit the word broken according to the new translation, which is for you again.
I would ask you beloved young folks.
And I know what our brother Bruce brought before us this morning. It is true.
It is.
The Lord's request for you, it's not my request for you.
But can we not convey the importance and the blessedness?
Of being at his table where he is.
It may take a grandparent or maybe a grand.
A grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, some time to just mention to a child how wonderful it is to be at the Lord's table and perhaps to show it in a life more than words that are spoken. And I say these things the this afternoon because.
A brother came to me here at Lassen this year and he said.
You know, I was 16 years of age.
Until I took my place at the Lord's table and he said I waited. And I waited and waited because I thought that I was not quite up to where I needed to be spiritually, he says. It wasn't because there was anything wrong in my life.
He said my life was pretty much in order. I thought, but he said I just didn't feel qualified to take my place.
At the Lord's table. And he said one night I was so tired, he says I fell into bed and he thought, I'll sleep all night through without waking up for sure. Well, he woke up a couple hours later with one thing on his heart and mind, and that was this Do in remembrance.
Of Maine.
Is there someone here that?
Is living a life that's pleasing to the Lord.
You feel that you have to arrive at a certain spiritual plateau in your life before you answer to His loving request. This do in remembrance of Me.
It took a grandfather to stir my heart up a little bit.
Can we stir one another up a little bit?
Say there is no greater privilege in this world as we await the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ than to take our place at His table. He is so worthy. Now I know there may be some walking in such a way that would disqualify.
You to take your place at his table, beloved, be done with it. Be done with it. Put it behind you. The Scripture says, forgetting the things which are behind judge it, Repent, having done with those things that are so far inferior and so far less important, be done with it. Let Christ have His first place. Let him reign upon the throne of your heart.
00:45:27
And listen to what he says. Not what I'm saying to you, but what he says to you. Because all scripture not only is given by inspiration of God.
And is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, instruction and righteous righteousness. But it is very personal, very personal.
The Lord wants you, and you will miss something if He comes and takes us home.
Without your having taken your place at his table.
There was a sister who was in happy fellowship.
And have gone on for years without her husband.
Her husband attended one of the local churches, seemed to be very happy and was involved in activities and had taken his place as a member of the board and so forth the church.
One day, he said. I'll go with you this morning.
And he did. He went to the morning meeting where they broke bread simply around the Lord.
And it seemed to be one of those meetings that maybe it didn't go just exactly right. You know, we've been in meetings like that where things have been a little bit topsy, turvy and maybe silences so forth.
After the meeting, they walked home together.
Got to the home of where they lived and he went to his bedroom.
She went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
He was gone for some period of time. She got the meal ready and so she went.
Into the bedroom.
And there he was sitting, taking a pen.
Off of his lapel that had identified him with.
The establishment that he had attended for years.
And she said, What are you doing?
You know what he said.
Honey.
I have seen the Lord.
When and if you see the Lord Beloved, there will be no replacements or equivalents for that.
And you will only see him.
By walking in the truth, submitting to his word, owning.
His Word as supreme authority in your life and the Spirit of God will lead you to the place.
Gathered to his precious name, seated at his table, being able to partake of the Lord's Supper. And this is what he did.
He took his place.
At the Lord's table.
And I've told this story before, you know, I don't know if I have time, Steve, to tell it, but a brother who had walked in the footsteps of Charles Fuller and some of us remember the name Charles Fuller.
Had a pastorship.
In a church in Placentia, CA.
And a brother came and took his place.
And it was a very popular church in Orange County in those days.
And he had a quite a large congregation.
Begin to have prayer meetings at the bottom of the church basement of the church. Suddenly he realized there were those that were there in the company that came to his his his preachings to hear his sermons that had just as much or more gift than he had as they begin to have Bible studies well.
The Baptist Church came along and said either you leave this church.
Voluntarily or we will ask you to leave, and he left.
And he was gathered through the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is our brother Paul, Mayo's father.
Did he regret it? Oh, he was one of the happiest men I've ever met.
But beloved, there is no greater place, no more wonderful place.
00:50:04
And to be in this world and it is not a table in heaven.
He's prepared a table in the midst of his enemies. We have that read to us this morning our beloved brother Wally Psalm, 23. It's here in this world. We have the opportunity and privilege of sitting at it to remember him.
And he says to you, this do in remembrance of Maine, Shall we just pray together?
The Ground of Gathering #1: The Right Start
The Ground of Gathering #2: Are Gathered
The Ground of Gathering #3: Recovery Part 1
The Ground of Gathering #4: Recovery Part 2
Lessons from Esther #1: The Party That Came To An End
Lessons from Esther #2: Purity & Peril
Lessons from Esther #3: Preservation
Lessons from Esther #4: Prayer
Special Singing 1
Our Source of Joy
Hindrances to Christian Joy