Lassen Pines Family Camp: 2008
Table of Contents
Foundations of Faith #1: The Truth, Christ and His Work
Foundations of Faith #2: New Testament Survey (Part 1)
Foundations of Faith #3: New Testament Survey (Part 2)
Lessons From the Life of Sampson
Address—Bruce Anstey
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I'd like to speak about a man.
Who was given tremendous potential.
And.
A man that could have been used mightily, far more mightily than he was used, had he submitted his will to the will of God.
I want to speak about a man named Samson.
I want to make some practical applications for our life, so let's turn to Judges Chapter 13. You know, when we think of Samson.
We think of a man that had superhuman strength to do amazing feats and exploits as the story unfolds and tells us.
But that amazing strength that he had is a type typical of the of a spiritual gift that one has been given by God.
And he was responsible to use that power, that ability that he had for the blessing of God's people and for their deliverance. But he was a man, as we know.
That was marked by self will. He wanted to serve the Lord. Hebrews 11 tells us that he had faith wanted to serve the Lord in his own way. He did not want to serve the Lord in the way in which the Lord and his word marks out. And so much of his service was spoiled because of the self will.
And we don't have time this afternoon to read all of the Count of Samson, so I'm going to pick out certain verses and focus on them.
And let's read first of all chapter 13 and verse one. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines 40 years. This is the 7th and final declension that is recorded in the book of Judges, where we see the children of Israel doing evil and turning away from the Lord.
And it's a sad condition that they're in indeed.
In fact, you will find that in the previous declensions that the people, when they turn away from the Lord, the Lord would allow an oppressor to come as the Philistines here.
Something different about those previous declensions that you don't see here in this 7th and final one, and that is that when the people were oppressed by their enemies they couldn't take it any longer. And what happened was that they cried out to the Lord and the Lord and mercy sent a deliverer. But here we see that they have spiraled down downward until finally and this last and final declension. It's more pitiful than any of the previous because we see that there is no cry from the people. It seems that they had got comfortable in their.
Departure from God and didn't even seem to know or care about being delivered. And so there's no mention that the people cry out to God to send a deliverer. But we find the faithfulness of God and the mercy of God. He raises one up anyway, that's how good of a God we have. So you can see that it was a time of failure and a time of great declension in which Samson lived. And I don't have to tell you as far as the Christian world is concerned, the Christian profession we live in Samson like days.
What I mean by that is that we live in days when there is much departure from the truth of God and what we see out there. It passes, as Christian is far from what God's ideal is, and there is much ruin and failure in the Christian profession. But yet we find that God was working in that day and he's working today. And what we see here is that God visits a certain insignificant family and would seek to raise up their son, that he would be a help and a blessing to God's people.
And you know, the Lord is doing the same thing today. God is doing the same thing today. He's looking out over the vast numbers and Christian profession, and he is seeking to raise up a deliverer, a helper, a servant or a minister that can bring deliverance and blessing to his people today. And I don't have to say to you that it's pretty obvious that God would like to use those of us that are in this room here this afternoon.
Now Samson was endowed with incredible potential, as we see in his amazing strength that he had. But you know, I see some potential in this room too. I see some very promising young brothers and young sisters that if you will submit your will to the will of God, you will be used for a blessing of His people. And it requires a decision on your part, whether you would want to put your life into the hands of the God that loves you and the Savior that died for you.
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That you can be a help.
But you know, many service and many a servant has had their life spoiled just like Samson, because they wanted to do it their own way. And when you want to do it your own way, it's not going to work. You know, the Apostle Paul counseled Timothy in Second Timothy Chapter 2, and he told him that you have to serve according to the rules. And he spoke about how the athlete has to compete in the games.
According to the rules and he would not be crowned.
Reward. And as he abided by the rules of the game and he illustrated used that as an illustration that we have to serve the Lord according to the principles of God's word if we're going to have our service blessed of God and to receive a reward. And so it requires I, I submissive will. And so it's interesting to see here that the day was very weak.
We find that God began to work in the family of Samson by visiting his mother and father before they were even born. And it was the Angel of the Lord that came and appeared to his mother 1St and then to both his parents. And we find that this if you were to read of Jan Darby translation or other critical translations, that this Angel of the Lord the A there and the Angel should be capitalized all through the chapter. And it's capitalized because it's denoting A deity, it's the Lord himself.
Came to visit them.
And the Lord came to do what he came to exercise Manoa and his wife about raising a son that would be used for the blessing of God's people. And I believe that the Lord comes to every young couple and every young Christian family.
With a similar desire to exercise them with regard to.
Raising a godly family, sons and daughters that could be used of the Lord.
And this would tell us that even though there's very dark days in which we live.
Much failure in the Christian profession. There's no excuse for us not to have a godly home. And so now I speak to those who are just sitting out in a Christian life as a husband and wife and as a maybe, of course, embarking on having a family.
That you can still have a godly household in spite of the fact that there is much failure in the Christian profession.
And the lesson that we find here is that the Angel of the Lord would have them to be exercised.
About preparing the nest before the sun was even born. They wanted he wanted them to get their household in order before the boy was even born into the family. And that's good advice for us too. The time to begin gathering principles that would govern a Christian household is even now, before children come, even before you're married. You young brothers and young sisters can be gathering principles from the word of God that will be put into place when the time comes that you will have a be married and have a family.
So God would exercise us to prepare the nest before.
The children come. I mean, nature itself even teaches you that, you know, it says in Job 12. Go to the birds. Go to the beast of the field. They'll teach you how many birds that you know of that you could name.
Have a little little bird, a little chicks before they build their nest. We all know what happens around this time of year. They go out and they build a nest. The next thing they lay some eggs in there, the next thing they hatch those eggs. That's an order that's in creation. Nature itself teaches you this order. And so it's good for us, even though you didn't say, well, I'm not married.
That's true. You may not be.
But you can gather principles now from the Word of God that you can put in place later in your life. So we find here that the Angel of the Lord visits them, and they're very exercised and very interested about what he has to say. And it's interesting that they, they set them on their knees and they began to pray, and they asked the Lord to send the Angel again, which he did come, and they asked the question.
Teach us what we should do or how we should raise the child.
And it's very interesting to me that the Angel did not directly answer that question, but he laid out some very certain principles that would help them with regard to that. We may have questions with regard to specifics about raising children, but it's interesting to me that the Lord would lay down general parameters and if we follow those, we're going to be blessed. Now, I don't want to speak in this chapter, really. I want to talk about Samson himself, which comes up to the next chapter, but just point out these couple of points here and that is the Samson's home was characterized by two things.
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First of all, what the Angel of the Lord told them is that they needed to have Nazarite principles of separation in place in the home. And his mother was to take up the vow of an Nazarite herself. And because if they were going to have a Nazarite sun raised, there was going to have to have a consistent principles in the home with the parents as well. And you can just see why, because the children in their young years take much of their.
Formation and character from the mother. And so if the mother had the Nazarite ship vow and practice Nazarite separation in her life, then the child will follow suit. You say what is Nazarite Shep talk about? Well, it's just simply that one would have exercise to keep separate from the influence of the world and the flesh in one's life so that one could be serviceable for the Lord.
The Lord can't use this to any appreciable degree. If we're walking in paths of disobedience, He wants us to take up with those principles of separation so that we could be useful to the Lord. You get this in Second Timothy chapter 2, how we're supposed to separate from purge ourselves and those things.
That are dishonouring to the Lord that we may be prepared by the master and fit for his use. And it's the same thing in this picture of Nazarite ship. And so she was to be careful to keep herself free from those three things that mark Nazarite chip, and I don't want to go into it, But it was just simply that she wasn't to drink any wine which would speak to us of intoxicating pleasures of the world. There was to be no razor upon the head, The hair was to grow, which speaks to us of submission to authority. And thirdly, there was to touch no on no dead body which would speak of.
No unholy associations. So there was to be this in the home if the boy was to be raised for God's glory and help. But I just pray that there would be this exercise with the young families that are growing up and raising or about to raise families. But you know, Samson's home was not only to be characterized by the strict principles of Nazarite separation when the Angel was about to leave them.
The parents wanted to detain the Angel and wanted to ask more. That's keen. They were keen about what to do and he made a suggestion to them that is vital if you want to have a a happy household. And his. He suggested to them that there would be the putting on of the burnt offering. And that's the second thing that the home needs to be characterized with. Not only should there be the principles of Nazareth separation, but there should be putting on the burnt setting, on the offering of the burnt offering in the home.
And what is the burnt offering speak to us of? Oh, it speaks to us of the fragrance, the sweet fragrance of Christ himself.
He must be that sweet fragrance that should permeate the home if we're going to have a happy and a fruitful and a godly Christian home. And so Manoa got busy, and not only did he offer a a burnt offering in his home, but he offered a meat offering as well. And when the offerings were going there in the home, we find that the Angel did wondrously and he went up to heaven in the flame and disappeared out of their sight. And Manoa and his wife were standing there looking up, gazing into heaven at the man.
That had ascended there, and it's a picture for us of how we need to have an upward gaze in our household.
Object of To do with the man that has gone to heaven, Jesus Christ, our Savior. We need to be looking upward as parents. But more than that, we find in the end of verse 20 that not only did they not look up to the man that went up in the flame up to heaven, that they fell on their faces and worshiped, and that would bring before us another posture. Perhaps we could say 2 postures for parents.
Number one is that they would have an upward gaze at the man in glory, and they would also have their faces to the ground, beseeching the Lord with regard to their young children. So that's what we see here in this household, you might say. Perfect conditions to have a young deliverer come up and to be used of the Lord. Now let's read the last two verses of the chapter. And the woman bear a son and called his name Samson, and the child grew.
And the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zora and Astral.
Zora and Nashville was the Samson was born in Zorro. Estro was a town that was 1 1/2 miles down the road.
And so we find that the word of the Lord from the Angel came to pass, and the moment indeed bare son. And she raised him as a Nazarite. And there came a time in his life when the Spirit of the Lord began to move him, at times in and around their hometown.
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And dear young people.
This is what every godly parent is looking for, looking for some evidence of the movement of the Spirit of God and the life of their young daughter or son.
Some parents look in vain and they can't find anything. It's sad. I hope that's not the case with you, but that there may be things that your parents can see in your life that would show that you have a desire to please the Lord. Just the little movements here and there that give them assurance that you have life and that you have a desire to please the Lord. I don't suppose you realize at all, and you won't realize it until you get in their position how much they yearn before God about this very thing.
That they want to see some movement of the spirit of God in your life.
Well, we find here that the Spirit moved him, as I said, right in his own hometown and the neighboring town. And I believe this is the first place where God's work will take place in an individual, and that is in their own doorstep. In our own homes is where we ought to begin. With regard to godliness, you know, the Bible says exercise thyself rather unto godliness. That's first Timothy 4. Then in First Timothy 5, it says.
That the children would show piety at home. These are the this is the place where the first movements ought to be seen in a Christian's life in and around the home.
Your parents and siblings, neighbors and so on, those in your local gathering should be the first to see the movements of the Spirit of God in your life. If there is any desire to please the Lord, and I hope that's the case, I trust that it is, and we pray indeed earnestly, that that is the case.
For each and everyone here. Now let's turn the page to Chapter 14.
Verse one and Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, I have seen a woman in the intimath of the daughters of the Philistines now therefore get her for me to wife.
What we find here?
The first signs of self will in the life of Samson as a young man.
When he was grown, he began to take action of his own. And immediately we see.
That he was an unprincipled young man.
He takes a stroll into Philistine territory, country.
And he sees a pretty figure and a pretty face.
And all at once, he's ready to throw out every principle that he was ever raised on.
He was ready to sell out everything that his parents had taught him, and he wants to marry her.
And so we find.
That it says Samson went down, That would indicate to us that not only that was Tim, NASA in a town that was geographically at a lower elevation on the map. God tells us these geographical significances because there is a spiritual meaning behind it, and the spirit of God would have us to understand that it's really denoting a direction of a person's soul. So when it means that he went down, yes, that means literally went down the hill, whoever this town was.
But it also indicates the movement in which his soul was going. He was going down spiritually.
In fact, you'll find a series of downs in this chapter and it gives us to realize the reason why he was moving in the direction he was, as we'll see here in a minute.
And then we find that he was affected by what he saw.
And you know, the Bible tells us that our hearts are affected by what we see.
Oh dear young person, dear young brother, don't let your heart get enticed by a pretty philistine face.
It won't be for the blessing in your life and you'll be sorry that you did allow yourself to be affected by it. What an incredible contrast we find in this chapter. In the previous chapter we find Samson's parents looking up. In this chapter we're turning the page and Samson's looking down and he's going down and he's determined on a course that his parent must have broke his parents heart.
Here we find this young man wanting to marry one of the enemy of God's people, he said. How could this happen? Well, it's obvious that he didn't value his parents principles.
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He didn't prize those things that his parents had taught him, and so when he had an opportunity when he was grown, it became evident in his life how sad that is.
But really what it was was that he crossed the line that marked the difference between the land of Israel and the land of the Philistines. You see, Timnath was a border town, and when he went, he crossed that border and went into Philistine territory for the purpose of having a little fellowship. He was really crossing and overriding an important principle that God had given to his people that they must abide by. And if they wouldn't, they would not be protected. And that is simply an Exodus 33. We're told that the children of Israel were to keep themselves separate from the nations that surrounded them.
And so we violated that principle, and he just marched right into Philistine territory, and he was looking for a little fellowship. And it wasn't long before he found something that pleased, as I and he wants to come home and marry, tell his parents that he wanted to marry this girl.
And so we find that his parents speak to him verse 3 Now then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among all the daughters of thy brethren, or among all thy people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord that he sought an occasion against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion.
Over Israel.
So we find here when he comes home and tells his parents what's in his heart, what's in his mind.
We see that they do what every godly parent would do. They resist, They seek to reason with him. But they find that they're running up against a strong willed young man, and he would not receive what they had to say. And he was insistent that he would marry this Philistine woman, one of the enemies of the Lord. And in their reasoning, you can just see the parents were disappointed that he would ever want to marry one of the enemies of God's people.
Perhaps you say, well, really, those verses that tell the children of Israel that they need to keep separate, They should not make marriages with the nations of Canaan. Philistines were not among those seven nations. Good argument. But it's all reason, because if you read in Joshua 13, you'll find there that the Philistines are mentioned in connection with and as part and parcel with those seven nations of Canaan. So it's bogus, that argument. These were the enemies of the Lord's people, and he should not have been wanting to enter into an unequal yoke with this woman.
Who was among the enemies of God's people? The parents perhaps said. Shouldst thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?
That's in Second Chronicles 19. Shouldest thou help the ungodly?
And love them to hate the Lord. But that's what he was on a course toward. And so we find that Sampson was insistent when they sought to resist. He came back even stronger and said, get her for me, and then, he adds, for she pleaseth me well. And by his answer we see that he was not accustomed to having not getting his own way. He was accustomed, I'm trying to say, of getting his own way.
And.
We can see that his will was not subject to his parents. And there's another verse that comes to mind in Proverbs 15, I think it says he that Will refuses his father is a fool, refuses his father's instruction. And so this young man was not only strong physically, but he was strong willed down here in his heart and it led to all the troubles that were in his life. Now it tells us that his father, his mother, knew not that it was of the Lord.
Now let's get this straight here. the IT that is being referred to here is not the marriage, because that was clearly an unequal yoke that Scripture tells us that he was not to enter into the IT. Here was the desire to have an occasion against the Philistines. As I said, Samson wanted to please the Lord and he had faith.
But he was a confused young man, and he had mixed principles in his life, and he didn't know the desires of his heart. And yet he so he wanted to marry this Philistine girl because he thought he would be in an excellent position to kill the Philistines, and that would be something good. So it was not the marriage that was of the Lord, it was his desire to slay the Philistines. I think, as Mr. Ballot put it, and his little booklet on this he said that it was not the.
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The IT was the motive that was of the Lord, but not the method, not like that. Not it was the motive that was of the Lord, but not the method. The method was purely carnal, and so he was a confused young man.
He had allowed his heart to get wrapped up in what he saw. He wouldn't listen to sound reasoning.
And what we find here is that he was determined upon his course and he wouldn't let his parents talk him out of it.
The method was carnal. You know, there are a lot of Christians. I've seen them.
Sad to say, and perhaps my heart has been there too.
And that is that we get mixed principles.
We want to go along with the world, and so we say yes. But if I went along with some worldly people, well, I'll be in an excellent position to be able to give them the gospel and try to reach them.
But what we don't realize is that there's mixed motives in the heart and the heart is all mixed up. Really, there is ulterior reasons for this.
And God can't bless that because it's not according to his word.
Well, dear young people, hope that nobody has such a desire in their heart. But I'm not so naive to think that any one of us this is beyond any one of us.
Now verse five, it says. Then Samson went down with his mother and father, father and mother into Tim. Nathan came to the vineyards of Timothy, and behold, a young lion roared against him. And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand. But he told not his father and his mother what he had done. And he went down and talked with a woman, and she pleased Samson well. So here we find that all the reasoning with the parents.
Did not work at all. Samson was determined and he goes down yet again.
But we read something else that is very sorrowful and that is he went down and it says, and his father and his mother. Now what we find here is that Samson's parents compromise and go down with their son and follow him in his desire. And this is so sad to me. This is so sad. He was a determined young man and he would not turn back. And the parents thought, well, what are we going to do? We may lose him. He may not ever come back. We never see him again.
And so they chose to compromise principles and to go down with him and help him in his ungodly.
Pursuit is worldly pursuit thinking that somehow they were going to be able to win him.
But you know, it doesn't work. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of maybe you have of parents who have sought to compromise with their young people and their family and hopes to win them in some way and it be blessed of God. So I just say to any parents that are here, don't make this mistake. You know, in the previous chapter, Samson's parents just did everything right that we can see. They had the Nazarite principles in place in their home. They had the burnt offering in the home and.
They sought to raise the sun right, but where we find here is that they fail. And parents aren't perfect, they're young people.
And I don't blame.
Samson's mother and father.
They loved him. They thought this would be the best thing to do. But they were wrong. And so, dear fellow parents here, let's not give way to the fleshly whims and desires of our young people. And So what happens is they go down with them to Tim Nath. Now they cross that borderline and look where he takes them, into the vineyards of Timna. Now why did Sampson take them into the vineyards of Timna? His mother was a Nazarite.
What was he doing bringing his Nazarite mother into the vineyards of Timnath? You see, if you read the chapter on the Nazarite numbers, chapter 6, you'll find that a Nazarite was not to not only drink wine, he was not to even eat the grapes or the seeds of the kernel or the husk.
And by bringing his mother down into the vineyards of Timnath.
He was bringing her into the realm of temptation. It must have been awful mighty.
Tempting to not walk through those vineyards and not want to reach out. Pick a grape.
What was he doing that for? Well, I believe it's because he was trying to break down his parents exercises.
And you know, young people, it's not past your hearts to want to do that with your parents. But I would plead with you, don't be trying such a thing with your mother and father. God will not bless that. But that's what he was seeking to do, I believe. And then we find that he got split up from his parents at this point, and we find that a young, a young lion roars against him.
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And the Spirit of the Lord comes on him, and he rips that line of pieces.
Now why was this lion here in the path? Well, I believe it's because God.
And to come across this path at that time, because he was going in the wrong direction, that lion came out against him because God wanted him to sit up and realize that he was going the wrong way. It ought to cause him to think that he was going the wrong way.
He ought to heard the Lord's voice in that.
But he wasn't listening. You know, the Bible says God speaketh once, yeah, twice. But man perceiveth it not.
What did he do? He used his superhuman strength to just rip that animal pieces and toss it aside and went on his way down to see his girl. He wasn't going to let that affect him. He wasn't going to let that get in his way. He didn't take it as from the Lord at all.
Now you say, Well, yes, but it says the Spirit of Lord came on him and helped them to do that. Well, that's a little picture for us of 1 using his gift and his strength to go on a course that is not according to the will of God.
And God can't bless them.
Next thing we find is that he told not his father and his mother. Why? Well, you might say, well, it was because you know, he was a very humble man. And you know, the Bible says, you know, don't boast about the things that you've done for the Lord. Let another's mouth praise thee and not your own. And he was just a selfie facing humble person. And so he didn't want to speak about his his achievements. But that's not the reason why he didn't tell his mother and his father. He knew that if he told him that a lion came out against him and tried to stop him in his path and they'd say, Samson, can't you hear the voice of the Lord?
And he had. I suspected he had heard enough of that in his life, so he just chose not to tell them.
So he went down verse 7, and he talked with a woman. She pleased him. Well. When he returned back home, he went back to see the carcass of the line. And what does he find there but honey in the carcass?
And you can't resist but take a little honey for himself. And so he picked it up and he ate it. But you know, when Samson did that, he was defiling himself. He was desecrating his Nazarite ship because the Nazarite was not to touch a dead body. And here he reaches down and he takes that honey.
And he defiles his Nazarite ship, and desecrates that vow that was upon his head.
Perhaps you're tempted to take something that you know is defiling.
Samson.
Wanted the honey more than his ceremonial cleanness, and he was willing to sell it out to have a little sweetness, a little forbidden honey. After all, his parents weren't with him. They weren't going to see it.
So he thought he would just reach down and take a little of that forbidden honey. When he gets back home. What does he do? He shares it with his mother, but he doesn't tell her where he got it from. Now, why did he do that? It was not enough for him to defile his own knives by ship. He wanted to defile her too.
Such as the reasoning of the flesh, and I've seen it before, perhaps in my own soul, that when you do something that's not right, or you're going on a path that's not right, you want to see other people doing it as well. I suspect it's to try to keep the conscience at ease. Whatever the case is, I've seen it. You've probably seen it where there are people that are going on a path that they know are dishonouring to the Lord, or at least it's questionable, and the first thing you find them doing is working overtime to try and get others to go with them in it.
I guess it makes them feel better or something, I don't know.
They'll never justify it. So his mother and father take the honey. He probably thought he's a benevolent young man. How nice. He was there to give us that to us. But he was defiling his mother by doing it. And then it tells us that he told them, not verse nine, that he'd taken the honey out of the carcass. Why didn't he tell them?
He didn't want to tell them because he knew that he had defiled himself and he didn't want them to know about that.
They were afflicted if they had found out that he had defiled his Nazarite ship with what he had done.
You're a young person. Have you defiled?
Yourself with something.
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You can't bring yourself to tell your parents what you're going to done.
May God give you the grace to confess it to the Lord and to them if it's needed.
You'll never be blessed in your life. You'll never be happy. Do you get those things out of the way?
But Samson wasn't going to do that.
So it says in verse 10 his father went down and with him and they were going to arrange the marriage feast so that he could go ahead with this. Could things get any worse than Israel? Think of it, a Nazarite, Not just a normal Israelite, but a Nazarite is going to marry a Philistine.
And his father, his mother, were assisting him in it in this way. What a sad thing it is. Oh, dear young people, let this speak to our hearts. You know Samson isn't alone in this.
The word of God is pretty up to date, isn't it? There are young people all over this. Well, Christian young people that have tried this, and I haven't ever heard of any where it works. It tells us in verse 11 That he had companions. 30 companions. But who were these companions? Were the companions of the Lord's people from the land of Judah? No, they were Philistines. Think of it. That was his companion, those people who were the enemies of the Lord. That was the companions with what she hung around with.
And so at the feast there, after seven days, they was going to marry the girl.
According to custom and he makes a Riddle. Apparently it was a custom in that day and it was the form of entertainment.
But he makes this Riddle about what he had done and what had happened with the lion.
This tremendous victory over the line.
But there's another reason why he put it before the Philistines in a Riddle like fashion, and that was of course, he wanted to keep it hidden from his parents, and he thought for sure that no one would ever catch this one. And while he would not tell his parents what the meaning of the Riddle was, he would tell the enemy of the Lord he told the girl.
It's sad, I tell you. You see, as the story unfolds before us, that more and more Samson is beginning to live a secret life.
Couldn't tell his parents about this and he couldn't tell his parents about that because he knew that they would not approve. And you know, Samson's not alone. There are many Christian families that have had the same situation. Or the young people, son or daughter, get moving on a line when they know that is not right and they don't want to tell their parents about what they're doing.
So what happens is that they there becomes, shall we say, an estrangement between the parents and they don't tell them about what's going on. If you were to ask the young people, why don't you tell your parents about what you're doing and they'll give you some sort of an answer like.
Well, my parents can't relate.
But really what it is is that parents don't approve and they know it, and nor should the parents approve.
And So what happens is, as I say, an estrangement develops between the young people and the parents, and a double life is lived, one before the parents and one before the friends in the world.
And So what happens here is he tells the girl what he's got in his heart and what the meaning of the rental is. But he wouldn't tell his parents because he knew that it was something that would.
Was terribly wrong. Now the meaning of this Riddle.
Out of the verse 14 out of the eater came forth meat, out of the strong came forth sweetness, and no one could expound the Riddle.
I doubt if Samson understood the meaning of this. There's a spiritual meaning of this that runs down through the ages, that tells us of the greatness of God. And it is this that every effort of the enemy to thwart the purposes of God and dishonor the name of Christ will be overthrown by God and made to further the glory of Christ. That's what the meaning of that Riddle was. I doubt if he understood any of that, But you see.
The strong here. Or rather, the eater.
To be the lion, but you typify Satan.
God is going to overturn every effort of the devil to thwart the purposes of God for the blessing of his people and turn it around for his own glory and blessing of his people.
00:40:01
And so it's God's prerogative to be able to take good out of evil, and Mr. Willis in his book mentions that.
The truth in this little Riddle ought to be an encouragement for every parent.
Who has wayward children?
That God knows how to make turn.
Or bring good out of the evil that their children may have gotten into.
And he holds that out and we hold it out this yes afternoon as a word of encouragement for parents who have wayward children.
God can bring And dear fellow parent, I just want to say this to you as much As for my own soul, God can bring good out of the evil.
That your son or daughter has gotten into or is heading toward.
He knows how to turn them back.
But let me just say this. You need to have the burnt offering in your home. Christ before the family. And I didn't mention it back in that 13th chapter, but you'll find that Sam but Manoa was responsible to see to it that his wife held Nazarite principles and he was deceived to it that the burnt offering was there. He was the head of the home. He was responsible to put that in order.
And all I can say is may there are young people never forget the sweetness of the fragrance of that offering in their parents home. They may get far from the Lord, they may get off into the world.
But may they never forget the sweet fragrance of their parents home.
God will use it someday to bring them back.
It's what happened with the prodigal, you know?
He remembered in the far country the goodness of his father, and it turned him around.
But sad to say, many of us.
Have not had a proper balance between the Nazarite strictness of separation and the sweet savour offering of Christ, the burnt offering.
And many of the children.
Don't see or feel.
The warmth of the sacrifice of them and the love of Christ in the home that there ought to be. And there's been an imbalance, and many of us have failed in this.
You know, there's one young person who said went off into the world and these recollections about being in and around the meeting and being raised in and around the meeting, he said this.
All I remember was meetings and beatings.
And that's.
Well, we find near the end of the chapter.
That the Philistines wheatle out of his wife to be.
The meaning of the Riddle. And they come back to him and they say, what is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion. I mentioned this the other night that what is sweeter in the honey? There's a natural people there. They don't know the Lord. They're not the Lords. They've never tasted anything sweeter. And so they think the sweetest thing that anybody could ever taste would be honey. But they're wrong. The Bible tells us the word of God says that this book, the truth of God, the word of God is sweeter.
Than the honey and the honeycombs. Psalm 19. Psalm 119. You look it up, It tells us that the truth of God, the word of God is sweeter than honey. And I just trust that each young person here has tasted the sweetness of that word of the word of God. I believe if the Lord gets a hold of your hearts and you get interested in the scriptures and you get interested in the truth of God, it'll be that which will keep you and help you in the path if your affections are wrapped up in the person that the scriptures are written about.
So how wonderful it is that you just take hold of the scriptures and you really give it a proper place in your life. Because the sweetness of it is sweeter than anything that this world has to offer or anything that nature has to offer. There's a lot of nice and natural things you can get involved with in this world, but the things of God are sweeter by a mile. There's nothing sweeter then. We find that Sampson now has put himself into predicament. He's got to pay off the, the, the.
For losing the the in the Riddle and he needs to give them.
30 changes of garments. So he goes out down to the Ascalon and which is a Philistine city far away.
On the other Philistine lap and he kills these Philistines, 30 of them, brings back the garments, pays off his his debt and.
That was that. And so we find him using his incredible strength, but it was only to get himself out of a jam. It wasn't really for the blessing of God's people or their deliverance. You see, the difference between Samson and the earlier judges is that they moved on the line of dependence upon the Lord, and what we find is that they actually affected the deliverance whereby the land had rest.
00:45:17
And the people were truly delivered from their enemies. But you never read of that in Sam's life. All his movements added up to nothing more than disturbances rather than deliverances. By the time he dies, the children of Israel were still under the yoke of the Philistines because God could not fully bless what he was doing, because he was doing it on his own line rather than according to the principles of God. And it's sad, you know, God has given each one of us a gift, but we have to exercise an independence upon him and according to his word.
And when we get the two separated.
God can't fully bless it. We'll see it in the 15th chapter if we have time.
So we find here in the last verse, but Samson's wife was given to his companion whom he had used or had made.
His friend and Sir, here we find something else that's very interesting.
Samson is now preserved from making a term terrible mistake in his life.
Said the girl's father gives the girl to his best man and he marries her.
Samson must have been awful disappointed when he comes back to learn that which we get in chapter 15. But my point here is simply this. God stepped into his life that he was headed on a course for destruction and providentially allowed it that he did not get a chance to actually marry her. Jan Darby and his writings HL Rossier insist that he did not actually marry her. Now it's true that you'll read in verse chapter 15, verse one.
That.
She has called a wife and also in verse 20 here.
But you have to understand it in Bible lens when a person is exposed to a woman.
Even though they have not yet come together and officially married, they're still called the wife. And if you want some proof for that, just read Matthew, Chapter one.
It says that there was a man, Joseph and he was exposed to marry.
And before they had come together officially to be married, the Spirit of the Lord, rather, God himself reveals himself in a dream. And what does he say to Joseph? Take Mary thy wife.
See, in Bible times, when a man exposes himself to a wife and is engaged, it's already looked at as a done deal, even though they have not come together physically. And so that's why Darby makes that comment, and it's helpful here, especially in the application that we're making this afternoon. Samson was then delivered by Providence from getting himself into a mess that would have spoiled his whole life. Now you say, well, when you read the whole story, that's exactly what happened. He asked. That's true, but at least he was preserved in time being. And you see the faithfulness of God here.
Coming in, stepping into his life when he didn't even want God to step in.
And God caused a terrible sorrow in his life. And that disappointment, because he wanted to marry this girl terribly, she pleased him well.
But it was for his own good. And I want to tell you young people, there are many of an adult that's sitting in this audience that has God to think for him stepping in, in a providential way in their life. And I'm one of them.
OK, so you may have experienced A disappointment like this in your life, and there's been a breakup and you don't know why. I'll just tell you this. It's because God loves you. He has something better. He's faithful, and he knows that that relationship wouldn't have worked out for the very best.
And what you need to do is to thank them for it. But it will be hard. It's a bitter thing, I know, but it'll be sweet someday for you. And so we find here that Sampson was delivered for the time being. Now, chapter 15, it came to pass within after a while in the time of the harvest stamps and visited his wife with a kid and said, I will go into my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. So he, Sampson wants to return now and take up where he left off. You think he'd had enough of these Philistines?
Ripped him off. They told lies beyond his back, took his wife and gave it to his best man. What kind of a that shows you the kind of companions that are in this world? What kind of the best man would be happy to take his friend's wife? You think the best man here would have said, well, I'm not going to marry her. That belongs to my friend Samson. I would. No, I just couldn't do that. No, he has no compunction about that. He just steps up and says sure, I'd marry her. And he does.
00:50:09
Such are the ways of the world.
You see all the friends I know in the world not like that. That's because you haven't seen the true colors.
Just wait some time and you will see it. God will expose it for you. And I believe that God exposed the character of these people for Samson. Samson has got a good index now to what kind of people they were. And what do you find? Do you think he's learned a lesson? Is there any confession here of law he's done wrong or repentance? Not a word. Next thing we find is he goes right back to it again.
Oh, this man is a strong willed boy.
But you know, if there isn't any repentance in our lives, we'll turn around and do the same thing over again. God has to grant repentance, and so we find him continuing this path.
What do we find?
The faithfulness of God yet again.
Providence comes in again when he learns that the girl has been taken to another and a father would not allow him to go in to the chamber with the girl.
And so Providence steps in again, and the father just would not allow it, and so he couldn't do what he wanted.
But we see something else here that is alarming and that is that Samson's morals have deteriorated.
He wanted to go into the Chamber of this girl, which was purely if he wasn't married to, would be purely immoral.
This man heading on a downward course, it's going to crash land sooner or later.
And that's what happens in chapter 16 when he gets into immorality with the harlot. You'll read chapter 16, verse one, but for the time being we find that he has been preserved from this.
And so on his anger and his frustration, he's going to set, he's going to get even with these philistines and he acts on a principle of retaliation.
Now where did he learn that principle? Because God's word for children of Israel is we don't act on those lines. Whether you read it in the Proverbs or in the book of Moses, we're not to retaliate.
Where did he learn that? Well, hanging around with worldly people, He's picked up worldly principles. And so now he's going to try to retaliate on the principle with these Phyllis Dines. And so he's got this idea.
And it's purely of the flesh, because you find now when he chases after these 300 foxes, which should be translated jackals, and he catches them and brings them together that.
He uses them to burn and take down the standing corn of the Philistines so that all the crops will be burnt in that area.
He thought this would be a good way to get even with them. Now let me tell you if jackals and or unclean animals that feed on carrion, and they're a type of the flesh. And so it's a picture for us of the servant of the Lord resorting to a fleshly tactic and his service for the Lord in some way and God wouldn't bless it. And you'll see here that the spirit of the Lord does not mention this coming on him.
God wasn't going to identify with that kind of a tactic, but yet you find that he still has the incredible strength, or shall we say, speed. He's not only a strong man, he was a very fast runner.
And he caught these jackals.
But you know, it's really just fighting the Philistines, fighting the enemy with the flesh. It's a picture of the servant of the Lord resorting to fleshly principles to accomplish something.
In the things of God, and God can't bless that.
And you'll find that whenever the flesh is active in service for the Lord, it is counterproductive.
Now the reason why I say that is because what happens here is that he burns up the grain of God's inheritance. Now is that a bright thing to do?
That was God's inheritance. Yes, it was in the hands of the Philistines, but God's way would have been to appropriate it from the Philistines by defeating the Philistines, not burning the food up. That's never God's life. So it's counterproductive.
And we need to learn that in our service for the Lord that we rely or resort and lean on the arm of the flesh. We cannot expect that God is going to bless it. And So what do we find? The Philistines respond and fight fire with fire. These, these boys are playing hardball.
So they go up to his father-in-law, or was to be, and take his the girl and his father her father, and burn her to the at the stake or burn her up anyway.
There, we're going to fight fire with fire. You burn our crops, We'll burn your heartthrob.
00:55:01
Such are the ways of the world.
Samson is learning that the way of the transgressor is hard.
There is a way that seemeth right there, but there are but the ends are of is the ways of death. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death. And so all he did was bring forth death.
What an incredible sorrow. We have exactly 1 minute to go, and So what we find here down in the next, the latter part of this chapter is that Sampson breaks out in a fury and against the Philistines, and he slays them with a slaughter. That's great. And then he goes up to the rock Edom and he dwells there and his brethren come up to him.
And they tried to entreat him and to turn him over to the Philistines.
I don't have time to go any further, but I just want to show you the downfall in chapter 16. I'll just repeat it in this way that by the time you get to the end of the 15th chapter you have the end of the history of Samson's judgeship. It tells you that in the last verse, chapter 16 is appended to it to show us what led to his downfall. And it was twofold first of all as it was his immorality and felt in Gaza and the other was is because he.
Devolves the secret of his Nazarite ship, and so we have two incidences before us in chapter 16 that led to his downfall and it's really sad. I don't have time to repeat it, but you'll find in the hands of Delilah.
That he finally divulges the secret of his strength, and the enemy pounces on that, and he's taken down, You know the story. He loses 7 things. He loses his secret. Verse 17 He loses his hair. Verse 19 He loses his strength. Verse 19 He loses the sense of the Lord's presence. Verse 20 he loses his eyesight. And verse 21. And he loses his liberty.
They bind them in fetters and, last but not least, he loses his life in the hands of the Philistine.
A man that was raised up of God.
That had the potential to affect the deliverance greater than any of these other deliverers.
And it turns out to be a pretty much a flop because of his self Will. Isn't that sad?
One more thing I would like to point out in verse 22, the Samson's hair began to grow again and it just shows us that God can use restored people.
His hair begins to grow again, which should bring before us the idea of.
He's learning submission and for the first time in his life you find that Samson prays.
With regard to his service for the Lord.
Verse 28 He's learned the lesson. He wanted to serve the Lord in his own way, all the way through. But now we find in the last act of his life before he's going to act with regard to the Philistines and pull down that route of the house and everything, we find that he looks up to God and prays and he brings blessing. That was the greatest act that he ever did in his life. So Samson, shall we say, learns, but in a very, very sad way in the end of his life.
It's time to close our Bibles.
You know, this man's life is recorded in Scripture for our learning. We're told in Romans 15, God wants us to learn from the failures of his people as much as from the good things of his people. And so God would have us to learn some very important lessons. Your dear young people, I hope you have heard something from the voice of the Lord, from His word this afternoon, that would cause you to want to please him more and to be very careful with regard to the dangers of fellowship and association with the world. May God bless your life. We pray for you earnestly.
We want to see you. Go on. Don't get tripped up by the Philistines. And they're very deceptive. They know what you're looking for. They know your heart. The enemy knows all about it, and so May God just give you the power to rise above it by His grace. And it's going to come only by drinking in the sweetness of the word of God. Now let's pray.
The Feasts of Jehovah #1: Passover, Unleavened Bread
The Feasts of Jehovah #2: Firstfruits, Pentecost
The Feasts of Jehovah #3: Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles
Time #1: God's Time For Salvation
Time #2: God's Timetable for Our Lives
Time #3: Christian Time Management
The Morning Star In Our Hearts
Address—Michel Payette
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Just saw you not wonder where we're going with the meeting. I've been asked to say a few words concerning the gospel or to present the gospel at the end of the meeting. I'd like to start our meeting by singing together. Him 168. Him 168. The 9th is far spent and the days at hand. No sign to be looked for. The stars in the sky.
Rejoiced any Saints, as your Lord's own commands.
Rejoice, for the coming of Jesus draws nigh.
When I first gathered when I sang that for the first time, I thought it was so beautiful.
Every time we sing it.
We get nearer to the fulfillment of what it speaks about. We've never been so near, dear ones, until the Lords coming The stars in the sky. Let's read from.
Second Peter, chapter one. Second Peter, chapter one, verse 16.
Where we have not followed cunningly devised fables made-up stories.
When we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty.
For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mountain.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy.
Where until you do well, that ye take heed as unto a light that shine it in a dark place.
Until the day dawn.
And the Daystar or Morningstar arise in your hearts.
Well, the apostles that were there with the Lord Jesus, Peter, James and John, they had a picture of the Lorde glory there in the million millennial Kingdom as his face shone like the sun.
And the voice came from heaven. This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.
What a privilege for you and I to have been brought into this revelation from heaven as to this person whose name is Jesus.
Heaven's beloved 1. The beloved of the Father.
But it says in the 19th verse it speaks of the day star arising in our hearts.
Jesus says in the revelation there he says I am the bride in the Morning Star.
You know, the thought of the Lords coming.
Can be for us an event.
An event by which we consider the change of all our circumstances, the change of our bodies and being done with the flesh, and all these difficulties and temporal burdens that we carry.
That is one perspective.
But all about the coming of this person, that this is the moment when we are going to see this one that has been revealed to our hearts by the Spirit of God through this book, and we're going to see that man face to face.
Few years ago, I remember it was July where I live. I don't remember why I got up early. It was four and a half, 4:30 in the morning maybe, and I went out in the kitchen and I could see.
On the horizon, the day dawning, and there it was.
The Morning Star.
That bright spot in the sky, you couldn't miss it. There it was.
I was thrilled as I saw that and considered the Lord was coming.
But you know, when we drove from Portland to Walla Walla for the conference, we kind of worked overnight and we got to Walla Walla and 4:30 or so in the morning as we drove by, I could see the morning star in the sky. There it was.
But I have to contrast their ones.
I knew the same things about it, maybe even more.
But I wasn't as excited.
My heart had grown perhaps a bit cold concerning that Blessed One.
And I trust that as we consider the scriptures together and meet together.
But the result will be for you and for me too.
That our heart would be burning for him like his is burning for us.
00:05:06
So he says in Revelation there.
We'll read that verse.
Verse 16 of chapter 22.
Igs have sent my Angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. 2216 I am the root and the offspring of David and.
The bright.
And Morningstar.
I just want to speak just for a few moments there on that little expression, the bright.
And a Morning Star.
When I consider that morning star I saw a few years ago, that was the brightest object in the sky.
When the apostle Paul speaks of the appearing of the Lord Jesus that he had on the way to Damascus, as he describes it, from one time to another, it seems to be greater light every time, till he speaks of a glory above that of the sun. It just got brighter and brighter and brighter as he spoke of it.
I am a bright and a morning star.
Heartbreak.
How bright for you, How bright for me?
Is that bright enough to eclipse in your soul and mind every other object which would detract?
From saying, Oh come Lord Jesus, we long to see thee finally.
God that has loved us so much, given myself for us.
Well, you can answer that for yourself. I say how bright.
Is he to you? How bright is the thought of his coming in your own soul this evening?
When he appears in glory, you know that will be the most glorious person in the universe is the Lord Jesus Christ. The city won't need any sun or any light. He's going to be there himself and fill the scene by the glorious presence.
You go to Philippians chapter 2.
My brother read from Isaiah 40 there and he speaks of, I believe he's referring to the stars that he knows.
Everyone by name.
Philippians, Chapter 2.
Verse 15.
That he may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as light.
In the world.
You know, you think of the stars.
You walk into the heavens, we look up into the heavens, especially on dark nights where there's no lights, no ambient lights in the area is really dark. You can see these. Maybe you can see, I don't know, many millions. You can see there's so many stars there and they just differ in glory from one to the other, you know, and one that some seem to be blinking. And what a remarkable view of what our blessed Lord Jesus.
Spoken to existence.
Beyond measurement.
Our Savior, the Lord, He made this world and all that's in it.
You know, if you read 1St Corinthians 15, it speaks there of the heavenly bodies, the sun, the moon, the stars that vary in glory, deferring glory Once Upon another, and it's parallel to the resurrection.
And we know that in the resurrection we're going to have glorious bodies like unto his glorious body.
But there's no question He's going to out sign everyone of us and all of us together by His glory. But we're going to have bodies of glory like unto His own glorious spider, just like those stars up there that we can watch. We can think of that as we watch them. You know, when the sun appears.
The stars disappear, you know, the scientists, they say, oh, the sun, that's a small star, you know, and it's galaxies over that big star, over that zillions of years over there. They'll never get there. But that's from a scientific perspective. But God has given us an earthly perspective, and we can behold the sky. And when the sun comes up, the stars disappear. They're all there, but you can't see them anymore.
Because the glory of the sun just fills the scene with his life.
And the others become invisible. And this is where God has chosen in this vast universe, this little planet earth, to manifest His beloved Son and to have us enter into the perspective and view of His glory. We beheld His glory as that of the only begotten Son. The apostle John says that they walk with Him and ate with Him and had the Son of God himself in their midst.
We hardly could take it in, can we?
But as another perspective on the stars, you know that I, I, I enjoy thinking from the Lords perspective.
00:10:04
We shine as lights in the world. We look up in the heavens and we see the stars. And he looks up from the heavens and he sees the stars. He sees the ones that he's left down here to shine for him.
That's what you and I are. We're like, we're the lights of the world.
What kind of light are we giving?
What's the brightness of our testimony?
How we behaving as the Lord is watching us from heaven?
Dear young person, older one too, let's be conscious of this, that the Lord is watching us from heaven.
How do you act?
And how do you react?
How do you affect those about you?
How do you let yourself be affected?
By those about you.
The Lord is watching.
You know, in the scriptures there's different places where you have threshing floors.
Well, they separated the grain from the stems there and they gathered the green there. Kind of a, a test, you know, for believers that we're in to the different circumstances of life where the Lord is putting us to the test to see how we act and react.
And you know, if we were perfect in ourselves, we should act and react perfectly like the Lord Jesus.
But I'm sure if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, there's a reflection in your life in a measure.
In the measure of your fellowship, perhaps, and your knowledge of him and your closeness to him, there's a reflection in your life by your actions and reaction, I trust.
This beautiful character, none to be equal to his, but yet I'm sure the Father delights and so does the Lord Jesus. He looks down here and he sees these shining stars shining for him. Some are on and off like the blinking ones. You know, some of us are like that. But he just delights in seeing that reflection of himself in our lives. You know, I was working for the phone company quite a few years ago and.
I took a management course there and it was a course that had been designed by a psychologist and nobody that went to the course knew about it.
But they just put you through different classes and leaving all sorts of funny situations. I remember because I couldn't sleep at night, I would go home from that course and I was so troubled by the things that had happened. I couldn't, I couldn't figure out what was happening.
So the fellow be giving the course, he'd be giving his course and talking about subject and all of a sudden he'd get upset, he'd tear his sheets up and he'd just leave.
We're all sitting there, twenty of us.
What do we say? We didn't know and things like that happen all during the week, but it was all purposed. They were testing us. They were seeing how we're going to behave.
The Lord is doing the same thing. He doesn't take pleasure, He doesn't make fun with us, but he's looking at how we're behaving for Him, where He has put us in that assembly you're in, in that city where you live, in that school where you're going and that place where you're working. They're with your friends that you know. He knows you're there and you're there for Him, I trust.
How do you act and how do you react?
I have a word for my heart.
And the heart of fathers here, and the heart of you young men who?
The Lord carries you have responsibility of a home.
And take responsibility in the assembly.
We have to be really concerned about how we act.
Because we become responsible for how those that react, react to how we act.
I speak for my father's heart.
An imperfect father's heart. Having my own family experience, you might say, with my own father, meeting men and women in difficulty in this life who have had her to be fathers and mothers.
Our brother in the first meeting today spoke of.
Some subjects we don't like to bring up but he spoke of.
Adultery. Fornication.
And misaligned passions you might say, if I could use that word.
You fathers and husbands, you make sure.
You make sure you hug your wife.
You just make sure you're hugger enough.
00:15:00
That she feels loved and belonged and she won't need.
To be sensitive to flattery or other niceties that come from other men.
You make sure fathers, that you hug your boys the.
That they have this character of a man who's masculine but loving, and I can hold his boys in his arms and give him a hug.
One man I know, I meet many of them. He was 40. He was crying as he was talking to me. He had that difficulty with speaking about and he told me.
My father never hugged me.
But one of his uncles started being nice to him.
You hug your daughters fathers so they won't need to be running in the first young man's arms and wants to give her a hug that she feels loved by a man who's her father, who respects her and loves her without expecting anything in return, with no other motive than the love of God in his heart for his children.
We have great responsibilities. There's ones as the greater we hire in knowledge, we might say, and as we've entered into the revelation of the Word of God in the assembly. How responsible we act for our actions, dear ones. And may we not be the ones that provoke the reaction, the discouragement, the giving up of hope, the feeling of not being loved or wanted or accepted or being so bad.
That you wouldn't want to touch a leopard, would you?
Well, the Lord, you know how he healed that leopard Mark 4.
Be touched.
Can we see that?
You don't touch the leopard.
You touch a leper, you get leprosy. You get this file. You're unclean.
What did the Lord do?
I will He touched Him and He healed them. Don't be afraid, dear ones, to manifest that love of God in a practical way.
I was talking to a brother today about that. I enjoyed the thought of discipline. 2 handed discipline. I like that one hand you keep him away but the other you don't let him go.
We have to be at a distance, but I love you, dear brother. I want you to come back.
Sure, you can apply that in your own heart. How you carry that out not to do any.
Disobedience to the Word of God. I think there's these both of these things and the word of God, The Corinthian Saints, they were slow at acting in a terrible case that was going on and they were slow at reacting to the repentance of the brother and often were like that. So just these thoughts for us, they're ones who are fathers. Think of Abraham. You know what slowed down Abraham?
In his pathway of faith was his father, the last person on earth. You think it slowed them down?
And keep him from blessing in the path of God was his father. So may we were fathers, and you were going to be fathers perhaps of the Lord Tarries. Just make sure you have this clear in your mind as to the responsibility we have.
Towards our spouse.
And our boys and our girls that express one thing that they'll remember, it's not what my brother brought out this afternoon. I'm enjoying what you said there. It's just a sad thing that this is what someone would say. But our children would know that prodigal son, that we loved them and we really care for them. Let's make sure about that.
Well, all these, all these stars shining, you know there's an answer in Second Corinthians chapter 4.
Verse 17.
2nd Corinthians 417 for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, this is now.
It's called light afflictions. I know some are going through some terrible, heavy, painful circumstances, but in the light of eternity, they're called light affliction. But for a moment.
Down here they might last for years, but in the perspective of eternity, there but for a moment our light affliction, which is but for a moment work it for us and eternal.
Weight of glory. So there's an answer in glory for how we act and react down here for the Lord Jesus and patience and suffering and tribulation and difficulty and testing and provocations and discouragements.
Silences and going on for him where we feel there's not much blessing or encouragement.
Know the Lord tests our motives.
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You love the Lord Jesus.
You make sure you enjoy his love for you. The more you enjoy his love for you, the more you're going to love him back.
You say you love the Lord Jesus.
What needs to be presented to you?
So you say, yeah, I love the Lord, but I mean, what's the harm in this? Just for a little while. I'll, I'll, I'll fix that up later.
The enemy of our soul is seeking who he may have are.
He's trying to draw us away. He succeeds.
I'm sure this keeps us. How does He succeed at dividing us who have been brought into the enjoyment of the truth of the one body?
Typed it ahead in heaven we were knit together as one. He's made us that and he died for us to be like that. How did he manage to pull us apart?
And have us write letters to each other trying to keep us apart. How does he manage that?
Does he do that through our children?
To our daughters and our sons. Is that who he does that truth?
We bar heads there ones.
He does it true brothers like me.
Ones who act and react.
We must be missing something when this happens.
We say the Lord allowed it.
Sometimes we say the Lord's cleaning up the testimony.
Lord doesn't sweep away, brethren, He doesn't do that. He died so we be together. He's not going to come and scatter us apart. Somebody else is doing that and he's managing to come into the assembly.
He doesn't come when we're meeting and he comes in the door. A stranger comes in and starts making trouble. It doesn't work like that.
He works through us, getting our eyes off the Lord unto something else, probably a very orchard's fine, it's perfect, everything was said was fine. But there's a spirit working behind it to draw the sight away from the Lord. And if the Lord is not the object before your soul and mind, the reflection in your life is not Jesus Christ.
You're not going to be reflecting the Lord Jesus Christ morally if He's not the one that's before your heart and mine.
Is this something that you attain to and you say well in 1997 finally I got my on the Lord and since then, no, I get my outdoor every day.
But every time I turn around, I look, there he is.
To be gazed at and complete, contemplated and enjoyed and spoken to. And as you do that, don't worry about your testimony. Don't worry about how you act and react. It's something that's going to be done for you by the Spirit of God. You'll have the right disposition of spirit to accept insult and injury and to give a word of comfort or a word of warning. You're not going to be unbalanced.
Well, dear ones.
I want to look at some verses in the book of Ruth.
Before we go to the gospel, you know.
I'm sure this is not something the Lord would say.
He wouldn't say.
What's in this for me?
I think he'd say that.
He lived for his Father's glory and turned big it all to him.
But he says in the 16th some we could just hold our faces in root there the 16th.
Verse 5.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup.
Thou maintain.
My lot.
16th Psalms, the Lord Jesus, perfect servants.
And here he came to Israel, and he had some following.
But Denise had rejected him and he didn't enter. He didn't bring his Kingdom to pass.
It was all set aside. We won't have this Mandarin over us. Behold, the King of the Jews.
Hanging between heaven and earth on a piece of wood.
We'd spit in his face, We hit him with our fists, We pound him with thorns. We pierced his hands, his feet. We whipped his back. We mocked and railed at him.
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup. Thou maintainest my law. He doesn't lose the Kingdom. He's going to have the Kingdom. The Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to be all over this earth. He's going to reign supreme. Lord of Lord, King of kings. God is going to make sure about that. But then the next verse it says.
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The lines are fallen unto me and pleasant places. Yeah, I have a goodly heritage.
These are lines that you take to measure lots.
You know, sometimes you go and you see a piece of land there and you got these lines. So somebody went there and just measured things and put lines right there at the land, starts here and then finishes over there.
While the Lord Jesus has an inheritance there from the Father.
In pleasant places, a heavenly people, a heavenly company. Sanji is going to bring to glory. That's you and me.
What's in this? For me, it's us, Lord.
It's wondrous grace of God that has brought us into relationship with Himself to be the delight of His heart forever as His bride.
We see the light of your heart tonight is your desire to please him in all your ways, to live for him.
You know Lord Jesus, when he was down here, he was a lonely man.
Nobody entering into.
The thoughts and feelings of his heart the very night he was betrayed. My brother spoke of Luke 22. Today he instituted that feast of remembrance.
Who there could sympathize with his heart?
They argued among themselves it would be the greatest. One of them was figuring how much he was going to get when he would sell them.
Peter full of pride, thinking I'm going to be faithful unto death. Nobody entered into.
The thoughts of the Lord Jesus.
But you and I, dear ones, by God's grace, on the first day of the week, we're brought back. The Lord brings us back to Calorie.
And the Father delights by the Spirit of God to bring us through the scriptures and milder thoughts of that Spirit in our hearts, to have us gaze.
Behold.
My beloved son.
That's that one hanging on the cross.
I were called to remember.
You know what, if you just I just want to get through it three in a minute. But in First Corinthians 11 you might not want to turn to it. You know it by heart. First Corinthians 11/23 For as off as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lords death till he comes.
The first day of the week, we look back to Calgary. What are we thinking about our salvation? Well, it's all right to think of our salvation, but we think on Him.
And his suffering and pain and sorrow and forsaking and we can't get beyond that. It's overwhelming. And we just bow and worship before Him as we consider Him there.
We're remembering him in his suffering and death. We're not thinking of an event, we're thinking of him in those circumstances.
We show the Lord's death till he comes.
He is coming. He's the one that's coming. The very same one we thought of on that cross. He's coming.
Why is he coming? It's not. Why are you coming? Who is he coming for?
He's coming for you so you can see his face.
And you can see yours.
And he can hear your voice, while you see his joy and hear his voice.
Well, in the Book of Roots, you know, I've enjoyed these thoughts in connection with Boaz because he's the Redeemer. Boaz is the Redeemer.
And the picture isn't perfect, but I just like to suggest a few thoughts as we consider Bo has in route.
He was a Moabite, had no business in the congregation of Israel up to the 10th generation.
And any godly Jew will tell you she you know, that's what the word of God says. 10th generation.
But God is the ruler of his word. Here's root She's going to be in the congregation of Israel.
Lord is the Lord of the Sabbath. He does what He wants. I need to be obedient and submit to what He instructs me, but I can marvel at His ways of grace and love.
I'm not the one to decide who he's going to save, who is going to discipline, who is going to gather. It's all his business. My business is to listen to him and be obedient and see him work in my life and other people's life and marvel. That is love, grace, patient righteousness and all these qualities we find in him. Well, if she had advice there or six from her mother-in-law, Naomi.
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You know, Naomi was a widow now, and so was Ruth. They lost their husbands and the only two sons that they left.
The land of Israel, and they left Bethlehem there to go into the land of Moab because of famine. And she didn't do the right thing. And when her husband died.
You could think perhaps that Naomi could have said, well, your father brought us here, but probably not. You know, she might have had part there herself and that loss of confidence in the God of Israel, and she found refuge in Mohab 2. But she comes back in bitterness and with her daughter-in-law, Ruth. And she gives her instruction because she has this man in her family who's called Bohaz, who can redeem them and lift up the name of the one that died on his inheritance.
So verse six, and she went down unto the floor. That's a treashing floor I enjoy. There's many nice applications. There are threshing floors. Here's one. Their character are going to be tested. She went down onto the floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law made her. And when Bo has it eaten and drunk and his heart was married, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn. And she came softly and uncovered his feet and laid her down and came to pass at midnight.
That the man was afraid and turned himself, and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
And he said to her, Thou and she Angela, I'm root, thine handmaid, spared therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art and near kinsman where kinsmen Redeemer. And he said, Because blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter, for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end, that at the beginning as much as thou followest not, neither not young men, whether poor or rich. And all, my daughter, fear not I will do to thee all that thou requires for all the city of my people that know.
Art a virtuous woman. And now it is true that I am thy near kinsmen. Howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning that he will perform unto that, if he will perform unto thee. The part of a kinsman will let him do the kinsman's part. But if you will not.
Do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman city. As the Lord liveth, lie down until the morning, and she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before 1 Could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor also. He said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured 6 measures of barley and laid it on her. And she went into the city. When she came to her mother-in-law, she said.
Wright thou my daughter and she told her all that the man had done to her. Well, we'll just stop there. We won't have time to go to anymore. But I just enjoyed this picture, you know, or little glimpses of Bo has he ate and he drank.
And his heart was married. And I think of the Lord Jesus, you know, our Redeemer. He had desired with desire to heat the Passover with his disciples. He ate, He drank, but he was not married. He was heavy with sorrow.
And he went into that garden and Gethsemane.
And he brought with him Peter, James and John.
He wanted them to enter into, to have fellowship. Could he not watch with me an hour?
He could be as he goes there and in the middle of the night he's afraid.
Read in the 88th Psalm.
The Lord Jesus.
The terror of the cross, of the judgment that was before him.
So many thoughts there in the psalms connected with that.
16 Thy fierce wrought.
Going over me, Thy terrors have cut me off.
Verse 15 I'm afflicted, ready to die for my youth. While I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted.
We can't enter it into what was in the Lord's soul. These psalms, these thoughts, are written for us to stop us there to consider and to bar heads in worship. But here Beau as he wakes up.
And there's a woman at his feet.
Who's this woman? She's a Moabite. You know she's going to be his wife.
The Lord Jesus had joy set before him, I'm sure of doing the Father's will of glorifying His name. But there was a woman there, that church that was going to have for himself. He's going to present it to himself at that spot or anything, any such thing. This one, that's his own, but He died for his own bride.
00:35:10
Well, you know, you could reverse the story. Here's the bride now.
And we can lay at his feet, dear one.
Until the morning, as from week to week we come.
And consider that night he went through for us, where there was terror in his soul and judgment for you and I.
We consider.
And watch him.
Men did that in the New Testament, there in Matthews. They sat down and they watched him there with hearts full of wickedness and hatred and jealousy.
But by God's grace, the same creatures.
Visited by God's grace, made alive now in Christ Jesus, we can go back.
How precious. The Lord has given us this, going back and sitting down.
And watching there.
Does that do something to you there one?
Every week does it do something to you, dear brother, dear sister, to consider the Lord of glory?
In these hours.
You think of Utica's, you know.
That's what the apostle and his disciples were doing the first day, going back to Calvary to consider him there, and that night of suffering and deep sorrow.
Are you sitting on the windowsill? Your young one?
Has he drawn your heart to his own heart?
Did you hear his voice? We'd love you to be all at the Lord's Table. But have you heard his voice speaking to you? Saying this too, and remembrance of me?
I think he wants you to do that. Is that the desire of his heart for you? You doubt that from his word that he'd like you to take the time to sit with others that he's redeemed at such a cost, making you part of the same family, making you part of his body to consider together.
Him. Well, you know Ruth, she gleaned there before this chapter. She gleaned.
One measure of barley, it says it was an FI believe. But then when she sat, or she lay at his feet for the whole night, when she got up she got six measures. She had a full measure. She had 7 measures in all. Once she cleaned herself, and six more that the kinsmen Redeemer gave to her. And dear ones, if you and I.
Read the Word of God and search it through. We'll get that measure for our souls.
But what a special measure to sit in His presence and consider as we can.
Is love and the delight of God our Father, who's made us his children. Now this is my beloved Son. That's the one hanging on my cross, right? It's my beloved Son for you.
So we praise the Father and the Son? Naomi asks her.
Who art thou, my daughter?
Perhaps this was the way they communicated there, but the Spirit of God has penned these words for us. What does she say? She told him. She told her all the man had done for her. You know, who are you, Who am I? I am all that Jesus has done for me, and outside of what He's done for me, I am nothing, and neither are you.
You feel sentiments of pride in your heart. That's all we are. We are what He has done for us. He's brought us into blessing at such a cost. What a privilege, dear ones. It says there the man will have no rest until he settles the matter today.
The Lord Jesus, he went to that cross and he settled the matter that day. He said to that thief on the cross, he said today.
Thou shalt be in paradise. No, you didn't say that.
What did he say? Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.
That they've been they be where I am, and that they may behold my glory. We're not going to behold this glory. We're going to be where He, He wants us to be with Him.
And in God's grace, you know, in time he's gathered us in simplicity, weakness to his precious name, and he's promised his presence. May that affect us, dear ones, as we come together to sit at his feet of Calvary, as we come together around him to listen to his voice through the Spirit by the scriptures they administer to our souls, as we come together at his feet to bring our petitions that we might realize.
This wondrous privilege of being added to His name and of being in His presence.
00:40:02
Well, you know what happened. He went the next day there Bo has and he finished the work. The other man wouldn't redeem because she was a Moabite.
Boaz never gave it a second thought.
And then he married her, and she became one of the ones that's mentioned in Matthew chapter one as to the four women mentioned by name in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus.
Just another thought in connection with.
Ruth there, she said. He said blessed be the Lord. I'm just going to get that verse here.
It says under whose skirt does come to December tonight. And he said, Who art thou? And she said, I am Ruth, thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid. I believe the word there. I I'm, I was surprised when I read it in English, but in my French Bible it's before thy wing, under thy wing.
Spread thy wing.
It would be the only man.
In the Scriptures, who's been made a parallel, you might say, to the Lord under whose wings?
We can come and find refuge.
What a privilege for us to know that this one who's a man, Christ Jesus, is God himself, manifest in the flesh under whose wing we found refuge. Well, just want a few more minutes. Matthews Gospel, chapter one.
I want you to notice this here, dear ones.
Names associated with the birth of the Lord Jesus. Something to humble every Jewish heart.
That would be proud.
Every Pharisee, you might say.
Matthews Gospel chapter one, the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, verse 2, Abraham be cat, Isaac and Isaac becat Jacob and Jacob becat Judas and his brethren. You know sometimes you read genealogies and say it's just names but notice this and Judas begat Faradays and Zara of Tamar.
That's the first woman mentioned by name verse 3. And Fatah's begat Ephraim, and Ezra begat Abram, and Aram begat Aminadab, and Aminadab begat Nestle, and Nestle begat Song, and someone begat Boys of Rahab. That's the second one. And Boaz begat Obit of Ruth.
That was the third one and obed because Jesse and Jesse becau David the king and David the king begat Solomon of her. That had been the wife of Urias.
Four women mentioned specifically. They're more grandmothers in that lineage. Only four mentioned here.
Tamar.
You read in the book of Genesis. There you'll find how Judah behaved. There was misbehavior wasn't something you'd like to hear about. You didn't have to read that story out. The Lord brought it out, but show them.
That the Lord had had mercy and patience with them and is dealing with them. Rahab She was a harlot of Jericho. She hid the the the spies there. The Lord used her. He brought her into blessing.
Then you have root the Moabite. There she is.
Associated in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus. Is there anything better than that? Oh, we're.
The bride of the Lord Jesus, He's the One. He wants to be united with us for eternity.
Do you know Him as your savior? Have you done things wrong yourself?
One of these people had done things wrong. David was he did a terrible thing. He was really responsible as a father and he paid the price in God's government in his house. But it's it's recorded here and be cat Solomon. He doesn't say about Sheba of her that had been the wife of Uriah the Lord doesn't.
Passover sin, but he forgives sin.
He doesn't forgive it just anyway.
He forgives it by putting it on himself on the cross and paying for it in our stead.
Tonight, dear young people. Perhaps older one too.
There's a man on high in the glory. His name is the Lord Jesus.
He's coming soon from heaven, and he's coming to get those that he died for, that he redeemed like Bo has he redeemed. Ruchi was his. He's redeemed us with his precious blood, and he's going to take us out of the world. Is he going to take you?
Young man, young lady.
Are you ready for the Lord's coming?
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One last verse before I close Second Thessalonians, chapter 2.
My brother, in the prayer meeting, he prayed. He used John 316, you know John 316. God so loved the world.
That He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God loves you. Nobody can say God didn't love me.
But when God walks up to you, maybe in a gospel meeting, maybe somebody gives you a track or you talk to someone. When God presents himself to you in that way and says I love you, makes you responsible, you know, to receive his love and to receive all the benefit of what the Lord Jesus has done for us on the cross.
Well, in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
There's another one who's coming after the Lord comes.
There's going to be another man that's going to appear and he's going to have all sorts of power and he's going to seduce people.
And he's going to seduce all those who didn't believe the blessed gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it tells us in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
9 Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan.
That's the enemy of God and of the Lord Jesus, with all power and signs, annoying wonders and without, without deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because.
They receive, not.
The love of the truth that they might be saved.
You're going to receive that love tonight, dear, when it cost God so much.
It cost the Lord, those terrors on the cross, to be forsaken in your set in your stead.
You're going to receive the love of the truth tonight. Are you going to reject that love?
What you do, my friend, and the Lord comes.
You're going to believe a lie.
God will allow you to be convinced that this line is the truth. Because you did not believe the truth when this was presented to you in love, you will not receive that love. Well, I trust no one here tonight, this evening.
We'll leave this room.
Without knowing the Lord Jesus their Savior. If you're not sure you have a question, talk to someone. Many of us here would be happy to help you. Just one this little illustration before we go.
If you allow me, Brother Greg, we were talking this afternoon there by the woods and the.
Was brought wasn't it he was playing a little bit further and Greg called me over and says watch this and we watched through the trees and we can see the little boys playing in there we were watching them and then just very softly Greg let out a little whistle. I can't I know exactly what the sound is but you just whistled quietly and I just saw a little boy he just.
He, he lit up. He just lit up and he and he looked and then he saw his father.
He had heard that signal.
Midnight cry. Behold, the bridegroom cometh.
The Lord woke us up hundred and some years ago.
But I'm afraid.
We've kind of fallen back to sleep. Can you hear the sweetness of his voice tonight saying to us, dear ones?
Behold.
I come quickly. That's bar heads.
Paul's Faithful Companions
Address—Robert Boulard
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Let's turn to Acts chapter 20. I'd like to this evening just look at the beginning, the very first few verses of Acts chapter 20.
Because I find them to be very, very encouraging.
They were going to read about Pauls companions. He had seven companions. They were faithful companions I believe and were given to understand something of each one of those companions except for one. His name is only mentioned once and we'll we'll get to that.
But the others, you know, God mentions the Spirit of God mentions them, and with delight.
Just gives little tidbits of their lives and how they love the Lord and how they worked with the Apostle Paul and how the Spirit of God just records how he valued their work and their association with the Apostle Paul. Let's just read in chapter 20 then of Acts and and verse from verse one.
And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them.
And departed for to go into Macedonia. And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, and there abode 3 months. And when the Jews laid weight for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia, and there accompanied him into Asia. So Peter a Berea, and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus.
And Gaius of Derby and Timotheus, and of Asia Tikakis and trophies, these going before carried for us at Trois. And we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and came there unto them to throw us in five days, where we abode 7 days.
Well, we're not going to go much further than that now, if you just turn back one page, perhaps in your Bibles. I just want to bring out a little.
Emphasis on the city of Ephesus. You know, just chapter 18 and verse 19. And Ephesus is mentioned in the book of Acts with very real prominence because it was located, I believe, in the heart of the enemy's territory.
And you and I live in this world, if I could use the terminology, we live in the heart of the enemies territory. And our brother Doug at the Walla Walla conference brought before us a picture of how David and he had three mighty men. And they broke through the host and they went into the heart of enemy territory. And they got a little picture of refreshment for David. And they brought it in affection for David. They loved David and they brought it in faithfulness and affection. They.
Right into the heart of enemy territory and God delights to bless his in His creation. And so I just bring this little picture to you as a picture of God's grace in going right into the heart of the enemies territory, idolatrous Ephesus and idolatrous part of the world and bringing blessings. So chapter 18 and verse 19, it says he came to Ephesus and left them there.
But he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
And then in verse 21, just at the end says, I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus in verse 24. And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
And then we're not going to read about what took place there, but I just point these things out In chapter 19 and verse one, it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. And then in verse seven it says, and all the men were about 12. And he went into the synagogue and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God.
And but when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of Tyranus. And then in verse 17, chapter 19. Verse 17. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus, and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Verse 20. So grew mightily the word of God.
And prevailed. And then verse 26. Moreover, you see and hear.
00:05:03
That not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all ages, this Paul has persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods which be made with hands. Well, we find this little picture. I just like to give this as a little opening statement of how in grace and kindness the Lord Jesus sent the apostle Paul into the heart of enemy territory, as it were, and desired to bring those dear ones from darkness into his.
Light. And you and I have, by the grace of God, the Word of God, the full revealed word of God. It's a great light that has shone in this world and it reveals the person of Christ and his love and his kindness toward us right in enemy territory. And you and I, we live in enemy territory. We don't live in a friendly world. We don't live in a place that loves the Lord Jesus. We live in a place that crucified him. It's a place of unfruitfulness for God, except for the grace and kindness of God to raise up.
Testimonies in enemy territory, little assembly in Ephesus. He raised it up and made it shine brightly in that place. And isn't it the kindness of God to bring us into that place of blessing and to raise up those that would be faithful and encourage us and strengthen us in that place? Well, it says in the first verse of the of chapter 20 that there was an uproar.
In the city of Ephesus there was an uproar.
There was a mob scene and there was.
It says when the uproar was ceased. Why, you know, the enemy is it speaks of the Gentiles, you know, in their opposition to the truth of God and the grace of God. And God sent his man into enemy territory, as it were, and it caused an uproar. He didn't tell the people what they wanted to hear.
And he came and the enemy was angry. And you know the enemy during these meetings that we have here at last, and Pines is going to be working to turn the ear off and to turn the conscience, to try to dull the conscience. And God is not going to tell you during these meetings exactly what you want to hear. He's going to tell you the truth as we open up the Word of God. And you know, the flesh may rise up in any in any one of us. We may hear some things that we don't want to hear, but wouldn't.
Nice if we just submitted to the Word of God and the kindness of God to bring before us those things that are necessary, well, we find here in Ephesus.
Or in in Ephesus that there was an uproar of the Gentiles and but it ceased. And Paul, you know, is the apostle. He loved the disciples. He called the assembly together. It says he called unto him the disciples and he embraced them. Oh, isn't it lovely how God raises up those that have a shepherd's heart for his people and that bring them together and call them together to encourage their hearts and to.
In the path of faith, well, Paul loved the people of God and he had authority. You know, as the apostle Paul were not brought into a place where there is an authority. When we come into the assembly, there is the authority of the Lord and Paul is an overseer, a special.
Oversight given to him of God as an apostle had the authority to call the disciples together, but he called them together in love and he was going to depart he calls them together and he embraced them in that lovely you know it says of the oversight in Hebrews chapter 13 right at the end of.
Chapter 13, it says something that we ought to do with them. And I love that little thing, the little expression. Chapter 13 of Hebrews and verse 24, the very end of that epistle, he says they're going to be overseers among you. And he says shepherds, those that care for your soul, he says salute all them that have the rule over you and all the Saints. You know what it means, that word salute. It means to warmly embrace them to affectionately.
Embrace them. And what a nice thing it is, you know, for us to just affectionately embrace one another as we meet one another here for these meetings and just try to encourage one another in these times. Well, Paul embraced them. And he was about ready to part, to go into Macedonia. And then it says he'd gone over all those parts and had given them much exhortation. He came into Greece.
And so he was very diligent in his work.
For the Lord. And he went throughout all those parts. He was on his way over to Trois and he went throughout that part of Macedonia. And then he came into Greece and he gave them much exhortation. And you know that little word exhortation, perhaps we could read it. Encouragement. I just want to just say this.
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Let's encourage one another. We don't need any, just discouraging words, as it were.
Don't need to talk negatively to one another. And it's a day of of great weakness, a day of discouragement, a day of hard times, perhaps even forgotten People, let's encourage one another. That's the work that every individual can do. And God looks upon us as we are together, young ones and old ones. Everyone of us has a work of encouragement to do. And so Paul had that desire. Everywhere that Paul went, he was encouraging the brother.
Is that how it is with you and me? Do we everywhere we go, do we encourage the brethren or do they, are they sad after we leave? We, they say, well, I wish we'd had a better visit with so and so. I wish that they, you know, there had been some cheer because they were here. But isn't it nice? Paul went and he warmly embraced the brethren and he encouraged them. He encouraged them with thoughts from the word of God, no doubt. And he thought.
Than the things that remain there while you bode three months and so that just speaks to my own soul of a little space of time that he devoted to them and sometimes, you know we just kind of rush up to one another and we say hello and and we barely listen to say to see how we say well how are you and then we're off to the next thing that we're doing. Isn't it nice to just stop and to listen Paul sat where they sat and he listened to what they had to say He didn't just move on so quick that he.
Barely knew the brethren. Why we need to just spend a little bit of time here at Lassen Pines with one another and maybe not just with our favorite friends, but those that we don't know and just get to know those friends. Just get to know them and spend a little bit of time with them and spend time listening, not only speaking in that nice how we get this little picture here given to us. Well then we have in verse three that the Jews laid weight and so those were the religious people of the day God sent.
His man, you know, into Ephesus and into Greece, here, Macedonia, all these parts. And the Jews were the most religious people on the face of the earth. And but they opposed the truth of God in connection with the Lord Jesus. And Paul, you know, went there and there was always a plot against Paul. It just seemed to oppose him. And I just say this to you, the Gentile.
World opposes Christ it's an unfriendly world but generally speaking, in this world, those that are religious and want religion, they often want religion without Christ. And so we have a we live in a scene where the enemy has imitated the truth of God and there are those things in this world that are not according in the religious world that are not according to the truth of God. So I just say this while you sit in this meeting at these meetings and the truth of.
God is presented and the blessedness of what it is to be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus. Just lay hold upon the truth of God and thank the Lord in your soul for what he's given us. And you know that the religious world is going to oppose the truth of God. This is the picture given to us. But now we're going to begin here in verse four with these men that accompanied Paul.
You know, in business, some of us have been in business and and.
One of the first rules of business when you go into an operation and you buy a business or you start an operation.
Is you the first rule of business to make it successful is to surround the top men with good solid people. And it's drilled into into the those business leaders at the beginning of an operation. When you go in and you buy an operation and you try to turn it around, perhaps it's not doing well. You surround yourself with good people and you get rid of those. Perhaps they're not good in leadership and so on. But here you know.
Apostle Paul, the Spirit of God gives us a little picture of how the apostle Paul.
By the grace of God was surrounded by those that were faithful to Christ. That lovely are you faithful to Christ? You love the Lord Jesus. Could the Lord count upon you to send you along with one of the brethren, to encourage the brethren to strengthen the things that remain, to cheer the apostle Pauls heart as it were, and to stand firm for the truth? Could he send you and would you be faithful? Would you be someone that could be count upon as you?
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Just walk with those that desire to walk in the truth of God. Well, the first here thing it says that they came into Asia and I just Asia, you know, means middle and I've just mentioned that it was this this region of the country, this region of the world where Paul went with the seven command companions was right into the heart of enemy territory. And let's not forget that we are in the enemy's world and we need to follow the.
Jesus in his rejection and so here it says mentions so Peter, so patter of Berea and you know, I'll just turn to the a couple of other scriptures. I think there's only one other scripture that mentions so patter. I think it's Romans chapter 16, verse 21.
His name is spelt a little bit differently there.
Romans 16 and verse 21 Says.
Timotheus, my work fellow, and Lucius and Jason and so Peter, my kinsman salute you. And I like to think of this that you know, Paul here mentions this man. So Peter or soccer as a kinsman.
And.
You know, I have found it very, very encouraging that there are those that are related to me, that are my natural born relations, that walk with the Lord, that walk faithfully with the Lord, that read the word of God, that study the word of God, that just desire to walk in the truth. And here Paul mentions this man, So Peter, and perhaps it's the same one that is mentioned.
Chapter 16 spelled his name spelled a little differently, but you know the man's destiny or habitation. He came from Berea and that's very significant because he came from a place that was characterized by those that had perhaps a reverence and an honor for the word of God. If you just turn back one page in perhaps in your Bible to Acts chapter 17, we'll look at that.
The place that he came from.
Chapter 17 of Acts and verse 11.
Well, let's read verse 10, Acts 17 and verse 10.
These were more noble than the those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mine, and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed also of honorable women, which were Greeks, and of men not a few, But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached to Paul at Berea.
They came thither also, and stirred up the people well.
You know this man, So Peter came from a place that God records, a very, very commendable thing that took place there, and that is that Paul, when he came there, these men that were there, it says the first thing it says about them is that they were more noble than those in Thessalonica. They were more honorable than those that were in Thessalonica because when the Word of God was presented, they listened to the word of God.
They wanted to know what God had to say. I want to ask you a question tonight. Do you want to know what God has to say? God's going to be wanting to speak to you at these meetings. He's going to be wanting to speak to you. And there's things in every one of our lives that the Lord is working with us to form us into the image of Christ. He doesn't want us to be conformed to the image of this world. He wants a transformation that takes place from within so that we mirror, we reflect the moral.
Glories of the Lord Himself. He wants us to be just like Christ as we walk through this world. Are you going to be noble and just listen to the word of God with an open ear and have a desire to listen to that word while these men were noble and then it says that they received the word with all readiness of mind. Well, they had a God-given thirst for the truth and a readiness of the mind, I believe.
Speak of the Spirit of God giving us a desire to hear that word and to bow to it. And so we need to have our hearts in tune with Christ. We need to, before we come to these meetings in the morning, pray ourselves individually and ask the Lord for readiness of heart to hear the things of Christ and to have our affections turn to that blessed man who loved us.
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Gave himself for us, spared nothing to bring us into blessing.
And now he's going to have message, a message for us and he wants our hearts to be ready to hear that message. Well, it says that they search the scriptures. Isn't that nice? They search the scriptures. It doesn't say they read the scriptures. I'm sure they did. But it says they searched the scriptures and that, you know, searches my conscience. Sometimes I just read the word of God and and I read it quite quickly, but I want to tell you.
This that I believe that these men, they were poring over the scriptures. They had a copy, a handwritten copy of the Word of God. They didn't have printing presses and someone had gone to a lot of work, a lot of effort to hand write the word of God out. And they had the scriptures there. And Paul came to them and he spoke to them of the Lord Jesus. And they searched and they searched the Scriptures to find treasures in the Word of God. They were searching to find pictures of Christ and we need to search.
The scriptures.
Do you search the scriptures?
Do you personally own a concordance? Do you personally own maybe a new translation that's a little more accurate? Maybe you speak Spanish and you can have a Spanish translation as well as an English translation. I derive tremendous benefit from reading Mr. Darbys French translation as well as the English Bible. And you know, there are many ways that you can search the scriptures, but search the scriptures to find Christ.
And search the Scriptures to find treasures. This is the first man, his name. So Patter and he lived in Berea and he was characterized by those that searched the word. They searched the word of God daily. Now that speaks of consistency and endurance in the path of faith. He didn't if he didn't find it right away, he didn't say, well, I guess we'll kind of wait. We'll see if we find that a little bit later. No, I think he searched daily. They searched daily.
I could envision these men in Berea getting together and searching diligently to find little portions of Scripture that Paul had mentioned to them and spoken to them about and searching it out for themselves and young people. If you don't search the Scriptures for yourself earnestly, for yourself, not just haphazardly, but search for the treasures of the Word of God, search for Christ, search for instruction for yourself.
You're not going to grow in your soul. God wants you to grow. And you know, I use another little business term. You probably have heard it, but brother Bill would know and others, you know, you're either going up or you're going down. You're never the same. Business doesn't just stay flat. Right now the business world is on its ear because fuel prices are very high.
And, you know, I read a little news publication, Automotive News publication.
Article last week and it said that the price of steel for the frames of cars that are manufactured in the automotive plants has gone from $585 a ton to $1000 a ton. Now the steel companies are ripping up the steel contracts with the car companies and they're saying you now are going to pay $1000 for the steel for those cars.
And you know.
There needs to be the recognition that.
There there needs to be that recognition of endurance and consistency in connection with what we do. I guess I lost my train of thought on my illustration, but anyway.
The result was in verse 12 as a result of searching the scriptures, the divinely inspired Word of God, that these men believed there was faith. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
And so you're not going to increase in your faith, you're not going to increase in your growth in your soul if you don't search the Word and read the Word of God for yourself. It's a wonderful resource for you and the path of faith. It's lovely to be able to have this occasion together to read the Word.
Well it says they believe there and then it says in verse 13 that there was the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea. They came to there also and stirred up the people. Well I just wanted to point out that the very first man here that's mentioned of Pauls companions was characterized by those that had searched the word of God. And now after they had searched the word of God, there was opposition by the enemy. And so this.
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So Peter knew what it was to read the word of God and then have those men come from Thessalonica and try to stir up the people. And so God is going to test you to see as to whether or not you're going to walk and what you hear in these meetings. Isn't it lovely to have others of like precious faith to read the word of God together and then to just be able to strengthen one another and to give a sense of the truth and the knowledge of God to strengthen one another. But God is going to allow you.
Tested. And to allow your faith to be tested. This man, his faith had been tested and Paul valued him as a companion and he brought him there with him.
Well, it says of the Thessalonians that there were two men, Aristarchus and Secondus.
And you know, they came from Thessalonica because these two men, I believe the very second thing that ought to characterize a companion of the apostle Paul, one that loves the truth of God and is a companion of Paul, is that he's waiting for the Lords coming, that he's waiting for the Lords coming, waiting and watching for the Lords coming. And these two men, Aristarchus and Secundus, came from Thessalonica. They had ceased to worship idols.
And they had turned to God to serve the living God, and they were waiting for his Son from heaven. I want to give you a little illustration of.
How perhaps we don't watch as we ought to, and we don't wait as we ought to.
There was a man in Montreal.
And he preached the gospel of the grace of God.
And he was a powerful gospel preacher during the 30s forties. He he died in 1962.
In our home, but he went home to be with the Lord and believe. And just in that 1962 in March, and when he was in Montreal, he preached the gospel, gave a gospel track to a man, and he got saved and he told the man that the Lord Jesus was coming again.
And.
While Brother Hammer was there in Montreal visiting, they had to rush over to this man's house because he was in the process of taking the roof off of his house. He was, he was taking shingles off. He was taking boards off. And they came rushing over and they said, what are you doing? And he said, well, I'm waiting for the Lord's coming. I don't want anything to stand in the way. I want the place to be. I want to be able to go straight up. He was, he was in earnest. He wanted the Lord to come. Well, they explained the way of God.
More perfectly unto him. And some of the brethren came to his house and they fixed up his house again. But you know, it's nice for us to be in a practical way waiting for the Lords coming. No, I talked in Walla Walla. I just mentioned my wife's little white dog. Little shame, that abused little dog. She loves Janet, and she'll do anything for Janet. Janet went away for two days. She went on a trip to Ohio to pick up her grandson.
And the little dog loves my wife, and every time my wife goes away, she goes to the front door of the front door, has a glass panel in it, and she sits by the front door and she's going to wait till her Master that rescued her from an abused life.
Comes back and so she sits there right at the front door and she won't budget except for her meals and for to go to to bed at night. And when she gets out, she barks and she wants to go out. We open the door and she goes out. She does her business. And then she she lies down underneath the Maple tree halfway up the hill and she watches her. She's pointed in the direction that she knows the van is going to come from and she waits.
She'll wait all day, she'll wait underneath the Maple tree and unless I call her and she's waiting there and she's watching. And you know this man, this man, Aristarchus and Secondus, they came from that place. They came from the place where they were characterized of waiting for the Lord Jesus and watching for him. And the Lord valued that and Paul valued it. And it's mentioned here that.
Aristarchus was one of those that waited and watched.
From that place, well, as he's mentioned several times, I'll just mention it that it means and it says here in chapter 19 and verse 29.
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It mentions him. The whole city was filled with confusion, and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions and travel, they rushed with one accord into the theater. You know this man who's waiting for the Lord to come.
He knew what it was to suffer with Paul. He knew what it was to, You know, the Romans were very proud of the fact that they thought they had good culture and they had a good civilization. But you read all through the book of Acts and in the Gospels, it was one mob scene after another. The rule of law was just one mob scene after another. They could with their laws and they couldn't control the Jews with their laws. It was just one mob after.
But this man Aristarchus, he suffered with the apostle Paul men in Acts chapter 27. I'm just going to mention these scriptures and then maybe you can just write them down and look at them yourself. But he accompanied Paul to Rome in Acts chapter 27. I think it's verse two. He accompanied Paul to Rome. He was a companion, a faithful companion. He was looking for the Lord to come and just because Paul was being transported to Rome to get to go to.
Oh, he went with them. He went with them. Oh, beloved young people, if the road gets a little hard, are you one to turn back? Are you one to just say, well, this is a little tough. I'm not used to this tough life. And you know, it's a wonderful privilege to suffer reproach with the children of God. You know, Moses, he had an estimation of the value of what Egypt had, and he said, I'd rather suffer reproach with the people of God.
And have all the treasures in Egypt. That's what he wanted. He wanted to suffer reproach with Christ. That's what God records in his word. You know, when I was going to college, I went to interview with the Dean and with.
Program coordinator and a bunch of people and one of the questions they asked me when I was being interviewed for and at the admissions office is this, they said Mr. Bullard.
How much stick to itiveness do you have? Are you, this is a hard program to go through this design school. We have a tremendous dropout rate. And do you, are you one of those people that begin and then you lose interest and then you go on to something else? Or are you one of these people that has real stick to itiveness? You see, of course and that you want to get to the end of that course and you stick with it.
And I didn't really know how to answer that question.
But I trust that I answered it accurately and I got admitted into that program and then was there for the duration of the the course. But that's a question, you know, that each one of us needs to answer. Do we have that endurance that stick to itiveness to be a companion of Paul while we find in Colossians chapter 4 and verse 10 that he was a fellow captive?
Paul said he was a fellow captive. And then in Philemon, verse 24, he says that he's a fellow worker. I thought to myself, well, that's a little bit of a contradiction. They were, those letters were written at the same time, perhaps Colossians and Philemon. And how can he say he's a fellow worker?
And then he's a he's a fellow prisoner.
He's either one or the other. But you know, I thought of it in this way. Even though he was imprisoned, he was doing the work of the Lord. And I see that man tenderly caring perhaps for the apostle Paul, the agent Paul, perhaps just doing a little work in blessing for his brethren in some way behind the prison walls. And he was a fellow worker. And are you fellow worker? Are you one that does just a little work for the Lord?
You know, we have a lot of young ones here tonight. I tell you, my daughter, one of my daughters when they were young.
Wanted to bring friends to Sunday School. Just a little work, just a little funny school in Hammer Bay. You know, if we all come to the meeting, there's nineteen of us. Well, we had a little Sunday school would go out into the neighborhood and get some children, and one of my daughters wanted to have her friend come to Sunday school. A friend came to Sunday school and came for a couple of years, I think, from my memory.
And, you know, in the schoolyard, my little little daughter talked to her friend at the school and said to her friend, do you want to be saved? Do you know how to be saved? And the little friend, you know, said to her, yeah, I want to be saved. And they just walked over to a little clump of trees out in the school yard, and they knelt down in the dirt. And the little girl accepted Christ as her savior.
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Not a nice little work for the Lord. You can do a work for the Lord.
None of us here is too old or too young and the enemy is going to be saying, making all kinds of excuses why you can't do a work for the Lord and that perhaps, you know, you're imprisoned in a certain situation and you really can't do a whole lot for the Lord. But that's not true. I believe that this man.
Here Aristarchus was a prisoner, but he was a fellow worker as well. Then it says Secundus.
Secondus, and I believe that's the only time in scripture that his name is mentioned.
The only time, you know, I thought, I thought, why would God mention his, this man's name as the companion of the apostle Paul? He comes from Thessalonica. His name is only mentioned once. I wonder if he was what we might call a shooting star Christian. Maybe he was, you know, he was there and Paul valued his companionship. No doubt nothing is said about him.
And perhaps I don't want to be giving.
A conjecture in any way, but umm, you know, the Lord loves the Kundus and he just didn't have that. Perhaps that fruit in his life that he could have had and his name is mentioned once. I wonder if there's some here that, you know, you have a real affection for Christ. Or maybe you had more affection for Christ a couple of years ago and you've grown cold in your soul.
They're nice to come apart into a desert place and rest a while with the people of God.
And just seek from the Lord, just to be refreshed and to just renew your desire to please the Lord, to walk with the Lord.
It would be nice here at this little place, this little retreat apart from the world, just to make a decision to follow the Lord Jesus and to lay your life on the altar, just to just give him everything and He's worthy. You know, He went to the cross and bore the judgment for your sins and mine on the cross, and He didn't spare any suffering. He wanted your soul, He wanted your life, He wants everything.
In your life.
Says my son, give me thine heart. Oh, he wants it so badly. Well, that's the kind of I find that a little sad that his name is only mentioned once and nothing that he did or said, well, Gaius here is mentioned Gaius of Derby and Timotheus. So there. Here's two men that come from Derby. They come from a place that's called Derby and.
They perhaps knew one another.
Gas but gas here his name means happy I believe and or rejoicing something like that. And it says in chapter 19 verse 29 where we just read in Acts that he was from Macedonia as well that region and he was a companion of Paul verse chapter 20 verse 4 here and then it says.
In verse chapter 16 of Romans. Let's read it in chapter 16.
That he was.
A host.
I like this little expression. He was a host. Acts 16 and verse 23.
Gaius mine host.
And of the whole church saluted you.
Not nice. This man hosted the Apostle Paul. This man.
Wanted to have the people of God in his home. He loved the people of God. He wanted to provide for them and he was a host. It mentions another Gaius in the third epistle of John and he calls them beloved. And I don't know if it's the same Gaius or not. It says in First Corinthians chapter one, it speaks of the apostle Paul said that he didn't know whether he baptized anyone but Gaius. And I think it's Crispus.
And perhaps this is a different Gaius, but you know the Apostle Paul had this man as a companion.
And his characteristic specifically, I believe, mentioned in Romans is that he was a host. Do you like to have the people of God? Do you like to host them and to do something for them? You know, one of the things that characterizes the people of God ought to be hospitality. Hospitality, doing something for someone else and having them, putting yourself out for them.
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And taking of what you've what you have and bringing them into your home, into the very inner sanctum of your own existence, perhaps in dwelling place in this scene and just providing them for them. And you know, I just think you're, there's a lot of young people here and it's nice for you to encourage one another and to bring one another into your own homes and to strengthen them and to speak of Christ to them. The apostle Paul here.
Value of this man Gaius, and he speaks of them as a host. Well, let's turn to first Timothy. I know second Timothy chapter one, and we'll read about Timothy. Timothy was there as one of Paul's companions. Oh, how Paul loved Timothy.
He had made himself valuable to Timothy, to Paul. First Timothy, chapter or second Timothy.
Chapter One.
And, umm.
Let's just read verse 4 from verse 4, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is indeed which first dwelt in my grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice. And I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands for God.
Not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Well, you know we have a few little lessons here with Timothy, and Paul loved Timothy. You know his name means honoring God.
That nice Honoring God is your life honoring God.
He, Timothy, honored God, he honored the apostle Paul. He walked with Paul, he served with Paul, he was a prisoner with Paul, all sorts of events that took place in Paul's life. And Timothy was right there. And Timothy, you know, got the last letter, I believe from the apostle Paul as he was just about ready to depart. That's how God.
Records Timothy's life. He says the apostle Paul that received the last part of the word of God.
To filled out the word of God why he got the letter the last letter in Paul's life and Paul was encouraging him and he says something that he says he greatly desired to see Timothy and nice to greatly desire to see our friends and those that love the Lord and that we just have a a real hearts affection for because we know that they're faithful to the Lord. Paul wanted to see Timothy.
Who He wanted to see Timothy one more time.
I don't know if he ever got the desire of his heart.
But God records it that he loved him so much, he wanted to see him just one more time before he departed. And he was mindful of Timothy's tears. That is that Timothy had a real heart's affection for the people of God. And he didn't just in a cold way do his work for the Lord. But you know, he, he cried over the people of God. There were tears when they didn't go on very well, and he wept with them when they had sorrows.
And he wasn't just doing a work for the Lord and with the apostle Paul without real feeling, without real affection for the people of God. And so it's an example of a young man.
That shed tears for the people of God. Not nice. And so, you know, as you pray for the people of God, I was thinking it was as I was driving up here, you know?
Brother Walt Porter gave me some of these little lists. Greet the friends. You know, there's enough Greet the friends for everyone, every one of us here in this room. I don't know if you have a little greet the friends, but I was thinking as I looked through the list and prayed for those that are named on some of those pages by name. It helped me to remember the names of those dear ones and recall their faces and just just present.
Them before the throne of grace. Well, Timothy prayed no doubt for them and he had joy, but there was tears and then there was unfeigned faith. He wasn't pretending to believe in God. He wasn't pretending to believe the word of God and to walk in the apostles truth. No, he believed it. And there was evidence in his life Paul could look. And I want to just ask you a question tonight.
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Is there evidence in your life that you love the truth of God? That you would stand for it, That you would defend it? That you enjoy it in your soul?
Or are you just pretending to love the Lord? Maybe there's someone that's lost, doesn't know the Lord Jesus tonight. Tonight, just as you sit in your seat, would be a good time to quit pretending, to stop pretending and just receive the Lord Jesus as Savior. You know the gospel. You know that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and that he shed his precious blood to cleanse you from all sin, to make you perfectly holy and acceptable.
As the Son of God. And you don't need to pretend Timothy wasn't a pretender. He always. I believe in consistency.
Revealed his faith well it says it mentions here his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice and I say to those that are older in the room here tonight that.
It was a wonderful testimony to Timothy to see a godly mother and to see a grandmother that walked with the Lord. And I say to you young people, if you have a mother or a father, an uncle, a grandfather, a grandmother, are walking with the Lord and seeking to encourage you in the things of God. Thank God for them. Pray, pray to the Lord for them.
Thank God for those relations, Paul, I'm sure. Thank God for so Peter, often times.
As the companion, not only a relation, natural relationship, but also wonderful thing to have those that are in the family, in the natural bond as it were in your own family that loved the Lord Jesus and that encourage you, that seek to encourage you. Have you ever thanked God for them or you just take them for granted? Why I believe there was a family bond here between.
Lois, Eunice and Timothy.
And it yielded fruit because you know they were women of faith, and you, grandmothers and mothers in the assembly.
If you're women of faith, there's going to be fruit for God. It may not come in your lifetime. It may not come as you see it, but if you're women of faith and you walk in the truth of God and the apostles doctrine and fellowship, there's going to be fruit for God. There was with Timothy because of these godly women, and I believe This is why they're mentioned. Well, Paul says stir up the gift of God, which is in the by the putting on of my hands. And so Timothy had a gift.
He had some ability, some God-given ability and Paul says just stir it up. Don't just hide it, stir it up. Just seek to in the energy of faith to use that gift and use it for the blessing of your brethren. And so he encouraged him that way. Then it says he wasn't God hadn't given us the spirit of fear. So Timothy perhaps was a little timid, it says in another.
Perhaps in I think it's First Corinthians at the end of first Corinthians that they weren't to despise Timothy when he came, that they were to receive him and not to have him in fear. And so Paul says, you know, you're not to be a coward. Don't be a coward. God hasn't given us the the mindset of a coward. Just go forward in the path of faith and trust the Lord. And then he says.
Be thou partakers of the afflictions of the gospel, according the power of God.
You know, it's a wonderful thing.
To take part in the afflictions of the gospel, to have someone swear at you and throw that gospel tract away, or to say they don't want to come to Sunday school or whatever it is. You know, you're going to hurt inside. But you know, I'll just say this. Brother Gordon Hale, when we used to go to Otter Lake and we were young people, he would say this to us. He would say something like this. He would say, you know, you speak to your friends at at school.
And at work about the Lord, you speak to them, he says, because you know they need the Lord, they need to be saved. They need to know the truth of God about their sinful condition. And he says you're going to be afraid maybe to open your mouth and speak to them. But he says you do it anyway. He says because.
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When you speak to them about the Word of God and you mention and quote a verse of Scripture, they're very afraid that you're going to talk to them in the 1St place, more afraid than you are of them. And he says, secondly, their conscience is on your side. And so when you speak, their conscience is on your side. And so I just mentioned those things in connection with Timothy and then it mentions tickets here.
And tickets.
Was um.
He accompanied Paul here and he was a faithful servant. He was sent by the apostle Paul. We're running out of time here a little bit, but I'll mention in Ephesians chapter 6. If you read it, just jot it down. Ephesians chapter 6, verses 21 and 22.
Paul sent Tiktok as an encourager to the Saints he sent them to.
Kalasha to the Colossi Colossian assembly and any sent him to the Ephesian assembly in Second Timothy chapter 4 and verse 12, and then perhaps in he might have even sent him to Titus, a young man, another man in chapter 3 and verse 12. Paul had a man as a companion who was an encourager of the people of God.
Isn't that nice? He was characterized by being able to be faithfully sent. He would go to an assembly and Paul would say, you know, there's a message that I have to deliver to the assembly, and I want to know how the assembly is going on. And he would send this man to go and encourage them and to find out how they were doing and to just bring a good message back.
Are you an encourager? Do you know how to encourage someone?
Listen to their needs.
Listen as the Lord Jesus listen to them and seek to be a blessing. Mention a verse of Scripture. You know my mother was an encouragement to me when I was young because you know when I said I would like to do something, she often used this little phrase, if the Lord will.
If the Lord will, will go and do that. If the Lord will. If the Lord will, If the Lord will. And I think of that oftentimes now as a grown man. I think of how my mother's used that little phrase, if the Lord will. But you know, I think of how there was a man.
Well, to tell you a little illustration.
There was a lady by the name of Eva Chris and she lived in San Antonio, TX and there was a brother.
I went there to San Antonio, TX. I would have business in San Antonio. And so I would go and visit her and we would break bread. She was there alone in San Antonio and there was one other sister, I believe at the time, and we would break bread in her living room, just the two of us. And they were precious moments. And the first time that I went there, I went there and she pulled out. She hauled out a little big book out of her.
End table, It was in a drawer. She asked me to go and get that book and I said well what is this? And she says this is my book of remembrance.
And she said, she solemnly took it out of my hand and she laid it down on the table and she flipped the pages and she came to the page and a big, thick book. And I would say maybe half of it had names of people that had come into her life and had encouraged her. They'd come into the home. And here she was at the end of her life. I don't know how old she was when she went home to be with the Lord, but.
You know, I, I looked in that book and she asked me to sign it. So I signed it. I said this brother here.
I was just in his home last weekend. He didn't come here. How come his name is in here? She said, well, you know that brother picked up the telephone and he called me and we had such a nice visit on the phone. He encouraged me. I'm all by myself here in San Antonio. He spent all kinds of time on the phone. He encouraged me. And she said I wrote his name in my book of remembrance.
And that's why it's there in that book and everyone of us.
Ought to be able to be sent by the Lord by the heart of God himself to encourage our brethren in some place while just mention trophies here in closing trophies was an Ephesian it says in chapter 21 and I think it's verse 29.
Acts 21 verse 29 it says for they had seen before.
With him in the city of Trophamus and Ephesians, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. And all the city was moved, and all the people ran together, and they took Paul and drew him out of the temple, and forthwith the doors were shut. Well, here was a companion of Paul. He was an Ephesian. And then it says in Second Timothy chapter 4 and verse 20 that Paul had left him.
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In in Ephesus, I believe he left him there sick.
He left him sick. And Paul, you know, there was a work of God going on in this man's life. Trophy must no doubt. But you know, he came from that city of great privilege, that city that Paul had labored in and where there was a nice little assembly. And Paul says he was sick and he didn't heal him.
And I just wonder if it's just a little picture for us that there was something Paul, perhaps the word of God just gives us to know that that perhaps there was that beginning of the leaving off of first love and the Lord was working with trophies.
And he caused some sort of a sickness. And we're not told what it is to stir them up and to get them to feel how short life was. And God, you know, may be working with you in one way or another to prove to you that life is very, very, very short. Very short.
And He may be allowing something in your life to prove to you that life is short and it won't last very long. Only what is done for Him will last at all. And this world is perishing. It's going on into judgment, and God is going to judge. God is very, very patient, but He's not infinite in patience. His patience comes to an end, but He wants fruit in your life and mine.
And he'll do what's necessary to get that fruit.
He's, it may hurt, but he may cause that there's something that comes into my life for yours. And he wants the fruit and he's not going to send somebody to take the hard trial away. He wants the fruit and it's going to hurt. And God desires that we wouldn't run away from what he brings into our lives. He doesn't want us to run away from it. He wants us to just submit.
To it, you know, I'll just close with this little story that our brother Gordon Hale again used to tell us, You know, as young people in Otter Lake, he would say, you know, young people, they're going to be really hard things that happen in life. You're going to have trials and difficulties. And he said, I want to give you a little bit of advice. He said when something hard comes into your life, a trial.
He says you get down on your knees and you thank the Lord for the trial.
The first thing you do, you thank the Lord Jesus for loving you enough to send a trial of difficulty into your life and you ask the Lord for help, that there might be fruit for him as a result, and that you would learn the lesson that needs to be learned as a result. And so that's something that I just pass on to you. If the Lord is working with you and you're left in a place, as it were, alone with the Lord, and there's just a little trial, maybe a big trial that you just submit to the.
Lord, and you seek a blessing, always going to bless you. He loves His people. He blesses His people all. He wants you to be here at Lassen Pines and to be encouraged and strengthened in the faith and to be a companion of His. He wants your companionship, and isn't it lovely to be able to enjoy the companionship of the Lord?
In the wilderness scene, do we have time for a hymn or should we?
God's Provision In the Last Days
Address—Steve Bambauer
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I just want to bring out.
This line in verse one, we're just going to sing verses one and two. Exhaustless spring.
The water is free. Think of that exhaust less spring thought that the first few verses.
We would look at.
In the book of Joshua.
Chapter 15.
And I'll start with verse 12.
Now I'll start in the middle of verse 13.
Even the city.
Of Arba, the father of Anak. Which city is Hebron?
Now go down to verse 15.
He went up thence to the inhabitants of De Beer, and the name of De Beer before was Kirjath Seifer. So these two cities had their names changed.
I understand that Kerja Seifer means City of books.
Before it was called De Beer.
And you know, if we're going to go to the world for our information, it changes.
Names change, concepts change, conclusions change.
Explanations change.
Time magazine comes out with a new magazine every single week, the newspaper every day.
Anything in the world is always changing.
Even what they're going to tell you as truth today.
Is different than what they told me when I was in College in the 1960s.
And a lot different.
Even some years before that.
Now in verse 16.
Caleb said he that smite a cure Jack Seifer and taketh it.
This is a tall order.
To be able to overcome all the whims and changes in ideas and philosophies that we hear at college from our neighbors.
In the publications.
Caleb one and somebody that got one foot in front of the other and kept going on a straight path.
He had a tremendous prize for a person who could do that.
He that smideth Kath seifer and taketh it to him, will I give AXA my daughter to wife?
We have a candidate.
Oth Neil, the son of Kenas, the brother of Caleb.
Took it.
And he gave them AXA, his daughter, to wife.
This is what you might call a good match.
Because they were of one mind, they weren't always changing their mind about everything. Axel was well taught.
Caleb never changed his mind when those seven, when those spies went into Canaan and came out with the report.
He gave the same report that God said he would take them up there and he would be with them and he would deliver them and the other boys came back with a different report.
Caleb was a man for all seasons.
Caleb believed God. That's exactly what he wanted for his son-in-law.
One that wouldn't just be coming and going back and forth, in and out, to and fro.
And he gives Amax to his daughter, to wife.
And now she shines.
And it came to pass, as she came unto him, she was number hindrance, doth Neil.
She was indeed a helpmeet.
That she moved him to ask of her father afield.
And I imagine that he did, and that it was granted.
And the Lord loves to give us what we ask, when we ask in His name.
With his mind.
So she lighted off her *** and Caleb said unto her, What wouldst thou?
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Sometimes when the Lord came to someone or someone came to the Lord, he would say to him like the blind man when he was going through Jericho.
What wouldst thou that I do for you?
And his answer was simply that I might receive my sight.
And the Lord granted that.
And sometimes we'll come to the Lord. He might say, in effect, what exactly do you want?
And what Axel wanted.
What wouldst thou? She answered. Give me a blessing.
For thou hast given me a Southland, this field that she motivated Oth Neil to ask for, and he got.
But anybody that's a farmer knows that if you have a field, you're going to need to irrigate it. You're going to need water.
And where these folks were there in Canaan is a, is a, a climate, a geography very similar to the great Central Valley in California where I live. And it's called a Mediterranean climate. And it's warm and dry in the summer and it's cool and wet in the winter. And you don't get any rain in the summer. You just don't get any rain in the summer. It's a fluke. Everybody will talk about it if 1/4 or 1/2 an inch.
Comes down, it's something everybody will talk about.
But that's when the crops are growing, that's when the harvest is at the end of summer, at the beginning of fall, and you have to get water to it.
And so we, being clever Americans, drill wells, build dams, make lakes, and have water supplied through canals all year long, so that the great Central Valley, because of its long growing season, its moderate climate, its rich soils, and its its access of water, is the richest agricultural district.
In the whole world.
So AXA realized that just the field wouldn't do. They had to have some water.
He came to pass. As she came to him, she moved to ask her father a field she lighted off her ***. Caleb said, Under what was thou who answered? Give me a blessing, for Thou hast given me a Southland. Give me also springs of water.
And he gave her the upper springs. Romans chapter 5 and verse 10.
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled.
We shall be saved by his life.
There is a man in the glory, and he's our advocate, He's our high priest, He intercedes for us, and he is an all the way home Savior.
It's the upper springs.
With a man in glory. That's for us who invested himself at Calvary.
To redeem us.
We shall be saved by his life, the upper springs.
And then she says in the Nether Springs.
John, 739.
I'll start at 38.
Well, let's take the red print in verse 37. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this is fake of the Spirit which that which they that believe on him should receive.
For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. And so when he goes up on high, he sends the Spirit of God to indwell every believer. The nether springs, water from above, water from below, a fruitful field, everything is in place.
Again, the fruitful field is the word of God. I take it as the word of God.
We should be reading it with diligence.
Having precedence over anything else that we read, whether it's professional journals.
The Daily News or whatever that we're interested in or needful to know.
This is the book that gets us through life step by step and brings us all the way home, gives us the information. It's the manual. It's the map.
For our journey.
But a field is a dry field without the Spirit of God.
To read the word of God by the natural man is fruitless.
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But to read the word of God with Christ in glory in mind, and the Spirit of God to make these things real to us.
We have all the tools. This is exactly what we need.
What we need to apply to this formula?
Diligence and purpose of heart and that it will keep us.
No matter what the circumstances are, will be kept.
They had just come into Canaan.
And this is the provision given at the outset.
You get saved. This is what you need, Word of God.
Occupation with Christ and glory.
Spirit within.
And here, Joshua, in the book of Joshua, at this point, they had just come into the land.
Next passage I'd like to read is in Judges, and it's in chapter one.
And it begins at verse 12. And Caleb said he that Smideth cured Jath Seifer. Nope, I'm going to start verse 11. And from thence he went against the inhabitants of De Beer. And the name of De Beer before was Kirjath Seifer.
And Caleb said he that smideth Kirjath seifer and taketh it to him. Will I give acts of my daughter to wife?
And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it, and gave him Axios daughter to wife. And it came to pass when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father afield. And she lighted from off her ***. And Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? And she said unto him, Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a Southland. Give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. And here we are in the book of Judges.
Well, it's not Joshua anymore. They're not fresh in the land.
History marches on.
Joshua there. That account was about 1450 BC. This is several 100 years later.
And now is the time of the judges.
And we see ups and downs, to's and fro's, backwards and forwards, 2 steps forward, one step back. It seems like in judges, or maybe 1/4 back and two forward. The Lord is good.
And he made provision, but the provision is the same for us now at the end of the day.
That's what I'm getting at.
Here we are toward the end of the day.
And we have the same provision. If I had read this back again in the book of Joshua, I don't think you would have caught it.
While you read along with me in the book of Judges.
We have the same needs.
At the end of the day.
As the believers at Pentecost had needle.
Now if you will turn to First Timothy.
Chapter One.
Unto Timothy verse two, my own son in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Things were in pretty good order here when he writes this first epistle to Timothy.
This is the instruction that he gives him.
Go to Second Timothy.
Also verse 2.
Now the apostles in prison.
He's coming to the very end of his course.
To Timothy, my dear beloved Son, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I noticed one difference in this anyway.
In First Timothy, it's Lord Jesus Christ.
But here Christ is put first, Christ Jesus our Lord.
What hope is there for this world?
Is there any hope for this world?
After 2000 years and here we live.
In the land of liberty, and I heard.
The songs that were sung the other night on July 4th up there.
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And we're so very thankful for the liberty that we have in this democratic experiment in which we live.
It's like walking a tightrope and you have your balance bar and you've got liberty on one side and law on the other, and it's a delicate balance, this democratic experiment.
To balance both liberty and law.
In an absolute despotism or monarchy, it's all law.
And you do as you're told.
And anarchy. It's all liberty and no law.
Well, what we see is the balance beginning to tip.
More toward liberty.
And less toward law. And it's becoming every man for himself.
Every man doing that which is right in his own eyes.
Because right is being lost sight of.
Truth has lost sight of as an absolute.
Right and wrong. Once truth is lost sight of this nebulous, it's up for grabs.
Purpose.
There's no meaning destiny, there's no destination, so you live for the moment.
And whatever tickles you, you grab with both hands.
Without any regard for anything else.
And even legislation has jumped into the mix.
And we know that well in California recently.
Well.
In Second Timothy, chapter 4.
I'll read verse three and verse 14. Second Timothy. He says continue thou.
Falls in prison. He's given instruction to Timothy. It's instruction to us.
Paul's doctrine.
Is isolated. It's marginalized.
By marginalized.
I mean, it's set aside. It's hardly known.
Even in Christendom.
To Paul, Paul is given the truth of the church, the truth of the one body.
But he says.
Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of.
What we learn from the field with the upper and nether springs is something.
You can bet your life on.
You can invest your life in.
There is nothing else.
Everything else is going down to judgment, and the Lord is coming back.
As Christ, and we look forward to that, He's God's anointed man, the Christ. And in the meantime we see all kinds of difficulties.
And God says in Ezekiel, I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it shall be no more till I give it him whose right it is.
A Christ and it doesn't anybody elses, right?
The man of sin will try to take hold of it. He's the usurper and always has been.
We only.
As believers on the Lord Jesus have any hope and future and basis for how to conduct ourselves and purpose in this life, we only.
Anything else is just made-up along the way. It'll change probably before the next generation.
Then in chapter 4.
I'll start at verse 2.
He gives us something to do.
It's not that Timothy was to find a cave and living there.
Preach the Word.
Be instant in season, out of season, Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering, long-suffering.
And doctrine. That's teaching.
We can be certain of the doctrines or teachings of the Word of God.
We don't want to mix it up and call it one thing yesterday and another thing tomorrow.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. We're talking about Christendom now. In First Timothy. The problems are in the world, but now they're even in Christendom.
Will not endure sound doctrine.
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Time will come, here we are.
But after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears?
And when I apply this to Christendom, I'm not. I'm not painting with A broad brush. There are many believers who love the Lord and want to please the Lord.
But Paul's doctrine is.
And it's considered a virtue.
To go out and start a church your own.
And build it as big as you can.
Why won't they endure sound doctrine after their own lust? Shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears? They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned.
Unto fables.
But watch thou in all things.
Endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, Make full proof of thy ministry. What a good word to us.
There's plenty to do.
Even in our own little corner.
And if we just sit back and let others do it or or think, there's nothing left to do.
You know what happens?
To the little boy that gets bored.
So when he starts to torture the cat.
It's fruitless.
Gets into mischief.
It's the same with a believer, you know.
By tomorrow at lunchtime, I could make a right turn into legalism, I could make a left turn into licentiousness, and everyone of us here could do the same thing. What we need.
Is diligence.
Paul's in prison.
I am ready to be offered. The time of my departure is at hand. He has a good conscience. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith.
He represented the Lord Jesus with integrity.
In a place where he is despised.
When I was over in Vietnam, I was on a flight.
It was November 22nd, 1969 and I've told this story before.
Our wingman was shot down. We had gone in, rolled off the target, the wingman came in and he got shot down.
We called for a helicopter.
And we got the helicopter there, but it takes a while because he's not parked next door to the target. And it takes time and you have to evade a little bit. And Jim found a little Bush. Jim Bedinger was in the back seat, Herb Wheeler in the front.
And you hid under that. And he says I've talked to him on the PR2 radio from the airplane to him, his little handheld radio.
And about troop movements up on the hills he could see, and he realized that they had spotted him.
And we had to go back for recovery. We couldn't stay there. Another airplane took over while the helicopter showed up. I talked to Jim Bettinger was shot down November 22nd. They captured him. They took him to the Hanoi Hilton and he got there December 7th. He said he remembered that because it was Pearl Harbor Day.
I had a chance to talk to him about 30 years later after this. Found out where he lived in San Diego. Had lunch with him just a few years ago.
He hid out as long as he could, but they came in against him and they captured him just about the time the helicopter got there.
And he was about 200 yards from where Herb Wheeler went down in a patch of trees, was able to hide a little better, and the helicopter went to Herb and they let down the cable.
And they start to haul Herb up and Jim standing over there a couple of 100 yards.
He says they're closing in on me. It doesn't look like they're going to shoot. Looks like I'll be a POW click. End of conversation. They captured him and as they're leading him away, he's looking at the helicopter with the line down and the hoist and Herb is being pulled up and he can look in the Bay of that helicopter and see the fellow up there with his machine gun and he's looking and they're taking fire. There was fire all over around there. The reason they.
Crashed as they had taken a hit.
And as a helicopter gets Herbie out of the trees, it's out of there. And here's Herbie danging like a lure on the end of the line, and they're hoisting him up as they're taking off.
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And Jim is being LED away to the Hanoi Hilton.
And they take him up there.
Since November 22nd they get him there on.
December the 7th they put him in a cell.
Between James Stockdale and John McCain, who were also prisoners of war, into a cell with a fellow named Ernie Brace, who was also captured. We were flying in Laos and so was Ernie Brace, and they put those people together.
And so of course, the commandant came and talked to Jim. Jim wasn't very old, he was just out of a university up in.
Pennsylvania.
And his major was history.
And he graduated. He went into officer candidate school, graduated, went to training and hit the fleet.
By the time he cut loss shot down, he was only 23 years old. He was the youngest POW in the Hanoi Hilton.
So the command thought he had a chance here.
Commandant is going to try to separate Jim from the rest of the prisoners. The senior ranking officer, I'll call him SRO, is the one you answer to in prison, whether he's in the Marines, Navy, Air Force, everybody that's junior to him answer to him, answers to him. He gives, he gives the orders.
Doesn't matter whether you're black, red, yellow, white, American, European, African, We answer to the same sovereign. That's why we call him Lord.
And so in this prisoner of war camp.
And they took Jim out the commandant, and they said you're we're not going to treat you as a.
As a war criminal, we're treating all these others and recognize them as merely war criminals.
But we're going to treat you as a prisoner of war.
You're young, you don't know as much as these others. You didn't know any better. We will show you a little better favor.
Kim's not very big, about 5 foot eight. Of course the Asians went that big S he's looking eyeball to eyeball, he says now.
These men are not.
These men are prisoners of war. They're not war criminals. The Geneva Convention told you it was a history, Major says.
Gives us the instructions on how we're to treat prisoners of war in the common doctor. But Vietnam did not sign the Geneva Convention and Jim said well the communist Chinese did and the Soviet Union did and it is a document that is universally accepted as.
How warring nations will treat prisoners of war.
Well, he had something just a bit transcendent, if I can put it that way, on how we're to treat people.
This book is a lot about that.
And that's why I'm making some of this analogy, the commandant said. You have a bad attitude, I will punish you. And he turned on his heel and walked away and never came back.
So Jim spent the rest of the war there in the Hanoi Hilton.
And in 1973 Mr. Mr. Nixon had sent Henry Kissinger over to Paris for some Paris peace talks in trying to find some resolution to the war. It became evident because we got into that in 60 four there we had been for.
64 There's six, I mean nine years, no progress, no hope, Insight expensive 60,000 lives lost in that war.
People my age at that time.
Friends. Some of them were my friends. Some of them I knew.
No hope insight.
The American public was absolutely, almost unanimously against the war by that time.
So Kissinger went over and bargained or or negotiated with the North Vietnamese and told them that we would pull out of the war.
But what we wanted is our prisoners of war back.
All right, they were going to agree with that because they knew Nixon and Kissinger knew that the moment we pulled out of that war, South Vietnam would be over Iran.
00:30:03
They were not able to muster a government and a military whereby they could protect.
Well, we pulled out in 73, spring of 73 and by spring of 75.
The Communist N Vietnamese had indeed overrun South Vietnamese South Vietnam and annexed them, annexed them all into one country.
But they agreed to let the prisoners go. There were little over 300 of them.
And they had them the day that the plane was supposed to come to pick them up. They told all the prisoners, shower up, get your best uniform on, stand out here in the playground in rank.
So here are all these 300 or so out here at parade rest.
There's going to be an airplane coming to pick you up.
Haha what do you think they were doing?
Reading the communist propaganda that they were handed.
Maybe a plane's coming. I don't know. I don't hear it.
What are they reading? What are they given? Not too many letters from home. Except Dear John letters. They got those all the time.
That means the wife is leaving.
Tired of waiting? They got those. Anything that would demoralize them, they got that news.
They're standing out here. An hour goes by number, plane.
One guy looks to the other. You think this is a hoax? Well, I don't know. We've been through hoaxes before.
I think this is for real.
I hope so. I hope so they continue standing out there.
Pretty soon.
With the trained pilot's eye, before they hear the sound, they see a little dot.
In the southern sky.
Almost as if it were a point of singularity in the southern sky.
And it emerges.
And it takes on the sound of an aircraft and it gets closer and closer and they see, I think it was AC130I may be mistaken about that. Had the Stars and Stripes on it. It's coming into the Hanoi airport. Can't land there in wartime, you know?
They see it.
Oh, you think they were happy?
The Lord is coming for us and we want to walk here in integrity in the enemy's land.
Under pressure and we're given all the tools for it.
Just read it.
Back there in Joshua and judges in First Timothy and Second Timothy.
He's given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue all things we have.
So they came and they picked up these 300 or so prisoners, a little more than that, and they took them back and they.
I think they came to Travis first, Travis Air Force Base. They might have made some other stops in Germany to give the fellows a medical and quite a number of them got off at Travis Air Force Base is down in the Bay Area. Then they went to Los Angeles to a base there and let off quite a few more and then on to San Diego and that's where Jim and Jim's wife lived.
And there were only five of them left on the plane.
Didn't expect too many to be there, maybe the wives and some relatives.
And so they opened the door to the plane and put down the ladder and the first guy going out from the senior officer to the most junior, and that was Jim, he pokes his head out there and he ducks back into his.
There's at least 5000 people out there.
They're going to want to give on, want someone of us to give them a speech, I suppose.
Bettinger, get up here.
Junior officer there.
And he had about 5 seconds to figure out what he was going to say. He's a history major. Remember I told you that already.
He pushed him out there and he looks all those people out there. He knows his wife is there somewhere.
Better make this good.
00:35:00
Sure, good to see you all.
You know, when I was a boy, I lived in Pennsylvania and sometimes my dad would take me down to.
Philadelphia. And there was this Liberty Bell there.
As a boy 10 years old, I got to that feeling.
Crap, I put my finger on that crack.
He says. I wonder if that thing will ever ring again.
And he says today, I know that it still rings true for freedom.
God bless our country. God bless our commander in chief.
That was his speech.
Went over quite well.
Well.
What do we make of that? There's a day when you're going home.
And what will be?
Or shout a picture.
God bless his people and God bless our commander and chief.
Lord Jesus Christ, what a reward at the end.
See another hymn.