Lawrenceville Conference: 1998
Table of Contents
Jeremiah, Daniel & Ezra
John 1:15
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Verse 15 John bear witness off him in Christ. See this was he of whom I spake need to come up after me is preferred before me, for he was before me, and now his fullness has all we received, and graceful grace for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.
He declared him, and this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed I am not at Christ. And they asked him for them Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered No.
Then said they unto him, Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou thyself?
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, to make straight the way of the Lord has, said the prophet Isaiah. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptize us all then, if there'll be note that Christ nor Elias neither that prophet John answered them, saying, I baptize with water.
But there standeth one among you who me know not He it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes latch that I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in both of our.
You know Jordan, where John was baptizing the next day. John, see if Jesus coming unto him, and sayeth, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me, and I knew him not, that he should be made manifest to Israel.
Therefore am I come baptizing with water, and John Baer records saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost.
And I saw in their record that this is the Son of God again the next day after John stood and to have his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said.
Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came, and saw where he dwelt, and above with him that day, for it was about the 10th hour.
One of the two which heard John speak and followed him with Andrew.
Simon beat his brother, He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiahs, which is being interpreted to Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and finest Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Now fellow for Self Athletic, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Phillips finest Nathaniel, and saith unto them, We have found him through Moses in the law, and the prophets is right Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him, And there any good thing come out of Nazareth. Philip said unto him, Come and see Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him. Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.
Nathanael saith unto him.
Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, When thou was under the thick tree, I saw thee, Nathaniel. Daniel answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw the end of the fig tree, believeth thou?
Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
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As he carries out this ministry that the Lord had given him and speaks the very words that were given him to speak and to preach, he had a wonderful message to present. He was announcing the coming of Christ. He was pointing to that Blessed One. And we see from this portion and other scriptures concerning John the Baptist that that was the whole, the whole thrust of his ministry was to point to this Blessed One later on.
Chapter when he sees the Lord Jesus walking, he points to that one declares him as the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world and what was the result? Will John's disciples left off following him, Two of them and they followed the Lord Jesus. His whole desire was to point to the person of Christ, wasn't it? And brethren, that ought to be our desire to by grace, whether it's to speak a word for the Lord Jesus.
In the classroom at school.
Whether it's our testimony at the office, wherever it is in the neighborhood, whether we're with the Lord's people or whatever our situation is, our real desire to make much of Christ and nothing of ourselves. When they came and asked John who he was, why he said I'm just a voice. I'm just speaking the words that have been given me to speak concerning this blessed person.
And so are we content to be just a voice? We're left here for a testimony to speak for Christ and appoint others to Christ.
Are we content to be just a voice? The hymn writer said not. I may live while here below, but Christ our life may be. Are we willing to make much of that blessed One and nothing of ourselves? And what did the Lord Jesus say of John and his ministry of those born among women? There have not risen a greater than John the Baptist. He was willing to make nothing of himself. He said he must increase and I must decrease.
But I only point that out because.
The spirit we see in John, and his whole attitude and desire, we ought to covet for our own souls as well.
It's been said that we can be known in greatness and littleness and one of the charming.
People that we know pretty well from the Bible is.
The writer of the third Gospel, Luke.
Who never once mentioned his name.
He got his name put to a book.
But in his writings he never once mentioned his name.
And the way scripture is written, there are others who are nameless.
Take, for instance, the man we call the Prodigal Son.
He's not even called a prodigal in the Bible that I can find and we don't know his name.
I think God has written it down that way so that everyone of us can put our name in there.
And maybe we could follow Luke in that way. Well, John the Baptist is very charming. And in this chapter, what is soap?
Interesting in that way is that we have two jobs.
We have John Lee.
Forerunner and we have John the follower.
And they just seem to merge.
In their words in this very chapter, I can't tell where.
The sayings of.
Writings are the words of John the forerunner stop and John the Follower go on because he wrote the book John the Follower.
Well, they're both very charming and God used both of them.
There's so many statements that John the Baptist makes.
Verse 15 This was he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And again in verse 19 this is the record of John. When they asked him, Who art thou, He said I'm not the Christ. And again he says I'm not, and he says no.
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Who art thou and the voice of one crying in the wilderness?
And asked him why he baptized. In verse 26 Jesus answered them saying, I baptized with water. But their standeth one among you whom you know not He. It is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes lashes are not worthy to unloose. He seemed. These statements seem to imply he really knew who he was.
And then the next day, verse 29, John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God.
Which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh the man which is preferred before me, for he was before me. And then you have those words, and I knew him not. And again in verse 33, and I knew him not.
I've never been able to really understand that. Wonder if someone could give us help on that. He seems to understand who he is and that he was the one to herald his coming. Points him out, calls in the Lamb of God, calls him later the Son of God.
That says I knew him not. How do we understand that?
Then a little later, he.
Sends messengers to Jesus and says, art thou he that should come or look away for another?
He still seemed not to know for sure. That's not in this chapter, though. That's a little later. That was when he was in prison.
And everything seemed to be going the opposite to what he had expected. Expected the Messiah would come in power and glory and set up the Kingdom. And that wasn't happening. And he was confounded in prison. And we can understand that how the mind works. But these I knew him not here. And there's got to be a good explanation. I always thought the answer was in the 33rd verse.
And I do have not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me.
Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit, the assembly and remaining upon him the same as he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost, that we really don't know truth except by the Spirit. And until the Spirit marked him out, he had to say, I, I wouldn't know him. That is, he wouldn't have known him in a natural way. They're not one of us here who were saved that would say we know the Lord Jesus is our Savior because we're a little smarter than somebody else. And we saw it was a good thing. It was a spirit of God.
Who pointed him out to us?
So that's the one, the only one who can save you. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
And the marking out was at his baptism, and from that point on he certainly must have known that it was the Son of God because the confession of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God was the central element of their confession of faith. So apparently from the baptism, when he took his place in connection with the with the remnant from that point, John did know it, and he pointed him out.
As the Lamb of God.
Luke's gospel says that Mary and Elizabeth were cousins, so evidently being of the same, related in that family in a natural way, certainly must have known the Lord Jesus in a natural way. But it was only then at the baptism that it was marked out, and then he didn't know who this person really was.
And he was the one that gave me after him. He was six months.
John the Baptist was six months older in the flesh. That he was referred before him before he was before him, he certainly must indicate that he realized he was more than human, he was divine.
You see the whole 3 persons that his baptism, don't we? There's the Lord Jesus being baptized.
There was a sphere of lighting upon him. There was the Father's voice saying, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. So the whole 3 persons of the Godhead were there, and now it was made good in John's soul spirit marking your mouth, Father's voice pointing to him, marking him out. This is my beloved son. On that occasion the heavens were open.
To see that was going on on the earth, that's quite a marked thing there.
The heavens were open.
Spirit of God descended.
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Powerhouse that with the Father's voice on Jesus.
Proclaim to be his son.
But still I still have the problem, Verse 29 says.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
And that's before the baptism. And this is he of whom I said After me cometh the man which is preferred before me, for he was before me. Those seemed statements seemed to say that he knew who he was, but then it says that I knew him not.
It's it's and unless this is not chronological, it could be that it's not chronological order.
You see the question I have.
But we know things, many things intellectually, but until, excuse me, until the Spirit of God makes them good in our souls, they're not really ours. I was thinking of a similar expression in Ephesians chapter 3.
And verse 5.
Which in other ages was not made known under the sins of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets.
By the spirit that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body.
And partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. Now it would seem from other scriptures.
That the other apostles learned through the apostle Paul the truth of the church. But he says here, it was now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, so that Paul might have been one that told it to them, used by God to tell it to them, but the Spirit of God had to make it good to them. And I've often said, we sit in the meetings, we hear the truth ministered.
I don't believe until the Spirit of God has made it good in our souls.
That is really ours. We receive it, and it says they received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh. Well, I heard Paul preach. They learned it through Paul in a sense, but in another sense it was real to them until they saw it through the Scriptures which are inspired by the Spirit of God.
Well, to me it's a comforting thing because I hear lots of things that are said in the meeting.
And I believe they're true and they're very precious. And I might say I learned that from Brother Hendrix A.
I don't believe it's really my own. Make good in my soul until the Spirit of God makes it good.
And sometimes the Lord may bring in special circumstances into our life to make it real to us because we can take it up and as doctrine, as proper as that is, and good as it is. But then some experience happens, maybe in our personal lives, maybe in the family, maybe even an assembly difficulty. And we say, Oh, now I see what that is, really what is really being said. And the Spirit brings that portion back to us.
We knew it, we could quote the Scriptures or the principles, but now when we have to apply it practically in our lives, the Spirit brings it back to us. Brother, hey ho, You were saying about the Spirit being the remembrance, Sir. And so if we read these things who are familiar with them, we hear them in the assembly. Then when the circumstances arises, the Spirit of God brings it back. And I'm sure there's many here who have experienced this. Maybe you read about some Old Testament character and you knew.
You could tell all the facts about their life and all that they did, but then some circumstance arose in your life and the Spirit of God brought that individual and their story from the Scripture back to you. And you said, oh, now it's made good to my soul by the Spirit. Now I see why they acted in that way. It was instruction for us in this particular circumstance. And so I just say that to echo what you say, that we know these things, but often the Spirit of.
Bring circumstances to bear on us so that these things have to be made practical in our lives.
I suspect I'm not interested.
The chronology is.
I don't think it's necessarily giving giving us in John the order knowing, for instance, in.
John, 11 Mary has spoken of as the one who anointed.
The Lord with ointment, but I don't think she's recorded as doing until chapter 12.
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And I don't know that we really actually get the Lord's baptism in this chapter. We get incidents that were consequent upon it and related to it, but the actual baptism is submitted, and I think that's involved in the question.
That's good. You know, you think of John when he was yet in the womb. He leaped for joy. There must have been through his life, some kind of.
All some kind of realization that.
His we say cousin.
By nature.
Was.
Beyond him, but he didn't seem to realize I.
Who he was as the Son of God and killed that testimony from heaven. It's true, isn't it, that we can say a lot of true things about the Lord?
Doesn't mean that we really know him.
Until we have the Spirit of God. And that's probably the point you're making, I think.
He pointed him out. Behold, the Lamb of God. It was the high priest that said this man must die for the nation that it perished. Not this, he said, not that he understood what he was saying, but he was high priest that year. And so he uttered something that was true. I don't know whether that's the case here with John the Baptist, but.
He didn't evidently, really in his soul know him.
Until after the Spirit came.
Would you? Is that the thought you have? There must just been an awareness that he was.
Way beyond what John knew himself to be. Still not clear.
As far as that goes, that even John himself did not necessarily receive all the importance that he occupied in announcing who the Lord Jesus Christ was. But the Lord says there where he said, there's none greater than John the Baptist. This is he of whom it is written. I will send my messenger before my face. So John may not have had himself.
Conceived of the important place that he occupied in the economy of God.
But when the Spirit of God makes.
Things good to the soul.
It becomes a reality. I think that comes right down to the present age and is a.
Very great comfort.
They go back to the words of Job, just asking the question who teaches like Him? Then you go to 1St John and you have a nunction from the Holy One and you know all things. Just look at those verses in First John because they applied to us today and we learned by the Spirit.
And we can't overestimate or over rate.
The teacher that's here this afternoon?
The living God amongst us to teach us.
To bring things to our remembrance that we've heard. But in First John chapter 2, he's mentioned twice as teacher.
Verse 20.
First John 220.
Ye have an unction.
From the Holy One and you know all things.
Verse 26. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you. And ye not that any man teach you, but the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie. And even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. We are to go on and abide in that spirit, and come back to John.
16 and see what the spirit of God was going to do. John the Apostle was given to write this and it's for us simple truth, but very, very precious and characteristic of the day in which we.
Verse 12 John 1612. I have yet many things to say in you, but you cannot bear them now, even in writing down at that time.
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Those to whom?
The Lord was speaking when he was here. Had to wait.
And then he says, how be it verse 13, when he, the spirit of truth is come?
Now that's the age of Christianity, when Christ is on high for us and the Spirit of God is down here.
For us and in us, He will guide you into all truth, and this is the way we're going to be taught.
It's going to be by the Spirit, it's going to be according to the word, for he shall not speak of himself or independently.
But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, that is, he uses the word of God.
And He shall show you things to come. The future is opened up by this teacher. He shall glorify me, and He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. Or did you say it's comforting? Come down to our age and see the importance of the Spirit of God, and to listen to this word.
We can learn from the teachers amongst us. I remember one of them.
Said.
To us young people.
Said when you've heard the truth.
And learned it and made it your own. You don't have to say, brother. And so and so said so you can put that out as your truth, because there's no corner on the truth. How wonderful to have be taught of the Spirit and make it our own.
2nd is something that the Apostle Paul said in Philippians second chapter. Just turn over there for a moment.
Very lovely the way that he states this here, in contrast to what he was before.
He was saved.
That's the third chapter.
Philippians, Chapter 3.
And verse 10.
That I may know him, he would say, well, Paul, don't you? Don't you know the Lord?
Sure He does, but I may know him. Look at the look at the construction of this verse, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death, If by any means I might attend under the resurrection of the dead, not as though I'd already attained, neither were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended.
But this one thing I do.
Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now that's lovely, isn't it? Subjective knowledge is nice, but.
The objective knowledge of seeing that one in the glory and seeking to follow him. That's the thing.
That's what's going to make the difference. We've heard it said that we only possess the truth as we walk in it, and that is the truth.
But Christ is the glorious object for faith and we need to follow him. This is the great thing. It's it's it's so lovely that verse that I may know him and this is how it's done. Like was mentioned yesterday, we may know a lot of things about him, but are we really acquainted with Him and at peace? That's the thing.
I think that's very important. I was thinking of that verse 2 because Paul didn't say here that I might know about him, but that I may know him. Just turn to an Old Testament scripture in Hosea that I've enjoyed in this connection as well.
I know I'm taking it a little out of its context to apply it to ourselves.
But in Hosea chapter 6 and verse three, it says then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord? Because I believe that the way we know the Lord is in a better acquaintance with himself. It's walking in his company sometimes illustrated it this way, I might know a lot of things about the Queen of England and Prince Philip. I might be able to tell you many things that I've read and heard concerning the British.
Family, but I know about them. But I don't know them personally. I've never been invited to Buckingham Palace. I've never met the Queen and Prince Philip. But suppose I did get an invitation to Buckingham Palace. We'll suppose for the sake of the illustration, I get the invitation in the mail and everything's provided to go to the palace and to spend a month with the Queen and Prince Philip. And so I spend the month with the Queen and Prince Philip. Now I come away.
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Say to me, you know anything about the royal family. Oh, I say, I know lots about the royal family, but I have something even greater than that. I know the royal family. I've sat at their table. I know who these people are. I've communed with them. And so it's not just knowing about Him. Brethren, we've had much precious truth concerning the person and work of Christ and the man in the glory before us in these meetings. But it's not just a question of knowing about him that's important.
But do we really know Him? And how are we going to really know Him? If we follow on, if we walk in company with Himself, then we know Him. Of course, the truth is all for concerning the person of Christ is only made good to us by the Spirit. But it's as we walk in company with Himself that we really know this person. And I say this to my own heart, Do we know this person?
Everything is provided so that we can walk in his company.
And enjoy the his beauties and his glories. And Brother Buchanan was speaking up the Spirit as the teacher and the one who ministers Christ to us according to our need. And isn't it a great comfort to realize that as long as we're here, the Spirit of God is here. He doesn't leave till we leave. That's why it says in the end of revelation in the Spirit and the bride say, come, he's here as the as the great teacher, the one who ministers Christ to us. I say according to our need.
But brethren, may we seek, as we leave this place a little later, and the Lord leaves us here, may we seek not just to know about Him, but to follow on to know the Lord. Paul's great desire was that I may know him.
I want to ask a question in view of these illustrations, which I think would seem to help to know.
I go back and thought to the chapter before this.
In the 24th of Luke, the two from Emmaus.
Just in thought, we don't need to turn to it I don't believe.
But they invited him in.
And there they sat.
And he got up.
And says he was known of them in the breaking of bread.
Now my thought is.
Do we know the Lord Jesus?
Better at the breaking of bread at his table than in any other position down here on earth.
Seems to fit to me to learn him at his table.
Defeat upon him. Literally. Eat and drink that which speaks of his body and his blood.
Well, it's a great, great privilege. I don't think we can overestimate to know him.
And the power of his resurrection, because he's not actually with us. The symbols of his body are there, but he's up there.
Well, it's a nice thing to want to know the Lord and to know all we can from Scripture is taught by the Spirit of God.
Would you say perhaps rather Buchanan is illustrated in Mephibosheth? Because Mephibosheth didn't really know about no David until he sat at his table and ate bread at his table continually. He'd heard things about David. He even assumed things about David that were wrong. But he really didn't enter into the heart of David. But David was a man of grace and wanted to show him kindness. But he certainly learned that at his table. Would you say that's applicable? What a very easy illustration.
Understand and to believe, but I'd like to import to us.
The privilege we have to break bread at the Lord's Table.
And some are not doing it.
It's a great loss. It's a loss of testimony is the loss of joy and communion.
And the Lord wants it. He's worthy of it.
John, Chapter 6.
In verse.
50.
5 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drinking.
Elitist might flesh and drinketh, my blood dwelleth in me.
And I in him.
As the living father had sent me, and I lived by the father.
So he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that thread which came down.
00:35:06
Enjoyment feeding upon that.
It's a double thing, isn't it, L'amour? And we get the life from him.
And the light is sustained.
Like Peter says, if so, be you've tasted that the Lord is gracious.
And then being born of Ghana in the 1St chapter of the Word of God.
And then fed by the word of God in the 2nd chapter of Peter, we get to life and the life is sustained from the Word. Well, we're getting Christ is our life here in this blessed book of John.
We wouldn't say in 1/6 of John it refers to the Lord's Supper though, would we? It's appropriating Christ in death except to eat the flesh and the Son of man and drink his blood. Might be some food sitting on the table, but it isn't mine until I eat it and then it becomes part of me and sell.
There are many people that might believe these things in an intellectual way, but they've never made it their own. But once I see my need as a center that the Lord Jesus had to die on Calvary's cross. She had his precious blood for the blood separated from the body. Is that a thought of death? That's why it says.
Mr. Darby made the comment that when they have a sacrament that leaves out the even blood, if they just eat the wafer and say the blood and the body of Christ are together.
It's a sacrament of non redemption because it's the blood separated from the body that is the sign of death, and it's only through that redemptive work the Lord Jesus accomplished bearing our sins and then shedding his precious blood that salvation.
Use another illustration, Jim. He gave us someone in Mephibosheth the Old Testament right in this same book in the 11Th chapter in connection with Martha.
When Lazarus was raised from the dead.
We know the story of the two sisters and their brother. We know that she was cumbered about with much serving as it says of Mary said at Jesus feet and heard his words. Now here's the point I'm trying to make him it's this that the truth which we possess to hold profess to hold rather God comes in and he tests that and you see that with Martha. He tests that with her. He says to her in the 11Th chapter.
Verse 21.
Said unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it to thee. Now he tends there on that. Just drop down in the chapter and and we'll see.
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection.
At the last day Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Then he asked her the question, Believeth thou this? And now just to drop down, she sayeth unto him, Yay, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had said so, she went.
Her way and called Mary her sister and so on. Now just to drop down in the chapter where he actually does raise Lazarus.
That's verse.
39.
Then Jesus said, take ye away the stone. Now notice this phrase right here. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he'd been dead for four days. She's tested, you see, and we're tested, aren't we? God wants to see if there's reality with us. Isn't that interesting? The sister of her that was dead, Yeah, Isn't that? Everything in the Word of God is perfect, isn't it?
It's perfect. Now let's see what happens. Jesus has under said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou should see the glory of God. O brethren, may we be believing believers. I know that sounds like an ambiguous term, but we need to be. We need to take him at his word in that simple childlike faith and believe what He says. Believe what he says. She's tested. Now, what else does it say?
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.
Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou has heard me, and I knew that thou hearest me always.
But because of the people which stand by, I said it that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice. Lazarus come forth, and he that was dead came forth. Isn't that beautiful? That's what we need, brethren. We need to, we need to believe in simple, childlike faith. I want to just give some thoughts as I've listened to all these comments.
00:40:14
In the second chapter.
Verse 24. Jesus did not commit himself unto them.
Because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man.
For he knew what was in them.
And then I think of in Matthew 11 verse 27.
All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son but the Father. It's an absolute statement.
There is that in him that we do not know.
Talking about a divine person, the eternal Son become a man and.
You can fathom that. Who can understand that?
And yet we can say wonderful things about him and make wonderful statements that are true about him. Do we really know him?
Not really. The father does.
Those verses you read at the end of John are practiced by the remark that they believed when they saw the miracles that he did. And that ties in with what we had yesterday before us, that it was himself as an object of faith that brings life to the soul. They did not have the same object of faith that the disciples had we had read to us a moment ago.
Mary, Martha said. We believe that the Son of God, those who saw the miracles, did not have that faith.
So he did not commit himself to them.
Are we not in the school of God?
And there are lessons that we learn in communion with.
Having the Word of God concerning the Lord Jesus. We read that verse in Philippians.
And that I might know him.
But the conversion of Paul he's had. Who art thou, Lord?
And then I just like to read a verse in Second Timothy.
Second Timothy chapter 1, which is the last epistle that Paul gives us.
And looking back at his life.
And all of the things that happened in his life and his sufferings and all he says in verse 12 of the 1St chapter, Second Timothy.
Second Timothy 12 for the witch 'cause I also suffered.
These things.
So we know that.
Heart from the Lord Jesus.
Dear servant. And the Lord said, Go and show him what great things you must suffer, my namesake. Now he's gone down the route, and he's gone through the sufferings, and then he tells us. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed.
And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. So he knew.
Something that we can all perhaps learn in it.
Some little way, perhaps, but we can learn how He can carry us.
Through our lifespan, and we could end our lifespan with confidence and peace, he said. I'm not saying I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him. So it's all.
Committed to him.
But well, epistle, this is because he speaks of his being going to depart, and he goes out with companies.
In trusting the Lord Jesus.
When we think of what puny mortals we are with our limited knowledge of anything, no matter how much we know of any particular subject, I think of the verse in First Corinthians 82. If any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing, Yet as he ought to know, our fancy knowledge of things is just.
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Infinitesimal amount of all that there is to know, which only God knows. And yet a creature such as you and I, Paul could say.
Whom I have believed. Now that's wonderful to be able to say that sometimes the world comes out with some good expressions, and one good one is it's not what you know, it's who you know. And that's good, isn't it? It's who you know. There's a difference between a head belief and a heart belief, isn't there? Those people believe when they saw the miracles because there was evidence there, but there was no heart belief. And that's why Jesus didn't commit himself to them.
The devils believe and tremble. There wasn't one demon that ever failed to know who Jesus was. We know that who thou art the Holy One of God, but they didn't believe in him. They didn't pass from death unto life. They were demons. And so we see with Simon the sorcerer in the eighth of Acts, he believed. He even got baptized, but he didn't believe in his heart. Timothy and Peter said to him.
My heart is not right in the sight of God, so it's possible to believe.
Under convincing evidence, we can't help but accept the evidence, but still.
It doesn't mean anything to us as far as our hearts are concerned and with Paul.
The Lord Jesus was everything to Amino as you were saying. I know whom I have believed. I always remember a brother who was talking to another trying to explain to him the simplicity of salvation is believing on the Lord Jesus and he said he quoted him that verse.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he said, But I can't believe it. And his brother said, You can't believe who?
You can't believe who? That was the point. Was he just accepting of an evidence that people were saying that's the way of salvation, or did he hear the voice of God in it? Have you heard the voice of God in a spirit of God would have made it good in his soul and he would have passed from death unto life. You can't believe who?
But I believe God that it shall be, even it was told me.
John the Baptist certainly gives evidence. Knowing the Lord Jesus in this chapter doesn't. He's so wonderful. He doesn't speak of one that knew about him, that really had come to know him. And I suppose it was after that baptism when he was marked out.
By the Spirit of God that he knew him, that it's wonderful what the Spirit of God reveals in John.
The whole Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. I like to think of this as the answer to Isaac's question when he was on the way with his father to the Atlanta Mariah. The fire, the wood. But where is the land?
Abraham's answer had been, God will provide himself a lamb.
John seems to be in some measure.
Recognizing the importance of this one, the whole of the Lamb of God, the.
Thousands upon thousands of animals that have been sacrificed in the Old Testament. The fact that they were repeated again and again and again was testimony in itself that this was not God's land. And here the Lord Jesus presents himself, and John recognizes it that.
Behold the Lamb of God, take your daughter.
I've enjoyed these verses in John 3 concerning John.
I think they're so beautiful.
As they try to create jealousy, perhaps in the heart of John because they said his disciples were turning to the Lord and notice what John said. You just read verse 27 and a couple of verses here. John answered and said a man.
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Can receive.
Nothing.
Accepted be given in from heaven.
And receive nothing.
Yourselves bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ.
But that I am sinned before him, He that hath to drive is the bright moon. The friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoices greatly, because by Jim's voice.
This.
This my joy.
Therefore is fulfilled.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
Therefore.
Is my joy.
Servant of Christ is almost like a sign for points over and over to this one, and yet he doesn't become.
Part of the bride, each of themselves as a friend of the brideman, but he speaks of the Lord Jesus as the one who must increase, and I suppose that happens in our lives.
As we are occupied with the Lord Jesus and his exaltation.
We are brought lower, and that person must have that exalted place.
I think all very much brings us out too, because in the end, he said, I'm a chief of sinners.
It's interesting to notice the difference between these two verses. That is the first time.
In verse verse 29 where John says behold the Lamb of God, he adds which taketh away the sin of the world. So we have the person and the work brought before us. But isn't it interesting that in verse 37 or 36 and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said behold the Lamb of God. So absorbed was John with this person that when he sees him announces him the second time, he doesn't add.
Way, the sin of the world. Not that the work isn't important, brethren, but John was so absorbed with a person that he just simply says, behold the Lamb of God. And what was the result? Well, it was the result of that simple statement that caused 2 of John's disciples to follow up and cease from following John and to turn and follow this person. And so again I say, what a wonderful occupation for us just to point to this one.
But I'd like to just say something to in connection with the Lamb here, just to echo what Bob said a few moments ago, because this is really a tremendous statement in verse 29, behold the Lamb of God. First of all, that is as Bob said, this was the fulfillment of all those Old Testament sacrifices. They were just pale reflections and feeble foreshadows of what was really in the heart of God. And it's interesting in Hebrews 10, it says.
That every priest standeth daily, offering and ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which could never take away sin. And it's been often pointed out, and rightly so, that both in the Tabernacle and the temple there was never a seat for the priests because their work was never finished. And they understood very clearly as those sacrifices were brought from day-to-day and year to year.
That their work was never done, that that sacrifice atoned for that one sin.
And then they had to bring another, and another and another. But what does it go on to say there in Hebrews 10? But this man, after he'd offered one sacrifice for sin forever sat down on the right hand of God. God will never require His Son to rise up and offer himself as the sacrifice again, because He offered himself without spot to God. God is fully satisfied and glorified, and the Lord.
Seated, having offered himself as the supreme sacrifice. But we find here too, that this expression which taketh away the sin of the world.
Encompasses more than just His removing our sins. That's true. By one offering He's perfected forever them that are sanctified and our sins are gone. We sit here as those who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ and brought in the blessing on the basis of that mighty sacrifice. But just turn over to Hebrews 1. I think you get it there again.
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Hebrews, chapter 1.
And verse three, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person.
And upholding all things by the word of his power. And I want you to notice this. You notice Mr. Darbys translation. It's not so much that he's purged our sins, but he's made the purification for sin. And he sat himself down, as we were saying the other day, on the right hand of the majesty on high.
But I think that expression is very important to notice. He's made the purification for sin.
Because at the cross the Lord Jesus not only took up my the question of our sins, but we find that as a result of the fall in the garden, the whole creation came under the effects of the curse. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain. Every level of creation feels the effects of the curse. We had a beautiful Poplar tree outside our kitchen window, and one summer it got a blight.
And when I looked at that tree, didn't it seemed like every leaf on that tree was affected by the blight? That's the effect of the curse of sin. And every level is of creation is still feeling the effects of sin, the animal creation, and so on. But isn't it a thrill rather than to think that he's made the purification for sin and that he is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world? That hasn't happened yet. The work of Calvary has taken place.
And our sins are gone, but there's a day coming when He's going to come forth in righteousness, and righteousness will no longer suffer in this world. And the creation will no longer feel the effects of the curse in the way that it feels now. All creation is going to rejoice in that day. And God's heart is looking on to the full exaltation of His Son, His full vindication here on this globe where He was.
Cast out, and the day when everything gives glory to Him, and this creation feels the effects of His presence in a righteous reign. And I know we're looking for the Lord Jesus to come for us at any moment. But brethren, we ought to love His appearing too, and realize that the work of Calvary is has done. It will be sufficient to fulfill this precious statement that John made the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin.
Of the world in that third verse of Hebrews 1.
It's the work itself which is mentioned. He made the purification of sins.
Not the application of that work to us. That comes later.
But what he's exalting in Hebrews 1 is the person and the work itself that that person accomplished for God's glory. That's so beautiful to see that.
In John 1.
Verse 16 of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace, or grace upon grace? That seems to still be what John verse 15 is saying.
But then the next verse we don't know who says it, for the law was given by Moses.
With grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And then especially the next verse, Clem was saying, you don't know which John is speaking.
Whether it's John the Baptist or John the disciple who wrote this book, no man hath seen God. Tremendous. Verse 18. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.
He hath declared him. It seems to me that that verse is. The author of that verse is the Holy Spirit.
No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. He never left that place of nearness, intimacy. Mr. Ballet speaks of the Father's bosom as the hiding place of love, the ineffable joy and delights existing among the Persons of the Godhead Trinity.
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And here we have, and it's in John's Gospel that the author of this Gospel.
Lay on Jesus bosom and he tells us the eternal dwelling place of the sun is the father's bosom isn't that beautiful? He who could hear the very heartbeat of the savior as man tells about his eternal dwelling place, the father's bosom that he never really left he he left heaven he came down from heaven, but he was always wasn't he in the.
Intimate, ineffable joy and communion of the Father in that place of love and favor never left that place. Who is in the bosom of the Father? You read Mr. Darby's translation in the 13th of John. It was referred to of F1. And Jesus loved is in the bosom of Jesus. So we are brought into that intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ that He enjoyed with the Father. And so he says in the 17th.
We were visiting about it during the break. That the glory that thou has given me, I have given them in order that the world may know that thou hast loved them as Thou hast loved me. So the intimacy of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, to lie in His booze, the same character that He lies in the bosom of the Father beyond our comprehension.
Beloved, when we, when we hear these words, what you just said.
These are precious words, but do we even begin to fathom them? Do we even begin to fathom John's Gospel? It is. It is such, such a there's just no writing like it. It's the last that was written of the New Testament.
96 AD or something like that. The last chilly first.
The precious.
This of John's gospel I remember 1 brother said to another. He said read John's gospel all the way through.
Then read John's Gospel all the way through. Then read John's Gospel all the way through. You will be a changed person.
Never man spake like this man. Why have he not brought him? I said never man snake like this man. Oh what a what a gospel, what a. There's no literature in all the world from Adam onwards that can touch this Gospel of John. Wonderful. We might go to the 7th chapter to take up some of the similar thoughts.
Because there's a time.
When the Spirit of God brings out truth, and that was taking place when Jesus was down here.
He was the teacher.
And we come to the last day, that great day of the feast in John.
7.
Verse 37.
In the last day, that great day of the feast.
I think this was Tabernacles. Somebody can check that out.
It had an eighth day with it.
Jesus stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that eateth, he that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Now that's that's the believer, it gets the Spirit of God within to pass it out to others, but this fake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified and we come down hard on the apostles.
That they walked with the Lord. They seemed to be so slow to enter into the truth that He was teaching them.
Then we have to come around to the fact that we have the Spirit of God and they did not.
And their intelligence.
Didn't have the same opportunity that ours does. They could listen to the Lord all right and get that. But Peter was such a changed man. When you come to past Pentecost and he preaches the gospel and could condemn others for the same thing that he had done so late was coming in and the Spirit of God was given in the Acts and the Spirit of God is still here.
Well, he completed the book, and perhaps it's right that John's Gospel was the last one that was written.
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It just seems to get deeper and fuller. But we have the Spirit of God a great advantage. We have to get the truth as taught by the.
Spirit God who wrote the book?
Dwells in his bosom, knoweth all that in that bosom lies, and came to earth to make it known.
That we might share his joys. What a lovely statement that isn't that him that we sometimes sing. You know, I think it was one of the writers. I can't remember whether it was Mr. Bellard or Mr. Darby. I think her brother Lundeen mentioned it in his time charts years ago. The twofold blessedness of the believer. In that wonderful day to come he will be there and have God at his God. Now listen to this. And he shall lavish upon the children that lie in his bosom all the delights of the sun.
At home in his father's house. Isn't that beautiful? That was what he had before him, to bring that family to himself. Oh brother, may these things just touch your hearts as we think of it.
About to think of that add in connection with what's next in our chapter here with the two disciples here John speak and turn and follow Jesus and Jesus asked them what seek ye and their answer was.
Rabbi, which is the second interpreted Where dwelleth thou? Where was his dwelling place?
How are they to find that place it was?
Come and see, they will follow him and that's.
A direction that we could is this applicable to us today as it was to them in that wonderful.
We can follow him too and then simple way to find what that dwelling place is.
It's beautiful, isn't it? I think another song. Let's just turn back there, Moses.
The prayer of Moses, the man of God.
What a what a prayer. This is the 90th Psalm.
Oh, we've got a profound book in our hands. May we realize it because it speaks.
Of our Savior and it speaks of that of that one who sent him into this world. Look at this Lord, thou has been our dwelling place in all generations before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world is this phrase here even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. I leave this for your own meditation. But what a statement we have here in this verse from eternity to.
Thou art God. What happened in the past eternity? All this wonderful, all these wonderful councils were put together. The Son carried the Moat in time and that eternity that's coming, You and I are going to be there in that wonderful place, and we're just going to enjoy him forever, as the hymn says, lost in wonder, love and praise. Blessed be his name, brother.
He brought us by His grace into this place.
Could we add the 91St Psalm and go a little further ahead? Sure. I think it's so beautiful.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High.
Or he that dwelleth in the secret place of.
Who the Most High is? Well, that's that's the money.
Title for the Lord Jesus and then the place of security that that person is in shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will save the Lord. He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust various names of God made there known there in power to the one who enters in, to who the Most High is. Well, it's Jesus. It's the one we have in John 1.
I have a dear brother back home in the Pleasantville Assembly.
Who's 99 years of age when I go in and visit him, We have to read this 91St Psalm.
I'll tell you why it's special to him because he was in the First World War.
And one hot afternoon and wipers in Belgium, his whole platoon accepted. Just a handful were wiped out. And he was, he was a survivor looking down at the end of the the end of the chapter.
Well, verse seven, 1000 shall follow thy side, and 10,000 at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. Verse 15. Verse 16. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation. Russell likes this chapter and I like to read it with him when we get together. He calls this the Traveler Song. He calls it because he's with us. He's with us every day of our life.
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Always they think of making goodness and mercy to follow us every day of our lives. And David says I will dwell.
In the House of the Lord forever. Oh, what a home. What's that, 127? Yeah, yeah.
John 1
Reading
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On chapter 1, the thought of it in connection with what our brother read in the prayer meeting in him was life. The life was the light of men and tells us there in the Acts he killed the Prince of life. We know him as the one who has risen again with everything to us by grace. Yes, Gospel of John, chapter 1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him, and without him was not. Anything made that was made. In him was life, and the light was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
The other man sent from God, whose name was John.
Same came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe he was not that light.
Was sent to bear witness to that light. That was the true light which lighted every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came onto his own, and his own received him not, but as many as received him. To them gave the power to become the sons of God.
Even to them that believe on his name.
Which were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John bear witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me, and of his fullness of all we received, and grace for grace.
The law is given by Moses, but grace and truth gained by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared him. And this is the record of John. And the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
And he confessed and denied not, but confessed I am not. The Christ asked him what then Artho Elias, And he said, I am not.
With all that prophet. And he answered no, and said they unto him, Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent off. What sayest thou thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. They would present where the fairy is. They asked him and said unto him, Why baptize the style then, if thou be not?
That Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet John answered them, saying, I baptized with water, but their standeth one among you whom you know not He it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes latch, and I'm not worthy to want to lose. These things were done in Bethlehem beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and said.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said After me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me, and I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore my come baptizing with water. And John Baer records saying, I saw the Spirit this country from heaven like a dog, and it abode.
On him, and I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou seest the Spirit, descending and remaining on him, the same as he was baptized with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God.
Again the next day, after John stood into his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said.
Behold the Lamb of God, The two disciples heard him speak, and they fall in Jesus, when Jesus turned and saw them following, and Seth unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, the Rabbi, which is to save being interpreted. Master, where dwellest thou? He sat on them, come and see.
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They came and saw where he dwelt in a bowl with him that day, for it was about the 10th hour.
One of the two which heard John speak and followed him with Andrew, Simon Peters brother. He first finded his own brother Simon and Seth unto him. We have found the Messiah which is being interpreted to Christ, and he brought him to Jesus.
When Jesus beheld and he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah, thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation of stone.
Today following Jesus would go forth into Galilee and find his pillow set unto him. Follow me. Philip was our best Seder city of Andrew and Peter Phillips. Find this Nathaniel and Seth unto him. We have found him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did right, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?
Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and Seth of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, and whom is no guile. Nathaniel saith unto him, Whence knowest thou mean? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip calls thee, when thou is done to the fig tree, I saw thee, then you'll answer. He said unto him, a rabbi.
Thou art the Son of God.
Thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the big tree, Believe a style, Thou shalt see greater things than these. He said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
I think this chapter shows us that all blessing for man is by giving the Lord Jesus his rightful place.
And we see the glory of his person particularly brought before us in this chapter. And it's one of the most comprehensive chapters in the whole Bible because it carries us back into a past eternity, shows us the glory of that person away back in the past eternity, and then carries us through time on to the time when the Lord Jesus.
Is acclaimed and has his rightful place, the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man, His glorious Person, the eternal Word become man and we see as we trace through the details of the chapter.
The blessing of following the Lord Jesus in this time of his rejection and then pointing on to the time of His glory. Well, I just mentioned this because I think this chapter brings before us the one whom God delights to honor is our brother. Read to us the Prince of life, the one whom this world didn't want, but the one who means everything to us by grace. Just to add a little more.
After the first verse to go to the last verse of John's Gospel.
For it's very comprehensive this book.
Sometimes we say that we have.
A revelation from God. But in the revelation from God we have a revelation of God and.
The eternity of his person is in the.
First version.
And the Infinity of what he has done is in the last verse.
The Infinity of what he's done. If you read the last verse of John's gospel and says there are also many other things which Jesus did the which if they should be written everyone, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. So it is.
That's God's way of telling us of the Infinity of what he has done.
Of course we can't comprehend it, but we can believe it.
So what a revelation we have, and life is certainly what we need. Life, the Infinity of his person is no better demonstrated than when he said at the end it is finished.
He was in full possession of his faculties in those hours of darkness, and having in his own spiritual known that every stroke of judgment had been born.
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He could explain it's finishing so there is the infiniteness of his person demonstrated and that what she has done.
If he was not God, he could not have pronounced with authority on his own work. It is finished.
How would he know if he was not God that what he did met all the claims of God's holiness as to sin finished he cried wonderful. Well, I say again, all blessing to us as believers or as the gospel is told out, any blessing that's going to come for sinners is to give the Lord Jesus Christ his rightful place. So Paul said to the Philippine jailer believe.
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. He didn't know at that time much about the work, but he believed on the person, and accepting the person, he was brought into all the value of the work that he accomplished. Sure, afterwards as they went into his house and spoke the word of the Lord, he learned a lot more.
But he learned to rest upon the person, and that's the important thing for the Sinner is to rest upon the person. The important thing for us is to acknowledge the glory of that person and give him his rightful place. Then we begin to learn truth as it's revealed to us in the Word. Are we ever told to believe in the work? It's the person, isn't it always, as you said?
We believe the work, but we believe in the person who accomplished the work. That's the point.
Romans 9 says Thou shalt believe with thy heart, thou shalt confess with thy mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. So seems to be something of the work there that it's certainly majorly the person in that last verse we referred to is that there are also many other things which Jesus did.
Putting the emphasis.
Point on the work of the cross. That's what Jesus did if you turn today.
22nd Psalm. You can see that.
God purpose is to make the Lord Jesus known.
In salvation bringing in of life.
Great thing that the Lord Jesus came to do.
To bring that light.
Now we know the 22nd Psalm break the force across.
All four of the evangelists give us the story of the cross. That's the greatest thing that's ever been done by any person at any time. The work of the cross, the Lord Jesus.
So in the 22nd Psalm.
The last verse.
Says they shall come.
And declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Who has done what? The Lord Jesus has done the work of the cross to put away sin to the glory of God and to bring to the dead center light, and that light is in His stuff. How clear the gospel is its occupation with the person of Christ. That draws our hearts out, isn't it? There are two remarkable statements made by the Lord Jesus in the 8th chapter of this book. He said first of all, that if you shall know the truth.
And the truth shall set you free. Because it is important to go over these things. We need to hold fast the form of sound words, important to have the doctrinal principles of Scripture before us. But in a sense, brethren, that's not enough. And so the Lord Jesus said in that same chapter, if you know this, you shall know the Son. If you know the Son well, I'll read it just to get it.
Because I think it's very interesting, he says, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Because we can't be occupied with the sun and not have our hearts go out in affection to Him. And so we may know the truth, and we may hold the truth in an intellectual way, and it may not affect the heart. But when we know the person of whom the truth speaks, and all truth is to bring before us some aspect of the person and work of Christ.
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And when we know the person, then our heart goes out. And then there's true liberty, because if a man loved me, he will keep my commandments. Brethren, what is true Christian liberty? It's a heart so attractive to Christ that our desire and our joy is to follow that blessed person. Because I believe there's really only one way to be a true disciple, and that's to have a heart where there's only one object in it. Because where our hearts are, then our feet will follow. And it's not because they.
It's a requirement in that sense. It's not because we feel we have to do it as a duty, but we delight now to follow this person and not to get ahead in our chapter, but that's what you see later on when John the Baptist sees this Blessed 1 and announces that this is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.
What is the result? Well, as a result of pointing to the person of Christ, 2 of John's disciples leave following John and follow the Lord Jesus. Why? Because they were pointed to a person and their hearts went out to that person, just as John's heart had been attracted to that person. Well brethren, as we said, and we take up a chapter like this.
There's much precious truth in this chapter. It's good to go over these things, but if it doesn't draw out our hearts to the person of Christ, there isn't going to be a fresh and increased desire to follow Him. And our prayer ought to be for young and old alike, that as a result of taking up a portion like this, we'd get a fresh glimpse of this lovely man, and that our hearts would follow in the path of faith and service until we see Him in the glory. I want to read two more scriptures in connection with some.
That were made, I made one of them, and verse 25 whom of Romans 3 whom God had set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.
That would be the work, wouldn't it? And in John 6 verse 53 then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. So there you have a verses that speak of appropriating by faith His work. But He is the he's the object of our faith, and when we believe in him, the person, we get life. When we believe in the work, we get peace.
We get settled peace because we know the question of our sins has been settled.
So you can't limit it. Both are true. It's the person that gives value to the work, is it not? Amen. This fresh in the Word of God, I think is so beautiful. Brethren, God is a communicating God, and if it were not so, if He did not reveal Himself, we would not know God. But it is.
Through the one who is called a word sometimes say for the benefit of younger ones.
I may have a thought that no one knows that thought until I express that thought using words. Then you can know what that thought that I have is. In the same way, God is love and God is light, and God had eternal purposes of blessing for man.
But no one in the Old Testament times, although they knew God.
In a measure, there was a partial revelation of God, but no one could know God in the fullest sense of the word until the word of God himself came in the person of the Lord Jesus. And I think that is the thought of the title word. I would like to hear some more comments on that title.
I think Hebrews 1/3 is late as to his being the word. It says there that he is the expressed image.
Of His Person. So there we see that God is perfectly revealed in the sun, and I believe gives light as to His being the Word, the expression of what God is, because we beheld His glory as if the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And that's why later on in the 14th of John, when Philip asked, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us, he said, have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known me? He that have seen me hath seen the Father. And as the Lord Jesus walked in his pathway of perfection, and it was a pathway wholly harmless, undefiled and suffered from sinners.
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He fully showed out what was in the heart of God. Do we know what's in the heart of God?
Do we know who God is in himself? Indeed we do as we look at the life of the Lord Jesus, because He could say at the end of that perfect life I have glorified thee on the earth and finished the work which Thou gave us, me to do. And I believe to be glorified is to have all the attributes and and glories that make up a person brought into full display. And all the attributes of God, all his beauties and glories were brought into full display.
As the Lord Jesus passed through this world, and so he was the word. And I think what Bob said is very good. You read a book and if the writer is very as a good writer, he makes the scene come right alive. Maybe he's writing about a person and you've never seen that person, but he describes that person in vivid detail.
You can picture in your mind just who that person is, what he looks like, his character, everything about him. You've never seen him, you don't. You've never met him personally, you've never seen a photograph. But that picked person is implanted firmly in your mind for genius. As Brother Yule said, he was the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power.
That's what truth is. Truth is a revelation of what is.
God is what is and truth revealed. Notice the answer in the 18th chapter of John.
That Jesus gave to Pilot.
It's full of meaning.
In John 18.
Jesus before Pilate, 37th verse.
Violent citizen art.
A king, then? Jesus answered.
Say it that I am, or that which I I am a king. But he adds to this end was I born.
And for this cost he might end of the world. That I should bear witness to the truth.
Is a declaration of what is Jesus is that declaration so he's the word and written down to this endless I born, and for this cause came thy end of the world, that I should bear witness under the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. Are we listening to the voice of the Son of man?
How wonderful. And then to add in our chapter we go to the 14th verse. It seems to be the way.
To me that God brings it out so that we can get a hold of it a little bit. That is the Lord King where we are. I took a form like ours in our 14th verse of our chapter, the 1St chapter of John.
The word was made right.
What I think that is God become a man and dwelt among us and give you recording full of grace and truth. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. What a revelation of God and for us to bring us into that blessing that we needed in our dead state. Sins should man sin. God went to work.
To recover him.
A man could be recovered except in grace as the gift of life. God had to do everything. Man couldn't do anything for his recovery, but God has done everything, thanks be to him. I'd like to make a comment on a little distinction between John's Gospel and Hebrews 1, John 1 and Hebrews 1. John's Gospel is the.
Son revealing the Father. It's really the revelation of the Father all the way through.
In Hebrews it's not the Father as such, it's God. Notice how it reads. I'll read it in Hebrews. One God, who had sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time passed under the Father's by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world's, who being the brightness of His glory. And I'm going to read it as it is.
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In the new translation and the expression of his substance and upholding all things by the word of his power, it's not of the Father. When we read the the image of his person, we think of the Father. But here in Hebrews He is the expression of the very substance, the very essence, the very being of God. Now that proves that he is God because only God can reveal God and it there.
Difference. Hebrews is not like it's high priesthood is with God, not with the Father. His advocacy is with the Father, and that's what we get in John's ministry, the Father. But in Hebrews it's a little different. Wonderful truths, both of them.
There's also that expression in the third, a First Timothy that great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, and there you have the same as the Hebrews one. God is manifest.
In Second Corinthians chapter 5, we get that God was in Christ. So here He is coming out in grace, man to bring man back to God. This is a remarkable expression. In the beginning was the Word. It's as near as our minds can go to eternity. We can't think of eternity. We have to think of something that has a beginning. Our minds can't go beyond that. But think of anything that you like that had a beginning at that time, this blessed person.
Glorious person was in the beginning was and so it carries us right back into eternity because everything that had a beginning it always the Lord Jesus was there before anything that had a beginning, so all things were made by him.
So it's the glory of His person, and that's very important, brethren, the glory of His person because we've been speaking a great deal of His work. But it's the person that gives value to the work and who did the work and the enemies. Attack is always on those two things, on the person of Christ and on the work of Christ, one or the other or both. He's always seeking to attack.
So we find around us constant teaching that Christ could sin.
Teaching that he wasn't really the eternal Son. All these things are a reflection on His person. And then we find others who say, yes, you can be saved and lost. His work is not enough. You have to do your part and you'll be lost. And so the attempt of the enemy is always on the person or the work of Christ. And it's good that our chart should be established in the glory of this person.
Because it's that that gives value to his work.
And that's worth that has been brought before us in Hebrews. When he did that glorious work, He sat down because there was nothing further to be done. He completed it. When you're doing a job, someone says, is it finished? No, you're still standing there. There's more to do. But he sat down. He sat down as the one who had completed that work for the glory of God and for our blessing.
Is sitting down with the equivalent to his saying it is finished.
Well, I've sometimes said the resurrection, the ascension, and the enthronement of Christ are really God's Amen to the work of Calvary. Do we want proof that God is satisfied with the work? All we have to do by faith is look up into the open heavens. And it's been mentioned in Hebrews, and that's really what Hebrews brings before us, because in Hebrews it's the results of His work here taken up.
Is an ascension and enthronement, but I think it's it's been alluded to but I I've enjoyed the fact too that the work is not just done to God's satisfaction.
But to his glory, I can illustrate it this way. I might give one of my children a task to do, and I leave them to do the task. And when I come back that perhaps the job has been done to my satisfaction. Maybe I'm well satisfied with what they've done. But you wouldn't say it was done to my glory. Because as I said earlier, to be glorified is to have all the attributes of a person brought in to full display. And the Lord Jesus not only satisfied the Father God.
That's true, he did, but he completely glorified him. Every attribute and glory of God was brought into full display at the at the cross. And so he sat down and we won't turn to it, but it's remarkable that in Hebrews one there if you notice Mr. Darby translation, he sat himself down in Ephesians. I think it is it says God has set him at his own right hand.
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As a proof of his satisfaction with the work.
But the Lord Jesus, as he entered the courts of glory and entered the return to the Father, he sat himself down with perfect satisfaction, with perfect confidence, knowing that nothing had been left undone of the work that God had given him to do.
Get just a little illustration that helped me to appreciate this. When I was in business, I used to sometimes be called to do a job for a large corporation or company. And so I would go in and service or install their equipment as was required. And then after the work was done, there was usually an interview with the man who hired me, be he the president or the owner of the plant foreman, and I would be taken into his office to sit down in his presence, go over the work and to.
My invoice. But as I was taken into that man's presence, it was rarely with a feeling of real confidence because there was always in the back of my mind that maybe the job hadn't been done to his satisfaction. Maybe I'd overlooked something. Maybe I hadn't included something that he thought I should have included in the contract.
But the Lord Jesus taking up the work he could with perfect confidence, I say, return to the Father, the Father seating him in his own right hand, and the Lord Jesus seeing himself down. What a feeling must have passed between the Father and the Son on that occasion. And this gives us real confidence too, brethren.
In the 110th Psalm, Jehovah says to the Messiah, Sit thou at my right hand, can I make thine enemies thy footstool? You might say, when you entered this man's office, you, you might have remained, remained standing until he said, Sit down.
But to enter the presence of God and sit oneself down in that presence, how that magnifies the glory of the one that does that, he must be God himself. To sit down by himself in that presence. That's what Paul was bringing out, and that's what we have brought out in these wonderful portions we're looking at.
I think there's three wonderful statements too in this first verse for us to lead a heart. In the beginning was the Word. That's the eternity of His person. The Word was with God as the distinctness of His person, and the Word was God, the deity of His person. A wonderful God can speak those two pandas truths in such a few words, but how blessed and now very important they are.
The eternity of his person, there are those who.
Deny his eternal, his sonship. The Word was with God. He's a distinct person in the Godhead, the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. And the Word was God. He is deity, part of deity Himself. Well, how blessed it is to have the Word of God for what we believe. And God doesn't require a great deal of words to teach us truth. If our ears are open and we receive His Word as little children. How simple it all really is.
Unless there's any confusion, or should we say nebulous thinking as to what this word is, Mr. Darby's translation in verse 2 makes it very clear that it is the person who is in the beginning with God. He, and that's an emphatic use of the pronoun was in the beginning with God. This person is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son. Should that word saying be capitalized?
Second verse simply means an emphatic key there.
He was in the beginning with God. That second verse I used to wonder why it was there because Vert the first verse says that he was with God. He was eternal and.
He was God. Why was it repeated then the same? He was in the beginning with God. The first verse said he was in the beginning and says he was with God. But the Gnostics, they had a teaching that it was some emanation from God.
That came forth when the sun came here. And so John says he was in the beginning as a distinct, unique person with God in the beginning. And so it's not something that happened in time, but it's what was ever true of him. So what do you have in that first, first verse is his eternal being, His distinct personality?
And his essential deity, these three things.
Wonderful truths. And then that second verse, His essential deity as a distinct person in the Godhead.
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And we must insist on these things because of the fact that if Jesus was not God, he could have never been our Savior. Think about that. I recommend that all the young people, the reading of J and D's book, The Sufferings of Christ. Excellent, excellent book.
It's a verse that really shows that the Lord Jesus is the eternal Son of God, that he did not have a beginning as the Son of God, but he was ever in that distinct place in the Godhead from Holy Church. I think it's profitable to notice the Lord's word when he was 12 years old in the second of Luke about what he had come to do.
In the second of Luke, you might just look at it.
He was left behind.
And parents going home and they had to come back.
And they found him in the midst of the doctors, verse 46, hearing and asking questions.
And verse 48 When they saw him, they were amazed. His mother said unto him, Son.
Why asked thou Delta, thus with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrow.
Now notice the 49th verse. He said unto them, How is it that He sought me, wished He not that I must be about my Father's business?
In the 88 Psalm.
Prophetically, it says that the Lord I am afflicted and ready to die for my youth up. He knew why he had come. He knew what the work was.
And he just opens up a little bit.
Not exactly a rebuke to his mother, but a straightening out of things.
Joseph wasn't his father.
God was his father.
The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. God, man. And his great work was redemption's work. And he knew it from before he ever came. And he stepped forward to get it done. He's got it done now. He's given us this book. The book is in words, too.
Tremendous. That we have the Word of God, a revelation from God and a revelation of God to give us peace with God. That the work is completely done and that we have eternal life. We have a life that can never, ever fail. We got it.
What peace it gives and this life is in his Son. Now we're reading about it. If you ever have opportunity to deal with the Jehovah's Witness, their translation in verse one at the end reads and the word was a God and they make him lesser. They make him a creature. God created him. Ignore that verse and go to verse 3 and here's how it reads in their translation.
All things received being through him.
And without him not was not anything that received being that has received being. Now let that sink in. And then say, did he create himself?
Nothing that has come into being came into being without him. Did he create himself?
That verse refutes their whole blasphemous doctrine, denying the deity of Christ, and you can prove it with their own translation. The New World translation reads almost exactly the same as Mr. Darbus. That's the importance of having the Word. Which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teach words. There's liable to be error.
What is commonly known in Christendom as the Apostles Creed says?
I believe in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth, and Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. That's really a practical denial of the fact that the Lord Jesus was the creator. And this third verse says all things were made by him and without him was not anything that made that was made as you brought before us. So that the Scripture shows very clearly that the truth of God. But when we attempt to put it in our own words, we have to be careful.
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The Word of God sets the truth of God in perfection because it is the Word of God.
I believe that's important for us to stick to the truth of God's word and answer what people say by the word of God. They don't believe that Jesus is Jehovah. But if you read in the prophet Isaiah, the Lord said I am Jehovah and beside me there is no savior. And if the Lord Jesus is not Jehovah, then he couldn't be our Savior.
Just verses of scripture are enough to refute them. We can make all kinds of arguments, but it's good to have our mind well stored with the precious living Word of God.
You see that with the Lord Jesus, don't you? Because when he answered the enemy in the temptation, he always answered by quoting a verse of Scripture and saying it is written. Because I believe the great work of the enemy is either to twist Scripture, to quote it in part, or to take it out of context. And so it's interesting too, that in the Old Testament God spoke to Adam and Eve and when the enemy came along.
Took what God said, he said, half God said, said, and he raised a question in the minds of mind of Eve as to whether what God said was really the truth. And that's the great work of the enemy to raise a question or a doubt as to what God has said.
It's interesting that those are the first recorded words of Satan in the Old Testament. And the first recorded words of Satan in the New Testament, as has often been pointed out, are if thou be the Son of God. And isn't that the work of the enemy to raise a doubt as to the we have the written word of God, but rising it down as to the spoken word of God in the case of Eve and raising a doubt, trying to raise a doubt in the minds of mind of the Lord Jesus.
Was he really who he said he was?
But I think there's a nice scripture. We often read it on March day morning in the eighth of Proverbs, Speaking of the eternity of his sonship and the distinctness of his person. Because it says I was with him as one brought up. I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always in the habitable part of the earth. And it's quite a remarkable statement, isn't it? I was daily his delight rather, not just in his.
Incarnation and his pathway here, and his work of redemption here, but from all eternity.
That blessed one was the delight of God the Father. I have don't have any sons, but I do have two daughters and I love them very much. But if I'm honest, I can't say that they're daily my delight. There's some days they grieve me because of their actions. But here was one from a past eternity who never grieved the Father in any way, was daily the delight of that one. And then when he was here, the heavens could open up.
And a voice declare, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.
Rather, this is the one that God would occupy your heart and mind with. And if we take up these verses and it has that effect, we've said many things in this meeting already. But brethren, He wants our hearts to go out to the person. God's object this morning is exclusive object, is a man in the glory, and He would have us find our exclusive object and our delight in that man in the glory as well.
I'd like to read the words that Gordon was.
According to us in First Corinthians chapter 2, because I think they're very important.
What we've got in our hands.
This book was written by the Spirit of God.
And he teaches with these words.
More than that.
We have the Spirit of God.
We don't have the old prophets, We don't have the old brethren.
We've got the Spirit of God. And so in the 2nd chapter of First Corinthians down in the.
12Th Verse Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is all gone. Do you believe that?
That we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, and we're getting a few of them in John's Gospel.
Which things also we speak.
Now look what he says. Not in the word. Which man's wisdom teacher?
Which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. How are we going to get hold of these things? By the Spirit that we have? But he that is spiritual judgeth all things. Yeah, yet He himself is judge of no man.
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For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
That he may instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ. In this blessed body. We have the mind of Christ.
And the Spirit of God has written it to us in his teaching, prominent when we have the Spirit of God to make us enter into them a little further that we might enjoy the things that are freely given to us of God. I think it's so important that the truth of creation is.
Insisted on here in verse 3 and that the Lord Jesus is the creator of all that was created.
The theory of evolution.
Tends to set God aside and it is because men wants to do away with his responsibility to God and you cannot do that.
But the enemy is constantly trying to do that. And there's even partial theories of evolution, theistic evolution, which says that God created something that way in the past and that came along evolving. But what that does is put a distance between man and God, and that is not the truth. The truth is.
That God is interested.
He made something and he made it with a specific purpose, and that's what you see in our society today. And I think it is so important that we see why the enemy wants to push evolution the way he does is because if evolution is true, we are the product of blind, purposeless chance.
And so if it comes to too many problems in my life, why not but an end to my life?
Because where there's no God, there's nothing beyond. The problems are too great. I'll just put an end to it. But that is a lie. That is not the truth. God created things with a specific purpose in mind, and it really gives purpose to realize that we came from the hand of God.
We are created by God, and God has purpose in connection with His.
Creation. If you go to Revelation, where the judgments are going to fall on this earth, in the 4th and 5th chapters, you have the throne being set in heaven, God's basis of judgment. And in chapter 4 of Revelation, the basis of judgment is creation.
Man will have to do with God because he is a creature from the hand of God. He cannot escape that and chapter 5 is redemption.
Man will have to do with God too because of the work of the Lord Jesus of the cross of Calvary. So on two counts. But it is important that creation be maintained because of the responsibility that man has towards his creator God.
But it took the second man to take up that responsibility and gain the victory. God didn't lose in the 1St man.
He first man brought in ruin and all that, but the first man had to be first. The second man is the Lord from heaven. And so in the last verse of our chapter you go to where God brings in the man of His purpose. And if we can look on down to the end and see Christ, let's read the last verse of our first chapter again.
It's the open heaven that was referred to.
He says unto him, That's the Nathaniel Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon who? The Son of Man.
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A lot of purpose God had, and what a victory he had gained in the second man, the Lord out of heaven.
So he looked on to that, everything settled and perfect. Who gains the victory? The Son of man. God gains the victory in a man, and He brings in all of us into the same light, the same end purpose with God in Christ in a perfect scene.
And the angels ascending and descending. But who's the center? The Son of Man, Son of man, God. God's man.
Could I add you what you brought before us as to the Spirit of God making the truth known to us from first Corinthians? I just like to read a couple of verses from the 17th of John.
17.
And verse 2.
John 17 and verse 2.
As thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life.
To as many as thou has given him.
And this is life eternal, that thou that they may know.
Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. So we have the Spirit of God.
But we have the capacity to receive the truth of God because we have eternal life. And that's important, isn't it?
We have a life that wants to really and truly know God, that we might know the true God and Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful thing to have the Spirit of God and to have eternal life.
John, would you turn again and read what was read earlier today, the second to the last verse of First John.
First John 5, the next to the last verse. I think it brings out what you're bringing before us.
It's such beautiful truth, such wonderful high truth.
First John five, first John 5, the next to the last verse.
Verse 20 Yes, and we know.
That we are of God.
No, no, start over.
First John 520.
And we know that the Son of God is come and have given us.
And understanding that we may know him, that is true.
And we are in him. That is true. Even the Son, even his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
It's so remarkable, even when we are reading about.
Creation. There all things were made by him.
What does that mean to me? What does that mean to each of us?
He is the great provider.
We have nothing.
And we look around us in this world after 6000 years of sin.
And see even now the great provisions that there are, and we look off into eternity.
I know that we have a life now here, each of us that can enjoy this creation.
But we have a life that will enjoy that person an eternity, and we will praise him. I think of a verse in the end of.
Hosea.
The last verse of Hosea.
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I take a little time to find it takes me time.
Hosea, Chapter 14.
And verse 9, Hosea 14 and verse 9.
Who is wise?
And he shall understand these things.
Prudent.
And he shall know them.
For the ways of the Lord are ripe.
And the just shall walk in them.
The ways of the Lord are ripe.
So I can ask myself the question.
What has been right in my life?
That will stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
Because it really won't be right until it's right with him.
So will it not be wonderful to be in that place with Him where everything is right? It says the ways of the Lord are right and we can't change them, but we can anticipate. We can think of those.
Glorious eternity, all is right in God's eyes. Perfect harmony with God and we love it.
I was thinking in connection with what our brother Clem was saying, First Corinthians chapter 2, it says.
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, for they are foolishness unto him, for they are spiritually discerned, that God has given us the Holy Spirit. Now we have received, not the Spirit which is of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
I'm just going to say this especially for the sake of the young people. God has written a book that cannot be understood except by the Spirit who was the one who gave this book and says the says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Men write books. And if you have equal intelligence to the man who wrote the book and you understand the book.
But the wonder of it all is that we have in our hands, brethren, a book that was not written by men. It was written by inspired by the Spirit of God. And so natural men will say, well, I can't understand that book. That's only a proof of its truth. Because if they could understand it, they would be able to understand it without the spirit of the one who wrote the book. And God has written a book and he says the only way you can understand it is to accept my beloved.
Son to receive of the Holy Spirit, and then the book will begin to open up to you and with us as believers too. It goes on a little farther in that passage. He that is spiritual discerneth all things. Why don't all believers see these things? Unless you and I are willing to allow the Spirit of God to have His way in our lives. He only gives us life for one step at a time, just like the headlights of your car on the dark night.
You get light for what you need as you're driving, but there's a lot of that's darkness ahead, but if you keep going, you have light all the way. And so God gives light for the person who takes a step of salvation.
If he then says, well, I want to please the Lord, and he turns to the word of God, the Spirit of God through the Word will give him instruction.
At the moment we say, well, I'm saved now, I better choose what I'm going to do for the Lord. Immediately We're saying, well, I needed the word of God to teach me salvation, but now I don't need the word of God to teach me how the assembly should gather, how I should order my life. I just plan that myself, no.
We need the word of God, but we also need the Spirit of God so that we can understand it. An unbeliever once said to a Christian man, he says, I don't understand this Bible and nobody can understand the Bible. And he said, your ignorance is a proof of its truth. Because if you're an unsaved man, that the fact that you say you can't understand it is to me what proves the Bible is true.
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A natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them.
For they are foolishness unto him, because they are spiritually discerned. I thought of it, brethren, in connection with the Tabernacle. There was that Tabernacle in the wilderness. A stranger comes by and he sees a building that's covered over with badger skins. There's nothing very beautiful about it. It's these white hangings around the court, the perfect life of the Lord Jesus. Where is he going to learn a little bit more?
When he comes to the door now, he begins to see the colors.
The blue and the purple and the scarlet. And so when the Sinner comes to the door, seizes need, then he comes in and the next thing is the altar of sacrifice. Here he finds the way that he can be accepted. Then he can learn all the glories of what's inside. Well, in saying this, if there's anyone unsaved here, all that we've said this morning may not mean very much to you, but if you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior, then you'll get the spirit of the person who wrote.
And he's referred to as the spirit of truth by the Lord Jesus later on in John's gospel. Because if we've had any enjoyment of this little portion we've taken up this morning, if Christ has been made more real to our souls, it's only a work of the Spirit of God. And so the Lord Jesus said to the disciples on that occasion in the upper room, there were many things he wanted to say to them, but they couldn't bear them at that time. But when the spirit of truth is come.
Will guide you into all truth, and the spirit of truth has been given. And so we can enter into these things as we've been saying. But brethren, I just stress again, it's only by the Spirit of God and the ultimate work of the Spirit of God in bringing the truth before us is to glorify Christ.
Because the Lord Jesus brought that out as well in the upper room, that the function of the Spirit when he came would be to bring Christ before them. And So what a wonderful thing it is. We've been Speaking of eternal life. We've been Speaking of the Spirit of God. It's summed up in Peter where it says we have all things that pertain unto life and godliness. 43 in the back.
Thy word thyself reflecting thus sanctified by truth.
Still leading on thy children with gentle heavenly growth.
Still the work proceedeth, the work begun by grace, for each is meet and training Father to see thy face. 43 in the back of the last sentence.
I wear thyself.
To see, we also seen 150.
So.
Bright.
Alive.
John 1
Reading
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Start with verse 4.
John 14 John's gospel to Ave. one verse four. And him was light, and the light was the light of him, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. It was a man sent from God. His name was John.
The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which lighted every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came onto his own, and his own received him not, but as many as received him.
Gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born out of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John bear witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me.
Know His fullness of all we received and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He flared him. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed I am not the Christ.
They asked him, what then art Dal Elias? He said, I am not with all that profit. And he answered no, and said they unto him, Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent dogs. What saith thou thyself? He said, I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord has, said the prophet Isaiah.
They which were sent were the Pharisees.
They asked him, said unto him, Why baptize this thou then, if thou be not that Christ nor Elias neither that Prophet John answered them, saying, I baptized with water, but to stand with one upon you whom you know not. It is who coming after me is preferred before me, and whose shoes last, that I am not worried to want to lose. These things were done.
Bearer of John Jordan, where John was baptized.
Next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is referred before me, for he was before me. I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore I come baptizing with water.
And John Mayer records saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dog, and in a bowl upon him.
I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, same as he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. I saw and bear record that this is.
The Son of God.
Again the next day, after John stood in two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God.
The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them falling, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master.
Where dual style death unto them come and see they came and saw where he dwelled, and abode with him that day, for it was about the 10th hour. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon, Peters brother. He first find that his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah.
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Which is being interpreted to Christ, and he brought him to Jesus.
When Jesus beheld and he said, Thou art Simon the son of Joan, and thou shalt be called Sivas, which is by interpretation of stone.
Day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and find his Philip saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of best say to the city of Andrew and Peter. Phillip finest Nathaniel says unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the prophet.
Right Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, and Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and saith of him, Behold the Israelite indeed, and whom is no guile. Samuel says unto him, Whence knoweth saw me?
Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, When thou was done in the fig tree, I saw thee.
Daniel answered and said unto him, Rabbi Dollars, son of God, thou art the king of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, Believe us, thou and all shall see greater things than these.
He sat under him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
The statement in Him was life. Let's compare that with a similar one in chapter 5 in chapter 5, verse 26, whereas the Father hath life in himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in himself. This one in chapter 5 is what we would call His mediatorial glory.
His messianic Commission.
As the son become a man, the father gives to him, to the Son of Man, to have life in himself.
But what we have in this fourth verse of our first chapter is His essential intrinsic glory as having life in Himself as one of the persons of the Godhead. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Here it's not given to Him to have it, but He has it essentially.
As being the son. So there's a difference and the one should not be used to.
To sully the glory of the other. They're both true, are they not? How does that compare with First John 11, the hands of handles of the word of life? I would think so, because it goes on to say in first John 1/2 for the life was manifested. This is not a life that was given to him in his manhood. But.
That life which was essentially ever in Him was manifested.
That's his essential glory, isn't it? The enemy often uses these passages that speak of him in his mediatorial position as man to say, see, like in John 14, the Lord says My father is greater than I see. He's not equal father, and he's talking there in his manhood. And another passage that says no one knows the day nor the hour, only the father, not even the Son says that in.
Gospel and I had a Hindu boy say to me, well, if he doesn't know, how can he be God? I said, well, you're you're you're you're getting into the the, the mystery of his person here. He is both God and man and as man he does not know he's a servant and it's it's not for the servant to know what his master does. So there are these passages that would stumble someone. We were talking this morning about the the natural man does not understand this book and he can.
These these quote, conflicting statements, UN quote. They're not to us conflicting, but they are to the natural mind and says how can he? How can these things be? How can he be God if he doesn't know the gain or the hour or if he has to have life given to him or if his father is greater than he is? How can he be Co equal with the father? Well, notice that's in John 14, but in John 10 he says.
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I and my father are one.
So he always brings out that oneness that he had with the Father, and always has first. And then he talks about the infinite grace of the stoop that he made when he, the rich one, became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. So to see him in that mediatorial position that he came, so that life was given to him from the Father.
Is such a wonderful thing to our souls to think that he who is God over all blessed forever.
Became a servant. He was there in the form of God. He emptied himself of that outward form of glory and took upon him what the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. Infinite stoop that he made in order to come to where we were so that we might know who God is. The only way we could really know God is.
When he manifested himself in a man, that blessed man.
That's how we come in touch with him, and that's the only way that man could really vent his hatred against God is by what he did to that man who that one who was man and became was God and became a man, God Incarnate, what he did to him. Man could not get his hands on God until he became a man, and then he showed.
Invented his hatred and wrath against him.
The wonders of his humiliation.
And the stoop that He made are what fill our hearts when we realize who He is essentially in His person and then what He became in order to reach us. And if we're going to understand, we're going to get it from God. We're going to get it from Revelation. We're not going to get it from reasoning. The verse we had this morning a couple of times.
First, John 520 We know that the Son of God is come. Now he's not a strange form of the verb is come.
It's in perpetuity. He became a man, and he's always that he is come.
We know that and that He has given us an understanding. Herefore we get the understanding. God gives the understanding that we may know Him. That is true.
Goes on magnificently said we are in Him. That is true even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. That's the way we get understanding thinking in this chapter. There are at least a dozen names and titles to this blessed person. We might just go through them just to relate them.
We've already had two of them. The first one was the Word. We felt much on that. Now in the seventh verse, we get Him as light.
And in the 14th verse.
He is the only begotten Son in the 17th verse.
He is Jesus Christ and in the 23rd verse he is Lord.
And in the 29th verses, the Lamb of God.
And in the 34th verse he's the Son of God. The 38th verse he's Master, a rabbi. And the 41St verse he's Messiah of the Christ. The 45th verse is Jesus of Nazareth, and that title was put over Jesus on the cross.
But a name that is Jesus of Nazareth 49th verses the King of Israel, unless these the Son of Man.
That's a dozen names are titles that belong to this person we're talking about. What a wonderful person. What a wonderful revelation. Now if we're going to understand it, we're going to get it by faith. You can't reason these things out. This is God and Son. It's even dangerous to try to contemplate. Understand who He is because no man north of the sun but the Father, Just leave it there and worship and adore. He is all these things.
Perhaps in connection with our brother, Hendrix was saying. In Philippians 2. It's made very clear, isn't it?
To be in the form of God thought it not Robert even to be equal with God, but took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. It was robbery for Adam want to want to be equal with God. That was Satan's suggestion. He shall be as God's knowing good and evil. That was Robert he didn't deserve. He wasn't in that place but with the Lord Jesus. He is was the eternal word, the eternal Son of God, but he took upon him the form of a servant.
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And it's illustrated like this, if the king wanted to give an example to a group of workmen how they should work, and he said to his son, now you put on the overalls and you show them the way things should be done, then he listens to the person that's over him. Is he really over him? No, he's still the King's son in all the majesty of his person. But he has taken that place. And the Lord Jesus came in wondrous love and grace and took the form of a servant, took the place here in this world.
Of obedience.
And he could say, I do always those things which please him, but he never left. At the same time his place in the Godhead, it was never robbery for him to be equal with God, He is God. The Word was God, as we have in our chapter. So as our brother was saying, there are passages that speak of him as a servant. And as the servant he was obedient, He was doing his Father's will, but as God.
He made all things. He upholds all things.
All glory centers in Him is going to be the center of the whole scene of glory in the coming day. Well, it's good for us to see these things the way the Scripture sets them before us. And so coming into this world, He was the light of every man. Not that every man accepted the light, but the light shone there. Whether there was darkness. You could have a very powerful light, but if this room was full of smoke, it wouldn't penetrate the darkness. Nothing matter with the light, but the room is so full of smoke that the light.
Penetrate the darkness. That was the condition of this world when that blessed One who is the light came into it. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not without digressing from the precious things that have been brought before us already in this meeting. It might be helpful, just for the sake of the young people, to point out that what has been brought before us shows the importance of context in the Word of God, because I believe that every.
Doctrine that is propagated is the result of directly or indirectly taking scriptures out of their context and misapplying them. And you can take scripture and justify just about anything you want to believe or even do by taking it out of its context. And I just say this to the young people.
It was helpful to me when I was a little younger to have brought before before us in the assembly the importance of when we read the Word of God and take up any aspect of the person and work of Christ to see where it's found. In other words, what goes before, what comes after, what is the character of the book that it is found in? Because this has often been pointed out in these 4 gospels. The Lord Jesus is presented to us in different ways and if we lose sight of the.
Which the Lord Jesus is presented to us in the Gospel, then we're going to be confused by statements as to His person and work, because the Spirit of God brings before us these different aspects in the different ways. Without sounding repetitious, in Matthew we know the Lord Jesus is brought before us as the Messiah. He's brought before us as the King of the Jews, and as such the Jews rejected their Messiah. We know that in Mark's Gospel he's brought before us as the servant.
To be ministered to but the minister and give his life a ransom for many. In Luke he's brought before us as the perfect dependent man. And then in John's gospel, he's brought before us as the Son of God and young people. It's not difficult to have an outline of these things. Just some outline of what the various gospel writers present, what the different apostles present in their writing, Paul's ministry, and even the Old Testament. Just some.
Paul said to Timothy as a young man. He said that he he exhorted him to hold fast the form of sound words or an outline of truth, so that whenever we take up anything in the Scripture, we take it up in the light of the context of the whole. And this is a great safeguard to us.
And I just say again, every false doctrine that's propagated in Christendom is the result of taking Scripture out of its context and misapplying it. And the enemy is busy to subvert our souls and undermine the precious truth of God. What's going to preserve us to have an outline of Scripture and to take Scripture up in its context? Well, I don't mean to digress, but these things are very practical and necessary. The enemy is busy, as we've been saying to.
Undermine the truth concerning the person and work of Christ. But we need to be well grounded. Continue steadfastly in that which has been given to us. I noticed when Clem was reading that one portion in John One it says.
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Philip makes a mistake. He says in verse 45 Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
He was the son of Mary, who's not the son of Joseph unless legally. But I was thinking of in Marks gospel, it starts out the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It's like saying Mark is going to present to us the perfect servant, but at the very first verse he says, but don't you forget ever just because he became a servant and took that place. Don't you forget who he is.
He is the Son of God. And in John's Gospel where you have the set of Jesus of Nazareth mentioned that only John records that written over the cross, only John records that Jesus of Nazareth. You would say, well, I would think you'd find that in Mark, but in John's Gospel.
You were presented with Jesus in his deity, in his essential glory as God. But don't you forget he became a man.
He became a servant and he took that low place. So the two approaches from the difference point of view. But it's beautiful to see these touches from the different Gospels. To the rational mind, these are contradictions that cannot be harmonized. Nonsense. The unnatural man does not understand the things of the Spirit of God in John chapter 16.
Just like to point out I mentioned this before but.
The 13th verse. Albeit when He the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me, or He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. One is often made the comment that you can make a test of any doctrine that has presented.
Whether this line of teaching glorifies Christ or whether it glorifies man, if it's not the truth of God, there'll be something in it that glorifies man, but if it's the truth of God, it will glorify Christ. I say that, for instance, with such a teaching as being saved and lost. Again, you might say, well, there are verses that they use that do seem to think, do seem to show that it's possible for a.
To lose his salvation. But when you make the simple test of it, does this line of teaching glorify man, or does it glorify Christ?
If it's a man will end. But we're saying, well, I the Lord saved me, but unless I do my part, I've got to keep on. And if I don't keep on, I'm going to lose my salvation. So when I get to heaven, I'll say the Lord save me. But I did my part. I kept on and that's why I'm here.
But if it's the truth of God, it gives all the glory to Christ. So He saved me. But he not only saved me, but He's promised that what He has begun is going to complete. They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
There are those that teach that baptism is necessary for salvation, but what is that but saying that something of man has to be added to what Christ has done? You can't baptize yourself.
So unless somebody takes you and says certain words over you and puts you under the water, you can't be in heaven because that was necessary to make you fit for heaven according to that false line of teaching. Now, baptism is a wonderful privilege in a place that we take recognizing that we are dead and risen with Christ. But the important thing is to see that everything.
That glorifies Christ is the truth of God.
But when you bring in something that is a man, you may find some scriptures that are hard to answer, but you'll see behind that there is something to give glory to man, whereas the truth of God always honors and exalts and glorifies Christ.
In these verses we get a lot about light and vision 5 tells us that which makes everything manifest is the light, and I think it's so beautiful this fourth verse. Notice there's not 1-2 syllable word in the verse. They're all monosyllable words.
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John can be so.
Very simple in the words he uses and yet express such profound truth in him was life, and the light was the light of men. Isn't this wonderful? Not merely what he said, what he was.
Is passing through this world automatically made manifest everything he was close to. The light shone, but it shows to the awful darkness that man was in. He was not that he could not say it was willful darkness.
He was willingly ignorant, man was, and so.
You can shine all the lights you want on a blind man. You can't see because he's blinded. And the God of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not, some said he says. I don't believe God.
He's blinded by Satan, and as much as you want to reason, it won't make sense to him because he does not believe.
What is so marvelous here that speaks of John, that he was as man sent from God to bear witness of the light? Who has ever heard of such a thing in common life? Sometimes say, if I go out on the street, and to everybody I met on the street, say, Look, the sun's shining, the sun's shining.
Everybody say what's wrong with that guy? He's crazy. Everybody can see that the sun is shining.
And yet, when the Lord Jesus, the glorious Son of God, the light of the world, came into this world, nobody, not even the religious people who had the word of God in their hands, could.
Could recognize who this person was. So God had to send a man before him to say this is the true light that cometh into the world. Isn't that sure how dark man is naturally speaking? And our hearts by nature were there, Dear brethren, thank God.
For the grace that has worked and opened our eyes to look, to see.
That true light that there is in our Lord Jesus. And they chose to remain in darkness too, didn't they? Because the Lord Jesus said in the 3rd chapter, Speaking of the light coming, He said, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. He did expose what their hearts were like. Just like in the 8th chapter when they brought the woman to the Lord Jesus who had been caught in the very act of adultery. What did it do? Well when?
Brought her into the presence of the Lord Jesus and exposed not only her sin, That's true, but it exposed their own hearts. They came in self righteousness, feeling that they were not above this woman. But they were so convicted in their conscience, in the presence of the light, the true light, that it says they went out from the eldest onto the youngest. And so it exposed man's heart. And that's why they don't want the Lord Jesus today. Why have men?
Pages of God's Word. Why don't they want the light of God's Word at the schools? Well, because the light convicts. It's like a mirror. It shows men exactly what the true condition of his heart is like. But they don't want that. They're choosing like these in the Lord, the days of the Lord Jesus. They're choosing to live in the darkness rather than the light. But we who have come into the light, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.
What a contrast for us.
Light expose our hearts. Thank God it did, but it also exposed the heart of God and the Lord Jesus and the blood of Jesus Christ has taken care of every sin so that we can walk in comfortably in his presence, justified, sanctified and so on we enjoy his presence, we enjoy the light but this world didn't want the light. They refused the light he was the light of the world as he said later on, but they didn't want him and they.
At the end of it all took him outside that city that had religion without Christ and they nailed into a cross. I say they refused the light and they've been stumbling in darkness ever since.
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It says this chapter says the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.
And again, which coming into the world lighteth every man? So conscience God gave to man in the fall, the conscience, and the conscience in man always, shall I say, recognizes the light. He may shy away because he doesn't like it. And that's why it says in 2nd Corinthians 4, by manifestation of the truth, commanding ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
Someone has said the best illustration of conscience is your eye.
You might have 2020 vision, but if you're in a dark room, you don't see anything. But if you're doing something you want, don't want anybody to see, you just don't want the light to go on. Nothing the matter with your eyes, but you just don't want the light to go on and the coming into this world of the Lord Jesus.
Revealed what man was and that's why he was conscious. You find with the scribes and Pharisees, they became conscious that they were in the presence of the one who was light and they stayed away. They shield away because the light shone. But the conscience always is the length that God has given that no man can say. I've never seen light. The shining of the light touches the conscience. He may run away from it like.
Was asked to come to the gospel meeting and she said no thank you, it makes me feel too wicked. She was like the Sinner who is in a room doing something in the dark and he says please don't turn on the light because it'll make me uncomfortable. So the light shone in darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not. And yet man did feel that he was in the presence of the light when the Lord Jesus was around and they hated him without a cause.
Purpose for the light to shine is that all men through Him might believe, expose what we are, and as it's been said, to bring out the heart of God so that we can be blessed. And the light, yes, that's God's purpose in it. What a thing it is to have power given to become the sons of God.
What an answer to our destitute, hopeless, ruined condition.
To get out of the guilt of the Atom race.
Sins put away and become sons of God.
Even to them that believe on his name.
God hasn't made it difficult for us to be saved and never sin, split away and have a conscience of peace.
You wonder why more men don't believe.
Don't believe because their wills at work, as the Lord said, as Pharisees, the agent John, He would not come in order that you might have life. And how often would I have gathered you as a hen gathered a fruit under her wings, and you would not The same energy of will was manifested in the rejection of the true king, as was manifested when they chose a king. He said we will have a king.
And so when the Lord Jesus, the true King, came, they said we will not have help.
Same energy of will. What His presence here manifested was the state that each one was in. I want to read that ninth verse in the new translation. It reads differently. Note the difference. The true light was that which coming into the world lightens every man Note.
Or is light to every man not in lightens?
But sheds its light upon, makes manifest the true state of every man, as Gordon was saying. And in the 3rd chapter it says in verse 20, Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deed should be reproved, should be shown as they are. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that is, deeds may be made manifest that they are.
God, so the light one here made that difference manifest, didn't it? Those that were children of light came to the light. Those that were children of darkness refused it. I sometimes thought of it in connection with our piano at home. We have a piano in our front room and it has a black shiny finish and it shows every bit of dust. That seems to be a magnet for every bit of dust in the house. But in the morning, you, you come.
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Living room, you'd never know that the piano was covered with dust. But in the afternoon, when the sun shines in because the front window is on the West side of the house, why there's no trouble to see that the piano is covered with dust? And sometimes my wife will pull the shades a little bit so that it doesn't look quite as bad. It doesn't mean that in the morning the piano wasn't just as dusty, it was just as dusty as it is in the afternoon. But what has made the difference?
The light shines and reveals the true condition of the piano, and that says, we've been saying what took place Lord Jesus came to as the light, and it revealed what was in man's heart. It didn't make man's heart any worse. Man had a fallen nature, rotten to, through and through, that could produce no fruit for God. That was true from the moment he fell in the Garden of Eden. But the light showed exactly what it was, to what full extent the heart of man really was.
I think at 12 to understand that verse in first John 1 and 7 is really bringing that truth before us. Perhaps I should read it first John 1:00 and 7:00 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanse of us from all sin. That doesn't mean a condition of a real believer. It's talking in the verses before of one who is.
An unbeliever who's in darkness.
Who hates the light? The fifth verse. Just that in the message that we have heard of him, we declare unto you that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. The unsaved man is in the darkness. He doesn't know his true condition. But isn't it blessed, brethren, that when we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, then we have been brought into the light? And so when it says, if we walk in the light, it's a contrast of the position of an unbeliever. He's not.
Light at all but a true believer. He walks in the light. And what has fitted him for the light?
The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanse of us from all sin. So the brighter the light, the more it proves that we're fit for the light. Because what does the light of God's holy presence show for one who has been cleansed in the blood? It shows that all his sins are gone.
They're gone forever because the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanse with us from all sin. I think it's important to see that that verse is not a conditional one for a believer. It's not that sometimes we're in the light and sometimes we're not. We're always in the light. Someone asked Mr. Darby, but what if a Christian turns his back on the light? Well, he said the light will shine on his back, but he's in the light. That's where he's been brought, and he's fitted for the light through the blood.
But if he is not fitted for the light, then he doesn't want to come into it at all, because the unbeliever doesn't want the exposure of his true condition. Because he's not fit for the light. He doesn't know the wonderful grace of God that can cleanse him perfectly and fit him for the light.
So let's remember that that seventh verse is the position of the believer. We're in the like we mean, I always walk according to the light, but that's where we are brought. We are we're children of darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. We may not walk as children of light, but positionally.
In the light, we're fitted for the light through the precious blood of Christ. It's unfortunate that.
In our King James they've rendered the word children as sons like in verse 12. As many as received him to them gave thee power to become. It ought to read the children of God. I think it's true that the only time he John in his writings.
In John's gospel and epistles uses the word Son is referring to the Son of God. When he's referring to the Saints, he uses children of God. Paul uses both sons of God and children of God. One is the thought of adoption. The sons of God, children of God are being born into the family. But John consistently.
Talks about us as children of God.
Not sons doesn't mean we're not sons. We are. But when he talks about the sun, he's talking about the Lord Jesus.
And that's characteristic of John's writings, isn't it?
And it says there in that verse, the 13th verse, not of blood. That doesn't mean that it doesn't refer to the blood of Christ. It's just simply as the fact we often use the expression of blood relation or something like that. So there was the fact that my father was a believer doesn't make me a believer. I'm in a blood relation to my father, but that didn't make me a child of God. I wasn't born again because I was brought into a Christian family. It had to be a personal thing.
00:40:24
And so.
As many as received him to them gave thee power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not because of certain family, not because of my own will, but because God in his sovereign grace, purpose, blessing for me. For we see that brought out in John, The sovereignty of God is very specially brought out in John. Because of our own wills, we would never, never have come to Christ.
God had to do something in order to make us come. No man can come unto me except the Father which has sent me draw him.
You can preach the gospel to someone, but you cannot will that they be born again. That's impossible. It's not the will of men. It's not even your your own will. You can't will it for yourself.
It's, it's a, it's a work of God, isn't it?
Not of blood, your parents can't will it for you, nor of the will of the flesh.
Nor of the will of man, but of God, sovereign work of God. When we have the gospel presented to us, we believe that, and the Spirit of God uses the word of God. We're born again by the water of the Word, born of water and of the Spirit. And Peter says being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
So the Spirit of God uses the word of God to work on his soul. When that soul receives that word by faith, there's life, and you can't say which comes first, it's a mystery. But life and faith come together in the soul and then they're born again by the word of God. Romans chapter 3 says.
There is none that seeketh after God.
Thought not one person seeks after God. Speaking of the natural man, there's none that seeketh after God. What man needs is life.
The life comes as a sovereign work, as Chuck was saying, a sovereign work of the Spirit of God upon a dead soul that is dead in trespasses and sins. And when that comes, when life comes.
Faith comes that there may be not intelligence necessarily, but.
The truth of the Gospel, death, burial and resurrection of Christ might come 50 years later to bring peace to a troubled soul, but it might come seconds after new birth. You said it well. When life comes, faith comes. I'll say it. When faith comes, life comes.
Which comes first, we cannot say. In fact, Mr. Kelly says you could certainly say that faith comes before life, but you couldn't say life comes before faith. I know there's a lot of brethren that would like that statement, but that's what he said. And the two come together. It's a sovereign work of God when the soul believes, but there must be faith.
And that's what God produces.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, and new birth comes by the word of God. We get faith and we get life by the word of God. Both come together and that's where we should leave it and not have any theological discussions as to it because it's beyond us to understand. It's been sad too that repentance is all faith and not a preparation for faith.
Repentance. The word simply means a change of mind.
And so supposing somebody shouted in the door and said your buildings on fire. If I didn't believe what he said, I just sit here quietly, not care. But if I really believe what he says, I immediately prayer prepare to do something because there's danger. And so that repentance is of faith, I say again. And so when the gospel is preached and people are warned of coming judgment, God begins the work by making the man conscious that word is.
00:45:03
Through you're exposed to judgment then as it says, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ Immediately I believe that man's message. I think of well, what's the Safeway out of this room. I'm thinking of a way I'll escape now from the trouble that's going to buildings on fire. And so it's good to remember this, as you were saying, and I think it's important to see these things. It's all a work of God.
He is he then, a God granted to the Gentiles. Repentance, repentance unto life.
Repentance is of faith, then faith finds a way of escape in the Lord Jesus. But it's all a work of God that God does in a dead soul first imparting life. And that's why it's important too, to use the Word of God when we speak to souls, because when we preach the gospel, it's not my explanation or my illustration of someone who was almost drowned in a swimming accident.
Or my explanation of some scripture that's going to save a soul.
Now the Lord may use that, but we need to take those things and apply them to the Word of God. That's why I like when gospel is presented, when many scriptures are quoted, because it's those scriptures again. I quote the verse that Chuck has quoted. We're born again, not a corruptible seed, but incorruptible by the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever. It's the sword of the Spirit, and it's that which God uses, takes and uses in the power of the Spirit to impart.
Life and to convict and so on and so whether you're speaking to an individual, whether it's a brother who has the privilege of speaking the gospel publicly use the word of God. Yes they so speak that many believed we need to speak in that way. We need to speak with conviction and from the heart and show that we're enjoying these things in our own souls and God may use that but ultimately in the final analysis I.
It's not my explanation of the Scripture that's going to say the soul, but it's the Word of God itself in all its power. And isn't it a comfort, brethren, to think that when we present the gospel, blessing doesn't depend on our ability to present the Word of God, but it does depend on the Word of God in all its living power?
Well, if we use the Scripture, then God can use it, but it's not our sword, it's the sword of the Spirit. And when used in communion by the Spirit, you can have that power. But connected verse in John 5. But the verse that was quoted relative to faith coming by hearing and hearing by the word of God, the hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. So this is directly connected with hearing coming by the.
God by faith, the dead there are dead in trespasses and sins, are they not? And the hour there is the hour of his grace. And the word of God has been going forward. The Lord Jesus in resurrection, He gave a special Commission to his own. They were to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every man. And so the dead have been hearing there's a gospel meeting scheduled for this room. If the Lord leaves us here later this evening and as the word of God goes forth.
There's someone in the room who's dead and trespasses and sin. They're hearing the word of God. And if they're here if if they are, then God can use that word to bring them to himself. But I just say again, in particular to the young people when you have opportunity at school or at the office to.
Speak to a soul about their about salvation or any of these things. Use the word of God. Don't try to go into some long explanation about things or argue some point with somebody that doesn't that doesn't bring salvation. Use the word of God and let the word of God speak to the soul.
Remember, I was confronted at my work in that very thing by AJW.
And the issue with blood transfusions and it's interesting how God turned that around and I've been before him and I wanted something that he would give to me so that I could speak to this individual. Because you just keep at it and add it and add it, you know. So I asked the Lord and he gave me the verse in first John. So anyway, I came in one day and he said to me, he said.
You know, blood transfusions are no medical value whatsoever. You know, they cause problems. This was a time in Canada when they had that tainted blood thing that was going on.
That was courted almost like ammunition for him. But anyway, I said, OK, fine, let's say medically that there's no benefit to them whatsoever. Let me tell you something, my friend. There's one blood transfusion. You can't do without it. And he said, oh, I said, yeah, the blood of Jesus Christ, God Son, cleanses us from all sin. Us interesting the setting, because they're in the office. The supers were there, the drivers were there, the secretaries were there, everybody's there and they're all listening.
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You know, for this, so there's the verse the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. While Needless to say that ended it and no more issues came up after that. And by the way, he was very angry when that was presented in years later. He said to me after he left, he said, you know, Wilson, he says there isn't a man in this company. He said, I despise as much as you. I said, well, I feel sorry for you, I really do. But I said I don't take back what I've said because it's the word of God.
And unless you believe what the word of God says, that you're going to die in your sins.
Well, I remember too, Brother Ed, right there in Pleasantville where you live when the 10th meetings were being held. And I remember 2 Mormons one night they came into the gospel meeting and as soon as the meeting was over and the brother stepped down from the platform was just a young brother. And he stepped down and these two men immediately button holed him ready for an argument. And as they opened their mouth to speak, an argument, this young brother.
He looked at them and he's and well, they I should sit back up a moment. They said they began their argument by saying the greatest man that ever was born into this world was Joseph Smith and they were ready to argue this, but what did the brother do? He looked at them and he said of those born among women, there have not risen a greater than John the Baptist. They closed their books and they walked out of the tent and that quoting a verse of Scripture like that had more power. He might have stood there for hours and argued.
To make them see a certain point of view, but the quotation of a word, the word of God had more power and conviction than all the arguments he could have presented. First Peter 123 being born again, not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible.
By the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. James James chapter one verse 18 of his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. I think it's so beautiful as the city of his first 12 and just like to say for the benefit of anybody who.
May be here without the Lord Jesus.
Had a lot of people sometimes say how do you receive Christ?
Very simple here in this verse. Doesn't say you have to pray. Doesn't say anything more than this brief phrase at the end of verse 12.
Believe on His name. That's the way you receive Christ.
Believe on his name.
So that was the message, wasn't it, in the jail in Philippi, when the Philippian jailer asked what must I do to be saved?
Did he receive want some long sermon as to what to do to be saved? No, I like what it says there. And they said Paul and Silas said to him it seemed like they were of one mouth in it. They said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Nothing magnifies the grace of God. I don't believe more than what we have in verses 12 and 13.
Verse the end of verse 12 even to them that believe on his name, which were.
Already born of born not of blood, nor the will of flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.
They were born again and then they believed. I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for that's the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. And the Word was made flesh, or the Word became flesh.
Tremendous statement of truth.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father. Full of grace and truth, we beheld a glory that had no beginning.
The only begotten of the Father, the glory of an eternal relationship, as what John speaks of. Here we beheld his glory. It was something that only faith could see.
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The natural eye could not see this glory at all. All the natural eye could see was a man. Is not this Jesus of Nazareth?
Carpenter, Son who? Who? Who is he who maketh he himself? John says, We beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father.
Could something be said please on the only begotten? The thought in that is there's only John uses that expression.
There are two express No, there's two times it's used in the other gospels but not referring to the Lord Jesus.
But it's the only John uses it, applying it to the Lord Jesus, and it refers to His nature, His essential being, as of the same substance as the Father, the only begotten of the Father. It has nothing to do with time. It has nothing to do with His ever entering into this relationship. It's the expression of an eternal relationship. He was there.
The Father's bosom from all eternity in that relationship, as of an only begotten with the Father.
One with the Father in essence, in substance, in essential glory, in person, is ontological glory as the only begotten Son of the Father, of the same nature as the Father himself. I think that's the force of only begotten.
Simple way I try to remember it is that.
You said it's his relationship to God eternally.
When it's first begotten, it's his relationship to other things.
So first begotten is different.
Only begotten eternally.
As the only begotten Son, He is alone.
He has no brethren as the first begotten from the dead. He has many brethren. One applies to Him in His manhood as the first begotten of the dead, the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father. That's His essential glory in the Godhead.
And we don't take part in that. Is it the confusing of those two things that has caused so much trouble? You take it from Hebrews chapter one or six that this refers to the Lords coming in a future day. The 1St Hebrews 1 and verse 6. And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he sat, and let all the angels of God worship him. The angels are created beings too.
So it is in a future day that they're going to worship him.
That's a different expression than only begotten, isn't it? Yes, yes, entirely. Well, you said the expression first begotten was only spoken after He had become into this world. That's why I called attention to this verse. It might be thought that that was His incarnation, but it really refers to His coming in glory in a coming day. Is that it? Must be getting close, going to delight in bringing His first begotten Son into the world.
All the glorious that's going to accrue to him.
Displayed we're far that creation be there with him. The angels are part of it. I suppose the last verse of our chapter brings it before us. Just read the last verse of our chapter. He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say, and you hear he shall see the heaven open. And the Angel of God asks Cindy. And descending upon the Son of Man, Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
And verse 16.
And of His fullness have all we received.
In Grace upon Grace, verse 17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
We live in a very special.
Time, do we not?
When we know the one who came to make grace known to us, grace is such a remarkable truth that it's something that's difficult to grasp.
That God would give the glory to Christ.
In everything in connection with Grace.
Because grace always turns us away from ourselves. The law turns us to ourselves, that we might be something in the eyes of God, but it would only turn into failure and ruin. But the grace of God.
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Grace and truth came.
And he dwelt here.
And he made known to man.
Did that gone?
In Too Rich.
To sell, we're too poor to buy. So to be brought into this grace is to turn us away from ourselves to realize.
That God comes forth in grace and gives us all in Christ.
What a privilege it is to live in this day when we know the administration of grace. Grace is the undeserved favor of God to, isn't it? Someone said, why don't you preach more about love instead of about grace? Or you might love a person because they're lovable. But grace is something that's entirely undeserved. And that's why these gospel emphasizes the grace of God. The grace of God that bring us salvation hath appeared to all men.
Full of grace and truth, that's what we needed. We couldn't keep the law. We couldn't measure up to God's holy requirements. And if God was going to bless us, it had to be on that principle or there would be no blessing because we deserved only His judgment. And so it's full of grace and truth. God hasn't in any way compromised anything of his truth to reach out in such a way. He has blessed us because.
The Lord Jesus for all the penalty of those sins. And now God can come out in the riches of his grace.
I remember reading in paper one time and a man around Christmas time and he was a judge and there were a number of traffic violations brought up before him. And he said, well, I'm going to show the Christmas spirit today and I'm going to let these people go. They won't have to pay their fines today because I'm going to show the Christmas spirit.
But he didn't put his hand in his pocket and pay those fines. He passed them over and they still, those people were still guilty, but he just passed them over. God doesn't pass over sin. Every one of my sins was laid upon the head of the blessed Lord Jesus and he bore them all. If that judge had put his hand in his pocket and said I'm going to pay every one of these men's fines myself out of my own pocket.
Then it would have upheld the justice of the court.
And God must uphold the justice of God's throne, but he also is a God of all grace. And so through the work of redemption, grace and truth come together. Truth of God requiring a punishment for sin, and the grace of God that sends the Lord Jesus to pay the full debt in full in order that we might partake of this grace that was in his heart.
Stand before him, holy and without blame, in love.
Because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus at Calvary, we learned from Romans 3 that God.
Can be just.
In justifying him that believeth in Jesus. What a marvelous truth that God could be just in bringing a Sinner into all this blessing because of the sacrifice of His beloved Son.
A Calvary God being just in justifying him. Whoever it is that believeth in Jesus, that judge showed forgiveness in an unrighteous way.
God can't do that. He always has to act in righteousness, doesn't He?
Grace is reigning through righteousness. He cannot compromise His Holiness and His righteousness. He can't be less than who He is.
Analogy to the Lord Jesus Christ being made flesh. The Word being made flesh. It says in Colossians chapter 2 verse 9. And him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Relative to our receiving grace on grace, and ye are complete in Him. Grace having come teaches us to deny on godliness and worthy loss, and to live soberly and righteously. And godliness present order of things, waiting for the blessed hope and the glory appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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So He is. In Him was the fullness of Godhead, and we are complete in Him, having received grace upon grace.
God is light and God is love. I've often thought grace is the manifestation of the truth that God is love. Light is the manifestation of the truth is the manifestation that God is like. And so those things were perfectly meshed in the in.
Balanced in the life of the Lord Jesus never did he go to 1 extreme we go in our lives we sometimes are we want to be faithful to the truth and we forget about love or we want to be very loving when we forget about truth but in every instance it's beautiful to go through especially this gospel of John and trace those.
Two moral characteristics in the life of the Lord Jesus, as He met individually one after another.
Perfect balance of those two things, grace and truth, full of grace and truth. It's pictured to us perhaps in the Old Testament with the blind flower, isn't it? It's a picture to us of His perfection in every aspect.
But I was thinking of this little expression in our verse, and we beheld His glory. Brethren, that's a tremendous statement for us to stop and to meditate upon. As John said later on in his epistle that their eyes had looked upon and their hands had handled of the word of life. They saw the Lord Jesus here, but they saw Him by faith as more than just a good man, because there were many when the Lord Jesus was here.
Who were willing to recognize that he was a Goodman. They were even willing to recognize that he was a prophet. But there were those who to whom was given faith to see beyond, shall I say, just his flesh as a man, it says there is no beauty that we should desire him. That is when the Lord Jesus walked here. I don't believe there was anything that would make him outstanding. Sometimes an artist conception of the Lord Jesus paints him with a Halo around his head or something.
I don't believe there was anything like that because those who saw His glory and beauty saw it by faith. Our brother Hajo was Speaking of the Tabernacle and how those badger skins were put over it. But when you got right inside and looked up, what did you see? The badger skins know the curtains of glory and beauty and all those wonderful things that spoke in a various aspects of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so John said, we beheld His glory.
Peter said we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, but what about us brethren? This was true of the Lord Jesus and those that were here when He walked amongst men. But just turned to 2nd Corinthians for something for us where we are now in Second Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18.
But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, or looking at the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. What is this, brethren? Well, to put it very simply, its present occupation with Christ, because it's true. The Lord Jesus isn't here in this world the way he was when John saw him and Peter saw him.
And those who had their eyes opened by faith saw his glories and beauties as he walked through this world. But brethren, the heavens are open to us now. That's what Hebrews does. It opens up to us, the heavens so that we can look up and see where the Lord Jesus is now. And in Hebrews chapter 2, it says we see Jesus Christ.
With glory and honor, we too, by faith, can look up and be occupied with the man in the glory, with his glories and his beauties and his attributes. And as we were saying this morning, that's what who God would occupy us with. That's the object that God would have before our souls.
And we sometimes sing that little prayer. Brethren, I trust it's a desire of your heart and mind. We sing it, I say, to my own soul so quickly sometimes, and with so little thought, I'll fix our earnest gaze. So, holy Lord, on Thee, that with Thy beauty occupied, we elsewhere none may seek. Brethren, is that really the desire of our hearts? The heavens are open to faith, and we can look up true. We're going to behold His glory in a far without the.
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In a far more wonderful sphere, because just to follow the thought, on we've had the past, John, they beheld the glory of the Lord. Here in the present we behold with unveiled face. But then in the end of John 17, the Lord said in anticipation, I will that they also whom thou has given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, and so on.
The days coming when the hindrances are going to be removed and we're going to be hold his glory unhindered.
But in the meantime, brethren, we need to look up beyond the horizons of this sad world, beyond the circumstances of life. We need to look up into the open heavens and get a fresh glimpse of a lovely man there. Is that why in the family?
Epistle. The first Epistle of John, and that first few verses it says, that which we have seen and heard, declare unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And then it gives us lovely encouragement, brother, and I love to think of it as I walk along through this world and as we walk along and fellowship with the Lord and in community. These things right we unto you that your joy may be full and you know that's what the Lord wants you and me to have full joy. The apostle Paul on the second epistle of the Corinthians in the end of the first chapter, he says not that we have dominion over your faith, but our helpers of your.
He says for by faith you stand and we've been talking today about faith and faith always wants to bring me into the fellowship and the enjoyment of that love as we've been speaking about. But you know also to know of that man as soon as coming to man in the glory and that's our our present hope and any moment we expect to hear that shout.
That would bring us right there and then what remains? Glory.
Glory. And that's why we sing about it, that's why we rejoice in it. And the Lord wants us to encourage 1 anothers joy in these things. Is that right?
When I visit a Christian who's going through a difficult circumstance, physically or otherwise, and that Christian is bubbling over with joy, why is it? Well, you don't have to talk to that Christian very long to find out that their joy is in the Lord. They're occupied with the man and the glory, brethren. It's the old corn of the land that we read about in the Old Testament. It's occupation with the risen Christ.
True, we go back and trace his life and we see that life. It's an example for us.
We find comfort from it because we know that he, as our high priest, is entering into what we pass through because.
He suffered these same things here, sin apart. It's true. We look back to His death on the cross. That's the Passover. The manna brings before us Christ in his life. But brethren, I believe too, we need the old corn of the land. What's going to lift us above the trials? I have no doubt there are brethren here this afternoon whose hearts are burdened.
Trials and difficulties in your life, problems in the assembly. Perhaps you say I don't want to go back next week and face all those difficulties and trials, but what's going to lift you above the trials? I say it's feeding on the old corn of the land it's occupied with Christ in glory.
Like to comment on the little expression in verse 14. I think it's so beautiful.
He dwelt among us.
So tremendous to think here was the eternal God.
Become flesh.
Christianity.
It's so important to realize is not something.
So exalted that it only the most intelligent can reach it. No, he dwelled among us. Here was a man that passed among men, and many did not recognize that he was anything more than a mere man.
And yet he was the eternal God, upholding all things by the word of his power. He sits tired, on the edge of a well. He's thirsty. He knows what hunger is. He knows what sorrow is like no one else. He knows what it means to be.
Alone, here is someone who came right where we are.
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And I think it's so beautiful, the apostles and John, first John chapter one could say we heard him, we seen him with our eyes. We contemplated him and so close he came. They could say our hands have handled him of the word of life. This is where.
Our God has come. He dwelt among us. Isn't this wonderful?
Dear young people, it's not Getting to know the Lord is not something that only brethren that understand a lot about Scripture can know. You can know it right where you are because that's where He came to lift us up. And so right where you are, right where you sit this afternoon.
The problems you may be facing. He came right where we are.
It dwelt among us. He is so beautiful to realize this is our God, the one that passed in armies. He has declared Him. What you're saying, Bob, is the end of verse 18. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the Father bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Luke begins his beautiful gospel by saying a declaration.
Of those things which are most surely believed among us, that's the gospel of Jesus Christ. And taking up the gospel in Romans, it says he's declared to be the Son of God. With power. We see God in the person of the Lord Jesus. We don't lose anything. We have all the declaration and all the knowledge of God in Jesus that you'll ever have.
I think it is important that our young people understand that Christianity.
Is based on historical fact. The Lord Jesus as God was born into this world as a man. That was historical, backwards, not philosophical. It's not something that takes a great mind to understand. It's things that actually happened in the history of this world. Our God came here.
He dwelt among us.
Death and Life
Address—L. Perry
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The last verse in the chorus of #7 He Now by faith I claim in mind, This is what I hope the way the evening will end up for you in Now by faith I claim him mine.
All I can do tonight is bring you to Jesus. The transaction between you and the Lord Jesus Christ about your eternal welfare is between you and Him alone.
There are many occasions in the scriptures where people were brought to Jesus. Andrew was one of those who was recorded several times as bringing people to Jesus.
When He did, He left the Savior to do the conversation with the individual about their need, whatever it was.
And that's the story tonight.
We can present you from the Word of God, the truth of the gospel.
But the end of it has to be that you have a decision to make before the Lord Jesus Christ and before God himself as to what you do with what God's message is for you.
My.
Subject tonight has to do with lifeout of death.
And this is taught to us by nature. We live in a farming area where the scripture in Genesis 8, which says, while the earth remaineth, seed, time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
We learned something from this in the repetition of the seasons, especially the one we're in now. Spring, when everything comes back to life around us, grass turns green and the winter wheat sprouts and the trees start to come out in bud and the flowers, spring flowers, bloom.
And we look back on the cold winter and we say, this is it's an annual miracle, isn't it, that this happens because everything seems so dead for so long. And in John chapter 12 and verse 24 it says, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is the Lord Jesus speaking. He said, accept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die. It abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
And we know that how true that is that you plant one kernel of corn in the ground and you get a whole fat cob at the end of the season with hundreds of kernels on it. And 100 fold is a nice yield these days. And so it's but the seed that we planted had to die.
For the new life to come out of it.
Well, it's lifeout of death in nature. It's it's there before us, and it's a principle of God that is revealed in his word having to do with spiritual matters, having to do with the real facts of life and death. We're all alive here tonight and we're all on the way to dying pretty well. That's what's before us, the end of life.
But.
There can be out of that death, there can be resurrection.
There can be new life.
Out of a life that is on its way to death, there can be new life, and that's what I want to talk about.
I'd like to if you turn with me to 1St Corinthians 15 for a verse or two. First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse verses 3 and 4.
00:05:07
1St Corinthians 15, verse 3.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Now this is the.
Beginning of resurrection. This is the beginning of life out of death. Jesus went into death that there might be life offered to you and me, and this is the testimony to that in summary form that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures predicted in the Old Testament that this would happen.
And that he was buried, and that he rose again.
The third day, Death couldn't hold him in that grave. He rose. And this is the only, this is the only person.
That we can present the only person that we can present as the Savior of sinners because He is risen from the dead. God saw that the work that He did at Calvary's cross was a complete work. That it was finished and done. That He paid the full price that you and I deserve to pay through eternity for our sins. And the account is closed.
And it's settled, and there is eternal life offered onto all.
But upon all them that believe.
Well.
This.
Resurrection is seen in a typical way in Ezekiel 37. I'd like to spend a little time in that chapter. Ezekiel in the Old Testament, one of the prophets.
A couple of books after Isaiah.
Ezekiel 37, and we'll read the first 10 verses right now.
I want to be clear at the beginning that there is an interpretation. There is one interpretation of this passage of Scripture, and then I'll explain that briefly and then turn to an application of it, because Scripture has one interpretation in every case, but many can is capable of many applications.
So Ezekiel 37 says this, The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me, Ezekiel out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about. And behold, there were very many in the open valley, and low they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
And I answered, Oh Lord God, thou knowest again he said unto me, Prophecy.
These bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones. Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live, And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a noise.
And behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above, and there was no breath in them. Then said He unto me, Prophecy unto the wind, prophecy, Son of man, and say to the wind thus that the Lord God come from the four winds. O breath and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
So I prophesied as he commanded me.
And the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet an exceeding great army.
Now this is a prophecy that is still future. It looks forward in reality to the day when Israel will be brought again into blessing of God by the Lord Jesus Christ and will be a great nation, the prime nation over all, of all the earth and all the kings will come to that one center where the Jesus Christ is reigning and will give him.
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Glory.
So this is looking ahead to the blessing of the nation of Israel, which has been long in God's plans.
What I would like to look at it in connection with the subject before us tonight, lifeout of death, resurrection, and apply it to people today.
Dry bones.
Here is a description of your condition, unless you know Jesus as Savior.
No life. Dry bones.
Picture the scene. Ezekiel is taken to this valley and there they he looks out over the valley and it is littered with bones, countless bones of people.
And there is not a stir. They're bleached. They're dry.
There's not a stir in that valley.
And the question is asked, can these bones be made to live?
Your answer and mine would be no way impossible. These are dead and that's the end of it.
Well.
In a way, that's the answer that we would have to give. If you are a Sinner, you are a Sinner before God.
And.
Are not sheltered by the blood of Christ. Are not cleansed.
Of those sins.
Then what hope is there for you?
Well, let me tell you that without God giving his Son, there would be none.
There would be none. You're dead. What could you do for yourself in that condition before God? You're dead.
The judgment is already passed upon you, and you're as good as dead.
It's something like those people on death row, the sentences passed and they're just waiting the time to die. And that's the way it is with the people of this world. You among them. If you don't know Jesus as your savior, you are just waiting the judgment of God. You may say, oh, I have everything under control. I do the best I can. I am a good citizen and I.
I pay my debts and I I am, I go to church and I have all kinds of good things that I can.
List for myself.
God looks on all that and says.
All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. They're not going to do you any good.
The only thing that can do you any good in that condition is being a Sinner is to know Christ.
And we bring you to Christ tonight.
We can't work the miracle of salvation, but we can bring you to the one who can, and that one is Jesus.
Maybe you have been thinking.
That that you are kind of running from God, that you have kept out of sight of God. You kept him out of sight at any rate, and you haven't been dealing with these matters of life and death.
Ephesians 2 and one says that we are dead in trespasses and sins. That's the way we are before God. Ephesians 2 Says that the 12Th verse is the same chapter says that we have no hope and we're without God in the world, no hope in our condition, as if we're content to stay in this current condition of being sinners. We have no hope. We have no hope.
Some people are pleased to say, well, I hope I'll be safe. I'll be in heaven someday. I hope God will look kindly on me. I hope I'll be there.
We have no hope if we're dead in trespasses and sins, we have no hope. Like the dry bones they can't have. They have no power in themselves to bring themselves back to life, to make themselves good enough to be alive. They have no hope. Bones are the basic structure of our bodies.
They're very necessary, they're the stiffest thing in US and they provide the basic structure, but all by themselves they're dead. So we apply it to people today.
There's a structure there, you know, people look like they're walking around and they're alive and they're having a good time and so on. But that's just the structure without the life as far as God is concerned.
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And there is no peace and no happiness in that. You can have fun for a while, but there is no lasting peace and no happiness, and certainly no peace with God.
There's no peace with God without coming by way of Jesus Christ. I mentioned about the.
You fleeing from God. A lot of people turn their back on God and think that God doesn't notice them anymore. Have you ever had a little tiny child who plays hide and seek and simply curls up in a ball and closes their eyes and thinks you can't see them anymore? People are very much like that in the with respect to God. They just close God out of their life and think that God isn't paying attention anymore.
Well, there's a lady in the Old Testament in Genesis 16. We won't turn to it, but she was fleeing from the presence of God, and she hoped to be anonymous, and she got far away.
And but God knew where she was, and God sent, God spoke to her and directed, told her what was going to happen in her life ahead and to go back to where she'd come from.
And you know what her response was? It was to give God a name. The way she described God was this way.
Thou God seest me.
It's a remarkable statement. Thou God seest me, She thought. She was far away and fleeing and out of sight, long gone. God knew everything about her, knew where she was, could get in touch with her and spoke to her and told her about her future and told her to go back.
Thou God sees me. Are you prepared to say that tonight? Are you prepared to say Thou God seest me at all times, in every way, in everything I do, in everything I think, in everything I am, in everything I feel, Thou God seest me.
It's true.
But do we wish to acknowledge it? Do we wish to think about it at all? Do we wish to let that thought penetrate us? It's the Word of God.
Thou God, seest me. It's a description of God that was valid in that Old Testament day in Genesis. And it's just as valid today because God knows all about us, all about our hearts, all about where we are at and what our prospects are, what we're thinking about, what we'd like to have happen, what we wish for, all of those things. God knows it all.
He also knows everything about our sinful ways, everything about our selfish ways which exclude God.
Everything about the way we push God out of our lives as much as possible.
God knows all about that.
Thou God seest me.
Well, I hope that this little verse will be the beginning of something for you, because if that can penetrate your heart and get you to think that there is no escape from these things, that God is going to deal with the question of your sins one way or another either.
In eternal judgment after you die or else because he's already dealt with the question.
By the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Which will you take the dry bones?
No life. Is that your condition tonight? Would you admit it?
If you're yet unsaved, that's your condition. We've admitted that That's the way God sees you, dry bones.
But just as God didn't leave the dry bones to bake in the desert there in the valley, so God doesn't leave you alone. The very fact that you're here tonight to hear once more a gospel message is proof, is evidence of God's concern for you.
Why you're in here tonight, I don't know.
Response to an invitation. A little notice put in your door A Because your folks are here and they brought you.
Because, well, you always come to the gospel meetings and listen, whatever reason you're here.
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And it's a tribute to God's grace and mercy in allowing you once more to come face to face with these fundamental questions of life and death.
And resurrection in this.
Chapter farther down in verse 5 it talks about God says, behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.
Breath is, we might describe it as a life force. It's the way God began with man, didn't he? He created man, and then he breathed in on man and he became a living soul.
There was a man there before the breath came, but it was the breath that made him a living soul. And that's the beginning of God's dealings with you in connection with salvation. It's through that.
Breath that comes into you first, John chapter 5, and we'll read a few verses there if you'll turn with me first. John 5 near the end of the Bible. It's before, a bit before Revelation.
First John chapter 5 and read verse 11 starting at verse 11.
First, John 511 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
These are wonderful verses about God's relationship with us and His desire to have us know that subject of eternal life, to know about it, to know that it's ours, to know that we have it. It comes through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's a great dividing line as you see in verse 12.
That's a split verse. It divides this company and the entire world into two camps. 1 He that hath the Son hath life.
And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
There we have the great dividing line.
I can bring you to that line, but I can't bring you over.
It requires a personal interaction between you and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It requires that you come repenting, rethinking your whole position and recognizing that you are a Sinner who needs a Savior desperately, and come over that dividing line to be on the side that says he that hath the Son hath life.
Will you take it tonight? It's offered freely. It's a free, it's a free offer from God and it's wide open to acceptation by anyone. But as the Word says, behold, now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Let us read verse 20 in the same chapter, the second to last verse.
And we know that the Son of God is come and have given us an understanding that we may know him that is true.
And we are in him. That is true even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
This is a wonderful description of eternal life. It has to do with relationship. It has to do with the relationship between God the Father and his Son Jesus and their existence from a past eternity. And it has to do with the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did at the cross in order to open up that eternal life to you and me.
And.
It is all founded on his Son, God's Son, Jesus Christ.
The name Jesus means Jehovah, the Savior. He is God. He always was God, but he has come as a Savior, the Savior of sinners.
And the word Christ means that he is the great Messiah promised from a past, from a past history promised by God. You can read and look up scripture after scripture in Isaiah and Daniel in various places that predict everything, practically everything that was going to happen to Jesus in this when he came.
It's remarkable how many prophecies are of the Old Testament are directly related to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now.
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That's the.
The breath that came on those in those bones, there had to be a beginning of life there. Now let's go on to the sinews. That's the next thing that's mentioned in Ezekiel 37. It says in verse 6.
I will lay sinews upon you.
Now sinus, as we understand from I guess anatomy, are the connecting devices between muscles and bones and between bones, and they tie the whole skeleton together and allow it to be manipulated.
It's it's the power of the new life in US.
The new life is there. If the new life comes in us, then there's power for it to operate through these sinews that are connecting all the bones together.
It says in Ephesians one verse 19 which I'll 19 and 20 which I'll just read to you.
And to know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us word, who believe according to the working of his mighty power, like the sinews which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
The Lord Jesus is raised from the dead, and this is what makes it possible for these sinews to become a power in our life.
They are the strength, they give the strength, and it is all traceable back to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in US.
His resurrection from the dead is God's seal of approval on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ did at Calvary Cross.
So that you if you accept Jesus as your Savior.
You need never ever worry again about the security of your salvation, because what did you do to earn it? Only developed a burden of sins. That's all. The rest was all up to Jesus and He completed everything necessary at the cross of Calvary to take away your sins. But again, I stress.
It's unto all.
But it's upon all them that believe.
If we go on to the flesh, which is the next thing mentioned, verse 6, and we'll bring flesh, bring up flesh upon you.
This is the.
The activity and energy of our bodies in that sense.
It says in Leviticus 17 verse 11 That for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and a little farther down it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Now this is looking forward. This is the Old Testament description about atonement, and it had to do with sacrifices for sins as committed, new, new sins, new sacrifices. But it looked forward. It looked forward from God's perspective to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ of Calvary, which is the perfect sacrifice, the one sacrifice for sins, that is for once and for all.
The life of the flesh is in the blood.
And we know that from nature. That's the way our bodies are, the life. You can drain the blood out of a body and it is instantly dead.
We hear of people bleeding to death in accidents and so on. The life of the flesh is in the blood, but when the blood is there.
What energy we have, what abilities we have, what strength we have, what activities we can engage in when our flesh is healthy. When the Lord Jesus Christ died, he made atonement for Can I put in your soul?
He made atonement for the soul.
I hope you can put your name in there tonight.
Everyone who?
Can say the Lord Jesus is my Savior, He has fully atoned for my sins, paid the price for my sins of Calvary's cross. Oh we have so much to be thankful for and to smile about and to give God the praise.
But The thing is true.
And is offered to you if you don't know that yet, if you can't say that, if you don't have that smile on your face and the joy in your heart with salvation through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, putting your faith and trust in Him for now, for this, for time and for eternity.
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It can be yours tonight.
John one and 1St John one and seven says the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin.
So it's a blanket cleansing cleanses us from all sin. And let me ask the question how many of your sins?
Of your entire life.
Did God know about at the time Jesus died? All of them, All of them. The past sins up to today, the ones of to day and the ones of to Morrow, and as long as we're left here alive, God knew about them all, and the Lord Jesus Christ paid for them all.
What's your contribution? Surely there must be a big contribution for you to make to this salvation.
Come believing. Come believing.
Come accepting the fact that you are a Sinner who needs a Savior.
That Jesus is the only savior. Jesus is the savior for you. That Jesus has done it all and there is nothing left for you to contribute. And you couldn't anyway. It's all done.
Come tonight.
Says in.
John 6 verse 54 Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. That's Jesus speaking. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. This is appropriating Christ unto myself.
This is taking him and in full belief.
And making him mine.
John 635 says, Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life, He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Take Christ in this sense. He's the bread of life. He is all you need.
He is complete sustenance and He is He will energize you with that new life.
The next and final item.
Is in verse 6 of Exodus of Ezekiel 37 and cover you with skin.
Now the skin, as we know in our bodies is both a covering and a protection for us.
And.
So I would.
Say that.
I would liken this to the love of Christ.
You know, I haven't spoken a lot about the love that is inherent. That is part of this message tonight. It's the basis for it. If God didn't love you in the condition in which you are tonight, there would be no salvation.
But God loves you, and He says so in His Word. It's very clear in John 316, everybody's favorite gospel verse. For 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 so loved the world and he's talking about people. He loves you tonight.
Jesus died for you.
Went to the cross out of love for you.
And this love is unlimited. How can we measure that kind of love?
It says in Romans, or rather in Yeah, Romans 10:00 and 9:00.
Sorry, Romans 835 is the verse I meant. Get to Romans 10 and 9 I meant. But Romans 835. Look at that, please. It's a good verse to have in front of us. Good verses to have in front of us. Romans 8 and 35. Now this is talking.
About people who know Jesus as their savior.
It tells us some wonderful things about the love of God.
Romans 835 Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake? We are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, and all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor any other creature.
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Shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Somebody said in an earlier meeting today that umm.
And what if a person turns their back on the light of God?
And the answer came back. Well, the light of God would shine on their back.
And so we are always in that focus of God and we are always under the the influence of the love of God.
And I would say to you tonight that this gospel message, this gospel message, as every gospel message, whether printed or spoken or on the radio or wherever you hear it, is evidence of the love of God extended to today.
Would that this love would find its way into your heart, that the shell, whatever shell you have built up to resist.
The penetration of the love of God into your heart would break tonight and that Jesus would be part of your life.
The essence of your life from here on, for now and for eternity.
Jesus wants to be in your heart, and He'll fill your heart.
He'll give you peace in your heart, peace with God.
He'll bring the peace of God upon you.
You will have peace in your circumstances, whatever they are. We're not promised a bed of roses once we are saved. That's not the story. But in what? In those circumstances, whatever they are, that come upon us.
We can have the peace of God in our hearts. It's wonderful. Romans 10 and 9 might just look at it. It's over the next chapter, next page.
Romans 10, verse 9.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved.
This is.
Not a very complicated verse.
Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
Jesus as Lord.
Jesus as Savior.
Jesus as the eternal Son of God-given in atonement for your sins.
Confessing.
And shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead.
An empty tomb over there in Jerusalem.
That Jesus was in.
But he rose on the 3rd morning.
And is alive forevermore.
Do you believe it?
Do you believe in?
When you take Jesus into your heart.
You accept him as your own Savior on this on the wall. Here is a verse that I'd like to.
Draw your attention to Maybe you've already read it as you've been sitting here looking over my shoulder.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth.
And the life no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus could say that.
Because of all of the evidence, all of the context into which that fits.
But Jesus was declared by God to be his eternal Son by voices from heaven several times.
Declared to be his eternal Son.
The works that he did in healing and in raising the dead and so on are evidence of His power as the Son of God come as a man.
And the truth.
Oh, there is a word that, if we really want to admit it as a kind of a scary word.
Because the truth is whatever God speaks.
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It is God speaks only truth, He speaks the truth and the Lord Jesus Christ was the.
Embodiment of that truth as a man. He is truth, he says. I am the truth.
He's the eternal Son of God. He's God himself, and he could only speak truth, and he could only live truth.
And He is the life. Why? Because He rose from the dead, and He has that eternal life to offer to you. No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
Go back to our chapter in Ezekiel. There's a couple of more verses I'd like to read, Ezekiel 37 and verse 13.
And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, oh, my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then shall you know that I.
The Lord have spoken it and performed it, saith the Lord.
Would you like the this statement to be true of you tonight in connection with your soul?
And its eternal future brought you up out of the grave, brought you, brought the dry bones to life, given you life when there was none in you that God could recognize. Dead in trespasses and sins.
Will you have the Savior?
He says that he will put his spirit in you. New life. New life.
And ye shall live, live how? Well, there's two aspects to it. One is the.
Extent of it and the other is the quality of it. The extent of it is eternal forever, and the quality of it is it's the life of Christ in you.
Would you like to have that? Would you like to live in such a way that there's a power in you to please God?
That's what the eternal life delivers.
And I shall place you in your own land. Oh, God has a promise for you, my friend.
To go to be in the house that he has prepared for his people in heaven.
The wonderful definition of heaven is that it is with Christ forever. That's the definition of heaven, to be with the Lord Jesus Christ for eternity.
That can be your prospect and.
Then shall ye know that I am the Lord? I, the Lord have spoken it and performed it, saith the Lord.
You can have the assurance tonight that these things are absolute, permanent, durable, unchangeable and will give you enormous contentment.
And peace.
These are the promises of God, if you will have them.
It's an invitation.
Can bring you to the line.
Nobody in this room can bring you over. You need to come into direct personal contact with the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him. Ask Him.
To give you thy peace in believing.
Well, this is the invitation of the gospel. I'm going to say it again the third time. It's undo all we hear a lot about all the gospel is for everybody. Isn't it wonderful? And the whole world is under the influence of the gospel. Oh, it's a.
It's wonderful that it is, but I'll tell you this, it's a pawn, all them that believe. And the corollary of that is that's not upon any who don't believe.
It's upon all them that believe. Will you be among the number tonight? Will you come among the number? Will you come over the line?
And take that eternal life that comes through trusting the Lord Jesus and depending on Him for your eternal welfare and blessing.
David's Charges to Solomon
Address—E. Wilson
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.
270.
And shall we see thy face? And.
Hear thy handly voice.
Well.
With all our heart, let's go back this afternoon. I want to take up look at a few verses. First of all, First Chronicles chapter 28 time permit. We may look a bit in the 29th chapter as well. I have just thoroughly enjoyed these two chapters so much.
And just some recent meditations on them.
Because David, as we know, here is a lovely picture of the Lord Jesus.
And he gives a charge to his son.
He's about ready to turn the Kingdom over to Solomon.
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Solomon has already been crowned king, as if we went to the 29th chapter, we would see that that the Kingdom is renewed again. Isn't it wonderful to realize this afternoon?
Is thinking, as our brother mentioned, that wonderful chapter to us to be taken up there in the reading meetings?
I think 2 of the saddest verses in all the word of God are found in that one chapter. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. And then there's so many of those butts that come in in scripture which are so lovely, but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
Well, it's lovely to just take this chapter up. I'm not going to go into any real death in this chapter because I'd like to get into the other chapters I've said as well.
First of all, let's read verse one.
David assembled all the Princess of Israel and the Princess of the tribes, captains of the companies.
That minister to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds.
And the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty man, and with all the valiant men unto Jerusalem. Just want you to notice one thing in that verse. Who does the assembling, and where they assemble to?
It just wasn't a group of people who decided to come together one day. You know, deer winds this afternoon. To be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is an unspeakable privilege.
It's an unspeakable privilege. Do we value it? Do we value the person of Christ? Do we value the One who is there in our midst?
So David does the assembling here and he brings him to Jerusalem. And you notice here that it's not all the nation that's mentioned.
But there is a very lovely list here. A very lovely list.
Princess of the Tribes, Captains.
Stewart's sons, Officers. Mighty men, valiant men.
Now I realize that the testimony is not in in the condition that it was.
Over 150 years ago. But isn't it lovely to realize this afternoon that God's principles never change?
No matter how.
Terrible the times may be or may become.
It's a lovely list that we have here. Isn't it lovely to realize that every person in this room this afternoon who knows the Lord Jesus as their Savior?
They have that wonderful privilege.
Of being with Him. And I'm not only talking about knowing him personally as Savior, I'm talking about knowing Him as Lord. And of owning that lordship. What an unspeakable privilege it is.
You know there are many dear children of God this afternoon out in the systems of men.
And our hearts have to go out to them.
Many of them devoted, many of them that love the Lord Jesus. No question.
But all what I covered for them, and I'm sure what you covered for them, is that they may be able.
Collectively to be.
Where the true David is. Where the true David is. Are we anything in ourselves? Nothing.
But as we heard this morning, it's the person.
It's the person who makes that place. It's the person.
You know, David had a real sense of this in his soul. I think of that beautiful 84th Psalm. He said this.
My soul longeth for thee. My soul longs for thee.
Do we really long for him?
Is it our joy to get out to those assembly meetings where He is in the midst and to be able?
At the remembrance of the Lord, to remember Him in his death. What an unspeakable privilege that is, because the Cross is the grandest council of eternity.
It's the greatest fact of time. What a privilege to be able to commemorate the greatest event that's ever happened.
To think back upon that one who died there for the glory of God and for your blessing and mine.
What about the reading meeting?
I've sat in a few meetings.
But isn't it a lovely thing to be able to sit there and have the Spirit of God take the Word of God and unfold it to our hearts?
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We had that privilege this morning.
What a privilege that is. You know that not all of the Lord's people enjoy that kind of a privilege.
I remember after being first gathered to the Lord's name way back in November 1971.
The thing that impressed me the most?
Was being able to come and sit down quietly with those of like precious faith and have the word of God opened and have the Spirit of God speak to us out of this book.
What an unspeakable privilege.
And then the prayer meeting, think of being able to come together and collectively address that throne of grace and power and to realize that there is one this afternoon who sits on that throne, who is interested in every detail individually in our lives and is also interested.
In the collective welfare of the Assembly.
What an unspeakable privilege.
Thinking as our brother read that verse to us this morning.
We know that we ask, we have the petitions that we ask of him.
What a privilege to be able to come and to tell him in simple, childlike terms.
Lord, we pray for sister so and so, or we pray for brother so and so, or we pray.
In connection with the gospel, you think he isn't interested? Sure he is.
Sure he is.
Much more than we are.
Much more than we are.
We don't have time to really go into depth in the chapter, but I just want to merely point out the different.
Groups that are looked at here, Princess.
And the captains.
Over hundreds administered to the king by course. Isn't that lovely order?
Stuart's overall the substance and possession of the king, and I'll say this to everyone in this room this afternoon. Everything that you and I have in this world, it really belongs to him.
What are we doing with what he has committed to us? Are we using it for ourselves? Are we using it for him? What a privilege to be able to use these things for him to share these things with God's people, not only to share them with God's people, but, you know, be able to think of our resources in some way to further the work of the gospel or whatever.
King's substance all belongs to him.
Now in verse 2, we get the person. We had that this morning. You know the person.
I don't suppose there's an artist, I don't suppose there's a there's a novelist that can, with either pan, pen or brush, paint to our hearts what it must have been for these dear people to see this dear old man as he comes in and he stands up before these people. Is there anything in the assembly, brethren, that is attracting our hearts to the person of Christ?
Why do we have things repeated? You know, take the book of Leviticus in connection with the offerings. Remember my son saying to me, Dad, why is there so much detail there? I said, son, it's because the Spirit of God uses those things to give us fresh little features about the person and the work of Christ. That's what it is. It's not vain repetition.
It isn't vain repetition, it's given that our hearts might be commanded.
And we might look at it and we say, oh, there, this is what this means. Never saw that before.
That's why reading meetings sometimes are so precious, aren't they? I have never been to two reading meetings. It's been exactly alike, have you?
Some fresh little feature. Anyway, David the king stood up upon his feet and said, Hear me, my brethren and my people. Isn't that lovely? Hear me, my brethren and my people.
You know he's not ashamed to call us brethren.
When I think of this, it just overwhelms my soul as I think that he's not ashamed to call me one of his own.
That's lovely, isn't it?
My brethren and my people, in the midst of the congregation will I sing praise unto thee. Wherefore he is not ashamed to call them brethren that lovely. He takes up our worthless name. Think of it. And He desires to have us so near to Himself. He values our company, He loves us.
Hear me, my brethren and my people. As for me, I had it in my heart to build an House of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. Isn't that lovely, that you and I?
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Have the privilege of being in communion with him.
And it's those sweetest whispers that make our soul rejoice. He tells his people here what was on his heart. Isn't that lovely as he told us what's on his? Yes, he has. Yes, he has. You think of his friend Abraham in the Old Testament. He says, shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? No.
But what does he require? He requires obedience on your part and on mine. We're not going to know the mind of the Lord. We're not going to be able to enter into the good of these things unless we act in accordance and in obedience to the Word of God. Then we're going to know.
And we're going to know.
I will never know the mind of the Lord if I go in a self willed course.
And a lovely that we don't have to go in a self willed course.
We can say, Lord Jesus, take my heart and my will and make it holy thine.
Our wills be broken.
May they be broken, and may we learn the truth and connection with the person of Christ.
A second to David in the 84 Psalm. Again I speak of that Psalm, he says.
A day in my courts is better than 1000. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God.
Thunder dwell in the tents of many wicked. What a privilege, What a privilege.
Let's get on here a bit.
He tells them that he had in his heart to build a House of rest for the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building. But God said unto me, thou shalt not build a house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war and has shed blood. All of the Old Testament Saints have special features in their lives.
Which when it's looked at, we can see different aspects about the person and the work of Christ. What does David life? What does his life set before us?
It sets before us the idea, you know, that one day Great David's greater son is going to return to this world, and he's going to clear this scene with the sort of judgment that the scepter of righteousness, which is pictured by Solomon, will reign from the river to the ends of the earth. Now, if you're taking notes, I'm going to go over something very, very quickly with you, something that I've enjoyed for many years.
All of the Old Testament patriarchs, as I said, have specific things that their lives set forth about the Lord Jesus. There was dominion in Adam.
Government in Noah, fatherhood in Abraham.
Judgment in David, royalty and Solomon. But in Christ all these glories will meet and shine together. The prominent thing about David's life, judgment. You see that when you see in connection with his enemies.
So many Syrians put to death in the Valley of Salt, subduing the Philistines and so on. That's, that's what is seen in his life. So it was not up to him to build that beautiful temple. It was for his son. But isn't it lovely that there may be things in your life and in mine that we, you know, we'd like to do but can't? Isn't it lovely to realize that God will give us credit even for the very motive?
Because 139 Psalm says he sees our thoughts afar off.
It says in job chapter 38 you know that about the measure.
You realize in Proverbs that all the weights of the bag are his. I cannot fathom the fact that God can put the Rocky Mountains in the scales and weigh them.
And that he can also take to work and he can weigh your thoughts and mine. And He knows our thoughts are far off. And by the way, that comes out in this chapter. And if God permit, we'll get to that in a few moments.
Verse 4.
Howbeit, the Lord God of Israel chose me before all the House of my father. Isn't that lovely?
Now, in the Old Testament, God's people, you know.
Jehovah was was the name that he was known to to his people of old Jehovah. I think we get little indications, little pictures in this chapter of what God had in mind in a future day. We get this word chosen coming out here. That's Ephesians chapter 1, right? We were chosen in him before the foundation of the world.
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I think it's just so lovely. Let's read it a little bit here.
He chose me before all the House of my father, to be king over Israel forever, For He hath chosen Judah to be the ruler, and of the House of Judah, and of the House of my father, and among the sons of my father. He liked to make me king over all Israel and of all my sons, for the Lord hath given me many sons. He hath chosen Solomon my son, to sit upon the throne of the Kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
What a statement.
What a statement this is. How many chosens have we got in this verse? Quite a few.
Quite a few.
Do you know this? This afternoon you're saved, that you have been chosen in him, and that you this afternoon, my beloved brother and sister in Christ, you occupy a place of nearness to Christ.
That even Solomon, in all his glory would never occupy. You and I are a part of that church.
You and I are a part of that body of which He is the glorious head in heaven.
We are so near to him and I love the way the hymn writer puts it that we could not nearer be.
Isn't that wonderful?
Lovely truth we have here.
Lovely truth.
One other thing in that fifth verse, the Kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
Just wasn't any Kingdom, was it? It was the Kingdom of the Lord.
How David never ever lost sight of that door in his long and eventful life when he went out against the Philistine giant. It just wasn't the armies of Israel either, was it? It was the armies of the living God. I like that statement.
How precious, how precious.
Is that the way we see the people of God? They're his people.
They're his people.
Is that the way we see the assembly? Is it our assembly? No, it's his. It's his.
May God preserve us from ever losing sight of the fact of whose assembly it really is.
Yes, and whose people they are. They're God's people. That's why it's impossible to say I love God.
And despise one of his own.
That's how intimately we're linked with Christ, you know?
That he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Isn't that a lovely statement? I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Lovely statement.
This is New Testament language, isn't it? But it's all here, you know, in type.
The mystery of the church was hidden in other ages. It wasn't something mysterious, it just simply means that it was hidden.
But is the Spirit of God trying to tell us something and type here? I believe so.
Now, therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God, that she may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you forever. You know this afternoon I'm not under the law, but there are principles in the Word of God that never change.
Principles that never change.
Am I going to continue tomorrow in the path of faith? Am I going to continue to follow a rejected Christ?
Outside of the mentionings of men and the order that we see all around us, that has been devised by men.
The only thing that's going to keep me, brethren, is whether or not my heart is attached to that wonderful man in the glory. That's it, that's it.
It's lovely the language here.
That she may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you forever.
Maybe you've been considering in your heart about leaving the Lord's Table.
Maybe you found the pathway a little bit too difficult, maybe you've had settles with your brethren or whatever.
Why don't you just take that to the Lord and leave that with him? Because, brethren.
Not being gathered to the Lord's name. To me, the alternative is unthinkable.
And inheritance.
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As I've said before, what a privilege to be in His presence and to enjoy that presence not only individually for myself, but collectively with those of like precious faith.
May we be preserved and kept, and the way we're going to be preserved and kept is to have the eye single and upon Christ, and to be occupied not with my love for him, but the realization of that great love that brought him from those courts down into this world so low down so far.
And as that poor Samaritan, he had to come right to where I was.
Oh, what love, what unspeakable love this is.
And so David, with every inducement and the sense that he could use, he would speak to his son in this way. Surely any father rightly instructed in the word of God would speak to his son in this way. Solomon, fear him.
Let's see what else he said. And thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, For the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.
Let's never think for a moment that God can't see down into the recesses of our hearts. He sees our thoughts afar off. And by the way, in the 139th Psalm.
It says there that he can see the thoughts afar off. Not only that he knows what we think, but he knows even why we think the way that we do.
How we need to judge ourselves in these things.
Serve Him with a perfect heart. What's a perfect heart?
I think a perfect heart is one that is undivided.
One that is undivided.
You and I can keep rank if we have a perfect heart.
What produces that perfection? Well, I believe the beginning of it is the fear of the Lord.
I'm going to say this to you, dear young people and everyone in this room this afternoon. The eye of the Lord is upon you and me. The best advice my mother ever gave me was this.
Son, you may get out of My presence, but you're never out of the Lord's. You may not. You may not be under my eyesight, but remember, you're always under His.
That was the great thing with, with, with.
Joseph wasn't it. He realized that the eye of the Lord was upon him.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fear of the Lord.
And the perfect heart too. It's occupied with the love of Christ. That's it.
And with a willing mind takes a willing mind too.
Oh, yeah, You hear people say, well, it's the gospel meeting tonight. I just don't feel like I want to go out. I like what one of the old writers said years ago. My justice will say, well, it's just the blood of Christ. It's just the cross of Calvary. It's just about that unspeakable love that brought him down into this world.
Brother in the gathering here this afternoon told us about a story about a dear old lady down in Bolivia.
Who walked 17 miles to be at a conference?
Brother mentioned to him, he said, you know, I said she came over the mountains to be here.
He said, but that isn't the interesting thing, said she's deaf and she's not going to hear a word that's spoken this afternoon. That woman valued the Lord's presence. Some of us, we can't even get in our motor cars and get down the road a few miles to get to the meeting. I think of a dear old brother in the assembly in Pleasantville, 90 plus years of age. He got halfway to meeting one night when his car broke down, was pouring rain, could have turned around and walked back home.
He came into the meeting and his clothes were soaked, soaking wet. We felt bad. If I had known he was out there, I'd have gone out and got him.
He came in, I said, brother, you didn't go home. No, he said, I wanted to be here tonight.
The Lord wants me here tonight and he said I just can't stay. Think of it.
Thank you, Beck.
As any sacrifice too much for him, never anything too much for his people.
Never. Whatever we do to one of His own, we do to him. Brethren, I say this from my heart to yours.
That's Jesus. What does he mean to us?
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What does he mean to us? But then we get an if.
And if, if thou seek him, he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever. And under the law that's the way it was. But the principle does not change in this way.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, we're going to know we're going to enjoy communion with him. We're going to enjoy communion with one another. We're going to be a help to one another. And I covet this for myself, and I covet this for you, dear young people, for all of us, that we might not only be a help to ourselves, but that we might be a help to others as well. And we're going to be if we continue to abide in the source.
For the wake up in the morning, go into the bathroom and look in the mirror.
And say to myself, you know you're loved.
You're loved by the greatest personage in this universe. May your poor, slow, stupid heart be ready to realize it that you're loved by one of infinite love and goodness.
And that's the motivating thing, isn't it? First Corinthians 13 What does it say? Love never fails.
The Occupy being occupied with that great love that he has and then doing those things too that are pleasing because when we read the word of God, we're in his presence and we need to be getting into the word of God to find out his mind for the pathway. Did did Jonathan love David? Yes, he did, no question.
But it wasn't enough. He needed to take that step. You know, I believe that sometimes the Lord speaks very loudly to us.
I think in the Jonathan, you know, when he defended David there at his father's dinner table, his father was so infuriated he picked up the spear and he threw it at his own son. That should have been the day that Jonathan walked out and never returned. Sometimes the Lord will allow things in our lives to shake us up, pretty much.
Do we see his hand in shaking us in that way?
Is not trying to hurt us. He loves us. He's trying to draw us to himself.
That's what he wants to do.
I don't have time to go into all the different instruments that were were there in the Tabernacle and so on, or the the temple. Rather lovely to see the gold and the silver and so on. I want to jump ahead now into the 29th chapter with the amount of time that was left.
Verse 20, Chapter 29. Furthermore, David the king said unto all the congregations, Solemn, My son, in whom alone God, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great, for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.
Now I have prepared with all my might for the House of my God, the gold, for things to be made of gold, and the silver, for the things of silver and the brass, for the things of brass and iron, for the things of iron and wood, for the things of wood, Onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones and marble stones in abundance.
While we learn from Ephesians chapter 2.
That the church is a habitation of God through the Spirit. You and I belong to something far greater.
Than Solomon's temple.
I just want to impress this upon all our hearts. We belong to something much greater than Solomon's temple.
The church is a habitation of God through the Spirit.
Through the Spirit. And it's lovely to realize this afternoon that every person who knows the Lord Jesus in this audience is a stone.
Are being placed in that building, you know, when reading Revelation in connection with that wonderful city.
Had 12 foundations and all men are of precious stones.
Precious stones.
Put under different heats of pressure, you know, and all of that beautiful color coming out. And then there's going to come that day when all of that light is going to be a foul through that wonderful scene and all of those beautiful colors are going to be seen. And that's the thought, you know, of Ephesians 3 where it says might be made known through the church. The manifold, the all varied, the multi colored wisdom.
Of God.
So we're having sickness and trials in this day. Do you know what it's doing?
You know what it's doing. That's the heat and the pressure that's being put on you and me.
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That that dross might be taken out.
Everyone of us in this room this afternoon.
The stitch being put in that garment that we're going to wear up there.
And so Peter could say, think it not strange the fiery trials that we're passing through. God is using these things to make it. And I love what one brother said in our assembly at home. He said this, you know, brethren, we know a lot of things. But he said, I wonder sometimes if we really know how to suffer.
We're well informed, we have the doctrines, we have the principles, but when it comes right down to it, do we really know how to suffer?
Do we know how to take from the hand of an all loving Savior everything?
And to realize that he is saying in so many ways, I love you.
I've planned for you, my child. I know you're in this difficulty. I know you're in these deep waters, but I'm using these things to make you.
That's the permanency of a stone, isn't it, you know?
Permanency.
Verse 3. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the House of my God.
I have of mine own proper good of gold and silver, which I have given to the House of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the Holy House.
That's quite a statement. That's quite a statement.
Preparation.
Oh, what a book we have in our hands this afternoon. What a heritage we've been brought into by Sovereign grace.
And, you know, he's even given us each other one another.
One another back up into the the 28th chapter again, look at verse 21. Behold the courses of the priests and the Levites even they shall be with thee for all the service of the House of God. There shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship. Every willing skillful man. I've been struck by reading that verse.
And why I'm struck is because of what we had in First Corinthians chapter 3 and the end of that chapter. And I'm not going to take the time to turn to it. The apostle speaking to that assembly, you know, the divisions that were coming in schisms, all of these things, the apostle was telling, telling them this. He says, listen.
You can have it all.
Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Life, Death year, Christ, and Christ is Gods.
I think one of the saddest things among God's people in this day is when we try to, you know, kind of get together in little parties to the exclusion of others. Don't do it. That's not worth it.
I kind of give this little illustration sometimes. I used to give my kids presents, you know, for their birthday.
And I see them down there in the living room floor unwrapping the thing, you know? And the next thing you know, they're playing with the paper instead of the gift. That's kind of like you and me, you know, with all of God's people. We're comfortable with certain individuals, but we're not comfortable with others. Why is that? Why is that?
Why is that?
I'll tell you why I think it is. I think it's that way because our love hasn't really been perfected. We don't really look at the people of God and say, I am looking this afternoon on a group of believers. I am looking upon God's people. I am looking upon a treasure that is the nearest and dearest thing to the heart of God.
Amazing. And by the way, we talk about a willing, skillful man here.
There's no question that there are those who have gifts outside in the camp. There's no question.
They're skillful men. The man who brought the gospel to our family, I remember as a child.
He could take the Word of God, he could start in Matthew, he could close the Bible, and he could quote from memory chapter after chapter, after chapter after chapter of the Word of God. That's a skillful Workman. But a willing, skillful Workman, I believe is an individual who vows to the will of God in his life.
And he says not my will.
But thine.
Who realizes the truth of that verse? It says.
If ye be willing any man be willing to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine. What a great thing.
The person of Christ.
Well, let's step down in this 29th chapter a bit, verse 8. And they with whom precious stones were found, gave them to the treasure of the House of the Lord by the hand of Jihile the Gershonite.
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Interesting individual, Jahil the Gershonite, one of the sons of Koath, right?
What does that all mean?
Well, they were responsible, you know, for the things of God in connection with the Tabernacle. The sons of Asaph, many of them were singers. I'm asking you this afternoon, have you got a song in your life?
It's a great thing to sing, right? Yes, it is. But it's a great thing to be able to sing about the person of Christ. You know, the harp and Scripture is a picture of communion. I think of dear David when he had those warriors around him in The Cave of Adela. Maybe it wasn't a very pretty scene.
Maybe they were tired and discouraged, you know, as they leaned up against the walls after being chased all day like partridges on the mountains.
Ah, but what a lovely thing. There they are, and their discouragement and so on. They look into the midst. And who is there playing as harp, David?
And maybe their discouragement and everything just goes by the wayside as they hear. He leads the singing, doesn't he? When he comes into, when he comes into the scheme of things, his people can't be quiet very long.
And their hearts rejoice. What music he can play to our souls, can't He?
Well, the treasure of the House of the Lord by the hand of Jehovah Gersonite. The people rejoiced for that. They offered willingly this afternoon that the great thing.
As a believer gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus is this. It's being able to come and to give.
It's being able to come in to give. Acts chapter 20 says it is more blessed to give than to receive.
You know, we come in and we say, well, I never get much out of the meetings. Why don't we try giving a little bit?
I'm going to try giving a little bit. Make all the difference in the world, you know, make quite a difference.
They give here.
And it says they rejoiced for that. They offered willingly because with perfect heart, here we have it again. They offered willingly to the Lord. And David the King also rejoiced with great joy. I don't think it's stretching it too much to say that what we have here.
Is just beautiful Christian graces, don't we? But in the end of it, it says this. And David rejoiced also.
You know, tomorrow morning we're going to sit down in His presence again and we're going to enjoy a little bit of heaven before we get home.
What a privilege it is, but do you realize the joy that it?
Gives his heart as we come and we sit down in his presence.
What a joy it is. And so if he opened the door of heaven right now, would you and I walk through?
I think that's what happens when we're able to sit down in this presence and remember him in his death.
Says in the Kingdom, one day he's going to set us down at his table and he's going to come forth, gird himself and serve it. Don't we sometimes experience a little bit of that when we come together, you know, in the reading meeting where he comes to feed us?
How could he ever absent ourselves from those meetings?
Remember coming home one time?
You know, 7:00 at night or 6:50, the meeting was at 7:00, roar in, you know, with the vehicle, jump out, come in, wash up, change my clothes and head off to the meeting dead tired, Yes, working hard all day and, you know, and go and sit down in that assembly meeting. And then the meeting would get going and it's just like the Spirit of God would just pick you right up.
And come out of that meeting room and I turn to a brother and I'd say, you know, I almost didn't make it tonight, but what a wonderful privilege to be here. I just feel so refreshed.
I haven't had any bodily nourishment, but that doesn't matter. I've been here and I've had something for my soul, and what a difference it makes. And maybe in your group you're down to just two and three. I want to say this, but the Lord is still there in the midst. He's still there.
Come home later and get the supper afterwards, but feel a lot better.
Yes, there's energy needed in these things. There's energy needed.
And the Lord looks at our hearts, and He can see whether or not there's that desire in our hearts.
I want to leave these few thoughts with us. We're not done yet. This chapter just gets better as we go into it just gets better, doesn't it? Just let's have a look at it here. It's just so beautiful.
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Wherefore verse 10, David blessed the Lord and all the congregation, and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, our Father.
Forever and ever thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory, and the victory and the majesty.
For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is mine. Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as Head above all. What sublime words we have here.
It's almost like New Testament lingo, isn't it? Head above all things. Do we realize that there's one this afternoon who is head over all things of the church? Not only the head of it, but head over all things to it?
I like what one among us here has said. If someone comes to me and says something that's not quite kind, remember that he had to go around the Lord in order to get to you. I like that. I think it's true.
What a difference it makes when we realize this, that he's the one who's in control, he's the head.
Exalted his head above all, both riches and honor come of thee.
And thou reignest over all, and in thine hand is power and might, and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore our God isn't that beautiful, our God.
It's our God. We thank Thee, and we praise Thy glorious name.
I think of all the trouble that we've been through the last few years.
As it caused us to be more, you know, a bit morose, as it caused us to be a bit cast down. Or does it 'cause our hearts to turn toward Him and realize that though we passed through some difficulties and some troubles as it caused us to turn to Him?
And say, Lord, thou knowest without doing.
He knows what he's doing.
He's the head.
But who am I? This puts it all into perspective, doesn't it? Who am I? Somebody said to our late brother J&D. You know, if you knew what that brother was like you were hanging around with, you wouldn't have anything to do with them, he said. If you knew what I was like, you wouldn't have anything to do with me either.
What an attitude.
Now I'm not for a moment, you know, excusing the fact that as believers we need to follow after holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. No question that that's important. No question.
Holiness is the is the abhorrence of that which is evil, and it is the cleaving to that which is good. And by the way, even in that love is the motivating thing.
It is the motivating thing. It's the realization, you know.
The realization that this is what He orders for our pathway follow after it, that we may be able to offer so willingly after this sort. For all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee, for we are but strangers before thee and sojourners, as were all our fathers.
What is that in Ephesians chapter 2?
Strangers and pilgrims, right sojourners, just passing through an enemy's land on our way home to the Father's house.
Don't get the tent pigs too deep, people. We're out of here one of these days, and I believe that the coming of the Lord is getting nearer and nearer and nearer, and we're closer now than we were this time yesterday.
But he's coming. He's coming.
You say, what's 1 of the indications that he's coming. Take a look at the situations that we have in the world at the present time. But the big thing is look at the indifference and the coldness of heart in the Church of God. Yes, even among those who profess to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. Look at the indifference.
And by the way, that's one of the things that characterizes the Laodicean testimony, Indifference to the person of Christ. How could it ever be?
How could it ever be?
If that one has done so much for us, if that one has gone down into death, if that one has glorified God's soul.
How could we ever remain indifferent to that precious one and His precious love?
But that's what's happening. Behold, I stand at the door, and I knock.
Now we often use that verse in the gospel and we can take the liberty to do that. But the principal application of that verse is that he's outside of everything that professes him, knocking individually on the hearts door of the believer, saying I want to come in and have communion with you. And in case you've never noticed, communion is the thing that you and I need as believers if we lose anything else.
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May we never lose that communion that we have with himself, because nothing will ever, ever, ever make up for it.
What a privilege to enjoy that communion and that fellowship with him.
Here in the realization that every time we open this book, we're in his presence.
That every time we speak to him in prayer.
That he values it, That he's the silent listener, That he's communicating with us.
We are strangers before the sojourners, as we are all our fathers. Our days on the earth are as a shadow.
And there is none abiding.
Did the law teach David this?
Now David was in communion with the Lord, you see, he learned all these things from the Lord personally, and it's lovely that you and I are going to learn things too, if we cultivate that personal communion with himself. Oh Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee in house for thy holy name.
Cometh of thine hand and is all thine own. I can't think of a better description of the assembly than what we have right here. Now, there may be other things that we might mention, but I just want to point that out, brethren, we don't have a better description of the assembly than what we have right here. It's all his. Just to go back to First Corinthians 3 again.
And dear Christ and Christ is gods. All things are yours. Yes, even the king of terrors when you think of it. Death ends everything for the natural man before the believer. For the believer. It's just more showing us of that one who is what, the resurrection and the life.
Resurrection and the Light. What a great statement we have in these verses.
I know also, my God, isn't that lovely? Changes from the from the plural now down to the to the singular. My God, he says, oh brethren, can we say that within our own heart, My God, my Lord Jesus.
Can we make it personal? Yes, we can. Yes we can, my God.
That thou triest the heart, and has pleasure in uprightness.
David had learned that I'm indebted to a brother here in the little group this afternoon who pointed out to us, you know, this thought of upright That's not that we don't fail. It's not that we don't stumble.
The righteous man, the upright man stumbleth 7 times.
But he gets back up.
Isn't it lovely to realize that we have one who is there to hold us, who loves us?
And even if we do fail, even if we do get out of the pathway and I'm not making an excuse for it, there is no excuse for it. But if we do.
He's there.
He's there. That's why the judge in the city of Christ is going to be such a wonderful manifestation.
Because I believe he's going to go back according to the 139th Psalm. He's going to bring all our life in review, I believe from the moment that we were conceived.
And He's going to bring the whole thing through and that large hand and that wonderful large and loving heart is going to show how He planned everything in the pathway. And even when we got out of communion, even when we acted in self will, even when we took our own way, He was there to pick us up. Blessed be his name. Blessed be his name.
May these few thoughts just touch our hearts that cause us to be more drawn out to Himself. What a wonderful Savior we have.
And as we go through these reading meetings with the person in the work, may these things impress upon our hearts just how great He is, just how good he is. How good He is. He loves us.
Present here to offer willingly unto thee, O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel. Our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of Thy people, and prepare their heart unto Thee.
00:55:08
Brethren, we have the doctrines, we have the teachings, we have all of these things.
But we need to be making room in our heart for the Lord. This is it.
This is it. The doctrines are important. We have to have the outlines. We have to know where we are in the Word of God.
But it's a person. It's a person.
Very blessed truths that we have here, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee, and give unto my son Solomon, my son, a perfect heart, to keep my commandments and testimonies and statutes, and to do all these things and to build a palace for which I have made provision. And David said to all the congregation, now bless the Lord your God, and all the congregation bless the Lord God of.
Others and bowed down their heads, and worshiped the Lord and the King.
They sacrificed unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings.
And the burnt offering, as we know, sets before us the idea of what the Lord Jesus did for the glory of God. You know, what a difference, what a character the remembrance of the Lord would take on. You know, if we would keep that before our hearts and our thoughts, that when I come into his presence and remember Him in his death, that's not what He did for me, important as that is. First of all, it's what He did for the glory of God. That's the 150th song in our little hymn book.
That's a burnt offering him.
What a difference it makes, brethren, when we keep that in mind. If God had not been satisfied with that sacrifice, you and I would be lost this afternoon. But oh, He did it for the glory of God. To think that there was one in this world, that God looked down into this world, and His eye could rest upon in complete satisfaction, the darling of His bosom.
And by the way, in Leviticus, it's not a repetition again of sacrifices. That work is so wonderful that God, as it were, just lined it all up there in that in those books, in those chapters in Leviticus and say, says to our hearts, here's another feature of the cross, Here's another feature, here's another feature, here's another feature. Because we're dealing with the greatest event that has ever happened in all of time or eternity, our God would say to us.
This is what I find my delight in, in connection with a person of my son, and this is what I want you to find your delight in as well. Have we ever gone into the book of Leviticus and read through those things and by the Spirit of God, seeing those wonderful little pictures, God wants us to. He wants us to.
That's why it's so important to pick up the Word of God and read it. Our time is gone.
Recently I've been speaking a little bit on the 38th chapter of Joel 2.
I can't think of another chapter in the Word of God where you have the glories of Christ.
And the work of the cross brought out in tight in that wonderful chapter. You can read it for yourself.
But it talks about the cloud and the thick swaddling band and all of these different things, you know, the doors of death, about the proud ways being stayed and all these wonderful things all seen there in that wonderful book. That's first Peter chapter 1, by the way, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that shall follow.
Lovely to realize that one day when I'm home and garments of shining white, I am going to look into the face of my Savior and I am going to realize, and you are going to realize.
That he was the one. We do in a certain sense now, but we really don't appreciate it like we should. We're going to look into the face of one who loved us infinitely, and there's going to be a wonderful burst of praise rise to Him, the like of which this universe has never heard.
We sing and close in that beautiful hymn.
And.
Shall and is it so? I shall be like thy son. 18 in the appendix. 18 in the back of the book.
And is it?
So worship.
01:00:39
Oh, Jesus.
Lord.
Love me like you.
All I work with.
Nature.
Sovereignty and Responsibility
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn first of all to the 25th chapter of Jeremiah. What am I had in my heart especially was how we have two things in our lives. We have the sovereignty of God and we have our responsibility. And I believe they're beautifully brought before us in God's ways, in connection with the people of God. I was thinking of the captivity which they had and how God brought them back from that captivity as it's described in the book of Ezra.
But in this 25th of Jeremiah we see that it is announced long before 25th chapter of Jeremiah, the 10th verse. Moreover, I will take from thee the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment. And those these nations shall serve the king of Babylon.
Years. It shall come to pass, when 70 years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it a perpetual desolation. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in the this book which Jeremiah has prophesied.
Against all the nations.
Here we see that long before the captivity took place, when the children of Israel were taken captive and brought down to Babylon, God announced that this was going to happen. He told how long it would be they would be there, how long this captivity would last.
Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if you and I just thought for a moment that God knows all about us. He could talk about our lives for 70 years to come. He could tell exactly what's going to happen, what's going to happen to those who are acquainted with us and that we have to do with no known unto God are all his works from eternity isn't a blessed thing for us as children of God to be able to say.
That God who knows all things makes all things work together for good.
Tells us in Romans chapter 8 and verse 28. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. And I've always enjoyed the context there because it immediately follows by these words. Whom he did for know He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Who he did predestinate them he also called. Whom he called them He also justified.
And who? He justified them. He also glorified you. And I might say, well, my life story hasn't been written yet.
But in God's ways and in his purposes it has been written. And so as we read those verses in Romans chapter 8, we might say, well, how is all this going to work together for good? Perhaps at some time you picked up a book and you came to a very, very dark page. Dark.
Paragraph or a dark chapter in that book. And you said I don't know how this is going to work out. It certainly looks pretty dark.
And what did you do? Well, you went over to the end of the story, and when you saw that the story ended all right, you went back and you read that sad chapter with perfect confidence. Why?
Because you said I peaked, I know how the story ends. And so it's going to be all right. Maybe the tears were running down your face as you read this sad chapter. So God says, I know that's going to happen in your life too. You're going to say, how are all things going to work together for good? So God says, I'll tell you the end of the story. What is the end of the story? They were going to be conformed to the image of his son and every believer in this room.
Some are passing through real times of stress and sorrow in your life. Isn't it wonderful? When we meet in the glory, every one of us are going to say, well, I see how God worked that all out, but He knows that beforehand and He's working those things.
Would you say, don't we have anything to do? Yes, responsibility comes in. We're going to see in God's dealings with Israel how responsibility came in. The two things run concurrently in our lives.
Responsibility and sovereignty and God who knows the end from the beginning, knows how to make those things work out. So God said that they were going to be into in captivity for 70 years before this ever happened at all. And so I just want to say this word of encouragement for any who may be passing through trials or perhaps there is something ahead of you that you don't quite know about yet.
00:05:19
This often happens. We start out and everything looks very bright and some tragic things happen and we say, however, can that work together for good? Will God use this period in Babylon for blessing? We've all read the book of Daniel, and God gave a wonderful testimony in Babylon through some of those who were captives there. We think of Daniel, We think of his three friends.
Meshach and Abednego, God had his own way of bringing a testimony into Babylon through these men, and so even though they were because of their failure, brought their God can overrule circumstances like that.
And make them turn into a blessing. And so we love to read the book of Daniel and find all that God did through Daniel and his friends, how faithfully were when they were placed in that land. For they might have easily said, well, what have we done that we have to be down here because they were faithful believers. And yet God allowed it. And God turned everything out for blessing. And now let's turn over to Daniel. I'd just like to.
One thing in Daniel Chapter 9, Chapter 9 and the second verse in the first year of this reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years where of the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem, and I set my face unto the Lord by God.
To seek by prayer and supplication and fasting, and sackcloth and ashes.
And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, Oh Lord God, the great and terrible God.
Keeping the covenant with and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments, we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments. Neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants, the prophets which spake in Thy name to our kings, our Princess, our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Oh, Lord righteousness.
Belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel that are near and that are far off, through all the countries, whether thou hast driven them because of their trespasses.
Because of their trespass, which they that they have trespassed against thee. Oh Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face to our kings, to our Princess, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.
Well, here that had taken place that God had foretold because God knows the future there they were down in Babylon. Babylon, as we know, was picture of confusion, and they kept the people of God down there in *******.
But we see that those Daniel and his three friends, they were faithful. They didn't allow themselves to be irritated by their condition. They might have easy said, well, wasn't our fault that all is happening. It was fault of our fathers that it happened.
But we see them taking their circumstances from the Lord. 1St chapter of Daniel says the Lord delivered them into the hand of king of Babylon. The Lord gave them favor in the sight of those who were over them. The Lord gave them the ability that they had.
For they did very well in their school training and they got good positions. God was overall. But now we find that Daniel is one who reads the word of God. He searches the word of God. And I'd like to encourage every young person here to read the word of God and read every bit of it. You may not always understand it, but the Spirit of God is the remembrance tells us.
In John 16, He shall bring all things to your remembrance. How can He bring things to our remembrance if we have never read them? For as we were saying in the meetings, the Bible is unlike any other book. It's God's book, and it's perfect when you think of all those books, 66 books, and if you take the five books of the Psalm, 70 books.
00:10:22
And isn't it wonderful that we have this?
Word of God spoken over a period of hundreds and hundreds of years and all fitting together perfectly because it's God's word. Well, here was Daniel in this captivity, perhaps feeling badly that the people of God were down there in Babylon, and he found written there that God had said this captivity was going to last.
70 years. So what does he do? Does he say, well, that's going to.
That's good news. No, he didn't just stop there. It was indeed good news. Was a wonderful thing for him to have discovered this, that the captivity was going to come to an end. But now the responsibility side comes in.
What did Daniel do? He humbled himself. He acknowledged their iniquity and their failure.
And sometimes this is a hindrance to our blessing, brethren. It's because we're not willing to acknowledge our faults and our failures. Too easy for us to see faults and failures in others, but too often we're very slow to see them in ourselves. But the Word of God would encourage us to get into the presence of God and acknowledge those things that are coming to our own lives that are a hindrance to blessing.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Well, you see Daniel here confessing his sins and the sins of his people and acknowledging that the hand of God was upon them. So the sovereignty of God had allowed them to be there, and they were going to be there for 70 years. The time hadn't yet come for its fulfillment, but Daniel knew that there was going to be an end to this captivity as far as.
Those who are faithful was concerned.
And God would bring some of them back to the land of Israel.
And so here he is making confession and it's good for us. I say again, does anything in your life or mine that we have done, we've not pleasing honoring to the Lord? Let's forget before the Lord about it. You say, well, there's lots of faults in other people, but Bible says every one of us shall give account of himself to God. I'm not responsible for what you did, but I am responsible for what I did.
It's good for us to remember that we'll never be happy if we are constantly seeing the wrong and other people and not seeing it in ourselves. But if we are before God, He will point out to us those things in our own lives that are a hindrance to blessing. Well, it's very beautiful to see here, Daniel owning and confessing this. So God was beginning to work Dell. We know that later on he caused the king to make a decree that.
The children of the captivity could go back to their land.
But he first worked in the heart of Daniel, and Daniel knows and owns their failure. Now if we go over to Ezra, we'll see how God worked in the heart of the king. Ezra chapter one, verse one. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation.
Throughout all his Kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven, have given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him in house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? His God. Be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House of the Lord God of Israel. He is the God which is.
Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he saw a journal, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the free will offering for the House of God which is at Jerusalem. Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah, and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the House of the Lord, which is.
Not only that were about them strengthened their hand with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.
00:15:12
Well, we've been noticing how God foretold this would happen before it ever happened. They had spent 70 years down there. God had wrought in the heart of Daniel, and Daniel had found out from the Scriptures that their captivity was going to last 70 years. Now we see God working in the heart of this great king. You say, well, there's no hope that that would happen. Yes, it could happen. It did happen.
And God is able, and it's a wonderful thing, Brethren, you may be in an impossible situation.
I've heard people say you'll never change that person, but God can change them. God can change him. You pray about it. You may be surprised when you pray and ask the Lord that he can touch the heart of that person and make him show an altogether different attitude. I found that so often we just get sort of stubborn about it and say it's no use.
But isn't as sweet to see that God wrought in the heart of this great king.
And he said not only can the people go back, but I'm going to help them.
And I'm going to give them what is necessary so that they can go back and build that House of God.
Oh, how wonderful are the ways of God. Perhaps behind the scene it was the faithfulness of dear Daniel and his friends because we know when they were there, they didn't fail to let their light shine. And during those 70 years, we have a little record of the three friends of Daniel and himself and how they were faithful in their school life. And then how when there was a decree made that.
Everyone must have fall down and worship an image. There were three boys that said, no, we're going to honor the Lord. We will not fall down and worship that image. Even if you put us to death, we'll still not do it. And they threw them into the fiery furnace, but the Lord walked with them in the fiery furnace. God is able to do what seems impossible. He can't touch people's hearts. But what I was saying was it may have been.
Testimony of Daniel and his friends while they were there that made this King Cyrus realize.
That there was a true God in the whole world, the God of this whole world. And now he makes this decree and says that they can go back. It actually helps them. And he commands others that if they're willing, they can help them. And now we see that their hearts are stirred up to go back. And if we come to this second chapter.
Tells us here all the names of those who came back.
You might say, well I always have found it hard to read over a list of names, but I'm sure if your name was in there you would be very interested in that list. Sometimes when?
They publish a list of the ones who have graduated from certain courses.
You're very anxious to see that list if there's some hope that your name is going to be in there and so.
The Lord calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. We all like to be addressed by name. I confess I forget people's names, but it's very nice when somebody comes up to you and says hello and gives you your very name. Well, here we have the list of the names of those who came back, and the Lord takes notice of us, not just as a group. Well, 100 people or 200 people, or 500.
No, he has. He calleth his own sheep by name.
All I want to encourage you, I don't know the names of all who are here, but you know God has a list of the names of all who were here present. He knows perhaps that some it's been a real difficulty to pick time off and get here. The Lord takes notice of all those things and I'm sure it wasn't a very easy thing for these people to make those journey.
There's one little point I'd just like to notice also in this, the 61St verse.
And of the children of the priests, the children of happy ayah, the children of cause, the children of Basilia, which took a wife of the daughters of Basilia the Gileadite, and was called after their name. These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found. Therefore were they as polluted put from the priesthood. And the Zirsha said unto them, They should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim. And.
00:20:12
Some of them here we find that there was care.
And this is interesting feature here too, that there is such a thing in the Word of God as defilement by association. People sometimes say, well, I'm walking godly, but are you associated with something that is contrary to the Word of God? That's very solemn association with evil defiles. We're told in Second Timothy 2 That those who would be vessels to honor for the Lord.
Had to separate from the vessels to dishonor. And so the man therefore purged himself from these. He shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meat for the masters. Use and prepare it unto every good work. Be careful what you get associated with. I'm sure when these people married the daughters of Brazilian, they never thought this was going to happen. And so I say to you, dear young people.
Be careful the partner that you have.
Be careful, let you choose one who loves the Lord Jesus, who wants to follow him, who wants to honor Him. How can two walk together except they be agreed? It's going to have an effect on your whole life to get married to one who is not saved or doesn't want to follow the Lord. What a hindrance it's going to be. Well, here in this little company, there were those.
They were polluted by their association. May the Lord keep us, He's able.
And to him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory.
With exceeding joy I couldn't keep myself. I could easily have been LED astray. I just thank the Lord for His preserving grace. Ask Him to keep you. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. And I'm not going to read the remainder of this chapter, but that sort of has interested me that it should tell about the number of horses and mules. You would wonder why Everett is the word of God.
Deal with that details is that, but in that very lovely to see that God is interested in the smallest details of our lives. We all need the transportation to get here. Was he concerned whether we had a way of transportation, whether I had a car or the car was in order and able to carry us here? Yes, He's interested in all these things.
What a wonderful God we have, a God who counts the very hairs of your head.
You haven't got a friend that ever did that for you. My wife never counted the hairs of my head. And yet there's a lot of love between us and there's no one that would do that for you. But the Lord numbers the very hairs of your head and mine. What a wonderful God we have. We want to encourage you. If you belong to Him, acknowledge Him in your life, give Him His rightful place and you'll find how he'll come in. I don't see you won't have difficulties.
Christian life is beset with that, but we learn in all those difficulties that come.
How good the Lord is and how he comforts us. I tell a little story sometimes about my father. He went to the dentist in those days when they didn't freeze your when they're taking doing a filling or something. And sometimes they were quite painful. And this time the dentist was going to do a rather deep cavity. And he said, Mr. Hale, this is going to be rather painful though. Do it as gently as I can. But we have to drill this out to fill the tooth.
And you know what my father said to him, He said Doctor Lyon, that was his name, Doctor Lyon. He said if I never suffered pain, I would never know what the word PAIN meant. And when I heard about the Lord's suffering, pain untold for me, he said it would be just a word to me. I wouldn't know what pain was. But he said every time I suffer a little bit of pain, it just gives me a little conception of.
The pain that my Savior had when he bore my sins in his own body on the tree. So let's think about that, that sometimes these things teach us lessons that are going to be valuable to us even here and for all eternity.
Well, so we see the number of the horses and all that they had, and we come to the third chapter.
Of Ezra here, says here. And when the 7th month was come, and children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Joshua the son of John Adec and his brethren, the priests, and Rubble the son of Shealdio and his brethren, and builded the altar of the Lord God of Israel to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.
00:25:18
And they set the altar upon his basis, for fear upon them because of the people of those countries, And they offered burnt offerings around unto the Lord.
Even burnt offerings, mourning and evening. They kept also the Feast of Tabernacles as it is written and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the custom as the duty of everyday required. I hear what was the first thing that they did.
You might have said, well, you must have felt so very feeble. You would think by themselves first of all. But no, it was the first thing they did. They gave the Lord his rightful place. That was the first thing that says. They gathered themselves as one man to Jerusalem. God had a center. When Daniel was in Babylon, he couldn't get there. There he was, but he opened his window towards Jerusalem. He said, if I can't get there.
At least recognize that God has an earthly center and I'm going to pray toward that place because the Lord who Ford knew everything he said that he would answer a prayer that was made in that place, but also prayer that was made toward that place. And so he opened his window toward Jerusalem.
Well, now there may be times when you and I might be able, we might be isolated and not be able to get to the meetings, but on Lord's Day morning, we can think of it. I know some. And they were in a place where they couldn't remember the Lord. They said, well, I just went for a little quiet time and I, we just sat there in the Lord's presence. We couldn't get to the meeting at Lord's Day, but we recognize that there was a place where the Lord put his name. We couldn't get there.
We were going to think about Him during that hour and in our hearts remember him. Well, it's a privilege when we can get there. Well, they were there, this company, Daniel had opened his window, but now here are the people and they're there, and they offered burnt offerings. Iran. No, there are different offerings that are mentioned, but the burnt offering is the first one. And the burnt offering brings before us what the work of Christ is to God.
And I think it's very precious. Not only has it met our need, but it has glorified God, and it is brought out what is in the heart of God toward us too. Sometimes I use illustrations because they help me at least to understand things.
Closing I have a debt and I cannot pay that debt. And someone says, well, Gordon, I know you've got a big debt and I'll go and pay it for you. So he goes and pays the debt. He hands me the receipt. I know my creditor can never bother me because I've got a receipt, but I don't know whether my creditor likes me or not. Maybe he likes me, maybe he doesn't. But supposing, let's put it this way, my creditor himself.
He says, you know, I love that Gordon Hayhold.
And he says to his son, he said, would you be willing to sell your house and raise the money S we can take this big debt off our books. And his son says, oh, yes, I'd be glad to do that, to tell out your heart and my heart toward Gordon Hayle. So he sells his house. The money is raised and I get a receipt in the mail and it says paid in full through the kindness of my son, in both cases, I knew that it was paid.
A lot of difference in the second case, I know my creditor, I know his son. And dear brethren, it's not only knowing that our debt is paid, but it's knowing that God himself, as it was mentioned this morning, who am I, who will I send? He said I will go. The Lord Jesus. God had one son, and he said he would send his son, and he did send him. And when you and I give thanks.
Paid many of the hymns that we sing in Christendom bring before us. How wonderful it is to know that that the debt is paid. But to me it's so wonderful that it was God himself. Who shall I say, send his Son to accomplish that work that would tell out his heart. That's what's pictured in the burnt offering. The peace offering is the communion offering. The sin offering is the wrong things that we have done.
Perhaps not always knowing that they were wrong. Trespass offering is knowing that they're wrong and still doing them. That's the trespass offering. And the peace offering is the communion offering. That is, we can be now in communion with God our Father will. They offered these burned offerings. And isn't it interesting what it says here?
00:30:20
In the third verse and they set the altar upon his bases, for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries.
And they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings, mourning and evening. Isn't this quite striking? It says, for fear of the people. Why would that? Wouldn't you say? Well, surely they would have got swords and Spears ready if they were afraid of the people now?
They said if we give the Lord his rightful place, we can count on him. If we give the Lord his rightful place. So they said the first thing is to give him that in all things He might have the preeminence. So they first of all built this altar and offered offerings, mourning and evening. Good to start the day with the Lord. It's good to end the day with the Lord too. Morning and.
We also this was done and then it tells us about them offering willingly unto the Lord. Well, I just like to go over now to the 8th chapter because.
Perhaps I could just read the last verse of the 6th chapter, this little verse. And they kept the Feast of Unleavened bread 7 days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them.
To strengthen their hands in the work of the Lord. See how the Lord took care of it. He turned the heart of the King of Syria. You know the Lord is the one that the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. Now in this 8th chapter we see a little company going up to Jerusalem. I just like to read from the 15th verse.
And I gather them together to the river that runs through Ahava, and thereof ode we intense 3 days.
And I viewed the people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. Then sent I for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemia and Forrel Nathan, and for Jereb, Forrel Nathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Michelin the chief man, also for Jordan and for El Nathan, men of understanding. And I sent them with commandment unto Idol the chief.
The chief at the place, Castafia and I told them.
But they should say unto it, do I it'll, and to his brethren the Nathaniems at the place Cassafaya, that they should bring to unto us ministers for the House of our God. And by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mali, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Cherova with his sons and his brethren.
18.
And Aishabaya, and with him Josiah, the sons of Murari, his brethren and their sons. 20 Also of the methods whom David and the Princess had appointed for the service of the Levites. 220 Nephilim. All of them were expressed by name. Then I proclaim the fast there by the river of Ahava, that we might afflict our souls before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us.
And for our little ones and for all our substance here, we find a little company now exercise to go up to Jerusalem very much concerned because there were enemies along in the way. But he gathered this little company together, and it says he found there, there were none of the sons of Levi. Now, you know, the sons of Levi were given to Moses and to Aaron for the service.
And you know, I believe there's an exercise for us in this.
Here we're a company that wanted to go up to Jerusalem. They're willing to endure quite a few of the hardships, but isn't interesting that says there were none of the sons of Levi. And you know, perhaps, brethren, there's a lack of more devotedness to the Lord. I think each one of us can say.
I remember what a brother said to me one time. He said, Gordon, he said, I think we're living in days of Christian convenience. He said people do things when they're convenient, but if they're not convenient, they don't bother. He said they don't want to put themselves out and be diligent in service to the Lord.
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And so I looked over these people and he said, where are the ones that really are willing to put themselves out in service to the Lord? These Levites were given for the service. You read about this in the Book of Numbers. They were given for the service of the House of the Lord. And you know, there's plenty to be done.
All of us have become aware, perhaps in recent times, of how God is working in other lands.
We marvel as we see the work of His Grace over there in Malawi. We see the work of His Grace now in Cuba. We see it in Romania, we see it through South America in a remarkable way. And I just like to encourage you, dear young people, while you've got strength and energy, don't put it all into just getting a good job and business. But may there be among us those that are Levites?
Those who devote themselves, these Levites devoted themselves to the service of the Lord. I don't mean necessarily that you're supposed to quit your job and go out into the Lorde work. The Lord may call you to that, but there's plenty it can be done and very effective things that are done by those.
Who are willing to spend time for the things of the Lord. Set aside a little time what you can do some little service for the Lord, and you will find it'll give the Lord joy, but it'll give joy to you too. I think many of us know that this work in Malawi.
As a result of those who are willing to do a little service and mail things out and write letters to people, and God has caused it to grow into real work. Well, there were none of the sons of Levi, so he said, and they found men he sent. It says that in the end of the 70s. First that they should bring us ministers or servants for the House of our God.
Good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mali, the son of Levi.
The son of Israel and Sharabaya, and his sons and his brethren.
18 Not too many were there, but there were some that came. One of them it says he was a men of men of understanding. That's very helpful too in the gifts that are given. Tells us there in the 1St Corinthians 12, it speaks of the gift of knowledge and the gift of wisdom. You say what is the difference in the gift of knowledge and the gift of wisdom? Some people have a knowledge of the Scripture, but they don't seem to have wisdom about handling.
Situations they know the scriptures, but they don't have wisdom, but the Lord provides those who have wisdom. We we provide those who have understanding of his word too. We need both. And so let's turn to the one who is the Lord of the harvest. The Lord said pray therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would thrust forth.
Laborers into his harvest I just want to stir up hearts of.
You, dear young people, when you're having some times of fun, like it says in the 10th chapter of Numbers, in the days of your gladness and in your solemn days, they were to blow the silver trumpets. What are the silver trumpets? What is silver? It's redemption. And they blew the trumpets. In other words, they acknowledge that we're a redeemed people. We're not our own. We're bought with a price. We belong to the Lord. Let me say in all your good.
That you have. Be sure you give the Lord His rightful place. Be sure you do something where you recognize Him and his claims. And you'll find that it'll give joy to the Lord. It'll give joy to your heart too. And then there are others here that are mentioned. The methods who were these methods? Well, I'm not positive that I'm accurate about this, but I have read in the Bible dictionary that they were the descendants of those.
People who came and deceived Joshua.
The Gibeonites and Joshua made an agreement with them that they could stay in the land.
And that they were to become servants and so these people.
Who didn't have too good a background, if I can put it that way. They were now. It seemed like they were more devoted than the rest of the people. Because it says here that there were 220 methods. 220 methods, you say, Well, I wasn't brought up in the assembly and I don't fully understand, but you can still be devoted to the Lord.
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Much blessing has come in from those who have bought the truth.
Perhaps for myself. I was born brought up in a Christian family. I learned the truth of God from my childhood. I thank God for it.
He alone can keep us and I don't. I'm not saying this in a boasting way, but there are those sitting in the audience here that have had to buy the truth.
And perhaps there are more of them than there are with those of us who were brought up in the truth. May we value it, may we be devoted to the Lord, all this company. And now in the 21St verse it says, I proclaimed a fast there, that we might at the river of the habit, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our.
Before they started out on this journey, they got down before the Lord and they asked Him for the right way. Well, God has given us the right way in His word. Bible says there is a way that seemeth right unto all man, but the end there ever the ways of death. We know there are many people in the world that are very sincere but sincerely wrong. And you and I, even as Christians, sometimes we can be sincere.
You remember the case of David when he wanted to bring up the ark of the Lord.
That was a very wonderful desire. God was pleased with that desire, but he decided that He would do it at the same way that the Philistines had sent back the ark. And so he made a new cart, and he put the ark on the new cart, and he gave two men a position of honor to take this card and guide it and bring it up carrying the ark. But the oxen stumbled.
And then David began to think and he said.
God has told us in His Word the way the ark is to be carried. We don't just make our own plans about these things. God has said that the ark is to be carried upon the shoulders of the priests, not on a new cart. That was a Philistine idea. And so if you're going to do something for the Lord, do it according to His Word. A lot of activity going on in the Christian world. We thank God for the desire of people.
Letters seeking to do something for the Lord. But if you want to do something for the Lord that meets his approval.
Search his words and find out how he wants it to be done and do it that way. When David did it, the way that God had ordered here was the ark. And you know, it's interesting, when it was on the cart, you're watching the men that were driving it and the cart was down there and there was the ark on the cart. All the attention was to the people that were driving the car. But when it was God's way was on the shoulders of the priest and all you would see in the crowd was there was that ark up above.
The heads of all the people God delights to honor His blessed Son, and every service that he has is a service that honors the Lord Jesus, that in all things He might have the preeminence. Well, they thought of Him a right way for themselves, for their little ones, and for all their substance.
Notice this? Their little ones. So it's a wonderful privilege.
We have children, we have a lot of young people here. I love to see you, dear young people here to see you have this privilege of being brought up under the sound of the word of God. May the Lord grant that you will be among those who will value the truth of God. A right way for our little ones and for all our substance and what we have, our possessions, our cars, everything that we want to use them for the Lord.
Will he be sought the Lord, and He was entreated of them.
There were a lot of enemies in the way. Now when they wanted to bring this these things up to Jerusalem and get there themselves, there are a lot of enemies in the way but tells us here in the 23rd verse.
So we fasted and besought our God for this, and he was entreated of us, says in the 31St verse. Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the 12Th day of the first month, to go on to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy into such as lay in wait by the way. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
There's just another little thing I'd like to notice in between here. It tells us here in this 24th verse.
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Then I separated 12 of the chief of the priests, Sharabiya Hashabaya, and 10 of their brethren with them, and wait unto them the silver and the gold, and the vessels, even the offering of the House of our God, which the king and his counselors and his Lords, and all Israel their present had offered.
He even weighed unto their hands 650 tons of silver, silver vessels, and 100 towns, and of gold, and 100 tons, and also 20 basins of gold, and have 1000 grams, and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. And I said unto them, Ye are holy under the Lord, the vessels are holy also, and the silver and the gold are a free will, offering unto the Lord God of your Father's.
Watch ye and keep them until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and the chief of the Fathers of Israel at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the House of the Lord.
So we so took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver and the gold, to bring them to Jerusalem under the House of our God.
You know this, all these vessels and everything was weighed out to them. And the truth has been, if we might use that expression, it has been weighed out to us. And we hear Paul saying to Timothy, oh, Timothy Keith, that which is committed to thy trust, we find in the message to Philadelphia. It says, I'd like to read it because I don't think I can just quote a word for word.
In Revelation chapter 3, Revelation chapter 3 and verse 11.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Wonderful deposit of truth has been committed to us as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, and it's been weighed out to us, and someday we're going to have to weigh it in. Have we lost it, by the way? Have we given it off, perhaps to follow perhaps other ideas instead of following?
How often Paul exhorted Timothy.
To keep that which was entrusted to him. May I say to your dear young people who are growing up, may you value the precious deposit of truth that God has given to us. It's been given up on every hand. A lot of young people have have been turned aside into activities that are going on. And one is very thankful for all the activities where the gospel is sounded out. The God specially valued faithfulness to him. And when these people came up to Jerusalem.
And I just like to before we close, I just like to notice here in the 33rd verse.
Now on the 4th day was the silver and the gold, and the vessels weighed, and the House of our God, by the hand of Miramoth the son of you Moriah the priest. And with with him was Eliezer the son of Phinehas, and with them was Joseph Ed, the son of Joshua, and Noah Dia, the son of Benui the Levites by number and by weight of everyone, and all the weight was written at that time.
Also the children of those that have been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel.
12 bullocks for all Israel 90 and six rounds. 70 and seven lambs. 12 He goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering unto the Lord. Now this was only a small little company. They're associating with the ones who were already there.
But we find here they offered 12 bullocks for all Israel.
There were only 10-2 tribes that were coming back in, just a small part of the two tribes. Why did they offer 12? Bullocks fell this morning, brethren, There was one loaf on the table. What did that one loaf represent? The company that we're here now represented every member of the body of Christ. What a privilege to be gathered on that ground.
The truth has been committed to us. We're thankful for every true child of God. But may we value the truth as those vessels were weighed in by number and by weight of everyone, not only knowing the truth of the Lord's coming, not only knowing the truth of the church, not only knowing the truth of the one body, but how much weight does it have with us? Is it something that we're saying? Well, I know that's partially important, but.
There are other things too that are important, but by number and by weight of everyone. Well, I rejoice, brethren, that we can be gathered as members of the body of Christ. What a great privilege it is. And we're just coming down here. Met a young man, He said, what church do you belong to? And I said, we're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. Now isn't it strange that people think they have to have some name for what they have set up?
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But isn't it precious to be gathered to that only name, that name which is everything for salvation?
That name that was going to be honored and glorified forever and to be gathered not as members of a group.
When I'm not a member of the group, I'm a member of the body of Christ. What a privilege. Even if there's only two or three, we can get expression to that precious truth. May the Lord grant that we'll value it. When we see in this, as I say, we see the sovereignty of God. We see responsibility.
God foretold that they would be in captivity for 70 years. He told how they would be brought back. He knew the whole thing all beforehand, and he worked it out according to his own counsels. But there was also responsibility. There were quite a few that never got up from Babylon, never got up there. God delivered the ones whose heart stirred them up, and they came up and came, valued the place where the Lord had put his name.
Value. The burnt offerings valued those precious vessels that were used for the House of the Lord.
There were many dear believers that perhaps still remained in Babylon, but not a privilege. May the Lord grant that we'll see His hand in our circumstances, that we'll give the Lord Jesus His rightful place, and that we'll give Him that place of honor that is due to Him. Brethren, we're soon going to see that precious Savior as our brother brought before us this morning, joy unspeakable and full of glory. And won't it be worth it all?
To hear him say well done, well done, it'll be worth it all no matter what the effort was, may be may he granted for his namesake.