Lawrenceville Conference: 2002
Table of Contents
Colossians 1
Reading
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We've had a smiley.
Gloria the person is presented in a full away Philosophy 1.
Maybe.
Feels the Lord to look into that.
#9 on chapter one thing.
Colossians Chapter One.
For all the Father of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timotheus, our brother to the Saints and faithful brethren in Christ, which are at colossi, grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray and always for you, since we heard your faith in Christ Jesus.
I know the law of what you have for all the Saints, for the whole which is laid up for you in heaven, where all ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.
But just fall under you, as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit as it got also in you, since the day you heard of it, and knew the grace of God. And truth, as you also learned of. Epifras, are here fellow servants with for you a faithful minister of Christ, who also declared unto us your love and the Spirit for this 'cause we also, since the day we heard yes, do not cease to pray for you.
And to desire that he might be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all, pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power unto all patients, and long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks under the Father, which has made us meet to be part acres of the inheritance of the Saints in life, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated off into the Kingdom of his dear Son, and whom we have redemption through His blood.
Even the forgiveness of sins with the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature.
But by Him we're all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by him and for him. And He is before all things invite him, all the things consist, and He is the head of the body, the church.
With the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in all things you might have the preeminence.
Or it pleased the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you there were some time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked words. Yet now has he reconciled.
In the body of His flesh through death, to present you wholly and unblameable and unreprovable in His fight, if you continue in the faith, grounds, and spells, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard.
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Which was preached to every creature which is under heaven whereof I fall, and made a minister, who now rejoice in my suffering. For you fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body sake, which is the Church whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God.
Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now it's made manifest to the Saints to whom God had made known. What is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, what we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man.
Perfect in Christ Jesus, where unto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Book of Ephesians takes us to the highest place in the Bible with this first chapter of Colossians gives us the highest picture of glory in the whole Bible.
In Ephesians we have what the church is through Christ, the fullness of Him that fill us All in all. In Colossians we have what Christ is to church has been sent. You can write over Colossians his statement. Christ endured the hope of glory.
By his dwelling in the believer, the glory is assured to the believer and what a glorious person he is.
And that is especially, I believe, what hopefully will be coming before us in these meetings, this wonderful person who is our head, with whom we are now in resurrection, united. That wasn't possible before his death and resurrection, but it is not possible as a result of the work of Calvin's trust.
Each and each book in the Bible has a particular burden to it or purpose of it and.
In Colossians 2, I think we see the concern of the apostle in writing to the Colossians and verse 18, he says.
Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly popped up in his fleshly mind.
And so when the Lord Jesus is presented in our chapter.
As the creator, we notice the emphasis is really on what isn't seen to the natural eye, though it says in.
Our verse where he made all things.
Verse 16 For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth.
Visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by and for him. And so the Apostle is going to show the Colossians Saints the high supremacy of Christ as the one who created these invisible beings, the angelic beings included.
About apparently some were seeking eternity, Colossians aside to the worshipping of angels. And it's a similar thing like in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where the Lord in His supremacy over all other things is brought forth. And so here we find that He created these invisible beings and He should be held supreme.
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In our hearts and minds.
It seems that the theme of the whole book is regarding the head.
Not in the second chapter of 19. First of not holding again. And here's the first chapter of holding the head. And so the head is Christ. And that's my brother mentioned earlier, the theme of the book of Christ, Christ and glory and Christ in us, the hope of God.
And its occupation with the man in the glory that will really draw our hearts out, isn't it, brethren? And I'm thankful to take up a chapter like this, because hopefully, as the spirit of God ministers Christ to us, our hearts will go out more to him, and we'll set our mind on things above us. We're exhorted later on in this epistle. It's wonderful to consider what we mean to Christ, but brethren, to consider who Christ is and the fact that he is head of the body.
And what Christ is to the church, I believe there's nothing will draw our hearts out more to him than that. And as we go down these verses, I would suggest that rather than it just being that which is doctrinal accuracy, as we want to be doctrinally accurate, of course. But brethren, to seek Christ in these scriptures and to get a fresh glimpse of the man in the glory. You know, we so often sing a little prayer, and I can only speak for myself. I sing it so often in meeting that I don't always.
Consider the full import of it, but just to consider that little prayer that we sometimes sing.
Fix our earnest gaze so holy Lord on thee, that with thy beauty occupied we elsewhere none may see. How many times have you sung that a good many. I have no doubt most of us here a son that many, many times. But just to consider that and consider that little prayer in light of this chapter, I believe then we'll receive a blessing for taking it up.
And it has to interest us, brethren.
Because we're going to be united person for all eternity. We all really are really. But we are learning here in this world, lessons of the glory of His person that we will not be able to learn up there. So it is likely to have this person, before I say, and more and more convinced of it, brother, that what we need is attraction to the person of Christ. It's not that.
Of the expectation against worldliness that we can do, we'll have little effect.
And when we think and.
We'll see in these versions of glorious a person our head is. What an insult to want to have a man in that position.
Yes, we have to come to see who the head of the Church is. Then we come to see the insult to put a failing human being in that position. Why would we want to have a failing, turning mortal to be in that position when we have such a glorious head as Christ?
When we come to the position of.
That job came to, he could say, I have heard of the of the hearing of the ear, but not my nice.
I trust each of us to see Christ and as we go through this.
Not that we should overemphasize this, but unfortunately in this first chapter in.
In the King James Version there are misrepresentations, bad renderings, and if you read Mr. Darby's translation you get help. Some of these mistakes are not that period, but just to point some of them out. I hope we don't dwell too long on this, but in verse nine that speaks of the full knowledge of his will.
The tendency is that we as Christians concentrate on some part of this world instead of having the desire to know the full knowledge of Israel. And then?
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In verse 10 there is a word added by Mr. Darby the true knowledge of God. We know God different in Christianity than any St. at any previous time. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew him as God on my TV finding Exodus.
Six. But he reveals himself as Jehovah to Moses, clearly indicating that he got a fuller revelation of God.
In revealing Himself to Moses so we have partial revelations of God in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, when the Lord Jesus comes, God manifested in the flesh. We have the true knowledge of God, and He has revealed God as Father. As nobody ever knew him before, we by the Spirit can now call him ABBA.
Then verse 13.
The Kingdom of the Son of his love.
Much better reservation. We have been introduced into a sphere that at one time could only be enjoyed by the Lord Jesus. But we now know that Savior have been introduced into that sphere and can enjoy the love that at one time only the Lord Jesus could enjoy.
And then?
The verse 15.
The Jehovah Witnesses used the King James translation to say, you see, he's the first preacher, first born of every preacher, first born of all creation when he enters his own creation.
Coming as a man of necessity, he has to have the place of the first born, because verse 16 gives us the reason.
Why he has to have the position of the first one? Because he's the creator and then in verse 19.
Has pleased the Father that in him should call fullness dwell. That's also false. The correct rendering is that the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in the main Christ Jesus. Yes, it is the sun that becomes man, but when he becomes man.
God is manifested in the flesh that try your God was pleased to reveal himself in that way and in verse nine of chapter 2. It helps us understand that in Him the fullness of the God has dwelled bodies. So I just thought I'd point these things out to show where there can be an improvement on what we have in the King James translation, and some of these renderings are outright misleading.
But how thankful we can be for more accurate translation that has given us a better understanding of the test.
It is that by the knowledge of God that we are brought into here, and as it's been expressed, full knowledge of God and John 17 and verse 3. The Lord Jesus said this is eternal life, that he might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ through ascent. So when the Apostle John writes in chapter one of his first epistle, we are called into the fellowship.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the God our Father, and of the Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of the apostles. So it is the knowledge of God and into which we have been brought and.
Into a way in which it was never done before. Isaiah could say in his 40th chapter that I had not seen or heard, neither had entered into the heart of man what God had prepared for them and loved him.
But he goes on, then the Apostle, by the Spirit of God, to say, But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit. And the Spirit searches of depths of God. So with the full knowledge of God has been brought from the sun. He has expressed image of God, the importance of the glory shining out in that blessed man. And it is into his knowledge that we have been brought.
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We ought not to skip over these first few verses because they're introductory to what we have are disposed from verse 9 on. And I think there's something very precious and practical for us to consider in the opening verses of this chapter. And one of the things is that they have grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, there are many brethren here today, no doubt, who are going through real trials.
We have some of those situations mentioned for prayer at the beginning of this conference. The beginning of the prayer meeting. Isn't it a wonderful thing, Brethren? We're not home yet. Yes, we're connected to our glorified head by the Spirit of God. We have that resource. But we're not home yet. We're still here in this world. And isn't it wonderful that we have those two things, Grace and peace. Grace meets our present need of all we received of His fullness and grace upon grace.
He said. I don't know how much more I can take of the trial the Lord has allowed in my life. He giveth more grace. There's no limit to that grace for every situation. Are you feeling discouraged, brother or sister? Just turn to the Lord and seek that supply and resource of of grace.
Says my grace is sufficient for thee. Paul had trials himself, but he learned to rely on the grace of God. And then there's peace. Oh brother, this is the same peace that the Lord Jesus left with his disciples, the peace that the Lord Jesus experienced as he walked through this life, and who had more trials and ups and downs in his pathway than the Lord Jesus, who was more misunderstood and physically abused and felt reproached and so on. But the Lord Jesus walked through this world.
In perfect peace with his God.
It's the peace of God that passes all understanding, and you and I can experience this, but not that we become hardened or callous to the trials. We feel them, and we feel them very keenly. We ought to. Lord Jesus could weep at the grave of Lazarus, but he had perfect peace through the situation because he walked in communion and fellowship with His God and Father O'Brien. And these two resources are available for us today, just as they were for the Lord Jesus as a man, just as they were for the Colossians Saints, the resource that we have in Christ this morning.
Is no less than it was back then. We might just read the end of Ephesians to go along with this.
In the end of Occasion 6.
23 and four, we see what God in his relationship to desires for us, and what the Lord Jesus Christ desires. It's very simple to read Peace be to the bread.
He speeches the bread.
And love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. So if there's not peace amongst us, we know that God is not the author of that.
Not the author of confusion. He wants peace.
And love with faith and He's our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ is one with him in them.
There isn't only love for those with whom we are in practical fellowship.
Paul for having love to all the sense.
We tend to sometimes be sectarian in that we think that we only have an obligation to allow those with whom we practically watch.
There are things that we cannot accept. We cannot walk with Christians because of what they are identified with. But I hope we always will rejoice when we have an opportunity to meet another place of God.
And to meet one and then to tell us, even that night I met another family member, you know, we ought to dislodge them all. And even if we cannot walk with them and have to point out where they are wrong from a Scripture point of view, I hope that his love that comes up to do so.
Instead of looking at them from.
Elevated position.
Or try the position of pride. Love all the things.
And there are many of them. A lot of pleasure is to meet one.
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These things would correct.
What I think is an attack of the enemy upon the brethren as such.
By the Raven Dr. Let's read 2 verses out of Matthew 6, Matthew five. I think these are unusual because of the attack of the enemy at this time upon the President as such.
And it's timely to have this brought out.
Matthews 5 verses.
46.
Seven and we read 8.
For if you love them, which love you?
What reward have you?
Do not even the publicans the same?
And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others Do? Not even the public? And so?
Well, those two verses would corrupt that situation, but maybe somebody don't know about, but it's an awful thing. And then he says be therefore perfect. Even as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect, we are to be like our Father. It's simple to get verses like this to correct some things that come amongst it.
In Ephesians 6, that's perfectly.
Right clamp and an Ephesians 6 and verse 18 and 19. It says praying, supplication, prayer for all men.
All things for all things. And then another ship to their apostle Paul said, Do good unto all men.
Especially unto the household of faith. And the household of faith is all Christians, isn't it? Not just those sitting in this room today. It's all Christian.
That is broadened in First Timothy Chapter 2, where it says in Pray for all men was brought to my attention a little over a year ago. Delightfully, brother said to a man to whom he was given opportunity to witness. I prayed for you this morning.
Well, if we pray for all men, we can in true say to a man that God, or a woman that God brings us into contact with. I prayed for you today. So that goes beyond our own selves and our circle of fellowship, to include all the Saints and all men.
This is what is he Paul brings out in our chapter as we go on because not only do we have grace and peace as our resource, but then he speaks of praying for the Saints. When Paul prayed for the Saints, it's interesting that often he didn't just pray for them in connection with troubles, but he gave thanks for them as well. Go through the epistles of Paul and notice that how thankful he was for his brethren. And I just suggest if we got down on our knees in our room and gave thanks for our brethren, wouldn't it make a difference when we got up off our knees and we rubbed shoulders one with another in our relationships together?
You can't really get into your closet. And truly, before God pray for your brother or sister and thank God for that brother or sister and speak behind their back or say something to their face that maybe is unkind and not call for. No, I believe rather that this is a wonderful resource that we have.
Not just to pray for one another in trouble, but to pray for one another when we're going, when the Saints are going on well. And I'd like to point that out too, in connection with the times that Paul mentions praying for his brother specifically. In fact, it's usually at a time when they were going on well in Philippi things were going on. I know there was a little problem coming in, but there was a testimony in the gospel. It was their their testimony was going out and others have heard of it, Paul said. I seek not to pray for you night and day.
Here he prays for the Saints in Ephesus. He prayed for the Saints when they were going on well, because Paul understood very clearly that Saints who were going on in the love of the truth and for one another were Satan that were a particular target of the enemy.
Brethren, if we would use prayer as a preventative measure, it would save us from many things. Why is it I wait to pray for someone until they get in trouble or they drifted away from the assembly? They're not coming to the meetings. Maybe some action has had to been taken because of something that has been allowed, and so they're excommunicated from the Lord's table or whatever it might be. Why do I wait to pray for that brother or sister to that point? Brandon, if we would pray for one another in the way that it suggested here, I say I believe it would spare us from many things.
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And it would cause our love to abound more and more, one for another.
Not only praying when they're going on well, read these prayers of the past falling Ephesians one. And in Ephesians 2 and here that isn't so much that he is concerned about the physical and material well-being. He is concerned that they might come to a fuller understanding and enjoyment of the things that they have in Christ. How many times do our prayers?
Concentrate on that.
Most of the time we're praying for the sick end, for problems and this kind of a thing. Well, it is good, beloved brethren to reach these prayers and see what the Apostle Paul exercise was. Should we not have cut an exercise? We have many young men and girls, young ladies among us. It would be nice to see an exercise, individual exercise, to get into these things of God.
Comfort, the enjoyment of it and then you can walk intelligently for the Lord because you know what you're placing. Position is so. These are the things I believe that need to be emphasized because we tend to concentrate and be occupied, overly occupied with physical and material things. There's nothing wrong with being occupied for those who go through difficult times and even John in the letter.
Providing to Gaius, he's concerned that he will be going on well spiritually and physically.
So there's nothing wrong with that, but most of the prayers that we read about in the New Testament have to do with spiritual concerns, and I believe you love it better and I hope you're not taking it wrong. General scriptural understanding, amongst the other things, is diminishing.
And there has to be more of an exercise to get into these things into the scriptures.
To come through an enjoyment of these things, it will also help us to understand what is expected to of us collectively. There's a beautiful prayer in Colossians 4, verse 12 which I want to read.
Ethioprats, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluted you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete.
In all the will of God, wonderful prayer that we can pray for our brethren. And I want to balance some of the comments that have been made by reading some verses in Second Timothy chapter 4.
In Second Timothy 4 verse one I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who should judge the quick and the dead.
And disappearing in his Kingdom.
Preach the Word.
The instant in season, out of season.
We prove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own must shall they heap to themselves teachers.
Having itching areas, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
The the state of Christendom today is so pathetically low that.
Verses like this need to be brought before us. Let's not get the idea of that this what this being promoted in Christendom, It's it's a pseudo, it's a false love.
It's a human love. It's not divine love at all. It's it's to just tolerate all kinds of things that are unscriptural and that of course, we don't want to give anyone the idea that when he speaks about love to all the Saints that it's that kind of love. It's love which wants to see the Saints going on in the truth and loving one another in the truth and not to.
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Not to embrace all the error that's out there. And that's what's being done by the leaders in Christendom. They're throwing their arms around those that are Antichrist. See them. And that ought to be revealed. And so we have to balance these things, don't we? Are we not in danger of being affected by that? Oh, yeah. Tell me, Chuck, can you give us a definition of what a table is?
Of Fable. It's a it's a story that is not founded on truth. It's it's not the truth at all. It's just something that someone has come up with and it has no substance to it.
He had a danger among us that somebody gives ministry on a scripture, reading something into that scripture that isn't at all there. It's a playbook. It's a producing production of the human mind.
There are being into these things, yes, We have to be careful that these things will come in among us, Paul says in Colossians.
That the coherence? No second, Timothy.
Forecast, the form of sound works. That's the opposite to the message. And we are affected or in danger of being affected by what's going on. Somebody might have such sweet words.
But what he's reading is not expounding the scriptures. He's reading something into it that isn't there at all. Let's be careful of it. We are made-up of the same stuff as our fellow believers out there and are exposed to that all the time. That are to where?
An unconditional law is telling is not for God. You cannot throw up your arms around somebody that goes on in sin. That's amazing. Sometimes. Our president principles change when there are changes in their own families. Just be careful. The scripture is warning us not to have any fellowship with those who go on and sin. Unconditional love is the true love of God. It is unconditional.
But it's not. Embrace me there, That's what you're that's what I'm saying. It's what we have in the first chapter of Colossians there. Notice the apostle Paul. What that was to all the things like him to do verse 28 and 29, whom we preach warning everything, not just the system group of everybody teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfectly. Christ Jesus.
Where do I also labor? Striving according to his working which worketh in the mining. So it is loving and unconditional way, yes, but it is not embracing. There I think I get you embrace and it's being faithful in presenting the truth too. We never help a fellow believer by watering down the truth or being wishy washy when we talked about believers Now we always want to present the truth in a way that the spirit of God.
Can take it and use it for blessing to that soul. And we don't want to be contentious when it what comes to the truth. We want to earnestly contend for the faith, but we don't want to be contentious, and we don't want to try to press a point. But we do need to be faithful, as Paul was in presenting the truth to whoever it was. Paul never tried to walk the middle of the road, no matter who he was presenting the truth to, whether it was the truth of the gospel, whether it was to philosophers, whether it was believers, whoever it was.
He presented the truth. I would just say it could illustrate what our brother Chuck brought out, because I think it's very needful and helpful that with the Lord Jesus himself, in Revelation one you find that the paths which make of the affections they were restrained gird about with a golden girdle. And I think that's what you're saying. The affections there are there. He loves, He loves everyone. We ought to have a love for all brothers, but the manifestation of that love may sometimes be restrained.
By that golden girdle which would perhaps speak to us of divine righteousness, you just let me make another comment, because Chuck mentioned about epiprax in the 4th chapter and I was thinking of it in connection which is mentioned here in the first chapter. You know God is gracious in giving us illustrations of real people.
Who lived and practiced the truth in a very real way. We've been talking about praying for the Saints, ministering to our brethren, loving our brothers, and then the spirit of God gives us an example of a man named Democrats. But notice Chuck pointed out that he was praying for the Saints in the in the 4th chapter. And brother do we know what it is the labor and prayer for one another.
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I don't mean do I and I can only speak again to my own heart. I don't mean do I just mention my brother's name and passing. But Epifras knew what it was to labor.
In prayer for his brother. Do I know what it is to get into my closet and really labor in prayer?
Specifically for that brother, for that sister, again, I think it would spare us with how many things if we learned to do this in a practical way. But notice that for Frost in this chapter, verse 7, as he also learned Now if you notice Mr. Darby's translation, it's not so much of epiphros but.
From Ephraim, our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ. What did the Saint hear from Epafrass? They heard the truth of God. Now notice it isn't just that he was a faithful minister of the word. That was no doubt true. But he was a faithful minister of Christ. As we said earlier, brethren, that's what's going to draw the heart out. That's what's going to open up things to us. And if we seek in our relationship one to another. And I don't mean just in a setting like this or at the local assembly meetings for ministry.
But if we would learn, brothers and sisters, the truth of this to minister Christ one to another, not just the word, but Christ. This is what the what Epiprax did when he spoke to the Saint, he ministered Christ. But now notice something else. What about when he spoke of the faith? That's first aid. Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit when he spoke to the things he ministered Christ, when he spoke of the Saints to others?
Spoke of what? Of Christ in the Saints, What he saw of Christ manifest in the faith, What was for encouragement and blessing? A gun? Brothers, isn't this something we all need to take heart to? Especially myself? When I speak of my brethren with somebody, sometimes, I don't often say some very nice things. But when Epifra spoke up the Saints to others, he spoke of what he saw of Christ and the practical manifestation of Christianity in those things. Well, when we speak to one another, let's minister Christ when we speak of one another.
Let's speak of what we see of Christ in those fellow believers. Yes, but there are times when we have to mention people by name. As Paul says that Timothy, second Timothy. He mentioned them by name, Thankfully, he and Colossi. The condition was good. He didn't have to caution them about certain individuals that were teaching false doctors.
And were.
Departing from Paul and so on. But whenever such situations arise, I hope it's genuine spiritual concern holding people and for the well-being of the Saints that need to be warned. That is our motion. But I also like to say this.
We can be fellow servants without saying anything.
I of the time am impressed when brother helped us so that we can travel to Africa and other places.
They are fellow servants in shopping and praying for us. Every one of us can be a fellow service or who we might never have in ministry in the assessment and but how wonderful it is to be supported in prayer those who have a more public place and greater responsibility in that way, and to feel the prayer of the things behind us.
Where we are in a place like.
It's really very encouraging. We can be an encouragement like hypertrophy. It seems to me. I check for a brethren and this because it appears that.
Spoken to Paul about the Colossians believers and I'm sure he had concerns for them. What else? Because there is warnings in the second chapter that Paul morning to from what you learned from Epigram. But to see that Epiprat was the one in chapter 4 who labored fervently in prayer.
00:45:15
And to me, that's a lesson. It might be easy to talk of our brother.
Some of the good things, and sometimes we find it fairly easy to talk about some of the defects.
If that happens, Brendan.
Let's try to make it practice kneeling down and praying for those spreading we've got They are God's people. For as much as we may be erroneous in something of their doctrine or their actions, if they are the Lord's people, God loves them. And I can think of Elijah, who is the only Satan to mention.
In the mentioned in the New Testament as.
Finish. And it was because he prayed against God. People, and God in fact told him Elijah.
Annoying Elijah to be prophets in your room, he said. I can't have.
I love my people and I'm going to have to replace you if you take that kind of a thing. So let's see the Lords people, erroneous as they may be, through the Lords eyes, big posture and precious love. He loves them and we need to pray earnestly for them as a convention. Labor, Ferguson, privacy is worse.
It's not easy. It's not just getting down on your knees and saying something to the Lord. It's labor. There's another word that you conscription, Supplication. What does that mean? It's not just really that. It's intense.
Pleading with God.
Do we know anything about that? I have to construct revenue that I don't know, it's not about, but that's what you're talking about?
Interesting in contrast to Elijah. Elijah that when the people of God failed in Samuels day, he prayed all night. Not remarkable and brought you to Samuel in a very wonderful, wonderful way for the people of God in his day. But he prayed all night not against the people of God, but the God would come in in his mercy and in his grace. That sometimes said too, there's a fine line between gossip and godly concerns.
God the concern is good, and as our brother Heinz said, sometimes and in Scripture, warnings are given. John and his epistle gave warning and mentioned an individual specifically by name. Apparently. If we could just discern more of that line between gossip and godly concern, that might help us. Just in contrast to Epifras. Go over to the last chapter of Colossians again and the second last verse.
Epifrost was a faithful servant of Christ. He labored for the Saints.
Minister Christ to them. Pray for them. But here's someone else mentioned in verse 17.
And say to archivist, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received of the Lord, that thou fulfill it. Epocrates with fulfilling his ministry. But our Kip is wasn't and Paul said that Archippus needed to be stirred up. We're not told what it was that what ministry it was that Archibald was given for the blessing of the Saints at Colossi. But he pulled the stir it up and to use it, because no doubt the apostle Paul felt of the Saints of at philosophy were suffering a lack. And sometimes I feel there are assemblies that suffer a lack because there are brothers and sisters in that assembly.
Who do not carry out the little ministry and function that God has given them in that assembly. And so we can't just point at somebody like Esther Pratt, who no doubt took part in the assembly meetings and so on. No, this is something for each one of us to consider when you go back home on Monday if the Lord leaves us here.
Brother and sister, young person, you have a service for Christ, some little ministry to fulfilling the local assembly that no one else can fulfill quite as well as you can because God has finished you for that little service. Don't cause the assembly to suffer a lot because you don't fulfill and stir up that gift or that old service or ministry that God has given you to fulfill.
00:50:06
I like to feed a bird the first Thessalonians.
Chapter 5, verse 14, which helped us to understand that we cannot deal with everyone in the same way.
Paul.
Here gives very good instruction.
And he says, we exported, but we exhorted brethren and money to disorderly the unruly comfort the same target.
Sustained the weak be patient towards all. We will all define saying that fit in one of these categories in the assessment and we cannot deal with everybody in the same way.
And so it's good to remember that even when we meet Christians who don't understand the truth of gathering.
We do well to remember that.
If the Lord has given us an understanding that they don't have yet.
Let's be careful how we deal with them and maybe sometimes we try to overwhelm them and give them much more than they can take in and so we all fail Engine, my wife sometimes they told me you tend to give people too much at what traffic, you know, we have to learn to.
Discern the state of the individual in their private hospital.
And they're not all willfully disobeying the word of God. Many of them don't understand it. And maybe the Lord thinks them into our lives if we can help them. But that is even true among those gathered to the name of the Lord. There are those that the Lord table that don't understand the place of separation. Hopefully it will come to that if we handle them in a spiritual way.
Wisdom of personal understanding is because that what Christ is to ensure is better than anything else there is around revenue.
I think of the case of growth when she was leaning.
Was that because he wanted to be restricted? No, it was because he wanted to give her handfuls of purpose and we can improve.
This time or anytime on behalf of the lower kids before I.
And that's the reason we need to have that 54.
Would you say, Doug, that boy, this field was like the scripture is to us?
That's wherever to glean.
This book.
I would do not go further, brother. There where his authority is acknowledged or is a picture of the Lord. And it was in Boston tears where she was encouraged to glean. In other words, where his authority, the Lord authority is only that's the safest place. That's where we have learned the truth, have we not you know? And so yes, I am the truth, he says yes.
That's where we get it. In His presence, the Spirit is true. My word is truth.
That's the piece.
But the professional place where his truth is ministered and his long and Bruce was in.
Boaz field. He could command the service to leave the manual for purpose, but he was in the place where he is authorized and where they they submitted to that.
His place as owner of the field and of the richness that he has. So that's why it was better for her to be there. Doesn't mean that he had to get proper weeks after year necessarily, but she was in a place where he could command them. And yeah, but so it's so good for us to be where the Lord Desert is on, because then he can give us exactly what we need.
00:55:09
And that's what we have in this first nine, I think. It is so beautiful. There's three words between the end of verse 9.
The full knowledge as well there's knowledge.
And wisdom and spiritual understanding. Where do you get from the word of God? And where the Spirit of God has liberty to hold them? Restrictions and use whom he will that there is this. Oh brethren, the Lord help us. There is no walking properly in this world like we have in verse 10 talking about the watching unless there is.
The knowledge of his will and wisdom and spiritual understanding. Knowledge is good. The knowledge in itself is not all. There is wisdom and that comes through prayer and lack wisdom. Let him ask of God to get knowledge from reading the word and then prayer with wisdom and that leads to.
Understanding.
What a wonderful thing it is to have this book open for us. Very good, Bob. And that doesn't all come in one day, doesn't it? It's interesting that in the book of Roots, she came back in the time of Barley Hunter and says she continued on until the end of the week. And so she didn't get all of everything that Boaz was right the first day. It was over a period of time.
And Ice was saying, don't belt the whole load on them at once. Well, God doesn't do that to us. And He takes us step by step, precept by precept, and leads us in the past and how thankful we are that He does otherwise. None of us should be here. James makes some wonderful remarks about this second thing. Wisdom.
If any of you lack wisdom, where are you going to get it? Let him ask of God.
Who gives to all men, liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. There's where to get it.
And spiritual understanding, hear and understand, the Lord said. When he was here, he was talking.
Mr. His word and understand it.
Ruth got the barley first of all.
And she got some weed.
And she was diligent.
Boy was impressed with her diligence. And she was not only gathering for herself, she was gathering for her mother-in-law. You know, those are the characteristics that should be found in us. We cannot benefit or expect to grow just by sitting under good ministry. I've often said you can sit all your life under the ministry.
If you don't have a personal exercise to certain things out, you make very little progress. There has to be distiligent characteristic of us in order to benefit, and I hope that will be more and more, especially on thinking of the young. But even the older ones at times need to be encouraged to be more diligent in searching things out, you know, sometimes it's a little.
Being offered in the assessment.
Because brethren haven't done their homework, you know, let's be honest, you know, And sometimes, perhaps there's more being offered by a faithful man in a wrong position in the system than amongst us, because they haven't done their own for. So let's be exercise that we play hold of things first of all for ourselves, and then that we can give it on, pass it on to other than last. That has to fight close into fissures.
They were prepared for his own needs, not at all thinking that the Lord would use us to beat the multitude. I believe that is the way our trooping in our lives, that we are exercised, that we have nourished and improved for ourselves.
And then the Lord might use that at a given time for the blessing to us. I've gone back to Ruth for a moment because she beat out.
01:00:00
And winnow is what you get, and the Lord speaks of the animals that you've cut.
Can we do that?
What do you mean?
Think upon consider it.
Turn it over and over in your mind and so it gets down into your heart, meditates upon these things. That's chewing the cut.
It's a very interesting fact of mathematics relative to what Ruth did.
When Boaz gave her.
A portion from the threshing floor. It was exactly twice the amount that she beat out. That can be deserved from the weight measure scale in the G Morris table of Weights and Measures. But Boaz gave her exactly twice what she beat up. To whom much, much, much. Who has much too much shall be given more. Shall we give them? Yes, more. I want to be careful in making this comment.
Because I know nothing about farming, but I suggest that gleaning was a very orderly process.
I sometimes, in visiting in the Midwest here, had opportunity to ride along on a tractor during harvest. And I noticed that when the brothers wheeled that tractor around the field, he doesn't just crisscross the field and haphazardly run the tractor through the cross. Now it's a very orderly process.
I just suggest, especially for those who are younger, because it was helpful for me to get ahold of this from my older brother when I was younger. And that is orderly, consistent reading of the word of God. That's really what gleaning is. Now. There may be times when we trace the subject through the word of God, and certainly the truth is woven in that way, so we have to search it out. But I don't believe young people. You'll never really have an understanding or an outline of the purposes and counsels of God unless you get this book and every day orderly and consistently.
Read it. You might not understand everything you read, but get the overall picture and see what each writer is ringing out. And it's not hard to figure out what Pauls ministry is, what James brings before us. Peter. The Old Testament writers, there's always a theme or a line to their ministry and get that overall picture. Don't just read haphazardly here and there. Discipline yourself to spend some time every day gleaning in the field. And I see Ruth walking down those roads very orderly and consistently.
And diligently. Well, I just suggest that is that with a house to me, you remind me of the Irishman statement. You'll never find anything but where it is it's going to be in that field.
We can go back to route that she worked long hours leaning and if she's never cleaned you wouldn't have found the handful of the purpose. And so I believe when we get into the description we'd rather speak about our homework. Well that's that's the school of whale doing it. I never liked school work without my but you're trying to get into the scriptures that the Lord forgives you and has a total purpose and.
I think we do need a word with villages about fleeing from the scriptures before meetings that we might have to give. The Lord will give us a handful of purpose which you can pass on to others. Maybe I can make this suggestion too before we pass on, just to sum up what's been said.
It's been said that we need to privately read the word of God for ourselves. That's true every day. We need to read it rather than we need to, and it's not enough in itself, but we need to, to avail ourselves with ministry in the assembly. Very important. And you get it through the act where there was oral ministry and the Saints came together for that purpose. And I'm saddened. Sometimes a brother would use that expression. You're not going to get it if you're not there. You're not going to hear the ministry of the word if you're not where the spirit of God is given liberty.
And Christ's authority is owned and the word is ministered. You're not going to get it sitting at home. You're not going to get it going out somewhere else for the evening. I'm speaking very plainly. I'm saddened sometimes when Wednesday night comes or Thursday night comes and there's just a handful of Saints at the local assembly meeting for ministry.
Going to get the proof that way and then I would just make this one further suggestion. I believe, brethren, that God has raised up men in the past. To bring out those things in a Christ exalting way proves that they have gleaned from the word of God themselves and God has caused them to write those things down and go to yourself. Some of you young people have parents that have a wealth of ministry in their library. Go to that.
01:05:02
Library, pull out some of those book posts. Maybe at first you don't really have an appetite for it. And you say, I don't. Pretty deep. I don't really understand what these men are bringing out. But read it. Learn to appreciate it. Get a little here and there. It'll be a great help. So we need those three things.
Personal reading of the Word of God, ministry in the assembly, and then what God has caused men to write and ministry. And of course we need the word of God from the family circle as well. I've always said I'm glad for a father who opened the word of God every day and consistently read it to his family.
Into that gym.
I'm thinking of one brother in particular whose name will not be Nick mentioned.
I I asked him a question and he said just a minute, can you go to his library and cross away? I said I know what Darby teaches. I know what Kelly teaches. I don't want that. I want to know what you say on this verse. You have an exercise problem because he just goes to the, you know, to the writer and read that. So I can do that myself.
So that's the other side of that coin.
I'd like to say a word, and I believe there's a process that perhaps some in town are not familiar with, but in the cleaning, you know.
It wasn't the kernels that were on the ground with the headphones because the kernels would be forever trying to find a turn, but it was a brain that the straws the strawberry mist, and it was not in the bundle that delays falling on the ground or laid on purpose.
So she picks up these straws with the heads on.
She took those home. She shredded those, took the grain out of the head.
And then she had to mill that head that way before she was even said the process. Then I think what you're talking about with the meditation, with the words, it isn't just picking it up. There's much more involved so that we're going to get a good that grade. We have to follow that process. We have to take it home. We have to take it out of the spot, out of the hall.
We have to mail it and then we're going to make it and then we're going to. And she didn't want any to perish. Had she not pleased and would have remained on the field, that would have terrorism. What did the Lord say after she kept them on the truth? Get off the fragment. She didn't want anything to be lost. So let me also say this.
I believe that we have to be exercised.
And encourage the younger ones to learn to pitch in. And not only encourage them to clean, but if they have cleaned then they also have an opportunity to share. Not that they take over, but share what they have cleaned. One of our responsibilities as older brethren is that we help our younger presidents to learn to fit in, and so that might take some patience.
But it is necessary because it's a lot doesn't come present.
Who's going to carry on?
You know, we won't be here forever.
You know, the Lord testimony has to be that carried on and there has to be brethren that are willing to carry on. So maybe that is something that we should consider not just be satisfied to have an audience, but to help others to learn to fit in and function in the example.
M212.
Fall from love all.
Right.
Colossians 1
Reading
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Blossom Chapter One starting verse 10.
They might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthens with almighty according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness, doing thanks unto the Father which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in life, who have delivered us from the power of darkness.
And has translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature. For by Him we're all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be drones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created by him and for him.
And years before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body of the Church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead. And in all things he might have the preeminence.
Forth please the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all the things unto himself.
By him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you who that were sometimes alienated in enemies, in your mind by wicked work. Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you only, and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, if he continue in the page, grounded and settled.
Be not moved away from the hopes of the gospel which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, where all thy fall, and made a minister, who now rejoice in my suffering for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church.
Whereof I am made a minister.
According to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery which has been hit for ages and from generations, but now it may manifest to his things to whom God would make known. What is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory?
Whom we preach warning every man teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, where unto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
00:05:03
What I thought should be pointed out again that there is an improvement in Mr. Darby's rendering in verse 10.
Has already indicated the end to true knowledge of cross, but he also says growing by the true knowledge of God. In other words, if we do not lay hold of the true knowledge of God, it stunts us in our growth.
And sometimes.
I don't listen to many of these radio programs that are on the radio, but sometimes you hear these men pray almighty God.
God is the Almighty God, but that's how he was known to Abraham as the conjecture, and he made himself known in a fuller way. And if you do not lay hold of the true knowledge of God, it stands us in our growth. That's not the only way how we can be started in our spiritual growth. In Hebrews chapter five we have that they were slow of hearing. They were clinging to the types and shadows.
To Jewish Christians and that started them in their growth. They were to be dealt with like vape and so if we in any way get involved.
Is what is taking place in the Christian profession, where they have introduced Judaistic principle into the Christian profession that also if we adhere to that will stunt us in our growth. Also in First Corinthians we have Saber not grown the way we could have because of worldliness. I've just mentioned these things, but here it is, especially what Paul Stratton said.
You're growing.
By the true knowledge of God, get ahold of how God has revealed Himself and his Son and the relationship into which he has been brought as a result of it. And that is what is essential if we want to grow normally as Christians.
I believe the ninth verse precedes the 10th.
For this 'cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that he might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.
We have three walk worthy in the word of God, one in Ephesians 4 and there's one here, and there's one in Thessalonians. And one is to walk worthy of the calling in Ephesians, Here's worthy of the Lord.
And in Thessalonians, worthy of God. But there's a walk connected here, isn't there?
And the reason he prayed is for them, that they might walk worthy of the Lord, and that's the Lord Jesus he's Speaking of here. And so as Christians, God wants us to walk worthy of Our Calling. That's true. And he wants us to walk worthy of the Lord. If we walk in an unruly and an unchristian like manner, we're dishonouring the name of the Lord. And so this, this exhortation is that we might walk worthy. And how do we do that?
Well, we're learning some of it this afternoon. We have the word of God in our hands.
In two Timothy chapter 2.
Where the foundation of God is announced as being firm and unshakable.
It says, Let everyone at name of the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. So this is what walking worthy of the Lord is to separate not which is defining and from all uncleanness, as it says in in second.
Corinthians 71.
Having these promises, having purified yourself.
Of all pollution, of pollution, of flesh and spirit, sanctuary, perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. So this is walking in fullness and separation from the evil, as it says in Peters epistle that we should have.
I made my I may not be right, Peter. He said that we are to exchange from every form of evil, and John teaches us to keep ourselves pure. So these are the ways in which we walk worthy of the Lord.
00:10:04
Claudia Albert EW gave us beautiful an example of walking birthdays and he referred to the Crown Prince of England being on a cruise on the ocean and when they crossed the equator they would hit some celebrations going on. They were dressed foolishly and act foolishly.
Our friends when along with them.
Was there with a camera on, snapped a picture that appeared in England on the front page of the newspapers and he was called.
Buckingham Palace and he was rebuilt, he said. That kind of a behavior might be OK for anybody else, but for the Crown Prince of England, he made a point. You know, we have to consider that we are in a dignified, elevated position.
And conduct ourselves accordingly and questions that we don't break this honor. The conference brought this honor of under royal house. We were playing this honor upon a blessed Lord by conducting ourselves in an unworthy manner. Not only do we do harm to ourselves.
We praying his honor upon the name of the Lord, and success unto all faiths, That does mean to all people, please go on to who all men speak well through the Lord. Jesus said unto all pleasing means as to every point connected with the will of God.
So the tendency is that Christians stress some aspect of the will of God, and they neglect the rest. We ought to be exercised to please in all things. That very term Christian points us to an example of those who didn't walk worthy of Christ, worthy of the Lord. There was an Antioch early in the Church's history.
The believers didn't take that name. It was given to them. They noticed that they were like Christ. Well, that's good. That's what we should be. What were they of him?
Eric Smith tells him how one time when he's on a ship going to himself going to Australia.
He was on that ship with a rescue there and and then he said the young man, he was drunk here. He was wobbling around on the deck and never thought much about it. Well, that was a shame for the royal to the royal household, shame to the royal family.
Well, we're seeing as those who are, we're children of the King, are we not?
Says we were to walk in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
We are He, the Lord Jesus Christ is made unto us Wisdom.
And we get spiritual understanding from the Epistles because the Holy Spirit.
Having come, the Lord Jesus, according to his promise, sending him on the day of Pentecost, has guided us into all truth according to the word of the Lord Jesus Christ. When he, the Spirit of Truth, has come, he'll guide you into all truth. And that's what we have in these epistles. That's what we have in this epistle, is the spiritual work of God in US and for us and through us, in order that we can be.
A heavenly people in the earth to which we have been sent by the Lord Jesus Christ. But having been sent there, we are not of this world. You are not in the world. Even as I am not a world, they are not of the world, the Lord prayed in the 70s of God. So we are here as spiritual individuals. Our blessing is spiritual and a spiritual realm. And so we are to walk in that character, holding forth a word of life in the mission of crooked and a perverse mission.
There are two things that characterize the believer who walks worthy of the Lord.
And that we have them in our verse. One is fruit bearing and the other is growth. And those are two things that are to be characteristic of the believer. My brother was talking about the stunting of spiritual growth. Why is it so often I don't grow in my soul? It's because I know the truth. Maybe I come to a meeting like this and I hear the word minister and I go back with it having no effect on my heart and on my walk and brethren, if we come to these meetings or any meetings in the assembly for ministry of the word and the word just goes in, in an intellectual way. And that's as far as it gets.
00:15:15
Then brethren is not going to have the intended purpose and blessings that God has for us. But if we let the truth get down into our souls, and it affects our walk, and we seek by grace, and it's only by grace, if we seek by grace to walk worthy of this one of the of the Lord, the one who has called us, and so on, then if there's going to be fruit bearing in our life, fruit for God's glory, and there's going to be spiritual growth. Now what is proof?
At times, I think some of the younger ones feel that bearing fruit for God is only something that the older ones can do or a select class. But fruit bearing really brethren in its simplest form is the manifestation of Christ in our lives. When you go to Galatians and you read the different things that characterize the fruit of the Spirit, love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, tempers, so on, those things are really things that characterize the Lord Jesus Christ. Trace them out.
In the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you see them exemplified in a beautiful way. And he's left us an example that we should follow in his footsteps and in the measuring which we walk in his company and seek to walk worthy of him. Then there's going to be that manifestation of Christ in our lives, and that's what it is, because it brings glory to God. There's no glory to God when when there's an attraction to self or self is put forward.
That doesn't glorify God. That doesn't glorify Christ. But when the person is hidden and Christ is seen in their life, then that's real fruit. Well, these things ought to characterize this, brethren. May we indeed seek to walk worthy of that blessed one.
What is the measure, brother? Heights of unto all pleasing?
Well, I believe, but I thought a date and that you had been connected with verse 9. You know the whole will of God and.
Unto all of these things, let me give you an example. And some people are exercised, and they only are concerned about the gospel.
And well, is that all the will of God for us? No, not to be unto all three things. Other people put a lot of emphasize emphasis on outward appearance. Well, outward appearance is taught in the word of God, but to make that the object is wrong.
And so.
I'm just sitting there as an example that we ought to be exercise.
To plead the laws in every part of the will of God and we have to confess to.
We all fall short.
They need to be exercised that we, in a fuller way, practice what the world is in goodness gives us to see, and how thankful we can be that we have given us to understand things that perhaps other Christians don't understand. But let's be careful.
The truth of the Church, the body of Christ, is not all the truth among the United States. We heard a lot about that, and I'm thankful for it. But what about?
Word of God that has to do with the Kingdom, the parables about the Kingdom. There are so many practical lessons for us who are not only part of the Church but also in the Kingdom. Treat those parables and you will find that there are many things there that speak to our conscience and also exercise.
These parables in Matthew and other gospels.
Very helpful to help us to understand all the will of God.
For us, and we should be exercising to please him in everything, not just concentrate around aspects of the truth will get unbalanced.
When you speak of the Kingdom, a lot of people, a lot of Saints, think, well, that's something that's to do only with this earth. Well, we're going to be part of the Kingdom. We may not be here on earth, but we're going to be part of that Kingdom. And so we shouldn't think of the Kingdom just as a as a realm here on earth. Because in Ephesians 110 it says all things both in heaven and in earth, but in the Kingdom now.
00:20:15
Oh, absolutely.
Take, for instance, the spirit of forgiveness. Should that be characterized by the following of the Lord Jesus. Now what about laboring for him in the vineyard? That is not so much reaching out in the gospel as it is usually to use. No, that is laboring for him, that he benefits, you might say, from our laborers. Then we are also to spread the gospel.
Find us with the wedding speech. And then what about the 10 virgins that we should be looking for the Lord Jesus to come this those are terrible, connected with the Kingdom of heaven in which we are now. Yes, we are also going to be in the Kingdom to come, and he might have a more prominent or less prominent part, depending on our faithfulness. Now you know there is going to be a different indication.
Not in heaven, you know. In heaven, we all will be there, and it's not going to be a place of exportation or one over the other, because we're all going to be there because of the workflow of Jesus, you know, and nobody has any.
But indicating some of the overtaking cities and some of our less depending on our faith on the soap, I emphasize this to show that we need to reach these parts of the word of God and let them have a practical effect in our lives.
We're told in first John 2.
That he that invited in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked.
The thing that is true now is true in him and in US.
The life that we possess is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and resurrection.
And so walking as he walked, he could say that I do always that which pleases him that sent me please my father. So walking to all pleasing is to walk as he walked.
And so when we have a perfect model after which to pattern our behavior.
We see in him, as has been suggested by the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit.
The perfect expression of every desirable human trait, so that we see in him everything that man ought to be to God, and we see in him everything that God is to man. So when we walk pleasing, we do those things that please him. And there is such consistency in the walk of the Lord Jesus Christ, that when he was asked in the age of John, who art thou, he could say all of together that which I have said unto you.
So the whole package of divine life in Him and in US, resurrection life in Him and in US.
Is summed up in his simple statement that is true in him and in us. Those walk as he walked in The scene is walk. Oh please.
We're thinking how it into Peter we get elected according to the more knowledge of God the Father.
Sanctification or set apart of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Now we're set apart unto the obedience of Christ as well as the blood of Christ. We're set apart unto by the Spirit unto obedience of Jesus. That is a measure of our obedience.
What the Lord Jesus was down here? That's that's the measure.
Our sanctification, our obedience.
That's to obey is he obey?
He never obeyed out of compulsion, never obeyed with the will that was different from that of his father. It was his delight. It was his meat and drink to do the will of him that said it. That's what sustained him here, wasn't it? It wasn't anything that that.
He didn't want to do, was his delight. Oh, I come to do thy will. Oh God.
00:25:00
And that was his past. How many times we may obey but with Well, I'll do it, but I don't like it. He never obeyed that way. It's just the life to do whatever the Father's children do.
Even Christ please, not itself. It says in Romans, and I think when you come to the 12Th of Hebrews, the joy, when it says do for the joy that was set before him, I suggest that that joy there was the joy of returning to the Father, having done the Father's will in full. Nothing was left undone of what the Father had given him to do, both in His pathway and in the work of redemption. It was all completed. He could say, I have glorified beyond the earth. I have finished the work which thou gave us me to do. And brethren, this is the pattern that's set before us, and I believe this is what is taken up in this expression in our verse.
I'd like to give a story that perhaps even the little children can get ahold of.
S2 Obedience.
Chuck was saying not just because we have to. A mother was going shopping and she had a teenage daughter. And she told the teenage daughter, while I'm gone, I want you to do this and this and that, and then when I come back, we will do this and that. And when the mother comes back to her, George, she finds the daughter has been obedient. She had done the thing that the mother told her to do.
But then, to her amazement, she found the daughter had also done the things that the mother said we will do together. So the mother said, why did you do that? Or the daughter said, I thought it would make you happy.
I think that's a beautiful story, isn't it? Why did she do that? She loved her mother. She didn't just want to be just plain obedient and do what she was told to do. And even children can learn to do that in the home. And if we learn to do that as children in the home, in our relationship with our natural parents.
It will help us to do that in our spiritual relationship and do it because we love the one whom we're serving and for whom we're doing it. Love is the strongest motive.
Yes, it is important to be obedient, and sometimes we might have to do something that we don't really enjoy to do, but we still do it because he wants us to do it. But if we do it because we want to bring joy to his heart, that's the most pure motive that anybody could have.
I suppose the three men that broke through the Philistines and threw water for David for doing that.
They weren't given a command, they weren't told to do it, but they did it through local days.
And the Lord Jesus gives us a command in John.
And this is my commandment that you love one another. That's a command. But when he instituted the memorial for himself, he never gives a command. He says. This dude.
Just an expression of desire. And then in Peter's First Peter Chapter 2, it says leaving us an example that we should follow in extent.
Let me give to this thing.
The 11Th verse goes on, says strengthen.
With all night.
According to his glorious power.
And that sounds real good, doesn't it?
That benefits unto all patients and long-suffering that don't sound good, but with joyfulness well he.
Vincent the father sent the Son to be the savior of the world, and he delighted to do the Father's will. So it says who for the joy that was set before him, and I agree with that. That joy was to get back to his father's house with the work all done but endured to grow.
Jesus went to glory by way of the cross.
And he wanted to do it.
We can't enter into the fullness of that.
Love unto death.
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Pleasing the Father and getting such people's wish.
If he had avoided the cross, he would have failed to obey the Father in the most important aspect of his obedience. That was to put our sin to work, to glorify God as to the question of sin, and to open the floodgates of Islam and blessings to us. Who would fail, could fail his obedience. Was hurting never was his obedience more perfect?
Than when he was enduring the rest of a holy God against sin.
And he cried, My God, my God, life, and thou forsaken me ever. Was his obedience more perfect. Never was he more the delight of God upon me than that. But that could be expressed during those three hours.
Because I lay down my life. That's it. That's the verse.
That's Paul. Suggest here that we too might be called upon to suffer and to bear things, and we need patience. We need to long suffer and do it with joyfulness. That is the path for the Christian today. These are suffering days, and he's giving us strength.
For that part of the Christian life, the glory is going to come.
But at the present time, we have to be patient and we have to suffer long and be joyful in having to suffer. Like the disciples, you know, when they were persecuted in the early days of the Church, they rejoiced. They considered it an honor to suffer for the Lord Jesus. So here it seems like Paul brings that in, and that is all connected.
With walking worthy. What you're saying, Chuck, is that the Lord that goes on or began back in eternity was enough. We had that before and.
Back in eternity, and then before, and that's exactly what he said in John, that our brother pulled it. This authority have received, I along with the Father. These councils were all settled within the council of God, and eternity passed and carried out in time in the sun, becoming man and doing the will of the Father, and that authority received when he was along with the Father.
Let me read you these, Let me read you some verses that.
That we know in this land there is a love.
So the Hebrews 10 and verse 32, but called to remembrance the former days in which, after you were illuminated, he endured a great fight for quick shift.
Partly while she were made at gazing stuff, both by reproaches.
And afflictions, and partly whilst he became companions of them that were so used, for he had compassion in my bonds, and took joyfully.
The spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven.
Whatever and an enduring.
Have not played, therefore you're confident.
Which had great recompense open wars, for ye have need of patience, and after ye have done the will of God.
He might receive the promise.
I always feel rather.
Difficult to talk about as strangers and pilgrims here, we hardly know what that means. We don't know what it means. We are.
Probably in one sense the most pity to be pity Christians on the face of the earth, because we don't know what it is to have hardships to behave in the despised and afraid that all of a sudden those doors were burst open. And will they'll come in and all haul us away.
To prison somewhere, to be put to death. Because we're Christian. We don't know what that is. Thankfully, we don't. But we did something.
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And not knowing it, we missed something.
One thing from Joseph Brother who was in the dungeon.
And he told the Butler the meaning of his dream.
And he said to him, Think on me.
One that should be well with the.
Well, he had a spot. He had a hope that maybe his prisoner might, might, might soon be over. But he had to wait a few more years. So long the trial went on. There was 2 long years in that dungeon. Yes, it wasn't gone tonight.
And then he went from the dungeon right next to the throne of Pharaoh.
And so it does take long-suffering and endurance to go on. I agree with Chuck, we don't suffer physically in this land for our testimony. But there are real difficulties in the path of faith. It is the path of endurance. I say that because if you notice that Mister Darby's translation in our verse, as is often the case he translates the word patients here endurance are sometimes said the Christian race is not the 100 yard dash they.
Athlete goes out to run a race and he puts everything he has into the Sprint because it's just for a moment and then it's going to be over. But when the athlete goes out to run the marathon, he's taught to pace himself and to endure. And just because one miles behind him doesn't mean there isn't another mile ahead. Now, brethren, I suggest we're on the last lap now. The Lord is about to come. We're almost there. But isn't it a pathway of endurance?
And it's interesting that this is the same word as you get in Hebrews 12, where it tells us to run with endurance the race that is set before it. And then he sets the perfect example. Here's one who endures, who endures more than the Lord, who was more long-suffering in his pathway than the Lord Jesus, as he was rebuffed and reproached and rebuked, and then physically abused and nailed to a cross at the end of it all. So there was no one who sat down. A greater example than the Lord, but brethren.
We need to see Grace to run with endurance.
And to, in a practical way, exhibit this patience that's endurance and this long-suffering. But it's with joy, as we've been saying, and only the Christians can suffer with joy, the man of the world can be happy when things go well. They get that promotion. At work, young people get their exams, a good mark on their exams. Things are going well in the family circle. The Christie unbeliever can have a sense of happiness when everything goes well.
But just introduce something adverse into his circumstances. His joy depends on his circumstances. But we have a joy, it says Your joy. No man taketh from you. And there's a beautiful example in First Peter One where you have the Saints of God, persecuted, driven from their homes, referred to as fiery trials. They they were suffering things. I've never been called on to suffer in the past of faith.
But it says, whom not having seen ye love, though now ye see him not yet rejoiced it, believing, he rejoiced with joy, unspeakable and full of glory, you say, How can that be? They had Christ, they might have lost everything. Their circumstances might be very bad outwardly. But, brethren, our joy in the circumstances, the endurance and long-suffering of the pathway, will be in the measure in which we are enjoying Christ in our soul. And if you're enjoying Christ in your soul.
You can be put in the most adverse circumstances and nothing can touch your joy.
That's exactly what this level verse says, isn't it?
Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power. Unto all patience and long-suffering with I'd like to I'd like to add a comment to what heights was saying.
I want to correct that translation.
Strengthens with all might according to new translation.
Through the mind of his glory.
Unto all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness or the power of his glory.
He's entered into another world.
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He was here. Walk through the scene and perfection. The only man that never failed, always obey, always glorified the Father. He could say the Father is not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him. None of us can say that, not even close. And we say that. But everything he said was 100% the truth.
And he said, I do always those things that please think of what that meant to the father.
As he goes down here and saw that perfect light, Mr. Bellis puts it this way. There was there once was down here an object that would commend the place, but now his God, Jesus, is with the Father, and that's what we have here. The might of his glory were associated with that new world, that new creation of which he's the head.
And we belong to that.
And we've been so.
What's the word I want to show?
Under the influence of the worldly system that surrounds us, that brainwashed what the word I wanted. We've been so brainwashed we thought, really understand what Christianity is all about.
Walking worthy of the Lord is not according to our power. And here's power. I think that is a real encouragement that God has asked us to do something.
Brethren, it is possible to do it. Let's not say it's just too hard. I can't do it. He gives the power. Notice that in verse 11 strengthened with all.
Mighty power, What a tremendous power is unleashed. It's not the power of this world. It's not getting involved in politics of this world and power and earthly realm. But it is operating in his glorious power. I I'd like to go back to Ephesians, just to show in two places.
Where the apostles Paul prayed and speak to this power. There's nothing to equal this power, rather and it's operating towards us and in us. Notice chapter one of these people and one of the things the apostle prayed that their eyes would be open to verse 19. What is the exceeding?
Greatness of His power Notice to us word, who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which he wrought in Christ. He raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power, and mighty dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but in also that would be done.
So that power works towards us now. It's not earthly power, it's not physical power. It's the power of God in resurrection. Then in the third chapter, Paul is again praying another. He mentions this power again.
Verse 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above.
All that we ask for thing according to the power that worketh not two here, but in us. So that power works towards us, and it works in us. So let's never say if God asks us to do something, it's just not possible to do it. No, in His power it is possible to.
Watch in obedience.
To the Lord Jesus, let me give you some information.
That some of you might not know. Bill Cross and I were privileged a year ago in November to be in Utah and had a conference with veterans of Bhutan in India. Why in India they couldn't have a conference in Bhutan. Christianity outlawed.
00:45:22
Conference later on this year but it has to always be in India as they want to have it where they come with their children. We were the first so-called brother that were permitted to enter to town and we couldn't enter and tell them we'd come there to visit Christian friends. They wouldn't have given us a visa but pray for Lord all religious other than Hinduism and Buddhism.
And why Hinduism and Buddhism? They're related religions to 1 spring out of the other and so our brother.
They really tested. Let's pray that the government doesn't find out about that because that would be bringing real persecution for them. They mean secretly in all we need their prayers. I'm just going to say that.
We need their prayer. I suppose what you related to us is proof that not found. That's it.
The display of that power is not manifested outwardly. Oftentimes as Christians we realize that the Lord Jesus is in heaven. He's in control, and that's what gives us strength, knowing he's there. Like the early disciples, I I like the examples in the act of how they were strengthened in opposition and they divide certain threatening and they were in prison.
The Lord allowed them to be put in the prison. That doesn't mean he wasn't in power, no. That's why the patients and the long-suffering is needed, because we know it's in the coming day when he's going to outwardly display that part. But in the meantime, we're in on a secret here. We know he's on on high, we know he loves his church, and he cares for us. And even these persecutions are only allowed up to the point to eat these fits.
For a reason. And so that's what gives us strength to go on, even though outward evidence don't manifest that the Lords on our side we go on bearing it up, knowing that when the Lord comes it will be outwardly shown in the proper way.
The great secret to have that confidence in the Lord. He's on your side. And like he said when he went up, when he gave the Great Commission, it says all power is given me heaven and the nerve. Go ye. Therefore that was a great strengthening thing for those early disciples. He's still the same today, even though we don't have the babies out or persecution. There is opposition out there.
And our young people know it. You feel it when you go to school and it's hard.
And that's where you need that strength. I want to read in John 15, verse 18, Connection of Public Fame. If the world hates you, he knows that it hated me before it came with you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world takes you.
Remember the word that I said unto you. The servant is not treated in his Lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying, they will keep yourself so, All these things will they do unto you, for my name's taste.
Because they know not him that sent me if I have not come and spoken into them.
They had not had sinned, but now they have no quote for my sin. For their sin he that hateth me he did my father also, I have not done a Muslim work which none other men did and had not had sinned, but now have they both seen and hated both me and my father.
Very.
Searching verses spoken by him who is the truth.
And if you would take a survey in the United States of America, tell me, what is Christianity? Tell me who is it you? Wouldn't you? I don't think you get a correct answer according to scripture. I doubt that you would, because we've been so brainwashed into believing that what is a false Christianity is a real thing and it's not the real thing.
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When they come to the word of God and find out what Christianity is According to him.
We learn that our citizenship is in heaven.
We learn that our head is in heaven. We learn that we are destined for glory, to be united in glory soon with the Lord Jesus Christ, our risen head, as we are now united to Him by the Holy Spirit to form His body here on earth.
And that which gives us endurance, that which gives us power to endure whatever difficulties might come by. The way is to know that the end is for us is the glory. If the way is rugged, if the man opposition becomes such that it takes us away entirely and takes our life out, the end is the glory and the knowledge of the glory of Christ.
And our going there is that what enables us to endure whatever circumstance comes down here.
Peter puts it this way.
But the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory. Now look what he says about glory, eternal glory by Christ Jesus. What's the next word after he have suffered a while? These these things we're talking about temptations are keen we.
We just don't want to get into them and we don't want to feed them this country. But regard to who's feeling them, it's only a what? What's a little welcome in relationship to eternity? Nothing. It's interesting, brother Buchanan, in that connection with Moses, because when it sums up the life of Moses in the wilderness in Hebrews 11, it says he endured house as being him who is invisible. You know, you read the life of Moses.
We sometimes say Moses lost his patience with the people of God. And I say just once it was once too many.
But when you think of what he suffered not, and it was from his own brother.
The congregation of Israel would speak of stoning and the elders of Israel would speak against them. Both brother and sister rose up in rebellion against him, but he endured as seeing him who is invisible. And if we don't have an eye to the future, if we don't have glory before us, we're not going to exhibit the proper character of Christians and what Christianity is. Why are people Christians out lobbying for the betterment of this world?
Why are they equating financial success with spiritual success and all these kinds of things? I'm speaking very plainly, but this is what they're doing. Why? Because they don't have the glory before them. They're not looking to the end of the of the story. But there's something else, and it's in the next expression in our chapter, in the next verse, giving thanks unto the Father. How are we going to go on in the trials and difficulties of life and endure and be have long-suffering?
Well, again, the Lord Jesus is the perfect example. Because you remember in Luke 10, where it was a very difficult time in the life of the Lord Jesus, he looked around on the cities he come to bless. He had to pronounce judgment on them because they had rejected him. He felt it. But it says that same hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, you say, how could he do such a thing at a time like that? Well, the key is in the very next statement.
Even so far, therefore so it seemed good in thy sight. Amen. Perfect submission to his Father's will gave a perfect joy and and delight, even at a difficult time. And you find it again when Peter speaks of it. He says, Who? When he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not. Why? How could he do it? He committed himself to him that judges righteously, he said, the Father's in control.
He knows all about it, and perfect submission to the Father's will and the Father's purpose and plan gave him a joy. It wasn't that he was callous to what was going on. He felt those things that he suffered very keenly. Could they reproach a broken my heart, an expression Speaking of the Lord. But he found a joy and a peace and a confidence in committing everything to the Father. And so as soon as he speaks of this in connection with our pathway here, then he says, giving thanks unto the Father.
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Do we learn to do that in a practical way rather than giving thanks unto the Father? Let me also say.
When we suffer from the world, we more or less expect them. But when we had to suffer from our fellow Christians, that really hurt us, and the brother said to me years ago.
Moses choose.
To endure afflictions with the people of God, who were the ones that caused him the most affliction. You mentioned already. They were going to stone him the very people that he was serving.
Just a very painful thing.
That sometimes that is our portion that we have to suffer from those from whom we could expect something different. But maybe we can go on to these versions now before we do, just want to make a comment on what you were saying.
Moses asked. The Lord take away my life.
Jeremiah did the same today.
Likely to make sense, Jeremiah said. I wish I'd never before.
The Lord said what I sent thee, fathers, when I was hid, these things, the wife included, that they've given them today. And that brings us back to what Bob was reading in Ephesians One, and I think it's nice to refer to that already. He works again, that you might know what is the exceeding greatness of his power.
To us word who believe according to the working of his.
Mighty power which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead.
And set him in his own right hand, in heavenly places far above, and so on. That's the greatest effort God has ever done. And he did it. Jesus was dead. He died. Could God raise him from the dead? Did he? Oh, yes. There's a man alive. He was there in the last book in the Bible.
I am he that liveth and was dead.
And behold, I am alive forevermore, its eternal life this time. This is what we can trust in. And do we we also read in in John 15. I think it was now have they both seen, hated, seen and hated both me and my father, that testimony.
But who's the who's the member of the godhead that's here on Earth now? And how great is he?
Who's doing all the great rest of controlling the world today?
He's a genuine.
Than he that's in the world who's controlling.
Yeah, well, that's what gives us peace and comfort. God is still here in the first of his spirit, and you know that man can't catch that spirit putting out can't do anything about it. They don't know anything about it.
But he's here.
All blessed to know that nothing can touch a Christian apart from God, aligned the three men, and before Nebuchadnezzar could say we know that our God is able to deliver.
Or a feature we're not careful to answer?
Beautiful. Beautiful. We will not bow to your finger.
What a marvelous thing. They also said he will understand that God was able and it didn't make any difference what man did. And we can be the same if we will.
They also said he will deliver us out of their hands. They knew that he couldn't do anything.
Do not see a man. They can kill the body but after that yeah, but who power do they have? But we better fear him Who after that and cast him to hell. Lord Jesus says that in Matthew gospel, but how wonderful.
The Father. We should give thanks to him.
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And here he changes. He has been speaking to them, that he might walk with me, but now he includes himself and all of us.
He had made us.
Fit to be particulars of the inheritance of the Saints in life. Yes, that is the work of God.
Had he not done it, could we make ourselves fit? Or we could do it, make ourselves fit for help by our sin? But the Father has made us fit to particulars of the inheritance of the Saints in life. Were the Old Testament saying partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in life?
How do you say Chuck and I think this Christian truth. I think so too. That makes it wonderful, isn't it? St. in the light?
The Saints in the light, That's where we are. We've been taking others out of the darkness.
And we're hidden your life.
It's unique also to Christianity to know and address God as our Father.
The youngest of the believers set forth in the second chapter of John.
Babes in Christ know God as Father.
And it's so necessary for us to enter into the intimacy of relationship that we have been brought to to know Him as our Father in resurrection. The Lord Jesus sent the message, I have sent it to my Father and Your Father, introducing us in new creation and to the same relationship that He sustained with the Father so completely.
Have we been brought into that relationship with such intimacy that twice in the Epistles, once in Romans 8 and once in Galatians 4, we are enjoying or spoken of as the dressing God in the same terms that the Lord Jesus Christ addressed him when he was in the garden?
ABBA, Father, the Spirit of God in US makes us able to enter to address our fault in the same terms of intimacy as when he was in that intensity.
Of suffering. Have a father, and that's our place and we need to realize that and to lay, hold up and enjoy it and employ.
He is John. Tell them as he is at this very moment, so are we in this world. I've heard that he's beyond justice, Doesn't even start to cover the picture as he is. He's basking at this very moment in the love of his father. So are we in this world? Can we think of that as the same love that God has for his son? He has for us, For you to tell us?
And John said that he is for weakness.
This very moment, and because the rest of that verse is, and because we are as he is, we have boldness in the day of judgment, and we also have power to endure whatever circumstances pass through we are called to pass through. When the Apostle Paul was so oppressed and opposed in Asia that he despaired even of living, what was his solution?
We did not trust in ourselves. We trusted in the God of resurrection. So the power of resurrection is ours to use in the difficult circumstances that the world imposes on us. Because we're Christ. I have. We had our confidence in Him who raises His death, and that's the end of us. If we pass into death, we're immediately with the Lord. If we're here when He comes, we rise to be with Him, and we'll all go up together.
But his end is to be with him and like him in the glory.
That's Christianity according to God as it's revealed in the epistles, not Christianity according to what is seen. That man is made it to be a tremendous difference, and we need what God has given us in these epistles to give us to realize we are fit. We are suitable for His holy presence because He has made us to be holy ourselves and without blame before Him in love. Not only suitable for His presence, but a capacity to respond to that Kingdom of love Brother was mentioning before we came and to this meeting what is to be understood by.
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We are introduced in the Kingdom of the Son of Islam.
Well, it's simply that the believer on the Lord Jesus Christ now is introduced into that sphere characterized by the love that they that the Son and the Father enjoyed within the Godhead, and the love that has been manifested in the gift of His Son into which we have been brought. Those are the that's the Kingdom of the Son of His love, where He is supreme and the whole aura of surrounds us as believers.
As an atmosphere of love.
God is love.
28 Call it and he must be what he is. He'll be what he is.
There are two kingdoms that are in conflict, aren't they? And I think that is probably hard for us to grapple with. Seems like our struggle and this world so often is to accommodate ourselves down here, make our life comfortable in one way or another. But you never get away from the fact that these two kingdoms are in conflict.
Direct conflict.
We've been delivered from the power button. We've been translated into the Kingdom of his new son. Now we own a different authority. Now we recognize someone who was hated and rejected in this world. How can we ever expect anything but rejection from the world and the measure that we recognize his authority we get so important for us to?
Remember that these two things are in conflict.
We heard about the Apostle Paul who was the persecutor of those who were called Christians. He met the Jesus.
On in the glory and he was translated into a different Kingdom, and he no longer was the persecutor. He became the persecutor. And that will always be the case in this world, while the Lord Jesus is in rejection. Always.
He comes to my mind.
He rather expresses a beautiful thought.
Well, Speaking of the visa 12 in his frozen, knowing all that in that Buddhism lie and came to earth to make it known that he may share the joy in that beautiful Lord Jesus from all eternity enjoys that love and that fear and then he comes to earth so that he could introduce us into it and help us share.
That joy and enjoy it.
Now we don't have to wait till the glory to come. He wants us by the Spirit to enjoy that. Now we're already seated in Him in heavenly place, Ephesians, but we will soon be seated there with him. But we can already enjoy. The delight that we have is not going to improve when we get to glory. It's the same life we have already now. The relationship in which we have been brought is not going to change.
There will be a fuller enjoyment of it. We will know as we are known. But the relation ship is already ours now and we fought to buy faith, lay hold of these things. What a difference it makes.
To enjoy these things if the past. Or let me put it this way, if you're not in the enjoyment of these things and then are expected to walk in a path of separation.
The path will seem a heart test, but when we are in the enjoyment of these things, the path would be a path of joy and happiness. Because while we're going through this world, it is in opposition to us. We are in the enjoyment of the Father's love and that which we have in Christ.
You mentioned earlier, Brother Heinz, an illustration that her brother Albert Hazel gave us, and I was thinking of another illustration in connection with what you've just said because, as you say, the practical enjoyment of this truth in our souls.
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It's what's going to have a practical effect on our walk. And I remember our brother Albert telling us that one time as a young man he sat in a meeting where his father was ministering and his father went on at some length as to the evils and the wrongness of pride and self esteem and and so on. And Albert listened to this and after the meeting was over he went to his father and he said now father if I didn't have some self respect and self esteem.
I wouldn't make sure my shoes were shined and my pie was straight and my hair was combed when I went out the door to work in the morning or came to meeting. He said, Father, how can you speak like this? And his father heard him out and then very wisely said to him, Albert, if you remember at all times that you are a son and heir of God and to whom you belong, it will take care of all those things without one ounce of pride or self esteem. And so we hear again a lot of in Christian circles today about self esteem and all this kind of things.
Let's be careful. If we could just get these things down into our soul, it would have an effect on our lives without one ounce of pride coming into it all. And if you just allow me to say this in connection with what was just said, we think of what it's going to be like when we get to the glory, and we're all going to be like Swift and like Christ. But brethren, think of God the Father viewing the company there in that day, and to see them all just like his Son, the one who was ever His delight from a past eternity.
And to have a house full of children like that?
Morally conformed to him completely, finally.
I know that person in John refers to the appearing in the manifestation, but think of it. God is going to look in front of the heart of the Father be when he sees us all there around his son with and like him. Oh, if we can, if we could just get a hold of that. I think if again it would make a practical difference in our life. Now like to make a comment to you might get into a discussion with young people at college.
Universities.
Grade school, whatever it might be. And they might say to you, well, Muhammad.
Who founded the Islamic religion evenly in Jesus? How would you respond to that? You did you know even Jesus. But he's not the thing Jesus said we believe in. He's not. He gives him the same name, but he's not the one who believe it. How do you know what we believe in? How do you know him? Thank you in this book. That's how we know him.
Read it. Get acquainted with him. Become so acquainted with who he is and how He acted. You know, they say in the world, what would Jesus do? But that depends on me, what I think He would do. What did He do? Am I the correct question? Because He was. He was in every circumstance that you and I will be in. How did he act? Well, how do I find that out? Read the gospel. How do you find it out? Get acquainted with him, and then you'll be able to say.
To Jesus you're talking about.
Is not my geezer. He's not my savior. You don't know about what I know. I know the one that God has presented to me in his word. That's how you know the difference, how you can ward off error when they they'll they'll use the very terms we use. They use the word born again. They need something entirely different than the pictures means. And they'll talk about Jesus. They'll talk about God and all this. They have a different God, the false God, and they don't know that Jesus, that we know.
And they do not believe that God wants us to be his children.
They say God wants us to be his slave. That's his love for you. They don't know God the Father. But I was thinking too, as Jim was talking, that the Father will enjoy having us with him in the Father's house. What about the Lord Jesus? He will say, Behold, I and the children which thou hast given thee.
Rejoice over us with singing, Yes, what a joy that will be for his heart to see us there with himself, and to be with him, and like him and not only.
Just a few. All will be there, all the ready. May I read Ephesians 525.
The end of the verse.
01:15:01
Even as Christ also loves the Church and gave Himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the watering water, the washing of water, by the words, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spots or wrinkles or any such thing, but that it should be fully and without bridge.
That's what we're waiting for.
And each and every child of God, I don't care whether they're Catholic or what they are. Doesn't make any difference if they know the Lord Jesus Christ and safety their part, that very scripture, that He might present it to himself a glorious.
We don't look very glorious today, and I don't think, thanks to God on earth have ever looked very glorious. But they're going through that's the way you're going to present the church to himself.
All those things could be right to the Lord Jesus. Glorious one and one without the spot, without wrinkles. So we like him won't be wonderful.
And you'll see the fruit of the travail of his soul, and be sent, and be satisfied.
Precious thing of it is, is that we've already.
Certainly were made me for as it says here which have made that they're not will make this but half may that need to be protected of the inheritance of the portion of the state in life and find it remarkable it doesn't say.
In love, because it is the Kingdom of the Son, of his love, but it's in light and the danger. Of course. He goes on to mention those being delivered from the power of the authority of darkness.
And that's where at least some of us were under in that Kingdom where the authority of darkness ruled the main in in his power. He delivered us out from that and made us students for the portion of the same shot of darkness, but in light.
And he's in.
Chapter 2 it says that.
In verse 15.
Having spoiled in something that he's going to do, having spoiled principalities and always maybe shows them openly triumphing over them in it. And when God raised him from the dead.
And Paula Darsen's lost his authority and the Lord could go in.
Kingdom and delivered souls, all of it, into and make them need to be.
Fit for the portion of the strength and life. And I just say this because for the Jim mentioned, if we had a realization in our souls, not even what we're going to be in the future but what we presently are.
We're going to be able to.
The son of this flaw is the one in whom we have redemption. It's a forgiveness of sin. Some people have strongly objected to Mr. Darby in his translation, leaving out through his blood in verse 14.
But it isn't in the original and in Ephesians you have it, and that I have explained. And it is good for us to understand that that in Ephesians you have the means by which we have redemption. In Colossians you have the one in whom we have the person is presented. That's why the blood is left out here. Later on the blood is mentioned.
Like for instance in verse 20, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And if you understand that that here the emphasis is on the person in whom we have redemption, not the means which we have in Ephesians. There the blood is mentioned properly and and then we find in the rest of these verses Now from her 16 on the one in whom we have redemption is presented.
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And what a tremendous truth that is that it was not other than the one who is the head of all creation, the Creator that became the Redeemer, and he's got sons that became the Lamb of God and want to work.
He has accomplished how great that work must be, since it has been accomplished by such a wonderful and great person and no one else could have anywhere.
That's expressed this way in First Corinthians chapter one at the end. It might read the last two verses there, First Corinthians chapter one.
Verse 30 To be breathed of him, are ye?
In Christ Jesus.
Will God is made unto us.
These four things, and we've been talking about them. Wisdom.
Righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It's in him. Why that? According as it is written, he that glorious. Let him glory in the Lord, that person who's done it.
I want to just make a comment on what was said.
The comment was it's not. It was it's not in the original. We don't have the original, we don't have the original writings at all.
We have manuscript copies of copies of copies of copies of copies, and it's the business of an editor to decide as he looks through this massive data what what's the original? And they don't all agree.
King James translators didn't invent that the manuscript that they used or the text that they used added in it.
Sounds love. I just say that so that we don't get the idea that there is an original. There wasn't original, but that's long gone. We don't know where it is. And what we have is copies of copies of copies of copies. And it's the business of an editor to decide what is the correct reading. And that's one of the reasons why some of the modern translations differ from the King James.
It's one of the main reasons why it's different, because they use a different Greek set than the King James.
Why? We need to be careful what's given to us, because if we aren't careful, maybe we'll let some things go too like that, and then our children won't know what the original was. I'm using as an example, but it's a witness to our failure in Christendom would be.
A brother Chuck's point is that in translating the translator.
Needs to be a spiritual man because sometimes discerning God's mind in the portion would determine what words he would use or if there was a discrepancy, whether he would leave it or not. And that's why often Mr. Gargi's translation he'll give you.
Other things, but it does.
As the golf course and I think it's good for us to weigh that.
Too, as we do drugs, A translator.
I agree. I agree with that perfect 100%. But he would be the last one to say or the first one to say that this translation or his, his production was perfect. He would never say that. And yet we we sometimes go that far.
As though it is. And I think we have to become, we have to be a little bit careful in the in criticizing the King James.
Sometimes it needs to be corrected and I think some of the corrections that were made. I think your argument is is valid.
And why in the Blood is not here in Colossians and it is in Ephesians, but don't appeal to the original manuscript because it we don't have it. I appreciate that explanation because I was under the impression that it wasn't in the original, but I appreciate that. But it's important to emphasize that Mister Darby's judgment, I believe in this case was obviously correct in leaving it out and the emphasis is on whom we have.
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In whom we have it, not to me, but thing #331.
Brother, my sovereign love.
Has sought captive to sin, gone far from thee. The work that thine own son has wrought has brought us back in peace and freedom #331.
Father, I thought.
Is to save no more hearted.
Surrender.
Colossians 1
Reading
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Who is the image of the invisible God, the first form of every creature?
For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in the earth, visible and invisible.
Whether they be thrown or dominion, for principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things considered.
And he is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead.
That in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it please the Father of the Godhead, that in him should all fullness dwell.
And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto.
Himself or itself by him, I say, whether they be things in first or things in heaven.
And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works.
Yet now has he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you wholly and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, if you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which he have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereas I fall, and made the minister.
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you.
And fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church.
Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his things to whom God would make known. What is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles?
Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, where unto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
He mentioned yesterday already.
That this verb is better rendered first one of all creation. I noticed that even the NIV learned from Mr. Darby translation and hesitant the way he gives it I like to.
Without wasting too much time.
Make some comments and related incidents that we personally.
Experience a beautiful Catholic neighbors, one of the Bible studies, and we.
In order to make that Bible study more acceptable, they were devout Catholics. We were looking for casting translation, and he found out that there are some good cancer translation the Jewish and the Confraternity, and he found two doing translation.
And what was interesting and the reason I mentioned is, is why we were looking for these translations in the bookstore, the Christian bookstore. They had a brief explanation for all the translations that were available in the English language at that time.
And what caused our interest was especially the GND translation. And this is what it says. And mind you, that was not written by anybody that favored brethren, necessarily by scholars.
Who know the original They said that the J&E translation was the most accurate critical rendering available.
I just feel that it is necessary that nobody gets the idea that.
00:05:01
That we are just because we admire Mr. Darby so much that we are favoring his translation. Other scholars who know the original better than we don't really know it.
That's the adjustment, so it should be giving us confidence.
And feeling thankful that we have this transportation and get the correction in this translation. And here is one of them. Why is this correct to say he is the first born of all creation? Because Adam when he was created he was the head of the earthly creation, but when the Lord Jesus comes into his own creation because he is the Creator, He.
Of necessity has to have the plates.
Of headships, of all creations, even the angels.
And all God's angels worship him so.
It shows at once the superiority of this pleasant one compared with Adam. He's the head of all the first born. The first born does not mean the one first born, the one who is in the position.
Of the first one, just like David's son.
Who became Cain was not the first one born, but he gets the position of the first born. And so that's helpful, I hope, for us to see who the one is in whom we have redemption. He's the first born of all creation, that in all things he might have the preeminent.
He was the preeminent one. I might want to add that the Confraternity Catholic translation very close to J&D. Yes, the duay is not, but the contraternity would. You can't buy it anymore. I've tried. They don't. It's not in print anymore. Give credit wherever credit is due. You know, there were honest efforts made by others to accurately translate that. We couldn't fight the Confraternity, unfortunately, and we work together with a couple very long. They got saved and they said you don't have to use it to retrans station anymore.
And we did.
Can I ask We're not going too far away. The first part of that Who is the image of the invisible ghost when God in creation, in the first of Genesis, called to let us make man in our image, and after our likeness after?
Well, now that was said of that.
But we only get.
Is the image of the invisible car. It's very careful not to say that he's after our enlightenment.
The Lord Jesus he's when he's down here, as he was asked, he was saying every jumping, miserable gospel is perhaps the thought of representatives that right representative but scripture very careful not to say that he asked him God, like he wasn't like God.
You want to stop God? He was God, He was God and and he said he was to say that he was licensed from God. That would be the deny who did and I'm sure that no one here would would go on with that but.
He's very careful not to say that he would absolutely like himself when he was gone. He does say that he was made after the likeness of men, doesn't it, in Philippians? Interesting.
But apart from all of the nature of wickedness of man.
He was in a park when God said, let us make man, let us, That's the godhead. And he says let him, let us make man in our image and in our likeness man when he fell.
Lost the lightness, but he never did lose the image.
We're still in the image of God, but we're not in like the Swedes. We fell far beyond and have gone. The likeness was gone. We lost that Adam.
Got a son in his own life? That's right in the likeness of a fallen man.
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The idea of representation is made very clear by the Lord himself when they ask if he should pay tax, he said Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription is this on the coin? It Caesar's. Well, I'm sure that many has improved considerably, and the images that are printed on our coins probably are more accurate than were printed on coins at that time.
So the image on Caesars coins may have been a very, very poor image of the actual individual, but still.
In the concede of and so it is with man, he's in the image of God. It may not be the American representation, but the Lord Jesus Christ says and Hebrews chapter one and verse three was the express image of God.
An absolute representation, a perfect expression of what God is. God is a spirit. No man has seen him at any time, but only got Son. He has declared him so that he could stay to Philip. He that has seen me has seen the Father. So we have made in the image of God is a perfect representation before our very eyes as to what God is seen in the sun. And now we can know who God is, can't we? Exactly God was before.
Invisible.
There were partial revelations in the Old Testament about him, but now that the Lord Jesus has come, we now have something visible that we can see. And it is a complete revelation of all that God is. And it is beautiful brethren, to look through the gospel. Just trade His pathway, the perfection, the glory, the moral glory in every way possible.
This is our God we're looking at. It's beautiful to think about it. We can know God now in the fullest sense of the word, because of the Lord Jesus. He is the image of the invisible guy. You said, Bob. We had partial revelations of God in the Lord Jesus. We have the full revelation. That means there is nothing further to be revealed. We have it all.
In the person of the sun.
When he comes, he becomes man, yes, but when he comes, God is believed God.
In flesh.
Come in flesh. God manifested in the flesh and how wonderful it is. And remember it worked through repeating over and over again. This is the one in whom we have redemption.
First Timothy 316.
But when the Lord was here, Philip says, Show us the Father.
The Lord looks at him and says, Philip, have I been so long time with you?
And dost thou not know me? He says he doesn't know the Father. He doesn't see me as seen the Father. He was a full, total revelation of God in every way.
His name shall be called Immanuel, which is being interpreted God with us. So that verse our brother referred to God was manifest in the flesh. Now there's a very significant point to this word manifest. First of all, something has to exist in the form by which it is made known to be able to say, to have been manifested. So here is God coming into man's circumstances.
And is shown to be what he always has been. He was manifested in the black and a body. And so we got then in 2nd Corinthians 5 that he was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. And that's what we have here. He has reconciled the very one in whom we have redemption is the God who came into our circumstances, and was manifested to be the Father. And now He has reconciled us Himself.
By the death of his son in First Timothy 6, we get.
King of kings And which Indian times, which in his times he shall show, Who is the blessed and only polity? The king of kings and Lord of Lords, who only have immortality, dwelling in the light that no man can approach unto them whom no man has pain or can see.
00:15:05
To whom we honour, empower, everlasting. The Lord Jesus is the is is the revealer of the invisible God. Amen.
It's interesting that he used the word manifested, which is used so much in Scripture, and I was interested to know what Webster dictionary had to say as to the meaning of that word. And I've enjoyed it ever since I looked it up. Webster says that the word manifest means to clearly show. That's what we've been saying, haven't we? Sometimes someone might show us something and it's not clear. We see a photograph of someone. We say, well, if we look closely, we know who it is. And maybe a Sonia is maybe a slight representation of his father, but not not clearly.
But here is one who brought it to display every attribute and quality of God so clearly that, as you say, Brother Dave, at the end of his pathway he could say to Phillips, there's nothing more to be revealed. There's Phillips as it were said. Show us something more. The Lord said no. Have I been so long time with you? He that have seen me have seen the Father. It's been clearly shown, rather so, that there can be should be no doubt in our minds as we read the scriptures.
Who God is and what his heart is as well.
Our brother Henry made the comment in his address.
That caused his still the Almighty God, that's true. But the relationship into which we have been drawn is to know him as Father. He to emphasize that he's still the Almighty God. He didn't stop to be that when he revealed himself to Moses as Jehovah.
Exodus 6 verse two and three, but he revealed himself more fully.
In our case, our relationship to him is to him as father as Christians. Nobody ever had that relationship before the 2nd in 2nd Corinthians 6. This is what I thought of when Henry was speaking verse 17. Wherefore come out from among them?
And be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. That's the only time in the in the Epistles he's given that title, and it's striking, isn't it, that?
He takes the father's place towards those that are separate from.
The evil which is round about that shows different thought. Excuse me, that's a different thought than that. The relationship we're in by grace, he played the father's part to us when we're separate from evil.
Do not say that if we try to walk in that place, he's going to show us that he's the Almighty. He can help us do that.
When we speak of the.
The Lord is full and 1St Revelation of all thought is doesn't that carry out to help them manifest it. All that God ever intended that we should have and everyone have is in these is in this legend book. You know nothing, nothing will ever be added to it from time will return.
All that God answer you need to know or ever will know, is between the pages of Miss Clinton book, and we'll have a small eternity, and it couldn't be complete until the sun came to completely give the full revelation of God. And that's given in the Son. John says it this way. Whosoever King James says, transgressive and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, Hath not God Darby translation whosoever goes forward.
And abides not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God? What does that mean?
It means goes beyond the full revelation that we have in the person of the son, as though there's something more, there's nothing more and anything that goes forward And what's called development in in the truth. And they say, well, the the light moves on. This is, this is Raven Taylorism by the way. That's what they say. The light moves on and there's more truth. No, the full truth is out in the person of the Sun and that was brought out in the 1800s.
And I think if we don't see that, we'll never understand the seven churches, never really understand that the whole truth was brought out in Philadelphia and we don't look for something further And what is called further light. The the, the, the cloud moves on. The light moves on is error and should be rejected. Even that him that we all enjoy, I enjoy seeing him that.
00:20:17
His sister role perhaps has not been told.
All has been told.
The better thought would be we haven't got the hold of that.
That's the thought, but we have it all in this court.
Already there's nothing further to be looked forward to, but we will know as we are known when we get home. I think that.
What you think is told out to us in?
Verse.
25 As to revelation yet supposed given to complete everything, God hasn't got anything else to tell us.
Took apart the concerned, I suppose that when the Apostle Paul laid down his pen, the word of God was complete. Amen, complete. And he says that in one of his epistles. So anybody that cleans now like Joseph Smith.
Or Mohammed, who supposedly had new revelations, a liar.
That verse is all you need.
To know that it's lost, Divine revelation has been completed, We have it all in our hands, and how thankful we can see that we have it in the language that we can read it ourselves. You don't have to know Hebrew and Greek and the languages that the Bible was written in. Chaldean too. I think there were three languages, right that were used. But.
We have it in our language. Non translation is perfect, but how thankful we can be to have the King James. And it has been said, all the truth came out when this Bible was being used. You know, not perfect, but all the truth could be brought out by the use of this book. This translation. I'd like to say that the full revelation was finished in the 1St century.
Yeah, John's writings came after Paul's.
What you say is true. Paul laid down his pens the the missing piece of the pie. I like to represent it that way. Was put in place truth of the church as a mystery, but the the greatest, the greatest writings. It's hard to compare greatness when everything is so great. Is what John wrote his gospel if you can't get anything better.
Than that. And that was written right towards the end of the 1St century of 9480. Thank you. I'd like to ask if you're talking about the first one or innovation and what is the difference, The first born of every creature, all creation and here in our 18th verse.
He is the head of the body of the Church who is the beginning. Now it's the first born from the dead.
That in all things he might have the preemption.
When he enters his own creation, he is alone as a man. There is no union with Christ apart from his death and resurrection. I'm quoting Mr. Kelly.
And when he in John 12 Says, unless the Colonel of Greek fall into the ground and die and abideth the law, the man Christ Jesus was the Lord, but he has fallen into the ground and died.
And now we are the prudent to travel of this soul. So I believe it's wonderful to get ahold of that while he comes. He is the first born of all creation. He has the place of preeminence, but he is alone. It's only through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus that there is not a possibility that he is the beginning of something completely new. He's the head of a new race, and he is the head of the body.
Yes, we have that in Romans 5, the second part that he is in contrast to Adam, now the head of a new race. And then we are also he's the head of the body, which is new.
00:25:01
I think you're talking about what I'm talking about thinking about what Asked about that as you visibility. Mary was the first one who saw this beginning of the new creation when she saw Jesus standing the first fruit from them. That flesh is.
I think that it shows pressure to see here when he revealed and trusted her.
The new creation. It had never been here before. First born from the dead. You mean Mary Magdalene? Well, it's Mary Magdalene. Yeah, but it was Mary. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just. I called her Mary when you first said it. I thought she met his mother. No, no. You mean Mary Magdalene. Yeah. Well, good. That's that's getting clear. Yeah. A new creation. And consider the fact that we have in.
2nd Thessalonians Cuban, 2nd Corinthians 517 Ye are a new creation.
That each one of us in this room that know the Lord Jesus has Savior, ye are a new creation. Let's read that verse David, and and talk about it a little bit. That's a wonderful verse.
2nd Corinthians 517 Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, should read, All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God. One of the most wonderful verses in all the Bible to make.
There is a new thing.
And if you are in Christ, you are part of isn't this one we're born of go up through the gospel. We're getting into that. We have that life. We're not going to get a new life when the Lord comes. But they call it when the day of resurrection. We're going to get a new buddy but we've already got that lane. The wonderful thing to know that we have a new life when we take the Lord Jesus and are born of God.
But we don't have the new body.
So in our chapter, verse 15/16/17 is the first creation, isn't it? And verse 18 forward is the second, the new creation where all things are of God. You're talking about. Yeah, would you say that John 114 is Jesus entering into his creation as a man?
The Word was made flesh. He became flesh.
So that he could die for us to have a new creation. Oh the planet God is wonderful revelation.
He presented as the head of the new creation. You know why is that important? The beginning of the new creation.
Because.
In Laodicea where that statement is made.
The emphasis is on main natural liking and boasting kernels, kernel things and the Saints have to be reminded, is the beginning of the creation of God, and He is the beginning, and He see Him in resurrection as us.
And he doesn't become that until the resurrection. That's from John. 20 He appears the risen Christ, and he stands in their midst, proclaims, peace be unto you. And then he shows them his hands in his side. The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Then he says again, peace be unto you as my Father has sent me Even so send I you. And then he breathes into them the breath of his resurrection life.
And says receive the Holy Spirit. And so the Spirit of God is there to characterize the new life that they now have in the risen Christ, and that's the new creation, association with Christ and resurrection by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's more than new birth. It's more than new birth. It's more than new birth. People don't understand the difference, and some even argue that Old Testament Saints were not born again.
That's outright ridiculous. I had a telephone call from a young believer.
And he said, Old Testament Saints, we were not born again. I said, brother, how come they've called things? Have they elevated themselves in their natural life to stay? But how could they be saved? The scriptures refers to them as saying no, but how wonderful in First Corinthians 15.
00:30:12
To support what was said in connection with. Sounds funny.
35 The first man, Adam, was made a living soul.
The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. That is what takes place and is demonstrated in John 20. When he does breathe on his disciples, communicating resurrection life doesn't mean there is a second life. No, the disciples had no birth before.
Death took place, but their life is elevated to a higher position by receiving resurrection life. But there's even more in there. We have eternal life, and that is enjoy and known by the indwelling Spirit. And again.
Another third life communicated that life is elevated and that eternal life, it doesn't mean an ending life. It's a quality of life.
And that involves the relationship to God and Father. Did his life eternal? The Lord Peter said in John 17 that they might know thee that is the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou is sin. So people argue whether the Old Testament Saints had eternal life. According to this statement in John 17. How could they? Because they didn't know the Lord Jesus for the Father, but we by the Spirit now.
Do note and enjoy eternal life. I have come that they might have liked John Chapter 10 and a better rendering says they might have it abundantly. King James says more abundantly, suggesting the Old Testament Saints had abundant life. If we just have it more abundantly, no. We in Christianity have abundant life, but it's wonderful to get ahold of these things and then we are admonished to enjoy and live their life.
I like to say this as to the.
The Lord in the 21St of Revelation he says, And he says unto me, It is done, it is done.
That was the final word of all The purposes of God and everything in connection with purposes of God were complete. It is done honestly with regards to everything that God purpose. The past eternity was all complete. It is done.
And now it says I have Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
Well, what a person. The Lord is in the beginning and the end all things.
Brother Bob, you mentioned the two creations here.
And I enjoyed that way.
When it says.
In verse 17 he is before all things.
It isn't a question or a reference to.
His existing as God before there was a creation, but before all things in honor.
And as regards to the present creation, which he's talking about there, the principalities and powers, those are not.
New They don't belong to the new creation. Some of them are fallen principalities and powers of darkness, but he in First Corinthians 15.
That has been referred to. He is the last Adam.
But in verse 47 it says the first man is Adam is of the earth Thursday, the 2nd man is the Lord from heaven. And that's not a reference to what he is in resurrection as heading. The new creation is the reference to his coming into this creation as a man. And when he did that, he had that first place of honor. And that's one aspect of first born.
And further high extension it isn't the only aspect of Susan was the first born is called the first born by Joseph's son's God forced him first born in portion and honor. They rose above revenge and so the Lord Jesus when he was born into this present creation of which we still are part.
00:35:11
He has necessity, has to have a place of honor above.
Any anything in this game, not just men, but these principalities and powers too. But then there is the new creation and the Lord Jesus is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first born from among the dead and the new creation. There was no new creation until Christ grows from the death, and both in time if we can speak that way.
And in preeminent in the new creation, the Lord Jesus was not only first born in honor, he is first born in existence is the head of it. And so I think you do have both creation brought in in the Lord Jesus during the millennial reign. It will still be this creation, but he will have his throne inheriting this.
Scheme since the first born's portion.
And he wasn't the first born man. He was the 2nd man. And he will have that place of preeminence of necessity, because he created it all. But in the new creation he will not only have the place of preeminence that goes with first born, but he will be. I don't know how else to express it in time. He is the first born of that new creation. There was no new creation until.
He came out from among the dead.
Now, Henry, did I understand you right that you said?
And he is before all things does not mean.
How could you express it? I think it means in honor. Mr. has a note on that and in honor. He used before all things in honor.
Because it's Speaking of him as a man here, coming into this creation as a man, and he is called the 2nd man.
He wasn't the first man, but he has the first born place as the second man because he has that place of preeminence and honor. I think that. I think if it is translation where he speaks of that but his first born in honor.
I have a hip copy down some months back that he used to sing where he used to be. Bear with me. I want to read it to you. I believe you will enjoy it. Thou art the first Lord Jesus, and so Thou art the last. Thou killest all the future, the present and the past. The alpha, the beginning, the Omega, the end.
Once dead, the light forever.
To whom each need shall bend shall brightness fault the glory which I have never seen. Thou never had, beginning eternal, selfish sin. Thou art the perfect image of God, invisible in life, which none approaches, in love, which none can tell first bones of all creation upon the eternal throne, preeminent in all things.
The universe unfolds of everything. Creature by whom all things subsist, all praise to thee, Lord Jesus, by all that does exist in that beautiful. I believe that kids seem very well with Colossians.
Interesting verses 1516 and 17.
Are something that we can look at because we can go out this door on a clear night and we can look at the heavens and these three verses tell us where that came from.
The 16 First for by him were all things created. It doesn't say here they were made. They were created that are in heaven and that earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrown or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created for by him and for him.
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Now turn to Hebrews 11 for about two verses, which I believe explains a lot that man tries to condemn.
Third verse. Through faith we understand that the world were framed for men, that it should be by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. In other words, God did not take something that was.
There and make something out of it. God's faith. And who was this God that spake was the Lord Jesus spake, and it came into being. And man in his scientific brains have said, well, there was a mass of gas, and this and that and the other thing there was nothing.
When God created, he spake and it came into being, yes, but there was nothing there. He created it. He didn't make it. He created it. And that's what this 16th verse is. And that tells us how great the person of Christ is.
32nd Psalm, why don't we look at 33rd Psalm, 33rd Psalm, 33rd, OK, thank you.
Space it was, he commanded, and it stood fast.
Per second and nine.
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth. Verse 9 For he spake, and it was done. He commanded, and stood fast.
Chuck you gave us an explanation then I enjoyed thought the maybe you could give it again in in Genesis one they said in the beginning call that's in the plural God created here that says that the Lord figures this situation. Remember your explanation? Well everything that God does, whether it's creation or redemption or anything that he does, is all the trinities involved in what he does.
And that's the very first reason In God, Elohim, in the plural Father, Son and Holy Spirit created the heavens and the earth, but it's assigned to the sun in the New Testament, I believe, because only the Son of the three persons of the Trinity became a man. Only He took that place of subjection. So God made sure that he understand that the one who could say my Father is greater than I because he became a servant is the Creator.
Of all things.
So what man uses to deny his deity? How could he be God if he could say my father's greater than I? Well, for you and me to say my father's greater than I is ridiculous. Of course she is. We're just creatures. But He was the Creator and he took the place.
Of a servant. And in that place he could say my Father's greater than I, that God makes sure that we understand that that one who took that place is to create him all things. It's like the first verse of Mark's Gospel, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Only three times the Son of God is mentioned in Mark.
But there, in the very first verse, it's like Mark says. Now I'm going to show you.
The perfect service. But never forget who he is. He is the Son of God. It's interesting that when you go through all four gospels, you get that He's the Son in all four gospels. Whatever other characteristics may be predominant in Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Son is brought before us in some aspect. It's not developed fully only in John's Gospel, but as you say, God guarding this precious truth and bringing it before us in whatever aspect the Lord Jesus is taken up. I might just say this too about his being the Creator.
If you notice in the in Mr. Darby's translator, the translation, the 17th verse, the end of the verse by him all things. We kind of lose the sense here. When it says consist, Mr. Darby says subsist because brother, not only is he the creator of this universe, the creator of everything, but everything works under his direction because the sufficient really is to work under the direction and authority of another. Maybe I can illustrate it this way.
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There's a table in the middle of the floor here, and this table consists. It consists of some wood and some hardware and some plastic and perhaps some varnish. Whatever material went into the making of that table. But we wouldn't say that cable substance, it couldn't sit. But the substance is something greater, and rather than think of it, when the Lord Jesus was asleep on the pillow on the boat, he was upholding all things by the word of his power.
As his arms were stretched out and nailed to a Roman cross, he was sustaining the very breath of those who were cruelly mocking him. It says He give us to all life and breath and all things, and so he is indeed the Creator. But everything works under his plan and his direction in the universe. And if God called his breath to himself, all flesh would perish. If God I say, Lord Jesus, I say this reverently and carefully.
If we forgot this universe for a moment, the planets would go out of their orbit. The law of gravity wouldn't operate. But here's one who I say He's upholding all things by the word of his power, and so he's not only the creator, but he's the sustainer. But then, brethren, immediately, as soon as that is brought before us, there's a statement made. And this statement is absolute. I think we need to consider it. And he is the head of the body. Now, we've discussed many things here this afternoon.
Of profit and edification.
But brother, let's just stop and think of the import of that for a moment. You know, a body without a head is an incomplete unit. A body without a head cannot function. Let's think of it in the literal sense for a moment. If our heads were severed, not trying to be gruesome, but if our heads were severed from our bodies here this afternoon, our bodies could not function. And, brethren, we couldn't cannot function as the body of Christ here on earth, apart from the direction given to us.
By the head in heaven. And don't we need to practically recognize this in our lives and individually and collectively in the assembly that he is the head? Our bodies, in a physical sense, take all their directions from the brain, from the head. And where are we to get our direction as the members of the body here on earth? It is from our glorified head, because when the Spirit of God descended in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost.
And the body of Christ was formed. And I believe I'm correct in saying that there was number body of Christ on earth here in that sense until the day of Pentecost. Is that right? And when the body was formed, not only was the Spirit of God the link of the members on earth to form them into that unit, the body of Christ, but the Spirit of God then also became the link of the members on earth to their risen, glorified head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our head is not just risen. We've spoken of resurrection, and that's true, but he is offended.
Glorified at the right hand of God and brethren, the assembly is not a democracy. Where do we get our instruction from? It's from the head. Do we own the headship of Christ? That's what the Epistle of Colossians is all about. They weren't owning the headship of Christ. We don't take a boat in the assembly. We don't cast luck. They never cast lots after the day of Pentecost because they were to take their direction from the head, the Spirit of God having been given to make it those things clear to them as to what they were to do. But the direction came from the hitch rather. This is very practical and in all things.
He is to have the preeminence. Whatever we do is to be for his glory, working under his direction as the head.
In that same brain as to the head being removed from the body, we get the.
Sequel to what was said earlier in the reading about the elevating place to which we've been brought as children of God and members of the body of Christ, we get in Ephesians chapter one that the body on earth ahead of heaven. The body is the complement of the head that is going on high, and I'd like the illustration of a battleship. When it comes off of the way, it is just a hunk of steel and it's just a floating.
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Metals. But the compliment comes aboard, and it becomes a man of war. And so when the church was formed, it is dysfunctional aspect of the new creation and goddess brought into existence the head in heaven and the body on earth, the complement of the fullest hymn that filleth All in all. And just as Eve was the culprit of Adam, and he became a complete individual, so the.
Formation of the Church of God on earth to be the body of Christ is the completion of the revelation of God head in heaven and the body on earth. Brother you, let's look at a verse just to back up what you said in First Corinthians 12.
1St Corinthians 12 and verse 12. For as the body is 1 and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also it ought to really read is the Christ. Now that's just what you're saying. God looks at the head in heaven. The members here on earth, Brethren, this doctor do something to our heart. He looks at it in its completion and he says it's Christ.
That, brethren, is the relationship that you and I have been brought into in Christianity. Have any in any previous age had a relationship with God and with Christ like this? Never. Rather. And I say again, God looks at the head and the members and he says it's Christ.
Warm, complete and to cut it.
There is also something that further Clemens asking about the resurrection.
And.
Brother Henry quoted Holy Stevens to Mr. Darby's translation. He adds the word resurrection from among the dead. That is also Christian truth.
The Old Testament.
Says did not understand the resurrection the way we understand it.
They believe in a general resurrection, just like the translators of the NIV, the corrupt version that nobody should really pay much attention to. In John chapter 5. They translate because they believe in a general resurrection. They don't believe in a coming Kingdom. They say some will be raised to light, some will be raised to judge.
As soon as it is all at the same time.
No, in the New Testament.
Out of resurrection we have life that there will be two resurrections. The resurrection from among the dead which takes place when the Saints are raised that have died in place. The dead will be raised. Those who are Christ that is coming and we deliver unchanged. That's the resurrection from among the dead. The rest of the dead remain in the grave. And the resurrection of the dead.
Is in Revelation.
20 When they arranged to be judged and stand before the great white stroll, and and still being, what is the 19th by? Is it in the 19th, 19th chapter? They will still and they're still referred to as the dead, although they're raised spiritually, still dead and will be judged. So we have that life. Mary and Martha didn't understand the Lord Jesus in John Chapter 11 because they didn't understand that yet we have that in Christianity.
You know we have.
More truth, full truth, even As to the resurrection, the resurrection from among the dead, the Lord brought that out very plainly, didn't he? And John Lewis, He said to mark Lazarus, will rise again, and he said, Yay, Lord, I know that he will rise in the latter day.
A legal board says, Jesus said, Under I am the resurrection and the dead, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead yesterday. And whosoever believes in me shall never die. Believe us now this.
00:55:06
Lord, I believe. And then he explained to her that there was no such thing now as a general resurrection, And then when he rose, raised magic.
We went up to that grave and he said specifically.
Lazarus, come forward. That's an out resurrection from among the dead.
But he wasn't raised in the light that he will be raised in the picture of it. Just a picture of it. He went back to into the grapes, Right. Oh, yes, yes. But it's a picture of it. Yes. Those are nerves, the dead when they are standing before the great white troll at the end of the revelation.
We don't know what and what kind of a body they'll be in doing. We don't know, but.
They won't have a word to say, but also there will be, it says there will be weeping, unwilling and gnashing of teeth. So there will be a real feeling. Real sense in in hell would be in awful sense of the judgment that is that is regardless sentiment. Also we get in the 16th of Luke where we get the of the man who Richie Man.
Says he.
He went to Haiti, but he was in torment. He was in torment. Joel, whatever body they're in, they'll they'll be feelings. There won't be there.
And everyone that goes goes there and only goes to hell. They'll know where they're there.
Well, in our chapter we have this beautiful expression that in all things you might have the preeminence. And I think this is good for us to consider. You know, God is going to make sure that his son has the preeminence in the end. We've already had that expressed a little bit, but he's not only going to have his rightful place in heaven, brethren, but he's going to have it here in this creation once again, have it in this creation in a coming day.
And I don't believe God's heart will ever really be satisfied until his Son has his rightful place here in this world and until everything has gives ovations and recognizes him as such. It was here in this world where they crucified Him and cast Him out.
They said away with him, crucify him, but they're going to, in a coming day recognize him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And what a thrill it's going to be to the heart of God in that day when in this world where they spit in his Son's blessed face, he finally has his rightful place. But brother, he really wants that place in our hearts now too, doesn't he? You know, I trust there's no thought even in corners of our hearts this afternoon as to this being the reigning time now.
You know, there are those who think that this is the time to be reigning now and.
We've all heard this, and I'm starting to find that this doctrine is becoming more and more prevalent in some Christian circles. Brethren, this is not the reigning time. Now it says in Hebrews 2 we see not yet all things put under him. I remember talking to a brother who, if I mentioned his name, many would recognize it. But I talked it the last time. I talked to this brother who had got caught up in doctrine that thought that this was the reigning time and we ought to be out.
Asserting ourselves and so on, I said to him, in the last conversation I had with him, I said, Brother, if you look around at the condition of things in this world today and say that this is the reigning time, now that's a slap in the face to the blessed Lord Jesus, to say that the Lord is reigning. And then to see that we see, it says we see. Not yet all things put under him, but there is that day. But nevertheless, brother, and I say he does want that place in your heart and mind. Now we sometimes sing to him, rain thou within our hearts alone.
And again, let's make it very practical. First of all, in our personal lives, when we make a decision, do we seek the direction of the Lord Jesus? Do we consider whether it's for his glory, for His glory? Not just something I want or even some good I think, for my family, but for His glory? Is that my first motive and brother when we come to the assembly and things are taken up again?
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When we make decisions in the fear of the Lord and the light of Scripture and owning the headship of Christ, is that our first thought that he might have the preeminence that glory will be brought to him Through this? You know, sometimes I've heard an expression.
Discipline and the excommunication of an individual from the Lord's table. Well, all discipline is for the restoration of a soul rather than the first. Motivation in discipline is for the glory of the Lord. Sin is a thing that is not fit for the presence of the Lord. And if we profess to be gathered to the Lord's name at the Lord's table, and to meet in his presence, we must clear sin from the assembly for his glory. Yes, there ought to be the consideration of the restoration.
Soul, And you certainly get that in such in Corinthians. But in First Corinthians, why were they to take up the matter, and why was there excommunication? It was for the glory of the Lord. Sin was allowed well, brethren, in all things, not just in some things, but in all things. He is to have the preeminence in our lives here and now.
The error that you're talking about of these so-called pseudo faith healers saying that this is raining time that existed at Corinth. I'll read the verse verse 8 of chapter 4. Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us and I would to God you did reign that we also might reign with you. The apostles were being persecuted, tortured, some of them put to death.
Saints at corrupted reigning by kings. Is this raining time now? Not now. They might get, they get by with that. the United States of America. They wouldn't get by with that in Afghanistan or Pakistan or any of those countries. The Saints aren't reigning there. They're not talking about Christ reigning. They're talking about the Saints reign. And they can only get by with that because in this land, well, yeah, that that fits pretty well with our way of living.
Also, in Second Timothy, there were those who thought that the resurrection had already taken place. What's the implication?
Suffering time is over. Training has begun. You know when the Lord does reigns His own and come back with us, yet then you will reign so you can see what they were implying.
We don't have to suffer anymore the resurrection that's already taken place. But no, this is the time to suffer. And if you suffer with him, he will reign with him. And but there's also not just the fact that the Lordidas will reign. The Lord Jesus, by going to the cross, has made reconciliation and will reconcile all things to the Godhead.
To itself.
That means the creation.
Not all man times he will restore or reconciliation really mean to bring it to proper relationship and make things right according to God and that will be realized in the creation. But we don't have to wait till that day we are already recognized. What a wonderful difference that is. We have been dropped into a relationship of peace.
We were enemies of God, but now we are lovers of God. God never needed to be reconciled to us. He never was our enemy. But we needed to be reconciled. And the death of the Lord Jesus has accomplished that. And if he lay hold of death by faith, what an effective head. And our hearts, our hearts are drawn to a God that so loved us and gave his Son to die for us so that enemies might.
Might become lovers of God.
Into a proper relationship to God. That's verses 20 and 21 of our chapter. Yes. And the reconciliation here is things in earth and things in heaven. I think that's important to say because in Philippians where every knee vows and owns to these Lord to the glory of God the Father, there's something else added things in things in heaven and the orders reversed their heaven 1St and then earth and under the earth.
Because even the infernal beings will be forced to bow and own who this person is, but they will never be reconciled. And so here it just seems in earth and things in heaven, in the preeminence of the 19th verse, that in all things.
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ALL takes in everything, in all things. You might have the criminal. Earlier you said we see not yet all things put under him. That's true, but it will be.
In the 19 first it will be before we get any further in the chapter. I'd like to look at the 20th 1St because.
Many people are disturbed in their soul about their peace.
The 21St is a fixed, positive, finished piece. I think we could go back to John's gospel, where the Lord Jesus said peace, I give him to you. My peace I leave with you. It's predicated on the person.
In Romans 5/1.
By faith we have peace with God, but that's predicated on the 24th verse of the 4th chapter.
Which is the work of Christ. And here it's the blood of Christ.
And having made peace through the blood of his cross, we have peace. We have peace. It's six pieces. There is nothing that can ever change that fixed feat. Now if we go to Galatians, excuse me, to Philippians 4, verse six, we find another piece. And that's a piece that's predicated on how we take care of things when we're in difficult, but not here.
This has nothing to do with what I do. It's all been done. It's a fixed and very concrete eternal piece. We have peace with God. Marvelous Romans 51, the same thing, but it's a little different picture. It's predicated on the work of Christ. Here it's predicated on the blood of Christ. A finished work, a shed blood. And we have peace. There's an additional aspect of peace as well.
And Ephesians Chapter 2, it says that He is our feast and it is by entering in what we have had in these comments here this afternoon of our association with the risk is price. And seeing him there passed out of these circumstances where man did all that they could do to him, where the enemy had access to bring him this credit in every way. He's passed through all of that out of end of the glory. And now there he is in the circumstances he can no longer be touched by anything down here.
And so he is our peace. This is the second part of the gospel that we preach in the 11Th of Matthew. I'll give you rest. Oh, that's the mixed piece. And take my yoke on you and learn of me. And if you'll find rest to your soul, that's the peace that we receive by realization that we are associated with him there, beyond the windy of anything that touched him when he was here, but about the peace of God.
The word of Christ running in you richly.
Will Garrison your heart with a piece of God. In other words, that was demonstrated in our Blessed Lord, who went to difficult circumstances of his life below. Yet the peace of God was enjoying his soul, and that can be enjoyed by us, even though we might have to go through disappointing, painful experiences. One of the things that will make one of the things that make heaven so wonderful.
Is that the peace of God? Bringing the peace of God?
The atmosphere to be in an atmosphere where where a piece of God, one thinks of the.
How?
Well, we know what anything repeats down here, but the blood of Christ is cynicism and blood crisis. Citados for for heaven where to where we will enjoy the the peace of God. The wonderful, oh God is the God of peace. I believe there's Sixers Sixers eight times in the gospels.
And the symptoms where God is spoken of as the God of peace or the peace of God.
And this will be heaven will be a perfect peace in the presence of God, our wonderful, wonderful. We have peace with God, the God of peace.
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And the peace of God. We have peace with God. That's Romans 51. But this is deeper than that. Much deeper. This is the aspect of the work of Christ, God word when the blood was carried in on the Day of Atonement, sprinkled 7 times before and Once Upon the emergency.
God was glorified about the whole question of sin. He made peace.
By the blood of His cross. That's the aspect of the work God worth. He has satisfied and vindicated God's majesty and holiness. As to the whole question of sin, God has been insulted by the the the sin that has existed here, the rebellion against His authority. Christ gave His life in perfect obedience, shed His precious blood.
And now he's dismayed before God. We enter into it by faith, but this is something that's not connected with our faith. It's what he did with respect to God. We often all we usually think of what he's done for us, what he's done for me, what he's done for God. Glory is more important, far more important. And I think that's having made peace.
To the blood of his cross, so that now he can reconcile.
All things to himself.
He is the first one that should be considered when we think of the work of Christ on the cross, and then it flows out to us and bless, I think that's so very important. I was thinking of that before you spoke up, Chuck. Because what will give us confidence and produce real worship in our hearts is the realization of this in our souls. You know so often on Lord's Day, Morning and brethren, I can only speak for myself.
So often on March the Morning, it's hard for me to get beyond what the work of Christ means to me. Now don't misunderstand me. I trust, brethren, The work of Christ means everything to our heart. But if my acceptance before God depended on my appreciation of the person and work and blood of Christ.
That would be feeble at best. That would be a very shaky foundation to stand on. And I was thinking of it too In Peter, when he speaks of the precious Blood of Christ in first Peter one, you know, we often think of that again in connection with our value of the blood of Christ. I trust the blood of Christ is a precious theme and subject to it. But if you notice carefully when it says the Precious Blood of Christ, whose estimation of the blood is that? The God's estimation of the blood of his Son. And I'm not redeemed with something like money, silver and gold that fluctuates in value or changes in in in value. I'm redeemed with something.
That is as precious and valuable to the heart of God as when it flowed forth at Calvary's cross and brethren. If we could get ahold of this in our soul, we would enjoy more in a practical way that settled peace in our souls. Why is it so often Christians don't have settled peace? They're thinking of their part, They're thinking of what it all means to them, and they don't consider that the first and foremost motive of the Lord Jesus in going to the cross.
Was to glorify God, and to settle the same question according to God's standards and for his glory and for his eternal satisfaction. And I say, in the measure in which we appreciate that in our soul there will be settled peace and confidence and worship.
Excuse me. And the first offering that we have in the Bible, where an offering was made in respect to the death of the first born, which was in Egypt. That says when I see.
It wasn't what values that the Israelites put on the blood at all had no value whatsoever, God says when I see the book. So we're not safe according to our people's appreciation of what took place. The same according to what God seems in it. Get ahold of these young people and how wonderful this statement later on here now.
What piece work has done with us? We are in the sight of God, fully, unbelievable, unreprovable. That's how that has put us in the side of the holy God. Tremendously. We need to get a hold of that by faith. That isn't a question how I feel it in my soul.
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The question is, do I accept what the Word of God tells me to be true?
Of a child of God. Two of the weakest child of God. Hopefully we come to rest in them and say, God says that I'm holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight, as a result of the work of the Lord Jesus, true of any of us.
How could it be any otherwise when we are told that we are seen in Christ? Can God look at the work of his Son and find anything wrong here? Never. And that's how He sees you. That's how he sees every one of us that knows Christ the Savior. Someone has said that burned off the aspect of the gentleman is he accepted all.
I like that. I believe it's true that what that word means to God is the basis of our acceptance. Yet it is also the tin barrel, you know, the SIM offering. But the bird offering is, I believe, the basis for our acceptance basis of all blackness and thinking. In verse 20 it says reconciling all things.
To himself, that really was gone. To the future days into eternity.
That eternal day, the day of God, when every trace of sin will be removed, and it's on the basis of that work that you've done, that that will take place. The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world that looks on to that future day. But it is something present in verse 21, yet now happy, reconciled, we are reconciled to right now.
But it really is looking forward to the full completed work. When the Lord Jesus spoke to that 14th on the cross, he said today that thou be with me in paradise, that thief, he went to paradise with the Lord. He was just as perfect, just as perfect as the Lord himself, just as faith as the Lord himself.
Going to paradise.
And be just as perfect as the Lord yourself. He was answering what He was answering to the world for his sins, to for his crimes. He was answering for his own cancer while he was young. Yes, the Lord was answering to God for that man's sin and those hours of darkness, and when the when the when he died, that poor, that poor man.
He went into paradise.
Just as perfect as the Lord himself.
Now we only have a few minutes left.
And before we go, before we go on, I just want to add.
When we break, drag the Lord's day morning.
What sacrifice that speaks of is the peace offering, not the bird offering. The bird offering is the work of Christ, God word. We have no part in that except we come under the value of it. What we have fellowship with him in is the peace offering.
When we remember him in his death, we enter in to his thoughts. Behold, Israel after the first Christian, 10 Are not they which eat the sacrifices, partakers of the altar? He's talking about the peace offering, peace offering. The peace offering is really the communion offering. And we have part in that, and the offer had a part in that. They think of it. And so we have a part in that. I was just reading from a book at home.
On the coach and I looked up Islam and the in the Islam religion, they denied that Jesus ever died. They said that that he rose and but that he's in heaven. But he never died. And that's the very foundation of what we believe. When we're baptized. We're baptized unto his death. When we're here and at the Lord's table, we remember him in his death.
That's the very foundation truth that we have admitted and they denied that completely, absolutely deny it.
01:20:03
So you you can test all of these false cults in that by the foundation truths that we hold so dear that we've learned from this book.
As I mentioned, we have a 2 minute flat, then maybe we keep the minute to make some comments on the verses here and especially.
Verse 23 does not.
Speak of a Christian who might sin.
And speaks of one who falls away, apostatizes from the faith. A Christian could never do that.
Giving up the faith and that's very helpful for anyone to understand. Just like.
Coming through making the address, you know there is such a thing as an apothecary, and this word implies that one who doesn't continue in the faith is an apostate and is moved away from the hope of the gospel. And then this is what is generally referred to as the gospel of the greatest cross.
But then Paul has another ministry and then he's taken up somewhere 24 on, and that is the ministry of the church and by this mystery.
The truth, it was committed to Paul.
Word of God was complete and.
The prayer is, and the desire of fault is, that Paul would enter into that teaching every man in all wisdom.
And that we may present every man's perfect in Christ Jesus doesn't mean to make them to be in a state of sinless perfection. No perfectly used in the word of God for full growth. So if we really enter into the second ministry of Fall Christ in the church and will contribute to our maturing spiritually.
Everything for growth. That's what Paul is saying. So how important it is for us to enter into the things? And then this mystery was hit in the ancient past in Colossae in Ephesians, I believe it says it was hitting God. It wasn't hitting the Old Testament. At this revealed now in the New Testament. And since it is revealed, he finds beautiful pictures of Christ and the Church in the Old Testament.
But it is not a revelation, the revelation we have in the New Testament. In the light of this revelation, we find that there are beautiful pictures. So how important it is that we buy things, enter into that which was especially committed to Paul, the mystery, Christ and the Church. I believe the mystery consists of two things. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Our being united to him.
And they're either in fellow heirs with trust, you know, and there again, the NIV.
Says we will be fellow heirs with Israel.
He admits these two words are added or he and it doesn't change the doctor, it does change. The doctrine is basically in line with the Covenant theology.
That there is no future Kingdom and the mystery simply is, is that the Gentiles are brought into our blessings. You see, that's what he asked these words. Well, how important it is that by faith we enter into these things, and that we do not only intellectually enter into those things. We couldn't enter into anything if we wouldn't have an intellect, but it has to be by the spirit of God, and the truth of God is given us.
To change our character form our very beginning that the result and ought to be the result of the truth of God, and to reach maturity.
Full growth in Christ, China's up number 33939.
Him #39.
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On his father's son, Is he alive?
And the glory. And the glory.
Thickness of the Dream Sister.
Of God.
Seven Who Were Called
Address—J. Hyland
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to get the meeting this afternoon to 326.
I'm particularly thinking of the third verse, our name from the palms of his hands, eternity will not erase impressed on his heart. They remain in marks of indelible grace, and we to the end shall endure as sure as the earnest is given. More happy, but not more secure, the spirit departed to heaven. I realize that afternoon meetings are sometimes the most difficult, and so I'm going to suggest that those of us who can might stand up to sing this Him 300 and 22126. And if someone would please start.
300 three 126.
Mercy.
Nor.
Everything for all this prayer.
Of introduction to the subject that is on my heart this afternoon I would like to read part of a verse in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah, chapter 43.
Isaiah chapter 43 and I want to read just the last part of verse one.
I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. Well, I have a burden on my heart this afternoon, brethren, to look at some individuals in the word of God who received a call. We're going to notice that in some ways their call was very similar, at least in one way, and in other ways their call was very different. But I'd like to look at these individuals, and there are seven of them. We're going to only look at them very quickly, and we're going to make some practical applications that I trust will encourage our heart. You know, brethren, God has given us the stories of men and women.
And young people who actually lived in this world lived at all kinds of different times. Times when it was not easy to live for God's glory. And he's recorded their histories, not just as interesting stories and historical facts. It's true they are interesting stories, and it's true they are historical facts, but they're more than that. They're recorded for our learning. The things that happened to them were written for our admonition.
And these things were recorded to encourage us rather than to go on, and to warn us too of choosing our own way. Now we're going to notice with these seven individuals, and they are the only seven I know of in Scripture. They all, when they were called, had their name called twice. Now, when I say these seven, you will notice that their names were called either by God or the Lord Jesus when he was here. There are other individuals whose names were repeated twice.
But those individuals were there when they were called, were called by someone.
Other than God or the Lord when he was here, I'll just give you an example or two. When David wept over Absalom who had been slain in his lamentation, he said all Absalom, Absalom, my son. When the king came to the mouth of the lions den in the 6th of Daniel the morning after Daniel had been cast in there, he cried, oh Daniel, Daniel. And then of course the Lord Jesus after those hours of darkness.
Cried with a loud voice and said, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But I say these individuals who are going to look at received a direct call from God himself. But I read this verse in Isaiah chapter 43, because what I want to point out before we go on is that a name makes it very individual. There are those of us here this afternoon who have or have had children, and when we named our children.
It was perhaps a great deal of thought and consideration, and prayer went into the choosing of that name.
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Because that name, among other things, sets that child apart as an individual.
We don't name all our children by the same name. It's true they have the same last name born into our family.
But wouldn't you be surprised if you went into a home and you found that all the sons were called David and all the daughters were called Mary? You'd say, what a strange way to name your children. No, our children are individuals and they have individual names. And isn't it wonderful, brethren, to think that God looks down and he has a vast family this afternoon and he looks down into this auditorium and he sees every one of us by as individuals, and he calls everyone of us.
By name. I don't know everyone's name here. Sometimes when I haven't seen people for some time, I forget their names. Their names flip. But there's one who knows all about us, and he calls us by name. We're going to notice, too, with these seven individuals, that four of these individuals received a change of name after they were called by God, two in the Old Testament and two in the New Testament.
And a name change in Scripture has to do with a special mark of favor.
It has to do with personal communion and relationships. The reason I say that is because.
To the overcomer in Pergamos in Revelation 2 you find that one of the promises was that they would be given a new name which no man knew, saving he that receiveth it. Maybe I can illustrate it this way. When I enter the homes of many of the people of God, I often notice that the husband in that home has a special name by which he refers to his wife. He addresses his wife by some little special name.
And it would be very inappropriate for me or anyone else to enter that home and address the wife in the same way. No, it's something that's just shared between she and her husband, the one who gave it and the one who received it. And again, it brings before us, I say individual, personal communion and fellowship. Oh, brethren, what a place of relationship we've been brought into. He's redeemed us. He's called us by our by our name. Well, we're going to look at these individuals.
And we're not going to look at them in the way that they appear chronologically in the Scripture.
We're going to look at them. Perhaps I could suggest more as to a moral order of things, and I think you'll see this as we go along. Let's go to the first one in the book of Acts, Acts, Chapter 9.
Acts Chapter 9 and verse 3.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him alight from heaven.
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecuted. It is hard for thee to kick against the prick. And he trembling an astonished said, Lord.
What wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city.
And it shall be told thee what thou must do. Well, I read this one first, because this is what we might say is the beginning, the first thing. And here we find this young man, and we know the story so very well, this young man named Saul of Tarsus. Perhaps I could just say this too. But one thing that has encouraged me in taking up these seven individuals is to realize that they are 7 individuals who received a call at all different points in their life.
In their physical life growth and in their spiritual life. And what encouraged my own soul was the fact that God is interested in us no matter where we are.
Both physically and spiritually. You know, there may be those of us here this afternoon who are young. There's boys and girls, there's young people. There's those of us that are referred to as middle-aged. There's some who are further along in the past. Maybe there's somebody here and you're just saved. You said there's a lot of things I don't understand about the Bible and following the Lord. Some here have gone on in the path of faith for many, many years. But isn't it wonderful that wherever we find ourselves this afternoon?
God is interested in us. His desire is to speak to us and to encourage us on in the past. And so we began here with this young man Saul of Tarsus. And we know that Saul of Tarsus up to this point had spent his whole energy seeking to stamp out the name of Christ and persecute the Christian. After he was saved, his whole bent and his energy was turned around to propagate the gospel, the name of Christ.
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And to encourage the Saints of God, That was his whole energy after he was saved.
But what a difference. Before he was saved, in fact, he said. I thought verily within myself that I ought to do many things.
Contrary to the name of Jesus. And here we find him on his mad course, rushing with letters to Damascus to bring any that were Christian followers of Christ, any believers bound to Jerusalem. But you know, God had his eye on this young man. Maybe there's a young man here or a young woman, and maybe you're not saved. You haven't come to this point yet. God has his eye on you. Maybe he's speaking to you and he's calling you.
Calling you by name, just as he called Saul. Saul not just once, but he called his name twice.
When I think of this, I think of what it says. God speaketh once, Yeah, twice. Have you listened to the call of God? Many of us look back, some over a few years, some over many years, to that time when God called us and finally we listened. Now, no doubt the Spirit of God had been working with this young man prior to this event because the Lord said to him it is hard for thee to kick against the prick. His conscience had been pricked. The Spirit of God was working.
But now, just at the right time, God the Lord calls to him. He struck down with this light, and his name is called Saul. Saul. And all we know from the context here, if we read on the Saul of Tarsus, finally listened. He listened to what was said, and we know that there was a real conversion here, a real turn around, because he immediately addresses him as Lord. Lord, what will thou have me to do? One of the proofs, And there are several in this chapter.
One of the proofs that the work had begun and that there was a real turn around. But I just might mention this too before we pass on. But I think it's precious to notice here that the apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus, who later became the apostle Paul, he received at this time the very seed of the truth that he was later used to develop for the blessing of the Church of God, because when the Lord spoke to him, he said.
Saul, Saul, I want you to notice this. Why persecute us out me?
He didn't say, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting the Christians? Or why are you persecuting the believers or my followers on earth?
It is true he was persecuting the Christians. He was persecuting the followers of the Lord Jesus.
But it was more than that in touching one of the Lord's own here in this world.
He was actually persecuting the Lord Jesus Christ because the Lord Jesus, as we were reminded this morning.
Is our glorified head at the right hand of God? We, the members here on earth, are not only connected by the Spirit of God to one another, but we are connected to our glorified head, the Lord Jesus. You know, I've been shattered to realize how many of our brethren are suffering real physical persecution in this world today. We don't think about it. We sit here with calm. We're not afraid of the authorities coming in this afternoon and breaking up this meeting.
Or shooting us or arresting us for having Bibles. But you know, there are many of our brethren who meet in real fear, many who give testimony in real fear of physical persecution and for their lives. Do you think that escapes the notice of the Lord Jesus? Now he knows all about it, just as these ones that were persecuted in the early church were part of his body. They were. He felt it so very keenly. So he feels it today. But before we pass on, I would just say this is the first call.
And if there is someone here and you haven't heard this call, as it were, then the things that we're going to speak of in the connection with the other six individuals have no relevance to you. This is the beginning, this turn around, that time when we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. But now let's go back to First Samuel.
Chapter 3.
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I Samuel, Chapter 3.
And we won't read all of this week. Let's begin reading at verse 8. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go lie down. And it shall be if he called thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went, and lay down in his place.
And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times.
Samuel, Samuel Then Samuel answered. Speak for thy servant Heareth. Well, we've spoken of a young man named Saul, but here's a boy. Now. There's boys here in this audience, there's children. And you might say, if the Lord really interested in me, can the Lord really use me? I've been encouraged in going through the word of God to realize how many times God used children in his service. Naamans maid who brought before her mistress that there was a prophet in Israel.
The little lad who had the fishes and the loaves that the disciples pointed out, and that lunch that he had brought along, was used to feed the multitude.
And so here we have Samuel. And again, we know the story. He had been brought by his mother, particularly up to the temple and dedicated to the Lord. And yet it says that Samuel did not yet know the Lord. I think that's an interesting statement, and we'll notice this as we go through these verses. But Samuel did not yet know the Lord. Now I want to apply this not so much in knowing the Lord for salvation, but in a little different aspect.
Because I believe it's possible to know the Lord for salvation and then just to be content with that and not develop that personal relationship. It says in Hosea we shall know if we follow on to know the Lord and Paul. Later on, after his Damascus Rd. experience, he said that I may know him. Didn't he know the Lord? Didn't he get to know the Lord on the Damascus Rd. Indeed he did, as far as salvation but the whole desire of Paul's life.
Was that he would get to know the Lord better, that there would be a deepening of the relationship.
I think many Christians, sad to say, are content to know that their sins are forgiven and that they're on their way to heaven. But all there's far, far more than that. Maybe I can illustrate it this way. I went to school in Canada and I learned and studied a lot about the British royal family. And I could probably to this very day, tell you many things about Queen Elizabeth the Second, who sits on the throne of England. But I don't know Queen Elizabeth the Second, personally. I know a lot of things about her.
I've seen her pictures, I've read things about her, but I don't know her personally, but we'll suppose for the sake of illustration.
I get an invitation in the mail to come to Buckingham Palace and everything is provided and to spend a month with the Queen of England. And so I go to Buckingham Palace and for one month I sit down every day with the Queen of England and we commune together. After I leave Buckingham Palace now, I can say I don't just know about the Queen of England, I know the Queen of England personally. We've communed together, an old brethren. That's what he wants. He wants us to go on, to follow on, to know him.
To get to know him better. And always you get to know him better. You'll find no imperfections in him. Sometimes we have an earthly friend. And the better we get to know that friend, the more we find. There are some things that we just wish were a little different. There's some things that aren't quite as pleasing as maybe we thought. A thought at first. But when the bride enumerated the qualities and glories of her bridegroom in the Song of Solomon, did she find any imperfections there? Oh, no, She had to stay. At the end of it all, he is all together lovely. That's what you'll find with the person of Christ. Oh, young people, there's nothing like following on to know the Lord.
And so we find Samuel here, this young boy. And the Lord calls him three times prior to his name being called twice. And on each of those 3 occasions, he simply calls his name one. But Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and Samuel didn't understand who was calling him. He thought it was Eli the priest. And finally Eli the priest realized that the Lord was calling Samuel. Now you know, Scripture is tremendously accurate.
The more I read scripture, the more I'm impressed with its accuracy. Read it slowly and carefully and prayerfully, and notice the accuracy of Scripture. Will just notice one little thing here that I've enjoyed. Notice what Eli said to Samuel when after he had called the third time. Notice verse 9. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go lie down, and it shall be if he called thee that thou shalt say. Now I want you to notice this carefully. Speak.
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Lord.
For thy servant heareth, but Samuel did not yet know the Lord. But notice when Samuel goes.
Back and lies down. And now the call comes not once, but Samuel. Samuel. And notice what Samuel says.
In the end of verse 10, speak, not speak, Lord, but speak.
For thy servant hearers. Now Samuel had a listening ear, but he did not follow to exactly what Eli had told him to say. He had not yet, shall I say for our purposes this afternoon, learn to own the Lordship of Christ in his life. You may know the Lord Jesus as your savior, but have you learned to own his headship in your life? Have you learned to say yes, Lord? Heard of a young man who had those two words on his desk at work? Yes, Lord, He wanted to be able to say yes to the Lord.
To own the claims of Christ in his life. When we were growing up, we sometimes sang a hymn.
Lord of my life I crown thee now thine shall the glory be. Sometimes we sing that hymn.
Reigned out within our hearts alone, there's no happier portion. For us, brethren, to own the Lordship and the claims of Christ in our lives is a blessed thing indeed. I just want to encourage you to own the Lordship of Christ in your life. Well, we find that the Lord had a very solemn message for Samuel. It was a very solemn message. God was going to come in and deal with Eli in His governmental ways. You know, the older, I guess, the more I'm impressed with the reality of the governmental ways of God. In our life. We don't get away with one thing.
We might hide something. Young people. You might hide things from your parents. You might even hide them from the Brethren at the meeting.
But you can't hide them with God, and sooner or later it's going to be brought out and we do reap what we saw.
If we sow to the flesh corruption, we're going to reap in that way, a farmer doesn't go out and sow.
Thistles and expect to retweet in the In the harvest? No. We read exactly what we sow. Well, Samuel received this message, and it's interesting that he delivers the message Eli received. It is from the Lord. And then later on in the chapter, we find that that Samuel grew and the Lord was with him. Two things that ought to characterize us. There ought to be spiritual growth, you know, in the chapter before there was physical growth.
We know that because his mother brought up a fresh coat from year to year and we're glad to see physical growth in our children. We'd be concerned if there wasn't that physical growth.
But there ought to be spiritual growth. And when it says in the end of this chapter that he grew and the Lord was with him, I suggest here it's not so much physical growth, but it's growth in the things of God. It's growth in the things of the Lord. Some of us were here a year ago and the year before. As we look back, can we honestly say before the Lord that there's been growth in our Christian life, That there's been a going on with the Lord walking with him, following on to know him, and that there has been some growth. At least it's normal. It ought to be what's normal.
In a Christian, a baby that doesn't grow properly in physical things, we take it to the doctor. We're concerned it's not normal. And a Christian who doesn't grow in spiritual things, that's not a normal situation either. And so we find this young boy and he receives this call and this message. Now let's go back to Genesis chapter 22.
Genesis chapter 22 and verse 10.
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to splay his son. And the Angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here am I. Well, here's another Call, Abraham, Abraham. Now before I bring out what is particularly on my heart in connection with this portion, I would just say that the remarks I want to make I trust brethren, will in no way take away from the preciousness.
Of this chapter, Because in this chapter we have a very beautiful picture of the Father and the Son. That time when the Son went to the altar and was offered up as a sweet smelling sacrifice. And I suppose that's why so often on Lord's Day morning when we're together, to remember the Lord Jesus in death. This chapter is often read. And so I don't want to take away from the preciousness of what we have illustrated here by figure and type and shadow.
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But I would like to just make a practical remark or two, because this was a real test in Abraham's life. You know, the tests come in our lives, and they're very real. I don't doubt there's people here this afternoon and you're going through some real tests of faith. And I don't want to minimize that test, but I do want to point out that the Lord knows all about it, and He never tests us above that we're able to bear. And we find here that Abraham had gone on with the Lord now for many years.
He answered a call by faith, and come out of Ur the Chaldees, and he had proved the Lord in so many, many ways.
Up to this point, because, brethren, I believe that that's how our faith grows. It's to put it in operation.
I really don't believe it's an intelligent prayer for a Christian to pray and ask the Lord to increase their faith. You know the disciples did that.
And the Lord gave them an illustration to show that the way their face was going to grow was to put it in operation. So if you've had a friend, and you've known that friend a short time, you might feel that you can trust that friend in certain areas. But if you've known that friend for 20 years, and that friend has never let you down, has always been worthy of your confidence, doesn't your faith in that friend grow? You see, I've proved that friend isn't that the way it is with the Lord Jesus Christ.
We trusted him for salvation. Now can't we trust him for every situation along the path of faith and service? Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. And I want to say this very carefully, but I would suggest that if Abraham had had some great tasks like this, very shortly after he was called out of Ur the Chaldees, he might have failed.
Wouldn't have been up to it, but God knew the exact moment when his face was up to this great test. And it was a great test. I don't think any of us realized what a great test it was Here in his old age, he had finally received the promised air, and then he told to take him and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that God would show him what must have gone through Abraham's mind. Well, scripture doesn't leave us in any doubt, you know. We know from the incident here.
That he had faith by what he did. But if we were to go over to the New Testament, we would find that he had faith even by what he thought.
Accounting that God was able even to raise him from the dead. In other words, Abraham said, even if I have to lift the knife and slay my son, the promise has been made through Isaac and he's going to. He can raise him even from the dead. That's why it says he staggered not at the promises. He had utter confidence in his God, and nothing turned him back from going and taking his son in this way.
But you know, isn't it beautiful to see that when the right time came?
And he lifted the knife with every I suggest of plunging it into the heart of his son. All of a sudden the call comes. Now the test is over. His face has come forth, the trial of our faith being much more precious than gold, that heritage, so it be tried in a furnace. And that face that was precious to the heart of God had been tried now. And the call comes not once but twice. Abraham.
Abraham.
I'm thankful Abraham listened. If Abraham hadn't listened, what would have been the sad result?
And, you know, sometimes God has called me to.
And I trust I say it humbly. I haven't listened. And it's got me into a lot of difficulties. Things would have been spoiled here. Would they have not? Would they not have been if Abraham hadn't listened to this call at this time? Maybe God is calling you. Maybe he's speaking to you about something in your life. Or maybe speaking to teach you something in his schooling and some trial, some tests he has allowed in your life. Are you listening to what he has to say? And Abraham listened. And what a blessing there was, why Isaac was spared. He didn't have to plunge the knife into his son. And then if we were to go on, there are wonderful promises and blessings.
Made to Abraham from this point on, because Abraham listened when God called. And I say what a test of faith it was, but what a blessing at the time. You know, the trials and the tests, they don't always seem pleasant, do they? Remember sitting in school writing exams, And it didn't seem very pleasant at the time. But then when the exam was handed back a couple of weeks later and I got a good grade, oh, it made it all worthwhile. I said. Well, it seemed hard at the time, but I come through and I've got a good mark.
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And the test must have been hard at the time for Abraham, but what a wonderful blessing there was following it. Now let's go to Exodus chapter 3.
Exodus chapter 3.
And verse two. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire.
Out of the midst of a Bush. And he looked, and behold, the Bush burned with fire, and the Bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight. Why the Bush is not burned. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the Bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. Well before I comment on this portion. It's often been pointed out, but I think it bears repeating that the life of Moses is divided into 3 different segments in Scripture.
Each consisting of 40 years. 40, as we know, is a time of testing in the Word of God.
And we find that for the 1St 40 years of Moses life, he spent it in the palace in Egypt. He spent it, as another has said, in the school of man, learning that man is something. Isn't that what the schools of men teach us today? As my children and young people get older, I'm appalled at how much this is ingrained in them, in their in their schooling. But man is something, and that there's a spark of divinity within each one of us. And if it's placed in the proper environment and sand in the proper way, it's going to eventually flame in up into something wonderful and beautiful.
That's what the schools of men teach us. But you know, God couldn't use a man that had come out of the palace of Egypt. He needed, if he was going to use Moses, he needed to spend some time in the school of God. And so Moses, subsequent to his years in the palace, spent 40 years in the backside of the desert, learning that man is nothing rather than it's a good lesson for us. One of the great lessons of the wilderness is that the flesh.
Profiteth nothing. And so Moses needed to learn that. And now, where we read here, he's about to embark on the last 40 years of his life leading the people of God through the wilderness and learning that God is everything. So if I can just sum it up again, He spent 40 years learning that man is something, 40 years unlearning that and learning that God that man is nothing, and then 40 years learning to lean on God, learning that God is everything.
They're good lessons for us to seek by the grace of God to learn in their our lives.
And I say God couldn't use a man who'd come out of the palace. He needed a man out of the backside of the desert. It's interesting in the book of Acts where this is summed up, think it's in the preaching of Stephen. He refers to Moses when he came out of the palace, the school of man as a man mighty in Word and deed. But that's not the Moses we find here in these chapters. When he came out of the school of God, he said, well, I can't go in and stand before Pharaoh. I'm slow of speech and how I'm this was just the kind of material God could use.
And when we've learned these lessons, then we're the kind of material that God can use in His service. As long as we're full of ourselves, God can't use us in that way. But when we learn our own nothingness, but we learn that He's everything, then He can use us. And God had a wonderful service for Moses at this point, and he appears to him in the burning Bush. The burning Bush is perhaps a picture of God in the midst of a redeemed people, and the people by His grace and mercy, not consumed.
It's true. Our God is a consuming fire, and he seeks to consume that which is not according to his truth.
Which is not according to His Holiness in us, but his people, where he was going to carry them up and they were not going to be consumed because of his mercy. And so he appears to Moses, and he seeks to get Moses attention. He doesn't call him just once. He says Moses, Moses. And there was immediate response. You know, it was mentioned in the reading this morning that God has a path of service for every one of us if you belong to the Lord Jesus, no matter how young you are.
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Here this afternoon, he has something for you, something for you to fulfill.
Something that he's equipped you for. Maybe he's speaking to you about it. Maybe he's seeking to get your attention. He's calling your name. I'm glad Moses listened when the Lord called to him. Moses, Moses. And hesitatingly it's true. But finally he goes in response to the Lords call and oh, what a mighty deliverer he was. He was used in a tremendous way. And if you answer the call of God in your life, all who can tell what a blessing you will be.
Oh, he might not have some great place of leadership like he had for Moses, but I say he has something.
For you to do. I really feel that there are assemblies who suffer a lack because there are those in the assembly who are not fulfilling what God has given them to do. And I'm encouraged when I visit Assembly and I see brothers and sisters and young people busy serving the Lord in the little sphere in the corner where God has placed them. I love it when I see the young brothers after the team meeting pulled up the tables and put them back in the in their story, Jerry and the sisters.
Working in the kitchen together.
And all these kinds of things. Because if we're faithful in that, we'll just leave. We'll be faithful also in much. God doesn't start us at the top of the ladder, so to speak. No, He entrusts the little things to us, and if we're faithful in those little things, then he'll entrust more. I've noticed that the young people that help in the little hidden, quiet ways in the assembly are the young people that later on God gives more to entrust with a greater service.
The young people that just float outside and don't consider that they need to help a little bit and there's things need to be done before the next meeting.
They're not so much the young people that God uses later on. Well, Moses learned these lessons by grace, and I say God called him, he said, Here am I. There was obedience, and God used him in a wonderful way. Now let's go to Luke's Gospel, chapter 10.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 10 and verse 40.
Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
Bid her therefore, that she helped me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.
While we're here, we have a lady called in the previous one. It's been men or boys, but here's a lady. God is interested in the sisters here. He has something for you and he seeks to speak to you as well. You have a little different sphere of things than the brothers, but nevertheless it's a very important fear. And I believe a sister who goes on in that fear is a great blessing in the home and in the assembly. And here we find, and again we know the story so very well.
We find the Lord Jesus coming to this home in Bethany. You know, when the Lord Jesus was here in this world, there were very few homes.
Where the Lord Jesus was really welcome, it says the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. On another occasion it says every man went to his own house. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But you know, there was one home at least where the Lord Jesus was welcomed. And just picture us so often he turns his weary footsteps to that home in Bethany, where he could sit down in the midst of those that loved him and have his spirit refreshed here in his pathway.
Is that what our homes are? Are our homes really a place where the Lord Jesus is welcome? I want us to think about that for a moment. If the Lord Jesus came to my home this afternoon, would it be a place where he's really welcome, or would he see things there that perhaps made him uncomfortable? Would he detect a formality in the hospitality that is given to him? There was none of that. It fascinated all he loved so often in his pathway to sit down.
At this little home in Bethany, surrounded by those who truly loved him, and here we find he comes to this home. And when he arrived, I think both these sisters were busy preparing for the arrival of the Lord Jesus. The reason I say that is when Martha complained. She said, cares thou not that Mary hath left me to serve alone. In other words, they were both working side by side, but when the Lord Jesus entered that home and sat down.
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Mary said, as it were. Here's an opportunity that can't be missed. I'm going to sit down and hear what the Lord Jesus.
Has to say, and we sometimes sing a hymn. We sit as learners at thy feet, thy words, and honey far more sweet. We had some expressions to this end this morning in the reading meetings that I thought were very good, but oh, to take time each day to sit at Jesus feet. Did you get your Bible out this morning and read a chapter before you came to these meetings? Before you go to work, before you go to bed at night? Do you spend time sitting at Jesus feet? You say life is so pressured and I I agree with you. We're on a treadmill of society.
That just being cranked up faster and faster all the time and it just seems that the moment you wake up in the morning.
Satan is there to interject every kind of thought and activity to keep us from time spent in the Lord's presence. But you know, if you're going to sit at Jesus feet, if you're going to spend time reading his word and in prayer, you're going to have to leave something. Mary had to leave. Her sister Martha might have said, well, we're getting a meal ready, and you can't leave. In the middle of getting a meal ready, Mary said yes, I'm going to let something go and sit at Jesus feet. I want to encourage you with all my heart this afternoon. Spend time at Jesus feet, even if you have to let something go.
It might seem very important and it might be important, but how well you'll be repaid?
You'll never be sorry for time, and I realize you're going to have to discipline yourself in this day and age. You've got to set aside time. So I'm going to spend this time at the feet of the Lord Jesus. And so Martha complained and she was cumbered about with much serving. But all how the Lord loved Martha, he wanted Martha to enjoy what Mary was enjoying. And he wanted to enjoy her company at his feet just as he was enjoying Mary's company. And so he speaks to her.
And I can just hear the tenderness in the voice of the Lord Jesus as he says, Martha, Martha, can't you just hear the pleading, the tenderness in the heart of the Lord Jesus, and in his voice? And he said, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, brethren. It is needful, especially in the day in which we live. The enemy is busy to undermine the truth and subvert our souls, and get us discouraged and turn us aside, it says.
Your adversary, as the devil is a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. He doesn't give up, but all time spent in his presence is what's going to preserve us. And so Mary had chosen the good part that would have eternal, lasting consequences. But I would just say this before we pass on.
That I believe Martha listened to the Lord here. Why do I say that? Well, you know when the Lord Jesus in John 12 came again to this home for the last time before he went to the cross. I love what it says there, it simply says. And Martha served. And no rebuke from the Lord. No calling her name twice, trying to get her attention. Nothing about the service being cumbersome. It just simply records Martha served because I believe that between Luke 10 and John 12.
Martha learned the lesson that the Lord was seeking to bring before her, and that is that true joy in service spring.
Than sitting at Jesus feet. Service is a wonderful thing. But don't go out and serve unless you have come out of the sanctuary, unless you've come out from the presence of the Lord. I will go in that's first and out and find pasture. And so Martha learned this lesson and what a wonderful lesson it was. Let's go on in the same book to the 22nd chapter.
Chapter 22 and verse 31 and the Lord, said Simon.
Simon, the whole Satan has desired to have you that he might sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Well, here we have another individual, Simon Peter. Simon is one who received a change of name after he was first called. When he had left all and followed the Lord, he received a change of name from Simon to Peter. But here we find that Simon Peter was at a low point in his experience in following the Lord. Now we don't have time to go into this, but we find that one of Peter's difficulties was he followed a far off. Another difficulty was that later on he associated.
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With a little company around the fire who had no love for his Lord, you know, evil communications, corrupt good manners.
Our friends and associates that affect us more than we think. Who do you spend your time with when you're at liberty? I know you have fellow students and fellow workers and so on, but who do you spend your time with when you're at liberty? Is it those who encourage you in the path of faith or those who discourage you? But we find here again the Lord sought to get Peter's attention. Now it's interesting that when he called him, he didn't say Peter. Peter. Because Peter is what what he was by grace.
But Simon was what he was by nature. And you know Peter was a true child of God. There was restoration. It's prophesied right here that there would be restoration for Peter after the fact. But Peter was acting like a man in the flesh because at this point his heart was filled with self-confidence. He could say though all deny the yet will not I deny thee, you know, that wasn't just an idol. Both he really loved his Lord and he didn't want to see him suffer. But he had to learn by bitter experience the truth of that verse that says he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. And yet you know you find here that Simon is the one of the seven.
The only one of the seven that didn't listen and take heed to what the Lord had to say to him. If he'd only listened here, it might have saved him that bitter experience. But again, I want you to notice the accuracy of Scripture, and this is one thing I appreciate about the King James Version. I know no version is perfect. Every translation loses something in the translating. But what I've appreciated with the Old English and the King James is that it does distinguish between the singular.
And the plural. And that's very important in the word of God. In our watered down English we use today, we don't always distinguish in that way. Just notice what I'm Speaking of. It says in verse 31, Satan has desired now I want you to notice this to have you, that he may assist you as sweet you know you is plural in the Old English. And to me it's just as if the Lord looked at this little company of disciples and He knew that they were all vulnerable because we are, we're all vulnerable to the attack.
Of the of the enemy. And so he says, I prayed for you, but he knew something else. He knew what was in Peter's heart.
And so he turns to Peter, and he doesn't say, I prayed for you notice I prayed for these that I say fail not. That was very individual. Again, isn't it wonderful that we have one in the glory who's interceding for us? And he knows us by name. He intercedes for us by name, as it were. We were not lost in the crowd. And so this was a real test here in the life of Peter. And it's true, Peter did deny his Lord three times with oaths and curses.
But isn't it wonderful that the Lord could say, and when thou art restored, strengthen my brethren And there was restoration? I might just say this too in passing, because several times in the last few months this subject just come up and it might be helpful. You know, I don't believe, young people that Satan ever indwells a true child of God. Because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We're indwelt by the spirit of God. Now Satan can harass the believers.
And we find here that Satan desired to have Peter, that he might sift him as wheat. But it's interesting in contrast, when Judas, who was an unregenerate man and remained so till the end of his time, when he was going to carry out the awful deed of betraying the Lord Jesus, it says Satan entered in.
To Judah, Judas was an unregenerate man, and so paramount was the betrayal of the Lord Jesus in the mind of Satan.
That he entered in himself to Judas to make sure that that awful deed was carried out. Well, I just mentioned that in passing because I know the subject has come up. There's a very real warfare and conflict going on about us. We're not aware, we're very little aware of what there is around us and we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but it's a very real warfare nonetheless. Well, I think Simon here is a good warning to us.
Simon. Simon, get Simon, Listen. Not really true. Later on he saw the Lord look at him. It broke his heart. There was real repentance. But I say he could have saved himself this bitter experience had he listened on this occasion. And now let's turn to the last and 7th. Back to the book of Genesis, this time to the 46th chapter.
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Chapter 46 of Genesis and verse one. And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to bear Sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God speak unto Israel in the visions of the night. And said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father. Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make a sea a great nation. Well, we've looked at individuals at all different points in their pathways, But now here at the end we find one who is an elderly man.
When I read this, I think of that verse in the 37th Psalm that says I was young and now I'm old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken and his seed begging bread. The thrill when I go in and visit somebody who's elderly and they're rejoicing in the Lord, They've proved the care and provision of the Lord for them all through their pathways. But here we find Israel takes His journey. Notice that it's Israel that takes His journey because again, Israel is what we are. By grace, Israel means a Prince with God and he's brought us as beggars from the dunghill and set us among Princess. That's what we are positionally.
And so Israel takes this journey. He's going down, finally, to see the sun that he thought had been dead for so many years, the son of his love, Joseph. But you know, as he gets to the border now, as he gets to Beersheba, he's evidently afraid. That isn't that remarkable. You know, that's not the Jacob you read of earlier on, because the Jacob you read of earlier on seemed to always have everything together. He tried to get the blessing by scheming and making bargains with God. He thought he could do it on his own.
But Jacob is learning lessons of dependence. He's beginning to learn that there's nothing good in Jacob. He fully learned it, perhaps at the end of his life where it says he worshipped. Leaning on his staff, he learned finally took many years, I think 140 years. But it took many years for him to learn his to depend wholly on his God. But here I believe he's learning it, and we find that he comes to the border. And now he offers.
A sacrifice.
And he prays. And isn't it wonderful? God speaks to him now again, he doesn't say Israel, Israel.
Because, you know, if we're afraid, we don't get that from the Lord. If you're afraid here this afternoon, you got that somewhere else. Because it says he hasn't given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. You know, I've talked to a lot of Christians in the last few months and with events that have taken place right here in North America. Seems to me a lot of Christians are afraid. And I'm not saying that we're not concerned. We need to be intelligent as to what is going on in the world around us. We need to be prayerfully exercised by these things, but rather not afraid because we have one who's in control of it all.
He knows the end from the beginning, and so Jacob was afraid. And so God meets him where he is. And he doesn't call him Israel. He calls him Jacob. Jacob. I'm glad he's the God of Jacob. So often you have these two names brought together in the word of God. Why speak of thou, O Israel, and sayest O Jacob? My way is hid from the Lord. And so sometimes we act like men in the flesh. We're afraid. We think the Lord doesn't understand or see, but the Lord comes, and he's the God.
Of Jacob, and he takes care of us. He was going to provide for his servant here. There was an old man now.
His heart was could almost not contain the thought that he was going to see Joseph again. But the Lord says to him, Jacob, Jacob, fear not. You go down and I'll be with you. Now I'm going to apply this just a little bit different than the way we usually apply this event in the life of Jacob. I hope it's relevant because, you know, Egypt is sometimes used as a picture of this world in the scripture. And that's the way I'd like to apply it this afternoon because, you know, maybe there's somebody here and you say I'm just afraid to go back on Monday.
I just. I'm just afraid to go back to school. You don't know what I face at work. You don't know the situation in the assembly I come from. Oh, he says, Fear not. I'm going to go with you. I'm going to take care of the situation. I'm going to help you through it. You might not see the removal of the difficulty, but he's going to be there and he's going to help you. Don't be afraid. Just trust in him. And so the verse we began with this afternoon said, fear not. I have redeemed thee. Can anything change that, Braden? Nothing.
He's redeemed us. We're exhorted to fear not, have been impressed how many times we have the exhortation in Scripture.
To fear not. And then he says, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. Well, brethren, we've looked at these individuals very quickly. We've just made some very practical remarks. But I trust it will encourage our hearts to go on. Go on with the Lord. He's there. He'll guide you and lead you. And, brethren, where is it all going to end? It's all going to end in the glory. And we're going to rehearse his ways with us there. And we're like the children of Israel when their history in the wilderness was summed up.
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They said he led us by the right way. That's what we're going to say when we see it all from His perspective. And we're just going to praise Him for all his ways and all his grace and all His goodness to us here. Let's pray our God and Father how thankful we are. For again for the Savior. We thank you for the man in the glory. And we thank thee that we're going to see Him very soon. But we thank thee in the meantime that we have Thy word to encourage us on blessed Thy word that's been before us this afternoon.
Continue to undertake forests in these meetings. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen.
Balaam
Address—H. Short
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It's a spiritual song, wilderness song, #12 in the back. What though the accusers are.
A veil that I have done.
I know them well in thousands more.
Jehovah find it non.
Verse 3 before.
Behind.
Around.
They set their fierce array to fight and force me from the ground.
A long life, narrow way, very early in my life as a believer.
I began to learn the painful truth of this little song.
That was great enemy of our souls lies right within our breath and.
How the enemy loves to discourage us by our failures, by our faults, by our sins.
Thy means of that effectually turn us aside from the path of God's calling with someone. Start #12 please.
I've been bothered. We thank thee for the grace that has brought for us and for the grave that has the argument.
We thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ.
We ask now Thy blessing on Thy word that our hearts might be attached.
In love to him.
We pray our Father for the blessing of the dear Saints here and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
I would like to start first with a verse in Romans, the book of Romans, chapter 8.
It's part of verse 33.
Who shall lay anything?
To the charge of God's elect.
If I have a.
A great remorse.
And regret in my life as a believer.
I would think one of the greatest of them all.
Is the willingness of my lips my heart?
To speak of the failures of my brethren to others.
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It's often been a cause of sorrow in my heart because I.
Believe today.
And I spoke more.
In the years of my Lord.
Of all my brethren.
More good would have been done on their behalf.
Now I like to look in the Book of Revelation to introduce what's on my heart. Roman Romans 8 really does, but.
I wanted to look at a man who had no heart for God's people. I want to look at three passages where he's mentioned in the New Testament.
And what I would call their chronological order, their moral chronological order, His last mentioned is the first one I want to read about in Revelation chapter 2.
And in the assembly to Pergamus I might say that this assembly.
Comes in where there have been departure and there have been recovery through persecution and then Pergamus comes out of this purging of Smyrna.
And these words are said to Pergamus in verse 14. I have a few things against the because thou hast there, them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel.
And the end of the verse to commit fornication.
This goes on then into the next assembly, Thyatira, and we see that last oneness of the Church marked by adultery.
And unfaithfulness to God. Well, I want to draw from this.
The doctrine of Balaam was introduced very early into the assembly and was never will see judged.
And basically, it was a doctrine that encouraged the Saints of God.
To mix.
With the world and to commit.
Adultery and fornication.
We see here it applied to Balaam, applied to the assembly, as he is in the other two passages too. Now the next time he is mentioned, I can use this opposite words morally, chronologically, as in Second Peter chapter 2. I might say it's been precious to me to see First Peter was built on the revelation of Christ to Peter in Matthew 16.
And second, Peter built upon the Lord's mount of Transfiguration in chapter 17. And the following judgments on Israel's condition because they weren't suited to enter into that Kingdom, that could have been introduced to them because they were corrupted, and so the mountain was removed.
But in the second chapter of Second Peter, he speaks about those who were bad in their ways in verse 14, having eyes full of adultery.
That cannot cease from sin. Beguiling unstable souls and heart, they have exercised with covetous practices, cursed children.
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bozor, who loved their wages of unrighteousness.
In this chapter we see there was a people who professed Christ and they were they by that profession escaped the pollutions which were in the world through lost.
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Much like our children occurred to me in the reading yesterday that it might not be just.
Exactly. Totally accurate to think of our children as born under the power of the Kingdom of darkness if born into Christian families.
I know essentially that's true.
But our children born, your children here, born into Christian families.
You've escaped a lot that the speaker didn't escape.
You should thank God for that.
But in our chapter there were those who escaped these things through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. They weren't real in their soul, and they were ensnared again through this practice of balaam and ensnared as a dog returning to its vomit or swine to its wall.
But Balaam's effect on the Assembly of God has a worse consequences even than that, and so his last mention in the Book of Jude.
I say last because Revelation gives his beginning his effectual beginning.
His followers teaching his doctrines that never did get judged in the Church of God. And I want to say this, you know, characteristically, I suppose the Church has passed through the era when it was sought to be stopped by persecution.
And it couldn't stop it.
But the heir of Balaam has been more effectual.
Than persecution. And dear Saints of God, it's a real thing in your life and mine today.
They said our brethren in persecution should pray, pray for us, Our brethren in poverty should pray for us.
Do we realize the solemn truth of that this book of Jude? Others have said James gives us the cradle and Jude, the grave of Christianity as a profession in what brought it down to death, double death.
This doctrine of Balaam is found here, Jude. It says in verse 11. Woe unto them where they have gone.
After the heir of Balaam.
Then it goes down in verse 12. These are spots in your feast of love, you know.
The most devastating things happening in the Assembly of God in North America today in Europe.
Where it has chiefly been developed, I'm Speaking of it as a professional lampstand for God.
The most devastating thing?
Is done under the guise of love.
We're warned.
From time to time at home.
Of our school systems.
Teaching tolerance.
Oh, they add a lot of good things to disguise the real purpose of these teachings. You know, tolerance is a good thing in a good place.
But they're teaching.
And we are endangered of embracing it ourselves. These came in to love. Feast under the banner of love and they tell you if you love, you won't.
Speak bad of these things, these morally corrupting things.
And it's having a devastating effect on us loved ones.
And that's where they came in. In the love feast, In the name of love. But it says.
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But trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead, That's an advancement on being born dead in trespasses and sins. Christ quickens those who can quicken those who are dead in trespasses and sins, but he cannot quicken those who are twice dead.
Twice dead means they have given up the profession of Christianity. They are apostates.
And that condition is what God will judge the church for after the rapture of his true believers out of this profession. Now I'd like to go back to the book of numbers and take up this man.
And see how he wrought, and see what it is below the saying to God that will preserve us from being taken in.
By this doctrine, this thing that will turn us aside in our.
Down here and keep us from walking in this path that is, for the glory of our God and back in Numbers, Chapter 20, I first wanted to draw a few observations here.
So these things are not original with myself, but they are fresh in my heart. This afternoon and we see in chapter 20 it says this and I should say this, you know it, but this is Israel at the end of their wilderness journey and I believe that's where we are beloved and and that's why I think we need to pay attention to this man, Balaam.
Because he is the instrument that Satan raised up against God's people to he couldn't stop them. For 40 years he had tried to exasperate, you might say, God against them, to destroy them in the wilderness, and he couldn't succeed. And this is what we would call a last ditch stand. He raises up this diviner. He raises up this man bent on keeping the children of Israel.
From the blessing that God hath for them. And it's a last day effort. And that's why Balaam, that's why you and I face this. This is the worst enemy the children of Israel faced in the wilderness. This man Balaam. And we see he was successful not in his initial purposes of stopping God from blessing his people, but he was successful in getting them corrupted.
And so it says that Miriam died and I enjoyed this, that dear young woman who came out of Egypt. And we're going to see that's a significant factor here to preserve us. It's what's stimulated the hatred against the children of Israel. Nobody hated them in Egypt. Nobody was afraid of them in Egypt. Nobody cared if they were servants and bond slaves in Egypt, but once they felt that delivering power of God.
Bringing them out of Egypt. They were opposed. They were opposed on one hand and on the other. But when they came out of Egypt, this lovely lady, she led them in songs and dances and here she dies. Well, has there been a time in your life, loved one, That your relationship with Christ was happier than it is today? Shouldn't be.
Oh, I don't know if I'm using the right word. Happier.
Because I know that some of the most godly men you will ever read of Indiana, the word of God.
We're like their master, the Lord Jesus, men of sorrow and the acquainted with grief. But you know what I mean is this afternoon your relationship is vibrant with Christ, as that day you first believe well Miriam had died. Moses secures his death in this chapter. He speaks ill advisedly, and he takes Aaron's rod and smites the rock. And he in anger he says to them, notice this.
It says he took in chapter 20 and verse 9 Moses took the rod Aaron's rod from before the Lord.
That's where Aaron's rod had been placed before the Lord, and he smote it. And here's a wonderful lesson to learn, brethren, he says, And Moses and Aaron, a verse 10 gathered the congregation together unto them. And here he says, Hear now ye rebels, oh.
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You ever thought like that? But here's what we want to learn. Must we fetch you water out of this rock? Beloved, the testimony that you and I are identified with is not sustained by you and me. You know, it was a painful thing for me to learn that it wasn't going to depend upon me to preserve anything in this world.
That was God's.
Yeah, there was a time when I thought I had to preserve the assembly and it nearly cost me my life.
No, Moses. This is what cost Moses his life, he said. Must we? He never had fetched water out of the rock. God gave it in sovereign grace, and he would have given us here in sovereign grace. And he does give it here in sovereign grace, in spite of the failure of this dear man of God.
But this secured the death of Moses in the wilderness.
And not only that, later on in the chapter it says.
In verse 26 strip Aaron.
Of his garments.
Aaron shall be gathered into his people, and shall die there. Verse 29. And Aaron was dead. What a picture at the end of the wilderness journey, Miriam, that singing prophetess in Moses, a king.
Securing his death, Aaron the priest dying things growing weaker and weaker and weaker, and in this condition.
The enemy marshals this band, Balaam, to stop Israel from the blessing of God.
And so we go on. Let's go down into chapter.
22.
And see these three times that he made this effort.
To curse the people of God. To condemn the people of God to secure.
Or to stop them from the blessing of God. He tries it in three different ways, three different scenes, and in chapter 22 it says the children of Israel such forward and pitched in the plains of Moab.
On this side, joined by Jericho and Balik, the son of Zip or Saw saw all that Israel had done. And Moab was so afraid. Moab, you know he was the son of Lot.
He represents to us below the fruit of a believer who is living for this present life, and they couldn't stand seeing a people who wanted to enter into what answers to the heavenly portion. And that's what the enemy is doing to us today. He's trying to make an earthly Christianity, and if he succeeds in this, all that has ended up is a corrupted.
Adulterous system that has committed fornication with the world. And so this effort was to keep Israel and a figure from becoming a heavenly people, to get them all killed in the wilderness. And this man, Moab, he was of that family.
Who?
Were fleshly people who vexed their righteous souls where there was faith with the vain conversation of the wicked, and who opposed the heavenly calling of God to Abraham, and so they are relatives too, but it says.
Down in verse 5.
And that and behold, there is a people come out of Egypt.
You see that as long as they were in Egypt, they wouldn't have opposed them. You separate from the world and that's when you become as the off scouring of the earth. You can go on in fellowship with the world, but you can't go on with fellowship with God and the world at the same time. And these people coming out of Egypt being saved out of Egypt was a distress to these fleshly relatives.
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Come now, he says in verse six. Therefore I pray thee, curse me this people.
And so we find down in verse 11.
And there is a people come out of Egypt, curse me them. Well, God had an answer to this request of Balaam that prompted by Balik, God said unto Balaam, Thou shall not go with them. Thou shalt not curse the people, for they will be blessed now they are blessed and beloved things of God we are blessed. And what is going to help us to overcome?
This deadly influence of Balaam in our lives, which would associate us with the world, which would corrupt our lives.
With the world and cause us to commit this adultery. With the world, it's realizing that we are blessed by Christ with spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. But there is a great effort waged here to stop these people, and I want to look at it through.
Three times.
In chapter 23 we find.
These words, it says, verse seven. He took up this parable and said, Balak, the king of Moab, hath brought me from Aram out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, Cursby, Jacob, come defy Israel, How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? How shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied?
Then here's this first time from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I behold him. Though the people shall dwell alone, they shall not be reckoned among the nations. Here he is seeing this whole people from this top of this mountain. And he says these people are going to dwell alone. What does he mean? They're going to be beloved as separated people to God.
God is going to be their God.
And you know.
That is intolerable. You can talk about the love of God.
You can talk about most any subject, but talk yes, you can even talk about separation.
But if your feet walk in the path of separation, you're going to suffer persecution. And that, sad to say, often by fleshly minded Christians, because your walk will bother their conscience.
I would be careful.
Ill advisedly about souls, men and women of God who seek to walk in separation. This people is going to dwell alone.
Who verse 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob? The number of the 4th part and number the 4th part of Israel? Oh, he says, let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his. Think of it. Balaam says this he sees the blessing of God for Israel.
You know this people that God, Moses had said your stiff necked people from the beginning, he told them in Deuteronomy.
He said you're a stiff necked people and you haven't obeyed from the beginning. And Balaam, in this revelation of God to him, he says, oh, that I could die the death of the righteous. You know we we like that you can't. As others have said, you can't die the death of the righteous without living the life of the righteous. We like the fruits.
Of righteousness. But we don't like the travail and the perseverance and the inconvenience of living a righteous life in this world. It's what cost Lot. It's it's why these Moabites existed. Because Lot was a righteous man, but he didn't want to live the life of the righteous.
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And in a way, he didn't die the life of a righteous man. He died fathering.
Lifetime enemies of God's chosen people.
Well, we'll see. Balaam didn't die this death that he desired because he didn't live the life that required in order for him to die, to do it. And he blesses him. He blesses all Israel from this first vantage point.
Say I want to go on.
And we find another point.
Balak says, Come and verse 13. Come, I pray thee with me, and to another place from whence thou mayest see them. You know the enemy doesn't leave us. Go, beloved brethren, you may overcome at one point in your life, but he's not going to stop there. He's going to come, and he'll say, let's look at Henry in another way.
Let's tempt them from another point of view. And here I think it especially brings us as gathered Saints before our souls. For he says, I pray thee, come into another place from whence thou mayest see them. Thou shalt not see but the utmost part of them, and shall not see them all.
And cursed me them from sins. I want to talk about this.
Balik knew that if Balaam could be successful.
In cursing this remnant, just a part of Israel, not all of them now, just a part of them, He would have succeeded.
In the devastation of all Israel it was a remnant according to faith, you might say. Now, beloved brethren, that's how I look at the gathered things.
I don't look at us as a group of brethren.
Another division of, as we say, the Brethren. I don't hold us to be a division.
My life has been formed and governed.
By my view of you.
And in a certain way, I look at you.
As existing, whether I'm with you or not.
By that, if I leave this company, that won't change God's thoughts about this company.
I believe, and I'm going to separate myself from you.
In for illustration that I believe you are a company of God's people, that the Spirit of God in his sovereign grace has gathered together to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I only believe, I believe there is only one such company on earth.
I could be wrong that we are the company.
I could be wrong.
You say that's pride, I say no. It's the most humbling thing that I can think of.
Look at.
Us. We are answer to everything Moses heart was grieved about.
We haven't responded to God's grace in our lives, and still here he has a company gathered to the Lord's name.
And I believe that if he could exterminate, if there were only two Saints in the whole world gathered, truly gathered by the spirit of God to the Lord's name, Balaam would make an effort to separate them and destroy the testimony of God. And so here, he's looking at a little remnant now, he said. Don't look at them all, just take out if we can just take the extremity of them.
And get them turned aside. We will be successful. And so he says.
00:35:06
Brought him into the field of Zopim on the top of Pisgah and built 7 altars, and goes through his religious ceremonies. And then we find this testimony down in verse 20. Behold, I have received commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it. Didn't that he didn't want to, but he couldn't reverse it. And then he said.
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. Is this the same people beloved that Moses called a stiff, necked, rebellious people that hadn't followed the Lord since he had taken them up?
Yeah, but it's seeing them in our language in Christ.
It's looking at God's people as his God's workmanship.
Not their response or not their response to that workmanship, but God's side of things. And we need to do that. Beloved, if we looked at one another as God's workmanship, wouldn't that watch our tongues a little bit? Wouldn't it cause us a little fear, a little trembling, to speak ill advisedly or to speak evilly of one another?
God saw no perverseness in this people. And then it goes on something astounding to me. He didn't behold iniquity, and they noticed that expression again in verse 22. God brought them out of Egypt. He hath, as it were, the strength of Unicorn. This is in connection loved ones with the remnant aspect of things with the.
Extremity that they were looking at.
Look at it. Do we look like we have the strength of a Unicorn?
No, I'll have little strings. But it's God's strength, beloved. And if God doesn't preserve us.
You know, as I said earlier, Moses saw he would fetch water. No, you and I are not going to fetch water to sustain the people of God. If God doesn't sustain us as an assembly gathered to the Lord's name, we're not going to be sustained. And so he says to them.
God has brought them out of Egypt. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel.
According to this time shall it be said of Jacob. Now notice this, I misread this all of my life, and of Israel. Notice that expression of this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel.
What hath God wrought?
Isn't saying that of God.
Looking at Jacob and Israel and seeing what they were as the workmanship of God, and they're saying what? Ask God. It's what sustains and helps keep me in the path that I was called to some 45 years ago.
Maybe not intelligently, but when I look in my brethren's face, I look at you as what God hath brought. What hath God brought them have to say, what has he done, Brethren, What? What a work of grace that you and I are here this afternoon.
Does it? Would this make Jacob proud? Would this make Israel proud?
No, it's what God has brought. It's what God had wrought in their life. Shouldn't we look at our brethren in this way? Can't you see something in in the worst of us that is the fruit of the working of the Spirit of God in our lives? What hath God wrought? And it's spoken of Jacob and of Israel. Well, there's yet another place.
Then it says of this remnant aspect, Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion.
00:40:01
Lift up himself as a young lion. He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey and drink of the blood of the slain. And Balak said on to Balaam neither cursed him at all, nor blessed them all. He says, I'm sorry. I I'm sorry I started this procedure. Nothing but good has come out of my effort to get them cursed. If God be for us, beloved, who can be against us, and beloved, God is for us.
By his matchless grace, well, he's not going to give up yet. And so Balak says in verse 27 unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place, he said. Surely there must be some Ave. of approach to this people, that we will be able to keep them from the blessing of God. We started with all the people. You might say the day of Pentecost everything was beautiful.
And they said, oh, we have no sense to work with this. We can't do it here. Come down to a remnant that has returned to the Lord's name of the gathering center. And well, it's weaker and it's feebler and but if we can succeed here, we will be successful in ending Israel's blessing before God. We couldn't do it there. And he said, well.
There's one more place we can try. There's one more place we can try. And beloved Saints of God, I believe the next look we get at Israel.
And if ever to curse this people and hinder their entering into their blessing from God is in this last aspect of looking at this people and he says.
Let's go to another place in chapter 24. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not as other times to seek for enchantment, but he set his face.
Toward the wilderness. Let's look not from the up here at God's vantage point, but let's come down to where Moses is now, and let's look at them in the wilderness. And let's not take all of Israel. Let's not just confine ourselves to an extreme, the extremity of them, but it says. Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel abiding in his tents, according.
To their tribes that is there they were now, and he's going to take them up by families, the 12Th families in Israel. You're going to see if my family now he can succeed in stopping the blessing of God toward his people. And I want to talk about this.
It's long been on my heart.
That the condition the assembly is in today.
Relates directly.
To the condition of our families.
How he has succeeded in devastating our families. Why?
The family is almost.
Unknown.
It's been almost extinguished.
The quiet solitude of family life.
What does the word mean?
What is a family?
Those of a kind?
But it's a family of God or my family or your family.
We've almost lost.
The ability to function as families.
Among the gathered Saints.
We don't know how to move as a family entity.
In a certain way, don't take me wrong, but as a self-sufficient entity like the local assembly in God's thoughts, it should have been able to take care of itself locally. That doesn't mean it didn't have communion with other assemblies, but it should have been self administrating.
00:45:05
But we don't see.
To have been able to grasp that concept for our families, I.
I noticed that very early in my Christian life and it came bearing down quite heavily on my soul as I became a father of children. The effort to take the children out of the family and make some other entity out of them.
The efforts to take the husband and the wife away from the to each other.
Who are not speaking about divorce but we've got a society that you know I.
I made my living for probably 18 years, carpet cleaning, mostly in wealthy homes.
That I seldom saw a family unity. It isn't just amongst the poor people this devastation has taken place.
Can he curse them in their tents separated?
By tribes.
And it says, The spirit of God came upon him, and he took up this parable, and said, Balaam, the son of beer, hath said, And the man whose eyes are open hath said, He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the visions of the Almighty falling into a trance. But having his eyes open, how goodly are thy 10?
O Jacob, and thy Tabernacle, O.
Israel.
Couldn't do it, beloved. And I want to encourage your younger fathers and mothers.
We who are older failed badly in our families.
Consequently, the assembly has suffered dreadfully.
My concern.
Isn't simply for your family?
You know, I had a very close loved one.
She was never gathered to our Lord's name. She is a niece.
I spent a lot of time with her last few years.
Christian girl.
I don't know if she married a Christian or not.
She tried to establish a Christian home.
And it didn't work.
The enemy succeeded in destroying that home.
We have then come very close.
And I noticed.
Frequently she would speak to me, Uncle Henry.
I wanted a happy Christian home.
I heard this often.
And I realized one time in her talking to me, she said that again.
And Stephanie.
It just occurred to me.
That had never occurred to me as a father, that I wanted a happy Christian home.
That wasn't the purpose of my exercises.
The brother said to me once, years ago.
What is your strange religion?
I said my strange religion.
If I could deposit my five children in the Assembly of God.
For the glory of Christ.
Yes, I'm concerned for your family.
But I want you to deposit them in the Assembly of God for the glory of Christ.
00:50:03
So this last effort, this last ditch effort on the part of Balaam, was to get the tents of Jacob destroyed.
Beloved God is for us and it says.
How goodly are thy? 10 So Jacob, there are few things more joyful to my heart than to go into a home in order.
And to see the peacefulness of a family that still by the grace of God, could function as a family.
For the glory of Christ.
How goodly this is to God.
But it isn't simply for the blessing, as I say, of the family, it says.
As the valleys are, they spread forth.
Because Gardens by the Riverside.
As the trees have lined the loaves which the Lord hath planted.
And as cedar trees beside the rivers, what a fruitful picture then dispersed.
He shall pour the water out of his pockets.
And his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his Kingdom shall be exalted. You see what happened when the family was blessed? It didn't stop there.
I like to think of the pouring out of the waters is what we have in the end of John's Gospel for in what is John 6 or where all of our.
Buildings shall flow. Rivers of living water. Beloved Saints of God, do we have a relationship with Christ that we've drank ourselves, and all of our bellies flow? Rivers of living waters? Oh, that's the way the testimony of Christ is taken to the world. They see us as a people who have drunk and are satisfied and have coming out of our inner being, refreshment for them.
As well.
But it's here, he might say, reversed.
He preserved this family element and it redeveloped, you might say.
Down into a Kingdom that is exalted.
And then it goes on to tell of its strength, and God wrought brought him forth out of Egypt. There's that expression again.
He has, as it were, the strength of a Unicorn. He shall eat up the nations.
His enemies, and shall break their bones and Pierce them through with his arrows.
He couched. He lay down as a lion, and as a great lion.
Whom shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee.
And curse it is he that curseth thee, who shall lay anything to the charge of God elect.
Bilal Ad.
I think we're at the end of our pathway. I don't know.
Balaam is waging his efforts against us.
Against all the Church of God, against the remnant of it, and against your families.
But God is for us.
He is the one that gives the strength. The strength of a Unicorn is and Jacob's strength. It's God's strength on his behalf. Thou hast little string. It's called string. A lot of clothes.
With Joshua, I think it's Joshua chapter 13.
00:55:09
Chapter 13, verse 21, Middle of the verse Moses smoked with the Princess of Midian.
Which were Dukes of Zion dwelling in the country.
Balaam, also the son of Bjor the soothsayer. Did the children of Israel slay with the sword?
Among them that were slain by them well beloved.
If we're going to overcome this enemy, it's going to be by the word of God.
And not an intellectual approach to it.
But a submitting your spirit, soul and body.
To its control and its authority.
Then I believe Balaam can be slain in your life.
And you won't need to be corrupted by his influences and LED.
Into adultery from God. And I want to say this.
Of not to take away from what we had yesterday.
About the Almighty God.
But the Almighty God is our Father if.
We separate and come out from among them and be a separate people. That is who your father is, and you don't need to fear Balaam or Balak or Moab or the Amorites or any of them.
The Almighty God is your Father, and He wants to be.
Your father will be your father practically if you walk in separation.
If you come out of Egypt, a people.
For God dwelling alone, and it can be a very lonely path.
Beloved Saints, our God and Father, we ask thy blessings on thy word. Lord, we pray to bring it home.
In exercise to our hearts that we might know the reality of these principles that we've considered this afternoon, that they might be usable in our lives, that where we have failed in the past, our God and Father, we pray that we might be separated unto Him.
Without the camp bearing his reproach, we pray, Father, for the glory of our Lord Jesus and for the blessing of his dear people. We pray in his name. Amen.
Three years at 3:30 for the reason of work regression backward.
1 Samuel 22:1-2
Gospel—C. Roossinck
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None other than our Lord Jesus Christ.
The man of sorrow was the one who came from heaven's delight, who came from the glory on high into this world, so filled with sin and sorrow.
In order that he might save me. In order He might save your soul tonight. What a wonderful savior. I hope tonight that before you leave this room that each one could join in his last line of him and say Hallelujah, What a savior.
He can be your savior tonight. That's what the gospel is about, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And what he's done for sinners. Hallelujah. What a savior. I know there's many in this room tonight who would echo that. Those words from their very heart. Praise the Lord. What a savior. Does he mean anything to you tonight? Oh, I trust by the grace of God he'll mean much to you tonight before you leave this room. What a savior. We sometimes say another hymn. I think it's in the sheep. Won't sing it now.
Says, oh, what a savior that he died for me from condemnation he has set me free.
You know that savior. Hope you'll come to Norm tonight.
Let's sing another hymn #19 on the hymn sheet.
O Christ, in thee my soul is found and found in the alone, the peace, the joy I sought so long, the bliss till now unknown. Now none but Christ can satisfy none other name. For me there's love and life and lasting joy. Lord Jesus.
How did the?
And I hope you'll be able to sing at him from your heart, if not now, before you leave this room tonight.
Oh Christ, they may, my Lord.
Give me all the hungry. Find your own thy heart.
You know, I know.
Truth to the Lord and the word of prayer helped tonight.
God has given us this precious book.
And the Bible itself declares that faith comes by hearing and hearing by.
The word of God, how thankful I am that we have in our hands.
The Word of God.
00:05:02
That God has blasted to the hearts of many here tonight.
God's precious word in the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible.
God has given us many illustrations, stories.
That are true and stories that illustrate to our hearts.
Something of the love of the Lord Jesus, we Get the facts about him coming into this world.
To save sinners is coming into the being born back in Manger and living in this world and going to the cross. We get those in the New Testament, the wondrous story of his love. But I'd like to turn first of all tonight to a story in the Old Testament, First Samuel, chapter 22.
I sometimes call this little portion the 3DS.
3DS and you'll see what I mean as we read it.
It's about David and in this story I believe David is a picture to our hearts of the the Lord Jesus Christ, the Anointed. 1 David was anointed king by God. He was a man after God's own heart chosen of God and.
He's a picture to us of.
The Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Anointed one of God.
The Eternal Son. Let's read a few verses here.
Chapter 22 of First Samuel and David therefore departed thence, and escaped to The Cave Adelaim, and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.
And everyone that was in distress.
And everyone that was in debt.
And everyone that was.
Discontented.
Gathered themselves unto him, and he became a captain over them.
And they were with him about 400 men.
Just read that much for justice now.
David was.
The anointed king, but he was in rejection. He was hated by.
King Saul who was?
A man of men's choice, a goodly man as far as men eyes, he was head and shoulders above all the rest. He was a politician.
But God's man was David.
And a few chapters before this.
David had come into the camp of Israel when there was great distress.
There was this giant Goliath. I think most of us know the story. And all of Israel were afraid of that giant Philistine Goliath. None dare to meet the giant who challenged them, who put them in fear and trembling. But David.
And the strength of God went into the valley, and met that awful giant, and dispatched of him.
Slew dear Friends, the Lord Jesus Christ has come from heaven.
Into this valley of sin and shame and guilt in this world, and he's gone to Calvary's crew Cross.
To deliver us, to save us from our sins. To deliver us through fear of death of all our lifetime, subject to *******.
Oh, what a savior.
What a savior.
Well, David was.
Rejected. You know, this world has rejected the Lord of Glory.
Thank God many have received him as their savior, but generally speaking, this world is.
Still without Christ, without God, without hope.
And perhaps that's where you are tonight.
Still without Christ.
If you're still without Christ tonight, the gospel is for you, God's loving invitation.
Yes, the Lord Jesus may be rejected. It may not be popular to own Jesus Lord, but you know the word of God tells us that if you'll confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead.
00:10:19
Thou shalt be saved, saved, Or sometimes people say to me.
We don't use that word save. We don't believe in it.
Dear friend, you need to be saved.
You need to be saved, saved from hell and saved from heaven.
You need to be saved from your sins. Well, David was rejected.
But there were.
Some who sought out David David was hiding now in The Cave of Dolomites.
And there were three kinds that are mentioned here who sought out David and found him.
And he became their captain. He became their Lord.
Or what a change it must have meant in their lives. What kind of people were they?
Everyone that was in distress.
Everyone that was in distress, now you may be here tonight and think, oh, I'm not in distress.
I've lived a pretty good life.
Things are going pretty good, but I pray tonight.
That you'll realize down in your very heart of hearts.
That if you're still in your sins.
It's a distressing situation because, dear friends, unless your sins are washed in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.
You're on your way to hell. You're on your way to a lost eternity. But old God loves you. God wants you to feel tonight the burden of those sins.
Because he wants to.
He invites you. He belongs. He pleads with your soul to come.
And have that burden taken away. He died for your sins.
We come believing.
That's what he wants. All that were in distress.
Certainly don't want to wish anything bad on somebody, but if you're sitting complacently tonight.
And you've never personally received the Lord Jesus all that you would feel the distress.
Of your condition before God lost in your sins.
Lost.
You know the devil wants you to go out and.
Never think of the seriousness of eternity.
He wants you to go out and ease and pleasure. He has 1000 things in this world to keep your mind from eternity. To keep your mind from the reality of life and death.
All that you might feel like these men that were distressed.
Did they find relief for their distress? Yes, they did. They came to David. Oh, I can assure you, if you come to the Lord Jesus Christ tonight and receive him as your Lord and Savior.
You'll find relief. He'll take the burden of sin. He paid the price at Calvary's Cross that my sins and yours might be forgiven and washed in his precious blood.
Dear friend and I won't you come?
To the Lord Jesus, like these men in distress that came to David.
And found in him the source of blessing. Oh, they didn't.
They didn't find in David the riches of this world and a popular place and a position.
With a good salary they found themselves, yes, in a cave. But all they they found themselves in the company of God, man. They found themselves in the presence, in the company of the Lord.
That's where you can be found tonight.
He's calling, he says to you tonight. Come unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
You know, sometimes we need to be stirred up. We don't feel that burden.
00:15:07
We've been fooling ourselves into thinking that everything is OK.
Perhaps you were brought up in a Christian home. Perhaps you've been coming to the meetings all your life.
Have you ever felt the burden of your sin?
Have you ever felt your need of a savior? Oh, I trust you have.
And if not, may you feel that burn tonight?
I remember as a young boy.
Coming to Gospel meetings like this, hearing faithful men like Albert Hale and Mr. Wakefield and.
And others preach the gospel faithfully. And I remember thinking, Oh.
Am I saved or am I lost, wondering where I stood, not knowing.
Feeling that distress of not really knowing whether I was saved on the way to heaven or lost and on the way to hell, I remember going home, getting on my knees and saying Lord Jesus, if I'm not saved yet, I want to be saved right now. I want to be sure.
God wants you to be sure tonight, if you have one doubt in your mind that you belong to the Lord, if you have a doubt of fear that perhaps you've never personally received the Lord Jesus.
Don't talk yourself out of it. Get on your knees.
And tell the Lord all about it. Oh, he wants to give you assurance of salvation.
Don't stifle those thoughts, those fears, if you feel a distress of heart tonight.
Because you know.
There is torment in fear in doubt. There's no peace in doubt.
If you are doubting tonight, if you are wondering tonight, you know perhaps you. You're saying, well, I've heard the gospel all my life. I don't know if I'm saved or not. Don't neglect. Don't put it off. Trust Christ tonight. Be sure that your sins are gone and that you're on the way to heaven. You know if you're saved.
God has done the work, and it's the perfect work. You'll never be lost, never be lost.
But you know, I don't like to sit here, to stand here tonight and tell you.
Well, you were saving your youngster, probably in Sunday school, so you can't be lost. You're all right. Everything is OK. Or if you feel tonight, hang in your soul of uncertainty.
Come to Christ tonight.
Don't say. Oh well, I think everything's OK. Be sure, be sure.
God wants you to be sure. He wants you to know for sure that you have eternal life.
These things have I written unto you. He says that you might know that you have eternal life.
I've said to visiting.
Some, I said. You know.
Do you know where you're going?
Are you going to heaven to be with the Lord? And the answer is, I hope so. I hope so.
Are you content just to hope that somehow when you leave this world?
Everything is going to be OK.
God wants you to know.
God wants you to be able to say with the Apostle Paul, I know whom I believed.
And persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Abel.
Do you know you're saved? Don't just hope so you can know for sure.
Because it doesn't depend on you, doesn't depend on your good life. It depends on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. At Calvary Cross. He died for sinners. He died for you. He died for me. Thank God. That I can say with a hymn writer.
Oh, what a savior. Jesus the Lord.
My Savior, He wants to be your savior. Well, those that came.
In First Samuel 22.
First of all, was those in distress.
00:20:02
All there's relief for that distraction. May your heart climb tonight. That blessed peace that comes from trusting the Lord Jesus, from casting all your sins. Your burdens on him free died for you. He paid the price that those sins might be gone.
Well, that wasn't the only kind, those that were in distress and everyone that was in debt.
Everyone that was in debt. Now I can tell you if you're still in your sins.
You're in debt.
You're indebted to God for sin or rob God.
Sinners rob God.
You know when God put man in this world, there in the Garden of Eden.
He wanted to have fellowship with man. He came into the garden that says in the cool of the day.
His desire was that he might have fellowship with his creature that he'd made.
But sin had come in.
Then he'd come in and robbed God.
What was his due to Rob God?
So Adam and Eve were in debt, weren't they?
And if you're still in your sins, you're in debt.
Oh, what a debt we owe. We don't know the half of what we owe and we can't pay it. The Lord Jesus when he was here.
He tells of a man who owed 10,000 talents and he had nothing to pay.
Nothing to pay, and that's your case and mine.
Nothing to pay.
There's not a good work, there's not a thing we can do.
To pay that debt, but oh thank God it was paid in full when the Lord Jesus at Calvary's cross.
That it is finished and his Precious Blood was.
Load from his fear, Pierce side to pay the debt I owed.
You received him.
Those that were in debt came to David and they found.
That forgiveness they found. That blessing, they found that peace that they needed and desired and longed for. And you can have that peace.
Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to have peace with God, You know, through our Lord Jesus Christ. You may be laboring and trying to be at peace with God, but you'll never have peace outside of the work of the Lord Jesus for you on Calvary's cross.
Some years ago now.
I was preaching the gospel down on the South Coast of Newfoundland.
Little towns where there's no roads, you have to go by boat and.
People didn't get many visitors still don't less than those days.
And there I met a young man.
He'd come down on the coast to boat and he was staying in Little Town, Lapoil.
And he carried a big backpack on his back.
And he slept outdoors or inside a church building there if it rained.
And he ate very strangely. I didn't get a chance to have a visit with him, though. And I always wondered what this young man really was doing. What are you seeking? He seemed discontent. He was telling the people there, you know, that well, they shouldn't kill the fish, Of course, that was their living for hundreds of years in those places and so on. He had some.
Strange ideas, but I'm sorry I never got a chance to visit with him then, but.
A short time later I was on the train we were going to.
Halifax I think are somewhere on the train and right across from the aisle was this very young man.
And I was kind of observing him. My wife was with me.
And.
I saw him get up and go up to the conductor on the train and said, is there any charge for a bowl of hot water, Sir? And the doctor looked at him and said, yes Sir. So he went and sat back down, and by and by he got up again and he went up to the conductor. He said there's a charge for the bowl or for the water.
00:25:14
And the conductor thought for a minute, and he said for the bull.
So he went back to see me open his bag, got about half a coconut shell, went back up.
To the.
Conduct Journey asked for his hot water. So they gave him this bowl of hot water and half the coconut shell went back to his seat and he dug in his bed and took out some herbs and things, painted the things and they put them in this water and stirred up, drank it down. You know, everybody was looking at him. Everybody was wondering what's the matter with this fellow.
And finally, I just felt burned to speak to him. So I said.
Sir, I said. You mind if I ask you a question or two? No, that's fine.
I said. I guess you realize that.
You're a little different than anybody else on this train. Everybody's noticing.
I said what is it?
Well, why are you different?
Well.
Like you are.
Oh, he said. I'm trying to get closer to God.
Trying to get close to the call.
So it turned out as I visited with him, I found he was from a very rich family.
Businessman Boston, who had everything heart could wish. He grew up in a mansion, but nothing satisfied his heart.
Nothing satisfies your heart.
And the poor man thought.
Perhaps he could get closer to God by throwing off all these riches, denying himself of all these earthly things, and living so strange.
He was a Jewish young man.
And all I said to him, Sir.
There is a way to God the Lord Jesus Christ said. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.
There's only one way.
No matter what you might do, no matter what struggles you may go through, no matter how you may punish yourself.
There is only one way, dear friends, to have the forgiveness of sins. There's only one way to God, and that's to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
I don't know what happened to that dear young man. Never saw him again.
But tonight.
God loves you. God desires your blessing. God is beseeching.
That you would come in all your needs and all your distress and all your death.
Find in him the forgiveness of sins, finding him the joy and peace.
Of knowing your sins forgiven. Knowing that you have a home with Christ in glory when you leave this world.
Oh, that's far better than all the world is offering. Far better.
Wouldn't you have the Lord Jesus? You're going to say no, You want to do it your own way?
Disaster. The Scripture says there is a way that seems right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
The end thereof are the ways of death. Are you going away tonight? That seems right to you.
The theme is the best You're getting your education. You're planning for the future in this world.
What about the end?
Where is it going to end?
Dear friend, it will only end in one of two places.
It will either be to be with Christ in glory, because your sins have been washed in this precious blood.
Because you've received them as your savior.
Or no matter how high you might climb on the corporate ladder in this world.
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Or the high society. This world it landed hell.
To end destruction. The end. There are other ways of death. God warns you that warning after warning this precious book that the soil is thin as it shall die. The point on the man wants to die. And after this the judgment. Are you ready to meet God?
You can try as hard as you like to satisfy yourself.
In this world, what about eternity?
You're ready to meet God.
Well, those that were indebted, those that were in distress, came to David and found relief.
And how you can come to the Lord Jesus and find relief. There is one more.
And everyone that was discontented.
Discontented.
Are you really content?
If you're content now in your sins, I hope you'll be discontented.
I hope you'll realize tonight that there's no true joy.
In the pleasures of this world, there is the Bible tells us there is pleasure in sin, but it's first season.
Its first season.
The end of death?
That same verse in Proverbs that tells us there's a way that it's seen that's right unto man, but the end thereof of the ways of death goes on to say even in laughter, the heart is horrible.
Old man can cover up his condition by filling his life with.
Laughter with fun with good time.
Remember where it ends, dear friend. Remember where it ends. It's the end that comes. It's eternity. It's before.
God is preaching.
Would you come and be saved? Would you receive the Lord Jesus tonight?
We can do that right where you are and we don't ask you to come up front or to.
Do do anything. You can receive the Lord Jesus by faith in your heart, right there on the seat where you are.
God knows between you and the Lord Jesus. It's not between you and the preacher.
It's a decision you must make between you and your God.
Are you going to receive his salvation?
Are you going to say no thanks?
Those who were discontented.
They came to David and they found that relief. Just a little wee picture.
Of the relief and the joy that's available.
Those that come to Christ.
Or to experience the riches of his grace. All the Bible speaks of what God it says. Hebrews are Ephesians. 2 but God who was rich in mercy for His great love or what he loved.
For by grace that he saves. Oh, it's his grace that's calling.
Going to say no thank you.
Perhaps you're thinking, well, some other time. I've got a date for the thing tonight, and I'm not thinking about that stuff now. Everything I'll think about later, dear friend, is dangerous. This may be your last opportunity. This may be the last time you ever hear the good news of the gospel. And God says, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Don't put off the salvation of your soul.
Dangerous business?
God's love is real.
God is inviting me.
He is commanding you, in fact.
It says.
God now command of all men everywhere to repent. Why? Because.
He is a point of the day in which he will judge this world in righteousness by that man.
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But man, his man.
Yes, the Lord Jesus.
Is going to judge this world.
In view that God says He commands you to repent because he loves you, He doesn't want you to come under judgment. Dear friend, God is for you.
You know, I think our natural mind, we tend to think that God is against us and we have to do something to appease him and and we have to bring our good work and hope that he'll accept them and set us into heaven.
The work is done on Calvary's cross, There's nothing you can add to it. When the Lord Jesus said it is finished on Calvary's cross.
It was finished. Can you add to a finished work? You'd always spoil it.
Receive it. Accept it. It's for you.
Many received him, John, chapter one tells us. Many has received him to them, gave he power to come, the Son of God, even to them that believe on his name. Have you received him? Have you believed? Oh, that's the question. What have you done with Christ?
Never mind what you're doing with your life. That's important in its own place, yes.
But the question tonight is, what have you done with the Lord Jesus, God's anointed, God's man?
Have you received them? You have the forgiveness of sin.
A little later on in this chapter.
Saul says to his servants in verse.
Seven it's all said unto his servants that stood about him. Here now he bend you might Will the son of Jesse give you every one of you for you vineyards, and make you captain? The 1000 Captions of hundreds.
I think Saul was saying in a very mocking way, always said, Will. Will David make your rich in this world? Is he going to give you farms and riches?
And position give you to be captains and.
Is that what the Lord Jesus wants for you? Is that what he's going to do for you? Is he going to make you rich in this world? You know, there are people today that are saying to get saved. You get rich. If you get saved, God is going to prosper in business and you'll be somebody in this world.
I don't find that in the scripture.
But if you trust the Lord Jesus, he'll give you eternal life.
To give you eternal life.
Tall was mocking. He said, Oh, they're going to David. Is he going to make you rich?
Is he going to give you earthly good?
Nope, he's not. And that's true, He's not.
And God is going to give you eternal life. If you'll trust the Savior, he'll give you riches untold in the glory.
The person Ephesians 2 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Isn't that better than nursery? Richard? Isn't that better than farms and lands and jobs and positions? Oh dear one, tonight God wants to really bless you.
Everything that you accumulate in this world.
You'll have to leave it behind at best.
And very likely to be a hindrance.
Through the enjoyment of Christ.
Don't look, don't look for great things in this world.
Who said to bury Seeketh thou great things for thyself, seek them not.
They cannot, oh but the Lord said.
Seek the Lord while he may be found.
Call upon him while he's near. That's the important thing. Where do you make a success of your career in this world or not?
I'm not saying it's not important, don't get me wrong, but it's nothing compared to eternity.
The importance of knowing where you're going when you leave this world.
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You may acquire fame and riches, but you're going to leave it all behind.
The only thing you take with you when you leave this world, I believe, is what you've enjoyed of this blessed person that we've been speaking about the Lord Jesus.
You're saved. You can take that with you. You can enjoy it forevermore.
What a danger.
I want to turn to one more little portion of Luke's Gospel.
The Gospels we Get the facts about the Lord Jesus.
We had the foreshadows.
Books of History Luke, Chapter 4.
Now the Lord Jesus had come.
The Lord of glory, the creator of everything, come into this world.
Become a babe in bathroom's Manger.
And here in this 4th chapter he came.
He was the Capernaum. Let's see, Nazareth, verse 16. And he came to Nazareth where he'd been brought up.
And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read, and there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
And when he had opened the book, he found the plague where it was written.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance.
To the captain.
And recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty.
Them that are bruised to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book. He gave it again to the minister and sat down.
In the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were factored on them.
You know, he was the author of that book.
Isaiah wrote it down.
God was the author, and here he was.
Came into NASA.
And he took the book of Isaiah. He found the place new where it was. He could have quoted, I'm sure.
Without finding the place.
But he found the place.
And he read.
The Spirit of the Lord upon me.
We mentioned that the first David was the Anointed One. The King here is the true King, the true Anointed One, the Lord from heaven.
Until he read this scripture and applies to him, doesn't it? He says the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has annoying me to preach the gospel to the poor to the poor.
Thank God the gospel goes out to the poor.
One of the poorest men we meet in the Gospel, I believe, was that rich young man.
He was rich in earthly goods.
And he spoke to Jesus.
And he wondered what good thing he could do. Perhaps, he thought, he would hear something about giving.
To charity, or building a synagogue or doing some grand thing. Said what good thing can I do to inherit eternal life? He knew he had a need of something. Although he had riches untold, he had a need. Any newness.
You know, he made a decision that day.
It says he went away.
He went away.
God, oh, he could have gone away rejoicing.
All his riches didn't give him joy of heart. I think he was the poorest man, perhaps that we meet.
In the gospel, although he had riches.
He didn't have the savior. He made a decision that those riches.
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Couldn't be parted with.
So he traded, you might say, the savior or Richard.
Oh, I feel burdened.
If there is somebody here seeking the riches of this world and the fame.
The Gospels preached to the poor, But if you're in your sins, dear friend, you're poor, the Lord said to those, and laid a sea, and now and you you don't. You say you're rich and increased with good, but you don't know that you're poor, Poor and poverty. Without Christ you're poor.
Or you can have the riches of glory God is offering to you if you receive Christ.
You can't give them to your sins. That would be a disaster he wants.
To take you to his home and glory.
To give you all the riches of heaven that you'll enjoy forevermore.
When those riches, perhaps, that you're clinging to in your heart tonight.
Will be rusting and molding away.
Or is it worth it? Is it worth it? Take the place of the poor?
Come to Christ, he'll make you rich, he says. There in Revelation will take time turn to.
As I counsel you.
To buy me gold, cried in the fire. The real wretches.
God is counseling you tonight. He's besieging you tonight. He's calling tonight.
Boy of him, the true riches. What's the price? Or it's without money and without price. Oh, everyone. That thirst. As he says, come into the waters. Yeah, come without money and without price. Yeah, buy my wine and milk without money and without price.
What a savior is he or.
He loves you tonight.
He wants to redeem you.
Poor to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the broken hearted.
The broken hearted.
Will I trust?
That you'll be broken hearted regarding your strength. That's repentance. That's what Paul preached. No, he didn't preach good living. Paul didn't preach to join the church and to do the best you can to get to have any preached repentance toward God.
Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ? Oh, that's the way of salvation. Repentance toward God.
Then it goes on to say.
And to preach delivering to the captive.
Here, without Christ, Satan has your captive.
Captives of sin needed.
Committed sin as a servant or a slave to sin, the word of God says.
Oh, to realize your condition before God. Satan blinds the mind so that you don't realize your condition needs. But God says I came to set the captives free. You're not saved. You're captive to sin, but there's delivered.
The door of heaven is open wide.
Come to Christ.
And recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty.
Then her brew.
What a savior. You know all that came to the Lord Jesus.
In their needs, all that came to the Lord Jesus feeling their need and their their.
Trouble their captivity, their sickness. She blessed them all. He received them.
He gave them sight, He gave them healing blessings. And tonight he wants to give to you. He doesn't want to take from, you know, the Lord Jesus doesn't.
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Want you so that you can support support the local church. He's not looking for you so you can.
Be as slave, as servant. He's looking for you because he wants to bless you.
He wants to bless you.
And he will.
Him Come towards your writing.
I've often told this story because I've enjoyed it so much. There was a very poor widow woman.
I think she lived in India.
And there was a missionary that knew she was very poor, felt sorry for want to help her out. So he had some money he was going to give to her. He wanted to help her. So he came to her house and knocked on the door. You know, nobody came to the door.
So he knocked again. Nobody came, We thought, That's strange. That's sure she was home. Almost sure she's home. He knocked and he knocked and nobody came. Finally could wait no longer.
And he went away.
An accused gone away.
She crawled out from under the bed.
Thinking that he had been bill collector, she wanted to take from her.
The money, What little she had, what very little she had.
Oh, she only knew that her door was one who wanted to help her, who wanted to bless her. And she wouldn't open the door.
Behold, the Lord Jesus says I stand at the door, knock if any man hear my voice, and will open the door.
I will come into him and stop with him and he with me. He wants to bless you. Will you let him?
We come tonight and say yes, Lord Jesus, I come as a guilty Sinner.
Come in repentance. He'll save you. He'll bless you. He'll give you that peace and joy for which you've sought to long.
Perhaps you sought peace and joy, but you wouldn't. You've never met the source of true peace and joy.
He's knocking at your heart tonight.
He invited me. We say Yes, Lord Jesus.
I.
Take my sins away and save me.
He'll do it.
Time is nearly up.
Won't tell you one little story.
Man, Newfoundland, I knew for many years.
He used to come to the gospel tent.
Twice a day, every time, all the time it was here. It was always there. He always took track, he always took pamphlets, whatever we passed, and he read them.
I thought, oh, you must be saved, namely, said boy.
In Zaidi.
I assume that since he heard the gospel so many times.
And since he had read so many gospel tracts, I assumed Sid must be a Christian.
One day I was visiting there in the winter.
And I knocked on his door, invited me in.
He had some sorrow in his life that Paul, his wife, had passed away.
And I came in, I sat down he while he said see, I done it.
You know, this stupid fella here didn't know what he was talking about.
I said you've done it. What you do, you know. He looked so hurt. Oh, he said thieves. I've done it. I still didn't understand what he was talking about. I said, said, tell me about it. What did you do? Oh, he said. I got down on my knees and I asked the Lord to save me, to wash my sins away. And you're so happy. I felt ashamed that you right away know what he meant? There was 82 years old. He came to Christ. He did it. He didn't put it off any longer.
He had heard like you dozens and dozens of times ago.
The Lord finally brought him to himself.
Who's with the Lord now?
Change.
Another man in the same town.
His name was also Boyd. His name was Roland.
Mr. Lundeen visited Rolling Boyd many times in his home.
His wife, Annie was saved. She's still living, happy in the Lord. But Roland, you know, he wanted to be saved. Oh, I've. I've seen him with the tears rolling down his face when he heard the gospel. But, you know, he's just.
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Couldn't seem to take that step. He just couldn't say yes. Lord, I come as a Sinner. I know you did all the work year after year went by.
Remain in his.
Very friendly, always invited you in. Glad to have you read the scriptures.
He was putting it off.
And when he was 82 years old.
One day, nobody was visiting, nobody was there.
He was sitting in his in the lawn chair, out in his yard, showed me the very spot, he said. Suddenly it seemed as if the Lord said to me.
Everything is done. You just have to receive it. He thought God had to do something else, you know. He always thought God was going to have to fund her down and he gets saved. You know, that day he received the Lord Jesus.
Nobody was there to push him into it. It was the work of the spirit of God. If you work in your heart tonight, or Steven, by faith, what a savior. Oh, I tell you, Roland was a different man. I first heard about the fact that he was saved from an unsaved person. His life was so changed. His countenance was so changed that everybody in the whole town was saying bowling got saved here, all and got saved.
Marvelous work of grace. And when I visited him, he just couldn't help but the tears coming down your face.
After all those years that Mister Lundeen pleaded with him and Mr. Ensign and Mr. Pilkington and many others at last.
The light broke through and what a change, man. Oh, what a joy there's.
There's a change of peace and joy.
The Chief of Sinners
Gospel—N. Hiebert
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.
Can we begin our gospel meeting this evening by singing hymn #32 #32? What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. All precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus. We stand in thing #32.
What then? Wash away my sins and nothing but come on, you love.
No.
No.
All I find.
All my life.
Is so cold.
That makes me white as cold.
Without God blessed on the moon tonight.
Our blessed God and our loving Father, we thank Thee this night.
For the Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior.
And the savior of many in this room, but perhaps not the savior of some in this room.
And tonight, our God and Father, as we are assembled here, we cry to thee for help.
For any soul that still mostly not as Savior, we pray that they may realize that they're headed.
Down that broad Rd. which leads to destruction, we try to lead our fathers that thou will take thy word and presented to thy servants to present to this audience our Father. We just pray that thou will bless thy word. We committed to Thee in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. I did something this evening that I've never done before, a gospel meeting. I got some advice.
First of all, we got some advice in the room as we prayed together, as we besought the Lord to help. But then as I walked in this room, I checked with about five or six children and I asked them a simple question. I said, you know, sometimes as adults get up front here and we talk about the gospel and we don't know the condition of the soul. And so I asked these young children and young people whether in their opinion, there was somebody.
Their age sitting in these seats this evening.
Who still might be lost?
Got some good answers.
There were at least three that said yes, there are some that are still lost.
There was one who said wasn't sure, and the other one thought maybe all her friends were saved. All good answers, but it begs the question, you are sitting in these seats this evening and if you're lost, you are on a dangerous course. And so before we talk and take this precious book, the Bible, I want to sing a song suitable for these young children and the young people that I had the distinct pleasure of talking to.
And they were so honest and candid when I asked them the question. Let's think together. A song that we all know the children know #40 Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Just the two verses, verse one and two. Remain seated, please.
She does love me, this I know.
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You are being never dreamed of closely.
You don't love me.
I'd like to turn and read about a very bad man. I want to read about the man who called himself the chief of sinners.
So we want to get that issue straight later. To start, there's a chief of sinners that came to this world. And so all the rest of us are not chief. We're not chief. We're sinners. I was a Sinner. I am a Sinner saved by grace. The Lord saved my soul many years ago, and I thank an aunt of mine for that, telling me the story of Daniel and the Lord Jesus Christ came into my heart. Well, I'd like to, with my Lord's help, read about maybe 5 or 6 short.
Portions in God's Word. Let's start to act.
Seven please. Acts, Chapter 7.
And we're going to read the last part of a little message that a man by the name of Steven gave to the Jews. But I think we can apply it to ourselves too. Let's read it. It's a little tough. No mincing of words here.
Acts 751 Ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears.
You do. Ye do. Always resist the Holy Ghost as your Father did. So do ye.
Which of the prophets have not your Father's persecuted? And they have slain them, which showed before the coming of the justice, one of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers, who having received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they the Jews, heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly to heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and passed him out of the city, and stoned him.
And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet. His name was Thaw.
And they stoned the Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, saying, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Well, you know, I'm thankful to say that I can be in the United States or Canada and preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and so far have never had an experience such as this man had, an experience where they gnashed upon them with their teeth, where they were vehement against them. They were angry at this man who preached about the Lord Jesus Christ. I was so glad to be able to talk to these little girls or the young people and this young fellow, and they weren't angry at me. They weren't hostile.
They were kind to me and I appreciate that. But do you know something? If those that I was talking, that I was talking to this evening think that kindness will get you into heaven, you better think again. Or if there's anyone sitting in these seats this evening who still is not the Lord, I want you to think very carefully. You've probably been here for the meeting for the last two days. You've heard much from the Word of God, and I dare say that there may have been some things that you didn't understand.
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I'm with you. I'm with you young people. I understand that. I don't understand everything, but I enjoyed it because it was a word of God. Steven told these people about the Lord Jesus Christ and they didn't want to hear about it. They didn't want to hear about it. You came here this evening.
Most of you came because you wanted to be here. There are some young people maybe.
And some children who are here because mother and dad said you were to be here. That's good.
That's good. That's what my wife and I did with our five children. They had to be at meetings, the gospel meeting.
And I thank the Lord that each one of them accepted Jesus as Savior.
The only thing I could take the glory with me, my children.
But what are these children here? Your moms and dads are sitting here. Can they say, well I can take my children with me to heaven?
Stephen spoke to these people because they had rejected Jesus and they had murdered him.
They hung them to a cross of Calvary and he said to them, your stiff neck, you're uncircumcised in your heart and your ears and you do always resist the Holy Ghost, resist the Holy Ghost. And I wonder if there's someone in the room tonight that is still resisting the Lord Jesus Christ, having been told time and again about that good news of salvation and still resisting the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's move on. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on these stories because I told you I wanted to get to this man saw. Did you notice what we were reading? Who is the man that was responsible for it? Here was Saul, probably standing with his arms folded. And he was.
The chief, He was the boss. He was a well educated man. He was a man who knew all the law. He was a man that thought he was doing the right thing.
And he saw this man, and he heard his testimony.
He said he heard the testimony of Stephen when he said.
Lord lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Fell asleep.
Let's turn to the 9th chapter. We'll read a couple of verses there. We're going to talk about this man now.
This wasn't the end of the story. This wasn't the end of the story. This man was the bomb.
He did everything he could listen to this.
Acts 9 and one and Saul breathing, yet breathing out, threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.
Went into the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogue.
That if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women.
He might bring them bound unto Jerusalem, and as he journeyed, he came near Damascus.
And suddenly they are shined round about him, a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth.
And heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said on Jesus, on Jesus, whom thou persecute us, it is hard for thee to kick against the Prince.
Than he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And the Lord said of him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. That sends it stop there for a bit.
Now here's that same man who was in charge of the stoning of Stephen.
And we find that he's still going full steam ahead. He was determined.
To remove the name of Jesus.
He thought that he could do it by murdering the people.
But what happened? He spread them around and the faithful ones continued to preach the gospel. And tonight there are people preaching the gospel in many places, many places of this great country in the United States and Canada. Isn't it wonderful that there are those who present the Lord Jesus Christ?
We've all had a wake up call in the last few months.
As we see some of the things that can happen even in this great nation of the United States.
And you, my friend, are vulnerable.
Because you children, if you're sitting here tonight, and young people, if you haven't accepted Jesus as your Savior.
Life at best is very brief.
You know, a number of years ago.
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My little brother was 10 years of age. He was a sickly little boy.
And I was going out of town on a business trip. So I stopped at my folks home and saw this little fellow 10 years of age. He wasn't feeling very good at all. And I was trying to make him feel a little better and try to negotiate a sale. I wanted to buy his bicycle. And he said, well, he wanted so much. I said, well, I'll give you half that. He said, no, I want that price. And he stuck to his price. Well, you know, I didn't know that that would be the last time I would talk to him.
When I came back I heard he had been admitted to hospital and his poor fellow was lying there.
In that hospital, we're watching that monitor and his heart is slowing down. We tried to talk to him. My sister had come in a little before me. She told me that as she came in, she was crying.
And this little fellow said, don't cry, I'm going home. What do you suppose he meant? Was he going home to his familiar bedroom with his friends, with his mom and dad, with his family? Now he knew where he was coming.
It didn't take very long, and that little thaw runs to be with the Lord peacefully, happily knowing that his time of suffering was over.
However, forget that the Gray side, our dear beloved brother Archnet.
Was speaking and he said let's bring.
Around the throne of God in heaven will many children.
Children whose sins are all forgiven will heavenly handsome spring singing glory.
Glory, Glory to him, be to God, and.
Isn't that wonderful? I'm warning you, young people and children on the authority of God's Word that now is accepted time. It's the right time for you to accept Jesus as your Savior. Don't wait even till the end of this meeting. Jesus is coming. He's coming soon. And if he should come in the next 5 minutes and you're not saved, then you're lost. And if you're lost, you're going into an eternity.
That the Bible defines as HELL.
That's a reality.
That's the truth. That's the word of God. My dear young people, if you have not accepted Jesus as Savior, and if there's an older one here, you haven't accepted Jesus as Savior, do so now. Tell the Lord Jesus that you repent of your sins, that you're sorry for your sins, and that you want the precious blood of Jesus Christ to wash them away.
He was a man's soul who wanted to eradicate that message. He didn't want any gospel meeting. He didn't want anybody to speak about Jesus. He got letters from the religious people to go out and destroy.
The those in the way, that is, those that took on the name of Jesus, those who were called Christians. Later on, he wanted to wipe them off the map.
And you know, the devil is still trying to use people in this country and in our country to do the same thing and around the world.
He's not necessarily saying I don't want you to talk about Jesus, but I want you to talk about some replacement or some watered down version. I tell you there's only one version. It's the word of God. Christ. Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none that righteous. No, not one.
Evolve sin. We're lost in the road to hell and there's only one way. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
He got his letters, Saul got his letters and away he went on a rampage. He was going to carry out his threat to destroy all these people that were found of this way.
But do you know something? You and I may make some decisions.
And we find that these decisions get to be interrupted.
This man was stopped in his track.
And I'm so glad that he was gone. Now I'm asking that you too may be stopped.
00:20:00
You may not have that kind of an experience that we have to see that light coming down from heaven.
Brighter than the light.
Of the sun at noon, and to strike him down, and to hear a voice.
With his name is our brother Cecil or brother Jim was mentioning the other night. Saul. Saul. He knew his name and he knows your name. He knows whether you belong to him tonight or not.
You may have fooled your friend, this young lady that said to me, well, I think all of my friends are saved. I just want to say that I hope that starts.
I'm not going to take it for granted though.
Because sometimes we're very clever at covering up. Tell your story. You've probably heard this, but I'll tell it anyway. One day, four young lads in school decided to have a little holiday at the expense of their school time.
So they took their car and they went for a ride. I had lots of fun. Came back after lunch and went into the classroom and the teacher was very cordial, didn't seem to be upset that the boys had been away.
That's why he said. Well, boys, you know, you didn't really miss too much. You just had a short exam and we'll let you take this down.
You're a little different, but I'll give you an example.
You have to go in another room and I'll give you exam. You'll be able to do it very QuickTime. We'll see if you can pass all right.
We we should beat the teacher this time and the way they went into this little classroom and they teach us that one in one corner, one the other corner. And then the teacher said you got your piece of paper there and your pencil. Put your names on it, please. Now the question is.
And I missed something before they went in there. The boys did receive.
Flat tire. That's why they couldn't get school on time.
So anyway, when they got into that room, the teacher says and I want you to write on the paper which fire was flat, turn over your papers and leave the room.
They got.
It got taught. Now that's a human story. We can write it off as that. It's fun.
But to deny the Lord Jesus Christ and give the wrong answer to the very serious situation.
And if you say that you're a Christian and you're not?
You are going to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ if you don't confess them as Lord and Savior, and you're going to see Him as a drug.
You're going to see him as a judge. Do you like a judge?
With his long hair and his hammer and his stern look.
Knows everything about the law. No, You want to stay away from those people. I'll tell you how you can stay away from the Lord. Jesus is judged. Second decision.
Savior, to come unto me, all thee that labor, and a heavy lady, and I will give you rest.
The Bible tells us the wages of sin is, you know, it's death.
And I'm so glad that that verse doesn't end there. It says, but the gift of God is eternal life.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Saul was out to destroy the name of Jesus.
Saul was met with a test.
And he didn't have the answer.
But he had a question now. Wonderful. He had a question.
Lord Blanca.
Lord, who art thou?
And Jesus in thou purchases.
Now, he wasn't dumb. He was very smart. And some of your brother can help me if I'm wrong. Tell me if I'm wrong. I understand that he had the equivalent of a double PhD. He was an extremely clever man. You know what he did with his degrees and his qualifications? He threw them away. He said they're like dumb. He didn't have them because he suddenly won. Christ, it tells us here.
I am Jesus whom thou persecuted. It is hard for thee to kick against the prick.
Is that what you do?
Are you kicking against your traces and saying, well, I'm going to put it off, I'm going to wait?
I'm not ready yet.
I don't think it's necessary or I don't need that stuff. I hate that word.
00:25:04
1981.
When I still lived in Winnipeg.
We had a problem in our office.
We had a problem that was tough. We had to sit in, you know what a sit in it.
We had some lovely people come in the building and he wouldn't leave.
They wanted something, but she couldn't give them.
And the CEO of the organization that I was with and myself was sitting in my office and we were, we had the door shut and we were talking about the situation, about how we were going to handle it. It's getting close to lunchtime.
And the CEO said to me, well, Norm, he said, what are we going to do? He said before I answer, he said, well, why don't we go for lunch? When we come back, we'll deal with it.
And then he stopped and he said to me, Norm, what else can I do?
What else can I do? I will never forget that question and you'll find out true why. We went for lunch and our cars separate places, came back. I came back, I saw his car in the parking lot and I went into his office and he wasn't there. So I started looking for him in the building.
Couldn't find them. Ask several people if there was cars here, he must be here. And I went back to his office and what did I find? I saw him underneath his desk. I said, Ralph, what's wrong?
I put my hand on his pulse. Nothing.
I called for help. The doctors gave.
We gave them artificial or they gave them the.
Breathing, as most decline, resuscitate him.
That he died. The word got around in about 10 seconds and the building was clear.
Building us through this man was 48 years of age.
And he told me one day, if you want to have a revival meeting in this office, don't have it in my office.
He was a brilliant man. He was a man I had a deep respect for, but that's what he told me. I don't know whether he ever accepted Jesus or Savior.
But you know, he went into eternity December 23rd.
1981.
He passed the utility.
I will never forget that day as I saw him there and as I thought about this man.
Who might not have accepted Jesus as Savior to think that he was stealing the torment of a lost eternity?
I went to his funeral and I heard what that man said. I don't think this man was even a Christian.
And I heard him read John 14. Let not your heart, the troubles you believe in God, believe also me. And my father's heard so many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I'd go and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself at where I am, there you may be also. And I thought, oh, what wonderful words, but how empty coming from the mouth of a man who didn't know Jesus as Savior, Speaking of a man who we had no evidence that he had accepted Jesus as Savior. Ralph is an eternity.
I wish I could stay or had some hope that he had gone. The glory.
But I'm afraid it was the other way around.
The Lord stopped Ralph from a course that he was pursuing with her father subsequently.
The Lord stopped Saul and the course that he was pursued. Thank you.
He said. Saul said, trembling.
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
What wilt thou have me to do?
You might just say, what am I going to do? What do I have to do?
First of all, you have to that you're a Sinner. You have to tell the Lord Jesus Christ I'm a Sinner, I'm a Sinner. I need to be saved. I need to have my fins washed away. I'm sorry for my sins. To bow the knee before the Lord Jesus, this man saw was on his face on the ground.
And you have to repent and acknowledge that you're a Sinner and then turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He'll give you the answer. He got an answer. Rise going to the city, and I shall be told thee what thou must do. All the Lord is not going to leave you alone. He's not going to leave you alone. If you accept Him as your Savior, you can count on Him to lead you every step of the way.
Some of us have been saved a long time. Sometimes we don't follow.
00:30:01
The path.
That he set out for us, that's another subject. But we can do that. We could take the wrong path, but I'm talking about the path to salvation tonight. That's the decision you have to make. That's the path that you must take. Salt at that path. Let's read a little more about this man.
Now we're going a few years down the road, I believe it's a couple of years down the road and we'll go to the 16th chapter of Acts.
16th chapter of Acts Let's read from.
Let's read from the 16th verse.
To keep it passed, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, met up, met us, which brought her Master much good gain by soothe fame. The same followed Paul and us, and tried saying, These men are the servants of the Most High. God would show unto us the way of salvation. And this he did many days. But Paul being grieved now Saul had been changed to Paul he was a new man.
Paul, Paul being grieved, turned and said to the Spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ.
To come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her Master saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace, onto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrate, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city.
And teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them. And the magistrate went off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stock.
Stop there for a minute.
Now here we have a different man. We have a man by the name of Paul who said, what will thou have me to do? And if you were to read the rest of that story in Acts Chapter 9, you see that beautiful picture of a servant of God by the name of Anna Knife who was scared stiff of salt. God said, I want you to go to him. But Lord.
Lord, he's persecuting us, and I've heard that he got letters to take men and women and put them in prison.
The Lord told him to go anywhere.
But you know, the Lord said something about him, something very special, he prayeth.
Just before this meeting there were a lot of us praying. It was touched by the Prayers for Lost Center for you.
The young people have said there's somebody sitting in here that's not saved, praying for you.
What was Saul doing? He was praying. He wanted to know what the Lord wanted him to do. The Lord had a job for him.
Here he was, here he was. Didn't take very long before he started to preach, but the Lord had to teach him a few things, and here we find an incident where he was.
Using the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, here was the power of Satan that was coming upon these people.
And he withstood in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And this happened to be a poor woman who was being used by men who made money off of her because she was a fortune teller.
He was a wicked woman.
Now there may be some in this room that are saying, well, I'm too wicked.
I've done things that I'm ashamed of. Some of the young people may say that.
I've done some real bad things.
I'm not going to.
Enunciate some of the things you know what you have done, but the Lord Jesus wants you to come just the way you are.
Come with all your sins to the Lord. His blood is sufficient to wash all your sins away. He did it for me many years ago. He did it for my wife. He did it for my five children and their wives and some of my grandchildren. Praise the Lord, Wish I could take the credit for it.
It's the Lord that does it, and he wants to save you and you and you over here.
00:35:02
And you?
It's a serious issue you have sad at a gospel meeting many times.
This is the last gospel meeting.
Of this conference.
This may be the last gospel meeting in this area.
I may not be here after this gospel meeting.
And as the Lord, that's because the Lord Jesus comes. There will be many gods. Some might still be sitting here if he should come in the next two minutes. You've got time right this morning. God's word says now is the accepted or the right time. Now is the day of salvation. Tell the Lord Jesus Christ that you're a lost, guilty Sinner and you want to be saved.
If you reject them, you'll remember for eternity.
Well, these men weren't very happy because their pockets weren't going to be filled with money. That's the desire and the thrust of what we find in the world today. One of my boys.
Is in the financial business.
One day he had lunch with a man who was extremely wealthy.
And he said to me, my son said to me the same day after this lunch, he said, you know, I, I'm not sure, but it almost seemed like he wanted to talk to me about the things of the Lord. He said he seems to act like a Christian, but I didn't ask him.
And he said.
Told me the next day, he said, I went by his house the next day and I saw a bunch of police cars in front of his home and the tape, put up the yellow tape and he said didn't know where it was. He got on his phone to the office of this man that he knew well and he says what's the matter with Joe?
He said Joel is gone.
Joel committed suicide.
Joel owes $50 million.
There is no security. Everything is God. It's gone. His wife and family left with a legacy of a man.
Who deceived everybody that he saw, even to the point of pretending to be a Christian. I want to let you know, dear young people and children are pretending to be a Christian is a very dangerous thing. This man found himself in a corner when he couldn't cover up anymore.
You got caught. These are not in the eternity right now. He's gone. I don't know whether he's the Lords or not, that's not for me to judge. But I do know that I have to warn you that if you reject the Lord Jesus Christ tonight, if that's your decision, you're heading down a broad Rd. that leads to destruction. Well, these.
These people were very upset with Saul and they took the lawn into their own hands.
That's a dangerous thing, isn't it? You're not supposed to do that. If you see somebody doing something wrong, you're supposed to call the police.
But they took the law in their own hands.
And they beat the two men. Fallen son. One day back in Winnipeg, I was out on the street. There was a young fellow and a beautiful hot rod riding down the street, I should say, tearing up the street. So I stepped out and I suggested that I have a lot of young children as well as our neighbors. Slow down. Well, his response was not very becoming. I said, well, that's the way you want it. Take your license number because I'm, I'm concerned.
I phoned a policeman and I said to him, Sir, we have a young fellow on the street here and, and he's, he's, he's a danger to us. And he said, well, come on down and make a report. I said, well, you know, that's going to be that could be Kuwait, could be too late.
I said, you fellas got to come down here and see what he's doing. He said just a little bit, let me say something to you. The other day I got a call from a young fellow or from an irate parent saying that there's a, there's a young fellow on the schoolyard to the Corvette. He's he's doing power turds. He's tearing up the schoolyard and we want you to come over. And he said, my Sergeant said the same thing to him. Can I make a report?
And he said the fellow hung up the phone rather quickly and looked 5 minutes, 10 minutes later, he got another phone call.
Natalie says I've got a complaint to file. 3 big fellows came at me and broke every window in my car, my lights and everything.
00:40:02
He said, oh, what's the kind of car is that? He said a Corvette. He said, come in and make a report.
What's the point? What's the? What am I trying to say to you?
Trying to say to you this that the Lord Jesus Christ is not going to put you off. If you call him, he will answer.
Right away, there will be an answer right away.
There's no waiting, there's no mechanical message. His message is contained in this book.
This is his message. You can read it, it's simple. 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.
The God sent not as sons of the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved to him. Through him the world might might be safe.
He answers your question even before you ask it.
Let's read a little further here. Now these men have been put in prison and the jailer is just, he's very accommodating. He doesn't just take him gently and put him in a cell like you have to do today to be very careful. You don't handle them too roughly. It says, they doesn't say tossed them into the prison, cast them into a prison. And that wasn't enough with all his back bleeding from the whippings that he got. They put their feet in socks so there was no way that they could get.
Away from it and they put a guard.
So here was Paul. You say That's the Christian life.
I'm warning you that there are people today that start telling. You are telling me.
I wouldn't be acrypted.
Because there are a bunch of hypocrites.
I've had them say that to me. I said all of them. You're going to generalize? Well, maybe.
So I say, what's all one What about you? What about you?
That's your assessment of the situation, but the Word of God is the truth.
Believe the word of God. Don't worry about people, don't worry about men. Don't worry about your friends. Your friends that may be sitting beside you right now. They may be watching you to see if you're being moved at all by the gospel message.
And the devil may be holding you back and whispering in your ears. Put it aside. Listen to the Lord Jesus Christ. But here is our Paul and Silas. They're bleeding. They're Christians. They're bleeding. This is Christianity.
That isn't that isn't the whole story. Listen to what they were doing at midnight.
At midnight.
Paul and Silas prayed and sang praise. Praise God for whom all blessings, for they were singing praises. Can you imagine with their backs cleaning?
Have you ever had a pain at night? Seems pretty bad when it gets late midnight. Oh that painting is awful.
These fellows were not concerned about themselves. Oh, it hurt. Oh, it hurt very much.
But they were singing praises to God for what? To have been put in jail. They didn't know exactly why the Lord had allowed them to go to prison, but it tells us here the prisoners heard them.
My brother Chuck Hendricks told me one day. He says, Norm, I have one problem with your gospel message.
I thought, oh Bella.
Speak up, he said. Speak up.
These fellows didn't hold back and I don't want to hold back because these children that I talked to said there's somebody unsaved here.
And I don't know whether you're accepting Jesus right now, but if you are, I'm so thankful. We'll pray for you.
We pray for you. They sang hymns. I don't know whether I could be singing hymns if my back was bleeding after getting a flogging from those Roman whips that ripped the skin off your back.
They were singing and the prisoners heard them.
And now comes the beautiful part. Suddenly something happened. Unusual.
Suddenly.
Verse 26 There was a great earthquake.
So that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened.
00:45:02
Everyone's bands were loosed.
And the keepers of the prison are waking out of his sleep. For the keeper of the prisoner waking out of the sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
Wouldn't that be a sight to see these prisoners hear this singing and all of a sudden the prison starts to shake?
An earthquake.
Doesn't say anything about Paul and Silas, that they stopped singing because the flogging, the stalks, the big heavy doors, the guards.
Oh, God controlled that too.
And the earthquake, earthquake came from God, and these men were all released.
Oh, I would that each one in this room would be released from their sins.
I would that each one would come to know Jesus as Savior.
I know a lot of you people in here. I've heard from a lot of you people some wonderful things.
Talk to Justin over here.
Pleasure. Talk to so many young people. The pleasure. I talked to some young people after gospel meeting and I said, you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, and I hear some muffled comments that I can't make out.
So what do I conclude from that? There wasn't a clear yes.
There was a mumble.
Oh, will you please own that you're a Sinner to say yes, I'm a Sinner, Lord, I want you to save me now.
Well, the prison doors were opened and now suddenly those that were being punished.
We're sitting in the seat of power. They saw this prison keeper and he had his dagger or whatever weapon he carried and he was going to end his life. Why? Why would he want to do that?
Oh, he was charged with a responsibility. He was charged with a very serious responsibility, it says in the.
23rd Verse. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Now that tailor had not kept them safely. If they had all run away, he would have had to pay with his with his life. His life was in jeopardy.
If you don't know Jesus as Savior, your life is in jeopardy.
Your life is in jeopardy. That, to me, is a very scary thought. Let me just describe what's scary.
We were sitting with some at the supper table and we were talking about skunks, and I want to tell you a little story about a skunk. I went to my mother-in-law's backyard to get a hole.
You know, whistling and get a hole open the the shed door and let her scream. I let her scream that you could have heard a long distance. There's a little fellow watching me.
He was a scum.
You think you got me?
I was too fast for him. Once I had my back turned, I was gone. I was scared. I didn't want to get sprayed. I was scared.
Well, that didn't you know that's scaring. This disappeared.
But you know, it's a scary thing to sit where you are. The year 2002, March 17, my anniversary. When I first started work in 1958, my anniversary.
And it's getting more scary all the time for those that are lost, and it's getting more water for the Christian because we're going low.
Those that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ in this room are going to be caught up one of these days. Very soon we're going to go home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The keeper of the prison awakening verse 27 out of his sleep.
And seeing the prison doors open, he drew it a sort of would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried out with a loud voice to thyself. No harm, we're all here.
Don't do yourself any harm by delaying.
He said. But I've been so bad, I've got so many problems on my back, I don't know what to do.
Tend to get drunk.
I run around all over the place. I do drugs.
00:50:01
I swear at my parents.
I'm repeating things that my son told me that he hears from dear young people.
That are going through those experiences and older ones.
And sit with them on the curve of the street and listens to them.
So sad you have to do some awful things sometimes with these young people to sit on a step with them.
Why the devil's got him. Can't keep them though. That's the name of Jesus Christ. They'll have to flee.
Do you think that your sins are so bad that Jesus doesn't want you? Remember what I said at the start of this evening?
The chief of sinners Faith.
The chief of Senate was safe and you can come to You can be saved too.
Now did they say?
That was the end of it, they say. Well, bye.
That's where you and I as Christians sometimes make a mistake. We don't say anything.
This man was in earnest.
There was a respectful term there. What must I do to be saved? Oh, Paul, I'd use those words himself. Lord, what wilt all have me to do?
He had the answer very short. He didn't have to say much because this man knew he had a need. He knew that he was lost. He knew that he was going to get killed if the prisoners escaped.
Believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. I leave that with you too, but remember.
You have to first of all recognize that there is no hope in this world, that you're lost, headed for him.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. What happened after that?
Just let me skip over a few verses.
He washed their wounds, he cleaned them up, he gave them something to eat, and it was the beginning of a new life for this jailer.
He was saved. Now what was the message that Saul preached? We're running out of time. I'll just read them First Corinthians chapter 15. I believe this is the message that Saul or or Paul left.
First Corinthians chapter 15, where he says in verse one. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have heard, and wherein you stand, by which also you're saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed it in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that listen to this now Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture.
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures, and he was seen of Cephas 10 of the 12. Now turn to verse 51.
Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment.
In the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, where the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and ye shall be changed, we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
You know the Lord Jesus hasn't left anything for us to do.
He's done it all.
He's done it all. He's prepared a home for him. I've got a mansion up there that I'm going to be taking possession of very soon, together with all those who have.
Been redeemed with a precious blood, of course.
On the authority of God's Word, it tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for those that are saved and not for those in this room, the older ones or the young people or children, some of whom are not saved yet. On the testimony of some young children before this meeting. If you're not saved, if that is true.
There's no place for you yet, but you can still come. Now I want to ask you children and young people, I'll tell you one more time. You can accept Jesus as your Savior right this moment. As our brother Cecil said last night, we're not going to ask you to come up front here, but I'm going to tell you one other thing. If there's someone here who still is not sure how they should be saved, don't you wait any longer. Speak to someone.
00:55:17
Speak to someone.
But it's so simple. The Lord has not made it complicated.
We're at time, but I just want to tell you one little story about three years ago, a young band by the name of Michelle.
Started off from Ottawa, Canada, the capital of Canada, and he headed West looking for his fortune, although his dad was extremely wealthy. He had his pickup truck and he had his dog and he was traveling across the country and he got to my old home province of Manitoba. And when he got to Portage Prairie, his truck turned over and his dog ran away. And he had some slight injuries, but he couldn't drive his truck. And he was a man that was a young man that was well known.
Some of the Christians there are some of our, the brethren that I am familiar with heard about it and immediately went to him and they said, Michelle.
You got a home at our place.
Here's our pickup truck. Use as long as you need to while you're looking for your dog while you're getting your truck fixed.
Michelle appreciated that and he said, furthermore, we're having some some meetings tonight, some gospel meetings just on the outskirts of town. We'd be welcome to come. Michelle went. Michelle went, very intelligent young lad, well educated. He went and after the gospel reading, he said, I've never heard that before. I've never heard that before.
So these.
And then prayed with him and said, look, we're going to ask the Lord Jesus to help you find your dog.
The next day found his job, found his dog, got his truck repaired, and he got into his truck and kept on going. But before he left, these brothers handed him a little pamphlet, a little track on how to be safe. Michelle thanked him hardly, and away he went to British Columbia.
His intent was to go skiing in the mountains than he did. He was skiing one day few days later after leaving and get arriving there.
And he got into an avalanche and he didn't escape. He got caught.
And he couldn't find them. His mother and dad were terribly distressed. Terribly distressed. Their pictures appeared on the front page of the paper. The mother and father were the former Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the right honorable, their young son. They wept.
This tough man who put on a show who was a terribly immoral man, I dare say. I believe some say he would he.
He was more of an example of immorality than anybody of a leader that I have ever seen.
And he wept because they couldn't find this young boy.
But, you know, I don't know whether Michelle ever accepted Jesus as Savior. He got an opportunity.
Some faithful Christians spoke to him. What did they do First, they showed love. They showed love to them.
They provided the means of transportation.
They were kind to him. They gave him a place to sleep.
And then they gave them the message of the gospel.
My friend, we have given you the message of the Gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ had to come into this world because it was sin. In the Garden of Eden, sin came in and man fell.
God could no longer have communion and walk in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve. They had sinned, sin had come in and they could not get together. This was a very serious thing. God had a plan.
And about 4000 years later, that plan was unfolding in the Lord Jesus Christ was born, a baby in the Manger.
The Lord Jesus Christ grew up. At about 30 years of age, he started to minister.
About himself.