Lawrenceville Conference: 2008
Table of Contents
1 John 5:1-4
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The chapter on my heart for the last few days, and I guess even yesterday I was asking the Lord if it was something that we might take up.
The hymn that our brother gave out seems to confirm it when it says we taste the love that knows no less of ABBA as of God. I wonder if the brethren would consider taking up first John chapter 5.
We know, of course, that John's ministry is.
Quite different from Paul, it doesn't take up the councils of God in the same way, or give us the whole picture of truth from eternity to eternity the way Paul does. But at the same time John gives us that eternal life come down to earth and the wonderful blessing that results for those who believe in Christ and thus have eternal life.
And.
I suggest that this chapter perhaps would have something for us. But do my brethren think of that?
I think the next to the last verse of it, that chapter is almost the most wonderful verse in all the Bible.
That's just one verse.
First John, chapter 5.
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone that loveth him, that begat loveth him also, that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.
And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world? But he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
Well, there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one.
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God, which He has testified of his Son.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God has made him a liar. Because he believe is not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record that God has given to us eternal life. And this life is in His Son. He has the Son have life.
And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that he may know that he had eternal life, and that he may believe on the name of the Son of God, and.
And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
If any man see his brother sin, a sin which is not on the death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them. That sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for him.
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God.
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8:50 But he is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not, and we know that we are God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.
And we know that the Son of God is come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Well, just as an introduction, as we were saying a moment or two ago, John's ministry, we know is quite different from Paul's, although the two of course complement each other and are not in conflict in any way. And John's ministry?
Brings before us.
That eternal life.
That we have in Christ. In fact, someone has said, and I appreciated it. He said we can summarize John's writings in this way. John wrote the Gospel of John. He wrote the epistles of John, and he also wrote the Revelation. And he said John's gospel is eternal life come down to earth and the person of Christ. The epistles are the wonderful blessings.
That are, for those who accept him and who thus have eternal life, the revelation is the awful consequences for those who reject him. So that's a simple way of looking at John's writing. And so here in these epistles of John, particularly the first epistle, we get that eternal life spoken of. And as we've often heard in the past, but it bears repeating, John often speaks in the abstract, that is.
Things are either black or white, aren't they? And so if he's talking about the new light, it cannot sin. And he speaks about it in the character in which it really is. If it is the old nature, the old sinful self being allowed to act, that's like the family of the devil. And so he speaks of that is what is characteristic of it. But here in this chapter, it's particularly touching because we don't want to get the impression that.
John never refers to anything that's practical. It is intensely practical. But it's wonderful that John points us first of all to Christ into all that he is and to the character of that new life that we have in him. And then of course, other things like keeping his commandments and the enjoyment of his love. And everything flows from that, doesn't it?
Helpful, perhaps, to say that John Paul's ministry was more focused.
On the Church of God.
Peter's ministry was the Kingdom of God, and John's ministry is the family of God. And what's characteristic, like you say, of the family of God is they all have eternal life. And so in this chapter, in the very first verse of this chapter, you have been born of God.
In Paul's ministry, we are children of God by adoption.
Because he chose us before the foundations of the world that.
What we have in John's ministry is coming into the family of God by birth, and we have that verse in well known verse in John's Gospel chapter one and verse 12. As many as received him to them gave he the power to be the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of flesh.
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Nor of the will of man, nor blood, but of God. So we were born the first time by the will of man. Our parents desired children. We were the result. God desires children too, not by our will, but by his will. We've been born into his family. And So what we have in John's epistles, it's beautiful. It's that eternal life as seen in the.
Believer in the Lord Jesus who is born into God's family.
There's a nice little picture that we have in Mark's gospel of the calling of Peter and of John. And I'd just like to point it out in chapter one of Mark, you might sometimes wonder if there's a portion of Scripture that might help to bear out what is being given as a, an outline of Paul's ministry and Peter's ministry and and John's ministry. And here you have in Mark's gospel chapter one.
That umm in verse 16 Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew's brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they first took their necks and followed him. And when he had gone a little further, then he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their necks.
Well, here you have Peter called and, uh, you have John and Peter was, uh, fishing And so largely his, uh, umm, work, his ministry is uh, in connection with the, the, uh, fishing and the Kingdom of, uh, God. And so he's uh, seen as umm, opening, having the keys to the, uh, umm, church, so to speak, uh, to the Kingdom of heaven. And uh, he opens the door for the Jews and then for the Gentiles, for the Samaritans and uh, Acts chapter 8 and then.
The Gentiles in Acts chapter 10 and so then you have John here and he was mending Nets and so his ministry not only has to do with the family and eternal life, but maintaining communion in the family, maintaining communion with the father. And so you have in in first John chapter one that.
Really. A picture of that?
In verse 6.
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. And then you have in connection with the Apostle Paul in chapter 18 of Acts, you have there the fact that he was a tent maker and I'll just point this out.
In umm.
Chapter 18 of uh verse uh, chapter 18 of after verse three because he was of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought for by their occupation. They were tent makers. And so his ministry Paul has his ministry has to do with the church and with the he was used of God in setting up assemblies and in their establishment. And his ministry has to do with good order in the assembly in a temporary dwelling place for the people of God while they wait for him to come.
And so you have the three there. One is Peter the Fisher of men, one is mending the Nets, and one is the tent maker. And the character of their ministry is seen in that way.
There's a character of life connected with every kind of life. There was an Ant on the table in the middle of the room. We would look at the Ant and say that Ant has a certain nature.
It has a certain type of life and it's different than our own. And each one of us in this room, uh, were born into this world with, uh, what we might call a natural life and our lives have a certain nature connected with them. But now what we have in this wonderful.
Epistle of John is life, and connected with that life is a different kind of a nature. It's a nature that is different than the nature's we were born with.
Consequently, we sometimes use the expression that we all have two natures. That's because we have two lives. We have the natural life and its nature, and we have a new life.
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That comes from God. We're in this first verse begotten of God and He tells us something that's about the not the nature of the life we have. In the rest of the first verse He says everyone that loveth him, that begot.
Loveth him also that is begotten of Him. That is the nature of this life that we have in Christ, is the nature that loves like God loves. And if you love one that is begotten of God, then it shows that by your nature that you love God himself. But if I don't exhibit to one that I can see my brother or sister in Christ the life.
Upgrade then from John's way of looking at it. Well, if that nature is not present, then that person doesn't have that life. And so it's an important thing. It's right. It brings it out, as Bill said, in a very practical way too, even though it presents the thought as we use the expression abstractly, yet the display of it is anything but abstract. It's very practical in our lives. How do I show the life that I have? Well, it's, it's seen and how I treat the person sitting next to me and then across the room and so on.
Do I exhibit the light?
And if I do, then God says yes, and that shows you love me too.
It's helpful, I think, Don we speak of love is to realize the character of the love of God.
God is love, He loves.
When they go to the youth village over in Indiana, I went up and asked the young people there in the village, speaking to them.
Why does God love you?
First answer I almost always get is because we're his children.
I said well if you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior and not his children, but He does love you, why?
Because we're his creatures is the next answer. Well, there's something to that, I suppose. But there's another reason. And, and I think it is so helpful to understand. God loves not because of what the object is. God loves because of who he is. God loves because God is love. That's the simple truth of it. So if you've been born of God, you have that same nature.
You will love in that same way. Maybe somebody has done you in, maybe they have really treated you badly.
If you're born of God, you have a love that can continue to love in spite of the way you've been treated. Oh, how important it is.
And this first verse of our chapter says everyone that loveth him that begat. Of course that is God.
Loveth him also, that is begotten of Him. So for the real true believer in the Lord Jesus, to love God is to love all the children of God.
Question, Bob, is there a difference? Well, let me back up a bit. We know that it says, and it's in John's Gospel for God so loved the world.
And as those who have the capacity for divine love, our love should reach out to lost sinners too. But then here it talks about love within the family of God.
And obviously there is a difference. What is the difference, then, between the divine love that ought to be extended to a lost Sinner and the love that ought to be extended to my brother or sister who is part of the same family? Sad to say, both of them may at times, unhappily not appreciate that love. Even a child of God, as you pointed out, can treat another child of God badly and not really appreciate the love. And certainly the unbeliever can. Is there a difference?
I am asking a question. How would you explain that?
The same love, isn't it?
The love that flows because of who God is.
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But I think in verse two this chapter it shows that there is.
A way that that is shown that love. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments.
Well, I suppose I don't know whether we can explain it fully. Some of these things have to be felt and enjoyed rather than explained in in language. But when it comes to an individual who is not saved, my heart of love ought to flow out to him. As you say, Brother Bob, it is the same love.
The same love that God extends this world ought to be in my heart. Why? Because the love of God reaches out to them. But it can go only so far. Because if there's a rejection of the love of God, I may continue to love them, but then I can't really go any further with it, except to continue to bring before them God's claims and his love. But when it's a child of God? When it's part of the family.
Even if there is an unwillingness, even if they are not walking, even if they are not, as John says, abiding in Christ, yet there is the wonderful recognition, at least as far as we can know it here. The Lord knoweth them that are His. We know, but as far as we can know it, we can say. But He is as far as I know. And I trust my brother. She is my sister in Christ.
And as you say, I believe verse 2 here comes into the picture because the display on the one hand in your life and mine of obedience and the return of that love can have an effect on that new nature in that other believer. The unbeliever has nothing on which to work. The Spirit of God has to give him that new life through the Word of God.
But if there is that new life already there, then you and I have something on which we can work, something which is there that can be reached. There is, how shall I put it, our brother Gordon Hayhoe often used to say.
Whenever you are talking to an unbeliever, remember that even if they resist you, their conscience is on your side. And I would use the same expression whenever you and I are talking to a believer. Remember that if you are speaking according to God's Word and with His mind, even though they may resist you, the new life that they have is on your side, and so is the Spirit of God that they have. And so in that sense.
I just suggest that while it's the same love, there is a difference when we address the child of God because there is something there that can respond and we trust will respond to what is displayed of Christ in you and me. Would you agree with that? Yeah, maybe a little more along that line of thought we did in chapter one.
And, umm.
Verse 5.
Chapter one, Verse five. This then is the message which we have heard of him. And declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not be true. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Suppose.
A person, believer or otherwise.
Churns their back on God.
Comment was made while or did that then darkness and Mr. Darby made the comment. No, the light still shines on their back. That is, man can only have fellowship with God in the light.
But God's nature isn't changed by whether man responds to it or not, and so in the way of fellowship it has to be according to the light.
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Or with God there can't be fellowship. And with believers, if there's life, the life in Christ, the true basis of fellowship, if it's of God, is according to that same light. Well, it's also true in the matter of love, that if a person responds by their conscience to God, to his love, then they come in faith and are saved. A fellow believer though, the same can happen. They may turn their back on.
A. Another.
But it doesn't change the outflow of the law. If it's there, the law will shine on the back, if you will, of the person. And sometimes we get those thoughts wrong because of something like discipline that comes in or disobedience in a family and so on. I believe there should still be in the in the person that is being disobedient or with whom we're not having.
Might say enjoying fellowship. That person should still have the sense in their hearts that they're being loved. That's important because that love is what draws the soul. The goodness of God leads to repentance. And if a person is cut off or shut off in some way, disconnected from us and they don't feel our love, then it's not flowing from the heart as it should be, even though it may be restrained.
And can't be shown in the same way. There should still be that sense in the recipient of the law. And just one other comment here that's perhaps has helped me. God in his love.
Is absolutely sovereign. He's free within himself to love without restriction.
And he's not subject, and this is the point. He's not subject to commandments.
But God has brought us by new birth into a relationship in which we are in the family of God, but we are still creatures.
And creatures that we are are always, and forever will be, even in heaven.
Subject to the place of obedience with God. Our relationship isn't based on obedience. It's based on being part of the family. It's not like the children of Israel who had a relationship of the 10 commandments or the whole law, and it was based on their relationship was based on keeping that. That's not our relationship, but that does not change the fundamental character.
Of what we are as creatures and that is to always be obedient and consequently when he says if it's our lobby seen in obedience, in keeping the commandments is an expression of the fact that we are creatures and are always we're not totally unrestrained even in having the love of God. It's in US, but it is governed by obedience to God.
In his sovereignty and his relationship to us. So we're not free to act independently of God in the love that he has put in US and say, well, I did that because I have a sovereign love for that person and I and well, I just, that's what I felt toward them. So I did it and put aside something of the word of God. No, we can't do that. It's not truly the expression of the love of God in us if we do.
Because the love of God that is in US will always be in fellowship with and submission to, in obedience to God Himself.
That's verse two that keeping his command that sits on the verses one and two are like a full circle of the love I I I want to tell a personal experience when my shelf became a father for the first time.
I looked at that little child and, uh.
I must say I questioned within myself.
Will I be able to love that child or will I love that child be a good father?
Uh, there was some question in my mind about it, but I tell you, as the days went, mine, I held that child, it flowed naturally. It came out it, it was natural to me as a father to love that child because it's part of me. It's a, we're of the same nature, the same likeness. Uh, and.
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That's what it is in the spiritual realm too, isn't it? We, we love because we're the same family, but we, we need, we can check our love in verse two. It's, uh, it's the opposite order by this we know that we love the children of God. Now we're, we're checking up our love. Is our love really according to God if we don't keep his commandments. That is the.
God's love and its order.
Then it's really not love to the children of God that we do. And so we need to, uh, uh, God would never have us loving and in a way that's not according to God, who is love. That's so important in the day we live in because we tend to adopt, adapt our standards according to people look at them. And we say, well, he needs a little consideration on this side. And so we change the standards a little bit.
That is not true love and it's really beautiful how this second verse keeps the focus right. If you do not love God and keep His commandments, you are not loving the children of God as you should.
This has a practical application to parents because.
It's natural and a natural love sometimes to give a child something.
That the heart wants the child to be happy and satisfied and it will give the child something that is not governed by God's love and it's not in the long run. The very giving the wants of the to the wants of the child without consideration of how God would give is often very harmful and will end up in the child being harmed in the long run.
By having been given something or allowed to do something which the natural heart of love says, well, they say it will make them happy.
And so the heart says, I want him to be happy, you know, give him anything they want. But but God's love is with wisdom that sees beyond the name, natural things and gives.
Or restrains from giving in love, the same love that gives us, the same love that withholds according to his own understanding of what is truly for the good. And we are never wiser than God.
In the expressions of our love, they have to be, or they if they're to be of God according to the new nature, they have to be according to the light that God is, as well as love.
The Old Testament uses this word commandments as well, and if you turn to the 119th Psalms you see it there first mentioned in the 119th Psalm and verse 6.
It says, Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments? And so the commandments in this sense are divine instructions, divine direction from a holy God for the man of God, that he might walk through this scene and in a in a dignity. And so it says in verse 6, here then shall I not be ashamed. And so we walk in the dignity of those that are the sons of God.
Heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, those that are members of the family of God. And if we take the divine instructions of the heart of God himself, divine directions and instructions from his heart of love as to what is appropriate for the family life and that which will please him and manifest before God and before this world, the character of Christ himself, we're going to walk in dignity. We're not going to be ashamed. And so John in this sense here speaks of the character that is.
That which is of the child of God. And he says this by this in verse two, we know that we love the children of God. You have a nature and I have a nature. We're born of God that loves the children of God. It has, it knows no hatred. We have the very life of Christ. And so we also love God. We have an expression of love for God our Father in the fact that we walk in obedience to his word and we have affection for His word, for his instructions. They're not grievous unto us.
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We love His word. We have a nature that loves the word of God, that wants to obey, that loves the Father, and that loves the children of God, and that doesn't find any grief whatsoever in reading the word of God and obeying it and sees it as the course of wisdom in that. Lovely that the Lord just wouldn't give us anything less but bring us into the family and give us his own nature, the very life of Christ that we might be able to live the sons of God in this scene.
In the dignity and not live in shame and self will while we wait for him to come.
The New Testament is full of commandments and.
And it's not just 10 like the 10 commandments of the Old Testament. It's full of commandments. I like the way Mr. AC Brown used to talk about God's commandments. He says they are divine directives for that new life that we have in Christ. You have a life that delights to do the will of God.
The Lord Jesus could say prophetically in Psalm 40.
Yeah, Thy law is within my heart. I delight to do thy will. Yeah, Thy law is within my heart. It's the heart desired to do what he tells us to do. So in this very book we have one command as many commands, but love not the world it's command tells us.
Something not to do. And in the end of verse 3 here in our chapter, it's interesting, it says his commandments are not grievous. In other words, they're not there to make you unhappy. They're there to prosper you in your Christian life. It's another verse that I think helps in John chapter 12.
That speaks of his commandments.
In the very last verse of chapter 12 of John's Gospel.
Jesus is speaking and he says I know that his commandment is life everlasting. He doesn't give you those commands to keep you from something you want you won't think you will enjoy. No, it's to help you. It's to direct you in the proper way. That's what we mean when we say his commandments are divine directive.
For that life that you and I have in Christ.
It might be helpful to contrast, and I think that's why sometimes our minds and hearts have difficulty with this, and that is because we're born with a life and a nature that hates to do the commandment of God. Whatever it is, it is grievous because we're in a state by nature of rebellion against God.
And whatever best is to do, man wants to do the opposite. That's just his. That's the character of his lost condition. He is in a state. And so when we talk about the commandments of God and not being grievous and so on, it's essential to recognize it's the new man. It's the life of Christ in US. Who could say, as Bob just quoted, I delight to do thy will, Oh my God.
Every act of his heart and the Lord Jesus is a man here on earth. It was a pleasure to him to be obedient as a man to the will of God. And when we find ourselves reluctant to do something that the Word teaches us, we can be quite aware of the fact that the real problem is the flesh in us is expressing itself and saying I don't want.
To do that, umm and so on. So it it's as Bob used the word divine directive because it's a directive in the sense that it's not difficult to the new life to want to respond positively to the direction that's given. Rather, it truly is a delight to us. It's like when your mom the difference between when your mom told you to eat your liver and onions and when she told you to eat apple pie, Alamo.
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She tells you eat liver and onions. You don't like it.
Is contrary to you, and that's the old nature. But when she tells you eat apple pie and you love it, then it's not hard. You have a nature that likes it, and so is a new man. God's directives are not contrary. You have a nature that loves to do it, The commandments of Moses.
Were that you might live continuously on the earth, it didn't really promise eternal life.
The commandments of men in Matthew 15 really bring death.
The commandments of fathers.
Bring.
A longer life on the earth.
The commandments of Jesus are not to get life.
Therefore, to direct a life that already exists by faith in Him.
So what a totally different motive the Word of God gives us in the New Testament for keeping His commandments. In the Old Testament it was a matter of trying to gain that which man could not attain to, and no man ever could. They took pride, sad to say, in what they did keep of the law, and then making it so complicated with tradition and all sorts of things added to it, but.
The fact remains that man could not keep that law. But now these commandments are based on the new life that you and I have in Christ. And as uh, Doug and Lemoyne were saying, the new life delights to do that. It delights to fulfill those commandments, not in order to get something, because God has already put us there. Well, that makes a tremendous difference, doesn't it? No, of course there is government, we know.
In the House of God, and that's not particularly the subject of John's ministry, but we know there is government that God has for his children, just as there is government in every home here. To some extent, at any rate, families, there is what is expected of those within the family, and there are consequences for bad behavior. But that is not the normal way in the family, is it? What would we think if we sat down at a meal table with a family?
And before he gave thanks, the father said, now I hope everyone's washed their hands here. And I want everyone to know that if there's any bad behavior in this house or at this table, there are serious consequences for that and so on. So let everyone just be be cognizant of that before we start to eat. Oh, you would say what appalled that casts over the meal table. What a what an atmosphere. Something is wrong here.
That isn't the way God deals with us either, does he? He sets before us all the love of his beloved Son in going to Calvary's cross for us, the fact that he's given us new life in Christ, that delights to keep his commandments. And then he says, as our brother AC Brown remarked, here are these divine directives that will help you understand how I want you to display that new light.
What a wonderful difference that makes, doesn't it?
I think sometimes young people, and perhaps older ones too, struggle.
Because they do not distinguish what you are mentioning, Don. The two natures that we have, that life, that is the sinful life, that life we were born with. Just like to read a verse that describes that life in Romans chapter 8.
Because it's important to distinguish it. I've seen sometimes young people who say I feel like a hypocrite because I really do want to do things.
Out there, yes, that's the old man that wants to do those things and you have to learn to distinguish that and recognize.
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That that is not the life we've been given in Christ. But Romans 8 speaks about that in verse seven says because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot.
Please God, pretty strong words as to that nature that each one of us are born with. When we are born again, we have a new life, new desires, a new nature. And you're not a hypocrite when you say I want to go to meeting, I want to read the word of God.
Yes, that old nature inside of you going to say.
I don't like that. I feel like a hypocrite. You are not a hypocrite. You have a nature that wants to do that properly. And that old nature, we are to reckon it dead to sin and alive, and we're to reckon ourselves death to sin and love life to God. So we have to think clearly as to those emotions that sometimes.
War inside of us the flesh lusteth, begins the spirit.
And the spirit against the flesh. Once that is clear, then you can distinguish those things. I think it is important.
John in his gospel tells us about the flesh as well as the Spirit and in chapter 3 of John he begins he says six things in his gospel and outlines the weakness of the flesh in chapter 3 and verse three it says there he cannot see.
The Kingdom of God, except a man be born again, he cannot see, so he's blind. And then in verse five he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. And then in verse 27 he says a man can receive nothing except that he given him from above verse 32.
No man receiveth his testimony and then a little bit further on.
In chapter 6 and verse 44, no man can come to me.
So even if we could, we wouldn't come. We don't want to come in verse chapter 8 and verse 14.
You cannot tell whence I come and whither I go. So there's no no perception of divine things or the divine person. And then the 6th one is in chapter 8 and verse 43. You cannot hear my word, and so the flesh is dead.
Toward God cannot hear, cannot come, cannot tell. There's no perception God, uh, God words, but the man that's born of God, why he has the same desires that the Lord did. I'll just point out it says of the Lord Jesus himself in four times in the Gospel of John that it was his will to please the Father. In chapter 4 and verse 34, it says my need is to do the will of him that sent me.
And to finish his work, that was his purpose.
And his desire was to please the Father. And then if you turn over the page in uh, chapter 5 and verse 30.
I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me. And then verse chapter 6 and verse 38, the third time in John's gospel, I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And I think the last ones in chapter 8.
Chapter 8 of Johns Gospel verse 29. I do always those things that please him. And so when we get up in the morning, we have one of two people that we're going to please. We're either going to please ourselves and go on in self will and self pleasing, or we're going to have the Lord Jesus as the divine object for life for that day. One day at a time, one hour at a time, we're going to have Christ before us.
And we're going to desire to please him, or else we're going to walk in the flesh. And as Bob read in Romans chapter 8, they that are in the flesh cannot please God, not possible to please God. I can't do both. And so I either have to please the Lord or please myself. And so here in John, in first John chapter 5, when we're reading, whosoever is born of God overcometh the world.
00:50:28
And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. And so we walk by grace. We walk by faith, not according to the flesh, which is dead toward God, but we live in newness of life and their fruit for the Lord as a result.
We have a fine life, but we also have the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God is the power of the divine life.
So as we speak to you, this command to the sometimes enrollment in the future verses and Roman says we can go back there.
But it says that the right, that the law might be fulfilled enough to walk not after the blessed, but after the superior. And so not only do we have a new life.
We move on the Spirit of God we've been given to us to be pressed based on Christ and.
1St 3 verses.
We've had before us the.
Character of the life is a life that is.
As it is in US, it's a life that is obedient. In the next two verses we see another character of the life is dependent, and that dependence is expressed by faith. And so it is with us as God's creatures, having this wonderful life, eternal life from God. As it is in us, it is a life which is obedience.
And it is dependent, and it is set to us in contrast with God himself and with the old life. God Himself has a right to be independent, and He is subject to none. He has the right to be sovereign in His will and all that He does.
Man after the fall, who even before the fall, was put in a place of dependence and obedience to God.
But after the fall he became in his will, independent and disobedient.
But now God has brought us back to Himself and given us a life which is the life from God Himself. But in us, the creature, it displays itself in obedience and independence, and where there is that dependence of faith, it overcomes every obstacle against the life which the Lord perfectly showed in His own life in the world, and which will be seen in our lives in this world.
If it is lived out in its dependence and obedient character, then we will also overcome the world and enjoy.
The fact that God is honored in that.
We are to be obedient because God has all authority. We are to be to bend them because God has all power. And that's the place of a creature. We will never be anything more than creatures. And so that is our place.
But it is beautiful to see that that word in verse four and five overcoming.
What does it mean to overcome?
How would you explain that?
Well, you know what the word means, don't we? It means to gain the victory. It means to win.
And the believers in a hostile world, isn't he? He's in a world that was against the Lord Jesus. He's in a world that's against him. And not only is the world against him, that's what we have here, but the flesh inside him never ceases to rise up in opposition against that new life and against everything that is of God. But in faith and independence, we can have an overcoming. We can overcome, can't we?
I.
00:55:00
See, so often the tendency when we encounter problems many times is escapism. Let me out of here.
That is not overcoming, is it? And if you just escape a problem, you're basically going to take your problems right along with you and you'll face it another time. But overcoming is different. It's going.
Through the difficulty with confidence in God. And that's what faith does. Faith brings God into the picture, and I like to think of it in this way. We enjoy the story of David and Goliath.
And we think of the conflict as David versus Goliath.
But what made David an overcomer?
To David, it was not David versus Goliath, it was God versus Goliath. He put David and Goliath together and compare them. Who's the biggest guy?
And he's going to say Goliath. There's no question about it. He's going to win here.
But David viewed the whole thing from a different view vantage point.
We viewed it from God's vantage point, he says. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? Was God that was in the picture.
Your difficulties may be big.
Bring God into the picture. That's what faith does. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Bring God into the picture.
Difficulties may would be way too big for me.
They said big for God, bring him into the picture that's overcoming.
It's important to recognize, too, that the world itself is in slavery.
We live in a world and a system of things that Satan is behind.
That keeps his subjects.
Overcome and in slavery.
Man is presented with the idea through his philosophies and his entertainment and what he puts before man to go after.
Things that will free him from dependence and obedience in God, or even the knowledge of God or even the recognition that there is a God and that's presented to man. You be free. You don't need all that, those ideas and so on, but it is very much behind it is Satan and as Peter says.
In second Peter I think chapter 3.
And Mr. Darby's translation? The thought is while they promised them liberty.
They are themselves the bond slaves of corruption, and that's what the world is. It promises liberty and the very people that themselves promised to fellow man liberty, Scripture says they're the bond slaves of their own corruption, and so man can only be truly liberated.
My God and God has given us a life which frees us from that corruption and that slavery that this world walks in and it's only enjoy by it's only overcome in practice, in in a practical way when it's carried out in faith.
Freezes not only from the world, but it freezes from ourselves. And it, it, uh, really impresses me rather than that in our country we are enslaved to.
Ourselves.
Our thinking, our desires, our wants, everything itself. I don't think we realize how much.
That affects us. I, I hope you don't think I'm pointing the finger at anybody, pointing the finger right at myself. Recognize that I'm affected by that way of thinking. We need to be delivered from it, delivered from ourselves. You think of those in other countries who are suffering persecution, what they go through and gladly go through and joyfully go through, for the Lord's sake, they've been freed from themselves.
01:00:15
Now thinking about pleasing themselves. It's beautiful, brother. That's Christianity.
Go ahead, brother Lauren.
I'd like to turn to chapter two of first John verse 16. I believe this is the the key to how Satan controls us and ourselves. It's really Satan in control.
Says in chapter two of first John, uh, love not verse 15 love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Uh, if any man loves the world, they'll love the father's not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. If these three things that Satan uses to captivate us and maintain us in slavery to sin in our own nature. And so in that way man is captivated to himself. He likes what the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
It's appealing to him and He gives himself over to us. That's how the world developed back in when after Adam and Eve, sin disobeyed God and distrusted him and his love and power. There was a further digression of departure. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and built the city. That was the beginning of what is the world. And it did in that city that he built. He was controlled by these three things.
And and that to this day goes on and controls man because he loves those things. And so he's captivated by those three things. And no man is free unless he has the power that's greater than that. And that's the Lord Jesus that gives us the true deliverance. Well, I think our time is really up, brother. But, uh, that's the way I understand it.
Believe the question on the table. The Lord leaves us here to the next reading.
MMM MMM.
This is the last two verses 142.
With Him, Like Him
1 John 5
Reading
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First John 5:00 and 5:00.
First John 5 and verse five. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is improved. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. There are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit and the water and the blood. And these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.
For this is the witness of God, which he has testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God has made him a liar, because he believe it not the record that God gave of his Son.
And this is the record that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He that hath his Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not light. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that he may know that ye have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth thoughts.
And if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
Any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. Where is the sin unto death? I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not.
But he is begotten of God, keeps himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
And we know that we are of God.
And the whole world lieth in wickedness.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we are in him that is true even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Was that question, brother Lauren, that we agreed to table at the end of the last meeting? Would you mind repeating it?
Over the world and my question was, is that a an event or a process that goes on?
It continues.
I would just suggest the thought that others I'm sure could add to, but I appreciated Doug's remark at the end of the last meeting calling our attention to 1St John One.
Where it mentions the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye and the pride of light.
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And pointing out that those are the weapons by which Satan uses or those are the weapons which Satan uses in order to gain the victory over us. He tried his best to get that victory over the Lord Jesus in the temptations in the wilderness, didn't he? And.
Failed utterly, because there was nothing in that Blessed One to respond to those temptations. But sad to say, there still is in you and me. And if we allow the old self, the old sinful nature, to respond to those temptations, then we will find that instead of overcoming, we will be overcome.
And I wonder myself if.
It is.
At the same time, an accomplished fact in our blessed Savior for us. And yet at the same time, it is progressive as far as our perfect standing. Uh, we are, I believe, dead and risen with Christ. We are identified with him in his death and resurrection. That's what we express when we are baptized and then.
We say, as it were, now I have new life in Christ, and I want to walk in the good of it. But which one of us would stand up and say, And ever since I clearly saw that truth, I have done so. Ever since I saw clearly that I was dead and risen with Christ, that I was dead to sin, but alive unto God, I have carried that out.
And thus I have overcome. I don't think any believer here would talk like that. So it is a progressive thing which for some of us at least takes a lifetime to learn and learn it well. And I suppose that is why an age servant of the Lord when asked by a younger brother, and this of course was back in the 1800s. What advice do you have for a young man starting out on the Christian pathway? He said simply learn well. 4 words.
The flesh profiteth nothing. We don't learn that overnight. We may learn it, shall we say, objectively as far as the Word of God is concerned, but experimentally we learn it in our lives and sometimes have to realize to our horror, what the flesh is capable of. So am I right in saying that in one sense it is an accomplished fact? We can take that position.
But on the other hand, it is a progressive thing in our lives as we go along to become an overcomer.
I'd like to think too, that it's perhaps not Even so much a question of time when we may learn it or not, but it is a question of what is, like Don said before, abstract or characteristic. What is the characteristic of faith in relation to this world?
It characteristically overcomes the world. That's the character of it. And so it may be.
That I act a different particular time in faith that maybe like you say later on, maybe.
I'll let the things that are in the world have too much.
Influence in my life, and I don't act in faith, but the faith that the believer has is characteristically a faith that overcomes and that's the point I think here.
Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. So it's what God has put into our into our hearts is that new life. And that new life is through faith. And that faith that he has given you and me is a faith that is an overcoming thing. So don't say well, that other person over there, he has so much faith.
Wonderful as life, yes, but you have the same faith. And if that faith is of God, that faith that you have is an overcoming thing. Remember that.
I'd like to refer to something. It's not exactly the fully the point of this verse, but.
00:10:04
Related to it and in Daniel chapter 3.
Daniel chapter 3 and verse 16. That's a story I think most everyone in the room knows. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were facing King Nebuchadnezzar and they were refusing to bow down before the idol that he had set up, requiring everyone to worship. And then he said, well, then I'm going to.
If you don't bow down, I'm going to put you in the burning fiery furnace. So in verse 16 it says, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said unto the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer them in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hands, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods nor worship.
The golden image which thou set up.
They had an overcoming faith.
But part of it is that if the faith is in the right object, not so much how much faith there is or that looking at the faith itself, but if the faith is in the right object, then the end result will be overcome. And so we all have a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I trust we all do. But having that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
They said to the King, he will deliver us. He might deliver them by taking them out of the King's hand through death, or he might deliver them as he did deliver them. But no matter what means God chose, they knew that because their hands were in the hands, their lives were in the hands of God. The King didn't have power over them. And if our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, which every believers is to some extent.
Umm, it has to be to be a saving faith. Then the end result of it will be the world is overcome. We may fail in individual acts in our lives by lack of faith not being resulting the final result of it all. There's no one that really is trusting in the Lord Jesus whose faith will not overcome that world. That would tend to hold them here.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not delivered from the furnace, they were delivered through it. So often we want to be delivered from the first a certain difficult set of circumstances.
God in his wisdom does things differently than we do rather and so he delivered them through it. But in that and this is what has come as a.
Comfort to my own soul. If he allows the particular difficult set of circumstances, it's because he wants to make himself more real to you and me. And so I don't think she dragged Meeshak and admitted would have missed it for anything. If you ask them afterwards, was it worth it? They were walking in the company of the Son of God through those planes. What an experience.
It was well worth it. And so if God allows a trial in your life and we don't like it, it's something we shrink from. But if we can remember that God in his wisdom does things differently for a purpose of making himself more real to us.
Another comment I'd like to make in Chapter 2 or Doug was mentioning this morning at the end of the meeting.
In verse 15.
He says love not the world, neither the things that are in the world and then notice this part.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And I love to think of it brethren, when you were mentioning the temptation and how the Lord Jesus was tempted.
By those three things, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of light, what was it that was before the Lord Jesus? It was the love of the Father. There was a man who walked in the consciousness at all times of the love of the Father. Was there any danger that he could fall into those things? Absolutely nothing.
00:15:19
No sin in him at all.
But it was the love of the Father that was his constant enjoyment and rather to realize to walk through this world in the consciousness of the fact we have a Father that loves us with an infinite love.
Is what will keep us from giving in to all those things that are in the world.
In verse 19 we have to work in our chapter it says and we know that the we are God and the whole world lieth in wickedness or in the wicked one. That shows us the condition of those that are controlled through those three things by Satan. He has a developed world that he can manipulate and controls and man is not a free moral agent there.
Uh, any sense to do what he wants, but the Corinthian has the, has the, the secret deliverance through the Son of God and faith in him. And I was thinking of that example that was.
Dead right? We checked the bending though.
Umm. They didn't know how the Lord was going to deliver them out of those circumstances, umm.
Uh, Whether by death or by deliverance, uh, from the fire. And they didn't, I don't believe their thought of overcoming there was that they were gonna stand up and be a noble testimony.
Uh, to again, Nebuchadnezzar or the power that he was wielding at that time. And I don't believe rather than that that is the thought here of overcoming in our, in our chapter that the Christian always lives a, a valiant life that is always contradicting and showing the deliverance that God would give us. Sometimes we don't see the deliverance. Umm, we go through God. Let's just go through.
But the fact that we're not manipulated by safety because we don't follow the lust of the flesh and pride of life and the lust of the eye, uh, gives, gives us that deliverance. And we don't know the Lord might come and take us home. We might be called to pass through that. Uh, many things can happen to us and nobody see an evident evidence of overcoming in our life.
But to go on consistently.
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not following the lust that would entice us and thus enslave us is in effect really overcoming, no matter how God made me do it in one way or another. And and I say that because sometimes we don't feel like we're overcomers rather than we feel like we're weak and we fail so often. And yet, brethren.
In the end, the Lord is going to have every one of us home perfectly overcoming in the end, but there is that faith would give us that confidence to go on in whatever circumstances without maybe seeing grand deals evidences of an overcomer in our life.
You get that in the end of Hebrews thir 11, don't you, Doug?
Where it talks about all these?
Witnesses of faith whence the violence of fire. Perhaps that's a reference to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Escape the edge of the sword out of weakness, remained strong, waxed valiant and fight. And then verse 2036 says and others.
Had trial of cruel mockings and scourging. Yeah, more of more over of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were attempted. They were slain of the sword.
Wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destined to the afflicted, tormented, whom the world is not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Now notice 39 These all having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. So they didn't get outward deliverance, did they? But they got a good report, and.
00:20:02
Faith is that way. I just like to say further that faith always is based on God's word.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and in the world we live in, always a constant temptation to be guided by things that we see.
But Scripture says we walk by faith, not by sight.
We have a tremendous example of of that in Abraham and Lot, both men that had true faith.
But Lot was guided by the sight of his eyes. He lifted up his eyes and shows the well watered plains of Sodom, Gomorrah and went in that direction.
Ended up losing everything.
Abraham.
Simply went by what God had told him.
What blessing there is to this day from his faith. So it's a challenge in the world we live in. We're constantly presented with situations.
That we can see and evaluate. And we're told here in the United States to learn by your circumstances, evaluate things. Yes, we shouldn't be. We shouldn't ignore circumstances, but walking by faith is not walking by sight.
It's letting the word of God dictate. Going by that book, those three friends of Daniel, they knew that the Scriptures definitely prohibited bowing down to a graven image. So it was clear in their minds with their what it was that they had to do. They could not bow. They could say, oh, just a little bow just to get us off the hook.
No way.
And what?
A testimony result.
Verse five ends with the question.
Jesus who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Jesus is the Son of God is the testimony that has been given, and the thought of how that testimony has been given to man is in the verses which follow. And the result of it is some belief that Jesus is the Son of God, and those who believe in verse 12 have life. Any man who will not believe that Jesus is the Son of God does not have the life that John is presenting to us.
And that's the way with God. God gives testimony concerning a fact that he presents to man, and then he gives witnesses to that fact, and man is responsible to accept it.
Tonight, if the Lord leaves us here, the gospel of grace, that's a message from God will be presented in this room.
And there will be witness to the truth of that message given with it.
And everyone in the audience will be held accountable to God to believe the message that comes from himself. All who believe receive the benefit from God of the message, and all who reject it also reject the benefit that is given to us of that message. And so here he says to those he's writing Jesus, who is he?
The Son of God. That's the question, and the answer is given in the testimony of God, which follows.
There's a practical manifestation in our lives as to whether or not we do believe in a practical way that Jesus is the Son of God. And if I really believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he's going to reign over all.
And that every knee shall bow, every tongue confess.
Then I would walk perhaps a little differently than I walk and in a practical way, I wouldn't lay hold of that which, uh, this world has that we've often even in these meetings mentioned this, uh, love, not the world neither the things that are in the world. And So what is the world? It's the political world that really is, uh, raised up and under the influence of Satan himself. It's the, uh, religious world.
00:25:18
It's the, uh, business world, perhaps even you might say the financial world, all that, uh, this world has to live in independence of God, while the heart of the believer is not to be taken up with that system, that, and the one there were to recognize in a practical way that, uh, it's not God's world. It's, uh, under the influence of another, the enemy of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. And so if we walk in a practical way, we have his commandments before us are his instructions.
Divine instructions written for us to captivate our hearts and to make himself known than we walk in a practical way and overcome this world in a practical way. I just want to point out too in Revelation chapter 20 and verse two that in this conflict of faith.
We have the Mrs. and John's ministry as well. The Revelation chapter 20 he he gives a description of the enemy.
And, uh, the enemy of our souls in Revelation 2 and or 20 and verse two, he wants to overcome the believers, but uh, it's faith that overcomes. So verse two, he laid hold on the old dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan and bound him 1000 years. Well, there's four names of the enemy Satan here given. And so the first one is the dragon.
And his character there is the character of a destroyer. He wants to destroy. He doesn't create anything. We know the creator God. He is the one that loves us and created us, that we might be new creations in Christ and might reflect the glory of His son. But the dragon, he's a destroyer who wants to destroy. That's Revelation Chapter 9 and verse 11. His name is given there as Apollon and Abaddon, and then as the old serpent.
His subtlety Revel or Genesis chapter 3.
And umm, how he comes, He's a deceiver and he's subtle. And then the John's Gospel chapter 8 says, uh, he's a liar and the father of it. And so he desires to deceive, not only destroy, but to deceive. And umm, then it says in the devil, and so is the devil. He's a tempter. He came, we just mentioned in connection with the Lord Jesus in chapter 4 of Matthew and Luke's Gospel chapter four, he came to the Lord.
And tempted him, tested him, but the Lord was pure gold. There was no, uh, alloy in his moral character. He's God himself. And so then it says Satan. And so as Satan, that's Job chapter one. He's an adversary and is a roaring lion. He walketh about seeking whom he may devour. And so we overcome in our Christian lives if we have Christ before us and we see before us by faith.
That he is the Son of God, that he is the one that went to the cross and defeated that enemy. And we desire to walk in a practical way in reflection of his glory. And the enemy is going to try to stamp out that light. If you bear a light in this world, a testimony that says Jesus is the Son of God, there's going to be a light to this world. And the enemy is going to oppose that. He's going to seek to destroy it, stamp it out, but by faith, as we've read, and Hebrews Chapter 11.
It's going to be a work of God to preserve us or to bring us home to Himself, depending on what his choice is in that opposition.
Like to comment too that umm, the importance of having Jesus, the Son of God is the object of my son in connection with overcoming the world. And that I want to repeat a comment that Brother Armstead varied made many years ago in a meeting like this.
He said you can just get just as dirty hugging, fighting a chimney sweep is hugging him. Well, I don't know about the younger ones and chimney sweeps be fully just let's just say they get pretty dirty and sooty cleaning out chimneys. And if you try to find them, you engage in them, you're gonna get dirty in the fight. Or if you choose to embrace them, you're gonna get dirty at the same time. And I believe the point of it was is overcoming isn't a matter of fighting the enemy.
00:30:03
It isn't trying to fight Satan or fight the world or something. Uh, you can love the world or you can fight the world. But I believe his point was what really overcomes is having an object outside of the world that draws the heart away from it. So you're not occupied with it at all. And so we can be overcome by trying to say, well, I'm not going to give in to that temptation or I'm not going to do that thing. And the more we think about what it is, we're not going to do.
The more the flesh in US wants to do it and so the temptation even gets stronger in us to do something and we don't get practical overcoming.
Walk by that means. But if our hearts are taken up with something else, and in this case Jesus the Son of God, if my heart and my affections and my thoughts are occupied with him, then.
In the practical result of it is, is I'm not thinking about the temptations at all. They're they're not before my eye, they're not before my heart. I have something else that I'm enjoying and that's what's attracting my heart. And that results in overcoming in a practical way. But if if I don't have them, then I have nothing to overcome. That is there's no power in me to overcome.
We can't overcome the world in yourself. You don't have to. We don't have the power in ourselves. The power is of the Spirit of God. But the the Spirit of God puts Christ before the soul and occupies us with him. And then there is the true overcoming and so he these verses which follow are to make sure that we recognize the testimony given and believe it as to who he is. That's true, we believe it.
Believers that Jesus is the Son of God. That's one reason I started with saying that the 20th verse is my choice verse of the Bible. I just like to read the 20th verse and then make a comment on the aversion. John 16 which is related here. We've already read the 19th verse. This is what we know that we are of God.
Do you know that?
We are of God and the whole world lies in wickedness, wicked one. Then this verse we know that the Son of God is come. That's a peculiar verse. That's a peculiar verb is come. You don't hardly talk about that things like that now.
It is perpetual.
It's it's praying. God always is he and he is coming to the person of the Lord Jesus.
He was holding a salvation in his arms. That's intimate. Do you know that the Son of God is?
Come, there's more here. He's given us an understanding that we may know. You've got an understanding what for that you may know? Know what?
That.
That we may know Him. That is true, absolutely true. He is the truth. The Spirit is the truth in the sixth verse of this chapter, and the Word is truth. Then it goes on as we are in Him. That is true. That's where you're placed, right near Him. Just as I'm sitting near Des Moines. The Lord is here.
Always, always. Now let's go look at the 16th of John and see what it says about the Spirit of God.
Because it's the same verb. Uh, John 16 and verse 13.
The Lord has told me here about the future at that time.
And he said, John 1613 Howbeit, when he the Spirit of truth is come, you use the same test as perpetual, perpetual God always is, always is.
He's always right here.
00:35:01
When he has come.
He will guide you into all truth. What a tremendous value that is.
Oh, let's see if you can hold back anything. The truth God gives it and.
He shall not speak independently of himself. He talks along with God the Father and God the Son the the Trinity.
And He will show you things to come. Do you know anything about the future? Where did you get it from? He got it from God, if you know anything about it.
Just also wanna comment that sometimes when you read John's Thistle, umm.
Especially if we're younger there, there's sometimes raises, it might seem to raise uncertainty. It might really save or not.
Umm, because we've talked about loving and if you don't overcome and if you don't love your brother as you should and so on. I want to say that John is not writing to make us dumb. He's not writing to confuse us, and it's important for us to.
If we really are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can put our hands, our finger on the word of God and say I know I'm saved and there is a certainty of the end of this epistle. I don't know how many times John says we know, we know, we know and we have within ourselves this the as given by the power of the Spirit of God working in US.
A certainty that we really are the children of God and we rest in that even while we are exercised by our failings and not living up in practice to some of the things that are before us here. But God wants us to have the assurance in our hearts that we really do belong to the Lord Jesus. If we have the Son, we have life, we have everything in his person. And that's why it's so important to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
And when we do believe?
Going to give us a certainty like the man in John nine. They were trying to confuse them and they raised some questions he couldn't answer about him, about who even Jesus was. But one thing they couldn't confuse him about was he said one thing. I know.
That whereas I was blind, now I see. And there are things that we can say about the Word of God. Well, one thing I know.
Jesus is my Savior.
And when we say that, let us not be confused or uncertain about things we're not sure about.
I can see it on the first side of the question. And then comes the answer. This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is true. It's an interesting statement, we know.
Says in John 17 that.
Thy word is truth, the Lord Jesus said I am the way the truth. Now here it says the Spirit is true. So we have witnesses that are confirmed. Here is the Son of God who came by water and blood. And then we have the Spirit, which is the truth for there are three that bear record and then you can.
Come down to verse 8, the second, uh, praise the Spirit, the water and the blood, those three again and these three agree in one. So we have ample witness that it is true what we're talking about. The Son of God is coming by water and blood.
00:40:13
And the Spirit is he who gives witness.
Son of God is part of deity. There's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
But that man, Jesus, that man.
Who partook of flesh and blood?
Is the same person. It is the Son of God. The Son of God has come and he has come into this world.
And partaken of manhood. And he is Jesus, And we are, God tells us, believe.
In that person, it's that it was very difficult when they saw Jesus, that to them, some of them that was the carpenter's Son, or later on he was the Carpenter. He was the man of Nazareth, but Son of God, no. And so on the cross they taught him. They look at him as he hangs there and they say, well, if you're the Son of God where he said he was, come on down.
That is, if you have the power to do it as the Son of God does, then you come down from the cross.
And we'll believe then they taught him and really taught God by saying, well, he says that God is umm, if he really is who he says he is, then let God take him down from the cross.
And we'll believe. And the record is that this man Jesus, who came.
Into this world.
As truly a man is and the same person, the Son of God, and we are to believe in who he is.
And if we don't believe in who He is, then we have no life. God. We are not born again, we're not born from above. But if we do believe in His person, even if we don't understand His work and how he did it and how he put our sins away and so on. But every saved soul has a belief in the person. Even if they don't even fully understand who the person is, they still have a belief in His person.
And he says it's Jesus, the Son of God.
I'm not sure this is a full answer to it. I'd be happy to hear others. But when the Lord Jesus was on the cross and he was hanging there.
And the soldier put the spear in his side. The record of God is forthwith came there out blood and water.
And it was a testimony to his humanity and his death.
Separation of the water from the blood was evidence that he had truly died, but both of them, water and blood, were connected with him.
As having come into this world and become truly a man. And so they had the testimony of God in his death, as they looked at him there on the cross. This is the man that came by water and by blood.
When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, he rose in newness of life. He rose to be the head of a new creation. And the new creation is different. It's not a water and a blood.
In fact, the Lord Jesus as people looked upon him, they said He said to them, flesh and bones, you see me have the Lord Jesus in resurrection life did not live according to the manner in which Adam people of Adams race lived their life.
Because his life was in resurrection life in the spirit, not life according to water and blood. And so there is a new character to the life that our life in heaven won't be a life. The life we have now and that we will enjoy in heaven will not be of water and blood. It will not be the circulation of blood in the body. That is our life. It's life in the spirit. It's a different kind of life.
00:45:20
That we have and it's eternal in its nature and character and born from above means born of the spirit, not born of flesh and blood. But I believe the water side of it is brought out to us on the cross when the soldier pierced his side and and the coming flowing out of blood and water was the evidence that Jesus was Jesus the man. But we're also to believe he was the Son of God become man.
And took that character of life.
I suppose too, we would connect it, would we not, with what is well known to us, and that is that we get moral cleansing as well as judicial cleansing in the finished work of Christ. And we know that it is through the Word of God, by the Spirit of God, that we receive new life in Christ.
But what does that do? It cleanses me morally, enabling me to live for God's glory. And so the Lord Jesus could say to those disciples in the upper room when Peter says, uh, if you're just going to wash my feet, Lord, don't stop there. Also my hands in my head. And the Lord says, well, he that is washed or bathed needeth not saved to wash his feet, but is clean every question.
And in that sense, Peter was born again. He did have that moral cleansing which I believe the water speaks of, but then the blood would speak of judicial cleansing. But it is the Spirit of God connected with all of that that is needed. And those three are a witness that God gives. I fully agree. And I like what Brother Don said, that it was a witness to who it was. It was a witness to the person of Christ.
But it's also a witness to you and to me that we have new life in Christ. We have been morally cleansed, we have been judicially cleansed, and now we have. The Spirit of God is the power of that new life.
Here, of course, it's connected with Christ, first of all, because he had to come into this world in order to do the work, in order to display God's heart, and in order to go to the cross.
But now you and I have those witnesses here, don't we?
Hmm.
And in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 22, it speaks of the water and the blood. Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. That's the blood.
And our bodies washed with pure water. Water.
Good morning, Jesus.
And his body physically water and blood.
And when we read in Peter, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses them from all sin. It doesn't mean, and I don't want to speak irreverently, but the thought is not that the physical blood of the Lord Jesus was removing sin, but rather.
The value of that blood to the eye of God.
00:50:00
Or that which cleanses and removes sin, The same spiritual way of applying the water to cleansing. It isn't the physical side of it that is the importance to God. But when God looks at my life, He has removed in virtue of the blood and what it means to His own self in that work of the of atonement in the three hours of darkness on the cross.
That is precious to God because the blood speaks, and it's also speaks of his death.
Necessary death of the Lord Jesus. So there is a physical side to it and his becoming a man, but it is the the spiritual side of it is in the importance of what God places upon it and what he did.
In his, in his death, and He has in it removed and cleansed us from all sin, as as well as the moral cleansing of separation of us through that work for our eternal blessing.
So to answer the question then I believe.
For my own soul that it is a reference to water that was used in the Old Testament. And of course under the law of Israel they didn't totally understand. They knew of course how necessary a blood sacrifice was but there was water used for purification and I am sure that the Israelite in that day did not really understand the significance of it. So I had simply taken it that the word of God uses the word almost there in Hebrews because.
There was water used under the law in a number of cases which the Israelites might have said, well, I guess maybe water is necessary, but not blood. And the author, presumably the apostle Paul, in the book of Hebrews, I believe, presents that thought, just to convey to them the fact that the blood was absolutely necessary in order that sin would be put away.
We might mention too, just in case some are confused, that verse 7.
Really doesn't have, shall we say, the authority of the best manuscripts in the past. And you'll notice if you look at Mr. Darby's translation and even a number of other translations, that it's left out. There really isn't a need for a witness in heaven. And maybe someone knows, but I have no idea why this verse crept into the Scriptures. But, uh, the best translations leave it out so that we can pass on simply from verse six to verse 8.
The emphasis is really on the Spirit, the water and the blood, isn't it? And those are the witnesses that the Word of God draws before us.
And perhaps just to clarify as well, in verse eight it says that there are three that bear witness. There really shouldn't be in earth. It's to the whole creation, not only to man, but, uh, the whole creation. There's a witness of the value of the work of Christ.
It's wonderful how it goes on here too, that.
Witnesses, when somebody goes to court and the matter is brought up and they want to decide the truth of the matter. And so people who are present when the whatever, it's like they give a witness as to the truth of the matter and others see it and are expected to judge in that case and expect to make a judgment about what was true for us. It's a wonderful thing that the witnesses that God has given to us are not only external.
Things that others can testify for our blessing and benefit.
But when a person does believe, then God turns around and says, well, I'll put a witness right inside you. And so we receive life.
00:55:03
And we receive the Spirit, and the Spirit witnesses to our spirit that we are the children of God. And so we have within ourselves a testimony of God to the truth of what he says to us now, and that the Spirit of God in US speaks to our own spirit and says yes.
That's true. So we can say we have the witness within ourselves as well.
It's a blessed thing that God wants to confirm the truth of what he has presented to us in a way that does not, is not limited, shall we say, by what somebody else has to say about it.
You can't take away that testimony.
It's given of God, and no man can come between us in that testimony of God.
That in which he witnesses to us within us.
And he gives the believer the Spirit of God as soon as he trusts in him. And we always have the Spirit of God.
He could bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God. What a comfort that is.
I think it is good to see that Christianity is based on historical facts. We're not talking about mere philosophy or a set of doctrines merely or some kind of religious structure we're talking about.
Historical facts.
Jesus, the Son of God, was born into this world. He lived, He died, He rose again. There are witnesses to that fact and that coming day of judgment. Those witnesses are going to be there and people will be without excuse before the throne of God.
It's historical. Christianity is historical.
And so when a man faces God in the matter of his life comes up, and God says.
I said this to you. I used this servant or that concerning the facts of my Son who came into the world as Jesus and died on the cross for you. And I then told you through my servants to believe me, and you did not believe when you did not believe. What you were saying to me is I don't tell the truth. I'm a liar.
Solemn thing that souls who face God are going to face God.
And, and God is as it were, says to them, you said I lied, that I was not telling you the truth, when I said that Jesus the Son of God died for your sins, died for you, that you might trust in him and receive salvation.
To solemn things, you call God a liar.
So the wonderful thing here is that we have this witness, and as Brother Bob was saying, Christianity is based on historical fact and it is based on that which is clear and definite.
There have been unbelievers who have had to face that. I think it was Mark Twain when someone said something to him about there being things in the Bible that were hard to understand and difficult to grasp. All he said, and he was being honest. He said it's not the things I don't understand that trouble me. It's the things I do understand.
Because what God has given is a clear.
And definite witness of himself, and as we get in Hebrews chapter one, God has in these last days spoken unto us. How?
01:00:03
In Sun, his son the Witness has come into this world, come as we've had by water and blood, and even if we say, well, I can't see him, he's not here anymore.
We have the Spirit of God here that bears witness to who He is.
Through the word of God. And if man says I don't believe it, he's refusing not only the witness of the Spirit of God, he's refusing, if you want to get right down to it, historical evidence. And as Dawn says in the coming day, what a solemn thing for a man to stand before God and say, I know I had that witness, but I didn't pay any attention. I didn't believe it. But on the other hand, this was written to believers. And what a wonderful thing it is to think that God has sent his beloved Son. Do we realize it?
Of course we do. But is it a present, living reality in my soul? Is it something that forms my life? I believe that's why it summarizes it.
Further down here in verse 13, which is jumping ahead, these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that she have eternal life. What does that mean? Do we not know it? Yes, but we don't really know it.
Unless we are walking in the good of it, we don't have that sense of it in our souls unless we're walking in the good of it, do we?
Pretty surprising in one way, but as it says in verse 11.
Reading changing the word records of the new translation. And this is the witness that God has given to us eternal life.
Now, if you gave to, there was in the room here a dead person and you could impart life to that person and you gave them life, you'd expect them to know it. You'd expect that person to know it. And but yet it's necessary, as Bill just said, to actually because the worst thing, get up and live.
And it'd be obvious to you you're alive. And so go on.
Gives us a witness to us.
Eternal life and it's in US. And now he says live it. And when you live it, you'll know it. You'll know you have it by the carrying of it out in the walk of life. And it has already been said, the Spirit of God witnesses to our spirit that we have it.
That we truly are children of God and have the life of the family of God, which is called eternal life.
If they're healthy, they do.
They're in an unhealthy state, unconscious or something, Then perhaps they're not conscious of their life. But normally a healthy person, we would say, is always very well aware that they're alive, and God wants us to be very well aware that we have life in Christ.
And enjoy it cannot have it without it being in relationship to the sun again. And that's why it says the end of verse 11. This life is in his son, he that hath his son.
Path life, he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. What is your relationship to Jesus, the Son of God Everything depends on that you have him, you have him. If you don't have him, you don't have him. Oh how wonderful it is to know him this eternal life and just like to read the verse and we've often quoted it but.
In John 17 verse 3.
Which is perhaps we could say, a definition of what eternal life is. It is such a wonderful verse to think about. This is life eternal. This is the Lord Jesus and his I praise you prayer. This is life eternal. That day is people might know thee, the only true God.
And in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
We think of eternal life so often. We think of life that never ends. Of course that's true, but it's more than that. It's the quality of life. It's the knowledge of the eternal God we know God. Brethren, what a tremendous blessing. It's often been mentioned and repeated.
01:05:26
The Muslims in their faith say very specifically.
God is unknown and unknowable.
And brother Bill, you know God.
The Scripture says so. Isn't that wonderful to be able to say we know God? God in the person of the sun came into this world as a man, and in that man we now know God in the fullest sense of the word, in the fullest expression of all that God is, was in that man.
Look at him in the gospels as he walks through this world.
Oh, how we should.
Rejoice Press.
We know.
This is life eternal.
Ignore it.
Concerning that is the Spirit of God here just as much as he was on the day of Pentecost.
You answer that for us, brother Clem, Absolutely. He's gone. You'll find him in the second verse of the Bible.
Not many people know that the second verse of the Bible.
The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. That's the second verse.
These eternal as the Father and the Son, they are the Trinity, always gone.
Like refer to a verse in Colossians connection with life in the Sun Colossians chapter.
Three.
Election 334 ye are dead.
And your life is hid with Christ and God, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, and shall ye also appear with him?
It's helpful to recognize the difference between our natural lives that we are born with in this world and the new life, eternal life that we have in Christ.
I received my life.
By from God through my parents.
Once I had that life, it was mine, whether my parents lived or not.
In that way it was independent of the life of my parents and is my father is with the Lord.
I'm not continuing to live in this world because of a life that is dependent completely upon my mother, my father. That's the character of my life. But new life in Christ is different and it's fundamentally different and wonderfully different. And that is Christ as it says in First Corinthians 15 of the life giving Spirit.
And he himself imparts life to us, but it is his own life, and it is life that is forever linked with himself.
And so our life is in Him, not independent of Him. If Christ ceased to be, so would I, because the life that I have is in Him before God.
If the expression has been used that we're bound up together in the same bundle of life, and so we got the life in Christ is not separate like our natural lives are for our parents. It's not separate from Him. And we are in that way when we display, when we're told to manifest his life, we're really doing that. We are displaying His.
Life which is ours in him to our fellow man. And when it says that they might know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ, who now is sin. It's a wonderful thing to have the capacity.
01:10:10
To know him because I have that life.
It's not knowledge there particularly as, but it's the fact that.
Do I know it's hard? You don't know somebody's heart by words. Only you know they're hard by action and so on. But if you shared their heart, you'd say you knew their heart if you shared.
At UMM, the affections that they share is having a common heart, then you would feel as they felt and so we have been linked to God.
Is children of God to have imparted to us the very life of Christ, and as participating in that life we feel as He feels?
Our attitude toward things are his attitude toward things on earth because the flesh is in us, It's it's imperfect but leak manifested, but in heaven it'll be perfect. Whatever he feels toward you, some person, you're going to feel toward that person identically because you know them as he knows them, sharing in that common life.
It's a blessed thing rather than to recognize eternal life isn't.
Something separate from what God is or what the Lord Jesus is if we are so incredibly linked to his person.
That he's the very sustainer of that life because it's his life, but it's not independent of it. Not only that, but.
He's the very food of the life as well.
And I have a life and.
You have a life. In 10 minutes or so, we're gonna be thinking about eating, feeding it. But for the last hour we've been feeding as well. But we've been feeding our Newman with Christ, and that is our food of that life. And that gives strength to the life that we have. And if a person doesn't read their Bible?
It's just like saying why do you want to start yourself?
Why are you starving yourself?
You need to feed on the person of the Lord Jesus and His word. It's your food of your life and.
What you're going to eat in heaven It's time to eat it now and enjoy a feast.
Is the expression to know Him is to love him, but to know Him also to have confidence in Him? In verse 14 we have confidence.
If you want to know what somebody thinks, sometimes you may go to somebody close to them and ask them what do they think.
Because they know, and they know their heart, and they know how they think.
And so sometimes our very prayers, while God wants to hear them, often reflect that we aren't really thinking the way he's thinking, but he's encouraging us to say, you know me, you know my heart. Well, then you can have confidence.
And we do have. We know how a person thinks, and we go to them with something and knowing ahead of time their heart and their disposition in the matter.
We lose confidence if there's something that's come between us and them and our hearts are condemning us because of the loss of fellowship resulting from some strange stuff. And so it is with God. If we don't walk with Him, then we lose, practically speaking, the confidence that we have when we're walking in the enjoyment of fellowship with Himself.
And in fact, sometimes it will say to somebody else, what do you think God thinks about this? And sometimes it's just because we haven't grown to that point. We want an older person in the faith to give us some of their wisdom or insight. But sometimes it's a reflection of our own hearts too, that well, when they wanted to know who's going to betray the Lord, they went to the one they knew was close to his heart that lay on his bosom. They said, well, John will know.
01:15:32
John is the one that's intimate with the Lord or near the Lord. He lays on his rhythm. And so if we're encouraged to be like John, the one that's writing to us here, say we have this confidence in him that if we ask him anything, he hears us. The nice illustration of that in Elijah in the Old Testament, to pray that it would not rain.
Where did he get that idea?
Is that something just popped into his head?
No, it came right out of the Scriptures he evidently had been reading. And then the lie says that my people would forsake me and go after idols, and I will shut heaven. It will not run. So he simply prayed what God had said in His word. See, that's tremendous power. A man on earth can pray and shut heavens for three years and 1/2.
But it wasn't his idea.
He was close enough to the Lord, he knew what the Scripture said, and so with confidence he asked. And then when the 3 1/2 years were over, God's people had returned to the true God. Why? He prays again, and God gives right? Wonderful.
We might just say in the few minutes that are left too.
Something practical that I have enjoyed in connection with this.
And that is, suppose I do get cold in my soul. Suppose that that new life is not displaying itself as it should. Suppose that I am not enjoying that confidence with God that we're talking about. What do I do about it?
I have appreciated this in my own life and I just suggested we have in this chapter first of all, as we've had brought out that this life is.
In Christ, in his Son, it's not independent life. The Lord Jesus could say that he quickened whom he would as the Son. He has that right, but our life is bound up with His. It's not independent. And so if I find that I don't have that confidence, first of all, I need to get back to that one who is the source of that life. And in a simple way I would suggest.
I simply need to get down on my knees and say, Lord, I'm cold. Lord, I'm not enjoying that confidence that I should. We can rest assured that if our hearts are honest before Him that He will respond. If there's something that needs correction, He'll bring it before us. He wants us to deal with it. He wants that new life to be displayed. He wants our confidence and our company.
And as the one who has given us that life, he doesn't like to see it wither away and not be displayed. And so if we get down on our knees and just ask Him, say Lord.
I'm cold, I'm away. I want that confidence to be restored. But then what else do I need to do? That life needs to be fed. Maybe I've neglected the word of God. Maybe I've neglected to feed that new life. We all know what would happen if we didn't eat. Maybe for some of us it wouldn't be such a bad idea sometimes. But in spiritual things?
We need more and the more we eat.
The more we want and so the Lord wants us to get into His Word. Sometimes I have to confess that I have gotten up in the morning and said I don't feel like reading the Word of God, but what should I do? Read it anyway.
Put open it up and read it and I'll find that the devil will be defeated. The devil will say, oh, you're not feeling too well this morning or that you better sleep in a little bit or whatever it might be.
Fruit of the Spirit
Family Tree
Eternal Life
1 John 5
Reading
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That he may know that He have eternal life, and that he may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.
And if we know that He hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of Him.
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not of the death.
There is a sin unto that. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God, sinneth not.
But he that is begotten of God keepeth Himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and have given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Little children, keep yourselves from island. Amen.
Somebody made the remark, maybe a few bills, but uh, it was about going to Costco, what is consisted of eternal life. And then John's epistle, uh, it's seen in the people and then in the revelation it's, it's dead.
Somebody made that remark today, I think.
I suppose it was I that made it yesterday, and I was just mentioning that John's writing, if we could use that expression, can be summarized simply that John's gospel is eternal life come down to earth and the person of Christ. His epistles are the wonderful consequences for those that accept them and thus have eternal life, and the revelation is the awful consequences for those who reject them.
I suppose this 13th versus what we might.
Look at is a summary of what has gone on before because the question is raised in verse five, who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. And then in the next few verses it takes up the whole question and it takes up everything that is going on, you might say with God in order to bring that before us, the Spirit and the water and the blood.
And the witnesses that we have on earth.
And then he kind of summarizes it and says these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that he may know that she have eternal life. And I guess I have enjoyed this in the thought that it's not merely the, shall I say the simple knowledge, Yes, I have eternal life, although it is true, but it is the what we might call the full conscious knowledge in our hearts.
That God has given it to us and that it is fully ours. It's one thing to say, yes, I'm saved and in that sense I have eternal life, but it's another thing to be.
So identified and realizing that I'm identified with the one who is eternal life, that in living it out I have the conscious knowledge of it in my soul. Now I know of course, that John and as we said before, speaks in the abstract, but.
Nevertheless, it's kind of summarizing what he has given us in the previous verses, and it's intended, I believe, not only to mean the.
Conscious sense that I have new life and that I've been delivered from death. But it's the richness and fullness of it that God would have us realize in the soul.
00:05:02
Johns styles seems to be different and I must say that sometimes I ponder over a verse like this and I'd like to ask you perhaps somebody can give some help on it and it's verse 13. It almost seems a bit redundant. It says I've written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.
That you may know that you have eternal life. We often stop there, but then it goes on, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. You have any thought on that of the bill? Why it repeats that part?
Maybe someone would read it for us in the Darby. Does anyone have the Darby? I think it's a little clearer. There you got it, Lemoyne.
These things have I written to you, that you may know that you have eternal life, who believe on the name of the Son of God.
Yeah, I remember noticing that some time ago that our King James tends to repeat it. But, uh, I, I, I'm not a Greek scholar, I, I, but I suggest that probably Darby is a little more accurate. And I have heard.
At least on one occasion doctrines built on the fact that this is repeated and so on. And I guess I would suggest that it's just a simple statement of belief on the name of the Son of God and having eternal life.
But maybe others have thoughts on it.
Point out in Revelation chapter 3, during the time of the Reformation, the truth of what it was to be really saved by faith and justification by faith and the blood of Christ. The value of that blood was perhaps you might say, rediscovered and restored to the Church. And it says in Revelation chapter 3 in connection with the Sardis verse 4, thou has a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments.
And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. This is what made them worthy. He did overcometh. The same shall be clothed in white raiment. And I will not blot out His name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess His name before my Father and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And so lest there should be any, umm, really, uh, confusion as to.
Eternal life and our possession, possession of eternal life. Umm, the Spirit of God just records here in revelation that those that would be tormented perhaps by, uh, those that would bring in false teaching in connection with that eternal life. Why he says, I'm not going to block your name out of the book of life. I will confess your name before my father. And so here he brings out in, in his epistle, John's epistle, John's writings again, I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.
And then that you may know that you have eternal life, that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. And it's here, we were just reading it in the dark translation that he had eternal life. Who believed on the name of the Son of God. So there's no question if we believe on the Lord, we believe that he is the Son of God and we confess freely with our mouths that he is the Son of God. We accept his, the dignity of his person as being the Son of God.
We have life, we have life and umm, so there were to be those in, uh, different times and perhaps even arising in the day that we live in that would, uh, teach that you can lose your life, lose eternal life, that you really don't possess it unless you walk in obedience to the word of God and so on. Well, it's good that we display eternal life, that we walk in the practical good of it. But, uh, it's something that is from God himself and is based on his work.
He gives it, we don't umm, earn it in any way. And so I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
You know, when I grew up, I heard about the ID in my head was that if I believe I would receive eternal life, as if I was under condemnation, I was going to die. I was going to go into judgment, but if I believed I would receive eternal life. And it's true that it is again, but there's also a thought and everything that you're bringing out in first John.
00:10:26
Is that we receive a life from God and so in John 5 and uh, verse 2524, which is barely barely understanding even nearest my word and believeth on him that sent me have everlasting life and shall I come in the condemnation but his cross from death of the light. So uh.
The Lord we're dead in our sins and the Lord he imparts light to us and what we have in the gospel shown, as was mentioned, eternal life come down and display it was a manifestation of that life in the Lord Jesus Christ and what we can say and I think what is brought up in John is the life that we have that we recognize ourselves now and what God is imparted to us. It it's not just.
A quality of life or it's not just.
I want to be careful what I see here, but it's not umm, but now I can say I'm going to have them and, uh, that's, that's secure to me, but it's actually.
The response that goes back to God, the life that I lived into, what is needed on that eternal life because.
Umm, so it may be helps us with that verse 12 There or verse 13 that we were reading there. Umm, we have to count both saying what came before what and what came after that. I, I think that's what John and, and the assessment of John's, it's a manifestation of Adelaide. And so that we can say that that is not because we no longer, it's not even a matter of judging, uh, the flash, which we have to do, but in Joan, that's what we are.
I'd like to compare it to us. And that's what it does. So there's no question of it sitting or or even being a struggle in that way. And so it's not the light that we have to have. That's who we are, what we are before God, so that life is immediate. All the things that we've been Speaking of.
So is it like an expert compliment? Do we have an issue that we ask anything according to the flow we hear about? What does that might ask him like in communion of God? It's not that it seems to be talking of a man that's not going to.
Fantastic things that are wrong, but I mean the, the life you've lived and, and, umm, displayed when it just does what it does and that's the right thing. We have to say that what we are now before God, it's, it's uh, uh, it really takes away. There is a struggle always because we have the questions in it and that's not taking up with John here, but and we know the practice in that case, but if we get, you know, I can just think that for life.
That I'm going to enjoy through eternity as that light from God is part of me.
And I believe there were attacks being made here too, which is one reason why this epistle was written. And if we read the previous chapter, we find that it talks about the Antichrist and the spirit of Antichrist and things that were coming in. And no doubt there were doubts being cast on the present possession of eternal life and on the reality of it in the believer. And so I suggest that that's one reason why the apostle takes the time.
To go over these things very carefully, because He wants them to realize that as a present possession, He wants them to know it. And if, as you, as you say, Graham, and what you heard growing up is true, if we believe on the name of the Son of God, according to John 5 and 24, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. But then there are those that would try and cast a doubt on that, and those would say, well, give me some proof of it, and so on.
And so the apostle develops it here and shows them, and he raises a question in verse 5. Then he develops where it came from, how it had to be through death. It had to be through the Savior's death. There could be nothing, no good at all from the first man. And then he says, now I've written these things to you, You believe on the name of the Son of God. And because of that, I want you to know that you have eternal life.
00:15:08
My dad had a nice shave.
North.
Treasure.
Leave it. That's settled. But then when you turn that around a little bit, it's getting better. God believes that. That settles it. I believe it. When God says something is true already, it's for us to believe.
That gives you confidence when you do believe God.
Confidence is something that is normal in family life, isn't it? You expect there to be confidence with the children toward their parents. And so it's beautiful. This question of confidence is mentioned in the third chapter too. I enjoy it, it says.
In verse 20 and 21, the third chapter four of our heart condemneth. God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God and whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments into those things that are pleasing in His sight.
It's not the conscience you're condemning, it's the heart condemning. And I suggest it's simply when a person doesn't walk close to the Lord, he knows that the Lord wants and to walk close to him, and perhaps there's no conscious deed of doing wrong.
Where your conscience condemns you, but you know in your heart you're not walking closely.
I have two sons and one walks close to me and is talking with me and another is rather distant. Which of those two have more confidence to ask me something? You know, It's the one that's closer and that's the way it should be in family life, isn't it?
To have that confidence, God wants us to have that confidence in him.
Sometimes the father says no. We need to have confidence that he knows best when that's the case.
And also for those two sons, the one who walks close to his father is going to be the one who wants the same things that his father likes because they're in communion. They're they're thinking the same thought, they like the same thing. And so when we walk with God, it's.
And it's that way the unbeliever tries to satisfy his own heart, thinking his own thought independent of others and selfishness, and wants many, many things and can't get him and never is satisfied.
Because you can't get those things you think she wants. And what he really needs to do is change it wants. And, uh, that's you have to have this nature, the life of Christ, uh, to start with, but they also not to have it, but to walk close in practically with those likes and desires, uh, that cause a cave, uh, invest in nature. Well, no, we don't get the requests we ask. Then we need to get closer to the Lord so we can understand his thoughts about things. Don't we? Shouldn't we shouldn't we? And that way.
Getting closer to him, reading His word, understanding his thoughts, then we will be able. We're not going to always understand everything that the Lord allows in our lives, but there is such a thing as walking close to him. As mentioned yesterday, Peter wanted, well the other disciples too, wanted to ask the Lord which one it was that was going to be Tram. But Peter didn't have the courage to ask the Lord directly.
He told him, he said to John, John, you asked. John asked why John? Because he was closer to the Lord. Evidently that was a position that he took close to the Lord, and so he had the confidence to ask.
The confidence is a really important part of our Christian lives, isn't it? I just think of all the verses in Scripture, brethren, encourage us to have confidence in the Lord. Let me just quote a couple because I, I don't know, It just seems to me that Satan's constant effort is to get us to doubt God, to get us to doubt that the goodness of his heart.
00:20:22
He has proved His goodness at the cross and what happens in life. Don't try to judge God by your present circumstances.
But a verse that I've enjoyed so much in Proverbs chapter 3A. Well known verse.
1St 5.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
I love that.
So often we trust, but there are little pockets of doubt in our soul that that that hinders us.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. You know, I often say in South America, there's little kids on the street. Sometimes you might want to befriend those little kids.
That don't have maybe enough to eat, but if they don't trust you.
You really can't help them. They've got to trust you if you come up to them. That's important, and it's important in our lives too. And it says here, lean not to your own understanding.
In the Spanish, I like the way the Spanish puts it, it uses the word leaning, a word that really means the stirrups.
On a saddle that he put on a horse. You know how it is when you're on a horse, you're riding a horse and you start getting off to one side. What you do is put your weight on those stirrups and get yourself straight. You lean on that. Well, do you have understanding about something? I think, brother Bill, you've got some pretty good understanding about feet, don't you? And you ought to use the understanding you have.
But the point is, when it comes to trusting the Lord, don't lean on your understanding, lean fully upon the Lord. And so it doesn't mean that we don't use the understanding we have. We don't need on, we lean on the Lord. That's important.
And so the confidence here, would you agree, Bob? It's not confidence in myself or my knowledge or my ability. Confidence, as we know, is often spoken of and usually is in a positive way in Scripture, not a negative way, but it's confidence in God. Is that right? Exactly. And we are living in a culture where people, and it's even in the education system to have confidence in yourself.
And you know, there's people that lack self-confidence.
Well, I think that Christian ought to be a confident person, but not self confident. Confident in the Lord.
The word confidence is interesting. It really means.
With faith FI is really faith in the original and the Latin language which we get our words and con means with with faith.
That's great.
Question the Lord.
We've all heard the illustration of a little four or five year old child that she's a over there on the table. A butcher knife is unsheathed and wants to grab it.
Well, the cat won't let him have it if they could get it.
And your parent knows that's such a dangerous thing. It might be pretty, but you grab the wrong end of it. You're terrible shape.
We have the confidence in the Lord. He knows everything that's going to come in our pathway and He's training us to do us good. It's in love every, every training.
00:25:04
Surprise India.
That verse you quoted, brother Bob, uh, it speaks of intelligence there as well, Understanding it's really, umm, lean instead of our own intelligence, our own human intelligence to lean on the intelligence of a holy God.
And I like that, you know, we're born in sin and shape and iniquity. We have, uh, we don't have to practice wanting our own will and wanting to get our own way. It's, uh, just built into us. But the Lord works with us doesn't mean all our lives that we might value his will says As for God, his way is perfect and we can improve upon that. And so when we pray and he desires that we would seek to know what is the course of wisdom according to his intelligence.
And he sees things the way we don't see them, and he's forming our circumstances and so on. And he desires that we would trust him and not lean unto our own intelligence in the matter. And so here he says, this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, is that how we ask? Do we ask according to his will or do we really want it? We just want what we want. Now we know, I know that this is really saying that, uh, in communion, if we're walking so closely with the Lord that we wouldn't ask anything that he wouldn't want.
But, uh, there is that aspect of it that, uh, often times we ask because that's what we want. Our wills are set. And so it's the grace of God, the kindness of the Lord just to give us little portions of Scripture like this that remind us that his way is perfect. And if he, if we will just submit to the wisdom, divine intelligence and wisdom that he has in his way, why we're going to get what we ought to get. And if I could put it that way.
Because we're asking what he wants to give us anyway.
I'd like to go back to the Gospel of John and show some verses that of that perfect relationship of trust and confidence between the more teachers and his father in the 5th chapter of of John.
I've spoken of this many times, but in John 5 and verse, uh, 19 and 20.
That answer Jesus, and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but of what he seeth the Father do for what things so ever he do it as a Father. These also do it for the Son. Likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that Himself doeth, and will show him greater works than these, that he may believe.
We were speaking earlier about how that we have eternal life manifested in the sun in John's Gospel and in our epistle as seen through the believer or in the believer. Here you have the perfect demonstration of this confidence and explicit obedience on the part of the Lord Jesus. This is the perfect remedy for our relationship, uh, to form.
Uh, uh, an obedient son and a father who always shows the right, uh, answer and everything. Never did the Lord Jesus, given the circumstance where the Father wouldn't show him what to do because he was a perfect son and uh, is different with Adam and Eve. If Adam belong to the Father, to God before he took the fruit, he wouldn't have done what he did.
He acted in independence.
Well, the Lord then is a He thinks the thoughts of the Father, and he it's lovely to think about. Later on, in the 17th chapter, the Lord asked something. He expresses his will. Father, I will.
That they whom thou given me be with me. How did He know to pray that? Because He knew the Father was thinking the same thoughts.
So that's an example of prey A a as a asking the right thing.
And then verse 15 really gives us a heart of rest.
That the heart is, uh, in communion with the Lord and we do really lay our own wills aside and we seek that which he would really desire to give us himself. Then the heart is at rest. We know if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. We just leave it. The, the heart is at rest and it's not striving and fretting. It just says, I, I prayed, I asked the Lord for something and if it's his will.
00:30:23
I'm perfectly at rest. If it's his desire to give it to me, then I know that I'll have it. And if it's not his desire that I have it, oh, because I'm so thankful I'm not going to have it.
Doesn't that help me out to pray? You know, Brother Darby said, made this statement in his writings. He said I fear my own will more than I fear the devil himself.
It's a strong statement. We don't know how self willed we really are, but by the grace of God, if we desire to walk in the Spirit in, in obedience to the Spirit, to the Word of God and in the Spirit, why then we're not going to want our own way. We're going to trust His will and will know that His will.
Is absolute perfection with us. And then when we do pray afterwards, there's going to be a spirit of rest in our souls. We're not going to be fretting about the thing.
And there's no question here just to make a comment on that little word. Yes, there's no question here as to whether or not the Lord will hear us, is there? There are two ways in which the word if can be used, both in Scripture and in the English language at large.
And there is what we might call the if of condition.
If I go to bed too late tonight, then I will be tired tomorrow morning. That's the if of condition. One is predicated on the other. But then there's what we might call the if of argument. And that word could also be another word that could be used. There is since and so here we could read this since we know that he hear us.
And that ties in with what our brother has been saying since we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask. We know that we have the petitions that we desired of him, and so is our brother. Bob has been mentioning it. It's peace and rest to the soul. We have eternal life. We are in that relationship with God. And if our heart does not condemn us as Bob Tony was bringing out, then we have the confidence to go to him.
Make the petition. Yes, there may be times when we don't perfectly know the will of God. It would be nice if we did. The Lord Jesus was absolutely perfect. But at the same time, if we can go to Him in confidence, there's rest in peace. And leaving the petition there, knowing that if it's according to His will, He will give it to us, and if not, then it's still His blessed will for us. And.
We simply need to look into our own hearts and see perhaps where we failed to ask according to his mind. But it's characteristic of that new life to want the same things that God wants, isn't it?
The We have an example of the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. What a thing to compen contemplate.
Everything within him because of who he was, completely, fully.
Shrunk from the very thought of contact with sin.
Any meals in prayer and sweats, as it were. Great drops of blood and intense agony at the thought.
And yes, in the perfection of his humanity, he vows in subjection to say, not my will, but thine be done.
And in a certain sense, the conflict is over. He knows he's going to go through with it. And he gets up, like you say, Robert, in peace and goes forward. And when they come to rest and he said whom seek ye, that he gives himself up to them. What beautiful perfection.
That's that life that we're talking about. That is the life that we have now too. So like you say, that is quite a statement Rob that fear your own will and it comes in in subtle ways that we don't realize at times none of the thing I think when we ask sometimes we want things right now and the Lord has his tiny business it's.
00:35:19
Sometimes we have the answer he get, he accepts it, but we have to wait his timing.
To show the absolute confidence of the sun and the Father, we read this morning in the eighty 80s song for the Lord's words were I'm afflicted and ready to die from my used up.
Well, I believe that, but he had to wait until he pulled wrong. He fulfilled scripture in every way, but he knew that Mister Father, but he still had to go through it.
And it was love for us to took Him there to bear our sins. That had to be done. Nobody else could do it. What confidence does the Son have? No wonder he trained in agony for those hours of darkness.
Umm, it's good to think about it. Because of his love for us, his confidence in the father, he had to do that work.
I sent was so impulsive to him.
Massage.
We have to stand at a distance, don't we? Like there is a distance of 2000 cubits between the people of Israel when and the ark when the Ark went into the Jordan.
And we stand at a distance present.
No, but it was the distance.
And we will never, never be able to comprehend what it meant to the Lord, those hours of darkness.
But we're following enriched.
By seeking a little comprehension.
I was thinking of John 18 four when they come there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
Their score, says Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth.
Went forth they should be going forth to I had all been measured in communion with the father.
And it's interesting in this portion here that you get that.
Eternal life.
And the believing.
On the Son of God. And then there's boldness.
And really, it's bringing in.
Answered prayers.
Confidence in asking.
And then?
It's interesting that John doesn't say.
This sounds terrible, but if any man wants a new Oldsmobile, and I'm just saying that because they don't make them anymore, but I'm just I'm I'm saying that it's not a material thing that he brings out.
He brings up a precious soul.
He's interested in what God is interested in men. We live in such a material age.
They asked for many material things. I mean, it seemed fake doesn't do that. But I'm just saying it's it's so sweet to see where John's interest by. It's with the souls of men now.
Jesus had said to Peter.
I Satan has desired to have you. That's a plural in the King James desire to have all of them.
Because I have prayed for thee. That's singular, Peter.
That type of faith fail not.
It doesn't say here.
All right in in John 18 he doesn't mention the Lord praying for Judas at all.
There was no faith there.
00:40:04
He had been told earlier once they entered into him, I thought he was too quickly.
But here there is this boldness, there is a sin of death.
Uh, but here it is the nearness and realized relationship with the of of.
Eternal life and it's it is the very basis of intercession.
Just like to point out this little 3 letter word ask. It really speaks to us of the spirit in which we pray, we ask, and it's a spirit of humility and meekness in which we ought to ask. And just thinking of Matthew chapter 18.
Or 11 I should say in verse 28 there it speaks there of, uh, how the Lord desires us to come in our need. Says in verse 28 of Matthew 11, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That's the rest of conscience. And then it says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find.
Rest unto your souls. Now we have the rest of our souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And so we need to recognize that the Lord's heart is for His people. His heart is for you and for me, and His desire is.
That we would be less. And he says here whatsoever, and there are going to be circumstances that come into our lives and, uh, we're burdened. And he said, whatsoever it is, it's a nice word that's used in the New Testament whatsoever. And he says, now here's the spirit in which you're going to, umm, make those requests. You're going to ask, you're not going to demand, you're not going to insist upon, you're not going to have your heart set upon it before you ask. No, you're just going to in a very quiet way.
In meekness and unlowing this.
Follow me as it were, and just ask. That's the spirit of what we, how we pray. That lovely Hezekiah demanded, as it were. He demanded he he wept sore and he just wanted something so bad. It didn't matter what God wanted, as it were, why he that's what he wanted. But the spirit of how we pray is so precious to the Savior. It will exist in submission. Recognize his will as being perfect and submit to it and just ask.
What a lovely spirit, hmm?
Coupled with that, if I could, I'd like to lay some emphasis on what Brother Lemoine was saying, because there's a proper order, a proper way of looking at things that we asked for. And what is the character here? Now we can dwell a little bit on perhaps the whole thought of care for another believer and praying for others, and that is the character of that new life in US, that it doesn't think of its own interests.
It thinks of God's interests. And where are God's interests centered? In his beloved Son and in his people. And so here the character of asking in an example that's given to us is not related to my interests, but my interest is tied in with God's interests, and that is for the welfare and blessing of a fellow believer. And I suggest to my own heart and to each one of our hearts that if we approach.
Asking and prayer in that way.
And if my heart is primarily taken up with God's interests in this world, he'll look after me. He'll look after what I need. Do I need a job? He'll look after that. Do I need a place to live? Do I need something to drive? Do I need whatever it might happen to be as a brother in India now that's very anxious to get married. And he can't seem to, I should say his father can't seem to find him a wife. The Lord knows all about that. The Lord knows what, what is needed.
And we can rest in that. But God says, as it were, if you look after my interests, if your heart is fixed on the same things as mine is fixed on, and that is primarily what is the object of your prayers, you won't need to worry about the other things. No, I don't mean it's wrong to pray for things that have to do with our personal needs. Of course it is. But if that is the primary thrust of our prayers and that's as far as they go.
00:45:01
And I tend to pray only when I have a need. That's not the heart of God, that's not the new life displaying itself, is it? And so I love it here, the way this is presented as an example to us of what prayer should consist of. And it consists first of all of that which is God's interest, and it consists of an interest rate outside of myself.
And she, uh, his brother shin a shin knot unto death.
How would you understand that?
God talks about what happened.
It's interesting, another brother, another member of God's family.
We know that sin breaks fellowship and God wants to have his people walk in fellowship with Him then. So if you see someone that's allowing something in their lives, that is hindering fellowship.
You can pray about that. And he will give him life for them, that sin not unto death. And he says There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it.
So there is a sin unto death, but many times there are things that perhaps we allow, and we see a brother that is allowing it. We can pray for him and pray that that brother will be brought to recognize that that is not a good thing and that he will judge it, and that that hindrance to fellowship will be gone.
There is a sin unto death, and I kind of like to think that this is.
Something that is discipline in the family.
Oh God, it's not discipline of the assembly. John doesn't take that out. That's Paul's ministry in First Corinthians. We have about that, but this is in the family of God. That's the context. And so there may be something sometimes that, uh, a person allows in their life that.
On a persistent way, and then the Lord takes them home.
The Lord knows, but I suppose we could say in a certain way that Ananias and Sapphira are.
Umm, example of a sin unto death, isn't it? In that case it was a lie.
But it was in the churches.
Uh, first days in the testimony was bright and here comes a lie to the testimony and has since I've lied against the Holy Ghost, so I couldn't let that go then.
Ananias didn't tell a lie, he acted a lie. And Sapphira told a lie, so it shows how serious a lie is. In that case it was a sin unto death, wasn't it? And not always do the same thing.
And it's a rather solemn thing, isn't it, to think that here the Lord looks to his own fellow believers to look on another believer, and to discern whether or not it's a sin unto death. What a serious thought that here, if we could use ourselves as an example, that God says you discern.
As to whether he should pray for one to be restored or whether you shouldn't pray for him?
Well, if we're really in the current of God's thoughts, we should be able to discern that. And we have.
Known situation, some of us in the past where that has happened, but it does put a very serious note on things, doesn't it? As to walking with the Lord, because we like to think of what is positive. We like to think of blessing. And I believe that's the primary thrust of this verse. Pray for someone. You want to see them restored. You want to see.
That sin confessed and dealt with, and see them go on in a happy fellowship before the Lord. And sometimes, I must confess, if we're not careful, we pray for souls. But is there the reality there that there ought to be for their blessing and their restoration, that they might go on in the fullest way? But God counts on those that are walking close to Him to recognize occasionally that there is a case where there is a sin unto death.
00:50:15
And there is occasionally a case where we don't pray for someone. And as you pointed out, Bob, there's no record that the Lord prayed for Judas there at the end. Uh, he recognized where Judas was. He recognized the course he had chosen. He recognized where he was headed, and he doesn't pray for him. And so it's a solemn thing to recognize that, uh, yet the Lord counts on those of his own that are walking close to him to make that discernment, doesn't he?
Remember this story? I heard it some time ago about a young sister who was intent on marrying an unbeliever, and the brother in in the area she lived spoke with her and told her that she shouldn't go in that direction.
But she insisted on it and in the course of things she got very ill and it looked like she was going to.
Die And she called the brethren, and.
Told them she wanted them to pray for her, that she would get well and they asked her why do you want us to pray that you get well? Because he's asked for me to marry her.
She said no, they didn't pray that she would get well and the Lord took her home. It was in a certain sense of sin unto death, but it's it's God in his family.
Helpings of person who doesn't have the willpower himself and his effect. I like to think of it this way is that the Lord says I can't trust you down here any longer.
Unless you dishonor my name even more, I'm going to take you home where you won't have this problem anymore.
Sometimes the Lord uses his people as a test to.
Abraham When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he went and visited Abraham, and Abraham interceded and he started with 50 was it, And he interceded down the 10 soles and God said he wouldn't destroy it with those pens, but that Abraham stopped there.
I think it's gone. I'm speaking reverently.
Abraham had in interceded down to two or three Umm God might not have destroyed that city that day, but he he stopped. Another example is the Elijah I believe and umm we have that following report about Umm Elijah interceding against the people of Israel.
Well, we've looked at that as a failure, but I there's another way to look at it too, and that is that was God. Elijah was God's test man to see whether.
The ministry that was presently being exercised had finished it or not. And it be, I believe history tells us that it was because God sent another man to take you like his place with a new kind of ministry. And so, brethren, we, we, we pray for one another. And you know, sometimes we, we see there is a time to cease to intercede. Umm, and uh, this, these, these verses tell us about it.
Mm-hmm.
Let's just point out in John's Gospel chapter 8, the Lord spoke to the adulterous woman there and what did he say to her? He said go and sin no more. Now does that mean that she never sinned again after that day? Well, I don't believe so, but the facade is there. I believe the instruction is not to continue in that course of sin. And he spoke to her and said.
Please and don't continue in this course of sin.
And sin is lawlessness against the Lord. And so he speaks here and says here in verse 16, if a man see if any man see his brother.
Which is not unto death. And so we see a brother, perhaps a sister, and there's a tender heart of the believer that flows out in affection for that one and sees that it's a course that's going to be painful.
00:55:01
It's a course that's going to dishonor the Lord and, umm, we desire to pray for them that they might be delivered from it. But then there comes perhaps a time when we discern that the will is set and, uh, that it's going to have to be the Lord that, uh, deals with the soul, that we're not going to be able to have that influence. And even in prayer, we might not know what to pray for as we ought. We might be working against the Lord. And so there's discernment required there. I just point out as well in first John chapter 2.
It says that if any man's sin, if any man's sin, it's not characteristic of a family at all, sin or lawlessness.
We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and so he's not only an advocate when we sin, but he's our great high priest as well. And his and his great high priestly character, his desires to intercede for us that we might not fall. And the Lord prayed for Peter and umm, we know that Peter was on a course and umm, it says since the Lord let him follow through that course that he might learn.
What the flesh really is. And so this is what the Lord does with us often times is He allows us to get our own way and we find out what the flesh really is and how painful it is not only to ourselves but to His heart of love. And so here we have that liberty to pray for those that are brethren that we have a heart attachment to and that we see here walking in a course that's going to bring dishonor to the Lord and pain in their own lives. But then there needs to be discernment too, that if there's a persistence in a course.
We may be fighting against the Lord, as it were, to continue to persist, to want, umm, perhaps the sickness to be healed, or whatever it might be.
So that's why it says here again, he shall ask, I like that little word. It's the spirit of our prayer. It's fantastic. It's not a demanding and if we just would lay hold of it in our own souls.
Just to ask, not to demand, just to ask is the grace of God to say that hears us.
There is a sin unto death.
And God will, because if we can make a mistake.
And it's dangerous to ask for things that are not good for us. We don't always know. So it's good to protect our prayers. If we're a little bit uncertain about it, I suppose it's good to protect them anyway, because Lord knows that we ought to want to do His will.
There are some things that we could know here at the end of the chapter.
We know that whosoever is born of God, sinning not there it is.
We shouldn't accuse the wrong nature for sin, should we? It's it's always the flesh, you know, when it, when we sin, it's always the flesh. It's never the new nature. It's never the life we have from God when we're born again.
And if I send, I am not acting as a child of God, or am I? So he that is born of God sinneth not.
That new nature does not send. It's because I allow my old nature to act that sin takes place.
Well, there isn't a necessity for keeping ourselves, isn't there? It's a wonderful thing, and it's good to realize the precious truth of the first clause of verse 18. Whatsoever is born of God, sinneth not. Chapter 3 says he that is born of God doth not commit sin.
That is a fact. The new nature cannot sin, but there is the capacity to sin that old nature never gets any better. And how necessary it is to keep ourselves now we there used to be a brother up our way and.
01:00:07
There is an expression we often have. How are you keeping?
And invariably if someone asked him how are you keeping his response was I'm not.
I'm being kept. Well, that was a good response. It was a reminder that the Lord was keeping him. And we do have that in Scripture. The Lord keeps his own, and we're thankful for that. But there is a responsibility placed on us, isn't there? He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. That is, if I deliberately put myself in the way of temptation, if I deliberately put myself in a position.
For that old sinful self is going to be brought into play, going to be tempted, going to be fed in every way. I am exposing myself to the wicked one who says, all right, now I have an opportunity. He had no opportunity in the Lord Jesus. He tried everything and had to retire defeated. Because the Lord simply said, it is written, it is written, it is written, but you and I were all susceptible to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
And the devil knows very well what he can use. And if someone has said the devil can use just some little bit of something that I might pass by in a shop window or some little thing that he can bring into my life to Take Me Out of happy fellowship with the Lord. But if that isn't good enough, he can up the ante all the way to all the kingdoms of this world. That's what he offered the Lord Jesus.
Took him up there to a high mountain, showed them all the kingdoms of this world. And the devil, as it were, says, well, whatever it takes, I can provide it, whatever you need. And so for some it may be very little, for others it may be an awful lot. The devil says, well, for the moment it's at my disposal and I have it to use it if you've got an opening for me to use it. So there's a need to keep ourselves, isn't there? There's a need for godly exercise, godly care in our lives.
To recognize that that new life is living it out, as we said in the address, in a world that is continually hostile to it, and there's a necessity to be on guard all the time, isn't there?
There's an expression that says keep yourself in the love of God. Does that mean that in the place where God could display that love, or what is that? Remember, keep yourselves in the love of God. That's Jude. Yeah, I remember Albert Hagel speaking about that verse, and you probably remember the illustration is.
In Smith Falls, he says in the winter time there was a Sunnyside of the street and there was a shady side of the street.
Since it was cold, he generally.
Walked across the street and walked on the Sunnyside of the street.
Than he used to say, why would a person want to stay on the shady side of the street? Maybe if he didn't want people to notice him so much, you would walk there. So it's keeping ourselves in the love of God. There is that sense of things that there's another expression in John's epistle that I think perhaps relates to that. You find it in the second chapter.
In verse 28. It's a word that's used a number of times here and also in John's Gospel.
But it's that little word abide.
And now little children.
Abide in Him.
So it's, it's keeping ourselves right there and and fellowship with himself.
I believe Mr. Darby's translation in French, uh, in verse 28 really has this, uh, abide in him as well. In him, dwell with him or dwell in him. There was a, a dwelling, a conscious living in his presence. And so this word keeping speaks to us a spiritual energy as well, doesn't it? We need to have spiritual energy. We need to read the word of God and to be in the presence of the Lord in prayer.
And to be found asking, but there's, uh, asking not only for ourselves, but as it's been brought out the those others that are the family, but umm, there's not going to be that, uh, asking. There's not going to be that confidence if we're not, umm, walking with spiritual energy ourselves. And so there's that necessity of keeping close to the Lord. And it also brings before us to the thought of self judgment, I believe.
01:05:14
Because, uh, it says in Proverbs chapter 23, I think it's uh, verse two, that if thou be a man given to appetite, put a knife to thine throat. And so we have appetites, the natural man, and that the flesh in US has an appetite for this world. And whether it be a small thing or whether it be the kingdoms of the world, every one of us, the flesh in US has an appetite for what this world has. And so we need to exercise the 9th of self judgment and be preserved.
In spiritual energy, that we might not sin against the Lord and walk in lawlessness, but walk in dependence upon Him and submission to what His will really is.
Hmm.
And so if we have a value for the Word of God, it says that wicked one or the wicked, they really Satan himself toucheth him not. And so we have a value for the Word of God. We have a value for the close walk with the Lord. We're going to walk in a safe path. It's not going to be a path where we're falling into the ditch of sin. And God in his grace has desired to give us instruction in his Word. He's designed divine directions.
And, umm, directives that we might, uh, walk through life in a happy course and near the image of his son as we walk through it. And so if we would just exercise self judgment, keep ourselves close to him, then we're not going to fall prey to the enemy. It's as if, uh, you know, there's an easier praise, so to speak. The enemy is looking for a prey. And this is, uh, first peers and it, uh.
That the devil is a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour. And so Amalek came and smote behind her most part of those that were the children of Israel, those that were weak and aged, those that were hanging back. And if we hang back in the things of God, we follow afar off. Why, there's going to be a danger of being touched, as it were, by the enemy. The enemy is going to see that there's a prey that could be easily had.
But, uh, it's, uh, safety here that we're Speaking of. I'll just give you a little illustration. When, umm, we were boys, my father would, uh, walk us to school along the railroad track in northern Ontario and, uh, in the winter time. And I asked him one day why he was walking us to school. And then he was coming back and walking us back. And, uh, he said, uh, you just look out there beyond the trees, just beyond the trees, and it would be about where that wall is. And, uh, he said, uh, look there. And I said, well, it looks like the little dogs or dogs there. And he said, no, those aren't dogs, those are wolves.
And, uh, so he would walk with us and as we walked, the wolves would walk and we would go to school and then they didn't touch us in the school house. And then, uh, he would come and get us. They wouldn't touch him because, uh, perhaps he was larger in size, but umm, he would walk his back and the wolves would walk back. And so we need to be kept close to the Lord that he might walk. In communion, the enemy is looking for a prey and he never roars until he has his prey. A lion doesn't roar until he absolutely has his prey and view and knows there's no escape. Otherwise he's stalking that prey.
And he roars. He says I've got him now.
Enemy can't touch a perfectly obedient person, can he? And that's what was the case in the Lord Jesus man. It was completely perfect and he couldn't touch him. I remember the.
Comment made about pilgrims progress, how he comes to a place where he sees these lions ahead and he.
Is afraid and looks at his map, and the map shows that if he will just be careful to stay right on the path that's marked out. They're chained and they can't touch him. And so he watched right in between the lines and goes on his way. And that's the case in the life of a believer, that he keeps himself and the wicked one toucheth him. Not important to the obedient.
Umm, a variation on the word confidence that we've been talking about is confined and confined suggests closeness, nearness. You don't confide in someone unless you have a very close personal relationship with them and they would you. And so that, that ties up a lot of what we've been talking about. And first of all, the relationship between the Lord Jesus and God, there was that confiding.
01:10:26
Continuous between the two of them so that uh obedience was not difficult it was in in his nature and it was it was what he wanted to do and so it is with us to be close to the Lord is.
Uh, in fighting with them and, uh, and hearing his voice, that's the way we get the, uh, that's why we, the way we can pray the right thing is if we're close and, uh, being in that nature of confiding.
So what about this 20th verse, Brother Clem? You called our attention to it at the beginning of the meetings and said it was the best verse in the.
We know. We're just hoping. We know that the Son of God is coming. Please tell God he's God's son. He's God's son. Jesus. He came as a sense of we had some nicely yesterday, ma'am, of water and blood. He was a man. He was born a woman, just like you were.
Is Gordon eternally and you find out that you go through this verse that you you can't distinguish too much between the Son and the Father. I'll just read the rest of you see it. He has given us an understanding that we may know him that is true. Well, who's that and we are in him that is true. Who are we in even in his Son Jesus Christ, who's he.
This is the true God and eternal life.
The Father and Son, eternal life. Oh, it's a lovely verse. We know these things that is come and I'll refer back to, uh, the Spirit of God that came.
In uh John 16 verse 13 which says how be it when he the Spirit of God is come the same verse and he is gone too.
As I referred to the second version of the Bible, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water that you know that the Spirit of God is the first person individual of the three that is spoken of individually inverse in the Bible. The second verse of the Bible, the Spirit of God.
What's the second thought? He's gone too.
He moved the formulation of the water well here.
In that verse when he has come.
I'm going to go back to.
John 16 and 13 to read it correctly.
I'll be in my knee. The Spirit of God or the Spirit of fruit is come.
He will guide you into all truth. God doesn't hold back one bit of it. The Spirit of God gives us everything all through.
He shall not speak, it really means independently about himself, because he's in conjunction with the Father and the Son.
They're all together in this and whatsoever he shall hear.
He shall not, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak. And the future He will show you things to come. Now, that's just pentacles. The Spirit of God has been here. He is tough. He's still the Spirit of God dwelling in this world. He took his position at Pentecost.
01:15:02
On the earth amongst him for the first time, I think that is he was the one that operated God the Father and God the Son had worked on the other dispensations. I don't limit the period of God, but today we living in the time of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is here. He's in this room. He's heard every word that's been said and He loves us. He's looking out, of course.
But he is calm, He will guide you into all truth. You want to know the truth, to get it out of God's word and get it from God the Spirit. And so here this epistle ends up. We know that the Son of God is come and have given us an understanding God wants us to know.
In the prophecy like in Daniel 9.
And that might be in another place too. It says no. Therefore, understand Daniel nine from the going for the command to restore, rebuild Jerusalem to Messiah's Prince. I think it's the 24th verse. There's going to be so many weeks. God has told us that he wants us to know it, know it. He wants us to know it. He's told it. He he wants us to know these things here. He wants us to know that he's here.
That he is greater, greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. And, uh, our brother here was referring to, uh, uh, Malachites and, uh, in the 17th of Genesis.
God has sworn that He will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
He said he write that the book that was told to be written in the book before the law was told in two chapters later write that in the book that's called genome Amalek is this the flesh has taken over by Satan having like a typical of that the pleasure take it over by safety. That's what you got here.
In the 19th verse the whole world, why I think is the wicked one in the devil?
That's how close they are, the whole world. But the Spirit of God is closer in chapter 2 and verse.
28.
It isn't now little children abide in Him, but when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming. Now there that we. Is that not the apostles?
Yes.
And in this 19th person, the apostles again.
What did they say about it?
Was that brought up before 19th versus the we here we are of God is that is that the apostles?
Which first year is right here first? John 519.
We know that we are of God.
OK, that.
I mean, without the hospital, without the apostles doctrine, we have nothing.
Pardon. The whole world lies in the wicked one, yes.
The last first before we close.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Is it possible?
That we can get into idolatry.
We're reminded of it in Colossians, aren't we, where it says covetousness, which is idolatry. Is that what we're thinking about here?
Anything that takes the place of the glorious Son of God, the one who is the true God in eternal life.
Is idolatry.
Oh, brethren, we've been called into the fellowship of this person. Is there something in my life?
Luke 15:1-15
Gospel—Jim Hayhoe
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 welcome each one to the meeting tonight. Good to see so many out possible meeting and.
Lord Jesus Christ tonight, what a wonderful savior that he is that's gonna be the subject of our meeting tonight. I'd like to sing to him at the start, uh, the first one, number four.
So that him really.
We're talking about somebody who has accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
I don't know the heart of each and every one of you here tonight.
But God does.
The Lord Jesus knows you through and through.
Every single thing about you, your thoughts, you're gonna keep your thoughts on the meeting tonight or?
Hope they don't want their way far away.
That you'll just, for a little time here, think earnestly of the things that we'd like to present to you.
This hymn here.
Speaks of the lovingness of the of the Lord Jacob. So we'll remain seated while we sing this him number four. Let me start touching him.
All right, so so you're gonna run soon?
Alright, I said. That's very good for me.
I must change things inside.
Reliable. I agree.
Staying safe and I'm sinners like me.
Trade the Platform. My hands on **** Lynn. Listen, listen. Something for me.
No, I didn't say I am fired.
I am justified.
Cheerleader.
And container for me.
Yeah, that I was receiving thinking from jumping to me.
So if it's a recording.
Savior, Savior like me.
Nsnoise.
OK.
They saw a loving Father without before thee tonight, with Thanksgiving in our heart for all thy love to us, especially for the Lord Jesus. Thank you.
29.
Pin number 29.
K227, Volume 9.
It's him, It's very clear, the way of salvation. It starts, at least for me #29.
00:05:51
15135354 and black boxes massive to you being.
Bringing home in my heart again.
Give us a born again.
In my stable and I hate.
Star Forecast reply.
Beginning verse one came to pass that as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, stood by the lakes of Tennessee.
Saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their Nets and he entered into one of the ships which was Simon's and Kratom that he would thrust out a little from the land.
And he sat down and taught the people under the ship that when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Notch out into the day from it down your nest in a draw. Simon asked me, said unto him, Master, we have spoiled almonds.
I think nothing as well left a thigh word or when it's down the left. When they had this done, they closed a great multitude of fishes in their next break, and they beckoned under their partners which were in the other ship, that they should come and let him and help him. And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw, he fell down and Jesus neatly saying.
Depart from me, for I am a sinful man no more.
For he was astonished, and all that were witness at the drop of issues with their weight. And so was also James and John, the sons of Japanese, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not from his support, thou shalt catch men.
When they had brought their ships to land, they besook Mole and followed them.
In the past he was in a certain city before the man full of leprosy, who seemed Jesus fell on his face, and he saw him saying, born, it's our wilt Dawkins, make me clean. He put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will be thou cleaned. And immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he charged him to tell no matter, but go and show thyself to the police, and also for thy cleansing and putting his Moses commanded for testimony unto them.
But so much the more what they're saying abroad of him and great multitude came together, and to hear, to hear and to be healed by him of their inference.
00:10:14
Well, I think it's so wonderful, dear one. Here the lower Jacob put the time to speak with these ones.
And the people, it says that they pressed upon them to hear the word of God.
And we really, I hope that you really have a desire to hear the word of God, and this is, so to speak, that you won't hear me.
But you hear what the Lord says, you know this isn't this book is not just words on a page.
The Word of God. You've heard words tonight.
Thank you. Hold on. Let me put them over to you.
You've heard too, and you can get the sense of the words of the two. Incidentally, read his kindness, of his love.
How so gentle speaking like this? And that's the way it is in this time right now.
001 At the very start of this meeting, I wanna tell you, I want you to be concerned with the fact it's not holding anything like that.
So again, judge managers a song sound things stand here to please judge me. The Lord Jesus has come first in grace and love and given out of kind looking invitation to whosoever will remain. Who's the weather with anybody?
Gonna respond to them or you just gonna put it on?
Well, these people here, they pressed upon them, they wanted to hear the word.
You know, it's time to say the day that we just know that not too many people really want to hear the word of God. You know as well as I knew that we're trying to get there in schools. Take it off their liking plate is anything at all that would put their conscience.
About the fact there is a dog almost here before knowing no, remove that, remove them. We don't want him to be good at that. Well dear one, I want to tell you about getting away at the very start of thought. Always going to warm.
With the day coming in which the Lord Jesus is going to step in.
Things will be drastically changed. This is the last meeting and the conference that we've had such a long time over. The Word of God thinking of more people and his Knoxville and Speaking of eternal life today.
How privileged we are to sit under the sound of the word of thought.
Her children, I don't know, they can feel the kind of godfather. Mum and dad are a little hard on me, you know, they make me. I can't go here and I can't do this. I was that way when I was young, to be valid against my mom's dad. I loved him dearly. But.
I tell you I I I want to go a different way.
I want to go a different way and I'm very, very thankful that he.
Rescue me somewhere and put the chains on me, if I can put it that way, and stop me from there.
Oh, it's wonderful, 171 We denture with her with a Misty's like that. And so that you can until I say, get straightened out.
Listen to a dear one going forward. Living powerful.
Sharper than any two legged swords, Kirsten even moved to the divide in the Thunder soul and spirit and the and the deserter of the funds that intense the world. We can look right down in your heart and he knows what you're thinking.
He loathed to Interstate that he was ever taken for her voice and fallen secure.
That's another thing we need to start playing at the early beginning of this meeting. And do you remind you once more in the broader last place too? All have kids and gone short.
All have saved information.
00:15:00
Oh my school glad because I know what you said. You made it so funny.
Every single one has been.
I hope you got that right down inside, you know, and I don't have to tell you, I don't think you know with your sins.
Hello. Hello.
And furthermore, it seems to be Oklahoma.
Oh, it's Holly. Didn't want to.
Oh, can I have serious bread?
You wanna be where he is?
Lord Jesus, something has to get done. Then to go stick there have to be forgiven. They have to be dealt with.
You've put your trust in Him. You'll take those sins with the verse in the Old Testament and says and put them ready to learn the bottom of the ocean.
It's gone, and he's the only one that can wash his hands in water.
The only people in the Lord Jesus who died upon that center floor.
And come there, and suffered and bled and died. He shed his precious blood there.
He's the only one. He was willing to calmly went there and did that complete work there, that complete sacrifice that was required and did it lovingly. He laid down his life.
Newton Park Drive.
Nothing like that at all.
Amazing to think of his mom. He went there. We've had a little easier means this morning.
Of all that they did to that precious swan there.
Hey.
All the people there, I think it says somewhere by wicked hands they took them over Jesus and crucified.
And if I'd been there, I would have done this thing.
So would you. So would you.
I love this so much and bore all that.
Old Man 2.
Jew, there's a little argument over that and all those things that they did to him. Why? Why? You know, someone once said, and it's true, many of the suffering of the Lord Jesus.
He went through were not necessary to put your sins.
Why did you do it?
To show you how much.
Surely how much?
You know, the more they did.
To him, it just revealed my heart and your heart and their heart more and more how much they did.
Laid down.
Shed his pressure for him so that that invitation to evolve to you right to night those who under will.
Once you accept it, once you turn, bow your head and say your breathing.
I believe it's. I want to have you at my stage.
Then you'll be a child again and pick up the floor.
Well, how wonderful that is you're once they press to hear the word of God, they stood by the lake in Ezra. You know the Lord Jesus, he came all the way down to have a man.
Why do we feel God's heart? Let's go ahead.
Looking at this town and seeing theirselves as bullets.
Apart from Him and in their sins only go to one. Think of these things and listen to the words of the Lord Jesus.
00:20:08
And all these ones here, hmm Dell distance these ones here. They were washing their nests and no more teeth out. He launched out a little bit like that and.
And he sat down and he talked to people for the boat. Well, that's been a lovely thing Despite that place. More details there in iPhone any time.
He scolded him.
And go to the vote. His father spoke to them to about their need, how loving he was. He cared about me. There was God cares for you.
He cares about you.
Doesn't want to have to send you to that awful, awful place called.
He doesn't want to send you there, but if you do not accept it.
The Lord Jesus, you're safe and there's no other choice.
And the other choice.
Well, I don't think, well listen to these things. They did. They listened to the Lord. And you know, I've been instructed, I've been.
Kind of struck You all know the story of Abraham. You know, spoke to him.
And Abraham thought all the construction from God, and Abraham believed it, and he did exactly what God told him.
Blessing kings.
We need a story to send.
When he was there, he's already spoke to him.
Then he'll listen, listen very intense and he followed when the what was spoken to him, he got his instruction of naughty.
What about Jones?
What did he do?
He got some instructions from God.
He went the other way.
Goodbye. I don't wanna hear that.
When he got in a boat when just entirely opposite place.
We had to go through to get away from them. I hope you won't have to do you like it like that, but.
Get your instructions right from this book and my God who loves you, cares about you, cares about you.
He he, he knows that he sent his son down into this world.
And for me, what they will do for him, God do that. God knew that at the end of 33 years, but they were going to do them. I still sent them off. It was the only way.
The only way of Galveston.
So.
You know.
One thing is that.
To hear the word of God.
Listen to it like it appears to may that a lot most in this room are doing listening.
The word of God.
But it's quite another thing when that bullet gets down into your heart and you make that.
The decision of your life you make that the what you want to live by. You accept it as what it is you need to order.
You can barely, as it were, very very slightly. I can put it that way. Eject costs more.
Just ignore it, don't say too much about it and go on your way. You can do that. As I said, God knows your heart.
Oh, I don't think, Hmm. And umm, you know, they want to walk through that when you read a Book of Revelation there and and you see in there, it's gonna happen when they give me come and it speaks there about a book and it speaks about names in a book and it says whosoever's name was not found written in the voice.
00:25:05
All I would tremble at that point. You know, I've often thought you want to compare that back in the land of Egypt. And you remember there when the Israelites were there and God started to work there, they had to take a lamb. They had to kill that lamb and take the blood and put it on the door, hold there, let them open the top, and then they went inside that house for that night.
Bear and they, they said on that loaf of lamb, but if the blood was not on the door, the Lord was very faithful and pointable. Friend, the oldest person came down.
If you were the oldest one in that household.
I want to see the front of the door. Hurry up. Let's go save the Dutchess is coming. Which way is coming? You know, it's so clear that I'm we're so clear. It's the same message tonight and judge me on it. But the Lord Jesus and his love and grace. He held them on held that arm with them already going to come here once we're not when it's time to come and it's going to be.
22 like.
And if your name is not written in that walk through the two things two nights, I don't worry. You know, I'd like to think of it like this little finger, broad as a word, running down that page looking for your name. And you stand there on the flazing light to speak of all His Holiness.
Speech off the Word says speechless. You've heard the Gospel.
Speech. Oh, it looks for your name. You can't find it.
Employee, you get another opportunity.
Just like that old boy, the land of Egypt. I'm sure it was that night.
He was right there beside their dad and their good and soft school at the deck I'm doing.
And the words went through that land and nothing, and everyone that had the blood on the door and made if it wasn't there or it's vapor that came, that's the case.
Don't be too late.
Don't be too late and there'll be a time too when you're when you're like you don't expect it that the Lord of Jesus will perform and there won't be as it were. While this is the day, this is the day no, the whole team is going to come any moment might be in the middle of the night and all the blackness of night in his burst in the morning as those who loved him, who put their trust in him and taken up there to have him.
But you, if you're not saving, Sir, left behind, left behind the judgment of the gathering. Oh, Saddam, off the Cuban. Remember one time I was coming home.
And, umm, I don't have to be Troy airport and I landed and then I have to get a little airplane in there to where I live near London, ON. And I knew it was kind of a close connection. And uh, I'm on top of that. The plane was a little late and leaving.
And, uh, and then on another thing is that wait a long distance. You have to go when you to catch these little planes and then they are over the little terminal building that's quite different from the main airport.
My name is. I didn't prompt to do anything. I just grabbed my bag, ran for that door as fast as I can. I knew it was gate. Let's say 2 feet of deductible. The actual number was.
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The doors closed at the door.
I wouldn't, don't be too late. What they offer with the Lord Jesus extends to you. This very nice.
That he's going to come and give a shout.
Novels and film as their savior, I will leave.
And those who don't know more than they left behind.
Lexus.
Not another chance.
Well.
You're going to be sure of these things. But I cannot have sin in heaven, cannot have a sin. And he and he, in his love, he's given the beloved Son to send him into this world.
And the Lord Jesus came down willingly, and he went to the cross of Calvary, died there for you, so that salvation can be offered for you. The Bible says Christ died for the arms all day.
I died for you, dear one, that's why ye went to the cross.
And well, if you've only taken your place like that as a lost Sinner before him, that's truly what repentance is, is seeing yourself as God sees you a Sinner and turning to Him.
And asking him to save him. Asking him to wash your sins away.
Do it tonight, darling. We don't know when the Lord Jesus is going to come.
We don't know.
McDonald's anything can happen can back in the office where I work.
There's a young man there and he has a sister.
And his mom and dad got into marital problems and my father left the home, so he was left there with with his mother and his sister.
One day.
While he was at work he got a phone call and had been a bad accident.
Very bad.
And his mother and his sister were taken.
And he was devastated.
It was just devastating, broken the tears.
And no, went to the Funeral Home. He couldn't even talk. He just bowed his head as it were, and tears would come.
I can understand that, how sad it is.
Sad that is his mother and sister. His father deserted them. He was left alone.
Oh dear ones, you know who tried to speak to him about the Lord and I don't see any response. And the time goes on and he's kind of gotten more and forgotten about these things now. God speak us once ye twice. If man perceiveth is not, he doesn't always strive during the day's going to come and which is going to stop.
And I could go on. There's many more stories like that in which.
Tragedies and accidents and things like that of common God speaks.
I hope you'd listen tonight.
Forgiven.
That's all that matters. They're one. Just with villain. I lost me. Hope you don't mind me telling the story. I've often. My dad gave me a little poem one time and that's what's the heading of it. Forgiven.
I mean, it was about a man who.
Came to know the Lord Jesus as his Savior, and he just rejoiced in that fact that he was forgiven.
While the Lord took him home.
And he was buried in the graveyard.
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And he put a headstone up to mark where he was buried. That's all, it said. Forgiven.
Forgiven. You walked through that graveyard. You know, unlike the little poem, I can't, I I can't quote it like it says, it doesn't say anything else. Name when he was born, when he died.
Her tells of his worth and anything like that, of anything that he'd done, the one important thing in his life, he was forgiven.
Forgiven you, the Lord Jesus, as his Savior. His sins were gone. He was forgiven. You can have that too, dear one. This very night. You can have that. Oh, I hope that you'll accept that this night. You know these ones here.
I don't think in a certain way there's anyone here who really believes that you're going to get to heaven by good work. I hope not, because I'll tell you right at the right now.
No, no you won't. These ones here, like it says in our little story, they fished all night and caught.
Nothing. Nothing.
Nothing.
And it's only dear ones, when the Lord Jesus comes into our life like he did here, they kinda had a little bit of doubt they were washing their Nets. You notice the S on the end of that net net more than one. The Lord Jesus said let down your umm, net and.
Let down your Nets more than one into the ocean or into the sea.
How many they let down?
Sounds to me like they only let down one. Just one.
There was a little bit of doubt there, maybe in their in in their minds. And look at the blessing that came. And that's our God, dear one. He blesses, he blesses, he loves to do that.
Just one net left down the thing and it was just failed. Just failed. That's our God. He loves to do that. Oh, I hope that you'll turn to him like that.
You bring blessing into your life. You'll be the happiest person when your sins are gone like that and you're on your way home to glory.
Well, Simon Peter saw this and he did the right thing, didn't he?
Got down on his knees before the Lord Jesus and he realized right there that the one that he was looking at was the Lord of glory.
God's beloved Son, He got that glimpse of who that man was that was there beside the seaside.
The Lord chastened himself, and he got down and took that right place before him, and he said, Depart from me, O Lord, from a sinful man. He acknowledged that he was a Sinner.
And acknowledge too that God was holy, because that's why he wanted him to depart. And so he saw his need there. The Lord Jesus came in and met him in that need.
Well, I hope they're ones that you'll do that this night. This very, very night.
The second man here that we read out.
He, he had leprosy. Leprosy in Scripture speaks of sin and that man too, He umm.
Lord Jesus was there.
He fell down before the Lord Jesus, and he took the gain. He took that place, Lord, if thou wilt.
Falcons make me clean.
Thou canst make me cling to the Lord. Was there any hesitation on the Lord's part?
Not a bit. I will be thou clean and that leprosy left that man.
Oh, what a complete work the Lord Jesus does, and he's willing to do that to you tonight. And don't ever think, dear one, just because your mom and dad are Christians and just because you're kind of used to hearing the gospel that, well, maybe you're not quite as bad as Sinner and, umm, maybe you really don't need to do this.
00:40:05
I don't know what's going through your mind, but there's only one way to come to the Lord Jesus, and we've read it tonight in two different incidents. Peter, who got down before the Lord Jesus, lo, before him.
Who cried to the Lord for mercy, and likewise this leprous man, full of leprosy, not a hope of anything else but to die in his sin. And along comes the Lord Jesus Christ, puts his hand there and touches him and heals him. He'll do the same for you tonight. If you'll turn to him, He'll do that. He won't turn you down.
No, indeed not.
He loves you too much. He loves you too much.
At the same time, no, dear one, where's that solemn verse there in Matthew, there with the Lord Jesus spoke and he said, enter in at the straight gate.
For broad is the road that leads down to destruction, but narrow is the way that leads to life. Which way are you going to choose?
Joshua says choose you this day whom you will serve. Make the choice dear one, for the Lord Jesus had rode that league down down, down. That's the road that Jonah went on when he went his own way and he thought that he was going to be get away from the presence of God. I went down, down, down, but God interposed there and turned his life around. And if you'll turn to him this night.
To do the same for you. He loves you, He loves you.
You take all those sins and wash them away.
And the blood of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, I hope that you won't put that off, but you know if you do.
It's very solemn.
Judgment is coming. The end is is that.
If you, if you reject the Lord Jesus, we have to tell you faithfully from God's word that the end is a lost eternity and there's no escape. There's no way of And just remember this before you make your decision that hell wasn't prepared for you.
Hell was not prepared and was prepared for the devil and his angels.
But if you don't accept the Lord Jesus, that's where you go, isn't it? That place, And you will not go there.
Dear one, unloved, he loves you. He loves you very, very much.
And, and you can flee from that. You can go away from it. You don't have to go there.
God is blocked, someone has said. God has blocked the road to hell with the very cross of Christ, and you have to go around that cross. If you're gonna go there, you have to go around it. You've heard tonight, and if you were here last night, you heard two very clearly, a message of salvation and how you must be saved. He must, like the hymn says, he must be born again.
He must be born again. You must have that new life.
That God will give you.
And you get it by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
This man here who was a leper.
He didn't, as if I can put it that way, waste any time. No, he cried out to the Lord Jason. He saw his knee. He didn't argue about it. He didn't try any other way, but he just accepted the Lord Jesus in faith. I hope you'll do that tonight, dear one.
I hope you're well because one really feels at the time is very, very short. Very soon the Lord Jesus is going to come. Here we are in the year 2008.
2008 and soon.
Soon, he's going to come.
If you look very closely at Scripture, you'll find mention many many times in the Bible too.
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And I and it's kind of in connection to with the day of grace. That's what that's what we are living in right now. The gospel goes forth. This is the gospel of the grace of God, as it were. Someone said it's like the prodigal son who is there way off and that far off land feeding there and all the all the filth of the world.
That's the gospel of the grace of God that would take a man like that who would rebel. And then he turned around and came back.
Or that man that was lying half dead in the ditch and the Lord Jesus came along and picked him up. That's the gospel of the grace of God.
Well, you know, it also mentions too the Gospel of the glory. It's a glorious gospel. Why? Because it brings us into the light of the Lord Jesus, the light of God's Word. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Once you have it.
Don't you have not only is the gospel that you're saved from all, but uh, will come upon you if you turn from it, but it's a gospel of the glory of God. Are you home to glory with Christ forever and ever in that happy homeboy while dear one, I hope you'll accept him this very night. The last gospel meeting, the last meeting of the conference. We close now we go back to our homes.
You can go tonight. You, you don't really have to wait, you know, until you get home. You can bow your head right now and say, Lord Jesus, I'm a Sinner. I want you as my Savior. But if you don't, you can do it too tonight. If the Lord Jesus hasn't come before you, go to bed tonight. Get that straight with God.
Confess your sins to Him. He loves you. He loves you dearly, dear ones.
Oh, I hope that you'll do it this very, very night. It's an invitation and you must accept it in order to be with Christ in glory. Do it tonight.
#8 first and last first, please.
Hymn #8 Shall we gather at coming?
We've been speaking a little bit of this of the Lord's coming. You know, these hymns, I've often thought, I mean they speak far more clearly than anything. I can never present to you the Lord's coming and shout, are you going to be there? And the assurance that you will be is in the course. The last line if washed in the Savior's life, washed in the Savior's life.
Him #8 the 1St and the last first.
Nsnoise God I feel like.
Talking Victoria glory after Gloria.
Covey.
Nsnoise.
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Nsnoise.
And would pray earnestly that there is one in this room still, a stranger told.