Lawrenceville Conference: 2014
Table of Contents
Romans 12:1-3
Reading
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191.
Uh, I have a lottery.
In connection with that hymn, could we also sing #288?
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288.
Food we need for each one of us.
We could think that in the middle of a world, the wilderness.
Time of such spiritual drought that we have a full resource indeed, and we have a precious word. We just ask that our hearts would be open to receive what there would be for us, and it might make its way to our hands and our feet.
If we think of those who cannot be here because of distance, bench or other things, or perhaps discouragement, we pray that we think of the verse Draw me and we will run after thee, that we'll have something to take back and share with others.
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Who've not been able to be here?
Give thanks again to the Lord Jesus Christ, my beloved eternal.
We just sang about the mercies of the Lord, and I've had on my heart the 12Th chapter of the book of Romans, where on the basis of the mercies of the Lord, He beseeches us in a very practical way to give ourselves to the living sacrifice and so on. And I wonder if perhaps that would be the portion the Lord has for us.
Romans, chapter 12.
Romans, chapter 12.
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, they present your bodies a living sacrifice.
Wholly acceptable under God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
They may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.
But to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man, the measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one body.
And all members have not the same office.
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another.
Having that gift differing according to the grace that is given to us.
Whether prophecy? Let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith.
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministry. Or he that teacheth on teaching. Or he that exhorteth on exhortation, He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.
Either rulers with diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness.
Let love be without dissimulation.
And before that which is evil cleave to that which is good.
Be kindly affectioned 1 To another with brotherly love.
And honor preferring one another.
Not slothful in business.
Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation.
Continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of Saints.
Given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you, Bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind, one toward another.
Mind not high things, but condescend the men of low esteem.
You're not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man, evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved.
Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.
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Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink.
For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
It's often been pointed out, but perhaps it bears repeating, that in the epistles we have first of all in the first part of the epistle, especially Paul's epistles, that which lays of doctrinal foundation. It was given to Paul as a wise master builder to lay down the foundation crews in connection with Christianity. There were other New Testament writers, of course, but Paul was given that special revelation.
And special Commission.
And so in the beginning of his epistles, we have certain doctrines set down as foundation, principles, or truths. But then we find there's always that which is practical, because when the truth is laid down, there's always responsibility connected with it. And really the joy and power and fruit and testimony in our Christian life come when we not only know the doctrine, not only know the truth, but we seek by grace to put it into practice.
To act upon it and to walk in the good of it. And Romans, the book of Romans is no exception to this. And so in the 1St 11 Chapters we have laid down by inspiration through the instrumentality of Paul, that which we have been brought into through grace by the mercies of, of God based on the work of Calvary and uh, the, uh, the sacrificial work of Calvary and the blood of Christ.
And so in the book of Romans, we're seeing before God is justified and so on.
But now he's going to take up a very practical side of things in these last few chapters.
Because to have sound practice, you must first of all have sound doctrine. Again, you always get that, especially if you were to go to Timothy's, the Epistles to Timothy. We find that Paul lays out sound doctrine as the basis for sound practice. That's why he said to Timothy, that was fully known my doctrine. That was first and then manner of life and other characteristics of his, of his life that had been a real testimony to Timothy and to others.
And so again I say, we must have sound doctrine if there's going to be sound practice. And so we find here he begins this chapter with a beseeching, an exhortation then based on what has gone before to present our bodies a living sacrifice. And it's based, as I said, as we say, say, see here on the mercies of God, the mercies of God. God in his mercy has provided for us.
Give yourselves as a living sacrifice, and there are many practical things in this chapter and the chapters that that follow, and will only have time, of course, to consider a few. But brethren, may it exercise our souls. Christianity is more than just embracing certain doctrines.
More than just being brought into a certain position, more than just something wonderful ahead in a future day when we leave this world. But it is now to live for His glory and to exhibit in our lives that practical righteousness.
Positionally, we're in a wonderful position right just before God, but there needs to be exhibited in our lives for His glory here that practical righteousness and testimony that He so desires.
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Maybe it helped to go back to the 11Th chapter and just read the resume of the first part of the book like you say Jim, and uh, see that the mercies of God are referred to.
Let's begin reading with verse 30 of Chapter 11.
For as ye in times past have not believed in God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief.
Even so, have these also not believed that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy? He's Speaking of the relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles, and how God is working to bring them all into blessing. Verse 32. For God hath concluded them all, Jews and Gentiles, in unbelief.
That he might have mercy upon all, and then he breaks out in that doxology.
Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out? For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor? Who hath first given to him?
And it shall be recompensed unto him again, for of him, and through him and to him.
Are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.
And now he starts in view of that.
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God.
Wonderful brethren, what a what a position to now bring to bear on us in a practical way.
How should this affect us?
And so he beseeches us that we.
Present our bodies a living sacrifice.
Holy, acceptable to God. Sacrifices of the Old Testament were killed.
But we are to be living sacrifices.
The sacrifice is something that's given up.
And in our culture, there's been so much depicted at Christianity where you can get saved. And I look forward to a home in heaven. But then you can just live your life pretty much like you did before.
That is not what we have here. It is giving your bodies a living sacrifice.
And I like the way it puts it at the end of the verse it says which is your.
Reasonable service.
Or if I could put it this way.
It's the only reasonable response. Give me what God has done.
Is it reasonable to say to God now you gave everything you gave your beloved Son?
Now I'd like to give 90% of my life to the to the Lord. Is that reasonable?
That is not reasonable, brother.
It has to be 100%.
And it just seems to me that in our way of life in North America, we have lost sight of that.
We think we can have it our way.
But that is not Christianity.
That's what's emphasized here. The presenting of our bodies to God is a living sacrifice. Go back to Chapter 7.
Chapter 7 and verse 24.
O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body?
Of this death.
In the beginning of Romans, if you will, if I could put it this way, man's body was useless to God, because in our bodies dwells that thing called sin.
And when sin is working in the body, man is looked at before God is in flesh.
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And as it tells us in chapter 8, they that are in flesh cannot please God.
And so in us we have we were born in a condition before God that our bodies as a sacrifice were useless.
God couldn't accept them or use them in any sense.
There was only one person who had lived in this world whose body could be presented to God as a living or a sacrifice in death.
And that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
And consequently, as a living man at the end of his life, he could say that the disciples and we have it so often before us on Lord's Day morning.
Concerning the loaf, this is my body.
Which is given for you. And so he can. And he did.
OfferUp, his holy spotless person.
In that untainted, undefiled body as a sacrifice to God, and all our blessings are dependent upon it.
And we still have the flesh in US. And so the question could be rightly raised well, how can we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God in view of.
That fact. And so in Chapter 8, umm, just to get a little of the connection to where we start, it says in Chapter 8.
Umm, see if I can find the verse. I want not to read too much.
Versailles of chapter 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
That was the condition of man in his body before God. But then he goes on in verse 9. But you're not in flesh.
Ah, this is what gives us the place where our bodies can now be offered to God as a living sacrifice. You're not in flesh, but in spirit. If so be the Spirit of God dwell in you. But if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. If there's a person in this room who has not Christ.
And the Spirit of God dwelling in them, their bodies useless as far as the sacrifice to God. But if you are here this morning and the Spirit of God dwells in you.
And the life of Christ is in you then.
You're you can be exhorted as we have in chapter 12 verse one. So he says in verse 10, if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. And so the body as far as the working of sin in it is to be treated as there's more doctrine and I don't wanna spend all reading meeting on that, but nonetheless, it's been addressed and it's been taken care of in such a way that.
We can treat its activity as dead.
And say no to it. And by the power of the Spirit of God in US, God can say, now I can use your body.
As a sacrifice for my purposes. And we too can offer it to Him as we couldn't before. Because as it goes later on in this 8th chapter, it tells us that not only is our soul redeemed by God, not only are we redeemed in spirit.
But in this 8th chapter, our bodies.
Are valuable to God, and they have been redeemed to him as well. I look at you in that body in which you serve God as a living sacrifice, and I say that's the same body I'm gonna see you in in heaven.
The working of sin in it will be removed. You will be changed not to have that in you, but I'm looking at you in the body in which you're going to remain forever.
And it's that body that's redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as we have in this 8th chapter, that is the basis in which he says now, brethren, presented to God as a living sacrifice.
Just not again, not to belabor it, but I think it would be helpful just to read some couple of verses in the 6th chapter.
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Because as Brother Don has said, sin still exists, but it has no power over a dead person. And it's brought out in the sixth chapter and the 12Th verse. He says, let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye shall should obey it to the in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness under sin, but yield yourselves under God as those that are alive from the dead and your members.
As instruments of righteousness unto God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
And so in this new position now there's not only the exhortation, but there's the power. We've been brought into a place where everything has been provided now so that we can effectively present ourselves in that way under the law. There wasn't the power apart from God, of course, and there were those that serve the Lord acceptably in the Old Testament, but now brought into this new position on the basis of grace and by the mercies of God.
There is everything that's needed so that we can present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord this morning.
Not in our own power, brethren, Not because there's been some spark of divinity found within us, but because God has provided everything that's needed. And as we embark on this chapter 2, remember that giving our bodies as a living sacrifice is total dedication. This is total commitment. This is not half heartedness. This is not some for me and some for the Lord.
This is like Caleb of old, who wholly followed the Lord.
And I know Don alluded it to it too, but let's just be very clear in our souls that in Christianity, our bodies don't belong to us. Our bodies belong to the Lord. We've been purchased. We've been bought with a great price. And as we recognize that we're not our own, as he said to the Corinthians, then we ought to glorify God in our bodies and in our spirit, which are gods. What we have in these mortal bodies, these physical bodies, is not our own.
This body does not belong to me. Your body does not belong to you.
And if you have any appreciation for Christ, then you are exhorted to yield yourself, to give yourself totally, not half heartedly, not partly, but you are to yield yourself totally and to give yourself on the altar of service to Himself.
We reach here by the mercies of God.
That's how it started, because God was mercy to us by receiving us as we were.
By sending somebody talk to us about the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the mercy of God, and if we got saved that way, that is the greatest mercy of God.
But now.
We might may have a healthy body.
You may be able to walk well and do many things. We do a lot of things.
But we should prevent here this body, a living sacrifice. How we do that?
It has to be holy, doesn't it?
Yes. But uh, I would, I'd like to go on to just present something which is a sacrifice.
I was just recently, uh, over in Germany and, uh, I visited certain people as a family there. They have a handicap son.
And he has, uh, a pass on the railroad to go to through the area, a certain area square, 100 square miles. You can go anywhere he wants to.
He is handicapped because he doesn't, he talks too much and he doesn't talk well. So.
The president couldn't re receive him in fellowship they said, because of that now anyway.
He gets on the train and there's hundreds of villagers and he visits, he gets off at a certain village and he he gets out tracks in every house and he does that.
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As many times as he can, then the weather is good all the time.
Now that's a sacrifice.
A sacrifice by a person. That body might not work too well, but it's a body that has a sacrifice to give.
And that gives that all year round, all all the time he never get done. There's hundreds of thousands of villages he can visit and he does that well, that's a living sacrifice.
And and he loves the Lord, he is, He has a holy.
Walk. He cannot be, uh, accused of bad words of bad.
Language of anything bad?
His his behavior is presentable.
So the Lord can use it. It's acceptable unto God.
And there's many reasonable sacrifices because.
When we wanna think about it, we go and visit a a a personal brother or somebody who is in the hospital or not all people home is in the wheelchair and we talked to him about the Lord. Well, that's a sacrifice because we use the times that the Lord has given us.
Instead of doing something.
Going and and enjoying ourselves and some habits that we have or anything we.
We do that kind of a work.
But we have to be holy, otherwise we can't do it. We have to know the Lord, we have to know his words, and we have to be willing to do this kind of work. But there's other sacrifices in the meeting too.
When? Why do we come together by through the breaking of breath?
Where is many times it's mentioned to bring spiritual sacrifices.
By praying to the Lord Jesus Christ and honoring Him about what He has done.
Well, this is also a sacrifice, and everybody who breaks breath can say, can do that. He can give thanks to the Lord. If it's only in a few words and a few sentences, it's a sacrifice. And there's many others, there's hundreds of them that can be mentioned.
I'd like to go back to the Book of Daniel for an example of what we're saying here, and just stress again what Brother Eckert has said in connection with it being holy.
Because if our service is going to be acceptable to the Lord, there must be the maintenance of practical holiness in our lives. And at the end of Daniel chapter 3, there's something remarkable.
A statement we made that's remarkable. It's made by King Nebuchadnezzar.
In connection with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego after they had come through the fiery furnace.
Verse 29 of Daniel chapter three he says no. Verse 28.
And Nebuchadnezzar spake and said blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Who has sent his Angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have char, and have changed the King's word. Now notice this. And yielded their bodies, that they might not serve or worship any God except their own God. You know Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who didn't know how the story was gonna turn out. We know because we read it. We read it from the days of our youth and we know that they were brought through when they said they weren't going to bow down.
Whether it would be for them to be consumed in the fire and be taken out of the away from the power of the king, or whether he would bring them through the fire, but nevertheless they were not going to defile themselves by and be disobedient by bowing down to the image. There was, if we can put it in our language for today, there was practical holiness maintained.
But do we seek by the grace of God, to walk in practical holiness, availing ourselves of the cleansing of the washing of water by the Word and so on? It's a whole different subject. But I believe it's very, very important. We cannot.
Defi walk within defilement. We cannot walk in association with that which defiles and expect to have to to be a living sacrifice and to have a service that is acceptable.
And intelligent for himself.
There's often a concept that God is someone, The Lord Jesus is someone that you might visit one hour a week, 3 hours a week, 5 hours a week. Then someone locks the door and you go home and you have the other 163 or 167 hours to yourself once you've made that visit. Which, and it's not to make someone an offender for the use of the word.
But it is not something we attend. It's to be our life.
And that's so important, isn't it? Because.
If I may speak from personal observation and experience.
The biggest obstacle to carrying this out?
Yes, absolutely. It's important to have practical holiness and we wouldn't in any way take away from that. It's much needed today and it is something that.
Sad to say is.
But that expression by the mercies of God, which occurs first, at least to my own soul, brings in something most necessary, and that is the engagement of our affections.
I may set out to serve. I may set out to make a sacrifice because my conscience tells me I ought to be doing it.
Or I may do it because I see other believers doing it and I have what is conventionally called a jump on the bandwagon.
Mentality that I wanna be part of it. I wanna do something too.
But the ultimate thing that will keep us doing this?
Is and brother Bob referred to it at the end of Chapter 11, and we get it also in chapter 8, because really chapters 910 and 11 are kind of an aside that takes up Israel.
It brings before us all that God has done for us in Christ, doesn't it?
And it's only when we realize in our hearts the depth of love in the divine bosom. It's only when we realize in our hearts the depth of what Christ did on Calvary's cross.
It's only when that really lays hold of us that this will become a present, living reality. And I don't pretend it's so in my own soul, but I say in my own observation and experience, including myself.
The biggest obstacle to this is the fact that there is not the heart for Christ.
There's not the appreciation in my soul of what he did for me and all that he is.
If that really had a grip on my soul.
As Dean was saying, it wouldn't be. Well, now I've, as we might say, done my best and the rest of the time is mine. Or I've given my bet, whether it is money or time and the rest of it's for me.
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I can still remember when I was a young man, I guess.
I read as many books as I could get my hands on about.
Married life.
When I was contemplating getting married.
And I well remember reading 1 written by a godly man not gathered to the Lord's name, but he had a lot of real wisdom in it. But one thing I can remember he said that I thought a lot about. And I thought he's wrong.
He said when you get money as a married couple.
Save 10%.
Give 10%.
And spend the rest on yourself with Thanksgiving.
Is that right?
It's not too bad of a thing to think about, but do I really take 80%?
And just say no, this is all mine and I spend it any way I want on myself. I don't believe so.
It all belongs to the Lord, whether it's my time, my energy, my talents, whatever I may have.
But why will I lay it as a sacrifice before the Lord? Only because the mercies of God have really gotten a grip on my soul?
And that is not in the least taking away for the need for holiness, because it's the basis of holiness too, isn't it?
You know, you and I may never be called on in North America to lay down our lives in a physical way, like many of our brethren have been and even are today as physical martyrs for Christ. But we are to lay down our lives in service to Christ and to one another. And it's an intelligent service too, isn't it? Because this word reasonable in the King James, it's a good word and it's reasonable.
But if you notice in Mr. Darby's translation, it's an intelligent service. In Ephesians you get something a little different, but similar. He's abounded unto us in all wisdom. And again, Mr. Darby's translation, intelligence. Because in Christianity, when the heart is engaged and the truth is taken in and enjoyed, then there's an intelligent service to render to Christ and for the blessing of the people of God. I suppose it's a little in contrast to the Old Testament.
There was a service in the Old Testament that the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites carried out from day-to-day.
But it wasn't always an intelligent service if you had stepped up to the altar in the Tabernacle or the temple.
And said to the priests and the Levites who were performing those services, why do you have to do certain things? Why when it's the bird does the crop and the feathers have to be set aside and the head pinched off and other sacrifices have to be filleted in a certain way and some is burnt and some isn't. They tell you, oh, we're not really sure why, but there's stiff penalties if it's not carried out in the right way. We remember what happened to Nadab and a Bayou and so on.
It wasn't necessarily an intelligent service.
But you and I in Christianity have been given divine wisdom and intelligence in the full revelation of God so that we can serve the Lord, give ourselves holy, acceptable, which is your intelligence service. And So what a wonderful thing it is, brethren, we don't serve the Lord blindly. We don't give ourselves blindly. We act on faith, of course.
But faith gives light for whatever service and he's going to go on and talk about different services and functions that are given to each one of us. And it's important to be exercised. I'd like to just before we pass on, give a little out a little.
Minute outline of this chapter. I think as we progress it'll be helpful to see this because in the 1St 5 verses we have practice that is consistent with our relationship with God and to one another, what we've been brought into by the mercies of God. Then there's a practice that is consistent with that.
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Then in verses 6 and to 867 and eight, we have brought before us different forms of service because we're not all called to do the same thing. Every one of us are given a little function, a little service, uh, by God. And the blessing comes when we, uh, carry that out. Then from verse 9 to the end of the chapter, we might have, we have what we might say are moral characteristics that are in keeping with those who serve the Lord.
We have the mind and the reason they're presented that way here is found in chapter one. And if you go back to chapter one, you can see the use of the body and the use of the mind in the world and the condition of the body and the condition of the mind and see why it's not intelligent.
Nor according to the will of God.
So in chapter one, which Paul is alluding back to in these first two verses.
He's going back and building on what he said in chapter one, in chapter one, verse 21, because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and they're fully sharp, was darkened professing themselves to be wise. We're talking about being intelligent here in chapter 12. This is chapter one. Here's man professing themselves to be wise. They became fools.
And just get the overall view of it.
Uh, God gave them up.
In that condition and the use of the body.
Became what is described here. So he gave them up in verse 26.
Uh, God gave them up unto vile affections, even given their women to change the natural use into that which is against nature. And we have the description of what we call homosexuality and that characterizes man and the use of his body today.
And, uh, so that's where and it describes here the use that man is now making and did before.
As it says in verse 24, Wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts.
To dishonour their own bodies between themselves. And then he goes on, after he describes man's use in the very opposite of holiness, his use of his body as it is. Then he talks about the mind in verse 28. Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind.
To do that which is not convenient.
And so on, being filled with all unrighteousness and fornication and wickedness and covetousness and verse 30 backfighters, haters of God, verse 31 without understanding, and so on. This is the condition of mind of man in the world.
Is it intelligent before God? No.
Man today lives like a beast.
That's his level of intelligence. He lives like the beast and God condemned it. In chapter three he says all have sinned and come short and then in the chapters which follow, he gets to chapter 10 and he repeats the there is no difference.
That he used in chapter 3, all of sinned. In chapter 10, he, as it were, says there's no difference. I'm going to have mercy on all.
And so in our chapter begins by the mercies of God, because he has developed the thought, and as in the Romans that there's no difference, man has gotten to be like the beast, and in his mind that's the care condition of his mind without God.
In the flesh. But then God says yes, but I have done a work in which I may show my mercies to all men. There's no difference. My mercy goes out to everyone.
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And so in our chapter back to our chapter in verse two, we're told don't be conformed to the world. If I could put it this way, don't go back and live in chapter one of Romans.
And they're more in it than just the most gross forms of evil. If you read it, you'll see how the mind works and in the way that man is. So he says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That is, until you're saved. Your mind goes in the channel of the world and its thoughts and when you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your mind still has its memory, and it's still full of all those patterns of thought which are not.
Conformed to the mind and will of God. So it has to be changed. The mind has to be renewed. It has to have different thought patterns established in it. It has to have new memory of better things established by feeding upon God's things. And then, as Bill already said in chapter 8, which I think is so important, I want to refer back to it.
And it's connected with the mercy of God and beseeching just one of the things that is done for us.
In chapter 8.
It says.
Verse 15 For ye have not received the spirit of ******* again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry ABBA, father.
That's the keywords ABBA, father, the presenting of our bodies, the renewing of our mind.
Is in the measure in which we enter into the affections of the relationship that we have with our father, and if we enter into that relationship.
And enjoy what has been done in mercy for us. Then it enables the heart to want to have God's thoughts. And so it says, by doing so, you prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. That is, the living of an out shows that God's will, God's way, God's intelligence, God's intention for the use of the body is the perfect way.
And it's his way. But if we don't, if we don't live it out, then we don't in practice show the perfect will of God, which is one and only one way, God's will and way.
You talk about quite a bit about.
Jim and Don about measure in the measure that and, uh, I enjoy the thought that, uh, from what we've been saying, young people often get the idea that how can I ever live up to that? This is so far beyond where I'm living that I don't know how I can reach there. And, uh, the idea of, umm, the verse in first Peter that says, uh, but growing grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, the growing process.
Can start small and continue and develop. I don't think the young man who gave up tracts in all those villages in Germany, uh, started off with that objective of covering all those villages. He started with one and went on from there. And so it is with the Christian life.
It's, uh, having more of Christ who can always have more. You can start from wherever you are and increase your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Growing. Sometimes you stand. You can stand beside a tree for a long time and not see the growth happen, but it does year by year, cut it down and you see all the rings. And so it is with our Christian life. We grow to know the Lord Jesus as we go along, if we're occupied with Him.
And in Christianity, as has been pointed out.
It is an intelligent service, isn't it? And so as you say brother Lauren, when we start out on our Christian pathway, we may look at others who perhaps have walked with the Lord for 30-40, fifty years and we may say, well.
How can I ever come up to that?
To take it one step further, if I read the word of God, the example set before me is Christ.
01:00:04
And God never has any less an example than His beloved Son.
Do I ever come up to that?
Not till we get to the glory, but God never sets anything less before us. But when we start out, and we're talking here about service.
The world has an expression. Do the next thing.
And I have often felt in my own soul, and I have said so, and I say it again.
If we're not sure what to do for the Lord, do what's right in front of us. Do what the Lord gives us to do, which is right in front of us, right in our own locality, right, as we would say, at our front door.
Sometimes we may get the idea that if I could only go to a foreign land, if I could only be in a certain situation, I could do so much for the Lord. And the Lord needs those who are willing to go to foreign lands. But it doesn't start out that way, does it? It starts out, I believe, with living, as Dean was saying, and using what we have for the Lord right in the situation where we are.
And then as you say, there's growing in grace and in what? In service, No, in the knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And then we do appreciate what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We do have an intelligent service because.
The Lord has something for each one of us to do, and He leads and guides if there's a willing heart and a desire to serve Him. Uh, He is more than willing to show us what He wants us to do, isn't He?
Part of being not conformed to this world, not having that same thought pattern.
Just say this too, that in Christianity we're exhorted to bring every thought into captivity under the obedience of Christ. And how are we going to know what our intelligence service is? How are we going to have our thoughts governed in a proper way? It must be through the Word of God. There's no other way. Our occupation with Christ, our understanding of Christ.
Our understanding of our service for Christ, it's all right here. But if we're occupying our minds with the things of this world and those things that feed the mind with all the defilement and the thought patterns of this world, we're not going to, we're going to be conformed to the world. We're not going to have the renewing of our of our minds. And let's just stop and ask ourselves in a very practical way this morning.
What do we occupy our minds with? I know that there are those things we have to take up to get along in school, to get through the, our work a day world and so on. And the enemy certainly has much to fill our mind. But when we have liberty, when those responsibilities are done, what are we filling our minds with in Philippians? Where to, to, uh, think on the things that are true and pure, honest and pure and lovely and so on. There's a list of things given there and they're really.
They're really attributes of Christ. It's again setting our mind on Christ.
It's being occupied with himself. And if we do that, if we're occupied, if our minds are occupied with Christ, what is going to be the unconscious result? Why? Our hearts are going to be engaged. Our feet are going to be put in motion in service. We're going to have His interests at heart, and the service that He has for us is going to so naturally fall into place as a result.
01:05:14
That perhaps it will almost be subconscious, because if the mind and the heart are affected in the proper way, then everything else in connection with giving ourselves.
As a living sacrifice to himself and one another is going to naturally fall into place without it being any difficulty, without it being some hard thing. Because again, when the heart is engaged, A beseeching has the a request has the power of a command.
In proverbs chapter 23 and verse 7 it says as a man thinketh in his heart so is he and so it's really important to have right thoughts about everything and I think that is so crucial in verse 2.
How are we transformed is by renewing our minds. Like you say, it's the reading of the precious Word of God.
Greeting. I don't know why it is and it seems so hard to get.
To enter the word, but some I remember somebody in my youth encouraging us to read the word of God until our thoughts are not really our own thoughts, but our thoughts that come from the word of God. How important it is we want to have right thoughts to challenge everything in our world. I must say rather than.
I found one of the things that helps to visit another country is that lots of our norms that we have in the United States.
Are not the same in other countries and I have found people that are far happier than Americans are in other countries that are in extreme poverty and that kind of shakes you up. What is going on?
Why do you find Americans so unsatisfied and so self-centered? I say it. It's not right. It's not Christianity.
And we've been duped. Honestly, we have been duped.
In our culture, in the United States, to think like was said that our world centers on us.
That is not Christianity.
Look at verse 3 here, which tells us what worldly thus is. Really. It says, For I say through the grace given to me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.
So we hear so often in advertising.
You owe it to yourself. You're worthy of this.
That is totally contrary to Christianity. And if I, I must say, brethren, I have to confess for myself that passing through the culture that we are, we get affected by it and it's not Christianity and it has taken us in a direction that is negative. The Lord help us to at least recognize it, brethren, and to confess it to the Lord and let the Lord deal with it.
Because.
I really believe we have been duped in this country by that kind of thinking, so much so that I find in going around, you know, it used to be that Americans were looked at fairly favorable, favorably as you travel around. It's not that way anymore.
People despise Americans because they are only there for their own interests and their own pleasure.
And it's it's shown itself.
Brethren, the Lord help us that at least we can recognize that this is not of God. To live for ourselves, we need to have our minds renewed in every single way possible.
And puts great stock in knowledge and umm, I'd like to make comment, repeat some comments made at the breakfast table this morning.
01:10:09
In Proverbs chapter one.
And verse 7.
It says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
But fools despise wisdom and instruction, and later on in Proverbs it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Man is ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth we're not talking about.
How many ounces in a pound are natural physical things here? That's not important. Knowledge by comparison to moral knowledge. And God here says the fear of the Lord.
Is the beginning of knowledge.
Man who seeks knowledge apart from God is a fool.
God is the true source of knowing and knowledge. That is important and the only starting point.
For knowledge is to put yourself in the right relationship to God.
The fear of the Lord.
That's the beginning point to give God His place.
Of respect and authority over us is truly the beginning of knowledge.
And any other effort to know without it.
Is not going to come.
To a good outcome.
Is it says elsewhere, the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that walketh to direct himself his steps. Nobody in this room apart from God.
Is capable of walking intelligently through this world.
There's not a single person in this room that can walk intelligently through the path of life without what comes from God. The way of man is not in himself, and the wisest man, the wisest man on earth, are characteristically the most.
In the dark and the most foolish, I say characteristically there are exceptions, and so do I want to have an intelligent mind.
It's found in the mind and will of God, and this by the word of God. And one more thing, the fear of the Lord. It's by submission to the will of God that I become intelligent.
Before God and man. And if I refuse?
To submit to the Lordship of Christ, I will never walk intelligently, and I will not walk according to the will of God. So our intelligent service to Him is to give him His right place and to look to Him as the true source of the knowledge that we need to live our lives.
Could we see Don that in verse 3?
I thoroughly and 100% agree with what Brother Bob brought before us about.
The danger of having ourselves as the center of everything but we notice, at least in my Bible, the.
Words of himself in verse three are in italics, and I believe the Darby simply reads having high thoughts.
More than I ought to think.
So it is really the exaltation of the human mind, isn't it?
I will remember.
Hearing, of course, no one here knew him.
George W Heaney, a brother of, uh, some note among those gathered to the Lord's name 100 years ago or more. And he apparently made the statement When I was not saved, I wanted to be a great man in the world. And after I got saved, I wanted to be a great man in the Church of God. And I had to learn that both were wrong.
And as you said, Dawn, there is a danger of bringing baggage with us when we get saved.
And exalting the human mind and the things of God is one of them, isn't it? And that's what we're warned against here. Absolutely. Man center as an unbeliever is in himself. But there's a danger of the human mind getting going in the things of God too. And I believe that is referred to in verse 3 as well, is it not?
01:15:12
If it reminds me a lot of my day of 6.
Isaiah, we know, was a major prophet.
And he has this vision of the Lord sitting on a throne then he has.
The awesomeness.
With the seraphim.
And there's three Holy, holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.
The movement.
Caused by the voice of the Seraphim.
And his, his sense of this holiness, this awesome presence of the Lord.
He says woe is me, I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips.
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. We've had in our verses, you know, wholly acceptable.
And then inverse.
6th of Isaiah 6.
One of the seraphims.
Flew onto him and touched his lips with the live coal from off the altar.
And he says, Thine iniquity is taken away into verse 7, and thy sin purged.
In verse eight I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send?
Then said I here am I.
Send me our verse says that you present.
Your bodies.
These words here am I.
I was thinking of that many times we sit in meetings, sometimes with long pauses.
And when we're young in the Lord, we might say, well, there's so many older brethren here that they, they can give out to him. So I, I just can't do it.
And maybe we even feel a little intimidated by some that are more forward and.
We know that there is from the word of God that which is gift.
And we want to.
Uh, listen to those instructions that the Lord has given through various gifts He has given.
But I just want to stress this that she present yourself.
The story is told of an army brigade.
A dangerous mission came up.
There would be very high risk factors.
And the company commander asked for a volunteer.
He said I'm gonna turn around. And when.
When I'm turned around, volunteers stand forward.
He turned around.
Paused a bit, turned around again. The whole company looked the same.
He's a bit puzzled.
But then he found out the entire company had stepped forward.
Young brothers, particularly.
But there to him.
Or scripture.
The Lord Jesus has given you that you've enjoyed.
Present.
Your body's.
Yes, there is His Holiness.
If you're shy.
Why are you worth thinking about? Jesus died to put you away as well as your sin.
And he's the one we're thinking about.
He's the one worth exalting, and maybe that him you're led to give out.
Is that which the Spirit of God wants you to give out.
And obedience is necessary, Isaiah finds out in the rest of the chapter.
He's told, he says Here am I. That's presenting, isn't it?
01:20:12
But the sense of being before the Lord as the Holy One, how important that is, He says go tell these people.
Verse 9 here indeed, but understand not, see indeed, perceive not, and so forth.
Well, you present yourself and nobody's gonna listen.
Is quoted in John 12, isn't it as proof of who Jesus Christ is?
Marvelous.
Well, wonderful, we could present ourselves.
And then have the sense.
I cannot send myself.
Send me.
I'm going to tell a story when I was about 20.
Maybe 21?
It was many years ago I went to the meeting in Los Angeles.
Typically.
Three brothers prayed 15 minute prayers who sang to hymns.
One night I prayed.
After the meeting, an older sister came up and.
Thank me for the prayer.
And then began to dress me down because I was so young.
I just want to say we need more leading of the Spirit.
In our assemblies, not such long prayers.
But freshness before God, brother.
Young brother, if you have something on your heart, pray about it. It doesn't matter if it's.
10 seconds long.
If there weren't the long prayers, maybe we'd have more brethren praying. I remember years ago in San Diego, I don't know. I was still in my 20s, I'm sure.
Chapter Brown came to town.
He made this comment after a prayer meeting, says Brethren. Everybody talks about this weak little meeting.
But I am so encouraged tonight that every brother prayed.
Well, that's not very possible in a large assembly either.
But am I content to pray about one thing that comes on my heart and let somebody else pray about something else that may come up?
Well, I just want to stress this point particularly. Present yourselves here. Am I.
Over thy word, and we ask that it might be made good in each one of our souls for thy glory.
And for thy purposes we give thanks in thy name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.
Give this mic a try here.
I just want to read a couple of verses here. Umm, next thing is lunch. But I these thoughts came to mind and at the end of the meeting it was on the calendar I think yesterday.
Jeremiah 923 and 24 Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom.
Answering Those Who Ask Why We Meet as We Do
Address—Bill Prost
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I'm going to suggest what.
Might seem like an unusual hymn for a meeting like this.
But I think you'll see why when we get into our subject. I'd like to sing the last three verses of #150.
150.
And because it's a long hymn, we'll sing the last three verses beginning with verse 4.
Referring to the Lord Jesus, the higher mysteries of thy fame.
The creature's grass transcend.
The Father only thy blessed name of Son can comprehend worthy.
O Lamb of God, art thou that every knee to thee?
Last three verses of #150 And somehow I don't think we can sing this hymn sitting down. Let's rise.
For higher mysteries of thy fame.
The freighter's grass.
Grandson.
The Father.
Only.
Lifeless night.
Oh, Sun can comprehend.
All. I'm all.
Art thou Lauder innocent?
Goodbye.
Good bow.
Beautiful hymn.
The brother that put together our little flock him book said that he would rather have been the author of that hymn, which he wasn't, but he would rather have been the author of that hymn than of all other hymns combined in the English language. Wonderful. Let's pray together. Our God and our Father, we look to Thee this afternoon. We thank Thee for that one.
00:05:19
Whose glories transcend human understanding.
So we thank thee that it is that one.
And to whom we have been brought into relationship as His church.
His bride.
The one who went to Calvary's cross, as we remembered this morning.
The one whose glory fills all of heaven and one day will fill all of heaven and earth.
We thank thee, our God and Father, for such an objective force.
We pray now for help as we look into Thy word and command our time together to Thee.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Lately in.
As the saying goes, keeping my ear to the ground about what is going on among the people of God, and particularly among.
Those gathered to the Lord's name.
A couple of questions have come to the forefront.
That seemed to be a difficulty, a question mark to many people.
And sometimes we hear complaints and sometimes they're justified that maybe we aren't practical enough.
In the way that the things of God are presented, and I accept that criticism.
And this afternoon, I'd like to take up a couple of serious questions that face not only younger people, but ultimately all of us here in the course of our lives at some point or another.
And I'd like to talk about them for a few minutes.
The first question is.
What do we tell and how do we explain it to another believer? When someone comes up to us and I'm talking about a believer now and says and what church do you go to? Where do you worship?
The second question.
Perhaps a slightly more serious one, and yet one which I hear not infrequently.
Why is it wrong for us, as gathered to the Lord's name, to go and break bread with other dear believers who perhaps are connected with some other group of Christians? What is wrong with that?
Some here may say, oh, come on, Bill.
Do we not know the answer to those questions? And I know that many here would have no problem with an answer to either one of those questions.
But those questions are surfacing more and more, and maybe it would be good to talk about them a little.
I'd like to turn first of all to a verse in First Peter in connection with the first question, First Peter chapter 3.
MMM.
First Peter 3 and verse 15.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.
And be ready always to give an answer to every man.
That asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.
With meekness and fear.
And now connect that with a verse in Second Timothy chapter 2.
Second Timothy 2.
And verse 25, but we'll read 24 to get the connection.
And the servant of the Lord must not strive.
But be gentle unto all men have to teach patient.
In meekness, instructing.
00:10:00
Those that oppose themselves.
And I'm going to read it in the wrong way. Excuse me.
I'm going to read it in the wrong way to make a point.
If peradventure you're able presentation of the scriptures.
We'll give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.
It's not what it says, does it?
If God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.
Who are taken captive by him at his will.
I say to each one of us here this afternoon, first of all, according to First Peter 3.
We should be ready to give an answer.
Now, I don't mean that everyone who is breaking bread necessarily is able to give a long discourse on the truth of the one body and why we gather the way we do.
Some of you may smile at this, but I can well remember when I was 12 years old going to school.
Not yet remembering the Lord, and we studied, among other things.
About the Puritans in English history.
And our history textbook said that these Puritans.
Didn't go to dancers and didn't take part in a lot of harmless things and so on.
And tended to be quite separate from other people in the world.
And even among others who called themselves Christians.
And as to my shame that I thought to myself, well, I guess that's where we are. That's, that's what we are. We're Puritans because I'd been taught that it was wrong to go to dances and get involved in a lot of worldly pursuits and things like that. And I thought, I guess what they were back in the 1500s. I guess that's what we are today.
But the point is.
As time went on and I'm thankful to the Lord for I was able to learn more of the precious truth of God and it's important to be able to give an answer.
It's important to be able to give an answer.
What does that entail? It entails looking into the things of God.
Paying attention to the truth of God.
Reading the Word of God.
Reading good written ministry.
Letting the truth get a grip on me.
It's important to do it when we're young, but it's important for any age.
Because we're living in days when we're going to be challenged with these questions.
And we're living in days when we are going to have.
Those, in the words of Second Timothy two who oppose.
And we need to be able to give an answer.
Excuse me?
I'm not going to give you a patent formula to answer everybody. That's not possible.
You have to take into account whom we're speaking to, how much intelligence in the scriptures they have.
Where they're coming from?
Are they asking in honest interest? In honest inquiry?
Or are they just making a casual comment?
We have to know where they're coming from a little, and we'll sense that.
But the point is we need to be able to give an answer.
Two points I want to make.
We're going to turn to a couple of other scriptures.
To make those points and then we'll pass on later on to the second question.
00:15:07
The first scripture I want to turn to is Philippians 2.
Part of which was read to us this morning.
Philippians 2.
And verse 9.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, the Lord Jesus.
And given him a name which is above every name.
Set out the name of Jesus.
Every knee should bow.
Of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
To the glory of God the Father.
Now back to Ephesians 4.
Verse one.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.
For all loneliness and meekness with long-suffering.
For bearing one another in love.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one spirit.
Even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, 1 faith, one baptism.
One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.
When you and I are asked what church we go to.
How we gather.
I believe you and I need to emphasize two things.
The worthiness of the name of the Lord Jesus.
And the precious truth of the one body.
First of all, the worthiness of the name of the Lord Jesus.
Pardon my constant reference to this glass of water.
My voice is not in good shape today.
The worthiness of the name of the Lord Jesus.
Let me tell you a story.
Quite a few years ago now up in the area where I live.
There was a young man.
Gathered to the Lord's name.
Who made the statement? He said. When people ask me what church I go to.
I just say I go to the no name church.
He said it once too often.
He said it in the presence of my late father-in-law, Albert Hayhoe.
Many here remember him well, although he's been gone for well over 30 years.
All who knew him knew him to be a very gracious man.
That was one occasion when.
I saw him extremely upset.
And I can still hear him.
And I won't try to imitate totally what he said.
But he looked at that young brother and he said no name.
No name.
Are you standing there and telling me?
That you are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you say you are the no name church.
And Albert gave it to him.
Good and plenty.
And he deserved it.
And Albert said it loud enough for everyone in earshot and a long way off to hear what he was saying.
Why was Albert so upset?
00:20:00
Because.
The name of the Lord Jesus is the name that is going to be in.
Heaven's praise is for all eternity.
And here was a young man who professed to gather that name, who didn't want to own that name, he said. I belong to the No Name Church.
I say to your heart and mind, don't, don't ever talk like that.
All the names that have been introduced into this world have been introduced because of divisions in Christianity and the identified groups of people for various reasons.
And we could go over some of them, which we won't take the time to do.
But the point is.
Under what name or in what name were you saved? Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for ye shall save his people from their sins.
Under what name were you baptized? Under the name of the Lord Jesus, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.
What name will be glorified in heaven for all eternity? The name of the Lord Jesus.
Tell them you gather to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
All but what name do you have? What church do you go to?
You know, I sometimes turn the question around and say, well, what church do you think I should go to? And usually the answer is, well, we but an on and on it goes. We go to this place or that place, but I don't let them off the hook that easily. I say, well, that's not what I asked. Where do you say I should go? There are all kinds of churches out there. How do you?
How do you decide? Well, you just have to find a good Bible believing church where you feel comfortable.
But then we have to go to the word of God, and the Word of God says very clearly here there is one body.
Do we really believe that?
And more important than believing it, do we realize how precious that truth is to Christ?
I've said this before and I believe it with all my heart.
And I've heard it from others too. And I've read it in our written ministry.
So the devil hates the truth of the one body.
More than anything else.
Eric Smith used to say it. Years gone by.
And it's true.
Satan hates anything to do with Christ.
But he'll tolerate.
Blessing in the Gospel.
If he can take a fatal shot at the truth of the one body.
But can you take a fatal shot at it? No, he can't, because there is one body, no matter what Satan does. Or any of us either.
There is one body.
Some time ago I had a brother in my home.
Used to be gathered to the Lord's name. I knew him well.
He happened to be doing some work in our area.
Called me up and said can I come over? I said sure, come on over.
We had lunch together.
In the course of time we talked about.
About where he was.
He brought it up, not I.
After chatting a little about where he was going to worship.
He said, well, Bill, isn't it wonderful?
We're all one body. Doesn't matter where we are in Christendom, we're all one body, aren't we? Isn't that wonderful?
And very often that kind of thinking becomes pervasive today.
And if we're not careful, it can start to spill over into our hearts.
Yes, we are one body. Thank God for that. Thank God that nothing can change that precious truth.
But what does it say in Ephesians 4?
1St floor there is one body.
And one spirit.
And in the previous verse it says and I'm going to quote it the way it is in the Darby translation.
00:25:02
Using diligence verse three to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
I said to that brother, not only does scripture say that there is one body.
It says there is one spear and it tells me that there is a unity of the spirit.
And you and I are responsible to use diligence to keep it in the uniting bond of peace.
And that really says that because there is one body and because there is the unity of the Spirit, not only can I take personal satisfaction in the precious truth, there is one body. But God is saying, I expect you to act like it.
To act like it.
Ah.
And I have often put it to people who raise that question to me.
Were there all kinds of different groups in Christianity at the beginning? Oh no, no, no, Everyone admits that. And will there be all kinds of different groups of believers in heaven? Oh no, no, of course not. We'll all be together.
Well, then why do we have to have all kinds of different groups now with different names?
And usually if people are honest, they will admit.
That no, God didn't intend it that way, but after all, what can you do? That's the way things have developed.
But you and I, if we really see the precious truth of the one body.
Have to go along with that which would outwardly divide the body of Christ. Or can we by the grace of God?
Act on that precious truth and gather on the ground that there is one body that's the broadest possible ground there is.
I've had people say, oh, well then you're, you belong to the Exclusive Brethren, I guess.
If I may say so, don't allow that name to be tacked onto you.
Never allow what we witness against which is necessary.
To eclipse the preciousness of what we witness for.
And if someone says you belong to the Exclusive Brethren, I say we do.
In weakness and sometimes in failure, seek to be exclusive of evil with the Lord's help. But I trust that we are inclusive of every member of the body of Christ who is walking in a way that is not dishonouring to the Lord.
I trust we are inclusive of every believer who is a second. Timothy 2 puts it calling on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Do we fail? Sometimes, And happily we do.
Sometimes we may refuse someone whom we ought to receive. Sometimes and we may receive some whom we ought to refuse. That's not an excuse, but human failure gets into things.
The point is, it's far better.
Together.
Unwrite principles and on that precious truth and fail in it. Then to throw up our hands and say, what can you do?
Because of the weakness in the day in which we live.
It is a day of weakness.
It is a day of difficulty.
But I say to each one today, the precious truth of the one body is precious to the heart of Christ.
Very precious.
And it ought to be more of a burden on our hearts.
The truth.
Of what Brother Doug read yesterday in the prayer meeting.
That he that gathereth not with me scattereth, And that that which Christ died to gather.
Is outwardly scattered in this world? Does that mean anything to us?
Quite a few years ago now.
And Doug Buchanan may remember this.
Conversation when we were in Romania.
And there were believers there who were asking us how we gathered and on what ground.
00:30:01
There weren't nearly as many denominations of Christians there as perhaps there are today in those days, back in those days over 20 years ago, because that was not too long after the revolution when the communist government was deposed.
But there were a number there, fundamental denominations.
And I remember speaking to some people there who were raising questions about the truth of the one body.
And I said, and I picked out a few denominations that they had.
I said, suppose that you had someone who was a Baptist.
And someone who called himself a Pentecostal.
And someone who was with a group that is, as far as I know, only in Romania, and perhaps a few in places where Romanians have emigrated. Christians after the Gospel, I said, supposing you had, and I named a couple of other denominations.
I said, suppose they wanted to come together as Christians?
What ground could they come together on?
I said they could come together on the ground that there is one body, couldn't they?
And I was so gratified because one of them spoke up, no prompting. And he said, well, he said, but if you did that, you wouldn't have a Baptist or a Pentecostal and all those anymore. You wouldn't have them anymore.
And I said exactly. That's exactly what I'm trying to say.
We would be all on one common ground as members of the body of Christ. Isn't that precious?
But then came the killer, as we would say.
Ah, but he said each one of those groups would have things that are very precious to them and that they wouldn't want to give up.
I remember saying, really, I said things that are very precious to them.
Even if they're not according to the word of God.
And there was dead silence.
And that was the end of the conversation. There was number answer to that one.
We're not here to throw stones at other believers. I hope you realize that our hearts should go to every member of the body of Christ.
I trust God that mine does. I trust yours does too.
But let us never lose sight.
Of the precious truth that God has committed to us.
It was a great cost for the dear brethren back 180 years ago or so, and subsequently when some of this precious truth was made clear to them, there is a cost involved.
You and I now have it available to us and even way back, 100 plus years ago in the 1870s, Mr. Wigram lamented, He said in my younger years we had to pray out the truth on our knees. Now you can buy it up cheaply in books.
Nowadays it's hard even to get us to read the books, isn't it?
But I say to your heart and mine.
These are the words of a brother by the name of whom I never knew.
He said if I am gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the ground of the one body.
By the grace of God, I am gathered outside of all of the division and schism and Christendom. Now that doesn't mean we're not part of Christendom. Don't get me wrong, we are.
And let's never get the idea that we're better than anyone else.
But let's have an answer.
And let's be ready to answer.
Sometimes people want to know more. Sometimes they'll want to turn to the scriptures. Young brother, Young sister.
It's worth delving into these things rather than not being able to give an answer. Sometimes you can't perhaps answer all of the discussion and arguments, and maybe you need in some cases to go to some older person who may able to may be able to be of more help. There's nothing wrong with that.
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But we ought to know where we are and why we are gathered where we are, and by God's grace we can, I believe, find it in this precious book and in the writings of those who at great cost to themselves.
Dugout that precious truth.
That brings us to our next question.
Why is it wrong?
Why should we not go and break bread? Well, that our dear believers with whom we come in contact, in school, in work.
In contacts among our neighbors? Why not?
They're lovely Christians.
I can vote for that.
I can very much vote for that.
A dear brother in Christ who's been with the Lord almost 15 years now.
Was a patient of mine, a retired minister of the gospel with the Baptist Church.
An out note believer went to be with the Lord a little over 15 years ago at the age of 95.
I spent many happy hours in his home.
He asked me to take part in his funeral, which I gladly did.
To be at his deathbed was a treat that I will never forget.
But he couldn't see the truth of being gathered to the Lord's name. But we shared many good times over the things of the Lord.
Precious and I can think of many dear believers today.
They mean so much to me.
I trust that is the same with your heart too.
Let's turn to a verse that I want to refer to, which is very important.
It's in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 9.
Verse 51.
And it came to pass when the time was come, that he, that is the Lord Jesus.
Should be received up. He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And sent messengers before his face, and they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him.
They did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as alliance did?
But he turned and rebuked them, and said, ye know not what manner of spirit you're of.
The reference here.
Is on that.
Which emphasizes ourselves.
And if you go back a few verses.
The verse 49 we get a similar problem.
John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting devils.
Excuse me?
In thy name.
And we forbade him, because he followeth not with us.
Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not, for he that is not against us is for us.
When the emphasis was on the US, God rebuked. That is the Lord Jesus rebuked.
That's beer.
But the emphasis never beyond the US.
That has caused a lot of harm.
And if someone else tries to put the emphasis on the US, don't let them.
You think you have the Lord's Table and no one else has it. You think you're better than any other believers.
No.
The verse that really counts is the one that Doug read and will read the counterpart because it's just two chapters further on in Luke 11.
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And verse 23.
Luke 11 and 23.
Here it is not with me, is against me, and he that gathereth not with me.
Scatter.
The reference point is not the US reference point is the Lord Jesus.
And when people talk about the one place, I know what they mean.
I'd rather say there's one person.
And we won't turn to the Scripture, but it's in First Corinthians chapter one and verse 13.
Where Paul raises the question, is Christ divided?
And to ask the question is to answer it.
Is Christ divided?
Whom are you and I going to honor, first of all?
Is the Lord Jesus going to have the 1St place?
In our lives.
If the emphasis is on the US, the Lord condemns that.
But he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
Says the Lord Jesus, gather.
Or does he scatter?
He gathers.
Man scatters.
I say to your heart and mind, that ought to answer the question.
Why is it not right?
For those who buy nothing but wondrous grace are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's why it is totally out of character to go.
And take part.
In that.
Which is not founded on the Word of God.
Now someone will say, but we do things just the same as you do.
I don't have time to go into all the if, ands, buts or maybes about that.
But I want to turn to one very important scripture in the New Testament again, 1St Corinthians 10.
1St Corinthians 10.
Verse 18.
Behold, Israel after the flesh.
Are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
Now some will say this refers to tables of demons versus the Lord's Table. Yes it does.
But the principle is clear.
When I partake of that on an altar.
In the Old Testament I identify with it.
And that's why the prophet from Judah cried.
Against Jeroboam's altar.
It was what it stood for.
When you and I break bread.
It expresses fellowship.
Not just with that nice believer that you happen to know.
It expressed his fellowship.
With the table.
And the group and the system with which.
That table is identified.
Is it on scriptural ground?
Is Christ divided?
It's not easy, is it?
I can remember very well some years ago.
Being on the telephone with a dear brother whom I knew so well, he was also a patient of mine.
Very dear Christian.
Had a lot of truth.
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But he wasn't gathered to the Lord's name.
And I can remember well-being on the phone with him about these matters because he lived a long way from where I live. Although.
I have been in his home and he has been in my.
And by the end of the conversation.
We were both in tears.
And all of you who know me know that I don't cry easily.
We were both in tears.
That's a fact that we were not practically in fellowship at the Lord's Table.
It didn't mean that he.
Changed from where he was. He's still there as far as I know now. I haven't talked to him for a while.
I felt it.
He felt it. I'm glad I did feel it the way I did, but I could not with a good conscience go where he was.
Because what he was connected with.
Was a dishonor to the Lord.
You and I may say, why couldn't he see it?
Second Timothy chapter 2 again, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, it has to be a worth of God and the soul. And if you and I by grace are gathered to the Lord's name, it's only because of the grace of God.
Let's remember that.
And when Christ becomes the focus, it will cause much less offense.
But it will also cause us to be firm.
In the way that we look at things.
Sometimes there are problems and difficulties among those gathered to the Lord's name.
And as the old saying goes, the grass can look a little greener on the other side of the fence.
Not that we're behind a fence. I don't mean that.
But it's the old that age that the grass for the cow and the sheep, oh, we look greener on the other side of the fence.
But if there are problems and difficulties, it is because God is speaking to us.
And it is never the answer.
To go off to that which is not according to the word of God.
I was saying this to a brother this morning.
And I remember it well, many years ago.
When an old brother, Long sits with the Lord was at a meeting and his son was there too.
And his son was mature. He wasn't just a teenager, he was probably in his 30s.
And there was an open meeting.
Where it was very evident that the liberty of the Spirit had been abused.
And it was most unhappy.
And the son walked up to his father.
And I knew that son well enough that he did this with his tongue and his cheek, as we say. And he said, father, he said after that performance, he said.
I guess we better regulate things a little bit ahead of time.
I guess we'd better nominate the speakers and arrange things ahead of time rather than let that kind of a scenario happen again.
I can still hear the father's response.
Son, he said. It's far better to be reminded of our weakness than to cover it up with human arrangement.
Amen.
Tell you another story.
This took place in Quebec, Canada, probably at least 75 years ago, where there was a group of believers that had, I believe, seen the truth of the one body and they gathered together simply as a group in their area to break bread and to have meetings.
An old brother again, now with the Lord, visited them.
And in the course of time.
Put forward the question as to their being linked up with others in the rest of the country and in the rest of the world.
That we're expressing the truth of the one body.
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And one of those who took the lead among them said, Well, Sir, he said.
We know a little bit about the history of brethren, and it hasn't been that good. And there have been multiple divisions and problems and difficulties and splits of all kinds that have gone on. And you and I know that that that didn't stop 75 or 100 years ago either.
And he said, you know, that is this brother in question. He said, you know, knowing all that history, we'd we'd just as soon not be part of all this. We don't want to get into all this business and have to deal with all that. So we just as soon go on on our own.
Well, the old brother looked at him and he kind of took him up on his own ground and he said, well brother, he said, yes. I said, I guess you're right.
Yeah, I said, I guess you're right. That's probably the right thing to do, he said. And I suppose that Satan is sitting there looking down on this little group of believers and saying to himself.
They're going on so happily and so nicely and in such peace and happiness.
I'm going to leave them very much alone, just let them go on and all the enjoyment of the things of the Lord and not try to introduce any problem at all among them.
Well, the brother who was speaking for the group said, oh, no, no, no, he said. I'm sure Satan doesn't talk like that, He said I'm sure that.
As time goes on, we'll be tested as to the position we've taken outside of denominations and all that. I'm sure we'll be tested.
Well, the brother who was gathered said. Then what are you going to do then?
Rather thought for a moment, he said. Well, he said.
I guess we'll just have to wait on the Lord and seek grace from Him and follow His leading.
Yes, the brother gathered to the Lord's name said. Yes, that's right.
And he said that is just what brethren gathered to the Lord's name on the ground of the one by have had to do for the last 100 years.
We can't escape the attacks of Satan, and where the truth is maintained, Satan will attack worse than anything.
Does that mean that I disrespect that dear fellow believer that I love so well? Indeed not. Indeed not.
It should tear at my heart.
That I can't go and break bread with them. But am I willing to be connected? And I am connected whether I like it or not.
With whatever I express fellowship with in that way.
I can't help it, Scripture says so.
Am I going to dishonor the Lord? Am I going to accommodate a fellow believer?
In order to have peace and quiet and happiness with him, and dishonor the Lord in the process. Or you say but.
Bill, they're nice believers. They're they go on for the Lord, you should see.
All the work that they do for the Lord and all the energy they have and they sometimes do more than some of us and.
Some of us. You've heard the stories I have. Anyway, you should see how much they do for the Lord, and how much in earnest they are, and how much they're into the Word, and how much they want to get together and talk about scripture.
Second Timothy 2 Says follow righteousness, faith, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
If someone is calling on the Lord out of a pure heart, you and I can sit down with the word of God together and go over it.
And if we're both willing to be LED of the Lord.
Will he lead us in divergent paths?
Our time is nearly gone, but I just want to refer, without turning to it, to the 22nd of Luke.
And you will remember there when.
It was time to prepare the Passover.
Peter and John said to the Lord Jesus, where wilt thou that we prepare?
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You will remember the very specific instructions that were given.
Go into the city. There shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house where he entereth in, and ye shall say to the good men of the house where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples, and he shall show you a large upper room furnished there make ready.
Sometimes we hear the question thrown at us. How do you know you're where the Lord is in the midst? How do you know you're gathered on the ground of the one body?
How do you presume to take that arrogant stance?
And say that you are there.
And you say you can't go anywhere else. How do you presume that?
Let's go back to that scene in Luke 22. Suppose you had gone to Peter and John when they got to that house, found themselves in the upper room, and in the course of preparing the Passover you had approached Peter and John and said, Peter and John. How do you know this is the right place? How do you know the Lord wants you to prepare the Passover here? How do you know the Lord's going to come and be here with you?
And of course, ultimately institute the remembrance of himself. How do you know you're in the right place?
I can just imagine their answer and you would say how could they miss? There was no possibility of making a mistake, the instructions were so specific.
Didn't need Agps or anything like that because there was a man to follow.
I say to your heart and mine.
When the Lord Jesus is no longer here, he's up in heaven.
Is God any less able to lead us?
In the right way today. Do we have to fumble around all over the place not knowing which way to go? I believe the man is a picture of the Spirit of God and the picture of water is the word of God.
And the Spirit of God, using the Word of God, I believe, would lead us.
Where to where the Lord would have us gather?
And don't try and separate Matthew 18 and 20 from Ephesians 4:00 and 4:00.
Says the Lord, gathered to Himself in the midst by his Spirit, on any other ground than the one body.
I don't need to answer that question.
And so I believe in these last days.
In the midst of much failure and ruin.
You and I, first of all, can have an answer for those who raise a question with us.
Now of course, if it's an unbeliever, that's a different story. Then we present the gospel.
But we're talking now of a believer who raises the question, where do you worship? What church do you go to?
Be ready to have an answer again. We can't make pat answers for every occasion.
Questions are going to come from different angles.
It'll depend on the degree of real interest of the individual and so on.
We ought to have an answer, and we ought to be able to use the word of God.
But then, if God by grace has gathered us to the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
And it's the Spirit of God has shown us.
That precious truth.
I say to you and to me, let's not dishonor the Lord.
By going to that which does not have his approval.
I want to make one last remark.
Being gathered to the Lord's name.
Is not, in my judgment.
How should I put it?
An indisputable fact, or a fact beyond any question? It's a matter of faith.
And if someone says to you, how do you know where your going is right?
How do you know?
I believe we can say, well, I trust that I have been LED there by the Spirit of God according to the Word of God.
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But if I am wrong, I would like you to show me from the word of God.
Remember putting that question to a brother my own age.
About.
25 years ago.
I said I want you to show me. I wrote it in the letter Show me from the word of God where I am wrong. I really want to know and it was an honest.
Inquiry.
I said if you think that I am not where I should be and the Lord's table is somewhere else.
I want you to show me from scripture where it is because I want to be there.
But I said don't tell me there are two Lords tables. That doesn't make any sense. I don't read of two Lords tables in scripture.
I don't read of two bodies of Christ.
And more important, I don't read of Christ being divided.
Oh, what preciousness it is to gather on that precious ground that there is one body to honor that name of the name of the Lord Jesus, the name above every name.
I say to each one of us, let's hold on to it.
Rejoice in it.
But be humbled by the failure.
God has seen fit to allow because of our unfaithfulness.
In that place where we gather to his name, be humbled by it. It's not a place where there's room for pride.
It's not a pre, a place for any pride. It's not a place to say he followeth not us forbid him.
No.
But it is a place I trust, where we can gather rather than scatter. Let's pray for loving God and our Father. We commend Thy word to Thee for Thy blessing, praying that each one of us might value more and more what Thou hast given to us.
The preciousness.
Of the name of the Lord Jesus, the preciousness of the truth of the one Body.
The preciousness in these last days.
Of being able to answer to that precious truth just before thou dost call us home, Lord Jesus.
We ask it for each one of us, and ultimately for all thy dear people.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Romans 12:4-9
Reading
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Opportunity to.
Open my precious word and we trust. Our hearts are open to listen.
Until they what does show us? So we ask as we begin this meeting.
That thy spirit may have liberty in each one present.
The name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
Verse 10 of Romans chapter 12.
Be kindly affectioned 1 To another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another, not slothful in business, bourbon in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patience in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer.
Distributing to the necessity of Saints given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you. Bless and curse not.
Rejoice with them, do rejoice and weep with them that weep.
V of the same line, one toward another.
Mind not hide things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man, evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
It would be possible as much as live in you live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but suffer, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.
For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evils with goodness.
I made a statement during the address to the effect that being gathered to the Lord's name was a matter of faith and not a matter of indisputable fact.
And after the meeting, Doug Buchanan modified that statement in a very, very good way. And without wanting to get into a discussion about it, I'd like Doug to just to make that statement in the way that he made it because it was very, very good.
No, Sir.
It's, uh, it's a wonderful truth to be assured of this. And uh, I just added to that, that it is a statement of faith or an act of faith in an undisputable fact that the Spirit of God.
Gathers to Christ.
Being gathering to the Lords name is.
An act of faith in an undisputable fact that the Spirit of God gathers to Christ on the ground of the one body.
You can add many more words to it, but the fact that there is something real to lay your claim to your faith to me is so important.
Thank you.
Well, it's, we've been speaking from this chapter of some very, very practical things. Christianity is very practical. As we've been saying, there has to be sound doctrine as the basis for sound practice. But these are very practical exhortations and where we start here this afternoon, it is a very real and practical thing because brethren, it's easy for us to sit here and say, well, we love the brethren, we love the people of God.
And that's the love that loves not because the object is lovable, but it loves because of the source. And that really helps to understand.
And that's the love, like you said, Jim, that is in us if we have been born of God.
And it's a love that loves in spite of what the object may be. And that's so important to understand that verse 10 is the file of it's the love of mutual appreciation. We learn to know each other and that's a God too. It says Hebrews chapter 13. Let brotherly love continue. That should be the case, but I find it interesting, brother.
Well, perhaps brotherly love the filet O love.
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Is called in question, but then that's when we ought to understand that there is also the Agape lab, which loves.
In spite of everything which loves because.
Of the source.
I often like to ask in prison when we go in there to ask them and why does God love us?
First answer I always get is because we're his children. So I say, well, if you're not a child of God, if you're not a believer, you're not a child of God, but God loves you.
I know it's important to understand that. I just want to show two other portions in the New Testament where these two words are brought together.
In the same way as we find them here in these two verses. One is in First Thessalonians chapter 4.
And verse 9.
Brotherly love, There it is, the filet O love.
You need not that I write it to you, for ye yourselves are taught of God.
To love, there's the agape. Love one another.
The other one is in Second Peter chapter one.
And he's talking. Peter is about.
What needs to be added to faith?
And the list is 7 things that needed to be added to faith.
At the end of that.
Are the two we're talking about notice in verse 7?
Add brotherly love.
Well then, to that brotherly lad, love and love.
The love that is the agape love. The love that loved in spite of all.
Really important to understand and I think it's very helpful to see them both in their place. They're both correct, but we need both of them.
At the beginning of this conference, that.
I noticed a young man walking across this gym floor here and he got halfway across the floor. He saw somebody he knew and somebody he loved and he, he opened up his arms and started running until they reached each other and then they wrapped each other's up and, uh, in, uh, in a big hug and a show of affection.
That, to me was a great demonstration of brotherly love.
And we need to let it shine out we.
James speaks about.
Faith without works is dead, and brotherly love without showing it you. You have to use works, you have to use actions, and we need to be encouraged to do that.
To let it out, show it forth.
The onus is on you to pro club.
JND reads as to honor.
I think it says each taking the lead and paying it to the other.
That is, sometimes, and we know this from practical experience, there are parts of the body of Christ that perhaps don't feel that they get as much.
Flatter. It's not that we want, as we get earlier in the chapter, to promote high thoughts above that which we ought to think.
But recognition of what someone is doing?
Agape love that doesn't require anything from its object but we need filet O love too. And what will be the result? That we will be glad and we get the same thing in Philippians chapter two. We will be glad to notice the qualities that others have, especially those things that we don't have.
Love is willing to sacrifice too, isn't it?
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But when it says not slothful in business.
My brother said that means that we need to be very diligent in this world. And when someone objected to that statement as to our natural business, the brother said, Oh yes, he said, it means that the Lord wants us to make a dollar whenever we can.
Let's read it in the J&D translation bill, and then perhaps you have a thought as to too diligent zealousness, not slothful in spirit, fervent serving the Lord.
Yes.
But he did it in the proper spirit. And so there's what we do, but there's the motive behind it. And even in our service to one another, what is the motive behind it? Is it to get something for ourselves, to get the praise of man, to get a pat on the back and say, well?
That person, boy, they, they did a good job and that really was a wonderful thing they did for the Saints. That was a real help in the Lord's work. Or do we do it for the first and foremost for the Lord, And do we do it in the, in a spirit, uh, the spirit of the Spirit of Christ?
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From my Christians, we Christian, we expect when he makes an appointment at a certain time that he will be there.
Not half an hour later.
But as possible as close to the time appointed as as we can do it if we don't.
We lose our faith.
People say, well this brother, he just forget it, he's not on time and.
You can't. You can't really trust the person.
I'm just thinking now of the when the Lord sent out his disciples to prepare the Passover.
When he when they asked him wherever are you gonna have to Passover, he knew where it was.
And he told them exactly how to get there and what they would find and when they went, when they came to that place.
The upper room was ready.
And they did.
Let's bear in mind.
But when it says serving the Lord here, who is that written to? That's written to you and it's written to me because as we have already stressed in these meetings, everyone of us have a service for Christ. And when you go home to your secular employment.
00:35:54
Says here for the Lord in a certain way have an advantage. I must say that I have found my travels. People ask me what do you do for a living?
I say I'm a preacher or a missionary. I can almost see them to now they're not going to listen to me anymore because there's been too many preachers so-called that are out there for the money and so they tune out. But if there's somebody that does a bricklaying job, does it well, does a good job.
Opportunity comes to speak about the Lord. They listen to a person like that because they've done it Hardly. It's to the Lord and I think in a certain way they have an advantage.
So it's, it's a, it's a real challenge, isn't it, to, to serve the Lord. Everyone of us are servants of the Lord, doesn't matter how mundane The thing is. And if we are.
That's what has really impressed me, that little verse in Luke 16 that says he that is faithful and that which is least is faithful and much.
Be faithful in the little that the Lord has given you, and you will find that the Lord will give you more to do. But if you're not faithful in the little amount, how do you expect?
You to be more to to do more for the Lord. It's important.
There is a man in the book of the Acts that's called Fervent in Spirit. I I enjoy thinking about him.
Balance came to Corinth.
He needed some instruction as to the baptism of John.
But it's interesting, he was fervent in spirit, but he was one who could accept instruction that night.
We ought to never get to the point where we can't accept instruction ready.
Precede just where we are.
How we carry out appropriate service for the Lord. And that list goes on.
After umm.
After verse 12, but in the middle of that list is verse 12, and I kind of think of it of verse 12 as describing the basis a, a, a foundation under what we do.
If all of our service is is based on our uh, uh, doing it in view of what is coming in our uh, in our permanent home about and with the Lord and uh, rejoicing in hope and patient in tribulation, dis displaying patience, whatever the circumstances and continuing instant in prayer being a person of prayer to.
The uh, aware of what the.
We lose sight of the Lord's coming, then we'll never be able to carry on, will we?
00:40:14
It means simply to look up to the Lord right in the middle of any situation.
Uh, we all know what it is. I hope to get on our knees, maybe in the morning, maybe in the evening, and maybe both to commit ourselves to the Lord. But what a wonderful thing it is to be able to look up to the Lord in the midst of any situation at all.
Might be an emergency, it might not be anything so terrible, but to live in an attitude of prayer very, very important, isn't it? Because then we are dependent on the Lord. It expresses our dependence.
It's good to do that, brethren, to just cultivate awareness. We're in the Lord's presence so much so that we can say it right. He's right next to us.
Kotave conversing with the Lord. You don't even have to say it with your mouth. You can sit in your heart, alert to read your heart.
And that's really the thought, isn't it? In First Thessalonians 5, when it says pray without ceasing, it doesn't mean we're always forming words in prayer. Why we couldn't, that would be impo practically impossible. But it's to be in that state of soul and in in the conscious sense of the Lord's presence, so that we can turn to him in any situation. And the illustration from the old test of the example from the Old Testament has often been given.
We find that he contrasts there, our present state with the coming glory, and in regard to it, He says we are saved by hope. What does that mean? It means we get through today. We're encouraged to endure today and serve the Lord today with something better in view. You know yourself if you're going through a difficult circumstance, if you're sick or you're in pain, you can get through today as long as there's hope that things will be better tomorrow.
Prayer, that was the IT was or is the the power behind their lives and their service for Christ.
Well, all of this is very practical, isn't it? Christianity is characterized by giving, and here the context is giving. And within the framework of Saints given to hospitality, the Lord places a high premium on that.
And I believe we need to remember it in this day and age.
Uh, I'm not, uh, in that sense, making that remark.
Trying to, uh, be critical at all, but it's an A day when, uh, people eat out, eat out a lot more, when lives are perhaps not as regular as they used to be when I was growing up.
It was a little different.
00:50:12
If we've had people over to our homes, if we get to know them, if we socialize a bit with them.
Look after people who have lost their jobs or who otherwise are having difficulty in that sense.
Or you will have always with you.
And so we have a responsibility, especially when it concerns.
Food and clothing I really believe rather than we need to be aware of our brethren. Brother Tim spoke about in the Sunday school about the meat in Malawi. Look at what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2 about uh.
His Commission.
When he was.
In Jerusalem, verse 9 Galatians 29 and when James.
Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars.
Perceived a grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go unto the heathen, and they and to the circumcision. Verse 10 only that they would, that we should remember the poor.
The same which I also was forward to do.
Brethren, let's remember the poor. We live in really luxurious circumstances.
Let's remember the poor.
Dear brother, And in Malawi we cannot eat a meal each day. We don't have enough.
And the only answer to it is to be before the Lord in prayer.
We don't want.
Other believers to depend on us instead of the Lord. We don't want them to look to us instead of the Lord. That would be a disservice to them, harmful to them, and no ultimate good to us or to the Lord Himself.
But as you say Bob, when we visit so-called third world countries and realize the huge discrepancy between what we are accustomed to and what they accept as.
As daily life.
00:55:07
Slip from 20 to the US dollar to 2,800,000 to the US dollar in the course of two years. So it really led to a lot of hardship and it really made me search the scriptures as to how giving should be done to avoid the problems like you speak about. We don't want people to be.
Depending on us, we want them to be depending on the Lord.
But look in Acts Chapter 11 because we have an example.
In the world at that time Acts Chapter 11 and verse.
27 And in those days, these days came profits from Jerusalem into Antioch, and there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world, which came to fast in the days of Claudius Jesus.
And the disciples, every man according to his ability.
Determined to stand relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea.
Notice Barnabas and Paul did not give the help to the people directly.
They went through the local brethren and I find if we go, those that are truly needy will not come forward. It's the ones that really don't have so much need that come forward to receive. And so it's better to do it through local brethren that know the real need if there are those who are faithful in that area.
That's a scriptural principle there that I find helpful.
Nsnoise.
We get half circumstances where the people really take advantage of us.
And when we could, really.
Get upset about things that are happening.
To us in business or in any circumstance?
How do we act?
How do we respond?
Are we keeping our?
Vedge attitude toward those.
That uh, we are not in the of the same mind. It could be anything.
It could be how we distribute things in the meeting or.
Uh, what we expect or and what we don't expect?
If we take it across, we have people looking at us.
An acting ***.
But there's a way that we should try to put that right and not just keep on being mad at each other and being angry at each other and and other people just don't even know why, but we know why.
Moses rather than often spoke against him and didn't appreciate his service for the Lord and his leadership. And we spoke earlier of having the proper spirit. But you know a moment came in the life of Moses when they had provoked his spirit to such an extent that he spoke I'll of the people of God. He said, ye rebels, shall I fetch you water from the rock? Were they rebels? Well, perhaps they were, but that was not for Moses to say.
Go ahead.
We don't choose our circumstances to serve the Lord in this list here gives us quite a variety of different situations that we as believers can be in, uh, all the way from tribulation to blessing and rejoicing.
So it's wonderful to to look at whatever circumstances the Lord puts us in as an opportunity to represent him some way. And the the chapter gives us those things that we can do in each circumstance and.
Has been mentioned about Moses losing his patience and being provoked and.
Umm, he uh, umm, he paid for it. Umm, it's easy to on the slip of the tongue to let a word come out.
Uh, so, uh, but if we umm, focus on these things in this, in this chapter, I believe.
And realizing that God has something.
For us then that as we say, all things work together for good and every opportunity, every, uh, experience that God puts us through, there's a purpose in it. And let us not miss the opportunities. I, I can't speak, uh, for experience of not having done that. Yeah. How often a situation passes and then 10 minutes later you think, oh, I should've did this. I should've said that.
Can't go back and redo it.
Hmm, Scary Bob.
Yeah, the Lord, when he spoke to Moses after he said, ye believe me not to sanctify.
Me in the eyes of the children of Israel.
Serious, isn't it?
Didn't sanctify the Lord in the midst of the children of Israel.
Said sanctify the Lord God and be ready to give an answer.
How important that is to have the Lord before us always.
And I suppose if we did, then we wouldn't be so reactionary, would we?
Realize that the Lord keeps the account straight. It's not me that has to set things straight.
Iraq and not to strike it. And so in that sense.
A provoked spirit with our brethren.
Often leads to that which is disobedience to the Lord Himself.
And that perhaps was the more serious thing. And uh, as you say, Bob, he didn't sanctify them in front of the people. That was true. But at the same time, between Moses and the Lord, here was one who had walked with the Lord for many, many years, who had been schooled in God's school for 80 years before the Lord.
01:05:19
Gave him that responsibility.
And he directly disobeys what the Lord had told him to do.
And so relating that to what we have here in the chapter, Bless them, which persecute you takes in every situation, doesn't it sad to say.
There may be persecution even from those who call themselves Christians. There may be criticism from our brethren and from others, and we need to recognize that.
We need to take it to the Lord, we need to lay it before Him. But then there may well, and we don't experience as much of it in these favored lands as some of our brethren do.
Real persecution from the outside world and there are many today that are suffering bodily harm, imprisonment and being put to death for the name of Christ. And not just a handful either, large numbers of them. I suppose 200,000 in a year would not be an exaggeration in some cases.
And.
We need to remember that, and I would only say that for those dear brethren.
It takes real grace. It takes real grace.
I know a family in India and maybe some, uh, know about it, who are on their way home from the breaking of bread, were attacked by a radical mob and a radical mob of Hindus and beaten up so badly that the wife, who was expecting a baby, lost the baby over it. And not content with that, they followed them to their home and uh, into the brother's place of business, stole all his tools and probably burn it to the ground.
Very real thing that dear brother was at meeting the next Lord's Day. His wife wasn't able to be there. She was beaten up so badly, but she did eventually come back. So these are real things. It wouldn't be easy under those circumstances to blame.
To bless them that.
Persecute.
Wouldn't be easy to take that kind of an attitude, would it? And so we need to remember that these words in reality.
Only by going back to Calvary's cross. Only by seeing what happened there at the cross.
Then we can do it. And there has been marvelous blessing in some cases, not in that particular one that I know of, but there has been marvelous blessing from those who were able to act on this scripture and of course in.
What we have later in the chapter where?
There's the negative aspect of not cursing.
But there's a positive aspect of blessing, of doing good, of seeking to reward good for evil, that has a tremendous impact in this world. We get opportunities in North America from time to time.
Perhaps not as open and flagrant as they are in some parts of the world.
But it can be a very real thing today, and it makes a tremendous impact on the world because the world doesn't act like that.
Miriam and Aaron spoke against him.
He doesn't respond to their criticisms.
He When the Lord smote Miriam with leprosy, he prayed Lord, heal her now.
I think that's so beautiful and it comes to me, brother, and if some brother has spoken hard about you.
Or maybe really unjustifiably. He's spoken about, they've spoken about you.
Can you sincerely get down on your knees and pray for the blessing of that brother? I think that's the spirit that we see in Moses, and I think that's what it's talking about here too, in principle.
Bless and curse not in our hearts. Oftentimes we feel like it's been.
01:10:33
And James said a few things to say in his.
First chapter of James and we know he was very qualified to say this because he grew up with the Lord Jesus.
He was 1/2 brother of the Lord Jesus. They grew up together and he was watching him. The Lord Jesus himself had a lot of persecution and he says here in first chapter verse two, my brethren.
Counted all joy and he fall into diverse temple, diverse temptations.
Knowing this.
That the trying of your faith worker's patience, but let patience have her perfect work.
That you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and operate His love, and it shall be given him. So we have prayer here again too.
End.
We can learn a lot from James.
We read in the book of Peter 2 Concerning the Lord Jesus. It says, who when he was reviled, reviled not. Again, when he suffered, He threatened not. And you say, how could he do it? Here was the Lord Jesus as the perfect man walking on earth, as you say, who suffered more than him and wrongfully. But the next clause of that verse in Peter gives us the answer. He committed himself to him that judges righteously.
01:15:25
But in the next verse, there's two statements made that I think are good for us to consider. Our time is passing on. He says rejoice with them that rejoice. And then he says and weep with them that weep. But I'd like to make this suggestion that the first statement is perhaps harder than the second statement to carry out practically. You know, we often stand with or sit with those who are going through a sorrow and we weep with them. We either, if we've gone through a similar circumstance, emphasize.
Perhaps it's helpful a verse in First Corinthians 12 speaking about the body of Christ.
It says in verse 26.
Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it.
Or one member be honored. All the members rejoice with it.
Be of the same mind, one toward another.
That's a hard thing to do.
Often envelope a meeting.
Wherever something occurs.
That tool might have a different way of doing things.
And a different way of looking at things.
And that can that can be carried on to the point where there's very unhappiness in the whole meeting.
Not having the same mind.
If you notice Mr. Darby's translation, he says having the same respect one for another. And again, this is very practical, isn't it? I think it was quoted earlier in one of the meetings. But I often think of the verse that says let each esteem other better than himself. Do we really? Do I look at you? Do you? Do you? Do I look at another brother or sister and say that brother, I esteem that brother better than myself? And not only that, but we're not, it tells us in another place we're not to have respective persons.
01:20:59
Again, the exhortation.
Perhaps loses something in, uh, modern day America where democracy seeks to put everyone on the same level. But through most of the world's history, there were people who were in positions of nobility and people who were in positions of power and authority, people who were servants, serfs. We know what that term means and so on. And uh, James of course recognizes it in his epistle there where he talks about a wealthy man coming into the.
In this case, in that case, the synagogue, but it was the same principle and being accorded a great deal of respect and honor.
As opposed to a poor man who was treated differently, but.
What carries weight in in the assembly is moral and spiritual power, doesn't it?
And there is more respect for the one that has that spiritual power.
And.
It's needed. And so in that sense here I believe the reference is to natural things, which would have been quite a thing in the Roman Empire of that day. There were those that had wealth and position and who might naturally have been accorded much more respect just because of who they were. But in the things of God, it's moral and spiritual power that counts, doesn't it? And it does carry its own weight.
We won't turn to it, but it's in the 10th of Ecclesiastes where?
With reference to using an axe, it says.
If he do not whip the edge.
Then must he put two more strength. But wisdom is profitable to direct.
And I well remember an old brother saying with reference to.
Respect and shall we say influence in the local assembly, he said. If you see a brother really swinging his axe on an issue.
It's probably dull and he'd better.
Be quiet and go home and sharpen it.
Well, that was a good remark and I believe that's something we need to remember.
It's moral and spiritual power that counts in the things of God, and it is felt there is real power in one who walks with the Lord, who seeks the Lord's mind, and who with the mind of the Lord speaks up about something.
Then that will have that will have power because it's from the Lord.
01:25:11
Ministry on the, umm, the Lord's coming and, uh, in the, uh, evening, uh, Israel LaBelle preached the gospel and, uh, Charlie said that impressed us so much that we eventually took our place at the Lord's table. There were other things that exercised them, of course, but they said this was so different.
I've heard various comments but I'm not sure that I understand it.
Doing an active kind of.
Laser a a burden on their conscience that's like coals or fire.
Mm-hmm.
In Bolivia.
1 day as he was going down the road, he finds this neighbor that had treated him so badly. Every turn he had to treat him badly, he did it.
He found him broken down at the side of the road and.
As he got out.
The man said to me, said to this brother.
You know what? It would have been easier for me if you would have spit in my face than to do this.
That's heaping coals of fire on the head. Insupportable.
I think that's nice, Doug and brothers. Garvin Seymour was telling us the story when we were in Saint Vincent this last time. And he said there was a man in the village many years ago where he lives. And, uh, this man would curse Garvin every time he went by. And every morning when he went by, Garvin would say good morning, nice to see you or something to that effect. And it was years that this went on. And finally one morning when the man was going by, he broke down.
And he said, I've been cursing you for years and you're so friendly to me. And he said, what is it? And you know that man was not only converted, but he was gathered to the Lord's name and broke bread there. Not little assembly in Dixon Village till the day the Lord took him. I believe that was heaping calls of fire and overcoming evil with good.
O God, what cause of love?
Oh God. Oh yeah.
Thank you for this, these, uh, meetings that we've had to encourage us and.
Obedience and and faithfulness.
We thank the Father that.
Fulfill these instructions.
None of us are capable of.
Walking the Christian pathway.
In our own power.
And that will bring forth glory to the Lord.
That we do thank thee.
This, uh, this afternoon that you've blessed us with these meetings.
Gospel 1
Gospel—Dean Rule
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Grace be with you, mercy and peace.
From God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The son of the Father.
In truth and love we could pray together. Blessed God our Father, what a wonderful greeting we have to start this meeting.
We, everyone of us.
Deserve to spend forever. Deserve to spend eternity in the Lake of fire. Every one of us deserves to be punished forever for what we are by nature.
And what we've done.
But if that was all there would be to talk about, I wouldn't be standing here as a God.
We give thanks to Thou art a God of love, the God of mercy.
A God of grace, God of truth.
And the love has been expressed in a way that goes far beyond what we could begin to explain or even understand. And giving the Lord Jesus to die for us. Only begotten Son to give thanks for that tonight. But at the same time, we pray because we are concerned that there might be some here tonight who are not yet ready.
That if the Lord's coming were to be during this meeting, they would be left behind. And we pray very especially for them tonight. We realize that we can't work in hearts.
All we can do is be in some feeble way a mouthpiece, but that's all. We just pray that the Spirit of God would have liberty to work in the hearts of those who are not ready, those who are not saved before it's too late. In Jesus name, Amen.
I'd like to start this evening singing 1 #18 If someone could start it please. God loves the world so tenderly, it's only Son he gave that all who on his name believe it's wondrous power will save. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but of everlasting life. If someone could start #18 for us please.
He saw him, he gave.
On his name feeling.
Then once the power to save for God so long.
I talked to a brother here by phone yesterday morning. He mentioned the invitation, the opportunity to share the gospel this evening, and the word that kept coming to my mind was truth.
Because you and I live in a world.
That has thrown the concept of absolute truth out the window.
Over 100 years ago in Europe, one of the things that started them down their skid spiritually.
Was they started to say there is no such thing as absolute truth, There's no such thing as black and white. You can't know things for sure. And that message has made it across the ocean and it's going at a galloping pace right now and people are throwing away the idea that there is absolute truth.
But what we're talking about tonight is something that's absolute truth. But I'm thankful that's not the only word that we have to speak and can speak about because God combines in many occasions truth with love. And we want to look at that this evening.
But when I look at the group that's here, I realize that it's not a group, that the message that we're going to be speaking tonight is something that's new, it's something that's different, It's something that has not been heard before.
It's a message that has been received by the vast majority of those of us who are in the room. The vast majority of those who are here tonight have recognized that they're sinners. We've recognized that the vast majority of us have repented of our sins. We've realized that because of what we've done, we deserve to spend eternity in the lake of fire. But thankfully, the message doesn't stop there. But God, in his grace and love and mercy, gave his Son.
So that we could be saved.
But this morning we were talking about two people, someone who because of a family connection, we had constant contact for a period of 17 years.
And not gonna mention names or connections. Another person is a person who apparently spent the vast majority of their life in service apparent to the Lord. And yet our question this morning was one of those two people. Did either of them know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior? And why do I say that? Because in the one that I knew very well in those seventeen years, I never heard.
One statement, one bit of appreciation for the Lord Jesus as a person.
A great critic she can run down.
One side and the other criticizing those who are Christians. She sat in a room like this for multiple conferences. She had been baptized. She broke bread for many years.
Path. And if I can put it this way, because we can't see hearts, we can't see what goes on. But from what I know, I will be surprised to see her in heaven unless there's going to change, and I pray that there has been.
How about you?
You couldn't. The vast majority here could easily explain the gospel, and I'd like to read first a verse in Second Thessalonians chapter 2, and I've never remember using this in a gospel meeting before, but it came to mind when I was sitting here. Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
00:10:31
We won't go into all the details or but I I wanna read it because.
Just as a little reminder, first 7.
For the ministry of iniquity doth already work. Only he who now letteth will lead until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked one be revealed from the Lord, shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the work of Satan, with all power and signs, and lying wonders.
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
So someone here this evening who in their mind mentally assents and says yes, I understand how to be saved.
They know in their mind that you know in your mind. It's the truth.
But it's never really reached you in the heart. You've never received the love of the truth. It's just a mental assent to something.
We're not talking about believing a weather report, believing a news report or something like that. We're talking about the change that takes place when someone.
Genuinely and their heart repents and believes.
Receive the love of the truth, those who might know it. And there are many who know it but have not really believed it. And I'm not trying to cause doubt in anyone's mind because some of us went through long periods before we had really peace.
I'm talking about the fact that there might be someone who knows about it, who's made a mental assent to it, but never in their heart really believed if the Lord Jesus were to come at this moment.
This room would be almost empty.
Would your seat be empty or would you still be here?
I hope this room would be completely empty.
But my concern is that there might be those who would be left behind, who would be able to be the explainers of what's happened, but without an opportunity to ever be saved. Why? Let's go on to the next verse. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.
They say over 1 billion people in the world have never heard the name of the Lord Jesus.
And more than double that, triple that have never heard the gospel. The contrast that came to mind as I was driving down from the Chicago area yesterday and realizing that this was going to be a group that heard the gospel many times. It's not a new message.
A week from today, be visiting a brother if the Lord leaves us here and he's invited a group of people into his home, the group of people that he's invited into his home, he said. This is a list. I've invited atheists, I've invited Buddhists, I've invited Hindus.
I've invited Muslims and there will be a few Christians there.
Far different audience, but the need is absolutely the same. But those are people in many cases who have not had the same opportunity that you have had and I've had.
But if the Lord leaves us here awake, I hope a little group will have an opportunity to hear about the Lord Jesus and they'll have a responsibility for what they do with it.
But if you refuse the Lord Jesus as your Savior now, you will believe a lie. You will never ever have an opportunity.
You will never believe during the Tribulation, during the Millennium, during eternity.
You will be condemned for all eternity. The opportunity is now. You will not believe.
Then God says it very clearly here. So the urgency is now. I'd like to turn now to John chapter.
18 I believe it is.
John, Chapter 18.
00:15:01
And verse 38.
Pilot saith unto him.
What is truth?
Very simple three word question. What is truth?
Well, truth, the word means what's real, what's genuine, what's been unconcealed, what's been brought out into the light.
There is truth.
If you hold your finger there for a minute, I'd like to go just over a couple of chapters.
And verse 17 of chapter 17.
Just the last words. The last four words.
Say word is truth.
You and I have a book that's totally different than any other book.
It has been or ever will be written or published. So many very helpful books in the back of the room on the shelf.
But every one of those books and everything that I say and anyone else says during these meetings, apart from when we're directly reading the Word of God, needs to be judged by the book that you and I have in front of us because this book is true. This judges everything else. So if I say something, don't just take it at face value. You need to find out if what I say is in accordance, is in agreement with what's in the Word of God. This book is not something that contains the truth that it does, but it's far more than that. This book is the truth.
From the first verse in Genesis.
To the last verse in Revelation. There's no other book like it. It's marvelous that God has given us a book like this, a book that answers the question that Pilate had What is truth?
You know, he asked and if you go through the list and there's one that's sort of asking 2 parts, I think it's 12 questions. What what I've counted before in these two chapters, in most of the other 11 questions, they stood around and he waited for an answer. But when he asked the most important perhaps question of all in those two chapters, what is truth? What did he do?
He walked away.
He had an opportunity because he was face to face with the one who in John 14 six says Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life. He had an opportunity to hear from the source of truth. What is truth? He had an opportunity to have the most important question that someone could have answered.
Answered and he walked away.
Is there someone here tonight?
Who rejects the love of Christ? Who walks away from the one who can answer? Not talking about any of us? Now we're talking about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you turned your back on him or have you believed in him? Have you ever received the offer of salvation that he made, or have you rejected it? You know, the most common thing I believe in a group like this is not those who necessarily reject it, at least for many years.
The most common thing is those who neglect it.
Those who say I've got time tomorrow, I've got time next week, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna have that fun, I'm gonna do something else. The Lord Jesus faced two major groups of people when he was at the cross. He faced a group of people that were very religious. They were trying to keep things to the order of the law, but in their hearts they were completely dark and they were dead and their trespasses and sins without life. On the other hand, he was in front of someone, Pilot, a governor who had been sent by Rome.
And one of the things that the Romans did in different places around the Roman Empire.
They build cities called, shared a common name, Caesarea Caesarstown. Why did they do it? Because the people wanted to have the same fund that they could have in Rome, even when they were far away from Rome. And it wasn't a question of jumping on irritally or something or Emirates Airlines or whatever. It was to fly home to Rome and to get some of the fun that they might have back and watching the things in the Coliseum, watching the lions eat up people and that sort of thing. And so they built cities around so that people could enjoy it. And maybe you're on one extreme or the other.
Maybe tonight you're saying I'm good, I'm religious, I make it to all the meetings and I do this and that, and I read my Bible every day. Well, that's good. But do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? Or maybe on the other side, you're saying I want to have fun, we're only here one.
00:20:14
Romans chapter one.
25.
To change the truth of God into a lie.
And worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this 'cause God gave them up on the vile affections. And this chapter lists the things of gross sins. Worship the creature more than the Creator. I've mentioned it before.
I just mentioned some here, but I want to mention it again, a sign that struck me one time going down and uh, on the escalator down into a sub the subway station in Caracas, Venezuela a number of years ago. And there was a sign on the wall.
For a gym or I don't know what all the things that were there and the.
Very simply.
If your body.
Is your God. Let us be your temple.
If your body is your God, let us be your temple. It's been a country that's had, from what I've understand, the greatest number of beauty Queens that have won Miss World or Miss Universe or whatever the contests are the country in tremendous turmoil.
For one side of things says, hey, you know, you, you do whatever your body wants to do.
Enjoy life while you're here, you've only got one shot at it.
But verse 32.
Tell us what the end of that is.
Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things, we heard this before today, are worthy of death, not only do the same, but a pleasure in them to do them. Her brother read this at the end of the last meeting.
That's one side of it. But perhaps you're, you say, well, I'm not like that. You know, that's not what my life is like. Let's go into chapter 2 and see another group of people. There's three groups of people here, the third of the Jews. We won't get there but chapter 2, verse one. Therefore thou in it art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art the judges for wherein thou judge us another.
Condemn us thyself.
1000 for 1000 judges does the same things.
But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. But thinketh so man thou the judges then would do such things, and does the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God, who despises thou, the riches of his goodness and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.
Pilot and some others may have wanted to enjoy life, but it's a time that the Lord Jesus was there. Another group that he faced were the ones like the Pharisees.
Self-righteous people.
So cherry about and they had their leather things in which they had the the things of the law and the bigger the better so that they'd look more religious.
It's only in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
It says the goodness of God leadeth the repentance.
There's one place in the universe that the goodness of God does not reach. The goodness of God does not reach into hell, does not reach into the lake of fire.
It does not reach, and there's a place of eternal judgment that was not prepared for human beings. Who was prepared? Prepared for the devil and his angels. God and his infinite love and mercy made a place and made a way through His Son that all of us could spend eternity with Him in heaven.
And heaven is a place that there's not very much written about it in the Bible and the Word of God. Why? Perhaps because it's so far beyond what we can even begin to grasp or understand. We know those who had a vision of it, like Paul and John when they came back and changed their lives forever. It's going to be wonderful. It's going to be marvelous, but it would be a horrible place to be if you didn't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
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It wasn't prepared for those who reject Christ, and the Lake of fire was not prepared for those who reject Christ either.
But God is a God of mercy.
He's the God of grace and perhaps for the children that are here, I'm going to repeat an illustration that has stuck in my mind many years ago when a brother and Ralph was speaking at a conference many years ago and he talked about the time that his two sons.
We're misbehaving.
One summer evening.
And normally the punishment for misbehaving was a spanking or being sent to the room.
But that evening they said, Dad, please don't punish us for what we've done.
And his father, the father Ralph, wanted to illustrate to his sons what the word mercy meant. And so he said, Tonight I'm going to show you mercy. I'm not going to punish you for what you've done.
God and mercy sent his son. He doesn't wanna punish us for what he's done, what we've done. But his son's asked an unusual request.
And I'm going to ask one of the boys or hear something if they raise their hand, how many of the boys here or girls here, when you've been misbehaving, ask. And this isn't exactly the weather for it. You ask your parents, your father, your mother or both of them if after you've misbehaved, if they can take you out for an ice cream cone.
On a hot summer day.
Raise your hand, those of you who usually get taken out for an ice cream cone when you've misbehaved. I don't see many hands go up well, these two boys, said Dad.
Thank you for not punishing us, but could you take us out for an ice cream cone?
And their father said, yes. He said, I'm gonna take you out for an ice cream cone because I wanna show you what Grace is. Said Not only am I showing you mercy tonight when you deserve to be punished, I'm not gonna punish you, but I'm also gonna show you grace.
Because I'm gonna take you and give you something that you don't deserve. You and I deserve to spend forever in the lake of fire. But God is in mercy, in his mercy has made a way so that we don't have to be punished for our sins because the punishment fell on the Lord Jesus Christ. But God didn't just take us out from not being sent to the lake of fire. God also offers us grace. He wants to give us something we don't deserve. He wants us to spend forever.
With him in heaven, that's grace.
He couldn't just brush it aside. That Father that evening had to brush aside judgment. He had to not punish when there was a punishment that was deserved. But God the Father could not brush aside. He could not put aside judgment.
There was only one thing that could be done, and so let's go to the most.
Commonly quoted, perhaps memorized verse in the Bible, John chapter 3 and verse 16.
For God so loved the world.
And if we were to write down the names of the people who were singing, and we were gonna go connect on to google.com and type their names in and find out under Wikipedia or something what the life was of ten of those people, we'd probably find that eight of them or seven of them, or six of them showed in their life that they didn't even really understand what love was. They might understand selfish lust, but the life didn't show that they really understood what love was. But when God talks about love, it's love. It comes at a price.
00:30:02
God the Father has enjoyed fellowship with His Son forever.
You and I can try to imagine what it's like to talk about forever. And I think sometimes it's easier to understand forever in the future than it is to understand forever in the past, because we can think a little bit about something that doesn't end. But when we try to think about something it doesn't have a beginning it it's even harder, at least for my mind to grasp.
But that's what God the Father.
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have enjoyed forever.
But God didn't want his Son to be alone.
God didn't want His Son to be alone in that way. He wasn't alone. He was with the Father and with the Spirit, but he wanted a bride for His Son.
You know family, when there's a wedding coming up and you're happy about the wedding, you look forward to it.
Looking forward to a wedding our family.
Got 1A bride for his son. He wanted you and he wanted me.
To be with him forever. He wanted an object on which he could show his love. He wanted an object on which his son could show his love. He wanted those who would respond to him. And what we're talking about tonight is, yes, you need to be saved.
Just as many of us have been because you don't want to spend eternity in the lake of fire, you need to be saved because it's going to be wonderful to be with the Lord Jesus.
And I hope I can say this in the right words.
That's important.
So we don't wanna be selfish about it. I'd like to turn and John chapter.
Four to the history, and I say history, not story because it's very important and not, again, to make someone an offender for a word. The book we have in front of us is not a collection of short stories, not a collection of things that have come out of someone's mind of a writer like Ernest Hemingway or something that would write stories. We've got a book of true history in front of us in this book tells us about a woman.
Who went to the well? And it's this well known story and I won't take the time to read it. She went to the well at an unusual time of day because she was not the most respected citizen in the community. She lived a life that was shameful. And yet you know what I have to say when I put myself up to that woman, all I can say is there's no difference. Sure, I've done and thought things that she never did. We're no better. But that woman went at an unusual time of day, but she had a very unusual opportunity.
Because someone knew that she was going to be there and timed his visit to be with her. And so verse 21.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet a Jerusalem. Worship the Father you worship. You know not what we know, what we worship for salvation as the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now it is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit, and the truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God wants to save you from your sins through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, but it's not just so you can go to heaven. It's not just so that I can go to heaven. God wants people who will be worshippers, who will recognize how worthy His Son is.
I was very struck the other day.
Week or two ago and we're reading in the morning and Isaiah and reading through in Spanish and you come to the verses about someone going out into the woods.
Taking their acts or whatever, cutting a tree down, taking that tree and taking the wood and forming it into an idol, and then getting down on their knees and worshiping what they've made with their hands. We live in a world where people worship what they've made with their hands.
It's not necessarily an idol made out of a piece of wood or some figure made out of a piece of metal.
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Yeah, we're thank. We're thankful for technology, for the things that we get to use.
But if what you worship today instead of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's some apparatus that may be very useful and your hands are my hands. But if those are the things you worship, if it's people, if it's an athlete, if it's a singer, if it's a a star in something or else.
Your worship is misdirected. God wants to save you, not to worship anyone else apart from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're not just saved for selfish reasons for ourselves.
God deserves that, the Lord Jesus deserves that, He wants that, and when we get in his presence, it makes a difference if we could turn to Mark chapter 5 to some other verses that talk about truth.
Mark chapter 5, verse 24.
And a certain woman.
Which had an issue of blood 12 years.
And it suffered many things that many physicians, and it's been all that she had.
But.
Press behind and touched his garment. Stop.
Percent certified, but they touched on his clothes. I shall be whole and straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
And Jesus immediately, knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? His disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and say itself, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see, said he had heard that had done this thing, but the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her.
Came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, by faith has made thee whole, Go in peace, and behold.
To get into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Didn't do anything for her. They couldn't find a cure. And we not to despise medicine, we're thankful for the things that the doctors do, the nurses do, the hospitals do.
But didn't solve her problem.
We're just touching.
But I think the healing wasn't limited to her body.
I think the healing went to her soul and her spirit. We're going to meet that woman, those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior someday. But if you ever reached out and touched the hem of his garment, knowing what was done, she fell and told him all the truth. The Savior that wants to save you tonight.
Is the one person in the universe, and I say that and don't misunderstand me, the closest person by far to me in my life is my wife. We talk.
But the one person?
That I can absolutely say everything to. It's on my heart. All the struggles, all the thoughts that need to be dealt with, confess the things that are the concerns and anytime, anywhere, 24/7 is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't shock him, I don't surprise him.
Things in my life may grieve him.
He's the one person who knows everything about me and still loves me. He knows everything about you and he still loves you. When you think of what it is for God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
00:40:12
Have enjoyed perfect fellowship since the past eternity, having to go through what happened on Calvary's cross to think about including sinners.
Such as ourselves in the company in heaven. It's a marvelous thing.
But he doesn't say you're gonna go there on the basis of something you've done, because if that was true, if He allowed sinners with their sins into heaven, he would spoil it. So what does he do? He wants to work in your heart tonight, if it has not worked already, to make you fit to go in there.
His standards?
And you and I and ourselves could never measure up to those standards. The only human being who has is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Came down and took the poorest of places.
Didn't have money in his hand.
Last years of his life he didn't have a bed he could call his own.
He put it all aside because he came down. He became rich. Poor that we might be made rich.
Friday of this week or Thursday afternoon of this week, I'm supposed to meet with a man.
And.
This man is a very rich man and he's been in the space, the conference room of the office for him. And in Ecuador I was supposed to meet with him in his home country.
The man is rich enough so that the translator that used in that country before, when in the House of this man translating for someone else, they pull up in a very rich suburb of the city.
The house, the mansion go in through the front. Two Ferraris parked out front when the translator was there. So he's got a mansion, he's got some rather high end vehicles.
And through the translator, the man who he owed money to said, you owe this amount of money and it's tremendously affecting us if you don't pay it.
And this man, Valerie's response to him was, do you think I have all of this because I pay all my bills?
A rich man who's absolutely poor. I've given him a calendar in his native language and he put it aside and he said I don't want that. If Valerie Lassie Chef dies tonight without the Lord Jesus, he will be absolutely destitute and poor because he will leave this world with absolutely nothing, with the same quantity he came into this world.
Be warned, if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you may not have a mansion, you may not have two Ferraris. I don't and close to it.
Do you know the Lord is your savior? Do you have the real riches that there are?
Or are you?
In destitute poverty like that man and not really realizing it.
When God gives a gift, He gives it forever.
Everything that we have, physical things are on loan. They're not ours, but they're loan to us.
When God gives something every blessing he gives.
Which is better?
Having something if, if one of our three daughters when they were children and they were given a gift at their birthday or something, what would you think of, uh, my wife and I, if we said, OK, here's the gift and then three days later we're taking it back. That's it.
00:45:01
May have been sometimes where they couldn't use it because of disobedience, but we didn't take it away. If we take it away, it wouldn't have been a gift. When God gives the gift, he gives it forever, and he's given the most marvelous gift that could ever be given. He gave his only begotten Son. He gave the Lord Jesus to die for you and to die for me. And so this woman, fearing and trembling, she fell down before him and told him all the truth.
If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, who's your Savior?
Maybe tonight you're thinking, well, I'm a little bit of shame because I've fooled people for years.
Don't worry about that.
He's never fooled, and I've never fooled the one who really matters.
I've never fooled God the Father. I've never fooled the Lord Jesus Christ. We can't.
And for those here who do know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, I ask you the question, have you ever confessed Him?
Have you ever gone to your father, your mother, your aunt, your uncle?
And told them that you knew the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
I think that's the struggle that I will have from my life when things are difficult, when there are problems, when there are things that are concerned, things you want to have happen.
I want to try to do what I can to resolve them. Now there's always the way it works.
But I'll tell you that the three most.
Memorable days as a father for the three days.
That each of our three daughters confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
It would tear me up to a point to say, yes, I want the Lord to come, but no, not yet, because I'm afraid that someone in my family would be left behind.
If the Lord Jesus came tonight, what about you?
Would you be left behind or Are you ready?
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior or is it something you say can wait until tomorrow?
In truth, because he was capable, healed her, but at the same time he showed love. This world often doesn't combine those two things.
One of the people that I'm most looking forward to meeting, of course, apart from the Lord Jesus because nothing will match that. But in heaven we will meet many different people. We'll have all eternity and, and yes, our focus will be on the Lord Jesus Christ, but it doesn't mean we won't be enjoying time with others. Well, the people I'm most looking forward to meeting as a woman who have never met, her name is Alberta and she's with the Lord Jesus. And why am I looking forward to meeting her? Because.
She's my mother-in-law that I never knew.
When my wife was 17, she was in a hospital bed and the doctor came in to her, a woman physician, and said to her, we've looked at the results and you have a number to certain limited number of months to live.
The woman spoke the truth but showed no love.
And her comment later about my mother-in-law, if I could put it that way, because it was the mother of my wife, her comment to the other people, the family and others later was, you know, normally when you go into tell that to someone that they've got a limited amount of time to live.
She said they normally just kind of come apart. She said she didn't.
00:50:00
And ask why and they explained because.
You know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. She's been there with the Lord Jesus Christ.
For 37 or 38 years.
The woman gave her truth, but not love. Someone else that I know fairly well, the man named Jorge was being treated by doctors in Ecuador for cancer, and there was a concern that the cancer had come back and things weren't quite right. And what were the doctors doing they were giving him?
Sufficient painkillers so that he didn't.
The problem that was perhaps returning tumors and things like that, they were showing to him.
Care, love. So he didn't have pain.
But they weren't telling him the truth. They weren't giving him the true report of his condition until finally some people in the family said. And they got together a sum of money which I believe was like 40 or $50,000. And a few weeks ago we spent a significant period of time in Houston, TX.
At a very good clinic and the comment of the doctors after they first saw the results is why didn't you come before? Thankfully, turns out there's a problem with treatable because he had been hearing.
Tonight, the truth is we deserve to spend an eternity in the lake of fire, but God and His love has made a way so that we don't have to.
Just a couple more verses and then we'll close and John chapter one.
John, Chapter one.
Stop.
The Word verse 14.
I'm looking forward to seeing the Lord Jesus and all his glory. There will be no light bulbs in heaven. There will be no electrical connections. The Lord Jesus from himself.
Will show forth a glory that will be enough to illuminate.
Awe of heaven.
For all eternity.
Can you imagine what it'll be like to be face to face with someone?
Many of them did.
Full of grace, He wants you and I to be wherewith Him. The truth He cannot Passover sin. He took care of everything.
Are you looking forward to being with him face to face with him for all eternity?
If not.
The last face you will ever see for all eternity is the face of the Lord Jesus.
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And when you were before him, if you reject him as Savior, when you're before him as judge?
Stop the word love.
Just chatting, no mention of the word love.
Is expressed that he's shown that, not just words.
For just judgement, I'd like to close before we pray by reading the verse that we started with at the beginning of the meeting and 2nd John.
2nd Epistle of John, verse 3.
Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love that we pray, bless the God our Father. Now that we don't begin to work in hearts or anything, but first we want to give thanks for the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to give thanks for the work that was done on Calvary's cross. We want to give thanks for the unspeakable gift that was given to save sinners such as ourselves. But at the same time.
We want to plead on behalf of those.
Who are not yet saved.
We don't know how much time is left.
We don't want anyone here to be able to be an explainer of what's happened.
Yet without being in the possibility of changing their eternal destiny, I just pray that the Spirit of God would have liberty to convict of sin.
To work a work of repentance and to give faith as we realize that if we didn't repent and believe because we were any smart or anything like that, it's just a work of grace and mercy. And we pray that for anyone here who's not yet saved in Jesus name, Amen.
Hungry People Who Complained to God
Taking care of "Those few sheep", 1 Samuel 17
Our Blessings & Christ's Suffering
Romans 12:10-21
Reading
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I filled speak, filled with messages from thee. I pray that we might be encouraged.
Father, you know, every heart here, every burden, every struggle, I just pray there's something to encourage everyone down here today. And the neighbor Lords of Christ, we pray, Amen. Amen.
Romans chapter 12 and verse 4.
For as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office.
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another.
I mean then yes, different according to the grace is given to us.
Whether prophecy? Let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith.
Simplicity.
Either ruleeth with diligence, either showeth mercy with cheerfulness.
Let love be without dissimulations, and before that which is evil cleaved to that which is good.
00:05:06
Be kind the affection 1 to another with brotherly love and honor referring one another.
Not slothful in business.
Bourbon and spirit serving the Lord.
Rejoicing in hope.
Patient in tribulation.
Bless them which persecute you, Bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind, one toward another.
Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man, evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men.
Yearly below.
Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place on the wrath.
What is written? Vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore of thine enemy hunger feed him. If he thirst, give him drink before. In so doing thou shalt heap holds a fire on his head.
Before we go on, just to clarify something that was brought up in conversation between the meetings in connection with the world, and we spoke a great deal of not being conformed to the world and so on. Yet it might be helpful just to say that there is a way that we can use the things of this world in a proper way. There's a way to use the unrighteous mammon in a way that is for God's glory and for the furtherance of the truth.
And for instance, just to bring it right home in a practical way, none of us came to these meetings in a horse and buggy. We were thankful for a comfortable vehicle that we could drive in. I suppose most of us in the, uh, last day or two have in one way or another availed ourselves of the technology that is, uh, around us. And so there is a way that we can use these things, uh, that is for God's glory and as I say, for the blessing of others.
We're not isolationist.
We, uh, we, we, we don't want to stand out as being different in that way. We need to live in a way in our society that, uh, is a good testimony so we can be used of the Lord. And so it might be helpful for some others to make a comment or two without belaboring it Be nice to go on, but I just say again, we can use the things of this world in a proper way without being conformed to the world.
There's times when the world is used in the sense of a system of things where man establishes himself without God.
You have that begun in Cain when he went out of the presence of the Lord and built a city.
It was a system of things that was begun there, and that's the world we're talking about here, isn't it?
There are things in the world that we use, like you say.
And that's why in I think it's First Corinthians 7, it says using the world but not abusing it. And so we can take up those things. We're thankful for this facility this afternoon and com the comforts of it. That's using it but not abusing it.
Soberly, but to think soberly.
According as God has dared to every man the measure of faith.
You were just talking about the convenience that we have.
Says one word and we drive a car. It's very important.
You might all we all know.
00:10:02
If we do that, we can survive. We can't even do it. We're not allowed to do it and we won't be able to.
Because we have to know what cars to drive and what.
To buy and we have to go to school to learn how to drive it and we have to know all the facilities that go with it.
You have to know the traffic loss. We have to know how to get along in traffic and all these things.
That all applies to our walk with the Lord.
First of all, we have to know the Lord, not just to know that we are Christians. We have to personally know the Lord as our Savior, and we know how to approach the Lord and we know have to know how to pray. We now have to know what to pray, and we have to know what the Scripture says.
We can't just say it while we are Christians. We are born in a Christian home. We grew up in a Christian family. So we don't be safe. We are certainly going to be safe, but what about having personal?
Contact with the Lord Jesus.
That is the first thing that we have to know.
And then we have to learn what's in the Scripture, where we find his words, where they are, and how to apply them.
And all these things all all that pertains to be.
Acting soberly, it tells us everything, what we do, how to dress, how to behave.
How to be patient?
And how to?
Sustained temptations, as we have it in James.
The Epistle of James riding the first chapter we read that.
And he tells us all about it.
So we have to know many things and.
We have to make our up our minds that we want to do it.
To make up our minds.
Called to another world, brother to a higher scene of glory. And it's so easy in the world we're passing through to.
To lose our perspective, our proper perspective. We're not called to this world. We're passing through it. And like you say, we have to obey the laws of it, but we're not part of it.
We're passing on to a new world.
In verses one and two, we have the mercy of God involved as we had in the last reading meeting. Something new is introduced to us here in verse 3, and that's the grace of God and that sets the contrast to what is before.
The apostle Paul says in verse 3, before he gets into verse four and on he says, The grace given unto me I wanna.
For us to turn to where he comments on that more in First Corinthians chapter 15.
To illuminate a little bit where he's what he has to say here in this chapter.
In First Corinthians chapter 15.
He says in verse 10.
But by the grace of God, I am what I am.
And His grace which was bestowed upon me, He's going to talk in verses 4 and beyond of the grace of God bestowed upon the brethren. But here he's talking about his purse, his own life. The grace of God which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all that is the apostles.
Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me, and so on.
In our chapter, he's saying now we're going to talk about the grace of God and what the grace of God gives to each one of us in order to serve him. And this is something new.
This grace of God acting in them was not something that had been part of their lives before their salvation.
They had been those who had walked according to the course of the world, according to the pattern that we had briefly in Romans chapter one, where their bodies and their minds were being used according to the will of man in contrast to the will of God.
00:15:07
But here he's saying, now I want to talk to you about something that God, that your believers has given you in grace to use for himself.
That is, and then he goes on in the verse that follows in the end of the verse, according as God has dealt to every man.
Uh, the measure of faith.
Every single believer in this room has, by the grace of God, been given something.
To use for himself for more than one thing.
But there's a danger connected with it immediately and that.
It's as easy to have pride as it is to breathe.
It's, it's, it's just as easy to be proud, I think, as it is to breathe. It's just so natural to the human heart. And oh, I have something that's different than you, brother, sister.
And it sets me apart from you a little bit because I have it and you don't.
And so I think high thoughts about myself.
And what is that? We take the work of the grace of God in US and take the credit for it and think well of ourselves. And the very first, I think most say, book of the Bible that was ever written is the book of Job.
And the whole of the book of Job takes up this high minded problem that is so natural to man before God almost gives us anything else from himself. And that is the fact that God in grace had made Job something above his fellows in the matter of righteousness.
And Job took the credit for it.
And God had to teach him that the source of what he was was in God himself that in grace had given it to him.
And the apostle Paul is one that labored more than any other. But we, uh, also thank God that he learned the truth of grace and could say in truth, by the grace of God, I am what I am. And as a consequence, he didn't take the personal credit for it, but he said it's the work of God. And so we're gonna see things that God has given us to do.
In these verses for and on.
But at the same time, there is a needs be in every one of us.
The only.
The only safe place.
Not to be proud. There's one place we know where we'll not be proud, and that's in the presence of God.
And so it's, uh, I appreciate a brother in Michigan many years ago when people were gonna tell him a dirty joke at work. I've always remembered this statement. He responded to them, He said, men, I live in the presence of God.
And everyone of us needs to live in the presence of God in the way that keeps humility in or pride in check and brings a humbleness to the soul. Otherwise we haven't, are not. We're gonna misuse these things that God has entrusted to us to use for himself, because we will be.
Tendency have the tendency to be high minded about them no matter what they are.
One body of Christ and.
Each one of us, brethren, has something to do in the body of Christ.
And what will hinder our usefulness?
Is thinking highly of ourselves.
Lord help us, we all got it and I think it's best to admit it and to confess it to the Lord and let Him help us in dealing with this. I often think of that verse we often quote in first John One where it says we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
00:20:06
We don't know how to do the clean up job sometimes, brother, but when we can admit it in the presence of the Lord and confess it to Him, He can operate in US and I think that's important.
Gives God his rightful place, and so if we take credit or become proud, we're really robbing God of some of his place. I believe that's why it's so obnoxious.
But how? How wonderful to take Grace, on the other hand, humbly.
But not, not feebly, not in weakness. But uh, grace isn't receiving something and grace isn't weakness, but along with it comes the faith to use the gift. And so we, we can be bold and zealous in whatever little thing the Lord may have given us.
The grace of God, who appreciates in their soul the, the, uh, the GR, the grace of God. Because grace does not tough us up and grace does not.
Allow us or teach us to live for ourselves. We're gonna give ourselves as a living sacrifice. We're gonna be a blessing to the people of God. We must learn grace. We must have an appreciation in our souls of grace and grace. As has already been said, it leaves no room for pride or self.
And it's interesting that in the verses we began with in verse four and five, where he brings in very briefly here. And I think it's perhaps the only time in Romans, at least it's the first time and perhaps the only time he brings in the body of Christ because it's particularly individual in Romans. But he brings it in because I think of that verse in Proverbs that says only by pride cometh contention. And if we seek to fulfill the little function that God has given us as members of the body.
And we do it with pride or self esteem. It's not going to be effective. We're going to grate on one another. It's not gonna be for the Lord's glory and it's not going to be for the blessing of the people of God.
We are unique, everyone of us are unique, and as members of the body of Christ, we have a little function. We have a place to fulfill in the body that no one else can fill quite as well as you can and quite as well as I can. But that oughtn't to puff us up. As Don said, we are. If we have a real sense of grace, the uniqueness that we have been given in the body of Christ is really going to humble us and cause us to fulfill that little function.
For the Lord's glory and for the blessing of the Saints, So as he says here.
In verse 4, where we started, for us, we have many members in one body and all the members have not the same office. It's really the thought of function.
We think of this in a natural sense. Every member of our body has a unique function.
I didn't see anybody here walk into meeting on their hands.
No, our hands are for other things. They're for grasping, for holding. We walked in on our feet. I know if we lose a member, another member can take over and we can get through life, but not as well as with that member that we we have lost or is no longer functioning. And so God has given us this illustration of the body and every person in this room.
This afternoon who knows the Lord Jesus Christ is a member of the body of Christ and as such you have a little office, a little function to fulfill what he's given you is not what he's given me. He's given each of us a little service and we're not to do I service as men pleasers, but unto the Lord. We're not to covet another service or want to to do that. It says in Galatians, let every man prove his own work.
00:25:00
And then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. So how wonderful. We are unique. We've all been given a little service but has been stressed. And I think it's very important. It needs to be done with the appreciation our in our souls of the grace of God and that faith that has been imparted to us as a gift.
Verses that the Lord Jesus himself says to the Pharisees in Matthew 12.
Verse 35.
A good man, out of the good treasure of their heart, bringeth forth good things.
And an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
That I say unto you.
That every idle word that man shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Or by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy word thou shalt be condemned.
It also says here the other aspect of it, not to be high minded, but then it goes on in connection with it and says to be wise or sober as God had dwelt to every man. The measure of I want to comment on the expression the measure of faith and also in verse 6.
Gifts differing according to the grace that has been given to us.
Grace comes from the heart of God without obligation. He's not obligated in any way.
Grace flows freely from him according to his own choice, and he has in grace in these things and other things not he doesn't do it equally.
He doesn't do it the same.
He does it according to his own sovereign right and will.
As to blessing, yes, there's equality and blessing. God couldn't bless anyone of us more than He has.
And his heart wouldn't let him bless us, anyone of us less.
Then he's blessed someone else in spiritual things.
Uh, but when it comes to the activities of life and grace, there's measures to it. It's not the same, even in the same type of gift, it's not the same measure. And so he says be to each of us. You need to be sober. You need to be wise. Because if I may speak generally, there's some of us in this room that go beyond the measure of our gift.
Or the gift of the grace that God has given to us. There are some of us in this room.
That are hindering the work of God because we're not using that which God has given to us and we're all ten. We all tend to go to the wrong extreme and not be sober about it. We sometimes have been given a certain measure and we go beyond that measure.
And we're not wise.
And others feel the loss because of it. Equally, and perhaps more commonly, not so publicly noticeable but equally enfeebling to the working of the body, is when God has given us something and we're not using it.
And as a consequence, the whole body is made more feeble because of our failure to be wise.
And not using what God has given to us. That's what Timothy had, that tendency as a timid person, Paul exhorts him strongly to make use of the gift of the grace of God that was in him so that the Saints would receive, the body of Christ would receive.
What God intended through Timothy for them to receive.
And so each one of us needs to be.
Wise before God to use the gift of grace expressed here in these different activities according as the measure which has been given to us and uh, in just one more comment in verse 7 the.
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I don't think it's very clear in the King James, and I'm gonna read it in the Darby translation.
Umm.
Starting in verse 6.
Whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith. That's the different measure. Not everyone receives the same measure or service. And then he says, let us occupy ourselves in service. Or he that teaches in teaching, or he that exhorts in exhortation. What does it mean? He's saying if God's given you exhortation, do it, be exercise, be doing it. If you're to teach, teach.
If you were to prophecy, prophecy and if you don't?
Then you're not.
Acting according to the measure of what's been given to you, to you. And you're not acting wisely if you're not actively engaged in that part. Your function in the body of Christ, do it.
Be occupied in it.
And I think it can help us all somewhat in some situations, even though it's not a complete answer. There was a sister in the assembly where I grew up known to some in this room and love if she knew her.
Her name was Miss Patridge. Catherine Patridge. Uh, she was a miss all her life, by choice.
But Catherine?
Used to tell us this, she said.
I said to the Lord, Lord, what is my gift?
And she said, I kept asking the Lord, what's my gift? And she said, you know, the Lord kept saying to me, children.
No, Lord, that's not a gift. What's my gift? And she said the only answer I got from the Lord was children.
And so she started to occupy herself with children.
And I will say in my whole lifetime, the most gifted evangelist to children was that woman. I have never known in my lifetime, a more gifted evangelist with children than Catherine Patridge, and she was amazing.
In her capacity to speak to children and I think sometimes the Lord will help us in the question. What is my gift to be more asking the question, Lord, what will thou have me to do?
And if the Lord gives us something to do, he will give us. If that's the call of the Lord to do, he will give us the gift to fulfill it, because he will never ask us to do anything that he doesn't fit us to do. And so I think rather than sometimes saying, Lord, what's my gift?
A better question is, Lord, what will thou have me to do?
And I just add two that if we do that and whatsoever thy hand find us to do, do with all our might, then I believe there's a responsibility to, on the part of others to recognize and encourage the gift, particularly in a young person. It's interesting with Timothy, whom Don mentioned that there were two, uh, there, there was a recognition of his gift from two different directions. The elders in the assembly recognized the gift.
Because it there was a laying hands on of hands of the Presbyterian, the elders who had recognized a certain gift in the Apostle Paul and Paul himself as an individual recognized that Timothy had a gift and he encouraged him, encouraged him to stir up or to use that gift for the Lord's glory and the blessing of the Saints. And I think it's something for those of us who are older, perhaps when we see in a younger brother or sister.
Some gift or ability to encourage that. We never want to flatter. We never want to encourage someone to go beyond the measure of what God has given them.
But there is always in scripture room for encouragement. I just want to turn to Colossians as well for an example of what's been said.
Don mentioned how that often the there's weakness or a lack amongst the Saints of God, the body of Christ, because there are those who don't use their gift or use it to its potential. And I think you have a little example of it in the end of Colossians.
Colossians chapter 4 and verse 17.
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And say to our kippus, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received of the Lord, that thou fulfill it. Again, Paul recognized that the Lord had given a little ministry, a little service. We're not told what it was. You know, our Tipus is a brother in Christ. In the early church. We're not told a lot about or what his ministry or service really was. Maybe it was something that wasn't so public.
But Paul recognized or saw that Archipus was holding back and not fulfilling the little function that God had given him in the assembly at Colossi. And Paul felt that the Saints at Colossae were suffering a laugh because of it. And he encouraged him to stir that up then to fulfill that ministry that, uh, that he was given. And so we need those exhortations, don't we? And as I've had opportunity to visit amongst my brethren a little bit, I sometimes.
Felt saddened to see that there are those in the little assembly, little assemblies here and there who aren't fulfilled.
Their ministry that the Lord has given them, perhaps not carrying out that little service and the Saints suffer a lot because of it, but we need to be exercised. What Lord, what I think what Don said is very good Lord, what wilt thou give me to do? And if there really is exercise, young person and those of us who are older too, we all need it. If there really is exercise before the Lord, He wants to show us He has something for us to do. We often quote that verse and I think it applies in this context.
In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths. He has something for each of us to do in the as members of the body of Christ. And if we acknowledge him in all our ways, we have that real desire to put ourselves on the altar of sacrifice like we spoke of this morning, Then He wants to show us. He'll make it clear. And He has equipped you to do whatever little ministry it is, whatever little service, as we've been saying.
He's equipped you in a way that is you're better equipped than any other member of the body of Christ.
Member Brother Chuck Hendricks has asked that question, how to know what gift we may have, and his answer was somewhat the same. He used those words that Mary said at the wedding feast of Cana.
Remember, she told the servants, Whatsoever He says unto you, do it. And so the Lord lays on your heart a burden in a particular area.
They members of the body of times don't know what their gift is, but if he lays something on your heart, do it and in time it will be evident that perhaps there is a gift in the book of the Acts. The only one who is called an evangelist.
Is Philip, but that is in chapter 21.
In chapter eight of the book of the Acts, Philip goes down to Samaria and preaches the Gospel and is greatly used in blessing, and in the end of that chapter he preaches to the Ethiopian eunuch who gets saved.
But he's not called an evangelist. There wasn't only until the 21St chapter that he's called an evangelist. So his gift is something that is developed over the course of time. But I think what you say too, that it's important to discern and recognize when there is gift and encourage it. And I think that's what it means in First Timothy 4, when Paul was speaking to Timothy, he says.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee.
By prophecy. Now God is the one who gives the gifts. But when it says by prophecy, I think perhaps maybe Paul or maybe some other brother discerned that Timothy had a specific gift and told them.
And encouraged him in that. That's the way I understand that. I'm not sure that I understand it rightly, but I that's the way I understand it.
00:40:05
The ability that He's given us. And so if you put something in front of us, then we do it. And as you say, Bob, in time I believe it'll become very evident where our gift lies and what the Lord would have us to do.
The only thing I would mention, and it's not particularly part of this chapter, but.
Perhaps it's good to mention it in these last days.
Very often because of the ruined, that is the outwardly ruined condition of the church.
All of the gifts that perhaps.
God intended to be available to us are not immediately available.
And because of the divided state of God's people, the body doesn't function the way God originally intended it.
And we had to do it. And I suppose there is that in these last days, isn't there, that sometimes we end up having something in front of us that maybe we aren't equipped for. Timothy was told to do the work of an evangelist.
There are different thoughts on that scripture. For my own heart, I tend to think that perhaps it was something of an effort and not perhaps his exact gift. But he was told to do it because in a day when things were starting to break up.
Is that correct? Yes, and I think that's why it's in the second epistle, isn't it, Dell, where he's told to do the work of an evangelist. In the first epistle, the House of God is in order and things are going along very well. But in the second epistle, where you have the breakdown of everything and other weakness and ruin in the testimony, he's told to do the work of an evangelist. And I agree with you that because it's in that context.
That I don't believe that Timothy was an evangelist per SE, but he could fill in. I've often told the story, too, of my father. My father was not a cook in any sense of the word, but I remember when we were children, my mother took I'll and she had to go into the hospital and have a gallbladder operation. And in those days it was quite, a, quite an operation. And I suppose she was in the hospital for 10 days or a couple of weeks. And my father, who loved his children, donned an apron.
And I think we ate charred grilled cheese. Seemed like we ate charred grilled cheese.
Twice a day for two weeks. I know that's an exaggeration, but I remember crying on the phone to my mother in the hospital because we weren't getting the meals that we had had at her good hand. But as I've looked back of that, I thought of what you've just said. My father loved his children. It wasn't his particular gift or ability to cook, but he provided for us till my mother was back at the helm and he was very glad to take off the apron and step out of the kitchen.
And we're gonna go back if the Lord leaves us here, the little assemblies where there's perhaps not much outward manifested gift, but we can carry on. Isn't it wonderful that the the function and administration of the local assembly isn't dependent on gift? If it was, there might be many get little assemblies would feel they had to close down. But it is dependent on the Lord being there, the Lord being in the midst, the Spirit of God. His word hasn't changed and he's able brethren, if we're exercised.
To, uh, use us, uh, in ever so feeble away and, uh, we need to be, as we've been saying, very exercised about it.
Three, it speaks about the measure of faith, and then at the end of verse six as well, the proportion of faith is talking about using the gifts according to the measure of faith. I notice in Ephesians chapter 4.
And Speaking of giving the risen Christ, giving gifts, it says according to the measure of the gift of Christ, I think that is each, each, uh, member has a different measure and that's why.
00:45:12
We should not be comparing ourselves amongst ourselves. God has given you a gift and I compare myself with you, you Jim. I'm not wise. Scripture says that he's given us each in a different measure and according to that measure we need to function. But it's interesting this in Romans 12 where it says according to the measure of faith. And to me that shows brethren, that a gift.
In faith we need not just say that I have a gift and so that God's gonna use me. No, I have to do that in dependence on the Lord constantly. Because if there's any measure of self-sufficiency rather than the blessing, all comes from above. It doesn't come from us, it comes from the head in heaven.
And so he gives measures of faith to each one, and according to that measure we use what God has given us.
We've already had the thought of doing it, being active. If God has given us that to do, we need to be doing it. But we can see from verse 8, there's a manner in which it's to be done as well. There's not only the activity itself, but there's the way in which that work is carried out, that service that God has given us.
A measure of faith and gift to do so, he says in verse 8.
He that giveth let him do it with simplicity.
Maybe the Lord has made you a giver.
Well then, he says to you, be at it, but do it simply.
Umm, the then goes on to say, uh, rule it or take the lead or, umm, do it diligently, not just when you feel like it. Be diligent, stick at it. Not just lead with this one, but not that one because they're a little bit harder case to be LED or something like that. But do it diligently maybe. And this is almost to me.
Surprising one, but.
In the end of the verse he says, well if your gift is showing mercy.
Do it cheerfully.
Do it cheerfully.
Think about that, that there there is this service in the body of Christ.
Of some that God has given the special capacity to show mercy. And then he says, but there's a way to do it.
Do it cheerfully.
Not condescendingly.
Not as better than.
You know, there's such a tendency, and when mercy is shown to not with God, but with us, when we think we're showing mercy to somebody, there can be very easily a rather condescending, slightly superior position in our hearts, even though it isn't necessarily expressed, umm, that well, brother, I'm gonna be merciful to you or something like that, but.
With cheerfulness. And so we need to also be wise before God and whatever He's given us to do.
To recognize that there is a manner in which it's to be done that expresses the way in which God does things.
We mentioned earlier little outline of the chapter and, uh, just to go back for a moment, we mentioned how that in the 1St 5 verses, we have practice that is consistent with the rel our relationship to God and to one another. Then in verses 6 to 2867 and eight, we have different forms of service, but it's interesting because we've been talking about gift and ability and certainly everyone of us have been given.
Gifts and ability that needs to be. We need to be exercised as to what it is and then it needs to be developed.
But it's interesting and I think significant that gift is not brought up until the sixth verse. Because I would like to suggest that in the 1St 5 verses it's not so much a question of ability or gift as it is of availability. Because if we're going to know what our gift and ability is and develop it and use it effectively, we have to be available first. You know, a person will never.
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Be trained in a job.
If they don't show up for work, if a person might be hired or might be recognized by a company that they have an ability and so they are interviewed and they're hired, but they're never going to function properly within that business or corporation or have their ability developed if they don't show up, if they're not available. And so I believe it's important, first of all, for us to make ourselves available to say, Lord, here I am.
As Paul said, as Saul of Tarsus said when he was saved on the Damascus Rd.
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And what did the Lord say to him? It'll be showed you. I'll show you what I have you. I have a service for you, Paul, and I'll show you because you've made yourself AB available, because there is a willingness on your part. Now I'm going to show you. I'm gonna raise you up and I'm going to use you for the blessing of souls. And I believe that's where it really starts with us is to first of all, be available.
Offering ourselves of a as a living sacrifice. Do we really get up in the morning and offer ourselves in that way?
You know, I don't believe we need to get up in the morning and pray for opportunities to serve the Lord as much as we need to get up and pray that we would be available to avail ourselves of the opportunities as they present themselves. Abraham's servant said, I being in the way the Lord led me, he was there. He was in the way, he was available, and the Lord used him in connection with getting a bride for Abraham's son Isaac. And if you and I get up in the morning and say, Lord, I'm available.
I want, I want to know what you have for me today. Use me today, whatever it is, big or small. Then the Lord is going to come in and show us the way and use us. So let's be available first of all, that he might show us the what what those that ministry is that he has for us. If we're not available, we'll never know.
From verse 9 to the end of the chapter, it's not gift anymore. It's something that every single one of us is being exhorted. So we want to make sure that we recognize that none of us, if you will, are exempt from the exhortations that follow when we get to verse 9.
Umm, and it says in the King James, let love be without dissimulation. Or Mr. Darby translates that love, love be unfamed.
Unfeigned. In other words, don't fake it.
Don't fake it. Love has to be real and the love that's here is God's love is later on. The more natural side of it in verse 10 is it says with brotherly love. It also brings that out.
But umm, love is what God is, and when he has given you the life of Christ.
He's produced, made you a vessel in which he can.
Deposit.
Or flow into you his love with the intention that it flow out from you to others. And so everyone of us really is a vessel of the love of God. He's the true and only source of divine love. Uh, we have the capacity to have it in US and to show it to others because we've received it from God. But we're not to fake it. We're not to pretend.
And if we're not, if there's something in our own personal life that is hindering the inflow of the love of God, it can't flow out, and our tendency will be to fake it, to pretend and show outwardly what is not the true state of our relationship to God.
But unfeigned love is that which shows or should be the transparency.
Of what God is in himself, flowing into us, to be seen in US and flowing out to others. But if there's something in our lives that's not judged, then God is grieved by that. And the channel of the flow will be stopped up. And then we will be put in that position of pretending something that's not at that moment actively true in US. And brethren, that can go with gift as well. That's not only limited to let love be unfeigned, but.
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Sometimes.
When our own fellowship with God is not what it should be, but we think we're or we're in a position to continue to do something for God that we have a responsibility and are doing and we keep trying to do it. It's not going to flow as it should and it's not going to be prospered of God. And so if I don't walk with God in fellowship, if I could put it this way.
I'm harming the body of Christ.
By my own state of soul.
And that's a solemn thing.
Each one of us here has the capacity to harm.
To put in an unhealthy condition the body of Christ by our own state, because none of us can live above our own state of soul.
And so if there's something in this room and one of us or all of us or some of us that's not according to God, that's going on, instead of serving the body of Christ, we are like an infection. We're we're something that's harming the work of the body of Christ, even though outwardly it doesn't show.
Many of the diseases of the body. Many of the problems in a body.
Go on for a good while without it being seen externally.
And oftentimes in the human body, when it comes to the external, it's a pretty serious matter.
By the time it shows itself in some outward way, so it's not to discourage, but it's to make us be sober, that we seek to be in fellowship with God in our daily personal lives so that the body of Christ can be healthy.
Like just to go back and then if I hope alright to that expression in verse eight, he that ruleth with diligence.
I noticed Mr. Garvey's translation. Is he that lead at?
With diligence and the thought of leadership.
And it's interesting to me this is not the.
Body of Christ looked at in its universal aspect.
Here, as Jim mentioned in Individual Responsibility.
And so. But there are those who God puts amongst his people to lead. Peter was a definite leader.
He failed even in that, but he was a leader. When he said I go out fishing, there were those that were going to go right along with him.
And so there is a sense of leadership.
Here, and I think it's important to see that.
And to recognize it too. But what has impressed me and really spoken to my soul is what the Lord Jesus said. He says I am among you as one that service. And to me the most effective leaders are those that you don't even let you know they're leading. They're serving in such a way.
That they're really leading.
Another aspect about verse 9, Two things brought out in that verse and in their essence, their love, divine love and holiness.
God is light and God is love, and the very first two things that the exhortation to us is, is has to do with the very nature of God himself.
Is the very nature of God himself. God is light and God is love, and His expression of Himself is light and holiness is holiness. Is a delight in what is good, and an aboriginal what is evil.
And that's what you have in this ninth verse. For that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.
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That's really a description of what Holiness is and.
God's first exhortation to us all, in a general way, is I want you to express.
What I am?
You're my child.
And as my child, I want you to express me.
The very responsibility of the church as a whole in the world was to be the Lord Jesus Christ. God's testimony to the world when he lived here had returned to glory and the church, His body, was left in the world to express what God is to man.
And so the first failure of it, thou has left thy first love is you're not displaying to the world what I am anymore. And I'm loved. It's really the sense of the force of what the message to them was. And if you don't?
Express what I am in Ephesians 5. Ye are the light of the world, and if you don't express what I am to the world, you cannot be a testimony for me.
And so here the exhortation to everyone of us is God is love and God is light, and we are to be that without faking it, not to pretend.
To be something that isn't a reflection of what God is in US.
Just in connection with those two statements in verse 9.
Which is evil. And then he says cleave to that which is good.
Perhaps let's go to Second Timothy for a moment, because I think there's something very instructive in connection with.
If the with effective service for Christ, we've talked a great deal about exercising our gift and ability and service and ministry for Christ and so on.
But there are two things in Second Timothy that qualify a man and make him.
Effective in every good work, not just some good work, but every good work. The 1St is in chapter 2, and it goes along with the uh, statement of where that which is evil. And just notice in the second chapter, verse 21. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Now, in the context of this chapter, what makes a man or a woman?
Servant of God, a believer effective to every good work is separation from evil. There must be a clean vessel. As we said this morning, be clean that they're the vessels of the Lord. There must be practical sanctification and that daily cleansing that's needed in our lives if we're going to be prepared under every good work. But that's only part of it. That's only the 1St part.
Then he said says in our verse back in Romans cleaved about which is good.
And notice in the third chapter something else that is needful. Read verse 16 and 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished under all good works. So there has to be not only an abhorrence and a separation from that which is evil.
But then there has to be a going on in the truth, a love for the truth, a reading of the Scriptures, a taking it in so it will have its practical effect, so that we understand doctrine and instruction and correction and teaching and so on. And when we take in the truth, enjoy it then and walk in it, then we are going to be prepared, not just under some good work, but under every good work. So there's the negative side of it. That's the putting away of evil in our life, abstaining, abhorring that which is evil.
But then there's the positive side too, cleaving to that which is good, a love for the truth of God. And those two things, brethren, are then going to make us effective servants of the Lord in whatever little ministry He's given us.
01:05:04
As the saying goes, we let ourselves off the hook too easy. And I speak as a young person who is in a social media with so much around and I think of those verses, the end of at the end of Romans chapter one, it talks about all these evils and all these things that are that are wrong and that we would all agree are wrong and that wouldn't agree that we should not do. But the last verse in Romans one says knowing the judgment of God.
That they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only that do the same.
But have pleasure in them that do it. And I was thinking if I watch a movie where there's inappropriate, if there's sexual images, if there's just bad words, just bad language, bad lifestyle, I'm what I'm doing is I'm enjoying those things and I am basically approving of that lifestyle. I just think of it of all the movies and like these TV shows, the Oscars, the Grammys, these things that are glorifying these people. And I was thinking if I watch this, if I take pleasure in it, I might not be doing what they're doing, but I'm basically approving.
By by by watching it or by listening to that music. And that's why I think.
Why we have weakness among us. Speaking of myself, because if I fill my mind with these things on Sunday morning, I won't come with my cup full. I won't come with something to share when it comes time to encourage one another. If I fill my mind with this, I'll say filth, there's nothing. What's the word of God says? I won't come. Ready to share? Ready to encourage.
What he really was saying is don't let me get used to sin, don't let me get desensitized. And it is so easy as you say.
Hard to stand even in the checkout line at the counter anymore without seeing something to defile and desensitize us. We drive down the highway, turn on the computer, as you say, but how do we, how do we maintain that sense of holiness in our souls? It's the word of God, isn't it? It's cleaving to that which is good. It's taking up this book and reading it every day, getting into the Lord's presence. Don't.
Let us get used to sin. I think that's a good word.
Proverbs 8 and verse 13.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.
Pride and urgency and the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate.
What is forward? We don't use that word very often.
Its meaning is stubbornly disobedient or contrary.
Gifts are mentioned in three different or developed in three different places in the New Testament. Here is the first one, and it's in connection with God.
In the 2nd and 1St Corinthians chapter 12, it's in connection with the Holy Spirit and in Ephesians 4 it's in connection with Christ. Our time is almost stopped. So I'm not gonna comment about the other two, but this one, uh, when it's going back again to where it says to pro in verse two to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The carrying out of these things that are brought before us here.
Is the expression of the perfect will of God in the day of grace.
And some of these exhortations are in line with, not the day of God's coming judgment and government.
But at the present time God is not yet recompensing man for His evil. He is giving place in an outward way to wrath and vengeance. That day is coming. But.
Our collective responsibility that God has fitted us for by these things.
Is to express his perfect will at the present time in the day of grace and the way he's acting in the world at this time. And so we need to act in this according to the Spirit of God as he is presently working and these exhortations are guiding us into.
Walk that is in keeping with the heart of God for this time in which we live.
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We sing 22 in the appendix.
22 in the appendix.
The one who perfectly expressed thee on this earth.
Now we thank Thee for this time that we've had over thy word here this afternoon.
And Lord, we pray for each of us here today that.
That it all has for us to do. We may do it. So we ask this and give thanks in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.
Gospel 2
Gospel—Jim Hyland
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Though vile they need not fear with joy they now may hear yet there is room hymn #15 if someone will please start it.
Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father how thankful we are tonight for that glorious gospel, that gospel message that's still being beamed around planet Earth. We thank the most of all for the one who has made it all possible.
My beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And now we thank thee for this happy weekend we've enjoyed together.
And many believers here and the fellowship we've had with those of like precious faith. But our hearts are stirred and solemnized as we come to this last meeting scheduled as a gospel meeting, to realize that there may be someone here in this building who still lost and in their sins. Perhaps someone sitting in these seats who's heard the gospel message so many, many times our God, we pray that tonight as we have Thy Word before us.
That in all its living power, it might be as that hammer that breaks the rock and twain.
We know that it is the sword of the Spirit, and so we pray about blessed Thy Word, use it in power and blessing to any who are lost here under the sound of our voice. And we pray too, that the hearts of thine own might be refreshed and encouraged. As we hear once again the sweet story of Thy love and grace, So we ask Thy help. We ask for blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory.
Amen. I'd like to begin by connecting a number of.
Scriptures, particularly in the book of Romans. But before we do that, I'd like to read a little expression in the 20th chapter.
Of the book of Acts.
Acts, Chapter 20.
And I want to read just the last 7 words of verse 24.
The Gospel of the grace of God.
Now we're going to go to Romans chapter one.
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Romans chapter one and verse one.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated under the gospel of God, and then notice verse 9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my Spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers. Verse 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew 1St, and also to the Greek. If you notice on your schedule, and as was announced earlier today, this meeting is a gospel meeting, And the word gospel, as has often been pointed out, denotes good news. Perhaps it could be translated, glad tidings, good news, any number of ways.
And it is a marvelous thing that in the world in which we Live Today, there's still good news. If we were to scan the headlines of any daily paper this weekend, we would find that there's very little good news in this world. In fact, people will line up to buy bad news. They'll buy newspapers, they'll sit down and they'll listen to that which denotes disaster, corruption.
All kinds of things that are happening. And sometimes I watch people in public places who are listening to newscasts or reading a newspaper and watch the fear on their faces, watch them turn away and shake their heads. I've even had one turn to me in those places and say, where is it going to end? What's happening to this world? There's not much good news in this world, but thank God tonight there is a message of good news that is being beamed around planet Earth.
Today, the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world.
To save centers.
I'm reminded of a story in connection with the word gospel, something from history. If we were to go back in time to the days when Greece was not the United country it is today, but a series of walled cities that dotted the landscape over in that part of the world, we would read that there were often warring factions between those cities.
And sometimes those battles were held out on the plains, a great way off from those different cities. And history tells us that they would have on the walls of those cities Watchmen and those Watchmen were looking to the horizon, looking off in the direction of those battles. And they were looking for a runner. They were looking for a messenger, because when it was determined how the battle was going to go.
There would be a runner sent to the city, and that runner would be running towards the city, and as he appeared on the horizon he was often shouting and those in on the wall would listen for the message because the message denoted whether the city had fallen into the hands of the enemy or whether there was a victory for that city. And oh how the messenger would hasten towards the city.
And those on the wall would listen, and they would rejoice when they would hear the word gospel.
Gospel, Gospel. And yet you know how sad it is today that when the Gospels presented, people don't have time. How often a gospel tract, a wallet calendar, is handed out and people set it aside. They throw it in the nearest ditch. They don't have time to come to gospel Gospel meeting. They've closed the pages of God's word, don't want the light of the glorious gospel.
Because, you know, there is a side of the gospel that is very, very.
Solemn and serious because while the gospel is good news.
Yet the Gospel has a warning side to it. Because I suppose.
That everyone who comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior first of all has to come to the realization that they have a need. When the Lord Jesus was here, he spoke words of peace and joy and forgiveness. But those that came to hear the Lord Jesus that came genuinely to hear the message and those that went away with a blessing.
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Were those who realized they had a need, then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners?
For to hear him they realize that they were sinners, and they realized that this man, the man Christ Jesus.
Had a remedy, had a cure, had good news for them, and we want to impress upon our souls tonight if there's someone here.
Under the sound of my voice that doesn't realize that they are a Sinner. Doesn't think they're as bad as all that. All tonight we want to impress upon your soul that you are not just a Sinner, but you are a helpless Sinner. There is nothing you can do to get rid of one sin. We would be less than faithful tonight if we didn't press this on your soul and also press upon your soul the fact.
That the soul that sinneth it shall die, and if ye die in your sins, the Lord Jesus said where I am.
You cannot come. I remember some years ago when I was growing up, my father.
Had to go into the hospital for some serious surgery and.
In those days, surgeries were a little more involved and serious than they are today.
But he was in the hospital for some time in the Montreal General.
And the hospital chaplain was making his rounds on that ward.
And as he went from room to room, he came into my father's room and he chatted for a while, just chit chat, the weather and so on. And as he was about to to leave, my father said, aren't you going to read something from the Bible?
Welcome to find out. This hospital chaplain didn't even have a Bible with him, and so my father wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy. And so he said, if you just open that drawer there, there's I've got my Bible right there.
Well, the hospital chaplain, he pulled out the Bible and he kind of fumble with it and.
Those who knew my dad knew that sometimes he could be just a little bit ornery. And he said to the hospital chaplain, Now there's some nice verses in the book of Joshua, perhaps to be good to read. Well, the hospital chaplain fumble and he had a little trouble finding the book of Joshua. I think he finally found it. Or perhaps my father helped him and he read a few verses that my father indicated and he was about to leave again. And my father said, aren't you going to pray before you leave?
Well, he was very uncomfortable. He squirmed, but he stumbled through some little prayer.
You know the rest of the days my father was in the hospital. My father said when he went got the hospital chaplain came on the ward, he quickly walked by.
My father's room and didn't come in again. Isn't that sad? Isn't that solemn? A man visiting the sick and the dying and he had nothing to offer them to just talk about the weather or some current events, or to say, I hope you're feeling better today. Here was a man in a position where he was supposed to if he had been faithful to his calling. And I don't even know if this man was a believer. It's not for me to judge, but he certainly had no good news.
No comfort for the sick and dying in the Montreal General at that time, but thank God tonight we are not Speaking of theology, philosophy, not even theology. We are not Speaking of Reformation. We are not Speaking of turning over a new leaf. No, what we have tonight to present is Christ. Christ is the Savior of sinners, and these things are a reality. And these things are serious because they have eternal consequences.
A few days ago I was in Guyana, South America and there's a large Pepsi plant bottling plant in Guyana.
And on the side of that building there are great big advertisement is live. For now I realize that's simply an advertisement for Pepsi and but I thought, isn't that the spirit of the age Live For now, Air Canada Air frequent flyer program is called Aeroplan and when you go on their website their slogan is Live for the Moment.
No thought of tomorrow. No thought of eternity. No thought of what's down the road and the consequences of our actions or lack of them today.
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But all Scripture brings us into the very presence of God with the gospel.
And as we read here in Acts chapter 20, it is the gospel.
Of the grace of God, I can't stand here tonight and tell you that you deserve to be saved.
You know, when I go back in my life to a young boy, when by the grace of God, I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
I can't tell you I deserved it either. Know what I deserved was to go to hell.
But the grace of God has provided A savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The grace of God has provided a message for you tonight.
You realize that it is the mercy and grace of God that has brought you to these seats tonight. If you don't know Christ as your Savior, it's not because you deserve it. But grace, as is often said, is the undeserved favor and kindness of God. And by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. And Saul of Tarsus who?
Referred to himself later as the chief of sinners, as the apostle Paul could say.
The grace of God was exceeding abundant toward me through faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom?
I am chief.
It is, I say, only the grace of God.
But it is the gospel of the grace of God, and as this subject is introduced in the book of Romans, it's the gospel of God. Why is it introduced at the beginning of Romans as the Gospel of God?
Because God is its source. This was in the heart of God from a past eternity.
You know, the gospel wasn't just Plan B, so to speak. It wasn't just something God came up with because man sinned.
No, this was in the heart of God from a past eternity, and as soon as Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
God immediately announced the news that the woman's seed would bruise the head of the serpent. God could clothe Adam and Eve with coats of skin because he was looking forward to the time when his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would come into this world.
Go to Calvary's cross. There lay down his life and shed his precious blood.
Yes, shed His Precious Blood, of which we read The Blood of Jesus Christ.
His son cleanses us from all sin.
Again, a few days ago.
I was with two other brothers in Christ in Guyana, South America.
And it's hard to believe, but we usually think of Hinduism, often India and.
Other parts of the world, but Hinduism is very prevalent in Guyana.
In fact, it seems like on every corner there's a Hindu temple. People have little shrines with idols in front of their homes.
And some very large images that people sacrificed to bring food to and bow down and worship and pray to idolatry on every hand. And we say in this country, how foolish.
They're things that they have made with their own hands, but aren't there many things in this country that we've made with our own hands and we're looking to them for deliverance?
We perhaps wouldn't fall down to idols like the heathen do.
But there are many things that I believe we worship, many things that keep.
Souls from coming to the Lord Jesus.
Perhaps one of those things is amusement. You know, I don't suppose there's ever been a day when amusement.
Is as prevalent as the day in which we live. It's interesting that the word muse is the Latin word that means to think.
And in Latin, when you put an A in front of a word, it gives it the negative, It gives it the opposite meaning.
The word amuse means not to think.
You know, we see in the Caribbean those big Carnival ships pull in and other cruise ships, but those big Carnival ships.
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You know they're sin cities. What goes on on those ships, I am told.
Is absolutely against the laws of God.
Think of the name carnival. Where does that word come from? What is the root of Carnival carnal?
And people take those cruises. And don't get me wrong, I'm not here to condemn taking a cruise. That's not what I'm saying. But people take those cruises to lose themselves, to surround themselves by all kinds of entertainment and amusement for a few days. So they can forget about business, they can forget about life, they can forget about their circumstances and immerse themselves in that kind of thing.
But all tonight, as we come into the presence of God, as we take up the gospel of God and realize that he's the source.
How important it is to get serious tonight.
You know, people like to laugh, and I like to laugh too. I like fun. I like a good time. But there are times when we need to get serious because God, the source of all blessings, is serious about your soul tonight.
Because to pass out of this world into a lost eternity without Christ is final.
It's final and eternal. It's not just for a few years or a few decades or a few millennials.
No, it's final.
And God in presenting the gospel to us.
Give very serious warnings.
I am reminded of a story that took place off the coast of Barbados back in the days of sailing vessels. There was a sailing ship, as the story goes, called the Hyacinth.
There was a captain. I think his name was Captain Audrey.
And one night, one evening, as the sun was setting, he was up on the deck just enjoying the beautiful sunset and the calmness of the sea off the coast of Barbados. In fact, he commented to some of his crew that were passing by that he had rarely seen such beautiful weather in that part of the world.
After enjoying the sunset and the scenery for a while, the ocean view, he went down to his cabin and.
He stretched out on a couch in his cabin to relax for a while, and as he was doing that.
He looked up at the barometer on the cabin wall and he kind of blinked and he kind of rubbed his eyes because he saw the mercury on that barometer was falling. And he thought that that can't be. But you know, he he watched it and sure enough it was falling and at a fairly rapid rate. And so he decided that he better heed the warning of the barometer. And so he went up on deck and he called his crew together and he told them what was taken, what he had seen in his cabin.
And the crew shook their heads. They said, Oh, Captain, it can't be. Look, we haven't experienced such a beautiful evening at sea like this for a long, long time. The captain gave his orders. He said no matter what the weather looks like, no matter how beautiful things may seem at the moment, the barometer is falling and we need to secure this ship for the worst. He ordered that the deck be cleared, let the sales be secure, and everything was made ready.
He went back down to his cabin. Sure enough, the mercury was still falling.
But it wasn't long.
Till the captain and the crew realized.
That there was indeed bad weather. They say that the sea, the wind was so high that the sea couldn't rise in waves. It just became a plane of foam, raging foam. In the wake of the wind, the ship was driven at an alarming rate.
But by the mercy of God, the ship was saved and all on board survived that storm because because the captain took the warning seriously from that barometer. You know, this Bible, this book we hold in our hand, is God's barometer. It tells us that judgment is coming on this world, but wonderful story. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
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That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have.
Everlasting life. And we read further in the book of Romans that the gospel.
It's it's the source is God. It's the gospel of God. But in the ninth verse of Romans one, we read that it's the gospel of His Son.
If we were to go back to Mark's Gospel, we would find Mark begins by Speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God is its source, but the Lord Jesus is the one who came, so that it's possible Christ is its object, the Son of God, the one who came in sacrifice and gave himself at Calvary's cross. Again, it's a person we have to present to you tonight.
Not just some theology, not just some certain principles from Scripture.
No, it's a person. It's a person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to stress for a moment, in connection with the person of Christ a number of facts that are essential when we present the gospel of the grace of God. One is first of all, as Paul said, the gospel is that Christ died. Very important, vital because the wages of sin is death.
When Adam and Eve ate, the forbidden fruit and those coats of skin were provided.
Those coats of skin provided necessitated the death and the shedding of blood of an innocent victim or victims. A few pages further on in God's Word we read of Cain and Abel, and they both brought a sacrifice to God. But Abel brought a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, because Abel understood from what had taken place from his with his parents.
No doubt the story handed down he realized by faith.
That there must be the death of an innocent victim if he was going to be accepted before God. And we go through the Old Testament, and we see those sacrifices the the lamb provided in the place of Isaac.
We find the Passover lamb because when the children of Israel were going to be delivered from Egypt, it had to be in a way that made them realize their guilt and God's provision for them. And the Passover lamb had to be slain later on. There were a number of sacrifices and offerings given in the book of Leviticus, and those offerings and sacrifices to the heart of God spoke of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus.
That time when his son would go to the altar and be offered up as a sweet smelling savour to God.
Yes, the Lord Jesus died, He was buried, but all he rose again the 3rd day according to the scriptures.
You know, Christianity presents a living savior. Christianity presents a living person.
Unlike the other so-called great religions of the world.
There are many tombs that are boasted of by many of the religions of this world.
But those tombs have the bodies of those that were laid in them.
Still there. You know, in Christianity we have a tomb as well, But over that tomb are written these words. He is not here. He is risen. Come see the place where the Lord lay. And it is important that we get a hold of this in our souls, because if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain and ye are still in your sins. But thank God we read in First Corinthians 15, He was raised again for our justification.
The Lord Jesus, when he came forth from the tomb, he remained on earth long enough to give testimony to his own that he had bodily risen from the dead. He appeared even to about 500 brethren at one time. He said on one occasion to his disciples. Handle me, and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone, as ye see me have. But not only did the Lord Jesus rise from the dead.
But a moment came when his disciples having been let out on the Mount of Olives.
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They saw him raise up off this earth and he went back to heaven as an ascended savior.
And he tonight, he's a savior on high in the glory. He's a savior that seated there by God's command.
Because the resurrection, the ascension, and the glorification of Christ.
Our gods. Amen to the work of Calvary. They are gods. They are the proof that God is satisfied.
With his son, the work that he accomplished here in this world.
And there the Lord Jesus is as the savior of sinners. I love that old hymn.
So often we sing it. When I was growing up, there was a brother who preached the gospel so faithfully, and he gave it out time and time again.
There is a savior on high in the glory, a Savior who suffered on Calvary's tree.
A savior as willing to save. Now as ever, his arm is almighty.
His love great and free, and there's an invitation goes with that. Oh, come now to Jesus.
That dear loving Savior, receive him this moment and peace shall be thine. What a wonderful thing it is to be to be able to present a living Savior. Not someone who's in the tomb, not those idols that some of us have seen in other countries that can neither speak nor hear or help.
Tell another little story.
Story that happened some years ago over on one of the islands belonging to the country of Malaysia.
And the story goes that there was a governor on that island.
And he and his wife were like the rest of the natives. They were worshippers of dumb idols. And one day this governor was sitting on his the floor of his home, repairing and polishing some of these idols that they worshipped and prayed to for help. And all of a sudden he startled his wife by standing up, and he gathered up the idols that were on the floor in front of him.
They took them out to the backyard and then he came back in and he started to take other idols off the shelves and from corners of the rooms. And his wife said, what are you doing, you know, he said for some time, I really haven't believed in these idols because here I have to repair my gods, the gods I look to for help and deliverance and I'm greater than they are. What good are they?
Well, his wife, she took a deep breath and she said, you know, I felt the same, but I didn't want to say anything. I was afraid to say anything and I, but I I felt the same for some time as well. They took those idols out in the backyard and they burnt them.
They didn't know what to believe. They'd never heard of the true God. They'd never heard of the Lord Jesus.
There's never been a Bible on that island before.
But you know, God honored their faith and their act.
In burning those idols. And it wasn't long until a Christian missionary came to that island and he had some Bibles.
And he left the Bible with the governor and his wife in their own language.
And every afternoon they would sit on their veranda and they would read the Bible. Now bear in mind they had never seen a Bible before, knew nothing of its contents. They had no one there to explain it to them. But they began to read, and they read of how God created the world, and how he placed Adam and Eve in that beautiful garden, and how he gave them a command not to eat.
Of the tree.
They read of how Adam and Eve disobeyed God, how sin came into the world.
They read the Old Testament stories. There was much of it that they didn't understand, but they read on day after day after day. They finally came to the New Testament. They read of God sending his Son into this world. They read of the life of the Lord Jesus. They read about his work on Calvary's cross. They read about the blood that was shed.
They came to the end of the book. They read about the judgments that were coming on this world.
Again, much of it they didn't understand. But by the time they had finished reading this book, they had come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. They began to share.
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Their new found faith and joy in Christ with others. Others came to their home and the word of God was read.
And a couple of years later, some other missionaries came to that island.
And they were surprised, very surprised, to find a large group of believers meeting together for various meetings with quite an understanding of the truth of God. Because as it tells us in the book of Peter, it's the word of God by which the gospel is preached unto you. And it's a living book. It's living and powerful, and it endures forever.
And that's why when we present the gospel, whether it's in a setting like this.
Or in a one-on-one setting we always need to bring before souls the word of God.
Because that's where the power is in the gospel, the gospel.
Concerning his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and as Paul said in this chapter, as we read later on in the 16th verse, it's the power of God under salvation.
You know when you go to other corners of the world and there are some very, still some very dark corners of this world?
Where heathendom is practiced and other religions.
And yet to see the light of the glorious gospel penetrate those dark corners of the world and penetrate dark hearts.
It's a marvelous thing. And all tonight our prayer is that as we have quoted and spoken.
In a very feeble way of the gospel of the grace of God.
The gospel of God. The gospel concerning His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our prayer is the prayer of so many in this room is that the word of God would be applied in the power of the Spirit.
To the heart and the conscience of anyone here who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, you know the work is the Lord's, the work is God's. But you know the wonderful thing is he delights to work in souls.
It's God's will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And if you go out of this gospel meeting in a few minutes.
And you are not saved. You are still lost and on your way to hell. Your sins have never been washed in the precious blood of Christ.
I wanna tell you it won't be God's fault.
It won't be God's fault, because as feebly as we have sought to preach the message tonight.
Yet we are thankful that it is Your blessing depends on the Living Word and all its power and reality.
And we know without a shadow of a doubt that God is desiring your blessing tonight.
If we were to go over to the book of Ephesians, we would find the Gospel referred to in another way.
There it is referred to as the gospel of our salvation.
I hope that everyone as we rise off these seats in a few moments.
I hope that everyone can quote that expression.
In reality.
As to a personal claim.
I'm thankful that I can quote that expression. It's quoted in Scripture. It's written in Scripture as the gospel of our salvation. But I thank God. But by His grace I can stand here and say.
It's the gospel of my salvation.
There was a work of God in my soul as a young boy.
And it is indeed the gospel of my salvation. I thrill to be able to tell you that I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
Like the blind man in John, there were many things he didn't know. They came and they questioned him about this and that and the other thing and finally said.
I can't answer your questions but one thing I know I was blind but now I see a lot of things I don't know too. But one thing I know.
I was lost. I'm found. The Lord Jesus found me. He saved my soul. He washed my sins away.
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And you know, it is very serious as this gospel meeting winds down.
To realize that while this is the last gospel meeting.
Of this series of meetings this weekend in this school in Allendale, IL.
Yet it may also be the last Gospel meeting that has ever preached in this area or planet Earth.
You say, Jim, What do you mean?
That the Lord Jesus is coming at any moment. It tells us in Scripture the coming of the Lord draws nigh. And so there are two things to consider. First of all, we don't know how long we have to live, and secondly, the Lord Jesus is coming at any moment.
On the 3rd of February.
I had the responsibility of taking the funeral.
Of a very good friend of mine, and a brother in Christ.
Few days earlier I had got a call from his son.
But that morning he had woke wo he woke up, felt great, said to his wife. I think I'll go to work and do a little workout before the day begins. And at their shopping office they have a little workout room, a little mini gym, and often the guys would work out in the morning.
When it's first employee arrived after he was there, he found him on the gym floor.
A few days later, on the 14th of February took the funeral.
Of a brother in Christ who was in his early 90s.
We had expected him for some time to leave this world if the Lord didn't come through the article of death. He was not only elderly, but he had not been well for some time.
I have had the solemn responsibility and the privilege of taking the funerals.
Of young children, of teenagers, of individuals in their 20s and 30s.
We have no lease on life if we were to go down to Buchanan Cemetery or any other graveyard in this area.
We would and compare the dates on the tombstones. We would find that people of all ages leave this world and sometimes without any warning.
Saw bumper sticker one time when we were driving our car. It said those who wait until the 11Th hour to be saved usually die at 10:30. But all I say again, the Lord Jesus is coming and I don't know exactly when he's coming. But one thing I can tell you for sure tonight we are closer to the Lord's coming than we have ever been before. And when the Lord Jesus comes, the gospel of the grace of God.
Will no longer go out. And those who have heard it and had opportunity to receive the gospel of the grace of God, we'll be left behind for the judgment of God and in the final analysis will be taken after standing at the Great White Throne judgment. They will be taken and cast into the lake of fire. It's serious. It's real. But oh again, I want to end with stressing.
That the message tonight is a message of grace. It's a message of love. I'm going to pray now.
And I know sometimes at the end of a gospel meeting, perhaps it is going through the minds of some well.
Is it really that simple? How can I really be saved?
If you're serious tonight, if you realize that you are truly a Sinner before God, and you're serious tonight about getting saved.
As we pray, you can bow your head and you can talk to God. You can talk to the Lord Jesus. Right in your heart. He hears what you say whether you utter one word aloud.
And you can tell him that you are a Sinner but that you want to receive.
The gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And it tells us that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
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It is as simple as that, and I plead with you, I beg you not to leave this room.
Lost and on the way to hell. When you can leave this room saved and on your way to God's happy home called the Father's house Heaven, Let's pray our God and Father. We do thank thee tonight for that glorious gospel message. We pray that it might penetrate dark hearts tonight here in this room and wherever it's being beamed around this world.
We thank thee for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee for that precious blood.
That washes cleans from every stain of sin. We pray that it might be have its effect here tonight we commit ourselves to the.
In thy name, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Open Mtg. 6
Open—D. Rule, B. Prost
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Lord, what does man tis he who died?
And all thy nature glorified, Thy righteousness and grace is played, when He for sin atonement made.
Obedient unto death was slain. Worthy is he, or all to reign, 219.
Lord what?
For that time coming, when that will return for us, and also for that time when thou will appear and reveal thyself to Thy people and set up a Kingdom that will umm be glorious. We thank Thee for the privilege of being together around thyself. Over Thy word we ask for help, guidance. Thou should be glorified. Lord Jesus, we pray in thy precious, worthy name. Amen. Amen.
Turn with me to First Samuel.
Chapter 17.
1St Chapter 17.
And everybody, I'm sure that can understand what's going to be said is very familiar with the story of David and Goliath that we have in this chapter. So I'm not going to read that part. I just want to. So we'll start in the middle of it. David has come up because his father sent him to see how the war is going in the state of his older brothers that are in the army. And so he comes up with the food from home.
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And, umm, we're just going to start in verse 28.
It's Eli of his older brother speaking, and he says, And Eliab his older brother heard, when he spake unto the men, and a lie of anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hit her? And with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thine heart, for thou art come down, that thou mightest see the battle.
I trust that the Lord is going to leave in your heart out of the words. Just read the expression those few shape in the wilderness.
I want to a trust of the Lord to impress upon your heart and mind.
The significance of that little statement? Those few sheep.
In the wilderness.
We're going to look briefly at two young men.
David young man.
And another young man in the book of judges. And we're going to contrast a little bit out of their two lives.
I trust it will be a challenge to you young men and young sisters in this room, as well as to those of us who are older.
And it is connected. We will see. What we see here is connected with gathering and scattering. That was the burden that was presented to us in the prayer meeting this morning.
Here we find the expression those few shape in the wilderness. I I begin here because I I want those words impressed upon your soul. But before we take up the significance of them, we're going to look at the other young man and see a contrast that we'll see later. Go back to Judges chapter 17.
In Judges chapter 17 verse 6.
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did what which was right in his own eyes. And there was a young man out of Bethlehem, Judah, of the family of Judah, who was the Levite. And he sojourned there. And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehem, Judah, to sojourn, where he could find a place. And he came to Mount Ephraim, to the House of Micah as he journeyed. And Micah said unto him, Whence cometh thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite.
Of Bethlehem Judah, and I go to sojourn, where I may find a place. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be with me a father and a priest, and I will give thee 10 shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy vittles. So the Levite went in, and the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man was with him as one of his sons.
And before we comment on that.
Turn over to the next chapter.
And there are later on in this young man's life, he has met five other young men who are part of another tribe of Israel, and they have come and we read about them in the next chapter in verse 15.
These spies come back, and they turned in, hit their word, and came to the House of the young man of the Levite, even unto the House of Micah, and saluted him. And the 600 men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.
And uh, they go into Micah's house. And in verse 18 and those went into Micah's house where this young man was living, and fetched the carb damage the the tariff and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. It is better for thee to be a priest unto the house. Is it better for thee to be a priest unto the House of one man?
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Or that they'll be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel. And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the effort and the Terrapin and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. So we're going to read, uh, about this young man.
He lived in a time when every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
That is more and more the characteristic of the day in which we live. It's more and more the characteristic of the Church of God or the profession of Christianity. We live in a time when more and more there is the tendency of, as it says here, every man to do that which is right in his own eyes. And here's the young man I want to say comes from a good place, comes from Bethlehem. I think that's a good place.
He was of a good family and that sense of the tribe of Judah. The other young man, David, comes from the same place.
And of course, the most famous, the Lord Jesus comes from that same place. And so here this young man, he starts out life and he lives in this period of time and.
Grows up like any young person does, comes the time when you need to decide you're going to do something with life. And, uh, so he goes out with the idea of finding himself, some work to do in his life.
And umm, so he comes to this man's house, and because he was a Levite, that gave him some place to be able to do the kind of work which he did. And it happened to be, and I'm not emphasizing this aspect of it, religious activities that were necessary for Israel or were proper to Israel. But in this case, it's connected with idolatry. And more and more, even in Christianity Today is connected with idolatry.
But that isn't really the point here that I want to bring out in verse 10, it says Mike is said unto him, dwell with me and be with me, a father and a priest, and I will give thee 10 shekels of silver by the year and a suit of apparel. So now he comes to a place and he's, he's got something to do. He's got a job and, uh, the job is going to pay him. And I heard a excellent talk, uh, one time on this subject, which we're not going to get into any of it, but.
I, I can't think about the young man except in the way the talk described him out of this verse here it says, uh, I will give the 10 shekels of silver by the year in a suit of apparel. And he was referred to as the young man of 10 shekels and a shirt. So I'm going to call him the man of 10 shekels and a shirt. So this young man with his 10 shackles and a shirt, he's got a, he's got a job, he's got something to do.
But the man that employs him says, be a father to me and take care of my deeds.
And so he seeks to do that in his life.
But it's a day when every man does that which is right in his own eyes.
And time comes when somebody else comes along to offer him another opportunity.
And they present to him the opportunity and it's more than 10 shekels and a shirt because they say, why are you? Why are you just gonna take care of one house?
We want you to be for a whole try all the tribe of Dan. You come with us.
And.
Uh, righteousness, when every man does that which is right in his own eyes, righteousness suffers. And so they actually go in the house and I would say rob the household of those things that had been set up that the young man was using in his service. They take it out of the house and they say, as it were, you're not going to lose anything. You're gonna gain. So you come along and with us.
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And the response that shows us what's in his heart. He says his heart was glad.
That's good. I'm going.
And he goes.
That's one young man.
And.
You can ask yourself.
Is in any way this young man's life have any similarity to your own?
Are you presently occupied with 10 shekels and a shirt?
Is that the characteristic of your life? There's somebody you might say you're helping besides yourself?
But you're available and ready and willing if a better opportunity comes along, even if there might be some things about it which, hmm, you maybe wish were a little bit different. Not quite as straightforward, or perhaps upright or good. But your heart can be made glad.
With some improvement in the circumstances of life.
OK, enough on the young man for the moment. Now let's go back to the other young man where we started. Go back to First Samuel chapter 17.
Here we have two brothers.
All of us belong in families. We have brothers. We have sisters. Perhaps we have fathers and mothers. We have relationships.
In the families that we are part of.
Here's a young man.
Name is David.
And uh, he goes to a place and his brother, his older brother, looks to him.
And he gets angry with him.
And so where he says, what are you doing here?
Uh, he, the older brother, the older three brothers were there in a war.
And here's come the younger brother and, uh, he's not appreciated in the place where they are and what's going on and so in his feelings about it.
He asks him the question.
With whom hast thou left those few shape in the wilderness?
That's a put down, as we would say that is. He's putting down the importance of what his younger brother was doing. He was just a young fellow and his job was just to kind of be off.
In a place, a wilderness, not a very important place as we would say. And he had a little job, He was caring for a few shape.
Tremendously important.
Can't emphasize to you enough the importance of what that young man was doing.
Turn back.
A little bit.
So earlier in the chapter.
To umm.
1St.
Well, I don't know what order to explain this to you. Uh, let's go back to chapter 16. Read a little bit.
Chapter 16. Verse 10.
Umm, verse 9.
Samuel has been told to find a OR God is going to guide him to a replacement for King Saul because Jehovah had rejected Saul from being king and now he is going to replace Saul with another king and his prophet. Samuel has the responsibility in that matter. And so here in the 16th chapter, umm, the Lord has set Samuel.
To Bethlehem to.
Umm, anoint the replacement to identify and renoi anoint the one who's going to replace King Saul in God's time. So here we go and we're at the House of Jesse and uh, verse 17 says.
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Well, first, sorry, chapter 16, verse 6. And it came to pass when they were calm that he looked on a lion. That's the one we just read about in the next chapter, the oldest son. And he says.
Samuel thinks Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him.
For the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For the Lord looketh on the man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Then Jesse called him in a dab, and made him pass before Samuel, And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
Then Jesse made Shama to pass by, and he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Again Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are there any are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hit her. And he sent and brought him in. Now he was Ruddy, and with all of a beautiful countenance, and goodly look too. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. And Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren.
Now turn over to the next chapter for one more short verse, chapter 17 and verse 15.
Verse 14 Now David was the youngest, and the three eldest followed Saul, but David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep.
At Bethlehem.
If you have been there and you've seen this family of eight sons.
You might have expected as Samuel did with the amount of discernment he had. Oh, surely the oldest one is.
The chosen 1.
And down the line.
And in fact, in the matter of presentation, the youngest wasn't even present. He didn't count. He wasn't important enough in the eyes of the father to be present, because surely his older children would be the ones that would be chosen if one was to be chosen. So they have to call him in. And it's significant what they call him in from.
He keeps the sheep.
In the next chapter.
We see it recorded. David went and returned from Saul to keep his father's shape.
That's everything.
His father's shape.
That's everything.
God wanted a man.
For an important job of king.
And God wanted to choose a man.
After his own heart.
That is a man who felt about things the way God feels about them.
The older brother is refused.
Because to him.
They were just a few sheep in the wilderness.
To David, they were my father's sheep.
And that's God's heart.
That's why he wanted that man.
Because it isn't all that happens in his life afterwards.
He had that heart as a young man.
He was gonna go through a lot of experiences later in his life, but when God was choosing someone.
For a responsibility, he wanted somebody after his own heart.
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And here's a young man that showed his heart.
In caring for a few sheep in the wilderness.
But they were who she.
His father's shape? Mm-hmm.
God wanted a man to care for his sheep.
Who did he chose? His son.
To care for his father's shape.
We find a little bit earlier in the chapter that.
Actually, later, I guess, not earlier. We don't know about it until we're not told about it until David is up.
And we might stay ready if the matter facing Goliath and he's brought before King Saul after what he's saying to people is.
Record, uh, taken up to the king and reported to him and uh, so David says something about his experience in caring for sheep at that point to the king, he says well.
A lion came up and took one of the sheep.
And I went after him.
I went after him.
And I took him out of his mouth.
And uh.
He resisted me and I killed him.
And likewise the bear.
What does that tell us?
Tells us.
A man after God's own heart.
God cared for those sheep.
They were just a few sheep in the wilderness. To him they were sheep.
Lord Jesus.
And his shepherd's prayer, if I could call it that, in John 17 at the end of his life.
He could say to his father, Those that thou hast given me, I have lost none save the son of Perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
He cared for the sheep that the Father had entrusted to his hand. If you would ask the people in Israel, they would have said there are a few sheep in the wilderness. They don't count.
They're who are these men came out, They're mostly from Nazareth.
They're nobodies, they don't count, they're not important.
Lord Jesus could say to his Father at the end of his life, I'd lost none of them.
First Young Man is the character that scatters.
It's scatters.
When the hard.
Is taken up or controlled by 10 shekels and a shirt.
It's a hireling it it will not stay with the shape.
If a better opportunity comes.
It'll look OK because one's doing what's right in one's own eyes, and it's defensible.
I'm not doing anything wrong.
My life's all right.
But what originally you might say were the sheep to be cared for can be left for some better opportunity to serve a bigger audience or something like that, and one passes on to the next thing.
Every young person here, every older one here.
God would have you take care of a few sheep.
Are you gonna take care of them?
With the sense in your soul.
My father's sheep.
Some of you may be newly married.
And in this sense, your shape might be your wife or your husband.
You're bride or you're grim.
Some of you have little children.
They may be your present shape.
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Maybe few, maybe nothing in the eyes of man.
But to God, he's given them to you.
As my father, she.
And they're yours to care for.
Perhaps you're in an assembly that has very few.
Are you going to be able to say as a shepherd at the end of the course?
Of my father, those that thou my father has given me, I have lost none.
Humbling, humbling.
But those few sheep?
Express what's in your heart.
My father's sheep.
And they're given to you.
To care for.
Whether it in some cases you might be an employer.
And I grant you, not every person that works for you necessarily is a believer in the Lord Jesus.
But still you have a responsibility.
In your care for those few.
To treat them.
As given to your responsibility.
For God's glory, even if they're not literally sheep.
In the fold.
I'd like to turn over before closing.
I've never actually, I haven't referred her, rehearsed this, so maybe we'll come out in a rather stumbling way, but.
Turn to Psalm 23.
I want to turn the song around and paraphrase it.
To drive home the point of a few sheep in the wilderness, I'm going to read this Psalm as you, the shepherd.
The Lord has made me the shepherd of a few sheep.
They shall not want.
I will make them lie down in green pastures.
I will lead them.
Besides still waters.
I will seek the restoration of their soul.
I will lead them in the paths of righteousness.
For his name's sake.
Yeah, though they walked through the valley of the shadow of death.
They shall fear no evil.
For my Lord shall be with them.
The rod, the staff the Lord has given me to use.
Shall be a comfort to them.
The table shall be prepared for them in the presence of their enemies.
And by the Lord's blessing, their cup will run over.
Shirley.
Goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their life.
And they shall dwell.
In the House of the Lord forever.
Be a man, young person.
After God's own heart.
Take care of his few sheep in the wilderness.
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Could we follow up on that for a moment or two?
This likewise hasn't been rehearsed.
First Samuel 24.
First Samuel 24.
I'm sorry, Second Samuel 24. I beg your pardon?
Second Samuel 24.
Same thought.
Same character of David.
Long way down.
Years later in his reign.
David had sinned in numbering the people.
As a result, God, and we won't go into detail, but God had offered David three things.
As punishment for numbering the people.
And David had refused to choose in this in that sense, he said, let me fall into the hands of the Lord. And as a result God allowed a pestilence to fall upon Israel for three days.
Notice verse.
17 of Second Samuel 24.
And to David spake unto the Lord, when he saw the Angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done?
Let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my Father's house.
David felt keenly the fact that.
He was the one that had sinned, and yet here where his people Israel under the hand of God.
And yet we know from the beginning of the chapter that there was a reason for it. It says the the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
If we read the account here in Second Samuel, we find that the Lord moved David against Israel to number the people.
If we go to the account in Chronicles, which we won't turn to, we'll find that Satan moved David to number the people, which is right.
Both. Both. Satan was behind it, just as he was behind all of the trials that Job endured. And yet the Lord allowed it because the Lord had a purpose in it. Satan had an evil purpose.
The Lord had a good purpose.
And this brings me to what?
It comes to my heart that I have spoken on before.
Let's turn to the New Testament now for a connection to all of this.
Johns Gospel, chapter 16.
John chapter 16 and the last verse verse 33.
The Lord Jesus speaking here in the so-called Upper Room ministry.
Although probably this discourse took place on the way out to the Garden of Gethsemane.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
And then going on to Acts chapter 15.
The Book of the Acts, chapter 15.
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Verse 20 or sorry, it's chapter 14.
Acts Chapter 14.
And it's verse 21 That we want to start with.
Here are Paul and Barnabas.
Going about revisiting places where they had ministered and preached the gospel, and it says there Acts 14 and 21. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra and to Iconium at Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith. And here's the phrase.
And that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the Kingdom of God.
And one final verse in Revelation chapter one.
Revelation chapter one.
And verse 9.
Revelation One and verse 9.
Hi John, who also I'm your brother and.
Companion in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ was in the aisle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus.
Let me read that as it is in the Darby translation. Maybe not word for word, but this is the sense of it.
Hi John, who also I'm your brother and companion in the tribulation and Kingdom and patience of Jesus.
Leave out Christ.
Was in the aisle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony.
Of Jesus.
David could say these few sheep, although he didn't say few in the passage in Second Samuel 24. But these sheep, what have they done?
And yet there was a cause.
The Lord is allowing a lot of tribulation among His people these days.
I don't think it's out of place to say that. Last week I was in Vestal, NY.
Had the privilege of visiting with David and Priscilla Jenkins.
And it made my heart weep.
See that dear brother in his condition, suffering from the deterioration of ALS.
Lou Gehrig's disease.
And to see his dear wife having to care for him. And that's only one of many trials. Family problems, work related problems, difficulties of many kinds.
The Lord Jesus said in the world you shall have tribulation and sometimes we think that all of the tribulation will come from a hostile world and perhaps we expect it and say well.
If it came from a hostile world, I could take it.
What have I done to deserve this? Maybe we don't say it out loud, but perhaps in our hearts we say why?
Do I have to go through this?
My brother John Rusink sitting here mentioned about his daughter and son-in-law and the things that their daughter Emma is going through.
It's no secret, I suppose, because others doubtless get the blogs that Eileen writes.
And that likewise makes my heart weep when I read them from time to time and realize what they're going through.
And many other things.
Is there a reason for it?
I don't pretend to be able to explain at all.
I still remember, though, a comment I think made by Mr. Wigram in his ministry that I felt was very penetrating. Referring to this ninth verse of Revelation One, he said the failure.
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In those three things.
Tribulation, Kingdom and patience of Jesus.
Was probably the ultimate failure. That runs as a thread all through the seven assemblies detailed in chapters 2 and three. Now we thank God that there was not the same failure in every one of those assemblies. We thank God for a Smyrna that was faithful in the face of persecution. We thank God for a Philadelphia that was faithful. And I trust most of us are aware of the prophetic.
Meaning of these seven assemblies that they give us a panoramic history of the professing church from the time that the apostles left the scene until the Lord's coming.
But nevertheless, there was a lot of failure going down the line through the centuries, and I appreciated Mr. Wiggum's comment if you have a Darby translation and you look in.
So the footnotes at the bottom of the page, you'll see that he makes a comment that those words, tribulation, Kingdom, and patience are very intimately tied together.
And when Paul and Barnabas visited those assemblies in Lystra where Paul had been stoned and left for dead, and where there was terrible persecution, and other places in that general area, among other things, they told them that we must.
Through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God.
It's not easy.
Is there a need to be? Sometimes we won't turn to the scripture but in first Peter chapter one.
We read about.
If needs be.
Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptation.
There can be a need to be.
Only those going through the trial.
Can appreciate that.
ET Can you give me that bottle of water? I should have brought it with me. Thank you.
Only those passing through the trial can appreciate what the needs be is. I would say to the rest of us, don't try and figure it out. It doesn't mean that we can't be of help if we know the individual well.
But only the individual himself or herself.
Can appreciate if there's a need to be.
But in the next verse or two, it says that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found under praise, and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. What does that mean?
It means, at least to my own soul.
With all of the tribulation through which the Lord passes you and me.
Is ultimately to give us a deeper and richer entrance into the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God? It's the moral character of that which characterizes the rightful king in his Kingdom, which ought to characterize those who own that rightful king in the day of his absence and rejection.
It doesn't say in Acts 14, we might. Through much tribulation, it says we must.
I for one would like to see my life run smoothly.
And I don't suppose it's betraying any secret.
To say that there have been times, and maybe you can relate to this, some of you, there have been times when my wife and I have sat down together, look back over the years and have sometimes said we didn't realize that everything would turn out the way it has.
No, don't get me wrong, there have been many unexpected joys and blessings that we didn't look for either. But there have been sorrows, there have been twists and turns. And you can relate to it. And not only in my generation. Some of you that are younger have already seen things happen in your life that maybe you didn't expect. And you say, why me? And what have I done to deserve this? And why can't things go a little more smoothly? And maybe in our mistaken human wisdom.
00:55:25
Taking a short term view, we can say oh if things only went more smoothly.
How much more I could do for the Lord, how much better I could serve Him in the context of what we had this morning.
How much greater a sacrifice I could lay before the Lord?
Really.
Let's always remember that the Lord is far more interested in what He is doing in you and me.
Rather than what he is doing through you and me.
And he would far rather put you and me.
Through 40 years of training.
In order to have 10 years of Labor.
And the other way around. Now I don't say that that is always necessary. And we can thank God if He is enabling you and me to serve Him for many years.
But as a brother used to remind us, God is a God of quality, not necessarily quantity. Not that God doesn't value the quantity, but it is not as important as the quality.
If you and I are passing through tribulation.
It is only that we may appreciate more of the Kingdom.
And the patience.
Of Jesus? Why Jesus? Why not the Lord Jesus or Jesus Christ?
Sometime if you have a chance and it's worth the time, and I can't say that I've done it in the extent that I would like to, to the extent that I would like to, but it's worth going through the New Testament. And you'll probably want to use a Darby translation and see the number of times that Jesus is referred to.
Simply as Jesus without his titles, because Lord and Christ are titles.
But Jesus springs before us who He is in the essence of His person as Savior. But.
In his essence as the one.
To whom you and I are brought in an intimate relationship.
You get it, for example, in Ephesians chapter 4, The truth as it is.
In Jesus isn't that beautiful? That brings the person of Christ into the whole picture, Not merely a set of truths, a set of doctrines, a set of principles. However true, it brings before us a relationship.
And it's been said before that there are so many things that we will learn in the glory, things that we don't know down here, because Paul could say, then shall I know?
Even as also I am known wonderful.
But there are some things we can't learn in the glory. I can't learn God as the God of all comfort. I can't learn Him as the God of all patience and long-suffering. I can't learn Him as the God who can draw near in every circumstance and give me a joy and comfort in the midst of sorrow. I can never learn that in the glory, because there won't be any sorrow up there. There won't be any suffering. And there are those in this audience whom I know have been through suffering that I have never experienced.
And maybe never will.
May I say to you.
And it's easy to talk when you haven't been through it.
Perhaps you are the more privileged ones in the audience. Perhaps you are the ones that are the more privileged than all of us because what we learned down here by going through tribulation.
Will last for all eternity. The tribulation is limited. The tribulation is finite. The tribulation lasts only for this life.
But what we learn?
01:00:01
Of the Kingdom.
And patience of Jesus.
Will last for all eternity.
I say again, I appreciated Mr. Wiggum's comment because I believe it was a very penetrating observation.
That in a general way, the professing church once had lost sight of the fact.
That in the world it would have tribulation.
It lost sight of the Kingdom. It lost sight of the patience. They gave up the Lord's coming. They gave up their heavenly calling.
And fell down to the level of the world. And that's what's happened and it is accelerating today and it's what we had before us to some extent in the reading this morning.
May God give us grace on the one hand, not to look for tribulation.
I'll relate to you. A rather amusing story that is actually true took place long before my time. But there was a brother who said to an older brother, you know, I'd really like to know more of the Lord. I'd like to get closer to him. I'd like to know more of Christ.
Well, the older brother said after some conversation, let's kneel down and pray about it. So they kneel down and the older brother LED off in prayer.
And he prayed, among other things, he said, Oh Lord, he said, this brother wants to get closer to you and wants to know more of you. Lord, I pray thee that thou wilt send into the life of this brother lots of trials and difficulties.
And lots of problems and difficult times in his life, Lord. And before he could finish the prayer, the other brother said, stop, stop. I didn't tell you to pray that kind of thing, the brother said. The older brother, he said that's the route to it.
Or route, as you say in the US That's the way it goes. That's the way you have to learn it.
Our late brother Norman Berry, whom some of us remember and some here are related to, said to us once in an open meeting. He said all of our blessings come through the obedience and suffering of the Lord Jesus.
And our enjoyment of those blessings comes in the same way.
It didn't hit home as much at the time as it does now, because that was quite a few years ago. The.
The more I go on, the more I see it's true obedience but suffering.
It brings blessing. It brings us closer to the Lord.
Now again I say there may be a need to be.
We may have to address that. Let's not pretend that all the suffering is because I'm learning more of Christ. There may be something.
That the Lord is speaking to me about.
But equally true, let's not assume that everything in our lives is because I have been a total failure, because I have, to use modern terminology, messed up enough that the Lord is laying His hand on me. No, sometimes it is not that. Sometimes it is the trial of your faith and mine, and it'll be found under praise and honor and glory at His appearing.
01:05:23
And wake us and try.
Always God we may flame.
No Fear of Dino.
We're done.
See.
Acts Chapter 13.
Acts Chapter 13.
Verse 36.
For David and then skipping down to the word served.
Served his own generation.
By the will of God.
And that was, it was there as he was carrying for those animals that he, he learned how to care for thy people. And, uh, we think of how.
He, uh, he served his generation and father, we, we're reminded too that, uh, there was also failure in David's life and scripture faithfully has reported that as well. But we're so thankful for the, uh, lessons that can be drawn from his, from his faithfulness. We think of how.
Uh, he had a heart that was like thy heart, and that made him.
Useful Father, we pray that you would cause our hearts to become more and more like die hard through thy spirit, through that work in US, through the, the influence of the word of God, uh, through the enjoyment of Christ, that our hearts would be changed into a heart that, uh, reflects mine. So we just thank you for the privilege that we have had to sit under the sound of.
This ministry and ask that you would make it a blessing to each one of us that there might be a little fruit born for for the little time that's left. There might be blessing in the lives of those that each one of our lives come in contact with.
That we might be able to enrich those who have needs.
Like to remind you, uh, to not forget to make your BTP purchases here for the gospel meeting. You have about 25 minutes here for the next meeting. So, uh, maybe that's a good time.