Lorneville Conference: 2017
Table of Contents
Spirit of God Working
Revelation 3:7-8
Reading
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The readings, something that we've often taken up before, but at least.
In my memory, we've often taken it up before, but I feel the need of it again, at least in my own soul, and I wonder if others would agree. The address to Philadelphia in Revelation 3, and if time permits, perhaps going on to lay a Don't think anyone would argue that we are living in the last days, and Satan seems to be doing a great deal.
And discouraging those who have known the truth of God and had it available to them for a long time.
We're thankful for so much interest in the truth in different parts of the world where perhaps at least as far as we know, they haven't known that truth as well as some of us have here. But there seems to be a need to, uh, encourage our own souls, those with us who live in lands where we have.
Had the truth and have been able to have it before us for a long time.
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What my brethren think about that?
They could be very appropriate, brother.
Thank you.
Revelation chapter 3.
And maybe we could just start out by reading the address to Philadelphia, which of course begins with verse seven and then down to the end of verse 13. And again, not to intrude if some other brother has something because there are several reading meetings, but I would suggest the possibility of time permits of maybe going on to Laodicea. But we'll see how we get along.
Maybe some brother could read it for us.
From Revelation chapter 3, starting at verse seven and going on to the end of verse 13.
And to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right these things, that he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shut it, and shut it, and no man open it. I know thy works.
Behold, I am right before thee an open door, and no man can shudder.
For thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word, and has not denied my name.
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do not. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee, because thou has kept the word of my faith.
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast.
That no man take thy crown.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said under the church.
Might just make a brief comment or two as an introduction.
We know, of course, that these assemblies, detailed to us in Revelation chapters two and three, were actual assemblies that existed at the time that John wrote, and in that way John addresses them.
Each according to the state that they were in and as we noticed in verse 7 here, and the same is true of all the others. He addresses the Angel of those churches which I believe would speak.
Speak of those and responsibility and those assemblies.
And anyone at any time in the history of the church could read these addresses and.
Be alternately encouraged or perhaps exercised.
By what is written here.
The Lord though, and we need to recognize this, appears to these assemblies as a judge mainly.
Revelation is a book of judgment, but before God brings out all the awful judgments that will take place.
On those who have rejected Christ. And of course, Revelation is mostly the judgment of God on apostate Christendom, although it includes others, but it's mostly directed against apostate Christendom.
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Before God deals in judgment with those that are lost, we read in Peter that judgment must begin at the House of God. And so God gives his estimate of what he sees in that which professes to bear his name. And so there is plenty of encouragement here, but in ways that.
Shall we say, relate to the Lord as a judge so that you don't get a lot of the grace of God brought out here or the Ways and Means of recovery and so on, as much as God's estimate of what he sees and what his, uh.
Feelings are about it.
Of course, in the larger picture, we know that these seven assemblies represent a panoramic history of the professing church right from the time that the apostles were taken away until the time that the Lord comes, and so we see various epoch.
Excuse me? Various epochs in the Church's history represented by these seven churches in the chronological order in which they're given.
And so I believe Philadelphia brings before us the results of a wonderful recovery that God graciously gave back a little less than 200 years ago, a gracious recovery of the truth that had been given at the beginning. And there is an open door given for those who are willing to walk in it. And it's a tremendous encouragement, isn't it?
Tremendous encouragement.
Uh, but there are warnings too, which we need to take to heart.
And so the address to Philadelphia is God's estimate of that which seeks to.
Which seeks, as we read here, to keep His word and not deny His name. And it is a tremendous encouragement for you and me in the last days.
As the Lord gives us the opportunity to answer to what He has given us and what He is doing here in the address of Philadelphia.
Certain characteristics of the various churches that we.
I noticed that Sardis, uh.
We are losing up their first love.
Delta seems like a new departure. Umm.
A lot of individuals are mentioned in the previous churches, but this is really a collective movement.
Uh, spoken to a church and uh.
Now we have to be very humble about this.
Because, uh, we're part of the ruling of Christendom today.
But the Spirit of God can begin to work a time by 5/18/30.
In a remarkable way, Uh.
To recover much through.
But I haven't been, uh, very recent in the systems event in Christendom generally.
And, uh, it was characterized by a return.
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Not to a Apostolic power or gift.
But a return to the principles of the truth that has been given to us at the beginning.
That which was from the beginning.
As the fossil joint management.
Uh, we are to, uh, return to.
Uh, large measure in the earlier churches.
There was a partnership from the Apostles, Doctrine and Fellows.
And then when you wrote it in the speech.
Every century after the apostles we see departure had come in many of the truths the apostles thought were not being held.
So in memory of a few, uh, work of the security costs.
To recover.
Those troops to restore the church to its primitive, not the primitive power of position.
That was according to.
Non lying in the beginning.
Unless we have portrayed in the.
In the future of Philadelphia.
Of course. Uh, no problem and relatively low.
And that was certainly characteristic of the early brethren.
But there are so many instructions for us.
From his church.
That, uh, encourages is our brother will instead, and also warning us because the Judaistic tendencies would still be manifest.
That's no problem with many of the churches.
Judaism. Judaism, uh, principles and practices.
Brought him to the Church of God danger in Philadelphia that happened in too dangerous that happening among us. So there are these exploitations too, as well as the encouragement.
With great UMM privilege and UMM, and as exemplified in Philadelphia.
Comes with great responsibility and.
So we're we're not responsible to keep the assembly ourselves or the responsible to the Lord as the head of the assembly individually. And then as we come together collectively, we will be in this frame of his thoughts. But the there is that sense goes with it of our responsibility about that continued day by day.
Yes, that's.
Very, very true. And uh, so it says at the end, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches or the assemblies. It starts with us as individuals, doesn't it? And then when individuals seek to follow the Lord, they find that the Lord has worked in the hearts of others in order to provide a collective testimony.
And, uh, it's a privilege to be part of that, isn't it?
I would mention.
Too, and I think it is important to see this.
Brother John has mentioned, for example, Sardis and Thyatira Sardis pretty clearly.
His Protestantism, the result of the Reformation, which was a work of God, but Protestantism was not, as John has said.
After the Reformation, much of the of those who threw off the yoke of Roman Catholicism ended up.
Uh, breaking up international churches and small groups and uh, uh, in some ways duplicated the errors that they had departed from.
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Thyatira is pretty clearly Roman Catholicism, no question really about that, but Philadelphia and Laodicea are more a state of soul.
If I could say this and I remember an old brother making the remark, he said I would not want to go around and say that we are in a Philadelphian state. But he said what an awful thing if we're not.
But it's a mistake to equate Philadelphia simply with those that are gathered to the Lord's name. We trust that we do maintain a Philadelphian character, but it is more a state that seeks the Lord, seeks to live up to the light that the Lord has given us, seeks to honor His word and not deny his name. And of course, if there is that real devotedness and real exercise in the heart, I believe God gives more light as we go on.
But it is a wonderful encouragement to us in these last days.
As John has been bringing out to realize that God has been pleased to make available to us all the preciousness of the truth that he gave at the beginning. Not the power, no, a little straight, not the power of Pentecost, but the enjoyment of all of the precious truth that God gave right at the beginning.
That right, Right, Wally.
I believe that's very good.
I was noticing that the one that's deep.
Is holy and is true. Now this is the person that we need to be listening to.
He that is holy, you know, one that is holy is one who not only abhors evil.
But he loves that, which is good.
And of course, this is true of the Lord Jesus.
And He is the one who is true. I was noticing that first John 5 and verse 21St John 5 and 20. And we know that the Son of God is come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true.
Even in his Son, Jesus Christ, This is the true God of eternal life. The Lord Jesus could say I am the truth. How wonderful it is in a world in which we live, when we may pick up a newspaper and we don't know exactly what to believe because we're hearing much of fake news today. We can sit here in a meeting like this with our Bible open.
And we can listen to him.
It is true the Lord Jesus speaks to us through His Word, So what a wonderful privilege is ours to be gathered here and to have His truth unfolded to us.
Through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
And that's particularly.
Apropos in the day in which we are living because.
We are living in days where many people are saying there is no true standard of holiness. There is no absolute truth. Truth is whatever works for you. And you can have your truth and I can have my truth. And even if they contradict each other, well, I that's all right somehow.
That works for you, so you you go along with that.
But truth by definition excludes what is not the truth, and holiness excludes what is unholy, isn't it? And so, as you say, Wally, the Lord has to be the reference point, whether it's holiness or whether it's truth, and in every moral and spiritual consideration.
Thy word is truth, isn't it? Do we get in John's Gospel? There is absolute truth, there is absolute holiness. Not that you and I ever attained to it perfectly down here, but there is one to whom God?
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Refers our hearts and causes us to look and in a world around us with a shifting morality and rather unusual ideas of what is true and what isn't true, and ideas of truth that can change with whatever situation arises. How wonderful to have that on which we can rely, as you say, and which is clear and definite, the Lord Himself and His precious word.
And they stand for all time, no matter what man is doing.
The Lord Jesus himself said in John 14, I am the way and the truth and the life.
So that's one where Jesus himself, who is uh, as well as pointed out.
In in the first verse that we read, the wonder was the one who was holy and true.
He is also as we read.
These are these chapter one at the end of Ephesians 1.
In verse 22 we read that God has given Him to be the head over all things to the church through the assembly which is His life full of dependence. Fill us All in all.
If he is the head over by a believers and then he is also the head over each individual assembly.
We're reading about Philadelphia in particular and the other and the head over each local assembly that has gathered to designate in the name of the word, Jesus Christ in the world today. Hmm. And as having him as head over each assembly to his assembly localized.
And we have.
OK, our view course is going to fall back in.
On him and allow him to be.
In fact that sometimes we I believe we get in the way of allowing him to.
I'm ahead of a local assembly. He has the answer that we often are trying to find the problem. He is the answer he has.
The mind that he is, the mind of God. He knows. He knows the beginning to the end of every situation that might arise.
YW instead of trying to figure out answers ourselves, get down on our knees without him to show it to my key of the head.
But I'm going to provide some explanation of what the seven years desire.
Well, we find that expression here in Revelation and, uh, I believe it's simply the thought of perfection in power and intelligence, uh, God.
Always acts in Trinity and.
The order normally is the purposes and councils originated by God the Father, carried out by the Son, but the Holy Spirit, the power by which they are carried out. And so we know, of course, there is only one Spirit of God, but I believe the number seven simply indicates the, uh, perfection of power, uh, to be able to carry out what God is intending.
I don't think it it's any more than that.
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Instead of branches.
Candlestick itself and then it speaks of kind of seven divine attributes of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom understanding.
Yes, I believe so. Yes, it's, it's, it's expanded here. And of course in the Old Testament, they didn't know as much about the Spirit of God as we do, but uh, yes, it's, uh, it's, it's, uh, referring here, of course, to the Lord himself.
And, uh, the power that would rest in him. Yes, that's very good, Matt.
Is the Spirit of God has seen and operating in a different way of like anything that was going to say in the this was recalled. It's not the formation of the lobby of Christ last year.
Open and shut it and shut it.
OK, Sir, Well, we kind of need to be applied back to the gospel and, uh, I think it's, uh, at this place the Lord had spoken already opened the doors and different places for the gospel and, uh, be open to the door. No man can shut it.
Uh, but in relation to the Church of Philadelphia.
There was a uh.
A manifestation.
Of the truth.
That was opposed to.
The whole system of man's warriors.
It was half really a.
A movement that, uh.
Condemned the whole.
Uh, structure of the man's religion.
Non interference and the things we've got. It was now a work of the Spirit of God and.
There was an incitement to hypothesis.
Uh, that we're looking for no one before.
Uh, the early residents, uh, had.
Corporate meetings.
The Castle of.
I'm, uh, very welcome to my sister, uh, environment and, uh.
Lady Powers Court Lady's power support.
Movement in those early years to understand.
The meaning of prophecy before it was shrouded in confusion, it was.
No, uh, understanding of the position of the Church of God distinct entity with a heavenly holy and non Harvard as a world system and this is not understood or the position of the Kingdom of God and so on in those early years amongst the those that were just coming out from the systems of land.
That we're seeing the truth.
Of the of the of meeting the numbers of the body of Christ. These truths in relation to uh.
Church of God and its position in this world.
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And, uh, for God's purpose is in regard to like the establishment of, uh, the Kingdom and power and glory, uh.
Basically information of Israel being historic to me to say.
Uh, Laurie, Minnesota.
Position in the Millennium, all of these rules have been lost in Christmas, but they were revised. They were recovering as though it was early days. You might prefer to be like the CEO David is an openness kind of nomad each other for the street and the opening company through subscriptions and and the relation of the church and Israel was a real divine opening there.
And the more intended blessing and that all of Christendom.
Under uh Isaiah 57, umm 15.
We can replace that.
Name the holiness of the water season there, I think.
But then in the state of Seoul with those umm.
There will be any president.
Uh, Isaiah 6715.
I don't see it behind. It's lost in one that inhabits eternity.
His name is holy as well as a high and holy place. With him all the visitors of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the conviction.
It's almost, you know, if you say somebody something is holy and true, it's.
Seems like the grass.
A brass wall, unroachable but here in Isaiah.
We see the approach.
I worked with the grace of God in our souls, in our hearts, and that contrite, humble.
Spirit and then it has revived the spirit of the humble. I'm not sure what that means, but maybe there's a net debt in the necessary work of uh.
I got 30 work on the soul of uh.
Restoration.
I'd really rather it's really we're a temporary, I believe, uh, there's surely no MO far more than diversity, but it appears that it means that this early brethren, we've had that spirit about themselves and how wonderful it is for us too, to find our way to that contrite and humble period.
Well, I believe the reviving brother Dave spoken up there, of course is ultimately a reference to Israel, isn't it? Uh, not to get into.
A uh.
Shall I say an exposition of Isaiah? But.
Isaiah 4957 is really God's those chapters. It's God's controversy with Israel for rejecting their Messiah and.
Of course, that includes the 52nd and 53rd chapters, with which we are quite familiar, and so in that sense.
There will come a day when Israel will take that humble and contrite spirit and they will be revived. They don't have that spirit, many of them today, but having been brought through the tribulation and then having been thoroughly and completely devastated by all that goes on in a coming day, they will humble themselves and recognize their Messiah, the one that they rejected so long ago.
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But it's the same principle, I believe, and it's a good thing to remember for us. Uh, Brother John was bringing it out and it's often forgotten today. I say that to my own heart that it is a mistake to try and assume the power of Pentecost. It's a mistake to try and think to ourselves, well, now.
Everything has reverted back to the way it was at the beginning.
And if I can say this and it's true, sometimes there gets to be the thought among those who seek to walk in the truth. Well, the great House of Christendom is in a big mess, and there is a lot of bad teaching out there and a lot of bad behavior. But thank God there's one corner of it where things are done right. And by implication, even though we don't say it out loud, the thought is.
That's where we are, as gathered to the Lord's name.
No, brethren, 1000 times, no. The failure will be most evident where the truth is sought to be maintained. And if there is an attempt to try and set up and display the same position, the same unity, everything that God gave at the time of Pentecost, it will not work. We have to be in the position of recognizing the failure of the church.
Once we're in that attitude of soul, we don't limit what the Spirit of God can do. And we have seen wonderful blessing. And there is wonderful blessing today too, not only in the gospel, but there are those today that are laying hold of the truth that have never had it before and are grasping it with their heart and their soul and enjoying it and walking in it.
I trust we are too, but the thought must remain in our souls. It is a position of humility, recognizing the failure of the Church and the failure of which we are part, and so we mustn't forget that.
Second Timothy.
Two, uh, of stocks have been closed. Is that all on the board have a secure heart? And I believe that's what those brethren were doing, uh.
And the Word answered them by the Spirit of God.
Expressing them to start meeting together together. So the name of the word Jesus Christ.
And I believe every Christian today.
That needs to every one of us needs to call on them all on the Lord end of a pure heart and know his direction, not just not to pretend that we are something already.
But but to be in a in a state of humility where we.
When we realized and and confessed that.
That we have a failure rather than respect for part of that failure, but as we call the Lord out of a pure heart and this applies to every believer, not just so that's in this room. I believe that's the Lord will enjoy that believer and lead him to be gathered in the name of social working.
Meet Willie Guy in touch.
And the meat where he teaches away and I think a meat person.
Is one who's willing to sacrifice their own will, their own way, for God's way. God's desire today is exhaust no other name but the Lord Jesus. And I believe that the assembly today ought to be a little preview.
Of the Millennium.
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Because we know during the Millennium, it tells us that the, uh, the haughtiness of man will be.
Downtown, the lofty looks of man will be humble, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
And that's exactly how it ought to be in December today.
And it's our privilege to consult Christ.
And God appreciates that.
And.
I believe.
It's only by His grace that we're able to do this.
But to exalt Christ?
To make everything a fit.
And I think this is what we're seeing in Philadelphia.
Tells us here that they.
You had a little strength, you know, and yeah, to the world.
Didn't look like much of that movement or testimony.
But God appreciates that which the world does not. We need to look at things from God's perspective.
Not from a worldly perspective, because the world wants to resolve man and God wants to consult man.
But to keep his word and not to deny his name.
That's a challenge that some might throw up their hands from the Spirit and say well.
That's too much. We live in such a wicked world. How are we supposed to fulfill this?
Well, the fact is, God never asked us to do anything.
But what gives us the ability to do it?
He loves us too much to ask us to live for Him and to follow Him if He don't give us the strength and the power to do it.
So we need to bank on that, you know, and lean hard on him.
And if he opened the door?
There's nobody that's gonna shut I I notice here it says no man can shut it. But I notice that Mister Darby's translation. No one. I'm sorry, Not even Satan.
That's what he's trying to do today.
English has monitor Christ collective testimony to crisis. Hmm.
With respect to the Church.
I believe next to Christ himself that the heart of God is the church is dearest to him.
It's our privilege to seek to.
And they'll act on the principles of God's Word, and we can't take any credit.
And like other days says, there has to be a humiliacy about the whole issue.
But the Lord is high into them that are the humble spirit, you know, save such a few of the contract spirit.
Like you mentioned a little bit, uh, while you're speaking out there, but, uh.
We can't, uh, we can't go back to.
The way things were in the first of Acts, when the the church was born, that power that was given then, we don't have that today. We're in the day of weakness.
But uh, I was thinking of Haggai chapter 2.
And uh, there is a parallel there because.
Uh, when they rebuilt the temple.
It was in weakness the remedy and.
They went back to build it and uh, those that remember the first temple, they wept.
When they remembered the former glory of the first temple, but the younger ones that were building that temple, they wept too when they realized that they were building up.
Something that God took pride in, God took, appreciated, and God glory did not. But even though we're in the day of weakness today, we can't go back to Acts. What doesn't diminish is God's glory.
Reading there in the Haggai chapter 2.
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Verse 9 This is the glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former says the Lord of hosts. And in this place like his peace said the Lord of hosts. What a wonderful promise to them and the Lord delighted in that and I believe in a day of weakness, uh.
The Lord can be more glorified if we seek to go on for Him then in perhaps the day of prosperity.
So it's encouraging to see that even though that we are in a day of weakness, we should be living for the for the glory of God, should be first of all in our lives. And he can take pleasure in it and he will give peace and he'll give prosperity to us.
But it's seeking the Lord's prophet first. It's His Holiness.
This is truth, it's his righteousness and we are gathered to him and I believe that there's much blessing today among us if we seek to to honor the Lord in our pathway. He did the he needed the exportation, he died. He was a lawful that really brought me for them.
Uh.
That was spoke to their, uh, their conscience.
Umm, they were back in the right place.
Philadelphia. They were back in the right position, but they weren't in the right state.
As you read the 1St chapter of the API, you'll see that they were devoting much of their time and energy.
To the brinks of, uh, this life and their homes which they were renovating and, uh, making very comfortable, but uh, totally neglecting the House of the Lord and the Lord's interests.
They were in the right place, but they weren't in the right state. And so the Lord raised up KDI with those memorable words. Consider your ways.
And he spoke nearly together pointedly to them, dealt with love, and they listened to him and he said.
In a short time that they resumed the work of building the talent, uh, and, and in these states, mainly because of the prophetic, uh, uh.
Processing prophetic uh.
That's a huge, tremendously of the, umm, the profit, ABI.
And, uh, and then we establishment of the house and how hard came in and and.
Exercise in their conscience any day. Restore their reiteration.
Pretty good.
Well, we, Al, we have the key of David here in our chapter, and it's already been alluded to. Some may wonder what that expression means. It's taken from the book of Isaiah, again, the 22nd chapter of Isaiah, and there we won't take time to read it, but there were two men in that chapter, one man by the name of Shebna.
Had a prominent position and this was in the time of Hezekiah and.
Uh, he was for a while used of the Lord, but then he too departed in spirit from what he ought to have been doing and ended up, uh, doing the very kinds of thing that they were doing in Haggai's time. And in that sense, he was, he was, uh, he ended up a failure. But then there was another man, Eliakin, who was faithful.
And the Lord.
Gives testimony to Eliakim as to his faithfulness and his reward. And the Spirit of God, if we could use this expression, just slides right from Eliakim right into that which could refer only to the Lord himself. And then talks about the Lord who was the going to be the nail in a sure place, and who was to have the key of David, who would open and no man could shut, and so on. And again, no doubt referring to the millennial day.
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In the future. But what I believe is significant there is that there was a man, a faithful man, whom God could, as we say, almost identify with the Spirit and the attitude of Christ himself. And that's what the Lord looks for. And so we emphasize, and I think it's important.
Philadelphia is not positioned. It is a state of soul.
It's a state of soul, it says. Brother Robert was bringing out a calling on the Lord out of a pure heart, not setting my will against that which the Spirit of God seeks to bring before me.
And when I'm in that state of soul, the Lord will give me more and more and more. And so the key of David is held by the Lord. But those who seek to honor him in the day of his rejection, and are willing, if necessary, to swim against the current, they will be identified with him. And as Wally was bringing out.
It's really here.
An opened door, an opened door and no man can shut up. That is, I don't believe God will ever give us truth from his Word and then make it impossible for us to walk in it and carry it out. There are those today who will look at the truth of God and say, well, it's good and it's scriptural and it's nice, but.
Doesn't work today. You can't carry it out today. You can't put it into practice. It just doesn't work.
I remember talking to a sister, I say a dear sister, she wasn't gathered to the Lord's name, but she knew the Lord as her Savior. And she said something like that to me. I replied to her, well, I said, did God really give us something in His word that was going to be so difficult that a believer had to look at what God had told him to do and had to say?
Because of the day in which I live, I can't do it. Does God really do that to us? Does God, if we could use the term I trust with all reverence? Does God mock us as believers by setting something before us that doesn't work?
Well, she kind of backpedaled a little bit and more than a little bit and said, well, no, no, I guess not. Well, I said, where is the problem then? And she was forced to admit, I guess it's with us.
I guess the problem is with us, and that's the way it is, isn't it? And so the thought in our hearts ought to be.
Here is one who is holy, one who is true and graciously at the end of a ruined dispensation he has.
Said is an old brother used to tell us, I want something for myself right at the end of the ruined dispensation, and I am going to restore the opportunity for them to walk in the good of all the preciousness of that which I gave at the beginning. Now he looks for those who say, yes, Lord, I'm willing to walk through that open door and willing to walk in the good of it.
We've got this question. You mentioned a couple of times that the church is not going to resist, go back to the state of Pentecost and we've looked in, in Revelation of its Old Testament scriptures. Are there any other New Testament scriptures that would tell us that or any other, any other new tax descriptions that we would point to?
That would tell us that God is.
The days of Pentecost, uh, and, and the power of the church that way are, are are not gonna be restored.
01:00:01
Am I clear in my question or very clear?
Well I believe right here in this chapter all we see it where the Lord says in the next verse in verse 8.
Thou hast a little strength. God doesn't say that at at the time of Pentecost there was real power, there was demonstration of power and there was a unity that does not exist today. And if we go back to the 20th of Acts, I would suggest we see it again.
Where the apostle Paul predicts what is going to happen and he says in Acts 20 and verse 29.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. And then he says in verse 32, And it's very important, he doesn't say, I commend you to the church. No, I commend you to God.
And to the word of his grace, because when we get to second Timothy and we don't have time perhaps to go into all of the scriptures that would speak to this when we get to second Timothy.
In, in, in first Timothy we find in chapter 3 and verse 15, and I know we're jumping around here, but in first Timothy 3 and 15, we find a House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, the church.
The assembly is equated as to those that represent those that are part of it to the House of God.
And the assembly is the filler and ground of the truth. What do we get in Second Timothy?
No mention of the church, not even mentioned in the whole book. And when the house is mentioned, it's not even called the House of God. It's simply termed a great house. And it tells us there that in verse 20 of chapter 2, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wooden diver and some to honor and some to dishonor.
And what does it say? Get out there and try and clean up the whole house and straighten it out? No.
Verse 21. If a man therefore purge himself from these, that is, from vessels to dishonor, he shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. So I can't leave the great house, nor is there any instruction to try and straighten out the whole of the great house, but rather to purge myself from that.
Which is not of God, and so.
To try and pretend that we have the power of Pentecost and that we can re establish the position and the unity the way they did in the beginning.
To use one of our good writers, and I believe he made the point well, he said to try and do that will result.
And these are his words, not mine, he said. There will be nothing but a mess and a failure.
God will not take that place with us. In order to have His strength, we must be in the place of His mind, and that is in the recognition of the failure of the church. And that's always God's way. When Israel failed, God didn't restore them back to the way they were at the beginning. He never healed the division between the 10 tribes and the two tribes when they were carried back into captivity.
God never brought them back and made them a sovereign nation again, But as we've been reading in Haggai, He brought them back and gave them the opportunity to answer to everything that God had given at the beginning. And when they did so, they found that the Lord was the same. And there was even more faithfulness than there had been in some of the best days of the kings. It says about Josiah's Passover that there had been no Passover like that since the days of Samuel.
01:05:03
But when you come to Ezra, Nehemiah's time, you find they kept the Feast of Tabernacles in a proper way, and it hadn't been done like that until way back in the days of Joshua. So when God gives something and it fails.
It's his pattern never to restore it to what it was at the beginning, but rather to bring it back in a small character as a testimony to the failure, but having all the characteristics of what God gave at the beginning.
So I believe all of these scriptures would point to the fact that no, God doesn't restore things to the to the way they were at Pentecost. But, and it's a very important, but God doesn't, we don't limit what God can do by his spirit when the failure is owned and we take that position. But all too often pride gets in the way and we think that we are back where we were at the beginning if even if we don't say it out loud.
And then there's a humbling that has to come in.
We appreciate all the questions. I have a similar one and I'm wondering if the answer is also to you in the contrast from the introduction we had from the Church of Ethicists and the introduction we had the Church of Service, if you turn back to Revelation chapter 2 and verse one.
Says under the Church of the Angel of Ephesus right these things say it even holdeth the seven stars in the right hand, and you walk it in the midst of the 7th open column candlesticks. He turned back to our chapter chapter 3 and verse one.
Keep in mind that Obsidian health disparities can walk them in the midst of those candlesticks. Emphasis and fairness. It says he did half seven years of God in the seventh period. And I think it was William Kelly that said an emphasis that the holding of stars and walking in the midst of the candlesticks was.
The the dearly church had the inward power of the spirit and the outward authority on earth. And when you get to the Stardust and certainly four stars, but it's hardest it says that you have experienced and he has the seven stars no longer holds and no longer walks amongst them, still has the authority and still has the right to exercise. It's not damaged and we don't see a returning to a point where he began holding his tires or walking among the seven spirits.
Yes, that's very good. And of course, again, not to make it too complicated, but we know up until Thyatira God was looking for recovery, wasn't he? In Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamos the Lord was looking for recovery. And so the word He had hath an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches is addressed to the whole assembly. But then from Thyatira on that, those words are addressed only to the overcomer.
Because God isn't looking for a recovery after Thyatira, there's a perpetuating of the evil and of the failure, and thus Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea all go on concurrently to the end until the Lord comes. And so, yes, that's very good. It's important to see that too. It's a picture of the fact that things have gone too far for there to be a full recovery.
Of what God gave at the beginning.
162.
To wait for the important story.
When flies and glory of artists play.
01:10:01
Wandering away.
They resource. You know what I'm talking about.
No, no, no.
Read all the prawns in here.
And I know.
It's a little rainbow.
Is Christianity Worth It?
Address—Bill Prost
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Well, I guess our clocks say that it's time to start.
Could we begin with him #171?
His voice we know, and boldly on the waters go to Him. Our God and Lord, we walk on life's tempestuous sea. For he who died to set us free have called us with His word. 171 Allow me to make a comment. This is a big room.
It does not work well if everybody doesn't sing.
Is that an upset?
171.
He bids us come. His voice we know.
And boldly on the water's goal.
To have more Golden Lord.
We work on life stand flesh your sins for he who dies to.
Get those free.
I've called us with his word secure on boisterous ways we trade.
Nor all the bills round us. Dread for the Lord we live.
The counter drives is for church run.
We posted as long as it's on souls on solid ground.
The wages.
From him we, we.
Can floods run high?
For heart so full of faith.
Increase.
That way they feel no more.
But for some day of steady I and normally no stretch.
Lie till all the storm is old.
Let's ask the Lord's help together.
If I could try and put a title on what I have on my heart this afternoon, it would be this.
Is it worth it?
Is it worth it?
Is the Christian pathway worth it first of all?
And is it worth it to walk in all that God has given us?
Let's turn to a few verses.
Revelation chapter 3 and verse 11, which we will if the Lord leaves us here, get to a little later on in these meetings. Revelation 3 and 11. Behold, I come quickly.
All that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
00:05:00
Back in the book of Jude. Book of Jude.
Verse 3.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend.
Excuse me for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints.
Now back in Second Timothy, chapter one.
Second Timothy. Chapter One.
Verse 13.
Hold fast to the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee. Keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US.
And then back to Acts chapter 20 again, which we referred to in the reading this morning, Acts chapter 20.
And verse 32.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Often the question is raised today, and I suppose it's not limited to young people.
Is it worth it?
There are many today, sad to say, in these favored lands in Western Europe and North America, who are saying it isn't worth it, The Christian pathway isn't worth it.
And perhaps equally as sad, there are those who are seeing precious truth in the Word of God and who recognize that it is the Word of God, and who are saying to themselves, this pathway is too difficult, it is not worth it.
Now, I suppose that in many cases it would not be articulated out loud.
As I have just said it, there would perhaps be other things said, maybe excuses offered, and maybe things that perhaps in their eyes would seem a valid reason why it wasn't worth it. But really, it comes right down to it. Is it worth it?
I was talking to someone a little while ago.
And this basic question was raised. Is it worth walking in the truth that you know?
Well, that tooth was nice, as long as it lasted, as long as things went along well. But it's all over with now.
Oh, I said, really? Is that the way it is? Are we not responsible before the Lord to walk before Him in what He has committed unto us in this precious word? Are we not responsible to walk before Him in what we know?
There's one verse I didn't read, but let's read it in Revelation chapter 2.
And here the Lord is speaking to Thyatira, which as we commented this morning, is pretty clearly representative of the Roman Catholic system. And I don't hesitate to say that. Not the individuals perhaps, but the system. And because of that system coming into place, God, if we could say it reverently, said there's no recovery.
That system perpetuates itself. It has children. There is no more hope for a full recovery. But what does he say in verse 25? Those that were right in the middle of one of the worst systems in Christendom, and I don't think that's going too far. What does he say?
00:10:21
Revelation 2 and 25, but that would she have.
And leave out the word already. It's in italics and it shouldn't really be there, but that which she have hold fast till I come.
We are in Canada right now, but there are people here from the United States.
And you will remember the words of General Sherman back during the American Civil War when there were those who were being hard pressed in a place and his word to them was, hold the Fort, I'm coming, I'm coming. And that's what the Lord says to you and me today.
And I would like to offer this afternoon and if I may be particularly, uh, able to address the young people here.
But remember, we all need it.
There are a number of reasons why it is worth it to walk the Christian pathway to the fullest extent before the Lord, to honor the Lord in our pathway, and to walk in what He has has given us in His Word.
The first one I want to bring before you is number one. The Lord is coming.
We were never promised an easy pathway, and when the Lord Jesus was about to depart out of this world and to go back to heaven, one of the things he said to his disciples was.
In the world ye shall have tribulation.
But then he went on to say, fear not, I have overcome the world.
Young people and older ones here, I say it to all of our hearts. We are already overcomers because Christ has done the overcoming for us.
Yes, we are exhorted to be overcomers, and in every one of these assemblies, which we were remarking upon this morning in Revelation chapters two and three, it speaks of overcoming. But you and I are already overcomers in Christ. It's merely a matter of acting on what?
Has already been done for us. Isn't that wonderful?
We are already overcomers and the Lord says it's only for a short time. I am coming.
You know, in general, Sherman said that to those people, hold the Fort, I'm coming. It gave them a renewed energy and a renewed outlook because they said he's coming with reinforcements, he's coming to deliver us, he's coming and we can hold on longer.
Does that really get a grip on your soul and mind that the Lord is coming?
Earlier this year, some of us here.
Not merely my wife and I, but John and Eleanor were there too. We were at the conference hosted by the brethren gathered to the Lord's name in Bhutan. And they like question and answer me whether Dave will remember that too. They like question and answer meetings and, uh, the questions come pretty thick and pretty fast.
And somebody asked the question. We've been hearing for a long time that the Lord is coming.
And we've been hearing that it's only a little while.
Why doesn't the Lord come? What are we waiting for? We keep hearing about it and.
Nothing happens.
We are different ones of us answered questions and this one happened to fall to me.
I don't know if I gave a good answer, but I said to the company there I would like to show of hands of how many people here were saved in the last 10 years.
00:15:05
And about 1/3 of the hands went up, about 150 people there, I would say.
150 people and probably about a third of them saved in the last 10 years. I said how about the last 20 years and I'd say a good 2/3 to 3/4 of the hands went up.
I said, you know, I was looking for the Lord to come far more than 20 years ago, but aren't you glad he waited for you? I said just imagine 2/3, maybe 3/4 of this company would have missed out if the Lord had come 25 years ago.
Aren't you glad you waited for you?
Yes, it is a little wild, but the Lord is long-suffering and we are to account that the long-suffering of our God is salvation, our Lord. I should say one reason why it's worth walking in everything the Lord has given us is because He is coming.
But I want to make a remark on that.
It says here in the address to Thyatira that which he have hold fast till I come.
And in Philadelphia it says, Hold that fast which thou hast.
You and I can't hold and walk in something that we don't have.
But what we have, we are to walk in.
Here they see other believers.
Walking in what they have and enjoying a great deal of blessing in their lives.
And sad to say, you may find that amongst those with whom you are, there doesn't seem to be the same degree of blessing, there doesn't seem to seem to be the same degree of enthusiasm and outreach and so on. And perhaps.
Well, I won't tell the story, but I can still remember a sister saying to me concerning the place where she went, she said. I know it's not scriptural, but it's alive.
It's alive.
That may well have been true. I was not familiar with where she went.
The point is we are to walk in what the Lord has given us, and if the Lord has given you that which you can walk in, I do not have the right to say I will turn my back on it and do something different. And that's why it refers and we won't turn to the verse, but it's in Second Timothy 2.
And verse 22.
It says there follow righteousness, faith.
Charity or love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
That is the point, and I say to each one here into my own heart.
Am I calling on the Lord out of a pure heart? Is my heart pure before the Lord?
You know, the apostle Paul, when he was writing to the Corinthians, they were being critical of him. They made fun of his physical appearance and his, uh, physical attributes to some extent. We aren't sure just exactly what and how, but they made fun of him. They discounted his apostleship and all the rest of it.
And when Tel wrote back to them, or rather when he wrote the first epistle to them.
He says and we won't turn to it, but it's in chapter four. He says I know nothing by myself, meaning I am not aware of anything wrong in my heart by myself. But he says I am not hereby justified. He that judgeth me is the Lord.
He was not aware, though, of anything in his heart between him and the Lord. He was not aware that he was not living in the good of what the Lord had given him. Excuse me?
00:20:01
Can you and I say that?
Because when the Lord shows us His will and commits truth to your heart and mind.
He shows us that which he would have us to walk in and it's only by walking in it that we are really in possession of it.
God will not allow me to have the theory of the truth up here without the practice of it in my walk.
OK, we said we would go over a few more questions as to or a few more reasons as to why it's worth it. As to why it's worth it. Let's turn back now for a moment to Matthew's Gospel.
And we don't have time to go into this in detail, but in Matthew 25 we have the Parable of the Talents.
Beginning in verse 14.
And here we find, for the Kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
And unto one he gave 5 talents, and to another two to another one, to every man according to his several abilities, and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made another 5 talents. And likewise he had received two, He'd also gained other two.
Excuse me?
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth.
And hid his Lord's money.
After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them.
And so he that had received 5 talents came, and brought other five talents saved. Lord, thou deliverest unto me 5 talents, the whole I have gained beside them five talents more. His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things.
I will make the ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliverest unto me two talents. Behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things.
I will make the ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
Here is the second reason I want to present to you as to why it's worth it.
It is worth it because the end of the pathway is entering into the joy of thy Lord.
And why does it say the joy of thy Lord?
Why doesn't it say our joy? Aren't we going to have joy in heaven? Isn't it going to be our joy?
Yes, it is, but turn, please to Hebrews 12, and I would like to suggest that this is at least one aspect of the joy of the Lord Hebrews 12.
First one. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus.
The author and finisher of our faith. And here it is.
Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God?
Four times in the book of Hebrews we have the Lord Jesus seated on the throne of God.
00:25:02
The first three he stands alone, but in this one he is an example for us.
And you'll notice for that reason that the atoning sufferings are not mentioned here, because we could not follow him into them. But we can follow him into the, shall we say, the despising and the shame and everything that went along with the cross as far as what man did.
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
What was the joy that the Lord Jesus had before him? Oh, I suggest that the joy, the joy that he had was doing the Father's will so that he could go back to heaven at the end of his pathway and say, Father, I have finished the work which thou gave us me to do.
Isn't that beautiful?
Now don't get me wrong, none of us will be able to do that. There was only one who could say, I have finished the work which Thou gave us me to do. But the joy, the joy that was before the Lord was that this is the Father's will, and I am carrying out His will. And He looked on to that day when he would be there.
Before the Father, as it were, in heavenly glory, and say, I have finished the work, the joy was my my joy was my joy to do the Father's will. And in the coming day you and I.
We'll be able to enter into that joy to the extent I believe that we have walked in what the Lord has given us.
What kind of a pathway was it for him?
Can we even dare to speak of it? What a pathway. It was all the way to Calvary's cross. And just recently I have meditated a little.
And what it must have meant to him to suffer the ignominy and the shame from his own creatures in this world.
You and I are called to follow him.
Many years ago.
Many years ago, probably 4 or 500 years ago, when there was savage persecution in Europe for the name of Christ, there were two young women who were condemned to die and to be burned at the stake.
Just imagine tied up to a post in the ground and then firewood piled up all around you.
And the fire lit, and you gave up your life by being burned to death.
And in order to make it more difficult.
They were going to put one there and burn her at the stake while the other one had to look on.
Hoping, of course, that.
The second one would be so influenced by seeing her sister go through it that she would do what they wanted her to do and recant her faith in Christ.
Can you imagine what it was like for those key young girls to go through that ordeal?
Probably in their late teens or early 20s.
And you can hardly blame them for making an agreement between themselves that.
Whichever one of them had to go first.
Would somehow try and convey to the other.
What it was like to have to endure that awful death.
Well, the day came and it happened, and the first one was taken out and tied to that stake in the flames.
Going up around her and time went on because it doesn't take very long. And the second sister.
Thought that I guess I'm not going to hear anything from her. She's already with Christ.
But then the Lord gave that girl, in the midst of those claims, that strength to call out not in a weak, clavering voice, but in a loud voice strong enough that all could hear it. Come on, sister, it's worth it. It's worth it.
00:30:23
I don't know what you and I will be called upon to endure if the Lord doesn't come, but I rather suspect that instead of martyrdom, as is still happening in many places of the world today, the kind of thing that you and I will be called upon to face perhaps will be persecution, we might say, from within what calls itself.
The House of God. It will be from within the great house, those who perhaps might even profess Christianity.
And yet it will be more and more difficult to act according to the whole Word of God, and to stand for what has been given to us in His precious Word. And it may not be physical persecution, but it may be many other things, sometimes in a way more difficult to bear than physical persecution.
And.
The rolling waves of the sea of troubles and difficulties and problems sometimes will tend to become so much.
That I speak to my own heart. I say it's not worth it. I want some peace and quiet. I want an easier path.
Satan says no problem, we can manage that for you, we can give you an easier path, but there will be a bit of compromise involved. You'll have to give up a few things, but after all, the Lord understands and times are difficult. Life isn't what it was 75 or 100 years ago. The world has changed. So this is the way He attacks believers.
In countries like Canada and the United States today.
Instead of saying he has been very successful, very, very successful.
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Isn't that wonderful?
Is that worth walking for? Is that worth serving for in the little time we're left down here? Indeed it is. I believe it is.
Now let's turn over to another story, this time in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 19.
And here we have another very similar story, this time the parable of the pounds.
And again, we don't have time to go into it in detail, but I want to notice something here.
You know the parable of the talents, the emphasis is on God's sovereignty in that story in Matthew 25. But when we come to Luke chapter 19 in the parable of the pounds, it's more our responsibility, man's responsibility in the parable of the talents, God and his sovereignty gave.
5 talents to one and two talents to one, and one talent to one.
And you'll notice that the reward was not according to the talents given, but faithfulness in using what was given. That is the point. Faithfulness in using what was given. Have you been given much? You will be held responsible and more responsible than the one who isn't given as much.
God doesn't hold us responsible for what we do not have. But if you've been given more talents, God expects more.
And that again is responsibility, but it's God's sovereignty as to whom he gives those talents. But here in the parable of the pounds, let's notice what happens Route 19. And let's start reading from verse 12.
He that is, the Lord Jesus said. Therefore a certain noble movement into a far country, you receive for himself a Kingdom and to return.
And he called his 10 servants, and delivered them 10 lbs and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying we will not have this man to reign over us.
00:35:02
And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the Kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him to whom he had given the money. But he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy # hath gained 10 lbs. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant.
Because thou hast been faithful, and very little have thou authority over 10 cities.
And the second came saying, Lord, thy found that gain 5 lbs. And he said likewise to him be thou also over 5 sins.
And another came saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin, For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man. They'll take a stop that they'll lay us not down, and ****** that thou didst not sow. And he set unto him out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant? Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow.
Wherefore then gave us not thou my money into the bank that.
That might coming. I might have required my own with usury.
And he said unto them that stood by, take from him the pound, and give it to him that have 10 lbs.
And they said, under him, Lord, he hath 10 lbs. And here's a key verse repeated five times over in the Gospel. So it must be important with minor variations. Repeated 5 times. For I say unto you, that unto everyone which hath shall be given, but from him that hath, not even they hath shall be taken away from him.
As I said a moment ago, we don't have the time to comment on this in detail, but the point here is there is a third reason why it's worth it.
To walk before the Lord. And that is there is reward at the end of the pathway. Is it reward to enter into the joy of your Lord? Yes, and perhaps that's the greatest reward. But there is going to be what we could call a tangible reward if you and I walk through this world.
Despised and rejected, Whether despised and rejected by the world of unbelievers.
Or shall I say it despised and rejected, perhaps in the great House of Christendom?
God is going to vindicate you and me in the very world where that happened. He is going to vindicate his beloved Son. The Millennium is God's answer, in one sense, to the cross, because the very, very world where the Son of God suffered, where he was rejected and cast out and crucified.
God is going to vindicate him by having him rule over all things.
In the millennial day.
So it's the vindication of God's holy nature.
But it's also going to happen to you and me.
Are you despised and rejected today? There is a day coming when God says you will have authority in this world.
Authority over 10 cities. Authority over 5 cities. Now here we're on the ground of responsibility. Everyone got the same # but some were more faithful and more exercised in using it.
And I say to you and to me, God looks for exercise in what he is committed to us. Very important, because there is one man in this terrible that did not use exercise.
He kept his palm. He didn't lose it. He wrapped it up carefully in a napkin.
He put it away somewhere where it would be safe, and when the Lord came back, he was able to open it up and say, Lord, here it is, use your pound.
I hope this application isn't going too far.
00:40:02
But is it possible that sometimes those of us who are gathered to the Lord's name act with our truth the way this man acted with his pound? Do we wrap it up in a napkin and put it away somewhere so that we might be able to say at the end of the pathway, Well, Lord, here it is.
I went to the meetings and I listened in the reading meetings and I broke bread every Lord's Day, gathered to the Lord's name. And I, I kept the pound. I, I didn't go off into some denomination that was unscriptural. I didn't go off into something that I knew was contrary to the word of God. I kept the pound and it was pretty carefully wrapped up.
Is that what the Lord wants for us?
Allow me to quote a brother whose name will be recognized by some here, although I doubt if anyone here knew him. I certainly didn't. James B Dunlop, who grew up in England but emigrated to Canada, spent most of his life in eastern Ontario, although he traveled extensively.
And in an address he gave well over 100 years ago.
Which I only read. Obviously he made this remark. He said it is not enough simply for you and for me to lead good, morally upright lives and then go to heaven at the end. No, God looks for you and for me to act in this world as living witnesses of the grace that.
Has sought and found us, and another brother made a similar remark sometime later.
And I think I can almost quote it word for word, He said, if God has given you and me more truth than anyone or not, I don't mean I didn't mean to say it that way. If God has given you and me more truth than some others, we can use it in one of two ways. We can use it either to accredit and to distinguish ourselves, or we can use it for the blessing and edification of the whole.
The one who wraps his.
Pound in a napkin, I suggest, is like the one who doesn't recognize the rest of the body of Christ. Now don't get me wrong, we can't walk with those who are not walking according to the Word of God. But our hearts need to be broad enough to embrace every true believer, even though we walk a narrow path. And the Lord was not pleased with this servant who didn't use his pound.
God looks for you and for me as believers to hold the truth and exercise. And what does that mean? Oh, it means that the more we have, the more we will get because we live and walk in the good of it. And that's what that 26 verse means. God will not allow us simply to have a certain body of truth and hold it in our heads.
He expects us to be living it out and then we will get more and more.
But then, if it's appropriated rightly and we walk in it in the right way, there will be the opportunity of giving that blessing of that precious truth to others.
While others always walk in the good of it, no.
Do others always believe the gospel when we preach it? No. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't preach the gospel. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't make known the precious truth that we have. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't.
Use it for the blessing of any with whom we come in contact.
The third reason then, for it being worth it is there is reward at the end of the pathway. Now, God never presents reward in Scripture as a motive, as a motive for walking faithfully. No, there's only one motive in Scripture, for service or for walking faithfully before the Lord.
And that is love to Christ.
But then we must remember that the Bible never occupies us with our love to Him, but rather with His love to us. And if you and I are enjoying his love, our love will flow back to Him. And so it says in first John chapter four. We love. And the hymn really should be there. It should really.
00:45:15
Read We love because he first loved us.
But if our love is being enjoyed, sorry, if His love is being enjoyed in our hearts, then our love will flow back. And whether it is in service in the gospel, whether it is in walking in the truth, whether it is in giving out the truth to others, it's all a result of the overflow in our hearts of what God has given us.
So reward is never a motive, but reward is an encouragement. And if there is discouragement, excuse me.
If there is discouragement in the heart of anyone here today.
Discouragement is the work of the devil.
And let me put it very squarely, what is real discouragement? Discouragement is not getting something that I think I ought to have. Sometimes it's not getting it from other believers, but we're still sometimes it's not getting it from the Lord, and then I get discouraged.
And someone has used an even stronger definition of discouragement.
And it hurts.
Discouragement is unfulfilled self love.
Ouch.
It's true, isn't it? Discouragement is unfulfilled self love.
I have to have this. I want that and I'm not getting it.
And so I'm going to do something else.
No.
We never see discouragement among those in the Word of God who are faithful to the Lord. If anyone here can find a Scripture that implies that Paul was discouraged, I want you to show it to me afterward, at the end of his life when he writes the book of Second Timothy. He had strenuously labored for years both in the gospel and in the truth, and now here at the end of his life, shut up in a Roman prison.
Unable to travel around and he has to say in Second Timothy, chapter one, all they which are in Asia, the field of perhaps some of his brightest and best laborers, all they which are in Asia be turned away from me. Paul could have been a beaten man. He could have said Timothy, I guess I've done something wrong. I guess we better take a different approach. I guess something isn't going.
Right, it's not working.
We have to do something different.
And I can well remember in Buffalo, NY, a good many years ago, sitting across a table in a restaurant from a young brother not gathered to the Lord's name, never had been, didn't have any interest in it. But I had some contact with him and he wanted to start a church. And he said to me, Bill, you've had a lot of experience. You've traveled a lot in this world and seen a lot of things.
I want to start a church. What works? Tell me what works.
How do you answer that one? What works?
I don't think he liked my answer. I turned them to second Timothy, chapter one, and I said, well, let's see what worked for the apostle Paul. I said Paul had been faithful. I don't think you and I would argue with that, eminently faithful. And he was a man who was a strong gospel preacher. But he also could say, I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
And at the end of his life, what had happened? Had it worked?
It's not that well.
No, the reward for faithfulness is up there, not down here. It's up there, not down here.
And yet the pathway is worth it. It's well worth it.
#4 Let's turn back to that scripture in Second Timothy chapter one, and that'll be the last one we referred to because we refer to because our time is going.
00:50:08
Second Timothy. Chapter One.
And here Paul talks to Timothy in verse 8, and he says, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.
And then jumping down to verse 12, for which 'cause I also suffer these things.
Nevertheless, I am not ashamed.
For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
And verse 13, which we already read, hold fast the form of sound words which I was heard of me, and faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US.
Now it's not so clear in our King James translation, but if you look in the Darby translation.
Verse 12 uses the word deposit for that which I have committed unto him against that day. That deposit which I have committed unto him against that day.
But then in verse 14, that good thing is also translated a good deposit.
We all know what a deposit is, don't we?
There are some children here who are younger. Have you got a bank account? I think some of you have. And do you make a deposit in it sometimes? Yes, you do. And what do you expect? You expect that that money will be there, kept safely until you need it, and nobody can steal it out of the bank.
Hopefully the banks have good insurance in that and you have every confidence that when you put the money in that bank.
It's going to be there.
But the banks sometimes fail.
They do, don't they? They do.
They sometimes fail, even today and back many years ago, before I was born, in what was known as the Depression in the 1930s, banks really failed. And I'm not trying to point the finger, but they tended a lot of them in the United States to fail at that time. And people lost their money. They lost it. They went to the bank to get their money out and it was gone.
Quite a few years ago now, back in the 1920s, there was a Christian man and I knew him.
And he lived in China because he was a missionary there. And he put his money in a bank. And one time his father came over to visit him from Canada. And he gave his father some money and said, would you put this money go down to the bank and deposit it for me? And the father went down and did that. Excuse me.
And when the father came back, he said son.
I don't like that bank, he said. If I were you, I'd pull all my money out of it and do it as quickly as you can, he said. That bank isn't safe.
Well, that father had been a banker and been in the banking business in Canada here all his life.
And the son said, well, what? What's wrong with it? What? Why are you saying that? Can you give me a bit of idea why you don't like that bank? And the father said, look, don't ask me to try and explain it. Just trust me. Go get your money out of that bank and put it somewhere else. So the son did it and on his way to the bank, he met someone else that he knew and the other man got into conversation with him.
And when he told the other man that he was going to pull all his money out of the bank on his father's.
Recommendation. The other man just poo pooed it and laughed at him and said I got $2000 in my pocket and I'm going to deposit it in that bank.
Well, the story has an interesting ending that some women took all this money out of the bank and put it in another one and the other man put his $2000 in.
00:55:05
But the father was right.
And it didn't take long.
The very next day that bank closed its doors and never opened them again and there was no Deposit Insurance and everybody that had money in that bank lost it, every penny of it.
And the father was very glad for his sons or the son was very glad for his father's discernment and recommendation. But you and I have a place where we can deposit something that will pay eternal dividends. We've been given a depot. We can put a deposit up there. And Paula says, I am persuaded that he's able to keep that.
That deposit which I have committed unto him against that day, that day.
Paul talks about that day. What day is that? The day when you and I are going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, When we're going to enter into the joy of our Lord, When the rewards are going to be handed out that day.
Paul did everything with that day in view to you and I.
That's the last reason that day, that deposit, We're all putting a deposit up there. How big is your deposit? How big is mine going to be? Every child here that has a bank account likes to see his bank account grow. Isn't it nice? Put a little more in and a little more and then when you need some money, it's there. Or maybe.
There are young people here and maybe you're saving for college, quite an undertaking to go to college. Today it's a lot more.
Difficult than when I went and maybe you need a little help from somebody, but I know young people today that save for college and it's nice to see that bank account grow.
But if you and I are making a deposit up there.
God has given us a deposit in verse 14 here, that good deposit which was committed under the keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US. If you and I wanna make a deposit up there, we have to keep the deposit God has given us down here. We can't expect to make the deposit up there. If we say, but I'm not going to worry about the deposit I have down here.
And whatever God has given you and me from His word.
That is our deposit. Some may have more than others.
But Timothy had a deposit.
And that deposit grew. That deposit grew. Our deposit is always growing because again.
The more we walk in what we have, the more we get. And we don't ever stop getting that deposit in ourselves until we get to the glory, nor do we, I hope, ever stop putting the deposit up there if we're walking to please the Lord. And so there are those two deposits, one that God gives us to keep, one that we give him to keep.
But they're connected because it's according to.
Our responsibility with the deposit that we have been given.
That we can increase the deposit that we are putting aside up there. And so I want to encourage every young person here today, it's not a day to be discouraged. Yes, if we allow it to discourage us, we can look around us and say it's just not worth it.
But it is worth it, and God wants you and me to take an eternal view, not a temporal view. How long do we have in this world?
8090 years at the most, maybe 100 if the Lord gives us an unusually good constitution, or even a little over 100.
But basically the Lord gives us a short time down here in order to prepare for that which is eternal.
How important then to use what we have, not just for our gain, although it is our gain, but, as we said earlier at the beginning, to enter into the joy of our Lord.
We have a moment or two. Let's sing one more hymn in closing, and I would like to sing #15 #15.
01:00:08
All that we were, our sins, our guilt, our death was all our own.
All that we are, we owe to thee, thou God of grace alone.
#15.
All that we were our sins.
Our guilt.
Our death was.
Alone.
All that we are we.
Owe to thee.
The God of the soul.
What a mercy found us in our sins.
And give us.
To be able to live thine and believing peace.
We found.
And thy Christ wailing.
All that we are saying on earth.
All that will.
Be.
When Jesus comes and.
Glory dawns.
World of tears in the end of the.
Let's close in prayer. Loving God our Father, we thank Thee for thy precious Word, and we thank Thee for the encouragement it gives us in these last days. For surely the Christian pathway is well worth it, even if it were 100 times more difficult than it is. We pray then, for that.
Strength for that encouragement from thyself.
That we might press on in what Thou hast given us, that we might be willing to hold that fast which we have, not merely to keep it wrapped in a napkin, but to use it effectively. As Thou dost give us the wisdom and guidance to do so for Thy glory and for our blessing, so we commend Thy word to Thee and ask our God for Thy.
Blessing especially upon our young people, those who face the most difficult day in which to live for Thy glory, but we commend them very much to Thee.
And ask all this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Revelation 3:9-11
Reading
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160 Sev.
In the veil I'll just prevail, Keep soul the worship of the Fish 167.
Revelation chapter 3 in the address to Philadelphia, and I don't think we got very far. Maybe if we started at.
I think we pretty well covered verse eight. Could we start at verse nine? Would that be OK and read to the end of the address to Philadelphia? If anyone wants to refer back to a verse or two, that would be alright too.
3D and Revelation chapter 3, starting at verse nine and reading on to the end of verse 13.
00:05:08
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not but to lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee, because thou has kept the word of my patience. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown, Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name.
He that hath appeared, let him hear what the Spirit said under the Church.
We might just make one comment on verse 8.
In Kasich wasn't covered adequately, but.
It mentions there a little strength.
Some have perhaps misunderstood that it doesn't mean that there is only a little strength in those who keep the Lord's word and do not deny His name, and that there is a lot of strength perhaps in other places where there may be more activity and greater numbers than all the rest of it. True strength comes from walking.
With the Lord and working, if I might use the term synchronized with Him, and that can only be by walking in what Ephesians 4 calls the unity of the Spirit. I remember well a brother remarking to be a brother who had been gathered but who had left what we feel is the Lord's table. And he said, well, Bill, but we're all one body.
We are all one body, aren't we?
And of course I said yes. And that is blessedly true. Nothing that man does can ever change the precious truth that there is one body. But if there's one body, there's also one spirit. And there is a unity of the spirit which we are exhorted to keep in the uniting bond of peace. And so in simple terms, if we are one body, we are.
Being.
Ignored it to act as one body, and that can only be done by walking in the unity of the Spirit. And so we can't really confess the truth of the one body properly in division. And so I just suggest that the little strength here is a reference to the fact that, as we said this morning, we can't pretend to have the power of Pentecost and for example, some of the biggest gifts that God has given.
May not be available to us because they are not walking according to what we have here keeping his word and not denying his name and God doesn't take away a gift simply because it is unused properly. And so we don't have everything that they had in the early church. We do have a little strength. I say we meaning those who are characterized by Philadelphia and.
The what characterizes those who have that strength is that there is a seeking to keep His word and a not denying of His name.
The door is open for, uh, enjoyment of the truth.
Uh, even as much as it can be early apostles and only any of us would say that we have reached through that, uh, height of enjoying the group that has been managed.
Give them to us. The potential is there because that we, uh, we don't want to come to truth or we don't, we're not diligent in, uh, learning the truth, umm, that we don't, uh, enjoy it. Uh, go back to the, uh, picture in, uh, Joshua.
00:10:19
Wednesday after July injury is a little bit better.
There were various, uh.
Inaugurated there, there was.
Circumcision. I was meeting the Lord as the captain, uh, there was Gilgal, uh, these variants, uh.
Uh, various, Uh.
Activities.
Went into the lab to possess what was there by right entitlements, but.
There were certain conditions there. They had to be circumcised as guilty. Here's a picture of us.
Clean the blades of deflection and the place of death, of keeping it there.
And, uh, walking in.
The power of the Holy Spirit.
Judgment of the flesh that we all have. There was a conflict in the last.
Was a game in the noise, therefore sections have replaced that the sole of their foot would tread upon would be theirs, but they have to umm and they.
Conflict with the enemies of the Lord and they have to walk in self judgment so those conditions.
Were necessary for the enjoyment of the of their heavenly blessings which are prefigured in Canaan Canaan is a picture of what we have in the crisis our our heavenly warship and how much do you enjoy it So with the Philadelphians here a little strange, but they had been faithful and maintaining the word and.
Gathering to the name of Christ outside.
The orders, the, uh, systems of men, they were not gathered to any other name. They acknowledged the supremacy of the name of Christ. They were gathered as we.
Often to say, and sometimes you don't have the courage to confess it. What, uh, church do you belong to? We, we, we hear 10 times a day something if we go out with the gospel and then what do we say? Are we this group for are we a group of people called brethren and, or do we really say we are simply gathered to the name of our workings of Christ?
I didn't give you a black book, but is a reproach connected with it.
You say it'll belong to the denomination. It's different. But if you say we just gathered members of the body of Christ with his name, it takes courage and there is reproach. The Philadelphians here, they had this.
Value of the Word of God.
Every part of it, no compromise. And they had not denied his name.
Darby translation, that is even with the word power, uh, strength and uh.
There's another difference but when we speak in power, but.
Let me think of the power that we each have.
Actually, not our own power, but that which we have by being as well by the Spirit of God that we would have.
We have the power of that new life of what in a way that's moving through short and uh, so with that, if you agree that that power is really the power of the spirit alone.
Yes, it's spiritual power, isn't it?
Get that in Timothy, God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sown mind. And uh, I believe all of that is is by the spiritual power, isn't that?
00:15:13
We really have no power of our own and.
And even as even as a group of believers.
We don't really have how any power or majority. I saw it of the.
Our customer spirit gathering up and the power of the of the authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God.
AP As it mentioned there in chapter 6, to uh, uh, be strong in the Lord, in the power of his might son, verse 10.
As you before mentioned the armor, but uh, it's in the power of his light, isn't it? That we go on.
What's going on to verse nine? We have some very strong language there and some which perhaps at least we would be hesitant to use. But the Spirit of God talks here about them who are of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and they're not, but do lie.
I believe that.
Could have a two fold meaning in our day.
On the one hand.
Sad to say.
Much of what characterized Judy Judaism has been imported into Christianity in many circles, hasn't it? It has a natural appeal to.
A man as a natural creature, beautiful buildings, pretty music, incense, ritualism, to name a few things, all of which were part of Judaism.
All of which God did away with in the cross. But man has brought back much of that into Christianity, and as a result, it has.
Brought that back, which on the one hand appealed to nature, and which on the other hand.
Put men between.
US and the Lord, if we're not careful, so-called paid ministers and.
Priests and so on, who supposedly would take the responsibility of one's spiritual welfare. All of that has been imported into Christianity, and it happened very, very quickly after the apostles were called home to be with the Lord.
But there's another thing that is going on, and perhaps it's even more prevalent today, and that is those who are.
Acting like Jews.
In the Old Testament, by laying claim to this world and saying that it's our mandate to get out there and straighten out the world in order to make it ready for God's Kingdom, so-called reconstructionism or covenant theology, whatever label you want to put on it, That is really acting like Jews, isn't it? The Jews in the Old Testament were quite right to take up the sword and to go out and conquer enemies of the Lord. They were quite right to go out.
As it were, they claim to the earth.
Uh, but you and I are called to be separate from this world, to have a heavenly calling, and that is not very popular. It's far more popular to preach Reconstructionism. A natural man likes that too, and that is also pretending to be Jews when we're not.
And the Lord has some pretty strong language here for it. He calls it a synagogue of Satan. Why? So why is it a synagogue of Satan?
Uh, it's of Satan, because ultimately the devil knows that if the Church loses the sense of its heavenly calling, humanly speaking, it loses everything.
And as an old brother used to say, referring to the truth of gathering to the Lord's name and the truth that Paul preached, someone said to him, what if everyone doesn't want to hear that truth? And he made an interesting remark. He said, they will probably listen to you until you want to take them to heaven. And he didn't mean heaven. At the end of the pathway, he met the heavenly calling.
00:20:32
And that, I think many here have experienced, is sadly true.
Uh, the natural man, even in a believer, does not want a heavenly calling. If I can be part of the system of things in this world, if I can be used to make this world better, if I can work with various organizations to do things fine, that the world can handle that other believers can handle. But a heavenly calling that says I'm in the world but not of it, that is not popular.
And so.
John calls it by the Spirit of God, a synagogue of Satan, not because he's trying to label others with that kind of a label, but rather to point out the seriousness of it and where it leads, because it leads to the believer literally losing everything. From a human point of view, our testimony is not valid in this world if we've lost the sense of our heavenly calling.
The sense of our heavenly calling, and I believe related to that, is also.
What is often being preached today that if we are faithful as believers, we will be blessed with more of this world's goodness. And that is another curricular statement, I believe.
That again is, is Old Testament to it. That was what God promised to those who would be faithful in in the Old Testament that, uh, they.
Would be left here in this world.
We have been blessed, Ephesians tells us, with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. So that's not more money in my bank account that still was talking about to the children. It's not a bigger house and a better car and and, and.
Our investments, uh, growing quickly and all of that stuff that this world looks for, We're blessed with heavenly blessings. And if we read through Ephesians one, we'll see what those are. If they're not those things which the word may allow us to have while we're here in this world, but we're not to be seeking those things here in this world. We have to be enjoying our almost heavenly blessings.
That we never paid 1 cent for. George pays the price and.
Eternity and we should be of going throughout.
So to for believers to be and it's related to what I'd rather do is saying that I'm trying to improve the world.
That's an impossible task. It would never you can have, you can have Christian Prime Minister or Christian president and they're not going to be able to change.
The West the way both of these countries in North America are going.
Uh, the world will not be. We know that it's.
Uh, and so related to that is that we cannot, we should not be.
Uh, seeking.
Greater asset spending personally. Blessings in this world.
By trying to deliver the police reward, they should be enjoying what He has given in the heavens Blessings.
OK, very good.
Who's referenced Chuck?
Several times they're not in the revelation to those that dwell upon your birth. And these are ones apparently, that make the earth their focus. And they're so taken up with the things of birth that they have no use for heaven. It's already been brought out. They have no taste for heavenly things.
00:25:25
And I recall a book, I believe it was written by David Hunt.
And then it was entitled. Whatever happened to heaven?
And it turns out how that.
Even in Christendom we find occupation that the things of time and sense, things that are material.
And emphasis is on the health and wealth.
That's the Pentecostal it's a prosperity gospel, and it has nothing to do with our heavenly calling.
Calling or heavenly blessings?
Which is really what God has for us to enjoy as you are bringing out, uh.
And I was told, you know, if you read on Revelation.
You find out that it speaks about those that dwell upon the earth. They shall worship Him. Who's Him?
It's a beast.
Is a man the head of a powerful confederacy? 10 nations who should be Rise yourself out of the sea. Read about them Revelation 13.
And he said, dwell on the earth, worshipping a man.
Instead of crisis. And these could be those that were exposed to the truth of the gospel, the truth of Christianity, but they rejected it.
Paul speaks about it. I believe in writing to the Thessalonians.
He said because.
They did not have the love of the truth. God sends him strong delusion.
That they should believe a lie.
It's quite sobering to think that in apostate crystalline there are those that are rejected the truth and they're going to be worshipping a man instead of Christ.
It's interesting, uh, brother Wally, that that expression they that dwell on the earth as mentioned at least six times in the Book of Revelation and I believe their character is brought before us in the third chapter of Philippians. I just mentioned in the passing it says there in the 18th verse many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping.
That they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, whose mind earthly things. I think that's a good definition of the people that you're mentioning. And it's very easy to fall into that mentality and forget that we are heavenly citizens.
MMM, I guess we have to hear the more things. Uh, that's very true about it. Umm, whether somebody enthusiastically standpoint, umm.
Christianity is not clear, and improvement on Judaism regarding Twitter is something entirely different.
And what, uh, is happening now in, uh, this is the generally speaking.
They have the August, the uh.
Ceremonies enrich the law of Judaism and death.
So for the forms and so on.
Into Christianity and made it, uh, a pattern for their, uh, their order of service and so on.
It is really.
Uh, contrary to the mind of thought, uh.
We meet as UH believers gather to the world's name. But.
We don't follow the warranty ceremonies of Judaism. They were tights and shadows that had their place and they, they can, uh, speak to us in, in their, uh, in their typical meaning, but to bring in that character of things into the Church of God as a pattern for our workers now or, or gathering together.
00:30:20
Is contrary to the dispensation of grace in the.
The Spirit of God gathering to the Lord's name people outside of that whole system of Judaism, which was really a worldly system and, uh, giving us something, uh, infinitely better. What a contrast to that whole system. And that's why the apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, the marvelous treason type. Been going over it lately and some, uh, some of our brother Ansky's writings and.
A whole book of Hebrews is a baby.
The contrast to uh, what was in Judaism, the superiority of what we have in Christianity and those who have followed so-called covenant geology, whatever you want to call it, is still said that one, umm.
Was the teaching of the reformers.
Is contrary to the mind of God now, uh.
To bring the blessings of Israel into the church period and his confusion. I think this is perhaps what the Spirit of God is bringing before us here. That said, we are separate from that whole order of beauty issues. Not that it was wrong. God doesn't say it was wrong. It was originally of him and it will be brought in during the Millennium again, but it's not the character of the spirit Christianity Today.
This is not our pattern for meeting together as believers outside the capital.
In the last part of the verse sometimes is misunderstood too.
It is not a repeat. It is not trying to say that some who have gone on in that way will worship those who have been characterized by Philadelphian ways. No.
It says worship before thy feet.
I believe that shows us that in a coming day, as we were saying, uh, a little bit in the address, there will be a recognition before the Lord of what was pleasing to him during the time of his absence. And so they will worship the Lord. We all will. There will be no thought, no such thing as if I could use the term 1 believer worshipping another, but rather the thought that God will vindicate what was pleasing to Him.
And there will be.
A recognition of what the Lord loved in the sense of a testimony in this world, uh, during the time of his rejection. And so there's an encouragement to the Philadelphian here that in the coming day, as we were saying again in the address, it would be worthwhile. It will be worthwhile, well worthwhile, because the Lord will make it clear and make it evident.
What had his approval?
And so that's, I believe the sense of what we get in the end of the verse. Uh, it's not that the Lord doesn't love every true believer and all of those who are part of his church. Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Absolutely. That's not what this is referring to, but rather that the Lord has, shall we say, a special approval for that, which as we've talked about earlier.
Keeps His word and does not deny His name. And that can sometimes be a very difficult thing in the time of His rejection. It can bring a lot of reproach. It can be a very narrow path at times. The Lord says in the coming day all will be compelled to own what I approved of.
00:35:24
Sorry, I'm I'm having a hard time hearing you here, Alex.
This is new player executor that we ain't confusion. We do not have any breath anywhere alive, but no one is part of the body of Christ, which is part of the trade. Oh, you're saying, is that right?
Can you hear me? Yes, I did.
Well, I still am not clear. I heard what you said. I'm not clear what you're getting at. You say there are no Christians that are part of the synagogue of Satan.
Yeah, I know that would be, that would be how I, it seems like you can see it on your face because it would be the, the congregation that's taking those that follows things. And so, umm.
Those that when you say they come into the office recent characters and that leads to come into the elderly, but it doesn't mean it says here I will make them a great job of safety. We would say they are used in our time so that there is no one that you know as a Christian who may be able to coach reality who is part of the reality they.
Advisors sends it correctly about how you're looking for aggressive advisors. No, I I don't think that's a thought The thought is them of the synagogue of Satan. I will make to come and worship before thy feet. That's the sense of it I believe and that's the way I said it's strong language but.
Man didn't write it, God did, and so I believe that the Spirit of God here does use that strong language.
Not that we should go around or anyone else labeling people as the synagogue of Satan, but the Lord wants us to see what is the origin and who is behind all of that. Even though it masquerades under the umbrella of Christianity, and even though there may be believers there, I believe the synagogue of Satan is that which brings Judaism.
Back in the Christianity and brings Christianity down to a level of a worldly religion and so is Brother Robert was bringing out. It includes those who preach and practice the prosperity gospel. It includes those who believe in reconstructionism and covenant theology. It includes those who have brought back into their worship incentives things that characterize Judaism.
Such as we were mentioning and, uh, that God has superseded with Christianity and uh, all of that.
I believe the Spirit of God calls the synagogue of Satan, but it's not individuals that are in view, it's systems. And that, I believe, is what the, uh, word represents. It's not so much individuals.
In the system, but it says them of the synagogue of Satan. And so it's the systems themselves that have done all those things that are so obnoxious to God and God says I want you to know where that starts and who's behind it. It's Satan. And I say again, the the real reason for it is that.
Satan knows that if he can take away the heavenly calling of the church, he nullifies their influence and testimony. And it happened in the early church shortly after the apostles left the scene. They lost the sense of their heavenly calling and.
Degenerated into ritualism and systems. Christianity under Constantine became the religion of the Empire.
And where did it end? It end up, to put it bluntly, it ended up in Roman Catholicism in the Dark Ages, where essentially the whole truth of Paul's gospel and what Paul taught was lost, and even the gospel of the grace of God itself, because it became a total system of man. And so if we could say it bluntly, God knows where that system or that kind of thing originates and where it leads to. And that's why he calls it a synagogue of Satan.
00:40:12
So you're right, Alex, we don't label individuals as being a synagogue of Satan, but systems are. And, uh, they're characterized by, uh, uh, what we've been describing. Does that make sense?
Actually, Satan is the God, the Prince of the world politically, and he is the God of the world immediately. So he's really a religious character.
And, uh, it doesn't matter to him whether he, uh, uh.
Leads people into, uh, worldly entertainment or uh, immorality is behind all of that, but also in the religious aspect.
He, uh, comes in and he leads the believer as he can away from the person of Christ and the enjoyment of the heavenly things. And the brother Bill has been expatiating the bond and so he's behind this. He can get the believer mixed up with the world's.
The world's religious system is accomplished in its purpose. Is that right? Yes, exactly.
It's not so much better.
The question of the believers.
Going so far as to where to say but as the influence that safely can have through the.
Wrong ideas that puts in men's minds, even in Christian's mind, uh, the influence that that can have on many religions, yes.
Could we say then, that there are?
We're doing the Satan's work, yes.
And, uh, I noticed that we have this, uh, expression synagogue of Satan than say the archives back in chapter 2, verse nine. And there again it says, I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which I shall suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, while we might say.
The devil doesn't cause Christians in prison, it's people. And it may be, and we know from the Inquisition that it was those who certainly took the name of Christ and we might say give the word of Satanic.
Not to spend time on it, but I would suggest that the persecution detailed in that verse under the address to Smyrna was in fact God's, if we could say it reverently, God's effort to recover the church from the direction in which they were going because they were already sliding into it. And God allowed these periods of persecution in the 2nd and 3rd century AD.
You might say as an effort to recall the church to himself.
It didn't happen, although there were many who were extremely faithful to the Lord during those times and as it says 10 days here, there were 10 distinct periods of persecution during those two centuries. But then the result of it was that Constantine brought in Christianity as the religion of the empire, made it popular, put Christians in positions of authority and power in the empire, and essentially that was the end of their.
Heavenly calling. And so now, toward the end of the dispensation, we're warned against that same thing going on, namely the introduction of Judaizing principles and practices under the umbrella of Christianity.
Think of a drastical impact that we're getting, losing sight of the heavenly calling. We might say those that are caught in this system have been prosperity, umm, gospel and so on. Yeah, we might say that they will be in for a wonderful surprise someday when they discover that there are deep lined up for a heavenly blessing. But I think there's two ramifications of that thought. I think it's been said, but.
00:45:10
I trained up myself.
Firstly, if we lose sight of our heavens calling and we look at the systems of men, our focus is on our efforts on this earth. It's living in Christianity for the hope of a blessing. And if you believe that in your efforts as a Christian, the world is going to get better, you live in a a constant state of discouragement. As you see things go in the opposite way you expect. So your life is focused on earthly things, on the failings of the church, the most important thing.
If we forget our heavenly calling and our eyes are on this earth.
And our actions, don't we miss glorifying God and seeing God the Lord, the synagogue of Satan just takes our eyes away from the one we should be talking about and looking at and looking at earth. That's something that we should be perfecting through our own actions as Christians to at stake is the glory of God. I believe on this. There's not only are we missing you believe in those teachings. Not only are you missing a life on this earth that's looking forward to heavenly blessing, but we're also taking the glory of God in the equation and focusing on man rather than what we should do.
Yes.
I can't be enjoying heavenly blessings at the same time that I'm trying to straighten out the world, can I?
The answer to, uh, what we've been talking about was alluded to earlier in Acts 20. Let's just look at that. It's important, I think.
Mm-hmm. Let me also, Paul, with addressing the elders of their emphasis and things that were you warned them that would come after his departure.
Verse 32 He says, Now brethren, I commend you to God, to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
A unique thing about Christianity.
Is is that we walk by faith and not by sight?
Speaking of, uh, Judaism, which was an outward visual religion.
Uh and uh.
Man today that is not a Christian, he is faith, but he doesn't have spiritual faith. He has faith in what he can see and uh, what he can prove by science or whatever, his faith in that. But when it comes to spiritual things, he does not have faith.
But the Christian has faith in that which we we don't see. That is by faith one can look up and see the Lord Jesus that the Father's right hand.
We haven't seen the Lord physically yet, but we see him by faith. And so we have many things that attract us to, uh, to the Lord through our faith, with Walkley faith and so on.
And so without her faith, if that faith flavors, then we can easily get distracted into all the visual things that attract the flesh. And that's what we see in Judaism when it comes to religion and in the world. It's all the worldly things around us. We have a nature that can easily be distracted away from the Lord into those things. But what will steady us and give us?
Strength.
Spiritual things and our faith, that which we get from the Word of God, and we can only get them by digging into the Word.
Searching them out, getting them for ourselves. Uh, faith cometh the hearing and hearing by the word of God. We're not going to increase our faith if we don't open our Bibles, if we, if we skip the reading meetings every week, we don't bother coming out.
We're not going to get that spiritual food, perhaps, that we need to grow. And if we're not growing, then the enemy will seize the opportunity to commend and occupy us with things that we can see, whether they be worldly things or spiritual things. And so it's occupation with the Lord and what He has for us that will increase our faith and will keep us on the pathway.
Hmm.
In that, uh path that you referred to in a 920.
00:50:03
It's striking that.
And when? When Paul actually.
Prayed with them, with them all over 36.
Growth, 37 says they all left the store and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him. Sorrowing most of all were the words which he faked that they should see his face no more.
It seems like they were more sad that they wouldn't see false space anymore. It was a nice thing that they loved him that much, but they really should have been more worried, I believe, about what Paul had learned about a few versions of the chapter that that they might, uh.
That they might, uh, manage.
Uh.
30 of your own cells will matter to rise, speaking to perverse things to draw away the psychological.
They it seems like they had already got their eyes off the ward and history and on to fall. Our fall certainly had told them the truth, but they but our eyes need to be on the Lord, not on the messenger that I deal with the truth.
And we see the Lord in this book. What is it, Children's son, who cling to the Bible?
My boy, my girl, because.
Through this book, the Lord Jesus is made near to us, and we enjoy him and we learn him. And I think about telescopes and how scientists are building these telescopes.
And make it bigger and bigger.
And what are they seeing? More stars?
And more scars and more scars, but there's no telescope been built yet.
To see the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's in the third habit, and there will never be a telescope built that powerful.
Because I believe today the Lord Jesus is to be enjoyed by faith.
So instead of looking through a telescope.
We need to look down into this book. The Word is God, the faith telescope. And how do we set our affections on things apart? That's what Paul exhorted. The flashes. That's where Christ is sitting. Well, it's by reading our Bibles, and I enjoy it. You know what to bring out there. We need to open up this book in order to see Jesus. Hmm.
And where is he? He's seated on the Father's throne. And that's where our life is because we're in Christ. And that's why we're not to get all taken up with the world, because the Lord Jesus Christ is not here on earth. He's up there.
And we need to.
I'm speaking for myself spend more time in the word to enjoy just what our.
Blessings are they're all attached to Christ.
It's heavenly.
That's wonderful.
Oh, thank God for his word.
Well, the next verse is connected and it would be nice to consider it too.
Verse 10 because those who are.
Connected with systems or systems that are detailed here as the synagogue of Satan.
Generally Speaking of an earthly viewpoint.
And where does that take us?
It brings men down to the level of this world and they expect to go through the tribulation. And how often is that taught today too, that the Church will go through the tribulation? And those who are making all kinds of efforts to straighten out this world are quite often the same ones that are trying to squirrel away freeze dried food and all the rest of it in order to survive the tribulation.
Well, uh, here we have the reassurance that because those kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation. Will it come upon all the world? Yes it will, and we noticed the change in wording there. It'll come upon all the world.
00:55:20
To try them and there's the expression that our attention we was being called to.
To them that dwell upon the earth.
It's possible for a believer to have an earthly outlook, isn't it? Now, thank God, every true believer will be caught up when the Lord comes. There will be no such thing for the believer as a partial rapture.
It won't be merely those that have a Philadelphian character that are caught up when the Lord comes. But I believe what this is implying to us is that those who live and walk with that Philadelphian character, who keep His word and do not deny His name, they will have the sense of it and the enjoyment of it in their souls. And what a blessed thing that is to know that.
You and I will be snatched away before that time comes, we'll be taken away. And there are other scriptures that make this clear. 2nd Thessalonians 2 and others make it clear that the church will not go through the tribulation. It's the time of Jacob's trouble, as it's called in the Old Testament. It's primarily to.
Bring Israel back to a repentance before the Lord. Of course the whole world will feel it.
But it's to try them that dwell upon the earth, you and I.
It positionally are not earth dwellers. We have a heavenly calling and so the enjoyment of our heavenly calling means that we have the sense in our souls that we will not have to go through the tribulation. Yes, as we mentioned earlier, the Lord could say in the world ye shall have tribulation.
In the sense that it will not be an easy path, but what Scripture calls the Tribulation or the great Tribulation, No, that is not for you and for me is it? And those who walk in the light of what God has given will have that sense of it in their souls and the enjoyment of it.
It's important however, to install on that you can.
That those that dwell upon the earth, I would take it to the uh, uh, christened on uh, in large measure because.
One wants the the right, the Rapture. All those who, uh, truly belong to Christ will be removed instantaneously from this earth. But what will be left behind?
It's a nice, of course, that's been done, which will go on, believe it or not.
For half of the week, uh, Daniel, uh, ninth week there, uh, Christendom will rise to, uh, remarkable heights and the woman which is the rejuvenation of Catholicism.
You're going to ride the Beast for the 1St 3 1/2 years. That's where the persecution will come from. The woman riding the Beast in the first half of the week was that Miss Christendom? And so it shows, really.
There's really too apostasy in the Book of Revelation. There's the apostasy of Christendom, which is.
Referred to in this verse. There is also the apostasy of umm of Israel, a large part of the Israel, the Israelite Israelites will follow the beast and they'll apostatize. But here is Christendom going on into this awful period of judgment glory in its uh.
Ceremonies and in its profession.
And not to not terminating until the middle of the week when, uh, the 10 nations rise and they hate the ***** and and the.
01:00:02
You Sir, and burn your flesh with fire and so on. That's the end of Christendom. So that's just a little prophetic, uh, overview. Is that right here? Very definitely. You said Daniel's 9th week. You meant the 70th week I think. Yeah. Oh, very definitely. There will be a false church for the first half of the so-called tribulation period and, uh, they will.
Function in that way and control the.
Political arm of the revived Roman Empire until they're destroyed in the middle of the week. So that, uh, yeah, very definitely, uh, they will go through the tribulation, The whole world will, but not the church. Not the church. Perhaps, uh, John, you were thinking about the chapter that we read about the 7th week. It's the 9th chapter of Daniel. That's good. Thank you.
That's the last week of his policy that has not been fulfilled 69 weeks have been fulfilled and that section of Daniel is extremely important for the young people to what a real clear understanding of the prophetic picture studying Daniel study it in conjunction with Revelation because they they are associated. But the the prophecy of Daniel in the 9th chapter extremely important to understand the whole prophetic victory.
Wonderful assurances that, you know, that we're not going to go through the tribulation period and think of poor souls that.
That, uh, perhaps fearful about, uh, what's going on in the world. Uh, we're not ignorant of what's going on in the world as believers, but we know that, uh, what is going on around us, The Lord is in full control. And we know that before, uh, uh, the tribulation period sets in, that the rapture is gonna take place and the Lord Jesus is gonna call all his redeem once home. So it's a wonderful insurance to know that in our souls that we're not going to go through that terrible time of tribulation that we read about a little later on here in Revelation.
Lord is going to deliver us from that.
But, uh, you can't help but think of those that are that are caught up in that kind of thinking where they think you may have to go through that terrible time.
And the Lord doesn't want us to be fearful about those things. He wants us to have assurance.
Why would the Lord?
Want to punish?
It's white, which is really what the church is. It's the pride of Christ. We look forward to the marriage and we're going to be united with him marriage.
So out, of course, so unseemly, he suggested.
Church has gone through the tribulation.
Stop.
Fun. I know our time is pretty well gone, but it it uh, that's why it says in the next verse and I just call our attention to the fact that in better translation, the word behold shouldn't be there. It should simply read I come quickly. Behold in Scripture is.
Uh, a, uh, shall we say a word that's as we would say in modern language? Listen up, Pay attention.
It's to call our attention to what's going to be said. But if we're keeping the Lord's word and denying his name that the Philadelphian is doing that he doesn't need that pay attention type of thing. It's simply I come quickly, that is.
You will be kept out of the hour of temptation. In what way? Because the Lord is coming quickly. I come quickly, but then of course, as we had already.
So there's the exhortation to hold fast.
What thou hast, that no man take thy crown. But the reason why we will not go through the tribulation is because of the Lord's coming. Only the believer can have that hope.
01:05:03
#250 #250.
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Gospel 1
Gospel—John Kemp
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Thankful we are with this happy time. It's a good meal Thou have given to us and Thy many mercies day by day, giving us health and strength, food and remnants, and above all, for the unspeakable gift of my God. You want to speak about that wonderful person for just a few moments?
Before we adjourn.
Uh, we pray that they'll help us and guide us and the words that are spoken that all may understand that.
Wonderful message of salvation through our Lord Jesus and His work on the cross for Him. He asked. I had to commit each one to Thee, where that they may be a blessing in each life tonight as a result of being here. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray.
Amen. Pleasure to be with you again. Uh, my friend, uh, because I was here last year and, uh.
Few words and uh, they asked me again to, to take the short message this afternoon. So, uh, I know some of you are still and that's fine. I don't mind that. Go ahead and do that. Finish whatever you are are taking up and have one year open to the message.
So of course our handbook, uh, ladies and gentlemen, nothing else but the word of God. This is not something religion that we are profound. No, no, what we are explaining before this few moments is each.
Internal living or default, you know, I wouldn't have any idea where I was going for eternity if I did not have this book. It would be like a leap in the dark. What's coming after death? For that vast eternity apart from the word of God, I be completely.
In the dark and unable to make any conclusion.
Or have any assurance of what would my destiny be forever?
For eternity. After all, we are not like a dog or a cat. We have an eternal, never dying soul, which God loves intensely. In fact, He loved you and me so much that He gave the dearest object of heaven. He didn't send an Angel, but from the heights of the glory.
The Son of God, the Creator, you and me, and the universe.
As we read it in 2nd Corinthians 8 verse nine, we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor. That ye threw his poverty might be written just thanks, dear friends, of the humiliating.
He was the inheritor of everything, the creator of everything, and he laid aside that good and he.
Came down down to this world, to this dark scene where they he knew that they would refuse his love and he knew that they would reject him.
What sort of a treatment did he receive? No place to lay his head? No room. In the end, the staple was his was his birthplace.
The stable with the animals. But let me tell you, and I assure you, my friend, it was love that brought me down. Love for your eternal soul. Love that made him give up all the glories of heaven, the Son of God, and descend that great distance into a world that was.
Dark and full opposed to his nature, and yet he walked through it in the love of infinite love.
And.
He saw you in your meeting. He saw you in your ruin. And dear friends, let me make it personal. The Lord looks down from heaven today. He sees all the evil of his world and he's grieved, but he has his eye upon you tonight. I don't know all your names. I don't know really any of you personally. Maybe one or two I've met.
00:05:05
But the Lord has an interest in you. He knows you personally, knows all about your background history. You don't have to tell it to me. I know my own background history, which I'm ashamed of. But he knows all of others from from beginning to end. Nothing is hid from His eyes, And he's like the merchant man who found that Pearl of great price.
There, that man had the Pearl in his hand.
And he, uh, this merchant man with a buyer of pearls and he came and said, that's a beautiful Pearl that you have there.
How much is it? And the man set the price. Oh yeah, I could never meet that.
Can you not make it a little bit cheaper than that? No, no, that's the cost of the Pearl. Uh, it's not going down. I'm not negotiating at all. Well, but I want that product. Well, if you want it, you've got to pay for it. Well, I don't have the money. I'm sorry. I have so much, but I can never meet the cost of that girl.
When I watch it.
And what can you, what can I, what can you do? Then the Pearl man said, what can you do? Well, I'm going to go and sell everything that I have my house, my car, I'm going to sell everything. I want to have that curve. It doesn't matter how much it costs, when to get it normal or mental. Didn't even have a bed to sleep. And after that everything went.
To buy that Pearl of great price, we value it. That makes these applications dear friends.
Value your soul so much that the Lord Jesus put such a value upon your soul. And he said, I'm going to come down and give everything I have. I'll give my back to the snipers. I'll give my hands to the Brule nails and my my head to the crown and.
I'll shed my precious blood.
To have you in the glory forever. But the problem is you are a Sinner just like.
In the price before he can take you to heaven, you must say, Lord, I'm not fit for that wonderful place. I'm a Sinner. I know it. I don't think as a brother told me outside, he says, I think everyone here knows that they are a Sinner and I think that's true. I think we all have to admit we are sinners and lost sinners, but God.
Has such an interest in you?
Each one of you. You're not lost in the crowd. You are known by the Lord.
His eyes searches this room, all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Your life is an open book to the Lord. Not to me and it's not necessary, but to the Lord. Our sins are all recorded in that book up there.
They can be washed away. Tonight you will take the place of this dinner before gone and say, Lord, you loved me, You gave everything for me.
Save me from those things tonight. I want to be in that wonderful scene of glory and joy and peace for all eternity. I want to be with me. The Lord is no longer here on the earth, but He wants you to be His companion to all eternity because we, those who invited you here, went out and gave you the invitation. They loved you, and they're no better than you.
Nor am I. We are only sinners saved by grace, Amazing Grace.
That that how sweet this sound is. Staying directly means I come from Ottawa, but every year I go. For most years I go to some Island games where there you have all this Scottish clans and all their regalia and their guilt and their bagpipes and I went this year.
I want not to see the performance, but to give out the Word of God. I take tracks with me in death. I meet souls and speak to people. At the end of the afternoon on the ground there was a huge field. There were clans and regiments from all over Ontario and Quebec. There must have been a dozen of them. They all marched out into the field.
00:10:14
And I said to a lady, are they going to play Amazing Grace?
They did other years. Yes they will. I waited and sure enough before they closed that whole assembly of.
Scottish Bagpipers.
I forget the number I think it was.
100 several 104 hundred or something with the drummers and the **** piping way that that song that you may know Amazing Grace.
How sweet the sound that saved the rest like me once was lost and now I'm found.
God save the erection from the lost eternity from hell. I brought along something to close my message here. Tomorrow we stop.
I'm not.
I'm not a maritime person, so I don't know a great deal about hackers, but I guess you do coming from this area, this anchor, I guess the anchor well used over many years.
But it's still useful and I guess you all know what the importance of having a good solid anchor for the ship.
An anchor that you can trust, right? I know there was an anchor in Halifax in 2017.
No, I mean 1917, that anchor was 1/2 of a ton of cast iron and the explosion took place on that battleship and that anchor was hurled through Halifax at a tremendous speed, chopping down trees. It was half a ton and.
1000 to 2000 people lost their lives.
The 9000 were injured. That anchor was a very strong.
Powerful, but it didn't do anyone any good. My dear friends, tonight I want to tell you that if you accept Christ as your Savior, you will have an anchor sure and steady. 5 Lord Jesus is that anchor is in heaven tonight, but he is one who can give you.
Eternal security. I'm going to ask you, what are you trusting in for your eternity? What anchor are you depending upon?
The anchor of revision, the anchor of good works. Some people say to me, I've never done anyone any harm. I'm as good as my neighbor. That's the anchor of good works. They're trusting in something that they have done. All your friends, nothing that you have done.
They'll ever take you to heaven. You need Christ, the anchor of sure and steadfast, and enter it into that within the veil. The war is the anchor of the soul. You trust Him, you'll be safe for eternity. You'll be gone into the the courts of eternal glory.
But if you refuse the Lord and I hope no one in the company here will leave this room saying another time tomorrow I may think about my soul and eternity. When God is speaking today, you will hear his voice harden not pure heart. Well, we trust that these these few words.
Will be a blessing to all, to all who have accepted the invitation of our brethren here in Saint John.
And let me remind you as I thought that God tonight is giving you another invitation to the great supper, the great gospel supper that is spread and don't make any excuse like those people did. I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. They had all sorts of excuses for not coming to the gospel. They didn't feel their need. I thought, dear friends, if you feel your need, not only of.
Suffer, I'm sure you've had that. Yeah, and you're more than welcome to it. But your need of Christ, your need of salvation through faith and his work on the cross, let me remind you that that work on the cross, dear friends, is all that you need is not your religion. Not turning over a new leaf and trying to live a better life. We've done that in the unique. Just gets as filthy as the other one.
00:15:14
Coming to the Lord and trusting His work. Lord, I'm a Sinner. I believe that He died in my place.
Did I give you a Calvin? The hours of darkness, the crown was born. And before Speaking of God, oh how terrible those hours that the Lord endured in order to take my soul to heaven, to give me an anchor, sure and steadfast or eternity.
Beyond a shot all the doubt that I'm going to be with the Lord even if I passed into eternity tonight. Well, May God bless His word. You can have that assurance. God wants you to have it.
The brethren here in Saint John have brought you here with a love to see to to have you hear the Gospel and believe it and be saved from a lost. Now we're going to Bruce. Can we sing one song in clothing or can wash away my.
Whole lot of time.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh narration they have started. Glowing thighs make me wine and snow. No, no other thumb time, no nothing but the blood of Chili's in the summer.
I read a story.
I'll just close. His name was Mr. Win. Stanley lived back around the end of the 1600s, but he was a builder, and Eddie Stone rocks the reef there, and I hear the cause of many disasters, many lives lost, Mr. Winstanley said. I'm going to build a lighthouse.
That will warn people away from those dangerous rocks.
Here's the model of those that were experienced navigator Mr. wins family. That's that's not going to stand up to the storm. All you have to do I'm going to build it right there on the Eddie Stones rocks. It's going to stand, you see.
Bill is a beautiful lighthouse. It stood out for a few years, he said. I want to be in that White House when the worst storm that has ever happened takes place. I'm going to be sure that my lighthouse will stand up to the terrible.
Force of that storm, well, it's going to be a windstanding standard. Was it?
Lighthouse.
His confidence was in what he had done, his structure that he had built. He had full confidence that it was going to weather up the storm. Four days, three or four days the storm raged. When you went out to look at the Eddie's tone stones, it was nothing like Mr. Winston and his White House was swept into the Atlantic.
And never seen again. His confidence was in the wrong person.
Within himself. So the bottom line is with your confidence in Christ, who is the lighthouse, the way the truth of your life will bring you through the storm of judgment and give you a place of eternal safety when that storm breaks upon this world so near that let us pray, loving God, reflecting this opportunity.
To share a little of the gospel message with our dear friends here and pray for a blessing.
On the word that has been given. And thank you for the Lord Jesus by well beloved Son, thank you for his death on the cross and for his precious blood that we shed. And we know that he's living in the glory and he's still called, still calling sinners. The door of grace is still open. Why, for whosoever we pray that many tonight we say, Lord, I come just as I am.
Without 13 but that blind one was shred for me. We ask it all. We seek Thy blessing on each one and the message that is gone forth. We ask it for Thanksgiving for this delicious meal as well. In the name of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Noah's Flood
Gospel—Stan Allan
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Stop.
Sinners lost and ruined by the fall salvation fall at highest cost the.
Salvation.
Just ask God's blessing.
Our God and Father, we thank Thee for another opportunity to be gathered together to proclaim the love of God. All. We thank you for that love, that wondrous love that sent thy beloved Son into this world to save sinners.
And why we would pray tonight, if there's some soul or many here tonight who have never accepted thee as Savior, we pray that they might come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus, that they might realize that love that took him to Calvary, to soccer in those three hours of darkness. And Lord Jesus, we pray that they might accept thee as Lord and Savior.
We pray tonight wherever the gospel is going for us, for a rich blessing, and we ask you for thy health, for surely without thing we can do nothing. And so we command this little time to the In the worthy and precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Mean we can sing one more hymn. How about #15?
Oh blessed gospel sound, yet there is room. It tells to all around, yet there is room. Maybe we could stand and sing it.
All blessed had dust, all sound, yes.
Yes, there is room.
They know, they hear. Yes, there is room.
00:05:04
Cause love in Christ, we say, yes, there is room.
Yes, there is room. All things are ready come. Yes, there is room.
Crying outcome. Yeah, there is room.
Oh my God.
Yes, there is room.
Salvation day from you will pass away.
And embrace no more. Well played.
Yes, there is room.
I think most of us this evening have heard in the news the last few weeks.
Of the devastating floods down in Houston.
They really, it seems as if these these floods have been at least as bad as Katrina was a few years ago, and many people have suffered greatly and.
I couldn't help but think of the verse in Job 33 that says God speaketh once. Yeah twice. But man perceiveth. If not, you know God is faithful.
And we all know, looking around, that the world is quickly ripening for judgment.
But God never brings judgment without warnings. And even though we really feel for the people who have suffered in this catastrophe, still I believe that God is speaking warning men of what's to come. And I couldn't help but think that regarding this flood, that we should go back to Genesis and look at that very familiar story of.
Noah's Flood, So I'd like to turn there for a few moments.
We won't spend all our time in this chapter, but we'll look at it.
Genesis chapter 6.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were.
Shall not always strive with man for that he also is flesh, yet his day shall be 120 years. There were giants in the earth in those days, and also came after that, and I'm sorry, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, that they bear children to them.
The same became mighty men which were of old men of renown.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually. And he repented the Lord, that he had made man on the earth, and aggrieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.
Both man and beast, and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air for repented me that I have made them.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
00:10:00
And then down to verse 11, the earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them.
And behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Meet thee an ark of Gopher wood. Room shall thou make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without, with pitch.
And then down to the next chapter. And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
And then he talks about the animals going into the ark. And, uh, verse four, we have seven days. I will cause it to rain upon the earth, 40 days and 40 nights. And then over to the 15th verse. And they went in on to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in went in male and female of all flesh.
Is gone and commanded him.
And the Lord shot him in.
Well, I'm sure that all of us have heard this story many times, and we also know that this world has really relegated it to nothing more than a myth.
And yet I want to say that if you take this as a myth, then you have to set aside the entire Word of God. I say that because not only does Mondus mention it here in Genesis, but if you were to turn, and we will turn a few moments to Job the patriarch, you would find that he speaks of the flood.
And then if you turn to Isaiah.
And Ezekiel, you find again that they mention the flood. And then of course in the book of Matthew, the Lord Jesus himself, he speaks of a flood. And then the epistles of the apostle Paul and Hebrews and the apostle Peter in his epistle, they all speak of a flood.
So if you refuse to accept this story in the book of Genesis.
Then you have to set aside what the Lord Jesus says, what the apostles say, what the prophets say, and the patriarchs. And you know, I don't believe this story because I have decided that it's scientifically possible. I believe it by faith. You know, I remember Brother Bellman many years ago speaking in Chicago, and he gave a very interesting.
Uh, definition of faith, he said.
God says it, I believe it, and that says, and I think that is really what faith is. It's simply believing what God says. And it's also interesting to note that the story of the flood isn't only told in the in the book of Genesis, in these other accounts, we have other details.
And I can't help but think that when we look at this story.
That we're really seeing a little picture of what the world is like even today. You'll notice it starts off and says I came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the Earth. Don't you think that's one thing that is really happening today? You know, when I was a young boy, I can't tell you exactly, but I would say in the population of the world was something like 3 billion.
Now it's around 7 billion.
In other words, it's true that men are beginning, beginning to multiply on the earth. Our brother John mentioned that India has over a billion people, China has even more people. And we see the same thing beginning to happen that happened back in these days. And then it says, of course, the sons of God saw the daughters of men that were fair.
You know this verse here has been debated by many.
But I really believe that, umm, it really well, we let's let's take a look at what some of the other writers say. We'll look at first Peter for a moment first Peter.
00:15:06
Umm, or how the second Peter, second Peter chapter 2 and it says there in the, uh, fifth verse, or maybe we read the fourth verse. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment.
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the 8th person, a preacher of righteousness.
Bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. Well there you'll notice it mentions the angels that sinned. I believe it's referring to this chapter. The sons of God being none other than angels, they took on the four of the man. They married the children of men.
And it was one of the reasons why judgment came on the world.
Because God had made the angels suffer from men and he abused men, left these angels, left their first estate and they united with men. And you know, we find the same kind of thing going on today, not with angels, but men are not content to be in the place that God has put them. We have men that want to become women. We have women that want to become men. They are people that want to change what God has.
Done. And this brought judgment on that.
Civilization that was before the flood and so it points this out and then in the third verse it says my spirit shall not all would strive with man for that he is also flesh, yet his day shall be 120 years. And so God did not judge right away.
He waited in loving patience, long-suffering.
120 years.
And, umm.
God is doing the same thing to do today. He's striving with men and he's done it for a long time. You know, I find it very interesting. I was teaching school for many years and I've always thought it's interesting to look at history from God's point of view. And you know, God has never left himself without a witness. And during the dark ages that one of the brothers was mentioning today.
There were those who were godly Christians, wanted to follow the Lord. They were known as the Vaido.
Or the Alba Jensen. And then, of course, God raised up Martin Luther.
Because the Church at that time was teaching that in order to be, uh, delivered from, umm, they called the purgatory or from hell, you had to pay money to the church. And so God raised up Martin Luther to show that salvation was by faith. And umm, it was wonderful to see the number of people that were saved as a result of Martin Luther's testimony.
Then God raised up a whole series of gospel preachers.
In the next couple of centuries, men like George Whitfield and.
John and Charles Wesley and David Bernard, many of these men, they pinched the gospels, thousands of people were saved and then we know that at the beginning of the 19th century, the 1800s, God raised up the.
Truth of the Lord's coming, and so on. In other words, God was working all the way.
And souls were being saved. And thank God, he's still waiting. He's still starting with men. You know, we find that here in North America, there's not much desire to hear the gospel. They don't want to hear about the word of God. They turn their back on it. So what is God doing? He's going out into the byways and the highways and he's compelling them to be saved men. And Iran, China, Malawi, Nigeria, I was very impressed.
Just on Tuesday night, I was over in turn and I handed out to know the little messages of love gospel sheets, not gospel sheets but the the prize sheets. And I noticed that there were more people in Nigeria that answered the messages of Love Bible searcher.
Now all the people in the United States, just in one country, Nigeria, it shows you that God is going to have his house still. If the people of North America and the people of Europe don't want it, then he'll send it out to others. We know too, that our brother Mariel Persa has been preaching the gospel in Brazil on the Internet, and I think our brother John here has told us there's many as 40 or more assemblies as.
00:20:18
No, no audience. God helps us spilling fast. Some guests will be the last. And tonight we're looking here at the audience. We know when you've heard the gospel many times, but maybe there's a child here, maybe there's a teenager, maybe there's even some adults who have never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. God is giving you the opportunity tonight.
To accept Christ as your Savior.
Well, let's take a look for a few moments. It's on the other scriptures that refer to the to the flood here. Let's look. First of all, a job Chapter 22.
John, Chapter 22.
And you'll notice there, uh, starting at, umm.
Umm.
Adverse.
Umm, Verse 15 Hostile mark the old way, which mark which wicked men have trodden, which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflowing with a flood, which said unto God, depart from us. For what can the Almighty do for them? Yet he filled their houses with good things.
But the council of the wicked is far from thee. You know what starts out by saying hostel mark the old way. I want to ask you tonight, dear friend, have you marked as an old way? I'm sure that the Christians in this room have been thought about what happened back in in the beginning when this terrible flood came across the earth. But here.
It's saying half Thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden.
This is serious. We're not just having a little talk here for an hour. We're asking, have you considered what happened back at this time?
It's so important. And you know, what did these people say? They said depart from us. You know, I wonder why they said it. Well, you'll notice the down there a little further. It says he filled their houses with good things. I asked you tonight, dear friend, is your house filled with good things? What I mean by that is.
Do you have food for the next week in your home? Do you have nice clothes? Do you have a car? You have a comfort, a comfortable place to sleep at night?
I'm sure those things are true. God has Bentley provided and yet what has it done in?
Security of Salvation
Children—Alex Nash
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Really. On my clock. Let's talk about 3 minutes fast. But since it's only 1/2 hour, I think we can, uh, we can go ahead. We're gonna sing for a few minutes, then we'll do some verses if any of you have memorized the verse, and then we'll have a short message. So let's start with some songs. Does anyone have a song that you'd like to sing?
Anybody.
See what's on No.
And you guys have a song. Just pick a number. OK, well, how about we start with #1 Then?
And you guys can look for a song and, uh, there's not many of us here. I'm sure more people are coming. But uh, we're gonna try to sing loud and try to sing fast, OK? So we can get through a lot of these songs in about 10-15 minutes, OK, so #1.
Almost persuaded now to.
Believe.
Almost persuaded.
It seems now some soul to say.
No, spirit, go thy way.
Some more convenient day on the alcohol.
Almost persuaded.
Come, come today.
Almost persuaded.
Turn, not away.
She thought invite you here.
Let's hear his voice so clear.
Now falling on the.
OK.
#8.
All right, will someone please start this one?
Now we have.
Me.
You can't go beyond the guide.
Of the game explosion.
It was in the third response.
They never crossed his tall one day and prayed all this long, and he could go home and do what he had appeared to me in him touching down the mountain of David Horn. He had to be a swell gathering.
Called 1,000,000 Installed radio. Installed radio has gone.
Will you be among us now, perfectly through his praise and his faith?
Do you know what I'm saying? That's in the car that he will want you to wine as no.
Yes, we have got a ride economy.
00:05:02
Before, yes, euphoria.
Saw me.
Calculates the same time is coming. It was in the Savior's blood.
OK, is gonna have another one.
Nobody has a song.
Go ahead, 46.
All right #46.
Gladiator NGS. IDRIN, G.
That day he has given your computer and baby he me and he calls and he calls all the GI Rs and he wants all the oi assume.
Did you have one?
Yeah, I think so. That's gonna be the last one. Go ahead, 39.
Oh that's one of my favorites #39.
What a friend we have in Jesus.
God in prayer.
Oh, I meet me up before you go.
Oh, they've got me to my hair relief and breathing to die in prayer.
As he drives and can take us to trouble anywhere.
We can't have anything. Umm, very good question. Uh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
OK good singing. Does anyone have the verse memorized? I think it was the mask of 11/28. Does anyone have it memorized and they'd like to say it? If not, that's fine.
Nobody. OK, well that's actually good because I'm not sure if I can finish the message in 15 minutes, but we'll see. So we'll just move on to the message then and umm, let's all just bow our heads and we're gonna ask the Lord for yourself, OK? So can we all do that? Bow your head, close your eyes, and we're gonna pray to the Lord Jesus, OK?
Lord Jesus, we ask for these children that they might hear Thy word today, and that they might understand it and might grow in their faith.
Might accept the Lord Jesus if they have not already. We look to thee that you would guide the mess, the uh speaker to give thy word faithfully in Jesus name, Amen.
OK, so we're gonna start with a verse. This verse is found in Isaiah chapter 64. I don't know if any of you have your Bibles, but you can follow along Isaiah chapter 64 and it's the introduction to a figure. Isaiah 64 and verse 8. But now, oh Lord, thou art our father, we are the clay, and thou our Potter, and we all are the work of thy hand.
00:10:07
OK, so I brought along with me.
Purchased conveniently at the Hobby Lobby in Bangor. A lump of clay. You guys all like to play with clay. I know I really much used to. I don't get a chance to do so much anymore, but I still like to whenever I can. OK, this play going to be a tough concept to understand, but I think you guys can do it. It's going to represent a life like we just read about. OK, I know clay is kind of a funny thing to represent a life, but it's going to represent a life and we're going to travel through this clay's life or just.
And, uh, does anyone know what is the first event in somebody's life? Does anyone know Marianne? They're born, OK yes. But even before that they're conceived, right? The life begins at conception, and then you're, uh, you're in the womb for a while and then you're born, like Marianne said. So we're going to read a verse because we'd like to know what kind of life Clayton has. All right, so we're going to read a verse in Psalm 51.
If you turn to Psalm 51 if you have your Bible.
3 Psalm 51 and verse 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
OK, so right away we can tell that this life, Clayton, that conception, and then as he's formed and as he eventually is born, you can tell that there's a problem. So I brought along a little prop also conveniently purchased at Hobby Lobby. This is a great store, and it's a snake. Now, who knows what a snake speaks of in the Scripture, generally speaking, you know.
You know Satan. OK, so.
This is going to be a figure of sin, of evil. OK, I'm gonna take this. This is our life. This is dear Clayton. And I'm gonna put the snake in the Clayton. This is a figure. I I don't think my friend of mine, I borrowed it from him. He told me about. I thought it was a good figure. We're gonna put this snake right into Clayton, OK? And this is gonna be. I have another figure to try to explain to you.
Because what does it mean to be born in sin, right? It's kind of a complex figure. So here we go. Here's Clayton.
And he has a problem. He has a snake in him. And the snake speaks of sin. OK, can you see the snake? You look like maybe a rattlesnake. Looks like a pretty bad snake, right? OK. So what does it mean to be born in sin? All right, I I I have another figure. I'm going to show you something to see if you can figure it out.
Alright, what is that?
A tree branch. Now, what kind of a tree is this from? Do you know what kind of a tree branch it is?
Do you guys know fig tree?
And Evergreen tree, Maybe cedar. These are some good guests, but nobody knows you haven't any of you got it right? Nobody actually knows what kind of a tree this is from, right?
The reason you don't know is because I took all the leaves off, so you can't see any leaves. Somebody really good with trees might be able to figure out what kind of tree this is from, but now I have another branch.
OK, this branch and this branch came from the same tree. Now what kind of a tree did this one come from?
Ah, a Maple. That was like a Maple tree to you. You guys are some of your Canadian. You ought to know this.
It is a Maple.
Hopefully I've got that right. That's a Maple tree, right? OK, If I told you that this tree or the branch on this tree and the branch of the these two branches were taken from the same tree, what kind of a branch is this? The Maple? How do you know that there's no leaves on it?
Because they're from the same tree, right? OK.
Now I had opportunity about a year and a little bit ago to hold a little baby girl in my arms. I looked down on that little baby girl, her name is Sarita, and I did not see any bad things with that little girl. I thought she is wonderful. But I knew that that little girl came from me and I'm not wonderful. And I knew that I came from Adam and he sinned and he's not wonderful.
And so even though she didn't have any leaves on her leaves are a figure of like lying or stealing or disobeying your parents or something. Even though she didn't have any honor that I could see at that time, I knew.
That she was born in sin. She was a Sinner. OK, That's a concept to understand. So it doesn't matter how many leads or how few leads, how many sins you've committed. You're a Sinner. So whether you have a lot of leads and you look like a really bad center, so you say, oh, yes, there's the center, or you only have maybe one or two that people know about or that you know about, it doesn't matter. The point is we're all centers, OK? That's what needs to be born. Sin in the general way.
00:15:14
OK, but.
We're gonna, OK, so we're gonna advance in Clayton's life, Oh, I don't know, about 5 to 10 years. And maybe it's not Clayton. Maybe it's you, Henry, or you. And you're sitting in one of these chairs, and this is you. This is your life. And you have a problem. You have a serpent embedded in your life. You are a Sinner.
What are you going to do about that? That's a problem. Where do sinners end up? They would know where sinners end up, Henry.
In health. So this Clayton dies right now, he's going to go to hell. That's kind of. That's bad, right? Hell is a place apart from God. It's eternal darkness. There's torment. It's very bad. But he has a problem and he can't get rid of the serpent. No matter how hard he tries, no matter how many leaves he manages to hide, he's still a Maple tree. He's still a Sinner. OK.
Well, we have good news for Clayton and the good news is found in First Timothy chapter one.
A well known verse and verse 15. I'm just gonna read part of the verse. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
OK, it's not my purpose really to go through how that all works. I think you guys have heard the gospel many times. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That's how it happens. He shed his blood, He died, so you might be saved. OK, so we're going to say that Clayton here sees his need. He's a Sinner. He says I can't stop sinning no matter how hard I try. And I need a Savior, someone to save me. And if any of you this morning have not said the same.
And accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, believed on him. You need to do that because this is you. This is you right now. And if you die, you will go to hell. And if the Lord comes right now, which he could, you will go to hell. So you need to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. This is you. You may not think that you have a lot of sins, but you have a serpent embedded in you. You have sin in you.
You're a Sinner, OK, but I'm going to assume, and I'm trusting that most of you are not sinners. You have accepted the Lord as your Savior, and we're gonna say that Clayton believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what happens when he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ?
I'm gonna read a verse in John chapter 10 to to give us I'm flying through this as fast as I can. I think I'll get it done in time. So John chapter 10.
And.
Luckily I wrote the verse down, verse 28, John 10 and verse 28. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. OK, Galatians 220 I won't read it, but it tells us that the new life that we have is the life of Christ. I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
OK, so the new life that he's talking about there is Christ life. So I brought along.
Purchase Handley from Hobby Lobby.
A lamb. You guys know what a lamb speaks of in scripture?
Do you know, do you know speaks of Jesus as a lamb without blemish, without spot. OK, I'm going to take this. This Clayton believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is saved. He's given a new life. So I'm gonna take this and push him into the clay. And this is gonna be representative of the new life. Now, there's a verse in Romans chapter 5 that tells us something about people with new life.
It says by the disobedience of one, that's Adam. Remember who Adam is? Yeah. He was the guy that sinned in the garden, right? He was the first person to ever sin.
Oh, the 1St man ever since and uh, by the disobedience of one that was Adam, many people were made centers that all of us, everyone in this room was when we were born, we were made sinners. So by the obedience of one, many were made righteous. OK, so I have a question for you. There's a problem with this figure right now. This figure isn't right. Is it possible to both have the life of Christ and to be a Sinner at the same time?
Isn't that kind of a contradiction of terms? How can we both be righteous and a Sinner at the same time?
Does that make sense? No. Can someone both be good and bad at the same time? Like, can someone both be convicted and not convicted at the same time? It doesn't make sense, does it? OK, so this is a problem and we're gonna read one verse in Romans 6 to take care of it. Explain that.
00:20:02
Because the Lord gives us new life, but He also does something with something called the old man. And I'm not going to get into the details of this, but Romans chapter 6 and verse six says knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
OK, now I'm gonna try to keep this as simple as I can.
What's going to happen is the Lord is going to deal with this life. He does it by death, by his death.
I'm going to leave that to others to really explain. It's not my purpose to explain it. But what he does, he takes this life and he puts it in the place of death. It's crucified. Remember Galatians 220, I am crucified with Christ. It's done away with, OK. This life is no longer part of you. You're no longer a guilty person. You are now a righteous person. OK, this is this is the first point. So there's two points I want to make. This is the first point.
You if you are a believer.
Are righteous OK? And there's nothing that you can do to change that. So I know that I struggle when I was young about my salvation. And I'm going to guess that if you are saved, there's going to come a point, if it hasn't come already, that you're going to struggle with am I saved? That question is going to come up in the mind. It's a very popular question that the devil likes to throw at us because it's a hard one to answer sometimes, especially when we're young and we don't we don't know all of the Bible.
So the first thing that you need to know.
Is that you are righteous by the obedience of one. Many were made righteous. Now if somebody is righteous and they have the life of Christ within them, I can read a verse in first John. I think it's chapter 4. I didn't look it up. Uh, I think it's maybe verse 10 or something. I, I won't read it, but umm, it says, uh, maybe I'd better see. Uh, all right, I better look it up.
The seed remaineth in him and he cannot send. Can anyone help me find that?
I think it's chapter 4.
No.
Well, I'll let somebody find that.
For a minute there we go verse uh chapter 3, verse nine, first John chapter 3 and verse 9. Whosoever is born of God, that means they that they have new life. Christ's life does not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he was born of God. OK? So Clayton here is impossible for Clayton to send in this new life, OK?
It is impossible if you're a Christian, for you to sin in your new life. I'm going to explain it in a minute because that could be confusing, but it is.
It is impossible for you to become unrighteous after you are righteous. Remember in John 10, the verse that we read, it says none shall pluck them out of my hand. You cannot become unrighteous if you are righteous. OK, So if you have Christ life in you, this is what you look like to the Lord. To God you look like a beautiful little lamb. You look like the Lord Jesus Christ and there's nothing you can do to change that.
So no matter what you do, even if you do sin, you do lie or disobey your parents or something, you cannot change the fact that you are righteous.
OK, nothing can change that fact. You're saved. The Lord is not a partial Savior, so you are righteous. Nothing can change that fact. OK, now I'm going to deal with the other side. What about the fact that I still sin? I do. I'm sure you do as well. How can I be righteous and yet sin? That doesn't make sense. And that was kind of the whole point of the clay. Look at the back of this clay. What do you see?
Do you see what's here? Ah, we have an imprint of a snake in the back of this place still, even though the snake is gone.
Do you see that? See how that's still there? I'll try to explain.
The imprint of the snake is something that we often call the old nature. OK, the old nature is still there. It's not us. The old nature is something that's called, it's still called sin, and it's within us. So it tells us to do things in the devil tempts us. It says every man, umm, sins when he's drawn away of his own lust and enticed. And let us know I misquoted that When losses conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. So you have something inside of you still.
That wants to make you sin, but that's no longer you. You are no longer characterized as a Sinner. You are characterized as righteous. So the first thing to understand is that you're righteous, that nothing can affect that righteousness. You are righteous. You cannot lose your salvation because you sin. The second thing to understand is that you will still stand because you still have the old nature. So the devil will come at you, at least in my experience, in one of two ways. One, he will say you did that. You must have lost your salvation.
00:25:07
That's impossible because we're righteous and nothing can change that righteousness. The second thing the devil might say to you is you did that. You must not be saved. It's impossible for you to be saved because you did that sin, right. So I'm gonna read one verse in first John chapter 2 in verse one.
To show you that it is absolutely possible for a Christian to sin.
First John chapter 2. This is spoken directly to Christians verse one my children, these things write out unto you that ye sin not so the desires that we wouldn't sin. If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
So the point of this is that you as a believer, even though God sees you as righteous and nothing can change that, you will still sin, you will still still do bad things, and that's not OK. But the Lord has dealt with those sins. He goes before God the Father is our advocate. And so don't let the devil convince you, number one, that you're not righteous because you sin. You are. If you're a Christian, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are righteous.
You can change that. Number two, don't let him convince you that because you send you're not a Christian, you still have the old nature in you and you still have the capacity to sin. OK. Does that make sense? Does that make sense to you guys? Do I need to explain that some more? No. OK, well, if you have any more questions, I know this is kind of a little bit confusing, but I think it's really important for children to get a hold of because this is about the age, at least when I was attacked, I remember laying up in bed at night.
And calling for my mother, my mom would come groggily into the room and I say, mom, I don't think I'm saved. I'm not sure. And she say, well, uh, you know, don't you believe? I said, well, I think, I believe. I'm not really sure though. I, I did this bad thing and I, I just, I don't know.
Rest on the word of God. It says, umm, if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. So if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are righteous. And the fact that you still sin does not affect that righteousness. OK. And the fact that you still sin does not mean that you are not saved because Christians do still sin. Does that make sense to everyone?
OK.
Well, uh, let's see.
I think we have time to sing Jesus loves me and then we'll close. OK, what number is Jesus loves me?
#40.
OK, so let's sing Jesus loves me and then we'll close.
Jesus loves me. Did I know that I'll be alone today? No one. Did I respond to his arm? Yeah, she's done. So I'm saying yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's really nice.
Yeah.
Go straight on something in the sky and take you overhead twice. Here you will Marshall any license flattened on the landscape of him.
Uh, uh, the advice you're OK with UH-22 for me and he'll start it's midday from every month, yes, he can't concentrate.
Yelling training sounds lovely. Yeah, after getting sunscreen.
Oh my God, I don't think so.
2:00 may continue terrible where I'm here for you. We can still from his thigh. He clicked on my tongue to watch anywhere I like yeah please. I love to be here I love being a clustering yeah.
00:30:15
He sounds frustrated.
No one is old and I don't know that I don't think so.
He will stay closely, kindly hear all the ways and my constituents.
He will Take Me Home on time. Yeah. Yeah, he does love you. You know how that works. And he's like son to me. Yeah. I have to see if it's not the last two days.
Oh, I don't. I don't need so.
All right, let's just close and correct.
Father, he just looked to thee. Thank you for this time ready thou let's bless the word umm that was given and correct anything that was said that might be wrong. And we just look to thee that each one here, if they have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior might believe and the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior today and that they might have peace in their souls regarding their salvation. Look to thee for this with the rest of the day to thee in Jesus name, Amen.
Balance Between Unity and Separation
Don't leave the Assembly for Gospel Work
Open—John Kemp
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Well, I am glad that our brother William spoke.
The way he did and the time that he took.
Uh, in the meeting, because I think, I'm sure that those truths are very, very important. Umm, I can't add much more, but, uh, I have a, a burden on my heart too. And another, you might say, another direction.
We'll turn uh, with me to, uh, Zachariah chapter.
Two Zechariah chapter 2.
I lifted up mine eyes.
And, uh, look and behold.
A man with a measuring line in his hand.
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me to measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, What is the length thereof? And behold, the Angel that talked with me went forth, and another Angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man.
Saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls.
With a multitude of men and capital therein.
For I saith, the Lord will be unto her a wall of fire.
Round about.
And will be the glory in the midst of her.
Well, I think we pro perhaps know the background here. Umm hagee, ayah and Zachariah.
Were post captivity profits.
And their ministry was for that little remnant that had returned from Babylon.
In much weakness.
And, uh, we're settling down.
In their own uh.
Comfortable, uh, homes and uh, surroundings.
And they were neglecting the House of the law. You see this in the book of of Hagei and Hagei Ayah.
Was a prophet who stirred up the conscience of the people, he said. Consider your ways.
He had a message that spoke to the people and stirred them up to uh.
Uh, commence again the building of the temple.
And Zechariah was also.
Our profit and uh.
He spoke of the glory that was to come for the nation of Israel. But in our chapter here.
We find that Zechariah lifted up his eyes and he looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his half.
And this man was going forth to measure the, uh, dimension of the city of Jerusalem.
And uh.
I know. I think sometimes, brethren, we have the the measuring line in our hands. We look at things and we feel there's so much weakness here. There doesn't seem to be much activity. There doesn't seem to be much interest in the gospel, in this assembly where we are.
We are here, uh, for three days or it's wonderful to be together. Uh, we're encouraged as we meditate upon the word and have fellowship one with the other, but we're going back to our assemblies and it's so small and weak and, uh, we become discouraged. We have that measuring line in our hand and.
We're comparing, uh, the assembly perhaps with other groups of Christians that were.
Familiar with and we say, well, look at the activity, look at the gospel endeavors that they are carrying on and here we are we're not doing much well, this is the tendency, brethren, sometimes in our hearts that we we get our eyes.
00:05:18
On the weakness and the feebleness.
And the lack of spiritual energy.
And there's the danger of us drifting away.
In our associations, it might be with other believers who love the Lord and are even energetic in the gospel. Why can't we have fellowship with them? They're doing a wonderful work and they're seeing results.
Listen, brethren, God values obedience to His Word and.
Zechariah, he says. Look on to that coming day.
When Jerusalem is going to be filled with the glory of the Lord? The day is coming. When?
Uh, there will be a reward for faithfulness in your life and mine.
So, brethren, don't measure things by what you can see. If you're gonna compare things, compare them with the Word of God. And I just say this, and I don't wanna speak much longer than maybe another brother that has something. Remember that God values obedience to His Word above all to be gathered on the ground of the one body of Christ.
To be gathered.
To the name of the Lord alone is not popular.
If there's going to be a reproach connected with it.
And we don't need to be, uh, inactive in the gospel and we don't need to leave the ground of the truth in order to spread the gospel of the grace of God. We, we can be more energetic in that field. The doors are open, but we do not need to join our hands with those who are in the wrong position.
And who do not give the Lord his rightful place?
Yes, the glory is before us, but what about, you might say, a young person can ask the question, yes, but here we are. We're still in the world and there's there's not much interest in this assembly. And don't look at things with the measuring line. Don't pull it out and try to understand these things.
Remain in the path that the Lord has marked out in his word for you. I'm just noticing, you know when I Dollar Tree came into the.
A nation of Israel, you know the story when they came out of Egypt and, uh, Egypt didn't come out of them, however, and uh, they made the golden calf and they sunk into abominable idolatry. And what did the Lord say to Moses? Take the, uh, Tabernacle. I won't turn to it for want of time. Exodus 33.
Take that Tabernacle and pitch it without the cap. There was the camp. It was filled with people. Take that Tabernacle and pitch it outside the camp. The Lord was no longer owning the camp collectively because idolatry and sin had come into their midst.
And the Tabernacle was taken out, and you remember that, Joshua?
Abode in the Tabernacle outside the camp. He didn't go into the camp. Oh, but you say Moses went into the camp. That's true. He did. And that brings before us the sovereignty of God. Yes, God is sovereign. And the Spirit of God perhaps prefigured in Moses. He's still working.
In the camp, he's working there, there's no doubt.
Sometimes to our shame.
But, uh, Joshua did not leave the Tabernacle and go into the camp. The Lord had placed His name. His honor was in that Tabernacle, and all those that sought him went out to the Tabernacle. You say there must have been a lot of people out there because everyone that sought the Lord went out to the Tabernacle and it was outside the camp. No, I don't think.
00:10:16
From the passage as you read it there, I don't think there were a lot of people out there at the Tabernacle.
I think there was very few comparatively. And so brethren, just the thought I leave with you, God is working sovereignly, You remember that?
Umm, who was it? Was it Joshua that became envious of Ldad and Medad? They are prophesying in the camp. Moses forbid them. They're not in the right place. But Moses said envious thou for my sake, and he showed a wonderful spirit of meekness. Umm.
And, uh, a very broad, broad spirit, we might say, as our brother Bill mentioned there, but he did not.
Encourage Joshua to join in the camp with the others. Oh no, Joshua remained in that place of separation. Well, I mean, I feel there's always the danger of pulling out the measuring stick and saying, well, how can I continue to hear this? There's such weakness and how am I going to get a companion for life?
And what am I going to do?
You know, 5151 weeks of the year. There is no conference here.
It's wonderful to be together. We're encouraged, we're lifted up.
Uh, we're strengthening the things of the Lord. You have to go back to the assembly. You're gonna find it just the same way as you left it. But the Lord is there and he values.
Your obedience to His Word. One thing more, He's going to reward faithfulness.
We're never going to be sorry when we get into the glory that we remain where the Lord had placed His name in obedience. Not that we're the faithful people and we are the only ones who are doing anything in the gospel. No, but God values obedience to His Word and.
We can look on to that day of the glory like Zechariah brings before them here.
Uh, that wall of fire roundabout, I think that brings before us, brethren, the fact that there must be separation from evil. That's why the assembly testimonies will always be small, because we practice that truth, separation from evil, the wall of fire round about, uh.
And uh.
May the Lord encourage us. It's so easy to become discouraged, and I think, I think my brethren would agree, That's Satan's most successful weapon, discouragement.
Not persecution so much. Usually when believers are persecuted, they're bright, they're happy. But if Satan can get you discouraged?
He's accomplished his purpose.
And uh.
Our brother Gordon Hey Hawaii said that something that rather struck me and UH.
Umm, in a sense, umm, made me uh, think differently about that disverse, he says I believe that Satan as the roaring lion is really in connection with his discouragement of believers. I never heard that before. Umm, he says. I believe that that is really the.
The burden of that passage in First Peter chapter 5.
Satan as the roaring lion, we always connect that with persecution, don't we? But Gordon said to me, he says, I believe that is Satan acting in discouragement to the Saints of God, and I believe he's right. Well, may the Lord keep us. Sorry to have spoken perhaps a little too long, but may the Lord help us to value.
The truth above all, the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst.
Of thy love.
Shall be the end of glory.
Of all thy things.
About.
All I'm a God still.
Gave us.
All his sights.
Tis only.
There is a.
Peace we can.
Avoid.
In John chapter 21.
John, Chapter 21.
Verse 20.
Then Peter turning about Steve, the disciple of Jesus, loved.
Forward, which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that he created?
00:20:05
Peter C and best of the Lord and said to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
Jesus says unto him, if I will, that he carried till I come. What is that to thee?
Follow thou me.
Our God, our Father, we thank Thee.
We're speaking to us in this meeting again.
That which thou would cover.
Is that?
We desire.
But it might be the desire of each one of them are dogs.
Thy well beloved son opponent.
That we might find.
Direction that we need.
On our knees, seeking thy direction, Harvard, in each one of our lives.
To just follow thee toward Jesus.
And when we're not sure.
Of the way that we would just get down on our knees.
And asked me for that direction.
And we pray to for each.
Local Wisconsin.
That's the same would be true.
That when questions and difficulties arise, our God, which thou is to allow.
That we would get on our needs.
And seek to hear what thou art saying to us.
Speaks either record for Jesus by the leading advice security.
And so we just thank you for the meetings here thus far and we pray that that as we will be have left or we'll be leaving now or later tonight and tomorrow to travel home. We pray for safety on the roads and in the air. If so, we just Committee 22.
We thank you again, our God and Father.
We pray this our garden is worthy of breakfast next. Amen.
Revelation 3:11-18
Reading
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See now let us run, and never turn thy present.
Shall comfort thee thyself are over all desire.
Our presence save your own or turn, nor sin can go.
It's not like noon or present day. Your wildlife here nor sin can come if thou art in my love. For this we know I'll start by night our sun, by day our spring of love.
Grandparents friend drowned are wanting to cheer our breath.
Good day.
Our strength, our show, our strength of all, our roam before.
The throne of God for strangers shield ourselves.
Most of us know we were reading in Revelation chapter 3.
And, uh, we didn't quite finish the address to Philadelphia.
Uh, perhaps we could read verse 11, although we did talk about it a little, but if we could, could we go on and read the address to Laodicea with an hour's time? I don't know how much we can get into it, but might be possible to get into it a little. So would that be all right?
OK.
Reading in Revelation chapter 3, umm, starting at verse 11 and reading to the end of the chapter. Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God?
And he shall go no more out, And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, And I will write upon him my new name.
Even half an ear let him hear what the Spirit says under the churches.
And under the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, right these things saith thee, Amen. The faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy words, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou art cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knows not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked.
I constantly to buy of me gold, pride in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, And anoint thine eyes with I sat, that thou mayest see as many as I love. I rebuke and chasten. He zealoth therefore, and repent he hold. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him, and will Sup with him.
00:05:28
And he with me, to him that overcometh.
Well, I grad to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with my Father in his throne. He the half an ear let him hear what the Spirit sat on the church.
But we did remark on verse 11 already.
But just to note again that in the better translation, the word, behold, it's not here because in Scripture it has the sense of calling our attention to it. But if we're really walking in a Philadelphian way, there isn't the need for that. The Lord simply makes the statement, I come quickly.
But of course, with every privilege comes responsibility.
And so there's the added injunction.
All that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
And I suppose that's very necessary perhaps for some of us who live here in North America where we have been on the receiving end of the precious truth of God for some, uh, so long, generation after generation has been able to enjoy it. And we are very thankful for that. But we know all too well how that.
It's easy to take it lightly and to give it up, but God will have that which answers to Philadelphia until He comes. I believe each goes on to the end, and what we are seeing today is that God is working in places where, as far as we know, that precious truth has not been preached and made available.
When I was.
Growing up, I don't recall that there were assemblies and gathered to the Lord's name in Brazil or Argentina or Chile or Ecuador, just to name a few places.
Uh, not even in Peru. As far as I knew, there were no assemblies in India or Bhutan or in parts of Africa.
And Australia and many other places, South Korea. And yet today the Lord is working in all those places, sometimes in a remarkable way.
And it's wonderful to see how some of those dear souls, the truth, gets a real grip on their soul, and they value it.
But we need to each one ask ourselves our.
Those dear brethren going to take our crown, I say our in the sense of being in the place of privilege, and not that it has to be that.
Just because God is working in other places, there needs to be a giving up among some but.
God will have that Philadelphian character right to the end, won't he? And if those who have the opportunity don't take it up, God will raise up others.
Is divorced by grace as a man faithful and no one cannot lose eternal life. But can we lose our reward?
We uh, give up the cruise or uh.
Start from the class of the convenience to the Word of God community.
00:10:03
Well, I think this first proves it, doesn't it?
Scripture speaks of different kinds of rewards. Some will be.
Uh, as we saw earlier, uh, very tangible, outwardly public rewards such as having authority over 10 cities or five cities crowns will no doubt be able to be seen by others. Some rewards, like the Whitestone spoken of in Revelation 2, will be a private thing between US and the Lord. But there will be different kinds of rewards. And you can enlarge on it, John, but I'm sure we can lose our reward.
And have a sense of loss as a result, can't we?
In the First Corinthians chapter 3.
Where it speaks of a saved soul and a lost life at the judgment seat of Christ, verse 13. Every man's work shall be made manifest, and the days shall declare it. That day is the judgment seat of Christ, because it shall be revealed by fire.
In the fires, that's right, everyone's work of what sort of it is, umm, there's 15. But if any man's work shall be burned.
He shall suffer loss, but He Himself will be saved yet so as by fire. When the soul is saved here, that's eternally secure. But the work was not according to the word of God, is not according to the man.
Instructions of the Lord and therefore there's not a reward for the work. It's it doesn't divide, it doesn't have the Lord's approval, though it might appear great in the eyes of men, it is not according to the blueprints or the the plan that the Lord has put them in his word. So there's a loss there almost difficult to understand how there could be lost in heaven, but.
I mean, the Lord is a prime example of.
There he was, uh, living for present advantage, uh, caught up in the world of system and its politics and everything. And, uh, lost his testimony, nearly lost his wife, but he was a saved soul Will mean Lord in heaven, but his words would work out, will be burnt out. And, uh, that's a very sad endpoint for a believer.
Call.
So I think we can say that it's lost in the sense of something that we could have had, we were that we could have had.
But we don't, uh, we lose it. Something that we could have had because we weren't watching, as John said, passing the Lord would have.
Our rewards are in connection with position in the Kingdom. Is that not true?
As opposed to any special position in the father's house. Rewards does not apply there. Don't believe.
That's an encouragement that references made to chapter three of first Corinthians chapter 4.
It speaks here about the judgment seat and in verse.
Five, which is therefore.
Judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of their hearts. Now notice this, and then shall every man have praise of God.
You know, we think about, uh.
How, when we get to glory, we're going to be praising God.
But is this marvelous to consider that he's going to be praising us?
Every man will have praise of God. There will be something that God values. I believe in every life.
And that's gonna be manifest.
00:15:10
I believe there's a special crown, isn't there for this kind of faithfulness mentioned in connection with Philadelphia and.
And it's not directly connected with crowns that are mentioned elsewhere. We have various crowns mentioned in the Word of God. We have a crown of life in the previous chapter. We, uh, have a crown of righteousness and a crown of glory and so on, all of which are rewards for a slightly different things. But this is a crown in a general way, which will be for faithfulness according to what God has delivered to us.
And in that way there is responsibility, isn't there? As we were mentioning yesterday, if God has made something clear to us and revealed His mind, we have a responsibility to walk in it someone else who perhaps has not had it made to them. Clearly they may do something different. And as John was pointing out in First Corinthians 4, the motive is in question there in First Corinthians 4.
Or or I'm sorry, John Walley, I meant Wally was just pointing out to us in First Corinthians 4. They're the motive is more in question and God can reward a what a right motive. Whereas if the motive is wrong, everything is wrong. And so that's an important point. I can do something in the right way, but with a wrong motive and that destroys its value, doesn't it? But here in the address to Philadelphia.
I believe the sense is that you and I have a responsibility to walk in what God has made clear to us and what He has given us. And if we decide not to?
Someone else may take our crown in that sense. As we said earlier, God will raise up others who will walk in that path and value that. And it will be a sense of loss to us in that day if we see them receiving a crown, as Brother Robert Muir was mentioning that we could have had, but because of carelessness and not valuing the truth, we didn't walk in it.
Call.
So the overcoming here is.
A little different to some of the other assemblies addressed.
Uh, for example, in Smyrna, the overcoming had to do with that which was outside the assembly. There was persecution and the overcomers were those who were faithful unto death. But here the overcomer is the one who is having that Philadelphian character and who only by God's grace, of course, is.
Holding that fast which he or she has, Satan is working strenuously to take it away. He is making every possible effort to destroy that which honors the name of Christ in this world in the fullest way. Oh, you would say, how could any true believer deny His name? How could any believer not fail to keep His word? Well, we can, and sad to say, there are.
Believers today and we have to watch our own hearts.
If we rationalize our way around the Word of God and don't want to walk in it, or we connect the name of the Lord Jesus with that which is not according to the Word of God, we too can dishonor His name.
But.
Here the Lord is talking about those who overcome by holding on to what they have, and there's a tremendous reward here. Some of the greatest encouragement, we might say, in the whole Bible is given to the assembly in Philadelphia and ultimately in our day to those who are willing to walk in it because God values.
Very specially.
That which is done under difficult circumstances, and we don't want to in any way belittle or make light of what went on in the days of the early church. It was a wonderful time, but it was relatively easy in that day to keep His word and not deny His name. There was power, there was.
00:20:26
A growing testimony there was that.
Which, uh, was gradually increasing and although there was definitely persecution yet at the same time.
It was something that was a work that God was doing. All believers were one together. But as it was at the end of Israel's history, so it is at the end of the church's history. There hasn't been serious failure and God doesn't restore things to the way they were at the beginning.
But he brings a small number, relatively small, to the knowledge of what he did give at the beginning as a testimony. And that's the way it is in your day and my day. And so it becomes more and more difficult because there isn't the outward encouragement that there might have been at one time. There isn't the encouragement today that there was will say, 150 years ago.
Among those gathered to the Lord's name, but.
The Lord is the same, and the encouragement here, as we say again, is some of the most remarkable encouragement in the whole body.
The first expression here.
Says I will make a pillar him that overcometh. I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out.
Pillar speaks of that which is stable, doesn't it? That would sit in one place that would support that which is there Speaking of stability.
There will be no literal temple in heaven. There will be an earthly temple, but God uses it as a figurative term, whether in judgment or in reward. And so the temple of God is spoken of here in revelation in heaven.
Smoke coming out of it and so on because of judgment coming on this world and here it's spoken about in blessing.
Down here, as we had in the previous meeting, there sometimes has to be a going out, doesn't there? There has to be a separation from what is not according to the mind of God. And it's not easy. It's difficult, very, very difficult. And sometimes that becomes even harder than bearing the persecution of a hostile world. Very, very difficult. But there will come a day when.
The Philadelphia would go no more, no more out to be in the father's house there.
To have that sense of being a pillar and to go no more wonderful prospect to which to look forward, isn't it?
I suppose if we take the promises as, uh, they're given, umm, and, uh, live in them, back in them, then we're acting already like a killer in favor of, uh, what, uh.
And then, and that is the idea of supporting it too. Umm, if the support.
Brother Bill, it might be nice to just notice in uh, first Kings Chapter 7 in connection with the pillar.
It says there in First King 7 verse 21 and this has to do with the temple. He set up the pillars in the porch of the temple and he set up the right pillar and called the name thereof Jacob.
00:25:06
And he set up the left filler and called the name Boaz. And I think it's interesting that Jake, and if you look in your margin, uh, means he shall establish and Boaz of course, means in it is French. So it sort of corroborates what you're bringing out, uh, brother Bill in connection with the pillar, uh, Speaking of that, which is.
Uh, stable and strengthening and so on, I guess to point that out.
Yes.
And it's beautiful to see too that despite those pillars being established in that way, when Nebuchadnezzar finally took Judah captive and the temple was destroyed, it specifically mentions that those pillars were removed and taken to babbling. Sad to see those pillars didn't last because a man's unfaithfulness. But there's a day coming when you and I will be pillars.
And we'll go no more out. And, uh, as our brother was, uh, was just saying our brother Lauren Perry, we should in one sense be pillars right now. The assembly is to be the pillar and ground of the truth and.
We ought to be able to look on one another as pillars. Of course, we can only take that place in dependence on the Lord and in communion with Him. But we should be acting like that now. We should be supporting the truth. But because of that there may be.
A necessity for going out, but there will come a day when that will never have to happen again.
Just, uh, on a side, I want to be careful that in acting like a pillar in these days in the assembly that we don't want to make the claim high and the filler.
No, that's good.
Will this be a public acknowledgement of uh?
Faithfulness. Connect.
You believe her? Is it not a public acknowledgement here? I know there's some rewards that are individual and individual, but, uh, more of a secret nature, but it's just not a public, uh.
Approval of the Lord.
Those who might grace are taking business positioning them.
I believe all these rewards are public, yes, uh, in the same way as we mentioned, uh, back there in verse uh, nine, where the Lord says I will make them of the synagogue of Satan to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee. Yes, there will be a public acknowledgement of those that have been faithful and rewards, I believe here will be public.
And so all of these things are God's answer to faithfulness, aren't they?
So we need to remember that, and God wants us to take an eternal view of things. All too often I speak to my own heart. It's easy to take a temporal view. And how are things going to go with me in this world if I do this or if I do that? Well, God wants me to take an eternal view. What would it look like before the Lord in that day? What I am doing now in the way that I am going?
And so it goes on to say, And I will write upon him the name of my God, the name of my God.
The Lord Jesus.
Often referred to God as his Father, but he refers to him here as God. And the Spirit of God in that sense brings before us God in his nature and His power.
How are you and I in this world? If we really walk a Philadelphian pathway, these scriptures say we have a little strength. We don't have anything to boast of in this world, but just imagine having, just imagine having the name of God written upon us. When we get farther, it's more a thought of relationship, but when we get God, it's more the thought of nature and power. And of course, we never.
00:30:15
In that sense, will be deity will never have the nature of God in that way. Sad to say, many false religions bring that in that man can become God. Uh, there's no truth whatever in that, but we will be associated with the name of the one who is God, My God, What a wonderful thing that will be.
Administrative position in the capacity of the latter part of the book, the place that the Church will have in that coming Kingdom. We're not.
Unearthly people, but uh, it's, uh, described in their, uh, very fully in the 21St chapter of Revelation carries everything carried me away in the spiritual breaking high mountains and going to be that great city and falling Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God and her life was delightful to, uh, the stone most precious.
Even like a Jasper stone, Ferris, crystal and as you can go on through that chapter.
Uh, it brings before us the Church, but not as so much as the bride of Christ, but in its administrative character, when the Lord will be reigning as Lord, King of kings and Lord of war, and the Church will be associated with him in his reign, no doubt as the bride of Christ, but.
The thought is the administration of that.
New heavens and new earth or something eternal sake. It's, it's the Millennium, uh, because there will not be any administration in the throne of state, but in the Millennium, the war to be raised, but we will be reigning with them. Now is not the time for reigning. That's where the Corinthians made a mistake. They were reigning now as teams. And uh, the apostle says, I would to God that you were reigning, that we might reign with you.
But this isn't This is man's day. This is not the time for rain.
The time for suffering with Christ. But here it is also the, uh, the Church of Philadelphia is looking on to that time when we will arrange with Christ. And as Brother Raleigh mentioned, our position in the Kingdom will be according to our walk down here. Our position, uh, or reward in the Kingdom will be according as we have, uh, walked in this scene.
OK.
Yes, the New Jerusalem is the church in millennial glory, isn't it? And it'll be viewed by this world. It'll be in full view of this world. The communication, you might say, between heaven and earth will be restored in that day. And the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God. But yes, that's very beautiful to see in the Millennium.
The bride is viewed as a city in the eternal state. The city is viewed as a bride. And so if you read the 1St 8 verses of Revelation 21, the city is viewed as a bride in the eternal state. But then when we go on from the ninth verse to the end of the chapter, the bride is viewed as a city. And that's because his brother John was bringing out. There is administration there.
The administration of things down here.
Will be through the church. And so you and I will reign, live and reign with Christ 1000 years. Now will will not every true believer have a place in that city? Indeed they will. But there will be, I believe rewards and we got that yesterday in Matthew 25 or I should say in Luke 19 in the parable of the pounds.
00:35:19
Where there was authority given depending on faithfulness and use of what's been given to us. And so there will be degrees of reward there, especially in that Kingdom. And again, it's God's answer to the reproach that is connected with the Philadelphia state.
And God is going to write the name of that city on us. It comes down out of heaven from God. Well, isn't it worth it to wait for that day? Those who are seeking honors in this world, those who are trying to straighten out this world, they perhaps get a measure of honor today. And the world honors those who are out there seeking to make it a better place. Now, of course, the believer ought to do good wherever he has the opportunity.
That's not in one sense trying to improve the world. It's rather seeking to do good unto all men. And we're to do that. But to work with the world to improve the world is to come down to the world's level. And then I must operate on the world's principles and on its level, and I lose my heavenly calling. So here, that's the New Jerusalem, that name, that's where.
God is intending the church to be, it's the display really of first or Ephesians one and verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him. And so Christ will rule over all things in heaven and on earth.
He'll be head of all things.
And this is the display of it in that day.
Not losing the crown. It's got a fair bit of it that in chapter 4.
The end of chapter 4 of Revelation we read and we spend more than 20 elders fell down before he said I was home and worshiped in.
Uh, forever and ever fantastic there.
Grounds before the throne, saying, Our worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
And would that be what we?
As members of that party, as this party has brought about what we are going to.
Want to do when we're there? In other words, even though the word is going to reward those who are faithful.
We are going to give him what gives him all the credit. I we won't be occupied with how much of A reward or a crown or whatever position I got. It'll all be.
His doing and we will want him to have all the honor award.
Absolutely, And we'll realize that it's all been of grace, won't we? Any good that was produced in us, It was all the grace of God.
OK, Crowns usually have precious jewels in them and it's, uh, something that is true that, uh, if you don't have light, then, uh, precious jewel is just a piece of rock. You can't tell the difference if I feel. And uh, and the other factor is that for it to be reflective and shine and be brilliant, it has to be faceted, which means carving off excess to produce light reflecting angles.
00:40:08
And that is, uh, illustrates.
What the Lord Jesus is doing with each one of us, He calls us his precious jewels and and he is fashioning us by faceting, by cutting off that which is of no value to Him progressively in our lives and our spiritual lives and so that we will shine brightly for Him. What we do. Where does the light come from? Well, obviously it comes from him. It's His glory that's reflected back to Him.
And so when we, this is, uh, extended in the, in the point of casting our crowns reform that Robert was bringing out that, uh, where did the ground come from? Well, they came from him in the 1St place. And he fashioned the shape of what is reflective of his beauty, his glory for that crown. So it's a, it's a circle of blessings that, and it's in our hearts to one at that time.
To want to give those backgrounds to him.
What is the picture we have in Leo this year? Is this the last condition of the professing church? Is it the day in which we are now or late of the scene condition or state itself?
Really grab the picture of the departure from the Lord in the indifference to His honor and glory. Now I've always had a problem with him. I guess it's.
Because I haven't given enough attention to it. Let's say I know that Sardis is progressing is there in the Nokia tyrant symbol of Catholicism. That's very clear. But until Philadelphia, a picture of those who by grace have been brought into the past of God's mind and truth. But I've had a problem just understanding what how we would identify way of this year.
At the present time, what is very intangible, we can we can look at each state this is later received. Or is it just a general condition of the Church?
How's the testimony in India or testimony?
I think the uh was brought out yesterday and then mentioned beginning I believe at the beginning of this meeting probably.
I think my brother, our brother Bill, is that.
Is that those Philadelphia this message to Philadelphia that we have just looked at and the and then went to Landers here.
Is the Spirit our spiritual states that we can be in as members of the body of Christ?
And I.
I don't wanna be.
Uh, comic or or, uh.
Kind in any way, but I believe if I want to see what.
What way to see us as white? Perhaps I could look in the mirror.
Because I believe, brethren, and I speak for myself, I believe we.
Are often individually and collectively.
We wanna be honest with ourselves.
It's what we would see play to see. It is what we would see in ourselves.
That's not. Let's not claim to.
To be in the spirit of Philadelphia, we should desire to be.
But if we're honest with ourselves.
I believe we a lot of work is said to play this year is true of ourselves.
We're going to point the finger to myself first.
Perhaps, uh, Second Timothy 3 would be uh.
A comparison to, uh, Laodicea.
Second Timothy 3 is speaking about the last days of dangerous times. I don't think the.
00:45:03
A dangerous time to Speaking of, there is what we see in the world around us with wars and rumors and wars and all that that's going on.
Speaks Here are the dangerous times that the professing uh church.
Uh, the face of the character of the people that's living in the Last days in Second Timothy 3.
Gives a description there of what the world is like.
In that time.
Of the people and what they, their actions. And I believe that corresponds with William Lucia. It's that a difference.
To the things of God is going on.
Uh, according to its uh.
Its own way, you might say, leaving God out of things.
Because I have nee, I am rich and increased with goods of need of nothing.
That's a pretty good description, perhaps, of the world in which we live professing Christianity.
We know that when man has everything.
Umm, there's a tendency to set God aside. He doesn't need God. He doesn't need anything. That's man's estimation of things today in the world. He's quite comfortable with his surroundings and everything he has. And so there's too much complacency for us. We know when Israel.
God bought Israel into the land.
They uh, God drove out.
The nations that were there.
Before he brought his own people in, giants and so on, drove them out and he gave them, you know, that land. They didn't have to fight for it, he said. They had balls, cities with walls given to them. They had vineyards that were already planted given to them. Everything that they had God provided before the evil went into the land.
And oftentimes when we receive things.
Easy we don't really in the world today, everything that seems to be easy come easy go. Like the world says, have so much of everything. It's not appreciated and God is certainly not appreciated in the day in which we live. Man has so much of this world's goods. He doesn't want any interference from from from God. He wants to carry on doing what he wants to do.
Without any responsibility.
And uh, I've never seen a A the world so bad in which people would just deny God altogether.
There is, there isn't any guide, no God for me because they're having so much fun and pleasure. There's so much to distract. They really don't care about anything spiritual. And, uh, it's an awful state. And I think that that that is what describes later to see it here. It's at end times just before the next chapter.
It's uh, looked at as the Church is, is uh, raised up with Christ and glory the latest. He is just before I believe that the Rapture takes place.
It's a condition of the picture of the condition of the world in the last, very last day. We see the declension in the Church, don't we, as we consider the.
The account here from Ephesus all the way to Laodicea, and somebody has said that in Ephesus you have the church in the world.
But when you come down to pergamos.
Now you've got the world in the church.
Worldliness coming in, but when you get to Laodicea, there's no distinction between the world and the church.
And so you have that which appeals to the first man you know, the flesh and buildings and and music performances and that which is truly entertaining and really can dazzle.
00:50:03
You know the flash, but where's Christ in all of this? What we're seeing here is God has a different perspective on what the church ought to be and the world looks upon this condition at Laodicea. You know I'm a rich increase with goods have need of nothing.
I want to see the Lord have to say now, no, it's not that thou art wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. It's a absolutely terrible state.
The council they to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich, white rain that thou mayest be flowing.
And so on.
You can find it. The Lord is outside. He's knocking, wanting to come in.
This 1St 17 cares. It's a description of of one who's so full of themselves and they have absolutely no regard for anyone of anyone else, not even the lost and perishing. So there probably is very little if any God's blood reaches well.
Because they've lost sight of their heavenly calling. And it's, it's a grad. You don't suddenly become late and see, it's a very gradual, uh, a very gradual thing falling into that state.
And so there is not a discrete place I believe that we can, to answer the question you raised, John, I don't believe in either Philadelphia or Laodicea. There's a discrete place, a discrete group that we can point to and say that's Laodicea. But the essential character of Laodicea is spiritual pride in having a certain level of knowledge, but without a walk that corresponds to it.
And so it's really a phosphate Christendom. And as brother Enos was pointing out, that's what's described in Second Timothy 3.
It eventually ends up being composed of nothing but unbelievers. And of course we know that in the coming day God will allow that false church to be destroyed. We've already had that in these meetings. Probably happens about the middle of the week when the woman riding the beast is.
Totally overthrown and burned with fire and so on. And that's the end of that false church as far as the system is concerned. But.
It's not just unbelievers, it's not just the world out there, it's any state of soul which has a certain level of knowledge, takes pride in it, and yet does not have a walk that corresponds to it. And so I think our brother Roberts.
Uh, point about looking in the mirror is very well taken. Uh, we can look out at that, which, uh, has pride in all kinds of things and no question about it, it's Laodicea, but any amount of pride in what the Lord has given us.
Is wrong as a brother again quoting a brother from the 1800s, he said. How unseemly it is for us to be saying we have done great things at a time when God has given us light that shows us how little we really have done.
And the result of the light that God gives, you might say to Philadelphia sometimes, if it's not lived and walked in, in humility and in the recognition of the failure of the church.
Results in laodicea and so.
That's a very important point to remember. Yes, it does refer to unbelievers. It does refer to.
That which bears the name of Christ, but which for all practical purposes denies him. He's outside. But in one sense Christ can be disregarded even among those that have the light of Philadelphia and yet don't walk in the good of it.
That's driven by the fact that, uh, that this, uh, Laodicean, uh, assembly with a real assembly gun to the Lord's name by the Spirit of God. And they had, uh, drifted into, uh, if not marched headlong into this character, this state of soul, uh, to a large degree. And, uh, and, uh, de Robert's point, there's a, there's a considerable trend.
00:55:21
Uh, amongst those who are given the Lord's name to subtly, slowly and by degree move in this direction. And, and it's, uh, and I, I believe the lifestyle that is around us in which we largely conf to, uh, too much debris, uh, conform to is, uh, is re is largely responsible. Satan worked very subtly and, and with in many cases.
We work slowly over time.
To wean us away from what we have earlier enjoyed fully in the Lord.
Come to the to the state of things today and and meet Chris and them.
It's nice, as we mentioned, it's nice to have that spirit that EMI had, isn't it, by just looking at it there in, uh, EMI Chapter one?
How Israel?
Went away from God and.
And and got so low and and things and into the world, taking captive and everything and, uh.
Nehemiah he says in verse five, he said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God that keepeth covenant mercy for them, that love him, and observe his commandments, Let thy 9 here now be attentive in thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant.
Which I pray before thee now day and night for the children of Israel, thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee quote by and my Father's House of sin. We have to own part of it, don't we? That's the spirit that that we should have owning what has declined Christianity. Oh, how sad it is.
Day which we live but we're responsible to.
You want to characterize it will be fatigued to be because we're true leaders will be taken to absolutely for the tribulation. So does the character of the church Plato see it inside. Does that characterize the state of professing the Christian Church that will continue on through the first part of the week. Yes, I believe so it will still have that character because as we know that huge system that is described as the great horror of of of a few chapters further on.
Is really the, uh, result of what is left after every true believer has been called home. But there will still be a huge religious system that will have a great deal, obviously, of influence in the earth. And when she's destroyed, when religious Babylon is destroyed, we find that.
Seriously affects the business and commerce of the world. So I believe that's right, that this state here in Laodicea will find its full blown manifestation after we're called home.
But the character is is here now, and it can be in any one of our hearts.
And in that sense we know that the Lord says here.
In verse 16 I will spew thee out of my mouth. That is that whole system seeking to have a religious character to it and even perhaps attaching the name of Christ will be so nauseous to God.
That he will spew it out of his mouth, but at the same time, let not you and uh, and I take comfort in that and say, well, thank God I'm a true believer. You'll never spew me out of his mouth. That is blessedly true. But at the same time, that character of being neither cold nor hot is nauseous to God, isn't it? We all know what it's like to have a good cold drink on a hot day, And we all know what it's like to have a good.
01:00:14
Warm cup of coffee.
Before us. But we don't like a drink that's halfway in between. We don't like Luke warm water to drink, at least I don't. And we don't like lukewarm coffee or tea or whatever it might be. And I believe the thought is here that we are to be cold toward evil and hot toward the Lord Jesus and toward what is good, but that lukewarm lackadaisical character that we see developing in the world today.
It can overtake us as believers too, can it?
That's the case that in in Christendom we have so many.
Social ordinance. Nutrition and mental crisis attached to a great deal of diversity. Social Work.
We have to be comfortable with the bottom line. There's, there's nothing really of price in it. It's, uh, philanthropic and so on. And even under a banter of Christianity like that, but there's nothing really on the Lord's interest in you in the whole world enterprise.
MMM.
I'd just like to apply in one way that I've experienced in a way, because inverse umm, as we apply to ourselves in verse 17, it says, I'll say I am rich. The end of verse 17 says when you are four. And then verse 18I counsel these Tobiah being gold tried in the fire. So one of the ways that I've experienced this, and maybe we often experience this is so we get a little bit of knowledge.
The truth and having knowledge of the truth. I don't believe it's the same exact thing as having the truth.
And so we can have a little bit of knowledge of knowledge of the truth and say, I know that this is right and that this is wrong, and therefore I am rich because I know this fact and yet not indeed really have paid a price for it, instead only having knowledge of it. And so the exhortation is to buy the goal, which is trying to inspire. And so I think that is one application of this verse. It's important not to just have knowledge of the truth.
But you also buy the truth to apply it to our lives.
Yes, that's very, very good, Alex. And I believe that's at least for the believer, the thought here that I can have something and we touched on it yesterday, we can have something in our heads, but without the practice of it in our lives and without it being in our hearts. And in that sense we are going to be lifted up in pride because of what we know. The apostle Paul warned about that when he said of any man think that he know of anything.
You know, if nothing yet is, he ought to know. Why? Because true understanding of the truth will humble me, not lift me up in pride. Why? Because the truth.
Ultimately connects me with Christ himself and I can never be proud in the Lord's presence, can I? Paul didn't need a thorn in the flesh when he was up in the 3rd heaven, but when he came back down to earth, he needed it because there was a danger of pride. And so if I'm in the Lord's presence, I don't need anything to keep me humble. I will be humble. And the truth of God properly understood and walked in.
Always has that effect on me, doesn't it?
But the wonderful thing is here, just because our time is nearly gone, there is a remedy for the Laodicean state, isn't there? If we detect that in our souls there is a remedy, the Lord is there knocking at the door. He wants to come in. He wants our company, and he will come in. And it says Sup with.
We will suck with him and he with me.
The Lord wants to be part of our lives down here. He wants to enjoy our company and we can overcome. He says I have overcome.
01:05:05
We don't have time to develop it but.
When the Lord says I have overcome.
It can scarcely be in the sense of overcoming within the church, because the church had not even been formed when the Lord Jesus was here on earth. All the overcoming in the previous churches is connected with an existing condition, but here the overcoming is connected with the Lord Himself.
And you can look the verses up but.
Two times in the Gospels, the Lord is spoken about as having been an overcomer.
Once when He started on His earthly ministry in the temptations in the wilderness, and there we find that.
The the devil comes, the strongman comes, and the Lord overcomes him.
He he overcame the devil in the temptations in the wilderness.
Then it's mentioned again at the end of his pathway, when he says at the end of the 16th of John in the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world that happened at the cross. And so the overcoming in the lay of the sea and state, if we could put it this way, takes us right back to basics. It takes us right back to the Lord himself, to the basic things of our lives.
He overcame the temptations. How? Simply by quoting Scripture.
He overcame at the cross by going through all that you and I could never go through so that the victory is now won. So I just point that out as perhaps being an encouragement to us because he talks about himself overcoming here and it's in a slightly different way than in the other churches. It's rather very, very basic as to walking before him down here. Independence.
Is that overcoming mistaken the confidence and the yes.
Drop into the world. Yes, Satan tempted the Lord in.
Every way that we are tempted, didn't he? The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
Every temptation the Lord answered with Scripture.
And the tribulation in the world. The Lord has overcome the world.
As we say #4 in the attendance is the decision who fought the fight alone, triumphant, sinks no fire, and was their own #4 in the back of the book.
Tennessee it towards me.
01:10:06
For 168.
168.
The night is far spent and the day is left hand.
You'll die to heal or the stars in the sky.
Rejoice learning pranksters. Your Lords don't come.
Rejoice, Lord, God's reign of Jesus.
Christ night for the day will life be when the Savior appears.
A welcome pillow to have ever give you a strong.
A crowded for us devils, devils, devil that will be there.
There's so much our affection to the Lord. Our cold are your slides now when we had questions?
So much today of course all the way to.
The heart.
OK, no worries.
Our Holy Lady's eyes like that.
RER Square on Mars holiday good.
Many Waters Cannot Quench Love
Gospel—Wally Dear
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Singing.
Number two, number two on our hem sheets.
Come tis Jesus gently calling ye with care and toil oppressed.
With your guilt how air appalling come and I will give you rest #2.
Come tis Jesus, gently call the.
Ye with parental.
OK.
Give me 1 second, I don't know.
And the first body of the house.
We can we can introduce the whole thing to the column.
If you if you don't get anything else, you get one.
Round and the incentive planned right back.
Oh my God, Oh my God, there's a 10-4.
355.
922 There was a business passage with anything.
But I don't have anything. Oh, that's fine.
If there is sometimes no behaviour that you can continue to do, uh, thank you very much. Apologize for the time.
Charles Corporation.
And sighs so great, thank you for having me.
90, 10-4, 18618941.
Let me look for the Lord in prayer.
Our God and Father, we thank thee this evening.
That thy house.
Stands wide open.
And we thank thee for.
Lost, helpless, hopeless, hellbound sinners that are receiving the invitation and taking advantage of the invitation, and who are entering in.
We thank you our God, our desire is at thy house should be filled, every seat filled, and we thank Thee for the sweet and blessed message of the Gospel.
Where thy heart is pulled out to this perishing world.
00:05:02
We thank you for thy love that lingers.
And that beseeches. And perhaps there's one in this audience tonight.
Still in their sins.
Earnestly pray for their salvation tonight.
We might decide for Christ the power of sin might be broken.
And that they might come and find joy and peace.
Through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. So we ask for thy message wherever it's going out. We do ask that it would be attended blessing of thy Holy Spirit. And so we thank you for this time together, we ask.
It can help give thanks, precious name the Lord Jesus, Amen.
I would just like to say at the outside of this meeting.
I want to thank each and every dear brother that was in the room.
Underneath.
Pouring their hearts out to God on behalf of any in this hall tonight.
Who are without Christ?
In your sins.
Traveling the Broad Rd.
We know where the Broad Rd. leads, the Lord Jesus said. It leads to destruction.
And maybe there's somebody here tonight.
And you don't even know.
That you not see.
We pray.
That God by His Holy Spirit, and this book that I hold in my hand, His word, He might awaken you to your dire need.
That you might be saved.
And there's only one savior.
And his name is Jesus.
His name?
Was called Jesus.
Why? Because he would save his people from their sins. And as I look about this hall here tonight.
I see many.
Who have been saved from their sins, You know Jesus as your Lord and your Savior. I was just talking to a brother before the meeting, I said.
Would it be?
Very enlightening.
If we could know at the outset of a gospel meeting.
Who it is?
That in the hall needs to be saved.
I can't tell who it is here tonight who needs to be saved, but God looks down.
And all things are naked and open unto him.
The eyes of him with whom we have to do. And he knows. And he's looking at you here tonight if you're sitting in that seat.
And you're rejecting his son.
I believe it's the worst crime that can be committed.
Is to reject.
God, unspeakable gift.
It's horrendous to think that anybody would say no to Jesus, God's well beloved son, and yet that's exactly what's happening in the world tonight, and perhaps in this very hall.
And so as I look about.
I wonder.
Is there one person?
That's outside of Christ.
Is there?
#4.
Is the Savior of sinners.
Price is the savior for me.
Long I was changing since darkness. Now by his grace I am free. Perhaps we could stand as we sing #4.
Christ is the Savior of sin.
00:10:04
Christ is the sailor for ye long. I was married in our honor and held by His grace I am created.
No, I don't know. I think are you gonna power? I think it's just I have seen 5 crazy made in my life. Blessed and greedy and good. This is a dangerous obligation.
Same behavior.
And it's not like anything, surely it's like more Minecraft.
OK. Good morning.
OK, if you can call me please.
Well, we're here tonight.
To talk about Jesus.
To talk about my Savior and your Savior if you trust Him.
I'd like to.
By making reference to. Our brother Stan last night made reference to.
The horrific flood.
That has.
Than experience in southern Texas.
And we heard about another flood. It wasn't localized, this flood.
However, the entire earth.
And the reason that we covered the entire earth is because God saw.
That the wickedness of man was great.
Not just in Texas.
Not just.
In England, Russia or China, throughout the world, the wickedness was great and the thoughts of men's heart only evil, continue.
And so the flood, in order to deal with the wickedness and the sin, it covered the whole earth.
And this flood in Texas? Miniscule.
In comparison.
To the flood that covered the earth and.
The waters went up, up, off above the highest mountain.
I believe it was 15 cubits. That's over 20 feet. There was no hope of survival.
Anywhere on the face of this planet Earth.
00:15:03
Now there had been opportunity to be safe.
And our brother brought that out very nicely last night.
One place of refuge, and that was the art.
And yes, we have visited a replica of the art just as others here in this hall in Kentucky, a full size replica.
And dead art is colossal size.
Huge.
But you know that art, you only had one door.
And it was a large door.
And as we walked up to that door.
Inside the art there was a poster.
And it had on the poster. These were.
Jesus said I am the door.
By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved. And so it was a beautiful witness to the gospel and the fact that there's one door.
One door to salvation.
That was the case in Noah's day. The door was wide open.
How many went in?
Eight swords.
Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives.
How many wins left outside? I suppose millions.
Perhaps billions.
They thought it was a joke. They would not answer.
And they found out too late.
That Noah and his preaching.
Was correct.
How to do?
Would there be anybody in this hall?
Who is going to find out too late?
That Jesus.
Is the door to salvation.
Is there anybody here heard the message of the gospel time and time again?
But you've never come and entered in.
There was one that.
Kept company with the Lord Jesus for 3 1/2 years.
And from outward appearances.
It seemed to be.
A true follower of Christ.
We know.
Who I speak about his name is Judas.
He passed for a.
Disciples. He was a disciple, but he was a false disciple.
And somebody even said he got so close to the door that he kissed the door.
But never did he enter in.
And Judas.
Had a very.
Pathetic end here on Earth.
But it's far worse to contemplate what he experiences beyond this earth.
Yes.
To be in hell because one did not enter in through the door. One door.
And the Lord Jesus is the door.
So we do earnestly pray that.
If there's any here today.
That we've come to the gospel meetings and you pass as a Christian perhaps.
Now is your opportunity.
To be safe and we'd like to explain the way of salvation.
Because.
There are those that perhaps are not as.
Sure of their salvation.
They don't have the assurance and you can't be happy.
Unless you know.
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Beyond a shadow of a doubt.
With utmost assurance.
That is safe and underway to glory.
Well, the Lord Jesus loves you. He wants you.
The extent of warm invitation come.
On to me. All unit labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest.
And tonight I was thinking.
About.
The love of Christ. We sang about it here. Loved with a love.
That's unchanging.
The love of Christ.
I believe that as we look back to the cross.
And we see that Blessed One hanging on the cross of Calvary.
It wasn't a nail, it was his love.
Yeah, held in.
As he experienced excruciating pain, agony.
He could have easily saved himself.
But then there would be no salvation for anyone here tonight.
And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
And I believe that he loves me, He loves you.
As much as when he was hanging on that cross.
Making atonement for sin.
He demonstrated his love through the sacrifice that he was willing to make.
And this morning as we sat in the present.
Of the Lord Jesus, we contemplated the cross.
A hymn writer could say, Oh, my savior crucified.
Near thy cross would I abide, gazing with adoring eye.
On dying agony.
And as we.
Gates on that blessed One giving himself.
The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me and for you too. If you trust Him, his love only becomes more.
Precious. More wonderful.
More intense as we contemplate what he suffered.
And he made the supreme sacrifice. I was reading a little bit about the flood there in Houston.
And it's really remarkable.
The rescue effort.
That is.
Being made to save thousands. In fact I believe I saw 18,000.
Have already been rescued.
The National Guard called out 12,000 troops and I believe there were perhaps federal troops brought in a desire to save those.
That were in danger of founding.
But not everybody has been saved, I believe perhaps 40 or more.
Yes.
Lost their lives that's.
The death toll at this point in time, but that could increase.
I believe it was 12 years ago.
During this conference.
There was another Hurricane Katrina.
And we all recall, perhaps, the devastation of that Hurricane Katrina.
The death toll on Katrina was 1800.
Plus source.
1800.
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Rescue.
Rescue the parachute.
And we see examples of human.
Love and a desire to sit. There was one woman.
She was.
By a rescue boat floating in the water.
And she had little baby daughter.
With her and the little one was clinging to her mother.
And they went to rescue.
These two.
The mother was.
Not responsive.
But the little baby daughter was responsible.
They were able to get these funds into the boat.
And.
CPR was administered to the mother all the way to the ambulance, I think to the hospital.
But there was no hope for the mother. She died but the little girl.
Was in stable condition.
And one of the responders did.
The only reason that that little girl is alive today is because of the mother holding her little one out of the water.
What was it?
In her soul, in her heart.
That caused her to seek to save her daughter at the expense of her own life.
It was love.
Wow. And you know, this brought to mind a verse and I'd just like to speak about love a little bit here in connection with the love of God and the love of Christ, if we turn over to the Song of Solomon.
Chapter 8.
As long as Solomon chapter 8.
And 1St.
6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as the seal upon thine arm.
For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave. The colds thereof are coals of fire which have the most effect human flame.
Many waters cannot quench love.
Neither can the floods drowned. If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be content.
Many waters in Texas.
Men and women are demonstrating their love in spite of the waters and seeking to save others.
And there are those that are seeking to save their pets too.
There was one girl.
And she said she had waited through waist high water.
For one mile with their dog.
She loved that dog.
You wanna save it from the waters from drowning?
And Can you imagine trying to wade through water up to your waist for one mile?
There were times when.
Human chains were formed.
There's a man stuck out.
In deep water in his car.
Couldn't get out.
He was an elderly man.
And a group of individuals say we need to save that man.
And they formed the human chain. I saw a picture.
And the water was up to the chest on some of those people in that chain.
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And I don't know how many were in the chain.
Because the picture was cut off, but what I saw was at least 12 to 15.
In the chain and it reached out to the car and they reached in and the man was pulled to safety.
Somebody said.
That the worst of Harvey has brought out the best.
In humanity.
Well, love is.
That which?
Causes people.
To want to help others.
And here it tells us that many waters.
Cannot quench love.
Now we've been speaking about human love.
But I believe.
You know, it's God that puts love in the human heart.
Natural luck.
It's of God.
That's a beautiful thing. You know, we live in a day when the Bible says.
The perilous times, difficult times, and men are without natural affection. That's terrible without natural affection.
Just living.
To.
Further, their own interests, selfish interests with no regard for anyone else.
And you see examples now of this effort in Texas, and you realize that.
Natural love. It is a beautiful thing.
But you know what? Natural love will not save your soul.
Divine Love.
LED my Savior.
To come into this world.
All the way from glory.
And to go to the cross of Calvary.
And there he went, through deep waters.
And we refer to those waters this morning, and I don't think we can spend too much time thinking about the sufferings of Christ.
I had somebody tell me one time they attended the breaking of bread. They thought it was depressing because.
We're just thinking about.
Suffering and death.
So I I don't wanna.
Be so occupied with these things, but I wanna tell you something.
How is it that we know the love of Jesus is because of what he suffered? His suffering magnify His love for you and for me and as many scriptures we could turn to.
Psalm 69.
If we could just turn to this portion.
The Lord Jesus speaks about deep waters.
Psalm 69, verse one.
Save me, O God.
For the waters.
Our come in unto my soul.
I think indeed mire where there is no standing.
I am coming to deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crime.
My throat is dry, my eyes fail while I wait for my God.
They had hated me without a cause are more than the hears of my head they that would destroy me being my enemies wrongfully.
Are mighty.
Then I restored that which I took not a way. Oh God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins are not here from Thee.
14 Deliver me out of the mire, let me not think, Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
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Let not the water flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up.
And let not depict.
Shut her mouth upon me.
The Lord Jesus.
Hey, it's a faithful sin and worthy of all expectation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. It was a mission upon which he was sent, and he fulfilled the mission to perfection, and it cost him his life.
Because.
Only by way of the cross.
Would there be any salvation for you or for me? Now you might think this is foolish.
But you know, the path of quality said the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it's the power of God.
And so the Lord Jesus went to the cross.
And we think of what he endured. I believe what we have in this portion is.
Not only what he endured on the cross, but what he endured before.
He was made the song of the drunkard.
And he speaks here about.
In verse.
Seven. For thy sake I have borne reproach. Shame hath covered my face. He was despised, He was rejected of men.
But God.
Had a different.
View of 6 times.
And we need to look at everything from God's perspective.
That's true.
I believe it was **** Gorgeous.
I never forgot it, he said. A two word definition for truth.
Is God's perspective.
Is that how you see things? Is that how I see things? That's the only legitimate way to see anything is from God's perspective, because this is truth. And what did God have to say concerning his Son?
There's a voice.
From the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
The men of this world were not pleased with him.
The men of this world found fault with him.
Because he was good.
Because he was here for the glory of God. Because He was the light. Men loved darkness rather than light.
Why? Because their deeds are evil and they sought to extinguish the light away with Him. Crucified Him will not have this man to reign over us.
And what is so striking is that it was the religious element in the nation of Israel, the Pharisees, the chief priests.
They took the lead.
And clamoring for the blood of Jesus.
Man's religion.
As opposed to Christ.
Now Judy is them. Originally, of course, was.
Of God.
And I believe that God.
Sought through.
The giving of the law.
To prove what man is. In other words, man was.
Put on the stage, so to speak, to do a performance.
While God was passive and he observes what man is doing. And what did man say? All that the Lord has said, Well, we do.
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They should never ever have said such a thing.
Because.
Man's history has only proved that he is in opposition to God. He wants to go his own way and do his own thing.
And so the performance.
Was despicable.
And you know what the Lord had to say about Israel because of its departure from Him from the sole of the foot.
To the crown is a hit full of wounds and bruises.
And future fine stores.
Not a pleasant sight, he said. Well, that was a joke.
That's a different nationality.
But you know what Israel was a test plot of humanity. Or could I say Test 2?
You know, if you want to find out the quality of well water, you take a test tube and you dip it in and you bring it out and you test that water in that test tube.
And if it tests polluted, what do you say? It's just the water in the test tube polluted.
The whole wealth is pollution.
And I believe that the Jew was simply, you might say.
The test tube.
And God.
Approved through the June.
That it's not a man that walks to direct his steps. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God.
And his observation is.
There is none.
That doeth good. They are all gone aside.
There is nothing though it's good they are altogether become filthy.
None that doeth good. No, not one.
And this is God.
Evaluation.
Of fallen man, of which we all are a part. Of Adam's race.
By one man's disobedience, sin comes into the world, death by sin, and so death is passed upon all men because.
All have seen there's no exception.
Or shall I say, except for one man.
And he was the perfect man, and he was the 2nd man. The 1St man was a failure. The 2nd man, the Lord from heaven, He did always those things that pleased the Father. He was beautiful.
To be said of him, yeah, he's altogether lovely.
So the curve is pulled.
Honda performance of the first man away with this performance. Terrible thing.
And now God takes the stage.
The curtain opened. What is God doing? We sit back passively and absurd.
God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin untone. The Father sent the Son to be the Savior.
And the Savior.
Does the Father's bidding. He becomes obedient even unto death.
And that's the death of the Christ.
And he goes to the cross.
On your behalf and mine.
And he went down, down, down.
Into the deep waters. I could turn to many scriptures that speak about the deep waters. Reference was made to Jonah chapter 2.
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I'm thinking another Psalm, Psalm 88.
Don't experience what it was to be in deep waters.
In the belly of a fish down at the bottom of the ocean.
But notice Psalm 88.
The Lord.
Here I believe brings before us.
Is suffering.
Now not at the hands of men.
But also at the hand of God.
In verse 6, Psalm 88, verse 6, Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit in darkness.
In the deeps.
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me.
And thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. See, love.
Verse 15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted.
Die fierce wrath goeth over me. Thy terrorists have cut me off. They came round about me daily like water. They accomplished me about together. Lover and friend, hast thou put far from me than mine acquaintance Into Darkness?
Fierce rap.
The Lord could say, Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by, behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, wherewith the Lord has afflicted me in the day of His fierce anger.
And this took place.
While my precious savior was hanging on those nails on that cross.
It became dark.
Not for three minutes.
There's some experience a solar eclipse recently.
And traveled long distance in order to experience what it was like.
To be in darkness at midday, but the darkness that we speak of with respect to the fierce anger of the holy God vented on His Son.
12:00 noon until 3:00 in the afternoon. Let's.
Look at that, Matthew.
Chapter 27.
Matthew, Chapter 27.
Verse 28.
And they stripped him.
Well, let's read it. Verse 26, Matthew 2726. Then released he Barabbas unto them. And when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers, and they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe, and when they had plowed, a crown of thorns.
They put it upon his head, and a reading in his right hand, and the father knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail King of the Jews.
And they spit.
Upon inn and by the way, in another place, the Lord Jesus says I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
They didn't just fit on his clothes.
He spit his face.
They spit.
Upon him took the Reed, and smote him on the head.
And after that they had mocked him, they took the roadblock from him, put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrenie, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear the cross.
Verse 35 And they crucified him.
Verse 37.
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And set up over his head his accusation written, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews, and so on.
Then we're two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand and another on the left.
Verse 45.
Now.
From the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land until the 9th hour and about the 9th hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying Eli, Eli, Lama Sebastiani. That is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Two.
Some of them that stood there when they heard that.
Said this man called for lies straightway one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a Reed, gave him the drink. The rest said, let's be, let's see where their lives will come to save him. Jesus, when he has cried again, with a loud voice yielded up.
The goals behold the veil of the temple was rent and so on Verse 54 Now when the centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly saying truly this was.
The Son of God.
Turn over to John, chapter 19.
The Lord triumphantly spoke words. It is finished.
The work required to save your soul and mind was done.
His blood was shed.
He was taken down from the cross.
Buried. But he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures. And today Jesus lives and he's coming.
Come soon.
What it did, that will be. How is it with your soul here tonight? Can you say that on the cross Jesus died for me?
That salvation.
This is what God has done. This is what Jesus has done. We sit back and we observe this taking place on the stage. The performance is perfection.
We keep the curtain open because we want to focus on this for the rest of time and for eternity. What God has done for of lost, guilty sinners who deserve nothing but hell and judgment. God was willing to punish His Son in my stead and yours.
And I believe with all my heart that what I could not have exhausted.
In health, the torment for my sins.
The Lord Jesus, exhausted that judgment, was compressed into three hours.
And not for me alone, but for each one in this hall who is accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Is it nothing to you or you that pass by? Behold, and see there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, where with the Lord has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
And so we view this.
And we say yes, Lord.
I give up. I'm a Sinner.
I accept your salvation.
This is what God desires, Repentance. You know what repentance is? A change of mind, a willingness to admit that. Well, I was wrong. I thought I was a pretty decent person.
But to accept God's.
Worth with respect to our lost conditions.
But don't stop there. Put your faith in the Lord Jesus. Accept Him.
Now the law had its place.
But you know.
It was Luther, I believe, that said.
What the law does.
Is to terrify.
It does not justify.
And that's a good thing.
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If when I compare myself to what God's requirement is, I see I fall hopelessly short.
I come to the end of myself. I look outside of myself. I said I need savior.
And how do we get justified by faith? Faith in the Lord Jesus, therefore being testified by faith.
We have peace with God.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God. You can't work for a gift.
And God offers salvation freely.
I think it was Spurgeon, he said.
A little girl is on the third floor of a burning building.
And you know, there's smoke all over the place. And she goes out through the window. She looks down. She just sees smoke. But she hears a word, a boy jump. I'm a fireman.
I'm a big fireman and I will catch you.
And she listens. Now she has a decision to make.
Is she gonna jump?
Where is she going to stay?
She just why? Not only has she heard the word of the fireman, but she believes it. He's a big fireman, he's strong, he can catch me and that's the essence of faith. When.
We simply rely on the Lord Jesus.
And the work that he accomplished at the Cross of Calvary.
This precious blood that cleanses from all sea.
Give up our own effort, our own thoughts.
And we put our confidence in the Lord Jesus.
It's salvation.
The flipping jailers.
He asked the question of Call and Silas, what must I do to be saved? Without hesitation I I believe it was both of them that said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou shalt be saved on the tip of their tongues. It's the only way of salvation. Well, make each and everyone here tonight close in with God's offer of salvation while there is still time.
Maybe we could sing this little song on the end of the last page of the sheet.
And this is about the door that we were speaking about.
#4343.
Some of the boys and girls know this and they can do the sign. Say you put up your finger for one and this is inside and this is outside.
We're going to start like this.
Let's pray.
Our godfather, we thank thee.
Tonight for this wonderful message.
That has come down from above, from thy heart of love.
To cure our hearts and truly it does warm our hearts as we contemplate by wondrous love and grace giving thy Son.
To be the sacrifice to put away sin.
We thank you that indeed He was once offered to bear the sins of many.
And we thank you that those that look for him, he's going to appear a second time without C under salvation. We earnestly pray that should the Lord Jesus come tonight.
That each seat in this hall would be empty.
But if there's one still in their sins, who would be left sitting on their feet, we pray to speak to them tonight that they might be saved, that they might come to the door to the Lord Jesus and enter in.
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And be safe on the inside. We thank the precious Savior for what thou hast accomplished in love for Thy Father and for lost, guilty sinners at the Cross of Calvary. We thank You for the deep waters that thou was willing to go through.
As somebody once said, none of the ransom shall ever know how deep.
Where the waters crossed.
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through.
When you say to sheep, that was lost.
But we do pray Thy blessing and Thy word here and wherever it's being proclaimed this night.
And we thank you for all thy grace and goodness, Father, and for this time that we've enjoyed during these two days of meetings. How precious, how refreshing. We thank you for these times of.
Fellowship to be over thy word, these Oasis.
You know dry and thirsty land when the water is. We thank.
Yes, and give thanks. Found a precious worthy name of Lord Jesus. Amen.