Los Angeles Conference: 1963
Table of Contents
Mark 10
Gospel—R. Rule
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.
Like the binding of a sea, the end time fleeting days are selling fast that the guy will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed be in time pin number 25.
Fly the best is very brief.
Why the light devote to me?
What they do kill a mic.
Shall we pray?
We turn together to the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Mark.
00:05:03
Mark's Gospel, chapter 10.
Verse 17.
And when he was gone forth into the wave.
There came one running.
And Neo to him, and asks them, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said unto him, Why calleth thou me good?
There is none good but one that is God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, or do not commit adultery. Do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud, not honor, thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master all these things, If I observe from my youth Jesus, then Jesus beholding him.
Lost him and said unto him, One thing thou lackest, Go thy way, Tell us whoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
And he was sad at that thing and went away, breathed, for he had great possession.
I'd like to read in the end of the chapter.
About another individual.
Starting with verse 40.
They came to Jericho and as he went out of Pardon me verse 46, they came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and the great number of people.
Lying Bartimaeus, the son of Timius sat by the highway side, begging.
When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
But many charged him, that he should hold his peace. But he cried, the more great deal thou son of David, hath mercy on me.
And Jesus stood still.
And commanded him to be called.
And they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort Rise, he called me.
And he, casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou?
That I should do, I believe.
The blind man said unto him, Lord.
That I might receive my sight.
Jesus said unto him, Go thy way thy faith hath made, behold.
And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way.
We have here in this portion, dear friends.
Two men.
That were brought into contact with the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's our desire tonight.
With the Lord's help to bring you into contact with that same blessed person.
The Lord Jesus.
Is the savior of sinners.
The word of God tells us that all have sinned.
And so you and I, dear friends, everyone in this room tonight.
Our sinners. But there are two classes of sinners in the room.
I wonder which class you fall into.
There are sinners that have been saved by the grace of God.
And no doubt there are sinners in this room tonight.
00:10:05
Who are on their who are on their way to a lost eternity.
Which class are you in, dear friend?
I ask you that.
In order that you might bring yourself into God's presence and answer that in His presence.
Our purpose in being here is to bring Christ before you.
As a living, loving Savior with the desire that if you've never received him as your savior, that you might be brought to trust in him tonight.
Now to get to the chapter that we read in the 17th verse. It says when he was gone forth into the way.
The way.
He was on the way to Jerusalem.
To suffer and die on Calvary's cross.
And it's only because he did suffer and die on Calvary's cross and shed his precious blood.
That we can present him tonight to you as a savior.
Well, even though he was on the way to that cross of suffering and shame.
He was ever ready to meet people in their need.
And dear friend, he's ready to meet you in your need tonight.
I don't care how great it is, the two men that we read about here that were brought into contact with him, they each had a need.
And they perhaps might represent or bring before us the two extremities of society.
The first one that we read about.
The team running.
By the way.
He made some mistakes, this rich young man, but he made no mistake in coming. Running would to God that that might be your attitude tonight, desirous of getting into the presence of the one who can bless you and put your sins away and make you a child of God.
While he came running.
But this young man, we find here that he was well to do. If we were to turn to, I believe it's Luke's Gospel, the 18th chapter, we find that he was a ruler.
He was lying. That had man speech of the social ladder. He's one of those at the top, doesn't work. One of those that no doubt his fellow man looked up to. He was rich. He was a ruler.
Undoubtedly respected in his community.
But he had a need of the Savior.
The man that we read about in the latter part of the chapter.
He was lying.
A beggar.
Obviously said he was at the bottom of that social ladder.
He is one that held his knee.
But you know, it's nice and when we have the word of God bringing.
Different types of individuals before us, whether the up and outer or the down and outer in the Book of Jude.
We read their speech of bringing to them the common salvation. Now in the word of God speaks to the common salvation. It isn't Speaking of something that's cheap.
Nor the salvation of the soul. The price was higher than anything material.
Let's purchase the cost of the salvation of the soul was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son. So salvation isn't something cheap. But when the word of God speaks of a common salvation, it's a salvation. The same salvation whether one is a respected individual in his community and one must looked up to, or whether it's one that's a down and outer.
Or someone that falls somewhere in between. Whatever your state before God, dear friend, there's only one salvation, this common salvation that we're going to seek with the Lords help to bring before you tonight.
00:15:11
Well, this young ruler became running, and he kneeled before the Lord and asked him, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Now I made two mistakes in that one little sentence. First of all, he called the Lord Master.
Master, I understand the word and the original is more teacher, teacher.
Well, you know, dear friend, there's no blessing for a soul until he first learns to know the Lord as savior.
I wonder if you from Bronson armors your savior. You know another ruler spoke of him as a teacher and the third chapter of John's Gospel. We find Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews. He came, said rabbis, We know the guard, a teacher, come from God, and so forth. And you know what the Lord told him.
He said he must be born again. I remember over 20 / 30 years ago a brother.
Speaking on this portion down in Kentucky at the tent meeting and he asked his audience, he said, you know, you wouldn't think of putting a school house in the very middle of a large cemetery, would you? No, you can't teach people that have died. Well, dear friend, you're dead and trespassed.
Sins. That's what this word tells me. If you don't know Christ is your savior, you're dead in trespasses and sins. You need to be born again. Have you been born again? Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus? All the starting point is to be brought to know him as a savior, not a teacher.
Jesus said unto him, Why call us thou me good? There is none good but one that is God.
Now I want to make one thing clear. The Lord Jesus while he was true man, he was he was God, God manifest in the flesh. But this ruler that came to him did not recognize him. He didn't realize he was speaking to God. God become flesh in the person of the Lord Jesus and so.
When he called him a good match to the Lord, said, there is none good but one that is God.
He hadn't recognized him as God. Now I mentioned that this young man made two mistakes. The first one was calling the Lord Jesus a teacher. The second one was saying, what shall?
I do that I may inherit eternal life.
You know there are lots of souls today that are on the same ground as this young man on the ground of that two letter word do. Many souls are trying to work their way into heaven. But the salvation that we're here to speak to you tonight isn't one of those two letter word do. It's one of a four letter word Done, Dome. Done. The word that we're seeking to bring before you tonight is a finished work one with the Lord Jesus.
Accomplished at Calvary's Cross.
He was hung on that cross of shame, and he was very shamefully treated. They put a crown of thorns on his head in mockery. He was the true king of the Jews, but they put that crown through the forms on his head in mockery. They split in his plastic face, they smote him on a Reed, and they said all manner of shameful things against him.
But all those sufferings at the hand of man couldn't have saved your soul or mine, dear friend.
But in the last three hours while he had been seen in darkness and in those last three hours.
The Lord Jesus.
Took the sinners place, sitting the sinner's room instead.
The prophet Isaiah said he was wounded for our transgressions, his rooms, for our iniquities. The cast has been of our peace was laid upon him, and with his stripes we are real. Yes, in those last three hours the Lord Jesus, as I said, stood in the sinner's room instead. And that's why God forsook him. That's why he had to cry out on that cross. My God.
00:20:05
My God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Ah, Randy was forsaken, but you might not need to be forsaken.
But I'll say this If you don't receive that blessed love is your savior.
You will be forsaken of God, as it were, for all eternity. You'll be cast into that place of honor, darkness, where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Oh, dear friends, a little human that we sang brought before us the gravity of life.
The city says one is her life. This evening is a vapor that appears a little while vanishes away. Pray you have no leash on life. If you were to die tonight, where would you spend eternity when you answer that question seriously in God's presence? What if he was praised in his redeemed and glory? Or we be with the devil and devil and his angels and the lost songs of the second eternity in hell?
You're headed one place behind your friends.
It is either heaven, Christ in glory, or in the lost eternity to the Japanese in that place of honor, Johnson.
You have it on lease on license. I checked. And So what are you seriously considering? A matter that we're seeking to bring before you tonight?
You need a savior and we're seeking to break it for you. The water is going to meet you in that need. The one who died in our calories cross that you're sitting by. Put away. The scripture says Christ says one love for skin is done. Yes, he is good. Just water. Good job for the young job. That's what you and I are. Everyone in this room about nation is unjust.
Pricing 100% receives the job for the other job, but he might pray to God.
While And so we gave you your money, what the Lord does.
Now the Lord magical on his own curds, and as Lord put him into the past.
At 98.
We're all going to be the murder 16.
Light on this earth.
All these things that I have for my.
I guess.
Well, you didn't want to get the cap on the wall at the end of that. Find me first, now without followed by a neighbor as thyself. He didn't love his neighbors himself or in order to pass on. Man, am I here resting over here.
You know, I often think about preaching the gospel. Little one of the preaching, all right.
00:25:33
Neighbors, my home.
Ready to go above our age with ourselves.
He said all these things by the castle online, I guess. Well, it's black or love for his neighbor and in the South and it doesn't feel like.
He likes this rule of appreciation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wondrous Persians of the heavens and the nation along to the time.
He admitted he loved his neighbors himself.
Now the large man.
Oh yeah, man, What's bad word? He went away.
What are you going to do with the Lord?
He loved you. He died for you. He wants to save you. And tomorrow might be joy. Tomorrow might be joyful. Now being satisfied cold now is being a salvation. All your friends may have to be here tomorrow.
And.
Very long before I ambulance.
And and and a police car and.
We're going to get a lot of activity outside while we reach them on. We have to move this.
And I'm a woman drive along and I'm a telephone holder across the street, right across to our heads. And when I go making our hands Los Angeles house run the Orange County Hospital. She was dead.
Point of her answer. Why did you elbow you with me? And it's behind tomorrow. And if we're gonna matter, all of the Lord cannot be here tomorrow. Most of us, happy of us here in this room are waiting for a show or doing all of their homes, even without the bar.
I'm out of here, man. It's more King and I attended all the Heat home with your.
Open your heart.
Away.
00:30:02
Happy stay in the other corner. You have a fun happy rest about that floor I.
Can turn that on.
Mark Back to Mark, Gospel Chapter 10.
He went out of Jericho Women is disciplined with a great number of people.
Feel their need before God is a Sinner, and I give her mouth here to eat another creature with a different character here. Why are you?
A little picture of your name and remarkable the way in which part of the picture of everyone, first of all, is fine.
In the 26th chapter that you have impossible.
And the Lord.
After he was lost across the Lord, he said, Lord, he's the Lord of the Hand.
He's going to defend the authorities to the Grand Prix and you know.
From over their eyes.
Morally. Spiritually.
Their laws. And if you're not staying tonight, you're right now you're at the glory. You're lost and on your way to a lost eternity.
Well.
Thank God.
He was lying and he was naked and naked.
And.
And two predators followed more of the gathered and I No question for men, I'm a bit more out of the house centers and have things worse than others here.
A word of God makes this weird and being one of these work and obviously the president really has attacked when he campaigned and he wants one that has nothing to pay.
Pray as you go home that there's nothing you can do and we're all going to have nothing to pay, that you're lost and you're guilty on God.
Have you ever found that?
She realized her knee and she had made question mark and our brother-in-law before we straight to the chest the last three verses. The last time it was after an ecology acknowledged acknowledged her needs.
48 are forgiven. Oh, I am going to acknowledge your Sinner and that you need a major. We're going to see 100 roll that has the historic and large 29 against.
You and if you'll not believe him, and it won't came to him in her knee.
And the bars who told you didn't even say anything because the Lord had their hearts. The Lord known with Jesus knowledge that need, help that need. And that's all we said by.
We're gone over and here I have forgiveness. The same anyway have for allegations you may have.
To eat with God.
The Lord Jesus is the one who may have me having any peace by the mothers crossing the belongings. Yeah, he's made me. And now it's going to be yours, going to be lost in the heart and your own precious name.
00:40:18
Cause their actions against him are flying Arkansas.
Her orange family why can be thinking.
And they have mercy on me. Oh, look at God here, right? If you ask me and I put the gods around your eyes, have mercy on you. Mercy. Yes. We have nothing. Justin is one of the passengers. And we receive justice. We receive this new reward.
He even happened to the hell.
And it is a length of wire.
All our tackles made their friends in the cloud with his Workouts of the Heart is one of those rich and earnest again, that is the least.
University for his great all more Whitney loves him. He only University of God was available for you.
Available for you, yeah.
And there's.
On the ground, having your need and they're making the house meat.
Obviously of trying to get into this white man.
Cars is the oldest city, but you know where the hands of me is real and so where is real? One is going to enter very easily and.
Cry out.
I.
Alvaro Davis have worshiped him.
Verse 13.
But Florida, by his breath say how God be merciful to me from a mirror.
God reversible to heal sinners. And have you ever been to the place of being a Sinner? You weren't honest. And have you ever answered us reversed on your evacuation from getting plastic in the hands of a failure?
00:45:50
That is question one and here's why he walked away and go crazy. Now he's on the ground. I'll take you on twice before God hasmissator and probably.
And so he said it was marrying him and how to testify.
Every time I read all those new words and I think no.
1St come out man made God to the Lord and say the Lord is there about the outright Israel son now still want to give you now moving the valley of England.
And the bomb Good kill and the old name tells PEOPLE.
All info, we're talking to a preacher of the hospital and he said beautiful when you pass.
Faith in the gospel and the songs were still.
I may be far more wonderful.
The very creator of the one who made heaven on earth, the one who moved to the stage and everything for the one who beat he was selling in order for the stars now and to control the whole universe.
I read it more wonderful, but he stood still the Creator, and he cry of a more blind beggar, the more wonderful.
Here is the creator of health hearing by of need on the violence or blind mayor.
What are you going to do with?
Your mask, Bob. 28 verses comedy, all the labor handily and I will give you.
Lord is going to sleep now.
He has to do all the doing and you and I must be honest.
I'm a personal faith, the Lord Jesus Christ and you wish to be changed. You can train old tonight, but it must be quiet. For me my time is about enough and I'll just be back. Here let me refer to on twice before I grace. Are you saying through faith? And that's not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not a bird, but any man.
Oh, come from. That'll work the way they have no time to do anything.
That's all you need. Cry him for mercy and.
Receive the Lord Jesus. Give your heart and your own presence, failure all your friend. Have to additional to never forget. He says here a loving major God high in the glory and he still has like this horribly major. They said he called me and gave you again. He's calling you Nigeria and calling you. I want you to have my favorite behavior and your major and the role of being in the glory.
And then the brothers and lambons who died, and if you and I like there.
Yes, remind me to say there is laughing out loud and you wanted the bomb. When I leave your song it says mercy is through our pets. Together Isis and Defeat kissed each other first. He is true that together.
Our sinners and it can all be brought out. But first she married because I died on the cross. Away and large, these Italians goes in.
00:55:01
Close now Mercy and his attitude offered this poor black man to adversion, and all he heard from old marketing of the person in law and the team was that.
John 4
Gospel—A. Larson
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.
Of the little hymn sheet, Let us sing together him #4.
#4 on the front page of your hymn seat. Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the Savior for me. Long I was changing sins, darkness. Now by his grace I'm free. Now I can say I'm pardoned, happy and justified free.
By my blessed Redeemer, this is the Savior for me.
Just as I was, He received me seeking from judgment to flee. Now there is no condemnation. This is the Savior for me.
Loved with a love that's unchanging. Blessed with all blessings so free. How shall I tell out His praises? This is the Savior for me. Let's all sing it with that in mind. And if you haven't yet claimed Him as your own Savior, do it.
Where we sing a song #4 on the front page of the sheep.
Christ is the Savior of.
Sinners, Christ is the Savior for me.
Long I was chained in sin darkness. Now by his grace I am free.
Savior of sinners.
Savior of sinners like me.
Shedding His blood for my ransom. This is the savior for me.
Now I can say I am pardoned, happy and justified free.
Saved by my blessed Redeemer. This is the Savior for me.
Savior of sinners, Savior of sinners like me.
Shedding his blood for my ransom. This is a savior for me.
Just as I was, he received me seeking from judgment to flee. Now there is no condemnation.
This is the savior for me.
Savior of sinners.
Savior of sinners like me.
Shedding His blood for my ransom. This is the savior for me.
Loved with a love that's unchanging. Blessed with all blessings of free.
How shall I tell out His praises? This is the Savior for me.
Savior of sinners, Savior of sinners like me.
Shedding His blood for my ransom. This is the savior for me.
So we bow our heads in a word of prayer and a page, but over to the backside, we're going to sing you then comes to mind. That will be of interest. And especially when we sing this song because some of you folks here may think, oh, that's the song for children. But some years ago, I was asked to go to visit a lady and I was told she's very old.
And very forgetful, so maybe you can't even get to talk to him. But ******* with a little while says they said she forget everything. You know, we do that when you get old. But anyway, instead of forgetting, she was asked this question. By the way, did you ever go to Sunday school when you were a little girl? Yes, sure I did.
00:05:02
Did you ever learn any songs? Sure. You don't remember any of them, do you? I sure do. What one do you remember? What one do you know? What's the first one you ever learned? Dear people here tonight. Perhaps it may. I hope it is in a way that Jesus loves me. Oh, yes. But remember, that was when you were a little girl, and now you're not a little girl anymore. Yes, but he still loves me.
Oh, to you, dear soldier, who advanced in years.
His love, we were singing, is your love with the love that's unchanging.
Why? Because Jesus Christ is the same today.
Was yesterday and he never changes. He'll be the same. All right, we'll sing this for little song #40 but only two verses. The 1St 2 verses.
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me, he who died.
Heaven's gate to open wide. He will wash away my sin.
Let a little child come in. Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so. Now if you have your testaments or Bibles, please open to the Gospel by John and chapter 4, the Gospel by John and chapter 4. And in this reading, we're going to read a couple of verses at the end of chapter 3.
The last two verses, but before we read just, let's have this little thought in mind.
How solemn this occasion is.
Do any of you really realize?
How solemn it is do we all combine and realize what a solemn occasion it is, its eternal issue that are brought before us through the written word of God, And not only that, it's not man's word.
It's God's Word, and if this this makes it so exceedingly solemn that every individual in this room speaking up now just to the whole world.
Just suppose this is the whole world, every individual here.
Will someday.
Bow their knees before the Lord Jesus.
And with your very own tongue, confess.
That he is Lord, and that to the glory.
God the Father. And it's God not only who invites you, you've been invited time and again. You've been told in Sunday schools, most of you have been in Sunday schools, have little children. You've been told of the love of Jesus. You've been told that you have a never dying soul. You've been told that you're passing out of this world and on into eternity to be forever with the Lord if you believe him, if you believe him now.
If you confess him now while you're here on earth, for it's here where sin has entered.
On this very planet in which we live.
Yeah, but that isn't all. That's one side of it. But it's here for the love of God. And the love of his own Son was fully told out at Calvary when Jesus went to those hours of darkness and God took the sins of every believer and laid them upon his own Son.
Covered the scene with darkness and turned his back. God forsook his son on the cross.
00:10:07
We little realized what that means to be forsaken, but sometimes you get a little experience and a little suggestion of it. But you know, dear souls, there isn't A1 of you here, not one of us.
That didn't deserve to be forever forsaken of God.
Oh, you've been such a nice boy.
You've been such a good girl. You've been such a benevolent person all your life. He wouldn't forsake you. He did. He would. If you will not receive Christ as Savior. He forsook His own Son on account of my sins. He can't forsake me.
Well, you're going to do something tonight with Jesus.
Everyone in this room tonight will do something with Jesus, Except, of course, the little infants.
Who can't understand? And yet He would take them up in his arms, as you know, and lay his hands upon them, bless him, and call him his very own. But let's turn to our chapter, the last two verses of the third chapter of the Gospel by John, and then on in chapter 4.
John's Gospel, chapter 3, verse 35.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son is that you? Are you one of them?
He that believeth on the son have something what have you.
What have you? Oh, according to this you have that which is everlasting half.
Everlasting life. But don't you believe if you're one of those who don't believe?
You may be convinced that the word of God is true, but the faith that is spoken of here is.
That which causes action produces some results. When you find out that you are the Sinner for whom he died and he's waiting to receive you, you'll tell him from the innermost recesses of your heart, and you can do it right where you sit in your seat. If you have never done it before, and say, Lord Jesus, come into my heart, I want to receive you as my own Savior. Well, anyway, what did the rest of that verse?
He that believeth not the Son. God loves his Son, you know. It's the one in whom he finds all his delight. And remember this dear soul.
If you, anyone of you, any one of us.
Are to find any true delight.
True delight, even here. Oh, I know there's a pleasure in sin for a season, but that's not true delight.
True delight can be had only through believing or receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your very own Savior and friends.
This may be the very last occasion when the gospel will be preached in your ears. One thing positively certain, it's not the same audience here tonight as it was last night.
Nor the night before. And it will never be the same one again. Never on the whole of the rest of the life in it. Someone would be missing. Someone would be present who is not present tonight if you had another meeting tomorrow night and looking back.
Over just one year.
Out of this company right here, you could remember different ones who were here on earth at least a year ago.
They're not here anymore. You'll never see them again here on Earth.
And never again in eternity, except for those who have gone home to be with the Lord.
Absent from the body, present with the Lord, but waiting for that time when he can take all his own. And do you realize?
That the very next moment.
Hear that assembly shout? Would you like to be left here in this room?
You would advise a little bit ago not to leave your parcels or belongings in this room. The door is going to be shut.
00:15:03
And you will be shut out. The doors of mercy are going to be shut.
Will you be shut out, Ian? All depends on your attitude toward the Lord Jesus. Now coming to a chapter 4.
Wrath of God abides forever on those that believe that for those who shut out from ending into the Father's house. Now. When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus himself baptized not but his disciples, He left Judea and departed again into Galilee, and he must needs go through Samaria.
And there cometh each to a city of Samaria, which is called Saikar.
Near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey, set us on the will, and it was about the 6th hour.
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink, for his disciples had gone away into the city to buy meat.
Then said the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew?
Askest drink of me?
Which I'm a woman of Samaria for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, if.
Thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that Sefton thee give me to drink, Thou would have asked of him.
And he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the will is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the will?
And drank thereof himself. And noticed his children.
And his channel Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him.
Sir, give me this water that I thirst not.
Neither come hit her to draw, Jesus saith unto her. Go call a husband.
And come hit her, the woman answered and said, well I have no husband.
And Jesus answered unto her, Thou as well said.
I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not the husband.
In that said thou truly the woman settled him, Sir.
I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus has and her woman.
Believe me.
The hour cometh.
When He shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
We worship, ye worship. Ye know not what we know what we worship.
For salvation is of the Jews, but the hour cometh, and now is.
When the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit.
And in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiahs cometh, which is called Christ. When he is come, He will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee AM.
He.
I that speak unto thee, MP And upon this and upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman, yet no man said, What seeketh thou, or why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men, Come see a man. Which told me all things that ever I did.
00:20:20
Is not this that Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that he know not of. Therefore said the disciples, 1 To another, hath anyone brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto him unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent Me, and to finish his work. Say not ye there yet four months, and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes.
And look on the fields for their white to harvest, the white already to harvest.
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto his life eternal.
That both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true. One soweth and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that from you. So upon ye bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and ye are entered into their laborers. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman.
Which testified he told me all that ever I did so.
When the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them.
And he abode there two days, and many more believed because of his own word, and said unto the woman, Now we believe not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that He this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. That's as far as we read. Many precious things He brought before us, full of instruction.
But particularly tonight, we believe, beloved friends, that God.
Would have all of you people here, children, Yes. Older folks here, young folks with their family, Yeah, everybody. What would you have you do? He would have you looking to his son. He would have you be satisfied with a look at him for there's life, you know, and a look at the crucified one. But he hadn't been crucified yet. Here in this chapter, however, it starts out here, you know, and tells us that he went. He must needs go through Samaria.
Left your dear going well, but what was the need of going through Samaria? Or you can describe it in various different ways. But beloved friends, there's One who is your Creator. There's One and that One knows your need and had made provision for it before ever the foundations of this earth were laid. And it's God, beloved friends, who invite you to put your confidence and trust in His Son.
It's true that the woman had the message to take it to the others. It's true that you and I can be a little light in the darkness around us. But after all, what can you do? Well, you can do perhaps like John the Baptizer did. What did he do? Why, when he actually found out who that was, that was walking there before them and knew that it was really the Son of God? Or he just simply said, behold, the Lamb of God.
Who is he? God's son? Thou dear friend, the message that you have to hear tonight comes from heaven. It comes from God. And you cannot go out of this room the same way that you came in. It will have an added responsibility to each and every one of us.
Be more concerned a little time we're kept here about the glory of God's Son.
The one in whom he finds all his delight. Well, what's the need of going to Samaria? Well, let's think of the world now again. What's the need of him coming down here to this world? Why does God need to command people, all for men everywhere to repent? Why does he do it?
Is it because he hates you know, this gospel is the gospel of the love of God.
Telling his love not only to his son, but increased love to his son because he was willing to lay down his life.
00:25:04
What for? In order that you and I might be saved. So he must need to go through Samaria now. It's remarkable to think, you know, when he come back over there to the well, he was wearied with the journey.
Who wearied with his journey? It's no wonder that we get worried sometimes. And as we go on and the years add up, you find it out more and more. But why was he the Son of God, the creator of the world? Why would he be worried?
Beloved friends, because it was, for he was for ordained to come in due time to become a man, not laying aside his deity at all. He is God as well as man. But as a man, he felt the weirdness of the journey in the same measure. Perhaps not as much easier. Perhaps that's wrong, but anyway, he felt it as teamly as you and I feel what it is to be with. And what did he do?
He went and sat down there by the well at noon.
I wonder what he did by sending away his disciples then to buy food.
Was he hungry too? Could he have been hungry? Well, he could.
Could he have been thirsty? I expect he was, but anyway, he sent his disciples away before the woman came.
I wonder why that would be. Do you know the reason?
Be possible at least that it suggests this. It must be a thing between yourself and the Lord alone.
Individually, you must have something to do with Jesus individually or how nice it is when little children lay hold of these precious truths and tell their mothers and fathers, Mama, I believe in the Lord Jesus as my savior. This little story, it's within the message of love paper several months ago. Maybe you all remembered, maybe not. Doesn't hurt to repeat it though. Someone said to a little boy.
I don't know how old the little boy is, do you? Can you tell me how old the little boy should be?
Aw, there's no way to answer a question like that. He's a little boy. But anyway, this boy is big enough that he could understand what they talked about. Someone said to him. Well, hello little boy, have you found Jesus?
And the little boy was so surprised.
Why he says no, I never knew that he was lost.
He found me, and He is my Savior. Dear children, can you say it yourself? Jesus is seeking after you. He's going about everywhere, holding out his arms, revealing the love of His heart, willing to take you into a relationship with Himself. Would you let him let Jesus come into your heart tonight? If you do, dear soul, you'll be delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into here the Kingdom of the Son of God's love.
Marvelous thing to think about. Well, at any rate, the disciples are gone to buy food. And here he sits all alone. Who's that coming in there? Oh, there's a woman. And when she comes to the well, what did she say to him? Not a word at first. He spoke first. Who is it that invites people to come to him? Why, the one whom God has given everything. All authority belongs to him.
It's his word that we believe. In fact it's he himself. Many things you might think of if you go back to the first chapter, but our time won't allow us to do that. But when he sees her, he says to her, give me to drink. Did you ever have to ask for a drink? Do you ever know what this would be? Really thirsty and almost famished for thirst. It's a marvelous thing when you get a good drink of fresh water then, isn't it? Well, anyway, what happened? Give me to drink. You know he didn't say give me a drink.
Why didn't you say give me a drink, please? No, he says give me to drink. Do you think that you could give him to drink now?
Oh dear souls here, whoever you may be, saved or unsaved, if you're unsafe, we say it with utmost reverence. It would be refreshing to his soul, yes, even joy in heaven in the presence of the angels, when once Sinner repent.
And what about you and the rest of you then? Oh well, I gave him a drink when I was saved. But are you trying to satisfy him now? You know what? On that cross when he hung there alone.
00:30:05
After those hours of darkness were over, I thirst.
Was he thirsty again there? Yes, he was. What was he thirsty for? What did they give him to drink all? They dipped the sponge and vinegar and gave it to him, and he took it.
Was he that famous for thirst?
Well, no doubt.
He had physical thirst, but that wasn't uppermost in his mind. It was that the Scripture would be fulfilled, which was spoken of him. All the Old Testament scriptures, not all of them fulfilled yet, but they will be. And he's still thirsty for that, if we may use that expression for that occasion or that time to come. But what about the drink from the woman?
Oh, she looked at him and said. How come?
You being a Jew as you drink of me, a Samaritan woman, you know the Jews and the Samaritan don't have any dealings with one another. Now, beloved friends, listen if you remember nothing more.
From this meeting tonight, remember this.
The Lord said something to her, and what did he say if you knew?
Don't you know that the Jews don't have any deals with the Samaritan? Never mind if you knew who not what, if you knew who it is that saith unto you? Give me to drink. You'd do something yourself.
Without any doubt, we can say it without any qualification that every individual here tonight, if, especially if you're unsafe, if you actually knew who it is that speaks to you through this written word, you do something about it. For this is His written word, not just merely to tell us what happened to the Samaritan woman, For he's without respect.
A person in that respect.
Why, yes, whosoever reaches out to Adams. Every son and daughter, regardless of who or where you may be.
If you knew the gift of God.
And notice who the person who it is that says unto you, Give me to drink. What would you do if it's an unsaved one here tonight? Let God's Holy Spirit apply that word to your conscience and heart and find out who Jesus is and do something about it right where you sit. You'd receive Him.
In other words, she said you would ask of Him, and would it be in vain? Did any Sinner ever come to Jesus and find Him and get turned down? Never. Where there's reality, where there's true thirst, you'll get refreshing for your soul, and it'll be that which be increasing while you go journey on through the scene. But to be fully satisfied when? Perhaps tonight?
And those of us who are the Lord.
Can we give Him any refreshing in the as we journey along? Wouldn't you think in the measure that we've had the Lord before our hearts and minds, when our minds to the loins of our minds should be girded up thinking of Him? Don't you think it might be a little refreshing to Him even where He is? We say it reverently, not making any doctrine of it in any way, but we believe it's true because He's you're loved with the love that's unchanging.
And he's just the same today as he was yesterday when he walked here on this earth. And he'll be the same forever.
Well anyway, if you knew the gift of God and who it is that says unto you, Give me to drink, then you would do something.
You would ask of him and he would give you living water. What's the effect on the woman? Poor soul, she didn't understand what he meant. Many people don't. The natural mind can't take it in. But if you remember who it is that's speaking, then you can see. Well, that's not that doesn't belong to man. Man can't do those things. There must be something more than a man. On the calendar pad recently there was a little article told about.
Sometime ago, some years ago, I suppose it was in China.
After a war, there were two men imprisoned, and they were, they could see each other, but they were not allowed to communicate or speak a word. But at Christmas time they had been given this privilege and been told beforehand you can say to each other one word on Christmas Day, only one word.
00:35:20
What would you think if he had been in that condition? What word would you want to get? What word would be Effective? Well, the Spirit of God was indwelling in these two men, and He gave them the same word unbeknownst to the other. And what do you suppose it was? Some of you have read it, some of you heard it, but others have not. The one word that they both spoke to each other is.
Emmanuel.
What does that mean? Oh, that's one of the names that was told that he was to have before ever he came. Thou shalt call his name Emmanuel, which is God with us.
That's the word this vote. Now he has another name, all Lauren for that matter, but another name is Jesus, and that name means Savior. And if you receive him, then, beloved friend, you will get a measure of quenching of your thirst right now.
But you can continue to drink of that living water because he didn't say I'll give you a drink out of Jacob's. Well, a lot of things we could think about in that respect, but that isn't what we have in mind. It's really did a beloved friend, the thought that you may never never again hear the glad tidings and God himself is inviting you to come now and warning you not only pleading and inviting, but commanding you to repent and why?
Out of love for your never dying soul.
Why? Because he does not want you to come into judgment.
In the last verse of the third chapter, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son will not see. Life always is an unsaved. In this room tonight take the words from the Lord Jesus himself and remember, if you don't receive Christ as Savior, you will have God's wrath abiding on you in all eternal ages.
Tonight he treats you in love for your never dying soul, for he does not want you to come into judgment. And there's no need of it because Christ has paid a sufficient price to save the whole human family. And that's God's desire. It'll never be because we won't have, but He will have a family just the same. Well then, right now there's something else can belong here. And what do we get them? Well, she says.
He begins to talking to him about different things.
So he says she says then in he says to her rather verse 13. Jesus answered well, I better go back a little further, because I can't afford to skip over that What forget there after the verse 10 the woman said unto him, Sir, give me thou has nothing to draw with in the will is deep from Winston hast all that living water got into conversation with the Lord and are you greater? Who do you think you are?
Are you greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself?
And his children, and even his Carol. What a word this is to you, dear young fathers and mothers.
Oh, how precious it is to see a company like we've been viewing here the past few days. The families together, the fathers and the mothers and the little children in between like a book of those leaves to be cared for it how grand it is. And just think, here it is. The children brought in God couldn't go on through it seemed like was rather the Holy Spirit wouldn't go through and say that without bringing something for the children. They drank of that same water and where do we learn else about that?
All there's a precious truth you find in that in First Corinthians chapter 10.
There speaks about Israel, and we're not all our fathers baptized unto Moses in the Cloud and in the sea, and did all eat.
All now, all our fathers, but that leaves them women and the children out, doesn't it? Not there, No, it took everyone of them, because you remember to go back to the Old Testament Scriptures and you read while there. They wouldn't leave such a thing as one child behind. Even they take not a hoof, but they all drank it that same spiritual either that same spiritual need for the drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.
00:40:13
Now, when you think of that, well, that's all the children have brought in, everyone of the whole child. But when you think of that rock.
Everyone of you have been born into this world sometime rather and my when you get a nice comfortable home and all the conveniences that you can think of, oh, you're just sitting pretty. You're just whatever you want. Have everything just the way you want it.
But before you get very old, you little children, you'll find out you're on. You're not on a solid rock. You're on the earth. And the earth is not standing still to hold you on. No, it's spinning around as fast as it can go. And that isn't all.
Goes along with it. You're born over here to go through this life in and out and up and down.
And here you go out. Where do you go from here? This is not. This is no place where you find a solid rock to build upon.
Dear souls, Christian.
Your foundation is on a rock. It never will move.
It's Christ, and is he an earthly citizen?
No, he's in heaven. What is he in heaven? He's the head of his body. He's the head of the church. And all you dear soldier tonight who have been born again, you're on that rock. Don't expect to find anything settled.
In this earth on this earth can't be done but keep your hearts and minds fixed upon Christ and then what do you find on Christ the solid rock. I stand all of the ground is thinking everything it is a man is of no value whatever. Well then here. What about the woman? Well, she says he says to her then.
She said to him, rather verse 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank the of himself and his children?
Now he answered, And remember this verse, dear soul, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. That's the water out of Jacob's well. That's the thing that this world has to offer. And all, if one may use such an application, think of the many that have been in this room in the past three days. Everyone of you hungry, everyone of you thirsty.
Oh, you see, I wasn't either. He would look like it when you stood in line to go to eat.
You could eat and drink a hunger for something for your body, but how many of us have really had the hunger and thirst in the soul to know more of Christ?
Whosoever drinketh of this water, anything of this world has to offer, and it's got its glory tinsel worse than it ever was, and it is pleasant sin for season, but what can it do to satisfy your soul? Not a thing, not a thing. So he was Speaking of the thing that this whole world has to offer. If your drink of this water, you will thirst again. Well, you see it thirsty everyday anyway, don't you?
Is that what he meant? No, no. You're born into this world, you're going out of it. You can't stay here. It's under judgment. You can't stay here. Where do you go from here? You'll be lost forever unless you know the Lord Jesus the Savior. But suppose you do die in your sin. And we read in the very word of God that we have before us about a man who was very rich on earth, had everything he wanted, fared sumptuously every day, but.
His enemy came along one day and knocked at his door. An enemy called Death Preacher of the old school took him clear out. And where was he? Was he asleep? Well, his body was laying there dead asleep, but where was he?
Well, he was in torment, put it plain as it's written in the word of God in torment, and he knew it.
He knew it right away and no remedy for it. Thirsty. How do you know he thirst again? The Lord Himself has told us plainly, and He would speak just as plainly and solemnly tonight to every man, woman and child in this room, that if you die without knowing Christ as Savior, you'll thirst in another world. What'll you be there? Oh, you've been pretty well off down here. You're rich.
00:45:05
Rich man was. But now what happened? Oh, what became of that old beggar that you selected his door? He died, and the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom, and way off here in torment. That man could look over there and see Abraham and Lazarus in his bosom.
Oh, Father Abraham, send Lazarus that. He medipped the tip of his finger in water and cooled my tongue. I'm tormented down here in this flame, begging.
Did he ever get a Did Lycos ever go over there and give him a drop of water? Never. There'll be nothing to satisfy your never dying soul, dear friend, if you die without Christ.
And God in love and pity for your soul invites you tonight. And it may be the last night. This is the last night of these meetings.
May never be together again. Many we have met here before at time never see them again here on earth.
Well, anyway to go back here now?
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But here's something else, or here's another Whosoever, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. We haven't time to dwell on that that side of things.
For we want to get those things that will be practical, that you'll put into practice and get benefit of it for all eternity by complying with God's offer in His Word. But notice what that woman said. She said a little prayer, did she? Well, look what it says then.
Verse 15 The woman Seth, unto her, and to him, Sir.
Give me this water that I thirst not neither come hit her to draw.
Is that the desire of your heart?
Give me this water that I'd thirst not neither come hit her to draw.
Well, very likely every one of you who know the Lord his Savior say, yeah, that's my longing.
Have you gotten completely rid of your old nature?
There's a still hanker after anything in this world that it has to offer.
How much intelligence the woman had in that we're not told, but the Spirit of God put the words there for your learning and for mine. What is it?
You've been delivered from the power of darkness. If you're saved, you're transferred into the Kingdom of the Son of his love. You still want to have one of the world.
Dear Christian, is it your longings?
To drink and that living water. To feed on Christ, the living bread.
So that you won't have any desire keeping your old nature in the place of death.
So you will have no desire for the thing that this world has to offer to try to make you.
What? Have a good time. It doesn't make you happy. You know it only too well. Or you say we do. Yeah, we're happy. No, you're not. Just let death not get your door and you'll find out you're not happy if you're not saved. But dear Christians, what we need, it seems, is to let that be the desire of our heart. Let us have the drinking of Christ, that living water that we come not to the things of the world to draw anything for our souls.
Anything. It would bring dishonor or reproach upon him. Well, what's the answer?
The Jesus said and her go call your husband. She was a bad woman and coming in contact with him. No wonder there was need for him there. And not only that, He had sent his disciples away to buy bread so he could be alone with it.
Now go call your husband.
The conscience has to be reached.
And everyone of us has a conscience, and you need to keep that conscience tuned up.
To the Word of God, if it's to be a good conscience, you can't depend upon it. You have to be feeding on Christ, the living bread and drinking of that living water in order that you don't partake of the things or have any desire to partake of the things that belongs to this world that is almost ripe for judgment.
00:50:06
And God himself pleading with you, holding the doors of mercy open, commanding you even.
To enter in while the days of Mercy last. Well now then, she said, Well, I haven't any husband.
Talking to Jesus? Yeah, but she didn't know who he was, hadn't found out yet. Do you know who he is? What is it to you, at any rate?
I have no husband and well, he said, the Lord said whether you've had five.
But the one you'd have now is not your husband. In that you spoke truth. All right, That's true. He knew it better than she did. He knows about it yourself. You better than you know yourself. Now what? Well, then when he said that, then she got another view of him. Oh, I perceived you're a prophet. Got in contact with a prophet and me guilty. So then she began to talk about worship. But we have time to dwell on our time slipping away to faith. So he tells.
Talks about worship, but Donna, come on down now to.
Verse oh 27 No, no, no, we have to go back to 2625. I should say. The woman said unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. She did know that she was a Samaritan woman. She had that much knowledge anyway, but didn't give her any comfort. And what she said, when he comes, he'll tell us all things. Now notice this what the answer here, beloved friends, you can take just two little words.
In that next verse and you've got the theme that God would have you have before you forever.
What is it? Well, let's see, Jesus saith unto her, verse 26.
I that speak into the AM he.
Leave out all those extra words and justice. Say I am. I know that Messiah comes and he'll tell us all things I am.
And how often you get those words in John's Gospel. And most humiliating to think of the low place he took when they came to take him in the Garden of Gethsemane. He came to do the Father's will. It was his will. And you can remember if you go back to Luke's Gospel, chapter 23.
How he was there in that Gethsemane's garden.
His sweat was like drops of blood.
You're singing a little song. I think it's in the book you've seen here in this room.
In pity angels beheld him, when he came from the world of light.
To comfort him in the sorrows he bore from my soul. That night for me it was in the garden he prayed, not my will, but thine. He had no tears for his own grief.
But what do you have for yours? For mine? Sweat. Drops of blood for mine?
But is to do the will of the Father, and so he goes on to the cross and completes it there. But however now.
Coming back again and says here.
Umm, I am, and when they came to take him in that garden of Gethsemane.
What happened while he stepped out and says, Whom seek ye, Jesus, the Son of God?
No, no, Jesus of Nazareth, that despised man, that brought up in that despised city and he said I am, that's who I am. And more than that, beloved friends, God is so completely concerned that you know who Jesus is.
That after he'd gone back to glory when Saul was on the scene and hating.
Everything that pertained to Christ as the devil does to this night, he hates everyone that's a member of the body of Christ.
So he called him, The Lord called Saul, Why persecute thou me? And he said, Well.
Who art thou on? And the Lord said, what I am the Son of God or Jesus. We could say I am the Lord. No, no, but the Lord said I am Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus of Nazareth and up there in glory, how can that be? He didn't have to give any questions there, for he found out who it was, and he said, Lord, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Is it your desire, dear Christian, to do what the Lord would have you to do? Saul was just converted then and all. How precious it is to see fathers and mothers with a desire to bring their little ones up.
00:55:20
And to teach them about the Lord Jesus and tell them that he's the friend of children.
And the friend of sinners, and a friend all the way through, There is no other friend like him, but at any rate now.
And you think of that, there comes the disciples and they saw him talking with the Lord. Well, but what does the woman do before? Oh, when he told her that when the disciples came and he said in verse 27 and the marvel that he talked with the woman and he didn't say anything about it, they didn't dare. No man said with her. And what does the woman do?
She left your water pot behind and went to the men and says come and see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
It tells us that believe beloved friends, if her old life completely done away.
Who in Samaria? Who of the men in Samaria would have believed her if she'd come carrying her water pot in the same way that she did before? Perhaps not one, But.
Perhaps she did not forget it. I don't like that thought. Exactly that you have forgot her water pot.
She left it.
She left her old life and went in and told about Jesus.
All dear souls, have you got a story to tell? Have you got something about the old life? Don't know use to telling it, but tell about him that you delivered you from it and made use his own child forever. That's the kind of a savior God that provided for you. Well now what happened? Well here the disciples and when the woman's gone, well here's the food now. Oh, he says I have me teeth that you don't know anything about.
Juice now they've been talking amongst themselves. You know, reason.
Used for somebody brought him something. I don't know. I didn't. I couldn't say how they did. Well, did you suppose he did? He knew what they're talking about. He knows you too. There. So young or old.
What's He got to say to you? He can say to you the very same thing that He said to his disciples. I have meat to eat that ye know not of. What does it mean to eat?
Drink.
At the cross for one thing to satisfy to fulfill the scriptures, but to do the will of God and its most remarkable to think in the end of the in the farther on in this gospel.
The Lord Jesus talking again about his sheep there.
And he speaks about the Jewish sheep that he had LED out of the fold, and then about other sheep. And then he tells them, you know, I'm the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. You know, nobody's going to take my life for me. I get part laid down again, and I get part laid down, take it up again. And I got that from my father. Now what? What's next? Therefore, does my father love me?
Didn't he love him anyway? Always loved him, always of the object of his delight. But he loved him more of it, and from a different manner now, because he was willing to perfectly glorify God on the earth by laying down his life and taking it up again. Now what for?
So that he could have you and me in relationship with himself now.
How are we going to get strength to go on?
John the baptized, you could say to at first, when he saw him, behold the Lamb of God.
That takes away the sin of the world. Put it a little plainer. See, God's Lamb. And then when he found out who it was, oh, it's the Son of God, and he could only think of thee. God's Lamb. That's the Lamb now.
If there's anything.
That will win us away from the world.
Is being occupied with that man.
In whom God finds his delight, and the only one in whom you and I can find delight. So before we have a little word of prayer, let's sing a little chorus. It isn't on, ahem, see, but it's in your Echoes of Grace hymn book. But the chorus is this.
01:00:20
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Looked full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Let's all sing it. If you know it, Turn your eyes upon.
Jesus look full in his wonderful faith and the things of earth will grow strangely.
Them in the light of His glory and grace.
Gospel
Gospel—R. Rule
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.
Could we return together to the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Mark?
Mark Gospel, chapter 10.
Voice 17.
When he has gone forth into the way.
There came one running.
And kneeled to him and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said unto him, Why call us thou, me good?
There is none good but one, that is God. Thou knowest the commandment.
Do not come out of boundaries, or do not come out of Galway. Do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, Be thawed, not honor thy Father and mothers. And he answered, he said unto your Master, All these things. If I observe from my youth Jesus, then Jesus beholding him.
Loved him, and said unto him.
One thing now like it, show thy way somewhat, so ever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.
And come take up the cross and follow me.
And he was sad at that thing and went away. Breathe, for he had great possession.
I'd like to read in the end of the chapter.
About another individual, starting with verse 40.
They came to Jericho, and as he went out of pardon me, verse 46.
They came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and the great number of people.
Lying bar to me as the son of Timius sat by the highway side begging.
Wanting heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
And many charged him that he should hold his keys, that he tried the more a great deal. Thou, Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still.
And commanded him to be called.
When they called the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort.
Why he calleth me?
And he is casting away his garment Rose.
And came to Jesus.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Thought, Wilt thou?
What I should do unto thee?
The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way.
Thy faith hath made behold.
And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus.
In the way.
We have here in this portion, dear friends.
Two men.
That were brought into contact with the Lord Jesus Christ.
But I desire tonight.
With the large cup.
To bring you into contact with that same blessed person.
The Lord Jesus.
As the savior spinners.
The word of God tells us that all of sin.
And so you and I, dear friends, everyone in this room tonight.
I finished, but they had two classes of sinners in the room.
I wonder which plants you fall into?
Why sinners that have been saved by the grace of God?
And no doubt there are sinners in this room tonight.
Who are on their way to a lost eternity.
Surprise you and dear friend.
I asked you that.
In order that you might bring yourself into God's presence and answer that in His presence.
Because our purpose in being here is to bring Christ before you.
As a living, loving Savior with the desire that if you have never received him as his Savior.
00:05:05
But you might be brought to trust in him tonight.
Now to get to the chapter that we read in the 17th verse, it says when he was gone forth into the way.
The way.
He was on the way to Jerusalem.
To suffer and die on Calvary's costs.
And it's only because he did suffer and die on Calvary's thoughts and shed his precious blood.
That we can present him tonight to you as a savior.
Well, even though he was on the way to that process of suffering and change.
He was ever ready to meet people in their need.
And their friend is ready to meet you in your need tonight.
I don't care how great it is.
The two men that we read about here that were brought into contact with him, they had a need.
And they perhaps might represent or bring before the two extremities of society.
The first one that we read about.
And I came running.
By the way.
He made some mistakes.
This rich young man, but he made no mistake in coming running.
Word to God that that might be your attitude tonight, desirous of getting into the presence of the One who can bless you.
And put your sins away and make you a child of God.
Well, he came running.
But this young man, we find here that he was well to do.
If we were to turn to, I believe it's Luke Gospel, the 18th chapter.
We find that he was a ruler.
He was one that had man speaks of the social ladder.
He's one of those at the top, as it were. One of those that no doubt his fellow men looked up to. He was rich. He was a ruler.
Undoubtedly respected in his community.
But he had a need of the Savior.
A man that we read about in the latter part of the chapter.
He was lying, a beggar.
Others would say he was at the bottom of that social ladder.
He was one that found his need.
But you know, it's nice and when we have the word of God bringing.
Different types of individuals before us, whether the up and outer or the down and outer in the book of Jude.
We there it speaks of bringing to them the common salvation. Now in the word of God speaks of a common salvation. It isn't Speaking of something that's cheap nor the salvation of the soul. The price was higher than anything material.
Let's take a.
The cost of the salvation of the soul is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son.
So salvation isn't something cheap, but when the Word of God speaks of a common salvation, it's a salvation. The same salvation whether one is a respected individual in his community and one that's looked up to or whether it's one that's a down and outer.
Or someone that falls somewhat in between. Whatever your state before God, dear friends, there's only one salvation. Yes, common salvation that we're going to speak for the Lord help to bring before you tonight.
Wow, this young ruler became running, and he kneeled before the Lord and asked him, Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Now he made two mistakes in that one little sentence. First of all, he called the Lord Master.
Master, I understand the word in the original is more features teachers.
00:10:03
But you know, dear friend, there's no blessing for a soul.
Until he first learns to know the Lord as saviors, I wonder if you've been bought to know Him as your savior.
You know, another ruler spoke of him as a teacher. And the third chapter of John's Gospel we find Nicodemus, the rule of a Jew. He came and said, Rabbi, we know that I had a teacher come from God and so forth. And you know what the Lord told him.
He said ye must be born again. I remember over 20 / 30 years ago a brother.
Speaking on this portion down in Kentucky at the tent meeting and he asked his audience, he said, you know, you wouldn't think of putting a school house in the very middle of a large cemetery, would you? No, you can't teach. People would have died. Well, dear friend, you're dead in trespasses and sins. That's what this word tells me if you don't know Christ as your Savior.
You're dead in trespasses and sins. You need to be born again.
Have you been born again? Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus? All the starting point is to be brought to know Him as a savior, not a teacher. Jesus said unto him, Why call us down me good? There is none good but one that is God.
Well, I wanted to make one thing clear. The Lord Jesus, while he was a true man, he was, he was God, God manifest in the flesh. But this ruler that came to him did not recognize him. He didn't realize he was speaking to God. God become flesh in the person of the Lord Jesus.
And so.
When he called him good master, the Lord said there is none good but one that is God.
We hadn't recognized him as God. Now I mentioned that this young man made two mistakes.
The first one was filing the Lord Jesus the teacher. The second one was saying what shall?
I do that I may inherit eternal life.
You know, there are lots of souls today that are on the same ground as this young man, on the ground of that two letter word do. Many souls are trying to work their way into heaven. But the salvation that we're here to speak to you tonight isn't one of those two letter word do. It's one of the four letter word done, DONE, done.
The words that we're seeking to bring before you tonight is a finished work, one that the Lord Jesus accomplished, the Calvary Cross.
He was hung on that classic game.
And he was very shamefully treated. They put a crown of horns on his head in mockery. He was the true king of the Jews. But they put that crown of true forms on his head in mockery. They stood in his blessed face, they smote him with a Reed, and they said all manner of shameful things against him.
But all those sufferings at the hand of man couldn't save your soul or mine, dear friend.
But in the last three hours, God had this scene in darkness.
And in those last three hours?
The Lord Jesus.
Took the sinner's place, stood in the sinner's room instead. And as the prophet Isaiah said, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was ruled for our iniquities. The cast has been of our peace was laid upon him, and with his strife we are healed.
Yes, in those last three hours, the Lord Jesus, as I said, stood in the sinner's room and said I'm not why God first took him.
That's why he had to cry out on that toss. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Our friend, he was first taken, but you might not need to be forsaken.
But I'll say this if you don't receive that blessed 1 as your Savior.
You will be forsaken of God, as it were, for all eternity. You will be cast into that place of outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and mashing of peace. Oh, dear friend, the little of him that we sang brought before the brevity of life.
00:15:03
Let's let's get these guys want their life and this evening is a vapor that appears a little while vanishes away, but you have no lease on life if you were to die tonight.
Where would you spend eternity?
Will you answer that question seriously in God's presence? Would it be with Christ and his redeemed and blind, or would it be with the devil and his right and devil and his angels and the lost ones that spend eternity in hell? You're headed one place or the other, dear friend. It's either heaven, Christ, and glory, or it's a lost eternity to be spent in that place of outer darkness.
You have no lease on life as I said and so when he seriously consider the matter that we're seeking to bring before you tonight.
You need a Savior, and are you seeking the blame before you, the one who can meet you in that lead, the one who died on Calvin strong that your sins might be put away. The scripture says Christ just once suffered through things and just. Yes, He was the just one, the just for the unjust. That's what you and I are. Everyone in this room. My nature is unjust.
Christ just once suffered for families of just.
For the angels, that he might bring us to God.
Well, and so we save you tonight. What's the Lord that has accomplished the work of redemption?
And so we can say, be it known unto you, man, rather than through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all a believer justified from all things. Yes, it's through this man and through his sufferings and death, while this young man, he was going to come not on the ground.
Of the work of another. But what shall I do now? The Lord met him on his own terms.
And as it were, put him to the test. Now in Matthew's Gospel there are few words.
In that passage, the same incident that I liked. And so I'm going to suggest that we just look at a few verses in the 19th chapter of Matthew, Matthew 19.
You'll notice in verse 16.
You have the same question, good master.
What good things do I do that I may have eternal life? The Lord answered him, and in the middle of the 17th verse. If thou wilt enter into life.
Keep the commandments now when the Lord said if thou Lander into life, he meant.
Light on this earth.
If man had kept the commandments.
He might have lived forever on this earth. Nobody ever kept them.
And when the Lord told that to this young man, he.
Who says Anthony Adam verse 18 which Jesus said thyself be no murder, thou shalt not commit a dollar, I shall not feel, I shall not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept for my youth. Of what lack I yet? Well, he may have thought that he had kept them all from his youth up, but he hadn't noticed the end of that 19 vote. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. He didn't love his neighbors as himself. The Lord put him to the test on that.
And, my dear friend, you don't either.
You know, I often think of an incident that a preacher of the gospel told once.
That brings this home very easily.
If you were coming home some night on a dark night and you heard the fire engines.
We saw them turn down the street that he lived on and he saw them going down. You live two blocks away from where they turned on to their St. and it looked like the fire was right in your neighborhood. You weren't sure whether it was your house or one of your next door neighbors. That would be the first thought in your mind. Oh, I hope it is my home.
Friend, we don't love our neighbors ourselves. No, this man, he said all these things I kept for my use up. What lack I Yes, well he lacks the love for his neighbor as himself.
And there's something else I thought he lacks. He lacks it through appreciation.
00:20:01
Of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wondrous person that he is, but taking them one at a time.
He said he loved his neighbors himself.
The Lord put him to the test.
He said, If thou be perfect, gold shall that thou hast them give to the poor.
Well, that wouldn't have been too hard to do. If he loved his neighbors himself, he would have been happy to share everything he had with his neighbors. He could have found plenty that had a need.
Now then, the Lord said, now shall have faith in heaven, and come follow me. Oh yes, if you want to be perfect, follow the perfect one. Well, he didn't have the power to do it.
And it says when the young man heard that saying, he went away. Sorrowful boy had great possessions. Oh dear friend, what bad words, he went away.
What are you going to do with the Lord Jesus tonight?
Have you heard of His love and grace in the past? Have you turned your back on Him in the past?
How about it, dear young friends? There are some here, many here.
Would have heard the gospel many times that perhaps have never trusted in the Lord.
If you've never received the Lord, you in effect have done like this young man. He went away.
You turned your back on him. All I say to you, I plead with you, don't turn your back on that blessed Savior tonight. He loves you. He died for you. He wants to save you and tomorrow might be too late. Tomorrow might be too late. The word of God says, behold now as the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
All dear friends, you may not be here tomorrow.
I was awakened, not asleep, early one morning by a flood outside our house. The window was open.
I had no idea when I heard it what it was.
But it's so unusual. And I got up, we just beginning, it had just broken. The daylight was just coming through and I looked out, wasn't very long before I saw an ambulance come up and then then a police car and.
First thing, you know a lot of activity outside. Well, to be brief about it, what had happened was this.
Some woman driving along.
Had run into a telephone pole.
Across the street, right across from my bedroom window.
They got a man, brought an ambulance out, but before she got to the hospital she was dead.
Life is very uncertain and you don't know that you'll be living this time tomorrow, and for that matter.
All of the Lords may not be here tomorrow. Most of us, many of us here in this room, are waiting for a shout. The Lord is going to call his own home to be with himself and glory. If that shout came while this meeting was on, how many would be left here sitting in their seat? How about it, dear friend, if the Lord came?
And call always redeem home. Would your seat still be occupied?
Ah, dear friend, now is the accepted time. Don't put off a decision for Christ. Open your heart to Him now. Don't be like this rich young ruler. He went away. But pathetic words I'm happy to say in the end of our chapter. We have a much happier ending about that tour lying bagel that we read about. Shall we turn to that for a moment?
Mark Back to Mark's Gospel, chapter 10.
At least verse 46 as they came to Jericho.
He went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people.
Lying Bartimaeus, the son of Timmy is sat by the highway side begging well here was one we've already commented on the fact that this young man he felt his need oh you know it's a wonderful thing when a soul.
Feels their needs before God is a Sinner.
Have you ever felt your need of a savior, dear friend? Now I realize the need is of a different character here with flying Bartimaeus. That is the need that's brought before us. But this is a little picture of you and me. It's remarkable.
00:25:12
The the way in which bottom is there's a picture of every one of us. First of all, he was blind. You might say, well, I'm not blind. Ah, dear friend, in one sense.
If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, your blind spiritually.
In the 26th chapter of Acts we have the Apostle Paul telling of his conversions and after the Lord.
After he was brought to trust in the Lord, he said to the Lord Jesus, Lord, what must I have me to do? And God told him that he was going to deliver them from.
His people and he was going to send him far heads to the Gentiles and you know, the next thing he said, he said.
Open their eyes.
And to turn them from darkness to light.
And from the power of Satan under God. Oh dear friend, have you ever had your eyes opened?
I am Speaking of morally, spiritually. Have you ever had your eyes opened to see beauty in the Lord Jesus Christ?
To open their eyes. Oh, you know, the apostle later on says in writing to the Corinthians, if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that believe not. Oh, dear friend, if you're not saved, you're lost.
If you've never seen the beauty of this gospel that the apostle Paul speaks of. If our purse will be headed is head to them that are lost. If you're not saved tonight, dear friend and on your way to glory, you're lost and on your way to a lost eternity.
Well.
If our gospel be hidden that are lost, in whom the God of this world has blinded the eyes of them that believe not.
Well, thank God, with many of us here, He's opened our eyes. He's given us to see beauty in the Lord Jesus, giving us to find in Him a Savior. And what to God? You might be brought to know him as your Savior this night. So he was lying and he was begging, begging.
I suppose that which generally characterizes a beggar is one he has a real need, one who doesn't have anything.
Oh, you know, a dear friend, all of us, that's our condition before God until we're brought to know the Lord as our Savior. This afternoon, some of us were reminded of an incident in the life of a woman.
Who fell in need?
And Speaking of him being a beggar and his knee here makes me think of that force. And let's just quickly look at a verse or two in the seventh of Luke, that portion that was brought before us this afternoon, Luke 7.
In verse 37 it says.
The older woman in the city, which was a Sinner and she knew that Jesus started meeting the Pharisees house Brian Alabama brought me alabaster box of ointment instead of his feet behind him leaping.
Began while he speaks and appears, and so forth. Now now verse 39 Now in the Pharisees, which had given him thought, he spake it in himself, saying this man, if he were a prophet, would have known what manner of woman This is detected him, for she is a Sinner. Well, you know, dear friend.
Just as the Lord is more than a teacher, he's more than a prophet. The Pharisee didn't even take you as a prophet. But the Lord knew everything that was in his heart, even though he didn't utter his thoughts and so.
All on he's fake within himself. The Lord answered him orally. It says in verse 40, Jesus answering and said, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee, and he saith, Master, stay on Well, it's the next verse that I really had in mind. A certain predator had two debtors. The one owed 500 pence in the other fifty and when they had nothing to pay.
He frankly forgave them both.
Dear friend, you are like these debtors and have two creditors, 1 owed more than the other and I don't question for a minute to some have been more out and out sinners and done things worse than others here. But the word of God makes this clear. Everyone before God is a creditor and he has a debt that he can't pay anything on when they have nothing to pay.
00:30:22
You cannot pay. There is nothing you can bring to God, to me. Forget of your sin and guilt. Before God they had nothing to pay.
Well, when they have nothing to pay, he frankly or freely, I believe another translation says forgave them both. And if you'll own that there's nothing you can do, if you own that you have nothing that you can pay, that you're lost, that you're guilty, undone.
And then if you'll turn to the Lord Jesus, he'll forgive you. This woman here was one.
Who had come feeling her need? All you know, if we could just get more souls to own and realize much knowledge their need is guilty. Hell deserving sinners. Why that's the first step of blessing. Have you ever felt that need? Don't you acknowledge it now before God? But that's me. A poor loss. Hell deserving sinners.
Well, this woman, he felt in need, she realized in need, and he had faith to trust in that blessed one.
And our brother brought before us three things that we get in the last three verses.
Of that 7th chapter because he acknowledged to me.
Because he came to the one who could meet that need. Here is what he heard first, verse 48. He said unto her.
Thy sins are forgiven all friend, once you acknowledge you're a Sinner and that you need a savior. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the assurance to hear the Lord say my sins are forgiven while he will forgive you if you'll just receive him? If woman came to him in her need and as far as we know she didn't even say anything with her mouth.
But the Lord read her heart. The Lord knew that she acknowledged that need, and she felt that need. And so he says, thy sins are forgiven.
And then in the 51St, he said to the woman, Thy faith has saved thee. How does one get saved by faith? By grace. Are you saved through faith? The Word of God says, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of work, lest any man should vote yes. By grace are you saved through faith? Well, he told this woman, My faith has saved thee.
And so there's the second thing to God, forgiveness. And then she learned that she was saved. She received salvation.
And then the last thing that's said is go in peace.
Or she is brought into peace with God.
In the 5th chapter Romans in the first verse it says therefore be justified by faith.
We have peace with God. Oh friends, you may have.
Forgiveness of sin. You may have salvation, you may have peace. Yes, peace with God.
The Lord Jesus is the one who made that peace, having made peace by the blood of his cross, we read in the book of Colossians.
Yes, He's made peace and now it can be yours to enjoy if you'll trust in the Lord Jesus and receive Him as your own precious Savior. Well, let us turn back to the 10th of March to blind Bartimaeus again.
He sat by the highway side begging. Verse 46.
In verse 47 we find and be species. It says When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out.
And say, Jesus, our Son of David, have mercy on me.
Oh, what to God, dear friend, if you're not saved tonight, what to God? That that might be your cry? Have mercy on you. Mercy, he didn't say. Have justice. Justice wouldn't have met his lead. If he received justice, they received his due reward.
We would have ended in hell, ended in the lake of fire. Oh, he said. Have mercy.
All I'm thankful to say, dear friend, that the God that this book tells us about is one who is risking mercy.
We get that in a season 2. God who is rich of mercy for his great love, whereas he loved it. Do you feel a need of the mercy of God? What's available for you? It's available for you, yes.
00:35:12
And there's blessings for those who come to God on the ground of mercy, on the ground of having a need that they cannot meet. And so this man said, have mercy on me.
Well, it says many charge him that he should hold his peace.
I guess they thought the Lord wouldn't want to be bothered with a poor blind beggar.
Ah, but dear friend.
The large height went out to any we had a need.
It made no difference to our circumstances.
And I can tell you tonight.
If you have a need and you own it before God.
His heart goes out in love to you, and he would speak, and we'll meet you in your needs if you'll receive him. Others may have tried to hinder this blind man and charge him to hold his peace, but you know where a sense of need is real in the soul, where it's real. When is he going to be hindered very easily.
And so it says that he began to cry out.
But he cried the more great deal. Oh, he was earnest.
He was earnest about his condition. What the God you would be an earnest.
He cried a great deal more, thou son of David.
Have mercy on you. Well, I say again with the God that that would be your cry, dear friend. You know whenever a soul cries for mercy.
And tries to a savior. They're on the road to blessings in the 18th chapter of Luke Gospel. Perhaps we have time to turn to it briefly. 18th chapter Luke Gospel we read of two people only one cried for mercy and only one got the blessing. Luke 18 verse 10 two men went into the temple to pray the one of Pharisee and the other Republicans.
The Pharisees stood and prayed this verse 11 of of Luke 18.
The Pharisee stood and prayed just with himself. God, I thank thee.
That I am not as other men, exorcists, unjust adulterers, or even as this public. And I fast twice in the week I do ties of all that I possess. He was on the ground of the rich young rulers who asked the Lord, what shall I do Now? Here's one who came to the Lord, telling him what he'd done. He's on the ground of doing, and he's telling God what a good job he's done.
Verse 13 Republicans standing afar off, with not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but mowed upon his breasts saved.
Now notice, God, be merciful to me, a Sinner. God, be merciful to me a Sinner. Have you ever taken the place of being a Sinner before God? Have you ever asked God for mercy, dear friend? That's the basis of getting blessing at the hands of the Savior. Notice what the Lord tells him, I tell you.
This man went down to his house justified.
Rather than the office justified.
It wasn't that it wasn't the center, He was the center. It wasn't that He didn't need mercy. He did need mercy. But as we said before, God is rich in mercy for His great love, whereas He loved us, and God and love sent His Son to die for you and to shed his precious blood, that your sins might be washed away in His precious blood.
And so Blessing now is on the ground.
Of taking one place before God as a Sinner and crying to God for mercy.
And trusting in the Savior. And so he says, this man went down to his house justified.
I'm friends, you can be justified tonight if you're trusting the Lord Jesus.
As the one that died for you and suffered on Calvary's cross for just for the unjust.
And shed his precious blood to wash away your sins. And so I would urge you tonight, trust in that favor. Receive him on your condition like this poor publican, and receive him as the one who can meet you in blessings.
Back to the text of art.
00:40:00
In verse 49 it says Jesus stood still.
All those are sweet words.
It seems every time I read those two words, I think of what a brother brought out over 30 years ago.
In giving the gospel he told of an incident in Joshua we have we might turn to a verse in Joshua 10, Joshua the 6th book in the Old Testament, 6th book in the Bible, the 10th chapter verse 12. Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites to the children of Israel, or before the children of Israel.
And sat in the sight of Israel. Sons, stand thou steal upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Agilon.
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
While I am infidel was talking to a preacher of the gospel.
And he said, do you believe that statement in Joshua 10 that the son stood still?
The preachers answer to them was this, he said. My friend, I want you to turn with me to the 10th chapter, Mark's Gospel.
And he brought before him this verse 49.
Visa stood still, he said. Friends.
I think it's far more wonderful.
That the very Creator, the one who made heaven and earth, the one who sustains everything, the one who keeps the sun in its orbit and the stars in their orbit and controls the whole universe. I think it's more wonderful that he stood still, the Creator, at the cry of a poor blind beggar.
More wonderful in making the sun stand still for a little while. And the moon.
What you asked me about in Joshua here is the Creator himself hearing the cry of need on the part of his poor blind beggars. And he stood still, and he commanded him and says to be called. And so they can't call a blind man saying, be of good comfort. Rise he call us he Oh, dear friendly night he's calling you.
Yes, he called that beggar, but he's calling you tonight.
What are you going to do with his invitation? The 11 Chapter of Matthew, Bob the 28 first those come unto me.
All ye that labor and a heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He saying that to you, dear friend, come unto me, come unto me, He calleth me. Will you respond? Will you come tonight? Will you say yes? Lord, I want it come and receive you. Oh dear friend, I save you, and all sincerity and all earnestness. He's calling you tonight, will you come?
Tomorrow may be too late. He call us well.
Verse 59.
And he's passing away, his garment rose, and pain to Jesus.
Isn't bad. Love you.
I don't know why it says he's casting away his environment if I speak of that.
I'll give you a thought that I've enjoyed.
He didn't want to allow anything to hinder him from getting to the Savior as quick as possible.
His garment may have been a flowing robe, I don't know, but he wanted to do away with any Hindu.
And get to the favor, friend. Do you have a hindrance? What hindering you from coming to the Savior?
Why haven't you come before? What is the hindrance in your life? Cast it away, have done with it and come to the Savior tonight. All He made a wise decision. You know the rich young rulers. The Lord had told him, go give it thou hast to the poor. You come follow me. But what he had meant too much to Him. He placed a higher value on His riches, and He placed on price. And you'll regret that decision for all eternity.
But this poor blind beggar, for all we know, the government is about all that he had.
He certainly was one who had very little.
But material things that didn't mean anything to him. He wanted to get to that Savior. Won't you come to Jesus tonight? It says he rose and came to Jesus. Oh dear friend, May God give you to come to Jesus tonight and receive him as his pages. Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? Now we have things in their right order.
00:45:03
The rich man asked the Lord, what shall I do?
But here it's reversed. The Lord is the one that's speaking now always says, watch, wilt thou that I do? He's the one that has to do all the doing, and you and I must be on the receiving end. Yes, yes, He's the one that can say, What shall I do underneath? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
Jesus set on him. Go thy way.
Face that may behold all he believed like the woman that we read about in the 7th of John, pardon me, in the 7th of Luke. He told her, thy faith her crazy. And now he says to this man, Thy face has made me whole. Oh dear friend, it's a matter of a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you wish to be made whole, you can be made whole tonight.
But it must be by faith. My time is about us. And I'll just repeat that verse.
That we referred to once or twice before by grace. Are you saved?
Through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.
Not of work, lest any man should boast. Don't try to work your way to heaven. Don't try to do anything, just all your need. Cry to him for mercy and.
Receive the Lord Jesus into your heart as your own practice Savior. Oh dear friend, that's the decision you'll never forget. He's a dear, loving Savior. He's on high in the glory, and he's still just like this poor blind beggar. They said he'd call us for the I say to you again.
Calling to you tonight, dear friend. What would you do with him? Why don't you have my Savior as your Savior? And if so, we'll meet in the glory, in the presence of that one who died, that you and I might live.
Yes, we're thankful to say that there is blessing now on the ground of what he has done in one of the Psalms. I believe it's the 85th Psalm. It says mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace of history.
Mercy and truth met together, the truth as to what you and I are as sinners. It can all be blown out, but mercy learned and needed because Christ died on the cross to wash our shins away.
Yes, the Lord Jesus died for those sins, so that now mercy is that which is offered. This poor blind man said have mercy on me and all he learned to know something of the mercy of God.
Match And so dear friend, your need can be met now and on a righteous basis, because the Lord died and answered to God as the one who stood in the sinners room and said so that now all that received him.
May know what it is to to know, just like the Lord told the woman in the 7th of Luke. Thy sins are forgiven when you trust Him, when you receive him. Oh, I urge you to stop trusting Him tonight.
We've said before, maybe too late.
Acts 15:1
Reading
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 have been wondering, we have been considering.
Individual responsibility for the Lord and what we've had before us.
And whether it might not be profitable to take up something as to collective responsibility.
Like we would have perhaps say in the 15th of the Acts.
I have wondered something about that.
Perhaps also connecting that with the Apostle Pauls comments on it in Galatians 2 first part of the chapter.
How much of the chapter Brother Airsman or what portion of the chapter did you have in mind reading?
Well, I would read in that 15th chapter.
Well, I'd read down through the 35th verse.
And then in Galatians.
Two to read the.
The 1St 10 verses.
Acts 15, verse 1 to 35. And certain men which came down from Judea, taught the brethren, and said, Except to be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.
When therefore, Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem under the apostles and elders about this question, and being brought on their way by the church, as they passed through Finis and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles.
And they caused great joy unto all the weather, and when they were come to Jerusalem.
They were received of the church and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there are rules of certain of the section of the Pharisees which believe, saying that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
And when there had been much disputing.
Peter rose up and said unto them.
Men and brethren, do you know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe? And God, which knoweth the hearts, bear them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us, and put no difference between us and them?
Purifying their hearts by faith.
Now, therefore, why tempt thee, God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying.
Men and brethren, hearken unto me, Simeon hath declared how God at the 1St and visit the Gentiles. Gentiles.
To take out of them a people for his name, and for this agree the words of the prophets as it is written. After this I will return and will build again the Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.
That the residue of men might seek act of the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called.
Set the Lord and doeth all these things.
None of the God are all His works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God.
Or as much as we have heard is that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your soul, saying He must be circumcised, and keep the law, to whom we gave no such commandment. It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.
00:05:12
Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have sent therefore Judas, who science, who shall also tell you the same things by Mom. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things, that she abstained from meats offered to idol, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication.
From which, if you keep yourselves, ye shall do well.
Fare ye well. So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the Epistle, which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words.
And confirmed them and after they had carried their space.
They were let go in peace from them, from the brethren unto the apostles. Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide their stealth. Paul also, and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also.
Now the second chapter of Galatians.
On verse one through 10. Yes please.
Galatians 2 verse one.
Then 14 years after, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and took Titus with me also.
And I went up by revelation, and communicated under them that cost over among the Gentiles. But privately the families were of reputation, lest by any means I should fund, or had run in vain. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised, and that because of false brethren unawares brought in.
Who came in privately to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus.
That they might bring us into ******* to whom we gave place by subjection, No, not for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you, But of these who seem to be somewhat whatsoever they wear, it maketh no matter, no matter to me.
God accepted no man's person, but they, who seem to be somewhat in conference, added nothing to me but contrary wise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed under me, as the gospel of a circumcision was Peter, or he that was effectually impetered to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me towards the Gentiles.
And when James, Cephas and John.
Who seem to be pillars. Perceive the grace that was given unto me. They gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go under the heathen, and they under the circumcision. Only they would. That we should remember the poor. The same which I also was forward to do.
Now I know that.
This chapter in the 15th of the Acts.
Has a very definite place in the early beginning.
Of the church.
That is, here was a question coming up of this circumcision and the teaching of the law.
Well, it's centered in Jerusalem was the headquarters for it.
And I believe our brother Potter used to remark that he.
Wondered whether the church in Jerusalem ever were really and got on real Christian ground, that is, they were so associated with the temple.
They started out evidently at first there's definite need visiting the temple to bring the gospel to the remnant there. But it would seem from other places in the history and the Acts that perhaps they continued that beyond what they should because it was when the Apostle Paul went there later on.
00:10:15
That some of them enticed him to go to the temple.
Well, the Spirit of God.
Saw fit that this question should not be settled in Antioch, but in Jerusalem.
That is, if it was settled in Antioch.
There might have resonated a division in the church, a Gentile church and a Jewish church, and so that was guarded against.
By having this matter settled at Jerusalem.
Well, it was not my thought to.
Go into the details of that, I had thought, as to whether we do not have principles here in this chapter to guide us in difficulties that arise at any time in the Church's history.
Would you, would you judge then that things should be settled in someone place or not in the local gathering?
Well.
Here, evidently.
The Lord desired that.
There should be.
Consultation, at least with their brethren in Jerusalem.
In looking at it in a human way, here was an apostle located in Antioch. He could say to the Corinthians, am I not an apostle? And he could exercise his authority as such.
But.
We see from his account there in the Galatians that he says he went up at this time by revelation, that the Lord told him not to exercise his Apostolic authority, but he should go up to Jerusalem.
And if you look at the assembly at Antioch, it was certainly a very.
An assembly.
Very.
Completely.
Gifted having prophets and teachers there, as we learned in the 13th chapter.
That, humanly speaking, you would think that they were thoroughly competent to handle this matter.
Well, here was a question coming up that the Lord didn't want the assembly at Antioch to handle that.
He wanted it settled in Jerusalem.
Well, I believe this would guard us from independency of action. When we know there are exercises elsewhere, I believe that it shows that they should be considered.
What would you think of that, Brother Brown? Yes, I.
Well.
Your remarks I thoroughly agree with.
As to.
Consideration.
Of their brethren.
Rather than to put anything over on others.
Without that Christian attitude of fellowship and concern in in others.
I do believe that Acts 15 is a most unusual thing in the word of God, because a very unusual.
Difficulty had arisen.
And God made a special provision for that, because the apostle himself.
Was set for the gospel.
He was the chosen vessel. He even can call it my gospel.
But God, as it were, was supporting Him and making a provision so that it was not to be settled by Himself.
00:15:05
But by the most unlikely place at Jerusalem, where Judaism held had held their headquarters at Jerusalem.
I see divine wisdom in setting the this whole program.
For maintaining the truth of the grace of God against the enemies intrusion of the legal system again.
Now that's as far as I feel.
Certain of speaking.
We wouldn't say that there is any Jerusalem now would be no, we wouldn't, no. But there was the the situation there in the early church, and this was a crucial question.
This thing was desperately important.
And it had to be resolved in a way that would maintain the integrity and the unity of the testimony to Christianity, and if, if the whole church at Jerusalem apostatized, went back to the principle of Judaism and the law.
Having synagogues all over the world, it would work havoc. But isn't it marvelous the way the Spirit of God took over both at Jerusalem and at Antioch, that this thing could be solved in a godly way and everybody be happy about it, Yes.
It's very remarkable how he uses the very ones in Jerusalem who were perhaps more the proponents of these very questions. He uses them to settle the question and they settle, it might say, contrary to their own thoughts and feelings.
It's the over ruling hand of the Spirit of God. Well, now there is you say there's no truth them now that we would look to for the settlement of affairs, but there might arise a question where the consciences of our brethren elsewhere and something to as to whether perhaps another assembly might be involved.
Why there should be consideration?
I remember a case in another country where I was one time and.
There was a assembly there and there was a a brother who was causing considerable difficulties among the gathered Saints in that land. And this one particular assembly, he had harassed them and irritated them very much in accusations. Well it.
Happened that I think is the second evening that I was in that place. Why I was down to railway station where they were seeing off a brother and here was a brother from this assembly been so tormented in this way by a diatrophies and they were.
Very much irritated about it and they were considering taking action against this man. Well, he was not a local man, but still he was causing a great deal of trouble. And they this brother was discussing it with some of the other brothers there and he says well haven't we the right to do it?
Well, they didn't question the right to do it.
But they didn't think it was the time or the way in which it should be done. They asked them to wait upon the Lord. Well, they did wait upon the Lord, and the Lord did settle a matter without their having to take the action.
Well, to take the action with a precipitated something which might have been disastrous, Well, one is thought here, the Apostle Paul, now he was used to write letters. The bulk of our epistles are the Apostle Paul's letters. Well, he might have written a letter to the assembly in Jerusalem.
And told him what he thought about these people.
Well.
By revelation, he was told not to do it.
And here was the assembly of Antioch. It tells us here that there had been no small dissension and disputation with them.
00:20:01
Why they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain of them should go up to Jerusalem on the apostles and elders with this question?
So we have the Apostle Paul.
Guided by distinct revelation, and we have the assembly.
Coming to a conclusion that certain ones should go up there.
Well, I believe it was remarked in one of the.
Meetings here the other day.
About writing letters.
Well, I believe it's long been a a policy among us from some of our brethren of a past generation, not to write letters individually, at least where you can speak with one face to face.
I suppose there's nothing that can be written that somebody else can't take something else out of it.
And there's no opportunity to explain a misunderstanding.
It's nice to see when they came to Jerusalem.
They were received of the church and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.
That is, Jerusalem was opened to hear the 'cause they didn't just shut the door on their face and say, well, now we know what you've come here for and we, we just don't care to listen. But instead of that, they received them and listened to them and they declared, and isn't it nice the way that's put? They declared what God had done with them. Not what they'd done, but what God had done with them.
And then we see the.
The way the Spirit of God works.
There's a thorough discussion of the matter with the Pharisees.
So they get the older ones together, the apostles and the elders.
Talk it over. And they do. They do a lot of talking, much disputing.
And now Peter, LED of the Spirit of God, gets up and gives a summary.
And it must have been given in the power of the Spirit of God.
And when he comes to the point?
It's beautiful to see it in that ninth verse that he put no difference, no difference between us and them.
Purifying their hearts by faith. That's the Gentiles.
10th verse Now therefore, why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
And then the marvelous grace in that 11 verse, but we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they now ordinarily he would have stated that the other way around. He would have said we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ they shall be saved even as we but he didn't he put it in reverse.
Oh, brethren, that's real. That's great.
Yes.
Isn't there something important too in that sixth verse? You've commented on the discussion in the 4th and 5th verses.
And then here in the sixth verse, it tells us the apostles and elders came together. Consider this matter.
Is there not a principle there here? This thing had been aired publicly. Well, now the apostles and elders come together to consider it.
Well, do we not get there something as to the government in the Assembly?
Our brother Potter used to say.
An assembly is not a democracy where everyone has a equal right and voice. Well, here he speaks about the apostles and elders come together. Consider the matter.
Well, now, apparently.
They didn't exclude others from being present. There are others there, but was the apostles and elders that considered the question?
And evidently he said there was much disputing there. Well, then Peter gets up and and makes his remark, which you've alluded to. Well, I believe that is important.
00:25:07
I remember Brother Airsman at the time that the amalgamation movement was on precipitated upon us over here by.
Some over in Europe, especially in England.
And it came right at the time we were having a general meeting in Des Moines that came to a head.
Well, there were, there were brothers there. It was a large conference and there were leading brothers there from many gatherings.
So there was an opportunity given between the meetings for those who were taking the lead locally in the various gatherings to get together and and weigh this matter that was being put before us in such a a sudden and precipitate way.
And I believe that that general talking over that we had together.
And did a lot to clarify the atmosphere so that that movement made little or no progress on this side of the ocean.
Yes, I believe that was right. And I remember too on occasion in England, I was over there afterwards, years afterwards. And the brother.
I believe you referred him to me, that I was in England at the time he corresponded with you. He and he said he wanted to see an American brother.
So.
I called on him. He was not in fellowship at the time.
He'd gone with the movement.
And.
What he wanted to know is why didn't you go into that reunion?
Well, I says, we made a protest against it.
I says I know it, I was present at that meeting.
Well, he says we didn't know anything about that. And then he told me. He says we hadn't been in that five years before.
We realized we'd made a mistake but took another ten though to get out of it.
But then in the 13th verse.
This man James, who evidently held a very predominant position there. This is not the.
This is not Peter, James and John, is it? This is James, the son of Alphaeus.
He he gives the the summary the the decision.
And he gives it in a magnificent way.
Coming down to the 19th verse, my sentence is that we trouble, not them.
He speaks in a definite, determined way.
My sentence is he's the spokesman for the Spirit of God in that assemblage.
That we trouble not them from among the Gentiles that are turned to God, but.
We write under them these, these orders for Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him being read in the synagogue every Sabbath day. They can get that anytime they want it.
Then it pleased the apostles and elders. Now let's not miss this next expression.
With the whole church, the whole assembly, it wasn't just the apostles and elders. With a whole assembly to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas and Silas, chief men among the brethren. Well, that's godly order, isn't it? Yes, man.
I think that is very important, what is mentioned there, as you commented with the whole church.
That is, the brothers as such, the apostles and elders or the brothers could not settle this question. It had to be brought before the whole assembly, and we cannot speak of a assembly letter going out unless it is brought before the whole assembly.
Might say, well, sisters don't have any voice in the matter.
But you can't have the whole church unless they're present.
Now here is another thing to notice.
In that verse you read Brother 19.
James, the spokesman, says wherefore.
00:30:06
I judge it is in the other translation, wherefore I judge not to to trouble of those who from the Gentiles are turned to God. Now the real thought, I think, is that.
They had cleared the atmosphere from this yoke that.
These troublers would foist upon.
The gentiles that were saved.
That is to put the law upon them, and the conclusion is not a new law.
He's not introducing any new Oregon added thing.
He's simply judging that The thing is not good that they have proposed and it's very important to see that we have something to go by. We simply abide in the truth. There's no advance here. It is simply a safe conclusion according to God's mind. And I mentioned that because.
We're living in the last days and we should give no place to man introducing any new law.
Or tradition. There is no importance in any of us. It matters not who he is, it is a matter of abiding by what the Lords word teaches us. And that's in keeping with this whole context, is it not?
I would say Amen to that very strongly, Brother Brown.
Isn't it important here to notice too? Has been commented as to James comments and then in that.
19th verse. Here he is.
Summing up what is gone before and, he says.
Wherefore my sentence is.
And he gives it. Now he doesn't call for a vote.
He doesn't call for different ones to stand up all in favor of this. He says My sentence is he sums it up. There's the power of the Spirit of God there. And so then we read, then it pleased the apostles and elders with the whole church.
There was that arrived at without resorting to human means. They didn't go back like they were doing in the first chapter. The acts and cast lots about the matter. The Spirit of God guided them.
Well, I believe that there is a power of the Spirit of God when gathered together in the assembly. The Lord is in the meds.
And.
There is a restraining power. I think we see it here.
All these people that were contending, I doubt very much if they change their minds about it.
Because we know that it crept up afterwards, but the Spirit of God at that time overruled. And here James gives a sentence. The whole assembly accepted.
It was a deliverance that God had provided for them.
We can just see God's hand in this whole program, how nicely it was settled.
60 years ago at this time.
A grave. A grave controversy.
Arose.
It might be near 70 years ago.
A very grave controversy arose touching the.
Touching the person of Christ is work among us.
And it was sponsored by some such accredited brethren.
Then it gave deep exercise to the Saints.
All over.
And some of the leading brothers in Canada and the United States.
We're in a position of uncertainty.
They hardly knew they were. They wondered if these brothers to whom they had been looking could be wrong.
00:35:07
They didn't have a settled judgment. Well, there was a conference at Toronto. This is before the day that I was with brethren. There was a conference at Toronto.
And at this conference, a brother delivered an address, a brother well known to many of us.
Many of us older brothers.
He got up and and delivered an address.
And it was so powerful in taking up the basic issues that were at stake in the doctrine that this man over in England was trying to.
Force on his brethren.
That address was so clear.
And powerful and of the Spirit.
That the atmosphere was clarified and when that movement had spent itself in Canada and United States.
There were very few that had been carried away with Raven ISM, very few. And it was that brother's powerful address in the in the power of the Spirit of God that defeated gravenism on this side of the ocean.
No, I'm Speaking of the over ruling.
Power, the Spirit of God and assembly. Sometimes where there has been a matter in an assembly than up and it's been decided, you may afterwards hear a certain one say well.
I I thought of this.
Should have been spoken out.
But the Spirit of God didn't allow to be brought up. I believe there is that, Brother Harrison.
I don't think you made very clear some perhaps regarding that sixth verse. I've heard you speak of it, so I think I can speak for you.
And experience that it is like what we call in our local meetings of brothers meeting.
That they have to look into certain things and.
Bring out the facts that are to be presented to the assembly. Is that right? Well, I believe that responsible brothers should consider a matter before it is brought before the assembly. And again, I don't like to refer by names, but our brother Potter used to say that it took at least 2 trumpets.
To bring collect the assembly together, bring a matter before them. One trumpet wasn't enough, one brother couldn't get up and bring a matter before the assembly took two. Well now.
I I wouldn't call this sixth verse a brother's meeting. It's the apostles and elders, the responsible brothers.
The others, perhaps, were present, but the responsible brothers were the one who carried the burden of it.
Verse 22, as our brother has already read it, indicates that the church was present. Discussion of the apostles and elders seems to have preceded their gathering together in the church when the matter was brought before the whole church.
At least that's been my understanding. Yes, well, it's often been remarked the Assembly is not a deliberative body. That is, it's the responsible brethren who discussed the case and decide as to really what they feel is the crux of the matter. But they don't decide it though. They bring it before the Assembly. And if the Assembly makes the decision?
But it isn't brought before the assembly and all its details first. It's the responsible brethren who do that.
I think sometimes that is.
Largely overlooked as to the question of the responsible ones.
That it isn't everyone that really has an equal voice in the matter.
And one of our brothers of a past generation, he used to the several letters, I believe of his where he comments on it that it's better not to have all of them present, but more responsible wants to consider these matters.
00:40:02
Is that what you?
They came to the same.
Conclusion in their message that had been suggested by James, didn't they?
It seemed good in the 28th verse.
It seemed good to the Holy Ghost.
Now isn't that nice? The way that's put it seemed good to the Holy Ghost that is. They definitely felt they had the leading of the Holy Spirit and to us.
To lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.
And then he gives them a list.
Well, what a.
What a lovely picture it presents of unity preserved in a godly way, and the consciences.
Carried. The consciences are carried.
So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch.
And they gathered the multitude together and delivered the epistle.
And all that happiness there was there, what joy there was. Another crisis was averted, and the Saints could go on now.
In happy liberty, both at Jerusalem and down at Antioch.
And in connection with those things that they mentioned in that 29th course.
It's really not taken from the law but goes back to time of Noah, does it not beyond the law, Yes.
Something that is always true, yes.
There are some things there in connection with that second chapter of Galatians.
Might look at unless there are some further questions, unless I just.
Felt as though our brother Brown's remarks.
Could stand a little more emphasis.
The conclusion of the whole matter, the end of this program arrived at produced a happy state of fellowship amongst all the Saints. And if our hearts are upright, that will ever be our object. And if we wait on the Lord, He'll help us to attain it.
Well, I believe we see in this, it seems to me, the principle.
How that we're not to pride ourselves on our rights or our spiritual perception and ignore our brethren as a whole in a matter of this kind. That there should be the consideration of others in these matters.
And I.
I thought that was.
That is noticeable in that chapter in Galatians as the Apostle Paul personally.
In the 15th of Acts you don't read of any prayer.
But I think that's a gross assumption.
I believe there was much prayer there.
You don't come together in a serious matter like that without waiting on the Lord.
Well, the Apostle Paul was a man of prayer. He writes a great deal about it.
Will never accomplish these things by pure human learning or logic.
And another.
Thought too is that.
We're so short sighted, all we see is a little object right before us.
God sees it in its perspective, the whole thing. We don't know what one action today may make tomorrow.
The Lord's will and the Lord's glory that sought.
There must have been tremendous conviction both with what James spoke and what Peter spoke, because you don't find any rebuttal.
It's accepted. It was felt as the mouthpiece of the Spirit of God.
Well, I remember reading somewhere where one of our brethren of the past generation remarked that they were thought Peter and James were very wise, and they allowed the others blow off their steam first.
And I believe there is something in that, in allowing certain ones to give vent to their feelings, the Spirit of God can come in and make a machine of it.
Our brother Eric Smith in Bolivia has told me that when the Indian veteran get excited about something come to him, he just sits there quietly for an hour or two and until they've blown off all their steam. And then he says, well brother, let's open up the scriptures and see what the Lord says about it before we.
00:45:20
Leave this particular subject.
I think it might be well to clarify.
For the sake of many that are here from small assemblies.
And emphasize what was brought out that the 15th of Acts was a very exceptional and unusual circumstance, and furthermore, it was in the very early days of the Church.
And Apostolic power was there.
But.
In a practical and realistic application today as to responsibility.
We would find, wouldn't we, in the Epistle to the Corinthians, for instance, that responsibility rests with the local gathering as to its own discipline.
And if that gathering feels its own weakness and inability to deal with the matter, then it may call for help from outside from an adjoining assembly. But I just didn't want to leave any impression here that it's the the purpose of Scripture to have assemblies.
Conferring back and forth in respect to arriving at a decision about a local matter that wouldn't be correct, But no, not as to a local matter, but.
What I was seeking to emphasize is where perhaps another assembly might be involved.
Why one shouldn't go ahead of the other without consultation?
Where there is exercise among others about this very same thing, and a great deal of apprehension, then be wrong to say, well, haven't I got the right to do it, and go ahead, irrespective of the conscience of the brethren. As far as a purely local matter, why, yes, the local assembly does need to bring in others, unless they feel their weakness, and unless they.
May feel they have the power to act. Where is that?
It's perfectly proper, is it not, brother Arsenal, where an assembly feels the need of help, that they appeal to another gathering for help. That's perfectly proper, isn't it? Yes, it is. But I, I think we have to distinguish between, I think you've already spoken of this.
Certain matters are purely local.
And the local meeting takes care of it. But there are some things that come up in in assemblies and of course it has to come up somewhere locally. Everybody has a local identity. If he if he hasn't, he should have.
There are some things that come up where that decision is not going to be confined, just the significant significance of it is not going to be confined to that local assembly.
It's a decision of such magnitude that other assemblies are going to be tremendously affected by it.
So I think we should take in these these matters into consideration in our local discussions. Well, now how's this going to involve other gatherings?
I think there's a difference there. Your story about the Des Moines situation some years ago.
There's a case in point.
When the amalgamation was being put, Oh yes, yes, it wasn't the situation that only involved Des Moines. Indeed it was not.
Well, all of us, and would down to this day, vital principles were at stake.
And we need to recognize and discern that.
Lest we regret that we had not done so.
We have a different We have a little situation in Southern California that most places do not have.
Having five gatherings with them, radius of 20, radius of 25 miles. Let's say they're bound to be overlappings and people in one assembly and then in another.
And we have to be considered.
We cannot arbitrarily arbitrarily go up on a tangent.
And disregard the others.
00:50:02
Here in Southern California, which look like one large family, although there are five different meetings, different local meetings like a large family. Years ago they used to have a brothers meeting of all the gatherings in London.
Weekly. But I don't advocate such a thing in Southern California. But there is there's a different situation.
That was because London was one incorporated city and we never.
We never read in scripture of the churches in a city. It's always the church in the city.
We read of churches of Christ, but then we're talking about the churches of Christ in Galatia, which was a province, not a city. But you never hear of churches in a city in Scripture. It's just one church in one city. And the brethren in London felt that. And I think there were 12 local gatherings in London, but.
When it came to questions of discipline, questions of any magnitude or discipline.
They acted in concert and sent out the decision of the assembly in London.
But the London brothers meeting had no authority, did it? No, it had no authority. But if they did come together?
To Council now here we do have this situation.
That there is scarcely one of the meetings here that doesn't have people living in that city. They go to another meeting by reason of the ease with which they can go to the other.
So that the thing isn't as simple as it might be here.
How we need to be on our guard about.
Think so, brother AC Brown.
Maybe say just a word that time is getting on about this second chapter.
Paul had to deal with with the situation here.
Where there was some duplicity involved on the part of those that were opposed to him.
Probably the motive being jealousy.
The fourth verse because of false brethren unawares brought in, that came in privily to spy out our liberty.
Which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into *******.
They were, so to speak, teaming up on the apostle going to bring him into disrepute.
And.
Paul is there in the definite conviction that he has the mind of God and he doesn't submit for a moment.
Because the very truth of the Gospel was at stake.
Well, when anything comes up where they the basic truth of the gospel is involved, why, we can't expect any yielding us on a point like that, can we? No, Paul stood like adamant on it.
And.
He was able to.
To put them to silence. Is it not possible though, Brother Brown for.
One is an individual to get.
Warp you of something and get it out of proportion and justice. Think that everything depends on that.
Yes, but we're speaking here the apostle and the and the stand that he took.
This was the very gospel is at stake. There's no yielding there.
If he had given way, the gospel was gone for all of us.
What you were saying?
Is really building up a party spirit, was it not? And again, one of our departed brothers said that as to party spirits, says the party that assumes to be the godly party is the one to be feared.
While in connection with this, I have often thought of that second verse.
I went up by revelation and communicated unto them the gospel which I preached among the Gentiles, but privately to them that were of repetition, lest by any means I should run, or had run in vain. I think that's important. We should check with one another that.
We are not missing the path, bringing in something perhaps that shouldn't be brought in there.
00:55:04
He said he.
Communicated privately unto them which reputation lest by any means I should run, or had run in vain. The Lord has provided checks for us. You know there's with Israel why I was established in all the shekel of the sanctuary. Well, evidently that was different from what they've been used to in the ordinary life. But here is a standard within the sanctuary which was.
Well, he said he did this well. Sometimes people say, you know, well, if I have the Lord before me, why everything is going to be all right.
And if I have the Lord and you have the Lord may be of one mind, but the scripture gives us checks to to.
So that we might judge ourselves of those things which are not of the Spirit of God. Because none of us can say, like the Lord said altogether, that which I say unto you that I am. None of us can say that. There's another important thing too, Brother Harrison, and.
I first saw it in print. I think it's an attract by.
GV Wigram.
You can help me out on this, but he says a very significant thing there. It sounds startling when you first state it, but the more you think about it, the more you see the truth of it.
There are situations that arise among Saints where truth.
Is on one side and the Holy Spirit is on the other side.
Well, yes, and I believe Jan letters to one controversy is controversy between the intelligence and the spirit.
You get a situation where.
My brother gets hold of some truth.
And it is the truth.
But he takes it to an immature company of believers.
And he he lays it out before them, and they don't see it.
They haven't arrived at that point yet, and he just is going to thrust it down their throats. They've got to see it. And he presses it beyond their capacity to take it in and he divides the Saints. Did he have the mind of God in that? The thing he was pressing was true, but he was pressing it beyond the capacity of those Saints to accept it. He, he was unwilling to wait for the Spirit of God to work and bring them to see that truth.
I remember an incident I proposed what you say, Brother Brown, of the servant of the Lord, who brought something to his brethren that they had never heard before, and they wouldn't receive it. So he quietly retired, and when he came over to the United States, he rode out and gave the Scriptures what he had been presenting to them orally.
He didn't sign his well known initials, he put BM Boston, MA.
That's why I wrote it. It found its way across the ocean and back into their hands. They quietly opened their Bibles and considered the content of the paper. And the Lord opened their eyes and their understanding to receive it, so that when he came home, they threw their arms around him and told him that now they understood what he had been trying to teach them. Wasn't that wisdom?
Indeed, it was wisdom.
I believe it's what you say is very important, Brother Brown, and I think we have to take in consideration you were speaking about these people.
Immature and that's being pressed upon them. We have to take in consideration that especially in dealing with different nationalities that all don't approach the problems alike. I've noticed that say in England, why they don't approach the problem the same way that we would and then when you get into a different language.
Why? There is entirely a different way of expressing things, and we have to be very careful as to what is pressed. How about that, Brother Ramon?
I believe that.
Mr. Darby and speaking about the image that.
In Daniel, you know that.
01:00:02
The fate and all their clothes, the toes were composed of iron and clay and didn't mix well. He made a remark, he says, that perhaps may be the difference between the Latins and the Tutans. They don't think alike.
Well, there is a different way of approaching things and we have to be very careful as to what we press and what we the teach. The time may not be right for it.
I asked a question. A reference has been made to a party spirit.
Now, might be helpful to enlarge a little bit on just what is meant by a party spirit. No, you certainly get it in First Corinthians, don't you?
First Corinthians, the 1St chapter.
Party spirit.
And Paul's estimate of it.
1St chapter First Corinthians and the 11Th verse. Well the 10th verse.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the House of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Now this. I say that everyone of you, Seth, I'm appalled.
I have a palace, I have Cephas, I have Christ.
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?
Were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Now in the.
In the fourth chapter.
And the third verse.
But with me it's a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment or man's day. Yeah, judge not mine own self. I know nothing against myself, yet am I not hereby justified. But he the judges me as the Lord. 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 counsel of the heart, and then shall every man have praise of God.
And these things, brethren, are having a figure transferred to myself into a policy for your sake.
That you might learn in us not to think above that which is written.
That no one of you might be puffed up for one against another.
Well, the farming of a party.
For the Saints to form a party is a sinful thing to do, and for the individual to allow himself to be the head of that party is a sinful thing to do.
Now, I've sometimes questioned, I'm glad for a little help on this, but I've sometimes questioned if those names that Paul uses in that 12Th chapter were the real names that were at stake. But he he used them so as not to expose those local brothers that were guilty. So he uses those names because he says I haven't a figure transferred to myself in a policy. But that's only just a suggestion.
Well, I think what you referred to in that 4th chapter.
Seems to bear that out.
And the parties here in Corinth had not actually gotten to the point where they were divided, That is physically they were. It was clicks among them all rally around the certain brother for a certain truth and say, well, I like this brother's ministry. I want to follow him. And I like another person. I like that brother's way of putting things and we follow him.
Well, that, I believe, is the spirit of what we have here in Corinth.
And that connection there was a difficulty came up in our local gathering back home over 20 years ago.
Later ended in fact that there was a small division affected a number of gatherings.
And it was quite an exercise to one individually at the time.
I remember.
Reading and the writings of a brother who's already been quoted, one that's much valued in years gone by among us.
If I remember the words correctly, he said this.
01:05:00
Of no party spirit will I have anything to do save to reject it. So we do should seek to avoid being drawn into taking sides, shouldn't we? Or or into a in any way of becoming part of a party or a spirit of division.
Amongst the Saints, do we have our do we have our proper conduct set before us in Romans 1617 as to.
Our behavior regarding party spirit or divisions. Romans 1617 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them.
The next verse two brother, for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.
And by good works and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Isn't that all? Short of assembly discipline, yes.
It's individual responsibility if you see a brother going on forming a party.
Spreading error, whatever it may be, to avoid you. That might be a later development from what we've been considering in in the pistols for the Corinthians.
Speaking of them not dividing yet in quarantine, there's one verse that clears that up.
When you come together in one place.
They all came together in one place to remember the Lord.
They were just the spirit that prevailed when they were there.
That's there was the clicks there the rich were to themselves and the poor were to themselves.
Seems to be quite natural.
To have little factions develop amongst the Saints.
Factions and also.
To have, as it were, champions.
The Saints very readily have their favorites.
And they line up, as it were.
Relative to their champion, their favorites, and it makes the faction and the apostle says in First Corinthians 3 verse 3.
For ye are yet carnal.
For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions.
Are ye not carnal and walk as men? It's the state.
Of not being really spiritual and having a heart for all.
The instructions that Timothy was to do nothing by prejudice or partiality, I believe is the way it's rendered in the translation First Timothy 521.
Very important first, yes, And it's a very difficult thing to steer through between the two.
And our verse six, I think it is our chapter in Galatians, or maybe it isn't six. Let us look at it.
Yes, verse 6.
But of those who seemed to be somewhat.
Whatever they were, it maketh no matter to me. Now notice this.
God accepteth no man's person. Now I think that is repeated in the Word of God quite a few times, that God is no respecter of persons. There is a tendency to be influenced by influential person and.
I believe if the soul is going along with the Lord.
That they will be freed from any undue influence by influential persons. Now, I do not want to try to disparage those that may be properly influential.
But we ought not to drop down to that low level of being swayed by merely influential persons. With his true brother Brown, the opposite is true of refusing.
Out of sheer prejudice, refusing anything from someone that we don't like. Now that's serious. I know Brother McMillan was telling me about a case that he knew of over in Ireland, I think it was when we had some meetings over there.
01:10:14
This a local matter, was coming up, It was very critical and the Saints were divided over and they asked that brother what side he was going to take.
And he says I'm going to wait and see which side Brother Song so takes, and I'm going to take the opposite.
Now that is an awful spirit, and yet that that's what the man said.
Carnality, Carnality.
Another said on another occasion. I'm not taking any sides, but I'm simply waiting on the Lord to see what he's going to do.
But what does the apostle say about those? It's like one brother or one type of ministry of more than another. Why? He says they're all yours.
They're all yours. Whether Paul or Cephas, whatever, they're all yours.
Then why settle for any less than all?
1 John 2:12-13
Reading
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.
Meditation for this morning. Not necessarily further than that. We might look at the latter half of the second chapter, First John beginning with the 12Th verse, the rest of the chapter first John 2:12, First Epistle of John, the 2nd chapter, verse 12.
I write unto you, little children.
Because your sins are forgiven you.
For his namesake I write unto you, fathers, because you have known him, that is, from the beginning.
I write unto you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father.
I have written unto you, Fathers, because you have known him, that is from the beginning.
I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world means the things that are in the world. Any man love the world. The love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh.
The lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Little children, it is the last time. And as you have heard, that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time.
They would now promise, but they were not of us, or if they had been harvest, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Let she have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things I have not written unto you, because you know not to prove.
But because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist that deny a Father and the Son. Whosoever denies the Son the same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledges the Son hath the Father also.
That that therefore abide in you which you have heard from the beginning, if that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye shall ye also shall continue in the sun.
And in the Father, and this is the promise that He had promised us even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which you have received of Him abideth in you. And you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you of all things.
And is truth and is no lie, and even as it has touched you.
Ye shall abide in him, and now little children are abiding in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If he know that he is blanket, we know that everyone that doeth like this is born of him.
Before entering into the details, one would just call attention to the fact here that the apostle is evidently addressing the whole family of God.
And then he proceeds to divide them into the fathers and the young men and the children. Now, in our King James Version, there's a little confusion here because the.
Differentiation.
In terms are not properly indicated, for instance in the 12Th verse.
It's not exactly little children, but children it's the family.
I write unto you addressing the family, the whole family.
Then in the 13th verse, he divides the family into the three classes.
And then you get in that, in that 13th verse I write unto you little children. Well, that's right. That's the little children. That is, that's the the younger class.
00:05:09
But you get that same younger class.
In the 18th verse. But now in the 28th verse we go back to the whole family.
And as the words are different.
The family is the whole family is addressed in the 12Th verse and then it's divided into the three classes and then we go back to the whole family in the 28th verse. One just called attention to that general division of the chapter.
It's a whole family and the 1St person.
From the 13th verse.
Through the 27th verse is a parenthesis, isn't it? Yes, yes.
Well, how beautiful, beloved, to think that John can address the family. I write unto you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake.
How wonderful.
And that's the final thing, isn't it?
That's once and for all.
It's something we can lose tomorrow.
No, it isn't common goal with that kind of forgiveness.
Our sins forgiven and forgotten.
Forever.
I remember Willis had given us some good ministry on this term, little children some years ago.
And.
Used the Scotch expression that the parent uses.
Or their their little children, but instead of it referring to their size.
Or their youth, that it really refers to their dearness to the parent.
And the word he used was barony. Barony.
I think it's safe to say what I'm going to our dear brother Anise in our local meeting.
Would often speak of his children and I remember how he would often speak of American. I suppose the Germans allow that to be a term of affection by adding that kin to the end of it. Marie can he would use to say, well here is a term of affection.
That is not limited to any age, but it is good for every Christian on earth.
Their sins are forgiven.
What the term dearness, though would apply to all the classes in that 13th, 1St we have the fathers, the young babes, what our brother Brown was speaking about that.
The little children was really babes.
I think what our brother AC Brown is referring to is.
I write unto you, little children. It's merely a term of affection where he addresses the whole family.
And.
It's just children, but it. But in English, when you say just the word children, you lose something, you lose a little, you lose the affection.
Mr. Kelly renders it, dear children.
I'd express it nicely.
Well, that's a wonderful thing. Your sins are forgiven.
That dear, dear woman in the 7th of Luke.
Oh how sweet, those words that fell on her ears.
Thy sins are forgiven.
What did she deserve?
I just thought all the rest of us deserve judgment.
But from those lips that could never lie.
She heard that marvelous word. Thy sins are forgiven.
00:10:00
Probably the most remarkable.
Sense of acceptance in the Gospels, that woman.
No, Brother Wilson, I think it's, at least for me, it's easier to give the gospel on that story than anything in the Scripture. That's sweet, precious experience of that needy, needy center.
She had, she had nothing to recommend her. Nothing. And yet she got everything.
And hers was not a case of being healed of some bodily ailment.
They were just the feeling of the enormity of her guilt.
And then she feels accepted enough with him to come to him, and brave the scorn of the Pharisees house.
To do it.
And then she's so overcome with what has been forgiven. The answer to the word is she loved much.
The love was in measure as she appreciated the forgiveness.
There's there's no evidence in the passage itself that she uttered one word, is it? From the time she went in till she went out, not a word dropped from her lips, according to the account as we have it there, But she heard some precious words from his lips.
And she came in with her tears, but she went out with her heart filled, overflowing.
She received three things, didn't she?
She received the forgiveness of her sins.
She received peace with God. She received.
Have to check the passage.
Yes, that's right. Thank you, brother.
Yes.
Yes, here are the three things thy faith has saved thee.
That salvation.
Go in peace. That's peace.
Her sins, thy sins are forgiven. That's forgiveness, forgiveness, salvation, and peace.
They have precious did the grace appears the hour I first believed.
Some of us have heard of an engraving on a tombstone. I think it's in the Trinity Churchyard, New York.
And that stone has on it just one word.
Forgiven.
Good to remember.
Acts, 1338. As to the one through whom we have this forgiveness.
Acts 1338. Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sin, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. And then the precious results in Romans 4.
And verses 7 and eight as to those who received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, Romans 47 saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, happy are they, and whose sins are covered. Blessed are happy as a man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
When the Lord speaks to her, he speaks of her faith.
When he speaks to Simon, he talks about her love.
Now her salvation and all that she got was.
Came to her through faith.
But the Lord could turn to the other man and speak about her love.
Well, he valued that.
Are very silent and enjoyment of Christ was a sermon to others. I was thinking of what we have in connection with Lazarus when he sat at the table at the feast in Bethany. It's not recorded and he said one word. And yet we read that many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus because of Lazarus.
Yet he hadn't said a thing.
00:15:00
All he had to do was live and breathe to be a testimony to the power of that one.
And is it not a testimony in the soul that gets saved if he just goes on living Christ?
Much better to live Christ than to preach Christ than not live it.
All right, brother Cladding.
Yes.
I remember talking to a young man one day and he was all broken up here. Christian boy.
Because he wasn't able to testify, speak for Christ, he was reticent.
And he just felt all upset.
Well, I assured him that he didn't need to be upset.
All he had to do was live Christ, not talk.
It's more powerful.
Mr. Darby says that my own enjoyment of Christ.
Will be my testimony to my brethren.
We were reading about.
The church at Smyrna.
Revelation chapter 2 and we noticed that in Mr. Darby's translation that it really doesn't say anything about their works.
They were.
They were occupied with Christ.
In spite of the opposition.
And that's what he commended. Their lives were firm.
And it cost them dearly. Well, that was fruit. That was much fruit.
But yet the Lord says nothing about their works. So there is a one case where you can see the fruits and yet their works. They couldn't brag of going out and doing this, that and the other thing.
There's no criticism of Smyrna, is there brother? No criticism.
It is nice to notice that the Pharisee was given testimonies to what she has done.
I am back to Luke 7, but the Lord gave testimony of what she was doing.
In his presence.
Would you say that the fathers or those that have gone on in the path and reached some measure of maturity?
Perhaps.
The 14th verse where he names the three classes again.
I have written unto you, Fathers, because you have known him, that is from the beginning.
Will express a little better what is meant by fathers.
Him that is from the beginning. That's characteristic of this epistle, isn't it's Christ. And Christ's soul satisfies their hearts and minds that every other object is displaced.
There's no progress there. You can't go farther than that. It's it's the very same wording in the 13th verse that it is in the 14th. I've written unto you, Fathers, because you have known him, that is from the beginning. And then in the 14th verse he just repeats the statement.
That is you. You can't go farther than being absorbed with the person of Christ.
That was.
The very Acme of.
Of Christian maturity. They had learned the worthlessness of everything else but Christ.
Knowing him that is from the beginning that characterized everything they didn't said in their whole life. Well, John presents us the truth in the abstract and I don't suppose there's anyone could ever say well now I've arrived at that point.
00:20:11
I've never met anyone, at least among us, that did Brother Harrison make that profession, No.
This is different really from an alloy.
But this is truth in the abstract.
So if one had known Christ, him, that is, from the beginning.
Oh everything they did and said would be in perfect accordance to his mind. All that never missed the path. They never stumble anyone from making a folks move or comment in any way at all.
But there is that distinction in maturity that's recognized.
And a distinction too, in the nature of the conflict which each class would face.
There are various stages in our Christian experience.
And various conflicts that accompany these different stages.
So that in the fathers we have that maturity which is found a complete resting place in Christ. But when we come to the young men, we're right on the battlefield. Now we're we're in conflict.
It's a real, it's a real struggle.
The term father, it would be better for someone else than the person to apply it to someone that would be better for someone else that he's a father and for him to say I'm the father.
I was thinking of having nobody could apply it to themselves, but I have heard it applied to others.
That as others say it of another brother, and we have seen some.
Who went on to that maturity?
My previous pause for a moment to see an illustration of this in the Apostle Paul.
Who writes?
To Timothy, and especially in his second and last letter.
For these difficult times.
When seducers waxing worse and worse.
But difficult for Christians instead of writing to to Timothy.
In that epistle he writes to the Saints at Philippi.
And in chapter 2 about verse 20, he says.
I have no one that is like minded who naturally cares for your state.
A lovely commendation of young Timothy, a truth that would well fit into his last epistle, but he does not address it to Timothy.
Or how lovely as we're in Second Timothy and in these last days, to see there was one.
That had a care of the Saints.
Well, the the second class the.
Young men in the conflict would give us to see that we're passing.
Through a world where we can expect opposition.
They and John and his epistle in the last chapter. He views the whole world, this whole scene, as lying in the lap of Satan.
Just notice that verse.
5th chapter and the 19th verse.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. I believe the other translation, the wicked one, isn't it?
And the force of that word lie is the way a mother has a child in her lap. The whole world lies in the lap of of the wicked land of Satan.
00:25:03
Well, that's the world through which we.
Wage our Christian warfare.
And the young men are viewed here as in that world.
And are successful by the grace of God in overcoming the wicked one. That is, they're not viewed here as being defeated by Him, but is overcoming Him.
The world views men according to the way they rise in it.
The station they acquire in the world.
But the Christian is viewed as one who has combat with it.
Everything down here in this organized system that men have, which Satan is the God and Prince, tends to draw the soul away from Christ and make it worldly mind.
In the little cottage or the rather little apartment my wife and I are occupying the present time.
We get an amazing amount of free advertising newspapers thrown at our door. We gather them up every morning. Sometimes there'll be four different ones.
And the thing that is characteristic of them is the advertising of personalities.
This one has achieved this degree of success.
And the the that part of the paper is full of of pictures such as one received this acclaim, such as one received this decoration. And it's all the celebrating of the achievement of different ones.
Well, is that what the Christian is looking for? Is he around seeking to get some badges and decorations and acknowledgements from the world where those papers are? All of the world?
No.
As their old brother AH Rule used to put it.
I believe the Christians should slip through this world as quietly as possible.
Oh, that's.
That's good wholesome advice.
Also say that the higher you get in it, the closer you get to the Prince of it.
Heard Mr. Heaney say that Brother Wilson, but perhaps he got it from Mr. Rule, I don't know.
But I did hear Mr. Heaney say that.
Pretty sure I saw it in some writing.
Have someone would give us a difference or the differentiation between Galatians 1/4?
Second Timothy, 410.
Galatians 1/4.
Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father. Then concerning Demas in second Timothy 410 For Demus hath forsaken me.
Having loved the present world.
And is departed unto Thessalonica Crescent circulation. Titus and the Dalmatians over.
Galatians, it's as it is in the sight of God. It'll always be this present evil world. But in Second Timothy, in regard to Demas, it's as he viewed it. He didn't look upon it as this present evil world. It was this present world, the way he viewed it, that carried him away.
The word there in both passages is the same word. It's this present evil age.
It gives a little different angle.
Is there such a thing as walking on the clean side of the Broad Rd. Still? Still a Broad Rd. isn't it?
Well, the child of God in passing through this world, I believe if he's walking in communion with the Lord, he would have the Lord viewpoint of it. He'd realized that it's an evil age that he's living in, but if he gets him imbued with success and things of that kind, why he won't look at it that way?
00:30:01
Oil look at as a place of opportunity.
Apostle Paul said God forbid.
That I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Now crucifixion was a formal death, That is, it was a decreed death. It wasn't mob violence.
It wasn't stoning. Crucifixion was an enactment of the state.
He was condemned to be crucified.
And when Paul looked at this world, he judged it as a condemned thing and that which had rejected his, his Savior. He says, I, I have formed a definite judgment of it. It's crucified to me. And when it looks at me, they see one that's opposed to it and outside of it. And they say we don't want you either. They looked at him as one rejected.
Now that's it.
Is in the last chapter.
One of the last verses, Galatians 6/14.
But that epistle opens up with that other verse we had in chapter one, verse 4.
Now that Christ.
Gave himself for us, that He might deliver us from this present world.
So that the apostle in addressing those Saints at Galatia, where corrupters and troublers, legal teachers, had come in to bring them back under the yoke of ******* of the law.
Paul starts right out by a clear breast declaration, the very purpose for which Christ died.
That He might deliver us from this present evil world. So that verse in the end shows His absolute, His conclusion about the whole matter crucified in the world. The world is crucified in the end.
As we were saying before, it's this present evil age.
The the particular character of this time in which we live.
In particular, the character of this particular time in which we live. Well, in Galatians 614 it's another word, and it's the whole organized system.
Of of this world here away from God. That is the emphasis isn't on this particular age of it, but it's the whole organized system of prostate from God, so.
In the fourth verse he's delivered from this present evil age, and in the 14th verse is crucified to this.
The world is crucified unto him.
The whole organized scene is crucified unto him, and he to it.
Dear young people.
May you always remember.
That this whole organized system around us is the same system that rejected your Lord and mine.
And it would do the same if he came back. They do not want him, they do not want the things of God. And you cannot go on hand in hand with the world and be faithful to Christ.
Will you tell us what one of your bosses said to you at your work there on that point?
While we were reading, at least I was reading in my own office, the scriptures, a man came in, he saw me. He says what are you doing? I said Mr. White by reading my Bible. It was during the month hour, unless my boss was mine, that is. I was not getting paid or using his sign for my own use. I think we need to be careful on that too.
You want to say he's reading his My Bible, but I've gone that lunch hour and this man came in, man who was a brilliant man. He had a, a German background. In other words, he was an intellectual genius. Oh, he said, you don't see that stuff, do you? That's why I do the bottom of my heart.
I have to be reading.
This of Romans.
00:35:00
The ungodly.
Sinner and the enemy. I read those 3 versions doing all he said. After he said that Christ, he came back. I'd be the first one out there to help do it again. And he meant every word of it before a man died a very recognizable death.
Of all things, and desperately. Yes, brother Isaiah 53.
And I think it's verse three says he gives despise.
Present tense.
I've always been impressed by that experience of our brother because it's it's so to the point just to unprovoked to make a statement like that. He just simply told, he told it out, maybe in the heart of it, but he told it out.
I was thinking of what the apostle says in First Corinthians four and eight. A few verses right there. Now ye are full, now ye are rich.
You have reigned as kings without us. I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that God has set forth us, the apostles last, as it were, appointed to death. For we are made a spectacle under the world, the Angel and the man. We are fools for Christ sake, but ye are wise in Christ.
We are weak, but ye are strong.
Your Honorable But we are despised even unto this present hour. We both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place.
And labor, working with our own hands, being reviled with blessed being persecuted, we suffer it, being defamed, we entreat, we are made as the felt of the world, and are the off scouring of all things under this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons, I warn you well, that was the place.
World gave him.
Paul told them they were reigning too soon.
The reigning time would come, but they were trying to reign ahead of time.
Are we not living in days when the Corinthian state characterizes?
Most of us in this United States.
Is it not good to remember that God has had a controversy with this wicked, sinful scene ever since Calvary and we have in John 333?
336 The wrath of God abideth on those that go on.
Rejecting Christ and then second Peter 3.
And reading from verse 5.
For this they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water in the water whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished, but the heavens and the earth which are now.
By the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and the perdition of ungodly men. How good not to be caught in the vortex of this wicked sea.
And we will get hold of it into our inner being that this world cast my Lord out.
He was rejected here and I needn't expect any better if I'm faithful.
It will cover all our thinking.
When things come up that look big in the world.
We'll think less of them.
We'll judge them according to what we know of Scripture.
We will judge them as a judge thing, the thing that God has judged, the thing that crucified Christ, the thing that doesn't want him, the thing that doesn't want us if we're faithful.
I like to rehearse.
A little incident that Brother Heaney told me about being in some city, I think he was not accustomed to be there.
Visiting there and a brother took him around and showed him a number of the.
00:40:00
Of the things that the city might boast in great buildings and monuments and this kind of thing. And so when they got through, they asked Brother He Well, Brother Heaney, what do you think of it? Well, he said, I would think wonderful with one exception. Well, what was that? Well, he said, on everything you showed me, I saw something written that spoiled it.
I said I didn't. What did you see?
Reserved under fire.
Probably. Isn't that the truth?
All that man boasts in reserved unto fire.
And that goes for.
The fancy buildings of religion, as well as all the rest of.
Everything's coming down, we're going out.
Knows nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of fancy religious buildings, physical buildings. Nothing of it in Christianity.
The Lord said there isn't a sacred stone or brick or board anywhere on the face of the earth today.
And then they were. If they were trying to compete with Solomons temple, they come far short.
That belonged to another age.
The most beautiful, elaborate, expensive building ever built in the history of the world.
The cost of it was, well, it was fabulous beyond reckoning. A brother showing Brother Heaney all these sights from a high building, I take it, reminds me what we have in Luke 4.
And the first five, and the devil in connection with temptation, the Lord's temptation, and the devil taking him up into the high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
But when we turned the 2nd chapter of Ephesians and verse seven, we find that it's going to take the ages to come to show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness to water. But that will unroll before the eyes of the Lord. The kingdoms of the world in the moment of time is going to thank the whole of eternity for that blessed One to show us the exceeding riches of His grace. That's very precious, brother. I never noticed that before.
That contrast?
What would you say as to the latter part of that 13th verse?
Right unto you, little children, because you have known the father. You tell us, Brother Ericsson. Well, I know that.
The whether the babe, why there's a sense of the relationship.
May not be anything else.
But there is that sense of relationship.
His son into our hearts, crying ABBA, father. And I like to think of that word ABBA as being those infant syllables, you know.
Ah, bar infant syllables.
Sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts. Crying Father. Infant syllables. But it's the sense of relationship.
The spirit of his son crying ABBA. Father, the Lord did use out that very expression, did he not?
Private marks cost lizards.
Where he said have a father.
Connection with that maybe? Maybe read Romans 8.
1516 and 17.
Romans 815.
Might begin at the 14th verse. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of ******* again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry ABBA. Father, the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit.
That we are the children of God and the children then heirs, heirs of God.
And joint heirs with Christ, if so be, that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
May we call attention Brother Whitaker in that 16th verse to a point that is sometimes missed.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit. Now it doesn't say that He bears witness to our spirit, but He bears witness with our spirit.
00:45:12
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. Now here we have two witnesses.
The Spirit itself beareth witness, and our own spirit bears witness.
To whom do they bear witness? To me as an individual.
Both bear witness to me that we are children of God. That's very important, yes.
Met a sister one time.
How is elderly sister and after speaking about being indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, she said after the Sunday school hour and she said I I've been I've been saved 30 years before I realized that precious truth that I have was indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.
We miss a great deal when we miss that realization.
Every Christian is.
That's important, Brother Wilson.
The Bible knows nothing.
Of two classes of Christians, some that have the Spirit and some that don't.
They have not. The Spirit of Christ is none of his.
You know, having believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. I'm quoting from Mr. Darby's translation. Having believed he received, That's when it took place.
And we have nothing to do with it whatsoever.
Our responsibility is to believe.
And it's God that assumes the responsibility. I say that reverently, I trust.
Of sealing that faith, how long are we sealed unto day of redemption?
You can't get out of it if you wanted to. 1St chapter.
6th Verse Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it, or read the margin.
If you have a margin Bible, we'll finish it.
Until the day of Jesus Christ.
Now if there's any possibility of.
Of failing halfway to heaven, then that verse ought to be stricken out of the Bible.
Because the Spirit of God says here, he that has begun a good work, and you will finish it until the day of Jesus Christ.
There will be no half saved people.
Among the regions in the regions of the lost, no half saved people. He that has begun a good work and you will finish it until the day of Jesus Christ.
May I read John 1027?
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man suck them out of my hands.
My father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my hand. My father's hands. I and my father are one. I remember the illustration of the preciousness of that portion. An elderly sister was conversing with an atheist, and she was assuring him.
Or giving him a testimony concerning her assurance that she was a child of God. And she said, and I'm in his hand, he said. But listen, he said.
You might slip between your fingers. Ah, she says. That's impossible. I'm one of these fingers.
Members of the body of Christ.
In that verse, the sixth verse there and the first of Philippians, they responsibility there is on the part of God, is it not? One is like to connect that with the 9th and 10th verses in the same chapter.
Unless I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in all knowledge.
In knowledge and in all judgment which may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
00:50:06
There is my responsibility to walk in accordance with what is given to us in that sixth verse.
In the fourth chapter of Ephesians and the 31St, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption, the 1St chapter, we are told in whom we have redemption through His blood.
Even the forgiveness of sins. It's not a contradiction, is it? And we are saved, our souls are already saved, we've been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. But then I suppose this refers to the redemption of the body, doesn't it? When the Lord comes in the 4th chapter?
It's mentioned that way in Romans, isn't it?
We feel until the day when we're home and whipping like right.
They what they work, the basis of redemption is completed.
But the benefits are not all realized yet.
Is it Romans 8?
Where we get we're waiting for the body.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit.
Even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to with the redemption of the body.
Well, of course the price has all been paid, no question about that.
But the moment hasn't arrived for making it good to us. But it's it's in the list of what God has for us.
Words are very precious. When the Lord said to his disciples, Will ye also go away? Peter said, To whom shall we go? Lord, thou hast the word of eternal life.
You are his word.
Finish that first, brother, you finished it for me.
That was that. It was our blessed Lord and I'll have to work. We believe and they're sure thou art to Christ say well, I don't feel safe. Brother Brown. We were together in the Veterans hospital in Des Moines. We met a man like that and you gave a very timely, helpful illustration on the thermometer. Would you repeat that for us?
Well, I've given that illustration so many times. Perhaps some are weary of hearing it, but I don't know a better way.
There are two things that compose a thermometer, the scale and the tube of mercury.
Well, they scale never changes. I can look at that scale 365 days in the year and it's always the same.
But when I look at that mercury, why it's up and down, especially in some parts of the country. I knew one place where the record was that the mercury changed 100° in 24 hours.
It's constantly changing.
Well, now my standing in Christ is as unchanging as the person of Christ himself, my standing in Christ.
But my spiritual state is as unstable as the mercury in the thermometer. It's up and down, up and down. But oh, thank God, our getting to heaven is not dependent on our state, but on our standing in Christ. Is that all right? Thank you very much.
There is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
John the 6th chapter. The 39th and 40th verse.
I miss the Father's will which I sent me, That of all which you have given me, I should lose nothing, and should raise it up again at the last day, unless of the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the sun, and believeth on Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up to the last day. Then in the pistol. John the third chapter, the first verse or two.
Behold what manner of love the Father hath restored upon us, that we should be called as sons of God, or children of God. Therefore the world N us not because it knew him not. Beloved now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear we shall be.
00:55:08
But we know that when He shall appear, we should be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And every man or one that has this hope, and He purifies himself, He was His purity. So this verses are looking on beyond the ones that we have in six of John. Lord has promised to raise Him up, because He came to the Father's will. But here, now, these were supplies to each one of us.
To give us a look on for the future. We're going to be like Christ.
We look at ourselves now and there's many things connected with this is not like Christ, but we're going to be like Him and we're going to see him as He is. And we have that blessed hope now is soon coming with the purifying hope.
Notice in the middle of that verse you read.
You read, you read it as though it read. But we know that when he shall appear.
I've seen some who would read it more like this, but we hope that when he show up here we should be like him.
Language of faith is KNOW.
That it might be of help to some to call attention.
The English here is a bit confusing. Every man that hath this hope, that's the hope of his return.
That that half this hope not in himself.
But in him point up every man that hath this hope in him.
The one above, If he does, what effect does it have on his life?
He purifies himself even as he is pure. That is, there is a constant self judgment goes on in view of that pure one that may appear anytime.
So that's why it's important to have the word before us, the washing of the water. By the way, I believe Brother Whitaker.
That we do well to remember in the Old Testament economy.
They would offer a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the evening. I believe it's a wholesome thing for the Christian family to have the reading of the word in the morning and the reading of the word in the evening.
If you'll pardon a personal reference.
My wife and I, when we were first married, were of one mind.
That that should be a part of the routine of our household. And through the wondrous grace of God, we've been able to keep it up through these many years, and I believe it's been one of the most blessed and wholesome things in our lives together.
That reading the word together in the morning and having prayer and again at night.
I don't think we can overemphasize the importance of it, but nowadays?
Where the hectic life that many people are living and the high pressures.
Sad to say, the family readings are disappearing.
It's sad, but it's true, isn't it, in many homes of family readings?
Is disappearing.
I remember going visiting with Mr. Potter.
Taking him about visiting, which I did on many occasions.
And I've heard the old gentleman.
On more than one occasion, say, to the one whom we were visiting.
Say, in his kindly, genial way. Well, sister, and what did you read this morning?
Well, sometimes it was a bit embarrassing.
Well, Brother Potter, we just we just didn't have time or take time this morning to read. We usually do, but we didn't read this morning. And there might be various kinds of excuses.
Well.
Supposing that it was a sister or a brother, whichever it happened to be. And he said, well, we had the first John, the 2nd chapter this morning.
Well, he'd say that's a lovely portion. Should should we turn to it, look at it a little bit and then he very few could. Well, I thought the gracious way in which it did, it was very nice, and yet it searched the conscience.
01:00:04
Don't we have the same tactics of the enemy today as the Israelites experience? We're not ignorant of Satan's devices, but we find in Exodus I believe it is that.
The enemy was seeking to drive out of the hearts the minds of God's chosen people all thought of God. Get out the tail of bricks or else, and take away the straw. Beat them. Give them no time for meditation. Well, you're present. One night Brother Brown and dear brother in Des Moines mentioned that precious.
Necessity of reading, prayer and meditation. And he said we have to have RPM in the engineering world.
He said we need it in our daily Christian walk in life, reading, prayer and meditation. RPM.
Psalm 92.3 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name almost high, to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.
In second Peter one we have there in connection with faith.
Have in your faith virtue and virtue knowledge the first two things that are mentioned.
Well, often in the mention I have spoken of, the virtue was moral courage.
Well, do we not get that through prayer?
Where we're able to meet face the world.
In the knowledge is in the reading of the word. The two must go together.
If we have the one without the other, we might become.
Mystical, fanatical. If we had the knowledge without the prayer.
It might be more of a intellectual approach.
So we need the two together, do we not?
Good to take transmitted without keep it going on in communion. I believe so.
Connection with the lamb just mentioned. I've enjoyed this thought in connection with the Lamb draft scripture in Genesis 2822 verse 8 by Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering, not for sin offering. So the lamb there, I take it was for God himself. The death of Christ was first of all the glory of God.
And then in the 12Th chapter of Exodus, we have there a Lamb born house. And then on the 29th just read to us, we have a Lamb for a nation. In one John 29 we have a Lamb for the whole world. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And in the 5th chapter of the Revelation we have the whole creation joins, inscribing glory to the Lamb that was slain.
Speaking of the Lamb, the heaven Leviticus, that the priest had the wonderful privilege.
After speaking the blood and so forth and offering the offering they were to feed on the wave breast and the shoulder breast infections of Christ and the shoulder is strength. If we're meditating and feeding upon affections of Christ's love for us and abandoned strengthen his shoulders will be living in his presence will be kept in fellowship and is the only thing that will keep us.
Because we all have the fallen nature, we're to reckon the dead. God sees it bearing the death of Christ. We're directing it there. So the only remedy for us is to be feeding on the proper kind of food, the lamb.
Police officer beating on the affections of Christ and the strength of Christ. Does that matter?
I've heard this saying and I think it's helpful. It's not original with me at all.
We were speaking a moment ago about the Christian and said he doesn't feel saved.
If.
You want to be disappointed?
Look inside. If you want to be disappointed, look inside.
If you want to be distracted, look around.
If you want peace and joy, look above.
I believe that's very timely.
Comparison.
Very tiny.
We will never get any peace in our souls as long as we look on the inside.
01:05:02
Because the more we discover of that old evil nature.
The more abhorrent it is, and we'll get under the under the discouragement, the weight, the burden of it. But why don't we believe what God has said about it, that it's so bad it's hopeless and he's done with it and the death of Christ. Let's leave it where he puts it and then enjoy what we have in Christ.
It has been said that the.
Christian, when he fails, is subject to two ministries. One is of the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ points us to Christ. He's also subject to the ministry of Satan, and Satan would point him to himself into his failures.
Would Lipton's tree help in that feather harassment or does this have some other applications? Philippians 3.
12.
13 and 14 Philippians 312.
Not as though had already attained either already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself of apprehended, but this one thing I do, or getting those things which are behind and reaching forth, and those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high column of God in Christ Jesus.
Is the thought there going forward-looking off unto him?
Rather than looking back on our blunders.
Well, yes, Lord may include more than the blunders. It might include what we thought was our success, maybe that we shouldn't be occupied with that. But it is looking off onto the Lord as the one who has completed the path of faith. And we'd follow after.
Made me a motto, painted it and sent it to me. I don't know what translation it is where he got it, but he translates that 14 first. First part Down to the goal I pressed. Down to the goal I pressed.
1 John 2:14-16
Reading
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.
First John chapter 2, verse 14.
I have written unto your Father's.
Because you have known him, that is, from the beginning.
I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong.
And the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him same.
And as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists?
Whereby we know that it is the last time.
They went out from us, but they were not of us, or if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us.
But they went out that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us.
But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all things.
I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
Verse 22 who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ.
He is Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.
Whosoever denies the Son the same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Let that therefore abide in you, which he have heard from the beginning.
Is that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you. Ye also shall continue in the sun and in the Father.
And this is the promise that He has promised us, even eternal life.
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and His truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
And now little children abide in Him.
That when he shall appear, we may have confidence.
And not be ashamed before him at his coming, if he know that he is righteous.
You know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him.
Here this afternoon who were not here this morning.
This morning we read the 12Th and the 13th verses and spoke about them.
Now we begin with the 14th verse.
In that 13th verse.
The apostle John divides the household of faith.
Into three classes.
Fathers. Young men.
And little children are babes.
Now a man may be 50 or 60 years old.
And justice saved. And in that sense, he's a baby.
It's not the age that counts, but it's the progress in the Christian pathway.
So their fathers, those that have made the most maturity.
And as we were commenting this morning on the expression have known him that is from the beginning.
00:05:02
That is Christ.
And he has so displaced everything else.
That he is there all their one object.
Other things are eclipsed.
And so.
He doesn't have to add an exhortation.
In the 14th verse he merely repeats it, that they have known him, that is, from the beginning.
Now the young men are those who have gone on.
They may be mature men. They may be elder men.
Just saved a short time but they've gone on in the truth and made some progress.
And making progress in the truth, they have run into conflict where we're not going to get through this world without some conflict.
This is the enemy's world, and he's going to resist every bit of progress that the Christian makes.
Just as he resisted the children of Israel making the advances into the land of Canaan.
Well, the young men have gone on. They have met the enemy, and they're strong.
And what makes them strong is not self-confidence, it's not the energy of flesh or nature. But they're strong because the Word of God abides in them. And that's important for the young people, It's important for all of us that the Word of God may have such a place in our hearts and our minds that there would be strength from it.
And that when we come into the conflict with the enemy, we're we're not defeated.
And then the babes are those newly saved is the third class.
And in the rest of this epistle he addresses except the last two verses.
He accept he addresses these three classes. The 14th verse he addresses the Father's.
And then the young man, and that continues with the young men until you go down to.
The 18th verse and there you get little children addressed.
Or the base, those that are newly converted.
And the danger for the babes is different than the danger for the young men.
We said before, there is no special danger for a Father, one who has gone on and made progress, until Christ is the absorbing object before him.
But the young men have their difficulties, they have their dangers. And this word has given us that we may know what the danger is, and it's also given that the babes may know what they're dangerous. But whatever our danger, the word of God meets.
Then, as we said this morning, the 28th and the 29th verses revert to the whole household of faith without distinguishing different parts. The third, the 12Th verse, was the whole household, and then you come to it again in the 28th verse, 29th.
The whole household of faith, it's addressed.
And we noticed this morning considerable time was spent on the 12Th verse.
The whole household, and we know our sins are forgiven for his namesake.
I just thought I'd pull together what we had this morning.
Some do not make that progress go on to them, but as we said this morning.
There isn't anybody, anybody here that would say I have attained to that state, but others may say it of them.
They say that Christ is the absorbing object of their heart. And so they say well.
I would call that man a father, that brother.
But most here in the room, I suppose, are in the class of young men. They've been saved. They've been brought up in a measure of the truth. They've absorbed it. They know much of the Scriptures they've gone on. They've found a difficult path down here.
Now the difficulty, the danger for the young men is the world.
And the world comes in many and varied forms.
00:10:01
They all have attractions for someone.
Might be thought that after what is said about the young men here.
I have written unto you, young men, because you're strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you've overcome the wicked one. Well, humanly speaking at my piece said, well, what else is necessary to add but.
He brings before them how that they have a heart to which this world, or the God of this world seeks to arrange things to attract that heart and get them away from Christ.
And the world has many avenues you find. Some people are carried away with it in education, some in art.
Summon money, making money.
Many, many ways, some even into the religious aspect of the world.
And now we have hearts that these things appeal to.
Right, brother cladding.
There's a hazard to it. There was a young believer.
Even in the overcoming of the wicked one.
I think of Samson.
He went down and slew a lion, a type of playing Satan, overcoming the wicked one. When he went by again, he turned aside to have a look at his achievement, and it got him into trouble, didn't it? I think we find a principle there of 1 glorying in his.
Victory, and this is the old nature asserting itself even when there's a victory concerning spiritual things we need to be on our guard against.
Pride coming in even when we have through the grace of God had a victory over the evil of the world and over Satan this morning in the third of Philippians about forgetting those things are behind. Well, we're not to be occupied with how much.
Usefulness there's been in our lives for the Lord. We forget that.
Not to depend on that, but to go on in simple dependence upon him day by day.
You'll never get a diploma down here and the conflict isn't all over while we're here.
Sometimes the gospel is put before people as if you just accept Christ. It's all smooth sailing from here.
But that's when the battle begins.
Satan doesn't entice the unbeliever, he belongs to it, but he does try to turn the young believer out of the path.
Recorded in the 13th. The 1St Kings come home with me and I'll give you a present. But it was too early for that, wasn't it? This is not the time for presidency. They'll be rewarded that the judgment seat of Christ if earned.
Like had to go back to kill God, didn't they? Yes, and when they failed to, they had a sad failure. I would like to refer to two hymns in this Little Flock hymn book.
One number 76 in the book.
And I think the language of it breathes the spirit of the young man.
Who has made certain progress?
And he knows he's in conflict.
Rise, my soul, thy God directly strange. Your hands no more impede.
Pass thou on, His hand protects thee strength that has the captive free.
In the wilderness is the wilderness before the desert land where God abides. Heavenly spring shall there restore thee, fresh from God's exhaustless times.
5th verse Art thou weaned from Egypt's pleasures? God in secret thee shall keep their unfold is hidden treasures there His Love's exhaustless deep in the desert. God will teach thee what the God that thou hast found Patient, gracious, powerful, holy. All his grace shall there abound.
Beautiful am certainly if it's the young man who's in conflict and it's making some progress.
Now go to 1881. Now 181 isn't it?
Rise, my God, thy soul directly.
No.
Blessed Father, Infinite and grace.
00:15:02
78 Thank you, Brother, Blessed Father, Infinite, and grace, source of eternal joy.
Thou leads our hearts to that blessed place where rests without a law.
There will thy love find perfect rest were all around this list.
We are all in these supremely blessed. Thy praise their services.
That hymn raised the atmosphere of the Father.
Now, if you would turn back to the index in the back of the book that indicates who wrote these, you'll find that both of them were written by the same man and about 40 years between them.
One when the man was about 40 and the other one was about 80.
Well, that's the way it should be.
I would feel safe in saying that the man that when he wrote 178 was in the good of being a father.
But energy and strength was that which marked his first hymn, first one of those two.
Yes, yes.
If a young man, a young believer would attempt to assume the attitude of the father.
Without having grown up to it, he would be wrong. He would be making a mistake, wouldn't he?
What I heard old brother Willis Christophers father say the Chicago meeting.
Oh, I don't know, Brother Hearsman maybe can tell me how long ago it is. Long time ago he was delivering an address and he said.
He had a big family, you know, several children, he said. My children all have a better education than I have.
But there's one thing I have they don't have and can't have, and that's my experience.
That is, the point of his getting home was that there's a certain ripening that comes from going on in the Christian life through the years that can't be had any other way.
Are we safe in saying this to Brother Brown that we do not step into a spiritual state instantly?
And they'd not. Sometimes you'll find young people that will assume to a special spiritual attainment.
And in just no time, they seem to have grown up.
We do not come into spiritual maturity instantly, nor do we slip away and get into a failure instantly either. Both are the result of a course.
Wasn't it JND that said the spiritual plant is a slow growing plant? I suppose it's certainly true.
Too much of a place in that way and beyond their maturity, it's bound to lead to a fall sooner or later, one brother I know remarked that said, too much fail.
Will upset any ballastless boat. Too much sale for the ballast that's there.
I'm just saying to the young people and for their.
What are going on in the godly way? And they're they're enjoying this and it just seems national forum to move in. Maybe they're in a small gathering and they take other leading parts out. What do they matter to me about that?
Well, I would say that's all right, So don't go too far.
The question was raised here, something about fathers. I don't know what I got the.
Just exactly what was behind the question, but I was thinking of that in the 13th of Hebrews of verse seven. Remember your leaders who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow.
Well, that evidently refers to departed leaders, those of a past generation.
Well, there is a result of a frightening experience.
Well, it's all right to for young people, make progress. I certainly wouldn't want to.
00:20:00
Say anything about that. I remember I used to be young myself, you know, and I was in the Chicago meeting and we had a couple of older brothers there that they held younger brother in place. Well, I remember.
One brother's son-in-law, our brother Potter's son-in-law, remarked to him one time, he says.
Why don't you?
Give Mr. Arisman more of a place. Remember, he's a young man.
Well, I appreciate those brothers, their attitude now. I didn't always appreciate it then what I do now.
He had a brother eight years ago.
Just a young chap and he got all inflated, got Mr. Darby's synopsis and was reading it, and he quit. He quit coming to the reading meetings because he said he didn't want to go there and waste his time listening to those old brothers stumble around in the scriptures. He'd get far more to stay at home reading the synopsis.
And he was very young, young, unmarried young man.
Well, that young man's course was very, very sad. He drifted and drifted and drifted.
Last I heard he was in unbelief. Open unbelief, just to clear away.
The story is called of a young man who worked with his father and then he had thought that he knew quite a lot and he went away for some 15 years. Money came back, he began working with his father again and his mother.
Surprising what that is learned in the last 15 years.
Good brother, who realized the source of health that we have regarding this question of the world and its enticement in John 1633.
These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.
In the world you shall have tribulation, but be a good fear. I have overcome the world and then over in first down five and four.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory.
That overcometh the world, even faith or our faith.
So we we are not to be cast down and depressed, but look off unto the Lord, keep your help and continue on. Then shall they know, if they follow on to know the Lord.
When the world is divided up here.
In this address to the young man.
All that is in the world.
That's the whole world system.
It's divided here and our 16th verse.
Into three different appeals on three different levels.
I suppose it's on an ascending scale.
The lust of the flesh would be the gross level.
The lust of the eyes a little more respectable.
But perhaps the most subtle of the three is the pride of life.
And did not our Lord and his temptation in the wilderness?
Pass through.
What answer to those? Not that there was anything, any man responded. I don't mean that, but we're not these 3 levels put before.
Maybe some brother would develop that for us.
Well, look, give us the moral order, and it's the same order that we have here, and it's the same order also that's in the third of Genesis, where Eve looked upon that forbidden fruit she saw that was good for food and was pleasant for the eyes, and a thing desired to make one wise. Well, now.
Satan tried these things out on the Lord.
The first man fell under them, but there was number spring within our blessed Lord and Savior to be tempted by them, so he answered Satan according to scripture.
00:25:04
Well, I have often thought that the lust of the flesh, perhaps in a way.
Is more the.
Might say that temptations of youth, though it's it's not limited to that. We're never free from it.
The pride of life, perhaps, might be more.
Excuse me, the lust of the eyes is more that where.
One has began to feel the burdens of life and responsibilities.
How to make one's way in this world and provide for their families and so on. The enemy would seek to bring before one that which looks beautiful to them.
Then the latter part, the pride of life, is more.
Going looking back and seeing.
What what we've attained to of the progress we've made and perhaps that pertains more to later life.
Well, the older we get, you know why, the less we like to be told that we're wrong. The pride of life comes in.
Suppose this is the moral order of every child of Adam, Isn't it? The three things we have here, they are manifested even in a child, in a baby. The first thing a baby does is to put everything in its mouth, the lust of the flesh. And then a little later it wants everything it sees. Lust of the eyes. Little ironic says, Look, I have a new dress. That's the pride of life.
We all got the first explanation, that of the, well, I suppose the lust of the flesh.
Is the more natural appetites desires.
The soul is looked upon as the seed of the appetites, and so those things which would perhaps more come to us in youth.
We haven't had the experience as to how it is all vanity and vexation of spirit more than natural things. You know there is a certain.
All thought abroad that people ought to be allowed to do the things that are natural to them.
Well, maybe just the lust of the flesh.
We're told to flee beautiful lust.
And Timothy was told that.
Yes, there's more of that which would pertain to youth.
Also had other scripture in First Peter 2, perhaps 11.
There it's a matter of abstaining from fleshly lusts that war against the soul, which what I think would allow that there are proper desires that God has.
Intended that they be kept under control.
We do have proper hunger and one might add, other proper desires that are really lost.
But they should be held under control. But if we do know that they are really warring against our soul, he says abstain from flesh. Fleshly lusts that war against the soul.
From a natural desire becomes a lust. You say that?
Yes, it may develop into something that's I'll.
That would have made the strawberry and says even the given to appetizers let them for the night to his throat.
I read a verse from James one.
14.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his lust, of his own lust, and entice it.
But our brother Airsman told us.
Moment ago.
He didn't call our attention.
This 4th of Luke, he didn't follow it out for us. I think it'd be nice if he would showing how these temptations are in their moral order here in Luke and how they fit in with the with what we have here in first John.
00:30:01
Well, Luke gives to us a moral order, not the historical order. We find that the order is different in Matthew than it is here in Luke.
But it seems that there is the immoral ascendancy to these.
Temptations.
And as I said before, it's the same order that Satan brought before the 1St man in the Garden of Eden, and it's the same order that we have here in first John Two. Well.
The first thing that.
Satan brings before him in the fourth of Luke is in the third verse. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone, and be made bread.
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Well now there the Lord had been without food for 40 days, it told us, and he was hungry.
Well, under ordinary circumstances, why it wouldn't have been.
Sin to have satisfied his hunger, but here it was at the devil's suggestion. Now you prove that you're the Son of God by doing that. Well, that would have been taking his instructions from Satan rather from the Father, and so his answer there.
Is it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God? That is, his whole life should not be spent in satisfying these natural desires, but he should be waiting upon the Lord and His Word to form his pathway.
Well then the second there is in the fifth verse.
And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them, for it is delivered unto me, and whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore will worship me, all shall be thine.
Well, there he takes him up and he shows him the all the.
Kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. He didn't show him the misery of them. Because Satan never gives you the whole story. He only gives you that part which he feels your heart would cater to. And so he shows him these kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. Well, that's the way man likes to present things in this world.
So here he is showing him all those things.
And what a marvelous.
Moving picture that must have been to have shown him all of that in a moment of time.
The glory of all the kingdoms of the world.
Must have been a marvelous picture.
Oh, it would have been to the ordinary person, beyond what they could stand.
Well, I've often thought, you know, that Satan doesn't show us all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. He doesn't need to. All he shows us is just a little part of it.
Well, the Lord answers him. He said he'd give him this if you will worship me.
Well, that is making compromises with this world for a position in life. If you'll worship me, if you'll acknowledge my place.
I sometimes have thought that in the Revelation, where?
We have there the false church. I believe the devil shows her some sort of picture like this. I'll give you this, but you have to acknowledge me. Well then the Lord answered him.
Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. No, he says. I am not going to acknowledge you. I am not going to worship you.
I shall worship the Lord, thy God, and him only shalt thou serve well. It's noticeable that the Lord quotes from Deuteronomy the path of the St. In this world, His people, that was their path.
00:35:12
Well, we go on.
Yes, yes, that was all that wonderful glory. The lust of the eye. That's our second. Yes, the lust of the eyes. Oh, how beautiful it must have looked. I don't think the lust of the eyes means looking at created beauties. I don't think that's it. I think the lust of the eyes of more is what man's made out of it.
Man's achievements in this world, that's what attracts the lust of the eyes and.
Would lead us to make compromises with this world.
Well then, the next he takes him, and he brought him to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple.
And said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence.
For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up blessed at any time thou dice thy foot against the stone.
Well, now here he takes him up to the pinnacle of the temple.
Oh, he really gives him, he might say, a religious viewpoint here, The pinnacle of the temple.
And he brings before him. He quotes scripture to him.
The Lord had been answering by scripture, so now Satan quote scripture toy.
Well, here I believe it's the pride of life. What he's putting before him was show us who you are, cast yourself down, show us who you are. That's what he was trying to do.
Well, he quotes scripture to him, but when the devil quotes scripture, he doesn't quote all the scripture.
He lives our son, part of it.
And.
The Lord answered him.
It is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
If he had cast himself down, he would have been tempting God to see if God was as good as his word.
But the part that I believe that Satan left out was that should keep thee in all thy ways, the path of obedience here in the scene. Satan left that part out, and he'll always leave out some part. He'll never give you the whole truth. He only gives you half truth or even partial truth.
Well, I like what is said in Matthew in this connection.
I think it is very.
Very important.
In the fourth of Matthew and these same parables or same temptations.
The seventh verse when the Lord answers Satan.
He says it is written again.
That is, Satan brought one scripture before him.
Well, now says it's written again. There's another scripture that bears on this point, and that I believe is very important to remember that.
How much difficulty there has been?
In Christendom, in the church, by people taking a certain passage, maybe taking it out of its connection and basing all on that without it seeing that it's written again somewhere else to modify that.
In Matthew.
That is the climax. And so he says, get the hence Satan, get the hence Satan.
He rebukes him and terminates the interview. But in Luke, where we get the moral orders brother's been bringing before us.
While you find that in the King James Bible, here in the eighth verse it's omitted, it is not in the better text.
Because the point here is the moral order, and so there's not determination of the interview here. So that gets thee behind me. Satan is omitted.
But we're not omitted. It would mean that Satan could linger, yes, after he was turned away, yes, in the second temptation in Luke, Paul, it's striking to notice that the devil does not use that phrase if thou be the Son of God the second time. Because if Christ were the Son of God, it's the very last thing he would do to fall down and worship the devil. So he leaves those words out there.
00:40:20
Striking too, when it comes to the Lord the first time, He says, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Now man was seeking to be as gods Adam and Eve.
And then when Satan comes to the Lord now, he says, if you're the Son of God.
Make these stones into bread. The Lord's answer was, Man shall not live by bread alone. He had taken the place as a man and as a man. Obedience was here.
And we need to remember that. Or is that that becomes us as men.
Obedience.
Here were the climax of all the temptations that.
Brought before him when he was in the wilderness.
He was tempted. The full 40 days, I thought So. Yes, Hampton, 40 days of the devil.
Last Temptation.
And the neighbors of different elders. Death.
Adam was tempted in the Garden of Eden, surrounded by all the delights that God had created, and he fell. I think it's Mark that says the Lord was in the wilderness with the wild beasts. He was there with what sin had brought in.
But there we find perfect obedience, routing the folk. It's there that he bound the strongman, and he bound the strong man with it is written.
Is it in Mark where it says the Spirit drive him into the wilderness?
A reluctance to meet that awful being.
Spirit of some.
Young Christians we've met through the years that are just asking the Lord to give them a trial.
Isn't it happy for us to stay too? And Hebrews the 4th chapter.
Where we have Christ as our High Priest.
The reference to this temptation that he endured as a man.
The 4th chapter and verse 15.
For we have not in High Priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are.
Sent apart.
And as we come back to our chapter in the Epistle of John.
The warning is given to the young men concerning these three.
Things that characterize the world.
And that we should abstain from them.
But we can't fight this battle alone, can we? And one who seeks to win it in his own strength is going to fail miserably. Where do we turn? Oh, there's that one up on high who is man endured these temptations and has set forth the pathway and were to follow in his step.
Maybe I'd say a little more about that expression yet without sin or apart from sin. Well, I think her brother Harrison, there was something of that, didn't we? We, we have the temptations in.
Inherently in us due to the nature that.
Has been handed down to us from Adam.
And we find that we.
We have an appetite for this, but the Blessed One who was here had no such character. And one thinks how gracious it was of him that he submitted to that testing when it was absolutely abhorrent to him so to do. But it was that he might be the true witness, the true servant.
And showing himself qualified, he didn't enter into his ministry until he had.
And during that testing, did he so apart from sin would signify that?
There was nothing in him that responded to any of it. But if those things were put before us, there would be something in us that would respond to them. So we must always distinguish between our temptations and those that were put before the Lord.
00:45:08
The Prince of this world cometh and findeth nothing in me, actually.
His very nature was that holy one.
And that nature had no possibility of ever.
Sinning or having a sinful thought or exercising his own will.
Morally impossible for the Son of God to sin.
He was tempted with from without, yes.
These were real temptations, but there was nothing in him that responded as you said.
Nor could respond.
Nor could respond because.
I talked to a Bible teacher.
Have been teaching for years and this one insisted that he had to have a nature capable of sinning.
Just like ourselves and that we were dishonoring the Lord when we robbed him of having such a nature and capability. Well, that was satanic reasoning.
Really blast them.
Romans to clarify a point because it it might confuse some.
8th of Romans and the third verse.
For what the law could not do in that is weak through the flesh.
God sending his own son.
I'll read that the way a lot of people think about it.
God sending his own Son in sinful flesh, Is that what it says?
Well, that's blasphemy, isn't it?
God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flight, not in sinful flight.
That is, if anyone had looked at the Lord Jesus as He worked up there in the Carpenter shop at Nazareth, I suppose He worked at his trade. One says this reverently. Is not this the Carpenter?
He had no Halo about his head.
There was nothing that marked him as out of heaven. He was a man among men, as far as that went the likeness of sinful faith, but he was not in sinful flesh. There was no trace of sin in it.
The expression he flesh cannot be used in connection with. Yes, certainly.
That's the flesh uses synonymous with that old nature that we have is descendants of Adam.
That holy thing which will be born of these shall be called the Son of God, that holy thing.
Absolutely holy.
References made to the importance of those I wonder whether.
That 12Th verse might be in line with what we're considering.
For the Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder, the soul and the spirit, the joints, the Mara and the Zerner, the thoughts and the intents of the heart.
One has often thought in connection to this verse I submitted.
That here the dividing asunder the soul and the spirit.
The soul being looked upon as the seat of the appetite.
And the Spirit having more to do with that higher part of our being that has to do with God. Well, now in our journey through this life, our walk.
We may not be able to discern ourselves. Something may appear very commendable to us.
But we may find out later. Perhaps it wasn't the thing to do.
Well, here the word of God would be that which would divide between the soul and the spirit. It would show us, if there was dependence on Him and waiting on Him, what was really according to his mind, and what was according to our natural thought.
00:50:17
I thought of that. That we, in other words.
We do not know really our own motives at times, would you think Silver around?
Do we not sometimes find ourselves in a position where we have to say to the Lord? I simply don't know my own thoughts.
I don't know what's moving and ask the Lord to make it plain.
And one has to be careful about saying, Well, the Lord said unto me to do this.
Or do that.
I knew one case where one said that.
And afterwards, the way things turned out, he ruled the day that he did it. And yet it was a commendable thing to do, humanly speaking. You mean the act that came about from it? Yes.
Word flesh, Brother Petrin raised it while ago and the fourth of first Peter.
The fourth of first Peter and the first verse.
For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, that is, as the Incarnate Christ the man, he became flesh.
Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. Now the rest of the verse is talking about us.
We're to arm ourselves of the same mind for He that has suffered in the flesh.
Now I just submit this, He that has suffered in the flesh, that is, I've got an old nature in me.
If I gratify that whole nature, why it'll it'll go on in sin. But he that has suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. I say no to it, I don't gratify it, and I cease from sin. Then in the second verse, that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh, that's his.
His human life down here, that that's talking about ourselves, that he should no longer live the rest of his life down here.
In the flesh to the lust of man, but to the will of God.
So that we get Christ the holy flesh in the first part of the first verse.
We get the evil principle of the flesh in ourselves in the end of the verse, and then we get ourselves looked at in our humanity in the second verse.
So we have to distinguish.
Where we find these terms as to what is signified by them. In other words, you know there's a man that wrote a Bible.
I don't believe I can give you the name of it now, but. But he had the strange delusion that.
That every Greek word could always be translated by the same English word.
And he made a translation of the kind. Well, it's just absolutely absurd and ridiculous.
And he taught a lot of evil, wicked doctrine in that, in that translation, you cannot do that. You one has to discern where a word is used. What does it mean in that particular passage? Is that right? Brother Potter used to tell us that the context should show us the meaning.
And also pill of English.
Why? Certainly it's true of English. Certainly it is.
Spiritual man of God.
To make decisions. Spiritual judgment in the selecting of the right word in the right place.
And verse 2.
Know ye the Spirit of God? Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in flesh is not of God. The article V is out, isn't it? Yes, would would make a difference to that which my brother Brown has called our attention to.
In the scripture he just referred to as something else omitted there too Brother growth there is is omitted.
00:55:02
It should read every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ come in flesh. It's confessed not the fact that he came, but confessed the person who came.
And it's the same in the next part. Every spirit that confesses not Jesus Christ come in place the confession of the person, not the fact that he came.
The natural things for our natural body from God and Thanksgiving there is blessing, but if we take things from the devil, the enemy, through temptation, it is a disorderly.
This hour and it becomes lust. For instance, I was thinking that we eat to live. Live to eat is disorderly, becomes lost. Marriage is honorable, but if lasciviousness is practiced, it is lost. Well, Satan really controls the world.
By his stock and trade, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
If a man is in the advertising business, he needs to know not much else.
But the people are swayed by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
We were speaking the other evening in a Bible reading Wednesday evening.
Few years ago.
The advertising for automobiles went like this.
See its beauty.
I buy it one mate, another one says try it and see the lux, the luxury of it, the one appealing to the lust of the eye, the other to the lust of the flesh. And still another said buy a new Ford and watch your neighbors perk up.
Well, if you're going to buy a new Ford in order that you'll be looked up to by your neighbors, it's the lust of the flesh. I mean, the pride of life. Excuse me.
But the world moves on that whole principle.
The great theme I believe in advertising is that people take in more by what they see.
Rather than what they read for here.
Like a sorry or yeah, we're still in school.
Bear went over the mountains to see what he could see, and all that he could see was the other side of the mountain.
We would comment one other comment about the advertising of the day.
That the character that it is assumed today that.
Has a very strong inclination toward immorality.
Marks what is about us and we need to be more than ever on our guard against this particular lust, don't we? Yes.
When the remedy be there in Colossians 3.
Would this be that which would help us?
Regarding this very solemn and subtle situation which we find ourselves we wanting to read the verses in the first part of how that third chapter setting our affection on things about being occupied with Christ and verse 5 mortify there for your members which upon the earth list them. How do we go about to do that getting it down to practical work.
To mortify, put them in death row. Romans 6 recommended.
Roman Six, we reckon ourselves, if I gotta talk about that.
These old make this old nature doesn't die very much alive.
All it needs is a provocation. You find out.
I do believe that we are living in a day and in a country.
Where big business is?
Building greater, more modern, more attractive buildings and fixtures, and all the interior decorations, and all their counters and their signs and their attractive clerks, and everything is on the increase of glamour and attraction which the flesh is liable to be occupied with.
Well, I think of Mrs. Lemel's little chorus that is so often quoted.
01:00:04
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace if I am walking with Him.
I will if I have to go to the store. I'll be in communion with him and I'll seek to get what I need. And I'll see an awful lot that my new nature will abhor instead of admire. And when it comes to my home, this principle enters very readily. We see this, we see that we want this little better than that.
And we keep on until our mind is occupied with colors and combinations and contrasts.
And.
We relegate the other thing to the basement or the goodwill or send it down to Mexico sometimes and we we just have that tendency to want something more. But when we get home to glory, the Lord is not going to reward us for that sort of a program.
There is another danger in it too. I believe young people are particularly in danger of it and that's being enticed to buy these things on payments.
The other young people have what they say and so they want to keep up with the Jones and each one striving to have what the other has. I think it's too bad when the Christian gets into that attitude and pretty soon where we've mortgaged the future, which we're not at all sure of, and then the next thing after that we have to pay off in the future.
And really, we haven't anything left for the Lord because we've mortgaged it all beforehand.
Never used a crime like y'all placements. You know you don't need no money. Well, it's not enticing and tempting.
What we need is sales resistance.
There are all manner of modern things.
Like we've been Speaking of even their very catalogues and what they send in the mail continually, why they become robbers, robbers of our time and occupation, robbers of what's good for our soul. So we're deprived of our time spent in what would be for Christ. The apostle Paul says for for me to live.
Is Christ here in the third of Colossians? Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth. Well, isn't the simple meaning of that. Just set your heel on the neck of these things, put them to death, give them no consideration whatsoever. Mortify them, put them in the place of death. That's what it gives us in Galatians 524 And they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with.
The affections and lusts verse is true of every Christian on earth.
But our verse in Colossians 35 is really.
Gilgal.
We need to go back into the Lord's presence and be there.
In a low, low place in reality, and there is a place to stop the progress of lusts farther on. We have let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, and so on. Well in mortifying the members.
Is it not allowing the sword of the spirit, so to speak, cut them off, mortified in the Colossians you have there you were alienated by wicked works of your mind, enemies in your mind by wicked works. The mind has a lot to do there in Colossians and I believe the 2nd chapter it's.
Largely the devil working on the mind.
It's rationalism and ritualism and mysticism.
The mind at work. Well then, when you come to the beginning of the third chapter, it's instead of affections.
It's to set your mind on the things above and not on the things of the earth.
Well then, so you get what is Christ towards their life will then mortify. Then you have the members in the fifth verse and in the eighth verse you have put off all these. Well, that's not the members there, that's the product I believe of the mind put them off.
01:05:20
While it's by the Word of God, let the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom, and it's the word of God in prayer.
1 John 2:17-
Reading
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.
First John two or go back further, why not the 17th 1St epistle of John second chapter verse 17. And the world pass up the way and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
Little children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that Antichrist shall come. Even now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time they went out from us, but they were not of us, or if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us.
But they went out that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us.
But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist that deny the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.
But he that acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you.
What you have heard from the beginning, if that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye shall ye also shall continue in the sun and in the Father. And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you, but the anointing which you have received of Him.
Abideth in you.
And you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie. And even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence.
And not be ashamed before him at his coming.
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him.
Ties right in with the previous.
All that is in the world.
That world passes away, and the lust thereof.
But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
That is what's wrought.
In the fear of God and according to His will, we take to heaven with us.
And long before the world passes away.
Many men that sell their souls for a little of this world pass away and leave it.
Men are passing. The world is passing.
But with a Christian, we know where we're going.
And we should live in the good of it now.
Enjoyment of heavenly places. Heavenly places.
Well, the man that gets the most of the world and all that lust could desire down here, he's soon going to leave it all.
And if he could live on forever, it would. It would pass away.
We're not only not of this world. I believe his brother Ballot made the statement. I think I give it really correctly, that the Saint of God belongs to in a system that is in existence before the world has ever built.
Is there a sense here in the world passing away that?
The way I might say is which it is arranged at any given time. It's constantly changing.
Something like in First Corinthians where we have there they use this world as not abusing it, for the fashion of this world passes away. Is there a sense of that here? Of course, I believe it goes on to the.
Final passing away of it in its entirety.
Well, I just wondered if there is a sense of that it's constantly changing.
The firm is in the present tense.
Very comforting word in Hebrews 111.
They shall perish, but thou remainest.
00:05:03
That's the physical world, isn't?
Facial Parish.
In the latter, pop without remaining.
Always something that's secure.
It's like in Second Timothy where you get the last days and failure and ruin on every hand.
And yet, in each chapter in Two Timothy, you have something that's stable and unmoved.
Something to bank on, something to count on in each chapter.
Is the thought in these.
Verses here, what you just read, especially verse 17 beginning at verse 15, is the thought there, the thought of separation.
Being separate from walking apart, walking in separation unto the Lord, that was the burden of our of our reading the last time. And now we've had brought before us in the 17th verse all that is passing.
And that which is abiding is brought before our souls. He that doeth, the will of God abideth. He doesn't pass.
And that which he has rocked doesn't pass.
It's it's a biting.
He that doeth the will of God.
With that link up with Second Corinthians 6.
14.
Through to the end of that chapter.
You might read those precious verses 2nd Corinthians 6.
14.
Thinking about it yesterday evening at the supper table.
Be enough an equal yoke together with unbelievers? For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God.
As God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them.
And will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be your separate, saith the Lord. And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you. And ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
We also agreed in Philippians Chapter 3.
A couple of thoughts here were burdens on the apostles heart.
Philippians 3.
Verse 18.
For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping.
The latter part of verse 19.
Who mind earthly, earthly things?
Who mind earthly things?
For our conversation or our Commonwealth, our center of interests.
Is in heaven.
From whence also we look for the Savior.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
Who self change?
Our bodies of humiliation.
Now in Hebrews chapter.
11.
And the end of verse 13.
And confessed that they were strangers.
And pilgrims on the earth, for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country, or rather their country, our heavenly country. One more thought, I think, is belonging here.
Yes, that's it. Now they desire a better country. Yes, a better country. That is an heavenly.
00:10:04
That you read about in the third of Philippians walking so carnally. Those were not real, were they?
The principle I do believe we need.
Said as the latter part of the 15th verse, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Looking at it in a practical sense.
I don't believe that where there is the love of the world, there could be the consciousness of the love of the Father. It couldn't be the enjoyment of the love of the Father. Of course we know the man of the world. He doesn't have the love of the Father in him. But it's possible for the child of God to be so taken up with the lust of the eyes, the attractiveness of this world, that.
He could not be enjoying the love of the Father.
The two, the two things are not in agreement. They're mutually contradictory. The love of the world and the love of the Father.
It's.
You'd rather in an abstract way that these two principles are in conflict.
Three forms of conflict.
Is not the world opposed to the Father and Christ? Is Satan and the flesh to the Spirit?
I'm glad you mentioned that, Brother Wilson.
Is so taken up with the world and running after it in its various forms and things, is it not because of the flesh that is in the Christian?
We also read if we solder the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption.
If the believer is going to gratify all his fleshly desires, he's going to reap the consequences.
What demons did, I don't know. John Bunyan has him go into the silver mine, be overcome with the fumes. But it was something in the world that attracted demons.
Going to get his name and the word of God is having done that, I'm sure he never would have done it.
But everything is going to come out at the judgment. Seat of Christ is a beacon all through the ages, doesn't it? And I think we see him in heaven.
Which we have in connection with demos. It would indicate So what 3 verses you referred to brother.
I mean.
I wear the demos.
Associated with the Apostle Paul as a fellow laborer in the gospel.
And then in Colossians, is it not where where his name is just mentioned?
Coldness, apparently had come in.
A strange one. And then in the second epistle to Timothy, where we find him going down to Thessalonica.
So told us apart, told us toward the Lord came in first and then to the apostle Paul, and then he goes on down with Thessalonica doesn't say he's the evil world.
No doubt. Perhaps a religious thought before you doesn't mean that. I don't think the scripture mentioned would recall that the world is evil as we see it round about us. But there was an attraction there that took him away from the Lord 1St and then from the apostles when Paul writes to the Colossians.
He has a reserve about demons.
He just as you say, he just mentions demons. And it isn't long until that second epistle of Timothy is written, just a few years.
By that time, he's loved it has come out, he's loved the present world and he's departed.
He was a fellow laborer with Paul and Philemon, wasn't he? We said the other day we do not reach.
A certain maturity and spiritual things in us all of a sudden.
We do not come into spirituality suddenly.
It has to be a desire to go on with God and to please pray and.
00:15:01
That has to grow. We grow in inventory, and the same thing is true. If we start getting cold and our affections to Christ, the next thing is we've slipped into the one little thing and then another, and finally there's a big failure.
Made this statement, Brother Wilson, and I believe it more and more. There's no such thing as a sudden major fall. We don't, we don't suddenly slip into some major fall in our lives.
It's the consummation of a lack of self judgment, a lack of watchfulness along line, sometimes unconsciously, to oneself.
Ephraim hath Gray hair, you know of it not.
Where is often unconscious of the declension that is coming. And Speaking of not getting spiritual all at once, what provoked that remark was I heard of a place recently where an old brother or elder brother or two had been taken away.
One of the younger brothers said, well, they're going and now we're going to have to take over. And he just girded himself to take over.
That's the wrong attitude, you say? So yes, I believe it is.
Serious thing to try to step into the harness when we see certain ones being taken away and assuming that we can fill our shoe. I personally heard a young brother say that very thing and it wasn't long after he left the Lord's table.
Just deserted the meeting the Lord's Table altogether. I think it's a mistake on the part of any of us to think we're going to step in and into the shoes of anybody.
Work is outlined for us by the Lord as individuals, and He has no duplicates.
I believe that many.
Soul has been hindered.
I believe he's been a stumbling block to himself by thinking, now here's where I take over the position that belonged to that, to that brother. I mean, that's a snare.
Well, tell us about it, brother.
Well, it's simply there was one instance there where God did provide for.
Elisha to have the mantle of Elijah placed upon Elijah. That was God's doing.
But for us to assume to take such a step, of course, would be dangerous.
We all knew and loved her brother Potter. I don't say we're all because there are many young here, but those of us who knew did value him. We Revere his memory.
Soon it is shortly after he was taken, a brother came to me and said who God. Brother Potter's mantle? I said he didn't have one to leave.
He spoke about our declension coming in.
Not suddenly, but gradually. I think we could go further by saying that there is such a thing as declension going on. And faithful brethren.
Endeavoring to to arrest that, to intercept it by a faithful word, to reach his conscience, to remind him of what his course is leading to. And then.
When that is rejected and you don't want to have anybody admonish you, you don't want to be corrected. You're determined to pursue your course. That is awful. I like your thought with Mr. Brown on that 17th verse that not only will he abide, but what he's done will abide. He that doeth the will of God, it's connected with the doing the will, isn't it?
The little children.
Where he's still talking to the same class that he speaks of in the 13th verse.
That is the third class, the little children. It's the last time. Well, it's well for us to.
Keep that ever before us.
We're not looking forward to some change.
In this present age in which we live.
00:20:03
It's the last time.
The next thing is going to is going to be a a complete resetting of the stage.
And we're to ever remember that we're in that last period.
And there's a becoming conduct that goes with it.
Mr. Garvey, word that even goes farther there. Let me use the hour there in the last hour.
Yes, it is and.
Well, now I believe we do have another term that gets right down and I use the word period. I had in mind a prolonged period, but I do think that there is a term that we get to use it once and I have an idea it's used twice.
In second Peter chapter 3.
Verse 3.
And before reading this verse, I'll just remind you of another term and that is in Second Timothy 3-1 in the last days. Notice that days perilous times shall come. That is difficult times for Christians to live in, just as we're living in today.
But here in verse 3, knowing this first.
That there shall come.
At the close of the days.
Now that takes you about as far to the very end itself as we have in the Word of God.
There shall come at the close of the days, and that isn't the time here spoken of in this chapter when the apostates went out just about as far as you can go. They went out from us in Jude. They're still inside. They crept in.
Said that they would come.
And Jude said they were present.
John says they've gone out.
Well, I would think this last period would include the last days, this last hour.
It's the end of the last hour.
Many antichrists.
If the apostle could write that in his day, what about the president?
It isn't remarkable that he writes about Antichrist to the babes, and he shows here how even the babes can detect them.
Tell the babes about it. But this was their particular danger.
Danger being LED away by men who were denying the truth. It has been said in connection with this they went out promise. I've enjoyed the thought. Not original with me. That said, the others had spoken about how that they would come and we know that John lived on beyond the other.
Two, Peter and Paul. But things have developed and under the presence and the power, Apostolic power that was there, they couldn't remain. They went out. And I believe there's a principle there.
Seems to me that where there is the real power of the Lord present, that kind of thing cannot go on.
The.
Translation in that 19th verse has a very faulty error. The end of that nineteenth verse that they were not all of us. That's very misleading, as though any of them were ever of us in reality.
They went out from us, but they were not of us. Here he is speaking, I suppose, of those who were not the Lords. They were unsaved people.
But they may have been charmed with the truth and may have found a place there.
But eventually.
They have to leave. They cannot stand that power that was there.
Don't you think, though, that there is a principle here?
Say that, I think primarily he's referring to those who are not the Lords.
00:25:01
What there is, is there not a principle that here's a path of faith, The Lord is marked out and he has a testimony for himself.
But I could get so far apart from that in spirit that I couldn't go on with those who were simply going on in simplicity and face before the Lord. Is there not a principle there? Well, we got numerous instances in the Word where individuals went along in a path of obedience and then became LAX and dropped out.
Even.
Even dear John Mark, when he started out, there was every every reason to believe that there was a dear faithful young man that wanted to serve the Lord but.
He he got weary and turned back, went back home.
Well, it wasn't to his credit for sure, but he was. But he was recovered and was given the Commission of writing one of the gospels. But it was a a sad failure when he turned and went back home after he voluntarily had started out. Beautiful to notice too that the one who failed in his service was the one the Lord used to write to the perfect servant who never failed. Yes, lovely, well I suppose.
Apostle Paul speaks of in second Timothy one where he says all lay that be in Asia have turned away from me as.
Another sample, is it not?
They got weary of the path that Paul was in. To be associated with Paul was to be reproached, maybe suffer martyrdom. If you were too close to Paul, they wearied out. I was thinking of that. Scripture was referred to in Philippians 3 about those that are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
Well, I believe that that's what has been said, that that was those that were not real. But I also believe that a true Christian can become an enemy of the cross of Christ, because that speaks of separation from the world.
And a true Christian can get so far into the world that they don't want that path of separation.
When will this manifestation take place? And read about in the latter part of verse 19. But that they might be made manifest that none are of us reading from the new translation. It was it was manifest then manifested that time, yes.
Might be made manifest. They were not that None of them were of us. That's the reason they went out.
Mr. Aaron was Speaking of the power where the Spirit of God is free, that restrains things. I was thinking of in the beginning of the churches history, that of the rest, there's no man join himself to them. There was such power that they didn't come in there. The believers were alone. They were a marked company.
All have joined themselves to them were of the same mind.
But as a little world in this came in, and the quenching came in, you do not find the same power of the Spirit manifest, and you find men find men creeping in unawares.
Period. Wasn't it that no man Durst joined himself under them?
Someone has said, you know, that today we have to fall back on the Scripture about certain people and say, well, whether they're the Lords or not, I don't know. We'll have to fall back on the Lord knoweth them that are his. But a writer Speaking of it said that is a sign of declension. Everybody should know who is the Lord. And if we have to fall back on the Lord knows them that are his. It shows weakness and declension where we are. Yes, that's where we are.
Well, the servants were not allowed to go and pull up the tares, were they? That was reserved for the angels.
Fold up the wheat. Yes, the time mentioned in First Peter 417 regarding a judgment for the time is.
Come, that judgment must begin at the House of God.
And if it first began at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? Well, where does judgment begin? In the Book of Revelation At the House of God.
Chapters 2 and three, doesn't it? That's what we have two in Ezekiel 9, isn't it? They got the sanctuary with the older men. This 20th verse, Mr. Brown, that unction is the same word as the anointing, is it? I think so.
00:30:12
The anointing is done in the 27th verse.
Yes, it's the same Greek word and the Spirit of God is the unction or the anointing is given to the believer for discernment.
Divine Intelligence.
He that is spiritual discerneth all things. Here are the main point in the chapter is discerning the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Antichrist and those who preach Christ in contrast.
And the youngest babe, the one who had just saved yesterday, is able to look up and address God as his Father today. And when somebody comes to him with a false doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, he has, and he should have enough. But the spirit of God dwelling in him as the anointing to recognize that it's wrong, although he may not be able to tell you one thing that's wrong about it.
They can discern that's not the Father's voice.
We had a sister in Des Moines.
Who was not? She was not saved.
And.
There were some of us that got in touch. She she had a position in a.
In a factory there.
And some of us went in there occasionally to buy articles.
My brother sitting right here near me was one that was associated in this. We used to give her tracks and this went over a period of a couple of years.
And God brought on your soul. And she got saved. Well, shortly after she was saved, I went in there one day to make a purchase. And she says, you know, a man came in here and I got to talking to him and he seemed very earnest. And so he he left me a book to read.
And I started to read them but.
Mr. Brown, there's, there's something about that book. I don't know what it is, but I don't feel right in reading it. I'd like to have you look at it.
So I picked up the book and looked at the publishing house, Pacific Coast Publishing house 70 Adventism, and I looked at the statement that had disturbed her. Well, it was Small wonder that it had disturbed her. It was the poison of 70 Adventism. Well, now that that dear soul wasn't able to say why.
The thing wasn't right, but she just felt that wasn't for her to read.
And she read that part wasn't very far, but oh, I suppose that 20 or 30 pages in the book she'd read, and she didn't read any further. Well, that is the very thing we have here. There's an auction there. There's an anointing that gives discernment where there's reality.
Yes, the baby has it. Well, she's been out of the Lord's name several years in a very, very happy Christian she is.
You have a function from the Holy One and know all things. Isn't that an amazing statement? That is, we're capacitated by that anointing. We're capacitated for anything that God has to teach us.
That doesn't mean as I've heard it said.
That we don't need any ministry, That we know it all.
I think that's very dangerous ground to take. In fact, I've never seen any Christian gathered St. take that stand, that he didn't go astray.
While it is true that we have the Spirit of God.
Is it not also true that that spirit can be grieved and we will not have that discernment?
Yes, it's not. He's not apartment to be so grieved with debate.
Just saved.
Brother Patrick and is Speaking of things as normal.
But what you speak of is a sick.
A sick child and if we get out of communion and careless in our ways, we can fall into various errors.
Would the last thought in First Corinthians 2 be something like what we have as to the Holy Spirit in our verse? First Corinthians 2 The very last sentence. But we have.
00:35:09
The mind of Christ. That's a general statement in contrast to those who have not.
I said what I said, because sometimes you find some of our dear brothers that are so positive that they have the mind of the Spirit of God and.
They go astray and.
Are an exercise to their brother and yet they they feel that they have this function of the spirit and it's not that's guiding them there's a great.
Of ones assuming to have the spirit and he can all he can go all the way into mysticism with it.
Get into all kinds of fanciful things.
Because we are. They're not subject to the Word of God. The Spirit of God will never lead you contrary to the Word of God.
The wheel, is it worth? Well, when we get off onto a self confident course like that, we're the plaything for the enemy.
I heard of a young man recently who?
Said that he would go and look it up in the scripture himself.
Well, somebody said you might refer to the synopsis with it, he says, well, I don't need that.
I have the Spirit of God.
Well, good to have the Spirit of God. I'm glad they have.
But let's not get too self confident.
Because I'm subject to error, I don't suppose there's one here that wouldn't say that he's been mistaken on points of scripture.
And some of us have carried wrong thoughts of certain scriptures all our lives. We're not sufficient in ourselves.
Remember those who have spoken and tossed the word of God and whose faith followed. There are gifts to the church. There's a gift of teachers and the other place.
We have in this chapter here in the 27th verse.
That.
Need not any man teach you? Well, that doesn't mean there's no place for teachers.
But when it comes to the point as what we've been speaking about, discerning of that which comes to us as whether it's of the Lord or whether it's not, while we don't need any man to teach us, we can discern the Father's voice. The babe can discern the Father's voice.
But when it comes to teaching, why we have other scriptures that tell us that the Lord has given gifts to the Church.
And the prophets speak two or three, and the others judge those scriptures. Then our First Corinthians chapter 12 and Romans chapter 12, and Ephesians chapter 4, where it speaks of the teachers that the Lord has given to us for our building up in the truth, the scripture there.
In the 14th is it of First Corinthians.
That is so important.
The 29th verse of the 14th of First Corinthians. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. I think we we get an important principle there. We can give it a wide application.
No brother is the judge of his own ministry.
He speaks, but others are to be the judge.
And so it is with the questions that come up where a brother goes off on a tangent.
And he's at outs with all his brethren. He's got this fanatical slant on things.
And he can't find a mature brother anywhere that agrees with him.
Well, he better stop and take inventory.
I believe that the principle is here. Let the Prophet speak two or three, and let the others judge.
How does it come that I'm totally out of tune with all my mature brethren on this peculiar slant I've taken on on this subject?
I better.
Examine myself and get on before God and see if there isn't something wrong.
00:40:03
We cannot say when remonstrated to in that way hinder me not.
As though we had the mind of the Lord and what we're doing. Nobody could counsel me or.
Or admonish me as to my pathway.
Not also have a another test in the first Corinthians, the 14th chapter in the third verse where we have the gifts and operations.
3 expressions in that third verse.
What should?
Test everything that's given to edification, excitation, or comfort that doesn't fall within those three. Better leave it alone.
Yes, I would.
When Peter sought to admonish the Lord, when the Lord was speaking about his going away and Peter said that it wasn't to be so well, the Lord rebuked him and called him Satan, get the behind me Satan well.
What Peter said from a human standpoint was seen to be nice, but the Lord recognized it as coming from Satan, so we have to remember that the devil can whisper in our ears too. Makes me think of Nehemiah. They can't. They tried to stop him so many different ways from building the wall. Finally they came with good solid advice it seemed like.
But he says, I perceive the Lord did not send him.
First of all, what we've been Speaking of, what the Lord Himself expressed in the 16th of John, and when the Holy Spirit was coming, He would guide into all truth.
Those who go to Switzerland and would see the mountains usually hire a guide, but if they either precede the guide or linger behind him, they're apartment to miss the way and get in trouble. And isn't that the principle here? That the Holy Spirit delights to lead us into truth? And it may be via a channel of learning from others?
Or it may be in a channel in which he gives us enjoyment of the word in our own soul. But the minute we get off that path of guidance and feel self-confidence that we can explore on our own, we're at to get off on a preface somewhere and slide clear down and get hurt because they're not a principle. Also in this connection in First Thessalonians chapter 5.
Verses 19 to 21.
Quench not the Spirit they spy, not prophesied.
Prove all things, hold fast that which is good here it's particularly the Spirit of God keeping the babe from the path, from the footfalls for the of the enemy, the traps that are placed before him by the enemy. Now may I make a comment here too that I believe it's a bad mistake?
For people to dabble in false doctrine or any paper known to contain it.
We're not sufficient of ourselves to dabble in these kind of things. Now. It has fallen to some of us occasionally to have to examine some of these things and mark, mark out the error for others. But it's a bad sign when we take up all the varied kinds of religious literature that's about.
Many a Christian has been stumbled and trapped and gotten into all kinds of error by reading the stuff that's freely offered to him today.
Yeah, this thing is to burn it up. You wouldn't give a sheep a lot of poison to eat and expect it to be wise enough to leave it alone.
Not only in these religious pamphlets that they send to you in the mail and your neighbor gives to you, or they leave them at your door, but also there is a system of turning little knobs in which you hear things too, that are are not good for the soul.
Those who are habitually listening to ministry from all kinds of sources will gradually grow dull in their discernment.
And there will be the loser in the end. No matter how fancy and how striking the ministry may be, there is grave danger in it. Now I like to quote several scriptures. 1 is.
00:45:08
1827 The evangelist God used my salvation gave me this verse about the first couple of days that he was advising me.
And that verses cease, cease.
My son to hear the instruction that causes to err.
From the words of knowledge. Now that's a very important thing to practice. You know, it sounds nice, maybe in your ear, but are we practicing that? To cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causes the earth and the words of knowledge. Now the Lord Jesus Christ give another word.
Take heed what you hear.
And still another I like to read in Philippians 1. Philippians one verse 9.
The Apostle Paul says this. I pray that your love may abound yet more and more.
In now I'm going to read from Mr. Darby's translation, maybe along in here, that your love may abound yet more and more.
In full knowledge and all intelligence.
That ye may judge of and approve things that are more excellent. That ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. Now that shows that there are some things that are more excellent than other things. Now you know it is more profitable to feed.
On the more excellent things.
And not upon the less excellent things. I think this is a good thing for our souls. Scriptures. Brother Smith. I read a moment ago the last chapter of second of First Thessalonians, 18th verse and everything. Give thanks. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good.
The The quenching of the Spirit can be either in oneself or in others.
One can sit in a meeting, in an assembly meeting and be in a state of soul that's a hindrance to the liberty of the spirit. Or one can sit in a meeting and be definitely moved of the spirit.
To take part.
And for various reasons that he gives himself, he doesn't do it. He quenches the Spirit. Then another danger is despising, prophesying.
Someone gets up to prophecy. Brother Roth called our attention to what the work of the prophet is because then demand the edification, exhortation and comfort.
Well, someone gets up to prophecy and perhaps because of the personality of the individual, we close our hearts or our ears and and just sit there with a Stony indifference because of the one that's giving it. Despise not prophesying. Then there's the other side of it. Prove all things. That is, you don't accept everything.
That one may say, as Brother Wilson was saying while ago.
Who of us is there here that would say he never made a mistake and he's in his public ministry? I'm sure we've all felt guilty on that. Well, prove all things. Well, how do we prove it? Why, by the word of God.
And then we hold fast that which is good. We don't accept the mistakes a brother makes, but don't throw away everything he said because he made a mistake.
Hold fast that which is good. Those are just general principles laid down for us in those verses.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know you, the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesseth not Jesus Christ, come in flesh confessing the Person of Christ. We test all doctrine by its attitude toward the person of Christ, the person and work of Christ, anyone that comes along with ministry.
00:50:05
Well the first thing to know is, is he sound as to the person of Christ? If he isn't, we want none of his ministry.
It is particularly needful today when so much is being made of the Spirit of God. Never was a time in church history when so much attention is being paid to what they call the Spirit and spiritual ministry.
But it's leading a lot of Christians into vagaries and all kinds of nonsense.
And I am persuaded that much of it has a wicked spirit behind it.
Try the spirits.
We might have read one more verse there in first John 4 important.
It is, and that's verse six. We.
Are of God.
Now the apostle John in company with the apostles.
He that N God heareth us.
He that is not of God, hearest, not us, hereby know, we the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. I read this verse because we've been Speaking of the Holy Spirit. Well, this verse also emphasizes the importance of subjection to the Word of God. The Word of God must always be held, ever raised up.
The Apostle Paul himself said.
These were more noble than they at Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, but they searched the Scriptures daily to see if the things were so. They even proved the Apostle Paul in that 20 second verse of our chapter, Mr.
Brown, who is a liar, but he that denied that Jesus is the Christ, He is Antichrist, the denieth, the Father and the Son.
Isn't that a combination of jewelry? Jewish and Christian error. To deny that Jesus was the Christ was the particular sin of the Jew? To deny the Trinity as the particular sin of Christendom, to deny the Father and the Son. Yes, I think that's true. So they're combined in one verse here and Unitarianism in the next verse.
Well, it's also included in denying a Father and a Son. It's denying the Trinity, basically.
Verse 23. Whosoever denieth the Son.
The same hath not the Father Unitarianism has gone over and become a part of universalism.
Two rank errors joined together.
The one says that Christ isn't God and there's only one person in the Godhead. There's not. There are not three. That's Unitarianism, Arianism.
And the universalism say that since Christ died for all, everybody saved, no matter whether he accepts Christ or not. That's the devil's life, because God will never save anyone apart from the work of Christ.
You know that Christ died for the sins of the world, but that's not true.
No, the apostle Paul Chan says, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
That feet in the eternal state will there be a new heaven and a new earth? He restored that, but she took not away.
That will be the full culmination of that verse. Why not bring out the thought there in first John chapter 2 verses 1:00 and 2:00 as the beginning of our chapter as to that the expression our brother works just mentioned about not taking away the sins of the world verse two. Maybe I have a word on that.
And for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. Now putting in the.
Italics there. The sins of on the part of the translator translators is a blunder.
The propitiatory work of Christ opened up the way for everybody.
The blood was taken inside and sprinkled Once Upon the mercy seat and seven times before the mercy seat. Once was enough for the eye of God, but seven times before the mercy seat to indicate how wholeheartedly God was ready to welcome anybody that came.
00:55:07
So that.
Propitiation.
Has opened the way universally.
But it's only made good to those.
Who come through the person and work of Christ and accepted, isn't that it? It wouldn't be to the glory of Christ if somebody could get saved short of it.
And God will be no party to the dishonor to his Son.
Where we get this, we have the two goats. Well, the one goat, as we've just been saying, the blood was taken in and sprinkled on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
But then that's only half the story. The other goat was taken and the sins of the people confessed on the head of it by the by the high priest.
Definitely placed on the head of that scapegoat and that goat was taken out and turned loose in a desert place and never to be heard from again.
Well, that goat speaks of substitution.
That speaks of those whose sins actually were taken away.
Because those particular sins were put on the head of that goat. So Christ was the propitiation for all, but He's the substitute for those that have accepted Him, received him, and trusted Him. Scripture never says that Christ bore the sins of all.
Never says that He died for all, but Scripture never says He bore the sins of all He bore. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree.
Say that and by faith. And there are other scriptures like it of course, like in Romans, the end of chapter 4, it says that He was delivered for our offenses and He was raised again for our justification. And again in first Peter 318 he suffered for sins.
The just for the unjust.
The believer enjoys this.
There.
Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe, where there's no difference in the first instance, unto all propitiation, and upon all substitution. This, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for their mission of the sins of all, no.
Of many.
It narrows down.
This idea of universalism that everybody is going to be saved without exception.
Is becoming the warp and wolf of modernism and ecumenicalism today. It's in all of the churches with the ecumenical bent. It's a denial that God is just and is going to be a judge.
Your brother of Christ suffered for sin there on Calvary's cross from a holy God.
But as I said before, God will be no party to any dishonor to His Son, and if anybody could be saved short of His finished work, it would be a dishonor.