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.
Love the my old razor.
Joy.
And all now.
Blast with I read it and brownie wash my favorable.
Mercy from.
Umm, caused by you to breathe in.
Joy, joy.
My.
God.
And for God's **** baby.
Umm, I don't remember.
Umm.
Three.
394406.
Uh, here all the things that Nancy of God.
Remind ourselves of these things in chapter 2012.
That are to characterize us. Are you waiting for a return. We would pray Lord that there might be a million years. I don't want to be here to be by the word of God is founded forth and be careful and we seek him understand it help withdraws to implement it in our lives.
They might really be there right below your device and build out a policy.
I would ask this amount of processes and training to be a significant day and then.
For those that were not here yesterday, we have been reading in Luke's Gospel chapter 12.
Would you say Verne verse 22 would be a good place to start? Is that about right through 41?
OK Luke chapter 12 and verse 22.
And he said unto his disciples.
For I say unto you, Take no thought for your life what you shall eat neither for the body what you shall put on. The life is more than me, the body is more than Raymond. Consider the Ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much more are you better than the fouls? And which of you was taking thought can add to a stature of one cubit, if ye then be not able to do that thing which is least.
00:05:11
Why? Take ethos for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They toil not, they spin not. And yet I say in view that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
If Vanguard so closed the grass which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will it clothe you? O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what you shall eat or what you shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knoweth that ye have any of these things, or rather seek ye the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom cell that you have. And give alms. Provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not where no thief approaches, neither moth corrupted.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves likened to men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that He shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meet, and will come forth and serve them, and he shall come in a second watch, or coming in the third watch.
And find them so. Blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the good men of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be therefore ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour. When you think not. Saint Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all?
We had said yesterday that this chapter is the Lord's work in preparing his disciples for the time of his absence, the 9th chapter onward in Luke's gospel, He's seen as rejected and he's going away. He'd have his disciples to be here in this world to be a witness for him. And there are things that would hinder that witness from going forward that we've taken up already. That yesterday, the fact that they needed to be free from hypocrisy, first of all.
And secondly, free from the fear of man, so that they'd be willing to confess Christ in this world that hates him.
And then thirdly, we had yesterday being free from covetousness and is seeking material things now where we began reading in verse 22, we have another warning and that is to be free from anxiety or worry.
He does not want us to be found all wrapped up and, uh, consumed. We're trying to make a living in this world. It'll be a distraction to us and we'll fail to bear witness to him like we should.
So He puts their hearts to comfort here, showing them that He's got it all taken care of. The father up above cares about every single thing we need to have to live and move and have our being in this world. So it has a very practical application for us because we all have responsibilities to take care of as far as livelihood is concerned, but we don't want to be consumed with it. That's the point of the expectation here. So it's good for us this afternoon, this morning to be looking at these things.
Do you agree with that? Yes. So there's the thought of contentment here too in our situation because he really takes up two aspects of our practical life. One is the things we eat and one is clothing. So he brings before us, first of all, the Ravens. They're an unclean bird. That interesting. But he feeds the Ravens. And if he feeds the Ravens, how much more is he going to provide for us? And then he talks about the lilies and how he closed them. And I was thinking of it in connection with a couple of verses. Let's go to first Timothy chapter six, first of all.
Because I think there we see it in connection with these two things.
First Timothy, chapter 6.
And I'll begin reading at verse 6.
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. Now notice this and having food and raiment. Let us be there with content. And you know, in this world, in this part of the world where we live, God has given us plenty of food and clothing, plenty of covering. And so if God has provided those things for us and for for perhaps holding would be.
00:10:25
Shelter, that kind of thing.
We have homes that we go to, comfortable homes and so on, and God has provided those things. But brethren, are we content with what God has provided for us, or are we anxiously looking for something more, trying to work for something more? When they came to John the Baptist, he told the soldiers to be content with their wages, to be content with what had been provided for them. But I want to go over to Hebrews chapter 13 because there you have a real key.
To being content with such things as God has provided for us. And so in the 13th chapter of Hebrews.
He says, uh, in verse five, let your conversation be without covetousness. We've taken that up at length and be content with such things as you have. Now if we it stopped there, that's an exhortation in itself. But he doesn't stop there. How can we really have true contentment with the things that God has provided for us? For he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
Brother, if we have the enjoyment of the company of the Lord Jesus with us every day, whether he's given us much or whether he's given us little, we're going to be content with the things that we have. But maybe there's someone here and you say, well, I've got a lot of problems, a lot of difficulties. Well, he goes on to say, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I shall not fear what man shall do unto me.
So coming back to our chapter, as we said, we have these two things brought before us. They're important, we need food, we need covering, they're very important, but God has said that He will provide them and we don't have to be over anxious about those things.
God has created man to be a dependent creature, not independent, and everything in this world is designed to make us independent of God, but we are dependent. I was thinking of Genesis chapter 14 and the lessons that we get there in connection with Abraham after he came from the slaughter of the kings. He's the.
Melchizedek met him, but uh, first, but then afterwards the king of Sodom met him, and uh, in verse 21, chapter 14 of Genesis verse 21, the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the person and take the good to thyself. Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.
That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say I have made Abram rich. So I believe Abram was content with the provision of God, and he saw that God was the possessor of heaven and earth. And isn't it wonderful as those that are believers that know the Lord Jesus as Savior and know God is our Father, that we can open up our hand when we have a need and we can express our needs and we have a father in tender sympathy that desires to provide.
For us, I, if you'll forgive me from uh, for just expressing a little, uh, umm.
In Mexico.
Some of the brethren don't have a lot of food, and I have noticed when they give thanks for their food, they really give thanks for their food. They thank God for the food that's on the table, sometimes in detail. And then they pray for brother so and so in another place that doesn't have any food, and brother so and so and his family and brother so and so and his family. And they thank God profusely for the food that they have. And I believe it's normal for us to thank God.
With a real heart of affection and Thanksgiving for what we have. We live in a land of abundance and perhaps we take these things for granted. But isn't it wonderful to think of how our Father cares about how we eat and what we eat and we should do it? Independence of Himself. Read chapter 15, verse one brother.
00:15:12
Of Genesis.
After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
He's called the friend of God. I think it's three different times in Scripture, the friend of God.
In the first that we began with, it says, therefore I sent you take no thought for your life. I think it's important to recognize it's not saying that we should be reckless. The word for life, uh, is at least 2 words used in these chapters, these portions. And this one is often translated soul. And it came up between meeting us, uh, spoken with a brother. And he mentioned the verse at the end of First Thessalonians in chapter 5 where it says.
And the very God of peace sanctify you holy. And I pray God, that your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless into the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Begins with Saul. I mean sorry begins with spirit and then Saul and then body. But the natural man and ourselves included. We like to think of things as body and then soul and then spirit. But you notice in our chapter it says.
Uh, sorry I had lost my pay, but it says there life is more than meat and the body is more than Raymond in Second Thessalonians. It makes it very clear in the last chapter that, uh.
Umm, those seven for yourself know how we ought to be follow us before we behave not ourselves disorderly among you. Neither do we eat any man's bread for nor to grow with labor and travel night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you. And so on in those ten for even when we're with you that this we commanded you that if any would not work, neither should he eat. So it's not talking about abdicating of our responsibilities, but as has been brought out, what's the priority in our life? You know, when the Lord was tempted in the wilderness.
To that point, his life paralleled that of Israel's in the wilderness. And so it says in Deuteronomy 8 that the Lord tried Israel in the wilderness and He proved them in verse three of Deuteronomy 8 of says, And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna. The Lord in His temptations would not step out of that pathway of dependence upon the Father. He would not turn those stones into bread. God would provide for him food as when He needed it, just as He did with Israel.
But we know that Israel failed on the one hand, and the Lord, of course, he clearly did not fail in those temptations. The problem is often in our lives we look ahead and we worry about what is in the future. And when he takes up this same incident in Matthew, it says at the end of Matthew 6, Take no thought for the moral, for the moral shall take thought for itself, sufficient unto the day as the evil thereof. And I believe what that verse is very simply saying is.
Live for Christ today, be dependent on him today. He'll provide for today, but don't worry about tomorrow. Now that doesn't mean we don't make plans and we, we, we shouldn't be circumspect as to the future and so on and and wise and the man who buried his talents and so on. That wasn't right either. But I believe what he was teaching is teaching us. There is that trust the Lord for today and leave tomorrow in his hand.
You know, I often have worried about things in the future because I'm tend to be a warrior by nature and, uh, I've tended to worry about tomorrow and what I'm gonna do or eat or whatever it might be. And when tomorrow comes, the Lord is sufficient. Did He provide for us today? Is He gonna be any different tomorrow? He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Sometimes we worry about something we think is gonna happen in the future, and when we get there, what we anticipated never happened. The Lord had already taken care of the difficulty.
It's just a little application, but I thought about it in connection with those ladies that came early, early to the sepulchre, because Mark's gospel tells us the subject of their conversation. Who of us shall roll away the stone? They were concerned about a problem they thought was going to present itself when they got to the sepulchre. But they needn't have worried, because when they got to the sepulchre, the stone was already rolled away. Not so the Lord could come out in resurrection.
00:20:16
But it was rolled away. So the difficulty they anticipated was removed and so that there was testimony and that they could see that the tomb was indeed empty and empty. And don't we often do that? We worry about how are we going to take care of this or that? But another thing, brethren, tomorrow may never come. We may be safe home tomorrow. We may be beyond the exercises and the needs of the path of faith and service. So again, he's telling us, be content with what he's provided today.
Leave tomorrow in his hand. Yes, we all have a burden, we all have concerns, as Nick has said, but that's quite a different matter.
Just just so people realize we're not twisting woods to make this chapter suit us. Certain explanation notice in verse 29 in the King James, it says neither be of a doubtful mind that would probably be better translated be not have an anxious mind. So sort of being anxious for these things that the issue and in the portion in Matthew 6, the same thing occurs that should be the word anxious in there.
And there's many questions about tomorrow.
And so we have several questions. Where are we gonna eat tomorrow? Can I have to talk or how am I gonna do tomorrow? Am I gonna pay this bill tomorrow? But also Mann has spiritual questions. And it's interesting to see that the God who provides food and arraignment for temporal needs, he provides food and arraignment for spiritual needs. So men are actually also for tomorrow. Are they gonna meet with God? And so they have all these religions that they practice. So they would have a favor with God, I would say with favor with God.
But the garden provides food and raiment for our bodies, has provided food andrailment for our souls. We have the word of God, we have the Lord Jesus to feed on and we have the raiment of righteousness, which are the Ravens of Christ himself. But we can just be restful as to tomorrow. We know where we're going. Tomorrow we're going to heaven. We're going to be with the Lord and the one that provided this food and Ravens were so surely he's going to provide food and Raymond.
All this, of course, is very balanced in Scripture, isn't it? Because in the previous incident we learned how a man is to act when he has riches. Here we learn how we are to act if we do not have them. There is special grace, special wisdom needed in each case, and especially dependence on the Lord.
In each case. And so we in North America here, I doubt very much if anyone in this room is concerned about whether he'll have something to put on the table tomorrow. But in many countries of this world that is not the case. They literally live from hand to mouth. And sometimes they are really tested, really tested as to these things. But.
A testing as an old brother that some of us can remember used to say.
The Lord may test your faith, but He'll never disappoint your faith. And so sometimes we may not find everything appearing just in the time and way that we would like it, but that's a test. Are we prepared to trust the Lord and let Him work it out in His time? So all of this can be a real exercise, especially to those.
Who really are poor and who really do live from, as we say, hand to mouth. But that brings about a real dependence. And as Brother Robert mentioned, man is to be a dependent creature. And the danger in these favored lands is we lose that sense of dependence. We lose that sense of day-to-day dependence on the Lord. But how good it is whether we have wealth as the.
Rich man whose barns were too small had or whether we have very little.
How important it is to recognize our dependence on the Lord and our need for guidance and wisdom from Him in every circumstance. I think you balance that. You were alluded to. There are two creatures that God has made that illustrate how we're to live. One is the Ant. Proverbs 6, I believe it is, but He lays up for the future. He gathers, He thinks ahead, He provides for something ahead.
00:25:22
And the other creature is the Raven. He doesn't worry about that, he just eats for now and worries about just worry about tomorrow.
Well, which of these two things are we to follow? They seem to be opposing one another. We live between the two, and it takes moral discernment to know how to live between the two.
I was gonna mention uh, Brother Bill in connection with the poor of this world.
In Galatians chapter 2, it's interesting when Paul was, uh, with uh, Peter and James and John in this chapter 2 and verse nine, they gave unto him the right hand of fellowship, that he should go to the heathen and then to the circumcision. And then I'd like to point out verse 10.
Only they would that we should remember the poor the same thing, the same which I was also forward to do. So, brethren, I think that's a real responsibility for us who have plenty in these lands to remember the poor.
It really exercises me, brethren, when I hear from Tim Roche of that sister and.
Malawi widow sis through at six children and to make sure that they got enough. She died of starvation. Sister in fellowship with us. Is there something we need to be exercised about doing? Brethren, I do believe that there is something we can be exercised about in connection with the poor.
Would that be Philippians 4 and 12 for us? I know it would have to be a base and I know how to abound.
And we were in all things, and instructed those to be full, to be hungry, both to abound, to suffer needs.
We need to be instructed.
In the circumstances of need and abundance as to how to behave in either circumstances.
In the book of the Proverbs it says, He that giveth unto the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and he will repay him again.
Well, in all of these things too, I believe, and I appreciate your comment, Michelle, that if I find myself in poor circumstances, I am to be instructed from the Lord. I am to look to the Lord.
And depend on him. If I am in a position to help the poor, then my exercise should be to keep my eyes and ears open for needs that are there.
Uh, the day there's a danger, and I like Bruce's comment, there's a danger on both sides because on the one hand there's a danger of withholding our hand when we have it in there in our hands to do good. On the other hand, there is also the opposite danger.
Of taking away someone's dependence on the Lord by guaranteeing something. So that instead of the Lord being the object of faith, we are and we're not a very good object for anyone's faith, are we? Because we may not be there tomorrow and our resources are limited. The Lords are not. And so it imposes a very real difficulty in the world as it is today, when you have some of the world that is very wealthy and the vast majority of this world that lives in a lot of poverty.
It it, it causes real exercise and, uh, the only I, I think Bruce, you gave it very well that the only way we can.
Live between the extremes of a balance that Scripture gives us is in fellowship and communion with the Lord. Is that right?
Versus James there.
Connected with Second Corinthians chapter, uh, eight of these.
Book of James, chapter 5.
And Group One.
Go to Minali, which Manwich and haul for your miseries which will come upon you. Your riches are corrupted in your garments.
00:30:07
The gold and silver is conquered, and the rest of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it was fired. You have heat treasures together for the last day. We hold a higher of the laborers who have greeted down your field, which is which is a view kept back by fraud quiet, and the cries of them which have reaped our entrance into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath notified to us. But you know it's an interesting verse in Second Corinthians chapter 8.
As to the mana, you couldn't keep it for the next day or it's sacked. It had worms in it. And I just applied to myself saying if I'm accumulating and when others are starving and their brother was saying for tomorrow because of my lack of trust in the Lord, his provision, you know, and I think there should be an exercise to us that as it's been mentioned, we do have so much going back to your comment, Bill, I, I just, uh, would wonder if.
For myself.
If I saw someone in need.
How much of an exercise do I have?
To see that thought is putting this knee before me and how much that exercise do I have a really discerning that the Lord is testing him. You know my natural heart might conclude that the Lord is testing him. I'm just going to keep this for another occasion. I just I just mentioned this for us that if someone has a need and it's set before us. I should really have special instructions from the Lord not to give.
Well, and that's, that's, I agree 100% with that. Uh, and as we all know, there's a big difference between needs and wants.
And, uh, I don't think if we saw a brother or sister in Christ who was in want of daily food and clothing, that any one of us would have a question about whether we should help them out or not. That wouldn't be a, a difficultie at all. I merely say that it's very interesting that, uh.
Fact. We might turn to it. It's in Galatians chapter 6.
This has been a big help to me.
In looking at this kind of situation in Galatians chapter 6.
We find there in verse 2.
Very apropos to what we're discussing.
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Now that can include more than material needs, we realize, but we are to bear one another's burdens. But then go down a couple of verses to verse five. It says, For every man shall bear his own burden.
I'm not a Greek scholar, but anyone can verify this. The word for burden in verse 2 is not at all the same as the one in verse five. The word in verse five has the thought of the normal responsibilities of everyday life. I think Bruce was mentioning them Earning a living, providing for my family, dealing with my normal responsibilities.
The word in verse two has the connotation of a heavy, intolerable burden that descends upon me that is very, very difficult to bear. There's, there's quite a difference, isn't there? And so it's one thing to help a brother over a hump, as it were, if he's in tremendous need because of some specific difficulties and circumstances in his life. It's, uh, another matter if I could use the common term to put him on constant welfare.
And that's not what Scripture teaches, is it? And so again, I say, there's no substitute for seeking the Lord's mind in these things. I think it's really good, Bill, that you mentioned that we do not make brethren dependent on us when we do minister to them. And, uh, remember when we were in Bolivia at a time of economic stress? It was.
One year they calculated the inflation rate 40,000% almost has no meaning. But uh, brethren did send down funds to help out at that time. And I found it was a real challenge that the brethren would not get their eyes on the Americans to how we did it. And I looked into the scripture and it's interesting in Acts Chapter 11.
00:35:15
How it was, uh, taken care of in the early days of the church. If you look at verse 27, it says in those days came profits from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabat and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dirt throughout all the world came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability.
Determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. I find that very interesting. I thought they would send it to the deacons. No, it was to the elders, to those that were in responsibility in that particular place, and they would know the needs better than I would.
Coming and not knowing the situation in that particular area, I think there is wisdom in that. Lord help us in that rather.
There's teaching given in Ephesians chapter 4 that might be helpful here as well. Christianity is very practical and in Ephesus they were going on well and it says in chapter 4 verse 28.
Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that need it. And so.
Christianity goes beyond what the minimum standard was under the law, so to speak. In the, under the law, they were to, uh, not to steal, but now we're to work with our hands, we're to do, to labor to provide for our own needs. But in our labor, the Lord will bless it if it's according to his mind and we will have something to give and it's according to the mind of God. I turn to the epistle to, uh, to the, uh, Proverbs again in just a quote, a couple of verses of Scripture that would be helpful. I believe in this matter.
Of giving it says Umm. In Proverbs Chapter 11, verse 24, there is scattereth, and yet increasing. There is that which withholdeth more than his meat, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fast, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him, but blessing shall be upon the head of him.
That sell of it, while not to belabor the point, but there are older brethren that used to remind us and we need to be reminded ourselves that Christianity under Christianity were not to be accumulators, were to be distributors of that which God has given us. And so we recognize here that the Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. And as just mentioned, it's not our wants, but our needs and we need to supply for our needs.
And then have the abundance to be able to distribute. So that's why Paul said my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. And there are many ways to give. And I just want to echo what has been said that we never want to in our liberality or giving. We never want to encourage a course of laziness or complacency. And so we need to be exercised has been said. So there are many ways that we give individually.
I think it's good in the family circle to teach our children that as well. And I'm thankful for families who are exercised as families to set a little bit aside and to teach their children to help out where there's no need and in the work of the Lord. But I want to just for a moment digress and make a comment or two in connection with First Corinthians 16. We'll turn to it because there's another way too, to be at that. We ought to be exercised.
And that is collectively as well as gathered to the Lord's name. And Paul brought this before the Corinthian Saints. And I just want to notice a couple of little comments that he makes in this connection. I'll just read the a few verses here, uh, first Corinthians 16 and verse one. Now concerning the collection for the Saints, as I have given order to the churches in Galatia, Even so do ye upon the first day of the week, let everyone of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him.
00:40:11
That there be no gatherings when I come, and when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters.
Then will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem and so on. There's a couple of things that I think are important and perhaps sometimes we miss here. First of all, Paul was not soliciting funds for himself. It is a mark of a man of God in Scripture that he never solicits funds for himself. I know that in the in Christian circles today, there's a lot of it done, but Paul wasn't telling them to take up a collection every Lord's Day so that when he came.
There would be something to give him to support him in the work of the Lord that he was doing. And we'll notice that in a moment. But I want to point out this little expression too that has exercised my own soul and I pass it along for your exercise. They we take up a collection on Lord's Day morning based on this portion here and perhaps some other scriptures. And so tomorrow morning there's going to be a collection taken at the remembrance of the Lord Jesus.
But it says that we are to give as God a prospered us.
Now I I'm only gonna point the finger at myself, brethren, but my putting a $10.00 bill in the collection isn't giving as God has prospered me. And I believe if every one of us were exercised to give on Lord's day as God has prospered us, there would be really not many needs or any needs amongst the Lord's people. There would be plenty for us as an assembly to be to distribute as the Lord gave exercise and brought needs before us.
But again, I say Paul was not soliciting funds for himself because what he wanted was that they would be exercised when he came to give him funds to distribute to others that needs that they knew about, whether it was the poor Saints in Jerusalem or whatever it was that Paul would be able to take those, those funds from the Corinthian brethren and distribute them where where they were needed. So that again, there are many ways that we can give individually as families.
And then I believe as assemblies gathered to the Lord's name, there needs to be that exercise as well.
We have a perfect example, don't we? The Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. He gave and he went and sold all that he had, and bought the field that he might have that treasure. He sold all that he had that he might have the Pearl of great price. We have a great example.
There is a passage in the 5th chapter of Ecclesiastes that might have some bearing on this topic about savings and giving. Ecclesiastes chapter 5.
And verse 13.
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely.
Riches kept for the owners thereof, to their hurt.
We've had in the Proverbs the importance example of the Ant that prepares for the future that is characterized by diligence and obscurity. So for when the hour of trial hits, the Ant is prepared, but here written by the wisest man and the richest man.
On earth, in terms of human wisdom, Solomon, he says there is a danger, in fact, it's a sore evil that you can keep too much of your riches to your own hurt, to your own detriment. Why is that? Strikes me that in the preceding 3 verses give us three reasons of the danger of holding on and keeping too much. Verse 10.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase. This is also vanity.
All those goods, all those possessions, all that accumulation will not satisfy your heart. It's vanity. Verse 11. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them. And what good is there to the owners there of saving the beholding of them with their eyes? The more you have, the more people wanna go after you and get what you have. And what value do you have in all the materialism anyway, after you look at it?
Once it's done, everything he says beyond looking at it, what can I do with it? The third thing here in verse thir, uh, verse 12, the sleep of a laboring man is suite, whether you eat little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. The rich insomniac because he's worried about keeping what he's worked so hard to accumulate. People wanna take it. He's afraid he's gonna lose it to the next downturn in the stock market.
00:45:16
Now I just thought of this too, to add the letter Y to the miser and you get misery.
So the lesson Lord said that he not it is more blessed to give than to receive. The selfish person is the unhappy person, the giver is the happy person. And God loves a cheerful giver because he himself is a cheerful giver.
Adverse circumstances can often also be a test of faith.
I remember at the time when those airplanes flew into the building in New York, I had friends in Germany they had.
Planned and paid for a trip from Frankfurt to Seattle. They had made plans and paid everything. They were ready to go.
And then all of a sudden these incidents with the airplane happened. So they got so scared and they got so upset they didn't go and they didn't even make.
Uh.
A request for getting the money back or anything like that. They just forgot everything.
And never got.
Uh, anything back?
And they never tried to get anything back. And I think the Lord tested their faith.
And another circumstance happened. The brother himself went to be with the Lord just a couple of months later.
And the that press confirmed to them that they shouldn't fly anymore.
They could have rated, Oh no, they weren't going to raise. They gave it all up and said the Lord wants us to lose all that money.
That's the rate.
It can happen, and it probably happens with just about all of us at certain times for small things.
We lose something, we can't find it and we just give it up.
And other times if we would have asked the Lord and waited.
The Lord put His give us back to us and show us where it was. That happened to me several times.
Just couldn't retrieve it, couldn't find it. And my first or second thought was I did we ask the Lord about it to retrieve it, or did we ask the Lord at all whether we should do that kind of a thing? If we ask the Lord first, we're gonna be ahead.
Because the Lord is over all these things.
Sodnet, lovely to see from verse 31 down to verse 34, the Lord Jesus gives instruction as to what we should seek for. So we might be worried and concerned and anxious, as their brother Nick has brought out here about those things that have to do with our natural, uh, needs. Raymond and food. But what should we be concerned about? Seek ye the Kingdom of God.
And all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell that ye have, give on. Provide yourself bags which wax not old. A treasure in the heavens that faileth not. Where no thief approaches, neither must corrupt us. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So the heart can be taken up with divine things. And when it speaks of the Kingdom of God, it speaks of our moral character, our moral makeup.
And that which would reflect the, uh, features of Christ in our lives. And so we need to be taken up with those things that are heavenly. And so he brings in, if we look at the Romans chapter, I think it's chapter 14, it speaks of the Kingdom of God. There gives a little definition, verse 17, Romans 1417, the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace.
00:50:21
And joy in the Holy Ghost. So it's not those things that we see that are, umm, temporal, but the, those eternal things, those features that are being formed in us that reflect the character of Christ and the moral, his moral glories that are seen in his people. And so he brings in this relationship that we have with the Father. The Lord Jesus is the one that was used of God, the Son of God to bring us into the knowledge of our relationship with the Father.
And that now we should seek to be just like the sun.
How to make a flop?
Who is this little flock?
Don't say the gathered chains, please.
Well, tell us who it is then, Bruce. What? What's the little flock referring to here?
All of his own.
Would you say, Brother Bruce, that it wasn't all Israel? We are as people? And the sheep of his pasture the psalmist could write, but the disciples there were had that gracious word to their master. They're just simply a remnant of that nation of unbelief. And there are those graces who are sure not little flock. It is a father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. It wasn't the nation at large in unbelief, but they as disciples of the Lord near himself, could appreciate, uh, that remnant character of things of all Israel.
I think that's why we sing in the hymns of the little flock.
It was a recognition by brethren when they got back to the truth of the assembly and took no thought of being the assembly, but they were simply a remnant of faith that would act according to the truth of it. And I think it's a gracious provision for us in weakness and need to re realize the Lord's tender care.
And we're on transitional ground here in Luke's gospel because, as Brother Bruce mentioned earlier, from the 9th chapter of Luke on, Christ has looked at as rejected. And as we said earlier yesterday, Luke's gospel, more than any of the others, is the introduction of Paul's ministry. But the Lord is very careful not to bring out the truth of the assembly. He leaves that for Paul.
But many of the expressions here, while perhaps in their context in which they were given, would apply to the godly ones of Israel, as you say, Bill, uh, yet they have a broader application when you and I can see what the Lord was looking forward to. And so the Kingdom of God has, has been brought out as a moral state, which is in keeping with God's Kingdom.
Here were Israel.
Here were Israelites, perhaps I should say, who looked for the Lord to set up an earthly Kingdom, and many were extremely disappointed when that did not take place. Even in the first chapter of Acts they asked, Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom under Israel? And the Lord very wisely said, It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the fathers kept in his own power. Why? Because Israel was going to get another chance.
From a risen Christ in glory. But the Lord himself knew they would refuse it.
And then he had something even more wonderful to bring out, which was a mystery hidden in God from before the foundation of the world. And so here I believe when it says it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom, I would suggest that while it's in the first case in verse 31, it's the Kingdom of God, which is a moral state, when the Lord says it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
That's a broader statement because it's not merely a moral state in keeping with God's Kingdom, but there is going to be a Kingdom for you and me. But it's going to be on the heavenly side, isn't it? It's going to be a heavenly Kingdom.
Here, of course, the instruction is given to a godly Jewish remnant, and in that sense some of the language bears out on this, and in verse 39, for example, and verse 40.
00:55:09
It's really the Lord's appearing that is primarily in view. But at the same time, the moral import for you and me is that, yes, if we are not going to have a Kingdom in this world, there is going to be a Kingdom on the heavenly side. And God expects in you and me a moral state in keeping with the one who is the rightful king, but who is now absent.
So in this section, he sets before them the future, doesn't he?
Because faith always needs an eye for the future. How are we going to? What is going to give us the characteristics of those who are not anxious, of those who are content with such things as we have? What's going to give us the characteristics of one who is a stranger in a Pilgrim in this world? It's to have an eye to the future. And so how could he encourage them in the previous verses to be anxious, not be anxious and worried about temporal things and so on?
These disciples, they surely felt like a little flock. They probably felt their their weakness in in many ways as well as in number. Well, we're just a little company trying to follow the Lord. He says, don't worry about it. You might be feel like you're a little flocked now, but there's a day coming and brethren, that day is coming when it says in Thessalonians, he's coming to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all of them that are about him in that day.
And when he comes back to establish his Kingdom, we're gonna come with them. The heavenly host is gonna come with him. And it's going to be a glorious time for earth. And it's gonna be a glorious time for you and for me, who have the privilege of reigning with the Lord Jesus when He takes the throne of His glory. Because as I say, faith always needs an object, an eye to the future. In fact, when you go through the Scriptures, whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament, you find God always did two things for his people.
He always gave them a present portion, provided for their present needs, both temporally and spiritually. We've taken up that in the previous verses. But He also gave them an eye to the future. I'll give you an example. You remember when Israel entered the wilderness, they became so very quickly discouraged because they started looking back and they started hankering after the things that they had thought they enjoyed in Egypt, the fish in the LA, the melons and the leeks and the garlics and so on.
And Moses cried to the Lord. And what did the Lord tell Moses to do? He told Moses to tell the children of Israel to turn around. They were looking in the wrong direction. They were looking back. And when they turned around to look out over the wilderness, what did they see? They saw the glory of the Lord in the cloud. In some way, Jehovah was pleased to reveal himself to them. And with that in view, they could press on and say, we're going on to something far better.
And as long as they kept that before their souls, they were encouraged. If they started looking around and back at or at present circumstances, they became discouraged. They murmured and complained and so on. And brethren, what is going to give us the courage, the moral courage, to press on in the day in which we live? It's a difficult day. There's a lot we could be anxious and concerned about if we let ourselves go. But what is it that's going to encourage us? It's what's ahead, brother.
It's to be with Christ. It's the portion that he we're gonna share with him. It's the coming Kingdom. It's to not only look for his coming for us, but the blessed, the the glorious appearing. It's to love his appearing. As Paul exhorted Timothy, we are. The love is appearing. You know, the Kingdom is really part of our hope. We're looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing. It's all part of it, brethren. And in the measure I wish you and I keep that before our souls.
In the measure, in that measure, the practical things that we have spoken of previously in this chapter will be true of us. That's why when the Apostle John explains in first John three that we're not only going to be with Christ, but like him, what does he say? And every man that hath his hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. In the measuring which you and I are looking forward to, that which is ahead, it will.
01:00:01
Have a practical purifying effect on our lives. There's two prayers that are proper for the believer. One is Lord Jesus come and the other is thy Kingdom come. We wait for both, don't we? Like you say, I was thinking in Second Timothy chapter one that that day of the Lord's appearing was always before the soul of the apostle. Paul knows what he says.
In this chapter he tells Timothy verse eight, he not thou therefore ashamed the testimony of our Lord. And then he says in verse 12, And this is what I enjoy, uh, for the which 'cause I suffer these things. Nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and then persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed.
And the new translation says my deposit, uh, unto him against that day. So he had a deposit. And that's exactly what relates to what we have in our chapter in verse 33. It talks about a treasure in the heavens that fadeth not. And then verse 34, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be awful.
I still enjoy contrasting Solomon, who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and says again and again, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. He was the richest man at that time, I'm sure, and had everything he could possibly want. And that's the conclusion that he came to vanity of vanities. And we have the apostle Paul and he.
Lost everything.
For the love of Christ and but he talks about his deposit, his treasure on the other side. Brethren, what a important thing to keep our focus, right? You dear young people, so ingrained in our American way of life to build up storehouses down here. Keep your focus on that day, not anything down here.
We read in James chapter 5 your riches are corrupted and when you read about the economic situation of the United States and how easily it could go down completely.
Set your mind on things above, keep your focus on that day concerning the appearing. I was thinking in connection with the little flaw that's mentioned here.
Delore is going to appear with his things and you're going to appear to his face.
Where we don't sink on the earth and during the great tribulation waiting for them and you can appear to them. And so we have in a 36 verse he says in yourself like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding. It's not detail what kind of wedding it is, but there's going to be a wedding in heaven and when the heavens open, as we was mentioned from Second Thessalonians chapter one, He's going to appear with his Saints, but he's also appearing to his Saints, isn't he? And I believe that would fit in with this little flock that are being prepared here.
I've enjoyed the little expression. It's not used very often in Scripture, but here it says in verse 32, the Father, your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. We don't think very often of the pleasure of God, the pleasure of the Father, but it's going to be the pleasure of the Father to give the Kingdom to his Son. And we know that he's risen. He's gone into heaven to receive a Kingdom for himself and to return.
But it's the Father that gives the Kingdom. It's going to be his pleasure to see you and I enjoy what his Christ and his inheritance. And we're going to share that inheritance because we're a part of that new creation race. We're sons, we're members of the body of Christ. We're brought into such rich blessings. And here the apostles and the disciples were a little picture of that little company, that little remnant, and they had a blessed hope that was going to be put before them of waiting.
For his waiting and watching for his return, as we find in the next few verses. But isn't it wonderful just to think of the Father's pleasure to give the Kingdom? It's going to be a pleasure for him to see his Son reign over all, brought into subjection to himself. Every need to bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and you and I will be associated with him. And I think we mentioned earlier that he's going to come with all his Saints.
01:05:26
Not one missing all of his Saints and he's going to come and assert his rights in this scene.
And it's going to be the pleasure of the Father to see them receive the Kingdom.
We got 7 minutes to do it from 35 to 41. Maybe we should move on or pick that up later.
What seems the secret here to, uh, all these things, the, uh, deliverance from hypocrisy we spoke about, the deliverance from covetousness, from anxiety we've been speaking about and then the future watching and waiting we have in the following verses is to have the mind of heaven, isn't it? We're so a, a TR, we're so affected by the mind of earth. But what loop lies before us here is the mind of heaven.
To further the dispensation of God. And so that's what we have for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. And so in verses 35 and 36 burn, uh, let your loins be girded about and your lights burning ye yourself like on demand that wait for their Lord when he will return from the wedding, not the wedding of the lamb. Is it there? We're not it's not said what wedding it is. I suppose that's what we have in Matthew 25.
But we're it may be for some of the suggested, possibly the wedding with, uh, Israel.
But again, it's not, it's not specified, but the point is we're to be watching and ready. And uh, verse 37 Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching. Verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself. This is a wonderful insight into the mind of heaven. And shall make them to sit down to meet and will come forth and serve them. The Lord Jesus is going to serve us.
In heaven. What a wonderful prospect that is.
The present time is to be used for the future. The present time is preparation for the Kingdom and for eternity. That's the mind of heaven. We need to keep that in mind, don't we?
Returning from the wedding, I don't at all disagree with the applications made of it, but I do suggest that it's merely an indication here of the importance of watching in Eastern countries, and it's still done to some extent.
Weddings are quite an affair, and the revelry goes on quite.
A lengthy period of time and.
The servants who would perhaps accompany the bridegroom would be obliged to wait for him because they, of course were not part of the wedding, and they would be provided with a place where they could sit and, if necessary, take a bit of a rest.
So what's a bridegroom appreciated very much for those who were wide awake and watching and ready so that as soon as he came out with his bride and said let's go.
Then they would be immediately ready to get the, in this case in the older days, the horses and chariot ready and everything and be ready to go. He wouldn't have to go around knocking on the door and shaking them and saying wake up, it's time to go and so on. So I believe the emphasis here, I would suggest is not so much on.
Which wedding it is, but on the importance of watching and of the servants not going to sleep during the time of the bridegroom's absence. Luke is a moral group. Yes, moral lessons, moral principles, and it's not occupied with trying to nail down one company, a person. Let me look at this and say, is this the rapture or is this the pyramid? That's not the point. The point is it's moral and it applies to both.
The remnant of the Jews. In the coming day, and also for ourselves, we can take an application.
So there are three things that are to characterize the servant here. We sometimes talk about WWW and we know what that means in natural things, the World Wide Web. But I think of it in free connection with three WS we have here. We're to be waiting, we're to be watching and we're to be working. Those three things are what are to characterize us now as servants for Christ. We need to be active in what he has given us, given us to do.
01:10:16
But while we take up service for Christ, we're to be waiting. But even more than that, we're to be watching. I know our time is gone. I'll just give one little incident from my childhood to illustrate the fact that we are to be watching as well as waiting. When we were growing up, we had a large plate glass window in our my parents front room that overlooked the highway between Perth and Smith Falls. And on a day that we were expecting company in the home, especially if it was a company that we as children enjoyed having in the home.
During the day, we would be at the window looking down the highway, uh, in the, in the direction that our parents told us the company was coming from. And we would go, we would be there for a while and uh, then we perhaps would get tired and we go back about our play or our chores or whatever we were doing. And then pretty soon we were back at that window. We were waiting and watching. And we always counted it a great thing if when we, the, we finally saw that car pull along the highway, slow down with its blinker on to turn into our parents driveway.
We always counted it a great thing just to be there when the company company arrived. And brethren, as we go about our activities and God has given us responsibilities in the natural realm. He's given us work to do each one in in his service. You and your small corner and I in mind. But are we really waiting and watching sometimes tell about a young man and he had a little motto on his bathroom mirror. Perhaps today.
Why? Because he wanted to be reminded every day when he got up and looked in the mirror that this might be the day of the Lord's return. He wasn't just waiting, but he was watching for the Lord to come. Could I just mention four things? 4 words that are mentioned in this series of verses. Verse 36 says wait for their Lord. Verse 37 watching and we have that in 39 as well. But then in verse 40 it says ready.
And then in verse 43, doing all four things should characterize those that are waiting for the Lord.
We sing. 23 in the appendix. Oh Jesus, precious Savior, oh, when wilt thou return our hearts with woe familiar to thee our Master turn. Our woe is thine Lord Jesus, Our joy is in thy love, but woe and joy all lead us to Thee in heaven above. 23 in the appendix.
Mm-hmm.
Thy Lord Jesus.
Our joy is a joy of God.
I'm sorry you know we're so far that free flowers from one day and woke we lost my appearing thy presentator for us we bring thus and God together you bring.
Give me where they were ever.
Where they go and turn on.
His behavior.
01:15:02
Who is grace that burns and will look for good relations?
With the old forever.
Of her soul shall be considered.
Could we also sing the last three verses of 170?
The last three verses of 170, that is beginning at verse four. Israel's race shall now behold him full of grace and majesty.
Nsnoise.
Than for the last 30.
Dollars.
Let me know what I'm afraid. I'm far from the Lord and the Lord.
Thank you for the practical things that you have. You have to do it in the morning.
And we might see help along the pathway.
Thank you too for filling our hearts once again with hope that I've soon returned.
01:20:04
Pray for that you would help us to keep our eyes focused on the to be waiting and watching.
And working while we wait for your return. Thank you, Lord.
For your many mercies and your grace to us, and we pray in your precious and worthy name. Amen. Amen.