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I would like to suggest part of a chapter if the brethren feel it is the mind of the Lord. Luke's Gospel, chapter 12.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 12.
The whole chapter is profitable of course, but.
I was thinking particularly of the latter half of the chapter, perhaps beginning with verse 31.
I had this chapter on my heart and the hymn that our brother gave out at the beginning seemed to be.
Keeping with it, that is the thought that the Lord is.
Looking at you and me down here in this world seeking to draw us after Him, exercising on the one hand our consciences as to what is due to Him, but also speaking to our hearts, particularly to draw us after Him. And so I suggest there is that in this chapter that speaks to both our hearts and our consciences and is at once encouraging and yet at the same time.
Has something that.
Well, as I've said, speaks to our consciences too.
What do my brethren think of that?
Well, if that's all right, perhaps someone could read Luke 12.
Beginning at verse 31 and perhaps read to the end of the chapter.
Chapter 12, starting in verse 31.
But rather seek you the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. They're not little black. What is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom?
Cell that you have and give loans provide my provide yourselves bags which wax not all over a treasure in the heavens that faileth not where no thief approaches, neither N parenthesis. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like of the men that wait for their Lord when he will return from the wedding.
Have any cometh and Marcus, they may open up some 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 if he shall come in a second watch, or come in a third watch and find them, so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the Goodman of the house had known what hour the seat 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 that an hour when he faint man.
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Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speak 1000 of this parable unto us, or even to all.
And the Lord, said Susanna, said Faith, one wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat and due season, Blessed event servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
But Anthony, that servants say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to beat the men, servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken. The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looked at not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut coming Thunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared night himself, neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes, but and did commit things worthy as worthy of stripes.
That we've even with two strikes. For unto whomsoever much is given of Him shall be much required, and to whom men have committed much of whom they will ask the more. I am condescend fire on the earth. And what will I to be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straightened until it be accomplished? Suppose you that I am come to give peace on earth. I tell you nay, but rather division. For from him forth there should be 5 in one house divided.
Two and two against three others will be divided against the son and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, and the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
And he said also to the people, When you see a cloud rise out of the West straight way, you say there cometh the shower, and so it is. And when you see the South wind blow, you say there will be heat. And it comes to pass. He hypocrites. You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how was it that you do not discern this time? The A&Y even of yourselves, judging out what is right now, goes with thy neighbor to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, and give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him.
Lest he hail thee to the judge, and a judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee thou shalt not depart thence, for thou hast paid the very last night.
Might just make a couple of remarks.
At the beginning and then I there are many others here that are more capable to take up the thoughts here, but.
We know that Lukes Gospel presents the Lord Jesus in the character of the Son of Man.
It's also the gospel that is, more than any other, the introduction to Paul's ministry.
And so we find much in loop that although in many ways couched in the same terms as we find, for example, in Matthew, yet I suggest there's a different slant given to it, while at the same time it would have its application to a Jew who would hear it. And we see that exemplified in the chapter here when Peter raises the question.
As we have in verse 41, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
Because Peter had learned that the Lord sometimes addressed remarks to those in general who listened to His ministry, and sometimes addressed remarks particularly for his own.
And the Lord doesn't answer the question in that sense directly, but the answer given to Peter takes up the question, I believe, from the side of those who were his own. Well, at the same time, I believe what is in this chapter, if heard by those who were not the Lords, would and should have had its moral effect on them too. And so there is that which would speak to each one here. But I suggest that there's a particular slant in Luke's gospel, as we said earlier.
Toward the introduction to Paul's ministry toward the truth of the church, although not directly teaching us the truth of the church, but bringing before us that which bears morally on you and me in the day in which we are living. And I suggest that that's the application that we particularly look at in our readings. That is, the Lord is speaking this to his own.
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And bringing before them in a very precious way, and yet also in an awakening way what was ahead for them and what He was looking for from them, and yet at the same time wonderfully what He was, and bringing out all His love and care for us.
This verse we began with this directly connected with what has preceded in the following in the preceding portion. It's interesting if you notice in Mr. Darby's translation that he doesn't put a period at the end of verse 30. He puts a semi colon and it's all part of the same sentence. Because if we were to back up in this chapter, we would find that the Lord has taken up two things, the need of food and the need of clothing. He's taken it up in connection with the Ravens. Consider the Ravens in the 24th verse.
And consider the lilies in the 27th verse. When I read this, I think of the verse that says having food and raiment there with me content. And God knows that we need food and raiment. He knows that we need provision and mercies for this pathway, and so He brings this before them. But then, lest we become overburdened with the cares of getting along in this life, He says, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.
And this has been a voice to my own soul in the day in which we live. Because, brethren, it's not always a question of becoming worldly minded. That may be true, but it's a question of becoming earthly minded. So often, as the people of God in the society in which we Live Today, just making a living and providing for ourselves and for our families burdens us down to the extent that we lose sight of His provision. We don't have time for Him and for His interests.
Here in this world, we just, I've talked to young brothers and you know what I mean. You come home from the office at night, you're saturated, you're mentally weary. And so often the enemy uses these things from keeping us from the enjoyment, as I say of himself and then being a blessing to the people of God. But what he's telling us here is, yes, we need to get along in this life. We need to be there are burdens and there are cares and we need to provide things honest in the sight of all men.
But let's not become so burdened with the cares of this life that we lose sight of what is of real and eternal value.
There is a saying that the Lord helps those that help themselves.
And I think these verses contradict that. The Lord cares about us more than we do. It's our Father's good pleasure to give us the Kingdom, and so the Lord is directing our attention to.
Seek first the Kingdom of God.
When Adam and Eve are took of that fruit.
Which they were told not to. In a sense, they sought the Kingdom of God in a different way, without God, the things without God. And that's the air. The Lord wants us to enjoy the things that He gives in fellowship with him, not by ourselves. And so we must begin from that perspective with God and what He gives.
Then we will find the best gifts.
Just to add a little more on the matter of the context of the verses that we have. I think morally, as Bill said, it presents a moral picture to us if we go back for a moment to verse 13.
The Lord is in the midst of a crowd of people, and one of that crowd says to him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And so the Lord takes up that question of whether He was the one to divide the inheritance or not. He.
He says, well, who made me a ruler or a judge in such a matter? And then he goes on to speak about a rich man who had many things to teach him a lesson. And not to take it all up, but I just want to emphasize verse 21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. I believe that that's morally the real emphasis of what's being brought to us in the chapter here.
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It's the question of our treasure. Where is it? What is it? What are we looking for? Here were two men and their treasure. The man's treasure was an inheritance, but where was the inheritance? As far as he was concerned, it was in the earth. He wasn't thinking about heaven. He wasn't occupied with the Kingdom of God. He was occupied with here and now. And me and my, what I've got for myself. And I want it and I don't want somebody else to take it from me.
And so the Lord brings before him the question. He says, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, treasure for himself here, but he's not rich toward God. And where's my treasure? Is it really here in the earth, or is it rich toward God? Well, immediately there's something in us that says, Oh, but Lord, I have to take care of my family, my needs, my everyday life. And so the Lord then brings in that thought in the chapter, and he says, yes, you have needs.
Jim just referred to them. You have need of food and drink and I'm aware of it and I'm going to take care of it according to the need, but don't make it an excuse.
To make this world the center of your life and your real treasure in it. But in contrast, he says, seek the Kingdom of God.
First make that you might say, man always says I have priorities in my life. What's our first priority even ahead of food and drink, It's the Kingdom of God, or can I say it should be so then he says right after where we started.
Verse 30.
Three wax not old. A treasure in the heavens.
That's the true source of our treasure. Our treasure is not on earth, it's not here, it's not in material things, but our treasure is in the heavens. And where my treasure is, he says in the next verse, the 34th verse, that's where my heart is going to be. So is my heart in heaven today, this afternoon, this morning, or is my heart really in this world?
And the inheritance, if you will, that I might get what I might take from this world.
What is it being done in verse 21 That you read to be rich toward God?
I'm going to listen to what you tell us.
I'd like to hear from you and I might say something natural.
I don't, I don't know about. I am something from the Lord to say that.
The true riches are really what we possess in.
Christ forever.
Go to Ephesians and Bill was saying that it introduces Paul's ministry.
This is really true Riches Ephesians, chapter one.
Verse that we've often meditated on verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And then further in the chapter he goes into the particulars of those different blessings that we have. Verse four were chosen in him.
Before the foundation of the world, He has made us fully and without blame before Him in love. Verse five, we've been predestinated to the adoption of children. Verse six, He's made us accepted in the beloved. Verse seven, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Verse 8, He's abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. These are spiritual blessings.
We live in a materialistic world where everything is focused on what is material.
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And the car you have, what kind of a house do you have? What kind of properties do you have? What's your interest in the stock market? It's all material things that you can touch physically. But that's not to be rich toward God, because a man dies and he leaves everything behind.
He's not going to take a bit with him that's not rich toward God. But I, I must say, brother, it's been a challenge to my own soul So often to me amongst those that are poor in this world, not that there's a particular virtue of being poor in this world, but there is disadvantage is that oftentimes they don't have all the stuff to be preoccupied with and distract from our real riches, which are spiritual realities.
And like Don was mentioning this man who wanted the inheritance divided to him, he wanted the Lord to help him in this situation.
Brethren, the Lord is not really interested in prospering us materially. He may or He may not. That's not our point down here, is to be rich towards God, is to be in the enjoyment of those spiritual blessings.
That we have in Christ and therefore ever, no one can ever take away the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ. You can lose what you have materially from one day to the next. You may lose it. You can never lose that spirituality. Let's say it was a particular challenge, and I think I have told this before, but the brother Clem began and we were down in the Dominican Republic, but in the home of a brother who is now with Christ.
Juan Vasquez, remember that. And his house was just some sticks stuck in the ground in the form of a rectangle for the walls, banana leaves for a roof and winter grade. It kind of ranged inside as well as out. And he invited us to a meal and he didn't have a very nice place to invite us into. And we sat down and had to be careful how we sat down on the bench.
If it wouldn't break.
But the meal wasn't quite ready. And his brother?
Black brother sat down at the head of the table and he didn't have any nice car to show us out in front or any nice house to show us around. He opens his Bible. Never forget the beaming, beaming face. See, as he quoted one verse after another, understanding after he went to be with the Lord that he didn't really know how to read, but he quoted one verse after another and the enjoyment of it. They just bowed my head at that instance and said, Lord Jesus.
Why is it that material things so blindness as to our real riches and that's what it's talking about here. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.
This is what his righteousness here, that's in Matthew's Gospel, but it says all these things shall be added unto you. Do you need food, clothing? Yes, we do.
But don't let that be the object of your existence down here is something far, far more blessed to be occupied with. And that's what he wants us to be enjoying. It's a question of what our hearts are set on, isn't it? And I, I believe it's very important. I had a similar experience, Bob, some months ago after Hurricane Ivan flattened the country of Grenada.
We got Brother Garvin, Seymour and myself. We went there to help out in any way we could and we sat down in a brother's home and most of the home had been blown away in the hurricane. They had buckets around to catch the water which was coming down in Torrance. And the first thing he said to us when we sat down in his home, he said let's talk about eternal things. There was no use about talking about temporal things. The few temporal things he had had were blown away. They were gone.
But we had a wonderful time with he and his wife as we opened the Scripture and we talked about the true riches, the things that cannot be taken away from us, because being rich toward God has nothing to do with our outward circumstances. Now, I just want to say this to perhaps temper our remarks a little bit, and that is that we do not want to despise our temporal circumstances and the mercies that God gives us. In a country like this. We enjoy many mercies from day-to-day.
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And we don't want to despise those mercies. I'm thankful this morning, as you are too, for this facility that's been provided for us. It's climate controlled. We sit uncomfortable chairs. We'll enjoy a couple of good meals each day that we're here. We were able to drive here, most of us in cars that are roadworthy and have heat and perhaps air conditioning or whatever. And we're thankful for that. But the question is, what have we set our hearts on?
Young people, if I set my heart on getting one of the best cars that GM or Ford across there can provide, that's where the wrong is. It's not the question of driving a good car or a bad car. It's a question of where my heart is. And so often the tendency is to set our hearts on present advantage because the temporal things, the riches of this world, they are only for present advantage. In fact, when we back up in this gospel.
We find that the Lord Jesus in speaking to the Pharisees and pronouncing woe.
He said, Woe unto those that have present riches, I'm not quoting quite correctly, but have riches, for they have their consolation, that is, they have something for time. It may be comfort to have to have it for time, but the question has been brought before us. So the answer has been brought before us is, are we in the enjoyment of the true riches that don't have to do with circumstances and they cannot be disturbed by.
Present circumstances.
If we're in the enjoyment of those things, and as Bob said, we'll never lose that. So I just say again, it's a question of what we set our hearts on. Let's notice what Paul was looking for. The last words of Paul in Second Timothy 4.
Verse 18.
All writing the last bookie we believe according to the dates of when they were writing.
Second Timothy 418 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom. That's where he was going, to whom the glory forever and ever, Amen. Now that's the last word.
Look of Paul, let's turn to Peter in one Peter chapter.
5.
No, not chapter 5.
Second Peter, chapter one.
The last book that Peter wrote and the.
11Th verse Peter says, for so an interest shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These two men. Well, perhaps as you say, Bill Lucas looking morally toward he's sitting in there to direct us to Paul's ministry. Is that so?
Hmm, Heavenly Kingdom.
Is that is it correct to say then that when it says here it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom that it is, the heavenly Kingdom that is in view? Is that a right thought?
Is that right by the truck?
I'm not going to answer your question, but I would do would like to advance some thoughts from the 16th chapter of this gospel.
Just in connection, especially with what Jim was saying.
In the 16th chapter, verse 8, the Lord commended. That's not the Lord Jesus here, but his Master commanded the unjust steward because he'd done wisely. What had he done? He'd he'd taken those that.
That.
Were in debt.
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His master was in debt to some others, and he reduced the amount and laid up for himself a future down here where they would receive it.
And he says the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of white they are. They live for time. That's all they've got. They live for present circumstances.
We who are the children of light to live for time, are playing with because.
That's not why we're here to live for time, to live for material things. We're here to live for him. We're here to live for the eternal realities that we have in Christ. So he says, make to yourself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness. But the mammon of this world is called the mammon of unrighteousness. The mammoth means the richest.
Because I believe that is the whole point that we are dealing with here, isn't it?
On our side there is the injunction, the exhortation to seek the Kingdom of God.
What is the Kingdom of God? I believe it is a moral state that is in keeping with those that recognize the rightful king. And it includes, although not limited to what we have just been discussing, the proper use of our time, our energy, our material things down here.
To what end? To an end that will secure eternal riches. But then, on God's part, His delight is to give us the Kingdom. His delight is to give us that which isn't going to pass away, not only in order that we may enjoy it in the coming day, but as we find in Paul's ministry, the present enjoyment of it in our hearts now, so that in one sense, that treasure.
While future is meant to be enjoyed in our hearts now, so the Kingdom of God again is seeking to live down here as those who recognize the rightful king and are exercised to exhibit a walk and a moral state that is in keeping with that. And then God for his part says, I am going to give you.
A treasure that you won't have to kiss goodbye when you leave this world. That no stroke of the stock market is going to take away. That nothing that happens down here can touch.
This verse that Brother Clem read in two Peter one, I'm going to read it again, verse 10. Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you shall never fall right now, for soul and entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's usually applied to a future time.
I think it applies right now.
I think that when we live for him, we're not the losers, we're the gangers. The ones that don't live for him, the ones that live for South, they're losing. They may gain all kinds of money. They have this person who wants to be a millionaire. I wouldn't want it. I it would ruin me. I wouldn't know how to use it. I don't have the talent. There's some brethren that can handle that kind of money and do it wisely and do it for the Lord. I'm not one of them.
And that's not what's going to make you happy anyway.
Or you have how many, how many have gained a lot of money in some of these things and a year or so later they're divorced and they're going on a miserable life. That's the way to be miserable, to live for time.
Like to try to make the what's before us practical in in this sense, or at least a test to us about we might say, well, yes, I'm, I'm for the Kingdom of God and that's what I want. And I'm not my heart and my life and my treasure is not in my possessions and so on. But I think the Lord gives a test of that in the beginning of this subject back in verse 15.
Where this man talks to the Lord, and he says, who's going to divide the inheritance between us? And I want to read it Mr. Darby's translation, verse 15. He says, and he said unto them, take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness.
For it is not because a man is in abundance that his life is in his possessions.
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Two things out of this. The first one is can I sit here this morning and say with respect to my possessions, I'm content?
If I'm not, then I'm covetousness. There's covetousness working in me.
And that's what the Lord says beware of.
And to me, it's a very practical thing. Can I say I have food, I have raiment, I'm content? The Lord says yes, with food and raiment. And I've heard raiment explain to be not only clothes on my back, but a shelter over my head. Mr. Kelly speaks of it that way. Then am I content? If I'm not content, then there's a covetousness that work in me that says there is something.
Where I want what I don't have now, this moment in my life. And then he goes on to say it's not because I have a lot.
That my life is in my possessions. It's not how much you have that's really at issue, it's what you want.
You may have little, you may be rich, but neither one really determines where your life is, he says. It's not just to read it again.
It's not because a man is in abundance that his life is in his possessions.
But to me the contrast to it in the Kingdom of God. I'd like to read a verse in Romans chapter 14.
That to me sets the contrast. If we're saying, well, my life is not to be in my possessions. If I have food and raiment, I have what God has apportioned to me. He's the keeper of it all. If he's given me food and raiment, then he's given me sufficient. If he's given you more than just food and raiment, then that's his choice for you. And as Jim has presented, were to be responsible for whatever he's given and how it's used.
But in Romans chapter 14.
He says in verse 17 the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink. That's what we've just been talking about. And he says the Kingdom of God is not what you can eat.
What you can take in, what you can enjoy of this life, What is it? By contrast, it's immoral sphere of things, as Bill already mentioned, it's righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Do I seek today?
To walk with God.
In righteousness.
God's Kingdom is a Kingdom that is characterized by righteousness.
And so God wants me to walk with him according to the order of moral order that he has established for all things. And he says, I want you to walk with me in righteousness.
And we are to walk together, if you will, and with fellow man in a sphere of peace.
Seek peace, pursue it. It's part of the Kingdom of God and we are to walk. And it's to be that which is to characterize our lives here, and it surely will in heaven.
When we're in heaven, we'll see a perfect sphere of righteousness and peace and what else, Joy.
Enjoy perfect joy produced in our souls through the heart and to give it its right priority in my heart and my life. And at the same time, God says, I know you're here, you have to eat, so I'll take care of that too.
Last Wednesday we had before us it said the Lord notice the poor widow casting in two mites into the treasury, and he said she's cast in more than they all the others have cast in of their riches. She's cast in everything to.
And that's the evaluation he put on it.
That's the kind of evaluation we should be seeking.
I heard recently somebody coming on the material things that we have in this world.
You put it away I thought was good, he said. We can't take any of it with us, but we can send it on ahead.
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But that's a good, good thing to think about.
How do you send it on a head? He says in verse 33. Sell that he has and give on. Provide yourself. Bag with wax not old. It's raised in the heavens that faileth not where no thief approaches, neither most corrupted.
These embodies, that's this world. Nothing is secured down here, but we can send it on ahead. And if we do, then our treasure is going to be not down here, not in what happens to our material things, but it's going to be up there and that's what's to be desired. Our heart is going to be there if our treasure is there.
I'd like to just refer to a verse that.
That Paul says in Second Timothy chapter one that I have found interesting.
In this connection, verse 12, Paul, as it's mentioned as a dimensioned, is about to end this course down here.
It lost everything, for Christ's sake.
And he was not ashamed of having lost everything for Christ's sake. But notice what he says in verse 12. Second Timothy. One for the witch, 'cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know who I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep.
That which I have committed.
I think the Spanish it says my deposit.
Against unto him, against that day. Talk about depositing money in a bank account to keep faithfully for you. Here's a place you can deposit the fossil ball has deposited against that day and when he gets there, it's going to be all day. Brethren, are we living for time?
This brief moment that's called time down here.
I can't believe that last year I got up to 60 years old. I can't believe that I.
Yesterday it seemed like I was a young person. Life is too free to be living for things down here. Set your sights beyond, set your sights in that eternal day. You'll not be ashamed for doing it. Just in connection with that, Bob, just a little illustration from the Old Testament that I think gives makes the illustrates the point you've been bringing out very well. And that is a contrast between Lot and Abraham.
Because it's interesting with Lot that when he lifted up his eyes, he only lifted them up for time. He only lifted them up as far as the horizons of this world. And what he saw was the well watered plain of Jordan. He saw that which was for present advantage. And you know, I often think of that verse in Proverbs 29 which applies to every aspect of our lives, be it practical or spiritual. It says where there is no vision, the people perish.
If we only live for time, if there's no vision or looking to the future for eternity, we're going to perish. Her, as the new translation says, cast off restraint. We're going to only make choices and decisions based on what we see at the moment for present advantage. Well, Lot did that, and we know what the sad history of Lot was. Lot we will see in glory. He was a saved soul, but what a wreck he made of things down here.
But you see a contrast with Abraham because shortly after that he lifted up his eyes too, and he lifted them up to the stars of heaven. He lifted his eyes beyond the horizons of this world, and God said he would bless him in that way. That was something of eternal value and for eternity. And so I think those illustrations help us to see, you know, we don't have to wonder, young people, what is the folly of living for time?
Or what is the folly or the end result of doing this or that? God gives us these examples of men and women and young people who lived at various points in the history of man. It's good to go back to the Word of God and see these examples. See what the end of a course of self will is. See what the end of living for present advantage is. See what the end of a course of living for Christ is. God gives us these examples to teach us so that we don't fall into the same traps that many of them did.
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I might just say this too, to cap our remarks on this subject. I've enjoyed what Paul said at the end of his life and again, he had nothing as far as present advantage, but he could say, my God shall supply. I want you to notice that all your knees, not all our wants. Now God often supplies far beyond our need. And thank, we can thank him for it, as we've been saying, but what he has promised is not to supply all our wants.
But He has promised to supply all our needs. And what I've found as a challenge in my own life is to sort out, and I can't say I've arrived, but to seek by the grace of God, to sort out the difference between needs and and wants. And there is a vast difference between needs and wants.
Sometimes this might be a bit.
Confusing. And not only to young people, but to others too, because.
Generally.
An energy in spiritual things will be translated into an energy.
In our work and in everything we do, won't it? And very often laziness in spiritual things has the same effect. And so we get in Ecclesiastes the admonition, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it what they might.
From an earthly point of view, the New Testament carries that a step further and says whatsoever ye do.
Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Well, if I do my work for the Lord Jesus, I won't be lazy. And so it's not a question. We say it particularly to our dear young people whom there are many here of just lying back and saying, well, I guess I don't need to learn a trade or have any direction in my life. The Lord will provide and so on. I don't believe we find that in Scripture. We find that God generally.
Used those who were energetic.
In their work and in looking after their affairs down here in a proper way. But that energy translated into the Lord's things as well. And So what we have here is a question of priorities, as we've been saying, and what is really before me? What is my motive? What is my goal? Are these things down here an end in themselves, or are they a means to an end which is eternal?
And so if someone feels led to go to school in whatever way to get an education toward an end, the Lord can give you direction and guidance and help in that. But if I can perhaps tell a story that happened a good many years ago, there was a young man who was going to university. He was contemporary with me. So that's a good while ago that he was in university and.
He didn't come to the meeting very often. He showed up on Lord's Day morning, but then on Lord's Day afternoon, and.
Instead of being available for the Sunday school, he went home to study and so on. And I remember another young brother who again was my age, said to me, Bill, he said if I couldn't get it without doing that, then it would raise a question whether I had the mind of the Lord in doing it. Well, we can't dictate to others, but the point is if the Lord leads you and me in a certain path and the Lord is before us as we have here, I believe He'll make it possible for us to put Him for.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
And then I believe we can count on him as we've been saying, that all these other things that are needed will be added to us. So I just make that remark because there's no thought in Scripture of laziness, either in spiritual things or in our life in this world. I believe energy in one will be expressed in energy in the other. There's another apartment illustration of what you're saying, Bill, in First Kings 17.
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Where we find that widow woman and she was busy. She wasn't just, she didn't just lie down to die, she was out gathering some sticks and they were going to make that little cake and eat and then they were going to die. But the prophet came along and he said to her, make me first a little cake. In other words, he said, you do something for me first, give me my portion first. And then there was the promise that the barrel of meal and the cruise of oil would not waste as long as the famine lasted. And so by faith she did that. And it must have taken tremendous faith.
To take the last provision in your house, not only for you, but for your children, and to take that last provision and make it for somebody else, prepare it for somebody else. But we know the wonderful story. But I just want to suggest that with that barrel of meal and that cruise of oil, I don't think it was full every day. I think every day when she went there, there was just enough for the day. There was another handful of meals. There was another little bit of oil in the cruise, and it was just enough to meet their needs and the need of her need and the need of her family for that day. Now, brethren, are we content with the Lord's provision like that?
Is that what we're content for? Because it says in Matthew 6, Nate, take no thought for the Morrow, for the moral shall take thought for itself, sufficient unto the day.
Is the evil thereof, and the Christian life consists of living for Christ today.
Enjoying His provision today, whether it's in a temporal way or spiritual way, and leaving tomorrow with Him. But live for Him today. He provides for today and then just leave tomorrow. Now are you and I by faith? And I know it takes faith and grace, but are you and I willing like that woman to just live day by day and realize there is enough provision for the moment?
There is interesting what it says there, Jim.
She did have the word of the Lord to go on, and it was this. The barrel of meals shall not waste either shall the crews of oil fail until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. So she had to the word of the Lord, and it was as good as a barrel of meal and a cruise of oil, even though, like you say, it may have been just that. Blood was for the day, but it was the word of the Lord. And that's what we have, brethren. We have the word of the Lord, and that's what it means to walk by faith.
We have a God and His word has never failed and it just takes walking with Him a day at a time. It's not something that you can look at and say, well, I got it all set for the next 10 years. I got enough stowed away, I can just sit back and relax. No, that's not it.
But what you were saying, Bill, in verse 25 of our chapter, I think bears that out.
This type of living does not make us lively, Lazy says. Let your loins be girded. Why did somebody gird their loins? It's giving up to serve, that's why. And your light burning, and you yourselves likened them in that wait for their Lord.
Brethren, we are waiting for the Lord to come, and in view of that day, oh, we need to have our loins girded. Oh, what a wonderful privilege it is to serve the Lord in any measure. And don't go looking at certain ones, say they are the servants of the Lord. Every true believer is a servant of the Lord. You do what you do hardly as to the Lord.
Your servings.
Often think of those Colossians chapter 3 that Paul speaks to in the King James translation. Its servants, but really the body is slaves. They were never free to do their own thing, but he says to them.
You serve the Lord Christ. They were servants of the Lord. What were they doing? Mopping the floor, probably.
They're doing whatever their Lord has commanded to do.
As slaves they were serving the Lord Christ. If you do your work hardly as to the Lord, there is a real testimony that results South America. A lot of our brethren are bricklayers. They fill a lot with bricks down there. They said sometimes to them, if you do your service, if you lay those bricks as if you were doing it for the Lord himself.
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People are going to notice that you do a good job and your testimony. When the time comes to tell them the gospel, they will listen to you.
That I've seen so many. To me it's something to be exercised about, especially this country as it happened, those that are professing preachers of the gospel, but a bad testimony in some way, the awful devastation to the Christian testimony that that takes, that that makes the Lord exercises. We're all servants of the Lord. We need to be exhorted.
Gird your loins. It's not time to relax and be at home down here. It just seems to me that the Lord puts a lot of needles in our haystacks and we think we make ourselves a nice little nest and we hit the needles. Can't be comfortable down here, brother, Can't do it.
My stairway was.
At home and we came ready to be ready. But we can't live in my life for us. And go by far as thy soul.
Our God and Father, we're thankful for this portion that has been before our souls. We ask, blessing on the ministry of Thy word to our souls. We might seek grace to walk in it. We ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory. Amen.