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Luke 12 and verse 31.
But rather seek ye the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Clear not little flock for his, your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
So that you have and give arms, provide yourself bags with wax not old a treasure in the heavens that faileth not where no deep approaches, neither master, neither moth corrupted. But where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be heard it about, and your life burning. Keep yourselves like unto that man 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 see unto you that He shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meet, and will come forth and serve Him. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them, so, blessed are those servants.
And this know, that if the Goodman of the house had known what are the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also, or the Son of Man cometh at an hour when you think not.
Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then needs that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat and juice? Easy.
Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.
Truth, I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
And if that servant say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to beat the men, servants, and maids, and maidens, and to eat and drink, and be drunken, the Lord of that servants will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in Thunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
And that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and didn't have things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. Corunta. Whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required, and to whom men have committed much of him, they will ask the more.
I suppose the one of the verses that stands out prominently here before us.
Is this 34th verse?
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
And it sort of serves as a little key, does it not, to the passage.
The chapter as a whole perhaps would take up the thought of the inheritance.
And.
What goes along with it?
It's more perhaps the Kingdom side of things, but still do we not have the Lord Himself before us here as the object and His coming and that's the believers hope is it not the coming of the Lord as we were having yesterday?
The resurrection side of things, but here also his own coming.
To take us home, be with himself. I know that that truth isn't developed here like it is in in Thessalonians, but at least it suggests to us this line of things.
To our hearts is coming.
In this passage we have his coming in connection looked at in three ways. That is.
I believe it's first.
Like those that wait for their Lord in the 36th verse.
And then in the 37th, watching.
And then finally we have in the.
43rd verse. The Doings.
And all these three things are in connection, are they not, with his coming?
And he had just been.
Speaking in the previous verses.
About that being taken up too much with.
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Earthly matters.
Seek not but she shall eat, or what she shall drink. Neither be in doubtful mind for all these things to the nations of the world. Seek after your Father knoweth the immediate of these things.
Then in the 16th chapter.
Or you have a similar line of things before us, that is.
Stewardship.
In the 16th chapter.
And the ninth verse.
Make to yourselves friends. I'll read this a little differently. Read it as it's in another translation.
Make yourselves friends with the Mammon of unrighteousness.
That when it fails.
He may be received into the everlasting habitation.
He that is faithful in that which is least.
They also in much.
That is in place of.
Being disturbed.
As they were.
In the verses that we've read here in the 12Th chapter.
Our large warning them against being too much occupied with those things. Seek nothing, what you should eat, your drink and so on.
Where to make to ourselves friends with the Mammon of unrighteousness, that is, all we have done here is to be used with a view of the future.
It's the opposite of living a selfish life.
We use the Mammon of unrighteousness.
Built in different and other things related to it.
We use it in such a way.
That we're sending it on ahead.
Standing it on ahead.
There it is going to be transmitted into the current point of heaven. We're laying up a deposit against the daily coming that is the.
I believe the basic truth in that May 1St of the 16th chapter.
Is living not for the view the present game?
But in that future reception into the abodes above.
And we find that they have sent on a deposit ahead.
In verse 12.
If you have not been faithful.
In that which is.
Another.
In this subject of stewardship that we all.
To do well, to learn because we.
Are naturally so selfish.
We forget that all we have is really.
That of another in one sense.
If you have not been faithful.
In that which is another's.
We have the tendency to go after possessions for ourselves.
And in the chapter we have before us this morning, we had that parable of the rich fool.
Who only thought of possessions for himself?
And then the Lord says in verse 21 of our chapter.
So is he that layeth up.
Treasure for himself.
Now the word of God is a mirror.
That reflects our naughty tendencies. So he that layeth up treasure for himself.
And is not rich toward God.
I thought it well to bring out this verse 21.
In contrast to verse.
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34 That our brother pointed out as being more or less of a key to what portion we have before us for where your treasure is.
There will your heart be also.
I remember hearing a brother speak on this verse that you just referred to. If he have not been faithful in that, which is another man.
Who shall give you that which is your own? And it was really very impressive. He pointed out to us that absolutely everything that we can look upon or rest our hands upon is in reality another man.
And is entrusted to us as stewards, so that actually we're not entitled to save anything that we possess, that it is really our own. For someday we'll have to give an account. But what can we call our own for it mentioned in this verse? Who shall give you that which is your own?
Would it be right to say that those spiritual possessions which are ours in Christ?
Our only in joy in relation to the way in which we look upon those things which are really another man. If I look upon these material possessions as my own and feel that I'm entitled to use them as the man of the world uses them, I'm going to be very barren in the enjoyment of those possessions which are really mine, and mine forever.
That's a wonderful thing, Ephesians. One would tell us that we're blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, but we don't enjoy those possessions if we're trying to make the most of that which is another man.
Do we not find that principle in the 31St verse of our chapter?
And the first part of it.
But rather seek ye the Kingdom of God.
We put First things first. We need not worry about that which we have in the preceding verses, God's providential care for His own as well as others.
But if we have the glory of the Lord before us, and of God in all our ways, well then all these things shall be added unto you, and we know nothing wrong, nothing left out. Is this not a principle that runs all through the Word?
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and Matthews and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
And I think the Kingdom of God and use this way, and Luke possibly carries a special force too, in that it it would suggest the moral side of the truth and the more permanent side that is what is suggested to our hearts and enrollments. It's not meat and drink, but righteousness.
Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, the possession of the believer. Now who has Christ?
Character, yes, we lost everything through the fall and if we're even to enjoy.
The natural things here now, it's only as we realize that they are Christ's and we are in Christ. Otherwise it's still the old man, is it not?
In First Timothy, the last chapter, we get a very practical word along the line of stewardship.
Charge them that are rich in this world now. He's not talking about the outside, he's talking about the Saints of God.
Last chapter of First Timothy in the 17th verse.
Now notice that he doesn't say charge them that are rich in this world to give it all away. I didn't what he says.
That they may be not high minded. That would be the tendency if they were rich, would be to be high minded.
Nor trust in uncertain riches.
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Some of us know a brother, a dear brother in Christ.
Who not very long ago was a millionaire.
Well, we understand that.
It all vanished. He lost it all uncertain riches.
Trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth us richly.
All things to enjoy.
That they do good.
That they be rich in good works.
Ready to distribute. Not ready to accumulate, but ready to distribute.
Willing to communicate.
Now here we're back to our line of things again, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come.
That they may lay hold on what is really life.
Eternal life is not the reading proper here at all that they may lay hold on what is really life.
Oh how wholesome the instruction of those 3 verses.
The apostle said to the Corinthians, What hast thou that thou hast not received? So that statement proves that everything they received came from the hand of another.
And every blessing we have comes from the loving hand of God, doesn't it? Through the person and work of Christ.
And the earlier verse in that chapter on stewardship, the first first brother, 1St Corinthians 4.
I.
Goes with it.
Verse 2.
I remember our brother Walter Potter remarking and I think it's very expressive.
That the emblem of a Christian is not the closed fist.
But the open palm?
That's that's Acts 20, verse 35.
The words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said it is more or less to give than it is to get or receive.
It's interesting too, isn't it, to realize that God doesn't put these instructions before us as things to be obeyed simply because God said we ought to. But it is not the principle that there is a real blessing attached to it. That is all The instruction of Scripture comes from a heart that loves us and loves us deeply.
We often see as a little model be content with such things as he has, and we're inclined to think, well, I must try to be contented because the scripture says I ought to be.
But that's only half the verse.
The verse goes on to say, For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Oh now, how easy it is to be contented. We have himself with the promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Contention comes easily to the one who realizes that I believe that faithfulness and stewardship will come easily the one who sees a purpose behind it.
Where was that verse first found, brother?
Banking of Hebrews 13. I don't. Is it not a quotation from Joshua?
Yes, I had forgotten. I think it is, isn't it? Quotation from Joshua.
In first chapter were they ending the land I was?
Thinking of that side of things that we have had before us and.
In these meetings.
That is the heavenly things.
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5th 1St.
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not failing nor forsake thee. Be strong with good courage. In front of this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swear unto their fathers to give them. Well, I mentioned it, because all this is in view now.
What's the other side of our side of the cross, the believers side of the cross? We've lost everything. We've given up everything because the old man is gone. But we have a, we're in a new position entirely now and we have everything. Even the present things that we have down here we have is associated with Christ and that's the way we should view them.
It's a minor correction.
That was first in Deuteronomy. Moses said that that's not 31831 eight. So Joshua had learned we don't have anything from his predecessor, right?
In our chapter here in the cuff blue.
Let your loins be girded about your lights burning.
If the loins are girded.
It means that we're taking life seriously it.
The opposite of carelessness.
It's the opposite of justice, relaxing and going with the current.
The loins are girded. Well, we learn another parts of what that girding is to be your loins. Gird about with truth.
And your lights burning.
The Lord expects us to go through this scene.
Positive testimony.
We don't light a candle to put it under a bushel or under a bed.
The bushel would speak of.
Being taken up with businesses, things of commerce, life.
The bed would speak of taking things easy, carelessness, indifference.
But it's to be put on a Candlestick.
Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning a positive testimony.
And then?
As Brother London said, we first have waiting.
Then watching and then doing.
Be yourselves like in the man that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
Well, can we not get a lesson from that?
Open unto him immediately.
If we, if we knew the Lord, were to return today.
Or perhaps to make it a little clearer, supposing we knew that the Lord would be here, we'll say a week from now.
Would we have to do a lot of house cleaning?
Not only literally, but in the affairs of our life.
Would there have to be a lot of straightening out done if we knew he was coming a week from now?
Here the exhortation is.
Wait for him with the sense that he may come any moment, so that when he cometh the knocketh, we may open unto him immediately.
They're we're not to be found with a lot of inconsistent things.
That we'd be ashamed of if he came now. Isn't that the point?
In this 36th verse have the thought of readiness Yes, and watching in the 37th verse of expectation.
Yes, expectation I.
Someone told me Brother Charles Hayhoe and his prayer said. Lord, keep us listening.
And I thought, well, that's nice, Lord, keep us listening.
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Listening for the shout.
I was visiting a very dear old cat brother in New Brunswick. He was very hard of hearing and I tried without success three times to communicate with it finally way, he said. Never mind brother, I'll hear the shouts when it comes.
But the difference between the expressions here and what we have in Exodus 12.
Explained in this wise in Exodus 12 The lines were also herded, but there was the shoes on the feet and the staff in the hand.
That was preparation for the wilderness journey, wasn't it? And the anticipation of a walk through desert scenes and saw their feet were prepared for. As to the walk here in our chapter today, the shoes are not mentioned or the staff, but it's the light burning.
The difference we see when it's not that here the Holy Spirit contemplates.
The child of God looking for the Lord's return, and as we've already mentioned, thus manifesting in the burning of his own light, that he is a child of hope and reality.
And his life so burning, as the Lord himself said, that men might see and glorify God.
The shoes waiting at the father's house, won't they? The rope and the ring and the shoes are all there. New pair of shoes though, yes. And what does that suggest to us?
Tell us, well, isn't it the liberty that there will be as we, as we reach the Father's house, there'll be the full liberty of children in the father's house?
And in Ephesians Father, on this thought, chapter 6.
Stand therefore having your loins dirt about with truth.
And having on the breastplate of righteousness.
And your feet.
Shod with the preparation.
Of the Gospel of peace.
That our walk.
Might be such.
That it would commend that gospel of peace.
Two of the most holy men were told to take their shoes off.
Moses and Joshua was it?
And then in Luke 15 we find that the four wicked prodigal had shoes put on his feet.
Moses could not stand before the presence of God on the basis of the law that could give him no standing at all before God.
But the poor prodigal, he stands before the father on the grounds of grace alone, and so he has shoes put on his feet.
In the 33rd of Deuteronomy we have a verse that speaks about having your feet dipped in oil, which I suppose would be a spiritual walk, a walk in the spirit. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the spirit.
Brother Hanho, I believe that some time ago you gave a little illustration from a brother's life in northeastern Canada on the 31St of, pardon me, the 33rd verse cell that she had regarding a fisherman.
Well, I think that was intended to be an illustration of the verse. He that had no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.
His lovely thought, but.
Well, the thought was suggested to me as I observed the testimony of this dear old man, who had been for years a fisherman in Lawrenceville.
Fisherman there have certain rights.
When they go and let out their net, which is quite a chore, the Nets are a mile long. No one is supposed to come up tied and put out their Nets and thereby hinder them from being successful. However, this year man was a real submissive child of God, and no matter how often his rights were trampled upon, he never became annoyed. He never stood up for his rights. He just hauled in the whole net and go up.
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The Lord always took care of the dear man, and when the time came that he could no longer go up with his boat, he used to delight to go up and down the village with the word of God, and bring the Word before the neighbors. And I thought if I saw him do it, that man has spent a lifetime.
Buying this sword, he then had the power to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Among his dear neighbors, and not one of them could point the finger at him and say, Remember what you said to me that night? Remember how angry you got at me when I abused your privileges? I felt that that was an illustration of sailing our garment.
To buy sword, we can't expect to have the liberty and power in using the sword of a spirit unless we're willing to count the cost. I think that was the illustration, was it? Yes, it was brother, But it is.
Having the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
And in this 37th verse, isn't there a touching?
Thing there.
Blessed are those servants, and the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching.
Verily, I say unto you, he shall gird himself.
And make them sit down to meet and will come forth and serve them.
Wonderful to think, the blessed Lord Himself.
In the glory above.
Is still the servant, and he's there in service to us.
It's so wonderful, we wonder how it can be true.
And yet that's the promise that he's made to us.
Is that the thought of that that in the Exodus 21 as to the the Hebrew.
Bondservant that had his ear board the door post.
The servant forever.
In keeping with what we had yesterday at the closing verses, that is where the Lord Himself.
Delivers up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, and then He's. He takes his place as man with his bride forever.
I like that because in that very illustration it says I love my master, my wife, my children. That's rather surprising. We might expect him to say I love my wife.
Would the thought be the Master is the one who gave him that bride, and that's the preeminent love of all scriptures. I love my Master.
That's the thought, although it's the possibly more the individual in John, but I believe we have that thought, do we not in the ninth, in the 17th chapter, we don't see that the believer there associated with his sins at all. He's seen as a gift from the Father to Christ, those men which thou has given me, and it's a very precious thought that.
At that point in John, the believer is seen and not identified, not identified any longer with his former position.
But as a gift from the Father to Christ.
Speaking of this.
37 verse and it's being reminded of Lawrenceville, our brethren on the Atlantic Coast.
Reminds me of.
Story that I enjoyed.
Some years ago. Quite a few years ago now.
A number of our brethren there were fishermen.
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Made their living that way.
Some would leave on a vessel, a fishing vessel at the beginning of the week.
Didn't come home and kill Saturday.
Well, some of them were.
Coming home on a Saturday and.
The captain finally got within a couple of miles or so. Sure, he got out his binoculars.
And.
He looked.
Toward the.
Where they landed.
And he saw a number on shore waiting, and among them was his wife.
He mentioned that in the first mate he said he'd like to have a binoculars amount. He'd like to look.
He took the glasses.
And of those who are waiting, he saw there was his wife.
Well, one of the other fishermen asked for the use of the glasses.
He looked, but he didn't see his wife.
Well, the men all finally got the land and.
Those whose wives were waiting, they greeted them affectionately.
But the one whose wife, who didn't see his wife when he looked, he trudged home.
And when he got home, he found the door open and he walked in. His wife was.
Sitting down reading a book.
And she said, well dear.
I've been waiting for you.
He said yes, but the captain, her wife, was watching.
The first mate, rather his wife, was watching the first mate.
When he looked, he saw that his wife was watching.
Lord would have us not only waiting, but He would have us watching.
I remember a little occasion that occurred at home. I won't identify which of the family was involved in it, but.
I usually reach home at a certain hour and I always watch the upstairs window for the little face watching for daddy. And this day I was detained and I was about 15 minutes later than usual.
And I thought, I'm going to see an anxious little face watching this time, but there was number face in the window. And when I came in, the little one was very happily playing with some toys on the floor. And I said, I didn't see your face at the window. They looked up with surprise. Oh daddy, I just stopped watching.
I just stopped watching, you know, I just could hardly speak. For a minute. I thought what a sad thing that would be. Beloved brethren, beloved young people with always heard of his near return.
Perhaps we have been waiting and watching, but things around have become so attractive. There's little toys perhaps too, and we might just stop watching before he comes.
I'm sure, though, that none of his people will miss the blessing.
But there is this encouragement for our hearts, isn't there?
A special encouragement here in connection with watching and what a little thing when we think of what he's done for us and here to see him coming.
In service, serving his people again.
That's in keeping with the last verse of the hymn which we sung in the beginning of the meeting. All kindle within us a holy desire, like that which was found in thy people of old, who tasted thy love, and whose hearts were on fire while they waited in patience.
Faith to behold.
We speak of serving party when our heart was here on earth, He was ever serving.
He came not to be ministered unto, but the minister.
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Always serving.
I am among you as he that serve, yes.
Then he's gone on high and we know that he's serving up there. He's our priest and our advocate.
Busy with us every day. He's the servant up there.
And so in this coming day, as we learn from our chapter here.
He's going to make us sit down to meet and gird himself and come forth and serve us.
As the brother called our attention a moment ago, his ear has been bored through with the all is a servant forever. Well, blessed be his name.
We can think of it, and our hearts well up in gratitude at the prospect.
Of seeing him.
We must remember here, though, should we not, that He's always spoken of as the Lord and.
He's he's the one who came down to serve the Father. He's is God's servant.
Though He is the Son of God, we must never speak of them in that way as our servant.
He's he's the Lord in this chapter is enough.
It's nice to see at the end of the Gospel of Mark where the Lord servant character is particularly dominant.
Very close chapter. The Lord had to send it again, but it says the apostles went forth, the Lord working with them.
Let's tell the servant in that capacity one day and in our 37th verse here.
Gird himself make them sit down to meet, and will come forth and serve them.
But I asked a thought when he will return from the wedding verse 36.
We don't have the truth here that we have in the epistles, do we?
We haven't come to that yet. The truth we have in Ephesians and Colossians, for instance, the mystery Christ in the church. And so this is left in a general way, isn't it, in view of those truths?
Quite moral.
For the heart, rather than giving details, it's parabolic language from verse.
35 to verse.
46 It's parabolic language, and the Lord states that in verse 41.
And Peter said unto him, Lords, speak as thou, this parable unto us. The Lord had been speaking, but in parabolical language, so that it is not specifically.
A prophetic like it is in Matthew.
Are the truths of this sort is moral?
With regard to your remark from the London, I was thinking of Isaiah 42. Behold, my servant.
In whom whom I uphold mine elect, In whom my soul delighteth.
God ever found his delight in His servant, His beloved Son, did he not?
It's rather interesting in what you refer to of the gliding that.
The children of Israel were set aside as being God's servants. But beginning in that chapter you call our attention to in Isaiah again, He takes up his people in that way, and he refers first of all to the Lord Jesus as His servant. But then as it goes on to the 65th chapter, you have the servants mentioned over and over again, especially in that 65th chapter.
And so his people will be restored in that day.
As his servants again, I believe it's a.
It's a lovely thought in connection with the people like Israel who had gotten so far from God.
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That he's going to restore them into that place as servants again.
And then we have also.
In the Book of Revelation, in the last chapter, that expression His servants shall serve him.
We know the Church has failed. We can't ever speak of in a day like this, but what? There's complete failure, but still is the day coming when he speaks of his, His servant shall serve him, and that day, of course, that'll be in the glory.
I just mentioned that because.
It shows his attitude towards his people and when in that coming day, when he does go forth as setting up the Millennial day and restitution of all things, his people will be with him in service, will they not?
In the 42nd verse of our chapter here.
The Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward?
Well, there's a difference between faithfulness and wisdom, isn't there?
Faithful and wise.
And how we should in our little service that we may seek to do for him.
How we should covet.
To be not only faithful.
But to be wise.
And that can only come.
As a result of dependence.
If there's.
The going on in self judgment and independence.
Then we can hope for wisdom.
But if it's only faithfulness.
That is just keeping busy.
And we want to be faithful. We want to do the thing right.
But we need discernment, do we not?
Faithful and wise steward.
Whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household.
He wants those qualifications to be found in the one that he makes ruler over his household, and such an one will give them their portion of meat in due season.
That discernment will enable him to give them what they need at that particular time to give them their portion of meat.
In due season, I believe that's something to exercise us.
As to our little service for him that it might be in due season.
You mentioned Brother Brown.
The need of dependence.
And it made me think of a verse in the 50th of Isaiah. Even the Lord himself, as the perfect servant was the dependent man was me. I was thinking of Isaiah 50 and.
Four, speaking here of the Lord Jesus.
As a man.
The perfect servant says, The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Now this occasional thing, it says He waken us morning by morning he wakeless mind the air to hear. I believe a better rendering says to hear is the instructed 1.
So he was ever dependent on God as the.
Man, there was that dependence daily, looking to him daily for guidance, wasn't there?
And this wisdom is connected especially with the household here, isn't it the need of wisdom, perhaps in Matthew, the added thought in the 25th chapter in connection with the more the gospel line, the good and faithful service. But here particularly it's wisdom connected with the faithfulness, is it not in the household?
Lack wisdom comes from above, doesn't it? That's why I think of this verse in Isaiah 50, that I should know how to speak a word in season.
Well, that has to that has to come from. We have to look to the Lord for the wisdom for that, don't we? That's James, isn't it? The only way we can get wisdom is on our need, yes.
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Revelation 311, The brother asked for a comment.
I come quickly. Hold that fast that thou hast, that no man take thy crowns that it, brother.
Well, it's the address to Philadelphia.
And in the 10th verse.
Thou has kept the word of my patience.
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall try, which shall come upon all the world, to try the earth dwellers.
I come quickly. Hold that fast that thou hast, that no man take thy crown. It's an encouragement to Philadelphia.
To go on in the testimony that God has entrusted to her.
It has a triple character.
That is little strength keeping his word and not denying his name.
Those are the three things that characterize Philadelphia. Little strength, keeping his word and not denying his name.
Well then, because they've kept the word of his patients.
He's going to keep them out of that hour of temptation that's coming on the world.
And he said, I'm coming quickly now hold what you have, that no man take thy crown.
They couldn't take their salvation, that's for sure.
But the reward of faithfulness to the truth.
Living in a day, aren't we, when there's a danger of giving up? And so let's hold that fast.
We see.
So much giving up around us and there's such a danger I've enjoyed in connection with speaking to the young people connecting this with a first and second Samuel 23 with this from my that it connects with the holding fast.
Yes, the Second Samuel 23.
Verse 11.
And it says here we have in connection one of David's mighty men.
You have the 9th and 10th verses give you 2 very nice ones too. But it was the 11Th that I had in mind. Is Shama. After him was the son of Aggie the heroite. The Philistines were gathered together into a troop.
Where was the ground full of lentils? Now these lentils could be fooled for the people of God. The Philistines would rob them of that food.
But now it says of Shaman verse 12.
He stood in the midst of the ground and defended it.
He was going to hold it fast.
It says he slew the Philistines and the Lord wrought a great victory, but those Philistines would have taken away that food for the people of God, and Satan would rob us.
Of our portion and our blessings.
Thank God, wherever there is that purpose of heart that Shama had, it says he, he, he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it. Well, the word in Revelation 311 hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Shama had his crown. He held fast, and we're encouraged to hold fast. I have a short quotation here from.
JND that I believe it might be optimum to read it.
Connection with Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is never gone till Christ comes.
Has the promise because she has kept the word of Christ, patience to be kept from the hour of temptation which is coming on all the earth, and the promise that Christ is coming quickly. I trust there will be a much more decided Philadelphian testimony.
This is not what I quarrel with, but the corporate pretension to be it now.
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I think that it's very, very good way to put it.
In connection with the.
The encouragement, we have an encouragement after each of these parks that is the 1St 2IN connection with his coming.
Waiting and watching.
And then the last one.
His coming, the doing. In view of his coming, there's a special reward. I believe in each case they may be a little different in this way, that the one who's waiting will open the door for him. That is, he'll be ready to open the door.
And the one that's watching?
He'll come forth to serve.
And that makes me think of that scripture in Peter Two Peter and the.
11Th verse of the first chapter. I think it is in connection with the abundant entrance.
It's that state of soul that is in readiness and in the enjoyment.
Having gone on day by day and has been brought up to that point in the realization, in the soul of what it means.
To be found at that place.
To be seated at the table and have the Lord wait upon his people to be in the enjoyment of the fullness of the blessing that the gospel of Christ brings. But this last one, the one who is doing, the one who is busy, it seems to me it's a result of the other two he's had. The Lord before him is coming and he's looking on to the inheritance here.
And so there's a special reward for doing.
It says here blessed is that servant 43rd verse Whom is Lord? Notice the expression Lord the 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 hath.
Well, that's an encouragement, isn't it?
We're going to be with the.
The people of God, we're going to reign with Christ over it all.
It's the inheritance that's in view.
As we have in Ephesians one in whom you have received an inheritance.
What will our thoughts be as we sit down and are served by him, and our memories perhaps recall a few years in which we were privileged to be engaged in any little form of service to him? What will our memory recall to us as we sit down and.
Receive that service. Look back upon the little time that was invested to us here.
What a joy it would be, and perhaps our memories might be able to recall at least some little opportunity given to serve him while we were here. We won't be able to have those opportunities much longer.
I was thinking as our brother was speaking last night of the pleading of the Lord even to remember him. But the language of Jeremiah 2 and verse two. We don't want to digress by turning to it, but I believe it reads like this. Thus that the Lord I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousal, when thou winneth after.
In the wilderness, in a land that was not so, it sounds almost unbelievable that the Lord would be able to faith that the thing of Israel is dear people, we would read their history and wonders where such a thought could come from. The love of thine espouses when thou went after me in the wilderness, in the land that was not so.
And yet, I believe it is that day when he greets us and welcomes us personally into his presence.
And find that His delight to serve us. We're going to be overwhelmed at the language of His heart. But I wonder sometimes if we're going to recall with a certain feeling of lack.
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How we were utterly undeserving of it all.
What you say, brother? Hey all that every believer has a servant's responsibility.
Believe that's true, every believer. That would include brother and sister alike.
Appointment to every man his work. And the solemn part of this passage we have before us this morning is, that there are those, as we notice in the following verses, from the 45th on to the 48th, who have made the profession of being the Lord. Because we have the Lord before us here, there are those who made the profession of being the Lord.
And now, what will be the end of their course?
And I don't believe we should evade these scriptures we have from here on.
And the force of them for our for our hearts. Should there be anyone here that has simply made the profession.
Of following the Lord.
Is not real, has not embraced the truth of the gospel in his own heart, hasn't received Christ as his Savior, and yet he's going on in an outward way as taking the place of a believer. What's the end of it? We're told here exactly what will happen, and there's a day coming when God is going to judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to Paul's gospel.
As an important principle and that 48th verse.
For us, I agree with what our brother London says.
He's talking in those verses about the unsaved. But here is an important principle.
That we do well to heed the 48th verse, the latter half of it. For unto whomsoever much is given of Him shall much be required, and to whom men have committed much of Him, they will ask the more.
I believe that.
No company of Christians.
In the history of the Church of God on earth.
Has ever been so marvelously favored as have gathered Saints.
In the past century and 1/2.
As we go back over the history of the church.
We can see how that failure came in from the very start.
And very soon, darkness pretty well settled over the scene.
Well, even in the apostles day.
The Apostle.
Went here and there ministering the truth.
And he ministered it in in its fullness, as then known.
But the word of God was not completed.
Paul couldn't say to those at Ephesus or wherever he might be Corinth.
Now will you open with me to Luke 13? He couldn't do that.
No, he couldn't.
It was a different condition.
But you and I live in a time when the Word of God has been completed.
And in the marvelous ways of God, the marvelous mercy of God.
The truth.
In all, its fullness has been restored to us, and I believe we're living in the most favored period we could ever have chosen in the history of the Church on earth.
Well, to whom much is given of him shall much be required. Oh, how solemnly responsible it makes his brethren.
Realize that we have been so richly favored what response it should have in our ways and walk and life. How there should be that answer to the goodness of God.
Would you connect that Brother Brown with Chapter 11, Luke 11 and verse 35 with the difference in the setting of the truth?
Luke 11, verse 35.
Take heed, therefore, the light which is in thee. Be not darkness.
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Well.
We have to be guarded in the use of that verse. Light never becomes darkness. Never.
So take heed. Therefore, the light that's in the be not darkness.
Would be where one is professing to have light, and actually the thing he's professing to have is light is actually darkness.
You take the Jehovah Witnesses that are so diligent in peddling darkness from door to door.
Why their diligence puts us to shame.
Peddling darkness, they want to come in and bring the darkness and darken our minds and our souls.
Well, take heed that the light that's in thee be not darkness, that is, that that professes to be light is darkness. That's that's a terrible condition. But light never light never becomes darkness. Now the verse 3036 following. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the hole shall be full of light.
As when the.
Bright shining of a candle or the lamp does give the light.
Is there a lot of danger of our of a believer lacking the appreciation?
Of the truth, that's what I had in mind.
And that.
There should be the.
The attitude of being receptive to the light.
Yeah, Brother Brown, I heard two of those false teachers speaking to each other. I have overheard the conversation, one said to the other. When were you brought into the light? I stuttered at the sound of it, But that's just what you've been Speaking of. When were you brought into the light? That's what they consider it to be, but it's totally dark.
We've been came out of Rome. They think they've got light the system. That's why they say that.
We've been Speaking of watching and waiting.
And our 45th verse says, But And if that servant say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, we are in danger of getting into such a position when we turn to second Peter, the third chapter.
The first part of it.
The second epistle, beloved, I write unto you, and both which I stir up your pure mind by way of remembrance.
That he may be mindful of the words which had spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior. Chapter 3. Thank you.
Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffer walking after their own lusts and seeing where is the promise of his coming.
I was thinking that if we are doubting the promise of his coming.
And the delaying of it as we get further on in chapter 3 here, it's the scoffers that are bringing this doctrine to us, bringing this questioning. And if we are perhaps becoming a little ensnared in it as well, if we turn to the first part of this third chapter, that it's our minds need to be stirred up in the way of remembrance by the Holy Scriptures and the words of the apostles.
And I'm sure we've seen in our illustrations brought before us this morning.
That what keeps us going on in this besides the doctrinals. Part of it is the hearts affection for Christ. Brother Hayhoe Speaking of his child looking hearts affection. The illustration given of the lives of the fishermen, it's the hearts affection. I'm sure it's a teaching amongst us that this is all that can keep us right from going on, watching and waiting in these last days.
In regard to this chapter, you called our attention to Third, Second Peter.
It's important to see in that fifth verse why this ignorance.
For this they willingly are ignorant of. It's a deliberate thing.
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These these scoffers, these false teachers.
They close their eyes to the truth. They're willingly ignorant. They want to be ignorant. They don't want to believe the word of God.
I suppose the reason for that is revealed when scripture says after their own lust, shall they heat to themselves? Teachers having itching ears. I must admit I used to be terribly puzzled when I would meet these men that seemed to be so sincere and we're so unable to see the truth of God. I couldn't understand how God would allow sincere man seeking for the truth to fall into such error.
Sure, I was totally wrong, because no man with a burden, conscience, seeking for light will fall into that kind of error. I believe the scriptures presented plainly after their own love, they have rejected the truth. They want to live according to the dictates of their fallen nature, and they accept these errors because of those lies. Don't you think there's?
A principle in this.
Bind them in bundles to burn them.
That these corrupt apostate doctrines.
Are gathering together in bundles the definite apostate those that that will have nothing of the truth of God and so they're gathering in these bundles these apostate integral.
Bundles such as Jehovah Witness and Christian Science and Unity and.
Oh, there are numbers of them.
So that.
It's nearing the end, and the nearer we get to the end, the more these apostate beliefs.
Will take the floor.
When Billy Graham had his big meeting out here three or four years ago.
The Jehovah Witnesses made it a point to have their meeting at the same time.
And Billy Graham never got as big an audience as they got.
They outdid him in numbers.
Right. While he was here, supposedly we're having one of the greatest campaigns he ever had.
But the Jehovah Witnesses had more than he had.
You might also include the modernists.
All of the voluntary religious societies which have and are drifting into that which is not the truth of God, they have been throwing overboard all the fundamental truths. And I in my own thoughts, I allow that the bundles that are to be burned are all the religious.
Voluntary societies.
Besides those that you mentioned, I have in mind the wheat is the real that'll be caught up into his garner, but the tears are those privileged professors that have had no heart for the truth, but they've turned to everything else.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
I believe that behind it is really the thought of apostasy. Is it not giving up as we have in the second of Hebrews now, that corresponds with what we have in this 47th verse?
And that servant which knew his Lord's will.
Question of his not knowing. It's a question of his neglecting and giving up.
That servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself.
Neither did, according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.
For unto whomsoever much is given of Him shall be much required, and to whom men have committed much of Him they will ask the more. I suppose this principle applies both to the saved and unsaved in the sense of what is required, is it not?
The light that's known in the soul is going to be tested.
By God's own character, whether it's real or whether it's false as to it's being received.
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I'd like to ask Brother Brown if this portion we've been going over has not been rightly considered being parabolic as a contrasting.
What is real and you might say, the church?
In the faithful and the wise steward.
With the one that is rated as an evil servant who says in his heart my Lord deletes is coming.
In Second Peter chapter 3, the first verses are read in which it shows that they will say that's outward say, where is the promise of his coming? They boldly come out with it, but even those in their hearts.
That say my Lord Duluth is coming is the character of the mere professor. They're not true believers and that's 45th verse. They're not born again people.
That is in that verse.
Now.
We can all have thoughts that come to our minds at times as to why the Lord has delayed His coming and so on, but that's not what's that verse, it's unbelief.
In the.
49th verse I am come to send fire on the earth, and what will I have to be already kindled?
That is, there's.
The manifestation.
Of his approval.
Of that that is pleasing to him, and the manifestation of His judgment in that.
Which is contrary to him already. Now that will come out in its fullness, of course, when he comes.
And then he goes on and speaks of what awaits him in the 50th verse. I have a baptism to be baptized with, and harm I straightened till it be accomplished. He's looking forward to the cross.
If I remember rightly that 50th verse.
Is referred to more often in J&D synopsis than any other verse in the Bible.
I have a baptism to be baptized with and harm I straight until it be accomplished.
The Lord ever had the cross before him.
Including the atonement in this verse, Yes.
Would that be a match number 7/16/21 From that time forth again Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things, and the elders and chief priests, and be killed and be raised again in the third day? Yes, yes.
Being straightened, is that the thought that the the full truth and blessing couldn't come out until that moment? Yes, exactly.
In the very first verse, going back just for a moment, perhaps we have a thought that should.
Exercise each of our consciousness.
It's put in a in a general way, is it not? Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
And the Lord's answer was, Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household? Who then? And so it's left open, is it not for the exercise of each one?
To see whether the Lord is speaking to them like Peter was here.
Is He speaking to me in this through them, showing the commendable character of the One who is busy seeking to please and serve the Lord, in contrast to the heart that lives an indifferent life?
Thinking of how many mistakes Peter did make. But there was one thing about Peter that his attitude towards the Lord was just this. As he went through, he was waiting.
For the Lord to open his path for him and.
I'm sure we all make many mistakes, but this is the right attitude, is it not?
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They will be waiting upon the Lord for our pathway.