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Let's try it all I did never I progressed upon.
The night.
Two quarters, three at the glow from drawing around.
What I've ever made everyone.
We environment so.
Dangerous.
I am in Lamb.
Who we ask the Lord's blessing.
Our loving God and our Father, we thank thee for our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank thee that we are heavenly citizens. We do not belong to this scene. We're strangers and pilgrims strangers because our citizenship is above and as those that are part of the new creation race, we belong to the Lord Jesus and we know that we're going through the enemy's land. And as we read these portions of scripture together in this reading meeting, we pray that those.
Work in such a way.
By Thy Spirit, that we might be more conformed to the image of thy sun, and that we might walk in a consistent course as we walk through this world. We thank Thee for thy love and grace in permitting us the liberty to read of Thyself, blessed Savior, and these words that I would speak while thou is here. And so help us give us a sense of heart and, uh, an ear to hear and a desire heart to walk in the truth that we know, and to buy the truth to pay the price that is necessary for us to.
Walk in a path that is consistent to the calling that is ours. We ask thy blessing. Commend ourselves to the known, the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
00:05:10
Both and verse 42.
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom is Lord, shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Plus it is that servant whom is 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 and if that servant say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to beat the men's servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken.
The Lord of that servant 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 sunder, and will appoint him as 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 then knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes front. To whomsoever much is given of him, so much be required.
And to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more I've come to set fire on the earth, and what I will I if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straight until it will be accomplished? Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth. I tell you nay, but rather division. For from henceforth there should be 5 in one house divided 3 against two, and two against three.
The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, 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 a shower. And so it is. And when you see the South wind blow, you say there will be heat, and it comes to pass.
Ye hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it that you do not discern this time? Yeah, and why even of yourselves? Judge ye not what is right? But now goes with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him, lest he held thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer caste into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart since till thou hast paid the very last might.
We didn't comment on the coming of the Lord really in connection with the rapture. I know in this chapter in verse 39, it really he speaks in detail, perhaps, uh, of the appearing. But as we have already commented, the book of Luke, the gospel of Luke has, uh, a moral side of things. And so he speaks in a way that we could apply this waiting and watching to the rapture as well as to the appearing. But when it speaks of the appearing in the Scriptures, it speaks of the thief.
And then it also speaks of the Son of Man. Verse 39 it speaks of the thief, and verse 40 it speaks of the Son of Man. And that's the title that the Lord takes. As a judge. It's important for us to understand the distinction between the rapture and between the appearing and the error that the church fathers fell into and those that were translating the King James Bible. They didn't understand the difference.
And the distinction between the rapture and the appearing, let's just look at Matthew chapter 24, right at the end of that chapter, verse 42. And I just point out a couple of verses so that we understand that there is a real distinction. And the Lord Jesus himself taught the distinction between the rapture, when the Lord Jesus will come for his church, and then when he will come with his Saints at his appearing. There's a very real distinction, so.
Chapter 24 of Matthew verse 42 wherefor watch therefore for ye know not what our your Lord does come, but know this, that if the Goodman of the house had known in what what the thief would come, he would have washed and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. He's Speaking of the appearing and the appearing will take place after the tribulation period, which will be a seven-year period. He calls the beginning of the tribulation period the the 1St 3 1/2 years, the beginning of Soros and then the last part of the 3 1/2 years he calls the great Tribulation. The Lord Jesus used those terms.
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But when it speaks of the rapture in chapter 25, it's the uh, parable of the umm, or the similitude of the Kingdom, the last similitude of the Kingdom, chapter 25 from verse one down to verse 13, he's Speaking of the rapture when his, the Lord will come for those that are real and will ****** us up out of this scene. Now in verse umm 12, he says, uh, he answered and said, verily I say unto you, I know not ye, I know ye not.
Those are their professing believers that go on through the professing time, uh, during the tribulation period. But he's Speaking of the in verse 13 of the rapture. Watch therefore, for you know, neither the day nor the hour. Now, the last part of that verse doesn't belong in the text wherein the Son of Man cometh. He's not going to come for the church in the character of the Son of Man.
And so I just have brackets in pencil in my Bible and a little line. So A bracket before we're in and then A bracket after cometh. And I just put a little light line through so that I know that it doesn't really belong in the text. So you read it this way. Watch therefore for, you know, neither the day nor the hour that's referring to the rapture. So we have the distinction, the appearing of the Lord Jesus in verse 42, chapter 24, verse 42, verse 43.
And then we have the rapture spoken of in chapter 25. So as we said in Luke's gospel, morally both companies are waiting for the Lord to come. The godly remnant are going to wait for the Lord to come to deliver them after the tribulation period, after that time of judgment. But you and I are waiting and watching. We should be waiting, watching and mentioned those words. Wait, watch.
Be ready.
And then doing in verse 43, we should have that character. So there's two things that characterize the thief. He's unexpected and unwanted. And that's why you never have that expression in connection with the rapture because for us, we are to be expecting him and we, I trust each of our hearts want him to come that we're saying Even so come Lord Jesus. So that's why it's never in connection.
With the rapture, but it is connection with the appearing because there's a day coming when he's going to appear in judgment and he's going to be in that sense, by many, unexpected and certainly unwanted. So it's good to keep these little expressions in their proper context lest we become confused and tangled in our in our, in our doctrine.
So what we get next year then is.
Really, Peter says in verse 41.
Thinkest thou this parable unto us, or unto all?
And what the Lord gives is very typical of Luke's gospel and the way that things are presented, because he gives.
What you and I can take in and understand and apply to ourselves, even though the truth of the assembly and the truth of the Lord's coming for His own, and the truth of the rapture versus the appearing had not yet been made clear. But here we have that which you and I can take very much to heart in the day of the Lord's absence. It could, I suppose, in that sense, if they wanted to take it that way.
Applied at the godly ones in Israel, but it is particularly important for you and for me in this time of God's grace, isn't it? What are we to do in view of all these things that we have learned? Not to be covetous, not to be anxious, and not to be.
Two faced or hypocrites and so on. If we have learned all those things, then the Lord says to Peter.
00:15:01
Here's what a faithful and white steward needs to do. Very, very important because we are stewards not only of material things but also of spiritual things.
You have a little title, Brother Bruce, of this next section, maybe from verse 41 down to maybe it's the end of verse 48.
No, not necessarily. Not just particularly freely to be free from the disorderly conduct and to be found doing a work of service.
Good, I like that. It's the parable of the steward, isn't it?
Well, as we had earlier, a steward is one who is given the responsibility to manage that which is not his own.
Thank you. Stuart is given the responsibility of managing that which is not his own, but he does so on behalf of another, and he is expected to do it both faithfully and according to the guidance and instruction of the one who owns the goods.
In old.
Manor houses and castles and so on in years gone by.
There was always someone who held the key to the stores and every day they would be responsible for opening those cupboards and producing that which was necessary to be used for the day's provision for the household. They kept careful tabs on what was in that cupboard, they kept careful records of what was bought and they kept careful records of what was handed out. And so it is with you and me, isn't it? We are to be faithful and wise stewards.
In order to use that which God has given us, whether material things, whether spiritual things for the good and blessing of others, a very, very great responsibility. And as has been mentioned before before, and it's mentioned in verse 48 of this part of the chapter. If we have been given more whether materially or spiritually.
We are more responsible. Very, very important to bear in mind.
Someone has made the remark. I thought it was rather good.
Uh, he said. If we have more.
Of either material or spiritual goods, we can use them in one of two ways. We can use them as a means to accredit or distinguish ourselves, or we can use them for the good and blessing of others.
That really went to my own heart and I believe it's something we specially need to remember here in these privileged lands. If we can meet together like this, if we have good ministry available to us, both orally at conferences like this or on the shelves, and the ability to get a hold of it, the means of reading it and assimilating it, walking in it, we hope then we are expected to be good stewards of it in this time that our Lord is absent.
One example might be what Paul told.
Timothy is the term with me, the first second Timothy chapter one you get a little.
Illustration of that with regard to the truth, particularly of the truth of Paul's doctrine. Second Timothy, chapter one.
He says in verse 13, Hold fast the form of sound words or have a sound outline of words which thou has heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. Now the verse I was thinking of was verse 14. That good thing which was committed to thee, that word thing should be translated. Deposit that good deposits.
Which has been committed under the keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. So Timothy's first responsibility was to keep the truth, not in the arm of the flesh, but by the power of the Spirit of God walking in community with God. Then in chapter 2 and verses 2, the things we saw has heard of me among many witnesses. The same commit thou to faithful men who were able to teach others also. So he was to disseminate it too.
00:20:29
Keep it by walking in and communing with the Lord, and then to disseminate it, to spread it and to disperse it, to teach it and to others particularly who would do the same. That's stewardship in connection with Paul's doctrine. I enjoyed a little comment that chapter Brown made in that regard, and I don't remember him, but he made it on a tape and, uh, he said his exercise and desire was to pass on the truth.
With the same purity in which he himself had received it. I thought that was a beautiful exercise. And that's really what Paul was saying to Timothy. You've received the truth now. You passed it on. Not just anybody, but the faithful man.
Faithful men who will be able to then pass it on to other faithful men. This is perhaps the only Apostolic succession you get in Scripture is the passing on of the truth from one generation to the other. But let's be exercised, brethren, to pass it on, not by watering it down. The truth has its application to the day. That's true. And we want to be able to put it out in a way that is good for the the generation we're serving. But not to water it down, but to pass it on with the same purity in which we have received it. I'm thankful that growing up by sat in conferences and meetings like this.
And men who are now along with the Lord, they passed on the truth that they had received and that they passed it on faithfully. And so we need to be exercised. But I would like to say this too, that in connection with our responsibility as stewards, whether it is again those material things that are entrusted to us or whether it is the truth of God that has been entrusted to us, which is really, and Bill alluded to it or mentioned it in First Corinthians chapter 4.
There is stewardship in connection with the truth of God, the mysteries that have been revealed to us. And Paul again was passing on what he he was a steward of the truth he had received and he was passing it on. But brethren were not responsible for what God has, how, how someone else is using what God has given them. Now we need to be exercised to be a help to one another. But when I stand at the judgment seat of Christ, who am I going to have to give an account for? For how, how faithful you were with what God entrusted to you, No.
And I say that because sometimes the tendency is to look at someone else and say, well, they're not using what the Lord has entrusted to them. And perhaps even subconsciously or unconsciously, we use that as an excuse for something in our lives. Well, they're not being faithful in what the Lord has entrusted to them. And we use that for some compromise. Let's remember, brethren, when we talk about stewardship, we are individually going to be held responsible.
For what has been committed to us, we visit many of our dear brethren in other countries. You know, some of them have never heard of the truth of being gathered to the Lord's name, but I believe they're walking in the light. They have, they're walking in, uh, they're being stewards of what has been committed to them. Does that mean I should give up what has been committed to me by the grace of God and what I have been taught? No, I'm going to be held responsible. They're going to be held responsible.
And I'd like to just read a little portion in the end of John's Gospel that perhaps has its application in this regard in connection with Peter and John. And it's in the 21St chapter of John's Gospel, little incident with the disciples, with the Lord, dealing with Peter and John just before the Lord leaves them, go back to heaven and.
Just to give the context here, Peter has been restored to the Lord privately and publicly, and now the Lord is talking to Peter, something of the responsibility that Peter is going to have in following the Lord.
Something of what is going to be committed to him after the Lord leaves. And as is a little typical with Peter, notice verse 20, then Peter turning about, see if the disciple whom Jesus loved. That's John.
00:25:05
Following which also leaned on his breast and suffer, and said, Lord, we Lord, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing himself to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? What's his responsibility?
What, what, what's, what's he gonna do? Jesus says unto him, If I will, that he tarry till I come. What is that to thee? Follow thou me. Now Peter was saying to the Lord, basically. Now Lord, what do you, what are you committing to Peter? What's he, what's his responsibility going to be? And the Lord said to Peter, Peter, you follow me, you carry out your responsibilities that I commit to you.
And I'll take care of John, give you a little illustration that helped me to understand at least part of the thought in this verse. When we were children at home, for particularly my sister next to me, we were often given a task. Mother would sometimes leave us after the evening meal to clean off the table and do up the dishes. And after a while, she would come back in the room and she would usually have to say to me, Jim, you're not doing what I asked you to do.
And I would usually point to my sister and say, yes, but Jennifer's not doing her part. And my mother would always say, you do what I've asked you to do and I'll take care of your sister. And so, brethren, we have been made stewards of many things, both temporally and spiritually. Don't look at someone else and saying they're saying they're not doing their part or fulfilling their mission. Let's look each in our own souls this afternoon. Are we? Am I?
Faithful with what the Lord has committed to me, because I am going to have to give an account and there will be a reward or a lack thereof according to how faithful I was.
Wanted to read those verses again in First Corinthians four. I think they're so applicable to what we have before us says let a man versus one. Let a man so accountable as of the ministers or servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. I read a comment that Mister Grant made recently that I appreciate it. He said that New Testament is characterized by mysteries. And I think, uh, if we study it out, we'll see that there are 10 distinct mysteries in the New Testament. And we won't go into it now because it's a large subject, but uh, there is information and literature available on that. So the New Testament is characterized by mysteries.
The Old Testament is characterized by covenants. There's 8 covenants in the Old Testament, uh, at least I should say seven, and then one in the New Testament, Hebrews 13, if you wanna look it up. The everlasting covenant. And these are all part of dispensationalism, which is what was recovered about 170 years ago, which is really the key to the recovered truth of Scripture. So if you wanna get a hold of the scope of Scripture, it's been laid out in the last 170 years.
And I've often said, I was just saying it to burn today, that I believe that God has entrusted us with the highest truth of any of his creatures. I don't say us in the sense of we being special, but the retro, the truth has been recovered and our day and it's more available than it ever has been. Uh, we can go to good databases online. If we don't have books on our books shelves, we can go to stem.com.
Or to biblecenter.org or to Bible truth Publishers website. And we can get ministry. Uh, it's not uncommon, uh, when we take up the subject to read 6 or 8 commentaries on that very subject, that truth is available. And as we've been saying, privilege and responsibility are flip sides of the same point. But what a privilege it is, brethren, to understand that the highest truth.
That God has entrusted to the to the creature has been entrusted to us and made available to us in our day. That's a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous privilege.
Says in verse 42, faithful and wise.
So.
I quote chapter Brown again. He used to say that God is going to look us over when we get to heaven. He's not going to look us over for medals. He's going to reward faithfulness, and God values faithfulness. And the passage here records that he is going to review the faithfulness of service and our devotion to him and to his cause in this scene while we wait for his coming. But it's going to have to be in wisdom.
00:30:19
The wisdom of the Word of God, the wisdom of the principles of Scripture. And so God is not going to compromise his principles to get results. And so this older brother, I never met him similar to Jim, but have listened oftentimes to recorded ministry and used to say that faithfulness is what God is counting on for you and I. He's not looking for results, He's looking for faithfulness.
So let's be faithful to the truth that we know. And then if we're faithful and obedient, then it says here there's going to be a character of our service that's going to prove. We're going to prove that we're walking in wisdom according to His Word.
Find it helpful to go back to Matthew's Gospel chapter 24 in those two characteristics, faithful and wise, They're both mentioned there. And if you look at it, I'd just like to, uh, say that look at the end of verse 44, it says the Son of Man cometh. That's the appearing like you said before.
And from verse 45 on, it's a parenthesis that runs down through chapter 25 and verse 30. And notice verse 31 when the Son of Man shall come in his glory. So it connects in between those you have in verse 45 of Matthew 24 says, who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom the Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them need in due season.
And so you have in chapter 25 the parable of the 10 virgins, what is wise, and you have in connection with the parable of the talents from verse 14 down to verse 30, what is faithful. And so it helps to see what he's talking about, faithful and wise stewards. And so we get the.
Uh, reflections and it's interesting what you mentioned there, brother Robert in verse 13 of chapter 25.
Is the son of man cometh is not really there in the original. And so it's really kind of a double, uh, parable of this, the, uh, virgins and this on the, uh, faithful stewards of the talents. So.
It is important in, uh, connection with our responsibility in this present time.
So Matthew is from a dispens, dispensational point of view, but it's connected, isn't it? Yes.
Well, fair to say there will be those come in who are unfaithful stewards, and that's laid out for us here, isn't it? Beginning with verse 45, there will be a reward for the faithful servant. And as we have often been told before, and it's true, the reward is not the motive for service, no, but it's an encouragement to do so. But then from verse 45 on, there are those.
Sad to say, who are not real, and that has been a character of the Christian testimony which overtook it fairly quickly after the apostles left the sea. And there are those who with the.
Uh, idea of using the things that were given to them for themselves have said, my Lord delayeth this coming and once again, I believe.
This is something that is.
In its actual interpretation directed at an unbeliever, but in its application is something you and I can take to heart, because a true believer can say in his heart, my Lord, delayeth is coming.
00:35:04
I had a good friend where we used to live in Hamilton with whom I went to high school, who ran a dairy farm up the road from us and I remember visiting him less than two years ago.
I talked to him about the things of the Lord and he responded readily When I mentioned the Lord's coming 00, he, he brushed it off. He, uh, he said, well, I've got an awful lot of things that I want to do, yet down here I've got an awful lot that.
Needs doing down here.
Of course, I knew that he had just sold his farm for development for $22 million, and I can well imagine what kind of plans he might have had for down here. But the point is, even a true believer can enter into this attitude and spirit and can, in a manner of speaking, begin to beat the men's servants and the maidservants and to eat and drink and be drunken. That is the danger that we face today.
Especially in a world where a lot of things are at our disposal. So it's a very real exhortation that we need to take to heart, isn't it?
So important is first, uh, 42 at the end.
His Lord shall make ruler over His household to give to them their portion of meat and due season, to give God's people food, spiritual food that will help them to grow. Sometimes we speak about problems that is not food. Brethren, we need to be careful to give them food.
Into season and there's times for specific ministry.
And to discern that and to give it, we had mentioned of the Lord restoring Peter, and he said to Peter, feed my lambs, feed my sheep. And so that's what God's people need is good solid food, you know, And traveling into the different countries of Latin America, I noticed that sometimes they have practices and customs that I don't know exactly where they come from.
But I've learned not to attack customs that they might have. If you just give them good, solid food, they grow, and they'll grow right out of those customs and realize that they're not that important. So it's important to give God's people good, solid food.
I think that's helpful. I, I'd like to read a verse in connection with that in Isaiah 40, because you mentioned with Peter that the Lord didn't just say feed my flock. That would have included the lambs and the sheep both. But he recognized that there were different needs amongst the people of God. And I'll just echo what Bob said because true ministry has to be directed to those to whom it is, is ministered. It's more than just putting out doctrinal accuracy. Now, brethren, don't misunderstand me.
When we minister the truth, we wanna be doctrinally accurate. That's true. But you know, sometimes I sat in meetings and there are many doctrinal accuracies put out, good as they are. But you come away and it doesn't seem like there's been real food, real edification. And again, I wanna be careful, but we can. And rather, please don't misunderstand me, I appreciate when someone qualifies a Greek word or something like that.
But we can put, we can go through a chapter and say that this means that in the Greek and this means that in the Hebrew and in the original this and that. That's all fine and well, but there has to be food for the soul in interspersed with it. Just let me read you about the, uh, the shepherd here in Isaiah chapter 40. This verse is really exercised my own soul in connection with what Bob has said. Verse 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd.
That's a general statement, but then he breaks it down. He shall gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom and leave gently. Leave. Those that are with young. So even at a conference like this, there's a vast gamut of needs that a conference like this. There are those who are mature in the Scriptures, who've been reading the scriptures and walking in the truth for many years, but there are young here.
00:40:06
There are children, there are young people, there are those who are raising families, there's some who need to be carried and some who need to be LED. And as we minister the truth, whether it's in a setting like this or whether it's individually, whether it's in visiting our brethren in their homes or in the local assembly, is there an exercise to discern the need of those that we are ministering to so that there is a the proper result in in the end?
Not everybody is up to the same level of spiritual, spiritual food. So in being good stewards, and I appreciate what Bob said, we perhaps digressed a little bit. But in being good stewards, it's not just taking in the truth ourselves and holding it ourselves. And it's not just giving it out, sharing it, but it is sharing it with discernment in a way that is wise and with understanding of the times and those that we are ministering to.
Are we all Stewarts or just the teachers? No, we're all stewards. Yeah, absolutely. So the sisters here too, you know, the sisters are to teach. They're not to teach publicly in a setting like this, but the older sisters are to teach the younger in matters of piety and domestics and so on. Sisters, you're stewards of what God has entrusted to you. And Vern, I appreciate what you say because there might be some brothers here saying, well, I'm not a teacher. I I haven't been given a public gift.
But we can all minister to one another. We can all encourage in the capacity and in the way that God has given us, given to us. And I appreciate brothers and sisters who've been faithful with me, brothers and sisters who've taken the time sometimes to come to my home or to sit down with me between a meeting and to give me a little word of encouragement or even a little word of, of admonishment. And so that's being a good steward.
And remember this, brothers and sisters, you never really have something until you share it. When we share what God has given to us in connection with the truth of God, it really helps to make it good in our own souls too, doesn't it?
Just like to comment on the end of verse 45, it says there my Lord delayeth his coming and then gives the character traits of what has developed in the personal life of an individual. He says, uh, and shall begin to beat the men, servants, the maidens, and to eat and drink and to be drunken. And so the personal life of an individual has an effect not only on himself, but you and I have an effect upon.
The whole assembly. And so let's not say that our personal life is our own matter, and that we can drink at home in our own homes, uh, with liberty, and we can eat whatever we want to eat. And we're a little careless in this way sometimes. No man liveth unto himself. No man dieth unto himself. We all have an effect upon one another. But this is a character trait that develops out of carelessness in our personal walk and communion with the Lord.
We begin to take on the characteristics of this world. We begin to treat our brethren in a rough way and in really, he says, beat the men's servants and maidens and to eat and drink and be drunken. And so let's be careful of our private personal lives. We bring the results of how we live privately into the assembly and we affect one another. It's been mentioned many times that.
The only sin of an Old Testament believer mentioned in the New Testament is of Elijah complaining against the people of God. Brethren, God's people are sometimes willful and rebellious that God loves them and we need to be careful how we talk about them. Sometimes we talk pretty negatively about them and God is jealous of his people and so.
It's not the proper thing to be talking about those negativities. If the conversation turns that way, I've found a good way to handle it is say, well, let's pray for that person and get down on your knees and pray for them, and it generally ends the negative conversation. But let's be careful how we talk about God's people.
00:45:01
Thing that needs to be in the beginning, so in our relationship with Alaska is not right. Then it leads to a policy. So it's a reflection of you behave that way. You wouldn't have brethren. It's reflection in our own life. That's perfect relationship to government.
MMM, discipleship is really connected with responsibility, isn't it? And so we find in John's Gospel that some of his disciples followed him no more.
And as we read these chapters and, uh, we see the relationship between the disciple and his master.
This was A and I can see an incomplete relationship with a believer. We have been brought into such a much greater relationship with the Lord now as children of God and relationships that cannot be altered or changed.
You can stop being a good disciple, but you can't stop being a child of God. And so it's an enjoyment of the blessings that were brought into in the New Testament in connection with what we are in the Lord, what we have in him, what he is to us, that we would become better disciples. And so nothing connected with our behavior. I still know God affect that position we have in Christ. It affects our happiness and the rewards. And I mentioned this because in Christian circles oftimes we limit.
Uh, as we understand the scriptures and read in the gospels, we compare the believer to a simple disciple. And so he's cut in half. He's got his portions with young believers. That's because he's just a disciple and he's measured on the basis of his responsibility and how he is like his master. But the believer now is not just the disciple. He's more than that. He's the Son of God who faith in Jesus Christ. That's never going to change. And so I just mentioned that as we read these verses here, and Steve might say the, uh, the master treating the unfaithful servant with rigor.
Well, it's because that's all he has as a relationship, you know.
Treat his children as he would, as slave or servant.
I did mention it someone before that you won't find the expression disciples and the epistles anymore.
Hmm. Well, from verse 49, uh, down the next few verses, he speaks of, uh, the, how the light divides the light in the darkness and how there would be umm, strife and there would be, umm, in the family. There would be a division perhaps, and all kinds of things that would come in because God always divides, divides the light with the darkness or the darkness from the light.
And so he speaks of to his disciples and so that they might not be surprised when they suffered these things and when there was a difficulty would come in because as you know, uh, all of us perhaps have experienced it that there's a brother gets saved, comes out of perhaps a religious system, Roman Catholicism. And, uh, his wife doesn't get saved right away. And there's difficulty, There's, there's.
Strife in the home. There's, uh, uh, they're not on the same page. There's, uh, there's things that happen and, uh, thankfully oftentimes the Spirit of God works and there's blessing in the home. Both get saved and oftentimes the others in the home as well. But he speaks in principle that when we take Christ as our Savior, not all are going to agree with us. Not all are going to walk in the same path of obedience. Not all.
In the family. And so this is the characteristic of Christianity, isn't it?
Would like to mention in versus UH-47 and 48, I think there's something there that is helpful to understand that and we're talking here about servants and those who perhaps are not real as servants there will be punishment, but that there is. These are the verses that are can be given to show that there are measures of punishment.
In that coming day.
Of judgment. There will be those who are beaten with few stripes. There will be those who are beaten with many stripes. And it's according to the measure of responsibility that we've had. Or I say in general, and we're talking about the Christian profession here, there are those who perhaps are not real, but they didn't know much. They will be beaten with few stripes, and then there will be those who knew.
00:50:19
And they didn't do it and they will be beaten with many stripes. So it shows that there are measures of punishment.
There are degrees of responsibility as well as degrees of punishment.
And so going on to verse 50 then.
It's very beautiful. I would suggest the way the Spirit of God brings it out here, because on the one hand, the Lord does, as He did earlier in this chapter, speak of coming judgment.
Very, very solemn and it has brought out more clearly in the teaching of the Lord Jesus than at any other time before that, very, very clearly as to what lay beyond death. But and and of course it introduces the fact that.
There's going to be division on earth. The presence of the Lord Jesus would have brought peace had man accepted it or accepted him. I accepted him, I should say, but.
Since the coming of the Lord Jesus, His presence here and the witness of Him has caused division, a division that will persist until the Lord sets everything right in the coming day. But until that day, there is going to be a dividing line between those who follow the Lord and those who don't.
But what a beautiful verse that verse 50 is. Here was the Lord Jesus here on earth, and who would argue with the fact that He displayed the heart of God in a wonderful way? What a wonderful display of the heart of God. In every step of His pathway in Word, indeed in everything that characterized Him, there was a display of the heart of God.
But the Lord says, oh.
I have the baptism which he refers to here to be baptized with. That was the cross. And he says I'm so straightened, so held in until that is a communist. There was going to be so much greater blessing because the issue of sin would be settled. It would be taken up once and for all, and then the heart of God could be told out.
To whosoever will hear, the Lord Jesus was speaking mainly to Israel, although there were Gentiles that heard him, and we can be very thankful for that. But there was a day coming when all of that would be removed and when there would be a gospel that could go out to this whole world. And the love of God displayed on that cross in a way that it had not been displayed even in the wonderful walk of the Lord Jesus through this world. And so before he talks about division, before he talks about the way that his presence was going forever to divide this world.
Into those that accepted him and those that rejected him.
He reminds us that that work on the cross was going to open up, as it were, the floodgates so that everything that was in the heart of God could flow out to men. It was the grace of God that caused their vision. And you would think maybe take a 50th, 51St verse and it seems like maybe he's a rebel. You know, I said, suppose he that I have come to get peace on earth. I tell you an A but rather division.
And henceforth air shall be. But it was the grace of God. It wasn't he was a rebel. He he came to Springfield. But it was always who would receive it. But it was the grace of God that caused it was the grace of God that caused men to be burned at the state because they would say you're saved by grace alone, by Christ alone, by Scripture alone.
I faith alone kill them, hang em, torture them.
Because they say they're saved by the work of Christ alone.
00:55:04
It wasn't, it was not law that man rejects the grace of God.
Other broad 1St Timidity 115 yesterday.
This is a faithful saying and worthy about acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And so I connected that with this verse here to how he was straightened until he accomplished. The heart of God couldn't be told out in its fullness. And so we're talking about the Kingdom. The Jews are thinking about the Kingdom and the Messiah coming and how it's gonna be introduced. But God's heart has a place for all of mankind. And I like the thought of First Timothy 115 where Paul says.
And on a glitch version, it says a Huaman chief, but really the word is of whom I am 1St. And uh, I've I've enjoyed it in that connection that he becomes a sample of that grace of God who saved one right from heaven. He didn't have to know him on the earth as these men did is just the intervention of the Spirit of God in a man's life that reveals the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus that came into the world to save Sinner. And it's worthy of all acceptation no matter who you are.
MMM.
Might be worth mentioning, uh, rather Bill, this verse, uh, fifty. And you probably heard CHM yourself, uh, or Ch Brown said, he said that he and Tom McMillan went through the, uh, synopsis of the books of the Bible by Mr. Darby and they went through and uh, categorized, uh, catalogued every single verse that he quoted in the synopsis. And they said that this verse 50 is the one that he quoted the most in the synopsis.
Chapter 12, verse 50. But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straight until it be accomplished? Mr. Darby quoted that more in his ministry in the synopsis than any other verse.
He's referring there to the awful judgment of the cross in those three hours of darkness, wasn't he? I think of that verse in Psalm 42.
All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Oh, brethren, we have to stand at a distance. We cannot understand what that means, but we can look at it from the distance and meditate on it. The awfulness.
Of what was before him, that baptism in death's dark waters, we sing it in in 149 lastized. And that's dark waters for us. My blood was shed. What a tremendous thing. And that, like you say, is what opened up the floodgates of blessing for all mankind.
Yes, not just for us, but every blessing that man will ever enjoy or receive is based on the work of the Lord Jesus and the atoning sufferings. So whether it's our blessing now has been brought out or whether it's the redemption that's going to take place for this world in the coming day, whether it's a blessing for Israel, the blessing for the nations, all creation, it's all based on the work that the Lord Jesus accomplished on Calvary's cross.
All blessing in the Old Testament look forward to that. God could never have provided coats of skin for Adam and Eve. He could have never provided the sacrifices under the Levitical order if he hadn't been putting it on account and looking forward to the time when his Son would go through those hours of darkness. And I think it's important, brethren, to realize that the physical sufferings of Christ, as awful as they were.
And as good as it is for us to go over them in our souls, and when we come together to remember the Lord Jesus at the Lord's table in the breaking of bread, it's good for us to read of the physical sufferings of Christ both prophetically in the Old Testament and the Psalms and Isaiah in the New Testament. But remember this, those physical sufferings of Christ never atoned for one sin. He had a baptism wherewith to be baptized.
Those hours of darkness. Can we imagine what was compressed into those hours of darkness? Seven times in the Old Testament it tells us that either the weight or the cost of the brass could not be found out. What does that figure? Brass was a picture is a picture of the ability of the Lord Jesus to bear the judgment of God because of who He was.
And only a divine person could have borne that judgment that was compressed into those three hours of darkness, Brethren, that ought to stir our souls and motivate us to live for Christ now and in view of what is ahead.
01:00:16
Just mention that we had mentioned briefly the 8 covenants in Scripture. Just what we're speaking about is the speak spoken about in Hebrews 13 as the blood of the everlasting or better translated.
The eternal covenant, that is, that the blood of Christ would be the basis for universal blessing. That's the eternal covenant. The other seven covenants were covenants between God and men. This covenant alone appears to have been within the Godhead. It's the basis for eternal blessing, the love of God. But I did wanna ask Bruce if I may impose on you, Bruce, for the sake of time in these verses towards the end versus 54 through 57.
Concerned signs Could you give us a quick summary? I know you've been taken up with some signs of the times that we can look for.
Well, I don't know if I could.
What were you thinking of Speci specifically?
Well, I know you've spoken about signs of the Lord's imminent return.
That may be a little beyond what we have here, but it's within the character.
What are some of the things we look for?
Respecting the Lord's imminent return.
At the period or the round, you're talking about rapture, first of all. But it will go on to the appearing, won't it?
Isn't the stage being set?
For the Tribulation period.
I think so, and I say that there are really no signs to indicate the coming of the Lord Jesus for us. I think we're clear on that. The rapture could take place at any place at any time, but the signs and the seasons are indicating the, uh, coming of the Lord Jesus in judgment at the end of the tribulation. And we begin to see things. Sometimes it's been given that you see in the distance.
Loud And you say the storm is coming and we see things that are happening in the Middle East, Western Europe, the apostasy that's taking place.
Are definite signs that we're getting close to that day of apostasy and what will take place. And it's full blown, uh, way after the rapture of the church. But they're, they're, they're on the horizon.
That's what you're referring to. Yeah. Mr. Lundin used to teach, heard him say it many times, that the surest sign of the end of even this dispensation is the low state of the church. We learned when we study Scripture, don't we, that a dispensation comes to its end when those that had the calling of that particular dispensation are lo, no longer distinguishable from that from which they were called out. And so the surest sign is the low state of the church. And that should exercise. It shouldn't have, but there are many other signs.
Remembering Jack Hendricks, somebody asked him, will the church go through the tribulation?
Remember his answer? He said yes and no.
The true church will not go through the tribulation. It will be raptured before, but there will be a church, and so it speaks of the Lord coming as a thief.
In Sardis because there will be those that were will be left in this world after the rapture and perhaps they will continue to say that they are the church that they will have to see the Lord in his coming as a thief serious to think about. So it's important, isn't it, to understand these signs and what the Scripture teaches us to what the last.
Our character, what the characteristic of the last days is because many Christians get all uptight and in a knot about what they see in the world and even in the professing Christendom. But if we really understand our Bibles, brethren, what we see should always be a sorrow, but it shouldn't be a surprise. It's thesaura. We ought never to be callous or indifferent to what we see going on in the breakdown in the world, the breakdown in government, in society, even amongst the Lord's people.
We we never wanna become callouser and different to it, but if we really understand this, the teaching of Scripture and what characterizes the days before the Lord comes, we won't be be surprised. I sometimes illustrated it this way. Let's say you go to see a production and as you're sitting there waiting for the production to begin, things begin to happen to indicate that the production is going to begin.
01:05:28
Maybe the, uh, the orchestra is tuning their instruments. You find there you hear a hustle and bustle behind the curtain on the stage. All those things indicate that the nearness of the hour for the production to begin is just about there. The last thing that happens is the dimming of the house life. You say the production is going to begin, but it doesn't begin until the curtain goes up. And so when the curtain goes up, then the production begins.
And brother, things are not going to happen as to prophecy until we go up, not till we're gone. But aren't we seeing things that are causing us to realize that we're closer to those things that are going to happen after we're gone than we've ever been before? And if we see those signs of what is going to begin to happen and take place after we're gone, how much closer is the rapture? How much closer is the Lord's coming for us?
Because we know we have to be gone before prophecy begins to unfold in this world. And remember this, despite what many might teach in Christian circles, we are not true seeing in its true sense the fulfillment of prophecy. Today, this Christian age, the day of grace is a little parenthesis in God's dealing with the earth. Prophecy has to deal with God's dealing with man on the earth covenants as well with God's dealing with man on the earth.
That's why properly speaking, the church is not under covenant relationship. And so we're this little parenthesis. But when we go up, so to speak, when we're gone, then God through his Son the Lord Jesus can begin to take up those things again. So I say again, don't be don't be surprised or get all uptight about the condition of things and the signs of things you see now be actually be encouraged. Don't be indifferent to it, but be encouraged, brethren, to realize.
That we are just at the end. The Lord Jesus is going to come, He's going to take the reins in the coming day. And that ought to encourage us to watch for our Lord, to wait for our Lord and to work as those who are his servants in this era, this dispensation. But we should be exercised to be in the Scriptures to understand the prophetic picture and to realize that things are getting.
In line for their fulfillment the fact that.
Israel is back in their land as a tremendous indication that we are close to the last times brethren, it is the fig tree has button and just the other day it fulfills 70 years of being a nation tremendously interesting things and I don't think we can put time frames on those things, but we're there brethren and let's be understanding of the times we have good.
Ministry to tell us how to be alert for the UH.
Prophecy that's gonna take place after we're gone, and we need to be, uh, understanding of the times.
And that verse says, behold, the fig tree and all the trees, doesn't it? So it's not simply Israel, but it's the surrounding Arab nations. If we look at history, we see that many of those nations disappeared and only in the last 120 years or so did they resurface. Uh, Egypt disappeared off the map. Jordan and all those Edom and Moab, they all disappeared off the map. Mr. Kelly makes the point that.
In the future day, he said, nations as well as men are resurrected and the same questions are asked that were asked years ago. Israel is going to face those same nations. And so it is, isn't it?
Sorry, Bill, Yeah, that's right. The, uh, these things have to do with signs preceding the days of the Son of Man, don't they? Prophecy. And we, uh, are intrigued when we see them properly. The, uh, what we were seeing Christen Christianity, it would be, uh, Laodicea, the dispensationally the prophetic history of the church is indifference to Christ. And Second Timothy 3, the end of Christendom's day is evil in a seducer show ox worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. We see the moral characteristic of Christendom.
01:10:09
Paralleling that of the Pagan world in Romans chapter one so, so properly, the things that we would look for within Christian revelation would be the indifference of the professing church to Christ that's founded moral spiral, uh, of Christendom that parallels that of paganism. But these other signs would have to do with the coming of the Son of man prophetically. And when we do see them even now before profit prophetic clock starts, it even is more impressive and we see the great ecumenical movement too, don't we the harlot.
Is calling back the way we're children. And that's exactly what we're seeing. Those that are once separated from Catholicism are all coming back to Mother Rome. And that's what it speaks about in Revelation 17, doesn't it? That's another sign. And you mentioned Laodicea. The Spearing out of his mouth, I think will take place after the rapture, don't you believe? Yes.
2000, 80 6.
01:15:24
Stay together.
Bless the Lord Jesus.
I will thank you for this portion.
Uh, we thank you for a spirit that has given us to enter into some of these things.
You remember that verse, how you were straightened until that baptism was accomplished?
An eternity will not suffice the measure to appreciate the depth into which doubt is called.
And I saw this dress.
And we would thank you, Father, for the grace of revealing these things to us now and giving us to appreciate thyself.
And to love him back because he first left us.
Our debtors, we are to this infinite race and to Thy word, Lord Jesus. And as we look for Thy coming, we know that all of Thy redeems will be like the glory. Some will have crowns cast of Thy feet, but they will none will want to be crowned in Thy presence. I was crowned with a crown of thorns. Thou art a worthy 1 The rain on the universe. And we pray that Thou be reigning in our hearts and in our lives. We we thank you for the privilege, Lord Jesus.
Of being left down here for a few.
More days, perhaps, to, uh, glorify the in our lives, in our homes and our work and our assembly. And surely we don't know how much we fail each one in this, but we thank for these words of excitation that we've heard but the challenges to our souls. And we thank them that we will be there, that companions and glory and to be that bride that will present the thyself with our spot or wrinkle any such thing and all the work of my soul and a valued lifeblood. So we have no, uh, nothing to claim of our own.
We all forward to these and entertain 4 cases I will reward also. How could that be?
And we just thank you, Father, for thy precious food, and we thank you for him. And we thank you, Lord Jesus once again as we look for their coming. We pray for blessings in each household, in every life presented here to reach conference. And we thank your Father and a worthy and precious name of our working his Christ, Amen.