Address—C. Buchanan
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I confess it's a great joy to be here.
And as Peter commented the first verse in his second epistle.
Them of like precious.
Faith with us.
I want to stress those last two words with us.
That's the faith of the apostles. That's what we're getting in God's book.
Wonderful thing it is yet to be on the earth with a company that are following the apostles faith.
We get indirectly through the apostles.
They got from the Lord Jesus. We want to look into the scriptures about those things, but let's begin with singing #1.
I'll read the.
3rd stanza.
Owed his joy to the path to trace by thee so meekly trod.
The learning of thee to walk in grace and.
Fellowship with God Fellowship with God. Some brothers start this.
#106 please.
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Blessed God.
I'd like to ask you to go back to Haggai.
Where we were in the reading.
Some charming thoughts brought before us out of the scriptures yesterday.
Haggai, you know, lived in a time which was quite similar to the time you and I live in, in that God had gotten a remnant of his people back to his house.
And showed himself to them there. This has been true.
Largely in the last 180 years.
In the world.
The time of recovery going back to the original ground at the time of the apostles. Some recovery.
The joy of salvation by faith coming in the.
Middle Ages 1314 hundred 1500 and then 180 years ago.
The opening up of the truth by the Spirit of God.
This book being divinely inspired and a guide.
For God's people to keep them and bring them into the place that he had prepared to have a witness that there is indeed one body, one church. Well, here in the time of Hague are we want to notice in the first chapter and in the second chapter. Just some highlights.
We find in Haggai 1.
Verse 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Cheryl Till, and Joshua the son of Josedech. I believe that was the princely line and the priestly line.
With all the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God. We heard something about obedience from this platform yesterday.
There's no substitute for it. There's no communion apart from it. We have to agree with God, get our doctrine from Him.
Well, here they had they obeyed the people, and obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet.
Middle of verse 12 as the Lord their God had sent him.
And the people did fear before the Lord what a commendable condition was found there.
In that little returned remnant at that time, and what a supply for them. Verse 13 Then spake Hagia, the Lord's messenger, in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.
I'm going to imitate what it says here we have in this book.
The Lord's message.
And he is saying to us, I am with you, saith the Lord.
We have every supply that's needed in 1997, nearly 2000 years since the cross and a time of recovery and happiness and a people.
Who Peter could say, have light, precious faith with us because it's come out of this book. But that's not all. Chapter 2.
In the 20th March, in the one and 20th day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai saying.
And so the word continues to come through the prophet. The Lord had said by the prophet, I am with you. Now we have the prophet with the word to go on and bring that to them. Now going down to chapter verse 5.
Over 4.
I'll start with verse three because it's precious.
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Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison as nothing yet? Now be strong, those are rebels, saith the Lord. And be strong, O Joshua, the Prince and the priest.
Son of Joseph the high priest, and be strong, all ye people of the land. This word is commendable for every person in this room. Be strong and in the Lord, in the power of his might. We get in in Ephesians.
Be strong all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work, for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts. There's still something to do, the Lord had said in the 19th of Luke. Occupy till I come. He hasn't come yet. He's coming. We've been enjoying that, and he must be close, but occupy till he comes.
According to the word that I covenant with you when he came out of Egypt, verse 5.
So my spirit remaineth among you. Fear ye not.
We are exhorted in the New Testament.
Not to grieve the Spirit of God.
And not to quench the Spirit of God.
Grieving the Spirit of God today is the allowance of the flesh to act.
Now we can grieve the Spirit of God, but we can't make him leave. He stays, He stays. He changes his work in your soul and mine. When we grieve him, he begins to occupy us with our failure.
Now it hinders communion that he wants and that we need.
Quenching the Spirit.
Is a like thing in that it hinders the action of the Spirit of God. Possibly in another person, might even be in myself. But we can't make the Spirit leave. So we have brethren. The Lord in the midst has gathered to his name.
And we have the Holy Spirit in dwellings.
And he stays, and we have this blessed book. We have everything we need.
Now in this second chapter, we did refer to a verse. Let's look on down to it.
We'll just go ahead reading in verse six, for thus saith the Lord of hosts yet once.
It is a little while.
And I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.
And I will shake all nations.
And the desire of all nations shall come, and I will.
Fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.
We remarked that in the Spanish.
It's El Desiado, the desired one, the person that's coming. The desire of all the earth shall come. The desire of all nations is the person.
The person, he's going to come and he's the one that's going to fill that house with glory on the earth, too.
Meanwhile, we can rejoice in everything he has given.
We've been having that. The Lord Jesus came.
And that he's coming.
Because this world cast him out, but he finished redemption's work to the glory of God. An hour eternal blessing.
And God is gathering by the Spirit of people.
Whom we were reminded in 2nd Thessalonians 2, the first verse. Now we beseech you, brethren.
By the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto Him.
That there is a day when every St. is going to be gathered.
To the Lord Jesus. Oh how wonderful, how comforting to know that. But we don't.
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Have to wait and we want to get into some of that, but oh, how blessed to think that the Lord shall have his place down here and He shall gather a heavenly company.
Now I want to go to one of the most well known portions of scripture to enjoy what we have right now in John 14.
For in this wonderful chapter of John 14.
We have perhaps the clearest for the first time.
About the Lord coming again.
And.
We are the ones that are expecting to see him.
But the situation here that day was very wonderful.
For the apostles.
That were gathered together to walk with him.
To work with him, to preach with him, to teach about him.
And then to have him tell him, I'm going away, I'm going away, let's read it.
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.
That's almost an axiom.
As to God, the devils believe and tremble, but here is God.
Whom Jesus was making known as his Father and ended up in the 20th chapter saying My Father and your father, my God and your God to think that he was going away.
In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. Here he says it. I go to prepare a place for you.
Man when he was created.
Was suited for this world, I think it says Ecclesiastes. Set the world in their heart.
That is, we relate to the common things in this everyday world.
God made us for this world, not yet for the next.
But he's going to bring us there and we have to be suited. And it's so simple to find out that there's no other way, no other person that can do this for us. And we believe this. We believe in God, believe in the Lord Jesus and what he's telling us. And if I go, he says just as soon as he says I'm going, he tells us the other part of it, I will come again. He doesn't leave even.
A phrase in between.
If I go, I'm coming.
This is where we are. We're just right at the coming, the literal coming of the Lord Jesus.
And what's he going to do? Receive you? Do you believe that?
Unto myself. It's a personal thing. He's going to receive you. He's going to receive me.
Unto himself.
That where I am, he takes his title.
He is the great I am where I am. There ye may be also. That's where we are going to be, brethren. Oh, this gets so bright. Then he says, Whither I no go, ye know, and the way ye know.
The children could begin to explain the gospel this morning.
They have learned that Jesus is the way as it coming up here.
Thomas says unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way? Aren't you glad that this man asked these questions? So he got the straightforward answers that don't need teaching, they just need faith. Just believe them.
Thomas said to him, Lord, we know not whither thou ghost, and how can we know the way?
Well, we want, we want to hear the answer to that.
Thomas gets it out of the Lord for us. Jesus saith the name I am.
The way he takes that divine title, I am. I am the great I am. That's why how he appeared to Moses.
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I am the way.
The truth and the life Jesus is all of these things.
The way, the truth and the light. Now we're getting the truth out of this book. I say the truth.
Let's amplify what the Lord says, the truth going to chapter 18 of John.
And see what it says there.
I think this is so lovely and so important to catch a hold of in the time in which we live.
When there are those who are making a mockery out of what the word calls.
The truth.
Say true.
And they invent their own doctors.
Even their own way they think of worship, we leave it with God as to how far that worship goes. We must abide by the apostles doctrine. What God has put in this book in the 18th of John.
When the Lord is on trial.
As man put him on trial before the representative of the Roman.
Emperor Pilate himself.
Pilot.
Ask the Lord questions.
And at the end of verse 33, he says.
Art thou the King of the Jews?
Jesus answered him.
Seest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
Pilot was a little provoked at that. He was to be the judge. He was to get the answer.
And he says am IA Jew.
A derogatory term in those days.
Thine own nation, the nation of the Lord Jesus, and the chief priests, have delivered thee unto me. What hast thou done?
There's something wrong, Pilate thinks.
After his interrogation, he has to pronounce three times. I find no fault in this man, though the Lord was examined by Pilate.
But the Lord goes on here and says.
My Kingdom.
As much as saying, yes, I'm a king, He is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews? But now is my Kingdom not from him? He wasn't going to get it from the world. You see, Satan had offered it to him, a shortcut to get into that position of controlling the world. The Lord wouldn't take it. He couldn't take it. He didn't take it from Satan. He's going to get it from the Father.
That's the blessed titled deed to this earth that we find in the 5th chapter of Revelation. He gets it from God.
Verse 37.
Pilate therefore said her name. Art thou a king, then?
Now notice Jesus's answer.
Thou sayest that I am those two words again a king.
Wonderful what the Lord added here to this end was I born.
And for this cause came I into the world that I should there witness.
And two, the truth.
Why did Jesus come? Why did he say he came? He came to bear witness to the truth. In bearing witness to the truth, He bore witness to himself, and his witness was true.
The truth comes again in this verse. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. Let's hear the truth. Let's believe the truth. Let's the truth. Let us, let the truth keep us.
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If we keep the truth, it will keep us. So back to John 14, verse six. I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. He's the one that's going to bring us there.
If you have believed, you're on the way.
We'll go on in the chapter.
If he had no man coming to the Father under the Father, but by me, verse seven, if He had known me, he should have known my Father also, and from henceforth you know Him and have seen Him. You see, Jesus was revealing the Father.
He goes on and says Philip asks questions, would rather another question. Show us the Father and it suffices us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not moan thee, Philip?
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. This is the way you and I will know more. It is in Jesus who became a man.
Lived and died and rose as a man, wept the glory as a man.
He is there and He's coming. He's telling us that here. This is the way we will know God in the person of the Son. Oh, how lovely, how sweet.
Incomprehensible, but we can't believe it. Jesus is gone. Jesus is man.
Verse 10 Believe us, thou not, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, do you?
The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me. He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father.
And the Father in me, or else believe me, for the very works sake, verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me the works that I do, shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father. He goes on and tells us in these chapters that the Spirit of God is going to come down here.
And so that's the way the greater works are done. By the Spirit of God, you and I have a wonderful place and a wonderful occupation, and what we are to do is to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ.
Preach Christ.
As Paul said, we preach, not ourselves.
But Jesus Christ, Lord, this is our place, this is our occupation to make him known to others.
I will go on down to verse.
15.
If he loved me, keep my commandments.
I'm glad what was said about obedience yesterday.
There is no substitute for obedience.
There's no other way of communion than to obey.
And the proof of our love is not what we say, but it's what we do. Keep his commandments.
If he loved me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father.
And he shall give you.
Another comforter.
The Lord felt for those disciples who had been with him.
And that he was going to leave them.
And he wasn't going to leave them worthless.
You see, God has worked.
The Lord says that my Father worked and I work. God has been put to work by man.
When sin was brought in through Satan and the whole God.
Went to work. He is not going to leave this world always in the horrible state it's in.
I think that's what we call the mystery of God.
In Revelation 10.
Till the mystery of God shall be complete. The mystery of God is not complete.
Until evil is put out of this world.
But what God does is gather our people out.
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Makes them his own, provides for them, preserves them, and keeps them through the world and in fellowship with him. Fellowship with God, fellowship with God, the fellowship of the Spirit.
So it's a wonderful place to be.
In the world today.
In the presence of the Lord, Jesus was gathered to his name.
And having the Holy Spirit collectively and individually.
Dwelling in US and the complete word of God to help us and to guide us and give us, give us joy through the blackness of this scene.
If you love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another covenor.
That he may abide with you forever.
He may abide with you.
Forever.
Even the spirit of truth.
Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, and he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
These two little preparations with and in are very small, but they convey volumes to us because it's talking about God.
He shall abide with you forever.
Then the end of verse 17 He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
With us collectively, brethren, is the Spirit of God, and in US individually as Savior is the Spirit of God.
What a solid foundation and protection we have even as.
Paul in writing that first epistle to the.
Thessalonians said the church.
God, I've better read that to get that's right. It was so lovely.
The church which is in God and.
Poland, Sylvanus and Timothy as under the Church of the Thessalonians.
In God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, what a secure position.
The church is put in and that's our stability, that very thing, the Spirit of God dwelling with us and in US. Verse 18 I will not leave you comfortless.
I will come.
To you.
We're getting another coming of the Lord here.
In the first verses, it's the rapture, clearly.
He has gone away.
And He is coming again. But you see the Lord.
Loves his people.
And he doesn't want to do without our fellowship. Do you want to do without his?
All that we would walk in holiness of life.
Not to grieve him, not to quench him, but to enjoy what I believe we enjoyed correctly this morning.
In the Lord's presence at his table.
His own presence here.
As we remembered what it cost him to get us.
Into his family and at the same time.
We are, as we break bread, that one loaf, a witness that Jesus lived, and he lives in his Saints.
That's why the world and Satan hate the Lord's Table.
You tell some of your brethren that there's only one Lord's table and they don't like it.
But there is only one Lord's Table.
And he's at his table. Well, let's leave that and believe it.
But it is a witness that Jesus is alive for AS.
Paul saw at that time was proceeding toward Damascus.
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To heal men and women which were that way Christians.
Persecuting them even to death.
He was stricken down by a great light from heaven above the brightness of the noonday sun.
Here is a chosen vessel.
Struck blind by the glory of the Lord Jesus.
On his pathway to persecute people like you and I if we had been living near Damascus in that day.
Saul would have been after us.
But Saul had to learn something, and the brightness of the light convinced him that that was the Lord, that was the Lord. He said that who art thou, Lord? And here's what he had to learn, that the Saints are the Lord members of his body.
I am Jesus whom thou persecuted.
All the wonderful truth.
Of the one body.
Hold John 14 and let's read in Colossians.
A verse that we read yesterday. I think we but maybe it was a day before.
Colossians, chapter 3.
And verse 15.
Let the peace of God rule in your heart. How sweet, how straightforward is this exhortation to me and to you. Just let it rule. Let that have the rule.
In your heart He wants our heart. My son, give me thine heart.
And we had from the 84th Psalm yesterday, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Just let that happen.
And.
Through the which year cold in one body The 15th verse of Colossians 3. Again let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the witch also your cold in one body and be your thing.
Yes, there is one body, and recall in one body, and to witness that here is what pleases God and what pleases Christ, and what arouses the wrath and ire of Satan.
But brethren, greater is He depend you than He is in the world. We don't have to fear. There is one place on earth where we can have peace, brother. One place on earth where we can have peace. Get the scene twice in the 20th of John.
Where the Lord comes into the midst.
Now those who were gathered tandem, I guess the first time.
In resurrection, He appears as the door is being shut. The Lord was here this morning. The door is being shut.
That's the truth. He's known the faith.
And what does he say? Peace beyond you.
The next.
Lord's Day.
It was the very Lords Day of the Resurrection, and eight days after that of the Jews counted, and they add an extra day.
He was there again.
This is an indication that you and I.
Need the breaking of bread every Lord there is a prohibition part. We are so forgetful.
So how blessed it is and to be there to think of him and to witness that he lives and lives in his Saints and enjoy fellowship with him. Now coming on down a few more verses in our chapter.
John 14.
We will begin with the 20th verse.
At that day.
We shall know that I am in my father, and ye in me.
Well, I believe that begins with Pentecost.
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At that day ye shall know.
That I am in my Father and ye and me and I in you water. What a bound up bundled life we have here linked up with God and Christ.
Now verses 21.
#22.
Present to us another way of the Lord's coming.
That is the present time in which we live.
And it's because he wants.
And don't we want it to enjoy this communion, not to wait till the Lord comes and gets us literally out of this scene to have communion. God has different ways of making His love known. Here's the love of communion, verse 21 and 23. It's the love of communion. In John 316 we have the love of compassion.
In John 10, we have the love for obedience.
In Hebrews 12 we have the love of relationship, but here it seems like it's the most precious of all.
And it's a love of community to think that you and I who are morals can have common thoughts with your and that he wants it common thoughts with God. Verse 21 He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, there's obedience. He it is that loveth me.
And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father. Here's the promise. I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Right now. The Lord manifested to us in that love of communion because our thoughts are so much in accord with Him, common thoughts with God.
Well, Judas asked the question now verse 22. Judas says unto him.
Not as scary as the other one. Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? How can this be done?
It's possible that somebody in this room might have learned that the first time this morning. The world can't understand it. We can, because we experience it when we agree with God wholly in obedience.
And bring him into our memory.
And so the 23rd verse says, Jesus answered and said unto him.
If a man love me, he will keep my words. There's obedience again, commandments in verse 21 words and verse 23 keep my words. Now there's a double promise of love here, and my father will love him.
And we will come unto him and make our abode with him now that his fellowship with God and fellowship with Christ enjoyed now.
As he comes to us, He's going to come and take us to be with him pretty soon. Let's sing #311 in closing.
#311.
While to several patterns of lighting.
We may have to go home.
Not anxious to.
But things change down here.
We are pilgrimage pursuit. We're still here, waiting for the Lord to come and literally take us out.
May our Shepherd safely guard still be kept in constant views.
May the bond of Blessed Communion Fellowship.
Every distant soul embrace till an everlasting union we attain a resting place #311.