Open—M. Conley, Rdg.
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In line with what we've had in our meeting, that hymn was written by George W Fraser, who also wrote 245 on that same night. Lord Jesus, lofty, glorious, beautiful hymn. But he was so afraid that he was so much in love with his wife that it was a distraction, just as we've had today. And he sat down and he wrote this game.
Just before we close, just read one first repeat Chapter 11.
Now faith of the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Father, again, we just thank you for this privilege we've had for this reading meeting. You think, Steve, that the things that we have hope for, that the love which is from me is maybe things that we don't presently see on earth, the OR not things that we can be found in our flesh, things that are present in this world. But there are things that are far greater, far greater things which are not seen with our eyes, but are given through faith, which is gift from Thee.
And so, Father, we just pray that each of us would exercise and realize that faith which Thou has given us. Realize that that there is nothing in ourselves, but Thou has provided all things for us through the cause of Thy precious Son. And so, Father, again we rejoice in Thee and we do crazy and thank Thee that again we can't have these things brought before. Is that again our flesh is is nothing that is anything good, but that was provided so much better things for us. And so, Father, we just pray that our hearts are being moved towards those things which are above.
Things that aren't seen down here and so following mention these things are difficult for us to understand. Maybe as a young person they're they're hard to comprehend things that aren't seen, but we just trust that in the in the meeting to follow that we can comprehend and grasp ourselves. Those things that I was given us those things which aren't seen but yet through faith you can't believe and rejoice in them. So again we just crazy and thinking and obviously if my son's doing more cheesy Amen.
I have a few.
Well, I trusted the Lord. That's lifted me up out of my seat.
Let's pray.
Or go out and our Father, we have not strength for these things.
We thank thee, says in thy word.
Not by power, nor by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.
And so we.
Look to thee this afternoon that.
Though it's 'cause us to understand.
And that our hearts might be enlarged and drawn after thee.
We cross the.
Or a blessing.
We thank thee as we've read today.
For God before us, who can be against us, We thank thee. There's not many wise, not many noble, not many mighty. God has chosen the weak and the foolish.
And so we thank thee today, Lord Jesus, that we would take that place, and we would give thee the glory.
And so, yeah, so I held.
Commit the time into thy hands in the name.
Of the Lord Jesus.
Well, I just have something real simple.
But that's the kind of things that I like.
John 10. If we could look at John 10.
I.
John 10, verse 10.
We've all heard it. Unless there's someone really new here, we've all heard this verse.
Well, look what it says.
I am calm that they might have life.
And that they might have it more abundantly.
Amazing words, aren't they?
Read another verse.
I think it's Second Corinthians 3.
Actually, maybe it's.
Is it Second Corinthians 3?
Look at this. This is amazing to me.
2nd Corinthians 3, verse 6.
For the letter killeth.
But the Spirit giveth life.
Well.
What I have on my heart tonight is I know what it's like. I know what it's like to live in the land of should you know what I mean? Should you know when a brother talks about.
00:10:24
Something that I should be doing and if I do it because.
I and, and and maybe I feel a bit of guilt in my heart about it.
And.
And so I'm motivated. I'm motivated to change my behavior in that direction.
Well, I've been there.
When I got saved, I came into. I was in an assembly that.
They were.
Well, it was very much designed after the gathered stains.
But they were.
They were a rip roaring Blanche. I tell you. We had meetings every night. We had all nights of prayer once a month. And this went on for three years. And and I was trying so hard to be that and I just couldn't do it. And I remember I was sitting at a meeting one night.
And and.
The man who had started this.
Assembly the man who had done this.
His son was speaking and.
And I didn't, I didn't have a real high regard for his son, but the Lord knows. But anyway, when he was talking about peace and joy and I sat in that meeting and I said.
Yeah, I ain't got any idea what that guy's talking about, because I sure don't have any of it. And so I got up and I walked out of that meeting and I walked down the sidewalk.
And.
I well, I was living in a house with a bunch of a bunch of.
Brothers.
And Oh my, it was if I didn't, if you didn't make it to a meeting, you were held by the arm and said we really missed you, brother, but you didn't feel that tenderness.
And anyway, I walked down that sidewalk. I remember it now. The reason I'm telling this story is I don't want to draw attention to myself, but I have a burden for the young people.
So anyway, I walked down that sidewalk and I talked to the Lord and I, I said.
I said, Lord Jesus, why? I don't know. I don't, I don't have any of these things. But I know if I stay here any longer, I'm going to flip out. Yeah, real common terms. I'm going to. I'm going to have a problem, a real problem. You know you have a problem when you try and be something you're not. You try and be something you're not, you're going to run into trouble. You know, you buy a Cadillac and you try and haul rocks with it, You'll do it for a little while.
It's going to run into trouble.
You know what's a wonderful thing?
What's a wonderful thing?
Is that?
The Lord Jesus.
Comes right to where you're at.
Young person.
He'll come right where you're at, you know?
All these wonderful things that the Lord has for us, but you know when you first get saved or.
If you try and walk in another man's shoes, which you can't do it.
There was that, there's that, there's that track I read. I seen it a long time ago and I don't know if it's in print anymore, but.
But it's called Rex on the Burma Rd. I think something like that. I don't know if that tracks still in print. But anyway, this is a terrible Rd. This Burma Rd. up in the high mountains.
And the the brethren that have spoken today, they know this world is a terrible place. It's an awful place. I hate it here.
00:15:00
Every day I get up.
And as I move through the day, I see sin in me every day. Every day it's there.
I see sin and the people at work, I see it in my brother, I see it in my family. It's all over. But the Lord God commendeth His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We don't stop sin. We are having the experience of it inside of me each day it's there.
But I have a savior, and what a wonderful thing.
God wants you to be real with Him. You come to him where you're at, you know?
That's that's the I don't think I ever got to the end of that story of the Burma Rd. But what it was was that the end of that track where I read this track. I don't know how many years ago, a decade anyway, probably, but.
At the end of that track, it talks about this truck that he saw. It was a big, strong truck.
See, these are things I can understand.
Big strong truck and what what was and the word on the side of his truck was savior.
And that truck traveled that road to look for to look for ones that had gotten into trouble. And that truck had to go right where those people, right where that person was. And that is what the Lord Jesus has done.
Says in John 15. You know, it's a wonderful thing.
I used to think.
I used to think when I when I first got saved, you know that verse that I quoted when I prayed, it says.
No, I think I quote it right well.
Well, I'll go to John 15 for a minute. Let's go to John 15. Real simple verses, but that's the kind I need. John 15.
Yeah, verse 5.
For without me you can do nothing. Well, there it is. It says it, doesn't it? It's so simple.
For me, you can't do nothing. OK, well, that verse that's in Zachariah.
I think it's Zechariah 4. I just looked it up a little bit ago.
Zechariah 4. The end of verse 6.
Not by my, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Now an example that I think of something that is so encouraging to me.
Well.
I heard it thousands of times, but there we go. Someday, some days, someday it'll stick. But anyway, is that and is that the Lord change us on the inside?
Certainly. That's a principle in Scripture, isn't it? Lord says clean up the inside of the cop.
We've got the and he can only do it. The Lord Jesus can only do it. He can put you know, you know what I was going to say earlier about what touches my heart and it's so encouraging is that.
Where is that? I forget. What's the chapter that the Good Samaritan is in?
Look, look down Luke 10.
In Luke 10.
Okay, okay.
OK.
This is so encouraging to me. Luke 10.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.
That man that had been left half dead and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.
That is so great because what did he have? He really had it in his heart.
He You know how many times I drive down the road and I see someone on the side and I go, boy, I sure don't want to stop.
00:20:04
What a wonderful thing, but a wonderful thing. If I was driving down the road and I see someone now, you know, I assess the situation very carefully and see if there's some way that I can make it so I so my conscience can be eased and I don't have to stop.
But you know, maybe you know what I'm talking about. Maybe I'm the only one like this. But anyway.
But here this is a different thing. This Samaritan, when he saw him, he said I got to help him. Why? He had it in his heart. He really felt compassion for him. He, this Samaritan did not say I should help. He said I got to help him. It was his only choice because his heart.
Drove him to it.
Wonderful thing. What a wonderful thing. Now, if you don't have that in your heart, in my heart, it's kind of weak. If you don't have that in your heart, what do you do?
Say, Lord Jesus, help me.
It ain't there. You'll have to put it there. Then what are you going to do when he puts it there? Then you're going to give him the praise and you're going to say, you know, Lord Jesus, you've changed me and I didn't do it.
Because I know when I first got saved, tried to do a lot of things, just didn't work. I couldn't walk in that stuff. But the Lord, he changes us a little bit at a time, a little bit of a little bit here, a little bit there.
And gives us a desire for higher things. You know what the brethren have been talking about today.
What have they said, you know?
There's nothing in the world that's going to meet the need of your heart.
Now you've heard that more than once, but it is true. It's really true. You know what does what the a verse that comes to my mind is is is when they were out fishing.
They are all fishing. They fished all night. They took nothing.
And the Lord came to them. And what did the Lord say? Have you any me?
I can't remember exactly, but he says they say no. We have labored all night and taken nothing.
That's a light lived for itself. That's what I think it is. Labored all night. Hey, you're going to labor down here. You're going to labor.
I fished all night and taken nothing.
And that's what it's like apart from Christ, apart from and what a wonderful thing to come to the Lord, you know.
You can be.
You can tell the Lord anything on your heart. Nobody else in the world, I don't think you can tell anything in your heart.
Because.
There are just things in there you wouldn't want to tell anybody.
But you can tell the Lord Jesus anything that's in your heart you can be honest, not that you're not honest if you don't something you just don't want to tell even the closest one to you. There's things in that heart that you just.
And as you get older, it doesn't get any better, but you can tell the Lord Jesus.
Everything that's in your heart. And you know what's a wonderful thing?
He's never going to show you the door.
He's never going to say, well, you're really too bad and you'll have to leave now.
The Lord Jesus says him that cometh to me, I will in no wise passed out. What a wonderful thing when you have that sense in your soul. What is it? That's that little children's hymn.
Umm, Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so. If you can rest your soul.
Well, you don't that that song is certainly based on scripture.
You gotta be careful resting on songs, but this is based on certainly on scripture. Yeah, I have loved thee.
You can rest your soul there on his.
Unchangeable love for you, Jesus Christ. The same yesterday.
00:25:06
Today forever, I've changed a lot.
I have changed a lot, My wife has changed a lot.
We we change. Boy we were changeable. I change from day-to-day, Sometimes good mood, sometimes not so hot.
The way it is. But you know, the Lord loves me on the good days and the bad days. That's a wonderful thing. He's not going to cast you off.
What the Lord wants is.
Is one's.
They just come to work. Well, who were the ones who were the ones that had time for the war? That was the the harlots, the public hens, the the, the lower crust. Why is that? Well, because.
It says.
It says in Psalm 51.
The Psalm after David's sin, it says.
I think, well, I think in the target it reached, it's always thou 651 six. Behold, thou wilt have true in the inward parts.
Well, the Lord Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life in US. It says he that trusteth his own heart is a fool. Why is that? And that heart lies to you.
But the Lord Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life.
Says earthly friends.
One day through the next day, grieve us.
But his friend will ne'er deceive us all how he loves.
What a thing I tell you, I think to find friendship, you know, it says in the last days perilous times shall come, and shall be lovers of their own selves.
To find a friend in this world that's really there's not a lot of friendship out there.
Well, I haven't seen it, and I think I'm seeing kind of the typical stuff, not a lot of friendship out out there in this world.
The place that I work.
They just want to use me I.
Know that they just want to use me. If I was unuseful to them, they'd get rid of me. It's the way it is.
It's not the way it is with the Lord Jesus.
We're unprofitable servants. Look how much he paid for us. We're unprofitable. He's never going to turn a profit on us. That's the way I look at it. But he loves us.
And to have what an amazing thing to have someone like this desire to be your friend.
Amazing. This is amazing. He desires your company.
While it's beyond understanding, isn't it certainly is to me. But it's true. It says it right here in the word.
Well, it's amazing, but it's true.
To have someone who has loved you and never will cast you off. Now look at we'll just look at one verse.
In well.
I want to say this one thing. This is a thing that.
I don't remember if I said this already or not, but.
But here it is.
It's a wonderful thing that the Christian life is not a thing of willpower.
I used to think it was. That's all I had. And if it's a thing of willpower.
Well then, why does the Lord choose such weaklings?
But it's not, it's not a thing of willpower.
Far and John one, it says.
As many as received them, Him to them gave thee power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name.
00:30:01
I'll read that verse.
I.
Verse 13 which were born not of blood.
Nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the Willis man, but of God.
You know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. That's where you got your start.
You didn't desire him, he desired you.
It wasn't your willpower that brought you to him. He brought you there.
It is in your willpower that's going to carry you through either.
It's as you abide in His presence.
Henry said. Henry Short said to us one time, he said.
He said, you know, and this is graphic. I like things that are graphic. It helps me to see things.
Well, he takes his dog. Whenever Henry comes to Cedar Rapids and has a has a meeting, he usually brings up his dog because he watches his dog. He's got kind of an ordinary dog. But anyway, he says he takes his dog for a walk and he says it passed by an old dirty sandwich and he said I got no interest in it, but my dog is very interested.
He says then we'll go along and I see a $5.00 bill and my dog has no interest in that. I am interested.
Well, the point is.
There in Philippians 3, Paul counts the things of this world, the good things, Councilman. But dung.
No interest. Just like that dirty sandwich, the sandwich that got stepped on out there. And Henry, we looked at it, no interest. That's the way Paul counted the glory of this world and the good things that he had. Do you think that Henry had to exercise his will a lot to not eat that sandwich?
No, Henry had no desire after. What a wonderful thing, isn't it? What a wonderful thing, Why, He had something much better. He went, He goes home, he's got clean stuff in the cupboards.
I hate sand in my teeth. Dogs don't mind it.
But God gives us a desire for better things, and then it's not an exercise of the will, but you come to him and say, Lord Jesus, change me on the inside. Do you want different desires?
Then I'm.
You have to look at. The good thing to do is to look at old people.
Different ones that have run their lives by different principles.
And see which one you want to end up like you. Ones that are young. Look at ones that have gone after the Lord.
None of us, all of us have problems, you know, like myself, father of four.
Well, a lot of times I have to hang my head. Not too good. Not a very good mark today. The Lord knows. Voice changing.
But.
OK, we'll read. We'll read one more verse.
Well, in Psalm 27.
What a nice verse by David.
Adam. When Adam sinned, the thought in his heart was tied.
High you know in your heart you have things you want to hide.
What we sense inside of ourselves makes us want to run and hide.
The Lord Jesus says, Come unto me.
All ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest, he says. You know you don't have to hide anymore because I know all about it and I paid the whole price and I love you and you.
00:35:00
Come with me because I fitted you to be with me. Like the brother was saying, to share that glory. Well, we really can't enter into it, can we?
But.
We can have his companionship here in this scene. Look what David says.
Psalm 27, verse 4.
One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after.
That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
Isn't that wonderful? That is so sweet, he says. I just, David says, I think David says, hey, I just want to be near this one. What a wonderful thing. And that's how I believe. That's how a change occurs for the Christian. Did I read? Yeah. For the letter killer.
But the spirit giveth life. I am calm that you might have life. I need life today.
Religion deals with a dead man trying to do something to him. Never gets anything. That's true, but as soon as it's tested it falls on its face.
But when the heart, when the heart like David, David fell on his face too. But a righteous man falleth 7 times and rise up again. David fell on his face. But David knew something of God's heart, didn't he? And he ran right back to the Lord.
You know that song people need? The Lord, it says. Every day I pass them by. I can see it in their eyes.
Empty people filled with cares headed who knows where and says people need the Lord. Well it's true, He's the only one that can.
The only one that knows you through and through.
And still loves you.
I.
Of the things that were gained to him.
He had talked about that verse seven. What things were gain to me?
These I counted lost for Christ and the end of verse 8.
That I may win Christ, or that I may have Christ for my gain.
He was exchanging that which was gained to him based upon what he had done in keeping the law as best he could, His own righteousness. Now he had found Christ as his righteousness. Christ was his gain.
What a gain to have him instead of what we have attained through our own efforts. Again, he's comparing that which is infinitely better in Christ than the good things that he had as a law abiding Jew.
He had found Christ to be his being.
That I may know him.
The law doesn't present a person to it. It's a code of ethics. It's a moral code. Thou shalt and thou shalt not. But here in Christianity we have a person that I may know of him and the power of his resurrection. That power we're looking at that in Ephesians one, that power that lifts us into a new creation, power of dispersurrection, and He's the head of it, and we're brought into it now if any man be in Christ.
He is a new creature, a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things are become new.
In in his his address delayed is he these things say the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, all those three things that he presents himself as in that last assembly. They didn't have any of those qualities. They didn't. They failed in all three of them. He was the Amen, the confirmation of all God's word.
00:40:09
He was the faithful and true witness. They were not and He was the beginning of that new creation in resurrection. And they were not displaying a new creation at all. They were living in this scene, setting their desires on this scene and very satisfied with themselves. I'm rich. Increased with goods that have need of nothing. That was the final state of the church. It was so bad, he said. I'm going to spew it out.
The exact opposite to what we have here where we have normal Christianity. Christ is everything. Christ is our game. To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings He even wanted to do. He wanted to be so identified with the Lord Jesus that even he could suffer as he did.
Atoning sufferings? Of course not, we can't take any part in that. But his sufferings from men?
Being made conformable unto his death, I remember.
Junior Gill speaking once years ago now at a conference and someone asked him, if you knew the Lord was coming tomorrow, what would you want to do today? He said I want to die. And that struck me as such a strange thing to say. And I think he had this in mind to be made conformable onto his death.
That is, he wanted to. Paul wanted to experience everything the Lord experienced.
He experienced that. He wanted to experience that too, and I think that's what Brother Gilman. He wanted to go through death as the Lord did, so that he could experience resurrection when the Lord came.
There are others, of course, that say, well I want to be here until the Lord comes, and that both of those are appropriate.
Interesting to see the contrast between verse seven and verse 8 and verse 7 when he compared those things that he enumerates in verse five and six to Christ. He says those things that were gained to me. I counted loss for Christ. That's past tense. And notice verse 8. Now sometimes we make a decision in life. Later on we regret it.
Did Paul, after having lost all that he lost, did he regret the decision he made? Verse eight Yeah, doubtless. And I count present tense all things, but lots. For what? For the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and you count them but done that I may win Christ.
The decision that he came to at that time to count all but loss.
Only confirmed as time went by. He lost everything. Paul, isn't that kind of a bad decision you made? You lost everything. Oh, but he said I've won something so much more supremely valuable. What is it, Paul? The knowledge, the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. And young people, there is nothing that can compare to this treasure.
It's only when you get Christ in the sights like Paul did that you see this world for what it really is. And Paul looks at those things that he before valued and he says, what does he say of him? Dumb.
Do it. Get it out of here, get it as far away as possible. I don't want to have anything more to do with it. What created such a tremendous change in that man was to know the Lord Jesus.
And there's nothing that will satisfy your heart and mind. You can try those things.
This world has Doc. You're going to come up like Solomon did in the book of Ecclesiastes to the conclusion.
Vanity of vanity. All is vanity. There was a man that had everything, and what was it in his heart? Complete emptiness. Here's a man that's lost everything, and is he happy? The most happy man on earth. He's lost everything. Why is he so happy?
00:45:07
Yes, Christ for his gain, the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. Dear young person, dear older brother and sister too. How it challenges our hearts. Christianity is that is to get to know the Lord, to get to know him in reality, to have fellowship with Him, to take time to be in His presence, to listen to His words, speaking to us, to pray. What tremendous privileges.
It is to walk in the company of the Son of God, to know Him. And we can stand here rather and exhort our young people about all the worldly ways and how wrong they are. But if they don't have something to fill their hearts, it's all lost time they're going to go after anyhow. But when their hearts are full of the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord.
Brethren, those things are going to drop off. May the Lord help us to show, as the apostle Paul showed, the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus is Lord. I often think of the apostle Paul standing there before agrippa dis forcing, and there was a grip in all his finery, all the world's glory with his wife.
And there was a man with a chain around me.
Who was the happiest man in that courtroom? It was the man with the chain. And he could say, and honestly say I would to God, that not only thou, but all that cure me to stay worth such as I am these bonds.
Dear brethren and sister, what's going to be attractive in your life and testimony is Christ reflected in you. It's in the measure that you and I are occupied with that man in the glory we're going to show to others.
The power of Christianity is positive. It's not negative, first of all, but it's positive and it's important that we get a hold of that. Here are young people. It's not taking away. It's not a set of rules and regulations. You can't do this and you can't do that, but it's when you have Christ for your gain, those things are not going to be interesting to you at all any longer.
I have a question.
Just touched on briefly by Chuck that I'd like to hear something about. In verse 10, it says that I may know the power of his resurrection. Now, do we think of that in the sense that this is what we anticipate because they're resurrected from the dead, but those of us that are alive and remain will be caught up. But that's a form of resurrection because we're taken out of the scene death. And so, you know, thinking too of the word, that was a brother who was asked said that he wanted to die the day before the Lord came to call him.
So I've thought about this, I can understand that I may know him. I mean to know the Lord is to know his person, to know everything that he did and and he is such, you know, we, we don't feel that we can take that in. It's so bad and so great. He's so wonderful. A lot of means that I may know him and the fellowship of his sufferings too, that we're willing to take our place with him, the one who was rejected and and to feel that rejection ourselves if we walk faithfully.
But I've never been quite clear as to how I understand the power that I may know.
The power of this resurrection is apart from the coming days.
So I was just wondering if anybody had a thought about that.
My understanding of it has always been that there was nothing, nothing that was a greater demonstration of the power of God.
Than in the raising up of the Lord Jesus.
Who, when he went into death, has paid for the sins of every believer from Adam on?
So it comes, and the weight of that sin on him, with him going into debt.
00:50:07
The mighty power of God ever accepted that the work of the cross to pay for every sin and blotting it out from the sight of God forever, That power that could raise him up, we're going to experience it ourselves.
Whether dead or alive.
That's what I follow to understand.
And as well as referred to in Ephesians chapter one, I think 2 is the power of the what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards usward who believes in other words, it's working towards this even here and now. The life we have in Christ now is life and resurrection.
That it's connected here, being made conformable unto his death. And so you cannot prove in a practical way the power of resurrection unless you know what it means to be made conformable to his death.
Resurrection follows death, and so in a practical way we prove the power of his resurrection in in life today, even when we are made conformable to his death.
It's always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our body.
That right?
Good.
His resurrection took him out of this world into another, and it has done the same with us. He prayed in John 17. They are not of this world, even as I am not of this world. We've been taken out of this scene and introduced into a new scene. That's the resurrection is done, isn't it? And we're going to enjoy that even now, before it reaches our bodies.
Would you have a demonstration of that? Shadrach Mikhach and abetting those there an answer they give and Daniel 3.
Verse 17.
I'll read verse 16 and 17.
And the Bendigo answered and said to the king, Old Nebuchadnezzar, we are not serviced to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and we will deliver us out of thy hand, O king.
They believed in resurrection.
We're speaking about learning more and more that I may know him, Paul saying here toward the end of his life. And we could say, well, Paul, don't you know the Lord? Oh, he did, but he longed to know more and more. I often put it this way, that when we get to the glory, the Father is going to say to us individually, as it were, I'm going to tell you.
What my Son has done for me, and it's going to take a long time, it's going to take eternity and so through the eternal ages.
There the Father is going to relate to us what the Father of the Lord Jesus in his life and in His death has done for Him, not for us, but for him. That's the communion that He desires that we would be having even now.
To know that also to go back to that other thought, looking at 2nd Corinthians 1, to know the power of his resurrection enables 1 to go through suffering and persecution and even death. Notice what Paul says in verse 9, verse eight. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we're we were pressed out of measure above strength and so much that we despaired even of life.
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We thought we were going to die, he said, but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raises to death. Isn't that similar to the power of his resurrection, the God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great to death? He didn't die. He didn't. He wasn't raised. He was delivered from that gasoline and dust, delivered in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us. He did deliver us. He does deliver us, and he will deliver us.
He also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us He did not die. He was kept here for the good and blessing of the Saints, and they prayed to that end, and their prayer was answered. So he says that for the gift is sowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf. They could rejoice if Paul was scared that he was still with them, to to help them and to minister to them. He didn't die, but he.
He looked past death into resurrection should he go through death and that enabled him to to go through that to God's glory. And how many of the things that have given their lives, I'm sure they they looked on in the power of resurrection to that coming day when they will, when that will all be reversed and God will vindicate them in that day.
And that's what we get in verse 11, isn't it, of our chapter.
If by any means I might obtain as the resurrection of the dead.
And then he goes on to Savage 12, not as though I had already estimated were already perfect, but I follow after it that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. So he's, it's something he's pursuing here. It's a race that he's running and he hasn't attained it yet, but it's an object before his soul. And like it's been said, the object that we have before us forms our character.
Forms our lives and it's extremely important for us all to have a right object. And we live in such a distracting world, brethren, that I think it's important for us to have signs when we sit down and reflect on what is the object we are pursuing in life.
That even as an older person we need to do that from time to time and I just like to really impress on our young people the importance of.
Having the right object in life, I see so many young people seems like when they get up out of high school and think about college and a career, that a career is almost an objective before him. They say if that's your overall objective, you're going to be disappointed. It's not really a worthwhile objective for a Christian. We all have to do some kind of work in life saying that there's anything wrong with that. There's a lot of honest ways.
To earn a living. But that should not be your objective. Your objective should be like Paul brings before us here, something completely beyond this world, something in the glory. And so he says, I haven't attained it yet. Brethren, I'm pursuing it. And he says I follow after that. I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended in Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do.
Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth into those things which are before I press towards the mark for the prize, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In other words, it's the picture of an athlete. He's getting down towards the end.
And there is the goal in front of him. The prize is before him. Nothing else around makes too much difference. He's straining. All his energies are putting in to get to that goal.
There's single heartedness in this example. We have this here, this one thing I do. Like I say, we live in a distracting world and we get one thing before us and then we think of another thing and another thing, and we get all distracted.
It's important if you're running a race, to know where you're going and to concentrate on it. And brethren, it's important to concentrate on the goal that's set before us. This is the Christian's goal. This is the only goal that is worthy of a Christian. All other goals should be related to this goal, this overall objective in our lives. I think it's so important, like I said.
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It's our objective that forms our character.
And if you get your goals set right right from the beginning of your life, it makes your life such, so much more meaningful. So many young people in life that just don't seem to have any meaning in their life. Why not? They don't have any goals. They don't have any objective.
Consider the objective I challenge you, young person. Consider the objective that was before the soul of the apostle Paul.
Notice what it is the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. No greater prize to be desired in this life.
You know This is why it.
I, I work with, with electronic equipment measurement something and the stuff gets out of calibration and you can't trust what it tells you anymore. And you know when we come together to the prayer meeting, the reading meetings.
Kind of like a recalibration.
We get brought back because, well, as we walk in the world, our feet get dirty and we have great fantasies towards the world anyway, and so we we talk with the world.
And those thoughts get there long enough they start to make more and more sense.
So we need to be recalibrating.
We need to be with our brethren at prayer, music, you know, you come and you need your feet washed, you need heavenly things put before you. And then you have. Then you say, Oh yeah, the Lord compared us to sheep. Well, I'm not, I'm not a farmer. I've never been one. Don't know much. Some of the guys at work, they have their farmers, they have sheep, and I get a testimonial.
Once in a while they are still. That's what they tell me.
Well, the Lord compared us to sheep for a reason, and we need to be brought back often because we get off the path so fast.
So I saw a party to meet with your brazen to be at the prayer meeting at the.
Reading certainly the breaking of bread, but you really need them all.
To be brought back because you may have a big goal out in front of you in education, a job, a home we're talking about, you know what you would think would be the finer thing, but.
And and things that.
Well, things that, you know, I, I, I hesitate to say need. I certainly have a lot more than I need.
But we need that recalibration to be brought back and say, Oh yeah, now I remember what life is all about.
Because we get off the path, so we.
Of a recalibration. I'll give an example of it in verse 11. I'm going to read it in Mr. Darby's translation. Notice the difference, if any way. I arrive at the resurrection not of the dead, but from among the dead.
In fact, in the original it's it's even stronger. It's out from among the dead. Now that's the Christian resurrection. When we rise, when the Lord comes for us, we will rise. The rest of the dead will remain in the ground. They will not rise. Resurrection of the dead suggests that all go. And that's not the teaching of Scripture. He's talking about the Christian resurrection. He wants to arrive at the resurrection out from among the dead. And then again in verse 14, I pursue looking towards the goal for the prize. Notice the difference now of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus.
Yes, it's a high calling as the King James gives it, but that's not the force of it. It's not just that it's a high calling. It is that, but it's a calling on high. And the calling is to lead us into that scene on high where Christ is and to be associated with Him there. One day we're going to be with Him there. So it's the calling on time, and it's the resurrection from among the dead. That's one of the benefits of a reading we can correct.
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Some errors. The translation we use isn't perfect. None is perfect, even Mr. Darby's isn't perfect, but it's certainly an excellent one. And I would strongly recommend the young Brethren especially to read it and to compare translations because it's it's an excellent health and supplement to what we normally use. I just like to add this one point I certainly agree with.
All that's been said.
Got to make it a little simpler for the younger ones. I put it this way, the only thing that weakens me in my Christian life are the things that I willingly.
Willingly.
Put first.
The things that I do willingly, that those are the only things or putting it cleaner. The only thing that weakens me is the sins which I allow in my life. Now they may not be serious but put anything to wire or some rod at the Lord's table. I believe only for one reason and that is a person wants to do something more than to.
Be at the Lord's ****. Let's say if I go to the Lord's table, I have to give up. This, this, this.
And I don't want to well, I believe that our will is what weakens us and the the the verse that comes before me is the first Epistle of John chapter 5, verse 20. They loved if our heart condemn us not if I don't have a bad good conscience about anything I'm doing, then have a confidence toward God and whatever we ask, we receive.
I believe this is what weakens us and Satan encourages us to do what we want. That's the biggest sin of all, is it? Just to do what I want them? That, I believe is what weakens us and weakens the testimony to.
Just one thought before we finish.
An artist or that is a musical artist or otherwise, in order to achieve his goal will spend many hours a day.
Actually, on the piano, or whatever it may be, he has an earnest desire within him to attain unto.
A goal of perfection or what? As near as possible.
And the objects of the heart of the Saints of God, who is walking in the spirit and not fulfilling the desires of the flesh, who really, really wants to be happy?
And who really, really seeks to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, who died in their place and bore in his body all of the wrath of God against his sins?
If that person desires Christ, the beginning is.
What was read what Mike read in John chapter one Being born again, not of the will of the flesh.
Nor of the will of man.
But of God, that's the beginning. And then I have a desire within me to have peace with God, because numerous doesn't bring peace, but rather a troubled conscience, as we have in the 7th chapter of Romans.
A desire to do good, but not the power. Then they see Calvary and the the suffering was over.
At 3:00 in the afternoon that Friday. So they see Christ bearing his judgment entirely. Now then, I love that man who died for me, and it is my desire to walk with Him. There is a verse in the first Epistle of John, I think it's 314, which says we know that we have passed from death unto life.
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Born again.
Because we love the president.
One of the very, very important things in a believers life is to feed that new man.
And to share in the association of the other Saints we know we've passed and death in the life because we love the brethren. I go to mean.
For one reason, because I love the brethren, I love to be with God's people and I I know the Lord Jesus is present too. So I seek to learn of him and to know him better and to know his people better and share.
The things that they can give me and we gain one with another when we are together. So when I see a brother or sister who is indifferent towards the meetings and doesn't really care, especially whether they go or not, there are other things to them more important. I wonder where they are spiritually.
When he claws with him 252 five oh.
One Darius cares our hearts retire those deep and finalists their desire. We've now to please but one him before whom each knee shall bow with him.
All our business now and those that are his own.
250.
From various kids are.
Our heart.
Of our divine grief and.
In love.
More than ever.
More from.
Believing.
Fall downs breathing on our earth.
Our blessing God and our Father and doing this of our hearts and Thanksgiving this afternoon and the time that we could have together to read my word and be reminded to have all this desire our heart and we do pray that we mind each one of us have the right object. We know we all have an object for our heart and we pray that we might have that right object and so we commend this through the and thankfully.
Truth that we've been able to take in this afternoon.
With a friend and we make any good to our minds always a tremendous feeling and we just find linings or Jesus, you know.