Address—R. Pilkington
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The young people's meeting this afternoon.
Maybe some of us who are older ones always like to think we're young at heart too.
Whatever open the Word of God, there's abundance of meaning for each one of us.
I'd like to speak a few simple words this afternoon.
About plans.
Perhaps this is a meeting for the young people.
Young people.
Whose whole life lies before them.
And plans are necessary.
God doesn't expect us to go by hit and run.
But before I speak about plans, there are good plans, there are bad plans.
I like to speak a simple word.
To those of you who perhaps are younger.
I feel that this is.
A very deep concern of some of the dear young people.
First Samuel, chapter 3.
First Samuel, chapter 3.
Now you are very familiar with the story of Samuel.
Smother has taken them to the temple.
And left him there with Eli.
Samuel was not in a good environment. If you're interested in the story, take a look at the story and you'll see that Samuel's sons were very wicked men.
He wasn't in a good environment. He didn't have his mother.
To protect them and teach them. He didn't have his father.
Dear young person.
There's one thing that I feel very strongly about.
Very deeply about I know that the world in which you Live Today is a very evil 1.
Personally, I wouldn't go back.
And live my youth over again.
Things have changed since I was younger.
Dear young people, dear brothers and sisters, you have problems to meet.
And this is the gist of what I want to say to you this afternoon, that you must go to the Lord about.
There are some things that.
If a brother or sister, an older brother or sister is very close to the Lord and you ask them a question.
And I do value these older brothers and sisters in Christ who can open the word of God and say to me, here is a situation of what you've been talking about. Here's what God says about this situation.
What he likes, what he dislikes, how he says to react in such a situation.
But there's one thing old and young.
And that is, we must go to the Lord Jesus ourselves, personally.
But in First Samuel chapter 3, let's begin with verse one.
And the and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli, and the word of Lord was precious. In those days there was no open vision.
That came to pass at the time when Eli was laid down in his place.
And his eyes began to wax to him that he could not see, and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered Here, my.
This is a very extreme situation to be in.
The sons of Eli. No help would only lead the little boy, Samuel astray. No mother, no father.
Only Eli and the Lord.
The word of Lord was very precious in those days.
Dear young people, today the word of the Lord is very precious.
Have you found depression is preciousness of it?
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You must search and you must dig for yourself. You cannot. You cannot just sit there.
And expect to be spoon fed because the Lord Jesus expects us to grow.
And he expects you to get into the word of God for yourself, to look for answers.
The young person.
If you cannot get an answer.
From an older person like me, then you must look for it yourself.
Just because I cannot answer your question doesn't mean there's not an answer. There is. The Word of God is so full that there's always an answer for every situation in our lives.
Before the lamp of God had gone out.
Eli was lying down.
Eli's eyes were waxed in so they couldn't see.
Dear young brother and sister.
I value my older brothers and sisters in Christ so much.
Someday, dear young brother and sister, perhaps.
You will grow older and responsibility will come upon your shoulders and you will find out what a tremendous responsibility it is.
I wish you to have compassion and love for your older brothers and sisters in Christ.
And there's sometimes.
That the older brothers and sisters cannot answer your questions is a very to me, it's a very simple thing.
Every generation is different.
Every generation is different, you must, for your own personal life, look for your own answers. Not only that, dear younger brother and sister, I'll tell you another reason.
And that is if your older brothers and sisters in Christ were able to tell you all the answers to your problems.
You wouldn't need the Lord. All you need is your older brothers and sisters to give you all the answers God doesn't permit. God does not permit the older brothers and sisters to always have every answer.
You are also in the situation living in this generation.
Will you be like David?
Where asked says.
He lived according to the will of God in his own generation and fell asleep. That is a really high commendation. He lived in his own generation according to the will of God, and then he fell asleep. Will you live in this your generation according to the will of God? Will you be positive and not negative?
Will you be like the Lord Jesus himself, who was so positive always in his life?
Eli's eyes were waxed in, he couldn't see. The lamp of God had not gone out yet. There's still a testimony to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ on the face of this earth.
And Samuel?
Was laid down to sleep.
And then the Lord called Samuel.
And Samuel's reaction?
Was a very simple one and I covered it for you and for me this afternoon, he simply said Here I am.
If the Lord Jesus were to stand in this room tonight, this afternoon, and call your name personally, would you immediately respond, Here I am, Lord Jesus?
You know, some of us have children.
And you probably have the experience those who are older.
And you younger folk will understand this.
The parents call the child.
And the child doesn't hear.
But not really.
The child doesn't want to hear.
How beautiful I covet for you and for me, dear young person, so you might have a quick ear.
If the Lord Jesus would call. But now I want to comfort your heart, dear young person.
Verse five. And Samuel ran unto Eli, and said, Here I am for the callest me. And he said, I called not lie down again. And he went and laid down.
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A quick response.
When the Lord called his name, a quick response. Here I am immediately on his feet, running to Eli, but he went to the wrong person.
And so you lie. Just simply says go on like lie down again.
Let me go down a little bit farther before I tell you what I want to say to you. Verse 6.
And the Lord called yet again Samuel.
And Samuel rose and went to Eli, and said, Here I am, for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not my son, lie down again. Verse 7.
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed.
Unto him.
A young person I can look back in my own life in my teenage years.
Where I was not 100% aware of what the Lord Jesus was saying to me.
I would look at some other people and I would say.
Well, you know that older brother, that older sister, you know they they pray and they get answers to the prayer on me. I go on and on and on and on and I never seem to get an answer.
What's wrong with me?
You do go through a stage after a save.
And I do not wish to apply this first seven. Samuel did not yet know the Lord.
He was called by the Lord, he belonged to the Lord, he was to be a great prophet.
Dear young person, one thing you do know.
Like that man?
Said one thing I do know. Before I was blind, now I can see.
The young person, can you say one thing I do know I was a Sinner.
But I know that this afternoon Jesus has died for me, my sins.
Are lost clean.
That's the starting point, but after that, when you are saved, and I'm speaking primarily to those of you are saved, dear young people, brother and sister in Christ.
Sometimes there is a time when you go through and you don't seem to be getting too much, you don't seem to be getting too many prayers answered.
Somebody like Samuel right here, it says the Lord called him once and he called him twice.
But Samuel didn't realize that it was really the Lord calling him. Dear younger brother and sister, I want to comfort your heart this afternoon. Your whole life is ordered by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even in the very minutus, the tiniest little things.
The Lord Jesus cares for you.
He cares what kind of a dress you wear.
He cares whether you play football or not. He cares what your tastes are.
If you only knew.
If you only knew, dear young person, I trusted this afternoon that you will think about it how much the Lord Jesus loves you and how much He cares for you. Can you stop for a minute dear young person and look backward and try and pick out the blessings that God has given to you. May be a Christian father and mother.
Maybe you are in high school. They're very happy studying where you are. Maybe you are in a job.
And you never thought too much about it, but things just seemed to open up and that's the job you're doing.
The Lord Jesus is caring for you all the way.
But it comes the time in your development.
When the Lord Jesus wants to speak very personally to you, He wants you to understand certain things. He wants to be able to communicate with you very easily.
Sometimes we wonder.
Does that mean that the Lord Jesus is going to shout out of heaven to me? No, you won't hear any voice.
Does that mean that I'm going to see some big miracle in my life happen so that I know that Jesus is always beside me? I don't think so, because if you do, if you get a voice from heaven or you get a miracle, you'll start trusting in that and not in the Lord Jesus Himself.
Quite often the most simplest things, the most simple way for the Lord Jesus to speak to you or to me is through the Word of God. But how does He speak to us? Through the Word of God?
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This is only my experience and I'm not very old in some aspects.
But for me to speak, to take up the word of God, sometimes when I'm reading down through, suddenly a verse will catch my eye.
For some strange reason, the verse seems to have some hidden meaning in it.
I will be listening and meeting.
It can be negative or positive, both. Sometimes I will hear someone say something.
And it seems to mean a lot. The verse just seems to stick out.
You know what to do, dear young person, open your Bible and read the whole passage.
Perhaps you are praying to the Lord Jesus about some particularly important decision, because I want to speak in a minute about plans, some important decision in your life.
You want to know which colleagues to go to. You want to know which work should you be involved in?
To have no job, now you're looking for one.
You want to know, the first thought that comes to your mind is that I know that I will never find a verse in the Bible that says you should be a mechanic, you should be an engineer, you should work in Chicago, you should work on the West Coast in California. You say, I know I'm not going to find those kind of verses in the Bible.
But there are certain details in the Word of God that when you're listening to someone speaking, sometimes a verse was sort of stick in your mind. The young person, hold on to it, hold on to it. Probably it's the Lord calling you.
Come back to the story, Samuel Fiddle. Samuel. Can you imagine him lying quietly in the ark or in the inner part there near the ark? Little Samuel? Suddenly he's very, I want to say first of all, he's very peacefully asleep. He's sleeping very quietly. Maybe your life up until now has been a very peaceful and a quiet one. There hasn't been much to decide. And then suddenly some decision comes. It seems as if you must make a decision.
Sometimes in your ordinary light.
Things seem to go along so smoothly and then all of a sudden, bang, something happens.
I feel in my own heart it's the voice of God calling to me.
I don't believe in miracles, but I do believe in one thing. I was just telling the folks yesterday, the day before I left Hong Kong.
We are picking up the summer school kids and we get to the last stop and oh, flat tire.
So they all run into the air conditioning home while I'm out there sweating, changing the tire. You know, dear young person, every time I have to change a flat tire, it comes into my mind.
Not that God has particularly something to say to me, but I begin to wonder. I wonder if I was driving too fast. I wonder if the Lord did give me a flat tire made that I would have gone whizzing into some car or done something. Maybe the Lord Jesus is stopping me for some reason. I don't know what it is. I don't try to force his hand and say, OK Lord, you give me a flat tire, now you got to tell me why you give me a flat tire. Don't force him, don't force him. He will tell you when it's time.
But have that heart.
Of little boy Samuel the Minute.
He heard that call.
Here am I.
How many days? How many times today, dear young person?
Have you said it today to the Lord Jesus? Here, Mine, I'm right here. Anything to say to me?
So I encourage your heart, little boy. Samuel didn't know the Lord.
He wasn't as fast perhaps as he was later on. God didn't speak to him so directly as he was later on and when the call came. But there was one thing. He was ready to listen. He was ready to listen. Are you ready to listen? Do you have all your plans made? Would you rather not have the Lord speak to you about your life, about your friends, about everything about your life? How could you say here, my Lord, I'm just standing right here. I'd like to hear what you have to say to me.
It's a serious thing. It's a serious thing because if the Lord speaks to you very directly, then there's a responsibility upon you to obey. But this is an obedient little boy. The minute he hears the call, he doesn't say 40 more winks. He is immediately on his feet and running.
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I covered that for you and me, dear young brother and sister, that immediate heart that wants to hear what the Lord Jesus says.
Firstly, and the Lord called Samuel again the third time, and he arose and went to Eli and said, here am I.
For thou didst call me, and Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
So now Eli discovers after several times.
Three times is it? I'm not sure. I think it's three times. I didn't count them that the Lord must be calling this young child.
Dear older brother and sister.
Are you quick?
To see that the Lord Jesus is calling some younger person. Are you quick?
To give a word of comfort.
Perhaps there is no word to be spoken. Perhaps all it needs is understanding, a sense of understanding and a law.
Perhaps all you need to do is put your arm around someone and give them a squeeze and not say anything.
Older, dear older brother and sister. Those of us who are younger value that very deeply.
We're in the fight now, Energy.
Is for you.
Wisdom For those of you who are older, can you share some of your wisdom in a loving way with us? Can you give us a hand?
Dear young person.
Here's the old man, Eli. Now he understands what it is. He doesn't try to interfere. He just simply says it's the Lord calling you. That's the instruction.
Verse 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go lie down.
And it shall be that if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, and called, as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak.
For thy servant here.
I think one of the most enjoyable experiences for me in life is to sit in the midst of a group of young people.
I feel very inadequate and very humble.
Because I know that I don't understand you, dear young people, and what you have to go through, what you are needing to meet.
But I want you to be strong, I want you to cleave to the Lord Jesus, and all else will be OK. Eli doesn't interfere, he just commits.
Young Samuel, go and lie down. When the voice comes again, just say speak, Lord, for thy servant hear it.
Now if you look at the.
Answer of Samuel When the Lord called that fourth time, he didn't say what Eli told him to say. Did you notice it? He left some out.
Eli told him to say, Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth. But when Samuel answered, he said, Speak for thy servant, hear it.
He knew he belonged to the Lord. He knew he was a servant. You dear young people, you know that you belong to the Lord Jesus. I know that in your heart.
I'm sure that there is a desire to do something for him.
I will come to that in a minute.
But.
He only said speak.
For your servant here, he left out the word Lord. Dear young person, this is something that you must face in your life. The Lord Jesus is Lord of your life. He has the right.
To order your life according to his own will.
Now that doesn't sound a very happy message.
In our hearts we say I want to do what I want to do. I don't particularly wish to submit.
Here, young person, let me present it.
You in a very simple way.
A boy says to a girl.
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Will you marry me?
Says OK, they get married.
Have you seen marriages?
Dear young people, some are happy, very happy. It's a pleasure to be in the presence of a happy couple. Others.
It seems as if they're always fighting.
Let me say only one thing. I'm not talking about marriage. I only want one thing.
I think.
I'm not all that old, but I think that if a husband loved his wife and cherished her and cared for it in every little detail, it would be a pleasure for that wife to be submissive.
To her husband.
The word of God.
Warns us who are husbands not to be harsh.
To have that sense of graciousness and that love that looks to every little detail.
And so, dear young person, I want to say to you, if you only knew, if you only knew how much the Lord Jesus loves you and how much he cares for you, you'll be very, very happy to submit to him.
My own experience, dear young person, because we can only talk about our own life.
Try it sometimes.
Try it sometime.
When there's something particularly that you don't really wish to do and yet you feel in your heart that God is calling you to do something and you don't particularly want to do it.
Come to him freely and say Lord Jesus.
I know how much you love me, and I know that what you would have for me is always best.
When you get older, you'll appreciate that I know that what you have for me is always best, but down inside, I don't want to do it.
Want to do what myself wants to do.
And you'll find that if you are willing to be completely honest with the Lord Jesus and confess to Him.
That his way is best.
But in your heart, you don't want to do it.
That the Lord Jesus has ways, and he has means of making us willing.
He will show us certain things.
He will help us to get past that hard part and once we get past that hard part.
And get far enough along, make sure you turn around and take a look, and you'll always be happy that you're obedient to the Lord. So Samuel answered. Speak.
For thy servant here.
We are finished with this passage, but let me give you a little tiny jewel from the Chinese.
This is something I particularly value from the Chinese Bible it says.
Speak for thy servant, heareth. Now, I don't know if it's just because Chinese people are more polite or what it is, but the translation says this.
Please speak, Your servant is respectfully listening.
I enjoyed that. Please speak, please speak. Go ahead, please go ahead and speak. Your servant is respectfully listening. What's your attitude when the Lord Jesus wants to speak to you? Is it a respectful 1?
Instead of Humble 1 knowing that he knows best, I covered that for you and for me.
I would like to turn just for a minute now to.
James chapter 4. James chapter 4.
So I wanted to just say to you before in First Samuel, as you grow older, don't be discouraged if you don't seem to understand what the Lord Jesus is saying to you. Keep on.
Have a heart like Samuel, an obedient heart that is willing, and the Lord Jesus will lead you in the proper way. And as you become more and more mature than you too, when you pick up the Word of God, your Bible, the Bible, the Word of God, you too will begin to see much deeper meaning in it, and you will understand what He is saying to you personally. James, chapter 4.
Go to now ye that stay.
Verse 13 Go to now ye that say today or tomorrow.
We will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain, whereas you know not what shall be on the Morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for little time, and then vanishes away. For that he ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. But now you rejoice in your boastings.
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All such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knows to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
The young person sometimes.
Our life seems to go along smoothly and quietly, and sometimes we get into a path without particularly having come to the Lord Jesus and said, is this what you want me to do now? There are certain decisions, stereo young person that don't take much thought if you were asked me.
If I was to ask you, turn it around, suppose I asked you, is it the will of God that I should remember the Lord in his death? But that doesn't take much thought. The Lord Jesus says in Luke chapter 22. I don't know what it says in English, but it says in Chinese. You ought to do this in remembrance of me. That doesn't take much thinking.
But there are other decisions that are not so clear cut and there are other things that sometimes when they get too busy in our life.
And we're sleeping along the way and suddenly we come to a decision and we have to make it.
And we make a very regretfully sometimes saying, well, I'm not 100% sure that I've really made the right decision.
If that should be the case, dear young person, here is a verse.
Now here's someone who had great plans and they said today and tomorrow we'll go into such a city and we'll stay there for a year. Very clear cut plan. We'll go to the city, we'll go to the city, we'll stay there one year and we'll spell buy and sell and get gained. There's a time limit, there's a place and there's an exact plan of how to carry out this thing.
But he says here, you don't even know.
What is your life? It's just a vapor.
Verse 15 is even more humorous. You know, there's lots of humorous points in the Bible just around the little points that I I love so much. Verse 15 is very ironic for that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live.
How times that, how many times have you prayed like that? Suppose I'm in Hong Kong and I like to come to Chicago Conference. I don't think I got down my knees and said, Lord, if I'm still living when the Chicago Conference comes around, why, it's your will. I, I, I'd like to go, you know.
Very, very ironical, isn't it? But we missed these little points. We missed these little points because sometimes we get away from the Lord. And so if you're into a plan and so on and you're going along.
Why don't you add on, if the Lord will, if the Lord will, Samuel said here, my, I'm right here, Lord, what would you like? And so I encourage your heart that if you are now in a plan, in a life and you look back with a little bit of regret and say, I'm not absolutely sure that when I made that decision it was the Lord's mind. I couldn't even say right now. I'm sure that what I'm doing now is the Lord's mind. That's the best, isn't it? That's the ultimate, but I'm not absolutely sure like that.
Then why don't you add onto your little plan? If the Lord will, if I should live, and if the Lord will, I'll do this and I'll do that.
But verse 16 gives us the key. Verse 16 gives us the key. What was wrong with these few verses? But now you rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil. So they're boasting that they were going to go into a city and they had a set plan and it was just going to work. So nice. The young person sometimes the Lord Jesus in his very graciousness.
Destroys a plant.
I have a relative.
Whom both he and his girlfriend were asphyxiated and both died together.
To me, a very private thought.
Looking at his life and he was a Christian. His uncle asked him are you a Christian? He looked at his uncle and he said yes.
And in his head hung down and he said, not a very good one, no.
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And of course, that that young boy and his girlfriend has said would only land them in sorrow for the rest of their life.
And sometimes the Lord Jesus destroys our clients for our own good.
But let's not be boasting in our wonderful plan. Let's put that little thing on the end, if the Lord will, that I should live.
And if it's his will, I'll do this or that. Verse 17 in the ending of this passage.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not to him it is sin.
To me that belongs with the whole thing.
Sometimes we don't know about a lot of big plans and so on, but sometimes there's something before us and we know that we ought to do it. Then do it because it says if you know to do it and you don't do it, it's sin. So there are some simple things in your life. Take a look through your life.
The big plans may not all be solid. You might always be able to see very, very clearly where you're going.
Take a look in your life and say, is there anything that I should be doing right now and I'm not?
If there is, go ahead and do it.
Let me turn to a man who had great plans.
And they were smashed. Luke chapter 22.
Verse 31.
And the Lord said to Simon.
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee both to prison and to death.
And he, Jesus, said, I tell thee, Peter, the **** shall not crow this day. Before that thou shalt deny thrice deny that thou knowest me.
The Lord Jesus warned Peter that he was weak.
OK, young person, there's a thing that I had to come to cope with.
Never be afraid of feeling weak.
Is a beautiful first in Second Corinthians or is it First Corinthians? Probably Second Corinthians chapter 12. You look it up.
My Grace.
Is sufficient for the My Grace?
In Chinese it says my grace is enough for your use.
I won't run out on you because.
My strength is perfectly revealed on human weakness.
Don't be afraid.
Are feeling weak.
Don't be a coward. Don't be a coward. Take up your responsibilities.
Be obedient to the Lord Jesus when He tells you to do things. Have the courage to be obedient to the Lord Jesus, but don't be afraid of feeling weak.
The Lord Jesus specifically warned Peter here.
That Satan wanted to sift him.
But he said I prayed for you so that your faith fail not.
And Peter had great plans, he said. Lord, I am ready to go with thee both, both to prison and to death.
He thought he was going to do something really good. You know, some of our plans are selfish plans just for me.
Peter's plan was not a selfish plan, it was for the Lord Jesus He wanted to protect.
The Lord Jesus, he said if you're going to go to prison and to death, I'll go right with you. I'll stay right with you.
But he didn't realize that wasn't God's plan for him.
And so he has to be warned very severely said tonight before the clock crows yield Denami three times.
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But in other places we see that Peter.
Does not admit such a thing. He had his own plan.
He even said even though all the rest deny you, I won't do that, which made it even worse.
First number.
Verse #50.
Verse #50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered, and said, Suffer ye thus far, And he touched his ear, and healed him.
Peter was not a coward.
He had his sword. He was up against a good crowd of people with staves and sword. He was going to fight to death for Jesus. He wasn't a coward. Don't ever look down on Peter. He loved Jesus and he was willing to give his life. But there's one thing that Peter couldn't do, and that was to simply stand there and let them arrest him, catch him or kill him. He'd fight to death if he could.
He grabbed the sword. We learned from other, other places. He was going to fight to death for Jesus to take care of him. He was going to go to prison to death with Jesus if he had to put up a fight. But he didn't know how weak a person can be if they're in the right situation. Dear young person, stay close to the Lord Jesus. Talk to him lots. If he tells you things, you nod your head. Don't shake your head.
He wants to help you. He wants to make you even poor old Peter, the Lord Jesus. Imagine when Peter thought back on it. Jesus said, I prayed for you. A personal prayer for Peter by the Lord Jesus Christ. And I can tell you that this afternoon, dear young person, you may feel that some don't care for you, but there is one who does care for you and that's your precious Savior and he's praying.
In heaven this afternoon for you. He knows your weakness, He knows what you find so hard, and He's praying for you this afternoon. Let your faith fail not.
Let's jump down.
To where Peter denies Jesus.
Verse 60.
It doesn't matter for time wise, let's jump down to verse 6159 and 60. He denies him. 61 The Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that he had said unto him before the **** crow, Thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept bitterly.
To a young person, when you read these verses, think about the actual fact. Think if it had been you standing there and you had denied the Lord Jesus three times. Suddenly Jesus turned around and looked at you. Would it be an angry look? No, it would be a look of understanding, of love.
I don't know what kind of look it would have been, but I sure touched Peter's heart. It made him remember the word. And he turned around and went out and he wept bitterly.
I don't desire this for you, dear young person. I desire that you might walk through this world as you become more and more mature, becoming more able to quickly discern what is the Lord's mind, just enjoying His quiet presence when things start to go wrong.
Dear Samuel fast asleep at night, suddenly someone wakes him and things start to go wrong in your life not getting.
All tensed up about it, but turning back to the Lord Jesus and said did you have something to say to me? Sorry I was kind of busy then I'd be very happy if you'd say what you had to say what you want to say to me. Find some quiet time. You can get down on your knees and quietly pray. Sometimes you might kneel on your knees until it gets sore. OK, we'll get out in in the open. Get out in the open where it's quiet under a nice big tree in the sunshine any anywhere where it's quiet and just maybe walk along without even closing your eyes and just be.
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Thinking, meditating quietly, talking to the Lord Jesus and saying I'm free right now. Or would you like to say something to me? Take your Bible with you, scan through it. If there's something you think of, open it up, read it.
Now, last of all, we have no time. Our time is gone. John, chapter 21.
Peter's plans.
Are gone, destroyed. He couldn't stand up because he forgot to pray. He wasn't resting on the Lord Jesus to make his plans come true and he wasn't able to stay with the Lord Jesus. John stood with the Lord Jesus and the Lord Jesus gave to him his mother to take care of, but Peter ended in disgrace. He ended in disgrace.
Tears. Bitter tears.
The Lord Jesus rose again.
Chapter 21.
Verse 15 So when they had dying, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jodus, Lovest thou me more than these? He said unto him, Ye Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed my lambs.
Peter had said, everybody else may deny you, but I sure won't. And so the first time the Lord Jesus is talking to him, he says, do you love me more than these do? Is your love greater for me than these other ones? Peter doesn't say yes, I love you more than the rest of these. Had he learned his lesson? I don't know.
But all he said is yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
Now we have no time. You know what happens next? The Lord Jesus says to him second time.
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He doesn't say more than these this time. He just says Do you love me?
Peter didn't boast this time when the Lord Jesus said, do you love me more than these? He said, sure, I love you more than these. He didn't say that. He just said, yes, you know that I love you. So the second time the Lord Jesus, it seems to me, says to him, do you love me?
He saith unto him, Ye Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Verse 17. He saith unto him, the third time, Simon son of Jonas loves thou be. Peter was grieved because he said to unto him the third time, Lovest thou me?
Can't you see, poor old Peter? You know, if someone asks you a question and you told them the answer and they said what, what did you say?
And you told them again, they said what?
Then that second time means I don't really believe you.
Peter's heart was touched this time.
He knew that the display in his life wasn't very commendable. If people were looking at Peter and John and they asked which one loves Jesus more, of course people would say John because Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times. His heart is touched.
Look at his touching answer in the middle of verse 17. And he saith unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee.
He said to Jesus, said to him. Peter said to the Lord Jesus, you are the all knowing one.
You know that I love you. In other words, unless.
You were an all knowing person. You sure wouldn't know that I loved you.
His heart is touched, but the Lord Jesus is not scolding him, but he wants to reach his heart. And dear young person, if you have done wrong, if you've made great plans, they've failed, went up in flames. I want to encourage you that maybe it's the Lord Jesus calling to you. Maybe there was nothing wrong with the plan itself. Maybe it was simply the fact that you didn't go to the Lord Jesus, you didn't seek His blessing, his his, his company with you in that plan.
And so dear Peter, wonderful plan to protect his precious Savior didn't work because he didn't have the Lord's mind. And when the Lord Jesus speaks to him, he said well.
Because you are an all knowing one. You know that deep down, right in my heart, I do love you. You know some of us are failing.
Others can point fingers at us, but let this ever be a comfort to you.
The Lord Jesus looks deep down in your heart, and he knows that you love him.
Pressing and closing again 318.
00:50:01
First thing, second verse, it is only in the hiding.