Montreal Conference: 1982
Table of Contents
Liberty and Responsibility
Address—G. Berry
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Could we begin our meeting this afternoon by singing one we know very well?
#172.
Hymn #172.
Oh, teach us more of Thy blessed ways, Thou holy Lamb of God, and fix and root us in Thy grace as those redeemed by blood.
Engraved this deeply on our hearts with an eternal pen, that we may in some small degree return thy love again.
#172.
With some.
Small.
Our heads in.
We're all here.
In this room together with.
Several things in common, but there is one thing that we all have in common.
And that is that we are living today.
This month of October 1982 and we have.
A little time, perhaps before us. We don't know whether it'll be days or weeks or years. We leave that to God, but we do have that short time that is before us.
For many of us in this room, we have also in common.
The fact that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been redeemed by Him and we belong to Him, and He has a claim on us.
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We have also liberty. We have God has given us the liberty to choose.
But along with that liberty, along with any privilege, there is responsibility, isn't there?
And so.
Dear young people.
As you lookout over the time that may be left to you.
What's the best advice we can give you?
Do it in the presence of the Lord who loves you.
And do it conscious of the claim that he has on you because of his love.
There will be consequences in your life for the choices you make, and in our lives I believe there sometimes comes a point at which we make a major choice.
To live for the Lord.
To give our time to him.
To simply respond to Him. But there are also in our lives many choices to be made and we need each time to make such choices, don't we? With those same.
Measurements before us under those same conditions.
So I'd like to turn now to a well known passage in Ephesians chapter 2.
To see what God has to say about the rest of our lives.
Before we read.
This verse.
Could we just say this, that there are two words that we hear often and they're very important for a Christian too, especially a Christian, a young Christian, and they are outlook and viewpoint. Now outlook is that which we see when we look out, isn't it? We see all around us something that is there. That's the outlook.
The other side of it is viewpoint and that is the point from which we look at it.
And we don't have to think very long before we realize that our outlook depends on our viewpoint, doesn't it? What we see when we look out depends upon the point from which we look out upon it.
And one of the most serious dangers for any Christian, and especially young Christians, is our viewpoint. The point from which you look out on your life, the point from which you look out on the world around you, the point from which you look out on your family, others in your assembly.
In the church.
Throughout the world, the point from which you lookout upon all of this is going to influence and color what you see when you look out.
Then how important it is for us to be sure that we are at the right point generally as we look out on our lives and especially when some issue is before us, whether it's personal or whether it has to do with our families or relationships with others, whether it has to do with the assembly and matters that may come up there. Why is it that we may have different opinions?
On some matters, simply because we're not looking at it from the same point, what is the point, then, from which we ought to look out? That point is the presence of God, the presence of the Lord.
Just to illustrate very simply.
How many times has something happened to you?
Someone, maybe a friend has said something to you, done something that.
Hurt something that didn't please you, something that produced a reaction in you that perhaps was even forced you to say or made you say, resulted in your saying things that you really shouldn't have said. But then you go on from that point. There's that initial reaction, and then the next thing naturally to do is what we know very well. The next thing to do is to seek out someone who'll look upon that.
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Thing that happened the same way we will.
And we'll tell them about that person and we'll share our displeasure with them, and we'll say things again that we may discover later are not according to the Scripture and not in the spirit of Christ. So what do we do? What is the right thing to do in such a case? Before we go and talk to anyone else, go first. Before you talk to anyone, go first.
Quietly, alone and talk to the Lord. Go right into the presence of God. Spend 5 minutes, maybe half an hour, maybe longer in the presence of God about that matter and about that person. What will happen? You know, we've all had that experience when we come away from that place of having been in the light of the presence of God. We see that person and we see that matter very differently than we first did, don't we?
So that's just a little example that we've all experienced of how important viewpoint is, how important it is then to put ourselves to go deliberately and simply into the presence of God and to be in the company of our Lord Jesus and to begin to see things and people through his eyes. We begin to see them as He does. And that makes all the difference. And so in considering for a few moments this afternoon, your life.
That may yet be before you how important even as we're sitting in this room where the scriptures before us, not only to have the instruction of the Bible as it were, but to be recognizing that it is indeed the word of God. It is what the Lord Jesus would say to you and we want to receive it as in his presence and then having listened to it, having.
Been under the sound and influence of the scriptures to go away.
With this that we may have heard and to take it back personally into His presence.
And to allow Him to apply it by His Spirit to our hearts. It doesn't always happen that way, does it?
We like to talk this way and act as if it always happened that way, but we know it isn't so. But oh how blessed, how happy it is when it does happen that way, and how we need the exhortation that we would do just that in the simplicity of what we know is right. But oh, how we need to be reminded to do what we already know is right now. Let's look then at Ephesians chapter 2.
And verse 10.
For we are his workmanship.
Created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them.
Now this subject of works and good works and doing is one that we need to be careful about. It's one that perhaps sometimes, because we know that devotion to the Lord and communion with Him comes before going out and doing, as we've often heard, it's we must go in first before we go out to serve. But because of that, sometimes we may neglect this other side.
That is so clearly in the scriptures.
If we dare to take it up out of context or out of balance and without understanding and appreciating the necessity of only looking at this.
With an understanding of the need for communion, well, if we don't do that, we're going to be in trouble. But if we do?
Take it up, conscious of the need to be in communion with the Lord.
Continually, then, we do well to heed these exhortations that are there for us for the rest of the time that God has left us here. He has left us here, hasn't He? He hasn't taken us into the Father's house the moment He saved us. And He's left us each here yet a little longer because He has something for us to do as well as something for us to learn from Him during our life here. Some He takes home earlier in life than others.
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That's his choice in his wisdom.
If He has left you and me here a little longer, then let us discover, Let us want to know in an ongoing way why He's done that. Let's read that verse again. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained, that we should walk in them.
So were His creation. Anything that we can do for the Lord is only the result of what He has made of us, what He has made us, and therefore what He will produce in us or through us.
But there is that responsibility on our part to respond.
To this that he tells us here. But there is a word here that is one of the earliest we learn by experience, and it's the word walk.
Life and our living it for the Lord isn't one great step, is it?
It isn't one act, it isn't one big thing that we may do, one big service we may perform for the Lord. It is walking and it says which God is before ordained that we should walk in them, not even run. Notice it says walk here. And so walking involves several things. It involves taking one step and then another. It involves direction, doesn't it? Because if we're walking, we're going somewhere.
And so direction is very important, and it also involves a third thing, and that is balance. We have two feet that the Lord has given us in the wisdom of His creation. They provide balance, don't they?
And so walking for the Lord also requires that balance, and we find that balance.
All through the scriptures and it's to be applied to our lives as we walk through the various aspects of our lives.
There are many verses in the Scripture which the cynic would say are contradictions, but we who have come to trust the Word of God and to know that it is the Word of God and that we rely upon it, we know that they're not contradictions. Those verses complement each other. They go together. One example that we find in the last chapter of Galatians where we find the two right together in the same chapter.
Or you know what?
Every man shall bear his own burden. And then just a few verses away.
Bury one another's burdens. Just an example of that balance that is there.
So we need that balance, don't we? We need constantly to be going to the wisdom of the Scriptures that we might be walking in the right direction and with that balance.
Now we have in the Scriptures some examples of those who walked in such a way, and I suppose the greatest New Testament example, apart from the Lord Himself, is the Apostle Paul. Could we turn before we go any further to the end of his walk in this world? Second Timothy.
Chapter 4.
Verses 6:00 and 7:00.
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course. I believe those that's a little more accurate translation. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but to all them also that love His appearing.
So here then, at the end of the life of this apostle, the one that God called and to whom he gave a very particular ministry.
Here's the end of his life.
And you know, that brings up a point, doesn't it, that we particularly as young people, you young people need especially to have before you because one of the dangers as young people, and this is.
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A difficulty that arises.
When older ones speak to younger ones, people around us speak of the generation gap, and it exists and can exist if we're not careful among us who know the Lord too. That is that when we get to middle age and older.
Especially now that we see things developing as they are in the world, we older ones are inclined to say, well, the worst is over, the Lord is coming soon, and I just have the rest of my life to live. And we'll trust the Lord for that. That's a danger for us older ones. But it also presents a difficulty when we endeavor to speak to you young ones, because if we remember what it was like when we were young, we know that when you're in your teens or your early 20s.
You have the zeal for life, you have life stretching out before you. And though you may not have a plan for your life, some do, yet you do perhaps unconsciously have the thought that you have still the whole of life stretching out before you. And there are so many opportunities and so many things to do. And you know what I mean. As you lookout now, it requires for the young Christian.
Great care lest he should be caught up. And it happened so easily in the same outlook as all those other young people that you're with every day. And so we go back to comment earlier about viewpoint. You have the same outlook. You look out as every other young person does on your life that's before you. And unless you're careful of your viewpoint, then even what your life may hold for you the way you look at the rest of your life.
Is just naturally, unless it's done on the basis of Scripture and in the presence of the Lord, you're going to look at it just the same way as those around you. And even if you have the desire to look out on it the right way, the influences of this world and of your friends are going to be brought to bear on you constantly and repeatedly. And so how important it is then right from this point to look out on your life and say here, here's the viewpoint that the scriptures give me.
Concerning the rest of my life, whether you're 25 or 20 or 15 or 12.
And you know the Lord, This is the way the Lord would have you lookout. Let's read it again now against that background.
We are his workmanship.
Created. That's in Ephesians 2.
In Christ Jesus unto good works. But now having said that, let's consider the apostle Paul. We've seen how he finished his course. And as we think of his life, and we have, we're sitting in a meeting now this afternoon. We're not distracted by those other influences. And no doubt most of us do have a sincere desire to please the Lord with the rest of our life.
And so when we turn to this little statement by the apostle at the end of his life, we would all like, as we look down to the end of our life, we like to be able to say the same words, wouldn't we? We really have that desire. The Lord knows that sincere desire that's in our hearts, that we would at the end of our course, be able to say the same thing as he did. He was a man like we are.
But it doesn't just happen. It doesn't just happen.
Could we look just for a moment now at what happened at the beginning of this man's life to see one of the things that contributed to his being able to say this at the end? Turned to Acts Chapter 9.
We know the story well, so we won't take time to read it. How the apostle was on the way with his heart filled with an objective. He had an object, he had an objective, and all he could think of was that nothing distracted him from that objective to deal with those who had taken the name of Jesus. He hated them. He hated the name of Jesus, and he hated that person who bore the name of Jesus, the Lord himself. He was.
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Obsessed, we might say, with this objective.
Could the Lord do anything with such a man? He did.
And so we know, as he went on that road, the great light shone, and he fell to the ground, and he heard a voice. Let's just read it.
Verse four. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
Let's just stop there.
This is Saul on the way to Damascus, and his mind and heart are filled.
With this hatred and enmity and purpose. And the light arrests him, and he recognizes it, and he falls to the ground. But the next thing is that he hears a voice. He hears a voice.
And I know that the Lord doesn't always address each one of us in such a striking way as He did in the life of Paul, but nonetheless, the voice is there. Sooner or later, the Lord Himself will speak right to you. He will. I'm sure He has already. What have you done when you heard that voice speak to you?
What was Paul's or Saul's reaction when he heard that voice? First reaction was.
It's the Lord. It's the voice of authority, the voice of authority, and I must bow to it. When you've heard that voice speak to you in whatever way He has chosen to speak to you, have you begun there? Have you recognized the authority of that voice?
And so he responds, calls him Lord, but he says more. He says, Who art thou, Lord?
Now I feel that.
Saul may have at that instant begun to wonder if after all, this voice that spoke with such authority and whom he know to be Lord, wasn't Jesus, the very one whose name he hated. But he still asked, Who art thou, Lord? And you know that's where it all begins. That's where the change began. In Paul's case, his life was changed from that moment.
What changed it that question and the sincere desire that went with the question to have the answer, Who art thou, Lord?
He dared to ask that question, though he may have wondered if it was Jesus. He dared to ask that question, knowing that the answer that came back would come back with just as much authority.
Would you, can I say it? Would you dare? Have you dared to ask the Lord, your Lord, that same question? Who art thou, Lord? Do you really want to know who the Lord is? Do you really want to know not only that He's Jesus, your Savior, but do you want Him to tell you that he's also your Lord? He'll do it lovingly. The problem is not with Him. We know The problem is with us, isn't it?
For reasons of our own, those selfish reasons something.
Keeps us back from asking that question openly and sincerely. Who art thou, Lord? Who art thou Lord?
That's what He wants you to do. And I know, I'm sure that that has been a hindrance in so many of our lives from our youth on through as we get older, we are afraid to ask the Lord that question. Who art thou, Lord?
Well, he got his answer.
And the answer was simple, wasn't it? I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.
Now it was a two fold answer. I am Jesus. So it was settled quickly and simply. It was Jesus, this name that he had hated. But more than that, attached to it was something else, a message directed to that man. I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. And as we've often heard in that little clause that was added.
Was the message from the heart of the Lord Jesus concerning those that belong to him. And when the this man saw persecuted the redeemed of the Lord, the members of his body, as they already were, they were persecuting, he was persecuting the Lord.
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And so he said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. And so when the Lord speaks to us, he'll tell us who he is. But there will be more connected with it, more connected with it. And we want to hear what he has to say, don't we? Along that line? But now it can't stop there. No sooner has the Lord answered what to say, don't we along that line, but now it can't stop there. No sooner has the Lord answered him and said.
I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. But there is a further question.
It prompts the next question.
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And that question came because he had received that first answer. Think of what transpired in those few brief moments. We don't know how long it took between the time he got the answer to his first question and he asked his second question. We don't know. But in that short space of time, think of the change that took place in him. Think of what had to happen to that.
Collection.
Of thoughts and emotions and feelings and so on that were so totally his life. They all had to change. They all had to go and they did. And so when he asked the second question, he wasn't asking it carelessly. He asked it out of the the fruit that the Lord had produced in him through his answer to the first question.
Who art thou, Lord? And he got his answer. And then came the next question. Lord.
What wilt thou have me to do now? Sometimes we ask the question that Paul asked the second question, but we leave out part of it, don't we? How often have we gone in prayer when we have a problem and asked God to guide us? We've asked for guidance, we've asked for help, and perhaps we've even used the name of the Lord and said, Lord, what should I do?
But I believe there's more to it than that.
Paul, when he used the name of the Lord at the beginning of his second question, didn't do it carelessly.
He did it as the one who had just learned who that Lord was.
And in all the power of that.
He asked the second question, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And so?
Then at this point, this very day, as you lookout on your life, would you ask those two questions, though you may know the Lord already as your Savior, would you ask him who art thou Lord? And really be open for Him to tell you all He has to say about Himself in relationship to you and to the others, because that's what He did here. I am Jesus whom thou persecute. And then.
Would you also go to Him again, and in all the meaning of His name ask, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do now? Notice 2 pronouns.
Connected with the doing Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And 1St is the Lord's will. What wilt thou? That comes first, doesn't it? His will, His will. Now His will encompasses all His purposes, all those things that are going to happen in this world, but also all those things that He has for you and me to do. Those works that He is before ordained, that we should walk in them.
And so it begins with his will. It's not a question.
Of the Lord adjusting his will to suit us? No, it begins with His will.
The adjustment must be made by him to us. And So what wilt thou, What wilt thou? But there's a danger sometimes when we recognize that the Lord has purposes, He has plans, there is a danger, isn't there, that we say, What wilt thou? And we look, searching the Scriptures, and we listen as we sit in meetings and talk to others, and we learn what God's purposes are, and we think of what the Lord's will is as he sends one and another to do various things, perhaps at home or far from home.
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But there is that shrinking back on the part of most of us from that second part. We know the Lord has purposes. We know the Lord has His will, and He has His will for each and all. But when it comes to what He wants me to do?
We shrink.
I know as I lookout on you that we've all experienced that. But now Paul asks this question. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
Now that takes getting a loan with the Lord, doesn't it?
Because this is the very personal side we know. There is that which we must do in harmony and along with the rest of the Lords people, especially in the assembly where the Lord may have put us. But there is also that which He has for you and me to do. They fit together. But there is that side of of our life which is between the Lord and me, the Lord and you. And so this question, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?
So we'll leave the that beginning of the Apostle Paul. Now we'll go to the to the middle of his life. We had it mentioned yesterday in Colossians chapter one.
In his particular case.
Colossians one and 24.
Just the end of verse 23, preaching the gospel whereof I Paul and made a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the church. Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his Saints.
And so on. But here is Paul in the middle of his life or going through his life and he is conscious here of what God had given him to do to carry the word of God and indeed to be the the the channel through whom God would indeed complete fill up the word of God, especially concerning the Lord's body, the body of Christ, the church. And he hasn't lost this from view.
And he is going on conscious, as we heard yesterday of this, that the Lord had given him to do, and that the Lord might do the work through him. So how important it is to not only have a beginning and then think of the ending, but there is that going on all the way through, conscious of what the Lord may have for us. We remember also in the life of the Lord Jesus, don't we? How?
At the age of 12, just beginning.
He could say when he stayed in Jerusalem and his parents came back to find him and he said, wish ye not that I must be about my father's business, the life of the Lord. Now we know, and we would be very careful in referring to the life of our blessed Lord that we don't just use his life as an example like others in the Scriptures, but nonetheless we have that perfection there in him, don't we? And so he could say, I must be about my father's business.
And then as he went through his ministry, he could say, I do always those things that please the Father.
Oh, how happy it would be if we could even begin to approach that, but at least in our desire, in an ongoing daily way to desire to do always the things that please the Father. How different our lives would be. And then at the end, in his prayer in the 17th of John, he could say, I have finished the work which Thou gave us to me to do, and again, the work that was given to our blessed Lord.
Stands alone, of course, but nonetheless in that perfection. It could not be otherwise, but it was.
And he said, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do, and all against that perfection of his life. He would have us now in the newness of life that He's given us. And as the apostle Paul could say, not I, but Christ liveth in me. He would have us to go on, and in the strength of that life and in the power of the Holy Spirit to please the Father, to begin by having that desire to please the Father daily.
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As the Lord said, I do always those things that please the Father.
So how important it is then to have this objective, this outlook, and this viewpoint, and then to have it on the basis of the Scripture and in communion with our blessed Lord. Now I'd like to turn in connection with these things to a verse in John chapter 12.
Concerning the claims because when we do this, when we desire to serve the Lord, when we desire to please Him.
We do it because we know it's the path of happiness. And when we've done it, we have been happy. And we've seen others around us who have given their lives so freely to serve the Lord. And we know. We know that they're happy. We know that that's the happy pathway. But there's another side to it. That's not the only reason we want to serve the Lord, is it? We serve them because we know it's the happy way. But we serve Him because He asks it of us. He claims it from us. We owe it to Him.
In response to His love, not just as a duty to be performed, but in response to the love in which He saved us and the love which we can, which he continues to surround us with and to display in his ways in our life. So now in John chapter 12.
And verse 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it.
Onto life eternal.
He that loveth his life shall lose it.
This is one of those verses that cut so deep, isn't it? But we need verses like this. How far short we may fall. We know how far short at best we fall. We're also conscious of it. And sometimes because of that weakness, because of our consciousness that I'll never be able to do it like this verse says, we say that's not for me. That's for the few who may choose to go off to some other land and preach the gospel, but it's not for me.
That's for other Christians. Oh young Christian, this is for all of us. It's for all of us. The Lord would hold it out to each one of us. And what does he say? He that loveth his life shall lose it. He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honor. And So what are we saying?
We know going back again to the way young people lookout on life.
And you must, as we're told by those around us, you've got to prepare for it. You have to make the most of your life.
Do what you can to make the most of that life of yours, and do it perhaps with a plan, but at least press on.
To make the most of your life. It's your life. It's the only one you've got. Oh, that's the thinking of the world, isn't it? But how easy it is for us, especially when we're young, to think that same way. How hard it is to turn away from that kind of thought and to say my life is not my own. My life belongs to my Lord. Having asked the question, who art thou, Lord And Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? We must go on then and look and allow.
These words of our Lord.
To speak right to our hearts. And what does he say? Don't call your life your own. If you do, and he says the choice is there, what does it say? He that loveth his life shall lose it. Is it just men of the world who love their life? No. How many Christians, how many of us lose the value of our lives because we love them for what we want them to be, instead of allowing the Lord to do what He wants with us and with our lives? Whatever is left of them, young people.
Allow. Let us allow together.
The truth of these words from the lips of our Lord.
Reach us.
Now we've spoken then of the truth like this, we could read other verses. There isn't time.
But we know we've recognized the truth of this, that the Lord is saying His claims upon us.
And the results of living for him or otherwise. And we've talked about the apostle who could say, speak the way he did at the end of his life. We've spoken a little of the Lord and his perfection, of course. But what about the failure? What about me if I failed? What about me if I've wasted part of my life? What can the Lord do with me? What can he do with you? What can he do with you? Has he made provision for that kind of failure? We had it. We were reminded of it yesterday, weren't we, when he said.
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To Peter.
Satan hath desired to have you. That's all of them. Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But but I have prayed for thee.
That thy faith fail not. I have prayed for thee. That thy faith fail not. Oh, how thankful we can be. You can be. The Lord hasn't given you up. You may have failed. Peter failed, as we know, and we won't dwell on it, but he failed. And how the Lord took him up and used him so mightily in the rest of his life. And you young people, perhaps there have been things that in your life, or just a general outlook, your way of life thus far has not been according to what we've been speaking about.
And so you say it's too late for me. No, it's not. The Lord can do for you. He says, but I but I have prayed for you. And also that other verse in first Corinthians 10. The Lord will not suffer you, God will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that you're able but there's another but in there, but will with the temptation. Let's read that verse. It's important First Corinthians 10.
One Corinthians 10.
And verse 13.
There hath no temptation taken you, but such is common to man. But God, but God is faithful. Oh, what promises we have in the Scripture for those of us who are tripped it may be, and who are tempted, and who have difficulties or failures of various kinds. How many places in the Scriptures we have that? But not only do we have it in Ephesians 2 Concerning our salvation, but God who is rich in mercy, Where would we be had He not, had that verse not been there, but even for us as Christians?
There is that promise, those many promises to hang on to but God, and as we had it in the case of the Lord to Peter. But I have prayed for you. And so, but God is faithful who will not suffer you or allow you to be tempted above that you're able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Notice what he does, as we were reminded yesterday, He may not take the trial away, but He has made provision for us in that trial.
And now I'd like to add this thought. It's so important. He has, it's true, allowed you to have trials of various kinds. They may be just troubles. They may be tests, real tests. They may be temptations that Satan has brought into your pathway. The Lord has made, God has made provision for you in this. So is that all we need then? And we can say, but it's all right because God has made provision. No, dear young person, it's not the case.
It is not the case. He still gives you the choice to take up that provision that He has made for you or not. And how many times we've looked around upon others who have had problems in their lives or upon our own lives and we know the truth of that verse, that God has provided a way of escape. And yet the trouble went on and we may sink deeper into the trouble. Why? Because we haven't recognized and taken up that provision.
And and, and gone on in that provision that God has made for us in that difficulty. Oh, how important. As we said before, in walking, it's step by step. And so it rests with us to do this, to run to him constantly and repeatedly. We need this. I'd like now to turn to the Psalms and just read a few verses there before we're through.
In connection with this.
Life that is before you, some of the precious things that He has made for you and me so that it is possible for us to go on this way, conscious of His claims. And yet, even though I may have come to that point in my life, perhaps today some of you may be saying, yes, I want to serve the Lord. Maybe just recently some of you have come to that point. The Lord has put His hand on your shoulder.
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And you felt his touch.
You know it.
But is that enough for the rest of your life? No, it's not. You need to go on daily.
And he's provided for that daily walk, step after step. Here are some of those little things he's given to us.
Turn to Psalm 24.
We'll just pick out several verses and Passover them quickly before we stop.
Psalm 24.
Show me at verse 4. Show me thy ways, O Lord.
Teach me Thy paths, lead me in Thy truth, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation on Thee Do I wait all the day? Even as we ask the Lord to show us more, we constantly go back in thankfulness to the fact that He has saved us. Why am I where I am today? Why am I here with all these Christians today having a happy time? Because He saved me.
Oh, is there a response in my heart, thankfulness for that which he has done in my salvation, in delivering me from my sin and from the consequence of it. Then let me go on in the in these verses. Now go down to verse 9. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. There is a danger in and I want to speak of this just a moment. There's a danger especially when we speak of.
Serving the Lord.
And of wanting to be in His will, and of going on in His will, and of doing it as servant to his Lord. There is a danger of becoming willful in it and of becoming independent in that pathway without regard to those around us, the other members of the Lord's body, of the body of Christ, the others in the assembly to whom we're told to be subject both to the elders and to one another. Oh, there's a balance there, isn't there?
And so if we're going to learn the ways of the Lord and not get off on a tangent and feel I know the way of the Lord.
No, it's to the meek He shows His way. Let us keep that in mind. Verse 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.
On to such as keep his covenant and testimonies. So there is the question of obedience in small details as well as the big things of our life. This is the context in which we can expect to go on before the Lord and the ways we've been speaking. Now verse 12, what man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose? You want to know. Maybe you've come to a fork in your road and you say, I don't know which way I've got to choose. There's a choice.
I don't know whether to go this way or that way, and I'm afraid of it. Oh, he says, fear the Lord.
Fear the Lord, don't dare to make that choice.
Without doing it in the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord to the extent that it takes you into His presence long enough for Him to tell you what His choice for you is.
Verse 14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and he will show them his covenant.
Turn to the next song.
Psalm 27.
Verse four. 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. Now this was written by the psalmist long ago, and he desired to go into the temple and into the presence of God personally. But here now in our day, we can go personally into the presence of God. How important it is that we do it regularly. But also we need to be where the Lord teaches, where the Lord will instruct us together in the assembly. This is His provision.
Not our arrangement. And there is a special blessing. There is a special kind of way in which the Lord instructs us even as individuals but also together, the way He would have us to go on together as we come together in the assembly. Even if it's in much weakness, there's a blessing connected with it. Now go down to verse 8.
When thou said, St. seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek? Thy face, Lord, will I seek? Or will you say that? Now that's not casual, is it? Sometimes we can be in a room and we hear someone talking to us. Our door may be shut. We hear their voice calling to us telling us what to do. It may be that as a young person, your parents are telling you just to before you leave in the morning and you're in your room getting ready and the door is closed and your mother may be giving you a list of instructions and you'll listen to them.
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But it's not the same as when the door opens and your mother stands right there, or your father and says, now here's what I'd like you to do. And you're looking face to face and you see more than what just the voice tells you. And so the Lord wants us to do the same, not just from a distance to hear and to recognize what He may be saying to us, but to take the time to go into His presence, to seek His face, knowing that first of all, He wants to see ours. He wants to see ours. And now just one thought.
As we stop.
Do you know the hardest thing is to get started? Isn't it? The hardest thing is to get started? How many of us say, yes, I want to serve the Lord in a big way every day. It may be I want to serve the Lord, but it's hard to get started. It's the beginning.
And we may have mentioned before those two words that go together, when the Lord is going to send us somewhere, there's another verse, another word that goes first. He says arise and go. When the Spirit of God would take Philip into the desert from Samaria, he said arise and go unto Gaza, which is desert. Before there can ever be any going, there must be a rising. And I believe that arising is the response in our hearts when we hear the Lord speaking to us. Arise and go. Are we willing? Are we prepared to go?
Being prepared to go or to do for the Lord.
Is more difficult than the doing of it. That's what he asks first. Arise and go, The prodigal. What did he say? I will arise and go to my father. As long as he sat there in the pig pen, his steps weren't taking him to his father. He had to arise first before he could ever take the first step. And then it tells us when the fact came. He arose and went. It's repeated. He arose and went. Oh, may the Lord teach us to arise in response to what he says to us. Now here's a little secret.
As to that arising, if we want a beginning in our life in general, there must be a beginning, and we can have it every day. The beginning to every day. Psalm 5.
And verse 3.
Psalm 5 and verse 3.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord.
In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
It works. It really does. How many of us, for how long in our lives, may have neglected that simple key, that simple secret? But it works.
Why does it work? It works because we need it. Yes, it works because it's a nice way to begin a day and it gives us thoughts throughout the day. That's true, it does. But you know, I think there's something more than that and I wouldn't take away from what has just been said by what's following. But there is another thought to it. Maybe you've experienced it. To begin the day with the Lord, even if it's just a short time, means that you have already that day.
Given to him the first part, and having done that, it sets the pattern for the rest of the day you've given him the first part.
Oh, may we do that then. And in our desire to please Him in response to what He has done for us as the object of our lives, may we do it going in first into His presence, looking out over our life, and then doing it all in the context of the Scripture and within all the provisions that He's made for us. Could we sing in closing?
Hymn #46 in the appendix.
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The last verse.
The Word of God is Pure
Address—D. Bilisoly
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
This afternoon by singing #55.
#55
Through waves, through clouds.
And storms God gently clears the way. We wait his time, so shall the night soon end. In blissful day He everywhere hath sway, and all things serve his might, His every act, pure blessing, is his path. Unsullied light, When he makes bare his arm, who shall his work withstand?
When he his peoples cause defend, who then shall stay his hand?
We leave it to himself to choose and to command with wonder filled we soon shall see how wise, how strong his hand we comprehend him not yet Earth and heaven tell God sits as sovereign on the throne and rule it all things well.
Now let's turn to Proverbs chapter.
30.
30.
The words of the son of Jake Hill, even the prophecy or the burden the man spake unto Ethiol, even unto Ethiol and Yuko.
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Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. I have neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy, who has ascended up into heaven or descended. Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name?
And what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
Every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Perhaps will hold there for a minute and consider.
What we have in this portion, I do believe that there is a pattern in the proverbs. I'm beginning to see it more and more. I thank the Lord for it. But here we have some names brought before us, kind of peculiar names, you might say. But these are real people. We may not know much about them, brethren, but they were people that had exercise of heart and a desire, no doubt.
And a burden. This anger had a burden. It could be translated that way.
He had a burden and he was number doubt concerned about two, I assume two young men because the portion has to do primarily with the young man.
But it is a burden that he had before them and he had some things that he wanted to bring.
Before them. Oh, how good it is if we have a burden for others.
You may have had a burden for someone dear young person.
It's good if you seek grace to be of some help to others. That can really put us to the test sometimes because we're naturally selfish and we seem to want to withdraw in our own little circle. But how about it? If you saw another young person that really needed help, would your heart of compassion open up to them? Would you seek to help them?
The Lord can put that kind of burden on your heart.
Perhaps you've seen another young person that is really slipping in their pathway. Do you just put it aside and say, well, that's their business, I'm not going to bother them how good it is to have a burden about these things. I wish that I had more of a burden for different young people that I've known and others too that were slipping away in their pathway. I remember a time in Colorado, if you don't mind a personal reference.
When I was on some state business and I just happened to come into this little town and it was noontime and so I found a nice shady spot under a tree.
And I sat there to read and eat my lunch, and lo and behold, right before my eyes.
Was the dear young sister in the meeting and she was holding hands.
With a young man that I don't think he was the Lord's, Why did the Lord allow me to see that?
You know, dear ones, we don't give by with anything. We don't get by with anything.
And having seen that, I was burdened, immediately I was burdened. What am I going to do about it? Am I going to say, well, she'll probably end up and and go her own way and so forth, but was that right? Would that have been right to just pass it off that way?
No, I thank God that I was burdened about it. And so I had to seek grace, to muster up courage to say something. That's difficult, isn't it? We have to really get before the Lord to do that sometimes, because.
We can maybe we can do more harm if we don't say the right thing, or if we don't approach it in the spirit of meekness, because it says, like in Galatians, if a man or a person, let's put it that way, be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness. Now I enjoyed what was said as to a spiritual man, but I enjoyed this thought.
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As to a spiritual man, especially in that connection there in Galatians. But a spiritual man is one that realizes the tendencies of his own heart, that he too could slip into a wrong pathway that any of us can fail. And with that realization it'll give us the right attitude in approaching someone. You can't go wrong to approach a person in the right spirit.
However, if a brother approaches us in a harsh spirit, we'd better take it from the Lord. However we receive it. We should seek grace to take it from the Lord. But oh, how much easier it is. And I say that for myself, and and this speaks to my conscience too, How much easier it is to receive correction if it comes from a gracious spirit, if it comes from one who has a sense that he could fail too, or she could fail too.
And so how good it is to go in that spirit and try and be a help to that person? They could be easily won. I believe the Spirit of God could plow up the conscience if they saw that there was an earnestness about it. Well, I'm thankful to say that the dear young sister thanked me.
She thanked me. Oh, as I think and look back at the numerous times and opportunities I've had that I should have done something and failed to do so. But may the Lord Brethren give us grace to carry out these burdens that He puts upon our hearts. I don't know who this this man was. We don't know, and we don't know what the conditions may have been in this connection, but he had a burden on his heart and he wanted to communicate it to.
These two, I assume young men, but God is very interested in every young person here in this room this afternoon, everyone. He's very interested that you go on for his glory. Look at the epistles of Paul to Timothy, the burden that Paul had for that dear young brother. And yet he could say I have no man like minded, but he was genuinely concerned.
About Timothy And even when he speaks of Timothy's faith, he says I am persuaded is in the Also, He didn't just make a bare assumption that all was well. Paul was deeply concerned about Timothy. We need more brethren, that pastoral heart that the apostle Paul had for the Saints of God. We have burdens with our own children, don't we? And I know what it is to have a burden for my children. I know what it is to shed tears for my my children and really.
To cry before the Lord about them, not for their salvation necessarily. I trusted the Lord for that, but they might go on to His glory. Yes, we deeply concern ourselves about our children, but how we fail to concern ourselves as we should with the dear Saints of God, the young Saints and all. Oh, they're such a tendency to let so-called generation gap take place and it's just natural to our hearts to.
Have more of a kindred spirit, I suppose, with those that are more our age level or however.
But still, there ought to be, there ought to be more communication. We ought to be exercised in our hearts to cultivate more communication between the different age categories. Because we're members of the same body. We're members one of another. We need we need all the brethren, We need them all. The old need the young and the young need the old. We shouldn't be excluding anyone in our thoughts.
But there is sometimes that tendency. But here this dear man of God I assume had a burden, and it's in connection with these two mentioned here. But notice in verse 2 The humble spirit in which he presents this burden. Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
I neither learn wisdom nor have the knowledge.
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Of the holy. There's a real humility in his expressions, and he feels that he would have absolutely nothing if it wasn't of God. None of us would have absolutely nothing in the way of truth unless it were revealed to us individually. And I believe, and I don't think it's, it's too much of A statement to say that we'll only retain the truth that we walk in. That's quite a statement, isn't it? If we're not going to walk.
In this truth that we have learned, will we possess it? Will we continue to possess it? It's a question whether it'll be soul We must walk in it. And so he's very contrite about this whole thing and realizes that he's has no understanding apart from what God reveals. I was impressed by the verse. Hold your place, the verse in Psalm 36.
Psalm 36.
And verse nine, it says, For with thee is the fountain of life. In thy light shall we see light. Isn't that a striking scripture? In thy light we shall see light. A person that's in their sins has no light. They have no light at all. They're just, they're in darkness. In absolute darkness they have no light. But it says, if we walk in the light, then we have fellowship, one with another.
And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. All believers are walking in the light, but as it has been said, some not according to the light, but a true believer in the Lord Jesus is in the light. In fact, as we had in the meetings, dear young people, and this applies to the youngest as well as the oldest, that we are children of light. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you're a child of light. Isn't that a marvelous thing to consider?
But we certainly need the exhortation to walk as the children of light, because we're in a world of real darkness and how we need this grace that we might walk in the light. But it says.
In thy light shall we see light. Well as we continue on in the light submissive to His will, He will give us more light, He'll give us more light.
This man speaks of being so brutish and a person really is when they don't understand, when there isn't revelation. And like it says in Psalm 49, it says man being in honor without understanding is like the beast that perish. What a state of things to have. Not the knowledge of God is like the beasts that perish. It doesn't surprise me to hear.
Of such atrocities in these lands that have gone atheistic. You read some of these accounts and they act like beasts. Why? Because they've given up what light they might have had and generations are coming up that are not given the true knowledge of God. Like beasts, they become like beasts. No, no restraint upon the conscience. The conscience seer so.
What a state this is without the knowledge of the holy. But then in verse four he says Who hath ascended up into heaven or descended? That's a good question. Who had? Well, doesn't that take us to John 3?
Hold your place and let's notice John 3.
John 3 and verse 13. Now here's a statement of scripture that stands by itself.
Don't try and figure it out. You'll just get into confusion. There's things about the Godhead you know that we'll never understand. We can only accept them and bow to them. We can't reason it out. God hasn't made himself fully known in every respect what he has revealed to us is marvelous. It's marvelous. But we have a scripture in First Timothy that puts a check on us.
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It says who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto and so forth. Yes, there's that about God we can never enter into. And so it says in verse 13. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven. Oh brethren, how touching that is. How did he come down from heaven?
He came down from heaven as a man, just like you and I. He knew what it was to go through this world as a man and to experience hardship and difficulty in every point. He was tempted like we are yet without sin. Isn't that a wonder? Will never exhaust the theme of the manhood of Christ. There's one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus. He's a man forever in the glory and will never exhaust brethren.
Such a precious theme as that it will bewilder our hearts and wonder and amazement throughout an endless eternity, that our God came down into this world and became a man. No one could ascend up to heaven. No one to figure these things out. But the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, came all the way down into this world and met us in our condition. Like the Good Samaritan, he came. It says. Where?
He was. Oh, that should be such a comfort and cheer to our hearts that we have one now that can perfectly sympathize with us. How we need to get ahold of the truth of that in our souls. That he can perfectly sympathize with us in all that we pass through, because he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knew what it was to be a young person and grow up in this world. We've been talking a little about that as we've been traveling. And so forth.
And it is a wonder to think about how that he, just, so to speak, faded off in obscurity those years, and he only makes a little appearance when he's 12 years old. And then he fades off into obscurity again until 30. Amazing, isn't it, that he went on day by day in that way? A man, a perfect man, here in this world, Well, we have eternity to think about that.
And to enjoy and marvel in the truth of this.
Before our souls. But here the Lord says, No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven, he never left the bosom of the Father. You can't understand it, you can't figure it out. But we can accept it and bow to it. And so he considers all of these powers the wonders of creation and so forth.
In verse four and finally he says what is his name?
And what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
We can tell now, can't we? We can tell now what his name is and what his son's name is. We can address him now as our very own father. We have that relationship now, the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry amp a father. We have that now. Isn't that wonderful brother to brethren to think about that. We know what his name is, and we can address him with his name properly. We know who we're speaking to. He has revealed himself through his precious blood.
God that called light out of darkness, has shined into our hearts.
So we have now this revelation, this understanding and knowledge, and we know what His name is, and we know what his son's name is. His name shall be called Jesus. Isn't that a thrilling name? You know, I wasn't saved until I was 1717, wasted years. But I used that name in derision, and I'm ashamed of it. And I made a mark of sin. I'm ashamed of it, brethren. I don't like to talk about it, but the Lord saved my soul.
And I've learned to value that name of Jesus. And I've enjoyed this thought that, like in Hebrews, but we see Jesus, it's his person that's going to be before us throughout an endless eternity. And haven't you noticed there in Hebrews 12 That it brings us down through these lists of wonderful things in that coming day, the things of grace, and it ends with Jesus.
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We might have put that name first, but that's the name that is Supreme. That's the name that will be last in all our affections. And.
It's put in that way, I'm sure, is our last lingering thought that we should have with us. Jesus. Isn't that wonderful to think of that how sweet the name of Jesus is to the believer's ear. What comfort it gives when you pass through a real trial that can just cancel out.
I've seen Saints that were really burdened and distressed in sickness and ill health. You just bring that name of Jesus before him, and what relief and comfort you see on their faces. What a cheer. What a precious name that we have and we know it. We know who that name is. We're not left in darkness. God has revealed all of this and what privileged people we are here this afternoon. I must confess, brethren, I do not have the burden that I should have.
Towards multitudes in this world that do not understand.
Or really know the name of Jesus. You wouldn't think that we would have that much trouble in an English speaking area. But yes, yes, there can be that trouble. Brother Cecil and Dave came back from Labrador. They said that they ran into young folks, young Eskimos, children and Indians that had no understanding of the gospel and the name of Jesus was not that meaningful to them and no understanding in that. Pathetic to think that there's areas even in the English speaking places.
Where they don't know the gospel. Where they don't know that they can have salvation without money and price through that precious name of Jesus. I trust that everyone here in the room this afternoon values that precious name. If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema Maranatha. Oh, do you love that precious name of Jesus? Well, we love him or we love we have divine love in our hearts for him because.
He first loved us, and so we know what his name is now. You know, there's those, I'm sad to say, that make a big struggle over the truth of the Trinity. But here we have a passage in the Old Testament that sets before us persons of the Godhead. That's amazing, isn't it? To see this plainly put in the Old Testament, I just wonder how the Jewish mind treated this passage of Scripture. What would they do with it? What did it mean to them, however?
Even in the earlier part of Genesis and perhaps other places, we have God in plural. That must have been a puzzling thing too, but we have it in plural now. You know the truth of the Father and the Son is a most vital and essential truth to Christianity. Without that truth, we do not have Christianity, you say. Well, why are you making such a point of that? Because there's those that.
May be seemingly or well meaning.
That would make much of the person of the Lord Jesus and make out that he was all persons or.
That he represented all the Godhead. That is, that they don't like to accept a distinction in the persons of the Godhead, but that takes away Christianity. Hold your place and let's notice a statement or two in John's epistle.
To confirm a little what I'm saying.
First John Chapter 2.
And.
Verse 22 Now as in this plane, isn't this a solemn verse? Who is a liar? But he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.
Very solemn scripture. Let's find another one here.
Second, John.
Verse 9.
Whosoever transgresses that is, go forward going beyond.
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What's been revealed?
And abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, Hath not God? He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, He hath both the Father, and in the doctrine of Christ He hath both the Father and the Son. Well, I feel that that's.
Very important to consider in our hearts because and to know and understand.
The truth of this from His word. Because here, right in the Old Testament, we have this.
Fact confirmed. The Father and the Son. What is his name and his Son's name? If thou canst tell every word of God is pure, just rest upon the word of God. A brother made a remark some time ago that was very helpful to me, and that he didn't know that I was being so impressed by the remarks that he made. But he said several times over as we were visiting round together.
He says Don't doubt the word of God. Believe it to be the word of God or you'll never progress.
In your soul, don't question God's word that was so good, and I've thought of that. It is so true that if we raise a question about the word of God, then it brings instability in anything and everything. So we must believe that every word of God is pure, and with it goes this He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Oh, there's where stability is and protection.
The Word of God certainly answers it all. Sometimes I like to tell the children.
In the school that, you know, the word of God is pure, people are very concerned about what's pure, you know? And there's been a good deal of effort to clean up rivers and clean up lakes and all this ecology sort of thing and to get more purity. But I like to say, here's one place that you can come and find no pollution, God's precious word. Did you ever notice Psalm or Psalm 12?
You can hold your place here again and take a look at Psalm 12. I know most of you know these things, but it's nice to.
Give the young people some verses that they could maybe use at another time.
In Psalm 12 and verse 6.
It says the words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified 7 times. Does that mean that the word of God needed any purification, let alone seven times? No, I don't think there's any thought at all like that. There may be other thoughts, but I've enjoyed this.
That no matter what test it was put to, it was proved to be pure all the way from Genesis chapter one to Revelation 22. Pure. All of it is pure. Put it any test you want, and it's been put to every kind of test through the years, You know that.
And yet it all proves to be pure. It is perfect seven times. That's what that would teach us, I believe.
Verse 6. Now we have a solemn word.
Add thou not unto his words.
Lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar. It's an interesting thing to me.
That there has been an effort, you know, that in ages gone by, to add certain missing books to the word of God and even certain missing chapters so-called.
But to me it's a remarkable thing that men that perhaps didn't have nearly the light that has been revealed in this day.
Had spiritual discernment enough to realize that they were spurious, that they just wouldn't hold, that they were not the Canon of Scripture. They could tell that, and some have even said read it for yourself. It just does not have the ring of the word of God. God has seen to it that all the Canon of scripture is there, and if there's any question in our hearts about it, the Apostle.
Said that it was given unto him to complete to fulfill the word of God.
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We don't need any more revelations, dear young people. We have all that we need. What we need is grace, and to enter more into what God has revealed, and by his grace to walk into the in the truth of it, not to be looking for new light and further things. Oh no, not at all. Thou shalt be found a liar and.
We see then.
We see then in verse 7 as we go down because I believe that there is.
Somewhat of a pattern here, more I'm sure than I see, but there is no doubt a pattern here. And we see that as he progresses here, he's becoming more tender, more concerned. And we see that that is a good exercise of heart. When we really get into the Lord's presence, then there becomes a greater concern about these things in our lives. Inconsistencies. You see that in the Song of Solomon.
So now, like JB's of old, you know, with his prayer that we had before us this morning, here we see that there is a desire to have these things removed. Remove far from me, verse 8, Vanity and Lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny the insane who is the Lord, or lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God.
In vain. Well we see that there is then.
This exercise of heart and tenderness in regard to what he speaks of as vanities and lies.
But you know, as he speaks of these things, he goes into this question of riches, brethren. You know, that is a very real danger. And it seems like we're living in a very strange day and age. It seems like there is up, there are opportunities to really make money. I can remember a time when they listed something like 12 or so new millionaires.
In the United States now, they would need a whole catalog, I'm sure to list those that have.
Reached that point, but we see plainly from the word of God what snares there are in regard to that sort of thing as a strange economy. It seems like like we're in such an economy that the middles as someone said the the middle levels are being removed, the middle income and so forth. It seems to be going more extreme wealth or hardship. But just notice this because.
There is a stiff word of warning. Hold your place and look at first Timothy 6. There is a stiff word of warning in this regard. And don't think for one minute that it isn't a snare to every one of us. There could be.
First Timothy chapter 6.
I believe verse 6 of this chapter six more or less ties in with the thought.
Of anger, that is, give me neither poverty nor riches. It's no benefit to be extremely poor and having difficulty that way. However, we know that there's many dear brethren in this world that God has given immense grace to to overcome in their circumstances. By His grace we can overcome. The apostle is a remarkable example of that. He says. I have learned in whatsoever state I am there with to be content.
But it says in verse 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. Oh how that has distressed so many people of affluence that they couldn't take it out with them. And we've heard various stories in that way. And I heard a story of one man who even had holes opened up in his coffin and his hands stretched out so that the people could see.
That he really couldn't take it with him. Strange what people will do, but it must have really impressed him that he had to leave without all that he had gained. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Here's the true gain. Here's the great gain in God's sight. Oh beloved young people. And older ones too. Let's not get caught in this delusion with a capable person, a person of ability.
00:40:15
There may be real opportunities of making money in this strange economy.
And so it says, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment. And certainly we we have standards that far exceed the standards. I'm sure that we're on the mind of the apostle when he penned these words. Yes, indeed, we have raiment, don't we? And we have food. What abundance of food and what a mercy it is. We thank the Lord for it, don't we?
That we can sit down to such meals as we have enjoyed and our brethren have gone to the trouble in preparing and the Lord has provided we know we have enjoyed meals like that.
And we thank the Lord for it, and we can sit down and enjoy it. But oh, I tell you what abundance compared to some places and the simplicity in which some people live in this world having food and raiment, Let us be there with content. But they that will be rich. Now the key thought is the will. The will. The will is involved in it. They that will be rich, it's on their heart. It's a it's a desire, it's a will.
Fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. Oh, we've read many accounts, we all have of some of the despair connected with this quest for a lot of earthly gain, and it doesn't satisfy the heart. And they get miserable. And you take a man like Howard Hughes. He was fearful of contacts with people because of those that might take advantage with him. So he kept withdrawing, withdrawing, withdrawing.
Until he put himself in a cell and lived like a prisoner.
For years, in fact, I think to the day of his death, he went out of the world like that, living as a prisoner, not even enjoying in a sensible way what he had amassed.
But that's what it says, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is thee or a it's not the only route, but it is certainly a root of all evil which while some coveted after you see there's covetous in connection with that. There are those circumstantially in that place, and by the Lord's grace and mercy they have been so exercised to use it towards heaven. As you might say, we've had that before since the meetings.
They have heard from the faith, and pierced them through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, and godliness, and faith, and love and patience and meekness. Well, you can read it for yourself, and see how that the apostle was deeply concerned about this sort of thing enough that he could give Timothy such a strong exhortation.
As that, and calling him a man of God, a term very suited for a day of ruin, he says flee. Now, you know, when Scripture advises us to flee from something, there's a danger of ensnarement, there's a danger of attraction, and we need to take heed to the word of God because there could be such circumstances that could cause a person to get caught up and get drawn away.
And he was fearful of this, that it would lead him into vanity and lies. And often it's that way to retain things like that that have been gained. Well, let's go on.
And.
Now let's jump down to verse 11.
And I really hesitate to read this. In reading this, I'm making no implication at all. But it says there is a generation that curseth their father and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, oh, how lofty are their eyes? And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth.
00:45:08
Our swords and their jaw teeth as knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. What do we see in a passage of scripture like this? It appears to me that there's a pattern here. That is, it seems to begin like right at the home. It seems to begin with a wrong attitude in the home, a wrong attitude towards the mother and the father.
And you know, that's a breakdown. That's a real breakdown and in visiting a little bit in the school.
To explain the importance of coming and bringing the gospel, I have said this.
If they don't learn to respect supreme authority, they won't respect subordinate authority either. It's nice to see that that's recognized to some extent in the world, and I'm so thankful in some places where there is some semblance of the fear of God. I was in a place where they read the scriptures to the students and all the teachers and the principal.
They were dressed up. I couldn't quite believe it, in the high school and in the grade school, most of the teachers had on a suit.
And that impressed me. And there was order in that school. And I happened to go into this 4th grade class, and I knew it was near the time to end the school. And the teacher walked out of the room and I thought, well, now what do I do when the school ends, you see? And so come time and the bell rang and the teacher wasn't there and I looked for the students to just go crashing out the room.
But they just sat there and I was a little bit bewildered, you know, and they just kept looking longingly at me.
And I finally I said, is it time to leave? Is that the bell to leave? And they said, yes, Sir. And I said, well, would you like to leave? They said, yes, Sir. And I said, well, then you go ahead and and leave and they got up and they filed out. I was aghast. I was glad to see that kind of order and I told the principal so that that kind of order and respect will have benefits to it. It did have benefits.
The school wasn't all marked up and everything and things beat up. You know, you could tell it did have the effect. And that's something to see where even a person that you don't believe is really the Lord, yet they have that respect for the word of God. And I'm so thankful to see that, oh, I don't think they realize just what a benefit, a fringe benefit it is, and the Lord can certainly use it to the salvation of those precious souls.
We're so thankful that dear brother Derek there in Newfoundland has the privilege of reading the scriptures to the students.
For 10 minutes every morning. It's kind of interesting. They do have another kind of a religious instruction class that is a law in Newfoundland, but of course that one gets corrupted so often, but for some reason or another this come to light. But it was interesting because he was taken out of this responsibility after being converted. He wanted to have that responsibility of that class so he could get the word before them.
But they resented that and took him out of it. And the very next year somebody discovered in their bylaws that there was a law requiring A ruling requiring that they read the scripture for 10 minutes. So he got the privilege right back again. So the Lord works those things out where there is a a desire and gets his word before people's hearts.
Well.
You see how the condition of things, so to speak, deteriorates.
Between.
Verses 11 and 14.
But now you know.
I think I better read it because I think it would be good to take notice of it over in Colossians. Hold your place.
In Colossians chapter 6 Rather Ephesians, I'm sorry in Ephesians chapter 6.
00:50:09
Here we have these exhortations to parents and and children and so forth. But notice what it says, children. Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother. Honor thy father and mother. It doesn't tell you to cease to do that at a certain time, but it's lovely to see even older.
Young people that want to honor their father and mother and accept perhaps counsel that they would give them.
I might just say this while we're thinking about this.
Don't let's never give up praying and seeking to counsel.
Our young people, let's never give up. It's it's worth it. The Lord can can help us in that regard, and it's worth it as long as you can do so to try to counsel them and guide them right. Oh, we've had such important instruction in regard to their youthful years, but sometimes they may become more difficult. We never want to give up as long as we can in any way counsel them and try to help them. But the word to the children or the young people and all is honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise.
That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth. Now we're not under law, we know that.
But here we see by the Spirit of God that here was the first commandment that had a promise.
Attached to it, which shows the importance of this precept.
As it was given, and the apostle makes reference in that way to it.
There is a benefit to subjection to the word of God, just like we had earlier. A recompense, so to speak, of reward. There is a benefit even now to subjection to his precious word, and then a reward in that coming day. He'll reward faithfulness. He'll reward children that were subject to his their parents. He'll reward parents who have struggled along with the burden of raising children and young people.
Through difficult years, he values that very much, brother. And we don't want to give up or lose heart. And dear young people and you boys and girls, this is a word for you. I don't want to just read your mail to you. You take it and read it yourself. This is a word, the word of God directed to you, boys and girls. And it says honor thy father and mother. Don't sass them back. Don't resist them like that. You can see what a terrible state of things develops when there is resistance.
To this order of authority that God has put in the world, God has put authority here in this world. The the parents, the head of the home is a God-given authority in this world just as much as government, and just as much as any authority that God has put in this world. Magistrates and so forth so.
We read on here and it says.
Verse 15. The horse Leech or perhaps just the Leech. The Leech have two daughters crying.
Give give.
You know, we're in such an age.
Where things the standards have changed and we know are so much more so.
Materialistically than in days earlier. And I believe that there is sometimes a tendency while we know it is in the generation in the world about us, there is that spirit of things that always wants, wants, give, give. And it's a spirit that has gotten into everything so that the social welfare systems are over pressed because of the spirit of things.
That says give, give.
You know, I just really hesitate to bring out what I feel upon my conscience in this regard when I read this, and that is that.
There is a tendency, I believe, to maybe slack off from responsibility. I know it's a hard time, brethren. I know it's a hard time, dear young people, when employment is a difficult thing. And I know what it is to be without employment. We were without any income or or a source of income for nearly a month, and we proved the Lord's goodness and graciousness. But you know, the word of God is very plain in regard to those things. There is a responsibility.
00:55:22
And I've been impressed with how strong the apostles language is. Hold your place.
In second Thessalonians chapter 2, but I think we should read it because.
I feel in my own heart it's a needful exhortation.
Two Thessalonians 2 or Chapter 3?
And notice the language of the apostle in verse 5.
Or verse 6, Verse five is a precious verse indeed, verse 6. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourself from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition or instruction which he received of us. For yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we behave not ourselves disorderly among you. Neither did we eat any man's bread, for not but we wrought with labor and travail night and day.
That we might not be chargeable to any of you, not because we have not power.
But to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should they eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, not working at all, but are busy bodies. Now them that are set, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread, but.
Ye brethren, be not weary.
In well doing, let's not close up our affections towards our beloved brother. If there's a need, no matter what failure there is, let's not close up our affections. Don't let's not be weary in well doing. If there's a need, don't just say they deserve it does not close up our affections. Let's not be weary in well doing. But still, what a strong exhortation the apostle gives. He brings in the name of the Lord Jesus. He brings in a commandment and we might say well.
That seems very stern, Paul. Weren't you driven out of Thessalonica by persecution? Wasn't it persecution, perhaps, that drove many of these Saints out of their jobs? Perhaps so, perhaps so. But the apostle brings this out plainly that that is no excuse for them to fall into an unconcerned state. And what's the use? I'm just not going to give any thought to it. Dear brother Hershel Hellwig. I don't think he'd mind.
By making reference to him, but he was saying back during the last bad depression.
In the 30s or so he just could not get employment anywhere. But he did such things as collected old copper wire and and burn it down and sold it and then anyway that he could make a little money here and there. And I've heard of brethren that have worked for less. And I might just mention that we know some of us know a brother that left an executive job and went into a bus driving job.
Oh, I admire the overcoming spirit in such circumstances as that. It might mean a change, it may mean something that may be less than what we're experienced or trained for. But God can give grace. God can certainly give grace. And I have thought, considered this, that if we have so strong an exhortation as this, I believe that the Lord in some way would enable us to perform. Don't you think so?
He knows the heart, though, and he knows the circumstances and all. And he may test us, and it was certainly a test to us when there was no work. And I tried everything and it was a difficulty, and I anguished over that. But the Lord in his time opened something up. He'll work things out. He knows that we have needs.
And it seemed like we never quite had enough income, as we anticipated each child that came along. And I thought, how are we going to work this out? But the Lord worked it out. I don't know how we didn't even have money at times to to pay for the new arrival. But the Lord worked that out too, you see. So he is able. Oh, brethren, we we must remember these things. And yet let us not close up our affection toward any that have a particular need.
01:00:16
Well, I believe we better stop at that point. That opens up another subject. Shall we just bow our heads in a word of prayer?
There Are Only Two Groups - Saints and Sinners
Gospel—R. Bauman
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We're happy you're here and we're happy to be able to tell you.
That Christ is the fear of sinners.
Christ is the Savior for me, and I trust yours.
Before we do a couple of I want to go on.
Turn the sound 89, just one there.
The 89th sound.
And verse 5.
The heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord, thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the same.
Faithfulness, O Lord, a congregation of the faith.
Now proverbs 21 please and verse 16.
Proverbs 21 and verse 16.
The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding.
Shall remain in the congregation of the dead. He shall remain in the congregation.
Of the dead, there's only two groups, you know. All that matters is God's appraisal of a situation. And God says there's only two groups here. We've seen the Congregation of the Saints and the Congregation of the Dead.
You're in one or the other right now.
You are either into our sins or you are saved. You are a Sinner.
Or you're a St. you are on your way to heaven or your hell bent, you're in Christ, or you're still in your sins and in peril.
You're a child of God, or you're a slave of Satan. There's only two there's no middle.
You're in the congregation of the Saints or you're in the congregation of the dead.
I'll turn to Acts 28, just the birds would do before we staying here.
You know, a group member to this perhaps not as large, maybe larger in the days of the Apostle Paul came to him to hear the word of God. I trust that's why you're here. I'm sure it is.
And they came, some believing and some not believing.
That's the way you are here tonight, no doubt. Just two groups. Those that believe God that you're saved on your way to heaven. Those that didn't believe or do not believe what God says about you and about His Son as savior, you're on your way to hell.
They said in verse 22 of the 28th chapter of Acts we desire to hear of the what thou thinkest if you want to hear what all thought it'd be Jesus Christ to Jim crucified. Christ died according to the scripture.
And was buried, and he rose again according to the scriptures.
Paul would preach Christ because there is no other savior, you know it says an Act 412. Neither is there any other. There's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we be saved. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There's none other. So if they want to hear from Paul, that's what they hear. Verse 23 says many came what wonderful it is when they hear the word of God, because faith comes by hearing.
Hearing by the word of God. And he came and it says, Paul expounded and testified the Kingdom of God persuaded them concerning Jesus. Who else? The only savior. There is none other concerning Jesus. You know, I'm sure he preached in effect, the verse that I love. John 5/24. It only takes one verse from the word of God to save us all. That's all. This one would save your soul tonight. If you're not saved, you'll be sure you're beyond your way to heaven.
John 524 Verily, verily, it's the Lord Jesus speaking, you know. Verily, Verily, if you like a different translation, Truly, truly, Amen. Amen. Or my version, you better believe it. Verily, verily, I say unto you, You know it's personal. Word of God is personal. It's to you Jesus speaking now to you. I say unto you he that heareth my word and believe in him that sent me half.
That means how?
Past everlasting life shall not come into judgment. What is past?
That's what I call a real deal. You know why?
00:05:05
Already half ever life.
Commend the judge you receive Christ tonight who died for you if you have.
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses all sin. You can go out of here, judgment free.
Isn't that wonderful? Shall not come into judgment, but it is passed already.
That right now, now it's a now thing. What was the result of that three verse 24. Some believed. Praise God for that. They're saved. Some believe not. There's only two groups. You're in the congregation of the dead in your sins, or you're in the congregation of things. You know the congregation of the Saints is the congregation of God, the congregation of the living. The congregation of the righteous is referred to in the word of God that way.
But the congregation of the dead, of the congregation of the ungodly, the congregation of evil Doors, the congregation of hypocrites, it's in the word of God that way. Now we're going to sing. But you know, I trust that before we're done singing this precious hymn, the makeup of this group will change. And why can I pray so assuredly that it should change? Because it can only change one way, only one way. Some of you who are still in your sin in the congregation of the dead can come.
Saved in the congregation of the Saints. Never the other way. One who has life in Christ can never be lost. You will never gain one of us you in the congregation of the dead. So I pray that there's only be one group left here for the time this gospel is over. You'll all be safe in Christ. You'll all be in the congregation of the living of the Saints.
Christ is the Savior of sinners #4. You know if you realize.
Really realize the peril you're in, in your sins. You'd get saved. You'd come to Christ and receive him. Now, there was a young woman who thought everything was right in her life. Everything was going well. She was driving along, four years old all of a sudden, you know, and she was sliding right into a truck loaded with steel. That's the last thing remembered when she woke up.
She was at terrible pain, but she thought she had gone blind. She couldn't see.
She tried to reach her head. She realized that her arms were strapped to the board she was on. And she did realize she was in a moving vehicle. In a moving vehicle. And she also realized that there was something over her face, a sheet. She shook her frantically with much pain, and it slid off, and she saw where in hers. She screamed. You know, if you realize we're in the hearse of Satan right now, on the way to hell, you'd cry out to God.
They turned. They took her to the hospital.
Rather than the morgue, I trust that if any here are still in your sin, cry out to God in your heart to save you while we see Him. #4 Now by His peace I am free. You can say that Christ as Savior.
How I can say I am pardoned now There is no condemnation.
This is the savior for me. This is here for me. It's the only savior.
Christ is the Savior of sinners. Christ is the fear for me.
Now by his grace I am free.
Thank you.
Thank you for being like me.
00:10:22
There is no condom thing.
This is the major for me.
Let us stand and sing.
Last stanza please.
Loved with the love that.
With all the last things for free.
How shall I tell of His praise the This is the Savior for me.
Take your dinner.
Dinner.
Savior of sinners like me.
Shake it like for my rise and fall. This is a savior for me.
We turn to Romans.
Romans chapter.
5.
I want to give a first. First of all, that's really good news. You know, it says in the word of God, he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. And if you don't realize you have a need, you're not going to take the provision God's made for the need. You know, the one that thinks he's well doesn't need a position. The Lord said I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
And so we're going to let you know, I trust, from the word of God you have a need of a savior. But first, I want to give you one verse of the good news, and that's the eighth verse, The Romans 5. God commendeth his love toward us. No one commends anything to another unless it's worth having. And this is a precious love of God. God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It's not a wonderful thought. I want you to realize that at the outset.
Jesus Christ died for you. It's a faithful saying. It's worthy of all acceptation.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners in that wonderful He came to save you. This verse tells of love. It's the love of God. You know what? There's no higher source possible for anything than God himself. This speaks of the love of God and it speaks of the subject of that love, sinners. There isn't any lower possible subject for that love or object than sinners, and it speaks of the sacrifice of that love.
His own beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom was all his delight. There isn't any greater sacrifice possible than the blood of Jesus, his own beloved Son. That's the verse I want you to have first. Now verse 12.
Wherefore, as by one man's sin entered into the world, death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned. Very simple, isn't it? But God wants it made very clear many times. In the word of God you'll have that expression at the end. All have sinned, therefore they're all in the congregation of the dead. You were born in sin, conceived in sin, but don't blame Adam.
You didn't have to do all the sinning you've done, and you don't have to remain in the congregation of the death. But you're there if you're still in your sins. The congregation of the dead is made-up of everyone still in their sins, everyone outside of Christ. They are The Walking, the talking, the wicked, the disobedient, the doing, the living. Dead. Now you say. How can you say that? I'm not dead. I'm sitting here. I walked in here, I trust to walk out. God said it.
Ephesians 2, verse one, Ephesians 2, verse five, You could look at it.
God says you're dead in your sins. If you're still in your sins, God considers you dead.
00:15:01
That's a solemn thought. You're in the congregation of the dead, and if you die in your sins, physical death, it means forever. Forever, all eternity. Genesis, the second chapter, the 17th verse, after giving, after giving Adam paradise, the garden of Eden and everything under his dominion and giving him a help. Me, Eve, you know, God said.
Just one thing. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Do not eat of that tree.
In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Thou shalt surely die. Satan said, Thou shalt not surely die. He's a liar. He's the father of life. And don't believe what he's saying to you now tonight. Because when the word of God is opened and the grace of God is proclaimed, Satan gets active. And you know God had only the good of Adam and Eve in mind. But Satan said.
Thou shalt not surely die, he said. God wasn't telling the truth, but Satan is a liar.
He is the father of all lies, so they ate.
They sinned. They die. Why did they die? Because they sinned. What's that? Disobeying God? Doing your own will. I mean doing your own thing, as they say. If you will. That's it. You go on in your sins. You go on in your own way. That's it. They that wandereth out of the way shall remain, remain in the congregation of the dead. And so they die. Now turn with me to Genesis 5.
I call it the anti dyed chapter. I want you to see just a few verses because Satan said thou shalt not surely die. But you're going to see here in verse five will take Genesis 55. All the days that Adam lived were 930 years and he died, you know. It says in verse four he begot sons and daughters, he lived 930 years but three words appear.
And he died. Now notice verse 7.
Seth begat sons and daughters, and all the days of Seth were 912 years and he died.
Now Enos in verse 10 at the end begat sons and daughters, and all the days of Enos were 905 years.
And he died.
Middle-aged perhaps didn't live as long as the others, but notice in verse 25.
Methuselah lived 180 and seven years, begat Lamech, and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamac 780 and two years and begat sons and daughters, and all the days of Bethesda were 960 and nine years, and he died.
You know God is true, God is true. Let God be true and every man a liar.
Satan said thou shalt not surely die, but the anti die is here. This is a chapter that backs up the word of God and justice. Believe what God says. You're in your sin and death by sin. So death is passed upon all men because all have sinned and he died. You know Methuselah was the oldest man that ever lived. If there was a guy in this Book of Records in these days, he'd been in it and nobody would ever beat it. But the wonderful part about it is his name means.
When he is dead, it shall come the flood, the wonderful grace of God. He used the man with the longest life in being.
To predicate the coming of the judgment, the flood. That's the grace of God. And isn't that the grace of God, That he's still waiting for you, That he hasn't brought up judgment yet into this world, That the Lord Jesus Christ hasn't come for all of us, that there is? That's the grace of God. He would have all to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth, and he died. Now you could put your name in Genesis 5 and you can add your years to it. Now you don't know all of them.
Today may be the last you've got, so you could put that for sure. But you could add some years that you think you're going to live. And you can add your begats if you've done any Bugatti. But you'll have to add one more thing. And he died and she died. That's solemn, isn't it? And you'll have to add something besides that.
After death, the judgment. After death, the judgment. And that permanently in the congregation of the dead, That's the second death. Isn't that a solemn thought? Permanently in the congregation of the dead, That's the second death. Look at Revelations.
00:20:13
20 Revelations Chapter 20 I think this is important enough. Look at a verse or two here.
Verse 11 In Revelations 20 I saw a great white throw and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth of heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. This these are the ones who die in their sins, who reject the love of God, who turned down, and do not receive the glorious gospel that they may be saved. No standing, there's no place for them.
But they're going to have to face my savior as their judge at the Great White Throne. You know, it's like you saw if you did ever in the paper on a picture, the astronaut in space, they didn't have any place to put their feet. That's what it's going to be like. No standing, no space, no place. And what are they there for? I saw the dead. The congregation of the dead is now all together before the lamb.
Before the Savior. But they won't see him as savior. As judge I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. The books were opened and another book was opened. This is the book of life. And praise God my names in it. And your name can be in it. And if your names in it, you'll never be judged for your sins. You won't be concerned with the books. But God is keeping the record, and there are the books now down in verse 13. At the end they were judged every man.
According to their works, and all there is in their works is sin. That's it. Oh Al solemn and whosoever was not found written in the book of life with cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the end of verse 14. This is the second death. Isn't that solemn? What's the second death? Eternal separation from the Holy God, whose love and life and whose light itself. That's why it's the black does of darkness forever.
No God forever separated from God. The second death, the second death. If you die in your sins, you'll face the second death. You know. If you're born only once, that's it. You'll die twice. The second death. That's what we're reading about. But if you're born twice, and I aim, and you can be, If you've been born from above, born by God, born again, as it says in John 3, if you have Christ.
And that life that comes from Christ and the work of the cross, you may die once.
Never the second death. Never the second death. Isn't that wonderful? Well, that's the second death. You know, some people are born in their sins. I should say. All are. But some continue that way. They remain in the congregation of the dead. They're born their sins. They live a long life in their sins. They die in their sins. Buried in their sins. Raised in their sins. Stand before the judgment at the Great White Throne in their sins. Cast into the lake of fire in their sins. And they spend eternity that way.
Solemn, isn't it? That's what we're talking about, the Congregation of the dead.
You know, they're all sinners. All are sinners. That's what we had. Romans 5, verse 12. That's where we were. All have sinned. All have sinned. Is anyone here so foolish to think you're a Sinner, but not so bad. You need a savior. You know, a lot of them say I'm a Sinner, but not like my neighbor down there. He's been in jail. That is what we're talking about. One sin keeps you out of heaven forever. One sin. And if you suffered in hell for all eternity, you couldn't atone to God for one sin.
What Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on the cross, when he died in three hours of darkness and took upon himself a judgment of a holy God.
He satisfied God forever for all the sins I ever committed, because I've received him as Savior. And it can be true as to you now, you don't have to wait.
Anyone so foolish to think they're not in that group, that they're a Sinner and dead in their sins, I hope not. The soul that sinneth it shall die, says God in the word. The soul that's in it, it shall die. There is not a just man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not.
That ought to be enough to satisfy you. You need a savior. You know, I hardly ever hear anybody say I haven't sinned. They just say I'm not so bad. But I heard one recently. I was with a brother and a sister in their home in a in a city in New Brunswick, just about to go. We had breakfast, a nice breakfast. We were reading, and we were reading Leviticus and reading a portion that told about the sacrifices that were so necessary.
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In those days because of the sins of the people of God.
Knock on the door. There was raining cats and dogs and bums because a bum was at the door. He was soaking wet and he said, can you give me a glass of milk and eight pieces of toast? He was hungry. And you know, she invited him and set him down and he looked dreadful And the dear sister made him the toast and strawberry jam and he emptied the jar And we said, we're reading this morning from Leviticus and we do it. We appreciate it if you want to listen while you eat.
Well, he grunted all right. And as we read in Phoenix, we discussed it. And the dear brother said to him, you know, these animals had to be killed, their blood had to be shed because of the sin of the people. And that's why Jesus Christ shed his blood and died for the sins of everyone. If you receive him, your sins will be forgiven and washed in the precious blood of Christ. Are you forgiven if your sins been cleansed? He said, I don't have any.
You know, you don't hear that very often. I don't have any. I haven't seen. Well, I don't think any of us realized that he meant it. And so the said, what do you mean you don't have any? You haven't sinned. All have sinned. And he took him to the verse. We have. He says, no, I haven't sinned. I've never sinned. I just make mistakes.
And that's, I just make mistakes. Well, you know, he made a big mistake. I don't know what it is, but I know he made a big mistake.
Of course, the biggest mistake is not believing God. If you believe God, you can be saved and have your sins forgiven. Why do men spend eternity in hell? Not because of the multitude of their sins, or the magnitude of them, but because they believe not. They receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. That's the only reason. They won't have Christ. They will not have Christ Well, he said, I only make mistakes.
Well, we read a lot and talked a little bit, and while we did, he ate.
And while he was eating, I noticed something. I thought he had a nervous affliction, but he kept taking the napkin and wiping what he was eating with his fork and his knife, the edge of his plate. And when he drank his glass, he wiped it thoroughly dry and cleaned.
He said are you through with your reading? He was very polite and we said yes we're through. Well may I leave? Yes. He thanked this and went to the door and stood there, just stood there. Finally we looked at him and he said.
Anybody going open the door for me? You know you can't wipe the knob on the other side, and it's too obvious to do it on this side. I knew what was up. Then I opened it, let him out into the rain. We found out where he was going and called the police. You know, he made a big mistake in his life and he's worried his conscience are bothering him. But the biggest mistake is not to have it forgiven, not to have it forgiven. You know you've done a lot of sinning, but you know, if you can admit it, you can be saved right now.
He couldn't admit it.
God looked down here in order to prove not to himself. He knows what's in your heart. He knows all about you. To prove to you tonight that you need a savior, turn to Psalms 14. Please. Psalms the 14th sound.
The end of verse one.
You know, God often gives a conclusion before he gives the basis of it.
There is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see. You know, when He makes it look like this, it's not a cursory examination. God makes a thorough examination, and He can see everyone from the beginning to the end.
In chapter 33, it says he looked down upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He saw you. What did he see? Here it is. He wanted to see if there's any that understood, any that sought God. They are all gone aside. They are all together, become filthy. Notice the margin if you got one.
Stinking. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. That's God's appraisal. He saw it.
That's it. You all need a savior. You all need a savior, and it's just the grace of God.
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That he's made Christ the Savior of sinners.
This is a faithful saying. I'm going to give it again. First, Timothy 115. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Isn't that wonderful? To save sinners? Look at ally. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Isn't that wonderful to save sinners? Look at Galatians 322. I'll show you why it's so wonderful. Galatians. The third chapter, I believe, is the 22nd verse.
The scripture has concluded all under sin. Why? That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe you're qualified. Isn't that wonderful that the promise of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe you're all sinners? Well, you know the Old Testament as we read in Psalms said it.
Indicted man. But the New Testament sealed it. The New Testament sealed it. Now turn to Romans 3, the third chapter of Romans, and we'll see the equivalent of Psalm 14 that we read. But now it's in the New Testament. In verse 10 at the end. Verse 9 at the end they are all under sin. Verse 10, as it is written, there is none. Righteous. No, not one. There is none that understand this. There is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone, out of the way. And dear friends, those that continue, those that go in the way of those are not in the way of understanding, continue or remain in the congregation of death. If they Wanderers out of the way of understanding, they remain in the congregation of the dead, they are all gone. Out of the way they are all together become unprofitable. None that doeth good. No, not what.
Solemn, isn't it? There's none. None.
Boils down to this. They are all going out of the way and our verse in Proverbs 21.
Says the man that wandereth out of the way shall remain in the congregation of the dead. It boils down to this. Isaiah 53 one the prophet said, Who hath believed the report? Who hath believed this report? That you need a savior Who asked believe the report that you're lost, dead in your sins. What was the report that Isaiah had? All we, like sheep have gone up straight. We have turned everyone to his own way. That's the report.
Who's believed it? If you believed it, you can be saved. That's what it matters. All said God. All are in the congregation of the dead. You're dead. And your sins. Now there's good news. Thank God for it. That's the gospel. But unless you realize you need a savior, not going to receive him, I trust you realize you're going to spend eternity in hell if you don't receive Christ tonight. That's the good news. Praise be to God. God has his own congregation. It's the congregation of the living, the congregation of the Saints.
The congregation of the righteous. It's the congregation of God, and everyone that receives Christ is in it, is in it forever. Turn to Psalms one. I want to show you a verse on that the first sound.
Verse 5. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Who are the righteous? Who are we talking about? The righteous? Well, we'll turn back to Romans 3. We turn back to Romans 3 when Romans 3. It tells us what it is to be righteous and who they are. You know to be righteous is to be God like.
Is to have the life of Christ, and you'll be righteous because as it says in verse 22, Speaking of the righteousness of God, the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that belief. There's no difference, all of sin. You know you can be in the congregation of the righteous, the congregation of Saints, the congregation of the living. How can you have it?
By faith of Jesus Christ. That's it. Oh, how wonderful that is.
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By faith of Jesus Christ. That's why Christ died. That's why God sent his Son into this world.
The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. There's no other way he could save you and I from our sins. There's no other way he could have us in the congregation of the righteous but through Christ and His precious blood. He was the perfect, the holy, the sinless Son of God who became a man for that purpose. What a wonderful gospel it is. And God says I can give you life now, the life of Christ, if you just believe and receive Him. It says it's unto all that means everyone here tonight.
Who has heard this? Much of the word of God can go out of here in the congregation of the Saints, the congregation of the righteous Life of Christ. Judgment free on your way to glory. Praising God. Isn't that wonderful on the wall. But notice, it's upon all that belief. It's upon all that belief Paul preached. What was the results? Unbelieved. Some believe not. I'll say it, but there's always just two groups. You came in here in two groups.
I'd love it if you went out of here in just one, because it could only turn one way.
Those that are lost to be saved, no other way. Isn't it wonderful? You could all go out of here in the corrugation of the Saints, The congregation of the righteous. Oh, how wonderful it is. Now what about the congregation of the Saints? Well, I want to show you one verse on that too. Psalm 149. I think it's a wonderful verse.
Psalm 149.
If I can find.
Oh, the very first verse. Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of the Saints. You know who are the Saints? Oh, I will tell you something. It's wonderful. You don't have to wait till you're dead. Not not like some religions tell us today. You don't have to wait till 200 years after until you've gone through four steps or five steps beatified. And somebody says, now put them on a pedestal. Even if he's dead, he's now a St. No.
I'm a St. living right now and so is everyone who's received Christ and received the life of Christ. You're a St. What is it? A separated 1A set apart. One Sanctification is separation. That's all it means. But it's a lot. Separated by God from this world for his Son forever in glory. A set apart 1A St. Isn't that wonderful? The minute you receive Christ, you're a St. You're in the congregation of the Saints.
Oh, I think it's so grand. It's so wonderful. And you'll be that way forever. There's no waiting period to be a St. You can be a St. tonight. You can receive Christ and God will set you apart for himself forever from this world. Now we're talking about faith, not religion. Faith. Religions of man. Faces of God, Faith. Saves for by grace. Are you saved through faith?
Through faith. That's not of yourself. It's a gift of God.
It's a gift of God, you know, if you realize you're in such peril in your sins as that woman realized she was in peril, pinioned down in that hurt, you'd cry out to God. He'd give you the face right now to be saved. You'd be a St. and in the congregation of the Saints. Now let's just look a little contrast between this faith we're talking about and what man does as Cain did. You know, that's worship. That's religion, but it isn't of God.
It's only faith. Let's turn to Matthew 23 for justice. A few verses.
When we commence this gospel, it was made clear the room can only be divided into two groups. That's all congregations are dead. The Congregation of the Saints. There isn't anything else. You're saved or lost. That's it.
Don't rely on anything you're doing, and don't rely on religion of men.
You'll stay. You'll remain in the congregation of the dead forever.
Now we had a verse at Job, but I won't turn to it. To the 15th chapter, he speaks of the congregation of Hypocrites.
And what are they speaking about there? The congregation of hypocrites, the ones who were religious?
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The ones that were doing works, The ones who thought that God would credit them for something that they did never. There's not one thing a Sinner can do. It's all done by Christ on the cross, nothing else. It's only the blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing else but the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse from all sin. Chapter 23 is the Lord Jesus speaking about the religious ones of his day, the highest religion of his day, the scribes and the Pharisees. And verse two who sat in Moses seat. What's that?
The place of authority. They were responsible. They had the oracles of God.
But they weren't giving it out. In truth, they didn't have faith. Notice at the end of verse 3.
They say and do not. That's the problem. No reality. That's religion of man. No reality, They say and do not turn to First Timothy the 4th chapter. I want to give you a verse on that. It's very important. First Timothy chapter 4.
And verse three at the end.
They heap to themselves, teachers having itching ears.
They shall turn away their ears from the truth. That's what we're talking about.
That weren't going on in reality in the truth and the word of God. It's religion.
They sat in Moses seat, they say, but they do not. No faith involved. And so it is today. That's what Timothy speaking about, or Paul to Timothy today. This is the day we're talking about. They heap to themselves, teachers having its gears have to get to ears. What is the truth that they ought to hear? What is the truth that they ought to preach from the pulpit? Altogether stinky. That's what we had in Psalm 14. They wouldn't last very long.
They get rid of them, get themselves another one who would tickle their itching ears, tell them they're doing pretty good, getting better all the time. But that isn't what the word of God said. You need a savior, you know it's about.
They last about as long preaching the truth as the blind man lasted in John 9. When the Lord opened his eyes, they said give God the credit, not Jesus. No, I can't give anyone credit but Jesus. One thing I knew I was blind. Now I see it. That man Jesus did it. Out you go. They kicked him out. They wouldn't have him, but the Lord would. And that's a wonderful truth. Well, the heap under themselves today, teachers having itching ears, they tickle their ears and let them hear what they want. And that's what was wrong here.
Religion, you know, it never saved the soul. Never. Well, let's see what the Lord said in Matthew 23. Woe unto you. Woe unto you. Tribes and Pharisees. Hypocrites, the congregation of the Hypocrites. They're all in the congregation of the dead, you know in their sin. Why Hypocrites? You shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men. You can either go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Look at verse 14. Woe unto you.
Scribes. Pharisees. Hypocrites. Now what?
For pretense, you make long prayers.
You know, isn't that solemn? What's going on? You can look in Luke, the 18th chapter. We won't turn to it. There's a Pharisee of the Lords day he's talking about. He was in the temple, the right place. He stood there to pray, the right purpose. And he said, I thank God. Isn't it nice to thank God? What do you thank God for? I thank God. I'm not like other men. I'm like I am. And then he had a prayer of pride. All the things he was doing, he listed. All the things he didn't do, he listed.
But there was another man that prayed, A publican. A man that knew he was a Sinner. I trust you know you're a Sinner. A man that knew God could help him and the Lord Jesus could. He would lift up his eyes so much to heaven, he just smote his breast in disgust.
7 words God be merciful to me the Sinner. God be merciful to me, the Sinner and the voice of Jesus rang out justified. That man's justified. Saved in the congregation of the Saints. Isn't it wonderful? We're talking about faith, repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and you're saved. What's repentant? Just acknowledging your need as a Sinner, That's repentance.
Heart. Just believe what God said. Oh how the Lord was upset. Look at the words he used for the religious pretenders of that day. 15th verse. Woe unto you, scribes. Pharisees, Hypocrites. They compass the sea and land to make a new convert. But they make them the children of hell. They make them the children of hell. They keep them in the congregation. The dead. Dear friend, if you're relying on religion, don't do it.
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If you're doing one thing even to think God will give you credit and you get to heaven, forget it. You're still in your sins. There's only one Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's only one way. Faith in Christ. There isn't anything else. Let's look on it a couple more verses. Verse 23. Verse 23. Whoa. Wanted to use gribes? Pharisees. Hypocrites. They're in the congregation of the Hypocrites. You've omitted the weightier matters. What's that?
Law, Judgment, Mercy, Faith.
You have omitted the most important things. Why the law? The law was given to show yourself.
The need of a savior. The law is just a mirror to let you see. You can't keep it.
You fall short your sin. Isn't that wonderful that he has given the law?
For that reason only, none other is to bring you to Christ. Well, what about judgment?
God's holy God is holy. He must judge sin.
But he doesn't want to judge you for your sins. He wants to save you. He wants to save you. Judgment, mercy, Judgment is getting what you deserve. And dear friends, if you get what you deserve, you'll be judged by a holy God and cast into the lake of fire forever. What's mercy? Not getting what you deserve by the grace of God? Not getting what you deserve. How is that possible? Jesus Christ on the cross was judged by God for your sins. If you'll have him as your savior, that's wonderful, isn't it?
Getting what you deserve because his own son, sinless perfect substitute took the sins upon himself if you have him.
Faith the more weightier matter Faith.
By grace are you saved through faith? Not a bit you do, but just believing God. That's it. We have one more verse here. In this chapter, verse 33, notice the words the Lord Jesus uses. Yes. Serpents, the generation of Vipers. How can you escape the damnation of hell? And I'm going to ask you the same thing. If you are still in your sins in the congregation of the dead, how are you going to escape the damnation of hell?
Hebrews 2-3 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation being offered to you tonight, there is no other way you won't escape. That's the answer. Yeah. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Why? Because death is running rampant in this world. This world is enshrouded with death. Why? Death by sin. And so death is passed upon all men. Oh get out of it.
Get out of it. Get out of the congregation of the dead. I want to turn to one more portion.
Isaiah. Isaiah.
38th chapter.
You know this is wonderful. The first chapter, the first verse of this chapter brings in King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah. He was sick under death. Now, dear friends, so are you. If you're still in your sins, so are you. Sin. Sickness is under death. And that's the second death, eternal separation from the Holy God. He was sick unto death. And now the grace of God, the marvelous faithfulness of God.
He sends a prophet to Hezekiah. And what does the prophet say? Thus says the Lord set thine house in order for thou shalt die. And what wonderful faithfulness of God. Tonight you've been given another warning if you're still in your sins. I know you've been warned before, but God says, set thy house in order. Thou shalt die. And if you die in your sins, it's forever too late.
Forever too late, what did Hezekiah do? He turned and prayed unto the Lord.
Dear friends, cry out tonight in your heart. Cry out tonight to the Lord. You'll be saved. It doesn't take any time and it doesn't take any special care. You know that public and in the temple just had 7 words. That's enough repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God be merciful to me, the Sinner he saved. Oh cry out before it's forever too late. You're in Satan's hurt on the way to hell and he loved to keep you.
00:50:04
He loved to keep you there. You don't have to remain in the congregation of the dead.
He that wandereth out of the way shall remain in the congregation of the dead. God doesn't want you to.
Hezekiah turned. That's repentance. He prayed to the Lord. That's crying out and how wonderful it is. Verse four. Then came the word of the Lord. Verse five, I heard thy prayer. I will deliver thee. Verse 6. And that's the word of God for you tonight. He'll hear it in your heart. The Lord knows your thoughts in your heart before they reach your mind. Just ask him right where you'll sit to save me. Tell him you'll need Jesus Christ, the Savior. He'll give you the faith.
To receive Christ, and you will go out of here as a child of God in the congregation of the Saints.
I want to turn to a verse here now stressing the point. It isn't religion you know. I trust none of you think works will do one thing for you. They can just faith in Christ. He will deliver you. You could take all the prayers you ever prayed, and you could take good works and deeds you've ever done, and you could take all the religion you've ever practiced, and you can wrap them all up in a beautiful bundle and tie it with a rib on the blue heavenly color. But you'll carry that package with you into the lake of fire for eternity.
Won't do one bit of good faith in Christ, that's all. That's why he came now in.
Isaiah 3818 The grave cannot praise thee. Death cannot celebrate thee.
Ladies that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth because they remain in the congregation of the dead. How long, How long do they remain in the congregation of the dead?
What time is it?
What time is it?
For eternity. For eternity. You know that word only appears once in the Word of God.
That's all you say. Isn't that strange a word as important as that to my soul once in the word of God? That's right, just one eternity.
Oh, what important meaning it has to you because you're going to spend eternity someplace, hell or heaven. I want to give you an impression of that word. I trust and impress your soul. If you're still in your sin. Little poor my love. Perhaps you've heard it doesn't matter. That's the only way I can describe it. Sometimes someone asks me what is eternity. I only give this definition as long as God is God, but it's not really one that sends it home.
Count the little drops of water that within the ocean lie. Count the many stars that twinkle.
As you gaze into the sky, count the sands upon the desert and upon the ocean shore, and count the moments in your lifetime come but to return no more. Count the leaves within the forest, the tiny flakes of snow, and count the blades of grass in summer, and the shining drops of dew, And count the tears which all the millions in so many lands have shed. And count the stones and all the graveyards, telling where they've placed their dead. Count the birds which soar above us, and the atoms in the air.
Count the many blossoms giving fragrance everywhere, and when you're counting, all is done. Eternity has scarce begun. And then, friend, where will you be during all eternity? Solemn, isn't it?
In torment, in the blackness of darkness forever, where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
In the absence of God, whose love and light? Wouldn't that be solemn forever? And if you find yourself there, you'll never blame God. God will have all men to be saved. You'll never blame the Lord. The Lord is not willing that any perish. You'll blame yourself for all eternity. There'll be no one else to blame. You receive not the love of the truth that you can be saved. Now, friend, where will you be for all eternity? You see, I can't answer it. I'll do it for you. I can tell you where you'll be for all eternity.
One second after death.
Wherever you are, then you'll be there forever. One second after death. Both not thyself of tomorrow. Thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You know there's a verse in Job, and I love it because it's so faithful. 36 Verse 18 Because there is wrath. Beware. Because there is wrath. Beware, lest he take thee away with his stroke. And then a great ransom cannot deliver thee forever. Too late.
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How long? Eternity, you know. The fact is, there's wrath. He that hath the Son, he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. John. 336 He that believeth not the Son shall not see life.
But the wrath of God abideth on him, is over your head right now in your sins. And so the fact is, there is wrath. Beware the possibility he'll take thee away with his stroke. The impossibility then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.
Eternity. Oh dear friends, I trust there isn't any here going to walk out of here. In your sins. You don't have to. I trust none of them. Here, continue in the congregation of the dead. The Lord doesn't want it. What wonderful love we've been preaching tonight. It's the love of God for you. We're going to sing a hymn. But you know I trust. Let's read one more verse. By the way, 19th verse of the same chapter we're in Isaiah 38.
The living, the living. He shall praise thee, Not the dead, the living shall praise thee. Isn't that wonderful? I'm one of them. I've started it. But I'll praise him soon in glory as I ought. And I trust everybody here will be among the living, the congregation of the living, so that they can start praising him right now with the rest of us. We're going to sing a hymn along that line. But I want to tell you just one little thing that happened. It may set it in your heart.
This happened in Joplin, MO, 1978. Man by the name of Alfred Summers, 30 years old, little family construction worker, maintenance man in a HH collapsed. You know, these things happen. They happen. When the Lord was here. Luke 13 He spoke of the Tower of Salome that fell and killed. 18 You know what he said to the disciples? Do you think they were greater sinners than you?
Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. That's the point.
Hotel collapse. The whole thing came down. He was on the bottom. He was on the bottom. No hope, wouldn't you say? So would I? 2 foot hole. Couldn't lift his head. Laying on his back. There he was buried. 2 foot hole. That's the height of it.
Dark. He knew what happened. The whole thing came down. Well, the first day he was there, 3 1/2 days. The first day, Alfred Summers tried everything. Tried to loosen some rocks without letting the whole pile come down on him. He found the pipe and he tapped it with a little stone, hoping somebody would hear it. He tried all kinds of things, but he couldn't move. Second day he tried other things. Tried not to move too hard because the oxygen was getting low. Tried not to breathe. Much thought of his family. Realized he was over. Now it's all gone.
And began to think, Where am I going to be? Where am I going to be? You know, at the end of the second day. It's interesting, he said. I was never a religious man. Never. But I knew now that if anyone could save me, it had to be Jesus. Isn't that wonderful? How do you know that? You know it too. If anyone can save you, it has to be Jesus. And he was thinking now of eternity, and he cried out to the Lord.
The next morning he heard something, the sound of machinery, distance. But he heard it and he started to pray again. Then he heard a rumble and he saw the stone shaking near him, and finally a ray of light and some fresh air. And as they dug it away and dragged him out, you know what he said? Thank you, Lord Jesus. First thing he said. Thank you, Lord Jesus in that wonderful. You know, I trust you sense if you're still in your sins.
You're in Satan's first, just like that woman. Cry out the Lord, O Savior, If anybody could help you now it has to be Jesus. That's what he said. And he's right. There isn't anybody else. There's none other savior. Then you'll be with the living and you'll praise God. You'll praise the Lord, 3131. I will praise my dear Redeemer. His triumphant power. I'll tell.
How the victory he giveth over sin and death and hell. Saying all saying of my Redeemer with his blood he purchased me on the cross he sealed. Bipartite. He paid the debt and made me free #31.
I will sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous love to me.
01:00:11
I'm the girl of the karate God.
From the ground to the Sandy Spring.
And he won't say anything.
By greeting workers.
When it flies, each person just breathing.
All the time he sealed my heart.
Have You Responded to Jesus's Request to Come
Gospel—S. Allan
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I don't make any. I don't know.
If I'm tonight.
Alright, and now he's gone.
From.
Now till the day.
Could we also sing Number six? God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified to us for sinners. Jesus died. Could we stand and sing #6?
God in mercy sent his Son.
To a world, I said. I'm done.
Jesus Christ was proven by.
Glory of the Gray Joy, Megan. Las Vegas.
Now link center is from my body.
God is like man, God is love.
No more shall reign.
Jesus died and left again.
In my glories, high as high.
Say him God, supreme daylight.
All the glory of the grace.
Joining in the sailors face.
Bowling centres from my love. God is life and God is wild.
All concrete, and there's a name.
Everlasting like racing.
Roar from all is Jesus now.
Everything to him must found.
Oh my, glory of the grace. Joy in the Savior, Savage.
God is life and God is love.
Life, the Lord will come again.
00:05:06
He will suffer once will reign, and every time I last well alone.
Jesus Christ is Lord alone.
Along the glory of the great joy.
Nerves from my love. God is light and God is life.
Well, we want to welcome tonight, each one to the gospel meeting. You know, I just overheard two brothers speaking this afternoon and one was asking how many there were at the meetings here. And he named a figure. And, you know, the brother responded and said it was nice that so many had responded to the invitation and surely we are happy.
And those who have responded to the invitation and to those who have responded to the invitation to come to the gospel meeting. But all dear friends tonight, how it would rejoice heaven if you responded to that loving request that Jesus puts before you tonight. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Oh, dear friend, tonight listen to the gospel message.
We trust that what is said is from God, and all we know that this word that we have in our hands is the eternal living Word of God. Oh, that you might respond to His love and His grace this evening. Well, it was on my heart to speak just from a couple of verses in the book of Ecclesiastes that I've often enjoyed in connection with the Gospel. Ecclesiastes Chapter 9.
Emil Reed from verse 14.
Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9 and verse 14.
There was a little city.
And few men within it. And there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now there was found in it.
A poor wise man, and he by his wisdom.
Delivered the city, yet no man remembered that same poor man, and then said, I Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard and quiet more than the cry of him that rule us among fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one Sinner.
Destroy us much Good.
Well, what's striking words we have here in this book of Ecclesiastes? And oh, how I love to think of this in connection with the gospel message we have here brought before us. A little city. And you know, some might wonder just what this has for us this evening, a little city. But we'll notice here that there was a great king that came against it. His object was to smash down the walls of that city.
To ruin the men who were found in it. And you know, I found it very helpful.
In studying the scriptures to notice the first time that things are mentioned.
And the first time we have the city mentioned is in Genesis 4.
And perhaps we could turn there for a moment. Keep your finger in Ecclesiastes. We'll be coming back to it.
Ecclesiastes, chapter 4.
And we'll notice verse 16.
Genesis 4, verse 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, and on the east of Canaan. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. Oh, what do we find here, dear friends?
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We find that Cain, the man who murdered his brother.
It says he went out from the presence of the Lord and that his son built the first city.
Oh, how solemn this is, dear friend. Yes, the first city was built outside the presence of the Lord and all. I believe that if this little city that's referred to here would in type perhaps apply to this world in which we live. Yes, it looks so wonderful. We look, we go outside and we enjoy the autumn leaves, we enjoy the crisp mornings and nature. But all this world has been defiled by sin.
Yes, dear friend, sin came into this world, and death by sin.
So death passed upon all men, for all have sinned.
And so we find here.
The city outside, the presence of the Lord. Oh, how solemn. I wonder how many here I'm looking at this evening are away from the presence of the Lord. You know, if we're sinners, that's exactly where we want to be. We know the story of the prodigal son. There he was enjoying all the privileges of the father's house. And you know, what did he say? He said, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he took them and went into a far country.
And wasted his substance. Oh, is there some young person here tonight? Is there someone here that is wasting their substance in riotous living away from the presence of the Lord? All God wants to speak to you tonight. He wants to warn you of coming judgment. He wants to tell you of his love. And we find here that not only was it a city, but it says it was a little city.
You know I was struck this afternoon when our brother was speaking.
He said that everyone of us here have an outlook and we have a viewpoint and you know, I was struck with that in connection with this chapter that we have.
You know, man likes to boast of this world. You know, I often think of Nebuchadnezzar. There he was, the ruler of the greatest city of the world at that time. He built what was called the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife as a present, and there he sat on the throne. And what did he say? He said, is this not great Babylon that I have built for the House of the Kingdom by the might of my power?
And for the honor of my Majesty.
Oh how he loved to boast of what he had accomplished. And is it not true that man has much to boast in today?
I suppose he has never reached a pinnacle like he has at the present time. He boasts that he can drive, he can fly around the world in so many hours, he can invent computers that can almost think. And really, we're all dazzled, you might say, by all the wonderful inventions that man has made. But all you know, what is our viewpoint? You know, as our brother said, our outlook depends on our viewpoint.
And I wonder what viewpoint you have, dear friend, if you have man's viewpoint, you see a great city, one with much to boast in, and you can see a bright future when we can just sit in our homes and press buttons and get whatever we want. But oh, dear friend, is that God's viewpoints? No, it isn't. What does it say here? Oh, the Spirit of God says there was a little city. A little city.
Yes. What is this world in relation to the vast universe? Man takes his telescope and he trains it on the universe, and what does he see? Billions upon billions of galaxies. The more mighty the telescope, the farther he can see. He takes a microscope, he looks at the smallest little thing, and he begins to see more and more as the power of the microscope is increased. Yes. What is the only thought he can come to that he is nothing but something very insignificant.
And Oh dear friend, I say, this world is nothing but a little city.
It says there were few men within it all man worries about the billions upon billions, and naturally speaking it is a problem. But all who made the billions of people that we find here in this world, God did. But you know, I often think that even though it's a little city and even though it might be insignificant in the size of the universe, what did the Lord Jesus say in Proverbs 8? He said that his delights were with the children of men. Isn't that wonderful?
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A little speck of a planet in the solar system.
Which is nothing but a mere speck in the Milky Way. Which is nothing but a mere speck in the universe.
God designed to look at this little planet, and he said his love on this planet.
Oh, it says, for God so loved the world.
Oh, dear friend, God loves you even though you're just a speck in this little world. That's a speck.
God has set his love upon you. Yes, he so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Well, it says here there was a little city, and few men within it, and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Oh, here we come again to something. I was struck again by what our brother said.
This afternoon about the power of Satan.
You know, it talks about a little city, but then it talks about a Greek king and Oh dear friend, I want to say that you have an enemy of your soul that is bent upon your destruction. He wants to cast you down into hell forever.
He is a deceiver. He is called a serpent. There he was in the Garden of Eden, and he spoke to the woman. And what did he say? He said, has God said, thou shalt surely die? Ah, he cast a doubt into her mind. And then what did he do? He said, ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Why is it that man boasts of all his accomplishments?
Oh, it's because he has an enemy of his soul that's putting those thoughts into his mind.
Satan says ye shall be as gods. You know, there are some of these people that come around to our doors even with the Word of God. I've even seen them come with the very same addition of the Bible that I have. And what do they tell us? That we'll be God someday. Who's the author of that? Oh, Satan, who says ye shall be as gods? Yes, Satan is fooling men into thinking that if they go off to another planet and find life there, that they will be gods to the people on that planet.
Yes, God isn't Satan is implanting in people's minds.
These thoughts and dear friend, I believe that he's trying to plant them in your mind.
But all it says here, there came a great king against it and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it. All the power of Satan is on the increase. There was a time when this Bible was respected. It was in every home. Even though the people weren't saved, they felt a responsibility to read it every day and all. I trust that each one here reads it every day. But we're living in an age.
Of increasing indifference when men aren't impressed by what the word of God says.
But all I want to tell you, it tells us in Second Timothy chapter 3 that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Yes, all Scripture from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. It is the word of God. And all Satan would seek to tear it down. He would seek to tell you that it's nothing but a myth. But all I want to tell you, it says heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not.
Pass away.
Oh, Satan, how he would seek to deceive. Oh, is he casting doubts into your mind? Dear young people, as you sit here, are you doubting the word of God? Are you saying, well, I know my parents believe that, but I really can't really see that that's the truth.
Oh, what is it? The enemy of your soul is putting those thoughts in your mind.
Yes, he would have you to think, Yeah. Has God really said thou shalt die? You know, what did he say then? No, thou shalt not surely die. All he would seek to he's he's a liar now. He would seek to cast out the word that is being sown in your soul tonight. Oh, dear friend, don't listen to what he has to say. There is a God. There is a day when you are going to have to stand before him.
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As we had last night, yes, it says the earth and the heavens will flee away. And there was a great white throne in him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away. And there was a dead small and great standing before God. Yes, dear friend, there is a day when you are going to believe, because you see. But oh, how wonderful that tonight you have the privilege of accepting the word of God. Yes, by faith.
Oh, how we would desire tonight that you would accept the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior. Well, we find here it says there was a little city and few men within it and the bulwarks were built against it. Now what's it saying verse 15?
Now there was found in it.
A poor wise man, always in this beautiful yes, here was this world under the influence of Satan.
Man exalting himself.
But oh, in that city there was found a poor man.
Who is this poor man? Oh, what a privilege we have tonight to present to you.
This poor wise man. Let's look at a verse in the New Testament that would suggest who he is. It was read this morning in The Breaking of Brad, Two Corinthians, chapter 8.
Two Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 9.
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That though he was rich.
Yet for your sakes.
He became poor.
That ye, through his poverty, might be rich.
All who is this poor wise man that was found there in that little city? All was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And all it says here ye know the grace. Oh I want to ask you tonight, is there someone in this room that does not know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? Oh, is there someone here that has never experienced His love, have never felt in His presence that they are sinners?
Deserving of eternal judgment.
And then have confessed him as their Lord and Savior and accepted that salvation.
All we trust, if there's someone here tonight that does not know of his grace, that, oh, tonight they might walk out that door rejoicing, knowing that their sins are washed away. Well, it says.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, oh, let's meditate on that for a moment. He was rich, you know, He was a poor wise man in this world perhaps, but oh, it says he was rich. Why does it say that?
Let's turn for a moment to Hebrews chapter one.
These are verses that we all know.
But what does that say here about the Lord Jesus? Let's look at the first verse. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time passed under the fathers by the prophets, half in these last days, spoken unto us by his Son now. Nor is the first thing here it says, whom he hath appointed heir of all things.
Oh, what a marvelous expression this is.
That poor, despised one that was in this world nearly 2000 years ago.
God says that he has appointed him heir of all things.
Yes, lookout and see the trees, the mountains, look up into the starry heavens and see the vast universe.
Who is the heir of all that? All that poor wise man.
Oh, God has seen pleased to exalt his blessed Son. He's given him a name which is above every name, and we look forward to the future when everything will be under his sway, and he'll rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But what else does it say about this poor wise man? It says here, by whom also he made the world. Yes, we go forward in time.
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But now we go backward in time and what do we find? He made the world's. I want to ask you tonight, dear friend, do you believe that? You know, there's lots of people that believe that Jesus lived 2000 years ago. There's lots of people that believe that he died on a cross. I don't think there's one person in this room that would say that isn't true. But I want to ask you tonight, do you believe that he made the world? John's Gospel tells us.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
Do you believe that?
Oh, tonight, dear friend, I want to tell you how important it is.
To realize the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not only a poor man living in this world.
But he was the eternal living God.
He was the Son of God. He was God manifest in the flesh. All. What wonderful grace that He ever came down here into this world. As a babe in Bethlehem's Manger. Oh, I'm overwhelmed when I think of that expression in Ecclesia. As a babe in Bethlehem's Manger All I'm overwhelmed when I think of that expression in Ecclesiastes 9. There was found in it a poor wise man. Imagine the creator of the universe.
Coming down into this world as a babe in the very world that he made.
Now, what did the world do with them? Oh, it says there was number room for him in the end. But oh, I want to tell you, dear friend, he's the Good Samaritan who walked down that road and saw the man in the ditch. What did he do? He got off his donkey, went down into the ditch, picked up that man that was full of sores and bruises, put him on the very donkey he was riding on. He took the low place and walked along. And where'd he take him to? He took him to the end.
Yes, even though this world refused an end for the Creator, the one who made the world's.
Ah, He would desire tonight to save you and take you to the end, to be cared for. Oh, I want to tell you, He loves you and he wants to save you. And so we find here He made the world. But you know there's more than that. It tells us here who being the brightness or the effulgence of his glory and the exact expression of His person as I could read.
Oh just think, he not only manifested God what God was, but he was the exact expression of what God was.
All we see him there, walking those dusty roads of Israel.
Yes, men didn't appreciate him. He went about doing good. He cleansed the leper.
He healed the sick, He opened the eyes of the blind, then one of the people say.
He hath a devil. Just imagine the heart of man as the Lord Jesus went about doing good.
And what was their reaction? Away with this man Crucify him. We will not have this man to reign over us.
All is not your action tonight. You know things haven't changed the spec. I remember one time hearing a story of a man who was so angry he said of Jesus Christ came back to this world, we'd nail him to a cross a second time. An old dear friend, I want to tell you that is your heart and it's my heart. The Bible says it says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?
And you know, dear Christian friend, it's good for us to realize that that's our heart, our old nature, even afterwards, says desperately wicked.
You know, we think what horrible people they were to cry out that cry, but I want to tell you that's my heart, the old nature. But all the Lord Jesus, he wants to give you a new life. He says you must be born again. You must. There's no sense trying to reform that old nature. There's a lot of people, they realize their problems and they say, well, I'm going to turn over a new leaf. You ever heard that on January the 1St?
I'm going to turn over a new leaf. Well, it lasts maybe until January the 2nd and then it's all over with. Yes, because they're trying to do it in their own strength. They don't realize they need a new nature.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Oh, how wonderful.
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All God wants to give you a new life. Well we find here.
In Hebrews again it says when he it goes on read the third verse again, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. Nonetheless this and upholding all things by the word of his power. Oh, you know, man often thinks well, yes, there is a God. He did create the universe. But you know, some people look on God as some kind of a watchmaker. I have a watch here in my hand.
It was made by somebody in Switzerland and he made it to run according to fixed principles.
And the watchmaker, he made it and then forgot about it. And you know, there are some people that look on God that way.
As someone who has just simply made the universe to run by fixed natural laws.
Like those that Isaac Newton and Copernicus and others discovered. And now he's just forgotten about it. But notice what this verse says. Uphold us all things by the word of His power. I want to tell you, dear friend, you wouldn't breathe for one second if it wasn't for the power of God. The earth that is exactly the right distance from the sun was placed there by God, and He holds it there by His power.
He sees the little Sparrow fall. We often sing How many, how often the little children have sung that hymn.
God sees the little Sparrow fall. Just imagine a worthless Sparrow. God sees it fall. There is not one of his creatures.
But he does not have an interest in and see, he upholds all things by the word of his power.
The very breath that you are breathing right now is given to you by God.
Oh, I want to tell you, don't boast yourself of tomorrow. No God.
Could easily take that life away.
Oh, how we are solemnized.
By young people who have gone into eternity, I know where I come from.
I have taught teenagers for some years and the last 10 years, I think seven of them at least, have gone into eternity.
And you're a young person. Just because you're sitting here with health and strength is no guarantee.
That you're going to be here tomorrow.
No, boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what are they may bring forth. Well, how wonderful. We see here in Hebrews chapter 2 The glories of the Son of God, that poor wise man. Well, we'll be speaking more about that in a few moments. Let's return to Ecclesiastes 9.
All it says here.
There was found in it a poor wise man, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich for your sake, he became poor. Why did he leave the glory? Why did he come down to this world for your sake?
Mary, John, Bill, whatever your name is, he came down here for your sake.
All what matchless love.
We all enjoy that verse totally, for God so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
But have everlasting life. Oh, what love is shown in that verse, the immeasurable heights of it. God so loved the world down to the unfathomable depths of it, that He gave His only begotten Son. Where did the Lord Jesus go? Oh, it says there in Philippians 2, Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, took upon him the form of a servant.
And was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Oh, just think of the unfathomable depths of that love that not only came into this world, how remarkable it was that found in this world was the world's Creator going about doing good. The servant, Yes.
He wasn't born in a palace, he was born in the Bethlehem's Manger.
He didn't even have a place to put his head, and when he was asked for a piece of money, he had to tell him to go and find a piece in his mountain. The fish's mouth.
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Yes, that wasn't all, but he went down there to Calvary. That was probably one of the most despicable ways to ever die.
They say sometimes people lasted for four days. They just simply were nailed to that piece of wood. And I understand they died not from bleeding particularly, although they were weakened, but because they got so weak that they couldn't breathe properly and they smothered to death. A spectacle there for the whole world to gaze on. Spit in the face of the one who was crucified, helpless to do anything. Why did Jesus do that? For your sake? He became poor.
Dear young boy and girl, for your sake he became poor.
Oh, how our hearts should be touched with a sense of His love.
That came from heaven's highest heights down to Calvary's depths of all.
And then it says in the middle of that verse, that word, whosoever, oh, what are the bounds of that love?
Oh, what's the breadth of it? Whosoever you know, there are some people that say well.
I'm just not quite good enough. No, I I just don't deserve to be saved. You don't know what a wicked Sinner I am. Aw, Jesus says whosoever that takes in you, what takes in me. You know, the apostle Paul could say Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief and all. If he came in to save the chief of sinners, dear friend, he came in to save you. Oh, I thank God that he saved my soul.
I certainly didn't deserve it and he knew everyone of my failures. Even after I was saved before he saved him and he still saved me.
Oh, what a wonderful Savior we have. The breadth of that love, whosoever, what's the length of it? That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life, no limit to that love everlasting. Yes, the Lord wants to bless you, not only wash your sins away in His blood that He shed there on that cross, but He wants you to take you to the glory. He wants to share His home with you for eternity.
Or are you going to?
Reject that love tonight. Oh, he says. How shall we escape if we neglect?
So great salvation. Oh, as you sit here tonight, dear friend, don't neglect it. God speaketh once, Yeah, twice. But man perceiveth it not. Oh, is he speaking to you? Yes, God speaks. Are you listening to his voice tonight? Well, it says here there was found in it a poor wise man. Oh, what a wonderful words. Those are found in it, you know. Have you been seeking Jesus?
You know, it's a verse in Isaiah 55 that says.
Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.
Oh, have you been seeking the Savior? Oh, I like that story of Zacchaeus. I know the boys and girls here do. How often we sing. A certain man of whom we read, who lived in days of old, though he was rich.
Though he was rich, he felt his need of something more than gold. What did he do? He climbed a tree.
There he was up in that tree. He didn't think anybody saw him. Why was he there? He wanted to see Jesus.
But you know Jesus, he was the creator. He knew all about Zacchaeus. And what did he do? He stopped underneath that tree and he said, Zacchaeus come down.
For today I must abide at thy house. And dear Sinner friend, he knows your name. Tonight you might be boasting that you have a degree after your name. You might be boasting in the fact that you are a computer expert or something. Jesus says to you, come down.
Oh, don't be like Nebuchadnezzar who boasted in all his power. Come down.
Be willing to take the low place. Look at the Lord Jesus, who he was, yet for your sakes he became poor. Well, there was found in it all the yes, the Lord Jesus. He found Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus found him. And the Lord says to you tonight seek and ye shall find not, and it shall be opened unto you. You know, here's a question someone might ask, well, where is he? How can I find him?
Where is he to be found? You know, He's called here the wise man. And in Job this question is asked, where is wisdom to be found? Where is understanding to be found? And the answer is given at the end of the chapter, Job 26. We won't turn to it. It says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
00:40:23
You know, you might just say, well, I can't find them. You know, Yuri Gagarin went up into space and he flew around. He said, I can't see God anywhere. He was just trying to make a mockery of God. Did he really think that he could really see God? Oh, he was just boasting and mocking. Where is wisdom to be found? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Dear young man, here tonight. Dear young woman, do you fear God?
Do you tremble at the thought that one day you are going to have to stand in His presence? Every idle word that man shall speak, he shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. Oh, dear friend, fear God. It's the beginning of wisdom. And then what does it say? To depart from evil is understanding. Yes, God is holy. We sang that hymn tonight that God is love. Yes, he is.
Then Jesus loves you, my friend. But he's also a God of light. Yes, and the light we know exposes.
The the dirt, doesn't it? We don't like to come into a room if we're filthy because the light exposes what we are. And dear friend, God is holy and he cannot have sin in his presence. Oh, you must be willing to confess that you are a lost, guilty Sinner. You say, Well, I'm not as bad as you think I am. Now maybe what you're saying is fine for the drunkard. It might be fine for the person that smokes pot or something like that.
But God, But dear friend, I want to tell you there's no difference, Romans 3 says.
It says there is no difference, all have sinned. You might boast that you're better than your neighbor, but God says there's no difference. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Oh, tonight, dear friend, acknowledge your position. Come down.
Realize and confess that you're a Sinner. Oh, it says, God commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to take sides with God against yourself?
Oh, we were reading in Hebrews there that God has appointed his son.
The air of all things. But you know, there's another appointment, it tells us in Acts 17.
That God has appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness. You know we're living in a world.
In which there's a lot of unrighteousness. You expect a just decision. I know where I come from. There have been some court decisions made by judges, and you just wonder at their wisdom and righteousness and what they have done. You can't expect righteousness in an unrighteous world. But God is righteous, and He is appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an encounter of every thought. Dear friend, yes, we get away with nothing.
Nothing.
Well, it says here there was found in it a poor wise man.
And he by his wisdom, remembered that poor.
And he, by his wisdom, delivered the city. Oh, isn't that wonderful, The word delivered there. You know, I've enjoyed a little story. I know the children always enjoy a story, don't they? But I remember reading one time in the Sunday school paper about a train that was going through the Rocky Mountains. It was traveling along through the canyons. And anyone that has traveled there knows that the railway tracks sometimes come very close to the river.
And this particular story took place, I believe, in 1921, and there were many passengers on this train, and it was pouring rain. I understand that 6 inches of rain fell in six hours. And the engineers were going along, and they were concerned because they could see the water rising in the river. And the track was right beside the river. And finally they stopped the train and they thought maybe they should back it up to avoid the rising water.
But suddenly something flew through the cab of the engine and they knew that part of the railway track behind had been destroyed.
00:45:08
And so there was nothing they could do. They stopped the train. They told the passengers they were sorry, but they couldn't continue. They'd have to wait out the storm.
Well, it wasn't long before the water started coming in the railway cars.
And there was number way you could stop it. And there was a woman there in the train with her little girl.
And she, she had been sleeping. The little girl had been sleeping. She woke her up and she said, dear, we've got to be careful. There's water coming in the train. And it came up 6 inches foot, half a foot and a half and right up. And she put the little girl on her shoulders. The water came up to her chin. And she, the woman began to cry out. But you know, the little girl was praying. She bowed her head and she said, Jesus, I trust you. Jesus, I trust you.
She prayed that simple prayer and you know, the water came right up to the mother's chin. But then the water began to recede.
All the people in that train were touched by the prayer of that little girl. Jesus, I trust you. Oh, I want to ask you tonight, are you willing to put your trust in Jesus? You know what tells us here? A little later, no man remembered that same poor man. Isn't it sad that we're living in a world right now where Jesus has forgotten about. He's nothing but a curse word. He's the song of the drunkards.
But you know, there's a verse that I like in Psalm 20, it says this.
Some trust in Chariots and some in horses, but we will remember.
The Lord our God, the name of the Lord our God all you know we don't have Chariots today.
You know, the first people I believe to invent the iron chariot were the Hittites. The reason why they were so strong was because they had iron Chariots. They boasted in their strength and they could go down and they could defeat people. Well, today we laugh at the Hittites. We think my they thought they were so wonderful with iron Chariots. And you know, I remember reading a a poem at school.
I can't remember how it goes. It was called Ozymandias. Maybe some of you have studied it. Just a 14 line sonnet and it spoke about a traveler that went over to Egypt and there he saw this broken down statue. The nose was gone and part of the legs and part of the trunk and there was standing and on the pedestal it said something to this effect. I am the great Aussie Mandius and I rule this mighty land and this is my wonderful Kingdom.
And what was there? A broken down old statue and scattered bricks all over the place. Everything gone.
Nineveh, the greatest city of its time. Where is it today? You'd have a hard job finding it today. Where's Babylon? Where are these mighty cities of the past? Gone?
Oh dear friend, I tell you this world with all its boasting, all its computers.
What's going to happen to it? Let's turn to Hebrews chapter 2. We'll find out.
Hebrews, chapter 2.
Verse 10. I'm sorry, Chapter one, Verse 10.
And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. Oh, how wonderful they shall perish, but thou remainest notice they shall perish, but thou remainest. They all shall wax old as death a garment and as a vesture. Shalt thou fool them up?
And they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years.
Shall not fail. Oh yes, this mighty civilization that we live in.
With all its modern conveniences, it's going to perish. Yes, God has appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness. Why?
Because this world, you know, people say, well, he's going to do it because we're so wicked. Yes, that's true. But more than that, because this world has cast out the Lord Jesus Christ now is the judgment of this world. Now why, Because they cast out the Lord Jesus. But all he's the same. Thou remainest all we have here in Ecclesiastes. No man remembered that same.
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Poor man.
Thou art the same. Oh how wonderful. Dear friends, tonight that same Jesus that died on Calvary's cross is the same tonight.
The same tonight. He loves you just as much as he loved the people back in those days.
And yet, what does it say in verse 16? Our time is just about up. It says in verse 16 in the middle. Nevertheless, the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. Oh, are we going to close this meeting this evening?
With men and women.
Children despising the word.
All it says he's despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
You know, I was struck recently by a comment I read.
It said that man.
They desire power.
Why? So they can assert their own will. They desire riches.
So they can have happiness without God.
They desire wisdom so that they can shut God out of his own creation.
They desire strength so that they can be independent of God.
They desire.
Honor so that they can display themselves. So they desire glory so that they can display themselves.
They desire honor so they can exalt themselves, and blessings so that they can minister to themselves.
That's why men want those things. Power, riches, wisdom.
Glory, honor, that's why they want it. But all who's the only one worthy?
Oh how wonderful, dear believer, that we are going to stand in the presence of Jesus.
And we're going to sing those words. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive.
Power.
And riches and wisdom and strength and glory and honor and blessing. Oh, what a day that'll be. Oh dear Sinner, tonight will you accept Jesus as your Savior? Will you not join us in the glory to sing that song of the redeemed for all eternity? Worthy is the land that was slain. Oh, may we, may you go to this room tonight rejoicing the blood of Jesus Christ.
God's Son cleanseth us from all sin. Oh, it says here, his words are not heard.
Are you going to go to this room not hearing his words? Hear and your soul shall live.
God Has Good News for You This Night
Gospel—J. Dods
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I would like to begin the meeting tonight by asking you to sing with me.
#2 Come to Jesus gently calling ye with care and toil, oppressed with your guilt, however appalling Come, and I will give you rest for your sin. He once has suffered on the cross. The work was done, and the word by God now utter to each weary soul is come, come. The Father's house stands open with us, love and light and song.
And returning to that father, all to you may now belong.
From sin's distant land of famine, twirling Neath the midday sun, to a father's House of plenty, and a father's welcome come. Perhaps some brother could start this for us.
Jesus.
Wake up.
My heart.
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Perhaps we could open our Bibles tonight, just for a moment, to the First Epistle of John.
First Epistle of John in chapter 4.
Chapter 4.
And verse 8.
And I would like to begin the last clause of the verse.
And we read here, for God is love.
In this was manifest that the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him here in his love. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Now this has been announced as a gospel meeting, and I believe that the word gospel means good news.
And I believe that we have good news to tell tonight.
And that is that God wishes to speak to you.
God wishes to communicate to the human race, but more than that, God wishes to speak to you.
It's one thing when our Prime Minister makes an address to the entire nation, but it would be another thing if the Prime Minister were to call you or myself personally and speak to us. And I believe friends tonight that the gospel is that God has something to say to you individually you.
We live in a land that calls itself Christian, but each one of us here knows that the Christian world is in confusion. And so tonight God would speak to you.
And I ask you, do you have an open ear to listen to what God would say to you?
We have read 3 words, God is love.
And you know, I believe that that's what God would tell you tonight is that he loves you.
God, the Almighty Creator, the one who gives you the breath that you breathe.
The one who created everything. He wishes to tell you that he loves you. Oh, my friend, when you stop and think about it, you may not be very old, or you may be in your youth, or you may be older, but isn't it wonderful to know that we have a communication from God? And He tells us in the communication that we have that He loves the human race and that He loves each one of us.
Personally, I can't think of anything any greater news than to tell you that that God loves you personally.
Now I know that in this room tonight there are those who can truthfully say, I know God's love, I have felt God's love, I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. And there may be those in the room tonight who have to say, I can't really say that I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. And so I would say tonight that it is to you that I speak. There are many who love the Lord Jesus who are certain about their salvation. And I would ask you to bear with me tonight.
While I would seek by God's grace to speak to those who cannot say that they know the Lord Jesus as their Savior, and I would like to turn to another passage in which the love of God is shown out to the human race and to an individual. So can we go now to Luke's Gospel, chapter 15? We'll return perhaps at the end of this hour to the first John chapter 3.
It's.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 15.
You know, I said that God wishes to communicate with each one of us.
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But because God is so great and mighty and we are nothing but human beings, it is difficult for God.
To communicate to us, to we who are so low. And so God came into this world in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. God has come to this world in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. And in the first chapter of John's gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ is given a name. The name is the word.
If I wish to express something to you about how I'm feeling, I use words. The Lord Jesus Christ is the expression of how God feels to you, how he feels toward you. His life, His acts, His words, they express to you, my friends, how God feels to you. And here we have a story, and the Lord Jesus himself is speaking, and he's going to tell a story which will show how God feels to each one of us.
And we read in the ninth verse and the 10th verse rather. Now remember, this is the Lord Jesus speaking, and he was the very God. And he says, likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth. And he said, a certain man had two sons, and the younger them said to his Father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided onto them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered altogether and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there rose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into the fields to feed swine, and he would feign have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said.
How many hired servants of my father's have bred enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger?
I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.
And I'm no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose and came to his Father. But when he was yet a great way off, his Father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the sun said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and I'm no more worthy to be called thy Son. But the Father said to his servant.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
And bring hit her the fatted calf, and kill it. And let us eat and be merry for this. My son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found, and they began to be married.
Now, I'd just like to draw your attention to a few things that this Scripture tells us. And again, I would say that I believe that the Lord Jesus is showing us the heart of God. He's showing us what God thinks of those who are sinners. Let us begin with verse 12, and then perhaps we'll return to verse 10 later.
Their two sons and one of these sons said to the father, Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
I believe that what the Lord Jesus is saying to us there is this.
You, my friend, are not satisfied. You're not content. You're looking for something. This young man said give me. Why did he say give me? Because he wasn't satisfied with what he had.
Now my friend, is that true of you?
Is it possible that you are not satisfied? Perhaps you're not willing to admit that you really are not satisfied, but you know, some of the greatest men in the world have had to admit that they weren't satisfied.
There was a well known businessman in Canada.
And he had everything that he could want. And his biographer says of him, he gives the appearance. He gave the appearance of a man who had everything but still lacked, still lacked. And he seemed to know it too. So my friends, if you're still in your sins, if you haven't had a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, I suggest to you that God is saying to you.
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You're lacking and you know it.
There's something that you need, Oh my friend, God is your creator and you can never be satisfied. You can never be satisfied until you're in tune with him, until you have a relationship with him. And so you may look for that which satisfies this young man said, give me. And so his father gave it to him. And then we read in verse 13. And not many days after, the younger son gathered altogether and took his journey into a far country.
Saw the young man leaves now and he goes at a distance from his father, and that is just like you.
You are at a distance from God, your Father, and when we opened this meeting tonight, we opened it with two hymns. It began with come because the God that you have gone away from is deckening to you and saying, come, I've got something to give you. He's beckoning to you and saying come, I can satisfy. I can fill that longing in your heart. I can supply what is missing.
But you're in the far country. You're at a distance from God.
Oh, my friend, at a distance from God, you cannot be satisfied. You may, it's as true, have some temporary pleasures. The Bible doesn't deny that. If you go your own way, if you turn your back on God, the Bible doesn't deny that there won't be pleasures for a season.
And for that's what sin is. It's to go your own way, it's to leave God out of your life. And so this young man, as it were, he said, I don't want anything more of the Father's restraint. And he went into the far country, he was at a distance from God and saw you.
So you need to come back. You need to come to God. And I would say this to the boys and girls here. First of all, you need to come to God. And God the Father loves you. He is love, and you need to come to him. Won't you come to you young people here who know the way of salvation, who have had fathers and mothers, who have told you the story of God's love over and over again, and you know it very well. Oh, I say to you, you need to come back to God.
It's time you came to him, To you perhaps who don't know the story of the gospel, of the grace of God so well. I say to you, friend, you can come back. You don't need to remain at a distance from God, but you can come right near to Him.
Let's see what happened next. This young man, he went into a far country. He got as far away, I suppose you would say, from his father as he could get. He didn't want the restraint. And perhaps there's someone in the room tonight who doesn't want the restraint of God in their lives.
Perhaps there's someone here tonight who would like to say I'm going to put God out of my life and I'll live it the way I choose. Oh, my friend, you saw you're in a far country. Your condition before God is that of a lost soul. Your condition before God is that of one who has no hope.
And I say to you, God is decking, come back from that far country tonight and be satisfied. This young man after he went into a far country, he wasted his substance with rioters living.
Now you say, there, I knew there was a catch. I haven't done that. Perhaps I have never personally accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, but I'm not such a bad person. But my friend, how do you think this young man's father felt when he walked out and closed the door behind him? Didn't the father feel that there was a distance between himself and his son? And it may be that you have not gone into the depths of sin that others have. It may be that we can't say about you that you're wasting your.
Substance in rioters living.
But if there's a distance between you and God, God still beckons you to come. And you need to come. As I say, when the door was closed, there was a wall that went up between the Father and the Son. And if you're at any distance from God at all, you need to come back to God. And so God invites you tonight. God invites everyone in the room to come back to him. And that's what this story is about to show.
Now it is true that perhaps there's no one here who has wasted his substance and riders living in the same way that this young man has.
But on the other hand, perhaps there is someone who has. But I'd just like to say to you that it doesn't matter. God loves each one of you. The Lord Jesus stood there, went to that man who was out of his mind. He was running among the tombs, naked and unclothed because sin had brought him so low.
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And the Lord Jesus said it tells us in the Scripture that the Lord Jesus had compassion on him. An old friend. It might be that there's someone here who has gone into the depths of sin and feels that God doesn't care about you. Let me say to you, God loves you. God loves you, and he would delight to show you his love. He would delight to make you feel the warmth of his love. Would you come to him? Then? There may be someone here tonight who says well.
I'm not so bad.
I haven't gone in the depths of sin. I have sin. But you know, if you go through the Gospels, when the Lord Jesus was on this earth, we read over and over again that he had compassion on the multitudes. So it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what you're like. The Lord Jesus loves you. God loves you, and he wants you to come back.
This young man was soon to discover.
That he was away from the Father.
He was to discover that the substance that he had was gone. He had wasted. It isn't that sad when we waste, when you are wasting what God has given you. Perhaps you have an intellect that is not being used for God. Perhaps you have a voice that is being wasted, not being used for God. Perhaps you have looks not being used for God.
Perhaps, friend, you have money.
That's not being used for God. Well then God can say you're wasting your substance. You're leaving God out of your life. And the Bible says the fool has said in his heart there is no God. Oh my friend, that doesn't mean that you go around saying I don't believe in the existence of God. No, that means that in your every day-to-day actions you don't show any acceptance of the fact that God is any place in your life.
And so, friends, tonight I ask you, are you wasting your living?
This young man found that he came to the end of the enjoyment he had a pleasure which lasted for a season. And could it be that in the room tonight there's someone who is coming to realize that some of the pleasures that you thought were so great weren't quite what they were supposed to be? Could it be that you're starting to wonder, Isn't there something else to life?
As a teacher, I find many students who say to me, there must be something more than this.
I thank God that there is something more than this. But friend, you must realize that the things which are seen.
Are temporal. When you look around and see the pleasures of this earth, when you look around and see others having a good time, you must realize that those things are temporal. That is, they're going to pass away. And if the pleasures that you are enjoying pass away, what will you enjoy then? What will you have then?
The things which are not seen are eternal, and I say things like your relationship with God that cannot be seen, but those things are eternal. In the Bible, sometimes the word eternal and real are interchanged and it tells us in First Timothy chapter 6 to lay hold on that which is real life.
To lay hold on that which is really life, what is really life, I say to you, friend.
It is knowing that the world can give you nothing, the pleasures that the world offers are no good to you and then you. It is knowing that there is something that is lasting, that there is a God who loves you and a God who cares for you.
And saw this young man, he finds that he has nothing now and there's a famine in the land.
And he is now in despair. And so he goes to feed some pigs.
That's not a very high calling in life to feed pigs, I suppose, especially under the circumstances in which he went. Because he was forced to go. He had no other way of making a living. He had no other source of enjoyment. He had nothing to satisfy them at all. So there he is now with the pigs.
And he doesn't enjoy this. And you know, I believe that every day I meet people who, as far as their spiritual life is concerned, they are feeding the pigs. They are about as low as they can go.
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And so, friends, God sometimes allows human beings to go pretty low.
But this young man, it says here, when he came to himself.
Oh, I would to God that each one of you here in the room tonight would come to yourself. He began to think. He knew what his father's house was like. He knew about the food back in that home. He knew about the love. And he began to think, how much do you know about God's love? Or if it's only the very smallest bit, you know, And I can tell you that it's far better than anything that you can find in this world.
I say again that to have a right relationship with God is far better than any pleasure that you can find in this world.
This young man knew about his father's house, and so he began to think.
He began to puzzle in his mind. Wasn't it better off there than where I am now?
I said to a young man, a young electrical engineering student, a few months ago. I said, Kenneth, why do you not get things right with God in your life?
And his answer was very honest. He said I know how to get things right with God. It's a matter of whether I wish to or not. He was honest. He knew.
Away and it may be friends that there are some in the room who do not really know the way we trust that we can point you to that way. We're not talking now, but joining a religion. We're not talking about joining a church, but we're talking about coming to God, having a right relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ. Well, this man, young man here he arises, it says.
It goes over all that he thinks, and then it says in verse 18, I will arise and go to my father's house.
And he starts to think up a story that he'll tell his father. You see, he's not too sure whether his father is going to receive him back or not.
And it may be, friends, that you do feel, in a sense, your sin and your emptiness. The Bible says you should. It says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And so it may be that you feel that, but you're not just too sure how God would receive you.
This young fellow wasn't sure how he would be received and so he started with a story that he would tell his father.
It reminds me of a story that I heard and I've had it confirmed to be true. There was a group of university students traveling on a train. Exams were over and they were on their way home and they were feeling pretty good and they got on the train and there were a few other people on the train who weren't with them. But because of the merriment and found that they were having, most of the people started to join in with them and sing along with their songs and so on.
But there was one man who didn't even accept, didn't give any recognition of the fact that he knew they were there. And so they decided, we're going to talk to this fellow. We're going to make him laugh too. We're going to have some fun with this fellow. So they started to talk to him and they started to try to feel him out a little bit. And they discovered a sad story. The man had just been released from prison, and he had spent, I believe it was 10 years in prison.
And now he was on his way.
Home, at least he hoped. He was on his way home, hadn't heard from his wife for a while, so he'd sent her along a letter saying I'm on my way home. I don't know whether you want me back or not, but I'm coming. And if you want me back, there's a tree out behind our house from which which I can see on the rail on the train. And if you want me back, you hang a red flag on the tree and I'll get off at the station and come home. But if you don't wish for me to come back.
Why then I'll just keep on going. You don't put up the flag and I won't.
Get off. And, you know, these university students, they were touched by this. And so they said, well, we're going to watch to see whether the flag is on the tree. And the gentleman said, please do. He said, I can't, I can't bear it. I'll just sit here and you just let me know if the flag is on the tree. And so as the train went on, the suspension became a little greater. And as they rounded the corner, there was a tree completely covered in red. Oh, his wife wanted him back. And she showed it by completely covering that tree.
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And so I'm told that in that train car, there was one big cheer went up. And Fran, that's just like God. He's waiting for you. If you're doubting whether God would have you to come to him, why, friends, he's waiting for you to come. It doesn't matter about your sin now. He wants you to come to him. The red flag is out. The tree is covered. And he would have you come. Oh, have you come? Would you be willing to consider coming to God? And I say again, we're not talking about joining a church. We're not talking about a religion. We're talking about coming individually, you personally dealing with God.
And so this young man came back and he had this story made-up. He wasn't too sure what his father was going to say, but it says here.
In verse 20 and he arose and came to his father. So he returns, I told you, but that other young man by the name of Kenneth that said.
It's a matter.
I told you about that other young man by the name of Kenneth that said it's a matter of whether I wish to come to the Lord or not. I know the way. I can tell you the end of that story. One Sunday morning after the Sunday morning service, he took my hand and he said I have decided.
And tears came down his face.
I believe that he was like this man. He had made-up his mind to come. He wasn't sure what God would do with him, but he was ready to come. And so, friend tonight, would there be someone in the room who would be willing to say to God, I have decided to come to you?
I have decided to come back. I'm tired of my sin, I'm tired of everything that the world can offer me and I would just love to. I want to come.
And it says here, but when he was yet a great way off, his Father saw him and had compassion. Oh, here is the God of love showing that he had compassion. Remember, this is the Lord Jesus telling a story to show you what the heart of God is like. And the Father represents God and he had compassion. And it says when he was yet a great way off, the young man went into a far country. And you know, for a variety, the translators used the words here a great way off, but it's really the same word.
When He was yet in a far country, or when He was yet a great way off. And so the Father, as it were, was watching Him as far as He went into the depths of sin. The Father was watching Him, and He was waiting. How do we know He was waiting? Because the robes that He put on Him in the next verse was already ready. The robe was there, and there was a.
The Father didn't have to say to the servant. Now go and pick out or choose a robe. The servants knew which robe the Father was waiting.
And so, friends, tonight, the God of love, the God of this world, he's waiting for you.
To come back to him. He's waiting for you individually to make the decision to return. And if you do that, you will find that here is a God who loves. Here is a God who cares. Here is a God who can give purpose to life. He can make life have real meaning. You can now lay hold on that which is really life by coming to God. And so we appeal to you.
To get right with your God.
And we read here then in verse 22 That the Father said.
Well, I'd like to read verse 21 and the sunset on the Father. Unto him I have sinned.
I just like to take a moment and say.
That I wish that every person.
Young person, old person, child.
Really felt the weight of sin. I wish that I could say for certainty that every person in this room has said to God I have sinned and met it.
You own to God your sin.
The Bible says there's no difference. That means it doesn't matter whether you're a great Sinner or a small Sinner. In the eyes of God, there's no difference. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Oh, will you own that? Will you say to God, I have sinned?
Are you holding back? Do you not think that you really are a Sinner? Oh, God loves the Sinner, so don't hold back. He's waiting.
For you with a heart of compassion, with a heart of kindness, with a heart of love. He's waiting for you to say I have sinned.
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And then in verse 22.
The father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.
This young man had been feeding pigs.
And I guess he didn't smell very good.
And he had run out of money. SI suppose his clothes were pretty old and tattered.
But that didn't stop the Father from running out and putting his arms around him and kissing him to show him his heart of love. And it doesn't matter how far you've gone in the sin. It doesn't matter what you're like. God wants you to come to Himself.
Because now He has a new robe to put on you, just like this Father had. That is, God wants to clean you now, to give you a new, to make you a totally new person. God is willing now to forgive your sins, to forget your sins, to close you now, not in those tattered clothes that you may have received, as you have tried this pleasure and that pleasure, and as you have turned your back on God.
Your clothes, your spiritual clothes that I can use that were to become tattered. God would give you a new robe now.
That he could look down upon, and when he sees that new robe, he can say the sins of the past are gone forever. And I can tell you, and we'll turn to some verses in a moment, that God is saying that you can walk out of this room tonight totally cleansed.
Totally cleaned of your sins.
You can walk out of this room tonight with the past forgiven and forgotten forever because God loves you and has made a way that that is possible. If you will say to God, I have sinned.
Oh, it depends on you now. God has made the way.
Will you come?
Now, I'd just like to say on verse 23, after the young man came back, he received a robe, He received a ring, which was a symbol of the Father's love. And God has given us many symbols of his love. He gave him shoes, new shoes to wear. You know, sometimes when I talk to students, they say, well, the gospel sounds good, but if I were to become a Christian, if I were to accept Jesus Christ, I couldn't act like a Christian.
So God has given shoes for you. God has given not only the new robe now so that you are perfect before Him, but He has given strength now so that you can live your life that way, so that you can live to please Him.
Would you like to turn your back now on the past, the sins of the past, the purposes, the aims of the past, and come to the Lord Jesus, be clothed by Him so that there are no sins, and be given strength to live to please Him?
And then there's the fatted calf. And bring Hitler the fatted calf, and kill it. And let us eat and be merry.
There they were, this son that had been far away.
Had wasted his living and now he's back in the Father's house. What's he doing? He's sitting down to a feast and we never read that this feast ended. He's sitting down to enjoy the Father's love and the Father's good heart.
But how could he do this? How could this man sit down to a meal that, according to this story, never ended because the fatted calf had been killed?
And all my friends, we have told you that God wants you to come to Him and to be cleansed of your sins.
God is willing to forgive and to forget the past, but as you see from this story, it has cost God something to do that.
Because in the story, the father had to supply the robe, the father had to supply the ring, the father had to supply the shoes, the father had to supply the fatted calf.
And I just like to suggest to you that when.
It's one thing to tell you that you can come.
And that's another thing to tell you why you can come. And I'd like to take a few moments now.
And they'll tell you why you can come and have your sins cleanse.
Can we return back to First John chapter 3/4?
First John chapter 4 and verse 8 for God is love.
In this was manifest the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
00:40:03
Herein is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Now, in the story that we've just read, the cast had to be killed so they could enjoy this feast.
I would like for a few moments just to consider that in this way.
That in order for us to announce the gospel, in order for us to tell you that you can come and have your sins cleansed.
That someone had to die.
Someone had to die.
And that's someone who had to die. Was the Lord Jesus Christ, God's only beloved Son.
He had to die.
There had to be an offering made for your sins.
God could not in holiness Passover those sins. And so now I'm telling you why you can come because the Lord Jesus Christ died for you.
It says there in the story that we read that they went and they brought the fatted calf. This was a specially chosen calf for the occasion and it wasn't possible for just anybody to die.
But in the Old Testament where God gives us some pictures about the Lord Jesus Christ who was to come to die for us.
There is a little picture of him. They were to find an offering and they were to take the skin off this offering to be sure that there was no spots on it. There were to be no outward spots, but perhaps underneath the skin there would be some spots. And so they were to take the skin off to be sure that there were no spots. There was to be a special animal and then they were to cut the animal up into pieces to be sure that inwardly there was nothing wrong with the animal. This animal is a tight is a picture of the Lord Jesus.
Who was offered to God for us? It couldn't be just any person.
And so you know when the Lord Jesus Christ stood before Pilate at the crucifixion.
Pilate says, I find no fault in this man. Had to be a spotless man, had to be a man without sin. But that didn't satisfy the people. So Pilate said. Having examined him before you all, I find no fault in this man. God could for the first time in the history of mankind, look down and see his Son on this earth and say, my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, For the first time in the history of man, there was a man on the earth that delighted the heart of God.
But that man who satisfied God's heart had to die, and so he went to the cross of Calvary. We read here in verse 10.
Herein is love, not that we love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
This man had to lay his life down.
So that we could invite you to come to God. This man who had never sinned, who had a nature, who could not sin, he had to lay his life down so that you and I could be invited to come. Friend, if the Lord Jesus Christ had not died on the cross, we couldn't have as much as a gospel meeting such as this. I would not dare to invite you into the presence of God and into the presence of His Holy Word if the Lord Jesus Christ had not died.
For that would be bringing you, a sinful you, into the presence of a holy God. But all my friends, if you were to come into the presence of a holy God, and the Lord Jesus not having died, you'd be struck dead.
But I am thankful to be able to say that we can invite you even where His Holy Word is in our midst.
We can invite you to come under the sound of this blessed word, and more than that, we can say, don't only come into the room, but come to Christ. Come and have your sins forgiven. Why? Because Jesus Christ died for you, for you. When Jesus hung on that cross, there he was with his hands outstretched.
And the sun became darkened.
Why? Because God was laying on Jesus thy sins.
Because God had to do with Jesus for my sins.
Jesus Christ died for me, and I can tell you on the authority of God's Word.
That he died for you. And I can invite you to come just like that prodigal son, just like that son who'd wasted his living. I can invite you to come to God through Jesus Christ because he has died for you, because He has given all that He could give for you.
00:45:00
There was once a young intellectual student in Europe.
She had been brought up in a Christian home, a nominal Christian home at least, and she had decided that Christianity wasn't for her. But she said, I must do this intellectually. I must be intellectually honest about this. I must prove to my local priests that Christianity does not work and cannot therefore be true.
So she went to her local priest and she said.
Sir, I can prove to you, I can give you arguments to show you that Christianity cannot be the truth.
He said go ahead. So she did. When she was finished, she said now what are your answers?
He said. I'm sorry, I don't have any answers. I can't answer.
That young lady said, now I've won the battle, I know that Christianity is not true. But then she thought maybe I should go to a higher level. So there was a local Bishop visiting her city, a very well known man in Europe, a teacher.
She went to him, she made an appointment to see him, and she decided, if I can prove to this man that Jesus Christ was not God, if I can prove to this man that Christianity is not true, I know for certain it's not true. So she made an appointment to see this man and she said to him, I've come to give you my reasons why I do not accept Christianity and why I will not believe in it. And he said, that's fine, I have 1/2 of an hour.
May I have the 1St 15 minutes and you can have the last 15 minutes, she said. OK, that's fair.
This young lady said as I stood in front of that priest.
He told me of a Savior who came from heaven because he loved me. He told me of a Savior whose sweat has a word, great drops of blood, as he knew he would go to the cross to die for me. He told me of a Savior who hung on the cross, who had a sword pierced into his side, who bore my sins. He told me of a Savior who went into death. He told me of a Savior who rose from the grave and was gone back to heaven. And he did it in 15 minutes.
And then he said to me, now I'll hear your side of the argument. You know what her side of the argument was? Tears. She bowed. She bowed her head before him and said, I accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All my friends, I know of no argument greater than God's love to persuade you that God really exists.
God has manifested to this world in the giving of His Son. That He exists, He has manifested.
To you, to me, that he loves us. I can't think of any other argument to win you over, but I can say this if you still have any doubts. If they're honest doubts.
Then I'd like to make a suggestion.
You go home and you get down on your knees and you say to God, I'm honest.
I want to know whether you're up there or not.
I want to know whether Christianity is true or not.
I want to know whether Jesus Christ was really God.
I say to you, friend, if you're honest with God, he'll be honest with you.
There came to my home a few weeks a few months ago a young man who said.
The gospel sounds nice. Christianity sounds good. This young man had been brought up as a Buddhist. But he said, how do I know? How are you going to persuade me that this is the truth? And I said those words to him. Joseph, go home. Get down on your knees.
Be honest with God and see what He will do for you. We didn't hear from him for quite a while. Received a call from him in June last June saying I'm returning to Malaysia. Didn't hear from him again for a long time and then in September we received another call and back in Ottawa. Can I visit you?
And he said, when I returned to Malaysia, I had time. So I did what you said to do. I asked God, if you're there, show it to me. If you really love me, show me. And I opened up my Bible and God showed me from his word that he really loved me. And so he said, I have accepted Christ. Oh, my friends. And I know that sometimes there are honest doubts and I know sometimes that you have intellectual problems. I'd just like to say that God has an answer for those too.
So whatever your need is, is it because you are not enjoying the pleasures of sin anymore?
Is it because intellectually you're having problems? Whatever your need is, God has an answer for it. You must be honest with Him.
00:50:10
And so we can tell you that you can come back to God.
We can tell you that your sins can be washed away because Jesus Christ died.
For you.
We can tell you that you can know what it is.
To have your sins forgiven, you can know what it is to leave this room and be perfectly cleansed.
We can tell you that on the authority of God's Word.
Now what are you going to do with it? Are you going to say, like the prodigal son, father, I have sinned? Or are you going to turn your back on us and reject it?
Well, that's solemn. A few years ago, after the meetings here in Montreal, I went to visit a young man.
Young university student.
And he knew the gospel. He told me that when I hear religious arguments, I can quote the Bible. I can tell the story of God's salvation through Jesus Christ better than you can, said I learned it over at the meeting room at Newman Place.
But he said I have decided not to accept Jesus Christ.
Oh, what to God that you could just that young man had come to his senses.
If you could only see them now solo. He turned his back on God.
You know, there are people in the old, in the Book of Revelation who are called earth dwellers because they choose, they chose the things of earth and they turned their back on God's testimony to them, on God's Word to them. And so they're called earth dwellers. They chose earth in France. The Bible tells us that they will be judged as those who chose earth.
There is judgment for those who reject God's love. That young man that we read about, he came.
There's been no judgment for him, but if you refuse to come, there is judgment.
God's word tells us that there is judgment, and I'm just going to make one reference to it now in the story that we read. It tells us that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth. So when a Sinner comes and says, Lord, I have sinned, all heaven breaks forth in joy.
And we never read of that joy ending as we never read of the merriment ending with the prodigal son.
Except when we turn to the Book of Revelation just before, just before God is about to judge this world, we read that heaven was silent for the space of 1/2 hour.
And that means that though heaven was to break forth in joy.
At the announcement that a Sinner had been saved, that before God punishes those who reject Jesus Christ, heaven will become silent.
Heaven will become silent. Why? Because God has no heart to judge.
The angels and all that have burst forth in joy. They will have never seen the likes of this before.
And they'll all be silent, and the judgment that falls will be for eternity.
The judgment that falls will be forever. God has offered free salvation through the work of His beloved Son.
For those who reject them, they will die in their sins. They will be punished in their sins.
Now I just would like to close by asking you a simple question and then telling 1 short story.
Are you going to die in your sins?
Or are you going to come to the Lord Jesus? Remember, I'm speaking to those of you who do not know the Lord Jesus as Savior. Are you going to die in your sins? Or are you going to come and have your sins washed away?
There was once a young man, about 30 years of age.
His wife had died.
He had a little girl, six years old.
He went home the first night after the funeral.
And he lay in his room, This little girl lay in her room across the hall.
And he said to himself, is this all that there is to life, or could it be that there is a God who cares?
00:55:00
And then the thought occurred to him, How could I ever meet a poor human being?
How could I ever get to know God?
He's so great, so far off, how could I ever come to know him? So much confusion in my mind.
Just then his little girl called and said, Daddy, are you there in the dark? And he said, yes, I'm here.
The thought occurred to him then. Just because there's darkness between me and my little girl doesn't mean I'm not here.
And justice, because there's darkness between God and me doesn't mean that he's not there.
It's all for the first time a little ray of hope started to dawn on his into his life.
Then his little girl called and said, Daddy, do you love me in the dark? And he said, yes, I love you even though it's dark.
And the thought went on in his mind. Could it be that even though I don't understand about God, even though there's much that I don't understand, that same God could love me?
The hope grew brighter.
And then the little girl called and said, Daddy, I'm coming to you in the dark.
So she came into his room, he comforted her and put her back to bed. And then he said to God, I'm coming to you in the dark.
And so I suspect that there are some tonight perhaps, who do not really totally understand God's love.
But would you be good enough to say to God, I'm going to come to you just as I am? When that young man arose to come to the Lord, to come to his father, it was just as if he said, I'll come now. Not much to me, nothing good about me, but I'll come. I'll just Lord, if he'll just Father, he'll just take me as I am. I'll come. That's the way God wants you to come. Perhaps you don't understand at all.
But you would like to have your sins forgiven. You'd like to have a be in a true relationship with God.
Come.
Shall we close by singing?
#12.
Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come #12.
I am.
Without sleep.
I love God for me.
I am glad of him. It's me.
Comes early.
All I.
Did.
I.
2 Corinthians 4:15-5:5
Reading
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Three in the back.
3.
I have his love and I stress gift Lord with joy and this consent this left the courage and I possess all. Lamb of God is the my precious name. It is my prayer. And see I am the God brought here or Father's love. I fear Orlando God is thee.
#3 in the appendix from the third Fanta.
00:05:15
Doctor.
The same first work 15 years.
2nd Corinthians chapter 4, verse 15.
2nd Corinthians 4 and verse 15.
For all things are for your sake that the abundant priest might, through the Thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God.
For which 'cause we faint, thoughts mark though our outward man carries, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment workers for us, are far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but.
At the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal.
But the things which are not seen are eternal.
For we know that of our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heaven.
For in this we grow earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.
If so be the being clothed, we shall not be found naked, for we that are in this Tabernacle to grow being murdered.
Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of light. Now he that has brought us for the self, same thing is God, who also has given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body.
We are absent from the Lord.
For we walk by faith, and knock by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted.
Might be well because.
There are no doubt many who were not here on the first day that we took up these passages.
These two chapters.
To mention the background of the third chapter.
In the third chapter we have brought before us a contrast between.
The ministry of the Old Testament and that of the New.
Mainly that which had to do with the law.
We noticed that the law was instituted in connection with glory. It doesn't say it was glorious, but it was brought in in glory.
The elders of Israel were there.
Marriages of angels, God himself on a pavilion of Sapphire Stone.
Glory. But the Apostle Paul was given a revelation of a glory that was far greater.
So much so that the first glory disappears entirely.
And this glory has to do with the Spirit and with righteousness.
The law could not bring righteousness. It was a ministry of condemnation because of the objects and we're not able for it. Man was not able to meet the requirements of it, but with the new order that the apostle is Speaking of here when he says this ministry.
00:10:13
He's Speaking of that.
Where there was a man who was able for it, the Lord Jesus, and he's the one who brought in the new order. And so the whole testimony of the Apostle Paul has to do with the man, the man Christ Jesus. The one who fulfills all the counsels of God is man who brings glory to God, who brings children into the Father's house.
Never there before provides himself with the bride, and now through the apostle Paul.
He opens up the deep things of God. That verse is found in First Corinthians 2, the deep things of God.
Now I just mentioned at that point that the deep things of God are those which have to do with His nature of love and the Holy Spirit.
But the manifestation of it is in connection with the assembly, the mystery Christ in the Church.
Now those are the deep things of God, and that's what the apostles is bringing us into in His ministry.
Introducing it in Corinthians.
Of course he mentions that in Romans in the 8th chapter in the last chapter.
Only to connect Romans with the rest of his epistles.
But what we really have now is that which has to do with righteousness.
God's own righteousness, the provision is made, and also the Spirit.
But it's Christ who set before us, and in this.
Chapter Now that we have.
The Apostle Paul is the minister of it. He is the one who is used as a vessel.
Emptied indeed.
A special vessel.
But also in connection with this vessel.
Hiding himself, but still in his life.
Manifesting the truth that he preaches, showing us the character of Christianity.
And that which would?
Characterize every believer who carries this marvelous truth that our walk, our manner of life, our conversation, be such that it will darn the doctrine of God our Savior.
Well, this calls for suffering.
And so we find here that there is suffering on the apostles part.
In order that he might bring to the Saints of God these marvelous truths.
That the Spirit of God is given by revelation to the Apostle.
And as he opens these truths to us, he passes through these trials. But he reminds us that even though he's driven to the extremity, you might say almost, of death, still God stands between and He guards him so that the trial will only reach a certain point because of the necessity of it. And then there's relief.
And that's true with each one of us. So the subject here is not chastening.
Exactly, although chastening is always accompanied with trial.
But the point here is the testimony and those.
Things that the servant and were all servants, everyone here.
Passes through Indiana Connection with the testimony.
A varied line of things by which we're tested.
Now he says as to his own testings, why these trials, all these things?
Are going to redound to the glory of God.
And.
It as it says in this verse we started reading.
All things are for your sakes, That's the blessing for the Saints.
That the abundant grace might through the Thanksgivings of many.
That many enclose every St. from Pentecost on today.
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Think of the tremendous Thanksgivings that are going up to God as a result of these truths that have been placed in our hands now.
To enjoy.
The Thanksgivings that are going up to God.
Daily. Regularly.
And redounding to the glory of God.
The principal features of that ministry, as you mentioned, and that's brought out in Chapter 3, Righteousness and then of the Spirit and then glory, isn't it? That's really the three elements that are brought out prominently in chapter 3. And I was thinking here the Apostle in these last few verses of chapter 4.
Takes up the.
The latter 2 That is the spirit and glory. When I say spirit, I mean by that that he brings before us the fact that.
As those who have received this ministry that we have to do with that which is spiritual, you know, in First Corinthians 2 we read there of the natural man that he receives not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them. There's no capacity.
And their foolishness unto him. But it says he that is spiritual. Now sometimes we are inclined to feel that that expression he that is spiritual would refer to some individual who is living a life of great devotedness, or something of the sort. But I believe there it really speaks of the normal condition of the believer as having the spirit he has that which enables him to enter into.
Spiritual realities. The natural man cannot enter into them. It's a realm that's entirely closed to him. He has no capacity, He has no desire for it. Their foolishness to him. But as those who have received the Spirit and the this ministry would involve the fact that we have received the Spirit of God, it's administration of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and we have received the Spirit so that now.
There he can speak of an inner man.
An inner man that enters into spiritual realities.
And while there is the outward man, and I was thinking too, that the old covenant had more to do with the outward man, so to speak, it really addressed itself to man in the flesh. But the new covenant ministry is, is not addressed to man in the flesh, and it's connected with the spiritual side of things. And every believer as having received the Spirit we have received the Holy Spirit of God then we are. We are.
In that sense, spiritual.
Now of course it's possible, as it was with the Corinthians, that they are not in, you might say, in accord with the Spirit, and they were walking as men in the flesh, and Paul had to say, he couldn't speak unto them as under spiritual but as unto carnal. So it's possible for those of us who have the Spirit to not be practically in the good of the Spirit of God, and walking according to the flesh.
Then we're carnal, but the the normal condition of he of the believer is the one who has the spirit so that he is a spiritual person. That is, he is able to enter in and to appreciate and enjoy and have to do with spiritual realities.
And there are spiritual realities. There is a that which is outside the the realm of man's false human faults, as we have in First Corinthians 2. Again, it's not entered into the the eye of man is not seen or his ear heard, and is not entered into his heart. The things that God has prepared for him, that love him now it's by the Spirit that we enter into those things. So the inner man is renewed day by day.
As he as he enters into that which we have been, that have received a capacity for the things that are spiritual, the outward man. Well, as we've had so much before us in our prayer meetings, how that the outward man does perish, and this refers of course to our bodies. But the inner man is renewed day by day, so he has the spiritual side before him here, and also he has the glory.
00:20:07
The glory that is that really belongs to us now. We're not in it.
The Lord Jesus is in the glory that He's entered there as our forerunner, and it belongs to us. And it seems that Paul here at the end of this chapter takes up those two aspects of that new covenant, ministry of the Spirit and that which is connected with the inner man and the glory that is before us.
Now, while you're Speaking of the Spirit, it might be well to notice the way in which.
The Spirit of God.
Is set before us in the scriptures.
In second In First Corinthians no. In 2nd Corinthians 2.
2nd Corinthians 1 and.
2nd Corinthians 1 and 21.
Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, who have also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
We have the three ways mentioned here in which the Spirit.
Is seen, I believe, in our chapter. It's particularly the anointing and the earnest.
We have the ceiling mentioned, particularly in Ephesians one. All three of course mentioned there.
At least referred to, but there's a special way in which each one is seen in connection with operation.
Now the believer is sealed, having believed, and that's for possession.
The the Apostle here was entirely dependent upon the anointing of the Spirit.
Now the anointing of the Spirit, and I think we should weigh these things very much because they have to do with the truth of our chapter. In a very deep and special way. The anointing of the Spirit is the presence of the Spirit with us.
But also the energy of the spirit.
Those two things were needed by the apostle. We need it ourselves, the presence of the Spirit with the apostle, so that as he is given as a a vessel in all weakness, to set forth these high and lofty and precious truths, that there be no mistaking even in the words and the expressions and the manner in which they're said. He needed the presence of the Spirit continually with him.
In a special way.
But because of weakness he needed the energy of the spirit.
Now these thoughts, brethren, are tremendous, because the energy of the Spirit.
Is that very same energy in which God has always moved.
There is no other energy.
And that's the energy by which each believer carries out that little portion that God has given to us in service, or whatever it may be down here. For God, we have that resource that's endless.
The only thing that limits it is our faith.
And I'll Oftentimes we hesitate to act because we look at ourselves and we don't realize that we are dead as we have in our chapter, and we need the presence and the energy of the Spirit in order to carry out what has been committed to us. But now what about the earnest of the Spirit?
The earnest of the Spirit, as many have said, is what we might say is the first payment. We're going to have our bodies the glory, but we've already been given the earnest of the Spirit. But that's only the beginning of the thought. Precious as that is, we soon will have bodies of glory and.
How precious that will be when we we have no limitations, because the sphere in which God is causing us to enter into, in this passages of the minister, the Apostle, is a sphere of liberty where there are no bounds.
00:25:01
Now the Earnest of the Spirit, then, has to do with what we have in our chapter. From the eighth verse on you have the Earnest of the Spirit. I should have said the Earnest of the Spirit from the eighth verse on, and is mentioned in the next chapter in the.
5th verse.
Now this this has to do.
With the groanings.
You get that on the 8th of Romans.
It's the effect in the heart. That's what it said. The earnest of the spirit in your hearts. That's why the earnest of the spirit has to do with all the joys of the believer, but here it has to do with the groanings.
All of the believer passes through.
He can be well assured whatever the child, no matter how deep, no matter how discouraging, he has the earnest of the Spirit.
And that's what Paul is bringing before us in connection with those four things.
In the 8th and 9th verses because even though he was tried to the utmost, there was a relief because of the fact of the Spirit was there.
And so we have the earnest of the Spirit, and it isn't just for certain persons.
It isn't just for certain ones of certain spirituality is for every believer. The Spirit indwells every believer in these three ways.
And this truth is so important because it's what gives us liberty in our souls. It has to do now with the inner man and.
What we have come to in the 16th 1St, for which 'cause we faint, not, the apostle says. Why doesn't he faint? All because that tremendous energy that God has given him.
Enables him to carry on, even though the body itself doesn't seem to be able to stand it still. God is there, and he carried. He's given to carry it on for two things, for the blessing of the Saints, and for the that it might be down to the glory of God. So in this.
This cost we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed.
That's verse 18 of the previous chapter.
But we all with open face beholding.
Leave out that next expression. The glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. So we have the inward man now, and if you're not saved, you don't have an inward man, because you don't have a capacity for divine things, but that man in the 7th of Romans.
He finally comes to the place where he's through with self. The first part of that exercise of his it was 30 times he mentioned I, I, I. But when he closes he says I thank God through Jesus Christ. What does he mean?
Why He realizes that the old eye is gone and he's in Christ. That's deliverance in the 7th of Romans. It's just that simple, brethren. That's deliverance in the 7th of Romans.
If you don't see anything else, see that the old one is gone. Now there's the new one, but it's connected with the Spirit in these three ways. And so we have in the inward man, renewed day by day. This is an operation that's going on unnoticed by you.
But still the work that's going on, and God is preparing each one right now, in the midst of all these circumstances, not only for testimony here, but for that eternal day of glory. The Spirit is being prepared.
That why he stands in our 15th verse. All things are yours. Does that include, I thought of the going over to the fifth chapter and the 17th verse?
Therefore, if any man be in Christ.
00:30:02
He is a new creation.
Old things are passed away. Behold, all bases are become new.
And all things are for your sake, very blessed truth, isn't it? Indeed, it's not the it's not the outward things. It is that which is the inward thing. All those things are ours because they're new.
I think we need a little further explanation about this expression. New covenant ministry.
What I mean by that is.
Essentially, the New Covenant has to do with Israel, does it not?
It's the spirit of the New Covenant.
Yes, that Second Corinthians 36, isn't it? When Paul says who also has made us able ministers of the New Covenant should be not of the letter.
But of the spirit, for the latter killeth, the spirit giveth life. Well, how do you think of it? My thought is in the using the expression new covenant ministry that it is.
A ministry that is a.
Associated with the.
Way in which God.
Makes himself known in connection with the New Covenant, which is all of grace. The Old Covenant was on the ground of terms given to man to meet.
There was God's part and there was man's part, but in the new covenant, which of course literally is made with the House of Israel and Judah. But the character of that new covenant, the terms of it, is entirely what God will do their sins and iniquities. I will remember no more, and I will write in their hearts and minds as laws and so forth. It's the the terms are, and we know, a covenant, of course.
Always had terms of covenant. Well, the terms of the first covenant had something for man to do and that's why it broke down, of course. But the new covenant is entirely on God's side. It's what God will do. And the character of Christianity is in accord with the the principles and character of the new covenant as we actually hear. He says he's enabled. He's an able minister of the of the.
New Covenant, that is the principles of the New Covenant.
Are ministered now in Christianity. Might be helpful to also recognize New Covenant is not an extension or a modification of the Old Covenant. We get that in Jeremiah 31 and verse 32.
It plainly says not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
That's important because we could have a covenant in a circumstance of life and we could modify that covenant and call it a new one. This is not so. This is a completely new basis. As you mentioned, Brother Johnson, if we're, if we're looking at Jeremiah 31 and we look at verse 33, we see what you were alluding to. But this shall be the covenant that I will make for the House of Israel.
After those days, said the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people, all of God's purpose. But I draw attention to the fact that it is entirely new public, not after the old covenant, not on the principle of the old covenant, which was of course conditional. And we need to sense that in our souls, that now we're talking about completely new principle, all of grace, and therefore all from God in the glory of his purpose.
But it's not made yet. No covenant won't be made until all 12 tribes are back in their land. But you see, we come under the blessings of it now. We don't come under the covenant. There's no covenant in heaven. We're a heavenly people. But the covenant will be made with Israel when they're back in their land, all 12 tribes. And then they will come under the blessings and the covenant itself.
And it will be written in their hearts, not like formally.
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That is similar to a new birth, isn't it? It's not an extension of the old one that Nicodemus thought trying to start all over again, but it's a brand new thing.
It's used. The term is used, misused much today and it's born again. But it it really has a deep meaning, a meaning of a new life, completing the life from God.
Spiritual life born again there's not really give the thought that translators.
I think in the margin of what Born Anew, which is really the right thought, It's a new thing. As you say, it isn't simply again, which could repeat the old, but it's something entirely new and that's what we're having in our chapter as well.
New new birth is capacity, but for what? For these tremendous truths that God now is revealing through the Apostle Paul? And if there's one here this morning who has never?
Put their trust in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus if they have not seen themselves as guilty sinners before God, if they have not seen the Lord Jesus seated now in God's right hand and having finished the work for them.
They don't know anything about what we're Speaking of this morning. They may know the letter of it, but in the heart they don't understand the fact that there's something entirely new, not depending upon man or a covenant anymore, but depending on that Newman Christ Jesus and the finished work that our souls can entirely rest upon. The expression is given in John 36, born of the spirit. That's the thought, isn't it?
That which is born of the flesh and flesh, that which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit. I believe it is new, but it's from apartment to God through the Spirit of God. Working in the soul gives the light that life is of God. So the expression is born of the Spirit. Better use, I believe, today than born again, because born again is a view. When it's a view we have to do too much explaining when we use it Lord of the Spirit.
That really wasn't like this we have, isn't it?
Verse 17 brings in a very practical side of things.
Our light affliction, which is but for a moment.
Work us for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Well, I believe many of the Saints are experiencing some affliction of some kind of talking to a young sister and her husband, and they are experiencing some things in relation to their children.
I'm seeking to keep them separate from the world and in connection with the school system. Well, let's see. It's really a light affliction, but it's a very real thing and.
And they really need help, we might say, and encouragement because the wages are so great. That's like Pharaoh's daughter said to Moses and mother.
Take this child and raise him for me, and I will give thee thy wages.
Well, since this incident has appeared, why don't we return to the 11Th of March for a moment?
To to perhaps see how we might, might handle those little ones. It is a light affliction in in a sense. But to the parents, it isn't a light affliction. It's a it's a hard thing.
But.
In the 11Th of March.
It says that the Lord stands in the verse of one. He stands for two of his disciples, and said, Go unto them or settle to them. Go your way into the village over against you, and as soon as you be entered into it, you shall find a quote tied where on never man 7.
And bring him to me. Now man is likened to a wild acid cold, So we could turn to that in Joel. That I think we all know it. And in a sense they haven't come into the good of this yet.
And what are we going to do with them? Well, notice it says he was tying there, but notice where it was tied Now verse four and they went their way and found a coat.
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By the door where two made away men.
Now the door brings before us the thought of the gospel, doesn't it? And.
Then there are two ways there at that door and we're well aware of what those two ways are.
We find it in Jeremiah, I've stepped before you, the way of life and the way of death.
Now.
The parents have a privilege, we might say, of tying their children at that door. Here are the two ways before them.
And what do you tie the children with? Well, you tie them with two quarts, perhaps with authority and affection. It takes both. You can't have just authority. You can't have just affection. You have to have both. And then it's it's if parents could realize this and.
And all this. I hope I don't embarrass the lady that talked to me, but.
The Lord takes care of our children in the school system from 9:00 in the morning to three in the afternoon, but if we're going to put them out further, we are letting them loose, as it were.
But to keep them tied in this place, as it were, until the Lord stands a servant to fetch them. What a wonderful day when the parents are sought to bring up their children.
With the word and.
There, they know something of authority. They know something of affection.
While the day comes where the Lord descends for them, he sends a servant up to them. Maybe a brother comes to them your assembly, and he preaches the gospel. And what are your children received? Well, he might claim him for a convert, but.
We can be sure that the mother and the father and many other brethren perhaps have done the most through the work. Like a man told me once that I was giving out some cracks in the hospital, He said I'd like to see people do this. He said I'm an old evangelist, but he said it's the layman that sold the seed and do the work. They imagine this comes along and reap the harvest well. What I'm trying to say is the day will come.
Where the Lord will send somebody and they bring him to me. And it's a wonderful thing if the Lord takes possession first before Satan. Now in many cases Satan has taken possession first and maybe the person has returned, but there are scars on it. But if we could just realize the value of letting the Lord take possession first.
And then to think of the wonderful privilege here, they brought the call to Jesus.
Verse 7 And he sat upon him. Wouldn't it be wonderful to carry the Lord Jesus through this world?
So there still is it's. It may seem a hard affliction, but it's going to be multiplied.
If we lose out here, we have to admit, I often say to young folks.
Those 1St 20 years are you bringing up your children, their heart. But if they go into the world, the next 20 are 10 times as hard. So let's have just the opposite. Let's let's take this as a light affliction.
Enough. Get bogged down under it and then be able to enjoy, we might say what that verse ends up.
It even said, but for a moment work up for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Now the reason I'm saying is because it sounds easy. We say, Oh yes, you just it's it's easy and it'll it'll be a real reward in the end. But we need understanding as to how to meet these things.
00:45:10
And again I say the Paris have a privilege to tie that boy or that girl at the door were two ways to meet and then.
And then desire of the Lord that he might send, should we say?
An instrument to bring him to Jesus.
Thank you brother. We need the practical side along with what we're having very much.
Word of God in the morning and reading and prayer at the fall with our children and then be able to commit them to the Lord for that day in school and trust the Lord for them. That's what you're saying, isn't it, brother? Yeah, well, I say that I believe so. And I sometimes said I'd rather have my children saved than have 1000 saved.
Because it's Those are the only ones you can take to heaven with your own children and belongs to God. For some reason, Saints are losing their children.
You know, it's a solemn thing and I just like to read the verse in Ezekiel just to give us to realize God's value and not only that is that he owns the children is each of 16.
And verse 20.
I.
Moreover, thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me. And these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Verse 21.
That thou hast slain my children, have delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them. And that Song Feral wanted the children, He wanted to cast them into the river of Egypt.
Who saved the children in?
That day. Well, let me just say this.
There were songs there, and sons of Jacob are mentioned. That's positional truth. And thank God for it. We have it. We need it. But what saved the children? It was the female element. It was the practical side of the truth. First it was the midwives they intercepted.
And kept those children from being cast into Egypt. Then it was Moses sister.
Wonderful how Brother Rama mentioned God can use instruments unexpectedly to help those children. And then the next thing he used a joker blast.
While it's all the female element, as it were. Now I'm not saying mothers, but I say in the practical fight of the truth is what saves the children.
And there's another thing. While we're talking, the parents need to sanctify their brethren in the eyes of their children. You know, even if you don't respect everyone, do us still remember one day there was a brother speaking at his supper table, and there were three children around that, and he didn't care what he was saying. Both of the assembly of those things. Well, afterward my own brother went to it and he said, brother, you're going to lose your children.
Talking like that, he said. I want my children to know every hypocrite you need. Well, he doesn't have any of his children. He himself is gone. So you can't be enlightened with these things if we can just get ahold of them and realize that that there is a way.
Not to get away from our chapter, but I just wondered whether Clawson that there isn't a verse in the Lamentations too and verse 19, which to me has been a very very precious and exercising words. Lamentations chapter 2, verse 19 arrived cry out in the night in the beginning of the watches bore out thine heart like water.
Before the faith of the Lord, He lifts up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children that they think.
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For hunger in the top of every street. I believe this to me my soul has been a very exceedingly precious verse that would exercise each one of us concerning our children and our grandchildren.
Yes, true. And we need to be more than exercise, don't we? We need to really help and not to destroy the great day for destroying, but we need to help one another. And again, I would say that it's really a brother. London mentioned the importance of adorning the doctrine of God.
We can Garrison them before they go, but we have no control once they leave the house. And thank God for the Lord and the power he has and the love he has for the children. But we should give them the truth to come from the parents of the whole. Don't rely on the assembly. Thank God for the assembly. It has to come from the parents and the whole. And we do not look to the system of this world in the camp where the truth of our children.
I would be fine. How would you ask the Lord to keep them and then send them there? I think we have a real responsibility here. I remember my mother the thing occasionally that if we hide our children till we can no longer hide them, we can make the Lord responsible for them. And you might say, you know, we have no more control over them. But in a sense, the teaching has a control.
Now what saved my life?
I wasn't a good boy, but what saved my life was the fear of the Lord. I was afraid to go into a picture show prepared. The ceiling would come in well. How? How come? I had that feeling. Somehow that was instilled in me. It's just like the children that came into to eat the Passover lamb. Well, they sensed there was something wrong. It might have only been two years old, but they sense it was a very solemn night.
And it's wonderful for the children to have sensed that we're going to a very strong time now.
I want to add this to I've raised cattle all my life and.
I don't know how a mother does that, but she'll just just.
Say something to her calf and away they go.
They she senses danger, but she immediately turns to a little one. She doesn't run away from it, but anyway, she and her little one, they run together. So it's really the parents that sense the danger. And sometimes we wouldn't beg our mother and father to do something, go to some doings in the evening someplace. And I could see really the grief on my mother's face, but I thought I was doing the most suffering. But she told me later on she said she suffered 10 times more than I did when she had to say no.
By morning I'd forgotten everything, but her heart was still heavy that she's had to say no, but it's paid off. I wouldn't be sitting here now if I hadn't had some someone to to.
To tell you and help.
You've used the children in the problem of children as an affliction here in our birth. 17 Brother. I think it's proper. Raising children today is the environment we have is certainly an affliction for the parents, and it's a light affliction only because we have glory in view for our children when we realize that, and we can commit them unto the Lord. I've often said more to myself than everybody else.
I wouldn't want to raise children without Christ, especially today. But we have Christ. We have a war. It really should encourage us, not right. It isn't a place, and it's a problem every day for the parents. It's a concern, but I hope it's a a neat concern. I hope it puts them down where they should be.
And they committed to the Lord. But we have a responsibility here in. I'm glad you brought it up and think of the reward connected with it, isn't it? Don't you get the reward there, exceeding eternal weight of glory?
Remember, my daughter-in-law and I were writing in the field protecting the cattle and we came across a dead cow. She was a young cow and my daughter-in-law says Dad, how much of a loss is that? Well, just viewing it while we said maybe $250 or so, but I said can you measure the loss? I said she was a young cow. She would have 10 calves.
00:55:18
Five would be males, 5 females, so there would be 5.
Females that would have and so the the the loss could never be measured and.
And the same thing when we lose our children. The loss can't be measured.
Will a man rob God? Well, God is being robbed. Those children are mine, he said. I'm not picking on anybody, but if possible, there might be an exercise to shield those little ones, and it is an affliction.
But it's so rewarding. But if it goes the other way, oh, it's exceeding weight. Not a glory, but of sorrow.
There is a verse in Hebrews Chapter 11.
It's very interesting, isn't it, as to the parents and the?
Connection with Moses.
Verse 23 of Hebrews 11 which is.
Direction, I believe, for us as parents.
By faith Moses when he was born.
Was here three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the King's commandment. It's very much instruction there, isn't there for us as parents that we can hide our children in that sense from those things that are going to harm them.
Because the enemy is out to harm them, and Satan is our enemy. We have a promise from the Lord, that is to the Philippian sailor. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. So we have that promise. But with every promise there is responsibility, so the responsibility.
As a result of this promise is that we should train up our children in the way that they should go.
We should guide them and direct them and protect them well, I believe this was really.
An effort on the part of the presence of Moses, but there was a beautiful.
Work in the heart of Moses later on, as we have had before us already, but just this verse for us by faith Moses when he was born.
Was hid three months of his parents.
Could we read a verse in Proverbs 31? I think they're Now that we're on this subject, I think it's very practical and helpful. There is a verse there that is agreed, I believe, practical instruction for us.
Connection with the virtuous woman.
And verse 21 Proverbs 3121.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with Scarlets.
Well, the snow, I suppose would speak, would would speak of the adverse elements that are found in this world. And we know, of course, that our children are faced with these adverse elements. But she wasn't afraid of the snow, because she had cold with her children with scarlet, scarlet. I take it, as in Scripture a type of the glory of man, and the true glory of man is, is subjection to God.
The true glory of man is being subject to God. When the Lord Jesus came into this world and becoming a man, he took that place of being subject to God.
And I believe that this is one of the most important things that our children facing the adverse elements, morally I'm speaking about the adverse moral elements in this world. They need to be clothed with scarlet in the home, that is that the home itself is in subjection to God.
01:00:15
And to God's will, and that they are impressed with the fact that they are to be subject to God. We might be able to teach our children good manners and good behavior, but it seems to me that it should be connected with a father being subject to God, so that, as you said, Brother Clausen, that it was the fear of God before you. In other words, the the things that are taught should be connected with with the Lord and with God.
And subjection to him. And we clothed our children with with scarlet.
Then we would not, we would not fear these adverse elements. We know that they have something to protect them from the the adverse moral elements because the the fear of God is there and they've they've seen it in the home.
And I feel that one of the ways in which most of us have failed, and one of the ways in which it affects children in a great way, is when the children do not see that subjection to the Lord in the parents. That is, the parents are going about doing their own will. But to see the parents subject to the will of God, you might say the parents are clothed with scarlet and the children are clothed with scarlet. So that the this subjection to God into his will is paramount.
There's a verse in Jeremiah that we might read.
Also.
This connection we know that without faith it's impossible to please God.
I don't think there would be anybody in this room, but Bud would have to admit, in some little measure, at least, our failure in connection with our children.
I'm sure that it's true with most of us that we have to confess failure with our children. But now, what about it? Is there something else that can be done if the day? And if the damage has been done, what's the next step? I believe we have it here. And Jeremiah 31.
15.
Thus saith the Lord, a voice was heard, and Rama, or Rhema lamentations and bitter weeping.
Well, that has its place.
It's sad when there is a parent who doesn't weep over their children.
Rail weeping for her children.
Refused to be comforted for her children because they were not.
Thus saith the Lord, Refrain thy voice from weeping.
And thine eyes from tears.
For thy work shall be rewarded.
Said the Lord. And they shall come again from the land of the enemy, and there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
See, God says thou in my house. Now that is only for faith.
But where faith embraces it and weeps for their children.
What I mean is where it really reaches the soul, and the soul is cast upon God. He will come in for those children. It may be a lifetime that you'll have to wait, but where there's real dependence upon God, you can claim what God says thou in thy house.
And sometimes God allows us to feel these things with our children because he wants to bring us closer to himself. And there's a bit of pride lurking in our hearts sometimes. We'd like to have our families as complete order. We'd like to have everything just right, you know. That's pride. What we want is God's glory as it's been expressed, the glory of God comes first. Not our desires, but.
He says I'll never leave you nor forsake you.
And the one who puts his trust in him will never be ashamed. I believe that we can count on God for our children, but we can't go on.
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In a careless way, that's why in Hebrews it says for those of us who are older to make straight paths for our feet, unless that which is lame be turned out of the way, and many of us will have to confess that we are the responsible ones for turning our children.
Out of the way because we did not make straight paths for our feet. Oh how important this is.
This verse that we've been considering.
What a contrast, a light affliction, and a surpassing eternal weight of glory.
Adjectives cannot describe what we have before us here, because in the realm of the spirit there are no limitations.
New creation is not a question of time or place.
But kind we have to think, not in terms of what we are used to here, because this is a new order. When you're thinking of these things, forget time and place.
Are you a part of the new creation? What characterizes it? Spirit. Righteousness. Glory. Not just a word about the glory?
You know color is connected with glory.
When you think of glory, oftentimes you'll see a display of things that are put up that have color to them.
Well, in the Book of Revelation there are 12 Stones. I know I've mentioned this before, but I believe it's important to see this truth.
One of those stones are a different color.
And the question arises.
How do those colors?
Come to those stones, we find they're all sapphire.
54 All thy foundation shall be sapphires.
Now in the sapphire stone, which has been mined perhaps 5 or 6 tons in one piece, there's absolutely no color.
But we're down through the ages. They've been broken.
And crushed in the earth and the tremendous pressure upon those stones according to the pressure and the heat. Each stone may receive a different color, and those who work with stones can tell you the details. But.
The pressure and the heat bring a color in the stone. You see what I'm trying to arrive at? We have suffering here in our chapter.
The glory in that coming day is going to be comprised partly.
That is the medium of that glory being transmitted to the whole creation through the Saints.
Will be through these 12 Stones of Revelation, each one having a different color. That's glory.
But the glory is God's glory. The stone is only the color that transmits that glory, the light of that glory through it in the coming days.
And so all this is connected then with our chapter here.
It's the administration of the spirit.
It's administration of righteousness, because that's God's character, but it's administration of his glory.
And each individual St. is being prepared now through suffering trial difficulty, not only in chastening as we speak of it.
But as the Apostle Paul passing through these trials in connection with the testimony, there's being formed of color. That's the way the Spirit of God describes it.
A color so that in that coming day, according to the last verse of Ephesians 3, where we have the highest of these truths.
We find that the light of the glory of God will be.
Transmitted through these various mediums of color.
Formed in each St. down here through suffering and trial. So next time you're called upon for suffering, remember the colors being formed for eternity. And that's what's connected with our verse here.
The. The far more exceeding or surpassing.
01:10:04
Eternal weight. Glory. It's all connected, brethren, with each.
Child of God, in this room this afternoon, you're passing through a trial. Some of the trials you know that no one knows about. It's between your soul and God. But remember, there's a color form to that pressure that heat that way, and it's going to be for eternity, because God is forming in your spirit now that which will be for eternity.
Oh, what a consolation this is in suffering.
In trials we pass through this world.
The result of the trials that my brother has been Speaking of, surely, is the glory of God, supported and vindicated in every way. There's an element to the trial that we ought to be mindful of, not only as younger ones, but older alike. There are three verses in Daniel, two that might just make it very plain. We know that Daniel is a man of faith at a trial that trial was not.
Cast as meant the trial was as a result of his faithfulness.
We saw that problem was set before him but in verse 17 of Daniel 2.
Says Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah, Michelle and Azariah, his companions. Is it not lovely, brethren, in the trial of faith, as we would seek to be in the good of this ministry and of the new position which is ours from Christ, trials of faith?
Command. Is it not excellent to be found in the companionship of our beloved Bradley, and there's an element of fellowship here. Went to his home, and he discussed the problem with his beloved brethren. And what did he discuss about it?
That they should desire of God an answer. Now there is another element, not only a fellowship and speaking possibly to one another, of the trial of faith, praying about it together, but what ought to characterize us is what characterized him. When he had an answer from the Lord, the first reflection of his heart was praise to the glory of God. That's verse 19.
That was the secret revealed on to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel flashed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said Blessed be the name of God forever and ever. Wisdom and might are kids in the trials of faith and the Lord delivering and providing for His people How marvelous it is, individually and collectively, to have a thankful spirit.
And to reflect in praise to the Lord for all that he has done. But what about the collective scope of all that he allows for his dear people in a collective manner? What will be the result of that? The support of his glory?
Just as it was at the end of this chapter, we read verse 47.
Daniel 2 The King.
Answered unto Daniel, and said of a truth it is, that your God is a God of God, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets. How thankful.
Then to realize that there could be in the trial of faith the ultimate result, the support and vindication of the glory of God.
There's one other element in that trial of faith, which surely is encompassed in what the Apostle Paul had before him and what we had earlier, that we have this treasure in an earth investment. Same sense that was in Daniel's soul. That's why we have verse 30, perhaps Daniel 2.
For Daniel had to admit, But As for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living.
But for their sakes it shall make known the interpretation of the king, and so on.
The sense of weakness and dependence and pure waiting upon the Lord in the sense of our nothingness ought to characterize us through the trial of faith, the result, praise and honor to God, and the vindication of His glory in an ultimate sense.
01:15:17
God's presence in the trial is far better than exemption from trial, we notice in the third chapter of Daniel.
Verse 25.
He answered and said, oh, I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire. They have no hurt the form of the forest like the Son of God. Isn't it wonderful to have the presence of God through the trials, ensure that at the end of the road we look back in the we recount the trials that we go through. How wonderful it is to have experienced the president of the Lord.
Throughout those trials.
We learn far more going through a trial with the Lord than to be totally accepted from the pride.
And I'm sure if they had not reviewed the King's meat and the wine which he drank, they could never have gone through this trial. So there is a forerunner and their brother Middle mentioned to grandpas, and I'm one and so is he.
It says in in Hebrews 11. Again, needn't turn to it, I just read it.
By faith Abraham when he was called.
I know that's nothing but verse 9. By faith he Abraham journey sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob the heir with him of the same promise. Think of Abraham, an old man now.
Old enough to move to town and have a nice house.
But he still dwelled with Abraham and Jacob. I mean Isaac and Jacob. And if we know our history here a little bit, why, Jacob was 15 years old when Abraham died. So Jacob had the privilege of 15 years with his grandfather and.
Jacob had a quite a rugged life, yet he had one of the most happy deathbeds in scripture.
He was leaning on the top of his staff and worshiping, and he blessed both the sons of Joseph. So it's a word for grandpas to.
Like to just pick out two verses? We seem to have digressed, but it's been a beautiful digression along this line on 144 Mount 144.
It says in verse 11.
Brittany, deliver me from the hand of the children of strangers, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is the right hand of falsehood, that our sons may be as plants grow up in their youth, that our daughters may be as cornerstone.
Volleys after the civility of the ballot that our garners may be full.
There's a wonderful principle here that we should keep in heart. We're in the world, but not of it. A little different than the position you mentioned just now, Brother Clawson. We're in the world, yet we're not up. And we're heavenly people. And we can pray that our children will be delivered from the hands of strange children or children of strangers.
And the purpose is, well, I say, how do we do that? Well, this is a good basis right here. Having them here with the children of the Saints and as much as possible having them with the children of the state, That's what they need. But the what? The result is so beautiful. And I remember brother Eric Smith on this verse 12, he changed that last part and I believe he has the Lord's mind of it. I'll I'll say the verse as he had it.
That our sons may be his plants grown up in their youth.
That our daughter may be as corners, gold sculptured after the fashion of a palace. You know there's dignity with the daughters of the children of Saints in this world. It's a beautiful dignity they have of sobriety and godliness. I believe that's the dignity we have in our assembly because of the sisters. It's like the fashion of a palace.
01:20:22
And what when the young, the youth, our son, we want them to be productive like plants that are in the water. I just use one verse for that because this has been on my heart too.
Sound the first sound just one verse, and then I'll leave it. But for our sons we would expect this, that we have a right to expect this. In verse three he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.
That springeth forth his fruit in his season at least, also shall not wither, and whatsoever he's doing shall prosper. What if this is a kind of sons we raise, and this kind of daughters that are the results of our assemblies? And going on as Catholic faith I will be able to praise the Lord, and that's the heritage we should be leaving for them, that we should see in them this. I speak of a Father who's made all the mistakes, so I can speak now, but we can still commend it to the Lord.
And still seek this from our children. Not just our children personally, but we're all part of the same body. Your children are important to me as you are as members of the body of Christ. And so how wonderful it is we can have this result of daughters with dignity and of sons who are prosperous spiritually producers as plants underwater.
Above the original crop before us.
715 Let's see our brother roosting brought before us Jay bears to be the beginning of this meeting and he's a little picture of a mother that bear him with Saul and wanted him to be for the Lord. 307 was given out, I believe. Is that right? Yes, 311 foreign people. Holy See, Savior, we belong to thee.
Enochs Testimony
2 Corinthians 5
The Rest of Our Lives
Suffering Affliction
Suffering for Christ