Open—John Kemp
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Your father's one.
Our heart.
And name.
You're right, all night.
And I'm heading.
And, umm.
50, 3:05.
Way now.
When I say.
Are we afraid to get it? Our loving God and our Father, we thank Thee for the words of this hymn.
And thank you for that wonderful object that the Spirit of God has put before us.
The person of our Lord Jesus whom we have enjoyed.
These last few days.
But Lord, we are freshly dependent upon the.
For the meeting which lies before us in the gospel that will guide us and help us give that ministry, which would be, uh.
Suitable.
Uh, food convenient for us.
Edification, Exportation, comfort.
We have special needs.
Different ages, but we thank you for thy word. Lamp to our feet, a light to our path.
And may this, the language of this hymn be.
Our prayer will fix our earnest gate. So holding Lord on thee, who will you speak thy direction?
We thank you for this inexhaustible.
The treasure we have in the living, eternal Word of God.
The revelation of thy mind and thy will and thy purposes by counsel, how little we enter into that. And we pray that we may have an appetite and that they'll administer to us this afternoon according to our need, as others see it. So, Lord, we thank thee these happy meetings. We thank the fellowship. Now we ask Thee to be with us, be with us.
The next hour, may Christ be glorified. We give thanks and praise in the worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.
00:05:15
I just have a few thoughts here briefly.
Uh.
So that, uh, another brother would have the opportunity to speak Luke chapter.
19.
Uh, verse UH-12, Luke chapter 19.
Verse 12 he said therefore.
A certain nobleman.
Went into a far country.
To receive for himself a Kingdom and to return.
And he called his 10 servants, and delivered them 10 lbs. He said unto them, Occupy.
Till I come.
But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying we will not have this man to reign over us. It came to pass that when he was returned having received the Kingdom.
Then he commanded these servants to be called unto him.
Whom he had given the money.
That he might know how much every man had gained by creating.
Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound have gained 10 lbs.
And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over 10 cities?
The second came saying, Lord thy # hath gained 5 lbs.
And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over 5 cities.
And another came saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin, for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man.
Take a stop, and they'll lay us knock down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee?
Our wicked service, our newest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid knob down, and reaping that I did not So Wherefore then gave us not thou my money into unto the bank, into the bank that at my coming I might have required my known was usually. And he said unto them that stood by Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath 10 lbs.
Well.
We know that this deals with the subject of.
Stewardship.
And, uh, we are all stewards.
What? What is a Stewart? Well, a steward is a custodian, someone to whom we commit our goods.
Or our valuables or our treasures, that he might keep them for us. We expect him to be faithful.
And uh.
It is assumed that he will give an account of how he has carried out his responsibility.
Well, brethren, we are stewards, stewards of the mysteries of God.
For one thing.
And here in the assembly, not that we can do any boasting, the Lord has entrusted us with, uh, much truth.
Much, uh, ministry.
And unfolding of the mind and purpose of God.
More, I would say, than any place in Christendom. And you young people, it's a joy to see you here at the meetings. I hope you realize the privileges that God has given you.
Now the fields out there might be whiter, might be more attractive to you. I'm not referring to the world. I'm referring to Christendom.
You know, there's a lot of activity out there, and I'm not speaking disparagingly of it.
But there is the truth, the privilege of being gathered to the name of Christ outside the camp. What is the camp? It's the whole religious system around us, including Christendom.
00:10:14
You can break bread out there, but not at the Lord's Table.
And there is a Lords table, the Lords table, not 21 and it's a privilege to be there.
But we have been entrusted with gifts, with talents.
With the responsibilities, if you have a gift and everyone has, you have a responsibility as every man has received the gift, Even so minister the same.
As good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Not everyone has a public gift.
That has not been, uh, given to every brother.
Certainly has not been given to the sisters, but they occupy a very important place in the body of Christ. So do each one of you.
Your gift may not be something prominent. It may not even be seen. There are certain organs in my body. You don't see them.
You probably never will see them.
But they're very valuable.
They have a very important function, though not seen. You see my hands and my feet and eyes. They're they're in the forefront.
But every one of us, brethren, we have.
Umm, a place in the body of Christ.
Corinthians brings this out very clearly.
Uh, different having then gifts differing according to the grace that has been given to us. Unto everyone of us, to every man is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Well, you say that's only those who are on the platform. No, that is everyone in the body of Christ. You have something to do.
In that.
Place which which you can do better than anyone else.
And, uh, it's a service.
That the Lord has given to you. It may be in the background.
It may not be seen by the brethren even.
But you know, as Mr. Darby said, Christianity is characterized by what it what it gives, what it brings, not by what it finds.
How often it may be that, uh, we are looking for something.
We're looking for love in the assembly and we don't find it, but the exercise about bringing love.
What did I contribute to the meeting?
I can look back and think of some brothers in the Ottawa meeting.
They didn't teach me a lot.
But their presence in the meeting?
Their warm handshake.
Their smile was an encouragement to me.
They weren't prominent brothers on the platform, but their presence at the meeting was a blessing, and still is a blessing.
So don't be discouraged if you don't have, shall I say, a public gift. You have a place to fulfill, and the Lord is recording in the annals of eternity.
Everything that you do, it may appear very insignificant in the eyes of men, but the Lord has it recorded.
Cup of cold water will not lose its reward. Your presence in the assembly here at the conference where the Word of God is read and the Lord Jesus is honored, that will be rewarded.
And uh.
The Book of Remembrance is going to be opened someday.
Malachiah chapter 3. Every thought upon his name will be rewarded.
00:15:01
Sisters in the meeting, every thought upon his name this morning.
Will have its reward in that day.
And the service that some of us who travel a little experience in the homes of the Saints.
Where the sisters labor so faithfully, that will be rewarded.
The many hours that are spent in preparing gospel literature, models or texts. God has a record of that.
And in that coming day?
The married Supper of the Lamb.
The wife there is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, which is, notice this, the righteousnesses of the Saints. It's not divine righteousness. We have that through the work of Christ, a perfect standing before God in a righteousness that nothing can sully, but the righteousness spoken there is practical righteousness.
When our lives are going to be.
Manifest.
Will actually.
Marriage Supper of the lamb when the wife.
The bride is arrayed in the fine linen.
Comes after the judgment seat of Christ.
Uh, at the judgment seat of Christ, our lives will be reviewed. Everything will come out in your life and mine. And I believe it is public and uh, there will be a reward.
A portion given by the Lord at that time for faithfulness to His word for every little act of service.
Every sacrifice in our lives.
We don't sometimes we feel we don't have very much sacrifice. I I can say that, but all those.
Little services.
Will will be rewarded and then the result will be that beautiful garment.
Uh, where she is the bride is displayed in all her beauty. That is our good works, our conduct, our lives that are going to be manifest before the assembled.
Company all the Saints, they will see the result of our service and our laborers.
It will be manifest then.
Perhaps there's someone that thinks I try to do something for the Lord and no one takes notice of it. Or sometimes I get criticized for it. Leave it with the Lord. He has the record straight. When Mary broke that alabaster box appointment on the feet of the Lord, she was criticized, didn't say anything. The Lord up upheld her action.
And praised her. And that act of devotedness, uh, shown there in the life of Mary, as Mr. Brown said, it's multiplied into eternity.
And everyone who reads the scriptures knows about her act of devotedness.
So if you're criticized, it's going to come.
Leave it with the Lord if you have sought to honor him according to his word. Now our brother Paul mentioned that being reproved, that's, that's very, that's very important. That's not criticism. That's something that is, uh, needful, constructive. We all need reproof.
It should be done in the spirit of love, but we need to be corrected. But leave those things with the Lord and He will, He has, He will reward what has been done for Him as we have in our past each year. Occupy till I come, and I just wanna.
Say in closing, the reward is certain. Now we've often been told reward is not a motive for service. I fully agree with that.
Reward is not a motive for service. That would be a wrong thought. But it certainly is an incentive. It certainly is an encouragement. You may labor on in a difficult field. In the gospel, you feel the rejection, the cold shoulder, maybe the open opposition. You say, is it worthwhile?
00:20:13
Am I getting anywhere?
Leave it with the Lord.
He is going to reward those scars that you have received. It's not going to be easy in a world that has rejected Christ or it may be even among your brethren. Sometimes you, uh, are disappointed.
Don't get your eyes on your brethren. It's wonderful to have their fellowship and as we have enjoyed these last few days, but uh, you're not in a perfect assembly.
Certainly wouldn't be perfect if I was part of it. And there there's failures we need to bear and forebear with our brethren. But you are among those that truly love you. And, uh, I hope you value it, but we need patience with one another. But what I'm coming to sort of get sidetracked here is that, uh, the reward is certain.
For those who have remained, it may be in difficulty and loneliness, sometimes discouragement, to be connected with such a small group. There doesn't seem to be a lot of energy or activity going on. You are at the place where the Lord has placed His name.
And Paul said his desire was that he would finish his course with joy in the ministry which the Lord had committed to him.
Not every St. finishes his course with joy. Not every St. has an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
But that reward is certain.
God will not forget your work and labor of love that you have shown to His name.
And, uh, you don't need to speak about it.
Even if you've forgotten about it, the Lord has not forgotten.
And he is going to apportion the reward in that coming day, manifest at the judgment seat of Christ and the marriage supper of the Lamb, Noah. Sometimes a girl, she will spend a lot of time preparing her wedding dress and you don't see it. Maybe months go by stitch after stitch as she is.
Umm finishing the dress that she is going to appear.
In on the wedding day, no one sees what's going on.
But the day comes when it's all manifest. Her laborers are sown to all the company. That's the way it will be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Our feeble efforts will not be forgotten. They will be manifest. And.
The Kingdom is mentioned in the passage we read here and uh.
Rewards, I think most of us know are connected with the Kingdom.
That is, your place in the coming Kingdom will be according to the way you have walked down here.
Uh, Viva, over 10 cities, 5 cities. That's administration.
We're all going to have a place in the Kingdom, but.
That position will be according to the way we have walked down here.
Our I've often said our sins will never be brought up and resurrected to condemn us. That wonderful.
But our works will be brought up and, uh, reward it often mentioned you can have a save soul and a lost life. You wanna have a lost life?
Lot is an example of that, sad to say. Jonathan also though he was energetic and he, uh, displayed much devotedness to David.
And he performed some mighty.
Acts in the power of God.
But he did not share the rejection of David. You know that.
And he remained in the port of Saul.
He never shared the Kingdom with David. He fell ignominiously on the on the mountains of Gilboa. He thought he would be with David.
00:25:06
He expected to be, but he never was.
And that was the loss in the life of dear Jonathan.
And so the Lord wants us to have a saved soul. We have that already and a life that will, that will, umm, be for his glory and be, uh, be kept in that coming day. You know, there's one verse that is given six times in the Gospels, 6 times this verse is given. Isn't that significant? Why would the Spirit of God repeat this verse six times?
I'll just give it to you in one one place.
Uh, John 12.
And verse.
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. Well, that speaks to every one of us.
And uh.
There's the, there's the tendency, there's the.
Uh, desire in every one of us.
To keep our lives down here.
To deliver the natural man.
For the things of time and sense.
Which are going to pass away.
But if we spend all our energy on those things which are temporal.
And have to do with.
Uh, our position in this world, you may get a good salary.
And uh.
Much reputation in the world, but if you lose.
The sense of the Lord's presence.
If it interferes with your communion with him, your fellowship in the assembly.
It's eternal loss. Well, it it speaks to all of us.
May we have our eyes on the Lord and, uh, labor on.
In the past that he has marked out in his word for us, knowing that.
Uh, all will be.
Manifest in that coming day the judgment seat of Christ.
Is not to condemn, but it is to manifest our lives.
Down here when we will have the same thoughts about our lives as the Lord Jesus has. May the Lord bless His word.
Reserve by clock most graciously within thy sheltering fold, move them from every harm away, and in thy safeguard hold till thou shalt wholly have obtained in US the fruit of grace and we.
Enjoyed that never end shall see the face to face do thou the very God of peace.
I'm only sanctified and grant us such a rich increase of power from on high, that spirit, soul and body may preserve free from staying the blameless until that Gray day, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
All day.
And.
00:30:03
All the way.
Rainfall.
Wherever it is, I don't understand it.
I'm saying.
All right, so.
Uh, per day, maybe around 7:00.
Right.