Open—E. Soare
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Father, we do thank Thee this afternoon, and once again we can come before Thee Thy word.
Open pray this.
Guide and direct by thy Spirit and that which is set forth. Thank you for the thoughts of this hymn that morning star that as soon to arise and we'll see the Lord Jesus face to face and what glory that will be to be with thee and like thee Lord Jesus, pray that the thoughts of this would.
Comfort us as we.
Go about these last few footsteps and we just pray that we'd walk.
In a way that shows that we are truly strangers and pilgrims here. So we just pray for help. With this. My name we pray, Lord Jesus, Amen.
Strangers and pilgrims.
Been enjoying a booklet.
By our brother Bruce Anstey. It's called All Things that Pertain.
To life and godliness and I trust a word in season for us.
I've been struck by it because it tells us who we are according to Scripture. You know, we had the Tabernacle and the priests and they had specific things to to do and they were born into the priesthood.
And we are born, born again if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We had him here before us this morning on the cross.
And a question for each soul's heart is, are you saved? Have you put your trust in the Savior of the world?
You know there is no other way. God has provided the way, the truth and life. Jesus Christ his Son, and we can be made right with God.
Pilgrims and strangers.
A verse in first Peter chapter 2.
You can take a look there.
When I was about 12 or 13.
I went over to work for somebody on their house.
And I thought that was pretty cool. Get a little job, you know?
Make a little bit of money. I was invited over with a couple of other young, young men and I was given a breaker bar. You kids know what a breaker bar is.
A breaker bar is stands around here when you're younger, right? It's it's up pretty high about 6 feet and it's solid iron, I believe, and has a pointy end and then it has kind of a another end that's pointy, but it's flat. It's like a blade, but very solid. It won't break.
And the man, he wanted us to get into a hole.
And use this breaker bar.
And chip away at some concrete.
That was there. He didn't want it there before he filled up the hole.
And being a young person not knowing how to work, we kind of hemmed and hawed and tried to figure things out. One of us has some ear plugs in. We were trying to encourage the other person to start working right.
About an hour later, the man came over.
Fully expected it to be done.
Not much had been done.
And he said something, and this is the important part.
He said.
I wouldn't ask you to do anything that I wouldn't do myself.
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And he got in the hole.
And he started chipping away at that concrete.
He wasn't going to ask me or my friends to do anything that he wouldn't do himself.
And he got in the hole, started chipping away.
Now.
Let's read first Peter chapter 2.
And verse 21.
For even here unto were he called, because Christ also suffered for us.
Leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps.
Isn't that wonderful?
The Lord Jesus Christ came down here.
From the heights of glory.
On this earth.
And he walked upon it.
He's shown us the way. He's not asking us. God is not asking us to do anything that he hasn't done himself.
And we have here the example of the Lord.
And what are we to do? You should follow his steps.
Verse 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, reviled not. Again, when he suffered, he threatened not.
But committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, who his own self bear our sins, and his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we are healed.
For ye were as she going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd.
And Bishop of your souls.
Now.
The Lord Jesus has shown us the way how to walk here.
And he has also given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
So let's look at some of these points here.
1St is in First John chapter 5.
Pilgrims and strangers.
In this world.
Another.
Um, another verse.
Speaks of us being aliens in this world.
We're not. I know Alien has a different.
Meaning now. But truly we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. There's something completely different once we're saved compared to what we were before.
First John 5, verse 4.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
We must be born of water and of the Spirit, our Lord said in John chapter 3.
The Word of God and the Spirit of God.
We are born again, so we have a spiritual capacity.
Through the new birth.
We have heard and believe because it's in the word of God that.
What we are in nature cannot please God.
All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Anything that can be accomplished through the old man, through our own strength.
This is a key point.
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It's worthless to God.
My old nature was at the cross.
It said I will not have this man rule over me.
It yelled out. Crucify him. Crucify him.
But.
God in his grace.
As it were, breathe new life. We were born again by the Word and by the Spirit, so we have a new nature. It is expressed also as the life of Christ.
That is one of the things that.
Pertain unto life and godliness. Romans chapter 8.
Verse 2.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
In the meetings on the Tabernacle.
Could man keep the law? Did the children of Israel keep the law at all? No. They had to yet bring sacrifices.
To atone for their sins.
But in the Spirit.
We're able, we have the power to live a life that is pleasing to God.
John chapter 14 and verse 26.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
So we see that we're taught of the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
A You know these these great truths in the in the word of God. We can't understand it by our our natural minds.
As we've had, we have to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
In Romans chapter 12, verse 2.
1St Corinthians 2.
Um, well, First Corinthians.
Yeah, First Corinthians chapter 2.
Verse 9.
But as it is written, I have not seen, nor year heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yeah, the deep things of God.
Isn't it wonderful?
You and I have the Spirit of God in US.
And the Spirit would bring before us the deep things of God.
And when we.
As it were, judge ourselves.
Perhaps there's something in my life that is not right. I need to confess it to the Lord.
And be restored in righteousness. I can walk in that power.
Of the Spirit.
So again, the old man, the old nature we have can't please God but.
The life of Christ, being born again and walking in the Spirit, living in the Spirit that pleases God.
Because what? What is that?
The Lord Jesus Christ.
His life, the Spirit indwelt Him walking perfectly before the Father.
God was well pleased.
And and we can understand the deep things of God.
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Hebrews.
Chapter 4. Verse 16.
Be the next point.
The next provision of God.
These are.
Things that God has provided for us.
Hebrews 416 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy.
And find grace and help to help in time of need.
Oh God, he wants us close.
He doesn't want us far away.
God wanted to have fellowship with man in the garden.
And he still thus.
And he's made a way for us to to have that fellowship.
But I'm exhorted in my own soul.
How much fellowship?
Do I have with the Lord?
Is it enough?
Or am I getting by?
Sometimes being raised in a Christian family, being saved at a young age.
We may not think we're as bad as we really are.
That'll nature.
As you get older.
It's bad.
How is it that the Apostle Paul.
What was it that?
Struck his heart.
He was struck that he had persecuted believers.
He had persecuted the Lord.
He knew how bad he was.
And so he knew the grace.
That it took, you might say, in one sense.
How much grace for him to be saved?
It's been expressed this way.
Our nature, our old nature, my old nature, you can.
Put it into the personal pronoun yourself.
My old nature is just as bad as the worst person that ever lived.
You've heard in history of some of the atrocities.
Of Stalin, Lenin, Hitler.
Mild nature is just as bad as their old nature.
We need to come to that realization, I believe.
It is not good.
And unless the Lord worked in me. And unless the Lord worked in you.
At a young age.
Where would we be?
His love has covered a multitude of sins.
And so the Apostle Paul.
Could express it best the word of God, the Son of God.
Who loved me?
And gave himself for me.
You know.
It's an individual thing.
The love of the Lord for us.
So we have the throne of grace.
We have in Hebrews 725.
Perhaps 24 But this man Christ Jesus, because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood, wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, to come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
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First John, chapter 2.
Verse one my little children, these things write I unto you, that you send not.
And if any man's sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
The high priestly intercession of Christ.
Is to save us from spiritual dangers in the path.
So.
You might be.
Going down a path.
And God knows the end from the beginning.
As humans, we try to figure things out, and it's best if we figure it out from the Word of God.
But if we're going down a path and we're trying to figure out what to do, the Lord sees ahead.
And he intercedes for us to save us from a pitfall.
He wants us to be preserved in this life from falling.
But if we.
If we send, we have an advocate.
And that is to restore us to Communion if we have failed.
The next those were two more. The next is in Ephesians chapter 6.
Verses 10 through 18.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand, therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.
In watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints.
As the next provision.
That is a huge subject, The Armor of God. Bruce Anstey has a pamphlet on that.
If you want to learn more.
Is provided for us. Are we going to put it on?
There's a.
You know.
Beloved young people. Older ones, too.
If we don't take what God has provided and use it, what good is it?
If a soldier goes out into battle in this world, he's provided with things that will protect him.
And if he doesn't put it on?
When the battle comes to him or he goes into the battle.
What good is it?
He'll be slain.
He will fall.
If we don't take up with the things that God has provided for us to live a life.
To, as it were, survive this life.
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To be found watching and waiting.
For our Lord.
We, of course, only have ourselves to blame.
Let's use these things. God loves us. He wants us to take these things up.
The next is in Hebrews chapter one.
I.
Verses 13 and 14 But to which of the angels, said he, at any time Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies? Thy festivals thy footstool.
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them? Who shall be heirs of salvation?
Next provision is angels.
And they are to minister to those that is us, who shall be errors of salvation.
In this world, there's much activity and much looking into things.
Of the spiritual realm, but.
Not according to God's Word.
That is a dangerous place to be. There is the demonic spiritual realm.
But we are not to be looking into that.
We are to be fighting spiritual warfare. What does that look like?
I don't know if I have an answer for you.
But whenever you have an attack of a moral kind, maybe something comes into your mind, something at school, something somewhere else.
It's a spiritual battle to be fighting against that right? It's not something physical that we fight.
The temptation to our Lord was to cast himself from the height.
Where the verse said.
That the angels would not allow him to.
I don't like paraphrasing scripture that.
He, his foot, will not.
So I won't.
But he wouldn't be hurt. The angels were going to protect him from that. So perhaps this of being protected by angelic agencies to give us deliverance from temporal dangers is what our brother has here.
And you know.
You know, you think of our.
There's many examples. Our brother Richard Sagan.
Saved from a burning car by a man, a believer.
Who didn't have a strength, naturally speaking, to pull him out.
But the Lord provided salvation, temporal salvation there.
Second Timothy 222 Another provision that God has for us.
Probably already read it already.
Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Fellowship of Brethren.
To give us encouragement in the path.
I don't know about you, but I've been very much encouraged by coming here.
The amount of effort.
Made to host these this whole week here.
Why did our brother do it that we had been encouraged in the Lord?
That we be lifted up, given a little Oasis to hear the word of God day after day.
That we would have fellowship one with another as well have formed these bonds as young people, friendships as young people.
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Believers carrying on so you'd be encouraged to continue on in the path of faith.
If you have dear ones.
A friend that is an unbeliever.
Unless you're ministering to their salvation.
It's it's a dangerous place.
I've heard it time and again. I'm 44. I've heard it since I was probably 12. I started going to conferences and.
The friends are like buttons on an elevator. They either take you up or down.
And believe me.
Leave the word of God.
Evil communications corrupt good manners. Where does evil communications come from? Well, there's our heart, which we need a judge. But there's also people in this world. Maybe there's friends. That's people at school.
Do they talk of righteous things, things of the Lord, things to encourage to life and godliness?
Well, you can't do that if you're not saved dead in trespasses and sins is not possible.
And at last.
Is in Ephesians 411.
I.
And he gave some apostles and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
The gifts of an ascended Christ to give us teaching, shepherding and spiritual help.
If you're struggling with something, dear young people.
We heard from our brother.
Last night at the young people's meeting, he was struggling with some things. He was afraid to talk to his brethren about stuff.
Don't be afraid.
I trust that there are ones in your assembly that care for you and your soul.
That care about your pathway.
And will seek to help you out.
They would, as the Apostle Paul, be spent for you. They will spend time with you, to help you and guide you, to pray for you.
They love you.
Christ loves you.
And I believe.
We have the love of Christ to us and we show it.
To others, and especially to you young people.
And younger, too.