Open—R. Boulard, G. Cook
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Just have a couple of portions of scripture on my heart this this afternoon. I'd like to read in First Kings.
Chapter 3.
We'll read in chapter three of First Kings and I'd like to read one or two verses in First Kings Chapter 9. And then we'll read just a couple of verses, perhaps in, uh, at the end of chapter 10 and a little bit in verse Chapter 11 and just get a little picture of King Solomon and, umm, just what the Lord had to say about King Solomon. I want to particularly bring out here in this little passage of Scripture, you know, that Solomon had to find what it was to come into the presence of the Lord.
And I just want to ask you a question this afternoon, and I don't mean to be irreverent in any way as I ask this question, but it's a question that each one of us needs to answer in our own souls. And that is, why do you go to the meetings where you go? Why do you go? Why are you in the assembly? Why do you go to the assembly meetings in the little place that you go? Is there a good reason why? You know, I asked the question to my Sunday school class, young people's class, I guess I should say, in Hammer Bay.
Perhaps 15 or 16 years ago.
And, umm, I had a lot of very interesting answers to that question, perhaps had a dozen or so young people in my class at that time. And I had, uh, answers given to me that were, umm, you know, something like this. Well, I was brought up in the meeting here and, uh, so my parents went here and so that's where I go. And, umm, I had other answers given to me that were similar answers. And there were two brothers that gave me an answer each one of them that were good answers.
And uh, one of them said, you know, I asked the Lord to show me the place where he would desire us to remember him in his death. I asked him and you know that brother, he lived in a place called Peterborough ON about 3 or 4 hours drive away from Hammer Bay. And he came to be gathered to the Lord's name because he asked that question. He called me up one day at work and he said, I want to work for you. And umm, I shook in my boots as I thought of it. You know, I.
I didn't need another employee of his caliber and skill, but, uh, just to follow through, you know, he, uh, he came to work for me and uh, he found that, uh, he was a believer and uh, he was searching for the truth of God. He was brought up in the United Church system. And then he went on and, umm, he had a girlfriend that was Pentecostal and so on. And then, uh, he started to come to the meetings and not very long after he was gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. It's wonderful.
And they appreciate that today he's gathered to the Lord's name. And, uh, there was another brother there and, uh, he said this very similar thing. He was saved sitting on a park bench beside a man that gave him the gospel. And he wandered from one church system to another and then finally said to the Lord, he said, I, I need to know where you need, where there is that place that you've chosen. There's got to be a place I'd like to know where it is. And, uh, he came to work for us too. And we explained the way of God more perfectly unto him. He was trying to keep the Sabbath and all the kinds of things like that, you know.
And soon he came to the to the meetings and very soon, you know, he sat in the back of the seat as Mr. Hammer was driving in a home one day, Mr. Hammer and his wife and he leaned up over the back seat. He said, you know, brother Hammer, I'd like to remember the Lord with you people. I believe I have found the place and I would just want to ask you this as we read this Que the about Solomon here. Have you found have you had assurance in your heart as to why you go to the meetings where you go?
There were brethren that paid the price to bring us into the knowledge of the truth and to the written ministry that's out in the little book room, that little bookshelves that Brother Bruce has, and the ministry that's written and that we have and we go on and enjoy. There's a reason why those dear Saints left the systems of men and then went and were gathered to the Lord's name. Well, let's read in First Kings chapter 3. I just want to read here from verse one.
First Kings three and verse 1 Solomon made an made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David until he had made an end of building his own house and the House of the Lord and the wall of Jerusalem round about. Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built under the name of the Lord until those days. And Solomon loved the Lord and walked in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
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And when the king and the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice, therefore that was the great high place.
1000 Burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar in Gibeon. The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David, my father, great mercy, according as he walked before the in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee. And thou hast kept him for him, this great kindness, that thou has given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Now, oh Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father.
And I am but a little child, and I know not how to go out or come in. And my servant is in the midst of thy people, which is which thou has chosen. A great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this so great a people, thy so great a people? And the speech please the Lord, that Solomon asked this thing, and God asked him.
God said unto him, Because that thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast riches for thyself, nor has asked the life of thine enemies, but has asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment. Behold, I have done according to thy words. Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee, and I have also given thee.
Which thou hast not asked, both riches and honors, so that there shall be not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
And then just turn to chapter nine, I think it is.
Right at the beginning of the chapter.
Chapter 9 and verse one it came to pass when Solomon had finished the building of the House of the Lord and the King's house, and all Solomon's desire, which he was pleased to do.
That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
While we're not gonna read all that the Lord said there to Him, let's turn to chapter 10 and verse 28.
First Kings chapter 10 and verse 28 and Solomon had horses.
Brought out of Egypt and linen yarn. And King's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150. And so for all the kings of the Hittites and for the kings of Syria did they bring them out by their means. But King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zydonians, and Hittites.
Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, You shall not go in unto them, neither shall they come in unto you. For surely they will turn away your heart after their God. Solomon clave to them, or was attached unto these in love. And he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart.
After other gods, and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
For Solomon went after Asterisk, the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord as David, as did David his father. Then Solomon built and high place for Camash the abomination of the Moab. Let's just read verse 9. The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice.
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And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, but he kept not that which the Lord commanded him.
Well, we could read the rest, but we're not. We don't have time. I'd like to just read one other portion of scripture in First Chronicles. I think it is chapter 21.
And you know the story of Oren and the Jebusite and the threshing floor there. So I'm not going to read that story, but I'd like to read from verse 28, chapter 21 of First Chronicles and verse 28. At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshing floor of Oren and the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there for the Tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness. And the altar of the burnt offering were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.
But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the Angel of the Lord.
Then David said, this is the House of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.
Well, you know, we read in First Kings chapter 3 and it's a lovely story here, a lovely picture of Solomon's beginning. And, uh, perhaps at the beginning of his reign, he was perhaps about 18 years old. I believe he was around 58 years old when he died. He reigned for 40 years. So this would make him perhaps about 18 years old. And as a young king, he says that, uh, he did 3-4 things, I believe here three or four things, three things. It says, uh, he, uh.
Built his house. Actually. The first thing is he made affinity with Pharaoh, king of Egypt and Umm.
You know, I'm not gonna take this up in a prophetic way, but in a practical sense, he made an agreement with Egypt, with the king of Egypt. He made a, what you might call, umm, an alignment, an alliance with Egypt right at the beginning of his reign. And you know, it's a good thing to have a good beginning in our Christian life. And perhaps you're a young person here. You're 18 years old, maybe a little older, maybe a little younger, and you're going to lay the beginnings of your life. You're going to lay the foundations of life very early in life. And Solomon did this. He made affinity with Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Took Pharaoh's daughter and he brought her into the city of David. Then it says a little later on in the verse that he was building his own house. He had his priorities. You know, I think of this, his priorities as he became king. God tells us in the very first verse, as it were, of King Solomon's reign. He said the first thing is he made an agreement with an alliance with Pharaoh. The second thing is he took Pharaoh's wife. The next thing we find is that he was building his own house. Then he built the House of the Lord.
And then he built the wall of Jerusalem.
Why those five things characterize the beginning of of Solomon's reign and how the Lord records this, I wonder sometimes the solemnity of it. And the Lord says just about everything that could be said about the beginning of Solomon's reign there in one verse, and he ought to have built the wall of Jerusalem. Perhaps first it speaks of separation, and you and I need to have separation in a practical way in our lives before we go on and build other things in life.
And so he didn't do that. But you know, it says that, umm, Solomon verse three loved the Lord. Isn't that nice? Oh, that just thrills my soul to read that, that God saw what was in Solomon's heart. He said, you know, Solomon loved me. Solomon loved me. He had real affection for the Lord. And you know, that's a good thing to have affection for the Lord and a desire to have that communion with himself as you begin in the course of life. And it says here that there was a great high place in verse 4.
In Gibeon, and we read about that in First Chronicles chapter 21 in connection with David. And what we find is that David learned what it was to not offer in the high places and not offer to go to the high place. And Gibeon, you know, the Tabernacle was there in Gibeon, but the Ark of the Lord wasn't in Gibeon. The Ark of the Lord was in Jerusalem. And so, you know, there was a great show, a great place there.
And umm, the Lord hadn't chosen to place his name there in Gibeon. There was going to be a place you could read in Deuteronomy chapter 12. Maybe we should do that just to get the proper connection here.
It says in Deuteronomy chapter 12 partway through the chapter in verse 13.
It says, Take heed to thyself, that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest, but in the place which the Lord shall choose.
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Well, you know, David found that place. David offered a sacrifice in the, in the, uh, threshing floor of Oren in the Jebusite and umm, he wouldn't go to Gibeon anymore. He offered in that place on Mount Moriah. You know, that's where the threshing floor of Oren and the Jebusite was. It was in the place in Mount Moriah in Genesis chapter 2 of chapter 22. We read a little bit of that in.
That chapter this morning, that's the very place where the temple was built on Mount Moriah. God had his eye in Genesis on that little mountain in that place, you know, where the Lord Jesus was going to be crucified. God had his eye on that place. And God was going to bring David into communion with his thoughts. And David wasn't going to go to Gibeon. David there went, and it says in First Chronicles there that he bought the threshing floor. He bought it and he paid a price.
To be able to be there and to offer sacrifices and so you know I wanna just say this beloved brethren and young person particularly, you know the assembly is something that is very precious to the heart of God and the Lord Jesus paid a price that you might be able to be in his presence and to be able to remember him in his death. He paid a price that you might be able to come into his presence and the truth of God might be ministered but you know there's the enemy is the author of multiple choice and we find.
In Umm Solomon's day that there in verse three, it says only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And so God is not the author of multiple choice. God his eye, God has his eye on Christ. There's only one man that's going to be exalted and God would delight to bring you into his presence to just enjoy his presence. Well, we find that the Lord appeared to give to the Solomon and Gibeon right where he was. Isn't that nice, you know?
I say this and I, I say it with reverence. I trust, but I, I'm so thankful to be saved by the grace of God. I was saved as I was maybe 7 1/2 years old by the railway in France, Ontario and umm, I was saved. And I'm glad I can say by the word of God in faith I'm saved. But you know, I, I took my place at the Lord's table.
In the early 70s and, uh, I used to say that I hope that I was at the Lord's table, you know, but I don't say that anymore because I feel that, you know, there is a place that the Lord has desired to bring us and to gather us where he is in the midst. And so it says in Matthew chapter 18, verse 20. For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them. And so, you know, he gives us that desire by faith to obey.
And to be gathered to his precious name. And now you know, I say I'm saved by faith. I say that, but by faith, I say I'm gathered to the Lord's name. I'm thankful for it. Have you ever thanked the Lord for being gathered to the Lord's name? You just take it for granted.
Well, it's an awful thing to take the truth of God for granted. It's an awful thing to just think of all the price that was paid to bring us into such rich blessing and not to.
Appreciate it the way it ought to be appreciated. Well, it says here that Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon right where he was. And God is going to meet us where we are, exactly where we are in the state of life that we're at and the state of soul that we're at. And if there's a heart's desire, a love for the Lord Jesus, he's going to speak to us. And so we find that the first time that God appears to Solomon, he speaks to him as the king, A young king Solomon asked the right thing.
But you know when Solomon awoke, you know where he went. In verse 15, Solomon awoke and behold, it was a dream. He came to Jerusalem. You know what Jerusalem means? The name Jerusalem means the possession of peace. God wanted His people to possess peace. He wanted them to dwell in His presence. And so he came to Jerusalem and he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He stood in the very presence of God. That's what the ark spoke of. And then it says he offered up burnt offerings.
There was that which spoke of Christ, the sweetness of Christ there as he offered those burnt offerings.
And then it says he offered peace offerings. You know what the peace offering speaks of? It speaks of communion with the Lord. He could have communion, common thoughts with God. Now he came and he stood in the very presence of the Lord in Jerusalem and he offered those offerings. It doesn't say how many in Gibeon it said he offered 1000 burnt offerings, but I think there was communion with the Lord. There were a few perhaps offerings that were offered there. And it says he made a feast to all of his servants.
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He made a feast there. There was that which spoke to their hearts, and there was communion with His servants. Well, that's the first thing that Solomon we find in the beginning of his Kingdom. He found that place, as it were, in Jerusalem. His father had worshipped in Jerusalem. He couldn't go to Gibeon, the high place. But you know, Solomon still went to Gibeon. And every one of us, I say, is going to have to have an exercise of soul as to where the Lord is in the midst.
And are we gathered or do we come to be in the presence of the Lord when we come to remember him in his death? You know, I, I sometimes mention it this way and I think of it in this way sometimes, uh, I would get home from work and I'd be tired and, uh, be kind of difficult, you know, to drive up another half hour to meeting in Massillon. OH, when we lived there and, umm, that just seemed like a long time, a long ways off. And I would say, well, you know, I don't know if I'm just tired today and I don't know if I have the energy to go to meeting.
But then you know, I I changed the words around a little bit and I suggest you might want to do the same thing for yourself. I started to say to myself, well, Robert, do you think you have pre you? You think you have the energy? Are you TI too tired to go and to be in the presence of the Lord tonight?
Are you too tired to go to be in the presence of the Lord to the reading meeting tonight? Are you too tired to go to be in the presence of the Lord? And you know, I found it pretty very hard to think that I was too tired to go to be in the presence of the Lord. I just suggest to you that, you know, we need to see the Lord in the midst, and when we come in reverence and we sit.
Around the Lord Jesus and we have our Bibles open and the truth is ministered. Perhaps even as in the prayer meeting, you know we have enjoyed the presence of the Lord. We come in the very presence of the Lord to make our prayers made known unto our partitions. We need to have that sense of reverence. Well, in First Kings Chapter 9 we have this.
Little picture given to us.
Of what it was for Solomon at the end of the time that he built the temple.
It says that the Lord appeared to him. Chapter 9 and verse.
Two, the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon, and the Lord had some things to say to him there.
And then in Chapter 11, God gives us the end of Solomon's reign.
He had said that he would have a long reign, he would have a long life if he walked in the ways of God. But he lived to be approximately 58 years old. He didn't have a long life. He reigned over Israel 40 years. But you know, the end of his life wasn't what it should have been because, you know, instead of really walking in separation to the Lord at the beginning of his life, he hadn't laid that foundation. And then when it came to the backside of his life, the the very end of his life.
Why you find that separation wasn't that which characterized his life in any way and he got his priorities mixed up at the beginning. And, uh, I just say, May God give us each the grace to judge those things to search out. Every one of us has got priorities that aren't right. And perhaps as you're young and you're just about to lay the foundations of life and make the decisions of life that will you'll build your life on why those, those decisions, those foundation.
Principles that you're going to establish your home on in your life, your work life, and all those things why they need to be laid in the fear of God and separation from that which is displeasing to the Lord is necessary, but it's also necessary to have the assembly as that which is the center of our lives socially in this world God intended.
That the assembly would be the center of our lives socially. And, umm, he intended that, uh, we would see that being gathered to the Lord's name is a precious privilege and it's the normal course of Christianity. Isn't that lovely? You and I walk in a normal way in the Christian life. I sometimes told the story, and I'm ashamed to have to say it, but I say it because I hope that there's other young people that won't make the same mistake that I made.
When I was young, you know, and I'd be on the schoolyard and the boys would ask me what church my parents went to or what church we went to. I would hang my head and I would say, well, we don't go to the church. My parents go to a place where they say they're gathered to the Lord's name. And I was ashamed of it. I was ashamed to say it.
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But now, you know, I just rejoice in my soul that I'm gathered to the Lord's name that, you know, we don't have any other name that we can associate with that, that we can bring glory to. There's only one man. There's only one name that will be glory honored and exalted throughout the eternal ages, and that's the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And oh, I love to mention that name to those that asked me, well, what church do you go to?
You'll be asked, what are you going to say? Are you going to mention the name of the Lord Jesus? Oh, it's wonderful. You know, just to say I'm gathered, I only associate myself just with the name, the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we read of how it is that the Lord desires us to confess his name before men. What a wonderful privilege just to be able to do that. And I say, I just give this encouragement to each one of us. It's the normal course of Christianity to be gathered to the Lord's name. It's normal. And I used to think as a boy.
That I saw, I drove through the streets of cities and towns and saw all these church buildings and everything. And I didn't think that I was going on perhaps in a normal Christian way. But the Lord opened my eyes and by faith I could see that that being gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus and taking no other name was a normal course of Christian life. Well, I just want to read at the end of Solomon's life here. He had horses brought out of Egypt. He had linen yard.
And it cost him. It was at a price.
And he had Chariots, the same Chariots. I take it that the, uh, Egyptians had, they manufactured Chariots And, uh, the Hittites, they sold them to the Hittites. They sold them to the Syrians and they sold them to the children of Israel, Same Chariots. They had perhaps a chariot production line going and they had good quality and so on. And, uh, the Lord had said to the children of Israel that they weren't to multiply horses. Deuteronomy chapter 17, I think it is.
At the end there, they weren't to multiply horses or wives or Chariots. They were to depend upon the Lord for their strength. And, uh, they weren't to multiply wives. And he says he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. And you take it perhaps he had a wife before at 18, but for the 40 years of his reign, if he'd got a new wife every two weeks, it would add up to 1000.
And you might say that's pretty foolish. You know, Solomon was looking for a wife. He needed to get a new one every two weeks. Well, you know, the heart of man is so deceitful, desperately wicked. We could justify just about anything in our lives that we wanted to have in the flesh. And Solomon perhaps justified it in one way or another. But we look back on the word of God and we say, what a loss for the people of God. What a loss that Solomon, the government of God came in with Solomon. And I want to point this out.
Beloved brethren that God spoke to Solomon about this, but the first time we don't read of it in first Kings three and the second time he spoke and appeared to him in Chapter 9. We don't read it not spoken of. But now the third time that the Lord appears to Solomon and speaks to him. It's a public thing. And So what you and I might go on with secretly and out of the sight of our brethren is that we're in our own tents and why?
It may be hidden and the Lord may be speaking to one of us and all of us in one particular way or another, and speaking to us of those things that we're allowing to go on in the flesh. And it's a private thing right now. But you know, if we go on with it, perhaps at the end of our lives it becomes a public thing. And the Lord will have to expose and say that I spoke to you when you were young about this and now you're older and it's come out and it's 11 That needed to be dealt with. Well, you know.
There was an end to Solomon in this.
Way but the Lord preserved a light unto his servant David. And so I just give this little message from the heart that there might be a heart's desire to appreciate Jerusalem and appear appreciate the assembly, the place of the Lord's provision. He's provided a a great expense that we might enjoy one another's fellowship on occasions like this, but God intended that the assembly would be the focus of our social life.
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And that we would desire to come into His presence and to be fed. And two, that we would be found at the end of our lives not characterized by idolatry, not characterized by indifference to His glory, but that we be characterized by faithfulness and affection for Him. While may it be so at the end of each one of our lives, when He comes for us that were found watching and waiting. I'll just give you 1 little story at the end. You know, I have four children.
And umm, I would go away on a business trip and uh, at the end of my trip, I would fly into Toronto airport land, pick up my car, and then it would be two hours to the time when I would hit the house in the driveway there. And umm, so I would call on the cell phone and say I've just landed, I'm on Hwy. 400 and I'll be there in approximately 2 hours.
And every time I would make that phone call, I would drive up to the house and there's a glass door on the front door. And there would be one of my children not only watching, but waiting with the nose pressed against the glass, just watching and waiting and affection. She was the first one that got a hug. She was the first one that got a little trinket out of the pocket, perhaps something that was brought. You know, she shared. She wanted the love. She wanted the hug of her father first.
And she was watching and waiting. Well, may it be that way with each one of us. Just affection for Christ, waiting and watching and seeking in our own lives to keep close to the Lord, communion with the Lord, and let nothing come in to disturb that communion.
Let's look together at Luke chapter 15.
We could go into the full history of uh.
This third story in Luke 15 about the father.
But I just have, especially on my heart. Verse UH-22.
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.
You think of the Father's love.
You know the prodigal, the waster. He deserved nothing.
And, umm.
And yet. And he had rehearsed what he was going to say to his father.
And he was, uh.
Thinking that even to be a servant in his father's house was better than what he was doing then.
And, uh, but what is he met with?
He is met with kisses, covered him with kisses.
Trans New Translation says covered him with kisses.
You know that expression is, uh, used in a number of scriptures, one in connection with uh.
With that woman.
Who worshipped him?
He covered him with kisses his feet.
And then, uh, you think of Paul, the apostle Paul there in Acts 20 as he departed from the Ephesian elders.
In the original, it has the same thought, covered him with kisses. The Saints, the affection of the Saints. So we see the affection of the Father, we see the affection of a worshiper, we see the affection of the Saints for one another. It's it's so, so sweet, but.
When we think of the goodness of God.
You know, he says, bring forth the best rope and put it on him.
You know, the the the enemy, as we were talking earlier, would give us to question the goodness of God, would give us to question the heart of God.
The heart of God is so large. The best Rome, the righteousness of Christ.
And then the, uh, ring on his hand and the shoes on his feet. God would have us to have a clothes with the garments of the sun, not the servant, a son. We're children of God. Yes, sons of God. Now, when I was first saved and you know, I, I was thinking.
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And I may get to to.
Exhorting some of the children of the Saints, and please forgive me because.
I, I wasn't raised in a Christian home. I wasn't saved until I was 1/4 of a century old. Thankfully my mom did take me though to, to a Sunday school and I heard the gospel as a child, uh, thankful my mother was a believer. My father was not, but he didn't oppose my mother. He.
Yeah, even encouraged her from time to time. But the point is this.
And they exhort you as ones who are perhaps less than 1/4 of a century raised in a Christian home. Forgive me, I I don't know all that you pass through, but I think it's what I have in my heart is needful. And if you could suffer exhortation. But anyway, I just thinking of this expression. When I was first saved, I read a pamphlet A brother and the Lord he was uh.
He was a dear brother Shepherd. He gave me a pamphlet and, uh.
And he knew that it fit me. It was a pamphlet that really went through this chapter, especially The Prodigal Son.
And to know the love of God that would give one who has wasted his living.
And then the Father comes forth, and brings forth, and puts on that soul the righteousness of Christ.
And the shoes on the feet are given to walk in separation. But I'd like to think a little bit.
And the shoes were also what were part of the the elements of the garments of the sun.
But I, I was just thinking of the ring, you know, and there's different thoughts. I've enjoyed the ring as being the eternal love of God that we've been brought into and to enjoy. There's no end to it.
But the aspect of a of a ring that this brother and the pamphlet mentioned was a signet ring.
It was often the case during those times when a signet was used in the purchase of, uh, different things to really show that the resources of the one who had that signet were, were at stake here, the one whose reputation and testimony and resources were all available to the wearer of that ring.
You know, oftentimes we as Christians go around as we're poppers, don't we?
Go around wringing our hands and worrying about this. We're anxious about that and.
You've had that before us, these meetings. I just thought of the ring. God has given us the ring. We have all the resources of heaven available to us.
You know, if you had a huge bank account and had a deposit in your you, you had this checking account that this, we had tremendous amount of zeros behind it and you went around as a popper, there's something wrong with you.
You know we have all the resources of heaven available to us, we just need to ask.
Now the good thing too is our father won't allow us to, to, to use resources that we shouldn't. I mean, I was just thinking that sometimes we, we don't have, uh, maybe the money in our pocket to do things that maybe get us into trouble or to cause our hearts to be distracted. Sometimes when money comes in, it's a real test when, when there's a inheritance or.
Something happens, a bonus or something good happens that uh, to cause, uh, good, good financial causes of the the wallet to swell.
It's a real test. What are we gonna do with that?
So these things are real, but I just think of this, to apply this for a moment, the ring.
We have available to us all the resources.
Of the God of glory, let's look at uh Genesis 13.
I thought of this too in our last him that we sang had to do with the Pilgrim character a little bit, but I was just thinking of of during our our view in Luke 12 of two persons, Lot and Abraham.
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And on Abraham, a tremendous, uh, example, yes, he failed. He had times where he denied his relationship.
We talk about that too, you know, how we can really deny that we belong to the Lord Jesus. You know, this, this world is an awful tricky thing, you know, and, and, uh, as we slide alongside of, of this world, we can, we can do things that, uh, we said yesterday we wouldn't get close to and all of a sudden we find ourselves doing them.
And umm, and we have to watch our heart, he that trusts his own heart as a fool, you know, we have to watch our hearts. We have to continue to go back to the ancient landmarks, have to go back to what God's word says to us. Let's just thinking of and, and a meditation for, uh, for you, if you haven't looked at it before, is the expression lifting up the eyes in Genesis. It's a, it's a sweet, there's some sweet thoughts that look through, trace through those times that it mentions lifting up your, the eyes.
But anyway, a lot and verse five also, which went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents, and the land was not able to bear them. Uh, that they might dwell together for their substance was great. Here's another example of what could happen to when substance grows, when stuff grows. But anyway, so they could not dwell together. And there was a strike between the herdman of lost cattle and herdmen of Lo, herdman of Abrams cattle and the herdman of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanite and the Perasites dwelled.
Then in the land and Abraham, Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdman. For we are brethren, we be brethren.
Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take to the right to the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lock lifted up his eyes. OK, here's an example of what we're talking about.
What are you gonna lift up your eyes to behold?
He beheld all the plain of Jordan.
We hadn't read it, but previous to this, you know, those of you have studied the this course of Abraham's life know that there was a time he went down to Egypt. He got acquainted with things and a lot did too. You know, we have an effect upon those around us, don't we?
You know, that's, that's really so, uh, sobering, especially as you get older and you realize that, uh, you're not only influencing yourself and your wife, but your children, your grandchildren.
People you work with, they're watching you.
They're watching you, your friends.
Even you that are younger.
And are starting out on the path of faith. You're being watched and you're being an influence upon those around you.
Umm, I don't know if we'll get to it, but I'm hoping to to. I'll draw your attention to it right now in Daniel One, there's two expressions that really struck me years ago. Purpose.
And continued.
Daniel Purpust.
And there are three friends. Who are your companions? Who do you associate with? Who do you find yourself with when you leave a company like this? Where? Where? Who are your companions?
Are they companions that are encouraging you in the path of faith and faithfulness?
Are they ones who are kind of on the border or the ones that are outside? Who are your companions? Daniel had three friends, companions. There were others from, uh, Tribo, Judah, Princess of the royal family, brought to Babylon, no doubt. But there were these three, and these three were helped by Daniel.
And I would suggest that Daniel was helped by these three.
We need one another, we need to encourage one another, we need to be very careful about our selection of companions, Daniel purposed.
And he continued the annual purpose in his heart not to defile himself with the King's meat, nor with the wine that he drank.
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A lot of things the world has to give us to, to lose discernment, to lose things that, uh, are really give us to, to really have a heart that is really umm.
Really at unity with the Spirit of God and his thinking.
So Daniel, but it says that he continued until the first year of King Cyrus. Now in chapter 10 of Daniel, it says it's in the third year of King Cyrus saw. So what was the first year of King Cyrus? Well, what is interesting to me, and I don't know if it's perfectly accurate, but to me what is accurate is that the captivity of the 70 years ended in the first year of King Cyrus. So Daniel continued all of the captivity. You say you're in difficult situation.
Daniel continued in difficult situation. He was made a eunuch.
He was made unfruitful.
In the eyes of the world, but how many people have been encouraged by the fruit of that godly man?
You know, we're not limited by things of time and sense. God's looking at things eternally.
And how wonderful to be in communion and moving with God as He moves in those eternal spheres. Lot lifted up his eyes. What did he behold in chapter 13 and verse 10? All the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as al cometh unto Zor.
Have you ever moved on the basis of circumstances? I have.
Seem good? This lined up this way. This lined up that way. This lined up that way. Let's do it. OK, That must be the path of faith.
It got it. It gets in trouble.
It gets you in trouble.
It's, uh, it's back to the word and waiting on the Lord and what he would have you to do. But God is so gracious. He is a God of recovery. You ever noticed, uh, remember this, uh, years ago, brother shared this years ago in the book of Ruth is a book of recovery.
Begins with a man and his wife leaving.
The place of divine appointment, the House of bread, the place of praise, Bethlehem, Judah, leaving the place of God's appointment and going into the place of Moab, a place of self indulgence, but it ends with a child is born to Naomi.
Starts with in the days that the judges ruled and ends. The last word of the in the book is David.
King after God's own heart.
In any way, the point is this.
Lachos.
And uh, and it's a lot separated from, uh, Abram and verse 12, then Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan. The Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain and fished his tent towards Sodom. How sad.
Towards Sodom, he wasn't there. He's tent. He's still maintaining a Pilgrim character, but his tent was towards Sodom. Toward Sodom. Later on in chapter 19, we find he's got a house in Sodom.
Of course.
But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. And the Lord said unto Abram, After that Lot was separated from him, Lift up. Now thine eyes, What a comparison. Lot lifted up his eyes to behold what looked to be fine, but it was in a direction that was dangerous for him, and was gonna be dangerous for his family. But the Lord had Abram lift up his eyes to what behold healthy inheritance of God.
The God, the inheritance that God had for him said, Lift up your eyes. He says, look from the place with our northward and southward, eastward, westward, all the land we shall see us. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that the man can number the dust of the earth. Then I shall thy seed be also numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and the breadth of it, and I will give it to thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mammary, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
You look at these two men.
As you read through the account, you see Abraham going up and down, up and down. But I should say it that he was constantly gaining in his FA faith. Yeah, he denied his wife in chapter 12, He denied her later. And then the Lord gets to the root of it and he owns his that that they root of why of his denial.
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And then a man child is born to him and and Sarah.
Last in unbelief, the later lasts in faith and calls to the boy's name Isaac. Laughter. But I just umm.
Notice that in verse 18, I think is a secret for you and I.
Abram was a Pilgrim.
And you know, we were talking about this during our meeting, a lot of its attitude.
How we hold the things that God has given to us. This attitude, isn't it?
Yes, we there's dangers associated with it. We think that we're our attitude as a Pilgrim and a stranger that it can be dangerous to us, but.
But he had a tent, so he was a Pilgrim.
And he came and dwelt in the plain of Mammary, which means fatness.
Which is in Hebron, which means communion.
And built there an altar unto the Lord, a worshipper.
You know, the enemy would say it's a lot. Look at all the plain of Jordan. It's, it's, uh, even as a garden of the Lord.
It says like the land of Egypt as I come to Zoar. This is wonderful for you.
And you know, but but it was a plane.
But Abram dwelt in the mountains, the places of communion and dependence, as a Pilgrim, one whose soul was in fatness and when and in communion with the Lord, and built her an altar. He was a worshipper. So in chapter 14, when these kings come down and take Sodom.
Having destroyed another set of kings, and they take Sodom and Lott along with them, who is it that's able to restore all?
Is Fitz Abram the one who was dwelling in the place of communion with the Lord? Hebrews, chapter 6.
You know, we talked a little bit about internal security.
Remember when I was uh.
First saved, uh, we were, uh, we found a sweet fellowship in uh, Irvine, CA and we were there for a while and then.
I prayed a prayer to deliver me to the northwest and then when things were a little rocky, I was working with, uh, atheists and he was pulling at me in my chain pretty hard and working with, uh, smoggy and bumper to bumper traffic in LA. If you ever been down there, you know what I'm talking about. So I said in a prayer of anguish, Lord, deliver me to the northwest where there's trees and I can worship thee better. I'm not only safe for nine months. So my prayers weren't very intelligent, but they were real and, and, uh.
I didn't have a lot of knowledge of Scripture, but the Lord just kind of let let us along and just said OK. Two weeks later, I got a call from a guy that unbeknownst to me and moved up to the northwest and working at the mill Camus or Phil Rogers was waiting for me. He didn't know it at the time, but he was waiting for me. So, but uh.
So things have smoothed out at work and I apologize. It was an atheist. It roughed me up a little bit. He apologized to me and I was enjoying the fellowship and smog wasn't bothering me too much. The track wasn't bothering me too much. I was pretty content back down there in the in the Orange County, LA area is content.
Got this phone call.
I prayed that prayer phone call so OK, so.
So, uh, anyway, make a Long story short or deposit this in the northwest and met Phil Rogers and, uh.
So what a what a what a wonderful thing to to be just in simplicity before the Lord and in that path. I don't know why I was going there. I'll maybe come back to me, but le looking at Hebrews 60. I know where it was. So we were about sorry, getting older, bouncing from from place to place trying to find.
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Us as where the Lord would have us to meet and come in contact with this brother who had a big smile on his face, worked with some real.
Hard men at the canvas mill, but he had a gospel testimony. Souls were saved, men respected him. And yeah, they called him Philly Graham, but they also ex respected him and, uh, so anyway.
There is, I went to a, uh, in the course bouncing around, I went to a Nazarene church and I don't wanna speak bad about any denomination, but as you know, these dear brothers in Christ who carry the gospel, uh, don't understand, uh, the truths regarding the eternal, uh, security of the believer.
So one of the, one of the brothers from the fellowship I was connected with in Irvine said, found out that he said, how you doing? He called, he called up, he came to the Portland area. He said, uh, the preacher asked me to come and talk and see how you were doing up here. And I said, oh, we're just trying to find a Swedish fellowship as it was that we were associated with down in Irvine. And we went to last week, went to the Nazarene church. He said, well, they don't even hold eternal security. And I said they don't. And I said, umm, what's eternal security?
Well, and then he told me and then I started reading the Scriptures and I saw the principles and the word of God. It is so vital and important a doctrine. So I saw Phil the next time in the in the office. I went up to him and I put my finger in his face and I said, what do you hold as far as eternal security? And he said it's basic.
And I said, well, what do you mean? Do you hold it or don't you? He says, yeah, basic. So I couldn't, I couldn't uh, well, I'll say that his group that he was associated with was, you know, questionable. But anyway, the result is is we began to fellowship. And so make a Long story short, it's very important to know and if the tax, if you doubt that you are eternally his, think how serious a doctrine this is.
You doubt the work, and it goes on. You doubt the person of the Lord Jesus. Why do I say that? Let's look at this chapter, Ephesians 6.
Now this is a difficult, I'm sorry, Hebrew 6. This is a difficult portion and I'm not going to be able to expound it like some others here could. But I I just share with you what was a help to me.
Verse 4. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the word to come, world to come, if they fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put them, put him to an open shame.
Who stopped there for a moment? Umm, this might sound like OK, see? See what you wanna mean? Seoul can be all the way in these things. Uh, enlightened tasted a heavenly, heavenly ghost, and they partake with the Holy Ghost and then depart.
You know, and Peter, uh, one of the pistols that Peter talks about the swine returning to wallowing and the dog to its vomit. You see, see, there's another example of how soul can be lost again, can be saved a lot, See, No, never in Scripture does it speak of a believer as something that's unclean. A sheep, yes, Sheep being silly, stupid creatures needing a shepherd. That's what we are. We are sheep, but never as an unclean animal.
Never does a scripture speak of us as being unholy, speaks as us to being Saints of God to the Corinth, to the Corinthians speaks of them as Saints. And yet they were allowing some pretty serious things in their assembly.
But they were holy ones of God, and you were a holy one of God-given the life of God.
And so, umm, here it says it is. This is what is so solemn that it is possible for someone to be enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift. But it doesn't say save, does it? We're going to see that in a moment. And we're made partakers of the Holy Ghost. You know that there are those that maybe even in the room tonight.
That have not closed in on God's offer of salvation.
That have heard enlightened thoughts and have tasted of the Spirit of God working.
But not yet in their own, in their own souls.
Having accepted Christ as Savior.
Verse 9 But beloved, now here's a switch. We are persuaded better things of you. So now he's speaking to believers.
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And things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Verse 18.
That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us. It is possible for those to outwardly be associated with the people of God, and yet still be lost but one who is the Lord.
Things that accompany salvation.
It is impossible for God to lie and go on to read it says in verse 19, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.
Boucher and steadfast and we could multiply scriptures. John 316. In itself, God is a giver God and not a taker God. He's a God that gives eternal life. And Can you imagine the affront to him to say that he would withdraw it? Election, the whole principle of election.
God has he chosen you before the foundation here? Would God choose you and then UN choose you? How terrible a thought.
How awful a thought that attacks the person in the work of Christ and God able to keep you.
He's able now. Now when we speak of these things, I'd like to speak of one other thing, and that's the government of God.
God loves you.
And as a father, he will deal with you as a son. And if you think that you can be careless with your Christianity, you got another thing coming.
You can't trifle with these things. God will speak to you and deal with you as a son. So there's a government of God, and I thank God for the government of God. I thank God for that. I need it to know that He loves me with a love that won't let me go.
So, so just with these thoughts, umm, our time is up, but just in verse UH-20, whether the forerunner is for us entered. Now my understanding of that was in the, in the days that this was written, it was a technique where the the sailors would take in a smaller craft and anchor and they would run that all the way to shore and then drop it and then they would pull the ship towards that anchor.
You know, in other words.
Christ is in, he is in Christ and we're, we're assured of a salvation that is, that is an heathen all the way home. Savior, remember Ernie Wakefield and, uh, and as he talked about that shepherd in, in Luke 15, he says all the government of the world is gonna be on the shoulder and I of one shoulder in Isaiah 96. But the shepherd takes and he places that lost sheep on his shoulders and we may be kicking and struggling.
But he's in all the way home, Savior.
And he's bringing us home rejoicing whether the forerunner for us entered. Even Jesus made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. So enjoy your salvation and live for Christ. And I exhort myself this way too, is that don't trifle with your Christianity realize.
And that is so important for you to press on in the path of faith. Choose your companions carefully. Choose those things that are going to lead you, not by circumstances, but by His eye, looking to Him and waiting upon him.