Open—B. Prost, L. Renaud, D. So
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Saying #3 out of 30.
What raised the wondrous thoughts? Or who did it suggest we the Church to glory brought? Should with the Son be blessed?
Oh God, the thought was signed thine. Only it could be #330.
Could we turn together to the book of Second Timothy and and read 2 verses?
Second Timothy, Chapter one, first of all.
Second Timothy. Chapter One.
And verse 15.
This thou knowest.
That all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
Of whom are for jealous and homogeneous.
And then going down to the second chapter and justice the first verse.
Thou therefore, my son.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
00:05:06
We could read many other verses, but these will do to bring before us what I have on my heart.
Something that has exercised me greatly over the last while.
And that is that in these last days the Lord would bring before us on the one hand.
The greatness of the ruin that has come into the Church of God as to its outward testimony.
But on the other hand, the greatness of the faithfulness of God in spite of that.
I would suggest that those are two truths which need to be very deeply understood and taken into our souls.
But on the other hand that need to be kept in balance.
First of all, let's talk about the first verse we read. All they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
Trying to imagine, if you can, the feelings of the beloved Apostle Paul as he wrote those words here he was, toward the end of his life, an old man. As he says later on in the epistle, he calls himself Paul the Aged.
And he had devoted his life ever since he had been struck down there on the road to Damascus.
I say again, he had devoted his life to the entire in service of the Lord. I suppose none in the history of the Church was more diligent than he, both in preaching the gospel and in presenting the truth. None was more energetic than he in seeking to do what we have had before us in our readings. And that is to exemplify in himself as an earthen vessel, that light, that treasure.
Which God had put in it.
And here he is at the end of his life.
Shut up in prison.
Probably this was not the hired house that is mentioned at the end of the book of the Acts, where he spent two full years under what we would call house arrest. Probably this was a real prison with all of the discomforts that went with it. And he knows that he is not going to be released. And he says in the later part of the latter part of this epistle, I am now ready to be offered up.
And yet here he has to write to his beloved son in the faith, and say, all they which are in Asia be turned away from me. What a difference to what he had written to the Corinthians when he could say, The churches, the assemblies of Asia salute you.
But now he has to say they're all turned away from me.
We all know what he meant, I trust. It wasn't that they had given up Christianity, it wasn't that they had gone back to paganism or something like that. No, rather I believe it was that.
They still call themselves Christians, but the precious truth that Paul had preached to them, they were turning away from.
And we know where it all ended.
I will remember many years ago our brother Clifford Brown of Des Moines ministering.
Along something of these same lines.
And he used the analogy of a company that is going to try and sell stock.
On the stock market and how that there is always a prospectus which goes with that stock that a wise buyer will look very carefully into before he buys that stock.
I don't own stock, so I don't know much about that, but those who know and understand such things say that you are an absolute fool to buy any stock unless you have carefully read the prospectus.
And he went on to say, would you invest in a company? Would you buy the stock in a company where the prospectus guarantee that the company was going to be a failure? Oh, of course not. And yet, what does Paul say, even as far back as the 20th chapter of Acts, when speaking to the Ephesian elders, those who perhaps had received the highest truth?
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That God ever gave to man. Maybe not at that point in that sense, because it was later that he wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians, but I don't doubt but what he had communicated it to them orally.
And again I say, what does he say to those elders? He says I know that after my departure grievous wolves shall come in, not sparing the flock.
And then worst of all, he says also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things, seeking to draw away disciples after them. And then he warned them. And he said, I've been warning you for three years, night and day, because I know this is going to happen. We all know that it did happen.
We all know that very shortly after the apostles had gone to be with the Lord, there was a giving up of the precious truth that He had given them. Very quickly a hierarchy developed among believers, and we all know how that that historically eventually led to Christianity being the recognized religion of the Roman Empire and Christians being in places of prominence and authority and responsibility.
And then eventually that hierarchy developed into a system that not only worked with the world, but literally ruled the world.
And the world passed into what are known today even as the Dark Ages.
We are thankful to be at the end of that dispensation of grace and God to have granted some recovery.
What a privilege that is.
How thankful we should be that right at the end, God was pleased by His Spirit to work in the hearts of His own, some of His own, to bring back that precious truth which, at least in a large extent, had been lost for all of those centuries.
I do not say that there were not those who appreciated. I have no doubt that there were.
And some of you perhaps have heard me say this before, but it bears repeating.
That is far back. I believe this took place in 1546.
Where there was a man in Saint Andrews, Scotland by the name of George Wishart, who was condemned to be burned at the stake for his faith in Christ. He was a good friend of John Knox, whose name is somewhat better known, and they were in the forefront of the Reformation.
And he was condemned there.
By a high authority in the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Beaton, to be burned at the state for his faith.
The soldiers that were compelled to carry out that sentence could hardly bring themselves to do it.
And the captain of those soldiers was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, but he had to obey orders.
But he went to George Wishart the morning of.
And said to him in prison, he said, have you got any last request, anything I can do for you within reason, within my power?
Tell me.
And I'll see what I can do.
I can hardly believe George Wishart's answer and yet I can. He thought for a few moments and he said.
If you can manage it, he said. Get a few of the believers together in this town that are well known to you and to me.
And give us the privilege of breaking bread for one last time.
An eyewitness.
Said it was the most wonderful experience he had ever had. How much did George Wishart understand the truth of the one body? I don't know.
How much did he understand the truth that so many here in this room are familiar with? I don't know.
00:15:01
But an eyewitness who was present there said to break bread with a man who was going to be in with Christ in a few hours was the most moving experience they had ever been at, so that God had his testimony.
But let's not forget the greatness of the rule. And does that mean?
That we can forget about the rule? No, the ruling has taken place and it is a principle in the ways of God that when man fails in something that God has committed to him, God never restores it in the same character as it was at the beginning. I should rephrase that.
I shouldn't say he doesn't restore it in the same character, although I guess that would be an accurate word after all. But he doesn't restore it in the same power as it was at the beginning.
The ruin is there and we have to recognize it.
Well, remember a few years ago a dear brother in Christ using an illustration to me that I thought was a good one.
He said, suppose that I and my wife are both Christians.
And we have a number of children, and with the Lord's help we want to bring them up for him. But sad to say, we get away from the Lord.
Both of us get into the world as a result our marriage.
Goes what is conventionally on the rocks and we divorce.
And as a result, our children are exposed to all kinds of worldly influences and things that are not of God.
They spend some time with me and some time with my wife and the situation is not good at all.
But he said, suppose that the Lord works in my heart, there's real repentance. I turn back to him, I confess my sin. I really am thoroughly and completely restored in my soul.
But my wife doesn't see it that way, and she has no interest either in getting back to the Lord or in getting back together with me. So the divorce remains, and as a result the children spend time both with me and my wife. But now there is an added difficulty.
He said when they are with me.
I expect a certain conduct, a certain separation from this world, a certain character of things while they are under my care that is in keeping with the Word of God. But when they are with her, they are allowed to do many things that I would not like them to do. But when they are with her, they are for that time out of my control, and I have to allow her to do what she wills.
When they are spending time with her.
I thought his analogy was a good one because he went on to say when they were with me.
When they are with me, would I lower my standards? Would I lower what the word of God said? Would I let them do things under my care that I felt clearly the Lord would be dishonored by or were contrary to His Word? He said no, I wouldn't.
But he said there would be an attitude and a spirit as I sought to bring them up as far as I was able in that way that was different than when my wife.
And I were still together. Why? Oh, he said, Because there would always be, no matter how hard I tried to push it out of my mind, there would always be the constant reminder. You are partly responsible for this. You got away from the Lord. You were part of the trouble in your marriage, of the worldliness that led to this. And now that the divorce has taken place.
You have to live with the consequences.
He said there would be a totally different attitude and spirit in the way that I sought to bring the Lord before those children, because there would be in my soul a very strong sense of my failure.
May I say, brethren, that attitude becomes you and me.
Does that mean that we compromise on the truth? Not one bit. Does that mean that we?
Mix with that which is not according to the word of God and say, well, what can you do? No, we don't.
00:20:00
Does that mean that I lower the precious truth that is given in the Word of God? No, it doesn't. We are told clearly when there is a giving up, that we are earnestly content to contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints.
But may there always be the solemn remembrance, the realization, the humbling in our souls that says I contributed to this.
Ruined to this disorderly condition of things, and that as such.
I must take my place in humility and say Lord.
I am part of it.
But then, let's go on.
To me, that first verse of the second chapter is most wonderful after detailing the way things have gone wrong and even having, sad to say, to mention names of some who had been prominent in the giving up and the departure.
Here is a young man who has a heart for the Lord's things, who has spent time with Paul, who has taken hold of the things that Paul taught, and now Paul at the end of his life and facing execution by the Roman Empire.
Encourages a young man to go on, and he says, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Oh brethren, isn't that wonderful?
If I had been writing it, I think I would have written be strong in the truth, that is in Christ Jesus. And no doubt Paul could have very well said such words, but that is not what he said. He said be strong in the grace and we don't want to spend the time laboring and belaboring that point, but only to say this, that when he says be strong in the grace, I believe Paul knew that when things were being given up.
And when there were difficulties coming in, that there might be a tendency to resort to legal means and human energy.
In order to try and keep things together. And Paul says be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We have said this before and you will pardon me if you've heard me say it, but the strongest force to keep you and me from sin is a sense of grace in our souls. And we had that this morning in connection with our chapter. Always bearing about in the body that what?
The dying of the Lord Jesus doesn't say always bearing a boat in the body. A sense of the government of God in my life. Yes, there is government in the House of God, and if we are willful and disobedient in the House of God, we will come under that government. We may be very sure of that. But is that God's preferred way of dealing with his children?
Is there any parent here who says yes? That's the way I keep my kids in line. Boy, that rod is right there and I don't hesitate to use it.
Yes, we do. I trust in obedience to Scripture, use that rod on occasion. But is it not so much better if there is that loving obedience as a result of godly care and godly concern and that mutual love between the parent and child? Of course you say that is much to be preferred.
And grace, I say again, is the strongest force, if there is a real sense of it in our souls, because true grace awakens in my heart a motive not of fear but of love, a motive not of legality, but a motive of wanting to please my blessed Savior.
And the faithfulness of God is a wonderful thing.
Is it a day when the ruin has been so great as to be irreparable? In that sense, yes, it is. And I am not suggesting for a moment that God's power is not sufficient to repair the ruin. But I do say that it is unintelligent to expect that to happen in a large way, because God does not act that way. He did not do it in the Old Testament with his people when they failed as a nation. He never restored them to the power and glory.
That they had had before He restored a few, a small handful, but then he encouraged them in every possible way. And I say that the faithfulness of God is the most wonderful thing to have a grip on our souls. Because when that comes before me, I will not be discouraged.
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We said that there's a need for balance in these things. What do we mean by that?
I mean simply this.
There are some who take to heart very clearly and very definitely the greatness of the ruin.
But if that occupies such a large part in my soul.
And I lose sight of the faithfulness of God.
What will it do? It will cause me to give up.
Is this anything new?
Brethren, it's not new.
Yesterday evening I pulled a book off the shelf which I had read before at Brother Don Rules Home.
I hadn't read it for some time.
Some may know the book well The Days of My Pilgrimage by Mrs. Willis.
Very interesting because she lived for many years of her life in Ontario, Canada, where I live, and she mentions a lot of names that go back a long way in some of the assemblies up there.
But what I couldn't help but noticing, if I may mention.
Something that she said.
She mentioned a division amongst the people of God that was looming under the on the horizon.
In 1889 and 1890.
And she talks about coming to the meeting after the difficulties came to a head.
And saying how that so many of her dearest friends.
Went in a different direction.
But then she went on to say, and she named a family.
And she says they went back to the Church of England, which in the United States you would know as the Episcopal Church.
And another family went in another direction and someone else went in another direction. And she said during the breaking of bread, she shed tears through the whole time because there were so many empty seats.
She felt the ruin.
But there can be such an overwhelming sense of the rule.
That I give up, I say I don't. There's nowhere I can go and really have a sense of the Lord's presence anymore.
There's nowhere I can go where I can have a sense.
That the Lord is gathering there on the ground of the one body.
You just have to go wherever you can, wherever you can feel comfortable.
And some are doing that.
They lose sight of the faithfulness of God and brethren in understanding and appreciating the greatness of the rule.
We also need to remember the faithfulness of God, because the faithfulness of God will give me to say.
Whatever the ruin, Christ is the same, whatever others may do.
He calls upon me to act in obedience to His Word.
Dear Mr. Woodrow made a remark, and by the way, he was the author of the hymn that our brother gave out. What raised the wondrous thought, or who did it suggest wonderful him. He made a remark which I have never forgotten. He said if every other believer on the face of this earth were living in a careless way, he said that would be no reason for me to go along with them.
But I don't believe the Lord will ever bring us to that. There will always be the with them of the second chapter here in verse 22 That call on the Lord out of a Pure heart. And by God's grace, I believe the Lord will preserve that opportunity.
Is it going to take spiritual energy to be there? Yes, it is. Is it going to mean perhaps going on since some rough water sometimes? Yes, it may. But the faithfulness of God is a wonderful thing.
Suppose, on the other hand, though, that I really do understand and appreciate the faithfulness of God.
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And it has such a grip on my soul.
That perhaps I lose sight of the greatness of the ruin that will have a bad effect in the other direction.
We would all admit that the House of Christendom, according to this same second chapter of Second Timothy, has become a great house.
It's a great house because it is full of a mixture of empty profession.
And reality.
It is also full of those who are going on well, but those who are guilty of bad practices and sinful lives.
It is full of those who teach good doctrine, sad to say.
It is full, too, with those who teach bad doctrine.
It has vessels to honor and vessels to dishonor.
But there can arise the thought, if I lose sight of the greatness of the ruin.
That yes, the Great House is indeed like that.
But thank God there's one little corner where everything is done right. And by implication, thank God that's where I am.
Old Brethren.
We perhaps wouldn't stand up and say it, but do we think it sometimes?
The faithfulness of God we can lay hold of the faithfulness of God.
And use it.
In the very way that was being condemned this morning to lend credit and distinction to ourselves.
And if that happens, God is going to have to remind us in a very forcible way of the greatness of the ruin and that we are part of it. Now, again, I don't want to be misunderstood. Does that mean that we compromise on the truth of God? Not by any means. Does that mean that we pretend that it doesn't much matter where we go or what we do? Within certain limits, we would say no, it does not. The Scripture does not say that.
If God has set before us His precious Word, oh how much need there is for faithfulness in it.
But let us remember.
I can't put it any other way than someone did many, many years ago. And some will recognize the source of this. I'm not going to say where it came from.
But he made this remark.
And I can't quote it word for word, but at the substance of it was this, he said. Wherever in these last days there is an attempt to set up and display the position and the unity, there will be nothing but a mess and a failure.
He went on to say, God will not take that place with us. In order to have his strength, we must be in the place of his mind, and that is in the recognition of the ruin of the church. Now he went on to say that when that ruin is recognized, and when we humble ourselves before God and take that place, oh, then we find that his Spirit is still here.
Then we find that all of the precious truths that Paul taught and others are still applicable. Then we find, as we have emphasized, that the faithfulness of God.
Is there and that the Lord says be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Then we find that there is literally no limit to the blessing that God can give.
As long as we are admitting where we are.
And he gets the glory for it.
But as was remarked this morning, He will not give His glory to another. And if there is any thought in our souls, look at the great things that we have done, look at the wonderful testimony that has been raised up.
The Lord is not going to allow that thought. He's not going to allow that attitude and spirit.
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And so I say again.
May we remember both of these things and keep them both before our souls. On the one hand, let us not forget and gloss over the greatness of the ruin that has come in, otherwise the Lord may have to remind us of it in a forcible way. But on the other hand.
Let us never lose sight of the faithfulness of God in the midst of that ruin.
In the midst of the failure that has come in and the wonderful privilege that you and I.
Can have and any believer can have in these last days of answering.
To what the Lord has given in His word, and seeking by grace to keep His word and not deny His name.
With the Lord's help, I'd like to say a few words, about four words.
Believing.
Remembering.
Baptism.
And growing.
For the two first 2 words, I'd like to read a few verses in Acts 16.
This story.
Was brought before me when we were talking a little earlier this afternoon about how important believing is and how solemn unbelief is.
Perhaps the greatest sin is that sin of unbelief.
And so here at midnight.
In Acts 16.
And verse.
31.
Well, let's go back to 28. But Paul cried with a loud voice saying, Do thyself no harm.
For we are all here.
Then he called for a light.
And sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said.
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house.
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was baptized, He and all his straightway.
Well, what a wonderful thing it is.
To believe.
To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to know our sins forgiven.
Never to be lost again.
Eternal life through Jesus Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. So they believe.
And isn't it something?
That.
Before the night was over.
The same hour of the night.
Wash their stripes and was baptized.
What a wonderful thing.
We were often told that to be baptized was like putting on the uniform.
I well remember when we from Haskell County left for the service and and we went into Des Moines and.
We were sworn in the Army and we got a uniform and put it on.
Well, you know, a few days later I was flying to Fort Sam Houston and somebody said you must be newly in the Army.
And I was kind of struck by that, but it kind of spoke to me because I noticed that there were sharper guys who had worn that Armory uniform longer than I had, and it spoke to my heart.
00:40:09
Yeah. And that's why I want to speak a little bit about growing later, but.
Put on that uniform, go into death.
The identified into death with our Lord. What a privilege in this scene for you and I. I say it to young people. I say it to everyone. This was the whole house. They were baptized. Now I'd like to go to Genesis chapter 40.
These are not new things, dear ones, but I just wanted to share these things with you.
Our brother said that the breaking of bread was not a big meeting. Sometimes it isn't, is it? But what a privilege you and I can have, and Lord willing, we will have if He tarry on the Morrow to gather around our Savior.
And to think on him, remember him.
When it as well with us.
I looked out on the audience and he really looked nice.
It's a privilege to be here together, isn't it, in fellowship?
So it is well with us today. Indeed it is.
Let's look at Genesis 40.
And see what.
The deliverer Joseph said there.
Genesis 40 and verse 14.
But think on me when it shall be well with thee.
But think or the margin says, Remember Me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh.
And bring me out of this house.
Little farther in the chapter.
Verse 23.
Yet did not the chief Butler remember Joseph, but forgot him?
Isn't it something the Lord knew our hearts?
And so he has given us a remembrance feast.
And he's asked us to do this in remembrance of me. Remember Me when it is well with thee. What a privilege, dear ones, we have. Do we avail ourselves? And I ask myself, is this like a new experience each Lord's Day morning, or is it a habit? A wonderful habit, but may it be a fresh experience.
On the Lord's Day morning when we gather around himself.
To think on him, to remember him.
When it is well with us.
Now a verse in the last of Peter, our brother read about fall exhorting Timothy to be strong. Peter has a little different word, but it's much the same thought, isn't it, in the last of the book of Peter?
Second Peter 3 and verse 18 But grow in grace, be strong, be grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Grow in grace. I don't know very much of what that is.
But I'm thankful to know that.
He remains faithful.
And he would desire that Peter's message would be our message to you and me.
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Grow in grace that undeserving favor that you and I have, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aside from His mercies, we would be consumed.
So mercy and grace are wonderful words, and Peter exhorts us to.
Grow in grace. I heard recently about a little boy and this little boy fell out of bed.
And his mother heard him fall on the floor and she rushed into his room and says.
Son, whatever happened to you anyway that you fell out of bed? We don't want that to happen. I'm glad you didn't hurt yourself, but.
You could hurt yourself if you'd fall out of bed like that. What do you think happened?
You know what he said.
He said mother.
I guess I was sleeping too close to where I came in.
And I thought, what a thing?
Now, we're never going to lose our salvation. That's not the thought at all. But the thought I want to convey to you and me is.
To grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
With a few minutes left, I'd like to share with you.
What I have in my heart, we have before us.
These precious chapters of how?
We can live a life.
That we can glorify our blessed Savior.
And then?
So look around and we were reminded there are many young people here. I thought perhaps.
I'd like to share with you, especially to the young people.
That is not how we want to live a life.
For our Lord, for that our blessed Lord actually wants.
To live a life and sharing his with us.
A note, what I'm going to talk about seems to be a long topic and you would have to bear with me and you may if you want to take some note. It's OK, it's not a common topic. What I thought of taking up in about 10 to 15 minutes or so.
Of the different temples that the word of God mentioned and we would only touch on it briefly.
I already see eyes looking funny about the temple. How many temples?
Do we know of?
Well, perhaps I'll tell you this.
There are seven that we're going to talk about South. We have only about a minute or so for each. Some we probably won't go into any detail.
The very first one is not really a temple. Let's turn to Exodus chapter.
25.
Exodus chapter 25. I'm just going to read 3 verses to get the thoughts here. Verse one, verse 8 and verse 22.
Verse one And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying.
Verse 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Verse 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the true cherry abims, which are upon the ark of the testimony of all things, which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
Well, it's not really a temple, but is a dwelling place.
We find that God wants to dwell with his people.
I picked 3 verses. The thought is this. It's the Lord himself, the very first a verse and the Lord.
How precious that the Lord, not his angels, but the Lord himself wants to dwell with you. And there is a place that he chose to dwell with his people. Verse eight. He specifically asked them to make that sanctuary. And then he defined a way of communion with his people back in this day, the the day of the Tabernacle of old. He said he would do well above the mercy seat.
00:50:32
And between the chair rear bones inside that place got a wholly of holies. His communion with men was limited, but yet he wants to dwell with his people.
Man could not come in to see God. The high priest can come in once a year and not without blood. We know that Oh God from the very beginning wanted to do well with me.
He's seeking the dual with you.
He has to provide himself a place.
And then we find perhaps for lack of time here, the second tempo that we know of is probably the first physical temple we know of the Solomon had it build for our blessed for our God himself there that place of splendor. He can go through that. And we even find the Jewish nation took pride of the temple and they looked at that as the national pride.
In fact, like to turn to a verse in Jeremiah Chapter 7, God wanted you out with man, man took God's place and Jeremiah have to say to them a Jeremiah Chapter 7.
Verse 3. Thus saith the Lord, Oppose the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words saying, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.
They were using that instead of a place where God can be in communion with them. They were using that as the national pride. And you may say how silly these people were, but then have we not find ourselves sometimes in situation as such that we are holding onto something that we think is holy?
Do we catch ourselves doing that, trusting in the lying words, the temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord?
Oh deal. Wentz is the Lord himself.
It's not the building.
So here we find because of the unfaithfulness, because man refused to serve and to obey. We know, Jeremiah said. My people have committed 2 evils.
Says they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters. That's the first problem they have been. They have forsaken God. And then he says they went out to heal our cisterns. But what did they find? Broken cisterns that holds no water. We find that man. You know, we said we learn from history. No, we don't. Are we in the same situation today that we are forsaken? There is a God.
There is a Lord that we ought to serve, the one who seeks to dwell with us.
But no, we want to find our ways, so we go and heal our cisterns, and to find that it is nothing, the broken cisterns that holds no water, and the Lord at the same man like Nebuchadnezzar.
The year 587 BC.
Known as the Third captivity of the Captivity of destruction.
The temple was number longer.
How sad.
That's the second temple, first physical temple that was built, and all the pride of man went with it when Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed that.
Then the third temple, we won't turn to that neither. You can find that in Ezra. After the 70 years of captivity were over, they came back. They were able to build that temple at about 516 BC.
We really don't know much of that temple. We know that when the foundation was rebuilt, they set up that burnt offering. We know that when we read off the older one, remember the former day and the glorious time, they raised questions. Some were crying because they missed the glory and splendor of a temple. The younger ones were able to rejoice. I'd like to turn to Haggy Eyes.
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Hegei chapter 2. This is here, the portion where Haggai was used to stir the people up into building the House of the Lord. This is before this temple was built here. This is about 520 year BC, about four years or so before the temple was built. I'd like to read one verse to stir our own hearts. Haggai chapter 2, verse 3.
Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory, and how do you see it now?
Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
Notice three questions were raised. Our brother just exalted us earlier on.
And the conditions of the rooms, but yet God is able here perhaps the same three questions we should challenge ourselves.
Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?
Are we dwelling in the past?
And how do you see it now?
Is it not in your eyes in comparison?
Of it as nothing. Oh, the Lord has to bring it down to nothing, does He not? As we have that theme of that earthen vessel before we leave these thoughts like to go down to verse 4. The latter part of this verse. The Lord even though hears a temple that has not been rebuilt yet he gave them three assurance.
To what latter part of verse four he said, I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts. Verse five, According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you.
Fear ye not.
All three powerful resources he gave us.
He said I am with you, are you still looking and say to yourself it is as nothing.
Oh, the Lord said, don't we are to look upon this, our blessed Lord? He said, I am with you.
How much more do we need?
Then he said his spirit, his word is with us and his spirit is also among us. I got to speed up a little bit. I'm sorry, on this here. That's the third, the 4th temple.
If you recall Herod, let's turn to John's Gospel.
John's Gospel, chapter 2.
Verse.
19.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then set the Jews 40 and six years was this temple in building, and will thou rear it up in three days.
We know that at the time of our blessed Savior Herod, not a man of God by number means.
Build a temple. I don't think we find that anywhere reference to God's temple, but nevertheless it is the temple. Herod 46 years he spent in building this temple of splendor. In fact, because of this verse we can determine the time frame of when this happened. History tells us that Herod started building the temple at 18 BC if you add 46 years to that.
You'll find that it would take you to the juncture at this chapter AT29AD, which is very useful if you want to trace when the death of our Lord Jesus Christ was.
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This temple, the Lord went in and find out this temple was the place of thieves of merchants. They used that for merchandising rather than for God's service. God wants to dwell with man. Man turned it around into if you an enterprising place.
So this too was destroyed by Titus at 7080.
A couple more temples.
Going to 1St Corinthians.
And we have to bear with me for a couple of minutes over the hour. First Corinthians.
Chapter 6.
Verse 19.
What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?
Which is in you, which you have of God, and ye are not your own.
You young people, have you ever thought of it that way, that the word of God has told you that now it's not a physical temple that we see with stones?
You are.
Temple of the Holy Ghost.
God wants to dwell with you.
And if you have been redeemed by the precious blood of our blessed Savior.
You're indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
Uh, and you are that living stone that the word of God speaks of.
So here it tells us to glorify God in the body and in your spirit, which are gods.
So now when you walk around.
When you talk to others, when you do things, now you realize the importance.
Of preserving your body.
Before God and that would exalt you to read the verses before that. When you get, when you get, when you get home.
There is two more temples.
The next one is a terrible one.
Man, perhaps some Christians are afraid of.
We know that there's going to be that man of sin.
He's going to be sitting in the temple of God.
A so-called.
And that day is almost here is enough. Brethren, we know that the Jew is going to build this temple for this Antichrist.
We should rejoice.
Rather than be afraid because we know that the end is so ever near and that we know we shall be with our Savior. What glorious thoughts. Instead of dwelling on that problem, we can dwell on that. And the 7th temple. Oh, this one is a beautiful one to study. If you have time, and I shouldn't say yeah, you should set time aside.
From the 40th chapter of Ezekiel on it mentioned the temple that future temple the God is going to raise up for himself and if you will find specific measurements and what I one thing one of the many things I enjoy in that and we won't have time to turn to it. You'll find repeatedly it mentioned there are many chambers.
Built for the priests. The chambers. Whenever I read the chambers.
I thought of that verse that's well known to us in John chapter 14. Let's turn to that very quickly. John chapter 14 says let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If I were not, if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.
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And receive you unto myself, that way I am there, ye may be also.
What a wonderful thought to think and link this place with a chambers. Oh wow, blessed Lord have God.
God, but He has left to prepare the place. Oh, what promising word it is that He will return for us. We have that blessed hope, young people, awaiting for His soon return.
How do we walk? The question was raised and I'm glad a young person was able to raise that. How much do we occupy with the Lord? Oh, I'm glad. A brother mentioned earlier on violence, violence. There are time that we need to spend time because as the brother said, do I think about the Lord when I'm working? I don't think you should. You're being paid to work. I think you'll be defrauding your employer.
The Word of God has that violence, doesn't it? But for every moment, and let me answer that briefly on there for young men, you would appreciate this. Some of you drive your car with a standard transmission. And I'm sure when you drive a standard transmission, you like that little round gauge on that core tacrometer and on there if you look at it carefully, you will see it says RPM.
You know what I'm going to say now, don't you?
What is your RPM while we're waiting for our blessed Lord?
RPM reading, praying and meditating.
You know, just like the car.
When it's too low, you're going to stall.
When it's too high, you're going to burnout. It's nice to remember the Lord. In fact, I saw one young people grew of Gus as far as every time they'll pull out a piece of candy, they gave thanks for it. Is it wrong? Well, I can't say so, but I don't think we need to give give praise to the Lord every time we take a breath. But yet we can go to the other extreme and forget. Oh look unto Jesus the author.
And finisher of our faith.
And him it is ordained to raise the temples that Jehovah's prayed, but most adore his precious gains, his glory, and his grace proclaims #99.
No.