Open—R. Thonney, K. Harman, R. Tasse
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Of all the money.
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Like to go back this afternoon to the verse that was referred to in the reading this morning in John chapter 12 and read the context of that scripture.
Her brother read verse 25 and it was quoted in the last meeting as well.
I'd like to go back to verse 20.
Of John 12.
There were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. Same came therefore to Philip, which was a Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip cometh and telleth Andrew. And again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except that corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it.
He that hated his life in this world shall keep it into life eternal. Any man serve me, let him follow me. Where I am, there shall also My servant be. Any man serve me, Him will my Father honor. Now is my soul troubled? What shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour.
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
We'll pause there for the moment.
But uh, verse 25 was referred to this morning and this afternoon as well. I'd like to focus more on verse 24, which goes just before it and I think gives the proper context to what we have in verse 25. There we have the Lord Jesus and there were Greeks that came up to the feast. And for there to be blessing for the Gentile nations, the Lord Jesus was going to have to.
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Go into death.
And that's what's referred to in verse 24. The Lord Jesus refers to himself as a corn of wheat, and he says, except it fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. Anybody who's a farmer knows the truth of this verse.
You can have some corn seed in your hand. You can keep it in your house where it won't get moist, where it won't rot, where it'll be preserved. And you can keep it there perhaps for many years. But there's one thing certain that there will be no fruit from that corn.
It is only when that grain of corn is put into the earth and what happens there?
The moisture softens it and the microorganisms start to work on it. And that corn of wheat.
But that's put in the ground dies.
Isn't that a waste?
In its death it gives birth to a new life, which there is much fruit. This is the principle that the Lord is bringing out here. And of course the Lord Jesus is.
The corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died.
Like we were mentioning in our reading reading this morning, brother.
Sacrifices a principle of Christianity that I am increasingly impressed with the fact that our culture that we live in directly contradicts it.
It is a culture that we live in and I like to focus on it a bit because I really believe that we are being robbed of true blessing from not realizing just what our culture is doing to us.
In the simple principle of self pleasing, self pleasing on one side.
Self sacrifice on the other side, and I have to confess for myself because I don't want to speak for anybody else, that I'm terribly affected by the current of this culture, which is self pleasing. It's so easy just to kind of go along with the stream and not realizing we are being robbed blind.
Brother, I'm burdened that we might understand this better, especially our dear young people. I must say that there been individuals in my life the Lord has used to challenge that principle of self pleasing.
And make me realize there is another way of living.
There was a dear brother.
Who ended his days right here in Montreal a number of years ago, I don't remember how many years ago. Eric Smith. Many of you knew him.
He was a man that came from New Zealand in his youth.
He was from a family that was fairly well off, he's told me. He used to tell me story of his youth. His father was a personal friend of the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
His father was well off in business. He had opportunities to become at one time captain of a ship.
But the Lord had impressed him with the need of souls in Bolivia, and he made-up his mind that he was going there. When he made-up his mind, his father, who was still a man of the world, not a believer, said, Son, if that's your decision, out of my house. And he threw him out of the house. So Brother Smith had to go and make his own way through some college. He did some medical studies, he was called in Bolivia, he was called.
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The doctor, El Doctor. But I must say, brethren.
It impressed me tremendously the first time I went to Bolivia with him. It was 1968. We went through the Andes on the back of a truck. Brother Eric Smith was sitting in the cab of the truck with Brother Alarcon and we got to the place where he started his work amongst the Indians in southern Bolivia and the little town of Ulo on the side of a river about dusk.
And there the brethren were waiting for him, standing around in a circle to welcome him. And they started singing When we came to stop there, and I wasn't sitting, I was standing in the back of the truck, so I couldn't see Brother Smith. But I looked through the little peep window and there he was, tears streaming down his face. And it just came to such a challenge to my own soul at that time.
He could have stayed in New Zealand, he could have had life his own way, nice, comfortable way of living, but he turned his back on it all. He lived by a different principle, the principle that we have here.
Except the corner wheat fall into the ground and die. It abideth alone. And what was now the results of making that decision? Many souls brought into blessing. It had a tremendous impact on my life. And I must say brethren, as I passed through the culture that we are all called to live on. We can't extract ourselves from the world, but we can realize the principle that should guide us as believers in the Lord Jesus.
Principle of self sacrifice and I wanna challenge you dear young people.
Please consider this seriously, because if you love your life, you're gonna lose it.
And the word uses a pretty strong word here in verse 25, he that hates his life.
That's pretty strong word, isn't it?
But it simply means you're going to love your life here. You're going to give yourself to what's here in this world. Somebody who hates his life here is one who doesn't take advantage in the way a worldly might do, but lives for something future.
He keeps his life.
For life eternal, Brother Eric Smith went into the Lord's presence. I think it was two days short of 103 years old.
I've often thought of all those dear brethren, those Bolivian peoples that heard the gospel through his means and the welcome there must have been for him there.
Oh dear brethren, I can't put myself up here as an example, but I say I do want to live. Not for a few brief advantages of life down here, but for what's coming. This life is way too brief. As much as you might get up to 100 years old, what's life down here in comparison with what's coming? It's not worth loving your life in this world. It's a principle of living.
And I wanna challenge you to search your soul in the Lord's presence. What is it that drives your life? Is it some earthly advantage down here or is it something that is forever?
May the Lord help us to live as He says here, and it might seem pretty drastic, put that seed in the ground.
It's gonna die. Isn't that a waste farmers take?
Many tons of seed and sow their crops. Now what's going to happen to that seed that's put out there? Those tons of seeds? It's gonna all die. Isn't that a waste? Wouldn't it be better just to conserve it all?
Well, it might seem better, but you will never get any fruit that way. There will be never any increase. Do you want your life to count? What will count for eternity?
You're going to have to lay down that light. I don't mean necessarily that you're going to have to give it up, but you should be willing to go that far because that's how far the Lord Jesus went for us. There was no.
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Conditions. There was no qualifications to his sacrifice. It was 100% given for us. He gave himself for us, like we were mentioning this morning. The only reasonable thing left for me to do is to do the same.
I've often thought of weddings.
Why is it we love to put away?
Why do we find it so attractive?
You know why? I think it's because a woman.
Makes one man.
Per object of affection, and one man makes one woman his choice of affection.
If a young man wanting to get married to a young lady.
If the young lady said after his proposal, OK, I'll be yours 95% of the time and uh, I'd like to have 5% for somebody else, uh.
You know that wouldn't work.
And even if she upped it to 99% it wouldn't work.
But I fear that's what we're doing with the Lord Jesus. They say, yeah, I'll sacrifice a lot of my life for the Lord.
Not gonna work.
It's all or nothing and I think that's what makes a wedding so attractive to us. We love to see that happen.
Now how about with the Lord?
How about with us?
Are we putting little pockets of reserve in our hearts affections?
Or is the Lord everything to us?
Oh brother, this searches my heart. I know that in so many ways I fail in this.
But may the Lord help us.
That's.
Born of wheat that falls into the ground. It's a total thing. It dies, but it's in its death that there's much fruit. Much fruit. And think of the millions upon millions of souls that have come into blessing because of the death of the Lord Jesus.
It was costly and sacrifices costly. It isn't easy.
It never was meant to be easy. The Lord Jesus here.
When he contemplates it, he says now is my sole trouble.
Chapter 14. He says to the disciples.
Let not your heart be troubled.
Isn't that wonderful? But what was it that troubled his soul?
It was the thought of the cross and what that would mean.
That awful cross.
The time when it would get dark.
And our sins were laid on him, and the full fury of God's wrath fell on him.
In all the ways and billows of God's judgment poured over his soul for three solid hours.
No complaint to you here during those hours until the very end. And he cries in one awful anguish. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
He shrunk from the thought of contact with sin.
It had to be that way because of who He was as the sinless, spotless, holy Son of God.
Couldn't be otherwise.
But in the perfection of his submission to his father's will, he says, not my will, but thine be done. And he gets up and goes to the cross.
Oh, a tremendous example. Every one of us fall short, but brethren, this is the example that's put to us here for us to follow. Notice what it says in verse 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And I'm looking at a room full of servants of the Lord. Don't look at just a certain group of people and say they're servants of the Lord. You're a believer in the Lord Jesus. You are a servant of the Lord.
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Doesn't matter what you do in life, you are serving him.
In that capacity, whatever it is your mechanic or a farmer or whatever it is, you are serving the Lord.
Let him follow me. Let your life right where you are. Be a pouring out in sacrificial love. You know what has impressed me?
N.
My life is.
Sometimes people ask and my travels What do you do for a living?
An answer I don't really like to give is I'm a preacher or a missionary.
I don't like to give that answer. You know why? Because I can just see them reaching up and turning off the radio. They're not listening any longer after that.
Because those that take that place of a preacher have such a bad testimony in this world that they don't listen.
If you do your work well as a mechanic, the time comes to speak a word for the Lord. They'll listen to you.
So you're serving the Lord and you have an advantage over somebody like me.
You're serving the Lord, never forget that. But it is in sacrifice, and that principle is so important. I'd like to go now to Second Corinthians chapter 4.
That was referred to also this morning I believe.
Read a few verses here verse three. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom the God?
Notice it's small G Satan of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ is the image of God should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servant, for Jesus sake, for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness.
Hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
This is so wonderful, brother.
The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Isn't that wonderful that we can say we have been brought to know God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ? So many people in this world that don't know him. The Muslim religion says God is unknown and unknowable, and you and I can say we know God. Yes, this is Christianity. We've been brought into the knowledge of the true God.
In the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And notice what it says in verse 7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.
The earthen vessels is definitely our bodies, which are made of the dust of the ground.
And the treasure that's there is this knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It's a treasure. And we need to consider that you and I have a treasure that so many in this world don't know anything about. A treasure.
But you know, sometimes we hide the light under a bushel or put it under a bed. Bushel speaks of business perhaps, and the bed of Navy laziness. In one way or another. We don't let the light shine, so God intervenes. And notice what it says then following. We are troubled on every side.
Yet not distressed, we are perplexed but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed.
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Trouble. Anybody here like trouble in their lives?
I don't think anybody would choose it.
But I would suppose if I had asked one by one, you could tell me about trouble in your life.
Why does God allow trouble in your life? You know why? Because He wants the light of that treasure you have in your heart to shine out to a poor world that's dying and it's sin. Here in the West we have been prospered tremendously and the tendency is.
To cover the light and not let it go out. Oh brother, the challenge in the world that we live in, to let the light shine with all our energies, with all our possessions. To seek to make the message known in this world.
And then he goes on verse 10 and 11. I want to draw your attention to those two verses because they are somewhat similar, but there is a difference.
Let's read them.
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, the life also of Jesus might be manifest in our.
Mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. The same principle we were talking about in John 2012.
The corn of wheat that falls into the ground dies, but in its death it gives life.
Too much more fruit.
Here it is.
Fossil Paul says death works in us, but life in you so that there could be blessing to those Corinthian believers. Death had to work in the apostle Paul. But going back to verses 10 and 11 notice verse 10 says always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.
This is something that should be the case in our Christian lives at all times, always.
Is it?
Well, you're talking about me, brother. I have to confess that it is not always the case. It is the norm of the Christian life, yes.
And that's why we have verse 11. Verse 11 is circumstances beyond our control.
We which live are always delivered unto death.
Something that I'm not in control with, something that happened that I don't understand why the Lord allows these situations in my life. Why, we ask ourselves.
So that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest. And notice this difference.
Here it is in our mortal flesh, so it may be sickness, it may be an accident, it may be so many different ways we are delivered to it because God is faithful and if he's put that treasure in your heart, that treasure is meant to be shared with a dying world and he's not going to allow it just.
To be inactive there, he's going to put circumstances in your life and mine so that that light would shine out.
You know the life that we have in the Lord Jesus.
Brother and Sister is a life in resurrection.
That's the life we have in the Lord Jesus. Resurrection life. But you can't talk about resurrection unless you talk 1St about death because.
Resurrection always takes place after death.
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And so the first principle that you have to put into action in your life.
If you're going to see the life of Jesus.
Is the death of Jesus always bearing about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus?
Are you there, brother?
You know, I know what that means.
Is our life a life of self sacrifice or a self pleasing?
Brethren, I just am convicted that our brother spoke at the last meeting about the judgment seat of Christ.
And I sometimes think of my own life.
When I stand there and see how much I gave in to the demands of the philosophy of self pleasing.
And that's gonna go up in smoke.
It won't have any lasting results.
So I'm going to if the life of Jesus is going to be evident in my life, it will because.
Will be because first of all, the death of Jesus was born about in my body, and that's not easy.
Sacrifice.
But it's a tremendous principle to get a hold of.
And I just want to challenge you, especially you dear young people. But it applies to us all, brethren. And I must say I was tremendously challenged the life of Brother Eric Smith. There have been others who have been a real challenge to me as well, to live life in that way. But it is a wonderful thing to grasp the vision of coming glory.
I think you've probably heard of what William Kelly said when.
Somebody who realized the talent there was in Greek and Hebrew, those original languages in him, they said to him, what are you doing? Doing what you're doing? You could make a mark in this world for yourself. And he simply said, which world?
That's the case, brethren. We want to live for what will last for all eternity.
So there's the life of the there's the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be made manifest.
And then if I don't put that principle into effect in my life, brethren.
God is faithful and He delivers me to death.
Something outside of my control, something I wouldn't have asked for. He delivers me to it. Why? So that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
Brethren, may the Lord help us not to fall so much under the influence of this present age.
I'm astounded we talk about the question of sacrifice.
Of what is sometimes commented that a believers in North America as far as giving of their material possessions, I know there's those that are give very sacrificially.
But the average, the norm of this pro prosperous culture that we're part of is 2 to 3% of what we earn. That's what is normally given to the Lord.
And I say, brethren, the Lord help us not to fall under the influence of the culture that we live in. We might challenge our way of life here, to live not for present advantage, but what for what will last for all eternity? He that loveth his life shall lose it. He that hates.
His life shall keep it for life everlasting.
I'd like to turn to a verse or two in Matthew's Gospel.
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Chapter 7. Matthew. Chapter 7.
We might begin at verse 24.
Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
And everyone that heareth these things of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.
The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
I know a man who is a believer.
And he builds himself $1,000,000 house.
That house has become a chain around his neck.
To this day we would like to get rid of it, but he can't.
This isn't just talking about houses, this is talking about a life that we built.
And who we build it for and upon which foundation are we building it? We so often use this in our, in Sunday school, you know, and perhaps more in connection with a, with, uh, the gospel aspect of it. But I believe here in this context, if I'm, if I'm right, it's more to do with those of us who have a profession.
Of of Christianity.
And in the context of what we're talking about this last while, and whether we're using this life that God has given us for his glory and for the use of himself, whether we're using it to to build a foundation for ourselves in this life as was brought before us just now, our brother Mr. Kelly said. Which world?
And that's a good, that's a good answer as well as a good question. Which world are we living for? Which world are we building for down here? So here's a man.
Who's building a house and he's building it on a good foundation? Which of us would be so foolish as to build upon the foundation of some beach?
Where where we know that the water is, comes up, how foolish it would be to build it on the beach down at the Bay of Fundy, for instance. Maybe in Manitoba it'd be a little different. We don't have that much.
Rise and fall of the of, of the rain, you know, of the, of the water. But Even so, I would be foolish to build it in a, in a, in a bog refill, even though the view was good. Uh, we might say we, we build because of you, but when the rains come, the view doesn't mean very much.
And, uh, our lives are sometimes like that, that we're, what we have in view is for earthly advantage.
Now, I may be reiterating some of the things we've already said. I'm just using another portion of Scripture here, but we need to think about these things that it's not just for children that we think this, that song. It's not just for children. We read these verses. It's for you and me because we can go, we can get very busy.
In in building our lives down here with earthly advantage in view. I remember when I first when we.
Built our first house. I thought, well, you know what? We can build it and, and, and then it'll be home free. We won't, uh, there, it'll, it'll be a new house And so we can, we don't have any maintenance.
Well, I soon found out that that wasn't true. And you know, after a while some of those things become a chain around your neck, don't they?
And you know, even as young people, you don't have to build a house, but you can get, you can start building your life upon something that is like building it on sinking sand.
And it's not too long. The Lord sends the storms along.
And first thing you know that you're starting to think.
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And, uh, you be, can be, you're beginning, you're beginning to think there's got to be something better than this.
It doesn't take too long for us to realize this, really. If we're a believer in the Lord Jesus, you won't allow it.
Because it says in, in. He says in his word, My son, give me thine heart. That's what he wants.
And so we find here that there are two ways of building our lives the same way, two places building, two ways of building our houses. And one uses wisdom and the other is foolishness.
You may use the, the wisdom of this world, but God calls it foolishness. The wisdom of the world would tell us, build a big house, build a big reputation and uh, umm, get your, get yourself, make sure you get a good bank account. And whatever you do, make sure you have a good pension plan because you never know when you're gonna need it.
Well, as Christians, you know, it's how foolish we're using the wisdom of the world if we say if we use that kind of logic.
Because who is our counselor? Who is our guide? Who is where is the wisdom of this world?
Where is true wisdom? Christ is our wisdom. He is made unto us. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. We have it all.
But I'm not standing here to tell you and to make you think that I've learned it all. Not by any chance. These things I'm still learning, but I know they're true.
Because you just, all you have to do is see a little bit of it in your life and you know that it's not going to be any different if I try and ignore it because it's only going to get worse because God is in control.
And so I'd like to turn to another portion in the book of Proverbs.
Chapter.
24.
Verse 30. I went by the field of the, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding, and lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the Stonewall thereof was broken down. Then I saw and considered. Well, I looked upon it and received instruction. He had a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one the traveleth, and I once.
As an armed man, brother has just been been reminding us of there's there's two ways we might look at serving the Lord and one is not serving him. I should say one is to.
It has to do with, uh, hiding our light under a bushel and the other one of, uh, under a bed. And I believe what we get here is a man who was hiding his life under a bed. Slothfulness.
So here's a man who was a farmer. Evidently he had a field. And you know, if he's a good farmer, he's going to be very, very careful how he runs that farm.
The weeds do not stop growing at all. I always was glad when the winter time came because I couldn't see the weeds and I didn't have to pull them and I didn't have to cut the grass.
But you know in the spring when it when it all the snow goes away and and the weeds start to grow and the grass starts to grow.
If I were just to spend the rest of the year, perhaps like I did in the winter, in the house.
Well, first thing you know, the weeds would, and everything would grow up around my ears. There would be it. And first thing you know, they, the, the neighbors would say, what kind of a farmer is this? And he lets everything grow. And so the nettles covered all over the ground, they start to creep, creep around and cover the ground and it spoils the beauty of it. And there's walls there that keep things out and keep things in. And so the walls, first thing you know, begin to crumble.
And.
And then, uh.
You know the walls.
Talk about separation.
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And, uh, there's another verse in the book of uh.
Ecclesiastes, I believe it is Whoso breaketh in hedge, the serpent will bite him. What does that mean? Whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent will bite him.
Well, the serpents would hide in the holes in the rocks of the of the hedges.
And uh, uh, and they, these hedges would keep animals up or keep, keep animals from coming in to spoil the flock, the, uh, the crops and so forth. But, uh, sometimes the serpents are hiding in its hedges. And whoso breaketh in hedge, the serpent will bite him. So you go to break this hedge that is very needful for to the protection of your property. Now let's Li look at this in the light of your life and mine.
This hedge that is built up.
Is that if we break it, the enemy is going to to bite us, we're going to lose that separation and.
So often this is allowed in our lives, brother, if we have sought to walk in a path of separation to the Lord and, and sometimes it happens when our families are small and we walk in that path of separation and then when our families get older, all of a sudden.
Things seem to change for some reason. I'm not saying it always is, but it so often has happened, and it's probably true in most of our lives that you let down. You break that little wall of separation and let the enemy to come in and he bites us and we suffer.
The consequences?
The enemy comes in and and it destroys that.
That which we were building up, the same thing as this farmer here who allowed his walls to break down, what allowed the the weeds to grow and the nettles to grow.
And he first thing you know, the farm became unfruitful.
We've been talking a little bit about that.
And each one of us, there's room for fruitfulness for God in our lives.
And it doesn't take much to lose that.
Am I right?
So shall I poverty come as one that's Traveleth and I want as an armed man.
First thing you know.
We experience poverty in our souls.
And the fruitfulness for God is not there.
Brother was mentioning here about the different ones in his life that he has known they're not here anymore.
I can say the same thing. Why are we here? The grace of God, if any of us are here at all, brother.
But how about the ones those that have?
That are no longer here. What's happened to their lives?
I often think about that.
It brings sorrel.
Is it going to happen to our lives?
Are we gonna go on?
And seek to go on to the end.
And maintain that which God has given us, the truth.
All the truth, nothing but the truth.
Is there a hedge that's being broken down somewhere in your life or mine?
And the enemies come in, and this robbing us of fruitfulness for God.
It's only too true.
I told a story before.
Maybe you've heard it. I it bears telling again. Perhaps the illustration that it gives.
The man went out into his field and he found a.
A young eagle.
An eagle was injured.
So he picked it up, and he brought it into his farmyard.
And he put it in amongst the chickens.
Or the turkeys or whatever it was. And he thought, well, this will be safe enough until it heals. And so he watched this from time to time.
00:50:04
And first thing in all the, the, the eagle healed and he got stronger and he found, said, well, it's it's time to. Well, first thing you know, he, he, he noticed that this bird was starting to make a noise like the chickens.
Why? So yeah, it's time to get this bird out of here and put him back where he belongs. And so he took it out to the field and he put it up on a fence post and he and he thought was going to fly.
And it tried to fly in a flopped on the ground. Well, he took it again and he took it up to a high hill and it happened again. So he took it to a higher hill and he and he finally took the bird and he threw it out into the air and it had nothing to do but spread its wings and fly.
So what was the reason? What, what's, what's the moral of this whole thing?
There's a saying in the world, you know, maybe I don't mean to funny, be funny here, but.
If you walk with the turkeys, how can you fly like an eagle?
Isn't it true evil communications corrupt good manners?
And Peter, you know.
He was He, it was said of him. Peter, thy speech berethe Galilean.
Yes, we're known by our speech. We're known by the company we we keep. And wrong company can give us bad manners. If we're going to fly like an eagle brother, we're going to have to fly like an eagle. We're going to have to keep our we're going to have to show that we are.
I would like to suggest that if we want to fly like we should, we could read the book of Ephesians and know what our portion is.
And know that we are a heavenly people. You know, the eagle can fly right into the sun. He's got it. I understand he has a double eyelid that he can use so that he doesn't become blinded as he flies into the sun.
Maybe I can be proven wrong in that, I don't know, but that's what I was told.
But we are told that the eagle can fly right into the sun and nothing can follow it.
Nothing could could. I don't suppose anything would want to try and tackle an eagle. But if there was an enemy, they couldn't follow it. And so, brethren, as we fly into the sun, SON, that's our protection. And we can. We can.
We can glorify God in doing this. And so there's one more verse I'd like to read in Isaiah.
Chapter 40.
Verse 28 Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary. There is no searching of His understanding.
He giveth power to the St. and to them that have no might he increases strength.
Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail or fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as Eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.
I know a man.
Many years ago he has. He was one who in the time of the division amongst the Saints of God, he was one who stood firm, and he came out of it and he went on. And just a few in that little assembly, but he went on.
His family grew up.
And they said, Dad, we need to buy a cottage.
So we can get away for the weekends, so we can go to a lake.
Well, his father succumbed to it. Well, where they lived was a long way from from a lake. So in order to get to a lake, they had to go a long way from the assembly.
Family grew up, they began to go there on weekends and that first day would come back for the remembrance of the Lord, and they would and for the weekend, but little by little.
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It was breaking a hedge, wasn't it?
Little by little.
They began to miss the remembrance of the Lord, they began to miss the midweek meetings, and the first thing you know, they weren't coming at all.
Where's that family today?
I don't even have to tell you that because you know.
And it can happen to anyone of us.
Whoso breaketh an hedge, the serpent will bite him.
So, brother, this eagle.
Took off.
Into the sun.
And he was flying where he was meant to be. He wasn't meant to be scratching around in the barnyard.
The farmer found that this eagle, his claws were all full of dirt scratching in the, in the barnyard, because that isn't where he was meant to be. He's meant to be flying. He was meant to be free. And if the sun shall make you free, he shall be free indeed. So let us keep in mind, brethren, it's not in the barnyard of this world that we are going to get our our, our sustenance and our joy.
We're meant to be a heavenly people. We are a heavenly people.
We don't have to try to be. We are.
And if we're if we're flying at too low A level in this world so we can see what's going on and keep our eye on the world and an eye on other things, it's not going to work.
That's flying with the Eagle and that's that will take us right to the sun, OK.
I would like to.
Read a few words.
John, Chapter 21.
And verse 18.
John chapter 21 and verse 18.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou was young.
Thou gird thyself and walketh whither thou would, But when thou shalt behold, thou shalt stretch for it. Thy hands another shall guard gird thee, and carriage thee with her. Thou wouldest not.
This speak he singing, signifying by the death he should glory God.
And when he had spoken to this, he said unto him, Follow me.
I'm gonna stop here for a while.
What I came for the first time.
In the meeting, I was a stranger.
I was not born again when I was young. I was the day before my 23rd.
Years.
And how was he brought up in their religions? And I was a religious man. I want you to know that I've done everything that the priest told me to do. Never been satisfied. I went to the cage that I called out a cage today to confess my sin. When I get out, I forgot a few sin. I didn't have peace, Never had peace in my life till I come.
There's no Him as my Lord and Savior.
And those of you who are whole new Mr. McDowell and I was there in the afternoon and I didn't understand either. I didn't speak neither understand English, but they had a a brother who's re respond in French. He said God.
And someone had told me before, I said you better come to the Christmas mess. And that person was my first wife. She said, no, I'm not Catholic. I said you're going straight to hell.
And she looked at me with a little smile of shortage.
She said, Ronnie, you tried to do something that you cannot do, it's already done. And when I learned through the time and came to know him as my Lord and Savior, I had to decrease to take away all those 20 some years of.
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Religion.
But I didn't know the Lord when I was saved. I could jump out and say, hey, I'm safe. I'm not going to hell.
How can I'm gonna learn about that person? How can I be a testimony for him? I didn't know nothing.
Except the verse that John. John 316. That's all I knew.
But there's an old brother.
See sometime.
When we are young, we don't listen, but there's some time one could give us a little bit like that and we take it. And he said I and I, I had to have someone to translate because I couldn't speak to him. Mr. Blackwood, an old man who Show me your love.
And he said, Ronnie, I told him, I said I don't know nothing about the Lord. I know I'm saving the Son of God. He died for me on the cross, but that's all I know. He said Ronnie, get early every morning.
Henry, the portion of the Word of God.
And I started that and, you know, we're people of Abbott. If you take the good habit, you're gonna keep it. And now I start to heat every morning. I didn't understand maybe that much, but he said try.
To be an example.
It's easy. One day, one example at a time, young people.
Every day tried to be walking as a Christian.
If you smoke, stop smoking.
If you drink booze, stop drinking.
You stop smoking, stop for a while, you drink stuff and keep it like that and just say, well, I know the Lord gave his life. You've heard about it. The God, the Lord got his life for you, for me and for everyone. He gave everything that he had and we just give a little bit like that. But be a testimony by your walk. Don't walk that quick, Just walk halfway in the Lord's mind and half and read the word and you're gonna grow a little bit.
I didn't grow very fast and I didn't grow very much, but I know him as my Lord and Savior and every day I try. And I my father was so mad at me because I resigned my religion. He didn't come to me to be a witness for my wedding.
But nevertheless.
He didn't bother about my two brothers and my sisters.
He watched watching.
Because I fell and I know the Lord as my Savior, and I was a mirror to Him.
Every spot and even when we had children.
He didn't bother with my brothers and sisters children. He did the check what Louise and Richard do.
And one day, he had to confess.
I love the children of Rani.
Because they hold back.
I didn't use anything wrong for my children, he just learned to hold it.
If you ask me what my father tell me, I may have to tell you 5 minutes and that's all I would say that I what he told. But if you ask me how was this example now you you've got for the afternoon.
Because I looked at my father, he was a policeman. I didn't want to have shoes. I wanted a fair pair of votes because policemen have voted.
Everything I learned, if I walked today is because I learned it from my father. And we grandparents have a high responsibility because our grandchildren will pay more attention sometimes to us and thanks if we want to have a good talk with them, they're open and we're hope we have that responsibility. But touch slowly but strong.
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After I had done have it start, I read the word and I grow a little bit, a little bit enjoying the person of the Lord.
And when you?
See, the brothers said, for sacrifice but their sacrifice that our heart could do, but their sacrifice that are pleased to do.
You tell the truth, you're gonna be respected, but not love with everybody.
But you're gonna be respected and if you say something to someone.
E-mail Listen.
I was not.
In my work I was a travel salesman.
And I was.
Every day.
I asked the Lord, if thou allow me.
To be a testimony, please give me the word.
And my father amounts.
His daughter-in-law prefer my wife.
And my father was a policeman and he would not accept a lie.
But the truth.
And when we had conversation and when she would say to my dad and my dad was a big man, strong man.
And she said the word of God is the open conversation. He would say in the conversation and said, Evelyn, what do you think? What she said, Mr. Tossie, the word of God say that finally at the end of the week, you would say, I'm fed up with that. She said, OK, then you want me to tell you a lie? No, no, no. You don't tell lie here. You do the truth.
And he said before he died.
The daughter-in-law that I love more.
And I'm here today. My God is heaven.
It took a long time, but I had to be.
Completely an example.
And if you start with one way, one thing, and do it for a month, it's gonna become an Abbot. We're naturing up an Abbot. We're people of Abbott. It's gonna come as an Abbot and the next and others. Don't try to do. I'm gonna do everything in one shot. You're gonna leave it. You're gonna do it for two weeks, and that's all over. It's too much work. No one little stick.
And you're gonna be.
Enjoying the Lord, You know those calendar? Good seed. It's so nice.
Will leave me and my wife.
Inexperience.
This is her brother came to living up north.
And we talked to him about the Lord, He said I know God and I believe God.
And he went through a difficult days and he had to go to the operation. And he knew that that time, his time was over. But he had learned things from us slowly and not forcing, but as when he came to the door of the operation, he said, God, I'm gonna go to die. Lord, I put my life on your hand.
He got saved.
We have to be.
Tender life. If you are Christian, walk straight.
The brothers said missionary. We all have to be a missionary in our family, in our neighbor.
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Via testimony. To those who look you around, there's testimony. When we take our Bible and go to our place where we have our meeting, it's a testimony. Be faithful.
Go steady.
And try to walk as a soldier to the Lord Jesus Christ and you're going to enjoy it. You may think you come here to hear the word of God and you may think it's hard, that it's going to be hard to be a, a brother said you have to give your life and so on. It's gonna come with the strength of the Lord. We cannot do without him.
But the Lord will ask, if you take that much of water, the Lord will fill the glass all the time.
You'll never run short.
I was saving 51.
And I feel there's word in the in that word, I said I read it maybe 50 times. Oh, that's, that's what it means today the Lord will reveal to each one of us in a time that we could assimilate it as long as we want to walk in it.
But he said to Peter, follow. I'm gonna read it.
I said unto him, Follow me.
Cheesy.
Yes.
When I receive.
A discipline from the Lord. We all have one. You know why? Because Ronnie is Ronnie. If everything's fine and the business was going everything I begged hold. Even I read the word, I will get cold. And the Lord love each one of us. And if we get told, you know what the Lord do. Hey. Hey, Ronnie. I'm here. Ronnie. I give my life for you.
Oh.
We need it. I'm sorry to say that, but we need it.
And when there is a difficult days in our family or in our friends, what's happened? The thousand of prayer?
Go hang to the Lord. Isn't that true? You hear someone who has difficulty, I have an accident or some people, their house burned, they have 1000 of prayer. If nothing happened, nobody's going to pray. I'm talking about myself, everything's OK. But that's not what the Lord we are walking towards home.
We are Pilgrim and walking towards home.
And it's over there.
Tonight. Tomorrow.
We don't have that much time to be a testimony for him. You don't have to talk, you don't have to say a word if you go straight.
They're gonna look at you. You're different.
Friend.
And look at the there's another part that we like to read, verse 20.
Then fever turning about seeth the disciples whom Jesus loved, following, which also leadeth on his breast had suffered and said, Lord, which is he that betrayed thee? Peter said. Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
Don't copy me, you're gonna make a mistake.
Read the word and go straight.
Ask the Lord to help you to be a testimony.
He's gonna give you that strength.
And you're gonna be surprised. We went to the hospital, me and my wife, and there's a big fellow pulling his mother who was sick and would give him a calendar. I said you're a Christian.
We had a conversation that give us strength to continue that you do not know where others who are part of the body of Christ like you are in me.
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But there's some there and it's an encouragement. Sometimes you get you don't hear it went to the restaurant and we give them to a young man about 25 years old.
And we are with another couple who they were not saved and we had the breakfast and we gave him and he goes over there and he came back and on foot on his knee and he confessed the Lord right there. He knew him. He said I'm some Christian too, I know him. And because if you stay standing up, well instead to stand and stand up and cabin, he said no, he went on his knee and he said to us and those people who were with us.
They heard the gospel.
I didn't feel they heard the Godfather.
Friend and the Lord, then when he say.
And the verse 22 Jesus said unto him, If I will that he tari still I come. What is that to thee follow thou mean.
To follow someone.
Go slowly, take an Abbot.
I'm not gonna walk this, Lord. Give me the strength. Don't expect to take an avid because you're strong. You're gonna make mistake, said Lord, help me.
Help me and I'm gonna give you another.
Cancel that I've been receiving. I said to Mr. Blackwood. I said I'm saved. But my life, I'm always in the hotel in a in a in a big hotel and so on to as my work. That's where I'm going to live.
How can I measure? How can I say I can't go there and I cannot go there?
With a poop of that council that he gave me.
In my life.
He said, Ronnie, before you go ahead, if you take the Lord by his hand, ask him if he's gonna go ahead. If he says no, don't go.
It sees a you're going to see a place and I'm going to go there. No, the Lord would not like me to be there. And you go back fast. You'll have an enjoyment. You have difficult days. There's no wrong. And I cannot explain to you all the difficult days because I was a Christian. No, no, we're not accepting our brother, Donate said. They don't accept it as much. If you said I'm missionary, nobody's talk to him anymore.
But but what the brother could have answered. I have a community, I have a connection, I could anytime sometime I was driving for a long time and I think about a person I don't know how it was. I just the Lord tell me pray for him and give a little prayer to him. While I was praying I was enjoying.
That I'm a Christian, that the Lord gave his life for me, but I've done for him.
Very, very little except.
I didn't do it by myself.
I do it because.
The direct highlight can help me.
Take a habit to be a testimony by your walk, and after that you'll talk.