Open—S. Ruga, R. Ruga, N. Wood
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First book of the Kings. First Kings chapter 20 beginning with the verse 35. First Kings 20, verse 35.
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor.
In the word of the Lord.
Smite me, I pray thee.
And the man refused.
To smite him.
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice.
Of the Lord.
Behold, as soon as thou art departed from me.
Lion shall slay thee.
And as soon as he was departed from him.
The lion found him.
And slew him.
Then he found another man and said.
Smite me, I pray thee.
And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
So the prophet departed and waited for the king, by the way, and disguised himself with ashes.
Upon his face.
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king, And he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle.
And behold, the man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man, if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life.
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Thou shalt pay a talent of children, and as thy servant was busy here and there.
He was gone.
And the King of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be thyself. Haste decided it.
And he hastened and took the ashes away from his face.
And the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, Therefore thy life shall go for his life and thy people.
For his people and the king of Israel went to his house, heavy and displeased.
And came to Samaria.
If we're at all familiar with the setting of this portion.
We recognize that it.
It was a low time in Israel's history.
Things were not going as they ought to. The Lord's people were not following the Lord with their whole heart as they should have. And, uh.
They had a bad king at this time.
And he had a bad wife.
But, uh, God has recorded these things.
So I'm good, but they would not have been written.
And uh, Ahab had just, uh, had in his hands.
His enemy.
And he had let him go.
He had even addressed this king of Syria as his brother.
What a sad time in the history of God's people.
When they associate with the world, when we mix with the world, when we mix with those who hate God's people and call them brother. But that's the spirit of the world.
It, it, it wants to, uh, entice us into this thing of one large fellowship. We're all the same, but we're not all the same.
Some here. It'd be nice if we could say all here.
Are going to spend eternity with Lord and glory.
And anyone in this room?
It does not know the Lord is their savior is trying to spend eternity in hell. You see, we're not the same. We're going two different places.
And it behooves us, those of us who know the Lord is our Savior, that the little time that's left us here, that we seek to walk with His glory and honor.
And uh.
This Van Haydar was delivered into Ahab's hands and he let him go.
Did the Lord take notice of it? Certainly he did. He raises up this prophet.
A certain man of the sons of the prophet, he laid aside our friend Elijah for a little bit.
And he's showing him some of those 7000 that had never been vowed to need a bail. And he brings someone else to, uh, speak to a hand.
And, uh, Ahab didn't listen when Elijah spoke.
Will he listen when this man speaks?
And it just caught my attention that, uh, the way this, the Lord brings this prophet, uh, into the public view.
He addresses his neighbor.
Perhaps another brother in the Lord, if we can speak of them that way. Another one of the sons of the prophets, someone close to him and he says.
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Smite me, I pray thee.
Were those the right words to say? Smite me? Does that sound like a word from the Lord? Does that sound like ministry from heaven?
What does it say?
He said unto his neighbor in the word.
Oh the Lord, he got that those instructions right from the Lord. That's why he said it. He said smite me, I pray thee.
And the man refused to smite him.
How would we behave under those same circumstances?
Would we have said to this prophet, brother, this is no time to to.
The harsh talk like that, is that what we have said?
Would he have said umm, I don't understand why you're saying that.
We live in an age and that spirit seems to be creeping among God's people, where if we don't understand something, why we don't have to do it.
But whatever this man's excuse was, he was wrong. He was wrong because the word was from the Lord. This prophet was speaking in the word of the Lord.
And uh.
I hope none of.
Those new to the faith or our dear young people, when your parents try to steer you in a straight direction like you say, I don't understand.
You sure you tell me the right thing?
It is not a question of understanding.
He got the message from the Lord and.
He refused to smite the prophet. A hard thing, yes. I don't know if I would be up to it. Would any of us be up to it?
Well.
He pronounces uh.
A judgment on his neighbor. He says, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord. He didn't say, because you haven't listened to me.
Oh, that we would hate. A word from the Lord is coming from the Lord.
And so this prophet says, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me.
A lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he departed from him, the lion found him and slew him. Why? Why did this lion kill his neighbor? Perhaps another?
Brother in the Lord, if we can speak it that way, one of the sons of the prophets.
Why did he slay him? Because he disobeyed. He was told by the word of the Lord to smite him and he didn't do it.
And the lion came and killed him.
Doesn't that make us tremble?
That God places such a premium on obedience to His Word.
For our life's sake, for our spiritual good and perseverance in the things of the Lord, brethren, we've got to obey the word of the Lord. And whether or not we like it, whether or not it it it, we understand it, that the Lord says something, it's for our good, and we better obey it.
And really?
The Lord was preparing this prophet to, uh, speak to Aham.
No, it's going to be a proper word.
Proper ministry. A word from the Lord. I believe the Lord prepares his servants ahead of time. Things that we don't know anything about.
Hayham didn't know any of the things that we are reading about here.
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The importance of obeying obedience is implicit year one if we're going to be happy.
And faithful in the pathway while we wait for the award.
And so this man who refuses to smite the prophet, he turns and goes away.
He could have humbled himself, he said. He could have said, is it that important that, uh, I smite you that a lion's gonna catch me when I leave you? He could have said something like that, but I don't believe he had any confidence in, in that profit at all.
He didn't obey the word of the Lord, and he said smite him, and if the Lord tells him the lion's going to get him, he still doesn't believe it, but he he went his way and the lion came and slew him.
He might have looked just like the prophet who asked to smite him.
He might have been well known among all the other sons of the prophets.
But he was smitten because he disobeyed the word of the Lord. You know, sometimes we may wonder why we get smitten, why some of God's people get smitten.
Could it be because we disobey?
Remember another prophet when uh.
That's the case there.
When Jeroboam set up this, uh, these false altars of prophet came down, he was told by the Lord to speak against that bad thing that Jeroboam had set up and, and, and the, the place is so filled with iniquity. He shouldn't stay there. He should go home another way. And that's how God wants us to feel about iniquity, brethren and about.
Bad religious associations. God wants us to separate from all that, deliver our message, be faithful in it, and go our way. But that man, he disobeyed the word of the Lord to a prophet.
And the lion met him and killed him.
Why he disobeyed? How important obedience is.
That's why parents ought to insist on obedience in their children and teach it to them. And you children don't get excited when your father says no, you can't do it. And when your father says yes, you're going to do it. Be thankful for that. Be thankful for parents that say yes, that say no. They're trying to bring you up in the fear of the Lord. Don't rebel against it.
You may lose your life someday.
You may not grow up in the meetings. Does it mean anything to you to see your father and mother sitting in those seats? All their life they live for the Lord. They've tried to bring you up the same way. Well, it won't happen if you're disobedient.
And this man, he walked his life away and slow him. There's still lions out there, there's still pitfalls. And if we're going to be saved from them.
We've got to walk in obedience to the Word of God.
Well, the Lord meant what he said.
This prophet had to be smitten, so he finds another man and then he says smite me.
This man, we don't know if it was.
Perfect obedience.
Simplicity and belief for what? But he smote him so hard he says he wanted him.
Well, he said to smite me, it says, uh, he smote him so that he's smiting. He wounded him.
We don't know how bad he heard it.
But the word of God says he wound that man, a man that was going to be used as the Lord to speak to Ahab the king. He had to be wounded first.
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I don't know. We like to to think of those in the Word of God. Before God could really use them, he, uh, took them aside.
And taught them some very serious lessons, whether it be a Moses or a Hall or a Gideon. God took them aside and prepared them. And now He was prepared. Do you know how it hurt sometimes for your brethren to get up and speak the truth? You know that they were wounded for you. They obeyed the voice of the Lord. They acted in the fear of God.
They said things they wouldn't normally say, but that the Lord laid it on their heart.
So he wounded him.
Now the Prophet can go.
And wait for the king.
The voice of my own soul.
That, umm.
The Lord deals with us, prepares us.
Humbles us. That's a humbling thing to be smacked hard by your.
My neighbor, My another brother.
But that was the Lord's way of preparing him. And how wise are God's ways?
We don't want to get to the point where we say, well, that's what they think, or that's what mom thinks, so that's what dad thinks.
They think that way, my friends, because they've learned a few lessons from the hand of the Lord themselves.
Well.
He presents himself to the king.
And, umm.
The king understood the message.
Hard thing to say but.
He gave the message, and the King understood it.
It says in verse 41 He hastened and took the ashes away from his face, and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
Isn't that nice when uh.
A word is given and we recognize that it was from someone who is walking with the Lord.
And uh.
If ever a word is given.
In the assembly of God's people.
May it be more and more.
From those who are walking with reward.
And so he tells him that he was going to die.
His life was going to go for the life of the man that he let go, and his people for his people.
I believe this is this is the second time Ahab uh was spoken to very strongly by one of the Lord's servants.
And, uh, how does the the chapter end? The king of Israel went to his house heavy and.
Displeased.
Had he not heard the word of the Lord?
Could he not humble himself before God?
But he went away heavy.
And to squeeze.
Can we not see that Ahab was wrong?
He didn't like the message, he didn't like what he heard. He was upset. He was angry. He was back.
If God brings something home to our souls, how good to humble ourselves and learn.
What we ought to learn.
When the Lord speaks to us later on.
The Lord brings his servant Elijah back, and he speaks to him once more, and there seems to be some repentance on his part.
Oh, God doesn't want some repentance, fellow believers. God wants us. If there's something in our lives that is displeasing to him, He wants us to give it up, to humble ourselves. There is a government of God and we can't escape it. But oh, we can bow under the hand of God and walk into humbleness and the humility before him and seek to encourage.
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Uh, the people among whom God has been pleased to set us.
May God help us then.
And, uh, a little time that's left us before the Lord comes to.
Seek to be obedient to His word.
Book of Joshua, Joshua chapter 23 further this morning in the reading meeting mentioned that lovely portion there I'd like to turn to in a few moments.
Where the Lord instructed Martha by saying one thing is needful, but firstly I have my heart. Joshua 23.
And verse 14 I'll find that same expression again.
Joshua is now an old man.
He says there, Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth.
And you know in all your hearts and all your souls, that not one thing have failed. Of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you, all are come to pass unto you. Not one thing has failed thereof.
And so all the promises of God this afternoon in Christ are yay, and in Christ are all men to the glory of God by us. He is faithful that promise.
Is there any way that we could this afternoon lift up the finger against our maker?
And dare claim that he has not been good to us.
Indeed, we have that lovely expression there in the Book of Deuteronomy. I often think of it.
Satisfied with favor and full of the blessing of the Lord.
Here the Lord has called a little company of us this afternoon. We have liberty in this favored land where our present lot is cast to come. As we are here, the Word of God open on our laps, the Spirit of God having liberty to take it and make it good to us. So many good things.
There hath not one thing failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you. And so I trust it's a word of encouragement to every one of our hearts, that we serve the living and the true God, and wait for His Son from heaven. He will keep His promises, the word of God.
God's promised Book we hold in our hands the promise, of course, that most of us are looking for. Our brother already alluded to it this afternoon.
For yeah, a little while. Hebrews 10. He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Is the Lord slack concerning His promise? Absolutely not. He will keep that promise. If I go away, I will come again. Receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. So we can count upon the precious promise that came from the lips of the Lord Jesus. He will come again.
Well, if the promise of his coming. Or perhaps there's those of us here this afternoon who are a little younger. We haven't been on the path for as long as some of our dear older brethren, and we just wonder. Sometimes we look out in the world, we say, how do we find our way through such a maze as this?
I often think of that passage there in Jeremiah. I know, Lord, that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. And so we have in Psalm 119. I word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my half. You pick up the word of God as our brother just exhorted us. Ask the Lord to help us to obey it. Put it into practice in our lives.
God has promised. I will Psalm 32 and verse 8 instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye, so we have the precious promise.
Not one of these things will fail.
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Turn now to Psalm 27. Psalm 27.
And verse four, one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after.
That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
One thing it's a wonderful the Spirit of God has made the path of faith so plain.
That even a man, though a fool, he could not air therein. The Scripture says one thing very, very simple. What's the one thing here That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life. Our brother just encouraged us, and many of us here this afternoon have had the precious privilege, like little Timothy from a child that was known, the Holy Scriptures which were able to make thee wise to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
We've been brought into and I apply this verse to the assembly.
The House of God, the Lord has promised His presence where two or three are gathered together.
Unto my name there am I, in the midst of them. We've heard from our earliest days the precious word of God. Don't take it lightly. As you grow older, you will appreciate more and more of the fact that you've heard these things from the earliest days. But we want to encourage you from the word of God to get a hold of it for yourself. And it says in Proverbs 23 and 23 by the truth.
And sell it, not make it your own. What did the psalmist have here? As a desire that I may dwell in the House of the Lord All the days of my life, Lord, I have loved the habitation of my house, the place where thine honor dwelleth. I was glad when they said, let us go up onto the House of the Lord, not forsaking the assembly of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more.
As you see the day approaching, oh, there's a tremendous influence in the world today. The enemy of our souls would love to draw our precious young people and children away from the assembly because he knows that that is the place of blessing. So I trust it's a word of encouragement to each of our hearts to not listen to the subtlety of the enemy of our souls, but to earnestly desire.
What the psalmist did here, One thing have I desired. Can we make it very plain? Brethren? One thing I want to do now is to be found with the Lord's people gathered around the precious Savior as He has promised. Well, let's turn now to the New Testament in Mark's Gospel, Mark chapter 10 and verse 21. Read from verse 17. I'm sorry to get the connection.
And when he, that is Jesus, was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good master, what shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life? Verse 21 Jesus, beholding him, loved him, said unto him one thing.
Thou lackest go thy way. Sell whatsoever thou hast give to the poor. Thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Come.
Take up the cross, follow me was the sad result. He was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.
This year, man, it says Jesus loved him. Jesus loved, you know, I just appreciate that expression so much. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men right now. Looks at each one of us in this room. I believe most of us.
Save redeemed with the precious blood of Christ shed of Calvary. He beholds you and He loves you.
But what does he see?
Perhaps hidden away in my heart.
One thing lacking my son, give me thine heart. The Lord says he doesn't want 50 or 75 or 90%. He wants this 100% for him. And here's a dear man Jesus loved.
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Jesus says there's one thing lacking.
This man's money had come to mean more to him than his own soul.
Here's this one. I believe he, this dear man, was attracted to the person of Christ by the Spirit of God. Something about Christ magnetized his soul when he comes to the Lord and the Lord loves him, but he goes away and we never read about his salvation, his repentance, salvation, His money had come to mean more to him than his soul and the person of Christ. There's something in my heart.
There's something in our hearts this afternoon that needs to maybe be judged, put away, something that we're not willing to give up. Think of what the Apostle Paul gave up all of his importance as a Jew, that religion of things that he prospered in above all his equals. He said I lay all those things aside, tell them. But Dung, we're going to turn in a few moments and read what he had to say about that.
Well, I trust each of us to be willing to make the sacrifice, whatever the cost may be. Give it up by all, Christ. It's more than worth it. Lord, He didn't promise this dear man much, did He?
Thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Come, take up the cross and follow me. Follow me. The Lord doesn't promise us anything here and now, does He? He only promised the cross to His disciples.
But the cross and the crown go together, and there's a lot of faith that goes in between those two. But will the Lord disappoint us as we already indicated previous? No, he is faithful that promised so this dear man, think of what he here forfeited by hanging on. So if you gold coins that he had to let go, perhaps just a few years later in death, when he could have had the greatest treasure that the earth has ever known.
The apostle Paul who gave all those things up, he said we have this treasure in these earthen vessels. Ah, he had come to know Christ in a very personal way. Well, trust it would be so with each of us turned out to that passage that our brother little quoted from earlier today Luke chapter 10. The next gospel by Luke chapter 10. Beautiful little portion will read it quickly verse 38.
Now it came to pass as they went, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus feet.
And heard his word, And Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she helped me. Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but here it is one thing, one thing is needful, and Mary.
Have chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Mary was found as a worshipper at the feet of Jesus, says here she sat at his feet, she heard his word and there was a response on her part there in John chapter 12. She would come and take that box of spikenard. Very precious.
And break it. We know from combining the gospel narratives that she anointed the head and the feet of the Lord Jesus because she had sat at His feet and heard His words. She was perhaps the only one who entered into a little bit of what he was going to have to endure to save her precious soul. So she was a worshiper. God save you not only to deliver you from hell, but to make you a worshiper.
That the high praises of our God may be found in our lips from day-to-day.
I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually.
Be in my mouth. The worshippers, O Lord above is one with thee are blessed on earth. The song begins. And so to be a worshipper. Is there anything more important? Yes, service is so important, so vital. It is to serve the Lord, as we have so many instances in the Word of God to prove. But worship first to be found as invited by the Lord.
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At His table. We will, Lord willing, tomorrow morning, be here at His table, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth on the Lord's Day. As any higher calling than that, brethren, I hardly think so. In closing, I said we would turn and look at what the apostle Paul had to say about this. Philippians, I'm sorry.
Chapter 3. Philippians Chapter 3 and verse 13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do there. It is one thing, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.
In Christ Jesus, when the apostle Paul was traveling on his mad course down Damascus Rd.
Trying to stamp out the way, as was known, those followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That would appear that heavenly vision, that to which he was not disobedient. My brother talked about obedience a few moments ago. Paul was one who was obedient. The Lord from heaven says Paul. So. So why persecutest thou me? Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the ******. So that man was changed on his mad downward pursuit from then on.
Forgetting the things which are behind, reaching forth unto those things which are before. One thing captivated his heart, and that was the man and the glory. The man at the right hand of God this afternoon, seeking to win our hearts, draw us up out of this world, attaches to Himself, causes to walk as invited by Him. Ephesians 2 and verse six in the heavenly places.
That's what you and I have been invited to do, separation from this world. One thing, one thing I do. Satan is a wonderful remembrance, Sir, isn't he? We know from Revelation 13, he's even now in the presence of God, accusing the brethren. And he comes and he whispers things in your in your ear and in mine. Well, what about that that you did? And what about this? And what about the other thing? Maybe, maybe we haven't done a very good job.
A fowl in the Lord up until this point in time, July 6, 2002. But from this time forth, one thing I do for getting those things which are behind I press toward the Mark May be so in your life and mine.
Just very briefly, in John's Gospel chapter 10 and verse one, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but timeth up some other way, same as a thief and robbers, but he that entereth in by the door as the shepherd of the sheep. And then it was the next few verses I was looking at to him the Porter openness, and the sheep hear his voice.
And he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he put it forth his own sheep he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
Isn't it a marvelous thing?
That you and I this afternoon know the shepherd of our souls, the man that went to Calvary's cross and gave up so much for us that we might be with him for all eternity.
And we have, haven't we? In our few short months or years that we've known the Lord, we've gotten a little bit to know his voice. And it's a marvelous thing, isn't it? It says here.
That the shepherd, the sheep, hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name and he leadeth them out. Isn't it a marvelous thing that our Savior, our Shepherd, is the one that goes before us at this very moment, all through the day and all through the months and all through the years until he leads us home? He's gone before us, and it's our privilege, is it not, to follow Him?
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Says he knows our names. He has such an interest in us that he knows our names and that he goes before us. We can see him and we can follow him. Isn't that a marvelous thing? Our hearts are affected and so we desire to follow him. I was struck with.
What the man said in Mark 10 at the went down the 10 commandments. He says thou shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not.
But Christianity, on the other hand, is a marvelous man that affects the heart.
And this is the, the marvelous influence the Lord has as our heart is affected by what He's done for us. We have that, uh, desire to, uh, follow after him. Now I want to just read, umm, uh, this, uh, hymn that we started with. Because I don't think there's anybody here whose heart has been affected by the Lord that can't enjoy so much that we have in this him #27 in the appendix.
There is such a marvelous, so many marvelous thoughts in here that affect our hearts.
That it has to have an effect on us and give us a greater desire to walk to please the Lord. It says a minded, perfect peace with God. Oh, what a word is this? A Sinner reconciled through blood. This, this indeed is peace.
Uh, well, that's the gospel, but then number, uh, Sansa 2 all of us, uh, that know the Lord, uh, have a feeling for what it means in verse two. It says by nature and by practice far, how very far from God makes us think of the prodigal son. You and I were that far away, yet now by grace brought nigh to him.
Through faith in Jesus blood. And how near are we so near so very night of God I cannot near be. For in the person of his Son I am as near as here. And how dear are we to God, to our Savior, so dear, so very dear to God, more dear I cannot be the love for witty love the sun.
Such is his love to me, Ken. We can hardly take that in.
And then the result of that in our Christian lives, why should we ever careful or full of care? Why should I ever full of care be?
Since such a God is mine, he watches or me night and day and tells me thou art mine.