Open—S. Stewart, D. Mearns
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We say #168.
168.
1.
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Nsnoise.
Our God and our Father, we do thank Thee that Thou hast given us an object for our renewed hearts, Thy beloved Son, who is at Thy right hand this very moment seated there.
Raid and glory and beauty, and by faith we look up and see Him there, and rejoice to know that our Savior has been raised by Thy power.
And now has it glorified and exalted, thy beloved Son, and we thank Thee for that promise that He will come quickly for us and our God and our Father. It's our desires we have sung together in this hymn, that we might be more conformed to the image of Thy beloved Son as we gaze upon Him in His glory at Thy right hand, and we might learn more of Him, and that the earnest desire of our hearts is that impressive Christ is.
Pressed upon them might be that to leave off everything that would be contrary that would not uh, uh, be in accordance with what we learn of him. And so we do look to thee. We thank thee that the scripture is profitable, uh, for needed, uh, reproof, doctrine, instruction and righteousness, edification, exhortation, comfort and not us know our needs. And so we look to thee. We would specially desire that the Spirit of God.
Might be free to take without us. Have for our hearts this afternoon.
Administer it to us. We thank Thee for that heavenly ministry of the Spirit of God, sent down from a man in the glory, to tell us of that One who sits in the glory from which he came.
To occupy us with him. And so we know that at times we need to, to be occupied with uh, things in our past and, and uh, correction is needed too. But All in all, we thank thee that thy purpose is the perfection of thy Saints. And now this desire worshippers and worship in spirit and truth. And so we pray that thy precious word might have its way in our hearts to make us.
Those worshippers that thou dost desire, and so we do ask thy blessing now as we uh look to thee and Lord Jesus, as we look to thee too as the head of the Church, which is thy body. Fullness resides in thee, Lord Jesus, and it is from Thee that all true ministry flows by those joints and bands and ministers, that which uh thou and thy grace best purpose for thy members here below.
And, uh, so we look for that grace.
Thy name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.
First Corinthians? Second Corinthians. Excuse me?
Like to.
Especially look at the third, maybe low at the 4th chapter and some here will pardon me.
They've heard me take this up before. Trust that the Lord's will to look at it again.
And, uh, first Corinthians, the apostle had to write to the Saints at Corinth and there are many things that had to be corrected. Very grievous things had come in and it, it was a tremendous, uh, burden to the apostle, but he had a responsibility and he had to write them and he had to bring before them plainly those things that need to be corrected. And after he had written that letter and he had sent it.
We find in Two Corinthians that it just grieved his heart. You know, he could say I sent it and then I was sorry that I sent it.
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It's hard to imagine that here divinely inspired epistle, the Spirit of God taking the pen and moving the apostle and all the words that were written there, and yet he says I'm sorry because he was anxious and concerned as to whether they would receive.
What had been sent in that first epistle?
And he was purposing to go to Corinth and, uh, he turned aside in his purpose and they, he had let them know that he was purposing to come. And yet when he found out about their state and about the sin that had taken place there, he could not go. And he had to turn aside in his purpose and write that first epistle.
And he had, uh, I suppose intended to perhaps, I don't know how he's going to journey there, go across the ocean from Ephesus to see there to go to Corinthian city turns and he goes northwards up towards Troy. And, uh, his, there was a great ineffectual door opened in the gospel to him there and many were being saved. And, uh, the apostles ministry, I think we just kind of touched on a little bit has two platforms there was that.
A gospel that he preached and the salvation of souls that was before him. But there was also that ministry, uh, to the Church of God. There was, uh, God our Savior who is willing that none should perish, and that one mediator between God and man. And there was the church, which is the pillar and ground of the truth. And those two ministries the apostle carried. Well, there he was laboring in that gospel ministry in Troas, but you know, he couldn't have rest in his heart because he didn't know.
How the brethren and Corinth had received that first epistle.
And so he sends Titus, Titus go and find out how the brethren and Corinth receive that. And Titus didn't return right away. And uh, he, he just is so burdened. He leaves that wonderful work in the gospel behind and he goes over to Macedonia because he, he, he wants to find, see if he can find Titus. Not the days of communications and cell phones and those kinds of things like we have today.
And he met Titus there, and Titus brought him good news. The Saints and Corinth had been humbled when they read that letter, and they had got before the Lord, and there was real sorrow and tears, and they had judged in a measure that which had taken place, and there was a work of restoration begun in their souls. And the first two chapters of First Corinthians takes up.
Uh, the apostles joys his sorrows, and then his joys at finding out.
Uh, that that work was taking place at Corinth and we get the very highs and the lows that a servant of God can go through in his care and his love for those that he seeks, uh, to minister to. And, uh, we also see a beautiful little picture of how here was the apostle, a member of the body of Christ and given a gift, uh, by the ascendant, given as a gift by the ascended Christ to the church.
And he seeks to minister to those members of the body of Christ at Corinth. And when they receive it, what does it do? It ministers to his soul. And so there's this mutual, uh, building up of one another and, uh, raising up for the apostle out of just great sorrow and discouragement and for the Corinthians out of a very bad state and a wonderful work of the Spirit of God. And the ministry of the apostle Paul wrought repentance.
With the Corinthians.
And he rejoices in that, uh, work of repentance. Now we come to the third chapter of, uh, Second Corinthians. And there was, there were other things that Corinth that needed to still be corrected. But now the apostle, he has confidence, the work of, of the Spirit of God has begun and, uh, that, that the Lord is going to complete it and carry it on until he writes.
In confidence this second epistle. And there were those that accused him and said, oh, look, he's wishy washy. You know, he purposed to come and now he isn't coming. And uh, no, he wasn't wishy washy. He wasn't uh, uh, waffling in his purpose. There was a reason for it and he couldn't come right at that time. He didn't want to come in a corrective way. He wanted the work to be in their soul by the spirit of God and a real restoration there. He wanted to come.
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In a way that he could come in blessing. There were other things still that needed to be corrected. And, uh, much of it had to do with, uh, their attitude towards the apostle. And, uh, there were those that, uh, accused him of all kinds of things, of wanting their money and of not really being an apostle and, uh, on and on. And so he starts out this third chapter.
We'll just read a little here in verse, starting with verse one.
Do we begin again to commend ourselves, or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our Epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.
Not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables.
Of the heart and such trust have we through Christ to God word not that we are sufficient of ourselves.
To think anything of ourselves, that our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament or New Covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. And so he starts this chapter and he says, you know, do we really need to come with letters of commendation to you? Aren't we really known of you Corinthians?
Not only that.
We don't need a letter of accommodation, he says. You're our letter of commendation. You're the very proof of my service and ministry. You know, when brethren go out in the Lord's work often, I suppose perhaps most Times Now, their brethren at home might give them a letter of commendation saying, we commend this our dear brother, and I want to extend the right hand of fellowship to him and his desire to.
To serve and and write a letter commending him to the Lord's work in that way, Apostle says, you're my letter. You're my letter. The fact that there's an assembly here at Corinth is the proof of the service and ministry that I have. You're my letter of commendation. Not only that, he says.
It's a letter, an epistle in our hearts, known and right of all men. Oh, you know he had them on his heart. It was an epistle, letter of commendation that was just engraved in his heart.
So bound up in his service and his love for those Corinthian Saints known and read of all men. If somebody said, what are you doing here, Paul?
You'd say, look over here at this little assembly in Corinth, That's what I'm doing here. There's the proof of my ministry. Here's the proof that I ought to be here and why I'm here. But he goes on and he says more than that. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, and so the Corinthian Saints themselves, and really this is collectively.
Or the Epistle of Christ. They were a letter of commendation of Christ in this world, A letter of commendation not written with ink. Where was it written? Not written with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart. You know they were an epistle of Christ.
Whether they were going on well.
Or whether they were going on poorly. They were an epistle of Christ, and the world was reading that epistle.
And the apostle was burdened because what was the world reading in that epistle of Christ in Corinth?
Wasn't reading very good things about Christ.
And that first letter had been used by the Spirit of God to correct the Corinthian assembly. And all the apostle could say, oh, now you're the kind of epistle to Christ that I want you to be. You're a commendation of Christ. And you know, the world isn't going to pick up this book and read it and find out about Christ, but they're going to read the believer. They're going to read you and I. And they're in is the epistle of Christ in this world? They're in this world reads.
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A commendation of Christ, good or bad, and the believers here it is collectively. We can apply it individually, but there is a collective aspect to this which the apostles taking up each local assembly in that sense is responsible the Church of God itself.
Is the epistle of Christ in this world? What does the world read in that epistle? Oh, you know.
We can't.
Can't lift our heads high.
As we think of the testimony worldwide to the name of to Christ Jesus our Lord in this world.
But the apostle, his ministry by the Spirit of God was sought to correct that. And so it was ministered by us. But it was written with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone. And so the apostle is going to come in and open up a subject that's been on his heart, not in tables of stone, not like the law was written, though it was by the finger of God and tables of stone.
Tables of stone and flexible.
Unyielding.
But can be broken.
You know that law could be broken, but it was inflexible, it was unyielding, it was installed. But this epistle of Christ was an epistle written in the fleshy tables of the hearts of the Saints of God.
And so he says in verse four, And such trust have we through Christ to God word not that we are sufficient.
Of ourselves to think anything of ourselves. And so he says it's this work of the Spirit of God and in your hearts to make you an epistle of Christ as you ought to be in this world. He says it's not our work. We're not sufficient for this. We're not able. This isn't because some personal ability or some very capable speaking qualities or some attractive personality.
That the apostle, or those that labored with him, had no such trust have we through Christ to God. Lord, it was God's work, It was the Spirit of God's ministry in their hearts, who hath also made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter.
But of the Spirit, for the letter killeth of the Spirit giveth life.
You know, in the Old Testament that Old Covenant was the covenant of the letter. It was written in tables of stone and it was just given. And they Israelite didn't need to be intelligent, he just had to obey. We read in Romans that our services and intelligence service, a service of servants that are within the circle of their master's confidence and understand and know his purposes and his ways.
That old.
Covenant was written in engraving in stones, but the new covenant and the fleshy tables of the heart were not under the new covenant. But God is going to put it in the fleshy tables of the heart in Israel in a coming day. But all the blessings of that new covenant are ours because we belong to the one who has shed His blood, the blood of that new covenant. So the Lord took that cup. He said this is the new covenant in my blood. It was the foundation for that new covenant that will yet be made with the House of Israel in the House of Judah.
But all the blessings are ours because we belong to the One.
We belong to the one who made that covenant good through his work on Calvers Cross, or I should say, laid the foundation for it.
Now we come to part of the chapter. Really, it's a parenthesis from verse seven. It's a little digression, so to speak. And uh, comes down through verse 16. For if the administrate, for if the administration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather?
Glorious.
How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
That law that came down from Mount Sinai, written in those tables of stone, Moses brought it down to the camp, and we know what happened. Sin had taken place in that camp, Grievaston, you know, like sin had taken place in Corinth. And Moses brought those tables down. And as I say, they were inflexible, and so he broke them.
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Beneath that mountain he could not bring those tables of law into that camp. But nonetheless, what happened in the judgment government of God upon that people who had broken that inflexible law 3009 that day, that of the inauguration of that ministry of the old covenant, It was a glorious ministry, Stephen says. It was given by the disposition of angels.
That mountain all on fire and smoking and the voice of a trumpet and the people said, oh, we can't hear it anymore. There was a a glory that attended that ministry.
Of the Old Covenant.
But it was a ministry of death nonetheless.
But what happened when our Lord Jesus Christ was caught up to glory? You know, we've touched on some of these things through the meetings and their remembrance of the Lord this morning. What happened when the Lord Jesus Christ was caught up to glory? He was given the Spirit of God by God the Father, and then he gave the Spirit of God shed forth this, as Peter says, which he now see and hear in the Spirit of God, came down personally to this earth just as personally as the Lord Jesus was here.
And united those believers into one body. But his purpose in coming here was to tell of the one who was ascended to God's right hand in glory.
He came down and he told of a man in the glory, and how much more glorious was that?
How shall not the ministration of the Spirit capital S be rather glorious? He came down to tell of a man, and the glory of a finished work accomplished at Calvary, whereby you and I have been brought in the greatest blessing before God our Father. And what happened on that day? Three thousand were saved.
3000 were saved. Isn't that rather glorious?
For its administration of condemnation be glory.
Or attended with glory, much more doth the administration of righteousness exceed in glory.
All we find in Hebrews what is our privilege as believers. We exercised it this morning. We have a priesthood. We have liberty to enter into the holiest of holies, into the very presence of God as worshippers in spirit and in truth before God our Father. All that ministration of death, though, was attended with glory.
Forbade the entry into the presence of God, but you and I it's a a administration of righteousness and it exceeds in glory. How is it that we can go into his presence and be accepted. They're all then made the righteousness of God through that work of Calvary, we've been constituted righteous before God.
Then made the righteousness of God, clothed with the righteousness that we never had before, and in that blessing and in that position we can enter in to God's holy presence. All that law could never make a man righteous. It could never take an unrighteous man and make him righteous. It could only condemn him. It was a ministry of condemnation. But the ministry of the Spirit of God is one of righteousness and privilege and blessing.
How much more glorious it takes exceeds in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. Oh, the old glory of of Moses coming down from the mountain, those tables of stone given by the disposition of angels, has been eclipsed now by the glory.
Of that ministry of the Spirit of God, sent down from an ascended Christ to occupy us.
With a man at God's right hand.
So the apostle goes on, for that which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious. That which was done away, that first covenant has been done away. It's seen its end. It was involved in the test of the first man, and his test ended at Calvary's cross. And in the words of God, just before the flood, the.
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And of all flesh has come before me, and we see it judged in the person of the Lord Jesus in Calvary's cross. He was made sin on that cross.
It came to an end.
But what about the ministry of the Spirit of God?
Come down from an ascended Christ indwelling your heart and mind. Will it end? It has no end. You know the Lord Jesus. It says in in Acts chapter one when he was raised from the dead and he spoke to the disciples, he said he spake to them by the Spirit. That man was indwelled by the Spirit of God at the river of Jordan.
The only clean vessel that the Spirit of God could ever take up his abode in.
And when he was raised from the dead, after passing through death and resurrection, he was still and dwelt by the Spirit of God. He spake by the Spirit. And you and I have been brought in in righteousness now through that work, and sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, should we die, Or when we're caught up to be with the Lord, should he come.
We are when we're raised or caught up are still going to be in dwelt by the Spirit of God just as he is. It's not going to and that ministry of the Spirit of God to your soul and mine is going to go on for all eternity for all eternity. All that old covenant was glorious.
But it's eclipsed by what we have now from an ascended Christ, seeing them that we have such.
Hope we use great plainness of speech. Oh, they said we don't want to hear anymore at the giving of the law of the apostle says we use great plainness of speech openly declaring.
By the power of the Spirit of God that there's a man at God's right hand and all the blessing that is flowing out.
From their death, resurrection and glorification of the Lord Jesus, and not as Moses, which put a veil over his face that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.
But their minds were blinded. For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old covenant, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses has read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
And so Moses came down from that mountain, and it says here in verse 13 he put a veil over his face.
You know, it says he wished not that his face shone. The skin of his face shone. And the children of Israel saw a reflection of the glory of that first covenant. Moses had been on the mount with God and received that first covenant. He'd been in the presence of a holy God. And they saw the reflection of the glory of that first covenant, and they couldn't bear it. And they said, cover your face. And he covered his face with a veil. And it says that they should not steadfastly look to the end.
Of that which was abolished, what was abolished? We just read it. The law of the first covenant was abolished. They couldn't look to the end of it. Its abolishment, no, it's object.
We use that term and the end justifies the means. The object justifies the means. We use that term word end in that way sometimes as object, and that's the way it's used here. They could not steadfastly look to the object that the law had before it.
They couldn't see it. They told Moses to cover his face. They couldn't see that all that was given in that old covenant looked on to Christ. They couldn't see it. It was covered to them.
They couldn't steadfastly look to the end the object of that which was abolished. Their minds were blinded. And so when they read the Old Testament, that veil is still there and it's a closed book, you know. Is it your brother that was with us and with the Lord now and spent many years as a believer and going from church to church, if I can.
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Say it that way.
Searching for the truth. And you know, he made this comment for me. The Old Testament was a close book, said it was a closed book until he came among those gathered to the Lord's name, and he heard those types and figures and shadows taken up in Christ presented over and over again. He said it was a closed book to me.
And so that book is closed to Israel and will be until the time that that veil is taken away. It says in verse 16, there's a time when Israel will be restored nationally. And that veil that is blinding them from seeing the true object of the law, which is Christ. Well, what are those sacrifices speak of Christ? What does the ark speak of? And all its and all its construction and every detail speaks of Christ.
And the Tabernacle speaks of Christ. Everything that Moses was given on that mountain speaks of Christ. They couldn't see it. But for you and I, this is an open book. It's an open book. And so there's a day when it will be for them as well. Now that comes to the end of the parenthesis in this chapter. So let's go back and take up from the beginning and just read verse 6 and then go right on and read verse 17 because you know, you can read.
A sentence and take out a parenthesis and it still makes sense.
Who also have made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Now the Lord is that Spirit, the Lord is that Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, there is liberty, but we all with open face beholding, just leave out, as in a glass beholding, the glory of the Lord are changed.
Into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Lord is that Spirit. The Lord Jesus is the Spirit of that old covenant. He's the true object of all the Old Testament scriptures. He's the Spirit.
He is the center of all God's purposes and counsels. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where the Spirit of God is free to occupy my soul, and your soul with a man ascended at God's right hand, therein is true Christian liberty.
And there is the deep and true motivation for taking up and walking in and obeying every precious word of God. Otherwise, to you, this book is nothing but a letter that kills.
But if it's taken up with Christ as the object, there's liberty to walk in every word of it.
Every word of it.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. That's not Speaking of the liberty of the Spirit of God.
In the assembly meetings.
It's true. We look for that and we ask the Lord for it. That's not what this means.
It's taking up the liberty that the believer enters into when he has she has the true object of their hearts before them, Christ, He who was the Spirit of everything in that old covenant.
As well as the new, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. We all with open face, beholding the glory of the Lord, there is our true occupation, a man at God's right hand. And that's the wonderful ministry of the Spirit of God sent down from that man to occupy your heart and mind with him in glory. And what happens or changed or changed will never be changed if we take this up as a letter.
Of the law, but will be changed when we take it up in occupation with Christ.
An occupational Christ, it will change us from glory to glory, even as by the Lord. The Spirit is how it should read.
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There are two men.
Like to look at perhaps one I'm only going to refer to because of our time.
Elijah and Elijah, the time when Elijah was going to be taken up and uh, the Lord was going to take Elijah and Elijah knew it and they were walking together. You can read it in Second Kings. And they went on together cross that river Jordan. And uh, Elisha said, uh, I pray thee, you know, give me a double portion of my spirit. Elijah asked him what he wanted and he said, if I'm going to go on here.
In that ministry that you have, I'm gonna need twice as much of the Spirit of God as all the rest of the sons of the prophets. And he said, you've asked a hard thing, but if you see me when I go up, it shall be so. And if you don't see me, it won't be so.
And you know, he saw him caught up, and he saw him caught up. And he said, my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, the horsemen thereof. And then it says, and he saw him no more, but he saw a man ascend into the glory. Beautiful picture of what we have here. And now he goes on in ministry. It's a ministry of grace and his pathway that's characterized by being occupied with a man in the glory.
And he takes up the mantle of Elijah.
And he comes and he smites that river and it parts. Says, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? He takes his own garments and he parts them, and he leaves them there. And he takes that mantle up, and he goes across. He smites that river and it parts, and he goes across.
You know, the Apollo, I'm just gonna turn over three together Philippians and uh, third chapter 2 verses there.
The apostle there can only speak for himself, he cannot speak for another. But nonetheless, this can be the portion of your soul and mine.
And it's like when Elisha, Elijah, Elisha Cross took that Wren, his garments took that mantle and crossed that river. Verse eight. Yeah, doubtless. And I count all things but lost for the Excellency.
Of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things.
And do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness. Oh, he rent those garments.
And there they were left.
Not having my own righteousness.
Which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, Which is of God by faith, all the glory.
Excelleth exceedeth in righteousness.
That I may know him and he took that mantle. Where is the Lord God of Elijah, that I may know him?
And the power of his resurrection. And he went down through that river of death, and the fellowship of his sufferings.
Even if it means suffering to know him, I want to know Him being made conformable to his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, even if it means a martyr's death.
I want to know him.
His occupation was with a man at God's right hand in glory. And he said, now I want to know the pathway that took him there. And Elijah was caught up to glory in Elijah. Elijah was caught up to glory and Elijah says, and he traces the same path back. He says, now I want to know the path that took him there.
Turn over to X.
7th chapter.
We'll we'll read a verse to in chapter 6.
Verse 15.
And all that said in the council looking steadfastly on him.
Saw his face as it had been the face of an Angel. Stephen.
He was occupied with a man in glory.
Turn to the end of the chapter.
You know what? Can you hold your finger there? I just want to read a couple more verses from chapter 4 so that the connection comes across. I'd like to make chapter four of Second Corinthians.
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Verse six. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed. And so that heavenly ministry of the Spirit of God, like God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness in Genesis, is shown in our hearts. For the shining forth is really the effect He shot it in, that it might shine out, but it's contained in earthen vessels.
And the apostle had been through much in the afflictions of his soul. We read that in the first two chapters, and you can turn to the end of this book and read more.
And the light shone out. We have this in earthen vessels, persecuted, you know, but.
Not distressed, and so on the vessel as it were. Broken down, but sustained. Broken down, but sustained by God. Broken down again, but sustained by God.
Gideon, his men, they had those vessels. They put a light in them, and at the word of Gideon, they smash those vessels, and the shards fell to the ground, never to be recovered. But not here. The vessel's broken, but it's sustained by God. Vessels broken, sustained by God.
Until we get to chapter 5, we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building.
Back to Act 7.
Verse 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?
And they have slain them, which showed before of the coming of the just one of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart. They gnashed on him with their teeth, but he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven.
And saw the glory of God in Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. And they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet. His name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice.
Lord lay not this sin to their charge, and when he had said this, he fell asleep, and he has the building of God in heaven he's yet to wear.
And so that earthen vessel, the light just shone out, and they saw his face as it had been, the face of an Angel, reflecting the glory of the man who he was occupied with.
And they couldn't bear those words any more than they could bear the words of Sinai.
And they gnashed on him with their teeth, all with a different reaction to grace, and they cast him out in that earthen vessel.
Was.
Broken down a very real way.
As those stones flew.
And that vessel was broken down. The light just showed up more.
Because he was occupied with Christ in glory, looking up into those heavens, he became like his Master.
Any other similar words?
Lord Jesus received my spirit, and those stones flew, and that vessel broke down more, and the light just shone out more and again. He becomes more like the man that He's occupied with. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
This is our true liberty.
Occupation with a man in glory. It's the only thing that will change us.
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To be like him.
And that's the only way we can take up this book and walk in obedience to its every word.
Lest it become a letter of a law.
No, it's not that to us. We have a ministry that exceeds in glory. It excels. It's eclipsed all that came before, the heavenly ministry of the Spirit of God sent down from a man of God's right hand to occupy and fill our souls. And it's never going to end in eternity. We're going to go from glory to glory. It's never going to end His occupation of our hearts with Christ.
Just a few minutes left. I'd like to make a few brief remarks to those here that are young mothers.
Sometimes hard to sit through a conference a couple days with the young children.
What happened in my heart is specifically for you. There are those here, umm, I'm sure we can all benefit from what the Lord has for us. There are those here. Uh, it's been my, uh, my privilege to observe as we walk through the grounds that there are those here who are not young mothers yet. But it looks like if the Lord leaves us here, they are to be.
Just a word to you.
Revelation chapter 12.
Take this portion out of context.
Revelation chapter 12, verse one. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head was a crown of 12 stars. And she being with child, cried, travelling in birth and pain to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and 10 horns, and seven crowns upon his head, and his tail, drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered for to devour her child as soon as it was born. This is what takes place every time a child is born in this world. Every time a child is born, whether it's at home with a midwife, whether it's in the.
In the hospital with a doctor.
That's going to deliver the child. The enemy of our souls wants that child.
Every time a child is born, let's turn over to Hebrews Chapter 11.
Hebrews, Chapter 11.
I'm gonna read 3 portions.
In Hebrews Chapter 11.
And verse 23.
By faith, Moses.
When he was born was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the King's commandment. Now back to Acts Chapter 7 where our brother Umm read from.
Acts Chapter 7.
In verse 15 Jacob went down to Egypt and died he and our fathers and were carried over the into psychomed laid in a sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emor the father of Psychom. And when the time of the promised Jew and I which got his horn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till another king arose which knew not Joseph, the same dealt subtly.
With our kindred and evil, and treated our fathers so that they cast out their young children to the end they might not live. That's what the enemy of our souls desires. In which time Moses was born and was exceeding fair or fair to God, and nourished up in his father's house three months when he was cast out for his daughter, took him up and nourished him for her own son. Now in Exodus chapter 2.
Exodus Chapter 2.
And there went a man of.
The House of Levi, and took a wife to wife, a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bear a son. And when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an arch of bulrushes, and dogged it with slime and with pitch, and put the child there in. And she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit, what would be done to him.
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The daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself of the river, and her maidens walked along by the Riverside. And when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child and be held. The baby wept, and she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews children. Then set his sister to Pharaoh's daughter. Shall I go and call to the nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for me? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her goal. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away.
And nurse it for me, and I'll give you thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him into Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses. And she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
And so there are those here who are young mothers. I'm not one of those.
And it would be perhaps more appropriate for someone who was an older mother to be making these remarks. But it's not going to happen in a setting like this. And so I humbly submit these things.
We looked at Revelation as to what takes place every time a child is born.
Then we turn to the book of Hebrews.
And we see there that.
Moses was nourished.
In his parents home.
In Acts.
We saw that he was nourished in his father's home.
And here in Exodus.
We see the responsibility is with the mother.
I just submit this when our first was.
Our first born was not yet born.
I was bemoaning the fact that.
It was a solemn thing to bring a child into this world.
In the era that I lived in, what a solemn thing it was. And I was sharing this with a brother, an older brother. And he said to me, you know, Dave, it's a wonderful time to bring a child into this world. Just think, if you're Amram and Jock a bit and you had a young son that was born and you had to throw him in the river.
It helped me put things in perspective. But here we find the responsibility in Hebrews lay with the father and the mother as to the raising of Moses.
But then we find an acts you know our brothers be brought before us.
That which Stephen saw as those stones were flying and all. If we had a vision of that which he saw in our gaze, how it would be a preservation to those young lives that are sitting by our side at the present time.
And so in the book of the Acts, there was a responsibility for the father, but then here in Exodus, we find it's the mother. And So what do we read here?
When she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of Borussia's. Did she make an ark? No, she did not. She simply availed herself of the provision that God had made for her child. God had made a provision for her child, and she availed herself of that provision. In soul. God has made a provision for your little ones. You don't have to make that provision. You simply have to avail yourself of.
That provision.
Our time is gone.
Verse 9 Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away. Part of the nourishment for you who are young mothers, as you nourish those little ones, is to take the child away from the world that presses in on them. Here they were in Egypt, and what was the word here for this young mother? She was to take the child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thy wages and the woman.
Took the child.
And nurses.
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Shall we sing #18 in the appendix?
#18 in the appendix.
Oh my goodness.
I believe in the love of your life and.
Do you recommend ourselves?
Our loving God and our Father, we thank the.
For our Savior, the Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for that object that thou has set before our souls, even in this scene.
One seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, in all of his glory.
And how those permitted us to.
See by faith.
By thy word.
Through the instruction of it.
See into the heavens something of Thy glory, blessed Savior.
And to think that we're going to be changed from glory unto glory.
Very shortly to see thee in all thy beauty. Blessed Saviour, we thank thee that this is the prospect that lies before us, bright and fair.
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We think, too, our God and our Father, of our little ones and of those that have the particular responsibility of raising them. In the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, the fathers and the young mothers, our loving God and our Father, we pray for special grace for them.
That they might indeed hide them from Feral, and that thou art give them faith in this day of ruin, this day of weakness.
And as we see the energy of the enemy seeking to devour our little ones, we pray that thou sin thy mercy and kindness. Preserve them. We thank Thee for the sound of little ones in the assembly. We pray for each one here this afternoon. Preserve them, our God. Save their precious souls. Give them to have a desire after they're saved, a desire and a thirst for the things of God.
And I play too might see something of the glory of Christ even in their youth, a glimpse of that blessed man and the glory. And so we just commend ourselves to the this afternoon. We pray for our beloved brethren that uh, may be traveling after this meeting. We pray our God for safety and that, uh, our loved ones might arrive safely home again.
Without incident, if it be thy will, we cry to Thee for thy blessing the remainder of the day too, as we have thy word before us. And so we thank thee for thy goodness to us, and pray that there might be a chewing of the cud.
That there might be.
Further nourishment and that thy spirit might have free course and be glorified as a result of our time together here. We ask it, and we commend ourselves to thee now and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.