Open—T. Porter, D. DeGraff
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On our hands and come on to him to call on the Green Cross.
The Umbrella.
Umbrella shall be.
To Price and God and their Father. We think of how we have been brought into such a place that could never enter the mind of man. But the thought came from the that we who were so unworthy should be associated with I Son and be blessed in and through him. We marvel at that grace and that love that would ever bring us to such a place.
And to give us to enjoy it even here in this world, and to know Him by faith and to live and walk with Him here. We just pray now that is we continue for this hour before us, that Thou would guide and direct in the ministry and and bring out that which out us have for us. And we pray that thou would feed us.
Uh, as thy children, we express our needs.
Before they enhance for thy health and thy blessing, in the name of the Lord Jesus we ask it, Amen.
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Time is short.
I know we all believe we should.
Uh, wait on the Lord and uh.
This, uh, open meeting 45 minutes? I think so.
Lord willing, it won't take up more than maybe 1/3 of that. I didn't notice there was water here, so I brought my own.
I heard this question a couple of times during this conference in conversations with different brothers. Uh.
The question I think almost all of us probably asked at one time or another. Why me?
I'm gonna turn to a verse in Romans chapter nine. Was that brother Tim that said that? Oh, Brother Robert, thank you.
So verse 23 says that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory even us.
Whom he hath called.
Thought a lot about this phrase this morning. Vessels of mercy.
More often than not at the Lord's Table One.
Is wanting to offer worship and yet feels that everything he can think to say is going to just, uh, spoil.
Thanks, the Lord is just too good.
But uh.
I think about vessels of mercy, and we had before us that we have an entrusted deposit.
And it made me think of that scripture in the Second Corinthians that said that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. So the Scripture sees us as vessels. And, uh, sometimes we think of vessels as like ships and things that carry things, but.
In this context, the vessel is a container, right?
Even a a glass that we may take, a glass of water would be, uh, a vessel in that case. And God has, uh, in his word.
Called US vessels containers.
Uh, one time uh, brother referred to man as a God bottle, uh.
We're, uh, we're made, we were made for this purpose, to contain that, that treasure.
And I'm thinking about in the Old Testament, what is one of the best, if not the best, uh, examples or types of the vessel of mercy. And probably most would, would guess that that would be Mephibosheth. So I want to turn to, I think it's, uh.
Is it first Samuel 19 Nine, not 19? Because of the time, I don't want to read this passage. I think it's familiar to most. Umm.
I certainly hope it is. I apologize if it isn't. It's, uh, you could read Chapter 9.
Umm. But I'm just gonna summarize it. So David.
Umm, after being rejected, umm.
And after being sought, his life being sought by Saul and then Saul, uh.
And Jonathan are killed in the battle and Joab LED against them. And uh.
In most of Saul's household is wiped out, but David had made in a covenant with Jonathan and he seeks to see if there are any left that he can show mercy to according to that. And uh, they come up with this.
One Mephibosheth, who's lame on both feet.
It's not lame on one foot, he's lame on both feet.
And that means that from the very beginning.
There's no chance that he's going to be able to serve.
We've heard some about Christian service in this conference, and I would not want to give any impression that our service is worthless or that God does not call us to serve. But there is this aspect which every one of you who believes needs to get a grasp on, and that is that you're a vessel of mercy.
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From which God requires nothing.
Our brother.
Our brother Tim Rose this morning spoke about the.
The Lord has the burnt offering and in Ephesians, you know, we say the burnt offering is entirely for God. That's true. But notice in Ephesians it says it was for us.
He was the burnt offering for us, which means.
He satisfied God completely, that God would require nothing of us.
And so Mephibosheth is lame on both feet.
And yet, in that condition, he's called and he's raised up and he's seated at David's table.
Now.
Sometime later.
David has a rebellious son, Absalom, who rises up and, uh, David once again is in rejection and, uh, his life is being sought by Absalom.
And.
Mephibosheth.
He tells us later that he wanted to go with David, but his servant Ziba deceived him and Zaiba.
Went to David and slandered Mephibosheth Zaiba wanting to gain write something for himself. I believe Zyba is a picture of our flesh. Have you ever thought of your flesh as your servant?
You know your flesh is your servant.
Anything you want, he's very willing to immediately get it for you.
And he's our servant in another way too, for your spiritual progress.
You may not think of it that way, but your flesh is serving a very youthful purpose, useful purpose.
In your spiritual progress. But we don't have time to go there to expound on that. Perhaps if you think about it in your experience you'll understand that. But Zyba goes and he takes things to David and in the in the picture we have where David raises Mephibosheth up and seats him at his table, we see that David is a.
Type of the Lord in that.
But what's always troubled me, and it may have troubled you too, is when David comes back, is brought back as king after being.
Umm, in rejection.
Mephibosheth comes down to meet him.
And David says, why didn't you go with me?
And right at this point, you begin to wonder. It almost spoils the type. It's like David is not.
He can't be a type of the Lord now because the Lord isn't like that. When the Lord comes back after his rejection, which he's in rejection now, but when he comes back, he's not gonna say to you and to me, why didn't you go with me?
He knows everything.
And uh.
And Mephibosheth tries to explain to David, well, you know, Ziba slandered me. You know, I wanted to go with you. He was supposed to prepare me an *** so that I could go down. But instead he took the *** and he took my things, and he went down there and he made himself look good to you. I'm paraphrasing.
And it made me look like a traitor, because that's what Zybus said.
And uh.
And so David says we should read it. So a little further up.
Is that chapter 19? That's why. Probably why I was thinking chapter 19.
Thank you.
Verse 29.
And the King said unto him, Why speakest thou anymore of thy matters? I have said, Thou and thy but divide the land.
And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yeah, let him take it all, for as much as my Lord the King has come again in peace.
Into his own house. How touching.
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But I've always wondered why we have David.
Saying, well, alright, you know, it's almost a compromise. You and Zyba, you divide the land like David maybe half believed what Mephibosheth said. That's not that's not a picture of the board. And So what is it?
I just offer this to you.
Mephibosheth from the beginning.
Lame on both feet, there was no chance that he would ever be a servant.
He was going to be at David's table as nothing more than a vessel of mercy.
Some of us can look back on many years, some of us decades.
Of being a Christian.
And.
Think to ourselves, you know when I get to the judgment seat of Christ.
Well, it's gonna be like David was here.
Because my, uh, service to the Lord has not been very good.
And so I think David here represents not the Lord, but the way we often view the Lord.
The way we often think that he may be thinking about us when we look at ourselves and our service or lack of service and how we've been as Christians over the years.
I don't know about you, I know that this one often thinks that.
The Lord's going to say you and Zyba divide the land.
But isn't it wonderful what? Mephibosheth says he doesn't care.
About a reward.
Do you? Is your hope to walk on gold streets?
Have a crown with jewels in it.
I believe that those who whose hearts have been touched like Mephibosheth.
And understand that they are nothing more than a vessel of mercy.
Have just one single hope that has nothing to do even with heaven.
But with the one who's there?
Everyone of you here.
Who believes?
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is a vessel of mercy.
And I believe that what God is after.
Is not what you can do for him, how you can serve him. He doesn't need your legs.
And he doesn't need your intelligence.
Was reading the other day, Jeremiah tells the people of God.
That Jehovah says that when I called you out of Egypt.
I'm going to paraphrase a little here because I don't remember exactly how much the Scripture reads, but Jeremiah told Jehovah said when I called you out of Egypt.
I didn't say anything about sacrifices. I didn't. I didn't talk about worship the law.
Because what God wanted and what God has always wanted, and what God wants from each of us and from the church collectively is very simple.
He wants an intimate.
Relationship.
Of love.
And Holiness obedience service.
All of it is not an end in itself in an end in and of itself.
It all has the purpose.
That we would have a happy, intimate relationship.
With God, I believe, if we would see ourselves as nothing more than vessels of mercy.
Then our hearts desire would be for nothing except to be with him, to see Him in His rightful place and to be with Him.
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That's all. It would satisfy our hearts. We would need nothing more.
You recall when?
When the Lord was talking to, uh, talk, uh, Thomas.
He said into the disciples, He said.
Where I'm going, you know?
Right. And he said, and you know the way.
So there were two things. There was the destination and there was a way to get there.
Now many say the destination is heaven.
But I don't know how that could be because he told the disciples.
Not only did they know the way which was him, but they also knew the destination.
And what he says is.
No one cometh where.
Unto the Father.
But by what? By me?
So clearly the destination is the Father and the way was the Son. And so again, God desires us for Himself, and our desire should be for Him.
And uh.
We go back to the fact that Mephibosheth was lame on both feet.
It's not a bad thing for us to realize I've got nothing to offer.
What can I say? What shall I give unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? What shall I give?
I will take.
I will take a cup of salvation. Call upon the name of the Lord. I'll take the cup of salvation.
You can ask why me?
Mephibosheth Assad.
I'm of no use.
To David.
But there is a purpose. You may not know it.
Years ago I had a conversation with a man who was some kind of pastor.
And we were meeting together because he was also a software engineer and I was pursuing that former career. And, uh, we were having discussions about election, which he denied. He also denied eternal security and, and he sent me a page from a book, the title of which was Elect in the Sun. Don't remember who wrote it.
And in that page from that book, there was the Greek.
And the guy was expounding the Greek and supposedly proving that this Greek here, if you read the Greek and you understand the Greek, it proves that there is no real election as we think of it. It's just that if you're in Christ, if God, if you're in Christ, then you're electing the Son. But you can get yourself out of there.
It all sounds silly to us, but a lot of people believe it because these arguments are well constructed. Well, I had some, uh, formal education in Greek, but I wasn't going to go up against this guy. But, uh, you know, I, I had Mr. Darby hold my shield, so to speak, in that case, because I think, I think you'd be a fool to go up against him. And I'm sure if he, I'm sure he understood the Greek and I'm sure if that's what it said, that, uh, he wouldn't have taught what he taught.
So, uh, I was pretty confident in that, but one thing that troubled me was the man said that, uh, God does not choose arbitrarily.
And I wrote back to the man and I said, you know, I.
I think that's blasphemous.
And he said, what? And I said, well, that God would choose arbitrarily, that when God chooses, it's arbitrary. And, uh, he said, well, yeah, I, I, that's, it's not saying that. That's exactly what it's saying is that he doesn't do that. And I'm said, I, I said, I understand it. He's saying that God doesn't do that, but he's also saying that if God chooses that it's arbitrary.
And that's what's blasphemous, because God has a purpose in everything, and you may not know why God chose you.
And again, understand if you believe in Jesus, you are such a vessel of mercy and you will be seated there.
So to speak, at His table, whether you think you can offer any service, or whether you think you've offered any service, or if you're of any use to the Lord, you will be there if you believe in Him.
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And you can ask yourself why. And I don't know if anyone of us would ever be able to answer that.
But we can say from the word of God there is a reason. It was not arbitrary. He had a reason and he had a purpose. And like Mephibosheth, we should just accept it. It's humbling. We should accept it. We are vessels of mercy and nothing more. And whatever we can offer to God, by the way.
There is just one thing we're said to do right.
Present your body.
Present your body.
That's your vessel.
Present it to God and let him decide whether he will do anything with it and what he will do with it. But that's all. That's our most reasonable service. Because what else you're going to offer him? Your intellect, your knowledge, even your love. Can you say you can offer him your love?
Offering him your body, that is a practical. Offering him your love.
So anyway, I I hope this has been helpful to you I.
I believe that we view God differently than he really is, but we do know Him but.
His love for us requires nothing of us. He would just have us at His table enjoying His love for eternity.
Our brother has spoken to us of Vessels of Mercy, and I'd like to briefly read some scriptures on 2/1 from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament. But I'd like to start by reading in the book of Ezra, chapter 5. And I'm going to turn quickly in the interest of time, so you can just listen if you don't want to turn to them all. Ezra 5 and 15.
And he said unto him, Take these vessels, go carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the House of God be builded in his place. Chapter 6 and verse 5, Ezra 6, verse five. And also let the golden and silver vessels of the House of God.
Which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the Temple, which is at Jerusalem.
And brought unto Babylon.
Be restored and brought again unto the temple, which is at Jerusalem. Everyone to his place and place them in the House of God. We're saying that beautiful hymn on the Church of God in God's purpose is to have his own around himself in the glory some from every.
Kindred and tribe and people and nation, and the day is soon coming when we will all be gathered home.
To the Father's house. And these vessels were taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and they were removed, but they were told to take them and carry them to the temple, and let the House of God be builded in his place. And these vessels were to be restored, and brought again unto the temple everyone to his place, and placed them in the House of God. We know from Second Timothy that we are to be a vessel unto honor. That is God's purpose for us, to be a vessel unto honor.
In the interest of time, I'll just briefly read There are two there. One is a major role, one is a minor role. One was a leader, one was a follower, one was Old Testament, one was New Testament. Every one of us, small, great, old and young, has a place. We are all vessels. Could you turn with me, or at least listen while I read the Philemon chapter, verse 23, the book of Philemon, little letter.
Philemon 2323There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; (Philemon 23).
We'll start just to make a connection to the end of verse 22. Philemon, the end of verse, the middle of verse 22. I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
There, salute thee, apostres, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus. In the book of Ephesians, which has the highest truth, we find twice Paul calls himself a prisoner.
In chapter 3 and verse one of Ephesians, he's a prisoner of Jesus Christ. In chapter 4 and verse one, he's a prisoner of the Lord.
There, where the highest truth is revealed, the apostle Paul identifies himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ and a prisoner of the Lord. Well, here's a fellow prisoner. Colossians chapter 4. Colossians chapter 4 and verse 12. We've been speaking in Philippians one about a prayer to prove the things that were excellent. Colossians 4 and verse 12.
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Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ?
Saluteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Epaphras, who is a fellow prisoner here, he's identified as a servant of Christ, laboring fervently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. What more could we ask or pray for for anyone in this room, any loved one, anyone dear to us, than to stand perfect and complete and all the will of.
He was a prisoner and he was a servant of Christ. He kept Paul company.
You know, we sometimes think, well, what can I do? I can't do this, I can't do that, I can't do the other thing. It's there's no use. What's the point? Every one of us are a vessel. There are things that God has given, God has entrusted to us, and we can do them. We have a prisoner and we have a prayer and then we have a work in Romans 13, Romans 13, and verse 11.
I think about this in the context of our present day Romans 13 and verse 11 and that knowing.
The time that it is now high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation. We've mentioned that a number of times at this conference, our salvation.
Now, as our salvation nearer than when we believed the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the work of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. What a time we live in, how much we need the armor of light to cast off the work of darkness. Well, I've mentioned someone who's had a minor role, and I'd like to mention someone who had more of a major role, and I'm just going to read a handful of verses.
Phrases from Nehemiah chapter 4 and chapter 6. And I'd like to briefly reflect on the comment our brother Eric made about the recovery that he mentioned of the different kings Hezekiah and Josiah and Nehemiah. In chapter 30 of Second Chronicles, there's a recovery, and if you look back at chapter, you see that they purified the temple of the Lord. In chapter 35, there's a recovery. You look back and you see they recovered the scriptures.
In Nehemiah chapter 8, there's a recovery and you look back.
And they built a wall and they read the scriptures. So we need in our time for there to be a work of revival, even if in our own soul, our own home, our own assembly, our own community, there needs to be a purification of our, we are, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to turn to the scriptures and we need careful separation. And then we need to turn to the scriptures to guide us as to what needs to be done. And Nehemiah, chapter 4.
Or just read parts of a few verses. Nehemiah chapter 4 and verse 6.
So built we the wall, and all the wall was joined together unto the hath thereof. For the people had a mind to work, for the people had a mind to work. Verse 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, instead of watch against them day and night because of them. And Judah said that strength of the bearers of burden is decayed, and there is much rubbish.
So that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see till we come in the midst among them, and slay them and cause.
The work to cease. Verse 15. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to naughty, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, at the time of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the Spears, and the Shields, and the bows, and the haberdons, and the rulers were behind all the House of Judah.
They which builded on the wall, and they which bear burdens, everyone of those which laid it, Everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with his other hand.
Hell a weapon. Verse 19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall one from another.
In what place, therefore you hear the sound of the trumpet? Resort ye thither unto us. Our God shall fight for us. Our God shall fight for us. Chapter 6 of Nehemiah. Now it came to pass, when San Valid and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein, though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates.
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That San Ballad and Gershom sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono.
But they thought to do me mischief, and I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am going a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should I leave the work? Cease whilst I leave it and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort, and I answered them after the same manner. And then further down in the chapter, the end of verse seven. Come now, therefore let us take counsel together. Then I.
Him saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou faintest them out of thine own heart. For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. And then in verse 16.
And it came to pass that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things.
They were much cast down in their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God. So we have Epaphras, who was a prisoner.
And he was a companion, and he had a prayer that they would stand perfect and complete in all the will of God, a minor player.
Here's more of a major player. But what did he do? He turned repeatedly again and again, and he spoke specifically to God, asked for help. The work was great. They tried to lure him away. They tried to keep him from doing what God had called him to do. But God wanted every vessel to be put back in the right place. He wanted every protection for the people of God. He wanted them to walk in obedience to the truth revealed divinely.
And the enemy would continually challenge them, berate them, scold them, ridicule them, lure them.
Again and again and again, using just about every tactic known to man. There's a great book on Ezra and Nehemiah by Dennett. It goes through every single point on this. It's really enlightening on this Ezra, Nehemiah. But at the very end, they saw, they were cast down. They perceived that this work was wrought of our God. What you and I do in our homes, in our workplaces, in our communities when we travel, it may seem very small, very insignificant. It may seem like a path is just keeping Paul company in jail.
Suggesting a prayer may seem very small, but not to God.
Every one of those vessels was important. It counts them, it numbers them and identifies them. The gold, the silver, all the different things, they were all precious to the heart of God and each one of us, we are precious to the heart of God. Like to close with just reading one more prayer. We read a prayer in the Philippians, one in our reading and Colossians 4IN Ephesians chapter one.
Just read this and sit down a prayer of the apostle Paul, Ephesians one and 15 Wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints.
Cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you are in our prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and with the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us, we do believe according to the working of His mighty power.
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And have put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church.
Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth. All in all, we all have a place in that body.
May we fulfill that which God has called us to and do that little work and the time remaining until our Lord comes for us.