Open—M. Payette, J. Nunn, B. Prost
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174.
All patient, spotless one our hearts and meekness train to bear thy yoke and learn of thee, that we may rest. Obtain 174.
OK.
Occupy.
2nd Epistle of John.
Second John and verse 12 having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper any.
But I trust to come into you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. Third John verse.
13.
I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen. Write unto thee.
But I trust I shall shortly see thee.
And we shall speak.
Face to face.
A verse in.
Exodus 25, verse 21 And also put the mercy seat above upon the ark, and in the ark thou shall put the testimony that I shall give thee. Verse 22 and there.
I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee.
From above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims, which are upon the ocular testimony of all things, which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. Exodus 33.
Verse 11.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, face to face.
As a man speaketh upon unto his friend.
There is some numbers chapter 12.
Numbers chapter 12, verse one.
And Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married before he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said that the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses. Had you not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. But the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. And Lord, spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam.
Came out E3 unto the Tabernacle of the congregation, and.
Day three came out, and the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the Tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forth. And he said, Here now my words, if there be a prophet among you, if the Lord will make thyself known, myself known unto him in a vision, and we speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so who is faithful in all my house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth even.
Apparently, and not in dark speeches and.
The similitude of the Lord shall he behold. Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
And one last verse before I comment in the first Peter.
Chapter 4.
Numbers 11.
First Peter, 411.
If any man speak.
Let him speak.
As the oracles of God.
But encouraged me to come up was Brother Dave's prayer and talking about the lips of the Lord, you know.
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That Moses had and his privilege of of speaking face to face, mouth to mouth with the Lord, and and he saw Moses, the Lord spoke with him as with a friend.
And he saw a similar to the Lord, he expressed his face to face. But later on in chapter 33 of Exodus, God says no man can see my face and live. So he was hid in the cleft of the rock and he could see the Lord from behind. He couldn't see his face.
Now when we come to the New Testament, we see through a glass darkly, but then shortly we will see face to face.
You know Moses was a privileged man in the Old Testament.
And we read in the Gospels the words of the Lord that said of those that were born of women, there was no greater than John the Baptist.
But the lesser in the Kingdom of God was greater than He.
And I believe that that refers to the position that God has brought us into to the work of the Lord Jesus.
We had that verse yesterday in Romans chapter 8 and those are led by the Spirit of God, sons of God.
We have this this privilege that we've been brought into through the Lord Jesus that our approach is greater than anything comparable the Old Testament.
Sons of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, God is our Father.
And so we had these, umm, verses from the apostle John.
He wrote 3 epistles, one gospel and the Book of Revelation, yet the scriptures repeat to us in the second and third officially had much more than he would have wanted to communicate and he was going to say that speak to that face to face.
And it's encouraged me to consider.
The ministry of the Spirit of God.
You know, there are extremes that we find in Christianity. We're running, talking with brother, uh.
Timuruga about something called I think it's Sola scriptura and they're very attached to just just the scriptures and do away with the Spirit. And yeah, the other extreme that I do is away with the scriptures and does all sorts of things supposedly and the power of the Spirit of God and the these are extremes that are not in conformity with we have as a teaching in the word of God. But there's this realm of liberty that belongs to us.
As sons of God, the liberty to enter into the holiest.
Anytime in the presence of God Himself.
First Corinthians chapter 12. We talked about that yesterday with someone. Second Corinthians chapter 12.
If also, Paul says.
2nd Corinthians 12 and two.
I knew her. I know a man in Christ about 14 years ago. Whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell. God know it. Such in one caught up to the 3rd heaven and I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell. God know it how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which is not lawful for a man to utter.
Now, obviously, the apostle Paul.
Chosen vessel a particular.
Servant of the Lord and has been mentioned. He's one of the greatest missionaries. Not the greatest missionary for the cause of the gospel and the glory of the Lord Jesus, but he was a man in Christ. It's because he was in Christ that he could be taken up into the 3rd heaven. He didn't know it was in body or just in spirit, but because he was in Christ he had access.
He had liberty to be introduced in the presence of God himself.
And I believe the other one this afternoon, that every one of us here who are in Christ, we have the same liberty.
When the Lord Jesus comes.
He's gonna change our bodies and He's gonna introduce us into the Father's house in the presence of God himself.
And the work of the Lord Jesus so complete and sufficient that these mortal bodies that we live in, that give us so many struggles and the twinkling of an eye can be changed.
No more effect power of sin, no more presence of sin. Be conformed to His glorious body like that.
Best being in Christ and when we are ushered into the presence of God Himself.
Comfortable. There we have a divine nature. Christ is fitted for heaven, of course.
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And so are you and I.
Around the earth, you know, and.
We had that verse in the first Peter chapter 4. If any man speak, let him speak as the Oracle of God.
And the Old Testament, they referred to the Oracle, and I really was the holiest of holies. That's from where the communications of God came. And Moses, he would get it first hand, you know, get it from the Lord himself and then share it with the people.
What about you and I? Can we get it first hand?
Did Moses have greater privileges than you and I have? I don't believe so.
We have greater privileges.
Now I'm gonna go to uh.
A meeting if I'm gonna go to to take a gospel meeting or somebody would ask me to take an address or.
I could do one of two things perhaps.
Of course I pray, but I could go to my library.
Very like good writing, good ministry.
And I could fill my mind and my heart with.
Things that I've read in my library.
And then I could share that to much profit I believe.
For the Saints of God, I believe that.
Or I could get in the presence of God Himself, freely come into His presence.
And yet from him.
What he would have me speak about, what he would want to fill my heart with, to share with another.
And so I do believe near ones that we have.
The greatest privilege ever offered to human being on the face of the earth right now.
To come boldly in the presence of God without fear.
The holiest we enter in perfect peace with God, and it's all because of the Lord Jesus and the gift of the Father.
And I believe if we avail ourselves of this privilege.
I'm the first one to have to take this to heart, that we'll be able to speak.
To communicate to others what comes from the heart of God Himself. That's what the oracles of God is, Is speaking for God. What would God want to tell us? Well, he would want to tell us about his Son, doesn't He?
He wants us to be established and what we have in Christ now we would avail ourselves of the privileges that are ours and use them.
We have access to God by faith.
That's the door is open.
Do we come?
A word for each one of us, younger and old.
Can God speak through a young brother?
Wow, he's been in the presence of the Lord. He's just free to go in the presence of the Lord. The Gray haired ones.
And yet from the Lord something laid on his heart, from God himself.
And God, in this sovereign grace and greatness and mercy, can use human lips.
To communicate his heart.
Is that true?
I believe it's true.
Is it happening? I trust it is.
Could it happen more? I'm sure it could.
So I've enjoyed this thought here in Second and Third John, that there was much more to be shared and enjoyed.
And so God, not that we want to add from to the scriptures. Not my thought at all.
But we need to have timely ministry. We need to have the thoughts of the Lord for us in the times that we're going through right now.
Getting darker and darker.
And if I went to my library and read ministry from the past century, very good ministry. I'm not criticizing that at all, not in any measure.
But the times were different.
And perhaps God has much for us now for these friends, to his word, of course, by his Spirit.
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And we could be hearing, and I trust we are at times and often those things that come from the very heart of God. So the apostle Paul, a man in Christ was taken up into the 3rd heaven. He heard things. And I'm not sure exactly how to interpret what he, what he did here. But you and I, we can go in the presence of the Lord in the 3rd heaven and we can hear things too.
Enjoy things from the heart of our Father. Establish our soul. Rest our souls in a finished work.
You know we're reading Romans chapter 8.
We'd be surprised at the percentage of true believers that are ignorant.
Of the truth in these first eight chapters. Why is that?
There's so much being said about the scriptures, and why aren't the souls established in the basic truth?
But perhaps because the Lord doesn't have ears to listen to what's coming out of his lips for the time that we're living in. So I just want to encourage you there once. I don't want to take much time. I think I've been long enough to share with you that privilege that we have right now. You know, it says in the Numbers chapter 12 That, uh, Miriam and Aaron, they, they spoke against Moses and uh, they use their lips themselves.
And that was their own thoughts, you know, and, uh.
I just like to, I, it's a little play on words, but umm, Miriam got leprosy. You know, it was leprosy, but it's leprosy and I would put you in, uh.
Just watch that literacy, you know, because imagine the same lips that can communicate the oracles of God.
And criticize.
Those through whom?
The Lord is speaking.
I remember your brother in the Lord. He's with the Lord now and the first time I heard him.
I didn't like his voice.
And the Lord kind of had to talk to me, says never mind the voice, listen to what he's saying.
I wanna listen to what he's saying. Oh.
Who is the Lord speaking to me and to others too. You know God could use your lips, my lips. He can do that. We can use our lips too. But let's not be like Miriam and Aaron and have leprosy pronounced upon us that our lips would be filled with praise and adoration that we had this morning to be in the presence of God himself and the Lord Jesus. In a moment, in a quinting of an eye, we're going to be there physically.
As we were this morning spiritually to see him.
Face to face and to worship Him as He is worthy. We can do that now without having seen Him with our eyes. So just to encourage us, dear ones, to if we want to speak in the oracles of God, we have to come in the presence of God and listen to what He has for us and for others. And then we'll be able to administer mouth to mouth to one another. But He'll be coming from the heart of God Himself.
Well, I trust you won't be distracted by my accent. Umm, Simon Peter was recognized by his. I'm here to say maybe I'm recognized by mine. But I'd like to turn to the verse we begin our meetings with the other day, and it is Romans chapter 8.
At first really touched my heart as we were considering it.
It's Romans chapter 8. I'm not going to be here to teach you English. It wouldn't be fair, would it? But in this chapter, in the new translation, there's a full stop. Okay, we're going to read up to that. It says there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus is a full stop there, a full stop. What a wonderful statement.
The apostle Paul by the Spirit was able to give us, dear friend, there's no condemnation.
Wherein Christ, you know, we, we discussed this chapter, didn't we? Some of it we haven't got to the end yet, but there's no condemnation. Why is it that so many of us, and I include myself here, we feel so unsure sometimes. I'm not sure. I don't feel saved. We discussed that for him, didn't we? That it's usually.
That our hearts are divided. That we are allowing things in our lives.
Which?
Are not honoring to the Lord.
I'd like to look back to the Old Testament to a couple of examples. The first one of course is well known to you, I'm sure is in Daniel chapter one.
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Daniel one. I'll read a few verses there.
Chapter, chapter one, verse five, and the king appointed to them, that's the captives from Israel, from Jerusalem.
A daily provision of the King's meat, and of the the wine which he drank, so nourishing them out them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were the children of Judah, Daniel and Ananias, Michel and Azaroya.
Unto whom the Prince of the eunuchs gave names, verse 8. But Daniel purposed in his heart, that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's meat, nor with the one that he drank, Nor therefore he requested of the Prince of the eunuchs, that he might not devour himself.
Daniel purposed in his heart.
Janta, Ezra. Chapter 7.
Here's your seven. I'm going to read the first few verses.
Now after these things, in the reign of Arctic Xerxes, king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Soraya, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shalom, the son of Sadok, the son of Haito, the son of Amariah, the son of Azaria, the son of Maryoff, the son of Zerah, the son of Ozzie, the son of Aki, the son of Abishai, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron Dupree, the chief priest.
This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was already thriving the law of Moses.
Which the Lord God of Israel had given, and the King granted him all his requests, according to the hand of the his Lord, the Lord his God upon him.
And some of it went up from the children of Israel, of the of the priests, of the Levites, of the singers of the porters, and the Nephians, unto Jerusalem in the seventh year of Arctic Xerxes the king. And he came to Jerusalem in the 5th month, which was in the seventh year of the king. And upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon. And on the first day of the month, on the 5th day of the 5th month he was in Jerusalem, according.
To the good hand of his God upon him. For Israel had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statues and judgments. Just going to compare Daniel and Ezra for a minute.
Daniel very obviously was a young man, maybe a young boy.
It speaks to him earlier in that chapter, certain of the children of Israel, the King's seed. I feel sure he was a child, 12 years old, ten years old, 14 years old. I'm not sure, but I would encourage you at that age.
That you like, Daniel, you need to turn your heart to the Lord. You say, well, I I belong to the Lord. Yes, but how much have you given him? How much have you given him of the Lord? Your life here, Daniel, he, he knew it was wrong. He had a conscience about what he was asked to do.
What does he do well?
He purposes in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's wing. Sometimes when you have a bad conscience about something, as a believer, younger or older, you, you, you know that it's going to offend somebody. You know that others are not going to be happy with you. But dear friends, who do you listen to? Who do you listen to? Is your heart toward the Lord? He has their first place, doesn't he?
You know, going back to the first verse that I read, sometimes we are so unsure.
Of our salvation simply because we have a divided heart. We have a heart that's listening to two masters and that is a is a is a, is a recipe for failure here, Daniel, he's a young man, a young boy, and he purposes in his heart. And you, if you read the chapter, you see how the Lord came in and he was, he didn't have to compromise himself, did he? He made this request and it was proven that he, he, he, he thought that he was requesting was good for him and his friends.
And, uh, go over to, uh, to astronaut Israel. In this chapter, we have a long genealogy of Astra. And I do believe that Asia was an older man. He'd been walking with the Lord and he, his characteristic was that he could speak of the hand of the Lord his God upon him.
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Now if you purpose in your heart to follow the Lord, you too will feel the hand of the Lord upon you.
And verse 10 he prepares his heart to seek the law of the Lord.
You might think, well, Daniel has had a good upbringing. Daniel has descended directly from Aaron the priest, but it wasn't that Daniel was hot, was prepared, sorry. Ezra's heart was prepared to follow the law of the Lord. But it doesn't stop there. What was he doing learning the law of the Lord? He was he was doing it. It says at the end of verse 10 to teach in Israel.
Statutes and judgments, you know, it doesn't start when you're older. It all starts when you're younger. You have to, we have to listen to the word of God. Umm, so.
Many of us as as children, as the Lo, as the Paul spoke to Timothy, we've heard it from our our very young years. What a precious period that is. We, we haven't all heard of God from a very young age, but it's a privilege when you have. May the Lord bless it to you younger ones that you've heard the word of God when you're young and it will stand you in good stead of the Lord's Harris throughout your life.
So I do believe that Ezra was an older person. He'd been in the word of God from his young years, and it was now that he was proving it to the blessing.
Of others.
But it says there that he prepared his heart to seek the Lord.
Both of these men, Daniel and Ezra, it has to do with the heart.
The road speaks in the world, doesn't he? Of the thoughts and intents of the heart. He knows those. But you know, it's the heart speaks of what our intentions are. It speaks of what we what moves us, doesn't it?
May the Lord move your heart and mind day by day and maybe give him that full heart. I'm gonna make, make a story if you like, umm, going back to Israel's history, Umm, no. We've read so often and heard Venice that the, the, uh, the offerings, the sacrifices that were brought to the door of the Tabernacle. Now let's say, uh, there's a young man, we'll call him Joseph. That's my name.
Umm, he comes to with, to the door of the Tabernacle and he has his, his lamb for a sacrifice and uh, he offered it to the priest, whoever it was at that point. Umm, And uh, the priest takes it and uh, what Joseph says, well, priest, is it? Can I, when you've killed him, can I have half of it? I need half of it. Uh, you can have the other half of the Lord.
Is that what I'm doing with my life? Is that what you're doing with your life? Half hearted for the Lord?
Wants the whole sacrifice. And that would be sad, wouldn't it, if we had an account like that in the word of God. But he wants the whole sacrifice. He wants you all. He wants your heart, dear friend, totally. You know, so often we sung some lovely hymns two nights ago in in the thing and there's many more that we in that wonderful we often sing, don't we, so lustily.
The things he was like, well, I am dying, O Lord, I've heard thy voice. You know, when we sing those things, we should question our hearts, and maybe we should sing them a little more quietly as a prayer if they're not really true of our lives. Turn to Matthew's Gospel now, chapter 6.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Again, it's the heart. And dear friend, younger or older.
May the Lord have all your heart. It's it's like that boy that perhaps took his lamb to the priest and said, I want half back. I need half of it. You can have the other half of the priest for the, for the Lord. Umm, the Lord wants it all. He wants you all. He wants your whole life, your whole heart and it will show you know in your heart and life whether you've done that or not, as it says here in this verse.
Where your treasure is there, where your heart be also is your treasure.
With Him do you find treasure in the presence of the Lord day by day as you read His words. May that Lord bless that to heal your heart and to mine how we need that, so that then we can sing those wonderful hymns from the heart. I am thine, O Lord.
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I am dying whether all bless these few words to your heart and eyes. One last verse before we finish First Samuel chapter 16.
First Samuel 16.
Advert.
Seven you know Sammy was a wonderful subject to study.
His name, his very name means he was asked for. His mother went to the priest, she prayed to the Lord for that little boy, and the Lord gave him to her. And so often we see in Samuel's life that the Lord hears his prayers. Well, umm, here we have.
Samuel speaking to Jesse and.
His family are believed at the end of verse seven, we have uh.
So the Lord see us not what men as men see us, for man looketh upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Don't forget that. May the Lord bless you as you realize so much that the Lord wants your whole heart, and He looks on our hearts. He sees your intentions, and He loves us.
Permit me to share a real burden that I've had on my heart for some time. Turn with me, please, to a verse in Mark's Gospel, chapter 4.
Mark chapter 4.
Mark chapter 4 and we won't read the whole parable, but going back to the beginning of the chapter.
We find in verse 18 it says.
Mark 4 and 18. And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, entering in choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Now turn back to the Old Testament for a verse.
At the latter end of the book of Proverbs.
Chapter 30. Proverbs Chapter 30.
And verse 24.
Proverbs 30 and verse 24.
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise.
And then it's the first one that I had on my heart. The ants are a people, not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.
One more verse in the Book of Lamentations.
Lamentations.
Chapter 3.
And verse 27.
Lamentations 3 and 27.
It is good for a man that he bare the yoke in his youth.
Going back to Mark chapter 4, I'm sure most of us are very familiar with what is commonly called the Parable of the Sower. It's repeated several times in the gospels, in Matthew and Mark and Luke, and there we have 4 different kinds of soil.
The seed is always good. Nothing wrong with the seed, but the soil varies.
Most of us are familiar with it.
But in those four kinds of soil, typically speaking, we have the sphere of the devil.
The seed that falls by the wayside on a rough or rather a hard packed pathway, and the birds come and pick it up. We have the sphere of nature or the sphere of the flesh.
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Where the seed falls on Stony ground where it doesn't have much depth of earth.
Because the ground warms quickly, the seed grows immediately. But then when things get a little tough, when there isn't enough moisture, it has no depth of earth, no root going down deeper.
The plant dies.
And then here we have the sphere of the world.
We won't talk so much about the good ground. That's the sphere of the Holy Spirit. There's fruit there.
And I trust everyone who is hearing me as a true believer. We can't count on that, but we're speaking to believers.
And in the world of today, we need the solemn warning that we get in this verse, and we'll just turn back to it in Mark chapter 4.
Because I'm going to apply it to a believer.
Yes, and in in the sphere of the world, often the seed doesn't grow because.
The things of this world choke it out, but there's an application for you and me as believers, and you will notice that the first thing mentioned in that 19th verse of Mark's 4. Mark 4.
Is the cares of this life.
Do we know what they mean? I think we all do.
Even young children today know what the cares of this life are.
Some of you younger ones will probably get a smirk out of this, but I never had a speck of homework until I got to high school. Not a bit. I know back in the dark ages, you're probably saying, but I can remember how hard it hit me when suddenly in high school there was this pile of homework to be done.
Cares of this life and so on. Not that there weren't cares before that, but they weren't the same.
And the world is getting very complicated and very difficult.
And the cares of this life are insidious because they are to some extent necessary, aren't they?
And we can go to an extreme in ignoring the cares of this life. And sometimes we see that happening where individuals say, well, I'm just going to put all that aside and drift along and not worry too much about the future, not worry too much about keeping my life in order, not worry too much about where I'm going, how I'm going to provide for myself.
The world is too complicated, I don't know which way to turn.
Everything is very difficult and it is. It is.
Again, I don't want to reminisce about the good old days, and they weren't always so good, so I don't wanna do that.
The book of Ecclesiastes warns us about that and says, say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these for though just not inquire wisely concerning this matter. Why is that? Because I can't turn back the clock. I can't relive those days. And those who try to are doomed to what we call nostalgia, the pleasure of remembering something in the past.
And the pain of not being able to recreate it, isn't that right?
But in these western lands where you and I live, the world is complicated.
And the cares of this life can overtake us.
And I speak to my own heart. And then following up on that, there are the things called the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in They come too, Brother Bob. Tony was mentioning them in the reading yesterday and in his address. And how that sometimes those dear believers in more simple cultures seem to have an enjoyment of Christ that shines in their faces.
Now, it's not always that way, and it doesn't have to be that way.
There are some in these lands that try to turn back the clock and they work with horses and they refuse to have electricity and all the rest of it, but that really isn't the answer.
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Let's turn back now to that verse in the Proverbs.
We read it there in chapter 30.
And the Lord commends.
The ants, among other things, for being exceedingly wise, because they prepare their meat in the summer.
No, you and I might say, Well, Bill, wait a minute. How does that square with what the Lord Jesus tells us in the New Testament to take no thought for the Morrow what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink?
Or for your raiment, what she we, she what ye shall put on. I'm not quoting that strictly word for word, but you know the Scripture and the Lord warned his disciples that.
Taking too much care for all these things was to be like the people of the world.
And yet God commands the ants for preparing their meat in the summer.
In all, the wonderful thing about the Word of God is that it keeps everything in perfect balance, and much of the precious truth that we get in God's Word consists of keeping truth that would at first glance seem to be in opposition to each other in proper balance.
There is a need not to be too taken up with the cares of this life.
I remember while reading in our written ministry, which Michelle was referring to, and it's good to dig into that written ministry.
But if you're going to speak, don't dig into it the night before you're going to speak. Dig into it a year before, meditate on it, walk in the good of it, and then minister it.
But the point is, the brother said in our written ministry, I never forgot it, he said. Do I walk through this world?
With as few cares on my heart and in my mind as if I were lying on my deathbed and I knew that I would very shortly leave this world.
Even the world recognizes that. I told this story a few days ago, and some here probably heard me tell it. But about a week or two ago I.
Turned on my computer and I have to say, and I'm being honest, I do not make a habit of browsing the Internet to see what I can find, but in the server that I have, sometimes they put little things on that they think you might be interested in, and this one caught my eye.
After I die.
And I thought, that's interesting. I wonder what they're going to say. So I clicked on it, and here were a whole bunch of things that suddenly wouldn't matter anymore. All those emails that are coming into my inbox will remain unanswered. All those texts that people are sending me won't matter at all anymore. That work that I was supposed to finish at my job.
It won't be a problem anymore and it went down through a whole lot of things, including some very real things such as loved ones.
Weeping over my dead body and so on. The world understands that all that won't matter anymore.
Of course, sad to say, the article ended up by saying something that was really very sad. It said, and all those mysteries of life and death that I never understood before will suddenly become clear.
Yes, I thought, if you don't know Christ as your Savior, they will become painfully clear.
If you have rejected Christ.
So this isn't a gospel meeting, we just allude to that.
The point is there is a need to decomplicate our lives, to lay aside those things that aren't going to matter.
In eternity, in order that our hearts and minds can be filled with what really matters. Does that mean I don't do the best at my job? Does that mean I don't study as well as should? Of course not.
Whatever I do, I ought to do it as unto the Lord.
But I do say there there is such a thing.
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As perhaps not getting the highest honors in every sphere in this world in order to seek what someone has called the degree.
Aug And some of you young people guess what that refers to the degree.
Aug found in second Timothy study to show thyself approved unto God.
And I knew a brother, he's long since with the Lord.
Who could have been at the top of his class in engineering, but who gave his time and his energy more to the Lord? He didn't neglect his studies, but he didn't stand at the top of his class and win the gold medal.
Because he used more of his time for the Lord. Was it worth it? Indeed it was. But then going back to this in Proverbs here.
What about preparing our meat in the summer? Oh, God is a God of order. God is not a God of laziness. And we won't take time to refer to them. But I'm sure you're familiar with many verses in the Proverbs where the sluggard and the slothful man is condemned. Time after time after time, on and on the verses go.
Go to the Ant thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise.
Same imagery as we have here.
Is it right to order our lives in a proper way? Yes, it is. Is it right? And I say it very specially, not merely because I want to single you out, but for a young man.
You can know the mind of God for your lives. It is God's order that we work and labor with our hand, as we had brought with us, brought before us yesterday, the thing that is good for what purpose? In order that we might provide for our needs. That's understood. But it goes beyond that, doesn't it? That He might have to give to him that needed. That verse is in Ephesians 4 and it was referred to in the readings.
It is important and it's becoming more difficult and I see young people today and.
I don't show my feelings as much as some people do, but it really does make me weep, at least inwardly, to see young people spend time and energy, maybe getting an education, maybe getting training, and then finding that there's no job for them.
And it's not just a problem in North America. A brother in India shared this with me a while ago. He said, brother Bill, it's a real problem where we live because we live in a depressed area and it's not irrigated. So they grow only one crop a year, in contrast to some areas in southern India where they can grow 3-4 crops a year because of irrigation. So he said even young men in the South can work in the fields and although they don't make big money, they.
Survive, but up here, what can you do working for one crop a year that is working for someone not with your own land. And if they want to get work, they have to go away to the big cities and then the housing is expensive and sometimes there's no fellowship, he said. It's a hard issue to face.
It is.
I don't have the answers.
I don't have the answers. I can only say to each one of us that if you and I want to honor what God says in His Word, and I have said that to some of those dear brethren, if the Scripture tells you and me to work.
And to support ourselves and to support our families and to have something leftover to give away. I think we can go to the Lord and say, Lord, I want to obey the Scripture. I want to do that. Show me how.
But then I better be ready to take what the Lord gives me.
I better be ready to take what the Lord gives me to do. I better not be picky and choosy and say, well Lord, I don't like that kind of work.
Or I don't like that sort of thing, but you know, the Lord is good and he generally according to that verse. We won't turn to it what it says, train up a child in the way he should go, but more accurately, it should retrain up a child according to the tenor of his way. And if we look to the Lord, He delights to give that which is not only something we can do.
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But something that is according to the tenor of our way, not always.
I knew those in past generations who had the brains and who had the will to get an education and do perhaps a professional job.
And they did manual labor all their lives because they grew up in poor families and they couldn't afford to go to school. And they did it. And they did it for God's glory.
But where is the verse that?
Caps all this off, turn to a Matthew's Gospel.
We've been there already. We'll turn to it again.
Matthew's Gospel.
Chapter 6. And this verse is repeated elsewhere, but this will do.
Matthew chapter 6 after he has told the people, the Lord Jesus, not to be overly concerned about where their next meal was coming from, where they were going to.
Get something to wear and so on.
He doesn't say.
Don't do anything about it, he says. Don't be anxious about it. That's where the problem comes in. A godly care and a godly concern from the order and godliness of my life is right. Anxiety is wrong. And notice what he says in verse 33 of chapter 6.
Black Sea Key 1St.
The Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
I say to your heart and mind, that is God's promise. Isn't that encouraging? It's God's promise that all these things shall be added unto you. Does that mean that I'll get everything I want? No, it doesn't. And as we had brought before us yesterday, how much better if I don't have everything I want in order that there's more room in my heart?
For the things that the new life really wants.
But if I put the Lord first in my life and seek.
The Kingdom of God. Now maybe, perhaps that phrase needs explaining. What does that mean, the Kingdom of God? Well, in a general way, and we won't take a lot of time to enlarge on it, but in a general way, the Kingdom of God as an expression in Scripture speaks of a moral condition, a moral state in your life and mind which is in keeping with those.
Who recognize the rightful king?
The Lord Jesus came into this world and offered himself as the rightful King and.
And man said we will not have this man to reign over us, and they cast him out.
But now what?
The Lord Jesus has shown us what the moral character of his Kingdom is, and he's left you and me here to display it. And so you will find throughout the New Testament, and very specially in Paul's epistles, that he preaches not only the gospel of the grace of God, but he preaches the things concerning the Kingdom of God. Why?
Oh, because simply.
Knowing Christ is our Savior, wonderful though it is.
Is not in itself going to display Christ to this world. There needs to be a walk in keeping with it.
And so Paul preached the Kingdom of God and preached very clearly that those who carried on with the things of the flesh could not inherit the Kingdom of God and so on. But then he talks about the fruit of the Spirit, talks about that which that Holy Spirit will produce in US, if only we'll let him and if we seek those things.
And his righteousness.
His righteousness.
You know Scripture tells us that we are made the righteousness of God in him, but God expects that righteousness to be practically, practically displayed in you and me. And if we are actively seeking that the Lord makes a promise. All these things shall be added unto you. And you know those who have taken this verse at its face value and trust of the Lord have.
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Found it to be true. Now don't get me wrong.
You and I will be tested.
You and I will be tested and we will all be tested in different ways.
We heard prayer in one of the prayer meetings about those who were out of a wor out of a job.
I have freely to confess to you that I have never had that experience. Usually medical doctors don't get fired and put out of a job unless they behave themselves so badly that their license is revoked or something like that. But the point is, I have never had that experience. But I know.
In my own heart, what it must feel like suddenly not to have that job. And it's a tremendous test, and sometimes it goes on and on. And I've talked and I've prayed with those who have had that experience.
Sometimes. So what am I going to do?
Very, very difficult thing.
The Lord says, All these things shall be added unto you.
Young people, perhaps you find the going very difficult, you say. I'm not sure what to do.
I want to please the Lord.
I can tell you with absolute assurance that he will make a way for you if you are seeking his interests. You never saw a nation that sent an ambassador to another nation.
That didn't normally and in the normal course of events provide for that ambassador to do the work that was given for them to do. Now I know there may be nations that are very, very poor and once in a while that could be a problem. I haven't run across that, but it could happen. But in a normal course of events, if a nation sends.
Its ambassador to another country.
They provide him with what he needs or her with what she needs in order to do the job that is given them to do.
The Lord has left you and me here in this world to look after His interests. The Lord makes a promise.
I say to each one of us, but particularly if I may be allowed to say this to the beloved young people.
You're not working for a poor government.
You're not working for a poor country when you're working for the Lord, you're not sent out.
By a country that says I can't afford to give you anymore.
All the wealth of the world is that the Lord's disposal and he has promised in Philippians chapter 4, and Paul says so with absolute assurance, My God shall supply all your need out of his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Is that what it says?
If the Lord said that, that would be enough for me.
But he doesn't say that, he says according to his riches.
Let me tell you one story that some here are probably familiar with.
Yeah, maybe I shouldn't tell it, but it illustrates the point.
Our brother Jonathan Leben, whose name is somewhat well known because of Morningstar Camp, sometimes gets to do carvings for people in high places and who are categorized by being the rich and the famous.
And I will remember one time.
There was a man there who came to Morningstar Camp for a visit and stayed for the evening and for the gospel meeting.
Whose name was and is? He's still alive. Richard Petty.
Some of you will know who he is has to do with NASCAR and racing and so on car racing.
Very well known name, famous man, multi millionaire.
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I believe the Lord was working with him.
The night he was there, I saw him in that gospel meeting with the tears running down his face, and I believe he got peace and came to Christ.
When he left Morningstar camp, he said you know this has been a unique experience.
He said.
Only one little boy asked me for an autograph that was most unusual.
What was even more unusual, no one passed the collection plate.
Because whenever he'd been to any kind of a meeting before, people had expected him to, expected him to give out of his riches.
And that made him squirm a little bit. He didn't like being singled out like that. Oh, Richard Petty's here, well past the collection. Played around, get a good contribution.
I won't go into detail.
But he was so impressed that later on he wanted to help out Morningstar camp. And I won't give the details because I don't suppose I should, but all I will say is when he gave.
The goodness of his heart.
He didn't give just out of his riches. He gave according to his riches, far more than anyone would ever put in any collection plate.
God is going to look after you and me, not out of his riches merely, but according to his riches.
May He give us the grace and the wisdom in these last days.
On the one hand, to avoid the cares of this life, that's one extreme, one ditch that we can fall into. On the other hand, to avoid that loose, lackadaisical lifestyle that says, So what? Somebody will feed me, somebody you'll look after me. And there are a lot of social safety Nets in North America, which we can be thankful for.
But the answer is to seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
A Christian who is seeking God's interest in this world will never be lazy, but he will look after the Lord's interests, and the Lord will look after him or her. 42 in the appendix.