Open—S. Hallowell, J. Hyland, S. Bambauer
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I'm not very used to being up here and I won't take very long because there's a lot of brothers here that are a lot more gifted than I am.
But what I had on my heart is I look around at this.
There's a lot of people here.
And uh.
Been a happy time and I've been thankful for it.
But I can't help but as I look around I.
I still see that there's sometimes lonely people even in the middle of a crowd.
In fact, there's probably nothing more. Uh.
Difficult than to be lonely in the middle of a crowd of people that you've known.
And yet it happens.
And I don't. I trust it's not happening to too many people.
But I'd like to just say just a few words to give you God's encouragement that he.
No, this is and he cares.
The first verse I'd like to read is one we all know and uh.
It's in Hebrews chapter 13.
Maybe my mind is OK. Here we are, Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5.
Just the last part of the verse.
Be content of such things as you have, for he hath said.
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
You know.
That is just the most awesome promise that I have ever seen.
Think of how many.
Friendships.
Come and go.
Sometimes our circumstances are good and sometimes not, but here is a promise from.
Uh, the Lord Himself.
Says I'll never leave you or forsake you.
I'd just like to look at just a couple of passages to in the the Old Testament, umm, just so that we can see what kind of a God we really have.
I'm thinking of the book of Ezra.
Just a passage that we don't usually read too much. Sometimes we even skip over it as we read through our bibles.
I'd just like to read just a few verses in Ezra chapter 2.
I could read another section of this chapter, it wouldn't be any different.
Maybe we could start from verse 26.
The Children of Rhema and GABA, 620, and one the Men of McMaster, 122.
The men of Bethel and AI 220 and three.
The children of Nebo, 50 and two, and I could go on. There's a lot of people here.
Why did God put that in the Bible?
I like to think it's because he wanted to for us to notice.
You know he could have put.
You know, there was about about 120 or about 50.
But he didn't do that.
He counted. I'm sure the children of Israel did too, but but he made sure that each and every person.
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Was listed and numbered. They all mattered to him. Every single one of them.
And he has these passages throughout his word. In fact, you'll find that most of the names in the Bible there, you find them in lists that, once again, we often skip over them.
We don't notice them. They aren't important to us because we don't know anything about the people that we read their names. But God thought they were important enough to put them down in His Word and record them for us to read because He cared about those people, just like He cared about the ones who did great things.
Yeah, one more passage.
Numbers, Chapter 7.
And you have in this chapter.
The offerings of the the Princess of Israel.
And uh.
They brought a lot of different things.
I'll just read one of them, but they were all identical and they're all listed too.
Uh, we might get a little tired of reading them.
Umm.
Chapters #7 Verse 12. And he that offered his offering the first day was Nashon the son of Amitabh of the tribe of Judah. And his offering was 1. Silver charger. The weight thereof was 100.
And 30 she goes 1 silver bowl of 70 shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary. Both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering. One spoon of 10 shekels of gold full of incense. One young Bullock, 1 ram, 1 lamb of the first year for a burnt offering. One kit of the goats for a sin offering and for a sacrifice of peace offerings to oxen. 5 Rams, five he goats.
Five lambs of the first year. This was the offering of the son of well, you know, if you were to read down over the next 12 Princess, they're all exactly the same.
There wasn't anything special.
Or different about their offering than the one that anybody else brought. And yet God took notice of each and everyone. And I think as we.
As we sing hymns together, as we pray together, as we meditate together of the Lord Jesus Christ and His glory.
Why? You know, you might not be offering anything different than anybody else is.
Fact, the Spirit of God tends to focus our thoughts together, but you know, God values each and every individual's contribution to the glory of the Lord Jesus. Well, I won't take any more time but.
But I would like to look at a portion of Scripture this afternoon that I had hoped to cap our remarks with yesterday on the subject of happiness. And we ran out of time. So perhaps with the Lord's help, we'll just turn to a few for a few moments, to a portion in John's Gospel, chapter 17.
I'm sorry, John's Gospel, Chapter 13.
And verse 17.
John's Gospel chapter 13 and verse 17.
If ye know these things, happier ye, if ye do them well. We have taken up in these meetings at some length the subject of happiness, and we applied it in the Scriptures we looked at yesterday afternoon particularly in connection with individual happiness and those things that go into the equation as to constituting our happiness, our joy in the Lord.
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But I believe here we have something that is not so much individual.
Although it does begin with the individual, but this is more the collective side of things.
Sometimes when we quote this verse, if you know these things, happier ye if ye do them, we quote it in a broad sense in connection with obedience to the Word of God, and certainly it has its application. But if we notice the context here, we find that this exhortation is really in connection with something very definite and specific. If we were to back up in this chapter to the beginning of what we have referred to in these meetings as the upper Room ministry.
We would find that the Lord Jesus has just given the disciples the illustration of feet washing. He has himself gird himself with a towel, taking a basin of water and washed the disciples feet.
But you know, I believe that the Lord Jesus was bringing before them, and for our learning too.
A far greater truth than the fact that we need to wash one another's feet, literally.
I say that because he tells them what I do now, What I do you know not now, but ye shall know hereafter.
That is, they knew that he was literally washing their feet. But what he's saying is.
You won't understand the real spiritual meaning of what I am doing.
Until later on after the Spirit of God is come and I suggest that what we have in the illustration of feet washing.
Is the refreshment that comes from the practical application.
Of God's word in our lives and I just want to encourage our hearts.
Have we opened this book today, individually first of all, and let it have its cleansing effect?
It's the washing of water by the word that we speak so often about, and we need that. We operate in a world of defilement. We operate in a world where there are so many things to dull our chill, our affections, and to dull our sense of what is really holy and what is acceptable to Him. And as an elderly brother who is now with the Lord used to tell us at home many times when I was growing up.
He said when he came home from the office, he always felt like he needed a good wash and he wasn't talking about soap and water. He was talking about the washing of water by the word. And so we need to open this book and hear the Lord Jesus speak to us and to let it have I say it's cleansing effect. But after the Lord Jesus gave them this illustration, he then told them that they were to wash one another's feet.
He said I've washed your feet, now you need to wash one another's feet.
And this is what is particularly on my heart. We need, brethren, to seek to first of all, let the Lord Jesus wash our feet through the cleansing effect of the Word of God in our lives personally. And then we need to wash one another's feet. We need to seek to encourage one another in the Lord. It isn't always admonishment or correction. It might be admonishment. It might be correction that's needed.
But I say again, it's the refreshment that comes from the practical application.
Of sharing God's Word with one another. And that's what we need, don't we?
There's so much to discourage today. There's so many burdens. No doubt there are brethren here whose hearts are burdened.
You're concerned as you think of going back to your assembly and personal problems, problems in the workplace, difficulties in the family circle, maybe situations in the local assembly. And I'm not saying there aren't times when those things need to be taken up and discussed for the Lord's glory and warnings given and so on. But brethren, it's so easy to simply feed on those things what we really need to do.
Is to share the precious things of Christ together, to seek to refresh and encourage one another.
There's so much to discourage. We don't have to look for things to discourage today. There's plenty to discourage on every hand.
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What we need to do is first of all, let the Word of God have its effect in our lives. Be encouraged and refreshed in our own souls so that we can encourage and refresh one another. Why is it so often we get together? And brethren, I can only speak to my own heart. If I have to point the finger this afternoon, I have to point it at myself and leave it pointed there. I'm guilty of these things in my own life and in my interaction with my fellow believer.
But, brethren, why is it so often we get together and we might have a nice time?
There might be some activity. I'm not saying a nice time and activity isn't good. I appreciate activity and a nice time with the people of God. But we come away and we say, you know, we really didn't share much of Christ. It wasn't really much to refresh or encourage. Why is that? Well, I suggest that at least part of the reason is we haven't had the washing of water in our own lives. We haven't taken the time to let Him wash our feet.
I can only wash another's feet. I can only share Christ. I can only refresh my brother or my sister in the measure in which I have been refreshed in my own soul. If I haven't opened this book and enjoyed something of the person and work of Christ, I cannot share something of the person and work of Christ in a way that's going to refresh and have the desired effect and encourage.
If I haven't had it in my own soul. And that's really what the Lord Jesus was telling the disciples here.
I've washed your feet, Now you wash one another's feet. Have you shared something of Christ today with your brother or sister?
As we fellowship between meetings and let me just say this too, brethren, sometimes we speak about fellowship, but you know sometimes we confuse fellowship and activity. Again, activity is good, but fellowship is really our personal enjoyment of Christ in our souls. And then to share that with one another. You know in first John, we have the fact that we have been brought into a wonderful circle of fellowship.
It's absolute there we have been brought into fellowship with the Father, with the Son, and as a result with one another. But in John 13, in the truth of feet washing, we have the way that that fellowship can be practically maintained personally in our own souls and with one another. And as we felt we inter interrupted today and yesterday. Did we share something of Christ? Was there more than just chit chat? Oh, it's nice to share chit chat and family things and circumstances and those things, The natural things are good in their place. I'm not.
Here to condemn that at all. But interspersed amongst that, was there something of Christ As we sat and ate together, did we share something that we've enjoyed from the Scriptures, something perhaps that we enjoyed in these meetings that refreshed our own soul and washed our feet for the path of faith and service? That's what he's saying here. And he concludes this all.
By saying, If ye know these things, happier ye if ye do them. If ye know these things, not just if you know these things, you'll be happy, but if you do them. In other words, he says to the disciples, I've given you away now so that fellowship can be maintained with myself in my absence, and so that you can share and refresh one another in the path of faith. Do you want to be a happy group of believers in my absence?
If ye know these things, happier ye if ye do them. Brethren, why is it so often we're together?
We come together for assembly meetings and for other activities. We don't always seem happy, do we? Sometimes there's a lot of things that burden us and get us down and we just, there just isn't that happiness, that joy radiating that there should be. I don't mean that we're frivolous and foolish, but it just doesn't seem to be that happiness. Brethren, it's because we haven't followed the pattern, the formula that the Lord Jesus lay down here. I say again.
What he's really saying is, do you want to be a happy group of Christians?
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Do you want, when you get together, to be a group that is characterized by joy?
If ye know these things, if ye know these things, happier ye.
But he doesn't stop there either. If ye do them.
Brethren, my burden is that we would seek by the grace of God.
To open this book every day and have our feet washed and that then we would be exercised to take what we have enjoyed and what has refreshed our spirits and share it as we have opportunity with one another.
That we might indeed be a happy group of Christians.
Until the Lord Jesus comes.
Lots that have been energized from the last few that have spoken on the condition or situation of happiness. And maybe we could read from the 144th Psalm. Just a few verses there. 144th Psalm. I'll start at verse 4.
Man is like to vanity. His days are as a shadow that passeth away. I think Macbeth borrowed that phrase right there. Uh, Shakespeare borrowed that phrase for Macbeth. He often did borrow from scripture, you know, And, uh, his writings are very poignant. Though he was not a, what you'd call a godly man. Uh, his uses of script, of scripture still were poignant. Thou thy heavens, O Lord, and come down touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning.
And scatter them, shoot out thine arrows and destroy them. This is our condition. Born into this world, lost and on our way to hell. Independence in submission to God. And then in this matchless grace, he picks us up and takes us to himself.
Then we have instruction.
On read verse 8, Whose mouth speaketh? Vanity in the right hand is the right hand of falsehood. That's what characterizes the opinions and philosophies of this world today. We know.
Every time we pick up a book or read or hear a commentary, it's all based upon man's own thoughts about things and his interpretation of these things. Now we have in our hand here something far higher than that. And this gives us the perspective of what life is about and its purpose and its destiny. And this is our manual and this is what we go by. And we have no other hope or instruction than this. So it behooves us then. And the rest of this, these thoughts are to the younger folks.
To take up this this word and read it for our instruction and make it our own.
I remember a comment by AC Brown, I believe it wasn't. It was well over 30 years ago, he said.
There's only one thing worse than declension, and that's not knowing about it.
As being ignorant of it.
That kind of stuck and I brought it back up a few years later in conversation with another brother. I don't remember who it was, and I passed it on to him and he mused a bit and he said, yeah, I think there's something worse than that.
One thing worse than declension and not knowing about it, he says. The thing worse than that is declension and knowing about it.
And not caring. Not caring.
Well, we had a a list of things this morning. I jotted them down, John drew them out of the children, and some of the things that we get from the mouth of a child is worth remembering.
Some tasks.
That, uh, they had around home and I think that we can apply some of these tests to our own lives personally. Brush your teeth to brush my teeth, How often do I need to brush my teeth? Once a week. How would that do? I might ask my wife, how would that do? She'd probably say not very well. Might ask those people I sit next to, not very well.
It it's it's known in science that.
A a situation that is a closed system.
Tends to entropy a few big words.
Our solar system is a open system because it gets its energy from the sun.
The individual without Christ is kind of a closed system, and it tends to entropy. That means a breakdown.
A disintegration, a ruination, a declension, a decline.
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And we need the Lord, each one of us.
To, uh, be maintained.
And the 144th song is sort of like that. He starts with the hand of strange children, and David isn't interested in that kind of companionship. He finds it tedious. It wears him out.
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God.
Sweep the floor.
How often do you have to sweep the floor and mop the floor? That was another one.
Our surroundings around us and sometimes we have to pick up things that we drop there. And we learn these habits as children and we apply them in spirituals as we grow older, I hope. And perhaps the young people here can do the same and make these applications as we think about some of those things that were chores that the parents obligated the children to do. And in the same sense we are obligated from the Lord Himself as He exercises our conscience.
To maintain good spiritual health. To brush our teeth. That our breath is not obnoxious to our neighbors. Be careful of what we say and how we say it. Little children, five years old, six years old, they trot off to school and they perhaps well, very well hear words they never heard at home.
And sometimes we have to brush our teeth and not take up that kind of language and adopt it as a habit. Habits are easily formed, and we can adapt to good habits or bad habits. And we need to walk circumspectly. And so I thought that these little tasks that were mentioned this morning have an application. Take out the trash. Well, Nehemiah, you know, came back.
And he found, uh, the city in uh.
In declension it was in ruin and he was exercised about that and went about to repair. One of the gates that he repaired was the down gate.
Some things have to be taken out, you know, we'll take out the trash. Paul applied it in in Philippians. I think it's chapter two or three. There were certain things that.
Were part of his life that he had to judge in the presence of the Lord.
And count them as done and get rid of them. So sometimes there's trash that has to be taken out.
But rather than list certain things and be legal about it, these are the things that should sink down into our hearts and conscience and exercise each one of us that love the Lord and are loved of the Lord, that we don't displease Him. The end of this chapter is about happiness, and it reminded me of the chapter again when Jim just spoke.
Nobody likes to be grieved. Everybody likes to be happy. It's certainly a lot better feeling happiness is than grief. And uh, circumstances of course may come in, but there is a certain amount of control we have over our own lives. And it is certainly related to some of these little chores that were mentioned and are so practical. Take out the trash. There is needs to be for a dungate in our life to judge in the presence of the Lord.
What doesn't belong?
And if I leave it at that, that will reach the conscience for each one, rather than name a few things and then the rest of us escape.
Make the bed. That's another daily occupation.
Because we would like to use it again that evening and it is a matter of discipline again to do these things.
I said sweep the floor and mop the floor and that is our surroundings that as best we can control.
The last one is wash the dishes.
I, uh, remember when I was probably about nine or ten years old, I went to a camp that my mother was a cook at.
And, uh, the most of the kids were older and.
We sat down at the mess hall and the food was served.
And they had this tin plate with compartments and.
After we ate lunch, all of these young folks, I think it was a 4H campus, I don't remember, they were obligated to take up their utensils and their plates and go over to the wash basin and wash their own plates and then bring it back and set it in the place where they normally sit. And they would turn the plate upside down to keep the dust and critters from getting up there. Crawling around on the plate would keep it clean.
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I was about eight or nine. These kids were fifteen teenagers or something. I, I despised watching that plate over there. Didn't want to do that. So all I did one day, I said I've got it. I know what I'll do. I'll just take my plate after eight. I'll tip it upside down. Nobody will notice. Nobody noticed either until the next meal. And so I sat down. I knew exactly what my plate looked like underneath. Everybody was flipping their plate. So over older kids.
I really didn't want to flip that plate over. I did, and a kid next to me looked at it right away and there I was, exposed.
And I took a certain amount of ribbing for that. It was embarrassing. And I did have to get up and wash that plate. Nevertheless, it would have been better to do it right away. Things don't stick as hard. Takes a little less scrubbing, a little soap. It's easier to judge something at the outset than if we let it set for a day or so, or several hours and let it set up. It's good to keep short accounts, isn't it? Wash the plates. I will sing a new song unto thee. Now, all of these other things were for maintenance that are.
Our Christian lives don't entropy. They don't decay. They don't they don't deteriorate. We need these things and he gives us precepts. That's why he gives us precepts. It's for our own good things that we need to do. And we're singers. We're creatures of wonder. That's why we sang.
With sons hymns here, different ones, they have different words, they have different meanings.
They have different tunes. We have become acquainted with them, we enjoy them.
One may be called out.
Because it is in the bosom and it has been enjoyed and it fits the situation. We are singing creatures. That's because God has created us as creatures of wonder. And this new song, I don't think that it's new because it's novel.
I can't think of him that we have sung in these last two days that I haven't sung before at one time or another.
That doesn't mean it's not new. It may mean that it's not novel, but new and that it is fresh.
These things are fresh when we have them before us in the presence of the Lord.
Splinter salt three in an instrument of 10 strings, I will sing praises unto thee.
We're kind of like an instrument of 10 strings, different parts to our lives aspects.
A piano tuner, he sits down, he's got all these strings and he has to deal with them, and he has an absolute objective standard outside of himself and outside of the piano. And he hits that thing and it goes Ding. And then he plays that note and it's supposed to correspond. And if it doesn't, then he gets out his little wrench and he twists things around until he gets that just exactly the way it should be. An instrument of 10 strings sounds melodious when it's in tune, and otherwise no. So if we're reading the scriptures.
And we're up to these tasks that even the children begin to learn in their youth and that we should apply to ourselves as we continue to grow.
Our very lives themselves will be that melodious tune is unto the Lord and a testimony to others around us. It won't be discordant.
It is he that giveth salvation unto kings, who delivereth David as servant from the hurtful sword.
He watches over us, rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, and whose mouth speak at vanity. And the right hand is the right hand of falsehood. Apparently some of these were even close to David, among the Israelites perhaps.
And they were a.
And we see those that don't seem to have too much interest in the things of the Lord, but they come sometimes, but they're in a hurry.
To be feeding on something else.
And we say, well, what can we do?
Oh, that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth. That our daughters may be as cornerstones polished after the similitude of a palace.
This is what we want.
For our children, this is what we want. For the young people, when they're at the crossroads and they're trying to decide which way they're gonna go and the direction they take at that point may lead them to a lifetime of departure in declension. Sometimes it's hard to get back. We're always thankful for a recovery, but if we don't depart, there won't be need for a recovery. And if we apply these little chores?
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Hygiene and so on and spirituals will be kept. The Lord will keep us, and we do this so that we will maintain that fellowship, that nearness with the Lord.
And we're always interested in.
Purpose why we're here.
And there are reasons why we're here.
And we may not start out that way. When we come out of the womb, we're born with that old nature and we need to be saved. Better to do that when you're young and cultivate self-discipline.
That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth start with the youth. That our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace.
People go down a road and they spit on the sidewalk.
But ah, Palace, San Simeon. I've been there. It's been a long time ago. Beautiful polished stones, The castle down there in Southern California.
That Hurst built guides there to guide through. Stay on the path, not Trump on things that would destroy things.
Discipline.
I didn't notice anybody spitting on things there.
A daughter.
Polished after the similitude of a palace. Well, I know that we live in a world where very little anymore is sacred.
But that same.
Feature character of the young sisters will preserve them from an awful lot of things.
Just to put it in kind of a.
Base way I remember one of my daughters saying of such and such a one at her high school. She says she dresses to fetch. And the young fellows know that they know what that means. And the young sisters, they know what that means. Not polished after the similitude of a palace.
That our garners may be full, full soul, affording all manner of store for others to share these things one with another. That our sheep may bring forth thousands and 10 thousands in our streets. It's it's this is, this is productive. This is growth.
Federal oxen may be strong to labor that there be no breaking in nor going out.
And there are two things we have to watch for. Things that break in and people that break in. Used to have a little grocery store out in the country. Every once in a while I go back to work in the morning and the window would be broken. I'd walk in and things are missing. And it kind of gives you a sinking feeling.
It may have happened to you at your house, something like that.
And we're always sorry when that happens.
And that when things uninvited break into our lives because of lack of watchfulness, we need to be kept. We need to be careful that there be no complaining in our streets. Sometimes we hear people complain about this or that. This brother, that brother needs to be more activity. I think I'll go look for something else. No complaining in our streets if the Lord is not enough for us in being gathered to His precious name. And I didn't grow up in that environment.
I've been very thankful.
To be able to.
Get these things.
In the presence of the Lord and the ministry.
From my mid 20s on.
No complaining. Happy as that, people. Hmm.
Happy as that people, that is in such a case, and the psalmist is overwhelmed with this. He wants to say it twice.