Open—C. Lunden, D. Andersen
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General Meetings, Montreal, October 1975 Open meeting.
That's #301.
And going on with some of the thoughts that we've had in our reading meetings, I would like to turn to Mark.
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The 6th chapter.
And the 31St verse.
Mark 6 and 31.
And he said unto them.
Come ye yourselves apart.
Into a desert place and rest a while, for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure.
So much as to eat.
Now in John 14.
In verse 23.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If any man love me, he will keep my words. Really my word I believe it is, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Now I believe in our reading meetings that we've had the thought of the presence of the Lord, whether it be here in this world, the enjoyment of it.
Or whether it be that which we are anticipating being in his presence in the glory.
You know, beloved, it's been said that there's a very fine line or veil between ourselves in heaven.
And you know, it's a wonderful thing to enjoy the truth of John's Gospel.
Because their heaven is brought right to us.
In the person of Jesus.
Now we know that the Lord Jesus is not walking here on earth today.
But we have his word.
And what's more?
We have the Holy Spirit to open the precious things of Christ to us.
I thought it might be helpful just to give a few illustrations from the Old Testament and elsewhere.
Of those who had experienced these things, now we know that in the Old Testament we have types pictures, but they're helpful.
And I'd like to turn first of all to the 18th chapter of Second Samuel.
Just a moment please.
I believe it's Second Chronicles 17, First Chronicles 17.
First Chronicles 17.
Verse 16.
David the King came and sat before the Lord.
And said, Who am IO, Lord God? And what is mine house that thou hast brought me hitherto?
And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God, for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and that's regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God.
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What can David speak more to thee for the honor of thy servants, for thou knowest thy servant?
Oh Lord, for thy servants sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness in making known unto all these great things?
Oh oh Lord, there's none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, people, Israel, who God went to redeem, to be his own people, to make the name of greatness terribleness by driving out nations from before thy people whom thus redeemed out of Egypt.
Well, that's perhaps enough in that passage.
Just calling attention to the fact that David.
Was a man after God's own heart.
And here he sat before the Lord.
And the Lord communicated to him some things.
That were a real help to David afterwards.
He told him about his house for a long time to come.
You know, there were there was a time a little later when David got into trouble.
And he sinned. He numbered the people.
And.
If he hadn't had this experience, where would he have been?
I suppose David could have said if he hadn't had this experience. Well, now it's all over with me. God is going to take the Kingdom away from me.
No.
He had sat before the Lord, and he told him about his house for a long time to come.
We've had much in these meetings about the word of God and the importance of reading it.
How good it is to be fortified for the days to come?
By the precious truth that he communicates to us by the Spirit.
The Word of God.
Open to us by the Spirit.
I needn't repeat what's been said how we need.
To be continually reading the word of God.
Because, you know, it says the fountain were and there's plenty of water is clean.
But not only clean, we prepare ourselves for what's coming. And how do you know what's coming?
How do you know what's going to happen in your life tomorrow? You remember that woman in the second Kings when she when the Prophet passed by?
Why she invited him into the house.
And then, as often as he passed by, he turned in feather. So she built a little house on the wall for him. A room.
And then trouble came.
Trouble came. Her son died.
What does she do? She takes her son and lays him on the bed of the man of God and in his own room. That lovely.
Communion.
That 4th chapter.
Of second kings shows US communion.
It's Philippians 4 superiority to circumstances around us. How Communion.
Presence of the Lord? Oh yes, we're going to be in His presence up there, but how about now?
Now David was told about his house for a long time to come and that there would be always one to sit on that throne. Wasn't that a comfort when he was in trouble?
And he found that that judgment of God was coming upon the nation.
And the plague was stayed at the threshing floor of Aruna.
And you know, God is greater than all of our fears because of the very place where that plague was stayed. The temple was to be built, not marvelous.
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Oh, how little we know of God here in this world, in our wilderness experience. But we'll know more if we're in communion. And you know something else, David said here.
Thou knowest thy servants.
It's good to be conscious, beloved, that God knows us all together.
To have that consciousness day by day, it'll keep us humble.
Our brethren may not know all about us, but God does.
Now turn with me to the book of Ruth, just for a few verses, please.
Now Ruth comes just before Samuel, you know, and.
After the book of Judges, where everyone is doing right in his own eyes.
And here we have the grace of God coming in to a Gentile, A Moabite us.
And it's a little picture I know of Israel in the coming day. Who's going to return?
As Gentile, they're coming in on the ground of Sovereign Grace when they come back.
But what I'd like to speak is simply this.
Picture we have in the history of Ruth, where she is in the presence of the Lord. Now I know it's a tie, but still we have the picture.
It's it's Boaz the strongman.
The Strongman. Now the first reference I would like to read is.
And the.
14th verse.
Now the second chapter.
The roof.
And boy said unto her, At meal time, Come thou hit her, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.
And she sat beside the reapers, and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left, that is, there was some lapses of thought.
There's more than she could take care of and that she brought to her mother-in-law.
Now here we find a Moabitess that has.
Discovered the field.
Of the man who was the Redeemer. A lovely picture.
It's a picture of Christ, and she's come under his protection.
And he reaches her parts **** You know, that is a little picture to us of the death of Christ.
But it's that aspect where exposed directly to the fire.
It's really a deepening sense in our souls.
Of the work of Christ.
Spoils right to the fire and why for me?
He took my place.
Now this is what she discovers in his presence.
He took my place.
He reached her the parched park.
And it's one thing for you to say, dear friend, this afternoon.
Yes, I know Christ is the Savior, but it's another thing for you to be able to hear Him say to you Thy sins are forgiven thee. Oh how precious that is to have Him speak to us in His presence.
She was in his presence, and he reached through the parched corn.
And then she partook of the vinegar or wine.
And she was so overwhelmed with the grace.
And the provision that she had, that which was left to take to her mother-in-law.
I think you'll find that case if you look up the passage carefully.
She had enough to take to her mother-in-law.
Is it so beloved that you and I as we're in the presence of the Lord as we leave these meetings?
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That we're going to have something to take back with us.
We won't if we've simply been listeners without the sense of being in the presence of the Lord.
Now another verse in the third chapter.
15th verse.
Also he said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon me, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured 6 measures of barley, and laid it on her, and she went into the city.
Now if you don't read the context, this won't mean anything to you.
But if you'll notice earlier, when when the harvest season was on, it was ended, now this was at the threshing floor.
But at the time of the harvest season, she had gleaned all through barley harvest and all through wheat harvest.
And she had gathered just half this much.
And now, as she holds out her apron, he fills it with twice as much as she'd ever got.
Beloved, you and I will have this experience in the presence of the Lord.
It's a good thing to glean.
But you know, sometimes when we sit quietly, when we come aside, apart, to rest a while in His presence, as He asked His disciples to do.
And then we we find that as we meditate on the precious word of God, suddenly the truth comes. The Spirit of God opens it to us. Have you ever had that experience?
And before you can say, I don't know what that passage means, I can't understand it. Suddenly the Spirit of God, as it were, opened the whole thing to you, and he fills the apron.
And then she takes it home to her mother-in-law.
The.
It's been said, you know, unless there's the energy.
In our souls.
In testimony to others, there will be decline.
And there can't be that energy.
Beloved, except in his presence.
We can know all the truth of Scripture by heart, but if there isn't a sense of His presence as we have in John 14.
Is coming down here to be with us as He has promised. If we keep His commandments, then if there isn't that, there won't be real testimony, will there?
But now shall we turn to another passage?
Return to Genesis 18.
And the Lord appeared unto him Abraham and the plains of Mammary means fatness.
And he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
And he lifted up his eyes and looked. And lo, three men stood by him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I found favor thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee from thy servant, What a little water. I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will fetch A Marsala bread.
And comforts you your hearts. After that you shall pass on, for therefore are you come to your service.
And they said, So do as thou said. Abraham hasted hastened into the 10 under Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly, 3 measures of fine meal needed. Make cakes upon the heart. Neighbor ran under the herd, and fetched the calf, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man. And he hasted to dress it. And he took butter and milk, and the calf, which he addressed, and set it before them.
And he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
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Now here we have again.
A believer in the presence of the Lord.
But what we notice here is.
That when the Lord came to his house or tent, it was because Abraham was a Pilgrim.
Abraham was ready.
And he provided exactly what pleased this divine guest.
I wonder if that's a word for our hearts this afternoon.
If the Lord came to our house.
Would you say, well, I I'm sorry, but I'm not ready for you. Is that the case? Sometimes, you know, a guest comes to our house and surprises us, and we may not be ready for them, but we should always be ready when the Lord comes to our house.
And it seems that Abraham had a sense in his soul.
Exactly the things that please the Lord and would refresh him. Oh, you say, can you refresh the Lord? Yes you can, beloved.
He finds his joy in his people.
And so we find that he provided something that's good and tender.
Something that was rich butter, milk, a calf, tender and good.
But now where did they eat?
Under the tree.
Does that suggest to you the cross of Christ?
It does to me.
It's something like the Prodigal son feasting in the father's house on the Fatted Calf.
Communion on the ground of the death of Christ.
Ah, beloved, that's precious communion. And that will be our heavenly portion. And you know, Abraham.
Was reassured of the promises that had made him the depository of God's counsels at this time.
How was it that Abraham had come to the point where he was prepared for the Lord in this way? The Lord had appeared to him at least five times before.
He'd been in his presence.
He's going to appear to him once more when he offers up his son.
He's prepared. Abraham and Abraham had availed himself of these opportunities.
Well, there's much to be said, but I'm not going to say anymore about that. But I'd like to call attention now to a passage.
In Ephesians 5.
There's so much that can be said on this subject.
But.
That's not the purpose. It's just a call to my own heart once more. And yours.
The thought of his presence. Ephesians 5.
Speaking a little, you know of his presence here on earth.
And how, as was said in John 14, that if we keep his commandments, we'll enjoy this.
And the Father and the Son will come down and make his abode with us here. Isn't that precious?
Here in the wilderness, as we pass through it, the one who walks in communion, the one who walks in obedience.
Will find his presence with them. The Father and the Son is enjoyed by faith.
All dear young people, be sure you start your home that way. Don't forget the altar.
Abraham had no altar in Egypt.
No altar in each.
They got to be in the place of God's appointment in the land. There he had an altar.
But now in Ephesians we're going to speak just briefly 2 passages, one in Ephesians and one in Luke about the other side.
When we get home.
And this is so precious, beloved. So precious.
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His 27th verse of Ephesians 5.
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy.
Without blemish. Now what I'm going to emphasize is that he might present it to himself.
Oh, what a glorious day that will be, beloved.
How precious.
His presence.
The moment for which every moment has been made.
When he'll see.
For the travail of his soul, and be satisfied.
And you're going to be satisfied too.
When he presents her to himself.
And there won't be any wrinkles, there won't be any spots, and there won't be any blemishes.
Planning hours.
Oh yes, there's plenty.
But God doesn't want us to be.
Occupied entirely with our failures, you know, only enough to judge them.
But he does want us occupied to this, you know, it's the believers hope that keeps him above the level of this world.
He's going to present us to himself.
Thou spotted one more passage in Luke.
Not to dwell on them, Luke 12.
And this will tell us what was going to happen.
When we're home in the glory.
We have much of it in Luke because Luke gives us heavenly things.
Luke 12.
Verse 237 Blessed are those servants.
Whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching.
Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meet, and will come forth.
And serve them.
All beloved, could we project ourselves for a moment to that happy land to which we're going?
We'll see ourselves seated at that table.
And the Lord himself serving.
He loves to serve.
He served when he was down here, He served the father and he served his people.
And yet he was Lord.
He's serving now is our great High priest and our advocate.
The high priest to keep us in the enjoyment.
Heavenly things because that's Hebrews. The better things. Heavenly things.
As our advocate in the Epistle of John John 13 as well.
To wash our feet, to restore our souls, which we need so much.
In the wilderness because they get dirty. Don't stay down here.
Defiled in the wilderness.
Yes.
But think of that day, beloved. When there won't be any more defilement, there won't be anything to hinder those joys.
And that's what we've been called to, because our portion is not sorrow.
We may pass through it temporarily, but our portion is joy. Pure joy.
Let's not seek it here in a world that's just full of sin. Arise. This is not your rest. It's polluted, the Prophet says.
And so with the heart occupied, then with Christ and his coming, and then to be taken and placed over, shall we say, into that next scene to see.
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His love manifested as he serves us in that day. He's coming forth to serve. He's going to gird himself.
Come forth and serve. Why? Because he loves us.
That's the reason he came to die for us, because he loved us.
And that's the reason he lives for us as a man.
And that's the reason he's going to.
Service at the table in that land, that happy land. Oh beloved, we might be there tonight.
But be sure that your spirits are there tonight, whether your body is or not.
And if you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And then he tells us that his father, he and his father, will come and make their abode with us.
Let us turn to Revelation Chapter 21.
I.
Just for a few moments.
Looking at the description of the Heavenly city.
Because that heavenly city is going to be made-up.
Of people.
Souls redeemed by the Precious Blood of Christ.
And every redeemed 1 here in this room is going to be there.
All the redeemed from ages past, even before the Lord came into this scene.
All the states, all that belong to Christ will be there making up that heavenly city, and those cities are made-up of people.
If there aren't any people in a place that used to be called a city, it's called a ghost town. But people make up cities, and this is the heavenly city, the heavenly Jerusalem, that we're going to read a few verses about. Revelation chapter 21.
Verse 9.
And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me saying.
Come hit her. I will show thee the bride, the lamb's wife.
Remember, it's the Apostle John that gets these visions.
And John has said in his epistle he that hath this hope in him.
Purifies himself.
I doubt we can be much occupied with heavenly things.
And our being with Christ and being part of that heavenly company, being around the Lord Jesus Christ in the glory.
Thinking of being ministered to by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, as we've just been reminded.
I don't believe we can be occupied with these things.
And not experience something of the dropping off of earthly things here.
It loosens us from things here to be occupied with Christ and the glory that we're going to be in and to be with Christ.
And that's why it's good for us to be thinking about that future day, the hope.
The heavenly city of which we're going to be a part.
I'm sure we have not even begun to enter into what it's going to be like to be there.
We were occupied with that in our readings and what a blessed thing it's going to be.
To be with the Lord.
And all. What a happy place, what a joyous place, what a wonderful place it will be because he is there.
Now John is told by this Angel, come hit her, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. What an experience this must have been for the Apostle John to get a look at himself as among all of those who make up this heavenly city.
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I wonder what effect it had upon John.
Well, I'm sure that he had the feeling, oh, I'd like to be there now. I'd like to be there now. I've gotten a vision.
And he couldn't be the same after that. If you and I get a little glimpse of the glory, we're not going to be the same.
You know, we get hold of things down here and we grab hold on to them and keep hold on them. We hold on tenaciously and we don't like to give loose of these things.
And I think of a little illustration that our brother Jackson, who's now with the Lord, gave us.
And he was giving the example of runners in a relay race.
He said, you know there are 4 runners in a relay race and these runners run.
Four parts of the race.
And they have a baton that they pass from one to the other.
And the first one starts out with the baton in his hand and he runs down the distance and the other runners right there to grab the baton and run on with it to the next one.
He said if the first runner held on to that baton too tightly as the other one grabbed it.
He might get hurt, might hurt his wrist.
You know, there's coming a time when we're going to be taken out of this scene.
And will be taken in a moment.
The twinkling of an eye. And that's what happened right now.
I wonder if we're hanging on to something down here too tightly and it would hurt.
When we had to let loose of it, well, I didn't forget that. But that's our tendency naturally, isn't it?
To cling to things down here, oh, what a test it is to think of the coming of the Lord.
Who take us away from the whole thing here in a moment, the twinkling of an eye.
I love that thought about the Jubilee, that the closer they got to the Year of Jubilee that less value things had.
Well, let's think about it, that we're right close to the coming of the Lord. What value should we put upon things? What value do we put upon?
Well, let's look some further here.
And it carried me away in the spirit of great and high mountain and showed me that city leave out great because it's just holiness that's emphasized here. The holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, the Holy Jerusalem.
I suppose that's connected with what John says to he that hath this hope in him purifieth himself. Just think of it. We're going to be part of the holy Jerusalem.
And there will not be anything defiling there because we read further on in this description.
Over in the 27th verse, there shall be no wise enter into it anything that the pilot neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, But they which are written in the Lamb's book of life, nothing defiling, will get in there. And our brothers pointed to that scripture in Ephesians chapter 5, that he's going to present us to himself.
Spotless without blemish.
A glorious church.
I'm so thankful that the Lord is doing the work.
And right now he's washing us with the water of the word.
Cleansing us daily, exercising our hearts.
But all he's looking forward to that moment.
That he'll have us with himself. A glorious church And what a joy.
That will be to himself. And when we think of his joy, that's our joy.
And it speaks of this city as having the glory of God. And her light was like unto a stone most precious even like a Jasper stone clearing clears crystal, and had a wall great and high and had 12 gates, and at the gates 12 angels names written on which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel, so on having the glory of God.
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We're going to have the glory of God.
Can we begin to imagine what that glory is going to be like?
Certainly the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and his grace.
Well, that's fine, isn't it? That's what we need to have these things of Earth grow strangely dim.
As we're looking at the grace of the Lord and at His glory.
Grace down here and glory up there.
But we thank God for the grace that's going to be revealed to us at the Coming.
At the appearing of the Lord Jesus, as Peter speaks of, we'll never forget the grace. Never. We look back and we'll see how gracious he's been to us. Saved by grace, kept by grace, finally brought to glory by grace, and we'll be occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ there, and all of His glory. We'll see him as he is.
And you know we're going to be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
We couldn't bear to see him as he is until we're made like him, but all we're going to be like him and we'll see him as he is.
How little we meditate upon these things now, but it's really good for us to meditate upon them.
We're going to be in the glory with the Lord Jesus. We're going to be associated with him in his glory.
What is glory?
Manifested Excellence, That's what glory is.
That's why.
There was a certain glory that attached to the Blessed Lord when he was hanging on the cross, because he was glorifying God and the excellence.
The wonderful excellence of God was brought out there.
At Calvary's Cross, we know more about the love of God. We know more about the compassion of God and his mercy.
His Grace Because we look at Calvary, God is glorified in the death of His Son.
And that's why God is going to glorify his Son. He's going to be put on display and we'll be there associated with him in the display. Isn't that something to look forward to, having the glory of God?
We noticed that this city has a wall around it. I just like to call attention to that.
And I believe.
That the in the 18th verse.
That this Jasper.
That he speaks out there is perhaps.
The same as was referred to in verse 11 in connection with the glory of God. It seems like this Jasper clears crystal is a symbol of the visible glory of God. Now it says that the building of the wall of it was of Jasper and the city was pure gold like unto clear glass the wall.
Was of Jasper. Well now of this Jasper that's referred to in verse 11 is a symbol of the glory of God. Here we have it again.
Could it be that this wall speaks of the glory of God? A wall around the city?
We can think of it in connection with the assembly now here on earth.
There is a wall around the assembly, a wall of separation.
Like the city of Jerusalem, the earthly city Jerusalem had a wall around it. The assembly has a wall around it.
And if this wall is the glory of God?
We realize how important it is.
And this wall will surely ensemble here, At least tell us that there's something there to keep out what's going to defile the city? Nothing will enter into defile. Nothing that is an honouring and glorifying to God will get into that city.
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And this is God's mind for the assembly, now that nothing should come in to dishonor God.
Nothing. That's.
Not consistent with the glory of God if it's not consistent with the glory of God.
It should not be allowed in and so if anyone.
We might just use this illustration. That's just part of it.
If someone comes and wants to take his place at the Lord's table.
Each one in the assembly should be exercised about where will this be for the glory of God.
Will it be for God's glory to allow this one to come and sit at the Lord's table and break bread with us? The glory of God is the first consideration.
And then maybe it might be a case of discipline.
And we feel exercised about Section 1.
That one needs to be disciplined. It might even mean that Then what? That one may have to be put outside.
Put away from among ourselves.
For the glory of God.
The glory of God is the consideration, and perhaps that's what this would bring before us. Here, this wall, the glory of God, and All in all things.
In connection with what belongs in the assembly or what belongs outside of the assembly, we must think of the glory of God.
Surely in that scene nothing will be there to disturb. And aren't we thankful that we're going to be in a place in a sea where sin can never come, where there won't be anything to disturb, nothing to upset, nothing to give us unrest?
But it will be continual peace and joy. Quiet, rest, nothing to disturb no evil there.
What a mercy of God. How gracious of him to provide for us like that.
Now we notice down.
In verse 23, the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it. And the Lamb is the light there are the Lamb is the light thereof. John loves to use that word, the Lamb.
And I'm sure it's because of the guidance of the Spirit of God that he wrote it this way because holy men of old spakers, they were moved by the Holy Ghost. And he uses this expression, the Lamb. He starts out in his gospel, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb of God.
And then when you come to the Book of Revelation, he sees the Lamb in the 5th chapter of Revelation.
And here we have the Lamb as the light of that heavenly city.
We will never forget that He's God's land who died for our sin.
Who gave himself for us will be occupied with him. What an occupation. We'll think of all that he's done for us, all that he is to us, and it's going to be for all eternity. How wonderful to be gathered it will be to be gathered around the Lamb in the glory. We were gathered around the Lamb this morning, and I'm sure we were made aware in our meditation.
That the Lord Jesus Christ was God's land that he gave himself for us.
Christ loved the Church and gave himself for, and he loved the Church forever.
And that's the way it's put in the Book of Revelation, unto him that loveth us not just in the past tense, but really a continuous tense, loving us forever.
This one loved us so much that he gave himself for us.
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Well, there's going to be light shining on this earth, because that heavenly city will be up over the earth. And the nations, it says, of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. And the kings of the earth will bring the glory and honor onto it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, For there should be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations unto it, and there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
And then we find right at the close of this description in verse four of chapter 22, and they shall see his face.
We look forever on the face of the Lord Jesus Christ as a man who is God.
Will look upon him as the one who loved us and gave himself for us. We look on the face of the man Christ Jesus, who died for us. Will we ever get tired of looking at his face? No. What an occupation for all eternity. Sometimes people wonder what are we going to do in heaven? All will be occupied with him, looking upon his face, praising Him forever. Could it be any better than that?
No.
At 318 means the last person.
We all know.