Open—C. Lunden, D. Bilisoly, R. Groth
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General Meetings Wheaton, August 1975. Open Meeting.
May we turn to John's Gospel, chapter 15, please?
We read the 1St 16 verses.
I am the true vine, and my father is the husband, and every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.
Every branch that beareth fruit he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself.
Except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye.
Abide in me I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit.
Or without me, you can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered. And then gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
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Here it is my Father, glorified, that you bear much fruit, so shall you be my disciples.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you.
Continue or abide you in my life.
If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life.
Placed for his friends. Dear my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you henceforth, I call you not servants. For the servant knows not what his Lord doeth. But I have called you friends. For all things that I have heard of my father, I have made known unto you.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit.
And that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Now I'd like to couple this with a verse or two in the song of Solomon's.
The third, the 4th chapter of the Song of Solomon.
On the eighth verse.
Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse.
With me from Lebanon.
Look from the top of an Anna, from the top of Sheener.
And Herman.
From the Lion's den.
From the mountains.
Of the leopards.
I suppose you wonder why I read that passage in the Song of Solomon.
That perhaps we'll find a connection in a moment.
The subject before us here is fruit bearing and communion.
And what might break that communion and so fruit bearing?
It doesn't my purpose to try to expound this chapter, beloved, this afternoon.
I just want to say a few things that are in my heart in regard to Communion.
We find the Lord Jesus is the true vine.
And his people are the branches.
Now if that link is broken.
As far as our spiritual life is concerned, we have nothing.
Nothing.
And we find that the moment you become a Christian, the enemy makes a special bid for you.
He comes in many ways.
Because he wants to break that communion.
And without communion is broken.
Then you have nothing left in your spiritual life.
That's all. Do we find that the branch that's connected with the vine brings forth fruit?
Now at the same time.
There's a pruning process goes on.
So that the branches that don't bear fruit, anything that's superfluous is cut off.
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How much there is, you know, the leaves and the branches only speak of human glory.
That which exalts man, And we don't want that, do we?
What we want is that which exalts Christ.
Now, I really believe, at least in part, that the fruit that's spoken of here.
Is that which is so precious to God.
And that is your presence with him.
And how can this be accomplished? Well, as we read His Word and we pray, we find ourselves in the presence of God.
Because it's his word.
That's the practical side of things. It's simple, isn't it? In fact, it's so simple that we neglect it.
And little by little, the enemy comes in, and our poor hearts go out through the glories of this world and the things that appeal to the natural senses. Communion is broken. The heart takes up with something else.
And we're on our way.
A life that's wasted if it's not arrested, and so in love.
He comes. The husband then comes, and he prunes off that which is not needed. He does it in his own way.
And you know, it's been said that.
The Lord is never nearer to you than when he's pruning the vine.
That's a precious thought.
You know, sometimes you look at the vine, the Grapevine.
And you see it at a certain season where the husband men, whoever he may be, has cut off most of the branches, there isn't much left. In fact, it looks rather ugly to look at it.
But you come in springtime, you come in fruit season.
And see what happens.
I was talking with a young man today who's here.
And he doesn't mind my mentioning this, but he was at a place where there were those who understood rapes.
And one of the men made a comment as he was giving a lecture.
And he said that, you know that.
Break vines that are under a great deal of stress.
Quite often produce the sweetest and the best wine.
Think of it.
Stress pruning.
Well, how good it is that God loves our souls and he wants us to be happy here. And you know, there's one thing about this passage. As we read it, we discover.
That when you and I walk in the path of faith.
Communion.
There are three that are made happy God the Father, God the Son, and yourself.
Because God finds His delight in the happiness of his creature, He finds His delight with you and me being in His presence and communion.
And not only that, there is no power in our lives.
For testimony, for service.
And there's no joy in our lives, really.
If the union is broken.
Now what about these mountaintops that we read about Solomon?
Because the Song of Solomon is the same subject, is it not Communion?
You know the two scriptures, the Old and the New Tests in the Old Testament, I should say.
There's the scripture that we read about.
Rebecca and Isaac.
As Rebecca makes her way on to meet Isaac, we hear we read of nothing that seems to disturb her. She's quite occupied with what Isaac has to tell her. The servant has to tell her about Isaac.
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But in the Song of Solomon, we have turbulence trial testing all the way through.
Just two pictures.
Of the experience of the believer as he makes his way homeward.
The one who goes on in communion in obedience to the word of God. He misses a great deal of this tribulation and so on, but he still needs the pruning.
Still needs the pruning. I know how good it is that there is the pruning.
And so we find that in those mountain tops, those things that the natural mind and heart go out after those things that are elevated in our eyes, our natural eyes, as we saw in the Song of Solomon.
All these things that attract our poor hearts.
I say are because it attracts everyone of us that's here.
And we need continually to be in communion unless we go after these things.
Well, these things that attract our hearts, their lurks right there.
Those which speak of Satan and his power, those wild beasts referred to.
And so they're lurking at these places. We don't suspect this when we go after such things, but it's true that the dangers are there, lurking by these, in these elevated places that are elevated in our minds.
But I want to ask you, dear friends, this afternoon, is there any elevation?
That you can find in this world.
That compares.
With communion.
There was a time when David sat before the Lord and the Lord told him about his house for a long time to come.
And you know what happened after that David failed.
Oh, what a comfort to David, because God's word never changes.
God knew what David was going to do.
About at that moment of communion, God had Phil David's heart.
Without blessing.
In knowing what was going to happen to his house for a long time to come and it sustained him in his trial.
They could go through it. Not precious.
So that's what we have in our chapter.
We have, as we notice a little later on that.
Not only.
That they might be in his presence, but that even they might have his mind too. And that's what we get in his presence, isn't it? We get to know his mind, what he likes to have us do.
Are you in a position this afternoon where you're troubled you'd like to do something but you're not sure?
Well, here it is.
Communion makes it sure.
Sure.
Oh, how good it is to be clear as to our path.
Not act unless we are, and sometimes God answers in that way.
So we can wait upon him. Now let's notice one or two things in this chapter.
We noticed first. Now are ye clean the third verse?
Through the word which I have spoken unto you.
This is basic, isn't it?
We're clean through the Word. That is faith believing the Word.
That's what makes us clean.
And you know, there's no communion unless we're clean. What does it mean to be clean? Every spot and every stain is gone.
Now there's there's satisfaction of heart, there's rest, there's peace.
What's going to break it?
And so we see this communion here, But there's something that might break it.
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And that's our four hearts going out after something else.
And so he said, Abide in me, continue in me, abide in me and I and you as the branch, cannot bear fruit of itself, except to abide in the vines nearness to Christ, as we were singing in our little hymn, no more can ye except ye abide in me.
I am the vine near the branches he that abideth in me, and I and him the same bringeth forth.
Much fruit.
Now we've had fruit.
And then in the second verse more fruit.
And now we have much fruit.
That's growth, isn't it? Now we don't stand still in our Christian life.
How good it would be here once this afternoon if this were the path that we were in right now.
Our hearts at rest satisfied as we sing, satisfied.
With the Lord Jesus, we are blessed.
Do we really mean this? Do I mean it? Do you mean it?
Or we have to confess often that our poor hearts go out after this or that.
But as that little hymn and the appendix gives us that, we might quickly return to this place should it be so.
That we might be kept in communion.
Notice this end of this verse without me.
Verse 5.
You can do nothing.
About your plans, are they leaving this out communion?
Are they leaving the word of God out the principles that guide us? Without me, you can do nothing.
Nothing.
Empty life.
The result?
Six verse I suppose refers to Judas.
He lost his life, this one and the next one. Poor man.
He was with Christ for 3 1/2 years and lost everything.
How sad.
This portion the blackness of darkness forever.
Aren't you glad you're safe for the wrath to come, should there not be a response in return from these four hearts of ours, the one who saved us from so great a death?
Now it says in the seventh verse, If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
Aaron is my father, glorified in that she bare much fruit.
Unless of the energy.
A testimony to others.
In our lives.
There will be a decline.
Whether it be in a large assembly or a small one, it makes no difference.
Unless there's that energy of testimony going on to others.
There is bound to be decline. Read church history and you will see.
Is there a positive testimony in my life? Will you say, Shall I make one up? No, don't do that.
See if you're not in communion, because if you are, there'll be a testimony.
It may not be like the the other man that's next to you, the brother, it might be quite different, but there will be positive testimony in your life, this communion.
Otherwise, there's declines.
Falling away.
From the.
However, fruit here isn't simply giving out 1000 tracks every year.
Or preaching on the street. That isn't the point.
No proof.
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Is that answer of our hearts to that great heart of love of us communions?
And it's fruit for him.
And it's the joy that the Lord Jesus speaks of here.
Now I'm going to go down to the.
Ninth verse As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
Abide in my love.
That was characterized as that new life, love.
If you keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.
How simple it is one verse following and explaining the other.
Abiding is love. How? If you keep my commandments now what commandments is he Speaking of? The law of Moses? No.
Now he's speaking about that which he has set before them, which of course, in principle includes.
The whole word of God from cover to cover, because it all speaks of Christ, but there are certain things that he set before his own.
Which would lead them in that simple path where they would be kept in communion.
Because simplicity, you know, keeps us in the presence of God.
Simplicity.
Even as I have kept my father's commands and abide in his love, these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Now what joy is the Lord Jesus Speaking of here? My joy might be in you? Is it the joy that he had with the Father back in eternity always?
Well, yes, but in a different way.
It's the joy of the man Christ Jesus down here, walking in a world that's.
To him at every step. And if that joy beloved of communion.
For the Father continually.
That the Lord Jesus had that he wanted his disciples to have.
And that's what would preserve them.
That your joy might be full.
Community.
What are the riches of God's glory?
To get them in Ephesians 3.
But it's not which has to do, beloved, with the inner man.
And how is it known?
To know Christ the no Christ.
That's the secret of it all.
What is the key of knowledge in the Gospel of Luke?
The Pharisees that set aside the key of knowledge.
You have it.
Christ.
Right. It isn't. Something about Christ, Beloved is Christ.
Christ, he acknowledged.
In indwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Near completing.
Now.
Greater love is no man.
Than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends.
Ye are my friends.
You do whatsoever I command you.
Supposing I fail and I don't do what he commands me, am I no longer his child? Oh, that's not the subject here. The subject here is communion and fruit bearing.
You're my friends if you do whatsoever I command you.
No, we're all was his children once were born, made clean, as he says. But oh, how often there has to be that restoration in our souls to bring us back to the enjoyment of that same joy that he had as he walked through this world.
Now what about the friends? Well, he tells his friends all his mind. Isn't that lovely?
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We get it put differently in Ephesians 1A. Little more formal way, but it's the same thought.
He makes known his mind to his friends. You want to know his mind? He makes it known to his friends.
Burn the candle in the midnight and study the word Well, that might be all right, but this is first. This is first.
Be sure that you're a friend in the practical sense.
Keep my commandments.
How would anyone know that we love Christ? But because we said we're a Christian? No, because we keep this amendment.
You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that she should go.
And bring forth fruit. You know the night cometh when no man can work.
I know it's not the subject here necessarily of giving out the gospel or this or that, but it's fruit bearing. But still, it includes all of this.
With that energy that characterizes the Newman as the result of Communion.
Because whatever. Let's remind our hearts of Fresh Beloved, whatever is done outside of Communion.
Amounts to nothing.
Nothing. Nothing.
The return to Deuteronomy 26.
I realize this is a familiar portion to many of you, but maybe the Lord can just give us a few thoughts for our own souls.
Deuteronomy 26.
And it shall be.
When thou art come into the land.
Which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance?
And possesses this.
And dwelleth therein, that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit.
Of the earth.
Which thou shalt bring of thine land.
That the Lord thy God giveth thee.
And shall put it in a basket.
And shall go unto the place.
Which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there?
And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord swear unto our fathers, or to give us.
And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hands and set it down.
Before the altar of the Lord thy God.
And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God.
A Syrian ready to perish was my father.
And he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few.
And became there a nation great mighty.
And populous.
And the Egyptians evil entreated us.
And afflicted us, and laid upon us hard *******.
And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction and our labor, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm.
And with great terribleness and with signs and wonders.
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And yet brought us under this place.
And have given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which thou, O Lord, has given me, And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God. And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing.
Which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house.
Thou and the Levites and the stranger that is among you. You know, I might just say this first.
That don't get the idea as we read a portion like this.
That you can do anything to please the Lord before you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Sometimes that gets into the minds of young folks and older folks too. But you know, anything that we might seek to bring or to do for the Lord apart from the Lord Jesus Christ as a as knowing them, as our own personal Savior, is worth worse than worthless.
To God, it's an abomination. To God, it's just like canes offerings, his bloodless offering. He sought to bring the fruits of a cursed ground. I have no doubt that what Cain brought was probably the best of what he had raised. Oh, no doubt it was the choices of his crops. Perhaps lovely things, but totally unacceptable to God because he had no sense.
Of what was due to God and even though even though he made a mistake.
God and his grace made a provision for him. He made a provision because it said sin, or a sin offering lieth at the door. But Cain wouldn't avail himself of that which God provided in the rebellion and stubbornness of his heart. You cannot you cannot do a thing to please God apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know him as your Savior This afternoon we always wonder about that.
In a group this size, undoubtedly there are those here who don't do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you sit in a company like this? Can you sit through a meeting like we had this morning and still close up your affections to the Lord Jesus and still refuse him in your heart? Oh dear friend, what a solemn thing it is. And just think how your responsibility increases as you.
Bear witness.
To the grace of God may partake her, so to speak, of the grace of God, and yet to turn your backs on the Lord Jesus. What horrible memories you'll have throughout an endless eternity if you die in your sins. Oh, but a gracious God stands ready to save you, to forgive you all those guilty sins, to cringe you and make you fit for His holy presence, and to make a Purge worshipper out of you, so you can indeed bring that.
Which is acceptable to him. And indeed, once we are redeemed, once we do know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, once we are made 5th to come into the very holiest of all by the blood of Jesus, then indeed it is our privilege to bring that which is acceptable to Him. So here we see that this one spoken of.
It says that when thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possesses it, and dwelleth therein well, I trust that most here in the room this afternoon have come into these privileges and blessings through the finished work of Christ. If you have, indeed, you have the privilege then to offer these spiritual sacrifices. In the case of Israel here it was a material thing.
It was something that they brought in a basket. Now that in itself, I believe, should speak to our hearts and consciences. May I just ask this question?
You know, when we sat here this morning in the Lord's presence, Oh dear brethren, did we sit there with barrenness of hearts? Do we come to the Lord's Day morning meeting, and our hearts are barren and cold. Has that been our case?
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Oh, dear brother. And I have to hang my head in shame, because there have been times that I have come into the Lord's presence and I have found barrenness in my soul, Nothing to offer the Lord. Doesn't it make us ashamed He's done so much for us. And why is it that there is such barrenness with us? Why isn't there that response of our hearts to his affection? Oh, it's the distraction. It's the things in this life, things that would just drag us downward.
And make us so that we're untruthful in our hearts of the Lord. I just wonder if someone could give me a little glass of water. I have trouble with my.
Lips and.
Now notice in verse 2.
It says thou shalt go under the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name there. We've heard a good deal on that subject, have we not, dear brethren? God indeed, as we know, has a place. He has his divine center. It was true in Israel's economy. It is true in this present day. It doesn't cease. No matter how great the confusion is that has come in to the Christian testimony, it's still true.
God still has a divine center. He has a place. He has indeed a place where these spiritual sacrifices should be offered up freely.
And then it says.
Thank you.
Verse four. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hands, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God. This indicates.
That the individual here.
Had something to offer.
Communion is a real and a practical thing, is it not, dear brethren, it's a real thing. I enjoyed what a brother said and it hit my conscience, he says. Communion is not like a faucet that you can turn on and off.
No, And it it isn't something that can suddenly be acquired. Lord's Day Morning.
I believe this indicates that there was some preparation, something in advance to this time when the individual brought this basket of first fruits.
Perhaps it would suggest to us an enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts through the week before the Lords Day came about. Is this true with us, beloved friends, beloved brethren? I fear sometimes that we allow the the necessities and things of this life to crowd out the Lord in such a way that perhaps we go through the week in kind of a limbo state.
Until Lord's Day morning comes, and then we find there's barrenness with us. I believe if there were more enjoyments of the Lord Jesus through the week, perhaps our baskets would be full. Lord's Day Morning. Do you think so? I say this for my own conscience too. It's a real thing, isn't it? It's a real thing. Another remark that a brother made several years ago that I didn't forget. And it's nothing new to you But he said.
There is no substitute.
For communion, is that right? No substitute for communion. We know it's the truth, don't we? There's nothing like communion with the Lord. Absolutely nothing. Service won't replace it as we have brought before us only that communion with the Lord and every dear child of God indeed can enjoy that. And circumstances really, really don't govern it as far as a person's health or something of that's concerned, because.
Often, as we've had brought before us, some Saints that are in great affliction bear more fruit than those who have greater advantages, and perhaps are enjoying the Lord to a far greater extent in their souls than those that would have greater advantages.
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But in verse 5.
We must ever be reminded.
Of the pit from which we have been dug.
Because the word says But such were some of you, But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God. Oh dear brethren, all by his grace, all by his precious blood, were made fit for God's holy presence, were made 5th, so that we can worship as those who have been plans for the blood of Christ.
But verse 7 says.
And when we cried under the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction and on our labor and our oppression, And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders will we ever be able.
To Plumb the depths of Calvary's cross.
Will we ever unfold the wonders of God's redemption? Oh, how great the terribleness. Think of what the Lord Jesus went through in those three hours of darkness. That he might have you and I with himself in glory. Oh, what terribleness He passed through will never, will never fully enter into it. It'll always, I believe, remain a mystery forever. What a precious mystery.
But nevertheless we can rejoice.
In the fact that this has been our deliverance, this has been our deliverance, the Lord heard our Christ. What a deliverance He is wrought, what a place of blessing He's brought us into through the work of Christ and thought says in verse 9, And He hath brought us into this place, and have given this this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey, what rich blessings from God.
A precious privilege to really sit in the Lord's presence and to enjoy the Lord in our hearts. Sometimes we speak.
In a very familiar way as to the morning meeting being a warship meeting.
Well, indeed that's true. That should be the characteristic of the Lords Day Morning meeting, a worship meeting. But if there's any worship Lords Day morning, it must spring from our hearts as individuals. We can't just sit there with cold hearts and offer warships to God.
Unto the Lord Jesus.
So I believe this indicates to us a reality with the 1A reality and it says that.
Verse 10 And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which thou, O Lord, hath given me.
And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God.
There's true worship, just like the Lord Jesus said to the woman at sikers. Well, the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. It says God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Beloved brethren, God wants reality. We can't deceive him, can we? Yet I hang my head and own and confess how I black reality.
In my life, but he wants reality.
And so it says.
And verse 11. And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing.
The Lord thy God has given unto thee, and under thy house thou and the Levites and the stranger that is among you. Yes, indeed, there is real rejoicing connected with that. It's only a normal thing that our hearts would rejoice if indeed we have true worship to offer to the Lord Jesus. We're the receivers too. It just works out that way. We benefit too. We rejoice in our hearts over the privilege.
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And the Lord rejoices to.
Our Brother and the opening prayer made mention of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd.
Let us read just briefly a few verses from John's Gospel, chapter 10.
There we have the Good Shepherd brought before us, and a very blessed way.
And the truth that we have will have before us should draw out our hearts and Thanksgiving.
And praise to him.
And will result in communion and worship.
Without chapter of John.
On the 14th verse.
Perhaps we better read the 11Th verse for the connection.
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd give us his life.
For the shape.
The 14th verse.
I am the Good Shepherd and know my sheep, and I've known of mine.
As the Father knoweth me, Even so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep, another sheep I have which are not of this, fold them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, And there shall be 1 flock it should be.
And one shepherd therefore, death. My father loved me, because I laid down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received as a father.
Now go on down to the 27th verse.
And notice the wording in a particular way.
The young people, the children love to.
Stand up and quote this verse.
And some of us were older.
I tell you this, the first expressions in this 27th verse are full of meaning. Let the truth are unfolded, and will not exhaust those truths this afternoon, nor tomorrow, nor the following day.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.
And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than us, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
I and my father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
If there's a boy or girl here, man or woman, in this audience this afternoon.
That is not sheltered under the precious blood of Christ.
You are not of one of Christ's chief.
Themselves on the 53rd chapter of Isaiah.
All we, like sheep, have gone astray.
That's the whole of Adams race gone and straight.
Out in the last verse of the 119th Psalm, the writer could say I was a lost sheep. A lost sheep.
But thank God for everyone whom the Lord hath sought and found.
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Whom the Lord has sought and found for the shepherd.
Saw her Sheikh.
What does that mean?
These verses that we read prior to this 27th verse.
And brought before us 11 young people here this afternoon.
They brought before us the person of our Lord Jesus Christ as the good shepherds, the Good Shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep.
In a three fold way as a dependent man.
My commandment of the Father.
And voluntarily.
Or that characterizes the Good Shepherd.
The one who gave him life for the Shape as a Dependent Man.
My commandment of the Father and voluntarily.
Did you call upon the Lord to come down and go to Calvary's cross?
And pass through those hours of darkness.
The last of the last three hours.
Did you call upon God for salvation?
Indeed not God, blessed one before us in this chapter is the one of the 40th Psalm, though I come to do thy will, O God, And what was that will to go to Calvary's past and?
There as we have in the bird offering aspect in John's Gospel.
1St to glorify God in connection with a question of sin, answer every question, satisfy God in a proficiency area work, and then as a result of the shedding of His precious blood that we might have.
Our sins washed away, that redemption works. And so on the 12Th chapter of Hebrews we have again the joy that was set before him.
The cross despising the shame and as we've had before us this day and yesterday.
The Lord having a companion for himself in glory, no doubt that joy in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse two has a two fold meaning. First of all, the joy of our blessed Lord in doing God's will in connection with the question of sin.
And unto his joy in having a companion for himself in the Father's house, well, I trust. I say this, I trust that all here are sheltered under the precious blood of Christ, and know the Lord Jesus as a Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd that give us his life for the sheep.
To you who are sheltered under that precious blood, to whom to hear that are on your way to glory.
Are these words will be addressed on the 1St 2 words that I'd like to call your attention to is my sheep not your sheep?
There's a Good Shepherd saying my sheep.
What does that suggest?
They suggest to me the blessed thought of relationship.
Relationship, but first of all ownership.
We belong to Christ. We have been redeemed with His precious blood.
The cost is precious blood. All the cost to God.
And we speak reverently the cost of God in connection with redemptions works.
The cost to our blessed Savior and Lord in passing through those hours of darkness which we had before us this morning, and the shedding of His precious blood that we might be brought into this place of blessings. We belong to Christ, dear believer, young as you may be, old as you may be, God looks down in this audience this afternoon, and He knows everyone.
01:00:01
But he says you He saves me in Christ Jesus. What a portion. How blessed to be in that position in Christ Jesus. Well, the Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd, says my sheep.
You belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has bought you. He has paid the full price.
Do we appreciate that question which we have in him?
Do we appreciate the fact that?
I belong to him.
On in relationship so that we know the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior. All we've been brought into relationship with God. That is true as we've had before us. And I'm reading so that we can dress God as our father, as his children. But notice the relationship here. You know the Good Shepherd in a very personal.
Way so that our affections are drawn out to that Blessed One. Endure the fact he loved me and gave himself for me.
Well then, the next word words are hear my voice.
Hear my voice.
I blessed this.
Privilege it is dear young people.
To hear the voice.
Of the shepherd.
The Grand Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, Enrique can give him that place as Chief Shepherd in our hearts even now.
Pulling in the coming days.
What a privilege it is to hear his voice.
To be found.
Listening to his voice.
How do we hear his voice?
All through the written words.
Through the word and all the.
That thought has been expressed so many times today as well as yesterday.
Of that word I am away the truth and the life, the wake of the Father.
The truth about the Father.
And that life, eternal life, which he will give to the lost sheep that puts his or her trust in him.
This morning.
Some of us had the privilege of hearing his voice.
That verse in the 26th chapter of Isaiah or the portion of the verse.
I enjoy much.
The desire of our hearts is toward Thy name and the remembrance of thee.
Was that was that your desire this morning? Was that my desire this morning?
As we.
Came together and I trust gathered by the Holy Spirit around our Blessed One who loved us and gave himself for us.
To answer to his desire. His desire. Do this in remembrance of Me.
I wanted to make a statement.
At this time without care or contradiction.
Or criticism on the part of the older brother. I don't believe you dear young people, or those who are your altar that are older.
Are in full enjoyment of your salvation.
Fall enjoyment of your salvation.
Unless you have been gathered by the Holy Spirit around the person of the Christ and have remembered him in death according to his request, it is thought that rejoices the heart of the blessed Savior. As he says, the young as well as those who are older gather together.
Answering to his request. This too in remembrance of me.
01:05:05
Are his voice and then his voice all during the week?
This morning we had the special occasion of partaking of the bread and drinking of the cup, but what did we not remember the Lord all during the week?
Was it Was that blessed truth blank in our minds all during the week? How do we know thoughts of the person of Christ and that work which He accomplished on Calvary spots for us?
Having all thoughts as to our present portion in Christ Jesus as to the hope which we have in Him, oh, I trust.
That it was so with each one of us here this afternoon, then on the occasion this morning with a full heart.
An overflowing heart. We remembered him in a special way.
And the partaking of the bread and drinking of the cup.
What a privilege to hear the shepherd's voice, The shepherd's voice, whether it be in connection with this too, in remembrance of me, or what is that today. Follow thou me.
As the Lord Jesus tells Peter, those two fierce as Saints of God had a little difficulty between themselves to look for perhaps a little jealousy, and the Lord changes his turn to Peter and says never mind.
What's that? What's that today? You just follow me and the Lord Jesus just walks off the scene and we're followers.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ, followers of a rejected Christ. But if this is what becomes the child of God, to realize the blessed fact of his ownership, that Christ has paid the full price.
And redemptions work that I might be brought into this place of blessing relationship with Him as well as with God our fathers. And now we follow Him in a scene of His rejection.
We had problems last night.
As we heard this morning, if the Lord carries, Lord doesn't come, our problems are going to increase 11.
Seven hates the testimony.
He'll do anything and everything to rob us of that joy which we had before us yesterday.
And we need not be surprised.
If our Lord be not come.
Of the necessity of digging in for protection.
Well, I know them. That's next. Isn't that nice that we know the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior? Peter says unto you, which believe He is the preciousness, the sum and substance of all that is precious unto you, which believe. He is the preciousness.
But he's precious to me.
But I am precious to him. I am precious to him.
He knows me, He knows all about me and thank God he has made slow provision for my pathway. We have the Holy Spirit.
That a divine person within.
And we have the word of God.
And what more do we want? What more do we want?
The Holy Spirit within, on the Word of God, and the office of the Holy Spirit, to take of the things of Christ and minister to them under what? To bring these precious truths ever before.
All that we might be careful, then, in connection with our walk on our way, so that we grieve not the Holy Spirit.
If I agree the Holy Spirit, I'm hindering that blessings which God has for me.
And until As for the word all that we might hide thy God's word in our hearts, that we might not sin against him, I know them.
01:10:04
And they follow me.
Oh yes, we're following in the footsteps.
Of the rejected Savior. But shortly, we're going to get into Double QuickTime. You folks that go to school know what I mean by that? We're going to get into Double QuickTime. We're going to hear the voice.
Of our blessed Savior, come up, hit her, but remember, we're following.
And should be following in any steps, And his steps, not a far off but close to his fierce aside, is only there in safety and peace we can abide.
They follow me.
We are all followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
All that is those who know the Lord Jesus Christ the Savior.
We are someone's also.
Been taken out of this world.
Through the death of Christ, we're just passing through it as strangers and pilgrims.
We have been sent back into this world.
I sent one by the resurrection of Christ.
And as following Christ, we are representing him.
Representing the Lord Jesus Christ in every step of the pathway.
I possibly represent that one to the praise and glory of himself, for he all is worthy.
Worthy as we had this morning again, worthy of homage and of praise, worthy by all the endorsed exhaust his name of heavenly days, Thou thou art worthy Jesus, Lord, well, we go on.
The Lord Jesus gives us something.
All the wages of sin is death.
Gift of God is eternal life.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, eternal life. Not the life of Adam, not the life that an Israelite that he kept the whole law would have.
An eternal life, that very life of Christ.
Indwelling the believer, I gave unto them eternal life and further.
They shall never perish. I'm old fashioned enough to believe.
In eternal security of the believer.
I'm not old fashioned.
To believe that the work of our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross.
Fully saves my soul if I appropriate that work for myself. And I'm never going to perish, Never perish.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that truth? I trust so. There are many believers today.
That do not go that far. They have to do their part of how that robs Christ of that glory.
Which is his by rights on title. Well, then we go on. They shall never perish, that. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
You think for a moment that someone could pluck me out of the Good Shepherd's Hand or the Great Shepherd's Hand. Never.
That in itself secures me, but we have a double security. My father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand.
I and my father.
Are what When the Shepherd and the 16th chapter of Luke.
Saw the sheep.
He didn't drive it home to the cold.
When he put it on his shoulders.
Perhaps some of you young folks haven't heard this?
Before I know the older ones have.
01:15:00
He put the sheep on his shoulders. Not just one shoulder, but both shoulders, the heat of strength and with the one hand firmly clasped upon the legs.
On the either side that knotty sheep could squirm all it wanted, but it couldn't get away from the shepherd. It was in a place of security and beloved boys and girls here this afternoon.
If you know this one is a Good Shepherd as well as a Great Shepherd, you're secure for all time and for all eternity. But that doesn't license you to have do your own way or go your own way. That should draw your heart and your affections.
To that one who loves you and gave himself for you all to hear his voice, oh to follow him in this the scene of his rejection, And then start waiting that blessed moment, when he that shall come will come, and will not carry. Keep the eye fixed on price.
Then the heart will follow.
The eye and the feet will follow the heart.
That's the secret, keeping our eyes on that blessed one.
And then our hearts, our affections, will be drawn out of that one.
Then our feet will be willing to walk in that path that he has marked out for us.