Open—C. McConnaughy, H. Brinkmann, D. Jaeger
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These little tired beasts. So what's the schedule of these meetings for three days? Says as to this time to be announced.
It is expected that this would be an open meeting.
And justice to be sure that there is no confusion as to what's meant by that expression and open meaning.
We feel it necessary to read a little from First Corinthians chapter 14.
Now some few suggestions here. That is the course and conduct of.
Such a meeting.
We might read 1St Corinthians 14 verses.
8:00 and 9:00.
What if the trumpet give an uncertain sound?
Who shall prepare himself to the battle?
Some anticipation that there be.
Certainty.
Not uncertainty, not speculation.
And verse 9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue.
Words easy to be understood.
We can all get a handle on that I think. Words easy to be understood, not convoluted fancy.
Language that's just too hard to get into the system.
Simplicity.
Verse 29.
Let the prophets speak.
How many?
Two or three.
And let the other, that's all the rest of us, judge.
The next verse.
If anything be revealed unto another that sitteth by.
Let the 1St.
Hold his peace.
And verse 32.
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to.
The Prophets.
And verse 33.
For God.
Is not the author of confusion.
But a piece?
We are with my heart.
Old us with my powerful hand.
Spread of heaven feed us now and evermore.
Get up here but our brother prayer.
You know, we do have exercise of heart.
And I have a little exercise that I like to bring forth for justice a few moments.
Our brother Chakra had the hymn 193 before us.
Jesus, my Savior and our mind and what I'd like to speak this afternoon, George, for a few moments, is for those that are his. This morning we were gathered around the Lord Jesus, remembering his death.
We were here remembering his death and I would like to speak for a few moments for those that were here.
That could say it says Lord Jesus's mind.
But perhaps there's no exercise that you didn't remember the Lord with us this morning.
And I just have a few verses I'd like to read a this morning we had.
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We had Luke chapter 22 reads of to us I believe.
I like to read it.
Small verse here.
And Luke 22.
And verse 15.
Just for a few words it says with desire.
I have desired to eat this Passover with you.
The Lord Jesus, the night that he.
Betrayed by his own, the author shook him. That night he gathered together with his own, and he had the Passover with him. He said with desire, I have desire to eat the Passover with you, to thank the Savior desired. And then we had First Corinthians.
Chapter.
11 read to us this morning.
And for justice a word.
1St Corinthians 11 and verse 23 he says.
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you.
The Lord Jesus had a desire to have the Passover.
To eat it with them.
And Paul?
And the Lord Jesus met him somewhere, talked to him and said, Paul, I want you to frame before the Lord's people my desire for them. And Paul could say, I've received it from the Lord.
You know, this isn't just a formality of things we go through.
These churches today, they gather on Sunday morning and they have what they think is worship, and there's no worship really, because worship is the God Word. And what they have, I think, is to man.
So.
The Lord told Paul, I want you to let my people know what my desire for them is.
Now his desire.
You know, it was such a strong desire that Paul put out that the brethren daily broke bread.
But then as the cares of the world came along, I suppose they couldn't just come together daily, and so it got to be a major first day of the week.
And the first year of the week the brethren came together, and they broke bread.
And so the Lord has laid on our hearts to follow this truth that Paul gave us.
And so I would like to speak to those this morning.
That love the Lord Jesus. But you haven't had that exercise. It's what the Lord wants you to do and the time is short. The coming of our Lord is very near.
And so I'd like to spring before our young people and any others.
That the Lord's desire that we might remember Him.
And I like to leave that with the hearts of any that did not break. Bread with us belong to the Lord Jesus.
The Lord bless His word.
One Corinthians 11 we read for as often as he eats this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he comes.
You know.
This indicates that we should be able to do this.
In the way as he has appointed, until he comes.
I believe that these events that have taken place.
Have brought the truth of the coming of the Lord Jesus.
To the mind of his people, over and over again.
And I believe we can say that it cannot possibly be long anymore before he comes.
What we see is happening in the Middle East.
And what is happening in Europe?
The States is being said for what will happen after we are gone.
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What we have witnessed.
Is comparatively little, may I say it kid stuff compared to what will happen after we are gone.
But when this incident happened?
On September 11.
A scripture that came to our mind is in Zechariah.
We had been reading in Zechariah.
To get an eye at home.
And.
I believe that is what took place.
On September 11Th.
Zechariah 12/3.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people. All that burdened themselves with it shall be cut in pieces.
Mr. Darby surrendering is shall be wounded and, the footnote says sorely wounded. I don't think the United States does wrong in supporting Israel.
They need help and protection against these millions of Arabs who want to wipe them off the map. God has allowed the West and will, even in a more greater way.
Support the West.
Or help the West to support Israel. But those who burden themselves with Israel, with Jerusalem, will be sorely wounded. You can expect more of that kind of thing.
But what a comfort it is for us as Christians that our hopes are not in this world.
That we are looking for the Lord Jesus to come.
And take us out of it.
In Revelation chapter 3.
The hour of temptation, we will be kept out of it. We'll never get into it.
That's the tribulation.
Already.
Chuck has red verses in Two Thessalonians chapter 2.
You know the day of the Lord will not come. That's the correct rendering there. It's not the day of Christ, it's the day of the Lord before the man of sin be revealed, the Antichrist. And that man cannot be revealed until he and that which hinders is removed. That is the Church indwelled by the Spirit of God, but when the Lord Jesus comes back himself to judge.
It's the day of the Lord, but even before He comes back to personally judge the living.
Matthew 2531. There will be these judgments coming upon this world.
The seal job judgment, the trumpet judgments, the vile judgments to prepare the earth for the glorious rain of Christ. But that all will happen after we are gone.
We will not be here when these judgments fall. How can we prove that already? Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians is one and Revelation chapter 5.
What do we have in Revelation chapter 5?
To 24 elders round about the throne, and they worshipped a Redeemer.
They are the redeemed.
From the Old and New Testament.
They will already be there round about the throne, and there is a book in the hand of him that sits on the throne sealed with seven seals. Who is worthy to take that book?
Nobody was worth it. But then the lamb, he comes and takes that book.
But a Clem called it the title Deep to deserve. I like that.
Yes, the Lord Jesus has A2 fold claim on this world first of all as the Creator and that's how he's presented in Revelation 4 by Him and for him. Refining Revelation in Colossians. All things were created for His pleasure. They are and were created Revelation 4.
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But when he makes his claim known, he doesn't make it known as the Creator.
He makes it known as the Redeemer and he takes that book.
And then one seal after another is opened up, and these judgments are put out. No judgment has yet been poured out, and the book is not even in the hand of the Lord Jesus, and the redeemed are already round about the throne.
These pictures should clearly prove to us that we will not.
Be raptured in the middle of the tribulation, as some people tell us, or at the end of the tribulation. We will never get into it. The hour of temptation, we will be kept out of it. Never get there.
We certainly sorrow with those that lost loved ones.
In these attacks.
But we do not with pleasure.
Look forward.
Of what will happen after we are gone, but his judgment are righteous and true. We find that repeatedly in the Book of Revelation.
We will fully agree with the judgments that will be poured out upon this earth.
The one that at the present time is standing there with outstretched arms to receive sinners, He comes back to judge.
But there is a wonderful side in the Book of Revelation and that is that he will mark 144,000 of Israel that will go into the Millennium. They are assured that they will not be killed and there is a great host.
That will receive the gospel of the Kingdom. That will also enter the Kingdom. They will be preserved. Some will die for the word of God and the testimony they bear, or those who will not bow to the image of the beast. Then they will all be raised to enter that Kingdom from the heavenly side. But for us, we don't look for the tribulation we might still have to face.
Quite a bit of turmoil before the Lord Jesus takes us out.
But whatever we will have to pass through is not going to be anywhere close to what will happen to those who will be left on the earth.
Well, in Revel in Thessalonians, First Thessalonians.
We have another scripture that clearly shows that we will be taken home.
Because we know that when He comes back, He comes back with all his Saints. That is when He appears or when His manifestation takes place. He's coming for us is never connected with His manifestation or appearance. There is no public knowledge or it is not witnessed publicly of what will take place.
But in One Thessalonians.
Chapter 3.
The last verse.
Clearly shows that He will come with all His sayings. The end of verse 13. Now if He comes back with all His Saints, of necessity, they have to be taken first of all to be with Him.
And then in chapter four, we have the wonderful truth of the Rapture.
And it is so important to notice what Paul says. Let's read these verses from verse 13 on. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that we sorrow not even as others which have no hope for, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so them also with sleep.
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In Jesus will God bring with him for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we notice that that we which are alike. He includes himself. That was a present hope at the time of.
When Paul was here in this scene.
We which are alike and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent or get ahead of them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alike and remain.
Shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the ear, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. It was a present hope at the time when Paul was still in this world and is a present hope today. People say, well, 2000 years ago already almost people were talking about the coming of the Lord Jesus. He still hasn't come.
What are 2000 years with God?
1000 years is one day.
But one day is 1000 years for those who end up in hell.
One day will appear as an awful long time when you end a flame of fire, the lake of fire. But how wonderful they were in Thessalonica. Here say only, I understand, five or six weeks before this epistle was written, and some had passed away, and they were afraid that they might lose out.
And so Paul says don't worry about them, they will not lose out. As a matter of fact, he says they will be raised 1St and then we who are alive shall be changed.
And then we go to be forever with the Lord Jesus. But what helped me is to see that he says the dead in Christ shall be raised first. He is referring to those who had died as Christians.
Only Christians are in Christ. The Old Testament Saints never were in Christ. They are Christ, said his coming 1St Corinthians 15.
But he is comforting here in Thessalonians, the Saints who had become Christians and had lost some of their loved ones, they had gone to be with the Lord Jesus. And so he uses the term the dead in Christ.
Robert Tony helped me understand that and I appreciated it ever since that we have here the debt in Christ in First Corinthians 15, those who are Christ's at his coming when I was a young believer.
I thought that the rapture only had to do with the Church. Those who had died as Christians would be raised and we who are living would be changed. I learned different.
All those who have died in faith will be raised. They are all Christ's. Through the work of Calvary's cross, they became His.
Their sins were not atoned for until the Lord Jesus came and shed His blood. The remission of sins that are past refers to the sins of believers that died before the cross. Romans 3.
They too are his as a result of the atoning death of Christ, and they will be raised all those who died in faith.
Of course, those who are alive on earth at that time will be the Church. We will be changed and then we go to be with the Lord Jesus.
A lot of comfort to look forward to that and to have it as a present. Hope you.
Yes, we can say it might happen this very day, and how wonderful it would be if it would happen that very day.
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Can there be anything more blessed for any of us who know the Lord Jesus then?
To see him come and for the first time to.
See that blessed face?
And to be with him and like him forever.
You know, we know from 10/14.
As we have it here.
That the Lord himself will come. He won't send an Angel, He will himself come.
And fetch us.
And we can look forward to that.
And I hope we will remind ourselves again and again of that hope.
The virgins that went to sleep in Matthew 25.
Why did they go to sleep?
They had forgotten about the coming of the Lord Jesus, and they were aroused out of their sleep when their cry came forth. Behold the Bridegroom going forth out to meet him.
I've said more than once, if you want to go to sleep spiritually, forget about the coming of the Lord Jesus and you certainly will go to sleep spiritually. So we have to make an effort to remind ourselves again and again. We're looking for the Lord Jesus to come, and we hope he might come today.
But there are many in the audience here that are getting old and feeble, sickly.
There is a wonderful comfort connected with his coming.
Because when he comes.
We will have a body.
Like unto his body of glory.
The redemption of our body.
In future, we heard something about that during the meetings.
And that body is going to be like the body that we see in the risen Savior. It's not going to be a new body, but the body that we have now will be changed and brought into full conformity to the Lord Jesus like unto his body of glory. Philippians chapter 3.
What a wonderful thing that is. You want to have an idea what that body is going to be like.
Look at the Lord Jesus.
The disciples were gathered behind locked doors.
He said either him from getting in.
May I put it this way? He walked right through the walls.
And he could eat.
Have you anything to eat to make sure that they didn't think he was a spirit? He says the spirit has not flesh and bones.
As you see, I have He could eat, but he didn't need to eat to sustain that life.
When he went up to heaven, did he need a rocket to get up there?
No.
We will be going up in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we will be changed and going up to meet the Lord in the air, and we shall be forever with Him.
The body that we now have is still subject to death.
As we learned in First Corinthians 15, another truth of what will happen when he comes, that which is corruptible must put on incorruption, and that which is mortal must put on immortality, no longer subject to death. You know there are many of the Saints of God. Their bodies are corrupting in the grave.
You know that can never happen to any who are alive. When the Lord Jesus comes, their body is going to be changed.
And it will be incorruptible and those who will be raised.
They will have their party raised in corruption. We will never have to be afraid of death.
Death Race thy stings, Death Race thy victory.
And you know, that is very encouraging that in First Corinthians 15, after he presents this wonderful truth of the resurrection and that we do not have to worry about.
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What can possibly happen to us because if we are dying, if the Lord.
Does take us individually through death. That's not the end.
And even if in the service for the Lord, we might have to face death, never mind.
How can we understand the last verse of that 15th chapter of First Corinthians?
Well, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I take it this way, that Paul is trying to tell them that whatever you might face in the service of the law, even if you might have to face death, never mind.
There is the resurrection.
And a lot of comfort. The truth of the coming of the Lord Jesus is I'm looking forward to seeing my mother and my father. I'm looking forward to seeing my son.
I'm even looking forward to seeing Abraham in those Old Testaments sayings. We'll see them all.
And it will be wonderful to see them. But the most wonderful thing is that we will see the Lord Jesus for the first time.
And tend to be with him and like him.
You might have heard me tell that story before.
I was in.
This part of the country and I was talking to the children about the Lord Jesus.
And after the Sunday school, two boys were standing there.
Together I walked up to them and I said, tell me when we get to heaven.
Will we have to stand in line to get a chance to talk to the Lord Jesus? There would be a long line, wouldn't it?
A boy about 10 years old. No, he said he'll be everywhere. Beautiful answer, wasn't it? He is with every believer today, whether they are in Russia, China, Africa, Europe or the Americas. You think it's going to be different in heaven? I enjoy this thought. You and I will have the Lord Jesus just for ourselves.
Yes, we will have him just for ourselves and be with him forever.
And then we can, with perfect lips and tongues, praise and worship Him, and even worship the Father.
He will even then assist us as the minister of the sanctuary in our praises. He helps us now.
But it will be doing that throughout eternity. And one brother at the conference in Hima Bay made this statement once. I enjoyed that so much, he said. That new song that we will sing.
Doesn't mean we're repeating the same words over and over again.
I'm sure there will be things repeated over and over again, but he suggested new glories and beauties will unfold to us and we have new reasons to sing praise and worship well may be encouraged. Beloved Saints of God, the Lord Jesus is coming soon and don't get overly occupied with what's going on in the world. Not that we shouldn't be sympathetic.
In connection with the sufferings that people have to endure.
Don't you think we should be sympathetic with the sufferings that the people in Afghanistan endure?
Yes.
And those deceived people who think that they're doing God a service in killing the unbelievers.
They deceive us on the news media saying Islam is a peaceful religion. It is not.
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Right into Quran that says that it is the obligation of all Muslims to kill all unbelievers.
And all non-Muslims are unbelievers. The word love doesn't appear once in the Quran.
Well, and these people are deceived. What a rude awakening those pilots had the instant that they were killed.
They came to realize that they were doing the devil's work.
And they are already in Hades, in torment.
But how wonderful we who have grown up in the truth.
Have learned to value this book. I can say in my own case, like Timothy from a child, I have known the Holy Scriptures to have parents. Young people thank the Lord for parents that tell you about the Lord Jesus.
That read the Bible to you and to give you the truth of God and that you can go to meetings.
Where you can learn more.
About the blessed person of the Lord Jesus and the truth that this book contains. That is the truth.
And.
Thank the Lord for it. If you haven't done that, you better start thanking him for it that he gave you Christian parents.
I grew up, my mother would quote the Scripture many times. Anything that happened to you would try to bring the Word of God in connection with that which happened. And I came to realize I was getting older. What had conveyed to me was bring always the light of the Word of God in connection with anything that happens.
What a wonderful thing to grow up under that kind of an influence, but how solemn.
If that is all ignored.
And people may collect.
To accept help so readily provided, you know, I'm afraid there might be some who grew up in Christian homes that we'll end up in hell. I believe I have an uncle that grew up in a Christian home. That's where he is.
Neglecting and rejecting.
To receive the Lord Jesus. My dad talked to him two weeks before he was killed in a bombing rape.
And he brushed it all aside. My grandfather administered the Word of God very capably for many years and sought to bring up his family for the Lord.
This uncle neglected, brushed it all aside. My dad had an opportunity to talk to him two weeks before he died in a bombing raid.
I wasn't home. I was evacuated because of bombing, because the government wanted the kids out of the danger zone. My mother wrote a letter.
As she said, Uncle Fritz died in a bombing raid, and I couldn't help but think of the scripture. He that is often rebuked, hardeneth his neck, shall be suddenly destroyed and dead without remedy.
Could you have quoted beta verse?
Yes, I hope there's nobody in the audience here.
That has neglected accepting the helps provided by the parents and by brethren or by the Assembly.
You will be judged more severely than those who have never heard the truth.
Well, I thought, I hope there's not one in the audience that will be suffering in health.
And having to remember.
How often have I heard the gospel? How often was I exposed to the influence of the Word of God and I.
Wharton accepted. Well, I'm happy for everyone in the audience that has accepted the Lord. And you know who is even more happy than I or anybody else can be? The Lord Jesus.
He will joy over us with singing, you know.
And we are looking forward to seeing him.
But don't you think that He is looking forward more anxiously to have us with Him than we could ever desire to be with Him? So may the Lord encourage us to go on for Him. That cannot be long, and He will come and take us home. We will not be able to be a testimony for Him anymore, as we are presently. We are not able to do for Him what we are able to do now. Yes, we will serve Him forever, but.
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What a privilege that we can begin here on earth to serve Him in a way that we will not be able to serve Him anymore in heaven. And that doesn't begin when you're 30 years old. Then you should be exercised about doing something for the Lord Jesus. You can start becoming exercise about that. Even as it does so, may the Lord encourage us very much on our hearts and minds the events of.
September the 11Th and I just like to share with you.
A thought that occurred to me.
That what was very striking was that the building in New York City that were leveled had many people in them from other countries, it being the World Trade Center. So only God, you might say, could look upon that as a message to this whole world. And I think it's the Lord speaking to this world, including, of course, our own great country, that the time is short.
There is word that the sale of Bibles.
Grew very rapidly after that. It should be our prayer that people will read them.
And seek God's mind, but it's a sign to me that the.
End is near that the Lord is warning this whole world and that the issues are very clearly.
Between light and darkness, as our brother just indicated, and that we have the truth as our brother spoke to us in the previous hour, which is wonderful and we can be thankful for that. Now, one of the things that occurred to me, which is on my heart now, is thinking about the last time. And so I like to read the last verse of the 2nd Epistle of Peter. We all know that.
Peter, Second Epistle and Second Timothy are often thought about as epistles for the last time and what struck me, and it relates a little bit to what we just heard.
Is direction for us as believers.
For these last times, so I'd like to read.
The last verse of Second Peter. So think of this as Peter who makes it very plain in this epistle that he had been.
In the sense told by the Lord that his time was limited and he was writing to his brethren, this is the word that he had for them. And I think it's a word for us. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. So if we are concerned about what should occupy us in the time that's left to us before we hear the Lord's assembling shout.
I think it's very clearly told to us here and it's lovely to think about. We are told to grow. That means we're not stopped. We may have a knowledge of God's word. We, some of us are naturally speaking closer to the end of the path by far than we are to the beginning of the path, but we should still grow. And we have this wonderful book. It's an encouragement to us to keep, you might say, growing in it, and I'll tell you.
Some of you know this, but the one who brought the gospel to me was the father of our brother **** Loggers who laborers amongst us. And I clearly remember him telling me as I accepted the Lord, he said, **** you're now entering a school from which you will never graduate, and that's reading and learning this book. But what a joy it is, and it'll keep us too. This has been before us in the previous speakers.
Because if we're occupied with Him and there are many things for us still to learn, at least I feel away for myself. And I think it would be presumptuous of anyone to say that, well, I've learned all there is to learn. So we are to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So we have this book. This gives us clearly knowledge.
And sometimes we know, in fact, I had a business trip for two weeks where I was pretty much by myself and so I got into.
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The reading of the opening chapters of Proverbs where we have knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and I did a lot of thinking about that, What are the distinctions between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom? And I'll just share it with you. What I concluded knowledge is to learn facts. It's to know how things work, it's to know things that have happened and so on.
Now what's understanding? Understanding is when you take that knowledge and you relate it to other knowledge, and now you come up with some sort of a conclusion. And having been an engineer, I learned a lot of facts.
Knowledge about the systems with which I work. But sometimes when you related this bit of knowledge with that bit of knowledge, all of a sudden you saw a new association and that was understanding, and that was useful. So understanding is useful, that is to take these facts.
Put them together and say, well, because of that I really should act this way or begin to see other relationships. That's but the final one. The highest one, of course, is wisdom. And wisdom is to have the help of God because the Lord Jesus is unto us wisdom. And so wisdom transcends both knowledge and understanding. It's the highest level and it's timeliness. It's what's appropriate.
Wisdom, of course, relates to our relationship to our Lord and Savior. So I just share those things. But here in this verse, which is on my heart, there are two things, grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as we read this, we learn of our Lord and Savior. And as we do, we study his life, we study the way He acted with other human beings. And oh, our Lord had wonderful grace.
And dealing with sinners, they might bring up issues with him that he would just ignore to get to the very important thing that they needed, that is to see that they were sinners and they needed salvation. That the woman at the well in John's gospel is an excellent example of that, where she wanted to talk religion and the Lord just didn't do that. So we can learn, you might say, how to deal with our fellow human beings, and particularly those who are not saved by just.
Studying how the Lord did it, but there were a couple of things I'd like to just relate to you in the connection of our Lord. So right in this very epistle that we're in second Peter, turn back to chapter. Let's see.
Chapter.
I'm sorry, I thought I had it. Oh, I'm looking in the second. It's in the first epistle. I'm sorry.
Yes, for chapter 2, the first Peter and verse 21, which we are familiar with, but I'd just like to point something out there.
Verse 21 For even here unto where ye called because Christ.
Also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps.
And verse 23 has impressed me overtime, who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, He threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Well, the Lord Jesus is a perfect man, as we well know, walked in full dependence on the Father. He was a man of prayer. And so this is something I think can help us as we go on as brethren together seeking to encourage one another.
That if something comes up where we feel offended, we feel we're not properly understood. If someone says something about us or to us, one is the word here. The word here is committed himself to him, the judges, righteously.
And I remember once up at Gordon Hayes Cottage and on our length in the fall for the men and they had a little time apart and usually in September that he pointed out in connection. And we might just turn to it briefly. And that is in the book of Colossians, something I thought that was very interesting. First chapter of Colossians.
00:50:14
And verse ten of the first chapter of Colossians. That he might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful, and every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Strengthened with All might. Think of that that we should be strengthened with All Might, and we know how great All Might could be. But for what? Strengthened with All Might, according to His glorious power unto all patients, and long-suffering with joyfulness. It's not marvelous. We can have all power to be patient.
Now I don't know about others here, what they might say about themselves, but I can tell you I often and and I never seem to learn impatient. I want things to happen right away or I look at people that are ahead of me and why don't they do this or that and so on. So that's a lesson that I have to learn. But what an encouragement here that was strengthened with All might according to his glorious power to what all patients.
Show that as a little example of the treasures we find in this book as we learn about our Lord Jesus Christ, that we have this power, we have God for us, We have this wonderful, hopefully force. But I'd like to add just a little addendum to what our brother Heinz just said, that as we are awaiting the coming of the Lord, and surely we all are, let's remember what Peter said.
That we.
And to read the verse accurately.
That we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Savior Jesus Christ. Now there are just two more things about our Savior that I can quote one of them to you and the other one will turn to. But this one, of course, is a favorite verse of all of us. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That though he was rich, yet he became poor. That through his poverty we might be rich.
Now, one of the reasons I cite that one is.
Because it teaches us that this is a linkage of grace and knowledge. It's the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. So one of the things I didn't mention, but I intended to in Second Peter, the last verse, was to grow in grace.
And if someone were to ask you to say a new young believer and say, well, that's an interesting verse and I can understand how I am to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have this wonderful book. God has given us the things that we should know. And by the way, I'll just mention in passing that I heard many years ago, and I've always valued that it's just as important concerning what God did not tell us as it is about what he did tell us in this book.
Because there are those who would like to speculate about things that God has not chosen to tell us and I'll give you my quickly very an example. We all know the story of Abrahams servant who went to and sent the servant to find a bride for Isaac. Now if you have any knowledge of geography and you know the terrain that was covered to go from what we now call Israel.
Over to what we now call Iraq.
It's just as dangerous today, I understand even if you had an automobile to reverse that same bit of geography. Well, what was it traveling on camels? And he had wealth with them that serving but covered many miles. And then he came back, of course, with Rebecca.
Well, I know how I am. I think that would be a very interesting story. Why did they do to avoid thieves and robbers and so on. But God tells us not one word about that, does He? It's not profitable. It's not for our spiritual growth or health. So it's good not to speculate upon what God hasn't told us. So I just submit that now I quoted the verse of in the Lord Jesus though he was rich.
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And I just point out that it's sometimes good to remember as much as we treasure a verse such as that, to remember the context of it. And I wonder how many here would be ready right now to say, well, the context of the verse is why did the apostle Paul write that? It had to do with the generosity or lack thereof of the Corinthian Saints giving, contributing, and they had been delinquent in it. And so he uses the Lord Jesus as an example. So I just showed that. Let's not forget, we love the thought of that because.
He suffered through his poverty. We have eternal riches, and that's a perfectly valid way to understand that. But it's interesting to see the broader application. Now, the other one is in the portion we read earlier today and Philippians chapter 2.
And this is the portion where the Lord takes those, and with steps He sets aside all of his heavenly glory. You've got it not robbery to be equal with God, and so on. Therefore God hath highly exalted him. But why is that portion here? Do we think about that? So let's read from the first verse of chapter 2 because it's a verse for our learning.
If there be therefore any consolation?
In Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit and any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy. This is the apostle Pauls joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of 1 accord of one of mine one mind and I'll just stop and say right there. This is a a secondary theme I think of for the book of Philippians.
The matter of Saints being of one mind.
And how do we get to be of one mind? We get to be of one mind when we have the Lord's mind. I may have a notion about something and a brother may have a notion about something. And sometimes these things can become heated. As a matter of fact, if you flip the page over just to show you how important this is, if you look at the beginning of chapter 4 of Philippians.
The apostle, and writing to them, wrote this in the second verse. I beseech you, odious, and I beseech sin ticky two sisters, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
Well, it doesn't say it quite clearly, but it's quite obvious that two sisters disagree had a contention and what it was affecting the whole assembly. That's why Paul said I beseech what that they be of the same mind, but more than that in the Lord. So that's just a little example to us of one mindedness. Now going back to where I was reading in the second chapter.
So.
And it says verse three, Let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory, but in loneliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than themselves. This is to achieve 1 mindedness. This is for, you might say, for an assembly to go forward in a way honoring to the Lord and being fruitful.
So let not things be done through strife or Vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Can we do this in ourselves? Some of us, and with no offense to our brother Brinkman, because I have the same heritage he has and letters is Teutonic, and sometimes it gets competitive. So we need the grace of God. We need the help of God. We have to be on our knees about it if we differ with one of our brethren.
Just consider this, they may be wrong.
I may be wrong or we both may be wrong, but what we really want is to be right in the Lord. So when there is a difference we should get on our knees and say, Lord, you have given us to be of one mind and to do it in loneliness. When you get on your knees and say, Lord help me, you're starting to be lonely.
So esteem each other better than themselves. Look, not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. And I don't think that means to look on and see who has a bigger car or things like that is to look on each other to see if their needs, if we can help, if we can encourage, if we can show the love of Christ to our brother. Now with that introduction we come to the verse we so often read, verse 5.
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Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, and we know what follows. What an example. The Lord of glory, the Creator, the One to whom every knee shall bow. He took that low place and became at the end of these verses, obedient even to death, but death of the cross.
Let this mind be in you now. Have you thought about that? That's why this is here. We love it and properly so, because it reminds us of fresh of what our Lord and our Creator has done for us, that we might be safe for all eternity. Put away our sins, but He had the mind.
To be lowly and it's in this very portion I've been reading as I show you that we should take that low place with our brother. So I just leave that with you. Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. What a wonderful example. And we have the example of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And some here know I've been meditating on grace for years.
And if someone were to ask you, and I think I raised this question earlier, what would you say to them? If they would say, what do I do to grow in grace? And I don't think that's very easy. We answered, because grace is such a broad subject. And I'll mention things that, you know, as we read this book, we know there's the grace of God, there's the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's grace given to us, there's grace given to Christ. Grace is an immense subject.
The Lord Jesus came full of grace and truth. We had that before us today. Marvelous to think about. Grace is in the salutation of every epistle, and this is what the epistle writers wanted for us. Grace.
Do we understand that? I'll share with you just what I where I stand at the moment, but I can assure you that I'm still meditating on this. But grace, I think, is uniquely connected to this dispensation. This is a day of breaks. We use that example. And Christ is the one who is full of grace and truth. Now, what sets this dispensation apart?
This is the day of the individual creature, the individual human being, whosoever believeth in him should not perish. That's God's grace to us, just faith, just belief. And in some of the references which I won't turn to because the time, but we often well, I'll quote one for you, which you know very, very well. For by grace are ye saved.
Do we stop there? No, through faith and that not of yourselves and it is a gift of God.
But the point I'm making is that you will find that invariably.
Oh, God's wonderful promises.
And to count upon them and walk in them. I think that for me is for me to grow embrace that is to count upon God's loving promises for me and that's what I how I would answer that question. But I'm sure there's a lot more to grace. It's such a lovely subject and our Savior, the one who we would get knowledge of King full of grace and truth.
Lordy, Lordy Lord.
Maker see all.
I.
Make money.
For thy mind again.
The Lord.
I may be blessed.
And I.
Call you.
Fallen of God.
He said.
All I say my.
Heart.
Is only dead with you.