Open—D. Imbeau, H. Brinkmann, C. Little
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All the peace forever flowing from God's thought.
Of his own son, or the peace of simply knowing on the cross that all was done. Number 69, the offenders.
Commend this meetings of the Lord.
Our God, our Father, we thank Thee indeed that we can sing of Thy beloved Son.
We thank thee that we know that, giving us a little bit of the Gospels, and let's look again at the first stanza of the hymn which we just sang.
All the peace forever flowing from God's thoughts of his own Son.
All I'm going to do this afternoon is give you something to think about and something you can search out for yourself.
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Because it's much more profitable searching out things for yourself than it is being told.
I don't know how many of you have perused the Gospels of our brother this afternoon was telling us.
But if you take the Gospels, all four of the Gospels, 1/3, approximately 1/3 of all the Gospels are concerned with the last week of the Lord's life here on earth. You can look it up.
I hope you do.
And in the book of John 1/3 of the book of John is taken up.
With the last day of the Lord's life here on earth.
The thoughts God sought of his own Son.
Our brother was mentioning that he chose certain ones to write the Gospels.
And that's very true.
But in the writing of the Gospels the power of the Spirit of God records the bulk 1/3 of the Gospels concerning the Lord's last week here and in John the last day, How important to God is that work of Calvary? We often sing the center of two eternities, which look with wrapped adoring eyes.
Onward and back to thee.
God's thoughts are centered in that scene of Calvary.
If we were to go to the fifth chapter of Revelation, we'd find in the sixth verse there stood a lamb.
As it had been slain, or another translation, as it had been fresh lately. If we were to go to the third chapter of the book of Lamentations, we'd find.
The agony, the sorrow, it's fresh.
God's thoughts concerning his Son.
The Lord Jesus wrapped up in that scene of Calvary. I'm just going to give you some brief comments. It's not going to be long. Whoever wants to follow.
Directed by the Spirit of God will have plenty of time. Let's turn to Matthew's Gospel and we'll get the 1St.
Portion of the trip the Lord Jesus made here on earth to the cross.
Matthew's Gospel and the 20th chapter, the first mention in the Gospels. We'll just read a few verses and comment very little. As I said earlier, you can look it up.
Dig it out for yourself. Matthew 20 verse 17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the 12 disciples apart in the way.
And said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles, to mock and to scourge, and to crucify him. And the third day he shall rise again.
In your consideration of.
This particular subject Look at what the Lord Jesus says concerning himself as to what was going to take place and what was going to happen to him at Jerusalem. Look it up the 10th chapter of Mark.
Again, almost the same.
Comments.
The last week, chapter 10, verse 32 and they were in the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them and they were amazed.
And as they followed, they were afraid, and he took them. He took again the 12 and began to tell them.
What things should happen unto him saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests.
And under the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles.
And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him.
And shall kill him.
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And the third day he shall rise again.
As you're going through this, pay attention to what he says about himself and the Gospels in which it was written. I'm not going to elucidate for you. Now let's go to the book of Luke.
And the 18th chapter.
Luke 18.
In verse 31 And he took unto him the 12 and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem.
And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished.
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked.
And spitefully entreated, and spit it on, and they shall scourge him, and put him to death.
And the third day he shall rise again.
Remember, check out those things that he says of himself now in John's Gospel.
The 12Th chapter, and actually it starts in the 11Th chapter.
And the 55th verse.
And the Jewish Passover was nigh at hand, and many went out of the country, up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
Then thought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves as they stood in the temple, What think ye?
That he will not come to the feast. Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if any man knew where he were.
He should show it that they might take him.
Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead.
Whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served, But Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of Spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment 6 days before the Passover the last week.
In this room this morning.
There were probably 500 of us, maybe more.
Gathered around the person of the Lord Jesus.
No, you couldn't see him with your eye physically, but nevertheless he was here.
We depended on his word and he was here.
And we had the privilege of doing what Mary did here.
To worship.
To bring to him.
The thanks and the praise of our heart.
Interesting that this was six days before the Passover.
Let's go to the next chapter.
Chapter 13.
From here to the 19th chapter which is 7 chapters. John has 21 Chapters.
1/3 of the book of John occupied with the last day of the Lord's life on earth.
Now, if this doesn't bring some significant thoughts to your mind in regard to what the Spirit of God had intended for us as he pens these words, I'm not going to read these chapters. You can read them.
But consider as you do So what takes place in that last day.
On the way to the cross.
Consider what God's thoughts are of his own Son.
Amazing. The 13th chapter is at the Supper.
The 13th chapter of John is, as we know, the washing of the disciples feet. If you take the 13th chapter of John and match it with the chapter in Matthew that covers the same period of time, you will find out the order in which.
The Passover was kept, and the Supper was instituted.
And from joining the two together you can see that after.
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Judas Iscariot went out. The Lord Jesus instituted what we remembered this morning.
Yours is scary. It was not there.
I'm not going to show it to you. You can dig it out, but consider that.
From the 13th chapter to the end of the 19th chapter.
The last day of the Lord's life.
1/3 of the Book of John John is the portraits to us, the Son of God.
The eternal, glorified Son of God, the One who came, and our brother.
Most carefully delineated for us in the four Gospels.
Many things that are not in the other Gospels are in John. Many things that are in John are not in the other Gospels, and for our good reason.
Because the Gospel of John is the Son of God.
Consider that as you go through those seven chapters.
In his last days on Earth.
Let's check read a few verses in the 19th chapter.
And at your leisure, you can peruse what I've just given you 19th chapter of John and starting with the 28th verse.
And I'm not going to go through it, and many of you already know all about it.
But it's interesting that if you were to survey the seven things that the Lord Jesus said on the cross and what they pertain to and how he says them and in what order he says them.
Very interesting. Three of them were in John, three of them are in Luke.
After he had committed his mother and he doesn't call her mother, he says woman.
After she had committed her to John, then the 28, first, after this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Seth I thirst now that we set a vessel foot of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished.
And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
Marvelous amazing comment.
A final comment. No, it's not the last words that he said on the cross.
Because he followed this with.
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, but in this comment he conclusively closes.
The question of sin and opens the door to God's mercy and grace.
To go out to sinners.
We don't read about the.
Veil of the temple here. We read about it in Matthews Gospel and in Lukes Gospel.
And in particular in Luke's Gospel, if you would go to the.
10th chapter of Hebrews starting with about the 18th verse and read a portion there you would finally come to something like this.
That is through the veil.
That is to say, his flesh. And in Luke's Gospel there is a very significant comment made in regard to the veil. In Matthew's Gospel and Mark Gospel, it says that the veil was rent from the top to the bottom, but that's not what it says in Luke.
In Luke's Gospel, it says that the veil was rent in the midst.
Corresponding with Hebrews 10.
Through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.
The work of Christ on Calvary opens the door to go into God's presence, but not only show, but it opened the door for God to come out to you.
In all his grace.
In all his mercy.
He now can come out when when the Lord Jesus here says it is finished, that was a positive statement made conclusively closing the door on the scene of sin before God. He is the one in the first chapter of John that says who taketh away the sin of the world verse 29 and in verse 36 it says now that the sin of the world has been taken away says behold the Lamb of God.
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For observation.
For worship.
For adoration.
It is finished.
And as far as John is concerned, that closes the scene on the Lord's comments.
True, a soldier came with a spear and pierced his side, and it says forthwith came out blood and water, the blood that cleanses from sin.
When that blood flowed out there on Calvary, it was a complete closing of what God had said in Leviticus 1711.
The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I've given it unto you.
Upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul, for it is the blood that makes the there was the fulfillment.
None of the blood that flowed in the Old Testament took away any sin. We learned that from the Hebrews.
Hebrews 10/4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls are goats could ever take away sin, but it was the blood of the Lord Jesus, the blood of the Old Testament covered, but it never took it away. And again in Hebrews 10 if it had of then they would have had no more conscience of sin.
Consider.
What God's thoughts are of his own Son?
1/3 of the Gospel of the last week, 1/3 of John the last day of the Lord's life.
Continuing John, Chapter 20.
Verse 11.
We have been singing now free access to the Father.
And how wonderful it is.
That this is the way we know God.
None of the Old Testament Saints ever could so address God.
But you and I can, because the Lord Jesus was here to reveal the Father.
And in John 17 he says that he has revealed him and will reveal him. And here in John 20 he makes Mary.
The messenger of this new relationship that now he could introduce his own to as a result of the work of redemption being accomplished. We'll read from verse 11 on.
But Mary stood without at the supper, weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the supper curve, and see if 2 angels in white sitting the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain, they say unto her, Woman, why weep this stuff?
She says unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know that where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou whom seekest thou? She's supposing him to be? The gardener says unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him, hens, tell me.
Where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away, Jesus says unto her, Mary.
She turned herself, and says unto him Rabuni, which is to say Master.
Jesus says unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.
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But go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my father.
And your Father, and to my God, and your God, Mary Magdalene came, and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, that he had spoken these things unto them unto her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and says unto them.
Peace be unto you.
And when he had said so, sad.
Here showed unto them his hands and his side. Then where the disciples glared, when they saw the Lord, then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you, as my Father has sent me, Even so send I you. When he had said this, he breathed on them, and says unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins he remit, they are omitted unto them, and whosoever sins, he retain, they are retained.
But Thomas, one of the 12 called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord but he said unto them, Except I shall see his hands in his hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and trust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after 8 days.
Again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut.
And stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you, Then said he to Thomas reached, hidden thy finger, And behold, my hands, and reach, hit her thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God, Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed, Blessed are they.
That have not seen, and yet hath believed.
It's very interesting when you read the Gospels to see that the disciples, without exception, did not expect the Lord to rise from the dead, although he had told them so, as we have heard earlier.
This makes their testimony after his resurrection that much more believable. It ought to.
But we see here in Mary.
Someone.
That loved the Lord dearly.
But she did not have the intelligence.
And so it is many times in our case. I hope we do love the Lord dearly, and perhaps we do not understand things as we perhaps should.
Mary in a way could be excused because she didn't have the spirit of God at this time. If we are Christians, we do have the Spirit of God that gives U.S. intelligence to understand the Scriptures. But the Lord appreciates when there is genuine love and affection and he will not leave such an one in ignorance. And is that interesting that he comes to marry first?
And then makes her a woman, mind you, a messenger of this tremendous truth.
That there is now a relationship existing that did not exist before.
Mary thought that she could have the Lord Jesus back in the same way as she had him before he went to the cross.
That's why the Lord Jesus tells her when she recognized him. Touch me, not the Lord Jesus is as much as is saying, Mary, you can't have me back the same way as you knew me before.
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There is now Mary, a new relationship.
You know, this truth is also brought out by Paul in Second Corinthians, and we should read.
This so that we have it correctly. 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 15, That he died. For all that they which lived should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore, henceforth, knowing no man after the flesh, yeah, though we have known Christ Jesus after the flesh.
Yet now, henceforth Norway, hymn no more.
No more in that way, therefore, if any man be in Christ.
He is a new creature or there is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
You know, it's important not only for Mary and to disciples. It's important for us to understand what our relationship to the Lord Jesus is. It is not connected with the Messiah and the one that came to earth to set up the Kingdom. We are connected with the one that has gone through death, and as a result of that death has brought us into a new relationship. We are children of God through and sons of God through faith.
In the Lord Jesus we can address God as Father.
You know, we've had a funeral a few days ago.
And a comparatively young man had a part in that funeral. He spoke of the Lord as God Almighty.
That's how Abraham and Isaac and Jacob knew him. Exodus 6 tells us that that is how God had made himself known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It doesn't mean that he isn't any longer Almighty God, but he revealed himself to Moses as Jehovah.
And he literally says, I wasn't known in that way to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He revealed himself more fully to Moses and you and I. We have partial revelations of God in the Old Testament. You and I have the full revelation of God that he has given in his son. And already when he was here he was making known the Father. But there was not yet a relationship existing with God as Father as he now.
Makes known to marry. God is our father. We met a young man on the plane coming back from Africa, Phil and I, last year and he was under way to the state.
And he had lost his father, and he was still grieving over the loss of his father. We found out that he had grown up in a Christian home.
But he had not accepted the Lord.
So we use that opportunity and said to this young man, is it possible that God wants to draw you to himself, that you will find in God a father? Well, we don't know what happened to this young man, whether the Lord allows that contact with him to be a source of blessing to him, but dear young people.
Remember, in Christianity we know God as nobody else knew him before.
And we are in a relationship more intimate than anyone has ever enjoyed before.
The death and resurrection and glorification of the Lord Jesus.
Then we see him come into the midst of his own twice in this chapter.
What a wonderful.
Fact, that is, that in both cases he came on the first day of the week.
We as Christians don't celebrate the Sabbath.
We have a new day, the Lord's day, the day of His resurrection, the day of his victory.
You know, all the commandments are mentioned in the New Testament that are mentioned in the Old Testament. Nine of them are referred to.
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And we have had ministry years back, still have to take and enjoy it by Chapter Brown, the moral content of the law.
We are not under the law, but what was said in the law also is told us in the New Testament. But the only thing that is not mentioned is the Sabbath, because the Lord's day is not the Sabbath. Although some Christian ignorantly refer to the Lord's day as the Sabbath, but it's wonderful that on the first day of the week he comes into the midst of his own.
And Acts Chapter 20.
When they came together to break bread on the first day of the week.
The early Christians broke bread daily, but as they came along.
As they learned more truth, they came to see that the Lord's day was the day when we would come together to remember Him in His death. It's a day of victory, of triumph. Sure, we remember Him in His death, but we worship a living, glorified Savior, and so He comes into the midst of His own.
But things take place here.
That are also very significant.
He had already spoken of that new relationship that the death of the Lord would introduce us into. Now he is a messenger of peace.
Already in the 14th chapter we read that.
Verse 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.
Peace with God is Christ in glory.
You know, what gives me peace is not so much the fact that he died for my sin.
What gives me peace is that the one that was in my place in judgment is no longer in the grave.
And that assures me and you, if you accept that the law.
That you also will have a place there with him in the glory. Our sins are gone.
We accept it. We identified with the risen, glorified Savior. But here now as the risen Savior, He does breathe on His disciples. Now what is that?
Speaking of turn to 1St Corinthians 15.
What do we learn from this? I believe in First Corinthians 15.
We get an explanation.
1St Corinthians 15.
1St.
45.
Sword is written The first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
And you see this is connected with what takes place here in John chapter 20.
When Adam was created, God did breathe.
And him made him a living soul, but.
The last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ.
A quickening spirit, He associates us with him in resurrection life.
You know, he's not only, as we so often hear the head of the body as the glorified savior, he's also the head of a new creation.
And he introduces us into that new creation. He does breathe on his own.
And when he says receive the Holy Spirit, we know that the Spirit himself.
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As a person does not come until later on the day of Pentecost.
But here it is associating his own.
With him the head of a new creation, he does breathe on them and communicate that resurrection live.
Well, how wonderful these things are. And then he makes them messengers. He sends them into the world, just like the Father had sent them.
You and I are sin.
We are not in exactly the same position as the apostles. We are not apostles.
But this is still what the Lord is expecting of us, that we answer to this, that we recognize that we too have a responsibility to spread the word.
To make God known.
As he has made himself known to us.
How wonderful.
To be honored.
To be in a position of a servant of God, but a responsibility.
We had asked a very poor servant, but I hope we have an exercise that we want to.
Do something for the Lord Jesus that we want to be obedient.
And we don't all have necessarily the same calling, the same gift.
You know, Brother John travels all over the world with the gospel. And who would question that that is his gift, you know, because he has more to offer than just the gospel. But that is certainly evidently what the Lord has entrusted him with. We do well to support it, you know, Remember, I've sometimes said, why is there a testimony in India Today?
Why is there a testimony in Malawi today? Why is there a testimony in Brazil? It's the result of literature work, yes?
I believe it's a very important aspect of Lord's work in our day and age.
Literature. We do well to feel our responsibility to support it. You know, the literature reaches souls that we as individuals could never reach. You know, we would have to have a lot of people going out with the gospel, person to person, to reach as many as we can reach with the tracks, with literature. It's a wonderful thing, but.
What a privilege to be able to serve.
The Lord and that He has sent us out we don't need.
Man's sending, man's ordination? No. The Lord will qualify, and the Lord will stand and the Lord will sustain.
Those whom he sends.
But then there is a very important fact brought out here. I believe what we see here the first time, when the Lord appears in the midst of his own, we have a picture of the assembly.
The second time when he appears, I believe in Thomas, we have more that which answers to his appearing to the Jew.
I'm not saying that we cannot make applications for ourselves in both of those cases, but you and I have never seen the Lord Jesus and Peter says, Blessed are they of whom having not seen, we love the Lord Jesus, says to Thomas.
That blessed are those who believe, although they haven't seen, you know, that's our position.
But.
He does also communicate a fact here that we do well to recognize when he comes into the midst of his own. And like I said, it is a picture of the assembly. He gives authority to them.
It might well be true that that was especially something given to the apostles, but.
I believe that continues to be two of the assembly.
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Whosoever sinned, ye remit, they are omitted.
Whosoever since ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoever since he retained, they are retained.
The Lord has given to the assembly.
The responsibility and authority to bind and to loosen.
Matthew 18 What does it mean to bind the sin upon a person?
And deal with him in discipline. And then to loosen is to forgive. Yes, the assembly can forgive.
And when the assembly binds sin upon somebody, you and I as individuals cannot ignore that, because then we are ignoring the Lord's authority in the assembly. Unfortunately, that sometimes takes place when we were first gathered, not very long. I remember how Brother Pilkington at the Chicago conference spoke unforgiveness.
Forgiveness.
And.
That impressed me very much. In one statement that he made at that time, he said there was a case of discipline in one of the assemblies and after the brother was happily restored, he asked permission to speak.
And a brother and granted him permission to speak. You know what He said. He wanted to thank the Saints, who had not shaken his hands while he was under discipline.
That had contributed to him being exercised and to be restored. It's very painful to see how Saints ignore a discipline whosoever since ye remit they are remitted. Don't set yourself up against the judgment of the assembly. You are setting yourself up against the authority of the law that he has vested.
In the assembly.
Of course there is a great responsibility connected with that, that.
We should be very much exercised that when an action takes place.
That it is indeed the Lord's mind that is carried out.
You know, it is possible that mistakes are made.
But you never correct the mistake by rebelling. Wait on the Lord to correct the mistakes.
I as a father.
Have.
Number of times not exercise my authority as a father.
Rightly, I might even have had the wrong mistaken idea as to who of the children should be.
Discipline.
But the child still had to submit to the discipline.
You know, and a police officer might arrest somebody mistakenly, but if the person resists the arrest, he gets into trouble.
You know this opportunity, given that the mistake will be corrected, but then we have.
Thomas.
Not being present at this first meeting.
Of the Lord with his own.
And here now, the second time He's there. Now the Lord here, contrary to the way he handles things with Mary, he allows him.
To touch him.
You see here it is not a question now with Thomas of relationship.
Here is a question of removing his doubt convincing him.
That this one that came into the midst of his own is indeed the Lord Jesus.
You know he still has the marks in his hand and in his sight.
The site is no longer bleeding.
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I heard that expressed.
Do you know that song that we enjoy? Draw me nearer, Nearer, blessed Lord, to thy wounded side. Brethren have changed at him from the way it was originally expressed through that bleeding side. You know in another hymn book has it.
Even different to thyself nor glorified, I like that.
But to my wounded side expresses more closely the thought that the Riker expressed, although not intelligently.
But we want to be drawn closer to the Lord Jesus and.
Here, he says. Thomas, come on.
Am I the one or am I not the one?
And Thomas.
Ends up to acknowledge the Lord Jesus is my Lord.
And my God.
Beloved Saints of God stay still. Another thing that I think we can learn from these two appearances among his own.
We weren't gathered very long. We were gathered in Rockford, IL.
And.
We were sending out fellowship. I hardly knew anybody of those laboring among us at that time, but there was one brother that I knew and to the Brethren, said Heinz. Why don't you send him the fellowship? So I did.
And.
When the brother acknowledged the gift, he referred to these two times when the Lord Jesus appeared in the midst of his own.
And he made this use of it, he said, the first time when they were.
There, gathered behind the doors, locked doors. When you read it into German, it becomes more clear that it was locked.
It was because of the fear of the Jews.
That the door was locked.
But you don't hear that the second time because of the fear of the Jews.
But the door was still locked.
The way he made the application was that God's people.
Have to be on the guard as to keeping out that which doesn't belong in the assembly. I like that application.
You know the assembly has to responsibility to put out from among themselves the wicked person.
But the assembly certainly has the responsibility to also keep out as much as they can judge those who don't belong there.
Now we find in Jude.
That men had crept in unawares.
You know, and I'm sure that we have experienced that at times that we.
Thought to be careful as to whom we received, but we made mistakes.
And.
People came in and afterwards.
When they left or had to be disciplined, we had to ask ourselves where those people actually saved.
Hasn't it happened that?
People were received at the Lord's table and after they were at the Lord's table for a while, he got saved.
You know, so I don't think we should be too severe on ourselves when mistakes are made when brethren sincerely want to guard the Lord's name and table.
Yet might not have the discernment that perhaps could be there.
But it is far more serious when knowingly people look the other way and take people into the assembly that have no place to be there.
There are conditions possible in the life of people that disqualify them for being at the Lord's table.
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Well, I think we can learn from these things, although I believe the second time when we read that the doors were locked. Although the fear of the Jews is not mentioned, I believe the main thought that conveys itself to me there is because it is a picture of what will come in the future. You know, when Israel is going to recognize who this blessed one is, there is no longer the need for the fear of the Jews.
But I think we can make an application, can we Not for ourselves. The door was locked in both cases. The first time they were afraid of their enemies, the Jews. But the second time the door was still locked because they didn't want people to enter there that had no business being there. That doesn't mean that we cannot allow.
Unsafe people to attend. That doesn't mean that, but I believe here it is a question of becoming part of the group of believers, the followers of the Lord Jesus.
Become identified with them.
I sometimes have heard people make this statement.
And I don't want to fault necessarily that statement, because I know what people want to convey. They say so and so had to be removed from the Lord's table.
I never read that in the scriptures.
Certainly one that comes under discipline can no longer.
Be at the Lord's table or participate in the breaking of bread. But what I do read is put out from among yourself that wicked person.
That is, in First Corinthians chapter 5, where man had his father's wife, and it was known in the community was generally known that that kind of a thing was going on among the Christians.
If they would have just said you can no longer break bread and let him come in and go as before, the world wouldn't have known that they had dealt with that man. As long as he was pursuing that sinful course, he had no business being in the assembly at Corinth.
I believe that I suggest to you the correct understanding. I'm not saying that one who had to be removed can never come and attend a meeting, but I do believe as long as he pursues A sinful force, lives in sin with an unmarried person or whatever, he has no business being there. You know what we learned from the Old Testament when the leper.
Was diagnosed at a leper. He had to be outside the camp.
Then, when he was white all over, he could return to the camp.
And go through the cleansing procedures. Now that seems like a paradox. White all over.
That was still leprosy, but it has been explained to us by others who knew the Scriptures better than us today here, that there was nothing hidden anymore. It was all out in the open. There was genuine repentance and contrition and acknowledgement of the sin.
And he could come back to the camp, but couldn't return to his tin until he had gone through the cleansing procedures. And then after seven days, a complete period of time. That doesn't mean literally for us spiritually applied today. Seven days, but a complete period of time. Then that person could be restored to all.
His privileges? How long for you and me that seven days might last?
We don't want to put any time on there but.
The priestly element.
Has to discern when the time comes that such a person can be back in, and it might not be a long time, especially when the discipline has to take place.
And the person is already genuinely repenting. You know, that's another time that people have difficulties. They say, why should we put that brother out on a sister out? They're generally repentant in current That person wasn't repentant.
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What is not understood is that the name of the Lord Jesus and the name of the assembly has to be clear by giving a demonstration that such evil cannot go unjust.
But a person that is genuinely repentant might not have to be outside very long and while he is repentant.
Not continuing in his sinful course, he certainly can attend.
He be, you might say, inside the camp.
Well, I give you these things for your consideration. May the Lord help us. We are breaking down beloved Saints of God when it comes to discipline. There is so much talk going on in the camp in the denominations about unconditional love.
You know what they mean is that no matter how a person carries on and lives, you still put your arms around him. You still show him love. Yes, we have to show him love, but remember what thought of Pilkington told us? The brother realized that those who wouldn't shake his hand were really showing him love and it led to his restoration.
Well.
I trust the Lord will keep us near himself.
So that we can be ambassadors for him, that we can usefully occupy our time for him. He has sent us like the Father had sent him. So may the Lord help us that we be in a state of soul.
That he can use us.
You know, it was really a painful thing to have to listen to the exposure of young people not getting anything out of the readings, although we tried so hard to be simple in how we tried to present the truth. Then they say I went over my head.
Well, is there an exercise? If there is no personal exercise, I'm not surprised if you don't get anything out of it.
A brother in England went home after a meeting with a young brother and he said brother, how did you enjoy the meeting?
And.
The young brother said. Well, most of it went over my head. The brother said. Why don't you grow a little? Why don't you grow a little? Yes.
I do not expect.
Whether it is my ministry or the ministry of any brother which is given in the spirit will benefit people who are not exercised.
But I know.
Exercise souls will be helped.
And perhaps those who are not exercised hopefully will be stirred up.
To desire more understanding of what the Lord Jesus has brought us into.
And not only intellectually enter into these things, but allow these things to penetrate our hearts and consciences so that it has a forming character in our life so that we can live for the Lord. You know, we have to be careful.
Especially boys and girls who are intellectually bright that you don't just enter into these things like an intellectual exercise.
All truth enters by the conscience. Clarence Nadine would tell us that more than once. I remember the conscience has to come under exercise and the hearts have to be reached, you know, so that the inner man benefits from the word and truth of birth.
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We have a few minutes and a few things I'd like to point out in connection with what our brother has been saying. Let's turn over to the Book of Ezra.
And this is a large subject, but I just want to point out a few things concerning the Ezra himself. And also we have another one in the New Testament which was Timothy. But it's interesting isn't it, that all the truth that has been presented during these meetings.
In order to get it, we have to ask God to make it good to us.
And also we have to search the word of God for ourselves.
You, you know the brethren that have ministered to us. Any of us can say things and present them. But in my exercise over many years, all I ever got is what God has given to me.
Something that I've gotten from him is mine. Not just what somebody told me, but somebody pointed out the scriptures to me and so it is mine. So I just like to look for a few a few verses here in Chapter 7 of of Ezra and it what's very interesting about Ezra is.
The name Ezra means help. But isn't that a desire of each one of us here to be a help? Do you want to be a helper? Do you want to be a hindrance? You know, there's so many hindrances, so many things that hinder the Saints of God and detract from the truth of God. So what he wants us to do, each one of us have some kind of a gift? We've heard that during these meetings you all have a gift. Every one of us has a gift of some time. And what God wants us to do is to use that gift to build up the Saints of God and encourage them. But just just notice, I want to read a few verses here in Ezra Chapter 7.
I got a little problem with Ice Age, so you'll forgive me, I'm sure.
Verse one now after these things in the reign of Arctic Xerxes, Kenya, Persia, Ezra the son of Shariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shalom, the son of Zadok, the son of a hiatus, the son of a minute.
Amariah the son of. Azariah the son of. Moriah, the son of.
Zero higher, the son of Azizi the son of Bukai, the son of Abishel. Abishe the son of Phineas, the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the chief priest.
What was Ezra's roots?
He was from the tribe of Levi, wasn't he?
But he wasn't. He didn't stand in that, you know, there are young people are brought up in the gatherings and you have a birthright. If you went back to the earlier part, you'd see they were to prove their their heritage, they were to prove their, their condition there before God. And so Ezra, this, this is spoken of as Ezra. He's doing this very thing. So the scriptures go back to the very beginning and so with each one of the young people that have been brought up in Christian homes.
You have these things ingrained in you from the from childhood.
That's Timothy. I can't. There wouldn't be time enough to talk about Timothy also. But just think about that from a child that has known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. So we have that here, don't we? But Ezra, it says that he was a he was a Ezra was born in the priesthood and you were born in in the assembly. If you're brought up in a Christian home, you have a gift you brought up as Ezra was a priest.
But was he content with that? Did he just rest on his laurels as a priest and say, well, I'm a priest so I can do what I like? No, no, no. Notice what it says.
Ezra was used of God to be a help, and this is his messenger. His mission, of course to go to Jerusalem.
But time wouldn't permit all that. But it says verse 6 and Ezra went up from Babylon.
Oh, he went up from Babylon to go up to Jerusalem.
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And he was a ready scribe.
In the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given, and the king granted him all his requests according to the good hand of the Lord.
His God upon him, the good hand of the Lord of his God upon him in order to answer.
In answered prayer we could go through all the various points of Ezra here to show you how.
He depended upon the Lord, but here was Ezra's prayer. His prayer was answered.
By the good hand of God upon him. Sometimes God has to lay a heavy hand upon us. But here it was a good hand of the Lord that exercised Ezra to go up, leave Babylon, and go up to Jerusalem. And so we see here again. As I say, time is very, very short.
It says that and they went up.
Verse 7 And they went up some of the children of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, and the singers and the porters and the Netherlands unto Jerusalem in the seventh year of Arctic circuses. The king, I think of about five months it took them to go up to Jerusalem.
Then.
And he came to Jerusalem.
In the 5th month, Well, he started out in the earlier month and I think it was four or five months that took him to go up to Jerusalem.
Then he came in verse eight. He came to the Jerusalem in the 5th month.
Which was in the seventh year of the king for upon the first day.
Of the first month began he to go up to Jerusalem, and on the first day of the 5th month.
He came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
We see the blessed truth of this God's hand answered his prayer, and God's hand guided him to Jerusalem and dear young people, and dear each one of us here. If you have a desire to know the Lord Jesus, to know more about him, and to learn some of these precious truths that we've been hearing in these meetings, which you say may go over your head, dig into the word of God. God is able to make it good to you. We can't make it good. All we can do is.
Pronounce the truth.
And leave the results to you, so you're responsible, as I told one time at a funeral.
Spoken to those people that I knew them very well, some of them, and I said now what I'm going to do to you today.
I'm going to present to you the truth of God, and when you leave this room, you're responsible to take it with you. If you don't, you may never have another opportunity and how precious this is to know. And so you see, what I want to point out to Ezra is that he wasn't just resting on his moral murals as a priest. No, I'm a priest. I'm speaking to a man one time in Chicago on Michigan Blvd. I handed him a track and he said.
I'm a I'm a Catholic. Oh, I said. Why not here, save Catholic? So I didn't. He took the track.
So anyway, here is Ezra going up to Jerusalem. Took a few months to get up there.
And then what it says it tells us here in these following verses.
What? Ezra, did you know? It's so precious that to think that this man wasn't resting on his own laurels as a as a priest or some title or something like that which he had, but just notice now.
Verse 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart.
To seek the Lord, seek the law of the Lord. That's precious to me.
He prepared his heart for it, just as Daniel of old Daniel also did. His heart was right. Is your heart prepared to seek the Lord? Is it prepared to hear what God has been bringing out? Is it prepared to read the word of God and absorb some of its precious truth?
Oh, how lovely it is to know that.
Has been pointed out by our brother the sufferings of Christ and the sorrow that he went through. Doesn't it draw your heart out to him to search it out for yourself? Read it for yourself.
Don't expect to get it from someone else. Thank God for those who teach. But here Ezra, it says Ezra had prepared verse 10, prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it. That is very important, you know. People say. Well, a young man told me one time out he was seeking the mind of the Lord. I said then do it.
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Do it. Don't just say you're seeking it. Follow the path. God has, a path marked out for each one.
So with Ezra, it says he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord.
We don't have to seek the law of the Lord. We have to seek the grace of God.
Now as we could turn over to Timothy, I won't have time to do that. But how he was taught of God, how he sought the Lord in the day of grace. And but here in our in our in our chapter, just to bring out the thought, Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Lord his God, the law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
You know, many times we like to Teach First.
Which is wrong. That's the wrong angle. We have to learn first before we can teach. If there are teachers here, I'm sure they're well aware of that fact that they have to learn. They have to go to college themselves. They have to learn things before they can teach others. And so with each one of us, each one of us here have the blessed privilege of being able to expound some of these things ourselves. Doesn't take deep truth to give you joy in your soul. I think of a comment that was made, dear Mr. Darby, in years.
Near as near as nearest deathbed.
To him. And they thought, well, but they're going to ask him now, what is it, Mr. Darby, that you're thinking of right now? I'm this, this is not verbatim, but I think it's similar to what the thought was. And they wondered he was going to give some great majestic exposition of the scriptures, he said. I'm thinking.
The man of Calvary's? Calvary's. The man of Sikhers. Well, that was all simple truth.
He was thinking that the man at sikers well, isn't that something precious to me? So it was Ezra. He prepared his heart to seek the Lord, the law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach.
Israel in Israel. Statutes and judgments, Statutes and judgments. Our desire, the desire of everyone here should be to encourage the Saints of God to teach them the truth of God. We know the truth is ourselves. We know it in the exercise of it. But we want to expound it. We want to let others know it, to share these things with others. The truth of God. And it's precious, isn't it? To know that.
We're not.
Proposing great majestic things. Seekest thou great things for thyself seek them not.
Just give the simple truth that God has given you, and it can encourage many, many if you come in contact with those that I've come in contact with many times and all it takes is a little word. I spoke to a young Jewish girl and I never even had a gospel track with me. I was always I'd meet her at the mall, spoke to her about the Lord over a period of time. Give her scriptures, she read them.
And when I'd see her and that for some reason didn't have a track in my pocket, never gave her a subtract. But after some time I went through there, she came over. She said. I've accepted Christ of my Savior.
How did that happen? She said. Well, I talked to my boyfriend. He had a Bible and things. You told me. We looked it up. Oh, God is a God of grace. Mercy. He can reach out. No matter where you are. He can find you. And he found this dear girl, a little short Jewish girl, Beautiful to think that here she was. You know what her name was? Delilah.
Delilah of all names. But Delilah is going to see the Lord someday anyway. I just thought of this, these things in connection with Ezra. Much more could be said, but again, I'm not going to follow.
Spoiler the time element here where Ezra prepared his heart because the hand of God was upon him, and you know that everyone was the hand of God was upon each one of us. Always, always. It's never removed.
Not only is his eye upon us, but His hand is upon us, and His hand is upon us for good. He wants us to be blessed. He wants you to be blessed. He wants me to be blessed. And He wants you to share with him, with others what God has given you at no cost. It didn't cost you anything.
Ezra. It says he prepared his heart and it's good to have that, isn't it? Because the truth of God should rest in the heart. It comes through the brain, through the mind, and it rests in the heart.
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But Ezra's the truth that Ezra got. He put it into his feet and he did it, and he then he was able to teach. So I just submit these few little feeble thoughts connected with Ezra that in connection with what our brethren have been saying already, that we need to dig into the word of God ourselves. We need to search the Word, search it, and find out. Read the scriptures, delve into them, and you'll find in them all the truth that has been presented this afternoon.
It's all right here. It's in the word of God. All we have to do is search it out. So May God use these few little comments to exercise you to search the word of God. Read it every day.