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Beating Des Moines in 1968. Open meeting.
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Remind me to get.
Just like to read a portion, brethren, in John chapter 12.
The 19th verse.
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing. Behold, the world is gone after him. And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. The same came therefore to Philip, which was the best said of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip cometh and telleth Andrew. And again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth along, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it under life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me.
And where I am.
There shall also my servant be, if any man serve me, Him will my Father honor. Now is my sole troubled. And what shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? But for this cause came I under this hour, Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered.
Others said an Angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said signifying.
What death? He should die.
Oh, brazen. Doesn't it often impress us as we read the scripture?
How wonderfully God brings precious thoughts together, things that bring before us the loveliness of Christ and also bring before us our responsibility and our position here in this world. Makes one think of the ointment that was prepared in the sanctuary. It tells us that the blending of it was such that no other could blend in such a way to smell there too. And surely we can say that there is no other place where we find.
Such precious things brought together as in the precious book of God, because it brings before us always the glories and loveliness of Christ and our responsibility. Well, this came to my mind in connection with what was said yesterday about the.
Temptation of the Lord and how it tells us there that Satan showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, that he might have them if he would fall down and worship him. And we know that the Lord Jesus refused. He was going to wait the Father's time. He wouldn't receive it from Satan.
Then we find in the 6th chapter of John's Gospel where it tells us that they, the people came when he had he, when he had fed the hungry, and they came, and by force they would make him a king. And there was that temptation from Satan, the Lord refused. And then when he had acted so wondrously and meeting the need, the human need of man.
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Why? They would have him in that way, and the world would have Christ as the one who would write the things that are wrong here.
That would feed the hungry. That would remove sin and misery from the world. If this could be done without judgment, without the cross, the world would have all the blessings. Without the blesser. Well, the Lord we know at that time spoke of the fact that the flesh profiteth nothing. He offended the disciples who were only following Him for what they would receive. But there were those who still continued with Him.
And here we find the Lord, and he's just about to go to the cross.
We find Him, I believe we could say, on the way to the cross. And here it seems that again it says, the Pharisees said among themselves, Perceive me how he prevailed nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him. Yes, and the world here again, shall I say, would accept the Lord without the cross. They would accept Him as a popular one, but not as the rejected. 1 And so it is and that.
Is faced again with this situation, and I believe he meets it in such a way that touches our hearts and ought to stir us. And so we notice here in the 20th verse, there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. The same came therefore to Philip, which was of the said of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
While these Greeks were gentiles who had come up, they had heard of the miracles the Lord had done.
And they would like to see him, they would like to honor him as the one who was feeding the hungry, who was doing all these miracles. And so I believe this was a particular joy to the heart of Andrew and Phillip not realizing what was before the Lord Jesus.
Realizing what was before their blessed Master, we find them coming and telling Jesus, as I said, there was the crowd before that would come by force and make him a king. Now even his disciples, they come and tell him why there are people that want to see you, that will receive you as the king. Because here were these Greeks and they wanted to see this great person, this wonderful one who was among Israel.
Andrew and Philip tell Jesus, And isn't there a temptation to us too, to be willing to accept the Lord in a popular way, but perhaps be unwilling to share a path of rejection, of following Him?
And here we find that. And so they come and tell Jesus, And Jesus answered them, saying, the hour is come.
That the Son of man should be glorified, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, It abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. That is here the Lord Jesus. I like to think of it in comparison with the time when the Hebrew servant in the 21St chapter of Exodus. He had served his time.
In that chapter, perhaps you recall, if there was a Hebrew servant and he served his master for six years, then he had the liberty to go out free. He could enjoy his freedom if he wished, because he had served his Master well. Well, the Lord Jesus had served his Father well. He had done everything to please Him. He had walked for His glory and praise perfectly through this world.
And now he had come to the end of that pathway, and he said, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. But all brethren, the question at this moment, when these, when these Greeks said, Sir, we would see Jesus, the question was, was he to have the place, the glory alone, or was he to have?
Companions with himself, and we remember how this Hebrew servant was faced with that situation in the 21St chapter of Exodus.
He could go out free, but if his master had given him a wife and and this wife had borne him children, then he had a choice to make. He had a choice as to whether he was going to take his freedom along or whether he was going to choose the company of his master. His wife and his children thought it was going to cost him something. It was going to cost him a great deal.
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And so if he, if he chose this, it says that he was to be brought to the judges.
If he plainly said, I love my master, my wife and my children, I will not go out free, then he would be brought to the judges. But if he had took this place, then he must be the servant forever. And so here at this point the Lord Jesus said, and now.
The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified, but he immediately adds.
Accept the corn of wheat, fall into the ground of die, and abideth along all brethren, how wonderful the Lord Jesus, shall I say, made this wonderful decision. He said he was not going to have the glory alone. He was going to have a people with himself. He was going to have a redeemed company. But all the shadow of the cross, I believe, was pressed upon his soul when He spoke of being.
Horrified of them? What was the cost? He must go to the cross. The corner of wheat must fall to the ground and die or abide alone. But if he died, there would be much fruit. There would not only be the gathering in of a company from Israel, but there would be blessing to those Gentiles who wanted to see Jesus. There would be blessing for you and for me if He was, if He is the corn of wheat.
Would fall into the ground and die. And so when he thought of this, he was the one who was willing to go, just like the servant. He was willing to go to the judges. The Lord Jesus was willing to go to the cross with all its suffering, with all its agony. And why, brethren, He wanted company. Who did he want? He wanted you, and he wanted me. He wanted to have us with.
To share his glory with him now yes, he wouldn't have the kingdoms of this world alone. He's going to have it in company that when he takes that place, who will be at his side. All tells us he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day. And when that precious Savior comes out of heaven to take his place and.
To take the kingdoms of this world. Who is going to come with him all he's going to bring his own with him. He's going to be glorified in his Saints, yes. And they're going to see that man of Calvary, but they're going to see him with a company around himself. And through grace, we'll be there.
Oh what a what a blessed thing and how lovely this answer in the heart of the Lord Jesus at this time.
But now again, as I say, what a blending we have of things together, and we see those Gentiles who wanted to see Jesus, we see the Lord Jesus making, shall I say, this great decision that He would go to the cross, that there might be fruit, that there might be companions who would share His glory? He loved his Master, his wife and his children. He would not go free. And isn't it touching, brethren? But immediately then he introduces.
The thought of discipleship, all we can talk a great deal about discipleship, but how perfectly it's brought in here. Isn't this lovely? Oh, it touches my heart that here is the Lord with all the realities of the suffering of the cross before him. And he said I'm not going to have the glories of that Kingdom alone. And then he said, well, that's what discipleship is to follow.
This one who loved us and who wanted.
Our company up there and now, he said, do you want my company down here?
Oh, doesn't this touch your heart, brethren? Yes, he says. I want your company up there. Do you want my company down here? Jonathan wanted to have the Kingdom with David. He said I'll be next to you in the Kingdom. But alas, he didn't want to have his company in rejection. And so here it says he that loveth his life shall lose it. What does it mean to love life?
Well, I suppose there are many things pleasant in life, not things that are wrong.
Not things that are evil, but just things that naturally make up the pleasures of normal life. They're not sinful, but it says he that loveth his life shall lose it. And that is, there are many things that they're not wrong, but they can come between US and following Christ. How do I say again, we say, well, what's wrong with that?
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Well, if it hinders us from following him, then we put it between ourselves and him. He that loveth his life shall lose it.
Yes, I've sometimes said a Christian could have a saved soul and a lost life and it's very easy for us to love life. I'm sure of each one of us here have certain plans we're looking out and we have plans for the future. Well, be careful that we don't love life so much that when the Lord Jesus says, well, I'd like you to do this for me, I'd like you to follow me here or there that we.
Something that we can't part with because we love it more than Him. It's come between our souls and Him. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world. And I say again, I'm not speaking. Our brother spoke about giving up things that were strong. I'm Speaking of things that are not wrong in themselves, but things that we know quite well come between us and following Christ.
Little things, things that a small account perhaps in our eyes, but they rob us of the joy of His company of following Him. And so it says, he that hateth his life in this world that is willing to give up the present things. What for? To keep it unto life eternal.
That is, Paul gave up many things.
As I he once could have had as a young man. What did he give them up for? Well, he had found something better. He said, I count all things but moths for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and to count them but dung, that I might win Christ. And here, brethren, I don't want to say, Well, give up this because it's wrong, but I, I say.
Yeah, it's Henry, you from following Christ. Is it worth it? Is it worth it just for this life? Whereas you can do something that will be kept until life eternal, life eternal. And let us each one, look forward in the plans that we have made for tomorrow and for the next day and just ask this question, have we planned for life eternal or have we?
Plan for time. Have we planned for life eternal or for time? Now, I don't mean that you don't have to do your ordinary occupation. The slave was told that he could serve the Lord with singleness of heart. And if you can abide in the calling where you're called with God, you can be a testimony for him. I can frankly say that when I left the office where I used to work.
In a certain sense, I felt a certain miss in my life.
You say, what do you mean? Well, I had contacts that I could speak to people and I felt I lost that when I decided that I'd go out. Of course, I could speak to others, but there were opportunities that I had in meeting people day by day. And if the Lord wants you in the office, remember He, that's the place to be. He that doeth the will of God abideth forever. If He wants you to give up your life for Him, that's the place for you to be.
It's not how much you accomplish, but remember how often in the scripture it says he that doeth the will of God.
Abide us forever, who is my brother and sister and mother, the one who does the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Have you discovered His will for your life? Well, if so, it may mean some sacrifices, may be giving up some things that are dear to you. But he that loveth his life shall lose it. He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it.
Unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me.
Why did we give these up? Why was Jonathan? Why should Jonathan have given up the court of Saul? Was it because he was doing anything wrong in the court of Saul? I don't remember one thing that's recorded in the Bible that Jonathan was doing wrong in the court of Saul. I don't remember a thing, but.
I believe that he was not following David. That was the wrong. He was not following David. And so here it says, if any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am there shall also my servant be all. May we value the company of the Lord Jesus in our lives above everything else. If we lose this, we've lost.
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What life really is, We've lost the thing that abides in our life. And so it says here that he that if any man serve me, let him follow me. Oh, it's not just to engage in some great service, but it's to follow him so that we'll be close when he wants us to do something.
Sometimes we want our children with us. We're going to do some little job and they say, what part have I got in it? Welcome with me and I'll show you. And because they're there, we can show them. And how nice it is. The Lord says, come with me and I'll show you. There'll be things that you can do. You'll miss it if you're not close to me, but if you're close to me, you'll see there'll be things turn up and I'll be able to turn and say, here's one that's by me. He can serve me.
If any man serve, may let him follow me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be.
If any man serve me, him will my Father honor. Isn't it marvelous, brethren, for the Lord to be speaking about honoring us at the moment that He was going to the cross to die for us poor sinners, that we were poor failures and following Him, and He's talking about honoring us. When he was going to be disgraced, He was going to be spit upon, He was going to be crowned with thorns, and he's talking about honoring us.
Oh, doesn't it touch our hearts when we think of it? Yes, He values any little thing that we do for him.
And so as He speaks of discipleship on our part, then he says in the 27th verse, Now is my soul troubled? And what shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour.
Oh brother, we'll never know. But that hour meant to the Lord Jesus what it meant to Him to be made sin for us to bear the wrath and the judgment in our place, we shall never know, not even through all eternity. And here we have combined the two things, the holiness of His nature drawing back from contact with sin, but the love of His heart, saying, for this cause came I unto this hour.
Oh, I think it's beautiful to see, as I say, the combinations that we find in Scripture. The Lords love is going there that he might have fruit and then discipleship and then him telling us that his soul was troubled and that he drew back from the awful suffering of the cross. And then he says, but I came to the cross for this, came to earth for this purpose. Yes, he came to die.
He left the brightness of his home for sinners such as I rejected, and a stranger here.
We came to die. Father, glorify thy name. What did it mean that God's name, the Father's name, should be glorified about the whole question of sin?
Was only one who could do that. There was only one who could glorify God in the place where he had been dishonored, where His glory had been trampled in the dust, where his claims had been set aside. There was only one.
And so he looks up, and he says, Father, glorify thy name. Then came their voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Yes, the Lord Jesus had shown who he was when he raised Lazarus, and indeed in his whole blessed pathway.
But all it was going to be shown when he, the blessed corn of wheat, went into the ground and died, and then rose again. And God has been glorified about the question of sin. There's a risen, glorified man this afternoon at God's right hand. And so that voice from heaven said, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.
Well, the people that stood by didn't understand. They said that, it thundered.
Or an Angel spake to him or the world doesn't matter into these things. Don't expect, don't expect your unsaved companions to know what the Lord Jesus means to you or what the cross of Calvary means. And that's that's something that they don't understand until they're saved. It'll just be as it was to these people.
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I thundered. An Angel spoke to him.
This is as far as the world can enter into the meaning of the cross.
But you and I, it means far more. And the Lord Jesus said.
This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Oh yes, he was the perfect one. He was the sinless one. He wasn't going there because of anything that he had done. It was for your sake. It was for my sake. That's how I was going. This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. For your sakes.
Oh yes, the Lord Jesus was about to go to that cross for your sake, for my sake.
Because He loved us, brethren, how precious. And so he said, Now is the judgment of this world. Now, till the Prince of this world be cast out. Well, if the Lord had stopped for the first statement, now is the judgment of this world. There could have been no blessing, There could have been no fruit.
Because the cross was the end of man's trial when this world crucified.
Rejected the blessed Son of God. Judgment was passed upon and God's not attempting to improve this world anymore. The judge has been chosen, the day has been set. Now is the judgment of this world. The judgment has been passed, but all how blessed. The Lord didn't stop there. He said now shall the Prince of this world be cast out.
Satan was the one.
Who had the power of death? Satan was the one who held man in *******. Satan was the one who could present to the Lord the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. He was this world's God and Prince, and this world had chosen him. But oh, how lovely for us. He's a defeated false. He's a defeated fault. Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out?
And we're no longer part of Satan's goods who have delivered us.
From the power of darkness that have translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love, you and I have been delivered from the power of darkness. Satan cannot rob us of this blessed portion that we have judgments been passed in this world, but we don't belong to it. We've been saved out of it. And so the Lord.
When he tells the disciples the meaning of that voice, he said judgments passed upon the world.
But the Prince of this world has been cast out for us, he's defeated, and we have been set free. Just as the Lord said. When a strongman armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he cometh, he taketh all his armor taketh from him all his armor. When he trusted and divideth the spoil, who was the strongman armed?
How was Satan and who? What's the palace?
Well, it's this world. Oh, you see, I thought the world was a very beautiful place. Yes, the Lord called it a palace.
That Satan's palace, Satan's palace fixed up to make it so very attractive to our hearts. But there was one who came into Satans palace. It was the Lord Jesus. And Satan didn't like to see the peace of his goods disturbed. He didn't like to see men and women who were kept under his spell disturbed. But the gospel disturbs the spell in which Satan.
Is holding people.
The Lord Jesus came to deliver, and when he met the strongman in the wilderness, he bound him, and then he went to the cross to spoil his goods and all. How blessed brethren, we've been set free. We belong to Him. We're His now.
All you are now rejoicing in this blessed fact. This world, then, is under judgment.
This world in which we live is under the judgment of God, but we belong to this one.
Who loved us? Who said He was going to the cross, that He might have much fruit? That's one who invited us to share a path of rejection and reproach with Him, just as we shall soon share with Him a place of glory and association with Him up there old is this stir your affections. Does this make you want to follow Him?
Is there, is there a response in your heart and mind that says all? He's done all that for me.
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I want to, I want to see Him. I want to be with Him in my pathway. I want to share his rejection. Well, the Lord gives this blessed privilege to us in this 32nd verse. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.
Now the Greeks would like to have.
Honor the Lord Jesus as King and without the cross they would have come by force in the 6th chapter of John and made him a king about the Lord Jesus announces that Solomon searching fact that Christ lifted up on the cross becomes the new gathering center Christ lifted up upon the cross.
Becomes the new gathering center. The gathering Center for Israel.
The gathering Center for the Gentiles, but for those Greeks, the gathering Center for us. Yes, rather than if we're going to be where He is, it's to follow Him now in his rejection. The moment is near when we're going to be with Him in glory. But how lovely that he brings this before us here when these men wanted to see Jesus.
And the Lord knew that the only way He could have a people around himself was to go to the cross. He fell it in all its fullness.
He invited us into a path of discipleship. He invited us to be around Him, and now our path in this world is to follow Him in His rejection. Are we content to do this? Is He precious to our hearts? Just think of that Hebrew servant again. He said, I love my master, my wife and my children. I will not go out free. Could we imagine his wife and his children saying?
But we don't want to be identified with him.
We don't want to be identified with him. He's got scars when he was taken to the judges. No, we don't want to be identified with this man who went to the judges. Could we imagine such a thing? And can it be, brethren, with all that the Lord has done for us and all he means to us, that our hearts should draw back?
From this blessed privilege, we're going to be with Him up there. We're going to be in that glory. He's going to come to be glorified in His Saints, to be admired in all them that believe. But it's our privilege now to be gathered around Him and His rejection. Soon we're going to leave these meetings, we're going to go back, and we're going to find that the world doesn't want the one who has been precious to us.
In these three days together, if we speak of him.
If we live for him, if we're testimonies for him, we're going to feel the cold shoulder of the world.
But all, what is it that will make it worthwhile to sense that He wants our company, that He died to have our company forever, and that He wants to have it here? That we can, as it were, be around Him in His rejection, as we shall soon be around Him at His blessed coming in that glory, never to go out anymore? Oh, may He make these things and this privilege precious to our hearts.
In the little while, it remains.
Should we turn to the first book of Samuel, chapter 25?
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First Samuel, chapter 25.
Our brother was bringing before us that which has been much upon my heart of late in connection with the the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, that one who is now rejected, that one who was lifted up off the earth.
And who at the present time does not have that which is his rightful due?
The fact that he will in the coming days at his appearing.
Have that which belongs to Himself, that which is His right, not only as to who He is, but as to what He has done, and as we've had Him brought before us, in that one who is rejected, and yet also is that One who will draw all unto Him in the coming day. I was thinking of this.
Circumstance in the First Samuel 25 in connection with David.
As bringing before us.
The attitude of those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior at the present time.
In respect to him as the rejected 1.
And yet the one who is destined to reign in this scene to the glory of God, that one who is to bring into this scene everything that is according to the mind and heart of God.
In contrast with the attitude of those who know not the Lord Jesus Christ, who have no regard for His right or what belongs to Himself at all, we hear much in these days.
As to rights, and as we had brought before us too, by our brother this afternoon.
How that there are those who are among the young of this nation speaking up as to their rights, and we hear this expression on every hand as to human rights. But there is that which belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has rights, and the first element of righteousness is that God Himself and His beloved Son would have that which is due him.
Do the Lord Jesus Christ and I believe during the time of the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God looks for those of us who are His people to maintain that which is we, what we might call the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ during the time when the world will have none of it, while he is still cast out, rejected, as they said, Are we with this man? We will not have him to reign over us. Well, I'm just going to read a few verses here to bring before us.
A contrast between a man by the name of Nabel.
And his wife, Abigail.
In verse two, First Samuel 25.
There was a man in Mayon whose possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great, and he had 3000 sheep and 1000 goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Mabel, and the name of his wife Abigail, and she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance.
But the man was Kurdish and evil in his doings.
And he was at the House of Caleb. The first thing we would point out is that this man.
Navel was a man who had great possessions. He had been blessed with many things.
3000 sheep and 1000 goats.
This was what he was occupied with.
Even though these were mercies from the hand of God, he had no thought of giving God that which was.
His proper do and worship and praise. And we read later on, without reading the verses just to refer to it, that David.
Send some of his men to Nabal to seek from Navel some provision for himself.
And his followers, while they were rejected, while he was being haunted as a Partridge upon the hill, by upon the hills by Saul. And when the young men of David come with the request that provision be given them for them and their leader, notice the words of naval and answer, verse 10.
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And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse?
There will be many now servants nowadays that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be? Notice the attitude of this man, he says, Who is David? Why, he's just like a servant who has broken away from his master.
He didn't recognize that David had any rights at all.
But did David have rights? Was David just as a servant? We know at this point in the history of David, he had already been anointed by Samuel to be the king over Israel. That man who was the People's Choice saw had already been tested and rejected by God.
There had been adequate time of trial and testing given to Saul and he had proved that he was not a man of faith.
He was not a man who could wait upon God, and he was not a man who could obey God's bidding. And we know that when Saul disobeyed God in the matter of the Amalekites, Samuel was sent by God to inform him that God had ripped the Kingdom from him, and he was to be rejected as king over Israel.
And then we know that Samuel was sent to anoint David, the youngest son of Jesse.
To be king over his people now Saul refused to accept this.
And I would like to tie this in with a thought that our brother brought before us of Satan being a defeated foe. The Prince of this world is cast out. He is already judged, and he is as a usurper on the throne here in this scene, just as Saul.
Was a usurper upon the throne after he was rejected by God and David had been anointed. So Satan is a usurper upon the throne today. He has no real rights. As far as we are concerned, the redeemed of the Lord, we own the rights only of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though this is not publicly displayed. This is not the time when the Lord Jesus Christ is asserting His rights.
Way yet we as the people of God would own that He has His rights over us in our pathway through this scene, and Satan is as a usurper. Well now Saul would not accept the fact that he had been rejected, and so he endeavored to put David to death.
We know that how David had to flee from Saul's court for his life, and how that Saul pursued David out into the wilderness to put him to death.
And here we find in this circumstance, David is here as the rejected king, as the one who has all of the true rights of God's king. And yet this man, Nabel says, who is David and who is the son of Jesse? Why, he's just like a servant who has broken away from his master. He had no regard whatsoever.
For the rights of David, well, you know, that's what we find round about in this scene in which we live. There are those who are very concerned about human rights.
And the rights of this and that. But they're not concerned with that which is due to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is still that attitude.
That they will not have this man to reign over them, as our brother was pointing out. Oh, yes, they would accept him as king if they could make him king, if they could have him in the way that they would desire him. But they will not have that man to reign over them. They will not have his authority. They will not have his jurisdiction. No, they will cast him out like this man. Mabel, he says well.
I shall not take the things that are mine, and give unto David at all.
This is the spirit and attitude of the world well now.
We read in verse 14 that one of the young men told Abigail. Nabel's wife told Abigail what Nabel had said to the servants of David. Now notice verse 18. Then Abigail made haste and took 200 loaves and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn.
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And 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 caps of pigs, and laid them on acids. And she said unto her, servants, Go on before me, Behold, I come after you.
And then in verse 20 And it was just, and it was so, as she wrote on the *** that she came down by the comfort of the hill, and behold, David and his men came down against her, and she met David. Verse 23.
And when Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off the *** and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and fell at his feet, and said upon me, my Lord, upon me, let this iniquity be, and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not, my Lord, I pray thee regardless, man of Belial, even label.
For as his name is, so is he.
Navel is his name, and Folly is with him.
Now notice Abigail.
In her attitude.
Toward David, the first thing we see is that she recognizes that the attitude of label is all wrong.
She recognized that Mabel's attitude toward David was not right at all.
Because not only was David God's anointed king, but David and his men had.
Protected the shepherds of naval and naval had benefited from the fact that David had looked after his shepherds in the field, David and his men. She recognized that the attitude of naval was an unrighteous one, that it was folly and foolishness. And I would like to bring before us this afternoon this thought that the first thing we need to recognize.
As far as the attitude of this world is that its spirit and attitude toward the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is entirely wrong.
Is entirely wrong and justice as Abigail disassociated herself from that attitude of naval so God would have us to disassociate ourselves from the attitude and spirit of this world, the attitude and spirit of this world. And I'm sure that just as in the case of Abigail.
When she disassociated herself from the spirit of naval.
She exhibited by exhibited it by what she did. She didn't merely sit back in the house and say, now I don't agree with Nabel. I think Nabel's attitude is wrong. I do not share his thoughts. But she demonstrated the fact that she did not agree with Nabel by what she did. She brought these provisions out and she made haste to bring them to David and his servants. And I believe God looks for that in us too.
Not only that, we say with our lips that we do not go along with this world in its rejection of the Lord Jesus.
And in its desire to just maintain that which is for itself.
Its own possessions and its own rights, but God would have us to demonstrate it by our actions and our waves in the way that we conduct ourselves in every aspect of our life, disassociating ourselves from the spirit of this world that would not recognize the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, you know, I believe God will take great delight in this even as we find that David was.
Took great delight and pleasure in the attitude of Abigail.
That whatever occurs in the circumstances in the life of the Lord's people, that rather than being like those that know not the Lord Jesus Christ, to approach these things on a human basis, considering it in respect to what is for our comfort or what is for our own liking, for our own pleasure.
We should consider it in connection with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and what is due Him.
As to whether or not we are owning the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Confessing him in a practical way in our walk as Lords, just as Abigail brought these provisions to David, she was she was moved to action. She disassociated herself entirely with naval and she says that's a foolish attitude that he had. Oh, do we really realize that? The attitude that the world has those who know not the Lord Jesus Christ.
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That they are, as it were, the masters of their own fate in the taken. Just work out things for themselves according to their own wisdom and understanding.
Or that they that they consider things only in the light of their own comfort, or their own pleasure, their own desires. Do we really see that? That's a foolish attitude.
That it is falling that God would have us to have the attitude of how all of these things, everything that touches us in our pathway, how it all, how it concerns the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is his will? What is his fault? What does he have to say about all of these things?
You know, I believe we have in this precious book that we've had before us in these meetings here and we've heard precious ministry from brings before us what we might say the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ expressed, they're expressed in this precious book. If we want to know what are his rights for us, what it is he desires for us, we find it in this precious word of God.
Well, we know, of course, that the world's attitude is that.
This book has nothing for them. Do we really see that, that it's folly? Do we really realize that it is foolishness to go on without regard for the Word of God? The rights of Christ is expressed in this precious book. Well may we demonstrate it as Abigail. And she comes and she says this man Mabel is nothing but a fool. She doesn't want to be associated with him in any way.
Now notice she goes on and speaks to David.
Verse 26 Now thou for my Lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath, withholding thee from coming to shed blood.
And from avenging thyself with thine own hand. Now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil, to my Lord be as naval.
Let thine enemies and they that seek evil to my Lord be as naval. Verse 28I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid, for the Lord will certainly make my Lord a sure house, because my Lord fighteth the battles of the Lord.
And evil has not been found in the all thy days. Oh, how she was attracted to David here, even though he was the one who was still rejected. And as far as outward circumstances were concerned, it may not have looked as if he was fighting the battles of the Lord, and it may not have looked as if he was going to be made a sure house. But the faith of Abigail.
Looked beyond the present time of David's rejection and being out there in the wilderness.
Look beyond that to the time when he would reign, when he would have his proper in due place. She knew that God would make him a sure house. You know we read in Second Timothy of a crown of righteousness that will be given to those who love his appearing love the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's not the rapture. The rapture of the Church of God takes place before his appearing.
We know that his coming far his Saints.
Precedes it coming with His Saints beloving. His appearing there, I believe, looks forward to that day when He will have that which is rightly His, when He will be in the place that belongs to Him publicly, manifestly, visibly, here in this world, when all men are drawn unto Him, and those who love His appearing are those.
Saints of God, who long for that day, that he might have his proper place.
You know, we hear many comments in the world today about even among those I might say, who do not know the Lord as to how bad conditions are.
We hear them speak as if things are getting very bad, and yet they really are not those who know the Lord, but they recognize that the world is in an upheaval and things are in confusion and turmoil. Do you know the child of God as he thinks of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ? Though we know that all of this confusion and turmoil will be turmoil will be terminated.
We know that there will be conditions of plenty. There will be conditions of blessing such as man has never known. What really makes us long for that day is not merely a wonderful condition in that respect, but it is because the Lord Jesus Christ will have His duplex, the one who was rejected and passed out.
01:00:20
The one that they said, not this man, but Barabbas. And to think that the world's estimate of the Lord Jesus Christ that he was not.
He was not equal to a man like Barabbas. Not this man, but Barabbas. To think that in that coming day of his appearing he will have that rightful place. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Well, those who love his appearing during the time of his rejection are those I believe, like Abigail, who will, who will minister to him, and who will own his rights and own that he is God's.
One own that even the place he now has in the glory is his rightful place.
Is his rightful place and as we know that God will make him a sure house because he fights the battles of the Lord. Verse 29 yet a man is risen to pursue thee. Notice here she says as to Saul just a man all she didn't look upon him as the king at all and yet he was still there on the throne. He had not been removed, but she knew that he was not God's king he.
Man has reason to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul with the soul of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God.
He recognized that David and David's, you might say David's destiny was all bound up with the Lord thy God, God himself. Everything is all in everything that is to be for the glory of God in this scene is all found in connection with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's all bound up with himself, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he is rejected, though he is cast out, we do love his appearing.
We look forward to that time when He shall have His rightful place and will everything will be according to the mind of God.
Everything will be administered in this scene according to the mind of God. God will be glorified, the Lord Jesus Christ glorified, and as we were reminded too, there will be those glorified with Him by His grace. But now is the time, as we were reminded to, of discipleship, following Him in His rejection, but owning Him in all of His right, in all of His title, all that is due Him, that which belongs to Him.
Even as we see here in this one, Abigail being attracted to him, and disassociating yourself entirely from that wicked and foolish spirit of naval that would not own his title and give him his rightful place. May we be those who of whom it is said that they love his appearance.
#110.
Matter is good by outlook controller on that problem or laminator.