Open—H. Walker, R. Jaeger
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So ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Well, I believe this little chap, this little portion that's been read from this chapter is important.
In the sense, at least in one sense, that brings before us some of God's thoughts through the apostle on the subject of grace. You know, the Apostle Paul knew absolutely nothing of grace until after he became a Christian. As a Jew, he was raised a as a Pharisee, he was raised in the tradition of the elders. He was a, we might say, a exemplary Jew in every.
Way circumcised the 8th day of the tribe of Israel and so on. He gives his credentials to us clearly that he was a man who stood out in the Jewish community and was recognized in the Jewish community as a.
Proper due, but there was nothing of grace in that experience. The other night I was watching a in a motel, a documentary on Jerusalem and there was a godly, so-called godly rabbi and he was in the city of Jerusalem. And you know, it was mentioned this afternoon how the Titus in about AD 70 came and destroyed that city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the dwelling place of the temple and it was the place that God had focused his attention on.
And there were many privileges associated with Jerusalem, many blessings associated with Jerusalem, but it had all been rejected because man had failed in his responsibility, as was mentioned in our in the beginning prayer. Well, here was Jerusalem and it was a beautiful city, but it was devastated by the Gentiles and about AD 70 and about all that survived the years, passing years has been one wall there in Jerusalem that is survived intact.
Become a symbol to Jews today of the past glory of that city and the future expectation that they have in unbelief for that city. And it showed pictures of the 1967 war of liberation. And it showed the dedication, a drive, the determination that was manifested by those Jews to retake from the Arabs the city and particularly the area where the Temple once stood. How important that was well.
About all that they've been able to maintain in its original form has been this particular fall. And this rabbi came to this wall and he came with little satchels and little baskets and so on. And he began a performance that amazed me. He he began his morning devotions.
Sitting at a table and he took out of one basket.
Kind of like that might say a little knapsack. You cut this little knapsack, a shawl. And he began to, he removed his suit coat and he put the shawl over his head and then he began to organize it over his shoulders and explain all of the ritual that he was going through. He took out another little packet of the and it contained some of the scriptures of the Talmud and so on in a little leather packet. They had leather straps and he began to arrange these straps around his waist so that the packet stood on his wrist.
And he arranged the leather straps in such a way that they made a symbol.
For the one of the names of Jehovah that was manifested on his wrist, he took another one out.
And he put the little packet up on his forehead, shoved his shawl back, back as far as the hairline in a precise location on his forehead. He attached another packet. And this, this ritual continued on. He approached the wall, he kissed it. And all of these ritualistic.
Exercises had significance to him, characterized by their past relationship with God under the law.
But he was, he was doing this because he felt that he was still under the law. And then it showed the wall, the the wall outside the city of the old city of Jerusalem. And there's one gate there where the Jewish people feel that their Messiah is going to come and enter the city triumphantly and rebuild the temple and restore power on earth to the Jews. I believe it was the lions gate. Well, the lions gate has been sealed with many stones and they have the.
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The Muslims have taken the lions gate. The temp.
Site and they building the Dome of the Rock mosque there and they have sealed.
The lions gate, solid with stone cemented them in and then they placed a cemetery outside of the gates. You see a Jewish According to Jewish law, a Jewish priest could not walk amongst the dead. He would be defiled by the dead if he walked amongst the dead. Well it went on to say how that their Messiah came from the tribe of Judah, not from the tribe of Levi. So they have made a mistake in placing the cemetery here. It will be no hindrance to their Messiah to come and walk through the.
To the gate and destroy these stones and enter the gate and rebuild the temple. While it's all based on a system of law and ritualism.
And you know our last reading meeting brought us to a new calling that we have a heavenly calling. I thought what liberty there is there and what a freedom there is there and it's all been through the work of Christ on the cross that we've been brought into this grace. So then we have two legitimate questions raised here that sounds somewhat similar, but I believe have significantly different meanings. The first one is in verse one. It says what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that.
Grace may abound. The second question is in verse 15. What then shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? The answer to both of them that the apostle gives is God forbid, far be the thought far be the thought, God forbid. In either case, well, I believe that grace is such a liberating.
Activity grace is such a liberating event in our lives to recognize and to realize the grace of God as.
Mentioned The Apostle Paul was raised as one of those strict observers of the law.
And what a change came into his life when he was introduced to grace. And what a change, he no longer went through all those rituals. He no longer saw any value in all those rituals that once occupied his time, his energies, and his devotions. And he became a liberated man in Christ, a new creature in Christ. And So what happens then when we experience such marvelous grace? Well, I believe that there are certain risks that the apostle could identify with.
And he wanted the other new Christians in his time and his generation to be aware of the possible risks.
That are associated with grace.
And he says, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? That was a legitimate question that could be asked when Paul went about from no longer preaching Judaism, no longer dictating strict observance to the law, but telling his Jewish people whom he loved so dearly that by grace alone they could be brought into blessing by grace alone. And God had provided a way that they might have their sins forgiven. No longer were they required.
To submit to all of the structure of the law, but they were to be free.
In Christ. And so he says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin?
That grace may abound, there might be those who would not value the cost to God of providing such free grace. Grace is free to us, but there was such a tremendous cost to God associated with it. And so he says, no, God forbid that we should continue in sin, that grace may abound. Because to do so is not to recognize, I believe what he was saying here in the remaining number of verses is not to recognize the tremendous.
Cost to God to provide you and I with a freedom, a liberty, a freedom from ******* and a liberty in Christ. And it was at tremendous cost. Speaks of the death of Christ, speaks of the death in the remaining verses there of the type of baptism that Christ went into the baptism of death. And he says we are associated with Him in that baptism and we are associated with him in that death.
And that the body of sin is to be looked upon as having been destroyed in the death of Christ. And you know, beloved young people, important verse that perhaps we have all learned is first John 19. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I enjoyed this thought this summer. Another important one that perhaps we haven't stressed as much as first is Romans 6 and 13.
God has not programmed us to continue in sin. Grace is not.
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Given to us in order that we might continue sinning. Grace has been given to us, made known to us.
To bring before us, I believe, the thought that that body of sin is to be put and reckoned as dead, and we're not to be thinking of ourselves as going on in sin, but alive as new creatures in Christ Jesus. So Romans 613 we read neither yield ye or members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. How if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, but looking at what grace, the liberty that grace has brought us into brings us, I believe to realize that God has really.
Positioned us God has really.
Brought us to a place.
Given us a nature like very nature of Christ so that we can reconcile the body of sin to be dead and we can live as new creatures in Christ and that's I believe what this hymn would speak to herself of grace. Then let us sing a joyful wondrous theme. It lifts us it raises us up. It gives us it transforms us into new creatures no longer subject to sin when we sin. We have that advocate, but it gives us a new objective to live for Christ's honor and glory as new creatures in Christ recognizing God's grace.
That has been given to us. It keeps us humble. It ought to keep make us humble to recognize that the life that we can live as believers is a life of joy and happiness, but it is not a life that is dependent upon our own efforts to make it that way. God, in His grace has given us a nature that can be happy. We can enjoy the things of the Lord together.
And so we have that first question. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin? Let's remember always the cost.
Of God that was God's to bear to make us his own, to give us that grace, that grace. Then the second question, I don't want to take up a lot of time. Here is the 15th verse. What then shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace. And this perhaps question sounds similar, but I believe it. It's more the thought of the abusing of grace. Grace can be abused and we can we can abuse that which God has given to us and saw the apostle warns of that too, but he gives the same strong emphatic no, no.
We will not continue in sin that grace may abound, because he says.
Verse 16 know ye not that to whom you yield yourself servants to obey his servants, ye are whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. And so we are given to realize that perhaps grace I believe that perhaps grace hasn't been emphasized somewhat equally to the truth, possibly for the reason that there is a certain amount of risk associated with grace, certain amount of risk associated with it we.
See the Apostle Paul recognizing that in these two questions that that are raised here.
In this chapter, but I just like to close my thoughts with saying that.
It's interesting to me, and it's instructive to me, to notice that in most of Paul's epistles he begins and ends with exhortations concerning grace, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to be with you. And I believe that if we put the proper emphasis on grace, the truth will have a more.
Personal meaning, a more spiritual meaning to us, a greater effect upon our lives. He doesn't say the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, be with you and be with all the Saints and son. He says the grace and I believe as we enter into a little bit, and I've only scratched the surface in my own personal life of what grace is and how it can free us from our feelings, our animosities.
Our roots of bitterness, whatever it is, God has given us grace also grace has this thought in connection with it that I've enjoyed that he giveth more grace when when we're a little shy on this.
Possession. God can give us more of it. He give us more grace. Isn't that isn't that wonderful? Our God loves to give us a little bit more grace. In fact, it's something that even children can grow in. Grow what Peter tells us to grow in grace and in the knowledge grace comes first.
Grace comes first to grow in grace and grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know Mephibosheth is an example. I believe in the Old Testament of David acting in grace is our brother. Henry mentioned it shocked me said that David hated loathed. I believe it was or hated the lame and the blind. Well I've been trying to find that verse. Henry tried to help me with it but I missed the the chapter so I'll speak to you Henry a little later on that please but.
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I was surprised to hear that that first referred to. I hadn't just ever noticed it before. Because here's David, a man who has taken power in a Eastern dynasty. And in those days I understand that when one took over from another, the first thing he did was rid himself of all of the past. Rulers, family power, symbols of power, his servants, even that he cut them off.
Rid of the mall as fast as he could. Mephibosheth was one of Jonathan's sons and his nurse. When things started to go wrong in Saul's dynasty, the fibrous nurse grabbed Mephibosheth and ran. And in running he fell and became lame on both his feet. Lame on both his feet. Well, he was living in this place of deprivation, I believe. Loaded bar not just exactly sure of the meaning of it. And David?
Perhaps one day reflecting in his power at a time of power and peace had come to the, you know, subdued his enemies. He said, wonder if I remember Jonathan and our love. I wonder if there's anyone in Jonathan's family that I can show kindness to. Jonathan and David had a great affection for each other. And he called Zyba. And Zyba brings before him this man Mephibosheth. But he says he's lame on both his feet. Lame on both his feet. Well, I just thought of when Henry mentioned that.
David hated the lame and the blind. Here was one that David could have said, well, that's not what I'm looking for. That's not what I really want. I want somebody that's that's, that looks like Jonathan, somebody that reminds me of the glories of Jonathan, his strength and so on. The fibrous won't do that, so I'll cut him off too. No, David acted in grace and I'm not going to cut him off. I want him to come. He calls him by name and Mephibosheth comes and he speaks of himself, I believe, in terms of being a dead dog and no value and so on. David just takes him graciously into his presence.
And sets him at his table. And as another one has said, every day at the table. Perhaps one of David's sons, strong sons, comes in, sits down at the table. One of his beautiful daughters comes in, sits down at the table, his armor general in his arm. He comes in and he sits down at David's table. Must have been a large feast each day at David's table, and then perhaps on crutches out of one side of the palace.
The thump, thump, thump of the crutches is heard. Here comes Mephibosheth. What's he do? Is he shaking and trembling now? Now a beloved, he's experienced Davidde grace. And he comes in with all of those glorious men of David and he sits down at David's table. That touched my heart. When I read that, I thought what grace that that was displayed there on the part of David to bring Mephibosheth day after day after day. Did he have any value to David?
None whatsoever. He couldn't go out and fight for him. He couldn't even act. Perhaps in the.
Domestic capacity around the palace. But every day in grace he sits down. Fear without fear.
In the presence of David and our Lord would like us to feel that liberty of grace. I believe in his presence too. Have we personal value? No, the Lord can do without any one of us. There's none of us that the Lord can't replace, but he delights to see us come in on Lord's Day morning and sit at his table. And he has done it all for us, beloved in grace. Well, I just thought how this little hymn, it's not often sung in our own local assembly. I hope it's sung a lot in a lot of assemblies because.
Grace is the sweetest sound that ever reached our ears.
To continue with the thought of grace and share with you.
My limited thoughts and researches into the.
Worried Grace. And I'll tell you what it was that started me. It was the verse our brother just referred to, the last verse of.
Peter.
Two Peter 318 he quoted it.
But the verse says, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
And what stirred me was the thought, here is a directive in Scripture to grow in grace.
Now when it says to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.
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I can understand growing in knowledge. At least that to me is something where I can look into the Word and I can read good ministry. I can learn about our Savior. So that's growing in knowledge. Of course, we know there's another dimension to that too, because the apostle Paul wrote that I may know him.
So it's more than just head knowledge. You might say there's an experimental aspect to that knowledge of our Savior. But grace was the thing that intrigued me because how do I grow in grace, to grow in grace? And I think that's an interesting question because I'm to do that. And so then I thought, well, how do we define grace? Now it's interesting in what our brother Hughes has brought before us. He didn't find grace. He just assumed that we all knew what grace was.
But how would you define grace?
We use that word in other connections. Someone is gracious. Someone is graceful.
Grace is a lovely word. It just flows off your tongue and we talk about the various graces and so we love that word. It's a beautiful word in English, but what is it to grow in grace?
Well, of course, oftentimes the best way to define the word is to look at its uses and find it in context. And so that's what I did, and I'm just going to share what I found and what I found much, you might say, to my own satisfaction. So the 1St place I'd like to look is in the first epistle of Timothy to Timothy, because there the apostle Paul speaks of his own experience and he uses grace, and we often think of grace.
In contrast to mercy and we have the what I consider to be a very simplistic definition.
Mercy is not receiving what we deserve.
And grace is oh, I'm now I've drawn a blank. I forget how we say that. Maybe someone can help me.
But grace is receiving what we didn't deserve. That's God's goodness to us. The example is that mercy may be that God would spare us from a certain punishment, but grace would be to.
But I think we'll see a little bit of that here in the first chapter of First Timothy. Now Paul is speaking about what he was before he was saved.
And we can start with verse 12, First Timothy 112 And I thank Jesus Christ our Lord, who hath enabled me for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, But I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And now we have grace, and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundance with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.
So there I think we have the very essence of grace. And you might say how?
Grace is connected with faith and he states it here so plainly he says in the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. And notice the contrast with mercy in the 13th verse. I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief, that is acting contrary to the believers and persecuting them. So very simply what I concluded and we'll look at some other scriptures that I hope will.
Support this.
Is that mercy is connected with unbelief. Mercy is God's sovereign decision to act towards someone whether they believe or not. And that surely was true with the Apostle Paul. He was on the road to Damascus. He was seeking those who were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to capture them and bring them back to Jerusalem. And so he had no thought of the Lord Jesus. He.
In the sense of recognizing him as the Messiah and as his Lord. And of course we know God.
In mercy struck him down on a road of bright lines, Light shone from heaven.
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And he recognizes divine power. And he said, Lord, what helped me to do?
Then we read here in this portion.
He obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly, in unbelief. That his ignorance means not stupidity, it means a lack of knowledge.
So he didn't understand about the Lord Jesus or the wonderful things that God revealed to him later.
So he was acting ignorantly and unbelief.
And then he says in verse 14, And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundance with faith.
So what I concluded, and I'll save time and tell you right now, is that grace is God's power for us.
Based on our faith.
In other words, as much as we walk in faith, we draw upon the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the grace of God. We do it because we believe, because we have faith. Now we'll look at some other verses which I think may illustrate that if we turn to Romans in chapter 4.
Verse 4.
And this is speaking again. This whole portion is on justification by faith.
It says in verse 4 Now to him that worketh is a reward, not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
So you can see right there that works. We know that's not faith. This is one doing in order to please God. And so the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But it's even clearer in verse 16 in the same chapter.
It says therefore it is of faith. Well, we really have to go back to get the connection.
The Promise, verse 13.
For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed.
Through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of non effect, because the law work a threat. For whether where no law is, there is no transgression, therefore it is of faith that it may might be by grace.
So there it's plainly stated that grace is connected with faith.
And if we look in chapter 5, just a few more verses, verse 2.
Speaking of our Lord Jesus, by whom also we have access by faith.
Into this grace wherein we stand. And we had those lovely verses read from John One.
About our Lord Jesus Christ being full of grace and truth. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by our Savior.
And we as Christians are Christians, are Christians because we have faith in Christ. Grace came with him. My brother rightly said that there was no grace before the Lord. Jesus came truly for man. Although we'll find that if we read in Genesis about Noah, it says he found grace in the eyes of God. And it's nice to think about that. Why did he find grace? Because when God told him to build the ark on the top of the mountain, he had the faith to act on it.
That certainly wasn't based on anything other than faith, as we well know, to build that arc.
And so grace wonderfully connects with faith, and I'm sure now many of you have already thought.
Of that lovely verse which we use so often in the gospel, and I'll close with that, and that's in Ephesians chapter 2.
But you'll see there that which we always stress when we present the gospel.
And it's so wonderfully simple.
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God and we all know that without that expression through faith.
The power of that verse would be lacking. So Grace, and I'll conclude with this, as I found for myself, and I would suggest by the way, as you run across that lovely verse, what you do so often.
In reading the New Testament, grace is a very frequent word. It's such a lovely word.
Now you always think of it in connection with faith.
And so if I'm to grow in grace, I am to walk more by faith.
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To believe the wonderful promises in this book, everything that God has for me, for my blessing. We've spoken in these meetings about the heart of God and His love for us. And even with chastening, the chastening is because we need it. It's His heart of love toward us.
And we can have confidence in that. So if I'm to grow in grace, I believe I have to walk by faith. And we have. In fact, I want to read this verse. It's in John one.
But it's another verse about Grace Air, which our brother didn't read.
And I want to read it carefully.
Well, he did quote verse 17. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
And verse 16 and of His fullness have we all received.
And grace for grace. And we know that should be grace upon grace. But this means the more I walk by faith, the more the power of God is for me, the more I can draw upon it. So for me, the growing grace is to walk by faith.
And I believe that the grace of our God for us is vast and endless. It's just a challenge to us to draw upon that grace by walking by faith. A very familiar scripture to all of us, I'm sure.
Verse 11.
Luke 17 verse 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off, And they lifted up their voice, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priest. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.
And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
Jesus answered Jesus answering said were there not ten cleansed? But where are the 9? There are not found that return to give glory to God save this stranger. He was a Samaritan. We're all Samaritans.
With everyone in this room that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ has been cleansed by the precious blood.
We're all Samaritans. We're all, we were all sinners.
Were there not ten cleansed? How many of the 10 are sitting in this room tonight? This afternoon?
How many of the 10 are sitting in this room this afternoon?
All cleanse. All cleanse because they didn't come back and give God glory and fall down at the feet of the Lord Jesus didn't change their cleansing. They still went on their way, cleansed.
But only one returned.
It gives.
Joy and rejoicing to the heart of God and to the heart of the Lord Jesus, to see those that are cleansed gathered around Himself.
He rejoices it this morning. There were about 1000 people in this room. I don't know how many of them.
Remembered the Lord and his death.
Now isn't that praise and worship didn't go up from all the hearts and souls present?
But how many remembered the Lord in his death? How many broke the bread together?
You know, that's what he asked this do in remembrance of Maine.
Beloved young people.
You've heard in the last three days many precious truths. You've heard much about the person of Christ.
You've heard the truth as to the place of gathering. I know there's some in this room that despise that thought, but that doesn't change facts, not one bit. There is a place.
The Lord Jesus gathers to himself. How could he do otherwise? He gathers.
To himself.
If you know him. If you know him.
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Do you remember him?
The man that Joseph the Butler. It was two years before he remembered Joseph.
What about you?
How long have you been saved? How long have you known the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal saving? I don't talk to the others. You know, if you're lost in this room this afternoon, what I say about breaking bread and about the Lord, except you become as a little child and believe it is of no value to you. You must know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior before you can enjoy him. You must, you must. The Lord Jesus could say himself, ye must be born again. You must be saved to enjoy him.
But if you are, if you are, do you remember him?
Has your heart been touched to the point where you've come as this Samaritan and he fell at his feet and worshiped him?
Think about it, it's important.
The other thought that I wanted to speak about.
Is in the book of Ephesians, and it's just this. It's very simple. I'll be very brief.
You can read the book yourself, the book of Ephesians, the highest truth that's in the Word of God. And again I say there's all kinds of thoughts and representations as to how we ought to walk. There's one thing that's necessary, and that is to know Him.
The apostle Paul could say that I might know him, that I might know him, And how do we know him? How do we get to know him?
By considering him, as we had in the 12Th of Hebrews for consider him.
Or consider him in the book of Ephesians gives us the highest truth, the place that God has raised us to.
In the portion of his beloved son and if we want to know something about him.
There are three things I think that are important.
The books, The four books of the Gospels which tell about him and his life.
The epistles that tell about all that he's done for us.
The mystery of God in Ephesians three in the third chapter that's spoken of.
Christ in the Church.
All these things.
We don't need to learn anything that's bad to know the good.
Those behind the counter that handle money in the banks don't know anything about the bad money because they would spend all the rest of their life trying to learn it because they're changing the presses every day. But they learn the good.
And they know the good when they see it. And so that's what we need, is to know Christ.
To know him. And how do we get to know him? Consider him, read about him, contemplate on him?
It says of in the first chapter of John's Gospel of John the Baptist says and as he looked upon Jesus as he walked.
As he looked upon Jesus as he walked.
And that we can do in our hearts. And when he did, it says.
He said behold the Lamb of God. That's for our contemplation. The first time in the 29th verse was for our sins.
Who taketh away the sins of the world? But in the 36th verse, it's for our contemplation.
That we might behold him and walk with him.
I'm not going to read this, but read the book of Ephesians and consider that the exhortations there are like no exhortations given in any other book.
They're not like the exhortations given in Romans and Galatians and other places.
And the simple reason is this, because in the book of Ephesians we're given our rightful possession, which is the glory.
And it's in regard to and in respect to that glory that these exhortations are given.
And then in the 6th chapter we're given the whole armor of God.
To put on.
And the armor of God is supplied. It's true that we need the armor of God for our life, but the armor of God in this chapter is given so that we can take hold.
Of the possession that's really ours. That's heaven.
The Israelite when they came across the wilderness, they ran into a few combats just before they got to the.
River of Jordan, but they never fought a real battle.
Until they got into the land. The warfare started after they got into the land.
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Don't stay in the wilderness. Cross the Jordan, Take possession of that which is yours, which is in heaven, in heavenly places. And to do that you need the armor of the 6th chapter.
Again, I say I'm not going to read it, but please read it for yourself and consider what it says. Consider that the whole book of Ephesians is Christ and what He's done and where he's gone and where He has seen to take us. He's going to. But God sees us there with him now. God sees each one in this room that belongs to Christ in heaven, not here on earth, in heaven, seated in the heavenly places. Will anything take our hearts out of this scene like that?
To realize that that's where we are in the sight of God and that's where we're going to be for eternity.
That will keep us. That will keep us.
John's Gospel chapter 13. I'll read the 1St 15 verses.
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, and that He should depart out of this world unto His Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them, and to the end, or as the margin says, to the uttermost.
And supper being ended, and the devil having now put into the heart of Judith Iscariot.
Simon's son to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands.
And that he was come from the Father, and went to God. He rises from supper.
And laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself.
After that he had poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter, And Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not only my, not my feet only.
And also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed nearest, not saved to wash, not save to wash. His feet was clean. Every wit and ye are clean, but not all. For he know, For He knew who should betray Him. Therefore he said, Therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken up his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them.
Know ye what I've said, Know ye what I have done unto you. Ye call me Master and Lord, and you say, Well, so I am.
If I, then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, he also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.
Yesterday as I was going through the cafeteria area and I had my plate in my hand.
And I came up to the lady who was serving out chicken. She looked at me and said, would you like a second piece of chicken? I said sure, sure, I'll have a second piece of chicken. It looked really good. And by the time I gotten through the line and had my chicken and my salad, a bun, and I sat down, I quit a meal in front of me. I started into eating that meal and I really enjoyed it. It was a good meal.
And after I had finished the meal, I was leaning back on my chair and a nice man came along and said, would you like a coffee? Sure, I wanted to have a coffee. I enjoyed that coffee. You know the very last thing that will cross my mind.
After having finished a meal like that would be to get down and watch somebody's seat.
Lord Jesus verse two, supper being ended.
Verse four. He riseth from supper, laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself.
Poured water, began to wash his disciples feet.
00:45:04
It's an amazing thing. Lord Jesus, after having eaten a meal, didn't stay at the table, got up and watched his disciples feet. And Brother Imbo has just been talking about all the wonderful food that we've been getting here at the conference.
We've been sitting in the meetings and we've been taking in a lot of food. Maybe for a lot of us, it's not digested yet. I know for myself, I still have a taste of grace and truth in my mouth. I have a little bit of Brother Short's message still caught between my teeth and I'm still chewing on it. It may take a little while to chew through it all, but we've eaten our meal. We have our stomachs full.
With natural food, if we sit back.
And have our coffee like I did. Those calories that we've taken in will turn into fat. Let's not let that happen to what we've eaten here. Let's take the food that we've eaten and put it into constructive energy.
Let's take it home to our home assemblies. Let's take it home to our brothers and sisters in Christ and let's wash their feet with it. Let's use what we have taken here constructively. Let's get up and wash our brethren's feet. I was thinking about foot washing and actually over the last year I've been thinking a lot about foot washing.
For the last year my wife and I have been living in in West Africa and it makes a lot of sense there. Foot washing, most people wear sandals and after walking along some of The Dirty dusty roads.
You can understand foot washing and you come home not only your feet dirty, but they're sore.
And the tired and there's nothing nicer to sit than to sit down. Maybe put your feet up for a while and then to take some cold water and a cloth and wash your feet.
And I often do that. I often wash my own feet. I don't believe I've ever had anyone offer to wash my feet. Neither have I asked anyone to wash my feet.
But it's a thoroughly enjoyable thing to have your feet washed.
And I was thinking about that foot washing. There's two sides to it. There's a person who washes the feet and there's a person who has their feet washed. And often we're exhorted to wash one anothers feet. And I think that's good in a spiritual sense. I think it's very important. There's another side to it that we often overlook is allowing yourself to have your feet washed. Very important thing. And in a natural sense, if you think about it, would you like someone to come up to you?
And wash your feet.
There's two elements of it that sort of repulse me when I think about it. First of all, my feet are very ticklish. If someone were to come up and start washing my feet, at first it would feel a little bit funny and I might twitch a little bit. It's not a regular thing, and that's sort of a sad thing. If we put it into a spiritual realm, there's not a lot of foot washing.
And so when it happens, when some brother comes to share a scripture, when someone comes to say I enjoyed what you said, when somebody comes to encourage, sometimes it feels a little bit funny. It tickles us in the wrong way, sort of when we pull back, we had more foot washing and gentle caressing of each other. We wouldn't feel that tickly feeling when some brother or sister comes to wash our feet. The second part of it.
My feet aren't the prettiest feet. One toe is shorter than the other. Have a little wart on one of my feet. I've been ashamed of my feet and if someone come to wash my feet I'd sort of be a little bit embarrassed about the condition my feet are in.
That's sort of the way some of us are spiritually sometimes. And someone comes to wash our feet, to feed us, to give us a little bit of comfort, and we're in such bad spiritual state that we pull back, we're a little bit ashamed. And when someone comes to share a verse with us.
We're not quite on their level.
And so we pulled back. But I would encourage everybody to take that time to wash each other's feet. And so our Lord Jesus gets down and washes his disciples feet. A remarkable thing here.
He didn't just wash 11 disciples feet, He washed 12 disciples feet. The Lord Jesus knew.
That Judas would betray him.
It might be easy for me to get down and wash my wife's feet, but it might be a more difficult thing for me to wash the feet of somebody I knew didn't get along with me. They didn't agree with something that I said to get down and wash their feet. It might be difficult for me to allow myself to have my feet washed by someone I didn't get along with.
00:50:15
Should think about these things.
I'm not going to go into this and I don't know if I understand it in some of the deep ways that some may be the some of the older brother may.
Peter says.
Lord, you shouldn't wash my feet.
The Lord explains to him that if he doesn't wash him, then he has no part with him, Peter being the energetic man that he was. Well, he said, Well, in that case not only my feet, but my hands and my head.
The Lord Jesus explains in a simple way here, eternal security. Once you're washed, once you've been saved by Jesus Christ, you don't need to be saved again. The brothers and sisters, we need to have our feet washed. We're constantly in contact with the world. It's a very vivid example here. We can see it. Our feet, as we walk, touch the ground in a spiritual way. When we're walking through the world, we're in contact with the world. We need to come apart like we have and have our feet washed.
It's a wonderful thing. I think Peter understood that.
And so then the Lord, after he has done this, puts his rose back on.
And sits down and tells them verse 15 or verse 14 and 15. If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, He also ought to wash one another seat. For I have given you an example that you should do as I've done to you.
Now this first part is the primary application of this scripture, but just recently I started to understand a secondary application and the scripture is so deep and so wonderful and when I first saw this I was so excited about it.
To look at it, verse four, he rises from supper, laid aside his garment and took a towel and girded himself. I believe through these verses here we can see the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can see his life and we can see his resurrection.
He rises from supper, laid aside his garment, took a towel, and girded himself. Let's look at Philippians 2, verse seven and eight.
Philippians 2, verse 7.
But made himself as Jesus Christ of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Our Lord Jesus Christ laid aside His garments. I believe somebody has written or said He veiled His glory.
I like that expression. I like that expression because as I was sitting in the room here, I was thinking about it. There are many ladies in the room today who are wearing veils on their heads. A woman has hair through glory and it's veiled. But as I stand from up here, I can see some hair poking out from sides of these veils. John one verse 14, we beheld his glory.
Some of Jesus glory was being able to be seen through. No man can see God and live and Jesus had to veil his glory or else he could not have come as man.
He laid aside his towels. He laid aside his garments. He came from heaven. God became man and dwelt among us. He laid aside his garments.
Verse five. And after he poured the water into a basin, began to wash his disciples feet. Matthew 20. Verse 28.
The Son of Man came not to minister, not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.
The Lord of glory, the Son of God became man, dwelt among us. He didn't come to be ministered unto, but to give his life a ransom for many. And for the Lord here is displaying perfect servant, getting down, washing his disciples feet. Jesus has done that so much, so much the more should we.
00:55:00
Continuing on with the secondary application, Peter says to him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Oh.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Peter was one of his own, couldn't understand him. He came under the Jewish people. They didn't receive him. They crucified him, Crucified the Lord of glory, came unto his own.
And finally, after he washed their feet and taken up his guard, taken his garments and was set down again. I'll stop there. He took off his garments and was set down again. Oh, that sounds like Hebrews. One Look at Hebrews one. Just quickly there.
Hebrews One, verse 3.
Who, being the brightness of His glory and express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, our Lord Jesus Christ set aside His garments, came down, became the perfect servant.
Not received by his own. Crucified on a cross.
Took back his garments and ascended back into heaven where he is at God's right hand. May God bless his word.
Well, as we come to the close of these meetings, I can't help but think of that verse. No man yet hated his own flesh.
The chairs at it. And I think of the Lord's love for the body. Haven't we felt that the Lord has cherished us in these last couple of days, that the Lord has been tender and good to us? And yet we've had Hebrews 12 before us and as one brother remarked, there's quite a range of truth in that book. And we see there an individual pathway and the Lord, he chastens us as individuals, but collectively as the body of Christ, he cherishes. And so I'd like to, with the Lord's help to.
Draw a circle as it is, where the Lord's pathway started and where it ended, and in a practical way, try to bring some help before us in connection with the days in which we're living.
The Lord's pathway began in the glory, and I think that we see that in John's ministry is we see from heaven God's judgment of things on earth.
And I enjoyed, and I've often enjoyed what our brother Danny brought before us in the young people's address at the beginning of these meetings in connection with John's ministry. John was found mending the Nets when the Lord called him.
And perhaps we feel ourselves in a.
Straight pathway, so to speak, where the Lord has cast us into circumstances that we cannot but look to himself in these circumstances. That perhaps often we've had human remedies and human resources that we've vainly turned to, but we find ourselves now in circumstances and decisions to make where we cannot turn to anything but the Lord. I'd like to turn to the third Epistle of John to start there.
And read 2 verses because I believe that it gives God's judgment from heaven as the Lord's judgment from heaven as to what he sees on earth. I just make these comments in connection with John is that John doesn't tell us what to do, he just gives us God's judgment as to it.
In Revelation, you read, John is taken up to heaven and he sees the things that are.
And he says, here, let him that hath an ear to hear what? And so he tells us to hear.
But in a practical way, we don't find in John's ministry what we ought to hear. But I just first of all like to hear what the Lord is saying and what his assessment is. And 1St I want to warn you that there's some very startling statements made in John's epistles, because as you know that he writes with a very simple vocabulary, I'm told in Greek with less than 600 words, and yet he's at the very end. He's mending the Nets.
He's strengthening the things that remain, and he here now says in the third epistle of John.
The 11 first, beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. Is that not our desire? Follow that which not which that which is evil, but that which is good.
01:00:03
He that doeth evil, he that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. John makes very abstract statements, and they seem very bold and very striking to us. If you read his first epistle, and it's not so much practical, but it's abstract statements. As to the things that are you say, what do I mean by that word abstract? May I use an illustration that was used with me that I think helped me understand what it meant?
Is that you look at chairs and you think of all the chairs that you've seen in your life.
And then you abstract from all of those and you say chair is a movable seat with a back.
You say Yes, that can be said of every chair that I've ever seen.
This third epistle to John and the first epistle we have, let's start in John's gospel. In John's gospel we find eternal life come down from heaven and manifest. Jesus Christ manifested eternal life. He was eternal life and we sought, John said our hands have handled it and our eyes have seen it. And this we saw as we read the Gospel of John. We see eternal life manifest in the Son of God in John's epistles. We find in the first epistle that it's manifest in the family of God.
In the second epistle it's manifest.