Open—P. Glading, A. Hayhoe, N. Barry
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General Meetings. Toledo, November 1973. Open Meetings.
55.
Through waves, through clouds and storms.
God gently clears the way. We wait his time though shall the night soon end in blissful day. He everywhere has way and all things serve His life.
Is every act pure blessing? Is is fast unsullied life? When he makes bear his arms shall his work to stand?
When he is peoples cause defense prudential stay his hands.
We leave it to Himself to choose and to command with wonder filled. We soon shall see how wide, how strong His hands we comprehend Him. Not yet. Earth and heaven tell God sits as sovereign on the throne.
And rule us all things well.
Few brief thoughts and scriptures.
When I saw the loaf on the table this morning.
And brought before me.
That it represented really two bodies.
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Now Mike can turn to a few scriptures which will make this very plain and simple.
First of all, may be turned to Isaiah Chapter 9.
Isaiah Chapter 9.
And verse 6.
For harm to us.
A child is born.
And to us the son is given.
The child was born in Bethlehem.
The sun was from all eternity.
I'll just read the rest of the verse. And the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called Wonderful.
Counselor, the mighty God.
The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Unto us a child is born may return to Hebrews 10.
I believe there are 7 scriptures in connection with the Lords body.
10th chapter of Hebrews.
And verse 5.
This seems to agree with the verse we've just read. Android's A Child is Born.
Verse 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world?
He sent sacrifice and offering. There would us not a body.
A body hast thou prepared me?
Here we have God. The Father prepared him, a body prepared an incarnation.
Bodily through the blessed Lord.
The Son of God became the Son of man.
In order that the sons of men might become the sons of God.
So we find here a body was prepared for this Blessed One to come down here.
To glorify His Father and to redeem mankind.
Here we have our body. Hast thou prepared me?
Repair the incarnation.
Now the tenth verse, same chapter.
By the which will I should read? Verse 9 then says he Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.
He taketh away the 1St, that he may establish the second, by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body.
Through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Here we have the precious spotting which was prepared by God the Father for Him offered in sacrifice.
And this body which was prepared for him, was the body in which he accomplished the will of God here on earth.
It was in this body that he suffered through your sins and mine, beloved.
Yes, in this same body.
He hung up on the cross as the Sin Bearer.
So this is a very solemn verse.
The 10th verse By the which will we are sanctified or set apart through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.
A body offered in sacrifice for you and me.
What maximus?
The thing that blessed 1 The eternal Son and God, the Babe born Bethlehem, to come down here and go to that cross.
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To do in the will of his father whatever it might cost him.
To glorify His Father and the finished and great and mighty work of redemption for you and me.
Like we might be redeemed by His precious blood, that we might be brought into eternal blessings.
And into eternal relationship with God the Father and His beloved Son.
So first of all, in verse five we have this body prepared in incarnation.
The 10 First his body was offered in sacrifice, and what a sacrifice. This was the only sacrifice God the Father could accept and delight in, because it was a sacrifice and an offering of a sweet smelling save at the God the Father.
The perfect burned offering, first of all.
And the burnt offering is for God.
So his first thought, an object was to glorify his Father, which he did.
Perfectly in every step of his pathway.
And he also came to see and to save that which was lost.
And now may we turn to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapter 11.
And verse 24.
My brother read this this morning I believe.
1St Corinthians 1124 and when he had given thanks.
He break it and said take eat this is my.
Body.
So that level thin on the table this morning represented.
In the first aspect, the body of Christ.
This is my party, which is broken for you.
This too in remembrance of me, one of crappers precious privilege. It was that you and I had to respond to his desire this morning.
Brother remarked it could be the last occasion, and it will make as things are, it looks as if the Lord might come this very day.
So here we have this thought.
I know it says in John 19. Isn't John 19? A bone of him shall not be broken.
That's true.
Can you imagine those cruel soldiers driving those awful nails through his blessed hands? Land breaking a bone?
There are lots of bones in the hand, but not a bone should be broken. God said a bone of him shall not be broken. But beloved, when we think of them broken flesh, His broken body, can we not say in the language of this verse, or rather what He said, this is my body which is broken for you.
Was his blessed side not broken open?
Burn on his feet, broken open with those rich and awful, wicked, cruel nails.
I believe we can read it this way.
But I do maintain the truth concerning the bones, a bone of whom shall not be broken.
And we read when the soldiers came to break the length of the 1St and the other, when they came to Jesus and found that he was dead already, they break knock his legs.
No, they couldn't do that. God would not permit it. He had sent a bone of him shall not be broken. And so they bypassed the blessed Lord. They did not break his legs. He was dead already.
Well, here then, we find his body, shall we say, broken in judgment on the cross of Calvary, for you and for me.
How they should solemnize our hearts, beloved, when we realize what the blessed Lord went through on the Cross of Calvary for us. We reminded of that this morning.
But what he suffered at the hands of wicked men was as nothing compared with what he suffered under the hand of a holy God.
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When men and Donnie's worse and could go no further.
And gone for that awful judgment upon his blessed, devoted head.
How solemnly thought, yet he was a sinless 1.
We're reading this morning away from sword against my Shepherd. Why? Why against my shepherd?
Away goes sword against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Might the Shepherd. Why smite the shepherd? He was the Good Shepherd, why should he be smitten? Well, beloved, he was either the shepherd or the sheep.
And so then bless the Lord in his infinite love to us, took our place, and was smitten that you and I might not be smitten for our sins. He was not smitten for his sins, but he was smitten for ours. He took our place.
On the cross of Calvary. So can we not read it this way? This is my body, which is broken for you, broken in judgment.
And verse in John 19.
Verse 40.
1940 Then took place the body of Jesus.
And wounded in linen clothes with the spices.
As the man of the Jews is to bury, then took place the body of Jesus.
He will have his precious body in death.
Buried in death.
How solemn this is, and blessed One who came down here to do the will of his Father.
Man said we will not have this man to reign over us, away with him, crucifying him. And they did, but thank God they did not take his life.
He was saying that I phoned up. My father loved me because I laid down my life.
I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it up again. No man take it from me. This commandment have I received as my father.
Man did not take the life of Christ, He crucified him. But, dear friends, he plainly states himself.
No man, think of it from me. I lay down of myself. It was of his own voluntary will that he laid down his life. A sacrifice for you and for me there on the cross.
So here we have this 40th verse of John 19, this precious body and Jesus buried in death.
Now the 24th Chamber of Luke.
Verse 39.
New 2439.
He says, Behold my hands and my feet.
That it is I myself.
Hand only and see.
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself hear. His precious body was witnessed in resurrection.
That same precious body which went into death is now witnessed in resurrection.
John speaks of his hands on his side.
I mean, he's, yes, he signed.
Luke speaks of his hands and his feet.
Well, I suppose it's typical of John to think of his side because he leaned upon Jesus bosom and occupied a near place to the heart of Christ.
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So he springs of his side. Yeah, she's a sign. Here's his hands and his feet.
So in this verse then we find his body was witnessed in resurrection.
Now Philippians chapter 3.
And verse 21.
Who shall change? I should read the letter Father, verse 20, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who shall change our vile body?
Our body of humiliation, and it may be fashioned like under His glorious body.
According to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
How wonderful.
To see here his body glorified in ascension. And the thing too, beloved, that you and I are going to have a glorified body too.
Yes, we are very soon, maybe today.
But here we find this blessed one, this body, it says fashion like under his glorious body.
It's glorified in ascension.
The First Corinthians 11.
And verse 29.
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily.
Eateth and drink of damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's.
Bonding.
His bonding discerned and communion.
For the solemn statement concerning those who do not discern His body.
I knew of two young men who went to a church and when they came out they said this in my wife's hearing and mine. We had a good drink this morning.
We went up the front and had a good drink of wine.
For the solemn thing for them to boast about.
It says here he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lords body.
Here we have his body then discerned in communion.
So the Lord Jesus really has two bodies, and they both represented in that loaf we had on the table this morning.
His own body, of which we've been reading these various scriptures, and his body, the Church Mystic body.
Bodies in the one loaf.
And these two bodies, beloved, they're going to be signed by his side throughout all eternity.
This blessed One, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is coming these glorified body become the change by our bodies or bodies of humiliation.
Like under his own glorious body. So there will be two bodies, so to speak, His own body and his body, the church to be together throughout eternity in that bright and happy scene about.
In First Corinthians 12.
And verse 12, verse 12 Says, whereas the body is 1 and have many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body souls is Christ for by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body.
That's his church, which is his body.
So that love then really represented 2 bodies this morning. Christ own body and his body in the Church of which every believer is a member. And we do not remember the Lord as sin is saved by grace, but as members of the body of Christ.
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I think this is very sweet and precious and it says in verse 27 Now ye are the body of Christ.
And members in particular.
Members in particular in our individual testimony for Christ in the world, I think there's a very striking verse. Members in particular. In other words, we have our own particular responsibility as a member of the body of Christ.
That how precious to realize.
Then that these two bodies are going to be signed by side throughout all eternity. The one marred more than any man's, the other. He's going to present himself without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And it may take place today.
Oh beloved, what a glorious hope we have to think that we're going to be exactly like our blessed Lord.
He has his glorified body and you and I are going to have ours very soon too. And so these two bodies, His body, the church and his own body is going to be together. And then bright and happy scene about forever.
Very beautiful.
I suppose we can really say.
I have to be careful how I put it back.
Perhaps we can say the first one is the explanation of the 2nd.
And the second is the outcome of the 1St.
I believe that's right.
That the thought encouraged to me when I saw that beetle from the table this morning.
It represents 2 bodies.
The body of Christ.
Which high upon that cross, which was prepared by God the Father for him?
To come down here and to do the Father's will.
And to seek and to save the last.
But before he could do that, he had to go to the cross.
And we looked at those various scriptures in connection with his pathway, from the time he was obeyed, born in Bethlehem, till he received his glorified body in Ascension. Now he's up there, His glorified body.
We sometimes sing On the Father's throne is seated Christ the Lord, the living One. That's where he is now, beloved.
I was thinking in Matthew 3 and tells to say the heavens were opened to gaze upon that blessed man down here on earth.
But in Hebrews we find the heavens are open, that you and I might gaze upon that same man up there.
As the apostle Paul says, but we've seen Jesus who is.
Who? I've got to read it. Excuse me, Hebrews 2.
Verse 9 But we see Jesus, who has made a little law than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.
That he, by the grace of God, should taste there for every man. So now in Matthew 3, often he was baptized, we find the heavens were opened upon His blessed One. Heaven was gazing upon that man down here on earth. Now the heavens are open, that we might gaze upon that same man in heaven.
Glorified crown with glory and honor, or how it should rejoice our hearts and know He is there.
No longer on the cross, no longer in the grave.
But risen ascenders and glorified, Well, I just repeat again, that one though brought these thoughts before me. And it's very precious to realize that we are members of His body, the church. Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. The question is very often asked, as we know, what church do you belong to? Well, the only answer is what we just quoted in Ephesians 5. Christ loved the church.
Gave himself for it. One and every true believer is a member of that church, which is his body. Yes, it belongs to him. It's his body. The church belongs to Christ. He bought it with his own blood. Well, I trust.
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Your heart and mind might be encouraged by these few scriptures were read together to realize that at any moment we're going to receive our new body, glorified body like unto His own body of glory, and leave forever with Him and pride seen above, to thank Him and to praise Him throughout eternity for His infinite love and for all that He's accomplished. First of all, the glory of God and for our eternal blessing and salvation.
I.
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The singing of that hymn.
Suggested to me a very precious truth that I know is familiar, well known and often referred to. But surely, like all the rest of the Word of God, that which we have heard so often rings with a freshness to our hearts. Or it opt to. Could we turn please to 1St John chapter 4.
First John, chapter 4.
Verse 17.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.
Because as he is.
So are we in this world?
Those wonderful words at the close of that verse just mine words as he is.
So are we in this world? Isn't that something wonderful? It ought to fill our hearts not only with confidence, but with gladness, with Thanksgiving.
As He is, when our blessed Lord Jesus was here on earth, He had before Him in a reality that neither you nor I can ever comprehend.
He had before him.
Death and judgment isn't that solemn?
You and I perhaps are accustomed to.
The element of death but that which it meant to the Lord Jesus was more than it had ever meant to any man of Adams race.
Death and judgment were before the Lord Jesus while He was here on earth.
But he went into the very power of death. He bowed his head beneath those outpour judgments.
That he cried aloud and glorious triumph. It is finished.
And as we have been reminded, his body dead was taken down and buried. But beloved, he is risen from among the dead. And you and I have heard it said, and I love the sound of it, that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was God's Amen to his cry. It is finished. He cried, it is finished.
God heard that cry, and in triumph he raised him from among the dead.
And now, beloved, we were reminded again the other day.
He arose.
And with his disciples gathered round about him, he was taken up from them.
And a cloud received him out of their sight. Now I suppose it's only right and proper when we come to a statement like that, that we should ask no questions and perhaps perhaps not even imagine.
But a cloud received him out of their sight.
Am I forgiven for imagining what took place on the other side of that cloud?
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God, well beloved Son, obedient unto death, was welcomed home.
Welcome home. No wonder a cloud received him. No wonder no human eye was able to observe that welcome.
God welcomes his son home again.
Will there ever be another welcome like that? Yes, there will. Yes, there will. When you, when I when we are welcomed home, we will be welcomed in all the glad nearness and love of the beloved Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now the Lord Jesus up there in God's presence, seated at God's right hand.
Is forever beyond the power of death and judgment. And we are told in these nine simple precious words, as he is, so are we in this world.
Can you and I really take it in? I know I can't. But I can read it, and I know it's true. And in a little measure in which my poor heart can grasp it, I bow. And Thanksgiving.
Beloved, can the enemy whisper anything that could make my heart to tremble as to acceptance? As he is, death and judgment forever behind him, so are we. It's not something we're looking forward to. It's something that he's even now our portion to enjoy. So are we in this world today.
Now, and in whatever little time may yet be entrusted to us, you and I can take this verse with all the confidence that is intended and thank him for it. But I remember hearing a brother say at a Saint Louis conference a good many years ago, he said, I believe that in a past eternity when God looked at his beloved son, so immeasurable was that love.
That God would say, when I have a family, I want them all to be just like my son. And God's desire is going to be realized. God is going to have a family, a family of individual believers, each one with their eternal individuality, and yet each one like his own beloved son. The third chapter of this same epistle.
And the second verse, first John 3, verse 2, Beloved now are we the sons of God?
Now, yes, right now, that's not news to anyone here. You've known it, you have enjoyed it. But you know, we might just ask ourselves, in what manner does one become a son in a family?
While you say there are two ways one could be born into a family or one could be adopted into a family, isn't that right? And in each case the relationship would exist. And I suggest too that in each case there is a particular advantage.
The son born into the family could look at his father and say I possess the very life and nature of my father, but he could not look at his father and say that man chose me and wanted me. He couldn't do that.
As some adopted into a family could look at his father and say, My father chose me and wanted me, but he could not say that I possessed the life and nature of my father. In which manner did you or I become sons of God?
Both beloved, both were his by eternal choice.
Where his by adoption, where his by birth? And we can look up this afternoon and say I am of the very household of God by choice and by birth.
Is it really possible to say he chose me, he wanted me and I have been born into his family?
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Now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be.
But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, or we shall see him as he is. Are you, am I looking forward to this moment, beloved?
Or is it a reality with our hearts, as we think of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we're actually going to see Him? And when we do that, we're going to find that His delight in seeing oxen making us welcome will absolutely melt these hearts of ours.
When you see him, he is going to identify you and welcome you personally. Home. No father ever walks into a home after a period of absence with his wife and family gathered there and greets them a little. Family. No, indeed, he greets them with an individual loving personal joy and gladness.
And I know that when we reach home.
The body of Christ, yes, the bride of Christ, yes, the Church of God, truth, and yet individual sons and daughters they loved and chosen and born into the very family of God to be welcomed home. It does not yet appear what we shall be.
This, to me, is rather searching. On the one hand, I doubt not that it refers to that physical conformity that yet awaits the believers.
We're going to be like him physically, and that certainly doesn't appear right now. The years take their toll. We look like any other fallen son of Adam. Or do we?
I think there should be a difference, and I know I've seen a difference.
You know, I understand that years ago.
When Abraham Lincoln was selecting.
Candidate for certain high office. Someone was recommended to him.
And he promptly dismissed the recommendation with a very strange comment. He said. No, I don't like that man's face.
Well, the man who had made the suggestion was amazed that the president's answer. He said, you don't like his face, Mr. President, The man is not responsible for his face. And the president is supposed to have answered. Every man over 40 is responsible for his faith. I don't know why he said over 40, but I believe I know what the president probably meant. And I look out here into the faces of my beloved brethren and sisters.
And I tell you, brethren, there is a difference in looking into your faces and looking into the faces of those who do not know the Lord Jesus as Savior. Oh, it's true that someday that name is going to be in every forehead. There will be nothing but the reflection of perfect or large reflection of the Lord Jesus Christ forever from you and me.
When I look at you, when you look at me, all at which Mars that reflection today will be gone forever. His name in their forehead. Oh, what a delight that will be. And beloved, when we look at one another today, can we not at least look for that reflection? I don't have to look hard right now, brethren, to see it. I truly say that as I look into your faces, I see that which I know I would not see if I were faced with a similar company of those who know not Christ the Savior.
But it's true, it does not yet appear.
The years have taken their toll with everyone of us.
But we know, isn't this glorious, and isn't it characteristic of that which is ours? We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him.
As he is.
Isn't that a marvelous thing?
I was visiting in Cleveland not long ago with a dear young man 19 years of age.
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Paralyzed for life from the chest down, he can move it, move his arms, but barely move his fingers.
All the way to the hospital to visit him, I was asking the Lord for something that might be given.
To comfort the heart of a 19 year old that finds himself through an accident, paralyzed for life has to be turned over every two hours, day and night.
And when I got there, I found him rejoicing. He said, Oh brother, when I find myself at home with the Lord Jesus, I have a million things to thank him for, and one of them will be my new body.
You and I perhaps don't think of that very often until the Lord in His wisdom and faithfulness, reminds us that we're not home yet. And there are some here that are longing, perhaps a bit more eagerly than others, for that new and glorified body. But the next verse, beloved, add the thought that I think we should well bear in mind, and every man that has his hope in him.
Purifies himself even as he is pure.
I believe that in Philippians 3, which was just read to us, we have specifically physical conformity to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who shall change our body of humiliation, that it may be fashioned like in His own body of glory, His own body of glory we're going to be like Him physically, and in this we do rejoice. But here the emphasis of the third verse makes me feel that in verse two there is moral conformity to our Lord Jesus Christ.
We're going to be like him physically, We're going to be like him morally.
And in verse three it says every man that has this hope in him purified himself even as he is pure. I believe the suggestion is this.
No amount of occupation with future physical conformity is going to have any effect upon the advance of age. I'm going to continue. If the Lord looks, leaves me here to look even older than I do today, I suppose. But the prospect of moral conformity to our Lord Jesus Christ, what would it do if it really laid hold of our heart? If I looked up this day and knew.
That end in a moment and very soon.
I was going to be morally conformed to the one who displayed that beauty while he was here on earth, the one who now occupies that place of enthronement and glory above. I'm going to be like him. You're going to be like him. And I believe that in the measure in which this touches and stirs and occupies our hearts, there will be seen.
A moral conformity to him.
In our ways, and that, I believe can be recognized.
By others, Oh dear Saints of God, like thee, O Lord, how wondrous there true by God's matchless grace as He is, so are we in this world, and we rejoice in this. It is a reality.
Is there, is there a danger, beloved, that we take some of these things as facts that we've heard about in the Word of God and we kind of file them away in our minds and when we hear them again, we nod our head yes, I've heard that one and I agree with it.
Or are they precious revelations of his loving heart?
That touch and stir our affections and affect our whole life.
As he is, so are we in this world.
And we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Let us remember, beloved, the force of that verse, that we should be ready to give an answer to every man. Ask a reason of the hope that is within us. That verse has always searched my heart and I think it should be an increasing challenge as we find ourselves surrounded by circumstances that are causing the hearts of so many.
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To fail for fears, they look around at that which they considered to be so stable and so reliable, and their finding things crumbling that they thought would stand.
And what about you? And what about me? When did anyone laugh, ask you or ask me a reason of the hope within us?
Why ever would they ask us such a question? Is it not the normal order that we should be telling them of this or that that's our privilege?
But I consider it to be a greater challenge and a higher privilege so to act that any would ever ask. Ask a reason of the hope. Why would they do this? Because they have seen in you.
Seen in you.
Our hope that they recognize, and they want to know the basis of that hope. All. Beloved, I just quote those two verses again. As He is, so are we in this world, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is and every man that has this hope in him.
Purified himself even as he is pure.
My brother was speaking about the.
The cloud that received the Lord out of the sight of those that were remain. And I'd just like to go on with a few thoughts on the cloud as we find in numbers.
Numbers, Chapter 9.
I.
And verse 15.
And on the day that the Tabernacle was reared up.
The cloud covered the Tabernacle, namely the tent of the testimony.
And that even there was upon the Tabernacle, as it were, the appearance of fire until the morning.
So it was always the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night.
And when the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed.
And in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
At the commandment of the Lord, the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord.
They pitched as long as the cloud abode upon the Tabernacle, they rested in their tents. And when the cloud carried long upon the Tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not. And so it was when the cloud was a few days upon the Tabernacle. According to the commandment of the Lord, they abode in their tents.
And according to the commandment of the Lord, they journey. And so it was when the the cloud abode from even until the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed. Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed, or whether it were two days or a month or a year, that the cloud carried upon the Tabernacle.
Remain wrong. The children of Israel abode in their tents and journeyed not. But when it was taken up, they journeyed. At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. They kept the charge of the Lord at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
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Well.
The beautiful scene.
The Tabernacle is completed.
And the journey that lay before the children of Israel.
All was in the heart of God.
And there was one.
Glorious.
Article that was going to remain with them throughout that journey.
The cloud that which would bring before you and me.
This afternoon, the presence of the Lord with.
O Beloved 1.
That long, long journey that Israel took those 40 years.
Found its end, its culmination in that land of promise and beloved Saints of God. I really believe in my heart that you and I, forming part of the Church, are just at the end of the journey.
You'll notice three times here that it says until the morning. Oh, beloved ones, this is man's day. But this is.
Only for you and for me.
Until the morning.
It says in the 15th verse.
And on the day that the Tabernacle was reared up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle.
Namely the 10th of the testimony.
Well, I believe that this was heaven's confirmation of all that had been built, the Tabernacle, and it's a beautiful picture of the church traveling through the wilderness. This cloud was God's presence hovering over this building that had been reared up in the wilderness.
It was only a 10th. It wasn't a permanent building as the temple was. It was taken down from day-to-day, never remaining in one place more than less than two days as we saw there. But nevertheless, it was journeying on but over that cloud. Oh beloved one, let's get our eyes up. Let's see that that presence of the Lord is with us.
He's not going to abandon us by day or by night. Let's not become discouraged just at the end of the day of grace. This is the time now to lift our eyes up and keep our eyes, beloved ones, on that cloud. It had its different aspects during the day. It was that which protected them from all the heat of that blistering sun.
Of the desert. And that night it was that warm, that fire that gave him light. Oh, what a rich provision Israel had. Oh, it's nothing, beloved ones, compared with having the presence of the Lord with us.
Day and night.
And then it says in the middle of that fifteenth verse, and that even there was upon the Tabernacle, as it were, the appearance of fire until the morning. Isn't that beautiful? Until the morning? Oh, beloved ones, the morning is coming.
The Tabernacle always looked toward the east. It always looked toward the sunrise.
And if you and I know the Lord is our Savior, we face that E too, for those who do not know the Lord.
It's an eternal night that is coming. You look toward the West if you're unsaved here this afternoon. But oh, how precious, precious it is to know that we look for the morning. And we can say now as these meetings draw to a close until the morning or morning is coming. Beloved ones, that may be our last day here on earth. This may be the end of the journey. We may be just about to step into that blessed presence forever.
01:05:08
Until the morning.
So it was.
Always. I think that's beautiful. So it was always.
Promise was kept. All that he promised, he kept.
It was and so it was all. Oh how lovely it is to meet those who have been long on the journey and to find their hearts refreshed. I said to a sister one time who had been long on this journey, what is the most wonderful day of your life? She had spent many years out in China and I thought she would tell of some rich experience out there.
A moment's hesitation, she said today, oh, I said, what happened today? Well, she said to me, the glory comes on. So every day is greater for me. Oh, and so it was always, oh beloved ones, the best is yet to come. Now the journey may be long. It may be as sometimes that we get so weary with the journey as Israel.
Must have but all. How glorious it is for you and for me, beloved ones to look on to the end. That blessed man is waiting now this afternoon, waiting for His blood bought bride to usher us to welcome us into His blessed presence, into His bosom forever. Will it be worth it? Oh yes, in the words of Mr. GV Wigram though the past were 10,000 times.
More rough and dreary. Still, it would be worth it. Beloved brought one. Let us press on now.
Not becoming discouraged. This is the day when people are giving up, they're turning aside. May we, as the result of our occupation with Christ in these days, say, and so it was always we can go back now to our several assemblies with this deep consciousness that the cloud, the blessed Lord is with us. He won't abandoned us. He won't forsake you, young or old here. Oh no, he will keep. He will be with us ever over and above us.
17th Verse. And when the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed, and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
Now, sometimes we're faced with problems, are we not? As to our jobs, changing jobs. Brother was speaking just today about the uncertainty of whether he should take this job or not. There are many, many problems that face you and me.
1.
There's only one thing to do.
For you and for me to keep our eye on the cloud, keep our eye on Christ. Beloved ones, this is all these children of Israel needed to do. They didn't need to have a, a, a, a road map. They didn't need to have a time schedule. They didn't need to know where the difficult difficulties were. This great camp that was set up who required a, a flat area of about 40 square miles.
Didn't know the desert. They had never been there before. Every day was a new day for them.
Oh, that cloud was with them. That cloud went before them to search out a place for them. All they needed to do was to keep the eye on the cloud.
When the cloud was raised up off the Tabernacle, they prepared to move and at the commandment of the Lord.
They, it doesn't say stopped. It's very remarkable, but it says they rested. Sometimes you and I have to move, Sometimes we have to rest. Or how precious it is to know that if you and I, each one of us listens to the commandment of the Lord, we'll all be doing the same thing. There wasn't one message to one part of the camp or to Judah to move on and.
Issachar, you stay behind and so on.
01:10:01
No, it was in unison. Oh beloved ones, we've been hearing about that unity today.
If you and I listen to the Word of God, if we are eyes on Christ, we're going to hear the one message, that unity, and that is going to keep us in happy communion at the commandment of the Lord. They journeyed. Sometimes we have to move. Sometimes we have to go slowly. Sometimes we have to stop. We have to rest. The only way you and I are going to know when to move.
And when to remain quiet is our eye with our eye upon the Lord. Well, you know, beloved ones were passing through a very difficult time. We might as well face these facts. And we know that the journey is going to become more difficult just before the dawn.
The days of evil are on us.
Wickedness of the worst kind surround us. That which is appealing to the mind is so distracting to young and old alike. Beloved ones, there's only one person to look to in all our difficulties, Christ and Christ alone. And if you and I keep that ear tuned to that blessed voice of the Shepherd.
Will never make a misstep.
These things be in you and abound. They make you that you shall never fall. We can know with that blessed confidence that if we keep our eye on Christ that we will journey on, and we will go on in happy communion and fellowship, one with another and with the Lord.
18th Verse And at the commandment of the Lord, the children of Israel journeyed, and that the commandment of the Lord.
They pitched as long as the cloud abode upon the Tabernacle.
They rested in their tents. Isn't that nice rested?
We meet a lot of different people, many Lords people.
But I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is only.
When we are gathered to the blessed name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that there can be true heart rest. They rested in their teeth. They were content. They didn't get impatient. They rested. All beloved ones, let's rest in those everlasting arms.
This is where security is found. This is where true REST is found.
With in communion with that Blessed One, and when the terror of the cloud carried long upon the journey, upon the Tabernacle many days.
Then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and journeyed not well. As I said before, sometimes it was long and we get weary, don't we? If the long, long journey and we say, Oh Lord, how long, things seem to be crumbling.
That all we can know, that the journey has all been been defined by the Blessed Lords Hand and self, and if you and I just walk in obedience to His will, we will walk in that path that He has defined force.
So here was the journey, sometimes long and sometimes short, but they just kept their eye on the Lord and their ear tuned to His voice. At the commandment of the Lord, I believe it's six times that it's mentioned here. At the commandment of the Lord they journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they rested.
20th Verse. And so it was when the cloud was a few days upon the Tabernacle. According to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. And so it was when the cloud abode from even unto the morning.
Even on to the morning each time the morning it is always spoken of us until until the morning. Oh, I want to leave this with us beloved ones, It's just until the morning 01 of these moments now the blessed Lord Jesus is going to.
01:15:14
Meet us on that cloud.
Are we watching? Are we waiting?
Are we patiently going on? Are we seeking to act in a in obedience to His precious Word, separating from all that would hinder? I don't believe, beloved ones, that the answer to our many problems are searching at all the details of the problems, but rather to have a single eye upon Christ be walking in obedience individually with Him.
And then everything will become crystal clear to us and we will all hear that same.
Word from Him directing us on in that unity. Well, beloved ones, it's just that little thought until the morning.
Power 287.
Gizmo.
55.
Through waves, through clouds and storms.
God gently clears the way. We waited time, so shall the night soon end in blissful day.
01:20:01
He everywhere has way and all things serve. His might is, every act pure blessing is.
Is fast on solid life when he makes bear his arms show his work with stand when he is people's cause defense. Who then shall stay his hands? We leave it to himself to choose and to command with wonder filled. We still shall see how wide, how strong his hands we comprehend him not yet earth and heaven tell God sits as sovereign.
On the throne and rule us all things well.
God.