Ottawa Conference: 1975
Table of Contents
From My Youth Up
Address—E. Beacham
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I wonder if we could start our meeting this afternoon by singing the 2nd hymn in the appendix.
#2 in the appendix. Oh Lord, thy loves unbounded.
So sweet, so whole, so free. My soul is all transported whenever I think on the yet Lord. Alas, what weakness within myself I find no infants changing. Pleasure is like my wandering mind #2 in the appendix.
Oh Lord, I love the love of the Lord.
Oh my God.
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I'd like to talk.
This afternoon to you.
Dear young people.
A little bit about yourselves.
I don't suppose.
That any of you could have been born at a better time.
And have grown up.
And be alive.
At this very hour in which we are.
Just before.
The Lord Jesus comes to take his people home.
I don't suppose it would be stretching things. I really believe it to be true.
That you who are in your teens, your 20s, and perhaps a little older.
Perhaps all of us are very likely to experience.
The Lord's coming now. I know that. We have heard that.
For quite a long time, I remember well in the city Of Montreal when I was in my teens, a brother who was sitting here this afternoon speaking to us and telling us.
That had thrilled his heart to think of this fact, this possibility that before the year 2000 should come.
That it would be very likely that the Lord would have taken his waiting people home. And at that time, it thrilled my heart when he said those words. That's perhaps 20 some odd years ago and the Lord hasn't come. But I do believe that as we look around us in this world, as we see events shaping up.
As the scene is being.
Brought to the point where the Lord Jesus will come, I think it is a very distinct possibility that you will be among that number who shall never enter into death.
And this afternoon, as those who are young, as those who are in their youth, I would like to speak to you about some of the scriptures that talk about youth.
I think especially.
Of a verse in the 88th song, we sometimes don't stop to think of the fact that the Lord Jesus.
There in that 88 psalms which I'd like to just turn for a minute.
He himself is referred to.
As a youth.
Perhaps if we just look at that for a minute.
In the 88 Psalm.
Verse 15.
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up.
While I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me. Thy terrors have cut me off. They came round about me daily like water. They compassed me about together. Lover and friend hath thou put far from me and my acquaintance Into Darkness.
Have you ever stopped to think you who are young here this afternoon?
That the Lord Jesus.
Is prophetically described here.
As you are in some scriptures in the New Testament from his youth up.
He was ready to die. We get here some of the feelings of the Lord Jesus.
As a relatively young man, as a man in the prime of life, as one who had walked in this world always and altogether pleasing his father, It was said to us this morning, was quoted to us. I do always those things that please him.
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And so the Lord Jesus knew what it was to go through those years of youth.
He knew what it was to be a young person.
And yet He had always before him something that you and I need never and can never have before us.
He had always before him the cross, the bearing in his own body.
Our sins, the meeting of a holy God about them. You and I, dear young people, this afternoon need never have that consciously before us as something that we must face, because we never could. The work has been done. The Lord Jesus has accomplished the work of the cross. But there are scriptures which we would like to read this afternoon.
Which given instruction for you as a youth, a youth in Christ now?
One redeemed by His precious blood and on the road to glory.
But you know this afternoon as we are gathered here.
Perhaps three kinds of young people.
There is no doubt.
Group of young people here this afternoon who are still perhaps not saved.
And I don't want to turn to all the scriptures that come to mind.
But I would like to speak for just a few minutes to any of the dear young ones here this afternoon who are still not saved. What a dreadful thing to be in the time of your youth and yet to be unsaved. I thank God that you're here.
I'm so glad and sore is everyone else that you've come to these meetings, but is it possible that you have come and are still unsaved? Oh, the invitation that goes out to you if this is so.
And the words of Solomon and Ecclesiastes, remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.
All we would recommend to you this afternoon, that Savior of whom we have heard this morning, the glories of His person, all that he has given to us, all that we can now enjoy as those who are saved by His matchless grace. And to think that you sit here this afternoon.
A youth without Christ, Oh dear young Christian.
This afternoon.
Do you know someone here who is still unsaved?
Have you spoken to Him? Have you spoken to her about your Savior? Have you said to them all, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth?
The remaining group of young people perhaps could be subdivided into two categories.
We're so thankful to see.
Dear young children of God.
Going on to please the Lord Jesus.
And in whose heart we see some desire to walk with their precious Savior.
But you know, I suppose it has always been. It certainly was when I was in my teens.
There are always young people, and I was one of them. Saved, yes, knowing my sins, forgiven most assuredly. But not walking well, not going on with the Lord the way perhaps I ought to have.
In the 51St Psalm we see that picture of David.
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Mind you, he had so grievously sinned, he had gone on in his own way, and the lust of the flesh had overtaken him. It may not be so with you, but there are so many things that war against our souls. There are so many things that Satan uses.
For you who are younger, who though saved though knowing the Lord Jesus as your precious Savior, yet at this very hour you're not walking with Him. I sympathize with some of you who may be in that very state this afternoon because I know what it is. I know what it is to be saved and going on.
With worldly ambitions, worldly thoughts, worldly aspirations and dear young people, it is to you that I would like to speak this afternoon.
In Timothy, we might turn to a verse or two.
The second Timothy.
Chapter 2.
Verse 22.
I.
There it says.
Plea also.
Youthful lusts.
Plea also youthful lusts.
If there's one thing that Satan.
Wants to do to everyone of the Lord's dear young people. It is to drag them down to the level of the world, drag them down to the place where their enjoyment of the things of the Lord Jesus.
Is lost, and they become.
At least on the outward side, looking like the world.
And this afternoon, Paul.
Speaking to Timothy.
And mind you, I suppose that Timothy was going on well at this point. I feel sure he was. But nevertheless, the message came home.
Also youthful lust. Peter talks about the same thing in his epistle. He says practically the same words and then he says which war against the soul.
I wonder if this is the state in which you are this afternoon, one who is going on, as it were, with one foot in the world and one foot among the people of God.
This produces dear young people, unhappy Christians. It produces dull testimonies. It produces those who are not effective for the Lord and those who are also unhappy.
In the world.
Flee also youthful lusts. You remember the story, I'm sure about Josiah. We won't take time to turn to it this afternoon.
But Josiah had come from a home where things weren't what you have. Most of you dear young people here this afternoon have had what I would describe as the inestimable.
Privilege of living and being reared in a Christian home.
There are some here this afternoon who have not had that privilege. The Lord has come in, in His matchless grace. He has saved them. He has brought them to the knowledge of the truth. And how thankful we are for His grace in this way. But most of you here.
Have been brought up in homes where the Bible has been read, where you have been prayed with, where your parents have been a living example to you. Josiah was not so. He was the son of a wicked father. And yet it tells us in the scriptures that Josiah.
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Became the king of Judah. I believe it was at a very early age.
Eight years of age and it tells us something concerning him when he was about 16.
It tells us that.
I'm going to read the few verses, so perhaps it would be wise if we turn to them in Second Chronicles chapter 34.
Second Chronicles, 34.
I.
If you'll notice in verse one, it tells us that he was eight years old when he ascended the throne. In verse three it says that in the eighth year of his reign that would make him 16 years of age, a young person of the same age of some of you here this afternoon. Here he was 16 years of age and he begins to seek after.
The Lord.
After the God of David, his father.
So there was a turning to God on the part of this young man, this young person.
We find that further on, at about age 20, the 12Th year of his reign, he begins to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, from the Groves, the carved images and the molten images. Now here was a young man, and surrounded in his life were idols, were images. What a degrading situation, this young king.
Found himself in and yet there was that spiritual energy in him that he would come forth from among all that and perhaps.
It was a hard thing for him to do, being such a young man, but he purged Judah and Jerusalem from those high places and those images.
There had been idolatry surrounding him.
And he wanted to be free of it.
And I know that there are young people here this afternoon who have allowed idols in their lives, have allowed themselves to be surrounded by things that have pulled them down.
What is an idol? Idols in this time were things that were made of stone or wood or some other substance, and they were that which replaced the God of Israel.
They were that which took the hearts of the people away from God and His wonderful ways with the children of Israel, and it took them away, and their hearts got occupied with that which had been promoted by Satan.
That was an idol in those days. What is an idol for us today? Are there such things as idol idols for our young people? Yes, there are. In John it says little children, keep yourselves from idols. What is an idol? Just as it was then. Only it's so insidious today. It's so deceiving. There. It was something tangible. It was wood or stone.
But what is an idol today? It's something that keeps you away from the Lord Jesus. It's something that occupies your heart. It's something that engrosses your life and it's put there by Satan in order that you might not enjoy the things that the Lord Jesus has given to us in His word. Well, this young man decided he was going to purge those idols. Idols.
I'm sure he attempted to do it in the strength of the God of David, his father. I'm sure that his he went about it in all humility. I'm sure that he looked to the Lord and said, preserve me and help me, Oh Lord. And so he did, and he broke down these idols and he utterly destroyed them and had them all taken away.
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Have you come to the point in your life where youthful lusts and worldly idols have perhaps engulfed you and you're very unhappy about it, You're very upset and you'd like to be freed from this condition?
In which you are. I know that these thoughts go on in the hearts of young people who are not walking with the Lord. And these verses I would trust would be helpful for you to see how that you can come forth from that state. But there had to be that coming down. There had to be that humility in the life of Josiah that could then come forth.
And break down those images.
And destroy them. The idols were taken away and all. What a glad some time resulted. What results? If you were to read the 34th chapter and on through the 35th chapter of this book, you'll see what the end result was.
Where one child of God decided to take a stand. How all of the country Judah.
And Jerusalem and all the surrounding countryside benefited because one young man decided to take a stand for the God whom he wanted to follow. I do recommend the Lord Jesus to you, dear young people, as the ones that you can follow in your lives. I know that the world has its attractions. I know that the tinsel and all that goes with it is very appealing.
And those of us who are older are not exempt from its allure. We know very well how appealing it seems at the time. But all do be like Josiah. This account is given to us in God's word for the very reason of being an example to you thousands of years later.
An encouragement to you to take a stand for the Lord Jesus.
Well, he did this. It tells us in the eighth verse that in the 18th year of his reign, now he's getting a little older. The first account we have of him is that he ascends the throne at 8 years of age. He seeks the Lord at 16 years of age. At 20 years of age, he decides to purge out from around himself those idols, and now he gets to be 26 years of age.
In verse 8 and he's still a young man and what is he able to do now?
Oh, he has a desire now not to breakdown, but now he's going to build up. He's going to build up. And it says that in the 18th year of his reign he repairs the House of the Lord his God. Oh, now he's in a position having dealt with that which was so corrupt around him, which was all about him.
And in that self judgment that he took with the people of God here now he's able to come in and repair. There was that breaking down process first, which must be the part of everyone who is not walking with the Lord, who belongs to him. There must be that coming down first in order that there might be that building up. And So what a healthy now is.
To the people of God, he repairs the House of the God of the House of God. And he in their repair work they find a book of the law which had been so neglected. And doesn't this tell us something? Doesn't it tell us that This is why all that idolatry had come to pass? Doesn't it tell us the reason for which?
Judah was in such desperate state.
It was because they couldn't find the book of the law. Wasn't the question of even finding it. They didn't look for it. But here they come across the book.
Of the law of the Lord given by Moses. That's in verse 14.
And what a wonderful thing the Book of the Law is. Read every bit of it before all the people, and we find that humility is the result. And Josiah?
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As it were, weeps over the state that his people are in. But now he comes along and he causes a Passover to be kept. It tells us further on.
In the 35th chapter verse 18, that there was number Passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet. Neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept and the priests and the Levites and all Judas and Israel that were present.
And the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Well, what a wonderful thing it is then.
That Josiah in the energy of God is able to do such a great thing. Now, I don't think that we want to look around as young people and attempt to do great things. I don't think that should be our motive. But there is no limit to how the Lord can use anyone of His dear young Saints if they are first brought down.
If there is that self judgment, if there is that attitude like has been found in the 51St Psalms.
Where David could say, I have sinned against the only, and where he could cast himself on the Lord Himself. And then we know that his life was blessed. Thereafter we know that there was a wonderful time of blessing came into the life of David.
And so with Josiah blessing resulted as first going down and then being able to build up, there wasn't a Passover celebrated right back to the time of Samuel such as was celebrated on this occasion.
Well, there is just one further note in the Life and Times of Josiah. We do find that he does miss the mark at the end of the 35th chapter. You know, it's a it's a wonderful thing when the Lord gives us the victory in some particular circumstance of our lives. So wonderful thing when we are brought down to see.
Our sinfulness brought down to see how we have strayed from the Lord and then the Lord brings us up in his wonderful matchless grace. But then you know there is the danger in each one of our lives when we think we're walking with the Lord, when we think that we're.
Going on for him and self gets a little bit of a place in our lives.
Then we see that a fall can soon come, how much we need to cry to the Lord daily as we get up in the morning. Preserve me, oh God, for in thee do I put my trust. I remember very well an older brother in meetings such as these, who used to tell us ever so often to make that the daily.
Prayer of our lives.
And I'm sure that what he said was so true.
Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. It's possible that Josiah didn't have that daily attitude, because we find now that rather than go on and attempt to spend his time with his own people, nourishing them and strengthening them as he had, we find that he begins to meddle.
In outside activities tells us in the 20th verse.
After all this all, wasn't that? Didn't that speak volumes after all this, After all this blessings which Josiah had been used of the Lord in?
When Josiah had prepared the temple.
Nico, King of Egypt, came up to fight against.
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Tarakimish by Euphrates and Josiah went out against him. Now, dear young people.
Josiah had no business to get involved. He shouldn't have been involved. He had been warned that he shouldn't go out to meddle in this battle that involved two others.
But he did it. Perhaps he felt I have been so successful in Judah and Israel. I have brought them together. The Passover has been restored. The people are all rejoicing. I have supplied them with lands and Rams and bullets for offerings.
Now I'll settle this matter between these two. And so he meddled. He got out of the path, but God had called him to.
And he made a sorrowful end of his life. He was killed on the battlefield, killed where he might have been spared many more years of faithful service to the God of Israel. I believe that he reigned altogether, yes, 31 years, about 31 years came to an end when perhaps in his own strength.
He got out of God's plan and he was killed. Well, we see this quite often in the Old Testament where men of God have sprayed away at the end and how it needs to be a warning to each one of us here this afternoon. But if we think we have any kind of accomplishments that we have done for the Lord, all beware, dear young people.
Do beware because it is at that point.
That Satan will get in his.
Fiery dark it is at that point.
Unless we are walking with God, walking intelligent with Him, and knowing and feeling His will and His sleeping in our lives, if we follow that leading, there won't be this disastrous problem that existed.
But as we get to think of ourselves as something that thou can be involved. And so the Scriptures give us these illustrations so clearly for us that he for us to.
What for and may they be?
And signposts in our lives to give up the sea by the experience of others like the science that we must keep close. So that precious savior who has died. I'm so alone. Well, one person closing that.
Hasn't encouragement to those who by God grace afternoon.
Maybe one?
Flexible we are.
Dear young people who have a burning desire to walk with their precious Savior, oh how wonderful it is. What trophies of the grace of God, what a matchless blessing it is to see such this afternoon. And to you, I would just direct one verse in Timothy again.
We want to always remember.
But Timothy was indeed a young man when these letters were written to him.
How young? I don't know. The scripture doesn't tell us. You can speculate for yourself.
How old he might have been.
But he's young enough.
That as a young man, a helper of Paul.
And used of the Lord and going to the different assemblies of that day, there was a hesitancy on the part of Timothy.
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To step forward. And that was a good sign, no doubt. He wasn't a brash young man by what we can gather here. He was perhaps a little bit tending towards holding back in the gift that God had given him. And so Paul says to him.
In First Timothy 4 verse 12 he says let no man.
Despise thy youth.
But be thou an example of the believers in Word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit.
In faith.
In Purity. Oh, I think that's a wonderful verse for a young person to have before them.
Let no man despise by you. I'm sure I could speak for the older brethren here this afternoon.
And say that there's certainly no one here who despises those who are young or they younger years of the young men here especially. How thankful we are to see young men who have a desire to please the Lord Jesus.
But what is the word to you be an example?
Be an example or we can talk an awful lot. We can say many, many things, but Pauls word to Timothy here was be an example of the believers.
In Word.
And the things we say, are we an example of those that belong to Christ?
And the things we say, do we reflect what we've been getting in the meetings this morning in the first chapter of Colossians?
In conversation, I believe that word could be rendered in conduct.
By our deportment, by our conduct.
Are we an example of the believer?
In charity or love, as we had again this morning, do we show among the dear children of God, among other young people who need to return to the Lord? Do we show a love for them, a concern for them, a desire to be helpful to others? Are we being an example in love?
In spirit.
Now I realize that some translations don't have that expression in them.
In the Spirit.
You know the scriptures talks about this and another place fervent in spirit.
Are we being an example?
To the believers, by being fervent in spirit, what would that mean? Perhaps it means something like this on fire for the Lord Jesus.
Burning in our desire to serve and please Him. Fervent in spirit.
In faith.
Do others quietly see in our lives? Not by a great display.
But quietly do they see the effects of faith in our Christian walk. This is another way that we can be an example of the believers.
And then finally impurity.
And Oh dear young people.
I just feel that there is a word for us here.
How important.
That we be an example of the believers in Purity. We're living in a world which is getting more corrupt every day.
We're living in a world where filthiness and impurity.
Is a commonplace thing, and if we're not careful, if we're not walking in the good of the scriptures which we hold in our hands, will begin to be dragged down to the world's level, be an example of the believers in Purity in another place, Paul says.
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In the 5th chapter. In the 22nd verse.
Speaking again the Timothy, he says Keep thyself Pure.
Keep thyself Pure.
Oh, what sadness came into the life of David.
Through not keeping himself Pure, what a fall he had. Dear young people, be thou an example of the believer in Purity.
Keep thyself Pure.
Well, these verses then.
Are just a few that might be referred to that refer to the youth.
To those who are young and the word of God has many more examples for us.
God grant that we may have the desire to turn to them, to read them, to meditate in them, and to grow thereby. And may the Lord help us then, dear young people, as we sang in our hymn at the beginning of the meeting, may our prayer ever, ever be as we wait for that soon return of the Lord Jesus. I'll just read the last two verses of that second him in the appendix before we close.
Oh, keep my soul then, Jesus abiding still with thee. And if I wander.
Teach me soon back to thee to flee, but all thy gracious favor may to my soul be known and versed in this Thy goodness my hopes thyself shall crown.
Facts of the Gospel
Gospel—N. Berry
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Well, it is our joy to be able to speak of the gospel, of the grace of the glory of God.
Not so much to bring before you, dear friend here tonight your condition that would be if you turned to God or to the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather to look at this glorious message.
As coming from God himself, this message of grace.
Has come to this earth because of what God is.
He has sent his beloved son down in Greece to meet our needs. But oh, what a story this is that we tell tonight, and we just trust that each one here will realize the solemnity of this hour that is before us if we're left here.
Now I want to speak of the facts of this gospel, of the grace of the glory of God, the facts of the gospel. And there are a number of points of the help of the Lord that we might turn to the Scriptures, that we might turn to to see from the living word of God the message that He has for each one here tonight.
Just trust as I look into your faces tonight, that your thoughts might be centered not on me, but on on that blessed one that I want to point to tonight, the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And secondly, that there might be awakened in you that conscience, that you have a God-given conscience of your responsibility as you sit here tonight.
To a holy God, you have a responsibility.
With God's help, you're going to hear this message, but with the hearing of it, you're going to be that much more responsible for having come in here tonight. Now we might turn to the word of God, and we're going to look at some different facts.
1St is this that God loves you.
God loves you. I believe that this is a very hard thing to realize as you might sit here tonight.
God loves you.
I visited down in Nova Scotia one time with a brother that had been very long in the service of the Lord and we were going from house to house visiting and we went to one particular house and outside the door I said to this brother, what do we say to the people inside that house? And he said tell them that God loves them.
Now in contrast with that, there was a young man that came to know the Lord in our city and he had just been saved about a year and he was at our table and his sister was coming to the house to visit unsaved girl. And we were saying, and I said to him, what will we tell her? And this young man said tell her that God loves her. Well, I thought that was a nice testimony from 2 ends of the scale.
An old one that had been many years on the road and he had the same message as that young brother.
God loves you. Let's look at the verse that tells us this John's Gospel, chapter 3.
Well known verse.
16 verse Just a few words from it.
For God.
So loved the world.
What a.
Message This is I remember hearing of a man who had spent many, many years in China, and he had preached the gospel in those years, and he came back to his home and someone heard him walking up and down as he meditated. And these are the words he said.
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God so loved the world.
Oh dear friend, tonight if this can only burn into your heart.
That God the Creator loves you. Individually, He loves you. My dear friend, God loves you. This is of paramount importance for you to realize. First of all, God loves you.
God so loved the world. Oh, the immensity of it. Just think of it, dear friend. God loves this world. What a sight he must see as he looks into the world tonight. God loves this world. He loves you, my dear friend, with that love that we're going to read off in a little while, He loves you. That's the first thing now.
There's another thing God knows you. This is the second point God knows you. Let's turn to the book of Amos, a little book in the Old Testament.
5.
Now these are very important facts, a dear friend that you need to get a hold of. This is a fact. That's the word of God, and it's a message to you first that God loves you, but now he knows you. I don't know many here, but God knows you. And these are the words that God says in the book of Amos, chapter 5.
And verse 12.
For I know.
Your manifold transgressions and.
Your mighty sins. Now it's not very often that God uses that term. I don't know of any other in connection with sin, But oh, my dear friend, I want to make you cause you to realize with this God's help, that in God's sight those sins.
That you and I have committed in his sight they.
Are mighty oh, if you and I could only realize.
What sin is in the sight of a holy God? It has been said that if I realized what how serious sin is in the sight of God and I committed a sin, I'd be sick all day. This just gives us a little idea of what this verse means.
God knows he knows about every sin that you have committed. Oh, I often think as I speak to older people and to young children, I find that the children are more concerned about this fact than older ones. Why would that be?
Believe it's this because of the hardness of sin, that it even hardens the conscience.
So that as a person gets older, there's a less of a consciousness of sins, and of the seriousness of it. Now here God tells you, my dear friend, and he tells me this message to that he knows I know your manifold transgressions.
And your mighty sins. Now let's turn to one other little portion in the 11 of Ezekiel just before that.
11Th chapter of Ezekiel.
Now this is just a little bit more advanced than the previous one.
Ezekiel, Chapter 11.
And verse 5.
Middle of the verse Ezekiel 11 in the middle of verse 5.
For I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. My dear friend, as I look into your face tonight, I want to warn you solemnly be in God's presence.
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That God knows every evil thought that has ever come into your mind. He says so here.
Says.
It tells us in the 4th chapter of Hebrews that everyone is naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. My friend, I want to warn you that the word of God tells you that every act, every thought and every deed that you have committed is against God, as we heard this afternoon, against thee. And the only have I sinned.
Said David, my friend, Those sins that you have committed, they are recorded in God's book.
And there they are. And if you die with those sins, on you, my friend.
Or how I tremble to say this, you are going to stand before God in your sins.
You are going to stand when there is no earth. It's gone.
When there is no light, it's darkness and you're going to stand alone. You might laugh about this sometimes. Speaking on the street, I watch the faces of people and I see them laughing at the at the word sin. But Oh dear friend, it's no laughing matter. You're going to stand alone. The earth fled away.
From the face of the Savior. And there he's going to open the book that contains the list of your sins, and you're going to be judged for every sin that you have ever committed in your life. God knows every one of them. They're recorded in his book. Oh, my friend, I want to. I don't want to be emotional about this, but I want to warn you solemnly that you're going to stand before God someday. The Russian man that went out into space, he said that he didn't see God out there.
Oh, the word of God tells me that if he dies without Christ, he's going to see God in space.
So will you.
That's the second fact, my dear friend, that I want to bring before you, you young boys and girls. Here you may hide the sins from your father or your mother, your brothers and your sisters, but they're not hidden from God. They're known, every one of them. Everything is naked and open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do second thing. That is that God knows all about you.
Now the third one.
And that is this, that you have an appointment with God. Let's turn to the book of the Acts.
Chapter 17 of the book of the Acts.
Verse 31.
Acts 17 verse 31.
Because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world. That's the world that God loves.
Which?
Judge the world in righteousness.
By that man the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Now here's an appointment, as has often been said, that you cannot avoid.
You may have your own thoughts about this, many thoughts you might have, but oh, my friend, I want to tell you again that the word of God tells us tells you that there is an appointment.
00:15:04
And not only so, but it's a day. A day God has set that day, that day. Or just think of it, dear friends, a day is appointed and you are appointed for that day.
If you die with your sins on you, the place is appointed.
It's out in space.
Black Darkness, Let's turn to it. Revelation.
I want to show you from the word of God.
Chapter 20.
Verse 11.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there wasn't found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.
According to their works and the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and the grave are held delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death and.
Whosoever was not found.
Written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.
Oh dear friend.
Though these words burn into your heart and your conscience tonight. Do you say I'll escape some way? Oh, my friend, it's God that is warning you. You have that appointment with him and that nothing will stop. You might miss appointments on this earth. Very important appointments.
But you're not going to miss this one. I want to warn you. God loves you. And secondly, God knows all about you. And thirdly, there is an appointment for you.
The day is appointed, The judge is appointed even. Who is that one, that man who he has raised from the dead? That is the judge the none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
God, beloved Son, he is going to be the judge. Are you going to stand there, my friend? Oh, what an awful thought as I look into this audience tonight. And I think that there might be somebody here that will be that you are sitting here at this moment and that you alone will be standing before the blessed Lord Jesus Christ and to meet him as a judge.
Oh, what a son.
What a thought.
The appointment is set. The judge is set. The place is set. The circumstances are set. The books are there. Nothing is missing as far as God is concerned, and you won't be either. You're going to be there. I don't want to sing. I don't have anyone in mind when I speak of you.
In particular, but I just want to tell you this that if.
You do not know the Lord is your savior. This is what is going to happen. People say we don't know the future. Oh yes, we do. We have the word of God. They laugh at the word of God, or they can laugh all they wish. The student in Montreal, he had a newspaper under his hand and we were preaching the gospel one night. And I walked over him to talk to him and he said what you've got under your hand is the same as what I've got under my hand.
Under my arm. And I looked to see what he had and he had a newspaper and I had the Bible. He said, you, you don't know anything more from that, but you booked that you've got than the newspaper that I have. Oh, my dear friend, are you under that illusion, that delusion of Satan, that God hasn't got a book of truth? Who he has? Yes, he has. The appointment is set forth.
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Oh, this is wonderful.
God loves you.
God knows all about you.
God has an appointment.
Now I have a lovely message to tell you.
Love gave.
Love gig or isn't that wonderful?
Love has given. The very first time that love is mentioned in the word of God is in the 22nd chapter of Genesis. We won't turn to it, but there was a man by the name of Abraham who had a son that he loved, and he was asked to give that son on an altar.
In a sacrifice to God.
He didn't give his son he was willing to.
But he didn't. But all I want to tell you now is we turn back to that third chapter of John's Gospel and we see what love gave.
John's Gospel chapter 3.
Now we go on in the 16th verse.
For God.
So loved.
The world.
That he gave.
His only.
Begotten son, this is the measure of the love of God. Do you get this, my dear friend? Tonight this is how we measure divine love. Here is the apex of that love, as it were. Here is love rising up to its very height, that God who knows you who loves you.
Who has that appointment with you if you die with it? Christ, God tells you tonight.
On this evening that he has given a Savior for you, He so loved you, my dear friend, that he has given his beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is, you might say, Well, that's the whole world. What about Galatians 2 and 20? We won't turn to it. I'll quote it to you, the Son of God who loved me. Oh, isn't that a contrast to the world, The world in all its immensity? Tremendous numbers of people coming right down to 1 Little person, you and me.
God.
So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
How could I say those words with any feeling, how little I grasp, but I must confess but all to think, that God so loved me that he gave his only Son to die on that cross of Calvary.
Oh, dear friend, this is the love that God offers to you tonight. It's love. Love always gives, and love has given, He's given. God has given the darling of His heart. He has spared that blessed one from His side. The blessed Savior has come down to this earth and lived here in absolute obedience.
And holiness and sinlessness before his God and Father, and has offered himself as a sacrifice for your sins. You may never have heard the gospel before. I was speaking to a man the other day, and he said I'd heard the Bible preached for many, many years. But I heard once in in later life that God loved me. Oh, dear friend, does this fall on your ear tonight?
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For the first time, God loved you and He has given us.
Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. And there on that cross of Calvary, the blessed Savior allowed himself to be nailed to that cross in love to your soul that shall go on and on and on in throughout eternity.
But I cannot tell you that the Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins unless you are willing to take that place tonight as a Sinner in God's sight. I can say the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I ask you this. Can you say it?
Can you bring this right down to a personal transaction with God? You must. You must.
That blessed One hanging on that cross.
Hung there in love to you.
He died.
But before he died, there were three hours of darkness.
God shut off the sun in the noonday right at its zenith. The world went dark when God punished the Lord Jesus Christ for my sins. Those sins that would have put me into hell forever. I never could pay. I never could expiate the demands of a holy God if I spent an eternity away from God.
Never could I pay that price, my dear friend.
Oh, do you realize what this though so feebly, what this must have meant for that blessed sinless one to the made sin? They made sin, and in those hours of darkness the world shut out, not being able to see this.
This these moments when judgment fell out of heaven upon that blessed one in love for your soul, Oh dear friend. And at the end of those three hours he could cry out with a loud voice. It is finished. Three words triumphant message, my dear friend, that the work of redemption was being completed.
On that cross then.
That precious blood of Christ.
The blood of Christ.
That washes away those stains of sin.
The precious blood of Christ was shed from that cross. That alone can wash away your sins.
Let's turn to a verse that tells us this Hebrews Chapter 9.
Verse 22.
Hebrews 9 latter part of verse 22.
Without shedding of blood is no remission. Now this is a fact, dear friend, that God says that God gives us. It's a fact that those sins of yours are going to be paid for by your death, by your being. Castaway. From God's presence, the word cast is used almost.
Each time.
That the person is being referred to as put into hell. It's not put there. It's cast, or an awful word cast away from God's presence. There is only one way that those sins of yours can be paid for, and that is by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Or as I said, you will pay for them yourself. It's as simple as that. Not because God doesn't love you, but because you would not take this gift that He offers you this night.
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Oh friend.
Do you realize this is this message getting into your heart? It's not a sermon I'm preaching. I trust that you're getting this message that God is giving you these facts.
That the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ alone can wash away your sins. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Let's turn to another verse that makes it very plain, The First Epistle of John Chapter One.
The end of verse 7.
And the blood. This is a fact, dear friend. This is a fact. This is the inspired word of God. Listen to it. Not what I say. It's what God is saying to you tonight. Or get this message, friend. Get it. It's vital for you. It's maybe the last time you're ever going to hear it. Get it, Get it.
God is speaking to you tonight.
The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanse of us from all sin. What a glorious fact that is.
Oh, I well remember the day that I yielded my heart to the blessed Savior. This was the verse that came right before says. That faithful man pointed me to a Savior, and I took him as my own, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son.
Cleanseth us from all sin. He said that verse many, many times I had the privilege to speak at his funeral, and I reminded those who of his family who for many, many years had quoted this verse. I want to quota to you once more, dear friend. There it is.
The blood of Jesus Christ his Son.
Cleanse us from all sin. Every vestige of sin, every stain of sin, can be washed away from that book of recordings in heaven by the blood of Jesus Christ and nothing else. Will you avail yourself of this offer tonight that God is giving to you?
That if you will take this blessed Savior, there is forgiveness of sins for you every sin. It's every, all, ALL, every sin that you have committed, you young boys and girls that are here tonight.
The older ones maybe all getting on into 40506070 years of age.
Oh, what about those sins? The blood of Jesus Christ is able to wash those sins away. Will you accept this savior tonight?
The blessed Savior died. That is a fact that God tells us he died. He didn't go into any trance as they tried to say, Oh no, my dear friend, he died. But that's not the end of the story.
He lives. He lives.
We were one time visiting with our brethren in Italy and we were going over to to Spain and we the plane. We had to change planes in Rome and we had an hour or two and people had often spoken about the glories of Rome. And I said to Miss Barry who I will take an hour and we will get a taxi driver to take us to all the spots that he thinks are the most important.
In the city of Rome. And we did, and we took a whirlwind trip around the city, and we saw all that he considered as the most important points on the city of Rome. And when we got finished, I said to Mrs. Berry, every one of these things that he has pointed to remind us of death. Every one of those people, those great monuments and so on, They're all the celebration of some death.
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Not a word about life. Oh dear friend, I point you to a living savior. Tonight we sang that beautiful hymn written by Mr. EB Hart. There is a savior on high in the glory. Oh, glorious fact, my dear friends, that Jesus lives. He lives in heaven tonight. Where is heaven? I don't know.
But I know that a man is sitting up there in heaven tonight, my Savior.
My Savior God, He died on the cross. He shed his precious blood to Washington. My sins away. And I stand here before you tonight cleanse by those by that precious blood. God has raised him from the dead. If he still is in his grave, there's no salvation for any one of us. Not one soul tonight will ever be in glory if the Lord Jesus Christ didn't rise from the dead.
15th chapter First Corinthians tells us this that if Christ be not risen from the dead, you are yet in your sins. Everyone in this audience tonight you are either in your sins tonight. Here as you sit, Oh dear friend, where do you stand?
Have you put your trust? Are you believing in a risen savior? Oh, isn't that wonderful to know that that savior is alive now?
In that lovely story about Joseph.
When?
He was made known to his brothers.
He told them to go back, told them to make haste and go back.
He told them what to say as they went back. He told them to tell his father of his glory in Egypt, that he was the governor of Egypt. They went back. They burst into their father's presence and they didn't do what they were told. They didn't tell that story of the of Joseph's glory. They gave this message. Joseph is yet alive.
Oh, wasn't that a beautiful message to give to their aging father and broken hearted one too. Joseph is yet alive. But oh, I've got a more glorious message to tell you tonight, dear friends, you boys and girls, you older ones that are here, you teenagers. Oh, it's a glorious message that the Lord Jesus Christ lives. He lives.
One more fact.
John's Gospel chapter 3.
Last verse.
36th verse of the third chapter of John's Gospel.
Now this is not the means of salvation.
Safety, certainty, and enjoyment, That excellent little booklet that has stood the test of time for many years, brings this glorious fact before us. It's the blood of Jesus Christ that makes us safe.
That's what the blood of Christ does. It cleanses from all sin.
That doesn't make me sure.
I can be saved. I can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and not be sure, and there might be some person here tonight who is that way. I visited a a sister, a woman in Montreal just a little while ago, and she was a believer, but I asked her about any confidence that she had that she's going to be with the Lord and she said no. I hope so, or you might be hoping so if you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you tonight.
Have put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the blood that he shed on the cross. You're saved, but you may not be sure of it. Now. This verse can make you sure. God wants you to be sure. As I said, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ makes me safe forever. The word of God makes me sure. And if you want to be sure tonight?
00:40:31
Listen to this verse John's Gospel chapter 3, verse 36. He.
That believeth on the sun. Or isn't that simple? Isn't that simple He that believeth individual she Oh, yes, but it Is it the world now? No, it's the individual. You, my dear friend, you.
He that believe us on the sun.
Who is that? The Lord Jesus Christ believes in the heart? Oh yes, sincerely, yes. Not with the head, with the heart.
Often tell the story. Being in Jerusalem one time saw two people.
I saw two people in the same day.
One of them in the very heart of Jerusalem, was with his face in the mud, in the dirt. He was lying. He was kneeling down, and his face was right in the dirt, right in the heart of Jerusalem, right beside the temple grounds. And I looked in amazement to find what he was doing, and he was worshipping an idol. There he was.
We were the same day over on the Mount of Olives and there was a little Arab boy and we spoke to him and we asked him about the city of Jerusalem, if that was the city of Jesus, and he said yes.
I said to him, there are many ways of knowing about Jesus, and he said, yes, there are. And he pulled back his little white robe, and he pointed to his heart, and he said, I have Jesus right in here, not up here. In here, standing on the Mount of Olives, there was a little boy that was trusting in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was sure that he had eternal life.
And there was a man kneeling down to a dead idol, my friend, which describes you.
Are you kneeling down before the idols of this world? Wherever it might, whatever it might be, might be quite harmless. It might be horrible because they're coming in like a flood these days, and Satan is trying to delude men and women, boys and girls.
By all the poison of these last days, my dear friend.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, you are bowing down to an idol, whatever it might be. Oh, bow the heart to Jesus tonight. Bow the heart the last fact.
He's coming back.
Coming back?
I asked that little Arab boy, I said, is he ever going to come back again? What is the date when Jesus comes back? And he looked at me in amazement and he said nobody knows. And then he looked up into the sky and it was a Starlight night and he said maybe tonight.
Oh, my dear friend. That little boy was looking for a savior to come. He's coming, my friends.
Oh yes. And he's only going to come once. There's not going to be any warning. You're getting the warning tonight. Here it is. He's coming back.
He's going to come in the clouds and he's going to give one shout for Thessalonians 4 and he's going to call everyone. No, no, he's going to call. If he comes, it's 25 past eight. If he comes at 8:30, this room is going to be cleared of everyone who has put your trust in the Savior. And if you have not, my friend.
Be warned that you're going to be left here, sitting in this seat.
I often tell that nothing filled my own heart with more horror and more fear as I used to sit her in the gospel meetings and look around. And I remember one time looking and not finding one person that I knew was not saved. I believe that they were all saved. And the man was speaking about the Lord coming. And I said to myself, I'm going to be left behind. Oh dear young boys and girls, are you going to be left behind of the Lord Jesus Christ comes tonight. He's coming.
00:45:26
Oh yes, be wise. He has come to this earth. If he had never come before, we might say, well, how do we know? We've never seen God? Oh dear friend, He has been here. God has visited this earth, and the Lord Jesus Christ is coming.
And when he comes, if one shout, he's going to call, he's going to lift out of the graves and those who are alive, everyone who has put their trust in him.
Are you going to go?
Are you going to go?
Dear boys, girls, teenagers, older ones, here, I just leave this message with you. I'm not going to try to appeal to you. I believe that is only the spirit of God that can work in your heart tonight. But oh, I pray to God that there will be somebody here whose conscience will be awakened to your awful need of a savior, and that you will simply confess to him tonight as you sit here.
That you are a Sinner. Would you do that?
We don't ask for any public demonstration. We just say realize, my dear friend, the reality of God, and you're going to stand before him and tonight.
On this evening in March, he offers you the gift of eternal life, if you will, but confess to him that you're a Sinner.
And that you will take the gift that God offers to you tonight, the Lord.
Jesus Christ, you can go to that door tonight, assured by the word of God.
That you have everlasting life. What a glorious message. May God awaken you to your need of a Savior to that awful destiny that lies ahead of you. If you die without Christ, I may never see you again.
And of God's love that offers you that Savior at such a cost, that precious blood that is able to wash away your sins tonight, if you will take him as your Savior and the blessed word of God that makes you sure that you have eternal life, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, You can go to that door tonight.
Having.
Everlasting life through the gift that God offers you.
But.
In closing that awful warning again.
If you pass out of this world with your sins still on you, that you will be raised with your sins still on you, you will stand before God the Lord Jesus Christ with your sins on you. That book will be scanned for your name, and it's not there.
Oh dear friend.
Whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. May God grant that there will not be one soul here missing when that blessed Savior comes, but that we will all be together in that glory. We're going to see the face of that blessed man that.
Died on the cross. Oh, what a moment. Awaits those who know him as savior. Maybe this very night we're going to rise triumphant out of this earth to be with that blessed one forever. Are you going to be left behind? This is the time. Or then be wise, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior and receive eternal life? That's bound prayer.
The Hand of God
Gospel—A.C. Hayhoe
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
General Meetings, Ottawa, March 1975. Gospel by Albert Hayhoe.
We sing together hymn #2.
Come to Jesus, gently calling ye with hair and toil, oppressed.
With your guilt, however appalling, come and I will give you rest.
For your sin he once has suffered On the cross the work was done, and the Word by God now uttered to each weary soul, is come.
Come for Angel hosts are musing or this site so strangely sad.
God beseeching.
Man refusing to be made forever glad.
From the world and its illusion now our voices rise as one, while we shout God's invitation. Heaven itself reactors come.
#2
154 simply calling.
Her and full right.
To where your real.
Life will give you the rest.
For you.
Are there fight for gravely fights? Lord be sitting my radio legs.
00:05:13
Oh, we made forever.
Glad.
For all the world that will be.
Gone slow? Oh boy. That's right. I was wow. Without in the day.
Like you to turn with me tonight, please, to the book of Exodus.
A 31St chapter of the Book of Exodus.
And the 18th verse, Exodus 31.
Verse 18.
And he God gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai.
2 Tables of Testimony, Tables of Stone written with the finger of God.
Chapter 32 verse 15.
And Moses turned and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hands.
The tables were written on both their sides, on the one side and on the other side were they written, and the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the right thing of God, graven upon the table.
I believe the circumstances in which these verses are found.
Are not circumstances that are unknown to those who are present here. I believe you and I know that long ago.
God called Moses up into Mount Sinai.
And they're in the midst of great thundering and darkness. God gave to Moses these two tables of stone on which were written what is commonly known as the 10 Commandments.
Perhaps you've committed them to memory. I had to learn them when I was a boy in grade school, and I know that to this day there are so many people who have committed them to memory and recite them solemnly. And having done so, they say, Lord, incline our hearts to keep this long, and their struggling continually to fit themselves for that day when they will stand before the one who wrote these commandments.
By their own efforts to keep them. I don't know whether you could recite those 10 commandments or not, but I believe that if you could, I believe if you turn back and read those commandments, you and I, if we were truthful, if we were honest, would have to hang our heads and say, well, I have not kept them. Perhaps you might say that I have tried.
I have tried very, very diligently, although I do admit that here and there.
I have certainly failed in the keeping of them. However, my friend, I believe that you and I do well to remember that in the circumstances surrounding the giving of this law, there was that which was enough to make the heart tremble.
Moses, who could stand before Pharaoh without flinching?
00:10:00
Tremble then trembled mightily when he had to go up into that mouth and meet the one who was about to give to him.
These two tables of stone and remember that they were written with a very.
Finger of God, and they were graven, graven, they wear upon 2 tables of stone. There was nothing about them that could by any possibility be altered, be abridged, be lessened.
They were written by the very hand of God. They were engraved and said this book, and they were engraving upon tables of stone. What difference does this make to you? What difference does all this make to me? This happened a long time ago. I wasn't there. I'm not a do.
But God's Word declares, and I believe you know this verse from James Chapter one.
Whosoever shall keep the whole law.
And yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Now those are not just simply words that someone penned from his own thoughts long ago.
Those are also words from the heart of God, and to whom are they addressed? Did you notice?
Whosoever.
Shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point.
He is guilty of all. God said that God caused those words to be written.
And I believe you and I do well to take heed to those words. Who is there here tonight?
Who can read those words and look up and say I am not guilty? You know very well, my friend, that immediately the testimony of your own memory, the witness of your own conscience and mine alike, immediately would cause us to bow ahead and say, well, according to that statement, and before gone.
I am.
Guilty. You and I had better admit it and admitted beloved friend during the moment of time.
When by the matchless grace of God, there is still the offer of a complete, glorious, and eternal pardon. For I hasten to say that, although this guilt has been recorded by his very hand about me and about you, and he must, in faithfulness to the both of us, points the very finger this night at you, my friend, and point it also at me and say.
There is no.
Different, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
These are very, very solemn statements. Not the kind of statements that are intended to splatter and make someone feel pleasant, but they are most necessary. Beloved friends, it is necessary for you and for me to remember that it was a very hand. It was a very finger of God that wrote these solemn requirements. And if you and I were to turn to the very last chapter in the Old Testament, the 4th of Malachi.
We would find that these very instructions, these very commandments, were still enforced to the very last detail.
And they were never removed. They have simply found us out. And we, in the sight of God, have been pronounced guilty. Some of us, thank God, have owned that guilt. Some of us have realized that according to the language of the word of God, and according to the witness of our own conscience, we are verily.
Guilty. Oh, I'm glad to look into the faces tonight of those who have discovered their guilt before God. It's a grand discovery to make. At first, it's very terrifying. It's very frightening to realize that the eye of God is looking down at me, looking down at you, and pronouncing us guilty. I say it is a frightening, A solemn experience, and I thank God for it, for the very sense of my guilt.
00:15:14
The burden of the stains of sin that were recorded against me troubled my soul.
And brought me to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior. I would like you to turn from this song verse over to the fifth chapter of Daniel, the 5th chapter of the book of Daniel.
And the fifth verse Daniel 5 verse 5.
In the same hour came four fingers of a man's hand and rope over against the Candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the King's palace, And the king saw the part of the hand that broke.
Then the King's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his loins were loose.
And his knees smoked one against another.
Now verse 24.
Then was the part of the hand.
Sent from him, and this writing was written, verse 27.
Thou art weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.
This is not very, very solemn.
In Exodus chapter 31 and 32 we found that the very hand and finger of God were engaged in engraving upon those two tables of stone his solemn requirements for man. And along with those requirements, God reminded man that if he were able to keep them without failing, he would live and knock on but the sentence of death.
Was pronounced upon everyone of Adam's grace who failed to keep those commandments.
And now, in the 5th chapter of Daniel, I find something that I believe to be, I say, even more personal than that which we noticed in the 31St of Exodus. There we see the hand, the finger of God engraving upon those tables of stones, those Sloan commandments. Then here, upon the plaster, the wall of the King's palace, we find once again the fingers of a man's handwriting.
Slowly and solemnly writing these words vow, it comes right down to you. It comes directly to me. Gone is speaking to me. God is speaking to you, even as he spoke to that king in the midst of his revelry that night.
Thou art way.
In the balances and are found wanting.
Whose balances are these?
Oh, the changing balances of men today, how they change from year to year, downward, downward, downward goes the moral judgment of man having turned his back on God and upon his Word. Are those the balances in which you and I are weighed this day, And which will?
Be evident in the coming day. No, my friend. They are the unchanging balances of gone Himself. The God who created this mighty universe by the power of his own hands, has created these balances in which you and I have been waved for to me. It is the most remarkable thing that the Word of God says. The heavens are the work of Thy hand, the very hand that engraved those words upon the stones in.
On Mount Sinai, the very hand that rolled upon the plaster of the wall of the King's house is a very hand responsible for the creation of this vast, this mighty universe. It thrilled my soul to say that I know nothing about the vastness of this universe, but I was impressed. Not many days ago I was in what they call explorers halls.
00:20:19
In the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington and I was in the area where they have a display of the research and astronomy. They had pictures, their photographs, they are taken by the astronauts in their journey out in space and they had one of these little telephones which if you pick up, you can hear a recording of.
Their estimate and the estimate of others concerning the vastness of this.
Shall I say this universe in which we live? And the figures absolutely baffled me as I looked at the photograph, and I listened to the description of the immeasurable vastness of this universe, and realize that the very hand of God had put it all there and ordered the movement of everybody in the heavens. That's my friend, that hand.
Is the hand that engraved upon the tables of souls.
Those commandments that you and I have broken, that hand is a hand that controls those balances, and that has engraven for your eyes and mind to see, those solemn, solemn words of guilt. Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting. It may well be my friend, that as you are weighed in the balances of public opinion today.
As you are weighed in the balances of a community where you live, you come out somewhere near the top and everyone points the finger at you. And they express words of great admiration. One of the finest citizens of our community, kind and thoughtful and reliable and honest and trustworthy. And all these fine words they may say about you even when you're alive. Of course they'll say them after you're gone. They say them about everybody, even when you're alive. They may say them about you.
But my friend, what does God have to say? What does God have to say about me? Prop up in a God fearing Christian home with the restraining hand of a praying father and mother upon my shoulder, which at the time I resented, but for which tonight I thank God with all my heart.
What does God have to say to someone like me or you? There is no difference as God's word and it points right to me.
All things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
At the finger of God again is pointed right at me.
Thou art way in the balances, and found one thing, And again the finger of God points right at me. Friend, where do you and I stand before God this night? I warn you solemnly, and I plead with you in love that you stand as I once stood.
Lost. Guilty. And on the road to hell. That's where I stood and that's where you stand.
Unless you have received the Lord Jesus as your savior, unless your guilt has been blotted out forever by the precious shed blood of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, That's where you stand. I repeat it.
Guilty.
Lost and on the road to hell.
But there is another stand, and I look this night into the faces of many who know it and enjoy it, And by the grace of God I numbered among such.
I stand forgiven. I stand redeemed.
And I'm on my way home to the glory to meet and forever to thank.
The one who loved me and took my guilt upon himself died to redeem me, shed his blood, to wash my guilt away. And it's gone. It's gone forever, friend. Those words made me tremble, and I hope they may make you tremble.
I dare not flatter you, for I would not be true to the entrustment that rests upon me tonight. I would not be true to the word of God. If for one moment I held from you the truth of what God's Word so solemnly declares, thou art waged in the balances and found wanting. You know, in the book of Proverbs we read this verse.
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A false weight and a false measure are an abomination to the Lord. I have no doubt it's intended to remind men that God delights in honesty and uprightness, but I believe there is a significant moral meaning to it. Also, a false weight and a false measures are an abomination to the Lord. Now God's Word declares thou art.
Weighed in thee balances.
And found wanting. That's God's standard. That's God's weight. And according to that, you and I and every one of Adams race have been found wanting and guilty. The men in Romans 3 all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's God's measure. And because man does not like God's weights and measures, he goes about to establish his own.
And if you can measure up for perhaps exceed those standards which men have set today.
Then they'll tell you that all is well.
Friend, eternity is before you. You're going to meet God, and perhaps much sooner than you think.
I warn you. I warn you, my friend, Do not face that moment and the eternity that lies beyond it in the opinions of men. Rest your soul, as we were reminded last night. Rest your soul now and for eternity upon the cleansing power of the precious blood of Christ and the authority of God's living, immutable Word.
Turn please, to that verse which was read last night in Revelation 22.
Revelation 22 verse 12.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their work, written in the books, Who wrote it there? Who wrote it there?
No acquaintance of yours or mine in this life. The one who engraved those words upon the tables of stones, the one who wrote that solemn statement upon the plaster of the wall in the King's palace, is the same one who has written in this book the unabridged record of your life. Would you like those pages to be open for our eyes to look upon?
Would I like?
Those pages to be read aloud tonight. Is there anyone here who would hand to me this night the honor bridged Record of your life. Every deed, every word, every thought entertained. Would you let me read one page of it, my friend? God has that record. We read of it right here.
The Hand of God that wrote upon those tables of stone, the Hand of God that wrote upon the plaster of the King's palace is the same hand that has kept a record of your life, beloved friends. It's solemn, it's solemn.
And I feel strange, friend. I feel strange if I stand here and spend so much time in almost every gospel meeting.
Trying to point out from God's word.
To respectable citizens of this community, or whatever community I may be in, that they, in the sight of God, are either lost or cleansed by the blood of Christ.
You know, there are, it seems to me, two kinds of darkness that I have encountered. One is the darkness of paganism and the other is the darkness of Christendom.
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And I'll tell you, I would sooner stand and face the darkness of paganism and preach the gospel there, and stand and face the darkness of Christendom.
It has been my challenge and my privilege. Stand beloved friends, and look into the faces of those who have stepped from Pagan darkness to be under the sound of the word of God. They've come for many an hour and many a day to sit down and listen to what You don't need to tell them they're lost. You don't need to tell them they're guilty. You don't need to tell them they're in the dark. They came because of a troubled conscience, and they came to see if there was any hope for them. They came because it was rumored far away that there was a message of forgiveness being preached, and they've come to hear it.
And it's a privilege and a joy to present the light of the gospel, of the grace of God in the face of the Pagan darkness, a beloved friend. It's a strange experience to stand in front of a company like this in a Christian land and field that I'm facing darkness once again, and a darkness that's much more difficult to penetrate. Beloved friend, I tell you, God's word takes in every last one of you.
From the corner seat back there.
Right around.
Back up and including me when God's words solemnly, faithfully, individually, declares that every last one of us has been found guilty in His sight. And, I repeat, my friend, unless that guilt has been blotted out by the cleansing power of the precious blood of Christ, you're going to stand where this verse describes your stand to find those books opened, to find that the finger of God did indeed record the record of your life. And it still stands.
It still stands. Let me turn to yet one more verse.
My soul yearns to tell us the glad tidings of the gospel, but I feel it necessary to point out your needs. 1St Hebrews 10.
Hebrews 10.
Verse 31.
It is a fearful thing.
To fall into the hands of the living God.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Perhaps this doesn't stir you very deeply, because you sit here tonight in health and strength, and you already have plans laid for tomorrow, next week, all summer long, next year. And this idea of falling into the hands of the living God seems so very remote that there's no real need to consider it. I solemnly warn you, my friend, that any one of us.
Maybe in eternity, before this day is ended. I needn't give you one account after another. You know it only too well that this one and that one of your acquaintance you have suddenly heard has gone. Gone from the reach of your voice, gone from time into eternity, gone into the presence of the one of whom we have been reading this night, whose hands penned those words on Mount Sinai.
Whose hand penned that solemn statement on the plaster of the King's palace? Whose hand has kept the record of your life and mine That I tell you, friends, this word declares it is a fearful thing, a fearful thing, to fall into the hands of the living gods. But now may I tell you something very, very precious about those same faithful.
Hands.
Turn with me, please, to John's Gospel.
John's Gospel, chapter 19.
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Verse 16.
Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.
And they took Jesus and led him away, And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him, and two other with him on either side, one and Jesus in the midst.
What a solemn picture.
The hands that created this vast universe.
Are nailed to the cross of Calvary.
Is it really possible if you and I had neither heard nor read this story before?
If you and I were aware of God words, God's Word teaches us that these are the very hands that created this mighty universe. These are the very hands that had reached out and touched the defiled leper, and instead of being defiled himself, the leper is made whole. The blinded eyes are open.
The hungry are fed. His hands were active in all this. But now, beloved, those hands are nailed to the cross of Calvary as we read in the 22nd Psalm. Prophetically, they pierced my hands and my feet, and I look there upon the cross of Calvary, and I see the one who knew all about me.
Who looked upon the record of my wretched sin, stained guilty life, and in faithfulness proclaimed to me the reality of what was in that record. I see him hanging upon a cross of Calvary, and the question is why?
Why was it only the hatred of those who nailed him there, all beloved? As a story unfolds, you and I realize there's something far beyond the hatred, the malice, the scheming of those who were guilty of nailing him there. He saved others himself he cannot save Through a nail was put through the right hand and through the left. True. He hung there upon the cross with those hands nailed.
To that crossbar, that beloved you know very well, there was something beyond all that.
That beloved 1 The eternal Son of the living God, having come down here into this world to display God's heart of love, to reveal to poor, wretched man in all his guilt and groaning the tenderness of God's love and God's kindness. Now he is rejected, Now he is nailed to the cross in a marvelous truth unfolds on that cross.
In three hours of agony and darkness, from 12:00 noon until 3:00 in the afternoon.
The Lord Caesar hangs there upon that cross, and those sins of mine were laid upon him. I quote from First Peter chapter 2. Christ Jesus Who His own self.
Bore our sins in his own body on the tree, there upon the cross of Calvary, with those hands nailed to the wood.
Our Savior bowed His holy head and that awful load of guilt, a load which I know I can never, never understand.
It was taken and laid upon him, he knew, when he came to this world.
That this would befall him. And yet he set his face as a Flint to go to Jerusalem. Oh, how he loves me.
Oh, how he loves you. Doesn't your heart respond to that? Don't you find your soul saying, thank God it's true, as you look this night and see the Savior hanging there for you, bearing your guilt, and during the strokes of judgment from the hand of God that you and I deserve, stroke after stroke, swept through his very soul, beloved friends, until at last he cries aloud in triumph.
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And I delight to repeat the word it is finished.
Isn't that glorious? It is finished. The last stroke of judgment had fallen upon him.
A soldier in this very chapter with a spear, pierces his fight and death, and forthwith flows there out that precious blood, and that water, and the very one who recorded it, says, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sins.
Oh, how marvelous. It's marvelous in the measure in which you have accepted and believed the truth.
Of what His word has said concerning our guilt. His hand has recorded those commandments. His hand has recorded my failure to keep them. His hand has announced that I, having been weighed in the balances, have been found. One thing that those very hands were nailed to the cross in love to me, that I want to turn to another glorious scripture. You know it well.
A 43rd of Isaiah.
Isaiah Chapter 43.
Verse.
1.
Now pardon me 43 verse 25.
Isaiah 43, verse 25.
I even I am he that blotter out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
I believe I can see that same hand here engaged in this glorious occupation.
I even I am he that.
Blotter out.
Isn't there something tremendously happy about such an expression as this? When I was a boy and went to Hopewell Ave. School here in Ottawa, the teacher used to write on the blackboard. The subject in those days were named quite simply. Spelling, penmanship, arithmetic, geography, history. I think they've changed the names of most of those now.
But the teacher, I can see him or her yet writing on the blackboard, and after a certain amount had been written on the blackboard and the time came for some other subject, the teacher would take what was then called an eraser, sort of felt eraser with a wooden backing, and would blot out what had been written on that blackboard, usually blotted out quite thoroughly up and down and then across this way.
Till it was.
Gone.
And if I looked and looked at that blackboard, there wasn't no word. There wasn't a letter remaining.
And if I took that Black 40 racer and took a most careful look at it, could I see the words that were written? No, they're not on the blackboard. They're not on the eraser. Do you know where they are? They're gone. They're gone. But.
You know very well what I'm going to say next. We were supposed to remember what had been written there, and woe to us. If we didn't, it was gone. But we were supposed to remember what had been written down.
We remembered part of it. In fact, you kind of couldn't forget it. You had seen it right there and even though it was blotted out, certain part of it you remember. I can see some of it to this day.
But you know, to me it's a marvelous thing.
And it's true that the very hand that engraved the words upon those two tables of stove.
The very hand that rolled upon the plaster of the King's palace and pronounced how far short I had come.
The very hand that kept the record of my life with all the things of sin there.
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That hand, pierced upon a cross of Calvary, has taken and blotted out that record and it's gone. And he who blotted it out.
Has told me I'll never be member. I'm glad of that. Aren't you?
He whose memory is infallible has said.
I.
Even I am he that blocketh out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sin.
I heard of a dear old lady who was very, very, very near the end of the journey.
Her sight was very, very dim, and someone came to see her, stood by the side of her bed, and spoke to her. She didn't recognize him, nor the sound of his voice. And she said to him, Who are you? What have you come for? He said. I have come to give you the forgiveness of your sins.
I beg your pardon, she said. He repeated it. I have come to give you the forgiveness of your sins.
Do you know what she said to him, Sir, let me see your hands. He had no idea why she asked him that. He held out his hand. She brought them right close to her eyes and she pointed to the door and she said, go, you are an imposter. The only one who can forgive sins has nail prints in his hand. And it's true, my friend, the one who has blotted out my transgressions and they're gone.
The one who has told me that you'll never remember them anymore is the one whose hands were nailed to the cross of Calvary because he loved me. That he loved you too, as your sins been blotted out. It's either one or the other. Either that page is clean, whiter than snow, as we read in the 51St Psalm, or else sustained.
Each and every one of them are still recorded there, and if you were to step from time into eternity to light.
If you were to stand before the one who has kept that record tonight, would that record be found clean, or are those stain still recorded there? Remember, beloved, remember, no man can measure the cost by which you are being offered this wondrous gift of present and eternal pardon. Oh, what a glorious word is.
Pardon. I was visiting in a prison not many weeks ago.
And when I went in, the prisoner said, Sir, we'd like to sing a song for you. Well, you never know what that might mean. But I said all right. And they sang the most delightful gospel song about the precious blood of Christ. And I was amazed. I was over joy. I was delighted that Where did you learn that?
We learned it from him. Now I better not give the name.
And there stood one among them. Without beaming happy face, he reached his hand through the bars and shook my hand and said, Glad to meet you, brother.
Is there for life. He murdered his wife and had never heard the gospel until he found himself behind the bars of that prison.
And there in that prison he heard not a pardon that would set him free from those bars, but a pardon that would remove every stain of guilt from God's record, and would give him the present joy of knowing that when the time came that he left that prison to step forth into eternity, to meet the God who knows all about him, it would be to find a welcome home into the presence of the one who loved and died for sinners.
Though they be guilty of such a stainless sin as that it was a thrill to shake the hand of that young man, I would guess he was not yet 30 years of age.
It's a long sentence. It's a long time. But I'll tell you something, it's faith.
Now that I've started, I'll have to say it His face was a lot more radiant than some of the faces I'm looking at here tonight. There he was, behind those prison bars for life, and his face was radiant as he confessed with joy the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior. I'm going to pause to ask you this, my friend.
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Have you ever confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?
I didn't ask you if you were a Christian.
I didn't ask you if you came from a Christian home. I asked you a question that I want you to listen to carefully again. Have you ever confessed to anyone that the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for sinners upon the cross of Calvary is your savior?
You know, as I was eating in the dining room, a brother passed by.
And I can't repeat the sign he made, but he said praise the Lord to me in the sign language. And you know, it reminds me of something that's very, very, very precious to me. And I remember it so vividly from the days of my boyhood here in Ottawa.
What a thrill it brought to my soul to see the happy faces of my dear brothers and sisters here.
Who could neither hear nor speak, and yet the feet of joy and gladness on their lips as on their faces as with their hands they confess with gladness the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You have your hearing. You have your speech.
There's no problem that hinders you from opening those lips of yours to confess the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. May I give you time to think that question over every one of you, the boys, the girls, the young people.
Have you?
Confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
I was at a gospel meeting in Bermuda a good many years ago and sitting on the front row with a deer.
Elderly sisters now with the Lord.
And us? Before the meeting began, her son walked in and sat on the back row. I knew that for years she had been praying for that wayward son whom she could never get to come to meeting, and I saw him sit on the back row.
And you know, when the meeting was over, he turned to the man sitting beside him and said, I'm going up to talk to my mother.
I'm going to tell her that I'm saved.
And the brother to whom he spoke is right here in the room tonight.
He turned and said you can tell her something better than that, better than that. What would be better than that? He said. If it's really true, go and tell your mother tonight. I have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior.
And that's just what he did.
I knew that old mother well. I'd never seen the sun before.
He walked up the aisle. When he sat down beside his mother, her face lit up with joy to think that her wayward son had even been in the Gospel meetings, and he turned, said Mother. Tonight I have accepted.
The Lord sees us, Christ, as my Savior.
I won't describe the scene any further, but I will not forget it. Beloved friend, I tell you this.
The hand that penned those words upon those tables of stone. The hand that wrote that statement upon the plaster of the King's palace. The hand that has kept the record of your life and mine. That Hand was nailed to the cross of Calvary. His precious blood has flowed from his pierced side. And beloved friend, that hand, this moment stands ready to block out every stain of guilt that ever was written against you with the pledge and promise I'll never.
Remember it anymore.
Now are you saying no to him? You have said no.
I'm sorry to say I did too.
But there came a night, and I thank God for it. When I returned from a gospel meeting, I got down on my knees and I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior. And that Pearson hand blotted out the stains of guilt, every last one of them, with the pledge that they will be remembered no more forever.
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Our time is almost gone. Will you turn with me, please, to Revelation, Chapter One.
Revelation Chapter One and Verse 17.
I recommend that as you have time, you read the verses that precede this 17th verse.
A description of none other than the Lord Jesus Christ before the judgments are poured out upon this guilty world. Verse 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not, I am the 1St and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead.
Oh, what a marvelous picture this is. Here is the one who is about to pour out the judgments that are described in this book. And even John, who had leaned on his bosom, falls down in fear before him. And what does the Lord Jesus do? He doesn't just reach out and touch him, He lays that same hand, that right hand, upon him, and says fear not. Oh, isn't that marvelous?
The hand that recorded my guilt, The hand that pointed to me and told me how far short I had come. The hand that was nailed to the cross because he loved me. The hand that has blotted out my guilt for eternity is laid upon me this night with those words. Fear not, fear not, I am the 1St and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. What have I to fears?
Are the one who knows all of those me loves me.
Me has blotted out my guilt forever, has laid his hand upon me and says to me tonight, fear not.
You're not with all that's going on around, with all the darkness that's rolling in, with all the problems of life. Fear not. Yes, beloved, fear not. We won't take time to turn further. But I know your thoughts have already gone on to various other scriptures, and I see in Dom panel. We must turn to that Dom 10 the glorious words of such assurance.
John 10.
Verse 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hands. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all in no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. I and my Father are one.
That hand, that hand that created the universe.
Is holding me this night with the promise that nothing, nothing, nothing for time or eternity can ever take me from the class of his wondrous love.
Do you think I should step down off this platform in doubt and fear and trembling? What an insult to the Word of God. What an insult to the finished work of Christ. What a mockery of the value of the cleansing power of the precious Blood of Christ. I stepped down off this platform with a glad assurance, based upon the precious Blood of Christ and upon the authority of the Word of God, that my guilt is gone.
His own hand has done it. I'm in that hand for eternity.
I'll tell you something strange about this verse.
About 30 years ago, I experienced the first earthquake I ever felt in my life.
I felt a few sins, but this was the first one. I was wakened up from a sound sleep by this earthquake. It shook the house, it shook the bed. And when you've never experienced it before, it is a strange feeling to woke up, sat up in bed and I said it's an earthquake and you know you're not prepared for it. You've no idea how you're going to react.
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I'll tell you. I'll tell you what happened.
I laid flat on my back in the bed and I thought, this is the hand that has promised to hold me forever, that shaking my bed tonight, I really want to feel the power of it. And I laid back down on my back on the bed and every time it shook, I literally enjoyed the marvel of it. It's his hands and his problems that he's never going to let me go. There's no power on earth or hell.
That can take me from the Pierce's hand, of him who love me, who died to redeem me. And I enjoyed the feeling of the power of that hand that night. The strange reaction, I know.
I'll tell you one thing more. I remember one time I was at a conference at Craven, Saskatchewan.
And a man drove up in a pickup truck.
And they told me when he stopped his truck, this man as this comes from the Peace River District.
Well, I found it very, very far off to me. I thought I'd like to go over and meet this man.
And so he and his wife and his family and a goat all climbed out of the back of this pickup truck and I went over and introduced myself and asked him to tell me his name. I'd better not mention it because he and his family are gathered to the Lords names. He told me his name and I shook hands. And I said, Brother, will you please forgive me if I ask you your name again the next time I meet you? Because I don't remember names.
Well, but I'm glad of one thing, that my name is written upon the palm of his hand.
He said the Bible doesn't say that. Oh, I said yes, brother, it does. No brother, no, the Bible doesn't say that. But I said brother, it does. And I was just, shall I say, mildly disturbed to think that this brother would contradict what I was trying to tell him from the Scriptures. He said, brother, it says our names are engraving upon the palms of his hands. If they were written there, they might rub off. They're engraving there. I looked it up and the brother was right. And I'm thankful for that correction.
He who engraved the words upon the two tables of stones, as engraved in my unworthy name, upon that pierced palm, and it's there forever. I'm his tonight. I'm his fraternity, and my soul is so thankful and the joy and the wonder and the liberty of it. And as I look into the future, the unending future, I know what it holds. It holds the joy of seeing face to face him.
Who loved me?
And die to redeem me, shed his blood that my guilt might be blotted out.
My name is Engraven. Upon the palm of his hand forever he clasped me with the.
Psalm 51
Reading
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General meetings, Ottawa, March 1975, First reading meeting.
217.
Within the veil and raise your happy song. Your joys can never, never fail for you to Christ belongs 217.
For our reading this afternoon.
Psalm 51.
But also to read with it.
The first few verses of the third chapter of Colossians.
The brethren are happy.
We take up this sound, but also just to read in Colossians in connection with it.
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The.
1St.
10 verses, I believe.
To be sufficient.
Colossians Chapter One.
And verse one.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus, our brother, no Colossians.
Colossians.
3rd chapter, third chapter, I'm sorry. And the 1St 10 verses.
Colossians Chapter 3, Verse one. If you then be risen with Christ.
Seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who was our life, shall appear, then shall he also appear with him in glory.
Mortify therefore your members, which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil, concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, in the which he also walked, sometime when he lived in them.
But now he also put up all these.
Anger and rob, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication. Out of your mouth, lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.
In Psalm 51.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness.
According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies flat out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions.
And my sin is ever before thee.
I guess they they only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that I might as be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judges.
Behold our shaping and iniquity, and incended my mother conceived me.
Behold, our desirous truth, in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou should make me to know wisdom.
Me with his then I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Like me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones broken may rejoice.
Find thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create and be a clean heart or gone and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from my presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors. Thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from blood guiltiness or gone without God of my salvation, and my tongues will sing aloud of my righteousness.
All Lord opens on my lips, and my mouth will show forth. I pray for thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it.
Delighted not in front offerings, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.
They've broken and chondrite heart will God, they will not despise.
Your good and thy good pleasure unto Zion build out the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shall thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering, and whole burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon 9 otters.
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They learned from the Old Testament and says.
Shall eat All Star and bring forth the old because of the New. And so in reading the Old Testament, we must connect it with the principles of the truth that we learn from the New. And our our position, of course, is seen in the New Testament, so that we're seeing now as new creatures in Christ Jesus. However, the principles.
Governed man in his relation with God are the same in general, and we learn from the Old Testament these principles that oftentimes are not repeated in detail in the news. And so we have in this chapter that I had principally before me this 51St Psalm.
Certain principles that have to do with the restoration of the soul.
And it's it's very important that we we see these principles and understand God's ways with men. Now we just comment this, that the sounds give us the feelings of God's people as they pass through various circumstances that are found in this life. It also gives us the spirit of the remnant in the coming day and when they do repent.
And so in the Psalms we have the three steps of restoration in Psalm 25. Remember not the sins of my youth.
In this Psalm, remember not blood guiltiness. I'm not quoting, I'm just referring to the subject. But in Psalm 130, if thou shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand now? There's progress there.
First, there is the consciousness in Psalm 25 of the sins of youth.
But then it becomes deeper in this Psalm. It's not only David, it's the whole remnant here. And so it applies to us. But when you come to Psalm 130, then they have discovered that there's absolutely nothing in which they can stand before God. Israel has repented now entirely, and they find that they must be cast entirely upon the mercy of God.
However, here in the first verse it's lovely to see that it's it should read, I believe not mercy, but grace or gracious to me. And David is going, shall we say, beyond mercy. And he's he sees in God a response from God to the Sinner that would go beyond even mercy and reach higher.
And this is so with us, is it not? And so I believe we have here the experience of a soul who has found himself because of not being watchful. He found himself in trouble, and he sinned, but he realizes that he sinned against the Holy God.
Now I just want to make a comment or two on that.
That is this with Daniel and his companions.
There was no blemish.
When they started out in their work that was appointed of God, it says, these children were without blemish.
Now that's a wonderful thing, and especially dear young people here to be so preserved of God that there be no blemish in our lives.
Now, one of those blemishes may be limited sometimes and what they're able to do later in their lives, but with Daniel and his companions?
They have liberties because they have been preserved.
And we know that the the regular practice of Daniel was to be before the Lord three times a day in prayer.
And we know too, that they couldn't find anything wrong with Daniel except in connection with his God.
He worshiped his God, and that's all they could find wrong with Daniel. And so I believe that we learned from the Old Testament and these certain ones, that the Spirit of God is put before us valuable lessons. Now in this case, David had sinned and he lost by it. That we must remember that God's counsels and purposes will all come to fruition.
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And he has a purpose in the life of each one of us. He has a plan.
Now we may sometimes have to go through sad experiences before that plan is realized, but nevertheless God is going to complete that work which He has begun in US and in our lives. But it's too bad, is it not, dear brethren, when we have to pass through sorrows that we could avoid if we simply would take the spirit of Colossians 3 the first few verses.
Things about, but not on the things on the earth.
Remember that remark years ago?
That in the 22nd Psalm you get the work of Christ.
On the Cross Forest in this 51St Psalm, you get the work of the Spirit of God in US, bringing us to the place where we accept the work that has been accomplished on Calvary to save us.
Of course, as her brother has mentioned, it's the restoration.
One who has sadly failed the thorough self judgment of his.
Sad, sinful course.
Sorry.
I just was going to remark that.
I read this.
Just a short time ago.
That the first part of David's life, he was a murderer, he was persecuted and that brought out.
Much blessing, much experience that brought glory to God and eventually.
Established him in his Kingdom.
But in the last part of David's life, he was a penitent.
His last days were very, very sad, but still we see the grace of God.
Rising above.
Even the worst affairs, and bringing out just such a portion as we have here, the restoration of one who is out of communion, how truly the soul can be restored.
And brought into blessing, although there is this side of things.
That should not be.
Passed over lightly, and that is that David brought upon himself.
The chastening of God. He was under the government of God.
During all the last part of his reign, for he was told.
By the prophet Nathan the sword shall never depart from my house. And so while God in his infinite grace can restore one who is far away from going on in communion and faithfulness, and fall into the most awful scene that one could commit, and yet when restored.
God can bring blessing into his life at the same time that he must experience the the hand of God.
In his solemn government of his ways.
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I suppose there could be no real restoration without real self judgment, can there?
Psalm 32 verse 3, David says when I kept silence.
He hadn't yet confessed his sin. Apparently my bones waxed all through my roaring all the day long.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned into drought of summer sealer. Now he says, I acknowledge my sin. Under thee and mine iniquity. Have I not hid? I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
And therefore gave us the iniquity of my sin.
So there must be that true self judgment before we can expect true restoration.
Would we say that David was ever restored back to the position that he was in before he sinned?
We always lose something through sin.
However.
This third Psalm and by the way.
If we read the Psalms in the light of the New Testament as to our position and get the benefit from them in that way, we can learn a great deal more now in the third Psalm of which we want to open to, but just refer to.
You have David there, running from his son Absalom.
But in that whole Psalm we find that although everyone's against him, even the people speak against him, there's no help for him in God and he's still in communion.
His communion is restored because he's gone into God's holy hill. He realizes that he sinned and he confesses it and is judged, and so he's restored in his soul and even though he's passing under the government of God.
He does so with the consciousness that the the protection he would have with his sword, which he couldn't use against his Son. And God is now his shield and the glory that he's lost when Absalom took his throne. God is his glory and now he lays himself down to sleep because the Lord sustains him.
President, we we learn from this.
The marvelous truth of what God is.
We learn what we are too, but we learn what God is.
We can't limit God. Think of how he goes, reaches out to David. David should never married. Was it Miaco, that woman from the north. And so we find that Absalom was the result of that union and.
It brought it brought trouble on his life and took the strong from him.
But still, on repentance, God comes in and he restores the soul of David so that he can still be in communion with God. But outwardly he lost, much as a result of it.
Now I would say in answering the question that there are really three things as to our standing before God through the work of Christ. Now that is always the same, never can be changed. The one who has received Christ as his Savior has been made the righteousness of God in Christ, and that is true constantly. By one offering you have perfected forever them that are sanctified but after he has sinned.
And he had confessed his sin. He might actually have been nearer to the Lord in his soul than he was, perhaps a short time before he sinned, because the reason that we do sin is because there is unwatchfulness and not dependence upon the Lord. And so one might be going on outwardly quite well, and yet not really be walking in communion with the Lord, And God would have to allow circumstances to manifest that.
I think we see that in the case of Job, Job was very self-righteous and he said he had rest. He thought he would die in his nest rather, but after the Lord had passed him through those trials he was really much nearer to the Lord.
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In his soul than he was before. But now coming to the place of David, he also was nearer to the Lord after yet sinned. But as to the public aspect of his position, that was changed, wasn't it? And the sword didn't depart from his house. He had lost a certain amount as to his public position, so that the scripture has to say that he had given great cause to the enemies of the Lord to blasphemy.
So that it's a lovely thing, that one who has got away from the Lord and is restored, maybe nearer to the Lord than he was before the Fall, because he has learned himself, and has learned the grace that meets him in his need. But if he seeks to be back in the same place publicly now then he he might be forgetting that there has been a blemish, and that there he has given occasion to bring reproach on the name of the Lord.
And that he should bear in mind. I believe that remains with us when there has been some public aspect of failure before the world.
So do I read a verse in in the 7th chapter of Second Corinthians?
Brother Hale, in regard to what you've just said as to the loss in public testimony here, the apostle gives his credentials in the Second Corinthians in Chapter 7.
For for service.
And as well that we notice it.
Receive us.
Second verse, Second Corinthians 7 and verse 2.
Receive us on what basis we have wrong no man, We have corrupted no man. We have defrauded no man.
Now turn to First Samuel for a verse.
First Samuel 12, I believe.
The third verse First Samuel 12 and verse 3.
Behold, here I am, witness against me before the Lord and before he's anointed.
Whose arcs have I taken? Whose *** have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? And I will restore it. You.
Now I read that because I believe among the gathered Saints we've lost the the sense of that truth, that there is such a thing as a blemish priest. And I believe that's one of the signs of weakness among us.
The the truth here guards against.
Allowing that which.
Might have been the former life lived at sin, one who has lived in sin to to be used in the same way as one who is not. I believe there is such a thing as scripture, and we have in the Old Testament the blemished priest, and I believe in the New Testament these this scripture would give us the thought.
On the teaching of Scripture that there is such a thing as losing.
Your public testimony through sin. You agree with that, Brother Baron? Yes, I think so.
I think it's very nice one rather Barry mentioned in connection with this 51St Psalm and contrast or connected with the 22nd Psalm. In the 22nd Psalm, we have brought before us what the Lord Jesus suffered for us. And as we think of this, we think of the cost of our redemption. And then in this 51St Psalm, it's that very truth that leads to restoration, isn't it?
Says here, have mercy upon me or be gracious unto me. O God, according to thy loving kindness, now that is what is it that leads to real restoration? Well, it's a sense of what it costs the Lord to put sin away. And just as if we keep that sense fresh in our souls, we are preserved from sin. That is, it wouldn't be possible for any of us if we really had before us the sense of what the Lord had to suffer to put away our sins.
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To be careless in our walk. But when we lose the sense of that, by then we become careless. And it's the restoration of that that brings about our personal restoration. That's why we find in the 19th of numbers the one who had become defiled. The water of separation was mixed with the ashes of the of the heifer and the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hessel and sprinkled upon him.
And that was what brought about his restoration. A little hymn that we sing expresses it nicely in his spotless souls Distress. I have learned my guiltiness and I believe that there is no real restoration until we have been back to see what the Lord had to suffer to put that sin away. If we only think of it as to how it affects our own lives or how it affects our testimony before others.
We'll never be really restored. We've got to get back into the sense of God's holiness, what is really suited to his presence and what it cost him to put sin away. And that's what leads to a real restoration. And I believe we could also say that in first John chapter one and verse 9 where it says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
We shouldn't stop there. It's good to own the thing before the Lord, but it says and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How are we going to be cleansed? Well, the man that had been defiled in the 19th of numbers, unless he was sprinkled on the third day, he was not clean on the 7th. And the thought of the third day brings in what it cost the Lord to put away Sam and when we have been brought to that point in regard to our sin.
Now then, it leads to the 7th day, a real restoration cleansed from all unrighteousness. And that's why it's passing on a bit. We'll come to it later. But the 11Th verse in our translation isn't exactly clear. It's cast me not away from my presence and take not the spirit of thy holiness from me Now that is that we need to. When we're really restored, we have the spirit of God's holiness. We never look lightly upon the sin.
And that's the way David was here. It was constantly before him. He never looked lightly upon it, although he recognized and was thankful that the Lord had restored him.
You could say two. Couldn't you, brother, fail That the happy way, the way that the Lord would keep us, is to have what the Lord suffered on the cross so constantly before us that we wouldn't have a fault? That is it. We're tempted, if some evil desire possesses us, to indulge in something that is evil and wrong.
And dishonouring to the Lord and is harmful to the soul. We only stop and think.
That very sin that I could indulge in and would give me pleasure cost my Blessed Lord, those awful hours of darkness when he was forsaken of God alone there.
And on that cross during those last three hours?
May the Lord keep the thought of what He has suffered for us. Not only that He has forever put away our sins as far as the East is from the West, so that they will never rise up against us in judgment. The judgment is over.
That he has, indeed.
Endured the judgment that those various sins that we're so much in danger.
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Falling into permitting because our whole sinful nature.
With which we were born, which is corrupt after the deceitful lust.
And can never be changed if we allow it in any way.
To have its course in our lives, it will lead to those very things that we see.
And this ungodly world. There is a verse in the 11Th chapter of First Corinthians that might be a helpful word in this connection.
In the 11Th chapter of First Corinthians, where the apostle is dealing with the sad state, there in Corinth in connection with the breaking of bread, remembrance of the Lord and he says in the.
In the 30th verse for this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. Or if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chained of the Lord. And notice this last part, that we should not be condemned with the world.
So the very thing the world indulges in is what our Blessed Lord suffered for on the cross.
And the warning is very solemn here. We need that exercise of souls so that we wouldn't dishonor the Lord.
Because for the very reason, as he tells us here, that we should not be condemned with the world, we will not be condemned with the world if you have truly from your heart accepted Christ as a Savior.
It's just as sure as we're sitting here that we get in Romans 5 and 24 the early Verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me half everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment. No, will not come into judgment.
But those very things that we are are in danger of because.
Have that old nature.
Are things we should thoroughly judge in view of the fact that the Lord has suffered for them, so that we should not be condemned with the world.
Joseph brings before us the loneliness necessary, and we noticed that in a number of scriptures that have been referred to, that word hyssop appears.
But it's interesting to see that it is in the 12Th of Exodus first, where we have redemption brought before us, Then in the 19th of numbers that was referred to for the maintenance in communion, the hyssop is there again. And in this 51St Psalm for restoration of the soul, the Hyssop is there once more. And then of course that recital of the of the cross of our Blessed Savior.
There we find the Hyssop carried out. And so it's necessary, isn't it, for us to see our our littleness and the humility necessary for in all these steps, what is history?
I understand it's a very common little flower that grows in Israel and that was just attached itself to any little spot along the walls, from what I understand. But it was a little picture in contrast to the Cedars of Lebanon, which brings before us the Lord in all His glory and exaltation. This is just the very opposite, the smallness and the littleness.
Necessary.
I was wondering if you could.
Learn from the Hyssop. Also this that.
Uh, Solomon knew all the trees.
From the mighty cedar to the hyssop that grew out of the wall, as their brother said. So I believe that just like man is likened to a tree. We get the whole picture of man here. Man is exaltation or man in his lowest position. Now the hyssop has absolutely no power to raise itself up.
00:40:10
It just has to claim, and I believe that that we learn here we all we can do, Brethren, is cling to the Lord. That's all we can do. There's not one thing in US David had to say when when he saw the Lord. Just like Joel, You know, when Job, our brother, referred to Joel.
Now I've seen it with mine eyes and I repent, and dust gnashes and so. So, Peter, I should have said.
Peter said in the 5th chapter of Luke he was saved before no doubt. But when he gets in the presence of of the Lord and sees that he's the the God of Israel and with that mighty craft of fishes, why depart from me? I am a sinful man, O Lord, not that I have sinned and so we have to distinguish between simply saying I have sinned.
And I am a sinful man. Now, if one simply says they've sinned, they haven't judged the roots, and they'll probably repeat it unless they're preserved. But where the roots are judged in God's presence, and that's what we have in this song, David goes all the way back to the roots and he judges the whole thing.
Now where that's that's judged, where there's full communion restored.
As long as we could say there's a contrast with the case of King Saul. When King Saul had sinned and Samuel brought it before him, he said, I have sinned Then he adds, get honor me now I pray thee in the presence of the elders of my people. Now he didn't want the hyssop, he he wanted to be in the place of the Cedars, so to speak. Still, he wanted to be a great man, and he didn't want to acknowledge that he had sinned against the Lord.
And that he had lost something by that sin. But with David, how different He goes right down to the bottom, herds me with hyssop. He takes the low place. The result is that God could, in spite of it, use him. It was no doubt as it was remarked, and I limited sense because of his failure. But we see a true restoration, and I believe it's very important for all of us, too, to be careful that we don't allow our standards of what is right and wrong to be formed by the world.
We must get into the presence of God and be guided by His word. And as we have been noticing to think of Calvary and what the Lord Jesus had to suffer there to put away Sin is a great tendency today as the standards of the world go down, for us to be affected by them. We find this was so in the early church. See how likely the Corinthian assembly seemed to look upon sin.
And that was because that was the character of the city in which they lived. And so they were affected by this light outlook as regards morality. And we have to be careful in these last days that we don't accept the common outlook of the world.
God's thoughts about sin haven't changed and they were fully displayed what he thought about sin.
At the cross of Calvary, when the full weight of God's judgment against it came upon our precious Savior.
That's the significance of reference to the fear of the Lord in the third of Malachi as it was read to us. It seems to me very striking the way that very point is brought out in connection with the fear of the Lord. Malachi 3 verse 15.
And now we call a proud happy.
Yay, they that work wickedness are set up.
Yeah, they'd attempt God, or even delivered. This was the character of the day in which these people lived. There was no discernment whatever between that which was evil and that which was according to the mind of the Lord. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for then that.
Feared the Lord.
And that thought upon his name now verse 18.
Then shall he return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. That last verse seems rather surprising. We would naturally think, well, anyone can tell between the righteous and the wicked. Those are two extremes.
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That doesn't require much discernment, but it does. The day had become so dark. The indifference in the arrogance was so widespread, that only those who walked in the fear of the Lord had proper discernment between that which was righteous and that which was wicked, that which was proper service to the Lord, and that which was lost. So I suppose that in the day in which we live.
Instead of considering, well now, what effect will this have upon my reputation, what effect will it have upon the public and their thought of me? Rather, it should be the fear of the Lord, and that's a happy and a wholesome thing. I suppose that first sound, it might be a little bit frightening, but I'm sure, I'm sure that if we were to speak with anyone who knew a bit about the fear of the Lord.
In their life, they find that they thank God for it. You find that they found it to be a very, very precious and wonderful incentive for a life that would be to the glory of God, and a happy life too.
Must leave out, though they speak often one to another. There was a going on together, wasn't there?
I don't know one having a deep sense in his own soul.
But dishonors the Lord, and having the fear of allowing.
That which displeases him but going on together.
And occupying one another with that which profits the soul.
It applies second verse to the Christian.
There is no such thing as the second application of the blood.
But it's the practical truth.
Applied to the conscience and the Word of God.
Is something like we have in the 19th of numbers, you know, and there you have the the water, but it's the ashes of the heifer in the water. It's the it's the truth, all right of the work of Christ, but it's on that basis, but it's the exercise of the soul.
In God's presence. So the fountain that's open that we get in in the book of Zachariah I believe it is is really the thought of and now there's a fountain open to Israel because the blood was shed. So there's no real second application of the blood. It's in view of the fact that the blood was shed. But the the point is that the word of God now that works in his cleansing effect.
For the believer to be restored.
In the.
In the first, on the 3rd chapter of Hebrews you have the first point of declension.
And that is.
Having.
Heard, having heard.
Well, I don't remember the full verse, but the point is that.
That is, having heard they provoked is the verse I'm thinking of. The children of Israel had seen that large bunch of grapes and yet they provoked God by turning away. Now in Hebrews 12, there's a sin which easily beset Israel. That was the sin of unbelief, and I'm sure it's true with us because if we hear the word of God and we don't act upon it.
It's unbelief with us, and that's the first step of declension for the believer that was true.
Of of Judas as well that he was an unbeliever, but he he walked with Jesus all those years, and he did not receive the word. So the first step of declension then is.
Refusing to act on the word, but now when the soul is restored or being restored.
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Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgression and my sins ever before me. But then he says against thee the only have I sinned. He's in the presence of God, because in the second book of Psalms, the little remnant is is outside of Jerusalem now. And they're they're just cast entirely upon God. It's the thought of the second book of the Psalms.
And then you get the judging. The roots behold. I was shaken, shaken, iniquity, and incended. My mother conceived me. But thou desires truth in the inward parts, not just the outward display of Christianity, but.
If it's true inside, it will be seen outside, is that right? If the truth is is inside, it will be seen outside, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaking. And so it's important then that the roots be judged.
And then the truth in the inward parts, so that it can be said in the seventh verse where you go down to the very lowest points we've already noticed.
First me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
But, he says in his third verse, in my sin as ever before me, it's good for us to bear in mind that we should never forget these things that have taken place in our lives.
And these help to keep us humble, don't they? Paul often mentioned how that he once persecuted the Church of God and wasted it, called himself the Chief of sinners. He called upon the Ephesians to remember what they were in time past.
And I believe it's a healthy thing for us never to forget the rock from whence we were you, and the pit from whence we were digged. Now these things tend to keep us humble when it says in Philippians 3 forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching under the 4th unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark. And that is, if there has been anything in our lives that has been for Christ, any devotedness that has met with the Lord's approval.
We can safely leave that with him. We don't need to think about that. He'll remember that that will all be manifested. That might lead us to pride, to be occupied with that, or perhaps to rest on our oars and think we were something. But I believe it's very important for us to to see this, that the humility that is the result of really being in the presence of God ought to characterize us all our life through.
I remember our brother Power making this remark. He said that Paul never forgave himself for persecuting the Church, and Peter never forgave himself for denying the Lord, but the Lord forgave them both.
We see two.
Judgments, don't we? In this 51St Psalm, In the third, the fourth verse?
He confesses the sin that he had.
Been guilty of a particular sin.
And that was very important and unnecessary. But then in the fifth verse he goes a little bit farther. He goes to the root of it all, and he judges that also, and that. These are both very necessary, aren't they? We see a good example of it in First in Second Kings, where the man had been chopping.
Trees down by the river Jordan and he was using a borrowed axe and he lost the axe head into the Jordan and he went to Elisha to tell him that he had lost the accent. Well, Elisha could have just, he had the power. He could have put his hand in his pocket and produced another accent and said here's here's another one. But he said to him somewhat the same as what David is saying here.
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He asked the man, where, where did you lose it? And he had to go back to the very place where he had lost that, that accent. Well, it's not only necessary for us to to judge a sin, but we only sin when we get out of communion, do we not? And it's when we are out of communion that we do those things and we confess them that sin. But it's necessary to go back to realize that.
It's the very nature that we are bearing fruit.
But we have to judge the fruit and we also have to judge the root, and so we find both these in this chapter.
What did he like to use to bring that axe head to to the surface? He cut down a branch of a tree. It's beautiful, isn't it? He brought the the remembrance of the cross and I was just thinking too, in connection with that 19th of numbers the brother London was mentioning.
The ashes was the constant reminder that that fire had passed before and it is the reminder that the remembrance that we need to have of the cross not applying the blood again, but it's the remembrance of the price that was paid in our redemption.
In the Saul of the brother Barry that in the 102nd Psalm the Lord Book of Ashes, as being his mate. And what was that but the remembrance, dear brethren, of all our sins?
He bore them.
For them. So ashes were his meat.
Perhaps we could also say here A2, within this fifth verse, I was shaping an inequity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. He was really acknowledging what the old nature really is. And that is very important because sometimes when a Christian makes sense, he says, oh, I just made a slip. But that's the way the old nature always acts when it's allowed to act. That's the kind of nature we were born with, and unless we truly.
Acknowledge this.
And see in the death of Christ the end of that thing, why we're going to be making slips, because that's the character of the nature. But I think it's lovely, as it's been remarked, not only judge the sin, but he said that's the kind of a nature I have. I own it before the Lord and brethren. If we ever allow the old nature, it's always going to do something wrong because it's corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. How needful that we keep it in the place of death, the place where God has put it and it it came to its end in the cross of Christ.
Thus mortifying our members which are upon the earth in Colossians, is it not?
Well after? He asked.
Taking such a low place, and so thoroughly judged himself, saying, purge me with history, and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Then he says, make me to hear joy and gladness.
That the bones which thou has broken, they rejoiced.
Now where we were speaking about.
Oh, never forgiving himself for having persecuted the Church for Peter, for having denied the Lord, if the Lord would not have us just bow down.
Where the sorrow and humiliation. And of course there should be humiliation.
But to just live a morbid life.
Sadness because we were given a figure and have failed. The Lord would have us rejoicing something like the end that began this meeting. Look, look he Saints within the veil and raise your happy soul. That is, we should be feeding on what brings joy and gladness after the.
Thorough judgment of our ways has taken past taking place.
If we just continue to go on where the where the deep grief and make ourselves unhappy or it would be almost unbelief, wouldn't it? Because it says there in first John.
01:00:03
One of nine, 1:00 and 9:00 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So if we really believe His words, and we have taken the low place and finally adjudged ourselves, or then we can go unhappy and free in our spirits.
There's such a thing as the bones being broken, isn't there? I believe that.
The The awful aftermath of sin with the soul, the remorse, the.
The deep feelings that God allows in the soul to break the soul down.
Is necessary, but then there comes a time when there's restoration and.
The Spirit of God would occupy us with our sins until they're fully judged, but He purposes to occupy us with Christ and the inheritance, and so when they're touched, then we should be occupied with Christ and the inheritance and all that He's provided for us as believers.
But there is such a thing as the bones being broken, that is, that which is stable within us, crushed for the moment.
I was thinking now what we were speaking about joy and gladness. It actually took place in Davidde life afterwards, didn't it? I was noticing here in Second Samuel 12 and verse 20, after the child that was born had died, says in the 20th verse. Then David arose from the earth and washed.
And anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the House of the Lord. And worshiped. And he came to his own house. And when he required, they set bread before him. And he did eat. His servants couldn't understand this. But if he did, and he did fully recognize the sin and dishonor before the Lord, he also proved God's restoring grace and was able to come back into the House of the Lord.
To change his raiment to take the place of a worshiper. It's all very beautiful to see. He did hear joy and gladness, didn't he? There was this coming back to the Lord not going about his brother, Barry remarked.
Well, it's all over with me. I'm no use anymore. Instead of this, we see, although there was true humility and a bowing to the governmental hand of God, there was also the enjoyment of His restoring grace.
You see that perhaps in Jacob, the only thing that is said about him in Hebrews 11, when he was a dying he worshipped leaning, He worshipped leaning. His life had been, to quite an extent, occupied with all kinds of busy activities and scheming and planning. It would seem that 21 years of that life had been spent with the Son of God's favors having set upon him.
When he went out in the early part of his life, it says the sunset upon him 21 years later, the night that he wrestled all night with the Angel and said the sun rose upon him. But there were 21 years in between the two and I would suppose that he lifts the rest of his life after that all night of wrestling. But it's it's striking and yet it is not.
Comforting to think that Hebrews 11 records of Jacob when he was a dying he worships, he worshipped, but he worshipped leaning. But a lesson he had learned. Someone explained the 12Th verse of the 19th chapter of the numbers.
I have the third day.
Here the 12Th verse of this 90th of numbers he shall purify himself with it, but that was with the water of separation on the third day, and on the 7th day he shall be cleaned. But if he purify not himself the third day, then the 7th day he shall not be clean when we spoke briefly of that before.
Now that when we all ascend before the Lord, if we don't really get to the root of it, we don't really judge the state of soul that produced it and think of what it cost the Lord to put away that sin. And then it's, shall I say, it's not a full restoration. But the thought of the third day brings in what the Lord Jesus had to suffer to put away sin. And if we come to the realization of that.
01:05:27
And judge it in his presence, and with the sense of what he went through to put it away. And I might also mention that in the ashes of the heifer with the water there was the cedar wood, and the hyssop and the Scarlets, which was all in the ashes.
But I believe those represent three things, the cedar Speaking of man and his greatness and the hessop of man and his littleness and the scarlet of human glory. And I think at the bottom of our sins there's usually something of this that is perhaps the reason we sin was we wanted to be somebody important. Young people have an expression now. They don't want to be chicken. Well, they don't want to take the place of walking in the fear of God. So they take a a place that they've got to be popular before their friends.
And maybe that leads to doing something that dishonors the Lord. Well, just to say you were sorry you did The thing is not enough. Maybe you had the approval of Madden before you instead of the Lords approval. How lovely to see you with Joseph. When he was tempted he said, God forbid that I should do this great wickedness and sin against God. And then the hyssop here was burned also because there is such a thing as.
Saying I have no use.
Nobody cares about me. And that is a kind of humility that is nothing more than pride in disguise. And that sort of thing too, can lead us to get away from the Lord, to, shall I say, bury the pound in the ground and not use it for the Lord at all. And then the scarlet. Well, again, it's something that we wanted to be thought great. We wanted, we wanted to attract attention to ourselves, so maybe we did something to attract attention.
Well, all those things were in the ashes of the heifers. So when we really get to the root of the thing and see what it was that caused us to sin and what it cost the Lord to put it away, I believe it leads to a full judgment.
Tip applied in the third day. For the Lord was the end of all that we were in our greatness and littleness and everything. It was the end of self as before God. And then on the 7th day there is a real restoration. I believe that true restoration before God is not a sudden thing. When they went one day without the Lord in the second chapter of Luke, it took three days before they found him.
And I believe if we have got away from the Lord and publicly dishonored him, we don't get restored the next day. I believe that it's it takes a real wrestling as with Jacob, but a real getting before the Lord and before we come to the end of self. But the Lord leads us there as he did job and finally brought him twice as much as what he had before, blessed him abundantly. I believe that brings us to the 7th day.
It's instructive to notice that there were three days at the beginning before the confession, but there were there was one more day. There were four days before there was full restoration. And as you say, brother, sometimes we think that there's an immediate restoration upon confessions, but not necessarily so. That interval was longer than the work that went on before the confession was made. So I think it's very instructive, isn't it?
I wandered in connection with those messengers of David who had half their beards cut off, and they were greatly ashamed. And David instructions to them were these, I believe, Harry and Jericho. Until your beards be grown, there was no way of hurrying up that process. It was a very embarrassing and humbling humbling thing for a Jew. But they just had their weight quietly in Jericho, couldn't appear in public until.
Their beers were grown again.
And so I believe, and it's a very searching thing to say, that there is that which is scriptural and proper in order that the mark of that which otherwise would be so shameful might be restored and removed.
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We see all through the Old Testament that they didn't have the knowledge.
Of the forgiveness of sins in the way that Christian has that knowledge, because now we know the atoning work is complete.
At the Lord and his death and blood shedding has put away sin out of God's sight once and forever. So we have to observe in many places that they didn't have the light.
The light and the assurance that we enjoy that we are forgiven before God and that our sins can never rise up against us.
So we have here.
Hide not hide.
For my sin and blot out mine iniquity created me a clean heart for God and renewal, a right spirit. How did you say that should read Brother Hale?
I was the 11Th, 1St to take out the spirit of thy holiness from me, but.
Ten first, yes, yes. I I don't know. Is there a difference of spirit or a steadfast spirit of these?
I believe I commented about the 11Th person. Yes, I guess that was the verse. Well, if God happened to Saul, wasn't it that the Spirit of God came upon so And he even prophesied on one occasion. But we know that the Spirit of God departed from him.
As far as Saul was concerned, he never was a saved man, but the Spirit of God in the Old Testament.
Came upon even man that were not true believers like the Spirit of God came upon bailing, and he gave wonderful prophecies, and yet he was an unsaved man, a wicked man.
So we saw well David, having known how God had dealt with Saul once a man that God did use, and he delivered Israel on certain occasions.
And yet at last the Spirit of God left him, and an evil spirit from God troubled him. And David has a fear, some fear that that should happen in his life. Of course now the Christian knows what an Old Testament say couldn't know because it wasn't true. That is, that after we have from the heart accepted Christ as a savior.
We have God, the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and we know that the Holy Spirit will never be taken from us. Such a verse as Ephesians 5 says, grieve not that Holy Spirit of promise whereby ye are sealed under the day of redemption, so you can't breathe the Spirit of God away.
And there's a nice thought, and an important thought to notice too, he says in the 12Th verse. Restore unto me not thy salvation, but the joy of thy salvation. Now that's the truth as much for an Old Testament.
As it is for a Christian today, a Christian today can never lose his salvation.
Because the Lord says my sheep shall never perish. Isn't that wonderful? Would that we all realize that and we're in the good of it, that we're saved with an eternal salvation and can never be lost. But we can lose the joy of our salvation when we dishonor the Lord or when we allow the things of this world to come between us.
And his rightful claims are otherwise. Get out of communion.
Sad to say, we can use the joy of our salvation, and that's what David longed to have restored to his soul again.
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It's interesting to notice.
And I hadn't thought of continuing this more in this reading. And I just want to call attention to one or two things at the end of this chapter that might be helpful. The first verse we find mercy. He's crying for mercy. But in the last verse, why he he'd like to offer a Bullock. Now that's the highest in sacrifices it not. It's maturity really an expression of soul and worship.
And so that's what David would like to do. He would like to be back in that position where there was a largeness of heart and worship to God. And also in this chapter we noticed near the end.
He wanted to have a willing spirit. That's that. That's the free spirit or willing spirit in the end of the 12Th verse.
And he wanted the willing spirit to sustain him, I think is the thought that is.
Our wills go to work and cause us a great deal of trouble.
But David wanted to have a willing spirit. Now this is what the children of Israel had when they built the Tabernacle.
They gave freely. They had a willing spirit, and God is the one and the only one who can give that willing spirit. But there has to be really before that what we have in the first part of the chapter in our part. There has to be the taking the low place now as a result of all this.
We find that there is true testimony. Notice the next verse.
Then will I teach transgressors, Thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Could it be, brethren, that in the gospel effort sometimes there is nothing fruit because?
Either individually or collectively, we have allowed sin to go unjust to allow our ways to interfere with the testimony, and one can go on and preach the gospel and give out tracks in a vast state of soul.
Now I say that from experience.
One can do that in a vast state of soul, can go on with the outward form and still not be right with God in this free spirit that He speaks. Out here let us come through the result of judging our ways and and being at liberty and His presence. Now I'd just like to make this mention too in regard to David's life, that after he had sinned that awful sin of numbering the people.
Aruna offered him the threshing floor and the bullocks and all for a burnt offering, but David said no, that isn't enough. I I'm, I want to buy it. And besides, I have to also offer a peace offering.
And the peace offering is the full liberty in the presence of God. And that David was not satisfied until he had been brought back to the full enjoyment of liberty in the presence of God. And brethren, that's where we want to be, isn't it? And really, there isn't true restoration until we've come to that point where there's a free spirit or a willing spirit to sustain us in the presence of God. Now here he confesses.
Deliver me from blood.
God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. We know that Israel in that day will really repent of blood guiltiness. They crucified their Messiah, but here David cries that the Lord will deliver him from this.
And now how often we have found ourselves right on the verge of dishonouring the Lord, and we need to be in His presence so we won't dishonor Him. I believe that should be part of our prayer.
Could I ask a question about verse 18? I just wonder, in looking at it, whether David is thinking of the fact that his own guilt could have its side effects upon the rest of the nation, upon the testimony of Israel itself, and upon Jerusalem, where the Lord had placed his name. And so he prays, Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion, build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Is it right to feel?
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But if we ourselves do not walk in full confession and in self destiny, it will have a hindering effect upon the blessing of the Lord toward his people and his testimony. Is that do you suppose what he's thinking of in his 18th verse? I believe so. In fact the 19th verse He doesn't say then July, but then shall they offer burnt bullets upon my offer, bullets upon mine altered. So we find in Leviticus the sin of the ruler affected the whole of the people, and the blood had to be sprinkled before the veil.
So that we need to remember our lives have an effect upon others, and one going on carelessly, especially if he's a leader or not. Walking before the Lord is going to have an effect upon all the Saints. Well, it's a it's a solemn thing for us to consider this before the Lord.
But it's lovely to see when he was restored that he did desire that the Lord would come in and blessing in the place where he had put his name, and that his failure wouldn't be the cause of.
Worship being hindered among the people of God.
137.
137.
Oh Christ, when Burton thou thy hand, our Lord, is laid of thee, Thou spirit, and sinners dead. They're all ill for me protect the blast by blood pressure is now there is no longer for me.
For me, Lord Jesus.
Thou hast died in thee, Lord.
There isn't. My beds are all in time. Now thou listen me.
Father's place on Radiant Grace shines now in Light on the 137.
Colossians 1:1-12
Reading
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General meetings, Ottawa, March 1975, Second reading meeting.
Welcome to the Colossians.
Chapter One.
All an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and to multi as our brother for the Saints and faithful brethren in Christ, which are Colossians. Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we've heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have to all the Saints, brother, hoping to laid up for you in heaven, wherever you heard before, in the word of the truth of the gospel which has come unto you as it is in all the world, And bring it forth root, it does also in you since the day you heard of it.
And knew the grace of God in truth.
As he also learned of Epifras, our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.
Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit?
For this 'cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and your desires. You might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
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That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, under all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness, joyfulness.
Giving thanks unto the Father, which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints and light, who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature.
For by him were all things created which are in heaven.
Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones or dominions or principalities or power, all things are created by him and for him.
And he is before all things, and by him all things consent.
And he is ahead of the body of the Church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it please the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell.
And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all these unto himself, by him I say, whether there be things on earth or things in heaven.
And you there was some time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now had the reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you wholly and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.
If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard and which is preached to every creature which is under heaven, where have I, Paul, and made a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up averages behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for the body's sake which is the church?
Where have I made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you?
To fulfill the word of God, even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations.
But now it's made manifest to his Saints, to whom God will make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the hope of glory, whom we preach warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ. For unto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
I just mentioned at the beginning of our meeting that I'm sure all who have read Ephesians have seen the similarity between Ephesians and Colossians.
But you will observe this difference that Ephesians gives us the fullness of the body.
Colossians gives us the fullness of the head.
And we'll find as we go on in this epistle that the enemy was busy seeking to bring Christ down to a lower level and connect him with other.
Imaginary beings saw that they were in danger of philosophy and vain deceit of the.
Surrounding philosophers of that day and getting away from the lowest of the person of the head, so we can see the apostle is leading an error, and in that way he exalts.
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Christ in the Lord's precious marvelous way. And this is one of the three chapters that especially give us the glories of Christ. I was thinking of the three. The first chapter of John, the first chapter of Hebrews, and the first chapter of Colossians especially give us the glories of the person of Christ.
In Ephesians, is it not Christ?
The believer in Christ, or in Colossians, it's Christ in you, the hope of glory.
I was thinking, as you remarked, about the glory.
Joseph had a coat of many colors.
And, brethren, that's to be our occupation now.
What the scriptures reveal about the glories of Christ, these are object.
He's our hope and in Luke's gospel, which introduces us really into heavenly things.
We have the three glories mentioned in the 9th chapter when the Lord Jesus will come.
He's going to come in his own glory.
And he's going to come in the Father's glory, but he's coming in the glory of the angels or over the angels. Now it's been said that glory is excellence in display.
I'm sure that's true, but.
Its excellence also in another way, and that's the way in which you and I are to lay hold of it now as we have in Ephesians, and that is that we might know Christ and beloved that's in the inner man.
That we enjoy the glory now in the inner man. We can't observe the outward glory now.
But these two books are given us Ephesians and Colossians, so that you and I as Christians.
Might have an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom that we might be already in the enjoyment of what we're about to enter into the glories that surround our blessed Savior. And you know there are no glories higher.
There are no there are no higher truths.
Than what we have in these two books. I'm sure that John is in keeping with what we have here in the first chapter has been mentioned and also Hebrews. But there's the glory seen in a little different way in each one, is it not? But if we're occupied with the truth of these two epistles, our spirits are raised above the world through which we're passing and will be like the Bridegroom and the Song of Solomon.
On the top of the mountain, above the obstacles, our spirits will be raised above what surrounds us.
So that we can enjoy.
Our passing through this world.
You know what it was said of Joshua and Caleb? Someone made this remark that although they couldn't enter the land when they wanted to.
They had a a happy spirit as they went through the desert, and because they had hope, they had already seen that land. And brethren, that's what God wants you and me to do. Now He wants us in these two books to see that land.
And enjoy it now.
Mentioned that we trained from that which is negative to that which is positive, and in the Gospel of a John chapter, one I enjoy just now a verse verse.
16 in which you say and always fullness.
We all have received grace upon grace. That's the epistle to the colloquialism and obvious fallenness. We all have received grace upon grace, and that's what we need.
Mother has said that in Ephesians it's what the church is to Christ. And so he has spoken of his head over all things to the church that is having that great affection for the church. He loved the church and gave himself for it. Why he's over everything. And seeing he is over everything. Why the abundance of the blessing distilled is brought before us so beautifully in the epistle to the Ephesians.
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And that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. In Colossians it's rather what Christ is to the Church. And so he has spoken of not his head over all things, but head of the body of the church, and so the glory of his person, his exaltation.
He is in himself is particularly brought before us in Colossians, and that's why this especially precious and bringing before us the glory of the person. But it's lovely to connect it, as it's been said with Ephesians, because this glorious person is the one who has such affection for the members of the body and all that glory that he has. He is going to share as much as it's possible to share with those who are so dear to his heart.
It's interesting too. I believe the notice of In Ephesians we find the body mentioned in the dead center of the epistle. In Colossians we find the head of the body in the dead center of the epistle, and in Philippians we find the gospel in the dead center of Philippians by which the church was formed.
After you light encounter verses, there are 77 verses before the body and 77 after the body. In Colossians there are 47 before the head and 47 after they head.
In Philippians as 51 before the gospel and 51 after the gospel.
And it's not by chance they're placed in that way, surely, is it?
In both the visions and in Colossians at the beginning of the Epistle we have the mention of faithful Brethren.
Don't get the thought that the apostle is separating or distinguishing.
Few that were more spiritual or devoted than others.
In fact, it takes in all the family.
Because you could put it like this, those that have faith.
So it doesn't that it is a just addressing a few.
That he's addressing all the family and that takes in the younger members as well as the older members.
Wonderful, isn't it, how the apostle himself could rise above his trials? We could scarcely think of a man a prisoner chained to a soldier. Have for at least.
Four years he'd been a prisoner, and yet his heart rising so far above.
The circumstances in which he was placed.
And then, even though he was.
Confined to Roman as a prisoner, his affections went out to.
All God's children well known to himself, because much of the work, especially on the Gentile countries, had been the work the Lord used him, and when he brought the gospel among the the unsaved.
So he says in the 5th, the third verse we thank we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Jesus Christ and of the love which he have to all the Saints.
Well, although he saw a danger for them, and he was instructing them so as to.
Deliver them. Yet his affections went out in a very rich and wonderful way, so that he his prayers were for them and he was thanking God for their faith and their love to all the Saints. Now isn't that an important word for us? We don't want to limit our love.
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Just to any.
Limited circle, but going out to All Saints wherever we find any of God's children.
Why? Our affections go out to them, and we should cultivate those affections so that when we meet God's children.
In our travels, as we go about that, we might be ready to encourage them.
Because we are members of the same body, although we may be separated because.
Of systems that man has set up.
That faith and hope is it not connected with the next verse, and the thought perhaps this that.
It's on account of that hope which is laid up for you in heaven.
That is.
The believer so occupied with the head, the one that he's going to, the affections flow out to other Saints and there's an interest.
An activity in the gospel as a result, so that there must be an object for the heart and all that we do down here for Christ if it's a faith as a result of having the object before us. Otherwise it's simply a form. So it's really on account of that or because of that hope, that leaves the thought, is it not?
There are the three things that characterize Christianity, faith, hope, and love. We often find them brought together. They're brought together here. Faith. That is when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, Then faith works by love. As soon as we are saved, the affections flow out to all the redeemed. And then there's a hope before us, isn't there? And even amid all the breakdown and ruin of everything that is committed to man.
What a blessed hope. We're going to see all the Saints of God another day with and like Christ. And so as the apostles affections go out to all the Saints. Then we find in the end of the chapter the 28th verse, whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. That is, when we love the Saints, we desire that they would be brought to the full knowledge of His will.
And into the full blessed light and liberty of the Christian possession. How many? We find that our hearts go out to them, but they're not established. They haven't really entered into the fullness of blessing that has been brought to them through Christ and in Christ. Oh, what a privilege we have to bring this before them. Well, Paul had this as a burden. He even speaks of it in the second chapter in the first verse as a great conflict.
It was such a burden on his heart as he saw so many true children of God who weren't in the enjoyment of that which belonged to them and.
Having other things before them rather than Christ, that he really not only sought to bring the truth, but he had it as a real burden upon his heart.
The Lord could say.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples. If you have love one toward another, so that would be a witness to the world, surely, that we belong to Christ, wouldn't it? By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have loved one toward another.
This fifth verse gives us the contrast between Ephesians and Colossians, for in Ephesians we're raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
That's perhaps the highest thought that.
At that we could have.
Asked to.
Are standing before God that we give us is already.
In that scene of glory where Christ has taken his place only we need to notice this that it doesn't stay seated together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, but in Christ Jesus, that is, God sees me in Christ.
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That's my standing. Well, if I'm in Christ, well, where am I? If I if he is up there, I must be up there too in His purposes. And counsels well, the Ephesians were in a state to receive this truth, so high and so glorious. But in Colossians, instead of being seated in heaven, they have a hope made-up for them in heaven.
And that gives us another view of the Christians blessing, and that is that we're still down here in the wilderness and we're on our way to our Father's house and our hope is up there. And the Spirit of God would have us occupied with that hope that is set before us so that we do not settle down in this scene.
As something infinitely more glorious.
And half his before us.
Can we say that in Colossians they are seen across the Jordan, but they're at the point of Gilgal? They haven't yet possessed the land. The captain of the Lorde Host is brought before them as the one who is going to give them the possession of the land, but they haven't yet possessed it. Whereas in Ephesians we are seen, as you say, in possession of the land and the conflict to keep the enjoyment of it, because the enemy would ever seek to press in and rob us of what has been given to us.
And they're to take the shoes off of their feet there, are they not? Because it's holy. And I believe that's what we have in Colossians 3, where we're to set our affections on things above. But then we mustn't neglect the next part, not on things on the earth, so that if we think of the apostle who wrote this.
Humanly speaking, he wrote them in his darkest days.
As far as his circumstances were concerned, to be in a Roman prison, expecting the executioner at any moment.
God had soul emptied the vessel, that there was nothing left with Christ and that blessed hope. Now this is a lesson for us, dear brethren, in days of prosperity. We shouldn't encourage prosperity. Now it's we should be thankful.
For what God gives us. But we shouldn't seek these present things, not on things on the earth.
Because they're only going to hinder our soul. Because if we seek them, then we have another object before us. And so I believe that we learn from Colossians and Ephesians that in order for our souls to enter into these highest truths, there must be that self denial, setting aside things that we naturally would seek after, not on things on the earth.
What you are saying Brother Hale about?
Being just across the Jordan but not yet in possession of the promised land is certainly.
Has made clear in connection with circumcision that you get in the second chapter and that was after they were across the Jordan, that then they were circumcised.
That is, the cutting off of the flesh is a very simple illustration of judging everything that belongs to the old man, the flesh. Whenever the flesh presents itself, where to deny it, Put it in the place of death. So that is specially mentioned in Colossians.
And the lovely to see how the how the Spirit of God has given these Old Testament illustrations for us.
Yes, I think the place where it's brought before us there at Gilgal, then we find Joshua warning the people that if they took any of the things of the land for themselves or made any alliances with the people of the land, it would only be a snare to them. And that was a can sin, wasn't it?
00:30:16
He took the gold and the silver and the goodly babylonish garments and hid those things in his tent. Well, now the silver and the gold was to be taken, but it was not to be hid in their tent, but it was to be brought into the treasury of the Lord. And that's the thing I believe that speaks to us, that anything that we have or hold, that we cannot have and hold is belonging to the Lord is only going to become a snare to us.
These these things may be useful.
If used for the Lord. But if they're used for ourselves, or if we listen to the wisdom of this world, when those Gibeonites came and presented something that looked very nice, how we see they were deceived. I think that's why it brings in philosophy and vain deceit. So they made an alliance with these Gibeonites and they became a snare to them. Well, all these things are a warning and they're that bigger of it. All is in the crossing of the Jordan and the entrance into the land.
But here the doctrine of it in Christianity is brought before us and speaks to our hearts.
Well, you have the gospel firstly mentioned wherever you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel. So it shows that the gospel of the grace of God when preached according to the mind of God, it gives.
Something better than this world.
Or to be brought before the center, how different the gospel of the Kingdom will be. Instead of giving him a hope in heaven, it will be giving him a hope on earth. And that gospel which the Colossians had heard had brought forth. And it's in connection with having the heavenly hope that we see fruit in the lives of God's children.
That's the evidence, isn't it, Of life, the fruit.
So the region of the gospel, of the grace of God, and not only we are to preach the forgiveness of sin, but the blessed hope that brings before us Christ, is the object and that is common. Is that what you have in this world?
So there was fruit and those that heard it, and then the fruit was seen in those who preached it.
And that's good, isn't it?
Because.
Really. The one who speaks his life?
Must set forth what he teaches and measure at least.
Otherwise it's simply like a parrot.
Who is carrying something that he doesn't appreciate himself?
Good nicely in first Thessalonians, isn't it?
First chapter. So that's your ensembles of all that believe in Macedonia and the Kaya. For from you sounded that the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Akaya, but also in every place your faith in God would be spread abroad so that we need not to speak anything.
What a beautiful example of that, that the gospel is brought in here to to lead us on to the to the truth that the apostle is springing before the Saints.
Not only of what we speak of is the simple gospel that is to tell us all how they might be saved from hell, but he's leading us on a little further now to the truth that includes the whole gospel that Paul preached. And this is completed, is it not in his first chapter. And so he uses such expressions as.
In the.
10th verse.
The true knowledge of God and in the ninth verse it really should read, isn't it? The full knowledge of His will so that it's really completing and bringing us to the fullness of the truth of the gospel in this epistle.
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He says in the seventh verse, as he also learned of F Press, our dear fellow servant who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.
Well, that was important, especially for the Colossians, because they were coming among them.
Those that said, well, there's something higher than what Paul preached, something far in advance.
That was this Gnosticism that he evidently had to was contending against. But here was a quiet, humble man that he also mentions.
In the end of the epistle, in the 12Th verse, Epifras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluted you, always laboring fervently for you in prayer, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
011 Thought is that Wild Tall had such a gift. I don't think God ever had a more gifted servant to fall, but he was happy to recognize unlike a Peppers ever pressed who.
Who had given them further light on the truth and helped the Saints? And while Paul, as you say, Brother Hale, was wrestling in prayer for them, he had a helper.
And that was epic. Was helping in the same service of prayer as well as encouraging these Colossians. And isn't that important president that the service of the Lord is not just confined to?
Ministries such as Giving Out of the Truth and Preaching the Word or Teaching, but it's also.
Service on one's knees.
So what a beautiful example we have here, but each of them are better than themselves. I was noticing in our first chapter the Apostle Paul twice. In verse 23 and 25 he just says I am a minister.
But in connection with the.
Epifras, in verse seven you mentioned, he says who is a who is for your faithful minister of Christ.
And then further on in the.
4th Chapter, verse seven, He said, All my state shall teach us, declare unto you, who is a beloved brother and faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, if possible, merely calls himself a minister. But he calls these two faithful minister.
That's nice, I believe to.
See from the first chapter of Galatians what a minister is and.
That Paul the Apostle was made a minister by God the Father.
In the first chapter of Galatians and verse 15. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, he was called by God the Father to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.
Here we find the true minister was called by God the Father.
In Acts 26.
And verse 16.
But rise and stand upon my feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make the minister and a witness, both of these things which thou has seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee. Here he is now commissioned by God the Son to be a minister.
And the 9th chapter.
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I believe here we have a true minister's credentials.
And verse 17, the 9th chapter and Ananias went his way.
And entered into the house, and putting his hands on him, said Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou came, as hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Called by God the Father, commissioned by God the Sound, and clothed by God the Spirit for service.
That's a true minister, surely?
You were saying about the prayers of Epifras. I was wondering if that's what the Apostle Paul met when he spoke of having the care of all the churches.
Someone asked the brother once how he could remember some many of the names of the Saints when he said I pray for them.
That was his simple answer. Well, perhaps that would help us to remember the names a little better.
It's interesting too, is it not, to say the prayer of Ephesus, who himself was from Colossi? It says in that verse you referred to Epiphros, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, alluded to, always laboring fervently for you in prayer, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record that he has a great zeal for you.
And them that are in Laodicea and them in Hierapolis.
I've been to a good many prayer meetings and a good many assemblies and it's very, very interesting to me to notice.
The.
Prayers concerning the assembly in which we ourselves are placed. It has impressed me very much and encouraged me very much to hear in the assembly, prayer, meeting Ernest and fervent prayer for the dear brethren with whom we are very, very close in our own home assembly, shall I say, it stirs me very much to hear them pray for.
So I say their own Sunday School activity, their own visitation, their own gospel efforts. And then, also, as in the case of apartheid, the prayers broaden out to other activities, other spheres, where they know the Lord is also working. But.
There's something lacking if our prayers always are concerned with something that's going on far, far away.
But lack in that interest and love and prayer for those in, shall I say, our own home area where we move, isn't it? Is it not a lesson for us that epiphrosist, dear and faithful servant, had a burden? Not for something that was going on in the other end of the earth, He had that also. But his his real love and interest in prayer concerns those with whom he was very close.
We were mentioning that.
The whole tone of The Pistol of Colossians shows that Paul had a concern about this philosophy and vain deceit. And of course there must have been the enemies agents who were propagating.
What was harmful? But unfortunately he says nothing about him.
Ever fast telling him a lot of the failures and the way they were listening to these philosophers, and listening to this being deceit, but he has something good to report of them. So he says, who have declared unto us your love in the spirit?
And again, we are contrasting Ephesians with Colossians.
We might just mention that this is the only place in the book of Colossians.
Where you have the mention of the Holy Spirit, whereas Ephesians have so many.
Places where the Holy Spirit is brought before us, and I believe it's for this reason. In Colossians it's more like that's the subject our life is hidden with Christ and God.
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Two very definite lines of truth, that.
Both have their place and both have their importance. That is, we have divine life and it's in this dispensation not only.
A new birth, as we know all the Old Testament were born again, that we have the life of that glorified one who is now at God's right hand.
And so that's a very precious line of truth. To think that we pour on worthy things are now in position of the very light that we see in our Blessed Lord, so that we should be exercised to manifest that life in our walk in ways.
Connected to with the passage in John, where it tells us that when the Spirit of truth is come, he shall lead you into all truth.
He shall not speak of himself. He shall glorify me. So this epistle which particularly brings before us the person of Christ. Why we find the Spirit of God, not, as it were, hiding himself, not Speaking of himself, but occupying our hearts with Christ. When is the question of the blessings? By then the Spirit of God makes this good. He's the earnest of our inheritance.
Until the redemption of the purchased possession.
So we should be conscious of the work of the Spirit, how he delights to occupy our hearts with Christ. He also brings before us the portion that we have. But I think it's most remarkable that in this epistle where Christ is brought before us in all the glory of his person.
There's just this one mention of the Spirit, and it's not in connection with the earnest of the Spirit. He just mentions your love in the Spirit because that is the way love is produced. It's by the Spirit that was toward one another.
Don't you think, Brother Hale, that you would see a little illustration of that in Eliezer when he goes across the desert to find a bride for Abraham's son?
His name isn't even mentioned. We say Eleazar because we're quite convinced that.
As he was Abrahams elder servant and whom he had placed his his possessions, that he must have been the one, although there's no mention of his name at all and all we find Eliezer occupying Rebecca with.
Is Isaac he wasn't talking about. Now I'm Abraham's man and he's placed his authority on me. No, he says. He's put everything into the hands of this son that was born in his old age. And I'm just out for a mission to find a bride for Abraham's son. I think that's very important in this day because there's a great deal of.
Praying to the Spirit and singing to the Spirit, but we find in the Scripture that the Spirit of God always.
Occupies us with Christ. He doesn't speak of himself. We should understand the.
Coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, We should understand the work that he is doing here, and the Scripture is very clear and complete about this. But He doesn't occupy us with himself. He occupies us with Christ. And He as He leads us into truth, He exalts that blessed One who is the truth, Who is the one who. He is down in this world to gather a bride for Christ, and in when the Lord comes, He'll be the one that tells us.
He'll quicken our mortal bodies by his Spirit, who dwelleth in you. He'll, as it were, be the one who presents the bride to Christ. It's lovely to see this, but I think it is important in this day when we have so much about the Spirit. We need to see the place that the Spirit of God occupies in the truth of Christianity. When we speak of truth also in this epistle particularly, the truth is.
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Really. Christ, He is the truth. It isn't simply an accumulation of knowledge. Now Peter speaks of that same line of thing in his second epistle, knowledge, but he's not Speaking of accumulating.
Phrases or expressions. He's Speaking of knowing Christ practically in our lives down here, and I believe that's what the apostle has before him.
Here to counter what is coming in in the second chapter, where there's the breakdown that the at least the tendency of breakdown, where the mind is being taken up with things that the enemy would suggest.
Would even suggest that it's humility. But there's no humility if Christ is left out. And so it's the truth, but it's Christ.
It's a person. Not simply words, doctrines, important as they are, but it's Christ, the person that's before us here.
Speaking about fruit too, we know that fruit is produced by sunshine and rain, and it's important it says where no vision is, the people perish. We don't produce fruit by trying to, but as we are occupied with Christ, as our souls are drawn out to himself, why fruit is the natural result? So the reading of the word here and the occupation with Christ.
If it really stirs our hearts, the result will be that fruit bearing that is for His glory. And I do feel that it's so important because we can try and develop a Christian character, but the only fruit that is acceptable to God is that which is the result of communion.
The Queen of Sheba heard a great deal about Solomon and she she went to see it, but when she got there, she was overwhelmed in these presents. And that's really the point here, is it not?
When the when the spies came back from the land.
They brought back two things and I was just thinking of the 13th, the numbers. It makes it very plain there as which is before us #13.
And verse 26.
And they went out and and they went and came to Moses and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel under the wilderness of Perrin. That's like Colossians to Kadish and brought back. Now there were two things brought back Word.
Unto them.
And unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. They heard the word, and they saw the fruit. But it was in the wilderness. And so we have this in Colossians, don't we? It was the word. And that beautiful word in the four in the fifth verse of our chapter, I think connects that together. The word is before where all be heard.
Before in the word of the truth of the gospel. That is in contrast to all the philosophies that were coming in.
Paul would ever draw them back with that Word before it was what had been revealed through the Apostle, nothing to be added. And it was the Word. But the evidence was in the fruit too, wasn't it? The fruit of Christs, glorious work, and the fruit as seen in the lives of these ones, and Epifras in particular.
To notice the that the Apostle Paul uses his wise master builder as he says himself in French Corinthian chapter 3 feisty brings before them the glory of the person of the Lord Jesus.
All the fullness is in them. Have you noticed in this chapter how many time the word all in Christ occurs? The greatness of his person is white and our portion in him. And then he touches on the evil that besetter that's very significant. To see that first it brings that which is positive Christ, his glory, his beauty, his wake, and then he touches on the evil that besetter such as Ardens.
00:55:14
Philosophy.
And not holding the head, but before it brings before them the glory of the person of Christ. That's very blessed to see that.
That's the word worthy here in a different sense that we do in Thessalonians or other places here. It's worthy of the Lord, isn't it? Because it's his headship that's before us and His glory. So the believer is to walk worthy of the Lord in this tenth verse and unto all pleasing perhaps another places where they came out of a Dollar Tree and.
Is that Thessalonians? First Thessalonians they were to walk worthy of God contrast to idols. And then in Ephesians, of course, there's the contrast with the calling, the heavenly calling. They were to walk worthy of that. But here it's it's the Lord himself, but it's to all pleasing.
Now this can only be.
Following the truth that we've had in the previous verses.
Their love in the spirit was declared. I was thinking, as a brother was Speaking of that, that what kind of a report do we bring of the Saints?
What is our mind filled with as we pass?
In and out among the Saints do we bring reports of their love in the Spirit.
You know in the book of Philippians, where we have Christian experience down here brought before us. I doubt if sin is mentioned in that epistle. And yet there were things that no doubt grieved the apostle in that assembly, but the point was he was occupied there with.
What he saw in those Saints, that was of Christ, and he was encouraging them in the proclamation of the gospel, trusting that the Spirit of God would so work in their souls that these things that hindered would be set aside. And I believe that it's it's it's to no credit to ourselves to being evil reports of our brethren, but here we have the report of the.
Man. Enterprise.
Of their love in the spirit, and we have the privilege, do we not, of seeing all the Saints covered over with gold, as in the Tabernacle?
Where we find you in the ninth verse, that it was the occasion of a special prayer of the Apostles, You find much the same order in Ephesians 1, the Apostle.
Sets forth certain truths and then.
We find him in prayer.
That God would make good in their souls these truths that he had spoken out, and we find him in prayer. For this ninth verse introduces us to the prayer of the Apostle. For this 'cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that we might that he might be.
Filled with the knowledge of his will, I believe it's still full, isn't it? In the better translation, that is, if you fill a picture with water, there isn't room for anything else. You get poor and poor, but the picture is pro.
So that if one is in that state, where only the will of the Lord is his desire, well, when that excludes our own wills, which are so harmful, and turn us away from the Lord, bring so much failure into our lives, may the Lord grant that this will be true.
With us each one to be filled full with the knowledge of his will.
Then in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, because we might have a very true and sincere and real desire to do the Lords will and to walk in his ways. But we do need discernment, and sometimes we lack that discernment. Might be you who will with the truth.
01:00:08
Motive that we want to please the Lord, but we do need that discernment.
And there doesn't come, just maybe, right at the moment, but if there is quiet waiting on the Lord and getting on our knees in His presence and humbling ourselves, if we have allowed anything of our own wills to intrude.
What the Lord is seeking in connection with blessing for ourselves and for others, for then the Lord will reveal.
What is, according to his mind, so easy to miss? The large mind and times of special stress or difficulties?
The result would be in the next chapter, the where he speaks of the dangers that are coming in, that if they are acquainted with his will then they have the full assurance.
Of understanding so that they won't be trapped by these who come in with fair speeches.
But when the soul is established in the true knowledge, or the full knowledge as well as the true knowledge, then the result is full assurance of understanding, as you have in the first part of the next chapter. And that's the prayer of the apostle too, that he desires that the Saints might be in the good of this, but it's the result, isn't it? First of all, being acquainted with his will.
What is the thought in that expression?
In all unto all pleasing.
There Potter told me that pleasing the Lord and everything asked him one time.
Well, I was thinking of John, where it says, if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, and then again where we have it in Philippians 3, having Christ as the object before us. And then it says, And if in anything he be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Now that is God doesn't just make known his will to satisfy our minds so that we could say, well, I know this, I understand this.
But as we learn His will and it might become practical in our lives, and that's very searching for us because it's very easy to get knowledge. We can be thankful for the precious ministry that's available to us and all the books that we can read. But we can be filled with the knowledge of His will and yet not walk worthy of the Lord saw the two are brought together and if we desire to know His will.
That we might walk in it and that's pleasing to him. That's what we had yesterday in the 51St Psalm.
He said, withhold me with thy free spirit, or thy willing a willing spirit. I believe it is in the New Translation, and we can each be before the Lord as to how much we're willing to walk in. The truth that we know someone sad to what troubles me is not so much the things in the Bible I don't understand, but what I do understand that I might walk in it. Well, this is this is what is brought before us.
Learning His will now that we might walk not in order to have a good reputation or something, but worthy of the Lord. It's His name we bear. It's Christ who is brought before us. And in this world we are those who bear His name and have the privilege of walking in such a way to bear testimony to that worthy name by which we are called. The proof is for God, isn't it? And as he sees Christ in the believer, that's fruit.
There was a minor in the South.
Who who worked hard to?
To make a living in the mines, and he didn't have much to say. But as he passed the other miners, they said here comes Jesus. That's the way they named him, because they knew his testimony.
And it was the life that was manifested in that dear man. It wasn't so much what he said.
But it was that faithfulness. He wouldn't have any part with the things they did on the side he he lived separate from them, and so this is the name they gave him.
01:05:11
Increasing in the knowledge of God.
It isn't merely increasing in the knowledge of the Bible.
But one who is going on knowing more and more of the Lord's will.
Gets more and more to know.
God's.
Her God's mind and God's ways. God's instructions. For we have many lessons to learn in the school of God, I noticed. Brother Hill, you're looking up in the other translation. I wondered if it's the same there.
It's by increasing by the true knowledge of God.
Which is very interesting because.
We see a great deal of activity all around, but God would have us to walk according to His word. And so if there is really progress in our souls, if there is really an increase in the going on, it's probably the true knowledge of God how much we see of activity that is not according to the true knowledge of God. And souls often seeing this activity get taken up with it and they lose a great deal of the precious truth of God.
So true increases by the true knowledge of God. And I was also thinking of the middle of that verse fruitful in every good work, connecting it with the second Timothy chapter 2, That it says, if a man therefore purge himself from these, that is, from the vessels to dishonor, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the masters use, and prepared unto every good work.
Now we know that there is much good work by done by those who may be associated with things that are not according to the word of God. But if we would be prepared unto every good work, if we would be fruitful in every good work, it's by the true knowledge of God. And that is, there is a path in which we can fulfill not just part of the will of God, but all is well. The Lord Jesus walked in that path, so he could say I do always those things which please him.
Well, I believe it's very precious because we are thankful for the gospel that is preached and for the activity. But there is a path that God is marked out in His words, where we can be prepared not just to some good works, but to every good word, where there will be no restriction upon doing the full revealed will of God as He has given it to us in His word doesn't say to prepare, but this past tense, isn't it? We are prepared.
God has done that, preparing, prepared unto every good work. But I believe it's by separating. That is, a dirty dish in your home might be useful for some things because it doesn't matter whether it's clean, but it's not prepared for everything. The dish has to be clean if you're going to use it for any and every purpose. A clean dish can be used for any purpose. A dirty one might do for some things, but not for everything.
And I believe that it's a practical thing, And when it says prepared, it's connected with what goes before. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor. Now that is, he'll be separated from that which is defilements. And now he's prepared unto every good work.
The cleaning has gone before.
It is a very interesting verse in Genesis. Chapter 5, in regard to our work, speaks of our work the result of being filled with the knowledge and the wisdom of God and in understanding immediately in verse 10 about chapter six that he might walk 40 and I was thinking of the Enoch and Genesis chapter 5 and verse 24 says and enough war for God.
And he was not. I suppose this has to do with the rapture, but it's very significant. Doesn't say much of what about what the ether but that he walk regarded. This is a blessed thing, isn't it? He walked with God. How did he walk with God? Because he lived in communion with God. He lived in fellowship with God.
01:10:09
Then we get in the 11Th verse, strengthened with all might according to his glorious power. Well, we would naturally think that been such a wonderful way he speaks.
Being strengthened and in such a way as as.
According to his glorious power, that would be to do something very special, like 1 going to a heathen country and carrying the gospel.
Far into.
Country where they didn't know Christ, but notice what it says.
On to all patients and long-suffering with joyfulness. Think that we need all that glorious power to make us patience and long-suffering.
Long-suffering with our brethren off times.
Maybe with ourselves.
Good to ourselves.
And.
Not only that, but we may, you know, get under conditions.
As we see failure, but there the spirit should be kept in a happy.
Joyful state. So even when we're bearing trials, I'd be a bedridden St.
And.
To honor the Lord by just submitting to His hand in connection with.
With maybe a lifelong child.
That wanted to be joyful amid such circumstances. Run him in our little hymn group that we might not know.
What has been written about it?
It's the 84th hymn One There is above all others in the appendix. Oh, how he loves his loves beyond a brother. Oh, how he loves. Now that little hymn was written by a Miss Nun.
She wasn't a nun. Just her name was nun and she was a bedridden St.
And all other wonderful addition we have to our.
Young book was written by a sister that seemingly could do nothing for the Lord, but yet she wrote that hymn that has been so precious to our hearts.
We have being happy on the trying circumstances in Havoc Chapter 3.
And verse 17.
This seems to be a very beautiful example of that.
Having a happy spirit, in spite of trying circumstances, although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will join the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength.
That's surely a wonderful example of rejoicing and trying circumstances, everything taken away from you, so to speak. And yet we can rejoice in the Lord. I'm thinking Brother Gladding, Speaking of the two examples we have.
In the Old Testament, at least pictures that we could apply to the Saints of God today, and one is Rebecca as she passes.
From her father's house to meet Isaac, and the other is in the Song of Solomon the bride, as she goes through her experiences here.
In the one case, there's very little said of the wilderness journey and connection with Rebecca because the servant is keeping her occupied with Isaac, and so anyone who has looked at the map of that country would know it's a very torturous route.
01:15:05
To Passover to get to where Isaac was. And yet there isn't much sad of the difficulties. But in the Song of Solomon we find that the watchman has to correct.
The bride, in fact, she's beaten.
But she finally comes to the place where the daughters of Jerusalem say, what is thy beloved? More than any other beloved? Then she's awakened. Then she says he's the cheapest among 10,000. Now I suppose that most of us.
Are taken up with the last experience. But we should have the first relief. We should pass through this world with all the joy that companies occupation with Christ. And that makes the.
The trip. Pleasant, doesn't it? On our way home.
Thinking of that about patience, we think of the Apostle Paul. In 2nd Corinthians 12 he says truly the signs of an apostle were wrought in me in all patience. And I believe in contrast with that we see the case of Moses. It tells us that he lost his patience with the people of God. He spoke unadvisedly with his lips, and the Lord said because of this that he wasn't able to lead the people into the promised land.
Well, I believe in any way that we seek to help the people of God. That is the most important thing.
Now, that is, we need to have that patience. The Lord is patient with us. Oh, how patient He has been, or we wouldn't be here today. And we need to have that patience with one another. It's the only thing that will keep us going on in these last days. And so I believe that it's quite remarkable. You would have expected the signs of the apostles that he would have mentioned the mighty deeds first. But he says the signs of an apostle were wrought in all patients.
That is, the patience was that which was the emphatic thing that marked him out as one who represented God. And in Moses case, the reason the Lord spoke to him about having lost his patience with them, was the Lord said that he had failed to sanctify him in the presence of his people. That is, God was still patient with them. But when Moses lost his patience, he didn't properly represent the one whom he served, because the one whom he served was patient with them.
84 in the appendix.
All one rust bark glory by me.
And.
Colossians 1:12-29
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
General meetings, Ottawa, March 1975 Third reading meeting.
216 two 1/6.
Lord, we rejoice that Thou art gone to sit upon thy Father's throne.
Thy path of shame and suffering all my heart shall grieve and mourn no more.
Lord rejoice.
And our God.
To my life.
Shall break and bring his life, Lord, No, no, no no more.
We learn to go away in the world.
Verse 12.
Colossians Chapter One.
Verse 12.
Giving thanks unto the Father which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light.
Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom?
Of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sin.
Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature? For by him are all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers. All things are created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consent.
00:05:18
And he is the head of the body. The Church, though, is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell.
And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether there be things in earth or things in heaven.
And you there were some time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works. Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flex through death, to present you wholly and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, and which is preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereby all, and made a minister.
Who now rejoice in my suffering for you.
And Philip leverages behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is a church where have I made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God? Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now has made manifest to his Saints to whom God would make known. What is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles?
Which is Christ in you, the hope and glory, whom we preach, warming every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom.
That we may present every man perfect and bright, where under white almost all labor.
Striving according to was working, which worketh in me mightily.
In connection with this verse 12 of beloved brethren, I have often joined this this portion of the word of God.
Oh, how much we have reason to give thanks to the father for his goodness and for his love to us.
And we have three things here that they have already taken place in our life. And what a blessed.
Bless the things they are. The first one is that he has already.
Made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints and length, and I was thinking of the father, the prodigal son, the father of the prodigal son.
The older son come in, he wouldn't go in into the house, and the Father went to meet him and say, my son, it was me. He uses the same expression that we have here meat, that we should be happy and rejoice because your brother has come back. And I was thinking how the Father has prepared everything to receive the prodigal son, the best of the robe, with a speech of Christ.
That precious savior reigned in his finger.
And shoes, and his feet. And indeed it was made meek to be into the presence of the House of the Father, and seek another table. And that's what our God, and God has done for us.
And then the other thing that we see here is that we have been already translated from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son. And I believe that was the appearance of the Apostle Paul when they underway to Damasco.
There he met his glorious person of the Lord Jesus Christ, that precious Savior, the Son of God, and he was translated from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son.
And what a wonderful thing we have written to indeed to give thanks unto the Father for all that he has done for us.
It doesn't say the inherentness of the Saints in love.
But it does say the inheritance of the Saints in light, because light exposes everything that is contrary to the nature of God.
00:10:04
And what a marvelous thing that is when we think we're sinners, when we think what we are by nature and by practice.
To think that.
We have been made, as you see, to be partakers of this inheritance.
Where everything is in the light of God's presence and nothing that is unholy.
Is is permitted or could be there?
Oh, it reminds us again of what we should be reminded of.
And that is what it cost God in order that we might be in that place. Because God as a judge had to had to punish his Son for everything that is contrary to his nature. And it has been all judged in such a way that now we can be at perfect ease in the fully presence of a righteous God.
And enjoy His presence and be happy and our hearts filled with delight.
And as her brother said, we should have hearts overflowing with Thanksgiving.
To our father for bringing us into such a place.
Would you say that the thief on the cross was meat for that place?
Indeed, he was, brother.
Van Dean But isn't it wonderful too that we're meet down here? It isn't merely a subject of when we get to glory. Of course we know then that nothing can enter that scene that is unholy, contrary to God's nature, but even at this present time.
Were brought into that inheritance, where everything is manifested in the light of God's holiness, and His presence were there now.
I was thinking of how the subject of the Kingdom goes along with this truth of the light, because there's a sense in which we are in the Kingdom, as it says here in the Kingdom of his dear son, that is, as long as we're here in this world.
And that's the subject of Colossians. The hope is laid up for us there, but as long as we're here, we're in the place, shall we say, of authority in that sense. Now the authority of darkness is passed, as far as we're concerned, but we're translated into the Kingdom of his dear son and in the light. And so that the believer now really is in the light. That's his position.
And that's true Christianity. To see that we are in the light, we can't get out of it, and it exposes all of our ways. But sometimes we're not conscious of this. And that's what the spirit of God would bring before us. Is it not that we are in a place still, as long as we're here, in this world where the light has its effect on our ways and because of what we are and what we do. But the day is coming, of course, when all will be perfect.
But as long as we're here, there's a sense in which we're in the Kingdom.
Thing that is very blessed to see in these three verses.
Are the wondrous fact that the Trinity.
Has voice for our blessing, for our eternal blessing. The Father gave the Son.
The Son gave himself that on the cross of Calvary, in whom he had redemption and the Spirit of a God that made these things good to our heart. I believe we have the three person here.
So we have light and darkness brought together here in the next verse, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness?
Oh, what an awful condition it was, because that's where the ungodly world lies under the power of Satan in darkness. No lighter thought of daughter his claims.
And on our way to eternal darkness, where we'll be shut out from His Presence for all eternity.
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And there's power there. It holds captives. Those that are under the under Satan's domain. But we have been so completely delivered that he uses the word have translated us.
And to the Kingdom of the Son of.
His dear Son or the Son of his love? Well, when we think of the word translated, we usually think of when the Lord comes in the air like Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him. Well, when the Lord comes in the air, all the redeemed will be translated and be with the Lord and the Father's house.
But we're looking at a present subject, and as far as the darkness of Satan's realness concern, we've been delivered from it, that that isn't all we've been translated.
Into a new sphere called the Kingdom here.
Now the Spirit of God could have used the word Christ.
The Lord.
The Lord Jesus.
Oh, names are true, and we delight in, but it seems to me that the Spirit of God delighted in expressing a thought here that touches the chords of our hearts, that is, into the Kingdom of the Son of His love.
What more wonderful position could we occupy than to be in a place like that, where everything is characterized by the delight that God the Father has in His beloved Son, who has done all His will?
And so now is seated at his right hand.
That this is our present possession, isn't it? All this is the place that we have been brought into. We've fitted for it already. We've already been delivered and translated, and the cost of the redemption by which we have the forgiveness of sins. I was thinking too, when it speaks here about walking worthy of the Lord and being fruitful in every good work.
In the 10th verse we see these three things brought before us, first of all, patience or endurance, and then long-suffering and then thankfulness. How we see the very opposite of this and the kingdoms of this world. And there's no patience man, or just impatient, want everything all at once. But the Christian has been called into all this blessedness, and he patiently waits because he knows.
And at the moment is coming when we're going to be brought into this wonderful place, but it's all ours now in possession. And then there's much to endure as we go through this world. We have to learn long-suffering, and not just long-suffering in a stoical way. But isn't this lovely long-suffering with joyfulness now? That is to be able to endure from day-to-day, as many of the martyrs did? There were really triumphs when they were persecuted and put to death, for Christ's sake.
Well we may not be called upon to endure just that, but there are many provocations in a world like this and to go on with long-suffering, with joyfulness, showing the spirit that we're above it in our souls. Then the world is full of grumbling. We see that was Israels particular snare. They were always murmuring, murmuring because things didn't just work out the way they would like them to have worked out.
As they passed on their way to the Promised Land. How about Isn't this lovely, though it characterizes the Christian ought to be thankfulness, thankfulness and all. How much we have to be thankful for. We can surely count our blessings. And the spirit of God enumerates these things. I believe there are four here that are sold beautifully, brought before us. We're fit for that glorious scene. We've already been delivered from all.
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Darkness that fills this dark scene.
And were as the Lord Jesus said, as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you.
Were in the Kingdom of the Son of His love, bound up in the same bundle of light, and then till the wonderful cost, we have a redemption, the forgiveness of sins, through his precious blood. Oh, surely we possess these things. We have so much to be thankful for.
I say our lives ought to be a contrast to what the world is like. They lack patience. The world doesn't know what it is to go through things with long-suffering and joyfulness, and they don't have that spirit of thankfulness. It's the character of the age, unthankful, unholy. Who may the Lord give us as we enter into all these wonderful things that are ours?
Characterized by these things.
Those three children in the book of Daniel who went into the fiery furnace.
In connection with this expression strengthened, it should read with the might of his glory. I believe it is and all they had to say. To the king, who was a monarch over all kingdoms, it looked as though he were really to be feared, and he was really, in a sense. But they they said we're not careful to answer thee in this matter, and they were strengthened in using the type according to the might of his glory.
They look beyond that King Nebuchadnezzar, and all they saw was God and the power that had placed them there for a testimony. Now to me, that's what we have here. The believers should look beyond the circumstances.
The big wall that's in front of us and realize that that God has placed us in a position and he wants us to carry out the work He's given us to do.
And the obstacles will be removed if there's real faith like it was for those three. Perhaps not miracles like it was in those days, but still the same power of his glory that is the believer now taken up with the glory of the person of Christ. And we can't fail, can we, then?
Interesting, too. It is not that the expression, the power of darkness, is used in connection with the sufferings that the Lord Jesus endured. This is your hour and the power of darkness, the same expression that's used here. In other words, I believe it's right to say that although we were in that power, under that power God did not simply reach out His mighty arm and and rescue us from it.
The Lord Jesus himself went into that very experience, did he not? This is your hour and the power of darkness. I'm sure that none of us can fathom what that really means. But when we realize that our deliverance rests upon the fact that God did not simply reach into that and **** us out, but that the Lord Jesus went into it himself, and thereby we have been delivered, it should make us appreciate the deliverance that much more.
It is what we have in Ephesians chapter 5. The apostle said to the Ephesians Saints, For ye were sometimes darkness.
He didn't say he was sometimes in the dark, but darkness itself.
But now I enlightened Lord. Well, now here comes the responsibility.
Walk as Children of Light.
Manifest the fact that you have been delivered from the power of darkness.
And then the next part for the Atlantic should read for the fruit of the light instead of the fruit of the Spirit is on all goodness and righteousness and truth that the truth that is the result of.
Walking in this light that we're brought into, indeed, it's a positive thing that we have been delivered. We've been from the power of darkness. We're now in the light, but we're to bear the very fruit that belongs to that light. That is the very character and nature of God.
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To the Lord Jesus when he walked here upon the earth, his very presence calls that though his enemy to hate him because he revealed what wasn't their heart. Don't you think so, brother?
I really should, in following this subject, should observe.
That when we come to the 13th verse where it speaks of the Kingdom of the Son of his love.
From that verse on, the whole subject is taken up with the glorious of the person of the sum of his love.
So it gives his headship in creation. He gives his headship in connection with the body of Christ.
Everything from there on is to exhort that one who is the son of God's love.
Now that in verse 15 he pauses after telling us about these three blessings, he pauses now and he says I'm going to introduce you to the person.
In verse 15, from whom you have received these blessings, he says, Who is the image of the invisible God?
The first born of every creature.
Then after that he continues with the blessings that we have peace with God, we reconcile, so on.
14th verse Of course we have the foundation of all of those blessings and the foundation of the position he takes in the following verses, do we not? Because it's it was through His Precious Blood. The Spirit of God doesn't enlarge on it, but it brings it in here to show the foundation of all the blessings.
And this is the important point in this chapter, isn't it? That the Lord Jesus has laid that that eternal foundation through his work to calibrate. He's paid, He's paid the price. And we have redemption and then we have forgiveness of sins. And when you think of the authority of darkness or power of darkness, the forgiveness of sin suggests to us the deliverance. Because redemption, you know.
Has more than one thought to it?
I don't know all about it, but I do do think of two things others may add to this, but I believe redemption speaks of being bought back.
But it also, as we have here, speaks of being set free.
I'm sure there's more to it, but we have these two thoughts at least that we have been bought back with a price and it's His precious Blood. But then redemption also speaks of being set free, which we have in the forgiveness of sins.
To think that there's not one charge laid against us forever. And so this is the position not only that the believer is in now, but also the groundwork upon which the Lord Jesus is seen in authority over all other authorities in the following verses. And so that word power is sometimes translated here. Authority of darkness because.
That's the authority that was over us at one time. But it's no longer over us. We're not under that authority. It is possible for a believer to fail, but we're not under that authority any longer. We're in the light and we're under another authority. And now the Spirit of God is to open us to us here, that authority that we are under. And it's in light, and it's in the Kingdom of the Son of His love. And the emphasis is.
More, isn't it, on the person?
Of Christ rather than the work in his blood is in Ephesians proper, but not here because it's it's more the the the person of Christ that is the object here. We have redemption and forgiveness of sins through that blessed person.
Part I just going to say it's just brought in by the way to show us the foundation, isn't it? Well it really isn't there in the winter. The blood isn't brought in in that verse. The 14th verse you have to go to the 21St where the the blood of Christ has it's it's important place of having made peace through the blood of his cross.
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In that verse, but you will notice.
Better translation way. It's not there because as brother Barry says, the.
Spirit of God is occupying us not so much with the work, but He's occupying us with a person. There was a question I wanted to ask. I don't know if I'm right or not, but you have here who is the image of the invisible God? Now we know that when God created man, as you get in the first chapter of Genesis, he created him in the image.
And the likeness of God. But you only get the image here because you couldn't say that he was created, that he was in the lack of because he was God now is is that statement right?
Ah, sure, it's true, but he was the one. We often sing the little ham. Thou was the image in man's lowly guys. He was the one who perfectly represented God. Down here, Likeness rather brings in the thought of what is moral, doesn't it? And as you said, he's God. How could that be brought in? But down here in this world, he was the one. He could say He that has seen me, has seen the Father. So he was a perfect representative revelation of God here in this world.
But with us the thought of likeness comes in, because we were very unlike him, and now that is produced in us now. And the Newman is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. And then also likeness is restored in us. That godliness is God likeness.
So this refers to John 118. No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten son witches and the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. How do we know the Father but through the Son?
I also I think it's important to notice this expression the first born of every creature, because this is used wrongly as many might have heard by those who teach that the Lord Jesus had a beginning. And they also use the verse in Revelation where it speaks of him as being the beginning of the creation of God, about the position of first born as a position that the Lord Jesus has taken in association with creation.
The Father has given him that place. If he associates himself with the creation, it can't be in anything else but in the 1St place. So it tells us in the Psalms I will make him my first born higher than the kings of the earth. And so if he comes into association with this created universe, he must take its place at its head and the whole of the first creation has failed. How about there is one who takes his place as the beginning of new creation, that is the Lord Jesus.
And so those verses have nothing to do with him ever having a beginning. John one makes that very clear. In the beginning was the word doesn't say that he had a beginning, but in the beginning was Think of anything that had a beginning at that time He was. But when we think of him associating himself with that which has been created, he was the one who made all things and takes his place in that creation as its head.
Placed there and given that place of honor by the Father and the beginning of a new creation.
Now that will not be spoiled by sin. I was just looking at that verse brother Hey ho in the 89th Psalm.
Psalm 89 and verse 27 the verse you referred to.
Also, I will make him my first born higher than the kings of the earth. Glorious thought, there, isn't it?
16 confirms that because the spirit of a God then says, for by him were all things created.
That are in heaven.
And that are in earth visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones, or Germanian, or principality or power, All things were created by him, and for him This is the eternal God, the Creator.
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As the place that he has taken in creation, the preeminence, as you say, is He has because he is God.
Because he is the creator.
There's quite a difference. There is the not between this and what we have in 2nd Corinthians 517. The new creation is always spoken of as in him. In this verse. It says it's created by him and for him. But the new creation, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. It's always in him, isn't it?
Rather, Norman Barry, I believe that we sort of flipped over that 14th verse a little bit. Would you? Your thought was was right and I am sorry I interrupted it, but I think it'd be nice if you made it clear for some of us.
On that 14th verse.
12 I believe that.
The this whole portion is more the bringing the forest the headship both in creation and in redemption. As we see the the two positions is Lord by right of of creation and he's lured by right of redemption. But the whole emphasis is on the person of Christ and the soul. It's not so much his his work.
There through the blood. But it is in whom that which that person that has been brought before us in the 13th, 1St, who has delivered us in whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins. It's the whole thing points to that glorious person that is before you gather from what we have been going over that first born.
Has the thought of preeminence. Now I know I'm repeating what has been said in connection with what you get in the 89 S and I will make him my first born higher than the kings of the earth. If it's David, we know that he was the youngest son of Jesse. In fact, he had seven sons older, and yet he was made the first born.
Given that place, and all through the Old Testament, the place of first born was a place of not only dignity but had to do with privileges and the promises of God, like Jacob coveted that place of first born.
So he he bought away from Esau.
Properly belong to him, and Isaac in the end had to own it. For for Jacob was the one that God had purpose, that he should be the the the vessel through whom all his promises would be realized.
And that's that's important, isn't it? As you said, Brother Hale, to get that prayer as to that evil doctrine that Christ was a created being, He is the creator, not a creature, but the creator.
And doesn't that verse properly read?
The first born of all creation. Isn't that the correct translation?
Of all creation, and it's very significant. At the end of a verse 18 in connection with the glory of his person, it brings that tote in the end of verse 18 that in all he might have the preeminence. So that's questionable. Preeminence is not the question that was a creature, but in all these things it was to have the preeminence. What a savior we have, beloved brethren. It's very clear to in John chapter one where it says.
And without him was not anything made that was made, so he couldn't be a created being, when the Scripture makes that very clear in John 1 Without him was not anything made that was made.
Have you noticed that this portion of the word of God, when it brings the fullness of the person of Christ, the greatness of his person and of his glory, how many times he uses the word a double L in connection with a person of Christ?
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In verse 16 says all things created by him and then at the end of the verse all things were created by him.
And for him, And then again in 17, And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And then on verse 18 He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead, That in all things he might have the preeminence, and that He pleased the Father. That in him should dwell all fullness over a wonderful Savior we have.
There's two headships here. In fact, you have 3 double s, you have two head shifts, you have two reconciliations, and you have two ministries as you go on in the subject.
It's very beautiful to notice that.
Speaking reverently, God had to have the creatures with a state that was conformable to his own presence. He had to give speak. I speak irreverently. I trust he had to give us a nature that was consistent with his own.
For us to be in heaven and this we have in these verses that we have just been considering. But then there's a sweet and glorious fact that he didn't have to bring us into the relationship. And this we find now as headship of the church. I think it's beautiful, isn't it, that it goes on from the position into the relationship now to be the very bride of Christ. What a wonderful thing. And so we find that they're leading on into the 18th verse.
The headship of the church.
Connection with those 3 double S2 That you mentioned by should go on and mention them brother Barry so that we get them clear.
Well, we have the two headships. First is headship in creation, and then we have his being head of the body, the church.
And then in connection with reconciliation, we have in the 20th verse.
To by him to reconcile all things unto himself. It's really itself that's the Godhead. And then he says in the 21St verse. Now here are responsible beings, and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works. Yet now has he reconciled, That is, we were at enmity with God.
But we have been reconciled by the death of his son and then going on as to the two ministries.
In the 23rd verse, he says.
I have to go down in the verse and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven. Where have I Paul and made a minister, That is, Paul was the minister of a gospel that was.
As adapted to the need of every Sinner the world owes.
Whether no matter what race or nationality you might be, no matter what his condition might have been or his sinfulness might be.
Paul had a gospel that was suited for every Sinner in the whole world over. And then you read on.
Then in the 25th verse, where else? Wherever made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you.
To read that complete the word of God, even the mystery which has been hid from ages and generations. Now we're not going into all this as I go over it, but just as Brother Hale has asked me to give, I judge he meant an outline. That is, he is. He's headed in creation. He's head of the body of the church. He's going to reconcile.
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All things, that is, all creation.
Which is now been defiled by the presence of Satan. All that is to be reconciled and then sinners are reconciled.
Now they were enemies in their minds, knowing that there was guilt there. And then the three, the two ministries, the ministry of the gospel, and lastly the ministry.
And it has to do with the mystery of the church. Especially here the character of the ministry is a little different from Ephesians. Is Christ in you the hope of glory? But we'll get to that as we if we continue our subject.
Reconciliation here, then, is with the heaven and the earth, not, as we have in Philippians, the the.
Infernal regions. So this teaching that a man would like to have that all men will be saved, is not correct. And yet there will be reconciliation for heaven and earth, and there will be men who will live on earth forever, and there will be men who will live in heaven forever.
And it's the result of the work of Christ, and he's the head over this.
Philippians There it tells us that every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Then it mentions things under the earth are infernal beings. So all the lost and all the demons and Satan himself will all have to bow the knee and acknowledge Jesus as Lord, but they will never be reconciled. But here when it's talking of reconciliation, it's things in heaven and things in earth.
And Satan will be banished forever from the presence of God. Now he appears in the presence of God as the accuser. He carries on his work in this world, as it tells us in Job walking up and down in it, He won't be able to enter that new creation.
Everything in new creation will be suited to the mind and character of God, for that's what reconciliation is now. That is when everything is suited to God's mind and God's character in holiness and love. Then we'll have the reconciliation of all things, but that is the eternal state. What God is doing now is reconciling sinners to himself, but we don't see the removal of the results of sin and will not.
Until there's a new heaven, a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
That connection to see that verse that applies directly to us, you have.
Reconcile. And he reminds us, of course, where we were, you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind, because it's the mind that's in question here in the next chapter. These leading to man's mind is interfering in the things of God.
But now he says you are reconciled. It's lovely to see this added. He is reconciling heaven and earth, but he brings it down personally to us. You have be reconciled. We shouldn't bypass those. Is being head of the body the church? Who is the 18th, 1St Who is the beginning? The first born from the dead.
Now that's important now. Christ became the head of all creation at His birth, didn't he? When He was born into the very creation that He created himself, then He became the head of the whole created scene. But when it comes to his headship of the Church, then it's in resurrection when he rose from the dead having defeated.
Satan and all his power. Now he becomes the head of the body, the church. It's something like Adam. Adam went down to asleep like a sleep of death and out of his side was taken a rib of which God builded the woman and we have.
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In that figure you see the the church brought in of which Adam, which Allen was.
Like the head in connection with the man and the woman. The man is head of the woman, so Christ is head of the Church.
The same tote that our brothers already mentioned in Revelation chapter 3.
In which he speak unto the people to the Church of Laodicea, he.
He says that he is the fatal and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. This has to do with resurrection, actually the beginning of the creation of God as in connection with a new creation, isn't it?
The second headship here has to do with his It is his work, does it not? In redemption, that is, he's the one who has accomplished this.
In coming down into this world to put away sin.
What is the comfort of our hearts? Because we see what's going on in the world and men's driving for mastery. We see things getting worse and worse. But faith looks up and sees that there is one who is the head of not only of principalities and powers, but head of the body, the church. And what a glorious time it will be. As the little hymn puts it nicely, thou shalt to wandering worlds display that we with the are one, so the one who is the bridegroom of the Church.
Is the one who created all things, who by whom all things consist. And the marvelous part is that he has not only this power and greatness, but as our brother Barry mentioned, he has associated with himself in love. Now those who are the objects of those divine affections, to share that place with him. Oh, how lovely to see the glory of that person brought before us.
Well, the Colossians were losing the sense of the headship of Christ, So it was very important that that should be insisted on in this epistle. And when you get to the second chapter where they were bringing in various imaginary beings and giving them a place alongside with Christ, he has this to say in the 19 first of the next chapter.
And not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and yet together increases with the increase of God. So isn't there, brethren, a practical thought in connection with the headship of Christ? In connection with our assembly meetings you take denomination.
Well, it's an organization.
And they hire a preacher, and he is in charge of that congregation. He's their pastor. He's their preacher. Well, that whole principle is entirely contrary to God's thoughts about the church, because the church is not an organization. The church is an Organism. That is, it's a living body and the body that has a head.
And the head is the glorified Christ. So when we meet together in an assembly meeting as we did this morning.
We were privileged, though, in much weakness.
Till be holding the head.
And I think this is important, brother, that we see that we're not like some who say they're waiting for the spirit to move them.
Make everything of the Spirit well. If I believe we're in communion, we'll be occupied with the person of Christ, and then he who is the head directs by the Spirit to the members.
The hymns that are given out and the praise that is offered is really directed by the head, the Spirit of God who dwells in US, being the vehicle through which the head directs in connection with the the praise, or at the prayer meeting where we are there waiting on the Lord, the the the Lord directs again.
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By the Spirit has two subjects. As to another way we should be before the Lord about we should be praying for.
I'd like to make a remark in connection with that as to Peter in the 9th chapter of Mark and Luke, both on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Peter went to sleep.
At the time of the glory and.
He he wanted to make 3 Tabernacles.
He lost his sense of the glory of the person who was there. Now it's been sad, you know?
That Peter went to sleep.
In the garden now I know in matter of time. It was later.
But in moral issues, it's not a question of time, it's a question of the principles involved. And so the comment was made that if we are asleep as to the sufferings of Christ, we will be asleep as to the glories of Christ and we're liable any of us.
To make 3 tabernacles. Now this may seem strong, but when you think of John in the Book of Revelation falling down to that Angel, well.
After all, you know, we need to be preserved every moment and we need to get back to the cross, to the work of Christ. And this alone will keep us in communion. And if this is true with us, there will be a proper sense of the glories of Christ.
Otherwise they won't, I think.
Perhaps commend Peter though one thing in connection with that he said let us make 3 tabernacles. He didn't say one for Peter. The first name he mentioned was one for Z. He put the Lord first. So we mustn't be too hard on poor Peter. I know he made a mistake because he's putting the Lord on the same level as the Lord and the prophets wasn't he?
Isn't it lovely, though, that when he was awake he saw his glory, and the Lord awakened him in time to see some of the glory, and he speaks of this in his ministry in the second epistle, the excellent glory, he said.
Speaking about.
Ink and chameleon with so that the Spirit of God can make use of.
The thoughts of Christ are exalting him. I had a real rebuke as a young man from Brother Potter we were having. We were going to have an all day meeting the effort Mora MN.
And the night before we had a prayer meeting and I prayed that we might be in the attitude of worship. Brother Potter came to me after the meeting. He says armed said when are you going to stop praying to be in an attitude of worship? I said what should I pray for the Potter? He said, you pray that you may be occupied with Christ and you will be in an attitude of worship.
Isn't that important? Instead of thinking the Spirit of God is suddenly going to fill us with spiritual thoughts, let's be occupied with Christ at the during the week and in the morning, and in the time when we're in His presence, the occupied with Him. And then then the Spirit of God directs by the head, so that there is that to worship that student. Yeah.
Go ahead, darling.
I was thinking over that very precious verse in the Gospel of John, chapter 16 and verse 14, in which the Lord promised He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of me mine, and shall show unto you. So it is ever the papers of the Spirit of God to give us to be occupied with a person of Christ. Beloved brethren, unless there is failure, then the Spirit of God will make us determine words, and judge that which is not pleasing to him.
But I say with the purpose of a God. We believe that the Spirit of a God is to be engaged with a person of the Lord Jesus, just like the servant of Abraham, as he went along to the desert with Rebecca. It was the papers of the servant to have Rebecca to be occupied with Isaac.
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And it's very significant that as soon as she saw Isaac, she lighted around from the from the donkey or the the Campbell. And there she was, she was brought to Isaac. So that's very blessed, isn't he? Oh, what a wonderful thing is to be occupied with a person of Christ. It is there with the papers of the spirit of a God to bring us Christ before us. Jay. And Darby translation says that she sprang from the camel.
So that's what's going to happen. When we see, when we hear the shout, we're going to spring, the brother Coley used to say. We're not going to go down, but we're going to go up. The moment we see him. We're not going to come down, but we're going to go up.
Is a better translation for the 19th verse of our chapter, you see.
Some of the words are in italics, basically the Father, I believe the right translation that it pleased really is the dog head that in him should all fullness dwell. That is it please God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
That Christ as man should have the preeminence in all things.
Is that the similar thought of the ninth verse of the next chapter Brother Berry, and the next chapter in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily? Is this similar thought or is there well Brother Brown used to say that that verse in the second chapter, ninth verse?
That it's the only place where you get properly the dog head. And the remarkable thing about that verse is this, that when the subject of the Godhead is brought before us, it's in connection with Christ.
Showing how truly little man he was, one of the persons of the Godhead.
And that of course, that first shows that in him as man well, with all the fullness of the Godhead, so the Lord could say the.
Thinking of where he said.
That he did his miracles by the direction of the Father. I can't think of versus maybe someone can and a cast out devils by the spirit of God. Can you think of any verse that gives it more definitely than that sort of a God I think by the finger of God well that's very blessed to now beloved bread and that deep that precious Savior. The one who has done so much for us while he was walking through the land of a Palestine.
And saying that the fox have whole and the bird over the air have a nest were to lay their head. And the son of a man had not to lay way to ladies hide. Yet in that very particular time, in that very moment, all the goodness of the the godhead, the fullness of the Godhead, was threatened in him. But a marvelous thing that is what a save you we have, brother.
I think it's important too. They asked questions. Show us the Father, and it suffice with us. And His answer was he that hath seen me has seen the Father. And so I believe, when we get to the Father's house, the one in whom all the fullness of the Godhead is pleased to dwell is the one upon whose altogether lovely face will gaze, and there will see all what the Father is told out. We'll see how the Spirit of God delights forever. For the Spirit will dwell with us forever to attract our attention to that blessed One.
And so it was pleasing as I believe the word. It was pleasing to that all the fullness of the Godhead should dwell in him. So what a scene it will be when we gaze upon that one who has fully revealed the Father, and of whom the Spirit of God delights to occupy us. There's a real man in the glory, though, and I believe is our brother. Very remarked before, was an answer to their making.
Gnosticism. That sort of making a hysterical and mysterious.
Figure out of the Lord He's a real man. He's there as a glorified man at God's right hand, and we're going to see him as such, the head of new creation, another day.
01:05:09
Isn't that connected right on with that the end of the previous verse?
The preeminence that in all things he might have. The preeminence. Why, it's the exaltation of Christ, and yet not without the full joy of the Godhead.
The system that has used it to deny that there are actually three persons, but we must ever remember that there are the three persons. And so we have revealed in the Scripture the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And that's why Christian baptism is in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, because Christianity reveals God in Trinity. He was not revealed in that way in the Old Testament, but he was made known in the sun and will be for all eternity as a glorified man at God's right hand.
Although they were scriptures that were sufficient to show that there were the the persons, in fact it's in the plural, isn't it? Let us make man after our image and our likeness, and then hast thou known his Son in the 30th chapter of Proverbs? And then by his Spirit, where the heavens garnished so.
There was plenty of scriptures, but as you say.
There was no clear, definite, distinct revelation of the three persons until at the Lord Baptism, and then.
The heavens were opened and we see the Spirit of God coming down in dev like form. There was a lowly man, God's Son here. And then the voice of the Father says this is my beloved Son.
So in Israel's history, their testimony of the Lord thy God is 1 Lord. Amid all the nations that had numerous dots, there was one nation that God separated to maintain the testimony of the one God. Well, we know how they failed and how they fell into the idolatry of the of the nations.
And yet that was what God insisted on. And when they departed from it were then, then it led to God's government upon them. But now, as you say in Christianity, it's not only that there's one God, but there's three persons in the Godhead. And in the our baptism we have put upon us, the one who is baptized has those three names put upon him.
Pardon me for going back a little bit, but Brother Harry you mentioned in the 20th verse about by him to reconcile all things unto himself and you you mentioned that that would be an eternal state but would that be a distinction from the 8th of Romans where the in the 21St verse it says.
That's Romans 821, because the creature itself.
Also shall be delivered from the ******* of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation grown us, and travaileth and pain until now, and not only they but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit.
Even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to with the redemption of our body. Would you say that there's a difference between those reconciliations, one in the Millennium and one in the eternal state? Or did you mean that it is only in the eternal state? Well, I don't believe the reconciliation of all things takes place till the eternal state, but the Millennium is the introduction to it, so to speak, and so.
Righteousness reigns in the Millennium and evil is put down. Anything that is not according to God's character is judged, but still it does appear and has to be judged. But it will never appear in the eternal state, so that the Millennium will display the beginning of it when God, as it were, sets, deals with everything. That's a hindrance, but it's just like the reign of David was the introduction to a reign of peace under Solomon.
01:10:01
And so David, as the warrior king, put down all his enemies. Solomon reigned in peace.
Then that's the introduction, as it were, to the eternal state. The Lord reigns. And it says in the 15th chapter of First Corinthians he must reign till he have put all things under his feet.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Well, that's not destroyed until the Millennium is over.
It's not until the judgment at the end of the Millennium and the judgment of the Great White Throne takes place, then everything is removed. That is contrary to the mind and character of God, and that is the results of the result of sin. It's lovely now, though, that the ministry that we have is the ministry of reconciliation, and we're enjoying that this morning and reading at our home how lovely it is that we have that privilege now.
Of presenting to the world the ministry of reconciliation, Satan has persuaded man that God is against him.
That God wants to punish him, and that God is the one who has brought in all this misery.
Well, there's another wonderful thing that we have the privilege of going to the world and saying no. God has thoughts of love and of grace. God wants to bless and indeed, brethren. I believe that's the force of the blood coming in here in this 20th verse. And having made peace through the blood, it doesn't just say the blood, but the blood of his cross. What There are different aspects to the death of Christ, And so when we speak of the death of Christ.
It has to do with the end of what we were in nature. But when it speaks of the cross, it's rather the shame side. It's what the world gave to him. They not only put him to death, but they put him on a cross. Supposing we'll say that this country sent an ambassador.
And another country not only put him to death, but gave him the most shameful death possible. Would that promote peace? Would that bring about peace? Oh, you say? It would probably bring about a state of war. But this world gave to our blessed Savior the most shameful death it was possible to give. And what did God do? He said. Well, you've done that. You've shown your enmity. But I have turned that very occasion into a place where I can show up what's in my heart.
And where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, and the fruit of what took place there at Calvary, where man showed all his enmity in putting the Son of God upon a cross.
And being guilty of shedding his blood, God looks upon that blood. And it's not like the blood of Abel had called for vengeance. The blood of Christ calls for better things. It calls for blessing. And so we can go to the center and say God has found a way by which he can bless in spite of all man's enmity and hatred. And so the ministry that we carry to this world, and we should never forget it, is the ministry of reconciliation.
We must let sinners know not only what their state is, but what God feels toward them and what He's done for them in spite of it.
Berries. Would you connect this 821 Romans 821 with Luke 2?
And verse 7.
Says there. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a Manger. He was born in the stable of an inn. And so the creature itself was brought in blessing, not in the salvation, but the creature itself is going to be brought in a blessing that this blessed One, who is going to bring The blessing, was born in the stable of an inn where the creatures were.
Opposed, perhaps, that the 24th Psalm might be a little picture of this coming reconciliation that you've been Speaking of. To me it's very, very beautiful that it says there the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof the world, and they the dweller in for he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. This is the way the world was when the order of creation began. In Genesis he looked down upon a scene of darkness.
And seas and floods, they brought order out of it. And we see this being repeated today. We see this darkness increasing. We see these floods are rising.
But we can take courage and comfort by the fact that he who did it in the 1St place has pledged to do it again. He's going to establish a Kingdom of order and peace upon the for in spite of, if you wish, the very seas and floods. But in the last part of the Psalm seemed to tell us how, and I believe it goes along with what has been said about the reign of David followed by the reign of Solomon.
01:15:16
Lift up your head, though ye gates even be Lift up the everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. And then it seems to be repeated over again. But there's a difference.
It says again, lift up your head, though ye gates even be lift up the everlasting doors and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory. There is no need to repeat the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Let's all completed that. All finished. He has come forth as the one who is able to take care of these situations. And now he's able to reign in peace. And that's what lies ahead for this world seems to me in the end of the 23rd I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
And all we think, this is so wonderful. And the Lord says, now, would you like to know what I'm going to do in this world after you're gone? And he proceeds to tell us, it seems to me so beautiful in the end of that song that we see how he is going to bring about this final reconciliation. I think it's very important for all of us to get this, this point that the two reconciliations that we have been speaking about, they're both, as it were, based on the blood of Christ.
Both of them. But how wonderful for us all to realize this afternoon that that reconciliation that our brother Heyho has just mentioned and enunciated a bit is that it is a complete and a perfect reconciliation. Everything is going to be put down in that eternal state that is the reconciliation of every believer has right now.
I was wondering if we wouldn't have time to.
Just take something of the ministries that.
The first ministry, as we said, is the gospel to every creature under heaven.
Where Paul says I made a minister.
But in the 21St, 1St, 24th, 1St who we now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind how the afflictions or sufferings of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the Church.
Well, wherever I made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which has given me for you to fulfill, and I'll read that complete the word of God.
There's something important in that.
Anyone comes to you and says, oh, I've got a new revelation. You can say you're a false teacher, false prophet, because the word of God is complete.
Now when Paul brought out the mystery of the Church, that Christ was not only to have the highest rate in preeminence, both in connection with creation and and the Church, but when he brought in this subject of the mystery.
Why he completed the Word of God, you say, if it wasn't revelation written after Paul's writings?
But it doesn't give us a subject.
That goes beyond what we have in the mystery of the church. That was God's highest and most glorious thought. And when he brings in that subject, why then the whole plan of God is complete, and there's nothing more to add to His word that is in that sense as to the subjects belonging to His revelation.
Those two men, we go out and preach the gospel, a ministry of reconciliation, a wonderful message that we heard last night and the night before by which sinners can be saved and brought from darkness to light and know the forgiveness of sins, but then to be brought on into the knowledge of the place that were brought into. It's not only what were delivered from, but just to think that we're not only saved from coming judgment.
01:20:04
But now brought in as members of the body of Christ, and I believe when Paul says there in that 24th verse.
Fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church.
We're told in Romans that the Lord Jesus was the minister of the circumcision to confirm the promises made unto the fathers, and so he suffered. Israel rejected him as the one who had come to do that blessed work that would bring about the fulfillment of all those promises.
And he suffered from that nation, he said. I'm not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. But Paul had the privilege of, shall I say, revealing this secret that was in the heart of Christ, in regard to the bringing in of the Gentile this wonderful truth of the Church.
And he spoke of having of suffering and bringing out that message. Now of course, the Lord Jesus is the only one who suffered in atonement, and there is absolutely no thought in that 24th verse of Paul in any way suffering in atonement. Now that work was completed by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. How about it, as I say, in the bringing out of the blessings of Israel and what they did to him?
He suffered as the Minister of the Circumcision to confirm the promises made unto the Father.
But Paul suffered as he brought out this blessed and glorious truth of the church.
And we find that it was rejected by that nation of Israel that was rejected by the Gentile. And it's the same today. If we preach the gospel, we don't have to suffer in the same way as bringing out the blessed truth of the church, because it's this company that is separated from the world.
And fitted for heavenly glory to be brought into an association with Christ. The world, in a measure at least will accept that which brings some improvement to the condition of things. Here about the preaching of the truth that those who are saved are no longer part of this world, that they belong to heaven. They see this world is under judgment, and are just waiting for Christ to come and give the shout and take us up there.
Now that will always bring suffering and rejection. Paul suffered in bringing out that truth.
Well, he says here.
Who in the 27th verse, to whom God would make known what is the richest of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, That is, it was so contrary to the thoughts of the Old Testament Saints, where even the disciples.
They said, Lord, will thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?
The whole mind and thought was that he was going to come and set up a Kingdom and everything would be brought into order and Israel would be in their land and all nations coming up to Jerusalem.
Well, the mystery or secret is this. That instead of the kind of a Kingdom that was the hope of the Old Testament Saints, why, it's Christ in glory now, and he's in his own down here in this world. They don't see him. He is invisible in this world today, but he's in dwelling in those that are his, and it's been specially in connection with the Gentiles, isn't it?
Because this was a assembly there at Colossae, which was, I suppose, largely composed of Gentile believers.
The Jew was happy to accept the fact that he would be the center of blessing and the Gentile would be blessed through the Jews, but he couldn't accept the fact that he was going to be blessed from God equally with the with the Gentiles.
And that was their approach when that Paul was preaching.
Open Mtg.
Open—G. Hayhoe, C. Lunden, W. Smith
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General meetings, Ottawa, March 1975 Open meeting.
Who will the master come soon pass away? Our signs of confidence. Reason 218.
Oh, well, by my word of life, so our Lord, Lord God.
Just have a few thoughts on my heart, brethren from the Book of Numbers it was referred to this morning in the meeting and I'd just like to speak a few words in connection with the visit of the spies to the Promised Land.
Numbers, Chapter 13.
And verse 17.
And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, And go up into the mountain, and see the land, what it is, what it is, and the people that dwell therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad, and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in cancer, in strongholds.
And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein or not, and be of good courage and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.
Of the 23rd verse. And they came unto the brook of Ashkal, and cut down from fence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bear it between two upon a staff. And they brought of the pomegranates and of the pigs. And the place was called the Brooke Ashcall, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from fence. And they returned from searching of the land after 40 days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel.
Under the wilderness of Peran to Kadish, and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land, Whither thou sendest us? And surely it floweth with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it.
00:05:14
I'd just like to speak first of all of this good Lamb that God was about to give to his people, and then to see the effect of the report that they brought back. I believe we could say that there are four different ways that this message was received. It was received by two of the spies as a real encouragement sustained them through their whole wilderness journey. And then?
Ten of the tribe, ten of the ones who went up. Why? They brought back a message of discouragement, and discouraged a great many others. Then because of this, it tells us about the Lord saying to Moses that he would smite the nation, and that he would take up Moses and make of him a great nation. And then we see in the end an attempt by some to go up and possess the land in their own strength.
So I believe it's wonderful that we can think of this blessed truth that's brought before us here in connection with the land of Canaan. I believe what we have had before us in the Epistle to the Colossians really occupies us with that land. We read the verse, the hope which is laid up for us in heaven, and then we also know in Ephesians that tells us that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings.
In the heavenlies in Christ. And what a blessed privilege it is, and that we can explore some of these wonderful things in the meetings we can be together and enjoy these wonderful truths that God has revealed to us in His word. And I believe, brethren that has gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, what a rich deposit of truth has been given to us. What a wonderful recovery that has been brought before us.
In the end of the Church's history.
How it ought to thrill our hearts as we think of how richly we are blessed. If we were to go back to the early days of the churches history, there couldn't be a gathering of this kind. The New Testament hadn't been written. They couldn't sit there with the Bible upon their knees.
Isn't it a wonderful thing that we can sit here in the very end of the Church's history with the open Bible before us, God's full revealed mind, His Spirit, has recovered these precious truths and brought them before us. And as our brother said to us and the young people's meeting, what a marvelous thing that we're living in such a time as this. We often speak of these difficult times.
But it's good for us to think of these blessed Times Now. This period when the Lord's coming is so near, at this time in the churches history when God has recovered these precious things for us. And as it was mentioned in connection with Josiah now that was near the end of the history of the two kingdoms. And yet we see there that there was a Passover kept and it says it was greater than what had been kept in the past.
In spite of the fact that it was at the very end, God blessed his people as he delights to do.
And so here we find that when these spies went back, they went, returned, I should say, as our brother brought before us this morning, they brought back a good word and they showed the fruit of the land. And oh, surely as we sit in these meetings.
And think of these blessed things all how it ought to fill our hearts with thankfulness and praise.
To know now that we're blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ.
To know that we are members of the body of Christ, that we can gather in God's appointed way around the Lord Jesus. To know to the precious truth of the Church and oh how many things we can enter into and enjoy.
It's truly like this land. It was a land flowing with milk and honey.
Well, let's report that the 12 spies brought back must have been a great cheer and encouragement as they told it and as they showed the fruit. Just one bunch of grapes and it took two men to carry it. Had ever such a bunch of grapes been displayed before? And surely I say our hearts ought to be filled with thankfulness, but we find that when they heard this good report.
00:10:20
And when they saw the fruit of the land, it moved them in one sense. But we find that some of them began to think about the difficulties. They said, oh, it's a good land, it truly is a land flowing with milk and honey. But oh.
The cities are great, there are high walls, the people are giants. And I believe that many of us who in the goodness of God have been gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, would surely say, oh how thankful we should be for the truth that has been given to us. And many of you dear young people can say as you meet your friends at school and speak to them about the Lord Jesus.
I'm sure you've been impressed by the things that you have learned in comparison to the little that they know of the truth of God. I can say that for myself. When, as a young man, I went out to work. I didn't realize what a privilege I had had in sitting in the meetings until I met Christians at work. And when I began to talk to them why, I began to realize how richly I had been blessed.
How much truth God had made known to those who were gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
And it filled my heart with thankfulness. But then, as I said, I wanted to speak of the result of this report. And it tells us here about these spies that were so discouraged. And perhaps as you come to the meeting, you say, well, the truth that is given out is wonderful, but oh, there are so many difficulties and it's so hard to walk in the path.
There are so many discouragements.
And our meetings aren't just exactly what they should be. And so we look at the.
The high walls. We look at the giants and we see all the problems and we allow our hearts to become so discouraged. And that is exactly what happened with ten of these spies. And so if there are any here this afternoon, and that's the way you feel.
Oh, I would beg of you to realize that although there are difficulties, we can never, never expect that the enemy is going to leave a testimony alone that wants to walk in obedience to the word of God.
I believe we can say that the special target of the enemy's attack are those who seek to walk in obedience to the word. He will do all he can to upset the meetings, to bring in discouragement, to turn our hearts away from Christ, to look at the difficulties instead of the Lord. And so they looked at the difficulties, and they compared themselves to these men of great stature.
They said when we saw how tall these men were, we felt like grasshoppers beside them.
You see, they compared themselves to the difficulties. Have you and I often done this?
And we have seen problems come up among God's people, and we saw our own weakness in the presence of these difficulties. And so we said perhaps, what's the use? It's a wonderful thing to have these precious things, but there are too many problems.
Many difficulties. And then too, we also see the effect of the report of these ten men, when they began to talk about these difficulties. Why it tells us in the 14th chapter.
And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried. And the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. And the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we have died in the land of Egypt?
Or would God we have died in this wilderness Notice here?
Instead of being thankful that the Lord was going to bring them in, to possess that good land and to enjoy all that God had in store for them.
00:15:09
Now they not only were discouraged themselves, that is the spies, but they discourage the rest. And what did the ones who were discouraged do? All they said would God. We had died in Egypt. What is Egypt? Well, it's a picture of the world in its glory.
And when our hearts become discouraged, it's so easy for us to be turned aside into the world. The world holds out a great attraction, and when you perhaps feel sad, then you don't perhaps feel encouraged in coming to the meetings like you wish to. Then perhaps you decide to turn aside to worldly things. Does this profit your soul? Does it really give you any lasting joy?
Someone said to a young believer why? He said you've taken the Lord as your savior and he said remember you're spoiled for this world and here young people it's true when you know the Lord is your savior, you just can't enjoy the world in the same way as the world link. And more than this, if you have been gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, this is still more so you can't enjoy.
The world in the same way if you have known.
What it is to be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, you'll have a bad conscience. You won't be happy in that pursuit at all. Or perhaps, as here it says, would God. We have died in the wilderness, and that is they wanted to be taken out of all these difficulties, and because they lost sight of two things of God's goodness, his love for his people, and it tells us in the Psalms they despise.
The pleasant land they believe not his word, and that is they didn't enjoy what was ahead of them and all. I believe that if you and I could get a glimpse of what is ahead of us, I think of the psalmist. When he spoke of the difficulties, he said a day and night courts is better than 1000. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God, than to dwell on the tents of wickedness.
You know all the doorkeepers. Job is not a very pleasant one. Trying to keep out what is not according to the mind of God is not easy in God's assembly. But he said, no matter how many difficulties there may be, he said it's better than dwelling in the tents of wickedness. It's better than going on with those things at all. Let me say this, dear friends, that I believe when we spent one day in the glory above.
We'll wonder.
We ever lived for the passing things of time. I believe when we have had our first day in heaven, we'll think. Can it be that we ever thought this world was worthwhile at all? Did it really have anything worthwhile to offer? No, it doesn't about oh, how easy it is to get discouraged. Discouragement is the tool of the enemy, and it tells us in Second Corinthians chapter one that our God.
Is the God of all encouragement. So then we see with the 10s spies who saw the good Lamb, who saw those good things, but looked at the difficulties instead of counting on God's faithfulness as they themselves became discouraged.
Influenced the others. They caused them to be in tears. They caused them in heart to turn back into Egypt. And in reality, if we see as we go on in the chapter that God had to deal then in his government, because it tells us, and it was mentioned to us yesterday how in First Corinthians 11 it says when we are, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Thank God we're not going to be brought under the world's judgment, but we can come under the chastisement of the House of God. We can have his dealing hand upon us. I've often said a Christian can be the happiest person on earth, or he can be the most miserable.
He can be the happiest when he is enjoying his portion, but he can be the most miserable. Yes, more miserable. And a person of the world. Because the person of the world hasn't had a glimpse of the good things that are in store for the Christians. And the person of the world doesn't have a nature that can enjoy those things. And so, in his measure, he enjoys the things of the world. It says they enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
00:20:22
How about it's different with a Christian? He can't enjoy the world in the same way. And if he's not enjoying the Lord, what a miserable person he is. Haven't we met some most unhappy Christians? Oh yes, I believe we have them pictured to us.
In these 10 spies who got discouraged, who caused all this weeping and sorrow among the people of God? But then, on the other hand, we find that there were two Caleb and Joshua. And these two they had gone with the other ten, and they had seen the good land, they had seen the giants, they had seen the walled cities. They weren't blind.
And God never, never would have us to be blind to the difficulties, even when he sent them, He said, See whether it's a good land, see whether the people are strong, see what kind of cities they live in. God never minimizes difficulties. He tells us, really the power of the enemy that's against us. He tells us how weak the flesh is. He tells us about what the world system is like.
And how it allures our natural hearts. He doesn't in any way minimize these things. And so Caleb and Joshua saw the good land. They also saw the difficulties. But they had their eyes upon the Lord. They believed that the Lord loved His people. They believed that the Lord who was faithful was going to bring his people into that land, and no matter how many problems there were.
Compared every difficulty with the Lord himself. If the people were in giants and they felt like grasshoppers beside them, those giants were like grasshoppers beside the Lord. If you compare the giants to the Lord, they're small. But if you compare the giant to yourself, he may seem very great. If you think of the high walls, they may seem very, very great.
And impregnable.
But if you compare them with the one who is above all He that is higher than the highest, the one who in resurrection said to his doubting disciples, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. All see the difference with these two men.
These two men, they encouraged the people. They did all they could to try and bring before them the two things, how good the land was, and that the Lord delighted in his people and that He would most surely bring them in. But then there's something more to notice about Caleb and Joshua when God and his government said that because of this, and because of all their murmurings and complaining.
That they were going to have to wander for 40 years in the wilderness. We find that Caleb and Joshua shared the lot of the failing people of God. Now I think there's something very beautiful in this. You know, when we see the condition of the people of God, it's very easy for us to either become discouraged or perhaps say, well, there's no use going on with them because.
There's so little faithfulness, but I think it's very beautiful to see with Caleb and Joshua that they went on through all those 40 years with the people of God. We never hear them speaking against the people of God. We see them going on with them, and what was it that cheered their hearts in all the problems that arose? We know about Cora and his company and how they rose up.
We know about, we know about Aaron and Miriam and how they rose up and all just so many things that came in among the people of God. But there was a constancy about these two. What was it that preserved them all? The fact that preserved them was that the Lord loved his people and that in his time he was going to bring them in. And that was what sustained them. That was what enabled them.
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You know, if God had taken those two men and brought them in to enjoy the land right away.
Now that would have been in one sense much easier. But to remain all those 40 years with the people of God, in all their difficulties and all our mistakes, and then all their problems, was a real test to them. But there was a constancy, and there was a joy now that filled their hearts through it all, and we find those two men when the time comes to enter the land. Joshua leads the man and Caleb.
Goes and possesses a very part of the land where the giants dwell.
All they proved God's faithfulness, and, Oh dear friends, what a blessing we can be among the people of God if we keep our eyes upon Christ. If we realize that no matter how many difficulties come in, the Lord is above them all, He's sufficient for every situation. And he, as we often sing his be the victor's name, Triumphant Saints, no honor claims.
His conquest was their own. He is going to bring his own safely through.
And we love to look forward to the time when the church will be presented without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Well then, notice the 11Th verse, now the tenth verse.
But that but all the congregation bad stone them with stones, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. That is. Here were these two men who sought to be faithful, and it says that the congregation bad to stone them with stones. Perhaps I hear someone say, well, I've tried to encourage my brethren, I've tried to be a help. But, you know, a lot of things happen to you when you try.
It's not very pleasant. People say things and do things. Oh, isn't this lovely to see that in spite of all this, these two men went on. And I might mention the meaning of the two names. Joshua means Savior and Caleb means dog.
And so those are the only two that entered the land. In what right did Caleb enter the land? Well, in what right does a dog enter a home? Only in the right of his master. And so isn't it lovely? The Lord Jesus is the one who's going to bring his people in. We claim no rights in ourselves, but it says that Caleb wholly followed the Lord, and the dog that stays in company with his master will get into some wonderful places.
Oh, how lovely it is. There's no worthiness in ourselves, but let us keep close to the Lord. But now in the 11Th verse. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me, and how long will it be here they believe me for all the signs which I have showed among them, I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation, and mightier than they.
And now there was to me. I just take this as.
An opportunity that was given to Moses to so to speak, God alone. He might have taken this up and said, well, everything is broken down and everything has failed. And now the Lord has given me the opportunity just to go on alone. He'll take me and he'll make a great nation out of me. But notice Moses reply 13th verse. And Moses said unto the Lord.
Then the Egyptians shall hear it, for thou broadest up this people in thy might from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. For they have heard that thou Lord, and among his people, that thou Lord art seen face to face at thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them by day, by daytime in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou wilt kill all his people as one man.
Then the nations which have heard the theme of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he swear unto them. Therefore he has slain them in the wilderness. And now I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken. Well we see that when the Lord said this to Moses, that he could have gone on alone, that God would make of him a great nation.
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And Moses turns, and he speaks to the Lord about his people and how that if the Lord didn't bring them in, dishonor, would be brought upon his name. And so I believe that there could perhaps be a lesson. I have found some Christians when difficulties come in, and I've heard quite a few say these things lately. Oh, I'm just not going to go along anymore.
I think I'll just have to go along alone.
I think the day of collective testimony is over rather than it's not over.
It's not over. The Lord has asked us to remember him until He comes. He is going to preserve. It's going to be a weak testimony. Thou hast a little strength and has kept my word and has not denied my name. What is it that makes us want to go along alone? Well, we remember poor Elijah. When he became discouraged, he said I only am left and they seek my life.
The Lord said, I have 7000 men that have not bowed the knee to the image of bail. What is it that leads us to think of wanting to go along alone? How we get occupied with ourselves, with our own faithfulness. But I think it's lovely to see the heart of Moses on this occasion. He loved the people of God. He thought they're good. He didn't minimize the condition of things. He felt it fully.
Probably felt it more than anyone else in the whole congregation. But isn't it lovely? He sought the glory of God and the blessing of his people. And may you and I, when we feel discouraged at times when we say or hear perhaps other people say, oh, I think a collective testimony is over. You just have to go along alone. No, it isn't, brethren that the Lord brought the people through. And there was a vast number that crossed that Jordan and entered the land.
But I think it's so lovely to see this on the part of Moses. And let me say this. If you and I have God's heart toward his people that we won't want to go on alone, or you say that I can enjoy his presence alone? He asked. Moses could have too, and you and I perhaps can enjoy his presence alone. But there are two things that ought to be dear to the child of God, and that is to enjoy the Lord's presence individually and to enjoy his presence collectively.
You know, in the 28th chapter of Matthew, after the Lord rose from the dead, he appeared in the midst of his own in an appointed place. And he said, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And there they were gathered around the Lord. He was there they saw him.
But then the time came when they must leave that happy place. And he said, Lo, I am with you always. They enjoyed his presence collectively. Then they enjoyed his presence individually. May this be our portion. May we not be satisfied with just saying, well, I can walk with the Lord alone.
Thank God he'll never leave you. Even if you're on the road to a mess, he's not going to leave you. But when they went back, they found the Lord was in the midst of his own at Jerusalem. So we see in the case of Moses that he wouldn't go on alone. He entered into the thoughts of God toward his people. He saw that the Lord's name would be dishonored. If there was no such thing as a collective company, who would be Brownian to inherit that good land that God had promised to his people?
And surely the Lord is going to preserve a people according to His mind, not because of our faithfulness, brethren, but because the Lord is the faithful and true witness. He is faithful that promised.
And now we come to the last one in the end of this chapter.
15th 14th of numbers.
Tells us.
On the 40th verse. And they rose up early in the morning and got them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and we'll go up under the place which the Lord had promised, for we have sinned. And Moses said, wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord?
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Shall not prosper going on up, for the Lord is not among you, that she be not smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword, because ye are turned away from the Lord. Therefore the Lord will not be with you, but they presume to go up under the hilltop. Nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord and Moses departed not.
Out of the camp then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelled in that hill and smoked them and discomforted them even unto Harma. Here we see another company. This is the 4th instance that is brought before us.
A company that presumed to go up not following the instructions of the word of God.
Not counting upon the Lord's presence among his people without the ark, which was the symbol of God's presence, they said we can do it, we can do it all. Here we see another danger, and that is fleshly confidence.
That confidence that is not of God, that which presumes to do something.
Of our souls. And here I believe there is a great danger to.
And I was thinking, brethren, especially of those of us who in grace have been gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, and how easy it is when we become discouraged to say, well, there are activities around this, they're doing great things. And I think I'll step off and identify myself with some of these other activities where great things are going on. Yes, but Moses said don't go.
That will be disobedience. The Ark will not be there, and if you go, you will expose yourself to the inhabitants of the land, and you won't. You won't enjoy and possess that good land, that land flowing with milk and honey in that way.
And so it is if you and I, in order to, shall I say, be identified with a great deal of activity, and Christendom, leave the path of obedience.
Our, shall I say, more occupied with making a show and seeing what we can do.
Instead of justice going on in the path of obedience, it will not be with the Lord's blessing. And as one has watched the lives of many dear brethren who really love the Lord and see how they have gone off, and they have gone into paths that are not according to the word of God. Oh, what a loss to their souls. What a compromise of the truth of God. Oh, may the Lord keep us, brethren.
The Lord's coming is near and I was thinking of how as we come together in this meeting.
How the Lord has spoken to our hearts. I believe He has brought before us yesterday our real state and the need of recognizing and owning it before him. And in the meeting this morning he brought before us a little bit of that good land He hasn't were. Let us see the spies return with all the good things, but if he leaves us here until tomorrow, we're going to have to go back home. We're going to have to go to our various assemblies.
And let us remember these four different attitudes, these four different results of them seeing the good things that were for in store for the people of God in the Promised Land. I'll mention them again. We find first of all, those.
Who, although they saw them, looked at all the difficulties, discouraged the others, and, sad to say, have brought in much weeping and sorrow instead of being an encouragement to the people of God. And then we find Caleb and Joshua.
Who all they knew about all these difficulties, they spoke about the Lord.
And how he was able to bring them in, and how he would bring them in. They emphasized what a good land it was. And they didn't occupy their brethren with all the giants and with all the high walls, but with the one who was superior to it all and who loved his people.
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And then the 4th, the third one rather, where we see an opportunity perhaps to say.
Well, it's all over. You just have to go on alone. It's a day when collective testimony has failed. But it's lovely to see Moses saying, Oh no, the Lord will be faithful to his people, the Lord will undertake. And he didn't want to see his name dishonored. He was going to bring the people in, in spite of all the failure and all the weakness that there was.
And then, last of all that we should become occupied with other activities, activities that are not according to the mind of God, not in obedience to His Word. For there we find how that Moses distinctly told them not to go. He said, the Lord won't go with you. He said the Ark won't be there. And he said if you go, you'll just expose yourselves to the.
Uh, enemies who dwell in the land, But they presumed to go. They went ahead and they suffered for it. Oh, brethren, surely that prayer that was mentioned in the young people's meeting needs to be the prayer of our hearts, and only individually have that. May the Lord keep us too, in the sense of how we need it, collectively. Preserve me, oh God, for in these do I put my trust.
I would just like to make a few remarks on the subject of perfection. Now I know this may raise a smile with some because.
We know in ourselves, by nature, there's no perfection.
But I do believe the Scripture teaches perfection in a certain sense. And there are two scriptures I'd like to call attention to. You know, I worked with a man. I met a man on the train once who said that he didn't sin.
I worked with another man. I worked with a man once who said he didn't sin but.
Being in the building lines that he put a lock in upside down and I asked him what that was and he said it was just an error.
And so on. Men will be deceived, you see, by Satan, and they use Scripture wrongly.
So there's no such thing, then, as human perfection here?
But there is such a thing as perfection in the sense in which Scripture teaches it. And I think we should be clear as to the subject of perfection, because there are doctrines about us that really bring men into ******* because they're not happy in their souls when they feel that they are not doing anything wrong.
We have to be in the exercise of soul continually before God.
Not that we're occupied always with evil, or that wrongdoing which might be in our lives. We should be occupied with Christ, but we have to be alert continually as to the attacks of the enemy upon us. Now the first passage I'd like to turn to briefly, and I'm not going to take long.
Is in Philippians.
Philippians, the third chapter.
I.
In the.
10th verse The apostle says, apostle Paul Philippians, 3 and 10, That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained, either, were already perfect, but I follow after.
If that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
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Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind.
And reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded, And if in anything you may you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Now what does the apostle Speaking of when he first he says he's not perfect, but then he also says as many as are perfect.
Well, you see in Philippians it's it's really the wilderness and it's Christian experience down here.
And there is such a thing as perfection in the sense of Christian experience.
That is, the apostle is set before us his own path.
He doesn't even look around to see if someone is running as fast as he is. He's not occupied with anything except that one object before him. That's what he calls perfection.
Here in the wilderness, if there's going to be perfection in that sense, we have one object before our hearts.
To preserve us as we pass through this wilderness, and to enjoy Christ along the way. Now he says, If if anyone be otherwise minded, God should reveal even this unto you.
Now I'm going to turn to another passage in Hebrews where we have perfection again, and that's really what I had before me.
Hebrews.
The 5th the 6th chapter of Hebrews.
Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection.
Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, and so on.
Now going on to the end of the chapter.
The 13th verse.
We'll read from the 11Th, 1St.
And we desire that everyone of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope under the end, that she be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swear by himself, saying, surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise for men verily swear by.
The greater and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all stripes.
Wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel.
Confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong Consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, in which enter into that within the veil whether the Forerunner is for us entered.
Even Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Now here we have perfection in connection with.
The object also of the soul. It's also a wilderness book.
But in just a little different sense. And here we have the truth brought right down to the gospel level.
At the end of this chapter, the man fleeing for refuge. But it's connected with perfection.
As the chapters introduced with perfection, now in the previous chapter we have perfection mentioned and that's maturity I suppose. And there is such a thing as.
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The spirit of God maturing us all in the things of God, I believe. But here it's just a little different thought.
Now he first speaks of all of those things that occupied the believer when he first was saved.
But now, he says, let's go on to perfection. And beloved, what's the book of Hebrews about?
Why? It's about the one who was once down here, but now he's in the highest place.
He's seated up there.
And he's there, interceding for us.
Christ, in fact, is Jesus.
It's Jesus in Hebrews. It's the blood of Jesus, not the blood of Christ. Perhaps once, but it's his person that's before us in Hebrews.
The person of Christ.
And why is he up there? He's a man up there.
What is he doing taking up your cause and mind?
He's taking up our cause so we can go on happily through this world.
And be preserved. He's our great High priest to maintain us in happy relationship with God.
That's his present work.
Well then, what's perfection?
Here the perfection in Hebrews beloved.
Is for our hearts and minds to be set upon that person.
And heavenly things.
Hebrew speaks of the better things.
Now, better than what? Better than these earthly things around us? Yes, but that's not the point in Hebrews. The point in Hebrews is to leave all that which belongs to earthly religion.
The religion of the flesh. Just leave it. Set it aside. As long as you and I are attached to anything in a religious way that belongs to this earth, we still haven't shaken off the grave clothes.
And so there isn't perfection.
But now going to the end of the chapter because I want to be brief.
I'm sure there are others who have something to say.
In the end of the chapter, I'm going to be brief about it. Here's a man who is fleeing for refuse.
A man is fleeing for refuse.
A very simple picture, isn't it?
And God wants to give strong consolation. Now, there may be some on the air this afternoon that's fleeing for refuse. They're not yet clear in their souls. They're not at rest. They're fleeing for refuge. You know, there's a there's an illustration in the Old Testament of a man.
The Spirit of God gives us that record of how God had provided 3 cities of refuse.
For the children of Israel, and later on when the land was established, he provided three more cities of refuge.
And a man who was in trouble because he had slain someone, Not willingly, but perhaps the axe head came off of the axe, we'll say, and it struck someone. He could easily flee to a city of refuge and be safe if he ran.
And can't you just picture a man who had not intended to kill anyone?
But as he was hewing a tree, the axe had fell off of the hell of the axe, and it struck his neighbor.
And in order that the Avenger doesn't take him, he runs to the City of Refuge. What a beautiful picture.
I'll take a moment to tell a little story. I was visiting the Indians in Canada.
And I came into a little village with my wife. We drove in and.
We noticed the Indians were seem to be afraid of us.
They didn't greet us as we'd expected and so we didn't want to disturb them and we started to turn around and go out and the an elderly woman came out and she said are you with the Redcoats? I said no.
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What's your purpose here? To tell you about the Lord Jesus?
Oh, she says. Will you come back tomorrow? I said. Why not today all, she said. My boy has killed someone and he's hidden in the woods and I want you to talk to him.
So we came back the next day.
And.
Here were all the Indians in a big circle.
In a green, grassy place.
And here was this boy.
He had been hunting with another boy.
And in some way.
He had mistaken this boy for the game that he was after and he'd shot the boy.
And he didn't mean to do it.
And I had the opportunity of telling him about that lovely story in the Old Testament.
About one who hadn't intended to kill anyone.
But he had a city of refused to go, so no one would kill him.
But I said, You know, my dear boy, I said, You and I are sinners.
And we really deserve to die. But there's one who has taken our place and all we need to do is flee to to him for refuge. Well, it was a lovely occasion with this group of Indian people, dear people. They were to tell them the story of Jesus and a refuge.
Now that's what we have here, but we have strong consolation.
Who have fled for refuge now God wants to assure our hearts this afternoon, dear ones.
That we have strong consolation.
And our hope is steadfast, who have fled for refuge.
And.
This is perfection, and I'll tell you why. Notice this part of the verse.
18 first.
We might have a strong consolation.
Who have fled for refuge to lay hold notice that to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.
Both shore and steadfast, and which entered into that within the veil.
Now in this chapter we have two things that God assures us by that we have a strong refuge in consolation.
One is himself.
God is sworn by himself.
He can't swear by anything higher, can he? Or his word will say.
But then also he has given an oath on top of that. Now you'll get the oath in the next chapter.
In the 21St verse.
For those priests, I should say the 7th chapter in the 21St verse. For those priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord swear and will not repent, thou art a priest forever.
After the order of Melchizedek, so we have then God's own word and then an oath.
And who does the oath have to do it? Why is the forerunner the center?
It's the last verse of our chapter, the forerunner who has entered.
It's sworn by an oath that we have a strong consolation.
And so this we picture this man.
Or you say, well, I can't attain to perfection. No, you can't, but you can enjoy it.
How? Just what we have here. Like the man who threw himself across the threshold.
And once he's thrown himself across the threshold of that city of refuge, he has a strong consolation.
He has God's word and he has that high Priest who's already entered.
The brother once said to me that.
I believe is in a meeting, he said. I believe the meaning of this passage is like this.
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He said I used to operate a sailing ship.
And we used to fish in the northern waters.
And he said, sometimes when we went into the harbor, it was between the rocks and if the wind was up, we couldn't get in.
We'd send a little boat in with a man with a line, and he'd fasten the line to a rock and then we would guide the ship in, he said. That's what this means.
There's a man, beloved, who's gone on high. Jesus, the most precious name that's ever been on human lips. Jesus.
He's on high now. God has sworn with an oath. Will it ever change?
No God is sworn. Beside that He's given us his precious word. We have a strong consolation.
Who have fled for refuge. That's perfection in Hebrews, to have the heart fixed on that one who's already in the in the highest place, God is setting there a man.
We have a few minutes left.
Perhaps we can be brief.
We were singing at the beginning of the meeting.
That lovely hymn.
Soon will the master come, soon pass away, our times of conflict brief and suffering here.
It brings to mind.
A few passages of Scripture, and will be very brief with them.
And possibly you may be able, in your own meditation, to look further at them.
First of all in Philippians chapter 4.
And verse 4.
Rejoice.
In the Lord all the way and again I say rejoice.
But your moderation be known unto all men, the Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing.
But in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving.
Let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding.
Sure, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
I suppose we could spend a whole hour on that, but we won't do it.
Just to point out.
That these words that we have read and follow.
The Apostle Speaking of those who had differences of opinion.
But, you know, with each one of us.
I'm sure that the many here just like myself.
If somebody differs with me, this order hurts my feelings.
We're disappointed in our brother or our sister because they don't agree with us.
We can rejoice in the Lord.
Under any circumstances, all circumstances, we can rejoice in the Lord.
And in the fifth verse let's you're yielding this.
There should be, I believe, be known unto all men.
What difference does it make when you get to the glory?
Whether I am right or my brother was right.
Is it going to make any difference within our joy and the glory?
In our apprehension of the Lord up there.
In his presence.
As another brother put it.
What difference does a little bit of time down here in this world make?
How long is 3040 fifty years down here compared with an unending eternity?
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Be careful for nothing.
Don't get disturbed by these things.
No, the Lord's coming, the Lord's at hand, and while we hear the Lord is here. Do.
Undertake Boris. But the Lord is coming, and when he comes, these things are all going to be settled.
So, brethren, forest down here. Is it not well to let our mildness?
Our yearliness be known at all.
Now let's turn to.
Romans.
Chapter.
13.
Verse 11.
And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believe.
The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness.
And let us put on the armor of light, let us walk honestly, as in the day, and so on.
Soon will Master come.
If high, time to awake out of sleep.
And I believe it's been the theme of our meetings.
It's high time to awake out of sleep.
Brethren, we have gone to sleep.
As far as the Lord's glory is concerned.
We have become indifferent.
To the coldness coming in amongst us.
But our salvation is nearer than when we believe.
The master is coming.
It may be yet.
Today.
The most far spent.
The Lord is just at the door.
The day is at hand. Let's cast off the works of darkness.
But on the Armor of Light, they walk honestly down here in this world.
We have a testimony.
Toward this world.
It may be good or it may not be good. Let's walk honestly.
For all.
These things which are dishonouring to the Lord.
Let's go on a separation from the world and the works of the world.
And let us have a becoming walk.
Separation and a becoming walk for the time that is still left us here in this world.
Now in First Peter chapter 4.
Verse 7.
The end of all things.
Is at hand.
Be therefore sober and watch unto prayer.
The time is coming when God is going to call into account for all that has been done.
For this world, yes.
But for you and me, dear fellow Christian, the day is coming when our Lord Jesus Christ is going to evaluate.
All that we have done in our pathway down here in this world.
Isn't it a sobering thought?
To think.
All that we have done.
All that we have said, all that we have thought.
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Is going to come up in review before our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who died for us.
The one who Jehovah was so much that it cost him.
To cleanse us from our sins to redeem us.
We're going to give an account to him.
For all things.
Let us be sober.
Let our time spent down here being soberness and independence on him, for without him we can do nothing.
Just one more and then we'll close.
Revelation Chapter 22.
The end of verse 10.
The time is at hand.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still.
And he would just filthy let him be filthy still.
And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still.
And he that is holding.
Let him be holy still, and behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according at his work shall be.
The time is at hand.
How long will it be before the Lord covers for you and me?
Time is at hand.
All the time has come and may yet be with us today.
When there will be no more opportunity to serve the Lord.
No more opportunity to do that. We're just pleasing to him.
Time is coming.
When those who are filthy are going to be filthy still, those who are unjust are going to be unjust still.
But also.
Those who are the righteous will be righteous still, or may we be counted among those.
Who in that day will be found righteous may be with us so now there'll be no change when the Lord comes.
That will be the end of our pathway of service down here when the Lord Jesus comes.
He that is holy, let him be holy still. Everything will be fixed in that day.
Whether it be for those who are the Lords or for those who are left behind for judgment.
May there be none here who are left behind in that day, but the time is at hand.
Let's be looking for let us be in the state of expectancy.
And faithfulness to our Lord.
Possess The Land
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Just have a few thoughts on my heart, brethren, from the book of Numbers. It was referred to this morning in the meeting, and I'd just like to speak a few words in connection with the visit of the spies to the Promised Land. Numbers chapter 13 and verse 17. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them.
Get you up this way southward and go up into the mountain.
See the land what it is, what it is, and the people that dwell therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many, and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad. And what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood there in or not.
And be of good courage and bring of the fruit of the land.
Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.
Of the 23rd verse. And they came unto the brook of Ashkal, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bear it between two upon a staff. And they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs. And the place was called the Brooke Ashcall, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from fence. And they returned from searching of the land after 40 days.
And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel.
Under the wilderness of Peron to Kadish, and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land, whither thou sentest us, And surely it floweth with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it.
I'd just like to speak first of all of this good lamb that God was about to give to His people and then to see the effect of the report that they brought back. I believe we could say that there are four different ways that this message was received. It was received by two of the spies as a real encouragement.
Sustained them through their whole wilderness journey, and then ten of the ten of the.
Ones who went up, why, they brought back a message of discouragement, and discouraged a great many others. Then because of this, it tells us about the Lord saying to Moses that he would smite the nation, and that he would take up Moses and make of him a great nation.
And then we see in the end an attempt by some to go up and possess the land.
In their own strength. So I believe it's wonderful that we can think of this blessed truth that's brought before us here in connection with the land of Canaan. I believe what we have had before us in the Epistle to the Colossians really occupies us with that land. We read the verse, the hope which is laid up for us in heaven. And then we also know in Ephesians it tells us that we are blessed with.
Spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ and what a blessed privilege it is.
That we can explore some of these wonderful things in the meetings. We can be together and enjoy these wonderful truths that God has revealed to us in His word. And I believe, brethren, that has gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, what a rich deposit of truth has been given to us. What a wonderful recovery that has been brought before us in the end of the church's history. How it ought to thrill our hearts as we think.
Of how richly we are blessed if we were to go back to the early days of the Church's history.
There couldn't be a gathering of this kind. The New Testament hadn't been written. They couldn't sit there with the Bible upon their knees. But isn't it a wonderful thing that we can sit here in the very end of the churches history, with the open Bible before us, God's full revealed mind?
Spirit has recovered these precious truths and brought them before us.
And as our brother said to us in the young people's meeting, what a marvelous thing that we're living in such a time as this. We often speak of these difficult times, but it's good for us to think of these blessed Times Now, this period when the Lords coming is so near.
At this time in the church's history when God has recovered these precious things for us.
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And as it was mentioned in connection with Josiah, now that was near the end of the history of the two kingdoms. And yet we see there that there was a Passover kept, and it says it was greater than what had been kept in the past, in spite of the fact that it was at the very end. God blessed His people, as He delights to do.
And so here we find that when these spies went back, they went returned, I should say.
As our brother brought before us this morning, they brought back a good word, and they showed the fruit of the land. And oh surely as we sit in these meetings and think of these blessed things, all how it ought to fill our hearts with thankfulness and praise to know now that we're blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ.
To know that we are members of the body of Christ, that we can gather in God's appointed way.
Around the Lord Jesus to know to the precious truth of the Church.
And oh, how many things we can enter into and enjoy.
It's truly like this land. It was a land flowing with milk and honey. Well, this report that the 12 spies brought back must have been a great cheer and encouragement as they told it and as they showed the fruit. Just one bunch of grapes and it took two men to carry it. Had ever such a bunch of grapes been displayed before?
And surely, I say, our hearts ought to be filled with thankfulness.
But we find that when they heard this good report and when they saw the fruit of the land, it moved them in one sense. But we find that some of them began to think about the difficulties. They said, oh, it's a good land. It truly is a land flowing with milk and honey. But oh, the cities are great.
There are high walls. The people are giants.
And I believe that many of us who in the goodness of God have been gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus would surely say, oh, how thankful we should be for the truth that has been given to us. And many of you, dear young people, can say, as you meet your friends at school and speak to them about the Lord Jesus, I'm sure you've been impressed.
By the things that you have learned.
In comparison to the little that they know of the truth of God.
I can say that for myself, when as a young man I went out to work, I didn't realize what a privilege I had had in sitting in the meetings until I met Christians at work. And when I began to talk to them why, I began to realize how richly I had been blessed, how much truth God had made known to those who were gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
And it filled my heart with thankfulness. But then.
As I said, I wanted to speak of the result of this report, and it tells us here about these spies that were so discouraged. And perhaps as you come to the meeting, you say, well, the truth that is given out is wonderful, but oh, there are so many difficulties and it's so hard to walk in the path.
There are so many discouragements and our meetings aren't just exactly what they should be.
And so we look at the high walls, we look at the giants.
And we see all the problems, and we allow our hearts to become so discouraged.
And that is exactly what happened with ten of these spies. And so if there are any here this afternoon and that's the way you feel.
Oh, I would beg of you to realize that although there are difficulties, we can never, never expect that the enemy is going to leave a testimony alone that wants to walk in obedience to the Word of God. I believe we can say that the special target of the enemy's attack are those who seek to walk in obedience to the Word. He will do all he can.
To upset the meetings, to bring in discouragement.
To turn our hearts away from Christ, to look at the difficulties instead of the Lord.
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And so they looked at the difficulties, and they compared themselves to these men of great stature. All they said, when we saw how tall these men were, we felt like grasshoppers beside them. You see, they compared themselves to the difficulties. Have you and I often done this? And we have seen problems come up among God's people, and we saw our own weakness in the presence of these difficulties. And so we.
Perhaps what's the use? It's a wonderful thing to have these precious things, but there are too many problems, too many difficulties. And then to we also see the effect of the report of these ten men when they began to talk about these difficulties. Why? It tells us in the 14th chapter.
And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried.
And the people wept that night, and all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would God we had died in this wilderness? Notice here, instead of being thankful that the Lord was going to bring them in to possess that good land, and to enjoy all that God had in store for.
They not only were discouraged themselves, that is, the spies, but they discourage the rest. And what did the ones who were discouraged do? All they said, Would God? We have died in Egypt. What is Egypt? Well, it's a picture of the world in its glory. And when our hearts become discouraged, it's so easy for us to be turned aside into the world. The world holds out a great attraction.
And when you perhaps feel sad, then you don't perhaps feel encouraged in coming to the meetings like you wish to.
Then perhaps you decide to turn aside to worldly things. Does this profit your soul? Does it really give you any lasting joy? Someone said to a young believer, why? He said, you've taken the Lord as your savior. And he said, remember, you're spoiled for this world. And dear young people, it's true. When you know the Lord is your savior, you just can't enjoy the world.
In the same way as a worldling, and more than this, if you have been gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
This is still more so you can't enjoy the world in the same way if you have known.
What it is to be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, you will have a bad conscience. You won't be happy in that pursuit at all. Or perhaps, as here it says, what God we have died in the wilderness. And that is, they wanted to be taken out of all these difficulties and because they lost sight of two things, of God's goodness, His love for his people.
And it tells us in the Psalms they despise.
The pleasant land they believe not his word, and that is they didn't enjoy what was ahead of them and all. I believe that if you and I could get a glimpse of what is ahead of us. I think of the psalmist when he spoke of the difficulties. He said a day and thy courts is better than 1000. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God than to dwell in the tents of.
You know, the door keepers Job is not a very pleasant one. Trying to keep out what is not according to the mind of God is not easy in God's assembly. But he said no matter how many difficulties there may be, he said it's better than dwelling in the tents of wickedness. It's better than going on with those things and all. Let me say this, dear friends.
That I believe when we spent one day in the glory above, we'll wonder why we ever lived for the passing things of time. I believe when we have had our first day in heaven.
Will think, can it be that we ever thought this world was worthwhile at all? Did it really have anything worthwhile to offer? No, it doesn't About oh how easy it is to get discouraged. Discouragement is the tool of the enemy, and it tells us in Second Corinthians chapter one that our God is the God of all encouragement.
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So then we see with the 10s spies who saw the good land, who saw those good things.
But looked at the difficulties, instead of counting on God's faithfulness, they themselves became discouraged, they influenced the others, they caused them to be in tears, They caused them in heart to turn back into Egypt. And in reality, if we see as we go on in the chapter that God had to deal then in his government, because it tells us, and it was mentioned to us yesterday, how in First Corinthians 11 it says.
When we are, we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world.
Thank God we are not going to be brought under the world's judgment, but we can come under the chastisement of the House of God. We can have his dealing hand upon us. I've often said a Christian can be the happiest person on earth or he can be the most miserable.
He can be the happiest when he is enjoying his portion, but he can be the most miserable. Yes, more miserable and a person of the world, because the person of the world hasn't had a glimpse of the good things that are in store for the Christian, and the person of the world doesn't have a nature that can enjoy those things.
And so in his measure, he enjoys the things of the world. It says they enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
But it's different with a Christian. He can't enjoy the world in the same way and if he's not enjoying the Lord.
What a miserable person he is. Haven't we met some most unhappy Christians? Oh yes, I believe we have them pictured to us in these 10 spies who got discouraged, who caused all this weeping and sorrow among the people of God.
But then on the other hand, we find that there were two, Caleb and Joshua, and these two, they had gone with the other ten and they had seen the good land, they had seen the giants, they had seen the walled cities. They weren't blind. And God never, never would have us to be blind to the difficulties. Even when he sent them. He said, see whether it's a good land, see whether the people are.
See what kind of cities they live in. God never minimizes difficulties. He tells us really the power of the enemy that's against us. He tells us how weak the flesh is. He tells us about what the world system is like and how it allures our natural hearts. He doesn't in any way minimize these things. And so Caleb and Joshua saw the good land. They also saw the.
But they had their eyes upon the Lord. They believed that the Lord loved his people. They believed that the Lord who was faithful was going to bring his people into that land. And no matter how many problems there were, as they compared every difficulty with the Lord himself.
If the people were in giants and they felt like grasshoppers beside them, those giants were like grasshoppers beside the Lord. If you compare the giants to the Lord, they're small. But if you compare the giant to yourself, he may seem very great. If you think of the high walls, they may seem very, very great and impregnable.
But if you compare them with the one who is above all he that is higher than the highest.
The one who in resurrection said to his doubting disciples, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
All see the difference with these two men and these two men they.
Encourage the people, they did all they could to try and bring before them the two things how good the land was, and that the Lord delighted in His people and that He would most surely bring them in. But then there's something more to notice about Caleb and Joshua when God and his government said that because of this and because of all their murmurings and complaining.
That they were going to have to wander for 40 years in the wilderness.
We find that Caleb and Joshua shared the lot of the failing people of God. Now, I think there's something very beautiful in this. You know, when we see the condition of the people of God, it's very easy for us to either become discouraged or perhaps say, well, there's no use going on with them because.
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There's so little faithfulness, but I think it's very beautiful to see with Caleb and Joshua that they went on through all those 40 years with the people of God.
We never hear them speaking against the people of God. We see them going on with them. And what was it that cheered their hearts in all the problems that arose? We know about Cora and his company and how they rose up.
We know about, we know about Aaron and Miriam and how they rose up and all, just so many things that came in among the people of God. But there was a constancy about these two. What was it that preserved them all? The fact that preserved them was that the Lord loved His people and that in His time He was going to bring them in. And that was what sustained them. That was what enabled them.
If God had taken those two men and brought them in to enjoy the land right away.
Now that would have been in one sense much easier, but to remain all those 40 years with the people of God in all their difficulties and all their mistakes and all their problems was a real test to them. But there was a constancy and there was a joy that filled their hearts through it all. And we find those two men when the time comes to enter the land.
Joshua leads the man, and Caleb goes and possesses a very part of the land where the giants dwell.
All they proved God's faithfulness. And Oh dear friends, what a blessing we can be among the people of God if we keep our eyes upon Christ, if we realize that no matter how many difficulties come in, the Lord is above them all. He's sufficient for every situation, and He, as we often sing His, be the victor's name.
Triumphant Saints no honor claim his conquest was their own.
He is going to bring his own safely through, and we love to look forward to the time when the church will be presented without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Well then, notice the 11Th verse. Now the tenth verse.
But all the congregation bards stoned them with stones and the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. That is here were these two men who sought to be faithful. And it says that the congregation bad to stone them with stones. Perhaps I hear someone say, well, I've tried to encourage my brother and I've tried to be a help, but you know a lot of things.
When you try, it's not very pleasant. People say things and do things. Oh, isn't this lovely to see that in spite of all this, these two men went on. And I might mention the meaning of the two names. Joshua means Savior and Caleb means dog. And so those were the only two that entered the land. In what right did Caleb enter the land? Well, in what right does a dog enter a home?
Only in the right of his Master. And so isn't it lovely? The Lord Jesus is the one who is going to bring his people in. We claim no rights in ourselves, but it says that Caleb wholly followed the Lord, and the dog that stays in company with his Master will get into some wonderful places. Oh, how lovely it is. There's no worthiness in ourselves, but let us keep close to the Lord.
But now in the 11Th verse. And the Lord said unto Moses.
Will this people provoke me, and how long will it be here? They believe me for all the signs which I have showed among them. I will smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And now there was to me. I just take this as an opportunity that was given to Moses.
To, so to speak, go on alone. He might have taken this up and said, well, everything's broken down and everything has failed.
And now the Lord has given me the opportunity just to go on alone. He'll take me, and he'll make a great nation out of me. But notice Moses Reply 13th verse And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, For thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land, For they have heard that thou Lord, and among his people.
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That thou, Lord, art seen face to face, that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them by day, by daytime in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou will kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak same. Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he swear unto them, Therefore he has.
Them in the wilderness. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great.
According as thou has spoken, Well, we see that when the Lord said this to Moses, that he could have gone on alone, that God would make of him a great nation. And Moses turns, and he speaks to the Lord about his people, and how that if the Lord didn't bring them in, dishonor would be brought upon his name.
And so I believe that there could perhaps be a lesson. I have found some Christians when difficulties come in.
And I've heard quite a few say these things lately. Oh, I'm just not going to go along anymore. I think I'll just have to go along alone. I think the day of collective testimony is over, brethren. It's not over. It's not over. The Lord has asked us to remember him until he comes. He is going to preserve. It's going to be a weak testimony. Thou hast a little strength and has kept my word. And.
Denied my name. What is it that makes us want to go along alone? Well you remember poor Elijah when he became discouraged, he said I only am left and they seek my life. The Lord said I have 7000 men that have not bowed the knee to the image of bail. What is it that leads us to think of wanting to go along alone?
How we get occupied with ourselves?
With our own faithfulness. But I think it's lovely to see the heart of Moses on this occasion.
He loved the people of God. He sought their good. He didn't minimize the condition of things. He felt it fully, probably felt it more than anyone else in the whole congregation. But isn't it lovely? He sought the glory of God and the blessing of his people. And may you and I, when we feel discouraged at times, when we say or hear, perhaps other people say, oh, I think.
A collective testimony is over. You just have to go along alone. No it isn't, brethren.
The Lord brought the people through, and there was a vast number that crossed that Jordan and entered the land.
But I think it's so lovely to see this on the part of Moses. And let me say this, if you and I.
Have God's heart toward his people. We won't want to go on alone. Or you say that I can enjoy his presence alone? He asked. Moses could have too, and you and I perhaps can enjoy his presence alone. But there are two things that ought to be dear to the child of God, and that is to enjoy the Lords presence individually and to enjoy his presence collectively.
You know on the 28th chapter of Matthew, after the Lord rose from the dead, He appeared in the midst of His own in an appointed place, and he said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And there they were gathered around the Lord. He was there, they saw Him.
But then the time came when they must leave that happy place and he said, lo, I am with you always. They enjoyed his presence collectively. Then they enjoyed his presence individually. May this be our portion. May we not be satisfied with just saying, well, I can walk with the Lord alone. Thank God he'll never leave you. Even if you're on the road to a mess, He's not going to leave you. But when they went back, they found the Lord was in the midst of.
At Jerusalem. So we see in the case of Moses that he wouldn't go on alone.
He entered into the thoughts of God toward his people. He saw that the Lords name would be dishonored if there was no such thing as a collective company who would be brought in to inherit that good land that God had promised to his people? And surely the Lord is going to preserve a people according to his mind, Not because of our faithfulness, brethren, but because the Lord is the faithful and true.
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Us, he is faithful that promised. And now we come to the last one and the end of this chapter.
15th 14th of numbers.
Tells us.
On the 40th verse, And they rose up early in the morning, and got them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and we'll go up under the place which the Lord have promised, for we have sinned.
And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? But it shall not prosper going on up. For the Lord is not among you, that she be not smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword, because ye are turned away from the Lord. Therefore the Lord will not be with you. But they presume to go up onto the hilltop.
Nevertheless, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.
And Moses departed, not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down.
And the Canaanites which dwelled in that hill and smote them and discomforted them.
Even unto Harmon, here we see another company. This is the 4th instance that is brought before us. A company that presumed to go up, not following the instructions of the word of God, not counting upon the Lorde presence among his people.
Without the ark, which was the symbol of God's presence, they said we can do it, we can do it. Oh, here we see another danger, and that is fleshly confidence. Now that confidence that is not of God, that which presumes to do something of ourselves. And here I believe there is a great danger too. And I was thinking, brethren, specially of those of us who in grace have been gathered.
Precious name of the Lord Jesus. And how easy it is when we become discouraged to say, well, there are activities around this, they're doing great things and I think I'll step off and identify myself with some of these other activities where great things are going on. Yes, but Moses said don't go.
That will be disobedience. The ark will not be there, and if you go, you will expose yourself.
To the inhabitants of the land. And you won't, you won't enjoy and possess that good land, that land flowing with milk and honey in that way.
And so it is if you and I, in order to, shall I say, be identified with a great deal of activity and Christendom, leave the path of obedience.
Our, shall I say, more occupied with making a show and seeing what we can do instead of just going on in the path of obedience. It will not be with the Lord's blessing and as one has watched the lives of many a dear.
Brethren who really loved the Lord and see how they have gone off and they have gone into paths that are not according to the word of God. Oh what a loss to their souls. What a compromise of the truth of God. Oh may the Lord keep us. Brethren, the Lords coming is near and I was thinking of how as we come together in this meeting, how the Lord has spoken to our hearts. I believe He has brought before us.
Yesterday, our real state and the need of recognizing and owning it before him.
And in the meeting this morning, he brought before us a little bit of that good land.
He doesn't worry. Let us see the spies return with all the good things. But if he leaves us here until tomorrow, we're going to have to go back home. We're going to have to go to our various assemblies and let us remember these four different attitudes, these four different results as I'm seeing the good things that were for in store for the people of God in the.
I'll mention them again. We find first of all those who, although they saw them, looked at all the difficulties, discouraged the others, and, sad to say, have brought in much weeping and sorrow, instead of being an encouragement to the people of God. And then we find Caleb and Joshua, who although they knew about all these difficulties.
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They spoke about the Lord and how He was able to bring them in and how He would bring them in.
They emphasized what a good land it was, and they didn't occupy their brethren with all.
Giants, and with all the high walls, but with the one who was superior to it all.
And who loved his people? And then the 4th, the third one rather where we see an opportunity perhaps to say, well, it's all over, you just have to go on alone. It's a day when collective testimony has failed. But it's lovely to see Moses saying, Oh no.
The Lord will be faithful to his people. The Lord will undertake, and he didn't want to see his name dishonored. He was going to bring the people in in spite of all the failure and all the weakness that there was. And then last of all.
We should become occupied with other activities, activities that are not according to the mind of God, not in obedience to His Word.
There we find how that Moses distinctly told them not to go. He said the Lord won't go with you. He said the ark won't be there. And he said if you go, you'll just expose yourselves to the enemies who dwell in the land. But they presume to go. They went ahead and they suffered for it. Oh, brethren, surely that prayer that was mentioned in the young people's meeting needs.
The prayer of our hearts, and only individually, but may the Lord keep us too, in the sense of how we need it collectively. Preserve me, oh God, for in thee do I put my trust.
Ramah and Bethel
Address—J. Brereton
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
First Samuel Chapter 7 and beginning at verse 50. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life, and he went from year to year in circuit to battle, and Gilgal and Mispa.
And judged Israel in all those places, and his return was to Rama.
For there was his house.
And there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar.
Unto the Lord, I'm sure, dear young people, the story of Samuel is one that you have read before and enjoyed very much.
And it is not my purpose this afternoon to try to go over the life of Samuel.
But what I would like to talk about for a little while.
Are these four places?
That Samuel made it his habit.
To visit.
We find that his home, his house was at Rama.
And perhaps if we have time at the end, we will go into that name a little bit more.
What's sufficient to say at this point that the word Rama means high place?
And I think it is particularly lovely that Samuel should dwell in that which speaks of the high place. You know, dear young people, that's where the Lord Jesus wants you to dwell and where he wants me to dwell. He wants our whole to be in the high place.
You remember the story of the man? I believe he was a Shoemaker, if I remember rightly, who had the sign in his window.
Of his store and it said simply working below, living above. Well, dear young people, that's what the Lord wants for you and me to be working below but living above, living in the high places for the heavenly places in Christ Jesus in the book of Ephesians that we've had mentioned from time to time during these meetings.
We have been reminded that we are seeing.
In the purposes and counsels of God, as seated in Christ in the heavenly places, and that is.
Truth of God as He has revealed it to us in His Word. But as far as it being practically true?
Everything around us in this world is designed by the God and the Prince of this world to drag us down so that we don't live, we don't actually live and enjoy the high places, the preciousness of the truth of God, that which has been spoken of in these meetings as the promised land.
Enjoy it all dear young people. The Lord Jesus wants you to be happy.
He wants you to be happy, He wants your life to be a happy and fruitful one. He wants you to be the happiest person in you, on your street, in your city, and he has done everything possible to enable you to be here in this world and yet living in the high places.
Well, we find that in the case of Samuel, his living at Rama.
Was not by accident.
For many here the history of Samuel has been repeated.
We find, if we go back to the first chapter of Samuel, that Samuel had.
A godly father, a man by name of El Cannon, who went up yearly to Shiloh to worship. He was a godly Ephraimite.
But we find out also that Samuel had a godly praying mother.
And all how many there are here that can do, or perhaps some that should and do not. Thank God for the privilege of having a mother that has spent hours upon hours upon their knees crying to the Lord for you that your life might be a happy.
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Fruitful life, not a life wasted and thrown away.
Upon the things of this world, but a life, dear young people, that will be one of joy here, and of reward upon well. We find that El Cannon and Hannah's prayers were answered in the case of Samuel, We're told in the 4th chapter, I believe it is, that there was a time when Samuel knew not the Lord.
But the time came.
When the Lord revealed himself to him, and I trust that's true of each one of the dear young people here this afternoon. What we have to say is directed particularly to those who know the Lord, to whom the Lord has revealed himself. Who can say the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior? Oh dear young people, is that true?
Have you come to that point in your life where you know?
No, on the authority of the Word of God, that the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior.
That He has paid your debt, redeemed you to himself, That you belong to Him.
Well, if you'll turn back with me for a moment in Samuel.
To the 19th verse of the third chapter it says in Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground, and all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.
Thou Hannah had come, and in faith had presented Samuel before the Lord at Shiloh, and Samuel was growing up.
And it was clear that the Lord's intent was that Samuel should be a profit of the war.
If I could just spend a moment to address a few words to those who are parents here this afternoon, and I dress my own heart in particular, particularly those of us who have younger children.
You know, dear beloved brethren, the Lord Jesus has given you and I a wondrous privilege, and that privilege is to raise those children up for Him.
It has struck me very much of how we find that when Hannah prayed for Samuel, she mentioned in her prayer in the first chapter that the razor would not come upon his head. She would raise him as a Nazarite, and the Lord intended him.
For a prophet.
Would you just keep this place in Samuel for a moment and turn over to the book of Amos for a moment?
Amos chapter 2, Amos chapter 2 and verse 9.
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the Cedars, and he was strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath.
Also, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and LED you 40 years through the wilderness.
To possess the land of the Amorite.
And I raised up of your sons for prophets.
Of your young men for Nazarites, is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord.
He gave the Nazarites wine to drink and commanded the prophet saying prophecy not.
Beloved brethren, I believe you and I, as I'm sure we would all agree, have been given.
A privilege and a responsibility to bring our children up for the Lord.
And we find that in the book of Amos. There we're told that the Lord intended he raised up of their children for Nazarites and for prophets.
But the parents had not been faithful.
They had fed the Nazarite strong drink and they had said to the prophets prophecy not.
All my friends, dear beloved brethren.
Those children that the Lord has committed to your care and to mine.
Careful, we must be.
What an exercise we should have, I should have as to what we feed our children.
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What we allow in our home, what they're allowed to see.
What their hearts are allowed to be occupied with, the Lord intends them for Nazarites and for prophets.
Are we raising them as NASA rights and as prophets?
There were those who said to those whom the Lord intended for profits, prophecy not do we find ourselves sometimes, and I say this to my own heart.
Discouraging our children from being faithful because it becomes a reproach to ourselves.
Well, we find in the case of Samuel his parents.
Raised Samuel as a Nazarite.
A prophet and the Lord claimed Samuel, and the time came when he fulfilled that role that he had been raised for as a Nazarite and a prophet.
And so we come to this place in First Samuel Chapter 7, where Samuel is now established.
As the judge in Israel, and he's living in that which speaks of the high places.
What was so unusual about that?
Well, you know, what is to me so beautiful is that it was the place where his mother and father lived. They had lived in Rama, and that's where Samuel chose to live too.
All beloved brethren again.
Are we choosing to live in the high places?
Our desire, you know, the children had often been said children are great imitators and they can see through us very quickly and it should be a very real exercise to us as to whether we are living.
In the high places, Elkanah and Hannah live there. You know Hannah, her name means grace. Grace. What a lovely thing, a praying mother whose name means grace and their dwelling at Rama, living in those high places themselves.
We find the day comes when Samuel chooses to to live it around.
Well, then, we find that in the circuit that he follows, he goes first of all to battle.
Battle.
The House of God.
I'd like you to turn with me now back to the book of Genesis.
First of all, we'll look at Genesis chapter 12, Genesis chapter 12 and.
The seventh verse.
Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto thy seed, will I give this land? And there bill, that he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the West, and hey, I on the east. And there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there.
For the famine was grievous in the land.
The 13th chapter. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him.
Into the South.
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and gold, and he went on his journey from the South, even to Bethel, onto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hayek, onto the place of the altar which he had made there at the 1St. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
The 11Th verse, then Lot chose him, all the plain of Jordan. Now if you would turn over to the Genesis chapter 27, sorry, Genesis chapter 28 and verse 15. The Lord speaking in a vision to Jacob. And he says, And behold, I am with thee, and I will and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to.
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place? This is none other but the House of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel. Then if you go on to the 35th chapter for a moment. And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to battle.
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And dwell there, and make there an altar unto God that appeared unto thee, when thou fled us from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him. Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. And let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress.
And was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears.
And Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
And they journey the ninth verse. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Peyton Arum and blessed him.
And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob.
Thy name shall not be called anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name, and he called his name Israel.
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty, Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, and a company of nations shall be of thee, and king shall come out of thy loins.
And the land which I gave Abram and Isaac to thee, I will give it to thy seed. After thee will I give the land.
And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone. And he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him. Bethel. The study of this place called Bethel is a whole subject in itself.
But I would just draw your attention particularly to the fact that there was certain things connected with battle, one of which was a heap of stones.
We'll find as we go through these names, if the Lord gives us the time here, that in the connection with Bethel and in connection with Gilgal and in connection with mitzvah, in each case there is a stone, a heap of stones connected with them. We find that in the case of Abraham, dear young people, it was his joy to go to battle.
The House of God to get into the presence of God.
All beloved young people, the enemy of your soul and mind wants to rob us of our enjoyment of the high places, of being able to dwell at Rama in the high places, in the enjoyment of heaven before we get there and our first recourse.
Is to get into the presence of God.
We find in the case of Abram, when he went down into Egypt, when he was restored in his soul, he went back to Bethel.
Back to the House of God, Back to the Presence.
Of the God that he knew, but.
Didn't choose to remain at Vessel. You know, it's very striking that when Locke chose Sodom and went down into Sodom and finally he loses everything. Sodom is destroyed and everything Lot had sent his set his heart on was gone.
The Angel says to Lot flee to the mountain. I'll get back into the presence of God, Lot.
But Lot chose the little town of Zor. He was afraid. Afraid to get back into the presence of God.
Abram delighted to dwell at Bethel.
We find when we come to the.
Case of the in the 28th chapter. Jacob.
Really departed on a journey after having connived to obtain the birthright that God had intended to give him anyway. And I have no doubt that Jacob had a bad conscience.
When we find him there.
And he sees in a vision that ladder reaching to heaven. And when he wakes up.
His comment, dear young people, is to me a tragic 1.
He says, surely the Lord is in this place.
And then he says, This is a dreadful place, this is a dreadful place. What a tragedy it is, dear young people, when those who belong to God, those who have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, having a bad conscience connected in some way or other with that which dishonours the Lord.
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Refuse, and I say this to my own heart, it's a tragedy. Refuse to go to Bethel, the House of God, and to get into God's presence about it.
There is no doubt that there is that which is in keeping.
With being at Bethel, we find in the 35th chapter when the Lord says to Jacob arise, go to Bethel, Jacob could see right away.
That that which he had allowed in his house.
That which we had allowed in his home and amongst his family was out of keeping with being in the presence of God at Bethel. And so he commands them to put away their idols, to put away those things.
That were robbing him of the enjoyment of the presence of God.
All beloved young people, Satan wants to have your heart occupied with idols too.
He wants to occupy your heart with anything that will keep you.
From going to Bethel and enjoying the presence of God.
I'm sure there is a collective sense connected with Bethel in the House of God, but I believe there is a very real personal individual instruction for us connected with it, and that is to personally, privately detached from all others.
To spend time, dear young people, in the presence of God.
To get into the presence of God at Bethel, the House of God.
If we're going on with that which gives us a bad conscience and we refuse to judge it, we may indeed find it a dreadful place. We may indeed find that we're not happy there in the presence of God, because God would speak to our consciences, Speak to my conscience.
And the things which He allows speak to our conscience to give us to see that that which we are allowing is out of keeping with being in the presence of God. All beloved young people, you belong to Christ now. You're his. God claims you as his child. As he said to Jacob, He's never going to let you go until he's completed all of these plans for you, and that is to have you safely home in the glory.
In the meantime, if you're going to enjoy, if you're going to have a happy, fruitful life for Christ here.
You're going to have to go to bed and spend time in the presence of God. Spend time there. Find, like Abram, that it is a precious place, a place where there's an altar where you can offer Thanksgiving and praise and worship to the one who paid the cost through his own son to make you his own.
Well, Abram, delighted to go to Bethel.
Jacob first of all feared it, but he finally went, and it tells us there in that portion in.
Genesis chapter 35 that when he went to Bethel, God appeared to him at Bethel.
There he was reminded again of all that God's purpose for him, of all God's promises made to Abraham and to Isaac.
Beloved young people, the Lord wants you to enjoy His company. And if you and I, if we're going on with anything, anything, dear young people, now that hinders us, holds us back from going to battle.
It's costing us too much. It's costing God too much. He's never going to let you go. No, He's going to take you safely home to glory. But oh, how much you lose. How much Jacob lost.
In being away from.
But to go to bed?
Mean, dear young people, to put away that which is in our lives.
That is a dishonor to Christ. You notice the next place they went to was Gilgal.
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It turned back to Joshua Now for a moment, the 4th chapter of Joshua, we noticed that there was a heap of stones there that Jacob had raised at Bethel. Well, now we find that Gilgal, there's also a heap of stones, Joshua chapter 4 and verse 19. And the people came up out of Jordan on the 10th day of the first month, and in Campton, Gilgal in the east border of Jericho, and those 12 Stones which they took out of Jordan.
Did Joshua pitch in Gilgal now if you look at the 5th chapter.
The seventh verse. And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.
Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.
How dear young people.
The next stop in Samuels journey.
The next stop that took him in his journey that ended up back at Rama was to Gilda, the place that has been spoken of as the place of self judgment.
And you know, dear young people, we never get right thoughts of ourselves until we first get into the presence of God. Until we first get into the presence of God. The first stop was Bethel. There was that in Jacob's life which he saw was obviously inconsistent with being in the presence of God, but that perfect that.
Continuous, I should say that continuous self judgment that we need day by day. Dear young people, it will only be carried out effectually as we spend time in the presence of God.
We find that at Gilgal there was a heap of stones, 12 Stones. Where had they come from?
They had come from the bottom of the River Jordan.
They could look at those stones and see that they had come out of death, come out of death, that they had been in the place of death under the waters of Jordan and has been raised up out of that and placed there on the shore at Gilgal. Dear young people, that's what you and I are. We are stones that have been raised up out of the place of death.
We have gone under the waters of death with our blessed Savior, crucified with Him, and now raised with Him, and we can see ourselves as those who died with Him, who were in the place of death with Him, but have been raised dear young people, as we see ourselves thus.
And risen with him, identified with a grave, glorified Savior. Now, dear young people, in the presence of God, in the presence of God, we are going to have the privilege of applying the knife to the flesh in the presence of God. You know, it is a sad thing.
And I trust that each one will recognize that I speak to my own heart in these things. But to me, it is a tragedy when you hear.
Real children of God, young people, sometimes, some of us sometimes that are not so young. You hear them saying, well, I don't really see any harm in that. I don't really see and I don't have a conscience about that. Well, beloved young people, if we spent more time in the presence of God, there would be more of a conscience about these things, more of a conscience about how we dress.
How we act, what we say, where we go, who we're with.
And the reason? The reason?
That there is so little, I said to my own heart of applying the knife to the flesh is because we know so little of what it is to spend time at Bethel in the presence of God.
Know so little of what it is to get into the presence of God and there have a right view of the flesh, and know and see clearly.
That which needs to have the flesh applied to it.
Well, we find in the case of Samuel, he first went to Bethel, a heap of stones there. He then went to Gilgal, a heap of stones there. And I would to God, dear young people, that I knew more of what it was to spend time at Bethel. For I know that if I did, I would know more of what it is to spend time at Gilgal.
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And apply the knife to the flesh. The Lord has to give the grace for it.
But beloved young people, the flesh, the flesh that will rob your soul.
Of the enjoyment of the high place that the Lord wants you to enjoy.
Will only be judged rightly.
In the presence of God.
We find the next place that Samuel went to was MISPA.
Now if you turn back to I think it's the 31St chapter of Genesis for a moment, 31St chapter of Genesis, the 45th verse. And Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar.
Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones. And they took stones and made in heap, and they did eat there upon the heap. And Laban called it Jigar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galid. And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee. This day therefore was the name of it called Ghalib and Mispa. For he said, The Lord watched between me and thee, when we are absent one from another, and then.
Turn over to Samuel again and chapter Chapter 7, Chapter 7, the early part of where we've been reading, and the fifth verse, perhaps we should read from the third verse. And Samuel spake unto all the House of Israel, saying, if you do, return unto the Lord with all your hearts. Then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
Then the children of Israel did put away Balaam and Ashtaroth and serve the Lord only. And Samuel said, gather all Israel to mitzvah.
And I will pray for you unto the Lord.
In the seventh verse. And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mispa, the Lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistine. And Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord.
And Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him.
And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great Thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomforted them, and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mesmer, and pursued the Philistines, and smoked them until they came under that car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Misbah and Shin, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying hitherto.
Hath the Lord helped us?
We find back there in the 31St chapter of Genesis that Label and Jacob were having their conference together.
And we find that Jacob named the place galley, which means simply a heap of witness. There were the stones. This was to be a symbol of the agreement that they were reaching amongst themselves. You know, dear young people, it says. But it was also called mispa. Mispa means a watchtower. Well, we find here when we come to First Samuel, Chapter 7.
That Israel has sinned and they have owned it. They have got into the presence of God.
They have judged the rightly concerning their ways. They have owned before God.
That they have sinned, they have cried to the Lord for deliverance, and the Lord has come in and delivered them.
And they raise another stone, another stone between misperson and this stone is called Ebenezer.
And it means simply hitherto hath the Lord help us?
Here was the the symbol, the very.
Storm that signified to them that the Lord had come in, in His goodness and delivered them. Beloved young people, the Lord would have you and I to go to Mispa. Oh, how often Satan would come in and seek to discourage us, discourage us with the way things are going, perhaps at home or in our family or in the assembly or at school or at work or whatever it is, and to get our eyes away and get our eyes.
With the difficulties and the problems and the result is that we lose the high places, that is the enjoyment of them. We're not able to return to Rama. We find ourselves occupied with the things in this world, personal problems and difficulties that would rob us of what the Lord wants us to enjoy.
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I would add not that the Lord does not want us to be exercised by that which He allows. There should be a very real exercise when the Lord allows that in our lives that He would use to speak to our hearts.
But, beloved young people, not to be cast down by it, not to find ourselves so discouraged that we're leaving Rama, but instead raising an Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us?
Now to me it is striking that of all means that they should have picked for this place. They should have picked Ebenezer. Because if you go back to the previous chapter in Samuel, you will find that it was at Ebenezer that Israel suffered such a great defeat and lost the ark of God. The ark of God was taken captive at Ebenezer.
But Samuel, Samuel in that very place where there had been a defeat.
Now gives them to see that independence of the Lord there is a victory, and he puts a stone there and calls it by that very name of Ebenezer, so that when they go to Mispa they can look at a stone and say that's Ebenezer in there to have the Lord helped us not occupied with the other Ebenezer where they had known failure and defeat, but occupy seeing there the witness the stone before them.
That reminded their hearts that the Lord had given them the victory.
People, the Lord wants us to remember. He wants us to look back and remember all that the Lord has done.
Has he ever failed us? Has there ever been a time in your life when the Lord failed you, when he failed to come in, in his own way, and in his own time, and work his miracle of grace in your life? Has there ever been an occasion in your life or mine where we could charge him with failure? You know the answer is not. We have to raise our Ebenezer and acknowledge hitherto hath the Lord helped us.
But beloved young people, Misbah is more than that.
It's more than simply looking back and saying the Lord's taking care of everything in the past. It's a watchtower. It's a place where we can look on to the future and see that all the way home the Lord has undertaken to provide everything in every circumstance that we need for His Lord.
He would have us mouth the watchtower and see the land, see what's before us. We're going to be with Christ. Dear young people, you and I are going to be with Christ. We're on the verge on the very eve of His coming. Why is it we get so occupied with things here? I submit to your heart and mind. It's because we don't climb the Watchtower. We don't spend time at MISMA where we see what is before us to be with the Lord Jesus in glory.
Someone quoted the verse in the meeting the other day. Where there is no vision, the people perish. Dear young people, you and I need vision. We want to look back and acknowledge the Lord has never failed us and to look ahead and know that all is secure. We're on our way home to glory.
How am I going to live at Rama? How are you going to live at Rama? In the high places, enjoying heaven before we get there?
By spending time at battle in the presence of God, where we will judge your right with the fleshies and judge it in the presence of God.
Put away, put away that which robs our souls of the enjoyment of the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
And then climb the watchtower, spend time there, looking back and acknowledging all the Lord's good hand in his ways with us.
And looking on to the glory and trusting Him for all that's to come.
Well, there is also, we don't have time to touch on it now, but I would just mention that there is also a stone connected with Rama. You can research it for yourself if you choose to. But Rama is the same place, has the same meaning as the word Arimathea. And you know, dear young people, there was a man from Arimathea.
A man called Joseph, a man as it were, from that place of Rama, and he had a stone.
He had a rock and he hewed a sepulchre out of that rock.
And today there's a stone, there's a stone connected with Rama, connected with Arimathea, with Joseph of Arimathea. There's a stone connected with that too. It's an empty tomb that bears witness to the fact that the Lord of glory is raised and gone back to glory that we're seeing seated in Him in the heavenly places. We're soon going to be with Him there. And in the meantime, the Lord would have us be in the enjoyment.
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Beloved young people, you and I, in the enjoyment of heaven, before we get there, may we spend time at Bethel in the presence of God. May we spend time, beloved young people, acknowledging before God, but the flesh is and judging it in the presence of God and in the Watchtower, looking back and looking on. And the result will be.
That will dwell at Rama.
And enjoy heaven before we get there.
Time vs Eternity
Address—W. Smith
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We were singing at the beginning of the meeting.
That lovely hymn.
Soon will the master come, soon pass away at times of conflict, grief, and suffering. Here it brings to mind a few passages of Scripture, and we'll be very brief with them.
And possibly you may be able in your own meditation to look further at them. First of all, in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 4, rejoice.
In the Lord always and again I say, rejoice.
But your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing.
But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. I suppose we could spend a whole hour on that, but we won't do it.
But just to point out.
That these words that we have read and follow.
The apostle Speaking of those who had differences of opinion. But you know, with each one of us.
I'm sure there are many here just like myself. If somebody differs with me, it sort of hurts my feelings. We're disappointed in our brother or our sister because they don't agree with us. We can rejoice in the Lord under any circumstances, all circumstances. We can rejoice in the Lord. And in the fifth verse, let your yieldingness.
There should be, I believe, be known unto all men. What difference does it make when you get to the glory?
Whether I am right or my brother was right, is he going to make any difference?
Within our joy and the glory.
In our apprehension of the Lord up there.
In his presence that another brother put it put difference as a little bit of time down here in this world, mate.
How long is 3040? Fifty years down here compared with an unending eternity.
Careful for nothing, don't get disturbed by these things. No, the Lord's coming, the Lord's at hand.
And while we hear, the Lord is here to undertake for us.
But the Lord is coming, and when He comes, these things are all going to be settled.
So, brethren, for us down here, is it not well to let our mildness?
Are yielding us be known at all?
Now let's turn to.
Romans Chapter.
13.
Verse 11 And at knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believe.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand.
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, and so on.
Pseudo master come, high time to awake out of sleep.
And I believe it's been the scene.
Of our meetings.
High time to awake out of sleep, brethren, we've gone to sleep.
As far as the Lord's glory is concerned.
We have become indifferent.
To the coldness coming in amongst us.
But our salvation is nearer than when we believe.
The master is coming.
It may be yet today.
The last four I spent.
The Lord is just at the door. The day is at hand.
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Let's cast off the works of darkness.
But on the armor of light, they walk honestly down here in this world.
We have a testimony.
Toward this world.
It may be good or it may not be good. Let's walk honestly.
Pull off.
All these things which are dishonouring to the Lord.
Let's go on a separation from the world and the works of the world.
And let us have a becoming walk.
Separation and a becoming walk for the time that is still left us here in this world.
Now in first Peter chapter 4 verse 7, the end of all things.
Is at hand.
Be therefore sober and watch.
Unto prayer. The time is coming when God is going to call into account.
For all that has been done for this world, yes.
But for you and me, dear fellow Christian, the day is coming.
When our Lord Jesus Christ is going to evaluate.
All that we have done.
In our pathway down here in this world, Isn't it a sobering thought?
To think.
That all that we have done.
All that we have said, all that we have thought.
Is going to come up in review before our Lord Jesus Christ?
The one who died for us.
The one.
If Jehovah was so much that it cost him.
To cleanse us from our sins, to redeem us, we're going to give an account to Him.
For all things, let us be sober.
Let our time spent down here being soberness and independence on him, for without him we can do nothing.
Just one more and then we'll close.
Revelation chapter 22, the end of verse 10. The time is at hand.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still.
And he would just filthy. Let him be filthy still.
And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still.
And he that is holy, let him be holy still.
And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.
The time is at hand.
How long will it be before the Lord comes for you and me? Time is at hand.
All the time has come and may yet be with us today.
When there will be no more opportunity to serve the Lord.
No more opportunity to do that. We're just pleasing to him.
Time is coming when those who are filthy are going to be filthy still.
Those who were unjust are going to be unjust still, but also.
Those who are the righteous will be righteous still, Or may we be counted among those.
Who in that day will be found righteous may be with us. So now there'll be no change when the Lord comes.
That will be the end of our pathway of service down here.
When the Lord Jesus comes.
He that is holy, let him be holy still. Everything will be fixed in that day.
Whether it be for those who are the Lords or for those who are left behind for judgment.
May there be none here who are left behind in that day, but the time is at hand.
Let's be looking for it. Let us be in the state of expectancy and faithfulness to our Lord.
Perfection
Address—C.E. Lunden
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I would just like to make a few remarks on the subject of perfection. Now I know this may raise a smile with some because.
We know in ourselves by nature there's no perfection, but I do believe that scripture teaches perfection in a certain sense. And there are two scriptures I'd like to call attention to. You know, I worked with a man. I met a man on the train once who said that he didn't send. I worked with another man. I worked with a man once who.
Said he didn't sin but.
Being in the building lines that he put a lock in upside down and I asked him what that was and he said it was just an error.
And so on. Men will be deceived, you see, by Satan, and they use scripture wrongly.
So there's no such thing as human perfection here.
But there is such a thing as perfection in the sense in which Scripture teaches it. And I think we should be clear as to the subject of perfection because there are doctrines about us that really bring men into ******* because they're not happy in their souls when they feel that they are not doing anything wrong.
We have to be in the exercise of soul continually before God.
Not that we're occupied always with evil or that wrongdoing which might be in our lives. We should be occupied with Christ, but we have to be alert continually as to the attacks of the enemy upon us. Now, the first passage I'd like to turn to briefly, and I'm not going to take long.
Is in Philippians Philippians, the third chapter?
10th verse The apostle says the apostle Paul, Philippians 3 and 10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained either were already perfect.
But I follow after.
If that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded, and if in anything He may he be otherwise minded. God shall reveal even this unto you.
Now what is the apostle Speaking of when he first he says he is not perfect, but then he also says as many as are perfect?
Well, you see in Philippians it's it's really the wilderness and it's Christian experience down here.
And there is such a thing as perfection in the sense of Christian experience.
That is, the Apostle has set before us his own path.
He doesn't even look around to see if someone is running as fast as he is. He's not occupied with anything except that one object before him. That's what he calls perfection.
Philippians here in the wilderness, if there is going to be perfection in that sense.
We have one object before our hearts to preserve us as we pass through this wilderness, and to enjoy Christ along the way. Now he says, if if anyone be otherwise minded, God should reveal even this unto you.
Now I'm going to turn to another passage in Hebrews where we have perfection again, and that's really what I had before me.
Hebrews.
The 5th.
The 6th chapter of Hebrews. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection.
Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and so on.
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Now going on to the end of the chapter.
The 13th verse we'll read from the 11Th verse.
And we desire that everyone of you to show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope under the end that she be not slothful, but followers of and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife, wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of.
Immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things.
In which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation.
Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hopes set before us. Which hope we have is an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. In which enter into that within the veil, whether the forerunner is for us entered. Even Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Now here we have perfection in connection with.
The object also.
Of the soul. It's also a wilderness book, but in just a little different sense.
And here we have the truth brought right down to the Gospel level at the end of this chapter, the man fleeing for refugees.
But it's connected with perfection as the chapters introduced with perfection.
Now in the previous chapter we have perfection mentioned and that's maturity I suppose.
And there is such a thing as.
The Spirit of God maturing us all, and the things of God, I believe.
But here it's just a little different thought.
Now his first speaks of all of those things that occupied the believer when he first was saved, but now he says, let's go on to perfection. And beloved, what's the book of Hebrews about?
Why? It's about the one who was once down here, but now he's in the highest place.
He's seated up there and he's there interceding for us. Christ, in fact, is Jesus. It's Jesus in Hebrews. It's the blood of Jesus, not the blood of Christ. Perhaps once, but it's his person that's before us in Hebrews.
The person of Christ.
And why is he up there? He's a man up there. What is he doing? It's taking up your cause and mine.
He's taking up our car so we can go on happily through this world and be preserved. He's our great high priest to maintain us in happy relationship with God. That's his present work.
Well then, what's perfection?
Here the perfection in Hebrews, beloved, is for our hearts and minds to be set upon that person.
And heavenly things. Hebrew speaks of the better things.
Now, better than what? Better than these earthly things around us? Yes, but that's not the point in Hebrews.
The point in Hebrews is to leave all that which belongs to earth or religion.
The religion of the flesh, Just leave it, set it aside. As long as you and I are attached to anything in a religious way that belongs to this earth, we still haven't shaken off the grave clothes.
And so there isn't perfection.
But now going to the end of the chapter because I want to be brief.
I'm sure there are others who have something to say.
In the end of the chapter, I'm going to be brief about it. Here's a man who is fleeing for refuge.
A man is fleeing for refuge.
A very simple picture, isn't it?
And God wants to give strong consolation.
Now, there may be some on there this afternoon that's fleeing for refuge. They're not yet clear in their souls. They're not at rest. They're fleeing for refuge. You know, there's a, there's an illustration in the Old Testament of a man. The Spirit of God gives us that record of how God had provided 3 cities of refuge.
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Children of Israel.
And later on, when the land was established, he provided three more cities of refuge.
And a man who was in trouble because he had slain someone, not willingly, but perhaps the axe head came off of the axe, we'll say, and it struck someone. He could easily flee to a city of refuge and be safe if he ran.
And can't you just picture a man who had not intended to kill anyone, but as he was hewing a tree, the axe had fell off of the hell of the axe, and it struck his neighbor.
And in order that the Avenger doesn't take him, he runs to the city of refuge. What a beautiful picture.
I'll take a moment to tell them a story. I was visiting the Indians in Canada.
And I came into a little village with my wife. We drove in and.
We noticed the unions were seemed to be afraid of us.
They didn't greet us as we'd expected and so we didn't want to disturb them and we started to turn around and go out and an elderly woman came out and she said are you with the redcoats? I said no.
She said. What's your purpose here? To tell you about the Lord Jesus?
Oh, she says, will you come back tomorrow? I said, why not today? Oh, she said. My boy has killed someone and he's hidden in the woods and I want you to talk to him.
So we came back the next day.
And.
Here were all the Indians in a big circle.
In a green grassy place.
And here was this boy he had been hunting with another boy.
And in some way he had mistaken this boy for the game that he was after, and he shot the boy and he didn't mean to do it.
And I had the opportunity of telling him about that lovely story in the Old Testament.
About one who hadn't intended to kill anyone.
But he had a city of refuge to go so no one would kill him.
But I said, You know, my dear boy, I said, you and I are sinners.
And we really deserve to die, but there's one who has taken our place and all we need to do is flee to him for refuge.
It was a lovely occasion with this group of Indian people, dear people, They were to tell them the story of Jesus and a refuge. Now that's what we have here. But we have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge. Now God wants to assure our hearts this afternoon, dear ones, that we have strong consolation.
And our hope is steadfast. Who have fled for refuge.
And.
This is perfection and I'll tell you why.
Notice this part of the verse.
18th verse.
We might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold. Notice that to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.
Both sure and steadfast. And which entered into that within the veil?
Now in this chapter we have two things that God assures us by.
That we have a strong refuge in consolation.
One is himself.
God has worn by himself.
He can't swear by anything high, or can he? Or his word will say.
But then also he's given an oath on top of that. Now you'll get the oath in the next chapter.
In the 21St verse.
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For those priests I should say the 7th chapter in the 21St verse. For those priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath by him that said unto him, the Lord swear, and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. So we have then God's own word.
And then an oath.
And who does the oath have to do with? Why is the Forerunner that centered? That's the last verse of our chapter, the Forerunner who was entered.
Is sworn by an oath that we have a strong consolation.
And so this we picture this man.
Or you say, well, I can't attain to perfection. No, you can't, but you can enjoy it.
How just what we have here. Like the man who threw himself across the threshold.
And once he has thrown himself across the threshold of that city of refuge, he has a strong consolation. He has God's word, and he has that high priest who's already entered.
The brother once said to me that.
I believe it's in a meeting, he said. I believe the meaning of this passage is like this, he said. I used to operate a sailing ship.
And we used to fish in the northern waters.
And he said sometimes when we went into the harbor, it was between the rocks and if the wind was up, we couldn't get in.
So we'd send a little boat in with a man with a line and he'd fasten the line to a rock and then we would guide the ship in, he said. That's what this means.
There's a man, beloved, who has gone online. Jesus. The most precious name that's ever been on human lips. Jesus.
He's on high.
Now God is sworn with an oath. Will it ever change?
No, God is sworn beside that He's given us his precious word. We have a strong consolation.
Who have fled for our refuge. That's perfection in Hebrews to have the heart fixed on that one who is already in the in the highest place. God is sitting there a man.
My Reward is with Me
Address—W. Smith
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We have a few minutes left.
Perhaps we can be brief.
We were singing at the beginning of the meeting.
That lovely hymn.
Soon will the Master come, soon pass away our times of conflict, grief and suffering here.
It brings to mind a few passages of scripture and will be very brief with them.
And possibly you may be able in your own meditation, to look further.
At them.
First of all, in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 4.
Rejoice.
In the Lord always and again I say, rejoice.
But your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing.
But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made, known, undergone, and the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. I suppose we could spend a whole hour on that, but we won't do it.
But just to point out that.
That these words that we have read and follow.
The apostle Speaking of those who had differences of opinion.
But, you know, with each one of us.
I'm sure there are many here just like myself. If somebody differs with me, it sort of hurts my feelings.
We're disappointed in our brother or our sister because they don't agree with us.
We can rejoice in the Lord.
Under any circumstances, all circumstances, we can rejoice in the Lord and in the fifth verse, let your yielding this.
It should be, I believe, be known unto all men. What difference does it make when we get to the glory? Whether I am right or my brother was right, is he going to make any difference?
Within our joy and the glory.
In our apprehension of the Lord up there.
In his present, as another brother put it different as a little bit of time down here in this world, mate.
How long is 3040? Fifty years down here?
Compared with an unending eternity.
Be careful for nothing.
Don't get disturbed by these things.
No, the Lord's coming, the Lord's at hand.
And while we hear, the Lord is here to undertake for us.
But the Lord is coming, and when He comes, these things are all going to be settled.
So, brethren, for us down here, is it not well to let our mildness?
Our yearliness be known at all.
Now let's turn to Romans.
Chapter.
13.
And verse 11 and that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believe.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the worst of darkness.
And let us put on the armor of light, let us walk honestly, as in the day, and so on. Pseudo master come, it's high time to awake out of sleep. And I believe it's been the theme.
Of our meetings is high time to awake out of sleep.
Brethren, we have gone to sleep.
As far as the Lord's glory is concerned, we have become indifferent.
To the coldness coming in amongst us.
But our salvation is nearer than when we believe.
The master is coming.
It may be yet today the last part I spent.
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The law is just at the door. The day is at hand.
Let's cast off the works of darkness.
But on the armor of light, they walk honestly down here in this world.
We have a testimony.
Toward this world.
It may be good or it may not be good. Let's work honestly.
Fall off.
All these things which are dishonouring to the Lord.
Let's go on a separation from the world and the works of the world.
And let us have a becoming walk, separation and a becoming wonk for the time that is still left us here in this world.
Now in first Peter chapter 4 verse 7, the end of all things.
Is at hand.
Be therefore sober and watch.
Under prayer, the time is coming when God is going to call into account.
For all that has been done for this world, yes, But for you and me?
Dear fellow Christian, the day is coming when our Lord Jesus Christ is going to evaluate.
All that we have done in our pathway down here in this world. Isn't it a sobering thought?
To think.
That all that we have done.
All that we have said, all that we have thought.
Is going to come up in review before our Lord Jesus Christ?
The one who died for us.
The one.
Who to whom? It was so much that it cost him.
To cleanse us from our sins. To redeem us.
We're going to give an account to him.
For all things, let us be sober.
Let our time spent down here be in soberness and independence on him, for without him we can do nothing.
Just one more and then we'll close.
Revelation chapter 22.
The end of verse 10. The time is at hand.
He that is unjust.
Let him be unjust still.
And here we just filthy. Let him be filthy still.
And he that righteous, let him be righteous still, and he that is holy.
Let him be holy still, and behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me.
To give every man according to his work shall be.
The time is at hand. How long will it be before the Lord comes for you and me? Climb it at hand all. The time is coming and may yet be with us today.
When there will be no more opportunity to serve the Lord.
No more opportunity to do that which is pleasing to him.
Time is coming when those who are filthy are going to be filthy still.
Those who were unjust are going to be unjust still, but also.
Those who are the righteous will be righteous still, Or may we be counted among those.
Who in that day will be found righteous may be with us. So now there will be no change when the Lord comes.
That will be the end of our pathway of service down here.
When the Lord Jesus comes.
He that is holy, let him be holy still. Everything will be fixed in that day, whether it be for those who are the Lords or for those who are left behind for judgment.
May there be none here who were left behind in that day, but the time is at hand.
Let's be looking for it. Let us be in the state of expectancy and faithfulness to our Lord.